These Shabads have the heading "Mardana" from which many Sikh scholars derive that these Saloks have been written by Bhai Mardana jee but this is not true because these Saloks contain the Mohar of Guru Sahib - "Nanak". No one other than Guru Sahibaan had the authority to use "Nanak" in their Baani. So for this reason these Saloks cannot be of Bhai Mardana jee. Then what does this heading mean? There are two possibilities:
1. These Saloks are related to Bhai Mardana jee. It is possible that Bhai Mardana jee asked Guru Sahib a question about liquor and Guru Sahib responded with these Saloks. Another possibility is that Bhai Mardana jee had a conversation with someone about liquor and Bhai Sahib jee had explained to that person the true liquor of Naam and Guru Sahib liked the presentation of Bhai Mardana jee and recorded the central idea of this conversation in His own words.
2. It is possible that the heading "Mardana" is not related to Bhai Mardana jee but to the word itself. Mardana means manly. Many macho men think that drinking liquor and eating meat is a very manly and macho thing to do and Guru Sahib in these Saloks teach us the Gurmat way of drinking liquor and eating meat and becoming macho and manly in Gurmat way.
Original Text:ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮਰਦਾਨਾ ੧ ॥
ਕਲਿ ਕਲਵਾਲੀ ਕਾਮੁ ਮਦੁ ਮਨੂਆ ਪੀਵਣਹਾਰੁ ॥
ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਕਟੋਰੀ ਮੋਹਿ ਭਰੀ ਪੀਲਾਵਾ ਅਹੰਕਾਰੁ ॥
ਮਜਲਸ ਕੂੜੇ ਲਬ ਕੀ ਪੀ ਪੀ ਹੋਇ ਖੁਆਰੁ ॥
ਕਰਣੀ ਲਾਹਣਿ ਸਤੁ ਗੁੜੁ ਸਚੁ ਸਰਾ ਕਰਿ ਸਾਰੁ ॥
ਗੁਣ ਮੰਡੇ ਕਰਿ ਸੀਲੁ ਘਿਉ ਸਰਮੁ ਮਾਸੁ ਆਹਾਰੁ ॥
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਾਈਐ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਖਾਧੈ ਜਾਹਿ ਬਿਕਾਰ ॥੧॥
ਮਰਦਾਨਾ ੧ ॥
ਕਾਇਆ ਲਾਹਣਿ ਆਪੁ ਮਦੁ ਮਜਲਸ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਧਾਤੁ ॥
ਮਨਸਾ ਕਟੋਰੀ ਕੂੜਿ ਭਰੀ ਪੀਲਾਏ ਜਮਕਾਲੁ ॥
ਇਤੁ ਮਦਿ ਪੀਤੈ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਬਹੁਤੇ ਖਟੀਅਹਿ ਬਿਕਾਰ ॥
ਗਿਆਨੁ ਗੁੜੁ ਸਾਲਾਹ ਮੰਡੇ ਭਉ ਮਾਸੁ ਆਹਾਰੁ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਇਹੁ ਭੋਜਨੁ ਸਚੁ ਹੈ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਆਧਾਰੁ ॥੨॥
ਕਾਂਯਾਂ ਲਾਹਣਿ ਆਪੁ ਮਦੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਤਿਸ ਕੀ ਧਾਰ ॥
ਸਤਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਿਉ ਮੇਲਾਪੁ ਹੋਇ ਲਿਵ ਕਟੋਰੀ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਭਰੀ ਪੀ ਪੀ ਕਟਹਿ ਬਿਕਾਰ ॥੩॥Humble Translation:Salok Mardana 1.Manmukhi Liquor: Kaljug is the vessel (such liquor is made in Kaljug only), Kaam (sexual lust) is the liquor, the mind is the drinker. Krodh (anger) is cup (in which liquor is put), Moh (attachment) fills liquor in the cup, and Ahankaar (pride) is the one who serves it. The company in which this liquor is served is that of falsehood and greed. The ones who sit in such company and drink this kind of liquor, destroy themselves.
Gurmukhi Liquor: Let good deeds be the vessel in which liquor is made and kept; good moral character be molasses (GuR), True Naam be the beautiful liquor.
Gurmukh Food: Normally Manmukhs eat roasted meat along with liquor and here Guru Sahib gives us the Gurmukhi food that goes with Gurmukhi liquor: Let good Gurmukhi qualities be your Roti (Desi Bread), let good nature be the gheo to be applied on the Rotis, and let Sharam (Lajiya, modesty) be the meat to be eaten along with the Gurmukhi liquor. This food and liquor can only be obtained through the Guru and consuming them, one's evil tendencies go away.
Mardana 1. (Second and Third Saloks) These Saloks present second type of Manmukhi liquor and Gurmukhi liquor and food.
Manmukhi liquor: The body is the vessel in which liquor is made and kept; Haume (ego, pride) is the liquor and the company in which this liquor is served is that of efforts made to satisfy one's Trishna. Mansha (desire) is the cup in which liquor is served, falsehood is one that fills the cup and Jamkaal is the one that serves it to the Jeev. By drinking this liquor, Guru Sahib says that the Jeev earns a lot of evil Bikaars.
Gurmukhi Food: Gurmat Gyaan (divine Gurmat knowledge) is molasses (GuR), doing Sifat Salaah ( praises of Vaheguru through Naam and Gurbani) is the Roti and the divine fear is meat that is served with liquor. Guru Sahib says that such food is the true Gurmukhi food because by eating this food, one gets the support of True Naam.
Gurmukhi Liquor: Let the body be the vessel in which this Gurmukhi liquor is kept; let realization of the self be the liquor and the stream of this self realization is Amrit. The company in which this liquor is obtained is SatSangat; the cup in which this liquor is put is that of Liv (long undisturbed concentration on Naam) and the cup is filled with Amrit. By drinking this liquor all the Bikaars (evil forces - Kaam, Krodh...) are cut i.e. finished from within.
Vichaar: Extremely beautiful and deep Gurbani! Guru Sahib has very diligently presented the comparison between Gurmat and Manmat using the analogy of producing liquor. There is no mention of the worldly liquor that is sold in stores but here Guru Sahib has talked about two types of Manmukhi liquor and two types of Gurmukhi liquor that are consumed by Manmukhs and Gurmukhs respectively.
Again to sum it up, the two types of Manmukhi liquors contain the following Manmukhi Bikaars:1. Vessel is Kaljug, Kaam is the liquor, Krodh is the cup in which liquor is served, Moh fills the cup, Ahankaar serves it and finally the company in which this is served is Lobh and falsehood. The drinker is of course the Mind. Basically to be under the influence of Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh and Ahankaar is to be intoxicated with Manmukhi liquor.
2. Vessel is the body, Ahankaar is liquor, Mansha (desire) is the cup in which liquor is served, falsehood fills the cup, Jammkaal serves it and finally the company in which this liquor is served is that of Trishna Dhaat i.e. running around to satisfy one's desires. Basically to run around to satisfy one's worldly desires in order to satisfy the evil tendencies of the mind is getting intoxicated with the second type of Manmukhi liquor.
The two kinds of Gurmukhi liquors are arranged as follows:1. Gurmukhi Karma is the vessel, Gurmukhi moral character is the molasses, True Gurmukhi Naam is the beautiful liquor. Basically to chant Gurmat Naam, do Karma according to Gurmat and to have a high moral Gurmukhi character is to get intoxicated with the first kind of Gurmukhi liquor.
2. Vessel is the body, realization of the self is the liquor, cup is that of Liv (undisturbed and uninterrupted long concentration in Naam), the cup is full of Amrit which is produced when one realizes the self and finally the company in which this divine Gurmukhi liquor is served is Sat Sangat. Basically, to realize the true Self by getting long Samadhi on Naam in SatSangat is to get intoxicated with the second type of Gurmukhi liquor.
Please note that the first kind of Gurmukhi liquor above is eaten, when a Gurmukhi seeker is at the Jagiyaasoo Avastha and second type of Gurmukhi liquor is harder to obtain and is obtained by Gurmukhs of higher Avastha.
The two kinds of Gurmukhi foods are prepared as follows:1. Gurmukhi qualities are Rotis, pleasant Gurmukhi nature is the gheo, and Gurmukhi Sharam (modesty) is meat to be eaten with liquor. To have Gurmukhi qualities, pleasant Gurmukhi nature and have Gurmukhi Sharam is to eat first kind of Gurmukhi food.
2. Gurmat Gyaan is molasses (sweet dish), Sifat Salaah is Rotis, and divine Gurmukhi fear is meat to be eaten with liquor. To have Gurmat Gyaan through Gurbani and self-experience after constant Naam Abhyaas, doing Sifat Salaah and living in the divine fear of Vaheguru is to eat second type of Gurmukhi food.
The first type of food above is obtained easier than the second one. Basically the first kind of food is eaten by beginners in Sikhi and the second type of Gurmukhi food is eaten by Gurmukhs of high Avastha.
Gurbani is Agam Agaadh Bodh.
Kulbir Singh
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥