The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 45

Spirituality, Gurbani, Naam, Bani, Bana, Simran and Seva.

The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 45

Postby Yuktanand Singh » Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:45 am

Naam Simran:
The Way of The Sikh -
Letter & Spirit # 45

YUKTANAND SINGH



Translated from ‘Gurmukh Sikhia’ by Bhai Vir Singh


Part XXVII-B

People want to see Waheguru.

When we have extreme thirst to see Him, then the Formless One assumes a form to grant us a vision. But this vision is fleeting, here now and gone the next moment.

For example, the tale goes that Waheguru appeared to Bhagat Prahlad in the form of a humanoid lion (Narsingh). That visit lasted only for an instant. Waheguru did not stay as a man-lion wandering everywhere with Prahlad.

* * * * *

Some time ago I was traveling to Kashmir. On my way I came across a lady in Rawalpindi. She was a widow. She was visibly in pain because of the loss of her husband. She was the daughter-in-law of my hosts. At one point she brought water to wash my hands. As she was pouring water on my hands, I felt that her body was burning. I felt that she was extremely distressed.

I asked her family about her situation. When she came with water again, I told her I had a message for her from someone. "What message? Who would send a message to a wretch like me?" she retorted with indignation.

"The one to whom everyone belongs as His own, He has sent you that message," said I.

"Who is that?" she asked.

I said, "The True Guru Baba Nanak has sent a message to you, that you were not created as a tool for making children. You were created to repeat naam."

"What is naam?" she asked.

I then explained to her how to do simran on the 'Waheguru' mantar.

She accepted this. Within a few days she became happy, because her heart was at peace now. After that she had no further questions about naam and she continued its practice with zeal.

After some time I saw her again. She told me that her father-in-law resented even her eating at their house. I advised her to go to school and to find a job. She started to study and quickly sat for the Junior Cambridge exam. Some girls exclaimed, "You did not study much, how will you pass the exam?"

She replied to them, "The one who is going to pass me is someone else, not the examiner."

She passed the exam.

After the Partition of Punjab, she moved from her village to Delhi and applied for a job. There were so many applicants. People remarked, "Who will accept you where no one knows you?" She replied, "The one who has to accept me will take care of it. He does all the worrying for me."

She got the job. Her pay is enough to cover her expenses and she is also quite attractive.

She has such strong faith in the Guru's presence. This faith looks after her through all difficulties. Now she repeats naam and earns her own livelihood. She even takes care of her brothers.

* * * * *

Someone who repeats naam accumulates inner strength.

There is a Sikh narrated in our history who worked as a mill grinder. His employer was a missionary appointed by the Guru. One day, this missionary's son and another servant were arguing over something the Guru should have or shouldn't have done.

This Sikh heard that and he could not restrain himself. He told them that the Guru cannot err and it was not proper to doubt Guru's judgment. The son admonished him to not interfere in their conversation.

"Go, get away from us," the son said to the Sikh.

The Sikh said, "I can accept abuse from you without any fuss but please do not criticize the Guru."

The son said, "We will say whatever we please, you go and do your work."

The Sikh exclaimed, "Why are you so bloated? It is only the Guru who has given you your status."

At this both those slanderers of the Guru became bloated. No treatment would help them. The Guru also came to know about their affliction. He came to see them.

They prayed to the Guru, "We are dying. Please forgive us."

The Guru explained, "No, you’re not dying at present. But you have been cursed by the mill worker Sikh's words. He said that 'you were bloated'. His words came true. If you seek his forgiveness, in humility, you will be cured. Only someone whose words brought this misery can release you from it.

“He uttered those words -- ‘you were bloated’ -- instinctively, without malice, meaning that you were consumed by pride. He repeats Waheguru's naam. This has infused power in his speech and you thus are indeed suffering from bloating."

"But he is our servant. Are we supposed to apologize to our servant?" they asked.

The Guru said, "Yes. This individual is a connoisseur of naam. He has repeated 'Waheguru ... Waheguru' while he was tuning the millstone all day and thus he has become powerful."

A similar account is found in the epic-myth Mahabharat where the Pandavas had arranged a yagya (a Vedic fire ceremony, a ritual of chanting from the scriptures followed by gifts and feast for the Brahmins and giving alms to the poor.) It was said that if a yagya was complete then the conch horn sounds by itself at the end. But this time the conch did not sound. The Pandavas became worried. They asked Lord Krishna, "Lord, even you were present at the feast. Why then did the conch not sound? Where was the deficiency?"

Lord Krishna said, "Feeding me will not fulfill the yagya. There is a poor man who goes by the name of Balmiki. He cleans your houses and toilets and you consider him as untouchable. When he eats from the feast, then the yagya will be complete because he is a connoisseur of naam. All others are the egotistic so-called 'brahm gyanis'."

The Pandavas fetched Balmiki and fed him, the conch sounded spontaneously and thus the yagya was completed.

Calling Waheguru's name, even once, does not go unnoticed.

"He does not overlook even an iota of effort" [GGS:784.13].

October 12, 2014

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Re: The Way of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 45

Postby Yuktanand Singh » Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:00 pm

The Lord Krishna episode cited above reminded me of the words from Japji:
"Waheguru is supreme, His abode is the highest, but higher than the highest is His naam" [GGS:5.10].

Because without naam Waheguru would be unknowable, remaining in a sunn (shoonya=zero) state. Just as a couple does not exist until they communicate and join each other to become one (1).

The desire for naam has resulted in this creation, various worlds and solar systems, and all these scriptures, says gurbani in Sukhmani [GGS:284.13].

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