Sikhism | Digital Wealth

Question from a visitor

One of my readers sent me this question: “Do you believe that all the Gurus were special messengers of God?“.
Yes, I replied, there is no reason to believe otherwise.

Guru Nanak was indeed one of these special messengers:

ਜੈਸੀ ਮੈ ਆਵੈ ਖਸਮ ਕੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਤੈਸੜਾ ਕਰੀ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਵੇ ਲਾਲੋ ॥
As the Word of the Lord-Husband comes to me, so do I express it, O Lalo.

However, this question started a chain of thoughts which I share through this post.

First, there are no “all the Gurus”. Sikhism has just one Guru. Shabd (Word) Guru. When Guru Nanak was asked by the siddhas who His Guru was, he replied:

ਸਬਦੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਧੁਨਿ ਚੇਲਾ ॥
The Shabad is the Guru; my mind, my consciousness am the disciple.

The word Guru technically means the destroyer of ignorance, and the light of knowledge. There is no indication that Guru has to be human.

In fact, we can conceptualise the Guru, not as a person but as a tatv (abstract element). In Japuji Sahib, Guru Nanak states “pawan Guru” (Air is the Guru). Sant Maskeenji explains this by saying that words need air for existence. There is no knowledge sharing without air. Prof. Darshan Singh, in one of his talks, says that when Nanak absorbed Shabd (the Divine Word) he became Guru Nanak. Guru, the tatva, can take any form. The ten Sikh Gurus were human forms of this tatva, and the eleventh Guru is the book form. When the Guru manifests His Divine blessings through a single Shabd (Word) it is called the Guru Mantar and for a Sikh this is ‘Waheguru‘.

God is the destination, and Guru is the path to that destination. Yet, like everything in this world, Guru is also a manifestation of God. With God being formless, the Guru is also formless.
God is the ultimate Guru, the Guru of the Gurus:

ਗੁਰੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਏਕੋ ਵੇਸ ਅਨੇਕ ॥੧॥
But the Teacher of teachers is the One God, who appears in so many forms. ||1||

Understanding this, we will realise, that all Gurus are One, because the shabd is the common link.

Addressing the Third Guru, His Disciple Bhai Jetha Ji (who went on to become the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Daas ji) recites the following:

ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਜਨ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸਤਪੁਰਖਾ ਬਿਨਉ ਕਰਉ ਗੁਰ ਪਾਸਿ ॥
…
O Dear Guru, the Messenger of God, the Embodiment of Truth – I present to Thee the following request.
…

So its quite clear that the Gurus were messengers of God.

The Primal Consciousness, Who is called “God” manifests as a Uni-faceted Entity in its innate form. When It assumes the form of the universe, it shows its multifaceted beauty. This multifaceted existance is called Maya when the focus is on what is visible and Kartar (Creator) when the focus is on the underlying. Maya‘s individual facets have both positive and negative, good and bad. Whereas Kartar‘s facets are always positive and goodwill bearing. The Shabd Guru (Waheguru) represents Uni-faceted innate God, where as the rest of the Gurbani represents Kartar.

It is also well known within the followers of Sikhism, and also echoed within Bhagat Bani (writings of worshipers which are part of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji) that the Primal Consciousness assumed the Human Form and was called Guru Nanak. The purpose of this was to help his creation reach ultimate stages of Divine Love.

Some other quotes from Sri Guru Granth Sahib on the same topic:

ਪ੍ਰਭ ਜੀ ਬਸਹਿ ਸਾਧ ਕੀ ਰਸਨਾ ॥
God resides upon the tongues (speech) of His Saints.

The purpose of the Guru’s coming into this world is to initiate a chain reaction of Divine Realisation. It enables us mortals to find God within us.

ਜਨ ਆਵਨ ਕਾ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਆਉ ॥
The (Guru’s) coming has one object;

ਜਨ ਕੈ ਸੰਗਿ ਚਿਤਿ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥
in the Company of this humble servant, the Lord’s Name comes to mind.

Diwali night

Diwali was celebrated in India a few days back. Diwali means differently to different religions – for sikhs it marks the return of Guru Hargobindji to Amritsar.

The first copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib was scribed by Bhai Gurdaas, who was a devoted sikh of Guru Arjan Devji. He completed the Adi Granth in 1604. It took him nearly 19 years to complete this task. Bhai Gurdas not only wrote the Adi Granth as dictated by Guru Arjan Dev but also supervised four other scribes, Bhai Haria, Bhai Sant Das, Bhai Sukha and Bhai Manasa Ram, in the writing of various scriptures. Bhai Gurdaas’ own writings are collectively known as ‘Varan Bhai Gurdaas – and from these I bring the following hymn. This is normally sung during Diwali, because of the reference to Diwali in the first line. Many people believe this to be an implicit instruction by the Guru to lite candles. However, this is not true – the Guru never believes in completing physical rituals. The meaning of the hymn is more sublime:

੬ : ਚੱਲਣ ਜੁਗਤ
ਦੀਵਾਲੀ ਦੀ ਰਾਤਿ ਦੀਵੇ ਬਾਲੀਅਨਿ।
Lamps are lighted in the night of diwali festival;

ਤਾਰੇ ਜਾਤਿ ਸਨਾਤਿ ਅੰਬਰਿ ਭਾਲੀਅਨਿ।
Stars of different variety appear in the sky;

ਫੁਲਾਂ ਦੀ ਬਾਗਾਤਿ ਚੁਣਿ ਚੁਣਿ ਚਾਲੀਅਨਿ।
Flowers blossom in the garden; but are plucked;

ਤੀਰਥਿ ਜਾਤੀ ਜਾਤਿ ਨੈਣ ਨਿਹਾਲੀਅਨਿ।
The pilgrims are seen visiting the places of pilgrimage;

ਹਰਿਚੰਦਉਰੀ ਝਾਤਿ ਵਸਾਇ ਉਚਾਲੀਅਨਿ।
Temporary habitats have been seen coming into being and vanishing.

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸੁਖ ਫਲ ਦਾਤਿ ਸਬਦਿ ਸਮ੍ਹਾਲੀਅਨਿ ॥੬॥
All these are momentary, but the gurmukhs with the help of the Word nourish the gift of the pleasure fruit.

Gurbani search on Nokia!

After working on this for more than two months, I am successful in setting up my Nokia N97 phone to be able to search Gurbani. I normally use SriGranth.org for this, but Gurmukhi characters would not show.

One easy way to fix this, without adding Gurmukhi Unicode fonts to the mobile, is to install Opera Mini (not the full version, Opera Mobile). Now, enter config: as a URL which takes you to advanced settings page. Set Use bitmap fonts for complex scripts to Yes and then Save. That’s it, now visit SriGranth.org.

If you want to add Gurmukhi support to other applications also, the solution is here; in short:

Download this file http://rapidshare.com/files/327695116/Full_character_support_in_every_language_s60v5.zip.
Unzip, and upload the four TTF files to the /resource/fonts folder on the memory card. Retain the file names.
Restart the phone!

Now, visit SriGranth.org using the default browser. It works! (although the rendering is still incorrect but its better than nothing). Opera Mini based method advised first has correct rendering also, although it will involve higher data download.

I use a combination of both, for best results. However, the second solution comes with a caveat: once the phone is using these fonts, if you connect it to the PC in the mass media mode, the phone reboots. To avoid this each time you need to connect, you will need to remove the card (by pressing the power butting, going all the way down and selecting the remove card option; and then physically removing the card) and then attach the phone to the PC. If you want to connect the card itself to the PC, you will need to use a card reader.

This should also work for other Nokia phones, including 5800EX although I have tried it only for N97.

Once I did this, I was also able to read Gurmukhi emails using the Gmail mobile app. Also, there is a nice browser called UC which can be downloaded from here and also can render Gurmukhi once these fonts are used.

Note that once you update fonts using this approach, all content on the phone will be displayed using this font. If you do not like that, you can always go back and remove these four files and restart the phone.

I am also eagerly awaiting the release of Symbian version of GurbaniAnywhere which will allow me to search Gurbani even without Internet access.

NOTE: Please do post comments if you know of other, better ways of doing this, especially those that do not require an internet connection.

UPDATE 17th Jan 2012: There is now an App for NOKIA for this purpose (please see comment below). Can be installed from http://store.ovi.com/content/227787.

What is life…

Some of these thoughts were penned by me a few months back when my maternal grandmother left for her heavenly abode.

The Guru’s viewpoint, both on Life as well on Death is very different from a normal person’s viewpoint. While the world sees birth as a beginning and death an an end, the Guru sees them as transitory moments in His Existence. Says Kabir:

ਕਬੀਰ ਜਿਸੁ ਮਰਨੇ ਤੇ ਜਗੁ ਡਰੈ ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨਿ ਆਨੰਦੁ ॥
Says Kabeer, the world may fear death – but for me, it fills my mind with pleasure
ਮਰਨੇ ਹੀ ਤੇ ਪਾਈਐ ਪੂਰਨੁ ਪਰਮਾਨੰਦੁ ॥੨੨॥
It is only by death that perfect and supreme bliss is obtained. ||22||

If you spend each moment of your life remembering Him, then Death does not make you afraid. Such was my grandmother:

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਾਲਾਹਿ ਜਨਮੁ ਸਵਾਰਿਆ ॥
Praising the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the Gurmukhs redeem their lives.
ਆਪਿ ਹੋਆ ਸਦਾ ਮੁਕਤੁ ਸਭੁ ਕੁਲੁ ਨਿਸਤਾਰਿਆ ॥
They themselves are liberated forever, and they save all their ancestors.

She was 86 and is survived by my Grandfather. It seems purpose-less to stay in this false world. These decisions though, are not ours to make. The Guru confirms its purposeless:

ਨਰੂ ਮਰੈ ਨਰੁ ਕਾਮਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ॥
When a man dies, he is of no use to anyone.
ਪਸੂ ਮਰੈ ਦਸ ਕਾਜ ਸਵਾਰੈ ॥੧॥
But when an animal dies, it is used in ten ways. ||1||
ਅਪਨੇ ਕਰਮ ਕੀ ਗਤਿ ਮੈ ਕਿਆ ਜਾਨਉ ॥
What do I know, about the state of my karma?
ਮੈ ਕਿਆ ਜਾਨਉ ਬਾਬਾ ਰੇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
What do I know, O Baba? ||1||Pause||
ਹਾਡ ਜਲੇ ਜੈਸੇ ਲਕਰੀ ਕਾ ਤੂਲਾ ॥
His bones burn, like a bundle of logs;
ਕੇਸ ਜਲੇ ਜੈਸੇ ਘਾਸ ਕਾ ਪੂਲਾ ॥੨॥
his hair burns like a bale of hay. ||2||
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਤਬ ਹੀ ਨਰੁ ਜਾਗੈ ॥
Says Kabeer, the man wakes up,
ਜਮ ਕਾ ਡੰਡੁ ਮੂੰਡ ਮਹਿ ਲਾਗੈ ॥੩॥੨॥
only when the Messenger of Death hits him over the head with his club. ||3||2||

This post is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike.

The Golden Temple

The Golden Temple, at Amritsar, India is the seat of Sikhism. Built by the fourth and the fifth Sikh Gurus, there is history seeped into each step of the Temple. I recently visited, sharing some photographs. Click on the photographs to enlarge, or move into the full screen mode:

Sajid does not understand Sikhism

In a recent episode of India’s Got Talent Season 2, there was a performance by a Sikh group, showcasing Sikh martial arts using swords with some beautiful music, which had one 5-6 year old kid as part of the group. One of the judges, Sajid Khan mentioned that while the performance was “okay”, the involvement of the kid (in a performance using swords) was not a good decision since it would lead kids to copy him. I disagree personally: there are many dangerous performances shown in that particular talent hunt which can also lead kids to copy. One of the judges appreciated the performance, and the third one opined that she is fine, subject to that kids are not part of the next performance. Click on the image below to watch an excerpt:

However, I am sorry to note that Sajid does not understand Sikhism. The power of Sikhism lies not only in the sword, but also in the scriptures that teach how to use it. Many people mistakenly believe that the Tenth Guru “turned” Sikhism, what was till then a way of life, into a warring tribe. The need for the ability to defend, using arms was part of Sikhism ever since the Sixth Guru who made Sikhs into not just saints, but saint soldiers.

Sajid also claimed that what started as a “performance” gave way to a riot on stage. That was the intended effect, which is what Sajid failed to understand. The Tenth Guru, in his writings beautifully recreates war scenes, with great insight, and then points out the futility for both the winners (who becomes bloated with ego not knowing he will also die one day making way for more winners), and the losers (who end up with a few bones less).

I show case two of my favourite stanzas from such writings:

ਜੀਤ ਫਿਰੈ ਸਭ ਦੇਸ ਦਿਸਾਨ ਕੋ ਬਾਜਤ ਢੋਲ ਮ੍ਰਿਦੰਗ ਨਗਾਰੇ ॥
With the beat of drums and trumpets the emperor conquers all the countries.
ਗੁੰਜਤ ਗੂੜ ਗਜਾਨ ਕੇ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਹਿੰਸਤ ਹੈਂ ਹਯਰਾਜ ਹਜਾਰੇ ॥
Along with the drums is the roaring of beautifully decorated elephants and thousands of neighing houses of best breed.
ਭੂਤ ਭਵਿੱਖ ਭਵਾਨ ਕੇ ਭੂਪਤ ਕਉਨੁ ਗਨੈ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਤ ਬਿਚਾਰੇ ॥
So many such emperors have existed in the past, exist today and will exist in future; the numbers cannot be fathomed
ਸ੍ਰੀ ਪਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਭਗਵਾਨ ਭਜੇ ਬਿਨੁ ਅੰਤ ਕਉ ਅੰਤ ਕੇ ਧਾਮ ਸਿਧਾਰੇ ॥੩॥੨੩॥
Their might will be forgotten similarly; without remembering the Lord’s True Name, they will leave for the final abode (and lose the opportunity). 3.23.

ਸੁੱਧ ਸਿਪਾਹ ਦੁਰੰਤ ਦੁਬਾਹ ਸੁ ਸਾਜ ਸਨਾਹ ਦੁਰਜਾਨ ਦਲੈਂਗੇ ॥
The trained and war tested soldiers, with strong arms, mighty and ironclad – just waiting to crush the enemies.
ਭਾਰੀ ਗੁਮਾਨ ਭਰੇ ਮਨ ਮੈਂ ਕਰ ਪਰਬਤ ਪੰਖ ਹਲੇ ਨ ਹਲੈਂਗੇ ॥
With great ego in their mind; even if mountains were to grow wings and fly away frightened, they would still not lose their stand
ਤੋਰਿ ਅਰੀਨ ਮਰੋਰਿ ਮਵਾਸਨ ਮਾਤੇ ਮਤੰਗਨ ਮਾਨ ਮਲੈਂਗੇ ॥
They would destroy the enemies, twist the necks of rebels and smash the pride of intoxicated elephants.
ਸ੍ਰੀ ਪਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਭਗਵਾਨ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਬਿਨੁ ਤਿਆਗਿ ਜਹਾਨ ਨਿਦਾਨ ਚਲੈਂਗੇ ॥੫॥੨੫॥
But without the Grace of the Lord-God, they would ultimately leave the world empty handed and none the wiser. 5.25.

Sajid talks of kids, but does not realise that the Guru even as a kid used to create two different teams among his friends, and play war games. The Gurus younger sons were aged 8 years and 6 years when they achieved martyrdom. Just because a tyrant decides to go to war, you will have to go to war too – even though you may not want to. Whatever you want to excel at, you have to start learning as a child. He is simply afraid of the unknown – and his very limited experience of life makes him feel he is correct. In the days of the Guru, people were afraid to stand up against the tyrants – what will become of my kids? – such thoughts prevented them. The Guru led the way by teaching kids to defend themselves.

I cannot stop myself from showcasing another beautiful Hymn by the Tenth Guru where the Sword reigns supreme:

ਖਗ ਖੰਡ ਬਿਹੰਡੰ ਖਲ ਦਲ ਖੰਡੰ ਅਤਿ ਰਣ ਮੰਡੰ ਬਰ ਬੰਡੰ ॥
खग खंड बिहंडं खल दल खंडं अति रण मंडं बर बंडं ॥
The sword chops well, chops the forces of fools and this beautiful and powerful weapon adorns the battlefield of life.

ਭੁਜ ਦੰਡ ਅਖੰਡੰ ਤੇਜ ਪ੍ਰਚੰਡੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਅਮੰਡੰ ਭਾਨ ਪ੍ਰਭੰ ॥
भुज दंड अखंडं तेज प्रचंडं जोति अमंडं भान प्रभं ॥
It is as an extension of the arm, unbreakable, terribly fast, it has a powerful luster and its radiance even bedims the light of the sun.

ਸੁਖ ਸੰਤਾ ਕਰਣੰ ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਦਰਣੰ ਕਿਲਬਿਖ ਹਰਣੰ ਅਸਿ ਸਰਣੰ ॥
सुख संता करणं दुरमति दरणं किलबिख हरणं असि सरणं ॥
It brings happiness to the saints, mashing the vicious ones, it is the destroyer of sins and I seek its refuge.

ਜੈ ਜੈ ਜਗ ਕਾਰਣ ਸ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਉਬਾਰਣ ਮਮ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਰਣ ਜੈ ਤੇਗੰ ॥੨॥
जै जै जग कारण स्रिसटि उबारण मम प्रतिपारण जै तेगं ॥२॥
Hail, hail to the cause of the world, saviour of the universe, it is my preserver, I hail its victory. 2.

Beautifully rendered, on YouTube.

His True Name – Part II

A few days back I had talked about the importance of reciting the lord’s name even once. Today I want to revisit that with another interesting parable, from Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Ajaamal was a sinner, and having married a prostitute, he fathered a son. He met a saint and asked him what he should name him. The saint suggested the name Naarayan which in Hindi refers to the Lord.

Throughout his life, he uttered Naarayan referring to his son. When the Messenger of Death came to take Ajaamal, he called out to his son. The Messenger of Death, on hearing Ajaamal say “Narayan” at the time of his death, got frightened and did not take Ajaamal. Thus Ajaamal was saved and reached the Lord’s Lotus Feet.

ਅਜਾਮਲ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਪੁਤ੍ਰ ਪ੍ਰਤਿ ਕੀਨੀ ਕਰਿ ਨਾਰਾਇਣ ਬੋਲਾਰੇ ॥
Ajaamal loved his son Naaraayan, and called out his name.

And then again, later:

ਅਜਾਮਲੁ ਉਧਰਿਆ ਕਹਿ ਏਕ ਬਾਰ ॥
Ajaamal uttered the Lord’s Name once, and was saved.

Guru Granth Sahib clarifies that Ajaamal’s recitation of the Lord’s Name, though impure (he called out because of attachment to his son, not because of Love for God) – still saved him:

ਪੁਤ੍ਰ ਹੇਤਿ ਨਾਰਾਇਣੁ ਕਹਿਓ ਜਮਕੰਕਰ ਮਾਰਿ ਬਿਦਾਰੇ ॥੧॥
Ajaamal called out “Narayan” for the sake of his love for son. Yet the Lord’s Name killed and sent the Messenger of Death away.||1||

Bhai Gurdas throws light on Ajaamal and his deeds: http://searchgurbani.com/bhai_gurdas_vaaran/vaar/10/pauri/20

Vaisakhi

Can’t believe I haven’t written about Vaisakhi before – its one of the most important events in Sikh history. Also known as Baisakhi, this is a harvest festival that marks the beginning of a new year as per the local calendar. More important, for Sikhism it also marks the birth of the Khalsa – the pure. In 1699, the Tenth Guru converted Sikhism which so far was just a way of life, into a more disciplined religion with rules and a code of conduct – with a democratic way of functioning.

Like every year, Vaisakhi is being celebrated by large gatherings in the Sikh temples (gurdwara). I want to encourage people to get baptized: the Guru will guide you – it’s not as difficult to follow as it seems initially. For those who have been baptized but do not follow the code of conduct on a daily basis, this is what I suggest: start with a shorter regimen, and build it at your pace. Japuji Sahib in the mornings, and Benti Chaupai in the evenings to begin with for example.

Today the religious world is divided: different religions, each disfavouring the other; various sects etc. If people understood the distinction between Prem (love) and Moh (attachment) there would be less fighting between the various groups.

Moh is temporary, Prem is permanent. Moh is what a father feels for a son – if the son disobeys the father the weak thread of Moh breaks.
Also, Moh is about saying “God belongs to me“. If the God belongs to me, someone else needs to invent a different God for himself. Prem is about saying “I belong to the God“. It is about giving up oneself.

Prem is like a fish in water – Only death can separate them. Indeed, Guru Tegh Bahadur wants us to love God like a fish in water:

ਗੁਨ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਗਾਇਓ ਨਹੀ ਜਨਮੁ ਅਕਾਰਥ ਕੀਨੁ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਭਜੁ ਮਨਾ ਜਿਹ ਬਿਧਿ ਜਲ ਕਉ ਮੀਨੁ ॥੧॥
If we do not sing the praises of the Lord, we are wasting our life in vain. Says Nanak, meditate on God, like the way, the fish loves water.

A worshiper goes one step further beautifully talking about Moh and Prem:

ਜਉ ਹਮ ਬਾਂਧੇ ਮੋਹ ਫਾਸ ਹਮ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਬਧਨਿ ਤੁਮ ਬਾਧੇ ॥
You (God) sent me to this world, and bound me with attachment to treasures and people. I have, in return, bound you with the bonds of love.
ਅਪਨੇ ਛੂਟਨ ਕੋ ਜਤਨੁ ਕਰਹੁ ਹਮ ਛੂਟੇ ਤੁਮ ਆਰਾਧੇ ॥੧॥
I have broken free from the binds of attachment by meditating on You. How shall you liberate yourself now from the binds of my Love?

Japuji Sahib: the video

The video below is the result of approx. 50 hours of computer time, over a one year period – first five Pauri’s (steps) of Japuji Sahib, explained. Hope you enjoy.

Fifth Pauri (Step 5)

Concluding a series on five Pauri gurbani wallpapers, I present the last set. The Guru continues to explain what God is, and how to find Him.

Also available as a single image:

The word Naad has several interpretations by different people. For some, it refers to the unheard sound current that emanates from Him – it can only be heard by the spiritually uplifted. For others, the phrase “Gurmukẖ nāḏaŉ” refers to the fact that Knowledge about Him can only be obtained through the Guru’s word.

I released the first wallpaper in this series on March 8th last year. Strangely, this last one got completed around the same time this year. A total of 21 wallpapers, requiring around 50 hours of time at the computer completed over a year. Reading this if I have incited thirst for more in even a single believer, I would consider this work well worth (please post a comment).

For those interested further, I recommend Giani Sant Singh Maskeen’s commentary available easily on the net or can be purchased as CDs (nearly 20 hours). Another excellent resource is SriGranth.org – however, on the website I would encourage readers to switch on “Punjabi Bhai Manmohan Singh” to get a comprehensive view (just reading the English version doesn’t provide a lot of insight).

Philosophy of the Guru

Dictation of the Guru Granth Saheb — Guru

The content of this post has some thoughts that were shared in an address by my grandfather at a Gurdwara (sikh temple).

Sri Guru Granth Sahib is probably the only religious text in the world which has hymns written by people from different religions: Kabir; Swami Ramanand was a staunch Brahmin; and Sheikh Farid a muslim. All of these men found God, and their words conform to the spirit of SGGS. At times, however, the words might indicate an apparent conflict, for example, the following words by Farid:

ਉਠੁ ਫਰੀਦਾ ਉਜੂ ਸਾਜਿ ਸੁਬਹ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਿ ॥
Rise up, Fareed, and cleanse yourself; chant your morning prayer.
ਜੋ ਸਿਰੁ ਸਾਂਈ ਨਾ ਨਿਵੈ ਸੋ ਸਿਰੁ ਕਪਿ ਉਤਾਰਿ ॥੭੧॥
The head which does not bow to the Lord – chop off and remove that head. ||71||

And the following from Kabir:

ਕਿਆ ਉਜੂ ਪਾਕੁ ਕੀਆ ਮੁਹੁ ਧੋਇਆ ਕਿਆ ਮਸੀਤਿ ਸਿਰੁ ਲਾਇਆ ॥
And what good are your purifications? Why do you bother to wash your face? And why do you bother to bow your head in the mosque?

In order to understand, lets read the whole hymn from Kabir:

ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਕਤੇਬ ਕਹਹੁ ਮਤ ਝੂਠੇ ਝੂਠਾ ਜੋ ਨ ਬਿਚਾਰੈ ॥
Do not say that the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran are false. Those who do not contemplate them are false.
ਜਉ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਖੁਦਾਇ ਕਹਤ ਹਉ ਤਉ ਕਿਉ ਮੁਰਗੀ ਮਾਰੈ ॥੧॥
You say that the One Lord is in all, so why do you kill chickens? ||1||
ਮੁਲਾਂ ਕਹਹੁ ਨਿਆਉ ਖੁਦਾਈ ॥
O Mullah, tell me: is this God’s Justice?
ਤੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਕਾ ਭਰਮੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
The doubts of your mind have not been dispelled. ||1||Pause||
ਪਕਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਆਨਿਆ ਦੇਹ ਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਮਾਟੀ ਕਉ ਬਿਸਮਿਲਿ ਕੀਆ ॥
You seize a living creature, and then bring it home and kill its body; you have killed only the clay.
ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪ ਅਨਾਹਤ ਲਾਗੀ ਕਹੁ ਹਲਾਲੁ ਕਿਆ ਕੀਆ ॥੨॥
The light of the soul passes into another form. So tell me, what have you killed? ||2||
ਕਿਆ ਉਜੂ ਪਾਕੁ ਕੀਆ ਮੁਹੁ ਧੋਇਆ ਕਿਆ ਮਸੀਤਿ ਸਿਰੁ ਲਾਇਆ ॥
And what good are your purifications? Why do you bother to wash your face? And why do you bother to bow your head in the mosque?
ਜਉ ਦਿਲ ਮਹਿ ਕਪਟੁ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਗੁਜਾਰਹੁ ਕਿਆ ਹਜ ਕਾਬੈ ਜਾਇਆ ॥੩॥
Your heart is full of hypocrisy; what good are your prayers or your pilgrimage to Mecca? ||3||
ਤੂੰ ਨਾਪਾਕੁ ਪਾਕੁ ਨਹੀ ਸੂਝਿਆ ਤਿਸ ਕਾ ਮਰਮੁ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥
You are impure; you do not understand the Pure Lord. You do not know His Mystery.
ਕਹਿ ਕਬੀਰ ਭਿਸਤਿ ਤੇ ਚੂਕਾ ਦੋਜਕ ਸਿਉ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ॥੪॥੪॥
Says Kabeer, you have missed out on paradise; your mind is set on hell. ||4||4||

The central idea is now quite clear: simply following instructions will not count for anything – where ever those instructions might be from. The mind and body need to undergo a change, through the Guru’s instruction and instill a love for God, and creation – only then you will have achieved something.

So we see that both hymns point in the same direction: while for Farid, his actions symbolize the love for God; Kabir is talking about people who are not guided by that love. However, at times there happens to be a contradiction as well: wise men find God sometimes treading on different paths, and talk about that specific path. Commenting on that, this is what the Guru has to say:

ਛਿਅ ਘਰ ਛਿਅ ਗੁਰ ਛਿਅ ਉਪਦੇਸ ॥
There are six schools of philosophy, six teachers, and six sets of teachings.
ਗੁਰੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਏਕੋ ਵੇਸ ਅਨੇਕ ॥੧॥
But the Teacher of teachers is the One, who appears in so many forms.
ਬਾਬਾ ਜੈ ਘਰਿ ਕਰਤੇ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਹੋਇ ॥
O humble servant of the Lord: that home in which the Praises of the Creator are sung –
ਸੋ ਘਰੁ ਰਾਖੁ ਵਡਾਈ ਤੋਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
be in that home; in it rests true greatness. ||1||Pause||
ਵਿਸੁਏ ਚਸਿਆ ਘੜੀਆ ਪਹਰਾ ਥਿਤੀ ਵਾਰੀ ਮਾਹੁ ਹੋਆ ॥
The seconds, minutes and hours, days, weeks and months,
ਸੂਰਜੁ ਏਕੋ ਰੁਤਿ ਅਨੇਕ ॥
and the various seasons originate from the one sun;
ਨਾਨਕ ਕਰਤੇ ਕੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਵੇਸ ॥੨॥੨॥
O Nanak, in just the same way, the many forms originate from the Creator. ||2||2||

In Hinduism there are six shastras (books) each with its own school of thought. However, these different ways are revealed by the same God to different people. In fact, there is no difference. Here in lies the greatness of the Guru.

Fourth Pauri (Step 4)

It is time to share the wallpapers for the fourth step with you all. This step is pivotal in the series, because here we obtain some of the answers to questions already promulgated, especially in the first step. The key thought is, how do we find God?

Fourth Pauri, Part 1	Fourth Pauri, Part 2
Fourth Pauri, Part 3	Fourth Pauri, Part 4

As one single image:

Click on the images to enlarge.