The Way Of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 48

Spirituality, Gurbani, Naam, Bani, Bana, Simran and Seva.
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Yuktanand Singh
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The Way Of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 48

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Love By Surrender:
The Way Of The Sikh -
Letter & Spirit # 48

YUKTANAND SINGH


Translated from ‘Gurmukh Sikhia’ by Bhai Vir Singh


Part XXVIII-B


A fakir (mendicant) stands under the window at a palace with anticipation. Each day, the servants throw the leftovers out the window after the king’s dinner. The fakir picks up the leftovers, eats them and he is contented with whatever he has received. The fakir does not beg the watchman or any other officer to plead for him to the king.

In this manner the fakir practices contentment while living in poverty.

The method of earning the wealth of naam is similar.

One continues to repeat naam, being content with whatever mercy Waheguru bestows; one has no pride.

Others who engage in some 'jupp' (prayer) or 'tupp' (penance), they make great personal efforts and they take pride in having made those efforts.

We read in Japji:

"What then, should we offer, so that we can enter His court? What should we say so that He will love us?
(Offer your) amrit vela, the ambrosial hours before dawn, utter true naam and contemplate His glorious grandeur" [GGS:2.4].

We want Waheguru to love us, but not like those sufis who cultivate a romantic love for God, but often, they call God jealous or brutal.

We simply do whatever our Lord Master likes us to do, whatever would please Him and make Him love us. Just as a wife who likes to please her husband. If he likes to do kirtan then she learns kirtan. This is how she becomes his beloved.

Guru Sahib tells us here that in order to please Waheguru so that he loves us, we need to do naam simran during the amrit vela and we need to contemplate His virtues and His grandeur.

No one can surpass Guru Sahib in praising Waheguru.

The Gurus have praised Him through gurbani. When we read recite or sing gurbani, we are engaged in praising Waheguru. He is pleased when we do naam simran, read or sing gurbani and we live a virtuous life. Then He loves us.

Waheguru is formless and He has no appearance. We can be mindful of Him only by repeating His name. Repeating Waheguru's name means: living in His presence. This naam is a gift. If you have it, then always continue to foster it. We need to keep asking Waheguru for naam, even when we are already doing naam simran.

Guru Arjan was completely secure in naam. He was greater than all the avatars, and he was dyed in naam. Still, at the end of Guru Granth Sahib, he prays:

"O Nanak, only when I am blessed with naam, will I live, my body and soul will blossom forth" [GGS:1429.16].

Our elders, some wise Sikhs, composed the Ardaas which we repeat every day. In its conclusion, the Ardaas says, "O Nanak, life in naam is ever blossoming. Thy Will is for everyone's welfare."

This signifies three items: First is naam. With naam we are in relationship with Waheguru. With it our mind becomes progressive and cheerful.

This creates a relationship with our own self … the second item.

Third is our relationship with the entire world, seeking everyone's welfare.

But living in this manner we need to remember that whatever we do, it is under His will and under His hukam and thus, it is His work. If we are good to others and they are bad to us then we are discouraged from working towards their welfare. That would be our moral demise.

But when we work for others' welfare under His will, then we will stay humble, regardless. Similarly, when we do naam simran by realizing that this was His gift to us, we will then be humble.

While we do naam simran, work for welfare of others, and we contemplate Waheguru's praise, we must dwell on:

"I was homeless and no one cared about me; but being with the Guru, I , a worm, have been honored" [GGS:167.10].

Has there ever been anyone greater than Guru Gobind Singh? Even he expressed humility:

"I am adorned only because of the mercy of these Sikhs, or else there are thousands destitute like me languishing in the world."

I rather say that if Guru Sahib saw that there were thousands others like him, I wish that we had just one of those individuals among us today!

His humility was matchless!


February 10, 2015
http://sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=5568&cat=12
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Re: The Way Of The Sikh: Letter & Spirit # 48

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More knowledge for me.
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