Continued From:
http://tdsinghharjidamarg.blogspot.in/2017/04/17183-overcoming-death-gur-shabad-in.html
Overcoming Death - ‘Naam – The Name’ of Lord
Dhan Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji laid the philosophy of Sikishm by uttering ੴ (Ek Oankar – One Universal Creater God) ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ (Sat Naam – The ‘Naam’, Name is Truth). He made it clear to everyone that He follows only ‘The One Formless WHOSE ‘NAAM’ – NAME of Lord’ is true. Thus, for a Sikh there is nothing above ‘Naam – The Name of Lord’ in this eternity. So in this section we will explore what impact ‘Name of Lord’ has on Death in light of Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
There is always one common problem reported by most of us, that we are chanting ‘Naam’ for such long time without success. Have we ever wondered what do mortals like us generally ‘Chant’? Why we fail to focus and could not chant ‘The Naam’ even for few moments in silence but while talking gibberish we can continue forever. Well, we just feed our ego and our mind is filled with thoughts of self. That’s the reason the moments where we really chant ‘Name of Lord’ never arrives in one life form as human. We just let us to be caught by Death. So the need is to fill mind with thoughts of Lord and then chant ‘The Naam’ to overcome Death as told by Kabir Ji in following words:
TO BE CONTINUED!
http://tdsinghharjidamarg.blogspot.in/2017/04/17183-overcoming-death-gur-shabad-in.html
Overcoming Death - ‘Naam – The Name’ of Lord
Dhan Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji laid the philosophy of Sikishm by uttering ੴ (Ek Oankar – One Universal Creater God) ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ (Sat Naam – The ‘Naam’, Name is Truth). He made it clear to everyone that He follows only ‘The One Formless WHOSE ‘NAAM’ – NAME of Lord’ is true. Thus, for a Sikh there is nothing above ‘Naam – The Name of Lord’ in this eternity. So in this section we will explore what impact ‘Name of Lord’ has on Death in light of Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
The Glory
of ‘Naam’
is such that ‘Chanting’ ensures an individual risese above birth and death. That’s
why Dhan
Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Dhan Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Ravidass
Ji, Naamdev Ji are asking us to ‘Chant The Naam, Name of Lord’
in following words:
नामु जपहु तउ कटीअहि फासा ॥
(So chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and the
noose of Death
shall be cut away.)
खिनु रम गुर गम हरि दम नह जम हरि कंठि नानक उरि हारी रे ॥२॥५॥१३४॥
(Chanting Naam even for a moment, I rise to
the Guru; meditating on it, one is not trapped by the Messenger of Death.
The Lord has placed it as a garland around Nanak's neck, and within his heart.)
जनम मरण दुख मेटिआ जपि नामु मुरारे ॥
(The pain of birth and death is
removed, by chanting
and meditating on the Naam.)
हरि हरि नामु जपंतिआ कछु न कहै जमकालु ॥
(If you chant the Naam, Har, Har, the Messenger of Death
will have nothing to say to you.)
रविदासु जपै राम नामा ॥मोहि जम सिउ नाही कामा ॥३॥७॥
(Ravi Daas chants the Lord's Name; He is not concerned with the
Messenger of Death.)
जनम मरण निवारि हरि जपि सिमरि सुआमी सोइ ॥२॥
(The cycle of birth and death is ended, chanting the Lord's Name, and remembering the Lord
Master in meditation.)
कहु नानक जपहि जन नाम ॥ता के निकटि न आवै जाम ॥४॥१३॥१८॥
(Says Nanak, the humble devotees chant
the Naam.
The Messenger of Death does not even approach them.)
नाराइण कहत जमु भागि पलाइण ॥
(Chant the Lord's Name, and the Messenger of Death
will run away.)
हरि हरि करत नही दुखु जमह ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
(Chanting the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, you will not be
tormented by the Messenger of Death.)
हरि जपि नामु धिआइ तू जमु डरपै दुख भागु ॥
(Chant and meditate on the Naam; Death
will be afraid of you, and suffering shall depart.)
There is always one common problem reported by most of us, that we are chanting ‘Naam’ for such long time without success. Have we ever wondered what do mortals like us generally ‘Chant’? Why we fail to focus and could not chant ‘The Naam’ even for few moments in silence but while talking gibberish we can continue forever. Well, we just feed our ego and our mind is filled with thoughts of self. That’s the reason the moments where we really chant ‘Name of Lord’ never arrives in one life form as human. We just let us to be caught by Death. So the need is to fill mind with thoughts of Lord and then chant ‘The Naam’ to overcome Death as told by Kabir Ji in following words:
मनि मुकंदु जिहबा नाराइनु परै न जम की फासी ॥२॥
(One whose mind is filled with the Lord of Liberation, and whose tongue
chants
the Name of the
Lord, shall not be caught by the noose of Death.)
Another excuse given for not ‘Chanting
Naam’ is being occupied with worldly work which gives us wealth to
sustain living in this world. It is not possible that we cannot spare few
moments to show our gratitude. A moment can be as small as possible. And again we
try justifying this, lack of time, on the work we do, our occupation. But Dhan
Shri Guru Raam Das Ji says that there is no occupation glorious than ‘Chanting
Naam’ in following words:
हरि ऊतमु कामु जपीऐ हरि नामु हरि जपीऐ असथिरु होवै ॥जनम मरण दोवै दुख मेटे सहजे ही सुखि सोवै ॥
(Chanting Naam is the most exalted occupation;
Chanting Naam,
one becomes immortal. The pains of both birth and death are eradicated, and one comes
to sleep in peaceful ease.)
Paatshahi 4
has made clear in above ‘Gur Shabad’ that ‘Chanting
Naam’ also helps to attain immortality. Since origin of Human
Race the dream is to live forever and when Guruji is showing the
path of achieving it we are just busy with our own vindications.
Next point which comes to mind of people
like us, if ‘Chanting Naam’ is an occupation it should provide profit else where
lies the benefits of engaging in such occupation. This is remarkably childish.
We are trying to find benefits in an act where we are going to lose self
and become eternal. Well, Dhan Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, knower
of all state of minds of an ignorant like us does answer in following words:
हरि राम नामु जपि लाहा ॥गति पावहि सुख सहज अनंदा काटे जम के फाहा ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
(Chant Naam, and earn the profit.You
shall attain salvation,
peace, poise and bliss, and the noose of Death shall be cut away.)
Since we only understand the language of
profit and loss, let us look at what else individual gains out of ‘Chanting
Naam’. Dhan Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji says such an individual attains the
wisdeom of True Guru in following words:
जिनि जपु जपिओ सतिगुर मति वा के ॥जमकंकर कालु सेवक पग ता के ॥
(One who chants the Naam, attains the Wisdom of the True
Guru. The tyrant, the Messenger of Death, becomes a servant at his
feet.)
What can be better than Wisdom
of True Guru? In modern time’s people spends millions on impostor to
get the same and ends up in sheer frustration. And Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
is giving simplest way of attaining it. Baba Nanak continues to say that Chanting
Naam saves an individual even in the last moment in following words:
अंत कालि जमु जोहि न साकै हरि बोलहु रामु पिआरा हे ॥५॥
(At the very last moment, the
Messenger of Death
will not be able to touch you, if you chant the Name of the Beloved Lord.)
If an individual ‘Chants Naam’ he does not
have to in jungle or cave to find peace of mind. He can find it while living in
household as said by Dhan Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji in
following words:
माई री काटी जम की फास ॥हरि हरि जपत सरब सुख पाए बीचे ग्रसत उदास ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
(O mother, the noose of Death
has been cut away. Chanting the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, I have found total peace.
I remain unattached in the midst of my household.)
No need to spend or give away wealth to
find peace. Is not that a profit? Yes it is. Before we progress I would like to
take a small detour. Dhan Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji decided
to live a life of ‘Gristh Sanyasi – A renounce while living as household’ where as
all the preachers of His times followed the other
approach. Well, no one can answer it completely except Him but a thought which
comes to mind is He wanted every individual to meet ‘The Lord’. That is ‘The
Lord – Formless – The One’ is not propriety of those who goes for
meditation in secluded places. Also, He wanted to speak the language of common
man as He would reach out to every one. For example, if we tell comman man that
Bing
Bang and events leading to Big Bang has started the universe can
he understand it? And if tell him that universe has originated from just ‘Light’
(Baani
of Kabir Ji captured in Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, long
before science even established the theory of Big Bang). Many will
argue that is not the right approach, but again common man does neither understand
complexity nor he is interested in it. He just wants simplicity a language he
can comprehend and Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji holds the language and key to ‘The Simplicity’.
Coming back to original topic, what
happens once profit is reaped? As per people like us we find stability in life.
Well aware of worldly practices and language mortals understand, as discussed
above, Paatshahi 5 blesses us with His experience of finding
stability on ‘Chanting Naam’ in following words:
हरि हरि नामु जपत सुख सहजे मजनु होवत साधू धूरे ॥आवण जाण रहे थिति पाई जनम मरण के मिटे बिसूरे ॥१॥
(Chanting Naam, Har, Har, I have found peace
and poise, bathing in the dust of the feet of the Holy. Comings and goings have
ceased, and I have found stability; the pains of birth and death
are eradicated.)
TO BE CONTINUED!
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