This composition by Bhagat Kabir
Ji is based on fifteen lunar dates. It consists of one
salok and sixteen
pauris. In it, Bhagat Kabir Ji conveys that IkOankar (the Divine) is the Creator of all. When one develops love for the
Nam of IkOankar, their mind is cleansed of the filth of vices. By singing IkOankar’s praises, one remains alert to the temptations of vices. Those who remain absorbed in IkOankar’s love become free of suffering. Additionally, the pauris of the composition inspire the being to accept the teachings of the Wisdom (
Guru), contemplate Nam, renounce desires, master the mind, and free oneself from the influence of transient things and relationships.
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 second day after the new moon, Bhagat Kabir offers us simple clarity. He says there are two fundamental elements in this world:
Braham and
Maya. Braham is another name for
IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), the Divine. Maya is the play and allure of the material world: transient material things and relationships, and how people get attached to them and allured by them. These two elements are present everywhere. The Divine exists without the material, yet the material cannot exist without the Divine. The Divine does not waver or fluctuate, does not come into or go out of being. The Divine is constant and True. Yet, operating in duality, we get caught up in material allure alone. Instead of getting lost in the transient and illusory nature of materiality, Bhagat Kabir urges us to remain attached to love of the Divine, where union occurs with the One who is without lineage and is never subject to the illusion of material allure.
On this second day, we are awakened to the play of the Divine and material allure within the world. It’s these two that make up our reality, the world we are living in and navigating. While we may understand the eternality of IkOankar and the transience of the material, we struggle with attachment to the material. Instead of Identifying with the Divine, we identify with our familial lineage, our culture, life events, work, or children. The Divine, by contrast, has no exclusive lineage. When we forget our true lineage comes from the Divine alone, we overlook that we all belong to the lineage of the Divine, IkOankar. We may mistake our roots for the shallow ones just below the soil, rather than the much deeper roots in IkOankar, in Creation-Force. Our eyes become glazed over by the illusory nature of the material world, and we lose the love for IkOankar that we are meant to nurture within. Here, Bhagat Kabir brings us back to the supreme importance of attaching to the lotus-feet and Identifying with IkOankar. Through remaining immersed in that love, we become shielded from the blemish of attachment and misidentification. Our minds blossom, our vision clears, and we come to reflect the light of IkOankar. Will we navigate this world made up of Maya and Braham with love for Braham instead of love for Maya? Will we walk the path of Identification with IkOankar rather than our own lineage? Will we allow our love for IkOankar to outshine the clouds of illusion that keep us in the dark?
