User talk:Tpsnarang

TIME AND MAYA
When you think of present,the present becomes recent past.The moment you say ' I think' implies you already have thought. We either live in past or recent past or in future.And thinking of future too turns into recent past. Past, present or future are differentiated in human mind in terms of scale of time.None is real but a mere ILLUSION....all of us a reality of illusion.Mystics call it MAYA....an act of apperent appearence and apparent disappearence.Life is a mere projection of ILLUSION

BULLE SHAH-- SOUL'S PAIN OF SEPERATION
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST beautiful poems of Baba Bulle Shah. He bemoans the separation from the Lord and prays that let the Lord redeem the promise of taking the souls back to his fold, which HE made at the time of primal day of the Creation. He wrote in Panjabi. English translation is given below

''Mein gal oathe di karda han,per gal karda vi darda han Naal roohan de lara laya,tusi chalo mein naale aya. Ethe parda cha banaya,mein bharam bhulaya firda han.

Naal hakam de khel asaadi,je mein meeri tan mein faadi.

Dhari dharaii punji tuhadi.mein agla lekha bharda han.

De punji moorakh junjhlaya,magar choraan de pa.de laya.

Choraan di mein pa.de layaya,her shab dha.de dharda han.

Ki sukh paya mein aan ethe,na manzil na dere jithe.

BULLESHAH beant dhoonghai, de jag bich na lagadi kaii.

Urrar par di khbar na kaii,mein bey sir perron tarda han.

Mein gal uthe di karda han,per gal karde vi darda han.'''...

''I speak of divine mysteries, but a little afraid I am. YOU lured me (the soul) to make a visit to the creation with a promise that YOU too will accompany them. But then you engaged me in a fight with Kal, the world of maya and illusion--- where even if I win I will be the loser (as I will cease to exist in body form—lose my identity). YOU gave me YOUR wealth (of Nam) and also devised a karmic drama in which five thieves (perversions) made a mess of me. From morning till night, I am rendering my karmic account and suffering misery of separation. What comfort have I got from YOUR promise of being with me in this world of illusion, which is neither a HOME nor is there any comfort or peace. Says Bulle Shah, none knows infiniteness of this ocean of existence, whose length, breadth and depth are incomprehensible; I am just lost and repenting. '

kyon ker janva kabbe nu -- Baba Bulleh Shah
Mein kyon ker janva kabbe nu,dil loche Takhat-Hazare nu. Loki sajda Kabbe nu karde,sada sajda yaar payare nu..

(Takhat-Hazare= Village of Ranjha)

Augn vekh na bhul miyan Ranjha,yaad kari us kaare nu, Mein antaru taran na jana,sharam payee tudh taare nu.

Tere sani koii nahin milaya,dhoond laya jug saare nu, BULLEH SHOH di preet anokhi,taare augnhaare nu. ..............

My heart yearns for Darshan of my Beloved,in preference to Kabba.People bow to Kabba,but I bow in reverence to my Beloved Master.

My Lord,my Master, the Beloved Ranjha...Let my negative attributes be not an excuse for reneging the solemn promise made at the primal day of creation of redemption of souls back to Your fold.Helpless I am in swimming across this ocean of Cosmic illusion,and unless redeemed, You will be answerable (in Divine Court) for breach of trust.

None equals You,oh my Master, in this Universe.Unique is the love affair of Shah Inayaat and Bulleh,that his Master(Shah Inayyat) has liberated him from the circle of transmigration inspite of his lesser virtues.

'''FROM “THE INNER LIFE AND THE PURPOSE OF LIFE” BY HAZARAT INAYAT KHAN

MYSTIC PERSON'''

Mysticism is not a thing which is learned…………..it is a temperament. A mystic may have his face turned toward the north while he is looking toward the south; A mystic may have his head bent low and yet he may be looking up; his eyes may be open outwardly while he may be looking inwardly; his eyes may be closed and yet he may be looking outwardly. The average man cannot understand the mystic, and therefore people are always at a loss when dealing with him. His “yes” is not the same yes that everybody says; his “no” has not the same meaning as that which everybody understands. In almost every phrase he says there is some symbolical meaning. His every outward action has an inner significance. A man who does not understand his symbolical meaning may be bewildered by hearing a phrase which is nothing but confusion to him. A mystic may take one step outwardly, inwardly he has taken a thousand; he may be in one city and may be working in another place at the same time. A mystic is a phenomenon in himself and a confusion to those around him. He himself cannot tell them what he is doing, nor will they understand the real secret of the mystic for it is someone who is living the inner life and at the same time covering that inner life by outer action; his word or movement is nothing but the cover of some inner action. Therefore those who understand the mystic never dispute with him. When he says “go,” they go; when he says “come,” they come; when he comes to them they do not say, “do not come,” they understand that it is the time when he must come; and when he goes from them, they do not ask him to stay for they know it is the time when he must go. Neither the laughter of a mystic, nor his tears are to be taken as any outward expression which means something. His tears may perhaps be a cover for very great joy, his smile, his laughter, may be a cover for a very deep sentiment. His open eyes, his closed eyes, the turning of his face, his glance, his silence, his conversation, nothing means the same that one is accustomed to understand. Yet it does not mean that the mystic does this purposely, he is so made; no one could purposely do it even if he wished, no one has the power to do it. The truth is that the soul of the mystic is a dancing soul. It has realized that inner law, it has fathomed that mystery for which souls long, and in the joy of that mystery the whole life of the mystic becomes a mystery. You may see the mystic twenty times a day and twenty times he will have a different expression. Every time his mood is different, and yet his outward mood may not at all be his inner mood. The mystic is an example of God’s mystery in the form of man.

'''==

GURU ARJAN DEV JI AND BHAI MANJH
==''' This is not an imaginary story. This is a narration of a life of a devoted disciple whose love, humility, faith, surrender, service and submission to his Master was absolute and total. It is an inspirational legend, which is narrated in religious discourses time and again, in one form or the other. The soul stirs, heart wrings and tears melt as the life and time of Bhai Manjh unfolds with Guru Arjan Dev Ji(1563-1606 AD),---fifth Guru in the lineage of Guru Nanak. It is said that it was after this sacred and revered relationship between Murid (disciple) and Murshid (Master) that the disciples in Kalyug ( Iron Age) have been blessed that they will not be put to any test for assessing their faith and trust for their Masters. Even if it is not true, but after a momentary reminiscence of what transpired between Bhai Manjh and Guru Arjan Dev Ji, one is touched and moved by the intensity and candidness of their relationship that one concludes that it must be a fact, for no ordinary or extraordinary mortal can pass the trial of trust if any Master decides to assess the spiritual resilience of any disciple. In some rare cases elsewhere, Masters and their noble disciples may have shared such a bond of intense spiritual intimacy, but this is an episode well recorded in history and therefore worth recounting. Let this be the cherished goal of all sincere disciples to attain such an attitude of humility and service to one’s Guru.

The real name of Bhai Manjh was Teertha and he belonged to Manjh clan of erstwhile Panjab. A Muslim by birth, he was a follower of a prominent Muslim sect ‘ SAKHEE SARVAR’, whose shrines still exist in Pakistan. He was respected and loved by all the local people of this sect and commanded a large following as a leader of this sect. In one of his visits to Amritsar, he heard the discourse of Guru Arjan Dev Ji on Nam Bhakti. The teachings of Gurmat stirred his psyche that he begged for Nam. The Guru advised him that he might seriously rethink over his decision as he was a powerful leader of a Muslim sect and that his followers might also disown him. He could also face innumerable adversities in his life by switching to the path of Nam bhakti. But Teertha chose to become a disciple of the Guru and he was blessed with Nam. Due to his past association with Manjh clan, he renamed himself as Bhai Manjh. As the news of Bhai Manjh being a disciple of the Guru spread, his followers abandoned him, his cattle died, he lost his status as head of many villages and poverty pounced upon him. Soon he became a pauper who owed a lot of money to others. His wife had to work as a maid in the house of a landlord for earning their living. In such a state of abject misery and poverty, he decided to quit the village and proceed to Amritsar with his daughter for ‘seva’ in Guru’s community kitchen called ‘Langar’. Bhai Manjh daily cut and carried wood for the langar, cleaned the dishes, served the visiting ‘sangat’ and did any other ‘seva’ he could find. The Guru too heard of Bhai Manjh's seva. He summoned Bhai Manjh to come to meet him in a congregation. Guru Arjan asked, "Bhai Manjh, where do you eat?" Bhai Manjh replied, "Satguru, I eat from your langar…" Guru then said, "Well then, your ‘seva’ or service is nothing but only a reciprocal wage-labour relationship of give and take? What type of ‘seva’ is this?”

There was a stunned and stony silence in the entire congregation, as all knew that Bhai Manjh toiled hard with dedication for seva in langar. A former leader of the sect, having lost all his wealth and property, serving in humility in community kitchen of his Guru with full sincerity was humiliated to shame, which unnerved everyone present.

Bhai Manjh got the message loud and clear--- of essentiality of living on one’s own earnings. He bowed his head and said, ”May the Guru grant me the strength to abide by his orders”. He immediately left the premises of the Guru. He then engaged himself in the profession of a woodcutter. He would daily cut three bundles of wood---one for the langar seva, second for selling in the market and the third for his home which he established in a near by village. He cooked and ate his own food at home. Any profit that he would earn by selling the wood, he dispensed that for charitable purposes for the institution of his Master.

His daughter would often question the rationale of the Guru for treating him in a disparaging manner. He would always reply, “ Guru is all merciful. And he knows the best.” After a few months Guru Arjan Dev Ji asked him, “You were a man of means, of wealth, assets and affluence before you chose to be my devotee and now you are beset with poverty. You can leave me if you so wish.” Bhai Manjh replied, “Worldly wealth is temporal which comes and goes. Incomparable is this material stuff to the true treasure of Nam, with whom I have been blessed by you. Neither a thief nor a king can claim or seize it. Please bless me with your refuge and protection, so that I might live in your will”. Guru Arjan gave his blessings to Bhai Manjh and moved on.

One day when Guru Arjan Dev Ji was giving his daily discourse in the morning to his ‘sangat’, a person whispered a few words in his ears. It is said that the entire body of the Guru shook as if hit by a bolt and he left the stage barefooted. There was commotion in the entire congregation. The news he received was that Bhai Manjh when carrying the bundle of wood on his head for seva was struck by a strong storm on the way. In a state of poor visibility he fell in a deep well in the early hours of morning. He was calling for help to be pulled out. This was what upset the Guru and he along with his disciples ran to save Bhai Manjh.

A long rope was thrown for Bhai Manjh so that he could extract himself from the well. The disciples saw that despite being deep inside the well, he was trying to keep himself afloat with the bundle of wood on his head. He pleaded that his helpers might not worry about him; let the bundle of wood be pulled out first so that it did not become excessively wet and it could still be used for the community kitchen. So, the wood was first brought out of the well and thereafter Bhai Manjh climbed out with the help of rope

Guru Arjan Dev Ji was standing before him when he was rescued from the well. The Guru uttered, “ Bhai you have been through so much of misery and pain, lost your position, wealth, worldly honour and respect, so much so that your wife is serving as a maid. What benefit you have derived by following me and path of Nam bhakti?” A noble soul and determined devotee as he was, he fell down on the feet of his Master, with tears rolling down, and voice choked with love and emotions and said, “ When I have gained you Oh my Satguru, how can there be any loss”? Hearing this the Guru embraced Bhai Manjh.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji was so pleased with his sentiments that he said that “the ‘seva’ of Bhai Manjh has been accepted in the divine court and that he may ask for anything that he wants”?

Bhai Manjh knelt and humbly pleaded, “My only submission is that in this age of Kalyug (Iron Age), the disciples may not be put to such a harsh trials to test the faith in the Master as none may have the stamina and strength to stand up to such difficult situations in life”.

Guru Arjan Dev, “So be it. Manjh is the darling of the Guru and the Guru is the beloved of Manjh. Manjh will be ferried across the ocean of illusion by the power of Nam. And I bless your worldly comforts too will be restored”.

Bhai Manjh was given the charge of preaching Gurmat in Doaba area of Panjab---as an acknowledgement of his religious and spiritual leadership, which he enjoyed when he was the leader of Sakhee Sarvar. The landlord in whose house his wife was serving was so impressed by her dedication and sincerity that he made her as his sister and gave her all his wealth.

The Guru thus restored the “swarth” and “parmarth”both the material and mystic aspects—of Bhai Manjh and his seva became an “inspiration” for others to emulate. Past, present and future generations of the devotees of the Perfect Masters will remain indebted to him for the divine relief of not being put through any tests.

The deeper meaning of this narration must be understood and imbibed. This historical account defines the path and life style of a disciple, which must be adhered under the guidance and grace of the Master for spiritual salvation. The path is Nam Bhakti. The prime requirement of this path is that one must get detached from the mindset of the past. As one becomes ‘mentally dis-possessed’ by material paraphernalia, the mind pursues the path of seva of the Master. The seva should be such that it is in accordance with the wishes and commands of the Master. The disciple must live on one own earnings and wages be earned by honest means. The devotee may never forget or dilute or deter from the real seva of Nam during ups and downs of life and should keep himself ‘afloat’ by having faith and trust in his Mentor. It is then the Master “pulls” the disciple from the bottomless “well” of cosmic illusion by giving “rope” of his love and grace. When the disciple climbs out of ‘worldly well’, and Master accepts his ‘seva’, he embraces him---makes the soul merge with the spiritual Master. It is in this state of oneness that the spiritual treasure is ‘restored’ to the disciple.

Beauty and Ugliness An Illusion
Khalil Gibran (1883-1931A.D.), born in Lebanon and later settled in USA was a legendary phenomenon of his time. An artist, scholar, mystical poet, philosopher, thinker, who wrote both in Arabic and English in an inimitable style, he revealed deeper truths of life in metaphorical forms. His famous writings and quotes are read all over the world. “The Wanderer”, one of his well-known works, includes a following quote-which makes a very interesting reading….

“Upon a day Beauty and Ugliness met on the shore of a sea. And they said to one another, "Let us bathe in the sea." Then they disrobed and swam in the waters. And after a while Ugliness came back to shore and garmented himself with the garments of Beauty and walked away. And Beauty too came out of the sea, and found not her raiment, and she was too shy to be naked, therefore she dressed herself with the raiment of Ugliness. And Beauty walked her way. And to this very day men and women mistake the one for the other. Yet some there are who have beheld the face of Beauty, and they know her notwithstanding her garments. And some there be who know the face of Ugliness, and the cloth conceals him not from their eyes.”--(The Wanderer By Khalil Gibran).

What prompted Gibran to write these beautiful lines is not known---but it appears to be an outcome of a mystical trance—of a wandering mind that got focussed and sought to explore the reality and purpose of life. Words are too feeble an expression of an inner experience of a noble mind and soul, and fail miserably to convey the import of that occurrence. Nevertheless this thought can stir a deep introspection into the genesis of this narrative.

Gibran may be trying to define attributes of mind that creates the opposites or Gibran’s focus may be towards inner beauty and ugliness. He could be highlighting inner goodness or wickedness that needs to be understood, rather than being reliant on outer or superficial look of any entity. He may have had an inner vision of illusion (caused by time and space) to pen these lines.

In the space of sea and waves of time, says Gibran, beauty is washed to ugliness and vice versa. A thing of beauty may wither away in time and space, while ugliness could be transformed into a captivating sight. A handsome body and face may be struck by disease or old age. An ugly person full of beautiful thoughts may be appealing to many. A mountain or a scenery may be a source of a joy and bliss from a distance, but may be repugnant from a nearby look. There are many shades of black, white, greys and other rainbow colours--- and all have relative impact on every individual. No colour is intrinsically good or bad. Any harmony or disharmony caused by a colour or combinations of colours is the prerogative of the mind of the observer. A day harbors the night and the night envelopes embryo of the day. What we call darkness (of night) signals coming of a day and a day disappears into a night. Any verdict of good or bad or relative judgement of values at any point of time cannot be absolute and final.

The opposites and contrasts are alternates arrangements of Nature that serve a definite purpose. When one thinks of beauty---or when we a say---a thing of beauty is joy for ever---we unconsciously correlate it with ugliness or negativity or contrast and that is why that idea or entity gets the benefit of being beautiful or positive. Nothing is infact, what it appears to be. All that bears contrarian characteristics is an illusion and it is our faltering judgments that give them a reality of logic and reason.

Mind, in time and space creates duality out of Oneness. God has no opposites and that is why He is neither good nor bad. He is neither above nor below duality. He is what He is. Since soul is what He is, and as this cosmos is a grand congregation of souls, all creatures, creation and He are in unison. This is what a mystic realizes in the void of his inner vision while others continue to live in a world of division.

Gibran’s focus can also be articulated in a slightly different version. All objects and movements appear to be real in a dream. They are nowhere when the dream is no more. There is neither any beauty nor any ugliness. This life too is a projection of a dream of seventy or eighty years. As this grand dream of life ends in the cosmic sea (of death), another drama of dream (of life on the sea shore) starts in a new time zone. All that is seen (in the new world---the sea shore) then is changednothing is what it was!!! Those who sense the nobility of the souls, they do recognize the souls as the essence of divine, in whatever forms or robes they may be.

==''' MEHMA SADHU SANT KI SUNN MEREY MEETA (Listen to Greatness of Grace of Satguru--My Dearest) (an ant conquers an elephant….mountain is reduced to a straw)

By Guru Arjan Dev Ji =='''********************************************************************************

The greatness of Satguru can neither be imagined nor written nor expressed. The fifth Guru has very lovingly used metaphorical symbolism signifying the profoundness of the Grace of Satguru. The objective being to state in a few words that Satguru makes the impossible possible. This “shabd” appears on page 809 of Adi Granth.The beauty of the poetic flavor of Panjabi language of this hymn can never be reflected in a translated version, but a feeble attempt is made here to depict the literal and mystical meaning of this “shabd of Gurbani”.

The soul is stuck in this bubble of cosmic phenomenon due to powerful interplay of Mind and Maya. Since the Reality is veiled, the soul remains entrapped in Karmic cycle. The vastness of the perceptible and imperceptible ocean of existence is incomprehensible. A seeker can never access or experience Divinity by his own efforts and perseverance. This “shabd” is an eloquent expression of the infinite Grace of Satguru by which He makes the mind dormant to ensure that a seeking soul comes out of the dream of delusion. Then the poverty of spirit ends, spiritual treasure is restored and the soul is emancipated.

Literally it describes that a Satguru makes a limp and crippled person traverse across mountains, a donkey (a fool) recites four Vedas, the blind beholds inner vision of three worlds and an ant defeats elephantal power of mind. He transforms a lion into a cat and a mountain is reduced to a straw. The obstruction of mind is symbolized as a mountain and an elephant. Donkey typifies stupidity and ignorance. Blindness is allegorical to unawareness of inner Reality. Straw signifies lightness of spirit, when Karmic load vanishes. Lion represents the ferocity of fear psychosis suffered in various life forms---in the cycle of births and deaths.

Mystically, it implies that a soul suffering in this creation of constant transition is empowered by the Grace of Satguru to cross the mountain of cosmic conundrum. Impermanence and transient nature of this creation is realized when inner vision opens. Ignorance and illusion vanish. The soul—which was hitherto dormant like a crushed ant---conquers the mind (elephant) and the Reality is then experienced. The massive mountain of Mind and Maya gets reduced to a straw .The fear of the lion (Kal)---birth, life and death disappears and the soul takes a flight of eternal freedom to its True Home. Those who earlier toiled hard for earning pennies of worldly wealth, which made them miserable and “poor in spirit”, are now blessed with Treasure of Divinity. The wondrous glory of greatness and goodness of Satguru is infinite---beyond the region of imagination and human understanding. The seeker can simply pray for the blessings of Nam and inner darshan of Satguru.

Panjabi version is in italics. The left side of the table below gives a    description of the literal meaning, while the next column sites the spiritual sentiments. There is some repetition in second and third verse, perhaps to emphasize the sense of fearlessness that the soul feels.

'' Pingal parbat par kare khal chatar bukita, Andhley tribhavan sujhia Gur bhed punita, Mehma Sadhu Sant ki sunn merey meeta.'' 1.A crippled person crosses the Mountains.2.A donkey recites four Vedas.3.Blinds behold a vision of Heavens.4. Listen to Greatness of Grace of Satguru---My Dearest. 1.The soul (disabled due to perversions of mind) crosses inner spiritual regions.2.Seeker becomes adept in Gyan Marg.3.Inner eye experiences the Reality.4.Listen to Greatness of Grace of Satguru---My Dearest.

''Mail khot(dirt) agh(sins) harey nirmal bhai cheeta(mind), Aasii bhagat Gobind ki keet(ant) hasti (elephant) jeeta, Jo jo kino apna tis abhai dan deeta.''

1.All dross and sins are washed away, mind becomes pure.2.With devotion, an ant conquers the elephant.3.Fear vanishes, when Satguru owns the soul of the seeker	1.Karmic load evaporates. Mind shuns illusion and seeks the Lord.2.Helpless soul, which was virtually crushed like an ant by the elephantal power of mind, goes beyond the region of mind and maya. 3.When Satguru showers his benediction; all worries vanish, as soul gets release from cycle of Birth and Death.

Singh( lion) bilahi (cat) hoey gio tiran(tinka) mer(mountain) dakheeta, Saram(effort) karte dam adh kio Gani (extra) dhaneeta (rich). Kaun vadaii keh sako beant ganita (virtues), Kar kirpa mohe Nam deh Nanak Dars(darshan) reeta(request).

1.The lion becomes a cat.2.Even mountain appears like a straw to soul.3.Those who toiled hard for pennies are now billionaires.4.Admiration of the virtues of Satguru is beyond verbal and written expression.May I seek your mercy for being blessed with NAM and DARSHAN of your eternal form	           1--Mind is reined and free from fear. 2.Soul is unburdened 3.Divine treasure is bestowed on those who suffered from poverty of “spirit”.4.Admiration of the virtues of Satguru is beyond verbal and written expression.May I seek your mercy for being blessed with  NAM and DARSHAN of your eternal form.