Above: A sketch of Guru Nanak, by Bobby Sandhu. Below - third from bottom: Guru Nanak and Mardana arrive. Second from bottom: The siddhs receive the visitors. First from bottom: In dialogue.
Poetry
Dialogue With The Sages
from the SIDDH GOSHT by GURU NANAK (1469-1539)
Translated from the original in Gurmukhi by INNI KAUR
THE SIDDH GOSHT
Snuggled in the Guru Granth Sahib on pages 938-946 are seventy-three exquisite stanzas that encapsulate the philosophy of Guru Nanak. Written in a musical measure is a discourse between Guru Nanak and the Nath yogis. The latter were ascetics (siddhs) who had renounced the world and made their home in the caves of the Himalayas, where they practiced their religious austerities; they subscribed to the belief system that certain mental and physical exercises are necessary for acquiring occult powers (also known as siddhs), which in turn would lead to the attainment of liberation.
So what is the Siddh Gosht?
The Siddh Gosht is a series of questions put before Guru Nanak by the yogis. What is fascinating is that the questions of the yogis are the very same questions we face in the world today. Guru Nanak answers the yogis in their language, using their idiom and symbolism. His answers are as fresh and enlightening as they were some five centuries ago. His belief that liberation can be attained while "living in this world" by becoming truth-oriented, comes out loud and clear. For Guru Nanak, true yoga is a meditative remembrance of the Word, but must be combined with selfless service to those in need in the community.
While there is some difference of opinion over the time and place when the Siddh Gosht was composed and about which siddhs were present during the dialogue, there is no question regarding the authorship.
In "The Dialogue" below, the words of the siddhs are presented in itallics; Guru Nanak's response in each case is shown in regular font.
THE DIALOGUE
The siddhs join
The saintly congregation
And offer salutations.
Says Nanak:
I salute
The Infinite One
Who is beyond reach.
Siddhs:
Speak truthfully-
Who are you?
What is your name?
Which path do you follow?
What is your life's aim?
Nanak:
I speak only Truth.
I bow only
To the Infinite One.
I dedicate my life
To the Infinite One.
I seek
A truthful congregation
To experience Equipoise.
In wandering
I see no merit.
Liberation comes from
The Word.
Where is your home?
Where have you come from?
Where are you going?
You were once a wanderer.
Now, you are a householder.
Which path are you pursing?
Enlighten us.
My home is
In the Infinite One
That dwells in all.
I've come from Truth,
To Truth I'll return.
I pursue only Truth
By Guru's Grace.
This world is an impassable ocean.
How does one cross over?
Give us your thoughtful reply,
Says Charpat.
To the one who claims
To know all,
What answer can I give?
Attune the mind
To the Word.
Amidst desires,
Be without desire.
Amidst attachment,
Live detached.
Then,
Like a lotus in muddy waters,
Like a duck floating in a stream,
You, too, will cross over.
The truth-oriented
Realizes -
The self is
Merged in
Truth.
How does one find
The Guru's door?
The fickle mind
Sits in its true home,
But knows naught.
When the Word is imbued,
It becomes an anchor.
Mind steadies.
Truth Graces.
One arrives.
We shun the world
And abide in the woods.
We eat fruit and roots
And bathe at sacred sites.
Thus, filth touches us not
And we obtain fruits of peace.
This ancient wisdom
Is our way to union.
Says Loharipa, Gorakha's disciple.
With mind attuned to
The Word,
Live in the world.
Without the Word,
Worldly hunger devours.
Desire not another's
Beauty or wealth.
Steady the mind.
Sleep light, eat light.
It is quintessential
Wisdom.
O Nanak,
Wear our colors,
Our earrings,
Our patched coat
Amongst the twelve schools of yoga
And the six schools of philosophy,
Ours is the best.
Adopt our way -
Suffering disappears.
This is the way
To attain union.
Without the Word,
Religious robes are useless.
Without the Word,
There is no yoga.
Without the Word,
There is no liberation.
Word is the
Teacher that liberates.
Overcome
Lust
Wrath
Greed
Attachment
Ego.
Let
Truth
Contentment
Continence
Become your companions.
Dwell on
The One.
See the One
In all.
Truth Graces.
Divine Union
Is attained.
Who is in all?
Who is free from rebirth?
Who overcomes duality?
Who is born?
Who dies?
Who pervades the three regions?
The Infinite One
Is in all.
The truth-oriented
Is liberated.
The one permeated in the Word
Overcomes duality.
It is ego
That is born.
It is ego
That dies.
Truth pervades
The three regions.
How does one get entangled with worldly attachments?
How is purity lost?
How is it regained?
How is the darkness of ignorance lifted?
One who explains this Reality
Is our Teacher.
When Truth becomes distant,
Worldly attachments entangle.
In egotistical deeds,
Purity is lost.
Becoming truth-oriented,
It is regained.
Meeting the Teacher,
The veil of ignorance is lifted.
Why did you leave home?
Why did you wander?
Why did you wear the hermit robes?
What are you trading?
How will you ferry your followers across?
I became a wanderer
In search of
Truth-Oriented individuals.
I wore the hermit robes
To meet
Seekers of Truth.
I am a trader of Truth.
The truth-oriented
Will be ferried across.
How did you change your destiny?
Who absorbs you?
How have you stilled your hopes and desires?
How have you found the Light within?
Life is full of desires, how have you overcome them?
The Word
Changed my destiny.
The Unstruck Melody
Absorbs me.
Living Truth
Ended my reincarnations.
The Word
Burnt my worldly desires.
Becoming truth-oriented,
I found the Light within.
Desires are three-tiered:
Sloth
Restlessness
Ignorance.
Overcoming them,
Truth itself emancipates.
What is the beginning?
Where does the Infinite One live?
What are the markings of spiritual wisdom?
Who lives in all hearts?
How does one overcome the fear of death?
How can one enter fearlessly?
How is Equipoise attained?
How does one overcome the Five Thieves?
(Lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego)
The Beginning:
A state of indescribable wonder,
A state of profound stillness,
Is the abode of the Infinite One.
The conquest of desire
Is the marking of spiritual wisdom.
The Infinite One
Abides in all hearts.
Living
The Word
Overcomes
The fear of Death.
The Word enlightens.
The Word conquers.
The Word reveals.
Equipoise is attained.
Eradicating
Ego
Individualism
Duality,
The thieving five
Are overcome.
Where do we come from?
Where do we go?
Where do we rest in salvation?
The one who reveals this mystery,
We consider him the Teacher.
How does one find the Quintessence?
How does one become truth-oriented?
We emerge
In Divine Command.
We leave
In Divine Command.
We rest
In Divine Command.
Through Word,
Equipoise is attained.
Accepting
Divine Command,
Truth will unfold,
Reality will reveal.
Intuitively, one receives
The Immaculate Essence.
The heart in which
Rests Truth -
That heart
Has merged.
The Teacher
Knows.
The disciple that serves
This Teacher
Forsaking all,
Finds Truth.
A yogi
Is one
Who
Kills his ego,
Becomes sans desire
And
Enshrines the Truth
Deep within.
Knowing Oneness,
Experiencing Oneness,
Obliterating ego,
Duality dissipates.
Within flowers -
The Lotus
Illuminating one.
The journey begins.
When the self dies,
One sees oneself
In all life.
The journey has begun.
True Wisdom
One attains.
Truth
Untruth
Worldliness
Detachment
One discriminates.
Reflecting on
Virtue and wisdom
Is the
Essence of True Living.
Through the Word,
Reincarnation ends.
Forgetting the Word,
The ego-oriented suffer,
They know no peace.
The truth-oriented
Lives in Truth.
The truth-oriented
Attains
The jewel Truth.
The truth-oriented
Enshrines
The jewel Truth.
The truth-oriented
Practices Truth
In
Thought
Word
Deed.
In the truth-oriented
Resides
The Word
Compassion
Purity.
The truth-oriented
Intuitively understands
The ancient scriptures.
The truth-oriented
Knows the mystery
Of all hearts.
The truth-oriented
Rises above
Worldly give and take.
The truth-oriented
Obtains
The eight occult powers
And universal wisdom.
The truth-oriented
Discriminates between
Truth and falsehood.
The truth-oriented
Knows
Both
Worldliness and renunciation.
The truth-oriented
Is the bridge
That carries millions ashore.
The truth-oriented
Breaks
The cycle of birth and death.
The truth-oriented
Knows
The mystery of the Unspoken Word.
The truth-oriented
Is liberated
Through the Word.
In the midst of family,
Living righteously,
In contemplation,
Through pure conduct
Inspiring others,
The truth-oriented
Merges
In the Infinite One.
The Infinite One
Created earth
For the truth-oriented.
It is a play of
Creation and destruction.
What is the source?
Which teachings hold true?
Who is your Teacher?
Whose disciple are you?
How do you stay unattached?
The air is the source.
It is the first breath.
The teachings of
The True Teacher
Hold true.
The Divine Word
Is my Teacher.
I, its disciple.
Attached to the
Word,
I remain detached.
Immersed in Word,
Ego becomes distant.
True contemplation
Takes place.
Immersed in Word,
True conversation
With the seekers of Truth
Takes place.
Immersed in Word,
One understands
The three worlds.
Immersed in Word,
One finds the
Door of liberation.
Immersed in Word,
Divine Nectar flows.
Ego's fire
Is extinguished.
The path is hard, without ascetic discipline,
How does one cross over?
The soul lives in a body of passion.
Where is the cave
That tranquils the mind?
Hard it is
For the self-centered
To cross over.
Eradicating "I",
Erasing duality,
One crosses over.
When Word resides within,
Body and mind are cooled,
Immersed in Truth.
When the focused mind
Is in deep absorption,
The soul rests
In the Cave of Equipoise,
Its true home.
How is the mind enlightened?
How is Wisdom attained?
How is fear of death overcome?
Who is the warrior who conquers death?
How is the honor of the Truth-Oriented preserved?
Immersed in Word,
Body and mind become one.
Breath rises
To the Tenth Door.
Grace
Happens.
Eternal Light
Floods in.
Darkness is dispelled.
Wisdom is attained.
The Word within
Shatters
The fear of death.
Pain and pleasure
Are alike
To the conqueror of death.
The truth-oriented
Sees
The One
In all -
Becoming
A treasure of Truth.
Where abides the Word?
Who supports the breath?
How is the mind stabilized?
How can the Unseen be seen?
The Word abides
In the heart of all beings.
The Infinite One
Supports breath.
Enshrined in the Word,
Mind stabilizes.
The Word
Pervades all beings.
As air is all-pervading,
So is the Infinite One.
Through Grace,
One understands
The three energy channels:
Sushmana
Ida
Pingala.
But
The Infinite One
Is beyond
The energy channels.
Through
The Word,
The Unseen
Is seen.
If air is the true substance of life,
Where does air draw its sustenance?
Which is the way to wisdom?
What kind of wisdom holds the mind?
What is the practice of a Siddha?
The Word
Is the true sustenance.
The Truth
Is the true regulator of breath.
Imbued in the Word,
Intoxicated with Truth,
Divine Nectar flows,
The soul settles in peace.
When Word
Holds the mind,
Pain and pleasure become alike.
But rare is one
Who realizes this.
When there was no life,
Where did the mind and breath reside?
In the Silence.
In the Stillness.
Everyone, everything
Is part of that Silence.
How did the world form?
How is pain ended?
How does one merge in Truth?
Out of ego, came the world.
Forsaking the Word, pain endures.
Without the Word, one wanders.
Reflect on this.
Contemplate the Word
Conquer the ego
Still the mind.
Enshrine Truth.
Overcome the fear of Death
Become Truth-Oriented.
Nanak prays:
O Infinite One -
You are the state.
You are the extent.
You are in the hidden.
You are in the revealed.
The seekers seek.
The disciples beg.
Throughout the ages,
It is Your Play.
December 27, 2007
Conversation about this article
1: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), December 26, 2007, 7:26 PM.
Absolutely beautifully done. You have captured the spirit of Guru Nanak's inspired poetry in language that is simple and easily understood.
2: Satvir Kaur (Boston, MA, U.S.A.), December 27, 2007, 12:00 AM.
Very beautifully done. My mind works with Punjabi translations better. So, if someone has a link to a viakhia of Siddh Gosht, I'd love a link.
3: Bhupinder Singh Ghai (New Delhi, India), December 27, 2007, 12:55 AM.
Absolutely wonderful. One suggestion though: please also add the bani in gurmukhi script to further enhance the beauty of the piece.
4: Manjit Kaur (Maryland, U.S.A.), December 27, 2007, 12:30 PM.
Thank you, Inni Kaur. You have applied a great amount of effort for us to understand Guru Nanak's message for truthful living in a layman's language. This is also very timely for all of us who want to make any New Year's resolutions.
5: Roopinder Bains (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada), December 27, 2007, 3:53 PM.
Bala was the name given to Guru Nanak by the yogis and was not a companion of Guru Nanak; is this correct?
6: Mandhir Singh (New Jersey, U.S.A.), December 28, 2007, 1:32 PM.
Very nicely done. Simple, straightforward and easy to understand. As already raised in an earlier comment, is there a way to add the bani in gurmukhi?
7: Balbir Singh Khalsa (Toronto, Canada), December 28, 2007, 2:05 PM.
Well done, in very simple language. I would like to make a copy, sit calmly and then read and study every verse. Thanks for your time and effort.
8: Lakhvir Singh Khalsa (Nairobi, Kenya), December 28, 2007, 2:28 PM.
Guru Nanak has summarised everything for everyone in a manner that a father speaks to his attentive children : thought, word, deed - the simple ways of Truth - are all we need to do and the Divine Will guarantees to sustain us from our very first breath to the last. Truly, if Nanak's message fails to transform us from this breath onwards, the fault is solely of our mind for failing to pay heed to the sweet instructions of the Divine. My mind literally begs at nanak's feet: emancipate me, too, and help me to walk the path of Truth.
9: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.), December 28, 2007, 2:57 PM.
Roopinder, the word "bala" is used in a condescending way by the siddhs in the Siddh Gosht. [keh baisuhu keh reheeai baalae keh aavuhu keh jaaho: Pauri 2]
10: Hardayal Singh (New Jersey, U.S.A.), December 28, 2007, 4:36 PM.
Simply fantastic. The Guru's message is well echoed. Inni bhenji, good work!
11: Chaudhry Rajinder Nijjhar (Reading, United Kingdom), December 28, 2007, 4:48 PM.
We need to go by our inner "munn" and be guided by the Guru, and not follow others blindly.
12: K. Singh (London, U.K.), December 28, 2007, 11:28 PM.
Marvellous piece for opening eyes of today's Sikhs and anybody running after falsehood: yogis, yoga & yogic simran techniques to attain enlightment. Well done! Yes, correct Roopinder ji, they referred to Guru Nanak and Mardana as: Bala & Mardana. But the irony is that today's potrait makers & sakhi-kars are making us believe some absolutely wrong things. It's only in the true light of gurbani that one realises the truth.
13: Savraj Singh (Pennington, New Jersey, U.S.A.), December 29, 2007, 1:16 AM.
I was first introduced to the Siddh Gosht at a Sikh camp in 1996, but Inni Kaur's translation really opened my eyes to the beauty of the dialogue between Guru Nanak and the Siddhs. Thank you for it.
14: Harpal Singh (U.K.), December 29, 2007, 5:01 AM.
This is very well done. I enjoyed reading it. I agree: an added Punjabi version would be very useful. Keep up the good work!
15: Ranjit Kaur (Melbourne, Australia), December 29, 2007, 6:05 AM.
Words are just a medium to express the inexpressible. A great effort, Inni, on your part, to capture the spirit of one of Guru Nanak's greatest work.
16: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.), December 29, 2007, 9:42 PM.
Inni Kaur Ji, This work shows pure love. Love for the Guru, love for his message and the understanding he wants us all to have. As the Guru's words piereced the hearts of the Himalayan siddhs in that age, so does your poetic translation touch ours, here, now. Thanks for your love and devotion and bringing us closer to Guru Nanak's thoughts.
17: Sukhi (Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.), December 30, 2007, 5:16 AM.
Sorry, I am new to Sikhism and do not understand the meaning of two terms here: 'Word' and 'The Unstruck Melody'. Can someone please interpret them for me? I would be much obliged.
18: Avtar Singh Gill, MD (New York, U.S.A.), December 30, 2007, 7:35 AM.
Awesome. Please try to put the actual script next to the translation in gurmukhi and roman alphabets.
19: Navi Singh (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), December 30, 2007, 3:01 PM.
Inni ji, this is a beautiful poetic presentation of the dialogue between the siddhs and Guru Nanak. An understanding of the human condition and the lessons for living life to its optimum are needed even more so in today's age. Thank you for bringing this to us so artfully. May Waheguru continue to inspire you!
20: Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa (Espanola, New Mexico, U.S.A.), December 30, 2007, 5:03 PM.
Dear Sukhi, Sat Nam and blessings to you. So grateful for your question. It's not exactly simple to answer. So please forgive me ahead of time for any mistakes I may make here. Or if I unwittingly add to the confusion. In the original Gurbani, the Sikh Masters gave us a science of communication and sound. There are many words in Gurbani that have no English equivalent. And so translation becomes problematic because how do you explain something in English that, frankly, the English language doesn't know how to talk about? In this translation, Inni Kaur uses "Word" in a Biblical way. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God." In the Bible, in Genesis, Word precedes Creation. Word gives rise to Creation. And then, with the advent of Christianity, Word became body/flesh in the form of Jesus Christ. In Gurbani, there is that same sense - of how Sound, or Vibration precedes Creation. How matter is a manifestation of Sound. But according to the Sikh Masters, anyone can learn to hear and embody that Cosmic Divine Sound. It isn't relegated to a particular person. When you learn how to hear that Sound, that Divine Word - the Sound, Itself, will guide you to the experience of the Divine. And when you experience the Divine, you can, through grace, embody it on the earth in the here and now. Shabad is one of the original Gurbani terms. Its root syllables mean to cut the ego. Wisdom - no matter who speaks it or where it comes from, interferes with the pull of the ego. And when the pull of the ego is interrupted - then it becomes much easier to hear the Voice of your own Divine Spirit. Naam is another term in Gurbani. Some translate Naam as Word or Name. Naam refers to the Divine Identity within you and within everything around you. The mind confuses us - it creates its own concept, its own identity - what we call ego. But when the Word, the Shabad, interrupts the voice of the ego - then the Naam - the Divine Identity within us, can be heard. And when the Naam is heard and is experienced, then we hear the sound of the Divine in everything. Anhad. The Unstruck Melody. It's a Sound we Hear that is Divine, Beautiful, Amazing - and that doesn't exist as a physical sound. It is purely an Inner Sound. A Sound that can only be heard when the mind and the ego are quiet. When the Naam, the Divine Identity is experienced, then - there it is - this Sound in the Universe - the Melody of Divinity. It gives us bliss. It gives us peace. It takes us home. In Gurbani, there are two terms: manmukh and Gurmukh. Manmukh is, in simple English, an egomaniac. One who follows their own thoughts. A Gurmukh is one who surrenders his or her own way of thinking - and trains himself or herself to see life as the Guru views it. The Guru's instructions are not an end unto themselves. To follow the instructions of the Guru is to be led, step by step, to the Divine Reality that lives within you. Merging with God is for your own mind to surrender and merge into the Voice of the Divine in you and in all. I hope this is somewhat helpful to understand what is meant by Word and The Unstruck Melody. The best way, of course, to understand these things is to meditate on the Shabad, on the Word and have the experience for yourself. Guru Nanak says the best time to meditate on It is before sunrise. The practice of the Shabad, the sound that cuts the ego, is a powerful path to finding God.
21: Sukhi (Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.), December 31, 2007, 4:17 AM.
Thank you, Ek Ong Kaar ji, for taking the time to respond to my query. It makes a lot of sense ...
22: Manjit Singh (U.S.A), December 31, 2007, 2:00 PM.
Thanks for sharing this! This is the first time in 40+ years of life in Punjab, Canada and the U.S. that I have seen this true treasure of our Guru shared thus for others to enjoy. I wish and hope is that it will be enjoyed by every Sikh and non-Sikh in the world. I also wish that our gurdwaras and other institutions had done the needful while I was growing up in Punjab, and that they would now take on the task. A question and answer session on this with kids and adults would be wonderfully enlightening.
23: Meena (Dubai, U.A.E.), January 01, 2008, 10:46 AM.
First of all, I want to thank the author for giving us such a beautiful opportunity to read the transaltion of the Siddh Gosht. Specially for me, being new to Sikhi. One of my queries has been answered above, regarding the Anhad Shabad (Thank you, once again). I have two more questions though ... 1) "Breath rises to the Tenth Door" ... Can you please elaborate on this? And, what are the other nine doors? 2) "Through Grace one understands the three energy channels: Sushmana, Ida and Pingala" ... Could you please elaborate? I really appriciate all the efforts that everyone is putting to spread the message of Guru Nanak. Keep it up!
24: Harkiran Kaur (Maryland, U.S.A.), January 01, 2008, 4:57 PM.
Guru Nanak's Bani is powerful! Thanks for the translation: it's beautiful.
25: Baljit Singh (Old Westbury, U.S.A.), January 01, 2008, 6:18 PM.
Thanks to Inni Kaur for her great and wonderful work. "Jo jo disseh gursikhara tis niv niv lagoh paye jio."
26: Gurwinder Singh Jhans (Melbourne, Australia), January 02, 2008, 7:00 AM.
Very good. In very simple and easy language, very easy to understand.
27: Inni Kaur (New Jersey, U.S.A.), January 02, 2008, 7:48 AM.
Meena: The nine gates of the human body are the nine openings in the body - the two eyes, the two ears, the two nostrils, the mouth, the urinary opening and the anus. The Tenth Door is also sometimes referred to as the Third Eye. It is a metaphysical and esoteric concept used in Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. Raja Yoga or Yoga of Patanjali describes three central pathways (nadis-energy channels) that run through the body. 1) Sushmana - This runs along the axis of the body from the base of the spine to the top of the head. 2) Ida - Originates at the base of the spine and twists around the central pathway and crosses over each of the seven major chakras that result in a calming effect. 3) Pingala - Originates at the base of the spine twisting around the central pathway and crossing over each of the seven central charkas that results in arousal of desires. It is the opening of these energy channels that connect the base chakra to the Tenth Gate.
28: J.S.Arshi Gyani (Malaysia), January 02, 2008, 7:34 PM.
Absolutley and wonderfully sweet nectar of Gurbani presented in English. Many thanks to the author. May the Guru bless you with even more such seva.
29: Roopinder Singh Bains (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada), January 03, 2008, 2:30 PM.
"Raj yoga takht thean Guru Ram Dass" - Bhattan de sawaiyye. Does this mean that Guru Ram Das has whatever is achieved by raj yoga? Can anyone confirm this, please?
30: Meena (Dubai, U.A.E.), January 17, 2008, 12:51 AM.
Thank you very much, Inni Kaur ji, for your quick answer. It is much appreciated. Could you also throw some light on SGGS 23: "Bring the twenty-seven elements of the body under your control, and throughout the three stages of life, remember death." What are the "27 elements of the body"?
31: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.), January 22, 2008, 10:09 PM.
Meena: The 27 elements of the body as per my understanding are as follows. 5 Karmendriyas - organs of action: VAK - Speech, PANI - Handling, PADA - Movement, locomotion, PAYU - Excretion, UPASTHA - Generative, reproduction. 5 Janendriyas - sense organs: SROTRA - Ear, TVAK - Skin, CAKSU - Eyes, RASANA - Tongue, GHRANA - Nose. 5 Tanmatras - subtle elements: SABDA - Sound sensations, SPARSA - Touch sensations, RUPA - Form sensations, RASA - Taste sensations, GANDHA - Smell sensations. 6 Kacukas - the coverings of the universal aspects of consciousness: MAYA - The origin of illusion and duality, KALA - Limitation in time, VIDYA - Limitation of knowledge, RAGA - Limitation in satisfaction, giving rise to desire for various objects, KALA - Limitation of eternity, dividing time into past, present, future, NIYATI - Limitation of freedom. Giving rise to limitations of space and cause. 3 Antahakaras - the inner instrument: BUDDHI - Ascertaining intelligence, AHAMKARA -Ego, self making principle, MANAS - Conceptual consciousness. 3 Gunas - These are born from nature, and bind the imperishable soul to the body: SATTVA - Light or truth, RAJAS - Passion or desire, TAMAS - Indifference or darkness. Hope this is what you were looking for.
32: Ervin Braun (Greenwich, CT, U.S.A.), February 27, 2008, 4:36 PM.
A truly inspiring poem, which can enlighten any person, from any background ... which is why it is important that these interpretive efforts be seen by many. After all, the Truth will surely make our world a better place.
33: Amrita Lit (Canada), March 29, 2008, 1:48 AM.
What are the three regions?
34: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.), March 30, 2008, 9:21 AM.
Amrita: The answer to your question is in the 8th Pauri of Japji Sahib.
35: Rev. Jay Speights, Main NGO Representative for The New Seminary and Washington Times Columnist (Washington D.C., U.S.A.), July 31, 2008, 2:06 PM.
Inni Kaur's translation of "Dialogue with the Sages", affirmed for me as an interfaith minister and Gnostic, that, there are common threads of truth adhered to by most faith traditions that link us to the divine presence of one God. And, this divine presence calls us to the higher self within to search for truth and apply the principles of love, compassion and understanding in our lives. (Main NGO Representative for The New Seminary and Washington Times Columnist)