Neither Male Nor Female

All forms, names, shapes, or colors appear in our worldly consciousness of Maya as appearances. On account of movement of thoughts (words…) on the surface of the Pool of Consciousness, Jeeva, influenced by Maya (or “I-am-the-body” idea), makes division out of the Totality or “Saabat” (i.e., separation from the Mool or Source…). This worldly or Mayaic mind has its own vocabulary or language. In fact, in the form of words, language is the mind! When the “Hans” (Aatmaa, Praan, Life-Force…) has left the body or is not in the body, there is also no mind or speech.

• ਆਖਣੁ ਸੁਨਣਾ ਪਉਣ ਕੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਇਹੁ ਮਨੁ ਰਤਾ ਮਾਇਆ ॥: Aakhanu sunanaa paoun kee baanee ihu manu rataa maya (sggs 24).
• ਮਨ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬੋਲੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਈ ॥: Man antari bolai sabhu koee (sggs 329).
• ਜੋ ਜੀਇ ਹੋਇ ਸੁ ਉਗਵੈ ਮੁਹ ਕਾ ਕਹਿਆ ਵਾਉ ॥: Jo jee-ei hoi su ougavai muh kaa kahiaa vaaou (sggs 474).
• ਜਹ ਅਬੋਲ ਤਹ ਮਨੁ ਨ ਰਹਾਵਾ ॥: Jah abol tah manu na rahaavaa (sggs 344).
• ਜੋ ਕਿਛੁ ਕੀਆ ਸੋ ਮਨ ਕੀਆ ਮੂੰਡਾ ਮੂੰਡੁ ਅਜਾਂਇ ॥੧੦੧॥: Jo kishu keeaa so man keeaa moondaa moondu ajaani (sggs 1369).

Since the mind’s Mool is free of Maya’s influence, the Mool remains Niranjan or Nirlep (unconditioned by the bondage of name, Maya…), and is also indicated to be Formless-Spaceless-Timeless, which sees the Whole (Saabat) in the part and the part as totally related to the Whole (Saabat). As such, the Mool is neither male nor female.

• ਨਾਰਿ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਹੀ ਜਾਤਿ ਨ ਜਨਮਾ ਨਾ ਕੋ ਦੁਖੁ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਦਾ ॥੪॥: (Before the rise of the mind or Mayaic consciousness) neither there was female, nor male, nor body, nor birth (i.e., there were no embodied beings) nor did any one suffer pain or pleasure ||4|| (sggs 1035).
• ਨ ਜੱਛ ਹੈ ਨ ਗੰਧ੍ਰਬ ਹੈ ਨ ਨਰੁ ਹੈ ਨ ਨਾਰਿ ਹੈ ॥: (Akaal) is neither a Yaksha, nor a Gandharva, nor a man nor a woman. (Dasam Granth, Akaal Ustat, 67).

Simply put: When the mind is completely stabilized in its True Nature (Jot…), it is the Mool – beyond the pluralistic principle of Maya (beyond the movement of thoughts…), or beyond duality (i.e., male or female, etc.).

• ਜਹ ਅਛਲ ਅਛੇਦ ਅਭੇਦ ਸਮਾਇਆ ॥: When (the mind is contained) in the (Mool, which is) Undeceiveable, Impregnable, Impenetrable; then how Maya can pervade him there? (sggs 291).
• ਏਹੁ ਮਨੂਆ ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧਿ ਲਗਾਵੈ ਜੋਤੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਮਿਲਾਈ ॥੧੬॥: Ihu manooaa sunn samadhi lagaavai jotee joti milaaee (sggs 910).
• ਨਾਨਕ ਮਨ ਹੀ ਤੇ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ਨਾ ਕਿਛੁ ਮਰੈ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥੨॥: Nanak man hee te manu maaniaa naa kichh marai n jaai (sggs 514).
• ਮਮਾ ਮੂਲ ਗਹਿਆ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨੈ ॥: Mamaa mool gahiaa manu maanai (sggs 342).

Neither male nor female? All this sounds pretty strange, paradoxical, and even incongruous to the our worldly mind (conditioned consciousness of Maya, duality, two-ness, Haumai…), which divides and opposes.

But, there is no such contradictions in the Gurbani’s Bibek Budhi (Pure Intelligence), for the Gurbani does not speak at the level of the body-consciousness or the instinctive mind (i.e., Maya), but at the level of the Aatmaa (the State beyond Maya’s principle of two-ness), which unites and harmonizes.

Simply put: The Gurbani wants us to clearly understand that, as the Mool, one is neither a male nor a female. To call onself a male or a female is simply a bodily or Mayaic expression – identification with the body-consciousness.

Hence, the Gurbani’s Intsructions for our mind separated from its Mool for the sake of enjoying Mayaic desires (ਇਛਾ) is to become firmly re-stabilized in its Mool again, here and now – not at some other time in the future or not after the death of the physical body.

• ਇਉ ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਮਨ ਤੂੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪੁ ਹੈ ਅਪਣਾ ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥੫॥: Thus says Nanak – O mind! You are “Joti Saroop(u)” (Pure Light or Consciousness, Pure Nature, Original or Real Nature …)! Recognize your Mool (Source, Origin, Base, Reality, Divine Nature…) ||5|| (sggs 441).

Therefore, if one is going to identify oneself male or female, that means one is trying to understand himself as the body (individualized-consciousness), or one is confusing his Mool with his body and the mind-stuff.

• ਜਾ ਕੈ ਜੀਅ ਜੈਸੀ ਬੁਧਿ ਹੋਈ ॥ ਕਹਿ ਕਬੀਰ ਜਾਨੈਗਾ ਸੋਈ ॥੪੫॥: Says Kabeer! As is the intellect within (one’s) mind, so does (he) come to understand. ||45|| (sggs 343).
• ਮਨ ਕਾ ਸੁਭਾਉ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਈ ਕਰੈ ॥: Man kaa subhaaou sabhu kooee karai (sggs 1167).

With firm conviction obtained through the Giaan of the Gurbani, when one becomes fully stabilized in his Mool, all notions or concepts cease to be as prior to rise of the Mayaic Budhi (intellect). This “prior” state is the Original.

• ਸੁੰਨ ਮੰਡਲ ਇਕੁ ਜੋਗੀ ਬੈਸੇ ॥ ਨਾਰਿ ਨ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਕਹਹੁ ਕੋਊ ਕੈਸੇ ॥: Sunn mandal ik Yogi baise… (sggs 685).
• ਆਪੇ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਨਾਰੀ ॥: Aape purakhu aape hee naaree (sggs 1020).
• ਆਪੇ ਨਰੁ ਆਪੇ ਫੁਨਿ ਨਾਰੀ ਆਪੇ ਸਾਰਿ ਆਪ ਹੀ ਪਾਸਾ ॥: Aapae naru aape funi naaree aape saari aap hee paasaa (sggs 1403).

Being in the framework of time and space, the human body is limited. However, our Mool is indicated to be Unlimited, Akaal Moorati, etc. Thus, the Absolute Principle cannot be confined to human characteristics or limitations.

The Gurbani indicates that as the illusioned mind stabilizes in its True Nature (Jot...), it again transcends all labels of duality (Doojaa-Bhaav). Distinctions, differences, divisions, or duality exist only so long the mind’s conditioning persists (Mayaic, Haume or false ego-sense). The Gurbani points to the state of Mool-realization that we must realize inside by becoming the Gurmukh. Before the rise of the phantom of the mind (Haume…), that’s what the mind was! However, our mind, separated from its Mool, perceives duality: male or female, Dukha or Sukha, and so on.

• ਪੁਰਖ ਮਹਿ ਨਾਰਿ ਨਾਰਿ ਮਹਿ ਪੁਰਖਾ ਬੂਝਹੁ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਗਿਆਨੀ ॥ ਧੁਨਿ ਮਹਿ ਧਿਆਨੁ ਧਿਆਨ ਮਹਿ ਜਾਨਿਆ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਅਕਥ ਕਹਾਨੀ ॥੩॥ (sggs 879).