| . |
|
Bibi Har Simrat Kaur
Guru Granth Parchar Mission of USA
510-432-5827
slok mhlf õ (ñôòù)
Shlok Fifth Mehl (1429):
qyrf kIqf jfqo nfhI mYno jogu kIqoeI ..
"Oh Lord, what You’ve done for me, I cannot fully know."
This is Guru Arjun Dev Ji’s concluding hymn in the Guru
Granth Sahib. He emphasizes the need for the human race to live harmoniously by
understanding and focusing on God’s hukam will and grace poured out for all.
The beginning of this hymn makes us raise a very important question, What it is
that God has done for us? How has God accomplished this, and why Has he done so?
Gurbani teaches us to reflect on this which helps us improve our character and
health. The Gurmanter is gian of God’s doings that we must be aware of simran.
We must fully yield to this with our body, mind, and spirit to receive His
blessings. What is the meaning of God’s blessings? Guru Ji explains this.
mY inrguixafry ko guxu nfhI afpy qrsu pieEeI ..
"Only You can make my worth known. I am unworthy, with no value;
true compassion is only from You."
Guru Arjan Dev Ji gathered all the hymns into one book
format, Guru Granth Sahib. Although he knew he was the Guru during this period,
he worked very hard with a humble attitude, not boasting that he accomplished
this on his own but by God mercy and grace. It is because of the value of the
contents in the Shabads that he decided to bind them together. God’s mercy
blesses us with access to these Shabads to learn from. Gurbani teaches us what
God has done for us. By his divine hukam and grace, he has prepared a beautiful,
complex, infinite universe to house us in. All of us, regardless of race, deed,
creed, and caste are equal citizens. God functions as sufficient provider to
sustain us in all three dimensions of time, past, present, and future. When we
look at the infinite details of our universe home, we become humble and begin to
realize our worth to God. We are nothing compared to Him, yet He has constantly
labored for us, even when we don’t ask [ vzI
vizafeI jf puiC n dfiq .. (afsf, mhlf ñ, ôöó) Great
is His greatness, as He gives without being asked." God is so great, that
He does not have to think before causing things to happen. All is intractably
vibrating and participating in reaction to God’s shabad. hY
qUhY qU hovnhfr .. agm agfiD AUc afpfr .. (÷òô, iqlMg, mhlf õ) Existing,
You are, You bring all into existence, O inaccessible, unfathomable, lofty and
infinite Lord.
qrsu pieaf imhrfmiq hoeI siqguru
sjxu imilaf ..
"Showing pity on me, you shower me with grace to meet the True Guru, my
Friend, face-to-face."
Guru Argun Dev Ji was Guru when he compiled the Guru Granth
Sahib, but who was he addressing as "Satgur" True Guru in this hymn?
He must have been reflecting on the dedication of Guru Nanak who offered his
whole life to educate the world on truthful living. He perceived with even
deeper insight, that ultimately, it has been God Himself who, throughout all
ages of existence has reached out to us all that are very limited with senses
and comprehension of the reality we live in. There have always been a few
individuals who learned from observing the beauty of nature and have glanced
beyond their own veils of illusion by accepting the hukam of the Creator. Every
religion teaches God’s hukam and grace operate all of nature. The writers of
the hymns in Guru Granth Sahib are from different faiths and castes, but they
all focus on the same spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak. Some of these writers
lived many years before Guru Nanak, such as Bhagat Jaidev Ji and Ravidaas Ji.
Why did Guru Argun called Satgur his friend? Guru Ji did not use the phrase imq
"Mith" which means a casual, good friend. If you consider the role of
sjxu "sajan" friend, you
realize that this type of friend is very intimate and faithful to the end. It
was very appropriate for Guru Ji to bring sjxu
into this text to stress the devotion of God and the devoted lives
of all those who taught God’s message of truth and grace. Guru Granth Sahib is
the contemporary version of this ancient science of truth "Guru Gian."
This is what Guru Gobind Singh Ji referred to as the Eternal Guru." Any
knowledge which is truth is part of what Guru teaches. The Living Guru is the
knowledge of Guru Granth Sahib, not limited to a text book of Punjabi Letters.
The compiling of Guru Granth Sahib was not intended for us to constantly worship
as an idol, and rarely study from it. The reason for the tradition of showing so
much respect to Guru Granth Sahib is not to please God, but to stress the
importance of Guru’s teachings. All those lavish ramaalas and palkees are
displayed to attract our attention to what they are placed on. Why does a king
wear royal robes and a crown? Why does Guru Granth Sahib sit on a luxurious
throne? Why are delicious candies covered in gold and silver wrappers? The value
of an item initially catches the attention of many by the outside appearance. A
little girl sees a beautiful candy wrapper. When offered to her, she doesn’t
stare at it and say, "Oh, it’s great!" Instead, she immediately
tears the wrapper off, because she knows something good is in it. Unfortunately,
most Sikhs do not react the same way as this girl. We are daily offered the
tasty Amrit of Gurbani enthroned in every gurdwara and in many homes. Most of us
only bow and show respect and never consider tasting the Amrit Bani by studying
the meanings of Guru Granth Sahib. The little girl was no fool; she helped
herself and relished the sweets. Bhagat Nam Dev exclaimed, nfmy
cy suafmI bKsMd qUM hrI ..ó..ñ..ò.. (÷ò÷, iqlMg,
nfmdyv jI) ‘‘O Lord and Master of Naam Dayv Ji, You
are the merciful Lord of forgiveness. " hly
XfrF hly XfrF KuisKbrI ..
"Hello, my friend, hello my friend. good news?" KUbu
qyrI pgrI mITy qyry bol .. ‘‘How handsome is your
turban! And how sweet is your speech." Bhagat Nam Dev Ji was attracted by
the beautiful turban. Not only did he show respect, but he learned from him
words and reflected on them. So what was the good news that Nam Dev was talking
about? It must have been the news about truthfulness and God grace.
nfnk nfmu imlY qF jIvF qnu mnu QIvY hiraf ..ñ..
O Nanak, by taking Naam, life I find, blossoming forth body and mind.
||1||"
Taking the name of God means to understand what God is
communicating to us and to apply it to our lives. All of nature testifies of the
reality God in which He has placed us. Guru Granth Sahib guides us and reminds
us to accept God hukam so that we can live truthfully. What are the blessings
and benefits of reflecting simran on God’s doings? Accepting God’s hukam
requires that we obtain the knowledge of how to use the resources God has
provided us with to help ourselves and others, too. Simply, we achieve
happiness; we function as productive members of society. Our vision is clearer,
we have peace of mind; we become mentally and physically healthier. We get along
with our family and neighbors, we concentrate and learn better, and we perform
well on our jobs. All of this is essential for family, community, and world
peace.
|
. |