The Shift towards being Jyote Swarope

The Shift away from Body Focus 
(The Shift towards being Jyote Swarope )

The Simran which Sree Guru Granth Sahibji teaches has an important aspect which is Gurbani Vichar (contemplation) . Gurbani contemplation gives on knowledge and direction. The gurbani contemplation keeps our mind focus on the Creator and HIS presence . The contemplation lets Gurbani Shabad speak within us. The Gurbani words become live and guide. The love of GOD swells within.

During contemplation of the Gurbani one has to be careful about the translation which may sidetrack. Although these translations are a work of great effort but these should be taken as stepping stone towards connecting with true meaning . This comes from within and Gurbani words explain themselves. The Gurbani having been written in a style suitable for kirtan singing and Jap (recitation again and again). Most often the spacing of words clears the meaning.

let us look at the following lines from  Sree Guru Granth Sahibji page 34 :


   ਸਚੈ ਸਬਦਿ ਸਦਾ ਮਨੁ ਰਾਤਾ  ਗਇਆ ਸਰੀਰਹੁ ਦੂਰਿ ॥  - sggs 34
  Doubt runs far away from the bodies of those, 

  whose minds remain forever attuned to the True Word of the Shabad.

It is difficult to see how "doubt runs from the body " as translated when the word  ਭ੍ਰਮੁ  means illusion .  As a straight translation it is ok but strays when doing contemplation. Let us look at the line and spacing the words.

  ਸਚੈ ਸਬਦਿ      ਸਦਾ ਮਨੁ ਰਾਤਾ       ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਗਇਆ           ਸਰੀਰਹੁ ਦੂਰਿ ॥  - sggs 34

ਸਚੈ ਸਬਦਿ - The true ones Shabad ( which connects with the true One)

ਸਦਾ ਮਨੁ ਰਾਤਾ - The mind ever remains attuned .

 ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਗਇਆ  - the illusion departs

ਸਰੀਰਹੁ ਦੂਰਿ - away from the body.

The translation would be like this :

The true shabad towards which the mind ever remains attuned makes the illusion of being a body go .

We while living ever identify with our body and the material world. The focus is outward towards the material world. We are aware of a soul within but in real life are seeing  the body's workings. The body walks , the hands work , the brain processes the the thoughts . The body has dominant position. So we are a body with mind that thinks and a soul within giving life. 

We have a self identity and think of creator as one who has created us and given us life force. We do acknowledge the power of GOD but looking at daily life our self identity remains forceful .

We are BODY - MIND - SOUL with a self identity named as Haume in Gurbani.

The Gurbani however reverses the position.

We are SOUL - MIND- BODY. The soul is jyote saroope ( being HIS light). The Soul is a spark which having originated from creator is a part of creator - always connected. HE is the only ONE and is in the creation . The creation is real but not permanent. There is ever change in creation. The biggest illusion is separateness. The maya (illusion) is a veil. 

The gurbani shifts our thought. We move away from being body identified person towards a living body being run by a soul. The body is within the soul. He being ever presence in the creation .  Creation and the creator are not separate.

Let us look at the full Shabad from which this line has been picked.

***

ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੩ ॥

Siree Raag, Third Mehl:

ਕਿਸੁ ਹਉ ਸੇਵੀ   ਕਿਆ ਜਪੁ ਕਰੀ   ਸਤਗੁਰ ਪੂਛਉ ਜਾਇ ॥

Whom shall I serve? What shall I chant? I will go and ask the Guru.

ਸਤਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਭਾਣਾ   ਮੰਨਿ ਲਈ    ਵਿਚਹੁ ਆਪੁ ਗਵਾਇ ॥

I will accept the Will of the True Guru, and eradicate separate self-identity from within.

ਏਹਾ ਸੇਵਾ     ਚਾਕਰੀ     ਨਾਮੁ ਵਸੈ       ਮਨਿ ਆਇ ॥

By this work and service, the Naam shall come to dwell within the mind.

ਨਾਮੈ ਹੀ ਤੇ     ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਈਐ      ਸਚੈ ਸਬਦਿ      ਸੁਹਾਇ ॥੧॥

Through the Naam, peace is obtained; the true one’s Shabad embellishes||1||

Comments: In Gurbani Satgur (True Guru) is Creator God HIMSELF. The Gurbani having emanated from Shabad (HIS creative force ever present in creation) is equated with the Creator GOD referred as Sach (Truth). The Sach – Truth in turn is said so as its opposite is untruth or false. In essence the reference is towards hidden creative part of creation that is   permanence and unchanging as compared to the impermanence of material part of creation.  

The matter is under effect of change. Everything in the world of matter ever changes in form, structure, appearance, character, circumstances, degeneration, etc. There is no permanence. Gurbani points towards perceiving the play of Hukam (HIS force that keeps the creation perfectly moving and in existence). When “how things work and happen “is looked closely there comes perception of an underlying universal intelligence that lets the creation exist and function with precise perfection. Looking at creation this way is a simran that enhances awareness of the creator in creation. Guruji has beautifully explained the presence in creation of Hukam in japji sahib pauri.

Another word in this Shabad is ਭਾਣਾ pronounced Bhānā and referred to as ‘the Will of GOD’. Often   when things go bad or a natural calamity then it is said to be an Act of God.  As per gurbani there is a system in the creation. Everything perfectly runs as per system whether appears good or bad to us. As per gurbani all happenings are good. There is a good teaching or experience aspect to even a bad considered happening.

The gurbani also clearly states that “as we sow so we reap”. The karma is not a punishment, rather cause and effect – a process that leads towards understanding ang growth. There is personal karma , community karma and even country karma.

The   Bhānā is to acknowledge the play of HUKAM in all happenings in both happy and sad events. HIS loving presence be acknowledged and the underlying Hukam as part of system. When this is done as simran then one’s self identity is seen to be an illusion. There comes then soul identification as jyote swarope (being HIS light).

ਮਨ ਮੇਰੇ     ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਜਾਗੁ      ਹਰਿ ਚੇਤਿ ॥

O my mind, remain awake and aware night and day, and remember the Lord.

ਆਪਣੀ ਖੇਤੀ ਰਖਿ ਲੈ     ਕੂੰਜ ਪੜੈਗੀ ਖੇਤਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Protect your crops, or else the birds shall descend on your farm. ||1||Pause||

Comment:  There is a theme in subparts of the Shabad. This is a Rahao (pause) line. First comes the process to keep the mind awake in remembering God day and night. Next an important advice to be careful so as not to slip back towards worldly enticements and the gains of the simran are lost.

It is important to know how this slip happens and is overcome.

The soul enters the body and learns to function it. When the soul is in the body, the rules change .It has to function with the conscious mind which does not know its previous lives and the origin. Living in the physical body brings forth the worldly afflictions, the five thieves as gurbani states them to be. These five are: Kama (lust), krodh (anger), lobh (greed), Moh (attachment), ahankar (ego).

The gurbani cautions about the slip when on spiritual growth path. The answer is Naam connection. There is reversal. The body mind soul has haume (self –identity) connection, whereas Soul-mind-body has Naam connection.

ਮਨ ਕੀਆ ਇਛਾ ਪੂਰੀਆ     ਸਬਦਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਭਰਪੂਰਿ ॥

The desires of the mind get satisfied with the Shabad there is HIS fulfilling ever presence.      

ਭੈ     ਭਾਇ      ਭਗਤਿ ਕਰਹਿ ਦਿਨੁ ਰਾਤੀ       ਹਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਵੇਖੈ ਸਦਾ ਹਦੂਰਿ ॥

 The devotee does worship in both  reverence and love day and night, sees HIM always close at hand.

(This is faith. Even when HIS presence is not being felt in the beginning the faithful follows Guru’s word behaves as if there is HIS presence which then actually is felt. The word ਭੈ which commonly stated to mean “fear of God “but to a devout it is not being afraid but an awareness of a strong all powerful creator. In the beginning it is an aid towards stopping slippage. However in gurbani it is even more than that with whole creation coming in its gambit. This in fact is a separate topic in itself)

 ਸਚੈ ਸਬਦਿ      ਸਦਾ ਮਨੁ ਰਾਤਾ       ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਗਇਆ       ਸਰੀਰਹੁ ਦੂਰਿ ॥

The true shabad towards which the mind ever remains attuned makes the illusion of being a body go .

ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ     ਪਾਇਆ     ਸਾਚਾ ਗੁਣੀ ਗਹੀਰੁ ॥੨॥

The Immaculate Lord and Master is found. HE is True; an unfathomable Excellence. ||2||

ਜੋ ਜਾਗੇ    ਸੇ ਉਬਰੇ     ਸੂਤੇ ਗਏ ਮੁਹਾਇ ॥

Those who remain awake and aware evolve, while those who sleep are plundered.

ਸਚਾ ਸਬਦੁ ਨ ਪਛਾਣਿਓ    ਸੁਪਨਾ ਗਇਆ ਵਿਹਾਇ ॥

They do not recognize the True one through the Shabad, and like a dream, their lives fade away.

ਸੁੰਞੇ ਘਰ ਕਾ ਪਾਹੁਣਾ        ਜਿਉ ਆਇਆ ਤਿਉ ਜਾਇ ॥

Like guests in a deserted house, they leave just exactly as they have come.

ਮਨਮੁਖ    ਜਨਮੁ ਬਿਰਥਾ ਗਇਆ    ਕਿਆ ਮੁਹੁ ਦੇਸੀ ਜਾਇ ॥੩॥

The life of the self-willed manmukh passes uselessly. What face will he show when he passes beyond? ||3||

(In this line there  is also an indirect hint towards a prior birth decided purpose in life )

ਸਭ ਕਿਛੁ ਆਪੇ ਆਪਿ ਹੈ       ਹਉਮੈ ਵਿਚਿ        ਕਹਨੁ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥

God Himself is everything; this when being in haume (separate self-identification) cannot be spoken about.

(Awareness of HE being everything comes only with a shift away from haume towards soul identification.)

ਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਸਬਦਿ            ਪਛਾਣੀਐ          ਦੁਖੁ ਹਉਮੈ        ਵਿਚਹੁ ਗਵਾਇ ॥

Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, HE is recognized, and the pain that emanates because of haume is eradicated from within.

ਸਤਗੁਰੁ         ਸੇਵਨਿ ਆਪਣਾ         ਹਉ ਤਿਨ ਕੈ          ਲਾਗਉ ਪਾਇ ॥

Fall at the feet of those who serve the True Guru.

(This is a common advice in Gurbani, often misconstrued as to follow the living persons. Rather this is an advice to learn from them the path. So that Guru’s words are understood and are followed. The Gurbani always guides towards connecting with the creator and not one HE has created. Satgur (true guru) is creator HIMSELF.)

                 ਨਾਨਕ        ਦਰਿ ਸਚੈ  ਸਚਿਆਰ ਹਹਿ   ਹਉ  ਤਿਨ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੈ ਜਾਉ ॥੪॥੨੧॥੫੪॥

Says Nanak, those living in TRUE one’s adobe are pure , I have full appreciation towards them. ||4||21||54||

ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ (ਮ: ੩) ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੩੫ 

Siree Raag, Third Mehl:Guru Granth Sahib : Ang 35

***

The Simran is the way.

Gubani guides.

Gurbani shifts the mind.

Gurbani transforms those attached.

Gurbani - Shabad- Creator be considered  same.

Gurbani has come from Shabad . and Shabad from Creator.

So shift towards soul-mind-body awareness living.

HOW TO SHIFT

Simran as per gurbani is the way.  A few points are mentioned below which would be helpful.

• Gurbani's way is to seek through associating with gurbani.
  
  
• Simran is remembrance of "The Mool " ( The origin) and is closely related to Jap (repetition ) so that the mind changes.
  
  
• Simran is of Gurbani and/or Gurumantra . Nitnem paath  , kirtan , gurbani path , gurbani vichar , Shabad lines jap are all simran.
  
  
• Simran pulls the awareness inward. There is within the mind a spiritual feeling. This is connection with the Naam which grows with  effort when grace dawns.
  
  
• The inward pull is brought about by Guru mantra.
  
  
• The living from inward awareness keeps one away from haume.
  
  
• The Shift of Soul-Mind-Body living is to keep the awareness within.
  
  
• The Shift towards jyote swaroope living by doing gurbani shabad's simran .
  
  
• There is HIS presence feeling.
  
  
• Anhad Shabad is heard when within  with Guru's grace
  
  
• Simran continues.

When involved in material world activities the focus reverts back and again in simran it is back.

When walking consider HIM to be walking.

When Talking consider HE to be talking.

When Doing a work consider HE to be working.

Which Shabad is an inspiration for simran is not for me or anyone to suggest.

The Shabad would come to you.

Your expectation and desire would attract it.

The way of the Simran would come to you from within.

The Gurbani lines would speak, explain and reveal the deep meanings. 

The Gurbani is the "philosophers stone " that when touches the mind changes it. Gurbani transforms you towards everlasting life.