An interesting way to get Gurbani Kanth

Sri Akal Ustaat is an amazing Path that Puraatan Gurmukhs used to do everyday. Everyone should try their best to add this Bani to their Nitnem, with practice, it can be done with same speed as Sukhmani Sahib. One of the common Shabads that is sung from this bani is ਤ੍ਵ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ || ਲਘੁ ਨਿਰਾਜ ਛੰਦ ||, that famously ends with "tuhee tuheee tuhee." The state of mind that Guru Sahib was in when he wrote this Bani is unfathomable, but we can feel a little sense of that by reading it everyday.

I decided to do this particular Chhand for a Rainsbai keertan, but i only had a few hours to prepare for keertan and I wanted the whole Chhand to be fully Kanth(memorized). I remembered an old trick from a Psychology book i read years back in UNI. The best way to memorize something is to make a story in your mind about the thing that you are reading. This especially works with numbers, and short phrases. This is the story i made for this Chhand that helped memorize it within 1-2 hours. Some of the words i did not understand so i turned them into words i thought sounded similar. Try it out, maybe you can all get this Chhand memorized the same way.

ਤ੍ਵ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ || ਲਘੁ ਨਿਰਾਜ ਛੰਦ ||
There is a man who lives in the water ਜਲੇ ਹਰੀ, he then decides to live on the land ਥਲੇ ਹਰੀ. He starts moving here and there ਉਰੇ ਹਰੀ until he reaches a jungle| ਬਨੇ ਹਰੀ he climbs a tree and then falls ਗਿਰੇ ਹਰੀ into a cave(gupha) ਗੁਫੇ ਹਰੀ He gets stains everywhere ਛਿਤੇ ਹਰੀ and finds 90 dollars ਨਭੇ ਹਰੀ (sounds like ਨਬੇ)
He then starts looking around here and there for food ਈਹਾਂ ਹਰੀ, ਉਹਾਂ ਹਰੀ and also on the ground ਜਿਮੀ ਹਰੀ, ਜਮਾ ਹਰੀ
He has nothing to write with ਅਲੇਖ ਹਰੀ, ਅਭੇਖ ਹਰੀ and because of this becomes very sad ਅਦੋਖ ਹਰੀ, ਅਦੈੂੁਖ ਹਰੀ
He loses his watch and cant tell the time ਅਕਾਲ ਹਰੀ, ਅਪਾਲ ਹਰੀ, he can't find any shade ਅਛੇਦ ਹਰੀ (sounds like shade) or a sheep to keep warm ਅਭੇਦ ਹਹੀ (sounds like ਭੇਡ)
He then tries doing jantar mantar to start a fire, ਅਜੰਤ੍ਰ ਹਰੀ, ਅਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਹਰੀ, and then rounds around in circles ਸੁ ਤੇਜ ਹਰੀ, ਅਤੰਤ੍ਰ ਹਰੀ but this doesn't work!
He then does an Ardaas to Akal Purkh bragging about how he is Jatt from a Mann family ਅਜਾਤ ਹਰੀ ,ਅਪਾਤ ਹਰੀ, how he has so many friends ਅਮਿਤ੍ਰ ਹਰੀ and how his Mother is well respected ਅਮਾਤ ਹਰੀ, this should not be happening to him!
After challenging Akal Purakh he becomes sick ਅਰੋਗ ਹਰੀ which causes him to get sad ਅਸੋਕ ਹਰੀ he starts doubting if he will survive ਅਭਰਮ ਹਰੀ and tries doing better actions to get free ਅਕਰਮ ਹਰੀ
Finally he finds an exist ਅਜੈ ਹਰੀ and he fearlessly runs out of the cave ਅਭੈ ਹਰੀ where he then finds a sheep ਅਭੇਦ ਹਰੀ and shade ਅਛੇਦ ਹਰੀ (that he couldn't find before)
He finds some khand to eat ਅਖੰਡ ਹਰੀ ,ਅਭੰਡ ਹਰੀ and after receiving energy he starts doing Dand(pushups) ਅਡੰਡ ਹਰੀ, ਪ੍ਰਚੰਡ ਹਰੀ
He then finds a tavva ਅਤੇਵ ਹਰੀ, ਅਭੇਵ ਹਰੀ but he looks in his pocket and its ripped up ਅਜੇਵ ਹਰੀ and he hasn't shaved since a long time so his beard is now long ਅਛੇਵ ਹਰੀ (sounds like shave to me)
He starts doing Tap ਭਜੋ ਹਰੀ , ਥਪੋ ਹਰੀ , ਤਪੋ ਹਰੀ,| ਜਪੋ ਹਰੀ
Water ਜਲਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ or land ਥਲਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ he does not see anymore ਨਦਿਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ he is unable to explain his halat(feelings) to anyone ਨਦਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ
Then comes a dog(female dog) ਬ੍ਰਿਛਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ ਪਤਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ, the Dog jumps in some water and he gets sprayed (chhittay) ਛਿਤਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ and then lands upside down ਉਰਧਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ
he then runs away from the dog ਭਜਸ ਤੁਅੰ, ਭਜਸ ਤੁਅੰ makes a right turn ਰਟਮ ਤੁਅੰ , ਠਟਸ ਤੁਅੰ
He then runs fast on the ground ਜਿਮੀ ਤੁਹੀਂ, ਜਮਾ ਤੁਹੀਂ when all of a sudden he reaches Mecca ਮਕੀ ਤੁਹੀਂ, ਮਕਾ ਤੁਹੀਂ
There he sees a Bhoot(ghost) ਅਭੂ ਤੁਹੀਂ but he stays fearless ਅਭੈ ਤੁਹੀਂ and blows a huge sneeze to scare it away (aa-chooo) ਅਛੂ ਤੁਹੀਂ ,ਅਛੈ ਤੁਹੀਂ
Finaly he gets justice ਜਤਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ, and returns to brampton ਬ੍ਰਤਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ where he gets on a gotrain ਗਤਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ and lands safely at the MT Pleasant Go Station ਮਤਸ ਤੁਹੀਂ (for this line i just wanted to remember the first letter by attaching to something with the same latter, Jaja-Justice, Baba-Brampton. Gaga-GoTrain, MT-Pleasant, only people from Brampton will understand this last one
The rest gets memorized by itself!
ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ੧੯||੬੯||
ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ਤੁਹੀਂ ਤੁਹੀਂ || ੨੦||੭੦||

Try this technique, and let me know if it works for you.

Daas,
Gurman Singh

Lol at last part!

Wow! Very interesting and effective way to kanth Bani. Have you tried this method with other Baniya?

This method doesn't work with average shabads, this Shabad is just different in that there is only two word panktee's. The only way to get Gurbani Kanth is to do lots and lots of Abhyiaas of the Shabad or Path you are trying to memorize.

GurmanSingh Wrote:
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> This method doesn't work with average shabads,
> this Shabad is just different in that there is
> only two word panktee's. The only way to get
> Gurbani Kanth is to do lots and lots of Abhyiaas
> of the Shabad or Path you are trying to memorize.


I do agree with you that a lot of Abhyiaas is needed, but I would say that mnemonic devices are great tools for memorization.
However, it won't be the same thing every time; you'll need new mnemonic devices for each Bani.

For example, when I was younger, I used this mnemonic device to memorize the order of the ਆਦੇਸੁਤਿਸੈਆਦੇਸੁ Padey of JapJi Sahib:
The first one was easy to remember since it should up after the SoDar Pada, so that didn't need a mnemonic.
The second one started with ਭੁਗਤਿ, which would be transliterated as Bhugat, which starts which a 'B', which is the second letter, so this is the second Pada.
The third one's first line includes ਤਿਨਿਚੇਲੇਪਰਵਾਣੁ; ਤਿਨਿ means three, so this is the third Pada.
The fourth one's first line is ਆਸਣੁਲੋਇਲੋਇਭੰਡਾਰ, which has four words, so it is the fourth Pada.
This is what I used, and you can notice how each Pada has a different mnemonic.

Your particular technique can probably be useful for many to memorize Jaap Sahib, since many have a hard time with that particular Bani.

Why not memorize the very akath katha* taking place in GuruBanee shabads itself?

*(depending on how deep veechar one is blessed with)

Chota veer