Bhai Vissaa ji, Bhai Gopi ji and Bhai Tulsiya ji, who were Bharadwaj Brahmins, Bhai Goind Ghaee ji all came to Guru Arjan Dev ji. They bowed and sat next to Guru ji. They folded their hands and did an Ardaas: “Guru ji, the saviour of the weak, we have read 2 Shabads and we are in doubt. Please remove our doubts. The Shabads of Bhagat Namdev ji in two Raags, we see a contradiction in the two Shabads.
Paanday, your Ram Chand has been seen..
Raavan came to beg and Ram Chand ji lost his wife..3..
(SGGS 875)
The son of King Jasrath (Dashrath), he was for the protection of the Bhagats. He is my master, Raja Ram Chand. Namdev bows to him and drinks the Amrit of his name..4..4..
(SGGS 937)
In the first Shabad, it seems like Bhagat ji is opposed to the Avatar. In the second Shabad, he praises Ram Chander ji. The translations of these Shabads are not understood by us. Please tell us what it is in actuality.” Guru ji heard this and said: “the two Shabads have talked about the Sargun and Nirgun form of Akaal Purakh. Both types of Upasana are different. There are many waves in the ocean. The river has waves as well. They are all water. All of Akaal Purakh’s Avatars are like this. The Sat Chit Anand form of Akaal Purakh is in all and inspiring everything. Some Pandits study a lot and lose the essence. They worship only the Sargun form and talk bad about the saints. They argue with the saints who worship the Nirgun form. Bhagat ji has spoken about both. He spoke to the Pandays who only worship the Sargun in the first Shabad and in the second Shabad, he spoke to the worshippers of the Nirgun and showed them a different perspective of Sargun Bhagti. When one takes on a body, there definitely will be pain and joy. The wise ones see the body as false. They see pain and joy as false as well. There are two types of Upashiks: Lakh and Vaach. The Lakh Upashiks see Parmeshwar in all. They know that Akaal Purakh resides in all. They never hate anyone. The Vaach Upashiks say that Krishna was bigger than Ram, and vice versa. They worship different Avatars. They keep fighting and don’t see that all of the Avatars are the same. One should worship the Lakh form of Parmeshwar that lives in all. Do the Upasana of Parmeshwar and not the Upasana of the Avatars. You will be without hate and your vices will be destroyed.” The Sikhs doubts were all destroyed. They saw their real form and achieved Mukti.
Bhai Chaoo and Bhai Kaaloo Bumeeaa, Bhai Goind Ghaee, Bhai Moola ji, Bhai Hem Kapaahiya and Bhai Taro ji came to Guru ji. Bhai Chajoo, Bhai Nihaloo, Bhai Ramoo Kohli ji, Bhai Tulsa Vohra ji, Bhai Sai Ditta ji, Bhai Akul ji, Bhai Damodhar ji, Bhai Vighayman ji, Bhai Aaval Bhana ji, Bhai Buddhu Cheemba ji, Bhai Bhikha ji, Bhai Toda ji, all came to Guru ji. They were from Sultanpur, the area of Guru Nanak Dev ji. They bowed to the feet of Guru Arjan Dev ji. They brought gifts and money for Guru ji. They folded their hands and said: “we are all Sikhs of Guru Amardas ji. Satguru ji told us to make an honest living and serve the Sikhs. We were told to do Simran of Akaal Purakh, speak sweet words, stay humble, bathe during Amritvela; recite Gurbani when the sun rises. We were told to then do our daily work. We have been doing what we have been told but our minds are not at peace. Please give us wisdom which will make our mind calm.” Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji heard this and said: “let go of Rajogun and Tamogun. You won’t be calm till then.” The Sikhs said to Guru ji: “how would we know which is Rajogun and Tamogun?” Guru ji said: “listen to me with your mind. Violence and anger are Tamogun. Greed and pride are Rajogun. Speaking sweetly and having humility is Satogun. This will give you peace and joy. The food that creates this virtue, listen to me by giving your mind. The food from the night before; sour and spicy foods are Tamogun. To sleep a lot and to talk bad about people; not being clean; lying; keeping the company of fools; all this creates Tamogun. To eat sweet and salty foods; seeking the pleasures of being in the company of women; seeking praises; this is the Rajogun. The Rajas (kings) like to live like this. They are greedy. To wear clean clothes; bathing; eating rice and lentils in small amounts; this is the Satogun. You can use this to analyse yourself. Keep the Shabads on your tongue. Whoever comes to you, talk about the Shabad. See Akaal Purakh in all. Understand the intentional meanings of the Shabads. Your mind will not wander. It will be still. This is Satogun. If your mind is calm sometimes and sometimes not, then it is Rajogun. If the mind is not still and you don’t understand what is going on, that is Tamogun. The Satguru can help you calm your mind and have the illumination of Aatam Gyaan come through. Adhere to the warrior spirit and kill the vices. The Taadis sing about such people for many years. Conquer this demon, the mind. The Vedas and the saints praise such a person. Listen Sai Ditta, listen to who the Sadhoos are: they are the ones who won their minds and bodies. Tulsa, those servants are Bhagats that understand that any breath without saying Ram, is a waste. Increase the Satogun inside your heart. You will then receive peace and Gyaan. The Sikh awakens during the last watch of the night and does the Simran of the Name. When they see a person without food or clothes, they provide for them what they need. If one Sikh can’t complete their needs, then many should get together to feed and clothe the needy. Satsangat is like the cloud that comes down to shower over all. Go to the Dharamsala, twice a day. Go to see the Guru on special days, especially on Diwali and Vaisakhi. Go and bathe in the Amritsar Sarovar on those days.”
There were many Sikhs in Sultanpur because Guru Nanak Dev ji stayed with his sister, Bebe Nanaki ji, there. Guru Nanak Dev ji gave treasures of Bhagti there. He opened it for all. A Sikh named Deepa Kasara ji stayed with Guru Arjan Dev ji and did Seva. He did many types of Seva. The Sikhs that came to Guru ji’s court, Bhai Deepa ji made excellent tasting food and fed them. He would take and eat the leftovers of the Sikhs. He would wash the feet of the Sikhs and do their massages. He would give clothes to the ones who needed them. He would discuss the Shabads of the Guru. Guru Arjan Dev ji was happy with him and said: “Deepa, you are like a Diva that illuminates all. You light other Divas. This destroys darkness. Deepa, you are the illumination of the Gyaan. I have made you into a Diva. Whoever meets you, will also receive Mukti.” The ones who did Seva like this, they came to the Guru and received Mukti.