If You Cannot Go To School ,go To A Bar!

[humkire]

You must be thinking what on earth am i saying ! by telling you if you cannot go to school ,well you could go to a bar!! hahahahaaaa .You must think i am trying to corrupt you!

Let me explain .

Bhai Nand Lal( the great saint poet whose exquisite poetry is in persian and punjabi under the pseudonyms of 'Goya' and 'Lal', lived during the time of Guru Gobind Singh Jee and his poetry relating to our Gurus and about Sikhism are considered as treasures of the Sikh Panth , to be even sung in any Sikh gurudwara alongside Gurbani and Bhai Gurdas's vaars and kabitt savaiyes .

Bhai Nand Lal in his Gazals(no.12) says

Eh dil bsueh madrisah grh mel na dari

Bare b-sueh khanae khomar tva gpht

i.e

O my heart,if you do not have the motive to go to school(madrasah),

At least you to go to a bar/place of intoxication(khanaeh khomar)

He goes on to say(Ghazal 47)

Sakia berkez v a ha pur kun ayag

Ta ze nosh ooh konm rangee demag

i.e

O bartender(waiter) ,please get up and pour me another drink

So that,with it my face ,thoughts ,brains /mind(demag) can appear and be drunk/intoxicated

Actually Bhai Sahib is unlocking here one of the greatest secrets and realities of Sikhism .Sikhism is not about boredom ,feeling ideal and depressed once we step into Sikhi .Sikhism is not about the art of reciting scriptures so they sound holy and give us psychological satisfaction that we have performed some meritous act ,no matter how bored we actually were within ! Sikhism is not about being a hardened up soul shuttling back and forth in the world of religous debates, dogma, and ideology with some extreme sensitivity ,and intolerance towards whatever is religously incorrect according to your acquired world view of Sikhism .Sikhism is not about transforming yourself into a highly judgemental person with your thinking 'cap' busy in action every second .

Bhai Nand Lal is reminding us that Sikhism is about how you engage your heart ,mind ,emotions ,soul ,consciousness and being ,in loving God and Guru . Infact in one gazal he says ''Stop sermonising ,i want to get intoxicated now''. I notice a big difference in the generation i grew up in ,and this present younger generation . In the older generations, a lot of people i knew were not educated ,there were no computers and no televisions .But people had love for each other and sikhi ,they tolerated differences and saw everyone as part of khalsa panth .Monas ,etc were not constantly reminded and finger pointed and made to feel they were not sikhs .Infact it was from this pool of monas that people would start growing hair,beard etc and be blessed with amrit .It was a time of inclusivity not exclusivity ,differences in opinion about sikhi were never allowed to segregate people .It was a time of simplicity and purpose of faith .I felt so good and proud to be a Sikh .People would go to 1 gurudwara where ragmala was read ,to another where it was not but treated the both equal and never talked about it .

What i notice is that today we have computers ,books ,translations and the lots .We are very exposed to the western mindset .The western mindset can be over analytical ,cynical and breed negativity ,paranoia ,sensitivity and fear about everything as well as depression .In the west you just want to innoculate yourself from anything that can harm your body ,mind ,family ,work ,home ,car ,religion ,possesions ,culture etc . In the west you dissect every little thing ,your mind is constantly subjected to choices ,you are ectremely sensitive about your rights and ppl overstepping even a tiny inch on the patch of your religious ,emotional ,financial or physical territory .people in the west even correct you and look confused even if you use 1 word wrongly in a sentence . I see this critical attitude manifesting itself as running online battles on any sikh youth forum i look!. The obsession of generations past was not about the nitty gritty of maryada and whats wrong or right ,or who is the latest traitor to khalsa panth! The obsession of generations past was about bigger things -about making sure the younger generation knew about the shaheeds ,about stories from Guru's lifes ,about memorising Japji sahib and nitnem ,about getting up at amritvela and doing simran.The sermons/katha was not about the rights and wrongs of maryadas but about infusoing the sangat's minds with understanding of gurbani and guru sakhian and itihas !

In the west ,even religous people can start getting depressed .Infact there are so many depressed christians at church that a leading christian scholar ,dr martyn l .jones had to write a book called christian depression! That is so alien to me because i grew up in a culture of chardikela . I cannot remember even one sikh from the older and my generation who suffered from depression ! Sikhs just did kirt de kemai ,naam japna and vand ke shakna .Sikhs just did naam dan ishnan . Some of the most chardikela Sikhs i knew werent ppl who made 1 big fuss about maryada or Dasam Granth or any other of the many panthic issues dividing us today ito enemy camps .

My best mate's dad was a man called Arjan Singh . I dont have the faintest recollection about what maryada he followed .All i can tell you is that this man awoke at 2 a.m every morning ,had ishnan ,a little keshkee around his head ,sat in huge kachera on a big bed outside his house and very loudly did a load of nitnem ,simran and other banees till 7 a.m .And sunday mornings he sat right in front in sangat area and alternated with the gyanee in reciting Asa Ki // with his loud voice .

I quoted Bhai Nand Lal in the beginning .Bhai Sahib is saying ,listen its about the love ,the intoxication .Naam and Gurbani are highly intoxicating .try it! Gurbani is God manifesting as Guru to us .If we are not careful ,we can end up reading Gurbani like parrots .Even Bhai Sahib Randheer Singh had to admonish his fellow Sikh prisoner for not reading Gurbani with prem raas -love essence .Gurbani has to be read ,not ritualistically ,but with understanding,gentleness and fervour .Then Gurbani's magic and metaphysical power works .Simran has to arise from the heart like a lethal vapour . When this starts happening ,your mind moves on from its normal state to an intoxicated state .However there is a difference .This intoxication is not one you get stoned/violent/up for a fight/not in control of your mind/slow in thinking/confused in thoughts /cannot walk .It has no hangover like headaches and depression and lethargy .

Instead in this intoxication you feel an inner coolness ,a heightened sense of awareness ,your mind feels perked ,you feel so happy and joyful ,you feel a deeep special feeling of love in the heart ,and you feel as strong as a lion ,and you are in the presence of God .In this intoxicated state you feel wisdom ,humility ,and braveness and tenderness pour out of your soul .In this intoxication your forehead shines and you feel light.In this intoxication you feel loved and protected by Gurujee and you look radiant and beautiful .

Hence Bhai Sahib is saying its ok if you are not too good in going to school ,i.e being scholarly,intellectual ,and well educated about Sikhi as that can all come in its own pace slowly .Instead capture the magic of the moment !Get immediately to the point where through simran ,though devotion you can start being passionate ,being intoxicated ,being in love with Gurujee ,experiencing the powerful vibes of God's presence in your soul .Your knowledge may take decades to develop but the joy/anand that Sikhi/Gurujee can give you can be yours right now ,this moment in your own bedroom! And it is so enjoyable that Bhai sahib says -pour me another drink ,i want to get totally intoxicated ,i.e i cant have enough of this ras ,this essence ,i want more .

Raas/ras -essence is a beautiful word the more you think about it. You squeeze a juicy orange or mango and the lush tasty juice flows out which is heavenly to taste .Likewise you press a blueberry or blackcurrant and sweet juice squirts out .You press a million roses or jasmine flowers and drops of a crystal coloured liquid flows out .This liquid is the concentrated smell of all those roses or jasmine flowers .It gets used in making aromatheraphy products ,bach flower remedies and ladies perfumes.

Likewise Sikhi is about ras ,extracting the juice ,tasting it ,getting intoxicated by it .This is the immortalising juice .Complacency and over intellectualisation makes you as distant from this naam juice as sky is from the oceon . A Sikh sets his /her eyes on this ras ,this essence .

May we over flow with naam ras ,with prem ras ,with Har ras .May our souls not be dried up from the inner while we talk big on the outside .May our consciousness be filled with passion and God's love juices making us wet and fresh,like morning dew drops .May this ras flow in nectar like words ,thoughts and actions that touch and inspire those we come into contact with

[japmans]

fantastic!

[Mehtab Singh]

Vaaheguroo !!!!!

[japmans]

I think you may find many opponents because you make it sound so simple and so straightforward! I`m still loving this!

[humkire]

Sikhi is of cos not simple and the path of sikhi is never straightforward . ' khuneo tikhi valo niki et marag jana ' i.e its sharper than the edge of a sword and yet finner than a strand of hair .Sikhi is not a bed of roses .The path of the history of Sikhi is laden with martydoms ,struggles ,sufferings and sacrifices .Naam jepna ,vand shakna ,and kirt di mai karni is more easier said than done .

However if we are sincere ,and if we do constant ardas ,then Guru Maharaj has all the power in the world to help us in a million ways ,to carry us ,to lift us up ,to keep us inspired ,even if we end up in a jail like Bhai Sahib Randheer Singh and countless other Sikhs .Guru Jee can help us be in a state of ''sehaj '' or non effortlessness in the midst of effort ,even getting martyred with a smile .Guru Maharaj can make it simple and straightforward for us .Guru Arjan Dev Jee in raag suhi ,pg 742 towards the end says ''anak beeng daas ke prh hrea'' i.e The Lord removes all the crooked stuff(beeng)/shortcomings in the path of his slave .

Good habits are hard to form ,bad habits hard to break .It took me a long time to get used to having a cold shower in the UK during winter .Now i only take cold showers in this cold country anytime of the day or night or month effortlessly .Likewise the habit of doing simran in Amritvela ,Nitnem etc etc .

When you are constantly moaning ,everything becomes a drag and very difficult .When you stay in chardikela ,then through Guru kirpa everything flows through His Hukum almost effortlessly because now its not the mind doing things but the ''antar gur/spirit of God '' within helping us live a Guru-led life .As long as we stay surrendered to Gurujee in everything we do ,GURU'S POWER and PRESENCE leads us on ,giving us the vision ,the ideas ,the direction and the strength as if we are psychic and endowed with spiderman powers !hahaaaaaaaa .

What i was trying to say when i quoted Bhai Nand Lal is that Sikhi is about THE PARTY THAT CAN START IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW!!!! HAHAAAAAAAA ,rightaway!!!!!! This is because Sikhi is about a romance,a relationship ,the best ,most exciting ,inspiring ,ecstasy filled ,awesome ,satisfying ,energising ,romantic juicy ,passionate relationship you can ever have in alllll your life times put together .Sikhi is about fun /romance /play with God .In Sikhi ,your life is filled with celebrations ,congratulations and victory .Gurbani says ''chalh sekhie prabh raven jaha'''' ,i.e Come ,O My mate, let us go to enjoy our Lord! You can enjoy the Lord right now ,in your nitnem ,simran ,keertan ,right now! because God/Guru are here right now alive ,with us inour hearts ,in our home ,in our bedroom.It may someone 50 years to go through translations of Faridkot Teeka or Suraj Parkash but in a 50th of a second ,a person can become a God/Guru chaser and a God/Guru catcher .All you require, is a desire, to aspire, before you expire ! hahahahaaaaa. Its the power of NOW that we need to harness .

About 30 years ago ,Sant Singh Maskeen during a katha in Malaysia said one thing i never forgot .He said a Gursikh does not dwell in the past or worry about the future but lives in simran in the present . I remember when me dad died .I had done some simran just before i reached the gurudwara for the bhog ceremony .Omg i was feeling a real high ,and i felt so joyful ,that people thought i was crazy to be not sad .I just kept telling everyone ,dont worry the old boy was suffering in his body and its great he is gone and relieved of old age pains .That was because i loved my dad was not attached to him .Likewise i did not shed a single tear or felt even a pinch of sadness wen my gursikh mum went because minutes after her akal chelana ,i was lying down with eyes closed in simran and a live telecast was being played out in me brains from heaven's computer webcam about what's happening to her soul!!! and it was awesome because as Gurujee says helt sukh ,pelet sukh ,net sukh simrano.''

Hence i say lets start having fun ,with our Beloved ,now ,right now! Bring on the party! lets get intoxicated .Let our simran not be a ritual but intense love making .Let the fun begin!

[Mehtab Singh]

humkire veerji, are you Gyani Jarnail Singh Arshi Gyani from Malaysia?

[humkire]

no im NOT arshi gyanee jee for sure . I am not even fit to be the dust of the feet of the servants of the servants of blessed gursikhs like him and you. I am just a little insignificant tiny nano worm ,as Gurbani says ''humkire kerem satgur sarnaee ,kar deya naam pargas''