FOUR RIVERS OF FIRE

ਹੰਸੁ ਹੇਤੁ ਲੋਭੁ ਕੋਪੁ ਚਾਰੇ ਨਦੀਆ ਅਗਿ ॥ ਪਵਹਿ ਦਝਹਿ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਤਰੀਐ ਕਰਮੀ ਲਗਿ ॥੨॥:
Hansu hetu lobhu kopu chaare nadiaa agi. Pavahi dajhai Nanakaa tareeai karmee lagi ||2||:
Cruelty, material attachment, greed and anger are the four rivers of fire (flowing within).
Falling into them, one is burned. Says Nanak, with the Divine Grace (or Karma - sowing
the seed of Naam within...), one is saved only by holding (tight to the Guru's feet -
the Giaan or Divine Knowledge of the Gur-Shabad that sprouts within...) ||2|| (sggs 147).
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Water from a river swollen with downpour of heavy rains can sweep, destroy and devastate anything that comes in its way.  Just imagine if the same river is consisted of burning fire instead of water! According to the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS), man is surrounded by not only one, but four such rivers of fire! These fiery rivers are: Bikaar like (1) cruelty, (2) material attachment, (3) greed, and (4) anger.

At the microcosmic level, these four rivers of burning fire flow within each Jeeva (individual being). Combining all individual Jeeva make the total world. Therefore, at the macrocosmic level, or looking from a standpoint of totality, the entire material world is engulfed in this fire. This present sorrowful condition of the Sansaar — the place of repeated pain and delusion — is described in the Gurbani as follows: The aim of this Gurbani Reflection is to attempt reflecting on these four streams of fire flowing within all beings. Also, it will attempt to summarize the teachings of the Gurbani as to how Jeeva (individual beings) can escape the spell, onslaught and devastation of these rivers of fire while living in their midst.

Cruelty

A Spiritually ignorant person (the Manmukh) is cruel by nature; for materialistic living and cruelty go hand-in-hand. A materialistic person, society or nation is always seen engaged in inventing something for the sense gratification. In their view, such materialistic advancement is considered to be the advancement of the human civilization, but the result is more and more violence and cruelty towards other beings — animals and human alike.

A materialistic person — also called Manmukh — has no true Divine Knowledge, or his real Identity (Joti-Svaroopa). Since he is essentially ego-being, his life is dominated by his strong bondage to material consciousness, far and far away from Spiritual discipline (Aatam-Giaan, ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ). Enveloped in material perplexities, Manmukhs are identified in the Gurbani as Saakat (faithless cynics), Kusang (bad company), Aatam Ghaatee (self-murderer), Chor (thief), Mayadhaaree (Maya-stricken or illusioned), Bimukhan (non-devotee), Jhooth or Koorh (false or fake), demon, beast, idiot, fool, less intelligent, animal, etc.

Now, what might be the root cause of cruelty? Why people practice it? The reason a person practices cruelty or violence towards others is that he does not see the same One God in all people. Under the spell of false ego-sense (Haume) or ignorance, he has no sense of Oneness. Thus, a Manmukh is a demoniac being who's always engaged in activities that brings the human society harm. Such people are enemies of the goodness in the world, because they are always engaged in inventing or creating something that is conducive to only destruction.

Cruelty is of three kinds: cruelty of the mind, cruelty of the speech, and cruelty of killing others beings. In short, cruelty of the mind is to think ill of others, cruelty of the speech is to speak ill of others, and cruelty of killing is causing distress to other beings either by taking their life or hurting them otherwise.

Material Attachment

Material or worldly attachment can be defined as accepting things for one's own sense gratification. Opposite to attachment is the dispassion or detachment, which is the absence of such sensual slavery. In other words, passion for all mundane objects and dispassion to the Mool within (Source, Origin...) constitutes the material attachment.

Abandoning worldly attachment does not mean that one should become inactive, idle or abandon his family or this world. It simply means not to get attached to actions and their fruits. A Spiritually Wise (the Gurmukh) never gets adversely influenced by the inherent charm of the mundane objects. He is fully aware that the enchanting worldly objects are full of venom that would deviate him from the Spiritual Life. Accordingly, he looks upon them with an eye of dispassion and discriminating intellect (Bibek Budhi).

The Soul is Pure by nature. This may lead to the following question: then, how does it become contaminated? Due to the mind's involvement with false ego ("I-ness", Maya...), it gets bonded to the worldliness. The excessive sense of attachment brings bewilderment of the mind, followed by the loss of mental equilibrium and degradation of the Soul.

As a result, one becomes full of animal propensities namely eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Because of such conditioning, his activities are never in the mode of goodness. He tries to dominate the material nature and, hence, becomes subjected to its effects — lust, anger, greed, attachment, false pride, enviousness and stubborn mindedness (and their numerous variations).

Greed & Anger

In material existence, once we are faced with a problem, we start thinking about it's solution, rather than it's cause. Unless the root cause of any problem is known, one will be unable to see the reality of that problem. And, without thinking about the reality or understanding the nature of the problem, he will be unable to eradicate it once for ever. Consequently, one may solve the problem for time being, however, the problem will arise again. One can not kill a snake by merely destroying his hole in the ground!

By the technique of Spiritual Inquiry (Shabad-Vichaar), one can seek to understand the nature or root cause of any problem.  Once we know the answer, we can find a permanent solution to it. For instance, let's try to find out where greed and anger come from. 

Upon inquiry, we will find that these demoniac instincts of greed and anger result from another such instinct called Kama (pronounced Kaam).  What is Kaam? Kaam can be defined as lust, material desires for one's own sense gratification, emotional attachment to matter, hankering after worldly pleasures, etc. Thus, Kaam is the unlimited lustful desires (Vaasnaas or Trishnaa) that entice man to indulge in sensory pleasure. This evil instinct of Kaam corrupts one's sensory apparatus. As a result, through the corrupted sense of sight, man lusts after material objects; through the corrupted sense of hearing, man craves to hear the slow poison of flattery and other sounds that rouse his material nature; through the corrupted sense of smell, he is enticed toward wrong environments and actions; through the corrupted sense of taste, he  lures to consume such foods and drinks that destroys his physical and mental well being; and contaminated sense of touch lusts him for indulgence in physical comforts and sex.

Thus, the fire of intense anxiety created by Kaam consumes man's inner peace  and mental poise. Under the influence of corrupted senses he then looses his sanity and acts like a donkey, swine, elephant, etc. In the name and guise of fulfilling his necessary needs, false ego lures him to continuously seek self-satisfaction until death, resulting only in further suffering, sorrows, fears, worry, and anxiety. Thus, the Kaam ruins man's happiness, health, mind, intelligence, memory, and discriminative judgment (Bibek Budhi).

Thus, an egoistic or materialistic (Manmukh) life begins with Kaam. When Kaam can not be satisfied by efforts, it manifests into anger. If it does get satisfied, then it gives rise to greed or more deisres. This trio then become three gates leading to a hellish life.

Cure

After explaining us the nature and root cause of the problem; also, after giving us the proper understanding of the problem, the Gurbani now imparts the seeker with a permanent solution. This is the beauty of the Gur-Shabad!

The Gurbani reveals to us that our body is like a furnace, and the mind is the iron within this furnace; there the fire of vices constantly heat it. What keeps the fire burning? Mayaic efforts are likened to the charcoal (i.e., fuel) placed upon it, which keeps this fire going that burns the mind. The anxiety and worry act as tongs, which turn the mind around on the furnace!

How one can eradicate these fires from within his mind? First of all, the Gurbani urges that we need to cultivate the true Spiritual Knowledge (Aatam Giaan), which is the opposite of the material knowledge. The real Knowledge brings about the transformation within ourselves. With this inner transformation comes the sense of Oneness, humility, friendship, love for all... The Gurbani time and again reminds us that Shabad-Surti (Naam-consciousness, Aatam Giaan...) is the killer of Maya. Therefore, with the true understanding of the Gurbani comes the real understanding of the human apparatus consisting of the body-mind-intellect personality. This Intuitive Understanding, in turn, causes one to die while living (dissolving of the mind or false ego), making his senses widow! Thus, one kills the snake as well as destroys the snake-hole!

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 11:48 AM (PST)

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