Shivpreet Singh
Shivpreet Singh
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These are notes for katha on Oct 27, 2019 on Diwali. Also continuing the 2 year long Guru Nanak 550 project.



Guru Nanak composed Bani (974 shabads) in 19 Raags: Sri raag, Majh, Gauri, Asa. Gujri, Wadhans, Sorath, Dhanasri, Tilang, Suhi, Bilawal, Ramkali, Tukhaari, Bhairav, Basant, Sarang, Malhaar and Prabhati.

We have covered Sri Raag or Shri Raag through Dhanasri until last time, but for Diwali it is apt to do Shri and Dhanasri once more.  It also marks a half way point through all the raags of Guru Nanak. These will continue through next year. 

One shabad in Dhanasri and one in Sri -

ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥

ਗਗਨ ਮੈ ਥਾਲੁ ਰਵਿ ਚੰਦੁ ਦੀਪਕ ਬਨੇ ਤਾਰਿਕਾ ਮੰਡਲ ਜਨਕ ਮੋਤੀ ॥
ਧੂਪੁ ਮਲਆਨਲੋ ਪਵਣੁ ਚਵਰੋ ਕਰੇ ਸਗਲ ਬਨਰਾਇ ਫੂਲੰਤ ਜੋਤੀ ॥੧॥

ਕੈਸੀ ਆਰਤੀ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਭਵ ਖੰਡਨਾ ਤੇਰੀ ਆਰਤੀ ॥
ਅਨਹਤਾ ਸਬਦ ਵਾਜੰਤ ਭੇਰੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਸਹਸ ਤਵ ਨੈਨ ਨਨ ਨੈਨ ਹਹਿ ਤੋਹਿ ਕਉ ਸਹਸ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਨਨਾ ਏਕ ਤੋੁਹੀ ॥
ਸਹਸ ਪਦ ਬਿਮਲ ਨਨ ਏਕ ਪਦ ਗੰਧ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਹਸ ਤਵ ਗੰਧ ਇਵ ਚਲਤ ਮੋਹੀ ॥੨॥

ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਹੈ ਸੋਇ ॥
ਤਿਸ ਦੈ ਚਾਨਣਿ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਚਾਨਣੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਸਾਖੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਜੋ ਤਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੁ ਆਰਤੀ ਹੋਇ ॥੩॥

ਹਰਿ ਚਰਣ ਕਵਲ ਮਕਰੰਦ ਲੋਭਿਤ ਮਨੋ ਅਨਦਿਨੋੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਆਹੀ ਪਿਆਸਾ ॥
ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਜਲੁ ਦੇਹਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਾਰਿੰਗ ਕਉ ਹੋਇ ਜਾ ਤੇ ਤੇਰੈ ਨਾਇ ਵਾਸਾ ॥੪॥੩॥


ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ੧ ਘਰੁ ੧ ॥

ਮੋਤੀ ਤ ਮੰਦਰ ਊਸਰਹਿ ਰਤਨੀ ਤ ਹੋਹਿ ਜੜਾਉ ॥
ਕਸਤੂਰਿ ਕੁੰਗੂ ਅਗਰਿ ਚੰਦਨਿ ਲੀਪਿ ਆਵੈ ਚਾਉ ॥
ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੧॥

ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਜੀਉ ਜਲਿ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਉ ॥
ਮੈ ਆਪਣਾ ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਛਿ ਦੇਖਿਆ ਅਵਰੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਥਾਉ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਧਰਤੀ ਤ ਹੀਰੇ ਲਾਲ ਜੜਤੀ ਪਲਘਿ ਲਾਲ ਜੜਾਉ ॥
ਮੋਹਣੀ ਮੁਖਿ ਮਣੀ ਸੋਹੈ ਕਰੇ ਰੰਗਿ ਪਸਾਉ ॥
ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੨॥

ਸਿਧੁ ਹੋਵਾ ਸਿਧਿ ਲਾਈ ਰਿਧਿ ਆਖਾ ਆਉ ॥
ਗੁਪਤੁ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ ਬੈਸਾ ਲੋਕੁ ਰਾਖੈ ਭਾਉ ॥
ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੩॥

ਸੁਲਤਾਨੁ ਹੋਵਾ ਮੇਲਿ ਲਸਕਰ ਤਖਤਿ ਰਾਖਾ ਪਾਉ ॥
ਹੁਕਮੁ ਹਾਸਲੁ ਕਰੀ ਬੈਠਾ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਸਭ ਵਾਉ ॥
ਮਤੁ ਦੇਖਿ ਭੂਲਾ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਤੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਨਾਉ ॥੪॥੧॥


ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥
ਕੋਟਿ ਕੋਟੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਆਰਜਾ ਪਵਣੁ ਪੀਅਣੁ ਅਪਿਆਉ ॥
ਚੰਦੁ ਸੂਰਜੁ ਦੁਇ ਗੁਫੈ ਨ ਦੇਖਾ ਸੁਪਨੈ ਸਉਣ ਨ ਥਾਉ ॥
ਭੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨਾ ਪਵੈ ਹਉ ਕੇਵਡੁ ਆਖਾ ਨਾਉ ॥੧॥

ਸਾਚਾ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੁ ਨਿਜ ਥਾਇ ॥
ਸੁਣਿ ਸੁਣਿ ਆਖਣੁ ਆਖਣਾ ਜੇ ਭਾਵੈ ਕਰੇ ਤਮਾਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਕੁਸਾ ਕਟੀਆ ਵਾਰ ਵਾਰ ਪੀਸਣਿ ਪੀਸਾ ਪਾਇ ॥
ਅਗੀ ਸੇਤੀ ਜਾਲੀਆ ਭਸਮ ਸੇਤੀ ਰਲਿ ਜਾਉ ॥
ਭੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨਾ ਪਵੈ ਹਉ ਕੇਵਡੁ ਆਖਾ ਨਾਉ ॥੨॥

ਪੰਖੀ ਹੋਇ ਕੈ ਜੇ ਭਵਾ ਸੈ ਅਸਮਾਨੀ ਜਾਉ ॥
ਨਦਰੀ ਕਿਸੈ ਨ ਆਵਊ ਨਾ ਕਿਛੁ ਪੀਆ ਨ ਖਾਉ ॥
ਭੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨਾ ਪਵੈ ਹਉ ਕੇਵਡੁ ਆਖਾ ਨਾਉ ॥੩॥

ਨਾਨਕ ਕਾਗਦ ਲਖ ਮਣਾ ਪੜਿ ਪੜਿ ਕੀਚੈ ਭਾਉ ॥
ਮਸੂ ਤੋਟਿ ਨ ਆਵਈ ਲੇਖਣਿ ਪਉਣੁ ਚਲਾਉ ॥
ਭੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨਾ ਪਵੈ ਹਉ ਕੇਵਡੁ ਆਖਾ ਨਾਉ ॥੪॥੨॥




ਹਰਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਜੀਉ ਜਲਿ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਉ ॥
Guru Nanak talks about what is important to remember. The name of the lord. 


It is very difficult - hearing is difficult ... it is difficult to ascertain your value. 
ਭੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨਾ ਪਵੈ ਹਉ ਕੇਵਡੁ ਆਖਾ ਨਾਉ ॥੧॥

ਤਮਾਇ 
Tama - means Desire and also means Night

How to remember ... he starts

Dear friends ... my celebration for #GuruNanak550 continues as I release a new colorful album today, "Rang Rataa," which has five shabads in five different colors. Rang means color, and rataa means imbued.


The first shabad, Rang Rataa, which was released earlier this year as a single, features one of the best finger guitarists in the US and my wonderful friend, Muriel Anderson. This is one of the two compositions of this shabad ... the other one in Raag Shri is still in the making. The other four shabads are in the raag that Guru Nanak used to sing in.

My special gratitude to my dear friend Ahsan Ali for pouring his immense love and co-producing Mere Laal Rangeele in Raag Tukhari (a raag that Guru Nanak composed himself). In Mera Prabh Raang Guru Nanak uses Rajasthani and is sung in Raag Parbhati.

Kusambhare is a Baba Sheikh Farid shabad about the impermanence of life like the color of a flower, which Guru Nanak used to sing in Raag Suhi Lalit. This is a new take on this raag and I will explain at some point why I believe Guru Nanak sang it like this. The last shabad, "Manjeethra" in Raag Suhi is a direct response of Guru Nanak to the previous shabad "Kusambhare" and talks about how the color of Name is "Manjeethra" or permanent despite the impermanence of life.

You should be able to find the audio versions of this shabad on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube and many other platforms.

May you all be imbued in the color of love. Now I can continue on the celebration ...

Links to Music: Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Google Music, YouTube Music

Mir Taqi Mir Websites

https://www.rekhta.org/poets/meer-taqi-meer/miiriyaat
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00garden/radif_index.html
https://www.sadpoetry.org/category/urdu-poets/mir-taqi-mir-poetry/
https://www.sabrangindia.in/column/mir-taqi-mir-romancer-delhi
https://www.ranjish.com/shayari/urdu-poets/meer-taqi-meer
http://www.uramamurthy.com/mir.html#Mir2
https://www.hindi-kavita.com/HindiMirTaqiMir.php


So Dar Keha is a poem written by Guru Nanak. It is the largest poem among the Japji Sahib Canon.  I believe it is the poem that crystalizes Guru Nanak's key message that one's highest state (God) can be attained through singing.  Hopefully sometime I will do a translation of this. I have derived purpose from this poem. Like the Guru says, “I was just merely a singer, you give me purpose.” When I say, “The purpose of life is to sing,” people think I came up with this. This is untrue. This is something I have learned directly from the Guru. This is nothing but a message of the Guru. And So Dar is one of the poems that helped me crystallize this message of the Guru. 

Here is a translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa. More writings on Where God Lives. 

Translation of So Dar Keha by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa: 

Where is that Gate, and where is that Dwelling, in which You sit and take care of all?

The Soundcurrent of the Naad vibrates there, and countless musicians play on all sorts of instruments there.
So many Ragas, so many musicians singing there.

The praanic wind, water and fire sing; the Righteous Judge of Dharma sings at Your Door.
Chitr and Gupt, the angels of the conscious and the subconscious who record actions, and the Righteous Judge of Dharma who judges this record sing.
Shiva, Brahma and the Goddess of Beauty, ever adorned, sing.
Indra, seated upon His Throne, sings with the deities at Your Door.
The Siddhas in Samaadhi sing; the Saadhus sing in contemplation.
The celibates, the fanatics, the peacefully accepting and the fearless warriors sing.
The Pandits, the religious scholars who recite the Vedas, with the supreme sages of all the ages, sing.
The Mohinis, the enchanting heavenly beauties who entice hearts in this world, in paradise, and in the underworld of the subconscious sing.
The celestial jewels created by You, and the sixtyeight holy places of pilgrimage sing.
The brave and mighty warriors sing; the spiritual heroes and the four sources of creation sing.
The planets, solar systems and galaxies, created and arranged by Your Hand, sing.
They alone sing, who are pleasing to Your Will. Your devotees are imbued with the Nectar of Your Essence.
So many others sing, they do not come to mind. O Nanak, how can I consider them all?

That True Lord is True, Forever True, and True is His Name.
He is, and shall always be. He shall not depart, even when this Universe which He has created departs.
He created the world, with its various colors, species of beings, and the variety of Maya.
Having created the creation, He watches over it Himself, by His Greatness.
He does whatever He pleases. No order can be issued to Him.
He is the King, the King of kings, the Supreme Lord and Master of kings. Nanak remains subject to His Will. ||27||



Lyrics in Gurmukhi

ਸੋ ਦਰੁ ਕੇਹਾ ਸੋ ਘਰੁ ਕੇਹਾ ਜਿਤੁ ਬਹਿ ਸਰਬ ਸਮਾਲੇ ॥
ਵਾਜੇ ਨਾਦ ਅਨੇਕ ਅਸੰਖਾ ਕੇਤੇ ਵਾਵਣਹਾਰੇ ॥
ਕੇਤੇ ਰਾਗ ਪਰੀ ਸਿਉ ਕਹੀਅਨਿ ਕੇਤੇ ਗਾਵਣਹਾਰੇ ॥

ਗਾਵਹਿ ਤੁਹਨੋ ਪਉਣੁ ਪਾਣੀ ਬੈਸੰਤਰੁ ਗਾਵੈ ਰਾਜਾ ਧਰਮੁ ਦੁਆਰੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਚਿਤੁ ਗੁਪਤੁ ਲਿਖਿ ਜਾਣਹਿ ਲਿਖਿ ਲਿਖਿ ਧਰਮੁ ਵੀਚਾਰੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਈਸਰੁ ਬਰਮਾ ਦੇਵੀ ਸੋਹਨਿ ਸਦਾ ਸਵਾਰੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਇੰਦ ਇਦਾਸਣਿ ਬੈਠੇ ਦੇਵਤਿਆ ਦਰਿ ਨਾਲੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਸਿਧ ਸਮਾਧੀ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਗਾਵਨਿ ਸਾਧ ਵਿਚਾਰੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਨਿ ਜਤੀ ਸਤੀ ਸੰਤੋਖੀ ਗਾਵਹਿ ਵੀਰ ਕਰਾਰੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਨਿ ਪੰਡਿਤ ਪੜਨਿ ਰਖੀਸਰ ਜੁਗੁ ਜੁਗੁ ਵੇਦਾ ਨਾਲੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਮੋਹਣੀਆ ਮਨੁ ਮੋਹਨਿ ਸੁਰਗਾ ਮਛ ਪਇਆਲੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਨਿ ਰਤਨ ਉਪਾਏ ਤੇਰੇ ਅਠਸਠਿ ਤੀਰਥ ਨਾਲੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਜੋਧ ਮਹਾਬਲ ਸੂਰਾ ਗਾਵਹਿ ਖਾਣੀ ਚਾਰੇ ॥
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਖੰਡ ਮੰਡਲ ਵਰਭੰਡਾ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਰਖੇ ਧਾਰੇ ॥
ਸੇਈ ਤੁਧੁਨੋ ਗਾਵਹਿ ਜੋ ਤੁਧੁ ਭਾਵਨਿ ਰਤੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਭਗਤ ਰਸਾਲੇ ॥
ਹੋਰਿ ਕੇਤੇ ਗਾਵਨਿ ਸੇ ਮੈ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵਨਿ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਕਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੇ ॥

ਸੋਈ ਸੋਈ ਸਦਾ ਸਚੁ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਸਾਚਾ ਸਾਚੀ ਨਾਈ ॥
ਹੈ ਭੀ ਹੋਸੀ ਜਾਇ ਨ ਜਾਸੀ ਰਚਨਾ ਜਿਨਿ ਰਚਾਈ ॥
ਰੰਗੀ ਰੰਗੀ ਭਾਤੀ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਜਿਨਸੀ ਮਾਇਆ ਜਿਨਿ ਉਪਾਈ ॥
ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਵੇਖੈ ਕੀਤਾ ਆਪਣਾ ਜਿਵ ਤਿਸ ਦੀ ਵਡਿਆਈ ॥
ਜੋ ਤਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋਈ ਕਰਸੀ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਨ ਕਰਣਾ ਜਾਈ ॥
ਸੋ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੁ ਸਾਹਾ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਰਹਣੁ ਰਜਾਈ ॥੨੭॥



I'm reading this poem by Victor Hugo today and it reminds me of Guru Nanak's words So Dar Keha So Ghar Keha.

When there is no distraction and I am alone under the night sky and at the shore listening. Without the world's distraction, I can really hear; when the clouds are not hiding the stars, and sails are not dotting the sea, I start hearing louder,  I start seeing deeper. The forests, mountains and nature are asking an important question to the waves of the sea and the fires of the sky; and the waves of the sea and the fires of the skies respond, "It is the Lord, the Lord our God."  The creator, the doer.

When there is no distraction and you can really hear, when the clouds are not hiding the stars, and sails are not dotting the sea, I start hearing louder,  I start seeing deeper. The creator, the doer.



Rapture

And then I heard a loud voice.
- Revelations

Alone with all the stars above and ocean under me,
Not a cloud in heaven, not a sail on the sea,
I started seeing deeper than the real world rushing by.
And the forests, the mountains, nature, everything,
Seemed to speak and question, in confused murmuring,
    The waves of the sea, the fires in the sky.

And the infinite legions of stars that one sees,
In a loud voice, a deep voice, a thousand harmonies,
Were singing, and their fiery coronas seemed to nod;
And the breakers, which can never be chained and never rest,
Were singing, curling back the foaming on their crest:
   ‘It is the Lord, the Lord our God!’

Victor Hugo. Selected Poetry


He put the Belt around my life—
I heard the Buckle snap—
And turned away, imperial,
My Lifetime folding up—
Deliberate, as a Duke would do
A Kingdom's Title Deed—
Henceforth—a Dedicated sort—
A Member of the Cloud—

Yet not too far to come at call—
And do the little Toils
That make the Circuit of the Rest—
And deal occasional smiles
To lives that stoop to notice mine—
And kindly ask it in—
Whose invitation, know you not
For Whom I must decline?

- Emily Dickinson



The supreme giver of the creative powers gives me my purpose, and he holds me to it. He holds me in my place as if it were belt with its buckle snapped. I am such enslaved by the master. The activities of my life are constrained to my gift. Even though I might appear near these earthly beings, I have become a dedicated member of a higher realm, an ethereal member of the cloud. 

When the giver of the creative power remains imperial and turns away, why do other people care what I do with them. These other people do their little toils and want me to be a part of their circuit. They invite me into their realms. But all I have for them is a non-committal smile. 

Don't get me wrong. I am thankful for their kindness. For allegedly stooping down to notice my lowly existence. But they don't know me. They don't know my stratospheric flight of creativity. And they don't know wherefrom this comes from. I must decline their invitations.

The world wants to force their circuits upon me. But I must resist. I must realize that I am a member of the cloud. And I must realize that I am entitled to be there from the imperial creator. I am entitled to write my poems, to sing my songs. I am not to be the slave of any one else. It is absolutely OK for me to remain a member of the cloud.

The purpose of life is to sing!

Misinterpretation of Guru Nanak’s Teachings, Part I
Baldev Singh
316 R Glad Way, Collegeville, PA 19426 USA




ABSTRACT
Professor W. H. McLeod has claimed that Guru Nanak accepted the theory of karma and transmigration, but Aad Guru Granth Sahib (AGGS), which is the only authentic source of Guru Nanak’s teachings, rejects these beliefs unequivocally.

INTRODUCTION
Misinterpretation of gurbani (sacred hymns of AGGS) and misrepresentation of Sikhism is not a new thing in the history of the Sikhs. It started right during the time of the Sikh Gurus and is still going on. It is not only the non-Sikh scholars, but many Sikh scholars are doing so either ignorantly or innocently or for personal reasons.1 Recently, while browsing through the religious section of a library, reviewer’s comments on the cover of McLeod’s Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion caught my attention.2

“W. H. McLeod is widely known as being among the foremost scholars of Sikh studies in the world. In his analysis and comparison of his sources Dr McLeod’s touch is so sure, his critical faculty so acute, his zest in unraveling the truth so patent and the sheer scholarly honesty of the enterprise so palpable that the turgid and sometimes the puerile fables acquire a new interest, and the very process of exact scholarship which can be so tedious becomes fascinating and absorbing.”

Notwithstanding this laudatory review, I found several statements and the elucidation of many verses in Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion to be inconsistent with teachings of AGGS, 3 which is the only authentic source of Nankian philosophy (Guru Nanak’s teachings, Gurmat). McLeod is widely known for his controversial views regarding Sikhism. His works have received in-depth scrutiny from many Sikh scholars. However, to my knowledge his interpretation of gurbani has gone unnoticed. This article examines his interpretation of gurbani on the touchstone of Nankian philosophy enshrined in the AGGS.

DISCUSION

Karmi and Karma
While elaborating on the differences between Sufis and Guru Nanak, McLeod remarks, “The obvious example of this is his acceptance of the doctrines of karma and transmigration.”4 But later on he says that Guru Nanak rejected the caste system. “Guru Nanak emphatically condemned pride based upon caste status, notions of purity and contamination arising out of caste distinction, and above all any suggestion that caste standing was either necessary or advantageous in the individual’s approach to God.”5

How did he reach the conclusion that Guru Nanak accepted the doctrines of karma and transmigration? Why would Guru Nanak accept the doctrine of karma, which justifies the caste system? It is difficult to believe that a “skeptical historian” like McLeod is not familiar with the history of caste system? May be it is McLeodian way of expressing gratitude to his research supervisor⎯A. L. Basham, the author of The Wonder that was India 6⎯who knew nothing about Guru Nanak and little about Punjabi language. 7

Caste system was originally imposed on the dark complexioned natives as Varna Ashrama Dharma (color, place and duty) by the Caucasian conquerors of the Indus Valley. This was similar to the Apartheid system of South Africa based on racial superiority and segregation. Later on, Varna Ashrama Dharma was changed into the caste system by dividing the Indian society into four castes.8 And it was designed to serve the interests of Brahmans⎯the uppermost caste⎯at the expense of a vast majority of people belonging to lower castes⎯the bulk of whom were Shudars (lowest caste). Religious sanction was invoked in order to perpetuate the caste system for eternity. Hindu scriptures proclaimed that God sanctioned the caste system.8 Strict observance of caste rules and regulations was made the essence of Hindu religion and transgressors were severely punished.

Later on came the doctrines of karma and transmigration to desensitize people’s sense of justice and compassion against the atrocities committed on the masses to enforce the caste system.9 According to the laws of karma and transmigration, one reaps the fruit in this life for the deeds performed in the past life. So, if a person is subjected to injustice and cruelty in this life, it is the due to one’s own actions in the previous life, not due to the perpetrators of cruelty and injustice. By observing the caste rules strictly and serving the superior castes faithfully one can earn the reward for next life. Even modern Hindu leaders like Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi believed in the validity and sanctity of the Varna Ashrama Dharma / caste system.

“There is something in caste, so far as it means blood: such a thing as heredity there is, certainly. Now try to [understand]—why do you not mix blood with the Negroes, the American Indians? Nature will not allow you. Nature does not allow you to mix your blood with them. There is unconscious working that saves the race. That was the Aryan’s caste…. The Hindus believe—that is a peculiar belief, I think; and I do not know, I have nothing to say to the contrary, I have not found anything to the contrary—they believe there was only one civilized race: the Aryan. Until he gives the blood, no other race can be civilized.”…

From a speech delivered by Swami Vivekananada on February 2, 1900, in Pasadena, California. Singh, G. B. Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity, 2004 p 239-240.

“I do not believe the caste system to be an odious and vicious dogma. It has its limitations and defects but there is nothing sinful about it.
Mahatma Gandhi, Harijan, 1933.
“I believe in Varnasharma (caste system) which is the law of life…. The law of Varna (color and / or caste is nothing but the law of conservation of energy. Why should my son not be a scavenger if I am one?”
Mahatma Gandhi, Harijan, March 6, 1947.
“He Shudra (lowest caste) may not be called a Brahman (uppermost caste) though he (Shudra may have all the qualities of a Brahman in this birth. And it is good thing for him (Shudra) not to arrogate a Varna (caste) to which he is not born. It is a sign of true humility.”
Mahatma Gandhi, Young India, November 24, 1927.

On the other hand Guru Nanak preached universal love, respect, justice and equality and proclaimed solidarity with the lowest of lowest

sBu ko aUcw AwKIAY nIcu n dIsY koie ]
ieknY BWfy swijAY ieku cwnxu iqhu loie ]
Consider everyone high as I don’t see anyone low. One, Whose light permeates the entire creation, creates all.
AGGS, M 1, p 62.

schu ErY sBu ko aupir scu Awcwru ]
Truth is higher than every thing but still higher is truthful living.
AGGS, M 1, p 62.

kQw khwxI bydI AwxI pwpu puMnu bIcwru ]
dy dy lyxw lY LyY dyxw nrik surig Avqwr ]
auqm miDm jwqI ijnsI Birm BvY sMswru ]
It is the teachings of Vedas, which has created the concepts of sin and virtue, hell and heaven, and karma and transmigration. One reaps the reward in the next life for the deeds performed in this life⎯goes to hell or heaven according to the deeds. The Vedas have also created the fallacy of inequality of caste and gender for the world.
AGGS, M 2, p 1243.

jwiq kw grbu n kir mUrK gvwrw ]
iesu grbu qy cilh bhuqu ivkwrw ] 1 ] rhwau ]
cwry vrn AwKY sBu koeI ]
bRhmu ibMd qy sB Epiq hoeI ]
O ignorant fool, don’t be arrogant about your high caste as it can lead to degeneration. Pause. Everyone talks about the four castes without realising that all are created from the seed of God.
AGGS, M 3, p 1128.

eyku ipqw eyks ky hm bwirk qU myrw gur hweI ]
There is one Father and we are His progeny and you are my fellow disciple.
AGGS, M 5, p 611.

nIcw AMdir nIc jwiq nIcI hU Aiq nIcu ]
nwnku iqn kY sMig swiQ vifAw isau ikAw rIs ]
ijQY nIc smwlIAin iqQY ndir qyrI bKsIs ]
Nanak will stand by the lowest of the lowest, not with the elite. Where there is compassion and care for the downtrodden, there is Divine grace.
AGGS, M1, p 15.

Contrary to Mcleod’s views, Guru Nanak rejected all the essentials of Hinduism and the moral authority of Hindu sacred texts. 10, 11, and 12
Some examples from Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion have been selected for discussion in this article to demonstrate misinterpretation of Guru Nanak’s thoughts.

On page 205 karmi aavai kpra nadri mokh duar (krmI AwvY kpVw ndrI moKu duAwru) has been interpreted as: “karma determines the nature of our birth (lit. cloth), but it is through grace that the door of salvation is found.”

There are three mistakes in this interpretation. First, a single verse from a stanza of seven verses, which are interconnected, has been interpreted out of context. Second, karmi (krmI) is not derived from karam (Punjabi) or karma (Sanskrit) meaning actions, it is derived from karam (Persian) meaning kindness or favor. Third, though, kapra (kpVw) has been used as a metaphor for human body in the AGGS, but in this verse it means cloth or clothing, a metaphor for God’s love. Moreover, there are numerous verses in AGGS in the form of questions and answers. Lack of attention to such verses could result in their misinterpretation.

In contrast to McLeod, almost a century ago, Macauliffe interpreted this verse accurately.13

swcw swihbu swcu nwie BwiKAw Bwau Apwru]
AwKih mMgih dyih dyih dwiq kry dwqwru]
Pyir ik AgY rKIAY ijqu idsY drbwru]
muhO ik bolxu bolIAY ijqu sux Dry ipAwru]
AMimRq vylw scu nwau vifAweI vIcwru]
krmI AwvY kpVw ndrI moKu duAwru]
nwnk eyvY jwxIAY sBu Awpy sicAwru
True is the Lord, true is his name; it is uttered with endless love.
People pray and beg, ‘Give us, give us’; the Giver giveth His gifts.
Then what can we offer Him whereby His court may be seen?
What words shall we utter with our lips, on hearing which He may love us?
At the ambrosial hour of morning meditate on true Name and God’s greatness.
The Kind One will give us a robe of honour, and by His favuor we shall reach the gate of salvation.
Nanak, we shall thus know that God is altogether true.
AGGS, M 1, P 2.

The examination of the stanza reveals that the first two verses describe the greatness of God. God’s bounty is unlimited and whatever we posses is God’s gift to us. The third and fourth verses are questions: then what should we do or offer to God to win His love? The fifth and sixth verses are answers to the third and fourth verses: if we meditate on God constantly then He will love us resulting in union with Him. In this stanza there is no mention of past or future life. Karma (actions) is described in the fifth verse.

Professor Sahib Singh has also interpreted this verse the same way as Macauliffe has done.15 (This way) the Gracious One gives a scarf of (meditating on His greatness). (The wall of falsehood) is eliminated by God’s kindness and the door of salvation is opened to the devotee [(ies qrHwN) pRBU dI imhr nwl ‘isPq’-rUp ptolw imldw hY, ausdI ikrpw-idRStI nwl ‘kUV dI pwl’ qoN KlwsI huMdI hY qy r`b dw dr pRwpq ho jwNdw hY[].

Both, Macauliffe and Sahib Singh have interpreted kapra (kpVw) as cloth. However, due to cultural differences one calls it a robe of honor and the other calls it a scarf of love. Both robe and scarf are metaphor for God’s love.
Additionally, the meaning of kapra (kpVw) as cloth becomes abundantly clear from Guru Nanak’s use of this word in another stanza. For example, in his discussions with yogis Guru Nank said:

hau FwFI vykwru kwrY lwieAw]
rwiq idhY kY vwr Durhu PurmwieAw]
FwFI scY mihl Ksim bulwieAw]
scI isPiq swlwh kpVw pwieAw]
I was an unemployed minstrel (dhadi), but the Master gave me an occupation. He called me to His abode of Truth and ordered me to sing His praises day and night. And honored me with a robe (kapra paya, kpVw pwieAw) of “propagating His true glory.”
AGGS, M 1, p 150.

On several other pages 42, 398, 470, 962, 1094, 1098 of the AGGS, kapr (kpV, kpiV, kpVu) has been used for clothes. Thus using the correct meaning of karmi (krmI) and kapra (kpVw) the verse karmi aavai kpra nadri mokh duar (krmI AwvY kpVw ndrI moKu duAwru) should be interpreted as:
Then the Bounteous One will reward us with His love and by His grace the door of salvation will open for us.

Moreover, Pashaura Singh has cited the interpretation of this verse by Giani Badan Singh as follows:

“Through the Lord’s gracious glance one achieves the robe of honor in the form of loving devotion (bhakti), by means of which one reaches the door to liberation in the form of knowledge [(ndrI) hrI kI ikRpw idRStI sy (kpVw) BgqI rUp isrpwau imlqw hY AOr iqs sy moK kw dvwrw gXwn pRwpq hoqw hY[].”
Commenting on McLeod’s interpretation of this verse, Pashaura Singh points out: “Here there is no mention of the role of the past actions (karmi) in the interpretation of this line from Japji. Rather, the emphasis is placed on the dual function of divine grace which paves the way for the loving devotion in the first place and then for the knowledge of the door to liberation.”15
The claim that Guru Nanak accepted the theory of karma and transmigration is contrary to Guru Nank’s teachings. In the beginning of his composition of Japu on the opening page of AGGS, Guru Nanak has described God as Sach, meaning Everlasting or Truth. Then in the first stanza of Japu on the same page he has enunciated the purpose of human life.

ikv sicAwrw hoeIAY ikv kUVY qutY pwl]
hukm rjweI clxw nwnk iliKAw nwil]
How could one become a sachiara (Godlike), a God-centered being (gurmukh) and how could one get rid of ignorance and falsehood? “By living in harmony with Hukam (Divine Law),” says Nanak.
AGGS, M 1, p 1.

How could one get rid of ignorance and falsehood? Through knowledge based on truth. When the yogis asked Guru Nanak, “Who is your Guru or whose disciple are you?” “Word (Divine knowledge) is the Guru and my mind, which comprehends the Word is the disciple,” replied Guru Nanak.16 What is needed to understand Hukam? It is tue knowledge. So a sachiara is one who understands the Hukam.

Who understood the Hukam, Galileo or the Pope? In our opinion it was Galileo who understood the Hukam, which makes him a sachiara.

Furthermore, according to Nankian philosophy mankind is supreme among the living beings as it is endowed with discerning intellect and free will. One can choose to be a sachiara or a reprobate⎯self-centered being (manmukh). According to their deeds, some are drawn closer to God whereas others move away from God.

Avr join qyrI pinhwrI ]
iesu DrqI mih qyrI iskdwrI ]
O man other living beings are at your service and you are their leader in the world.
AGGS, M, 5, p 374.

mn qUM joiq srUp hY Awpxw mUlu pCwxu ]
mn hir jI qyry nwil hY gurmqI rMgu mwxu
O, my mind recognize your roots⎯the Cosmic Light. That Light is within you, enjoy yourself by reflecting on the Word.
AGGS, M, 3, p 441.

kir krqY krxI kir pweI ]
ijin kIqI iqin kImiq pweI ]

The Creator created mankind and let it free to do as it wills. But how it was accomplished, only the Creator knows.
AGGS, M 1, p, 932.

mwtI kw ly dyhurw kirAw ]
aukiq joiq lY suriq prIiKAw ]
The Creator fashioned human body from the earthy elements and by some method endowed it with life, wisdom and discerning intellect.
AGGS, M 5, p 913.

jYsw kry su qYsw pwvY ]
Awip bIij Awpy hI KwvY ]
One gets reward according to what one does and what one sows, so shall one reap.
AGGS, M 1, p 662.

idnu rYin Apnw kIAw pweI ]
iksu dos n dIjY ikrqu BvweI ]
We earn what we do day and night. Why blame others, it is our own doings that lead us astray.
AGGS, M 5, p 745.

nwnk Aaugx jyqVy qyqy glI jMjIr ]
jy gux hoin q ktIAin sy BweI sy vIr ]
Nanak, vices are like chains around our necks and they can be cut only with virtues, which are our only loved ones.
AGGS, M 1, p 595.

cMigAweIAw buirAweIAw vwcY Drmu hdUir ]
krmI Awpo AwpxI ky nyVy ky dUir ]
Good and bad deeds determine the relationship with God. According to their deeds some are drawn closer to God, whereas others move away.
AGGS, M 1, P, 8.

sMjogu ivjogu duie kwr clwvih lyKy Awvih Bwg ]
There are two types of human activities, the ones that bring about union with God and others that cause separation from God.
AGGS, M 1, p 6.

The one who realizes union with God is called jiwan mukt, the liberated one (gurmukh), the other who is separated from God is called reprobate (manmukh), the self-centered being.

Besides, Guru Nank’s composition on creation makes it clear that gods and goddesses, karma and transmigration, hell and heaven and reincarnation are the inventions of man, not the creation of God.17

Moreover, AGGS clearly rejects the theory of transmigration based on karma by asking its proponents:

jb kCu n sIE qb ikAw krqw kvn krm kir AwieAw]
Apnw Kylu Awip kir dyKY Twkuir rcnu rcwieAw]
When there was no creation, how did the first being inherit karma? Or who created karma initially? The reality is that it is God, Who created the world. For Him creation is a game and He continues to play.
AGGS, M, 5, P 748.

pMc qqu imil kwieAw kInI qqu khw qy kInu ry]
krm bD qum jIau kihq hO krmih ikin jIau dIn ry]

You say that the body is made of five elements, from where were the elements created? You say that the law of karma determines man’s fate, but who created the law of karma?
AGGS, Kabir, P 870.

mwie n hoqI bwpu n hoqw krmu n hoqI kwieAw ]
hm nhI hoqy qum nhI hoqy kvnu khw qy AwieAw]
swsqu n hoqw byd nw hoqw krmu khw qy AwieA]
When there was neither mother, nor father, nor body, nor karma, or when neither I was there, nor you were there, what came from where? When there was no Veda or Shastra, there was no karma? How did the karma originate?
AGGS, Namdev, P 973.

The idea of creativity and growth are an integral part of life and morality according to the Gurus. Besides, the Gurus did not talk about the past life or the life after death, what they talked about and laid stress on is the present life. For example:

iehI qyrw Aausru ieh qyrI bwr]
Gt BIqir qU dyKu ibcwir]
This is your opportunity, this is your turn to meet God, ponder and seek within.
AGGS, Kabir, P 1159.

BeI prwpiq mwnuK dyhurIAw]
goibMd imlx kI ieh qyrI brIAY]
Take advantage of your human birth, as this is your opportunity to meet God.
AGGS, M, 5, P 378.

Awgwhw kU qRwiG ipCw Pyir nw muhfVw]
nwnk isiJ ievyhw vwr bhuiV nw hovI jnmVw]
“Don’t look to the past, make efforts to move ahead. This is the only chance to meet God because you won’t be born again,” says Nanak.
AGGS, M, 5, P 1096.

gur kI swKI AMimRq bwxI pIvq hI prvwxu BieAw ]
dr drsn kw pRIqmu hovY mukiq bYkuMTY krY ikAw]
Guru’s teaching is like nectar that imparts immortality; one who imbibes it receives Divine grace.
Why should one, who wants to have a glimpse of the Beloved bother about paradise through salvation.
AGGS, M I, P 360.

These verses clearly emphasize that one’s current life is the only chance to realize God. On the other hand according to the theory of karma and transmigration there could be many chances to meet God, theoretically unlimited chances.

Transmigration
Based on his views that Guru Nanak accepted the doctrines of karma and transmigration, MacLeod has interpreted expressions like ‘avan jan (Awvix jwx), ava java (AwvY jwvY)’ and bhavaya (BvweIAY) as cycle of birth and death or cycle of transmigration. However, in the AGGS these and other related expressions are used as metaphors for spiritual death and regeneration or they represent the belief of Hindus. According to Nankian philosophy there are two types of people, gurmukhs (God-centered beings) and manmukhs (self-centered beings). A gurmukh is a person who dwells on God’s attributes constantly and does every thing according to God’s Will. Such a one achieves perfect union with God. Whereas a manmukh is a degenerate person who does every thing according to his own will under the influence of haumai (self-centeredness). He is entangled in maya (material world) and leads a life of duality. He is separated from God. His mind is unsteady and he can’t decide to choose between God and maya. Thus he keeps experiencing spiritual death and spiritual regeneration.

On page 170 McLeod has interpreted the following verses as:

BwxY so shu rMglw isPiq rqw guixqws jIau]
BwxY shu BIhwvlw hau Awvix jwix mueIAws jIau]
If it pleases Thee Thou art a Lord of joy and I am rapt in Thy praises, Thou storehouse of excellences. If it pleases Thee Thou art a fearsome Lord and I go on dying in the cycle of transmigration.
AGGS, M 1, P 762.

These lines are from a shabad (stanza) about God’s Will (Bwxw). Keeping this in mind, the appropriate interpretation of these verses is as follows:
Understanding of Your Will makes You a Lord of joy and I am completely absorbed in Your praises, O the Storehouse of virtues. Whereas ignorance of Your Will makes You a fearsome Lord and I keep suffering from the cycle of spiritual death and birth.

On page 177 he has translated a whole shabad except the first two lines to explain the nature of unregenerate man. However, his interpretation of the two lines following rahau (Pause) described below is incorrect and inconsistent with the rest of the shabad:

Many times I was born as a tree, many times as an animal, many times I came in the form of a snake, and many times I flew as a bird.

kq kI mweI bwpu kq kyrw ikdU Qwvhu hm Awey]
Agin ibMb jl BIqir inpjy kwhy kMim aupwey]
myry swihbw kauxu jwxY gux qyry]
khy n jwnI Aaugx myry] rhwau]
kyqy ruK ibrK hm cIny kyqy psU aupwey]
kyqy nwg kulI mih Awey kyqy pMK aufwey]
ht ptx ibj mMdr BMnY kir corI Gir AwvY]
Aghu dyKY ipChu dyKY quJ qy khw CpwvY]
qt qIrQ hm nv KMf dyKy ht ptx bwjwrw]
LY kY qkVI qolix lwgw Gt hI mih vxjwrw]
jyqw smuMdu swgru nIir BirAw qyqy Aaugx hmwry]
dieAw krhu ikCu imhr aupwvhu fubdy pQr qwry]
jIAVw Agin brwbir qpY BIqir vgY kwqI]
pRxviq nwnku hukmu pCwxY suKu hovY idn rwqI]

This shabad is about a sinful man. He is separated from God due to his haumai (self-centeredness) and preoccupation with maya. However, he has recognized his folly. He is repentant and is beseeching God with humility for forgiveness. He starts out by asking the purpose of his life. The gist of the shabd is contained in the two lines before rahau (pause): “O my Lord, who can comprehend Your virtues! None can count my sins.” Guru Nanak advises this man to recognize God’s Hukam (Divine Law) and live in harmony with it. The sinful man acknowledges his faults by saying that other creatures like trees, animals, snakes and birds do not commit sin because they live in harmony with God’s Hukam, whereas he is accumulating sin after sin due to his haumai.

Now let us look at the meaning of the whole shabad line by line.

When did someone become my mother or father and where did I come from? I was conceived and nurtured in the amniotic fluid in the womb, what was the purpose of my coming to this world? O my Lord, who can comprehend Your virtues? None can count my sins. Pause. I have seen numerous trees, animals, snakes and birds, who do not commit sin whereas I break into city shops and fortified buildings and bring home the stolen goods. I look around to make sure that no body sees me, but how can I hide it from You? To wash my sins I go to sacred shores, places, cities, markets and shops all over the world. While weighing my merits and demerits in my heart, I realized that my sinfulness is as immense as the water in the ocean. Dear God, please take mercy on me, with Your grace stonehearted beings can cross the ocean of worldly temptations. My mind is burning with the fire of (haumai) and the temptations of maya are cutting it like a knife. Nanak prays that those who live in harmony with the Divine Law attain eternal bliss.
AGGS, M 1, P156.

On page 204 he says, “Why so few have a vision of God? One explanation is that karma determines the issue. Those who in their previous existences have lived lives of relative merit acquire thereby a faculty of perception, which enables them to recognize the Guru. This theory has a logical consistency and in one place it would appear to be explicitly affirmed.” He quotes the lower verse of the following couplet in support of his views.

jividAw lwhw imlY gur kwr kmwvY]
pUrib hovY iliKAw qw siqguru pwvY]
If it is inscribed in the record of one’s former deeds then one meets the True Guru.

As already discussed, the deterministic Hindu view of karma is rejected in the AGGS. Thus the two verses are explained as:

One profits in life by performing righteous deeds. It is the merit of such deeds, which brings about one’s union with the true Guru (God).
AGGS, M 1, p 421.

On page 212 he has interpreted the following couplet addressed to a Muslim as:

imhr msIiq isdku muslw hk hlwlu kurwxu]
srm suMniq sIlu rojw hohu muslmwxu]
Make mercy your mosque, faith your prayer-mat, and righteousness your Quran. Make humility your circumcision, uprightness your fasting, and so you will be a (true) Muslim.
AGGS, M, 1, p 140.

Here he has interpreted saram (srm) as humility, which is incorrect. Saram (srm) means sharam (Srm, shame). Since the discussion is about male circumcision, it is about sexual morality of man. Therefore, the correct interpretation should be “make fidelity your circumcision.”
Guru Nanak has used saram in the same sense in his description of the degeneration of Khatris and horrors of the attack on Saidpur by Babur.

srm Drm kw fyrw dUir ]
They have no shame and sense of duty.
AGGS, M 1, p 471.

srmu Drmu duie Cip Kloey kUVu iPrY prDwnu vy lwlo ]
O Lalo, both shame and sense of duty have disappeared and falsehood has overtaken.
AGGS, M 1, p 722.

Interpretation of Gurbani.

My understanding of AGGS indicates that generally the Gurus didn’t debate with Hindu and Muslim masses the validity of their beliefs. Instead, they emphasised the importance of moral living to achieve spiritual objectives. Their advice was that Nam Simran (constant devotion to God’s attributes) purifies the mind and earns God’s love (grace), which in turn overcomes the obstacles--of karma, transmigration, hell (narak or dozakh), record of deeds kept by Chitr and Gupt, and the fear of Yam and angel Ajraeel. But it does not mean that the Gurus themselves believed in karma, transmigration, hell (narak or dozakh), Chitr and Gupt, Yam and angel Ajraeel. For instance, in Asa Di Var Guru Nanak has described the religious beliefs of Hindus about what happens when one dies.

pauVI ] AwpInY Bog Boig kY hoie BsmiV Bauru isDwieAw ]
vfw hoAw dunIdwr gil sMglu Giq clwieAw ]
AgY krxI kIriq vwcIAY bih lyKw kir smJwieAw]
Qwau n hovI paudIeI huix suxIAY ikAw rUAwieAw ]
min AMDY jnmu gvwieAw ]

When one dies after enjoying the pleasures of the material world, the soul leaves the earthy body. The god of death (Yam) puts a chain around the neck of a dead person’s soul and drags it to the court of Dharamraj, who decides its fate on the basis of the record of dead person’s deeds kept by Chitr and Gupt, who are Dharamraj’s assistants. There is no escape from punishment, it cries for mercy but there is no help. These are Hindu beliefs, not of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak’s own thought is expressed in the last verse. The ignorant fool has wasted his life (min AMDY jnmu gvwieAw), as the purpose of life is to become one with God by becoming a gurmukh.
AGGS, M1, p 464.

Similarly, Guru Nanak has commented on Muslim beliefs about death.

nwnku AwKY ry mnw suxIAY isK shI ]
lyKw rbu mMgysIAw bYTw kF vhI ]
qlbw pausin AwkIAw bwkI ijnw rhI ]
AjrweIlu Prysqw hosI Awie qeI ]
Awvxu jwxu n suJeI BIVI glI PhI ]
kUV inKuty nwnkw EVik sic rhI ]

Nanak says, “ O my mind pay attention to a true advice. It is God who asks for account of one’s deeds. The derelict ones with deficient accounts are taken to task. The angel of death, Ajraeel is ready to punish them. They don’t know what to do when he forces them through a narrow lane of suffering. The reality is that it is the truth that triumphs in the end and falsehood fails.”
Here the second, third and sixth lines are compatible with Guru Nanak’s philosophy. That is why he calls it a true advice. According to Nanakian philosophy it is God, Who is the cause of creation and it is God’s Hukam (Divine Law) which controls every aspect of its working. The fourth and fifth lines refer to Muslim beliefs. In the sixth line Guru Nanak makes it clear that it is “truthful living” that matters. One, who lives a truthful life, need not fear Angel Ajraeel or the narrow lane of suffering.
AGGS, M 1, p 953.

However, with learned people like Yogis, Brahmans, and Muslims, Guru Nanak and his successors did discuss and debate their own thoughts and the beliefs of others.18 For example, Guru Nanak, advised a Muslim how to be a true Mulim19 by explaining him the true meaning of five prayers. Similarly, he advised Yogis20 and Brahmans21 how to be a true Yogi and a true Brahman, respectively. Whenever he had the opportunity to meet artisans22 or farmers, 23 who could grasp his thoughts, Guru Nanak explained to them his thoughts using their terminology.

Name of Sikh Scripture.

Throughout his works McLeod has used the name “Adi Granth” for the current Sikh scripture which is incorrect. Here is a chronological development of the Sikh scripture, which was declared as eternal Guru of the Sikhs by Guru Gobind Singh.

Guru Arjan Dev compiled the first Sikh Scripture by incorporating the compositions of his predecessors, his own and that of bhagats (devotees) and Sufis and the resulting codex is called Adi Granth (Awid grMQ). It is also known as Pothi (sacred text) and Kartarpuri Bir (sacred text of Kartarpur) as it in the possession of a Sodhi family of Kartarpur. Bir means Jilad -- binding of a book. Since the Adi Granth was a bound manuscript, it acquired the name Adi Bir. Later on Guru Gobind Singh added the composition of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, to the compositions of Adi Granth and the resulting sacred text was (is) called Damdami Bir, as according to Sikh traditions it was prepared at Damdama. It is Damdami Bir, which was consecrated as Guru by Guru Gobind Singh. The current Sikh Scripture is a copy of Dadami Bir. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) manages the historical Gurdwaras in Punjab, Haryana and Himacchal Pardesh, and Sikh-religious affaires. It is also responsible for the printing and distribution of the current Sikh scripture and it has named it as “Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Awid sRI gurU grMQ swihb jI).” In literature it is referred as Guru Granth Sahib or Guru Granth or Granth or Sikh Scripture or even Sikh Bible. However, quite often people not only call it Adi Granth but also pronounce it as Adee Granth (AwdI grMQ), erroneously. From the time of Gurus, the Punjabi language has undergone evolutionary change in pronunciation. For example the vowel i (sihari) of Awid (Adi) in modern pronunciation is de-emphasized and Awid (Adi) is pronounced as Awd (Aad). In Adi, i denotes i (sihari). In my writings I use the name, Aad Guru Granth Sahib, as Aad (Awid) which means eternal and primal is very important to distinguish it from other Granths or Guru Granths. Recently, some malicious people have started calling Dasam Granth as Guru Granth. I have dropped Sri (Mr.) and Ji (yes, Sir) as the use of Sri before Guru and Ji after Sahib is redundant.

McLeod has justified his interpretation of Guru Nanak’s teachings and Sikhism in the following way:
“The pattern that I devised was never intended to represent the teachings of Guru Nanak in the form in which they had been delivered in the early decades of the sixteenth century. It was, however, a pattern that could be understandable to readers educated in Western manner. 24 I have always maintained that I am a Western historian and if that status deprives me of reasonable understanding of Sikhism then so be it. My primary objective has been to communicate an understanding of the Sikh people and their religion to educated Western readers and that consequently it is important that I speak to their mode of understanding. 25

How could anyone justify the propagation of distorted understanding of the Sikh people and their religion to educated Western readers? Does Western methodology of historical research permit it? The object of research in any field is to find the truth for the benefit of all! Commercial or prejudicial writings are targeted to a particular segment of the population.


CONCLUSIONS

McLeod’s assumption that Guru Nanak accepted the doctrines of karma and transmigration is not supported by the teachings of AGGS. The discussion in this article unequivocally demonstrates that Sikh Gurus rejected ancient Indian beliefs of karma and transmigration. It is not only in McLeod’s book, such misinterpretations are found in many Punjabi and English translations of the AGGS found in the prints, on compact discs, and on many Internet sites in these days. While interpreting the compositions AGGS one must keep in mind that Hindu and Muslim beliefs are not the beliefs of Sikh Gurus. Besides, Adi Granth is not the proper name for the modern Sikh scripture (Aad Guru Granth Sahib).

References.

1 Chahal, D. S. Causes of misinterpretation of Gurbani and misrepresentation of Sikhism. Understanding Sikhism Res. J. 2001, 3 (1), 12-23 & 39.
2 McLeod, W. H. Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, 1996.
3 AGGS: Aad Guru Granth Sahib. 1983 CE (Reprint). Pp 1430. Publishers: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar. (M = Mahla, i.e. succession number of the Sikh Gurus to the House of Nanak, for the composition of bhagats, M is substituted by the name of the bhagat, P = page of the AGGS).
4 McLeod, W. H. Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, 1996, p 159.
5 Ibid., p 209-210.
6 McLeod, W. H. Discovering the Sikhs: Autobiography of a Historian, 2004, p 36-37.
7 Ibid., p 39.
8 Singh, J. The Sikh Revolution, 4th reprint, 1998, p 8-12, 19, 28, 30-34, 38, 40, 50, 53-55, 266, 274.
9 Ibid., p 34, 38, 40, 54, 86.
10 Grewal, J. S. The Sikhs of the Punjab, 1994, p 31.
11 Singh, J. The Sikh Revolution, 4th reprint, 1998 p 105.
12 Singh, S. The Sikhs in History, 4th ed., 2001, p 19.
13 Macauliffe, M. A. The Sikh Religion, Vols. I, 1990, 197.
14 Singh, S. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Darpan (Punjabi), Vol. 1, 1972, p 58-59.
15 Singh, P. The Text and the meaning of Adi Granth, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Toronto, 1991, p 225-226.
16 AGGS, M 1, p 942- 943: qyrw kvxu GuruUu ijs kw qU cylw ] sbdu gurU suriq Duin cylw ]
17 Massey, J. Guru Nanak’s concept of Creator and creation, Abstracts of Sikh Studies, January 1994, p, 43-57.
18 AGGS, M 1, p 662.
19 Ibid., 141.
20 Ibid., p 6.
21 Ibid., p 471.
22 Ibid., p 8.
23 Ibid., p 595.
24 McLeod, W. H. Discovering the Sikhs: Autobiography of a Historian, 2004, p 38.
25 Ibid., p 129.

Kat Jaiyeh Re Man Lago Rang 
- Bhagat Ramanand

Where should I go, my house is colored!


Rāmānanḏ jī gẖar 1
Rama Nand Ji.

Ikoaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.
There is but One God, By the True Guru's grace, He is obtained.

Kaṯ jāīai re gẖar lāgo rang.
O whither should I go There is bliss in my very home.

Merā cẖiṯ na cẖalai man bẖaio pang. ||1|| rahāo.
My mind now wanders not. This mind has become a cripple. Pause.

Ėk ḏivas man bẖaī umang.
One day in my mind welled up a desire.

Gẖas cẖanḏan cẖoā baho suganḏẖ.
I ground sandal-wood and took distilled aloe-wood and many perfumes.

Pūjan cẖālī barahm ṯẖāe.
I proceeded to the Lord's place (temple) to worship Him.

So barahm baṯāio gur man hī māhi. ||1||
That Lord, the Guru showed me within my mind.

Jahā jāīai ṯah jal pakẖān.
Wherever I go, I find water and stones there.

Ŧū pūr rahio hai sabẖ samān.
Thou, O Lord, are equally contained in everything.

Beḏ purān sabẖ ḏekẖe joe.
The Vedas and Puranas all I have seen and searched.

Ūhāʼn ṯao jāīai jao īhāʼn na hoe. ||2||
I may go there only then if the Lord be not here.

Saṯgur mai balihārī ṯor.
My True Guru, a sacrifice am I Unto thee.

Jin sakal bikal bẖaram kāte mor.
Who has cut away all my perplexities and doubts.

Rāmānanḏ suāmī ramaṯ barahm.
Rama Nand's Master is the all-pervading Lord.

Gur kā sabaḏ kātai kot karam. ||3||1||
The Guru's word, destroys millions of misdeeds.




Translation by Bhai Manmohan Singh:

O whither should I go There is bliss in my very home.
My mind now wanders not. This mind has become a cripple. Pause.

One day in my mind welled up a desire.
I ground sandal-wood and took distilled aloe-wood and many perfumes.
I proceeded to the Lord's place (temple) to worship Him.
That Lord, the Guru showed me within my mind.

Wherever I go, I find water and stones there.
Thou, O Lord, are equally contained in everything.
The Vedas and Puranas all I have seen and searched.
I may go there only then if the Lord be not here.

My True Guru, a sacrifice am I Unto thee.
Who has cut away all my perplexities and doubts.
Rama Nand's Master is the all-pervading Lord.
The Guru's word, destroys millions of misdeeds.

ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਜੀ ਘਰੁ ੧
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ਕਤ ਜਾਈਐ ਰੇ ਘਰ ਲਾਗੋ ਰੰਗੁ ॥
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਭਇਓ ਪੰਗੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਏਕ ਦਿਵਸ ਮਨ ਭਈ ਉਮੰਗ ॥
ਘਸਿ ਚੰਦਨ ਚੋਆ ਬਹੁ ਸੁਗੰਧ ॥
ਪੂਜਨ ਚਾਲੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਠਾਇ ॥
ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਤਾਇਓ ਗੁਰ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥੧॥

ਜਹਾ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਜਲ ਪਖਾਨ ॥
ਤੂ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਸਮਾਨ ॥
ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਸਭ ਦੇਖੇ ਜੋਇ ॥
ਊਹਾਂ ਤਉ ਜਾਈਐ ਜਉ ਈਹਾਂ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥

ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮੈ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਤੋਰ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਸਕਲ ਬਿਕਲ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕਾਟੇ ਮੋਰ ॥
ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਰਮਤ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਾਟੈ ਕੋਟਿ ਕਰਮ ॥੩॥੧॥

Original Translation -

One day a desire arose in my mind
I perfumed myself with sandalwood
I went to meet Brahma in his temple
But my Guru showed me that Brahma within my mind

Where should I go when my house itself is colored
My mind can't walk; it has been crippled

Wherever I go there is water and stones
You are completing everything equally
I have seen and searched Vedas and Puranas
I'd go there if I wouldn't find You here

Where should I go when my house itself is colored
My mind doesn't walk; it has been crippled

I love my Guru
He has removed my delusions
My Guru is my Brahma
His 'shabad' fixes all my deficiencies


Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

by Portia Nelson

I
I walk, down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in
I am lost.... I am helpless
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again
I can't believe I am in the same place but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III
I walk down the same street
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it there.'
I still fall in.... it's a habit, my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V
I walk down another street.


Reminds me of: 
1. Jaan Boojh Kai Baavare - Guru Tegh Bahadur
2. Sobha Mere Laalan Ki (Navtan) - Guru Arjan Dev
Sanyasa - Achieving the pinnacle of human experience

Guru Gobind Singh's shabad Re Man Aiso Kar Sanyasa is a beautiful crystallization of some of the deepest wisdom from oneness principles extolled by Indian sages for millennia. Every word and phrase can be used for meditation and for digging deeper. Through this shabad, Guru Gobind Singh gives the same message as Guru Nanak in Japji Sahib, and the same message Shri Krishna gave Arjun in Bhagwad Gita. The highest spirituality and the deepest self is not found by searching in the wilderness; it is found by perfecting one's mind. The one who win's their own mind, conquers the world.

SHABAD, TRANSLITERATION AND ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION

ਰਾਗ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ ਪਾਤਸਾਹੀ ੧੦ ॥
Raaga Raamkalee Paatasaahee 10 ॥
RAMKALI OF THE TENTH KING

ਰੇ ਮਨ ਐਸੋ ਕਰਿ ਸੰਨਿਆਸਾ ॥
Re Man Aaiso Kari Saanniaasaa ॥
O mind ! the asceticism be practised in this way :

ਬਨ ਸੇ ਸਦਨ ਸਬੈ ਕਰ ਸਮਝਹੁ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ਉਦਾਸਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Ban Se Sadan Sabai Kar Samajhahu Man Hee Maahi Audaasaa ॥1॥ Rahaau ॥
Consider your house as the forest and remain unattached within yourself…..Pause.


ਜਤ ਕੀ ਜਟਾ ਜੋਗ ਕੋ ਮਜਨੁ ਨੇਮ ਕੇ ਨਖੁਨ ਬਢਾਓ ॥
Jata Kee Jattaa Joga Ko Majanu Nema Ke Nakhuna Badhaao ॥
Consider continence as the matted hair, Yoga as the ablution and daily observances as your nails,

ਗਿਆਨ ਗੁਰੂ ਆਤਮ ਉਪਦੇਸਹੁ ਨਾਮ ਬਿਭੂਤ ਲਗਾਓ ॥੧॥
Giaan Guroo Aatama Aupadesahu Naam Bibhoota Lagaao ॥1॥
Consider the knowledge as the preceptor giving lessons to you and apply the Name of the Lord as ashes.1.


ਅਲਪ ਅਹਾਰ ਸੁਲਪ ਸੀ ਨਿੰਦ੍ਰਾ ਦਯਾ ਛਿਮਾ ਤਨ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ॥
Alapa Ahaara Sulapa See Niaandaraa Dayaa Chhimaa Tan Pareeti ॥
Eat less and sleep less, cherish mercy and forgiveness

ਸੀਲ ਸੰਤੋਖ ਸਦਾ ਨਿਰਬਾਹਿਬੋ ਹ੍ਵੈਬੋ ਤ੍ਰਿਗੁਣ ਅਤੀਤ ॥੨॥
Seela Saantokh Sadaa Nribaahibo Havaibo Triguna Ateet ॥2॥
Practise gentleness and contentment and remain free from three modes.2.


ਕਾਮ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਹੰਕਾਰ ਲੋਭ ਹਠ ਮੋਹ ਨ ਮਨ ਮੋ ਲਯਾਵੈ ॥
Kaam Karodha Haankaara Lobha Hattha Moha Na Man Mo Layaavai ॥
Keep your mind unattached from lust, anger, greed, insistence and infatuation,

ਤਬ ਹੀ ਆਤਮ ਤਤ ਕੋ ਦਰਸੈ ਪਰਮ ਪੁਰਖ ਕਹ ਪਾਵੈ ॥੩॥੧॥
Taba Hee Aatama Tata Ko Darsai Parma Purkh Kaha Paavai ॥3॥1॥
Then you will visualize the supreme essence and realize the supreme Purusha. 3.1.


BACKGROUND - SHABAD HAZARE 

This shabad comes from the Shabad Hazare. Shabad Hazare include ten religious hymns composed by Guru Gobind Singh which are present in Dasam Granth. Some scholar link hazare word to Persian Hijr means separation which linked as the shabads separates us from Maya where it is also believed to be come from word Haazra (means present) i.e. word of Haazar Hazoor. These hymns are primarily composed in Braj and Hindi languages, with plentiful use of sanskritic words. Like the Guru Granth Sahib, these hymns subscribe to the oneness direction of the mool mantra; they inspire a revolution of the mind and they are against idolatory and meaningless ritual practices.


MAIN CONCEPT - TRUE SANYAAS AND UDAASI

Historial concept of Sanyaas: 

Sannyasa is a form of asceticism, is marked by renunciation of material desires and prejudices, represented by a state of disinterest and detachment from material life, and has the purpose of spending one's life in peaceful, love-inspired, simple spiritual life. Sanyasis can be called renunciates or ascetics. Sannyasa (saṃnyāsa) is the life stage of renunciation within the Hindu philosophy of four age-based life stages known as ashramas, with the first three being brahmacharya (bachelor student), Grihastha (householder) and Vanaprastha (forest dweller, retired). An individual in Sanyasa is known as a Sannyasi (male) or Sannyasini (female) in Hinduism, which in many ways parallel to the Sadhu and Sadhvi traditions of Jain monasticism, the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis of Buddhism and the monk and nun traditions of Christianity, respectively. In Sikhism, there is no ascetism; in the highest state of the individual is Brahmgyani. For someone who does this early in life, there are two options: Grihastha or Sanyaas. Gurbani combines the two and shows a path where Sanyaas can be achieved within grihastha. A more practical way of living a life. 


Sanyas Happens Even Now: 

Renunciation - even now people renunciate. They give up their lives and go on traveling trips. In fact some of their stories are published in books. Eat Pray Love is a book about this. Another example is Walden's Pond. Those who do these experiments come back rejuvinated. Hemingway's granddaughter who writes Wild is the most recent example of a popular work about Sanyasa. 


Sanyaas and Udaas

Sam-ni-aas - having not desire: all together having no desires.
Sa - Ni - aas - literally "with no hope"
Sun - aas: being in zero-ness as Sant Singh Maskeen explains.

Ud-aas - Udar Aaas - Hope from inside, Hope in inside

While Sanyaas is a noun, Udaas is normally a verb. So someone can be in Sanyaas, and someone is udaas. 

Guru Nanak's travels are called udaasis - According to Bhai Gurdaas -
Babe Bhekh Banaya Udaasi ki reet chalaayi
Chadheya sodhan Dharat Lukai

But the Udaasi of Gursikh is within Maaya -
Gursikh Jogi Jaagde Maaya Andar Karan Udaasi



YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO A FOREST

Kabir

ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ ॥ 
ਗ੍ਰਿਹੁ ਤਜਿ ਬਨ ਖੰਡ ਜਾਈਐ ਚੁਨਿ ਖਾਈਐ ਕੰਦਾ ॥ 
ਅਜਹੁ ਬਿਕਾਰ ਨ ਛੋਡਈ ਪਾਪੀ ਮਨੁ ਮੰਦਾ ॥੧॥ 


Guru Tegh Bahadur: 
ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੯ ॥ 

ਕਾਹੇ ਰੇ ਬਨ ਖੋਜਨ ਜਾਈ ॥ 
ਸਰਬ ਨਿਵਾਸੀ ਸਦਾ ਅਲੇਪਾ ਤੋਹੀ ਸੰਗਿ ਸਮਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ 

ਪੁਹਪ ਮਧਿ ਜਿਉ ਬਾਸੁ ਬਸਤੁ ਹੈ ਮੁਕਰ ਮਾਹਿ ਜੈਸੇ ਛਾਈ ॥ 
ਤੈਸੇ ਹੀ ਹਰਿ ਬਸੇ ਨਿਰੰਤਰਿ ਘਟ ਹੀ ਖੋਜਹੁ ਭਾਈ ॥੧॥ 

ਬਾਹਰਿ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਏਕੋ ਜਾਨਹੁ ਇਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਬਤਾਈ ॥ 
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਬਿਨੁ ਆਪਾ ਚੀਨੈ ਮਿਟੈ ਨ ਭ੍ਰਮ ਕੀ ਕਾਈ ॥੨॥੧॥


NEEDED - A RENUNCIATION OF THE MIND

Everybody is a forest. You want to get lost in a forest and attain peace and silence in a forest. But that can be done in every body. In every house silence can be achieved. What is Sadan. It is Ghar.  Happiness is attained through winning your mind. 

Let the Guru's word be the mundra of the mind. Mundras were worn in the ear to straighten the mind.

Man Jeetai Jagjeet

Sochai Soch Na Hovai
Chupai Chup Na Hovai
Bhukheyaan Bhukh
Sahes Seyaanapaan lakh
Kiv Sacheyara hoyieh
Hukam rajai chalnaa

It is not necessary to starve the body. It is only necessary to control your mind. The best renunciation, is the sacrifice through the mind. The renunciation of K, K, L, M, A:

Tyaagna Tyaagan Neeka, Kaam Krodh Lobh Moh Tyaagna


Guru Nanak in Raag Aasa -

ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਮਨੈ ਮਹਿ ਮੁੰਦ੍ਰਾ ਖਿੰਥਾ ਖਿਮਾ ਹਢਾਵਉ ॥ 
ਜੋ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਰੈ ਭਲਾ ਕਰਿ ਮਾਨਉ ਸਹਜ ਜੋਗ ਨਿਧਿ ਪਾਵਉ ॥੧॥ 
ਬਾਬਾ ਜੁਗਤਾ ਜੀਉ ਜੁਗਹ ਜੁਗ ਜੋਗੀ ਪਰਮ ਤੰਤ ਮਹਿ ਜੋਗੰ ॥ 

ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਰੰਜਨ ਪਾਇਆ ਗਿਆਨ ਕਾਇਆ ਰਸ ਭੋਗੰ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ 


GIVING UP: Kaam Krodha Hankaar Lobh Hatth Moh Na Man Mo Layaavai

What should we really give up.

When the light of the lord enters your mind, you remember his Name and you forget those things that burn you: lust, anger, and greed. This is the exercise of conquering your mind. In Raag Maru, Guru Arjan Dev ji says:

ਮਾਰੂ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ਘਰੁ ੪ ਅਸਟਪਦੀਆ 
ਚਾਦਨਾ ਚਾਦਨੁ ਆਂਗਨਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਜੀਉ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਚਾਦਨਾ ॥੧॥ 
ਆਰਾਧਨਾ ਅਰਾਧਨੁ ਨੀਕਾ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਰਾਧਨਾ ॥੨॥ 
ਤਿਆਗਨਾ ਤਿਆਗਨੁ ਨੀਕਾ ਕਾਮੁ ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਲੋਭੁ ਤਿਆਗਨਾ ॥੩॥ 


Raja Bhartri on Greed 
भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः, तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः । 
कालो न यातो वयमेव याताः तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः ॥ 

Pleasures weren't consumed, only we were; penance weren't 'done'; only we were 'done';
Time didn't pass, only we passed; thirst was not 'over', only we got 'over'. 


HOW TO SEE GOD: Tab hi aatam tat ko darse. 

Aatam Tat is "Spiritual Essence." The promise is that with Simran God is seen here and now. 

Simran is important - if we can embrace the virtues of acceptance, compassion, kindness, love, forgiveness. and if we can cast out the 

Raam Naam Ur Meh Gayo, Jaa Kai Sam Nahi Koy
Jis Simrat Sab Dukh Mitai, Daras Tuharo Hoye


OBTAINING THE ULTIMATE: Param Purakh Kaha Paavai - Going beyond three gunas

Sanyasa is about achieving the pinnacle of human experience. And the pinnacle of human experience is to rise above the thieves of the mind. It is to go beyond the three gunas and become one with God. 

The three gunas are thought to come originally from the Sankhya philosophy (one of six houses of Indian philosophy). Sankhya is a dualistic philosophy that believes in the coexistent and interdependent realities, conscious Purusha and unconscious Prakrti.  Purusha is ever pure, wise and free but it becomes a subject of pain and pleasure when it identifies itself with Prakrti. Prakrti is the material cause of the universe and is composed of three gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas that correspond to light, activity and inertia respectively. The state in which the gunas are in equilibrium is called Prakrti but when disturbed the state is called Vikrti. Disturbance of the equilibrium of Prakrti produces the material world, including the mind, which is supposed to be the finest form of material energy.  

More on the six houses of philosophy: https://shivpreetsingh.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-six-houses-of-wisdom-according-to.html

The universe -- or brahmand -- is made of five elements. This universe maybe called prakriti of the Sankhya philosophy.  It is really the same as Maya. However, there is a sixth element, the truth, also called paarbrahma, what Guru Gobind Singh calls aatam tatva or the Soul Element. While all the 5 Maya elements are driven by a combination of one of the three gunas (satva, rajas and tamas), the Soul element is beyond the three gunas. This is the state of being one with God. 

A story on Three Gunas: https://shivpreetsingh.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-rich-man-and-three-thieves.html

Guru Arjan on this (For more read 16th ashtapadi of Sukhmani):

ਸਲੋਕੁ ॥
सलोकु ॥
Salok.
Shalok:

ਰੂਪੁ ਨ ਰੇਖ ਨ ਰੰਗੁ ਕਿਛੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਹੁ ਗੁਣ ਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਿੰਨ ॥
रूपु न रेख न रंगु किछु त्रिहु गुण ते प्रभ भिंन ॥
Rūp na rekẖ na rang kicẖẖ ṯarihu guṇ ṯe parabẖ bẖinn.
He has no form, no shape, no color; God is beyond the three qualities.

ਤਿਸਹਿ ਬੁਝਾਏ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਜਿਸੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਸੁਪ੍ਰਸੰਨ ॥੧॥
तिसहि बुझाए नानका जिसु होवै सुप्रसंन ॥१॥
Ŧisėh bujẖā▫e nānkā jis hovai suparsan. ||1||
They alone understand Him, O Nanak, with whom He is pleased. ||1||

Guru Arjan goes on in Ashtapadi 16 of Sukhmani sahib to explain, exactly how Guru Gobind did, how it is in the end the desires of the mind that need to be controlled. 

Shri Krishna on this: 

This is from the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagwad Gita. In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks Krishna how he can recognize the man who has gone beyond the three gunas, and what has he done to have gone beyond them?  Krishna replies by listing the characteristics of such a person and by reiterating the central theme in the Gita: non-attachment to the fruits of one's labor:

Whatever quality arises –
Light, activity, delusion –
He neither dislikes its presence
Nor desires it when it is not there.

He who is unattached,
who is not disturbed by the gunas,
who is firmly rooted and knows
that only the gunas are acting

who is equally self-contained
in pain or pleasure, in happiness
or sorrow, who is content
with whatever happens, who sees

dirt, rocks, and gold as equal,
who is unperturbed amid praise
or blame of himself, indifferent,
to honor and to disgrace,

serene in success and failure,
impartial to friend and foe,
unattached to action – that man
has gone beyond the three gunas.

He who faithfully serves me
with the yoga of devotion, going
beyond the three gunas, is ready
to attain the ultimate freedom.

Bhagavad Gita, A New Translation, 14.22 – 26
(Translation by Stephen Mitchell, 2000)

Specifically: 

नान्यं गुणेभ्य: कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति |
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति || 

"When wise persons see that in all works there are no agents of action other than the three guṇas, and they know me to be transcendental to these guṇas, they attain my divine nature."

Also, Bhagwad Gita Chapter 9, verse 28


शुभाशुभफलैरेवं मोक्ष्यसे कर्मबन्धनै: |
संन्यासयोगयुक्तात्मा विमुक्तो मामुपैष्यसि || 28||

śhubhāśhubha-phalair evaṁ mokṣhyase karma-bandhanaiḥ
sannyāsa-yoga-yuktātmā vimukto mām upaiṣhyasi

śhubha aśhubha phalaiḥ—from good and bad results; evam—thus; mokṣhyase—you shall be freed; karma—work; bandhanaiḥ—from the bondage; sanyāsa-yoga—renunciation of selfishness; yukta-ātmā—having the mind attached to Me; vimuktaḥ—liberated; mām—to Me; upaiṣhyasi—you shall reach
Translation
BG 9.28: By dedicating all your works to Me, you will be freed from the bondage of good and bad results. With your mind attached to Me through renunciation, you will be liberated and will reach Me.

Commentary -

Every action has defects, just as fire is covered by smoke.  When we walk on the earth, we unknowingly kill millions of tiny living entities.  In our occupational duties, no matter how careful we are in the fulfillment of our duties, we still end up harming the environment and hurting others.  Even if we eat a cup of yogurt, we still incur the sin of destroying the living entities that reside in it.  Some religious sects try to reduce this involuntary killing by tying a cloth over their mouth.  Even this does not fully eliminate the destruction of living entities in our breath. 

When we perform our actions with the intention of fulfilling our self-interest, we are culpable for the sins we commit, knowingly or unknowingly.  In accordance with the law of karma, we have to reap their karmic reactions.  Good works can also be binding because they oblige the soul to go to the celestial abodes to enjoy their results.  Thus, both bad and good karmas result in the continuity of the cycle of birth and death.   However, in this verse, Shree Krishna gives a simple solution for destroying all karmic reactions of work.  He uses the word sanyās yog, meaning renunciation of selfishness.  He says that when we dedicate our actions for the pleasure of the Lord, we are freed from the fetters of both good and bad results. 

Those who establish themselves in such consciousness are called yog yuktātmā (united in consciousness with God).  Such yogis become jīvan mukt (liberated in consciousness) even in this body.  And, upon leaving their mortal frame, they receive a divine body and eternal service in the divine Abode of God. 

Mary Oliver on Sanyasa 

I have decided to find myself a home in the mountains, somewhere high up where one learns to live peacefully in the cold and the silence. It’s said that in such a place certain revelations may be discovered. That what the spirit reaches for may be eventually felt, if not exactly understood. Slowly, no doubt. I’m not talking about a vacation.

Of course, at the same time I mean to stay exactly where I am.

Are you following me?


Guru Nanak in Raag Shri

To get a broader perspective on Guru Gobind's shabad, it is truly worth reading the following Guru Nanak shabad in Raag Shri. The concepts of controlling desires (aas), residing within (antar), wisdom and understanding self (gyaan and antar ki gat), eliminating ego (haumai hoye vinaas), the detached mind rests in its house (man bairagi ghar vasai), meeting the lord by subduing the mind (man maar mil).  

ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥
Siree Raag, First Mehl:

ਮਰਣੈ ਕੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਨਹੀ ਜੀਵਣ ਕੀ ਨਹੀ ਆਸ ॥
I have no anxiety about dying, and no hope of living.

ਤੂ ਸਰਬ ਜੀਆ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਲਹੀ ਲੇਖੈ ਸਾਸ ਗਿਰਾਸ ॥
You are the Cherisher of all beings; You keep the account of our breaths and morsels of food.

ਅੰਤਰਿ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਤੂ ਵਸਹਿ ਜਿਉ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਿਉ ਨਿਰਜਾਸਿ ॥੧॥
You abide within the Gurmukh. As it pleases You, You decide our allotment. ||1||


ਜੀਅਰੇ ਰਾਮ ਜਪਤ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨੁ ॥
O my soul, chant the Name of the Lord; the mind will be pleased and appeased.

ਅੰਤਰਿ ਲਾਗੀ ਜਲਿ ਬੁਝੀ ਪਾਇਆ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਗਿਆਨੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
The raging fire within is extinguished; the Gurmukh obtains spiritual wisdom. ||1||Pause||


ਅੰਤਰ ਕੀ ਗਤਿ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਗੁਰ ਮਿਲੀਐ ਸੰਕ ਉਤਾਰਿ ॥
Know the state of your inner being; meet with the Guru and get rid of your skepticism.

ਮੁਇਆ ਜਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਜਾਈਐ ਤਿਤੁ ਜੀਵਦਿਆ ਮਰੁ ਮਾਰਿ ॥
To reach your True Home after you die, you must conquer death while you are still alive.

ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦਿ ਸੁਹਾਵਣੇ ਪਾਈਐ ਗੁਰ ਵੀਚਾਰਿ ॥੨॥
The beautiful, Unstruck Sound of the Shabad is obtained, contemplating the Guru. ||2||


ਅਨਹਦ ਬਾਣੀ ਪਾਈਐ ਤਹ ਹਉਮੈ ਹੋਇ ਬਿਨਾਸੁ ॥
The Unstruck Melody of Gurbani is obtained, and egotism is eliminated.

ਸਤਗੁਰੁ ਸੇਵੇ ਆਪਣਾ ਹਉ ਸਦ ਕੁਰਬਾਣੈ ਤਾਸੁ ॥
I am forever a sacrifice to those who serve their True Guru.

ਖੜਿ ਦਰਗਹ ਪੈਨਾਈਐ ਮੁਖਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ॥੩॥
They are dressed in robes of honor in the Court of the Lord; the Name of the Lord is on their lips. ||3||


ਜਹ ਦੇਖਾ ਤਹ ਰਵਿ ਰਹੇ ਸਿਵ ਸਕਤੀ ਕਾ ਮੇਲੁ ॥
Wherever I look, I see the Lord pervading there, in the union of Shiva and Shakti, of consciousness and matter.

ਤ੍ਰਿਹੁ ਗੁਣ ਬੰਧੀ ਦੇਹੁਰੀ ਜੋ ਆਇਆ ਜਗਿ ਸੋ ਖੇਲੁ ॥
The three qualities hold the body in bondage; whoever comes into the world is subject to their play.

ਵਿਜੋਗੀ ਦੁਖਿ ਵਿਛੁੜੇ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਲਹਹਿ ਨ ਮੇਲੁ ॥੪॥
Those who separate themselves from the Lord wander lost in misery. The self-willed manmukhs do not attain union with Him. ||4||


ਮਨੁ ਬੈਰਾਗੀ ਘਰਿ ਵਸੈ ਸਚ ਭੈ ਰਾਤਾ ਹੋਇ ॥
If the mind becomes balanced and detached, and comes to dwell in its own true home, imbued with the Fear of God,

ਗਿਆਨ ਮਹਾਰਸੁ ਭੋਗਵੈ ਬਾਹੁੜਿ ਭੂਖ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥
then it enjoys the essence of supreme spiritual wisdom; it shall never feel hunger again.

ਨਾਨਕ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਰਿ ਮਿਲੁ ਭੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਦੁਖੁ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥੫॥੧੮॥
O Nanak, conquer and subdue this mind; meet with the Lord, and you shall never again suffer in pain. ||5||18||

Other links
Sant Singh Maskeen -
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