In the Dohra of Slok Mehla 9 we are told..
“Bal chutkiyo bandhan pare kachu na hot upaye : kaho Nanak ab ote Har gajj jio hoho sahaye”
ਬਲੁ ਛੁਟਕਿਓ ਬੰਧਨ ਪਰੇ ਕਛੂ ਨ ਹੋਤ ਉਪਾਇ ॥
Bal cẖẖutki▫o banḏẖan pare kacẖẖū na hoṯ upā▫e
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਅਬ ਓਟ ਹਰਿ ਗਜ ਜਿਉ ਹੋਹੁ ਸਹਾਇ ॥੫੩॥
Kaho Nānak ab ot har gaj ji▫o hohu sahā▫e. ||53||
I have no strength to carry on; I am caught in various bondages ; (but), my ote, my tek is on God that He will save me just as He saved the elephant.*
(The Puranas mention the story of the elephant who was being dragged by a tanduaa- giant octopus. Some accounts esp. in South India say it was a crocodile).
What Guru Ji is stressing is that no matter how bleak the outlook may be you must not place your ote, your tek, your aasara, hopes on anyone else besides the Lord.
So long as your ote is intact, then the next pada follows where Guru Ji says..
“Bal hova bandhan chute sabh kich hot upaye ; Nanak sabh kich tumre haath mein tum hi hote Sahaye”
Strength courses through the veins ; all bondages have been broken ; Nanak says ” everything rests in Your Hands, Lord ; only You can save all.
So, the tek is of utmost importance. In the face of difficulties, we tend to waver. Someone suggests a syana or some baba or some tagga taveet or feng shui stuff to turn your difficulties into good times. Nothing works. All these forays into all kinds of energies leads to further bondages. Only sincere prayer to God, with your ote in Him, using Naam in the Sharan of the Satguru can bring you relief.
At Ang 91 we are told by Guru Ramdas Ji..
“Kita lorhe kam so Har pe akhiye ; karaj de swaar Satgur sach sakhiye”.
In the kirtan clip the ragi sings a pada from Sukhmani Sahib where Guru Ji tells us..
“manukh ki tek birthi sabh jaan ; devan ko eko bhagvaan “.
ਮਾਨੁਖ ਕੀ ਟੇਕ ਬ੍ਰਿਥੀ ਸਭ ਜਾਨੁ ॥
Mānukẖ kī tek barithī sabẖ jān
ਦੇਵਨ ਕਉ ਏਕੈ ਭਗਵਾਨੁ ॥
Ḏevan ka▫o ekai bẖagvān
It is useless to rest your hopes upon human beings ; the True Giver is the One Lord only.
Gurfateh
Manjeet Singh
Malaysia
August 26, 2019.
