CHURNING MILK

Make body the churning jar (ਚਾਟੀ), and churn therein
with the (stick - ਮਧਾਣੀ - of the) mind. In this (body-) jar,
arrange (gather, amass, etc., the milk of) the Shabad. ||2||
The churning of the Lord is to reflect within the mind.
(One who does this churning) by the Gur-Prasaadi (Grace of the Gur-Giaan),
attains the continuous flow (stream...) of Amrit. (sggs 478).
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Just as fire is presence in the wood, similarly, butter permeates milk although it can not be seen directly in the milk. The Essence of the Divinity likewise permeates everything although It can not be perceived directly with our material senses. The technique used for extracting or separating butter from milk is called "churning". Likewise, the Aatmaan or the Mool can also be separated from the world of names and forms (Maya or duality). Once the Mool is separated from the material consciousness (Maya), the world of names and forms is no more perceived as in butter there is no more any milk, or as in flames there is no more any wood!

The Gurbani is given to us in the form milk.

We are supposed to churn this milk (Shabad-Vichaar) to extract the Butther of the Aatm-Giaan (Divine Knowledge, Spiritual Wisdom, Brahm-Giaan...) from it. From a Spiritual standpoint, the process of churning is referred to unbroken Shabad-Vichaar (Reflections on the Gur-Shabad). By churning this churn of the Gur-Shabad, we can separate our Mool from the conditioned-self (false self, non-self, ego-self, Mayaic Budhi, etc.).

However, the Gurbani can only be truely Reflected upon (Shabad-Vichaar) by transcending Maya. That is, if the Gurbani is Reflected upon with the Mayaic mind, one cannot extract and eat the butter (of Tatt Giaan-ਤੱਤ ਗਿਆਨ, ਤੱਤ ਵਸਤ ਦਾ ਗਿਆਨ, ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਗਿਆਨ, ਨਿਰਾਕਾਰੀ ਗਿਆਨ, Aatam-Giaan, Divine Knowledge, Spiritual Wisdom, Gurmat...). Because the Mayaic mind, separated from it Mool oscillates (unstable, restless, wanders hither and thither, roams, whirls...) like "Pavan" (wind)!

In the above verse, constancy in the Mool, Shabad, or Naam has been compared to churning of the curd to extract the butter. The mind is likened to churning rod (Madhaanee), the body to vessel (Chaatee), unbroken meditation or Naam Simran to curd, and the Spiritual or Inner-Inquiry (Shabad-Vichaar) to churning process. Just as the churning of curd draws forth butter, similarly, the unbroken abidance in the Naam (Shabad or the Mool) results in Sahaj-Samaadhi (Natural Trance). It then spontaneously generates the direct, instant, unobstructed and cosmic perception of the Divine Essence within; which is Pure Knowledge (Aatam Giaan) beyond time, space, names, shapes, and causation. God's Name (or Shabad) is the real Amrit or Nectar (Immortality) of the Gurbani. By churning it, meaning by intuitively chanting it (Shabad-Vichaar), the Essence of the Absolute Reality is Realized (Aatam Giaan, Brahm Giaan...). Simply put: by churning the Naam, the "lower-self" or the ego-attitude is uplifted to the glowing nature of the "Higher-Self" or the Shabad-Surti (God-Consciousness). Therefore, the Gur-Shabad urges us to drink deeply of this Amrit only.

Dwelling within the Home of the own Being is the Intuitive Poise (Sahaj). Only that person who is imbued with God's sublime Essence is said to be qualified for experiencing this Spiritual Poise or Stillness. By sincerely following the Divine Teachings (Gurmat-Aatm Giaan), the mind becomes perfectly stable and unwavering; fit for intuitively chanting the Divine Name.

Pearls are present in the ocean. The diver who dives deep within the ocean finds them. This body pot is also likened to a vast ocean filled with the pearls of Divine Virtues. The Gurmukhs (Spiritual Being) dive deep within and find them. Diving deep within means unbroken Shabad-Vichaar, with sincere love and longing ("Bhaakhiyaa Bhaayu Apaar"). With this the consciousness becomes interiorized and focused on the Essence of the Reality within. Then the mind is reconciliated with the mind, and the false ego’s wandering ways come to an end. One who remains so pure and unblemished, and practices only true deeds obtains the Supreme Status. We cannot extract oil from sand! The priceless, incomparable Jewel of the Naam (Aatm Giaan) comes into the hands of those who are committed to Naam-consciousness. Therefore, if we desire for attaining the butter of Divine Virtues then we need to become Gurmukh (Spiritual Being). Absence of noble Virtues means presence of false ego. In other words, a Manmukh (material being) cannot find the Spiritual Pearls in his body because his body pot is filled with the poison of falsehood (Maya). Because of material consciousness, he is unaware of the curd of Naam or Shabad present in his body vessel. One cannot extract butter by churning water! Similarly, a Manmukh cannot link back to his Mool within by churning Maya's "filth". The Divine Virtues are like a vine which spreads out, and bears the fruit of the Naam (Aatam-Giaan, Divine Knowledge). The Divine Name has no form or outline; it vibrates with the subtle, unstruck Sound Current of the Shabad, which links one to his Mool within. Upon attaining Naam-consiousness (Shabad-Surti), the old material-being or the Manmukh "dies", and gets "reborn" as a new Spiritual-Being or the Gurmukh. In other words, the moment Jeeva (individual being) transcends the worldly consciousness (Maya), the mortal becomes situated in the Transcendental Consciousness (Aatm Giaan...). The Gurbani reminds that false are those who do not try to attain intuitive understanding of the Gur-Shabad. The human language has its own limitations. It can describe only themes that have material qualities (Guna), or function (Kriya), or name, or form, or qualifications, or relativity. However, none of these are for the Eternal, Absolute Truth. Therefore, the true way to understand scriptures is through intuitive perception; attuning oneself to the inner realization of the Truth as explained in the scriptures. By churning the scriptures, we can learn how to use the nutcracker of intuitive perception to crack open the hard shell of language and ambiguity to get at the kernels of underlying Truth in them. Instead of churning the Naam (Aatm Giaan, Divine Knowledge) as urged in the Gurbani, we churn the falsehood and bind ourselves in the process. Consequently, we end up spinning around in worldly desires just as the oil-press, spinning wheel, grinding stones, potter’s wheel, countless whirlwinds in the desert, spinning tops, churning sticks, threshers, breathless tumbling of the birds, men moving round and round on spindles, and so on. What does happen if the churning is continued? In order to know the answer to this question, we need to understand the symbolism in the following ancient legend, which is also mentioned a few times in the Gurbani. Even though the story looks crude, but when the symbolism of this story is grasped then one would appreciate the wisdom of this "churning" process. There is an old story of churning this milky ocean (Samundra Manthan), in which, it is described how in the attainment of Amrit the gods (Devaas) and demons churned the milky ocean with the mountain Mandra as the churning rod and the snake Vasuki as the churning rope. During churning, many things (Rattanas) emerged out, but the churning continued for the final Goal: Amrit or Nectar. Just before experiencing the Immortality (Amrit), the snake became exhausted and vomited its terrible poison. To protect everything wonderful, Siva received the flowing lava of poison and drank it as if in the spirit of self-sacrifice. Seeing this act of Siva, His consort pressed his throat, not allowing the poison to go down. Thus the poison got held in the neck, turning Siva's neck into blue color (Neelkanth).

he symbolism of this story as explained by the Men of Light is as follows. The milky ocean is God's Pure Name (or Shabad), the mountain Mandra is the mind, and the rope is false ego (snake). Pulled forward and backward by the mighty teams of the lower-self (demons or demoniac instincts) and the Higher-Self (gods or divine virtues), the process of churning or Naam Simran (meditation) starts. In the early stages of this churning, many tempting Sidhis or occult powers (Rattans) emerge out. However, if the Spiritual student ignores the Sidhis and continues the churning, just before experiences of the Immortality (Amrit), the ego will vomit out its entire subconscious and unconscious poison of Vaasnaas. Also known as Spiritual ignorance, this terrible poison cannot be completely eliminated until the Spiritual Wisdom awakens within. Until then, this poison can only be held in the neck, indicating a point away from the head and the heart. The significance of holding the poison in the neck (away from the head and heart) is that the poison of egocentric Vaasnaas should not be allowed to poison either the head (intellect) or the heart of the devotee. At this time, when the churning continues the Supreme Essence is unfolded and the Goal is attained!

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Saturday, April 13, 2013 12:35 PM (PST)

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