Here we continue the chapter summaries for Bhai Sewa Singh Ji Tarmala’s book, Pantha Prem Na Janaiye. These chapters talk about the roles of Kaal and how to work together as a family.
Gurbani tells us that Kaal’s responsibilities include providing us things that we need in this world, keeping us entertained, protecting children from dangerous actions, and delivering the drama of this game. Bhai Sahib describes that the mind is like people who carry luggage for passengers (coolie): “He can carry as much as he wants, but eventually the passengers take their luggage and the coolie is left empty-handed” (page 103). He describes how our mind is in the same situation, we can use what is given to us by kaal- our house, money, jobs, food, etc. but in the end these won’t go with us. The trap of kaal is called a net (kaal da jaal) that we must learn to escape via simran. There was an example given that the Sikhs asked Guru Arjan Dev Ji why they are doing simran if they already have reached Sunn? Guru Ji explained that we must continuously do simran to escape this net of Kaal. This chapter also goes on to explain how ego is destroyed by going to Dasam Dwar/Sunn, and the medicine for ego is Amrit Ras (again, distinction that this is not referring to the Amrit ceremony as in baptism, but a physical taste in the mouth).
Kaal creates thoughts within us to make us argue with each other so we will stay busy in the world in these conflicts and not achieve our true purpose. We will be focused on fighting with each other instead of fighting the 5 dhoots together. They explain that there is a moment when someone’s bad words sit in the empty space. We have a choice about whether to grasp them, or to leave them hanging. Bhai Sahib states “Should we listen to it and analyze it we suffer.” It is important to protect ourselves through the circle of simran and then we can speak to whomever and not be affected because we will be able to connect to the Oneness and see past the game. We must be careful with our own words. Gurbani tells us that “God says, all hearts (creatures and human beings) are mine, and I am in all hearts” (Ang 952), as well as “Do not utter even. a single harsh word; your True Lord and Master abides in all. Do not break anyone’s heart; these are all priceless jewels. The minds of all are like priceless jewels; to harm them is not good at all. If you desire your Beloved, then do not break anyone’s heart” (Ang 1384). If we do simran together, we will not have these conflicts and our thoughts will match. The method of sas gras simran is expanded upon here- the left eye represents the moon. The right eye represents the sun (sajja in Punjabi and sooraj both start with S sound so we can remember this way). There is an imbalance in our noses – the right side represents tamoguni thoughts, the left represents rajoguni. When there is a balance in the eyes through simran it is called sum drisht. When there is a balance in the breathing through simran, we will breathe equally both ways and reach Sunn. In Sas Gras simran, we connect the Wahe- and guru sounds to the breath. There are some great examples online. I will link one below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7hFIdsrUkE&t=1502s The speed of the simran can vary. For example this is a slower version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sc3cHhyXso&t=2648s First we start out in loud voices, then become quiet to a whisper, then antargat (internally, without speaking).
Bhai Sahib then explains how our relatives were selected. We are selected from different loks- some of us came from patal lok, akash lok, dev lok, and bhoom lok, and this selection is based on our past lives, those we are with know were known to us previously as we saved our breaths together by meditating together. We are supposed to beat this game together but of course everyone comes with their own mind and those from dev lok will be more inclined to do simran and complete their journey as we discussed in the last chapter. Gurbani says “Mother, father, spouse, children, relatives, lovers, friends and siblings meet, having been associated in previous lives; but none of them will be your companion and support in the end” (Ang 700). As much as we have the task to work together and have been brought together from various stages, we must also recognize that we are responsible for our own mind’s journey when the Jum dhoot come to get us and our body’s journey has ended.
Reflection: These chapters really bring forth how we are brought together with certain people in our lives through our sanjog; we come together with certain people over breaths collected through meditation in our past lives. It brings forth the importance of choosing our sangat (especially spouse), and how important that is for our spiritual journey. In fact, a recent katha was talking about how strongly people doing simran around an individual as they are dying can be impactful to where they end up in their next life, and how powerful it is to have a singular family member even who has reached Sunn, to pull other family members out from the generations past and forward, and change their paths.
I know the huge importance of being a mother in raising our families. I was looking at a young Sikh boy running around on his driveway as his grandfather watched him. He must have been around 3 yrs old and had a little joorha on top of his head. They were so happy playing together. I thought to the brazen gang violence and murders occurring in the lower mainland, and many of them identify as Sikhs. I think to how a joyful boy playing with his grandfather grows up and chooses a path to walk. Being a parent in kaljug is not easy, and not everything relies just on our own levels of love and discipline. Even Prithi Chand was born to Guru Ram Das Ji, and the story of his marriage and selection of Bibi Bhani is a famous one. Anyone in the family can be pulled by Kaal into creating conflicts. I am reminded of the importance of working on ourselves... of working on my own mind.
When it comes to suffering, we all ask ourselves the question of why. The more we talk to people of all walks of life and hear their stories of suffering as they try to alleviate it by any means possible, the question becomes stronger. I care deeply, so much so that I move worms off the sidewalk and back onto the soil so they can survive. I don’t like seeing them suffering on the pavement, drying out to die. How could this same heart experience so much pain, while it is trying its best to alleviate the suffering of the world, to not be malicious, to be kind and understanding? We realize this even more when we look into people’s eyes who live on the streets and we see how they have ended up where they are. I can see why Maskeen describes the state of the poets, that they are heartbroken seeing the status of the world. How do we live in such a reality and explain and justify to ourselves. When we read Gurbani, we realize the question of why me, is a question of homai, and we see more and more of our avgun, we start to understand that life here is not just a justice of one lifetime, but a story of a mind that travelled many lifetimes. We start to understand the bigger picture. Kaal’s jaal wants you to be stuck in the ins and outs of the past so you never move forward, to be stuck in a cycle of suffering. So many times when we don’t get what we think we wanted, this was God’s protection. When we get fed up with it all, we show up to Guru Ji but once again refuse to let go of the path that got us here, and we do our Ardas in ego. I have noticed this of myself. The solutions to this all were given in Gurbani. This human life was given to us not to be a slave of Kaal, but to be free. We have much healing to be done here, our healing starts within ourselves for our own minds and walking together, we make even more progress.
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