True Living

True Living

Haume is treated through Naam and Gurbani vichaar.

Once a cat fell in a well and died in there. As a result of the decomposition of cat's dead body, the well water got contaminated and smelled bad. The residents using the well went to a wise person to ask how to treat the well water.

The wise man told them to remove the cat's dead body and take out 1000 buckets of water out of the well. The residents came back and took out 1000 buckets of contaminated water but forgot about the dead cat.

After taking out 1000 buckets they noticed that the water was still smelly and contaminated. They went back to the wise person and told him about the problem still persisting. The wise man told them to take out another 1000 buckets. The residents did just that but the water still remained contaminated.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/19307-true-living.html

Finally the wise man asked the residents if they had taken out the dead cat. The residents responded by saying no. The wise man told them to remove the dead cat and then remove another 1000 buckets of water. The residents did just that and their well was functioning again.

Our situation is very much like this well. Our insides are contaminated and we try to clean them through paath, naam and good deeds but since we don't let go our bad deeds and haume, we don't get full benefit of doing bhagti.

In Siri Aasa kee Vaar we read:
BHAAO BHAGAT KAR NEECH SADAAYE||
TAU NANAK, MOKHANTAR PAAYE||
(If a Sikh does bhagti and stays humble, then alone a Sikh can achieve release from this Bhavsaagar i.e. terrible ocean).

Guru Sahib saade uppar kirpa karan.

By Bhai Kulbir Singh

 
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A very informative post,as usual.

To what extent is Haume a contamination to us ? Without Haume, one wouldn't even be able to dress for an occassion.

This article is True Living previous one was Haume And Naam, i am sorry for the mistake.

Setha, Gobinda and Bhaga wrre three rich merchants. They lived at Chaniot. Chaniot is a small town in Pakistan. All the three brothers were Hindus and the offered Sharadhs every year. They gave corn, clothes and coins to the Brahmans as Dakshana. Sometimes they wondered if all these things were really reached their forefathers in the next world.

One day they came to Guru Arjan to find out his views about the Sharadhs and Dakshana. "O Guru," said Gobinda "We give Dakshana to the Brahmans in the name of our dear forefathers every year. Tell us whether all this reaches our forefathers or not?"

"No man can tell whether your forefathers are in heaven or hell." said the Guru smilingly. "No one can tell which Brahman will go to heaven and which to hell. Moreover even if a Brahman reaches your forefathers, how can he recognize them out of the millions of dead people? Stop thinking about such things and stop offering Sharadhs. Work hard, tell the truth, help others and remember God."

The three brothers agreed to act upon the Guru's advice and were satisfied, but there was another man, named Chuhar, who couldn't understand the Guru's advice. He said "Sir, how can a merchant like myself and people like Gobinda always speak the truth? Merchants have to tell many lies between sunrise and sunset every day."

“Go back to your village, Chuhar,” said the Guru. “Do your trading and try to act upon my advice. Everyday count your lies and good deeds, write them down on a piece of paper and show me that paper at the end of every month.” Chuhar agreed to act upon the Guru’s advice and went away.
From that day onwards. Chuhar counted and wrote down his lies and good deeds on a piece of paper. At the end of a month he came with it and showed it to the Guru The Guru asked him to read it out to the Sikhs and Chuhar did so. He had done no good deeds and had told a number of lies. He felt small and thought that he should have done better. The Guru however smiled and said, "Chuhar, leave your paper here and keep on trying."

At the end of the second month, Chuhar had really done some good deeds and had told fewer lies. And so it went on. At the end of the eighth month, Chuhar's lies and good deeds were added up. This showed that although he had done only a few good deeds, he had told no lies. Everybody was surprised. Guru Arjan said, "All advice falls flat on those who never think of acting upon it. People have been listening to good advice for thousands of years. The important thing is to act upon it. Cart-loads of books and all the learning in the world are of no use if we do not care to follow them."

All the Sikhs understood the Guru's advice and promised to act upon it.

"As a child is satisfied by drinking milk; As a poor man is happy on finding wealth; As a thirsty man is refreshed by drinking water; So is my soul happy with God."
(Guru Arjan)

"To forget God is death;
To meditate on His Name is life.
Nanak, God is found in the company of the saints."
(Guru Arjan)

ਵਡਹੰਸੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੩ ॥
वडहंसु महला ३ ॥
vad­hans mehlā 3.
Wadahans, Third Mehl:

ਹਉਮੈ ਨਾਵੈ ਨਾਲਿ ਵਿਰੋਧੁ ਹੈ ਦੁਇ ਨ ਵਸਹਿ ਇਕ ਠਾਇ ॥
हउमै नावै नालि विरोधु है दुइ न वसहि इक ठाइ ॥
Ha­umai nāvai nāl viroḏẖ hai ḏu­ė na vaseh ik ṯẖā­ė.
Ego is opposed to the Name of the Lord; the two do not dwell in the same place.

ਹਉਮੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਸੇਵਾ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਤਾ ਮਨੁ ਬਿਰਥਾ ਜਾਇ ॥੧॥
हउमै विचि सेवा न होवई ता मनु बिरथा जाइ ॥१॥
Ha­umai vicẖ sėvā na hova­ī ṯā man birthā jā­ė. ||1||
In egotism, selfless service cannot be performed, and so the soul goes unfulfilled. ||1||

ਹਰਿ ਚੇਤਿ ਮਨ ਮੇਰੇ ਤੂ ਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਮਾਇ ॥
हरि चेति मन मेरे तू गुर का सबदु कमाइ ॥
Har cẖėṯ man mėrė ṯū gur kā sabaḏ kamā­ė.
O my mind, think of the Lord, and practice the Word of the Guru's Shabad.

ਹੁਕਮੁ ਮੰਨਹਿ ਤਾ ਹਰਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਤਾ ਵਿਚਹੁ ਹਉਮੈ ਜਾਇ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
हुकमु मंनहि ता हरि मिलै ता विचहु हउमै जाइ ॥ रहाउ ॥
Hukam maneh ṯā har milai ṯā vicẖahu ha­umai jā­ė. Rahā­o.
If you submit to the Hukam of the Lord's Command, then you shall meet with the Lord; only then will your ego depart from within. ||Pause||

ਹਉਮੈ ਸਭੁ ਸਰੀਰੁ ਹੈ ਹਉਮੈ ਓਪਤਿ ਹੋਇ ॥
हउमै सभु सरीरु है हउमै ओपति होइ ॥
Ha­umai sabẖ sarīr hai ha­umai opaṯ ho­ė.
Egotism is within all bodies; through egotism, we come to be born.

ਹਉਮੈ ਵਡਾ ਗੁਬਾਰੁ ਹੈ ਹਉਮੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਬੁਝਿ ਨ ਸਕੈ ਕੋਇ ॥੨॥
हउमै वडा गुबारु है हउमै विचि बुझि न सकै कोइ ॥२॥
Ha­umai vadā gubār hai ha­umai vicẖ bujẖ na sakai ko­ė. ||2||
Egotism is total darkness; in egotism, no one can understand anything. ||2||

ਹਉਮੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਨ ਬੁਝਿਆ ਜਾਇ ॥
हउमै विचि भगति न होवई हुकमु न बुझिआ जाइ ॥
Ha­umai vicẖ bẖagaṯ na hova­ī hukam na bujẖi­ā jā­ė.
In egotism, devotional worship cannot be performed, and the Hukam of the Lord's Command cannot be understood.

ਹਉਮੈ ਵਿਚਿ ਜੀਉ ਬੰਧੁ ਹੈ ਨਾਮੁ ਨ ਵਸੈ ਮਨਿ ਆਇ ॥੩॥
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=19307
हउमै विचि जीउ बंधु है नामु न वसै मनि आइ ॥३॥
Ha­umai vicẖ jī­o banḏẖ hai nām na vasai man ā­ė. ||3||
In egotism, the soul is in bondage, and the Naam, the Name of the Lord, does not come to abide in the mind. ||3||

ਨਾਨਕ ਸਤਗੁਰਿ ਮਿਲਿਐ ਹਉਮੈ ਗਈ ਤਾ ਸਚੁ ਵਸਿਆ ਮਨਿ ਆਇ ॥
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=19307
नानक सतगुरि मिलिऐ हउमै गई ता सचु वसिआ मनि आइ ॥
Nānak saṯgur mili­ai ha­umai ga­ī ṯā sacẖ vasi­ā man ā­ė.
O Nanak, meeting with the True Guru, egotism is eliminated, and then, the True Lord comes to dwell in the mind||

ਸਚੁ ਕਮਾਵੈ ਸਚਿ ਰਹੈ ਸਚੇ ਸੇਵਿ ਸਮਾਇ ॥੪॥੯॥੧੨॥
सचु कमावै सचि रहै सचे सेवि समाइ ॥४॥९॥१२॥
Sacẖ kamāvai sacẖ rahai sacẖė sėv samā­ė. ||4||9||12||
One starts practicing truth, abides in truth and by serving the True One gets absorbed in Him. ||4||9||12||
Source: Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib

Respected namjap ji,
Ego is a god gift. It is like five senses. There cannot be any physical measurement of any of these.One has to decide this factor for oneself.There cannot be any scale for this.This is a great challenge. At times we all want to know as to why the nature gives us those things that may not be required for a specific purpose of self realisation. May be you have an answer.
Thanks singbj for a nice effort.

Singhbj Jee,

I admire your spirit and praise your knowledge about spirituality. Thank you.

Sikh80 ji,
It's indeed a challenge.
I've seen ego in dogs not only human beings. There's hardly any difference between them. KARTOOT PASHOO KI MANUSH JAAT, LOOG PACHAARE KARE DHIN RAAT."

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