“She sustained the universe”- Sri Guru Grath Sahib- Creation June 1, 2008

Arbad narbad dhun dhookaaraa. For endless eons, there was only utter darkness.

Dharan na gagnaa hukam apaaraa. There was no earth or sky; there was only the infinite Command of His Hukam.

Naa din rain na chand na sooraj sunn samaaDh lagaa-idaa.| |1|| There was no day or night, no moon or sun; God sat in primal, profound Samaadhi. ||1||

Khaanee na banee pa-un na paanee. There were no sources of creation or powers of speech, no air or water.

Opat khapat na aavan jaanee. There was no creation or destruction, no coming or going.

Khand pataal sapat nahee saagar nadee na neer vahaa-idaa. ||2|| There were no continents, nether regions, seven seas, rivers or flowing water. ||2||

Naa tad surag machh pa-i-aalaa. There were no heavenly realms, earth or nether regions of the underworld.

Dojak bhisat nahee khai kaalaa. There was no heaven or hell, no death or time.

Narak surag nahee jaman marnaa naa ko aa-ay na jaa-idaa. ||3|| There was no hell or heaven, no birth or death, no coming or going in reincarnation. ||3||

Barahmaa bisan mahays na ko-ee. There was no Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva.

Avar na deesai ayko so-ee. No one was seen, except the One Lord.

Naar purakh nahee jaat na janmaa naa ko dukh sukh paa-idaa. ||4|| There was no female or male, no social class or caste of birth; no one experienced pain or pleasure. ||4||

Naa tad jatee satee banvaasee. There were no people of celibacy or charity; no one lived in the forests.

Naa tad siDh saaDhik sukhvaasee. There were no Siddhas or seekers, no one living in peace. There were no Yogis, no wandering pilgrims, no religious robes; no one called himself the master. ||5||

Jap tap sanjam naa barat poojaa. There was no chanting or meditation, no self-discipline, fasting or worship

Naa ko aakh vakhaanai doojaa. No one spoke or talked in duality.

Aapay aap upaa-ay vigsai aapay keemat paa-idaa. ||6|| He created Himself, and rejoiced; He evaluates Himself. ||6||

Naa such sanjam tulsee maalaa. There was no purification, no self-restraint, no malas of basil seeds.

Gopee kaan na ga-oo go-aalaa. There were no Gopis, no Krishna, no cows or cowherds.

Tant mant pakhand na ko-ee naa ko vans vajaa-idaa. ||7|| There were no tantras, no mantras and no hypocrisy; no one played the flute. ||7||

Karam gharam nahee maa-i-aa maakhee. There was no karma, no Dharma, no buzzing fly of Maya.

Jaat janam nahee deesai aakhee. Social class and birth were not seen with any eyes.

Mamtaa jaal kaal nahee maathai naa ko kisai dhi-aa-idaa. ||8|| There was no noose of attachment, no death inscribed upon the forehead; no one meditated on anything. ||8||

Nind bind nahee jee-o na jindo. There was no slander, no seed, no soul and no life.

Naa tad gorakh naa maachhindo. There was no Gorakh and no Maachhindra.

Naa tad gi-aan Dhi-aan kul opat naa ko ganat ganaa-idaa. ||9|| There was no spiritual wisdom or meditation, no ancestry or creation, no reckoning of accounts. ||9||

Yaran bhaykh nahee barahman khatree. There were no castes or social classes, no religious robes, no Brahmin or Kh’shaatriya.

Day-o na dayhuraa ga-oo gaa-itaree. There were no demi-gods or temples, no cows or Gaayatri prayer.

Hom jag nahee tirath naavan naa ko poojaa laa-idaa. ||10|| There were no burnt offerings, no ceremonial feasts, no cleansing rituals at sacred shrines of pilgrimage; no one worshipped in adoration. ||10||

Naa ko mulaa naa ko kaajee. There was no Mullah, there was no Qazi.

Naa ko saykh masaa-ik haajee. There was no Shaykh, or pilgrims to Mecca.

Ra-ee-at raa-o na ha-umai dunee-aa naa ko kahan kahaa-idaa. ||11|| There was no king or subjects, and no worldly egotism; no one spoke of himself. ||11||

Bhaa-o na bhagtee naa siv saktee. There was no love or devotion, no Shiva or Shakti – no energy or matter.

Saajan meet bind nahee raktee. There were no friends or companions, no semen or blood.

Aapay saahu aapay vanjaaraa saachay ayho bhaa-idaa. ||12|| He Himself is the banker, and He Himself is the merchant. Such is the Pleasure of the Will of the True Lord. ||12||

Bayd katayb na simrit saasat. There were no Vedas, Korans or Bibles, no Simritees or Shaastras.

Paath puraan udai nahee aasat. There was no recitation of the Puraanas, no sunrise or sunset.

Kahtaa baktaa aap agochar aapay alakh lakhaa-idaa. ||13|| The Unfathomable Lord Himself was the speaker and the preacher; the unseen Lord Himself saw everything. ||13||

Jaa tis bhaanaa taa jagat upaa-i-aa. When He (Waheguru/God Almighty) so willed, She (Aykaa Mayee/His Shakti) created the world.

Baajh kalaa aadaan rahaa-i-aa. Without any supporting power, She sustained the universe.

Barahmaa bisan mahays upaa-ay maa-i-aa moh vaDhaa-idaa. ||14|| She created Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; She fostered enticement and attachment to Maya. ||14||

Virlay ka-o gur sabad sunaa-i-aa. How rare is that person who listens to the Word of the Guru’s Shabad.

Kar kar daykhai hukam sabaa-i-aa. She created the creation, and watches over it; the Hukam of His Command is over all.

Khand barahmand paataal arambhay guptahu pargatee aa-idaa. ||15|| She formed the planets, solar systems and nether regions, and brought what was hidden to manifestation. ||15||

Taa kaa ant na jaanai ko-ee. No one knows His limits.

Pooray gur tay sojhee ho-ee. This understanding comes from the Perfect Guru.

Naanak saach ratay bismaadee bisam bha-ay gun gaa-idaa. ||16||3||15| | O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Truth are wonderstruck; singing His Glorious Praises, they are filled with wonder. ||16||3||15| |

Guru Nanak Ji Page 1035 and 1036, Sri Guru Grath Sahib

ROPE MISTAKEN FOR A SNAKE April 13, 2008

In our lives we can experience fear and worries a lot of times for various reasons. What is the reason for this?

Here is a beautiful explanation in Shankara’s  “Vivekachudamani”

“110. Maya can be destroyed by the realization of the pure Brahman, the one without a second, just as the mistaken idea of a snake is removed by the discrimination of the rope. She has her Gunas as Rajas, Tamas and Sattva, named after their respective functions.

138. One who is overpowered by ignorance mistakes a thing for what it is not; It is the absence of discrimination that causes one to mistake a snake for a rope, and great dangers overtake him when he seizes it through that wrong notion. Hence, listen, my friend, it is the mistaking of transitory things as real that constitutes bondage.”

As you can see the Maya( Illusion, Fear ) is coming to us because of lack of discrimination and  clarity.

Here is a gorgeous extract from Sri Guru Granth Sahib:

“In the darkness of Maya, I mistook the rope for the snake, but that is over, and now I dwell in the Eternal Home of the Lord (sggs 332). Like the story of the rope mistaken for a snake, the mystery has now been explained to me. Like the many bracelets, which I mistakenly thought were gold; now, I do not say what I said then (sggs 658).”

It is very easy to remove the darkness of Maya within us. We need to bring the Light in ourselves by awakening of Kundalini.

“Antari giyan na aayio mirtak hai sansaar: Those within whom the Knowledge is not awakened are like dead bodies in the world (sggs 88).”

Aatam cheenai su tatt beechaarae: One who understands his own Soul, contemplates the essence of Reality (sggs 224).

Chet suchet chit hoyi rahu tayu lai pargaas ujaaraa: When you are conscious in your Consciousness, you will be enlightened and illuminated (sggs 339).

Iyu kahe Nanak man tu jot saroop hai apnaa mool pashaan: Thus says Nanak: O my mind, you are That — the true image of the Divine Light — know your Reality (sggs 441).