The Soul

Where is the soul? What is the soul? Why do we have a soul? When do we need a soul?

The soul is what Sikhs call the joth, every being has a joth in the body which we call Guru Dee Joth (the light of God). This is one of the main reasons why a Sikh has to love all beings. We are all part of the surpreme and most powerful soul – God, Vahiguroo. We are all his/her soul brides so we are all related very closely without realisation and we all have an equal amount of potential for our souls to merge with the supreme soul. Guru Jee, in Gurbani informs the mind: 'You are part of the surpreme soul recognise yourself, give up your wicked act.'

mun thoon joth suroop hai aapunaa mool pushaan
O my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light - recognize your own origin.
mun har jee thaerai naal hai gurumuthee rung maan
O my mind, the Dear Lord is with you; through the Guru's Teachings, enjoy His Love.
mool pushaanehi thaa suhu jaanehi murun jeevun kee sojhee hoee
Acknowledge your origin, and then you shall know your Husband Lord, and so understand death and birth.
gur purusaadhee eaeko jaanehi thaa dhoojaa bhaao n hoee
By Guru's Grace, know the One; then, you shall not love any other.
man saath aaee vujee vudhaaee thaa hoaa puruvaan
Peace comes to the mind, and gladness resounds; then, you shall be acclaimed.
eio kehai naanuk mun thoon joth suroop hai apunaa mool pushaan
Thus says Nanak: O my mind, you are the very image of the Luminous Lord; recognize the true origin of your self. 5

The soul is always very pure but we can only realise this by searching for it in our innerself. All we do is label bodies, give them a name, attach ourselves to them and think that they are going to stay with us for the rest of our lives. But no! the soul inside the body is God, just like every other soul in every other body. The soul only comes to Earth for one major reason and that is to collect Karmaa (Karam – future and present deeds), and to serve past deeds (Pichle Karam).

hubhae saak koorraavae ddithae tho pulai thaiddai laagee
I have seen that all relationships are false, and so I have grasped hold of the hem of Your robe, Lord. 1
kurumee kurumee hoe veechaar
By their deeds and their actions, they shall be judged.

The body in the end, after death becomes dust and ashes and is forgotten over time. But all the deeds committed by this person – good or bad go with the soul, which ultimately merges with the supreme soul (Param Aatma) and is judged by the righteous judge of dharma (Dharam raaj), then ready for duty in the world again in a completely different body. This body then lives it’s life according to the deeds that the soul has brought with it and slowly after many incarnations in many bodily forms, every soul in the universe ends up merging with the supreme soul.

dhurum raae no hukum hai behi suchaa dhurum beechaar
The Righteous Judge of Dharma, by the Hukam of God's Command, sits and administers True Justice.
dhoojai bhaae dhusutt aathumaa ouhu thaeree surukaar
Those evil souls, ensnared by the love of duality, are subject to Your Command.
adhiaathumee har gun thaas man jupehi eaek muraar
The souls on their spiritual journey chant and meditate within their minds on the One Lord, the Treasure of Excellence.
thin kee saevaa dhurum raae kurai dhunn suvaarunehaar
The Righteous Judge of Dharma serves them; blessed is the Lord who adorns them. 2
mun kae bikaar munehi thujai man chookai mohu abhimaan One who eliminates mental wickedness from within the mind, and casts out emotional attachment and egotistical pride,
aathum raam pushaaniaa sehujae naam sumaan
comes to recognize the All-pervading Soul, and is intuitively absorbed into the Naam.
bin sathigur mukath n paaeeai munumukh firai dhivaan
Without the True Guru, the self-willed manmukhs do not find liberation; they wander around like lunatics.
subudh n cheenai kuthunee budhunee kurae bikhiaa maahi sumaan
They do not contemplate the Shabad; engrossed in corruption, they utter only empty words. 3

At Amritvelaa seated meditation, the soul has a chance to experience, here is just 1 experience. When the mind experiences total Ras (ecstacy) through Naam the soul tends to leave the body and can possibly drift away for a length of time, this usually happens at Amritvelaa because it is a very peaceful time and there are no disturbances. The only problem is if there is any sound whilst this experience is taking place the soul comes back to the body with a thump and it is quite painful in the Heart area and a bit scary but once you have experienced it you always want to experience it again. The soul also tends to look down at the body whilst we are meditating. These experiences are not very important but the mind and soul will experience them. Do not desire these experiences as they will come naturally with Naam, the main objective of Gurmat is for the soul to be united with Vahiguroo God.

brehum bindhai this dhaa brehumuth rehai eaek subadh liv laae
One who knows God, and who lovingly focuses his attention on the One Word of the Shabad, keeps his spirituality intact.
nuv nidhee athaareh sidhee pishai lugeeaa firehi jo har hirudhai sudhaa vusaae
The nine treasures and the eighteen spiritual powers of the Siddhas follow him, who keeps the Lord enshrined in his heart.
bin sathigur naao n paaeeai bujhuhu kar veechaar
Without the True Guru, the Name is not found; understand this, and reflect upon it.
naanuk poorai bhaag sathigur milai sukh paaeae jug chaar
O Nanak, through perfect good destiny, one meets the True Guru, and finds peace, throughout the four ages. 1

Most of the time Guru Jee relates to mind and soul as one in Gurbani, our soul is just a drop out of the Ocean waiting to be reunited with the Ocean again (supreme soul, God). Meditate in this lifetime for the blessed vision of the pure and True Guru (God). If we don’t meet God in this lifetime we are definitely very close, the reason being God has blessed us with the realisation of meeting God which is the most powerful realisation one can have. SO WHY WASTE TIME.

thun jal bal maattee bhaeiaa mun maaeiaa mohi munoor
The body is burnt to ashes; by its love of Maya, the mind is rusted through.
aougun fir laagoo bheae koor vujaavai thoor
Demerits become one's enemies, and falsehood blows the bugle of attack.
bin subudhai bhurumaaeeai dhubidhaa ddobae poor
Without the Word of the Shabad, people wander lost in reincarnation. Through the love of duality, multitudes have been drowned. 1
mun rae subadh thuruhu chith laae
O mind, swim across, by focusing your consciousness on the Shabad.
jin gurumukh naam n boojhiaa mar junumai aavai jaae
Those who do not become Gurmukh do not understand the Naam; they die, and continue coming and going in reincarnation. 1Pause
thun soochaa so aakheeai jis mehi saachaa naao
That body is said to be pure, in which the True Name abides.
bhai sach raathee dhaehuree jihuvaa such suaao
One whose body is imbued with the Fear of the True One, and whose tongue savors Truthfulness,
suchee nudhar nihaaleeai buhurr n paavai thaao
is brought to ecstasy by the True Lord's Glance of Grace. That person does not have to go through the fire of the womb again. 2
saachae thae puvunaa bhaeiaa puvunai thae jul hoe
From the True Lord came the air, and from the air came water.
jul thae thribhuvun saajiaa ghatt ghatt joth sumoe
From water, He created the three worlds; in each and every heart He has infused His Light.
nirumul mailaa naa theeai subadh ruthae path hoe
The Immaculate Lord does not become polluted. Attuned to the Shabad, honor is obtained. 3
eihu mun saach sunthokhiaa nudhar kurae this maahi
One whose mind is contented with Truthfulness, is blessed with the Lord's Glance of Grace.
punch bhooth sach bhai ruthae joth suchee mun maahi
The body of the five elements is dyed in the Fear of the True One; the mind is filled with the True Light.
naanuk aougun veesurae gur raakhae path thaahi
O Nanak, your demerits shall be forgotten; the Guru shall preserve your honor. 415

With this realisation one must understand we do not have many lifetimes to go. If you look around you, the world is turning it self upside down through people that practice and preach in a very wrong way. Wars are taking place – the only people that survive in this world are those people who meditate on the name of the Lord and undertake the Guru’s teachings which are asking for (Sarbat da Palla – the wellbeing of the universe), this is asked for twice a day by the Sikhs in the Ardaas (formal prayer).

sae mukuth sae mukuth bheae jin har dhiaaeiaa jee thin thoottee jum kee faasee
They are liberated, they are liberated-those who meditate on the Lord. For them, the noose of death is cut away.

Let’s free our minds and merge with those blessed souls in Sach Khand – the gate of truth to stop our coming and going in the dark age of Kaljug.

baemukh baareh baatt kur saadh sunguth such khundd vusaayaa
The Guru had dispersed the apostates into the twelve sects (of the yogis), and seated the holy congregation of the saints in the domain of Truth (the sachkhand). Bhai Sahib Bhai Gurdaas Jee

Sikhism is not a religion it is a way of life formed by the first Guru – Guru Nanak born in 1469. He was born with a smile on his face and a beautiful presence. He was enlightened at birth and pure minded. He had only come into this dark age of Kaljug for duty by God to spread divine wisdom of God into the world. His teachings were direct from God – Dhur Ki Baani Ai. Tin Suglee Chint Matai – these teachings have come from God to rid the world of its delusions. The world had been turned upside down by evil, caste systems, higher and lower, women being treated like slaves, cannibals, mass murders, religious conversions, ritualistic acts, superstition, black magic, and many more vicious acts. He had been sent to the world to enlighten these poor but very blessed souls, to spread love and harmony in the world and spread the beautiful teachings of humanity and truth. He travelled all over India and Pakistan spreading the beautiful teachings of God all compiled in the embodiment of the 10 Guru’s the Guru Granth Sahib. There are 10 Gurus in the Sikh religion, who all played a beautiful part in adding to the Guru Granth Sahib or enlightening the world with God’s beautiful teachings. All the Guru’s had the same soul (joth) from the 1st to the 10th.

purumaesar dhithaa bunnaa
The Transcendent Lord has given me His support.
dhukh rog kaa ddaeraa bhunnaa
The house of pain and disease has been demolished.
anudh kurehi nur naaree
The men and women celebrate.
har har prabh kirupaa dhaaree
The Lord God, Har, Har, has extended His Mercy. 1
sunthuhu sukh hoaa subh thaaee
O Saints, there is peace everywhere.
paarubrehum poorun purumaesur rav rehiaa subhunee jaaee
The Supreme Lord God, the Perfect Transcendent Lord, is pervading everywhere. Pause
dhur kee baanee aaee
The Bani of His Word emanated from the Primal Lord.
thin sugulee chinth mittaaee
It eradicates all anxiety.
dayal purukh mihuruvaanaa
The Lord is merciful, kind and compassionate.
har naanuk saach vukhaanaa Nanak chants the Naam, the Name of the True Lord. 21377

Daas looks at life as a world ocean, the beginning of the ocean is when we had our first incarnation, when the mind and soul were first sent into a body by God, the end of the ocean is Sachkhand, oneness with the lord, in between is 8.4 million life times. Now Guru Jee has blessed us with realization in how to get across this ocean, lets make Naam, Amrit, Rehit and Bani our boat. Lets not let the minds desires stop us. Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment and Ego being the waves of the ocean. We must be somewhere near the end of the ocean, if we decide to make this our last life and hope Guru Jee blesses us with Athai Pehar Ras of Naam (24/7 ecstasy of his name).

It is not important who Daas is and what he looks like, Daas will not be able to take anyone across this terrifying world ocean. All we can do is learn from each other and help each other across. The only substance in which will liberate us is the substance of Naam. No human will. Guru sahib is our (vachola) introducer to God; he will bless us with Athai Pehar Ras of Naam, so lets come in to Rehit and take Amrit only when we are ready. Daas feels the Panth is coming in Chardeekalla, the only time it will be better is when individual beings become Jeevan Mukhat (liberated whilst alive). The reason Daas feels this is because Naam is being discussed openly throughout the whole Panth and this is the only substance which will carry us across.

khaavehi khuruchehi ral mil bhaaee
The Siblings of Destiny meet together, and eat and spend,
thott n aavai vudhudho jaaee
but these resources do not diminish; they continue to increase. 3
kuhu naanuk jis musuthak laekh likhaae
Says Nanak, one who has such destiny written on his forehead,
s eaeth khujaanai laeiaa rulaae becomes a partner in these treasures. 431100

***Stay posted for next weeks article 'NAAM DRUG' ***

The Ambrosial Hours

Baabeehaa anmrith vaelai boliaa thaa dhar sunee pukaar
The rainbird chirps in the ambrosial hours of the morning before the dawn; its prayers are heard in the Court of the Lord.

Amritvelaa (ambrosial hours), for a Gursikh is a very special time; this is the time a Gursikh should sit in single minded concentration in remembrance of the Shabad Vahiguroo. Guru Jee says in the Pangtee above when we sit in Amritvelaa and praise the Lord Vahiguroo our prayers are heard in the court of the Lord.

Why is this such a special time?
This is the time most Gursikhs all over the world rise in the early hours of the morning, before dawn and praise the Lord, some praise the Lord in Sangat and some by themselves. Praising the Lord in Sangat is a lot more powerful and a lot easier to concentrate, unfortunately for some people it is very difficult to get Sangat at this time. If we do not get Sangat at this time it is not a problem; meditating by ourselves will make our minds a lot stronger as long as we are focussed fully on the Shabad. Amritvelaa is most likely the only time we will be blessed with spiritual experiences, as life becomes very busy in a Grishstee Jeevan (householders life).

This specific time is called Amritvelaa because this is the time we drink Amrit Naam, this Naam travels up through our body and through our Chakras, as explained in the article titled 'Importance of Amrit'. The word 'Vela' means time. Once we start to wake up for Amritvelaa it is very important to keep it (Samaal), it has to be done everyday as a form of Spiritual and Physical discipline. This is the most peaceful time of day because everyone is sleeping, the only beings that are awake at this time are those who are thirsting to meet God; just like the Rainbird.

Amritvelaa usually starts at 12am, which is the 3rd watch of the night (Theejaa Pehar). Most Gursikhs usually awaken at 2am, this is a beautiful time because it is the middle of the night and it makes it very difficult to get up. First of all we have a bath (Ishnaan) and then we sit in meditation, this is the only time we will get in the day to have single minded concentration, once we start meditating we naturally, through the Shabad, Mind, Body and Soul are connected to every single being praising the Lord at this time. The minimum amount of time that a Gursikh should meditate at Amritvelaa is 2 hours, Amritvelaa is the key to the days meditation. The body is a battery charged by Shabad at Amritvelaa, if charged through full focus and concentration the battery will last at least 12 hours, meaning the Shabad will stay with us, as long as we put some Udham (effort) into hearing it with our inner ears throughout the day. This is why in the evening we should try to do a little more seated meditation to keep the mind and body in focus.

Battle with your mind
At Amritvelaa the first battle we have is with the Douvet (Rajaaee), we want to get up but the Bed is too warm and our mind says go to sleep, no-one wishes to get out of the warm blanket of Kal Jug. First we will find it difficult to get up but we have to battle against the mind and force ourselves out of bed, then it becomes a habit, then with Guru Jee's kirpaa (grace) it becomes a Ras (substance, taste), those Gursikhs that get up at Amritvelaa will know what Daas means. Once it becomes a Ras it will become very difficult to miss an Amritvelaa, if we do due to some fine cause, it feels as if we have lost a part of our body. What can we do without legs, similarly how will we survive without Amritvelaa? A big worry for some people is sleep when we first start doing Amritvelaa we do feel tired during the day, however the mind and body soon get used to this. If we want to do Amritvelaa we should try to be in bed for 10pm at the latest, 4 hours sleep is more than enough, look at it this way: When the mind reaches a higher state Guru Jee says our eyes find it difficult to sleep, 'Phun Nethro Neend Naa Aavai'. After we have completed our Amritvelaa and Nitnem and we decide to go to sleep for 1 or 2 hours, this is the most peaceful sleep we will have, we have to experience it to know it. We should try to develop our seated meditation further if we have time, for example 4 to 5 hours or even more, this helps purify this filthy mind a lot faster.

bhinnee rainurreeai chaamukan thaarae
The night is wet with dew, and the stars twinkle in the heavens.
jaagehi sunth junaa maerae raam piaarae
The Saints remain wakeful; they are the Beloveds of my Lord.
raam piaarae sudhaa jaagehi naam simurehi anadhino
The Beloveds of the Lord remain ever wakeful, remembering the Naam, the Name of the Lord, day and night.

A few years ago Daas watched a television programme called 'Meditation Explorers', Daas distinctly remembers them saying if you meditate single mindedly for 1 hour it is like sleeping for 8 hours, so, therefore those of you who love your sleep have no excuse. The reason for this is when we meditate we replace our thoughts through Naam, having no thoughts for 1 hour is like sleeping for 8 hours, it is our thoughts that make us ill, tired and unhealthy, this is why we are tired after a deep sleep, our body might be resting but this filthy mind will not rest for a second. An average human being has over 30 thousand thoughts a day, Guru Jee says I want you to decrease this to 1, which is Vahiguroo.

Daas would just like to finish off by saying Benti Sangat Jee lets all try to get up at Amritvelaa and Jap Naam Athai Pehar (24 hours), then with Guru Jee's unparalleled grace we might see some true unconditional love throughout the Gursikhs in the Panth. Khalsa Raaj will not be far off, it will only come through Naam. If we won't Jap Naam for ourselves, lets Jap Naam for the Guru Khalsa Panth. The more Naam that is been meditated upon in the Panth, the stronger it gets.

har dhun anmrith vaelai vuthai kaa beejiaa bhuguth khaae khurach rehae nikhuttai naahee
The devotees of the Lord plant the seed of the Lord's wealth in the ambrosial hours of the Amrit Vaylaa; they eat it, and spend it, but it is never exhausted.

*Please stay tuned for next weeks Article, 'The Soul'*

Meditation

ik ounkaar sathigur prusaadh
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
har har naam nidhaan lai gurumath har path paae
Take the treasure of the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. Follow the Guru's Teachings, and the Lord shall bless you with honor. hulath pulath naal chuludhaa har anthae leae shuddaae
Here and hereafter, the Lord goes with you; in the end, He shall deliver you.
jithai avughutt guleeaa bheerreeaa thithai har har mukath kuraae
Where the path is difficult and the street is narrow, there the Lord shall liberate you. 1
maerae sathiguraa mai har har naam dhrirraae O my True Guru, implant within me the Name of the Lord, Har, Har.
maeraa maath pithaa suth bundhupo mai har bin avur n maae
The Lord is my mother, father, child and relative; I have none other than the Lord, O my mother. 1Pause
mai har birehee har naam hai koee aan milaavai maae
I feel the pains of love and yearning for the Lord, and the Name of the Lord. If only someone would come and unite me with Him, O my mother.
this aagai mai jodhurree maeraa preethum dhaee milaae
I bow in humble devotion to one who inspires me to meet with my Beloved.
sathigur purukh dhaeiaal prubh har maelae til n paae
The almighty and merciful True Guru unites me with the Lord God instantaneously. 2
jin har har naam n chaethiou sae bhaageheen mar jaae
Those who do not remember the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, are most unfortunate, and are slaughtered.
oue fir fir jon bhuvaaeeahi mar junmehi aavai jaae
They wander in reincarnation, again and again; they die, and are re-born, and continue coming and going.
oue jum dhar budhae maareeahi har dhurugeh milai sujaae
Bound and gagged at Death's Door, they are cruelly beaten, and punished in the Court of the Lord. 3

WOW if we don’t meditate after reading the 3 lines above this message there must be something seriously wrong with us. one thing we need to remember is the Guru Granth Sahib was written by pure immortal beings who had no need to lie about anything, they only spoke the truth and nothing but the truth.

thoo prubh hum surunaaguthee mo ko mael laihu har raae
O God, I seek Your Sanctuary; O my Sovereign Lord King, please unite me with Yourself.
har dhaar kirupaa jugujeevunaa gur sathigur kee surunaae
O Lord, Life of the World, please shower me with Your Mercy; grant me the Sanctuary of the Guru, the True Guru.
har jeeo aap dhaeiaal hoe jun naanuk har maelaae
The Dear Lord, becoming merciful, has blended servant Nanak with Himself. 413

We serve God by meditating on his name. How do we meditate on the name? It is not just to repeat the name (very boring) but also to contemplate the name that controls the two sides our mind has. When these two sides are controlled we are in total bliss and focus. We can only concentrate on any two things at once, when the third thought comes in; we loose concentration of any one of the three. This causes us to be happy and find inner peace from within. This inner peace has a very outwardly presence which we do not even recognise ourselves.

Who recognises this?

This is recognised by other people, who then begin to question you, why are you so calm? Why are you in peace? You are always very patient and we never see you angry. Then they ask what is the reason for this?

sunehi vukhaanehi jaethurrae ho thin balihaarai jaao
I am a sacrifice to those who hear and chant the True Name.
thaa mun kheevaa jaaneeai jaa mehulee paaeae thaao
Only one who obtains a room in the Mansion of the Lord's Presence is deemed to be truly intoxicated. 2
naao neer chungiaaeeaa suth purumul than vaas
Bathe in the waters of Goodness and apply the scented oil of Truth to your body,
thaa mukh hovai oujulaa lukh dhaathee eik dhaath
and your face shall become radiant. This is the gift of 100,000 gifts.

The reason for this is the beautiful teachings of the living Guru Granth Sahib Jee. The central embodiment of our 10 Guru’s. This presence and aura is the biggest preaching to faith and the beautiful Sikh way of life. Those people who live for the happiness of the world and want to live by being the dust of other beings feet. To serve the Guru, to meditate on the name of God you have to serve the Universe.

pehilaa murun kubool jeevun kee shadd aas
First, accept death, and give up any hope of life.
hohu subhunaa kee raenukaa tho aao humaarai paas
Become the dust of the feet of all, and then, you may come to me.

In this game there is no room for ignorance and selfishness. This game is about finding your inner self through meditation but also unselfishly serving and loving his/her creation. This brings you to the complete Sikh way of life, which is contentment (santokh).

thin kae paap dhokh sabh binusae jo gurumath raam rus khaathae
Those who partake of the Lord's sublime essence, through the Guru's Teachings - their sins and sufferings are all eliminated.
jin ko likhuth likhae dhur musuthak thae gur sunthokh sar naathae
Those who have such pre-ordained destiny inscribed on their foreheads, bathe in the pool of contentment of the Guru.

How does meditation purify your mind and find you such a big treasure?

The name (Naam) of God is a replacer of thoughts. When you contemplate his name this causes your mind to be focused and eased, and completely reduces your thoughts, for example if you meditated for 30 minutes in one day, and you usually have 30,000 thoughts a day, this would reduce your thoughts to a smaller number (wild guess 27,000). Slowly your practice would increase, you would meditate for a lot longer and the number of thoughts would decrease. This is causing your mind to be purified and completely slowing down the way of our life. This helps us to conquer stress and depression, 2 of the minds wildest evils and become completely calm, at his time there are no negative thoughts in our mind to think about, just the one beautiful name.

dhar saevan sunth jun khurrae paaein gunee nidhaan
Standing at the Lord's Door, the humble Saints serve Him; they find the Treasure of Excellence.

There are only a handful of Sikhs in the World who have reached the highest levels of spirituality, and meditate 24 hours a day, living a beautiful inner peace, no negative all positive thoughts, and a beautiful presence of God. Completely pure mind. This can only happen through the blessings of the true Guru. We cannot do this ourselves if we tried it would be our complete pride. QUALITY IS ALWAYS A MINORITY. Quality is always more powerful than quantity, this is why Guru Jee said 1 of his Gursikhs is worth Savaa Lakh (125, 000).

gur alukh lukhaaeiaa jaa this bhaaeiaa jaa prabh kirupaa dhaaree
The Guru showed me the Invisible Lord, when it pleased Him, and when God showered His Blessings.

In spirituality we can only get to a certain small stage, after this stage we will only progress if we follow the true Guru’s teachings and his command, the Sikh way of life. Then we shall be blessed by the pure spirits, souls we do not see in this world. (Shaheed Singhs), the unseen world, who have been with us from our first incarnation and will only help us in this world if we take a step towards God. We take one step towards God – God shall take a million back towards us.

churun suran gur eaek paiddaa jaae chulu
sath gur kott paiddaa aagae hoe laeth hai

When our spirituality starts to progress we come to a stage where we need very little sleep. One or two hours is enough. Science says an average person needs 8 hours sleep a day, but Sikhism and spirituality say you can do with 1 or 2 or even without sleep.

What is the reason for this?

mohi rain n vihaavai needh n aavai bin dhaekhae gur dhurubaarae jeeo
I cannot endure the night, and sleep does not come, without the Sight of the Beloved Guru's Court.

The reason for this is the tiredness of the mind through mental stress, thinking too hard and a stressful job. Physical working can be less tiring than mental mind work. The main reason we need more sleep is because of our jobs, and thinking all the time. The most our mind runs around is in our sleep, this is the reason when we sleep more we wake up very tired which in turn causes headaches.

Most Sikhs rise between 12 midnight and 4 in the morning, these are the ambrosial hours, the most peaceful time to meditate. The earlier you get up to sacrifice your sleep the more our Guru blesses us. It is like taking away gifts in the sale. There is also a very big connection with all the spiritual souls all around the world who are meditating at this time. This powerful time of meditation is the key to your meditation throughout the day. It should keep you going for at least 12 hours. When the Sikhs rise at this time, they bathe and then they are ready for at least 2 hours of seated meditation.

har dhun ruthun juvaehur maanuk har dhunai naal anmrith vaelai vuthai har bhuguthee har liv laaee
The Lord's wealth is like jewels, gems and rubies. At the appointed time in the Amrit Vaylaa, the ambrosial hours of the morning, the Lord's devotees lovingly center their attention on the Lord, and the wealth of the Lord.

A good focussed meditation is the best sleep we can ever get. It is appropriate to at least 8 hours sleep. The reason for this is because the mind is totally at ease , thought free and replaced by the beautiful name of the Lord. This is the reason a Gursikh (Guru's Sikh) needs very little sleep.

naam bihoonaa thun mun heenaa jul bin mushulee jio murai
Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the body and mind are empty; like fish out of water, they die.

How does meditation affect illness?

A person that meditates regularly, very rarely gets ill. The reason for this is that meditation causes you to slow down to life, be mindful and keeps your energy levels balanced, which keeps you relaxed and less stressed. The 6 chakra (chakkar) in our body play a major part with our health. These are below the Naval, Stomach, Heart, Throat, middle of the Forehead and the crown of the head. These are your power energy centres. They are shaped like lotus flowers in our body and all spin at different speeds, keeping your health intact. They also play a major part in the spiritual stages of your concentration and focus. The crown chakra in the head playing the last part (10th gate – dasam duar)

naam nidhaan sathiguroo sunaaeiaa mitt geae sugulae rogaa jeeo
The True Guru has inspired me to hear the Treasure of the Naam; all my illness has been dispelled.

Bentee Saadh Sangat Jee I think it has become quite obvious by now what this site is about, why are we wasting our time lets prepare for Amrit and purify our mind through Naam.

paiseelae gugun mujhaarun
I have entered into the sky of the mind, and opened the Tenth Gate.
baedheealae chukr bhuangaa
The chakras of the coiled Kundalini energy have been opened,
bhaetteealae raae nisungaa
and I have met my Sovereign Lord King without fear.

Saint-Soldier

Lakh Lakh Vadhaee Hovai Sumuchai Khalsa Panth Nu Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Jee Dhe Janam Divas Dee, Congratulations to the Khalsa Panth on the birthday of our pure master Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Jee.

Deh Shiva Bar Mohe Ihai, O Lord grant me this boon
Shubh Karman Te Kabhoon Naa Taraun, May I never refrain from righteous acts
Na Daron Arr Siyo Jab Jaa-i Laraun, That I may fight without fear or foes
Nischai Kar Apni Jeet Karaun, And with firm resolve claim victory
Arr Sikh Haun Apne Hee Man Ko, May the directive of the glory guide my mind
Eh Laalach Hau Gun Tau Uchraun, And my highest ambition be to sing thy praises
Jab Aav Kee Aud Nidhaan Banay, When the time comes for this mortal life to end
At Hee Rann Mein Tab Joojh Maraun, May I die on the battlefield fighting courageously.

There is no National Anthem in the world as powerful and meaningful as the Sikh National Anthem, it is not about saving the human Queen, it is about being a pure and true Saint Soldier.

Who is and was a Saint-Soldier in the Sikh faith?
Being a Saint-Soldier is the purest quality of human life form, we cannot be a pure human being if we are not Saint-Soldier. To become a perfect Soldier we have to first become Saints, we can not become perfect Soldiers, Warriors or Heroes without becoming a Saint first. The reason for this is when we become Saints we purify our mind through Naam, we conquer our ego, anger, fear, and attachment which leaves us with a pure and steady mind. Those people who think they can be true Warriors, Heroes, or Soldiers without Naam, or being a Saint first are lost, their Warriorship would be ruled by ego without them realising.

Great warriors in the past like William Wallace the Scotsman in the movie 'Brave Heart' were gifted by God with the qualities of bravery, courage, great swords men, great fighters, they were and will always be known for their qualities but sorry to say all this quality is wasted through their ego and they also suffered through anger, attachment, fear and lust as their souls were not blessed with Naam and the guidance of the Gurus teachings on how to purify this filthy mind.

mhw juD joD bhu kIn@y ivic haumY pcY pcwie jIau ]
many heroes waged great wars; in their egos they were ruined, and they ruined others as well.

Sikhs have always been known and respected for their outstanding bravery and courage around the World and also by other faiths. Many Sikhs gave their lives in the World Wars, even now the British Army and Police Force are trying their hardest in recruiting more Amritdhari Sikhs, the reason for this is in the past our forefathers who battled in the Wars were only recruited in the army if they were Amritdhari. The army knew these people are very disciplined people and would not hesitate in giving their life in battle. Even Adolph Hitler the German dictator who feared no one said “ if there is one group I respect it is the Sikhs”.

bhai kaahoo ko dhaeth nehi nehi bhai maanuth aan
One who does not frighten anyone, and who is not afraid of anyone else
kuhu naanuk sun rae munaa giaanee thaahi bukhaan
says Nanak, listen, mind: call him spiritually wise. 16

Where do we get this courage and bravery from?
Guru Nanak Dev Jee, the first Guru who called King Babur Jabur who feared no body and wherever he went spoke the truth. An example is when he spoke to the Brahmins, they were pouring water to the left so Guru Jee poured water to the right, they asked “what are you doing” Guru Jee replied “what are you doing”, they said “giving water to our ancestors”, Guru Jee replied “I am feeding my crops in Panjab”, they said “how can that be possible” Guru Jee said “how will the water reach your dead ones who are not even on earth”, they had no reply.

Guru Jee also went to Mecca where non-Muslims are strictly forbidden, he put his feet towards the Ka'aba and went to sleep, the Qazis saw this and told Guru Jee to move his feet, Guru Jee said move my feet to where the Ka'aba (Gods house) is not, so where ever they moved Guru Jees feet the Ka'aba also turned with it, (meaning: God is everywhere). The Muslims called Nanak their Pir (saint) from this day and put Guru Jees jorde (slippers) inside the Ka'aba (the black holy place where all Muslims gather). Guru Jee had many verbal encounters and travelled most of Asia preaching Sikhi in this unique fashion of no fear. Guru Jee had an amazing verbal encounter with the very spiritual Siddhs, these people had many spiritual powers, lived for many hundreds of years by holding their breath and just sat meditating in the mountains without food or water. These people called Guru Jee a child (Balak) until he spoke to them, experience this amazing verbal encounter in the Guru Granth Sahib Jee Ang (page) 938-946; it should give you an insight on how spiritual our Gurus really were. The Banee is called Siddh Gosht.

Guru Arjan Dev Jee was the 5th Guru and first Shaheed (martyr) in Sikhism. He was made to sit on a hot burning plate with burning hot Sand being poured on his head by Jahanghir, the Muslim ruler at the time, he uttered this beautiful prayer.

thaeraa keeaa meethaa laagai
Your actions seem so sweet to me.
har naam pudhaaruth naanuk maagai
Nanak begs for the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. 24293

Guru Jee sat in total bliss remembering the great Lord Vahiguroo. Guru Hargobind Sahib Jee the 6th Guru gave us 2 swords to carry and fought many battles against the Muslims after witnessing this outrageous oppression, he decided we will fight oppression physically and not peacefully no more, the swords represent spiritual power and soldiership. Guru Tegh Bahadur Jee was the 9th Guru. The Kashmiri Pandits (Priests) approached Guru Jee and said the Muslims are trying to convert us, please help, they said only a pure soul can save us. Gobind Rai at the age of 9 who later became Guru Gobind Singh said to his father “there is know one as pure as you father please save these people and tell them God is creating a 3rd faith called Sikhi”. Guru Tegh Bahadur was then Shaheed (martyred) at Chandni Chownk in Delhi, his head was separated from his body by Aurangzebs men, the ruler at the time. 3 beloved Sikhs of the Guru went with him at the time, they were also martyred, there names were Bhai Matee Daas who was sawn in half with a saw, Bhai Dyalaa Jee who was boiled to death in a pot, and Bhai Satee Daas who was wrapped in cotton wool and burnt to death. These Sikhs were granted 1 wish before they passed away, they asked to be facing their Guru at the time of death, which shows how much faith they had.

Guru Gobind Singh Jee created the Khalsa Panth in 1699 and many Sikhs were shaheed in battle against the Muslims, the Sikhs were always out numbered in battle and always victorious, the Sikhs never attacked first, they always defended. Guru Jee said my family will give their lives for the Panth, please bless me with Amrit, this was said to the Panj Piaare (5 beloved ones). Baba Ajeet Singh, Baba Jujhaar Singh the elder sons of Guru Gobind Singh gave their lives on the battlefield, Baba Zorawar Singh, Baba Fateh Singh were bricked alive by Wazir Khan the ruler at the time, they were the youngest shaheeds in the history of shaheeds, aged 7 and 5, they were shaheed with their heads high, they were offered money, gifts, rule and many more worldly pleasures and asked to convert to Islam their answer was:

murun munusaa sooriaa huk hai jo hoe murehi puruvaano
The death of brave heroes is blessed, if it is approved by God.
naanuk kis no baabaa roeeai baajee hai eihu sunsaaro
Nanak: for whom should we mourn, O Baba? This world is merely a play.

The only way death is approved by Vahiguroo is if we die uttering Naam or praising the Lord. No other death is approved by the Lord even if they are shaheed for their faith, e.g Suicide bombers. The only time we will remember the Lord in the last breath is if we have been remembering him Athai Pehar (24 hours) throughout our life.

anth kaal naaraaein simurai aisee chinthaa mehi jae murai
At the very last moment, one who thinks of the Lord, and dies in such thoughts,
budhath thilochun thae nur mukuthaa peethunbur vaa kae ridhai busai
says Trilochan, that man shall be liberated; the Lord shall abide in his heart. 52

How wise must these so called 'children' have been, if you know Kids at this age you will know what Daas is trying to say. Bhai Manee Singh was cut limb by limb because he did not accept Islam, he told the oppressor to start at the first joint like he had been commanded, the Wrist joint is not the first joint. Bhai Taroo Singhs scalp was removed, Baba Deep Singh was shaheed in battle with his head cut off at a very elderly age, Mataa Bhag Kaur was also shaheed in battle, she was the first female martyr, lets not forget all our forefathers and Mothers who were shaheed for the Panth.

There has been so many amazing Grsikhs in the 20th century who were also shaheed such as, Sant Jarnail Singh Jee Khalsa Bhindranwale, Bhai Fauja Singh, Bhai Amrik Singh, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar and many many more. Faith only continues when one remembers the blood of our Fathers, Mothers, Sisters and Brothers. Banda singh Bahadurs sons Heart was ripped out in front of him and put into his mouth, children were chopped in to small pieces and put on spears in whole before their Mothers eyes.

How many more shaheeds does Daas have to name, we are the sons of these people, lets ask ourselves 1 question are we ready to die for the Panth, Guru Jee says to die for the Panth you have to first learn how to live for the Panth.

murun n mundhaa lokaa aakheeai jae mar jaanai aisaa koe
Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die.
saevihu saahib sunmruth aapunaa punth suhaelaa aagai hoe
Serve your Almighty Lord and Master, and your path in the world hereafter will be easy.
punth suhaelai jaavuhu thaa ful paavuhu aagai milai vuddaaee
Take this easy path, and you shall obtain the fruits of your rewards, and receive honor in the world hereafter.

We should count ourselves truly blessed we were gifted the most perfect human being in the world as our Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Jee the 10th Guru, he had every quality a human being needs to become pure, he had all the qualities of God in a human form, he was a saint, soldier, brave, and also courageous, he was an expert in languages, poetry, music and scriptures, he had every virtue of a God loving being, his qualities have no end they can not be named.

Sikhism has a golden history for martyrs. Daas has named a few shaheeds who have been shaheed for the panth, there is 1 thing all these shaheeds have in common. THEY WERE RASEEYAI OF NAAM AND BAANEE, they loved Naam and Baanee and this is the only support they had. They would not be called great shaheeds without the support of Naam. We would not have been called Sikhs today if these great Gursikhs had not have shed their blood for the Panth.

dhunaasuree mehulaa 5
Dhanaasaree, Fifth Mehl:
jaa ko har rung laago eis jug mehi so keheeath hai sooraa
He alone is called a warrior, who is attached to the Lord's Love in this age.
aathum jinai sugul vas thaa kai jaa kaa sathigur pooraa
Through the Perfect True Guru, he conquers his own soul, and then everything comes under his control. 1
thaakur gaaeeai aathum rung
Sing the Praises of the Lord and Master, with the love of your soul.
surunee paavun naam dhiaavun sehaj sumaavun sung
Those who seek His Sanctuary, and meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, are blended with the Lord in celestial peace. 1Pause
jun kae churun vusehi maerai heearai sung puneethaa dhaehee
The feet of the Lord's humble servant abide in my heart; with them, my body is made pure.
jun kee dhoor dhaehu kirupaa nidh naanuk kai sukh eaehee
O treasure of mercy, please bless Nanak with the dust of the feet of Your humble servants; this alone brings peace. 2435

Please post the address of this site to all other Sikhi related e-groups.

The Mind

vin munai j horee naal lujhunaa jaasee junum guvaae
Those who battle against something other than their own mind, shall depart having wasted their lives.

Basically those who are totally indulged in the world, materialistic pleasures,I.E. Houses, Cars, Clothes, making Money also always involved in arguements, slander, lust, anger, ego, greed, attachment, other vices etc will waste away their lives in vain.

Buddhism is a very spiritual 'religion' they do not believe in God. Buddhists believe to liberate the mind and soul you have to purify the mind through meditation, so therefore they believe the mind is the universe. Sikhism is slightly different we believe in God, Vahiguroo we also believe the mind is the universe and can only be purified through meditation, through purifying the mind we attain union with God. Both religions reach the stage of Sunn Samaadh (emptiness) the only difference is Buddhists basically call the mind God. Daas' personal view on this is if you believe there is a God it should help you keep a stronger faith and keep us humble, when Buddhists say the mind is the universe even though it is true this could lead to ego, where as a Gursikh would say God created the Universe and gave us the potential to purify our mind through Naam.

mun thoon joth suroop hai aapunaa mool pushaan
O my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light - recognize your own origin.
mun siaanup shoddeeai gur kaa subudh sumaalae
Renounce your cleverness, O my mind, and reflect upon the Word of the Guru's Shabad.

Where is the mind? What is the mind? Why do we have a mind?

The mind lies very close to your Heart. As Human beings, we have been given the opportunity to realize the biggest power of the universe, THE MIND. The mind lies in all beings E.G. Dog, Cat, Rat, Human etc. Out of 8.4 million life forms, the Human has been gifted the power to realise and purify this so called filthy and dirty mind (thoughts, desires).

munumukh maanus dhaeh thai pusoo puraeth achaeth chungaerae
Animals and ghosts said to be without wisdom are better than manmukh the mind-orientated.

Guru Jee is slapping us across the face here in this pangtee above saying animals have mind and soul but are gifted no wisdom nor knowledge by Guru Jee. Even so they are better than Humans who have been gifted both knowledge and wisdom and also can work out the difference between right and wrong, even then we choose wrong (shame on us). A human has been gifted this life to become one to one with Vahiguroo after suffering hell on Earth with the same one mind through 8.4 million lives (body).

This mind has millions and millions of disgusting thoughts as it has lived through all these life forms for example some times when we dream we never know what we have dreamt, or we cannot recognise what we have dreamt, the reason for this is because the mind has been through many bodies and lives before coming into the Human body. We have been there before but we only recognise the events from this life. All ill health, both mental and physical stress can be tracked back into the inner poison that dwells within our mind known as delusion.

bhee puraapath maanukh dhaehureeaa
This human body has been gifted to you.
gobindh milun kee eih thaeree bureeaa
This is your chance to meet the Lord of the Universe.

How do we purify this filthy mind which has over 30,000 thoughts per day, most of these being Negative? All the treasures of the Universe lie in the mind. Once involved in spirituality, mediation, in purifying the mind we can very easily come to the stages of occult powers (Riddhiaa Siddhiaa). Most spiritual people use these powers for the wrong reasons for example earning money. Some of these powers are as follow, reading palms; they are really reading your mind and working out your past present and future. They try to find fame by feeling no pain for example pulling buses with their hair, breaking bricks with their heads, putting sharp swords into their bodies, pain healers. These are all small powers you receive easily through the mind. There are many more powers the Human body and soul have. One of them is building your clairvoyance (Antarjaamta) to the very highest levels, even as far as knowing what is going to happen in all 3 worlds: past, present and future.

ridh sidh nuv nidh har jap jinee aathum jeethaa
Wealth, the supernatural spiritual powers of the Siddhas, and the nine treasures come to those who meditate on the Lord, and conquer their own soul.

The body has 10 gates 9 of them are open; 2 eyes; 2 nostrils; 2 ears, mouth and 2 below the waist. The 10th is our spiritual gate in the crown of the head (a babies soft point). This always stays closed, this will only open through meditation and blessings by SatGuru (True Guru). When this opens completely our meditation on Naam (name of God) recites its self with every single breath, 24 hours a day, we then get caught up in spiritual powers, see all the spirits around us, see only bright light when we close our eyes and have the potential to live in all 3 worlds. These are all powers of Vahiguroo, which are called Riddhiaa Siddhiaa. The Sikh faith believes through meditation, purifying the mind and most of all, Guru Jee's blessing (Gurprasaad), these powers are very easily attained.The only time they should be used are for the good of humanity, mankind or helping the helpless. If we use them otherwise, we go against our Guru’s teachings and progress no further in our spiritual life; we actually start to go backwards in our Jeevan (life) because we are too involved in worldly affairs. The reason for this is we start to live our life in the past, present and future, which completely destroys our mind. There is only one reason a Sikh meditates, to purify his mind. This is to become one to one with God, and one to one with his/her creation. We have to find contentment within ourselves and become content with his/her creation, as in realising God everywhere, Just like Bhai Kanaiya Jee did.

Our mind is our inner voice which tells us to be selfish always negative it hardly ever tells us to be positive and compassionate, the mind is ego and can only be purified through Naam.

vujaaeiaa vaajaa poun no dhuaarae purugutt keeeae dhusuvaa guputh rukhaaeiaa
He blew the breath of life into the musical instrument of the body, and revealed the nine doors; but He kept the Tenth Door hidden.
gurudhuaarai laae bhaavunee eikunaa dhusuvaa dhuaar dhikhaaeiaa
Through the Gurdwara, the Guru's Gate, some are blessed with loving faith, and the Tenth Door is revealed to them. qh
theh anaek roop naao nuv nidh this dhaa anth n jaaee paaeiaa
There are many images of the Lord, and the nine treasures of the Naam; His limits cannot be found.
kehai naanuk har piaarai jeeo gufaa andhar rakh kai vaajaa puvun vujaaeiaa
Says Nanak, the Lord placed the soul to the cave of the body, and blew the breath of life into the musical instrument of the body. 38

eaehu saachaa sohilaa saachai ghar gaavuhu
Sing this true song of praise in the true home of your soul.
gaavuhu th sohilaa ghar saachai jithai sudhaa such dhiaavehae
Sing the song of praise in your true home; meditate there on the True Lord forever.
sucho dhiaavehi jaa thudh bhaavehi gurumukh jinaa bujhaavehae
They alone meditate on You, O True Lord, who are pleasing to Your Will; as Gurmukh, they understand.
eihu such subhunaa kaa khusum hai jis bukhusae so jun paavehae
This Truth is the Lord and Master of all; whoever is blessed, obtains it.
kehai naanuk such sohilaa suchai ghar gaavehae
Says Nanak, sing the true song of praise in the true home of your soul. 39

anudh sunuhu vuddubhaageeho sugul munoruth poorae
Listen to the song of bliss, O most fortunate ones; all your longings shall be fulfilled.
paarubrehum prubh paaeiaa outhurae sugul visoorae
I have obtained the Supreme Lord God, and all sorrows have been forgotten.
dhookh rog sunthaap outhurae sunee suchee baanee Pain, illness and suffering have departed, listening to the True Bani.
sunth saajun bheae surusae poorae gur thae jaanee
The Saints and their friends are in ecstasy, knowing the Perfect Guru.
sunuthae puneeth kehuthae pavith sathigur rehiaa bhurupoorae Pure are the listeners, and pure are the speakers; the True Guru is all-pervading and permeating.
binuvunth naanuk gur churun laagae vaajae anehudh thoorae
Prays Nanak, touching the Guru's Feet, the unstruck sound current of the celestial bugles vibrates and resounds. 401

Singh Sahib Jogee Harbhajan Singh says, “the mind is a unit energy given to you by God to serve you. Be its guide and not its slave."

BENTEE SANGAT JEE: Please let your friends family and relatives know about this site as it will uplift Daas in trying to write more articles with Kirpaa of Guru Jee and will also help spread the teachings of Guru Jee on Naam, Baanee, Rehit, Amrit, Baanaa etc.