AWAKE! AWAKE!

Wake up! Wake up! O sleepers (sleeping in the love of Maya),
see that the traveling merchant (i.,e., Jeeva)
is to depart (i.e., death is coming near) (sggs 418).
Wake up, O mind! Wake up! Why are
you sleeping unaware? (sggs 726).
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While alive, physical sleep is a basic necessity of one's material body, as fundamental to its health and well-being as air, food and water. The Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS) does not intend to deprive the body of this need. However, beyond the physical sleep, there is an another type of "sleep"; which is subtle, seemingly endless and dreadful delusion, illusion or deception of Maya, Haume (egotism), forgetful of the Divine Naam, material consciousness (Manmukh life style) etc. The Gurbani reveals it to us that, in this horrific state of endless slumber are "asleep" the Jeeva (individual beings) of entire world for countless incarnations! It is this endless slumber from which the Gurbani commands us to awake and arise.

The sense-bent, deluded or conditioned mind is Maya. Once caught in the vertex of Maya, one loses control over his senses and plunges into the pitch darkness of ignorance (of his True Nature as "Joti-Svaroopa"). Here is a step-by step analysis of this descent. Man's brooding over objects of the senses causes attachment to them. From such attachment, lust or craving develops; from unfulfilled lust or craving, anger arises; from anger, mental delusion arises; from delusion comes bewilderment or loss of memory of one's True Nature; the loss of such memory causes loss of discerning intelligence or the discriminating faculty (Viveka-Budhi); upon loss of discrimination, one falls down into the material consciousness (Manmukh life style); which, in turn, brings annihilation of his spiritual life.

In order to reorient us to the Spiritual Goal, the Gurbani wants to keep in mind that (a) the human birth is very rare thus precious; (b) it does not happen again and again; and (c) it's most suitable for God-realization. Therefore, we time and again reminded to make the best use of this rare and wonderful opportunity and not waste it in frivolous pursuits. Accordingly, the Gurbani's call to us is to "Awake! Awake!" from this long state of delusion most of us are in.

Since the unending state of our "sleep" or delusion is none other than the perversions or "impurities" of our mind, awakening from it is to rid the mind of these perversions. How can be go about doing it? In other words, once we wake up, then what?

Let's ponder over it. While physically asleep, our eyes are closed and thereby we see nothing. Upon waking up, our eyes become wide open and we can see things again. So logically the Gurbani wants us to "awake" from our perpetual delusion, and see beyond "Sootak" (impurity or corruption of the mind) — see the Enlightened ones (Saadh-Sangat or Gurmukhs), see God pervading in everything etc.

Clearly, it's the Soul's Awakening the Gurbani is talking about here. This Light of awareness or the right kind of Self- Knowledge (Aatam-Giaan) that confers on the individual inner purity, perfection and everlasting peace (Bliss or Anand). So the Gurbani's Teaching (Gurmat) is the essence of spiritual striving, wherein the central import is the appeal to each Soul to strive for inner Awakening of its True Nature ("Joti-Svaroopa"). The Gurbani asks us to realize God's presence not only within oneself but in others as well, and also realize sincerely that all are subject to God's Hukam (Will). Alertness or self-imposed discipline leads to Awakening. Therefore, the Gurbani urges us not to waste this human birth in frivolous pursuits, since one is not sure what might be in store in the next. The fully "Awakened" ones are termed Gurmukhs (Spiritual Beings) in the Gurbani. The mental condition of such Enlightened ones (Awakened from the illusion of Maya) is described in the Gurbani as follows:

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org


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Updated on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 1:13 PM (PST)

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