Salok Mahala Nauvan

Reflecting on Life with Guru Tegh Bahadur

We had listened to Japji Sahib while getting ready in the morning, so when we got in the car, I asked the girls for their shabad request.

“Salok Mahala Nauvan,” the younger one said. So I put on this version from Spotify, a rendition by Bhai Harjinder Singh that Gunisha and I both love, probably because we listened to it as kids.

Before he even started singing, I pressed pause, remembering that the girls had just learned about Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib’s life at a Sikh camp a few weeks before. I realized I could make an interesting connection for them.

I asked if they remembered the sakhi of why Guru Tegh Bahadur was imprisoned.

This time, our older girl spoke: “Because the king was being mean to people and saying they either had to change religions or be killed.”

My younger one affirmed her sister’s explanation and added a note of her own: “I feel like a lot of sakhis have a character in them who’s not so nice.” I told her it was a good observation and we talked through some examples. I then got back to the sakhi at hand.

I told the girls how, according to Sikh memory, Guru Tegh Bahadur wrote Salok Mahala Nauvan while sitting in jail, waiting to be executed. I told them how there’s a gurdwara at Chandani Chowk in New Delhi —Gurdwara Sis Ganj — where Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib was imprisoned and executed.

I told them how, when I lived in New Delhi over the summers, I would go there everyday, reading the text of that bani inscribed on the walls, imagining Guru Tegh Bahdaur Sahib sitting in that same place, reciting those same words. Finally, I told them why that felt so special to me: When I thought of it in this way, it almost felt like I was sitting with our ninth guru in the final hours of his life, reflecting together on what matters most and how to live a good life.

I looked back to see if my girls were following along, and I was thrilled to see they were fully engaged. I asked if they wanted me to translate some of the lines as we sang them.

ਗੁਨ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਗਾਇਓ ਨਹੀ ਜਨਮੁ ਅਕਾਰਥ ਕੀਨੁ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਭਜੁ ਮਨਾ ਜਿਹ ਬਿਧਿ ਜਲ ਕਉ ਮੀਨੁ ॥੧॥

Without singing Vahiguru’s praises, your life has become meaningless.
Nanak says, O my mind, sing of the Divine in the way that fish is immersed in water.

We paused, talking about how there are so many things that matter in life, but that nothing is more important than being spiritually connected; that without that connection, it’s hard to feel happy, hard to truly live. Like a fish without water, we die without that connection, not physically, but spiritually. And, like a fish that lives in water, we want to be so deeply connected that we are fully immersed in it.

ਬਿਖਿਅਨ ਸਿਉ ਕਾਹੇ ਰਚਿਓ ਨਿਮਖ ਨ ਹੋਹਿ ਉਦਾਸੁ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਭਜੁ ਹਰਿ ਮਨਾ ਪਰੈ ਨ ਜਮ ਕੀ ਫਾਸ ॥੨॥

Why are you so entangled in life’s poisons? You’re not detached from them for even a moment. Nanak says, O my mind, sing of the Divine, and you won’t be caught in death’s noose.

We paused again, this time to reflect on what life’s poisons are. My girls weren’t sure what these would be for them, and I struggled too. So much of what they do is innocent and educational. But then I realized that it’s not just about what they do, it’s also about how they use their time: books, podcasts, playdates and so on. We encourage all of these, yet when we constantly occupy our minds with these alone, we are not making space to strengthen our spirit. My girls understood this, and I understood it for myself, too.

ਤਰਨਾਪੋ ਇਉ ਹੀ ਗਇਓ ਲੀਓ ਜਰਾ ਤਨੁ ਜੀਤਿ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਭਜੁ ਹਰਿ ਮਨਾ ਅਉਧ ਜਾਤੁ ਹੈ ਬੀਤਿ ॥੩॥

Your youth has passed, just like that, and old age is conquering your body. Nanak says, O my mind, sing of the divine. Life keeps moving along.

We paused again. It was fun to explore this one. For my girls, life moving along is exciting. It means they get to grow older, which is what they’re looking forward to. I was tempted to explain to them that this changes when you’re older; that so many adults want to be kids again, and that many of us reminisce about the good old days when youth was our companion. But instead, I focused on what I consider to be the crux of this line. Some of us live in the past, and some of us live in the future. But there’s nothing like living in the present moment. That’s the best way for us to live our lives with fullness.

In about 20 minutes, the girls and I did about 6 more couplets together, translating and discussing each. The ideas were simple enough for them to grasp, which is perhaps also a commentary on life’s greatest lessons. The language is also easy to translate and understand, in part because Guru Tegh Bahadur’s writings are the most recent, and therefore, closest to the modern vernaculars we speak and hear today. In fact, one of my favorite moments in graduate school was a Brajbhasha reading course with colleagues and professors in which we read Salok Mahala Nauvan together, and I introduced people to the unique ideas, poetry, and even grammar of Guru Tegh Bahadur. They were fascinated, which, to this day, makes me proud to think about.

The car ride, too, was one of my favorite recent experiences, sharing what I loved about the bani and talking through some of its teachings with them. I’d be happy to share more translations and reflections from Salok Mahala Nauvan if people are interested. Just leave me a note if that’s the case. There’s nothing that I’d love more.