[salok] Bhagath Kabeer Jeeo Kae

[lowest of the low singhni]

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

[OhTwadi]

I have had this salok in the back of my head for a few days now, finally took some time to search for the thread.

To add to what you have written:

"rank" = poor (I think) - thats what mahan kosh says :TH:

When we hear the word poor, automatically it comes to mind that the person is poor in terms of money. But here, bhagat jee does not mention what kind of poor he is talking about. He just says, ਰੰਕੁ ਨ ਹਸੀਐ ਕੋਇ. Taking it a bit further, lets try to break it down.

Poor in terms of money: I think the first picture explains it nicely. I have seen people yell at the poor when they ask for food <_<

Poor in terms of health/body: Perhaps someone is not fully physically able to do something, we should lend a helping hand instead of laughing at them because maybe tommorrow we get in a accident and we endup in the same spot. I remember a while ago there was a thread on SS in which some had expressed that people who cannot walk should crawl up to guru sahib to matha tek. Perhaps they would like to reconsider their opinon.

Poor in terms of sikhi: The great Gurmukhs give pehra on this pankti, you will never see a avastha vala sikh laughing at someone who lacks in their sikhi, for watever reason. We see this happening too much these days especially between youth and its very disheartening. If Guru Sahib has done kirpa on someone and given the bakshish of naam/amrit, they should not go around looking down at people who have not been blessed yet. Because who knows, maybe tommrrow I will wake up and decide to do something terrible and fall off the path completely. ਅਜਹੁ ਸੁ ਨਾਉ ਸਮੁੰਦ੍ਰ ਮਹਿ ਕਿਆ ਜਾਨਉ ਕਿਆ ਹੋਇ ॥੩੯॥

We can continue to dissect the word "rank" but the above 3 cover the major ones.

Bhul Chuk Maaf. Sorry to bump such an old thread. Guru Rakha.

[lowest of the low singhni]

I remember a while ago there was a thread on SS in which some had expressed that people who cannot walk should crawl up to guru sahib to matha tek. Perhaps they would like to reconsider their opinon.

Our minds should be constantly crawling towards Guru Saheb to matha tek.

Sorry to bump such an old thread.

Next you will be saying you are sorry to talk about Gurbani : ) Don't be sorry baba.

[Demonic Warrior]

Pride is an illness that easily finishes ones spirituality, or decreases it. Bhai Rama singh ji mentions this in his book, in search of the true guru. That is why he said that Guru Nanak dev Ji brought two things from Saachkhand down to earth: Naam and Humility. To enter Saachkhand one needs a lot of both. By cleaning the shoes of the sangat one easily becomes humble, but to do a humble seva one must keep Naam in their mind, not be proud of the seva that they're doing. Naam jap at amritvela, ransbai and trying for 24/7 is how one will finally become humble. To enter Saram khand (two khands below Saachkhand) one finally does become humble, as one has walked in God's Will/Hukam to get to that Khand. So, that person will never fall, i.e. the boat will not sink. Even though, we should not be aiming for a khand, but to meet vaheguru Ji.

People judge others because they are either jealous, cannot understand what they see, or because they think of themselves to be "Perfect" and everyone else "Imperfect" - they're proud of what they have and what the other lacks. Gurbani says two things that we should do to become humble: the first is, treat others how we want to be treated (Kabeer Ji's line is: see others as we see ourselves), and the second is just as the sun shines on both the impure and the pure, equally, without hatred, so should we look upon everyone in a positive way that helps the other person in some way, and:

breham giaanee kai dhrisatt samaan ||

The God-conscious being looks upon all alike,

jaisae raaj ra(n)k ko laagai thul pavaan ||

like the wind, which blows equally upon the king and the poor beggar.

Actually, the best way to become humble is what Gurbani says, in which it describes numerous ways, for instance to be like the water, as it always flows down and never up, but then it says the water still changes from hot to cold coming to the conclusion in the end that we SHOULD BE LIKE GOD. Here it is:

ਕਬੀਰ ਰੋੜਾ ਹੋਇ ਰਹੁ ਬਾਟ ਕਾ ਤਜਿ ਮਨ ਕਾ ਅਭਿਮਾਨੁ ॥

Kabeer, let yourself be a pebble on the path; abandon your egotistical pride.

ਐਸਾ ਕੋਈ ਦਾਸੁ ਹੋਇ ਤਾਹਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਭਗਵਾਨੁ ॥੧੪੬॥

Such a humble slave shall meet the Lord God. ||146||

ਕਬੀਰ ਰੋੜਾ ਹੂਆ ਤ ਕਿਆ ਭਇਆ ਪੰਥੀ ਕਉ ਦੁਖੁ ਦੇਇ ॥

Kabeer, what good would it be, to be a pebble? It would only hurt the traveller on the path.

ਐਸਾ ਤੇਰਾ ਦਾਸੁ ਹੈ ਜਿਉ ਧਰਨੀ ਮਹਿ ਖੇਹ ॥੧੪੭॥

Your slave, O Lord, is like the dust of the earth. ||147||

ਕਬੀਰ ਖੇਹ ਹੂਈ ਤਉ ਕਿਆ ਭਇਆ ਜਉ ਉਡਿ ਲਾਗੈ ਅੰਗ ॥

Kabeer, what then, if one could become dust? It is blown up by the wind, and sticks to the body.

ਹਰਿ ਜਨੁ ਐਸਾ ਚਾਹੀਐ ਜਿਉ ਪਾਨੀ ਸਰਬੰਗ ॥੧੪੮॥

The humble servant of the Lord should be like water, which cleans everything. ||148||

ਕਬੀਰ ਪਾਨੀ ਹੂਆ ਤ ਕਿਆ ਭਇਆ ਸੀਰਾ ਤਾਤਾ ਹੋਇ ॥

Kabeer, what then, if one could become water? It becomes cold, then hot.

ਹਰਿ ਜਨੁ ਐਸਾ ਚਾਹੀਐ ਜੈਸਾ ਹਰਿ ਹੀ ਹੋਇ ॥੧੪੯॥

The humble servant of the Lord should be just like the Lord. ||149||

[lowest of the low singhni]

Gurbani as it is often said is an ocean and when we take it gurbani in the literal sense all we do is grasp the water at the top of the ocean. To reach the real jewels contained in Gurbani we have to dive hundreds of thousands of metres and it is only through this knowledge that we can do. However knowledge alone is not enough, it is a mere diving suit, of far greater importance is the love for the biggest jewel of them all, the beautiful feet of Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj.

[Demonic Warrior]

To grasp the actual meaning of Gurbani you have to be a GURMUKH - gurmukh as in Saint. To become Gurmukh is to become one with Gurbani. No one other then a Gurmukh can really understand gurbani.

[lowest of the low singhni]

But for now we should share the little we understand right?

[Demonic Warrior]

Glad you agree.