The
Guru shabda, I am going to elaborate is by Third Nanak, who shares his personal
experience with us through it. It is
very important to know how one gets enlightened through the Guru teachings. In the
most of the shabdas in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the follower is advised to prefer Har Naam to all religious rite or rituals. Before
involving with Naam, the follower must understand the concept of that Creator,
whose Naam is taken as the support of life. Is it merely uttering Naam, which lifts the seeker to liberation or also a thorough
change in thinking is needed to be brought as per the Guru’s advice? In the Gurbani, it is advised to
live as the Guru directs; in a nutshell, the Guru advises the followers to be
one with that Creator, who exists in all and who exists independently as well.
No difference is defined particularly between the Creator and His Naam (Jap Ji).
The basic principle is to understand Har’s presence in all friends or foes
equally; no one can exist without Har’s existence. There are people, who deny
the existence of the Creator, and there are others, who strongly believe in a
kind of power ruling the universes. There are those, who are known as believers,
but their ways of identifying the Creator differ significantly. For the Guru
followers, it doesn’t matter who is who and who believes in what; what is
important to the Guru follower is to tread on a path that helps him or her in blending with the Creator,
who is the source of all existence. The Gurbani clearly states that self
conceit, lust, anger, greed and attachment have become a strong wall between
Akalpurakh and the seeker. If the seeker remains under these negative forces
and remembers Akalpurakh, he or she is simply trying to catch the wind. The
following shabda can help us in this regard if we understand its vast application. No game or hair splitting is needed in following the Guru; all
influences taken from other sources should be abandoned while following the
Guru; the Gurbani states that seeing the Guru or sitting close to the Guru is useless
if the Guru is not followed in full surrender; the Guru path is a guided path,
which has no place for the follower’s own intellect or reasoning; if the Guru
followers keep bringing their own intellect for further guidance, they really don’t
need the Guru; they can follow their own pursuits leaving the Guru alone for
those, who are ready to surrender unconditionally to the Guru.
The
Guru starts with miraculous - aspect of the Guru shabda; first it is important
to know the Guru shabda and then it should be practiced without any doubt; in this shabda, the Guru points at those persons, who simply follow their own minds; the
Guru doesn’t approve their way of living in context of obtaining union with the
Creator. Let us look at the shabda, it is on 601, SGGS.
Soraṯẖ mėhlā 3. Har jī▫o ṯuḏẖ
no saḏā sālāhī pi▫āre jicẖar gẖat anṯar hai sāsā.
Ik pal kẖin visrahi ṯū su▫āmī jāṇa▫o
baras pacẖāsā. Ham mūṛ mugaḏẖ saḏā se bẖā▫ī gur kai sabaḏ pargāsā. ||1||
Raag Sorath: Bani of Third Nanak: In
Essence: oh Har! Oh dear! As long as I breathe I shall keep praising
you. Oh Master! If I forget you for a moment, it appears I haven’t remembered
you for fifty years (it is an expression about the tensed time spent without
remembering Har). Oh brother! It is the Guru shabda, which has enlightened me;
otherwise, I have been always a great fool.
Now we should think about the Guru
shabda. What is that Guru shabda that enlightens the mind? Is it words of Har
praise or more than that? If we pay attention to the remaining shabda, we will
learn that.
ਸਾਲਾਹੀ = ਸਲਾਹੀਂ, ਮੈਂ ਸਾਲਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਰਹਾਂ। ਜਿਚਰੁ = ਜਿਤਨਾ ਚਿਰ। ਘਟ ਅੰਤਰਿ = ਸਰੀਰ ਵਿਚ। ਸਾਸਾ = ਸਾਹ, ਜਿੰਦ। ਜਾਣਉ = ਜਾਣਉਂ, ਮੈਂ ਜਾਣਦਾ ਹਾਂ। ਮੁਗਧ = ਮੂਰਖ। ਸੇ = ਸਾਂ।੧।
ਹੇ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਜੀ! (ਮੇਹਰ ਕਰ) ਜਿਤਨਾ ਚਿਰ ਮੇਰੇ ਸਰੀਰ ਵਿਚ ਜਿੰਦ ਹੈ, ਮੈਂ ਸਦਾ ਤੇਰੀ ਸਿਫ਼ਤਿ-ਸਾਲਾਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਰਹਾਂ। ਹੇ ਮਾਲਕ-ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਜਦੋਂ ਤੂੰ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਇਕ ਪਲ-ਭਰ ਇਕ ਛਿਨ-ਭਰ ਵਿੱਸਰਦਾ ਹੈਂ, ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਹ ਸਾਲ ਬੀਤ ਗਏ ਸਮਝਦਾ ਹਾਂ। ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਅਸੀਂ ਸਦਾ ਤੋਂ ਮੂਰਖ ਅੰਞਾਣ ਤੁਰੇ ਆ ਰਹੇ ਸਾਂ, ਗੁਰੂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਦੀ ਬਰਕਤਿ ਨਾਲ (ਸਾਡੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦਾ) ਚਾਨਣ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੈ।੧।
Har jī▫o ṯum āpe ḏeh bujẖā▫ī. Har jī▫o ṯuḏẖ
vitahu vāri▫ā saḏ hī ṯere nām vitahu bal jā▫ī. Rahā▫o.
O Har! Bless me with an
understanding of knowing you. I sacrifice to you and I sacrifice to your Naam.
Pause
The Guru expresses gratitude toward
Har for His grace through which he has learned an understanding of Har. The
Guru has blessed the follower with Har’s grace to understand Har and to
remember Har Naam. In these verses Har
Naam is to be kept in the mind to understand the Guru shabda that enlightens
the mind of the follower; In the below verses, the Guru explains how he
progressed through the Guru guidance.
ਬੁਝਾਈ = ਸਮਝ। ਵਿਟਹੁ = ਤੋਂ। ਬਲਿ ਜਾਈ = ਬਲਿ ਜਾਈ, ਮੈਂ ਸਦਕੇ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ।ਰਹਾਉ।
ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਜੀ! ਤੂੰ ਆਪ ਹੀ (ਆਪਣਾ ਨਾਮ ਜਪਣ ਦੀ ਮੈਨੂੰ) ਸਮਝ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼। ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਮੈਂ ਤੈਥੋਂ ਸਦਾ ਸਦਕੇ ਜਾਵਾਂ, ਮੈਂ ਤੇਰੇ ਨਾਮ ਤੋਂ ਕੁਰਬਾਨ ਜਾਵਾਂ।ਰਹਾਉ।
Ham sabaḏ mu▫e sabaḏ mār jīvāle
bẖā▫ī sabḏe hī mukaṯ pā▫ī. Sabḏe man ṯan nirmal ho▫ā har vasi▫ā man ā▫ī. Sabaḏ gur ḏāṯā
jiṯ man rāṯā har si▫o rahi▫ā samā▫ī. ||2||
Oh brother! I have become detached
and conceit free through the Guru shabda and it is the shabda that has made me live
rightfully; through it, I have got liberation. Through the shabda, my mind and
body have become pure (from Maya filth) and Har has come to abide in me; this
shabda is a gift of the Guru, who remains drenched in Har’s love and who remains
absorbed in Har.
The Guru doesn’t give a detail of the
Guru instructions through this shabda; however, he refers to “detachment, void
of self conceit and the gift of Naam.” Detachment is obtained from what? It is about
the attachment from Maya filth (the bonds of worldly attractions), which makes the
mortal forget Har Naam.. Second one is the conceit, which binds the mortal’s
mind to Maya filth. The Guru shabda, after generating the feelings of
detachment and eliminating self conceit, gives a new life to the follower, a
life of liberation from all bonds through Naam. When worldly attractions are stopped to
influence the mind, Har Naam takes over the mind. When Har Naam takes over the
mind, one’s world is changed. What is that Guru shabda, which enlightens the mind, is
already explained above.
ਮੁਏ = (ਵਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਵਲੋਂ) ਮਰ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਾਂ। ਜੀਵਾਲੇ = ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੇਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਮੁਕਤਿ = ਵਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਖ਼ਲਾਸੀ। ਆਈ = ਆਇ, ਆ ਕੇ। ਦਾਤਾ = ਨਾਮ ਦੀ ਦਾਤਿ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲਾ। ਜਿਤੁ = ਜਿਸ ਵਿਚ।੨।
ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਅਸੀਂ (ਜੀਵ) ਗੁਰੂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਦੀ ਰਾਹੀਂ (ਵਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਵਲੋਂ) ਮਰ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਾਂ, ਸ਼ਬਦ ਦੀ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਹੀ (ਵਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਵਲੋਂ) ਮਾਰ ਕੇ (ਗੁਰੂ) ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੇਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਗੁਰੂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਵਿਚ ਜੁੜਿਆਂ ਹੀ ਵਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਵਲੋਂ ਖ਼ਲਾਸੀ ਹਾਸਲ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਗੁਰੂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਦੀ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਹੀ ਮਨ ਪਵਿਤ੍ਰ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਸਰੀਰ ਪਵਿਤ੍ਰ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਮਨ ਵਿਚ ਆ ਵੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਗੁਰੂ ਦਾ ਸ਼ਬਦ (ਹੀ ਨਾਮ ਦੀ ਦਾਤਿ) ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈ, ਜਦੋਂ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਵਿਚ ਮਨ ਰੰਗਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਵਿਚ ਲੀਨ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।੨।
On 651, SGGS, Third Nanak explains
what is the Guru shabda:
Salok mėhlā 3. Re jan uthārai
ḏabi▫ohu suṯi▫ā ga▫ī vihā▫e. Saṯgur kā sabaḏ suṇ na jāgi▫o anṯar na upji▫o cẖā▫o.
Sloka of Third Nanak: In essence: oh
mortal! You are oppressed by the night mare of (Maya attachment)! Your life is spent
in slumber; you haven’t awakened by listening to the Satiguru’s shabda and no
excitement to utter Naam has developed in you.
Sarīr jala▫o guṇ bāhrā jo gur kār na
kamā▫e. Jagaṯ jalanḏā diṯẖ mai ha▫umai ḏūjai bẖā▫e. Nānak gur
sarṇā▫ī ubre sacẖ man sabaḏ ḏẖi▫ā▫e. ||1||
Let that body be burned, which has
no virtues and which doesn’t do what the Guru instructs; I have seen the world
burning because of conceit and love of Maya. Oh Nanak! By contemplating eternal
Prabh through the Guru shabda in the Guru’s refuge, one is saved.
The Shabda continues:
Sabaḏ na jāṇėh se anne bole se kiṯ
ā▫e sansārā. Har ras na pā▫i▫ā birthā janam gavā▫i▫ā jamėh vāro vārā. Bistā ke kīṛe
bistā māhi samāṇe manmukẖ mugaḏẖ gubārā. ||3||
In Essence: those, who do not get attached
to the Guru shabda, are blind (in ignorance) and deaf; their coming to this
world is useless. They don’t obtain essence of Har love and waste their lives
in vain; they get born again and again. The mind slaves are foolish and
ignorant and remain in the filth of Maya as the ordure worms remain absorbed in
it.
The Guru is talking about those
persons, who don’t care what the Guru says about Har and what is the importance
of living in Har’s love by eliminating self conceit and obtaining detachment;
they don’t take interest in the Guru, they don’t obtain the magical love of
Har, and their coming to this world is wasted in wrong pursuits without Har.
Without Har love, in the eyes of the Guru, the life is wasted. While loving Har
and living in Har’s love, the liberation from Maya bonds is achieved and the
mind becomes free from worries. The Guru follower starts believing that there
is none other than the Creator out there; good or bad things are a fair share
of one’s life. He or she takes the life as it comes in Har’s love. iNo
attachment can affect negatively then. This is the way, while alive, a Sikh
obtains liberation. While alive, the Sikh becomes one with Har, the source of
everything. Forgetting Har, the mind leads to soaring tides of pains and
anxieties. The freedom given by the Guru is mortgaged to temporary pleasures,
which lead to insatiable plight of the mind.
ਸੇ = ਉਹ ਬੰਦੇ। ਕਿਤੁ = ਕਾਹਦੇ ਲਈ? ਵਾਰੋ ਵਾਰਾ = ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ। ਮਨਮੁਖ = ਆਪਣੇ ਮਨ ਦੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਤੁਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ। ਗੁਬਾਰਾ = ਹਨੇਰਾ।੩।
ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਜੇਹੜੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਨਾਲ ਸਾਂਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਪਾਂਦੇ ਉਹ (ਮਾਇਆ ਦੇ ਮੋਹ ਵਿਚ ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਵਲੋਂ) ਅੰਨ੍ਹੇ ਬੋਲੇ ਹੋਏ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਸੰਸਾਰ ਵਿਚ ਆ ਕੇ ਉਹ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਖੱਟਦੇ। ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦੇ ਨਾਮ ਦਾ ਸੁਆਦ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਉਂਦਾ, ਉਹ ਆਪਣਾ ਜੀਵਨ ਵਿਅਰਥ ਗਵਾ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹ ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਜੰਮਦੇ ਮਰਦੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ। ਜਿਵੇਂ ਗੰਦ ਦੇ ਕੀੜੇ ਗੰਦ ਵਿਚ ਹੀ ਟਿਕੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਤਿਵੇਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਮਨ ਦੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਤੁਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਮੂਰਖ ਮਨੁੱਖ (ਅਗਿਆਨਤਾ ਦੇ) ਹਨੇਰੇ ਵਿਚ ਹੀ (ਮਸਤ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ)।੩।
Āpe kar vekẖai mārag lā▫e bẖā▫ī ṯis
bin avar na ko▫ī. Jo ḏẖur likẖi▫ā so ko▫e na metai bẖā▫ī karṯā kare so ho▫ī. Nānak nām
vasi▫ā man anṯar bẖā▫ī avar na ḏūjā ko▫ī. ||4||4||
In essence: Oh brother! The Creator
does everything and watches over it; there is none other than the Creator. No
one can erase the preordained destiny (Prabh’s Will), because what Prabh does,
comes to pass. Oh Nanak! When Naam
abides within, one doesn’t see any other than Prabh.
Not seeing other than Prabh is a
state of mind; it comes after experiencing Prabh personally; we can talk about
it, but cannot experience it unless we don’t follow the Guru guidance. The Guru
makes this experience practicable. Tenth Nanak created Khalsa and guided the
khalsa not to forget Prabh even in the war; the Khalsa was advised to engage in
war in self defense only and spare that person who runs away from the field.
That was great example of seeing nothing but Prabh even in those, who turn
hostile. Seeing in them Prabh doesn’t mean to bow to them and get killed;
instead, it was taught by the Guru that, in Prabh’s play, negativity must be
fought to keep positivity. That is what is said in the above verses.
ਆਪੇ = ਆਪ ਹੀ। ਕਰਿ = ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰ ਕੇ। ਵੇਖੈ = ਸੰਭਾਲਦਾ ਹੈ। ਧੁਰਿ = ਧੁਰ ਦਰਗਾਹ ਤੋਂ। ਕਰਤਾ = ਕਰਤਾਰ।੪।
ਪਰ, ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! (ਜੀਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਭੀ ਕੀਹ ਵੱਸ?) ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਆਪ ਹੀ (ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ) ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰ ਕੇ ਸੰਭਾਲ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਆਪ ਹੀ (ਜੀਵਨ ਦੇ ਸਹੀ) ਰਸਤੇ ਪਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਸ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਤੋਂ ਬਿਨਾ ਹੋਰ ਕੋਈ ਨਹੀਂ (ਜੋ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਰਾਹ ਦੱਸ ਸਕੇ)। ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਕਰਤਾਰ ਜੋ ਕੁਝ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ ਉਹੀ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਧੁਰ ਦਰਗਾਹ ਤੋਂ (ਜੀਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਮੱਥੇ ਤੇ ਲੇਖ) ਲਿਖ ਦੇਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਕੋਈ (ਹੋਰ) ਮਿਟਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਕਦਾ। ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! (ਆਖ-) ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! (ਉਸ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦੀ ਮੇਹਰ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਉਸ ਦਾ) ਨਾਮ (ਮਨੁੱਖ ਦੇ) ਮਨ ਵਿਚ ਵੱਸ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ, ਕੋਈ ਹੋਰ ਇਹ ਦਾਤਿ ਦੇਣ ਜੋਗਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ।੪।੪।
In the end, the Guru makes the
follower realize that nothing is in our hands; if it were, we would have
attached to Har Naam in the first place; we need the grace of our Creator,
whose Will prevails. We think sometimes that we can make our destiny, in
reality, we cannot. We don’t even exist without our Creator’s presence in us,
how can we make our destiny? It is our Creator who leads us to that peak. How many
times we have heard our Guru? Are we changed? Our sincere answer can make us
understand what our Guru is saying in the last verses. Prabh exists in us, but
we live without experiencing His presence. By merely saying that Prabh is in
us, we cannot experience Him. The Guru paves a path with a perfect procedure;
when it is followed with sincerity, experiencing Prabh’s presence within
becomes certainty. When it occurs, we realize how our Creator becomes our Guru.
Interpretation in Punjabi is by Sr
Sahib Singh
Humbly
G Singh
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