Jis Naam Hriday Soi Wad Raja

In my previous post I talked about the importance of having mastery of ones thoughts/mind. Also how Naam Rang helps us to understand our true self and to wash off the dirt of mind. Since then, I have been contemplating on what exactly is Naam. We have heard it so many times in Gurbani, but what is the true meaning of Naam. Before we try to understand Naam...which I believe is harder to explain than I ever thought, let me ask you a question.What are we seeking in life? What is it that we really want/desire. The other day I was watching TV and I saw politicians, singers, dancers, actors who came from very diverse backgrounds and they all seek fame, money and recognition for their work.

To list it out, here are a few things that man seeks in world (not necessary in the same order):
1) Become a leader (Reminds me of the famous song of 1985 from the band Tears for Fears "Everybody wants to rule over the world")
2) Fame
3) Money
4) Recognition
5) The need to love and be loved
6) A life of comfort and happiness with all the worldly necessities, namely...food (Grand Buffet), shelter (a big white house), clothing (Polo, Armani, Gucci and CK)

I was just chatting with an old friend of mine, and he said that he wants peace of mind. This kind of desire which comes when one is fed up of the desire/wants listed above.

Now lets see how Guru Sahib shows us how we can achieve the things that we long for. I was reading the Guru Granth Sahib yesterday and this is what I found:

Pg 1155 (Sri Guru Granth Sahib):
jis naam ridai so-ee vad raajaa.
He alone is a great king, who keeps the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within his heart.
jis naam ridai tin kot Dhan paa-ay
One who keeps the Naam in his heart, obtains millions of treasures
naam binaa janam birthaa jaa-ay. ||1||
Without the Naam, life is useless. ||1||
tis saalaahee jis har Dhan raas
I praise that person, who has the capital of the Lord`s Wealth.
so vadbhaagee jis gur mastak haath
He is very fortunate, on whose forehead the Guru has placed His Hand.(Pause)
jis naam ridai tis kot ka-ee sainaa
One who keeps the Naam in his heart, has many millions of armies on his side
jis naam ridai tis sahj sukhainaa
One who keeps the Naam in his heart, enjoys peace and poise

Guru Sahib goes on in this verse to show us the importance of Naam and how we can achieve all that we desire in life through Naam. So Naam by definition is what we are all seeking in life but are not sure how to get there. When we don't know how to get there then we seek it in worldly things. Also Naam is the net result of the actions of a Gurmukh (the one who has turned his back to the worldly ways and walks in life in accordance to his Masters/Guru/Har hukam (Universal Law).
So what are the actions of a Gurmukh..
1) Satsang (holy congregation) : A Gurmukh (person inclined towards knowing the Inner Being) would have the curiosity to understand the workings of life and his Inner Being (Atman). This curiosity is satiated when he sits in Satsang and listens to the discourse/keertan with the intention to understand it. Now how do we know that we are in the right Satsang. There are numerous Satsangs happening all over the world which prescribe to formal and informal religions of the world. How do we know that we are in the right Satsang? Guru Nanak has given the definition of Satsang below:

satsangat kaisee jaanee-ai.
How is the Society of the Saints to be known?
jithai ayko naam vakhaanee-ai.
There, the Name of the One Lord is chanted.
ayko naam hukam hai naanak satgur dee-aa bujhaa-ay jee-o. ||5||
The One Name is the Lord`s Command; O Nanak, the True Guru has given me this understanding. ||5||

Here Guru Nanak defines Satsang as a place where only God is meditated on, talked about, discussed and known.

2) Keertan: Listening to Keertan or worship songs creates an atmosphere of music and love so that the mind can focus easily on it

3) Yoga/Execrise: Yoga and other exercise helps in keeping the body active and ready for Naam. It also helps in delaying distractions created by ill-health.

4) Reading: Reading Spiritual books gives a better understanding of what we listen and sing. (Koi Gaave Koi Sune Har Naama Chit Layee - Some Sing and Some Listen, it should be done with one set focus)

Now that we understand the importance of Naam and the importance of having the spiritual bent of mind, it is easy to understand what we need to see the effects of Naam. Develope a curiosity, learn through Satsang, Keertan, Discussions and then act on what we have understood. Through this understanding and action, we develop the love for the teachings of the Guru/Bani/Shabad and through that we develop our understanding of God, Life, Atman and purpose of life. This in turn gives us more edge to deal with the day to day ups and downs in life.

This is the essesnce of Naam.

In my next blog I will talk about the purpose of life.

Man Jeetay Jag Jeet

I was going through some quotes and came across this one from Plato:

"The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile."

The same thought is shown in one of the most beautiful line in the Japji Sahib (in the current context, although everything written in Guru Granth Sahib is awe inspiring) ...Man Jeetay Jag Jeet (By winning over your mind, you have won over the world).

Does that mean that we are at a constant battle with our minds...Yes and No. No because there are a billion thoughts running through the mind and we cannot battle each one of them. So how do we deal with them...
Rakhanhaar samaar jana, sagaley chhod vichaar mana - Sukhamani Sahib (Keep your Creator in mind and leave all other thoughts).
This means that we need to keep coming back to our true self again and again. Our true self is not our thoughts or who we think we are. Our true Self is the place within us for the Highest of the High - Man Mandir Tan vesh kalandar (My mind is a temple and my body is the simple cloth of the humble seeker).
Yes (answer to the question that do we need to fight our mind) because sometimes some of the thoughts stick out and keep coming again and again and then they form a habit (Kar kar karna likh ley jaao - Actions repeated again and again are engraved on the soul). Habits are really hard to break and then we need to fight it (take affirmative action) to overcome it.
Now this is easier said than done. Through countless lifetimes we have accumalated so much filth on our mind- Janam Janam ki is man ko maiel laagi kala hova siyah (The mind has become black like ink from the filth of sin birth after birth). Guru Sahib has given us a very simple method to take our "Daily Shower". Bhariay mat papan ke sang, oh dhopai naave ke rang (When the intellect is stained and polluted by sin it can only be washed by the love of the Name/Love of God).
But how do we get the Naam Rang? To be continued.....