THE JEWEL OF HAPPINESS
The Sukhmani of Guru Arjan
a commentary by
AJAIB SINGH
Chapter 15
THE LOVE DUST OF THE SADHU
God has all power and He knows the pains of all.
By remembering Him, one gets liberated.
I sacrifice myself for Him, says Nanak.
In His teachings, Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj tells us that God is Almighty,
and He is full of all qualities; He doesn't lack anything; He is the
Owner of all things. Only by doing His Simran can we swim across this
ocean of the world. Guru Nanak Sahib also says, "Those who are spending
their days and nights in the sweet remembrance of God, I am ready to
sacrifice myself for the dust of their feet."
The Lord joins the broken strings;
He Himself nourishes all the souls.
God is the only One Who is nourishing the Creation and all the creatures
of the creation; He is the only One Who knows the pains and sufferings
of all the souls; and He is the only One Who takes care of them.
In His heart there is concern for all;
No one is rejected by Him.
God is concerned for everyone, whether one is a creature living on land,
or a creature living in water. There is nothing in this world without
God, as God is present everywhere; and God resides in all creatures.
Those who say that they protect themselves, that they take care of
themselves, only those whose inner eye is not open say that. But the
Mahatmas whose inner eyes are opened, they know that they are not the
ones who are protecting themselves, and they are not the ones who are
taking care of them. There is Someone else, some other Power Who is
protecting them and taking care of them. They know that whatever moving
illusion we see in front of us, there is some Power working behind it,
and there is some Power taking care of this whole creation. And Saints
and Mahatmas call that hidden Power the Almighty Lord.
O, my mind, always remember the Lord;
He is the imperishable One and all in all.
You should do the devotion of that Lord Who is indestructible and
immortal. And when we do the devotion of that immortal God and when we
become one with that immortal God, we will also become immortal. As God
is immortal - He never takes birth, He never dies - in the same way,
when we go and meet with Him, our soul will also become immortal; we
will never take birth, we will never die. We will become free from the
pains of birth and death.
Nothing happens by one's own efforts,
Although he may desire it hundreds of times.
Now Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj narrates from His own experience.
He says that no doubt we all desire the devotion of God, and we
all desire that we will meet God. And we all are trying to do that;
but unless God showers His grace on us, we cannot come in the company
of the Master, and we cannot do His devotion. No doubt everybody
is making an effort to meet God; but unless God is gracious on us,
we cannot come in the company of the Master, and cannot meet Him.
Nothing will be of any use to you except Him;
Nanak says, One gets liberation by meditating
on One Naam.
No matter how many repetitions you perform, or how many austerities
you may do, no matter how many donations you give, or virtuous deeds
you do, the benefit which you will get from doing all these good deeds
will not make you realize God, because realization lies only in the
devotion and meditation of Shabd Naam. It is not that all these good
deeds will not bear any fruit to you; they will definitely bear some
fruit, but they will not help you in realizing God. If you are doing
good deeds, if you are generously giving donations, or if you are
repeating the Name of the Lord, if you are performing austerities, or
visiting temples, you may get a better birth in the next lifetime; and
if you are poor in this lifetime, it is possible that because of your
good deeds, you may get birth in a rich family in the next lifetime.
If you are a beggar in this lifetime, you may come as a donor, and if
you are a sweeper in this lifetime, you may even come as a ruler of
that place. Whatever deeds you are doing, good or bad, you will
definitely get their fruit. But the fruit of these good deeds we are
doing will definitely not be God-realization. The only way to realize
God is by doing the meditation on Shabd Naam. That is why He says,
"Meditate on Shabd Naam if you want to realize God."
If one is handsome, he should not be proud of it,
As the light of God Shines within everybody.
If anyone thinks that by becoming more handsome he will attract the
attention of God, or by becoming more beautiful he will control God,
this is not possible. By the Light of God within us, we are beautiful
and handsome, and if we didn't have the Light of God within us we
would not have been so handsome or beautiful.
Why should one become proud if he is wealthy? -
Since all the wealth is given by Him.
No one should ever think that because he is rich he could realize God.
And no one should be proud of the wealth he has, because all the wealth
is given by God Himself.
If one is called a brave man,
What can he do without the power of God?
No one should be proud of his bravery; no one should ever think that
he is a great hero or a very brave man. All the bravery and heroism
he has is all because of the Light of God working in his body. If God
withdraws His Light from our body, our body becomes just like sand.
We are running here and there and doing these heroic deeds only because
of the presence of the Light of God in our body. If we didn't have the
Light of God, our body would not be useful.
If One becomes a donor
That soul should know that God is the giver of all.
If anyone becomes a donor and gives things to other people, before
becoming proud of being a donor, he should first think, "Who has
given me all the things I am giving to other people?" Everyone should
always think, "Did I bring knowledge with me when I came into this
world? Did I bring wealth when I came into this world? Did I bring
the power which I have now into this world? Who has given me all
these things? Only God Who brought me into this world has given me
all these things which I am giving to other people. So why be proud
of that? Why be proud of the things which are given by God?"
He whose disease of Egoism is removed
by the grace of the Master
Is always free from all disease, says Nanak.
We cannot do anything if God is not gracious on us. Without the help
of God, we cannot achieve anything. Those who remove the egoism
from within them, only they become one with God within. Those who
are free from ego, they are not envious of others; they have no
jealousy within them.
As a pillar supports the floor of a house
The Shabda of Master supports the mind.
Here Guru Sahib sings the glory of the Guru Shabda. He says that if
we want to make our house strong, we put in very strong pillars. In
the same way, what is the power which will make our mind steady,
which will control our mind and slow it down? That is the Shabda of
the Master. The Naam of the Master will make our mind slow down
and keep it steady and keep it in control.
As a stone put into a boat swims across,
A man gets liberated by clinging to Master's feet.
Just as a stone cannot float on the surface of the water by itself, but
if it is put in a boat, it can easily float on the water - in the same
way, no matter how many bad deeds we have done, if we come and take
shelter in the Master, and request Him, "Whatever we have done in the
past, please forgive us for that, and now for the future, please take
us in the shelter of Your company and liberate us" - when we make this
type of request from Master, He takes us in His shelter, and forgiving
all our past sins and deeds, He puts us on the way of the Truth, on
the way back to God. Because of our bad deeds, we are not able to swim
across the ocean of this world. But when we cling to the feet of the
Master, we can easily swim across the ocean of the world with His grace.
As a lamp brings light in the darkness
A man gets brightened on having the darshan of Master.
If there is a dark room, and we burn a lamp there, that room becomes
full of light, and we become very happy. In the same way, if there is
any darkness within any dear one, when he sees the Light, when he
has the darshan of His Master within, he also becomes very happy,
as if the room has become full of light.
Guru Nanak Sahib says, "The happiness which one gets from the
darshan of the Master cannot be described in words."
As one finds his way in a great wilderness
The divine light is manifested by joining
the Sangat of Sadhus.
If anyone goes into the forest and loses his way there, but if he comes
across any person who knows the way, and if he is put on the way by
that person, he can easily get to his destination. In the same way, we
are also lost ones in this world, and we don't have any knowledge about
the Light of God. But Masters, because they have come from the Light
and they know about Light, when they make us acquainted with the Light
and put us on the way of the Light, we can easily get to our destination.
But we cannot get the knowledge of that Light unless we come in the
company of the Master.
I want the dust of the feet of such Saints.
O God, fulfill this desire, says Nanak.
Guru Nanak Sahib says, "Fortunate am I to get such Saints by meeting
Whom one can get the Light manifested within; I always have the desire
that if I meet such Saints, I will wash Their feet and drink that water;
and I am always ready to sacrifice myself on such Saints."
O foolish mind, why do you weep?
We get things according to our destiny.
Now Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says, "O foolish mind, why are you
worrying for yourself day and night; why are you involved in anxiety?
You will get only what is written in your fate. Whatever is in the Will
of God, you will obtain only that."
Saints do not mean to say that you should throw away all your tools
and not work, as you will only get what is written in your fate. They
mean to say that whatever is written in the Will of God and whatever is
written in your fate, you will get that. But even to obtain that, you
have to work hard; you should always make efforts from your side.
God is the giver of pains and happiness.
Abandon others and remember Him.
If pain comes, that is in the Will of God; if happiness comes, that
also is in the Will of God. So we should rise above pains and happiness
and do the devotion of God.
Take it with joy, whatever He does.
O ignorant man, why do you wander astray?
Whatever is happening in the Will of God, you should be happy in that;
you should always accept all happenings as the Will of God. Why are
you blaming God for whatever He is doing to you? Whatever is happening,
that all is happening within the Will of God. And whatever God is doing,
that is all for the good of the souls; because only God knows what is
good or bad for the souls, and whatever He does for any of us is
ultimately good. So why are you blaming Him?
Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj, Whose writings we are reading now,
was tortured to death by the orthodox people; in Lahore He was made
to sit on hot coals while hot sand was thrown on his head. When Mian
Mir, one of His disciples, came to know that Guru Arjan Dev, a real
Saint, was being tortured in Lahore, he went there. And when he saw
that Guru Arjan Dev was being made to sit on the hot coals, he asked
Him, "Guru Dev, what is this? What is happening? Allow me, and I will
raze the city of Lahore to the ground." But Guru Arjan Dev replied,
"Mian Mir, I also can do that. But this is all happening in the Will
of God. And I like the Will of God; it is very sweet for me." Then
He said, "O Lord, Your Will is sweet, and I like it. And Nanak
always requests and prays for the gift of Naam." Guru Arjan Dev was
the abode of peace, and that is why He did not do anything against
the Will of God. Even though He was tortured to death, still He
accepted it as the Will of God.
What things came with you,
That you are attached to them like a greedy moth?
Just think, when you came into this world, when you were born, what
came with you? Did your mother come with you? Or did your father
come with you? Did your relatives come with you? Wealth, pride,
honor - all these things which you have now, did all these things come
with you? And the things to which you are attached now, did they come
with you when you were born? What will go with you when you leave
this world? Just think what will help you when you leave this world.
In your heart repeat the Naam of the Lord.
And go to the real Home with honor, says Nanak.
If you want to be honored, do the meditation on Shabd Naam; because
this is the only thing which will go with us when we leave this world
and go back to our Home. Nothing else from this world will accompany us.
The merchandise which you came into this world
to obtain
Is the Naam of the Lord which can be found
in the home of Saints.
The merchandise for which you have come into this world is the
merchandise of Naam. Where will you get that? You will get that only
from the shops of the Saints; only from the Saints will you get the
wealth of Naam.
Give up egoism and trade your mind for God's Naam.
And then weigh the Naam of the Lord in your heart.
If you want to get benefit from the Saints, you can get that only by
having humility within, and only by becoming poor (humble) in front
of Them. There is no other way that you can gain Their pleasure and
get benefit from Them. If you don't have humility within, if you don't
always go and request Them and if you don't obey Them, you will not
be able to get any benefit from Them, as humility is the only way by
which you can gain the pleasure of the Master and then get benefited
from Him.
Kabir Sahib says, "One should never give up the company of the
Saint. We should always walk on the Path which is shown to us by
the Saint; because as soon as we see the Saint, we become holy, and
when we accompany Him on the Path, He makes us meditate on Naam
and get liberation."
Load the merchandise of Naam and go with the Saints
And abandon all other deadly evil entanglements.
What is the merchandise or wealth which will liberate you from this
world? The merchandise or wealth of Naam is the only thing which will
liberate you from this world. So give up the company of the worldly
pleasures, and do the devotion of Shabd Naam.
Everyone will honor you
And your face will be brightened in the court
of the Lord.
If we do the meditation on Shabd Naam, not only do we get glorified
and honored in this world, but we also get honored in the court of God
when we go there.
Such trade is done by rare traders.
Nanak says, I sacrifice myself to Him.
One Saint says that even if one does the devotion of the Lord in the
world below, he will not remain hidden; he will get manifested in all
the three worlds.
Rare are those who do the merchandise of Naam - as only a few people
do the business of diamonds and gems. But you will find many people doing
the business of shells and useless things. In the same way, you will find
many people who are dealing in the worldly pleasures, but you will find
only a few who are dealing in the merchandise of Naam.
Wash the feet of the Guru and drink that water.
Sacrifice your soul to the Guru.
Now in this section Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj talks about the
importance of the Sadhu or the Saint. He says that we should always have
respect and appreciation for the Sadhu, and whenever we come across
any Sadhu we should sacrifice our mind and body and wealth and everything
for Him -because one who has sacrificed himself for the Sadhu, he has
sacrificed himself for God.
Saints do not let anybody wash their feet and drink that water, but
Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says that if we get the opportunity of doing
that, we should take advantage of it. When I went to Bombay, a couple
came to me, bringing a silver plate, and they wanted to wash my feet and
have that water. But I lovingly told them No. I appreciated their love,
but I didn't allow them that. But Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says that if,
by chance, we get the opportunity of doing that, we should not let that
opportunity go by without utilizing it; we should definitely take
advantage of it, because it will bring a lot of good to us if we can do
that.
In Bombay the dear ones are so very loving that whenever they come
to see me they lie down flat on the ground and try to kiss my feet or
they rub their forehead on my feet and things like that. They are
expressing their love for God. You see, there are hundreds of thousands
of people in Bombay, but not everybody is doing that. Only a few people
have the opportunity to do that because that is the grace of God. God
has given them the opportunity to share their love which they have for
God. But not many people have that opportunity.
Bathe yourself in the love dust of the Sadhu.
Become a sacrifice to the Sadhu.
If we get the dust on which the Saint or the Sadh has walked, we should
mix that in our bathing water and bathe with that water. And if we do
that, millions of our sins are removed, just by doing that. Kabir Sahib
says that when we go to see the Sadhu we should not look behind and not
worry about the things behind (the past). Whatever is going to happen,
that will happen, but we should go and make our future. That is why
Guru Sahib says, "Sacrifice yourself on the Sadhu. That is good for you."
The seva of Sadhu is obtained through good luck.
Sing the praise of the Lord in the company of Sadhus.
We can serve the Sadhu only if we are very fortunate ones, or if God is
gracious on us. If we don't have good fortune and if God is not gracious
on us, no matter how much we try, still we cannot serve the Sadhu. If God
is not gracious on us but still we come in the service of the Sadhu, then
what happens? Later on Negative Power sits within us and starts bringing
evil, and then we start thinking, "The work of this Master is going on
only because I am here and only because I am working for Him; otherwise
He cannot do His work." Instead of being grateful for that opportunity
and praying for more grace of God, we start thinking like that and in
that way, whatever benefit we have gained from serving the Master, we
lose all. Guru Nanak Sahib says, "The wealth which we can earn by serving
the Master, that cannot be earned by performing austerities and repeating
the Names and going on pilgrimages and doing all those good deeds. I
have taken refuge in the Master and, O Lord, always grant me the company
of the Saint."
The Sadhu protects the devotees from many difficulties.
And they taste the nectar by singing praises of God.
Many problems come in life, and many pains, but if we are in the company,
the refuge, of the Saint, the Saint always casts His gracious sight on
us, and He always extends physical help. Master Power always helps up to
a certain extent, whatever is necessary, in the pains and problems of
the disciples. In the Bhajan I usually sing, "O Master Kirpal! I will
not find even one like You, but You will find thousands like me." Because
thousands of people cannot make one Master, but one Master can make
thousands of people in his Sangat. Wherever a Master will go and live,
He will form the Sangat, but a Sangat cannot make a Master.
He who takes refuge in the Saints
Obtains all comforts, says Nanak.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says, "After abandoning all the support of the
world, now I have taken the support of the Master, I have come in His
refuge. And because I have taken refuge in the Master I have got this
supreme joy, supreme happiness." An4 the supreme joy is when our soul
becomes happy.
God is competent to restore life to the dead.
He gives the Lord's support to the hungry ones.
Now in this hymn, Guru Arjan Dev Ji sings the glory of God. He says,
"See how God is protecting us everywhere." Before a child is born, he
is just a piece of flesh in the mother's womb. He is not able to move
himself, he is not able to do any job, he is not able to do anything.
But when God puts His soul in that piece of flesh, that piece of flesh
starts moving. And see how God has arranged to supply food and
everything there, even in the mother's womb, and how He nourishes
that baby in the mother's womb.
All treasures are in His sight.
But all men obtain only what is written
in their fate.
All the riches and pleasures of this world are in God's control and God
Himself owns all things. But we cannot get more than what is written
in our fate. Whatever is written in our fate according to our past deeds,
we will get only that much from the treasure which God has.
Everything belongs to Him and He is Omnipotent.
There neither has been nor will ever be anyone
except Him.
There is only one God Who has created all Creation, and there is no
other power that we can say is equal to God or like God. God is the
unique One and He is the only One Who has created this Creation.
Right now in this present age, science has progressed a lot, but up
to now nobody has made a human being, whether from four elements or from
six elements. God has made the human body of five elements but the
scientists have not been able to make the human form of any number of
elements. You see how much doctors have progressed, how much comfort they
give to the person who is suffering: But when the time of death comes, at
that time even the doctors cannot help; even the doctors say, "Now this
is not in our hands." Kabir Sahib says that the doctor tells us, "I can
give only medicine, but life and death are in the hands of God. This life
is God's; whenever He wants, He can take it. I cannot do anything in that."
Whenever the end time comes, even the doctors give up and go away.
O man, repeat this Naam always day and night.
This is the most sacred and high deed.
He says that, whether walking or sitting, standing or lying down, talking
or doing anything, you should do the meditation of Shabd Naam; because
this is the highest and purest of all actions.
He to whom God graciously gave His Naam
Becomes pure, says Nanak.
Those to whom the Masters have graciously given Initiation into Shabd
Naam, only those souls are pure and high souls, and only those people
are able to take their souls and make them one with God.
He in whose heart dwells faith in the Master
He remembers God in his heart.
When we get Initiation, after that, if faith for the Master comes within,
then such a dear one can easily realize God, because there is no difference
between the Master and God, they both are one and the same thing. And when
a dear one has that faith, then he can easily realize God.
He is honored as a devotee in the three worlds
In whose heart resides the One God.
He says, "In whose heart that one unique God resides and in whose heart
lies devotion for only one Master, he gets honor in all the three worlds."
And even after they leave this world, they are honored and respected by
the people, and are called true Saints and true devotees of God.
His deeds are True
Truth resides in His heart as he speaks Truth.
Such a Mahatma within whom Naam is manifested, whatever He speaks, that
is truth, and whatever He does, that also is truth. Whatever are His words,
His deeds are also like them. Whatever He is from outside, from inside also
He is like that. This means that He is always doing good to the people,
and however He is seen from outside, He is also like that within.
His sight becomes True and He sees only one True form
- in everyone.
He believes Truth pervades everywhere.
In His sight, as He has respect and appreciation for the man, in the
same way He has the same type of appreciation and respect for the woman.
He has no sense of duality; for Him, everybody is alike. Whatever He says,
from within also, He is living that. He doesn't do good and true things
only for showing to the people; whatever He does, that all comes from His
heart. His way is Truth.
He who understands that the Supreme One is True
Will be absorbed in Him, says Nanak.
He says that the one who meets the Mahatma and after getting knowledge
from Him, does the devotion of God, who realizes God and sees Him
manifested everywhere, and who has complete faith in the Master and God,
only he becomes one with God, and only he absorbs himself into God. So
according to Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj's saying, we also should develop
faith for the Master within, and after taking Initiation into Naam, should
meditate on It. And giving up the false, unreal things, we should cleave
to the truth, and always be truthful, and in that way make our lives
successful.
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