Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Asa di waar     5

In the following page 465- 466 of Guru Granth Sahib Guru Nanak has taken the topic of magnificence of God and how the contemporary society was looking at Him. He analyses the prevailing practices of beliefs and shows his way of looking at God. He says;

 The Muslim praise the Islamic law and they read and reflect upon it. According to them God’s servants are only they who fall in the captivity of shariyat (of orthodoxy of Islamic law) to see His (God’s) sight.

The Hindus praise the Praiseworthy God only in many a beautiful forms. They bathe at holy place offer flowers and spread the fragrances of incense before idols.

The yogis meditate on His Absolute Name and name creator as Unseen. But to the Lord of the minute (Formless) and the Immaculate One they give the form of a body.

In the mind of the generous contentment is filled and he thinks of charity. They give but ask in turn a thousand times hereafter and wish the world to honour them.

The thieves, adulterers, perjurers (liars), evil-doers, and sinners all of these eat and pass time here. Have they thus done any good deeds?

There are beings (life) in water, on earth, in the world and universe and while in the form of germs and microbes. What they say; You know of them and cares for them.

There are saints who hunger to praise your Name O Nanak and your Name is the Mainstay. The Eternal beauty of your Name they search is in the dust of feet of the virtuous.

The clay of a Muslim (in the grave after death) falls into the potter’s clod. He forms to make pots and burns and burns and it cries out as it burns. The poor clay weeps and cries as it burns and the coals separate from the burning pots. O Nanak’ the God alone knows whether it good to burn or bury.

Without True Guru none has obtained the Lord. In the true Guru Lord has placed Himself and I openly declare and proclaim it. Salvation is obtained by those who have abandoned the worldly attachments from within. This is a good theme to obtain Him by attaching one’s mind to the True Lord.

This way one obtains the Beneficent Lord, life spender to the world.

To continue……