Many times, I have heard from my own friends that living strictly according to the Gurbani becomes very much difficult. It appears to them that it is not possible to become detached with the world; besides, they also believe that Tenth Nanak has taught them to deal with the world without becoming detached while following First Nanak. I wonder what made them think so! I agree that walking on the First Nanak’s path is not that simple, but all the same, it is not impossible. Tenth Nanak has attached us to the Gurbani so that we, his Sikhs, take guidance from it; however, living detached means living fearlessly without getting attached with anything emotionally; what we have, we have, but if it is gone, it should not affect on us negatively. Tenth Nanak has shown us by going through the storm of ups and down. Tenth Nanak was certainly one with First Nanak and many oftenly we fail to realize that. No wonder, the outsiders separate Tenth Nanak from First Nanak forgetting that the same message was conveyed in context of different situations and contexts. In a detached situation, utter humility is cemented with fearlessness; Tenth Nanak inspires us to stand up against tyranny or injustice but being detached, as he keeps First Nanak’s advice his priority number one, because the message is the same; according to him, turning our backs towards any eminent oppression is not right for the Guru’s follower (Please see First Nanak’s shabda on, 417,SGGS). The Guru’s followers are fearless and detached and what can scare them? Even while living a normal life and dealing with the worldly conflict, it is possible to remain detached. Tenth Nanak and his brave followers proved to be detached and fearless. Didn’t they? No attachment of any kind came in their way.
Actually attachment sows the seed of fear. In the Gurmat, by divorcing everything or every relation, living in a lonely place is not called a detached life. To understand the real aspect of detachment, the Gurbani asks us to live like a guest without getting attached to anything (Please see 1188, 646, 148, SGGS). In the following shabdas, we will see that living as per the Gurbani is not impossible while bearing in our minds our Tenth Nanak’s advice about injustice and oppression.
The following shabda is on 830, SGGS:
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ਘਰੁ ੧੩ ਪੜਤਾਲ
Rāg bilāval mėhlā 5 gẖar 13 paṛṯāl
Raag Bilawal, the bani of Fifth Nanak, house thirteen “Partaal (repeated rhythm)
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Ik oaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.
There is only one all pervading Akalpurakh, who is known through the Satiguru’s blessings.
ਮੋਹਨ ਨੀਦ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਹਾਵੈ ਹਾਰ ਕਜਰ ਬਸਤ੍ਰ ਅਭਰਨ ਕੀਨੇ ॥
ਉਡੀਨੀ ਉਡੀਨੀ ਉਡੀਨੀ ॥
ਕਬ ਘਰਿ ਆਵੈ ਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Mohan nīḏ na āvai hāvai hār kajar basṯar abẖran kīne.
Udīnī udīnī udīnī.
Kab gẖar āvai rī. ||1|| rahāo.
In essence: Oh my enticing Ekankar! I cannot sleep without you though I am adorned with necklace, ornaments and collyrium (though I have decorated-religiously myself to meet you); I cannot hold back my sobbing, and I am very sad. When will you be home? Pause.
In the above verses, the Guru expresses a sad plight of the soul-bride, who is eager to see Ekankar. In helplessness, she is in anxiety; she is eager to meet Him but cannot. We are not like that soul-bride, because we are happy with what we have or what we do; we take pleasure to feed our own conceit, and we are involved in our affairs and entanglements exceedingly. The Guru, through these verses, asks us to develop such longing for Ekankar that can awaken us from ourMaya slumber. If we do not develop that kind of longing for Him, we are not going anywhere; we are stuck in our duality. To long for Him eagerly should be our first step.
ਸਰਨਿ ਸੁਹਾਗਨਿ ਚਰਨ ਸੀਸੁ ਧਰਿ ॥
ਲਾਲਨੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਮਿਲਾਵਹੁ ॥
ਕਬ ਘਰਿ ਆਵੈ ਰੀ ॥੧॥
Saran suhāgan cẖaran sīs ḏẖar.
Lālan mohi milāvhu.
Kab gẖar āvai rī. ||1||
I take refuge of the fortunate soul-bride humbly and ask her to help me to meet my enticing Prabh. (My anxiety is) When will my Prabh come home?
Now the Guru suggests us to meet Prabh’s real devotee, who is with Him, and who has envisioned Him. This is the second step. (Suhagan is a lady whose spouse is alive and remains with her; even if sometimes, she is not physically with her spouse, still she is known to be wife of a that spouse, who is alive. Here the word “suhagan” is used as a metaphor to express oneness with the Creator. Suhagana are the Guru, and His devotee. Why cannot we be Suhagana? Answer: We are divorced to Him because of our liaisons with Maya. We are not fortunate enough to realize our Spouse, Prabh.
It is said in the Gurbani that to become an expert, one should ask an expert (602, 1410, SGGS). What can I tell you about His union if I do not have its experience? In the same way, what others can tell you if they lack such experience? The experienced one is the Guruor a true Guru’s follower, who can guide us perfectly.
In the following verses, the Guru advises his followers:
ਸੁਨਹੁ ਸਹੇਰੀ ਮਿਲਨ ਬਾਤ ਕਹਉ ਸਗਰੋ ਅਹੰ ਮਿਟਾਵਹੁ ਤਉ ਘਰ ਹੀ ਲਾਲਨੁ ਪਾਵਹੁ ॥
ਤਬ ਰਸ ਮੰਗਲ ਗੁਨ ਗਾਵਹੁ ॥
ਆਨਦ ਰੂਪ ਧਿਆਵਹੁ ॥
ਨਾਨਕੁ ਦੁਆਰੈ ਆਇਓ ॥
ਤਉ ਮੈ ਲਾਲਨੁ ਪਾਇਓ ਰੀ ॥੨॥
Sunhu saherī milan bāṯ kahao sagro ahaʼn mitāvhu ṯao gẖar hī lālan pāvhu.
Ŧab ras mangal gun gāvhu.
Ānaḏ rūp ḏẖiāvahu.
Nānak ḏuārai āio.
Ŧao mai lālan pāio rī. ||2||
Oh Friend! Listen to me! I am telling you how our Beloved is met: eliminate your entire self-conceit (Self-conceit doesn’t only means to show pride but it includesgeneral behavior as well) and find your Spouse, Prabh, within. Then, you sing His praises and meditate on Him, who is embodiment of bliss. Nanak has also come to this door (has settled within after eliminating his “self-conceit”) and has found his beloved.
Our Self-conceit makes us aware that we are very intelligent; we see things and only believe in those things, which are convincing to our own set up minds. Anything that goes against our rational measure we build through our knowledge, we reject it. That is why Fifth Nanak advises us to leave our wisdom aside and take the Guru’s refuge humbly: 43 SGGS.
If we intend to envision Ekankar, our conceit that guides our everyday behavior must go. If this conceit is there, there is no chance to realize Him. This part is the hardest part to put in practice. We have dug many ditches around us with this conceit; therefore, our walking with the Guru has become impossible. We have friends to take their sides regardless their being right or wrong. We have to keep our honorable names. We coin new meanings of some concepts expressed in the Gurbani and we start boasting that we have found the diamond. We have strong thirst of getting compliments; in fact, we are addicted to them. We have other so many interests that create ditches on our way. It is not possible to have Prabh’s memory in our hearts because of our involvement into such Maya temptations (First Nanak states about it on 15 SGGS, but still we ignore it and keep letting our minds direct us. We keep saying: we are learning). You know how the things are! Well, the Guru warns us that we cannot get both ways. Make a pick. There is a dilemma that tears us apart. We find different ways to obey our Guru; we get up early in the morning and do Gurbani-path; not a bad habit. There is one thing missing in this act though; for that reason, it is not acceptable to the Guru. What is that and why it is not acceptable to the Guru? The answer is: We keep our filth of Maya and conceit sealed within. Our Guru asks us to get rid of it. If we don’t obey our Guru, what the Gurbani reciting will do then? That seal is like bulletproof glass. That must be shattered to follow the Guru and to clean the filth of our conceit andMaya attachment. Are you with me to make a right pick? If you are, please read on the following, and see what miracle occurs if we get ready to follow the Guru:
ਮੋਹਨ ਰੂਪੁ ਦਿਖਾਵੈ ॥
ਅਬ ਮੋਹਿ ਨੀਦ ਸੁਹਾਵੈ ॥
ਸਭ ਮੇਰੀ ਤਿਖਾ ਬੁਝਾਨੀ ॥
ਅਬ ਮੈ ਸਹਜਿ ਸਮਾਨੀ ॥
ਮੀਠੀ ਪਿਰਹਿ ਕਹਾਨੀ ॥
ਮੋਹਨੁ ਲਾਲਨੁ ਪਾਇਓ ਰੀ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੧॥੧੨੮॥
Mohan rūp ḏikẖāvai.
Ab mohi nīḏ suhāvai.
Sabẖ merī ṯikẖā bujẖānī.
Ab mai sahj samānī.
Mīṯẖī pirėh kahānī.
Mohan lālan pāio rī. Rahāo ḏūjā. ||1||128||
My enticing Ekankar has shown me His vision, and now sleep has become soothing to me. My all thirst is quenched. My mind is stilled now, and the story (talk) of my Spouse has become sweet. I have obtained my beloved. Pause second (rI is an expression used for the famine gender; in the shabda, the words are coming out of a soul bride, who is keen to see her Spouse, Ekankar).
What happened here?
The Guru continues the story of the soul-bride, who gets counseling and succeeds in eradicating her conceit. When her conceit is gone, her Spouse’s vision becomes apparent. Thus she realizes Ekankar. The dominant change that was brought in by the soul-bride was elimination of her conceit. As we go through the Gurbani, it becomes obvious that there is no place for the conceit in the Guru’s house (560, SGGS). It is the first thing we should do away with when we go to the Guru. If it lurks around, it will play very negative roles in our lives. The relation of the conceit with us is like of the termite and the wood The Gurus and the Bhagatas repeatedly say that if our conceit exists, Ekankar’s vision becomes impossible for us.In the end of this article, First Nanak’s slok makes this pointclearer. To have success in following our Guru and to obtain our goal to envision the Creator, we must learn how to live detachedly, because in detachment, the conceit disappears.Eventually as His love glows within, fearlessness and humbleness will kick in automatically. As we elevate to that peak, in real sense, we can practically enjoy First Nanak’s slok on 1092 to 1093, SGGS:
ਸਲੋਕ ਮਃ ੧ ॥
Salok mėhlā 1.
Slok of First Nanak
ਹਉ ਮੈ ਕਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਤੂ ਨਾਹੀ ਤੂ ਹੋਵਹਿ ਹਉ ਨਾਹਿ ॥
ਬੂਝਹੁ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਬੂਝਣਾ ਏਹ ਅਕਥ ਕਥਾ ਮਨ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਤਤੁ ਨ ਪਾਈਐ ਅਲਖੁ ਵਸੈ ਸਭ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਤ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾਂ ਸਬਦੁ ਵਸੈ ਮਨ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
ਆਪੁ ਗਇਆ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਭਉ ਗਇਆ ਜਨਮ ਮਰਨ ਦੁਖ ਜਾਹਿ ॥
ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਅਲਖੁ ਲਖਾਈਐ ਊਤਮ ਮਤਿ ਤਰਾਹਿ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਸੋਹੰ ਹੰਸਾ ਜਪੁ ਜਾਪਹੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣ ਤਿਸੈ ਸਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥
Hao mai karī ṯāʼn ṯū nāhī ṯū hovėh hao nāhi.
Būjẖhu giānī būjẖṇā eh akath kathā man māhi.
Bin gur ṯaṯ na pāīai alakẖ vasai sabẖ māhi.
Saṯgur milai ṯa jāṇīai jāʼn sabaḏ vasai man māhi.
Āp gaiā bẖaram bẖao gaiā janam maran ḏukẖ jāhi.
Gurmaṯ alakẖ lakẖāīai ūṯam maṯ ṯarāhi.
Nānak sohaʼn hansā jap jāpahu ṯaribẖavaṇ ṯisai samāhi. ||1||
Oh Prabh! When I display my conceit, you do not become manifest in me and when you are in me, my conceit doesn’t exist.Oh knowledgeable and wise ones! Find out about this secret of the inexpressible of inexpressible Creator in your minds.Without the Guru, the inexpressible Creator, who abides in all, cannot be obtained.Through the Satiguru, He is known when the shabda stays in the mind.Then one’s sense of “self” goes away; one’s fear and doubt, and pain of birth and death go away.Through the Guru, the invisible is seen, and with the sublime intellect, the people ferry across the worldly ocean.Oh Nanak! Contemplate Prabh saying,” He is me and I am Him (become one with Him by casting off the duality)” all the residents of the three worlds are at His support.
Awareness of “self”, presence of doubt and fear are because of the body attachment; as one goes beyond it, Akalpurakh’s presence settles within; consequently, we become one with Him. Then nothing is left to get attached to or to display any claim in any circumstances. The only idea that dominates us then is ” He is me and I am Him,”as the Guru said in the above slok. It is hard to get elevated to that level, but it is not impossible.
Humbly
Gurdeep Singh
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