GURSOCH

20130415

In the Guru’s own words: Spiritual Progression




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 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, 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 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 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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