Bani Bhagat Jaidev Ji

Set to Rag (musical mode) Gujari, which evokes a compassionate and thoughtful sense of mortality, we are awakened to our limited time and inspired by the sense of motivation and urgency. This composition is attributed to Bhagat Jaidev, one of the fifteen revered bhagats (devoted beings) included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Bhagat Jaidev was born into a Brahmin family and once walked the path of Vaishnavism, a tradition devoted to the Hindu deity Vishnu and his associated avatars. While referencing yogic vocabularies, he moves beyond the sectarian and caste frameworks of his previous lineage, finding supreme fulfillment in devotion to IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). Here, we are reminded to use our precious time meaningfully, lest we experience the common regret of not having spent this invaluable life doing what matters most—cultivating connection with the One.

The creative and all-pervasive IkOankar is One that is unparalleled. IkOankar is realized through the grace of the eternal Wisdom (Guru). The composition commences with the invocation to the One. It is an invitation, a grounding reminder, perhaps even a call to action, urging seekers to center the One in their remembrance. This centering becomes possible through grace; it is grace that turns remembrance into realization, allowing the seeker’s attention to return again and again to the One.

Only the Nam of Ram is pleasing to the mind. Practice recitation of that Identification, the ambrosial essence. By whose remembrance fear of birth, death, and ailments of old age do not cause suffering. Through the Rahau (Pause) line, we are guided to orient ourselves towards Ram, an epithet for IkOankar, highlighting the beautiful and charming qualities of the One. We are urged to engage with the Nam (Identification with IkOankar) of the beautiful One. It is the only thing that is truly and eternally pleasing and comforting to the mind. Here, it is described as the ambrosial essence—something which, upon imbibing, truly transforms us. We can invite this remembrance into our lives in many ways, whether it is singing the praises of the One, striving to see the One in all, or cultivating the virtues of the One in our own behaviors. It is up to us to discover what practices we can cultivate in our lives that bring us into this remembrance. This remembrance can transform our lives. The question is, will we allow ourselves to be transformed? We now know that Identification is the only thing that will ever be truly pleasing to our minds . This illuminates so much: how we ought to spend our time, what practices we ought to cultivate, and what is of utmost importance in our paths. There is something greater to take support in beyond the temporary pleasures and distractions we usually use to soothe our minds. The connection with this ambrosial essence, this Identification, quells our deepest sufferings. Fears that used to push us toward distraction, the fear of mortality, uncertainty, and sufferings of all kinds, dissipate in the magnitude of this connection with the One. The transformative capacity of the Identification may not strike us in one single moment. Often, change happens just beyond our conscious awareness. Yet one day, we look back and realize how profoundly this Identification has reshaped our lives.

If you want to defeat Yama and the like; if you seek honor, well-being, do the highest deed. A core thread of our desires is uncovered: the pursuit of vitality, an unburdening of the anxieties of death and illness, and a breaking away from negative patterns. Globally, religious and spiritual traditions offer a wide range of techniques to transcend the limitations of human life. These are all in pursuit of an inner stability, equilibrium, and genuine contentment. Some seek these through a committed prayer of the Rosary, while others engage in complex yogic practices, and some live a renunciate life in silence, far in the mountains. Here, we are offered an alternative. A single highest deed which accomplishes all of the above: the devoted, loving connection with the beautiful One through remembrance. We may wonder: how can we engage in remembrance? What is it we can do that invites the remembrance of the One to dwell in us internally? It can be as simple as practicing presence, as the One is always present. After all, we can engage in this remembrance of the beautiful One, IkOankar, anywhere and at any time; the One is constant, blissful, and unchanging in all times and all places. We come to remember that the One is there, within ourselves, within others, within everything. Through this remembrance, perhaps for the first time, we can recall the burden of our fears slipping completely away, allowing us to realize the supreme, blissful, and eternal nature of the One.

Greed and other vices, gazing at another’s house; renounce this conduct, which is contrary to propriety. We can all relate to experiencing some form of envy, greed, attachment, lust, anger, or self-centeredness. We also have the capacity, within our limitations, to act on these feelings, which can cause conflict within and around us. We feel this inner tension arise. When in conflict with someone, we may express our feelings through defensiveness, sure that it will at least calm the seething anger within momentarily. In moments of jealousy or perceived scarcity, we may indulge in excess material comforts, believing they will satisfy us. Instead, we are challenged to respond to these often overwhelming feelings in a different way. If we can recognize that contentment comes through Identification, then our flawed understanding—the assumptions about ourselves and others that underlie these behaviors—is uncovered. We are awakened to the realization that being freed of these assumptions is not up to us alone—ultimately, only the One has the power to free us. When we come to terms with our own limitations and accept that Grace is paramount, we lean into the grace of the One. Grace can be the unclenching of a jaw, the dropping of one’s shoulders, or a once restless night of sleep becoming peaceful. Ultimately, it is a softening of our rigidity, and in it, we witness the assumptions and biases ingrained within us fall away. Here, we can gain a deeper understanding of what it means to seek refuge in IkOankar—“refuge” being less about physical safety and more about trust and surrender. We can all think of things we’ve sought refuge in, whether that be a certain person, a safe or fun place, or a comforting habit or item. Through experiencing Identification, we experience lasting inner stability, the supreme place of refuge. After trying and failing on our own, if we trust and surrender to the One, the One can help us overcome our assumptions and biases. When we seek refuge in IkOankar through Identification, reflection, and humility, we open ourselves to transformation.

Hari’s own devotees are pure by heart, by deed, by word. Through trust and surrender, the One transforms us into devotees of (Own-self) Hari, the fear-eliminating One, IkOankar. Our loving devotion to the fear-eliminating One permeates our very core and becomes evident in our heart-centered deeds and words. Where we once might have reacted with anger, we instead find ourselves responding with acceptance and a genuine desire for understanding. Where we once might have hurried past someone in need, we now pause and offer what we can. We feel less compelled to behave in ways that were once so familiar but are no longer aligned with the Identification we wish to embody more and more. The temporary solace we habitually sought through temporary pleasures, exercising control, or other fascinations that caused hurt and harm have become immaterial and unfulfilling. As our connection with the One deepens, contentment gradually supplants the need for comparison. Our lifestyles become unique, exemplifying our love and devotion to the One. These honest deeds and words are an inherent part of our practice of unity with the One. There is nothing among the techniques of different traditions that compares to this warm and encompassing devotion to Identification. Knowing this, we come to walk a different path, understanding the limitations of the previous practices through which we sought liberation. We may have at some point devoted ourselves to a specific deity, practiced a rigid body-centric discipline, or committed ourselves to strict self-help routines promising fulfillment. Specific yogic postures, austere rituals, and rigid routines often leave us craving more. Our practice as devotees is a singular focus on devotion to the One—practicing a true love that permeates our thoughts, words, and actions.

O being! In this way, recite the chant of Gobind, who is the treasure-house of all the siddhis. A profound shift arises: overturning ideas that arduous discipline and rigid mastery of the body alone are the path to freedom. Here, the treasure-house of Identification is expounded upon by referencing the siddhis, which are said to be eighteen different supernatural powers attained through yogic discipline. However, our attention has shifted away from these external displays of discipline towards something greater, inner contentment. Instead, we become content through the Identification with Gobind, IkOankar, the One who created the Earth. The internal calming we feel when we engage with the Identification of the One who created the Earth is so sublime that attaining supernatural powers becomes insignificant and immaterial in comparison. While the names for the One are vast, they are all different dimensions of the One. Just as we come to love and appreciate many aspects of a dear friend or loved one, we come to know, experience, and love the different elements of the One. We can find comfort in the beauty of the One, the fearless quality of the One, the omnipotence of the One, and come to recognize that One in every part of our world. It is through this intimate relation and love that we come into the refuge of the One and experience Identification. We can think of this as a coming home, like coming back to a comforting place we have been away from for a while—but this is the greatest coming home there is. It is there that we experience the treasure that all material, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual pursuits are after—an active and dynamic connection with the One. This freeing experience that is not bound by time, it permeates all dimensions of existence. There, we encounter the eternal presence of the One in a state free from ego and ignorance, beyond common notions of liberation, like receiving approval after death.

This composition emphasizes the significance of devotional love in our lives. Through this love, we come to experience Identification, the only thing that brings true and lasting satisfaction to our minds. This Identification brings cessation to our fears, anxieties, and worries, creating contentment and awareness in our lives. It becomes increasingly apparent that the urgency we feel as seekers is meant to be channeled into this deed of remembrance alone. Again, our lifetimes are limited, and the window of opportunity we have to devote ourselves to the One is brief. We ought to find our personal practices of how to remember the One while we have the time. Devotional love is how we enter the refuge of the One, where the everyday choices we struggle with are expelled. This lifestyle changes us at the core of our being, on all levels. Most fundamentally, the internal change is reflected in the way we engage with the world. It is those who commit themself to this lifestyle wholeheartedly that experience the realities that Bhagat Jaidev speaks to. Will we come to recognize this sense of urgency? In the recognition of that urgency, will we lose hope, or will we run into the refuge of IkOankar? Will we dedicate ourselves to the path of being true in heart, action, and word?