SatGuru Arjun Dev Ji has established in the first Astpadi (eight verse poem) of Sukhmani that Naam Simran (remembrance of God’s name – “Sat Naam”) is the highest level of service to Akal Purakh (Immortal Being). Through the divine piece of knowledge called Sukhmani, Akal Purakh has very kindly blessed us. We are told in plain and simple words that Naam Simran is the only way to:-
· achieve Eternity,
· experience the Almighty,
· come out of the cycle of life and death,
· achieve eternal silence and happiness,
· achieve salvation, and
· become a Sant Hirda (heart chakra in which God fully resides).
The purpose of this book is to reinforce the Braham Gyan (divine knowledge) that if we do Naam Simran with complete belief and commitment we will realize our spiritual dreams. Only Naam Simran brings us the highest level of spirituality. That is called Jivan Mukti (salvation whilst alive). A person who has achieved this is called a Jivan Mukt. They live in a state of complete eternal bliss – Chad Di Klaa. This is the highest level of comfort. It takes us out of the cycle of life and death which is the highest level of sorrow. “Janam maran ka bandhan” – the bondage of birth and death, is the worst sorrow.
Only Naam Simran takes us out of it and bring us up to the highest level of Param Anand (supreme divine joy) and Sat Chit Anand (bliss of being in Truth consciousness). Today we see the Sikh Sangat (congregation) all over the world engaged in various kinds of Dharam Karams (religious acts) such as:-
· reading GurBani (God-Guru’s words),
· listening to Kirtan (singing praises),
· going to the Gurdwara,
· performing pilgrimages,
· making donations to religious places,
· helping the poor and so on.
There is nothing wrong in doing these acts of a religious nature. But, only if these acts are combined with Naam Simran do the spiritual results become phenomenal because, “Prabh ka simran sabh thae oochaa.” This means that doing Naam Simran is the highest service to Akal Purakh, Paar Braham Parmeshwar (Supreme Transcendent Lord). This is written in Shri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) on page 263.
Naam Simran brings:-
· the highest level of comfort and happiness right now and for all ages to come,
· a complete peace of mind – a complete silence,
· victory over the mind forever,
· control over Trishna (desires), Asa (hopes), Mansha (wishes) and the Panj Doots which are the five thieves, namely:-
1. Krodh (anger),
2. Lobh (greed),
3. Kaam (lust),
4. Moh (attachment) and
5. Haumai/Ahankaar (ego and pride).
· enlightenment of the soul with Param Jyot (Supreme Light Of God) transforming us into a Pargateyo Jyot (fully manifested Light Of God shining bright in an enlightened soul),
· Jivan Mukti.
If you are reading Sukhmani everyday, but don’t follow it in your daily life then you will not be able to achieve your spiritual goals as fast as you could. The key is to believe in these divine words and dedicate yourself completely to do whatever is being told to you through these words. The first Astpadi of Sukhmani very clearly explains the greatness of Naam Simran. If you read and understand these divine words and bring them into your daily life you will be rendering a very high service to the Almighty.
In the following text we have tried to explain the greatness of Naam Simran as presented in the first Astpadi of Sukhmani. The explanations given go beyond the literal translation. Whatever we have learned and experienced is presented in service of the Sangat. Please accept this service.
Salok.
Ad gureae nameh.
Jugad gureae nameh.
Satgureae nameh.
Sree guradhaeveae nameh. 1.
SGGS 262
This divine opening verse is telling us how we start Naam Simran. Whenever we start Naam Simran we should first bow before Akal Purakh and greet Him with Namaskaar (pressed palms). An even more complete way is to do Dandauth Bandhna to Him. Dandauth means lying flat as a stick. Bandhna means greeting. Dandauth Bandhna literally means to lie face down with folded hands on the Charan (feet) of the Guru. SatGuru Arjun Dev Ji has written on page SGGS 820, “Prabh ji thoo maerae praan adhhaarai. Namaskaar dandauth bandhna anik baar jaao baarai.” Dandauth Bandhna has been recognized as an act of great goodness for us, “Kar dandauth punn wadda hai.”
In the deepest sense, Dandauth Bandhna means to surrender our self completely at the feet of the Guru. By doing so we move forward spiritually. By offering everything we have to the Guru we start to kill our Haumai. This is our worst enemy and by doing Dandauth Bandhna in full Sangat at the Gurdwara we win over Haumai. Do it time and again in front of the Guru and in front of the Sangat. The more we do it the more we are cleaned from inside. We become more humble every time we do it.
He is the One who is the complete Truth, everything else is perishable. Whatever we see is perishable. Only Akal Purakh is the Truth that lives forever. He is never born and He never dies. He is the Truth from the beginning, has remained Truth throughout the Ages and remains the Truth for all Ages to come. So the first Namaskaar and Dandauth Bandhna should go to Akal Purakh. The next Namaskaar and Dandauth Bandhna should be performed to the SatGuru.
We also request the Sangat to Namaskaar and do Dandauth Bandhna to Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (divine Guru scriptures), to the ten Gurus, to all Sants (divine souls) and Bhagats (lovers of God) and to all of the Braham Gyanis (knowers of God) and Maha Purakhs (great beings) of the past and present. The best thing to do is to bow before everybody who is connected with Naam. This brings humbleness to this soul of ours and extreme humbleness is the key to the Dargah (divine court) of Akal Purakh. So, before we start Naam Simran it is of paramount importance that we perform our Namaskaar as described above.
Astpadi.
Simrau simar simar sukh paawau.
Kal kalesh tunn mahi metaawau.
Simrau jaas bisambhar ekey.
Naam jappat agnat anekey.
Bed puraan simrat sudhakhur.
Kiney raam naam ek aakhar.
Kinkaa ek jis jee basaawey.
Taa kee mahimaa gani naa aawey.
Kaankhee ekay daras tuharo.
Nanak un sang mohe udhaaro. 1.
Naam Simran brings us the highest level of happiness. All of our sorrows disappear and we are forever filled with complete joy and happiness. The Hindu religious books – Ved, Puraan and Simritees also tell us that Akal Purakh’s Naam is the most pious and pure. That it is the only Truth that prevails.
However, the GurParsaad (eternal blessings) cannot be achieved just by reading these religious books or even just by reading GurBani. By following the Vedas in the past or Gurbani now we keep moving towards the GurParsaad by accummulation of Sat Karams (true deeds) which then leads to receiving the GurParsaad. With the GurParsaad we are able to win over Maya. Reading and following the Vedas in this day and age is a very difficult task to perform for an ordinary person. That is why later on the Gita and GurBani came into existence. Following them is a much easier task as compared to following the Vedas and other old Granths (scriptures) and books.
Actually, Gurbani has made it easiest of all in Kal Yug (the Dark Age) because it teaches us that just by doing Naam we can achieve Jivan Mukti. It is obvious that reading and following any religious books will help a person to become better and purer as they guide the reader to accummulate Sat Karams, which is the key to receiving the GurParsaad from a Sant. And it is the GurParsaad that paves our way to the Dargah (God’s court).
The real divine secrets of the Infinite Divine Power are felt and experienced only by a Puran Sant. The Vedas were written by Brahma, but whether Brahma had the Puran Braham Gyan (perfect divine knowledge) is questionable. If Brahma was a Puran Braham Gyani then He would have written something like Gurbani or Gita and would have made it simpler. According to GurBani, Brahma was not a Puran Braham Gyani. Brahma is one of God’s three powers – that is the power of Creation, the other two powers being held by Vishnu – Palan Hara (sustainer) and Shiva Shankar (destroyer). But a Puran Braham Gyani is considered above these individuals according to Gurbani, because there is no difference between a Puran Brahm Gyani and God.
The olden day sages followed the Vedas by doing what they said. By doing so they become known as Rishis and Munis and achieved a lot of supernatural powers, but did they achieve Jivan Mukti? Probably not. That is why Guru Nanak Patshah Ji had to go to Sumer Parbat (the Sumer Mountain) to bring the Sidhas (sages) on to the right path. There is a famous story of Muni Sukhdev, who even being the son of Rishi had to go to King Janak for getting the GurParsaad because King Janak was a Puran Braham Gyani.
The Vedas are all written in Sanskrit, therefore, reading them is a very difficult task nowadays and why bother when Bandgi has been made so simple in GurBani? The Vedas way of life was very common in Sat Yug but has diminished with time through Treta and Dwaper Yugs and is practically non-existent now in Kal Yug. That is why Guru Nanak has blessed the creation with Naam in Kal Yug.
There are countless creatures which do Naam Simran because they have learned the benefits of Naam Simran. Therefore, we should also do Naam Simran and receive the fruits of this highest level of service to the Almighty.
Naam is unlimited – it is Agam (Unreachable), Apaar (Immeasurable), Anant (Unending) and Beant (Infinite) just like Akal Purakh Himself. It is the origin of the universe. It is Akal Purakh’s Aad-Jugaadi (Primal) Naam created by Himself. If a person is able to plant even a little bit of Naam in the Hirda (heart chakra), then it become impossible to explain the Mahima (divine quality) of such a soul. This is because such a soul has become a Sant Hirda and has become unlimited like the Almighty Himself. Such a soul will become a Pargateyo Jyot Braham Gyani and a Puran Sant (perfect divine soul), a Puran Khalsa (perfect pure being).
The Sangat of such a soul is the greatest boon to the ones who become a part of it. This is because such a soul is always absorbed in Akal Purakh; resides in Sach Khand (Realm of Truth); has discovered the complete Truth; has become completely truthful and serves the Truth and nothing else. If we are lucky and have “Purbley janma kay sanjog” (preordained destiny to meet the Sant), then we will be blessed with such a Sangat enablling us to achieve salvation – Jivan Mukti. So pray for becoming a part of such a GurParsaadi (God-Guru’s graced) Sangat, where you can achieve your spiritual goals and get released from the cycle of death and birth.
Sukhmani sukh amrit prabh naam.
Bhagat junnaa kay munn bisraam. Rahau.
The real happiness and enjoyment is in the Naam of Akal Purakh which is “Sat Naam.” The highest level of happiness is complete silence, “Param Jyot Puran Parkash” and is achieved through Naam Simran. Naam first goes into the Chit (mind), then into our Hirda (spiritual heart chakra, not biological heart) and then into every bit of our body (Rom Rom), “Gurmukh rom rom har dhiayaa.”
This is the state which brings in us this highest level of happiness. Then Naam remains forever in the Hirda of His Bhagat. This is the reason why Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is full of praise for the souls who have become His Bhagats, Puran Sants, Pargateyo Jyot Braham Gyanis and SatGurus (Guru of Truth). Such souls are the custodians of Naam Amrit (divine energy) and are blessed with the powers to give Naam and salvation to their Sangat.
Prabh kay simran garabh naa bassey.
Prabh kay simran dookh jam nassey.
Prabh kay simran kaal par harey.
Prabh kay simran dusman tarrey.
Prabh simran kichu bighan naa laagey.
Prabh kay simran andin jaagey.
Prabh kay simran bhau naa beaapey.
Prabh kay simran dukh naa santaapey.
Prabh ka simran sadh kay sang.
Sarabh nidhaan nanak har rang. 2.
This verse and the following ones are telling us in very simple language what the fruits of Naam Simran are. The highest level of sorrow is the involvement in the cycle of birth and death. We have all been involved in this cycle for an unknown amount of time. We do not know how many times we have been through birth and death. Nor do we know how many times we have been reincarnated through the Lakh Charasee Junee (8.4 million life-forms).
Naam Simran is the only power which can take us out of the cycle of life and death. We can get ourselves out of the fear of death only by doing Naam Simran. This means that we achieve Jivan Mukti only through Naam Simran. The biggest fear is the fear of death. This is a universal truth which no one can deny. The fear of death only vanishes with Naam Simran. Naam Simran is so powerful that it saves us from all of our enemies. What are these enemies? These are the Panj Doots – Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh and Ahankaar. They are the deepest mental sicknesses. Along with them we have Asa, Trishna and Mansha, Nindya (slander), Chugli (gossip) and Bakhili (back-biting). Naam is the prescription to cure our heart from these deep mental sicknesses.
All of these enemies of our soul form a barrier between us and the Almighty. Naam Simran is the most powerful weapon to kill all of these enemies. These enemies are road blocks on the path to Sach Khand. Naam Simran removes these road blocks. Naam Simran keeps our mind alert and restrains us from doing bad deeds under the influence of these enemies. In this way our mind remains awake all of the time. We are then able to deal with these enemies in our daily life. We can then defeat them every time they try to cheat us and rob us of the Amrit (our inner life force, God’s energy within us).
Naam Simran makes us fearless in our day to day activities. With Naam Simran we keep on becoming more and more truthful to ourselves, to others and to the Almighty. We are given the strength to speak the Truth, to see the Truth and to serve the Truth. We are not afraid of speaking and serving the Truth. We start to see the difference between Truth and non-Truth. We are able to save ourselves from non-truthful deeds.
Naam Simran eliminates all of the sorrows in our life. We become so strong mentally that we are able to tolerate all kinds of sorrows. There remains no difference between sorrow and happiness. We see everything with Ik Drisht (equal vision). We enjoy the complete, pure and pious happiness called Sat Chit Anand. This is the enjoyment of merging with the Param Jyot Puran Parkash, Akal Purakhs’s Nirgun Saroop (the Infinite Divine Power that is beyond three attributes of Maya). Such enjoyment of Naam Simran is attained by the blessings received in the Sangat of a Puran Sant Puran Braham Gyani. Naam can only be given by the souls who are involved in GurParsaadi Game. These Sant souls are engaged only in Naam Simran. This is the highest service to the Almighty. They and their Sangat who do Naam Simran are blessed by Akal Purakh with all of the treasures of eternal happiness, silence of mind and unlimited spiritual powers.
Prabh kay simran ridh sidh nao nidh.
Prabh kay simran gyan dhyaan tat budh.
Prabh kay simran jap tap poojaa.
Prabh kay simran binsey doojaa.
Prabh kay simran teerath isnaanee.
Prabh kay simran dargeh maanee.
Prabh kay simran hoye su bhalaa.
Prabh kay simran sufal flaa.
Sey simrehy jin aap simraye.
Nanak taakey lago paaye. 3.
Naam Simran brings all of the treasures comprising of Ridhis and Sidhis (supernatural powers). Please keep in mind that these treasures give us all kinds of powers to create Karamaats – surprising acts. These Karamaats can unfortunately attract a large number of people towards us. By using these powers we can fulfil the worldly desires of people and become famous. We can make a lot of money and have all kinds of worldly comforts. But, keep in mind that if we use these powers even once, our spiritual progress will stop right there and then and we will never be able to achieve salvation.
Naam Simran brings us Braham Gyan and Tat Gyan (highest level of Braham Gyan). We start to listen to GurBani and start to understand it from within. This motivates us to further adopt GurBani in our daily life. Our commitment and belief in the Guru, GurBani and Akal Purakh just keeps on enhancing.
All kinds and means of worshipping the Almighty are contained within Naam Simran. This means that Naam Simran is the highest level of service of the Almighty. Serving like this we realize and establish inside our Hirda the fact that there is no one like the Almighty. That He is the Supreme Creator of the entire universe. We develop a total belief and commitment to the Almighty.
The real pilgrimage is in doing Naam Simran. This pilgrimage takes place inside us as we go through different spiritual stages. When we do Naam Simran in Samadhi we go through different stages of spirituality as described in Jap Ji, they are:- Dharam Khand, Gyan Khand, Saram Khand, Karam Khand and Sach Khand. When we do Naam Simran in Samadhi we actually see and experience Divinity through Puran Parkash, Guru Darshan, Sach Khand Darshan and so on. This is the real inner pilgrimage.
When we pass through such stages of spirituality and go into Samadhi and Sunn Samadhi then we are recognized by the Dargah for this highest level of service to Akal Purakh. We remain satisfied and contented in all circumstances and everything that happens around us appears to be due to the will of God – the Hukam. This means that we are able to recognize the Hukam of Akal Purakh. We don’t complain for any reason and thus remain silent and peaceful under all circumstances. By doing so we are able to achieve our spiritual objectives – “Hukam Bhooj Param Pad Payee.”
Naam Simran is a priceless gift which is given to us only with the blessings of Akal Purakh – that is what GurParsaadi means. There is nothing more precious than Naam Simran. We should all bow to such souls who have been blessed with Naam Simran.
Prabh ka simran sabh tey uncha.
Prabh kay simran udhrey moochaa.
Prabh kay simran trishnaa boojhey.
Prabh kay simran sabh kichu sujhey.
Prabh kay simran naahi jam traasaa.
Prabh kay simran puran aasaa.
Prabh kay simran munn kee mul jaye.
Amrit naam ridh mahin samaye.
Prabh jee bassey sadh ki rasnaa.
Nanak junn ka dassan das naa. 4.
Here, the Almighty has made it absolutely clear so there should remains no doubt in anybody’s mind whatsoever, that Naam Simran is the highest service of Akal Purakh. This means that all of the other Dharam Karams are of a lower value than Naam Simran. So why don’t you devote your time to Naam Simran? When Naam Simran is going to bring you the highest and the sweetest fruits, highest level of happiness, complete silence, Param Jyot and Puran Parkash Darshan, then why don’t you concentrate on Naam Simran? We have learned this fact from Sukhmani that just reading Sukhmani is not the highest level of the service of Akal Purakh, but Naam Simran is the highest service of Almighty. This is a part of Puran Tat Gyan and is mandatory for Puran Bhagti (devotional worship). People who don’t practise this Gyan never move up from Dharam Khand.
Naam Simran is the only weapon which can kill all of the enemies of our soul. These enemies stand between us and Akal Purakh. These enemies are the serious mental sicknesses and have already been defined earlier on. But, we will name them again, they are the Panj Doot, Nindya, Chugli, Bakhili, Asa, Trishna and Mansha.
Trishna means desire – mainly the desire to amass wealth and worldly comforts and material goods. It can only be overcome by Naam Simran. Desire is seen as the highest level of mental sickness. Desire gives birth to all kinds of Asat Karams (untruthful deeds). Desire causes us to perform actions that lead us into Maya. Desire is the hardest enemy of ours to kill. Only Naam Simran can kill it, because only Naam Simran can bring us enlightenment and Braham Gyan. When we are constantly on the alert for these deep mental sicknesses we do not perform any Asat Karams in our daily life under their influence.
This powerful divine weapon of Naam Simran fulfils all of our desires. This means that we are relieved of all of the desires with Naam Simran as well as the fear of death. Naam Simran is the only weapon with which we can conquer death. This means we get released from the cycle of birth and death.
Only Naam Simran can clean our inside which has been superimposed with the Karmic dirt of all of our Asat Karams from all of our previous lives. The mind is full of dirt from previous lives. That is why it is unable to concentrate on Naam Simran. However, by being consistent and persistant, Naam Simran eventually cleans all of the dirt from the mind and within. The mind becomes stable and gets absorbed in Naam Amrit forever.
Naam eventually goes into the Hirda and resides there forever. Such souls become a Sant Hirda and the Almighty always lives in them. We should all bow before the souls who have become stable in their mind, who have won over their mind and who have absorbed themselves into the Almighty. Such souls are full of humbleness. Their extreme humbleness takes them to the height of spirituality. They become the dust of the feet of Kot Brahmand (the entire universe) and we should all bow at their feet. Such humbleness comes only with Naam Simran. Humbleness is the key to the Dargah of Akal Purakh.
Prabh ko simrehy se dhan wantey.
Prabh ko simrehy sey patwantey.
Prabh ko simrehy sey junn parwaan.
Prabh ko simrehy sey purakh pardhaan.
Prabh ko simrehy sey bemuhtaajey.
Prabh ko simrehy sey sarabh key raajey.
Prabh ko simrehy sey sukhwaasee.
Prabh ko simrehy sada abinaasee.
Simran tey laagey jin aap deyaalaa.
Nanak junn ki mangey rwaalaa. 5.
The biggest treasure is Akal Purakh’s Naam – Sat Naam. Through Naam Simran we eventually become the owner of this priceless treasure of Akal Purakh. We own this priceless jewel when it goes into our mind and Hirda, then we become honorable in the Dargah of Akal Purakh.
The one who owns this priceless jewel of Naam is the richest soul in the whole universe. There is nothing above this treasure. That soul is known as a Sant SatGuru Puran Braham Gyani. Such a soul becomes honorable and is respected everywhere in the universe. Such a soul has completed their pilgrimage and is accepted as successful in Dargah. Such a soul is always in a very high spiritual state and doesn’t search for anything more. He has obtained everything. He has achieved Eternity and become the king of the entire universe – king of Chaudha Lok Parlok.
Whatever such a soul says will happen, does happen. Their words are honored by the Almighty. Such a soul never dies. He has achieved eternal happiness and eternal silence. He has won over everything. He is always absorbed in the Almighty. Such a soul is blessed by Akal Purakh and He brings them in for achieving the highest levels of spirituality. That is why this is known as a GurParsaadi Game. We should all pray for the dust of the feet of such a soul. By doing so Akal Purakh blesses us and get us involved in this GurParsaadi Game. None of this can happen without the GurKirpa (God-Guru’s grace). We should all pray for GurKirpa and ask for the eternal treasure of Naam Simran.
Prabh ko simrehy se parupkaari.
Prabh ko simrehy tin sad balihaaree.
Prabh ko simrehy sey mukh suhawey.
Prabh ko simrehy tin sukh behaawey.
Prabh ko simrehy tin atam jeeta.
Prabh ko simrehy tin nirmal reetaa.
Prabh ko simrehy tin anand ghanerey.
Prabh ko simrehy bassehy hari nere.
Sant kirpa the andin jaag.
Nanak simran purey bhaag. 6.
With this eternal treasure of Naam Simran our Hirda becomes very powerful and very vast. It develops in us the highest qualities of head and heart: selflessness; sacrifice for others; helping the poor and needy; doing good to others; thinking about the well being of others and no longer living for our self, but now living for the upliftment of others. Such qualities make our life more and more meaningful within society.
Just imagine if everyone becames like this. Would it not be an Age of Truth – Sat Yug? These are the vital signs of a Sant Hirda and such souls are highly regarded in the Dargah and in the universe. Such souls always have bright and shining faces in society and in Dargah. They always enjoy the highest level of eternal comforts and happiness inside. Such souls win over their minds and their life becomes very pure and pious, truthful and dignified. Such souls are constantly engaged in Naam Simran and always stay very close to the Almighty. They stay in eternal happiness, everlasting happiness – Sat Chit Anand. Such souls live with the Almighty. Every moment they remain in awareness of the things happening around them. For that matter, they remain aware of things happening in the entire universe.
How can we become like a soul that has been described above? We can only do so with the blessings of a Sant. It means that such a high spiritual treasure can only be obtained from a Puran Sant SatGuru Puran Braham Gyani, a Pargateyo Jyot, who has absorbed Himself in the Almighty and become one with Him. This is the reason why we have been calling this Eternal Game a GurParsaadi Game. We can only play this GurParsaadi Game if we are very fortunate and come across such a soul who is a Puran Sant and get His GurParsaadi blessings. Only a Puran Sant can give the eternal treasure of Naam to us and put us on this path to Eternity and salvation, to Sach Khand and closer to the Almighty and eventually make us a Sant Hirda.
Prabh keay simran karaj poorey.
Prabh kay simran kabhoon naa jhoorey.
Prabh kay simran hari gun baanee.
Prabh kay simran sehaj samanee.
Prabh kay simran nehchal aasaan.
Prabh kay simran kamal bigaassan.
Prabh kay simran anhad zhunkaar.
Sukh prabh simran ka ant naa paar.
Simrehy sey junn jin ko prabh mayeaa.
Nanak tin junn sarnee payaa. 7.
The soul and mind which absorbs itself in Naam Simran no longer remains under the need of worldly desires. He will always be in a state of complete satisfaction. He will never feel deficient of anything. No worldly comforts can distract him. All of His worries disappear. This happens to Him because all of His actions are under the Hukam of Akal Purakh. Basically, His mind and soul become totally stable. This is a very high spiritual condition the soul remains in. Such a condition comes only in Sach Khand. This is when a person becomes completely truthful, speaks the Truth, listens to the Truth and only serves the Truth.
Such a soul is always engaged in the praise of Akal Purakh and in the service of the Guru and Sangat. Such a soul will always remain stable and absorbed in the Almighty. Nothing can distract such a soul as He always stays in the state of complete eternal peace and happiness. His heart is always blossoming like a lotus flower.
Such souls continuously enjoy the eternal music vibrations in their body. They remain in an unending eternal happiness. Only such people who are blessed by Akal Purakh Himself can get this eternal treasure of Naam Simran. Again this means it is a GurParsaadi Game.
We are very fortunate if we get the Sangat of such souls who have been blessed with GurParsaadi Naam Simran (remembrance of the eternally blessed name – “Sat Naam”) and we should all bow before such souls. Here again humbleness is the key to success.
Hari simran kar bhagat pargataye.
Hari simran lag baid upaye.
Har simran bhaye sidh jatee daatey.
Harsimran neech chahoon kunt jaatey.
Hari simran dhaari sabh dharnaa.
Simar simar har kaaran karnaa.
Hari simran keeoo sagal akaaraa.
Hari simran meh aap nirankaaraa.
Kar kirpa jis aap bujhayea.
Nanak gurmukh hari simran tin payeaa. 8.1.
All of the Sants and Bhagats have become existent only through Naam Simran. Such souls could reach these highest levels of spirituality only because of the eternal treasure of Naam Simran they obtained and performed on a regular basis in their lives. This is how these souls became so powerful spiritually and became one on one with Almighty.
There are a number of such souls whose Bani (divine word) is included in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, including our great ten Gurus. Some of them are Sant Kabir Ji, Bhagat Ravi Dass Ji, Bhagat Nam Dev Ji, Bhagat Baba Farid Ji, Bhagat Peepa Ji, Bhagat Sain Naai Ji, Bhagat Benney Ji and many others.
All of these souls reached the highest levels in spirituality, became absorbed in Akal Purakh and obtained Param Padvi and became Puran Braham Gyanis. Such souls are also known as Pargateyo Jyot Puran Braham Gyanis. Such souls have continued to come to this world after Dassam Patshah Ji (Guru Gobind Singh Ji), some of them are Sant Baba Nand Singh Ji, Sant Baba Ishar Singh Ji and Sant Baba Attar Singh Ji. There are such souls who are living in the world now and engaged in this highest level of service to the Almighty. They are serving the Sangat and such souls will continue to come to this world in all ages to come – “Har Yug Yug Bhagat Upayea.”
It was due to the power of the eternal treasure of Naam Simran that various Rishis (Hindu Sages) and Munnis (Silent Saints) attained the Braham Gyan and wrote all of the religious books – Ved and Puraans and other Dharam Granths (religious books) as well. Only Naam Simran could produce such souls who became Sidh – the souls that live at very high levels of spirituality. Only Naam Simran could produce such souls who became Jati – the ones who controlled the Panj Doots. Only Naam Simran could produce such souls who became Daatey (givers).
This Earth and the life on it is supported and run by such souls only who reach such high levels of spirituality and become Puran Sant Puran Braham Gyani. God has created this world for us as human beings to be involved in this eternal game and make our lives sublime by achieving salvation. This is the highest eternal objective of this precious life as a human being given to us by the Almighty. Akal Purakh is present and reveals His presence wherever there is Naam Simran and in whoever is engaged in this eternal treasure of Naam Simran.
Here it has been made absolutely crystal clear that if we do Naam Simran with complete and full belief and commitment, then God will reveal His presence in us and believe us we do experience this every moment continuously. This is an Eternal Truth. But, here again it is mentioned in very clear words that only a Gurmukh, the Puran Sant, can help us and put us on this path of Naam Simran. Remember that only happens with the blessings of Akal Purakh Paar Braham Parmeshwar. This means again that it is a GurParsaadi Game.
In the end we very humbly request the Sangat to seriously look into their daily life and make a fair judgement as to whether any efforts are being made by us on this path to Eternity. Naam Simran is the highest service of the Almighty and is mandatory for us to follow to meet our spiritual objectives and goals. If you find that you are not devoting any time to Naam Simran then start doing so right away. If you are putting in some time then increase your efforts and time. Try to do at least two and half hours of Naam Simran every morning. If you are not doing so, then pray to reach that level. If you have already reached that level then try to go beyond that and go on for longer hours. If you have obtained the GurParsaadi Naam (“Sat Naam” given to us under the blessing of God-Guru) then you are already very fortunate to be involved in the GurParsaadi game. If you are not yet blessed with the GurParsaadi Naam then pray for that.
Only the GurParsaadi Naam can take us to these high levels of eternal peace and happiness. Only the GurParsaadi Naam can take us closer to the Almighty. Only the GurParsaadi Naam can help us in achieving our spiritual goals in a much shorter period of time. Then we can make our life sublime.
The divine knowledge discussed above is a tremendous source of motivation for all of us. We should be able to develop the kind of belief and commitment we need to move on this path to Eternity. Naam Simran is the only eternal treasure which can transform us into a Puran Khalsa – “Puran jyot jage ghat meh tab khalas, tahi nakhalas janey.”
The Puran Jyot can be ignited inside us only through the GurParsaadi Naam and then through the practice of Naam Simran. Naam Amrit is the highest Amrit and only the GurParsaadi Naam leads us into Sach Khand.