Every Breath

soohee mehalaa 4
har pehilarree laav paravirathee karam dhrirraaeiaa bal raam jeeo
baanee brehamaa vaedh dharam dhrirrahu paap thajaaeiaa bal raam jeeo
dharam dhrirrahu har naam dhiaavahu simrith naam dhrirraaeiaa
sathigur gur pooraa aaraadhahu sabh kilavikh paap gavaaeiaa
sehaj anandh hoaa vaddabhaagee man har har meethaa laaeiaa
jan kehai naanak laav pehilee aaranbh kaaj rachaaeiaa

Now I’ve heard enough vaiyakhia’s during Anand Karaj’s to know that the laavan does not speak to the marriage between man and woman, but instead speaks to the relationship between the Sikh and his/her Guru. But I must admit, with all the hoopla that surrounds a marriage, I’ve always found it tough to really focus on the laavan in that environment. But in this moment of calm, surrounded by my sangat, I was able to reflect. In my loosest of intepretations, Guru Sahib tells me:

On New Year’s Day, where the rest of the world is celebrating the Earth’s circumambulation around the Sun, we instead are reminded of our circumambulation around the Guru. If we keep Him as the center of our life, the core of our journey, everything else in our lives will revolve around Him peacefully

So as I set my resolutions and plan out my goals for the year, I am reminded to lace all my actions with his qualities – forgiveness, compassion, humility…

And may I stay absorbed with his baani and always in simran, so that I feel his presence – not once a year, not even once a day…but with every breath.