A donkey or an ass is known to be the beast of burden. It carries burden day and night, without knowing for who he is doing it, and why he is doing it. It is happy so long its belly is filled!
We humans come to world naked and alone, and we will leave alone as well.
However, during the journey of life on this earth we hoard wealth, things, relationships, and so on. Some of which is necessary to survive, but most of it we rarely know why. Enticed by the worldly attractions, desires, wants and driven by our baser instincts such as fear etcetera we hoard more and more. one desire gives rise to thousands more…
Then we humans spent rest of our lives protecting all that we have amassed, most of which is in excess.
Thus we humans torture ourselves by overloading ourselves with excess of baggage. It’s too late by the time we realize it.
In addition, we humans carry the crushing load of Haumai (false ego-sense), and, in madness, we work day and night like a donkey carrying an excess of baggage. Most of us rarely care for the Way of Understanding (Aatam-Giaan). As a result, we end up working like a donkey to cultivate nothing but ignorance. Such lifestyle (Manmukh-Saakat-Mayadhaaree nature) corrupts our sensory apparatus.
We are repeatedly reminded by the Gurbani enshrined within the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) that the human life is meant for Realizing the Creator. But instead most of us end up just churning the falsehood or water!
The life of those churning falsehood is like the donkey who grazes upon the green grass; arising each day, he laughs and brays, and then dies. Or, like the intoxicated bull who runs around wildly, romps, eats and then falls into hellish existence.
- ਹਰੀ ਅੰਗੂਰੀ ਗਦਹਾ ਚਰੈ ॥ ਨਿਤ ਉਠਿ ਹਾਸੈ ਹੀਗੈ ਮਰੈ ॥੧॥ ਮਾਤਾ ਭੈਸਾ ਅੰਮੁਹਾ ਜਾਇ ॥ ਕੁਦਿ ਕੁਦਿ ਚਰੈ ਰਸਾਤਲਿ ਪਾਇ ॥੨॥: The donkey (i.e., the foolish mind) grazes upon the green grass (of Bikaar or Maya); arising each day, (the mind) laughs and brays (like a donkey), and (finally) dies (in this ‘hee-haw’ or a donkey-lifestyle). ||1|| The intoxicated bull (of the deluded and Bikaaree mind) wanders around wildly. It romps (in false ego-sense) and eats (the crop of Bikaar, Maya …) and then is ruined completely (live a hellish existence or low life…). ||2|| (sggs 326).
The Gurbani also tirelessly urges us to move from the consciousness of the time-space-causation into the timeless-formless-causeless Mool or Jot Saroop. Subjugation of the beat of Maya — freedom from ignorance and attachments — is the end of the dance of the conditioned mind, and the beginning of the Spiritual Dance of the Unconditioned Consciousness (Mool-Abidance). The experience of Spiritual Dance is the ultimate maturing of the Jeeva (individual being) from the time-bound consciousness into the Timeless Consciousness (Jot Sroop). The reason the majority of us (over 99.9 percent) are unable to experience this Spiritual Dance within is our animal-consciousness.
- ਢੀਲੁ ਰਬਾਬੀ ਬਲਦੁ ਪਖਾਵਜ ਕਊਆ ਤਾਲ ਬਜਾਵੈ ॥ ਪਹਿਰਿ ਚੋਲਨਾ ਗਦਹਾ ਨਾਚੈ ਭੈਸਾ ਭਗਤਿ ਕਰਾਵੈ ॥੧॥: ਫੀਲੁ ਰਬਾਬੀ ਬਲਦੁ ਪਖਾਵਜ ਕਊਆ ਤਾਲ ਬਜਾਵੈ ॥ ਪਹਿਰਿ ਚੋਲਨਾ ਗਦਹਾ ਨਾਚੈ ਭੈਸਾ ਭਗਤਿ ਕਰਾਵੈ ॥੧॥: (The mind’s animal nature) plays the guitar of the elephant-nature (egoism…); it plays drums of the ox-nature (indolence, ignorance…); it plays cymbals of the crow-nature (material cleverness…). (The mind’s animal nature) performs dance of the donkey-nature (lust…), and perform Bhagti of the buffalo-nature (uncontrolled conduct or intoxication with Maya…) ||1||. (sggs 477).
Played out in the eternity of the ‘Now’, the Spiritual Dance is the Dance of Enlightenment, Pure Consciousness, Divine Vision (Darshan) or direct communion with one’s Jot Saroop within: recognition of Oneness of the world of plurality. To such an enlightened person (Gurmukh), the ever changing phenomenal world is a Dance of Joy in the Infinite Bliss within.
- ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਰੰਜਨੁ ਪਾਈਐ ਅਫਰਿਓ ਭਾਰੁ ਅਫਾਰੁ ਟਰੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥: The Immaculate (free of Maya) Naam is obtained by becoming the Gurmukh; (as a result, his) unbearable load (of Haumai, etc.) is removed. ||1||Pause|| (sggs 1013).
- ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਬਿਬੇਕ ਬੁਧਿ ਹੋਇ ॥: The Gurmukh is blessed with spiritual wisdom and discerning intellect (sggs 317).
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