GEMS OF GURBANI

National Character – 15

Awareness of a negative character

Guru Nanak studied Vedas and Quran when he was a child. True meanings of his contemplation on these religious studies he starts explaining to us through his preaching recorded as Bani in Guru Granth Sahib once he has travelled throughout the country, studied the reasons of deteriorating conditions of the country and downfall of the positive values from our lives. He was not only a saint, he was not only a philosopher, he was a great learner and thinker and had a very sharp analytical brain that could know the reasons and deep rooted causes of the conditions of the country and people. In fact he was a scientist who could find the cause and cure of the problems. We shall discuss the origin of atharbani and its burden on the Indian Society. For understanding this let us first read a verse of Bhai Gurdasji that he wrote after Guru Nanak’s return from his Udasis or travels; ‘ Phir Baba aiya kartarpur, bhekh udasi sagal uttara I

Pahir sansari kapde manji bhaith kiya awtara I

Ulti gang vahayiun Guru Angad sier upar dhara I

Putri kaul na paliya man khote aakii nasiyara I

Bani mukhaun uchariye hui rusnai mite andhaara I

Gyan gost charcha sada anahad sabad uthe dhunkara I

Sodar arti gaviye amrit velle jap uchara I

Gurmukh Bhar atharban tara II 38 II

Bhai Gurdas ji’s verse’ last line says that Guru Nanak as a Gurmukh person has brought down the burden of atharbani that people were carrying all the time. What exactly is atharbani and its burden? Atharbani is a veda and its central focus is to read mantras and praise Gods and Goddesses to attain the bliss of good fortune, happiness and good luck and reduce the burden of unhappiness, bad luck. Why was then this burden on humanity if it was so simple to appease the gods and goddesses to attain the bliss of good luck? The reason was duality and confusion of human beings because nobody ever wants to have grief and pain in life and to remove this state or not to allow this state of pain and grief to come into ones’ life help was taken not only from Mantras of Vedas but many superstitious methods came in to being like black magic and cures by obscure means that were carried out by Tantriks and a tradition of making offerings and special poojas to reduce the influence of negativity that came in the form of bad soul (buri atma), bad omens, evil eye etc. Belief in all such superstitious powers made people forget the presence of God and they were all the time seeking solace from figures of supernatural powers and Gods and Godesses created by the active imagination of the human mind like Brahmins, priests, tantriks, Jogis, Babas and speculates who use human weakness to make money.

 Guru Nanak has provided us an explanation to the state of affairs in Asa di Waar where he distinguishes the conditions on theory of Yugas or Eras; kal me bed atharban hua nau khudai Allah bhaiya II neel bastra le kapde pahire turk pathani amal kiya II GG Pg 470 That means in the dark age, Atharva Veda became prominent and Allah became the name of the God. Men took to wear blue clothes ( dress code of Muslims)  and practiced the way of life of turks and pathans.

According to Guru Nanak this is a down- gradation of your culture and values which he sees as negative character because it causes the downfall of inner strength that one needs to fight all odds in life.

To continue……..