Dare To Love the Lord
I have got a request from our respected SPN member to elaborate on a Guru Shabad, so I shall do my best to do it keeping Guru Message intact. This is the Shabad that has changed my world, I have tried to quote it as often as possible just to make a case of Guru’s that message through which he guides us to be in love with Him and live in His love. There are some scholars who have tried to change the concept of God of Guru Nanak on the basis of Guru Vaak in “Sidh Goshat””
ਪਵਨ ਅਰੰਭੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮਤਿ ਵੇਲਾ ॥ ਸਬਦੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਧੁਨਿ ਚੇਲਾ ॥ ਅਕਥ ਕਥਾ ਲੇ ਰਹਉ ਨਿਰਾਲਾ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਜੁਗਿ ਜੁਗਿ ਗੁਰ ਗੋਪਾਲਾ ॥ ਏਕੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਜਿਤੁ ਕਥਾ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ॥ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਹਉਮੈ ਅਗਨਿ ਨਿਵਾਰੀ ॥੪੪॥
Pavan arambẖ saṯgur maṯ velā. Sabaḏ gurū suraṯ ḏẖun cẖelā. Akath kathā le raha▫o nirālā. Nānak jug jug gur gopālā. Ėk sabaḏ jiṯ kathā vīcẖārī. Gurmukẖ ha▫umai agan nivārī. ||44||
(Answers the Guru) A. 45: The breath is the origin of life. A. 46: It is the time of the sway of the faith of the True Guru. A. 47: The Lord is my Guru, whose meditation, I, His disciple, greatly love. A. 48: Uttering the discourse of the Ineffable Lord I remain detached. Nanak, all the ages through, God, the cherisher of the world, is my Guru. A. 49: Such is the unique Lord, by meditating on whose Divine discourse, the man crosses the terrible ocean. Thus does the Guru-ward quench his fire of self-conceit.
They are dead wrong, in this Guru Vaak, Guru ji is hinting at only inspiration he got from within but behind remains the Lord’s grace. The Lord as expressed in the above Guru Vakas, is the one with whom Guru Nanak remained in love. In Majh kee Vaar, Guru expresses his experience with the Lord in crystal clear words.
ਪਉੜੀ ॥ ਹਉ ਢਾਢੀ ਵੇਕਾਰੁ ਕਾਰੈ ਲਾਇਆ ॥ ਰਾਤਿ ਦਿਹੈ ਕੈ ਵਾਰ ਧੁਰਹੁ ਫੁਰਮਾਇਆ ॥ ਢਾਢੀ ਸਚੈ ਮਹਲਿ ਖਸਮਿ ਬੁਲਾਇਆ ॥ ਸਚੀ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਸਾਲਾਹ ਕਪੜਾ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਸਚਾ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਭੋਜਨੁ ਆਇਆ ॥ ਗੁਰਮਤੀ ਖਾਧਾ ਰਜਿ ਤਿਨਿ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਢਾਢੀ ਕਰੇ ਪਸਾਉ ਸਬਦੁ ਵਜਾਇਆ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਚੁ ਸਾਲਾਹਿ ਪੂਰਾ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੨੭॥ ਸੁਧੁ ( Maajh Ki Vaar, Mehla 1-SGGSJi 150)
Pa▫oṛī. Ha▫o dẖādẖī vekār kārai lā▫i▫ā. Rāṯ ḏihai kai vār ḏẖarahu furmā▫i▫ā. Dẖādẖī sacẖai mahal kẖasam bulā▫i▫ā. Sacẖī sifaṯ sālāh kapṛā pā▫i▫ā. Sacẖā amriṯ nām bẖojan ā▫i▫ā. Gurmaṯī kẖāḏẖā raj ṯin sukẖ pā▫i▫ā. Dẖādẖī kare pasā▫o sabaḏ vajā▫i▫ā. Nānak sacẖ sālāhi pūrā pā▫i▫ā. ||27|| suḏẖu
pauri. Me, the bard out of work, the Lord has applied to His service. In the very beginning He gave me the order to sing His praises night and day. The Master summoned the minstrel to His True Court. He clothed me with the robe of His true Honour and eulogy. Since then the True Name has become my ambrosial food. They, who under the Guru's instruction, eat this food to their satisfaction, obtain peace. By singing the Guru's hymns, I the minstrel spread the Lord's glory. Nanak, by praising the True Name I have obtained the perfect Lord. ( Tr by S Manmohan Singh ji)
As per Guru Nanak, the truth is revealed to him by the Lord Himself and He appoints Guru Nanak for a job of praising the Lord and inspiring others to do that, literally that is what Guru Nanak did. It will be a sheer ignorance if any one who ignores Guru’s own words and tries to force on him any kind of a sectarian ideology. Having crippled understanding of Guru Nanak, people displayed such ignorance quite often. Keeping this admission of Guru regarding his encounter with the Lord in mind, let’s look at the following Guru Shabad
ਮਾਰੂ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥ ਕੋਈ ਆਖੈ ਭੂਤਨਾ ਕੋ ਕਹੈ ਬੇਤਾਲਾ ॥ ਕੋਈ ਆਖੈ ਆਦਮੀ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਵੇਚਾਰਾ ॥੧॥ Mārū mėhlā 1. Ko▫ī ākẖai bẖūṯnā ko kahai beṯālā. Ko▫ī ākẖai āḏmī Nānak vecẖārā. ||1||
ਭਇਆ ਦਿਵਾਨਾ ਸਾਹ ਕਾ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਬਉਰਾਨਾ ॥ ਹਉ ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਜਾਨਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bẖa▫i▫ā ḏivānā sāh kā Nānak ba▫urānā. Ha▫o har bin avar na jānā. ||1|| rahā▫o.
Ignorant Nanak has become mad after his Lord. Without God, I know not another. Pause.
ਤਉ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾ ਭੈ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਏਕੀ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਬਾਹਰਾ ਦੂਜਾ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਜਾਣੈ ਕੋਇ ॥੨॥
Ŧa▫o ḏevānā jāṇī▫ai jā bẖai ḏevānā ho▫e. Ėkī sāhib bāhrā ḏūjā avar na jāṇai ko▫e. ||2||
Then should a man be called crazy, if he becomes crazy about the fear of God, and recognises none other than the One Lord.
ਤਉ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾ ਏਕਾ ਕਾਰ ਕਮਾਇ ॥ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਪਛਾਣੈ ਖਸਮ ਕਾ ਦੂਜੀ ਅਵਰ ਸਿਆਣਪ ਕਾਇ ॥੩॥
Ŧa▫o ḏevānā jāṇī▫ai jā ekā kār kamā▫e. Hukam pacẖẖāṇai kẖasam kā ḏūjī avar si▫āṇap kā▫e. ||3||
Then alone he is known to be insane, if he performs the One Lord's service, and realises his Lord's command. In what else is there wisdom?
ਤਉ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਧਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੁ ॥ ਮੰਦਾ ਜਾਣੈ ਆਪ ਕਉ ਅਵਰੁ ਭਲਾ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ॥੪॥੭॥
Ŧa▫o ḏevānā jāṇī▫ai jā sāhib ḏẖare pi▫ār. Manḏā jāṇai āp ka▫o avar bẖalā sansār. ||4||7||
Then alone one is deemed insane, when he cherishes the love for One Lord, and knows himself bad and rest of the world as good.
In the above Shabad, in the first two Vaakas, an observation of those people around Guru ji who were totally engrossed in Maya, is expressed. People most of the times believe only in crowd mentality, it works like an instinct just as all sheep follow just one sheep. Seeing Guru ji being in love and imbued with the Lord, people commented” oh Nanak appears like a ghost, a demon”. Such commentators thought that only they knew the world, they called Guru ji” bootna, betala, there were some who had some sympathy for him but they also fell for misunderstanding. Guru responds to both categories of the people” well I am crazy but for the Lord (unlike you who are crazy for the Maya), unlike you, I do not believe many but the Lord, I do not acknowledge any one but the Lord, such is the craze I have for my Lord.” Truly falling for the Lord triggers ignorant comments of Maya- enslaved people. After rahao(Pause), Guru ji starts defining how really one can be in love with the Lord.
Guru says” only then one is known to be crazy for the Lord if the fear of Lord is in the heart” Why Guru ji is saying this? Why fear of the Lord who we want to love? The fear is to have awareness of His ordinance and infinite power over world, submitting to it is to control the behavior that leads to self conceit. If that fear factor is present in heart, how any bad deed can be committed? It is love with respect; this fear doesn’t mean to live in fear but to live in his love with extreme respect for the Lord and His Ordinance. Right here, Guru ji adds another truth of this love, and this love with utmost respect should be for the one Lord only. Remember, it is falling in love, and falling in love occurs only for the one. Importance of Guru is great because Guru helps others to fall in love with the Lord. If one is in love with the Lord, others so called powerful entities become insignificant. Any one who hasn’t fallen in love ever, it is hard to explain that gravity of feelings.
( NOTE Dr Sahib Singh ji, here takes as “bhai(fear)” from the world instead from the Lord. As per his interpretation, one is known as crazy if one becomes fearless from worldly fear. People call such person crazy as he doesn’t think about consequences of being defiance to worldly powers Dr Sahib considers the next Guru Vaak expresses that the crazy for the Lord acknowledges only Him and shed the fear of the rest, both way, it is to have love and fear of the Lord in the heart and there is non other to be loved and feared)
TO BE CONTINUED
I have got a request from our respected SPN member to elaborate on a Guru Shabad, so I shall do my best to do it keeping Guru Message intact. This is the Shabad that has changed my world, I have tried to quote it as often as possible just to make a case of Guru’s that message through which he guides us to be in love with Him and live in His love. There are some scholars who have tried to change the concept of God of Guru Nanak on the basis of Guru Vaak in “Sidh Goshat””
ਪਵਨ ਅਰੰਭੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮਤਿ ਵੇਲਾ ॥ ਸਬਦੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਧੁਨਿ ਚੇਲਾ ॥ ਅਕਥ ਕਥਾ ਲੇ ਰਹਉ ਨਿਰਾਲਾ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਜੁਗਿ ਜੁਗਿ ਗੁਰ ਗੋਪਾਲਾ ॥ ਏਕੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਜਿਤੁ ਕਥਾ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ॥ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਹਉਮੈ ਅਗਨਿ ਨਿਵਾਰੀ ॥੪੪॥
Pavan arambẖ saṯgur maṯ velā. Sabaḏ gurū suraṯ ḏẖun cẖelā. Akath kathā le raha▫o nirālā. Nānak jug jug gur gopālā. Ėk sabaḏ jiṯ kathā vīcẖārī. Gurmukẖ ha▫umai agan nivārī. ||44||
(Answers the Guru) A. 45: The breath is the origin of life. A. 46: It is the time of the sway of the faith of the True Guru. A. 47: The Lord is my Guru, whose meditation, I, His disciple, greatly love. A. 48: Uttering the discourse of the Ineffable Lord I remain detached. Nanak, all the ages through, God, the cherisher of the world, is my Guru. A. 49: Such is the unique Lord, by meditating on whose Divine discourse, the man crosses the terrible ocean. Thus does the Guru-ward quench his fire of self-conceit.
They are dead wrong, in this Guru Vaak, Guru ji is hinting at only inspiration he got from within but behind remains the Lord’s grace. The Lord as expressed in the above Guru Vakas, is the one with whom Guru Nanak remained in love. In Majh kee Vaar, Guru expresses his experience with the Lord in crystal clear words.
ਪਉੜੀ ॥ ਹਉ ਢਾਢੀ ਵੇਕਾਰੁ ਕਾਰੈ ਲਾਇਆ ॥ ਰਾਤਿ ਦਿਹੈ ਕੈ ਵਾਰ ਧੁਰਹੁ ਫੁਰਮਾਇਆ ॥ ਢਾਢੀ ਸਚੈ ਮਹਲਿ ਖਸਮਿ ਬੁਲਾਇਆ ॥ ਸਚੀ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਸਾਲਾਹ ਕਪੜਾ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਸਚਾ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਭੋਜਨੁ ਆਇਆ ॥ ਗੁਰਮਤੀ ਖਾਧਾ ਰਜਿ ਤਿਨਿ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਢਾਢੀ ਕਰੇ ਪਸਾਉ ਸਬਦੁ ਵਜਾਇਆ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਚੁ ਸਾਲਾਹਿ ਪੂਰਾ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੨੭॥ ਸੁਧੁ ( Maajh Ki Vaar, Mehla 1-SGGSJi 150)
Pa▫oṛī. Ha▫o dẖādẖī vekār kārai lā▫i▫ā. Rāṯ ḏihai kai vār ḏẖarahu furmā▫i▫ā. Dẖādẖī sacẖai mahal kẖasam bulā▫i▫ā. Sacẖī sifaṯ sālāh kapṛā pā▫i▫ā. Sacẖā amriṯ nām bẖojan ā▫i▫ā. Gurmaṯī kẖāḏẖā raj ṯin sukẖ pā▫i▫ā. Dẖādẖī kare pasā▫o sabaḏ vajā▫i▫ā. Nānak sacẖ sālāhi pūrā pā▫i▫ā. ||27|| suḏẖu
pauri. Me, the bard out of work, the Lord has applied to His service. In the very beginning He gave me the order to sing His praises night and day. The Master summoned the minstrel to His True Court. He clothed me with the robe of His true Honour and eulogy. Since then the True Name has become my ambrosial food. They, who under the Guru's instruction, eat this food to their satisfaction, obtain peace. By singing the Guru's hymns, I the minstrel spread the Lord's glory. Nanak, by praising the True Name I have obtained the perfect Lord. ( Tr by S Manmohan Singh ji)
As per Guru Nanak, the truth is revealed to him by the Lord Himself and He appoints Guru Nanak for a job of praising the Lord and inspiring others to do that, literally that is what Guru Nanak did. It will be a sheer ignorance if any one who ignores Guru’s own words and tries to force on him any kind of a sectarian ideology. Having crippled understanding of Guru Nanak, people displayed such ignorance quite often. Keeping this admission of Guru regarding his encounter with the Lord in mind, let’s look at the following Guru Shabad
ਮਾਰੂ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥ ਕੋਈ ਆਖੈ ਭੂਤਨਾ ਕੋ ਕਹੈ ਬੇਤਾਲਾ ॥ ਕੋਈ ਆਖੈ ਆਦਮੀ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਵੇਚਾਰਾ ॥੧॥ Mārū mėhlā 1. Ko▫ī ākẖai bẖūṯnā ko kahai beṯālā. Ko▫ī ākẖai āḏmī Nānak vecẖārā. ||1||
ਭਇਆ ਦਿਵਾਨਾ ਸਾਹ ਕਾ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਬਉਰਾਨਾ ॥ ਹਉ ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਜਾਨਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Bẖa▫i▫ā ḏivānā sāh kā Nānak ba▫urānā. Ha▫o har bin avar na jānā. ||1|| rahā▫o.
Ignorant Nanak has become mad after his Lord. Without God, I know not another. Pause.
ਤਉ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾ ਭੈ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਏਕੀ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਬਾਹਰਾ ਦੂਜਾ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਜਾਣੈ ਕੋਇ ॥੨॥
Ŧa▫o ḏevānā jāṇī▫ai jā bẖai ḏevānā ho▫e. Ėkī sāhib bāhrā ḏūjā avar na jāṇai ko▫e. ||2||
Then should a man be called crazy, if he becomes crazy about the fear of God, and recognises none other than the One Lord.
ਤਉ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾ ਏਕਾ ਕਾਰ ਕਮਾਇ ॥ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਪਛਾਣੈ ਖਸਮ ਕਾ ਦੂਜੀ ਅਵਰ ਸਿਆਣਪ ਕਾਇ ॥੩॥
Ŧa▫o ḏevānā jāṇī▫ai jā ekā kār kamā▫e. Hukam pacẖẖāṇai kẖasam kā ḏūjī avar si▫āṇap kā▫e. ||3||
Then alone he is known to be insane, if he performs the One Lord's service, and realises his Lord's command. In what else is there wisdom?
ਤਉ ਦੇਵਾਨਾ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਧਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੁ ॥ ਮੰਦਾ ਜਾਣੈ ਆਪ ਕਉ ਅਵਰੁ ਭਲਾ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ॥੪॥੭॥
Ŧa▫o ḏevānā jāṇī▫ai jā sāhib ḏẖare pi▫ār. Manḏā jāṇai āp ka▫o avar bẖalā sansār. ||4||7||
Then alone one is deemed insane, when he cherishes the love for One Lord, and knows himself bad and rest of the world as good.
In the above Shabad, in the first two Vaakas, an observation of those people around Guru ji who were totally engrossed in Maya, is expressed. People most of the times believe only in crowd mentality, it works like an instinct just as all sheep follow just one sheep. Seeing Guru ji being in love and imbued with the Lord, people commented” oh Nanak appears like a ghost, a demon”. Such commentators thought that only they knew the world, they called Guru ji” bootna, betala, there were some who had some sympathy for him but they also fell for misunderstanding. Guru responds to both categories of the people” well I am crazy but for the Lord (unlike you who are crazy for the Maya), unlike you, I do not believe many but the Lord, I do not acknowledge any one but the Lord, such is the craze I have for my Lord.” Truly falling for the Lord triggers ignorant comments of Maya- enslaved people. After rahao(Pause), Guru ji starts defining how really one can be in love with the Lord.
Guru says” only then one is known to be crazy for the Lord if the fear of Lord is in the heart” Why Guru ji is saying this? Why fear of the Lord who we want to love? The fear is to have awareness of His ordinance and infinite power over world, submitting to it is to control the behavior that leads to self conceit. If that fear factor is present in heart, how any bad deed can be committed? It is love with respect; this fear doesn’t mean to live in fear but to live in his love with extreme respect for the Lord and His Ordinance. Right here, Guru ji adds another truth of this love, and this love with utmost respect should be for the one Lord only. Remember, it is falling in love, and falling in love occurs only for the one. Importance of Guru is great because Guru helps others to fall in love with the Lord. If one is in love with the Lord, others so called powerful entities become insignificant. Any one who hasn’t fallen in love ever, it is hard to explain that gravity of feelings.
( NOTE Dr Sahib Singh ji, here takes as “bhai(fear)” from the world instead from the Lord. As per his interpretation, one is known as crazy if one becomes fearless from worldly fear. People call such person crazy as he doesn’t think about consequences of being defiance to worldly powers Dr Sahib considers the next Guru Vaak expresses that the crazy for the Lord acknowledges only Him and shed the fear of the rest, both way, it is to have love and fear of the Lord in the heart and there is non other to be loved and feared)
TO BE CONTINUED
