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The Morning Hukam:
A Meditation
Tuesday, July 2, 2014
INNI KAUR
Today’s Hukam, Darbar Sahib, Amritsar - Tuesday, July 2, 2014
Forgetting the Divine, one is ruined forever. How can the one who has Your Support be deceived? || Pause ||
Without meditating on You, life is like a burning fire, even if one lives long, like a snake. One may rule over the nine regions of the earth, but in the end, one shall have to depart, losing the game of life. || 1 ||
You shower Your Grace upon the one who sings Your praises. The one who is at peace, blessed is his birth; Nanak is a sacrifice to him. || 2 || 2 ||
[Guru Arjan, Raag Todi, GGS:711]
Listening to today’s hukam, my mind rests on the line: “How can the one who has Your support be deceived?”
I wonder, do I have Your support?
Every breath that I take without Your Name, I consider wasted.
Every act where the focus is not You, I consider wasted.
Every thought that arises, if it is not for the highest good, I consider wasted.
You are my anchor.
A withered twig was I, until You came into my life.
I care not for fame or fortune. All I want is to be drenched in Your Love.
Yet, I know not if I have Your Support?
I wonder, will I lose this game of life?
July 3, 2014
Conversation about this article
1: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), July 03, 2014, 9:02 PM.
Inni ji, we have a profound relationship with God in whom we live. We are part of God's whole being. It is obviously not possible to live without Him. And I would say, even to "ignore" Him. A simple example is that a flower does not retain its beauty and fragrance when cut from its source, which is the plant it grew from. Similarly we, human beings, will become unfit and dirty if we cut off ourselves from our source which is God.
2: Harpal Singh (Sydney, Australia), July 04, 2014, 3:38 AM.
Yet, I know not if I have Your support? As a learned scholar said in his katha, "if we are alive then it is only because Waheguru has us in his sight, loves us, supports us and has His grace upon us". I wonder, will I lose this game of life? "Har appae khelae appae dekae har appae rachen rachaya / jan Nanak gurmukh jo nar khale so jin baaji ghar ayaa ..."
3: DJ Singh (USA), July 05, 2014, 6:36 AM.
Then, "Why do bad things happen to good people"?
4: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), July 05, 2014, 4:03 PM.
DJ Singh ji (# 3): Human beings are limited by duality which limits their vision and potential for growth; and then they resort to good and evil. "Buraa bhallaa tichar aakhdaa jichar hai duhu maaih" [GGS:757]. But God is free from any error. All else is subject to error. Human life is composed of 'right' (call it good) or 'wrong' (call it evil). If the ego is an evil in one person, it becomes a gift of God in the other. Ego descends from God, has a purpose in His scheme of things. Plus we should refrain from using the terms "good" and "bad". These terms indicate partial view of the whole.
5: DJ Singh (USA), July 07, 2014, 9:30 PM.
"Even a leaf cannot move without God's will!" We all believe that all things bright and wonderful, great God made them all. But are crime, genocides and war also in agreement with the Lord's plan?
6: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), July 08, 2014, 10:38 AM.
Ref. #5: Yes. The crime, genocides and war are in accordance with God's Will. "Bura bhalla aapas khasam kaa ho-aa vartae aih sansaara" [GGS:993] - "All that happens in the world is His Will." He is not affected by these conditions, they are contained in Him. Japji Sahib is very clear on this: "kaitya dukh bhukh sad maar / aih bi daat teri dataar" [paurri 25] - "Many suffer from hunger and pain, but this too is God's Grace." The whole thing is so complex, yet wonderful to contemplate and its significance remains beyond the understanding of human mind. We relate good and evil to our own tastes and views.
7: Rup Singh (Canada), July 09, 2014, 3:03 PM.
@ 6 - If crime, war and genocides are God's Will, why would the Gurus arm themselves and have armies to fight tyranny? If injustices are done to innocent people, because it's God's Will, then should the criminals and perpetrators of genocides be punished according to laws created by humans? I'm just curious to know, it's very confusing. Thanks.
8: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), July 09, 2014, 10:43 PM.
@7: Our Gurus were God's best manifestation in human form as can be conceived in human terms. They had spiritual greatness with a God's message for mankind. A man must be as great as God to be the leader or Guru of mankind. Regarding your reference to God's Will, note that God rules through His laws and His Will, but we see only the physical laws working, as if randomly. Japji Sahib (Paurri 1): "hukmai andar sabh ko baahar hukam na ko-ay" - 'All are within His Will and nothing is outside it'. God's mysterious designs are inscrutable and remain hidden from our view. Now, coming to your question, "Guru's arming themselves", Guru Gobind Singh told Aurangzeb in Zafarnama that he was not at all enamoured of war but resorted to it as a last resort. Guru Sahib's direction to his soldiers was to keep their heads cool and not to depart from love and truth even in the midst of war.
9: Rup Singh (Canada), July 10, 2014, 1:53 PM.
@ #8 - Thanks for your response. However, the Mool Mantar states that God is without enmity. I have difficulty in believing that it is God's Will that innocent people suffer and die in the millions at the hands of other humans. Even if we believe that the common man cannot understand this because he is stuck in duality, but why would the Gurus create and lead armies to do battle against the invaders and even fight against great odds to stop them. Arms were first taken up by Guru Hargobind after he was instructed by Guru Arjan that the time of peaceful resistance will not always work and fighting back may be necessary. So technically the Fifth Guru commanded the Sikhs to bear arms. Also, it is agreed that fighting back with the sword (any weapon) should be the last resort but it cannot be denied that this option has to be maintained by Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh gave us the Kirpan as a constant reminder to do so. I think we won't agree on some things but thanks for the discussion.
10: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), July 11, 2014, 3:34 AM.
Ref. #9: "Nirbha-o nirvair" means God is all love. He is beyond fear and animosity. He loves both the 'culprit' and 'victim'. As I said previously, God's wonderful and mysterious designs are inscrutable and remain hidden from our view. Coming to Sikhi, its base has its roots in the philosophy of love, non-violence and truth; yet our Gurus saw clearly that in the larger interest of humanity, an exception had to be made which may require unsheathing of the sword. We are the architect of our freedom and create our nature in action, by practicing Sikhi.