Har ka Naam dhiaaye ke hoho hariya bhai – Raag Basant – Ang 1193

SGGS Angg 1193

Raag Basant

Raag Basant Mahal 5 (you will note it is Mahal 5, not Mehla 5. Some Shabads state Mahal and not the usual Mehla. In the chaupaday of Raag Sri Raag by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Ang 14 – 26), there are at least 3 Shabads where Mahal, and not Mehla is used).

There are 22 Vaars in SGGS Ji. Basant Ki Vaar Mahal 5 is the shortest Vaar. Only this Vaar, and the Vaar by Bhai Satta and Balwand Ji (Ang 966-968) have no Sloks interspersed between the pauris. All the other 20 Vaars have Sloks inserted in them by Guru Arjun Dev Ji. The additional Sloks left over after being inserted in the 20 Vaars were then recorded as “Slok Vaaran tey Vadheek” from Anggs 1410 till 1426.

There is a sakhi relating to this Vaar. It is said Guru Arjun Dev Ji had written just three padas when the cook informed Guru Ji that langgar was being served. Guru Ji got up to eat langgar to ensure “ann devta” would not be displeased.

The sakhi seems spurious. The Gurus did not believe in or ever pay any homage to devi devtas. Moreover, if indeed Guru Ji had stopped to eat langgar, He could have easily added in more padas after langgar if Guru Ji so wished.

This is a Vaar from Raag Basant. Basant means spring season, the season of freshness and lush greenery. The imagery of a Sikh whose avastha is evergreen and fresh, springs to mind as one reads the Vaar.

Guru Ji advises the Sikh.

Meditate upon the Lord’s Name and blossom forth in green lusciousness; by your high destiny you have been blessed with this wondrous spring season of the soul; as you partake of the Ambrosia (Naam) you will experience the three worlds in bloom; meeting with the Saints (Guru), peace wells up and all sins are erased; Nanak meditates upon the One Name and shall never ever be consigned to the womb of reincarnation.

“Har ka Naam dhiaaye ke hoho hariya bhai; karam likhantay paaiyeh eh rut suhaaye; vann trin tribhavan mauliya amrit falh paiyee; milh Sadhu sukh upjay lathi sabh shaayhi; Nanak simre Ek Naam firr bahur na dhaayi.”

As you live an honest life, the five powerful desires are bound down; the Merciful Lord Himself stands in and inspires us to chant His Name; all sorrows and sicknesses are eradicated, and you become ever fresh and rejuvenated; night and day as you meditate upon the Name, you shall never face death again; Nanak says from whence we came, we merge into Him again.

“Panje badhe mahabali kar sacha dhoa; Aapne Charan japaaiyan vich Dyo khadova; rogh sogh sabh mitt gaye nitt nava nirova; dinn rainn Naam dhiaaienda firr paaye na mova; jis te upjiya Nanaka soyi firr hova.”

(As your avastha rises, it is normal for lots of questions to well up in the mind. As you go deeper inwards, a realization sets in that some aspects of His Play are beyond our comprehension. It is best to accept His Hukam, and flow into the Safe Refuge of His Will, just as the bhagats have done over the ages).

Where do we come from, where do we live (in which avastha), and where do we get absorbed into at the end?; (the answer). All beings belong to God, our Lord Master. Who can place a value upon His Play? (who can ever fathom the Lord’s Doings); those who speak of Him, meditate upon Him daily, those Saints are blessed; the Lord is Inaccessible and Unfathomable. There is none other like Him; Nanak expresses what has been revealed to him by the Perfect Guru. (Shabad).

“Kitho upjay keh rahe keh mahe samaavhe; jee jantt sabh Khasam ke kaun keemat paavhe; kahan dhiaayen sunan nitt se bhagat suhaavhe; Aggam Agochar Sahibo dussar lavhe na laavhe; Sach Purey Gur updesiya Nanak sunaavhe.”

Shabad Viakhya by Bhai Manjeet Singh Ji

Shabad Kirtan available on YouTube