KNOW WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE NEIGHBORS
ਪਾਰੋਸੀ ਕੇ ਜੋ ਹੂਆ ਤੂ ਅਪਨੇ ਭੀ ਜਾਨੁ ॥Paarosee ke jo hooya too apne bhee jaan (sggs 1373).
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The western religion of Christianity commands to "love your neighbors". The noble reason behind such commandment seems to be that if we all can selflessly love our neighbors, this earth will be a wonderful place to live. Because, we all re somebody's neighbor, and somebody is neighbor to us. But, as we can see, it's very difficult to love one's neighbors. Let alone loving them, due to the to the humdrum of daily life (worldly or deluded consciousness), people do not even know the names of their neighbors nowadays!
The Gurbani even goes one step further. Not only selfless love is essential for God's devotion, but we all must also know and remember whatever happens to our neighbors, because the same will happen to us — old-age, disease, suffering, death etc. If we can do just that, it will help us become Gurmukhs (Spiritual Being) by awakening detachment from the worldly bondage within, an essential element needed for Self-realization. But, to the contrary, we neither practice selfless love nor seem to learn from knowing whatever happens to our neighbors. In ignorance, illusion, misunderstanding (ego or Haume), and doubts we always think that "I am immune from the same happening to me whatever has happened to my neighbors. I am an immortal and others are mortals!!" To make the point, here is an interesting ancient, little story popular among spiritual people in India.
Once a demigod asked the Creator for permission to visit the earth. Upon his returning back, he reported his observations to God. He said, to his amazement, all earthly people behave as they are going to live there forever, unconcerned with whatever happens to the other people around them. And they act as they are going to stay there permanently, and never going to die and leave the earth with their earthly possessions. Each one thinks it's only the other person who will die and depart. "Not me". He reported this is the mentality of the earthly people. He was really astonished! But the Gurbani reminds our deluded mind to wake up from this dream.
- ਪਾਰੋਸੀ ਕੇ ਜੋ ਹੂਆ ਤੂ ਅਪਨੇ ਭੀ ਜਾਨੁ ॥: Paarosee ke jo hooya too apne bhee jaan (sggs 1373).
- ਕੋਠੇ ਮੰਡਪ ਮਾੜੀਆ ਲਗਿ ਪਏ ਗਾਵਾਰੀ ॥: Kothay mandap maarhee-aa lag pa-ay gaavaaree (sggs 788).
- ਫਰੀਦਾ ਕੋਠੇ ਮੰਡਪ ਮਾੜੀਆ ਉਸਾਰੇਦੇ ਭੀ ਗਏ ॥: Fareedaa kothay mandap maarhee-aa usaarayday bhee ga-ay (sggs 5).
- ਫਰੀਦਾ ਕੋਠੇ ਮੰਡਪ ਮਾੜੀਆ ਏਤੁ ਨ ਲਾਏ ਚਿਤੁ ॥: Fareedaa kothay mandap maarhee-aa ayt na laa-ay chit (sggs 1380).
- ਜਿਉ ਸੁਪਨੈ ਨਿਸਿ ਭੁਲੀਐ ਜਬ ਲਗਿ ਨਿਦ੍ਰਾ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਇਉ ਸਰਪਨਿ ਕੈ ਵਸਿ ਜੀਅੜਾ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਹਉਮੈ ਦੋਇ ॥: Jiou supanai nisi bhuleeai jabb lagg nidaraa hoi. Iou sarapani kai vasi jeearraa antar houmai doi (sggs 63).
- ਫਰੀਦਾ ਗਰਬੁ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਾ ਵਡਿਆਈਆ ਧਨਿ ਜੋਬਨਿ ਆਗਾਹ ॥ ਖਾਲੀ ਚਲੇ ਧਣੀ ਸਿਉ ਟਿਬੇ ਜਿਉ ਮੀਹਾਹੁ ॥੧੦੫॥ (sggs 1383).
- ਫਰੀਦਾ ਮੈ ਜਾਨਿਆ ਦੁਖੁ ਮੁਝ ਕੂ ਦੁਖੁ ਸਬਾਇਐ ਜਗਿ ॥ ਊਚੇ ਚੜਿ ਕੈ ਦੇਖਿਆ ਤਾਂ ਘਰਿ ਘਰਿ ਏਹਾ ਅਗਿ ॥ (sggs 1382).
- ਬਿਨੁ ਪ੍ਰੀਤੀ ਭਗਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਬਦੈ ਥਾਇ ਨ ਪਾਇ ॥: Bin preetee bhagati na hovaee bin sabadai thaaye na paai (sggs 67).
Perhaps we all can attest to this. For instance, while attending someone's funeral, we seriously reflect on life there for a while. But as soon as we leave the funeral house and reach the parking lot, we immediately start talking worldly nonsense again. Not only that, some go to the extent of planning as to where and whose house to go and drink in the evening! Our minds are confused due to constant conditioning from the childhood. Our confused mind thinks it's fully awake. But, at best, it's only partially awake. We are not fully awake. Only a Grmukh (a spiritually enlightened person) is a fully awakened being; for he is free from the past and the future. Rest of us are just dreaming.
- ਮਨਮੁਖ ਭੂਲੇ ਕਾਹੇ ਆਏ ॥: Manamukh bhoole kaahe aayi (sggs 1174).
- ਮਨ ਕਾਹੇ ਭੂਲੇ ਮੂੜ ਮਨਾ ॥: Mann kaahe bhoole moorr manaa (sggs 432).
- ਮਨਮੁਖ ਸੋਇ ਰਹੇ ਸੇ ਲੂਟੇ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸਾਬਤੁ ਭਾਈ ਹੇ ॥: Manmukh soe rehae sae loottae gurmukh saabat bhaaee hae (sggs 1024).
- ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਜਾਗੈ ਨੀਦ ਨ ਸੋਵੈ ॥: Gurmukh jaagai need na sovai (sggs 944).
- ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥ ਐਸੇ ਕਾਹੇ ਭੂਲਿ ਪਰੇ ॥ ਕਰਹਿ ਕਰਾਵਹਿ ਮੂਕਰਿ ਪਾਵਹਿ ਪੇਖਤ ਸੁਨਤ ਸਦਾ ਸੰਗਿ ਹਰੇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਕਾਚ ਬਿਹਾਝਨ ਕੰਚਨ ਛਾਡਨ ਬੈਰੀ ਸੰਗਿ ਹੇਤੁ ਸਾਜਨ ਤਿਆਗਿ ਖਰੇ ॥ ਹੋਵਨੁ ਕਉਰਾ ਅਨਹੋਵਨੁ ਮੀਠਾ ਬਿਖਿਆ ਮਹਿ ਲਪਟਾਇ ਜਰੇ ॥੧॥ ਅੰਧ ਕੂਪ ਮਹਿ ਪਰਿਓ ਪਰਾਨੀ ਭਰਮ ਗੁਬਾਰ ਮੋਹ ਬੰਧਿ ਪਰੇ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਹੋਤ ਦਇਆਰਾ ਗੁਰੁ ਭੇਟੈ ਕਾਢੈ ਬਾਹ ਫਰੇ ॥੨॥੧੦॥੯੬॥: Bilaaval Mahalaa 5 || Aise kaahe bhool pare ...:
(sggs 823).
We have different roles to play in life, and while playing them, we get so much caught up in them that we forget our True Nature as Pure Consciousness ("Joti-svaroopa") in the process. Thus, the Gurbani says that the whole world is sleeping in a perpetual slumber of unawareness. We are urged to wake up from this seemingly unending dream of ours.
- ਮਨਮੁਖ ਹਉਮੈ ਮਾਇਆ ਸੂਤੇ ॥ ਅਪਣਾ ਘਰੁ ਨ ਸਮਾਲਹਿ ਅੰਤਿ ਵਿਗੂਤੇ ॥ ਪਰ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਬਹੁ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਜਾਲੈ ਦੁਖੇ ਦੁਖਿ ਨਿਵਾਸੀ ਹੇ ॥੧੫॥: Manmukh haumai maya soote. Apnaa ghar na samaalahi ant vigoote. Par nindaa karahi bahu chintaa jaalai dukhe dukh nivaasee he ||15|| (sggs 1049).
- ਮਾਇਆ ਮੋਹਿ ਸੋਇ ਰਹੇ ਅਭਾਗੇ ॥: Maya mohi soe rehae abhaagae (sggs 375).
- ਇਕੋ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਜਾਗਤਾ ਹੋਰੁ ਜਗੁ ਸੂਤਾ ਮੋਹਿ ਪਿਆਸਿ ॥: Eiko satgur jaagataa hor jag sootaa mohi piaas: Only the True Guru (Self or God) is awake (sggs 592).
- ਮਤਵਾਰੋ ਮਾਇਆ ਸੋਇਆ ॥: Matavaaro Maya soeiaa (sggs 210).
- ਹਉ ਸੁਤੀ ਪਿਰੁ ਜਾਗਣਾ ਕਿਸ ਕਉ ਪੂਛਉ ਜਾਇ ॥: Hau sutee pir jaaganaa kis ko pooshhau jaae (sggs 54).
- ਜਾਗ ਲੇਹੁ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਜਾਗ ਲੇਹੁ ਕਹਾ ਗਾਫਲ ਸੋਇਆ ॥: Jaag laehu rae manaa jaag laehu kahaa gaafal soeiaa (sggs 726).
— T. Singh
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