Katha by Jasbir Singh Khalsa Ji (Khannawale)
Sadh Sangat Gur Shabad Viloway
In this verse, Bhai Gurdas ji talks about a gursikhs life, what a Gursikh believes, what a Gursikh worships, what a Gursikhs path is and what sehaj is. (Sehaj is serenity, calmness or inner-peace)
Bhai Gurdas Var 28, pauree 9:
Gurmukh sacha panth ha, sikh sehaj ghar jaa-I khlovay
The Gurmukh path is true, (whoever travels upon it, that) Sikh stands in the Sehaj Ghar.
Gurmukh sach rahraas ha, paaree paay pa khaak ju hovay
The Gurmukh conduct is true, falling at others feet, they become the dust.
Gursikhee da naavna gurmat laa, durmat maal dhovay
Bathing according to the Gurus instructions, is to take the Gurus wisdom Gurmat) and to wash away the dirt of worldy wisdom.
Gursikhee da poojna, gursikh pooj piram ras bhovay
Worship according to the gurus instructions, is that as the Gursikh worships they enjoy the essence of divine love.
Gursikhee da mananaa, gur bachanee gal har parovay
Acceptance according to the Gurus instructions is to wear the garland of the Gurus words around the neck.
Gursikhee da jeevna, jeevdi-aa mar haumai khovay
Life according to the Gurus instructions, is that while living die, by destroying ego.
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay
Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Gurus words.
Truth is not just for speaking in the Gurdwara, truth is not just for speaking in the Mandir, truth is not just for speaking with the tongue. Truth is not just for speaking to others. Truth should be in your heart, in your words and in your actions. Truth can be spoken by anyone, but when you are cut by the saw (like Bhai Mati Das) and you still speak truth then you know that you really have truth inside you.
Gurmukh sacha panth ha, sikh sehaj ghar jaa-i khlovay
The Gurmukh path is true, (whoever travels upon it, that) Sikh stands in the Sehaj Ghar.
Gurmukh is the true path, because the Gurmukhs have truth in what they speak (kahnee) and truth in their actions, in they way they live their life (rehnee).
The path of the Gurmukh is true – why? Because the Gurmukh has the Guru’s thoughts within them, not their own worldly thoughts. The one within whom the Guru’s thoughts reside does not have room for their own thoughts. The one within whom the Guru’s thought reside has a life like the Guru’s life. Their words, actions will be like the Guru’s. Before they sit, stand, eat or drink, at every moment of their life, they will think ‘are my actions and thoughts like the Guru’s?’ They lead their life like this.
A Gurmukh lives on the true path, due to living life according to the thinking of the Guru. A mother can give birth to a human but the Gurmukh is born out of the sadh sangat, or the holy congregation. A mother can give birth to a human, but this worldy person will have to go to sadh sangat to be born as Gurmukh.
What is this sadh sangat? It is the company of the Guru, the company of the Guru’s Shabad, or Word.
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay
Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Gurus words.
We go to the sadh sangat, but we don’t find sadh sangat! We have to go to the Guru’s house and find the company of the holy. If we go to the Guru’s house and ask for falsehood we won’t get Truth. If we didn’t ask for Truth we won’t get it. If we come to the sadh sangat and listen to each others conversations then we didn’t listen to the Guru’s words. If we came and looked at each other’s fashions, then we saw nothing but falsehood.
On the other hand, Bhai Gurdas ji said that if two Gurmukhs come to the sadh sangat guess what they would be talking about? Bhai Gurdas ji said that they will be saying ‘Waheguru’. They talk about nothing but Waheguru. If we come to the sangat and talk about anything but Waheguru, then we talk falsehood, falsehood filled our ears.
We ask for falsehood, we didn’t get Truth, we didn’t find the sadh sangat even by coming to the Guru’s house.
Bhai Gurdas ji tells us what the Gursikhs do. He says the path of the Guru’s Sikh is true because their Guru is true, perfect.
Poora Satguru jani-aa, Pooray poora thaat banaaiya.
-The perfect SatGuru is recognised (from this act, that ) the perfect one makes the perfect place.
Gurmukh sacha panth ha, sikh sehaj ghar jaa-i khlovay
The Gurmukh path is true, (whoever travels upon it, that) Sikh stands in the Sehaj Ghar.
The house of the unshaken soul is the house of spiritual perfection (sehaj ghar). But this sehaj is not achieved through empty rituals.
Karmee sehaj na upjay
– Sehaj is not attained merely through actions.
But without sehaj, doubts cannot be removed. While doubts remain life remains dirty, and worry exists, anxiety exists, Guru ji says
Sahsa jio maleen ha
– Due to doubts life is foul.
So how can we obtain sehaj? Satguru ji has said,
Shabaday hee sehaj oopajay
-Sehaj is obtained through the Gurus word.
Now we understand, ‘O Satguru ji your shabad can give us sehaj.’ That is why the Guru’s Sikh can go and stand anywhere and their attention, or surat, unites with the Shabad and enters the house of sehaj.
Stood in the house of the Guru’s Word, is the attention of the Gursikh. The attention of the Guru’s Sikh is focused at the Guru’s house. The Gursikh doesn’t just come to the Guru’s house, prostrate and leave. Everyone comes with their body, but beloved of the Guru, if you have brought your body to the Guru’s house, then take your attention (surat) to the house of the Guru’s word and you too will enter sehaj ghar.
Take your attention to the house of the Guru word. Guru ji says,
Shabaday hee sehaj oopajay, har vasiaa sach soi.
– Sehaj is attained through the Shabad then God resides, that one is true.
The Guru’s Sikh takes his attention to the house of the Guru’s word. When we came from home, which direction did we face? Towards the
Guru’s Court, or darbar, which way was our back? It was towards our house. When we leave our face will towards our house. This means wherever we go, our face is in that direction. When we came from Nirankar, or the Formless Lord, our face was towards the World. Now we want to go towards Nirankar so we will have to put our face towards Nirankar and our back towards the World.
Now, you ask why do we need to turn our back to the world? Why cant we talk about God, go to the Gurdwara and still face the World? No, you can never reach Nirankar like that. You will have to put your face towards Nirankar.
Which face am I talking about. A man is walking, if he refuses to bring his back foot infront of the other then he can’t walk to his destination. If we want reach Nirankar, reach sehaj ghar, then we will have to pull our attention out of worldly thoughts and into the Guru’s Shabad.
If we think we can talk about God and still desire to have people praising us then we will never move forward. The Gursikh while living in the World has taken their attention into the shabad and entered sehaj ghar. There is only one way of entering sehaj ghar, not two.
That way is to praise the one who’s house we want to enter. By praising the Supreme Being we enter his house. Guru ji says,
sift salaahan sehaj anand
-By praising, one experiences the bliss in the state of sehaj.
Sift salaahan tera hukam rajaaee.
-By praising we accept God’s will.
Now to enter someone’s house we must sing the words from that House, not false words. Sing the praises of that house, that house is full of praises. Guru ji says,
Siftee bharay tera bhandar
-Your house is full of praises.
Don’t say you want to go to Nirankar’s house then start making up your own words and singing your own verses. You wont reach. To reach the true one’s house you need the True Ones words.
Gurmukh sacha panth ha, sikh sehaj ghar jaa-i khlovay|
The Gurmukh path is true, (whoever travels upon it, that) Sikh stands in the Sehaj Ghar.
The Sikh goes and stands in the sehaj ghar. How is this obtained?
Sadh Sangat gur shabd vilovay
Enter into the company of the holy and contemplate the Gurus words.
Sing , “Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru………….”
Translated by Harjit Singh Lakhan Typing by Gurvir Singh