Yogaa

Is Yoga a part of Sikhee?

(Ang 188)

pUrw mwrgu pUrw iesnwnu ]
pooraa maarug pooraa eisunaan
Perfect is the path; perfect is the cleansing bath.

sBu ikCu pUrw ihrdY nwmu ]1]
subh kish pooraa hirudhai naam
Everything is perfect, if the Naam is in the heart. 1

pUrI rhI jw pUrY rwKI ]
pooree rehee jaa poorai raakhee
One's honor remains perfect, when the Perfect Lord preserves it.

pwrbRhm kI srix jn qwkI ]1] rhwau ]
paarubrehum kee suran jun thaakee
His servant takes to the Sanctuary of the Supreme Lord God. 1Pause

pUrw suKu pUrw sMqoKu ]
pooraa sukh pooraa sunthokh
Perfect is the peace; perfect is the contentment.

pUrw qpu pUrn rwju jogu ]2]
pooraa thup poorun raaj jog
Perfect is the penance; perfect is the Raja Yoga, the Yoga of meditation and success. 2

hir kY mwrig piqq punIq ]
har kai maarag pathith puneeth
On the Lord's Path, sinners are purified.

pUrI soBw pUrw lokIk ]3]
pooree sobhaa pooraa lokeek
Perfect is their glory; perfect is their humanity. 3

krxhwru sd vsY hdUrw ]
kurunehaar sudh vusai hudhooraa
They dwell forever in the Presence of the Creator Lord.

khu nwnk myrw siqguru pUrw ]4]45]114]
kuhu naanuk maeraa sathigur pooraa
Says Nanak, my True Guru is Perfect. 445114

Guru Sahib states clearly in Gurbaanee that the true Yoga is the Yoga of Athai Pehar Naam Abhiyaas. Guru Sahib explains clearly in this Shabad peace, contentment, raj yoga, honor, glory will only come through Naam, Guru Sahib also explains everything we do in life will be perfect if it is blessed by Guru Sahibs Naam Abhiyaas through every breath.

(Ang 208)

jog jugiq suin AwieE gur qy ]
jog jugath sun aaeiou gur thae
I came to the Guru, to learn the Way of Yoga.

mo kau siqgur sbid buJwieE ]1] rhwau ]
mo ko sathigur subadh bujhaaeiou
The True Guru has revealed it to me through the Word of the Shabad. 1Pause

nau KMf ipRQmI iesu qn mih rivAw inmK inmK nmskwrw ]
no khundd prithumee eis thun mehi raviaa nimukh nimukh numusukaaraa
He is contained in the nine continents of the world, and within this body; each and every moment, I humbly bow to Him.

dIiKAw gur kI muMdRw kwnI idRiVE eyku inrMkwrw ]1]
dheekhiaa gur kee mundhraa kaanee dhrirriou eaek nirunkaaraa
I have made the Guru's Teachings my ear-rings, and I have enshrined the One Formless Lord within my being. 1

pMc cyly imil Bey iekqRw eyksu kY vis kIey ]
punch chaelae mil bheae eikuthraa eaekus kai vas keeeae
I have brought the five disciples together, and they are now under the control of the one mind.

ds bYrwgin AwigAwkwrI qb inrml jogI QIey ]2]
dhus bairaagan aagiaakaaree thub nirumul jogee theeeae
When the ten hermits become obedient to the Lord, then I became an immaculate Yogi. 2

Brmu jrwie crweI ibBUqw pMQu eyku kir pyiKAw ]
bhurum juraae churaaee bibhoothaa punth eaek kar paekhiaa
I have burnt my doubt, and smeared my body with the ashes. My path is to see the One and Only Lord.

shj sUK so kInI Bugqw jo Twkuir msqik lyiKAw ]3]
sehuj sookh so keenee bhuguthaa jo thaakur musuthak laekhiaa
I have made that intuitive peace my food; the Lord Master has written this pre-ordained destiny upon my forehead. 3

jh Bau nwhI qhw Awsnu bwiDE isMgI Anhq bwnI ]
jeh bho naahee thehaa aasun baadhiou singee anehuth baanee
In that place where there is no fear, I have assumed my Yogic posture. The unstruck melody of His Bani is my horn.

qqu bIcwru fMfw kir rwiKE jugiq nwmu min BwnI ]4]
thuth beechaar ddunddaa kar raakhiou jugath naam man bhaanee
I have made contemplation upon the essential reality my Yogic staff. The Love of the Name in my mind is my Yogic lifestyle. 4

AYsw jogI vfBwgI BytY mwieAw ky bMDn kwtY ]
aisaa jogee vuddubhaagee bhaettai maaeiaa kae bundhun kaattai
By great good fortune, such a Yogi is met, who cuts away the bonds of Maya.

syvw pUj krau iqsu mUriq kI nwnku iqsu pg cwtY ]5]11]132]
saevaa pooj kuro this moorath kee naanuk this pug chaattai
Nanak serves and adores this wondrous person, and kisses his feet. 511132


Guru Sahib was not against Yoga; Guru Sahib was against the Yogis way of living.
They did nothing for society, they meditated for powers which led to Ego, they did not meditate on the Name of the Lord Vahiguroo, they meditated through physically controlling the breathing, they never led a householders life, nor earned an honest living, they kept extreme rules and penances and lived as renunciates, which made their practice very difficult to follow and spread, e.g. walking around naked, shaving their heads. Their practices became very egotistical rather than humble.
Guru Sahib explains in this Shabad, one becomes a great Yogi only when one cuts the noose of Maayaa (materialistic pleasures) from the mind through the loving devotion of Athai Pehar Naam Abhiyaas (24,7 Simran).

YOG is the name for perfect technique and this perfect technique is only given by Guru Sahib in the form of Shabad.

(Ang 237)

gauVI mhlw 5 ]
gourree mehulaa 5
Gauree, Fifth Mehl:

jo iesu mwry soeI sUrw ]
jo eis maarae soee sooraa
One who kills this is a spiritual hero.

jo iesu mwry soeI pUrw ]
jo eis maarae soee pooraa
One who kills this is perfect.

jo iesu mwry iqsih vifAweI ]
jo eis maarae thisehi vaddiaaee
One who kills this obtains glorious greatness.

jo iesu mwry iqs kw duKu jweI ]1]
jo eis maarae this kaa dhukh jaaee
One who kills this is freed of suffering. 1

AYsw koie ij duibDw mwir gvwvY ]
aisaa koe j dhubidhaa maar guvaavai
How rare is such a person, who kills and casts off duality.

iesih mwir rwj jogu kmwvY ]1] rhwau ]
eisehi maar raaj jog kumaavai
Killing it, he attains Raja Yoga, the Yoga of meditation and success. 1Pause

Guru Sahib has gave a lot of respect to the word Yoga in Gurbaanee, as mentioned above in this Shabad, and mentioned in many more Shabads, Guru Sahib is talking about killing ones duality (doubts) in this Shabad, one who kills their doubts attains Raaj Yoga. Doubts will only lead to negative thinking, which in turn will cause negative actions. One cannot be called Gurmukh if one lives in doubt, as one is not living in Bhaanaa (accepting will) and lacks faith in Guru Sahib. If we do something wrong we should not regret it or doubt it, just learn from it and accept it, make sure we don’t do it again, never dwell as this means we are not in peace with Naam in this moment of time.

(Ang 939)

drsnu ByK krhu joigMdRw muMdRw JolI iKMQw ]
dhurusun bhaekh kuruhu jogindhraa mundhraa jholee khinthaa
"Wear the robes of the sect of Yogis who follow Gorakh; put on the ear-rings, begging wallet and patched coat.

bwrh AMqir eyku sryvhu Ktu drsn iek pMQw ]
baareh anthar eaek suraevuhu khutt dhurusun eik punthaa
Among the twelve schools of Yoga, ours is the highest; among the six schools of philosophy, ours is the best path.

ien ibiD mnu smJweIAY purKw bwhuiV cot n KweIAY ]
ein bidh mun sumujhaaeeai purukhaa baahurr chott n khaaeeai
This is the way to instruct the mind, so you will never suffer beatings again.""

nwnku bolY gurmuiK bUJY jog jugiq iev pweIAY ]9]
naanuk bolai gurumukh boojhai jog jugath eiv paaeeai
Nanak speaks: the Gurmukh understands; this is the way that Yoga is attained. 9

AMqir sbdu inrMqir mudRw haumY mmqw dUir krI ]
anthar subudh nirunthar mudhraa houmai mumuthaa dhoor kuree
Let constant absorption in the Word of the Shabad deep within be your ear-rings; eradicate egotism and attachment.

kwmu k®oDu AhMkwru invwrY gur kY sbid su smJ prI ]
kaam krodh ahunkaar nivaarai gur kai subadh s sumujh puree
Discard sexual desire, anger and egotism, and through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, attain true understanding.

iKMQw JolI Birpuir rihAw nwnk qwrY eyku hrI ]
khinthaa jholee bharipur rehiaa naanuk thaarai eaek huree
For your patched coat and begging bowl, see the Lord God pervading and permeating everywhere; O Nanak, the One Lord will carry you across.

swcw swihbu swcI nweI prKY gur kI bwq KrI ]10]
saachaa saahib saachee naaee purukhai gur kee baath khuree
True is our Lord and Master, and True is His Name. Analyze it, and you shall find the Word of the Guru to be True. 10


Guru Nanak Dev Jee had a conversation with Gorakh, the spiritual Guru of the Siddhs and Yogis, Gorakh said to Guru Sahib “ours is the best philosophy to instruct the mind, if you follow this philosophy you will never suffer again”. Guru Sahib replied, “if you analyze the Name of the Lord you will find the word of the Guru to be true. There is no larger faith than the faith of Naam, no faith can compare unless they dwell in Athai Pehar Naam Abhiyaas with every breath and this Yog is only given by Guru Sahib.

(Ang 1353)

<> siq nwmu krqw purKu inrBau inrvYru Akwl mUriq AjUnI sYBM gur pRswid ]
ik ounkaar sath naam kuruthaa purukh nirubho niruvair akaal moorath ajoonee saibhun gur prusaadh
One Universal Creator God. Truth Is The Name. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying. Beyond Birth. Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace:

slok shsik®qI mhlw 1 ]
sulok sehusakiruthee mehulaa 1
Shalok Sehskritee, First Mehl:

piV@ pusok sMiDAw bwdM ]
parr ipusok sundhiaa baadhun
You study the scriptures, say your prayers and argue;

isl pUjis bgul smwDM ]
sil poojas bugul sumaadhun
you worship stones and sit like a crane, pretending to meditate.

muiK JUTu ibBUKn swrM ]
mukh jhooth bibhookhun saarun
You speak lies and well-ornamented falsehood,

qRYpwl iqhwl ibcwrM ]
thraipaal thihaal bichaarun
and recite your daily prayers three times a day.

gil mwlw iqlk illwtM ]
gal maalaa thiluk lilaattun
The mala is around your neck, and the sacred tilak mark is on your forehead.

duie DoqI bsqR kpwtM ]
dhue dhothee busuthr kupaattun
You wear two loin cloths, and keep your head covered.

jo jwnis bRhmM krmM ]
jo jaanas brehumun kurumun
If you know God and the nature of karma,

sB Pokt inscY krmM ]
subh fokutt nisuchai kurumun
you know that all these rituals and beliefs are useless.

khu nwnk inscO iD´wvY ]
kuhu naanuk nisuchu dhiaavai
Says Nanak, meditate on the Lord with faith.

ibnu siqgur bwt n pwvY ]1]
bin sathigur baatt n paavai
Without the True Guru, no one finds the Way. 1

inhPlµ qs´ jnms´ jwvd bRhm n ibMdqy ]
nihufulun thusu junumusu jaavudh brehum n bindhuthae
The mortal's life is fruitless, as long as he does not know God.

swgrM sMswrs´ gur prswdI qrih ky ]
saagurun sunsaarusu gur purusaadhee thurehi kae
Only a few, by Guru's Grace, cross over the world-ocean.

krx kwrx smrQu hY khu nwnk bIcwir ]
kurun kaarun sumuruth hai kuhu naanuk beechaar
The Creator, the Cause of causes, is All-powerful. Thus speaks Nanak, after deep deliberation.

kwrxu krqy vis hY ijin kl rKI Dwir ]2]
kaarun kuruthae vas hai jin kul rukhee dhaar
The Creation is under the control of the Creator. By His Power, He sustains and supports it. 2

jog sbdM igAwn sbdM byd sbdM q bRwhmxh ]
jog subudhun giaan subudhun baedh subudhun th braahumuneh
The Shabad is Yoga, the Shabad is spiritual wisdom; the Shabad is the Vedas for the Brahmin.

K´qRI sbdM sUr sbdM sUdR sbdM prw ik®qh ]
khuuthree subudhun soor subudhun soodhr subudhun puraa kirutheh
The Shabad is heroic bravery for the Khshaatriya; the Shabad is service to others for the Soodra.

srb sbdM q eyk sbdM jy ko jwnis Byau ]
surub subudhun th eaek subudhun jae ko jaanas bhaeo
The Shabad for all is the Shabad, the Word of the One God, for one who knows this secret.

nwnk qw ko dwsu hY soeI inrMjn dyau ]3]
naanuk thaa ko dhaas hai soee nirunjun dhaeo
Nanak is the slave of the Divine, Immaculate Lord. 3

eyk ik®s~M q srb dyvw dyv dyvw q Awqmh ] AwqmM sRI bwsÍdyvs´ jy koeI jwnis Byv ]
eaek kirusuun th surub dhaevaa dhaev dhaevaa th aathumeh
The One Lord is the Divinity of all divinities. He is the Divinity of the soul.

nwnk qw ko dwsu hY soeI inrMjn dyv ]4]
naanuk thaa ko dhaas hai soee nirunjun dhaev
Nanak is the slave of that one who knows the Secrets of the soul and the Supreme Lord God. He is the Divine Immaculate Lord Himself. 4


Guru Sahib has made it clear in Salokh Sehiskritee only the Shabad of Guru Sahib prevails the Universe, this is the true Yoga there is no other Yoga, Naam is Yoga and Yoga is Naam.

If one wants to practice the exercises of Yoga for physical stability and posture one should feel free to do so, but one should not get in to the breathing techniques of Yoga, as this is not Gurmat. Any breathe without they name of the Lord is a breath wasted in evil thoughts. One should meditate Athai Pehar (24/7) with every breath in order to be liberated in this life. (Please remember this.)

The Yogic teachers of this day and age are using the philosophy of our 1st master Guru Nanak Sahib Jee to spread the teachings of Yoga. One of them teaches on Aasthaa International TV, he looks young with black beard and long black hair, he wears an orange 'Baana'(picture at the top of page), Daas does not know his name, Daas heard he was called Raamdev.

He uses the Name of the Lord as his breathing technique, Daas heard that he uses various names like Vahiguroo, Allah hoo, Raam etc. He earns money through curing illness by prescribing his own medicine, and also charges a fee for attending, he also teaches posture and explains about the various Veins, Limbs and Arteries in the Body, (the Yogis usually have a lot of knowledge on the Anatomy of the body).

Using the Lords name is not the Yogic philosophy, as Daas has explained above and in previous articles, the Yogic philosophy is controlling breathing for a longer life span and spiritual powers, through this one cannot be liberated, one will suffer through the fire of personal Ego.

The upsetting side is he has millions of viewers a lot of them being old Amritdhaaree Gursikhs, he also has Amritdhaaree Gursikhs attending his camps. What is the reason for this? The reason for this is lack of faith in Guru Sahib, he is using Guru Sahibs teachings to spread spirituality, but we cannot go directly to Guru Sahib to find our answers, we need a middleman.

Another reason is lack of Spiritual Parchaar, we decide to keep our Spiritual earnings and profit to ourselves rather than helping our brothers and sisters out there to strengthen Guru Sahibs Panth.

If one wants to learn about the body, posture etc one should feel free to do so through these programmes. Daas' personal opinion is one should Japna Naam Athai Pehar and Gyaan will ponder around the feet of such soul, let us search inside not outside, let us purify our mind and not look for answers, as this will only slow down progression in spirituality. If we search Gurbaanee we will be amazed about the things Guru Sahib talks about, lets use Guru Sahib and personal effort and not search for answers off people who are not Pooran (pure), we can only be sure of Guru Sahib being Pooran and no Human-being, this is the reason we never follow any Human being no matter how spiritual, earn a direct link through Naam to Guru Sahib.

However, Guru Sahib has mentioned the body being a temple, if this temple breaks down it becomes very difficult to meditate, so it is very important for one to look after ones health, posture etc. If we look in the Guroodwaare we see many Punjabee Sikhs slouching and struggling to sit. If we have to take up Yogic exercises to improve in posture this is not a bad thing, as long as the breath is accompanied by Naam and nothing else. Also in Sikhee there is no wrong and right the subconscious mind needs to be positive through Naam, this is why in Gurbaanee Guru Sahib mentions a Bhagat (Saint) who had many twists in his body. (Sorry cannot remember the name).

A little paragraph about Singh Sahib Yogi Harbhajan Jee. Yogi Bhajan, phd, has been a pioneer in bringing the timeless wisdom of India to the west. Master of Kundalini Yoga and white tantric yoga, spiritual director of 3ho foundation, and chief religious authority for the Sikh religion in the west, Yogi Bhajan was awarded a doctrate degree in the field of humanistic phychology for his ground breaking work in exploring the dynamics of human communication. Through his teachings on Yoga, meditation and conscious living, Yogi Bhajan had helped hundreds of thousands to live more full and healthy lives.

Yogi Bhajan was blessed by Guru Sahib, as he only taught Yoga through Shabad and united his followers with Gurbaanee, Gurmat and Shabad, very rarely do Gurmukhs like this come to Earth and change the lives of many thousands for the better. His followers speak very highly of him, as they believe he was blessed by Guru Jee to bring them closer to God.

(Ang 185)

hm DnvMq BwgT sc nwie ]
hum dhunuvunth bhaaguth such naae
I am prosperous and fortunate, for I have received the True Name.

hir gux gwvh shij suBwie ]1] rhwau ]
har gun gaaveh sehaj subhaae
I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, with natural, intuitive ease. 1Pause

pIaU dwdy kw Koil ifTw Kjwnw ]
peeoo dhaadhae kaa khol ddithaa khujaanaa
When I opened it up and gazed upon the treasures of my father and grandfather,

qw myrY min BieAw inDwnw ]1]
thaa maerai man bhaeiaa nidhaanaa
then my mind became very happy. 1

rqn lwl jw kw kCU n molu ] Bry BMfwr AKUt Aqol ]2]
ruthun laal jaa kaa kushoo n mol
The storehouse is inexhaustible and immeasurable, overflowing with priceless jewels and rubies. 2

Kwvih Krcih ril imil BweI ]
khaavehi khuruchehi ral mil bhaaee
The Siblings of Destiny meet together, and eat and spend,

qoit n AwvY vDdo jweI ]3]
thott n aavai vudhudho jaaee
but these resources do not diminish; they continue to increase. 3

khu nwnk ijsu msqik lyKu ilKwie ]
kuhu naanuk jis musuthak laekh likhaae
Says Nanak, one who has such destiny written on his forehead,

su eyqu KjwnY lieAw rlwie ]4]31]100]
s eaeth khujaanai laeiaa rulaae
becomes a partner in these treasures. 431100


Guru Sahib explains in this Shabad through constant meditation and sharing ones earnings of Naam profit with siblings who are yearning for Guru Sahibs lotus feet, ones profit of Naam will only increase and not diminish.

One has to be very careful when sharing ones profit of Naam, the warrior ego is always waiting to attack. This does not give anyone the excuse to share personal spiritual experiences unless they are Gupt (secret), as this could very easily lead to ego. This means one should guide another being through the spiritual journey Guru Sahib has put us together on through the spirits earnings of divine-knowledge which comes from Guru Sahibs blessings of Naam.

WE ARE VERY BLESSED TO BE SIKHS SOMETHING IN WHICH WE HAVE NOT REALIZED WE WILL ONLY BE LIBERATED THROUGH NAAM, GURU, REHIT AND AMRIT WE NEED NO VICHOLAA (middle man), AS THIS DUTY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO GURU SAHIB BY AKAAL PURAKH VAHIGUROO, AND SHABAD.

LET US PURIFY OUR MINDS AND LIBERATE OUR SOULS THROUGH THE BLESSINGS OF GURU SAHIB JEES SHABAD.

This article was written for a Gursikh Veer who asked the question on e-mail, Daas deleted your question by mistake, please forgive Daas for delaying in trying to answer your question, Daas hopes this article has answered your question, if not please e-mail.

IS YOGA A PART OF SIKHEE? SIKHEE IS A YOGA OF ITS OWN. SHABAD IS THE YOG.

Next weeks article praise and slander