Taking Stock

In management practice it is important to define any project or activity that is to be undertaken. Once it gets under way it is necessary to periodically evaluate the project or work in progress to ensure it is on the right track. There is also a system of periodic appraisal of the persons involved to apprise them how they are doing. The persons themselves also evaluate and modify their actions if necessary.A final stock taking is done to see if the objective has been fully achieved.

Human life is one such project. Before being born into a body the soul is made aware of the purpose for which it is taking birth. It is also made aware of the life span. It is expected that it would work to complete the tasks within the deadline prescribed.

In Sikh religion the practice of Nitnem or the daily practice of reciting certain Baanis or gurus’ compositions has been laid down. It is very helpful as the Baanis remind the Sikh of his or her responsibilities. The fourth Guru describes the daily routine that should be followed by a Sikh:

ਗੁਰ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕਾ ਜੋ ਸਿਖੁ ਅਖਾਏ ਸੁ ਭਲਕੇ ਉਠਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵੈ ॥

ਉਦਮੁ ਕਰੇ ਭਲਕੇ ਪਰਭਾਤੀ ਇਸਨਾਨੁ ਕਰੇ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸਰਿ ਨਾਵੈ ॥

ਉਪਦੇਸਿ ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਜਪੁ ਜਾਪੈ ਸਭਿ ਕਿਲਵਿਖ ਪਾਪ ਦੋਖ ਲਹਿ ਜਾਵੈ ॥

ਫਿਰਿ ਚੜੈ ਦਿਵਸੁ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਗਾਵੈ ਬਹਦਿਆ ਉਠਦਿਆ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵੈ ॥

ਜੋ ਸਾਸਿ ਗਿਰਾਸਿ ਧਿਆਏ ਮੇਰਾ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਸੋ ਗੁਰਸਿਖੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਨਿ ਭਾਵੈ ॥

ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਦਇਆਲੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਮੇਰਾ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਗੁਰੂ ਉਪਦੇਸੁ ਸੁਣਾਵੈ ॥

ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਧੂੜਿ ਮੰਗੈ ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਕੀ ਜੋ ਆਪਿ ਜਪੈ ਅਵਰਹ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ ॥੨॥

The Guru’s Sikh should get up early and remember Naam,

He should be active and bathe in the pool of Naam nectar,

He should remember the Guru’s teachings in order to keep away from vice.

On sunrise he should sing Gurbani and be in God consciousness in all activities;

One who remembers the Master with every breath and every morsel of food is loved by God;

One to whom the Master shows compassion, receives the guru’s guidance;

I seek the dust of the feet of the Gursikh who remembers God himself and inspires others to do so (M: 4, p 305).

Literally speaking ‘Naam’ means name specifically of God. But in Gurbani it represents Divine virtues which a Sikh is advised to remember and try to emulate. This helps the Sikh to become God-like and thus enable his soul to be entitled to merge in God.

A total of three Baanis of Nitnem have been laid down and are according to the above guidelines. The morning Baanis are Jap Ji Sahib, Jaap Sahib and ten Swayyay that start with ‘Sravag sudh samooh kay’.

Jap Ji Sahib is in the form of Updesh or instruction to tune the mind so that it is receptive.

Jaap Sahib enables getting absorbed in the virtues of the Lord. The Swayyay are in the form of reminder not to get absorbed in the mundane activities so much as to forget the Master.

The evening Baani, Rehras Sahib is for thanking the Lord for having enabled one to do the duties during the day. It is also meant to take stock of what is achieved and at the same time motivate the Sikh to accept that we all work under Divine sanction.

The bedtime Baani ‘Sohila’ teaches to keep the transitory nature of life in mind and also brings peace of mind so as to facilitate good sleep. Good sleep is also representative of the soul enjoying peace in the hereafter.

As the heading above indicates this article is about what we recite in Rehras Sahib. Although it is mandated to be recited daily it is also relevant for periodic as well as final review. Let us study one Shabad or composition of the fourth Guru in it to understand how it helps if we contemplate on it. The Shabad is on pages 11-12 0f Sri Guru Granth Sahib the Sikh Holy Book and Guru.:

The Shabad starts with saying to the Lord ‘I have done what I could now the results are in Your Hands:

ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ॥ਤੂੰ ਕਰਤਾ ਸਚਿਆਰੁ ਮੈਡਾਸਾਂਈ ॥

ਜੋ ਤਉ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋਈ ਥੀਸੀ ਜੋ ਤੂੰ ਦੇਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਹਉ ਪਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

O my Creator You are the just Master;

What pleases you happens, I shall receive what (I deserve and) You give: Pause:

The Creator abides in the body but is not realized by us mortals. God does not have a physical form and is identified by virtues, the jewels of spiritual knowledge hidden in the mind:

ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਰਤਨ ਕੋਠੜੀ ਗੜ ਮੰਦਰਿ ਏਕ ਲੁਕਾਨੀ ॥

ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਤ ਖੋਜੀਐ ਮਿਲਿ ਜੋਤੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਮਾਨੀ ॥੧॥੪੧੧੭੮

God is hidden in the mind like jewelry kept in a safe chamber in a fort;

The true guru helps in searching the mind leading to being one with God (M: 4, 1178).

God belongs to all and the jewel of His Naam is there for all those who follow the Guru’s teachings:

ਸਭ ਤੇਰੀ ਤੂੰ ਸਭਨੀ ਧਿਆਇਆ ॥

ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਤਿਨਿ ਨਾਮ ਰਤਨੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਲਾਧਾ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥

ਤੁਧੁ ਆਪਿ ਵਿਛੋੜਿਆ ਆਪਿ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ ॥੧॥

The total creation is Yours and they acknowledge that O Lord;

He who receives Your kindness shall receive the jewel of Naam;

The God-oriented Gurmukh receives it; the self-oriented Manmukh loses it.

This decision to grant union with You or not lies with You.

One needs to be humble in following the guru’s instructions. We also need to acknowledge God as the lone source of every thing. Once we focus on Him every thing seems to be put in place:

ਤੂੰ ਦਰੀਆਉ ਸਭ ਤੁਝ ਹੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥ ਤੁਝ ਬਿਨੁ ਦੂਜਾ ਕੋਈ ਨਾਹਿ ॥

You are like an ocean, a storehouse of every thing;

There is none else who has these virtues.

Being able to unite with God is the purpose of human birth. It is analogous to achieving goals set in other activities of life. Taking birth is like getting a job that has been well defined. The way an employer appoints workers to do the assigned tasks so are creatures born to serve the purpose of the Creator. The creatures therefore are tools in the hand of God. Being one with the Creator is akin to reaching the hierarchical pinnacle in an organization through promotions. An employee makes all efforts including training and hard work to achieve the objective. The human birth is achieved after going through countless other life forms and one is almost there. One needs to do those acts that earn him the final ‘promotion’ to merge in the Creator. There is great disappointment if one misses out after almost being there because of the prospect of continuing to suffer reincarnations. The fifth Guru says:

ਲਖ ਚਉਰਾਸੀਹ ਜੋਨਿ ਸਬਾਈ ॥ ਮਾਣਸ ਕਉ ਪ੍ਰਭਿ ਦੀਈ ਵਡਿਆਈ ॥

ਇਸੁ ਪਉੜੀ ਤੇ ਜੋ ਨਰੁ ਚੂਕੈ ਸੋ ਆਇ ਜਾਇ ਦੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਦਾ ॥੨॥੫੧੦੭੫

Human birth has a special status amongst the 8.4 million life forms;

One who misses to take the final step here suffers the pain of further reincarnations (M: 5, p 1075).

One must therefore obey Divine commands without using our discretion the way tools carry out the tasks they are meant for:

ਜੀਅ ਜੰਤ ਸਭਿ ਤੇਰਾ ਖੇਲੁ ॥ ਵਿਜੋਗਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਵਿਛੁੜਿਆ ਸੰਜੋਗੀ ਮੇਲੁ ॥੨॥

All creatures are tools in your hand for the world play;

Those who perform will meet you while others will fail having come so near You :2:

The understanding that our destiny to merge back in God depends on our deeds itself is given by God Himself. This is received by those who remember the Master and is not therefore arbitrary

ਜਿਸ ਨੋ ਤੂ ਜਾਣਾਇਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਜਨੁ ਜਾਣੈ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਸਦ ਹੀ ਆਖਿ ਵਖਾਣੈ ॥

One who remembers God’s virtues and sings to others,

is given this understanding of how to merge with God.

Man must therefore serve the Master as He directs. Gurbani uses the expressions Banda (servant) and Bandgi (worship or remembrance) to give this understanding. Bandgi is derived from Banda and literally means what a servant does. Hence it implies that doing one’s duties to the Master is His worship. But there is a caveat that this service is not to be done specifically to please the Master. The maxim is to do one’s duty without worrying if the Master would be pleased or not:

ਬੰਦੇਬੰਦਗੀਇਕਤੀਆਰ ॥ ਸਾਹਿਬੁਰੋਸੁਧਰਉਕਿਪਿਆਰੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ਕ33੮

O man, the servant of God, the only thing in your control is to serve;

Let the thought whether that makes the Master happy or unhappy not worry you: Pause: (Kabir, p 338).

This sort of a doubt of the deity’s pleasure, or lack of it, comes when performing rituals. On the other hand by serving the Master one establishes communication with Him. He cannot be propitiated with rituals but by substantive service. God takes notice of even the slightest actual service done for Him. Sincere service leads to merger with Him:

ਜਿਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਸੇਵਿਆ ਤਿਨਿ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਸਹਜੇ ਹੀ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਸਮਾਇਆ ॥੩॥

Those who obey the Divine, obtain happiness;

They merge back to the Creator effortlessly.

God’s servant serves without even realizing he is doing it. He does it naturally. Guru Nanak says in Jap Ji Sahib how to do this:

ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ਸਾਲਾਹਿ ਏਤੀ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਨ ਪਾਈਆ ॥ ਨਦੀਆ ਅਤੈ ਵਾਹ ਪਵਹਿ ਸਮੁੰਦਿ ਨ ਜਾਣੀਅਹਿ ॥੧੫

Praise the praiseworthy Lord without thinking you are doing it,

the way rivers lose their identity when they flow into the sea (M: 1, p 5).

Thus losing his ego a man of God acknowledges that every thing is done by the Master.

ਕੀਤਾ ਕਰਣਾ ਸਰਬ ਰਜਾਈ ਕਿਛੁ ਕੀਚੈ ਜੇ ਕਰਿ ਸਕੀਐ ॥

ਆਪਣਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਕਿਛੂ ਨ ਹੋਵੈ ਜਿਉ ਹਰਿ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਿਉ ਰਖੀਐ ॥੧॥

ਮੇਰੇ ਹਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਤੇਰੈ ਵਸਿ ॥

ਅਸਾ ਜੋਰੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਜੇ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਰਿ ਹਮ ਸਾਕਹ ਜਿਉ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਿਵੈ ਬਖਸਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ੪੭੩੬

We act according to the will of God, not by our own strength;

Man can do nothing on his own; he acts in the environment he is placed in;

O Lord nothing is in our control;

We do not have the strength to be able to do any thing,

Bless us to act the way it pleases You: Pause: (M: 4, p 736).

No one else except God possesses these capabilities. He not only acts and motivates us to act but also watches. Acting under Divine motivation is the same thing as obeying our conscience. This and the guru’s teachings lead the soul to receive Divine vision:

ਤੂ ਆਪੇ ਕਰਤਾ ਤੇਰਾ ਕੀਆ ਸਭੁ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਤੁਧੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਦੂਜਾ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥

ਤੂ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਵੇਖਹਿ ਜਾਣਹਿ ਸੋਇ ॥ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ ॥੪॥੨॥

Every thing is done by You O Lord;

Except You none else does any thing;

You create and then look after the creation:

One understands this through the guru’s teachings and receives Divine vision (M: 4, SGGS, p 11-12).

The Creator plays His role meticulously and with compassion. We need to introspect whether we are playing our roles likewise. In this regard the gurus have been kind to provide us continuing guidance through Gurbani.

Recitation of Gurbani also serves another important purpose. It enables the Sikh to see for him/herself whether his/her mind and body resonate with the reciting God’s virtues that Gurbani provides. We should be able to experience whether that resonance exists and if not what is coming in the way. Is it evil thoughts about others? Or am I in a conflict situation that does not let me concentrate? Is this my doing? Do I keep thinking of my business or profession while I do Nitnem? This way Nitnem acts as a development tool whereby we identify shortcomings and apply the solutions. The solutions become apparent when self-evaluation is done in the light of the Guru’s teachings

One important theme running in Gurbani is humility; a Sikh is advised to be aMarjeevra orliving dead by shedding ego. Nitnem is to be done as a humble seeker. Guru Nanak says:

ਜਬਲਗੁਦੁਨੀਆਰਹੀਐਨਾਨਕਕਿਛੁਸੁਣੀਐਕਿਛੁਕਹੀਐ॥

ਭਾਲਿਰਹੇਹਮਰਹਣੁਨਪਾਇਆਜੀਵਤਿਆਮਰਿਰਹੀਐ॥੫॥੨॥੧੬੬੧

As long as we live let us listen and sing God’s praise;

And let us do it humbly as if dead, remembering that our life span is not unlimited (M:1, p 661).

May every Sikh be able to follow this.