my inspiration

[drawrof]

when love and humility towards the guru is there, one only gains. but to put it in a framework for understanding helps one, when the chips are down. therefore here is my understanding or conviction....

guru nanak and guru angad were both of the same "jot" and that followed further as well with the following 8 guru's until the hukam was to pass on gurgaddi to the panth and the granth.

now, what made the guru's, guru, was that they had an ordained mission from god. Many saints have come and gone, but very few have established something that has passed on like sikhism has. Apart from yogi bhajan singh, there haven't been ambassador's to anyone outside of punjab. Yet sikhism is considered to be the youngest and the 5th largest religion. cult personalities come and go, but true teachers/saints will never be forgotton. ie. osho will be remembered, if at all, as a guy who got whacked for his influence in the states.... how many people will "really" go back and reflect on him? at least with christianity, jesus died for the sins of mankind (something much more significant), guru tegh bahadur died for freedom of religion (which could easily be said for another religion). so, in essence, when it comes to tangibility, there were 10 perceptors who established truth for 200+ years, gave an identity, constantly fought against social injustice, established kingdoms, and provided sustenance and hope for the poor. on the spiritual level, they have established a system so strong that many people throughout their time and onwards have become saintly... virtue of the word and qualities has fashioned humans with that have no hatred and their "direct" connection with god through the words of the preceptor by

1) singing

2)listening

3) contemplating and then finally ACCEPTING, through every test in the book, that it is the truth

people get linked with the truth....

now the question is, what was "baani"? gurbani was the word of god which was divinely inspired by the guru nanak's experience with god. Guru nanak in all forms was seens as the greatest of the great, with those who had a spiritual bent, and a normal person with a magnetic appeal by the layman (usually the emperors)... now, using sikhi, we can argue that those going towards god were gurmukh/ and those going towards theirself were manmukh.

now, guru nanak's words were sacred because they affirmed his lifestyle which was "purity in thought/heart/intention towards god". everything came back to that "1". that "1" was what his dhyan remained in... interestingly enough, the religious people could not pinpoint guru nanak and his thought, which according to my thinking, is an indication that he was at a further state.. and those who did see nanak and understood what he was, remained loyal (ie mian mir... I mean nanak as in the jot or link to god)....

now, here is how it helps me. by living guru nanak's experience through the word, I would get moulded by that connection of his soul (which I believe was the closest in kalyug, to god) and then as I get more and more absorbed, I become like guru nanak.. which means I would be truthful, loving, and fully in control of the 5 vices. what reinforces me in this day and age is all those people who are doing likewise, and their actions. At the end of the day, no one in this day and age has given their children to death, without regret..guru gobind singh. no one has travelled the world by foot and been called: llama/pir/sant etc. the guru's left behind a legacy that was hard to follow, and those who have drawn from their inspiration have excelled. Out of true humility, because one has "Truly" gained... none of guru nanak's disciples can really ever say they are greater or equal to nanak, just because their karam haven't been at the same caliber of guru sahibs.. look at all those people who remained faithful to sikhi after guru gobind's demise, their spirit (Which was induced from baani and a recollection of their guru's practical life made them run to death). Being martyred meant salvation for them, and in most casese, they were fighting for justice and truth.. things which are collectively higher than our own individual egos.

the actions of the guru's are timeless. Gurbani is timeless as it is the source from which they fullfilled their duties. What I believe happens to most is that that same inspiration and connection to god will get us in the door and on the way. an example here is clubbing, we go for the atmosphere or experience. Yet if we meet someone who is an avid clubber and somehow the "epitome" of a clubber, his words and enthusiasm will be enough to ignite that spark, once we get in, we create our own experience. likewise, guru nanak had a total and truthful understanding of god (which means he knew he didn't know) although he had experienced, and we will get to that and have god speaking to us through our intuitiion and love (as did happen with guru nanak). Unless we are deemed to be saints in this life, our karam's will never be as close to guru nanak's. but what we can be assured of is that our connection to god, and our own respective experiences will keep us humble and at bay.

raaj karega khalsa!

(the preceding was written out of inspiration with one continous stroke. I just kept typing, I poured it all out, that is why some parts may not be that connected. the following vaar inspired me)

bhai gurdas's var: the relation between creation and creator

pvx gurU gur Sbd hY rwg nwd ivcwrw]

puvun guroo gur shubudh hai raag naadh vichaaraa||

The basis of the world is air (the mixture of gases) and Sabad (Word) is the Guru of all knowledge from which flow further all thoughts, music and attendant sounds.

mwq ipqw jl Drq hY auqpq sMswrw]

maath pithaa jul dhhuruth hai outhuputh su(n)saaraa||

Mother and father are the creative forces in the form of earth and water.

dweI dwieAw rwq idau vrqy vrqwrw]

dhaaee dhaaeiaa raath dhio vuruthae vuruthaaraa||

Night and day are the nurses who nurse for the creatures and this way the whole system goes on operating.

iSv SkqI dw Kyl myl prikrq pswrw]

shiv shukuthee dhaa khael mael purakiruth pusaaraa||

With the combination of Siva (the consciousness) and Sakti (the inert nature) this whole world comes into being.

pwrbRhm pUrn bRhm Gt cMdR Akwrw]

paarubrehum poorun brehum ghutt chu(n)dhr akaaraa||

The transcendental perfect Lord is permeating through all as the same moon in the sky is visualised in all the pitchers of water.

Awpy Awp vrqdw gurmuK inrDwrw ]ñù]

aapae aap vuruthudhaa gurumukh nirudhhaaraa ||uu||

That Lord beyond all the sustenances is the sustenance for the gurmukhs and He alone operates through all

after re-reading the var.. in simple terms, bani and guru is that god within us, guru nanak truthfully got to it, and through reciting singing, and contemplating, we do veechar and it shaped our mind and we live truthfully like guru nanak, except we do it through our own karams.

[SinghMunda]

Nice post. So Sri Guru Nanak had no karams? No past lives? Didn't Guru Gobind Singh Ji reside at Hemkunt Sahib in previous life? Aren't all Gurus the same soul?

[drawrof]

It has been ages since I have seen or checked this,

if actions= karams; then Guru Nanak had karams. My point is that the good was well beyond the capacity of the average individual. I personally have faith that guru nanak was the sargun saroop of nirankar.

About past lives, I don't believe guru nanak did. I have never read that guru nanak had past lives.

There is the belief that guru gobind singh resided at hemkunt sahib as well as the concept that bachitar natak is figurative and metaphoric in that section.

Again, I believe guru nanak was god manifested and much beyond the average man. Part of this is my sharda, part of it is general logical thinking on my part. The guru was god, when the sevak gained virtue, and reflected them, they became guru; hence, all the guru's were the same jyot.

I must say though veerji, I re-read my post and I am wondering what elicited these questions,

thanks