Kids Corner

People

Today's Hukam ... and Remembering Mother

INNI KAUR

 

 

 

TODAY’S HUKAM

I live by Your Name; my mind is in ecstasy. True is the Name of the True Creator. Glorious are the Praises of the Creator of the Universe. Infinite is the spiritual wisdom imparted by the Guru. The Creator who created, shall also destroy. The call of death is sent out by Your Command; no one can challenge it. You Yourself create, and watch; Your written command is above each and every head. You Yourself impart understanding and awareness. O Nanak, the Creator is inaccessible and unfathomable; I live by the Creator’s True Name. || 1 ||

No one can compare to You; all come and go. By Your Command, the account is settled, and doubt is dispelled. The Guru dispels doubt, and makes us speak the Unspoken Speech; the true ones are absorbed into Truth. You Yourself create, and You Yourself destroy; I accept the Command of the Creator. True greatness comes from the Guru; You alone are the mind’s companion in the end. O Nanak, there is no other than You; greatness comes from Your Name. || 2 ||

You are the True Creator, the unknowable Maker. There is only the One Creator, but there are two paths, by which conflict increases. All follow these two paths. By the Hukam of Your Command; the world is born, only to die. Without Naam, the mortal has no friend at all; and carries loads of sin on its head. By Hukam one comes, but one does not understand this Hukam; Hukam is the Embellisher. O Nanak, through Shabad, the True Creator is realized. || 3 ||

Your devotees look beautiful in Your Court, embellished with Shabad. They chant the Ambrosial Word, savoring it with their tongues. Savoring it with their tongues, they thirst for Naam; they are a sacrifice to the Shabad. Touching the philosopher’s stone, they become the philosopher’s stone, which transforms lead into gold; they become pleasing to Your mind. They attain the immortal status and eradicate their self-conceit. How rare is that person, who contemplates spiritual wisdom. O Nanak, the devotees that look beautiful in Your Court; they are dealers in the Truth. || 4 ||

I am hungry and thirsty for wealth; how will I be able to go to Your Court?  I shall go and ask the True Guru, and meditate on the Naam. I meditate on the True Name, chant the True Name, and as gurmukh, I realize the True Name. Night and day, I chant the Name of the merciful, immaculate Creator, the Protector of the poor. The One Eternal Creator has ordained the tasks to be done; self-conceit is overcome, and the mind is subdued. O Nanak, Naam is the sweetest essence; through Naam, thirst and desire are stilled. || 5 || 2 || 


[Guru Nanak, GGS:688] 
 




Today is Mother’s Day and it is only natural that I relate today’s Hukam to my mother’s life.

Guru says, “Blessed are those who wake up in the ambrosial hours and recite Your Name.”

My mother woke up every morning at 4 am to listen to kirtan from Darbar Sahib. That was the best time of the day for her. The house was quiet and she would be immersed in kirtan, totally content.

Guru says, “The ones who are absorbed in Naam, their sense of duality and attachment ends.”

Mother was the same inside and outside. While she loved beautiful things, she was not attached to them. She wanted nothing to be held in her name and nothing was.

What she loved more than anything else was preparing langar to send to the gurdwara. I would often say, “Mum, please don’t tire yourself.” Her answer would be, “These hands are meant to serve. As long as there is breath, they should serve. They will burn away one day. Everything will burn. The only thing that will go with me is my seva.”

It’s strange, how I remember her every conversation. It re-plays automatically within me.

If there is one thing that she absolutely disliked and was very vocal about it -- it was babas and deras. Her constant advice to me was, “Never leave Darbar Sahib. Don’t ever go to these babas or deras. They are all frauds. Only Guru can show you the right way.”

Bangla Sahib Gurdwara was her haunt. She would spend hours sitting there listening to the kirtan. The sevadars at the gurdwara knew her well. They were very kind to her. Well! Everyone was kind to mother. And when it became physically impossible for her to go, she was totally content watching her television beaming images from Darbar Sahib.

I never knew what to say to her, when she would say, “If I have to come back into this world, I want to come back as your father’s wife.” She absolutely adored my father and he her. She wished her last breath be in his arms reciting gurbani and that is the way it was. Guru fulfilled her wish.

Who could ask for more?

During the last two years of her life, my sister and I witnessed a transformation in her. Her simran had gotten sweeter. Her face glowed with serenity. Her tongue blessed everyone and everything -- even the flies were blessed. She was totally and completely at peace. Totally secure in the knowledge that Guru was with her.

When death came in the ambrosial hours, she embraced it – chanting ‘SatNaam, WaheGuru‘, she left.

Who could ask for more!

The last six months of her life, Naam was the jewel that adorned her. Naam was her constant companion. Naam was her very breath.

How very blessed was my Mother!

My sister and I miss her so very much!

She knew we would!

 

May 12, 2013

Conversation about this article

1: Harinder (Uttar Pradesh, India), May 12, 2013, 1:18 PM.

God's gift to mankind is the Mother.

2: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), May 12, 2013, 4:52 PM.

"Gurmukh janam sawaa(n)r darghay chale-aa" (Rana Surat Singh). Inni, Sanmeet jio, what a wonderful fortune to have had such a lovely mother who passed the baton to you both and to have kept the flame alight.

3: Kirpal Singh (Wellington, New Zealand), May 12, 2013, 6:05 PM.

A wonderful and enlightening account of the life of a gursikh. What a wonderful mother!

4: Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa (Espanola, New Mexico, USA), May 15, 2013, 11:03 AM.

Thank you, Inni Kaur, for such a beautiful and moving piece about your mother.

Comment on "Today's Hukam ... and Remembering Mother"









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.