The Gurus' Wives?

Hi,

May I ask a question about Gurus, who were married? Did any of the Gurus' wife received enlightenment (Jeevan-mukti, I'm told it's called)? Actually, is there another being, besides the 10 Gurus, who has received it?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-gurus/28916-the-gurus-wives.html

Regards
Roger
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All of the Gurus were married with the exception of Guru Harkhrishan who died of small pox at the age of nine years. He served small-pox victims tirelessly during an epidemic and then himself was taken by the illness.

It is said that the wife of Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Ajit Kaur, achieved mukhti. However the stories about the lives of the Gurus are in many cases difficult to verify.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28916

Roger ji - I also think we need a better title for this thread. What are you trying to find out?

Did any wife of a Sikh Guru achieve mukhti? Or has anyone other than one of our Sikh gurus, in general, achieved mukhti?

I would like to know what do you mean by Jeevan Mukhti?

Guru Harkishan Ji passed away at age NINE..not nineteen jios...

Sorry, I spelled it differently but here's the source where I read it:
"JIVAN-MUKTA in Sikhism the ideal and aim or objective of man’s spiritual life. The term is derived from jivan-mukti (jivan=life; mukti=release, liberation, emancipation freedom from bondage), and means one who has attained liberation from human bondage or one who has attained to the highest spiritual state of being in tune with the Ultimate while still living. "
Jivan mukta - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia.

Cheers
Raj

Sure, I have no issues in changing the title! I just wanted to know if anyone else has ever achieved the enlightened state that Guru Nanak did? I thought Guru's wife would be the most likely person to start with, due to their proximity and relationship. One website goes as far as to say -

"The Sikh marriage is not merely a physical and legal contract but is a holy union between two souls where physically they appear as two individual bodies but in fact are united as one." Sikhism - The Sikh Marriage


Hence, my question!

At the end of the day, if obtaining liberation from the cycle of rebirths (enlightenment,) is the desired outcome, in one's lifetime, I am keen to know, who else have had this privilage! There has to be someone, one would think?

Roger

I thought the Highest spiritual state in Sikhi was to be one with God i.e. a Gurmukh, not to want to escape ones physical body?

PS SIkhiwiki is a wikipediaand can be edited by any Tom, **** and Harjeet, so I would not necessarily trust definitions from there.

I think the idea of "Jeevan mukhti" is escape from the cycle of life and death, and not so much an escape from the physical body.

To reframe the title of this thread, Roger ji: You now seem to be asking whether any wife of a Sikh Guru escaped from the cycle of life and death. And as I replied earlier, the only commentary that I know of concerns Mata Ajit Kaur -- and the story is not easy to document.

That being said -- the idea of husband and wife being united as one soul in marriage with the Spiritual Bridegroom takes the discussion into a different direction.

Because -- if I follow your logic correctly-- you are asking whether any wife of a Sikh Guru, who achieved "jeevan mukhti," also achieved her "jeevan mukhti" because Guru and wife were united as souls in marriage.

Liberated Guru = liberated wife of Guru. That would be your premise.Can the question be answered? Let's go back to Mata Ajit Kaur. She died before her husband, Guru Gobind Singh -- in fact some time before he died. So if indeed she escaped the cycle of life and death - achieved jeevan mukhti -- she managed that on her own. It is said she left her physical body with the "blessing of her husband" but nonetheless she managed it on her own. And there is no way to verify this conclusion either.

So now we are headed in a very academic direction regarding matters that cannot be proved one way or the other, and without witnesses, and all will be based on pure conjecture.

What is not pure conjecture is that Gurbani tells us that we travel on the journey of life and death alone. We become Gurmukh (as Randip said above, "liberation comes in becoming Gurmukh), when we are united with Naam.



ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ॥
aasaa mehalaa 4 ||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:


ਤੂੰ ਕਰਤਾ ਸਚਿਆਰੁ ਮੈਡਾ ਸਾਂਈ ॥
thoon karathaa sachiaar maiddaa saanee ||
You are the True Creator, my Lord and Master.

ਜੋ ਤਉ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋਈ ਥੀਸੀ ਜੋ ਤੂੰ ਦੇਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਹਉ ਪਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
jo tho bhaavai soee thheesee jo thoon dhaehi soee ho paaee ||1|| rehaao ||
Whatever pleases You comes to pass. As You give, so do we receive. ||1||Pause||

ਸਭ ਤੇਰੀ ਤੂੰ ਸਭਨੀ ਧਿਆਇਆ ॥
sabh thaeree thoon sabhanee dhhiaaeiaa ||
All belong to You, all meditate on you.

ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਤਿਨਿ ਨਾਮ ਰਤਨੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
jis no kirapaa karehi thin naam rathan paaeiaa ||
Those who are blessed with Your Mercy obtain the Jewel of the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਲਾਧਾ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
guramukh laadhhaa manamukh gavaaeiaa ||
The Gurmukhs obtain it, and the self-willed manmukhs lose it.


ਤੁਧੁ ਆਪਿ ਵਿਛੋੜਿਆ ਆਪਿ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ ॥੧॥
thudhh aap vishhorriaa aap milaaeiaa ||1||
You Yourself separate them from Yourself, and You Yourself reunite with them again. ||1||

ਤੂੰ ਦਰੀਆਉ ਸਭ ਤੁਝ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
thoon dhareeaao sabh thujh hee maahi ||
You are the River of Life; all are within You.

ਤੁਝ ਬਿਨੁ ਦੂਜਾ ਕੋਈ ਨਾਹਿ ॥
thujh bin dhoojaa koee naahi ||
There is no one except You.

ਜੀਅ ਜੰਤ ਸਭਿ ਤੇਰਾ ਖੇਲੁ ॥
jeea janth sabh thaeraa khael ||
All living beings are Your playthings.

ਵਿਜੋਗਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਵਿਛੁੜਿਆ ਸੰਜੋਗੀ ਮੇਲੁ ॥੨॥
vijog mil vishhurriaa sanjogee mael ||2||
The separated ones meet, and by great good fortune, those suffering in separation are reunited once again. ||2||

ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਤੂ ਜਾਣਾਇਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਜਨੁ ਜਾਣੈ ॥
jis no thoo jaanaaeihi soee jan jaanai ||
They alone understand, whom You inspire to understand;

ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਸਦ ਹੀ ਆਖਿ ਵਖਾਣੈ ॥
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28916
har gun sadh hee aakh vakhaanai ||
they continually chant and repeat the Lord's Praises.

ਜਿਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਸੇਵਿਆ ਤਿਨਿ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
jin har saeviaa thin sukh paaeiaa ||
Those who serve You find peace.

ਸਹਜੇ ਹੀ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਸਮਾਇਆ ॥੩॥
sehajae hee har naam samaaeiaa ||3||
They are intuitively absorbed into the Lord's Name. ||3ll

This Shabad is telling us that becoming Gurmukh we are absorbed in the Naam, and that this happens according to God's mercy and according to His will. This "liberation" is available to any and all, Guru's wives are not excluded. Being married is not a requirement. Being married to a Sikh Guru likewise gives no special advantage.

And in becoming Gurmukh we take our family and our friends with us. "Across the world ocean." And this liberation is not dependent on having died. It can happen in one's life time.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28916
It would be good to post some Shabads in order to explore what Sri Guru Granth Sahib has to say instead of following some very hypothetical directions involving the wives of Gurus.

Recently my understanding is that a sikh seeks to stay in His will. Jivan Mukti or not is not a concern!!! With Naam Daan, a sikh seeks to live as He wants him to live. If He takes one out of churaasi it is fine, if not that too is fine. Staying in Hukam sounds like the aim or objective of man's spiritual life.

Does one make any efforts to achieve this objective?