Guru Nanak Dev Ji Being Asked: How To Tackle The Hardest Tasks With Humility … 12

[Ambarsaria]

Here the series of questions deal with issues of ego. It is depicted by the Sidhs as hard as steel to get rid of. They metaphorically ask how the humbleness and humility can crack such an impossible hardened state. The questions are driven by the many such impediments and how a humble approach befits.

Let us review the following,

Sidhas/Yogis ask:

ਮੈਣ ਕੇ ਦੰਤ ਕਿਉ ਖਾਈਐ ਸਾਰੁ ॥ ਜਿਤੁ ਗਰਬੁ ਜਾਇ ਸੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਆਹਾਰੁ ॥
Maiṇ ke ḏanṯ ki▫o kẖā▫ī▫ai sār. Jiṯ garab jā▫e so kavaṇ āhār.
How to chew iron with teeth of wax? Disposing off the ego, what kind of food is that?
ਹਿਵੈ ਕਾ ਘਰੁ ਮੰਦਰੁ ਅਗਨਿ ਪਿਰਾਹਨੁ ॥ ਕਵਨ ਗੁਫਾ ਜਿਤੁ ਰਹੈ ਅਵਾਹਨੁ ॥
Hivai kā gẖar manḏar agan pirāhan. Kavan gufā jiṯ rahai avāhan.
Body house of ice with cladding of fire! What cave where such stays tranquil?
ਇਤ ਉਤ ਕਿਸ ਕਉ ਜਾਣਿ ਸਮਾਵੈ ॥ ਕਵਨ ਧਿਆਨੁ ਮਨੁ ਮਨਹਿ ਸਮਾਵੈ ॥੪੫॥
Iṯ uṯ kis ka▫o jāṇ samāvai. Kavan ḏẖi▫ān man manėh samāvai. ||45||
Who to recognize hither and thither? What contemplation so mind is absorbed within mind itself?

Guru Ji’s answers:

ਹਉ ਹਉ ਮੈ ਮੈ ਵਿਚਹੁ ਖੋਵੈ ॥ ਦੂਜਾ ਮੇਟੈ ਏਕੋ ਹੋਵੈ ॥
Ha▫o ha▫o mai mai vicẖahu kẖovai. Ḏūjā metai eko hovai.
Killing the self from within self. Erasing the secondary and becoming just one.
ਜਗੁ ਕਰੜਾ ਮਨਮੁਖੁ ਗਾਵਾਰੁ ॥ ਸਬਦੁ ਕਮਾਈਐ ਖਾਈਐ ਸਾਰੁ ॥
Jag karṛā manmukẖ gāvār. Sabaḏ kamā▫ī▫ai kẖā▫ī▫ai sār.
World is hard for ones following wishes of own mind. Earning wisdom the iron is eaten.
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਏਕੋ ਜਾਣੈ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਅਗਨਿ ਮਰੈ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਭਾਣੈ ॥੪੬॥
Anṯar bāhar eko jāṇai. Nānak agan marai saṯgur kai bẖāṇai. ||46||
Understanding all one as inside and out. Nanak, the fire puts out through true ways of the creator.

Guru ji describe that the ego destroys the inner self. They propose that the conflict of inner and outer self needs to be resolved so all is one. There by one is the same inside and out.

Guru ji state that it is this oneness which will overcome impediments so hard as steel. The wisdom so becoming available in this state will eliminate the wanderings of the mind as consonance with the creator will overtake.

In summary Guru ji state that if you are one and the same as in and out, much wisdom flows and the hardest of issues become addressable. The spirituality so shines being in consonance with the creator and the creation in this state.

Have we stopped or reduced our two selves? Do we still have a battle of the two as to be good in one and bad in the other as we oscillate and try to balance the inner with the outer? Without naming or trying to denigrate, the monkey dance and split personalities of politicians vividly help us understand the conflicting dualities of self referenced in this discourse. mundahug


What you think?

Sat Sri Akal.

PS: Please see the appropriate complete Shabad here,

http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sidh-gosht/38860-si-gosht-sabad-33-48-73-a.html

 

[Luckysingh]

There are probably a few ways of looking at this shabad in slightly different ways, but each one of them can give credibility to God's strength or the strength of the shabad.

I like to look at it as the 'teeth of wax' representing the word of shabad and the iron being the world maya that we have to bite through.
This highlights the strength of shabad that can bite through anything.
The 'shabad' is defined earlier in the speech and previous post about being the 'unspoken word'.

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

LUCKY SINGH Ji,
You are right in your understanding like this but,
I think there is no such reference in Gurbanee as "the word of shabad"

There is always a reference like "GuR Ka SAbadu" that is The Word of GuR.

Prakash.s.Bagga

 

[BhagatSingh]

Lucky Singh ji,
Remember last time I said the Siddhas who Guru Nanak was speaking to here were enlightened. This was the line I was thinking of "ਹਿਵੈ ਕਾ ਘਰੁ ਮੰਦਰੁ ਅਗਨਿ ਪਿਰਾਹਨੁ ॥".
They ask
How can one enter the temple of ice (how can one be at peace)
when wearing robes of fire (when being filled with desire and Haumai)?

Then they ask
ਇਤ ਉਤ ਕਿਸ ਕਉ ਜਾਣਿ ਸਮਾਵੈ
What should we recognize as that which is all-pervading?
(another question coming from someone who is already enlightened)
To which Guru Nanak gives a beautiful answer!
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਏਕੋ ਜਾਣੈ
Recognize that which is inside and outside to be one.

Wow! Guru Nanak Dev ji nails it! If you notice that is not a direct answer. And therein lies it's beauty. 0 By indirectly answering it, he answers the next question that would have been asked if he gave the direct answer. The direct answer is "Hari is everywhere". But that still leaves us with a question of "Well how do you see Him?" Guru Nanak Dev ji answers the last question "You see Him by collapsing the inside-outside duality."
The act of seeing assumes that there is something inside that sees the all-pervading outside. His answer takes care of this as well. He doesn't even talk about seeing anything, just says "Recognize inside and outside to be one"

He also says earlier ਦੂਜਾ ਮੇਟੈ ਏਕੋ ਹੋਵੈ ॥
Eliminate duality and become one.

Genius!

Shabad can be spoken or unspoken. I am not sure why you say it's unspoken. Last time it was specifically unspoken but here I think it can be both.

 

[Ambarsaria]

Bhagat Singh ji I also noted the following with great pleasure and the wisdom of Guru Nanak Dev ji's so shines as he answers to Charpat,

ਦੁਨੀਆ ਸਾਗਰੁ ਦੁਤਰੁ ਕਹੀਐ ਕਿਉ ਕਰਿ ਪਾਈਐ ਪਾਰੋ ॥ਚਰਪਟੁ ਬੋਲੈ ਅਉਧੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਹੁ ਸਚਾ ਬੀਚਾਰੋ ॥[FONT="]
[/FONT]Ḏunī▫ā sāgar ḏuṯar kahī▫ai ki▫o kar pā▫ī▫ai pāro.Cẖarpat bolai a▫oḏẖū Nānak ḏeh sacẖā bīcẖāro.[FONT="]
The world is called the hard to cross ocean, how could the other bank be found? Charpat speaks and addresses to Guru Nanak Dev ji to correctly contemplate and so answer.

[/FONT]ਆਪੇ ਆਖੈ ਆਪੇ ਸਮਝੈ ਤਿਸੁ ਕਿਆ ਉਤਰੁ ਦੀਜੈ ॥ਸਾਚੁ ਕਹਹੁ ਤੁਮ ਪਾਰਗਰਾਮੀ ਤੁਝੁ ਕਿਆ ਬੈਸਣੁ ਦੀਜੈ ॥੪॥[FONT="]
[/FONT]Āpe ākẖai āpe samjẖai ṯis ki▫ā uṯar ḏījai.Sācẖ kahhu ṯum pārgarāmī ṯujẖ ki▫ā baisaṇ ḏījai. ||4||[FONT="]
One who says and also understands (meaning Charpat), what to give answer to one such. I so say the truth when you do know that you have already traversed to the other side.[/FONT]

What Guru ji does is recognize the enlightened. He noticed recluse, the renunciates, etc., but what he probably found missing was how does it help man on the street. He found practices of manipulation, hoarding of information through the use of Sanskrit, and much more. He busted out of all this for you and me.

He shared his enlightenment and became enlightening. Enlightenment shines ever so bright when person so shares unreservedly what they know and in Guru ji's case it being enlightenment. No shops, no marketing, no control just looking out for the people on the street. All as equal and capable of finding enlightenment.

Sat Sri Akal.

 

[Luckysingh]

Truly amazing and beautiful summaries by Ambarsariaji and Bhagatji.

The sidh gosht is really like some hidden treasure that many of us sikhs don't notice.
The more we look deeper into it, the more beautiful and powerful it gets.

I'm sure that someone who is an expert in drama and acting would be in awe if they read the dialogue of Sidh Gosht.