GURSOCH

20121008

Fourth Nanak's advice on religious shops in competition



In the Gurbani, the followers are guided carefully towards Prabh, the all pervading imperishable Creator; the Gurus have taken all efforts to  make their followers aware not only about negative influences of  Maya attractions, but also about those religious shops, which rip off the believers  financially and spiritually by misleading them. It appears that the Guru has heard the loud drums of such misleading shops. The Guru’s realm is limited to guide the followers towards Akalpurakh by making them aware of such deceptive behavior of the thugs; therefore, the Guru doesn’t trash those shops directly. I am going to share with you the following shabda, on 733, SGGS by Fourth Nanak. Please go through it carefully and read between the lines to understand what is in the Guru’s mind, you will find the crystal clear message. 

Sūhī mėhlā 4.   Ŧinĥī anṯar har ārāḏẖi▫ā jin ka▫o ḏẖur likẖi▫ā likẖaṯ lilārā.   Ŧin kī bakẖīlī ko▫ī ki▫ā kare jin kā ang kare merā har karṯārā. ||1|| 
 
Raag Soohi, Bani of Fourth Nanak. In essence: in the hearts, only those persons contemplate Har, who are destined to do so. How anyone can slander those Har devotees by whose side stands my Har, the Creator? 

The Guru is paving a path towards Har; many seekers try to follow this path, but truly only those follow, who are destined to do so; they contemplate Har seriously. Obviously all people do not follow Har path, because materialistically, there is nothing to be gained; however, those, who rise above Maya goals, make Har Naam their goal of life.

ਤਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ = ਉਹਨਾਂ ਮਨੁੱਖਾਂ ਨੇ। ਅੰਤਰਿ = ਆਪਣੇ ਹਿਰਦੇ ਵਿਚ। ਧੁਰਿ = ਧੁਰ ਦਰਗਾਹ ਤੋਂ। ਲਿਖਤੁ = ਲੇਖ। ਲਿਲਾਰਾ = ਲਿਲਾਟ, ਮੱਥੇ ਉਤੇ। ਬਖੀਲੀ = ਚੁਗ਼ਲੀ, ਨਿੰਦਾ। ਅੰਗੁ = ਪੱਖ।੧।

ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਧੁਰ ਦਰਗਾਹ ਤੋਂ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਮਨੁੱਖਾਂ ਦੇ ਮੱਥੇ ਉਤੇ ਲੇਖ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹੀ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਆਪਣੇ ਹਿਰਦੇ ਵਿਚ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਆਰਾਧਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ (ਅਤੇ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਹੀ ਪੱਖ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ) ਪਿਆਰਾ ਕਰਤਾਰ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਪੱਖ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਕੋਈ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕਰ ਕੇ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦਾ ਕੁਝ ਵਿਗਾੜ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਕਦਾ।੧।
 
Har har ḏẖi▫ā▫e man mere man ḏẖi▫ā▫e har janam janam ke sabẖ ḏūkẖ nivāraṇhārā. ||1|| rahā▫o.   

Oh my mind! Contemplate Har Naam, because it is Har, who is potent to remove the afflictions of many births. Pause

Clearly the Guru states that none other than Prabh can liberate us from sinful inclinations we hang on for a long time.

ਮਨ = ਹੇ ਮਨ! ਸਭਿ = ਸਾਰੇ। ਨਿਵਾਰਣਹਾਰਾ = ਦੂਰ ਕਰਨ ਜੋਗਾ।੧।ਰਹਾਉ।

ਹੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ! ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਿਆ ਕਰ। ਹੇ ਮਨ! ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦਾ ਧਿਆਨ ਧਰਿਆ ਕਰ। ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ (ਜੀਵ ਦੇ) ਜਨਮਾਂ ਜਨਮਾਂਤਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਵਿਕਾਰ ਦੂਰ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਸਮਰਥਾ ਰੱਖਦਾ ਹੈ।੧।ਰਹਾਉ।
 
Ḏẖur bẖagaṯ janā ka▫o bakẖsi▫ā har amriṯ bẖagaṯ bẖandārā.   Mūrakẖ hovai so un kī rīs kare ṯis halaṯ palaṯ muhu kārā. ||2||   

Har has blessed Har’s devotees with abundance immortalizing devotion from the very beginning; fool is that person, who becomes competitor of Har’s devotee, because by having rivalry of Har’s devotee, such person gets dishonored here and hereafter. 

Look carefully, the Guru hints at those persons, who claim to be the devotees of Prabh, but actually they are not. Their goal of life is to be known as spiritual guides to make money. Through such claims, they become only hypocrites, because they don’t have what they claim to be, and they remain engrossed in Maya; they start guiding others by becoming competitors of those devotees who are truly able to guide the seekers. The Guru elaborates this underlying implication of the Guru Nanak house in contexts of those, who set up their own religious shops during the Gurus times too. In the following verses, the Guru tells his follower how to find an important virtue in any spiritually enlightened person, and that is to see if he loves Har Naam or Maya.

ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਭਗਤਿ = ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਭਗਤੀ। ਭੰਡਾਰਾ = ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨਾ। ਰੀਸ = ਬਰਾਬਰੀ। ਹਲਤਿ = ਇਸ ਲੋਕ ਵਿਚ {अत्र} ਪਲਤਿ = {परत्र} ਪਰਲੋਕ ਵਿਚ। ਕਾਰਾ = ਕਾਲਾ।੨।

ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਧੁਰ ਦਰਗਾਹ ਤੋਂ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਭਗਤਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੀ ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਭਗਤੀ ਦਾ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨਾ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੈ। ਜੇਹੜਾ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਮੂਰਖ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਉਹੀ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਬਰਾਬਰੀ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ (ਇਸ ਈਰਖਾ ਦੇ ਕਾਰਨ, ਸਗੋਂ) ਉਸ ਦਾ ਮੂੰਹ ਇਸ ਲੋਕ ਤੇ ਪਰਲੋਕ ਵਿਚ ਕਾਲਾ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ (ਉਹ ਲੋਕ ਪਰਲੋਕ ਵਿਚ ਬਦਨਾਮੀ ਖੱਟਦਾ ਹੈ)੨।
 
Se bẖagaṯ se sevkā jinā har nām pi▫ārā.   Ŧin kī sevā ṯe har pā▫ī▫ai sir ninḏak kai pavai cẖẖārā. ||3||   

 Only those persons are Har’s devotees and servants, who love Har Naam; by serving them, Har is obtained; their slanderers get dishonored.

Above, the Guru states that we can obtain Har only through those devotees, who only love Har Naam not Maya. Maya remains insignificant for Har’s real devotees. A religious shop runner cannot help the seekers to realize Prabh, because he is himself in the quagmire of Maya. Look around today and see those Babas and saints who claim to make the seeker better off financially and to  help him or her to obtain Prabh as well. Look around those, who try to sell their Cds or aticles about the Gurbani. What can they teach us? Their eyes remain fixed on wealth; they want as much as money in their hands as they can. They are just like those seekers, who suffer because of such quagmire.

ਤੇ = ਤੋਂ, ਦੀ ਰਾਹੀਂ। ਪਾਈਐ = ਮਿਲਦਾ ਹੈ। ਕੈ ਸਿਰਿ = ਦੇ ਸਿਰ ਉਤੇ। ਛਾਰਾ = ਸੁਆਹ। ਪਵੈ ਛਾਰਾ = ਸੁਆਹ ਪੈਂਦੀ ਹੈ।੩।

ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! ਉਹੀ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਭਗਤ ਹਨ, ਉਹ ਮਨੁੱਖ (ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦੇ) ਸੇਵਕ ਹਨ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਪਿਆਰਾ ਲੱਗਦਾ ਹੈ। ਉਹਨਾਂ (ਸੇਵਕਾਂ ਭਗਤਾਂ) ਦੀ ਸਰਨ ਪਿਆਂ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ (ਦਾ ਮਿਲਾਪ) ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ। (ਸੇਵਕਾਂ ਭਗਤਾਂ ਦੇ) ਨਿੰਦਕ ਦੇ ਸਿਰ ਉਤੇ (ਤਾਂ ਜਗਤ ਵਲੋਂ) ਸੁਆਹ (ਹੀ) ਪੈਂਦੀ ਹੈ।੩।
 
The following verses are very important to understand the entire thought the Guru wants to pass on to his followers:

Jis gẖar virṯī so▫ī jāṇai jagaṯ gur Nānak pūcẖẖ karahu bīcẖārā.   Cẖahu pīṛī āḏ jugāḏ bakẖīlī kinai na pā▫i▫o har sevak bẖā▫e nisṯārā. ||4||2||9|| 
  

A person, who has experienced Har in his heart, knows how it is felt after realizing Har; go and ask Guru Nanak, the Guru of the world (here Guru Nanak is supposed to be understood as “ the Guru Nanak’s house, which experienced Har in fact);  from the beginning to date and through the period of fourth Nanaks, no one ever has realized Har through reviling; only through loving Har’s devotees, one is saved (one, who serves Har, doesn’t slander the real devotees).

It appears the Guru is addressing the issue of those, who claim to be the Guru, but slander others; giving examples of the period of four Sikh Gurus including himself, he says,” Har was never realized by those who got into slandering and rivalry. Guru Nanak, the world Guru, teaches us that Har is realized through doing Har’s devotion and loving Har’s devotees.


ਜਿਸੁ ਘਰਿ = ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਘਰ ਵਿਚ, ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਹਿਰਦੇ-ਘਰ ਵਿਚ। ਵਿਰਤੀ = ਵਾਪਰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਪੂਛਿ = ਪੁੱਛ ਕੇ। ਚਹੁ ਪੀੜੀ = ਚਹੁ ਪੀੜ੍ਹੀਆਂ ਵਿਚ, ਕਦੇ ਭੀ। ਆਦਿ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ = ਜਗਤ ਦੇ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਤੋਂ, ਜੁਗਾਂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਤੋਂ। ਬਖੀਲੀ = ਚੁਗ਼ਲੀ ਕਰਨ ਨਾਲ। ਕਿਨੈ = ਕਿਸ ਨੇ ਭੀ। ਭਾਇ = ਭਾਵਨਾ ਨਾਲ। ਨਿਸਤਾਰਾ = ਪਾਰ-ਉਤਾਰਾ।੪।

ਹੇ ਭਾਈ! (ਉਂਞ ਤਾਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਦੀ ਫਿਟਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ) ਉਹੀ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਜਾਣਦਾ ਹੈ ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਹਿਰਦੇ ਵਿਚ ਇਹ ਬਖ਼ੀਲੀ ਵਾਲੀ ਦਸ਼ਾ) ਵਾਪਰਦੀ ਹੈ। (ਪਰ) ਤੁਸੀ ਜਗਤ ਦੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ (ਪਾਤਸ਼ਾਹ) ਨੂੰ ਭੀ ਪੁੱਛ ਕੇ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਕਰ ਵੇਖੋ (ਇਹ ਯਕੀਨ ਜਾਣੋ ਕਿ) ਜਗਤ ਦੇ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਤੋਂ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਯੁਗਾਂ ਦੇ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਤੋਂ ਲੈ ਕੇ, ਕਦੇ ਵੀ ਕਿਸੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਨੇ (ਮਹਾ ਪੁਰਖਾਂ ਨਾਲ) ਈਰਖਾ ਦੀ ਰਾਹੀਂ (ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦਾ ਧਨ) ਨਹੀਂ ਲੱਭਾ। (ਮਹਾਂ ਪੁਰਖਾਂ ਨਾਲ) ਸੇਵਕ-ਭਾਵਨਾ ਰੱਖਿਆਂ ਹੀ (ਸੰਸਾਰ-ਸਮੁੰਦਰ ਤੋਂ) ਪਾਰ-ਉਤਾਰਾ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ।੪।੨।੯।
 
In the Gurbani, The Guru stresses on the importance of the Guru by using the words like “the perfect Guru” and “Satiguru” to make aware of his followers not to fall for those Maya engrossed individuals posing as “Gurus”. I give here a couple of verses about this:

ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਭੇਟੈ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ ਆਠ ਪਹਰ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਜਾਪੈ ॥ (71, SGGS)
Gur p
ūrā betai vadbāgī āṯẖ pahar parab jāpai.

With great luck, one, who meets the perfect Guru, remembers Prabh all the time.

ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਦਾਤਾ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮ ਕਾ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਆਪਿ ਮਿਲਾਵੈ ਸੋਇ ॥ (39, SGGS)
Sa
gur āā har nām kā parab āp milāvai soe.

Satiguru is the giver of Har Naam and it is Har, who unites the mortal with the Satiguru.

 It is made clear that the true Guru remains totally engrossed in Har Naam not in Maya pursuits; above shabda clearly states that the Guru Nanak house has been devoted to Har Naam only. Even in the times of Fourth Nanak, who penned down this shabda, many people were targeted by some opportunists to collect money in the name of the Guru. He is addressing his Sikhs to be wise and to see who the true Guru is. He also indicates that these religious shops, which indulge in slandering “the Guru Nanak house,” lack spirituality, and they are unable to guide the seekers towards Akalpurakh.

 In Sikhi, the Guru-throne ended after Tenth Nanak and the Sikhs were attached to Sri Guru Granth Sahib,  as their  Shabd Guru. Today, all Sikhs should remain bound together in contexts of believing in One All Pervading Akalpurakh and accepting only Sri Guru Granth Sahib as their Guru; all the religious shops around should be discredited. No Sikh becomes the Guru or Saint but “Bhai Sahib” by remaining totally devoted to the Guru Nanak House. It is very important for us as Sikhs to clean our Maya filthy minds through Har Naam as our Guru Sri Guru Granth sahib guides us.

 First Nanak’s shabdas are elaborated by all other Nanaks in detail to make his Gurbani easier for us to understand. No interpretation of the Gurbani is better than the interpretation done by our Gurus in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. If we pay attention, we will not leave our brothers and sisters to remain fragile to the religious shops opening all around. As there is no space left for rituals in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, we should also abandon all religious rites and rituals once for all. We are not supposed to follow the crowd but our glorious Satiguru Nanak only.  What we experience, good or bad, should be taken as the Will of Imperishable Prabh. We should just work hard, do our responsibility towards all, share with others who are unfortunate and remain focusing on Har Naam.

 All others, who make claims of miracles or direct ticket to Prabh's court, are not worth of our attention.

Interpretation in Punjabi is by Dr Sahib Singh

Humbly
G Singh