TheSikhRenaissance
SPNer
- Nov 7, 2020
- 47
- 8
The Worthy:
It is in the nature of reality that its truths are waiting to be discovered, by whoever has the ability to do so. If two different individuals independently discover something within the parameters of reality, they will lead to the same eventual truth irrespective of the individuals’ final deductions. Unlike art and the abstract, the truths of reality do not alter themselves for individual biases. They remain firmly static, discovered only by those who make an effort. Such individuals are known as the Gurmukhs, formed through the Khalsa.ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਬੁਢੇ ਕਦੇ ਨਾਹੀ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਾ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਗਿਆਨੁ ॥
ਸਦਾ ਸਦਾ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਰਵਹਿ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਸਹਜ ਧਿਆਨੁ ॥
“The enlightened individuals (Gurmukhs) never age for their consciousness is immersed in divine wisdom. They forever recall and imbibe the path of divine virtues focusing only on that alone.”
-Guru Granth, 1418.
The Gurmukhs age physically, but never incorporeally. They continue inspiring mortals to tread the path of immortality through their virtues and own herculean self-struggles with their base minds. Even from beyond the grave they exert considerable influence. Their value lies in their self-discovery of reality’s truths, accrued while struggling with themselves.
ਅਨਦਿਨ ਆਪਿ ਆਪ ਸਿਉ ਲੜੈ ॥
ਸੁਰਖੀ ਪਾਂਚਉ ਰਾਖੈ ਸਬੈ ॥
ਤਉ ਦੂਜੀ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਨ ਪੈਸੈ ਕਬੈ ॥੬॥
“Within your being, confront your very own base self by night and day. Subdue the base five and keep them grounded. Only then will you not entertain any other (delusional) notions.”
-Guru Granth, 344.
The penultimate result is that such an enlightened individual who successfully wars against their own selves becomes immortal after their physicality depletes. For them the afterlife is not one of some unvarying observances from on-high or a vacuous paradisical resurrection. They become more powerful as their soul amalgamates with its divine source while they retain their own individual identity. The iconoclast Kabir advises,
ਬਹਤੀ ਮਨਸਾ ਰਾਖਹੁ ਬਾਂਧਿ ॥
ਲੋਭ ਮੋਹ ਸਭ ਬੀਸਰਿ ਜਾਹੁ ॥
ਜੁਗੁ ਜੁਗੁ ਜੀਵਹੁ ਅਮਰ ਫਲ ਖਾਹੁ ॥੧੦॥
“Chain your ever-flowing desires. Discard all your avarice and obsessions. When you reform yourself thus, you will live from eon to eon. You will acquire the fruit of immortality.”
-Guru Granth, 343-344.
Immortality, though, is only possible when one acknowledges their true worth as an individual.
The Duality Of Man:
What is a man? Leaving aside the biological definition of an intelligent animal, there is more to man than meets the eye. In evolutionary terms, man is the sum of his genes. But what differentiates man from beast? His intelligence. What does this intelligence lend him? His cognitive abilities. What emanates from these abilities? Values. Are our values genetic? The co-discoverer of evolution Alfred Russell Wallace (c. 1823-1913) argued no, values are never genetic by their nature.Genes construct the human physicality. They are, in a sense, immortal considering they persist from one generation of bodies to the next. They design physical specificity for survival reflecting the bodily traits that allowed our ancestors to survive. But there is a caveat here. Only the past and not the future influences genetic expression. This is why animals strive for the future, because they are influenced by their ancestral genes rooted in the past.
Our animal ancestors bequeathed us with the genetic traits they considered conducive to the survival of their future generations. After all, our genes retain no ethical qualms about their mission. We are born to reproduce and die. Our intelligence, however, allows us to surmount our base nature derived from our animal ancestors. But only if this intelligence is used practically and properly. This is the duality of man. Can he surmount his animal origins? He must!
ਚਿਟੇ ਜਿਨ ਕੇ ਕਪੜੇ ਮੈਲੇ ਚਿਤ ਕਠੋਰ ਜੀਉ ॥
ਤਿਨ ਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਨ ਊਪਜੈ ਦੂਜੈ ਵਿਆਪੇ ਚੋਰ ਜੀਉ ॥
ਮੂਲੁ ਨ ਬੂਝਹਿ ਆਪਣਾ ਸੇ ਪਸੂਆ ਸੇ ਢੋਰ ਜੀਉ ॥੩॥
“Those who retain unsullied apparels are usually filthy within. The divine wisdom has not taken root within them and they run hither-thither. They fail to acknowledge their own true worth and are nothing but yoked beasts of burden.”
-Guru Granth, 750.
In the above verse ‘unsullied apparels’ represent ostentatious self-debasement and self-praise. The seemingly perfect among us often conceal dark secrets within their minds and are resultantly animals yoked to their animal selves. Their values stem from their base minds that are already mired in the bestial concerns of their genes. Rather than be controlled by his genetic demands, man is to master his inner animal and render it his slave. To unleash it when need be or pacify it within the confines of his mind.
ਮਾਣਸ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਨਾਮੁ ॥
ਕਰਣੀ ਕੁਤਾ ਦਰਿ ਫੁਰਮਾਨੁ ॥
ਗੁਰ ਪਰਸਾਦਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਮਿਹਮਾਨੁ ॥
ਤਾ ਕਿਛੁ ਦਰਗਹ ਪਾਵੈ ਮਾਨੁ ॥੪॥੪॥
“Man is man only by name, but by deed he is a dog as a result of the divine command. Only when through divine wisdom does he realise to exercise the caution of a temporary guest, while living, does he start earning honor in the divine court.”
-Guru Granth, 350.
What does the mastery of one’s inner animal necessitate?
ਰਾਜਾ ਬਾਲਕੁ ਨਗਰੀ ਕਾਚੀ ਦੁਸਟਾ ਨਾਲਿ ਪਿਆਰੋ ॥
ਦੁਇ ਮਾਈ ਦੁਇ ਬਾਪਾ ਪੜੀਅਹਿ ਪੰਡਿਤ ਕਰਹੁ ਬੀਚਾਰੋ ॥੧॥
“The emperor is young, his capital is weak, and he is seduced by the foe. He reads about his two mothers, two fathers, so pandit consider this then.”
-Guru Granth, 1171.
The ‘emperor’ is the credulous human-self, unwise and weak. His ‘capital’ is his physicality (comprised of his genes) while he is seduced by his own bestial nature. His ‘two mothers’ are enlightenment and its antithesis; his ‘two fathers’ are integrity and delusions. To control the duality of his mind, he must evade the foe while selecting both the wisest of his parents above the other to strengthen his capital.
What Are We?
We are genetic anomalies. Our genes compel us to gravitate towards our past bestial selves while our intelligence impels us to transcend our animalistic nature but only if we can rescue it from our baseness. Victory in this deep-rooted battle is not dependent upon the deus ex machina of divine intervention. The Creator has furnished man, a species of increasing intelligence from beasts. But man is that beast which is able to transcend his savage self through the aegis of divine wisdom. This is the aim of the Khalsa. To truly become strong emperors.Credulous emperors are weak. The Khalsa is to be strong. Its members are to become enlightened and acknowledge that they are genetic anomalies in the greater scheme of things. Their anomaly lies in their ability to subdue their inner savage and only utilise it when necessary. To do this, they must constantly fight with themselves. They must fortify their inner selves and daily triumph over their inner animal. After all, what is the greatest beast one can hunt if not themselves?
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