Everyday, we hear the drums of perfectness of various religions; everyday we hear how such and such numbers of people have converted to this or that religion. Every religion claims it has a key of the heaven. In spite all such claims, we see people of such various religions suffering and crying everyday. There are hardly a few people, who enjoy the ecstasy of liberation from the worldly Maya bonds; otherwise, most of the peoples’ lives appear miserable because of their conceit, or anger, or greed, attachment or lust. It just doesn’t matter to what religion they are adhered. The story of such people is seen in the history of all societies and their religions. According to Sri Guru Nanak, religion or its requirements really do not matter that much if one lives in the Creator’s memory (3 SGGS). On 1190-1191, SGGS, the Guru clears our doubts in this context rather obliterates the religious claims of perfection:
ਬਸੰਤੁ ਹਿੰਡੋਲੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ਘਰੁ ੨
Basanṯ hindol mėhlā 1 gẖar 2 .
Raag Basant, Hindol, the bani of First Nanak, house second.
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Ik-oaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.
There is only one All pervading Akalpurakh, who is known with the blessings of the Satiguru.
ਨਉ ਸਤ ਚਉਦਹ ਤੀਨਿ ਚਾਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਮਹਲਤਿ ਚਾਰਿ ਬਹਾਲੀ ॥
ਚਾਰੇ ਦੀਵੇ ਚਹੁ ਹਥਿ ਦੀਏ ਏਕਾ ਏਕਾ ਵਾਰੀ ॥੧॥
Na-o saṯ cẖa-oḏah ṯīn cẖār kar mahlaṯ cẖār bahālī.
Cẖāre ḏīve cẖahu hath ḏī-e ekā ekā vārī. ||1||
In essence: Oh Ekankar! You have created the nine regions, the seven continents, the fourteen universes, the three worlds, the four kinds of species and you have established this big mansion; in every age (the four ages), you have given the four lamps (the Vedas) to the mortals.
First, the Guru credits the existence of everything to the Creator, and then he expresses His immeasurable power:
ਮਿਹਰਵਾਨ ਮਧੁਸੂਦਨ ਮਾਧੌ ਐਸੀ ਸਕਤਿ ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Miharvān maḏẖusūḏan māḏẖou aisī sakaṯ ṯumĥārī. ||1|| Rahā-o.
Oh my fascinating and Merciful Ekankar! Such is your power! Pause.
ਘਰਿ ਘਰਿ ਲਸਕਰੁ ਪਾਵਕੁ ਤੇਰਾ ਧਰਮੁ ਕਰੇ ਸਿਕਦਾਰੀ ॥
ਧਰਤੀ ਦੇਗ ਮਿਲੈ ਇਕ ਵੇਰਾ ਭਾਗੁ ਤੇਰਾ ਭੰਡਾਰੀ ॥੨॥
ਧਰਤੀ ਦੇਗ ਮਿਲੈ ਇਕ ਵੇਰਾ ਭਾਗੁ ਤੇਰਾ ਭੰਡਾਰੀ ॥੨॥
Gẖar gẖar laskar pāvak ṯerā ḏẖaram kare sikḏārī.
Ḏẖarṯī ḏeg milai ik verā bẖāg ṯerā bẖandārī. ||2||
Every heart with your presence is a part of your army, and your righteous judge rules it. You have made the earth, a big pot; it, being your storekeeper, provides to all at once as per their destiny.
Very beautifully, the Guru declares that nothing is beyond His power; therefore, seeking any kind of help from other than Him cannot be right, because He owns all and everything. Why should we bow to anyone other than Him then? That is the point the Guru passes on to us. Now the Guru points out the mind lost in Maya:
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ਨਾ ਸਾਬੂਰੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਫਿਰਿ ਮੰਗੈ ਨਾਰਦੁ ਕਰੇ ਖੁਆਰੀ ॥
ਲਬੁ ਅਧੇਰਾ ਬੰਦੀਖਾਨਾ ਅਉਗਣ ਪੈਰਿ ਲੁਹਾਰੀ ॥੩॥
Nā sābūr hovai fir mangai nāraḏ kare kẖu-ārī.
Lab aḏẖerā banḏīkẖānā a-ugaṇ pair luhārī. ||3||
Still the fickle mind is not satisfied; it keeps begging more and more and brings miseries. The greed has become its dark prison and the demerits have become its chains.
Although He has bestowed so much on the mortals, their minds remain unsatisfied. As a result of it, they tread on a dark path and end up in more miseries. In spite of having many scriptures, they still remain away from eternal bliss. This is the way He has set up His show:
ਪੂੰਜੀ ਮਾਰ ਪਵੈ ਨਿਤ ਮੁਦਗਰ ਪਾਪੁ ਕਰੇ ਕੁਟਵਾਰੀ ॥
ਭਾਵੈ ਚੰਗਾ ਭਾਵੈ ਮੰਦਾ ਜੈਸੀ ਨਦਰਿ ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
Pūnjī mār pavai niṯ muḏgar pāp kare kotvārī.
Bẖāvai cẖanga bẖāvai manḏā jaisī naḏar ṯumĥārī. ||4||
The capital batters their minds with strength and their sin-inclination acts like a police officer. It is all your grace, which may make a person bad or good.
What didn’t the Creator do for the mortals? Even to teach them ethics and other valuable and useful virtues, He provided them with some scriptures, intellect and reasoning, but their cries never subsided even with that. What did go wrong then? Why did all that He provided for attaining peace go in vain? Obviously, it is because they remained stuck with what was given to them instead of pursuing His realization. The Guru makes this point clear on 229, SGGS:
ਚੇਰੀ ਕੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਠਾਕੁਰੁ ਨਹੀ ਦੀਸੈ ॥
ਪੋਖਰੁ ਨੀਰੁ ਵਿਰੋਲੀਐ ਮਾਖਨੁ ਨਹੀ ਰੀਸੈ ॥੭॥
Cẖerī kī sevā karahi ṯẖākur nahī ḏīsai.
Pokẖar nīr virolī-ai mākẖan nahī rīsai. ||7||
In essence: (The behavior of the Maya lovers) the mortal has become a servant of that Maya, which is a maid of Akalpurakh, but he doesn’t recognize its Master, who has created it. All this behavior is like churning the pit water to get the butter (the useless acts).
Up to the verses number 4 of the shabda, we have seen that the Guru has described about the Hindus and their scriptures that ruled their psyche over centuries; he hints how the Vedas couldn’t help them, because their fickle minds kept becoming a cause of their miseries. Now he gives an example of the Muslim-rule and the plight of the people under it:
ਆਦਿ ਪੁਰਖ ਕਉ ਅਲਹੁ ਕਹੀਐ ਸੇਖਾਂ ਆਈ ਵਾਰੀ ॥
ਦੇਵਲ ਦੇਵਤਿਆ ਕਰੁ ਲਾਗਾ ਐਸੀ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਚਾਲੀ ॥੫॥
Āḏ purakẖ ka-o alhu kahī-ai sekẖāʼn ā-ī vārī.
Ḏeval ḏeviṯi-ā kar lāgā aisī kīraṯ cẖālī. ||5||
The Primal All Pervading Creator is called now Allah and to teach religion, the Sheikas’ turn has come (before there were the Vedic pundits). A new practice has been started now; the Devtas’ temples, which used to be deemed as sacred, are taxed.
As the time passed, the Islamic scriptures and their teachers dominated over the power of Vedas and their teachers. It was a totally different religion and its associated culture took over India, because as the Muslim invaders became rulers, they started enforcing their religious and cultural way of life on the Indians.
ਕੂਜਾ ਬਾਂਗ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਮੁਸਲਾ ਨੀਲ ਰੂਪ ਬਨਵਾਰੀ ॥
ਘਰਿ ਘਰਿ ਮੀਆ ਸਭਨਾਂ ਜੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀ ਅਵਰ ਤੁਮਾਰੀ ॥੬॥
Kūjā bāʼng nivāj muslā nīl rūp banvārī.
Gẖar gẖar mī-ā sabẖnāʼn jī-āʼn bolī avar ṯumārī. ||6||
Now the religious leaders wear blue clothes; they do Nimaz (prayer with bowing down on knees) for which the prayer-carpets and the ablution-pots are important. Oh Ekankar! In every house, they address father as “mian”; this way, the language of your people is also changed.
As the Guru sees a new landscape of Muslim dominant rule, he sees no change, because still he feels the people are trying to remember the creator. A little change is occurred as more people remembered Akalpurakh contrary to the previous time, in which the idols were deemed as powerful as the Creator. Was it right or wrong? The Guru doesn’t give any credit to it save for applauding Akalpurakh and leaving us to cerebrate nothing in this context:
ਜੇ ਤੂ ਮੀਰ ਮਹੀਪਤਿ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਕਉਣ ਹਮਾਰੀ ॥
ਚਾਰੇ ਕੁੰਟ ਸਲਾਮੁ ਕਰਹਿਗੇ ਘਰਿ ਘਰਿ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰੀ ॥੭॥
Je ṯū mīr mahīpaṯ sāhib kuḏraṯ ka-uṇ hamārī.
Cẖāre kunt salām karhige gẖar gẖar sifaṯ ṯumĥārī. ||7||
Oh King! Oh Master of the earth! If this is what you want, what power we have to change it? Still in all directions, all people solute you and praise you.
First the power of Hindu religion prevailed for centuries in India; then Islam rulers came and enforced not only their religion but also language on the Indians. It occurred under Ekankar’s will, which is beyond reach to the humans. Nothing can change it. After reading the History, it is learned that time-to-time, the rulers forced their religions on their public; if some people resisted, they were either eliminated or financially burdened. Even today, the same psyche goes on exactly in certain areas or in a different way all over the world. It is a story to learn if any religion was particularly considered once better in context of the common public or not. If previous religions in India were better, why was the Islam brought here under His ordinance? If the Islam was better, then why was the Christianity brought in here? Later on, it was also stopped or resisted. Thus if we look the way the Guru has looked at various religions, we see and realize that Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity contributed to the Indian society but none of them was perfect. Indeed, there is a lot of to learn from Ekankar’s ordinance according to which the said change kept occurring. In the above verses, the Guru concludes that regardless the change took place over time, still people remember and praise Him, because in their psyche, an urge for Him never stopped, nor it would ever.
Pilgrimaging or philanthropy have been remained a part of religious exploitation, as it is used as a political agenda today. In the past (and now) various religions gave bait to the people to do this or that in return of wellbeing or financial gains or forgiveness for wrong doings. In the following, the Guru points out it by saying that no act or deed or religious ritual or social service is better than remembering the Creator, who has been remaining a vital force since the beginning:
ਤੀਰਥ ਸਿੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਪੁੰਨ ਦਾਨ ਕਿਛੁ ਲਾਹਾ ਮਿਲੈ ਦਿਹਾੜੀ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਵਡਿਆਈ ਮੇਕਾ ਘੜੀ ਸਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਲੀ ॥੮॥੧॥੮॥
Ŧirath simriṯ punn ḏān kicẖẖ lāhā milai ḏihāṛī.
Nānak nām milai vadi-ā-ī mekā gẖaṛī samĥālī. ||8||1||8||
There is a little gain in visiting pilgrimaging places, reading the simiritis and giving away charities; it is like a little effort. Oh Nanak! If a person remembers Akalpurakh’s name for a moment, he or she gets glory.
Thus, the Guru places remembering the Creator above all the caricature of religious deeds, because keeping His memory in the mind changes everything in one’s life; in His memory, a person becomes virtuous from evildoer. Remembering Him in sincerity, one doesn’t need to do anything other, because one gets saturated in virtues. Once one gets imbued in His memory, one attains the ultimate freedom, because eventually one is liberated without falling for any religious bait. The Guru has
revealed his secret how to be close to the Creator on 221, SGGS:
ਕੀਰਤਿ ਸੂਰਤਿ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਇਕ ਨਾਈ ॥ ਤਹੀ ਨਿਰੰਜਨੁ ਰਹਿਆ ਸਮਾਈ ॥
ਨਿਜ ਘਰਿ ਬਿਆਪਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਨਿਜ ਠਾਈ ॥੭॥
Kīraṯ sūraṯ mukaṯ ik nā-ī. Ŧahī niranjan rahi-ā samā-ī.
Nij gẖar bi-āp rahi-ā nij ṯẖā-ī. ||7||
In essence: Glory, beauty, and liberation are in doing Ekankar’s praise, because in it, our immaculate Ekankar abides. This way, He abides in the heart, which is His own abode (These verses are very compact; almost all interpreters differ on it. I agree with Bhai Veer Singh to some extent.).
The Guru sees that the people in love with the Creator will remain attracted to Him regardless the change in a religious landscape in any society; therefore, one’s best bet is to praise Ekankar and to live in His memory, which eradicates one’s conceit, greed, anger, attachment and lust. Basically, it doesn’t matter which religion dominates a society, because His acceptance doesn’t materialize just because of a religion. The story of the religions will continue to change time to time but our eternal Creator, who is our ultimate Master. The claims of others can change time to time, but His eternal presence and ordinance. Only praise worthy is He. It doesn’t matter who tries to claim to pocket Him; nonetheless, He remains above such claims, because all people are His not of any religion. On 3, SGGS, stanza-14, the Guru makes it very clear:
ਮੰਨੈ ਮਾਰਗਿ ਠਾਕ ਨ ਪਾਇ ॥ ਮੰਨੈ ਪਤਿ ਸਿਉ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਜਾਇ ॥
Mannai mārag ṯẖāk na pā-e. Mannai paṯ si-o pargat jā-e.
In essence: No obstacle comes in the way of realizing Akalpurakh if one is a true believer (It is actually a true faith in Him without any duality that removes every obstacle in the way of realizing Him.). Being a true believer, one departs from this world of Maya with honor and becomes well known.
ਮੰਨੈ ਮਗੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਪੰਥੁ ॥ ਮੰਨੈ ਧਰਮ ਸੇਤੀ ਸਨਬੰਧੁ ॥
Mannai mag na cẖalai panth. Mannai ḏẖaram seṯī san-banḏẖ.
A true believer doesn’t follow the worldly religious ways. The true believer becomes bound with righteousness and virtues. (That is why the worldly strict religious ways become insignificant).
Since a true believer becomes aware of this entire world and finally experiences Him, he/she doesn’t feel a need to follow any specific religious path, because the Guru says that if heartily the Creator is loved, adhering to any religion doesn’t matter. Realizing the Creator supersedes the effects of various religions; such is the power in being His true believer.
As expressed in the first above verse, the true believer develops alliances with righteous way and virtues. Then the believer lives in His love and stays away from all kinds of negativity.
ਐਸਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਰੰਜਨੁ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਜੇ ਕੋ ਮੰਨਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਮਨਿ ਕੋਇ ॥੧੪॥
Aisā nām niranjan ho-e. Je ko man jāṇai man ko-e. ||14||
Such is the power in the name of the immaculate Akalpurakh! A person, having such a faith in Him, may know that state of mind.
Faith in the power of the Creator plays a major role in realizing Him. Without it, one just talks but realizes nothing. The Guru envisages that the story of fall and rise of religions will continue; however, the dominance of the Creator’s motivation and inspiration will keep sprouting in all those, who fall in love with Him only; consequently, they will succeed in living in any society without an iota of duality, which is a cause of separation of the mortals from Him. The Guru opens the door for us to realize the Creator while alive on 21, SGGS in very compact but lucid words:
ਅੰਤਰ ਕੀ ਗਤਿ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਗੁਰ ਮਿਲੀਐ ਸੰਕ ਉਤਾਰਿ ॥
ਮੁਇਆ ਜਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਿਤੁ ਜੀਵਦਿਆ ਮਰੁ ਮਾਰਿ ॥
ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦਿ ਸੁਹਾਵਣੇ ਪਾਈਐ ਗੁਰ ਵੀਚਾਰਿ ॥੨॥
Anṯar kī gaṯ jāṇī-ai gur milī-ai sank uṯār.
Mu-i-ā jiṯ gẖar jā-ī-ai ṯiṯ jīvḏi-ā mar mār.
Anhaḏ sabaḏ suhāvaṇe pā-ī-ai gur vīcẖār. ||2||
In essence: The Guru should be met after casting away all the doubts; only then internal plight of the mind is realized. Obtain that place you go to after dying by dying while alive (by becoming detached). Then, through the Guru’s imparted wisdom, an unstuck, fascinating, and celestial music is heard.
As I said earlier, through the bani, an enlightened one shares his experience of Ekankar with others. In this verse, "ਮੁਇਆ ਜਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਿਤੁ ਜੀਵਦਿਆ ਮਰੁ ਮਾਰਿ",I feel “Jit Ghar” is reference to “apne ghar” , which is referred numerous times in the Gurbani as “to be with the Creator. "ਜੀਵਦਿਆ ਮਰੁ ਮਾਰਿ" means obtain that house by detaching from the Maya attractions while alive; this idea is also repeated in the last verses of this shabda as well. It is not about the fear of death. ਜਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ and ਤਿਤੁ are related to each other as ਘਰਿ word is omitted after ਤਿਤੁ in the last verse; however, it is understood. This idea I am advocating here by disagreeing with others, because it is made clear by the Guru himself in the last verse of this Shabda: "ਨਾਨਕ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਰਿ ਮਿਲੁ ਭੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਦੁਖੁ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੫॥੧੮॥ In essence: Oh Nanak! Control this mind to still it to be with Prabh so that it doesn’t suffer from pain and agony again.” Basically realizing Him materializes only after turning toward Him by becoming detached; therefore, if you see today a religious person involved in Maya just ignore him/her if you are in search of liberation, because one who is not detached cannot teach others about it.
Obviously in show business, mind is meant to get excited and to get lost in it; however, the enlightened ones discredit the show business-environment; instead they advocate detachment for attaining a state of mind in which the mind remains in bliss, because then Maya and its show business become ineffective. It is fair to say that according to the Guru, living in His love is more important than the advocacy of any particular religious path, because loving Him flawlessly is what brings detachment and eternal bliss enveloped in His realization.
Wishes!
Gurdeep Singh
