Meditate in the Magical Early Hours; Jap Ji

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Nanak sums up the different systems of human thought, preached for

the realisation of oneness with God. He states their inadequacy to

reveal the great Reality. Philosophy, intellectual power, outward

observances, like the purification of the body (which cannot purify

the sinfulness of the mind), keeping silence and fasting etc., are

but futile endeavours to reach the Goal. There is only one way to

reach Him, and that, says Nanak, is to make God's Will our own. His

Will is already a part of our being, but we are not conscious of it.

It is not question of finding or creating something new, but rather

of attuning oneself to what is already there.

 

STANZA I

 

 

One cannot comprehend Him through reason, even if one

reasoned for ages;

One cannot achieve inner peace by outward silence,

not though one sat dumb for ages;

One cannot buy contentment with all the riches of the world,

nor reach Him with all mental ingenuity.

How may one know the Truth and break through

the cloud of falsehood?

There is a Way, O Nanak, to make His Will our own,

His Will which is already wrought in our existence.

 

---

 

"Hukam'' or Will, itself, is something which no words can describe.

It baffles all description. The real understanding of the Divine

Will comes only by direct revelation to every soul. But, with a view

to bring home some idea of it, the Master indicates the multifarious

aspects directed by His Will. He then goes on to indicate the

touchstone by which one may know those who have become one with His

Will. The knowledge of the Divine Will means the destruction of the

ego.

 

STANZA II

 

 

All things are manifestations of His Will;

But His Will is beyond description.

By His Will is matter quickened into life;

By His Will is greatness obtained;

By His Will some are born high and others low.

By His Will are men's joys and sorrows ordained; (1)

By His Will (the pious) obtain Salvation;

By His Will (the impious) wander in endless transmigration.

All exist under His Will,

And nothing stands outside.

One attuned with His Will, O Nanak, is wholly freed from ego.

 

(1) The reference here is to the Law of Karma or the Law of Cause

and Effect. Our joys and sorrows are all ordained-being the result

of our past actions. "As one sows, so does one reap,'' is a common

aphorism. Elsewhere, Nanak, has beautifully said:

 

The flowing pen of His Will,

Runs according to our deeds.

 

 

---

 

Nanak, as a great Teacher, anticipates the confusion that might

arise in the minds of some seekers by the study of various

scriptures. These do not always say the same thing about God's Will,

but there is no need for doubt and skepticism: for what they really

describe is not God's Will (which in itself is indescribable), but

its various workings and manifestations. God's Will pervades and

directs His Creation, but it is something more, something that is

itself and above and beyond creation.

 

STANZA III

 

 

Some sing of His greatness, but only according to

the power bestowed upon them;

Some sing of His bounties, taking them as His signs;

Some sing of Him as incomprehensible;

Some sing of Him, as transmitting dust into life, and life

into dust again: Creator and Destroyer, the Giver of life

and its Withdrawer.

Some sing of Him as at once the nearest, and the most remote,

There is no end to His description.

Countless have tried to describe Him, but He still stands

beyond all description.

His recipients may tire, but His bounty is untiring;

Ages upon ages, Man has fed upon it.

His Will directs the world;

And yet, O Nanak, He dwells beyond concern or care.

 

 

---

 

God's Will is indescribable and the question arises-how may we

become one with it? Guru Nanak replies that the best we can do is to

sit in meditation at the early hour of dawn and commune with His

Holy Word. Our actions and our efforts count no doubt-it is through

them that we achieve human birth-but, says Nanak, we cannot earn

Salvation, for it must come as the gift of His Grace. Guru Nanak, in

the Jap Ji, turns time and again to this paradox, that Salvation is

only possible through His Grace, yet we need effort to achieve this

Salvation.

 

STANZA IV

 

 

True is the Lord, True His Holy Word;

His love has been described as infinite.

Men pray to Him for gifts, which He grants untiringly.

When all is His;

What can we offer at His feet?

What can we say to win His love?

At the ambrosial hour of the early dawn,

Be you in communion with the Divine Word

And meditate on His Glory.

Our birth is the fruit of our actions;

But Salvation comes only from His Grace.

O Nanak, know the True One as immanent in all.

 

---

 

Communion with the Holy Naam-the Divine Word- together with

meditation on His Glory, is the "open sesame" to the realization of

the One Being. Word is the substance and the power by which all life

is made. Holy communion with its rapturous strains, is a gift that

can be attained only through a Living Master. In His company a life

of holy inspiration and love of God is followed and the inner eye is

opened to see the presence of God in all things. Nanak had hinted of

this in the prologue itself and now proceeds to describe the

greatness and importance of such a soul. A True Master is not a mere

human being, but has become One with God, and as such contains in

Himself the powers of all the gods and goddesses. He is veritably

the Word made flesh and blood. The one lesson that such a Master

teaches His disciples is to meditate always upon the Lord, the

Creator of everything, and never to forget Him.

 

Stanza V

 

 

He can neither be established nor created;

The Formless One is limitless, complete in Himself.

Those who worship Him are honoured;

Nanak, ever sing of the Treasure-house of all virtues,

Let us sing of Him and hold communion with the Word,

with hearts full of loving devotion;

For then shall all sorrows end and we be led joyously Homeward.

The Master(1) is the Song Eternal or Word personified;

He is the Vedas, the scriptures;(2)

He is saturated with the Divine.

He is Siva(3), He is Vishnu,(3) and He is Brahma;(3)

And their consorts Parvati,(4) Lakshmi(4) and Saraswati(4) also.

The greatness of the Master, even if known,

cannot be described with mortal eloquence.

My Master has taught me one thing;

He is the Lord of everything, Him I may never forget.

 

(1). The word used in the original is Gurmukh, which at once means

the mouthpiece of God and the Master who leads His disciples on the

Path of God.

(2). The Master possesses the knowledge of the Divine on which all

scriptures are based.

(3). The Master displays all the attributes of the gods forming the

Hindu trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, symbolic of the principles

of creation, preservation and destruction. Like Brahma, the

expounder of the Vedas, He imparts Divine knowledge and thereby

gives a new birth to His disciples-the birth in spirit. Like Vishnu

He protects and preserves them from all harm and like Siva, He

destroys all evil propensities in them.

(4). Similarly the goddesses: Parvati, Lakshmi, and Saraswati are

symbolic of devotion, wealth and learning. He is a prototype of all

these virtues.

 

---

 

In this stanza, Nanak develops more fully the paradox just touched

upon in stanza IV. One cannot attain union with God through the

observance of certain outward actions, viz: reading of scriptures,

saying of prayers, going on pilgrimages, observance of silence,

fasts and vigils, performance of rites and rituals, all of which but

form part of Apra Vidya which prepare the ground for creating

interest for higher life and developing devotion. You may make the

best use of them. But these outer acts cannot give emancipation.

They are by themselves meaningless. What matters is His glance of

Grace. If one has received this, one is blessed indeed. And yet, if

Salvation depends on God's love alone, let us not live in idleness.

A life of inertia can lead nowhere and God helps those who help

themselves. No doubt Salvation is achieved only through Grace, yet

one must make oneself worthy of the same. And the only way to make

oneself worthy is by following the Path taught by a true Master. By

becoming conscious of the Divine Plan, we make His Will our own.

 

Stanza VI

 

 

If I may only please Him, 'tis pilgrimage enough;

If not, nothing-no rites or toils-avails;

Whichever way I look, I find that in His creation,

None has won salvation without His Grace-regardless of Karmas.(1)

You can discover untold Spiritual riches within yourself;

If you but abide by the teachings of your Master.(2)

My Master has taught me one lesson:

He is the Lord of everything, may I never forget Him.

 

from

 

Jap Ji Sahib by Guru Nanak founder saint of Sant Mat; The Path of

The Masters aka Surat Shabd Yoga

 

http://santmat-meditation.net/santmat/shabd-1.html