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Nothing Comes, Nothing Goes

Sabad Reflection

Monday
,
11
September
2017

The Sabad begins with a profound declaration— the body itself is a manifestation of the divine, a temple, and a wandering pilgrim. This poetic imagery invites reflection on the sacred nature of the physical form, transforming it into a vessel for...

The Sabad begins with a profound declaration— the body itself is a manifestation of the divine, a temple, and a wandering pilgrim. This poetic imagery invites reflection on the sacred nature of the physical form, transforming it into a vessel for spiritual exploration and worship. The verses suggest that offerings of incense, lamps, eatables, and petals can be made within the body, turning living into a divine ritual.

Body itself is god; body itself is temple,
Body itself is the wandering pilgrim.

Body is where to offer incense, lamps, and eatables,
Body is where to worship with petals.  1. 

Searched numerous realms,
obtained nine treasures in the body.
Since I invoked Charmer-Divine,
nothing comes, nothing goes.  1.  Reflect.

The One in the universe is in the body,
the one who searches, finds.
Pipa offers: Supreme is the Essence,
revealed by the Eternal-Guru. 2.
Bhagat Pipa ji in Rag Dhanasari  |  Guru Granth Sahib 695
ਪੀਪਾ ॥

ਕਾਯਉ ਦੇਵਾ ਕਾਇਅਉ ਦੇਵਲ ਕਾਇਅਉ ਜੰਗਮ ਜਾਤੀ ॥
ਕਾਇਅਉ ਧੂਪ ਦੀਪ ਨਈਬੇਦਾ ਕਾਇਅਉ ਪੂਜਉ ਪਾਤੀ ॥੧॥

ਕਾਇਆ ਬਹੁ ਖੰਡ ਖੋਜਤੇ ਨਵ ਨਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ ॥
ਨਾ ਕਛੁ ਆਇਬੋ ਨਾ ਕਛੁ ਜਾਇਬੋ ਰਾਮ ਕੀ ਦੁਹਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ

ਜੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੰਡੇ ਸੋਈ ਪਿੰਡੇ ਜੋ ਖੋਜੈ ਸੋ ਪਾਵੈ ॥ਪੀਪਾ ਪ੍ਰਣਵੈ ਪਰਮ ਤਤੁ ਹੈ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਹੋਇ ਲਖਾਵੈ ॥੨॥੩॥

About Sabad of the Week

We are finite; our understanding is finite. Our understanding was different yesterday and may evolve tomorrow as we deepen our relationship with the Sabad. In this trans-creation, we have chosen to keep the repeating words in the Sabad same. We aspire to learn and retain the Divine attribute used in the original Sabad and avoid terms like God or Lord.

In This Podcast

Harinder Singh

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy
Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib. 

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