Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Asa di waar   6

The negative propensity like pride and ego has been discussed on page 466 of Guru Granth Sahib. A verse of Guru Angad ji on ego has been added to this discussion. Guru Nanak says; in pride man comes and in pride he departs. In pride he is born and in pride he dies. Everything happens in life in pride until you realize that it is negative value for a mortal that keeps you away from knowing the Lord and His Benevolence. All the give and take, earning and losses, becoming true or false, reflection on virtue or vice, falling in hell or heaven, laughs and sadness, getting soiled and washed, his standing in the caste and loosing the status, becoming ignorant or wise, not knowing the worth of salvation and emancipation, in pride the man sees and shadowed by illusions, the beings being created. Without the knowledge of the Divine and His existence man keeps boasting of all that he has and gets his destiny recorded in Lord’s House. God sees the mortals as they see themselves. Only if the ego is stilled the gate to God’s house is seen.

Guru Angad ji add to this discussion saying; the nature of the ego is this, that man goes around doing his business in pride. As a result he gets bounded to the cycle of rebirth. He questions why is ego born? And how it can be removed? This is Lords Will that man wanders in the cycle of rebirth if one cannot take care of his acts and deeds. He says ego is a chronic disease and a cure in itself. If the Lord bestows His Grace and man acts according to the Guru’s instructions (the cure for ego is attained). Says Nanak, listen O people in this way the trouble departs.

Those who learn to be satisfied and meditate on His Name, who do not fall prey to sins and act to do good deeds, those who learn to survive on paltry corn and water on such He bestows His grace because He is a Great Bestower and keeps giving His gifts all the time. By His Grace, man attains Him.

To continue……..