Ardaas Part 2

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Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh

Sangat Jeeo, new article uploaded on Abhiyaas Blog called "Ardaas part 2"

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh

[Crazy Baba]

i can only see ardas part 1 my jolly good friend

[www.abhiyaas.co.uk]

Ardaas part 2

As one advances spiritually ones Ardaas will change. From asking for worldly things, whilst seeking spiritual uplift arises a new wave of observing the world. One starts to see very little in worldly things, and starts to understand how the world is a drowning ocean, which they wish to be saved from. This then causes the soul to make the following prayer;

mo kau qwir ly rwmw qwir ly ]

Carry me across, O Lord, carry me across.

mY Ajwnu jnu qirby n jwnau bwp bITulw bwh dy ]1] rhwau ]

I am ignorant, and I do not know how to swim. O my Beloved Father, please give me Your arm. ||1||Pause||

Just as a child grows older and becomes bored of toys, sweets and other things that they were attached to. In the same way the seeker starts to loose their desires and pleasures which once held them back from meeting Waheguru Jee. This is when the struggle begins.

The two sides

When one starts doing Ardaas like the above they will have a struggle between the two sides of their mind. One side will be luring you into these desires and pleasures whilst the other side would be in agony when under-going such actions. The "good" side will feel that most of the time it has lost when the "bad" side has won. Many have fallen in this struggle between doing good or bad actions.

Daas gets a lot of e-mails from Gursikhs, asking questions about how to tackle Kaami (lustful) thoughts or dreams. Daas can see that they are at the stage where they feel defeated from the bad side. One must realise that they must keep doing Ardaas to Guru Sahib who will bless the seeker with guidance on how to avoid having such lustful thoughts or dreams. Realisation is the biggest key at this stage.

Kwq pIq Kylq hsq Brmy jnm Anyk ]

Eating, drinking, playing and laughing, I have wandered through countless incarnations.

Bvjl qy kwFhu pRBU nwnk qyrI tyk ]1]

Please, God, lift me up and out of the terrifying world-ocean. Nanak seeks Your Support. ||1||

At this stage one realises the above and seeks guidance from waheguru jee.

Learning from mistakes

At this stage one will continue to make mistakes. One will seek for forgiveness from waheguru jee, every time a mistake is committed and will learn from it. This trial and error practise enables the relationship between the Guru and his Sikh to become stronger. This is when the seed of your Sikhi begins to grow, when it is watered, fertilized, and nurtured properly then it will begin to flourish. One will learn from their mistakes, move on and make the effort not to make the same mistakes again.

One important quality to have at this stage is control, not to let negative thoughts arise in your mind. When one commits a mistake one will repent, but what good is repenting if you are not going to make the effort to move on and not to commit the same mistake again. Keeping negative thoughts in your heart will hinder your progress on Naam Abhiyaas, as your focus is not on Naam, but the negative action you have performed. It is all to do with trial and error, experiencing, and exploring new ways to overcome the "bad" side which gives into temptation.

Mental ailment

Only through deep prayer can we free ourselves of mental illnesses which pollute our mind. Once we obtain the understanding that we are not in control of our mind, we realise that the only way to clean our mind is with naam simran.

koit krn dIjih pRB pRIqm hir gux suxIAih AibnwsI rwm ]

Please bless me, O Beloved God, with millions of ears, with which I may hear the Glorious Praises of the Imperishable Lord.

suix suix iehu mnu inrmlu hovY ktIAY kwl kI PwsI rwm ]

Listening, listening to these, this mind becomes spotless and pure, and the noose of Death is cut.

When we suffer from a physical illness such as a fever or a headache, we immediately try to cure our illnesses with medicine. However, when it comes to curing the ailments of the mind then generally we do not care to put much effort into overcoming the problem. Only through ailments of the mind do we have ailments of the body. For example an alcoholic may have an addiction to alcohol but even though they might have the knowledge to know the negative effects of drinking alcohol, they continue to drink which causes ailments to the body.

At this stage it is important to clean the mind through Gurmat Naam by taking Amrit and receiving Naam from the Panj Piyare. Only after receiving Naam can one start on this Gurmat Shabad – Surat da Marg (single-minded devotional repetition of Naam) to clean the ailments of the mind. The spiritual seeker should humbly pray:

kwnVw mhlw 5 ]

kuicl kTor kpt kwmI ]

ijau jwnih iqau qwir suAwmI ]1] rhwau ]

qU smrQu srin jogu qU rwKih ApnI kl Dwir ]1]

jwp qwp nym suic sMjm nwhI ien ibDy Cutkwr ]

grq Gor AMD qy kwFhu pRB nwnk ndir inhwir ]2]8]19]

Kaanraa, Fifth Mehla:

I am filthy, hard-hearted, deceitful and obsessed with sexual desire.

Please carry me across, as You wish, O my Lord and Master. ||1||Pause||

You are All-powerful and Potent to grant Sanctuary. Exerting Your Power, You protect us. ||1||

Chanting and deep meditation, penance and austere self-discipline, fasting and purification - salvation does not come by any of these means.

Please lift me up and out of this deep, dark ditch; O God, please bless Nanak with Your Glance of Grace. ||2||8||19||

Most of us are currently at this stage however we must stay focused on our goal, which is to become one with Waheguru Jee and to be saved from this terrifying world ocean. Next week Daas will be posting an article on how the Ardaas changes as one develops more spiritually. These will be stages 3 and 4 of Ardaas.

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Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fateh