Ancient Yogis = present day's Amritdharis??
V S
ਮੁੰਦਾ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਸਰਮੁ ਪਤੁ ਝੋਲੀ ਧਿਆਨ ਕੀ ਕਰਹਿ ਬਿਭੂਤਿ ॥
Make contentment your ear-rings, hard-work your begging bowl, and consciousness of the Lord as the ashes you apply to your body.
Make contentment your ear-rings, hard-work your begging bowl, and consciousness of the Lord as the ashes you apply to your body.
ਖਿੰਥਾ ਕਾਲੁ ਕੁਆਰੀ ਕਾਇਆ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਡੰਡਾ ਪਰਤੀਤਿ ॥
Let the remembrance of death be the mat on which you sit and do your meditation, let the avoidance of bad deeds be the your way of virginity in the world, and let faith in the Lord be your walking stick, so that you can break the wall of lies inside with it!
ਆਈ ਪੰਥੀ ਸਗਲ ਜਮਾਤੀ ਮਨਿ ਜੀਤੈ ਜਗੁ ਜੀਤੁ ॥
See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world.
ਆਦੇਸੁ ਤਿਸੈ ਆਦੇਸੁ ॥
I bow to Him, I humbly bow.
ਅਨੀਲੁ ਅਨਾਦਿ ਅਨਾਹਤਿ ਜੁਗੁ ਜੁਗੁ ਏਕੋ ਵੇਸੁ ॥28॥
The Primal One, the Pure - without any stain, without beginning, without end. Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same. 28
When I read this Pauree from Japji Sahib, my mind starts wandering to the time when Guru Nanak Sahib met the Yogis at that time. The time when Yogis were trying to do everything what their ancestors used to do. Yogis were doing all kinds of activities, like, praanayam, neti, etc and wore specific kinds of clothes, so that they can be recognised as the Yogis just by a glance.
Yogis had their foremost high-class as well, called Aayi Panth. The Yogis who were in this group, were supposed to be the best Yogis. These yogis were known to be the ones who could live longer than other Yogis, and perform such tasks which normal Yogis would not do. These Yogis, used to carry a bag in which they put their clothes, a deer-skin mat and other necessary things, had a bowl for the food which they asked (begged) from the people, had a stick with them always. Their important appearance also included wearing special ear-rings, which also distinguished them from various Yogi sects. Reading the above translations, we can well imagine and understand, what Guru Nanak sahib were asking Yogis to do actually!
Can we try to use the same Pauree in modern age? Forget Yogis, let us take our own self. Aren't we so proud of our appearance and distinctiveness from the world? No doubt, we should be proud of what we are, but what is to be distinctive about? This is the basic form of a human, others are distinct who don't keep the basic form! If a Lion out of 100 Lions, cuts his mane, he will look distinct, if 99 Lions cuts their manes, then the one who has not cut his mane will look distinct, but actually he is just a normal Lion. He will look distinct, but actually others are out-of-form! Should he be proud of being a normal Lion?
Ok, let us come to the track again.
We get ready, tie dumaala or Turban, open the beard, wear a Baana, or Kurta Pajama, wear a 12-inch Kirpan outside and then we feel that we are better looking, or feel superior to others who are not doing this! We even condemn others who are not doing this, mentioning Rehat! Some places (deras, Gurudwaras etc) have a rule to wear only White clothes or Blue clothes only, and some of those don't marry as a compulsory manner of conduct!
In our mind, we feel superior from the other mankinds that we are better than those, because we have a Guru? Or we don't abuse our Kes? Or we keep Rehat? Aren't we getting into AAYI panth as Yogis? Where is the love for all mankind which Guru Sahib were mentioning? Some of us Amritdharis are so much involved in these acts, that we don’t even like to sit/interact with a non-Amritdhari? If we feel closeness to Guru, then we should tell others who don’t feel the same, and inspire them to meditate on Waheguru’s name.
Why eating jootha from a non-Sikh or say non-Amritdhari is considered bad? Where is the equality? I agree personal preference for hygienic reasons, but eating jootha only with Amrit-dharis? Isn't this against Gurmat? Where is the "Sagal sang humko ban aayi"?
Where is the humility in us? Why are we watching this world with closed eyes? Aren’t we saying that Sikhism, rather Amritdharis are the best, and others are Patits?
Aren’t we disobeying the teachings of Guru Nanak Sahib?
Personally, I don’t feel that Sikhism is a religion at all; I think it is a philosophy and it is so basic that every form in nature is Sikh.
Nirankar is the Eternal Guru and everything obeying HIM is the SIKH.
Yogis had their foremost high-class as well, called Aayi Panth. The Yogis who were in this group, were supposed to be the best Yogis. These yogis were known to be the ones who could live longer than other Yogis, and perform such tasks which normal Yogis would not do. These Yogis, used to carry a bag in which they put their clothes, a deer-skin mat and other necessary things, had a bowl for the food which they asked (begged) from the people, had a stick with them always. Their important appearance also included wearing special ear-rings, which also distinguished them from various Yogi sects. Reading the above translations, we can well imagine and understand, what Guru Nanak sahib were asking Yogis to do actually!
Can we try to use the same Pauree in modern age? Forget Yogis, let us take our own self. Aren't we so proud of our appearance and distinctiveness from the world? No doubt, we should be proud of what we are, but what is to be distinctive about? This is the basic form of a human, others are distinct who don't keep the basic form! If a Lion out of 100 Lions, cuts his mane, he will look distinct, if 99 Lions cuts their manes, then the one who has not cut his mane will look distinct, but actually he is just a normal Lion. He will look distinct, but actually others are out-of-form! Should he be proud of being a normal Lion?
Ok, let us come to the track again.
We get ready, tie dumaala or Turban, open the beard, wear a Baana, or Kurta Pajama, wear a 12-inch Kirpan outside and then we feel that we are better looking, or feel superior to others who are not doing this! We even condemn others who are not doing this, mentioning Rehat! Some places (deras, Gurudwaras etc) have a rule to wear only White clothes or Blue clothes only, and some of those don't marry as a compulsory manner of conduct!
In our mind, we feel superior from the other mankinds that we are better than those, because we have a Guru? Or we don't abuse our Kes? Or we keep Rehat? Aren't we getting into AAYI panth as Yogis? Where is the love for all mankind which Guru Sahib were mentioning? Some of us Amritdharis are so much involved in these acts, that we don’t even like to sit/interact with a non-Amritdhari? If we feel closeness to Guru, then we should tell others who don’t feel the same, and inspire them to meditate on Waheguru’s name.
Why eating jootha from a non-Sikh or say non-Amritdhari is considered bad? Where is the equality? I agree personal preference for hygienic reasons, but eating jootha only with Amrit-dharis? Isn't this against Gurmat? Where is the "Sagal sang humko ban aayi"?
Where is the humility in us? Why are we watching this world with closed eyes? Aren’t we saying that Sikhism, rather Amritdharis are the best, and others are Patits?
Aren’t we disobeying the teachings of Guru Nanak Sahib?
Personally, I don’t feel that Sikhism is a religion at all; I think it is a philosophy and it is so basic that every form in nature is Sikh.
Nirankar is the Eternal Guru and everything obeying HIM is the SIKH.
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