Mundavanee Reflections

harsimiritkaur · #1 (**permalink**) 19-Aug-2005, 09:19 AM

Bibi Har Simrat Kaur

Guru Granth Parchar Mission of USA

510-432-5827harsimiritkaur@khalsa.com

muMdwvxI slok mhlw 5 (1429) Mundaavanee, Shlok Fifth Mehl (1429):

qyrw kIqw jwqo nwhI mYno jogu kIqoeI ]
“Oh Lord, what You’ve done for me, I cannot fully know.”
This is Guru Arjun Dev Ji’s concluding hymn in the Guru Granth Sahib. He emphasizes the need for the human race to live harmoniously by understanding and focusing on God’s hukam will and grace poured out for all. The beginning of this hymn makes us raise a very important question, What it is that God has done for us? How has God accomplished this, and why Has he done so? Gurbani teaches us to reflect on this which helps us improve our character and health. The Gurmanter is gian of God’s doings that we must be aware of simran. We must fully yield to this with our body, mind, and spirit to receive His blessings. What is the meaning of God’s blessings? Guru Ji explains this.

mY inrguixAwry ko guxu nwhI Awpy qrsu pieEeI ]
“Only You can make my worth known. I am unworthy, with no value; true compassion is only from You.”
Guru Arjan Dev Ji gathered all the hymns into one book format, Guru Granth Sahib. Although he knew he was the Guru during this period, he worked very hard with a humble attitude, not boasting that he accomplished this on his own but by God mercy and grace. It is because of the value of the contents in the Shabads that he decided to bind them together. God’s mercy blesses us with access to these Shabads to learn from. Gurbani teaches us what God has done for us. By his divine hukam and grace, he has prepared a beautiful, complex, infinite universe to house us in. All of us, regardless of race, deed, creed, and caste are equal citizens. God functions as sufficient provider to sustain us in all three dimensions of time, past, present, and future. When we look at the infinite details of our universe home, we become humble and begin to realize our worth to God. We are nothing compared to Him, yet He has constantly labored for us, even when we don’t ask. vfI vifAweI jw puiC n dwiq ] (Awsw, mhlw 1, 463)Great is His greatness, as He gives without being asked.” God is so great, that He does not have to think before causing things to happen. All is intractably vibrating and participating in reaction to God’s shabad. hY qUhY qU hovnhwr ] Agm AgwiD aUc Awpwr ] (724, iqlµg, mhlw 5) Existing, You are, You bring all into existence, O inaccessible, unfathomable, lofty and infinite Lord.

qrsu pieAw imhrwmiq hoeI siqguru sjxu imilAw ]
“Showing pity on me, you shower me with grace to meet the True Guru, my Friend, face-to-face.”
Guru Argun Dev Ji was Guru when he compiled the Guru Granth Sahib, but who was he addressing as “Satgur” True Guru in this hymn? He must have been reflecting on the dedication of Guru Nanak who offered his whole life to educate the world on truthful living. He perceived with even deeper insight, that ultimately, it has been God Himself who, throughout all ages of existence has reached out to us all that are very limited with senses and comprehension of the reality we live in. There have always been a few individuals who learned from observing the beauty of nature and have glanced beyond their own veils of illusion by accepting the hukam of the Creator. Every religion teaches God’s hukam and grace operate all of nature. The writers of the hymns in Guru Granth Sahib are from different faiths and castes, but they all focus on the same spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak. Some of these writers lived many years before Guru Nanak, such as Bhagat Jaidev Ji and Ravidaas Ji. Why did Guru Argun called Satgur his friend? Guru Ji did not use the phrase imq “Mith” which means a casual, good friend. If you consider the role of sjxu “sajan” friend, you realize that this type of friend is very intimate and faithful to the end. It was very appropriate for Guru Ji to bring sjxu into this text to stress the devotion of God and the devoted lives of all those who taught God’s message of truth and grace. Guru Granth Sahib is the contemporary version of this ancient science of truth “Guru Gian.” This is what Guru Gobind Singh Ji referred to as the Eternal Guru.” Any knowledge which is truth is part of what Guru teaches. The Living Guru is the knowledge of Guru Granth Sahib, not limited to a text book of Punjabi Letters. The compiling of Guru Granth Sahib was not intended for us to constantly worship as an idol, and rarely study from it. The reason for the tradition of showing so much respect to Guru Granth Sahib is not to please God, but to stress the importance of Guru’s teachings. All those lavish ramaalas and palkees are displayed to attract our attention to what they are placed on. Why does a king wear royal robes and a crown? Why does Guru Granth Sahib sit on a luxurious throne? Why are delicious candies covered in gold and silver wrappers? The value of an item initially catches the attention of many by the outside appearance. A little girl sees a beautiful candy wrapper. When offered to her, she doesn’t stare at it and say, “Oh, it’s great!” Instead, she immediately tears the wrapper off, because she knows something good is in it. Unfortunately, most Sikhs do not react the same way as this girl. We are daily offered the tasty Amrit of Gurbani enthroned in every gurdwara and in many homes. Most of us only bow and show respect and never consider tasting the Amrit Bani by studying the meanings of Guru Granth Sahib. The little girl was no fool; she helped herself and relished the sweets. Bhagat Nam Dev exclaimed, nwmy cy suAwmI bKsMd qUM hrI ]3]1]2] (727, iqlµg, nwmdyv jI) “O Lord and Master of Naam Dayv Ji, You are the merciful Lord of forgiveness. ” hly XwrW hly XwrW KuisKbrI ]
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/discourses-in-english/5389-mundavanee-reflections.html
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5389
“Hello, my friend, hello my friend. good news?” KUbu qyrI pgrI mITy qyry bol ] “How handsome is your turban! And how sweet is your speech.” Bhagat Nam Dev Ji was attracted by the beautiful turban. Not only did he show respect, but he learned from him words and reflected on them. So what was the good news that Nam Dev was talking about? It must have been the news about truthfulness and God grace.

nwnk nwmu imlY qW jIvW qnu mnu QIvY hirAw ]1]
O Nanak, by taking Naam, life I find, blossoming forth body and mind. ||1||”
Taking the name of God means to understand what God is communicating to us and to apply it to our lives. All of nature testifies of the reality God in which He has placed us. Guru Granth Sahib guides us and reminds us to accept God hukam so that we can live truthfully. What are the blessings and benefits of reflecting simran on God’s doings? Accepting God’s hukam requires that we obtain the knowledge of how to use the resources God has provided us with to help ourselves and others, too. Simply, we achieve happiness; we function as productive members of society. Our vision is clearer, we have peace of mind; we become mentally and physically healthier. We get along with our family and neighbors, we concentrate and learn better, and we perform well on our jobs. All of this is essential for family, community, and world peace.