ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ
hukim rjweI clxw ]
hukam rajaa-ee chalnaa!
ਕਬੀਰ ਜਉ ਤੁਹਿ ਸਾਧ ਪਿਰੰਮ ਕੀ ਸੀਸੁ ਕਾਟਿ ਕਰਿ ਗੋਇ ॥
“Kabeer ja-o tuhi saaDh piramm kee sees kaat kar go-ay. Khaylat khaylat haal kar, Jo kichh ho-ay ta ho-ay”. (GGS: 1377)
Bhagat Kabeer in this shlok says: If you desire to fall in Love with the Lord, then cut off your head (loaded with greed, prudence, haume), and make it into a ball of humility, remove ego even if being kicked like a football around. Engross and absorb in the navigation of spiritual illumination and let whatever comes your way, be fearless and move on steadily.
Baba Nanak transformed the same message and said (GGS: 1412):
ਜਉ ਤਉ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਖੇਲਣ ਕਾ ਚਾਉ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਧਰਿ ਤਲੀ ਗਲੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਆਉ ॥ ਇਤੁ ਮਾਰਗਿ ਪੈਰੁ ਧਰੀਜੈ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਦੀਜੈ ਕਾਣਿ ਨ ਕੀਜੈ ॥20॥
“Ja-o ta-o prem khaylan kaa chaa-o, sir dhar talee galee mayree aa-o.
It maarag pair Dhareejai, sir deejai kaan na keejai”.
If you yearn for the love in Akal Purakh, the Creator then just follow me, through away all your wisdom, prudence, tricks, shyanap and greed that is blended with haume from your mind (temples) without any hesitation and bow your head. Once you have stepped on the way surrender to Akal Purakh, the Almighty (God) Waheguru whole heartedly without any desire, do not shy or be afraid from others, just be bold and stay tuned - come what may! Drench in His love further deeper and deeper, as navigation through spiritual illumination is very difficult.
In both the above hymns the ultimate message is: If you really want to love Waheguru, the Almighty God, first you have to sacrifice your head. Here Guru is saying 'If you really want to Love Akal Purakh, then you must live by the truth and die by the truth, for I am Truth, this is what about loving God is! Shabad Guru presents us with such situations to bring us closer to Him? Thus Guru helps us become detached from the world and attach to Akal Purakh. This is how He makes us to say 'I am just going to be Truthful, I am going to put it all in your hands, and I have faith enough to give my head.' This should be the real aim of all the GurSikhs. After we say 'Ik Onkaar Satnaam then we must try and be Truthful always.
The journey begins with Giaan Guru - Gurmat hidden in Gurbani. It is our promise to Waheguru, that from this day forward we will not use our own mind (head-manmat) but Gurmat. The journey never ends here, the process of giving continues through the lifetime. It is wrong to believe that once we engross in contemplation of Gurbani we are super-enlightened people. If we continue to let our own thinking to dominate our decisions then we haven't really given the head, we must give our head to Waheguru everyday. Because everyday is a battle between Gurmat and Manmat, we have to sacrifice our Manmat in order for Gurmat to come through!
The subject hymns consist of Sees and Sir has subtle difference! Sees is the head while Sir is the temple. Temple indicates the side of the head behind the eyes. The bone beneath is the temporal bone as well as part of the sphenoid bone. The head refers face, the main distinguishing feature such as hair, eyes, nose, mouth and shapes, etc. Human faces are easily differentiable to us due to our (temples-sir) brains' predispositions toward discriminating human facial forms. Gurdwara Sis Ganj, the name that reflects the head (Sees) of Guru Teg Bahadar that Aurangzeb beheaded in Delhi while protecting the dharma of Hindu and Sikhs both.
Originally the word temple, meaning "place of worship" also used in anatomy and has a separate etymology form. Both come from Latin, the word for the place of worship comes from templum, whereas for the part of the head comes from Latin *tempula, modified from tempora, plural form ("both temples") of tempus, a word that meant both "time" and the part of the head. Due to the common source with the word for time, the adjective for both is "temporal" (both "pertaining to time" and "to the anatomical temple"). The anatomical temple is a source where we realize memory (remembrance) of nears and dears. Temple, the place of worship is translated in Hindi and Punjabi as 'Mandir' or 'Mander' indicates place for peace of mind.
'Sir dhar talee' doesn't mean to cut off the head physically as Guru Nanak said in sggs on page (941-19)
ਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਸਬਦਿ ਜੋ ਮਰਿ ਜੀਵੈ ਸੋ ਪਾਏ ਮੋਖ ਦੁਆਰੁ ॥
Gur kai sabaḏ jo mar jīvai so pāe mokẖ ḏuār. “
One who remains dead while yet alive, through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, finds the door of liberation.
Guru Amardas in his bani Anand elaborated the above shloks and explained as in GGS page 918. (Bhagtaa kee chaal niraalee)
The devotees' of Akal Purakh has unique and distinct lifestyle; they follow the most difficult path. They renounce greed, avarice, egotism and desire; they do not talk too much. The path they take is sharper than a two-edged sword, and finer than a hair. By Guru's Grace, they shed their selfishness and conceit; their hopes are merged in the Lord. Says Nanak, the lifestyle of the devotees, in each and every age, is unique and distinct. It's easy to talk about it but difficult to live.
Guru Amardas also proclaims: “Ham shabad mu-ay shabad maar jeevaalay bhaa-ee shabday hee mukat paa-ee” (GGS: 604). I have died in essence of the Shabad, and through the Shabad, I am dead while yet alive, O Siblings of Destiny; through the Shabad, I have been liberated.
Guru Arjun cleared the message of Baba Nanak on page 717 of GGS:
ਛੋਡਿ ਸਿਆਨਪ ਬਹੁ ਚਤੁਰਾਈ ਦੁਇ ਕਰ ਜੋੜਿ ਸਾਧ ਮਗਿ ਚਲੁ ॥
“Cẖẖod siānap baho cẖaṯurāī ḏue kar joṛ sāḏẖ mag cẖal.”
Renounce your cleverness and all your mental tricks; with your folded hand and palms together, walk on the Path of the Holy Saints.
Life is not only short but also unpredictable. It can finish any moment. Therefore, we should not put off Spirituality in memory of Akal Purakh till old age, certain time of the day or certain place. It should be done naturally, all the time, everywhere, spontaneously. Being immersed in passions and worldly pleasure seeking, the majority of us do not even get started on the Spiritual path. Some others may feel the need for Spiritual Life but the desire to pursue it, is either superficial or totally absent. You may read Sri Guru Granth Sahib, or attend a Spiritual event here and there only if you have nothing else to do! Others make the excuse that their time to take on Spirituality has not yet come, and that when God will wish they will do it! Yet there are some who make the excuse as it's already too late for them, or the path of spirituality is too difficult for them to tread. The Gurbani and Gurmukhs try to awaken us from this sleep of unenlightened existence. "Don't wait for old age", they roar. For longer we wait, more repeated suffering and delusion we will experience. They urge us that everything in one's life can wait, but not the search to know the nature of the Self - "Who am I?” Spiritual-inquiry (Shabad-Vichaar) is the fire in which the seed and roots of Haume burns completely. Only then the Original states manifest within. Self-imposed limitations of age, place or time for practicing devotion will block Spiritual progress of an aspirant. The Gurbani indicates that devotional service should be performed keeping in mind that God is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. A sincere devotee, for that reason, will not limit his devotional service to a particular place or time. They ever see the All-pervading Spirit in everything and every where, all the time.
The ultimate goal of life is to get out of the shackles of worldly life and seek God through sheer individual effort. God has endowed man with freedom and freewill to act, so we should make the optimum use of the gift of human life. This is the reason that Gurbani and Gurmukh emphasize to adopt Spirituality in young age and awaken Divine Grace within. As one progresses spiritually through the practice, one's negativity and defilement disappear. Unconditioned mind gives equanimity to accept the vagaries of life without getting dejected when beset with adversities or elated when blessed with fortune. Such a seeker lives a right lifestyle, without emotional attachment. An individual's spiritual prosperity depends on the noble virtues such as detachment, humility, wisdom, truthful living, compassion, contentment in all situations. Let us learn to live in Hukam, through the guidance of Gurmat hidden in Gubani.
Mohan Singh (Homeopath)
Spirit of GURMAT