Re: Why do I believe in Jesus? An ex-sikh’s journey in faith(Rajinder Nijjar's Viewpoint)
MANY MILLIONS (from Sukhmani Sahib)
Many praise Him, but no one knows His limits:
Nanak says, God created the Creation in different ways
and many forms.
All the creatures in this Creation, whether they are insects or animals
or man, are trying to praise the Almighty Who has created this world;
but nobody has known the limits of the Almighty God. God has created
different types of creatures; He has created four types of species -
animals, insects, man, and many other beings. Do you know that even
the animals, when they wake up in the morning, in their own language
express their gratitude and become thankful to God?
Kabir Sahib says, I sacrifice myself on those birds who live in the
forest and eat the thrown-away food but still do not give up their
remembrance of God."
Many millions became worshipers.
Many millions became righteous and of good conduct.
There are millions of priests in this world who are worshiping God;
and similarly there have been millions of gurumukhs - those who have
achieved God.
Many millions became the residents of places of pilgrimage.
Many millions became sad and in illusion wandered in the
forest.
Many millions go and reside in the places of pilgrimage, thinking that
they will get liberation just by being at the places of pilgrimage. And
many millions go and spend their life in the forest, thinking that they
will achieve God by living that type of life.
Many millions are the audience of the Vedas.
Many millions perform austerities.
Many millions are interested in hearing the stories of the Vedas and
hearing the holy scriptures, and many millions are interested in going
into the forest in the secluded places and performing austerities.
Many millions contemplate on their own self
Many millions think on their own writings.
Many millions are contemplating on their own self, and in that Way
they are trying to get liberation; and there are many millions who are
interested in reciting their own poetry, their own writings about God.
Many millions meditate on the new names of the Lord.
Nanak says, But they do not get to know the limit
of the Creator.
Many millions are giving many new names of the Timeless Lord, but
they are not achieving God just by calling God in different types of
names.
Many millions have become egotists.
Many millions are blind and ignorant.
Now Guru Sahib is describing the condition of the world. He says there
are millions of people - those who are intoxicated by the ego, by
pride - who say that nobody else is like them. And there are many
millions of illiterate people in this world who have no knowledge.
Many millions are misers and stone-hearted.
Many millions are without the knowledge
of their own soul.
There are many millions of people who are living as misers in this world,
and there are many millions of people - those who never come to the
Path of Naam - and no matter what, still the color of Naam is not
reaching them.
Many millions are stealing the wealth of others.
Many millions are jealous of others.
There are many millions of people who are always trying to steal from
others; and there are many millions of people who are always feeling
jealous, looking at other people's progress and other people's reputation
in this world; and they are always becoming envious of them and bothered
about them.
Many millions work hard for Maya.
Many millions wander in foreign countries.
There are many millions of people who don't feel ashamed even to do
mean work for collecting wealth, and many millions of people who wander
in foreign countries just to collect wealth.
Wherever He attaches people, there they remain attached.
Nanak says, Only the Creator Himself knows about His
creation.
Now Guru Sahib says that everyone is attached to the world, and all
this is done by God Himself. God knows at which place He his to send
each person and who is fit for what work. And He does all these things
from behind the curtain, but nobody can know that.
Many millions are Siddhas (seers), celibates and yogis.
Many millions are kings who enjoy the pleasures.
Now he says there are millions of seers, celibates and yogis living in
this world, and there are millions of kings, and important people, who
are enjoying the world and are sleeping towards God.
He created many millions of birds and snakes.
He created many millions of stones and trees.
Guru Sahib says God has created many million types of trees on this
plane, and He has created many million types of birds and other creatures.
He created many millions of gods and goddesses.
He created many millions of countries and planes.
He has created many millions of gods and goddesses; and He has created
many millions of divisions and grand divisions of this world.
He created many millions of moons, suns and planets.
He created many millions of gods and demons,
and Lord Indra who is God of gods.
Now he says God has made many millions of suns, He has made many
millions of moons and stars and planets, and He Himself has created
many millions of gods and goddesses; and even Lord Indra, who is
called God of the gods and goddesses, is created by Him.
He keeps everything together;
Nanak says, He liberates whomever He wants.
God has created all these creatures - insects, animals, etc. - and He has
put them all together, like we put the beads in a rosary, and He knows
to whom He has to give liberation, and according to that He liberates
them. He decides which soul has to go in how many bodies, and only
He is responsible for the liberation of the souls.
(He created) many millions of Rajsic, Tamsic,
and Satvic people -
Many millions of Vedas, Puranas, Smritis and Shastras -
He has created many millions of satvic, tamsic and rajsic people who
have these three different kinds of qualities, and many millions of Vedas
and other books have been created by Him.
Many millions of pearls in the ocean -
Many millions of different kinds of creatures -
He has created oceans with many millions of pearls in them, and He
has created many millions of kinds of creatures in them. We believe
that the science of today has progressed and reached many places, but
up until now no scientist has reached the place where the science of
the Saints - the science of soul - has reached.
Guru Nanak Sahib says, "God has created man, the human body
of five elements: no one else can make a human body or even a body
with three or four elements in it."
Many millions who live for a long time -
Many mountains of gold -
There are many millions of people who live long lives in this world;
and God has created many millions of mountains, and many of them
of gold.
Many millions of demons, ghosts, evil spirits -
Many millions of animals who devour other animals.
He has created many millions of ghosts, demons, and angels; and He
has created many millions of animals: deer, and tigers and other animals
who eat the deer.
He is near to all, He is away from all.
Nanak says, He remains within everyone
but is still unique.
God is far from the manmukhs, or those who obey their mind; He is
very near to the gurumukhs. And even though He is present within
everyone, still He is unique.
Many millions live in the world below;
Many millions are the residents of hells and heavens.
God has created many millions of souls who are living in the world
below, and He has made many millions of souls live in the heavens.
Many millions are born, they live and die;
Many millions wander in many bodies.
There are millions of souls who get birth, and there are millions of
souls who die. And there are many millions of souls who wander from one
body to another - sometimes they become man, sometimes bird, sometimes
animal - and in that way they wander continually from one body to another.
Many millions eat and enjoy while sitting,
Many millions get exhausted working hard.
Now Guru Sahib says that there are many millions of people who just
sit and enjoy and eat and who do not have to work for their livelihood,
and those poor people don't get the opportunity even to move their
hands; but there are many millions of other people who work very hard
during the daytime and at the end of the day are exhausted, and they
do all that to make their living.
Guru Nanak Sahib has said that there are many people who enjoy
sleeping on comfortable beds (like the one Mother Millie had), and there
are many people who just stand there to attend those who sleep on those
beds.
He created many millions of wealthy people -
Many millions who are anxious for wealth.
God has created many millions of rich people, who have so much they
don't have any idea of how much wealth they have; but He has created
many millions of poor people who are always worrying about making
their living, and who don't have any food to eat, any house to sleep
in, or any clothes to wear.
Whatever is His Will, according to that
He keeps the people;
Nanak says, Everything is in the Lord's hands.
Nobody can become rich by himself, and nobody becomes poor by himself.
It is all in the Will of God; and whatever God wishes for anyone, He
gives to him according to that.
Many millions have become bairagis, whose attention
is attuned to the Name of God.
There are many millions of bairagis (those who are yearning in the
devotion of God), and there are many millions of souls who are attuned
to God.
Many millions search for God;
They are searching for Par Brahm within their souls.
Now he says there are many millions of people who are searching for
God, and there are many millions who are trying to make their souls
free from the clutches of mind.
Many millions who have the thirst
for the darshan of God
Find that indestructible God.
There are many millions of people who are thirsty for having the darshan
of God; and those who are always get it. As Master Kirpal used to say:
"This is the law of nature: there is food for the hungry and water for
the thirsty."
Many millions ask for Satsang and they are dyed
in the color of Par Brahm.
There are many millions of people who day and night request the Almighty
Lord: "O Lord, give us Satsang, bring us in Satsang." And those who are
praying for that are dyed in the color of Glory from within.
One with whom He becomes pleased
Is always a blessed one, says Nanak.
Those with whom God becomes pleased, they are always involved in thanking
and being grateful to God.
Many millions of species and divisions of creation,
Many millions of skies and Brahmands -
He has created many millions of species, and He has created many millions
of skies, and many millions of divisions of His creation.
Many millions of incarnations were created,
Who spread their work in many different ways.
There were millions of incarnations who came in this world and spread
their work.
Many times the creation was created,
But every time He, only He, the Ek Onkar, remained.
Many times this world has been renovated, many times this world has
come to an end, and many times it has been dissolved and - again created,
and this world has gone on changing; but God Who created this world
hasn't changed. And many times it has happened that only God remained
existing in His Will, and no other creature was existing in this world.
He created many millions of creatures,
Who are created from God and at the end dissolve in God.
He has created many millions of creatures: you see how He has made the
body of the cat, how He has made the mouse, and how He has made the
different parts of the body of the human being. After making all these
bodies, He is residing within them; and He has done all this by Himself.
No one knows His limits;
Nanak says, The Lord Himself knows them.
Now Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj says, "Nobody can know His bounds,
His limits; only He knows His limits and I bow down to such a God."
Many millions are servants of Par Brahm;
Within them the Light is manifested.
There are many millions who are slaves of God and there are many
millions within whom God is manifested; and in whom God is
manifested, there is the Light of God.
Many millions are knowers of Truth.
They always see Him with their one eye.
There have been many millions of people who knew about God; and
there are many millions of people who know about God now, and with
their open eyes are seeing Him everywhere.
Many millions have drunk the nectar of Naam,
And become immortal, and are living forever.
There are many millions of souls who drank the Nectar of Naam and
have become immortal; the souls who drink the Nectar of Naam never
die.
Many millions sing the qualities of Naam;
Easily they absorb their soul in the happiness
of the nectar.
Many millions are doing the meditation on Shabd Naam and are making
their soul drink that Nectar of Naam.
Those who remember their Beloved with their
every single breath are the beloveds of God,
says Nanak.
Those who remember their Master, those who love their Master with every
single breath, are the beloveds of God. As Guru Sahib has praised God
and has expressed his thankfulness to God in this chapter of Sukhmani
Sahib, we should also be grateful to Him and thank Him.
By Ajaib Singh