THE JEWEL OF HAPPINESS
The Sukhmani of Guru Arjan
a commentary by
AJAIB SINGH
Chapter 3
THE GLORY OF THE NAAM
I have searched through and examined many
Shastras and Simritis -
Nanak says, Nothing is equal to the Naam of God.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji is lovingly explaining to us that we cannot realize
God by reading the Vedas or other holy scriptures, because as He says,
"I have gone through the four Vedas, eighteen Puranas and twenty-seven
Simritis - all these holy scriptures of the Hindu religion. I have gone
through them all, and after searching for God in them I have come to
this conclusion: that by reading these books one cannot realize God.
And there is nothing in this world which is equal to Naam" - because
Naam is a precious thing and without doing meditation on Naam we cannot
realize God no matter how many books we read.
Guru Nanak says that all the Vedas and holy scriptures keep the soul
extroverted in the world; but the Master or the God of Nanak is within,
and is not dependent on any holy scriptures.
Kabir Sahib also says, "Oh brother, by reading these Vedas and other
holy scriptures, you cannot become worryless." He says that you cannot
remove the worry or the fear of the angel of death, and you cannot be
sure after reading the books that you will become free from the angel
of death.
Tulsi Sahib also says that even though one has read all these holy
scriptures one has forgotten the origin, which is God. And if one is
not practicing the real Shabd and going in the company of the Master,
his condition is like the bird who imitates other birds but doesn't
have anything of its own.
Once a learned man came to Kabir Sahib to argue and debate on
the holy books. But Kabir Sahib was not at home and that learned man
met Kabir's daughter Karnali. When he asked her which was the house
of Kabir, she replied, "Oh intellectual man, what do you think - that
Kabir is a man? Kabir lives in the heavens where not even an ant can
take its body, and you have come with a bullock cart loaded with books?
You cannot get there that way!"
Now what are these Vedas, Shastras and various holy scriptures
which are before us? When past Masters came into this world, whatever
experiences They had, whatever They had to go through, whatever efforts
They made to realize God, whatever came in Their way, They recorded in
the form of a book. Now we take those experiences of the past Masters
as a guide for our own self; but just by reading those books we cannot
reach any inner plane nor get any peace of mind, even though the books
tell us how: reading the books is not enough - unless we also do what
the books say.
If someone wants to go to America, and he finds a guide book in
which everything is written: how to get a flight to America, which
flights go, whether he has to change planes in Rome or England or
Germany, and everything else necessary - and if he just goes on reading
that book and does not work according to its instructions: if he doesn't
go to the airline people and buy the ticket and get on the flight to
America, he cannot experience America only by reading that guide book.
In the same way, if we go on reading holy books, including books
written by the Master, without working and molding our lives according
to what is written in those books, we cannot reach our destination, no
matter with how much love we read them.
But our condition is just as Master Sawan Singh Ji used to say: "We
people like to sing songs for other people's weddings, but we are not
interested in getting married ourselves. We are happy when we see people
getting married, but we do not want to get married. What is the use of
doing that? We cannot get the real happiness of marriage unless we get
married." In the same way we read the experiences of the past Masters
and what They have attained, and we sing Their praises and say that They
were very great Masters. But we do not want to change our life according
to what They have done; we do not want to do what the Masters tell us to
do in order to realize God. So what can we gain by reading the books if
we are not working in accordance with what the Masters have done?
Masters don't mean to say that reading is bad. It is not bad, it is
good. But it is very important to work on what you read. Just reading
will not do anything.
Guru Nanak says, "By reading you will get no peace. If you don't
believe me, go ask a priest or bishop or pundit. You will find that they
have not found peace from reading books."
Master Sawan Singh Ji used to tell about Ravana who was a great
critical scholar: he commented on the four Vedas of the Hindu religion,
and up until now nobody has written a better Vedic commentary. But even
so, he had no peace of mind.
Japa, Tapa, Knowledge and traditional meditation;
Commenting on the six Shastras and the Simritis -
It does not matter if one is involved in performing the austerities (tapa),
or doing the repetition of the names of gods or goddesses, there is still
no practice in the world as useful as the meditation of Naam.
The practice of yoga and performance of religious rites,
Abandoning all and wandering in the forests -
No matter if one is doing Yoga practices, or if one has left his home
and family and gone into the forest, and is suffering, still it is useless.
No matter if one makes many efforts -
Even if one donates diamonds and rubies -
No matter how much one donates-even diamonds and rubies - still one
cannot say that that is equal to the meditation of Naam.
Guru Nanak Sahib says, "I have examined everything, I have experienced
much, and I have come to this conclusion: that there is nothing equal to
Naam."
No matter if one cuts and burns his body,
Observes fasts, and performs regular practices -
No matter if one allows his body to burn in the fire, no matter how
much one fasts and gives pain to his body, it cannot be said that it is
equal to Naam.
- None of this is equal to the contemplation of the Naam
of God.
Nanak says, Meditate on Gurumukh Naam.
Nothing in this world can be compared with Naam. And that is why we
should utilize this golden opportunity which we have been given - of
being in the human body - because only in the human body can we do the
devotion of Naam.
Every creature gets the knowledge of pain and pleasure without
teaching. Everybody is aware of pain and pleasure; but not everybody in
this creation is aware of, and capable of doing, the devotion of Naam.
Human beings are the only creatures who can do the devotion of Naam.
Kabir Sahib says, "Oh man, when you get four legs and you have no
tongue to speak with, in that body how will you sing the praise of God?
When you will be beaten always, whether you are sitting or standing, how
will you sing the praise of God? When you are pulling a plough and your
nose is being torn by a rope, how will you do the devotion of God? If you
will not obey the words of the beloved of God, then you will have to
suffer according to your own actions."
If one wanders through the nine continents
of the earth and lives forever,
And becomes ascetic and detached -
Some people think that by going around the world on pilgrimages and
visiting the places of the past Masters, they will find peace; and they
think that they are doing the devotion of God by visiting the places
of the past Masters. But Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says, "No matter
if one goes around the nine sections of this creation - no matter if
one goes sightseeing all over the world - still he will not get any peace
of mind if he is not doing the devotion of God." Many people think that
by visiting holy places and meeting more people, they are doing the
devotion of God and they will come near Him. But that is not true.
The more we go into the world, and the more people we meet, the farther
we get from God: because our attention will be scattered and we will
have many more thoughts because of our many contacts. Instead of coming
nearer to God, we will be going away from Him. That is why Masters
always say to remain in the world in such a way that you are not
scattered in the world.
If one burn himself in fire and donates gold,
horses and land -
If one performs Neoli Karm and other Yogic practices,
and practices the path of control as the Jains do -
No matter if one performs all the practices of the yogis, no matter if
one observes all the rites and rituals of the Jain religion, still, we
cannot say that by doing that he will realize God.
If one lets his body be cut into pieces -
Even then the filth of ego will not go.
No matter if one allows his body to be cut into little pieces, and no
matter if he says, "I am the devotee of the Lord and I will not feel any
pain even if you cut my body" - but still, in this way, we cannot become
free of the ego. Still the dirt of ego will remain in our mind, even
though we sacrifice so much in the Name of God.
What is egoism? When one thinks, "I am a learned man! Nobody is equal
to me," and "I am the only scholar in the world," and like that - anything
we think in which the sense of I-hood comes, that is all egoism.
Guru Nanak has called the disease of egoism the worst disease. He
has said that it is a sweet disease which is incurable, and many people
are suffering from it. He says, "This egoism is a very dangerous disease
and wherever I look, I find that everybody has its pain. Only one who is
practicing the Shabd, and one on whom the Master is gracious, can become
free from this disease of egoism."
Nothing is equal to the Naam of the Lord.
Nanak says, By meditating on the Naam given by the
Gurumukh one reaches his destination.
There is nothing in this world which we can say is equal to the meditation
of Naam. Only those who meditate on Naam get high status, and only those
who merge themselves into Naam get liberation.
A man may desire to leave his body at a place
of pilgrimage -
The pride and arrogance will not leave his mind.
In the olden days in India, people believed that if they left the body
in some holy place they would definitely go to heaven. But Guru Arjan
Dev Ji Maharaj says here that no matter if you spend a lot of time
going on pilgrimages, and in your old age you make a holy place your
home, and you die at that place: still the dirt of your egoism cannot
be washed away if you are not doing the meditation of Naam. Just by
taking your body into a holy place, you cannot be free of ego.
Kabir Sahib also says: "You may go and make your home on the bank
of the River Ganges, and you may drink holy water forever; without
doing the devotion of the Name of the Lord, you cannot be liberated."
Even if one takes baths day and night,
Still the filth of mind will not leave the body.
No matter if you go on bathing in holy waters, day and night, still you
won't be able to remove the dirt of your mind. You may remove the dirt
of your body by bathing in holy waters; but as far as removing the dirt
of the mind is concerned, you cannot get rid of that unless you do the
devotion of Naam.
In Jap Ji, Guru Nanak says, "If your hands and feet are dirty, are
muddy, you can remove that dirt and mud by washing them in water.
If your clothes have become dirty, by blood and other dirt, you can
remove that dirt by using detergent and other soap. But if you are dirty
within, if your heart is impure, you can remove that dirt or impurity
from your heart only by using the soap of Naam."
Even if one makes his body do many practices,
Still the poison will not abandon the mind.
No matter how much you try, you won't be able to purify your inner
self by purifying your outer body. No outer purification will purify
your inner self, which is full of all the dirty thoughts and impurities
of the mind.
Guru Nanak says, "Our mind has become dirty because it has been
picking up dirt from ages and ages - from our many past births - and
unless we wash it with the soap of Naam, we cannot get rid of that
dirt." The condition of our mind is just like the condition of a piece
of cloth that has been used by an oil merchant. If the oil merchant tries
to clean that cloth which is saturated with grease or oil, he cannot. He
may wash it a hundred times, but he will never be able to bring the
brightness out from that dirty cloth. In the same way, we cannot purify
our mind no matter how much we try, just by purifying our body. Unless
we go within and apply the soap of Naam, we cannot remove the dirt of
our mind.
Even if one washes his body with a lot of water-
How can a muddy well become beautiful?
The glory of Naam is very great; the value of Naam is very high. But
only those who have absorbed themselves and merged with the Naam, only
they have a real appreciation of Its glory. By doing the devotion
of Naam, one can attain the highest position possible and one can be
liberated from this world.
Even if one is very clever the fear of Yama is there,
No matter how many efforts, the thirst is not quenched.
Even if one is clever or wise, still he cannot become free from the fear
of death; he cannot become free from the angels of death. No matter how
many outer practices we are performing, still we cannot get rid of our
desires. And as long as we are involved in our desires, we cannot go
within and realize God.
Once one dear one came to his Master, and the Master became very
pleased with him; He gave him four candles and told him, "Burn one
candle and go in one direction. When the candle goes out, dig at that
place. Be contented with whatever you find there: don't go in any other
direction. But if you do go in another direction, don't go in the third
direction. And even if you have to go in the third direction, never go
in the fourth direction." So when the dear one went home he burnt one
candle and he went in one direction. When the candle went out, he dug
there and he found some rupees and some relatively valuable things. But
that dear one was not content; even though his Master had told him not
to go in another direction, still he said, "If I have got rupees and
other things in this place, let me go and see what there is in the next
direction."
So he burnt another candle and went in another direction. When the
candle burnt out, he dug at that place and he got some dollars and more
valuable items. He became very happy and desire was growing within him.
He said, "Master told me not to come to this place because He knew that
there was more valuable treasure here, and that's why he didn't want me
to come and get it! Maybe he has kept even more valuable things in the
third direction, so let me go and get that!" Desire was growing within
him.
So obeying his mind, he went in the third direction where he
discovered some jewels and very valuable things. He was very happy, and
the desire was again growing. He said, "All right: Let me go and try
in the fourth direction also, so I can get more wealth there." Even
though he had a lot of wealth already from going in the three
directions, still he was not content: because desire is such a thing
that if you have a hundred, you want a thousand; if you have a thousand,
you want ten thousand. It goes on increasing and increasing. So he burnt
his fourth candle also and he forgot what his Master had told him. He
went in the fourth direction and when the candle burnt out he dug there.
And when he went underground he found a house with one door. When he
went in the house he saw a man standing there holding up the roof with
his head; and that man looked very confused and very tired. But this
dear one, who was an initiate of a Master and had gone there in search
of wealth, said, "Dear one, please tell me, is there any treasure here
at this place?" That man said, "Yes, there is a lot of wealth here. But
I cannot tell you where it is hidden because I have this burden of the
roof on my head. If you can help share this burden -if you will come and
take my place - I will become free and I will tell you where the treasure
is hidden." That man was concerned only about his desire for getting
more wealth; he didn't realize that he was being fooled. So he took the
place of that man - who knows how long he had been standing there? -
and when he became free, he said, "Yes, there is a lot of wealth here;
but you will get it when somebody like you comes and relieves you."
So desire is such a thing that it never comes to an end, it just
goes on increasing and increasing. Guru Nanak says that even if you
collect millions and billions, still your mind will want more.
It is the desires of man which keep him forever a pauper. Guru
Nanak says, "One who does not have any desire is an Emperor."
Even by adopting various garbs the fire
will not be extinguished.
Even by doing millions of other practices
one will not be honored in the Court of God.
Now Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj talks about those people who take up a
particular kind of clothing, and those who pretend that they have
realized God and that they are the real devotees of God. In India many
people start wearing certain kinds of clothes - yellow clothes, blue
clothes - and they say that they are doing the devotion of the Lord.
By wearing such clothes one cannot find God. Instead of finding God
he goes away from God: because when he wears certain clothes and
people see that he is "a devotee of the Lord," he gets more egoism
within and he thinks that he is better than other people.
Kabir Sahib says, "Oh man, just to awe the people and create a good
impression on them, you have taken up these colored clothes. Without
working you are begging for food and you are eating the food of others.
And yet, you are called Baba, " (or holy man).
Guru Gobind Singh Ji says, "To make a good impression on people
you have taken up these colored clothes; and you tell them that you
are a real devotee of the Lord. But when your end time comes then you
will be cut into pieces and will make Hell your abode, and then you
will realize how bad it is to pretend to be a devotee of God when
you are not."
Guru Nanak says that the people who are imitating, the false holy
people, are always afraid of the world. They are always careful that
people should not discover that they are imitators and not real ones.
Therefore they are unable to do any devotion of the Lord. If you want
to kill a snake, and you smash the place where the snake is living when
the snake is not there, you cannot say that you have killed the snake.
You have to smash the place of the snake when the snake is home. This
means that you have to control your mind, you have to control the bad
thoughts of your mind, when you are in your full senses. But if you
don't have the guidance of the Master, whatever practices you are
doing - whether it is imitating a Saint, or performing anything - you
cannot have any benefit from them; because without the guidance and
protection of a perfect Master, you don't have anyone responsible for
your good or bad actions. So unless you have the guidance of a perfect
Master, you cannot get any benefit from any kind of practice which you
are doing, thinking that it is the devotion of God.
Even if one travels to the sky and below the world
he will not be liberated;
He will be entangled more in the net of Maya.
In order to get liberation from this world and become detached from
this world, it makes no difference if one lives under the earth, or if
he makes his home in the sky - if he is not free from all his desires,
he cannot become detached from this world. Why? When a man leaves the
body, he has not yet accomplished all his desires. There is always one
or another desire left which is not fulfilled. Wherever you are
attached, there you go. So, according to our desires which are not
fulfilled, and according to wherever we are attached, we have to come
back into this world again to pay off our debts. So it does not matter
if we physically leave this world, but if we have not left the
attachments of this world - our thoughts and our desires - we cannot
be liberated.
For all other actions one is punished by Yama.
He (Yama) does not respect anything except
the devotion of God.
It does not matter if a man is performing many good deeds; if he is
not doing the devotion of Naam, no action of his is counted in the court
of the Lord. He doesn't get even a little bit of benefit from doing
practices other than Naam. Only the devotion of Naam is counted; only
that devotion is acceptable in the court of the Lord.
Kal does not spare those who are not doing the devotion of Naam:
he gives them a lot of suffering. But those who are doing the devotion
of Naam are treated with respect by the angels of death.
By meditating on the Naam of God
all the pain vanishes.
Nanak says, This is the State of Sahaj.
Even if one becomes the King of all creation, still, if he is not doing
the devotion of Naam, he cannot be happy. So very lovingly, in this
section of Sukhmani, the Master has explained to us the glory of Naam.
He told us that we cannot get Naam unless we go into the company of a
perfect Master, and that unless we go and sit in the Satsang we cannot
become aware of our faults. Whenever a soul is sitting in the
meditation of Shabd Naam and whenever he is doing even a little bit
of Simran, his attendance is marked in the Court of the Lord.
If anyone wants the four boons,
he should do the seva of the Sadhu.
It is said that if one gets to heaven, he gets four boons: religion
(dharma), material things (artha), the fulfillment of his desires (kama),
and liberation (moksha). And it is said that one who has these four is
the greatest of all. One who is the owner of these four doesn't have to
have anything else: he is understood to be the greatest in this world.
But Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says that if you go in the company
of some perfect Sadhus and if - by God's Grace - it happens that you
may get the guidance of such a perfect Master, then you can have the
fruit of these four boons without going to heaven.
If anyone wants to finish the pain, he should
always chant God's Naam in his heart.
The greatest pain is the pain of birth and death; but there are many
other pains and difficulties in household life. Sometimes it is very
difficult for us to breathe happily, because this world is full of misery
and pain.
Tulsi Sahib says, "Some are unhappy because of their body, some
are unhappy because of their mind, and they always remain sad. Everyone
has one or another pain and unhappiness. But only the servant of the
Saint is without sadness; only he remains happy."
If you want to have real peace and happiness, if you want to rise
above the pain of births and deaths, what should you do? You should
do the meditation of Shabd Naam, because that is the only way to get
real happiness.
If anyone wants glory, he should leave his egoism
in the company of the Saints.
In order to get worldly fame or glory, we sacrifice our precious
principles and forget about them, because we want the worldly name and
fame and we want people to remember us. But the pity is that even though
we collect so much worldly name and fame, still it doesn't help us -
because we cannot take it with us when we leave this world. But what is
the real glory and the real name and fame? Guru Arjan says that you
should try to earn the real glory which will help you in the court of
the Lord. How can you do that? He says, "Go in the company of the
Master. And when you go in His company, remove the wall of ego which
is standing between you and God. If you remove that wall which is
between you and the Master, only then will you be able to earn the
real glory which will help you in the court of the Lord."
If anyone is afraid of birth and death, he should
take the company of a Perfect Saint.
If there is any medicine in this world to remove the pain of birth and
death, it is Naam. And we can achieve that Naam only after going in
the company of a perfect Sadhu; we can get Naam only from Him.
If there is anyone who is thirsty for God's darshan,
Nanak sacrifices Himself for him.
Kabir Sahib says, "If I could find anyone who remembers the Lord even
in his dreams, I am ready to make sandals out of the skin of my body
for his feet. He who remembers the name of the Lord even when
sleeping and dreaming is always in love with the Lord. That is why I
will be happy to make shoes out of my skin for such a dear one who
remembers the Lord day and night."
Guru Nanak says, "I sacrifice myself on those souls who have
achieved Naam in this Kali Yuga." That is why here also Guru Sahib
says, "I am ready to lay down my life for those who have love for God
within themselves and those who are thirsty for His darshan."
One whose pride is erased by going in the company
of the Sadhs,
He is the foremost among all men.
Who is the greatest among all the species of this creation? The one who
removes the wall of ego from within himself, who meditates on Naam and
goes within, and who contacts Naam: only he can be called the greatest
of all.
He who understands himself as a low one,
Is counted as the greatest of all.
The one who understands himself as a low one, even after receiving so
much grace from the Lord, and even after attaining the highest position -
he is the greatest of all because he is respected in the Home of the Lord.
Kabir Sahib says that it is easy to give up the attachment of gold, and
it is easy to give up the attachment of woman also. But it is not that
easy to give up jealousy, criticism and egoism.
Humility does not mean to speak humble words outwardly in order to
receive the praise of others. "Now I have left the world; now I don't
have any connections with the world; now I have completely become of
Master" - things like that. Real humility means that your heart will
be low - you will always feel that you are low in your heart - but your
principles and ideals will be very high. That is called real humility,
and only that humility will open the door of the home of God for us.
The humble words which we speak outwardly to deceive people cannot help
us in developing real humility and in opening the door of the home of
God.
He whose mind becomes the dust of everybody's feet
Sees God and His Naam within all.
The one who understands himself as a low one in his mind, and who
always feels that he is a low one in this world, truly speaking, in his
heart resides God. For the one within whom God manifests, every creature
in the creation seems to be his own. So why should he criticize anyone?
Whom should he say is not a creature of God? He sees his Beloved God in
every creature, and therefore he feels no duality among them.
It is very easy for us to say that we have love for everyone in this
world. But just think, when someone criticizes you or when someone
opposes you, how angry you become! You may even go out of control. And
when we have such attitudes and qualities within us, how can God come
and reside within us? God doesn't want to come into a place where jealousy
and egotism are.
Once a so-called Mahatma came to a village, and he told the villagers
that his name was Sheetardas, which means "a cool person who doesn't have
any anger within him." There was one fearless man, named Suthra, and he
thought of testing that Mahatma to see whether he really had the quality
of coolness in his heart, or if he was Sheetardas in name only. So he
came there and said, "Mahatma Ji, give me some fire." That Mahatma said,
"I don't have any fire." So again, that dear one asked, "Please give me
some fire." But Sheetardas said, "I don't have any fire - please go away
from here." But still, because Suthra was trying to test the coolness
of Sheetardas' heart he said again "No, you should give me some fire!"
So after the third time he asked for fire, that Mahatma got angry
because he did not have any humility within him. It was just a fake
thing. So he started chasing Suthra, and when people saw how angry he
was at Suthra, then they realized that only his name was Sheetardas;
in truth he had no coolness in his heart.
He who destroys all evil from his mind
Sees the whole world as his friend.
The physical existence of lust, anger, greed, attachment and egoism
is at the eye center, and the astral existence of these passions is in
Trikuti. So, when we rise above body consciousness, cross Trikuti and go
to Par Brahm, these things do not exist. When we get to Par Brahm, the
mind - who is now our enemy - becomes our friend; and when we make
our mind our friend, then, for us, all the people in this world will
become our friends and we will not have hatred or bad feelings toward
anybody: because when we have controlled our mind and made it our
friend, we will have no enemy in the world. It is only because of our
mind that we make friends, and it is only because of our mind that
we start hating people. Mind has such a quality that sometimes he will
make us love others and sometimes he will make us hate them. It is
only because of our mind that sometimes we start liking people, and
sometimes we start disliking people. So unless and until we control the
mind, and until we make the mind our friend, we cannot make the world
our friend; because Mahatmas tell us that there is no enemy outwardly
- you have no enemy out in the world. If you have an enemy, it is
your mind; and that is residing within you. So if you remove the evils
of your mind, and make the mind your friend, then you can make the
world your friend, easily. If you don't make the mind your friend,
then it is very difficult to make the world your friend; but once you
have made your mind your friend, then - for you - it will not be
difficult to love everyone in this creation, because once you have
control of the mind, then - for you - all the world will be the same;
there will be no enemy and no friend.
Those who see happiness and pain as the same -
Nanak says, They are not affected by sins and virtues.
Pain and happiness make no difference to those for whom pain and
happiness are alike and name and fame are alike. They are above the
binding of sins and virtues.
Oh Lord, your Naam is the wealth for those who are poor.
Your Naam is the home for those who have none.
Only the wealth of Naam will go with us, and one who has the wealth
of Naam is the real king. The Guru says, "Your Naam is home for us,
the homeless ones, and It is our only support." We know that when
we have to leave this world - at the time of our death - neither our
brother or sister, nor our father or mother - nobody goes with us; and
the wealth which we have collected, either we leave it in the bank or
in our home. Nothing from this world accompanies us at the time of
death. The little bit of meditation which we are doing regularly
- doing that meditation is collecting food for our soul, for the
journey which we are going to take after death. That is why Guru Nanak
says, "Collect that food for the soul which will help you here, and
also in the world beyond."
Oh Lord, Your Naam is the honor for those
who have no honor,
You give gifts to all.
Now Guru Arjan Dev Ji is expressing His humility. He says, "O Master,
I don't have any qualities which I can be proud of, You are the only
thing I have, and I am proud of You. And whatever I have is only
because of Your Grace. I don't have any merits of my own." He says,
"O, Giver, You do not see, while giving Your Grace, whether one is
rich or poor, whether one is man or woman, whether one is sinner or
good man. You never see the qualities of the people when You shower
grace on them: You come into this world carrying a lot of grace for
the people and whoever comes in Your contact, You bless him with
all Your grace and You give him all the riches of Naam, without taking
into account his good or bad deeds."
Oh Lord, You do, and make others do.
You are the All Conscious One.
Now he sings the praise of the Satguru and He sings the praise of God.
He says, "You are the One Who connects the soul with Your Own Self
You are the One Who is doing everything which happens in this world.
Residing within every soul You are keeping the account of the deeds
of the soul." In other words: "You are the only Doer." Master Sawan
Singh Ji used to say, "People say, 'We are going to take initiation ...
we are going to the Master for taking initiation.' But who says that?
Only those whose eyes are not open. People say, 'We are going to
Satsang.' But who says that? Only those whose eyes are not open.
Those whose eyes are open know that there is Someone Who is pulling
them to Satsang and Who is giving them Initiation. They are not
coming to Satsang and getting initiation by themselves - there is
Someone Else Who is doing it." As long as the curtain is not removed,
we ask questions of the Master; once our curtain is removed, and we
see our Master within, we don't need to ask any questions of Him:
then we realize that Master knows more about us than we ourselves
know.
Many people who come to me have many questions in the beginning,
and they want to ask me those questions. But after they come here and
meditate for a few days, all their questions are gone. They come to
me and say, "When we came here, we had many questions, but now they
are all answered in meditation. Now we only want the darshan of the
Master." Those who meditate will find that all their questions are
answered by their meditation.
Kabir Sahib says that the Lord who is sitting above, in the window -
He means sitting at the eye center - that Lord is looking at all our
deeds, and according to our effort and our devotion for Him, He is paying
us for the work we are doing for Him.
You Yourself know Your Glory and limits,
And Oh Lord, you are absorbed in Your own Self.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji says, "O Satguru, only You know about Yourself.
Only You know about Your glory, Your reality, and Your truth, and
how can we understand Your secret? You are the only one Who knows
everything, and we have no idea of what You are doing."
You alone can praise Your own self,
Nanak says: No one else knows your Glory.
Now He says, "You know Your glory - You know Your importance. How can we
poor souls sing the praise of Your glory?" Guru Arjan says, "You are the
emperor, and You are even greater than the emperor - if we can even use
these words, 'emperor' and 'greater than the emperor' for singing your
glory, because they are not enough - they are only worldly words: You
are more than the emperors and the great emperors, but we cannot sing
Your praise in complete form, because we don't know who You are."
Of all the religions, the best one
is to meditate on the Naam of the Lord
- as this is the purest breed.
Once there was a shopkeeper who used to attend Satsang regularly.
He was so regular in his devotions that once, when for come unavoidable
reason he could not attend Satsang, he sent his son in his place. His
son had never been to the Satsang, and he didn't know anything about it;
but when he went there he heard this: "We should always have mercy on
the poor and on the cows - because they are considered holy animals -
and moreover we should treat the Saints well."
Next day when he was sitting in his shop, he saw that one cow was
eating some grain from the shop. He didn't st9p her, because he thought,
"God has given us a lot of wealth; my father has given money to many
people and they pay us interest on it, so we have many sources of income.
if she eats a little bit of food, we are not going to become poor!" So
he didn't remove that cow. But when his father came there and saw that
his son was looking at the cow and not removing it, he grew angry and
said, "Are you blind? Don't you see that the cow is eating our food,
and you are not removing her?" The son replied, "Father, yesterday when
I went into the Satsang, I heard that we should always have pity on
cows and the poor. If she eats a little bit of food, then how will it
affect us? We have a lot of money, and if we give food to this cow,
we are not going to become poor." The father got very angry with his
son and said, "If I had put all the Satsangs I have heard into practice,
I would have become a pauper!" In his anger, he said, "Go away from my
house! You are not a good son." So the boy went away.
As he left the village, the boy saw a snake who was trying to eat a
frog: the frog was trying to get away from the snake because he didn't
want to die. When that son of the shopkeeper saw that the frog was in
danger, he helped it to escape. But the snake had been hungry for many
days; and when that boy realized this, and that there was nothing else
the snake could eat except that frog, who was gone - that boy cut some
flesh from his body and gave it to the snake, so that it was satisfied.
Now he was in terrible pain; but he walked on and, after some time, he
saw an old woman coming with a little boy, and she was carrying a burden
on her head. When she came nearby, she said to the shop-keeper's son,
"Dear son, please help me to carry it, I will be very grateful to you."
That boy was very kind and loving toward everybody - first to the cow,
then to the frog, and then at the expense of his own body, to the snake.
So here, also, he showed his kindness. Even though he was in so much
pain, still he carried her burden.
After some time walking together, they saw that a man was coming
toward them, bringing a horse. The old woman said, "Dear son, I have
some money, and you can spend it in buying that horse, and then we
can all ride on it and get to our destination." So, using the money of
the old woman, the boy bought that horse, and they all climbed onto
it and eventually came to a city.
After they had spent one night there, the old woman said, "I have
some more money, and you can use that to buy some food and to open
a business." So using that money, the boy went into business, and after
some time, he got a good post in the court of the King.
Now that king had a magic ring; somebody had given it to him, and
by using it he could enjoy with the fairies in heaven. Once it so
happened that he was bathing in a pool and lost that ring; he announced
that if anyone would help him take the ring out of the pool, he would
give him whatever he asked for.
Then the little boy who was with the old woman said, "All right,
I will do something for you." He went into that pool, and found the
ring at once, and when he gave it to the king, the king said, "Yes, now
you can ask for anything you want." But the little boy said, "I don't
want anything for myself, but I want that you should marry your daughter
to my older brother here, and make him your heir." The king agreed, and
he married his daughter to the son of the shopkeeper. Now the
shopkeeper's son was well settled; eventually he became king. So after
living with him for some time, the old woman, the horse and the little
boy all wanted to go back to their places.
So the boy who was now king came with them, and after walking for
some time, the little boy wanted to leave. But before going, he said
to that son of the shopkeeper, "Don't you recognize me?" He replied,
"No, I don't." So the little boy said, "I am that frog whom you saved
from the snake, and because you saved me from the snake, and because
you saved my life, that is why in order to pay for that good karma,
came as a little boy to help you." And he disappeared.
The son of the shopkeeper continued walking with the old woman
and the horse. After some time, the horse wanted to leave and he said,
"I think that you have also not recognized me." The boy replied, "No,
I don't think that I recognize you." The horse said, "I am that snake
to whom you gave your flesh; because you had once satisfied my hunger,
in order to pay for that, I became a horse, and only because I came
to you were you able to come to the city; and only because you came
to the city, have you become king. I have paid you for whatever you
did for me, so now I am also leaving." And he disappeared.
Now the boy was walking with that old woman, and after some
distance she said, "All right, my dear son, I am also going now. But I
am very surprised that even though I lived with you for such a long
time, you still didn't recognize me. But I will tell you: I am that cow
whom you didn't remove, when I was eating food from your shop; and
because of your kindness, I was born to give you something. I had to
pay you. That is why I came in the form of an old woman and I gave
you some money; and now, as a result, you have become king." But
before leaving, she said, "You were very kind to me; and, because you
acted according to whatever you heard in the Satsang - because you
obeyed one sentence of the Satsang - you have become a King from
being a shopkeeper's son. Now, if you will keep the company of Saints,
and if you will go to Satsang regularly, and if you will mold your life
according to what is taught in the Satsang, and if you will obey every
single thought of the Satsang, you can progress even more, and you
can get the real happiness and the real name and fame: you can get
the liberation from this world. So keep yourself in the company of
the Saints, and you should try to do the meditation on Shabd Naam also."
After giving him this advice she also disappeared.
The meaning of this story is this: In this world there are many
kinds of worship; there are many ways in which you can be kind and loving
to the other creatures of the world, and you always get the benefit of
doing that. But the greatest kindness which you can do - the greatest
mercy which you can have - is the mercy on your own Self - your own
soul; and you can do that only by doing the meditation of Shabd Naam.
That is why Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says here, "In this world there
are many forms of worship and there are many ways in which you can be
loving toward the creation"; but I would recommend that you should
first have pity and mercy on your own Self - your own soul; because
your soul has suffered a lot from your past births. Now, since you have
got the human body, it is time for you to have mercy on your own self,
and you can do that only after coming into the company of a perfect
Master. If after getting initiation from Him you will do the meditation
of Shabd Naam, and attach yourself to the Shabd Naam, only then will
you be able to do the greatest good deed of this world - to have mercy
on your own soul. That is why we should wholeheartedly do our meditation.
Of all deeds, the best one is to remove the dirt
of evil by going in the company of the Sadh.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj asks, "Which is the greatest Karma, among
all the Karmas?" He answers, "The greatest Karma is going into the
company of the Master; and doing the meditation on Shabd Naam is
the greatest of all."
Of all hard works, the best one is to always
repeat the Naam of the Lord in the heart.
We know that in our wordly works, we work very hard and we put in much
effort to be successful. But Guru Arjan asks, "Which hard work is
beneficial for your soul, and which hard work is the best?" He says
that the act of getting up in the morning - the hard work which you do
in getting up in the morning to sit for meditation -that is the greatest
and the most beneficial for you. Guru Nanak says, "O man, all day long
you go on working for your own self, but when you sit for the
remembrance of God you feel as if somebody has put a stone on your
head."
Of all the banis, the nectarful bani is to utter
the Praise of God which one hears with his ears.
Which is the best sound? He says that the Sound which is coming from
Sach Khand, which is sounding at our eye center, that is the best Sound
of all; and he is the fortunate one who collects his thoughts, and by
doing Simran comes to the eye center and listens to that Sound; only
he is the fortunate one.
Nanak says that of all the places the best one
is where the Naam of the Lord resides.
Which heart is the purest of all hearts? The heart within which Naam
is manifested. That is the purest of all.
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