THE JEWEL OF HAPPINESS
The Sukhmani of Guru Arjan
a commentary by
AJAIB SINGH
Chapter 5
ON TRUTH AND VANITY
Giving up God, Who is the Giver, those who get attached
to other things -
Nanak says, "Such ones will never be successful, and
without Naam they will lose their honor."
In this sloka Guru Arjan Dev Ji is lovingly telling us that God is the
giver to everybody and He is the Emperor to all the creatures in this
creation. And He has given us all the things which we are enjoying.
He says, "You see how He is giving food to everybody; how He has
given all things to everybody. He is the only Giver. He has given us
these trees, and He has given us the fire to use and He has given
us this earth to live on and He has given us this sky to live under,
and in this way, He has given us all things. It is a pity that we
forget the One Who has given us all things, and we are in a very
sorrowful state. We go and waste our time in worldly pleasures and
in that way we are not appreciating the things which God has given
us. That is why the Guru says that those who forget God Who has given
us all these things, and forgetting Him indulge in the worldly
pleasures, their honor is lost: because they do not find peace here,
and moreover, after they leave this world, the angels of the Negative
Power give them a very hard time. That is why Guru Nanak says,
"O, Nanak, we will not be set free if we do not have the Naam, and
only this truth will take you across this world."
When Masters come in this world, they always tell us, "You should
never lie - you should always be truthful," because truth, after all, is
truth; that is why they tell us, "Always be truthful; do the meditation
on Shabd Naam, and always make your mind sit for meditation, whether he
likes it or not." Meditation on Naam is the only truth, and that will
always exist.
In the olden days there was a perfect Mahatma Who was once invited
by some dear ones to visit them. Since in those days they didn't have
any good means of transportation, that Mahatma started to walk. There
was one greedy man who thought that he could get something from the
Mahatma, so he accompanied Him. That Mahatma had taken three stuffed
chapatis with him, to eat on the way. When they came to a resting place,
the Mahatma told that greedy man to watch his clothes because he wanted
to bathe in the pond. While the Mahatma was bathing, that greedy man
thought that the Mahatma might have some things in His clothes. So he
searched in the clothes but he couldn't find anything, because there was
nothing there; but when he saw that there were three chapatis, he ate
one of them and left the other two.
When the Mahatma came back, he was surprised to see only two
chapatis there, because he knew that there were three chapatis when he
started. So he asked him, "Did you eat the chapati?" He said, "No.
I didn't eat the chapati. I didn't even know what you had in your bag."
The Mahatma said, "All right." He gave one chapati to the man, and
He ate the other one. Again they started walking, and as they were
walking, they came to a river. Both of them were crossing it, when
suddenly that greedy man found himself drowning and cried for help.
The Mahatma said, "You should remember God, Who has created you. If
you will remember Him, He will definitely help you, and He will
definitely make you cross this river." Because that greedy man had had
a little bit of the influence of that Master, he obeyed Him, and started
remembering and praying to God. So God helped him across that river.
When both of them had crossed, the Mahatma said, "All right, you
should be grateful to God Who has saved your life, and Who has made
you cross this river. Now you should swear by Him, and tell me if you
ate that chapati which was missing." He said, "No. I swear by God
I didn't eat any chapati. I ate only the one which You gave me. I don't
know about that missing chapati." The Mahatma kept quiet, because He
was very patient, and he said, "All right."
Again they started walking and they came to one forest which was
burning. And again it was very difficult to cross that burning forest
without the help of God. So the Mahatma told that man, "You see,
again we are caught up in a situation where we need God's help.
Remember Him Who has created you and Who saved you from that river;
and if you remember Him, He will definitely help you in crossing this
fire." Because there was no substitute, that greedy man again started
remembering God and praying for help. So God again started helping
him, and he crossed through the fire of that burning forest. When they
were safe, the Mahatma said, "Now you should be even more grateful
to God, because He has saved you twice - once in the river and once
in crossing this fire. You tell me now if you ate that chapati. You
should remember Him, and understanding Him as before you, you should
swear by Him." He said, "No, I swear by Him, I never ate that chapati.
I am telling you truly that I ate only that chapati which you gave me."
That Mahatma kept quiet, because He was still very patient. The Mahatma
wanted to be gracious on him, and He knew that unless he would speak
the truth, he wouldn't be able to knock on the door of God; if he would
not give up speaking lies, he would not be able to enter the home of
God. It was because He wanted to be gracious on him that he was doing
this.
They again started walking, and the Mahatma was trying His best
to make that person speak the truth, but he would not. So at one point,
the Mahatma created some maya; he made some gold and other valuable
things, and divided them into three parts. He said, "You see, dear one,
God has given us these valuable things; but they are in three parts.
One part is for me, another one is for you, and the third one is for
that dear one who has eaten the chapati. So now also there is a chance.
Tell me the truth: What happened to that missing chapati? You should
swear by God, and remembering Him, and being grateful to Him because
He saved you many times, you should tell me."
You know that we, the worldly people, can change very soon. When
we see that we get some material help or things, we are ready to
sacrifice our principles and everything. Many people use the name of God
only for swearing by Him, and for taking promises. It is said in one
hymn that even though God is the creator, and He is the giver of all
things, still people put God to tests, and, although the name of God
is the only thing which will liberate souls, still people use that name
of God only for swearing by Him. So that greedy man, because he saw
that he would get a lot of wealth just by telling the truth, finally did
tell the truth: "Master, Mahatma Ji, before I said that I didn't eat the
chapati, but now, remembering Him Who has created me, Who has given me
His protection, and saved my life many times, I swear by Him that I am
the one who ate that chapati." And by telling that truth he got that
extra wealth.
One day you will have to speak the truth. You may go on lying, but
you can't lie forever. Just to hide one lie, you will have to say many
lies. But if you speak truth in the beginning, then you won't have to
lie. So that is why we should always remain true to our own self;
because the truth always wins.
After getting ten things, he ignores them,
And for one thing he loses his faith.
Now you see that God has given many things - numerous things - to
the soul. Ever since the soul got birth into this world, God has been
giving many things to the soul. As soon as he gets birth, God starts
the source of milk for him. He brings the milk into the breasts
of the mother, and in that way, He is taking care of the soul. And
when we get a little older, in our childhood, God provides us with
our brothers and sisters, and they give us love and affection. And
when we grow a little bit older, in our youth, God gives us the
understanding of how we have to deal with things in this world, how
we have to work in this world, and how to be comfortable, etc.
He gives us understanding and knowledge of all these things. In
fact, He is the only one who gives us all the things of this world;
all the things for our comfort, etc. And even after getting all these,
we still complain to Him. When we do not get even one thing that we
want, we blame Him. We say that God is not just, and He has not
given us this thing. When He doesn't give us something we want, even
if it is just one thing, we forget all the things that we have received
from Him, just for the sake of that one little thing, and say that He
is not just. We do not appreciate the ten things - or the many things -
which He has given to us, and instead of appreciating them, we blame
Him for just one little thing.
If He did not give one thing, and took away the ten,
What could the fool do?
God is almighty, and He can do anything He wants. For one little thing,
a person blames God because He has not given it to him; if, instead
of giving that little thing to the man, if God - because He can do
everything - if God were to take back all the things which He has given
to us, then what would this foolish man do?
Always bow down before Him,
In front of Whom no force works.
In front of God your force can do nothing. There is no court where
you can go and file a complaint against God. There is nobody in this
world who is equal to God or who is higher than Him where you can
go and say that God is not just to you. So when your force cannot do
anything against Him, and there is no place where you can go and
complain against Him - in front of such a God, the only thing which you
can do is to remain in His refuge. By offering your prayers to Him,
you can get that which you cannot get by applying force to Him. Your
force will do nothing to Him.
Those who find the Lord to be sweet in their hearts,
Get all the happiness.
One who meditates on Shabd Naam and who does not understand that
meditation as a burden but always enjoys doing it, and who always
feels the sweetness of it - because Naam is the sweetest thing in this
world - one who is meditating on Shabd Naam in this way can easily
manifest the Master within him, and daily he can have His darshan.
The needle is in search of iron. She doesn't realize that she
herself is made out of iron, but still goes on searching for iron. In
the same way the fish remains in the water, but still she cannot quench
her thirst. She doesn't know that just by opening her mouth, she will
be able to drink the water in which she is living. We are like the fish,
and like the needle which is in search of iron. God is within us, but
instead of looking within and contacting Him within, we understand Him
as residing in some holy books, or living somewhere an top of a mountain,
or somewhere in the forest.
As a matter of fact, God is in search of a man. Master used to say
that God is always searching for a man. If anyone would become a man,
God would come there to see him. We have not yet become man. If we
would become man, God would come and find us, because God is within us,
and we just need to look within to see Him.
Those who are made to obey His orders -
Nanak says, They get all things.
Now He says that all the powers in this world bow their heads in front
of those who meditate on Shabd Naam, who manifest the Shabd Naam
within them. Master Sawan Singh Ji used to say that if by doing our
practices we get all the powers of this world, it is not good that, using
those supernatural powers, we perform miracles such as drinking all
the water of the sea, etc. He used to say that all the beloveds of God
are very near to God - truly they are one with God - but they do not
give their secret to others. Even though they have become one with God,
still when they live in this world, they always say that they are the low
ones, and they always present themselves as the lowest creatures of this
world.
He gives His countless capital to man,
Who eats, drinks, and with great pleasure and joy uses it.
To whom God is gracious, He gives all His capital; He gives a lot to
them. He gives them so much that even if they go on spending it day
and night, it will never end. His treasure is limitless.
If He takes back some of what He has given,
The ignorant one feels angry.
We receive only according to what we have done in the past. Whatever
karmas or whatever actions we have done, we get their reaction only.
Whatever we have sown in the past, we are reaping that now, and we
get only those things to eat and to enjoy. But still we blame God if
we do not get anything from Him. We say, "God is not just to us, He
is not gracious on us, because He is not giving us that thing which He
is giving to someone else." But we do not realize that whatever we get,
that is all the reaction of our own past karmas. God doesn't give us
anything - we get whatever we have sown in our past. But being
controlled by ignorance, we say all these things and blame God.
Now he himself loses his reputation,
and he doesn't get trusted again.
If we do not keep our promise, we lose our reputation. Suppose we have
borrowed some money from someone, on the promise to repay him after a
certain time. If we do not do that, we lose our reputation because we
have not kept our promise. Then if we want to borrow money from the
same person, and we go and ask him to give us that money, he will never
give it to us, because now he doesn't believe in us.
In the same way, every time the soul is in the womb of the mother,
she promises to God, "O God, take me out from this painful place, and
I will always tithe in Your Name. I will always do the meditation on
Your Name. I will not develop any bad karmas during this life." God
hears that prayer, and He always takes the soul out of that painful
place; but when the soul gets out, she forgets about God, and never
remembers to do His devotion.
We have broken the promise many times. Life after life we have been
breaking the promise that we made to God, and in that way we have lost
our reputation. That is why He says here, "Once the soul has lost her
reputation, who will believe in her?" But still, God is gracious: even
though we break the promises we have made to Him many times, still God
knows that we are poor and helpless, and He is gracious. That is why
He always showers grace on us, and He always helps us in doing our
meditation.
He who places things before the Owner, and obeys
His order, surrendering to Him -
Now lovingly He tells us that we should sacrifice to God all the things
which we have received from Him, and always remain in His Will. Guru
Gobind Singh had four sons, and all four were killed by the Mogul army.
When He heard that all of his sons had been killed, He did not become
sad. He became grateful to Master and to God, and said, "You have given
me these four sons to take care of, and I have been doing that. Now,
when You have taken them back, I am worryless, and tonight I will sleep
without worries, because I no longer have to take care of the sons
which You had given to me." He didn't have even a single trace of
sadness. When He met His family, He saw everybody else except the four
sons, and all the dear ones told Him that everybody else had come back
but the four sons had been killed. The other people of the family
started weeping because they had lost them, but Guru Gobind Singh
didn't weep. He said, "What if four sons are sacrificed for the sake
of all the sons? All the Sangat are my children; they are all my sons."
- God makes him fourfold happy;
Nanak says, God is always gracious.
If we always remain in the will of God, if we always accept His will
and His orders, and always remain happy in His will, then God gives
us much more.
The attachments of Maya are of various kinds;
Know this for sure; that they are all temporary.
This Maya in which man is entangled has been created in many forms.
The only way to get out of it is by taking the human body and taking
Naam; only with the help of Naam can we get out of this Maya. As
long as we do not get Naam and utilize this human body, we will have
to come back to this Maya, and remain in it.
The man gets attached to the shadow of the tree -
When it vanishes, he repents in his heart.
Those who are attached to the things of Maya, their condition is just
like those who love the shadow of a tree. You know that the shadow
of a tree is not permanent; when night comes, the shadow of the tree
goes away. So the one who is in love with that shadow of a tree, he
repents when that shadow goes away. In the same way, those who are
attached to the things of Maya also repent, because these things are
perishable, and one day they will be destroyed.
Whatever is seen is perishable;
Still the blind man is attached to it.
Whatever you see with your eyes - your son, daughter, wife, property -
all these things must leave this world one day; nothing can remain in
this world forever. And even when we see all these things leaving, still
we are blind and do not realize the truth. We see that our companions
are not permanent, one day they all must leave; but still we think that
death is only for other people, and we are never going to die.
He who loves a traveler will get nothing;
Don't love a traveler.
Those who love travelers will repent in the end; what can you get from
a traveler? One day the traveler has to leave, so if you have love and
affection for him, it will be of no use. One day he has to go. In the
same way, we are all like travelers in this world, and if we are in love
with each other, or if we have love for the things of the world, we will
not get anything from that love; one day either we have to go or the
things have to go. Even if we have love for our kin and folk, still we
won't be able to maintain that love after we have left this world. There
is nothing which can go with us except Naam. Naam is our only companion.
Either the mother will leave the son, or the son will leave the mother;
or the father will have to leave the daughter, or the daughter will have
to leave the father; the husband will leave the wife, or the wife will
leave the husband. One day everybody will leave the other companions;
only Naam is our real companion. That is why, if we are having love and
affection for the travelers - all the things in this world - it is useless.
Oh my mind, the love for the Naam of God gives happiness;
Nanak says, graciously God attaches man to Himself.
Out of all the loves and affections, which is the love which gives us
eternal happiness? Only our love with God gives us eternal happiness;
only that love gives us peace. But this love which we have for God cannot
be grown in the fields, and we cannot get that from any merchant's shop.
Guru Nanak says, "Only they can get that love on whom He is gracious."
Perishable are the body, wealth, and entire family;
Perishable are ego, attachment, and maya.
Whatever you see - body, mind, wealth, family - all is perishable.
Whatever egotism or pride you feel, that also is perishable.
Perishable are kingdoms, youth, wealth, and property;
Perishable are lust and dreadful anger.
Power, praise, wealth, lust, anger - all these things - they also are
perishable.
Perishable are chariots, elephants, horses, and clothes;
Perishable is Maya - by getting himself attached to which,
man becomes pleased.
Even if we have elephants, horses, and all sorts of wealth and property,
still it is all perishable.
Perishable are deceit, worldly love, and pride;
Perishable is the pride of one's own self.
To deceive others, and to love others - except for the love of God - if
you love others, and are proud of your position, and say, "I am the
supreme one" - all these things are also perishable.
The shelter of the Master and the devotion of the Lord
are imperishable;
Nanak says, O man, live by meditating upon God's feet.
What is that which is stable, which will always remain, which will never
be destroyed? If you can get the company of any perfect Mahatma and
get Naam from Him, those are the only things which will always remain
in this world. Kabir Sahib says, "If you see any Saint passing by,
follow Him. If He looks at you, He will make you pure, and if you
spend some time in His company, He will make you meditate on Naam."
Vain are the ears which listen to others' criticism,
Vain are the hands which steal others' wealth.
Once a Mahatma went to a king, whose name was Ajassar, to ask for a
donation for his langar. But that king played a joke on Him; instead
of giving Him something useful for His langar, he gave Him some horse
dung: he was making a fool of Him. But the Mahatma was very patient,
and He accepted whatever donation was given to Him, and went home. It
is the law that any donation we give goes on increasing and increasing
unless it is used. At the time of donation, it grows by ten-fold. And
if it is not used it goes on increasing and increasing until it is used
in some cause. So because nobody was using that horse dung, it went on
increasing and increasing. After some time there was a big pile of
horse dung near the Ashram of the Mahatma.
A long time passed, and one day when King Ajassar was passing by
the Ashram, he noticed a lot of horse dung. "Let me go and see how
many horses this person has," he thought. But he found the same Mahatma
there and no horses, nor any other animals. He was very surprised, and
asked the Mahatma, "Mahatma Ji, tell me why you have so much horse dung,
even though you don't have any animals - I cannot see any horses here."
The Mahatma said, "Yes, one of my dear ones has given me this donation,
and since I have not used it, it is growing and growing. And it will go
on growing until that dear one finds some way to use it. If he will not
find some way to reduce it, he will have to eat it up, and in that way
he will get the fruits of donating this horse dung to me."
Then King Ajassar realized that it was he who had done this. Then
he understood how bad it was to play a joke on the Mahatma. He fell
at His feet and asked for forgiveness, and he asked Him if there was
any way to get rid of that karma. So the Mahatma said, "Yes, there
are two ways: either you eat this horse dung and finish it, or make
people criticize you. This horse dung will go and fall in the mouth of
those who criticize you. When this is finished you will become free from
this bad karma which you have done."
So King Ajassar thought, "Who is going to criticize me? I am a good
king; I am a just king. Everybody praises me and many people worship me.
What can I do to make people criticize me?" After thinking a lot he did
this: Although he was an old man, he forced one young girl to come and
live with him in the palace. So people started criticizing him: "Look at
our king! He used to be very just and noble, and the father of all the
people in his kingdom. But look what he has done! He has forced a young
girl to live with him, and he is enjoying with her!"
But in the palace the king was not doing anything like that. He was
respecting that young girl as a daughter and he treated her as his
daughter. But still the people were criticizing him, and as they went on
criticizing him, the horse dung went on reducing. Almost everybody in his
kingdom criticized him, so almost all the horse dung was finished. The
king came to the Mahatma's place and he saw that there was still some
dung left there. He asked why, and the Mahatma said, "There is one
carpenter who has not taken part in the criticism against you. If you
can make him criticize you, only then this will be finished; otherwise
you will have to eat this dung."
So the king changed his form. He wore some torn clothes and he
disguised himself as a pauper. He went to meet that carpenter late at
night, when he was working. The king said, "Do you know what our king
has done? He has forced a young girl to come and live with him in the
palace and he is enjoying with her!" As soon as he spoke those words,
the carpenter took one stick and said, "Do you see what I have in my
hand? I have a stick. I don't want to take part in the criticism of
the king; what he has done he will have to suffer for, and what we are
doing we will have to suffer for. So why should we criticize others?
If you will not stop criticizing him, I will give you a good beating."
So the king came back disappointed, because be was not able to
make the carpenter criticize him. So he came back to the Mahatma and
requested him to find some other way. So the Mahatma replied, "Since
the carpenter was the only one who didn't criticize you, his share is
still here. You didn't succeed in persuading him, so now it is your turn.
You must eat this dung and finish it, otherwise it will go on increasing
and increasing, unless it is used. And I am not going to use it; I don't
have any place to use it. So you eat it." Then King Ajassar realized
how bad it was for him to play a joke on the Mahatma. He ate that
horse dung, and in that way he became free of that karma.
So regarding King Ajassar, Guru Nanak Sahib has written that King
Ajassar realized how bad a deed he had done and he saw that if he
would not finish the dung, he would get much punishment in the court
of the Lord.
Vain are the eyes which see the beauty of
another man's wife,
Vain is the tongue which tastes forbidden food.
Useless are those eyes who see other women with lust; useless is the
tongue which is eating meat and other bad things. One should never look
at another man's wife with lust in his eyes, but should always remain
in the company of the Master.
Vain are the legs which run after sins;
Vain is the mind which tempts us toward others' wealth.
Those legs are useless which lead us to sins. And useless is our mind
which leads us to usurp other people's rights. This is called greed; and
it is useless.
Vain is the body which does not work for the benefit
of others;
Vain is the nose which smells pleasures.
If after having such a good body, we do not use it for the sake of others,
then our body is also useless. And in the same way, our nose is for
smelling the odor of the Naam. And if, instead of smelling Naam, we are
smelling worldly pleasures and other bad smells, that is also useless.
Master Sawan Singh used to tell His own story: once in the month
of April He was going some place when suddenly He started feeling a
beautiful smell coming from one direction. At once He felt much happiness
within Himself. He thought in His mind that He was not going to get any
increment in His job, nor any son, nor any other worldly happiness, so
why should He be so happy? The smell was increasing and increasing. After
walking for some time, He came to a place where one intoxicated devotee
of God was sitting; then Master Sawan Singh realized that the smell was
coming from his body; and that devotee told Him, "Few are the noses who
can really smell the smell of God."
All is vain without understanding Him.
Nanak says, The body which remembers the Naam of the
Lord is successful.
Useless is the body in which God is not manifested. Which is the best
body, and which is the body which can be called useful? Only that body
within which the meditation of Naam is going on; the body of one who
is having the remembrance of Master with every single breath. If when
they are breathing in they are remembering God, and when they are
breathing out then also they are having the remembrance of God - only
such a body can be called useful.
Useless is the life of the worldly person,
How can he become a True One without the Truth?
The life of the worldly people - those who do not do the devotion of
the Lord - is not counted in any good place; whatever time they live
in this world is all useless. Kabir Sahib says that the worldly person
who doesn't do the devotion of God, or is against God - his condition
is like a store of garlic: Even though it may be very far away from you,
still you will smell the fragrance of it. In the same way, even if the
worldly person who is against God is living far away from you, still
you can tell that he is present in that area.
Kabir Sahib says that you should not go in the company of such a
worldly person who doesn't believe in God, and if you see him, you
should run away from him; because even if you don't touch his body,
there are many chances that you may get a stain from his body. Kabir
Sahib says, "What is there to say about going in the company of a
worldly person? You should never go in his company, and moreover
you should never let him come in your company. If you see him coming,
you should run away from him, because your whole generation can be
stained - only by his fragrance."
Useless is the body of the blind without Naam.
From his mouth comes foul smell.
Those who do not have the light of Naam within them are blind and
their body is useless; and a bad smell comes from their mouth.
Without Simran his days and nights pass away in vain,
As the crop perishes without rain.
Now the Master lovingly explains to us by giving us a beautiful example:
Just as, if it doesn't rain, all the plants are dried up and we cannot
have a good crop - in the same way, if we are not doing Simran, our days
and nights are passing like those of that field which is not getting rain.
Without the meditation of the Lord all worship is useless,
As the wealth of the miser remains useless.
The worship and the practices performed by the worldly man who is not
doing the devotion of Naam are all useless, just like the wealth of the
miser is useless. The wealth of the miser is useless because he does
not spend it, nor does he allow his children to spend it.
Once a Rajasthani farmer went into an Arabian country, and saw
many date trees. He had never seen them before, because they don't
have them in Rajasthan. So he climbed one tree and ate some dates.
Just as he was going to come down, he was very surprised to see that
the date tree was very tall - when he looked down he was very afraid.
He was not sure whether he would be able to reach the bottom safely
or not. So he requested to his Master, "O Master, if You will take me
down safely, I will donate one hundred bedsheets to Your Ashram."
Then he started down. When he was halfway down, he looked down and he
felt a little bit relieved because the distance was decreased. So he
thought in his mind: "One hundred bed sheets are too many. I think
fifty will be enough for the Ashram." He again started down. When he
got a little bit farther down, he saw that the distance was still
decreasing, so he said, "Well, fifty also seems a lot, because Master
doesn't need much. I think twenty-five will do." He continued coming
down, and thinking like that, until he came to five bedsheets. At last
he came down safely; but when he went into the market to buy those five
bedsheets, and saw that it was going to cost him a lot, he thought, "I
don't think Master needs all these bedsheets - I think one will do,
because He only needs one. There are many other people who will donate
bedsheets, so I think one is enough." So he bought one bedsheet and
went to the Master. When Master saw him with one bedsheet He said,
"You know that in this Ashram God is very gracious, and I have
everything here. Why did you bother to bring this one bedsheet to me?
You must have spent a lot of money; you should take it back." So that
dear one said, "Master, I am telling you the truth: When I was needing
Your help, I promised that I would give one hundred bedsheets, and as
my fear went on decreasing, the donation also went on decreasing; and
at last I have got only one, instead of one hundred. And if You will
not accept this, I think that I will take it back to my home; so You
had better accept it." This is the condition of the misers.
Hail, Hail those within whom the Naam of the Lord is
manifested:
Nanak says, I sacrifice myself on them.
Blessed is the devotee who is doing the devotion of the Lord day and
night. The Guru says, "I sacrifice myself on him who is involved in
doing the devotion of the Lord day and night." You should never think
that whatever meditation you are doing regularly, or whatever efforts
you are trying to make to please Him, that all that is useless and
nobody is keeping account of it. Master is keeping account in His
treasury of all your meditation, and one day you will get the benefit
of it. Even if we attend to that Shabd and hear the Sound Current for
one second, then also our attendance is marked in Sach Khand. Guru
Gobind Singh Ji says, "One who wholeheartedly remembers Him even for
one moment doesn't fall in the noose of the Negative Power."
He who teaches one thing but does something else -
He has fragrant words on his tongue, but no love
in his heart.
Those whose outward appearance is very good, and who are outwardly
very loving and very sweet in talking, but who have deception in their
mind - they are not what they appear. In their mind they have deception,
but on their face they show love and humility, and say very good and
sweet things. We can deceive people, but we cannot deceive Him Who is
residing within us; we cannot deceive the Almighty Perfect God Who
is residing within us, and Who knows our every single action.
God Who knows everything is competent;
We cannot please Him by putting on outward garbs.
God resides within you, and He knows your every single thought. Even
before you think, He knows about your thoughts; you cannot deceive
Him by acting and posing. Kabir Sahib says, "The Lord, sitting at the
terrace - the eye center - sees our every single deed. And whatever
service we have done for Him, we get its fruit."
He who teaches others but does not himself practice,
Continues to come and go and take birth and die.
What is the condition of him who preaches to others to meditate on
Naam, and preaches to others to maintain chastity, and not to be
involved in the worldly pleasures - but he himself is not doing the
meditation of Naam, and he is involved in criticism and the worldly
pleasures and all these things; what happens to him and what is his
condition? Such a person is punished very harshly by the Negative Power:
his skin is taken off and his coming and going from this world never
comes to an end. He continually comes to this world, and always, after
suffering, he has to go back from this world.
He within Whom the Formless One resides -
By His teachings the world gets liberation.
Now Guru Arjan says, "He within Whom God resides, and He within
Whom God has manifested - by obeying His teachings, all the world
can get liberation."
Only those on whom He is pleased can realize Him -
Nanak says, "I lay myself down at their feet."
Now the Master says, "I touch Their feet, and I lay myself down before
those whom You have liked - because those whom You have liked, have
realized You. Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says, "Who are They, looking at
Whom all bad thoughts go away? They are our true friends; but if we go
and search for them, we will find only few in this world."
I pray to the Almighty Who knows everything;
He Himself approves what He Himself does.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji says, "Now I pray to the Almighty Lord, and I lay
myself down before the Almighty One, because He knows what He is doing."
He Himself decides this -
To whom He will show Himself near and far.
God has kept everything in His own hands. If He wants, He can give
His darshan very near; even in the human body, He can give His darshan.
If He doesn't want, He can lead the people into the forest, and even
after leading them into the forest, He may not give them His darshan.
It is all in the hands of God; and it is all in His hands to decide to
whom He should give His darshan, and to whom He should not. Those on
whom He is gracious, He brings them very near to Him, and He gives
them His darshan, in their body. But those on whom He is not gracious,
He makes them think in their mind that God can be had only by going to
the forest, and only after running away from this world. But even when
they run away from the world, and go in the forest, since God is not
gracious on them, they do not get His darshan. So it is all in the
hands of God.
He is beyond all wisdom and cleverness;
He knows everything of the hearts.
We cannot achieve God without the help and guidance of the Master.
No matter how much wisdom we may use, still we cannot be successful
in realizing Him, because without Naam there is no way by which we
can realize Him.
To whom He wants, He attaches him to Himself;
He is present at every place.
God, Who is the dweller of Sach Khand, is sitting within us; and He
knows within whom the yearning is there, and within whom it is not.
It is just like the person who is standing on top of the mountain - he
knows where the fire is burning. In the same way, God knows within whose
heart the fire - the yearning to realize Him - is existing, and within
whose heart it is not.
He becomes the servant on whom He is gracious.
Nanak says, Remember Hari with every single breath.
Only he can be His servant on whom He is gracious, and such a servant
remembers Him with his every single breath. Keeping quiet, we should
always remember our Beloved moment after moment; because the inner truth
is, except for our Beloved, all our relations in this world are false.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
