Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Asa di waar    12

The Brahman who twists sacred threads and put on somebody to earn money by taking charges even for solemnizing the weddings, he negotiate such weddings by spreading his calendar is actually blind in his mind but likes to be called wise. He sometimes charges a cow as his fees and promises heaven to his customers but even the cow-dung will not save him from his sins because he has sold his self respect. Inside his house hideously he does all these rites but outside he serves Muslim rulers, behaves like them and eats the food provided by them. (When Moguls, Pathans and Turks took over the reign of India they took Brahman and other high castes as administrators to run the state affairs as they were educated in comparison to the people who came to India with them and secondly they understood the revenue collection much better than the foreigners. They were very good book keepers as well. They worked under the rulers and showed loyalty to them to maintain their jobs. They became partners in crime when the foreign rulers committed atrocities on locals because they knew the wrong doings and along with Kshatriyas didn’t raise their voice against injustice. That kind of socio political condition was that disturbed Guru Nanak the most hence this direct reprimand for the high caste people and awakening to the weaker section). Guru Nanak tries to make people aware that The Lord’s grace is obtained by anyone who praises Him, by obeying His Will or command one can get place in His Mansion and the place of honour as well. He takes on Vaishyas another high caste and calls them man eaters because they wield the scalpel but wear the sacred thread as I understand the vaishyas are money lenders who fleece people with heavy interests on loans and make their living with this falsehood but their behaviour is like a world butcher ever ready with their scalpel. Their trade is false and all their wealth is false and they are filled with falsehood. In their homes Brahman goes with frontal mark, spreads his loin cloth (Dhoti) clears the place to make sacred place to perform rites. Guru Nanak urges the Brahman to leave this hypocrisy and start meditating on the Lord’s Name so that he can ferry Him across ocean. Guru Nanak further says that he wears the blue robes of Muslims to get himself acceptable and taking his provisions from them reads Puranas in his house. He eats the goat meat that is slaughtered by reading kalmia by Muslims but inside his house he makes his kitchen to be a sacred place and do not let others (low castes) touch anything because with their touch food will get polluted. With their polluted body and impure mind they commit evil deeds and gargle their mouth to show purity. O man! Nanak says; meditate on Lords Name if your body and mind are unpolluted then alone you will be accepted by the True One. All are under His vision because He alone makes everyone do deeds. With His one angry glance he can make a King a pauper like a dry grass blade and so much that no one will give charity to them even when they had to go begging. If a thief plunders a house and give this plunder as offerings for his ancestors that also will be making his ancestors party to theft. All those agents who make their living from negotiations to get jobs done will see justice in the next world when their hands are shored. Nanak says you get only that what you give in this world so do your duty and hard work and share your earning with the needy.

To continue………..