SLANDER: NINDAA

By continually slandering others, they (Manmukhs: mentally blind self-willed) carry
a terrible load, and they carry the loads of others for nothing (sggs 118)
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It is said that Kabeer Sahib had a jealous neighbor, whose only pastime was to slander (Nindaa) Kabeer. One day the foolish slanderer died. People thought the news of his death must make Kabeer very happy. To the contrary, when Kabeer Sahib found out about it, he became very sad. His devotees naturally inquired as to why he was sad instead of being happy now that his ardent slanderer is dead. Kabeer said "the reason I feel sad, now as my slanderer is gone, who will wash my sins off and take upon himself?". According to the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS), there are countless such slanderers (Nindak) struggling in Maya (Mayaic consciousness).

What are the distinctive signs of the slanderer - Nindak (ਨਿੰਦਕ)? Because of corrupted psyche, a slanderer develops evil instincts toward others such as faultfinding, hating, resenting, committing fraud, cruelty, and so on. He feels painful and resentful at the betterment of others, and would feel happy only when some miseries befall on them.

The Gurbani asks us to form a partnership for sharing in Virtues by abandoning our faults. However, the slanderer can neither share in goodness nor abandon his faults. It is like a serpent's venom; it destroys his body, nature, and personality.

A janitor spends his time in inspecting and cleaning filth of others; then he loads it up and carries on his head. A slanderer is a self-appointed Bhangee (janitor) who finds faults in others and then, by engaging in gossip, ill speaking, and backbite, carries the load of their trash (sins) on his own head. In the process, he simply ends up turning his own body, mind and intellect into a "trash basket" for the sins of others. Very appropriately, the Gurbani equates slanderers to a sweepress (inner - ਅੰਦਰ ਦੀ ਚੂਹੜੀ ).

These verses make it clear that the calamity is of the slanderer, not of the slandered. As such, slanderers are considered to be very beneficial for their victims! It is the slanderer, for example, who helps his victims become purified and ultimately liberated. Slanderers are thus said to clear the way of devotees for emancipation. In the process, however, slanderers rot and waste away in repeated suffering. A body scorched with fire develops blisters. With his own words, a slanderer constantly scorches his inner psyche; making his psyche blister with his habit and conduct of slandering. By making slandering his intimate habit, he brings him repeated shame and pain; here and hereafter. In the love of duality, he thus sleeps in the ignorance of his True Being (Joti-Svaroopa). Slanderer can be likened to a person who, standing on a tree-branch, smilingly cuts down the tree! He falls down headfirst. The habit of slandering thus brings manifold calamity unto the slanderer. Because of the "craziness" he has adopted, his life becomes unstable like a "wall of sand", he drowns himself and his generation. Cast into the hellish cycle of reincarnation, he loses his realm and power; he finds no salvation at all; and he eats only that which he himself has planted. As the Gurbani says, he is worse than a thief, a lecher and a gambler; who finds no happiness. Now, is there any wisdom in slandering and carrying the loads of sins of others for nothing? What is the source of this demoniac habit? If we conduct Spiritual-inquiry (Shabad-Vichaar) as recommended in the Gurbani and ask: "Who is it that craves for slandering? Whose temptation is it?" All pointers will lead to only in one direction: the false ego-sense (Haumai).  In other words, slandering is the characteristic of the egoism (Haumai). Inflated ego gives rise to corrupt intellect (thoughts), deluded mind (feelings), and defiled senses. Slandering is a disease of the instinctive mind which always floats in the externalities of the material world. In love and attachment to Maya, one loses his understanding of the matter and Spirit. Maya is the root of false ego, the cause of man's present troubles. In its risen condition, false ego plays through the senses and sees the world of names and shapes. Mind free to escape through the corrupt senses becomes subjected to perversions such as lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, jealously and stubborn mindedness. Such abnormal use of mind gives rise to desire and fear, worry, doubt, anxiety, nervousness, and wrath. One of the manifestations of these destructive modes is the symptom of slander. The impurity of the mind is greed (ਮਾਇਆ ਦੀ ਭੁੱਖ), the impurity of the tongue is falsehood, the impurity of the eyes is to gaze upon the beauty of another man’s wife and his wealth, the impurity of hands is to perform ungodly acts, and the impurity of feet is to walk on ungodly path. Similarly, the impurity of the ears is to listen to the slander of others. In other words, both the slanderer and the listener are equal partner in this false trade. A slanderer in the Gurbani is compared to a Manmukh (material being) who hates holiness (Aatam-Giaan...). As such, he is the embodiment of evil instincts, who wanders around in doubt and duality. As a result, he practices excessive indulgences and falsehood. He cannot meditate (Jap or Naam-Simran), because his mind is filthy and polluted — deep within, it is soiled and stained by the love of Maya. Such mind cannot attain perfection or intuitive understanding of the Gurbani, for its intellect is dimmed by material contamination. Tossed by the waves of Bikaar, it suffers in pain. As paper breaks down and dissolves in water, the slanderer wastes away in delusion. Such cynics chase after the mirage of Maya, and end up wandering in the desert of material existence. Thus, the life of a  slanderer becomes useless; he comes and goes in shame. The Gurbani does not approve of slandering of anyone in any circumstances; no matter how compelling it may seems to slander someone. This is the Gurbani's position. There is no "if", "but", "this" and "that". Why is the Gurbani so adamantly against slandering? As discussed earlier, it is not the Mool (Source, Jot...), rather it is the deluded ego that craves for slandering. Destruction of this false ego is the purpose of human life, not other way around. Trying to justify slandering is like falling into the coal-pit; again and again, and then try to shake the body off! To a Spiritually Wise (Gurmukh), what is bad is a good, and what is good is a good! The Gurbani disapproves of slandering because there is no such thing as good-or-bad. Such concept of duality or doubt arises in false ego only. In Pure Consciousness, there is no good; there is no bad. Therefore, the Gurbani asks us to throw out the false concept of good-and-bad along with a lot of other phony ideas. In Pure Consciousness, Mool, there do not exist a Higher State of Consciousness or a lower state of consciousness; for it is just One Homogeneous Oneness. A crane spreads his feathers to look like a swan; but he can never become a swan. Similarly, the existence of a slanderer is like a wall of sand; his hollowness comes into the open within no time. The moment he speaks with his mouth, he is exposed and driven out. In other words, he tastes his own medicine and suffers. As fruits of his own actions, he inflicts severe misery upon himself; here and hereafter. This is the edict of the scriptures.

Renounce the urge for "the slander of others", thunders the Gurbani. The godly souls and scriptures teach us to leave behind all mental perversions and become carefree. They urge us to break the chains of doubt, and remain affectionately unattached. They roar this rare life is meant to seek the Mool within, not contradicting the world around. The worldly truth is based on relativity, however, the Absolute Truth is self-existence (Saibhang). As such, nothing is hidden from the All-pervading Divine Presence, which is beyond all worldly conditioning and impurity. The Gurbani asks us to seek that Truth. But, seeking Truth requires turning the mind inward by detaching it from externalities of worldly existence. Not easy at all!

What is the cure? The instinct for slandering exists because of inflated false ego-sense (Haume). Once the false ego-sense is thinned out, many evil urges such as slandering will lose their grip on us. False ego arises from ignorance of the Mool within (absence of the Divine Knowledge, Aatam Giaan). Since the ego-sense is false, so are its branches such as slandering, conflicts, jealousy, and so on. Accordingly, a Spiritually Wise person (Gurmukh) will renounce all cravings and temptations for slandering. Instead, he will attach his love to his Mool only, because everything is in Mool and the Mool is in everything. For that to happen, the Gurbani recommends Shabad-Vichaar.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Friday, February 17, 2012 7:09 PM (PST)