Naam, Satguru, Ishq, Divine Love

 

 Naam, Satguru, Ishq, Divine Love

In the deepest mystical sense, Naam, Shabad, Satguru, Prem and Ishq are inseparably intertwined. Naam is the eternal divine Power; the Satguru is its living revealer; and love is the force through which the seeker becomes attuned to it. Their common purpose is to dissolve haumai—the ego-generated sense of separation that stands between the lover and the Beloved, the seeker and the Lord. Guru Gobind Singh Ji therefore declares:

साचु कहौं सुन लेहु सभै, जिन प्रेम कियो तिन ही प्रभु पाइयो॥

I proclaim this truth for everyone to hear: only those who love the Divine attain realization of Him. Rituals, scholarship and austerities remain incomplete unless the spiritual heart is awakened through love.

The mystic Mirdad expresses the same principle:

“Love is the law of God. You live that you may learn to love. You love that you may learn to live. No other lesson is required of man.”

Love is not merely an emotion; it is the fundamental law of spiritual life. The seeker lives to discover divine love and, through that love, learns the true meaning of existence.

The Fifth Commandment given through Moses states:

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

Literally, this commandment instructs human beings to honour their earthly parents. Mystically, however, its meaning may be extended to the Divine Source—the ultimate Father and Mother from whom all life originates and upon whom every being depends.

In Gurbani, the seeker’s longing for the Satguru becomes an intense spiritual thirst:

मेरा मनु लोचै गुर दरसन ताई॥
बिलप करे चात्रिक की निआई॥
त्रिखा न उतरै सांति न आवै, बिनु दरसन संत पिआरे जीउ॥

My mind longs for the vision of the Guru, crying like the rain-bird thirsting for a single drop. Without the Darshan of the beloved Satguru, this spiritual thirst is not quenched and inner peace does not arise.

The same longing appears in another prayer:

मिलु मेरे प्रीतमा जीउ, तुधु बिनु खरी निमाणी॥

O my Beloved, come and meet me; without You, I am utterly helpless and without spiritual support.

Kabir Sahib describes the intoxication of divine love:

हमन हैं इश्क़ मस्ताना, हमन को होशियारी क्या।
रहें आज़ाद या जग से, हमन दुनिया से यारी क्या॥

The lover of God becomes intoxicated with Ishq and no longer lives according to worldly calculation. His consciousness is absorbed in the Beloved, and the attractions of the world lose their former hold.

Kabir Sahib further declares:

पोथी पढ़ि पढ़ि जग मुआ, पंडित भया न कोय।
ढाई आखर प्रेम का, पढ़े सो पंडित होय॥

The world may exhaust itself reading countless books, yet scholarship alone cannot produce divine realization. One who learns the simple but profound lesson of Prem is the truly wise person.

Baba Farid Sahib calls birah—the intense longing produced by the apparent separation from God—the sovereign of all spiritual states:

बिरहा बिरहा आखीऐ, बिरहा तू सुलतानु॥
फरीदा जितु तनि बिरहु न ऊपजै, सो तनु जाणु मसानु॥

Birah is the supreme spiritual longing because it continually draws the seeker towards the Beloved. A spiritual heart in which this longing has not awakened is compared to a cremation ground—outwardly present but inwardly lifeless.

Hazrat Sultan Bahu similarly places Ishq beyond intellectual knowledge:

ईमान सलामत हर कोई मंगदा, इश्क़ सलामत कोई हू।
जिस मंज़िल नूं इश्क़ पहुँचावे, ईमान नूं ख़बर न कोई हू॥

Everyone prays for the preservation of formal faith, but few pray for the preservation of Ishq. Divine love carries the seeker to an inner state that intellectual or conventional belief alone cannot comprehend.

Waris Shah begins Heer by identifying Ishq as the very foundation of creation:

अव्वल हम्द ख़ुदा दा विर्द कीजे, इश्क़ कीता सू जग दा मूल मियाँ।
पहिलां आप ही रब्ब ने इश्क़ कीता, ते माशूक है नबी रसूल मियाँ॥

First, remember and praise God, for Ishq is the foundation of the entire world. Divine Love originated in God Himself and became manifest through His beloved Messenger.

Baba Bulleh Shah describes how Ishq removes inner duality:

जां मैं रमज़ इश्क़ दी पाई, मैना तोता मार गवाई।
अंदर बाहर होई सफ़ाई, जित वल्ल वेखां यारो यार॥

When I discovered the mystery of Ishq, I abandoned mechanical repetition and imitation. I and You disappeared. My inner and outer being became purified, and wherever I looked, I beheld only the Beloved.

Thus, the purpose of Naam is to awaken Prem, Ishq and Birah within the seeker. Through Simran and inner communion with Shabad, ego and duality gradually disappear. This culmination is called fana in Sufi terminology—not the destruction of the soul, but the dissolution of its separate ego-consciousness. The lover then realizes that Naam, Satguru and the Beloved are manifestations of the same Divine Reality and that the apparent separation existed only in the mind.

 

THE SACRIFICE OF SARMAD When the Ego Was Beheaded, Only God Remained

 THE SACRIFICE OF SARMAD

When the Ego Was Beheaded,

Only God Remained

Sarmad’s martyrdom as a symbol of self-annihilation and Divine realization

“Spiritual truth must be experienced—not merely repeated.”

The mystic Sarmad Kashani was executed in Delhi in 1661 during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb. He was accused of refusing to recite the complete kalma: La ilaha illallah—“There is no deity except God.”

Sarmad would utter only La ilaha—“There is no deity.” Mystically, this represents the stage of negation: the rejection of every outward object of worship and every inner idol created by the ego and the mind. He refused to add illallah—“except God”—because he believed that he had not yet directly realized this ultimate metaphysical truth. To pronounce it merely as inherited belief or outward conformity would, for him, have been dishonest.

When ordered in open court to recite the complete kalma, Sarmad remained faithful to his inner experience and defied imperial authority. He would not exchange truth for safety. Consequently, he was condemned and beheaded near Delhi’s Jama Masjid.

According to the spiritual legend, after the sword severed his head, Sarmad’s headless body arose, lifted the fallen head and then proclaimed the complete kalma: La ilaha illallah. Whether understood literally or symbolically, the story conveys a profound mystical truth. Only after the limited self—the ego or nafs—had been extinguished could the affirmation of Divine Reality arise spontaneously.

Sarmad’s martyrdom thus reveals the highest mystery of fana—the complete annihilation of the ego or nafs. La ilaha is the sword that destroys every illusion: the world, the ego and the sense of separate existence. Only when the false “I” has been beheaded can illallah arise as a living realization—not as a belief uttered by the tongue, but as Truth experienced by the soul. Sarmad gave his head to prove that the Divine cannot be realized while the ego remains alive. When Sarmad ceased to exist, only God remained; therefore, the complete kalma proclaimed itself through him.

Historical note: Sarmad’s execution in 1661 is historical; the account of his body lifting the severed head belongs to the devotional tradition surrounding his martyrdom and is presented here for its mystical symbolism.

YUNUS EMRE..Many Truths In The World

 

The Seed and the Tree: Microcosm and Macrocosm

 

The Seed and the Tree: Microcosm and Macrocosm

The relationship between a tiny seed and a vast tree offers a simple yet profound way of understanding the concepts of the microcosm and the macrocosm. At first, it seems almost impossible that such a small seed could contain the potential for an enormous banyan or peepal tree—with its massive trunk, countless branches and leaves, spreading roots, and firm hold upon the earth.

Yet, because we understand the natural process by which a seed germinates and gradually expands into a magnificent tree, we readily accept that the whole tree exists within the seed in a subtle and unmanifest form. Similarly, every mature tree produces seeds in which its entire pattern and future possibility are again concealed. Thus, the seed is within the tree, and the tree is within the seed: one is the concentrated microcosm, while the other is the expanded macrocosm.

This parable helps us approach a deeper spiritual truth. Just as the vast tree lies hidden within the tiny seed, the whole creation exists within God; and just as the seed remains present throughout the life of the tree as its essential principle, God dwells within every part of creation. God is not separate from the universe, yet God is infinitely greater than its visible forms.

At the ordinary level of understanding, this divine mystery is difficult to comprehend. We see multiplicity—countless beings, objects, and worlds—but fail to perceive the one Reality sustaining them all. Spiritual realization reveals that the One is present within the many, while the many remain eternally rooted in the One.

Does the soul exist in perpetual union with God,

 

                                   Does the soul exist in perpetual union with God,

                  ==============================================================

ISSUE UNDER CONSIDERATION ---

Does the soul exist in perpetual union with God, or are the soul and God two distinct entities that must be united or merged through Nam Bhakti and devotion?

Opinion: The prevailing spiritual view is that the soul and the Lord exist in Oneness. For example, the sun and its rays are inseparable. “A part of the infinite is infinite too”. Divine Energy cannot be separated, though it may appear in different forms according to Divine Will. The total energy remains constant and infinite.

Regardless of the device or method of transmission, electric current always remains connected to its power-generating source. Any disconnection between the supply and the appliance renders the system instantly inoperative. Similarly, if a separation were to occur between the soul and the Lord, the very notion of Existence would become untenable. Creation persists because the Divine permeates every aspect of the cosmos. As stated in the Treasury of Mystic Terms (Part 1, page 118): “God, the Creator and macrocosm, is commonly portrayed as an Ocean, with man, the microcosm, as a drop or part of that ocean; thus, there is no separation between the two. God is the whole, and each part of creation, in some way, reflects the whole; man is not merely a drop that can merge with the Ocean, but a drop that contains the Ocean—a microcosm that contains the macrocosm.”

Mystics, having explored the inner workings of spiritual experience, often find language inadequate when conveying transcendent truths. Consequently, they employ the terminology common in their era. For instance, in Gurbani, “Hukam” (हुक्म) should be understood not as an order or instruction, but as Nam or Shabd; “Sach” (सच) refers to Ultimate Reality, rather than truth as perceived by the human intellect. Similarly, frequent terms in the Adi Granth, such as “Mil,” “Milna,” “Milana,” “Pana,” and “Paya,” (“मिल”, “मिलना”, “मिलाना”, “पाना”, “पाया”) should be interpreted as referring to the experience or realization (सोझी) of the Lord, not as “meeting,” “merging,” “connecting,” “joining,” or “attaining.” All beings remain inherently connected to Nam; it is only that human beings may not be attuned to or aware of this Divine connectivity.

The soul, within the mind-body complex, operates under the illusion of time and space. As a result, individuals often do not perceive their inherent connection with the Divine. Although karmic entanglements may obscure the soul, its divinity remains unchanged, just as clouds do not diminish the sun’s intensity, even if the earth is in shadow.

The purpose of human life is to experience the unity of soul and Lord and to transcend the illusion of separation.

The soul, like the Lord, is powerful, enlightened, and blissful; however, its association with the mind and senses causes these innate qualities to be suppressed.

Generally, translated versions of scripts suggest that the soul must “merge” with the Lord, or that a drop must “merge” into the Ocean for liberation. The terms “merge” and “merging” appear many times, and the imagery of the “drop” merging into the “ocean” is common, often referring to the experience of the Lord or realisation of total consciousness. This can be confusing, as it implies the soul and Lord are two distinct entities rather than One. From the Sant Mat perspective, this is a misunderstanding: there is no merger or re-merger, as the soul and Lord are always united, though this unity may be unrecognised.

Take into consideration the following 

“आतम नें राम, राम में आतम, चीनस गुरु बिचारा// AG page 1153-

आत्म राम राम है आत्म हर पाईये शब्द विचार है// AG page 1030

सागर में बूँद बूँद में सागर// AG Page 878”

Rumi says, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” This is the experience to be realised.

The Vedic concept of “Thou art That” also affirms the perpetual and fundamental unity of the Lord and the soul.

The Islamic Shahada, “La illah ill allah,” also expresses the same understanding of Cosmic Oneness.

Thus, the relationship between soul and God should not be described as one of separation or division, but as one requiring connection. Phrases such as “merging with God,” “returning to God,” “returning to the True Abode,” “uniting or reuniting the soul with the Lord,” or “soul becoming God” may not be appropriate in mystical concepts.  Instead, consider using terms like “experiencing the Lord,” “Divine realisation,” “awareness of the Lord,” “the soul is unaware of its divinity,” or “awakening of divinity,” which are appropriate to the context.

भला हुआ मोरी माला टूटी KABIR SAHIB

 

THE MYTH OF EXTERNAL REALITY

 

A Mystical Interpretation ON KARMA AND PAAP

 A Mystical Interpretation ON KARMA AND PAAP

Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 4 Jap JI Pauri 20

Verse in Hindi Script

भरीऐ हथु पैरु तनु देह ॥

पाणी धोतै उतरसु खेह ॥

मूत पलीती कपड़ु होइ ॥

दे साबूणु लईऐ ओहु धोइ ॥

भरीऐ मति पापा कै संगि ॥

ओहु धोपै नावै कै रंगि ॥

पुंनी पापी आखणु नाहि ॥

करि करि करणा लिखि लै जाहु ॥

आपे बीजि आपे ही खाहु ॥

नानक हुकमी आवहु जाहु ॥२०॥

•  •  •

Improvised Mystical Explanation

Guru Nanak Sahib begins with an example drawn from ordinary life. When our hands, feet and body are covered with dust, perspiration or other impurities, water removes the dirt. When a garment becomes soiled, soap and water can wash it clean. Physical impurity can therefore be removed by physical means.

The Guru then turns from the outer garment to the inner being. The body may be regarded as the garment through which the soul functions in this world, while the mind becomes stained by ego, desire, attachment and the accumulated impressions of action. When the mind is polluted by paap, no external ritual or bodily cleansing can purify it. Guru Nanak Sahib declares: “भरीऐ मति पापा कै संगि, ओहु धोपै नावै कै रंगि” — when the mind is stained by sin, it is cleansed only by being dyed in the love and remembrance of Naam.

This same inner stain is expressed by the Sufi saint Sheikh Farid:

फरीदा काले मैडे कपड़े, काला मैडा वेसु।

गुनही भरिआ मै फिरा, लोकु कहै दरवेसु॥६१॥

Sheikh Farid acknowledges that, although people may regard him as a holy dervish, his inner consciousness still bears the stains of sin and ego. His words closely support Guru Nanak Sahib’s teaching: outward clothes may be washed with water and soap, but the mind polluted by sinful tendencies and karmic impressions can be cleansed only through the love and remembrance of Naam.

Here, paap may be understood at two levels. At the ordinary moral level, there is an unmistakable distinction between good and evil. Cruelty, dishonesty and exploitation produce suffering, whereas charity, compassion and righteous conduct benefit both the individual and society. Gurbani does not abolish this ethical distinction.

At the deeper mystical level, however, both good and bad karma can keep the soul tied to the created world when they are performed under the influence of ego, desire and attachment. Bad karma binds through suffering and painful consequences. Good karma, when undertaken for praise, status, heavenly reward or future benefit, can bind through its pleasant fruit. The individual may have to return to creation to receive what has been earned. Thus, even merit may become part of the karmic account if the doer remains attached to the action and its reward.

This is the deeper implication of “पुंनी पापी आखणु नाहि.” A person does not become virtuous or sinful merely because others call him so, nor through his own claims of goodness. Every intention, thought and action leaves an impression, and the complete account accompanies the individual. The decisive question is not simply whether an action appears outwardly good, but whether it strengthens ego and attachment or helps dissolve them in Divine remembrance.

Selfless goodness is therefore not being condemned. Charity, service and righteous action performed with humility, compassion and surrender can purify the mind. Bondage arises when the ego declares, “I am the doer; I have performed this noble act; therefore I deserve its reward.” When action is offered to the Lord without possessiveness or expectation, it ceases to deepen the karmic knot.

Guru Nanak Sahib concludes: “आपे बीजि आपे ही खाहु” — whatever we sow through thought, intention and action, we ourselves must reap. The process of sowing and harvesting continues, and the soul remains involved in the cycle of coming and going so long as the karmic account and the sense of individual doership persist.

A parallel teaching appears in the Bhagavad Gita (2:47), where Lord Krishna says:

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।

मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

“You have a right to action alone, never to its fruits. Do not act merely for the sake of reward, nor become attached to inaction.”

The teaching does not imply that action and result are unrelated. Rather, a person may choose and perform an action, but its final outcome is never entirely within individual control. It also depends upon circumstances, timing, the actions of others, past causes, and numerous visible and invisible factors; in modern terms, uncertainty and probability also influence how events unfold. This closely supports Guru Nanak Sahib’s concluding lines. Human beings sow through their actions and must face what follows—“आपे बीजि आपे ही खाहु”—yet the complete process of action, consequence, birth and death operates within Hukam—“नानक हुकमी आवहु जाहु।” Hukam does not abolish moral responsibility or mean that God arbitrarily compels wrongdoing. It means that the individual is responsible for action but is not the absolute controller of its fruit. One must therefore act righteously and selflessly, without egoistic attachment to success, reward or recognition, and accept the final outcome within the Divine Order.

Liberation begins when the mind is washed in Naam, the ego-centred doer gradually disappears, and action is performed in remembrance and surrender. Soap and water may cleanse the outer garment, but only the colour of Naam can cleanse the inner consciousness and release it from the endless account of sowing, reaping, coming and going.

Key qualification: Gurbani does not literally declare every good deed to be sinful. The mystical warning is against egoistic attachment to action and its fruit; selfless service undertaken in Naam and humility assists purification rather than bondage.