If you wish to acquire something then think of the Satguru’s feet. You will get all of the joys while being alive and receive Mukti in your end time.
Sri Bala Sandhur Vaach..
Guru ji arrived in a new place, continuing on his travels. Kaak Bhasund ji, the greatest of the birds, was sitting there. Kaak Bhasund was known to do the Katha of Parmeshwar all the time. He was the Rishi of the Behungams (birds). Many Sadhoos from the bird species were there with him. Kaak Bhasund ji was sitting among them. He was sitting in the middle and doing the Katha with love. The Behungams listened with a deep love and devotion. They all did Bhagti with great love and eagerness. The Giver of Joys came and sat there. Bhai Mardana ji and I were with him. When Kaak Bhasund ji finished his Katha, all of the birds bowed their heads. After some time, Bhai Mardana ji sang a Shabad. Kaak Bhasund ji heard the Shabad and became drenched with love. He was like a Chakor looking at the full moon; like the ocean striking its waves, wishing to hug the moon; Kaak Bhasund was in love and went into Samadhi. Bhai Mardana ji sang for a while. When he finished, he sat quietly. Kaak Bhasund ji opened his eyes after and spoke sweet words: “whose Shabad did you just sing? This was fire for the great jungle of attachment in the mind. Hearing this, love arose in my mind. You sang it in a great Raag. Tell me the name of the one who wrote this. That person must be drenched in the colour of Bhagti.” Bhai Mardana ji said: “Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, the Prabhoo, the Giver of Mukti; this is his Shabad which I just sang. He is the beautiful Avatar of Nirankaar.” Kaak Bhasund ji heard this and quickly came to grab Guru Nanak Dev ji’s feet. He bowed to Guru ji’s feet. Seeing this, the other birds also came to bow to the Lotus Feet of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Kaak Bhasund ji folded his hands and said to the Prabhoo: “I have already received news that Hari was going to come in the Kaliyuga (quoting from the Bavish Purana written be Ved Vyaas ji) to save the people. I wanted to meet the Compassionate Form. I had this wish in my heart. The great and auspicious day finally came today. You came to my home! You came to Humble me, to give me your Darshan. You are the Light of the Bedi Clan (Ved Vyaas ji mentions that Hari himself will come in Kaliyuga in the Bedi Clan). You fulfilled my wishes. I saw your form with my own eyes. Blessed is the time and day that I’ve seen you. Fortunate, I see myself as. People are unwise in Kaliyuga. They have become fools (in chasing pleasures). Because of attachment and desires overtaking their wisdom, the Dharma has become spoiled. Their attachments and desires are growing by the day. You came to give them all the righteous path. You came to open the stubborn knots of ego, attachment and desires in the Bhuddi. You took on a human form and came into the world. You are the support of all 3 Loks. The ones who come to the shelter of your feet, why would they not be released from the cycle of life and death? The ones who earn your words and live by them, they will become purer than Teeraths. You have the power of Gyaan. Whoever reads your words, why would they not receive Mukti?” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji said: “you are supreme in every way! You do Bhagti, continuously. You are the greatest listener.” Kaak Bhasund ji said: “oh Satguru Deena Nath ji (the master of the humble), assist me! How many types of listeners are there? Please tell me.”
Satguru ji said: “there are 5 types of listeners in this world. I will tell you: 1. The ones who understand Raags and Raagnis. 2. The ones who have wisdom of Sur (pitch). 3. The ones who listen to the Taal (beats) with love. 4. The ones who enjoy the instruments. 5. The ones who try to understand the meanings of the Shabad. They understand the cream of the Shabad with great wisdom. These types are the greatest. They understand the meanings and are wise. They are great in every way and every place. They understand the meanings and receive joy. They are always drenched in Prema Bhagti. That person becomes “Chiranjeev,” lives forever. The ones who ponder on the meaning with love, that person eats the cream and becomes satiated. The other 4 types of listeners are just eating the peel or the barks. They fall in love with eating the peel of the fruit. They get stuck in useless tastes. They don’t know the internal taste. You know the taste of the Satsangat and have achieved the Chiranjeevi status.”
When Bhai Mardana ji heard this, he said: “Rishi ji, please tell me how old are you? How many Yugas have you seen go by?” Kaak Bhasund ji said: “I have been sitting here for a very long time. When 1,000 Yugas pass, then it is 1 day of Brahma. The same length is the night. Months are formed in the same way. When such 100 Divine years of Brahma pass, Brahma’s age finishes. I have seen many Brahmas pass. I have seen many “Parlos,” (complete destructions). I have seen the world destroyed and created again many times. I’ve seen Brahma being born and create the universe many times. He creates the non-sentient and sentient life forms, Suras, Asuras and many types of creations. I have seen many Brahmas die and born again. Many I have seen. They keep coming back. I have been sitting here and singing the glories of Hari. I sit in Dhyaan of Parmeshwar and receive bliss in my heart.” (Kaak Bhasund had the ability to time travel and travel to many types of Multiverses, seeing the life of Ram Chander ji play out 11 times and the Mahabharat 16 times with varying results, as described by Sri Valmiki ji in his Ramayana and by Sri Tulsidas ji in his Ram Charitmanas) Bhai Mardana ji was amazed to hear this and went quiet. Listen, oh Compassionate One, Guru Angad Dev ji: I then asked: “you are the greatest of all the Bhagats of Hari. You destroyed your attachment and received the Aatam Gyaan. You are greater than everyone else in many ways. How did you become a crow? This is a great doubt and question I have in my mind. Please answer my question oh virtuous one.”
Kaak Bhasund ji said: “listen to how I came into the body of a crow: in one birth I was born as a Shoodra and did Seva of Shiv with great love. I had hatred towards Vishnu. I did not see anyone else. I lived in Ayodhya when a great drought came. I left and came to Ujjain. There, lived a Brahmin who was in bliss. He destroyed his duality and his desires. He became my Guru and I started to live there. He wanted me to do the Bhagti of Vishnu. Hearing this, my heart burned. I had always loved the Bhagti of Shiv. I hated hearing Vishnu’s name. I stubbornly would refuse to do Bhagti of Vishnu. I didn’t want to hear my Guru’s words. My Guru gave me wisdom in many ways but I didn’t listen. I was egotistical and saw everyone as lower than me. I had become a hypocrite. I had become a show-off. I liked this.
One day I was sitting in the Mandir of Shiv when my Guru, the compassionate one, came. I didn’t get up to respect him. I didn’t bow my head to him in pride. For my Guru, respect and disrespect was the same to him; joy and sorrow did not affect him. He saw everything as the same so he didn’t say anything. I heard a voice from the Mandir of Shiv ji (Shiv speaking himself), saying: “you corrupt person! You will go to hell for this blasphemous act! You will then fall into damned species and take many births. You will suffer a great punishment for your lack of showing respect to your Guru. You are a hypocrite and an egotistical person. You hate Vishnu and disrespect your Guru. You will have to suffer the stick of the Jumms. Your pain will grow.” When my Guru heard this curse, he became compassionate. He prayed to Shiv Shamboo by praising him in many ways. Chander Choor (Shiv) then said: “oh Dwij (Brahmin), because of your compassion, your student will remember all of his births. My curse never goes without effect so he will have to suffer the pains of Hell.” I had to go to Hell then and suffer heavy punishments of pain. The Jumms had their noose around my neck. After a long time, I was taken out of Hell and put into 8,400,000 species of births. I was born as everything. I was born in every species and died. I then became a Brahmin and I did Bhagti of Sargun. I remembered all of my births by the words of Shiv ji. The curse became a boon for me. One day, Lomas Rishi was doing Katha. I saw and listened to his Katha and told him my wish. He then said: “do the Upasana of Nirgun.” I didn’t like anything. He tried to convince me but I didn’t listen. I kept asking about the Sargun. I kept raising doubts about the Nirgun. Lomas ji saw my wisdom as corrupt. He got angry and then spoke: “you take sides of wings. You keep doubting me. I thought you were deserving of wisdom so I kept speaking to you. You will become the lowest type of bird, the crow. This is my curse to you.” I was destined to be born as a crow. I folded my hands and praised him: “your curse will become reality, I know this. Please see me as your follower. Cast your compassionate vision on me. Give me the boon of keeping my memory. I don’t want to forget my memory.” Lomas became compassionate and said: “you won’t forget anything as a crow. You will eventually get to know the Aatam Gyaan and live in bliss. You will have my compassion. I will give you another boon: you will die when you wish. Without your wish, death will not come to you.” Hearing this I became happy and came here. This place gave me peace. I don’t leave this body now. Prema Bhagti gives me bliss. I am born as a crow but I am in bliss. I didn’t let go of this body as I received the Anand, bliss, in this life form.”
In this way Kaak Bhasund ji spoke of his Katha. Sri Guru ji was ready to go on ahead. Both bowed to each other. Guru ji headed towards the higher realms. Above Kaak Bhasund ji was Sri Datta Treya ji, the wise. He knew Aatam Gyaan like an Amla on the palm. He started the tradition of the Sanyasi order. He was the detached “Virakat.” He wandered as an Udaasi. He had 24 Gurus in his life (as described in Dasam Guru Granth Sahib ji. Datta Treya was the Avatar of Shiv. He was told by Akaal Purakh’s holy words to take on a Guru. He saw Akaal Purakh as his first Guru and his own mind as his second Guru. He learned to focus from a heron waiting to catch a fish. He learnt from a married girl who removed her bangles to not disturb anyone; one should not have many wishes because it would make too much noise. The cotton weaver was his next Guru who focused on his work as the King’s army travelled by. He had other Gurus as mentioned by Guru Gobind Singh ji in the Datt Avatar Bani). He was drenched in the colour of Ikankaar. He saw the pleasures of the 3 Loks like a piece of grass and rejected them. He only loved the Brahm. He was the knower of the Param Tatt. He was a great Munni who won all his Indrees (senses). He was a great Gyaani. Guru ji went close to him and stood in front. Datta Treya ji was laying down in bliss with his eyes closed. He was silent. He was savoring the internal taste of bliss. Bhai Mardana ji said to Guru ji: “oh Prabhoo, who is this great being that lays here? He is connected in his Samadhi. He is still and laying down. We should talk to him. We should listen to his words. Let’s listen to him first and then give him your Gyaan.” Sri Guru ji said: “listen Mardana, this is the great Datta Treya. He is the greatest Avdhoot (the destroyer of vices) in the world. He is always in a still state. His wisdom is pure. He remains detached from his body while living in it. He remains without wobbling. He has received the bliss of the Aatma which cannot be measured.”
Listen Guru Angad Dev ji to the Katha: I then spoke: “Sri Guru ji, I have heard his name. I have heard that Datta Treya ji was in the world. By your compassion, I got to see him. I have read that he is a Param Hans Avdhoot, the Sanyasi. We should speak to him. We should call to him. Let’s speak and listen about Gyaan with him. If he speaks, we can see what his ideology is. We can’t know that with him staying silent.” Sri Guru ji then spoke: “you are a body but don’t speak. Don’t stay without any action till you are in a body. Listen to my words in your mind. Open your eyes but keep your mind still. You will still remain still if you open your eyes. Your mind will never wander. The One is everywhere, in everyone. There is no one other than the Kartaar in every heart.” Sri Datta Treya ji said: “I have no task with the world. It is not my nature to speak. I have let go of all wishes. I am without wishes. My mind is still. It does not wander. You have blessed me in the best way. You live inside me, whom I am connected with. Your form lives in my every hair of my body in the best way. What shall I say with my tongue?” Guru ji heard his words and said: “you are Dhan to remain so still. Aatam Gyaan resides in your heart like the ocean. It is like the fish living in the ocean. You are always in the Aatam Gyaan. People call jewellery: earrings, bracelets and rings but you don’t see the form. You only see the gold. You only see the Aatma in everyone and the world. The forms are false to you. You see the truth in the best way.” Datta Treya ji opened his eyes and met Guru ji. Both met with great joy. They sat together for a long time. Guru ji then got ready to leave. Both bowed to each other. Sri Guru ji then continued on with the travels. The Kamal Badan was the giver of Joy. The Adhyaaya is now complete.