Hardip Singh ji,

Guru Fateh.

I have no idea what you mean by, "But can we equate the Paath of the Banis with Naam Jup. Two are entirely different things. Paath is directing us towards Naam."

Doing Paath is a daily ritual subscribed in SRM. Understanding and learning the tools, hence putting them in our daily practice is the Paath subscribed in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji by our Gurus. The latter one is described in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as Naamjap- Simran. The former is just doing Paath, like memorising- parroting as a daily ritual or a routine which becomes more mechanical than a thoughtful one. It depends on the individual how one is able to merge the two in a seamless manner so that through their understanding, the teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji can become our second nature.

Allow me to share my routine. I walk 5.3 miles Monday to Friday and 7 miles Saturday and Sunday. The former takes me 1 hour and 30 mins and the latter about 2 hours. I do this at 4 am in the morning, the only time I can spare for this beautiful walk of life. I do my Nitnem first and then I choose one or 2 Pauris from Jap ji and try to analyse their meanings during the rest of my walk. I am doing the same on Anand Sahib now as I have finished the Japji, Shabad Hazare and Swaeeyeis. This makes the ritual of doing Nitnem from a meaningless ritual to a meaninful one . Once I have finished the Anand Sahib, I will start again with Japji.

Without understanding Gurbani, doing daily Paath is like parroting in my opinion provided we do not take advantage of building up a thought process by understanding it. And no more beautiful time to understand it than while taking a walk in solitude.


Regards

Tejwant Singh