Tana bana kachu na sujjay Har Har rass lapteiyo – Raag Bilaaval – Ang 856

SGGS Angg 856.

Raag Bilaaval (Bilawal) – Bhagat Kabir Ji.

Bhagat Ji records a conversation between His mother and Bhagat Ji. As we read the Shabad, it looks like a conversation between a mother a child. But there are hidden shades of meaning to the Shabad.

His mother says, daily he rises early, and takes an unbaked clay pitcher and spends the day glazing it.

“Nit uth koree gagar aaney leepat jio geyo.”

Koree gagar also means body and leepat also means to clothe the body pitcher inside (jio – jeev) with Naam to give it a special aura – glaze.

Bhagat Ji was a weaver by profession. She scolds that He does not engage in any weaving (i.e. Bhagat Ji no longer weaves any worldly entanglements), rather, He is engaged in tasting the subtle essence of the Lord.

“Tana bana kachu na sujjay Har Har rass lapteiyo.”

In the rahao she laments. Who has ever chanted the Name of the Lord in our family? (Actually it should be a matter of shame, rather than something to lament about); ever since this worthless son of mine has taken to reciting the Lord’s Name, we have had no peace at all. (Again, this is ironic. It is “Har ko Naam sada sukhdayee,” but the mother represents the view of the world, not the Saints).

“Hamare kulh kaunay Raam kehiyo; jab ki mala leyi niputay tab te sukh na bheyo.” (rahao).

She calls on her jethani (sister-in-law, married to husband’s elder brother, and derani (sister-in-law, married to husband’s younger brother), and says One Amazing (Naam) event has happened. (Jethani and derani in Sadh bhasha are symbols for strive, gossip and misunderstanding – she does not confide in good counsel, rather those who are mischief personified); this boy has ruined our weaving business, why does he not just die? (Saat soot literally means seven threads i.e. the seven colours of a rainbow which are found in the threads in any weavers shop. But, Saat also means Sat – eternal. By attaching himself to Sat, i.e. Naam, he has cut off all our worldy weaving entanglements).

“Sunho jethani sunho derani achraj Ek bheyo; Saat soot ein mundiye khoye eh mundiya kyo na moyo.”

Bhagat answers in the next two padas:

The One Lord and Master is the Source of all Peace and the Guru has blessed me with His Name; He preserved the honor of Prahlad and destroyed Harnaksh with His Nails.

“Sarab sukha ka Ek Har Suami so Gur Naam diyo; Sant Prahlad ki paij jinn rakhee Harnaksh nakh bidriyo.”

I have renounced prayer to gods and ancestors of this house, and attached myself to the Guru’s Word; Kabir says, God destroys all sins and Protects His Saints.

“Ghar ke dev pitar ki chodee Gur ko Shabad lehyo; Kahat Kabir saggal paap khandan Sante leh udhreyo.”

Shabad Viakhya by Bhai Manjeet Singh Ji

Shahad Kirtan available on YouTube