Dhan Dhan Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Dhan Dhan Das Patshaian and all the repected Bhagats and Baba Ji and anyone and everyone who has even remembered any of God’s Names even once in their life. I bow to them all with my forehead pressed on the holy feet.
There is a story that when Guru Gobind Singh Jee was escaping thru the forests as "Uch Da Pir" (The Muslim Saint from Uch) that some Moghul guards stopped his palaquin asking who was inside. When the Singhs (dressed as Muslims) told them it was the great saint "Uch Da Pir" the guards wanted to test the saint. They handed over a dish of halaal meat to Guru Sahib. Now Guru ji had given orders to his Khalsa not allowing Sikhs to eat the food of the enemy as it was a sign of forced conversion. So the Muslim guards knew a Sikh wouldnt eat it and they could catch the Guru out if it was him inside. So Guru Sahib did not waste any time in thoughts of “should I eat it or shouldn’t I”, he had no bharams (doubts / superstitions) . He just recited "gur prasad bharam ka naas" meaning by God’s grace ALL doubts are destroyed. Having blessed the food he ate it and the guards lets him pass. Guru Gobind Singh Ji was under orders from the 5 pooran Khalsa that he MUST survive.
The Sikhs at the present moment are caught up in many many bharams. And the more "religious" one gets, the more he just seems to be wrapped up in bharams. That is why the SatGuru’s were so important to the world. They very simply showed people what was the simple and right way to God and destroyed thousands of superstions and doubts. We want our spirit to be free ‘Mukt’ liberated, yet when we enter on the path everyone we meet gives us another bharam to weigh us down. Instead of religion freeing us, it ties us down even more. Gives us more things to feel guilty about which leads to becoming either introverted and depressed, fearing to speak out incase we get struck down by lightning. Or we get rebeliious from religion and turn our back on the whole religion.
The lists of bharams are endless. What one has to do is to look inside and think is this thing just making me feel guilty for making me do a pointless ritual ? Do I waste time thinking about this thing – time that would been better spent doing naam simran?
Examples I can think of are:
- some people come their hair and keep the hair in bags until they can burn it (hair was Sikh Warrior identity, not a religious ritual).
- wasting time reading ingredients on food to see if it has egg or animal products, and worrying about what food they get offered when they go to someones house or to a restaurant (Have they forgotten that all food is from God, and if presented to you is what God is giving you to eat?)
- getting really upset if they are given gold , or seeing other so called “Amrit-Dharees” wearing gold or makeup or jewellery. (Have they forgotten that the sixth and tenth Gurus dressed like Kings? And it doesn’t matter what you wear as long as your mind is pure).
- thinking that certain colours are not suitable for sikhs eg red and green are banned if you are initiated at certai places (Have they forgotten that all colours are from God, no one colour is better or worse than any other?)
- feeling guilty if their 5 Ks are taken off eg going on a plane, having a bath, combing your hair. (5Ks are part of the Warrior Identity and are not going with you when you die, do naam simran and never feel guilty – guilt is the filth to remove from the mind)
- getting upset with people who dont have their hair covered at the Gurdwara (Guru Nanak says in gurbani that covering head is a useless ritual)
- getting upset with kids playing in the Gurdwara ( Can’t they see that God is playing in those kids, and there test is to be patient and loving, not losing to anger?)
- getting upset if non-amritdharees sing kirtan from the stage (Have they forgotten that instead of judging others by appearances, Baba Nanak Ji says that the mouthat that sings God’s praises is beautiful?)
- getting upset if someone has their feet pointing towards SGGS (have they forgotten the story of Guru Nanak at Mecca?)
- walking barefoot when carrying SGGS from one place to another even though the pavement is covered the cigarrette butts and other rubbish that sticks to their feet (the only reason for taking shoes off inside Gurdwara is because in Indian tradtion people sat on thee floor and it was cleaner that way – nothing to do with pleasing God, just practical.)
- eating food from their own special iron utensils even in the gurdwara langar (have they forgotten that langar system was supposed to be the same for one and all?)
- after bowing to SGGS walking backwards so as not to turn their back on the Guru (but God is everywhere?)
- not allowing old and injured sit on chairs in the main hall because they think that means those people will be higher than the rest of the sangat (have they forgotten that Gurus said where the poor an needy are looked after God’s mercy rains down? We are supposed to have an attitude of equality trying to enforce that by having heads at same level is nonsense.)
- not allowing people to sit at tables and chairs in the langar due to it being un-Sikh like? (What has tables and chairs or sitting on the floor got to do with anything? It is our actions that are judged, not where we sat).
- treating SGGS like a human being. Putting extra blankets on in winter, turning on a fan in Winter. Thinking of each page as a limb (ang). Thinking they are waking the Guru in the morning ceremony (prakash) – and putting the Guru to sleep at night on a bed (sukh asan). (Gurbani teaches that the Guru is always awake, the Guru is always fully bright – pooran prakash. And that the heart within whom God has become fully manifest – pargatio jyot – is actually the living Guru.)
There are so many examples of things that people weigh their minds down with – its all nonsense, but the so called “Khalsas” of today – the very ones who were supposed to break us out of bharam have weighed themselves down with so many more.
Recently my friends spent time with Baba Ji and he freed them of years and years of bharams. Deep set bharams that were keeping them from God – while they where under the illusion they needed them to be with God. They are happy as a bee having found the flower. Free as a bird in the sky.
Free your mind – only the sangat of a true servant of God can do that.
Dust of your feet