Question:
When once an understanding of some Baanee is obtained then what is the benefit of reading it over and over again on a daily basis?
Answer:
Every Gursikh who has partaken of Amrit (undergone the initiation ceremony of the Khaalsaa), receives an injunction from the panj pi-aa-ray, the five beloveds at the time of the Amrit ceremony to daily, with regularity, read or recite the following Baanees:
At the ambrosial hours of the morning:
Sree Jap Jee Sahib.
Sree Jaap Sahib.
Sree Tav-parsaad Savayeh.
Sree Bayntee Chaupa-ee.
Sree Anand Sahib (full).
In the evening (dusk):
Sree Sodhar Rahraas Sahib.
At night just before sleeping:
Sree Sohilaa Sahib.
As the above Baanees are read or recited regularly on a daily basis, they are also called Nitnaym dee-aan Baanee-aan, meaning the Baanees that are read or recited regularly on a daily basis.
Rationally the reply to the above question is as follows:
1
The first responsibility of every Gursikh is to nurture the commands of the Guru through thought, word and deed.
gur isKI dw krm eyhu gur Purmwey gurisK krxw]
Acting according the instructions of the Guru is the performance of the Sikh life.
(Bhai Gurdas Jee)
In the spiritual field the spiritual growth of a seeker depends entirely on ‘Gur-parsaad’, the blessings of the Guru. The ‘Blessings of the Guru’ simply cannot be obtained in exchange for any effort. To become its beneficiary the principal condition is total self-surrender. To lead the life of a disciple total self-surrender is the first step. A person who has surrendered to the Guru finds that the effort that is needed continues to come naturally to him. The desire for self-development creates a joy in the disciple to cultivate all the Guru’s hukam or commands. The virtues thus inculcated in a disciple, eventually leads him on to become a ‘Gurmukh’, Guru-orientated.
2
Making excuses for not complying with the Guru’s commands is regarded as a clear sign of lack of faith and impoliteness. This is equivalent to the sin of criticizing the omniscience (all encompassing knowledge) of the Guru. According to a proverb which means ‘someone who has no intention of doing something, manufactures mountains of excuses for not doing it’, making excuses for not complying with the commands of the Guru is a clear sign of one’s lack of intention to abide by them. The mind of a corrupt man who becomes its (the mind’s) tool, will make him dance like a monkey and treading the path of aimless wandering, his current life and the life hereafter is ruined. In the spiritual sphere becoming a ‘disciple of the mind’ or a ‘manmukh’ is considered to be an appalling sin.
3
In our physical body the struggle between good microbes (bacteria) and bad microbes is an ongoing process. We repeatedly do many things in our daily life to strengthen the good bacteria, or keep the harmful bacteria under check. For example we daily clean our stomach, brush our teeth, bathe, eat, exercise, rest etc. Doing these things repeatedly on a daily basis appears to be beneficial for a disease free life. The truth is that, by repeatedly doing any action in any sphere, man’s experimental nature develops and it is in this skill or practice that the secret of progress lays. Like physical wellbeing, mental health is even more essential. In our mind the struggle between good and bad thoughts is continually going on. To keep the mind healthy and strong it is essential that it continually keeps developing a healthy thought-process. Gurbaanee is the principal source of this healthy thought-process and in every aspect of life it provides guidance. On one side Gurbaanee provides peace and serenity by extinguishing the fire of desire and on other side man achieves the supreme status through its blessings.
AMimRq bwxI hir hir qyrI ]
suix suix hovY prm giq myrI ]
jlin buJI sIqlu hoie mnUAw
siqgur kw drsnu pwey jIau ]1]
Amrith baanee har har thaeree ||
Sun sun hovai param gath maeree ||
Jalan bujhee seethal hoe manooaa
Sathigur kaa dharasan paaeae jeeo ||1||
The Word of Your Bani, Lord, is Ambrosial Nectar.
Hearing it again and again, I am elevated to the supreme heights.
The burning within me has been extinguished, and my mind has been cooled and soothed, by the Blessed Vision of the True Guru. ||1||
So for a healthy and joyous life it is essential that man continuously remains under the influence of Gurbaanee. The minimum daily target set by the ‘Khaalsaa Code of Conduct’ needs to be honoured at all cost, for to miss doing it or allowing some form of weakness to set in, will render one foul of the Khaalsaa Code of Conduct thereby depriving him of the Guru’s pleasure. It must be remembered that residing within the body are lust, anger, greed, attachment and egotism, the five evil passions, which continually keep imposing themselves on the mind. Gurbaanee is the only protection to remain safe and secure from them. Gurbaanee is not simply intellectual knowledge. It is divine knowledge-filled ambrosial substance, the mainstay of the consciousness, the food for the soul. By availing oneself of the Guru’s teachings man becoming spiritually strong, and does not get drowned in materialistic misdeeds.
4
Many a time after cleaning a room we close it up. No one ever enters the room, but the next day when we open it up we see dust on the glass and on the white bed- sheets etc. We are surprised. Where did the dust come from. How did the dust come into a closed room. The wise ones know that as the atmosphere is polluted, the dust particles keep floating continually into the room through tiny openings. Therefore cleaning the room daily with regularity is an absolute must. In the same way, living in this world under the influence of maya or materialism, the pollution attached to the mind too, needs to be removed regularly with the pure water of Gurbaanee.
5
Actions that we regularly perform over and over again become a part of our habit over a period of time and gradually our habits and rites become ingrained. A child repeats his multiplication tables over and over again and this regular repetitive action results in the multiplication tables diffusing into his sub-conscious mind. Multiplication tables learnt in this way help one solve difficult problems in no time at all. Remember this, when evil and immorality makes a strike out of the blue, most of the time the intellect does not work, in fact the consciousness becomes paralysed. At such a time of reckoning that habit or rite that has been ingrained through regular practice comes in handy. This is why the wise Guru has given the hukam or directive to continue repeating the Naam, or keep reading the Baanee. Guru Ji says:
inq auiT gwvhu pRB kI bwxI ]
AwT phr hir ismrhu pRwxI ]2]
Nith out(h) gaavahu prabh kee baanee ||
Aat(h) pehar har simarahu praanee ||2||
Rise early, and sing the Glorious Word of God’s Bani.
Twenty-four hours a day, meditate in remembrance on the Lord, O mortal. ||2||
bwr bwr hir ky gun gwvau ]
gur gim Bydu su hir kw pwvau ]1] rhwau ]
Baar baar har kae gun gaavo ||
Gur gam bhaedh s har kaa paavo ||1|| rehaao ||
Sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord each and every day.
Meeting with the Guru, you shall come to know the mystery of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
And together with this a reminder is given:
jY qin bwxI ivsir jwie ]
ijau pkw rogI ivllwie ]1]
Jai than baanee visar jaae ||
Jio pakaa rogee vilalaae ||1||
That body, which forgets the Word of the Guru’s Bani,
cries out in pain, like a chronic patient. ||1||
