Many people quote the following Pankiti to Jatha Gursikhs and advise them to go slow when doing Naam Abhyaas or to not chant Naam loudly:

ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਬਿਲੋਵਨਾ ਬਿਲੋਵਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਭਾਈ॥
ਸਹਜਿ ਬਿਲੋਵਹੁ ਜੈਸੇ ਤਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ॥

They say that Naam should be chanted with love and slowly, and not loudly. But what they fail to explain is why they assume that there is no love when Gursikhs chant Naam loudly and fastly. Is it not exactly love and Bairaag that prompts Gursikhs to sometimes chant Naam slowly and then, if need be fast? Isn’t it love and Bairaag that forces Gursikhs to sometimes cry out loudly to Vaheguru and at other times go chanting just in the Kanth in Madhma Baani or even Para-Pasanti that goes on in the Hirda and Naabhi? What kind of narrow criteria of love is to chant Naam only slowly, only in low volume, and only planned like an orchestra?

Bhai Sahib has translated the meaning of ਸਹਜਿ ਬਿਲੋਵਹੁ as follows:

ਸਹਜਿ ਬਿਲੋਵਹੁ ਤੋਂ ਭਾਵ ਸੁਰਤੀ ਬਿਰਤੀ ਲਗਾ ਕੇ ਨਾਮ ਅਭਿਆਸ ਦਾ ਸੁਆਸ ਸੁਆਸ ਖੰਡਾ ਖੜਕਾਉਣ ਤੋਂ ਹੈ
(Gurmat Karam Philosophy)

The condition that Gurbani has placed while chanting Naam is that ਤਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ i.e. the essence should not be lost. How will this Tatt be lost if the Naam is chanted slowly, fast, loudly, or not loudly? The Tatt would be lost only when one stops chanting Naam or if one does not have Surthee Birthee in Naam. The word Sehaj has a lot of meanings in Gurbani, and “slowly” is just one of the many meanings. Here the word “Sehaj” means to chant Naam with concentration and continuously.

Depending on the mood, Avastha and Mauj of Gurmukhs they chant the Anant-Tranga Naam in many ways – they go slow, they go fast, they go loud, and they go whispering only. All Tranga of Naam are good. The main thing is to chant Naam and never stop.

Guru Sahib knows better.

Written By: Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji