The Creator, Kartaa Purakh, is not created by any external force. Since He has no previous Mayaic efforts, He is devoid of any Vaasnaas - undigested desires, old habits and memory, conditioning, etc. Hence the Unmanifest is of the nature of Pure Awareness. Being Spiritual Essence, He is Unborn and Timeless. Therefore, He has no physical body or form; because the cause that gives rise to the physical body does not exist in Him.

• ਘਟ ਮਹਿ ਖੇਲੈ ਅਘਟ ਅਪਾਰ ॥: Ghat mahi khele aghat apaar (sggs 930).

Although the Transcendent is Uncreated, but He is said to be the Creator of all beings. He is the one who commissions the Universe, including all Jeeva (individual beings). As such, this entire Cosmic system functions under His Divine Command called Hukam (Divine Will, Order, etc.) in the Gurbani (sggs).

Since the Creator is of the Spiritual Substance, then surely the Soul must be of the same Spiritual Substance (Joti-Svaroopa) as that of which it was created. For example, all waves in the ocean must be made of the same water. However, in addition to Spiritual Substance (Soul), we, the mortal beings, also have material body! Which leads us to the following question: from where does this physical body come into being? What is that cause which give rise to body-consciousness and subsequent world-appearance? In this context, this Gurbani Reflection will attempt to reflect on the followings:

• How body-consciousness comes into being.
• Living with body-consciousness - 'I-am-the-body' idea.
• Freedom from body-consciousness.

How Body-Consciousness Comes Into Being.

The Creator being the cause of this diversified creation, and the Creator Himself having no physical body, the Jeeva (individual beings) are also of the same nature. As revealed in the scriptures, all Jeeva belong to the Lord's Spiritual Substance (Joti-Svaroopa); which is formless, bodiless, without any materiality. Thus, in truth, there is no difference between Jeeva and the ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss of the Spirit - the Divine Essence.

• ਇਉ ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਮਨ ਤੂੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪੁ ਹੈ ਅਪਣਾ ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥੫॥: Iou kahai Nanaku man toon joti saroopu hai apanaa moolu pashaanu ||5|| (sggs 441).
• ਆਤਮ ਮਹਿ ਰਾਮੁ ਰਾਮ ਮਹਿ ਆਤਮੁ ਚੀਨਸਿ ਗੁਰ ਬੀਚਾਰਾ ॥: Aatam mahi Raamu Raam mahi aatamu cheenasi Gur beechaaraa (sggs 1153).
• Tat tvam asi: Thou art That (Vedas).

This leads us to the following Spiritual Inquiry: since our Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...) is Formless and we are That - "Joti-Svaroopa" - than how did we become encaged in this material body? Scriptures give us explanation as to how we ended up holding the bag for this bad bargain!

• ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਜਾਨੈ ਮੁਝ ਤੇ ਕਛੁ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਤਬ ਇਸ ਕਉ ਸੁਖੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਜਬ ਇਹ ਜਾਨੈ ਮੈ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਰਤਾ ॥ ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਗਰਭ ਜੋਨਿ ਮਹਿ ਫਿਰਤਾ ॥ ਜਬ ਧਾਰੈ ਕੋਊ ਬੈਰੀ ਮੀਤੁ ॥ ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਨਿਹਚਲੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਚੀਤੁ ॥ ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਮੋਹ ਮਗਨ ਸੰਗਿ ਮਾਇ ॥ ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਧਰਮ ਰਾਇ ਦੇਇ ਸਜਾਇ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਤੇ ਬੰਧਨ ਤੂਟੈ ॥ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਉ ਛੂਟੈ ॥੪॥: Jab lag jaanai mujh te kashoo hoi ...(sggs 278).

Based on the edict of the Gurbani, Jeeva (individual being) is intoxicated with the emotional attachment to Maya which gives rise to false ego, in which the birth of body and its death is seen. Also, it is this egoism in which the mirage-like world-appearance is seen. Now, what is Maya and false ego? Since Maya is the seed of false ego, first let's try looking into Maya.

• ਕੀਤਾ ਪਸਾਉ ਏਕੋ ਕਵਾਉ ॥: Keeta pasaao eko kavaao (sggs 3).
• ਏਹੁ ਸਰੀਰੁ ਸਭ ਮੂਲੁ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ॥ ਦੂਜੈ ਭਾਇ ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਇਆ ॥: Ih sareer sabh mool hai Maya. Doojai bhaai bharme bhulaaiaa (sggs 1065).
• ਤ੍ਰਿਹੁ ਗੁਣ ਬੰਧੀ ਦੇਹੁਰੀ ਜੋ ਆਇਆ ਜਗਿ ਸੋ ਖੇਲੁ ॥: Trih gun bandhee dehuree jo aaiaa jag so khel (sggs 21).

In Sanskrit, Maya literally means "that which is not" - "ma" means not, "ya" means that. It's like a mirage which appears to be a very real river of water! It is the Cosmic Charmer, the mistress of illusion, the conductor of phantasmagoria of the unfolding material world, and the source of phenomena which produces the impossible.

• ਮਾਧਵੇ ਕਿਆ ਕਹੀਐ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਐਸਾ ॥ ਜੈਸਾ ਮਾਨੀਐ ਹੋਇ ਨ ਤੈਸਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥: Maadhve kiaa kaheeai bhram aisaa. Jaisaa maaneeai hoi na taisaa ||1||Rahaaou|| (sggs 657).
• ਬਾਬਾ ਮਾਇਆ ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਇ ॥: Baabaa Maya bharam bhulaai (sggs 60).

Thus, Maya is the root of ignorance of the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...). In other words, it is Maya's deception that gives rise to false ego, thoughts-stuff called mind, or duality (Doojaa Bhaav). As we can see, the Maya, ignorance, ego, duality, thoughts or mind are mere words, but in reality they all are one and the same. It is this Maya, the inherent power of God, which is responsible for the manifestation of this phenomenal material world of names and forms - the subject-object relationship or the principle of duality.

• ਦੂਜੀ ਮਾਇਆ ਜਗਤ ਚਿਤ ਵਾਸੁ ॥: Doojee maya jagat chit vaas (sggs 223).

Being inherently ignorant, Maya gives rise to false notions, which identifies the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...) with the form. On account of this Mool-forgetfulness, the form freezes into the physical shape. Hence the body appears to come into being (rise), though the Self does not so arise. Although unreal, the beings are imagined by the thoughts-stuff (mind or false ego) to be real, producing realistic results or consequence, just as sexual enjoyment in a dream does. Or just as goblins though formless are seen to have forms on account of the perceiver's delusion.

• ਇਹੁ ਸਰੀਰੁ ਮਾਇਆ ਕਾ ਪੁਤਲਾ ਵਿਚਿ ਹਉਮੈ ਦੁਸਟੀ ਪਾਈ ॥: Ih sareer maya kaa putlaaa vich haumai dustaee paaee (sggs 31).

Thus, the birth of false ego is called the birth of a person. Now, what is false ego? The present is a product of the past, with past Karma providing the blueprint for the present. All Mayaic efforts leave tendencies (Vaasnaas) as their end result in the doer's individual personality, called false ego. As these Vaasnaas mature, they become impatient to express and exhaust themselves; and for this new forms and new environments may be needed. The false ego, thus, is the material identity that the Spirit Soul accepts upon entering a material body. In other words, individuality or false ego means accepting this material body as the Mool. This false ego is the cause that gives rise to thoughts or mind, and after mind the body-consciousness arises and then the body is seen. Simply put: One's Mayaic doubts (ਭਰਮ) are the cause for his material body.

• ਹਉਮੈ ਸਭੁ ਸਰੀਰੁ ਹੈ ਹਉਮੈ ਓਪਤਿ ਹੋਇ ॥: Haumai sabh sareer hai hayumai opati hoe: Ego is within all the bodies (sggs 560).

The Pure Consciousness is the Substratum (Adhaar) of everything in the universe. We are the True Image of That Formless Awareness. When our false ego tries to give this Pure Awareness name and form, the trouble arises. And that trouble is the movement of the thoughts (mind) manifesting in the notion of division, diversity, or townies (duality); which gives rise to the world-appearance. This is also called mental conditioning. Thus, the mind conditioned by the perception of duality sees diversity, which, in turn, hides the Reality. In other words, by associating with the duality, one loses Divine Understanding. This loosening of Divine Understanding gives rise to Spiritual ignorance or false ego, followed by mind and body-consciousness.

• ਹਉ ਵਿਚਿ ਆਇਆ ਹਉ ਵਿਚਿ ਗਇਆ ॥ ਹਉ ਵਿਚਿ ਜੰਮਿਆ ਹਉ ਵਿਚਿ ਮੁਆ ॥: Haouu vichi aaiaa haouu vichi gaiaa. Haou vichi jammiaa haouu vichi muaa (sggs 466).
• ਦੂਜੀ ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਆਖੈ ਦੋਇ ॥ ਆਵੈ ਜਾਇ ਮਰਿ ਦੂਜਾ ਹੋਇ ॥੨॥ ਧਰਣਿ ਗਗਨ ਨਹ ਦੇਖਉ ਦੋਇ ॥ ਨਾਰੀ ਪੁਰਖ ਸਬਾਈ ਲੋਇ ॥੩॥: Doojee durmat aakhai doi. Aavai jaayi mar doojaa hoi ||2||. Dharan gagan nah dekhaou doi. Naaree purakh sabaaee loi ||3|| (sggs 223).

The material body has no factual existence in relation to the Eternal, Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...). It's like a dream, in which one may see himself as a king of the entire world or a beggar. But, when he wakes up he can see that neither he is a beggar nor a king. This material world or body is the reflection of the Spiritual World, thus a shadow of the Reality. In shadow there is no reality. It's like liquor which makes one see all sorts of phantoms in the empty sky. Similarly, the deluded mind is able to make one see diversity in the unity. Just as a drunkard person sees objects moving, the ignorant one sees movement in this world. Thus, the mind is able to veil the All pervading, Pure, Eternal, and Infinite Consciousness, making us to confuse it with this inert physical body. It's like drinking water in the mirage!

• ਪਈ ਠਗਉਰੀ ਹਰਿ ਸੰਗਿ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥: Paee thagaouree Hari sang na jaaniaa (sggs 1139).

With the rise of false ego comes the mistake of identifying the Infinite, Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...) with the finite form of the body. The physical body being the product of Maya has the following defects of delusion: It is born, it exists, it grows, it changes, it decays, and finally it is annihilated. Thus, subject to constant change, the material body in itself is neither eternal, nor full of Knowledge, nor Bliss. Consequently, all sufferings experienced in this world are said to be the result of the material body.

• ਕਹਿ ਕਬੀਰ ਜਿਸੁ ਉਦਰੁ ਤਿਸੁ ਮਾਇਆ ॥ : Kahi Kabeer jis udar tis maya (sggs 1160).

Now, perhaps we can put all pieces of the puzzle together. First there is Pure Being and then Maya. Then rises Aatmaan , false ego, thoughts, mind, body-consciousness, body, and world-appearance. Again, these are mere words, in reality they all are synonymous. All these names rise from the One Pure Awareness, remain sustained in the Pure Awareness, and merge back into the same Homogeneous Oneness. Nothing can remain apart from the Totality. For example, all waves of different names and shapes rise from the one ocean, remain sustained in the same ocean, and then fall back into that one ocean. Apart from the ocean, all waves have no independent existence of their own.

• ਸਭੁ ਗੋਬਿੰਦੁ ਹੈ ਸਭੁ ਗੋਬਿੰਦੁ ਹੈ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਬਿਨੁ ਨਹੀ ਕੋਈ: Sabh Gobind hai sabh Gobind hai Gobind bin nahee koee (sggs 485).

 Living With Body-Consciousness - "I-Am-The-Body" Idea

"I-am-the-body" idea is the sense of doership and enjoyership which constitutes the individualized ego. Thus, "I-am-the-body" idea is the first misapprehension projected by the spiritually ignorant Maya, the non-apprehension of the Reality. This is the egocentric self-consciousness that is a mere superimposition upon the Pure Awareness. To understand this phenomenon of mutual superimposition, we can take the example of iron that is black in color and cold to the touch. But when the piece of same iron is placed in the fire, it becomes golden in color and hot to the touch. The golden color and heat of the fire are superimposed upon the black and cold iron. However, in their mirage like wedlock, the iron and fire present themselves to our perception as golden and hot. Similarly, the movement in the Pure Awareness is the rise of false ego, or thoughts shining in the light of Pure Awareness gives us a vivid illusion of an intelligent sense of individuality. This mirage like wedlock between the Pure Awareness of the Self and the inert inner equipment (Antahakaran) gives rise to the body-consciousness or "I-am-the-body" idea.

• ਮਨੁ ਤਨੁ ਫੀਕਾ ਦੂਜੈ ਭਾਇ ॥: Mann tann feekaa doojai bhaai (sggs 230).

According to the Gurbani, of all our most inveterate concepts or beliefs, the idea that "I-am-the-body" is the worst. With the body-consciousness arises the world of names and forms, followed by all sorts of concepts about God, desires, fears, religions, rituals, ceremonies, all sorts of systems, and so on. Thus, "I-am-the-body" idea is the most calamitous; for it blinds us completely to our True Nature (Joti-Svaroopa). That's why the scriptures call the false ego the greatest disease.

Like a pendulum, the mind constantly swings between the Reality (Infinite Consciousness) and the unreality (inertness). When the mind contemplates the inert objects for sometime, it assumes their characteristic of inertness. This mental division occurs when the Infinite Consciousness becomes the object of the mind. This is to say that the false concept of "I-am-the-body" arises when the Cosmic Spirit due to Self-forgetfulness views itself as the object of perception. Arises with the body-consciousness is the phenomenal world of names and shapes, movements, and the resulting miseries. The Gurbani asks us:

• ਐਸੇ ਕਾਹੇ ਭੂਲਿ ਪਰੇ ॥: Aise kaahe bhooli pare (sggs 823).

After the false ego has arisen, the wrong identity with the body arises. The mind (thoughts-stuff) is the projection of the false ego, and the body is the projection of the mind. The result is the "I-am-the-body" idea. To put it otherwise, the body is for the non-self which imagines itself separate from the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...). Taking ourselves the body, we then identify others with the physical bodies as well. In reality, we are the Spirit in Truth, without which this body is dreadful.

• ਸੁੰਞੀ ਦੇਹ ਡਰਾਵਣੀ ਜਾ ਜੀਉ ਵਿਚਹੁ ਜਾਇ ॥: Sunjhee deh draavanee jaa jeeou vichahu jaai (sggs 19).

This physical body is likened to a tree: arms for the branches, torso for the trunk, nine "gates" for holes, head for fruits, numerous diseases for leaves. As a tree is the resting place for many, the body is also a resting place for living beings. This tree of body is born in the forest of repeated birth and death (Sansaar). The restless monkey (mind) jumps from one branch to the other, it is the abode of worms (worries or anxieties), it is constantly eaten by the insects (suffering and pains), it shelters the poisonous snakes (cravings), and wild crow (anger) dwells on it. On this tree of the body are the flowers (laughter), and fruits (good and evil). It appears to be animated by the wind (Praan or life-force), it shelters the wild birds (senses). This tree of the body is habitually visited by the traveler (desire and fear), for it provides the shade (of passing pleasure). A formidable vulture (false ego) is seated on top it. It is hollow and empty.

• ਮ੍ਰਿਗ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਗੰਧਰਬ ਨਗਰੰ ਦ੍ਰੁਮ ਛਾਯਾ ਰਚਿ ਦੁਰਮਤਿਹ ॥ (sggs 1356).
• ਹਉਮੈ ਮੋਹੁ ਉਪਜੈ ਸੰਸਾਰਾ ॥: Haumai moh upjai sansaraa (sggs 1057).

This human body is like a city with nine gates (two eyes, two years, two nostrils, one mouth, the anus and the genitals). Defiled by the false ego, these gates pour out filth. Material body by itself is inert. It becomes enlivened only when the Spirit Soul is infused in it. Without the Spirit Soul, this body is nothing more than nine holes in the flesh and bones! The mind free to escape through these defiled holes binds the Soul in the clutches of illusory bondage. This is why it is said that all miseries and distress experienced in this world are born of this material body.

• ਨਵੇ ਛਿਦ੍ਰ ਸ੍ਰਵਹਿ ਅਪਵਿਤ੍ਰਾ ॥: Nave shidra sravahi apvitraa (sggs 998).

How these nine gates get an embodied Soul in trouble is beautifully explained with many examples in the scriptures. For instance, the elephant is caught and enslaved by exciting his sexual urges; due to misuse of eyes, the moth is attracted to light and gets burnt; due to uncontrolled urge of listening, the dear is caught by bell's music; the fish opens her mouth to eat "bate" and gets caught; and due to uncontrolled urge of nose for smell, the black bee gets entrapped in the flower and kills itself.

Thus, "I-am-the-body" idea binds the Jeeva to the material plane. Our brooding over objects of the senses causes attachment to them. From such attachment, lust or craving manifest; from unfulfilled lust or craving, anger arises; from anger, mental delusion arises; from delusion comes bewilderment or loss of memory of the true Self; the loss of such memory causes loss of intelligence or the discriminating faculty; upon loss of intelligence or discrimination, one falls down into the body or material consciousness; which, in turn, brings annihilation of one's Divine Life.

• ਕਾਮ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਮਾਇਆ ਕੇ ਲੀਨੇ ਇਆ ਬਿਧਿ ਜਗਤੁ ਬਿਗੂਤਾ ॥: Kaama krodh maya ke leene yiaa bidhi jagat bigoota (sggs 338).

According to the Gurbani, the hiding places of desire and fear are within the physical senses, mind, and intelligence. Since mind is the center of all the activities of our senses, when senses become attracted toward the lust, mind becomes the source of all ideas of sense gratification. Consequently, the mind and the senses become the repositories of lust. Since the intelligence is the next-door neighbor to the mind, the faculty of intelligence then becomes the capital of such lustful propensities. Then, the lusty propensities of the intelligence influences the next-door neighbor Spirit Soul to acquire the false ego and identify itself with the material body. This false ego, in turn, becomes addicted to enjoying material senses and mistakes this as true happiness.

• ਕਹਉ ਕਹਾ ਅਪਨੀ ਅਧਮਾਈ ॥ ਉਰਝਿਓ ਕਨਕ ਕਾਮਨੀ ਕੇ ਰਸ ਨਹ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਗਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥: Kahaou kahaa apnee adhmaaee. Urjgio kanak kaamnee ke ras nah keerati prabh gaaee ||1||Rahaoou|| (sggs 718).

The person who identifies himself with the body-consciousness, this material body becomes the field ("Khet") of binding activities or Maya for him. Based on our Vaasnaas, the conditioned mind wants to enjoy sense gratification, which is the "planting" of the body-field. Between birth and death, whatever a conditioned mind plants, one eats.

• ਜੇਹਾ ਬੀਜੈ ਸੋ ਲੁਣੈ ਕਰਮਾ ਸੰਦੜਾ ਖੇਤੁ ॥: Jehaa beejai so lunai karma sandarhaa khetu (sggs 134).

All body-bound Vaasnaas of subtle nature make the mind expand, resulting in suffering. On the other hand, the Supreme Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...) is simply Being. He is free of suffering as there is no Vaasnaas in Him. Seen thusly, suffering is not eternal. However, trouble starts when the Self is confounded with the body, resulting in expression of Vaasnaas through false ego, mind and body. All such subtle impressions of one's past actions then turn into mental concepts. As with all mental concepts, frustration and suffering is inevitable.

• ਦੁਖੁ ਸੁਖੁ ਦੀਆ ਜੇਹਾ ਕੀਆ ਸੋ ਨਿਬਹੈ ਜੀਅ ਨਾਲੇ ॥: Dukh sukh deeaa jehaa keeaa so nibahai jeea naale: God bestows pain and pleasure, according to the deeds done; the record of these actions stays with the Soul (sggs 581).

Based on the forgoing discussion, the universe and its experience is born with the body and perish with the body. It has its beginning and end in the Infinite Consciousness, but the Infinite Consciousness knows no birth or death. In other words, birth and death is of the body only; for that which is born must die. Thus, life and death, joy and sorrows, pain and pleasure, etc., are real to the man in body-consciousness only. What comes and goes has no Reality. What is real never dies, and that which dies is never real. Thus, body and the Spirit Soul are two separate entities. The body comes and goes, but the Spirit Soul is eternal, free of birth and death. To the man aware of this Truth, birth and death are all in the world-play ("Jagat Tamaashaa"), as unreal as the show itself. Such a man of immaterial intelligence, detached witness or observer, is already dead while living in the body (Jeevanmukta).

• ਜਨਮ ਮਰਨ ਕਾ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਗਇਆ ਗੋਬਿਦ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਗੀ ॥ ਜੀਵਤ ਸੁੰਨਿ ਸਮਾਨਿਆ ਗੁਰ ਸਾਖੀ ਜਾਗੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥: Janam maran kaa bhram gaiaa Gobind liv laagee. Jeevan sunn samaaniaa gur saakhee jaagee ||1||Rahhaou|| (sggs 857).

False ego associated with the body-consciousness is the foremost evil; and all beings in this world are afflicted with this evil. In body-consciousness, all worldly relationships become bondage; all enjoyments turn into great disease; all desires for happiness is only mirage; one's own senses and mind become his worst enemy; man's wisdom goes weak; all Mayaic actions performed in ignorance (doubts) lead to unhappiness and mental restlessness; truthful living is not to be seen; love and compassion are not to be found in people's heart; people display unhappiness at the prosperity and happiness of others; weakness overtakes strength; cowardice overpowers courage; Kusang (bad association) becomes easily available while theShabad-Vichaar is hard to come by. In body-consciousness, the Reality thus becomes unreal and unknown.

• ਦੁਰਜਨੁ ਦੂਜਾ ਭਾਉ ਹੈ ਵੇਛੋੜਾ ਹਉਮੈ ਰੋਗੁ ॥: Durjan doojaa bhaav hai veshoraa haumai rog (sggs 1094).

In ignorance of Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...), man binds himself to other material bodies such as wife, children, parents, friends, etc. In bodily concept, he knows not that this world is a large show where countless people come together fortuitously - they whom he calls his wife, children, friends, brothers, etc., among them.

• ਮਾਤ ਪਿਤਾ ਭਾਈ ਸੁਤ ਬਨਿਤਾ ਹਿਤੁ ਲਾਗੋ ਸਭ ਫਨ ਕਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥: Maat pitaa bhaai sut banita hit laago sabh fann kaa ||1||Rahaaou|| (sggs 1253).

This material world is like a potter's wheel: it looks stand still, though it revolves at a tremendous speed. Just so, to the body-conscious person this world appears to be stable, though in fact it is ever changing. Thus whatever appears to be permanent or transient in this world is all like a dream.

• ਜਿਉ ਸੁਪਨਾ ਅਰੁ ਪੇਖਨਾ ਐਸੇ ਜਗ ਕਉ ਜਾਨਿ ॥ ਇਨ ਮੈ ਕਛੁ ਸਾਚੋ ਨਹੀ ਨਾਨਕ ਬਿਨੁ ਭਗਵਾਨ ॥੨੩॥: Jiou supanaa ar pekhanaa aise jag kaou jaan. In mai kashu saacho nahee Nanak binu Bhagvaan ||23|| (sggs 553).
  • ਸਾਧੋ ਇਹੁ ਤਨੁ ਮਿਥਿਆ ਜਾਨਉ ॥ ਯਾ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਜੋ ਰਾਮੁ ਬਸਤੁ ਹੈ ਸਾਚੋ ਤਾਹਿ ਪਛਾਨੋ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥: Saadho ih tann mithiaa jaano. Yaa bheetar jo Ram basat hai saacho taahi pashaano ||1||Rahaaou| (sggs 1186).
  Thus, to take this body as the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...) is the gravest mistake one can make. According to the scriptures, our chance of linking with the Infinite Consciousness depends on recognizing our True Identification. If we miss this point, that is, if we blunder in recognizing our True Nature (Joti-Svaroopa), then we will be lost in the pitch darkness of body-consciousness or material existence.
  • ਸਾਕਤ ਨਿਰਗੁਣਿਆਰਿਆ ਆਪਣਾ ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥ ਰਕਤੁ ਬਿੰਦੁ ਕਾ ਇਹੁ ਤਨੋ ਅਗਨੀ ਪਾਸਿ ਪਿਰਾਣੁ ॥: Saakat nirgunaariaa apnaa moolu pashaanu. Rakatu bindu kaa ihu tano agnee paasi piraanu (sggs 63).
  Freedom From Bodily-Consciousness

  There is nothing but One Pure Awareness which illumines all names and forms, as well as all perceptions of the outer world and the inner mind. Nothing can remain apart from this Absolute Reality. For instance, the movement or disturbance on the surface of the ocean gives rise to all kinds of waves. In the end they all merge back into the ocean, as it were. Apart from the ocean they have no independent existence. It will be ignorance for a wave to think it is independent of the ocean! Thus, the names and forms have validity so long we are conscious of them through our false ego. When we shift our false ego towards its Source, the Pure Awareness, the names and forms merge back into the Totality, as it were!

  • ਸਾਗਰ ਮਹਿ ਬੂੰਦ ਬੂੰਦ ਮਹਿ ਸਾਗਰੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਬੁਝੈ ਬਿਧਿ ਜਾਣੈ ॥ ਉਤਭੁਜ ਚਲਤ ਆਪਿ ਕਰਿ ਚੀਨੈ ਆਪੇ ਤਤੁ ਪਛਾਣੈ ॥੧॥: Saagar mahi boond boond mahi saagar kavan bujhai bidhi jaanai ... (sggs 878).
  In simple terms, body-consciousness is nothing but the delusion of sense enjoyment. All worldly enjoyments are delusion, like the lunatic's enjoyment of the taste of fruits reflected in a mirror, or like drinking water of the mirage, or like seeing snow on the sun, or like a barren woman's son, or like seeing a pie in the sky, or like building castles in the air, or like imagining oil in the roasted seeds or sand-grains. Nevertheless, most of us expect permanent happiness from this impermanent body!
  • ਫਰੀਦਾ ਦਿਲੁ ਰਤਾ ਇਸੁ ਦੁਨੀ ਸਿਉ ਦੁਨੀ ਨ ਕਿਤੈ ਕੰਮਿ ॥: Fareedaa dil ratta is dunee siyu dunee na kitai kamm (sggs 1383).
  If sense pleasure is the body, suffering is its head. The more one enjoys, the more he will suffer. But, interestingly enough, all of us in this illusory bondage inexorably pursue the illusive pleasures of the senses under the belief 'I-am-the-body'. Thus, to live in a mere body-consciousness is the man's sad fall into a low state. All scriptures and the Spiritual Teachers agree on this one point, and they tell us it's man's paramount duty to understand his degradation and reclaim himself from this state of object-slavery.
  • ਸੁਖ ਕਉ ਮਾਗੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਦੁਖੁ ਨ ਮਾਗੈ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਸੁਖੈ ਕਉ ਦੁਖੁ ਅਗਲਾ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਬੂਝ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥: Sukh kaou maangai sabh ko dukh n mangai koi. Sukhai kaou dukh agalaa manmukh boojh na hoi (sggs 57).
  • ਧ੍ਰਿਗੁ ਸਰੀਰੁ ਅਸਤ ਬਿਸਟਾ ਕ੍ਰਿਮ ਬਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਜਾਨਤ ਹੋਰ ॥੧॥: Dhrig sareer asat bistaa krim bin Hari jaanat hor ||1||(sggs 1228).
  Man is stuck in the cage of the limitations of his senses. Because of the experience of material pleasures (Vaasnaas), his false ego is always an unwilling participant in the pursuit of the Higher Taste of Divine Bliss. In such conditioned state, when one tries to conceive the Higher Taste by destroying his material desires, his sensory-conditioned material logic begins to mislead him. However, the Wise learns by devotion to differentiate between the indwelling as well as All-pervading Immortal Joti-Svaroopa and its perishable bodily encasement.
  • ਤਨ ਮਹਿ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਅਗਿ ਸਬਦਿ ਬੁਝਾਈਐ ॥੧੯॥: Tan mahi trisnaa agg Shabad bujhaaeeai ||19|| (sggs 147).
  Like the incense stick, the body and mind born of false ego must also finish. Born of the symptoms of the ignorance and misapprehension, the body and mind must perish one day. That which dies with the "death" of the body is the "I-am-the-body" idea; our True Self does not die because It is bodiless, spaceless, timeless and beyond all material logic.

  If we do not mend our ways, then what gave us this present body will surely give us next one also! Therefore, the scriptures tell us that the false sense of "I-am-the-body" must go. The only way to get rid of it is by removing the false ego-sense. New actions are performed due to body-consciousness, whereas theSpiritual Wisdom (Aatam-Giaan...) is realized at the elimination of the false ego or body identification.

  • ਜਿਤੁ ਲਾਗੋ ਮਨੁ ਬਾਸਨਾ ਅੰਤਿ ਸਾਈ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਨੀ ॥: Jit laago manu baasanaa anti saaee pragattaanee (sggs 242).

  There is the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...) and there is the physical body. Between them is the false ego (deluded mind). As the mind gets purified through the meditation on Divine Name, it moves toward the Self, causing the body-consciousness to disappear! Accordingly, attaining liberation from the error of body-consciousness is the teaching of the Gurbani. After cessation of body-consciousness (duality), only the Pure Consciousness (Mool) remains.

  • ਹਉਮੈ ਰੋਗੁ ਗਇਆ ਦੁਖੁ ਲਾਥਾ ਆਪੁ ਆਪੈ ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਖਾਧਾ ॥: Haoumai rog gaiaa dukh laathaa aap aapai gurmat khaadhaa: (sggs 78).

  Therefore, a true devotee constantly and thoroughly trains himself for Spiritual fitness by practicing detachment from the sense objects, and removing his false ego by disconnecting mind from the senses. Removal of false ego means harmoniously and spontaneously reuniting it with the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...). One then learns to withdraw his false ego at will from the physical body and the worldliness and unite it with the Bliss (Anand) of the Mool. At the end, he happily exits from the bodily prison or object-slavery. He does not come back to this material world again, unless so ordained by the Almighty, for he has learned all the lessons that this earthly life was to teach. Our true nature is Pure Awareness. If we are ignorant of this Truth, then the Awareness turns outward towards manifestation. That is called "suffering". When we turn our mind inward, the reflections of our Mool falls on the mind; by which the veil of illusion gets thinner and thinner. In the end, the ego-mind becomes dissolved in this Pure Self (its true Nature), the Unmanifest, and the notion of "other" ceases to be. Therefore, the true Wisdom is the love of the Joti-Svaroopa. False ego means accepting this body as oneself. We are the Joti-Svaroopa, which is aloof from the body and its activities.

  • ਰਹੈ ਅਤੀਤੁ ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਲੇ ਊਪਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਕੈ ਘਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੬॥: Rahai ateet gurmati le ooperi Hari nirbhaou kai ghari paaiaa ||6|| (sggs 1041).
  Mercury remains unaffected when thrown into the fire. Just so, we are asked by the scriptures to remain unaffected while living among the so called impurities of the material world. But How? What is that secret which counteracts the habit of the mind that is spread out in the form of this universe? In other words, how does this body-consciousness or the diversity of world-creation come to an end? By obeying God's Will (Hukam), that is, becoming truthful inside and out. Baabaa Nanak poses this question in the very outset of the SGGS, followed by his answer.
  • ਕਿਵ ਸਚਿਆਰਾ ਹੋਈਐ ਕਿਵ ਕੂੜੈ ਤੁਟੈ ਪਾਲਿ ॥ ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ ॥੧॥: Kiv sachiaaraa hooeeai kiv koorhai totai paali. Hukam rajaaee chalnaa Nanak likhiaa naali ||!||(sggs 1).
  The Truth (illusion free existence) is not to be obtain afresh. We are That! It's "here" and "now". One cannot find or attain something he already has in his possession! Therefore, the Wise and the scriptures assure us that the Truth, the natural state of egolessness, is very easy to Realize because that is our true nature. That's what we are. However, it seems difficult to Realize because there is a dangerous elephant roaming around in the forest of the body working havoc. This elephant is known by many names such as mind, desires and fears, Vaasnaas, thought, emotional attachment, false ego, doubts, bondage, and so on.
  • ਮਨੁ ਮੈਗਲੁ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦਿ ਵਸਿ ਆਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥: Man maigal gur Shabad vas aaiaa Raam (sggs 576).
  As indicated in the Gurbani, the seemingly unending body-consciousness or world-appearance is sustained by impure and spiritually ignorant beings. Just as the snake abandons his skin effortlessly, similarly the body-consciousness can easily be abandoned by those who have ascended themselves to the mode of Goodness or Purity. Because the Pure Beings (the Gurmukh) always inquire into the origin and the nature of this body-consciousness. When such investigation is conducted with the help of the Shabad-Vichaar, there arises a clear understanding within oneself in which the Truth is seen, as the light is seen in a lamp.
  • ਸਬਦੇ ਹਉਮੈ ਮਾਰੀਐ ਮਾਇਆ ਕਾ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਜਾਇ ॥ ਨਾਮੁ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਪਾਈਐ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸਹਜਿ ਸੁਭਾਇ ॥੭॥: Shabade hayu mai maareeai maya kaa bhram jaai. aam padaarath paaeeai gurmukhi sahaj subhaai ||7|| (sggs 67).
  By inquiring into the nature of the Truth and falsehood, one can resolve the confusion between the body and the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...). Just as the diamond fallen into the mud is never spoiled, just as the sky is not affected by the dust particles floating in it, similarly the Self is untainted by the body. Birth and death is of the mind (false ego), not the Mool. Therefore, the material expansion or growth is also of the mind. And when this Truth is clearly understood, it is the mind that is liberated from its own ignorance. Upon dawning of the knowledge of the Truth, the man's mind settles down in complete Peace, just as grains of dirt floating in water settle down when the water is absolutely steady. This is the "killed mind"!
  • ਦਦਾ ਦੇਖਿ ਜੁ ਬਿਨਸਨਹਾਰਾ ॥ ਜਸ ਅਦੇਖਿ ਤਸ ਰਾਖਿ ਬਿਚਾਰਾ ॥ ਦਸਵੈ ਦੁਆਰਿ ਕੁੰਚੀ ਜਬ ਦੀਜੈ ॥ ਤਉ ਦਇਆਲ ਕੋ ਦਰਸਨੁ ਕੀਜੈ ॥੨੪॥: Daddaa dekh ju binsanahaaraa. Jas dekh tas raakh bichaaraa. Dasvai duaar kunjee jab deejai. Taou diaal kaou darsan keejai ||24|| (sggs 341).

  With the belief in objective existence (subject-object relationship) comes the desire for pleasure and fear of pain. Desires constitute the world-creation or Sansaar, the place of experiencing repeated birth and death. The cessation of desire is liberation (Mukti) from the Sansaar. According to the scriptures, this is the essence of Spiritual Wisdom. In other words, recognition of objects gives rise for desire to enjoy them, and Non-recognition ("dead mind") of objects ends desire. With the cessation of desires, the Jeeva drops its self-limitation stemming from body-consciousness. Thus the wise ones tell us for abandoning all desires and fear, and then perform piously by remaining in that state.

  We are repeatedly reminded by the Gurbani to engage in Shabad-Vichaar, so that our identity with the material body can be forgotten. Devotion (Bhagti) is bending the outer to the inner through the Gurmat (Aatam Giaan); making the body-mind-intellect express the Real which is all and beyond all. When one is conscious of the material body, he acts only for sense gratification, but when one transcends the body-consciousness, sense gratification automatically stops. With that ceases mental modifications, body-consciousness or diversity.

  • ਸੁਤੜੇ ਅਸੰਖ ਮਾਇਆ ਝੂਠੀ ਕਾਰਣੇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇ ਜਾਗੰਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਿ ਜਿ ਰਸਨਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਉਚਾਰਣੇ ॥੧੩॥: Sutrhe asankh maya jhoothee kaarene. Nanak se jaaganni ji rasnaa naam uchaarne ||13||

  Once Transcendentally situated (Awake), the seeker becomes automatically free from the body-consciousness. Such seeker is a true Giaanee, a true Sikh or a true Gurmukh. When one thus understands that he is not his body but is the Eternal Self, he comes to abide in the Truth. That is Sunn Samaadhi. Simply put: Becoming liberated (Mukta) means annihilation of the body-consciousness. Ironically, not withstanding the scriptural teachings, most of us in mental-stubbornness end up wasting life in all sorts of unmeaning rituals, lip worship and in decorating our perishable body with religious garbs and other paraphernalia!

  When the devotee cognizes that the Absolute Truth is higher than the Maya, he links with his Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...). Such perfected sseeker comprehends that the phenomenal world and its activities are merely a dance of shadows and lights projected on the screen of his mind, the expression or relativity of Maya, animated by the Supreme Light. This perception of Truth enables him to link with the Mool within (Jot, Source, Origin...), who is beyond all relativity (Maya).

  • ਇਹੁ ਸਰੀਰੁ ਕਰਮ ਕੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਮਥਿ ਮਥਿ ਤਤੁ ਕਢਈਆ ॥ ਲਾਲੁ ਜਵੇਹਰ ਨਾਮੁ ਪ੍ਰਗਾਸਿਆ ਭਾਂਡੈ ਭਾਉ ਪਵੈ ਤਿਤੁ ਅਈਆ ॥੨॥ (sggs 834).
  The reflected moon, circumscribed by a small water-pot, looks real. However, at the destruction of the pot, the reflected moon (false) disappear and becomes the one moon (real) whose rays spread over the sky. Similarly, the moon of the Soul is reflected in the body-pot filled with the water of the false ego. With the destruction of the body-pot, the moon-soul circumscribed by the bodily limitations becomes Omnipresent like the Divine Light. However, if one ends up accumulating more material desires and Karamkaand ("filth") in one's life, it will cause the Spirit to be reflected again as the moon-soul within another body-pot, called reincarnation or repeated birth and death!
  • ਇਹੁ ਤਨੁ ਧਰਤੀ ਬੀਜੁ ਕਰਮਾ ਕਰੋ ਸਲਿਲ ਆਪਾਉ ਸਾਰਿੰਗਪਾਣੀ ॥ ਮਨੁ ਕਿਰਸਾਣੁ ਹਰਿ ਰਿਦੈ ਜੰਮਾਇ ਲੈ ਇਉ ਪਾਵਸਿ ਪਦੁ ਨਿਰਬਾਣੀ ॥੧॥ (sggs 23).

  — T. Singh
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