The Illuminating Light, which is bright; the one that completes the wishes; the destroyer of pain; the giver of joy; Victory be to you (oh Goddess of Wisdom) Home of Compassion.
Sri Bala Sandhur Vaach..
Oh son of Pheroo, Guru Angad Dev ji, listen to the Katha. I will say it how I saw it. The Home of Virtues, Guru Nanak Dev ji travelled on. His wish was to save the people by his mind and words. As we walked, Guru ji spoke to me: “I will show you the Brijshala of Krishan Kaan. Where he took an Avatar to kill Kans; where he played in the home of Yashoda; where the daughter of Soorya (Yamuna) flows proudly; at the shores of Yamuna, Kaan played in joy; he tended the cows on the mountain; where he killed the sinners and made the earth lighter; where he killed the Daynts; where he played with the other Gwala (cow herder) kids, I will take you there.” As Guru ji spoke, we started to see the land of Brij. Guru ji saw the Gowardhan Mountain and sat there. Bhai Mardana ji spoke: “what is this huge mountain near the Yamuna? There is no other mountain like it around here. I am in doubt seeing this mountain.” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji said: “when Ram Chander ji made the bridge on the ocean, since then this mountain has been here.” Bhai Mardana ji said: “please tell me its history.” Prabhoo ji said: “listen, when the bridge of Rameshwar was complete, Raghbir ji said: “don’t bring anymore rocks from the mountains.” Hanuman ji sat here with the mountain on top of his head and didn’t move. He didn’t go back to Ram Chander ji. Obeying the command, the other monkeys left and went back to Ram Chander ji at Rameshwar. Sri Raghuvir ji looked around and said: “I don’t see the mighty Hanuman.” The other monkeys said to Ram ji: “he is still holding the mountain on his head since he heard your command.” Ram ji said: “go to him and call him back quickly.” One of the monkeys went to Hanuman ji and said: “let’s go! Raghuvir ji is calling for you.” Hanuman ji said: “I can’t go now.” The other monkey went back to Ram ji and told him what Hanuman had said: “the son of Pavan is not coming. He said to me: “when I was picking up this mountain, the mountain said to me: “don’t take me from here! If you want to pick me up then listen, where the feet of Sri Ram Chander ji are, put me under his feet. If you want to put me somewhere else, it is better that I stay here.” I said to him: “alright, where Ram Chander, the holder of the Sarang bow, is, I will put you under his feet as you wish. I promise you.” I picked up the mountain and started off. When I heard that the bridge on the ocean was complete, you told me to stop and not bring anymore mountains. I heard the command and got confused. If I left the mountain here, my promise would break. If I take the mountain to you, that will be disobedience of a command from you. So I thought of this and stayed here.” Sri Raghuvir ji heard this and said: “I will come as an Avatar in Dwapur. I will play many plays on that mountain. I will walk on that mountain for a long time.” The monkey went back to Hanuman and said to him what Ram ji told him. Hanuman then left the mountain where it was and came back to Ram Chander ji, where he was standing. Since then, this mountain has been here. In Dwapur, the Murari took an Avatar as the Madhusudhana. He played with the Gwala kids and Gopis on this mountain. See this mountain as really pure. Keshav spent a long time on this mountain, playing. He killed the clans of the Daynts. He killed many sinners.”
Guru ji sat near the Kaalindri (Yamuna) as he told Bhai Mardana ji the story. Bhai Mardana ji was really happy to hear the Katha of Gowardhan Mountain. When Guru ji came to Brij, there was a great Mela there. Many men and women came to the mountain. Bhramachaaris, Bairagis, Jattis, Satis, Vaishnavas, Tappis, and Sanyasis; many had come to the Brij. Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, the Omniscient One, knew every heart. He saw the fog of ignorance in Kaliyuga. The people were blind. Nobody’s heart was pure. They were all tied by Maya and attachment. They would have never broken the bonds of their bodies. They were in pain from desire, anger, greed and ego. They were stuck in attachment. They did façades during the day, making up stories of Gyaan. They were drowning in the ocean of greed. They showed off their fakeness to others. In the night they sinned. Some would become Krishan and some would become Radha. The young people would disguise themselves and dance around. People would see them. The boys and girls would play like Krishan and Radha to do a façade. The dirty-minded people would see them and get aroused by lust. The boys and girls would meet each other and engage in lustful acts without fear; pretending to be Krishan and Radha. Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji understood their drama and had the Rabab played. Guru ji uttered a Shabad in Ramkali Raag and sung it with love:
Ramkali Mahalla 1 Ashtpadia..
Ik Oankaar Satgur Prasaad..
The same moon rises, and the stars are the same; the same sun rises with its earth. The earth is the same, and the same wind blows. Look how the Yuga plays in the hearts of Jeevs, living beings. ||1||
Give up your desires to life. Those are accepted and approved you act like tyrants in Kaliyuga- recognize that this is the sign of Kali Yuga. ||1||Rahao||
Kali Yuga has not been heard to have come to any country, or to be sitting by any Teerath, sacred shrine. It is not where the generous person gives to charities, nor seated in the palaces, constructed. ||2||
If someone practices Truth, his truth turns to lies; the Tapp is not a successful Tapp. If someone chants the Lord's Name, he is slandered. These are the signs of Kali Yuga. ||3||
Whoever rules, he is humiliated. Why should the servant be afraid, when the master is put in chains? He dies at the hands of his servant. ||4||
Chant the Praises of the Lord; Kali Yuga has come. The justice of the previous three Yugas is gone. If one obtains virtue of Bhagti, (given to them by Akaal Purakh) then one is in peace. ||1||Rahao||
In this turbulent age of Kali Yuga, Muslim law decides the cases, and the black-hearted Qazis are the judges. The words of Brahma's Vedas, Atharvan and the others, which have the praises (of the Parmeshwar) that virtue, singing of the Lord's Praises are good deeds. ||5||
Worship without faith; abstinence without truthfulness; the Janyow without chastity - what good are these? You may bathe and wash, and apply the tilak mark to your forehead, but without inner purity, there is no purity. ||6||
In Kali Yuga, the Koran and the Kataybs (Bible and Torah) have become accepted. The Pandits, scriptures and the Puranas are not respected. O Nanak, the Lord's Name now is Rehman, the Merciful, but know that there is only One Creator. ||7||
Nanak has obtained the glorious greatness of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. There is no action higher than this. If someone goes out to beg for what is already in his own home, then he should be chastised. ||8||1||
(SGGS 902-903)
Guru Nanak Dev ji sang this Shabad in Raag Ramkali, in a loud and high pitch. Hearing him, many people came to him. They all sat down with love. There were many wise Pandits in the crowd who heard the Shabad and said: “please tell us the meanings of this Shabad. We see you as a great saint.” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji spoke about the meanings of the Shabad: “oh wise ones, listen with your focussed minds: the moon, sun, stars, earth and wind are the same as they were in the 3 other Yugas. The Bhuddis of the people have become dirty though. This is what Kaliyuga is. There is no hope for the people of Kaliyuga. Their age is less. In rain, bubbles are formed in the water and pop. That’s how the people of Kaliyuga are, they are born and die in an instant. Kaliyuga didn’t come from any country nor did it go to any country. It didn’t make a fort nor a place to reside. Kaliyuga is the state of mind. The bad deeds and bad thoughts that people took on, that was the sign of Kaliyuga. Chastity, Satt and Tapp; the ones who claimed to practice these, they were not complete. If one would do the Simran of the Naam, they are slandered by everyone as doing a backwards thing. In Satyuga, if a sinner did one sin, the whole country would suffer. In Treta, the whole city would suffer. In Dwapur, the whole family suffered. Their family was destroyed. In Kaliyuga, whoever sins, they alone suffer for it. Whom the Satguru forgives and gives them the gift of Naam, they are only saved. There is no other solution. Churning the Atharv Ved, summarizing and pondering on it, it is determined that singing the glory of Parmeshwar is the best. Bathing and worshiping the Thakurs is useless. Till one does not cleanse the attachment and jealousy from the heart, everything else is useless. Truth is not earned nor spoken in Kaliyuga. Purity is not achieved. The True Name only breaks the bonds of attachment. The mind is impure. They show off being hypocrites. They suffer punishment by the stick of the Jumms. A peacock has beautiful colours and sings melodious songs. Afterall, it only pecks at dirty insects. That’s how the people of Kaliyuga are. They wear nice clothes and speak sweetly but are filled with lust and anger. They are trapped by greed. Ego drenches their minds. They go to Hell and feel the great pain. They then regret their actions when they are trapped by the Jumms. The greatness is achieved by the Simran of the Naam. There is nothing bigger than this. Otherwise, one is chastised by others who leaves the Guru and begs from others.” When Satguru ji said this, the hypocrites that were sitting there were embarrassed. The Pandits questioned Guru ji: “whose Upasana do you do in your mind? Do you do the Seva of the Nirgun or the Sargun? Please tell us your way.” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji heard this and said: “I haven’t given any significance to the difference of the Sargun and the Nirgun. If there was a difference then I would do the different Sevas. See the Nirgun and Sargun as the same. The ones who see a difference are unwise people. The Nirgun Brahm is in all, as the Chetna, the consciousness. It can be seen as the same in all. The one that played in the Brij was the Sargun form of the Nirgun. He came as the Krishan Avatar, who lightened the load of Dharti, the earth. Ingrain his plays in your heart and make your heart pure. Wash your corruption. You are bonded by the attachment of the world. You can only be released if you do the Simran of Hari. Committing sins, you will feel pain in the end time. Chant the Naam which will give you joy. Singing the glory of Hari in Kaliyuga is the supreme act. There is nothing equal to it. Do the Bhagti and achieve joy. If you remain hypocrites, you will be in pain.” Hearing the words, that gave Mukti, from the mouth of the Giver of Mukti, the people made their hearts pure and bowed to Guru ji. They became Guru ji’s Sikhs and were in peace.
Many pilgrims came to Guru ji and bowed to him. They placed gifts in front of him and heard his words. They saw Guru ji as the great Avatar. Guru ji said to all: “do the Simran of the Master of the Universe. Do the Prema Bhagti. Your corruption from the mind will be destroyed. If you do this, you will receive Mukti.” Guru ji stayed there for 3 days. He destroyed the hypocrisy and travelled on. He saved many in that area who committed lustful acts while taking advantage of the dance of Krishan and Radha. Guru ji destroyed the pain with his discussions. He gave joy to all.
Where Ayodhya was located, we all arrived there in the blink of an eye as we all talked. Guru ji came to the River Sirju. Satguru ji grinded hypocrisy. The people of Ayodhya heard of Guru ji’s arrival. The people of Ayodhya came to where the Light of the Bedis was sitting. Many Pandits came and sat in front of Guru ji. They all bowed with love in their hearts. They were happy to see Guru ji’s beautiful form. When a great crowd gathered in front of Guru ji, Guru ji said: “I heard Sri Ram ji took all of the citizens of Ayodhya with him to Vaikunt. He took both high and low castes. Where did this city come from where I see big houses?” The Pandits heard this and said: “Sri Ram ji only took the Jeevs. These homes all stayed. The Jeevs only went to Vaikunt.” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji said: “they went to Vaikunt who did Sri Ram ji’s Darshan with faith. You should do the Simran of the Naam. You will go to Vaikunt as well. You will live there. When you do the Prema Bhagti after meeting the true Guru, your attachment will be destroyed. The Darshan of the Complete Satguru is successful. Do the Simran of the Naam which will help you in the end. Become Gurmukhs (always thinking of the Guru) and let go of your desires and vices. You will be saved along with your ancestors.” The Pandits heard this and said: “how many types of Gurus are there?” Guru ji spoke to give them the answer: “one type of Guru is the Pandit Guru. Another is the Avdhoot who is not educated but is a Tapasvi. Another is the Mahapurakh, who is great and has a pure Bhuddi. Listen to their characteristics. The Pandit, educated, Guru, can’t swim but says: “there is the other shore. You can swim and get across. That’s how you can cross the river.” He doesn’t know how to swim but preaches to go across. He doesn’t do it himself but gives sermons on what to do. That is the Pandit Guru. He can translate the Vedas and the Puranas but is stuck in greed and attachment, spending his whole life. Meeting such a Guru, one is rewarded but one does not get the Gyaan in the heart. The Avdhoot Guru, uneducated but a good Tapasvi, he does not know Vidya. He met a saint and became a Jogi. He received the Gyaan in the heart and destroyed his attachment to the world. He can swim across the river but can’t take others across. Just as a stick floats on water, it can float but not save others; that is how the Avdhoot Guru is. The Mahapurakh Gurus are experts in all Vidyas. If a person meets such a Guru, they receive Mukti easily. Whoever he gives the wisdom to, he can give them Gyaan. Such great beings give joy to all. Seeing their great nature, if one earns themselves, they are blessed. They don’t go to the dimension of the Jumms. If one is to take another across the river, that person is like a ferryman. They can take them across on a canoe or a floating device. The Darshan of such a Mahapurakh Guru, the sins are washed away. The Mahapurakh Guru is the giver of Joy.” Hearing Guru ji’s words, the people’s minds were drenched in love. They bowed to Guru ji’s feet and recognized him as the Giver of Mukti. They said: “this world is full of pain. Please be compassionate and save us. Make us your Sikhs. Give us your good wisdom. We have heard of your glories before. You finally gave us your Darshan.” Seeing the humility of the people, the Compassionate One gave them the beautiful wisdom: “understand in your heart that the world is not going to last. It is “Anitya.” Do the Simran of the Satnam everyday. Practice stilling your Munn. When you keep practicing, you will meet with the blissful Prabhoo. When you see the world as a myth which will not last, your thoughts will easily stop.” Giving the wisdom to the people of Ayodhya, Guru ji set off from there.
Where Kanshi is now, we all arrived there. Guru ji saw a nice place near the shores of the Ganga and sat down. The water was pure and the waves were strong. The servants of Hari love the Satnam. The wise Pandits lived in that city. When they heard of Guru ji’s arrival, they all gathered and got ready to come to see Guru ji with joy. They said: “we have heard of complete saints. We will now go and do his Darshan.” Many men and Pandits came. They came and bowed their heads to Guru ji. They sat down with faith. They all questioned Guru ji: “we read the Vedas and Shastras everyday along with listening to them. That is our daily practice. We still are not at peace nor is our ego destroyed.” Sri Guru ji heard this and said: “oh Pandits, listen to my words and think about it. You have corruption in your minds so how would you follow what the Vedas say? Your heart wishes for pleasures and vices. The Bhuddi which gives peace, you have taken it out. When you recite the Vedas and Shastras, you are just showing off.” Guru ji then said a Shabad:
Sri Raag Mahalla 1..
Greed is the dog; falsehood is a Choora (street-sweeper). Cheating is eating a rotting carcass. Slandering others is putting the filth of others into your own mouth. The fire of anger is the Chandaal, who burns dead bodies at the cemetery. I am caught in these tastes and flavors, and in self-conceited praise. These are my actions, O Kartar! ||1||
O Baba, speak only that which will bring you honor. They alone are high of high, who are judged good at the Lord's Door. Those with bad karma can only sit and weep. ||1||Rahao||
The pleasures of gold and silver, the pleasures of woman, the pleasure of the fragrances, the pleasure of horses, the pleasure of soft beds in homes, the pleasure of sweet treats and the pleasure of meat; -these pleasures of the human body are so numerous; how can the Naam, the Name of the Lord dwell in the heart? ||2||
Those words are acceptable, which, when spoken, bring honor. Harsh words bring regret. Listen, O foolish and ignorant mind! Those who are pleasing to Him are good. What else is there to be said of others? ||3||
That Wisdom, that honor and that wealth are good of those whose hearts has the Parmeshwar living in them. What praise can be offered to them? What other adornments can be bestowed upon them? O Nanak, those who lack the Lord's Glance of Grace, do not give charity nor do they say the Lord's Name. ||4||4||
(SGGS 15)
Be truthful to your minds: do you not indulge in pleasures and vices? You are stuck in the pleasures of vices. So how can the taste and the bliss of the Naam come to you? There are 2 ways to read: one is how a player reads and the other is how a warrior reads. One is false. The warrior’s way is successful. The player, the showman, he has learnt but he does not touch the opponent’s body with his weapon. He wants to protect the other’s body and his own. He doesn’t let the weapon touch. He does this to entertain and to earn money; to show off to others. He reads but does not follow. It is useless to read. It is like the black thunder without water. The warrior saint, on the other hand, reads and listens with love. They do Satsang with love. They know that Agyaan is their enemy. They make sure they destroy the ignorance. Lust, anger, greed and ego; the warrior strikes these body parts of Agyaan to destroy them. The Shabads of the Satguru are the weapons. The saints use these weapons to strike, without delay. They strike the ignorance everyday. This is the Vidya of the warrior. I will give you another example as you are not at peace: the Shastras are like weapons; the Munn is the lion. The ones who strike the lion with these weapons, they are great. The Kavis that wrote the Shastras are like forging the weapons. The Pandits who translate the Shastras are like the Shiklighars who clean the weapons. The ones who read the Shastras and kill the lion of the Munn, they are the warriors. The ones that read to make a living, they are like the merchants who sell the weapons. The ones who killed the lion of Munn, they are glorified in the world as the strongest. That person is the wielder of the weapon. The others call themselves warriors but they are not warriors.” Hearing these words, the scholars of Kanshi spoke: “whoever dies in this city of Shiva, they receive Mukti and have their sins washed away. The Shastras have spoken about this significance: whoever dies here, goes to the Dimension of Shiva. This place is glorified for this reason. This is place is the supreme.” The Guru of the World spoke: “when the time of death comes, one has to have the Mantra of Ram (Tarik Mantra) spoken to in their ear. Shiv ji says this Mantra in their ear to give them Mukti. Only then can one achieve Mukti. It is the glory of the Naam, not the city, that the Shastras speak about. It doesn’t matter which land or country you are in. The hearts where the Naam lives, they are given Mukti. Kabeer ji left Kanshi and went to Maghar (which was cursed as the land of Hadamba by Vyaas) to do the Simran of the Naam. He stayed in Maghar and did the Satsangat. He received Mukti when he left his body. Understand that the giver of Mukti is only the Satnam. It is illuminated in the whole world. There is nothing else that can give Mukti, even by millions of efforts.” The Pandits heard this and said: “there are many names of Hari. Which is the Name that gives Mukti? Please tell us the beautiful Name.” Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji said: “the ferry takes everyone across the river. On which ferry one boards, it takes you across. One utilizes that ferry. One is in joy as they reach the joyful shore. The Name which is given to you by the Guru, that is the one that will give you Mukti. The one who ingrains the wisdom of the Guru in their heart, that person crosses this world ocean.” Hearing these beautiful words, the Pandits said: “please see us as your humble servants and give us Mukti. We are in the shelter of your feet. There is nobody equal to you. Your Darshan is successful. Our pain of rebirth is gone.” When Guru ji heard this, he said the words of Mukti: “chant the Satnam. The 3 illnesses will be destroyed.” The people who took the Naam became Sikhs of the Guru. They did the Simran of Guru and destroyed their doubt. Guru ji stayed in Kanshi for a few more days. He then saw his mission to save the world and left that place.