Humility Alone Kills One’s Ego. {232.}

Humility Alone Kills One’s Ego. {232.}
****

The trait of humility has been stressed
ad infinitum in our religion.
What does humility really mean?
Why is humility so important?

Humility cannot mean pretending
to have no ego at all.
We all have our egos
& it serves various purposes.
Indeed, civilized life
would be virtually impossible
were ego to vanish altogether
from human society & life.
Imagine every person walking off
with another’s goods just because
nobody had any “ego” left.
Jungle law would prevail thereby,
leading to chaos, strife, misery.
Obviously, this cannot be meant by ego,
so, what is actually meant by it?

The ego is the gravest threat
to the soul’s quest for God & salvation.
It intrudes in one’s spiritual practices
& prevents a quicker & closer Darshan,
or beholding of the Divine Countenance.

The ego causes the human to succumb to the
other four “dooth” or demons of
kaam, krodha, lobha & moha,
or lust, anger, greed & attachment.

These five together combine to keep the soul
enmeshed in sensual & worldly quicksand
for years & decades & lifetimes & eons.

So, victory over these can occur only if
you first destroy their leader, or ego.

The ego gets destroyed by true humility.

True humility is realizing
one’s innate human imperfections & limitations.

This causes a dependence upon one’s Guru,
which in turn evokes His Grace.

When the ego is annihilated,
you become quite free from
the other four named baser tendencies.
You are then secure
& headed fast towards your salvation.

Therefore, one’s ego is one’s greatest enemy,
& cultivating true humility benefits
only one’s own self incalculably.
****

Note: This is drawn from & inspired by the scriptures, practices & teachings pertaining to the Radhasoami religion of Dayalbagh.

The Ways of the Devout. {229.}

The Ways of the Devout. {229.}
****

“The Jewel of the Lord’s Name
abides within my heart;
the Guru has placed His hand on my forehead.
The sins and pains of
countless incarnations have been cast out.
The Guru has blessed me with the Naam,
the Name of the Lord,
and my debt has been paid off.
O my mind, vibrate the Lord’s Name,
and all your affairs shall be resolved.
The Perfect Guru has implanted
the Lord’s Name within me;
without the Name, life is useless.
Without the Guru,
the self-willed manmukhs are foolish and ignorant;
they are forever entangled
in emotional attachment to Maya.
They never serve the feet of the Holy;
their lives are totally useless.
Those who serve at the feet of the Holy,
the feet of the Holy,
their lives are made fruitful,
and they belong to the Lord.
Make me the slave of the slave
of the slaves of the Lord;
bless me with Your Mercy,
O Lord of the Universe.
I am blind, ignorant and totally without wisdom;
how can I walk on the Path?
I am blind O Guru,
please let me grasp the hem of Your robe,
so that servant Nanak may walk in harmony with You.”

---- Guru Nanak Dev; The Guru Granth Sahib.
****

Become True Warrior & Conqueror. {201.}

Become True Warrior & Conqueror. {201.}
****

“He alone is called a warrior,
who is attached to the Lord’s Love in this age.
Through the Perfect True Guru, he conquers his own soul,
and then everything comes under his control.
Sing the Praises of the Lord and Master,
with the love of your soul.
Those who seek His Sanctuary,
and meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord,
are blended with the Lord in celestial peace.
The feet of the Lord’s humble servant abide in my heart;
with them, my body is made pure.
O treasure of mercy, please bless Nanak
with the dust of the feet of Your humble servants;
this alone brings peace.”

---- Guru Nanak Dev; The Guru Granth Sahib.
****

The Way of the Gurumukh. {194.}

The Way of the Gurumukh. {194.}
****

“Everything comes from the Naam, the Name of the Lord;
without the True Guru, the Naam is not experienced.
The Word of the Guru’s Shabad
is the sweetest and most sublime essence,
but without tasting it,
its flavor cannot be experienced.
He wastes this human life in exchange for a mere shell,
who does not understand his own self.
But if he becomes Gurumukh,
then he comes to know the One Lord,
and the disease of egotism does not afflict him.
I am a sacrifice to my Guru,
who has lovingly attached me to the True Lord.
Concentrating on the Word of the Shabad,
the soul is illumined and enlightened.
I remain absorbed in celestial ecstasy.
The Gurumukh sings the Praises of the Lord;
the Gurumukh understands.
The Gurumukh contemplates the Word of the Shabad.
Body and soul are totally rejuvenated through the Guru;
the Gurumukh affairs are resolved in his favor.
The blind self-willed manmukh acts blindly,
and earns only poison in this world.
Enticed by Maya, he suffers in constant pain,
without the most Beloved Guru.
He alone is a selfless servant,
who serves the True Guru,
and walks in harmony with the True Guru’s Will.
The True Shabad, the Word of God,
is the True Praise of God;
enshrine the True Lord within your mind.
The Gurumukh speaks the True Word of Gurbani,
and egotism departs from within.
He Himself is the Giver,
and True are His actions.
He proclaims the True Word of the Shabad.
The Gurumukh works, and the Gurumukh earns;
the Gurumukh inspires others to chant the Naam.
He is forever unattached,
imbued with the Love of the True Lord,
intuitively in harmony with the Guru.
The self-willed manmukh always tells lies;
he plants the seeds of poison,
and eats only poison.
He is bound and gagged by the Messenger of Death,
and burnt in the fire of desire;
who can save him, except the Guru?
True is that place of pilgrimage,
where one bathes in the pool of Truth,
and achieves self-realization as Gurumukh.
The Gurumukh understands his own self.
The Lord has shown that the Word of the Guru’s Shabad
is the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage;
bathing in it, filth is washed away.
True and Immaculate is the True Word of His Shabad;
no filth touches or clings to Him.
True Praise, True Devotional Praise,
is obtained from the Perfect Guru.
Body, mind, everything belongs to the Lord;
but the evil-minded ones cannot even say this.
If such is the Hukam of the Lord’s Command,
then one becomes pure and spotless,
and the ego is taken away from within.
I have intuitively tasted the Guru’s Teachings,
and the fire of my desire has been quenched.
Attuned to the Word of the Guru’s Shabad,
one is naturally intoxicated,
merging imperceptibly into the Lord.
The Name of the Lord is known as True,
through the Love of the Beloved Guru.
True Glorious Greatness is obtained from the Guru,
through the Beloved True Name.
The One True Lord is permeating and pervading among all;
how rare is the one who contemplates this.
The Lord Himself unites us in Union, and forgives us;
He embellishes us with true devotional worship.
All is Truth; Truth, and Truth alone is pervading;
how rare is the Gurumukh who knows this.
Birth and death occur by the Hukam of His Command;
the Gurumukh understands his own self.
He meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord,
and so pleases the True Guru.
He receives whatever rewards he desires.
O Nanak, one who eradicates self-conceit from within, has everything.”

---- Guru Nanak Dev; The Guru Granth Sahib.
****

Difference between Gurmukh & Manmukh. {180.}

Difference between Gurmukh & Manmukh. {180.}
****

“Everything comes from the Naam, the Name of the Lord;
without the True Guru, the Naam is not experienced.
The Word of the Guru’s Shabad is the sweetest and most sublime essence,
but without tasting it, its flavor cannot be experienced.
He wastes this human life in exchange for a mere shell;
he does not understand his own self.
But, if he becomes Gurmukh, then he comes to know the One Lord,
and the disease of egotism does not afflict him.
I am a sacrifice to my Guru,
who has lovingly attached me to the True Lord.
Concentrating on the Word of the Shabad,
the soul is illumined and enlightened.
I remain absorbed in celestial ecstasy.

The Gurmukh sings the Praises of the Lord;
the Gurmukh understands.
The Gurmukh contemplates the Word of the Shabad.
Body and soul are totally rejuvenated through the Guru;
the Gurmukh’s affairs are resolved in his favor.

The blind self-willed manmukh acts blindly, and earns only poison in this world.
Enticed by Maya, he suffers in constant pain, without the most Beloved Guru.
He alone is a selfless servant, who serves the True Guru,
and walks in harmony with the True Guru’s Will.

The True Shabad, the Word of God, is the True Praise of God;
enshrine the True Lord within your mind.
The Gurmukh speaks the True Word of Gurbani,
and egotism departs from within.
He Himself is the Giver, and true are His Actions.
He proclaims the True Word of the Shabad.

The Gurmukh works, and the Gurmukh earns;
the Gurmukh inspires others to chant the Naam.
He is forever unattached, imbued with the Love of the True Lord,
intuitively in harmony with the Guru.

The self-willed manmukh always tells lies;
he plants the seeds of poison, and eats only poison.
He is bound and gagged by the Messenger of Death,
and burnt in the fire of desire;
who can save him, except the Guru?

All is Truth; Truth, and Truth alone, is pervading;
how rare is the Gurmukh who knows this….
He receives whatever rewards he desires.

O Nanak, one who eradicates self-conceit from within, has everything.”

---- The Guru Granth Sahib.
****