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ADI BIRH BARAI
About Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib

Sikh Research and Education Center: Publications: Adi Birh Barai:

Information about other religions and other information in Sri Guru Granth Sahib


Information about other religions and other information in Sri Guru Granth Sahib

(A) Stories in Puranas and Worship of gods and goddesses

From the olden times in India, people have been worshipping gods and goddesses. Several temples exist in honor of certain gods and goddesses. The life stories of these gods and goddesses are narrated in these temples, both in the morning and evening services. Connected with these gods and goddesses are the stories of certain sages and Rishis, which are also narrated. There are number of stories wherein gods mutually cursed each other and the Rishis cursed the kings and other people. Hindus visit these temples, both morning and evening regularly and listen to these stories.

Guru Nanak was born in Rai Bhoe di Talwandi in Sheikhupura district in West Punjab. In that part of the country, there was no historical temple of any importance. The Guru in his First Missionary Tour of India, visited a number of Hindu sacred places. We find from the Compositions of the Guru, references made to the Puranic stories.

Those who read the Guru’s Compositions intently, they find in them information about Hindu religious practices in vogue. In Hindu temples, Arti is performed before the images of gods and goddesses. The priest takes the salver in which are fitted lamps (purified butter is used in place of oil in the lamps). The priest holds the candelabrum in his hands and performs the Arti of the image. Burning incense, rice, flowers, sweets, saffron water and other fragment dainties are offered to the idol. Priests fan the image with beautiful “chowries”, and worshippers sing songs in melodious tunes in praise of the deities with the accompaniment of the musical instruments. At night images are placed in respective boxes and are put to rest. We can get this information in the Guru’s Compositions, without visiting Hindu temples.

Guru Nanak Dev in his First Missionary Tour, visited the temple of Jagannath Puri. There the Guru drew the attention of the priest and also of the people toward the Arti perpetually being performed to the Infinite God by Nature. The Guru’s Composition, in this respect, is given below -

“The sky is the salver, the sun and the moon are the lamps. The spheres of stars are studded in it as jewels; The ‘chandan’ scented winds wave like fly-whisk (chowri) They scatter across the fragrance of myriad of flowers (1) O Lord, thus is Your worship performed, O, the Destroyer of fear. Your self-acting Melody rings, and makes the Music of the Word, as if on the tender lips of a flute. (1) Pause. There are the thousands of Your eyes, yet You have none of it. There are the thousands of Your forms, yet You have none of it. There are thousands of Your lotus-feet, yet You have none of it. There are the thousands of Your noses to smell, yet You have none of it. O Wonder of wonders. (2) O Lord, Your Light pervades in all. It is Your Light that lights all hearts. It is this Guru’s Wisdom, which Your Light shines forth. What pleases You, becomes Your worship. (3) Like the Black bee, I crave day and night for honey of Your Lotus-feet. O lord, Give the Nectar of Your Mercy to Nanak, the ‘Chatrik’ (who is thirsty of it) That he may merge in Your name.”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Dhanasri, page 663, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
Guru Nanak taught True worship of God’s Infinite Spirit, instead of lifeless images-
“God, Your Name, I will make the sandal-wood, and rub it on the stone of my Mind. As for saffron, I shall offer the good deeds, and thus, I will worship Your Name in my inmost self. (1) Contemplation of the Lord’s Name is the true worship. Without his Name is no worship. (1) Pause. We bathe the idols from without. If instead, one were to cleanse his mind The dirt of selfishness is washed off, and we are emancipated when we depart. (2)..”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Gujri, page 489, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“One washes the vessel and disinfects it with incense before one gathers milk in it. The milk is of the deeds. Our Conscious Mind is the ferment. The milk is curdled through Disinterestedness in the results. (1) Dwell on the Name of God alone, as all other works are fruitless and in vain. (1) Pause. Let this mind be the holding ends of the cord, and the churning stick be of being ever Awake. Let the churning be the uttering of the Lord’s Name with the tongue. In this way one gathers the butter, the Nectar of the lord. (2) Let your mind be the Abode of God, washed in the Pool of Truth, and make leaf-offerings of devotion to please God. Dedicate to Him even your life. You will thus enjoy your union with your Lord. (3) O Lord, many say Your Praise. Many more will say and leave off, but there is no one to equal You.. Nanak is devoid of Your devotion, but he prays to You, “O God, I praise but You, the True One alone.” 4.1.
(Guru Nanak, Rag Suhi, page 728, Sri Guru Granth).
“The calf has defiled the milk in the teats. The black-bee has defiled the flower, and fish the water. (1) O mother, what shall I now offer to my Lord. I do not see any beautiful flower that has not been defiled. (1) Pause. The chandan tree is girdled by snakes: The Nectar and the poison abide in one and the same place. (2) How then with incense, earthen lamps, foods and fragrant flowers. can worship You, O Lord? (3) I will dedicate and make an offering of my body and mind to You. So, by the Guru’s Grace, I will attain You, my Immaculate Lord. (4) I cannot worship You in any other way. Ravidas says: I do not know what will be my state hereafter.” 5.1.
(Sri Ravidas Ji, Rag Gujri, page 525, Guru Granth Sahib)
“One may bring a pitcher full of water for the bath of the stone-god. Myriad of species defile the waters: how shall one wash clean the Lord.? (1) Wherever one goes he sees One Master. Who sports and ever revels in Bliss. (1) Pause. One may pluck flowers and weave a garland and offer it to the stone-god. The fragrance of the flowers was first sucked by the black-bee; then, how with it the shall the Lord be pleased? (2) One may make pudding by putting rice in milk and boiling it and offer it to stone god. But the milk was first tasted by the calf. With it, then, how shall one please the Lord? (3) Here is the Lord, there is the Lord, no place is without Him. There is none other than Him in the world. So Namdev makes obeisance to his Lord present in the inner Self of everything. The Lord provides and fills one and all.” 4.3.
(Sri Namdev Ji, Rag Asa, page 485, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)

(B) STORIES OF BOONS AND CURSES

“Indra came to grief, when Rishi Gautama cursed him with a thousand wombs. Parasram too came back home crying (as Ramchandra had denuded him of his prowess). Aja, (Rama’s grandsire), wailed when made to eat (the dung) he had given in mock charity. So does one suffer at the Lord’s Court. Rama too wailed wailed, for, he was banished. He got separated from his wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshmana. The ten headed Ravana cried, when he lost his Lanka. He, who had carried away Sita in the guise of a mendicant. The Pandavas wailed that from being Kings, they became the laborers. With whom abided once Lord Krishna (with his golden flute) Janamejaya too grieved that he lost the Way, and only for one error in life, he became a sinner. Shaikhs, Pirs, seers and all, fear lest at the time of death they should not die in peace. Bharthari and other kings regret, gnawed at the hearts that they got their ears torn, and they had to beg for alms from door to door. The miser weeps that the riches he assembles will be lost in the end. The Pandit too wails lest he should lose the wisdom. The woman cries out for her lost spouse. Nanak says: The whole world is in pain. But, he who believes in the Lord’s Name, wins the game. For, no other deed is of any account to our Lord.”
(Sri Guru Nanak Dev, Slok, Ramkali Ki Var M 3, pages 953-54, Guru Granth Sahib)
“Lord created the Air, and established the earth. He put water and fire together (in the body). If He, as Rama, cut off head of the blind, ten headed Ravana, it would not make Him any of the greater for that. (1) How can I describe Thy wonder, O Lord. You pervade all, with a single Mind. (1) Pause. He, Who created life and the Master of its Way. O, how can He be any the bigger for over-powering the Serpent (as Krishna did). Of whose husband is He? And which, indeed, is His wife? When He pervades all, through and through? (2) Brahma, born of lotus, whose companion is the Beneficent Vishnu, left on the search of the world’s end. But he did not find it. If, He, as Krishna, chopped off Kans.’s head, how does it make Him any the greater for that? (3) When the ocean was churned (by the angels and the demons) and the (fourteen) jewels came into their hands. They fell out as to who did it all? (For they did not recognize the wonders of God). O Nanak, how could that Lord be concealed, Who apportions to each his lot as He wills. 4.7”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Asa, pages 350-51, Guru Granth Sahib)
“Indira was attracted to Ahalya, wife of Gautama, the seer. He was cursed with a thousand Yonis (female organs) and then he grieved. (1) No one, on himself, is arrayed from the Path. For, it is God, Who makes one to realize Him or to abandon His Way. (1) Pause. Harishchandra, the king of the world, knew not the writ of the past. Had he known that it was an error to be pseudo-pious, he would not have put himself to auction in the public square. (2) God, in the form of the Dwarf, had asked, in charity, for two and a half steps of the earth. Had King Bali known the intent of God, why would he have been deceived into being sunk into the underworld? (3) Vyas instructed Janameja, the King, not to do (the three things) But he performed the Yajna, and, then, put to death the eighteen impudent Brahmins and so he suffered. O how can one escape the writ of the past deeds? (4) So I do not calculate, and submit to God’s Will, and whatever I utter, I utter spontaneously.. Whatever happens, I praise my Lord. All that comes, reveals the Glory of my God. (5)The God-man remains detached, and abides ever in God’s Refuge. But the egocentric does not look for the future, and so he grieves, afflicted by sorrow. (6) The Creator, Who has created the Universe, Himself, the Doer and makes all do what He likes. O Lord, ego does not leave man’s mind. Being egocentric, he is wasted away. (7) All commit error. Only the Creator is free from all errors. Nanak says: emancipation is obtained, through the True Name. Some rare one, by Guru’s Grace is freed of the bonds.” (8).4.
(Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Parbhati, Astpadi, page 1344, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)

(C) YOGA SYSTEM AND CREEDS OF SELF MORTIFICATION

According to Patanjli, Yoga consists in preventing the mind from being affected by external things. The mind thus comes to the normal state, being free from the outside influences. This is achieved by resorting to the yogic physical exercises. This leads to complete annihilation of all types of desires. The main physical exercises prescribed are the regulated breathing and fixing attention upon an object of sense or on internal or other kinds of objects. It then lays stress on the self mortification and fusion with Soul or God of himself in a mechanical forced way. In this way, they say, ignorance, egoism, desire aversion and clinging to life, are completely eliminated.

The yogic practices are entirely mechanical techniques for suppression of the instinctual forces, to exercise control over the functioning of the body organs for attaining the super-natural powers. The mind is made empty by forceful extermination of the instinctual derives. The emptiness of mind and its forced concentration on void, does not lead one to any virtuous life. It is only the power seeking technique to subdue others by show of magical feats, Yogis invariably exhibit varieties of hallucinatory or hypnotic effects, telepathy, psychometry, clairvoyance, , levitation, astral traveling, and similar occult or magical feats.

Yoga practices aim at achieving orgiastic states. these are the forms of auto-induced trance. In this context the yogis are also seen taking the help of drugs as well. in a transitory state of exaltation, the world outside disappears, and with it the feelings of separateness from it. They have no sense of discrimination left to distinguish one from the other, as for them the reality existing outside themselves has no relevance. They become extremely selfish and self centered. For an insane person the only reality that exists is that within him and that of his fears and desires. He sees the outside world in this reflection.

Mind is cultivated in a good society by confronting situations and adjusting to the reality on the basis of Truth. Truth can only come out if we imbibe within us the Truth and love Truth. The main condition to love is to overcome one’s selfishness. One must be objective in his approach, as the attitude of objectivity is based on reason, which transcends the self. This alone is the genuine basis for attitude of humility. Humility, objectivity and reasonableness are indivisible, and are the basis of genuine love, which is indivisible. One’s ability to love depends entirely on his capacity to rise above his selfishness, attachments and prejudices. These traits are totally foreign to the followers of Yoga, who lack all humanistic qualities. They are extremely egocentric, harsh, rigid and domineering in their behavior, as the ultimate aim is to acquire supernatural powers. Power and faith are antagonistic to each other; power cannot make any one a rational being.

It is true that concentration is a necessary condition for attaining union with the love object. It may be clearly understood that concentration is the necessary ingredient of love. When one becomes imbued with genuine love, his all attentions are necessarily focused on the love object. By inculcating love for God, one has not to suppress the instinctual forces and annihilate other faculties, which He has endowed us, but to utilize these potentialities in realization of the love object. The wandering mind thus comes to a halt. Further, no one can lead a truthful life simply by adoption of certain formulae as his code of conduct. Truth can only come out from us, if we love Truth and imbibe Truth within ourselves. This is possible, if we love God objectively, Who is the Embodiment of Truth and All Virtues. The attributes that we give to God and love Him by singing His eulogies, we in this way only ingrain within us such virtues. Our mind thus is cultivated and we become God Men and lead a contented truthful life. There is no other short cut formula to lead a happy and contented life. Yogic exercises bring about stillness of the mind by forced mechanical techniques. The mind is reduced to emptiness and blankness without attaining any positive virtues. This is the peace of the grave yard.

Why do people mortify themselves and inflict injuries on themselves and pose themselves as Saints? People get frustrated with each other, as every one is self motivated. This brings about extreme hatred for each other also. It is easy to understand how a person with odd types of relations with his/her near and dear ones, would feel hatred for them. But we know from every day experience that when such hatred cannot be carried out toward the person who has given rise to it, it is often transferred to some one else. We know, too, from psychiatric and psychoanalytic findings that “in melancholia, the disease from which such persons generally suffer, the victims stew in the caldron of their own hate, turned back on themselves from some unrecognized external object.” (Dr. Karl A Menninger in Man Against Himself)

We again quote Dr. Karl A Menninger - “It must be emphasized that these rigors have not been practiced by Christian derivatives only. Most religions show the same phenomena. Ascetic practices are described among the Mohamedan devotees as well as among followers of Buddhism and Brahmanism and many other faiths*
*Miyan Hatim of Sambhal, who died in 1562, spent ten years roaming about bareheaded and barefooted, never sleeping on a bed. Mohammed Ghawth spent feeding on the leaves of trees, and sleeping in caves. Shaikh Burhan for nearly 50 years before his death abstained from meat and from most other articles of food and drink..... Toward the end of his life he abstained also from drinking water, spending his time in meditation in a small dark cell. Hindu ascetics remain in immovable attitudes with their faces on their arms raised to heaven until the sinews shrink and the posture assumed stiffens into rigidity; or they expose themselves to the inclemency of the weather in a state of absolute nudity or tear their bodies with knives or feed on carrion and excrement. Among the Mohamadans of India there are fakirs who have been seen dragging heavy chains or cannon balls or crawling upon their hands and knees for years; others have been found laying upon iron spikes for a bed; and others again have been swinging for months before a slow fire with a tropical and blazing overhead.

What has this resulted to? The self inflicted injuries are depicted as the way to union with God. The pantheists established “I - it” relationship with God. They do not realize that God is Infinite Spirit pervading everywhere, the Supreme Being, Omnipotent, Omni present and Omniconscience. The belief in Him should make man humble, as he is insignificant before Him. Man’s very existence is due to Him. They try to possess God, incorporate Him within themselves and thus claim to identify with Him. They do not eliminate their self in Him, but incorporate Him as the part of their self. They claim Him as their self, alienate themselves from the reality and live under a delusion. They take God as “IT” and the attempt is that “I” should arrest and possess “IT” and be “IT”. The Vedantists, the Jogis, the Sufis identify themselves with God and thus develop an extra-ordinary degree of self love in the process of identification. There is no sense of humility and sweetness left in them and they emerge as gods to dominate others, by the occult magical powers gained by them through the yogic exercises. They are so apathetic in their attitude that their emotional reactions are flat and anemic. Their behavior is so unnatural that it is difficult for normal people to establish friendly rapport with them. They remain completely untouched by the tears of their near and dear ones. Love, sympathy and feeling of tenderness are blunted. They are the solitary individuals who rarely associate or converse with others. They are easily enraged and threaten the people with their wraths and curses.

Guru Nanak Dev in his famous Composition “Jap” in Pauri 28, addressed to the Jogis, pointing out the futility of their formalism and their practices, and suggesting the positive approach to life -

“O Jogis, make your ear-rings as your efforts for Contentment, your begging bowl and wallet, as your Humility. Let the ashes with which you smear the body, be the Intent on God. And the Thought of Death, be the Coat that you wear. The staff that you hold in your hand, be the Chastity, your Way and Faith. Your Ayee Path, be the Equality of All. Consider Conquest of Mind, as the Conquest of World.”
Guru Nanak Dev in “Sidh Gosht - Discussion with the Jogis” also mentions about their way of life -
“O jogi, let the Lord’s Vision be your coat, ear-rings and wallet. You, the twelve sects of jogis, dwell on the One Lord Let His Path only teach you the Wisdom of six Shastras. If one instructs his mind thus , he will not experience any sorrow again. If one realizes this truth through the Guru (God’s Light in Man), then only he understands true yoga.” (9)
“Let your begging bowl be the state of dsirelessness, and essence of five elements be your cap. Let keeping the body alert be your grass matting and mind’s control be lion-cloth. Let charity, contentment and self discipline be your companions Nanak says: for becoming God Conscious, contemplate on His Name.” (11)
“The yogis are contained within their twelve sects, and the Sanyasins have ten sects. The Kapris and those with close-cropped hair, they are all caught in Yama’s noose, if they do not love God.” (1)
(Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Parbhati, page 1132, Guru Granth Sahib)
About the yogic practices Guru Nanak Dev states -
“He, who practices the washings of his food and wind pipes, makes the furnace of the spinal chord, distills through inhalation, exhalation and holding of breath like a yogi, does not know the Quintessence, without His Grace, and is strayed by Doubt and loses the game of life.”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Parbhati, Astpadi 3, page 1343, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“There are the people who wander about hungry and naked. There are also the people who force themselves to death, and do not know anything about God. They do not know what is illusory and what is Eternal. It is through the practice of the Word that this Truth is revealed. (13) There are some, who visit the sacred places. They do not eat but keep fast. They burn away their bodies in blazing fires. They cannot come out of their bondage without the Lord’s Name. O, how can one be ferried across (the Sea of Existence) otherwise?” (14)
(Sri Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Maru, Sohile, page 1025, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“There are some , who repair to the woods, composed in their silence. There are others, who suffer the pangs of wintry frosts and freeze themselves like ice. There are some who besmear their bodies with ashes, and do not cleanse themselves. Others, who keep their hair matted, to look wild, and so lose caste with their fellowmen. Other, who wander about naked, and do not sleep. There are others, who burn themselves in fire, limb by limb, and thus waste themselves away. Without the Lord’s Name their bodies are reduced to the dust. So, why and for what one should grieve for them? They alone look Beauteous at the Lord’s Court, who serve God.” (15)
(Guru Nanak Dev, Malar ki Var, Pauri 15, page 1285, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
The extreme ascetic tendencies are noticed in Jains. Guru Nanak met with Jain sadus, and advised them to lead a normal life in union with God -
“The Jains are strayed from the Path. They are wasted away by God. The do not remember God, nor do they bathe. They pluck their hair with their hands. They do not shave their heads. They remain unclean night and day. They do not love God’s Word. They lose caste and honor too, and do no righteous deeds and thus waste away their human birth. Their minds are soiled, and they eat what is defiled and so they remain casteless. O, so who can have true culture save through the Guru’s Word? It is the God man, who merges in the being of God.” (16)
“They have their heads plucked, drink dirty water and repeatedly beg and eat other’s leavings. They spread out ordure, with their mouths, suck its odors and dread to look at water. With hands smeared with ashes, they have their heads plucked like sheep. They give up the daily routine of their mothers and fathers, and their kith kin bewail loudly. No one makes the offering of barley rolls and food on leaves for them, nor performs last rites nor lights earthen lamps. After death where shall they be cast? The sixty places of pilgrimage do not grant them any refuge, and Pandit does not eat their food. They ever remain filthy day and night and do not bear any sacrificial marks on their brow. They always sit in groups as if in mourning and do not go to the True Court of God. With begging bowls slung round their lions and a broom in their hands, they walk one behind the other. They are neither jogis (disciples of Gorakh) nor Jangam (followers of Shiva), nor Quazis nor Mullahs. These God forsaken, they wander about, disgraced. All of them go contaminated. God alone creates all living beings and destroys them. None else can protect them. They go without giving alms and performing ablutions. The dust alights on their plucked heads. Water is the source of all life, from which came forth jewels, when the mountain of gold was made as the churning staff. The gods appointed the sixty eight places of pilgrimage, where festivals are celebrated and hymns are recited. After ablutions, Muslims say prayers. After taking bath, Hindus perform worship and the wise ever bathe. The dead and the living are purified, when water is poured on their heads. Nanak says: the head plucked are the devils. This word of advice does not please them. When it rains, all feel happy. The key to the life of beings is contained in water. When it rains, there is corn, sugar cane and cotton, which affords covering to all. When it rains, the cows graze grass and the women churn the curd of their milk. By putting that clarified butter, burnt offerings, sacred feasts and worships are ever performed and other ceremonies are adorned. The Guru is the Ocean and all His Teachings are the rivers, by bathing where-in greatness is obtained. Nanak says: if the plucked-heads do not bathe, then pour seven handfuls of ashes on their heads.”
(Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Majh ki Var, Slok, pages 149 - 50, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)

(D) THE GURUS ADDRESS MUSLIM AUDIENCE

“To be called a Muslim is difficult. If one be really so, then he may get Himself called a Muslim. First, he ought to deem sweet the religion of the Lord’s devotees and have his pride and pelf effaced as rasped with a scraper. Becoming the true disciple of the faith of prophet, let him put aside the illusion of death and life. He should heartily submit to the lord’s Will, worship the Creator and efface his self conceit. Nanak says: if he is merciful to all the sentient beings, then alone he shall be called a Muslim.”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Slok, Majh ki Var, page 141, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“There are five prayers, five times for prayers and the five have the names. The first is Truthfulness, second, the honest earning, and the third is charity in God’s Name. The fourth is, pure intent and mind and the fifth, the Lord’s admiration and praise. You repeat the creed of good deeds and then call yourself a Muslim. Nanak says: all the liars shall obtain what is altogether false.”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Slok, Majh Ki Var, page 141, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“Make mercy your mosque, faith, your prayer mat, what is just and lawful, be your Quran. Modesty be your circumcision and civility, be your fast. You will thus be a Muslim. Make right conduct, as the temple of Mecca, Truth your spiritual guide and pious deeds your creed and prayer. Rosary is that, what is pleasing to Him. Thus says Nanak, the Lord shall preserve your honor.”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Slok, Var Majh Ki, page 140, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“Grabbing of things belonging to others is Swine like, for Muslims, and killing of Cow, for Hindus. The Spiritual Guide or the Prophet shall stand surety only then, if man does not eat carrion. By mere uttering of words from mouth, one does not attain to heaven. The deliverance is by the practice of Truth alone. The unlawful food, cannot become lawful, merely by adding condiments. Nanak says: from false talk only falsehood is obtained.”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Slok, Majh Ki Var, page 141, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“When clothes are stained with blood, the garment gets polluted. But, who sucks the blood of human beings, how can their mind be considered pure? Nanak says: utter the Name of the lord with wholesome heart and mouth. All else is worldly ostentation, man practices false deeds.”
(Guru Nanak Dev, Slok, Majh Ki Var, page 140, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“Muslims praise their law (Shariat) and they read and dwell upon it. But the Lord’s Bondsman is he, who Binds himself to see His Sight. Hindus praise the lord whose Presence and Form are Infinite. (But to win Him over)they bathe in the holy waters and make flower offerings to the idols and burn perfumed incense before them! Yogis , who dwell on the Void and name the Creator as Unknowable. Yet, to the Absolute, the Subtle Name, they give the form of body.! The minds of the compassionate are content if they give away all they can. But after giving away, their demand is for more (hereafter) and more honor for this world. Then, there are the thieves, the enticers, the liars, the wicked sinners They, who eat away all (the Merit) they gathered in the past. Is their life of any avail? In waters, as on land, in the three worlds as on the spheres, is life, form upon form. Whatever is their wish that too God fulfills. Who else is their support, but You, O God? Nanak says: Your Devotees Hunger only for Your Praise, O Lord. Their Sustenance is Your True Name. They are thus ever in joy, by being as the Dust before the men of Merit.”
(Sri Guru Nanak Dev, Slok, Asa Di Var, page 465, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
“O man of God, O creature of the Unfathomable Allah. Give up the thoughts of the world and do not involve yourself in the strife. Be like a mendicant, a lone traveler, and become the Dust for others to tread upon. Such a one is alone is Approved at the Lord’s Door. (1) Offer the prayer of Truth on the prayer-mat of faith. Silence your desire and overcome your hopes. Make your body a mosque, and your mind as the Mullah. Also make the inner Purity and Wholesomeness as God’s Word. (2) Remembrance of the Lord’s Name is, indeed, the religious conduct. The real ablution is that one becomes Detached from material things and makes search within himself. O man, see God’s Wisdom is that one overpowers the mind, and meets with the Real, so that he does not die again. (3) One should practice the Quaran and the other texts within one’s heart. Prevent the ten sense faculties from straying him into evil ways. To be approved by God, bind down the five ones (desires) with the rope of Faith, and find Contentment in giving. (4) One must look upon compassion as pilgrimage to Mecca, and keep the Fast , to be Humble. Look upon God as Beauty and light and fragrance, and the Contemplation of Him as the only good Retreat. (5) He alone is the Qazi, who practices the Truth. He alone is the Haji, who disciplines his heart. He alone is Mullah, who overcomes Evil. He is a Darvesh, whose only support is God’s Praise. (6) All times, all moments are auspicious, when he cherishes God in his heart. Let one’s rosary be the overpowering of the ten sense faculties, and let self-culture and self control be his circumcision. (7) Let one know that all that seems is but for the brief day. One’s household, O brother, is nothing but total involvement. All kings and chiefs and leaders of men are reduced to the dust. The only thing to stay is the Lord’s Abode. (8) First, the lord’s Praise, and the Contentment, then Humility and then Charity of disposition. And last the gathering at a single point of the five (outgoing desires), let one keep these five at most auspicious Times. (9) To see god in all - let this be one’s daily prayer. Abandoning of evil deeds be his ablution pot. Knowing his only God - let this be his call to prayer. To be God’s obedient child - let this be his trumpet. (10) Eat only, what is earned with the Right Means. Wash your unclean mind in the river of the heart. If you know your Prophet, then you deserve heaven. The Angel of Death will not drive you into Hell. (11) Let good deeds be your body, and the Faith, your Woman. You revel in joys only of your God’s Truth. The Hadis (Shariat) is to purge the mind of all dirt, living ever in God’s Presence, keeping the body in tact in Natural Form (not to cut hair from all parts of body and do not circumcise) , with turban on the head. (12) A Muslim is he, who is of tender heart. Who cleans his inner Dust with his whole heart. Who does not touch the joys of the world, and is pure like flower, silk, butter and the deer-skin. (13) He, on whom is the grace of the Beneficent God, he alone is the man amongst men. He alone is a Shaikh, a Haji and he alone is a God’s servant, on whom is the Mercy of God, the Man. (14) If one knows the Powers of the Creator, Lord, the Deeds of the Beneficent God. Praises and loves the infinite and compassionate He. Knows His Will and Truth, then all one’s Bonds are sundered and one becomes a Free Man.” 15.3.12
(Sri Guru Arjan Dev, Rag Maru, Sohile, pages 1083-84, Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
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