What Is Naam

[BarinderSingh]

Can anyone help with answering this question?

What is Naam and how does a Sikh practice it?

[harsharan000]

Sathigur Kaa Sach Sabadh Kamaavahu
Meditate on the true Shabad, given by a Satguru

Thhir Ghar Baithae, Prabh Apanaa Paavahu
Remain steady and stable within the home of your own self, and find God

Raag Asa, Guru Arjan Dev Maharaj.

Above are the words of Sachay Patshah, Sree Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj, which can be the answer to your question.

He is telling us that, do the Simran of Nam only. You do not need to go anywhere, nor need anything else.

No rituals, no rites, no pilgrimages, no flowers, fruits, incense, lamp....nothing of that sort.

It is our mind, which we have to get treated, which is the root cause of our sorrows, pain and our presence in the endless cycle of births and deaths.

Wahiguru has everything, there is nothing that we weak humans can give Him, everything is polluted by us. And He knows that, but even then, He accepts our "kachee bhakti". So during our bhakti of Nam Simran, we still our minds, and that is offering Him, our mind.

And He, as a washerman, washes the dirt accumulated on it, and thus gets it purified , with the (soap)Amrit of His Nam.

Then once the mind is purified and pacified, it does not bother the soul anymore, and releases the soul from it´s clutches.

It is like the rat is given mercury in the traps, set to catch it, and as it´s belly is heavy and can not move by ingesting it, so it stops doing mischiefs and lays down, then the house owner catches it and throws it away the from its house.

In the same way, once the mind tastes the "ras" of Nam, it gets defeated by the soul. Nam is the only medicine to nullify the mind forever, anything else is temporary.

Once this mind is conquered, then the soul crosses the causal region and enters Parbraham region, it is only then, that it is pure in essence and nature, as it has been removed from the phiysicall, astral and causal coverings on it.

Continuing with Nam Bhakti, the soul proceeds further and reaches Sach Khand. There it gets the darshan of Akal Purukh Satnam, and merges in it. That is why the bani says: Jin Har jaapiya, se Har hoeeya. Any soul, Sant, Gurmukh, Satguru, upon reaching there become one with Him, without any distinction.

Many of our brothers or sisters have that impression, even the rest of mortals, that even by reaching His abode, each and everyone continues with his/her own personality. Which is totally wrong. Suppose today anyone of us reaches Sach Khand, we shall only see Akal Purukh alone...no Guru Sahibans, no Gurmukhs, no saheeds, no Sants....nothing.

Why?

Because they have blended in Him, they have merged in Him, becoming Him.

They emerged from Him, for a particular purpose, for a particular period of time, to bring back with them an alloted number of souls marked by Wahiguru, and once they reach there back, the wonder or wonder happens, nobody remains as such, because all from individual drops, souls; have become the One mighty Ocean.

So this is one braham , one misconception we have to get it cleared. Maybe somebody is thinking , one day when I reach Sach Khand, I shall see the 10 Gurus sitting beside Akal Purukh, the other bhagats mentioned in the Bani, or even the other Gurmukhs who have been coming at our human level, like Sant Paltu Sahib, Sant Tukaram, Sehjo Bai, Guru Ravi Das, Kabir Sahib, etc...all of them together like in a congress.

That is not Gurmat. The bani says: Sach Khand vaseh Nirankar. There in Sach Khand only Wahiguru exists, so naturally anybody upon arriving there, becomes Him.

Is it not that the purpose of any sikh, of any seeker?

As long as we do not merge and become one with Him, we are imperfect, we are still in the realms of mind, maya, kal and karmas.....Be it may Baikunth, Swarg or heavens...all these stages are under Maya, thus are transient and perishable, are very much in the boundaries of Parlay and Mahaparlay.

And so the Bani tells us, that in order to become one with Him, we should only give our mind, body and soul, to the only one Akal Purukh. Har iko Daata seviye, Har iko dheeaeeyeh.

It is moorakhta to place our hopes on any other beings, apart from one wahiguru Akal Purukh. He is the one sustainer, protector for absolutely all beings.

If we depend on anyone else apart from Him, we shall never get freed from Maya.

Just let us think. Either we are with Him, or we are not with Him.

So If anybody past, we worship or show our reverence, what is the sense in it?

If that individual soul has merged in Him, then why not directly worship Him; and if that is not the case, and those souls are supposed to be somewhere, because some say that they have been seen, then too, what is the sense in worshipping them, because if they have not succeded in reaching Wahiguru, and are stuck somewhere for any reason, how can they avail us? They can only avail us up to what they themselves have achieved, and surely they are not one with Wahiguru, that is why they are being seen, and not Wahiguru . In darkness only stars and moon can be seen. There where the powerful Sun is, no stars or moon are seen...

So let us give our love, faith and devotion, to the only one Wahiguru Akal Purukh. It is popularly known: jaisa dheeayeeh, taisa hoeeyeh. As you meditate so you become. If you meditate on the one Perect Lord Wahiguru, you shall reach there where He is. If you meditate on anything apart from Wahiguru, we shall never reach Him.

He is "sarvavyapak", means omnipresent.

So if He is present everywhere and in everyone, is it not shameful to place our hopes and faiths on any others than Him? Read the Bani, only His mahima, His wadeeayee is described, that also just a fraction of His inmense Majesty.

Why have we created and added so many external elements in Gurmat, thus creating and spreading delusion among the human beings? The essence of Nam in Gurmat is lost, and only rites , rituals, pilgrimages, moortee pujas are the daily bread in our lives...

The Bani alerts us by saying, do whatever you may, but if you do not do Nam Simran... then that what you have done, is just like decorating a dead corspe.

Singhoo, the Bani left by our Guru Sahibans and Gurmukhs, is a treasure beyond measure. Let us go throughly, and put into practice what it says: Awar kaaj, tere kitteh na kaam, mil Sadh Sangat, bhaj kewal Nam.

To end this post, in accordance to the above thread, I would like to bring the following words of Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj, as a gist of Gurmat, to the all blessed sangat:

Sun sundar, saaDhoo bachan uDhaaree.
Listen, O beautiful soul-bride: By the Word of the Holy Saint, you shall be saved.
jo ih mantar kamaavai, naanak, so bha-ojal paar utaaree.
One who practices this Mantra, O Nanak, swims across the terrifying world-ocean

Raag Aasaa, Sree Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj.

[ms514]

VAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

So, harsharan0000 Sahib Ji, where does one get this Naam? Which Guru/which means exists in this world to obtain this Naam? Please detail for the Sangat's benefit. Thanks.

[harsharan000]

Brothers,

first of all, let me clear one thing, I am no authority to talk on these matters, so as to say, do this or do that.

No.

I am my self a seeker, maybe morally worse than any normal being. Then too, whatever had to be said, our Guru Sahibans have left us with the akhoot bhandaar of their gyan in the Guru Granth Sahib.

It is for each one of us to dive in deep and take those precious jewels and make ourselves spiritually wealthy. Just as each one has to eat himself/herself to satisfy his/her hunger...in the same way; if we have spiritual hunger, we should follow practically Gurmat.

Our Guru Sahibans who where the embodiment of Truth, of Akal Purukh, when they came on this earthly plane, people did not believe them, in some cases even their near family members did not realize who they were, many others misbehaved with them, and abused them, either verbally or physically ...so brothers, who am I? A sinner only.

Absolutely whatever had to be said and explained, is already written in the Bani.

I am not going to discover anything new, as there is nothing left as such. I have given simple and clear quotes from the Bani in a nutshell, in the post above, but even that seems that is not understandable...so what guarantee is there, that with much more thesis the Bani will be understood?

Absolutely none, but one thing is sure, hot discussions....what for? Ego? That what I say or think is right and the others are wrong....No need for that. I very well know human nature, who has a tendency towards conflicts, controversies, hatred...and really, there is no need for all this. I am not saying directly to you, that you are like this, but surley it can happen with anybody.

What so ever has to be realized, shall be realized, only by practically following what is written in the Bani.

It is entirely us upon us, if we want to follow and obey the Bani alone, or many other things along.

But that much I can say, the whole of the Guru Granth Sahib is nothing but mahima of Wahiguru Akal Purukh and His true form which is Nam or Shabad, on each and every ang of it, is full of this wadeeayee.

Once again I am going to copy and paste the beautiful quotation in the above post of Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj, which by itself is quite explanatory, and you shall get the answer of your question from it.

It is for us to pay attention and reflect upon it, and dig deep enough, to get out the Amrit from it:

Sun sundar, saaDhoo bachan uDhaaree.
Listen, O beautiful soul-bride,

By the Word of the Holy Saint, you shall be saved.
jo ih mantar kamaavai, naanak, so bha-ojal paar utaaree.
One who practices this Mantra, O Nanak, swims across the terrifying world-ocean

Raag Aasaa,

Sree Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj.

P.S: Please do not misinterpret me, if any bhool chook, taking me as a brother, just forgive me.

[N30S1NGH]

According to my understanding and research -real essence of naam is supreme consciousness/ awareness -ikongkar/Vahiguroo itself. Naam needs to be understood in stages/spiritual development stages it cannot be explained in conceptual terms but can only be truly understood in experience with gurbani/gyan.

For rough understanding purposes-

The following is from Sant Baba Isher Singh Ji's Diary:

Types of Naam: There are 2 types of Naam:

1. Japa (Varan Atmak Bani/Naam): It is the Outer Sound Principle. It is also known as the language of the Pranas or the vital airs for it depends on different types of vibrations in the air. All these types of Japas give solace of varying degrees and one gets peace of mind of a temporary nature only, be­cause the various bodily chakra involved in them are of a lower order, situated below Third Eye. Varn-Atmak words pave the way to Dhun-Atmak Shabd and are thus essential aids in stilling the mind of oscillations, purging it of all impurities and rendering it capable of apprehending the Dhun-Atmak current within. The Varn-Atmak words may and do differ because of lingual differences, but the Dhun-Atmak Shabd being the Life-Principle of the spirit or soul is the same throughout. It can be further sub-divided into 4 subdivisions:
   1. Baikhri: These are labial sounds or sounds which are uttered with the aid of tongue and lips. It is when God's Name is recited with tongue and lips. It is the first technique and holds 1 unit in power.
   2. Madhma: These are guttural sounds which are produced in the throat or at the back or root of the tongue and palate. It is when God's Name is recited within the throat but without the use of tongue. This is 10 times the power of Baikhri.
   3. Pashyanti: These are sounds which originate from the heart center. It is when God's Name is recited within the heart but without the use of tongue. This is 100 times the power of Baikhri.
   4. Para: These are sounds which arise through vibrations from the navel center. It is when God's Name is recited within the navel but without the use of tongue. This is 1000 times the power of Baikhri.
      
2. Ajapa (Dhun Atmak Bani/Naam): This is the Eternal Sound Current reverberating endlessly in every living thing. It is an Unwritten Law and an Unspoken Language. It becomes audible, however, when a spirit rises above body-consciousness. Here one has just to listen to the all-pervading Naam or Shabd. As this Sound cannot be expressed in any symbolic form, it is ex­pressionless. It may be contacted above the sensory plane, behind the centre of the two eyebrows. Here one starts hearing Anhad Shabad. It generally referred to as Naam down to Trikuti; and below Daswan Dwar, where the causal region extends, It is called the Trigun Bani, or Sound within the regions of the three gunas. It is also described as Brahm Janjalla, the network of Brahm, the God of creation. This Trigun Bani or Brahm Janjalla is still within the domain of Kal or Dissolution and hence must disintegrate. HE is beyond Japa, Ajapa, and Anhad.

[N30S1NGH]

Deeper contemplation also indicates real essence naam is what shabad (be it varan or shabad dhuni) - pointer pointing towards - which is Gian of Ikongkar/Vahiguroo

[harsharan000]

Har Maarag Saadhhoo Dhasiaa,

Japeeai Guramanth

The Holy Saint has shown me the Way to the Lord;

I chant the GurMantra.

Raag Gauri,

Guru Arjan Dev

[harsharan000]

Shabad: Saachaa Dhan gurmatee paa-ay
Raag: Dhanaasree mehlaa 3.

chahu jug meh amrit saachee banee.
Throughout the four ages, the True Bani of His Word is Ambrosial Nectar.

poorai bhaag Har Naam samaanee.
By perfect destiny, one is absorbed in the True Name.

siDh saaDhik tarseh sabh lo-ay.
The Siddhas, the seekers and all men long for the Name.

poorai bhaag paraapat ho-ay.
It is obtained only by perfect destiny.

sach saachaa sach aap drirh-aa-ay.
He is the Truest of the True;

He Himself implants the True Name within.

naanak aapay vaykhai aapay sach laa-ay.
O Nanak, the Lord Himself sees all;

He Himself links us to the Truth.

In this Shabad, Sree Guru Amar Das Maharaj, is telling us something more on the topic of this thread.

First of all, He is telling us that, throughout all the "yugas, the eras, Nam is the only Amrit, Nam is the way to get salvation, by getting freed from the cycle of births and deaths.

This affirmation of Amar Das Maharaj as per Nam is the "panacea", the Amrit, at all times, gives us some more information, than that what we are used to hear and believe.

And that is, that, Gurmat did not start with Guru Nanak Dev Maharaj, nor did it end with tenth Patshahee Guru Gobind Singh.

Guru Nanak came about 700 years back, which means we were already in the Kali Yuga. And Guru Amar Das is mentioning all the four yugas.....all of them together are many many thousands of years, isn´t it?

This takes to another point to refelect about the truths of the Bani, if Nam is the Amrit for all ages, that means, Gurmukhs have always existed since the very begining...and shall continue to exist, at least that is what Guru Amar Das is saying.

This also implies that, no matter how many parlays or mahaparlays may ocurr, but Wahiguru has the same way always for all beings(souls) to bring them back to Him , which is through Nam.

He does not say Nam is for a particular community, race, mazab, religion, or land, but for all the creation. Gurmukhs do not make anything of their own, but they only speak, what Akal Purukh tells them to convey us. And that is what, all our Guru Sahibans and Gurmukhs have done.

That is why the Bani says: Har jee baseh Sadh kee rasna...Har Jee baseh, Sadh ke hirdey

Then He is mentioning "poorai bhag" paraapat ho-ay and "poorai bhaag" har naam samaanee.

This means, though Nam is present in everyone and everywhere, only a few handful, a few wadbagee jeevas, will come to know how to reveal it within themselves....not only that, but merge and become one with that Nam.

The rest will be engaged in all other activities, or they will simply not accept these teachings.

What to say about ordinary human beings in this case...not even the gods, godesses, devis, devtas, angels ...know about this very fact and reality.

We may ask why, is this so? Or how can this be possible? The answer is, His "mauj".

And in front of His will, who can oppose Him?

That is why Third Patshahee says: sach saachaa sach aap drirh-aa-ay.

This means, He Himself implants it through His Gurparsad, within the hearts of those wadbhagees...

And to the end, He says: Nanak aapay vaykhai, aapay sach laa-ay

Wahiguru Himself sees all; and He Himself links us to the Truth, that is Himself...

Dhan Dhan Satguru Amar Das Maharaj... for showering us with such truths, of His pure paviter Bani.

[sat]

please can anyone tell me that when we are trying to become one with vaheguru ji through naam simran meditation, does the mind fight back as to make us turn away, because sometimes i feel like there is war going on inside my head between my atma which is vaheguru or trying to reach him and my mind which is manmukh ?

[harsharan000]

Yes it is true, there is a fierce battle between us and our mind, whenever we try to meditate.

Because, Kal Purukh does not want any soul to escape from his temporary creation, so he has created and placed mind within each and everyone under his limited creation, including gods, godesses, etc...

That is why, Wahiguru gives us the weapon of Nam to use against them, as it is the only power to defeat these entities.

In fact, when Wahiguru sees that His soul is trying to reach Him through His simran, He comes Himself, in the form of Shabad Dhun and takes us safely in His arms, just as a father or mother takes care of their child, then no one dares to come and harm the child.

So our work is to do our duty of Nam Simran, then He will see and take care of the rest, because we by ourselves, are helpless.... it is His power, His love, which does everything.

Our Simran is just an excuse, for Him to shower His bharpoor Daya Meher on us.

Dear brother, my only advice to you, is to never stop your bhakti of Nam Simran under any circumstances.

May God bless you.