GEMS OF GURBANI

Art of Living – 10

Chardi kala or highest degree of optimism: Chardi Kala is a state of mind that keeps a person cheerful, vigilant and brave to bear any adversities. This state of mind can vanish, lost or diffused due to many external factors like oppressions by rulers, social discriminations by religious heads as in Hindu Society, continuous invasions and plundering of country by Islamic people in India. Over several generations when people are forced to live in humiliation a kind of pessimism becomes the part of human nature. This kind situation pushed Indians in to a deep cleft of distress and helplessness. Over several generations people lived in the environment of melancholy and helplessness and give up on several characteristics was accepted and to avoid any unwarranted pains and sufferings it was advised to keep low profile and accept it as God’s will. During his several travels to study the facts of this downtrodden condition of the country Guru Nanak established several factors that could have caused this situation. He noticed that pessimism is one of the factors that people have lost will to counter the oppressors, rulers and socio-economic discriminations caused by the invaders and our own people. Guru Nanak was appalled to see that there is darkness (KUR) everywhere and people had just given up to this downtrodden state. This missing of optimism became one of the important characteristic for Guru Nanak to build in his followers. Guru Nanak’s consideration was to make it a part of art of living for his followers and this was not an easy task. It had taken several generations and the Nanak’s built it slowly ultimately Guru Gobind Singh ji could infuse this spirit of Chardi kala in his followers and it became part of Sikh ethics.  During one of his wanderings Guru Nanak reached Sumair Mountains in Himalaya where he encountered Sidhas. These are people who learn many expertises that can be shown as miracles and they tried to win over Guru Nanak to their cult. Guru Nanak remained unmoved so they tried to win him with their spiritual knowledge. They were left speechless by Guru’s counter arguments. Since they escape from worldly misery and abandon civilization they had no knowledge of state of affairs of the country. When they were intrigued by Guru’s knowledge of the country and he told the affairs in such painful manner that astonished and they wondered,” how could this happen in God’s own country?” Guru answered that they themselves are responsible for such conditions of the country because a country having such intelligent people who turn away from the affairs of the country by renouncing the world will be doomed because of your selfishness and selfish motives of achieving spiritual bliss you are forgetting the needs of people. People are suffering from the pains of invasions, social discriminations and ignorance. According to ancient Hindu belief a successful person is who achieves the attributes of Dharma (righteousness), Karma(fate), Artha(worldly prosperity) and Moksha( release from the rebirth in this world). Guru Nanak replaced this ancient belief by Naam( recitation of the Name of Almighty), Chardi Kala a belief in yourself and the Almighty that brings optimism, Bhana( Will or command of the Almighty), and Sarbat da bhala that is welfare of the universe in mind.

To continue……