Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Vaar Maajh   24

Shlok First Guru

 (In this following shlok Guru Nanak has described the life of Jogis who roam around the landscape of India even to date. Their self respect is lost but they adhere to this life style because they do not want to work for their living and keep depending on the earnings of others. Their example is taken here to show the useless-ness of a being who are not ready to work for their earning a living and losing self respect makes no difference to them).

They shore their heads, drink dirty water and beg for their living and eat even left overs.

They spread the garbage and take in its odour and breathe it out from their mouth and are shy of water.

They have their heads shorn like sheeps and their hands smeared with ashes.

They leave the daily routine of their mother and father and leave them wailing loudly.

None will serve barley pinnies( kind laddus made for the occasion)on leaves when they depart and none will light an earthen lamp for them. Where are these people thrown after death?

All the sixty eight pilgrimages do not grant them refuge and the Brahmins will not eat their food.

They are ever filthy and do not bear any sacrificial frontal marks on their foreheads.

They huddle together in a group but do not enter the Court (of the Lord).

The begging bowl on their wastes and woolen clew in their hands they walk in a file.

They are not the disciples of Gorakh nor are they devotees of Shiva not even Muslim judges or Mullahas.

They lose the benevolent God’s graciousness and are disgraced to live a corrupt vagabond life.

Only the God can kill them and restore their life, none other can protect them.

They cannot even give alms in their life or perform ablutions. Only their shorn head catches even more dust.

By churning ocean with Golden Mountain as staff the jewels were procured and sixty eight pilgrimages were created where people could celebrate festivals and sing hymns.

After ablutions the Muslims say prayers and so does a Hindu says his prayers after ablution and the wise ever bathes.

The dead and living are both purified by pouring water on their heads.

Nanak says the shorn head are like devils who never take to good advice.

When it rains there is happiness everywhere because the key is that life spring from water.

The corn, the sugar cane and cotton that comes from rain covers everything.

The rains grow grass and cows graze and women churn the curds from their milk.

The clarified butter is then used for havan and all other religious rites are performed in various ceremonies.

The Guru is the ocean and all his teachings are the river where by bathing wisdom is obtained.

Nanak says; if the shorn heads (those who have lost self-respect) do not bathe in the word of Guru, they only get hands full of dust on their shorn heads II 1 II

Second Guru

What can cold do to fire? And how can night affect the sun? What effect can darkness have on the Moon? What effect can a caste have on air and water? What shall earth do with Chattels when it can produce everything on its own?

Nanak says the self respect is preserved only if the Lord desires to preserve the honour of his devotees II 2 II

Pauri

Oh! You Wondrous True Lord I have sung your praises all the while because yours is the eternal Court and all others are only coming and going.

All those who only ask for the charity of your true Name are like you. With the True Name they get adorned and their command becomes true.

By believing in you one receives the true knowledge and strength to meditate on your Name.

By your grace one receives a permanent mark of your Name that cannot be rubbed off or effaced.

You are a True giver O Lord and bestow more and more. Nanak asks only for those gifts that are pleasing to You II 26 II