The Bottom Line

-Gurpreet Anand (Preet)

We live in a world full of rules and regulations. Our lives revolve around such rules, set mostly, by people we do not know and who make decisions about our lives without our approval  -  decisions that affect our everyday lives hugely. We are very happy and content to just live our lives passively in the way society wishes, being dictated by other people.

However, if our beloved Satguru – the True Master – gives us advice about the way we should be living our lives, the majority of us find it very difficult to adhere to it. For a devotee the Master’s word is his law. Most of the time we continue as usual, pretending that we have not been informed about the Satguru’s wishes. We seem content with the fact that we can lie and put on a front.

That may be easy, but have we really become ignorant enough to believe that we can put on a front with the Satguru and get away with it? Satguru is everywhere and all knowing. There is no difference between the Satguru and Nirankar. The sooner we acknowledge this fact, the quicker our lives will become easier and more peaceful.

“Ikko ik eh khed hai ikde lamba choda lekha nahi;
Kahe Avtar guru hi rab hai, is vich koi pulekha nahi."

The Sampuran Avtar Bani clearly states that Satguru is God and that everything is occurring through him. We may be able to fool the world but we can never fool our Master! Let’s wake up from the slumber of ignorance and face reality: we can both adhere to the Satguru’s wishes and live a blissful life, or we can take the hard route and suffer. I can’t tell you how, but why take the risk? We have only ever felt the love of our Satguru; let’s not do something that shows us the other side!

Some people come up with the excuse that Baba Ji has not expressed his wishes in the form of rules and regulations. Well if that is the case, what would they deem the five principles to be? These are the foundation of a devotee’s life. For a true devotee these are the very principles, with which every breath is breathed. Just like the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God for the disciples, Baba Ji has given us five principles as guidelines to the way we should conduct our lives. Despite these principles, we continue to run in completely the opposite direction, disappointing our Satguru instead of giving him the opportunity to be proud.

Satguru teaches us to love one another but we end up arguing and fighting with each another. The very saints we should be praising and serving, we end up in conflict with. Standing in Satsang it is easy to make grand speeches about love, yet when it comes down to supporting our words with action, we fail miserably. We end up making a mockery of Sangat and make Satguru very unhappy. For the two or three weeks that Baba Ji comes to bless us we may act as if there is love between us, yet as soon as he leaves we return to normal, bickering and arguing with each other. We seem to think that Baba Ji has gone, but in reality we forget Baba Ji is ever-present.

We seem to believe that Baba Ji comes to the UK more than anywhere else in the world because we are special. On the contrary, Baba Ji gives us greater attention because we are all spoilt and need sorting out, just as a father pays particular attention to the naughty child.

Do you remember Baba Ji’s departure discourse on the 29^th December 2000? There was not a single issue that Baba Ji did not cover. Form Sewadal to prabandaks (Administrators), there were harsh reminders for all, including myself no doubt. In twenty years Baba Ji has not been as direct about his wishes as he was in those twenty odd minutes. Baba Ji said to respect those people who he has placed in positions of responsibility as he has seen a quality in them. He said that there was only one President of SNM UK and we should all remember that, just in case people got any ideas of making other groups and factions. He also sent out a warning to those people with responsibilities that He put them there and they were not to abuse that power and responsibility. Baba Ji said that we are all labeled with the term Mahapursh (great person) and we should attempt to act so accordingly. Despite this, we continue to violate his request to be as such.

The time has come when we must sort ourselves out and stop making a joke of the Mission and the Sangat. Baba Ji has clearly stated that anyone who disrespects his devotees, the Mission or the Sangat, is directly disrespecting him. If that does not send a shiver down your spine and does not make you feel that you have been severely slapped on the fact, then what will?!

If you have been given a responsibility, then carry it out to the best of your ability remembering that Baba Ji has given this Seva to you and that if you abuse it, he can easily take it away from you. If you have been given a duty then just go to Sangat, enjoy spiritual bliss, do selfless Seva and come home. If an issue does not concern you then just don’t concern yourself with it!

On the anniversary of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji’s sacrifice for mankind, I’d like to share an episode from my life, which I hope will illustrate my point ...

In June 1999, I sat with a mahapursh in his office discussing the greatness of Satguru, it was the day that changed my life and thinking forever. We sat discussing the western lifestyle and culture, including peoples’ love for alcohol and nightclubs. He then asked me whether or not I drank alcohol. I told him that I did. He literally begged me to stop drinking immediately because it was against the advice of His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji, he said. He explained to me that Baba Ji had been very explicit about his views on alcohol, and requested that his devotees should not drink alcohol. Moreover, it had stated that whoever drink alcohol would be drinking the blood of those who sacrificed themselves for the Mission, along with Baba Gurbachan Ji.

This final point was a slap in my face so hard that I literally felt sick to the stomach. I couldn’t believe that what I was doing was against the wishes of my beloved Satguru. From the day, even the look of alcohol or the smell of it made me physically sick as all I could see and smell was dissatisfaction and disgust from my Satguru. Even since that conversation, I have never touched alcohol again. I am thankful that Baba Ji has blessed me with the strength to overcome desire, and pray that He continues to give me the power.

[Baba Ji also says that we should not judge, or have any ill feeling towards anybody who does drink. This is a completely personal decision and one that is not imposed on the individual. The devotee, however, takes Satguru’s advice as living law and makes every effort to please the Master, and likewise, Satguru only wants the best for his children (discussed further later)]

Baba Ji blesses us in everything, but is it our duty to take a positive step in the right direction? Despite such harsh words, a large majority of people in the Mission continues to drink excessively. Some drink openly and others drink in private, pretending not to, so that others do not think badly of them. Again, I come to my earlier point. God knows our innermost secrets and feelings:

“Jananhar prabhu hai jehra jane sare gaba nu
Banda kime chupa sakda eh isto apane ebha nu"

God knows us inside out and that there is nothing that we can hide from him, including our faults. So why do we continue to play the ignorance card? When this topic is discussed, many people say that Baba Ji tells us not to judge others and that the five principles state that we should not discriminate against a person’s way of life, eating or drinking habits. That is indeed true:

"Khan peen hai tan di khatar rooh nal koi sanband nahi,"
(Eating and drinking is not for the soul, but merely for the purpose of the body, and not related to the soul)

“Desh kal te samay mutabiq Satguru jinven chalanda ey,
hukam ehda sir mathe dhar ke gursikh chalda janda ey"
(Befitting time and the current situation, the true disciple bows to whatever is the Master’s wish)

Whenever, the Master commands, it is in accordance to the current circumstances of the time environment. Satguru gives us advice for our own benefit and if we follow it we will no doubt enjoy peace in the long run, and less headache for Satguru in the future. The message is there for all, but the interpretation depends on our leaves of faith.

Lord Mohammad Ji ordered his disciples to stop drinking because he feels that it will do us more harm than good. We may have seen numerous examples of the with our family and friends.

If Baba Ji ordered us not to eat meat, I would stop immediately. I wonder how many others can because I have complete faith in my Lord that his order is for the betterment of my life. But if the government was to announce that we should stop eating meat because foot-and-mouth could not be controlled, I bet the majority of us would stop eating meat immediately. To return to may opening point: we are eager to listen to those people whome we do not know and have little or no relationship with in our lives, but happy to let Satguru’s request pass us by unnoticed.

Just like smokers need nicotine patches and will power to help them stop smoking, we need Sangat, will power and above all, Baba Ji’s blessings to rise above our weakening desires. We all have the Sangat and an abundance of Baba Ji’s blessings but all that is lacking is our own will power. Let us all pray to the Almighty Nirankar that he blesses us all to follow his wishes and make him happy, that he teaches us to love and respect one another as we love him, and to learn to tolerate and live together as good brothers and sisters.