The Gurbani manifested from
the Divine Hukam. Accordingly, it soars to the vivid heights of subtlety. When
the Divine Hukam expresses through the true and the wise ones (God-Realized Beings),
it becomes Bani or Gurbani.
The Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS) makes it very clear that the Hukam, Shabad,
Guru, God, Naam (Lord's Name), Divine Light, Word, etc., are virtually synonymous.
Further, the Gurbani makes it very clear that the Hukam, Shabad, or Naam pervades
the entire creation. It permeates the universe as butter in the milk, and fire
in the wood. It is the unstruck celestial sound current that vibrates, creates,
guides, controls, directs, sustains, and animates every particle of the cosmos.
The Gurbani declares
that everything and everybody in the universe is controlled by God's Hukam or
Eternal Law. None can escape it. What it means is that to be in His Hukam is the
same as to be connected to His Shabad or Naam. To put it otherwise, the intuitive
understanding of God's Hukam is the realization of His Shabad or Naam. Therefore,
the Shabad is Hukam and the Hukam is Shabad (or Naam).
As
such, each and every word of the Gurbani is the Waheguru's Hukam or Hukamnaamaa,
otherwise it would not have been included in the SGGS. If a particular Shabad
is called the Hukamnaamaa of the day, does it mean that rest of the Gurbani is
non-Hukamnaamaa for that day?
Therefore,
as we can see, to call a particular stenza selected by randomly opening a page
a "Hukamnaamaa" is a fallacy. This is how the simpletons are led by
the Pujaaree group (priests) to perform rituals and cermonies from which Baabaa
Nanak tried to free us. The fact is that each and every Word or Shabad of SGGS
is Hukamanaamaa; for it is given to the mankind to hear and read, to perceive
and believe, and than contemplate and become one with it.
Unfortunately,
we expect everything ready-made, including sublime thing such as Hukam (i.e.,
Naam, Shabad, God, etc.). For example, instead of doing Kirtan ourselves, we like
some one else to do it for us (e.g., hired Raagees or Bhais, etc.); instead of
doing Paath ourselves (reading of SGGS), we like to hire Paathees (professional
readers) to do it for us; or instead of reading Gurbani ourselves, we like some
one else to read it and then pass it on to us; and so on.
The
true and wise ones tell us to remember one thing: If we want something as sublime
as God and want it cheaply in the form of a "ready-made" package, we put ourselves
in a position to be cheated and fooled!
The
purpose of reading or listening to scriptures is to develop Divine Understanding,
and then act upon it. If that does not happen, then, according to the the Gurbani,
there is no difference between a human being engaged in reading or listening to
scriptures and a beast engaged in filling its belly.
In
addition to Divine Grace -- which is ever oresent within all -- personal efforts
are must for spiritual realization. If some one does not know Gurmukhi, the SGGS
has been written and traslated into many languages. The Gurbani is Gian-Kalaa
(source of Knowledge). The ultimate purpose of reading the Gurbani must be attaining
its intuitive understanding, without which, as the Gurbani says, one cannot
re-discover his relationship with the Timeless Reality.
Therefore,
with utmost love and devotion we must read the SGGS ourselves, we must do the
Kirtan ourselves, we must do the Paath ourselves, and the same time try to understand
it! The important thing is not how much we read or how many Akhand Paaths we perform
or participate in, rather, the important thing is how much we understand! Because
the Sikhi is the Way of the Soul, Sahaj Maarag; not the way of the stubborn
mindedness!
Today,
technology is helping bring the Gurmat into the homes of millions of people,
Sikhs and otherwise. There is a blessing in all this of course, but there is a
real danger that one will fall under the impression that owning a holy book or
having a database (on the computer or internet) is equivalent to having a true
understandingbeing of the Gurbani. This is a great fallacy.
Therefore, it goes without saying that the database on the internet or computer
discs is merely a tool, and not a substitute for learning, Karnee and Amal.
For some reason, if someone is absolutely in no position to read the
SGGS oneself or for some reason you have no access to SGGS at all, a few cyber links are provided below.
