DO DEEDS ORDAINED BY THE GURU;
DON'T CHASE AFTER HIS ACTIONS
Do those deeds which the Guru has ordained.
Why are you chasing after the Guru's actions?
O Nanak, through the Guru's Teachings,
merge in the True Lord ||27|| (sggs 933).
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Let's try digesting the above verse before proceeding further with this Gurbani Reflection. Throughout his life, this author heard preaching, claims or statements to the contrary. That is, if the Guru ate this, then what's wrong me eating it; if the Guru drank this, then what's wrong me drinking it; if the Guru did this or that, then what's wrong me doing the same. Here the Gur-Shabad is indicating the opposite to be true — follow and do the Guru's Words (Gurmat, Teaching, etc.); don't chase after the Guru's actions.

Our thick, raw or unripe Haume (false ego-sense) may not find itself to be in accord with what's being stated in the forgoing Shabads of the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS), but that does not change the Truth revealed to us in the Gur-Shabad. The Guru's job is to remove our false ego-sense; not to inflate it or create anew one.

So the Gur-Shabad simply states here that it's not the Guru's actions but the Guru's Words (Upadesa, Teaching, Speech or Gurmat etc.) something to be lived. Accordingly, the SGGS also indicates that the true Sikhs are those who have understood to live Sikhi by learning it through the Gur-Vichaar (contemplating or reflecting on the Guru's Teaching or Words): isKI isiKAw gur vIcwir — Sikhee sikhiaa gur veechaar (sggs 465).

Why do we think the Gur-Shabad is saying what it's saying here — don't chase after the Guru's actions, instead, chase after His Teachings and act accordingly? Actions (Karanee) are external, but the Word (Gur-Shabad) emanates from the inner depth or from the Primal Source, which is beyond the surface level.

However, the mind of the majority of (the 99.9 percent category) of us lack the subtlety needed to grasp or understand the Guru's Words or His actions. The instinctive mind plays tricks on us. And it has many ways to do so.

The true Guru or the Mahatmaa (not the bogus ones, swindlers etc.) is the one who has transcended all desires by realizing the True Self within ("Joti-Svaroopa" or Pure Consciousness). He still eats and sleep, but for a true Guru or the Mahatmaa, this cannot be called a desire. He does so only to maintain His body. He has no material desires other than selflessly helping rest of us grow spiritually. Hence, during His stay on this earth, whatever He does is for the Divine Cause only, not to gratify His personal senses or desires.

In the same way He will perform certain actions to teach, guide or advice the rest of us. Similarly, He will speak the language of the land in which He is born and brought up. Likewise He may consume a particular food or drink depending on the culture in which He was raised. Also, He may act in certain ways.

But, actions or Words of the true Mahatmaa are enlightened. For He is established in the Supreme Knowledge (Braham Giaan). Many times, Mahatmaas perform actions according to the circumstances and situations prevailing at a particular time, and the devotion and the spiritual level of devotees they are trying to help grow spiritually.

For example Baabaa Nanak traveled all the way to Mecca. If we recall, there He performed extraordinary actions (Kautak) — for example, Mecca rotated as His feet were moved away from the Mecca when he politely requested angary Mullahs to move his feet where there is no God. He did not make Mecca to rotate to impress upon devotees there, but to teach, advice or guide them so that they could grow spiritually. It was an act of total selflessness.

Now imagine if some of us say, "well, if Baabaa Nanak went to Mecca and did this Kautak, then we should also go there and do the same."Guess what will be the result of such undertaking. We will be thrown behind the bars by the royal guards there! Conside this recent example — in India, the act of a chief of a Deraa became an instrument in creating so much unnecessary tension, disharmony, ill-feelings and violence when reportedly one day he decided to, externally or physically, imitate and pose like Guru Gobind Singh Jee (Rees: rIs)! The Gurbani says that the best way to become like the Guru is to become like His Bani or Word: "gurbwxI bxIAY".

However, we can use the teaching, advice or guidance offered by the actions of the Guru. For example, consider this message imparted by that Kautak at Mecca — the same One God equally pervades everywhere in all directions. In other words, God is not present only in certain direction or at certain place. But He infinitely pervades equally in the entire creation as omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience Power and extols His unequalled greatness. It's the blind- mind that limits the Presence of God to certain time, certain place, certain direction etc.

Baabaa Nanak performed many similar selfless Kautaks throughout His life. Mahatmaas do so to help us learn and grow spiritually. Mahatmmas are beyond effects of the three qualities and aspects of Maya. Their actions are selfless, coupled with love and compassion for suffering humanity. As such, they only want to help embodied beings to grow spiritually. That's their job. By doing this job, as the Gurbani says, sometime the Master-God can kill a being and then revive. Can we do that?

Since actions of the true Mahatmaas are selfless (devoid of personal demands, agenda or desires), we can be inspired by the Teaching, advice or guidance they offer to us. They can help us transcend our own selfishness, wickedness and narrow-mindedness. But it's all up to us as to how we grasp them and understand them. For example, in the foregoing example of Baabaa Nanak at Mecca, just think about His selflessness. How difficult and dangerous the travel to Mecca from India would have been in those days! But against all odds he still went there. Not for His own selfish desires but to help others. Such selfless love and compassion can really inspire one if one is open and receptive to the real Message.

In other words, if we can grasp and understand the selflessness behind the Mahtmaa's actions, we can learn to be loving and compassionate to other beings. After all Dharma is the off-spring of compassion — DOlu Drmu dieAw kw pUq (sggs 3). Simply put: one cannot live a Dhaarmic life without selfless love and compassion.

In fact, the SGGS emphasizes not to become Karamkaandee. For its on account of the actions committed (Karma), we separate ourselves or drift further apart from Truth!

As far as Words of the Mahatmaa go, they are never empty and external. They are Eternal or Immortal — true in the past, true now, and will be true in the future. These Words emanate from the depths of their personal experience of the Truth (also called God, True Self, Pure Awareness etc.), beyond the surface level. So SGGS urges us — by becoming properly receptive to them — to take these Words into our very fiber: "Do those deeds which the Guru has ordained. Why are you chasing after the Guru's actions?"

To take refuge in the Guru/God or to surrender to the Guru/God simply means to take His Words into our very fiber. When we so take refuge in Him, His power and Grace begins to flow into us, and our Haume or false ego-sense begins to thin out. In other words, compliance to the Guru's Words or doing "those deeds which the Guru has ordained" destroy one's false ego-sense.

Thus, in short, the Guru's Words are like the road map with instructions to realize the real purpose of this human birth — Self Realization (Aatm Bodh, Aatm Giaan, Braham-Giaan, Param Anand, Param Purakhataa, Jeevanmukti, Gurmukhtaa, Jeevan Pada, Poorantaa or Perfection, Divine Life etc.). Accordingly, the SGGS repeatedly emphasizes to die in the Gur-Shabad — to live or to become one with the Word.

T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

To read Gurbani verses in Gurmukhi, click here to download Gurmukhi font.
Updated on Friday, November 30, 2007 12:21 PM PST

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