The Gurbani reveals to us that only Truth remains ever New. What also ever remain New or Fresh are: the Teachings of the Truth (“ਸਾਚ ਕੀ ਮਤਿ”), and Love of the Truth through the Love of the Shabad (“ਸਬਦਿ ਨੇਹੁ”)…
- ਸਾਚ ਕੀ ਮਤਿ ਸਦਾ ਨਉਤਨ ਸਬਦਿ ਨੇਹੁ ਨਵੇਲਓ ॥: Saach kee mati sadaa naoutansabadi nehu navelao: The Teachings of Truth are forever New (i.e., never gets stained by Bikaar, Maya…); On account of the Spiritual Gain (Spiritual Wealth or Profit, Blessing…) obtained from the Shabad (Shabad-Vichaar…), the Love (for the Parmaatam within that Jeeva) remains forever New. (sggs 242).
- ਓਹੁ ਨੇਹੁ ਨਵੇਲਾ ॥ ਅਪੁਨੇ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮ ਸਿਉ ਲਾਗਿ ਰਹੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥: Ohu nehu navelaa. Apune preetam siou laagi rahai ||1||Rahaaou||: That Love is forever New, which is for the Beloved (Lord). ||1||Pause|| (sggs 408).
These days, the popular and common expression is: “happy new year”.
What is new? We consider it as the new year when – at the stroke of the midnight – the current year changes to the next. This is an external change (material, physical …). This is not the Real Change the Gurbani would like us to bring about in life. The Gurbani says:
- ਜੇ ਸਉ ਵਰ੍ਹਿਆ ਜੀਵਣ ਖਾਣੁ ॥ ਖਸਮ ਪਛਾਣੈ ਸੋ ਦਿਨੁ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ॥੨॥: Je sau varaiaa jeevan khaanu. Khasam pashaanai so dinu paravaan ||2|| (sggs 349).
In other words, it would be a New Year when we change within (the Real Change) – Positive change in one’s Budhi (intellect), thinking, attitudes, vision, mindset, deeds (ਕਰਣੀ), understanding, ਸੂਝ ਬੂਝ, and so on! The Gurbani says: “that day (of one’s life) alone would be approved”. In other words:
- It’s a change from a Manmukh lifestyle (Mayadhaaree, Saakat…) to a Gurmukh Lifestyle (Divine Life, ਆਤਮਿਕ ਜੀਵਨ).
- It’s change from ignorance to Aatm-Giaan (Wisdom).
- It’s a change from Bharam-Jaal (illusion) to Brahm-Giaan (Divine Knowledge, Aatm-Giaan, etc.).
- It’s a change from all perversions (negativism, Bikaar, faults of Haumai, falsehood, or thinking of ego-mind-world-senses-illusion, etc.) to the Truth!
- It’s a change from the ever changing to the Changeless Mool (Source, Reality…) within.
- It’s a change from ephemeral, fleeting, or temporary (Asatt – ਅਸੱਤ) to Permanent (Satt – ਸੱਤ, Atall – ਅਟੱਲ, etc.).
- It’s a change from time-bound-unit-consciousness (time-space-form-causation) to Unbound Timeless (Akaal) Awareness – that Timelessness is NOW.
- It’s a change from conditioned (tainted, contaminated, polluted, narrowness, Mayaic, etc.) state of the mind to its Pure, Joti-Svaroopa, “Gurmukhi Budhi” ...
- It’s a change from Asahaj (unnatural or fragmented state, Manmukh state, restlessness, ਡੋਲਤਾ, ਲਹਰੀ, ਧਾਤੁਰ ਬਾਜੀ, ਅਲ ਪਲਾਲੀਆ …) to Sahaj (Natural State of Being, ਆਤਮਿਕ ਅਡੋਲਤਾ, Whole, Saabat, etc.).
- It’s a real change in Budhi – the stage of “Budhi Badalee“, that is, transmutation of Mayaic Budhi (worldly intelligence, deluded mind, Durmat, Bharam (doubt) …) to the Gurbani’s Prachand Giaan (the Gurbani’s Divine Knowledge, Wisdom, or Aatm-Giaan …).
The human life has a purpose — to change it for better and make it something worth while incarnated in human body. According to the Gurbani, we have come into this world to obtain a very specific Laahaa (“ਲਾਹਾ”: Spiritual Gain – Mool-realization …). Furthermore, the Gurbani ceaslessly reminds us that one’s physical body constantly gets older and the life diminises each and every moment…
- ਪ੍ਰਾਣੀ ਤੂੰ ਆਇਆ ਲਾਹਾ ਲੈਣਿ ॥: Praanee toon aaiaa laahaa lain: O mortal, you came to earn a (Spiritual) Profit. (sggs 43).
- ਅਉਧ ਘਟੈ ਦਿਨਸੁ ਰੈਣਾਰੇ ॥: Aoudh ghatai dinasu rainaare: Life diminishes, day and night. (sggs 13).
The Supreme Message of the Gurbani is (if we want to put it in words): we must change from not knowing oneself to “Know Oneself” – Recognizing or Realizing the Mool within (Origin, Source, Joti-Svaroopa …). To recognize one’s Mool is to “Know Oneself” – ਆਪਣੇ ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੀ ਪਰਖ, ਅਪਣੇ ਯਥਾਰਥ ਸਰੂਪ ਦੀ ਜਾਣ, ਅਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ (ਅਪਣੇ ਮੂਲ ਨੂੰ) ਪਛਾਣ ਲੈਣਾ…
The Gurbani asks us as to how each one of us has changed the course of his life:
- ਕਿਤੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਪੁਰਖਾ ਜਨਮੁ ਵਟਾਇਆ ॥: Kit bidh purkhaa janam vataaiaa (sggs 939).
Changing the course of life is a revolution within. The Gurbani indicates that a very “rare” one (the Gurmukh, Bhagat …) embarks on this revolutionary Path (of the Gurmukh or Divine Life).
Changing the course of life simply indicates to change the Mayaic Budhi to Viveka-Budhi (ਮਨ ਨੂੰ ਬਦਲਨਾ – “ਬੁਧਿ ਬਦਲੀ ਸਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ”: Budhi badalee sidhi paaee, sggs 339), to mend the mind, to turn it away from Mayaic hunger, Bikaars (greed, etc.), and so on. This essentially is to control, annihilate, or conquer the mind by turning it inwards to its Mool (Source, Jot…), within.
- ਕਹਿ ਕਬੀਰ ਬੁਧਿ ਹਰਿ ਲਈ ਮੇਰੀ ਬੁਧਿ ਬਦਲੀ ਸਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ ॥੨॥੨੧॥੭੨॥: Kahi Kabeer budhi hari laee meree budhi badalee sidhi paaee ||2||21||72|| (sggs 339).
The Gurbani wants us to become the Gurmukhs and Realize the Truth (ਸਚ), here and now. Otherwise, before we know, kaput! The end [ਜੇ ਸਉ ਵਰ੍ਹ੍ਹਿਆ ਜੀਵਣਾ ਭੀ ਤਨੁ ਹੋਸੀ ਖੇਹ ॥੪੧॥: (sggs 1380)].
Hello New Year!
Great!
New Year: Spiritual Connection
New Year is the time when greeting cards, gifts, and good wishes keep pouring in from friends and relatives. They are believed to be expressing sentiments but with a lot of money exchanging hands. The expression of sentiments is wrapped in expensive packages and psychological hang-ups.
In America nearly two hundred billion dollars are spent on gifts every year. That comes to over a thousand dollars spent on gifts by every American and this is repeated every year. And this does not take into account the amount of time spent in shopping for the gifts along with the intense anxiety and stress that goes with the gift hunting.
Is there an alternative to expense and stress?
The economists are suggesting us to consider abandoning the pretense and simply exchanging piles of money in the form of coins, currency, or gift cards. I am not sure that it is a real solution.
Then, is there a solution in the realm of spirituality to get us out of this stressful rut we go through every year? Or, are there gifts that sooth and heal rather than produce waste and cause anxiety? Let us explore.
There may be many motives underlying the culture of giving yearly gifts. The one coming to mind first is often to remind us of time of the year and passing of our chronological age. Birthdays and yearly occurring holidays for most people are nothing but occasions to highlight their age and wrinkles.
As an alternative to present day gifts, then we may consider launching a culture of gratitude, that is, appreciation of the spiritual nature of each individual’s assets, and highlight gifts that are continuously being bestowed upon us by the life itself. Certainly, we Sikhs consider life as a divine gift and most precious of all gifts.
There can be so much written on the gifts that they compel me to think that there may be as many reasons for our thankfulness. But let me limit here to the gift of many birthdays we are allowed to experience; birthdays which the western cultures most exploit as occasions of gift exchanges. Our gift should then be expression of gratitude for the gift of life.
While reading about birthday and ageing (avadh) in Sri Guru Granth Sahib I was made to realize that at the time of any New Year or any birthday, when our circle of friends and relatives are expressing jubilation, we lose another year from our given life span. And this loss may not be insignificant for many of us with graying of the hair.
As we grow older and amass wisdom and wealth, we proportionately give up opportunity to enjoy those treasures. Bhagat Kabir, while writing in the Guru Granth (page 91) brings home this lesson as follows.
ਜਨਨੀ ਜਾਨਤ ਸੁਤੁ ਬਡਾ ਹੋਤੁ ਹੈ ਇਤਨਾ ਕੁ ਨ ਜਾਨੈ ਜਿ ਦਿਨ ਦਿਨ ਅਵਧ ਘਟਤੁ ਹੈ ॥
jannee jaanat sut badaa hot hai itnaa ko na jaanai je din din avaDh ghatat hai.
Every mother celebrates and takes pleasure in believing that her child is growing up with every birthday she celebrates; she does not realize that, day by day, her son’s or daughter’s life is actually diminishing by a year per birthday.
Guru Arjan brings this point home with another perspective on page 207 of the Guru Granth.
ਰਾਜੁ ਜੋਬਨੁ ਅਵਧ ਜੋ ਦੀਸੈ ਸਭੁ ਕਿਛੁ ਜੁਗ ਮਹਿ ਘਾਟਿਆ ॥
raaj joban avaDh jo deesai sabh kichh jug meh ghaati-aa.
Power and authority, youth and possessions – whatever is seen in this world, all of them are continuously fading away.
On page 247 of the Guru Granth, Guru Arjan further describes the plight of our shortsightedness in counting our growing wealth and influence as something ever-increasing:
ਹਉ ਸੰਚਉ ਹਉ ਖਾਟਤਾ ਸਗਲੀ ਅਵਧ ਬਿਹਾਨੀ ॥
ha-o sancha-o ha-o khaattaa saglee avaDh bihaanee. rahaa-o.
I think that I am earning profits and getting richer with advancing age, without realizing that my life span is declining in similar proportions.
Then, should the New Year or a new birthday be an occasion for euphoria or introspection? The answer is neither yes nor no. The answer may be qualified based on what aspect of our growth and our life span we look at.
A considerable amount of research, based on the foundational assumption of a finite human life span, has begun to focus on the concept of life span independent of yearly calendars of events. It may be called life expectancy that is spiritually rich and free of dependence on a calendar. It is rather a healthy life expectancy, an active life expectancy, a disability-free life expectancy, an altruistic life span, a functional life expectancy, and a purposeful life expectancy. A life that is gift to enjoy and that is opportunity to fulfill its fundamental objectives.
The yearly thankfulness or gratitude should inculcate appreciation of the years that are gifted to us as the number of years that we can expect to live in reasonably good health, with none or only minor disabling health conditions, and with ability to wisely use the time and resources available. That number may or may not decline with New Year or a new birthday depending on how one lives one’s life.
Guru Amar Das wrote in the Guru Granth on page 1418 that people oriented towards the divine wisdom actually do not experience age as others do.
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਬੁਢੇ ਕਦੇ ਨਾਹੀ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਾ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਗਿਆਨੁ ॥
Gurmukẖ budẖė kaḏė nāhī jinĥā anṯar suraṯ gi¬ān.
The guru oriented or those oriented to the divine wisdom as taught in the Guru Granth never become old or senile; within them resides the ever youthful intuitive understanding and spiritual wisdom.
Then the faith people like Sikhs may continue to celebrate the premise that they will continue to experience divine presence and divine hukam (defined as the sacred blue prints of life drawn by Infinite Wisdom). Year after year they may go on with sharing the bliss of creativity endowed upon them through the Infinite (vahe) Wisdom (gure). Then the life and the years will be worth living and worth celebrating.
The New Year introspection may lead us to a solemn declaration that we will endeavor further to building inner bridges to reality so that we may empower our own potential as well as help others to shift the global mind towards eternal reality.
Happy New Year from:
Harbans Lal
Arlington, Texas
Japji08@yahoo.com
Satkar jog gurmukh T.Singh jio
Sat bachan ji.
ਕਹਿ ਕਬੀਰ ਬੁਧਿ ਹਰਿ ਲਈ ਮੇਰੀ ਬੁਧਿ ਬਦਲੀ ਸਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ
It’s a change from Bharam-Jaal (illusion) to Brahm-Giaan (Divine Knowledge, Aatm-Giaan, etc.).
regards
Gurpreet Singh
Thank you Veer Ji so much.
Excellent as usuall!