Ik Onkaar Satgur Prasad Salok Mahalla 9 Today we are going to start with Salok 14 "ustat nindiaa naeh jeh kanchan loh samaan kahu nanak sun re mana mukat taeh tai jaan" this is in continuity with Salok 13 In Salok 13, it was mentioned- 'sukh dukh jeh parasai nahi', the one whose mind is not wavered by pleasure and happiness; pleasure does not make one feel excited, and miseries do not make one go into depression, if I speak in today's language neither aggression, neither depression, neither excitement and neither.. misery neither pleasure nor misery here, do not interpret that pleasure and misery don't occur to such a being; for, they do occur, pleasure and misery come to every human be it a Guru, a sage, a disciple, a foolish person, a highly intelligent or an extremely stupid person pleasure and miseries come to everybody but, the one who has realised the Self, who has experienced the swaroopa (essence) of Paramatman (the Supreme Self); for such a being- 'sukh dukh jeh parasai nahi' they won't be able to reach such a person; and then, neither greed, nor attachment, nor egotistical pride and Gurudev is saying that such a person is truly an embodiment of Paramatman (the Supreme Self) Regarding idol worship, Guru Nanak Sahib didn't propagate it neither did he encourage the same and he used to always say that Paramatman is 'Akal-moorat'; Since, it is Akaal-moorat, then no idol of Paramatman can be made; this is absolutely true! and here, I shall mention it along with an evidence from Bani- 'Brahman deese brahman suniye ek ek vakhaniye', what is being seen is Brahman, what is being heard is Brahman it means that everything is illusory and is deceptively being perceived in Brahman what is illusory cannot give you misery and if that very illusion will seemingly appear as the truth to you, then it's going to give immense pleasure and pain; for example.. on the sea shore a sea shell was lying, which was shining in the sunlight; somebody noticed it, and owing to his greed, misperceiving the sea shell to be a piece of silver, the person came running to pick it up and when it was grabbed with hands, it was realised that it is a 'sea-shell', there isn't any silver present but the person saw a piece of silver; the question arises, Darshanshastra says— when silver was non-existent, then how did the person see silver, when it was actually a sea shell which was lying there so, in reality the greed of silver lies in the mind of the person; Imagine if a dog is running on the same beach, would the dog too see silver lying there if there's an elephant, a bird, or some other bird actually, they would neither see a sea-shell, nor would the sea shell deceptively appear as silver to them so, the one who would see silver in it, he would have the greed for silver; but, the one who sees the sea-shell, then he wouldn't have any greed for silver when silver isn't seen, then how would he have any attachment towards silver and when silver is non-existent, then he wouldn't have the false egotistical pride that 'I have become so wealthy after acquiring it' so, greed-attachment-egotistical pride, it's a continuity; firstly, we perceive the world to be true then with this greed gets associated; afterwards, attachment occurs and then egotism comes in and Gurudev is saying- the one who has attained this state, who has become enlightened, such a being is—'so moorat bhagavaan', such a being is akin to the Lord and in continuity to this is Salok 14 now, he neither wishes to be praised by anybody, means does not desire for appreciation nor is he afraid of defamation, that somebody speaks ill about me, this fear ceases to exist in his mind when there isn't a desire for appreciation, then actually fear of defamation too becomes non-existent since we want people to praise us, and when they don't do the same, then we tend to dislike it however, if I don't have the desire of being praised, then why would I be upset if someone talks ill of me so, Gurudev is mentioning the same thing— 'ustat nindiaa naeh jeh', and then mentions- 'kanchan loh samaan'; 'kanchan' means gold, 'loh' means iron iron and gold is equal in eyes of a 'Brahman-Gyani' (the one who has realised Brahman) does that mean, he wouldn't be aware of the difference in their value? Will he lose his sanity? No, the realised one won't lose his sanity now, in his mind 'kanchan' and 'loh', means gold and iron are just metals, they are nothing more than that it is our greed that makes gold expensive and it is our greed that says—iron holds no value however if our perspective is this— that regardless of whether it is gold or it is iron, both have been extracted from the earth's core; they are simply metal pieces so, going by a second meaning in his mind, there isn't any hankering for gold; and in his mind, he doesn't hold any feeling of inferiority towards an iron object, like 'Alas! I have utensils made of iron' pardon me, many people might get upset if I say this..but, in India numerous temples, religious places and Gurudwaras many people have a desire to laden them with gold the emotion is beautiful—'since it is abode of the Guru, hence it should look beautiful'; but do remember 'since Guru exists there, therefore it is already beautiful' Guru is enshrined there, Guru is enthroned there "Jithai jaae bahe mera Satguru, so thaan suhava ram raajae", pardon my words but Maharaj hasn't mentioned that only the place which is laden with gold would please me He is saying, wherever my Guru goes and sits, that place becomes beautiful; to my mind, that place is the most pleasant most sacred of all, it sanctifies even the sacred ones; However, the greed that resides in the mind of humans a recurrence of this very greed, its different formation is this that- who he considers as his deity, as his Lord the temple wherein he bows his head, his efforts are directed towards going there and offering gold, offering silver and enhancing the palaces and walls of that place with precious material; This is an emotion of love, I understand and really respect that but do remember- the Lord who created this temple in the form of your human body, the Lord who created this entire universe can there be any man-made thing as beautiful as this rose flower Is... is the reddish glow of the rising sun lesser as compared to the shine of any gold, or is it actually far greater than that but this is an individualistic thought, everyone's unique emotion; but in my perspective, my Lord yearns for your sincere emotion and earnestness an evidence comes forth in Bani- 'Gobind bhao bhagat ka bhuka', it is your emotion that is required under the guise of gold and silver, in order to hide our flaws and shortcomings...that if I indulge in dishonesty involving crores of rupees; and later if I donate gold worth few lakhs as a way of compensation, will my sins be forgiven in that case? that won't happen but Maharaj is mentioning the state of a Gyani here- 'kanchan loh samaan', for such a being, gold and iron are identical 'kahu nanak sun re manaa mukat taeh tai jaan'- Sadguru is saying O Nanak thus says Nanak; Who is being addressed? Then comes the shabad 'sun re manaa'- I am saying this to nobody else but my own mind this conversation, this is a dialogue happening in between a very enlightened illuminated intellect and his mind so, he is giving this knowledge considering the mind itself to be the disciple; he is telling the mind- O mind, know that he is liberated, Who is liberated? The one who is wavered by neither appreciation nor defamation, neither pleasure nor misery neither gold nor iron the distinction between these two ceases to exist for such a being Let's take the next Salok, now this is again in continuity- 'harakh sog jaa kai nahi bairee meet samaan' there's no 'harakh', harakh is a Hindi word- 'harsh' which means very excited, very happy, the one who gets excited; Pardon my words, but over here... 'I have won a lottery'- excitement sets in; 'I have won a car'- excitement sets in; 'I have inherited wealth from father's possessions'- excitement sets in 'my visa for U.S.A has been approved'- this makes one excited due to this excitement, the ones who keep popping up like water bubbles...Maharaj is saying- Understand the state of the Gyani as that wherein there is neither excitement nor grief what happened? Let's take a historical evidence- Sadguru's two younger sons were martyred at Sirhind and when the news reached Maharaj, then historians say that, with the edge of that arrow, he uprooted that grass and said- 'Today, Mughals have uprooted themselves how they have executed these innocent children, this spells the uprooting of their foundation, now they won't be able to have a footing in this country but not a single drop of tear is there in the eyes somebody said-'O Sadguru, O Dashmesh Pita, both your sons have been martyred'; Gurudev said- 'I have sacrificed my four sons, so what if these four sons are dead, since there are thousands still alive'; when did grief strike my Guru?! who has the capability to match up to this such an exalted state of mind of Dashmesh Pita, I am giving it here alongwith evidence; despite martyrdom of four sons, whose eyes do not have even a single drop of tear he is not grieving, and when he had won the war so, after being victorious in the battle, even at that time he wasn't excited and said- 'this is by the grace of Lord that we have won this battle' at that time, he didn't say- 'I have been victorious because of my own strength and might'; instead he had said— 'Waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh'—it is my Waheguru's victory and this is victory of that pure existence, Paramatman itself is 'khaalis', whoever gets associated with it too becomes 'khaalis' 'Khalis' means pure, where there is no adulteration neither there's excitement nor grief, 'bairee meet samaan'- nobody's an enemy for such a being, nor is anybody a friend neither there's friendship nor animosity with anybody; 'kahu nanak sun re manaa mukat taeh tai jaan'- know such being as liberated, in whom there's neither excitement nor grief if we take the previous one also, then neither there's praise nor slander, neither happiness or sadness, neither greed nor egotistical pride many times when people read such words, then a doubt comes in the mind that this is a very difficult state to attain Can such a difficult state be attained by any human? It is absolutely impossible but remember if it was impossible, then the Guru wouldn't have talked about all these things; Guru is giving us the way, the path, the methodology how you can come to that state? The Saloks which are going to come ahead, are all talking about the methodology, about the system that system, which when adopted by you, would open up the rocky doors of your mind 'bajjar' means stony, 'kapaat' means door, since it's an old term and has been heard many times from the Sants and Mahatmas, so it is naturally spoken that way In the mind, the doors like rock which have been closed towards the divinity, those open now, what is the methodology- the 16th Salok—'bhai kaahoo kau det neh, neh bhai maanat aan', he isn't intimidated by anyone and secondly, he does not threaten anyone this is nature of a human and an animal- he is intimidated by somebody and he intimidates somebody; but since a Gyani considers both friend and foe alike, then who would he threaten? neither he is intimidated himself nor does he threaten somebody else, and this is the reason- how Guru Tegh Bahadur himself goes to Delhi, despite knowing that the emperor is cruel there is a tyrant ruler, who.. does not know the truth, who is blinded in his religion; who doesn't even completely understand his religion such an oppressor, in order to make such a cruel ruler understand the plight of innocent Kashmiri Pandits, firstly imposing the Jizya tax on the people is wrong and forcefully converting people to Islam is also wrong standing right in front of that ruler, the one who is ready to have this conversation with him however..it is important to understand—would someone, who has fear in his mind go towards Delhi or would he rather go far away from Delhi thinking- what am I supposed to do in this matter Why should I go, for it is a dangerous matter; And going by history, martyrdom of fifth Guru happened at the hands of Jehangir, despite this Sadguru goes is not afraid of anybody... bhai kaahoo kau det neh, neh bhai maanat aan ... I would like to add further to this..we consider Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji as an epitome of sacrifice and wisdom, as an embodiment of bliss, as a source of wisdom...but do remember that such a brave figure, who fought and won wars; such a courageous and brave figure, as well as a Gyani, hence who would he be afraid of? he has given an example from his own life- 'bhai kaahoo kau det neh neh bhai maanat aan, kahu nanak sun re manaa giaanee tahen bakhaan' who would we consider a Gyani? at one point of time, in Punjab there used to be a degree in Punjabi language by the name 'Gyani'; so whosoever completed it would be eligible to use the word Gyani with their names; means legally they could use the word Gyani with their names otherwise, the word Gyani is also used for those people who have completed their M.A. or Ph.D in any subject; it is also used for those who have studied 108 Upanishads I had a met a great personality who had memorised the complete Bani of Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib, now it is unbelievable but the evidence is this- though he isn't alive right now but I am saying this for, this is my experience means which line was mentioned on which ang and which shabad was in which raag, and he would immediately tell..he was a Nirmale Sant but you would be surprised to know that he didn't attach the word 'Gyani' with his name he never used the word 'Gyani', if somebody would ask him- 'Aren't you a Gyani, you are such a great Gyani', he would say- 'No, I am not a Gyani, I am a practitioner of Gyana' I am on the path to acquire Gyana; Do not call me a Gyani because he knew the real meaning of the word 'Gyani'- one who isn't moved by pleasure or pain, who sees friend and foe alike; the one who isn't affected by pleasure or misery so, according to all these attributes that have been mentioned, he would never call himself a 'Gyani' because one will have to take egotistical pride of Gyana, to be called a Gyani; this is why the sages say- the one who says 'I know', in reality 'doesn't know' the one who says 'I don't know', certainly doesn't know at all; and the one who says— 'I am on the path to know'- such a person has certainly acquired some fragrance; So, one does not become a Gyani by simply having egotistical pride of one's knowledge but, the word 'Gyani' that has been mentioned by Gurudev here, this is like a smaller word for Brahmgyani...that who is a Gyani? The one who neither gets scared nor intimidates anybody else 'jeh bikhiaa sagalee tajee leeo bhekh bairaag, kahu nanak sun re manaa teh nar maathai bhaag' the word 'bikhiaa' has appeared again- bikhiaa means poison; bikhiaa means objects of indulgence; and bikhiaa means the human or animal waste or faeces the one who renounces the world, considering it as 'bikhiaa'- 'jeh bikhiaa sagalee tajee', tajee means to renounce, 'leeo bhekh bairaag' now here, many people might say- is Gurudev asking for donning the robes of dispassion? It is upto you what you wish to understand, but I will say what is apparent to me 'leeo bhekh bairaag', bhekh is a changed version of the Hindi word 'bhesh'; It becomes bhekh in Punjabi and bhesh in Hindi, bhesh means how you dress up what kind of attire do you wear, that attire will tell whether this person is satviki, or rajsi, or if this person is wearing something that is revealing the body in an unpleasant manner, that will be referred to as tamsik 'Bhekh' also refers to the attire that is worn over the body; 'Bhekh' is how you keep your mind what kind of hues is your mind coloured in; So, what kind of attire is your mind wearing 'bhesh' means your dress, the shape of your mind, your mind's thoughts, your mind's emotions, your mind's condition, what kind of state does your mind have Is it that of dispassion or does it have attachment? If it has attachment then you become a worldly person, and if your mind's state is that of dispassion..Why would it have dispassion? Because the world appears as 'bikhya' if you begin to have food and somebody comes and says- 'don't eat this, there's poison in it', 'a lizard had fallen into this food, don't eat it'; even if the person saying this is a little kid, would you listen to him or not? you will immediately leave it, even if it's a delicious and your favourite food; but you won't eat food that has poison in it Similarly, the one who sees this world as poison—would he have to put effort to leave the greed and attachment of world? Or will its grip simply loosen, just like you use a napkin and then throw it in the dustbin; for you won't keep an already used-napkin in your pocket or purse because it isn't going to be used again hence, understand the sequence which has been given by Maharaj—the world appeared as 'bikhya', hence it was relinquished; so 'lio bekh vairaag', now mind has acquired the state of dispassion and now, coming to this many things might come up, people might have many confusions as well; like he is saying— whose state would it be? He is saying- 'Kaho Nanak sun rae mana, teh nar maathai bhaag'; now as and when these words appear the worldly people say- 'only if Maharaj would have written dispassion in our destiny, that we will get to experience dispassion.. and if it isn't destined then dispassion wouldn't happen'; Pardon, but destiny isn't written down by Ishvara If Paramatman is the writer of our destiny, then Paramatman becomes partial for, he makes somebody foolish while someone else becomes intelligent somebody is insane, somebody is beautiful and rich, somebody else is poor and ugly— this way, the entire blame falls on Ishvara Remember that wherever the word 'bhaag', the word 'destiny' comes, please understand this that it's all about the sum total of karmas, the actions which you have done in your past and when I say 'past', the minute that has just passed, too becomes our past so, a sum total of all the actions you did...I'll give an evidence from Gurbani- 'Jeha beeje so lune karma sandra khet', this world is such a farm wherein you will reap crops depending on the kind of seed of karma you sow so, how will your destiny be formed? your destiny is formed when you lead a life of truth, a life of faith, a life of service, a life of love, a life which is lead by being in remembrance of the Lord, by being in the company of the sages and then, with every single karma, such a beautiful destiny gets formed I would like to give another evidence on destiny— Maharaj says, 'Bin bhaaga satsang na labhe bin sangat mail bhareejai jeeo'; Without great fortune, you wouldn't receive Satsang and if you won't find Sangat, then your mind's filth won't be removed so, the word 'bhaag' appears at numerous places in the Bani, but kindly do not always understand its meaning as 'Ishvara decides our destiny' understand it this way- that your own actions done in the past, become your destiny Sadgur says- 'jeh maya mamata taji sabh te bhio udhaas, kahu nanak sun re manaa teh ghat brahman nivaas' again dispassion has been mentioned- 'maya mamata taji', neither there's illusion nor attachments and then such a being gives up all expectations let me mention it again that the word 'udaas' does not mean lonely, sad, miserable; 'udaas' means I don't expect anything from you because I know you are as mortal as my body is so, you are not dependable at all; If somebody tells you the roof you're seated under is about to collapse, would you sit under that roof? so, the world is that roof which is going to collapse; So, how would one have attachment with it?! so, Gurudev is saying- 'the one whose illusion and attachment gets relinquished, now he.. 'sabh te bhio udaas' 'udaas' means not expecting anything not hoping anything, not desiring anything now, you will say- 'We are humans, we will desire as well as wish'; yes, you may desire, but then you'll also have to if you'll desire, then you'll also have to serve the person who is expected to fulfill your desire and then if that person hurls a shoe at you, then you'll accept that as well for your desire will be fulfilled by him only but if I don't desire anything, then whose slave would I be? Nobody's Who would I keep expectation with? With nobody! worldly attachments and illusion- understand these two words; 'jeh maya mamata taji' Maya has two meanings- one meaning of Maya is money, wealth, and the other meaning of Maya is what we come across in Vedanta, also in Sanskrit language- so, the literal meaning of 'Maya' is 'Illusion' that which doesn't exist is 'Maya' now, this is a strange thing that the mind is hankering for something which doesn't even exist; the relations of the mind have been established with something that doesn't exist which isn't there, which is non-existent Gurudev says in Asa Di Vaar- 'Kood raja, kood parja, kood sabh sansaar, kood mandap, kood maddhi, kood baisanhaar' again, this word 'kood' belongs to the category of illusion or maya that here, false is the king, false is the throne he is seated on, false are the subjects of the King ; and in this false world, Gurudev says- 'kis naal keeje dosti sabh jagg challan haar' since everybody is mortal here, who should I be friends with then? I can't attach my mind with anybody 'jeh maya mamata taji sabh te bhio udhaas, kahu nanak sun re mana teh ghat brahman nivaas', What is the meaning of the word 'Brahman'? 'Brahman' and 'Bharam' are two different words, do not misunderstand them as one word; Bharam means confusion, Bharam means having a false understanding and 'Brahman'...in Punjabi language, it is said that there is a difference between the words 'bhabha' and 'babba' 'bha' and 'ba' are letters in Hindi language; the Hindi letter 'ba' when used in Punjabi language gives the word 'babba' and the Hindi letter 'bha' gives the Punjabi word 'bhaba' word that starts with 'ba' is Brahman and word that starts with 'bh' is Bharam; Bharam means let's take that example again: a sea-shell was misperceived as a piece of silver; a rope was lying and it wasn't noticed due to darkness, so it was misperceived to be a snake bharam! actually, the object perceived due to 'bharam' doesn't exist; so, the world does not exist actually and to whom this is appearing to be true... it is appearing true for this very reason, that it is a 'bharam' (a false understanding) and the one whose 'bharam' gets eradicated, such a being gets established in 'Brahman'; so, now what is the definition of 'Brahman'? so, remember that Gurudev has commenced this Salok Mahalla 9 with this only, from where? From 'Siddhant Mantra'—Ik Onkar Satgur Prasad herein, taking evidence of Jaap Sahib, 'Sada sachdanand sarbam pranasi'—whose swaroopa (essence) is Sachidananda, which is Sat (truth) - Chetan (conscious) - Ananda (blissful) and 'sarbam pranasi' means That which is all-pervasive now, if I have to give it one word, then that becomes 'Brahman' at some places, the word appears 'Parbrahman', these are two different words; and I'll explain the difference between Brahman and Parbrahman in due course of time Gurudev says— 'jeh praanee haumai taji karataa ram pachaan, kahu nanak vahu mukat nar ieh man saachee maan' Gurudev says that the one who has relinquished his 'haumai'...let's understand this word 'haumai' 'hau' and 'mai', breaking down the word, we get hau and mai What is 'hau'? hau and mai if we actually look at the word 'hau'— 'Hau vich aaya hau vich gaya', 'Hau aaya duron chalke main taki tau saranai jeeo'; In a way, 'hau' also means 'mai' but 'hau' and 'mai', so this is synonymous to somebody saying the words 'hauhau' or 'maimai', so these two words... What is the actual reason for using this word? Two things will have to be understood in this context 'mai' means Atman-swaroopa (the true self), when the reflection of this Atman-swaroopa gets formed in the mind then, with this reflection of Atman, 'hau' gets formed what we call as 'Ahankar' (the Ego), or what can be called as 'Jeeva' (the individual self) so, two 'I' get formed- one if the true self and the other if the reflected self; Where has the reflection been formed? Reflection has been formed in the mind what is nearest to the mind? Atman; Atman doesn't mean what is depicted in Hindi movies, wherein a woman clad in a white sari, is gliding around with a candle; that is not Atman What does Atman mean? Atman is a Sanskrit word, if I speak in Hindi or Punjabi language, then it simply means 'mai' (I) and if we slightly include Punjabi language, then we can say 'hau'; Now, what is the distinction in 'hau' and 'mai'; mai is Atman-swaroopa and hau is the reflected, the illusionary self or what we can call as the false self so, there is a false self and then there is a true self; Now, this is illusion that you see the self but you don't see the pure self Maharaj says in Bani, I'll give an evidence- ones who are quick-witted will understand faster, 'Atman Parmatman eko kare antar ki duvidha antar mare' Gurudev is saying In Sahaskriti Saloks, Gurudev says- 'Atam ram ram hai atam cheenas guru vichara re'; by contemplating on the Guru's teachings, you'll realise that Atman itself is the Lord, and the Lord is Atman but the one who has seen Atman as the Lord and the Lord as Atman, such a being has become a Gyani (the realised one); but the one who isn't a Gyani, such a being has ignorance and what does he think because of that ignorance—'hau' means the reflected self as 'mai', that is the true self; Gurudev is saying the one who has relinquished this 'hau-mai' the one who has abandoned this 'hau-mai', means the one who has relinquished this reflected false illusionary self 'jeh praanee haumai taji'- 'praanee' referes to those who live on Prana (the vital life force); So, all sentient beings can be called 'praanee' Prana is not breath, and mere inhalation and exhalation of breath is not Pranayama; The energy with which that Prana works, your breath works, that cosmic energy is referred to as Prana so, Gurudev is saying— the sentient being who has relinquished 'haumai' 'karta raam pachhaan'—and the one who has understood the Lord as the doer, 'kahu nanak vahu mukat nar ieh man saachee maan'— O Nanak, such a being... don't misunderstand that, since the word 'nari' (women) hasn't appeared here, that means women can't be liberated the one who is saying this is a man, by virtue of his body so the word 'nar' (men) has been mentioned...and maybe the ones who were seated in front of him were all males; So, I'll speak according to who is in front of me if a woman is seated in front of me then I'll ask- 'Aap kaisi hain?' (How are you?) and if a man would be seated then I'll use the word 'kaise' this difference in the usage of words while addressing the two arises because- who was being addressed was either a man or a woman so if 'nar' has been mentioned, then do remember it also implies 'nari'; In the Guru's abode, women are highly respected; Do not misunderstand that 'nar' has been addressed and not 'nari' Maharaj is addressing both men and women alike this is the truth, Gurudev is saying- you should understand and know it, realise this 'haumai' evidence from Gurbani-'haumai deeragh rog hai daru bhi iss mahey' —it is being said that 'haumai' is a disease but its medicine too lies in it; How? 'Hau' is reflected, illusionary, false self; 'mai' is pure Self, now since these two things are together so it's a disease and the cure too lies in it, what is that cure? if 'hau' is removed then Atman (the true self) gets left behind, so this medicine has been found- 'haumai deeragh rog hai daru bhi iss mahey', the medicine too lies in it; It has to be sought and understood 'bhai naasan duramat haran kal mai har ko naam, nis din jo nanak bhajai safal hohe tehi kaam' in humans, fear is naturally, or say intrinsically it is present...the fear is always there in human mind there isn't any mind..or say there isn't any human who is born without fear Fear...of what? Fear of the unknown this is why, an infant recognises and remembers his parents, family members; but if some new stranger comes to meet him, then he feels scared when a child sees something new- new voice, new face, new word, loud voice, everything scares him and the fear of death is also naturally present in every mind so, we can say that the human mind is, in a way constituted with the ingredient of fear; So, fear is there in every mind and in any mind, the fear is there fear of loss, fear of losing your name, fear of losing your...say money or status your status, and the greatest fear of one's life, which is anyway going to go one day... my life should not end, which is going to end anyway something that cannot be made a constant through any medium, it is quite strange that our mind is scared of that very thing what if I die? One is certainly bound to die; something which has death as its end..however, the desire to live, what we can call as 'abhinivesha' 'nivesha' means to invest, and at this point of time he has made all his investments in his body, 'for, what if my body dies' so, 'bhai naasan durmat haran', there are two things—firstly, how should this fear be destroyed? And secondly, how should our 'durmati', I have already explained the word 'dur' but still I'll remind you again 'dur' means bad, 'dur' means evil 'dur' means egotism, 'dur' means that which is opposite to the truth, to the higher wisdom so, when somebody's intellect becomes evil 'bhai naasan' one that eradicates fear, and 'haran' is a Hindi word; haran means to take away, haran means to kidnap also, haran means removal of the thing inspite of your desire or wish also 'haran' 'kal' means kaliyuga Sadgur Ji is saying- in this kaliyuga, that which is going to eradicate our fear, not only will it eradicate but infact will destroy the fear and 'durmat haran', that which will forcibly wipe out my evil-mindedness it is only one thing, 'kal mai'-in this kaliyuga and that is 'har ko naam'-name of the Lord 'nis din jo nanak bhajai'- nis din means everyday, in continuity, in regularity, in discipline the one who will be in remembrance of the Lord's name, 'safal hohe tehi kaam'- all his endeavours will be successful see, since the human body has been born so, tasks began as soon as the body was born first task- hunger, thirst, sleep; second task- clothes to cover up your body now, in the initial years, parents take responsibility of all this; and as and when he grows up, he has to take the responsibility himself in all our ancient scriptures, four kinds of Purushartha have been mentioned, that a human works towards accomplishing four objectives Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha; first and foremost is 'Dharma', one seeks to know what is right, what is wrong, what is truth, what is untruth what is ethical, what is unethical, what is immoral, what is moral, what is the principle, what is against the principle, what is humanity, what is against humanity having the ability to understand and know all these things will be possible only when you will be devoutly adherent towards Dharma as far as I understand, the real meaning of Dharma is what is our natural character; when I'm saying 'our natural' then I'm not talking about the body, mind your true essence, that is the deepest meaning of Dharma broadly speaking, or if I make it a little easier, then it means— when a human, in a social, family structure, in a structure of principles, in a structure of emotions how one is supposed to speak- saying something could be wrong or right; some action could be right while some action could be wrong; an emotion could be right while some other emotion could be wrong so, the one who has a firm understanding of wrong and right, such a person will be called as the one who is devoutly adherent towards Dharma then, the one who listens to the scriptures, who understands them, who follows them— such a person will also be referred to as 'Dharmic' merely worshipping the Dharma-granth does not make you a dharmic person; But when you live the dharma then only you can be called a religious person wherever your belief or faith might be, doesn't matter! But do you have integrity inside-out? If yes, then you are a religious person After Dharma, 'Artha' has been mentioned; Artha means— that whatever gives meaning to your life can be called Artha only money does not mean artha, but the thick-skulled ones consider just that to be artha but, in our life education has importance; relations are important; our thought process is important; for us, the teachings of the realised ones, the Mahatmas carry significant importance for us, every single word of Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib is like a torch-bearer what we call in Punjabi language as 'chanan munara'- which is like a minaret in my ignorant life, light falling on that minaret, spreads to everything surrounding that minaret so the 'minar' of our Gyana, what we call as 'minarets' in English what is the minaret of Gyana? It is the Gurbani; hence, what the Gurbani lays importance on, that too becomes a highly integral part of my life Artha also means money; money is needed to have food, clothes; Barter system existed once upon a time you have clothes, I have sugar and we exchange these with each other, this is barter system; Today, money is operational so, earning money too is a Yagya, earning money too can be a religious activity; and earning money can be an act of dishonesty as well so, is your 'artha', your money adherent with Dharma; has your money been earned by wringing out some poor person's blood? Have you earned money by evading government taxes? Have you earned by so Dharma, Artha; Kama means fulfilling desires which are in accordance with dharma this is also an objective of a human's life, we can't deny it; So, getting married is dharma, having progeny is also dharma getting a nice house constructed is also dharma, because when there will be a house then followers will come, sages and Mahatmas will arrive, the opportunity to serve will exist will sit in the company of Guru, will meditate, will sing in remembrance of the Lord, will contemplate upon Bani; isn't a roof required for all this to happen so desiring a good house isn't prohibited in any way, get a really nice house constructed; for, Gurudev says— such a house wherein you delve into remembrance of the Lord, isn't merely a house; it becomes a temple then and if you'll indulge in money and politics while being seated in a temple then, that temple would cease to remain a temple and would become a place of the evil ones so, no matter which religious place it is, be it a Gurudwara, a temple, or any religious place if by being in such a place, you are in remembrance of the Lord, then.. that too is sacred so, what we call as worldly desires like whatever is needed to be done for the sustenance and maintenance of the body, like when you'll feel cold then you would say- wear a shawl!; when you'll feel hot, you would say- I need a fan!; Now this desire for a fan or a shawl won't be the one that'll trap you in the world yes! but when you would say- I need a shahtoosh shawl I need a shawl of one of the endangered species so, this desire for a shawl doesn't remain simply a desire; It becomes that desire which will entrap you in the world out of greed desiring for food isn't a 'kaamna', wishing for water on feeling thirsty isn't a 'kaamna' but, I will particularly eat only this cuisine, I will eat particularly at this restaurant, I'll dine at the most expensive place, only then would my mind be contended so, this would be called a 'kaamna' but the fulfillment of needs can't be termed as 'kaamna' so, many times people think- we are working and running shops for 6 to 8 hours, so what are we doing the shops that you're running, the jobs that you are doing, what do you wish to do with the money earned from this job? Indulgence? or uniting the mind with Paramatman? it's the same money, the job and hardwork is the same; but what is your target? One person's target is- I shall earn money and show it off to others other person's target is- I shall earn money, fulfill my requirements and I shall save my time to sit down and do my sadhna (spiritual practices) so, earning money becomes a yagya, it becomes a dharmic work, going to the shop becomes a dharmic work, working on the job becomes a dharmic work so, sitting after cutting contact with the world is not dharma whatever responsibilities you have in the world..because nobody can live without doing any karma; any human, even if he goes to live in the jungle, he's also bound to feel hungry he would search for fruits, he would search for a tree laden with fruits, would look for water which is safe for drinking so, karma is being done by him also he might not have a strongly built house, but he is seated in some cave..and imagine a bear is already present in that cave like I was friends with a Sant who entered some cave, wherein a lion was already present so he said- 'I also sat in the corner, either both of us can stay together or you shall leave for you have already been staying here from many days, now let me stay here' what a phenomenal Mahatma so, a cave is needed; while somebody needs a cave, somebody else needs a room if cave isn't right, then even room isn't right; and if room is right, then that cave is also right A Mahatma isn't identifiable only because he lives in a cave, a Mahatma is known by the characteristic that his mind is great one person is he who keeps thinking of money throughout 24 hours, and the other person is he who says- 'I have worked for 6-8 hours, now I shall sit and be in remembrance of the Lord' so, 'kal mai har ko naam' Sadgur Ji lays great importance on the divine name 'har ko naam sada sukhdai ja kau simar ajamal udhario ganika hu gat payi'—this is also Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's shabad so, greatness of the Name has been highly emphasised, it is easy for the common man; it's easy to take that one name and then bring that name with love in your mind, in your heart, in your speech, you chant that mantra, you sing that mantra, you rejoice with a kirtan of that mantra you deeply imbibe that mantra in your mind; For, Guru Nanak lays emphasis on the sadhna of that word by doing 'shabd sadhna', mind can be brought to the state of meditativeness; by doing 'shabd sadhna', Anhad can be sought starting from 'naad', 'anahad' can be experienced now, Maharaj has elaborately expounded on this at other places, not here..so we will consider that much 'bhai naasan'- eradicates all my fears 'durmat haran'- removed my evil-mindedness; 'kal mai har ko naam'- in kaliyuga, there isn't medicine as great as the remembrance of the Name there isn't a support as great as the Name, there isn't a companion as great as the Name; hence, when the mind seems to break the mind feels scared, feels petrified, when the mind is tensed over something, then remember this Salok at that time— your fear can be eradicated only by meditating upon the Lord's name hence, as one will meditate upon that name methodologically and begin to imbibe it in his speech, in his mind, in his subconscious the mind will be devoid of fears; so, this becomes a formula, Maharaj is giving a formula this is kaliyuga, it isn't necessary that you would find a true Sant, it isn't necessary that you would meet Gurus, in whose company... in whose company you could be in remembrance of the Lord; so, make the divine name as your companion there is a shabad by Guru Nanak Dev Maharaj- 'I am a shop-keeper of the Lord, Your name is my merchandise and trade' I am a shop-keeper of the Lord's name, Gurudev has said this in a feminine emotion; and what is my business related to? My trade and business is the name of Lord What kind of business do I offer? I take your devout love of God and in exchange, I associate you to the name of Lord, name of Satgur so, 'harni hova ban basa kand mool chun khaoo', it's a beautiful shabad— that even if I were to live in a forest by becoming a deer, and eat fruits and roots but, I shall only meditate upon your name, while sitting and standing; I shall not do anything else so, on the path of Bhakti and the sages, this is a significant medium and that is meditating upon the Lord's name 'naam sadhna' not everybody will be able to understand Gyana; Brahman-vidya (the knowledge of Brahman) tends to be a little difficult at times either the one who is teaching isn't teaching properly or the listener does not have the adequate aptitude, in such a case Brahman-vidya will simply go over one's head in such a case, what is more natural and easier- that is Name of the Lord so, 'ram simar pachhtayega man ram simar, dharm raaj jab lekha maange kya muh laike jaayega man ram simar'—hence, Bani lays great emphasis on meditating upon the name of Lord so, let it always be seated in your mind, and always remember—whenever fear, worries come then be in remembrance of 'naam' 'jehbaa gun gobind bhajahu karan sunahu har naam, kahu nanak sun re mana pareh na jam kai dhaam' Gurudev is giving a methodology— sing glories of the Lord with your tongue 'karan sunahu har naam'- and keep listening to the name of Lord with your ears if you will follow this, then- O mind, you'll never go to 'jam' (means death) 'kai dhaam' (dhaam means home), you shall never enter the home of death then understand the point here 'Ram gayo ravan gayo jako bhau parvaar'- it will come as a part of these Saloks only but, here it is being said that such a being shall never enter the home of death but if we look at the past events so many Sant, Mahatma, Pir, Fakir, incarnations, all came and passed away; So, everybody died but here, it is being said that such beings won't get to see the home of death ever here, a deeper meaning comes out to be this that they have come out of the fear of death so, they aren't scared of death, because 'kaun mua re kaun mua Brahmgyani mil karo bichara eh toh chalat bhaya' (Who has died? O realised ones, meet together and contemplate this) they laugh over this, 'Dehi maati bole paun boojh re gyani mua hai kaun' the realised being, who has understood this, so would he be scared of death? Would he be afraid of death? Would he feel frightened on hearing the very name of death? Not at all! so, what is the way? Your tongue should keep singing the glories of Lord; with your ears, you should keep listening to the name of Lord so, the greatness of meditating upon the name of Lord, has been mentioned here 'jo praanee mamata tajai lobh moh ahankaar kahu nanak aapan tare auran let udhaar' now see, everybody sings in the remembrance of Gobind, to some extent to some extent, everybody does it; In the morning, somebody does it for maybe ten minutes or half an hour, somebody else might do it for an hour, and then again it's repeated in the afternoon and evening the ones who have to do it are anyway doing everything but still you don't receive the benefit which has been mentioned by Gurudev. Why? Because unless the sentient being has relinquished attachment, greed, ego the tongue, like a parrot, has simply started cramming up the name of Lord; Nothing is going to happen by doing this this is why, one Salok has a connectivity with the next Salok; Where he mentioned that 'sing glories of the Lord with your tongue', in the next Salok he says that 'the one who forsakes attachment, greed, ego' if you did not relinquish your ego 'I', I am the head, I am rich, I am a politician, I am mighty, I am powerful, he would twist his moustache and show it to others and even he would chant the Lord's name throughout the day, still nothing would happen it is quite dangerous this is why many times people say— read Bani, why do you have to understand it; because if you would start understanding it then you would come to terms with your own reality this is why they say— One isn't supposed to understand it Why? Maharaj wants us to remain foolish? Maharaj doesn't want us to become a Gyani? Is Maharaj not going to eradicate our ignorance? had this been true then in Sukhmani Sahib, why would Gurudev say- 'Gyan anjan gur diya agyan andher binas, har kirpa te sant bhetiya nanak man pargas' Gurudev is directly saying— wear this kohl of wisdom in the eyes of your mind dispel the darkness of ignorance but again the same thing if your karmas haven't been virtuous, then you would never receive the company of the sages he would become egotistical that he does his paath regularly, that he serves in Gurudwara, that he arranges Langars I wake up everyday at three in the morning, he would become egotistical of this also I had met a gentleman, who was saying- 'my speed has become so fast that I'm able to do Japji Sahib paath in exactly 7 minutes' so I asked- 'didn't you get an olympic medal for achieving this feat?' I asked- 'but why are you reciting it so quickly?' He said-'somebody had told me that you have to complete the path 1100 times everyday' so, I do the paath 200 times; 200 paath my wife completes I have 4 children, 200 times they recite it, my father-in-law and mother-in-law stay with me so they also join us so, in totality all of us complete 1100 paath everyday I said- 'big salutations to you! But had you read or understood the Bani of my Sri Gurudev Maharaj properly then, in the entire Sri Guru Granth Sahib Maharaj, if somebody can show a single line wherein it has been written that everyday one has to count this many times and complete that number of paath' these things have been created by people later on; do path, yes dear you should certainly do it why 1100, do it 2100 times instead; but atleast do it after understanding but if you will start understanding then you would feel the ground slipping from under your feet; Completed the paath but neither attachment, nor ego were renounced so, when these were not renounced then what will this sumiran done by you yield? Gurudev says that such a being who renounces illusion, attachment, greed, ego and is in remembrance of the Lord, gets liberated himself; 'auran' 'auran', this auran word is very... is a language of Prayagraj, 'auran let udhaar' Kabir Sahib also uses the same words, this style of the language...the same style is appearing here- 'auran let udhaar' pay attention, if I refer entirely to Punjabi, then it should have been- 'dusre da jeda uddhar kare' but Maharaj is saying- 'auran', not of others...'auran let udhaar'- he himself is liberated and also helps others get liberated Gurudev now, in the next Salok, Maharaj... what can be regarded as the pinnacle of Brahman-vidya (the knowledge of Brahman), Gurudev is saying that here; what the Upanishads say, it is that same thing and if you can digest, then kindly digest the fact that even Gita states the same thing 'jiau supanaa ar pekhanaa' the way you see a dream at night; 'pekhanaa' means to see the way you saw the dream in your sleep, 'aise jag kau jaan'- the world is just like that dream which was seen at night it was seen and it ended; you might see eight, ten or twenty dreams in one night, but when you wake up in the morning there's nothing! absolutely empty, you don't even remember them; Likewise, this world is that dream which you are seeing with your open eyes, but it's just like a dream 'pekhanaa', like when you say after seeing dreams at night, I saw this and that, this and that! similarly, in this world we say- I saw this and I saw that; but just like that dream is false, is a delusion, is an illusion in the same way is your world, it's a delusion, it's an illusion what is non-existent but is seen, that is called as 'maya' and Gurudev says— 'in mai kachh saacho nahee nanak bin bhagavaan', there's nothing true in it 'Brahman satyam jagat mithya jeevo brahmaiva naparah' (only Brahman is the true reality, and the world is untrue, and the jeeva is non-different from Brahman); this shlok of Sanskrit and this line that I am explaining right now, I don't see any difference between these two 'jiau supanaa ar pekhanaa aise jag kau jaan, in mai kachh saacho nahee nanak bin bhagavaan' except the Lord; now you'll say- Lord? Who is this Lord being mentioned here? Maharaj has already given the answer to this- 'Ik Onkaar Satgur Prasad'; This is Sidhhant Mantra and in Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib, this mantra has appeared 522 times Mool Mantra has appeared 33 times so, you try and understand that in 1430 ang, 522 times if it has appeared then, for the fifth Guru how dear to his heart it must be that after every two or three ang this mantra appears again- Ik Onkar Satgur Prasad...Ik the world considers 'two', hence in opposition to the word 'two', one was stated not many, it is one; Onkar means all-pervading, Sat means truth, Gur means the supreme conscious and Prasad means that which is Parmananda swaroop That is Bhagavaan That is Bhagavaan, That is Narayan, That is Rama; Any word can be taken up 'nis din maya kaarane praanee dolat neet' 'kotan mai nanak kouoo naarain jeh cheet' Gurudev is saying that if the sentient being considers this world to be a dream, then would he chase this dream? but what is the truth? The world appears as true to everybody; hence, everybody is running helter-skelter; take this, take that, accumulate this, accumulate that, save this much money, do this, do that the one who is running helter-skelter, 'praanee dolat neet' dolat means is afraid whether he will acquire that thing or not, this is why he goes to the astrologers and seers and asks- 'Please see... will I receive this thing or not, it could be anything- A,B,C,D I'm just keeping it like in a bracket you can fit into it whatever; Whatever you desire, the desire brings anguish when we desire something, then that desire brings with itself a worry, an anguish- whether it will be fulfilled or not now, the one whose mind has thousand thousand desires arising then, understand that thousand worries too have entered his mind Gurudev is saying the same thing- 'nis din maya kaarane praanee dolat neet' kotan means crores..'kotan mai nanak kouoo naarain jeh cheet', there would be one among millions who would be in remembrance of Lord, whose mind will get attuned with the Lord one among millions now, going a little backwards..these narratives date back to the 16th century when India's population wasn't this much, even the entire world's population wasn't so much at that time Maharaj is saying—one in millions and if we take today's count into consideration, then we would have to rephrase it as- one in a trillion would be in divine remembrance listen to this thing while taking care of your heart..though thousands of temples, mosques, gurudwaras have been built around the world, thousand places of worship have been constructed..they could probably be in lakhs or crores however relinquishing attachments and egotistical pride, and with dispassion, how many people remember the Lord? somebody says waheguru, somebody says rama, somebody says shiva, that's not the point, that's not the point which Guru Sahib is raising; Guru is saying— Does your mind hanker for things of this cosmic illusion or not? when your mind is hooked onto maya and it runs after maya, then how can you meditate upon that Lord, since the memories lying in your mind are regarding this only many times, I... feel this thing that whenever I visit some religious place and see the crowd, and everybody is paying salutations, they are doing paath, bowing their heads, giving offerings I really feel like asking them- 'what did you ask for?' so, if somebody wishes to open up his heart then he would surely tell must be asking for something of the world..either he would be asking of some worldly thing or asking for the guarantee that my thing shouldn't be taken away from me and one gentleman didn't ask for himself...with whom he had rivalry, that person should die quickly, he had gone to ask this thing he isn't concerned about what he receives, he is more concerned about the fact that if my competitor dies, then my competition would end he is asking for this it is an extremely tamasic thing to ask a mind that is filled with anger asks for pain to be inflicted upon others a mind filled with rajoguna desires for it's own pleasure and happiness—I should be fine, my kids should be fine, my parents should be fine; and what about rest of the world? he says- 'I have nothing to do with it' he has forgotten—'Nanak naam chardi kala, tere bhane sarbat da bhala' sarbat means everybody's, if I have asked and desired for everybody's well-being then after that, where is the need to apply separately for one's own desire that 'this is my wish, may it get fulfilled' 'mangana mangan neeka har jas gur te mangana' when will this human learn that if one has to ask then ask this- 'grant the capability O Lord so we may keep you in our remembrance' this capability, this love, this ardour, may these flames of your love arise in our heart, so that we are able to be in your divine remembrance but the one who is running after things of Maya...Gurdev says- 'kotan mai nanak kouoo', there would be one among millions, 'naarain jeh cheet' If being in remembrance of the Lord was this easy then all the people that you see at present, going to their religious places and remembering the Lord in their own way, then this entire world should have visibly been an abode of Paramatman but you are well aware..you know it better than me that Lord's abode is nowhere to be seen here; at times, quarrels are happening even at the places of the Lord actually, there also quarrels pertaining to 'maya' are happening Who remembers Paramatman? I knew a Mahatma who used to say that Paramatman must be crying in seclusion that my own human does not love me, does not desire to attain me, he comes to me only... Let's say that somebody comes to your house and says- 'kindly give us your car, we need it for a function, kindly give us your crockery, kindly give us your furniture' and you say- 'so, at what time are we supposed to reach at your function?' 'No, you aren't supposed to come but give us all this stuff.' how would it feel? at the Guru's abode, you ask the Guru to attain the world; you never ask Guru to attain Guru try thinking and try feeling how the Guru would be feeling..but the thing is our Guru, being king of the kings, hence.. he neither expects nor desires this; but he blesses us by giving the purest wisdom through these Saloks, that wake up O child- 'jiau supanaa ar pekhanaa aise jagg kau jaan' when you see the world with your open eyes, then it should be in your remembrance...I'm giving an evidence here from Sri Sukhmani Sahib— 'Mithia Tan Dhan Kutamb Sabaiaa, Mithia Haumey Mamta Maaia, Mithia Raaj Joban Dhan Maal, Mitha Kaam Krodh Bikraal (False is the body, the wealth, and all relations; False is the ego, attachments and Maya; False is the power, youth, wealth and possessions; false are the desires and raging anger) 'mithia' means that which is seen but in reality it is non-existent just like the dream which you saw at night; I am repeating that Salok again- 'jiau supanaa ar pekhanaa aise jag kau jaan, in mai kachh saacho nahee nanak bin bhagavaan' and 'nis din maya kaarane praanee dolat neet, kotan mai nanak kouoo naarain jeh cheet', may the strings of our heart get attuned with the Lord may there be honest sincerity in our love, in our prayer try having such a prayer, such an earnest prayer, that may we understand the reality of this cosmic illusion; Also, remember that, when I say 'sansaar' is an illusion, when Gurudev said- 'jiau supanaa ar pekhanaa aise jag kau jaan', then do remember that this body too is a part of this sansaar; so, not only this sansaar is false, the body through which you're living, too is false that too is maya, the mind through which you are trapped in this world, this too is maya generally what people say is- 'Yes, we have seen that the whole world is a lie, what can we do now'; This 'we' that you have saved all this while, it is time to destroy this 'we' you need to renounce this 'ham' which Maharaj has previously mentioned as 'haumai' 'jin maya taji', renouncing attachments and illusion might be... if we see it, can also be easy but relinquishing 'haumai' is difficult, understanding 'haumai' itself is very difficult a being might do everything but, unless the understanding of one's own reality is correct till then, he would keep doing 'hau' or 'me' and his whole life would pass in this very delusion, ignorance and illusion; So, through these Saloks Satgur Patshah is waking us up from our ignorance is showing us the way and he is giving us such techniques, and if we bring them into practice then certainly we would be able to attain the highest state of realising and knowing the true self, in this life itself you might think how is this possible? how is it possible that we'll be able to do this? But, I have extremely sincere faith in these words of Guru because when Guru says- 'Bhai praapt maanukh dehuria, gobind milan ki eh teri bariya'- the sole purpose of being bestowed with this life is to realise the supreme reality just like it's easy for a fan to move, for a bulb to give light; similarly, if you are in this human life, then it's easy to attain the supreme reality, how can it be difficult? when man-made technical things can work efficiently then your human body created by the Lord, which has been given to you to attain the reality..then how can that be difficult? 'gobind milan ki eh teri bariya, avar kaaj terai kitai na kaam, mil saadh sangat bhaj kaival naam' meditate upon the Lord, be in company of the sages, contemplate on the truth and if you will contemplate, then all the darkness of your ignorance lying within will get dispelled Let's keep it till here today
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