A Psychospiritual and Psychological Exegesis of Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s Shabad in Raag Bhairav
Introduction
This article explores the concept of ontological disease—a fundamental error in human being—as articulated by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in a shabad from Raag Bhairav (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 1158). Drawing upon the interdisciplinary frameworks of Gurmat Psychology, depth psychology, and psychospiritual analysis, the study identifies the root cause of human suffering as the egoic misidentification (haumai). The shabad serves as both diagnosis and prescription, detailing how attachment to the senses and entanglement in the three gunas (qualities of nature) result in recurring cycles of psychological, emotional, and spiritual suffering. Healing, as posited in the shabad, is only possible through the grace of the Satguru and the transformative presence of the Saadh Sangat (spiritual community). The article argues for the relevance of this metaphysical diagnosis in understanding modern psychological and existential crises.
Keywords
Haumai, Ontological Disease, Gurmat Psychology, Depth Psychology, Sensory Desire, Ego, Satguru, Naam, Saadh Sangat, Tri-guna, Psychospiritual Healing, Guru Arjan Dev Ji
Introduction
In an era marked by psychological fragmentation, chronic dissatisfaction, identity crises, and existential dread, the question of what fundamentally ails the human being remains unresolved. While modern psychology has made considerable strides in treating symptoms of distress, it has yet to fully explore the ontological dimension of suffering—the error in our very mode of being.
In the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Guru Arjan Dev Ji identifies the root of human suffering not in external conditions but in the internal misalignment known as haumai—the egoic self. This misidentification forms what we refer to here as an ontological disease. The following shabad serves as a primary text for this investigation.
The Shabad (Raag Bhairav, Guru Arjan Dev Ji – SGGS, Ang 1158)
ਹਉਮੈ ਰੋਗੁ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਕਉ ਦੀਨਾ ॥
ਭੈਰਉ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥
ਕਾਮ ਰੋਗਿ ਮੈਗਲੁ ਬਸਿ ਲੀਨਾ ॥
ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਰੋਗਿ ਪਚਿ ਮੁਏ ਪਤੰਗਾ ॥
ਨਾਦ ਰੋਗਿ ਖਪਿ ਗਏ ਕੁਰੰਗਾ ॥੧॥
ਜੋ ਜੋ ਦੀਸੈ ਸੋ ਸੋ ਰੋਗੀ ॥
ਰੋਗ ਰਹਿਤ ਮੇਰਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਜੋਗੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜਿਹਵਾ ਰੋਗਿ ਮੀਨੁ ਗ੍ਰਸਿਆਨੋ ॥
ਬਾਸਨ ਰੋਗਿ ਭਵਰੁ ਬਿਨਸਾਨੋ ॥
ਹੇਤ ਰੋਗ ਕਾ ਸਗਲ ਸੰਸਾਰਾ ॥
ਤ੍ਰਿਬਿਧਿ ਰੋਗ ਮਹਿ ਬਧੇ ਬਿਕਾਰਾ ॥੨॥
ਰੋਗੇ ਮਰਤਾ ਰੋਗੇ ਜਨਮੈ ॥
ਰੋਗੇ ਫਿਰਿ ਫਿਰਿ ਜੋਨੀ ਭਰਮੈ ॥
ਰੋਗ ਬੰਧ ਰਹਨੁ ਰਤੀ ਨ ਪਾਵੈ ॥
ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਰੋਗੁ ਕਤਹਿ ਨ ਜਾਵੈ ॥੩॥
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਿ ਰੋਗੁ ਮਿਟਾਇਆ ॥੪॥੭॥੨੦॥
ਤੂਟੇ ਬੰਧਨ ਸਾਧਸੰਗੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮਿ ਜਿਸੁ ਕੀਨੀ ਦਇਆ ॥
ਬਾਹ ਪਕੜਿ ਰੋਗਹੁ ਕਢਿ ਲਇਆ ॥
Haumai: The Ontological Error
The shabad begins with a direct statement:
“ਹਉਮੈ ਰੋਗੁ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਕਉ ਦੀਨਾ ॥”
“Mankind is afflicted with the disease of egotism.”
In Gurmat Psychology, haumai is the ego—not merely in the Freudian sense of the mediating self, but a false self-construct that perceives itself as separate from the Divine (IkOngkaar). This separation creates an illusory self that seeks validation, gratification, and permanence in the impermanent.
Martin Heidegger similarly describes inauthentic existence as fallenness, where the individual becomes absorbed in superficial identities and loses connection to Being itself. Guru Arjan’s diagnosis thus positions haumai as a psychospiritual pathology, distorting perception, emotion, and action.
Sensory Pathologies: Psychological Symbolism
The next verses present analogies that link sensory desires to existential vulnerability. Each animal represents a particular sensory dysfunction and its psychological consequence:
| Line | Animal | Sense | Symbolic Interpretation |
| “ਕਾਮ ਰੋਗਿ ਮੈਗਲੁ ਬਸਿ ਲੀਨਾ ॥” | Elephant | Lust | Overpowered by primal instincts (Id) |
| “ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਰੋਗਿ ਪਚਿ ਮੁਏ ਪਤੰਗਾ ॥” | Moth | Sight | Consumed by illusions, external appearances |
| “ਨਾਦ ਰੋਗਿ ਖਪਿ ਗਏ ਕੁਰੰਗਾ ॥” | Deer | Hearing | Distracted by outer allurements |
| “ਜਿਹਵਾ ਰੋਗਿ ਮੀਨੁ ਗ੍ਰਸਿਆਨੋ ॥” | Fish | Taste | Caught in gratification traps |
| “ਬਾਸਨ ਰੋਗਿ ਭਵਰੁ ਬਿਨਸਾਨੋ ॥” | Bumblebee | Smell | Perished through attachment |
Each example illustrates the psychological mechanism by which ego-bound consciousness is entrapped in samsaric loops—driven by impulse, craving, and compulsion.
In modern clinical terms, these could be equated with addiction, sensory over-stimulation, and unconscious conditioning, resulting in loss of autonomy and awareness.
The World as Diseased
“ਹੇਤ ਰੋਗ ਕਾ ਸਗਲ ਸੰਸਾਰਾ ॥”
“The entire world is afflicted with the disease of attachment.”
Attachment (het) is central to both Buddhist and Gurmat psychology as a cause of dukkha (suffering). In attachment theory, insecure attachments lead to behavioral dysfunctions, while in Gurmat, attachment is not just interpersonal but ontological—an unhealthy clinging to illusion.
“ਤ੍ਰਿਬਿਧਿ ਰੋਗ ਮਹਿ ਬਧੇ ਬਿਕਾਰਾ ॥”
“Entangled in the threefold disease, corruption is multiplied.”
The threefold disease (tri-guna)—tamas, rajas, sattva—is drawn from Indian metaphysics and describes the fundamental qualities of nature. Corruption (vikaar) arises when one identifies with these fluctuating tendencies, losing touch with the transcendent awareness beyond them.
The Cycle of Disease: Rebirth and Restlessness
“ਰੋਗੇ ਮਰਤਾ ਰੋਗੇ ਜਨਮੈ ॥”
“In disease mortals die, and in disease they are born.”
This cycle reflects the existential repetition found in trauma psychology and Samsaric rebirth in Indic traditions. According to Jung, complexes reassert themselves until integrated. Similarly, the shabad shows how individuals repeat unconscious patterns (karmic imprints) until liberation is achieved.
Healing: The Role of the Satguru
“ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਰੋਗੁ ਕਤਹਿ ਨ ਜਾਵੈ ॥”
“Without the Satguru, the disease is never cured.”
The Satguru represents awakened consciousness, not just an external teacher but an inner guide—the Self in Jungian terms or the Atman in Vedanta. The Satguru confronts and dissolves the false self (haumai) through Naam (Divine Frequency) and Aatam-Gyaan (Self-Knowledge).
“ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਿ ਰੋਗੁ ਮਿਟਾਇਆ ॥”
“Says Nanak, the Guru has cured me of the disease.”
Healing is thus not behavioral change alone but a radical ontological reconfiguration—the rediscovery of one’s true nature as Jyot Saroop (form of Divine Light).
Liberation Through Grace and Sangat
“ਤੂਟੇ ਬੰਧਨ ਸਾਧਸੰਗੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥”
“In the company of the Holy, bonds are broken.”
“ਬਾਹ ਪਕੜਿ ਰੋਗਹੁ ਕਢਿ ਲਇਆ ॥”
“He seizes the arm and lifts one out of disease.”
Transformation is catalyzed by Saadh Sangat—a spiritual field of collective consciousness—and Divine Grace, both of which facilitate the pulling away from the egoic center. Healing is not achieved through effort alone but requires surrender and receptivity.
In conclusion
Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s shabad offers a profound psychospiritual framework: human suffering is not simply emotional or cognitive—it is ontological. The disease of haumai distorts perception, drives addiction to the senses, and binds the being to karmic cycles. True healing lies not in treating symptoms but in the transcendence of the ego through Guru’s wisdom, Naam, Saadh Sangat, and Divine Grace.
As we face rising levels of psychological distress in the modern world, this ancient yet timeless perspective offers a radical alternative to modern reductionist models of mental health. It calls for a return to Being, a reclaiming of our essential identity as conscious presence, beyond thought, beyond self-image, and beyond disease.
References
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Ang 1158), Raag Bhairav, Guru Arjan Dev Ji
- Panesar, D. (2021). Gurmat Psychology: Reclaiming the Self
- Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and Time
- Jung, C.G. (1953). Psychology and Religion
- Taimni, I.K. (1961). The Science of Yoga
- Wilber, K. (2000). Integral Psychology
- Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the Pleasure Principle
- Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base: Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development
© D S Panesar 2025
Gurmat Psychology Series
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