WALKING THE PATH OF THE SPIRIT
GURUBANI PREACHES ONLY THE SPIRITUAL PATH FOR EACH SOUL, AND THE WRONGS AND RIGHTS REQUIRED FOR DOCKING OUR SOUL ON TO THE TRACK OF THIS SPIRITUAL PATH.
THE WHOLE JOURNEY OF GETTING DETACHED FROM THE PARAMAATMA AND GOING THE WHOLE CIRCLE BACK INTO THE ORIGIN, IS ACTUALLY OF OUR SOUL (AATMA-WHICH IS A PART, ANSH OF THE PARAMAATMA), AND THIS PHYSICAL BODY GIVEN TO US BY ALMIGHTY IS ONLY AN UTENSIL TO HOLD OUR SOUL AND CARRY IT THROUGH SAFELY DURING THIS PART OF OUR JOURNEY.
BUT THIS PATH IS ARDOUS. SO ARDOUS THAT JUST IMAGINE THE DIFFICULTY A SUNRAY WOULD FACE REVERSING IT’S PATH AND TRY TO GO ALL THE WAY BACK INTO THE SUN FROM WHERE IT HAS ORIGINATED, OR, A RAINDROP TO GO BACK INTO THE CLOUD FROM WHERE IT IS ORIGINALLY FROM.
LET US CONCENTRATE ON THE RAINDROP, WHICH HAS TWO WAYS OF COMPLETING IT’S JOURNEY. EITHER IT TRAVELS THE NATURAL PATH OF THE RAIN-CYCLE, OR, IT BURNS ITSELF (EVAPORATES) AND JOINS AS VAPOUR TO IT’S MOTHER CLOUD, AND THUS SAVES ITSELF FROM THE BACK-BREAKING EXPERIENCE OF TRAVELLING THE WHOLE RAIN-CYCLE AND THE PAINFUL OBSTACLES IT MAY ENCOUNTER ON THE WAY.
SIMILARLY WE WHO HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH THIS HUMAN BIRTH-LIFE HAVE TWO OPTIONS :- EITHER WE MAKE OUR SOUL TRAVEL THE WHOLE GAMUT OF INNUMERABLE LIVES, LIFE AFTER LIFE AND ENCOUNTER THE OVERWHELMING SORROWS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH LIFE, OR, WE USE OUR PRESENT LIFE TO BURN OUR MAAN (MIND-FULL OF ALL THE SINS PERFORMED IN ALL THE PRECEDING LIVES), AND FREE OUR SOUL TO FLY BACK AND JOIN ITSELF WITH THE PARAMAATMA, THUS COMPLETING THE JOURNEY FOR WHICH IT HAD ORIGINALLY SET FORTH AFTER BEING DETACHED FROM THE SUPREME SOUL.
ALAS MOST OF US OUR LIVING OUR LIVES ONLY ON A PHYSICAL PLATFORM. WE ARE INTERESTED IN ONLY THOSE THINGS THAT WILL GIVE OUR PHYSICAL BODY THE MOST MATERIALISTIC COMFORT. WE ATTACH OURSLEVES TO ALL THESE SHINY MATERIALS AROUND US, SO MUCH SO THAT THEY BECOME THE REASON FOR ALL OUR SORROWS, BECAUSE WE CAN’T HANDLE THE PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH HAVING TO LOOSE THEM. FOR EXAMPLE WE ATTACH OURSELVES SO MUCH WITH OUR FAMILY (OUR BETTER HALF, KIDS). WE FOOL OTHERS TO FILL OUR COFFERS SO THAT OUR FAMILY CAN BE COMFORTABLE. BUT WE FORGET THAT ONE DAY DEATH IS GOING TO SNATCH US FROM OUR FAMILIES, AND WHEN THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENS, WE ARE OVERWHELMED BY THIS SORROW OF LOSS ALL OUR LIVES.
WHY DON’T WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS PHYSICAL BODY OF OURS IS GOING TO BE LEFT BEHIND, AND ONLY THE SPIRIT IS GOING TO TRAVEL FURTHER ?
THEN WHY DO WE STILL LOOK FOR PHYSICAL COMFORT RATHER THAN SPENDING OUR LIVES IN PURSUIT OF SPIRITUAL COMFORT ?
HEREIN COMES THE IMPORTANCE OF GURUBANI. INFACT WE SHOULD CONSIDER OURSELVES THE LUCKIEST ONES ALIVE TO HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE BIRTH OF A SIKH, BECAUSE THE GIFT OF GURUBANI HANDED TO US ON A PLATTER, IF PARTAKEN WILL BE THE IDEAL FOOD FOR OUR SOUL TO TRAVEL THE SPIRITUAL PATH TOWARDS THE SUPREME SOUL.
HOW FAR BACK WE ARE LAGGING SPIRITUALLY :
ALL THROUGH OUR PHYSICAL LIFE PARMATMA (THE PARAM AATMA) IS WITH US (INSIDE US) AND WE JUST DO NOT STRIVE TO FEEL IT’S PRESENCE, WITH THE RESULT THAT IN THE AFTERLIFE WHEN OUR AATMA NEEDS THE PARAM AATMA MOST, THERE IS NO SUPPORT PROVIDED.
OUR MAAN IS NOTHING BUT A COLLECTION OF ALL THE PAAPS THAT HAVE ACCUMULATED GOING FROM ONE LIFE TO ANOTHER, AND IT IS THE CULPRIT WHICH HAS ENGULFED OUR AATMA, AND CUT OFF IT’S CONNECTION FROM THE PARAM AATMA.
CONSIDER EACH SINGLE UTTERANCE OF NAAM (SIMRAN) WHICH ACTUALLY IS BEEN RECEIVED BACK BY OUR EARS, AND THROUGH THEM IS ENTERING OUR INNER BEING.
CONSIDER EACH SUCH UTTERANCE AS ONE HIT SCORED ON OUR MAAN ,or, MIND, AND LET US ASSUME THAT ONE SUCH HIT IS KILLING ONE PAAP (AMONG COUNTLESS ACCUMULATING IN OUR MAAN AS IT GOES FROM ONE LIFE TO ANOTHER FOR WE DO NOT KNOW HOW MANY LIVES, AS KABEER SAYS “AISE GHAR HAM BAHUT BASAYE, JAB HUM RAAM GARABH SYUN AAYE”).
NOW ACCORDING TO THE CENTRAL THEME OF OUR RELIGION, THE MORE HITS OF NAAM YOU SCORE ON YOUR MAAN, THE MORE PURIFIED IT BECOMES, AND THE MORE YOUR MAAN GETS IMMUNED FROM DUKH, SANTAAP. THE BIGGEST DUKH IS TO BE BORN AGAIN AND AGAIN.
JUST IMAGINE HOW MANY SUCH HITS WE SHALL NEED TO OBLITERATE ALL THE PAAPS STORED IN OUR MAAN, UNTIL THE FINAL HIT WHEN “PRABH KE SIMRAN GARABH NA BASE” i.e. OUR MAAN IS DELETED AND OUR AATMA BECOMES PART OF THE PARAM AATMA (WHOSE “AANSH” IT WAS ORIGINALLY, AND FROM WHICH IT HAD BROKEN OFF), AND BREAKS OFF FROM THIS BIRTH-DEATH CIRCLE.
NOW WE SPEND OUR WHOLE LIFE SPEAKING,SPEAKING…. AND SPEAKING, AND NEVER HEAR TO WHAT WE SAY, WHEREAS THE ONE AND ONLY THING THAT MATCHES OUR FREQUENCY WITH THAT OF THE SUPREME LORD IS HEARING, HEARING…. AND HEARING. JUST THINK OF HOW MANY TIMES WE HAVE DONE PATH, SIMRAN IN OUR LIVES TO DATE, AND JUST THINK OF HOW MANY TIMES OUR MAAN (THROUGH OUR EARS) HAS ACTUALLY HEARD THE RECITAL - NEGLIGIBLE.
WE ALSO SPEND OUR WHOLE LIFE RUNNING AFTER THINGS THAT ARE NEVER GOING TO BE OURS FOR EVER, AS THE SUPREME DUKH “DEATH” IS GOING TO INTERVENE, BUT STILL WE RUN, AND IN THE PROCESS KEEP COMMITING AND ACCUMULATING OUR BAG OF SINS. THE ONLY ASSET THAT IS GOING TO BE CARRIED OVER INTO THE AFTERLIFE IS THE AMOUNT OF FULL ALERT NAAM YOU HAVE RECITED IN YOUR PRESENT LIFE.
WE JUST DO NOT HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT THE MEANING OF OUR LIFE REALLY IS, AND THAT IS TO CONSTANTLY BE IMMERSED IN THE NAAM. “HAR UDDAM ME WOH UDDAM BHALA, HAR KA NAAM JAPE JIYO SADA”.
