Peeking Back to Move Forward

Peeking Back to Move Forward ¹

In this short article, Prof. Lal has given a grotesque interpretation of the following verses:

If I look behind there were planted sprouting grape vineyards, but when I foresee these vineyards I see them as burning bushes.

AGGS, M 1, p. 20.

In this verse angoor does not mean grapevine, it means newly sprouted vegetation. Here Guru Nanak illustrates the cycle of creation and destruction by the example of the burning of old vegetation by fire and the sprouting of new one thereafter. Moreover this verse must be interpreted in conjunction with the next verse “jiss te upjai teh te binsai ghat ghat sach bharpoor)” as:

The Eternal One Whose Hukam (Cosmic Law) pervades everywhere creates and destroys like after the fire burns the old vegetation in the forest, the new one starts sprouting.

Fareed, if you are a master of wisdom, then, do not keep on writing blackened essays. Rather, Look underneath your own collar instead.

AGGS,Fareed, p. 1378.

Here kale lekh does not mean “blackened essays”, rather it means, “black deeds, bad actions.” Accordingly, the couplet should be interpreted as:

O Fareed, if you consider yourself a great genius then do not commit bad deeds. With a sense of humility watch, what you are doing yourself!

References

1. H. Lal. “Peeking Back to Move Forward.” SikhSpectrum.com, February 2005. This article was also published in The Sikh Review, April 2005, pp. 11-15, under the title: Back to the Future.

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