ਮੋਹਨ ਸਿੰਘ
Guru Nanak: God
Himself creates the world, and He himself takes care of it. Without the God's
Fear, doubt is not dispelled, and love for His Name is not embraced. Through
the Satguru, the Fear of God wells up (within), and the Door of Salvation is
realized. Through the God"s Fear, Sahaj (natural state of Being) is
realized, and one's light merges into the Infinite Light. Through the God's
Fear, reflecting on the Guru's Teachings (Gurmat), the terrifying world-ocean
is crossed over. Through the God's Fear, the Fearless Lord is realized; He is
Limitless. The self-willed Manmukhs do not appreciate the value of the God's
Fear; burning in (the fire of Maya's) desire, they weep and wail. (GGS:
1288-8).
Fears can be grouped
in two categories -- the Fear of God and all other worldly fears. The Central
to scriptural teachings of various religions is to have the Fear of God. God's
Fear does not mean to be afraid of God. It simply implies respect, Love,
reverence, veneration for the Divine Law, Hukam etc.
God's Fear is the Fear
of the consequences of one's Karma (Kaarmic actions, reactionary deeds, wicked
Karanee, Adharma etc.). God has set forth His Law of Karma (Hukam or Eternal
Law) governing human actions as a teaching mechanism to prevent incarnate Souls
from being entrapped forever in the outward pull of the delusive Energy called
Maya (duality-illusion). Thus, in deeper sense, the "Fear of God" is
meant to discourage ambivalence. Such pure "Fear" (respect, Love)
keeps a seeker in the scale of morality and righteousness, which, in turn,
encourages noble virtues, Spiritual Life with discipline, meditation on the
Absolute One, cultivation of spiritual-knowledge (Aatam-Giaan) through inner
inquiry (Vichaar) and one-pointed conscious Love for God.
In the
Light of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the fundamental belief in Sikhism is that
God exists (One God). He is not as merely an idea or concept, but as a
Real Entity. Although He is indicated to be indescribable and Formless, yet
knowable to anyone who is prepare to make the honest attempt to mend his
corrupt ways by collecting his Mayaic mind scattered around in lust, anger,
greed, attachment etc. to become perceptive to God's Divine Qualities. As per
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, God does not need any logical proof for is Reality and
Truth.
With the help of these
Divine Attributes, one adorns Bhagti (devotion) with its important
element of Bairaag - detachment from materiality and temptations, and
attachment to the practice of Love and devotion of the Divine within. According
to Sri Granth, only those deeds are "excellent" that are done in the
Fear of God (respect, reverence, Love); otherwise they are "false".
Guru Amardas Jee says, "Forsake desire, and abide in the Fear of God; O
Nanak, these are the most excellent actions" (GGS: 1089). Although both
the unfaithful (Manmukh) and the faithful entertain the Fear, but the Fear of
both is something different. In separation from God, the manmukh is full of all
other fears. It's common to see such people subscribe to religion out of fear.
They practice the various religious injunctions because of apprehension that
non performance of the same will lead to retribution from God. Ignorance is the
root of such fear. The basis of any religion is Love of God and hence anything
done out of fear is due to immaturity. In True Love, how there can be any room
for any kind of reprisal? The faithful, on the other hand, Fears the Almighty
in deep reverence, respect, Love, etc. So he has no other fears because he does
not consider himself to be separate from God at any given moment.
I love my
God, because when I was born my God was breathing in me but the mind was blank!
Because of this breath (the Grace), my parents and all other relatives picked
me up one by one to greet one another, they all hugged me and kissed me.
Without this vital breath they would have wrapped me in white fabric, and you
know why?
As we grow we start
building layers of filth in our mind, collected from illusory maya. Like this
we build multiple layers and we keep playing accordingly - just play and rewind
these layers again and again. Our body is like a field (Khet), in which
our Karma is the seed (Beej), we harvest exactly what we sow. If
our seed (Karma) is false, then naturally our harvest (rewards or
fruits) will also be equally false, setting the cycle of the Law of Karma
in motion. Repeated suffering and fears of all sorts are the consequences.
In gurbani
Guru Arjun says, leaving the womb, you were born, and when you came out, you
became attached to other places. You practiced evil and fraud day and night,
and did useless deeds. You thrash
the straw, but it has no wheat; running around and hurrying, you obtain only
pain. The false person is attached to falsehood; he is entangled with
transitory things. And when the Righteous Judge
of Dharma seizes you, O mad man, you shall arise and depart with your face
blackened (GGS: 1207). Thus, Gurbani indicates that one's life would be
a waste if one were to die without the Fear of God. To die without the Fear of
God is to die in all other fears. Also without God's Fear, one cannot retain
the "Color" of the God's Name or attunement to the Shabad within. In
short, without the God's Fear, we remain false, unable to become the Gurmukh
to cross over the dreadful ocean of the repeated suffering.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib
observes that when a sincere devotee places the Fear of God in his Heart, He
becomes the Gurmukh; his deeds (Karanee) becomes excellent; he
cherishes sincere Love for God and thus travels the path of Bhagti
(devotion); he controls his mind, forgets the selfishness and burns away his
false ego-sense (Haume); he attains True Understanding; he meditates on
the Divine Name, sing and follow the Divine Word; he enjoys True and Real Life;
his coming into this world becomes Blessed and Approved; his all other fears
disappear -- he becomes fearless; he is honored in the God's Court; the
Glorious Virtues of the Lord dwell in the heart; and so on. When a person truly
understands God's Immanence in everything and His Hukam that prevails
all equally, he becomes free of all fears as there will not be anxieties of the
false ego-sense (Haume) to torture him anymore.
Mohan Singh
(Homeopath)
Gurmat Learning (North)
Gurmat Learning (North)
Toronto,
Ontario, Cana
