In the following shabda Third Nanak makes it clear that it is not the reading or discussing of religious scriptures that helps the seeker to obtain spiritual progression but the grace of the Creator. The Guru advises his followers to reflect on the mind and its different situations it falls for by giving an example of a Pundit, who is totally engrossed in reading and talking about the scriptures. Why some people don’t care about what their religion says? Why they keep falling for vices and negativity? Why some people give no importance to Maya and get involved in the welfare of others? Why some people indulge in gathering wealth and then leave it for others? What is the cause behind all these situations? As we study the shabda, we realize that the gift of our Creator’s grace decides our destiny. It is He, who has staged this show and involved behind it actively. Only reading and discussing about the scriptures bring no spiritual progression; instead such behavior fills one with conceit of being knowledgeable. The shabda is on 1261, SGGS:
ਮਲਾਰ ਮਹਲਾ ੩ ਘਰੁ ੨
Malār mėhlā 3 gẖar 2
Raag Malaar, the bani of Third Nanak, house second
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Ik▫oaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.
There is only one all Pervading Akalpurakh, who is known with the blessing of the Satiguru.
First, the Guru asks the seeker to ponder over to analyze in what situation one’s mind is and why is it so? What is the basic cause that triggers its wrong falls?
ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਗਿਰਹੀ ਕਿ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਉਦਾਸੀ ॥
ਕਿ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਅਵਰਨੁ ਸਦਾ ਅਵਿਨਾਸੀ ॥
Ih man girhī kė ih man uḏāsī.
Kė ih man avran saḏā avināsī.
In essence: Is this mind a householder, or is it detached? Is this mind above castes? Is it eternal?
ਕਿ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਚੰਚਲੁ ਕਿ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਬੈਰਾਗੀ ॥
ਇਸੁ ਮਨ ਕਉ ਮਮਤਾ ਕਿਥਹੁ ਲਾਗੀ ॥੧॥
Kė ih man cẖancẖal kė ih man bairāgī.
Is man ka▫o mamṯā kithhu lāgī. ||1||
Is this mind mercurial (ever for Maya) or is it detached? How this mind has gripped with attachment?
ਪੰਡਿਤ ਇਸੁ ਮਨ ਕਾ ਕਰਹੁ ਬੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
ਅਵਰੁ ਕਿ ਬਹੁਤਾ ਪੜਹਿ ਉਠਾਵਹਿ ਭਾਰੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Pandiṯ is man kā karahu bīcẖār.
Avar kė bahuṯā paṛėh uṯẖāvėh bẖār. ||1|| rahā▫o.
Oh Pundit? Reflect on this mind! Why do you read too much and through reading, you load your mind? Pause.
The seeker is advised to ponder over behind the reason of the mind’s too much involvement in attachment of Maya; in the next verses, the Guru makes it clear that the reason behind all is the Creator’s ordinance.
ਮਾਇਆ ਮਮਤਾ ਕਰਤੈ ਲਾਈ ॥
ਏਹੁ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਕਰਿ ਸ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਉਪਾਈ ॥
Mā▫i▫ā mamṯā karṯai lā▫ī.
Ėhu hukam kar sarisat upā▫ī.
The Creator has attached the mind to Maya. By this Ordinance, He has fashioned the Creation.
Once, one realizes His ordinance, trusting His ordinance becomes one’s faith. Knowing about the scriptures doesn’t qualify a person to be successful in realizing the Creator. By becoming aware of this ordinance, the seeker is advised to seek the Creator’s blessings to get rid of the influences of the three qualities of Maya. Seeking the Creator’s refuge is abandoning one’s self-conceit and the worldly doubts and concerns.
ਗੁਰ ਪਰਸਾਦੀ ਬੂਝਹੁ ਭਾਈ ॥
ਸਦਾ ਰਹਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਕੀ ਸਰਣਾਈ ॥੨॥
Gur parsādī būjẖhu bẖā▫ī.
Saḏā rahhu har kī sarṇā▫ī. ||2||
Oh brother! Understand this fact through the Guru and always remain in the Har’s refuge.
ਸੋ ਪੰਡਿਤੁ ਜੋ ਤਿਹਾਂ ਗੁਣਾ ਕੀ ਪੰਡ ਉਤਾਰੈ ॥
ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਏਕੋ ਨਾਮੁ ਵਖਾਣੈ ॥
So pandiṯ jo ṯihāʼn guṇā kī pand uṯārai.
An▫ḏin eko nām vakẖāṇai.
Only that person is a pundit, who casts off the load of three qualities of Maya and utters His Naam only day and night.
After seeking His refuge, the devotee involves in His praise; he enshrines His memory in his heart and then walks into this world with totally different approach:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਓਹੁ ਦੀਖਿਆ ਲੇਇ ॥
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਆਗੈ ਸੀਸੁ ਧਰੇਇ ॥
Saṯgur kī oh ḏīkẖi▫ā le▫e.
Saṯgur āgai sīs ḏẖare▫e.
He takes the teaching of the Satiguru as a guiding force by surrendering to the Satiguru completely.
Surrendering to the Satiguru means abandoning one’s own thoughts built on the worldly influences. As the seeker realizes the negativity showered by Maya, he becomes detached with the Guru’s teachings. Then, the Guru says, such a devotee is accepted as a devotee. If we advocate our own views though we talk about our Guru, we are not going anywhere spiritually.
ਸਦਾ ਅਲਗੁ ਰਹੈ ਨਿਰਬਾਣੁ ॥
ਸੋ ਪੰਡਿਤੁ ਦਰਗਹ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ॥੩॥
Saḏā alag rahai nirbāṇ.
So pandiṯ ḏargėh parvāṇ. ||3||
He remains always aloof and detached. Such a Pundit is accepted in Prabh’s court.
Now after progressing spiritually, the devotee sees and feels the presence of the Creator in His creation; he doesn’t accept any one other but the Creator. It is a different approach than the worldly Maya that divides the world and destroys the virtues of honoring all the lives as His creation equally. If one rises to such high level spiritually, one really becomes a Pundit:
ਸਭਨਾਂ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੋ ਏਕੁ ਵਖਾਣੈ ॥
ਜਾਂ ਏਕੋ ਵੇਖੈ ਤਾਂ ਏਕੋ ਜਾਣੈ ॥
Sabẖnāʼn mėh eko ek vakẖāṇai.
Jāʼn eko vekẖai ṯāʼn eko jāṇai.
If he sees only Prabh in all, then he sees and recognizes Him only.
How such a spiritual progression is experienced? The Guru says that it is because of the grace of the Creator:
ਜਾ ਕਉ ਬਖਸੇ ਮੇਲੇ ਸੋਇ ॥
ਐਥੈ ਓਥੈ ਸਦਾ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੋਇ ॥੪॥
Jā ka▫o bakẖse mele so▫e.
Aithai othai saḏā sukẖ ho▫e. ||4||
Prabh unites with Him to that person, to whom He blesses with grace. Here and hereafter, he always gets peace and comforts.
ਕਹਤ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਕਵਨ ਬਿਧਿ ਕਰੇ ਕਿਆ ਕੋਇ ॥
ਸੋਈ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਜਾ ਕਉ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਹੋਇ ॥
Kahaṯ Nānak kavan biḏẖ kare ki▫ā ko▫e.
So▫ī mukaṯ jā ka▫o kirpā ho▫e.
Nanak says: what one can do to get liberated? Only that person becomes liberated upon whom Prabh bestows His graces.
As one procures His grace, one eradicates one’s self-conceit; one abandons to claim to be knowledgeable and one stops commotion of one’s pride.
ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਵੈ ਸੋਇ ॥
ਸਾਸਤ੍ਰ ਬੇਦ ਕੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਕੂਕ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੫॥੧॥੧੦॥
An▫ḏin har guṇ gāvai so▫e.
Sāsṯar beḏ kī fir kūk na ho▫e. ||5||1||10||
He sings Har’s praises day and night and then the shouting about the shastras and the Vedas stops (then conceit of having extra knowledge ceases)
The knowledge of scriptures and all claims bring nothing to a true seeker. That could be good for those people, who have become habitual of feeding their self-conceit of being knowledgeable. Bhagat Dhanna, who has the honor of having his bani in Sri Guru Granth Sahib was not a pundit, but he succeeded in realizing the Creator by following the Guru and getting rid of his self-conceit and other Maya influences. Unquestionable faith in the Guru and the Creator is mandatory in this regard. Once we realize that, we can simply try to live as our Guru guides us by leaving the rest to the Creator, chances are there that our dream of realizing our Creator may materialize; otherwise, our talk about scriptures remains futile as long as we remain in the grip of our self-conceit and the Maya influences.
Humbly
G Singh
