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In the profound landscape of Tatvgyan (true spiritual knowledge) preserved in the Sat Granth Sahib of Sant Garibdas Ji Maharaj, cosmic realities are laid bare without sugarcoating. One of his most striking and sobering verses exposes the strict limitations governing our universe. It unmasks the true identity of Kaal who keeps all unliberated souls trapped within his karmic system.
गरीब, सहंस अठासी ना गए, चौबीसों पर चौख।
तैतीसों पर तलब है, कोई बकरा कोई बोक।।
Garib sahans athasi na gaye, chaubiso par chokh. Teteiso par talab hai, koi bakra koi bok.
In this vaani, Sant Garib Das Ji explains that within the cycle of Kaal (the temporal world), no entity or deity - no matter how powerful or spiritually elevated - is exempt from the laws of mortality and rebirth unless they achieve ultimate liberation through the true Satnam.
1. "Sahans athasi na gaye..." (The 88,000 Sages in Kaal's Realm)
The 88,000 highly advanced sages and rishis achieved immense spiritual power through severe ascetics and spent lifetimes in deep meditation. However, because their spiritual practice remained contained within the boundaries of these 21 brahmands, they could not pass into the eternal, immortal realm of Satlok. They remained inside Kaal's territory.
2. "Chaubiso par chokh..." (The Limitation on the 24 Avatars)
The famous 24 incarnations (Avatars) are sent directly by Kaal (Brahm) into the lower material worlds to maintain basic operational order. Because they originate from Kaal, they face a strict boundary (chokh or chaukh). Their authority is fundamentally limited to these 21 universes, and they cannot grant final liberation from Kaal's trap.
3. "Taitison par talab hai, koi bakra koi bok..." (The Cosmic Summons for the 33 Crore Deities)
The 33 crore deities hold administrative offices across various dimensions of the 21 universes. They enjoy these celestial, heavenly posts as a reward for massive stores of past virtues (punya).
However, heavenly positions under Kaal are temporary. The moment a deity’s spiritual bank account hits zero, Kaal issues a formal talab (an inescapable legal summons). Stripped of their divine status, they fall directly back into the cycle of the 84 lakh species of life. Sant Garibdas Ji uses the raw, rustic village metaphor of livestock (bakra/bok) to demonstrate their ultimate helplessness. Lacking the protective shield of true Satnam, these once-revered gods are reborn as ordinary animals, completely subject to the laws of physical nature.
The Takeaway for True Seekers
Sant Garibdas Ji’s verse acts as a profound warning system for the soul. It strips away the illusion of temporary heavenly luxury and exposes the ultimate fragility of unguided spiritual practices. The vaani systematically demonstrates that navigating the 21 brahmands via traditional rituals is a revolving door that ultimately leads back down to the animal kingdom.
To break this cycle permanently, the teachings of the Sat Granth Sahib urge seekers to look past the temporal administrators of Kaal's realm. True liberation requires finding a complete spiritual guide (Satguru) who holds the genuine, unadulterated Satya Shabd—the only key capable of unlocking the gates of the 21 brahmands and returning the soul to its eternal, birthless home in Satlok.
