'The Book of The Ten Masters' Prof. Puran Singh

[Harjinder]

Extracted in part from 'The Book of The Ten Masters'

by Prof Puran Singh

From the first gurudwara made by Guru Nanak, in one common place, Langar

was

made free to Man. 'Let none be hungry where the spirit of God prevails'!!

The Guru's people and the Guru were one home and one family ; but it was no

Utopian idea, as of the democracy of labour ; it was the democracy of Soul,

so

gloriously invoked in the temple of human hearts by the genius of the Guru.

The sacrifice of selfishness was made for the gladness of the soul. And the

soul was so fully nourished and satisfied that they could not entertain

feelings of difference and duality.

We are not selfish when we are in deep repose of a dewy slumber. We are

never

selfish when we are in love. Here the people came and laid their

selfishness at

his feet...Here was a religion that made love and labour the common

property of

Man.

To date no Sikh with a grain of that faith in him can possibly think that

he

owns the Langar - " Bread and water belong to the Guru." No Man who is

initiated into the Path of the Guru can own a home without being ready to

share

it with the Guru's people.

Such was the Master's foreshadowing of the future; and in this lay the

difference between Him and the centuries of pure Brahminical culture before

him. "The people are more than myself," says the Guru "Religion is the

inspiration of love. The Beloved is in His people and the service of God.

And

it is through service that love is realised.

The spark of love is found by some fortunate ones in the company of His

Sangat

and it is the reward of those who surrender themselves, heart and heart, to

the

Divine." So, the Master says that the opportunity to serve God in humanity

is

His gift.

It is remembered that the entrance of this spiritual humanity lay through a

small lowly door where selfishness could not pass...If the people could not

drop their selfishness of their own accord, then the Guru's personality

softly

stole into theirs and helped them from within to drop it, without their

knowledge.

Here we find the Guru's inspiration of love achieving all that we still

dream

of but cannot accomplish. Our desease is not wars and crimes and sins, but

the

selfishness of man, a disease more of the soul than the flesh. Its cure

lies in

the direction of service - seva and in naam and not in any material

readjustment. We need more men with their sensual nature cast out by the

Grace

of God, through His Favour.

It is remarkable that all the Nine Followers of Nanak kept his central idea

of

spiritual humanity - it's formation, it's love and it's service as thechief

passion of their daily life till this idea is seen emerging in perfect

clearness in the time of Guru Gobind Singh as Khalsa.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh