Continued From:
http://tdsinghharjidamarg.blogspot.in/2017/01/1712-end-death-in-light-of-dhan-shri.html
7.
Spiritual Blindness: What is blindness? In layman language or
should I say words of mortal like us, in ability to see world around us. In
more details, it is malfunctioning of eye which cannot recive and send
light signals to brain. Or brain may fail to receive the signal or decode them.
In either case the result is inability of an individual to see the world around
him which consists of matter. But science believes matter is not the only
entity in the universe. That’s what science is trying hard to find. But the
challenge for science is to accept something which is not perceived by logic or
senses. And thus the argument continues that science cannot see ‘The
God’. Its followers end up as non-believers. They defy existence of ‘The
One’, either don’t are not receptive or they are drive arrogance or
they have programmed themselves not to be receptive. He does not believe that
he is born with eyes, latent in nature but if recognized and nurtured can help him to
see consciousness and ‘Supreme Consciousness – The One’. And
eventually they end up as being ‘Spiritually Blind’. Dhan Shri Guru
Arjan Dev Ji says following for such people and classify them as ‘Spiritually
Blind’:
जह जानो सो चीति न आवै अह्मबुधि भए आंधे ॥१॥
(Wherever
they go, they do not think of the Lord; they are blinded by intellectual egotism.)
Before
we progress further in decoding the relationship between ‘Death’ and ‘Spiritual
Blindness’, it is important to understand what ‘Spiritual Blindness’ is
as per ‘Gurbaani’? We will restrict to only glimpse of ‘Spiritual
Blindness’ as the topic of this discussion is relationship between ‘Death’
and ‘Spiritual
Blindness’. As per Dhan Shri Guru Amar Das Ji and Dhan
Shri Guru Raam Das Ji:
माइआधारी अति अंना बोला ॥
(One
who is attached
to Maya
is totally blind
and deaf.)
नाम बिना कुसटी मोह अंधा ॥
(Without the Naam,
the mortal is a leper, blinded by emotional attachment.)
An individual
attached to Maya and Without Naam is blinded. He cannot
understand, comprehend and see ‘The Creator – The One’. He will keep
defying it will be caught by ‘Death’ as per Dhan Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji
in following words:
जम वसि कीआ अंधु दुहेला ॥
(The
miserable spiritually
blind person is caught in the power of Death.)
अंधा भूलि पइआ जम जाले ॥
(The
blind
go astray, caught by the noose of Death.)
Guruji
further says following:
काइआ भीतरि अवरो पड़िआ ममा अखरु वीसरिआ ॥२८॥
(As
long as the body is alive, he reads other things, and forgets the letter 'm',
which stands for marnaa - death.)
Guruji
disagrees with people who claim to acquire knowledge by reading ‘other
things’. What ‘other things’ are; the literature
which does not bond an individual with The Guru. As per Him to understand ‘Marna
– Death’ is the most important things and it starts from letter ‘ਮੰਮਾ
- ममा
– M’. Words like ‘Moh – Emotional Attachment’, ‘Madira – Alcohol’, ‘Mahila
– Sigifying Lust’ begin with letter ‘M’ and in recent times
99% of literature talks about such words, but not about ‘Maut – The Death’. Remembrance
of Death
bonds with The Guru and eventually Guru takes to ‘The One’. And one who
does not walks towards Guru even acquiring all the worldly knowledge,
what would he be called? He is surely spiritually blind. Baba
Nanak uttered the above words 5 centuries ago and they are still
relevant in current time that’s why He is ‘The Only True Guru’. Guruji
further says following:
गिआनु धिआनु गुण संजमु नाही जनमि मरहुगे झूठे ॥
(You have no wisdom at all, no meditation, no virtue or self-discipline; in falsehood, you
are caught in the cycle of birth and death.)
How
spiritually blind individual can possess wisdom? He has wasted all his
intellect, which could have resulted in true knowledge, in collecting and
collating futile knowledge. An individual with malicious intent will be
occupied in conspiracy, evil thoughts. How can he spare himself for meditation,
can practice self-discipline, can sow virtues? Even he tries; the wickedness
will steal his chance. And as per Guruji such people just withers
away.
People
run after worldly knowledge and in most cases the purpose is not well being of
mankind but to prove the point, to show supremacy over others. They will argue,
indulge in debates blinded by ego of knowledge. They will show off what they
have learnt, but learning does not mean understanding. And what will happen to
them? Dhan Shri Guru Amar Das Ji describes in following words:
पड़ि वादु वखाणहि सिरि मारे जमकाला ॥
(Reading about the debates and disputes, they are hit
over the head by the Messenger of Death.)
पड़हि गुणहि तूं बहुतु पुकारहि विणु बूझे तूं डूबि मुआ ॥८॥
(You read, and reflect, and proclaim out loud, but
without understanding, you are drowned to death.)
Dhan
Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji has compared such debates and
arguments to barking in following words.
भउकि मरहि भउ भउ भउ हारा ॥
(They bark themselves to death; they bark and bark and howl
in fear.)
Dhan
Shri Guru Amar Das Ji, Dhan Shri Guru Teg Bhadur Ji
and Dhan
Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji gives further insight into what happens to spiritually
blind individual in following words:
अंधी नामु न चेतई सभ बाधी जमकालि ॥
(The
spiritually
blind do not even think of the Naam; they are all bound and gagged
by the Messenger
of Death.)
भरमे भूले फिरनि दिन राती मरि जनमहि जनमु गवावणिआ ॥७॥
(Deluded by doubt,
they wander day and night; through birth and death, they lose their lives.)
जनम जनम भरमत फिरिओ मिटिओ न जम को त्रासु ॥
(Mortals wander lost and confused through countless
lifetimes; their fear of death is never removed.)
भरमे भूला दुखु घणो जमु मारि करै खुलहानु ॥
(They
wander lost and confused, deceived by doubt, suffering in terrible pain. The
Messenger of
Death shall beat them to a pulp.)
Spiritually
blind person is without ‘Naam’ so how Death can spare him. The
irony of futile knowledge is more an individual acquires it, more he gets
confused. And what is the cost; they lose lives, opportunities to merge with ‘The
Source – The One’. The fear of Death never leaves them. They are heading
towards ‘terrible pain’. Dhan Shri Guru Amar Das Ji and Dhan
Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji say that they don’t understand Death
is approaching them and hanging over their heads in following words:
अगिआनी अंधु न बूझई सिर ऊपरि जम खड़गु कलखा ॥
(The
blind and
ignorant do not understand, that the sword of death is hanging over their heads.)
अंधा न बूझै कालु नेड़ै आइआ ॥६॥
(The blind one did not
understand that his death is approaching.)
बिनु बूझे जमु देत डंड ॥१॥
(Without understanding, he is punished by the Messenger of Death.)
Dhan
Shri Guru Amar Das Ji further says following:
अंतरि त्रिसना भुख है मूरख भुखिआ मुए गवार ॥
(They
are filled with thirst and hunger; the ignorant fools starve to death.)
Though
they have acquired knowledge but their ignorance, spiritual blindness, keep
them hungry and thirsty for true knowledge. Imagine individual seeking answers
and his questions are not getting answered. He searched the answers everywhere,
but all in vain. Such people either surrender to lower causes or give up the
journey. And thus Guruji says they are starved to Death, the starvation as
result of true knowledge. Only with ‘Divine Knowledge’ one is salvaged else he
is demolished and robbed by Death as said by Dhan
Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in following words:
नानक मुसै गिआन विहूणी खाइ गइआ जमकालु ॥१॥
(O
Nanak, without
divine knowledge, one is plundered, and devoured by the Messenger of Death.)
So,
just any knowledge will not save an individual. Being an expert in something
can extend the live for few more moments but still Death will consume the
individual. Gurbaani is asking every one to overcome ‘Spiritual Blindness’ by
bonding with Guru, only He can negate such blindness. Else there is no hope of
escaping ‘Death’.
TO BE CONTINUED!
[1] Aasaa
Mehalaa 5 - Ang 402 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[2] Mehla
3 - Ang 313 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[3] Aasaa
Mehalaa 4 - Ang 367 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[4]
Maroo Mehla 1 – Ang 1031 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[5]
Mehla 1 – Ang 139 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[6]
Raag Aasa Mehla 1 Pattee Likhi – Ang 434 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[7]
Siree Raag Mehla 1 – Ang 75 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[8] Gauree
Mehla 3 – Ang 230 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[9]
Raag Aasa Mehla 3 Pattee – Ang 435 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[10]
Maroo Mehla 1 – Ang 1029 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[11]
Siree Raag Mehla 3 – Ang 32 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[12]
Maajh Mehla 3 – Ang 116 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[13]
Salok Mehla 9 –Ang 1428 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[14]
Sireeraag Mehla 1 – Ang 21 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[15]
Maroo Mehla 3 – Ang 1087 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[16]
Raag Bhairao Mehla 3 – Ang 1154 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[17]
Basant Mehla 5 - Ang 1192 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[18]
Salok Mehla 3 - Ang 647 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[19]
Salok Mehla 1 – Ang 465 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
