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Sukhmani Sahib: 11th Ashtapadee: 4th Pauri: My Understanding

Amarpal

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Dear Khalsa Ji,
With the grace of ‘The Sat’, today, I share my understanding of 4th Pauri of 11th Ashtapadee of Sukhmani Sahib with you.
1. [/FONT]iKn mih nIc kIt kau rwj ] kh[/FONT]in meh neech keet ka-o raaj.
[/FONT]In no time, a lower order insect can be made to become a King by ‘Sat’. [/FONT]
My understanding:
As I understand, this world is real in the dimension we live in i.e. earthly life; our life is a dream as viewed from the higher dimension – it is just like animated picture as seen from there.
‘Sat’ can always change the Akaar that the specific life form has. That is how through rebirth we do acquire different forms of life. The entire creation is a game for ‘The Sat’ and it can do whatever it wants to do. It can make an insect to become a King and vice versa at its own pleasure.
2. pwrbRhm grIb invwj ] The Supreme Lord God is the Protector of the humble.[/FONT]
My understanding:
Humility is an attribute that demands absence of Ahamkara. Ahamkara is poison where as Humility is nectar; Guru Sahib, in Siri Guru Granth Sahib has repeatedly asked its readers to Shed Ahamkara and embrace Humility. Humility is a Godly attribute and thus is liked by ‘The Sat’; naturally a humble person finds support from ‘’Sat’ in the form of protection.
3. [/FONT]jw kw idRsit kCU n AwvY ] jaa kaa darisat kachhoo na aavai.
[/FONT]Those who are not in anyone’s field of view and thus are not known,[/FONT]
4. iqsu qqkwl dh ids pRgtwvY ] t[/FONT]is tatkaal dah dis paragtaavai.
[/FONT]becomes famous all over and thus becomes known.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib introduces us to the Supremacy of ‘The Sat’ over the entire creation. In its creation, it is the ‘Sat’ who creates the causes; it is ‘The Sat’ who drives the cosmic processes that impact on the targeted person; it is the ‘Sat’ who creates the external environments which observe and react to the impact on the targeted person.
This tells us how limited we are and what the ‘Sat’ is. This learning should contribute towards our attempt to shed Ahamkara. Whatever is, and whatever happens or will happen “Karta Purakh is the cause.
5. [/FONT]jw kau ApunI krY bKsIs ] jaa ka-o apunee karai bakhsees.
[/FONT]The one who is blessed by ‘Sat’,[/FONT]
6. qw kw lyKw n gnY jgdIs ] t[/FONT]aa kaa laykhaa na ganai jagdees.
[/FONT]It does not bring the person’s account into consideration.
My understanding:
We all know that the justice of ‘Sat’ is absolute and administered without fear or favour. Those who have given up their self and dedicated themselves to the service of the creation of the ‘Sat’ get blessed by ‘Sat’ and though living in this world, rally do not belong to it; they become instrument of ‘Sat’ all that the do is on prompting from ‘Sat’; their acts now become the act of the ‘Sat’ itself and thus they are not held accountable for them even in the court of the ‘Sat’. Such individuals no longer have an address – i.e. Í-ness’, lacking any address, the karmic processes cannot impact on this person, this has become godly. We all know that ‘Sat’ is beyond and above these forces and so is the case of true sewaks of the ‘Sat’. Though this person, physically living in this earthly environment, its being, in fact, has risen to a much higher cosmic dimension beyond the reach of karmic processes and thus, even their past karmas get burnt. This is what I understand from the two tuks above.
7. jIau ipMfu sB iqs kI rwis ] jee-o pind sabh tis kee raas.
[/FONT]The force that sustains life in us – Soul; and the form – body that we posses belong to the ‘Sat’.
My understanding:
We did not create our body, in fact we know very little about how it functions in such wonderful manner. Someone has created this body. Though it took form in human womb, even the mother does not know how all happened. This way we can see that it does not belong to the person, it belongs to the entity that created it – the ‘Sat’.
The same is true of the force that sustains life in this body. We do not know what it is; we call it Soul i.e. Atman. This too does not belong to us; it belongs to the entity that created it – the ‘Sat’.
This is what Guru Sahib has said in the above Tuk, that the body and Soul, both are the property of the ‘Sat’.
8. Git Git pUrn bRhm pRgws ] gh[/FONT]at ghat pooran barahm pargaas.
[/FONT]Being of each and every person is illuminated by the ‘Sat’ within.
My understanding:
When we are born we have Atman which is nothing but ‘Parmatma’ i.e. ‘Sat’. It is this entity which formed the body in mother’s womb. It is this alone which carry us through, till we start developing individuality and start acquiring worldly attribute. Even with individuality growing the ‘Sat’ continues to illuminate our being showing us the right path. This ‘Sat’ always remains with us.
9. ApnI bxq Awip bnweI ] apnee banat aap banaa-ee.
[/FONT]The ‘Sat’ scultures its own creation.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that it is the ‘Sat’ who designs our mission for the life and then it helps ud to accomplish the mission when we are on earth in human form.
10. nwnk jIvY dyiK bfweI ]4] naanak jeevai daykh badaa-ee. ||4||
[/FONT]Nanak lives realizing and admiring the greatness of the ‘Sat’.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib expresses his inner happiness, resulting from realization and admiration of the infinite greatness of the ‘Sat’.
With this I close the post.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
 

Embers

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Aug 10, 2009
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Lovely post, Amarpalji, thank you for taking the time to compose it!

I am not so clear on what the mission in life might be?

It seems to me that this body-mind is the result of earlier actions and hence it is the fruit of karma. Like all fruit it will one day ripen and drop from the tree. I understand that there is only the Sat which I perceive as the Atman and hence the fruit of the karma is here to be experienced whilst the Atman dwells in the body. The issue for me is on current actions.

I hope you don't mind me having shared some thoughts, I would like to hear more of your own on these valuable topics.

Sat Sri Akal.
 

Amarpal

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Ambers Ji[/FONT]

[/FONT]
Sat Siri Akaal,[/FONT]


In you post you said
[/FONT]

[/FONT]
'I am not so clear on what the mission in life might be?'[/FONT]

[/FONT]
In response: All that I am going to share with you, Ambers Ji, is my present very personal understanding of Sabad.
[/FONT]

[/FONT]
1. [/FONT]Mission of life[/FONT]: [/FONT]We are born on this earth in human form, because ‘Sat’ is pleased with our past Karmas. Grace of ‘Sat’ has given us this human form. I am convinced that all that is non-material part of us passes on the next life – ancient scripture of the land has referred to it as ‘Linga Sarira’ (Why and how of it I am not discussing in this post to keep it simple and as short as possible.). This ‘Linga Sarira’ consists of our past Karmas, past tendencies, beliefs and desires, virtues and vices, experiences of life and spiritual achievements. It is this Linga Sarira which the ‘Sat’ accesses to grant us the form for the next life.
[/FONT]

[/FONT]
1.1 [/FONT]The next life that we get in human form is not a prize for our good Karmas, but is a mission to built and improve on the positive achievements of our post births.[/FONT]

[/FONT]
1.2 This Mission has three components: (i) the exhaust our past negative Karmas; (ii) to improve upon the past spiritual achievements (iii) to work as an instrument of ‘Sat’ to preserve, protect and help in evolving its creation. We work on these three elements to improve our inner self.



1.3 Our ‘Linga Sarira’ and the mission of life are stored in the deeper layers of our brain, from where the motivation and prompting for our life’s mission comes.

1.4 Normally, these deeper layers of brain are not accessible to the conscious part of our brain. The details stored in the deeper layers of the brain become available to the conscious brain when the ‘Dasam Dwar’ (the tenth door) opens with the grace of the ‘Sat’.


1.5 The weighing factors for the mission of life are different for different persons. For example: for Guru Nanak Dev Ji, as I understand, it was only the (iii) element, i.e. to work as an instrument of ‘Sat’ to preserve, protect and help in evolving its creation. There were no past Karmas to be exhausted nor there was any need for Guru Sahib to evolve spiritually – Guru Sahib was already on the pinnacle of spiritual evolution, he was divine.


1.6 For all of us i.e. like you and me we have all the three elements in our mission of life.


1.7 As we proceed in fulfilling our mission of life in human form, our ‘Linga Sarira’ keeps on modifying - it may evolve to a greater height of spirituality (Gurmukh) or degrade into darkness of worldliness (Manmukh) depending on the quality of life.



1.8 This new ‘Linga Sarira will then defines the dimension in which we have to go and physical form and attributes of the next birth after death


With This I close my post.


With love and respect for all.


Amarpal Singh
 

Embers

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Aug 10, 2009
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Sat Siri Akaal, Amarpal ji

I have a basic understanding of ‘Linga Sarira’, thank you. Your reply is helpful. I don't wish to distract from your original intentions, however I would be interested in your view on the process of exhausting our past negative Karmas and new actions if you wish to indulge me.

For example, how do we exhaust past karma without ensuring that we are in fact giving rise to new karma, is a tricky question? My impression is that we avoid lust/desire?

Should we act dedicating the result of our actions and the actions themselves to Waheguru in order to avoid accumulating new karma?
 

Amarpal

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Jun 11, 2004
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Ambers Ji

Sat Siri Akaal,

'Sat' in your mission of life will incorporate all that is needed to exhaust your past Karma. 'Sat' may make it difficult for you to achieve what other get easily.
[/FONT]This is to make you toil and in a way pay for your past Karmas. [/FONT]. You may face disturbing condition or some loss of face or other unpleasant situations all these are consequence of our past Karma and flowing through it in the name of 'Sat' will contribute towards exhausting your Karmas.

What is needed that the person should live truthfully in accordance with 'Naam' accepting the Bhanna of the 'Sat' without cribbing.

To minimise the generation of new Karma, dissolve your I-ness''. Gautam the Buddha has very clearly stated.

'The Dharma that I do is Karma;
The Dharma That happens is divine'.

In the second line you can see the 'I' is missing. All acts done without any selfish interests or out of Ahamkara become your Karma, all your deed without your Í' present in it belong to the 'Sat', they become divine.

For example: if some one falls and gets injured and you rush to help the affected person, there is no 'Í' in it. This deed goes to the 'Sat' and does not remain yours; it is divine.

Another example again from the life of Buddha: once Buddha was sittin and a fellow came near him and spat on his face. Buddha did not react in angry manner, he just wiped his face with a cloth which he was wearing. How ever his disciples wanted to assault that person for his act. Gautam stopped them from doing so, saying that it was my past Karma which has been settled now. Now you do not act out of anger and start a fresh chain of Karma.

With this I close this post.

With love and respect for all.

Amarpal Singh
[/FONT]
 

Embers

SPNer
Aug 10, 2009
114
148
EU
Thank you very much for your reply on this tricky topic, Amarpal Ji.

Ambers Ji


'Sat' in your mission of life will incorporate all that is needed to exhaust your past Karma, it holds to reason. 'Sat' may make it difficult for you to achieve what other get easily.
[/FONT]This is to make you toil and in a way pay for your past Karmas. [/FONT]. You may face disturbing condition or some loss of face or other unpleasant situations all these are consequence of our past Karma and flowing through it in the name of 'Sat' will contribute towards exhausting your Karmas.

What is needed that the person should live truthfully in accordance with 'Naam' accepting the Bhanna of the 'Sat' without cribbing.

To minimise the generation of new Karma, dissolve your I-ness''. Gautam the Buddha has very clearly stated.

'The Dharma that I do is Karma;
The Dharma That happens is divine'.

In the second line you can see the 'I' is missing.

....
[/FONT]
I had not considered that Sat would be presenting opportunities to spend the karma. It makes sense to me. However I am swayed by the idea that without the "I" or Ahamkara, there is a fatalistic life ahead for he or she who does not give way to new desire, aversion or ignorance?
 

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