Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Sidha Gosht    2

A dialogue with Sidhas

This offshoot- yogis of shaivism though believed in Shiva as their supreme God but developed different school of thoughts. There are believed to be 12 sects or school of thoughts of this Yogi cult of Hinduism. The members of these cults are people of escapist nature who shirk away from their social duties. They don’t like to contribute to the organized family structure where every adult member contributes to the upkeep of family and social norms. These lazy kinds of people sometimes leave their small children and walk away from the family unit and join band wagon of  Yogis who beg from the householders to live and don’t believe in working for their living. They are mostly meat eaters and addicted to various types of intoxicants. For begging they disguise themselves in garbs of religious colours like orange and golden yellow, wearing a head gear, big ear-rings, carrying a big jhola – a type cloth bag that is put on shoulders to collect alms and begging bowl. They covered themselves with ashes with a mark of shaivism on their forehead and a necklace of rudraksha beads around their neck. They covered their lower body with loin cloth. They meditated on shiva and through yogic practices developed control of several body parts, senses and some could develop certain powers. They believed in Shiva’s third eye that opened in anger and that they used as tool to subjugate people under their fear to extract alms. This subjugation was not difficult to invoke fear in already divided, caste ridden, and superstitious people. They were successful in making an image for themselves in a weakened and downtrodden society that a curse or boon is in their hand and choice is yours. Alms were thus easily extracted. By the tenth century a yogi named Gorakh had established himself as Supreme head of all the twelve sects. In northern India these Yogis wandered from one pilgrimage centre to another in large groups. They added Nath or Das with their Names. After the various invasions of Islamists from Afghanistan, Mongolia and western Asia they started hiding themselves in forests and away from main routes of communications where from invaders were travelling. For their living they were still dependent on householders (grahast). Guru Nanakji’s birth place Talwandi was away from main routes of invaders and these Yogis and several wandering sects of Sadhus took refuge there and begged for alms. Guruji had several encounters with these wandering people and interacted with them to know about the condition of the rest of the country.

In adulthood when Guruji travelled (his travels are known as Udasis in Sikh history that has nothing to do with udasi Sadhus cult that wander away from the worldly affairs and believe only in meditations and maintaining silence. Guru Nanak ji’s udasi were for understanding the state of affairs, political and social conditions of the country and visiting the places of all those saintly people who tried to bring change in the downtrodden state of larger humanity in this country. To know why there was division in the society and why there was so much subjugation and resignation in the mental state of people. Why self pride, honour, confidence and love for the country went missing? Why Indians were not united and how could foreign invaders took upper hand? Why Indians could be terrorized? Why there was so much greed for that religious freedom, self pride was put at stake? His udasi or travels bring us treasures of his experiences and answers to all those questions that he asked the Almighty. The graciousness of Almighty was bestowed on Guru Nanak and we are blessed with Gurbani that teaches us the purpose of human life) he met these Yogis several times in his life at various places during several of his travels. At every encounter they tried to persuade Guru Nanak to join their cult and become one of them. Guru Nanaks ji had welfare and emancipation of humanity as agenda on his mind and how could he join selfish people who had only self emancipation and union with Lord on their mind. They were arrogant, egoistic and boastful of their knowledge that they acquired in the practice of Yoga by controlling their sense organs. Guru Nanak ji had already started his missionary Endeavour and propagated One-ness of God, earning and sharing your living with the needy, live a life without fear and malice, maintain self esteem and pride and treat human being equal. They were exactly opposite of Guru Nanak’s belief as they lived on other people’s earning while they were young and strong to work and earn living, they exercised supernatural powers and thus trying to make themselves above God’s will and they used these supernatural powers to create fear and superstitions to make a living, they were arrogant because while living on alms from the householders they graded them lower than themselves and used curse and boon as tools to instill fear. Guru ji never appreciated their way of life because they were not serving humanity or making people stronger to fight the evil designs of foreign invaders rather running away, begging and hiding themselves selfishly in forests and away from civilization. Guru ji had dialogue with these Yogis or Siddhas several times  and reprimanded them for their selfishness. After his last travel Guru Nanak ji settled at a village on the Bank of ravi river that he called as Kartarpur (City of the Creator). He settled there and called his family to come and live with him. People started visiting him there and he lived for all that he preached. He became a farmer to earn his living, started a langar a community kitchen to feed all the people who visited him and everyone had to share the cooking, washing and feeding irrespective of caste or status thus bringing a feeling of brotherhood in his followers. He preached, sang gurbani and also finalized many of his poetry here prominent among them Asa di vaar, Barahmaha, Onkar, Sidh Gosht and many more. Towards the end of his life Guru Nanak ji visited a Shivratri fair at Achal- Batala where this fair is attended by Yogis from all over the country. The yogis were very jealous of Guru Nanak’s achievements as many people had started following him for his selfless service to humanity, his independent thinking that was not influenced by any dogmatic religious beliefs, his achieving the perfect human status when God is pleased and blesses you with a union with Himself. They decided to corner Guru Nanak ji to make fun of him and defeat him in discussion. They address him as balak a small child and pose questions to him on purpose of life. Guru Nanak ji had blessings of Almighty, he was fearless, and stable in his belief of Almighty and worked out the Will of Almighty. He defeated these Yogis with his truthfulness and love for God and his Creation.

Siddha Gosht is documented in Guru Granth Sahib in Raag Ramkali on page 938 onwards.