Waheguru Gurmantar - Part 4 (Final)
Friday, October 26th, 2007How simple and straightforward are the words Sree Guru Nanak Dev Ji uses in the twentieth paurhee (verse) of JapJi Sahib:-
BrIAY hQu pYru qnu dyh ]
pwxI DoqY auqrsu Kyh ]
mUq plIqI kpVu hoie ]
dy swbUxu leIAY Ehu Doie ]
BrIAY miq pwpw kY sMig ]
Ehu DopY nwvY kY rMig ]
puMnI pwpI AwKxu nwih ]
kir kir krxw iliK lY jwhu ]
Awpy bIij Awpy hI Kwhu ]
nwnk hukmI Awvhu jwhu ]20]
Bhareeai hathh pair than dhaeh ||
Paanee dhhothai outharas khaeh ||
Mooth paleethee kaparr hoe ||
Dhae saaboon leeai ouhu dhhoe ||
Bhareeai math paapaa kai sa(n)g ||
Ouhu dhhopai naavai kai ra(n)g ||
Pu(n)nee paapee aakhan naahi ||
Kar kar karanaa likh lai jaahu ||
Aapae beej aapae hee khaahu ||
Naanak hukamee aavahu jaahu ||20||
When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,
Water can wash away the dirt.
When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,
Soap can wash them clean.
But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,
It can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.
Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;
Actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.
You shall harvest what you plant.
O Nanak, by the Hukam of God’s Command, we come and go in reincarnation. ||20||
The real thing is that, Naam takes the devotee first into Truth which Guru Jee explains as follows, “Truth is the panacea of all. It removes and washes out our sins.” All other tendencies lead man from bad deeds towards sins, but Truth, cleanses all that. When the nature of Truth is to remove all the sins, then it follows that Truth is the best trait, which a devotee, pursuing a lofty life must inculcate. That is why our benefactor (the Guru) has stated, “Everything is lesser than Truth. Truth is the highest trait.” All other characteristics are below Truth. The fountainhead of all characteristics is Truth.
But how do we instill Truth? It comes with Naam Simran. It comes with the contemplation of Banee. It comes with satsang, the company of the holy. Those who claim that they contemplate upon the Naam, they wear a maalaa or rosary but they also love untruths, then take it that either, they do not contemplate, they are simply yarning or, that they have not been infected by the Naam. This means that a huge amount of falsehood is still sticking onto their minds. Gurmukhs say that first cleanse the character and contemplate upon the Naam. They are telling the truth. Committing sins, becoming stubborn and repeating the Naam!! This is not the right thing. But Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji has blessed us with one thought. Understanding that thought too is essential for a true devotee, and that is, Naam is the hue of love and it is also the soap.
This statement can be understood in this way:
Our mind is our intellect. If our mind is dirty then the intellect can cleanse it, but if our mind becomes so polluted that the nature of the intellect becomes sinful then the problem becomes compounded because the intellect was supposed to counsel the mind and guide it towards the straight path, but when the intellect gets filled with sins then what is there to do? Then our benefactor, Guru Ji said that just as plain dirt can be cleansed with water, but the hardened dirt stuck to clothes can only be cleansed with soap. Water can clean plain dirt; soap can clean hardened dirt. In the same way ordinary dirt can be cleansed with the deliberations of the intellect, but only ‘Naam’ can cleanse the dirt of the intellect. After removing the dirt it is the Naam, which tints the mind and the intellect with godly hue. The fifth Satguru Jee says,
pRB kY ismrin mn kI mlu jwie ]
Prabh kai simaran man kee mal jaae ||
In the remembrance of God, the filth of the mind is removed
At the same he says that when the dirt is removed then Naam like the ambrosial nectar becomes the benefactor of relish. In another line he reveals,
AMimRq nwmu ird mwih smwie ]
A(n)mrith naam ridh maahi samaae ||
The Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Lord, is absorbed into the heart.
When the dirt of pollution is removed with Naam, Truth walks in. Truth only comes with Naam. Truth purifies (the mind and the intellect), then only with the Naam the mind gets absorbed with the Master (Waheguru). It’s only with the Naam that the supreme divine status is attained. So it’s Naam that removes the dirt, it’s Naam that gives relish. Guru Ji himself has put it this way,
nwmy rwqy haumY jwie ]
nwim rqy sic rhy smwie ]
nwim rqy jog jugiq bIcwru ]
nwim rqy pwvih moK duAwru ]
nwim rqy iqRBvx soJI hoie ]
nwnk nwim rqy sdw suKu hoie ]32]
Naamae raathae houmai jaae ||
Naam rathae sach rehae samaae ||
Naam rathae jog jugath beechaar ||
Naam rathae paavehi mokh dhuaar ||
Naam rathae thribhavan sojhee hoe ||
Naanak naam rathae sadhaa sukh hoe ||32||
Attuned to the Naam, the Name of the Lord, egotism is dispelled.
Attuned to the Naam, they remain absorbed in the True Lord.
Attuned to the Naam, they contemplate the Way of Yoga.
Attuned to the Naam, they find the door of liberation.
Attuned to the Naam, they understand the three worlds.
O Nanak, attuned to the Naam, eternal peace is found. ||32||
When dirt has disappeared, the meaning of ‘(He) Is’ settles within. The mind gets connected. It merges with the Master (Waheguru) and gets liberated. Then it becomes the master of the intellect and perceives the Primal Being, or put it this way – the eye of divine knowledge open up. In this way Naam arranges all the affairs, but when the worshipper of Naam is at the first level, that is, he is cleaning the dirt from the intellect, he is contemplating the Naam with a dirt-ridden heart and this (process) gets rid of the dirt. The difference between him and the man, who is sin-ridden, is that the latter sins and feels happy and continues to do more for he says there is nothing to fear. The devotee of Naam treads the path of Gurbanee Vichaar or deliberation and follows the lofty model presented by Satsang, the company of the holy. When, under the influence of the polluted intellect, he makes a mistake, he feels upset and immediately vows not to do it again. Secondly, he does an Ardaas where he says, “O Waheguru, fill me with strength that I may not fall again. Thirdly, fearing the satsang, the company of the holy, he takes into consideration the Gurmukh element in him saying, “How will I face the satsang, by doing such a thing?” Fourthly, whatever the Naam that has been contemplated upon, that will continue to remove the dirt from his mind.
mnu myro gju ijhbw myrI kwqI ]
mip mip kwtau jm kI PwsI ]1]
Man maero gaj jihabaa maeree kaathee ||
Map map kaatto jam kee faasee ||1||
My mind is the yardstick, and my tongue is the scissors.
I measure it out and cut off the noose of death. ||1||
(Aasaa (Bhagat Naamdev Ji)
Day by day this process weakens the mind’s inclination to commit sins, and in place of falsehood, untruth, fraud and fabrication, he acquires Truth and reality.
Anidnu sUcy hir gux sMgw ]
Andhin soochae har gun sa(n)gaa ||
One who dwells with the Glorious Praises of the Lord, night and day, is sanctified.
The Truth that begins to reside within with the help of Naam, first manifests itself when it prevents us from speaking untruths. The mind hesitates, when it begins to express untruths, (and a little later) its speech becomes truthful. Then the mind moves forward beyond truthful ‘speech’ (to the stage) when Truth settles in the devotee’s heart.
scu qw pru jwxIAY jw irdY scw hoie ]
kUV kI mlu auqrY qnu kry hCw Doie ]
Sach thaa par jaaneeai jaa ridhai sachaa hoe ||
Koorr kee mal outharai than karae hashhaa dhhoe ||
One knows the Truth only when the Truth is in his heart.
The filth of falsehood departs, and the body is washed clean.
When Truth settles in the heart, then love for Truth arises.
scu qw pru jwxIAY jw sic Dry ipAwru ]
Sach thaa par jaaneeai jaa sach dhharae piaar ||
One knows the Truth only when he bears love to the True Lord.
Then in the innate self within, Truth manifests itself into an experience. How does that happen? The feeling that Naam is within gets ingrained. To the devotee of Naam, the fruit of Naam appears as a feeling of a ‘presence or being-ness’ meaning an experience of an ‘energy’ that locks in into his inner self, an experience which Guru ji expresses as follows:-
nwau suix mnu rhsIAY qw pwey moK duAwru ]
scu qw pru jwxIAY jw jugiq jwxY jIau ]
Driq kwieAw swiD kY ivic dyie krqw bIau ]
Naao sun man rehaseeai thaa paaeae mokh dhuaar ||
Sach thaa par jaaneeai jaa jugath jaanai jeeo ||
Dhharath kaaeiaa saadhh kai vich dhaee karathaa beeo ||
Hearing the Name, the mind is enraptured; then, he attains the gate of salvation.
One knows the Truth only when he knows the true way of life.
Preparing the field of the body, he plants the Seed of the Creator.
In this way as Naam settles within the innate self, where an environment is created for man to get absorbed in the Primal Being. The mind will experience peace. What then will the external be like? The teachings of the Satguru will appear pure, sublime and lofty. The experiences will reflect Truth and the experiences will themselves motivate one own self to (righteous) action. This view is reflected in the following quotation of Guru Jee:-
scu qw pru jwxIAY jw isK scI lyie ]
dieAw jwxY jIA kI ikCu puMnu dwnu kryie ]
Sach thaa par jaaneeai jaa sikh sachee laee ||
Dhaeiaa jaanai jeea kee kishh pu(n)n dhaan karaee ||
One knows the Truth only when he receives true instruction.
Showing mercy to other beings, he makes donations to charities.
This means that the nature of Truth will purify the mind, make it calm and infuse mercy into its being. The final effect of Truth is an abode within the soul:-
scu qW pru jwxIAY jw Awqm qIriQ kry invwsu ]
Sach thaa(n) par jaaneeai jaa aatham theerathh karae nivaas ||
One knows the Truth only when he dwells in the sacred shrine of pilgrimage of his own soul.
To calmly settle down in the Aatmaa, a holy place of pilgrimage, is Truth. Now you see, Truth has become the name (given to the) attainment of the ‘thing (called) Atamaa’. Walking from the point where one restrains oneself from untruth to the Atamaa, the holy place of pilgrimage, the whole (journey) is Truth. In the end Satguru too has termed Truth as the embodiment of the Primal Being.
Awid scu jugwid scu ]
hY BI scu nwnk hosI BI scu ]1]
Aadh sach jugaadh sach ||
Hai bhee sach naanak hosee bhee sach ||1||
True In the Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.
True Here and Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True. ||1||
So the effect of Naam is first, to free the intellect from sins and then, transport it to Naami, the Primal Being and the way Naam operates has been explained above. Many uninformed people question the benefit of repeating the Naam ever so often. They only look upon Naam as a repetitive action. Naam is the name given to that activity which begins with the repetition of the Naam, and ends with, meeting the Saain, the Master Waheguru, all this done while attaining an elevated and lofty life within the innate self and practicing a sublime living relationship on the outside - meaning experiencing an inspirational and intuitional life within, and practicing an elevated form of life without – all this is repetition in the beginning; all the intellectuals have acquired knowledge through repetition. Repetition impresses upon the mind the qualities of the object (of repetition), which will, descends within the innate self because the person who does the repetition is not a deead lifeless machine as not to be affected (by the repetition).
When an ordinary man or an intellectual does repetition, the effect of repetition automatically affects him. He receives guidance as to whose Naam it is and why there is a need to contemplate upon it. Upon understanding he internalises the aim and contemplates the Naam. He has the guidance from the satsang, the company of the holy, to restrain the mind from darting hither thither and to continue to focus over and over again on the one whose name is being chanted. In this way the repetition prevents the power of the mind from scattering in other directions and forces it to go within. You may call it repetition or contemplation, eventually it becomes, simran.
This Naam will then merge with Simirtee (the object of the contemplation, the Primal Being Himself). Then the feeling, Saain the Master is (present), settles within our consciousness. The meaning of simran is ‘remembrance’ but the exact meaning of simran is a ‘loving remembrance’ because the root of this word is ‘saa-my’ which means to love, to remember. Love and remembrance are very closely related. The love of the beloved resides within us as ‘remembrance’. The lover is one who abides with most love for the Beloved Primal Being Waheguru. In this way when one remembers the Beloved with respect, as one who is most high, by inculcating and implanting the overall effect of His virtues into his being, that state indeed is love. So with remembrance, man abides in love. By doing simran in this way first, Naam takes one to a state of feeling that the Naamee, the Primal Being Waheguru ‘is’, exists, is present, and then transports him into a state of being filled with love:
ibnu nwm pRIiq ipAwru nwhI vsih swic suhylIAw ]
Bin naam preeth piaar naahee vasehi saach suhaeleeaa ||
Without Naam, the Name of the Lord, there is no love and affection; but with her True Lord, she abides in peace.
Look! think about it, everyone says ‘God’ is present. But this expression ‘is present’ is only at the level of narration. But in the Naamee person (a person who has experienced God’s presence), the expression ‘God is’ is a continuous ingrained feeling which evolves into love and adoration. It is this love and adoration that erases peoples (belief in their separate existence.) In this way Naam connects one with Naamee, the Primal Being. Starting from the ‘repetition of Naam’, Naam transports one to Naamee.
nwnk nwmu n CofY sw Dn nwim shij smwxIAw ]2]
Naanak naam n shhoddai saa dhhan naam sehaj samaaneeaa ||2||
O Nanak, that soul-bride who does not abandon the Naam, is intuitively absorbed in the Naam. ||2||
Then one hears the world saying, “Who is willing to be tied to the rope of remembrance of Saain, the Master Waheguru every second? But think and reflect, the rope of remembrance is around everyone’s neck every moment. Is there anyone here who is not thinking or remembering one thing or another all the time? What more, even in sleep state there is no freedom from remembrance. That is why Guru Nanak Dev Ji has stated:-
icMqq hI dIsY sBu koie ]
Chi(n)thath hee dheesai sabh koe ||
Everyone has worries and cares.
Meaning, everyone is in a state of remembrance or thinking. But take note, everyone is suffering because they are in a continuous state of thinking or remembering. What kind of remembrance do they have? There are numerous remembrances and with those remembrances the mind’s friction, anger, grief, pain, comforts, jealousy, arguments, selfishness, enmity, fear grinds against the feelings of ones self-interest. For that reason no one can ever be happy. Maybe that is why Guru Ji has stated:-
cyqih eyku qhI suKu hoie ]
Chaethehi eaek thehee sukh hoe ||
He alone finds peace, who thinks of the One Lord.
Meaning, if you remember the one Waheguru, peace and comfort will descend upon you because Waheguru is the embodiment of peace, relish and love. He is the benefactor. He cherishes and nurtures. He is forever stable and unwavering. He is boundless. He is bliss. When we remember such an auspicious One, then from within, the mind will rub or graze against these feelings. Rubbing against dirt we get dirty. Rubbing against colour we get coloured. So when our mind with ‘one mindedness’ comes in contact with righteous virtues, true feelings, and gets nearer and nearer to Waheguru, the embodiment of goodness, it is touched by peace and comfort and it becomes a picture of tranquility and serenity. That is why Guru Ji, our benefactor says:-
cyqih eyku qhI suKu hoie ]
Chaethehi eaek thehee sukh hoe ||
He alone finds peace, who thinks of the One Lord.
Then this comfort giving essence will lead one to liberation or emanicipation. In the next line of this quotation Guru Ji says:-
iciq vsY rwcY hir nwie ]
mukiq BieAw piq isau Gir jwie ]23]
Chith vasai raachai har naae ||
Mukath bhaeiaa path sio ghar jaae ||23||
When the Lord dwells in the consciousness and one is absorbed in the Lord’s Name,
One is liberated, and returns home with honor. ||23||
Meaning, how can one, acquire this good fortune of the ‘remembrance of the One’, to abide within? When you ask this question the reply you get is, by contemplating on the Naam, by absorbing the Naam of Waheguru within. What will happen with the remembrance of the One? (The answer is) one will get liberated and will proceed to ones home with respect and dignity. This is the thing called Naam. Its glory, its narrative is found in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and every line states it.
(Guru Nanak Chamatkaar, Seehaa Upal)
Those who continue to link themselves with Naam simran, they will surely one day get in tune (with the Creator). Once the attention gets focused then the flash of Truth will strike. The sweet experience of the presence of the carefree ‘Waheguru’ will take place. With this experience all the hungers of this world and the next will vanish and he will become a permanent resident of Sachkhand, the realm of eternal Truth.
ijnw AMdir nwmu inDwnu hY gurbwxI vIcwir ]
iqn ky muK sd aujly iqqu scY drbwir ]
Jinaa a(n)dhar naam nidhhaan hai gurabaanee veechaar ||
Thin kae mukh sadh oujalae thith sachai dharabaar ||
Those who have the Naam within, contemplate the Word of the Guru’s Bani.
Their faces are always radiant in the Court of the True Lord.
It is clear from this that God’s avtaars, saints, prophets, friends of God too cannot live in the world without the Naam of Waheguru.
so jIivAw ijsu min visAw soie ]
So jeeviaa jis man vasiaa soe ||
They alone are truly alive, whose minds are filled with the Lord.
Whoever from the Four Castes does Naam Simran then they will achieve Salvation.
chu vrnw mih jpY koaU nwmu ]
Chahu varanaa mehi japai kooo naam ||
Anyone, from any class, may chant the Naam