Soohee Mahala 4: Marriage of Mind to Waheguru (Laavan)

I was trying to get my mind off my sprained ankle a few nights ago and I got the idea to download a book off of Sikh Book Club. As soon as I started reading “Laavan” by Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen, I was absorbed. When it was time to go to sleep, I realized that my pain was gone! I am really excited to share a little piece of what I learned so that we can reflect on it, and I would encourage you to read it as well. What’s really great about reading and listening to kathas is that your knowledge can continually grow deeper on something you’ve read about previously. When I originally posted about laavan, it was a brief overview of the English translation and introducing that the laavan are about the relationship of mind to God. Then more recently, after hearing katha, I had posted more about the husband-wife relationship itself as it relates to the laavan (and I also wrote another piece about the wedding ceremony itself). This time, I’m posting on a deeper level about the mind and God relationship.

To review, the four laavan are our spiritual stages towards meeting Waheguru. The name of this Bani is Soohi Mahala 4, and is read during Anand Karaj. I noticed that even after listening to katha and writing the posts, I still wasn’t able to remember what each laav was about off the top of my head. After reading this book, however, I can remember clearly what each laav means because Maskeen Ji reviewed it several times in the book, and there were examples for each stage.

Giani Maskeen Ji says that laavan means “to adore someone, to go around again and again in total adoration and love,” and “to be fascinated and fall head over heels for someone.” In this case, this is about our mind’s adoration for Waheguru. The first laav is about entering the stage of action. What I never realized is that there are many people who haven’t even reached the first laav. I had somehow assumed everyone starts at the first laav! The laavan are about our spiritual journey, and some people have not yet started that yet. It depends on where we were in our previous life, and accordingly we are born to finish our laavan. In the first laav, one regularly goes to the Gurdwara, listens to kirtan and katha, reads Gurbani, and does simran. The body physically does the actions. This is an important foundational step, because without it one cannot proceed further. It actually requires a lot of discipline to do this. Sometimes we feel that individuals who are doing these activities are so highly spiritual and when they do something wrong, it breaks our own faith. Maskeen Ji talked at length in his book about this issue and explained about how these individuals are stuck in the first laav too long, in physical ritual action, and haven’t progressed with their minds.

Maskeen Ji wrote, “The human mind is such that it has faith in his children, in his friends, in his wife and the one who influences him maximum comes to the mind again and again. I often say that to remember one’s son is there any need to play the harmonium?” At this I laughed. We make a lot of efforts in order to remember Waheguru and still we forget. We remember our desires, our attachments, but not the one who gave us all. When we do the actions over and over in the first laav, eventually the mind should also progress. When we concentrate (put Dhyan) on Gurbani, then eventually remembrance of God becomes natural. In the second laav, we read prayers out of love for Waheguru. One starts to hear Anhad Bani (Waheguru’s voice). The third laav is about becoming a Vairagi (detached soul), about letting go of attachment (moh). One lives in the world, works, performs worldly duties but isn’t caught up in them. Then finally, in the fourth laav, all efforts are done. Actions are not the price for union with God, rather they lead us to this final stage in which God appears spontaneously. The cycle of reincarnation ends and one becomes jeevan mukht.

The most important thing is for us to look inside ourselves and reflect. I didn’t realize how automatic/natural the process of reflection has become for me, because I have been journalling regularly since I was a little kid. It’s an important part of self-development, of learning, of being resilient, of growing from mistakes. It’s vital for each of us to know which stage we are in the laavan, and to build from there, because our purpose is not fulfilled until we reach the fourth laav. Maskeen Ji writes,

“Dhan Guru Ram Dass ji has explained that it can be realized by each individual that in which stage or level of spiritualism he or she is standing. In simpler words where has one reached in this journey of spiritualism. On seeing the physical body, one can assess that so and so is in the first stage for he a small child…second stage for he has become a young man…third stage for he is an old man. Our eyes see and tell us in which stage the body has reached. But how will one tell as to where has a person reached in the mental spiritual word (in Dhyan). Each individual himself or herself can only tell as to where he or she has reached in the spiritual inner journey of meditation. Whether he or she has started this inner journey yet or not? This can be realized by the individual alone. But to perceive this also, one needs depth of heart, a deep insight.”  (Lavan by Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen)

I’m realizing this is an area of growth that is very difficult to describe, especially if the people you are talking to aren’t in the spiritual realm yet. I was asked the other day to talk about how I’ve grown over the last couple of years, and although I know that I’ve grown exponentially, I found it impossible to put the experiences into words that could do it justice. To me it's more of a personal, internal thing to know about yourself. Where are you in your journey? As Maskeen Ji says, it's up to the individual to realize that. Most people focus on the physical body journey, but the mind’s journey is a lot more interesting- how it builds resilience, how it reflects, how it relates to others. 

I hope I have provided a little bit of an overview to get each of us thinking about where we are in the laavan. There was more depth in this book that I could even begin to relate. It has become one of my favorites. Registration for Sikh book club is free, and you can download the pdf,  you just have to enter your email address (they don’t bother you with emails at all). English version: http://sikhbookclub.com/Book/Lavan Punjabi version: http://sikhbookclub.com/Book/Lavan1 Alternatively, I’ve heard there is a katha on this topic by Maskeen Ji in Punjabi if you prefer to listen rather than read. Let us continue to be inspired by Gurmukhs on this path, and keep moving forward in our spiritual journeys. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep sharing your knowledge with others.