For years I have mulled over this and certain other lines and by chance was mulling over it just day before. And for couple of years I have been meaning to reduce my thoughts to writing in detail but I am not yet fully confident and nor I have time. But in very brief I shall put it here:
- Japji Sahib, unlike other baanis, is much too abstract, mystical and philosophical. Certain other baanis, like Sukhmani Sahib are very simple in presentation of their thought, whether it is NAAM/Simran, or moralistic teaching, or relationship between Gurmukh, Prabhu, Sansar etc. This is because these baani are focused on teaching the Gurmukh way of life, and they directly address the audience, i.e. a Sikh.
-Japji Sahib, on the other hand is a mystical expression of the Heart of Guru Nanak. Nowhere is the meaning so dense, so ਸਾਰ -ਗਰਭਿਤ as is Gurbani.
- On a practical level, as a part of Nitnem, this serves a great purpose of providing complex, deeper thoughts which demand attention and effort on part of the reader/listener's mind. This has an effect of mind getting quite 'involved' with the baani and thereby turning the mind inward and detaching it from mental noise and constant chattering going on inside at the back.
- One of the major issues is trying to decipher what is the main issue of the Baani. Secondly what is the feeling, approach and treatment given to the subject on hand.
- My personal understanding is that Guru Nanak approaches divinity with a retrospective approach. Much of the man's existentialist thoughts revolve around explanation of Universe. As Ghalib so eloquently puts somewhere,' yaa ilaahi yeh maajra kya hai?'. Guru Nanak conceive the 'maajra' as being ONKAR. He sees that this ONKAR as being only One and the root and basis of everything.
- Now this is important here. I do not agree with traditional interpretation of Ik Onkar as meaning One God as against some beliefs of numerous Gods. This concept of God is mainly semitic in origin and brings into the mind of the reader as that of a Governor who sits somewhere behind the curtain and makes the world work without exposing himself. It is due to this wrong concept that questions such as 'Why did God do this?' or 'Why does God do this? or 'Why won't He do this?' arise.
-What Guru Nanak is conveying is that He has found out through direct experience that the Universe has a root, a base. Everything is springing out of It and remaining in It and later on dissolving in It. And he calls is Onkar. Kar denotes all pervasive, unbroken, infinity. And Guru Nanak attaches the prefix Ikk to this. He wants to convey his finding that Universe has Onkar as its base and that He (Guru Nanak) has found out that there is nothing Outside of Onkar, that Onkar is like an infinite Ocean within which everything exists. So in effect Guru Nanak is saying nothing exists except Ik Onkar. This is my interpretation of this. There is nothing except Ik Onkar. Complete realisation of Unity of Existence. The true experience of Brahm, in which the seer, the seen, and the seeing, all are One and the Same.
-Secondly Guru Nanak clearly sees that creation, existence and dissolution of Universe, which includes all phenomenon physical, biological, mental, everything, is the Only expression of Onkar and it is through connecting with this that one can connect with Onkar. This is evident by the fact that a major portion of Japji Sahib deals with thoughts about the infinite variety and expanse of Universe and its phenomenon. For example have a look at the 'Asankh' pauris.
-Understanding this evokes a feeling of awe and wonder, 'Subhaan', which is 'suhaan' in Japji Sahib. This feeling is vital and is also known as 'Bhaau'/ ਭਾਉ
-My understanding is that to have this ਭਾਉ is a main thing along with practice of Naam Jaap. And it is this ਭਾਉ which is called ਵਡਿਆਈ ਵਿਚਾਰ
-Gurbani asks the reader to indulge in ਵਡਿਆਈ of prabhu at so many places. One might ask, how is one to do ਵਡਿਆਈ ? How is one to sing praises. Obviously one sings praises of someone through the works which that someone has done. The work or expression of Onkar is the Universe. But just saying words aloud or in mind do not carry value. What is of value is the feeling. This feeling is ਭਾਉ and to have this feeling of Awe and respect and then look at all the universe is to do ਵਡਿਆਈ .
-Practically speaking the continuous experience which we are having through this body about self, our environment and its inter-action needs to be interpreted as a Divine Play. Having this in our heart, one then stills the mind through NAAM Jaap. This is the way of Gurmukh and this is how one becomes Sachiaar.
I have not been able to put this across very effectively but in general this is what I feel. I see this everyday when I recite Japji and try to decipher the meaning behind the words. Of course any poetical composition, especially a spiritual and philosophical composition, is open to interpretation and only author knows what he actually meant. Apologies for the inevitable failings and shortcomings.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥