Finding True Guru

Kanwaljit Singh · #1 (**permalink**) 07-Jan-2012, 03:52 AM

Author - Harinder Singh
Sent on hyderabad_sikhs@yahoogroups.com

ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ॥
ਹਿਰਦੈ ਸੁਣਿ ਸੁਣਿ ਮਨਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਭਾਇਆ ॥ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਹਰਿ ਅਲਖੁ ਲਖਾਇਆ ॥੧॥
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/gurmat-vichaar/37841-finding-true-guru.html
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਸੁਨਹੁ ਮੇਰੀ ਭੈਨਾ ॥ ਏਕੋ ਰਵਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਘਟ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਮੁਖਿ ਬੋਲਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਬੈਨਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਮੈ ਮਨਿ ਤਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੇਮੁ ਮਹਾ ਬੈਰਾਗੁ ॥ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਵਡਭਾਗੁ ॥੨॥
ਦੂਜੈ ਭਾਇ ਭਵਹਿ ਬਿਖੁ ਮਾਇਆ ॥ ਭਾਗਹੀਨ ਨਹੀ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੩॥
ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਰਸੁ ਹਰਿ ਆਪਿ ਪੀਆਇਆ ॥ ਗੁਰਿ ਪੂਰੈ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੪॥੩॥੫੫॥

Gurbani represents the feeling of those enlightened souls who experienced the indefinable. When we listen or study gurbani it entices us to meet the one we have not seen yet but gives a beautiful picture of our beloved and instills in us, great love for the beyond. Through gurbani the incomprehensible is comprehended.

The above shabad by Guru Ramdas Ji is like a humble plead, where he is telling us to listen to the Ambrosial Gurbani, the naam, the name of the lord who is pervading and permeating deep within the heart. And with our mouth we should recite the ambrosial hymns of the Guru.

These are words of a man soaked in love and compassion for the lord, who is filled with a deep gratitude after obtaining the true guru. He says, my mind and body are filled with divine love and a great sadness (bairaag). This sadness is far more beautiful than anything else, as it has emerged out of love, out of gratitude. It is by great fortune he says, that I have found the True guru. The guru, who pulls you towards himself just to make you aware of your own being, He functions as a mediator; via the guru we arrive at our own self, a self realization. Because we directly are incapable of going directly, the guru helps us get there via him. He is like a light in the dark.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=37841

In the next lines he says, that unfortunate are those, who wander in the love of maya and who have not found the True Guru. This is a pankti of great essence, especially today when there are so many paths, and so many so called gurus. So people get lost in the wrong ways.

People are often pulled and attracted towards people, who promise great things, but these are mere worldly pleasures and they lure us a great deal. This makes a slave of these people and slave of maya as these gurus also exploit the same human phenomenon of lust and greed and an urge to be more and more which makes people infatuated to people who promise them. On the other hand when we are pulled towards people like Nanak and Kabeer, we have a strange feeling of being pulled towards them and at the same time we are pulled inwards. The closer we come to such gurus, the closer we are to ourselves and to the lord. So it is a very subtle difference and it becomes a benchmark for us to judge. If we are pulled towards a man and that pull creates slavery, he cannot be the true guru but when our surrendering to a man gives us freedom, more will power, more courageous, more humble then we are with the true guru.

The at last he says, that the lord himself inspires us to drink the Lord’s Ambrosial nectar and through the perfect Guru, the Lord I obtained.

Bhula Chuka di Khima and please respond if something was misinterpreted by me so that it helps me improve my understanding.

Thanks

Harinder