Thiti (Kabir Ji)

The being whose love is attached with the lotus-feet of Gobind, through the grace of Saint-Guru, the mind of that being becomes filth-free. On the full moon, Bhagat Kabir says the mind becomes fully illuminated by the light of the Wisdom-Guru, just as the Moon fully reflects the light of the Sun. In this state, the mind awakens from its sleep-like separation caused by illusion. A seeker meets IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) in an experiential and undeniable way. The seeker comes to understand the timelessness of IkOankar—that IkOankar is steady and stable throughout all times, throughout all eternity. Bhagat Kabir says that in remembrance of IkOankar, in singing praise, in Nam (Identification with IkOankar), the pain of separation ends; the seeker becomes immersed in the expansive comfort of union.

As the full moon brightens the sky, IkOankar illuminates our mind, body, and life. The essence of the Wisdom-Guru becomes fully alive within us, and we are awakened to the all-pervasiveness of IkOankar within, without, and all around, ever-present and unchanging. Our minds are finally steady, as we have met the ever-steady One. They no longer wax and wane in love for IkOankar or become easily distracted; only IkOankar pleases the mind now. We are imbued with Identification, continuously singing praises, immersed in the essence of the Wisdom-Guru. This state isn’t about following a set of prescriptions or rituals, nor is it about memorizing knowledge and philosophy. This is about changed behaviors—not in a performative sense—in the sense that our love for IkOankar has bloomed internally, and the way we lead our lives reflects that. When we love something deeply, we prioritize and nurture it, as a loving parent nurtures a forgetful child. This is the kind of love and care we develop and put into our relationship with IkOankar, wherein we experience the love of IkOankar in return, immersed in a beautiful and all-encompassing sense of comfort all around. Our minds and hearts align in recognition of IkOankar within us. This illumination shines in the absence of ego. The pain of separation disperses for good. This is living immersed in a consistent loving devotion. It is never forgetting IkOankar, our Source, and residing in Identification day and night, singing praise from a deep and sincere desire. Are we nurturing our love for IkOankar? Are we allowing ourselves to become further illuminated? 

SUMMARY
Bhagat Kabir’s Thiti takes seekers on a journey of introspection, discernment, and reflection, guiding them to the One, IkOankar, through loving devotion. He shows us that, much like the night of a new moon, without the Wisdom-Guru, our lives are in utter darkness. We cannot see or find our way. We are called to remember the inner-knower, IkOankar, to look beyond our fickle minds that run in all directions, succumbing to distraction and vice. It is through refining the mind through the guidance of the Wisdom-Guru, which is based on experience and not merely knowledge, that we enter greater stability. Eventually, we internally arrive at the Ocean of intuitive repose, a space of clarity and freedom from distraction, which allows us to address our desires, greed, and attachment. As we continue on this path, we partake in an immortalizing fruit that quenches our relentless seeking. Our desires fade. We become unidirectional, focused solely on union with the beloved One. Nothing else matters. In this sustained focus and love, we come to know the beautiful One, the Creation-Force, the Divine, intimately and deeply, becoming even more imbued with love for IkOankar. Rather than getting caught up in the protocols and rituals of certain days, instead of falling into narratives of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, let us walk the path of loving devotion every day. Let us learn the simple beauty of devotion from the Wisdom-Guru and those who exemplify the Truth, instead of placing our faith in complex disciplines like chakras, astrology, and philosophies which seek union through intellect. When the praise of IkOankar flows within us like an eternal spring, we have seen through the darkness of the full moon. We experience the Identity of IkOankar all around and within, immersed in that Identity, experiencing Identification. We have made the journey through many cycles and transformations. Now we are radiant and whole, reflecting the brightest light there is. Like a full moon reflecting the Sun, we too become Sun-like, IkOankar-like.