These combined chapters of Bhai Sewa Singh Ji Tarmala's book, Pantha Prem Na Janiye, reiterate a lot of the same points in previous chapters. Bhai Sahib expands that the Harmandir Sahib was built to teach people about the internal Nij Ghar- that the pool of nectar signifies Sunn and the temple at the center represents Nij Ghar. When our mind connects with Naam and bathes in Amrit, this sukham (non-physical) place is called Amritsar, and so was the name of the city. In Japji Sahib Guru Ji reminds us that we don’t have to physically have pilgrimages to bathe at places to elevate our mind’s status. Here we are reminded once again that Amritsar exists in our minds to bathe, that we must cleanse our minds and wash away our sins. The references to Amritsar in Gurbani refer to this internal place where Amrit resides. Bhai Sahib reminds us it is up to us to make the efforts to meditate, and the role of the importance of Grace of God as well. Gurbani says “Shabad Guru, Surat Dhun Chela” meaning the Shabad is the Guru, consciousness is the disciple/student.
Bhai Sahib tells us that our body is like a country, with the head (president, or king) being the mind, and the castle of the mind being the Nij Mahal and the wealth being breaths. The king mind is supposed to provide Amrit to its people (all the cells in our body) but if it isn’t connected to Naam it can’t do this. Thus the mind becomes ill and then diseases start in the body. We have explored the idea of Naam medicine and Gurbani healing in previous posts. (It is recommended people continue the treatment plans set out by their doctors but then also use this spiritual medicine). It is described that the mind’s fever is the three qualities of maya (rajogun, tamogun, satogun thoughts), the doctor is God and the hospital is sangat. They describe in Gurbani that Amrit is a special type of intoxication. Hence the line "Without the Lord I cannot live, even for a second. Like the addict who dies without his drug, I die without God" Ang 668.
Reflections: I was recently watching a bunch of AKJ kirtan videos, and the sangat is really just intensely loving the simran. I only got to attend AKJ kirtan once in Toronto and I cried almost the whole way through because it was so incredibly moving to hear the entire sangat engaged and singing. I’ve always wanted to go their NY or California smagams, I’ll be excited to do this at the first opportunity when programs start to open up again. There are so many videos of kirtan that express the vast variety of feelings from longing to pure Anand, and I feel like these two videos capture bliss really well.
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