2. Mercy

“SAT-NAAM JEE” countless prostration at feet of yours (“satnaam ji, dandauth bandhana ji”), 
Dearest lovable, kindest and always forgiving  “Dassan Dass Ji”, 
  
thank you for everything. 
  
Can you please explain what is the meaning of MERCY, (“DAYA”). 
  
What does it mean when God-guru’s eternal –divine- always truthful word-wisdom (“Gurbani”) says God is merciful. 
  
How can we bring the quality of mercifulness into our own life. 
  
Some people ask how can we kill an animal for food and call our self merciful?  I think “Kabir Ji” says a similar thing in God-guru’s divine word-wisdom (“gurbani”) too? 
  
This is the famous verse of dearst,lovable utmost caring, daring God-guru “Nanak Dev “ Master of masters (“guru nanak dev ji”) when he said we should wear the thread of mercy, instead of the ritual religious thread.  

(“salok ma 1 ||”) 

(“Da-i-aa kapaah santokh soot jat gandhee sat vat”)

Make compassion the cotton, contentment the thread, modesty the knot and truth the twist.

(“Ayhu janay-oo jee-a kaa ha-ee ta paaday ghat.”)

This is the sacred thread of the soul; if you have it, then go ahead and put it on me. 

(“Naa ayhu tutai naa mal lagai naa ayhu jalai na jaa-ay.”)

It does not break, it cannot be soiled by filth, it cannot be burnt, or lost. 

(“Dhan so maanas naankaa jo gal chalay paa-ay.”)

Blessed are those mortal beings, O Nanak, who wear such a thread around their necks. 

(“Cha-ukarh mul anaa-i-aa bahi cha-ukai paa-i-aa.”)

You buy the thread for a few shells, and seated in your enclosure, you put it on. 

(“Sikhaa kann charhaa-ee-aa gur baraahman thi-aa.”)

Whispering instructions into others’ ears, the Brahmin becomes a guru. 

(“Oh mu-aa oh jharh pa-i-aa vaytgaa ga-i-aa. ||1||”)

But he dies, and the sacred thread falls away, and the soul departs without it. ||1||  

  
http://www.sikhitothemax.com/page.asp?ShabadID=1732 
  
dust of your feet 
 

(“Harjit”)   

REPLY:  

God-Guru’s dear and always lovable holy congregation of ever ever blissful and unapproachable, unfathomable, un-dying Lover “Satnaam” (“Guru pyari sat naam sat sangat ji”) 
 

Kindly accept our countless prostration at your holy feet 
(“Kottan kot dandaut parvaan karna ji”) 
  
This is an excellent piece of divine wisdom brought up by this Lover of God (“Bhagat ji”) for understanding its real deep divine meaning: 
  
(“Da-i-aa kapaah santokh soot jat gandhee sat vat. 
Ayhu janay-oo jee-a kaa ha-ee ta paaday ghat. 
Naa ayhu tutai naa mal lagai naa ayhu jalai na jaa-ay. 
Dhan so maanas naankaa jo gal chalay paa-ay. 
Cha-ukarh mul anaa-i-aa bahi cha-ukai paa-i-aa. 
Sikhaa kann charhaa-ee-aa gur baraahman thi-aa. 
Oh mu-aa oh jharh pa-i-aa vaytgaa ga-i-aa. ||1||”)   
 

This piece of divine wisdom is from the Part of God-Guru’s word-wisdom (“bani”) called “Asa Di Vaar” and has been given to the us by great great dear and always full of love & Bliss Guru “Nanak King of kings (“Dhan Dhan Guru Nanak Patshah ji”).   

This stanza (“shalok”) is not only related to mercy but this divine wisdom is very deeply related to the  outside compliance- (“baharli rehat”)  vs. the inside compliance – (“anderlee rehat”). God-Guru “nanak” King of Kings  (“patshah ji”) is talking about ‘janeyoo’ – the sacred thread that is worn by Hindus when they get baptized. It is believed that this piece of divine wisdom came from the Guru-God of whole universal Great lover “Nanak” (“jagat guru baba nanak dev ji”) when the Priest (“pandit”) wanted to baptize him according to the traditions that were prevailing during that time, Truth-Guru King of Kings “Nanak Dev’ (“patshah ji”) did grace (“kirpa”) on him and gave him this divine piece of wisdom to make his life sublime and also to help the entire humanity to make their lives sublime.  

Great Great lover derst Truth Form of Formless Satnaam Truth-Guru king of kings “Nanak Dev” (“Dhan dhan guru patshah ji”) is telling us that instead of wearing a thread of cotton, which has no divine value, we should wear a divine thread that is full of divine qualities – a thread that comprises of the divine qualities –mercy (“daiaa”), which is kindness a infinite divine quality which we have been blessed with the capability to exercise and practice in our daily life (which is like the cotton of the thread).  

The next divine quality is (“santokh”) – contentment, no desires or a being desire less, fill your spiritual heart center (“hirda”) with contentment which is again an infinite divine quality, there being no limit to the level of contentment (which is like the thread formed from the cotton).    

The next divine quality is “jat” – means become lust free, to win over the lust, to win over the sexual lust (“kaam”) (this forms the knot to the thread before you start twisting it to make like a stronger rope shape).   

Then the next one is to become TRUTH “sat” – merge with the TRUTH “sat” and become a part of the infinite, union with god (“sat” TRUTH  is the twist to the thread which makes it a rope shape and that is worn around your body) so twisting of “sat” TRUTH  means going in to Recitation of ,remebrance of loving name TRUTh ‘SAT-NAAM’ (“sat naam simran”), collect earning of God’s Name TRUTh “SAT NAAM”   (“sat naam ki kamai”), and then  complete spiritual pilgrimage (“puran bandgi”) and merge with TRUTH (“sat”), become one with god.   

So this is the real divine thread that should be worn – means go merge and unite with the God by earning all the divine qualities and filling up your Spiritual heart centre (“hirda”) with all these divine qualities, once that happens then this sacred divine thread so formed will never disintegrate, it can’t be destroyed, it can’t be burnt, it will not be influenced by ‘maya’ or ‘maya’ will not be able to harm it and so on.   

Those people who wear this divine thread of divine qualities and become Truth ‘sat’  are Great great and always dear without fear always clear in heart & mind (“dhan dhan”). The material thread made from cotton just by reading a few instructions has no divine value. It is just a tradition, an outside tradition and nothing else.   

The real divine meaning of the divine word (“shabad”)  “baraahamin” is the one who is merged in beyound universal limits limiless ,infinite supreme Lord (“paar braham parmesar ji”), who has merged in Timeless being (“akal purakh”), and the one who has achieved this level in spirituality is the real guru – the divine guru – the TRUTH-GURU (“satguru”), and not the one who can read a few mantras and read instructions to others.   

The one who doesn’t have himself this divine status and not been blessed with this divine thread – means the one who himself has not achieved the spiritual status of becoming a Complete divine knower of God (“puran braham gyani”) – a guru – a TRUTH-GURU (“satgur”), can’t give anything to anybody else. The one without this internal divine thread (and not the external thread – ‘janeyoo’) has no value and just keeps on recycling through the cycle of death and birth again and again. So in a nutshell this piece of utmost divine wisdom is to tell us to abstain from external compliance- (“baharli rehat”) and work on getting the internal compliance – (“anderlee rehat”). 
  
 

Slave of slaves

(“Dassan Dass”)