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Immersed in Naam:
The Way of the Sikh
Letter & Spirit # 32

YUKTANAND SINGH

 

 

 

Translated from Bhai Vir Singh's ‘Gurmukh Sikhia’

Part XXI-B


The function of our sexual energy, at the physical level, is to produce offspring. But when this energy is preserved, then it ascends to a higher level. Then it produces the spiritual offspring of inner light and sehaj and thus it takes us towards liberation.

Deep and slow breathing helps maintain concentration during meditation. Simran opens the ‘tenth door’ in Man. He then experiences an elevated spiritual state.

His inner attention sees the beauty of this higher state. Then he instinctively sees the material world as valueless.

He naturally shuns evil then, just as the cattle enjoy eating hay but humans do not eat hay. We naturally shun from cannibalism, not because someone has prohibited us, it is because we naturally abhor a corpse.

We do not have to leave home when we turn to simran but we need to conquer attachment to the family while living with our family. Relationship with the spouse, if the spouse is also a devotee, is not an obstacle on the path to liberation.

What is the benefit of renouncing one’s family and spouse -- as some faiths recommend -- if one is going to be attracted to and become attached to the followers? The real task is controlling attachment … any attachment.

The sweetness of sugarcane has an alluring taste. Milk and honey have another kind of sweetness. They are known as unsweetened nectar. Simran also has its own unique taste but its sweetness lies in its cognition or actualization.

A fish wanted to see water. “What does it look like?” she asked. The turtle said: it is something one cannot live without. The fish asked him to show water to her. The turtle gave her a ride to the dry land. When the fish started to die, the turtle explained to her: the substance without which she was dying was water!

Similarly, we live in Waheguru. The Guru bestows us with its realization.

We worship God while living with our family but we need to stay detached from everyone.  An unattached individual is attached to his true nature.

The average man lives with his consciousness fallen down, encumbered by others. The mind of someone who does simran is not influenced by others. Being independent and liberated, it lives in its own purity.

The yogis describe such a state as the ‘uncoiling of the serpent power’ (kundalini) or blossoming of the heart lotus.

Just as a snake crawling on the ground can be easily hit with a stick, but an upright snake is not an easy target, similarly, it is impossible to influence someone whose inner attention is upright and resides at the higher spiritual level.

A seeker once came to see me. Upon advice of a teacher, he would sleep very little and was always busy reading and reciting. The sleep-depravation had produced deteriorating health, both mentally and physically. I told him that if he wanted to listen to me then he must have at least seven hours of sleep everyday.

Gradually, he complied and was happy.

Often, in order to avoid fame and excessive crowds, a sant plays games or pretends to engage in acts that would defame himself. Bhagat Kabir also did that once. He took a bottle of liquor in his hand and stumbled into the market leaning on the shoulder of a prostitute. People exclaimed, “Finally we see this sant’s true colors!”

But then Kabir realized that if his reputation was spoiled he will not be able to inspire people and will not be able to work for their welfare. Working for others’ welfare is Waheguru’s Hukam. So he played another drama.

He healed a crippled man’s leg and made him walk. This man’s testimony restored his fame and his reputation.

Kabir then uttered these words: “I have not done anything; I shall not do anything; my body cannot do anything. I do not know what the Lord has done but everyone is hailing: ""Kabir, Kabir."" [GGS:1367]

Naam has no boundary. Naam is higher than any height that an exalted individual reaches through naam.

Guru Ram Das describes his own state with these words: “Without naam, one does not live” … but even after having attained this realization, he prays: “My True Guru, please implant the naam within me” [GGS:40].

A sant can recognize a seeker’s inner state of readiness. Sometimes he comes out of hiding to meet a seeker, just as the benevolent Guru Sahiban would travel to satisfy someone longing for their sight.

But at other times, the Guru finds excuses to deliberately avoid seeing someone who has traveled far to see him.

In the beginning, Naam must be repeated with our tongue. It then spontaneously descends into our heart and resides in our breath. Wherever such a person resides, naam imbibes his house, his garden and everything else around him.

Just stay engaged in naam. Gradually, everything spontaneously falls into place. It is not a matter of haste. At first the dirt is washed off with naam simran. Then, as the mind is cleansed, one starts to taste its sweetness.

‘Waheguru’ and ‘Om’ are one and the same, but a swami who, wary of the Hindus, foresook the ‘Waheguru’ mantar that his Sikh teacher had given to him, and started chanting ‘Om’ instead, fell short of the destination. This swami’s teacher was a ‘Nirmala’ sant from his village.

It is difficult to digest butter fat alone. It may even cause diarrhea. But if it is mixed with honey and black pepper, it is digested easily. Similarly, saying “I am He” of the Vedanta is not enough. It needs to be mixed with bhagti, divine love.

Just as the vitamins help keep us healthy, similarly naam heals our mind and thus fosters a healthy body also.

Once my clothes were contaminated while at the cleaners and as a result, I developed a rash. One day I was strolling around the holy sarovar (pool) at Tarn Taran. I had a vision and saw that the entire pool was filled with amrit (ambrosial water). So I took a dip in that water and soaked my rash with it.

The next day I saw that my rash was gone.

 
July 10, 2013

 

Conversation about this article

1: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), July 10, 2013, 7:19 PM.

Immersion in Naam is like being head over heels in love with someone and you want to be near them, and hug them and do things to them because that's what nature wants you to do to procreate, but with Naam it's exactly the same thing with the 'pleasure' being not physical or sexual but ecstasy of purity and realization that you came into existence through such long travels across time and space and in this human birth you have got a chance to go back to what willed you into this human life-form for this extraordinary real-life puppet show!

2: Yuktanand Singh (Michigan, USA), July 15, 2013, 11:45 AM.

We have revised this installment today for improved accuracy in translation and readability.

3: Jaspreet (Noida, India), September 07, 2013, 4:13 AM.

I have started doing naam simran ... but the problem is I feel sleep deprived after doing naam simran. Though I enjoy doing it, I also have a full time job to do in the morning. I do naam simran after 12:00 am. Any advice?

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The Way of the Sikh
Letter & Spirit # 32"









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