Divinepower

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

DHARAM PRACHAR(KHOJI)LEKH.NO.18

Lekh 18

Dharam Parchaar

The flowering plant grows according to the law of nature. When it begins to flower the first thing that appears is a small bud. The bud grows and on full growth it opens its petals and blossoms as a complete flower. From the flower’s


fragrance
delicateness
beauty
youthfulness
freshness
bloom
life-current
juice
colour

God’s

True beauty
Residence (presence) in nature
Law

is fully expressed.

From the example of the flower above, knowledge of the following laws of nature become apparent.

1. For the full expression of the life of a plant from seed to the flowering plant, principles and time are necessary.

2. As per the law of nature, the plant receives a life –current from ‘Mother Earth’ and its growth throughout

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is being continuously taken care of. However whenever we interfere with its growth to maturity due to our stubborn ego, we disturb its natural growth. For example, if we break the bud before it can flower, then we lose out on the fragrance of the flower and its many other beautiful qualities/virtues.

3. To purposely or innocently obstruct the flow or law of nature, to interfere with the Divine law is (a form of) cruelty, a sin.

This example also applies to human beings

For the growth, expression and manifestation of the spiritual life of man, time is necessary. The exact moment is not predetermined as spiritual discipleship is the play of the blessing and grace of the Satguru.

1 Such is the karma of those upon whom He has cast His Glance of Grace. 8

2 The mind comes to be controlled, O Nanak, if He grants His Perfect Grace. 298

3 No power to gain intuitive understanding, spiritual wisdom and meditation. 7

We make an effort over a certain period of time and do paath (read religious texts), worship and religious rites and rituals and then become impatient about (getting) the lofty – pure, innate, divine results. This upsets us and causes frustration.

There is no place for impatience, hurry and egoistical expression for those on the spiritual path. On the Divine path extreme patience is necessary.

4 Let self-control be the furnace, and patience the goldsmith. 8

5 The dervishes, the humble devotees, have the patient endurance of trees. 1381

6 Faith, contentment and tolerance are the food and provisions of the angels.
They obtain the Perfect Vision of the Lord, while those who gossip find no place of rest. 83
In the following lines Gurbani teaches the spiritual seeker how to do ardas (i.e.make supplications –ask for God’s intervention) with sincere devotion.

7 I do not know anything about spiritual wisdom, meditation or karma, and my way of life is not clean and pure.
Please attach me to the hem of the robe of the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; help me to cross over the terrible river. 702

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1 Poor Nanak has fallen at the Lord's Door; please, O Lord, unite me with Yourself, by Your Glorious Greatness. 757

2 I have collapsed, exhausted, at the Door of my Lord Master; I pray that He may grant me a discerning intellect. 641

3 By myself, I cannot do anything, O my Lord and Master; by Your Grace, please bless me with Your Name. 675

4 I have no power to do anything at all. As it pleases You, You forgive us. 736

If there is an obstruction or a block in the pipe leading to a tap, the flow of water may decrease or stop and we will remain bereft of the comforts of water.

In the same way any obstruction in practicing simran ( the practice of abiding in the presence of God), will cause a blockage in the Divine flow of Grace (flow of life-current, Word, Naam) from the innate depth of the Divine realm towards the mind or heart. As such we become bereft of all the blessings and grace of the Divine realm and remain unhappy in the doubt-fallacy world of materialism.

Our mental and spiritual life is dependant upon our thoughts, beliefs and faith. However because of the doubt-fallacy of the ego, we have become unknowledgeable, ignorant, uninformed, careless, indifferent, out of tune, apprehensive, faithless about our spiritual heritage – ‘Shabad’ (Word), ‘Naam’, ‘Gurparsaad’ (Guru’s Grace). As such, we become bereft of (or separated from) the warmth of His Divine Presence and His Grace, and remain caught in the darkness of the materialistic world, we become the victims of the ‘five’ (lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride).

This hitch or obstruction is not some external, visible, ‘gross’ thing or deed. Instead it is the lack or absence of spiritual belief or sincere devotion.

In other words this obstruction is the darkness of our doubt ridden fallacy of our false ego. This darkness of doubt is just the absence of Divine Light. Wherever there is light darkness cannot remain there.

Due to the ignorance of the doubt-ridden-materialistic world as (questions about) the existence of God, His order, Shabad, Naam surface:-

suspicion arises


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faith begins to waver
devotion begins to decline
erring takes place

at the same time within our heart the flow of Divine Grace-the Divine life current (emanating from) the Grace of the Guru- withers away leaving us bereft of the of spiritual virtues and blessings. In this way we get out of tune, turn our back, be irresponsible, stubborn, dogmatic, ignorant about the ‘presence of God’ and following the dictates of our mind (being a manmukh) we lead a sorrowful life that is ‘ensnared and enmeshed in false deeds and attachments’.

Even if we possess some little devotion, it is superficial, and we lose even this as we get enticed by the attractions and allurements of the five (vices) or all this evaporates and disappears in the midst of ‘demonic form’ that cause frightening threats, anxieties, worries, jealousy-duality, anger, enmity- argument, hatred, quarrels etc.

As an example, when we are faced by a difficulty, on the one side we make a vow to hold an ‘akhand paath’ and do ‘ardas’ ( invoke help from God) and on the other side we seek the recommendation of some worldly official and yet there is a third side where we use the weapon of ‘bribery’. As if this is not enough, we put on hold our divine virtuous habits and use our intelligence and cunningness to indulge in legitimate or illegitimate designs – methodologies and schemes.

Our moral degeneration has gone to such an extent that even for a small thing, we have developed the habit of telling lies and indulging in falsehood. This mental decline has penetrated, permeated, infused into our subconscious self to such an extent, that it has become a ‘part’ of our life.

The ridiculous thing is that we have legitimized or accepted the falsehood as truth and to get ahead of each other, we are expanding all our energy in this ‘arena’ of falsehood where competition and corruption prevails. Feeling virtuous about this kind of false ‘success’ we become all the more egoistical.


Gurbani has drawn the map of our sorry state in the following way:-

False is the king, false are the subjects; false is the whole world....
The false ones love falsehood, and forget their Creator. 468


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1 The self-willed manmukhs read and study, but they do not know the way.
They do not understand the Naam, the Name of the Lord; they wander, deluded by doubt.
They take bribes, and give false testimony; the noose of evil-mindedness is around their necks. 1032

2 The faithless cynics commit sins and gather in their poisonous wealth, but it shall not go along with them for even a single step. 734

We are competing against each other in a hurry to win this immoral competition within this false drama .

We are caught in this vicious competition towards the bottomless quagmire of Maya.






The tragedy however, is such that the exalted human being created by God in His own image has degenerated to such a low level that he has lost the sense of discrimination of right and wrong, truth and falsehood, virtue and vice and become indifferent or stubborn to the higher inspiration of morality of religion. In fact humanity is suffering from the crisis of Faith in Moral, Religious and Spiritual values of Life.




The basis for our moral degradation is our selfish ego, which has arisen from the doubt ridden materialistic world of three qualities and is limited to the boundary of our intellect.

Our so called beliefs and faiths are based on flimsy dogmatic, mental ideas and hypotheses which change from time to time according to outer circumstances and have no roots in the True Eternal Changeless Foundation of Divinity.

Faith in God and in His Grace

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is the True and Eternal Foundation of our beliefs, faith and devotion.

Other than this, all materialistic and philosophical discussions are false, tasteless, without foundation, rootless and constantly changing.

1 One whose heart is filled with faith in God
- the essence of spiritual wisdom is revealed to his mind. 285

2 One who has faith in the Guru in his mind
comes to dwell upon the Lord God. 283

We are just like the prince who got lost or forgot his true heritage and was unaware and ignorant of it, also lost out on all the advantages. Similarly we are ignorant and uninformed of our royal heritage and hence suffer the consequences of deep involvement with this ad and burning materialistic world..

3 O Lord, what can I say about such an illusion?
Things are not as they seem. 1Pause
It is like the king, who falls asleep upon his throne, and dreams that he is a beggar.
His kingdom is intact, but separated from it, he suffers in sorrow. Such is my own condition. 647

GURBANI has given us the following advice to convert our forgetfulness to remembrance and to regain our lost royal heritage and able to guess, know and recognise our true nature.

4 Nothing else will work. Join the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; vibrate and meditate on the Jewel of the Naam. Pg 12

5 O friends, O Saints, make this your work.
Renounce everything else, and chant the Name of the Lord. 290

6 (O Lord) make me meet those beloveds on meeting whom I remember Your Name. Ardas

7 O my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light - recognize your own origin. 441

8 Wherever the Eternal Lord's devotee is, He Himself is there.
He unfolds the expanse of His creation for the glory of His Saint. 292

9 O my friend, reflect upon the Name of the Lord, Har, Har
In the Saadh Sangat, He dwells within the mind, and one's works are brought to perfect fruition.52

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Whenever an extremely sad soul turns around with complete and full devotional faith and falls at the feet and umbrella of his Guru, the Guru immediately
runs towards his devotee for his true ever forgiving, ever merciful nature.

1 Wherever the Lord is worshipped in adoration, there the Lord becomes one's friend and helper.
By Guru's Grace, the Lord comes to dwell in the mind; He cannot be obtained in any other way. 733

2 If I forget You, then everyone becomes my enemy. When You come to mind, then they serve me. 383

3 As is the thirst within their minds, so is the water which You give to them.504

4 Whatever I ask for, I receive; I have total faith in my Master. 619

We are all prodigal sons of God and deprived ourselves of the Divine Heritage of JOY, BLISS & LOVE by our own ignorance, disbelief and faithlessness.

The moment we become intuitionally conscious of our Divine Heritage – the flow of Divine Grace will be reestablished into our hearts and souls and we will be blessed with the Eternal JOY, BLISS and DIVINE GRACE.

In reality man is incapable and feels empty due to his involvement with materialism. Therefore, man does not know himself, the cretive world, nature, God, God’s law, God’s merciful grace, God’s Love, God’s astounding Glory, God’s glory, God’s word, God’s name, spiritual path, true religion nor daes he make an attempt to
guess, search and recognise God. To preach religion and truth in the in the presence of the doubt ridden ego and its darkness is not only useless and unbenificial, but also extremely dangerous.



5 The disciples whose teacher is blind, act blindly as well. 95

6 If a blind man is made the leader, how will he know the way? 767
He is impaired, and his understanding is inadequate; how will he know the way?

7 O Nanak, the one who is blind shows others the way, and misleads all his companions. 140


This Divine Grace and glory of God is ever present within the soul and is invisible and eternally expressing everywhere. However due to our ego and ego-consciousness, we stem the flow of true devotional worship with the rocks of
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ignorance, cleverness and mental adroitness. That is why we are bereft of the divine gifts and virtues of true affection, true love, spiritual taste and joy.

1 This wealth is all-pervading, permeating all.
The self-willed manmukh wanders around, thinking that it is far away 991

2 The wealth is within the house, while the world is dying of hunger. Without the True Guru, no one has a clue. 1249

The flower by following God’s inlaid divine law and life-current and receiving divine virtues sprouts, grows and expands and gives out its fragrance, beauty, delicateness, youth and through the full of love shares its existence , spreads its joy, donates itself and serves the Divine Giver. The flower preaches the spiritual message of its creator gently, unknowingly, stealthily and selflessly.

However we have become so deeply entangled and lost in our doubt ridden ego that we have become so incapable to understand, guess, examine and recognise the wonderful ecstatic wonders of nature and its amazing garden. We have become incapable of enjoying the tastefulness, colourfulness and joy of nature and are going further away.

3 I am a sacrifice to Your almighty creative power which is pervading everywhere. 469
4 He is Beautiful, True and Eternally Joyful. 4

5 In all the world, the most blessed and sanctified are those who remain absorbed in Truth. 142

6 O Nanak, the True One is the Giver of all; He is revealed through His All-powerful Creative Nature. 141

7 I am wonderstruck beholding the wonder of Your Almighty Creative Power. 521

8 True is Your Praise, True is Your Adoration.
True is Your almighty creative power, True King. 463

Similarly those spiritual travellers attached to the inner spiritual life are divine flowers, loving Gurmukhs, children of divine union, God’s people, Bhagats, sadhus,

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saints forever helping others, God conscious lofty souls, leading pure lives and under the call of divine law of helping others. The light and propagation of divine virtues is occurring naturally, selflessly, unknowingly, innocently, surreptitiously, stealthily and silently in the absence of any ego through them.

Such people do not have the feverish ego possessed by the egoistic preachers.

Their work is through divine law and pure spiritual knowledge.

Gurbani has praised such high and pure souls, the children of spiritual union loving Gurmukhs as follows:-

1 Servant Nanak begs for the dust of the feet of that GurSikh, who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. 306

2 Gazing upon them, my mind is enraptured. How can I join them and be with them? 760

3 Nanak, Your slave, begs for this happiness: let me be the dust of the feet of the Saints. 13

Only teachers with relevant qualification can teach the relevant subjects in our colleges and universities. For the lower standards only the graduates can teach and for higher qualification you require Ph D professors. To possess a Ph D degree you are required to do deep research on a particular subject.

For graduates to teach subjects at their level is not proper and beneficial and will be a laughing matter. Similarly for Ph D professors to teach in schools is not proper and a waste of time and energy.

From the above example the following points have become clear:-

1. To become a teacher you need to possess the proper qualifications.

2. To teach higher classes you need to do the necessary research.

3. To teach or preach without proper qualification is neither proper nor a beneficial


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activity

4. Only the flower that is full of fragrance can share and distribute its fragrance.

5. External material knowledge is entirely different from internal spiritual knowledge.

1 The way to vibrate and meditate on the Lord of the Universe is different.
Destroying the snake-hole, the snake is not killed; the deaf person does not hear the Lord's Name. 381

6. The fundamental advice ‘Chant yourself’ in the divine counsel ‘Chant yourself and make others chant’ is something that we


have never understood.

have never comprehended.

have never cultivated.

7. That is why we have not been able to cultivate (to practice) the second advice of ‘make others chant (the Name).

2 First, he instructs his own mind, and then, he leads others.
He chants the Lord's Name and meditates on it in his heart; with his mouth, he announces it to all. 381

We have tried to propagate Gurbani which has come from the spiritual divine realm by have only a superficial knowledge of Gurbani that was obtained by reading a few books on religion. The effect of spreading such superficial knowledge is limited to the intellectual materialistic and doubt ridden world and does not have the capacity of taking you out of the dark world of this three faceted world (trigun maya). This superficial knowledge cannot show the light of the higher spiritual realms. This spiritual knowledge is not enough for those seekers of the spiritual world.

Gurbani is filled with true spiritual ‘essence knowledge’, divine illumination and love of Naam. This can only be understood, unraveled, recognised and internalised innately through the intuitional ‘research’ of the spiritual realm.This spiritaul essence –knowledge is beyond the grasp of intellectual understanding or the intellect. That is why ‘intuitional awareness’ of the spiritual realm cannot take place with externally orientated intellectual knowledge.
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Gurbani addresses these doubts in the following way:-

1 One who does not practice what he preaches to others,
shall come and go in reincarnation, through birth and death. 269

2 He teaches, but does not practice what he preaches; he does not realize the essential reality of the Word of the Shabad. 380

3 The Pandit, the religious scholar, reads and instructs others,
but he does not realize that his own home is on fire. 1046

4 The Pandits, the religious scholars, read and read, and shout out loud, but they are attached to the love of Maya. 86
They do not recognize God within themselves-they are so foolish and ignorant!

Just like:-

1. It is not possible to experience the full fragrance etc. numerous other irtues of a flower from a broken a broken twig (of that flower).

2. Without research and a Ph D degree a professor cannot advance in his field of study.

3. By milling the unripened ‘sarson seed’ neither the ‘husk’ nor the oil is obtained.

4. Neither butter nor yogurt (or lassi) can be obtained from milk without the proper know-how.

In the same way the effect of the innate, hidden secrets of Gurbani will have no special benefit if preaching (or doing parchar) is done intellectually (that is) without innately unravelling, discovering and awakening the awareness of the Self within. It is for this reason that despite the extensive propagation of the religion, we are bereft of the deep meanings, inner experiences, intuitional knowledge, hidden secrets, divine illumination, divine melody, supreme bliss, joy, peace, exuberance (high spirits) and Naam.

This is the reason why no change takes place in our rational (thinking) or religious life. In spite of indulging in external religious ritualistic practices, we are living a life that is insipid, intoxicated (in worldliness), hollow and filled with apathy (low spirits). In every aspect of life’s arena we become disillusioned after taking a beating from the ‘five passions’ (kaam, krodh, lobh, moh and pride) and in frustration we lose faith in God and turn away (from Him).

Just as deep research on some subject is necessary for a Ph D degree,
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similarly, for spiritual seekers to become the Guru’s preachers, it is necessary to research, unravel, discover, internalise, develop the awareness of the innate meaning and the essence-knowledge of Gurbani in the company of the ‘sadh-sangat’ (evolved beings) to go into the deep recesses of our soul through shabad-surat (word-awarness) and continuous practice of simran.

1 Follow the Guru's Teachings - seek and find the home of your own self, and you shall never be consigned to the womb of reincarnation again. 1030

2 O servant Nanak, without knowing one's own self, the moss of doubt is not removed. 684

3 Everything is within the home of the self; there is nothing beyond.
One who searches outside is deluded by doubt. 102

4 O my mind, the treasure is within you; do not search for it on the outside. 569
When, with the blessings of the company of evolved beings and the Guru, the search of the spiritual seeker is completed, then the lofty seeker attains the following stage:-

5 I have quit searching outside; the Guru has shown me that God is within the home of my own heart. 1002

6 I see the Lord, the Source of Bliss, everywhere; through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, the Lord of the Universe is revealed. 1315
7 The Supreme King of Nanak is immanent and manifest. 397

The gurmukh beloveds, when they reach this lofty-pure stage, in the intoxication of some wondrous, blissful state, they cry out:-

8 Listen, O people: I have tasted the elixir of love. 370

9 Night and day, remaining attached to the Love of the Lord, the celestial music of the Shabad resounds. 360

10 One who obtains the treasure of the Nectar of Your Love, does not renounce it to go somewhere else. 532

11 Excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent is Your Name.
False, false, false, false is pride in the world. 1137

12 Then, one beholds the Father of the three worlds.
This is wonderful! The human being has become God! 344

The bless gurmukh beloveds, when they reach this spiritual destination, they rise above the darkness of this materialistic world of three facets and soar in the divine light of the spiritual realm and merging with the divine hukam or command
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and living a life devoted to the service of others, they cultivate the hukam or command (of the Guru)

1 As You make me walk, so do I walk, O my Lord and Master;
what else do I know of Your Glorious Virtues? 919

2 Whatever You cause me to do, that I do, O Beloved; I cannot do anything else. 432

3 As You cause me to speak, so do I speak, O Lord Master... 508

4 Wherever You seat me, there I sit, O my Lord and Master; wherever You send me, there I go. 993

5 O God, their reins are in Your hands. 626

At this spiritual stage the ‘slave of the Lord’ (spiritual seeker) would have ‘lost his ego consciousness’ and become a purchases ‘slave’ of the house of Guru Nanak or the ‘abider of Divine Command’ and conforms to the Will (of the Lord). In such a person there is not even a trace of ‘egotism’.

In the previous lekhs (writings) it has been mentioned that there are two separate realms:-

1 The worldly realm of three aspects (trigun).
2 The Intuitional Divine realm.

In the materialistic world of three aspects there are three separate ‘religions’ which are being practiced. Their modes of preaching are different. These modes can be supportive of each other or even oppose each other.

The teachings of the different in the materialistic realm are limited to the intellect of the listeners

The effect of the religious preaching in the materialistic realm is limited up to and by the intellectual knowledge of the listeners. This intellectual knowledge coming from the religious preaching of the worldly realm of three aspects can only offer a ‘touch’, an ‘indication’ an intellectual direction to the ‘intuitional knowledge of the Divine Realm. It is incapable of unravelling, discovering, internalising, recognising and experiencing the ‘illumination’ and the ‘radiance’ of the Divine Intuitional Knowledge.

This intellectual knowledge cannot break the powerful doubt ridden fortress of the mind and without removing this darkness created by the doubt ridden egoistic consciousness , the innate divine spiritual enlightenment cannot be experienced.

6 By preaching sermons, one's doubt is not dispelled.
Everyone is tired of preaching and teaching. 655
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1 O servant Nanak, without knowing one's own self, the moss of doubt is not removed. 684

2 But one who understands the essence of Yoga - such a humble servant is very rare 1302

Our intellectual approach to outer dogmatic religion can at best take us to the outer court-yard of Divine Realm of God, but is unable to introduce and usher our souls into the Inner Mansions of God’s Kingdom.






For the propagation of religion in the external worldly realm, there is a need for the right qualifications and degrees in religious knowledge. In the process of obtaining these religious degrees:-

1 while doing studies,
2 while doing research,
3 while preaching the knowledge that has been acquired,
4 while sifting through the finer points of religious principles to remove the (unwanted) silt of ideas,
5 while getting involved in numerous controversies of how and why of rights and rituals,


our subtle mental inclinations becoming externalised, get scattered or even get lost. In this ‘external scattered state’ to collect the tendencies of an ‘ingrained’ mind, and refocus it on the innate simran within, is most difficult or impossible. This is why seekers usually complain their minds do not calm down when doing ‘paath’ or simran.


For over so may births, the mind, like mercury, has formed the habit of being externally ‘scattered’ and ‘restless’ and it is difficult to ‘reverse’ this instilled behaviour and expect the mind to collect itself and do simran by focusing the attention on the Word.


But we have so hopelessly got lost in the jungle of schemes-plots and philosophies of the external religious rites-rituals and intellectual knowledge that

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we are moving away from or even forgotten about Satguru’s mandatory command, on ‘Naam Simran

1 Nanak's home is filled with the Naam, the Name of the Lord. 1136

2 Without the Naam, everything is false and worthless. 761

3 Vibrate, and meditate on the Lord of the Universe, and never forget Him.
This is the blessed opportunity of this human incarnation. 1159

4 O friends, O Saints, make this your work.
Renounce everything else, and chant the Name of the Lord. 290

6 They are not equal to Har, Haray - O Nanak, the Lord's Invaluable Name. 265

7 Donations to charity, meditation and penance - above all of them is the Naam. 401

According to the counsel of the Guru above, To propagate the Divine Intuitional Knowledge of the spiritual realm, thee is a need (for us) to:-

1. to rise above the realm of intellectual knowledge of the mind.
2. to keep the company and serve the guru orientated beloveds
3. to raise the consciousness from the depths of the soul within
4. to merge with the ‘Wordless Word’
5. and cultivate the incessant practice of the Naam.

By cultivating the practice of Naam Simran and service (of evolved souls), Guru’s merciful glance (falls on the seeker) and the guru orientated spontaneously, without knowing experiences intuitional illumination, the thunder of the Lord’s (presence), being ‘filled’ with the wordless word, total bliss, the proliferation of the Immortal Light,, the touch of love, the celestial melody, the Grace of the Guru, the Wordless Word, the Naam, love, affection, relish, joyousness etc. In this way the blessed guru-orientated beloved (soul) become the most fortunate, the most priceless one and becomes the symbol of the Divine State as stated in the following lines of Gurbani:-

7 Servant Nanak begs for the dust of the feet of that GurSikh, who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. 306

8 First, he instructs his own mind, and then, he leads others. 381


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The truth is:-

1. from the moment of chanting with the tongue,,
2. the worship or remembering in the heart,
3. doing simran through word consciousness,
4. getting lost in the divine melody,
5. living a life as ordained (by the Guru),
6. making an effort to cultivate (the Guru’s) Word,
7. to merge in the innate self of word consciousness
8. to experience the blissful state that results from the love and affection of ‘relish of the Naam’

and from moment to moment, from breath to breath, to live, to be, to get lost, to become totally intoxicated in this wondrous love and in the blissful spontaneity of the exuberance of love for God, this is the overall spiritual activity - the symbol and the manifestation of the goal of the one who ‘ himself chants (worships)’.

In Gurbani the ‘arhoor’ state (the state where restless mind stills itself) is one which has been referred to as;-

Your meditation and remembrance is life-giving, O God. 743

In this way,

Divine Life Current
Divine Grace
Wordless Word
Naam

bursts forth from innate self of guru orientated beings through their body, mind and conscience and like the scent of a flower, automatically manifesting, illuminating, radiating, thundering, filling and flowing incessantly without interruption in one continuous, limitless, powerful stream, spontaneously bestowing the ‘gift of life’ upon ‘mankind’ thereby making them intoxicated.

This is spiritual realm’s true – pure

divine ‘religious preaching’,

and is the symbol and manifestation of (the guru’s counsel) ‘make others chant (worship) the Naam’.
Cont/...

Thursday, January 03, 2008

DHARAM PRACHAR(KHOJI)LEKH NO.17

LEKH 17 RELIGIOUS PREACHING PART 7
(Spiritual Aspect)

Gurus and saints have at different times according to need started different religions :
To teach humanitarianism by giving good and lofty
direction to human beings with barbarous intellect,
To make human beings divine,
to give awareness and motivation of the spiritual sphere,
To awaken the desire, hunger, thirst of the illumination
of spiritual sphere i.e. the ‘Shabad’, ‘Naam’,
Through this spiritual hunger or interest to get research
done of the spiritual sphere,
Finally to make them become eligible for the spiritual blessing
By Guru’s Grace through hard work.

But the human species has brought about limitless increase in the intellectual, external, scientific, materialistic knowledge which has brought about wonders of glittering, attractive flashes which have dazzled the people’s minds so much that people forgetting their core-God-are blindly horse racing at full speed running after the ‘shadow of materialism’. In this way man has increased the unnecessary entanglements of materialistic life so much that he:-

Does not think,
Has no interest








Lekh 17.1

Has no need
Has no time

for the lofty – noble spiritual knowledge.
The surprising thing is that in spite of
modern and easy methods of preaching religion
over a long period of centuries during which
there was development of many religions and sects
man’s deplorable plight of mental and religious decline continues to increase.

This painful mental and religious fall and decline is very clearly obvious from every aspect of our mental and religious lives.
This all prevailing universal corruption :
has entered
has lived
has been absorbed
has mixed
has merged

and has become interwoven and intertwinned so much in our lives that it has become the character and sustenance of our lives as a result of which religion has become
superflous
unessential
uninspiring
showy
dead ritual
We have degenarated religion and divinity in our thoughts & actions and installed corrupt, selfish and cruel regime of our ego, based illusionary ‘Maya’, which is playing havoc with humanity in all aspects of life.



Lekh 17.2





We have modified and denigraded religion to suit our own selfish ends and to ‘feed’ and ‘develop’ our little ‘ego’.
The unreligious, unbridled, developed chronic disease of egotism has lighted the flames of fire of desire, me-mine, greed, attachment-materialism all around-inside and outside-in the whole world making it a fiery world as a result of which there is an uproar of confusion of jealousy-duality, arguments, exploitation-extortion, enmity, quarrels-fighting, and bloodshed and in the name of religion oppression and brutality are taking place.
For the religiously inclined good ‘soul’ it has become very difficult to live, exist and follow the mandate of religion in such an environment of awe and suffocation because he has to confront and oppose corruption in every aspect of life.
The good religious persons can confront the vicious atmosphere of corruption up to a certain time but beyond that the very obstinate force of the five evils with frights and threats changes them (the good persons) to be like them. (Gurbani says):
‘They cause me suffering and immensely annoy me, and the village accountant bites daily’.
The painful thing is that the ‘religion’ and ‘religious places’ from which we were to receive peace and calmness have been lighted with our self-inflamed fire and there too there are flames of materialistic greed thus making an arena of jealousy-duality, enmity-opposition, we have brought about confusion.
But alas!





Lekh 17.3
Where is calmness?
Where is peace?
Where is comfort?
Where is relief?
Where is religion?

In this ‘fiery world’ only some rare ‘plant devoted to the Lord’-the Guru ward the beloved one who has taken the support of the ‘cool Divine Name’ is safe. That is why in Gurbani this advice is emphasised.

4.1 O, my soul hold fast the prop of God’s Name
Even the hot puff of wind shall not touch you. (179)

Religion cannot be the cause of this fearful and painful mental and religious downfall because religion motivates us towards lofty noble spiritual direction and gives us guidance:-

4.2 Say not that the Vedas and Muslim books are false.
False is he, who reflects not on them. (1350)
4.3 If someone grasps this thing, there is but
One religion of truth. (1188)
4.4 The Name is the best thing in the Vedas that they hear
not and wander like demons. (919)
4.5 Hearing the teachings of the Vedas, Puranas, and Simirtis
one enshrines them not in the heart even for an instant.
(632)
From this it is clear that the basic defect of our downfall and corruption is ‘not deliberating’ or our interpretation is superfluous or wrong. In this way we can have wrong conception of religion as a result of which through our cleverness, intellectual reasoning and devices, we subordinate the innate desire and lofty-pure mandate of intuitional Bani from the spiritual sphere to our insignificant intellect, and imposing the colouring of our mind, we have made it (religion) an ‘intellectual’ hobby and are just preaching this superfluous external intellectual knowledge.
Lekh 17.4

This external intellectual religious propagation is taking place:-
Based on the ‘triguni’ materialistic sphere,
In the circle of egotism,
In the ‘second love’,
In the darkness of materialistic doubt-fallacy,
On the basis of the imagined religious beliefs,
and its influence is just limited up to the intellectual circle. For this reason there is no change in our lives.These imagined beliefs too, change from time to time according to the inclination of our intellect and materialistic self-interest.

5.1 I am learned, I am clever and wise.
The ignorant knows not his creator. (178)
5.2 I am a great poet and of high family.
I am a scholar and I am a yogi and a solitarian.
I am a virtuous divine, a warrior and a donor;
such thinking perishes not ever. (974)
5.3 In pride he becomes true or false.
In pride he reflects on virtue or vice. (466)
In this way we are going further and are being deprived of the:
expectation

mandate

life-direction

guidance

spiritual knowledge

spiritual illumination

spiritual love-affection

Lekh 17.5
spiritual life
great-taste
shabad
Naam
of intuitional Gurbani.
The burnt-dry, devastated desert is spread for miles. In it at some places, there is a water-spring sprouting. Around it grows a small ‘island’ of greenery in which there is the feeling of ‘life-movement’. These ‘green islands’ are known as oases in English. Every oasis is ‘life-support’ for those who travel in deserts.
Our ‘triguni-materialistic’ mental life is exactly like this. With the ‘fire’ of attachment-materialism it becomes like the burnt dry, devastated desert:

6.1 With the inner fire, the world is being consumed but, to the
Lord’s devotee, mammon clings not. (673)
6.2 This world is but fire and cool is the Lord’s Name (1291)

Man crying in agony in his self-made mental ‘fiery grief-stricken ocean’ is living a painful life. Most people having become immune to this ‘fiery grief-stricken ocean’ are absorbed in it. But some souls take the support of religion to save themselves from it and they get some superficial comfort.
But some rare souls are not satisfied with the so-called ritualistic ‘religions’of materialistic sphere and they become absorbed in the research of the calmness of some lofty, pure, spiritual swing or spiritual-taste. Satisfied with the true-pure intense ‘spiritual hunger’ or desire of such rare thirsty souls, the Satguru showers his blessings on them by gracing them with awareness or meeting of some spiritual ‘green island’ or sadhsangat (Divine oasis)





Lekh 17.6
7.1 Informing me of the path, the Saint-Guru has pulled me out
of the very desolate forest. (1228)
7.2 The Guru puts man on the Lord’s path in wilderness and
reveals to him the Lord’s mystery. (810)
7.3 He, on whom the Exalted Lord showers mercy, obtains the
society of saints.
The more he frequents the saint’s congregation the more the
love for the Lord. (71)

This oasis is not some visible place. It is brought out in the innermost consciousness of spiritually elevated souls, the Guruward beloved ones, the saints in the form of:
Desire of love
Taste of love
Cup of love
Spiritual illumination
Colour of love
Spiritual bloom
Divine fragrance
Spiritual calmness
Touch of love
Nudge of love
Celestial music
‘Life current’
Shabad
Naam
One’s own self love.
In this way such Guruward Saints go about as mobile oases in this age of ‘the world which is being consumed with the inner fire’ through the aura of their spiritual lives like flowers, wherever they go, they quietly infect others with
Fragrance
Taste
Calmness
Love
Lekh 17.7

Affection
Eagerness
Happiness
Intoxication

8.1 In the saints’ society, good influence is produced on the
body. (1081)

In this way the materialistic life of prime truth seekers is changed into the life of meditation and in their ‘innermost consciousness’ the desire, hunger, thirst of ‘Divine life’ begins.

Thus these spiritually elevated beloved ones are true-pure ‘Divine preachers’ of intuitional religion of the Divine sphere. Their method of ‘preaching religion’ is not dependent on some external intellectual knowledge, rather like the fragrance of a flower the intense rays of their Divine illumination earned from their saintly lives automatically sprout in their innermost consciousness through the blessings of the Guru.

In this way these Guruward saints quietly, unknowingly, automatically earn the advice of ‘Yourself repeat the Name and make others to repeat it’. Unlike the ego-ridden, intellectual preachers, there is not even a little egotism in them.

That is why there is so much praise of such Guruward beloved ones and saints in Gurbani and in their greatness is said:-

8.2 Servant Nanak asks for the dust of the feet of that Sikh of
the Guru, who himself contemplates on God’s Name and
makes others contemplate thereon. (306)
And at the same time we are taught to make a supplication:-
8.3 Come and see me. O you the disciple of the Guru, come and
meet me. You are my Guru’s beloved. (725)
8.4 Kindly cause us to meet those true devotees by meeting whom, we
may remember and meditate upon Your Name.(Ardaas).
8.5 Let some saint, God’s holy man and my loved holy man come and
show me the way to my God.
I would rub, wash and bathe the feet of that man. (1201)

Lekh 17.8
9.1 Be You merciful, O my Lord, that I may pass my life in the society of
saints. (961)
9.2 Blessing with even a particle of the Name, the Exalted
Guru, saves myriads of men, O brother. (608)

This ‘Divine religious propagation’ is taking place:
In Divine will
According to the in-laid command
Spontaneously
Quietly
Silently
Eternally.

In it there isn’t any part of intellectual knowledge, cleverness, reasoning and devices, philosophies and egotism of man.
Behind the souls of these Guruward beloved ones there is the work of the illumination and power of Satguru’s will, mercy, blessing and grace. When Satguru’s Divine grace falls on some desirous truth-seeker, then through the spiritually elevated Guruward beloved ones their:-
Touch
Words
Glance of grace
Divine rays
Love-arrows

quietly enter, live and become absorbed in him (truth-seeker). Such blessed truth-seeker coming under the influence of Divine glitter of the spiritual sphere automatically begins to utter:-

9.3 Excellent, excellent, excellnt,excellent, excellent is Your
Name.
False, false, false, false is the wordly love. (1137-38)
9.4 My soul is bewitched by the unstruck melody, wondrous is
whose relish. (1226)
9.5 Bravo! Bravo! How nicely does he sing.
God’s Name is pleasing to my mind. (478)
Lekh 17.9
10.1 Hear O people, I have obtained the essence of love. (370)
10.2 Your servant, O Lord, is intoxicated with Your elixir.
He, who obtains the treasure of the Nectar of love, forsakes
it not to go elsewhere. (532)
10.3 Wondrous is this comodity, which cannot at all be
described.It is an incomprehensible commodity, O brother.
Its price cannot at all be assessed. What can anyone say and
utter? By narrating and describing, one can understand it
not. He, who sees, realises. (883)

In this way, the truth-seeker coming out of the materialistic
sphere, enters the spiritual sphere, the illumination of Naam, the love of one’s own self within and the land of bliss.

Our thoughts have power. Earned thoughts become very powerful. Similarly behind the thoughts of those blessed Guruward beloved ones who have the earning of meditation, there is limitless Divine power. Bhai Gurdas Ji writes thus about their delighted look:-

10.4 Knowledgeable people get blessed with ambroisal sight of
the Guru and then have no desire whatsoever.
Their body and vision turn Divine and their every limb
reflects the Divine light of the Prophet Brahm. (V.B.G. 6/9)

Through their:
Look
Language
Touch
Thought
Faith
Rays of life

of spiritual power, the soul of the prime truth-seeker continues to receive motivation, guidance, assistance and automatically his life changes and he is ‘pulled’ towards the direction of the spiritual sphere.

Through the meeting and company of the prime truth-seekers and the Guruward beloved ones at the level of the spiritual sphere, there is between them ‘trade’, ‘business dealings’
Lekh 17.10
‘commerce’ which are:-
spontaneously
unknowingly
quietly
invisibly
inaudibly
innocently
without speech
without bargaining

taking place silently.
Some scholar has written on this subject in English thus:






















Lekh 17.11




































Lekh 17.12









This is the high-pure and easy method of entering the Divine Realm. But the high pure evolved great souls leading spiritual lives are rare indeed and only the lucky souls are able to recognise them, meet them and have their company:-

13.1 Who preaches unto me the gospel of Lord God, absorbed
in love, night and day, I follow him.
My darkness is dispelled on meeting God.O Nanak, and I
am awakened after being asleep for numberless births
(204)
13.2 If I have very good great destiny I shall meet with the
Lord’d slave without delay. (881)
13.3 By the great good fortune, I have obtained my Groom.
The Guru has united me with Him through the society of
saints. (704)

In reality, in the spiritual sphere, this Divine ‘commerce’, ‘trade’is carried out on both sides by the Satguru himself in His own delight:-
13.4 The Lord Himself creates, Himself stains and Himself He
casts the merciful glance. (722)

In this trade of the Divine sphere ‘there isn’t any loss’ and is always

Lekh 17.13
beneficial because the ‘shop’ of ‘truth’ is one and one type of businessmen of ‘truth’ come and take with them the ‘benefit of God’s Name’:-

14.1 With the saints are my dealings and with the saints is my
business.
From the saints I have the profit of Name and my mind’s
treasure is filled with God’s devotional service.
The saints gave me the capital of the Lord’s Name and I
was then rid of my mind’s anxiety. (614)
14.2 O’ traders! Strike the bargain and take care of (the True)
merchandise.
Purchase such goods as may last with you. (22)

In this ‘Divine business’ of the spiritual sphere:-
The unique commodity
Love desire
Love of one’s own inner self
Pull of affection
Cup of love
Divine taste
Divine colour
Treasure of saints
Praises
Shabad
Treasure of Naam etc.

various amazing Divine commodities, valuable materials are being traded.
This trade of ‘unique and marvellous’ commodities of spiritual sphere can take place only among Divine businessmen-Guruward beloved ones. Partaking of Amrit is the symbol and expression of the business, trade, ‘fermentation’ of this very hidden Divine drama. Here the intellectual knowledge of materialistic sphere does not reach because the ‘feathers’ of intellectual knowledge, reasoning, devices, cleverness of materialistic sphere get burnt with the ‘Divine glitter’, ‘ray’ of the spiritual sphere. For this reason there is a command in Gurbani:-
Lekh 17.14
15.1 Have dealings with Lord’s dealers and gaining the profit rejoice
in your mind. (595)

That company in which such:-
Worthy commodity
Unique commodity
True commodity
Treasure of saints
Love-taste
Essence-shabad
True-Naam
Praise

is traded can be said to be ‘sadhsangat’ or ‘satsangat’.
In Gurbani such ‘sangat’ has been praised and admired:-

15.2 How is the society of saints known?
The Name of One Lord is mentioned there. (72)
15.3 If you desire ever lasting peace, O brother, the Guru counsels
you to associate with the saints.
There the Lord’s Name alone is meditated upon. By the saints’
society one is emancipated. (1182)
15.4 Meeting the society of the saints, one is blessed with the supreme
status and taking out butter, he eats it with relish. (982)
15.5 Like the durable dye of madder, supremely fast, is the Lord’s
love, acquired through the saints’ association. (985)
15.6 Meeting with the saints’ society, faith has welled up within me
and by Guru’s instruction, I taste the Lord’s elixir. (997)
15.7 Where is the mortal who obtains the saints’ society. Unto him,
Nanak is a sacrifice, a sacrifice. (104)
15.8 The Invaluable Name is in the saints’ congregation. By the
greatest good destiny, one obtains it. (909)
15.9 The ignorant mind is gladdend in the society of the saints. My
mind now wabbles not and has become stable. (890)
15.91 Ever, ever You keep me in the saints’ society and bless me with
the gift of this Name of Yours. (1078)
15.92 With the support of the saints’ society, one embraces affection
for the Lord. (966)

Lekh 17.15
16.1 Says Nanak, when I found the saints’ society, my desire was
quenched and I was immensely cooled. (913)
16.2 The Lord God abides in the saints’ society. Meeting with their
association, God’s virtues are known. (1335)
16.3 O brother saints, come and meet me so that getting together, we
may utter the Lord God’s Name. (1335)
16.4 Meeting with the saints’ society, I have attained the Lord’s
Name-elixir and the Transcendent Lord has entered into my
mind. (1348)
16.5 Associating with the saints, I shall assuredly be saved. (1071)
16.6 Without the society of saints, none does swim across. (373)

The essence of all these writings (lekh) is that the ‘Being of Love’, the Immortal Being has threaded man in every situation in His string of Divine love or ‘Naam’, and keeps the ‘string’ of His ‘command’ taut with His ‘love-pull’, and Himself continues to exert pulls of mercy, blessing and grace.

16.7 The Lord of wealth has drawn me with such a string that by
breaking, it breaks not, and by letting it go, it goes not. (827)

In this way all religions, religious propagation and their methods are:-
Symbols
Illumination
Expression
Fulfilment

of the pull of this Divine ‘Love-string’.


(continued…)









Lekh 17.16