Happy New Year!

Once again — with the plastic smiles — it’s that time of annual ‘Parpanch’ or ‘Pakhand‘ (ostentation, show off, hypocrisy, Mayaic affair, artifice etc.) to greet or send messages saying ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’! Specifically Indians are flooded by messages and greetings all year long!

It will indeed be new year if we (individually) do something NEW and positive in life; bring some NEW and positive changes within! If we don’t, then it will be the same OLD same OLD…

In the worldly sense, it’s considered new year when the ticking clock strikes midnight on the last day of the 12th month of the Gregorian calendar.

This is an external change (worldly, material, Mayaic, business …), thus fleeting, illusory, unreal etc.

In truth, what’s ticking away is not the clock (time), what’s ticking away is our life!

Wealth, fame, power, love, relationships etc. may come again and again in one’s life, but time simply perishes.

Such temporary (Mayaic) change in today’s ‘rat race’ cannot bring about a REAL change, reversal or happiness in one’s life.

However, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) would like us to bring about a Real change in life!

Hence it would ONLY be a real New Year when we change within — Positive change in one’s deluded mind, faulty thinking and understanding, corrupt nature, wicked habits, conditioned intellect (Budhi), negative tendencies, Bikaar (i.e. lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride), and so on! In other words:

• It’s a change from time-bound conscience to Timelessness (Akaal, Jot Saroop).
• It’s a change from the memory and anxiety of the past and the future to the Eternity of the present moment (NOW, mindfulness…).
• It’s change from negative thinking to positive thinking (Joy, enthusiasm, Anand…).
• It’s a change from a Manmukh-Saakat-Mayadhaaree Mindset (engrossed in ‘Parpanch‘…) to the Gurmukh Mindset (Enlightened, divine or Non-Parpanchhee Lifestyle…).
• It’s a change from untruth (Jhooth) to Truth (Sach) — a change from false, ephemeral, fleeting, or temporary (Asatt) to Permanent (Satt, Atall etc.).
• It’s a change from demerits to merits or Virtues.
• It’s a change from illusion (doubt or Bharam-Jaal, or Maya-Jaal…) to doubt free state of the mind.
• It’s a change from the mind’s unstable state (unnatural state, restlessness, Haumai or false ego-sense etc.) to Stable State (Stillness, Natural State of Being, Sahaj, Whole, Saabat etc.) — a change from inner impurity to inner Purity of the mind.
• It’s a change from ignorance to Knowledge, NOT knowing to KNOWING oneself (Vikaas-ਵਿਕਾਸ: expansion-development-progress-blooming-evolution of intellect or Bibek-Budhi) etc.
• In short, it’s BECOMING THE GURBANI (Enlightened).

Hence, without being Awake and Aware there can be no real change, happiness or joy!

In a nutshell, the UNIQUE and REVOLUTIONARY Gurmat Wisdom of the SGGS challenges us to live an introspected or examined life, for the unexamined life is not worth living! 

• ਮਨ ਕੀ ਪਤ੍ਰੀ ਵਾਚਣੀ ਸੁਖੀ ਹੂ ਸੁਖੁ ਸਾਰੁ ॥: The greatest happiness comes from reading the horoscope of the mind (i.e. reading your own mind’s state or condition). (sggs 1093).

An examined or introspected life on a daily basis is a life of positive experiences that touches the innermost core of our being, stirs the mind, challenges the intellect etc.

Only an Awakened mind can traverse such a Spiritual Life of the Guru’s Shabad. An Awakened mind is an Aware mind. Only an Awakened mind possesses the ability to differentiate between fact and fiction.

Such positive change in thinking can begin Here and Now, not some Afterlife or after death! Otherwise it’s all useless even if one lives 100 years or more!

It doesn’t matter how many years one lives, the important thing is how one lives! The Gurbani’s (SGGS) Wisdom teaches us how to live daily life of Virtues / Wisdom!

As the ‘Parpanchee‘ or ‘Pakhandee‘ minds do, no need to wait for the first of the year and make ambitious resolutions for the new year, only to forget few days later!

• ਜੇ ਸਉ ਵਰ੍ਹਿਆ ਜੀਵਣ ਖਾਣੁ ॥ ਖਸਮ ਪਛਾਣੈ ਸੋ ਦਿਨੁ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ॥੨॥: If (one) were to live and eat for hundred years, that day (of one’s life) alone would be authentic (acceptable, approved, auspicious…), when (one) Realizes the One Creator Within. ||2|| (sggs 349).

The Gurbani (SGGS) being the mirror of the mind reminds us the ultimate purpose of human life — change it for better NOW.

• ਵੇਲਾ ਸਚੁ ਪਰਵਾਣੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਪਛਾਣਸੀ ॥੪॥ : The time that is acceptable when the God-Linking shabad is related to. (sggs 422).
• ਥਿਤੀ ਵਾਰ ਤਾ ਜਾ ਸਚਿ ਰਾਤੇ ॥: The lunar days or the week days become beneficial only when (the mind) becomes imbued in Truth (sggs 842).
• ਸੋ ਦਿਨੁ ਸਫਲੁ ਗਣਿਆ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥: That day is fruitful, (the day) Hari-Prabhoo (Mool, Source, Jot Saroop…) is realized (sggs 547).

According to the Spiritual Message of the Shabad (SGGS) the lasting newness lies within (‘ਗੁਣ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਨਵਤਨੁ ਸਦਾ’, ‘ਨੀਤ ਨਵਾ’).

In short, changing the course of life is a continual revolution within, ever NEW (‘ਨੀਤ ਨਵਾ-Neet Navaa‘)!

• ਕਹਿ ਕਬੀਰ ਬੁਧਿ ਹਰਿ ਲਈ ਮੇਰੀ ਬੁਧਿ ਬਦਲੀ ਸਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ ॥੨॥੨੧॥੭੨॥: Says Kabeer! (Wisdom) has taken away my (worldly) intelligence (ਅਕਲ). With this altered intelligence, now I have obtained Sidhi (Spiritual Perfection…). ||2||21||72|| (sggs 339).

When Awakened to Naam (Shabad, Upadesh, Wisdom, Virtues, Truth, Hukam…) people of all faiths live in ever NEW love and harmony (‘ਪ੍ਰੇਮੁ ਸਦਾ ਨਉਰੰਗੀ’), peace and amity; conduct themselves wisely and truthfully and righteously; live without fear of injustice or oppression; respect each other; enjoy equality and human rights; see the same self in everybody, and so on.

The natural result of such inner change brings about overall prosperity and happiness in an individual life and the society, and the world.

However, a ‘rare’ person is said to embark on this Way of Inner Revolution. Called the Gurmukh (Daas, Jan, Bhagat etc.) in the SGGS, such ‘rare‘ Enlightened Mind does NOT get engrossed in ‘Parpanch’ or ‘Pakhand‘!

• ਨਾਨਕ ਬਿਰਲੇ ਪਾਈਅਹਿ ਜੋ ਨ ਰਚਹਿ ਪਰਪੰਚ ॥੫॥: O Nanak! Rare are those, who do not create ‘Parpanch’. ||5|| (sggs 297).
• ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਕੋਈ ਸਚੁ ਕਮਾਵੈ ॥: A rare (person), by becoming the Gurmukh, practices the Truth (sggs 1344).

In Short, since without Wisdom we stand plundered, the SGGS asks each of its learner (i.e. Sikh) to mend the conditioned mind by bathing it in the pool of Wisdom and thus become the ‘rare’ Gurmukh (Enlightened Mind) Here and Now, NOT afterlife.

The Gurmat Wisdom of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) tells us that the majority of us imitate what we see others do!

• ਦੇਖਾ ਦੇਖੀ ਸਭ ਕਰੇ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਬੂਝ ਨ ਪਾਇ ॥: The Manmukh does everything seeing (other people do, ਦੇਖਾ ਦੇਖੀ, ਨਕਲ, ਦਿਖਾਵਾ…), but he (himself) has no understanding  (he does not understand the true way of living. (sggs 28).

A mind inflicted with duality or Maya is ‘Parpanchee‘ by nature (deceptive, cunning, illusioned, crafty, Pakhandee etc.)!

• ਪਰਪੰਚਿ ਵਿਆਪਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਮਨੁ ਦੋਇ ॥: The mind is engrossed in ‘Parpanch’ and duality (sggs 153).

The illusion of time-space-causation comes into being only if we hold on to the memory of the past and anxiety of the future.

The durations of days, months, years and seasons are arbitrarily chosen by humans. However, the Gurbani says they all are equally (ਇਕ ਸਾਰ) auspicious in the eyes of the Creator and His Hukam (System-Rule-Law of Nature, Universal Energy…). In other words, the Gurbani holds there is NO such thing as an inauspicious day, hour, month, year, season etc.

• ਮਾਹ ਦਿਵਸ ਮੂਰਤ ਭਲੇ ਜਿਸ ਕਉ ਨਦਰਿ ਕਰੇ ॥: The months days and moments are auspicious when (we) become good (i.e., abide in Naam, Wisdom, Virtues, Truth, Hukam etc.). (sggs 136).
• ਥਿਤੀ ਵਾਰ ਤਾ ਜਾ ਸਚਿ ਰਾਤੇ ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਨਾਵੈ ਸਭਿ ਭਰਮਹਿ ਕਾਚੇ ॥੭॥: The lunar days or the week days become beneficial only when (the mind) becomes imbued in Truth. Those who do not live by the Naam (Wisdom, Virtues, Hukam, Truth etc.), all of them keep on wandering (doubt-ridden…) due to ignorance or falsehood. ||7|| (sggs 842).
• ਥਿਤੀ ਵਾਰ ਸਭਿ ਸਬਦਿ ਸੁਹਾਏ ॥: All the lunar days and the week days look beauteous if one contemplates the Shabad (i.e. remember Upadesh, Naam, Wisdom, Virtues, Truth, Hukam…). (sggs 842).
• ਥਿਤੀ ਵਾਰ ਸੇਵਹਿ ਮੁਗਧ ਗਵਾਰ ॥: Only idiots and fools observe the lunar days and the week days (i.e., good and bad, omens). (sggs 843).

In ‘Sidh Gost’ Bani, Sidhas (Yogis) asked Baabaa Nanak to discourse on: 

• ਕਿਤੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਪੁਰਖਾ ਜਨਮੁ ਵਟਾਇਆ ॥ ਕਾਹੇ ਕਉ ਤੁਝੁ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਲਾਇਆ ॥ (Towards Realization of the Creator WITHIN) what is the method of traversing the human life? (While traversing the human life towards Realization of the Creator) what is focus of your mind? (sggs 939).

Baabaa Nanak discoursed the above questions of Sidhas (Yogis) as follows:

• ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਜਨਮੇ ਗਵਨੁ ਮਿਟਾਇਆ ॥ ਅਨਹਤਿ ਰਾਤੇ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਲਾਇਆ ॥ : Being born into the Spirituality on account of the Satgur ends the cycle of spiritual death (‘Gavan’). (While traversing the human life towards Realization of the Creator) the mind is immersed in undivided focus and love of the Shabad. (sggs 940).

Now the year has changed. When will we change ourselves? Whether we change or not, time keeps ticking. Before we know, kaput! The end!

Helloooooooooo New Year!