First and Last Questions in Guru Granth Sahib
By Harsimrat Kaur Khalsa
President
Guru Granth Parchar Mission of USA, Inc.
510-432-5827
What is a question? Why do people ask questions? The purpose for asking a question is to receive information. There are many ways to request something. Some ways are polite; others are forceful and imposing. Answers are obtained according the method of asking or desiring. People who do not work hard to get their answers may not receive all the information they hope for. Some questions and answers are short and others are very detailed. People ask questions because they do not know what will be the responses. Some questions are sincere while others are meant to intimidate or ridicule. A question is a verbal method of requesting information. An answer is the information presented to the seeker. Not every question is appropriate to ask, and not every answer satisfies the asker. Many do not know how to ask, and yet many do not know how to answer. Some act like they know, and others act like they are ignorant.
Akal Purekh never intended to create us to be ignorant about Him or about life. He included His entire glorious Self to house our entities. Our home in Him is infinite and big enough to accommodate everyone. He also has chosen to house Himself in us. The Infinite housing the finite and the finite housing the Infinite – what a great mystery.
ਤੋਹੀ ਮੋਹੀ ਮੋਹੀ ਤੋਹੀ ਅੰਤਰੁ ਕੈਸਾ।। (੯੩, ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ, ਰਵਿਦਾਸ) “You are me, and I am You-what is the difference between us?” When we conquer our 5 vices with Guru Shabad grace, then we realize that we are and have nothing without God. Instead of boasting of our qualities, we magnify the beauteous Lord that allows us to function. We begin to see in ourselves and in others the light of God. Our soul and life are sacred because of the Soul of souls. Outside of Him nothing can exist.
ਸਹਸ ਸਿਆਣਪਾ ਲਖ ਹੋਹਿ ਤ ਇੱਕ ਨ ਚਲੈ ਨਾਲਿ।।
“Hundreds of thousands of clever tricks, but not even one of them will go along with you in the end.” There is only one way that leads to true success and infinite ways that don’t. ਹੁਕਮੈ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਹੁਕਮ ਨ ਕੋਇ।। (੧, ਜਪੁ, ਮਹਲਾ ੧) “Everyone is subject to His Command; no one is beyond His Command.” ਹੁਕਮੀ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਚਲਾਏ ਰਾਹੁ।। (੨, ਜਪੁ, ਮਹਲਾ ੧) “The Commander, by His Command, leads us to walk on the Path.” God shows us through natural laws of the universe how we can proactively live a productive and fulfilling life. This is the simplest way, yet we tend to find short cuts that feed our ego and make life more difficult to live.
There are billions of people, billions of ideas, billions of questions and answers. How many of them actually lead us to fulfill our lives and destiny? The first and last question in the Guru Granth Sahib are introductory to teach us what to ask in life, how to get it, and the consequences when Guru Ji’s wisdom is ignored.
ਕਿਵ ਸਚਿਆਰਾ ਹੋਈਐ ਕਿਵ ਕੂੜੈ ਤੁਟੈ ਪਾਲਿ।।
“So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be torn away?”
This is the first question Guru Ji asks, and this is the main focus of the message of Guru Nanak and the entire Guru Granth Sahib. People waste too much effort for information and go through extreme sacrifices, looking in the wrong directions for it. Why are we created in this world? Rather than pondering why we are here, we are better off seeking for the solution how to be happy, healthy, and successful. Our 5 vices lead us to blindness of the truth. Guru Gian exposes where we lack vision and how to improve it. We become enlightened and then begin to live truthful.
ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ।। ੧।। (੧, ਜਪੁ, ਮਹਲਾ ੧)
“O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will. ||1||”
This is the answer to the first question Guru Ji asks. Nature does not discriminate between the wise and the fool or the good and the bad person. What matters is what one does, how he does it, and when he does it. The outcome should result in a blessing benefit from life for one’s self and for others. All of nature is designed for us to benefit. Before we learn how to become truthful in the truthful creation, we must first acknowledge that we do not know. Then we should sincerely seek and commit ourselves to act upon the true answer. Merely acknowledging the answer as truth is not sufficient. We must act upon it as well.
Many Sikhs bow to Guru Granth Sahib, an outward gesture of appreciation. The meaning of bowing represents a higher understanding of life than what we can fully comprehend. Without access to this information, we would be lost. Guru Ji compiled all of the banis in Guru Granth Sahib for us to study, like a manual for successful living. How unfortunate that most of us only bow in reverence, chant “Waheguru,” and recite ritualistically. Guru Ji’s purpose of Guru Granth Sahib is to teach us the secrets of life. If we chose not to study what Guru Ji teaches us, how can we call him our Guru? How there be a guru if he has no students. Nobody teaches an empty classroom. The classroom can be full, but how many are genuine students? How can a gurdwara sahib be so full of people, yet rare is there anyone truly taking time to study Guru Granth Sahib? How can we say Guru Ji’s wisdom is so wonderful, yet we continue to hate each other, be so greedy, and seek to hurt other for self glory, power, and money?
ਕਰਣੋ ਹੁਤੋ ਸੁ ਨਾ ਕੀਓ ਪਰਿਓ ਲੋਭ ਕੈ ਫੰਧ।।
“You have not done what you should have done; you are entangled in the web of greed.”
What we should be doing on a regular basis is find some time to absorb what Guru Granth Sahib is teaching us, according to our capacity of learning and time allowed outside of our jobs and other obligations. Study of Gurbani is not beneficial by quantity, but by quality study. We can pace ourselves in study and in action. Our lives may not transform overnight. It takes getting use to living truthful. We all have different backgrounds. Feeding the greed will only make one greedier. We need to feed ourselves with Guru Shabad wisdom so that we can subdue greed.
ਨਾਨਕ ਸਮਿਓ ਰਮਿ ਗਇਓ ਅਬ ਕਿਉ ਰੋਵਤ ਅੰਧ।। ੩੬।। (੧੪੨੮, ਸਲੋਕ, ਮਹਲਾ ੯)
“Nanak, your time is past and gone; why are you crying now, you blind fool? ||36||”
This is Guru Ji’s last question in Guru Granth Sahib. How much time do we have to accomplish what we should be doing? As long as we have breath in us, there is time left to do this. We cause ourselves to cry, not circumstances. We chose to attach too much to things that come and go. Only God and His hukam are unchanging. If we chose to invest everything we have into something that lasts only for a short while, we cry when that very thing disappears. Guru Ji is asking us to invest a little of our time, our minds, and body in His rich wisdom. Guru Granth Sahib is God’s love letter to us that promises a blissful infinite future with Him. It does not come from bribing or rituals, but from God’s heart accepted into ours. We are given a free choice to become wise or foolish. He desires all of us to taste his Amrit Bani. He is ready to wipe our tears and help us start over again and again and again as long as we have breath in us.
The past is gone, but it is never too late for us to re-illustrate our world colored with God’s love and Guru Ji’s wisdom. We will never get anything by crying foolishly. We must be brave and ready to face our weaknesses and be willing to look outside the box of what we are accustomed to. Don’t be afraid to delve into Gurbani. It is not a religious book, but the Guru of spirituality to guide us to success, health, and happiness. It is the revealed key to the hidden treasure placed by God Himself inside of us. If we ignore the key at our last breath, what right would we have to cry over our loss? If we do not use the key of Guru Shabad, we will remain blind and foolish. When we learn Guru’s wisdom, then we start to dispose of our negativism (ways that are contrary to Gurmat), and then we fill our minds with positive things and begin to blossom and bear fruit, then duplicate. The is the best blessing for humanity, not just to save the human race, but to save our dignity from God engraved in us at creation. What a waste if we remove that royal prize from Him.
