- Jan 3, 2010
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From the world to the word
According to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the stages of salvation can be described under the following headings:
1. Detachment from the worldly attachments (Maya)
2. Attachment to The God: the shuniya stage and entering the Tenth Gate
3. Assimilation into The God
Detachment from the worldly attachments (Maya)
Process of Salvation According to Sri Guru Granth Sahib
Dr. Dalvinder Singh Grewal
Dr. Dalvinder Singh Grewal
According to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the stages of salvation can be described under the following headings:
1. Detachment from the worldly attachments (Maya)
2. Attachment to The God: the shuniya stage and entering the Tenth Gate
3. Assimilation into The God
Detachment from the worldly attachments (Maya)
The detachment from Maya is related to self-realization and control. After birth, the man gradually gets attached to the world. The more he gets attached to the world, the more he is detached from his original source, which is God. The attachment to the world develops tamas, rajas, and sattva qualities. The tamas, or the desires to have worldly achievements, keep all his nine outward senses, i.e., eyes (2), ears (2), nose (2), mouth (1), and the excretion parts (2) totally attached to the world, as these give him physical pleasure. Man gets deeper and deeper into the pit of desires as his pleasure increases. He then gets into a stage where he does not even remember his Creator. He thinks that his real life is in pleasure; the real pleasure is in worldly attainments only, and he forgets that maya is a mere game in which he is acting as a player. The desires get him into the five evils, i.e., lust (kam), anger (krodh), greed (lobh), attachment (moh), and ego (ahankar). To save himself, he has to get rid of these attachments. He has to get attached to the One and One alone. This is the true situation that he has to understand first. Once he understands this, he has to control his mind from getting attached to these worldly attachments and pleasures. He has to control his thinking process towards these temporary achievements and concentrate on the only truthful achievements, i.e., merger into the God, which ultimately provides him the way out of the cycle of life and death.
He starts this by remembering the name of the true God, as He and His name only are true; the rest all is false. By continuously reciting the name of the true Lord, his mind is taken off from all desires and Tamas, Rajas, or Sattva characteristics.
Attachment to the God: the shuniya stage and entering the Tenth Gate
The shuniya stage: The man has to make his body clean of all worldly attachments and become pure. He will have to get detached from all worldly languages and remember the body of silence. He has to concentrate on his inner self and get attached to the soul, the total darkness or light where there is no malice and everything is clean.
Entering the Tenth Gate: God's Realm:- From this Shuniya, his next stage is to reach the tenth gate, called the dasam dwar, from worldly attachments to God’s realm. He has to remain above the world, realistically, even though his physical body is in the world. It is just like a lotus whose roots are in the mud while its flower is in the open pure air.
Once he comes into the realm of the True Lord, he is welcomed by the ‘naad’ (sound). Some call it the sound of bells, some of conches, of clouds, of waves, etc. These are the welcome sounds into the world of God. Now one has to be in total silence, keeping attached to the Sabd: God’s name even in silence. This is “Ajpa Jaap," the continuous recitation of the name. Name helps in keeping the mind off from the worldly attachments and getting further closer to God.
Assimilation into the God
Once God is pleased with one’s meditation, he is welcomed into the world of truth. He becomes the enlightened one, who gradually merges with the ultimate God. He has not to come and go again, thereby getting released from the cycle of birth & death.
He starts this by remembering the name of the true God, as He and His name only are true; the rest all is false. By continuously reciting the name of the true Lord, his mind is taken off from all desires and Tamas, Rajas, or Sattva characteristics.
Attachment to the God: the shuniya stage and entering the Tenth Gate
The shuniya stage: The man has to make his body clean of all worldly attachments and become pure. He will have to get detached from all worldly languages and remember the body of silence. He has to concentrate on his inner self and get attached to the soul, the total darkness or light where there is no malice and everything is clean.
Entering the Tenth Gate: God's Realm:- From this Shuniya, his next stage is to reach the tenth gate, called the dasam dwar, from worldly attachments to God’s realm. He has to remain above the world, realistically, even though his physical body is in the world. It is just like a lotus whose roots are in the mud while its flower is in the open pure air.
Once he comes into the realm of the True Lord, he is welcomed by the ‘naad’ (sound). Some call it the sound of bells, some of conches, of clouds, of waves, etc. These are the welcome sounds into the world of God. Now one has to be in total silence, keeping attached to the Sabd: God’s name even in silence. This is “Ajpa Jaap," the continuous recitation of the name. Name helps in keeping the mind off from the worldly attachments and getting further closer to God.
Assimilation into the God
Once God is pleased with one’s meditation, he is welcomed into the world of truth. He becomes the enlightened one, who gradually merges with the ultimate God. He has not to come and go again, thereby getting released from the cycle of birth & death.
