Article on Ego!
Vaheguroo Ji ka khalsa Vaheguroo Ji Ki Fateh
Ego and I;
This is a topic that I have been thinking about for some time now and curiously enough when I entered the deevan hall the katha was also talking about Ego and I;,
The bhai sahib was saying how we often hear an ardass which can continue for up to ten minutes, with the Gyani holding a huge list of names, reading one after the other
***** parvaar 5 pounds
***** parvaar 11 pound
***** parvaar 1 pound 50
and then comes the one modern English / Panjabi name that the poor gyani can not pronounce, after a struggle and asking someone else to have a look gyani jee gives it a good go and sure enough there is a tut tut tut from the family as the name is not quite right,
bhai sahib said some people get very upset with the gyani if their name is not pronounced correctly, and in some occasions ask gyani to re-do the ardaas,
I guess they think Guru Jee does not know that the £1 they did ardass with was their’s! and they want to make sure Guru Sahib knows that they have donated this money, and also want the sangaat to know they have donated money to Gurdwara Sahib.
We see many people around the world collect material wealth some use it for good only last week Bill Gates spoke about his desire to give the majority of his wealth away to charitable causes, I heard on the news about a couple who had won 7 million on the lottery and decided to give 6 away, its obviously not the amount you give but the intention that counts, this generosity has also been displayed by Bhai Fauhja Singh who gave 90% of his earnings to good causes and lived from the remaining 10%.
Its fair to say if Bill Gates or the couple give the money away in Ego this will be of no use to them in the end!
Guru Sahib, tells us about Ego ;
slok mÚ 1 ]salok ma 1 |Shalok, First Mehl:
hau ivic AwieAw hau ivic gieAw ]ho vich aaeiaa ho vich gaeiaa |In ego they come, and in ego they go.
hau ivic jMimAw hau ivic muAw ]ho vich janmiaa ho vich muaa |In ego they are born, and in ego they die.
hau ivic idqw hau ivic lieAw ]ho vich dhithaa ho vich laeiaa |In ego they give, and in ego they take.
hau ivic KitAw hau ivic gieAw ]ho vich khattiaa ho vich gaeiaa |In ego they earn, and in ego they lose.
hau ivic sicAwru kUiVAwru ]ho vich sachiaar koorriaar |In ego they become truthful or false.
hau ivic pwp puMn vIcwru ]ho vich paap punn veechaar |In ego they reflect on virtue and sin.
hau ivic nrik surig Avqwru ]ho vich narak surag avathaar |In ego they go to heaven or hell.
hau ivic hsY hau ivic rovY ]ho vich hasai ho vich rovai |In ego they laugh, and in ego they weep.
hau ivic BrIAY hau ivic DovY ]ho vich bhareeai ho vich dhovai |In ego they become dirty, and in ego they are washed clean.
hau ivic jwqI ijnsI KovY ]ho vich jaathee jinasee khovai |In ego they lose social status and class.
hau ivic mUrKu hau ivic isAwxw ]ho vich moorakh ho vich siaanaa |In ego they are ignorant, and in ego they are wise.
moK mukiq kI swr n jwxw ]mokh mukath kee saar n jaanaa |They do not know the value of salvation and liberation.
hau ivic mwieAw hau ivic CwieAw ]ho vich maaeiaa ho vich shaaeiaa |In ego they love Maya, and in ego they are kept in darkness by it.
haumY kir kir jMq aupwieAw ]houmai kar kar janth oupaaeiaa |Living in ego, mortal beings are created.
haumY bUJY qw dru sUJY ]houmai boojhai thaa dhar soojhai |When one understands ego, then the Lord’s gate is known.
igAwn ivhUxw kiQ kiQ lUJY ]giaan vihoonaa kath kath loojhai |Without spiritual wisdom, they babble and argue.
nwnk hukmI ilKIAY lyKu ]naanak hukamee likheeai laekh |O Nanak, by the Lord’s Command, destiny is recorded.
jyhw vyKih qyhw vyKu ]1]jaehaa vaekhehi thaehaa vaekh |1|As the Lord sees us, so are we seen. ||1||
So it is important to self evaluate our actions take time at the end of the day to reflect on what you have done, know that Ego is within us all and try to drop the things you are not 100% happy with and do more of the good things,
Guru Jee also tells us ;
jb hm hoqy qb qU nwhI Ab qUhI mY nwhI ]jab ham hothae thab thoo naahee ab thoohee mai naahee |
When I am in my ego, then You are not with me. Now that You are with me, there is no egotism within me.
So the key to ego ;
When one understands ego, then the Lord’s gate is known.
Understanding Ego,
and knowing
When I am in my ego, then You are not with me
And yes your right this article would also have been written with Ego, such a powerful enemy!
Phul chuk maaf
Vaheguroo Ji Ka khalsa vaheguroo ji ki fateh !