BOOK SIX Guru Mantra
The Master's Word In The Sikh Scriptures we
often come across terms like Gurbni, Bani, Shabd or Naam, all of which are
synonyms. The Masters of the Highest
Order are always concerned with Naam or Shabd, and they initiate seekers after
Truth into Its significance, for it puts themon the Path Godward. Christ calls It Word or Logos, Holy Spirit
or the Comforter through which we rediscover God in man and attain salvation. Listen ye, O friend! The
devotee of the Lord Has given me the Word
"Truth" as Guru-Mantra. *1 The Master has given me the
Mantra of Hari Naam, With this boon all my
desires are fulfilled. *2 GURU
ARJAN This Mantra of the Guru one
may get by great good fortune. The Word of the Master
becomes manifest, O Nanak! if it is so
ordained by God. *3 GURU
ARJAN This Word or Naam is
characterized by Light and Sound. In fact, through the grace of the Master, It
manifests itself in each individual in the form of Heaven's Light, the
Shadowless Light, Light that never ison sea or land, self-luminous and radiant
Light that shines in darkness, Light that is more lustrous than that of
thousands of suns put together. It is
Heaven's Sovereign Light. In utter darkness, the
Master's Word (Guru-Mantra) shines forth into Light, In the company of the
Master, all are rescued and save. *4 I am the Light of the World;
he that followeth Me, shall not walk in darnkess, but shall have the Light of
Life. *5 CHRIST That ye should shew forth
the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light. *6 The seat of Naam or Word is
in the deepest recesses of the human soul. The precious crest jewel of
Naam (the Word of God) is implanted by the devotee of the Lord in the heart of
man. *7 GURU RAM DAS Know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Chost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye
are not your own. *8 ST.
PAUL The manifestation of Naam or
Word is possible only through the grace of the living Master, for It is simply
his gift and comes from him; I cannot be earned. The Master has given me the
perfect Word or Mantra. *9 GURU
ARJAN By grace are ye saved
through faith and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God. *10 ST.
PAUL We are all as unclean
things, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. *11 ISAIAH For the grace of God
bringeth salvation. *12 Neither is their salvation
in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we shall be saved. *13 ST. PETER It is not possible
todescribe in words the greatness of the Master's Word (Guru-Mantra) or the
Holy Spirit. It affords a key to the
Kingdom of God. From man-manking, It
gradually leads to becoming God. Man
regains the Lost Paradise. As he comes
to his own, he understands the true values of life, the essential unity of his
own soul with the Oversoul (pervading everywhere and permeating in all) and
culminating in the union of the two. He
is now no longer a separate entity but a conscious co-worker in the Divine
Plan, sharing in His glory and greatness. He is a man of all virtues
and honored among all, To whomsoever the Master
gives the Mantra of the Word. *14 GURU
ARJAN Jesus Christ describes the
work of the Holy Spirit in this way: …I will send him (the
Comforter) unto you. And when he is
come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:…when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all
truth…*15 The Word of the Master is
purely a gift of the Mastr. It can
neither be earned nor learned. It comes
whenit comes and works by grace alone.
Spiritual insight can neight be taught nor bought, but it may be caught
like an infection from one infected with it.
As light comes from light, so does life from Life; and truly blessed is
one who gets it God can be worshiped in the company of a Sadh (disciplined soul
or Saint), The Guru just gives the
Mantra of the Word which he makes manifest.
GURU
ARJAN Guru-Mantra has a great and
powerful saving grace in It. At death
It comes forth in the Radiant Form of the Master to lead the spirit back to the
mansion of the Lord, and the spirit thus escorted passes unhindered from plane
to plane and is honorably received everywhere.
In life's sojourn on this earth also, one passes his day far above the
turmoil of life. Take ye the lesson in the
Word (Mantra) from a Master and practice the same, Those who love the Lord are
ultimately saved at the time of death, O Nanak! Those who practice
the Word (Mantra) of the Master, day and night, They shall certainly be
saved. *17 GURU RAM DAS With
the Word of the Master (Guru-Mantra) in the heart, one becomes fearless and can
have no sorrow of affliction, None
without the aid of a Master has even been able to cross over the stormy sea of
life with all his wits about him. *18 GURU
ARJAN Whosoever
receives the Word of the Lord (Hari Mantra) from a master, He escapes unscathed from
the hell-fires of the world. *19 GURU ARJAN Four things remain eternally
true: Naam, Sadhu, Guru and Gobind; Nanak says: a rare soul in
this world practices the Word or the Master (Guru-Mantra). *20 GURU
TAG BAHADUR What is the life of one
without contact with the Word, Nothing better than that of
a dog or a swine, an ass or a snake.
*21 GURU
ARJAN |