Friday, December 09, 2005

The sweet nectar - hamari piari ammritdhari

I have heard this sabad many times before. Never understood what the message was. Nam, amrit, bani, piar, rang, kartar, darsan, parsan...they are all terms and references we have heard and discussed multiple times. These terms are pearls. When put together, as the Gurus did, and rendered to a classical rag, as the Gurus ordained, the pearls are magically strung together in a necklace. Not that I am bedazzled by worldly pearl or diamond necklaces. But they are a reality in life and are an exquisite cherished human transformation of a natural phenomenum. So, I think I get it.

At the recent Gurmat Sangit Darbar held in Massachusetts, Rupinder Singh and Nampreet Singh (accompanied by Arundeep Singh as vocal assist and Shamsher Singh on jori) rendered this sabad in rag asa. It is a rit (reet) by Bhai Dharam Singh Zakhmi. Because they accompanied the sabad with a taus and dilruba, I actually prefer their rendition, but both are awesome. Here is a link to both.

nimakh na man te ....Rupinder Singh, Nampreet Singh, Arundeep Singh and Shamsher Singh
nimakh na man te ....Bhai Dharam Singh Zakhmi and jatha

asa mahala 5
hamari piari ammritdhari guri nimakh na man te tari re .1.rahau.
darsan parsan sarsan harsan rang rangi kartari re .1.
khinu ram gur gam hari dam nah jam hari kanti nanak uri hari re .2.5.134.**

I submit this transcreation:

Nanak V, rag asa, gharu 11, pg 404 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib
This bani which is like a clear water spring of ammrit-nam is soothing to my mind. The great Guru has ensured that I don’t forget it even for an instant and relish it continuously. It enables me to visualize, touch and feel the love of the Lover – the Creator – and I am in state of spiritual bliss. Wow! The ammrit-nam laden bani is fantabulous. For an instant if I internalize it, the Guru is manifest. With every breath if I internalize it, fearlessness engulfs me. I (Nanak) will cherish this bani as a precious necklace around my neck.
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** This is the 134th sabad of Nanak V out of 163 in rag asa. IE. Guru Arjan (mahala 5) revealed 163 sabads within rag asa, this is 134th. Also, it is the 5th sabad in section under gharu 11. It contains one rahau line and 2 other lines. That is what 2.5.134 means.

Reference http://gurugranthdarpan.com/0404.html

P.S. - Ginnipal Singh and Kiran Kaur - How many ghars in Guru Granth Sahib!? :-) (inside joke).