Naam Japna

[Sikh80]

International Akali ji,
SSA
welcome to the forum bhai sahib.
Thanks for putting your view point on the bani of the Bahgats. You have very rightly put your view .Your reply is very illumininating and we shall interact more frequently when you are able to spend more time with us here.

I had replied Mr.Randip ji in the following manner[vide link=36]

Bani of Granth sahib Maharaj ji contains the Bani of Nanaks/Gurus and the saints. The entire bani when clubbed under the head of 'SGGS ji' is called as ‘sabad –guru’. The ‘sabad guru’ thus includes the Bani of the saints [to the extent that is included in the Granth sahib ji] and Guru sahibs. The extent of bani of these saints that is included in Granth sahib ji also forms the part of ‘sabad-guru’ and is worthy of as much respect as is the other bani of Guru sahibaan.

I am no one [and so are you] to philosophize as to why only this much portion of the bani of saints is included in SGGS ji and why not the entire bani of the saints have been taken in ‘sabad- guru’ nor should I bother about that part of the Bani of the saints that is not included in the Granth sahib ji.It is also stated that I have fair supposition that all the saints whose bani is recorded in Granth sahib ji Maharaj were having a very high spiritual level that they had their dasam dwar opened. All Of the saints were said to be in communion with Almighty. They were Souls of higher level."[unquote ]

Your post is ,ofcourse, very nicely worded on account of your wider exposure to Bani. WE have to learn many things from you and shall be seeking guidance as and when you are available.

Warm Regards.
E&OE
[one can do without smilies unless there is a strong urge otherwise.]

 

[spnadmin]

International Akaali ji,
I also hope you find more time to speak on these subjects in the future. You teach in a very clear way.

Not to anyone individually, but just my personal reaction

I am no one [and so are you] to philosophize as to why only this much portion of the bani of saints is included in SGGS ji and why not the entire bani of the saints have been taken in ‘sabad- guru’ nor should I bother about that part of the Bani of the saints that is not included in the Granth sahib ji.It is also stated that I have fair supposition that all the saints whose bani is recorded in Granth sahib ji Maharaj were having a very high spiritual level that they had their dasam dwar opened. All Of the saints were said to be in communion with Almighty. They were Souls of higher level."[unquote ]

How the bani were recorded in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Maharaj is a matter of historical fact not a matter of philosophy. And that is that. The conversations of Guru Arjan Dev ji, Bhai Gurdas, the others were not recorded-- so we cannot know their thinking, their philosophy, or how the jyote of the Guru found its way to influence the final decision. And perhaps that is a good thing. Otherwise squabbling would never end.

The works of the baghats and sants that are not included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib may be of high spiritual quality. So too may be some of the poetry of other Hindu and Buddhist spirits over centuries. There are those that speak of the Divine Consciousness and our relationship with Divine Consciousness in a way that is compatible with Sikhi. However, these works were not the Guru when Gobind Singh ji proclaimed where to find Guruji. They are works that lie outside of the Shabd Guru. Such sants, baghats, poets can lift us up, and we benefit when we read them. But they speak outside of the Shabd of the Guru.

 

[Sikh80]

Akali ji your post on Naam is awaited.

 

[Sikh80]

Naam literally means, the Name.


kindly follow the link for elaboration.

 

[Sikh80]

This Essence / Naam / Sabad / Logus is formless, colourless, and featureless but, as said, is present in all creation. There is no plant, no creature, in what it is not. The Earth and other heavenly bodies exist because there is Naam in this universe and when God withdraws this Naam from this Universe, there is natural calamities (Parloh / Mahaparloh) all over the universe and this is the time that the universe perishes and all the living creatures perish. Being so, the Essence can’t be seen or visualised by the mind. We can see only the physical dimension of Reality in God’s Creation – mountains, plants, trees, creatures etc. Thus the Outer Shell of Reality holds us (the appearances delude us) and we cannot penetrate deeper to experience the all pervading Reality. The physical dimensions of Reality (the outer shell) is always in flux; it keeps changing. While birth, death, creation, destruction etc. occur in the physical dimensions of creation, the Essence, being Sat (Sat-Naam) never changes, it transcends space and time.

 

[Sikh80]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satnam

 

[Sikh80]

t.b.contd..............

 

[Sikh80]

t.b.cont

 

[Sikh80]

What is the purpose of repeating Paath over and over again if you don’t understand it? Is Nam Simran (saying Waheguru repeatedly) more important than reading Gurbani? Which one is more useful in our life and why?
(a) Reciting Paath:
:Our mind knows what is right and what is wrong but still it leads us to do wrong things. How can one be saved if the person himself chooses the path? (Page 1376 Guru Granth Sahib)

 

[Sikh80]

“I must also know what I read.” When he knows what he reads, he will start practicing it, making his own life happy and spreading happiness around him.

 

[Sikh80]

Therefore, Sabad, the Divine Word, the Divine Name and NAAM are synonymous with the True Reality. Says Guru Nanak, in Asa-di-Var:
God created Himself
And assumed a Name
Second, besides Himself,
He created Nature.
Seated in Nature He watches
With delight what He creates. Rag Asa (SGGS-463)

 

[Sikh80]

The word ‘Sabad’ has also been used by Guru Nanak in the sense of teachings of the Guru (Gurbani). The Guru gives the Divine Word, or the Divine Name, to his disciple and tells him to contemplate on it.
O my friend, my divine Guru!
Set alight His Name within me;
The Name taught by my Guru
Is the help of my soul;
The praise of the Lord is my vocation;
Happy, most happy are the Lord’s people,
Who have faith in the Lord,
Who thirst for Him,
And with the gift of His Name
Their thirst is slaked.

 

[Sikh80]

The mystical approach deals with the practical ways of contemplating on the Divine Name or the Divine Word. Guru Ram Das, the Fourth Guru says –
Gur satgur ka jo sikh akhae
He who deems himself a Sikh of the True Guru
Should rise betimes and contemplate the Name.
In the early hours of the morning.
He should rise and bathe
And cleanse his soul in a tank of nectar,
And as he repeats the Name the Guru taught him.
Thus he washes away the sins of his soul. [Gauri, Var, SGGS-305]

 

[Sikh80]

There is no value that is more valuable than the Name of God. The Divine Name is a priceless wealth, it is eternal and True. It cannot be destroyed by fire, death or any other means.
Name is the potency of God, who, in the pre-creation stage, existed without a Name. It is the agency through which God Creates. It is the spirit of God and the enlightened and purifier of the soul. Name has created everything in this universe.
Guru Nanak emphasizes on the recitation of the Divine Name (NAAM) which stands for God and His Creative Transformative Power and is the most powerful and effective means of attaining identity with the Divine Being. For attuning with God, Simran, or remembrance, and repeating of the Divine Name, or invocation, enables the disciple to reach that stage of absorption where he finds himself in His presence; it is a simple yet very efficacious method for internal spiritual growth of the disciple and supplies inexhaustible stores of energy and vitality for concentration and paves the way for reaching the Lord – the ultimate objective of one’s life.
http://www.sikhreview.org/april2002/naam.htm

 

[Sikh80]

Kundalni of no use without Naam

• The Yogi draws the breath upwards, and opens the Tenth Gate.[905-7]
• He practices inner cleansing and the six rituals of purification.
• But without the Lord's Name, the breath he draws is useless. ||3||
• The fire of the five passions burns within him; how can he be calm?
• The thief is within him; how can he taste the taste?
• One who becomes Gurmukh conquers the body-fortress. ||4||
• With filth within, he wanders around at places of pilgrimage.
• His mind is not pure, so what is the use of performing ritual cleansings?
• He carries the karma of his own past actions; who else can he blame?
• He does not eat food; he tortures his body.
• Without the Guru's wisdom, he is not satisfied.
• The self-willed manmukh is born only to die, and be born again. ||6||
• Go, and ask the True Guru, and associate with the Lord's humble servants.
• Your mind shall merge into the Lord, and you shall not be reincarnated to die again.
• Without the Lord's Name, what can anyone do? ||7||
• Silence the mouse scurrying around within you.
• Serve the Primal Lord, by chanting the Lord's Name.
• Nanak, God blesses us with His Name, when He grants His Grace. ||8||5||

 

[Sikh80]

To put it in simple language, the Shabad or Naam is akin to a subtle bridge between the Source and His material universe. One must cross this bridge to go back to Divine Home ("Nij Ghar" or Pure Self) within. This is to say that, without Realizing the Essence of the Shabad (Naam, Bani, etc.) within, one can not link with his True Self. But, as the Gurbani says, rare is the one who, by becoming a Gurmukh (Spiritual Being), reflects on the True Shabad (Naam) within. Rest of us — stumbling around in delusion — search for It in the gross objects of the mirage-like fleeting, perishable or changeful world!

• Tanu manu khoje taa naaou paae: Search your body and mind, and find the Name (sggs 110).
• Raam naam aatam mahi sodhai: He searches for the Divine Name within his own soul (sggs 274).
• Vadabhaagee gharu khojiaa paaiaa naam nidhaan: By great good fortune, I searched my body, and found the treasure of the Naam within (sggs 757).
• Kaaiaa nagaree sabade khoje naam navam nidhi paaee: One who searches the village of the body, through the Shabad, obtains the nine treasures of the Naam within (sggs 910).
• Bin Shabdai Pir na paayeeai birthaa janam gavaayi: Without the Shabad, one does not find her Divine Beloved, and her life wastes away in vain (sggs 31).
• Hari jeeyu saachaa saachee Bani Shabad milaavaa hoyi: The Dear God is True, and True is the Word of His Bani. Through the Shabad, we merge with Him (sggs 32).
• Naamai te sabh oopjai bhaayee nayi visariyai mar jaayi: Naam is the creator of everything. To forsake Naam is death (sggs 603).
• Gur kai sabde aap pashaanai: Realize the Self through the Shabad (sggs 224).
• Nanak naam na veesarai shootai sabad kamaae: O Nanak, do not forget the Naam; without practicing and Realizing the Shabad, you will not be liberated (sggs 62).
• Gurmukhi saach sabad beechharai koi: Rare is the one who, by becoming a Gurmukh (Spiritual Being), reflects on the True Shabad (sggs 946).

Sikhism: Reflections On Gurbani

 

[Sikh80]

srb rog kw AauKdu nwmu ] (274-18, gauVI suKmnI, mÚ 5)
The Naam is the panacea, the remedy to cure all ills.

 

[Sikh80]

puMn dwn jp qp jyqy sB aUpir nwmu ] (401-2, Awsw, mÚ 5)
Donations to charity, meditation and penance - above all of them is the Naam.

 

[Sikh80]

jyqw kIqw qyqw nwau ] (4-9, jpu, mÚ 1)
The created universe is the manifestation of Your Name.

ivxu nwvY nwhI ko Qwau ] (4-10, jpu, mÚ 1)
Without Your Name, there is no place at all.

 

[Sikh80]

nwmu inDwnu soeI pwey ik®pw kry pRBu soie ]3] (405-5, Awsw, mÚ 5)
He alone obtains the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, unto whom God shows His Mercy. ||3||