lowest of the low singhni

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕੀਜੀਐ ਦੇਹੀ ਦੇਖਿ ਸੁਰੰਗ ॥ kabeer garab na keejee-ai dayhee daykh surang. Kabeer, do not be so proud, looking at your beautiful body. ਆਜੁ ਕਾਲ੍ਹ੍ਹਿ ਤਜਿ ਜਾਹੁਗੇ ਜਿਉ ਕਾਂਚੁਰੀ ਭੁਯੰਗ ॥੪੦॥ aaj kaaliH taj jaahugay ji-o kaaNchuree bhuyang. Today or tomorrow, you will have to leave it behind, like the snake shedding its skin. garab = pride dayhee = body dekh = see surang = beautiful aaj = today kaal = tomorrow jahugey = leave kaanchri = skin (i think) buyang = snake Although people thesedays have a skewed idea of what "beautiful" is, we must always remember that our body is not really ours. It was given to us by Maharaj, and if we deface it or keep it unhealthy, we're not taking care of His gift. There's no sense in being proud of something which isn't even ours. Sooner or later, Maharaj will take back what was is His. Bhagat Kabeer Ji uses the metaphor of a snake shedding its skin to emphasise that our bodies are not permanent in this world. We forget this too often. ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh Try showing this story to your friend: http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=73& Just ask her to read it, but don't force her into doing anything. At the end of the day it is her choice, and she will be individually judged by Dharamraj, as we all will be. I have been in this position, so has my sister and i know others who are too. This life is only a second of our existence - who knows how long we've travelled to get here; it could have been billions of years. This could be our only chance to be fall in love with Maharaj and be free from the life-cycle. Your friend was lucky enough to have found Sikhi, she's capable of doing so much. we were sent here for a purpose - to follow the rehit laid down for us by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. So what if some women say that removing hair in certain ways is ok? Will they also say removing hair on our heads is ok too? Kes is kes. There is no logic in saying it is ok to remove it from certain areas, but prohibited to remove it from others. The method of removal is irrelevant. Nobody said following Sikhi was going to be easy, but she promised to follow it when she was in her mother's womb. People are people - they will always try to find an easy way out, even if it is illogical (or plain stupid). We must decide whether to listen to "people" or whether to listen to Maharaj. Are the words of Guru Gobind Singh meaningless? remember the shaheeds, Bhai Taru Singh, whose faith was so strong that even OTHERS couldn't remove his kes when they tried. Instead they had to remove his entire scalp. And we feel the need to remove our kes willingly :lol: . Maharaj's justice is fair. It is highly unlikely (impossible) that we will be let off lightly for submitting to the will of "people" instead of the eternal will of Akaal Purakh. ਰੋਮ ਰੋਮ ਮਹਿ ਬਸਹਿ ਮੁਰਾਰਿ ॥ On each and every hair, the Lord abides. In Gurbani there are plenty of quotes such as the one above - here is another example: http://www.sikhitothemax.com/page.asp?ShabadID=1650 As "bhenji" Guru Ji's Sipahi said, each hair we have can be used to jap Naam. The more the better. The only thing is that not everybody remembers this, or even knows it. Don't fall for their ignorance and join it. ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕੀਜੀਐ ਰੰਕੁ ਨ ਹਸੀਐ ਕੋਇ ॥ kabeer garab na keejee-ai rank na hasee-ai ko-ay. Kabeer, do not be so proud, and do not laugh at the poor. ਅਜਹੁ ਸੁ ਨਾਉ ਸਮੁੰਦ੍ਰ ਮਹਿ ਕਿਆ ਜਾਨਉ ਕਿਆ ਹੋਇ ॥੩੯॥ ajahu so naa-o samundar meh ki-aa jaan-o ki-aa ho-ay Your boat is still out at sea; who knows what will happen? “garab” = pride “rank” = poor (I think) “hasee-ai” = laugh “ajahu” = still “samundar” = sea “kia jaan-o” = who knows “ki-aa ho-ay” = what will happen (I know that’s got a copyright thingie on it, but I’m sure they won’t mind us using it. It’s for a good cause.) In Bhagat Kabeer Ji’s time, the caste system was on fire. Brahmins thought they were the best, and looked down on others. But even though we’re not Brahmins, it still applies to us. We see people living on the streets and avert our eyes in awkwardness, not even bothering to throw them a coin. Sometimes when we see people we negatively associate them with a group or sect, without stopping twice to think about why we think the way we do. What right do we have to judge other people? That’s not why we’re here. Only Maharaj knows what’s in store for us next. We might have been uneducated or homeless at one point in our many thousands of lives. Maybe we will be in the future. Bhagat Ji describes our body or soul as being a boat which is still sailing (usually unsteadily) across the ocean of the world or life. We can sink, drown or Maharaj can choose to take our boats away altogether. There's no point wasting our time passing judgements on others as we go about our daily lives. We don't know if we're going to get a another boat if we capsize. It's a big sea, and we're only small boats. :lol:: ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕੀਜੀਐ ਊਚਾ ਦੇਖਿ ਅਵਾਸੁ ॥ kabeer garab na keejee-ai oochaa daykh avaas. Kabeer, do not be so proud of your tall mansions. ਆਜੁ ਕਾਲ੍ਹ੍ਹਿ ਭੁਇ ਲੇਟਣਾ ਊਪਰਿ ਜਾਮੈ ਘਾਸੁ ॥੩੮॥ aaj kaaliH bhu-ay laytnaa oopar jaamai ghaas. Today or tomorrow, you shall lie beneath the ground, and the grass shall grow above you. “garab” = pride “oocha” = tall “daykh” = see “avaas” = mansion “aaj” = today “kaalih” = tomorrow “bhu-ay” = earth “laytnaa” = lay “oopar” = above “ghaas” = grass Picture the people in the world right now who are starving to death, with no shelter or central heating to keep them comfortable. I could have chosen a more disturbing image, but here's a picture of children searching for ants to eat. Thank God for the houses we have and the physical shelter he has provided us with. People who live on one meal a day and in severe poverty are often *happy* in that they are thankful with what little they have. They believe in Maharaj and have faith in Him. And yet we complain so much. What have we to be proud of? Are "our" possessions really ours? Our bodies will crumble away, and we'll return to the ground/ocean/air, for others to tread upon/swim in/breathe our remains :lol: . ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

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vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh :kid: s'all cleared up. we complicate so many things unecessarily. :lol:: vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh i have a feeling the english translation might be misleading here. where's Papi when you need him. why does it seem like the poet Dhanna is praying for all these worldly things? maybe he's comparing the hindu arti-stuff to his version of arti. hamaraa khusee karai nith jeeo || My mind shall ever be pleased. that line's a puzzler. maybe he's saying that whatever Maharaj gives him, he'll be pleased. yup, so i don't really know what i'm talking about. i was waiting for someone else to come along and explain, but no-one has :lol:. ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh Papi Ji, is there an audio link to Bhagat Fareed Ji's Baani? the couplet above reminds us that we can use everything around us to Jap Naam - for Bhagat Fareed Ji even the mud and dust invoked meditation on Maharaj. the first verse of Bhagat Fareed Ji's Baani above, beginning "ਜਿਤੁ ਦਿਹਾੜੈ ਧਨ ਵਰੀ ਸਾਹੇ ਲਏ ਲਿਖਾਇ ॥" just shows how carried away we are with our lives. with Baani like this there's not much you can really say. sometimes it just hits you. i'm going to re-post it just for emphasis. we can read it over and over and over and over again and it never loses any Truth and never fails to have an impact. we've wasted so much time. ਸਲੋਕ ਸੇਖ ਫਰੀਦ ਕੇ ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: ਜਿਤੁ ਦਿਹਾੜੈ ਧਨ ਵਰੀ ਸਾਹੇ ਲਏ ਲਿਖਾਇ ॥ The day of the bride's wedding is pre-ordained. ਮਲਕੁ ਜਿ ਕੰਨੀ ਸੁਣੀਦਾ ਮੁਹੁ ਦੇਖਾਲੇ ਆਇ ॥ On that day, the Messenger of Death, of whom she had only heard, comes and shows its face. ਜਿੰਦੁ ਨਿਮਾਣੀ ਕਢੀਐ ਹਡਾ ਕੂ ਕੜਕਾਇ ॥ It breaks the bones of the body and pulls the helpless soul out. ਸਾਹੇ ਲਿਖੇ ਨ ਚਲਨੀ ਜਿੰਦੂ ਕੂੰ ਸਮਝਾਇ ॥ That pre-ordained time of marriage cannot be avoided. Explain this to your soul. ਜਿੰਦੁ ਵਹੁਟੀ ਮਰਣੁ ਵਰੁ ਲੈ ਜਾਸੀ ਪਰਣਾਇ ॥ The soul is the bride, and death is the groom. He will marry her and take her away. ਆਪਣ ਹਥੀ ਜੋਲਿ ਕੈ ਕੈ ਗਲਿ ਲਗੈ ਧਾਇ ॥ After the body sends her away with its own hands, whose neck will it embrace? ਵਾਲਹੁ ਨਿਕੀ ਪੁਰਸਲਾਤ ਕੰਨੀ ਨ ਸੁਣੀ ਆਇ ॥ The bridge to hell is narrower than a hair; haven't you heard of it with your ears? ਫਰੀਦਾ ਕਿੜੀ ਪਵੰਦੀਈ ਖੜਾ ਨ ਆਪੁ ਮੁਹਾਇ ॥੧॥ Fareed, the call has come; be careful now - don't let yourself be robbed. vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

bumpity bumpity bump : )

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh in this case i don't think the dust is a metaphor for anything else. as harwinder singh said, it occupies the position underneath the feet while we live here and when we die it covers us. it's always there for us, no matter what we do to it. ...teaches us to think twice before looking down up things which we see as insignificant. their roles can be vital to us. we take things like water for granted, yet this deceptively simple, clear liquid sustains life all over the planet. maybe someone could do vichaar on bhagat fareed ji's baani :D . (*hint*hint*) ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕੀਜੀਐ ਚਾਮ ਲਪੇਟੇ ਹਾਡ ॥ kabeer garab na keejee-ai chaam lapaytay haad Kabeer, do not be so proud of your bones wrapped up in skin. ਹੈਵਰ ਊਪਰਿ ਛਤ੍ਰ ਤਰ ਤੇ ਫੁਨਿ ਧਰਨੀ ਗਾਡ ॥੩੭॥ haivar oopar chhatar tar tay fun Dharnee gaad Those who were on their horses and under their canopies were eventually buried under the ground. “garab” = ego “chaam” = skin “laptaytay” = wrapped “haad” = bones “haivar” = horse “chatar” = umbrella “tar” = under “fun” = eventually ”dharnee” = ground ”gaad” = bury Again Bhagat Kabeer Ji is reminding us that our body is a temporary gift from Maharaj. Essentially there’s no point in taking pride in ourselves or our bodies because these things aren’t even our own – nothing is. This is really hard to do but really easy to forget. We’re so wound up by our helter-skelter lives and only think about this when we’re finished all the other things we have to do. Not many people truly remember that their body is merely “bones wrapped in skin”. Bhagat Kabeer Ji is not telling us to forsake our body or starve ourself or make ourselves bleed like that albino guy in the Da Vinci Code. If someone gives us a gift, we tend to take care of it. The only difference with our bodies is that eventually Maharaj will take it back. When we speak bad words, we should remember that we’re abusing the lips Maharaj gave us, and are hurting others in the process. When we overeat or don’t exercise we’re not looking after our bodies properly. And of course, when we don’t follow Rehit or think about Maharaj we are not using our body in the way it was meant to be used. We can learn and appreciate so much by just looking around us – Bhagat Kabeer Ji tells us of mighty emperors and kings who take great care in adorning themselves with beautiful clothes and riches. (For more on this please watch the Queen’s recent Speech.) Everyday we see adverts on TV for anti-wrinkling cream, hair-dye and Gillette thingies. Was our body not made perfectly by Maharaj? Today I was told that earrings just “adorn” the body more. Was God not clever enough to design the body ready-adorned? These things undermine Maharaj’s Greatness. Of course in the bigger picture He’s the One who’s created this stuff in the first place, but it’s up to us to use the head He gave us to work out the logic behind them. No matter what we try to do to our body will end up as ash. The fixation and attachment we have with our bodies is something which we need to bear in mind, and which will eventually die away if we truly make an effort to remember Satguru Ji with our every breath. good times. :D: ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

yes.

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਹਾਡ ਜਰੇ ਜਿਉ ਲਾਕਰੀ ਕੇਸ ਜਰੇ ਜਿਉ ਘਾਸੁ ॥ kabeer haad jaray ji-o laakree kays jaray ji-o ghaas Kabeer, the bones burn like wood, and the hair burns like straw. ਇਹੁ ਜਗੁ ਜਰਤਾ ਦੇਖਿ ਕੈ ਭਇਓ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਉਦਾਸੁ ॥੩੬॥ ih jag jartaa daykh kai bha-i-o kabeer udaas Seeing the world burning like this, Kabeer has become sad. “haad” = bone “jarey” = burnt “laakri” = wood “kes” = hair “ghaas” = straw “jag” = world “bha-i-o” = occurring “jarta” = burning In this Salok Bhagat Kabeer Ji uses the image of a body being cremated on a funeral pyre. The bones of the human body will eventually turn to dust, and the hair burns easily like straw. The body is reduced to ashes easily, showing us that our body is only temporary and won’t last, no matter how attached we are to it. The second line of this Salok could probably mean two (or more) things. Bhagat Kabeer Ji knows that there are very few people in the world who are appreciating the true value of life, and so might as well have their bodies burnt here and now. We were put here to remember Maharaj and to merge back into Him, but if we’re not even making the effort or have no idea of this concept then there’s no point in even living. It could be that knowing this has made Bhagat Kabeer Ji sad for all the lost souls out there. But would Bhagat Ji really be sad about anything? It could also mean that after seeing a body burn so easily like this, it has made Bhagat Ji realize that life and time is precious. As a result he has given up being attached to worldly things and now constantly meditates on the Maharaj, the King of Kings. Anyway, the point is that we forget our body is temporary. We think our life revolves around only us and that our life will continue ahead until we’re like 87ish. With this in our heads we live everyday as if we’ll always have tomorrow to Jap Naam. Instead we should be living everyday as if it were our last. So often we forget that death could be tomorrow or today or even now. Maharaj can make anything happen. Although Sikhi is not only about remembering death, it can help us a lot in doing simran and eventually, hopefully, falling in love with Maharaj. :D: ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.g...=5&id=44180 ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਲੋਗ ਨਹੀ ਜਮੁ ਮਾਰੈ ॥ har kay log nahee jam maarai. Death cannot strike down the people of the Lord. ਨਾ ਦੁਖੁ ਦੇਖਹਿ ਪੰਥਿ ਕਰਾਰੈ ॥ naa dukh daykheh panth karaarai. They do not see pain on the most difficult path. ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਘਟ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਪੂਜਾ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜਾ ਕਾਹਾ ਹੇ ॥੧੪॥ raam naam ghat antar poojaa avar na doojaa kaahaa hay. Deep within the nucleus of their hearts, they worship and adore the Lord's Name; there is nothing else at all for them. ||14|| it depends on the way we see things - a human with no limbs can still achieve their purpose in life, but they would have to look past the apparent barriers - most people would think it's terrible to have no limbs. but i know disabled people who will smile and say it's all God's sweet Will, inspiring others in the process. we can ask if it's a "punishment" to have OCD, or we can thank God for everything else we have and continue meditating on His greatness. the second option is harder, but is a better use of time. who knows, maybe it's part of your karams. but what will knowing do? i'm sure if God wants you to know then He will tell you. our minds can only take so much. if we look at it deeply, God loves us. everyone has tests to pass, maybe yours is to love God whilst having OCD. we never know, but all we can do is try. ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਬੇੜਾ ਜਰਜਰਾ ਫੂਟੇ ਛੇਂਕ ਹਜਾਰ ॥ kabeer bayrhaa jarjaraa footay chhayNk hajaar Kabeer, the boat is old, and it has thousands of holes. ਹਰੂਏ ਹਰੂਏ ਤਿਰਿ ਗਏ ਡੂਬੇ ਜਿਨ ਸਿਰ ਭਾਰ ॥੩੫॥ haroo-ay haroo-ay tir ga-ay doobay jin sir bhaar Those who are light get across, while those who carry the weight of their sins on their heads are drowned. “bayrhaa” = raft, boat “jarjara” = old, rusty “footay” = flimsy, broken “chhaynk” = hole “hazaar” = 1000 “haroo-ay” = light “tir” = small “sir” = head “bhaar” = heavy In this Salok Bhagat Kabeer Ji describes the world as being a terrible ocean. We’re all in the same ocean and are all trying to get across it. In order to cross it successfully we need a decent, strong boat full of good deeds. However, whilst trying to survive in the dreadful ocean we don’t often make the time to do good stuff. The majority of us won’t have brewed Maharaj’s love inside our hearts and are too worried about other short-term worldly crazes. As a result, we grow old and our boat is all cracked and full of holes created by our lack of attention to Maharaj. (ਬੇੜਾ ਜਰਜਰਾ ਫੂਟੇ ਛੇਂਕ ਹਜਾਰ ) We drown in our fear of death, carrying all the weight of our sins on our heads (ਡੂਬੇ ਜਿਨ ਸਿਰ ਭਾਰ). Sometimes we only realize the Truth on our deathbeds or even later than that. “Good deeds” are not enough to ensure our safety over the ocean. It’s like trying to bake a vegetarian cake without any flour. The true ingredient is not there if we don’t love our King. Only the people who are light, without the burden of sins on their heads will be able to cross the ocean. Those people will see Maharaj in everyone, no matter what their actions, and their minds are not distracted from their Beloved by worldly desires. They will be madly in love of Akaal Purakh, and will probably seem crazy yet beautiful to people around them. Imagine loving the people who really get on our nerves, or never getting angry when things don’t happen the way we want them to happen. Imagine a forum where no-one attacked each other and people respected each other’s views. Having said that, it would be less amusing. Hukam. I wonder if anyone’s actually reading this. *vaheguru*vaheguru*vaheguru* :D: ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh For these Saloks I've been using a number of different resources: 1. www.sikhitothemax.com 2. www.srigranth.org 3. www.kettering.edu/~bguru/KABIR 4. Bhai Manmohan Singh's Senchiaan of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji 5. www.google.com for the pictures. I've tried hard not to plagiarise, but if it's happened anyway, then it was for a good cause lol and I hope Guru Ji will forgive me. :D ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਊਜਲ ਪਹਿਰਹਿ ਕਾਪਰੇ ਪਾਨ ਸੁਪਾਰੀ ਖਾਹਿ ॥ kabeer oojal pahirahi kaapray paan supaaree khaahi Kabeer, some wear gaudy robes, and chew betel leaves and betel nuts. ਏਕਸ ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨੁ ਬਾਧੇ ਜਮ ਪੁਰਿ ਜਾਂਹਿ ॥੩੪॥ aykas har kay naam bin baaDhay jam pur jaaNhi Without the Name of the One Lord, they are bound and gagged and taken to the City of Death. “oojal” = fancy “kaapray” = clothes “supaaree” = betel nut “khaahi” = eat “aykas” = of the one “baadhay” = tied up “jam” = of death “pur” = city Betel nuts have been symbolic in many parts of the world for a variety of issues such as marriage, piety and fertility. People would chew betel nuts and betel leaves for their properties; they were sweet-smelling and freshened breath. Betel also turns your saliva red. Apparently it's carcinogenic too, but that’s not the point :D . Bhagat Kabeer Ji tells us of people who constantly think of “beautifying” their bodies, getting engrossed in worldly desires in the process. In Bhagat Ji’s time, they would wear clean, new clothes and use things like betel to freshen their breaths or colour their lips. Similar modern-day situations include so-called Mahapurakhs dressing in white and making themselves look all holy and good, when they might be doing bad things behind closed doors, curtains or walls. Also, when we go to the Gurdwara and dress in our best clothes or don magnificent Shastar in our Dastaars, looking like we’re the most Chardikala of all. The point is that people might dress themselves up on the outside to look good, but the inside needs to be as good. Maharaj doesn’t tell us to dress in rags, He tells us to dress appropriately and simply. The only way to make ourselves pure from inside is by focusing on Naaaaaam. It washes our inner-dirt away like pure alpine springs run crystal-clear water down mountains cleansing everything in their path. Gurbani gives us all the answers we will ever need in life. When will we wake up and realize this? Only when the icy water drenches our burning souls. There’s no point displaying outwardly shows of holiness if we’re black and rotting on the inside. We will gain nothing apart from an uprising of ego within us, and in the long run we’ll be screwed. Without Maharaj’s guidance and meditation we will be dragged in front of Dharamraj the Judge and God knows what might happen to us after that. God knows everything. He can see everything no matter how hard we try to hide it. Would our King really care what other people thought of us, what impression they got of us from our appearance? We should listen to Him more often. Those Gurmukhs who follow Satguru Ji and implement Gurbani in every second of everyday of their lives have nothing to fear about Death. Dharamraj will not be able to judge them – their life accounts will be ripped up and they’ll have a siddha one-way ticket to Sachkhand, unless of course Maharaj has a job for them. Only He knows. So don’t rely on nuts to get you to Akaal Purakh. : ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਕਸਉਟੀ ਰਾਮ ਕੀ ਝੂਠਾ ਟਿਕੈ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥ kabeer kasa-utee raam kee jhoothaa tikai na ko-ay Kabeer, no one who is false can withstand the Touchstone of the Lord. ਰਾਮ ਕਸਉਟੀ ਸੋ ਸਹੈ ਜੋ ਮਰਿ ਜੀਵਾ ਹੋਇ ॥੩੩॥ raam kasa-utee so sahai jo mar jeevaa ho-ay He alone can pass the test of the Lord's Touchstone, who remains dead while yet alive. “kasa-utee” = touchstone “jhootha” = false “tikai” = withstand “sahai” = pass (the test) “mar” = dead “jeeva” = live Touchstones were stones which were used to test the purity of gold and silver. They were rubbed with the precious metal and the purity was established by the colour of the streak which remained on the touchstone. Here, Bhagat Kabeer Ji uses this concept to depict the test of love for Maharaj – aka Life. Bhagat Kabeer Ji tells us in this Salok that anyone “false” will not pass the test of their sincere love for Maharaj. When trying to be Grusikhs we should focus on loving Maharaj the way He loves us, and accepting everything He does, thanking Him for everything that happens. Too often we concentrate on avoiding the Jamdoots or going to Sachkhand, although this can sometimes inspire people coming into Sikhi to Jap Naam. What are the criteria for being “false”? I think this means anything/anyone not in line with Gurmat. We do things for our own materialistic desires, to gain status in the world or to be highly regarded by the people around us. To understand what Gumat is we need to read Gurbani and contemplate on it as much as we can. There’s no point in living if we don’t even know what our Satguru Ji is saying to us. Maharaj is constantly testing us, giving us opportunities to show our love for Him, if we have any. As Gurbani constantly tells us, Sikhi is not a part-time job. We have to submit to Maharaj’s divine laws completely in order to truly love Him. We can’t think about ourselves at the same time as thinking about Him, because most of us are still in the state of duality, where Maharaj and “us” are separate entities. The being-dead-whilst-alive scenario is the way to go :D but of course it’s much easier said that done (understatement). Bhagat Kabeer Ji’s mentioned it a lot in the previous couplets to this one. : ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਝੰਖੁ ਨ ਝੰਖੀਐ ਤੁਮਰੋ ਕਹਿਓ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥ kabeer jhankh na jhankhee-ai tumro kahi-o na ho-ay Kabeer, do not struggle in stubborn pride; nothing happens just because you say so. ਕਰਮ ਕਰੀਮ ਜੁ ਕਰਿ ਰਹੇ ਮੇਟਿ ਨ ਸਾਕੈ ਕੋਇ ॥੩੨॥ karam kareem jo kar rahay mayt na saakai ko-ay No-one can erase the actions of the Merciful Lord. “jhankh” = struggle, rave “tumro” = yours “kahi-o” = say “karam” = action “kareem” = Merciful Lord “mayt” = erase In this Salok, Bhagat Kabeer Ji describes the way most of us live our lives – getting worried about little things, arguing about little things and forgetting Maharaj as a result. Usually we forget Maharaj when we think about ourselves too much. Self-reflection is good in moderate quantities in order to improve ourselves, but the ultimate way to improve is to remember Mahara at all times. Sometimes no matter how hard we try to do something, we fail; either because we haven’t done ardas with full faith, or simple because it’s Maharaj’s Hukam. We can complain, cry and get angry all we like, but at the end of the day it won’t change things, it won’t make us better people, it won’t create positivity and pretty much it’s pointless. Our job is to learn from what happens and to thank Maharaj for everything, even though it may seem harsh at the time. We need to smile and get on with our lives instead of dwelling on the past and questioning Maharaj’s Hukam over and over again. All this time could be spent japping Naam, which would calm us down eternally. People can deny the existence of God for their entire lives, and try to feel in control of their lives, but they can never succeed. Apart from the pointlessness of it, there’s nothing the “non-believers” can do to prevent Maharaj from essentially doing all the things which make them (and us) complain*. The only way to change our destinies is if we turn to Maharaj and do ardas to help us remember Him and abide by His Hukam. [in the bigger picture our King knows everything; what will happen before or after we do Ardas. Nothing is possible without Him. No-one can change the past, but only He can change the future. However, we’ve been put on this planet for a reason, and that reason is to merge with Maharaj. On this level, it’s up to us to take the baby steps towards Akaal Purakh which will lead to us falling in love with Him.] *There is no “them” and “us” – we’re all One and the same, with the same light in each of us. I just didn’t know how to put it another way. :D: ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰਾ ਤੁਹੀ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਤੂ ਤੇਰੋ ਨਾਉ ਕਬੀਰੁ ॥ kabeeraa tuhee kabeer too tayro naa-o kabeer Kabeer, you are Kabeer; your name means great. ਰਾਮ ਰਤਨੁ ਤਬ ਪਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਪਹਿਲੇ ਤਜਹਿ ਸਰੀਰੁ ॥੩੧॥ raam ratan tab paa-ee-ai ja-o pahilay tajeh sareer O Lord, You are Kabeer. The Jewel of the Lord is obtained, when the mortal first gives up his body. “kabeer” = great “ratan” = jewel “tajeh” = give up, leave “sareer” = body One of the many beauties of Gurbani is that it gives us all the answers we need in life. It’s just up to us whether to pay attention or not. In this Salok Bhagat Kabeer Ji tells us how to obtain the Jewel of Maharaj. In the first line of this Salok, Bhagat Ji uses his name to depict the fact that Maharaj is “great” (understatement). But the way to truly realise this Greatness is letting go of our bodies. To most of us this concept is unimaginable – we’re attached to our bodies without even realising it. We have to understand that the body is not ours; that it was a gift given to us by Maharaj in order for us to survive in this world. The purpose of our body is to use it the way Maharaj wanted – remembering Him as we promised we would, and living a life according to Gurmat, through the Rehat set down by our Gurus. Every minute of the day we forget that our body is Maharaj’s when we get carried away with our problems and issues. He has the power to give and power to take away. “Our” body was never ours to begin with. In order to have just an inkling of what it’s like to give up our bodies for Maharaj, all we have to do is think of the millions of Shaheeds in our panth such as Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Ji. And we complain when we get paper-cuts :D . (Another key point is to make a true effort to see Maharaj’s light in everyone – even if they have different opinions than us, or if they treat us like dirt. We will never be able to feel/see/live/hear Maharaj properly if we can’t see Him in the people who surround us everyday.) : ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਮਾਨਸ ਜਨਮੁ ਦੁਲੰਭੁ ਹੈ ਹੋਇ ਨ ਬਾਰੈ ਬਾਰ ॥ kabeer maanas janam dulambh hai ho-ay na baarai baar Kabeer, it is so difficult to obtain this human body; it does not just come over and over again. ਜਿਉ ਬਨ ਫਲ ਪਾਕੇ ਭੁਇ ਗਿਰਹਿ ਬਹੁਰਿ ਨ ਲਾਗਹਿ ਡਾਰ ॥੩੦॥ ji-o ban fal paakay bhu-ay gireh bahur na laageh daar It is like the ripe fruit on the tree; when it falls to the ground, it cannot be re-attached to the branch. “manas” = human “janam” = life “dulamb” = difficult “barai” = again “ban” = forest “fal” = fruit “bhu-ay” = earth “gireh” = fall “bahur” = again (as in re-attached) “laageh” = attached “daar” = branch In this Salok, Bhagat Kabeer Ji stresses the importance of human life. Imagine a forest with dense foliage and undergrowth, with a tree bearing fruit. The fruit is valuable – the main point of the tree. But when it is ripe, it falls to the ground and cannot be re-attached to the branch it came from. Either it will be lost in the undergrowth, will be eaten by passing animals or will simply disintegrate and be lost forever. In the same way, our life is steadily ripening in that we are growing older each second, and time is running out. We have travelled through millions of life-forms to reach this one – human life is the highest life form possible. And we’re ultra-blessed to know what Sikhi is, and ultra-fortunate to have had such good karams. Yet we’re wasting our time away. We know that one day our life will run out – the fruit will ripen and fall of the tree eventually – yet we try to avoid thinking about it. It’s only by remembering death, and remembering Maharaj that we can remove the attachment we have for this world. If we don’t utilise this chance and make a sincere effort to follow Gursikhi and Satguru Ji, then essentially no-one is to blame but ourselves. In everyday situations we find ourselves failing tiny battles which we don’t even notice – things like laughing at people or talking about them behind their backs. We’re too weak to stand up and tell our supposed friends or those around us that we want no part in anti-gurmat thinking. We get sucked into it without realising it. If we tried to remember Maharaj at every opportunity, and prayed to Him in *full* faith, this wouldn’t happen. Unfortunately for many of us, it’s only when we snuff it that we’ll realise how important this is. :D: ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

*not sure why this ended up being posted twice :D - if admin have time, please delete this topic*

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਮਰਤਾ ਮਰਤਾ ਜਗੁ ਮੂਆ ਮਰਿ ਭੀ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ਕੋਇ ॥ kabeer martaa martaa jag moo-aa mar bhee na jaani-aa ko-ay Kabeer, dying, dying, the whole world has to die, and yet, none know how to die. ਐਸੇ ਮਰਨੇ ਜੋ ਮਰੈ ਬਹੁਰਿ ਨ ਮਰਨਾ ਹੋਇ ॥੨੯॥ aisay marnay jo marai bahur na marnaa ho-ay Let those who die, die such a death, that they shall never have to die again. “marta” = dying “jag” = world “jaani-aa” = know “bahur” = again Bhagat Kabeer Ji highlights one of the fundamental certainties in life in this Salok – the fact that someday, we all must die. The translation given up above is quite literal and this Salok can be interpreted on more than one level. Firstly physical death – most of the people in the world are basically living in order to die (eventually). Not many of us realise how important death is, and how valuable this life is. We fear death, not realising that we can eradicate that fear by meditating on Maharaj at every opportunity we get. We don’t realise that we could die any day or any minute, and that it is all Maharaj’s sweet Hukam. We’re more interested in having a nice time – but this life is hardly a second of our existence. The only reason we think of things as having time limitations is because of the Sun – it goes from East to West and we think a day has passed. Maharaj is not limited by ‘time’. But Maharaj says we have been through countless life-forms to become human – we’ve been elephants and mountains. If we imagine the time-span of a mountain’s existence, it gives us only a tiny inkling of how long we’ve waited and how valuable this life is. Yet we throw away what we have by forgetting Maharaj who has given us everything. For Gurmukhs who make full use of this chance it’s possible to merge with Maharaj within this life itself. When their physical bodies died, Dharamraj would bow down to them and rip up their life-account, having no power to judge those Gurmukhs who have so lovingly submitted their entire bodies and minds to their King. Their would be no more wandering through the 8.4 million lives, and everlasting peace. Secondly; the other type of death, where the mind is cooled and calmed instead of burning away through Maya and other vices. I’ve heard some say that every soul in the world is waiting to be liberated and that one day Kaljug will be overcome and every soul will Jap Naam. I’m not sure of the Panktee which backs this idea up. Spiritual death has been mentioned before in Bhagat Kabeer Ji’s Saloks – involving the concept of surrendering *everything* to Akaal Purakh; our bodies, souls, minds, everything. I can’t describe this state of mind. How we can be saved. There are probably more, deeper meanings to this Salok – as there are for every limb in Gurbani. Time is short right now, but please add more ideas if there is a need to :D . : vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਮਰਤਾ ਮਰਤਾ ਜਗੁ ਮੂਆ ਮਰਿ ਭੀ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ਕੋਇ ॥ kabeer martaa martaa jag moo-aa mar bhee na jaani-aa ko-ay Kabeer, dying, dying, the whole world has to die, and yet, none know how to die. ਐਸੇ ਮਰਨੇ ਜੋ ਮਰੈ ਬਹੁਰਿ ਨ ਮਰਨਾ ਹੋਇ ॥੨੯॥ aisay marnay jo marai bahur na marnaa ho-ay Let those who die, die such a death, that they shall never have to die again. “marta” = dying “jag” = world “jaani-aa” = know “bahur” = again Bhagat Kabeer Ji highlights one of the fundamental certainties in life in this Salok – the fact that someday, we all must die. The translation given up above is quite literal and this Salok can be interpreted on more than one level. Firstly physical death – most of the people in the world are basically living in order to die (eventually). Not many of us realise how important death is, and how valuable this life is. We fear death, not realising that we can eradicate that fear by meditating on Maharaj at every opportunity we get. We don’t realise that we could die any day or any minute, and that it is all Maharaj’s sweet Hukam. We’re more interested in having a nice time – but this life is hardly a second of our existence. The only reason we think of things as having time limitations is because of the Sun – it goes from East to West and we think a day has passed. Maharaj is not limited by ‘time’. But Maharaj says we have been through countless life-forms to become human – we’ve been elephants and mountains. If we imagine the time-span of a mountain’s existence, it gives us only a tiny inkling of how long we’ve waited and how valuable this life is. Yet we throw away what we have by forgetting Maharaj who has given us everything. For Gurmukhs who make full use of this chance it’s possible to merge with Maharaj within this life itself. When their physical bodies died, Dharamraj would bow down to them and rip up their life-account, having no power to judge those Gurmukhs who have so lovingly submitted their entire bodies and minds to their King. Their would be no more wandering through the 8.4 million lives, and everlasting peace. Secondly; the other type of death, where the mind is cooled and calmed instead of burning away through Maya and other vices. I’ve heard some say that every soul in the world is waiting to be liberated and that one day Kaljug will be overcome and every soul will Jap Naam. I’m not sure of the Panktee which backs this idea up. Spiritual death has been mentioned before in Bhagat Kabeer Ji’s Saloks – involving the concept of surrendering *everything* to Akaal Purakh; our bodies, souls, minds, everything. I can’t describe this state of mind. How we can be saved. There are probably more, deeper meanings to this Salok – as there are for every limb in Gurbani. Time is short right now, but please add more ideas if there is a need to :D . : vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh ਕਬੀਰ ਇਹੁ ਤਨੁ ਜਾਇਗਾ ਕਵਨੈ ਮਾਰਗਿ ਲਾਇ ॥ kabeer ih tan jaa-igaa kavnai maarag laa-ay Kabeer, this body shall perish; place it on the path. ਕੈ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਸਾਧ ਕੀ ਕੈ ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਗੁਨ ਗਾਇ ॥੨੮॥ kai sangat kar saaDh kee kai har kay gun gaa-ay Either join the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, or sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. "tan" = body "jaigaa" = leave "maarag" = path "gun" = praises "gaa-ay" = sing Continuing on from Bhagat Kabeer Ji's last Salok, our body will not be faithfully accompanying us to Dharamraj or beyond. And considering we could drop dead at any moment through any scenario, it's about time we got ourselves on the right track :D . This involves us completely submitting our bodies and minds to Maharaj and the way of live He taught us about. Usually we only sacrifice one ear to listen to Gurbani (but it goes straight out the other one) and maybe one or two fingers to do some good deeds. But we can't have the best of both worlds - no-one can be a manmukh and a gurmukh at the same time. Why would anyone want the best of both worlds anyway, when the Gurmukh-World is massively better than the Manmukh-World will ever be. In order to help us understand how to place ourselves on the right track, Gurbani gives us the answer (which we often ignore to suit ourselves). We need to seek out those like-minded people from whom we can learn more about Gurbani and Satguru Ji. They will influence us positively, sharing any knowledge they might have. Sometimes we find it easier to see Maharaj in those people than in the people we see on the street, but at least it's a starting point. It helps to be around people like this, but isn't often possible. Also we have to remember that we cannot rely on people - they are just human, with many of the same wekanesses and faults as ourselves. The main gift we've been given is Gurbani and Naam Simran - the ultimate way to praise Maharaj. So many times we make excuses for ourselves. We say we were too busy to remember Maharaj, or were concentrating too much on our worldy duties to focus on Him. But if we truly made an effort, it is possible to remember Maharaj with every breath we have. We have to make the first step - *actively* trying to meditate on Him as much as we possibly can. We don't have much time. : ~l~ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh