Gurbani Awareness Series-8
How A Sikh Becomes Pleasing To The Guru
      We all Sikhs go to the Guru’s house and listen to the Gurbani recited there; sometimes, a good preacher inspires us to return to the Guru by getting rid of our too much involvement in the Maya pursuits, but some talk about old stories, which have no link to the Guru’s teachings. Such preachers mislead us. Besides it, how we can know what have we learned from the Guru-house? What actually we should do to live as per the Gurbani teachings? Most of the time, our visit to the Guru-house remains hypocritical, because after visiting the Guru-house, we don’t see any significant change in our behavior. Fourth Nanak has noticed this problem as well. He inspires the followers to become true Sikhs of the Guru by giving examples of those, who remain hypocrites even being visitors of the Guru-house. If we go through his bani “ Gauri Kee Var” on 300, SGGS, we will find a lot of slok and stanzas addressing the mind-slaves, the importance of the Guru’s teachings and the true Sikhs. The following slok of Fourth Nanak on 305-306, SGGS guides us how to live being in love with our Creator. Before that, let us look the following verses at 312, SGGS in which the Guru points out the so called visitors of the Guru-house, who remain hypocrites:
   ਸਲੋਕ ਮਃ ੪ ॥
ਸਾਕਤ ਜਾਇ ਨਿਵਹਿ ਗੁਰ ਆਗੈ ਮਨਿ ਖੋਟੇ ਕੂੜਿ ਕੂੜਿਆਰੇ ॥
ਜਾ ਗੁਰੁ ਕਹੈ ਉਠਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਭਾਈ ਬਹਿ ਜਾਹਿ ਘੁਸਰਿ ਬਗੁਲਾਰੇ ॥
ਗੁਰਸਿਖਾ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਵਰਤੈ ਚੁਣਿ ਕਢੇ ਲਧੋਵਾਰੇ ॥
ਓਇ ਅਗੈ ਪਿਛੈ ਬਹਿ ਮੁਹੁ ਛਪਾਇਨਿ ਨ ਰਲਨੀ ਖੋਟੇਆਰੇ ॥
ਓਨਾ ਦਾ ਭਖੁ ਸੁ ਓਥੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਜਾਇ ਕੂੜੁ ਲਹਨਿ ਭੇਡਾਰੇ ॥
ਜੇ ਸਾਕਤੁ ਨਰੁ ਖਾਵਾਈਐ ਲੋਚੀਐ ਬਿਖੁ ਕਢੈ ਮੁਖਿ ਉਗਲਾਰੇ ॥
ਹਰਿ ਸਾਕਤ ਸੇਤੀ ਸੰਗੁ ਨ ਕਰੀਅਹੁ ਓਇ ਮਾਰੇ ਸਿਰਜਣਹਾਰੇ ॥
ਜਿਸ ਕਾ ਇਹੁ ਖੇਲੁ ਸੋਈ ਕਰਿ ਵੇਖੈ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਮਾਰੇ ॥੧॥
The Maya lovers go to the Satguru and bow, but their minds remain filled with falsehood.
       When the Guru asks them to wake up, they sit together like cranes (means they don’t obey but keep posing to be obedient). The Satguru abides in his Sikhs; therefore, they find them and expel them. Those Maya lovers hide their face here and there, but they never mix up; they are not real devotees, because what they want (slandering/the Maya talk) is not there; they look for the filth like sheep. If a Maya lover, who longs for the poisonous Maya, is fed with the food of Har’s name, he cannot hold it. Please do not let me associate with those, who are turned away from the Creator, because He has cursed them. Oh Nanak! Har who has created this play, watches it. You hold on to His name.
        On 314, SGGS The Guru expresses how the mind slaves avoid the Guru’s guidance; the best environment to be in is to associate with those, who praise the Creator:

ਪਉੜੀ ॥
ਜਿਨ ਕੇ ਚਿਤ ਕਠੋਰ ਹਹਿ ਸੇ ਬਹਹਿ ਨ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪਾਸਿ ॥
ਓਥੈ ਸਚੁ ਵਰਤਦਾ ਕੂੜਿਆਰਾ ਚਿਤ ਉਦਾਸਿ ॥
ਓਇ ਵਲੁ ਛਲੁ ਕਰਿ ਝਤਿ ਕਢਦੇ ਫਿਰਿ ਜਾਇ ਬਹਹਿ ਕੂੜਿਆਰਾ ਪਾਸਿ ॥
ਵਿਚਿ ਸਚੇ ਕੂੜੁ ਨ ਗਡਈ ਮਨਿ ਵੇਖਹੁ ਕੋ ਨਿਰਜਾਸਿ ॥
ਕੂੜਿਆਰ ਕੂੜਿਆਰੀ ਜਾਇ ਰਲੇ ਸਚਿਆਰ ਸਿਖ ਬੈਠੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪਾਸਿ ॥੨੬॥
Those whose hearts are hard hearted don’t sit close by the Satiguru. In the company of the Satguru, there is truth only that makes the liars sad. They spend time by hook and crook and again go to sit with the liars. Truth doesn’t mix with the falsehood; one can analyze it. The false one gets together with the false ones and the true Sikh sits by the side of the Satguru.
       In the above slok, the Guru makes his followers aware of the Maya lover and guides them to stay away from the company of those, who are deeply indulged in the Maya pursuits, because in the company of such people, a seeker cannot walk on the Guru’s path flawlessly; in other words, their negativity impacts the seeker negatively. What truly the Guru wants from his Sikhs is clearly stated in the following Slok, please let us read it, ponder over it and be a judge of our own acts to see if we follow the Guru truly, or our quagmire of hypocrisy has become more powerful for us than the Guru’s advice: 

ਮਃ ੪ ॥  
ਗੁਰ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਜੋ ਸਿਖੁ ਅਖਾਏ ਸੁ ਭਲਕੇ ਉਠਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵੈ ॥  
ਉਦਮੁ ਕਰੇ ਭਲਕੇ ਪਰਭਾਤੀ ਇਸਨਾਨੁ ਕਰੇ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸਰਿ ਨਾਵੈ ॥  
ਉਪਦੇਸਿ ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਜਪੁ ਜਾਪੈ ਸਭਿ ਕਿਲਵਿਖ ਪਾਪ ਦੋਖ ਲਹਿ ਜਾਵੈ ॥  
ਫਿਰਿ ਚੜੈ ਦਿਵਸੁ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਗਾਵੈ ਬਹਦਿਆ ਉਠਦਿਆ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵੈ ॥
ਜੋ ਸਾਸਿ ਗਿਰਾਸਿ ਧਿਆਏ ਮੇਰਾ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਸੋ ਗੁਰਸਿਖੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਨਿ ਭਾਵੈ ॥
ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਦਇਆਲੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਮੇਰਾ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਗੁਰੂ ਉਪਦੇਸੁ ਸੁਣਾਵੈ ॥  
ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਧੂੜਿ ਮੰਗੈ ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਕੀ ਜੋ ਆਪਿ ਜਪੈ ਅਵਰਹ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ ॥੨॥
A person who claims to be a Sikh of the Satguru should contemplate Har’s name by waking up early. Such a Sikh should make effort to praise Har and to clean himself or herself through His nectarous name. As per the teachings of the Satguru, such a Sikh should contemplate Har’s name repeatedly. By doing so, all sins and pains go away. Then as the day begins, a Sikh should read and sing the Gurbani; thus, he or she should meditate on Har’s name. A Sikh who contemplates Har all the time is pleasing to the mind of the Guru. A Sikh upon whom my Master bestows His kindness gets the Guru’s teachings. Nanak, Har’s servant, seeks dust of the feet of such a Sikh, who remembers Har’s name and makes others to do the same.
        If we simply wake up and recite the Gurbani and do our prayer before we start our day or daily routine, but we don’t remember what the Gurbani says, our effort of reciting the Gurbani will not help us. After The Gurbani reciting, if we allow our minds to become our masters, we are spiritually doomed, because we will fall for every Maya attraction; however, if the Gurbani-teachings become our Guide, we will remain intact from the Maya influences. This way, we will remain glued to our Guru’s teachings. Why some people go to various fake Babas and Gurus? Reason is simple; they don’t want to give up anything including their insatiable desires; instead they want a support from those guides, who are already deemed in Maya. Seeking support from others is easier than changing the mind.
       As a Gursikh wakes up, his or her first choice should be to remember the Creator and His so many given gifts; by doing so, he or she should try to take a pledge not to practice falsehood, hypocrisy, and vices. Abandoning his or her self-conceit, he or she should remain humble. The act of remembering Him in the morning and then enshrining His memory in the heart during the entire day purifies the mind ( If one works at night shift, then one’s night routine becomes daily routine). Even when he or she goes to work, the attention on the Creator should be kept intact. As we drive, we keep driving though we may plan something to do after reaching our destination; in the same way, we should keep working but by remaining inclined toward His memory. If it is practiced everyday, the Gursikh becomes pleasing to the Guru, who keeps guiding him or her all the time. Getting lost in the Creator’s love, the worldly tasks are done but free of treachery, hypocrisy, deep attachment, greed, conceit, anger, greed and lust. This approach filters the mind in such a way that it never falls for any wrong act. As a Gursikh practices the Guru’s teaching, he or she also tries to inspire his or her associates to be like him or her.
      The entire slok defines the Gursikh’s life to be spent in the Creator’s love not in other pursuits that break his or her love for the Creator. Even being a breadwinner for one’s family, one remains sincere toward the Guru and His teachings. It is only possible if he or she only falls in love with the Creator. If you love the Creator, His love will fill you with virtues, but if you fall for the worldly love, it will fill you with filth of greed, attachment, anger, lust and avarice. The mind drenched in others’ slandering fails to enshrine the Creator’s love within. The Maya pursuits take all the peace of the mind, but falling in love with Him brings quietness to it and frees it from all flaws. A person who falls in love with the Creator seeks the company of those, who are alike. The Guru applauds such sincere seekers. Let us become our own judge to see how good we are at following our Guru’s words stated above.
     Now let us go further; how truly we can live in this world highly drenched in Maya? The answer lies in the following shabda of Fifth Nanak on 384 to 385, SGGS

ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥
ਸਾਚਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਲਾਗਾ ॥
ਲੋਗਨ ਸਿਉ ਮੇਰਾ ਠਾਠਾ ਬਾਗਾ ॥੧॥
Since my mind is attached to Prabh’s name, my dealings with the people become just formal (without any kind of attachment: just social dealings).

ਬਾਹਰਿ ਸੂਤੁ ਸਗਲ ਸਿਉ ਮਉਲਾ ॥
ਅਲਿਪਤੁ ਰਹਉ ਜੈਸੇ ਜਲ ਮਹਿ ਕਉਲਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Outwardly I have relationship with all, but internally I am detached like a lotus in the water. Pause.

ਮੁਖ ਕੀ ਬਾਤ ਸਗਲ ਸਿਉ ਕਰਤਾ ॥
ਜੀਅ ਸੰਗਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਅਪੁਨਾ ਧਰਤਾ ॥੨॥
I talk to everyone, but I keep my mind fixed on my Prabh.

ਦੀਸਿ ਆਵਤ ਹੈ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਭੀਹਾਲਾ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਚਰਨ ਕੀ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਰਾਲਾ ॥੩॥
Though I look very dry in dealing with others, but my mind is utterly humble toward them (Then we are convinced that though the people we deal with are into Maya, they are there as per the Creator’s ordinance; therefore, their behavior should not anger us).

ਨਾਨਕ ਜਨਿ ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਏਕੁ ਦਿਖਾਇਆ ॥੪॥੩॥੫੪॥   (384-385,SGGS)
Oh Nanak! The Guru has shown Prabh in and outside to that person, who has found the perfect Guru.
    I hope and pray that the Gurbani becomes our savior guide to keep us attached to our Creator sincerely, and we become worthy of being called “the Gursikhs”.

           Wishes!
           Humbly,
        Gurdeep Singh
  Sikh Missionary College