Daughter! Say "O Lord" "Waheguru". Who should say "O JjorT"Waheguru"? The tongue said but the Name was beyond the power of the tongue to assimilate. Name is limitless. The entire body cells became tongues. It is stiii nourishing more and more. It went deep into the soul. Now Queen got some strength and said: "O Lord" "Waheguru". She felt the Lord pervading inside the body and outside in the entire cosmos, her body soul immersed in the Supreme soul. She got rapture. Her mind was elevated. She got inner blossom of mind.
The pair got dyed in the love of the Lord. The souls that were craving to meet the Supreme soul met the Supreme soul (The rivers met the sea).
. The Queen now asked Magnificent Guru Ji to sit down and relax. They washed his sacred feet. Meanwhile dinner was ready. Beloved Guru Ji had dinner. Then he went to sleep in a very well decorated bedroom.
Guru Ji's companions had also come. Everybody got a nice place to stay and everything like food, groceries, beds, sheets, fodder for horses, was provided.
Next day when Beloved Guru Ji was alone then the King prayed: If it is not inconvenient to you, then be benevolent and stay here. The benevolent Guru Ji smiled and said: Alright.
Accordingly all family members, disciples and soldiers came from Bisali to Bibhaur.
The King's unique love and the Queen's hospitality made the 'MagnificentBeloved5 Guru Ji stay there for a long time. The disciples started coming to Bibhaur to have his glimpse. It appeared as if he has settled at Bibhaur.
The pleasures of Anandpur were all here. Good shaded trees, garden of flowers, the scenic view of the river, forests and hunting as well as mountainous areas were all here.
He blessed the Lord's Name to everyone.
After staying here for some time, the Beloved Guru Ji returned to Anandpur.
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Guru Ji got up from his throne, lifted the man from the palanquin, put him in his lap and sat on the throne. The valiant Guru Ji's eyes were full of tears of love and he was caressing the fragile sadhu and telling him: You are not a sinner. I have forgiven all your sins. You are a pious man. You had only accepted the command of the Lord. The Lord did not consider you a sinner. You be confident.
See! How Guru Ji who came to this world to establish righteousness and refrain people from evil doing, is showering his blessings. There were sanyasis, yogis, recluses, householders, meditative, ascetics, pandits of all creeds, intellectuals and Guru Ji's own disciples watching how Guru Ji loved the sadhu who was almost like a dead body.
Guru Ji indicated to a fellow to get some hot milk. The fellow brought hot milk immediately. Guru Ji, with his own hands, put the milk in the man's mouth, spoon by spoon and was assuring him and loving him. The complexion of the man changed. A blossom came on his face and a smile on his lips. Nobody knows after how long a smile had come on his lips. "Guru Ji gives life to the dead. Guru Ji gives nourishment to the hungry. "
O Guru Ji! You are great. You are the friend of the downtrodden. You are the solace of the people in distress. You are the redeemer of sinners. You are the strength of the feeble. In you, Love and Grace is boundless.
You have shown the way of true religion in the most beautiful style. You have all the goodness of the Lord. You have displayed healthy and un-erring saintliness.
When the man got Guru Ji's true love, he became exuberant. He felt real happiness. He got strength. He got up and fell at Guru Ji's feet and cried:
'Q Lord Arhant', 'O Lord Buddha', 'O Lord Vishnu', whomsoever you are, you are my God. You are the Lord in human form. But I am a sinner. Please do not touch me. The feeling of sin has got deep into my mind and. body. The feeling of sin has got into my soul. 'O redeemer of sinners': Have I been really redeemed of my sins?
Guru Ji said: Yes son! Your sin is redeemed. You are not a sinner. You are not a sinner.
By Guru Ji's true and heavenly love the man got enlivened consciousness. The man got up slowly, walked down a little and lay down prostrate on the ground and sang a couplet showing respect for Guru Ji.
Guru Ji now told him that he was in a true heavenly congregation and asked him to narrate his story to the saintly people.
The man narrated in a slow voice: I belong to a town named Surat. My mother and her neighbour were great friends. They vowed that if both had sons, they would become great friends and if one had a son and the other a daughter, then they will be married. I was born to my mother and a daughter was bom to her friend. We used to play together in childhood because our mothers were very close to each other. We were ten to twelve years old when some sadhus and sadhvis came to our town. The religious discourses that they recited were in separate meetings for the men and separate meetings for women. I used to go to listen to their religious discourses in the men's meetings.
I got so impressed by the religious discourses that I decided not to remain in this worldly fire and become a sadhu. My neighbour girl also took a similar decision. After a few months our parents sent us with the sadhus.
I joined the group of male sadhus and she joined a group of female sadhvis.
That day only, we came to know that henceforth we could not meet each other. That was the rule of the sadhus.
Anyway, we reached a hillock where there was a monastery. I was admitted to the male section and my neighbour girl was admitted to the female section.
I was asked to take vows and my training started. I was made to do very hard type of rituals, fasts and meditations, that were quite a suffering. The daily religious discourse was that no sin has to be done. Then only, in this way, the impurities in the soul will go and the soul will become pure. I kept on doing all the hard rituals, fasting and meditations and reached the age of twenty.
But now since some time I became different. I had the instincts of seeing, listening, eating and smelling already in me but now adulthood had come and another instinct and urge had emerged in my body. My instructors told me that this is sex. This is an enemy. To kill this instinct is utmost religiousness. Whatever rituals, they suggested, I did. I kept fasts a number of times for many days by living on an intake of a very small quantity of almond oil for days together. But despite all these fasts and rituals, I could not forget my childhood neighbour girl. Many times I used to remember her. When I told this fact to my instructors, then I was asked to do more hard rituals and keep more fasts.
One day, I went out in the jungle to collect some leaves and fruits. We just came face to face with each other. I do not know what happened. It was
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lightning. We just sat together and started talking to each other and telling our tales of hardships. I do not know how much time went by in our talk.
We only realized when the Sadhvi, who was Incharge of the female section came. I do not know for how long she might have stood and gazed us. Her eyes were red with blood. Her anger was like the fury of a river. Her scolding was like the thunder of clouds.
She said: You both are sinful.
I touched her feet and told her that I do not know any sin. We used to play together since childhood. We have met after many years. It was a chance meeting and we have been just talking to each other and nothing beyond. I do not know anything else.
She said: On the one hand you are sinners, and on the other hand you are doing more sin in arguing with your instructor.
In any case, we went back to our individual sections in the monastery. I do not know what happened to the girl.
But, what penances I had to undergo, I cannot just describe. The Head of our monastery was a sadhu named Hans, who was once a poet and a painter and later became head of this monastery. I asked him to let me know how I could become free from being accused as sinful.
I want everybody to say: "You are no longer sinful."
He knew that I was not aware of any sin. My only sin was that having met a childhood companion whom I loved in childhood I talked to her only and nothing beyond. Hans told me that he did realize that I had only talked to a childhood companion. But he said: Even talking to a female makes your mind impure. In this way, your mind has become impure. I asked him as to what was the remedy of this sin?
He said: Either you have your eyes taken out or you do fasts and penances for 12 years. I was in a fix. Initially, I became inclined to have my eyes taken out and become blind, but on second thought, I hesitated and came away, saying that I shall do fasts and penances for 12 years. I went to many sadhus and other monasteries but everyone said that talking to a girl was a sin and I have to penance for 12 years. I was roaming around with no place to stay.
Now, for the last six months, I am staying in a cave on this nearby hill.
Once, I decided for suicide by climbing a tree and jumping down from there, because one sadhu had told me that a suicide after twelve years of meditation is very fruitful. I calculated, it was already twelve years since I left my home. But, I did not have enough strength in my body to climb the tree. Moreover, despite the hardships and sufferings, my mind was not set for a
suicide. I had heard a lot about the goodness of Guru Ji and I came here but I was ashamed to face Guru Ji because I thought I was sinful.
I do not know how a grace has been bestowed on me and I am told that I am not a sinner, but still my body is trembling.
Guru Ji said: This is the evident reality of trie picture that Hans has painted. He paints a neat picture of the sun on canvas but in the hearts of the Lord's children, he paints the picture of a sinner.
See SenapatL Is this the picture of forgiveness? He was kind to the insects but what he did to humans? You can see. You must understand that the motive of the old instructors of religion cannot be to make the rules so strict. But the new instructors interpret the rules in such a manner that instead of giving comfort they become a source of suffering.
After listening to all this Hans trembled, Oh! My instructions brought so much suffering? His mind was full of repentance. He fell at the feet of the sadhu. He said to the sadhu; I have only now realized, there is not an iota of forgiveness in me. You are not a sinner. Actually, I am a sinner. You please forgive me and recommend to Guru Ji that he may forgive me also. I myself have got tired in trying to cleanse my mind.
The sadhu who hadn't much strength in him was astonished to see Hans.
At the first instance he felt scared but then 'he looked towards Guru Ji and then with confidence he replied to Hans: Look! Yonder is sitting the Lord, the protector, the bestowal of forgiveness.
It was a wondrous scene in the Audience Hall. Senapati, Nand Lal Ji, all poets and Pandits were astonished.
Guru Ji spoke: Listen everybody, be pious, but only piousness sometimes becomes superstition. Piousness alone is not the ultimate aim of life.
Guru Ji then indicated to the religious musicians to sing a religious song. The musicians sang a religious song.
Again Guru Ji spoke: Those, whose mind has been kindled by the Lord's flame, get the Lord's sensation in their mind. That is the real purity. The rest of the thinking is just a fallacy. One must not sin. One should do goodness, remain pure but salvation lies in the Lord's name.
Guru Ji said to Hans: When they were children, they were not even 12 years old, how could they know that another instinct will be bom in their body which will make them an adult man or woman, which will be entirely different from childhood. How could they take a vow regarding something that they had not known, would happen. Before that, their mothers had vowed that they would become man and wife. If you had value for vows, then you ignored the vow of the adult ladies, that they will become man and wife, but
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accepted the vow that the children made when they even did not know the meaning of adulthood. And for talking only, you penalized them so nuch that they were almost dead. You did not interpret the rules of the old instructors properly.
Guru Ji then addressed the congregation: It is the Lord's command not to make anybody suffer, so that one can leave this world with respect, but along with it and more than that, the command is to recite the Lord's name day-in and day-out. That is the highest and purest thing. Work, earn and do your duties, but while sitting or standing, working, playing, enjoying your mind should remain in touch with the Lord. In nature, see the Lord who dwells in nature and feel the ecstasy while praising the Lord.
Our Holy book says: "When you meet Guru Ji, you are on the way of salvation while playing and laughing."
Guru Ji then looked towards Hans and said: Listen to the divine sermons. See the Lord near. Recite the Lord's name incessantly. All the impurities of the mind will go.
Hans now touched Guru Ji's feet and said: I recognize this boy. His name is Sarna. He is not a sinner. I am the sinner. Today only, I have realized that in the garb of good deeds and kindness, I have made many souls suffer. Now, I am myself feeling the pain and suffering. I am now at your mercy. I ask for your forgiveness.
Guru Ji asked two of his men to look after Sarna till he recovers full strength. Guru Ji told Hans to go and find the girl who was subjected to so much torture for just talking to a childhood companion boy.
Time passed by, when one day while Guru Ji was sitting in the Audience Hall, Hans entered and brought with him a thin, weak girl with her hand on his arm.
Why her hand on Han's arm? The girl was blind. When she was told in the monastery that talking to a man with affection was a sin and as a penance she had to agree to her eyes taken out. To make herself free from the accusation of the sin, she agreed to become blind.
Guru Ji welcomed the girl. Guru Ji touched the girl's head with love and explained to her the true aim of religion. The unwanted feeling of sin was washed away and the sensation of the Lord's name permeated in her entire body. She got into the remembrance of the Lord. She became really pious.
Guru Ji said to her: Keep in high spirits always. Remembrance of the Lord in every breath should be your aim.
Don't give suffering to anyone. Don't do anything bad. But keep your mind tied to the Lord's feet.
Today, Guru Ji blessed the girl who had almost reached a dead end by the fasts and penances of the monastery. She got the sensation of the Lord's name in her body. Her mind blossomed. Hans was blessed today. He was baptized and from Hans Raj, he became Hans Raj Singh.
The girl was also baptized. Sarna had already been baptized by Guru Ji and named Saran Singh. He was now healthy and full of the sensation of the Lord's name in his body.
Guru Ji called Sarna and said: If you wish to honor your vows, then the real religion and real love is in honoring the vows of your parents. Respect their sentiments and vows. Your real love will be to accept the girl in marriage, even though she is weak, fragile, bones and blind. Be a comfort to her. Be fearless from this world. Prove your old friendship. Give your hand. Be a support to her. Tread on the path towards the Lord and make others follow you on the same path.
As per instructions of Guru Ji, the bestowal of forgiveness, the marriage of Saran Singh and the girl was solemnized. The humble girl, whom nobody would want, was given a loving support. Both of them became lovers of the Lord and disciples of Guru Ji, Guru Ji put them on the path of householders with their minds tied to the Lord's feet.
O Guru Ji, the bestowal of forgiveness, you only, can understand the true rules of religiousness. You only can tell the wrong doings of the worldly people. You only, said that married men and women are pure. You only, removed the poison of the family life. You only, loved a family living and showed the way to love the Lord while living in the family. You made the bread earners and pious people as saints. You transformed men into valiant, full of gusto, brave, full hearted, virtuous, blossoming faces, minds tied to the Lord, those who could see the Lord in nature, living in the world but not entangled in it, saintly humans, true men, pure men and made a Sikh community. You are great. You only, gave awareness and insight to recluses, ascetics, mystics and hermits. You gave them the life-giving practices and discarded their lifeless practices.
Guru Ji's words to Hans are repeated once again: Listen to the divine sermons. See the Lord near. Recite the Lord's name incessantly.
Let us also recite:
'0 Lord, 0 Lord, 0 Lord, 0 Lord' 'Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru, Y/aheguru
Start with at least five minutes a day.
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