BS MANDER

Shri Guru Granth Sahib – The Awakener

BS Mander

www.whitefalconpublishing.com

All rights reserved

First Edition, 2021
© Brig BS Mander
Cover design by Brig BS Mander, 2021
Cover image by Brig BS Mander

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 DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to you, the readers, who are walking

the spiritual path. May this book help you speed up your
spiritual journey and also motivate you to explore the depths
of Shri Guru Granth Sahib.

v
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I express my sincere gratitude to the following:

Lt Gen BPS Mander (Retd) for his deep interest in the book,
and for recommending many quotes that have enriched the
content. He was ever-willing to share his views on any aspect,
and we spent many long hours discussing various topics.

Gp Capt Ajit Singh, SC, VM (G) (Retd) for critically analyzing

the draft and making many useful recommendations.

My nephew Aakarshan, a highly motivated and devout

Amritdhari Sikh, for his critical views and reviews which
I found immensely useful.

My daughter Manka and son Samar who, despite their busy

and offered many meaningful suggestions, most of which were

reading of the book.

My wife Jasmeet, a sincere devotee of Shri Guru Granth

Sahib, for her encouragement and full support throughout.

White Falcon Publishing headed by Ms Navsangeet Batth and

the team comprising Akshit Bagai, Priya Sahu, Sukhdeep Singh
and Shrikesh Kumar, for their ever willing co-operation and
professional approach resulting in high quality of work.

Thank you all. Without your help this book would not have
eventuated as it has.

vi
 FOREWORD

read Shri Guru Granth Sahib several times and was convinced
that it is a supreme spiritual guide for living an enriched and
purposeful life. The lessons contained in the Holy Scripture
are the collective wisdom of thirty-six saintly people and their
advice is as relevant today as it was during the time it was
written – perhaps more so now, because of the troubled times
the world is going through.

I feel that the rich philosophy and wisdom contained in the

Holy Book needs to be shared with more and more people.
This is my humble effort towards that end, and I am sanguine
it would serve that purpose.

writing this book nor have I had any special insight, vision or
any other spiritual experience that pushed me on. However,
I do feel that besides my own motivation, it was God’s will that
made me hold the pen and write.

May be I have studied the Granth Sahib a little more than

the average reader. Otherwise, I am just another co-traveler
with you on this wonderful journey called life.

vii
 CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Reading Notes 8

Chapter 1 God 10

Chapter 2 Creation 20

Chapter 3 Purpose of Life 30

Chapter 4 Enlightenment 41

Chapter 5 Death 50

Chapter 6 Reincarnation 61

Chapter 7 Guru 70

Chapter 8 Maya 79

Chapter 9 Ego 90

Chapter 10 Oneness 99

Chapter 11 Acceptance 107

Chapter 12 Surrender 116

Chapter 13 Worship 124

Chapter 14 Prayer 133

viii
 CONTENTS

Chapter 15 Rituals 142

Chapter 16 Equality 152

Chapter 17 Status of Women 160

Chapter 18 Seeker as Householder 169

Chapter 19 Grace 179

Chapter 20 Mind 188

Chapter 21 Humility 197

Chapter 22 Seva 207

Chapter 23 Remembrance 216

Chapter 24 Suffering 225

Chapter 25 Holy Company 233

Chapter 26 Relationship with God 243

Chapter 27 Kirtan 254

Chapter 28 Karam 265

Chapter 29 Meat and Liquor 273

Chapter 30 Gratitude 282

Conclusion 291

Appendix A
Afterword Authors of Shri Guru Granth Sahib 295

B
Appendix A Quotes from
Authors Shri
of Shri Guru
Guru Granth
Granth Sahib 296
Sahib Included in UN Document 299
Appendix B Quotes from Shri Guru Granth
Sahib Included in UN Document 300
ix
 INTRODUCTION

Shri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) is a divine and highly revered

scripture. Though it is the sacred text of the Sikhs, its teachings

people of every faith to read and follow it, without asking them
to compromise with their own religious or spiritual beliefs.
Its verses are often heard in the homes of many non-Sikhs
too. Numerous devotees, belonging to different religions offer
prayers in gurdwaras (Sikh temples), where SGGS is kept with
reverence and its verses are sung & recited every day. It does
not condemn or denigrate any religion, nor does it seek other
people to convert to Sikhism. The wisdom contained therein is
for anyone seeking spiritual awakening.

Many believers cherish a desire to read and understand

This is so because it is a lengthy text with 1430 pages and

is written in languages not easily understood. Even Punjabi
language, written in Gurmukhi script, is dated and is not
easily grasped by the present-day Punjabis. Also, there is no
universally accepted translation available, and there are many
variations in different translations that we do come across.
There is a bigger problem with parts written in other languages
(in Gurmukhi script) such as Sanskrit, Brijbhasha, Arabic,
Persian, Hindi, Sindhi, Lehndi, Dakhni, Bengali and Marathi.
For better comprehension one also needs to have knowledge
of ancient Indian scriptures, mythology and beliefs. However,
these problems are not so un-surmountable as to hinder our
understanding the true wisdom of SGGS.
2 INTRODUCTION

The contents of SGGS are written in verse and are known

as gurbani, (Guru/God’s word), or simply bani. What most
Sikhs read daily are extracts from SGGS published in small
booklets known as gutkas. However, most people do this
as a mere ritual of uttering the gurbani without any real
understanding. The true value of SGGS lies in studying it,
understanding it, and then applying the lessons in our daily
lives. Reading gurbani a million times will serve no purpose if
it is not imbibed and the teachings not practiced.
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) laid the foundation for creation
of SGGS with his own poetry. Whenever he was in commune
with God he would receive gurbani verses and would start
singing, while his companion Bhai Mardana would play the
rabaab, a string instrument. The only person other than Bhai
Mardana who understood and memorized Guru Nanak’s hymns
was Bhai Lehna, a devout follower of Guru Nanak. Bhai Lehna

want to leave it to the oral tradition to spread and pass down.

Punjabi till then was not an advanced language and did not
even have a script. Bhai Lehna therefore created the Gurmukhi
script, which till now is the script for Punjabi in India – Pakistan
has Arabic based Shahmukhi script for Punjabi.
Because of Bhai Lehna’s devotion and wisdom, Guru Nanak
passed down his Guruship to him, even at the cost of annoying
his sons and other members of the family. Bhai Lehna became
Guru Angad Dev, the second Sikh Guru.
Poetry of Guru Nanak was handed down to successive
gurus who made their own contributions. In 1604 the earlier
version of SGGS called the Adi Granth was compiled by Guru
Arjan Dev (1563-1606), the 5th Guru, which contained the

was dictated by Guru Arjan Dev and was handwritten by Bhai

Gurdas, a Sikh scholar and maternal uncle of Guru Arjan Dev.
 INTRODUCTION 3

One of the reasons for Guru Arjan Dev to compile SGGS

was that Meharban, grandson of Guru Ram Das, the 4th
Guru, had begun writing his own unenlightened verses under
Guru Nanak’s name, in the same style as adopted by Sikh
Gurus. The followers were often confused and were at a loss to
differentiate true bani from Meharban’s compilation.
Many spiritual writers of the time approached Guru
Arjan Dev to have their works included in SGGS but he
was very selective and approved only those writings which
conformed to Sikh ideals and values.
The Adi Granth was later expanded by Guru Gobind Singh,
(1666-1708), the 10th Guru, who added the writings of his
father, Guru Teg Bahadur (1621-1675), the 9th Guru. However,
this was not an easy task. The original version of Adi Granth
was in possession of Dhir Mal, son of Baba Gurditta and
grandson of Guru Har Gobind, the 6th Guru. When Guru
Gobind Singh approached Dhir Mal to get the original text, he
refused, and taunted the Guru saying, “If you are a guru, then
prepare your own.” Guru Gobind Singh then dictated the entire
Adi Granth from his memory to Bhai Mani Singh. The great

Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo).

Though Guru Gobind Singh wrote beautiful poetry, he
did not include it in SGGS, but created a separate text titled
Dasam Granth.
Something unique about SGGS is that it has original writings
of the founders; unlike most other religious scriptures, which
were written by the followers/disciples of the founders. Also,
the writings are not only of Sikh Gurus, but also include those
of Hindu and Muslim spiritual leaders. It is a symbol of real
secularism. Details of authors of SGGS are at Appendix A.
Another uniqueness of SGGS is that, unlike other religious

stories. In Hindu scriptures we have the epics Ramayana and

4 INTRODUCTION

Mahabharata, in the Bible its Adam & Eve, David & Goliath
among others. In Quran too there are many stories including
those of Prophets Eesaa (Jesus) and Moosa (Moses). SGGS,
however, is all 1430 pages of hymns of divine wisdom.
For the Sikhs, SGGS is the 11th and the eternal Guru, a
status given to it by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last living
Guru. In October 1708 he proclaimed at Nanded, Maharashtra:

“Aagya Bhaee Akaal Ki Tabhi Chalayo Panth.

Sabh Sikhan Ko Hukam Hai Guru Manyo Granth.
Guru Granth Ji Maneyo Pragat Gura Ki Deh.
Jo Prabh Ko Milbo Chahay Khoj Shabad Mein Leh.”

(With the authority of the Timeless One this religious

path is established.
All Sikhs are directed to accept Granth as their Guru.
Trust that Guru Granth has emerged as embodiment
of the Guru.
Whosoever desires to meet God should search for
Him in the word - of gurbani in SGGS.)

world, not much is known about it, even in countries with

sizeable Sikh population. In 2015 a study was conducted in
USA where 1800 Americans were shown several pictures of
Sikh men and women in different attires. They were then
asked to give their views/comments about the people in the
pictures. Their replies indicated:

Only a few had heard the word ‘Sikh’ somewhere.

They thought these people were from middle-east area.
They believed they are not civilized, they beat their women.
They said their religion had something to do with Islam.

Later when briefed about Sikh values and principles

enshrined in SGGS they all changed their opinions and said
 INTRODUCTION 5

Sikhs were a wonderful people and they would love to have

them as their neighbours and friends.

Another survey in 2016 in Great Britain found that 1 in

every 7 Sikhs was discriminated against at work and 1 in 5 in
public places - despite being economically the most successful
people. A recent report says that hate crime against Sikhs in
UK rose by 7.3 percent during the year 2019-20, while there
was a decline in overall cases. The main reason has been their
mistaken identity as Islamic terrorists. There is indeed a vast
gap in information about Sikhism in the world, as well as
within India, which needs to be bridged so that Sikhism and
Sikhs are better known and understood.

The aim of this book is to give an overview of SGGS to

those, who have not had the time or the motivation to read the
complete holy book; as also, to introduce them to important
and recurring themes contained therein. It is hoped that this
will lead to a greater interest in reading the complete holy
book that I am sure will result in spiritual growth of the
reader. Even if you do not read the complete SGGS but follow
the teachings contained in this book on a regular basis you
would be a far better person than someone who reads the holy
book daily, but does nothing to make himself an enlightened
human being - the real purpose of SGGS.

SGGS forms the basis of Sikh philosophy which shows a

practical path for human endeavour towards awakening. It has
immense universal appeal but needs greater effort to make it
known to the world at large. This book is my humble effort to
make Sikhs and non-Sikhs aware of Sikh values and beliefs.
It is my hope and expectation that it reaches the hands of
those living in India and abroad who can serve this purpose.

It is a matter of great pride for the followers of SGGS, that

three quotations from the holy book have been incorporated in
6 INTRODUCTION

of the High Commissioner, United Nations Human Rights,

to include mutually enriching connections between religions
of the world, by including suitable quotations from all major
religious texts. Proposals from various religions were made by
nation states practicing those religions. Since there is no Sikh
nation state, there was no one to represent Sikhism. However,
UN Advisory Committee member Dr Iqtidar Karamat Cheema,
a UK based Muslim historian, took the initiative and had
three quotes included in UN document. These quotations with
English translation are given at Appendix B.

I mentioned in the beginning that SGGS is a spiritual

scripture. What does that mean? What is spirituality? Well,
spirituality is the belief that beyond our physical world, there
are other realms or domains which are not visible to us because
they are vibrating at different frequencies. We experience these

liberation from the physical world. The soul (atma) within us

is from the spiritual world that is connected to Supreme Soul
(Param-atma) which is also in the spirit form. All religions
believe in spirituality, though there are differences in detail.

Some of the important issues a spiritual guide should deal

with are:

Is there God?
If so, what is the concept of God?
How did the universe come into being?
Who created it?
Is there a purpose in our life?
How should we live our life?
Is there life after death?
If so, what kind of life is that and how is it determined?
 INTRODUCTION 7

In the chapters that follow, we shall look at these questions,

as well as other teachings covered in the holy book. I have
focused more on the lessons and wisdom contained in SGGS,

“Shri Guru Granth Sahib is a source book, an expression

of man’s loneliness, his aspirations, his longings, his cry to
God and his hunger for communication with that Being. I have

elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and the mind

Pearl S Buck (1892-1973)

US Nobel Laureate
Pulitzer Prize Winner
 READING NOTES

There are several quotations from SGGS given in every

the example below:

Nanak sabh kichhu tumrai haath mai tum hee hoat sahaaye.

M9/1429/7

Gurmukhi script),
as it appears in SGGS, then the Roman script, followed by
Hindi (Devanagri
in English. While converting the Gurmukhi quotations into

As per the style of that time all writers mentioned their

names in most of their poetry but the Sikh Gurus used
only Guru Nanak’s name, because they all carried his jyot

that Guru Nanak is saying it, but the actual author is Guru
Teg Bahadur (9th Guru).
At the bottom right of each quotation are the following

followed by the line in which the quotation begins. Names of

 READING NOTES 9

Sikh Gurus are not mentioned, instead we have the Mahalla

(House) numbers. Mahalla 1 (or M1) means 1st Guru which
was Guru Nanak, M2 means 2nd Guru, which was Guru
Angad Dev and so on. Thus, M9/1429/7 written at the bottom
right of above quote means it is written by Guru Teg Bahadur,
the 9th Guru, at page No 1429 and starts at line No 7. Names
of writers other than Sikh Gurus are given as actual.

Also note that the way the quote is written gives the
impression that the reader is praying to Guru Nanak for help,
but actually it is Guru Teg Bahadur (using Guru Nanak’s
name) who is praying to God. Sometimes the quote starts with
Kahu Nanak (Nanak says), while other times it simply starts
with Nanak, even though it implies ‘Nanak says.’ Same applies
to other writers.

In spiritual literature like SGGS you sometimes come across

so because it is the language of the enlightened saints which

comes from their hearts. It is the language of love and truth.
We are more accustomed to the language of logic and reasoning
which comes from the head. Because of this we don’t always
clearly understand the language of these holy people – we have
to rise to their level to fully grasp their utterances. People are
still trying to de-codify many statements of Jesus made over
two thousand years ago. Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu
had rightly said, “The words of truth are always paradoxical.”
 CHAPTER 1

GOD

There are many descriptions of God and His attributes in SGGS

and we get to know Him in many different ways. But as we shall
see, He cannot be fully comprehended or explained. We can
properly explain something only if it is within our intellectual
capability to grasp. God Almighty is too great and therefore not
in our power to grasp accurately. Yet for people to get an idea
something has to be said. Though not fully describable He is
certainly perceivable. Saying nothing about God doesn’t help.

I have referred to God as He/Him, but that is only for the sake

to describe God are:

Ekoankaar, Sat Naam, Karta Purakh, Nirbhao, Nirvair,

Akaal Moorat, Ajuni, Saibhang, Gur Parsaad.
 GOD 11

M1/1/1

This is called the Mool Mantar, or the principal statement.

Mool
Mantar is the symbol Ekoankaar. It has three components,
Ek (One), Oan (God), and Kaar (creation), which means there
is but one God who has created everything.

concept of one Supreme God. That credit, it is believed, goes

to Akhenaten, an Egyptian Pharaoh who ruled as far back as

believed in monotheism and taught the same to his citizens.

He believed in one universal God named Aten. So when we say
there is one creator God it is nothing new.

Most religions believe in one Supreme God. In Hinduism

also where people worship many deities, they do believe in
one Supreme God called Brahaman, also referred to as
Parmeshwar, Ishwar, Bhagwaan, Parmatma and so on.

However Hindus as well as Muslims, believed that

theirs was a superior God. Guru Nanak said there was no
question of your God or my God, there is only One God for
12 CHAPTER 1

“Na ko Hindu na Musalmaan” (There is neither Hindu nor

Muslim) meaning that all humanity is one, thus same One
God is common to all.

Guru Nanak’s statement in Ekoankaar is even more

profound. If we look deeper, we realize what he is saying is, that
not only is there one God for all, but that at some level, there
is Oneness of everything in the creation. Prof Sahib Singh,
the renowned Sikh scholar says, ‘Oan’ means that entity like
which there is no other, and in which is contained the entire
universe. Since everything in the universe is component of
the whole, everything is interconnected. There is Oneness,
not only of humanity but of everything. Even science tells us
today that at the sub-atomic level everything in the cosmos is
interconnected and is sub-part of the whole. Thus Ekoankaar
means there is Oneness of the whole creation - there is no
separateness. Adi Shankara, the eighth century sage had
said, “Where there is duality by virtue of ignorance, one sees
all things as distinct from the Self. When everything is seen
as the Self, there is not even an atom other than the Self…”

strong individualized and self-limiting personalities. If a wave

in the ocean sees itself as an independent entity, it is nothing
more than just a wave. But when it sees itself as an integral
part of the ocean, it becomes the mighty ocean. When we
accept Oneness of the cosmos we begin to see ourselves as
part of the Whole, we awaken. We become One, we are part
of God. What is preventing us from seeing our Oneness? It is
our ego. We’ll see more on ego and Oneness in later chapters.

Let us now see quotations from SGGS where the authors

so. Even an enlightened person like Guru Nanak who has

knows God, He can’t be written or spoken about:

 GOD 13

Jay hao jaana aakha nahi kehna kathan na jaayee.

Gura ik deh bhujaayee.
Sabhna jia ka ik Daata so mai visar na jaayee.

M1/2/9

Expressing the same inability to describe God, Bhagat

Ravidas says:

Jogisar paveh nahi tua gunh kathan apaar.

Prem bhagat kai kaarnay kahu Ravidas chamaar.
14 CHAPTER 1

Now some quotations in SGGS on One God for all.

Guru Nanak says:

Sahib mera eko hai; eko hai bhaayee eko hai.

Guru Nanak again:

Eko rav reheya sabh thaayee; awar na deesai kis pooj

charaayee.

Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh Guru, says:

Nanak Daata ek hai dooja aur na koye.

 GOD 15

With his belief in one God, Guru Nanak says, he follows

only God’s path without wavering, and does not think of
worshipping any other entity:

Duvidha na parho Har bin hor na poojao, marhai

masaan na jaayee.

Where is God to be found? He is everywhere, as also He is

within you. Guru Teg Bahadur tells us:

Kaahay ray bun khojan jaayee.

Sarab niwaasi sada alepa tohi sung samaayee.

The renowned Swami Parmahansa Yogananda once asked his

guru Sri Yukteswar to allow him to go to the Himalayas to seek
God. The guru replied, “Many hill-men live in the Himalayas, yet
possess no God perception. Wisdom is better sought from a man
of realization than from an inert mountain.” Swami Yogananda
16 CHAPTER 1

did go to the Himalayas, but returned empty handed. He attained

God-realization back home under the guidance of his guru.

God is perceived differently by different people depending

upon their level of awareness and spiritual understanding. Guru
Gobind Singh said, “Aap Apni Budh Hai Jeti, Barnat Bhin Bhin
Tohay Teti” (As per their own level of understanding, people
describe Him differently.) Hence, our level of consciousness
determines our concept of God. As we advance spiritually so
does our understanding of God. Every day we learn something
new. Guru Nanak says:

Sahib mera neet nava, sadaa sadaa daataar.

Guru Arjan Dev expresses similar views:

Gunh nidhaan navtan sadaa pooran ja ki daat.

Sadaa sadaa aaraadheeyai din visroh nahi raat.
 GOD 17

The above two verses say, God is, neet nava (is new everyday)
and navtan sada (always in new form). This means, like His
entire creation, He is also evolving and moving ahead with
time. He is not stuck in any old time-frame.

We cannot fully understand God unless we raise our

spiritual understanding to His level. Guru Nanak says:

Evad oocha hovai koye, Tis oochay kao jaanai soye.

Another attribute of God is that He is permanent and

indestructible, while everything else, yes everything, will come
to end one day, God survives forever. Guru Nanak says:

Na soor sas mandlo, na sapt deep nah jalo.

Ann paun thir na kuee, ek tuee ek tuee.

M1/144/2
18 CHAPTER 1

God has control over every living being says Guru Arjan Dev:

Jia jantt teray dhaaray, Prabh dori haath tumaaray.

Guru Nanak says however much effort we may put in, it is

Sabni chhaala mariya Karta karay so hoye.

Mut koyee jaanoh awar kachh sabh Prabh kai haath.

 GOD 19

Most of us do accept that God is all-powerful and controls

everything in our life, but we just don’t care about Him;
unless, of course, we land into some serious trouble. We will
do anything for our religion, not for God. If God is abused
or insulted by someone, nothing is likely to happen to him.
At best such a person may be called a fool or a non-believer.
But try saying something against a religion or its founder. The
reaction is always sharp and could easily lead to disharmony,
even riots. We give much greater importance to the founders
of religions who teach us about God, but care little about the
Supreme Almighty. God’s love connects us with each other,
but religion often separates. More wars have been fought and
millions killed for the sake of religion, than for any other cause.
Understand the difference between religion and God and focus
on worshipping God, who is our real Creator and Provider.

Though the word religion actually means ‘sacred duty’, but

that is not how it is practiced. It is often misused to spread
hatred and enmity.

In this chapter we have seen some attributes of God, as

the Creator, but we will continue to learn about Him as we go

along.

own hearts and in every living being?”

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)

Indian Mystic
 CHAPTER 2

CREATION

There are remarkable references in SGGS regarding creation

of the cosmos, which include things that even science did not
know at the time this holy book was compiled. Till as late as

believed that the universe had no beginning, that there was

no moment in time when it was created and therefore, there
was no creator. Science did not believe in God because it could
not grasp or measure Him in a laboratory - a condition science
puts on proving the existence of anything. However, many
scientists now believe in God, and the fact that He created the
universe. Einstein said, “The more I study science, the more
I believe in God.”
Modern science tells us that mass and energy cannot be
created or destroyed - it can only change form, from one to the
other. What this means is that all creation happened in one go
and nothing has been added or removed ever since, though mass
and energy keep appearing in different forms. Let us now see
what SGGS says on these issues.
How did the universe come into existence? Guru Nanak says:

Keeta pasaao eko kavaao, tis tay hoye lakh dariyaao.

 CREATION 21

The creation took place with one sound. Nanak said this in
15th, or at best in the 16th century, while the theory of ‘big
bang’ was propounded only in 1930 by Belgian astronomer
Georges Lemaitre.

On creation happening in one go, Guru Nanak says:

Aasan loye loye bhandaar, jo kichhu paayeya su eka vaar.

Kar kar vekhai Sirjanhaar, Nanak saachay ki saachi kaar.

M1/7/4

What was the state before creation took place with the big
bang? No one knows. However, Guru Nanak who lived from 1469
to 1539 visualized and described that state in the following verse:

Arbad narbad dhundukaara, dharan na gagna hukam apaara.

Na din rayan na chand na suraj, sunn samaadh lagaayeda.
22 CHAPTER 2

Khaani na baani paun na paani, opat khapt na aavan jaani.

Khand pataal sapt nahi saagar nadi na neer vahaayeda.

Till as late as mid 18th century it was believed that

creation took place around 10,000 years ago. With many

that it came into being about 13.7 billion years ago. How
accurate or how true this is we cannot be sure, because the
theory of creation is just that, a theory. A very recent report
says the universe is perhaps two billion years younger than
earlier estimates.
Guru Nanak says it is impossible to determine when the
creation took place and only God knows:
 CREATION 23

Kavan si ruti maah kavan jit hoa aakaar.

Vel na paaya pandati jay hovai lekh Puraan.
Vakht na paaya qadia jay likhan lekh Quran.

Thiti vaar na jogi jaanay rut maah na koyee.

Ja Karta sirathi kau saajay aapay jaanai soyee.

Many modern scientists believe that the universe is in a

constant state of expansion and contraction. This means,
having started from a state of non-existence it keeps
expanding for billions of years and having attained full size it
24 CHAPTER 2

starts contracting. After billions of years it contracts back to

nothingness - and the cycle continues. These words of Guru
Arjan Dev point in the same direction:

Kayee baar pasreo paasaar, sadaa sadaa ik ekankaar.

Commenting on the vastness of the universe, at a time when

not much was known about it, Guru Nanak says:

Dharti hor parai hor hor, tis tay bhaar talai kavan jor.

Here are some references on creation by Guru Arjan Dev

(1563-1606):

Kayee kot sasiyar soor nakhyatar.

 CREATION 25

Kayee kot khaani aur khand, kayee kot aakaas brahmand.

Remember, in the SGGS, the above lines about presence of

millions of planets and stars were written by Guru Arjan Dev
prior to the year 1606 - he was martyred that year. This was
the time when science in the west was still struggling with
limited knowledge of only a few planets of our solar system and
was debating whether or not earth was at its centre. Though
Nicolaus Copernicus, the Polish astronomer, had published his
theory in 1543 (the year he died) stating it was the Sun that
was at the centre of the solar system, it wasn’t given much
attention. Galileo Galilei reinforced the Copernician theory
but in 1633 was summoned before the Inquisition, and forced
to recant his belief in that theory.
In 1610 Galileo had used a telescope to study the milky-way
to discover that it was composed of a huge number of faint
stars. Much later, in the 1920s, observations by astronomer
Edwin Hubble showed that the milky-way was just one of
around 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe.
I have highlighted the above theories only to signify the
importance of the contents of SGGS. I do not suggest that this
holy book can be used as a science book. A Sikh zealot put out
a story some time ago that NASA keeps a copy of the SGGS

refer to the holy book and get their answers. Such fabricated
and false stories only cause more harm than good. Obviously
the story was denied by NASA.
26 CHAPTER 2

It is incorrect to compare a holy book to a science book,

because they deal with totally different issues. Holy books
explore the spiritual domain and suggest ways for truthful
living, while science deals with material things. Science says
things have to be seen to be believed, but spirituality says

see them. Science does not believe in God because it cannot

everywhere, in everything. For science, He is too great to be

grasped. However, now there is some convergence between
spirituality and science.

Notwithstanding the science’s point of view on how or who

created the universe, the pertinent question remains - how
can there be a creation without the Creator? A famous song by
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan says, “Koyee To Hai Jo Nizaam-E-Hasti
Chala Raha Hai. Wohi Khuda Hai Wohi Khuda Hai.” (There has
to be someone who is running the show, of cosmic order. He is
God, He indeed is God.)

Guru Arjan Dev says:

Jo kichhu hoa su tujh tay hoag; avar na dooja karnai joag.

And what a creation He has created! It is impossible to

conceive anything better. You only need to look at things
around you with some attention and you will marvel at His
 CREATION 27

animals, seas, beaches, mountains, rain, clouds, snow;

everything is made to perfection. Look at the human body;
we can’t conceive anything more beautiful, or more capable of
learning and performing. Isn’t it amazing that among billions
and trillions of people born on this planet no two people were/
are ever exactly alike, despite having same form and features?

Guru Amar Das says:

Merai Prabh saachai ik khel rachaaya, koye na kis hee

jeha upaaya.

Same holds true for the animal and plant worlds. Then there
are so many planets, stars and other bodies in the universe.
We have no idea as yet, of other forms of life that may exist
there.

Guru Arjan Dev again says:

Nanak rachna Prabh rachi bahu bidh anik prakaar.

28 CHAPTER 2

Guru Arjan Dev continues:

Haran bharan ja ka neytr phor, Tis ka mantr na jaanai hor.

Guru Nanak speaks of only one command pervading the

entire creation:

Eko hukam vartai sabh loyee, ekas tay sabh opat hoyee.

It is now believed that the origin of the universe was a

single point, which contained in itself the blueprint of the
entire universe. Besides all stars and planets in the cosmos,
the blueprint also included all forms of life, including you and
me. This is just like a small seed which contains in itself the
blueprint of a massive tree.

Guru Amar Das amazingly makes a similar comment on

creation when he says:
 CREATION 29

Kahai Nanak sristi ka mool racheya joyt raakhee ta tu jug

meh aayaa.

God has created the universe which is not only unimaginably

vast but also amazingly precise. Deepak Chopra, in his book,
‘Life After Death’, writes, “If the expanding universe, moving
at millions of miles per minute, had been off by a fraction
of a second, the formation of stars and galaxies would have
been impossible, because the momentum of the explosion
would have exceeded the ability of gravity, the weakest force
in nature, to halt it. Only the most delicate balancing act kept
the push-pull of two forces so close together that they can
dance together instead of tearing each other apart.” Only God
could have done it.

“It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe

without the agency of a Supreme Being.”

George Washington (1732-1799)

First US President
 CHAPTER 3

PURPOSE OF LIFE

Why do we come into this world? Why are we born? Is it a

random happening or is it in accord with some plan? Are we
to waste this life in meaningless pursuits or is there a more

Sheikh Farid raises this question in SGGS:

Freeda chaar gavaaya handd kai chaar gavaaya summ.

Lekha rabb mangesiya tu anho kehray kumm.

This question by Sheikh Farid is on the mind of everyone

who looks at life more deeply.
 PURPOSE OF LIFE 31

There indeed is a purpose, and that purpose is to rise

high spiritually, to the level of godhood and merge with
God, become one with God. To become God. In his bestseller
book, ‘The Road Less Travelled’, M. Scott Peck, MD, says,
“God wants us to become Himself. We are growing towards
godhood. God is the goal of evolution. It is God who is
the source of the evolutionary force and God who is the
destination.”

Yes, God is the destination and He is reachable. According

to Mundakya Upanishad (3-2-9), “He who knows Brahman
(God) verily becomes Brahman.”

Every soul was once part of God, the Supreme Soul. He

separated each soul from Himself for its individual journey to
experience various realms in different reincarnations. After the
experience is complete, God reunites each soul with Himself.
The soul, after a journey of thousands of reincarnations,
attains salvation and returns to an ever blissful home - not
to be born again. However, some highly evolved souls may be
reborn as Avtars
on earth.

Ram Das says:

Sabh teri tu sabhni dhiaaya, jis no kripa kareh tin naam

ratan paaya.
Gurmukh laadha manmukh gavaaya, tudh aap vichhoreya
aap milaaya.
32 CHAPTER 3

The words ‘gurmukh’ and ‘manmukh’ mentioned above are

frequently referred to in SGGS. Let’s digress a little to see
what they mean. Gur means guru/God and mukh means face.
Gurmukh, therefore, is someone whose face (mind orientation)
is towards God. He
His creation all the time. On the other side manmukh is the
one who is munn (own mind) oriented, who is self-centered,
always thinking of himself. Gurmukh is an enlightened person
while manmukh is way down. One should seek company of
gurmukhs and shun manmukhs.

We originated from a different world, at a different spiritual

plane, where everything is ideal and perfect. In such a state
the soul knows that everything is great, but doesn’t realize how
great it is because there is nothing to compare with. Beauty
can be appreciated only when compared with ugliness. Value of

of truth is realized only when you experience falsehood. You

can’t know light if you haven’t seen darkness. We live in a
world of duality where it is long vs short, sweet vs bitter, high
vs low, tall vs short, good vs bad and so on. This duality can
be experienced only in our material world which God created
for us. He sends us as individual souls into the material world
to realize our own goodness. Our job is complete only when we
have gone through all experiences of good & bad, and of pain
& pleasure. At the culmination of this experience we reunite
 PURPOSE OF LIFE 33

with God and remain merged thereafter. The cycle of birth

and death ceases. How soon this cycle will end depends on
how quickly we learn about the purpose of our life and work
towards it. But it is not entirely in our control because we can

During our life we get so attached to material things (maya/

duality) that we forget the real purpose of our life, which is
the spiritual awakening, or God-realization. If we die with
inadequate experience, God gives us another chance in rebirth.
Depending upon our balance-sheet of good or bad karma at
the end of one life, the spiritual masters determine what kind

liberation, after which there is no rebirth.

To be born as a human being is a great opportunity for spiritual

growth. Guru Arjan Dev tells us not to miss this opportunity:

Lakh chauraasi joan sabaayee, manas ko Prabh deeyee

vadeaayee.
Is pauri tay jo nar chookai so aaye jaaye dukh paayeda.

As human beings we are greatly blessed. It is the highest

form of life, because only as humans can we appreciate the
34 CHAPTER 3

spiritual side of life - of sharing, caring, helping, praying,

distinguish us much from lower forms of life. Even animals can

enjoy good food, drink, sex, good environment etc. Only humans
can experience the joys of spiritual growth which leads us to
godhood. Even the angels do not have this blessing - they must
be born as humans to attain godhood.

Gur seva tay bhagat kamaayee, tabb ih manas dehi paayee.

Is dehee kau simreh dev, so dehi bhaj Har ki sev.

A very popular verse by Guru Arjan Dev on the subject:

Bhayee prapat maanukh dehuriya, Gobind milan ki ih

teri bareeya.
Avar kaaj terai kitai na kaam, mil sadhsangat bhaj kewal naam.
 PURPOSE OF LIFE 35

The last line of the above verse which says no other deed
is useful, applies to usefulness for spiritual advancement. It

responsibilities of the physical world. More on this later, in the

chapter on ‘Seeker as Householder’.

was before you attained the human form, and urges you to
start worshipping:

Firat firat bahutay jug haareyo manas deh lahee.

Nanak kehat milan ki bariya simrat kahaa nahee.

The purpose of life should be to worship God and do good

deeds with which the sins of this life, as well as of previous
36 CHAPTER 3

lives, are paid for and we get out of the cycle of birth & death.
We are then on our way to godhood. Don’t waste this golden
opportunity.

Guru Nanak warns us here:

Rayan gawaayee soye kai divas gavayaa khaaye.

Heeray jaisa janum hai kaudi badlay jaaye.

On living a life without purpose, Guru Nanak says:

Phit iveha jeeveya jit khaaye vadhaaya pait.

Nanak sachay naam vin sabho dushman hait.
 PURPOSE OF LIFE 37

Bhagat Kabir makes a similar comment:

Pait bhareo pasua jiu soeyo manukh janam hai haareyo.

You indeed are a loser in this life if you eat and live like an
animal. Your purpose in life is much greater.

Guru Amar Das also cautions us not to waste this life:

Bhaayee ray bhagat-heen kaahay jug aaya.

Pooray gur ki sev na keeni birtha janam gwaaya.

Here is Bhagat Kabir’s plea to God to help him attain

life’s purpose by releasing him from the cycle of death and
rebirth. He sees life in human form to be like swimming in a
terrifying ocean:
38 CHAPTER 3

Kahai Kabir sunho ray santoh khet hi karo nibera.

Ab ki baar bakhs banday ko bahur na bhaujal phera.

Another quote by Guru Arjan Dev on attainment of life’s

purpose and rejoining with our Maker:

Jiu jal meh jal aaye khataana, tiu jyoti sung jyot samaana.
Mit gaye gavan paaye bisraam, Nanak Prabh kay sadd
kurbaan.
 PURPOSE OF LIFE 39

The soul, from its detachment from the Supreme Soul to its
salvation and re-merger with Supreme Soul, undertakes a very
long journey. Our one lifetime on earth is a very small portion
of the overall experience. In the following verse Guru Nanak
calls earth as temporary resting place:

Raati ruti thiti vaar, pavan paani agni paataal;

Tis vich dharti thaap rakhi dharam saal.

M1/7/11

Remember, the earth is a temporary resting place. Do not

think of making it a permanent residence - you can’t. You
have to move on. Though we have a brief stay here but it is the
most crucial one, because it is here that you can spiritually
learn and gain the maximum. That’s why it is called the ‘earth
school’ for the souls.

To achieve life’s real purpose we must shed our heavy burden

of materialism because that has got us badly entangled and is
a great hindrance. The story below illustrates this:

A tourist from
A tourist USA
from USAonce
oncevisited
visitedthe
thefamous
famousPolish
Polish Rabbi
Rabbi Hafez
Hayyim.
Hayyim. HeHe was
was astonished
astonished toto see
see that
that the Rabbi’s home was
40 CHAPTER 3

table and a bench.

“Rabbi, where is your furniture?” asked the tourist.

“Where is yours?” asked Hafez in return.

“Mine? But I’m only a visitor here.”

“So am I,” said the Rabbi.

We are all visitors here on a brief journey, but we tend to

live in a manner as if we shall be here forever. A good principle
of happy and successful journey is to travel light. Don’t be
burdened with heavy loads of materialism. Carry with you
the rewards of God’s worship and love of the people you come
across. You will not meet your possessions in the afterlife, but
you will meet the ones you loved. Keep this thought in mind
while charting the course of your life.

Make purpose of your life a life of purpose.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We

are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)

French Philosopher
 CHAPTER 4

ENLIGHTENMENT

As we have seen, the purpose of life as per SGGS is to attain

enlightenment, which leads us on to godhood. Enlightenment
has many names like awakening, enhanced awareness, higher
consciousness, liberation, attainment, self-realization, God-
realization, salvation, moksh, nirvana, mukti, nistaara and so
on. What does all this mean?

Steve Taylor, a British author and lecturer on psychology &

spirituality, has done extensive research on enlightenment. He
has closely interacted with dozens of enlightened people and

says there is a marked change in the psychological framework

and perceptions of enlightened people. Here are some common
signs he observed in such people:

Are aware of Divine presence.

Live more in the now than in past or future.
Believe in oneness and connectedness of the universe.
Have inner quietness.
Are happy being alone and inactive.
Have reduced or no fear of death.
Have universal outlook.
Are high on moral values.
42 CHAPTER 4

Feel this world is a very beautiful place.

Are beyond accumulation and attachment.
Have more authentic relationships.
Are open to new things.

Let us now see what SGGS says about enlightenment. The

names used for enlightened people in SGGS are gurmukh,
saadhu, saadh, sant, brahm giani, guru, mukt, etc. Though
some people try to differentiate between these titles, in actual
fact they all mean the same, i.e., a person who has reached a
higher level of spiritual awareness and has arrived at the door
of godhood. This is also referred to as opening of dasmdwar
(the tenth gate).

In SGGS the attributes of an enlightened person are given

at different places, but mostly in Sukhmani Sahib (Pages 262-
296). It is interesting to note how attributes mentioned by Steve
Taylor are quite in line with those of SGGS, as shown below:

Aware of Divine Presence

Braham giani kai ekai rung, braham giani kai basai Prabh sung.

Belief in Oneness and Connectedness of the Universe

Ur dhaarai jo antar naam, sarab mai pekhai Bhagwaan.

 ENLIGHTENMENT 43

Have Inner Quietness

Braham giani kai dheeraj aik, jiu basudha kou khodai kou
chandan lep.

Have Reduced or No Fear of Death

Janam maran ka bhram gaya Gobid liv laagi.

44 CHAPTER 4

Have Universal Outlook

Harakh soag ja kai nahi bairee meet samaan.

Kahu Nanak sunn ray mana mukt taahe tai jaan.

Beyond Accumulation and Attachment

Jih maya mamta tajee sabh tay bhaiyo udaas.

Kahu Nanak sunn ray mana tih ghat Braham nivaas.

M9/1427/9
 ENLIGHTENMENT 45

High on Moral Values

Mithya naahi rasna paras, munn meh preet Niranjan daras.

Per triya roop na pekhai netar.

Karan na sunai kahoo ki ninda, sabh tay jaanai aapas

kao manda.

Indree jit panch dokh tay rehat. Nanak kot madhay ko

aisa apras.
46 CHAPTER 4

Open to New Learning

Braham giani ka bhojan gyaan, Nanak braham giani ka

Braham dhiyaan.

From the above comparisons, it is evident that there is great

similarity between Steve Taylor’s attributes of enlightened
people and those in SGGS. It is amazing how, centuries ago,
authors of SGGS knew about enlightenment psychology that
conforms to present thinking.

Let us now look into some other characteristics of enlightened

people. They are spiritually so advanced, that they have been
equated with God.

Guru Arjan Dev says braham giani is himself God:

Braham giani ko khojeh Mahesar, braham giani aap

Parmaysur.

Saadh, another name for enlightened person, is also equated

with God by Guru Arjan Dev:
 ENLIGHTENMENT 47

Saadh ki sobha Saadh bun aayee, Nanak saadh Prabh bhed

na bhaayee.

mukt:

Ustat nindeya nahee jih kanchan loh samaan.

Kahu Nanak sunn ray mana mukt taahay tai jaan.

Another quotation by Guru Teg Bahadur on liberated

person:

Jih praani haumai taji karta Ram pachhaan.

Kaho Nanak veh mukt nar, eh munn saachee maan.
48 CHAPTER 4

How does one progress towards attainment? As per SGGS

khands (stages) of spiritual growth as given by
Guru Nanak from Page 7 line 11 to Page 8 line 7. These are
summarized below:

Dharam Khand (Realm of righteous action). Realization

that good deeds bring good results.
Gian Khand (Realm of knowledge). Gaining knowledge
about God and his vast creation.
Saram Khand
of thought.
Karam Khand (Realm of grace). God showers His grace on
the seeker.
Sach Khand (Realm of Truth). Attainment of godhood;
merger with God.

Most people on spiritual path would normally follow the

above course. However, with sincere effort, guru’s help, and
most importantly, God’s grace, the process can be shortened
and all sins of present and past lives can be cleared in the
present life itself. More on this in chapter titled ‘Karam’.

happens now or hundreds of rebirths later. It is never too late

to start the journey; the earlier the better. We must not waste
this precious life on trivial pursuits. The fact that you are
reading this book shows you are aware of the need to tread
 ENLIGHTENMENT 49

the spiritual path. Though we are all on the spiritual journey,

most of us are not consciously aware of it, and therefore not
pursuing it seriously.

Unlike in our material world, spiritual advancement is not

a team effort, we must travel alone. Of course, company and
advice of gurus and other holy people is necessary. What does
one have to do? Worship and meditate on God, have honest
and truthful dealings, listen to holy people and read spiritual
literature. Inculcate qualities of an enlightened person and
live by them. Share and care. Do this from the heart with
full sincerity. When your desire for God is strong enough,

and it is God’s job to shower His grace on you. Do not focus

your attention on grace coming to you, instead focus on your
worship - do not have any expectations.

“Enlightenment is when a wave realizes it is the ocean.”

Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

Vietnamese Monk
 CHAPTER 5

DEATH

Everything that is born or created in time must come to

perish some day. This applies to everything, even the universe,
because it was created at a point in time. The only One that
is beyond time is God. He has always been there and will
continue to be there forever.

Since we humans are all born at a point in time we must

also die one day. Life spans of individuals may vary but the
end is inevitable. Also, we do not determine the time of our
birth, nor do we determine the time of departure. God does
that. Unfortunately, we consider death to be long time away, so
we don’t bother to prepare for this event, which could actually
happen any time - even this moment, without a warning.

Commenting on the reality of death Guru Nanak says:

Sarfai sarfai sadaa sadaa evai gayee vihaaye.

Nanak kis no aakhiyai vin puchheya hee lai jaaye.
 DEATH 51

Here are some more verses that tell us of the inevitability

and unpredictability of death.

Guru Nanak again:

Aavat kinai na raakheya jaavat kiu raakheya jaaye.

Jis tay hoa soee par jaanai ja us hi maahay samaaye.

Guru Angad Dev:

Jeha chiri likheya teha hukam kamaahay, ghallay aaveh

Nanaka sadday uthi jaahay.
52 CHAPTER 5

Guru Teg Bahadur:

Jo upjeo so binas hai paro aaj kai kaal.

Nanak Har gunh gaaye lay chhaad sagal janjaal.

M9/1429/4

Guru Nanak says, have no worries about death and no

expectations from life:

Marnay ki chinta nahi jeevan ki nahi aas.

Tu sarab jia pritpaal-hi lekhay saas giraas.
 DEATH 53

Those who are spiritually aware do not fear death. What is

there to fear? Death is only a stepping stone in the journey of our
soul towards salvation, towards becoming one with God. It is just
the end of one chapter which leads to the beginning of another.

into this physical world. If not, you get another chance to do that.

One should also understand that with death we get rid of

all our bodily pains, aches, ailments, and all other problems
associated with physical world, like worries, anxieties, desires,
mental pressures and so on. If we take rebirth the problems
start again.

Enlightened people like Bhagat Kabir not only accepted

death, but looked forward to it. This is what he says:

Kabir jis marnay tay jug darai meray munn anand.

Marnay hee tay paeeyai pooran parmanand.
54 CHAPTER 5

This ultimate bliss after death doesn’t come to everyone,

but only to people like Bhagat Kabir, who awaken during their
stay on earth. If everyone was to have blissfulness after death,

would be better to die.

How much time are we assured of before death takes us

away? Very little, as little as the duration of one breath - that’s
all. Guru Nanak says:

Hum aadmi haan ik dami muhlat muhat na jaana.

Nanak binvai tisai sarevoh ja kay jia praana.

If you were told you have only one day left before you die,
how will you spend that day? I am sure you will do nothing
wrong, and will do all the good things you have been thinking
of doing. Perhaps better part of your time will be spent in
worship and prayer. Why don’t you do it now? You are not
assured of even one minute, let alone a day.

Nanak reminds us here of maya, the illusion God has

created which makes us forget death:
 DEATH 55

Amal galola koorh ka ditta devanhaar.

Matti maran visaareya khusi keeti din chaar.
Sach mileya tin sofia rakhan kao darvaar.

Death is one of the most common fears people have. Most

of us are, perhaps, not scared of death per se, but it is the
process of dying that worries us. The process could vary from
just not getting up one morning from a peaceful sleep, to a
very prolonged illness for periods lasting months and, even

hardships, both to the patient and his close ones. Pray for
a quick and peaceful departure, whenever it happens. If still
God gives you pain and suffering, accept it as His will - it has
a divine purpose, unknown to you.

Death could also be painful for those who are over-attached

to their material wealth and can’t see it go; as also those who
have not lived an honest life and are scared of the judgment
at the God’s court.
56 CHAPTER 5

What can one do to make our death easy? Follow this advice
of Guru Amar Das:

Kia jaana kiv marhegay kaisa marna hoye.

Jay kar Sahib manho na veesrai ta sahila marna hoye.

Guru Arjan Dev also advises us to prepare for life after

death:

Karou benanti sunho meray meeta sant tehal kee bela;

Eeha khaat chalho Har laahaa aagai basan suhela.
 DEATH 57

Guru Nanak tells us to conquer death while we are still

alive:

Antar ki gat jaaniyai gur miliyai sunk utaar.

Moeya jit ghar jaa-eeyai tit jeevdeya mar maar.
Anhad sabad suhavanay paayeeyai gur vichaar.

M1/21/1

Bhagat Ravidas describes the stage after death:

Begum pura sahar ko nao, dukh andoh nahi tih thaao.

Na tasvees khiraaj na maal, khauf na khata na taras javaal.
Ab mohay khoob vatan geh paayee, oohan khair sadaa
meray bhaayee.
58 CHAPTER 5

Guru Amar Das describes that stage thus:

Tithai oongh na bhukh hai Har amrit naam sukh vaas.

Nanak dukh sukh viapat nahi jithai aatam Ram pragaas.

Life after death will be trouble-free only for those who

worship God and live a righteous life. If you live a sinful life
here don’t expect a blissful life hereafter. You will face plenty of
 DEATH 59

seems the following couplet was written by Urdu poet, Sheikh

Ibrahim Zauq, keeping in mind the plight of such people, “Ab
Toh Ghabhrah Ke Yih Kahtein Hain Ke Mar Jaayengay. Mar
Kay Bhi Chayen Na Paya To Kidhar Jaayengay?” (Now when

peace even after death, where will I go?)

Process of death will be easier for those who know and

understand death. This understanding helps you drop the
burden of ego and you live a more meaningful life. There is
nothing more certain than death, yet people live as if it will
never come to them. The arrival of death should be a cause
for celebration, because, after living a purposeful life you are
now moving closer to your Maker. Not welcoming death is an
indication that you haven’t lived a good life. Live life well and
have faith in God, the thought of death will not trouble you.

Here is a story that will help you cope with the reality of death:

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to

leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to
die. Tell me what lies on the other side.”

Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know”.

“You don’t know? You’re a religious man, and you don’t

know what’s on the other side?”

The doctor was holding the handle of the door - from the
other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he
opened the door, a dog sprang into the room, and he leaped on
to the doctor with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my

dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what
to expect inside. He knew nothing except that his master was
here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do
know one thing, my Master is there and that is enough!”
60 CHAPTER 5

You will meet your Master on the other side of life. Go well
prepared for the meeting. Time to prepare is now.

“As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used
brings happy death.”

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Italian Artist & Engineer
 CHAPTER 6

REINCARNATION

What happens to us after death? Is it the end of the story?

Do we go to some place and remain there ever after? Do we
come back to this world in a new life? These are questions that
have intrigued mankind since ancient times. Most religions

Interestingly, there is a commonality in belief of religions born

in the same geographical regions. Of the eight major religions
of the world four were born in India and four in the area of
present-day middle-east. Those born in India are Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism while Judaism, Christianity,
Islam and Zoroastrianism took birth in the middle-east region.

All religions of Indian origin believe in rebirth and those

even the non-believers in rebirth are beginning to review their

beliefs. There have been numerous cases where people have
vividly remembered their past lives and their recollections

true. Scientists like Dr Brian Weiss, MD, Dr Michael Newton,

PhD, and Dr Gary E Schwartz, PhD, have done remarkable
research on past life, including past life regression, which

which they were able to recall accurately.

62 CHAPTER 6

The phenomenon of reincarnation continues to happen.

In recent times there has been a case in Australia, where
a boy named Billy Campbell, born in 2015 is believed to be
reincarnation of Princess Diana. As a two-year old he saw a
photograph of the Princess and told his parents that he used to
be that Princess earlier. In 2019 his father David Campbell, a
TV presenter, gave details of many things the boy remembered

this reincarnation.

While Indians have always believed in rebirth, the idea is

not new even to the western or the middle-eastern world. There
are references to such belief in their religions.

Reincarnation was part of the Christian doctrine till 553

AD, when it was dropped on orders of Roman Emperor,
Justinian at the Fifth Ecumenical Council at Constantinople
(now Istanbul). The empire at the time was divided in two parts
with Western Empire headquartered at Rome and the Eastern
at Constantinople. Though the decision against reincarnation
was taken after voting by bishops from both empires, only two
bishops from the Western Empire attended. There was threat
to the lives of those who would vote in favour of reincarnation
because two of the bishops who had earlier believed in the theory
had been murdered. Emperor Justinian told the Church to say
that people had only one life; thereafter they permanently went
to heaven or hell, depending upon the kind of life they lived. It

the empires, destroyed and rewritten, with all references to

reincarnation omitted. Why was this done? The Emperor and
the majority of bishops believed that if people had the option
of redeeming their lives/souls in future reincarnations they
would not live this life with full devotion to the Church. Belief
in rebirth would encourage people to communicate directly
with God, who controlled reincarnation, thus bypassing the
 REINCARNATION 63

Similarly there are reasons to believe that early followers

of Islam, Judaism and Zoroastrianism had among them sects
that believed in rebirth, and many descendants of these
sects still exist. For various reasons this doctrine remained
the domain of esoteric groups - in Christianity we have the
Gnostics, in Islam the sects like Ismaili, Alawis, and various
Kabbalists. Even in the holy
books of the mainstream religions there are pointers to rebirth.
For example Quran says, “How can you disbelieve in Allah,
when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He
will cause you to die, then He will bring you (back) to life, and
then to Him you will be returned.” (2:28). In the Bible there is
a passage in John 9:2 where the disciples ask Jesus, “Rabbi,
who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”.
If a man is born blind for his sins these sins could have been
committed only in a previous life. (Jewish priest is known as
Rabbi and Jesus was a Jew.)

Pythagoras, and Plato also believed in reincarnation. At the

is such a thing as living again, and that the living spring from
the dead.”

In India the doctrine of reincarnation has been exoteric, i.e.

open to all. In SGGS it has been stated frequently and clearly.
Here are some verses on rebirth.

Guru Nanak:

Jur jur vichhuray vichhur juray; jeev jeev mooye

mooye jeevai.
Keteya kay baap keteya kay betay ketay gur chelay hooye.
64 CHAPTER 6

Bhagat Kabir says:

Aisay ghar hum bahut basaaye, jab hum Ram garbh hoye aaye.

Bhagat Kabir again:

Dhaavat jone janam bhram thaakay ab dukh kar hum

haareyo ray.
Kehat Kabir gur milat maha ras prem bhagat nistaareyo ray.
 REINCARNATION 65

Guru Amar Das:

Itnay janam bhool paray say ja paaya ta bhoolay naahi.

Ja ka kaaraj soyee par jaanay jay gur kai sabad samaahi.

Guru Arjan Dev’s prayer seeking God to end reincarnation:

Anik janam bahu joni bhrameya bahur bahur dukh paaya.

Tumri kripa tay manukh deh paayee hai dehu daras
Har Raaya.
66 CHAPTER 6

Having vision of God means meeting God, attaining

salvation, which is the ultimate aim. It can only happen when
you are born as a human being.

Bhagat Ravidas also yearns for God’s vision:

Bahut janam bichhuray thay Madho, eh janam

tumhaaray lekhay;
Keh Ravidas aas lug jeevau chir bhaeo darsan dekhay.

As per the ancient Indian thought we are born as a soul

detached from God to have an experience of duality, while
living in this material world. We continue to be born again
 REINCARNATION 67

and again till we have all positive and negative experiences

and have cleared our karmic debts.

There are two schools of thought on whether, after being

born as human beings, we can slip back to lower forms or
not. Some believe there is no going back to lower forms, the
progress is only upward, or God-ward. As per SGGS, if we have
not lived a good honest life we may slip back into lower forms.
There is also a view that any going back is only temporary for

This is what Guru Arjan Dev says:

Santan kai dookhan sarp jone paaye.

Sant kai dookhan trigad jone kirmaaye.

Bhagat Trilochan also writes on this issue:

Unt kaal jo lachhmi simrai aisee chinta meh jay marai.

Sarp jone val val aotarai.
68 CHAPTER 6

Bhagat Trilochan then continues to say that even at the

last moment, if one thinks only of women he will be reborn as
a prostitute, if one thinks of his children he will be reborn as
a pig, and if one thinks of mansions/homes he will be reborn
as an evil spirit.

Unt kaal Narayan simrai aisee chinta meh jay marai.

Badat Tilochan tay nar mukta Pitamber va kay ridhai bassai.

Some very unfortunate people don’t pray or think of God

even in their dying moments. There is a story of a shop owner,
a father of three sons, who is about to breathe his last. He asks
 REINCARNATION 69

his wife where his elder son is. She says don’t worry he is right
here, and tells him this is the moment to pray. Then he asks
about the middle son. Wife tells him he is also here and again
asks him to pray. He then asks about his youngest son. His
wife tells him that the youngest son is also next to him and
begs him to think of God and pray. The man’s last words were,
“You good for nothing fools who is looking after the shop?”

If you haven’t prayed while you were living in the world, at

least pray when you are leaving the world.

“The soul comes from without into the human body, as into
a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew… it passes into
other habitations, for the soul is immortal.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

American Philosopher
 CHAPTER 7

GURU

Guru is a Sanskrit word, which as per Advaya Taraka

Upanishad, is a combination of two syllables gu and ru. Gu
means darkness and ru means destroyer, hence guru means
the one who destroys or dispels darkness. This is also the
meaning ascribed to guru in SGGS.

A true guru is a God-realized man or a woman, who has

followers/disciples. Every enlightened person may or may not
have followers, but a guru must have. The task of a guru is to
make the disciple follow the spiritual path to enlightenment,
and remains with him, to guide & supervise him, till the
achievement of his goal. There is a very strong bond between
the two based on a mutual commitment and respect. In the
west guru is considered more or less like a teacher. Some

In the ancient Indian tradition there were six grades of

teachers as under:

1. Adhyapak: Gives information.

2. Upadhya: Imparts knowledge with information.
3. Acharya: Imparts skill.
4. Pandit: Gives deep insight.
 GURU 71

5. Dhrishta: Has visionary view on a subject.

6. Guru: Leads from darkness to light.

Guru is at the top of the ladder. He is no ordinary teacher or

expert, he is much more. To give you an idea here are a few
differences between an ordinary teacher and the guru:

A teacher has many students, guru has few disciples.

Teacher is not selected by his students, guru and disciple

Teacher imparts knowledge, guru imparts spiritual wisdom.

Teacher takes responsibility for his students, guru makes
the disciples responsible.
Teacher leads a student to success, guru leads the
disciple to liberation.
Teacher has limited association with students, guru has
lifetime association with disciples.
Teacher boosts student’s ego, guru annihilates disciple’s
ego.
Teacher broadens his student’s mental horizon, guru
awakens disciple’s consciousness.
Teacher is concerned with mind of the student, guru is
concerned with the soul of the disciple.
Teacher need not be spiritually awakened - guru is.

A guru is not judged by the number of followers he has, but

by number of those he leads to enlightenment.

Let us now focus on guru’s greatness as described in SGGS.

Guidance of a guru is of immense value for those in pursuit
of enlightenment. Guru Nanak says there is no awakening
without the guru:
72 CHAPTER 7

Bhaayee ray gur bin giyaan na hoye.

Guru Angad Dev says, without the guru there is total

darkness:

Jay sau chanda oogveh suraj chareh hazaar.

Aitay chaanan hondeyan gur bin ghor andhaar.

Guru Ram Das also says that there is darkness without

guru, as also there is no salvation without him:

Gur bin ghor andhaar guru bin samajh na aavai.

Gur bin surat na sidh guru bin mukt na paavai.
 GURU 73

Guru holds a highly revered and coveted position in the

Indian tradition, and he is often equated with God. This is
what Guru Ram Das says:

Gur Govind Govind guru hai, Nanak bheyd na bhaayee.

Guru Arjan Dev also equates guru with God:

Nanak sodhay simrit beyd; parbrahm gur naahi bheyd.

74 CHAPTER 7

This is a couplet by Bhagat Kabir (not in SGGS), on God

and guru being equal. He puts himself in a dilemma about

way out. He says:

“Guru Govind Dou Khaday Kaku Laagoon Paaye?”

[Guru and God are both standing in front of me, whose

He doesn’t know what to do; it is a tricky situation. The

“Balihari Guru Aapanay Jin Govind Diyo Bataaye.”

(I submit myself unto my guru, because he is
the one who made me realize God.)

Kaho Kabir mai so gur paayaa ja ka nao bibek.

Guru Arjan Dev speaks of the necessity of worshipping a

guru for attaining salvation:

Gur kay charan ridai lai dhaarao, gur Parbraham sadaa

namaskaarao.
Matt ko bharam bhulai sansaar, gur bin koye na utras paar.
 GURU 75

Guru Amar Das says you can’t even worship without the
guru’s guidance:

Bhaayee ray gur bin bhagat na hoye, bin gur bhagat na

paayeeyai jay lochai sabh koye.

Guru Ram Das on devotion to guru:

Hum mal mal dhoveh paav guru kay jo Har Har katha sunavai.
76 CHAPTER 7

Guru Arjan Dev again highlights the need for a guru to

attain liberation:

Kot jatnaa kar rahay gur bin tareyo na koye.

one loses the game of life, says Guru Arjan Dev:

Kiriachaar kareh khutt karma it raatay sansaaree.

Antar mael na utrai haumai bin gur baaji haaree.

Guru Arjan Dev now advises us to leave aside our cleverness

and follow the guru:
 GURU 77

Munn meray kartay no salaahay, sabhay chhad sianpa gur ki

pairee paahay.

As we have seen, it is not possible to rise spiritually without

is no criteria for his genuineness. We have seen in the recent

past how the biggest crowd pulling gurus and babas turned
out to be the worst criminals. Gullible people easily fall prey
to the sweet talk and some tricks here and there by these
fakes. We don’t give much to the tricks shown by roadside
magicians, but same trick shown by a so-called guru becomes
a miracle. A true guru does not need large crowds to sustain
his ego – he has already overcome that.

This is not a new problem, it’s been there since olden times.
Jesus told his disciples, “Beware of false prophets, which come
to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves,” (Matthew 7:15). I know of a case in recent times where
the so-called guru took full advantage of his disciple, ill treated
him, took all his money and then left him in the lurch.

Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru, resolved these problems

when he ordained all Sikhs to accept SGGS as their guru. He
told the seekers to search for God in the gurbani of SGGS.
Therefore, you need not have a living guru, just read and
78 CHAPTER 7

follow the advice given in SGGS - all your needs of a spiritual

guru will be met.

In Sikhism, the most commonly used word for God is

‘Waheguru’, which means wondrous guru, or wondrous
destroyer of darkness. Interestingly, this name for God has not

in Bhatt bani, on pages 1402-1404; and also in Vaars of Bhai

Gurdas (not part of SGGS). However, the Sikh salutation,
“Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh” was given by
Guru Gobind Singh.

“I have never said that there is no need for a guru. All

depends on what you call guru. He need not be in human
form.”

Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950)

Indian Sage
 CHAPTER 8

MAYA

Is our universe and everything we see around us real, or is

it false and just an illusion (maya)? The answer is both. It all
depends on our perception - how we look at it. If we see it from
the physicality point of view the universe is real. Everything
around us, the sun, stars, earth, jungles, mountains, lakes,
oceans, all are as real as you and me. Similarly, learning,
earning, relatives, friends, teachers, homes, schools, temples -
everything is real. How can we deny this?

But then so is everything very real in our dream world.

The dreams are so real that our body reacts as if the dream
events were actually happening to us. If there is a threat
situation our body actually starts shaking & sweating, and
our heartbeat goes up as it does in real life. Responding to a
threat in the dream we also make sounds and noises which
even wake up the person sleeping close by. During the dream
we experience all sorts of real-life emotions such as fear, joy,
anxiety, happiness, sadness and so on. But when we wake up
it’s all gone. It was just a dream.

If our life is seen in a similar way, it is only a dream, but a

dream that lasts somewhat longer - a lifetime. However, when
seen in the context of our soul’s journey of thousands of lives,
one life’s journey may not seem all that long.
80 CHAPTER 8

After we die, we wake up in a different world which is not in

the material plane but a spiritual one. The physicality is gone.
It will be experienced again after we are reborn – which is the
beginning of another life-time, another dream. We continue
this cycle of birth and death till salvation.

When we see the world from a physical point of view it is real,

but seen from spiritual angle it is all false, untrue, illusion,
maya. In SGGS our gurus see life mainly from spiritual
viewpoint hence they believe physical life to be a false dream.

Guru Arjan Dev says this creation is all false:

Sant sajjan sunoh sabh meeta, jhootha ehu psaara.

Meri meri kar kar doobay khap khap mooye gwaara.
Gur mil Nanak naam dhiaaya saach naam nistaara.

The idea of sailing through (nistaara) is frequently mentioned

in SGGS, because our life is compared to a scary ocean.
 MAYA 81

Crossing that dreaded ocean means having lived in such a

way that it leads to salvation.

Guru Teg Bahadur also speaks of the false world:

Jug rachna sabh jhooth hai jaan lehu ray meet.

Keh Nanak thir na rahay jiu baaloo ki bheet.

Ram gaeyo Ravan gaeyo ja kau bahu parvaar.

Kahu Nanak thir kachhu nahi supnay jiu sansaar.

M9/1429/2

Believing this world to be real, we get entangled in it so

badly that we forget it is an illusion, and we drift away from
true purpose of life, which is to advance spiritually.

Here is another verse by Guru Arjan Dev on dreamlike

world:
82 CHAPTER 8

Chanchal supnai hee urjhaayeo.

Itni na bhoojay kab-hoo chalna bikal bhayeo sung maayeo.

The more we get attached to maya the lesser is the chance

of our reaching God’s kingdom. The wealth we accumulate
becomes a hindrance to our salvation. Jesus Christ said,
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
(Matthew 19:24). If you are in pursuit of material success you
are going further away from God. Of course, we do need some
material things to sustain ourselves in this physical world,
but the lesser we can manage with, the better.
Would it be wise for us to get emotionally attached to things
we seem to possess in our dreams? Certainly not, because
those things are mere illusions. They cannot accompany us,
they disappear the moment we wake up.
Guru Nanak also tells us that maya of this world will not
accompany us:

Baba, maya saath na hoye; in maya jug moheya virla

bhoojai koye.
 MAYA 83

Guru Nanak was a guest of a rich man for few days. Before
leaving he gave his host a small sewing needle and told him
to keep it till they met again. The rich man was happy and
he told his wife about it. She was furious. She said you know
Guru Nanak is an old man, he could die anytime, if he does
how will you return the needle, and we’ll be indebted for life.
You cannot take the needle to heaven and return it there. The
man realized his mistake, ran after Guru Nanak, caught up
a few days later, and begged him to accept the needle back.
Guru Nanak said you now realize that you cannot take away
even a small needle with you, so why accumulate so much
wealth. The man came back home and sold all his valuables

minimum for himself.

Though the world is only an illusion, it creates an extremely

there is in the material world. Maya puts us on a chase that

is really endless. This was aptly stated by American writer
Elbert Hubbard when he said, “Life is just one damn thing
maya. We just forget
that it is all false, all temporary.
Bhagat Kabir says the power of maya is so strong that it
cheated even the gods:
84 CHAPTER 8

Sarpani tay ooper nahi baliya.

Jin Brahma, Bisan, Mahadeo chhaliya.

Guru Teg Bahadur again tells us that none of the

manifestations of maya will accompany us:

Dhan daara sampat sagal jin apni kar maan.

In mein kachhu sangee nahi Nanak saachi jaan.

Another aspect of maya is that anything that is born or

created in time will die in time. Some insects have a life span
of few hours, human beings last several decades and the
universe lasts billions of years. But in the end they all must
perish. Only God remains, because God is the only Truth,
He is not false, He is not an illusion. He is not born in time. As
 MAYA 85

Akaal Moorat - Timeless,

Ajuni – beyond the cycle of death and rebirth, Saibhang – was
not created by anyone, He created Himself.

When we die nothing material (maya) will accompany us.

Only the imprint of our good and bad deeds will remain with
our souls.

Here Guru Teg Bahadur says life is like a bubble:

Jaisay jal tay budbuda upjai binsai neet.

Jug rachna taisay rachi kahu Nanak sunn meet.

maya’s strong

Kaam krodh moh bus praani Har murat bisraayee.

Jhootha tann saachaa kar maneyo jiu supna rainaayee.
86 CHAPTER 8

Jo deesai so sagal binaasai jiu baadar ki chhaayee.

Jan Nanak jug janeyo mithiya reheyo Ram sarnaayee.

Bhagat Kabir says one must always dwell on God’s name as

nothing else is permanent:

Kya maangao kichhu thir naahee, Ram naam rakh

munn maahee.

In the verse below Guru Amar Das says that maya is a

constant source of pain, yet we continue to pursue it:
 MAYA 87

Hum keeya hum karhagay hum moorakh gaawaar.

Karnai wala visreya doojai bhai piyaar.

Maya jevad dukh nahi sabh bhav thakay sansaar.

Gurmati sukh paayeeyai such naam ur dhaar.

Guru Teg Bahadur tells us that pursuit of maya is so

captivating that it makes us forget everything else:

Praani kachhu na chetayee madh maya kai andh.

Kahu Nanak bin Har bhajan parat taahay jum phand.
88 CHAPTER 8

The 13th century Persian poet, Rumi rightly said, “The more
awake one is to the material world, the more one is asleep to
the spirit.”

Guru Nanak now tells us how everyone is so entrapped by

maya that no one seems to be interested in God:

Sut kanchan siu heyt vadhaayaa, sabh kichhu apna ik Ram

praayaa.

One day a man asked God, “What’s the difference in your

love and my love?” God smiled and replied, “A bird in the sky is
my love and a bird in the cage is your love”. We yearn for control
and ownership of everything - which gives us nothing but pain.

In this chapter I have given few quotations on maya, but

SGGS is full of references to it, and about the need to overpower
 MAYA 89

There are two major hurdles in our way to spiritual

development. One is maya and the other ego. We look at ego in
the next chapter.

“Do not be misled by what you see around you, or be

playground of illusion, full of false paths, false values and false

ideals. But you are not part of that world.”

Sai Baba (1838-1918)

Indian Saint
 CHAPTER 9

EGO

Ego is often referred to as ‘The Problem of Life.’ It is the

barrier between our individual souls and the Supreme Soul
from which we stand separated. As per ancient Indian belief
we have been seduced by ego into a state of ignorance and
illusion, and therefore we need to break this barrier. “Ego
is the biggest enemy of humans,” says Rig Veda. SGGS is
full of references to ego, and the need to get rid of it. The
word used for ego in SGGS is haumai, a combination of hau
(meaning ‘I’) and mai (meaning ‘am’). It implies conceit, an
exaggerated opinion about oneself, and excessive pride. For
success in material world some pride is required, and may be
even desirable. However, for those on spiritual path ego is the
biggest hindrance.

Even small ego is bad because it has the habit of bloating

and taking complete hold of you. The higher you climb in life
the bigger the ego. For some people this ego becomes so large
that it makes them challenge even God. Brahma, the Hindu
creator god could not meet the Supreme God just because he
was unable to shed his big ego. That is the power of ego you

Truth is, where ego is, God is not, and where God is, ego
automatically disappears. The two cannot co-exist, as Guru
Amar Das says:
 EGO 91

Haumai naavai naal virodh hai doye na vaseh ikk thaaye.

Bhagat Ravidas addresses God here on shedding of his ego:

Jabb hum hotay tabb tu naahi abb tuhi mai naahi.

Bhagat Kabir has similar views:

Jabb hum hotay tabb tum naahi abb tum hahu hum naahi.
Abb hum tum ek bhaye heh ekkai dekhat mun patiaahi.
92 CHAPTER 9

What Bhagats Ravidas and Kabir are saying is, either it is

me (my ego) or You (God). Both cannot be there together. Ego
is indeed a very strong devil that you have to conquer.
In the verse below Guru Nanak explains how ego controls us
at every stage of life, in everything we do. This happens because

all the time. Only when we understand this separation and

eliminate it, can we hope to seek entrance into God’s domain:

Hau vich aaya hau vich gaiya, hau vich jameya hau vich mua.

Hau vich ditta hau vich laiya, hau vich khatteya hau vich gaiya.

This verse continues as translated below:

“
and sin, in ego one takes form in heaven or hell.
In ego one laughs, in ego one cries, in ego one collects dirt,
in ego one washes clean, in ego one loses social caste and class.
In ego one is foolish, in ego one is wise. One does not

In ego one loves maya, and in ego one is kept in darkness

(by maya), in ego life comes into being.
 EGO 93

Only when one understands ego, the entrance to Lord’s

kingdom is known; without spiritual wisdom, one keeps
babbling and getting upset.”

Guru Angad Dev further explains the nature of ego and

how it gets us stuck in the cycle of death and rebirth:

Haumai eha jaat hai haumai karam kamaahay.

Haumai eyee bandhana phir phir joni paahay.

As long as one is controlled by ego there is no hope. Guru

Arjan Dev puts it simply:

Jabb lagg meri meri karai, tabb lagg kaaj ek nahi sarai.
Jabb meri meri mit jaaye, tabb Prabh kaaj swaareh aaye.
94 CHAPTER 9

Another verse by Guru Arjan Dev where he advises us to

eliminate ego:

Sagal syanap chhaad, kar sewa sewak saaj.

Apna aap sagal mitaaye, munn chinday seyee phal paaye.

Now Bhagat Kabir tells us that ego gives tremendous pain in

this life and, because of it, we shall suffer worst pain in afterlife:

Karai gumaan chubeh tis soola ko kaadan kau naahi.

Ajai su chobh kau bilal bil-laatay narkay ghor pachaahi.
 EGO 95

Ego strikes very cunningly and surreptitiously. Often when

people begin to gain some level of spiritual understanding
ego takes over. Instead of being humble they become egoistic
because of their knowledge. Most of the so called god-men
and religious preachers fall in this category. If there is truly a
saintly person, in all likelihood, he is hidden from the public
eye and is busy somewhere with his devotion to God. He does
not need the public glare to satisfy his ego – he doesn’t have
one. Buddha, it is believed, had the lowest ego. If someone
asked him about God he always kept quiet. What could he tell
about the Almighty who was beyond description? His silence
often made people think he did not believe in God. Truth about
God’s knowledge is, “He who knows tells not, he who tells
knows not.” Those who make so much noise about knowing
God hardly know Him. Those who know Him hardly speak.
However, there are some enlightened people who have been
ordained by God to spread His word who are in public view as
writers and speakers; but they are few and far between.

The grip ego has on our lives, gives rise to our ever increasing
desire for attachment and ownership of material things. The
earlier we stop being over dependent on such things the better.

Here Guru Nanak tells us that egoistic people cannot attain

God and therefore cannot be happy:

Huth ahankaar karai nahi paavai; paath parai lay lok sunaavai.
Teerath bharmas biyaadh na jaavai; naam bina kaisay sukh
paavai.
96 CHAPTER 9

egoistic deeds and that shedding of ego is a pre-requisite for

Haumai karat bhekhi nahi jaaneya; gurmukh bhagat virlay

munn maanaya.
Hau hau karat nahee such paayee-ai; haumai jaaye param
padd payee-ai.

Haumai kar raajay boh dhaaveh; haumai khapeh janam

mar aaveh.
Haumai nivrai gur sabad vichaarai; chanchal mutt tiaagai
panch sanghaarai.
 EGO 97

shares above views of Guru Nanak on the need to demolish

the ego. He says, “Bulle Shah Gull Taeeyon Mukdee, Jadon Mai
Nu Dilon Gawaeeyai.” (The issue - of attainment - is settled
only when you let go of the ego from within your heart.)

Guru Amar Das says, serve the True Lord and kill the ego
within, to attain happiness:

Satgur sevay so sukh paaye jin haumai vichoh maaree.

Nanak parhnaa gun-na ik Nao hai bhoojhai ko bichaaree.
98
98 CHAPTER
CHAPTER 99

Finally,
Finally, aa bit
bit of
of advice
advice from
from Guru
Guru Teg
Teg Bahadur
Bahadur for
for the
the
saintly:
saintly:

Saadho
Saadhomunn
munnka
kamaan
maanteyaagou.
teyaagou.
Kaam
Kaamkarodh
karodhsangat
sangatdurjan
durjanki
kita
tatay
tayahnis
ahnisbhaagou.
bhaagou.

M9/219/1
M9/219/1

ItIt should
should now
now be
be clear
clear how
how egoego is
is preventing
preventing usus from
from walking
walking
the
the spiritual
spiritual path.
path. Even
Even in in our
our day
day to to day
day worldly
worldly affairs
affairs ego
ego
is
is aa great
great hindrance
hindrance because
because itit doesdoes not
not allow
allow us
us toto develop
develop
healthy
healthy relationships.
relationships. ItIt is
is too
too demanding
demanding and and makes
makes us us too
too

Letting
Letting the
the ego
ego illusion
illusion become
become your
your identity
identity can
can prevent
prevent you
you
from
from knowing
knowing your
your true
true self.”
self.”

Dr
Dr Wayne
Wayne W
W Dyer
Dyer (1940-2015)
(1940-2015)
American
American Motivational
Motivational Expert
Expert
 CHAPTER 10

ONENESS

Let me start with this couplet from an old song on Guru Nanak
written by Charan Singh Safri, which brings out the essence
of Oneness:

“Nanak Deeyan Gujhiaan Ramzaan Nu Be-Samajh

Zamaana Kee Jaanay.
Jin Sabh Jug Apna Samajh Leya, Apna Tay Begaana
Kee Jaanay”
(What can the ignorant world know of Nanak’s hidden
indications?
For him, who has embraced the whole world, there is no
separation between self and the other.)

on Ekoankaar, where he said, not only is there One God,

but there is Oneness and inter-connectedness of His entire
creation. Let us explore this further, and look at some verses
in SGGS which touch upon the concept of Oneness.

As pointed out earlier, ego is a problem in almost every

aspect of our life. It is a problem here too. Ego creates and
sustains on our individuality and just cannot tolerate any
idea that challenges it. Accepting Oneness and being part of
the whole amounts to dropping of the ego, which it will not
accept and will give every reason why we should not give up
our distinctiveness. Only when we understand and accept
100 CHAPTER 10

successful in neutralizing our ego we are awakened, we have

embraced Oneness.

Guru Ram Das says, we are all made from the same source:

Eko pavan maati sabh eka sabh eka jyot sabaayiaa.

We don’t see the same light because we are blinded.

In the following verse Guru Arjan Dev tells us that God

permeates everything, therefore, we are all connected with
everything there is:

Japp ek Prabhoo anek raveya sarab mandal chhaaya.

Brhamay pasaara Brahm pasareya sabh Brahm dristi aaya.
 ONENESS 101

If God is in everything, then we are all parts of the same

Oneness. There is no difference between you, me, and anybody/
anything else.
Bhagat Namdev has similar views:

Sabh Gobind hai sabh Gobind hai, Gobind bin nahi koyee.
Soot ek munn sat sahans jaisay oat poat Prabh soyee.

Bhagat Kabir says all men and women are created in God’s
image, and all gurus and saints are common to all (because we
are all One):

Etay aurat mardaa saajay e sabh roop tumhaaray,

Kabir poongra Ram Allah ka sabh gur peer hamaaray.
102 CHAPTER 10

Once again Guru Arjan Dev says God is in everything, in

the material world as well as the spiritual:

Dassay disa raveya Prabh ek, dharan aakaas sabh meh

Prabh pekh.
Jal thal bun parbat paataal, Parmesvar teh baseh dayaal.
Sookham asthool sagal Bhagwaan, Nanak gurmukh
Brham pachhaan.

As long as we are in the grip of our ego, we think of ourselves

as separate from other people. Because of this separation, we are
unnecessarily haunted by those ‘others’ who are more successful
than us. Most of us operate from a scarcity syndrome; believing
there are limited resources in the world and only few can have
them - so the ‘others’ would snatch them from us. As long as
there are these ‘others’, we cannot be at peace, because we
feel they want to succeed at our cost and are always looking
for opportunities to win by defeating us. We torture ourselves
mentally all the time, thinking about these ‘others’ - who have a
higher job position, more money, bigger house, better car, smarter
wife, intelligent children, and what not? They are our enemy and
 ONENESS 103

competitors who give us hell all the time. French Philosopher,

Jean-Paul Sartre aptly summed it up when he said, “Hell is other
people”.
The only way to tackle these ‘others’ is to make them our
own - embrace Oneness. With this shift in thinking the others
become our ‘own.’ Now their success is our success and their
defeat our defeat. There is no enemy now, no competitor. We are
all part of Oneness.
Once you begin to believe in Oneness Oneness of the creation, your
outlook towards
outlook towards life changes dramatically. Now everyone and
everything, including you, is part of the whole.whole. That being so,
how can
can you
you think
thinkofofharming
harminganyone,
anyone,how
howcancanyou
younot think
not of
think
helping
of anyone
helping who’s
anyone in need.
who’s As Rumi,
in need. As the 13ththe
Rumi, century Persian
Persian poet
poet says,
says, “After
“After all you
all you areare
justjust another
another memeand
andI’m
I’mjust
just another
you”. Two things
you”. Two things emerge
emerge from this changed outlook. One, your
relationships take a new turn and
relationships take and become
become strong
strong and
and authentic.
authentic.
You feel everyone
You feel everyone isis part of your family, you can even say that
everyone is part ofof you.
you. Two,
Two, you develop an attitude of helping
people; community service becomes a sacred duty. The one who
people; community
was troubling
troubling you
you as
as the
the other
otherisisnow
nowyour
yourvery
veryown.
own.

Oneness, because we have been so brain-washed to believe in

our individuality of I, me, and mine, that we cannot accept a
position of we, us, and ours. We work so hard for our individual
achievements, how can we share them? It becomes easier to
embrace Oneness when we contemplate on the spiritual side
of our being. Our soul, which is our true-self, is a part of the
Supreme Soul of God. That is our connectedness with God and
everything else. The Source of all creation is the same. How can
there be differences amongst us? This realization and acceptance
comes as we awaken.

in thinking from ‘otherness’ to Oneness. Speaking in the spirit

of this Oneness Guru Arjan Dev says:
104 CHAPTER 10

Na ko meyra dusman reheyaa na hum kis kay bairaayee.

Brahm pasaar pasaareyo bheetar Satgur sojhi paayee.

Guru Arjan Dev again, on how our perception changes

when we meet holy people, who awaken us:

Bisar gayee sabh taat praayee, jabb tay saadhsangat

mohay paayee.
Na ko bairee nahi begaana sagal sung hum kao bun aayee.
 ONENESS 105

Guru Arjan Dev once again on improved relationships with

all, and end of separateness:

Sabh ko meet hum aapan keena hum sabhna kay saajan.

Door praayeo munn ka birha ta mail keeyo meyrai raajan.

SGGS tells us not only to wish others well but also help
them in every possible way. Towards this end, as we will see
later, the spirit and attitude of community service is highly
encouraged – by serving others we are indeed serving God. We
all belong to Him because we are born from the same Supreme
source, there is no difference, we are One. So when we are
good to others we ourselves rise spiritually. From this feeling
of Oneness emerges the Sikh prayer, “Nanak Naam Chardhi
Kala, Teray Bhaanay Sarbat Da Bhalaa.” (Nanak says, by
God’s grace we are in ever-rising high spirits, by His wish may
the whole world prosper.)

For better understanding Oneness, feel it from within your

heart, not from your mind. Heart is the unifying force while
the mind is more trained to see divisiveness.
106 CHAPTER 10

“If you feel oneness even for a fraction of a second, you

will feel that your human life is totally transformed and
immortalized. Pray to the Supreme to grant you conscious,
constant and inseparable oneness with Him. Then the question
of separativity will automatically be solved.”

Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007)

Indian Spiritual Guru
 CHAPTER 11

ACCEPTANCE

I
hardships and other trying conditions. These could be related

these conditions are severe and sudden, the normal reaction is

to deny them, saying this can’t happen to me. We do not easily
accept anything bad happening to us. Also, we tend to make
others responsible for our miseries, and do not take the blame
ourselves. We even question God why He is doing this to us.

we indeed have a problem and that at some level we ourselves

are responsible for it. Only then can we hope to deal with it
effectively.

Acceptance is one of the recurring themes of SGGS,

which helps us live a happy and contented life, whatever the
challenges. What does it mean? What do we have to accept?

that, though not clearly visible, we are ourselves responsible

for it. We then accept that it is all God’s will, His command,
His order, His wish. Punjabi words for God’s will/command
are hukam or raza. Acceptance is also referred to as bhaana
mann-na which means gracefully accepting whatever happens
to us – good or bad. We should also understand that God
108 CHAPTER 11

Our ego may tell us that we have everything under our

control but truly we have nothing. We can only attempt to
resolve the problem to the best of our ability. The outcome is
all God’s will.

Guru Nanak says:

Hukmay aavai hukmay jaaye, aagai paachhai hukam samaaye.

We neither have control over the timing and conditions of

our birth, nor of death, but we want to have full control on the
course of life in between. We must accept that this course of
our life is also going as per God’s plan for us.

of our spiritual growth. We should be thankful to Him for

giving us these learning experiences and to accept them as
His hukam. Thank Him for our miseries? Yes indeed. We’ll see
more of this in chapter on ‘Suffering’.

Guru Nanak says we can progress spiritually by accepting

God’s will:

Kiv sachiaara hoeeyai kiv kooreh tuttai paal.

Hukam rajaayee chalna Nanak likheya naal.
 ACCEPTANCE 109

Acceptance does not mean that we resign to our fate and do

nothing to improve our troubled situation. We must do our best,
with best of intentions, and then accept whatever comes our way
as God’s wish. That is the central teaching of Bhagwat Gita too.

depends on God’s will. If God wants something to come our way

no one can stop it, and if He doesn’t, nobody can give it.
God’s will runs over the entire universe and He cares
for every living being. Whatever pleases God is good for us.

Guru Nanak says:

Jia jantt sabh saran tumhaari sarab chint tudh paasay.

Jo tudh bhaavai soyee changa ik Nanak ki ardaasay.
110 CHAPTER 11

We normally like to take credit for everything good that

happens to us and blame others, including God, for our
misfortunes. Whether it is good or bad, the acceptance of
God’s will must be complete, without condition.

As Bhagat Kabir says:

Banday bandagi iktiyaar, Sahib ros dharao kay peyaar.

Guru Arjan Dev expresses same feelings in this verse:

Jo jo karai soyee maan leh; bin maanay ral hoveh kheh.

Tis ka bhaana laagai meetha; gur prasaad virlay munn vootha.

Once you begin to accept and enjoy everything that happens

to you as God’s gift, you are well on your way towards godhood.
 ACCEPTANCE 111

Guru Nanak writes:

Jina bhaanay ka ras aayaa, tin vichoh bharam chukaayaa.

Nanak Satgur aisa janeeyai jo sabhsai laiye milaaye jio.

M1/72/7

Complete acceptance of His will also helps obliterate ego

which, as we saw, is the major stumbling block in our spiritual
progress. Bhagat Kabir tells us here that by accepting His
command one enters the realm of godhood:

Jo kichhu hoaa su tera bhaana, jo iv bhoojai su sehaj

smaanaa.

Do not run away from God when you are going through
troubled times. There is no place to escape. This is the time to
112 CHAPTER 11

come closer to Him and strengthen your love, faith and trust in
Him. Learn to have patience, with the understanding that there
will certainly be relief when the time is right and leave that to
God to decide. His timing is always perfect. Do your best under
the circumstances and pray to God to give you the strength

purity of your heart, leaving aside the cleverness of your head.

Guru Amar Das further emphasizes wisdom of acceptance:

Bhaana mannay so sukh paaye bhaanay vich sukh paayeda.

Guru Amar Das then cautions us against not accepting

God’s will:

Bhaana na mannay bahut dukh paayee.

Bharmay bhoola aavai jaaye, ghar mehal na kab-hoo paayeda.
 ACCEPTANCE 113

Guru Nanak on acceptance with gratefulness:

Kudrat kavan kaha vichaar, vareya na java ek vaar.

Jo tudh bhaavai saayee bhali kaar, tu sadaa slamat Nirankaar.

sacrifice

M1/4/2

Guru Ram Das’s words below will also help you accept
God’s will:

Aappay Har ik rung hai aappay boh rungee, jo tis bhaavai

Nanaka saayee gull changee.
114 CHAPTER 11

them, don’t deny, and then make this small prayer of

acceptance, “Whatever pleases You O Lord is best for me.” You
will immediately feel better.

Even psychologists now believe that accepting our problems

greatly helps in coping with them, and they have a treatment
called, Accepting and Commitment Therapy (ACT), where

to make commitment for overcoming them.

Resistance to an issue is harmful and is never the way

out from an uncomfortable situation. Carl Jung, the Swiss
Psychiatrist said, “What you resist, persists.” Though this is
how the quote became popular, what he actually said was,
“What you resist doesn’t only persist but it grows and gets
worst.” Non-acceptance is not only unwise but dangerous
too. Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher said, “Life is a series of
natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only

forward in whatever way they like.”

Acceptance must be complete, unconditional and pure. Do

not sully it with questioning, doubt, complaint, bargaining or
hesitation. Simply accept your problems as God’s wish.

Here is a poem about a man’s helplessness, and acceptance

of his inability, to unfold a rosebud:

It is only a tiny rosebud,

But I cannot unfold the petals,

With these clumsy hands of mine.

Is not known to such as I;

 ACCEPTANCE 115

But in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,

Then how can I have the wisdom,

To unfold this life of mine?
So I’ll trust in God for leading,
Each moment of my day;
I will look to God for guidance,
In each step of the way.
The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord knows;
I’ll trust God to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

(Many claimants, real author unknown)

“No amount of self-improvement can make up for any lack of

self-acceptance.”

Robert Holden, PhD (b. 1965)

British Expert on Psychology & Spirituality
 CHAPTER 12

SURRENDER

The word ‘surrender’ has a very negative connotation. It

implies weakness, giving up, humiliation, defeat etc. Only losers
surrender, winners and achievers don’t. In spirituality however,
surrender has a totally different, almost opposite meaning. We
don’t surrender to any person, group or organization, but to
the will of God. It requires full faith and trust in God, as also,
great amount of patience. This surrender is from a position of
strength, not weakness. Imagine the possibilities when you
invoke God to show you the way. To be able to fully trust God is
a major step forward in our spiritual journey. This is spiritual
surrender – a step beyond acceptance. Acceptance helps you

leads you to godhood. Acceptance has more of a psychological

construct while surrender has a spiritual one.

anything and everything. In the verse below Guru Nanak seeks

complete surrender:

Jao tao prem khelan ka chaao, sirr dhar tali gali meri aao.
It maarag payer dhareejai, sirr deejai kaan na keejai.
 SURRENDER 117

M1/1412/2

Going to someone with your head on your palm is a

life – complete surrender.

Many people wrongly attribute the above verse to Guru
Gobind Singh. It is actually by Guru Nanak Dev and appears
at Page 1412 of SGGS. Guru Gobind’s bani is not part of SGGS.
He is likely to have quoted these words of Guru Nanak in his
speeches while seeking volunteers to join Khalsa Panth.
Guru Arjan Dev also speaks of complete surrender when
he says:

Pehla maran kabool jeevan ki chhad aas.

Hoh sabhna ki renuka tao aao hamaaray paas.
118 CHAPTER 12

Becoming dust of everyone’s feet means total humility and

submission.
In the following verse Guru Arjan Dev encourages those on
path of spirituality to surrender and asks them not to waver:

Tu kaahay doleh praaniya tudh raakhaiga Sirjanhaar.

Jin paidaayis tu keeya soyee dei aadhaar.

Guru Arjan Dev again says there is nothing to worry when

God is with you:

Ja tu merai val hai ta kiya muh-chhanda;

Tudh sabh kichhu maino saupeya ja tera banda.
 SURRENDER 119

There are two major obstacles that prevent us from

surrendering. First is our own doubt and wavering. We do not
have full faith and belief that God will take care of us when we
surrender to His will. Complete surrender happens when we
leave all our worries to Him and do not doubt that He will help
us; whenever required, and in a manner He considers best.
The truth is, we may think we have surrendered, but soon,

worrying about all kinds of things - most of them imaginary

and unlikely to come about. Our mind is overindulgent in
worries. The second obstacle is the ego. It just cannot allow
us to believe that we have lost control over our life-situation,
and that we need outside help. Spiritual surrender implies
demolition of ego. Surrender, therefore is not as easy as it
may sound. Getting rid of worries, as also ego, are no mean
achievements.

Bhagat Kabir tells us to be prepared for anything, and that

will help us surrender:

Surag baas na baachheeyai dareeyai na nark nivaas.

Hona hai so hoyee hai maneh na keejai aas.
120 CHAPTER 12

Here Sheikh Farid expresses his disenchantment with

material life. He is so disgusted with it that he is prepared
to give up his life. You require this kind of urge and devotion
before you can completely surrender to God’s will:

Farida baar praayeeyai baisna Saeen mujhai na deh.

Jay tu evai rakhsee jio sareeroh leh.

Guru Amar Das’s prayer of surrender:

Har jio sadaa teri sarnaayee,

Jiu bhaavai tiu raakhoh meray Suamee, eh teri vadeyaayee.
 SURRENDER 121

Guru Ram Das prays to the Husband Lord for surrender:

Abb humm chalee Thakur peh haar;

Jabb humm saran Prabh ki aayee raakh Prabh bhaavai maar.

In the verse below Bhagat Kabir speaks of the spiritual journey

which must be undertaken alone, individually, because if there
are others with you they may pull you back. They may discourage
you and put doubts in your mind. You must surrender and burn
the bridges behind you when you undertake this journey:

Kabir saadhu kau milnay jayeeyai saath na leejai koye.

Paachhay paao na deejeeyai aagay hoye so hoye.
122 CHAPTER 12

Guru Ram Das again speaks of ultimate surrender:

Jay sukh deh ta tujheh araadhee dukh bhi tujhai dhiaayee.

Jay bhukh deh ta it hi raaja dukh vich sookh manaayee.
Tann mann kaat kaat sabh arpi vich agni aap jalaayee.

Guru Ram Das, as a humble devotee, yet again pleads for

complete surrender:

Pakha pheri paani dhova jo deveh so khaayee.

Nanak gareeb dheh paiya duarai Har mail laihu vadeaayee.
 SURRENDER 123

Before the advent of electric fans, huge cloth fans were

manually swung over the gathering to make them feel
comfortable in hot season. This, along with offering cold water,
was done as community service.

Like acceptance, surrender to God’s will, does not mean

passivity. You don’t just surrender and sit back doing nothing;
hoping God will resolve all your problems. In fact your effort
should double and become more focused. God will help you
do that. When you truly put your faith in God, He is pleased.
When that happens you’re blessed, because now He will move
heaven and earth to help you. What more can you ask for?
Word of caution; have no expectations.

“Surrender is not a weakness, it is a strength. It takes

tremendous strength to surrender life to the supreme - to the
cosmic unfolding.”

Mooji (b. 1954)

Jamaican Spiritual Teacher
 CHAPTER 13

WORSHIP

The word ‘worship’ means to love, revere, respect or admire

someone, or something, with deep devotion. You could have
such feelings for your parents, teachers, seniors or others close
to you. Many people worship entities like demigods/goddesses,
stones, trees, idols etc.
Here we are concerned only with worship of God, because
that’s what is needed for our spiritual development. Worship
is the most important thing you could do to attain your life’s
purpose. It is the true worship that helps you connect with God

also one of the ways of mitigating your sins of the past.

What is God’s worship? It is to express your deepest feelings
for God in any way you feel appropriate. Some of the things
you could do are:

Singing or chanting God’s praises.

Contemplating/meditating on God.
Expressing love and devotion to God.
Thanking God for everything you have.
Being in awe of God and His creation.
Talking to God.
Seeing God in everything/everywhere.
Seeking God and His blessings.
 WORSHIP 125

You also worship God when you do the following:

Clean and honest living.

Helping people in need.
Inculcating qualities like love, compassion, empathy,
respect, humility, gratitude and so on.

Working for any other noble cause.

Words used in SGGS for worship include, pooja, simran,

simar, bhagti, bhajan, kirtan, jupp, araadhna, chintan,
dhayaana, ardaas and so on. What exactly you do is not
so important. It is the ever-increasing urge to connect with
God and the sincerity of effort that makes the difference. If
food is offered to a man who is dying of hunger he will not
be bothered about any technicalities of eating. He’ll just lap
it up any way. Similarly a person who is utterly hungry for

will not need to ask which particular technique or procedure

by singing God’s praises with full intensity and devotion.

In the chapters that follow we will look at different forms of
worship that include prayer, remembrance, seva, kirtan and
gratitude.
There is no single path of worship. You will not be wrong if
you follow any of the many paths that you feel appropriate and
are comfortable with. Dalai Lama said, “People take different

not on your road does not mean they are lost.” The important
thing is that during worship your mind should be fully in it.
There is no point in reading scriptures, going on pilgrimages,
listening to spiritual discourses, or singing gurbani, if your
mind is not in it.

Let us see some verses on worship in SGGS. Here Guru Nanak

implores you to worship only the One Lord:
126 CHAPTER 13

Jap-ho te eko naama; avar nirafal kaama.

In the verse below Guru Nanak prays to God to give him

the urge to sing His praises:

Ik Nanak ki ardaas jay tudh bhaavsee.

Mai deejai naam nivaas Har gunh gaavsee.

Guru Nanak again prays for singing Lord’s praises:

Mai deejai naam nivaas antar saant hoye.

Gunh gaavai Nanak daas Satgur matt deye.
 WORSHIP 127

Notice how, all the verses by Guru Nanak quoted above,

pertain to singing God’s praises. That’s the form of worship
he chose.

Guru Amar Das tells us that, with actions such as repeated

reading of religious texts without devotion, observing silence
for prolonged periods without serious contemplation, and
adorning different types of clothing and appearances, one
cannot attain salvation. Only true worship will help:

Parh parh pandit moni thhakay bheykhi mukt na payee.

Nanak bin bhagti jug bauraana sachai sabad milaayee.

Bhagat Kabir emphasizes that we should focus on love of

God only, other things do not matter:
128 CHAPTER 13

Some people see a contradiction in Bhagat Kabir’s

statement that it does not matter whether you keep long hair
or not, with Guru Gobind Singh’s edict to Khalsa Panth for
growing long hair. The two pertain to totally different time-
frames, for different audiences, with different intent. Bhagat
Kabir is addressing those fake believers who adopt different
appearances, more to show off, than any spiritual achievement.
Guru Gobind Singh’s edict comes in 1699, a full 181 years after

the Khalsa, to give them a distinct identity.

Guru Ram Das says chanting with single mindedness leads
to shedding of the ego:

Jin japeya ik munn ik chit tin latha haumai bhaar.

 WORSHIP 129

Guru Amar Das also stresses the point of focused attention:

Satgur ki seva safal hai jay ko karay chit laaye.

Focused attention on God during your worship is of utmost

importance. This is what Guru Gobind Singh says in Dasam
Granth, “Aik Chit Jih Ik Chhin Dhiyaaeo, Kaal Phas Kay Beech
Na Aaeo.” (He who meditates with single minded attention even
for a moment, death has no hold over him.)
A good example of single minded worship lies in the ancient
story of a young boy Bhagat Prahlad, which is mentioned in SGGS
several times. Bhagat Prahlad was son of King Harnakhas and
a sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu. His father was granted special
powers that, he believed, made him immortal. His ego took hold
of him and he thought he was superior to even God. He ordered
his entire kingdom to worship only him, no one else. All followed
but his son Prahlad refused - he would only worship the Lord.
The king went mad that his own son disobeyed him. He made
several attempts to have him killed, but nothing worked. He

This, he thought, was the surest way of killing him. Before the
pyre was lit, Prahlad went into deep devotional meditation. As

boon, was burnt to death. With the Lord on the side of Bhagat
Prahlad, his father’s boon of immortality was also compromised
and he was killed. Prahlad became the King and gave his people
a benevolent rule for many years. He is now revered as a saint.
130 CHAPTER 13

The festival of Holi is observed in the memory of this event - as

victory of worship over ego-led brutality. That is how sincere
and deep devotion protects those who single mindedly worship
the Lord.

This is what Guru Ram Das says about Harnakhas and

Bhagat Prahlad:

Har jug jug bhagat upaaya paij rakhda aaya Raam Raajay.
Harnakhas dust Har maareya Prahlad taraaya.

Complete story of Bhagat Prahlad is given by Guru Amar Das

at page 1133/1 and by Bhagat Namdev at page 1165/5.

Bhagat Kabir reminds us of the need to take up worship as

early as possible:

Abb na bhajas bhajas kabb bhaayee; aavai unt na

bhajeya jaayee.
Jo kichhu kareh soee abb saar; phir pachhutaaho na
paavoh paar.
 WORSHIP 131

We should follow Bhagat Kabir’s above advice on starting

worship earliest, for two reasons. One, we don’t know when we
may die. The end could come right now, and we may have to
depart without having earned God’s love and grace. Two, old
age is not the best time for worship because we have too many
health problems, both physical and mental. Serious worship

pains of old age do not permit deep and focused worship. Those
who believe that worship is to be left for old age, need to have
a relook. Guru Har Krishan and Guru Gobind Singh, both
devout worshippers, took over Guruship
respectively. Bhagat Prahlad is another example of a young
worshipper. Though desirable, this doesn’t mean young age
is the only time to start God worship. If you missed the boat
earlier, it is never too late – start now.

Guru Arjan Dev speaks of uselessness of life without worship:

Bin simran din rayan birtha bihaaye, megh bina jiu

kheti jaaye.
132 CHAPTER 13

Life indeed goes waste if you don’t appreciate and worship

the Beloved Lord. Bulleh Shah says, “Jinhan Qadar Na Keeti
Yaar Di Hath Khaali Oh Malday Vekhay.” (Those who did not
appreciate/worship the worthiness of their Beloved Lord,
I have seen them go empty handed.) Notice, he is calling God

in the chapter on ‘Relationship with God’.

Some people worship entities other than God with the belief
that they will help them reach God. Why take this indirect
approach when a direct connection is available? Your true
identity, or your true-self, is your soul, and that is in connection
with God. Empower your true-self by worshipping God, the true
Giver. Of course, all guidance you need is available in SGGS.

For most people God worship is an important but not an

urgent issue. Do not delay, start now and make it a daily
commitment. He doesn’t like it if you remember Him only
when you need Him.

“God can be experienced only in the heart that creates the

atmosphere of praise and worship and adoration.”

AW Tozer (1897-1963)
American Spiritual Mentor
 CHAPTER 14

PRAYER

A prayer is the words we use to communicate with God.

The prayer can be a formal one like we do at a religious
congregation, or an informal and personal one which we do in
our own way, at time and place of own liking.

If you truly wish to gain spiritually you must make your

own direct connection with God through prayer. As they say
God has no grand children. We are all connected to Him
directly and He listens to us and takes care of us. However,
guidance of a guru or other spiritually awakened guides can
be of immense value.

There are many verses in SGGS on praying. Let us see

some of them. In this Guru Nanak makes a prayer of offering
himself to God:

Nanak ek kahai ardaas, jio pind sabh terai paas.

134 CHAPTER 14

In the last chapter we saw Guru Nanak saying that we should

chant only One Name. In the verse below, he emphasizes that
we must also pray to only One Supreme God. He says:

Har ikko daata seveeyai Har ikk dhiayeeyai.

Har ikko daata mangeeyai munn chindeya paayeeyai.

This mind’s desire should pertain to our spiritual needs

and for strengthening of our faith in God. But we mostly seek
things of the physical world that include wealth, fame, power,
and everything else that goes with it. We assume these things
will bring happiness, but they don’t. Such a chase takes
us away from God and ultimately ends in disaster. God is
not so much interested in our material success. He will give
these things if He feels we need them; not because we pray
for them.

We often pray for the wellbeing of our parents, siblings,

spouses, children, friends, and so on. That is indeed good for
enrichment of our soul. The more we pray for others the more

our belief in Oneness of creation - praying for others means

praying for a part of us. If you come across someone suffering
 PRAYER 135

from any kind of pain, do pray for him, whether or not you
know him personally. Even when you are going through a bad
patch yourself, do not forget to pray for others.

Choose wisely what you seek, and pray to God directly.

Guru Arjan Dev cautions us about praying for false material
gifts:

Jhootha mangan jay koyee maagai, tis kau martay ghari

na laagai.

The death here obviously doesn’t mean physical death, but

a moral one. By pursuing falsehood we hurt our souls.

A simple prayer by Guru Angad Dev on seeking only that

which pleases the Lord:

Toon sacha daataar nit deveh chareh savaaya, Nanak mangay

daan jo tudh bhaaya.
136 CHAPTER 14

Another piece of advice from Guru Angad Dev:

Aapay jaanay karay aap aapay aanai raas;

Tisai aagai Nanaka khalei keechai ardaas.

Guru Arjan Dev says pray to the Lord who gives happiness
and destroys fear:

Sukhdaata bhai bhanjano tis aagai kar ardaas.

Mehar karay jis meharbaan ta kaaraj aavai raas.

This prayer by Guru Arjan Dev is for seeking strength to

prevent wavering (on his belief in God):
 PRAYER 137

Dandaut bandhan anik baar sarab kalaa samrath.

Dolan tay rakhoh Prabhu Nanak day kar hath.

These following verses indicate that God will meet our

needs, even if we do not ask, because He knows what is best
for us. Guru Nanak says:

Jay chupai jay mangiyai daat karay dataar.

M1/1242/9

Guru Amar Das makes a similar statement:

138 CHAPTER 14

Vin boleya sabh kichhu jaan-da kis aagai keechai ardaas.

Nanak ghat ghat eko varatada sabad karay pargaas.

Guru Amar Das again says God knows everything about us:

Ik gurmukh aap milaaya baksay bhagat bhandaar.

Tu aapay sabh kischu jaan-da kis aagai kari pukaar.

It doesn’t matter whether you give voice to your prayers, or

do them silently, or just leave everything to God. The important
thing is to maintain contact with God and to continuously
build your faith in Him. On His own He will look after your
needs. Remember, needs, not greed. There is always enough to
satisfy everyone’s needs, but never to satisfy everyone’s greed.
 PRAYER
PRAYER 139
139
PRAYER
PRAYER 139
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It further states how prayers of migratory birds are answered:
It further states how prayers of migratory birds are answered:

Janan
Janan pita
pita lok
lok sut
sut banita
banita koye
koye na
na kis
kis ki
ki dhareya.
dhareya.
Janan pita lok sut banita koye na kis ki dhareya.
Sirr
Sirr sirr rijak sambhahay Thakur kaahay munn bhao
sirr rijak sambhahay Thakur kaahay munn bhao kareya.
kareya.
Sirr sirr rijak sambhahay Thakur kaahay munn bhao kareya.

In
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on here isbirds:
migratory an interesting
observation by Guru Arjan Dev on migratory birds:
observation by Guru Arjan Dev on migratory birds:

Ooday
Ooday ood
ood aavai
aavai sai
sai kosa
kosa tis
tis paachhai
paachhai bachray
bachray chhareya.
chhareya.
TinOoday ood aavai sai kosa tis paachhai bachray chhareya.
Tin kavan khalaavai kavan chugaavai munn meh simran kareya.
kavan khalaavai kavan chugaavai munn meh simran kareya.
Tin kavan khalaavai kavan chugaavai munn meh simran kareya.
140 CHAPTER 14

When winters get extremely cold in the Siberian region the

ducks migrate to more pleasant climes of South Asia - to return
only when the temperatures begin to rise again. However, their
young ones, who cannot undertake this long journey, remain
in Siberia. The parent birds are worried, who will look after
them? They kind of pray for them. It’s believed that because of

rocks and elsewhere. The prayers are thoughts that travel and

I have come across even a more profound interpretation of

the above verse which says the parent ducks, perhaps, actually
transmit food to their off-springs through teleportation. This

in his book, ‘Code Name God’ writes, “These experiments….

have been utilized to achieve a form of quantum teleportation

opening the possibility that in some future epoch we could

reconstruct a physical mass, particle by particle...” In more
recent times, China has shown some success in teleportation
experiments.

Does prayer work? Yes! There have been many studies

which prove that prayer does help. In these studies, groups
of people were asked to collectively pray for one set of patients
recovering in the hospital, while no one prayed for another set
of patients with similar ailments. At the end of these studies,
it was found that patients who were prayed for recovered
remarkably better than those not prayed for. Prayer can create
miracles. Collective prayer works even better.

There was a little girl who prayed for snow on her birthday,
but the birthday happened to be in the month of July.
Obviously being summer season it didn’t snow. When asked if
she was disappointed because God didn’t answer her prayer,
she replied, “He did answer me, He said No”. This is the right
attitude towards prayer. Seek what you think is best for you
 PRAYER 141

and for others, but leave it to God to determine what to give -

and accept that happily.

Should one pray for material things? Prayer should mainly

be to thank God for what you have received and to seek His
wisdom. However, you may pray for material things, but keep
these four things in mind. One, do not ask for anything that
involves hurting, defeating or harming someone; even those
who may have harmed you. Two, do not allow your prayers
to be contaminated with negative thoughts and emotions
like jealousy, revenge, hatred etc. Three, do not bargain
with God by promising something you will do/give if your
prayer is answered. He does not need anything from you and
you are not His equal to bargain with Him. Four, be like the
little girl – gracefully accept what you get.

The best thing you can pray for is God’s love and benevolence
for all.

“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.”

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

Danish Philosopher
 CHAPTER 15

RITUALS

R
reading of scriptures, a weekly satsang, a monthly visit to
the temple, and a yearly pilgrimage, are all rituals. Similarly,
bathing in holy waters, watching sunrise every day, offering
water to the sun, keeping fasts, lighting lamps, and doing rain
dances to please rain gods, are also forms of rituals. Some,
not so desirable, are rituals involving killing of animals for
offerings to please various deities and gods. On the extreme

All societies across the world have rituals – some good, some
not so good. Most rituals are not formally documented but
passed down by word of mouth. With passage of time some
old rituals are done away with and new ones are introduced.

Guru Nanak came on the scene when the society was heavily
burdened with too many unwanted rituals. In the caste ridden
society, brahmins had a strong grip on the people and made
them indulge in all sorts of ceremonies and procedures, mainly

their hold on the society. Guru Nanak strongly condemned

rituals, which did not serve any useful purpose. We cannot
say he was against rituals per se but he certainly put them
in proper perspective. He was against bad exploitative rituals,
not against good ones that promoted brotherhood of mankind.
 RITUALS 143

Getting rid of meaningless and wasteful rituals that weighed

heavy on ordinary people, was a major task Guru Nanak took
upon himself. He has spoken extensively about it in SGGS.

Guru Nanak was born in a Hindu family. When he was

a young boy, his parents arranged a ceremony for him to
wear the janeu (sacred thread) as was the Hindu custom.
The honourable pandit, was invited to do the needful, but
Guru Nanak refused to wear the thread, and challenged the
pandit thus:

Daya kpaah santokh soot jutt gandhee satt vatt.

Eh janeu jia ka hayee ta paaday ghatt.

Na eh tuttai na mal laggai na eh jalai na jaaye.

Dhan su manas Nanaka jo gal challay paaye.
144 CHAPTER 15

Chaukar mool anaaeya beh chaukay paayeaa.

Sikha kann charaayea gur brahman thia.
Oh mua oh jhar payeyaa vetagga gaya.

M1/471/2

Another comment by Guru Nanak on uselessness of the

sacred thread and the mark on forehead:

Nanak sachay naam bin kiya tikka kiya tagg.

Guru Amar Das says there is a need for people to have right
state of mind which is much better than the ritual of physical
pilgrimage to sixty eight places:
 RITUALS 145

Ih munn Kaasi sabh teerath simrit Satgur diya bhujaaye.

Athsath teerath tis sangh reheh jin Har hirdai
reheyaa samaaye.

The sixty-eight places of pilgrimage mentioned above, and

often referred to in SGGS, are the Hindu centres that include
4 Dhams, 12 Jyotirlings and 52 Shakti Peeths. SGGS does not
recommend these pilgrimages. It only highlights the need for
inner cleansing instead of physical bathing at these places.

Now Guru Nanak also decries things like pilgrimage, self-

imposed suffering, compassion and charity, which he believed

He says:

Teerath tapp daya dutt daan, jay ko paavai til ka maan.

Suneya manneya munn keeta bhao, antargat teerath mal naao.
146 CHAPTER 15

M1/4/14

bathing alone are not pure. Pure are those who have enshrined
God’s love in their minds:

Soochay eh na aakhiyeh behen je pinda dhoye.

Soochey seyee Nanaka jin munn vaseya soye.

M1/472/9

Obviously he is not denouncing bathing here, but highlights

the greater need for cleansing the mind and creating space for
God to reside. Guru Nanak further emphasizes the uselessness
 RITUALS 147

Androh jhoothay paij bahar duniya ander phayal.

Athsath tirath jay naaveh utrai naahi mayal.

Bhagat Kabir also strongly condemned meaningless rituals

and those who propagated them. Here he has something for
the fake ritualistic pandits:

Gaj saadhay tai tai dhotia tehray paayin tug.

Gali jinah japmaaliya lotay hath nibug.
Oye Har kay sant na aakhiyeh Banaras kay thug.
148 CHAPTER 15

Bhagat Kabir again taunts the pandit:

Hum ghar soot taneh nit taana kanth janeu tumaaray.

Tum tao beyd paroh gayitri Gobind ridai hamaaray.

There is no substitute for true worship, emphasizes Bhagat

Kabir:

Kabir Ganga teer ju ghar kareh peeveh nirmal neer.

Bin Har bhagat na mukat hoye iu keh ramay Kabir.
 RITUALS 149

Bhagat Kabir has some advice for the followers of Islam too:

Roja dharai niwaaj gujaarai kalma bhist na hoyee.

Satar Kaba ghatt hee bheetar jay kar jaanai koyee.

Finally, another beautiful verse by Guru Nanak for people

going on ritualistic pilgrimages but are dirty inside:
150 CHAPTER 15

Naavan challay teerathi munn khotay tunn chor.

Ikk bhao lathee naateya doi bha charius hor.
Bahar dhoti toomari andar vis nikor.
Saadh bhalay un-nateya chor se chora chor.

There are many more verses in the SGGS against irrelevant

However, many unnecessary rituals are still encouraged

by various religious institutions because they bring visitors
who make large offerings. One should only indulge in those
activities that either create a yearning for God, or in some
way help the needy. Everything else is a waste of time. With
our continued indulgence in purposeless rituals we are going
against the teachings of SGGS.

I recently saw a new ritual being created relating to the

Hukamnama. Hukamnama or the ‘daily edict’ is a verse picked
up at random from SGGS everyday in every gurdwara and
displayed on a board for people to read and follow. Nowadays
 RITUALS 151

the Hukamnama from Golden Temple, Amritsar is passed

down to Sikhs all over the world through numerous WhatsApp
groups. This is a good ritual and is well appreciated. However,
someone in the chain has added a new procedure, which asks

opening the Hukamnama post. Does that make any sense?

If that be so then we must cover our head and remove shoes
before opening any device that contains content from SGGS.
We should also do that before putting on a TV channel that has
gubani content. Introduction of such rituals is best avoided.

I conclude the chapter with this beautiful poem by Tagore

Go not to the temple to light candles before the altar of

God. First remove the darkness of sin from your heart…
Go not to the temple to bow down your head in prayer.
First learn to bow in humility before your fellowmen….
Go not to the temple to pray on bended knees. First bend
down to lift someone who is down-trodden……..
Go not to the temple to ask for forgiveness for your sins.
First forgive from your heart those who have sinned against
you.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Indian Poet, Nobel Laureate
 CHAPTER 16

EQUALITY

Since time immemorial inequality amongst peoples has been

the way of life, even though many societies found it undesirable.
Total equality is a utopian dream which is almost impossible.
The manner in which our society evolved there was no way
it could practice equality. On one hand there were kings,
emperors, presidents, ministers, princes, generals, business
tycoons and other rich and powerful people; on the other there
were the underprivileged and deprived sections of society. In
between lay the vast majority of middle class. Though there

structures, no society or nation has been able to adequately

bridge the gaps between various segments – in some cases the
gaps have only widened. This has been the bane of India, and
of many other nations.
In the world of relativity and materialism, some inequality is
perhaps needed, where distinctions and comparisons become
necessary. In such environment, some individuals are bound

due to their hard work, dedication, devotion, leading ability

and so on. What is not acceptable is when success or failure
is determined by one’s race, caste, religion, colour of the skin
etc. - over which the individual has no control.
Guru Nanak (1469-1539) was born at a time when there
was great social divide based on the prevailing caste system.
 EQUALITY 153

Those from lower castes were treated shabbily and denied

even the basic human rights. They were not allowed to enter
places of worship. Just touching them was considered to make
a person unclean, which had to be cleansed with a body bath.
They were not even allowed to draw water from the common
village wells. Guru Nanak who belonged to a high Bedi clan
was perturbed at the situation and strongly condemned the
caste system.

He proclaimed:

Sabh ko oocha aakheeyai neech na deesai koye.

Bhagat Kabir expresses the same views on equality in this

famous couplet:

Awal Allah noor upaaya kudrat kay sabh banday.

Ek noor tay sabh jug upjeya kaun bhalay ko manday.
154 CHAPTER 16

One of the basic teachings of SGGS is the equality of mankind.

In the eyes of God all humans, whether man or woman, rich
or poor, from high or low caste, are all equal. Remember,
Guru Nanak preached this at a time when, inequality, even in
the west, was the accepted norm. Women particularly suffered
more, because they were considered as inferior human beings.
Equality for women is not covered in this chapter. We shall see
it in the next one titled, ‘Status of Women’.
During Guru Nanak’s times brahmins were considered as
the highest class of society. They were solely responsible for all
matters of spiritual and religious concern; not because of their
knowledge and competence, but because they were born into
brahmin families. They perpetuated this caste system because

Bhagat Kabir was totally against inequality. He gave a new

brahmin when he said:

Kahu Kabir jo Brahm bichaarai, so brahman kahiyat

hai hamaarai.

In matters of spirituality, people from modest backgrounds

have achieved greater success compared to those burdened
with material abundance and high social status. Despite
their low castes, Bhagat Kabir (weaver), Bhagat Ravidas (shoe
maker), Bhagat Namdev (tailor), Bhagat Sain (barber), and
Bhagat Sadhna (butcher), all attained high spiritual position
because of their deep devotion and sincere worship of God.
 EQUALITY 155

Their writings were chosen to form part of SGGS. They didn’t

care about high or low social background. In fact Bhagat Kabir
spoke of his low caste with great pride when he said:

Kabir meri jaat kau sabh ko hasnayhaar.

Balihaaree is jaat kau jih japeyo Sirjanhaar.

Some more verses that condemn casteism and inequality.

Guru Nanak says:

Jaanoh jyot na poochhoh jaati aagai jaat na hay.

Guru Amar Das cautions against ego born out of high caste:
156 CHAPTER 16

Jaat ka garbh na karioh koyee, Brahm binday so

brahman hoyee.
Jaat ka garbh na kar murakh gwara, is garbh tay chalay
bahut vikaara.

Guru Nanak says we all have the same divine light and
therefore all are born equal:

Sabh meh jyot jyot hai soye; tis kai chanan sabh meh
chanan hoye.

Guru Nanak again on divine light in all:

Gurmukh ek drisht kar dekhoh ghat ghat jyot samoyee jiu.

 EQUALITY 157

High education and over intelligence, of which brahmins

were so proud of, are not necessary for spiritual growth;
in fact they often become a hindrance, as they boost one’s
ego. In the following two verses Guru Arjan Dev speaks
of this:

Jo pranee Govind dhyaavai, pareya unpareya param gatt

paavai.

He says the same about intellect:

Sianap kahoo kaam na aat, jo anroopeyo Thakur meyrai hoye

rahee oh baat.
158 CHAPTER 16

Justice to the poor and weaker sections of the society has

always been major area of concern for the awakened saints.

end is really brave:

Soora so pehchaniyai ju larai deen kay heyt; purja purja kut

marai kabhoo na chhaadai kheyt.

Some people mistakenly believe that the above couplet

As you would notice, it is not Guru Gobind Singh’s couplet

not the religion. The meaning of deen here is the poor, the
meek, the downtrodden – like deen dayal (kind to the poor)
or deen kay daatay
for justice to the poor so as to give them equal opportunity
in life.

Even though inequality amongst mankind is strongly

condemned in SGGS, it is sad to see that many Sikhs have
failed to follow this advice. Divisions based on caste/class
are still prevalent in the birth place of Sikhism. Lower caste
people, in many areas of rural Punjab, even today are not
allowed to enter gurdwaras of the so-called upper class. This
inequality based on parentage continues to be the scourge
 EQUALITY 159

of underprivileged people, not only in Punjab, but the world

over. The sooner it is done away with the better.

“Othay Amlaan De Honay Nay Niberay, Kissay Ni Teri Jaat

Puchhni.”

[There (in afterlife) only your deeds will be taken into

Baba Bulle Shah (1680-1757)

 CHAPTER 17

STATUS OF WOMEN

During the Vedic period, it is believed that Indian women enjoyed

same status and rights as men. Subsequently, their status

who frequently raided from across the northwestern borders,

contributed immensely towards lowering of women’s status from
11th century onwards. Since Islam permitted polygamy, the
raiding armies captured Indian women and took them away to
join their harems. Many were raped and made servants or slaves
and exploited in all possible ways, including prostitution. They
were treated as mere property, whose only value was as a servant,
or for entertainment/enjoyment. They were also considered as
seducers who distracted men from spiritual development.
As a result thereof Indian society started seeing the girl as a
liability to be kept at home and protected. This led to unwanted
customs and traditions like child marriage, sati, johur, purdah
and denial of school education. Sati was a custom where the
widow jumped into the pyre lit for her dead husband’s cremation,
and died with him. Johur was similar to sati but done en masse.
Such was the status of women when SGGS was being
compiled. The authors of SGGS spoke very highly of women
and put them on a high pedestal. Guru Nanak shocked the
entire society by preaching that women were worthy of praise
 STATUS OF WOMEN 161

This was Guru Nanak’s view on women:

Bhand jammiyai bhand nimmiyai bhand mangan viaaho;

bhandoh hovay dosti bhandoh challay raaho.

Bhand mooya bhand bhaaliyai bhand hovay bandhaan,

so kiu manda aakhiyai jit jammeh raajaan.

Bhandoh hee bhand oopjai bhandai baajh na koye, Nanak

bhandai baahra eko Sacha soye.
162 CHAPTER 17

The words “bhandoh challey raho” (through woman the

whom the family lineage continues – not through the man, as

commonly believed. Sometimes we may not even know who
the father of a child is, but about the mother there is never a
doubt. That only a man continues the family name, is a man-
made proposition because of which people continue to seek
male child for family progression. The truth is that nature has
given this gift to woman.

In the second line of above verse Guru Nanak says, “bhand

hovey bandhaan” (relationships are built by woman). This
shows Guru Nanak’s understanding of human psychology.
Only in the recent times people in the west, have begun to
accept that women are better at developing and maintaining
relationships as compared to their male counterparts. In a
study conducted in 2018 by scientists at Cambridge University,
involving survey of 6,50,000 people, it was established that men
and women indeed think differently. It was found that while
men were more likely to prefer things and systems, women
were more interested in people and emotions. Guru Nanak
knew this long ago.

SGGS is very critical of the heinous sati system mentioned

above. Guru Amar Das on true meaning of sati:

Satiya eh na aakhiyan jo marheya lagg jalannih.

Nanak satia jaaniyaneh je birhay choat marannih.
 STATUS OF WOMEN 163

Bhi so satiya jaaniyan seel santokh rehannih.

Sevan saayee aapna nit uth samhaa-lannih.

SGGS equates women with men in another way. Both are

given equal opportunity to seek God. In relationship to God
women and men are both considered as females and there is
only One male in the universe. He is the Husband Lord of all.
To say that God is the only male, and all others are females, is

mean He is actually a ‘male’ Husband Lord.

Guru Nanak says:

Thakur ek sabayee naar.

164 CHAPTER 17

Guru Amar Das expresses similar views:

Is jagg meh purakh ek hai hor sagli naar sabaayee.

Sabh ghat bhogvai alpat rahay alakh na lakhna jaayee.

Guru Amar Das again speaks of the relationship with God:

Mai kaaman mera kantt Kartaar; jeha karaaye teha

kari sigaar.
Ja tis bhaavay ta karay bhog; tunn munn Saachay Sahib joag.
 STATUS OF WOMEN 165

When gurus and bhagats say they present themselves as

women in front of God, it is indeed a true tribute to women,
because these enlightened people accept women as their equals.

The above verse seems to indicate that women are

surrendering to God for physical and sexual union – that is
not correct. God exists in the spiritual domain where there is
no physicality, no gender, no sex. He is above sexual need or
desire. It should be seen as an urge for spiritual union and
complete surrender of the mind.

and has no woman:

Na tis maat pita sut bandhap na tis kaam na naaree.

Some people feel that if God is said to be the only male

Husband Lord, doesn’t it show lower status of women. The
answer lies in what Guru Nanak now says here:

Aappay purakh aappay hi naaree.

166 CHAPTER 17

Bhagat Namdev shows concern for women by condemning

men who commit adultery:

Ghar ki naar tyagai andhaa, par naaree siu ghaalai dhandha.

Jaisay simbal dekh sua bigsaana, antt ki baar mua laptaana.

Guru Amar Das explains true meaning of husband and

Dhan pir eh na aakhiyan behan ikkathay hoye,

Ek jot dui moorti dhan pir kaheeyai soye.
 STATUS OF WOMEN 167

Even in the most developed countries of the west, women

did not enjoy the same status and rights as men till as late

country to give voting rights to women in 1893 followed by

Australia in 1902. In USA, Britain and Canada women got the
right to vote only after the end of World War I (1919).

Interestingly, one of the leading campaigners for women’s

right to vote in Britain was a Sikh lady, Princess Sophia
Duleep Singh, grand-daughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. She
was a very popular high socialite in UK. In 1907, she visited
her grandfather’s erstwhile Sikh kingdom in Punjab. She was
greatly impressed when she learnt about justice and equality
that prevailed in his empire. She returned to UK and left her
high society life, to become a women’s rights campaigner.
Women in UK got full voting rights in 1928 for which Sophia’s
contribution was notable.

The reason for lower status of women in the west lies in

the Bible and the Church which have been against women’s
equality. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 19th century feminist said,
“The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling
blocks in the way of woman’s emancipation.” Bible teaches
that men are more valuable than women, that women should
not seek to have a voice, and that women should not teach
or lead. Islam also believes women are inferior. The Quran
preaches that supremacy of man is the will of Allah, and that
women should live as submissive and obedient wives. In India
too there are some sects that still haven’t given equal status
to women. The Digambara sect of Jainism, for example, does

born as a male.

Notwithstanding the above, there is now greater acceptance

of girl child, particularly among the more aware societies.
168 CHAPTER 17

You come across many couples these days who prefer to have
daughters rather than sons.

“Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been

emancipated from all kinds of oppression.”

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Former PM, South Africa
 CHAPTER 18

SEEKER AS HOUSEHOLDER

India has a strong tradition of renunciation by those seeking

spiritual awakening. These seekers become sanyasins (male)
or sanyasinis (female) and leave their homes and families
for prolonged periods of time – sometimes forever. They go
and live in secluded places in distant jungles, mountains or
monasteries. They do this in order to focus their attention on
meditation and worship, without the distractions of worldly life.

Renouncing the world when you still have responsibilities,

amounts to shirking your duty.
However, there can be other circumstances where leaving
the family could be acceptable - when this is done for a higher
good. In Parmahansa Yogananda’s book ‘Autobiography of a
Yogi’, Sri Yukteswar tells his disciple Yogananda, “Remember
that he who discards his worldly duties can justify himself
only by assuming some kind of responsibility towards a much
larger family.” Guru Nanak went on long journeys to different
parts of the world because he was ordained by God to spread
His message to maximum people. He could not have done that
staying at home. Parmahansa Yogananda left his parents in
India and went to USA for similar reasons.
SGGS does not advocate running away from the world to
seek God. While you seek Him you must continue to be a good
householder - which means being a good father, mother, son,
170 CHAPTER 18

daughter, husband, wife, teacher, friend, and so on. God is

to be attained alongside your commitments of the material
world, not by running away. This was a revolutionary change
in thinking brought about by Guru Nanak because most of
the God-realized men during that time were renunciates.

Here are some verses from SGGS that tell us not to escape
from the world. Guru Nanak says it is God’s greatness that
liberation can be achieved while still being a householder:

Satgur ki aisee vadeyaayee; putar kalatar vichay gat paayee.

Sheikh Farid says, God is to be found within, not in the jungles:

Farida jungle jungle kia bhaveh van kanda moreh.

Vassi rub hiyaliyai jungle kya doodeh.
 SEEKER AS HOUSEHOLDER 171

It is said that when Lord Buddha visited his family after

his enlightenment, his wife Yashodhara had just one question
for him – was it necessary for him to have abandoned his
wife, infant child and his kingdom to achieve enlightenment?
Buddha said no, he could have easily achieved it even being in
the world; but he did not know it then.

In the verse below Guru Ram Das says enlightenment

can be attained by regular chanting of Lord’s name and that
detachment from maya can be practiced while remaining a
householder:

Jupp munn Ram naam pargaas.

Har kay sant mil preet lagaani vichay gireh udaas.

The word udaas mentioned above ordinarily means sad,

but in spiritual matters it means ‘detached.’ ‘Detached’
itself has a different meaning here from the one commonly
understood. Spiritually, you are detached from something or
someone when you are neither over-dependent on them nor

you have, but if anything is taken away it should not cause

any pain or hurt. Take it as God’s will and thank Him for
172 CHAPTER 18

whatever He gave you, for whatever period of time. That is

being udaas or detached.

Guru Nanak describes a true householder:

So girhee jo nigroh karai, jupp tupp sanjam

bheekheya karai.
Punn daan ka karay sareer, so girhi Ganga ka neer.

Guru Amar Das on being detached while at home:

Vichay girha udaas alpat liv laaya.

Ona sog vijog na viaapayee Har bhaana bhaaya.
Nanak Har seti sadaa rav rahay dhur laye milaaya.
 SEEKER AS HOUSEHOLDER 173

Guru Amar Das now explains the mental state of

householders who are seekers:

Girahee meh sadaa Har jan udaasee gyan tutt bichaaree.

Satgur sev sadaa sukh paaya Har raakheya ur dhaaree.

Guru Amar Das again on detachment:

174 CHAPTER 18

Aasa vich utt dukh ghana manmukh chit laaya.

Gurmukh bhaye niraas param sukh paaya.
Vichay girah udaas alpat liv laaya.

Ona sog vijog na viaapayee Har bhaana bhaaya.

Nanak Har seti sadaa rav rahay dhur laye milaaya.

Unless you have a large inheritance you cannot survive in

this world without work. As a householder you have to earn
money to put food on the table. How can you seek God when
your stomach is crying with hunger, when you and your
family’s very survival is at stake?
 SEEKER AS HOUSEHOLDER 175

Bhagat Kabir makes this plaint to God:

Bhookhay bhagat na keejai; yeh maala apni leejai.

Bhagat Kabir again says, it is not possible to worship when

you are starving and are not sure whether you will get your
next meal or not. God is not met by giving up food and starving:

Annai binaa na hoye sukaal, tajeeyai ann na milai Gopal.

Kahu Kabir hum aisay jaaneya, dhann anaad Thakur
munn maaneya.

As a householder you must be honest all the time in your

anywhere and will only add to your bad karma. Guru Nanak
says corrupt dealings give immense pain:
176 CHAPTER 18

Jina raas na such hai kiu tina sukh hoye.

Khotay vanaj vanjiyai munn tunn khota hoye.
Fahee faathay mirg jiu dukh ghano nit roye.

Bhagat Kabir says, be very clear about what you choose to be:

Kabir jao grih kareh ta dharma kar nahi ta kar bairaag.

Bairaagi bandhan karai ta ko barho abhaag.
 SEEKER AS HOUSEHOLDER 177

As a seeker and a householder your earnings must be clean.

Like you need clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and
clean food to eat, similarly, you need clean money to live a
virtuous life. Your dealings must be honest and truthful, all
the time. It won’t do if you indulge in cheating and hurting
people most of the time and then seek God’s forgiveness once
in a while. Laws of God don’t operate that way. All your deeds
will be accounted for.

If your urge for meeting God is strong enough you will

attained high spiritual status while at home. Those who went

on long journeys did so only to preach the Lord’s message, as
ordained by Him. All of them were married and had children,
except Guru Har Krishan who died young.
you ng.

Being an honest householder and a serious worshipper

is not easy. But don’t worry, God will help you all the way.
Your worship and hard work will be suitably rewarded.
Guru Nanak says:
Guru Nanak says:

Jini naam dhayaaya gaye masakat ghaal.

Jini naam dhayaaya gaye masakat ghaal.
Nanak tay mukh ujlay keti chhutti naal.
Nanak tay mukh ujlay keti chhutti naal.
178 CHAPTER 18

A householder as a seeker is a more noble person because

he does both, work as well as worship; whereas a renunciate
can only worship and cannot indulge in worldly affairs.

“A devotee who can call on God while living a householder’s

life is a hero indeed. God thinks: ‘He is blessed indeed who
prays to me in the midst of his worldly duties. He is trying

were, a huge block of stone weighing a ton.’ Such a man is a

real hero.”

Ramakrishna Parmahansa (1836-1886)

Indian Spiritual Guru
 CHAPTER 19

GRACE

Grace in the spiritual sense means God’s benevolence,

forgiveness, gift, blessings, intervention etc., where it seems
God goes out of the way to help someone. There are numerous
references to God’s grace in SGGS. The Punjabi words used
for grace include nadar, karam, mehar, kirpa, daya, and so on.
There are two essentials for success in life, more so in

God’s grace. We will explore deeds and actions in the chapter

titled, ‘Karam.’ Here we’ll focus on God’s grace which He
showers upon those He is pleased with.
You must do everything to prepare yourselves for God’s
benevolence. How do we do that? By worshipping, doing
worthy deeds and acquiring godlike qualities. Seekers of God
must pursue Him with their utmost; though they will attain
Him only when He decides to shower His grace. Do not worry
if there is delay, the journey itself will be highly satisfying.
Guru Amar Das on God’s grace coming to those He is
pleased with:

Jis no nadar karay so paaye.

180 CHAPTER 19

Guru Amar Das again:

Saachay sahiba kia naahi ghar teyrai; ghar ta teyrai

sabh kichh hai jis dehay su paavay.

Guru Ram Das says, whatever you may try, you can’t receive
God’s love without His benevolence:

Koyee karai upaav anek bahuteray bin kirpa naam na paavai.

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The above verses indicate that God’s grace comes to a

select few. Is God then selective in deciding who will be
 GRACE 181

granted His grace? No, He showers His Grace on everyone. As

Guru Nanak says:

Jaisee nadar karay taisa hoye, vin nadri Nanak nahi koye.

Guru Arjan Dev reiterates that God is showering His grace

on all:

Pooran poor rahay dayaal, sabh oopar hovat kirpaal.

Here Guru Amar Das says He showers His grace all the time:

Amrit sadaa varsda bhoojan bhoojanhaar.

Gurmukh jinhee bujheya Har amrit rakheya ur dhaar.
182 CHAPTER 19

There seems to be a paradox here. On one hand we are

saying God grants His grace to the selected ones, and on the
other, that there is no one without His grace. Actually, God
showers His grace on everyone, but the problem is with us, we
are not prepared, to accept His grace. When it rains it falls all
over, but only those vessels collect water which have the right
side up. If our vessels are upside down, how will we collect
the water? Same goes for God’s grace. If our minds are not
tuned towards God, we will not receive His grace, though it
falls on everyone. Jesus said, “The harvest is plenteous, but
the labourers are few.” (Matthew 9:37). Those who have their
vessel right side up are indeed very rare.

That’s exactly what Guru Nanak says:

Oondhay bhaandai kachhu na samaavai seedhay amrit

parai nihaar.

Effort on our part is very essential, though it may not seem

to produce the result. Gautam Buddh struggled for many years
 GRACE 183

searching for the truth but he did not get the answer during the
period of his struggle. It came to him when he gave up. Did his
effort bring enlightenment? Yes and no. Without the effort he would
not have been prepared to receive God’s grace. Yet enlightenment
came only when God willed it. But he was fully prepared.

You would have noticed that sometimes when you are trying
hard to remember something like a name, a place, etc., you
keep struggling but it doesn’t come to you. When you are tired
you give up and relax. Then that thing suddenly comes to your
mind. The effort prepared you to receive the answer but it did
not produce the result. The answer came on its own.

Guru Arjan Dev says to receive grace you must be consumed

with desire for God’s love:

Jin kau laggi peyaas amrit sei khaahay.

The reason why grace does not come to most of us is

that we actually don’t want it. Our expectations are more in
the material world whereas God’s grace mainly pertains to
spiritual benevolence. What do most people understand from
the following lines by Guru Arjan Dev which are often heard:

Lakh khusia paatsaahiya jay Satgur nadar karay.

184 CHAPTER 19

Most people think the pleasures here refer to material

wealth and high positions refer to political and physical power.
Not so. The pleasures and high positions mentioned here are
those we enjoy on spiritual awakening i.e. spiritual bliss and
high spiritual status.

Now few verses on what happens when you receive God’s grace.

Guru Nanak:

Nanak nadar karay jis oopar sach naam vadeyaayee.

M1/147/4

Guru Amar Das says, when grace comes, all other pleasures
are forgotten:

Kahai Nanak hor un rus sabh veesray ja Har vassai munn aaye.
 GRACE 185

Guru Arjan Dev says grace can do wonders:

Kar kirpa apnay jann raakhay janam janam kay

kilbikh laathay.

The power of God’s grace is so strong that it can override

your past and present karma. Dr Brian Weiss, MD, in his
book ‘Through Time Into Healing’ says, “Grace, however, can
supersede karma. Grace is divine intervention, a loving hand
reaching down from the heavens to help us, to ease our burden
and our suffering.”

Guru Arjan Dev says the same thing:

Gur pooray kay charan gahay; kot janam kay paap lahay.
Ratan janam eho safal bhaiya; kahu Nanak Prabh teri maiya.
186 CHAPTER 19

Guru Arjan Dev again on mitigation of negative karma:

Jis no teri nadar na lekha puchheeyai; jis no teri khusi tin nau
nidh bhuncheeyai.

As per ancient Indian thought there are nine treasures of

stones, clothes, conch shell, delicious eatables, skills in arts and

weaponry etc. Possession of these things is supposed to make
you happy. But Sikhism does not believe that material things
can give you true happiness. Guru Arjan Dev uses this term
(nine treasures) only to say that the joy equivalent to all the
treasures is relished by a person whom God grants His grace.
God-realization is the highest reward one can think of, but
there are very few takers. People want everything from God
but they
they are
are not
notsure
surewhether
whetherthey
they want
want Him.
Him. Meeting
Meeting HimHim
or
or realizing
realizing HimHim is the
is the biggest
biggest spiritual
spiritual achievement
reward one can
one can think of,
imagine, theform
the highest highest form of
of Grace. Grace.
What What
more more
is left is left to gain?
to gain?
There are select few on whom God chooses to grant His grace
and sets the stage for meeting them. This should be a matter
of greatest joy one can ever imagine. But some unfortunate
ones get scared. They can’t comprehend what they will do
if God actually stood in front of them. They shudder at the
thought of meeting Him and suddenly develop cold feet - just
 GRACE 187

as the opportunity of many lifetimes is knocking at their door.

Instead of running away, one should surrender to Him and
let anything happen. You don’t know after how many rebirths
this opportunity will come again. People get scared because
the experience involves transformative process they’ve never
experienced before.

Do not be afraid of God, love and seek Him instead. Be

ready to meet Him, because one day you will – in this life or
later. That will be the day of His grace coming to you, the day
of your liberation.

“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the
reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that
you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

Jerry Bridges (1929-2016)

American Author
 CHAPTER 20

MIND

Since ancient times the wise ones have been telling us that real
success in life lies in controlling and winning over the mind. Most
of the time our mind is not under our control - it keeps running
away in different directions. Uncontrolled mind is the cause of
most of our problems. What exactly is mind? Let’s explore.

Before we go into what SGGS says about mind let us see

the science’s view. Science believes that brain and mind are
like a computer where brain is the physical hardware and
mind is like the invisible operating software. They record
everything that happens to us right from our childhood. Most
of these recordings take place at the conscious level, but some
are subliminal, i.e. we are not consciously aware of such
imprints. These recordings determine our feelings, emotions,
memory, intelligence, imagination, reasoning, judgment and
so on. These are the things that make up our personality and
distinguish one person from another.

This, however, is not adequate explanation of the mind and

falls short in many ways. There have been many cases where,
consequent to an organ transplant, the recipients developed
thoughts, feelings and capabilities of the donors. In 2016 a
University of Melbourne study reported of a 63-year-old man,
with a very limited artistic ability, who underwent a heart
 MIND 189

his artistic ability increased dramatically. Reason? The heart

donor was a keen artist. In another case an 8-year-old girl who
received a 10-year-old girl’s heart began to have vivid dreams
of a man trying to kill her. It was found that the donor was
murdered and the recipient who had the nightmares described

convict him. There was yet another case where fondness for
beer and chicken nuggets of a kidney donor was transferred to
the recipient who did not relish these things before. If mind is
limited to brain, how could this happen? Perhaps brain is not
the only place where our thoughts and memories are stored.

Then there have been many studies on reincarnation where

people have accurately remembered their past lives. Where did
these memories come from? You may have also experienced
the phenomenon of déjà vu, where you re-live a situation like
visiting a place or meeting someone, but you are quite sure
you haven’t had that experience in this life before.

We have also known of many cases of telepathy amongst

humans and animals. It is often seen that when the master is
getting ready to take out his dog, it starts getting excited even
when he is in a different room and can’t see or hear the master.
There have been cases where cats quietly disappeared just before
their appointment with the vet. How does that happen? Obviously
mind is much more than mere recordings in our brain.

Our rishis who studied and observed the mind closely, knew
of these characteristics of the mind. The authors of SGGS were
also aware of this and took a broader view of the mind. They
found the missing link to be the invisible soul. It connects
the mind to information and energy outside the mind and
the body. Science, however, does not believe in soul or God –
because it cannot see them. Science and spirituality have
different competencies. Deepak Chopra in his book, ‘Life After
Death’ says, “Just as religion had no competency in physics
and chemistry, science has no competency in spiritual issues.”
190 CHAPTER 20

Soul or atma is part of God (Parmatma - Supreme Soul)

which is detached from God to dwell in the physical body.
Human endeavour lies in inner cleansing of the soul, over
hundreds of reincarnations, before it awakens and re-merges
with Supreme Soul.
Now some quotations from SGGS. In the following verse,
Guru Amar Das puts a poser to the learned pandit and extols
him to focus more on study of the mind:

Ihu munn girhee ki ihu munn udaasi; ki ih munn avaran

sadaa avinaasi.

Ki ihu munn chanchal ki ihu munn bairaagi; is munn ko

mamta kithahu laagi.

Pandit is munn ka karho vichaar; avar ki bahuta parhay

uthaaveh bhaar.
 MIND 191

In the verse below Guru Amar Das asks the mind to

recognize its true self. The second part of the verse also tells us
that a quiet mind is a sign of spiritual growth. All meditation
is aimed at that:

Munn tu jyot saroop hai aapna mool pachhaan.

Munn har ji teray naal hai gurmati rung maan.

Mool pachhaaneh ta seh jaaneh maran jeevan ki sojhi hoyee.

Gur parsadi eko jaaneh ta dooja bhao na hoyee.

Munn saant aayee vaji vadhaayee ta hoa parvaan.

Eeu kahay Nanak munn tu jyot saroop hai apna mool pachhaan.
192 CHAPTER 20

The atma, though temporarily separated from Parmatma,

retains contact with it, as well as with everything else in the
universe. This is how our mind is able to access information from
anywhere even when there is no physical or electronic contact.
This connection is at the spirit level, which science doesn’t accept.

In spiritual matters cleverness of the mind does not work.

The mind needs to be tamed, if God is to be known, as the
following two verses tell us:

Chaturayee nah cheeneya jaaye; bin maaray kiu

keemat paaye.

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 MIND 193

Munn ki matt tiagaho har jun hukam boojh sukh paeeyai ray.
Jo prabh karai soee bhal maanohu sukh dukh ohee
dhiaayee-ai ray.

If not controlled, the mind has a habit of going all over,

thinking all sorts of things, mostly negative. It is either
thinking of regrets, mistakes and lost opportunities of the
past, or worries of the future - often of things that will never
happen. Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, in his book ‘The Power
of Now’, says, “So the single most vital step on your journey
toward enlightenment is this; learn to disidentify yourself from

some of mind’s functioning is required for day to day planning

and living. However, do not allow it to take you for a ride all
over the place, all the time.

Guru Ram Das asks the mind to stop wandering and get
back home, to be with the Lord and enjoy His blessings:
194 CHAPTER 20

Meray munn pardesi vay piaray aao gharay; Har Guru

milaavoh meray piaray garh vasai Haray.
Rung ralia maanoh meray piaray Har kirpa karay;
Guru Nanak tutha meray piaray melay Haray.

Guru Teg Bahadur tells us of uselessness of effort if the

mind is not under control:

Teerath karai barat phun raakhai nah manua bas ja ko.

Nihphal dharam taahay tum manoh saach kehat mai ya kao.
 MIND 195

This beautiful verse by Guru Amar Das is again addressed

to the mind, telling it to always remain with God:

Aye munn mereya tu sadaa rahu Har naalay.

Har naal rahu tu munn meray dookh sabh visaarna.
Angikaar oh karay tera karaj sabh savaarna.

Sabhna gala samrath suamee so kiu manoh visaaaray.

Kahai Nanak munn meray sada rahu Har naalay.

There can be no spiritual progress until the mind is

silenced and brought under control. Chatter of the mind can
be silenced with meditation or by living in the present moment.
Mind’s silence is a precondition for God to reside in the heart.
196 CHAPTER 20

Where mind is in control, God will not come, and where God
resides, there is no mind. When you are under mind’s control
you see nothing but yourself, but when mind is shut you see
God everywhere - you have arrived.

enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come

to him.”

Lord Buddha (563-483 BC)

Founder Buddhism
 CHAPTER 21

HUMILITY

In the chapter on ego we saw how it is man’s biggest problem

which keeps him entangled in the material world; and it
is also the biggest barrier in spiritual development. One of
the most effective ways of getting rid of ego is to develop its
antidote - humility. Embracing humility is a major step towards
overcoming the burden of ego. To have humility means being
humble and modest, not being proud or arrogant. It certainly
doesn’t mean weakness or meekness. The Punjabi word for it
is nimrata.

In the material world where success is governed by cut-

throat competition, humility may not seem to be a desirable
trait. However, humility is not submissiveness. Combined with

For those who have chosen the spiritual path, humility is a

highly valued quality that will take you far. While ego, pride
and arrogance are qualities of the head, humility comes from
the heart. It is the fundamental virtue. Saint Augustine said,
“Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in
the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be
any other virtue except in mere appearance.”

The need for being humble is repeatedly highlighted in

SGGS. Many Gurus and other authors of the holy book have
198 CHAPTER 21

Hum nahi changay bura nahi koye; Pranvat Nanak taaray soye.

Guru Nanak reiterates:

Na hum changay aakhee-ah bura na deesai koye.

Nanak haumai maareeyai sachay jehra soye.

Guru Arjan Dev says, happy are those who are humble and
have shed their ego:

Sukhi bassai maskeeniya aap nivaar talay. Badday badday

ahankaariya Nanak garbh galay.
 HUMILITY 199

Another quote from Guru Arjan Dev:

Aapas kao jo jaanai neecha, sou ganiyai sabh tay oocha.

Guru Nanak brings out the lesson on humility giving

example of a simmal tree (bombax ceiba or cotton tree) which
is thick & tall and appears to be full of pride, though has little
to offer:

Simmal rukh sraayera att dheeragh att much.

Oey jay aaveh aas kar jaahe niraassay kitt.
Phal phikkay phul bakbakay kumm na aaveh patt.
Mithat neevi Nanaka gunh changeyaia tatt.
200 CHAPTER 21

Simmal tree seems to be proud without any reason. On

the other hand a fruit-bearing tree which ought to be more
proud, often bends in humility and offers its fruit to anyone
who would take it. Also, when the strong wind blows, the trees

do are saved. Same with people, those who bend in humility

can’t be beaten easily.

Bhagat Kabir gives a very appropriate example of what the

mighty elephant cannot do but a humble ant can:

Har hai khaand reyt meh bikhri haathi chuni na jaaye.

Keh Kabir gur bhali bujhaayee keeti hoye kai khaaye.
 HUMILITY 201

As long as you are full of ego and think you are big like
the elephant, you will not be able to gather the love of God.
However, if you are humble like the small ant, His love is all
yours. Elephant and ant here are only symbolic of big and
small ego.

Here is a verse by Sheikh Farid on his humbleness:

Farida kaalay maiday kapray kaala maida ves.

Gunhee bhareya main fira lok kahai darves.

Black attire and black appearance are connected to sinful

life. In the olden days, blackening of a criminal’s face was a
form of punishment meted out by local headmen. One still
hears of this practice sometimes, though not very common.
202 CHAPTER 21

Sheikh Farid again:

Nivan su akhar khavan gunh jih-ba mania muntt;

Ei trai bhainay ves kar ta vas aavee kuntt.

And now a verse from Bhagat Ravidas:

Tu jaanat mai kichhu nahi bhav khandan Ram; sagal jia

sarnaagati Prabh pooran kaam.

To be able to say that you are nothing, or that you know

nothing is the hall mark of real humility. The more frequently a
person says, “I know nothing” the more spiritually enlightened
he is likely to be. After his enlightenment Socrates said,
“The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” Similarly,
 HUMILITY 203

Leo Tolstoy said, “The only thing we know is that we know

When you contemplate deeply on the vastness of God’s creation

you indeed are dumbstruck, and obliged to accept that you
really are nothing and know nothing. To make them realize of
their nothingness Buddha, as also Gorakhnath, asked their
disciples to become bhickshus (beggars) and go home to home
seeking alms. As a beggar you can’t have any ego or pride; you
must accept humility.

Some more quotations by Guru Arjan Dev on humility:

Tu samrath sadaa humm deen bhekhaari Ram.

Maya moh magan kadh lehu muraari Ram.

Mai nirgun gunh naahi koye; karan karaavanhaar Prabh soye.

204 CHAPTER 21

Saadh ki sobha utt maskeeni; sant vadaayee Har jas cheeni.

Finally a verse by Bhatt Kal in praise of Guru Angad Dev:

Sadaa akal liv rahai karan siu ichhaa chaareh.

Drum sapoor jiu nivai khavai kas bimal bichaareh.

Humility should come as result of knowledge, wisdom, and

strength of character, not out of ignorance and weakness.
Humility can be a very subtle thing. The moment you say you’ve
got it, you’ve lost it. When you say I am humble, the chances
are that it’s your ego speaking, rather than your humility. Test
and study your responses in day to day situations to develop
humility. For example, you go to a store to buy something.
 HUMILITY 205

The salesman is engaged in some other chores and does not

attend to you for some time. What is your response? Is it, “How
dare you make me wait, don’t you know who I am?” Or, “Could
you please listen to me, I’m in a bit of a hurry.” I don’t have to
tell which response is from the ego and which out of humility.
Practice humility all the time. Jesus Christ said, “Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5).
Meek, in the New Bible, is translated as humble. Humble
people are the ones who are more awakened spiritually, and
they shall rule.

If we look at history we notice that all the mighty, powerful

and proud men like Alexander, Genghis Khan, Mogul
Emperors, Adolf Hitler etc., hardly have any relevance now.
The humble and spiritual people like Gautam Buddh, Jesus
Christ, Prophet Mohammad, and Guru Nanak, still rule the
hearts and minds of people the world over - and will continue
to do so.

For the descendants of mighty Jahangir and Aurangzeb,

who martyred Sikh Gurus, Guru Arjan Dev and Guru

of these proud tyrants. But look at the number of gurdwaras,

hospitals, schools, colleges, orphanages, old age homes and
other institutions built in gurus’ names. These humble gurus
continue to be loved and remembered by millions in India and
abroad. There is no dearth of money with institutions running
in their memory.

guru, Guru Nanak (1469-1539), were contemporaries. One

was a proud warrior, the other a humble fakir. One conquered
people, the other liberated them. See where they stand today.
The lesson is, ‘If you want to own a piece of land become
like Babur; if you want the whole creation become like
Guru Nanak.’
206 CHAPTER 21

A small anecdote with a lesson in humility. Once Tulsidas

(author of Ramchritmanas) learnt that Rahim (one of Akbar’s
nine jewels) often gave alms to the poor, but always looked
down while giving. Tulsidas sent Rahim a couplet which said:

“Aisee Deynee Dayan Jiun Kit Seekhay Ho Sayan,

Jiun Jiun Kar Ooncheyo Kari, Tayon Tayon Neechay Nayan.”

[Where have you learnt to give (alms) like this, O great man?

With utmost humility Rahim replied:

“Denhaar Koee Aur Hai, Bhejat Jo Din Rayan.

Log Brahm Hum Par Karay, Taasi Nichay Nayan.”

[The Giver is someone else (God), who keeps giving

day and night.
People mistakenly think that I give, that’s why

Some people often say that God is responsible for all good
things in their lives, and they themselves are responsible for
all suffering. This taking responsibility for their suffering is
spoken out of supposed humility; but it can’t be so - either God
is responsible for everything in your life or nothing. Make Him
in charge of everything, then trust Him – He likes it that way.

“Humility is the greatest quality that a man can have, and

arrogance is undoubtedly the worst.”

Maulana W Khan (1925 - 2021)

Indian Islamic Scholar,
Peace Activist
 CHAPTER 22

SEVA

When it comes to seva (voluntary service), followers of SGGS

are always in the forefront and never let go an opportunity
to help. Whenever there is a natural, or man-made calamity,
anywhere in the world, you will see Sikh volunteers getting
there the fastest to arrange food, water, medicines, clothing,
shelter and whatever else may be required.

Even at religious functions in gurdwaras and other places,

you will notice many Sikh volunteers doing seva by helping

taking care of shoes (which have to be removed before entering

the main precincts) and doing other chores. It is not uncommon

polishing shoes of the poor. All this is voluntary work done in

adherence to the teachings enshrined in SGGS.

The practice of community service has its origins in

Guru Nanak serving food to hungry people. His father once
gave him money to buy goods from the town which could be

eaten for days, so he spent all the money on their food. When he
returned home empty-handed his father was furious because

providing food to the hungry?” From this grew the custom of

208 CHAPTER 22

community service. The practice was later institutionalized by

the successor gurus and it continues to this day in the form
of langar (free food kitchen) that runs in every gurdwara. This
service has now expanded into other areas of assistance, like
healthcare, education, old age care, and so on.
Physical service is also called kaar seva. Kaar means hand,
therefore, kaar seva is service done with your hands. Whenever
there is a need for physical labour for things like construction
work, renovations, cleaning or de-silting water bodies etc.,
there is no dearth of kaar sevaks, (also known as sevadaars)
who respond overwhelmingly. All seva is considered as an
opportunity to serve and is without any remuneration. In the
Sikh spirit of Oneness of the world, service is not limited to
helping Sikhs alone - it is for anyone who is in need.
Now some verses on community service that motivate
followers of SGGS. Guru Nanak writes:

It tunn laagai baaniya, sukh hovai sev kamaaniya, sabh

duniya aavan jaaniya.

Vich duniya sev kamaeeyai, ta dargah baisan paaeeyai, kahu

Nanak baah ludaayeeyai.
 SEVA 209

Guru Amar Das on focusing attention on service and gurbani:

Karam hovai Satguru milaaye, seva surat sabad chit laaye,

haumai maar sada sukh paaya maya moh chkuvaneya.

Guru Amar Das again says, service brings happiness:

Seva tay sadaa sukh paayaa gurmukh sehaj samaavaneya.

Guru Arjan Dev’s advice on service along with worship:

Saadhsangh bhaeyo janam praapat, kar seva bhaj Har Har gurmat.
 210 CHAPTER 22
210 CHAPTER 22

Guru Ram Das prays here that he be made to serve God’s

Guru Ram Das prays here that heServing
servants. be madeis to serve God’s
a superior work, he says:
servants. Serving is a superior work, he says:

Jo jann dhiaaveh Har Har naama,

tin daasan daas karoh humm Raama,
Jo jann dhiaaveh Har Har naama,
tin daasan daas karoh humm Raama, jann ki seva ootam kaama.
jann ki seva ootam kaama.

As per SGGS, the followers are expected to share a part of

As per SGGS, the followers areincome
their expectedfor to share a purposes.
charitable part of Guru Gobind Singh had
their income for charitable purposes. Guru Gobind Singh had
donation amount as dasvandh (one tenth) of the income. As
donation amount as dasvandh (oneoftenth)
a result this, of
as the
alsoincome. As
their general tendency to help others,
a result of this, as also their general
Sikhs tendencyliberally.
contribute to help others,
This makes them the highest per
Sikhs contribute liberally. This
capitamakes
donors them the highest
for charity in theper
world.
capita donors for charity in the world.
Service/sharing, along with worship and honest work are
Service/sharing, along with worship
the three and honest ofwork
fundamentals SGGSarephilosophy.
the three fundamentals of SGGS philosophy.
 SEVA 211

Guru Nanak speaks of working and sharing:

Ghaal khaaye kichhu hathoh dei;

Nanak raahu pachhaaneh saye.

There are many references in SGGS on serving saintly/

enlightened people. Bhagat Kabir on serving a saint and God:

Kabir seva kou doye bhalay ek sant ik Raam.

a truly enlightened saint whom we could serve on a regular

basis. Our best bet is to serve God’s deprived children and

There are three ways to serve i.e., with tunn, munn and
dhunn (all rhyming with ‘run’). Tunn is the body which means
the physical work. Munn is the mind which implies the mental/
devotional aspect of self-less and unconditional service –
without expectations. Dhunn is wealth which means monetary
212 CHAPTER 22

contribution. More important than the amount you give, is

the concern you have for the recipients. One hundred rupees

a million rupees given by a materialist business tycoon.

Seva karat hoye nihkaami, tis kou hoat praapat Suami.

Apni kripa jis aap karay, Nanak so sevak gur ki mutt laye.

the ego. In fact true service should make you feel humble not
proud. If you get an opportunity to serve, don’t boast about
it – instead thank God humbly for giving you a chance to help
someone. Also thank the recipient of your service for making
you do a noble deed.

Guru Amar Das says service done to boost your ego, is all
a waste of time as it serves no purpose:

Haumai vich seva na hovayee ta munn birtha jaaye.

 SEVA 213

A piece of advice by Guru Amar Das for those who do not serve:

Andin sadaa vista meh vaasa bin seva janam gwaavaneya.

Besides helping the community, there are a number of

verses in SGGS that urge you to serve God.

Guru Arjan Dev on serving God:

Meray munn Satgur ki seva laag; jo deesai so vinsana, munn

ki mutt teyaag.

How do you serve God? By worshipping Him and by helping

and protecting His creation. We have taken too many liberties
with nature and have harmed it in innumerable ways. In our
214 CHAPTER 22

urge to create and own more wealth we have destroyed/polluted

jungles, mountains, rivers, oceans, air, glaciers and animal
kingdom. Protecting and restoring nature is one of the best
ways to serve God. Helping humanity in need is also a great
service to God.

Seva rendered by Sikh volunteers during Covid-19 pandemic,

particularly during the early period of mass migration, was
exceptional. In Delhi alone Sikh organizations were providing
free food to over a hundred thousand people every day,
sometimes touching much higher numbers. Where it was not
possible for individuals to come to the gurdwaras, meals were
delivered wherever they were located. In addition, food and
accommodation was also arranged for doctors, nurses, and
other medical staff working under Delhi administration.

Similar seva is still being performed all over India, as well as

in other nations having Sikh population. It is being appreciated
by the world immensely, and it is also helping people know
Sikhism better. A message from Prince Charles said, “In the
United Kingdom, as elsewhere, Sikhs are playing a vital role
on the frontline of this crisis, whether in hospitals or other
key roles, or through the remarkable work that is being done
by gurdwaras to support local communities and the most
vulnerable. In all this, it seems to me, Sikhs so marvelously
embody the values on which Guru Nanak founded your
religion……”. Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau said, “Everyday
Sikh Canadians make our cities and our neighbourhoods
stronger and right now when people need help the most, you’re
stepping up once again.”

To serve people who are not as fortunate as you, is indeed

a noble deed. It must help you develop humility which, as we
saw earlier, is a great virtue to possess.

To conclude, a simple statement by Guru Arjan Dev on

 SEVA 215

Sevak kao Gur sadaa dayaal.

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do
know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are
those who have sought and found how to serve.”

Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

French Theologian
 CHAPTER 23

REMEMBRANCE

As far as remembering God is concerned, most of us are like

the Sunday-morning Christian, who remembers God only on
a Sunday morning when he visits the church, and commits
all forms of sin rest of the time. Most of us don’t remember
God even while visiting the place of worship. Our minds are
too occupied with other mundane things. Such visits should
be utilized mainly for remembering God, thanking Him and
for seeking His wisdom.

Some people spend lot of time chanting ‘Waheguru

Waheguru’ or ‘Ram Ram.’ Such chanting even whole day, will
get you nowhere if remembrance of God is not there. The
mind has the habit of quietly drifting away without warning.
It should be truly focused on God during such chanting.

You should feel the presence of God in everything you

do. The more we remember God, the more peace will come
to us. The time spent in remembrance will also keep us
away from bad karma and the consequences thereof. Even
when we are engaged in daily activities like working, eating,
resting, traveling, playing etc., the thought of God must never
leave us.

SGGS. Here is a simple but crucial lesson from Guru Nanak:

 REMEMBRANCE 217

Gura ik deh bhujaayee, sabhna jia ka ik daataa so mai

visar na jaayee.

‘May I never forget Him,’ this advice from Guru Nanak is

priceless. Following this simple edict of remembering God all
the time, will take you closer to God and you would earn great
amount of His love.

Guru Amar Das tells us about the wastefulness of life

without remembrance:

Satguru na seveyo sabad na rakheyo ur dhaar.

Dhig tina ka jeeveya kit aaye sansaar.

Guru Nanak tells us how remembrance can remove all

worries and bring happiness:
218 CHAPTER 23

Chintat hee deesai sabh koye; chayteh ek tahee sukh hoye.

In the verse below Guru Amar Das tells us not to forget the
Lord even for a moment:

Ik til piyaara visrai bhagat kinehee hoye.

Munn tunn seetal saach siu saas na birtha koye.

Guru Amar Das reiterates:

Ik dumm saacha veesrai sa vela birtha jaaye.

Sah sah sadaa samaliyai aapay bakhsay karay rajaaye.
 REMEMBRANCE 219

Guru Arjan Dev on all-time remembrance:

Oothat baithat sovat jaagat ih munn tujhay chitaaray.

Sookh dookh is munn ki birtha Tujh hee aagay saaray.

That is how God is to be remembered; all the time. It is called

‘unremembered remembrance’ where you don’t have to make
a special effort to remember God, but it is automatically there
all the time. That is the ultimate in remembrance, but it takes
time and requires practice. You can start by remembering
Him, as frequently as you can. Think of Him when you wake
up in the morning, before you go to sleep, when you eat, when
you leave for work, when you reach back home and so on. Keep
220 CHAPTER 23

increasing your remembrance till it becomes unremembered

remembrance and His thought is always with you.

In the verses below Bhagat Namdev gives interesting similes

of remembrance during various daily chores. That is how God
is to be remembered:

Aaneelay kumbh bharayeelay oodak raaj kuaar purandareeye.

Hast binod bichaar karti hai cheet su gaagar raakheeyele.

Mandar ek duaar dus ja kay gaoo charaavan chhaadiyelay.

Paanch kos par gaoo charavat cheet su bachhra raakhiyelay.

Kahat Namdeo sunoh Tilochan baalak paalan paudiyelay.

Antir bahar kaaj biroodhee cheet su barik raakhiyelay.
 REMEMBRANCE 221

We may not remember God but He remembers us all the time,

and provides us with all the necessities of life. We must not forget
Him because no one can give us true contentment and happiness
as He can. We must remember Him throughout the day and the
night. Spiritual guru, Lahiri Mahasaya said, “If you don’t invite
God to be your summer guest, He won’t come in the winter of your
life.” Remember to invite Him every day, every hour, every minute.
Here Guru Arjan Dev asks his mind not to let go remembrance
even for a moment:

Munn meray Satgur seva saar.

Karay daya Prabh aapnee ik nimakh na manoh visaar.

Guru Arjan Dev further says that true happiness comes to

those places where God is remembered:
222 CHAPTER 23

Ghar mandar khusia tehee jeh tu aaveh chit.

Duniya keeya vadeayeea Nanak sabh kumit.

Guru Amar Das says why forget Him who has given us
our body and soul and because of whom we are respectfully
accepted in the Lord’s court:

So kiu visrai jis kay jia praana. So kiu visrai sabh

maahay smaana.
Jit saviye dargeh patt parvaana.
 REMEMBRANCE 223

Finally this verse from Guru Ram Das:

Nanak, jis bin gharee na jeevna visray sarai na bind.

Tis siu kiu munn roosiye jiseh hamaaree chind.

The main lesson from above verses is that if we keep the

thought of God at the back of our mind, all the time, He may
consider us worthy of His grace. God doesn’t expect much
from us; only remembrance, gratitude and seva. Bhagwat Gita
says, “For one who remembers me without deviation, I am easy
to obtain.” (9.14)

If you forget God, you only create hurdles in your spiritual

journey. How can you realize God if you don’t remember
Him? One way to remember God is to admire His miraculous
creation. If you look deeply, almost everything, every activity,
is a miracle; but we do not see it as such because it has
become common phenomenon. A miniscule cell in the womb
of a woman becomes a wondrous human being. Isn’t that a
miracle? But we don’t give it a second thought because it is
happening everywhere all the time. How do we breathe, how

that all the functions of the body are indeed breathtaking

224 CHAPTER 23

miracles. A small seed grows into a tall majestic tree. Isn’t

jungles, the mountains, the rivers, the stars are all miracles.
Remember God with awe when you observe such things - and
they are there everywhere. Albert Einstein rightly said, “There
are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing
is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Look at everything in the creation with some intensity and
you will see miracles everywhere. That will remind you of God.

Remember to remember Him – all the time.

“To have that constant remembrance of God is to be intensely

happy. Nothing can describe that divine joy.”

Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952)

Indian Spiritual Guru
 CHAPTER 24

SUFFERING

In the course of our lives we all undergo suffering of some

kind or the other, which brings us immense pain and misery.
It may be a physical pain or an emotional one, or both. For
some the intensity of this pain could be very high while for
others it may not be so. Also, for some it may last a long time,
sometimes encompassing a whole life, while others have it for
shorter periods.

Though no one wants it but suffering will surely come, says

Guru Nanak:

Sukh kau maagai sabh ko dukh na maagai koye.

Sukhai kau dukh agla manmukh bhooj na hoye.
226 CHAPTER 24

Suffering and pleasure come to us as God given. As seen

earlier, we are given human body to have every type of
experience, good and bad, which cannot be had while in the
spirit world, because we don’t have physical body there. Before
we are reincarnated we are given the choice of determining
what kind of experiences we would like in our next life. We
make the decision based on the karma we have accumulated.
If we are required to suffer because of our negative karma, we
may deliberately choose to do it, for mitigating our sins and for
speedy spiritual progress. Hence the suffering we go through
may be the result of our own choosing. Spiritual progress and
learning is the fastest during our life on earth.
When faced with suffering, people react differently, depending
upon their spiritual understanding and the intensity of suffering.
Those who are aware of God’s plan would welcome it and

it as an unnecessary punishment and turn rebellious, blaming

everyone, even God - but not themselves. Such reaction only
makes their life more miserable.
You must accept suffering as God’s will and see it as an
opportunity to facilitate your spiritual progress. Gary Zukav, in
his best-selling book, ‘Seat Of The Soul’ says, “The pains that
you suffer, the loneliness that you encounter, the experiences
that are disappointing or distressing, the addictions and
seeming pitfalls of your life are each doorways to awareness.
Each offers you an opportunity to see beyond the illusion that
serves the balancing and growth of your soul.”
In the verse below Guru Nanak explains how suffering is
actually the remedy, while pleasure is the disease:

Dukh daaru sukh rog bhaya ja sukh taam na hoyee.

 SUFFERING 227

When indulgence in pleasure of the material world becomes

overriding, we have no time for God, we just forget Him. He is
kept in the back of our mind, to be called upon for help when
we hit a bad patch. That is bad planning. It is always a good
idea to keep friendship with God all the time.

Guru Nanak says even suffering is God’s gift:

Keteya dookh bhookh sadd maar; eh bhi daat teri daataar.

Now Guru Nanak says suffering and pleasure are two sides
of the same coin - one is born out of the other:

Dukha tay sukh oopjeh sukhi hoveh dookh.

Jit mukh tu salaahieh tit mukh kaisee bhookh.
228 CHAPTER 24

End of desire is the beginning of contentment and joy that

leads to awakening.

In our worldly experiences God ensures a balance between

pain and pleasure. We have to experience both – that is the
truth. That’s why Bhagat Kabir says he doesn’t seek pleasure
because he knows pain will surely follow:

Sukh maangat dukh aagai aavai; so sukh hamho na

maangya bhaavai.

Why is suffering necessary? Because it makes you appreciate

the value of peace and joy. Suffering is also the mechanism
God has put in place to remind you when you have forgotten
Him, and drifted from the true purpose of your life.

Now some verses on how to deal with suffering. Guru

Amar Das asks the mind to be with the Lord all the time:
 SUFFERING 229

Aye munn mereya tu sadaa raho Har naalay.

Har naal raho tu munn meray dookh sabh visaarna.

Guru Arjan Dev implores us to accept suffering as God’s

will and to worship Him all the time:

Munn ki mutt tiagoh Har jann hukam bhooj sukh paayeeyai ray.
Jo Prabbh karai soee bhal maanoh sukh dukh ohee
dhyaaeeyai ray.

In the next two verses, Guru Arjan Dev tells us to come

under God’s shelter to mitigate our suffering:
230 CHAPTER 24

Ja kai Har vaseya munn maahi, ta kou dukh supnay bhi naahi.

Prabh ki saran sagal bhai laathay, dukh binsay sukh paaya.

Guru Teg Bahadur cautions us to cater for bad times:

Jatan bahut sukh kay kiye dukh ko kio na koye.

We should not leave worshipping only for bad times. Do it in

good times too so that bad times don’t come to us - if they do,
we are better prepared to handle them. During the Covid-19
pandemic people suddenly started praying and begging God
to save them. Had they worshipped Him during happy days
 SUFFERING 231

and, refrained from all forms of sin committed against nature

It was the collective karma playing out.

Guru Arjan Dev says, one should not only accept suffering

displayed this under most trying conditions. As we know, he

was martyred in 1606 on orders of Mughal Emperor Jehangir
for his ever increasing popularity among the masses. The
Guru was asked to convert to Islam but he refused. He was
arrested and taken to Lahore where, under the supervision
of Diwan Chandu, he was tortured to death. He was made to
sit on a hot plate and burning hot sand was poured over his

Mian Meer, could not see this cruelty and offered to intervene,
but the Guru rejected their offer saying his suffering was
God’s will which he must accept. There was no complaint and
no remorse expressed by him during the torture. He instead
recited this own verse from SGGS:

Tera kia meetha laagai, Har naam padarath Nanak maangai.

Guru Arjan Dev accepted his suffering willingly in the same

spirit as Socrates had done by drinking the hemlock poison,
and as Jesus Christ accepted the cross. Instead of cursing or
hating those responsible for his death, Jesus sought forgiveness
for them saying, “Father forgive them, for they know not what
they do.” (Luke 23:34)
232 CHAPTER 24

more, is helping others in their time of suffering. We must

share others’ burden as much as we can, particularly of those
in dire need. Sometimes it may involve as little effort as giving
a smile to someone looking for a bit of respect and recognition.
I am reminded of a closing line used every day by Pat Gates,
host of ‘Breakfast Show’ on Voice of America in the sixties and
seventies. She would conclude every show by saying, “If you
see someone without a smile, give him one of yours.” Helping
someone could be as simple as that.

“If your goal is to avoid pain and escape suffering, I would not
advise you to seek higher levels of consciousness or spiritual
evolution.”

M Scott Peck, MD (1936-2005)

American Psychiatrist & Author
 CHAPTER 25

HOLY COMPANY

If you want to succeed in your spiritual endeavour, be in the

company of saints and sages who have already trodden that

the kind of company you keep largely determines who you are.
If you associate with kind and compassionate people you too
will become kind and compassionate. On the other hand if you

that is the kind of person you are more likely to become. It is

therefore not only important to keep good company but equally
important to shun bad one.

The need for good company is mentioned in SGGS several

hundred times. I have selected few quotations. Here Guru Nanak
says good company makes you God-oriented:

Jin kai munn vasseya such soyee, tin ki sangat gurmukh hoyee.
234 CHAPTER 25

Bhagat Kabir says, mind goes all over, what it gets depends
on the company it has:

Kabir munn pankhee bhayeo ud ud deh dis jaaye.

Jo jaisee sangat milai so taiso phal khaaye.

Here Guru Nanak tells us to keep company of the under

privileged and lowly people because God is closer to them:

Neecha andar neech jaat neechi hu utt neech.

Nanak tin kai sung saath vadeya siu kia rees.
Jithai neech samaliyan tithai nadar teri bakhsees.
 HOLY COMPANY 235

Guru Arjan Dev on company of holy saints:

Un santan kai mera munn kurbaanay; jin toon jaataa jo tudh

munn bhaanay.
Tin kai sung sadaa sukh paaya Har ras Nanak tripat aghaana jio.

Guru Amar Das says a congregation is holy if True Guru

is present (in the minds of those attending) and you cannot
attain salvation without the word of gurbani:

Satgur baajhoh sangat na hoyee; bin sabday paar na

paaye koyee.

In this prayer Guru Ram Das humbly seeks good company:

236 CHAPTER 25

Jini gurmukh naam salaaheya tinna sabh ko kahai saabaas.

Tin ki sangat deh prabh mai jaachik ki ardaas.

M4/42/4

are in good company:

Saadhsangat munn vasai saach Har ka nao; say vad-bhaagee

Nanaka jin munn eho bhaao.

The oft quoted lines of Guru Arjan Dev where he says your only
purpose in life is to meet the holy saints and to worship the Lord:
 HOLY COMPANY 237

Awar kaaj tayrai kitai na kaam; mil sadhsangat bhaj keval naam.

matter of great fortune as it takes you closer to God:

Vaddai bhaag paayeaa saadhsangh, Parbrahm siu laago rung.

If you walk through a garden you will pick up some fragrance

Bhagat Kabir says, in a jungle the sandalwood plant also

spreads its fragrance to nearby plants:

Oey bhi chandan hoye rahay basay jo chandan paas.

238 CHAPTER 25

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a renowned Indian saint

of 19th century. He did not read any books, but he surprised
people with his knowledge of spirituality and religion. When
asked by a disciple how he acquired so much knowledge he
replied, “I have not read but I have heard the learned. I have
made a garland of their knowledge…” He accumulated all
knowledge and wisdom from company of his gurus and other
holy people.

at least choose friends and associates who are good. Look for
following qualities:

Are God-oriented.
Not entrapped in maya.
Are honest and truthful.
Believe in Oneness of creation.
Are humble.
Worship only God.
Are kind and grateful.
Have love and compassion for the poor.
Contribute/participate in community service.
Understand true meaning of religion.
Respect all religions and faiths.
Promote harmony, not hatred.
Have constant remembrance of God.
 HOLY COMPANY 239

Treat all human beings as equal.

Count their blessings every day and thank God.
Accept ownership of their problems.
Respect women.
Read spiritual literature.
Sing and listen to gurbani kirtan.
Appreciate and enjoy nature.
Believe in universal brotherhood.
Do not indulge in meaningless rituals.

Having seen what kind of people we should have for our

company, let us now see the kind of kusangat (bad company)
we must avoid. We should be as concerned in rejecting bad
company, as we are in selecting good one, because bad
selection can ruin us.

Here Bhagat Kabir says, be in the company of a saint, and

avoid a non-believer:

Kabir, sangat kareeyai saadh ki untt karai nirbaaho.

Saakat sangh na keejeeyai jaa tay hoye binaaho.
240 CHAPTER 25

Guru Teg Bahadur advises us to stay away from bad habits

and bad company:

Saadho munn ka maan tayaagou, kaam karodh sangat durjan

ki ta tay ahenis bhaagao.

M9/219/1

Guru Angad Dev’s advice for shunning company of foolish

people:

Naal iaanay dosti kaday na aavai raas.

M2/474/12

Guru Amar Das also speaks of ill-effects of bad company:

Kusangat beheh sadaa dukh paaveh dukho dukh kamaaeya.

 HOLY COMPANY 241

Now Guru Nanak’s advice on staying away from a stupid

person:

Manda kissai na aakheeyai parh akhar eho boojheeyai;

moorkhai naal na loojheeyai.

This closing line from Guru Arjan Dev sums up the

usefulness of good company:

Mayray Madho ji satsangat milay so tareyaa.

It is evident that to achieve spiritual success, company

and guidance of enlightened people is desirable. But where

time to be with them? You are too busy as a worshipper

and a householder. In such a scenario, your best option
is to make authors of SGGS and their bani your spiritual
companions – read gurbani and listen to it on TV, radio,
242 CHAPTER 25

mobile or computer. Visit gurdwaras and join in singing

gurbani shabads.

“Tell me with whom you associate and I will tell you who you
are.”

JW von Goethe (1749-1832)

German Writer & Statesman
 CHAPTER 26

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Most of us do not enjoy good relationship with God, because

we either don’t understand Him, or don’t have faith in Him,
or simply don’t believe He exists. We do not think and act
in a manner that God expects from us, therefore, we fail to
receive joys and pleasures which come when He is pleased. We
are not even sure that we need Him at all. Leslie White, US

of God and gaining a closer relationship with Him is admitting

accept that you
need God and that you need Him all the time. We often treat
God as ‘something’ to be called up only in an emergency.

What kind of relationship we should have with God? One

common belief is that we are all children of God and the
relationship is that of a father and a child. While SGGS
endorses this relationship, it does not limit it to that of father
and child alone, but speaks of one that is more broad-based. If
God is everything to us, as indeed He is, then the relationship
should be much more expansive. Let’s study different types
of relationships that are referred to in SGGS. We start with
father-child relationship which is mentioned in many verses.
Here are few of them.

Guru Ram Das prays to the Lord that He look after him as
His child:
244 CHAPTER 26

Hum baarik deen karahu pritipaala.

Guru Arjan Dev makes a similar comment as son of God:

Soyee karaaye jo tudh bhavai; mohay sianap kachhu na aavai.

Hum barik tao sarnaayee; Prabh aapay paij rakhaayee.

The relationship expands here. He is now both, father as

well as mother, says Guru Ram Das:

Hum baarik kichhu na jaanohu Har maat pita pritpaala.

 RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 245

Guru Arjan Dev also says the same thing:

Mera maat pita Har raayeyaa;

kar kirpa pritpaalan laaga kari tera karaaya.

The relationship with God is also that of a friend and

companion, which means we can be very close to Him and
speak to Him on all personal and private issues, as we would
do with a close friend.

Guru Amar Das says:

Satgur sev gunh nidhaan paayeya tis di keem na paayee.

Har Prabh sakha meet Prabh mera unttay hoye sakhaayee.
246 CHAPTER 26

In the verse below, Guru Amar Das says, besides being

mother and father, God is also his relative and brother:

Mera pita maata Har naam hai Har bandhap beera.

Guru Ram Das also endorses the relationship of mother,

father, companion and friend:

Mai Har bin avar na koyee beli mera pita maata Har sakhaayaa.
 RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 247

Next relationship is that of Master and servant - God is the

Master and we all are His servants. Guru Arjan Dev says the
Lord ensures respect and dignity of His servants:

Jiu paaye pind saajeyaa ditta painan khaan.

Apnay daas ki aap paij raakhi Nanak sadd kurbaan.

Here the relationship is that of doctor and patient. This is

important because only God can cure us of all physical and
mental ailments. Guru Amar Das says:

Satgur baajhoh vaid na koyee.

248 CHAPTER 26

Guru Arjan Dev also says the same:

Mera baid Guru Govinda.

Har Har naam aukhad mukh devai kaatai jumm ki phanda.

There is also the relationship of ishq (love) with the Beloved

in two forms of love i.e., ishq-e-majazi and ishq-e-haqiqi. Ishq-

e-majazi is the ordinary form of love with things that are
temporary in nature. This includes love of another person like
a beloved, a parent, a child, a teacher and so on. This is also
the love of material possessions. These objects of love are of the
physical world of time and will perish one day. Ishq-e-haqiqi
is the love with something that is haqiqat (real), permanent,
true, and beyond time; that is the love with the Beloved Lord.
This form of love involves extreme spiritual yearning for God.
ishq-e-haqiqi one sometimes

poet Amir Khusro says, “Khusro Baaji Prem Ki Maen Kheloon

Pi Ke Sungh. Jeet Gaee To Piya Merey Haary Pi Ke Sungh.”
(I play the game of love with my Beloved. If I win He is mine, if
I lose then I am His.) One thinks this is the love of a woman for
her man, but Khusro is actually speaking of his love for God.
 RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 249

Even the poetry of SGGS seems to often indicate an ordinary

yearning of a woman for physical union with her husband –
as we saw in chapter on ‘Status of Women’. But the poetic
expression is actually an urge for spiritual union with the
Lord. God is in the spiritual domain, while sexual union can
only be experienced in physical form.
Let’s see some verses of SGGS that speak of this ishq-e-haqiqi
love. Guru Ram Das on true love for the True Beloved:

Gurmukh sachee aaskee jit Preetam Sachaa paayeeai.

Guru Amar Das says, all suffering and pain is over when
you meet the Beloved Lord:

Mitar ghaneray kar thakki mera dukh kaatai koye.

Mil Pritam dukh kateya sabad milaava hoye.
250 CHAPTER 26

Guru Arjan Dev makes a passionate plea to the Beloved

God to spare some time for him:

Karamheen dhann karai binantee kad Nanak aawai vaaree.

Sabh suhagan maaneh rallia ik devoh raat Muraree.

I reiterate, this is to be taken as a plea for spiritual union

with God - not for a sexual embrace.
Guru Arjan Dev says, God as Husband Lord will give us
whatever we seek; we should have faith in Him:

Jo magao soyee soyee paavao apnay khasam bharosa.

Kaho Nanak gur poora bheteyo miteyo sagal andesa.
 RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 251

Guru Ram Das tells us that God is His own Master, as also
His own Servant:

Har dhiyaavoh santoh ji sabh dookh visaranhaara.

Har aapay thakur aapay sevak ji kia Nanak jantt vichaara.

Being His own master and own servant means He is self-

contained and self-sustaining. He doesn’t need a relationship
with us; it is we who need Him.

Finally, Guru Nanak says those who forget their Husband

Lord drift to lower category:

Khasam visaareh tay kamjaat; Nanak naavai baajh sunaat.

As we see, God is not just our father, He is related to us in every

possible way. He is everything and all-in-one for us. Important
thing is that we must build our own direct relationship with Him.
252 CHAPTER 26

A true guru’s help is of utmost importance, but the effort has to

mainly come from us. In whatever we do we must ask ourselves
whether what we are doing will be liked by God or not. Don’t
ask the priest or anyone else, make your own judgment and
commune with God directly from the heart. When in doubt seek
guidance from SGGS.
We often fail to understand what kind of actions will be
appreciated by God. Many of the rituals we follow to please
God are not what He wants. For example, I have seen many

place them before an idol or picture of a deity - believing it

will please God. But God’s plan was different. He wanted to

appreciate the beauty and fragrance of His creation, where

could collect the honey for people to relish. By plucking the

His ill-will (bad karma), instead of goodwill. They spoil their

relationship with God instead of building it.
If you ask people what kind of attitude they have towards
God, a very common reply is, “Well, I am a God-fearing person.”

Nanak jinah munn bhou tinha munn bhaao.

Once you start progressing on your godly path, the fear

of God will gradually turn into love of God. Why should you
 RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 253

fear Him? You should be afraid of Him only if you are living a
sinful life. If you live an honest man’s life you have no reason
to fear God.

Be God-loving not God-fearing.

“My relationship with God is very personal. I think you can

your troubles are, and ask for help. I do it all the time and it
works for me.”

Wernher von Braun (1912-1977)

NASA Engineer
 CHAPTER 27

KIRTAN

I
It works like a tranquilizer which has soothing effect on
our nerves and uplifts our spirits. Singing creates musical
vibrations in the body that enhance our physical and mental
wellbeing. The effect of singing is cumulative, which means
the more we sing the more harmony we have. It is believed
that singing also has a positive impact on the functioning of

meditation – silencing the mind. Group singing, we learn is

gurbani
or other religious songs, accompanied by musical instruments
is called kirtan. Audiences often join in such singing.

most religions seem to have known this many centuries ago,

because almost all religious traditions encourage spiritual
singing - with the exception of a few, like the mainstream
Islam. On the sidelines, Islam however, has a strong tradition
of singing in Qawali and forms. Even in the mainstream
Islam, singing is being better tolerated now, if it is aimed at
spiritual wellbeing.

SGGS lays great stress on kirtan. This is so because

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, himself enjoyed spiritual
 KIRTAN 255

singing. Some lovingly call him ‘The Singing Guru’. Whenever

he connected with God and received His message he would
ask his companion Mardana to start playing the rabaab and
he would fully immerse in singing God’s word. This singing
tradition was followed by successive gurus. Most of the gurbani
in SGGS is, therefore, written in poetry form set under musical
compositions in thirty-one ragas. There are more than one
thousand references to singing God’s praises in SGGS.

Today, gurbani kirtan is an important part of every Sikh

religious function. In many gurdwaras singing of gurbani in
the morning and evening is a daily feature. In Harmandir
Sahib, the sanctum sanctorum of Sikhs in Amritsar, kirtan
continues the whole day.

Guru Nanak sets the tone for singing right in the beginning
of SGGS, where he tells us to sing God’s praises:

Jin seveya tin paaya maan; Nanak gaaveeyai gunhee nidhaan.

M1/2/7

In the following verse Guru Nanak is intrigued about

what happens in God’s court, and then goes on to describe a
beautiful scene where mesmerizing singing is going on:
256 CHAPTER 27

So dar kehaa so ghar kehaa jit beh sarb smaalay.

Vaajay naad anek asankha ketay vavanhaaray.
Ketay raag pari siu kahieh ketay gaavanhaaray.

The above verse continues to describe how in the heavenly

abode different lower gods, goddesses, angels and others sing
God’s praises.
Music in Lord’s court has also been mentioned by people
recollecting their after-life experiences under hypnosis.
Pioneering research on such experiences was conducted by
Michael Newton, PhD, and reported in his book, “Journey of
Souls.” Many of his subjects reported about music playing in
spirit world. When asked about what kind of sounds were heard
there, one of the subjects said, “An…echo…of music…musical
tingling…wind chimes…vibrating with my movements…so
relaxing.” He further said, “…the waves of musical notes here
are so beautiful…bells…strings…such tranquility.” This is
quite in line with what Guru Nanak has described.

scriptures time is divided into four yugas (ages); Satya, Treta,

Dwapar and Kali Yuga. In terms of character, wisdom, life span
 KIRTAN 257

and quality of life Satya Yuga was the best and the present
Kali Yuga is the worst.

Guru Arjan Dev tells us that kirtan is most needed in these

bad times:

Kaljug meh kirtan pardhaana, gurmukh japeeyai laaye dhiaana.

The key point here is, chanting must be done with ‘focused
attention’ on God. Not much will be gained from just singing or
chanting with the mind occupied with too many worldly issues.

Guru Arjan Dev on liberation through kirtan:

Jaiso gur updeseya mai taisay kaheya pukaar.

Nanak kahai sunn ray mana kar kirtan hoye udhaar.
258 CHAPTER 27

The following verse of Guru Amar Das further implores us

to sing gurbani:

Aavoh Sikh Satguru kay piareho gaavoh sachi bani.

Bani ta gavaho guru keri baaniya sirr bani.
Jin kau nadar karam hovai hirday tinaa samaani.

Singing must be done with humility. While singing, do not

let your ego spoil the show. If you sing to bloat your ego, you

only be to seek God’s love.

This is what Guru Amar Das says:

Ik gaavat rahay munn saad na paaye, haumai vich gaaveh

birtha jaaye.
Gaavan gaaveh jin naam piyaar, saachi bani sabad bichaar.
 KIRTAN 259

Bhagat Kabir speaks of purity in spiritual singing and

appreciates those who sing:

So nirmall nirmal Har gunh gaavai, so bhaayee merai

munn bhaavai.

Kirtan can take us to the highest level of spiritual

development. Guru Nanak, as we know, sang his way to
enlightenment. Guru Ram Das tells us about the same thing:

Har Har jus gaaya param padh paaya tay ootam jann pardhaan jio.
260 CHAPTER 27

Guru Teg Bahadur tells us that, without kirtan, the life is

being wasted:

Gunn Gobind gaayeo nahi janam akaarath keen.

Kahu Nanak Har bhaj mana jih bidh jal kao meen.

If you can’t sing then you must listen to gurbani kirtan,

listening to music releases dopamine in the brain which is

a feel-good chemical. Listening to gurbani is also a form of
meditation which brings about spiritual upliftment.

Guru Nanak says by singing and listening you get rid of

your suffering and bring home happiness:

Gaaviye suniye munn rakheeyai bhao,

dukh parhar sukh ghar lai jaaye.
 KIRTAN 261

Guru Nanak continues:

Nanak bhagta sadaa vigaas, suniyai dookh paap ka naas.

listening to kirtan.

Gurbani kirtan is almost always sung with accompaniment

of musical instruments. It started with Bhai Mardana’s
rabaab accompanying Guru Nanak’s singing. The successor
gurus followed this tradition, and also experimented with
other string instruments like the sarangi and dilruba. Many
other instruments were tried over a period of time - before the
arrival of the harmonium.

Harmonium was invented in France in 1842 by Alexandre

Debain and was brought to India by British missionaries.
The original design was like a piano with a foot pump and a
keyboard played with both hands. The current Indian version

hand pumping air and the other playing - was created by

262 CHAPTER 27

Dwarkanath Ghose. Due to its melodious sound and ease of

play, it has become the most popular musical instrument in
India, particularly for religious singing; though it is also the
choice of many singers of other genres. For gurbani kirtan too
it is now the preferred instrument, along with the tablas (a set
of two small drums).

What all can be sung in kirtan? Well, on your own you

can sing anything in gratitude and praise of God, but in a
gurdwara, singing bani of only the following is permitted:

SGGS.
Guru Gobind Singh.
Bhai Gurdas, a Sikh scholar and scribe for Adi Granth.
Bhai Nand Lal, poet in the court of Guru Gobind Singh.

The aim of kirtan is to get to a stage where one can hear

the anahad naad, a natural musical sound that resonates in
the universe. All sound that we normally hear is created by
striking or friction between two or more objects, but anahad
naad is God created un-struck and frictionless sound, which
is heard with spiritual advancement.

We have seen that there is great emphasis on singing in

SGGS, but what about dancing? Some religions and sects
encourage dancing. You often see people dancing in mandirs
and at other religious gatherings. Osho’s followers also

meditational dancing, particularly among the Dervishes in

Turkey. But SGGS does not encourage it – that’s why you do
gurdwara or at any other Sikh
religious congregation.

This is what Guru Amar Das says about dancing:

 KIRTAN 263

Bhagat kareh moorakh aap janaaveh; nach nach tuppeh

bahut dukh paaveh.
Nacheya tappeya bhagat na hoye, sabad marai bhagat paaye
jann soye.

Dancing and jumping around only gives some pleasure to

the mind, nothing more, as Guru Nanak says:

Nachan kuddan munn kaa chao.

264 CHAPTER 27

SGGS is not against dancing per se, it only says dancing

has little spiritual value, unlike singing and listening to kirtan.

“Kirtan allows us to enter into a mystery world - a world

where all the logic of our minds, all the condition and learning
are left outside. And in this mystery, we create a temple inside
of our hearts, a place of refuge, a place of love, a place of just
being.”

Jai Uttal (b. 1951)

American Musician
 CHAPTER 28

KARAM

Karam is the Punjabi word for karma. It has three different

meanings. First, it means all actions and deeds we do in
our daily lives. Second, it is our fate or destiny (kismet) that
we create with our deeds - this can be good or bad. Third,
is derived from Arabic language, meaning God’s grace (like
Allah’s karam
meanings of karam, while the third has been covered in the
chapter on ‘Grace’.

There is a law of karma which has been known the world

over since ancient times. The law is, “As you sow so shall
you reap.” Authors of SGGS fully endorsed this law which is
frequently quoted in the holy book.

It is generally believed that we arrive in this world empty-

handed and depart empty-handed. This is not entirely true,
particularly in the spiritual context. We come with our destiny
imprinted on our souls, based on our deeds of previous lives.
During our current life, depending on nature of our deeds, we
either mitigate our sins or collect more. On departure from this
life we carry the account of our karam, which helps determine
our destiny in the next life. Good deeds and thoughts are
therefore necessary.
266 CHAPTER 28

Guru Nanak states the law of karam:

Punni paapi aakhan nahi, kar kar karna likh lai jaaho.
Aapay beej aapay hee khaaho, Nanak hukami aavoh jaaho.

Guru Nanak asks us here to take full responsibility for our

deeds:

Daddai dos na deyoo kissai dos karama aapaneya.

Jo mai kia so mai paaya dos na deejai avar jana.
 KARAM 267

Bhagat Trilochan also tells us that good and bad comes to

us as per our own deeds:

Narayan nindis kaaye bhooli gawaari,

dukrit sukrit thaaro karam ri.

Guru Amar Das cautions those who do not understand the

divine order (hukam) and whose deeds are controlled by their
untrustworthy minds:

Hukam na jaaneh bappuray bhoolay phiray gawaar.

Manhath karam kamaavday nit nit hoye khuaar.
Antar saant na aavaee na sach laggai piyaar.
268 CHAPTER 28

Guru Amar Das cautions those who work for their ego:

Haumai karam kamaavday jamdand lagai tin aaye.

Jay Satgur sevan say oobray Har seti liv laaye.

Guru Nanak says, it is good and bad deeds that determine

your closeness to God:

Changeaaiya bureaaiya vaachai dharam hadoor.

Karmi aapo aapni kay nerai kay door.
 KARAM 269

Sheikh Farid tells us of a foolish farmer whose expectations

do not match his deeds:

Farida lorai daakh Bijurian kikkar beejai jatt.

Hanndai unn kataayeda paidha lorai patt.

The results you get will be dependent on actions you take.

How can you harvest best quality raisins if you sow kikkar
seed? How can you hope to wear silk if you spin only wool all
the time?

Here is an interesting example by Bhagat Kabir of a monkey

who gets caught because of his greedy behaviour:

Jiu kup kay kar must chanan ki lubhadh na tiaag daeyo.

Jo jo karam kiye laalach siu tay phir gareh pareyo.
270 CHAPTER 28

This is about an old trick used by monkey-catchers, who leave

some gram in a tight-necked jar to lure the monkey. The monkey

his hand wouldn’t come out unless he releases the gram, but he
is too greedy to do that. The monkey-catcher grabs him. For a

similarly, committing acts in greed which create bad karam.

The sinners who have collected bad karam seem to have no

way out but to pay for their sins; in this life or in the future
ones. God however, is ever so merciful and is ever-ready to
give you a chance. His doors are always open for those willing
to change and surrender completely. Their bad karam can be
cleared instantaneously.

Here is Guru Nanak offering you an escape from your bad

karam:

Aokhad mantar mool munn ekai jay kar drireh chit keejai ray.
Janam janam kay paap karam kay kaatanhaara leejai ray.
 KARAM 271

Guru Arjan Dev also tells us how, by serving the Lord,

record of bad karam can be made inoperative and one can get
out of the cycle of birth and death:

Har dar sevay alakh ahbevay nihchal aasan paaya.

Teh janam na maran na aavan jaana sansa dookh mitaaya.

Chitar Gupt ka kaagad faareya jamdoota kachhu na challi.

Nanak sikh dei munn pritam Har ladday khep savalli.
272 CHAPTER 28

As humans we are best suited to clear our bad karam the

fastest. We must do everything in this life to earn maximum
good. Ideally our deeds should lead us to salvation in this
life only – which is possible. A cave that has been dark since
ages doesn’t take ages to light up. If light is taken inside, the
darkness departs and the cave is lightened instantaneously.
Similarly people even with bad karam, can also get enlightened
quickly.

Ramakrishna Parmahansa, the revered Bengali mystic said,

“He is born in vain who, having attained the human birth, so

Remember, your good deeds will earn more credit if these are
done with good and honest intention. Whatever you do, always
check your intention and motivation for doing it. For example,
donations made to charity for earning praise and to feel proud,
is not the same as donations given with clear intention of helping
someone, without any expectation in return.

“Even he with the worst of karma who ceaselessly meditates

on Me quickly loses the effects of his past bad actions. Becoming
a high souled being, he soon attains perennial peace.”

Bhagwat Gita (IX, 30-31)

 CHAPTER 29

MEAT AND LIQUOR

What does SGGS say on consumption of meat and liquor?

This is a commonly asked question and people don’t seem
to get a clear answer. The debates on the issue often turn
argumentative where verses from SGGS are misinterpreted
and misquoted to suit one’s personal beliefs and likings.
I will analyze a few verses where I shall be as objective as
possible.

Guru Nanak’s following verse is often quoted to suggest

that he is against eating meat:

Ras soena ras roopa kaamin ras parmal ki vaas.

Ras ghoray ras seja mandir ras meetha ras maas.
Aitay ras sareer kay kai ghat naam nivaas.
274 CHAPTER 29

Here Guru Nanak has mentioned several pleasures which

keep the mind and body so occupied that there is little space
for God. Since meat is one of those pleasures it is argued that
Guru Nanak is against eating meat. If that be so then we must
accept that Guru Nanak is against other pleasures too. We
must therefore do away with gold, silver, women, perfumes,
and buildings etc. Can we do that? Some of these things, at
least in limited quantity, are essential for our sustenance,
survival and progeneration. I feel what Guru Nanak is saying
is, that we should not be over indulgent in these things which
leaves us no time for worship of God and hinders our spiritual
growth. We can have some material possessions but should
remain detached from them, so that if tomorrow something
is taken away we don’t get unduly disturbed. Detachment is
a mental state of not being overwhelmed with material things
and doesn’t necessarily mean physical riddance.

Here Guru Nanak says discussion on meat is not so relevant

Maas maas kar moorakh jhagray giyaan dhyaan nahi jaanai.

Kaun maas kaun saag kahavai kis meh paap samaanay.
 MEAT AND LIQUOR 275

We can therefore say, it would be wrong to eat even a

vegetable if it is taken from a poor and needy person by sinful
means; and eating meat may be acceptable in a situation
where nothing else is available and a person is starving to
death – as sometimes happens in a war situation.

Guru Arjan Dev’s views on eating forbidden meat:

Gaibaan haivaan haraam kustani murdaar bakhoraaye.

Dil kabaj kabja kaadro dojak sajaaye.

The interpretation here is that one should not eat meat

because it is forbidden. However, forbidden meat could
also refer to halaal type of meat which involves slow and
painful death of the bird or the animal. This kind of meat
276 CHAPTER 29

is consumed by Muslims, but it is forbidden for Hindus and

Sikhs. Hindus/Sikhs, who do eat meat, have the jhatka meat,

minimum pain. So the above verse could also mean jhatka is

permitted but halaal is forbidden.

Let us now look at some of Bhagat Kabir’s writings which

suggest that meat should not be eaten. This verse below exposes
those who have double standards of keeping fasts to please
God, and then eat meat for their gastronomical pleasures:

Roja dharai manavai Allah suaadat jia sanghaarai.

Aapa dekh avar nahi dekhai kaahay kao jhakh maarai.

Bhagat Kabir now questions those who believe God is in

everything and yet they indulge in killing living beings:

Ved kateb kahuh matt jhoothay jhootha jo na vichaarai.

Jau sabh meh ek Khudaaye kahat hao tao kiu murgi maarai.
 MEAT AND LIQUOR 277

of above quote as ‘religious path’ and the interpretation as,

“say that Vedas, and Bible/Quran are false religious paths”,
quite the opposite meaning. Bhagat Kabir is unlikely to have
so severely denigrated other religions.

Here Bhagat Kabir cautions those who kill living beings

because they will be in a miserable condition when God asks
them to account for their deeds:

Kabir, jia ju maareh jor kar kahtay heh ju halaal.

Daftar dayee jab kaadh hai hoyega kaun havaal.
278 CHAPTER 29

Now some advice for the so-called pandits, whom Bhagat

Kabir considers no better than butchers:

Jia badhahu su dharam kar thaapoh adharam kahaho

katt bhaayee.
Aapas kao munavar kar thaapoh ka kao kah-ho kasaayee.

and liquor:

Kabir bhang machhuli sura paan jo jo pranee khaanhay.

Tirath barat naym keeyae te sabhai rasalat jaanhay.
 MEAT AND LIQUOR 279

these are generic names and include all forms of narcotics,

meats and intoxicating drinks.

Now Guru Amar Das on consumption of intoxicants:

Jit peetai mutt door hoye barul pavai vich aaye.

Aapna paraaya na pachhaanayee khasmaho dhakkay khaaye.

Jit peetai khasam visrai dargah milai sajaaye.

Jhootha madh mool na peechayee jay ka paar vasaaye.

To sum up, the overall impression one gets is that Sikh Gurus
are not clearly for, or against, eating meat, while Bhagat Kabir is
280 CHAPTER 29

vehemently opposed to killing of birds and animals. Regarding

liquor, there is a common view opposing it.
My own take is that if you are on a spiritual path you should
avoid consuming both, non-vegetarian food as well as liquor.
Eating meat involves killing birds or animals which are part of
Oneness of the creation. Since you too are a part of the same
Oneness, you would be killing something of your own.
However, killing living beings may be acceptable where they
endanger a higher form of life. For example, controlled killing

spread disease and endanger humanity.

Some argue that fruits, vegetables and plants are also living
beings, so why eat them. The difference is that they don’t have a
nervous system/consciousness and when we cut and cook them
they do not suffer pain or anguish like birds and animals do.
Physiologically humans are more like herbivorous (vegetarian)
animals than carnivorous (meat eating ones). Here are some of
the differences:
Carnivorous animals have two large teeth for biting

herbivorous animals only have rounded teeth like humans.

Jaw movement of carnivorous animals is up and down
only, while herbivorous animals move their jaw up and
down, as well as sideways.
Meat eaters drink water with their tongue unlike non meat
eaters which suck water with their breath, like humans.
Human digestive system is best suited for vegetarian diet
which gets digested within 2-3 hours. Meat takes much longer.
Carnivorous’ saliva does not have digestive enzymes,
while humans as well as other herbivores have.
It is a myth that carnivorous animals are stronger than
herbivores. Elephant, gorilla, horse, and bull etc. are all very
strong despite being herbivorous.
 MEAT AND LIQUOR 281

vegetarian food and are switching over. Is meat an essential

part of human diet? Harvard and Cornell Universities state
that the optimum amount of meat in a healthy human diet is
precisely zero.

Liquor consumption as such is clearly not advised, because

it dulls the mind and is detrimental to spiritual growth. It
makes one lose touch with reality and with true self.

for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a

vegetarian diet.”

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

American Scientist
 CHAPTER 30

GRATITUDE

Though this is the last chapter of this book, by no means is

it the least - it contains one of the most empowering lessons.
Let me start with this passage from the Bible, containing a
Jesus parable:

“Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an

abundance. Whoever does not have, even that he has will
be taken from him.”
(Matthew 13:12)

What does this mean? What is it that people who already

have will be given more,
more, and those who do not not have, even what
they have will be taken away?
away? What is Jesus referring to? Many
have tried to solve this riddle and have come up with
people have
varied answers. Some believe
believe it is faith he was talking about,
referring to responsibility,
others say he was referring responsibility,yet
yetothers
otherssaid
say he
meant working ability and so on. Perhaps those who are closest
closest
to truth are the
the ones
ones who
who believe
believe what
what hehe meant
meant was
was ‘gratitude’.
‘gratitude’.
So those who have gratitude will be given more and those who
don’t have
don’t have gratitude,
gratitude,even
evenwhat
whatthey
theyhave
havewill
willbe
betaken
takenaway.
away.

Quran has this to say about gratitude, “The Lord proclaimed,

‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you (in favour) but if you
deny, indeed my punishment is severe.’ ” (Surah Ibrahim 14:7)
What is gratitude? The word ‘gratitude’ is derived from
Latin word gratia, which means graciousness, or gratefulness.
 GRATITUDE 283

Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual

receives, whether tangible or intangible.

Sincere expression of gratitude can bring about abundance

in every aspect of your life - be it health, wealth, love or
happiness. Ungratefulness on the other hand can make your
life quite unrewarding.

SGGS urges us to be ever grateful to God for everything

He has given. He has indeed given us bountiful. In the verse
below, Guru Arjan Dev tells us that we must express our
gratitude to the One who created us and has given everything:

Jiu paaye pind saajeya ditta painan khaan,

Apnay daas ki aap paij raakhi Nanak sadh kurbaan.

There are two types of people in how they respond when they
receive something. First, those who are ever thankful for whatever
they receive, and second, those who are always complaining for
what they have not received. When you appreciate what you
have, you will always get more, and when you complain about
what you don’t have, you will always experience scarcity. That
is the law of attraction - you bring to your life what you think
284 CHAPTER 30

most of the time. If you are always grateful you will receive
ever more and if you keep complaining you could be deprived
of even what you already have. Gratitude gets you abundance
while complaining gets you paucity.

Guru Angad Dev says, we should appreciate and thank the

One who gives us sustenance:

Jis da ditta khaavana tis kaheeyai saabaas.

Nanak hukam na chal-ee naal Khasam chalai ardaas.

Here is a beautiful verse from Guru Arjan Dev containing

some food for thought for the ungrateful people:

Dus bastu lay pachhai paavai; ek bast kaaran bikhot gavaavai.

Ek bhi na daye dus bhi Har laye; tau moorha kahu kaha karaye.
 GRATITUDE 285

We must not deny the fact that God has created everything
and He is the one who has given us our life, our soul and
everything else. We must therefore gracefully accept what we
are given and be thankful to Him.
In the following verse Guru Arjan Dev asks us not to ever
forget the Lord and then lists out what all He has given us:

Nirguniyaar iaaneya so Prabh sadaa smaal;

Jin keeya tis cheet rakh Nanak nib-hee naal.

The above verse by Guru Arjan Dev continues as translated

below reminding you of what all God has given, and is still
giving. It includes:

Fashioned and adorned you, protected you from heat in

the womb.
Arranged milk when you were a child, in youth gave you
food, happiness and understanding.
286 CHAPTER 30

In old age he arranges for the close ones to help and serve
you.
You happily live on this earth, enjoying the company of
children, siblings, friends and spouse.

With His grace you enjoy all the pleasures and necessities
of life.
He gave you hands, feet, ears, eyes and tongue.
By serving Him you enjoy the nine treasures and earn
honour in the Lord’s court.
He is always close by and protects you throughout your
life.
He gives delicacies to relish, perfumes to wear, beautiful
homes to live, silk clothes to adorn, and a comfortable bed to
sleep in.
God has given you so much, and if you look at your life

required. But you are not grateful to God. You promptly say
‘thank you’ to someone who hands over a piece of paper that
you dropped; yet you say nothing to God, who has given you
so much and continues to give ever more.
Guru Nanak here speaks of ungrateful people who are not
liked by the Lord:

Manmukh loon haraam kiya na jaaneya,

badhay karan salaam Khasam na bhaaneya.
Such milai mukh naam Sahib bhaavasi,
karsan takhat slaam likhiya paavasi.
 GRATITUDE 287

In the following three verses Guru Arjan Dev also tells us

how ungrateful people suffer during their lifetime and continue
to remain in the cycle of death and rebirth:

Nark ghor boh dukh ghanay akirtghana ka thaan,

Tin Prabh maaray Nanaka hoye hoye mooye haraam.
288 CHAPTER 30

Beech na koye karay akritghan vichhar payeya.

Aaye kharay kathin jamkankar pakar layeya.

Tum-h dayveho sabh kichh daya dhaar humm akritghanaaray.

Laag paray tayray daan siu nah chit Khasmaaray.

Do remember that God does not like false gratitude or empty

praises. The expression of gratitude must be genuine and
straight from the heart; without any expectation. Of course
God amply rewards those who offer sincere thankfulness.

Guru Arjan Dev now says God looks after and forgives even
the ungrateful:
 GRATITUDE 289

Dekhai sunai hadoor sadh ghat ghat Brahm ravind,

Akritghana no paalda Prabh Nanak sadh bakhsind.

So far we had seen that God punishes those who are

ungrateful, but now in the above verse Guru Arjan Dev says
He looks after and forgives even the ungrateful. How can He
punish the ungrateful as well as look after them? The truth
is, that God is always very loving, caring, compassionate, just,
magnanimous and ever-ready to help anyone and everyone.
The problem lies in our own thoughts and deeds. We invite
punishment by generating bad thoughts and by indulging
in sinful activities that create negative karam. God does not
punish us, we punish ourselves when we violate His law - we
are duly rewarded when we obey the law.
Gratitude is a tremendous quality to possess. It can
transform your life remarkably by bringing about happiness

for everything - big or small. Count your blessings everyday

and thank God. When you start counting your blessings you
will realize how blessed you indeed are.
Also thank people you come in contact with daily. Even if
you have a negative experience with someone, thank God and
thank that person for teaching you something.
290 CHAPTER 30

Guru Gobind Singh had such a towering personality, yet

see his humility and sense of gratitude towards his followers
when he said:

“Inhi Ki Kirpa Say Sajay Hum Haen Nahi Mo So Gareeb

Karor Paray.”

otherwise there are millions of poor people like me.)

gratitude heal faster and live longer. Also, grateful people are
more positive and happy. When you are grateful there can
be no negative thoughts in your mind. Try thanking God for
something you have, and see how positive you feel. Now try
complaining to God for something you don’t have. You will
notice how depressing the feeling is. Whenever you are feeling
low, thank God for something, you will feel better. Thank You,

Live your life with an attitude of gratitude.

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more

you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you
will have even more to express gratitude for.”

Zig Ziglar (1926-2012)

American Author &
Motivational Speaker
 CONCLUSION

Over the last few centuries the world has made great
progress. This progress has been backed by modern science
and technology which has created immense material wealth.

around the globe, particularly the poor and the needy. That
has not happened. More wealth has been accumulated in the
hands of those who were already rich, while sufferings of the
poor have only increased.

This progress has not at all contributed towards making the

immense competition with resultant pressures, tensions and

anxiety, which are taking their own toll. The have-nots are in
pursuit of bare minimum necessities while the haves are not
willing to share their wealth. Materialism, it can be concluded,
does not hold the key to success and happiness. Look at
Bhutan, a small Himalayan nation, with minimum wealth and
least invested in science and technology, yet on the ‘happiness’
index of nations it holds number one position in the world.

People across the world, particularly those in the developed

countries, have begun to accept that spiritualism is the answer
to major problems of humanity. More and more people are
pursuing spiritual living where material needs are minimal and
happiness endless. Many doctors, scientists, professors and

now believe that there is indeed ‘spirit life’ beyond the physical
life, and that we reincarnate very many times - as also, that
destiny in our future lives is created by our deeds of this life.
292 CONCLUSION

There is greater belief in God now, more so among the

Nobel Prize winner in physics in 1997 said, “I believe in God

because I can feel God’s presence in my life, because I can see
the evidence of God’s goodness in the world, because I believe
in Love and because I believe that God is Love.”

There is a sure and steady spiritual evolution underway;

though not very visible yet, but it is gaining momentum. We
have to evolve, there is no other way. We evolved from rocks
to plant life, from plant life to animals and from animals
to human beings. The next stage is to get free from the
shackles of our ego and our uncontrolled mind, so as to
attain a higher level of consciousness/awareness. That is
the stage where we attain God-realization, and where love &
truth reign supreme.

Whatever little spiritual teaching took place in the past was

done by the organized religion. Its main purpose was to exercise
control over people’s minds to make them more dependent on
religion. It shackled them instead of setting them free. The
current revolution is taking place outside the religion, which
makes it free of any dogmas, meaningless rituals and faulty
beliefs. Books, lectures, congregations, retreats, electronic-
cum-social media, are the mainstay of this teaching. It is not
dependent on religion or on formal system of education.

Spirituality teaches you to see the entire creation as One and

to deal with every living being with love and care. SGGS is a holy

living and spiritual growth. It is all about love, compassion,

humility, worship, truthfulness, sharing and caring. It has
nothing that promotes enmity, hatred, revenge etc. With God’s
grace SGGS would bring about enlightenment of more and more
people that would lead to the next higher level of our evolution.

It is not enough to just acquire spiritual knowledge - the

more important thing is to live by it.
 CONCLUSION 293

Guru Nanak said:

Sachoh orai sabh ko upar sach aachaar.

In this book I have taken out a few drops from the vast
ocean of wisdom contained in Shri Guru Granth Sahib which I
am sure will help bring more joy and peace in your lives.
Finally, a poem titled ‘Fear’ by Lebanese poet, Khalil Gibran
(1883-1931):
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
294 CONCLUSION

We too are on a journey like the river. The river heads

are on a journey towards the mighty Almighty. Like the river,

we too cannot go back, though there may be some temporary
slippages. The river meanders off and on, so do we take detours
here and there, but the destination is very clear; which is to
awaken and merge with God.

“And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”.

Anais Nin (1903-1977)

French Author
 CONCLUSION
AFTERWORD

O
AsverI write
the this
last end
few note,
centuries the has
the world world hasgoing
been made great
through
progress.
immense This progress
suffering has been
caused backed by
by revival modern
waves science
of Corona
pandemic.
and In some
technology countries
which like India
has created the situation
immense materialhas been
wealth.
extremely grim. There were far too many tragic and painful
around the globe, particularly the poor and the needy. That
be seen
has burning allMore
not happened. overwealth
the country,
has beendayaccumulated
and night. People
in the
found themselves
hands of those who helpless and frightened.
were already Experts
rich, while tell us
sufferings ofthat
the
perhaps,
poor havethe worst
only is yet to come.
increased.
Sikh progress
This volunteers
has have
not atbeen in the forefront
all contributed towardsonce
makingagain,
the
saving hundreds of lives with all types of seva, including free
supply of scarce
immense oxygen
competition - noble
with deeds pressures,
resultant indeed which will purify
tensions and
their souls.
anxiety, which are taking their own toll. The have-nots are in
pursuit
On the of bare
otherminimum
hand therenecessities while
were the the haves are
unscrupulous not
people
willing to share
exploiting their
patients wealth.
and their Materialism,
near ones in itevery
can be concluded,
possible way.
does not were
Not only hold they
the missing
key to success andtohappiness.
the chance Look
enrich their at
souls,
Bhutan,
they werea actually
small Himalayan nation,
impoverishing with minimum wealth and
them.
least invested in science and technology, yet on the ‘happiness’
In this dark hour, this is my prayer to Waheguru on behalf
index of nations it holds number one position in the world.
of all of us. It is from gurbani of Guru Amar Das:
People across the world, particularly those in the developed
countries, have begun to accept that spiritualism is the answer
to major problems of humanity. More and more people are
pursuing spiritual living where material needs are minimal and
happiness endless. Many doctors, scientists, professors and

now believe that there is indeed ‘spirit life’ beyond the physical
life, and that we reincarnate very many times - as also, that
destiny in our future lives is created by our deeds of M3/853/12
this life.
 APPENDIX A

AUTHORS OF SHRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

The Sikh Gurus (6)

Guru Guru For Hymns

At Age No of Yrs in SGGS
1st Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) - - 974
2nd Guru Angad Dev (1504-1552) 35 13 62
3rd Guru Amar Das (1479-1574) 73 22 907
4th Guru Ram Das (1534-1581) 40 7 679
5th Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606) 18 25 2218
9th Guru Teg Bahadur (1621-1675) 44 10 116
10th Guru Gobind Singh (1675-1708) 9 33 1*

Holy Saints (15)

Hymns
Religion and Region In SGGS
Sheikh Farid (1173-1266) Muslim, Punjab 4
Bhagat Jai Dev (1201-1273) Hindu, Bengal, Poet 2
Bhagat Trilochan Hindu Brahmin, 4
(1267-1335) Maharashtra
Bhagat Namdev (1270-1350) Hindu, Maharashtra, Tailor 61
Bhagat Ramanand Hindu, UP 1
(1400-1467)
Bhagat Kabir (1448-1518) Muslim, UP, Weaver 541
296 AUTHORS OF SHRI GURUAGRANTH SAHIB
APPENDIX 297

Bhagat Ravidas (1450-1520) Hindu, UP, Shoe Maker 40

Bhagat Sain (1343-1440) Hindu, Punjab, Barber 1
Bhagat Dhanna (1415-1475) Hindu, Rajasthan, Farmer 4
Bhagat Peepa (1426-1562) Hindu, Rajasthan/UP, King 1
Bhagat Parmanand Hindu, Maharashtra 1
(1483-1593)
Bhagat Surdas (1479-1580) Hindu, UP, Poet 1
Bhagat Bhikhan 2
(1480-1573)
Bhagat Sadhna (b. 1180) Muslim, Sindh/Punjab 1
Butcher
Bhagat Beni (Period not Muslim, Punjab 3
known)

Bhatts (11)

Bhatts were traditional poets and singers who eked out a

living by eulogizing kings and other important people. When

of Sikhism and started writing and singing praises of the

Gurus. Their writings appear in SGGS at pages from 1389
to 1409. There is some confusion about the exact number
of Bhatts whose writings appear in SGGS because of some
similar sounding names. However, there is a general belief
that following eleven Bhatts contributed: Kalh/Kalhshaar,
Jalap, Kirat, Bhikha, Salh, Bhalh, Nalh, Gayand, Mathura,
Balh, and Harbans.

Other Contributors (4)

These are, Bhai Mardana (3), Baba Sundar (6), Bhai Satta
(1) and Bhai Balwand (1).

* Guru Gobind Singh did not include his own poetry in

SGGS. However, there is one couplet which was written by
him which is mentioned as Salok Mahalla 10 in some old
298 APPENDIX
AUTHORS OF SHRI GURU A
GRANTH SAHIB 297

hand-written scripts of SGGS. In the present version the

couplet is part of writings of his father Guru Teg Bahadur
under Salok Mahalla 9.

When Guru Teg Bahadur was imprisoned by Aurangzeb

in Delhi, and just before he was martyred for the cause of
Kashmiri pandits, the Guru sent a couplet to his son to seek
his response as a test of his readiness to take over Guruship
from him. The couplet he sent in a letter was:

Bal chhutkeo bandhan paray kachhu na hoat upaaye.

Kahu Nanak abb oat Har gaj jehu hoho sahaaye.

Then as a young boy of nine, Gobind Rai (later to become

Guru Gobind Singh) replied:

Bal hoa bandhan chhutay sabh kichhu hoat upaaye.

Nanak, sabh kichhu tumrai haath mai tum hee hoat sahaaye.
298 AUTHORS OF SHRI GURU AGRANTH SAHIB
APPENDIX 299

M9/1429/7

Guru Teg Bahadur was very pleased with the reply and
approved his taking over Guruship after him.
 APPENDIX B

QUOTES FROM SHRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

INCLUDED IN UN DOCUMENT

Three quotations from SGGS have been included in the

UN document titled ‘18 Commitments on Faith for Rights,’
prepared
Human Rights. There are about thirty quotations in all, taken
from various religious texts, of which following three are from
SGGS. The English translation given here is as mentioned in
the UN document. Besides English, the original document also
contains French and Arabic translation.

Pai koi na kissai ravaan-da;

Sabh sukhali vuthia ihu hoa halemi raj jio.
300 QUOTES FROM SHRI GURU B
APPENDIX GRANTH SAHIB... 301

Bhandoh hovai dosti bhandoh challai raaho.

So kiu manda aakheeyai jit jameh raajaan.
Bhandoh hi bhand oopjai bhandai baajh na koye.

Brahm giani sada nirdokh; jaisay soor sarab kau sokh.

Brahm giani kai drisht samaan; jaisay raj runk kau laagai
tul pavaan.