Banquet Halls

[Wicked Warrior]

You're at a young age so I don't know how much experience you have.

I've been to night clubs and parties and such. Other than chatting with friends, I found the whole boring. Actually, not boring but kind of surreal. I would become aware of the entire surroundings and yet be distant from them, like I was outside and looking in through a window. It was interesting to watch and see people act and interact, drinking and dancing, almost as though to convince themselves they were having a good time.

Go if you can't get out of it but try to remain detached from it and remember paramatma throughout.

[BarinderSingh]

The advice of one Gurmukh; Sant Jarnail Singh has been given to you already. Lets provide you with more advice from Gurbani and Bhai Gurdas Ji.

First from Gurbani. Sri Anand Sahib says the same maya outside of the body is contained in the body:

jYsI Agin audr mih qYsI bwhir mwieAw ]

jaisee agan oudhar mehi thaisee baahar maaeiaa ||

As is the fire within the womb, so is Maya outside.

mwieAw Agin sB ieko jyhI krqY Kylu rcwieAw ]

maaeiaa agan sabh eiko jaehee karathai khael rachaaeiaa ||

The fire of Maya is one and the same; the Creator has staged this play.

jw iqsu Bwxw qw jMimAw prvwir Blw BwieAw ]

jaa this bhaanaa thaa ja(n)miaa paravaar bhalaa bhaaeiaa ||

According to His Will, the child is born, and the family is very pleased.

ilv CuVkI lgI iqRsnw mwieAw Amru vrqwieAw ]

liv shhurrakee lagee thrisanaa maaeiaa amar varathaaeiaa ||

Love for the Lord wears off, and the child becomes attached to desires; the script of Maya runs its course.

eyh mwieAw ijqu hir ivsrY mohu aupjY Bwau dUjw lwieAw ]

eaeh maaeiaa jith har visarai mohu oupajai bhaao dhoojaa laaeiaa ||

This is Maya, by which the Lord is forgotten; emotional attachment and love of duality well up.

khY nwnku gur prswdI ijnw ilv lwgI iqnI ivcy mwieAw pwieAw ]29]

kehai naanak gur parasaadhee jinaa liv laagee thinee vichae maaeiaa paaeiaa ||29||

Says Nanak, by Guru's Grace, those who enshrine love for the Lord find Him, in the midst of Maya. ||29|| ang 921

In the same way the fire is in the wood as Gurbani tells us:

mÚ 5 ]

ma 5 ||

Fifth Mehla:

ijmI vsMdI pwxIAY eIDxu rKY Bwih ]

jimee vasa(n)dhee paaneeai eedhhan rakhai bhaahi ||

The earth is in the water, and the fire is contained in the wood.

nwnk so shu Awih jw kY AwFil hBu ko ]2]

naanak so sahu aahi jaa kai aadtal habh ko ||2||

O Nanak, yearn for that Lord, who is the Support of all. ||2|| ang 521

If the fire is already in the wood, then why does it not catch on fire? The same question can be asked about maya that rest inside of everyone. Why does it not just catch us in her net and burn us at birth? The fire can only start with an ignition. Once the ignition is lit and held to the wood, the wood burns. In the same way the maya from the banquet hall will ignite the fire inside of you and let you burn. Before we go to Bhai Gurdas Jis Vaar, lets leave no doubts here.

khY nwnku gur prswdI ijnw ilv lwgI iqnI ivcy mwieAw pwieAw ]29]

kehai naanak gur parasaadhee jinaa liv laagee thinee vichae maaeiaa paaeiaa ||29||

Says Nanak, by Guru's Grace, those who enshrine love for the Lord find Him, in the midst of Maya. ||29|| ang 921

The above line is saying in the midst of daily living, not ignitions like banquet halls, you will find Vaheguru. If it was speaking about ignitions then Gurdwaras would have fully blown out pubs, night clubs, and strip clubs inside them. Massa Rangar would be our Guru and Bhai Mehtab Singh would be our enemy. Maya is all around us wherever we are and needs ignitions to take form. Banquet Hall parties ignite the maya for everyone to burn in.

Now lets look at what Bhai Gurdas Ji says in his Vaar about stepping into a banquet hall. The words here in this Vaar are very powerful and the weak hearted soul will not be able to accept them.

vVIAY kjl koTVI muhu kwlK BrIAY]

varreeai kajal kot(h)arree muhu kaalakh bhareeai||

If someone enters a room full of soot his face is sure to be blackened.

(Simple to understand right. You step into a room where maya has been lit you will burn).

klir KyqI bIjIAY ikhu kwju n srIAY]

kalar khaethee beejeeai kihu kaaj n sareeai||

If seed be sown in the alkaline field, that will go useless.

(Bhai Gurdas ji is saying a person who steps into a room like a banquet hall is doing it on his own without Guru Sahibs command or wishes. Once this person steps in, the seed (something virtuous) cannot grow inside the field (body and mind) because the person is burn in maya. His intellect is caught up in worldly pleasures and cannot grasp spiritual wisdom).

tutI pINGY pINGIAY pY toey mrIAY]

ttuttee pee(n)aghai pee(n)agheeai pai ttoeae mareeai||

If somebody swings in a broken swing, he will fall and kill himself.

(If you step into that banquet Hall without any doubt you shall kill (burn in the fire) yourself).

kMnw PiV mnqwrUAW ikau duqru qrIAY]

ka(n)naa farr manathaarooaaa(n) kio dhuthar thareeai||

If a man who does not know how to swim, leans on the shoulders of another equally ignorant, how shall he cross a deep river?

(Here Bhai Gurdas Ji points to the people who tell others to step into the banquet halls (black stained rooms, and are the useless fields. If you listen to these people and step into the banquet hall you will be depending on the advice of those who cannot cross the simpler rivers. This expert on Gurbani is saying dont listen to these people and grab hold of a swimmer like Sant Jarnail Singh ji who has crossed the deepest river of them all).

Aig lwie mMdir svY iqsu nwil n PrIAY]

ag laae ma(n)dhar savai this naal n fareeai||

Move not with him who sets fire to his own house and then goes to sleep.

(Again very simple to understand. The people who tell you to step into the banquet hall are not spiritually awake. They are in deep sleep and you should not take their advice).

iqauN Tg sMgiq bymuKW jIA joKhu frIAY ]15]

thiou(n) t(h)ag sa(n)gath baemukhaa(n) jeea jokhahu ddareeai ||15||

Such is the society of the deceitful and apostates wherein man is ever in fear of his life.(15)

You are only 16 and already you are on the right path. Keep up the good work. Guru Sahib will do more kirpa on you. Dont let go of his robe as the 52 Kings did not let go of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib ji robe walking out of prison. Maya is inside and outside, but when the feet of Guru Sahib are let go, the fire of maya is ignited and we are burned.

I know your parents will give you hell for saying you are not attending. Simply explain to them what Gurbani has said above. No need to fight with them or get into arguments. Explain to them where you are coming from and they might understand. If they do not understand that is okay and they can go without you. Do not consider yourself higher or lower for not going. With Guru Sahibs kirpa you made the right decision. Be thankful and continue on with life.

[TurbanGuyz]

Veere all Im gonna say is God pervades everywhere do what makes you comfortable not what a rehat says or something else says

Lolz..inz lagda jida 10 saal de jwaak nu keyboard fadha dita te keh dita likh la jo likhna........amritdhari ta uda main b nai hale....par veh wajah main

rehat maryada de against nai bolunga....taa krke apne dimaag de band darwaaje khol....main kenda maar maar chupedha aho jhe da muh paan dve....je nai

pta ki bolna te na bol...avein Guru de discipline nu nai kuch bolna okay? khabardaar....

[Singh97]

I really don't want to go because there's so much gandh at punjabi parties. If it was simple with vegetarian food and maybe some light relaxing music in the back and people just socializing with no dancing it might be fine.

Like seriously, every punjabi party you go to it's the same thing - they serve a snack, people start getting drunk, a few Bhangra performances, more people get drunk, all the drunk people dance on the dance floor and bother the people who aren't drinking/the aunties, they serve roti, almost every uncle is drunk by that point. Never any organization, and gandh music playing in the back with horrible lyrics.

I'm thinking I might go for a half hour or so, say sat sri akal to the family and once people start drinking and the music starts getting loud just leave without anyone noticing. Is that a good idea? Or are their any flaws in that? Please let me know.

bhul chuk maaf

WJKK WJKF

[BarinderSingh]

I really don't want to go because there's so much gandh at punjabi parties. If it was simple with vegetarian food and maybe some light relaxing music in the back and people just socializing with no dancing it might be fine.

Like seriously, every punjabi party you go to it's the same thing - they serve a snack, people start getting drunk, a few Bhangra performances, more people get drunk, all the drunk people dance on the dance floor and bother the people who aren't drinking/the aunties, they serve roti, almost every uncle is drunk by that point. Never any organization, and gandh music playing in the back with horrible lyrics.

I'm thinking I might go for a half hour or so, say sat sri akal to the family and once people start drinking and the music starts getting loud just leave without anyone noticing. Is that a good idea? Or are their any flaws in that? Please let me know.

bhul chuk maaf

WJKK WJKF

You have Gurbani, Bhai Gurdas ji, and Sant Jarnail Singh ji telling you what to do. Now it's on you to make the correct decision.