Eae Man Maeriaa

humble_kaur · October 18, 2005

rwmklI mhlw 3 Anµdu

ey mn myirAw qU sdw rhu hir nwly ]

O my mind, remain always with the Lord.

hir nwil rhu qU mMn myry dUK siB ivswrxw ]

Remain always with the Lord, O my mind, and all sufferings will be forgotten.

AMgIkwru Ehu kry qyrw kwrj siB svwrxw ]

He will accept You as His own, and all your affairs will be perfectly arranged.

sBnw glw smrQu suAwmI so ikau mnhu ivswry ]

Our Lord and Master is all-powerful to do all things, so why forget Him from your mind?

khY nwnku mMn myry sdw rhu hir nwly ]2]

Says Nanak, O my mind, remain always with the Lord. ||2||

This shabad is a composition of the Third Guru, Guru Amardas Ji Maharaj. As you know, this shabad is part of Sri Anand Sahib Ji Maharaj. Guru Amardas presents to us the concept of the mind. Whenever the mind has been discussed in Gurbani, it has either been viewed negatively or positively. It has either been accepted or condemned. At first this paradox may seem confusing. Further investigation of Shabad Guru reveals to us that mind exists as a spectrum. At one extreme of the spectrum we have the individualistic mind, and at the other extreme the universal mind. When the Third Guru says,

ey mn myirAw qU sdw rhu hir nwly ]

O my mind, remain always with the Lord.

He is referring to the universal mind. He inspires us to resonate with a universal outlook. His motivation is for us to remain connected with God’s, Waheguru’s vibration. Indeed, it is the universal mind which is capable of remaining in tune with the vibration of Shabad Guru.

qU sdw rhu hir nwly

His emotions of longing are evident when he says to Waheguru, “It is only when one’s mind is focused upon the light of Shabad, that all stress, pain, worry, conflict are eradicated.

hir nwil rhu qU mMn myry dUK siB ivswrxw ]

Remain always with the Lord, O my mind, and all sufferings will be forgotten.

Each of these mind’s states has a distinct thought process. As we know thoughts create choices, choices can manifest into actions, and actions have consequences. Let us begin with the individualistic mind. In this context, Gurbani describes the individualistic mind as being very closed. It is narrow in its outlook. The individualistic mind wishes only to benefit itself and will avoid pain at all costs. In this regard, it will constantly analyze and place limitations on situations, people, events, and circumstances to ensure that it avoids pain. However, with limitations, there cannot be total acceptance of truth. God, the Almighty Supreme Power, has no limits. He is without limitations. Thus, to connect with the Supreme Master requires a limitless mind. To understand this, we have to appreciate the Guru’s Wisdom when He says,

mn kw sUqku loBu hY ijhvw sUqku kUVu ]

The impurity of the mind is greed, and the impurity of the tongue is falsehood.

The thought process of the individualistic mind is driven by lobh, or greed. Greed is impatient. Greed wants. It has expectations. Greed does not have time. It cannot wait. As long as desires are being fed, the individualistic mind will be content, regardless of how others may be affected around them. However, the greed driven thought process will invariably lead to choices with unfruitful consequences. The Guru instructs us that the individualistic mind, amidst its hurriness and disregard for others, will experience pain at some point. This is when anger takes birth.

mn mih k®oDu mhw AhMkwrw ]

Within the mind dwell anger and massive ego.

pUjw krih bhuqu ibsQwrw ]

Worship services are performed with great pomp and ceremony. (pg.1348)

On the other hand, the thought process of the universal mind is driven by sehaj, contentment, and satisfaction with the environment inside of and outside the individual. As a result, the universal mind is an open vessel. This openness allows it to be the perfect vessel for the vibration of shabad. It is accepting and does not impose limitations on people, events, and circumstances. The universal state is one in which you live life as life pleases. It is a mind state which lives in the present and is not caught up in the past or future. It accepts and is open to the natural course of life; the natural occurrences of events and situations.

Indeed, we are able to understand these two extremes if we appreciate the driving force of the thought process. Lobh is impatient, sehaj is the definition of impatience. Lobh has wants and expectations, sehaj has no conditions. Lobh seeks and searches for the material, sehaj craves for the immaterial.

myrw mnu locY gur drsn qweI ]

My mind longs for the Blessed Vision of the Guru's Darshan.

blp kry cwiqRk kI inAweI ]

It cries out like the thirsty song-bird. (pg.96)

Sehaj will keep you in tune with yourself, your surroundings and Waheguru. It becomes the ideal spiritual arena where His Protectiveness glances upon you and His Hand is by your side fulfilling your tasks.

AMgIkwru Ehu kry qyrw kwrj siB svwrxw ]

He will accept You as His own, and all your affairs will be perfectly arranged.

Sehaj will never allow you to forget who the Supreme Power is.

sBnw glw smrQu suAwmI so ikau mnhu ivswry ]

Our Lord and Master is all-powerful to do all things, so why forget Him from your mind?

Sehaj allows you to constantly appreciate His Power, smrQ. Until we are stuck at the individualistic level, we will continue to live our life in doubts and fears. So He encourages us to strive towards the universal mind, sehaj.

An interesting story. It involves a saint and an old woman. The saint was walking along his usual path in the early morning reciting his prayers. In his hands he was carrying a tiny pot. He came upon a woman’s home. The saint shouted, “Oh mother! Could you please give me some flour, (some atta).” The woman quickly appeared at the door, and was very pleased to the saint. She quickly welcomed him in. She asked the saint to bless her. The fakir, the saint, first said, “Could you please give me some flour.” He handed her the pot. As she went into the kitchen, she took out the flour, she opened the pot, she removed the lid, and she saw that the pot was full of dirt. She looked at the saint, and with some anger, she said to him, “Sant Ji! How can I put flour in here. It’s filthy, it’s full of dirt. There’s no room.” The saint smiled and said to the woman, “Just as this pot has no room for flour because it is full of filth, dear mother, how do you expect to be blessed when your vessel is full of anger and blemished with ego?” As he said these words, her realization manifested as tears. As the tears trickled down her cheeks, the saint said, “These tears, dear mother, will wash away the filth and bring a new awakening into your life.”

We too, can experience this awakening. Each time we bow our heads to the Guru, let this beautiful meeting, this wondrous moment become a constant reminder for you. A reminder to let go of those thoughts which causes to become astray from the shabad vibration. Accept the Guru’s math, or wisdom, which will unite us with the Universal Power. May the universal mind remain with Waheguru.

khY nwnku mMn myry sdw rhu hir nwly ]2]

Says Nanak, O my mind, remain always with the Lord. ||2||

Indeed, victory over the mind is equivalent to conquering the world.

AweI pMQI sgl jmwqI min jIqY jgu jIqu ]

See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world. (pg.6)

Let us all be inspired to conquer the individualistic mind and become victorious with the universe.

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This beautiful shabad by Bhai Onkar Singh has left me speechless. Just sitting here right now, my body is still feeling the vibrations. I have written out his katha so that you can read it as you listen to the shabad.

ey mn myirAw

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