Wednesday, November 7, 2007

“Diwali”… In SIKHS???

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH.

ON DIWALI DAY Programmes at the Gurdwara I have often heard Raagis singing this shabad from Bhai gurdass Ji di Vaar – “Diwali kee raat deeweh ballian.. Tareh jaat snaat amber bhalian...Phullan dee bagatt cun chun chalian.. Teerath jati Jaat naein nihalian... Har chaundharee jhaat vasai uchaleon..GURMUKH sukh faldaat SHABAD samalian”



The Raagis mistakenly just TAKE the FIRST LINE as a sort of Rahao....and sing it repeatedly as if this is an INJUNCTION TO CELEBRATE DIWALI by lighting Lamps... This is a MAJOR MISREPRESENTATION of the TRUE MEANINGS..


Bhai Gurdass Ji is saying: JUST like on Diwali Night people light lamps,..BUT the LIGHT of these Lamps has NO LONG LIFE ( short period),..the light is a short term DIKHAWA only,...The NIGHT SKY is full of Big and small stars....BUT ONLY till DAWN of Day... FLOWERS Bloom....but only until they are plucked by the gardners...they never keep joined to the plant for long...Pilgrims are seen going to the TEERATHS...BUT they DONT stay there...only short visits... The CASTLES formed by Clouds in the SKY are Visisble...but they dont have any substance or solid form... THROUGH the SHABAD of the GURBANI the GURMUKHS realise the "shortlived" time of this WORLD..and thus learns the value of this HUMAN BIRTH and its resultant union with Timeless WAHEGURU.



When we take the SHABAD in its ENTIREITY... we can see that the meaning of the First Line about Diwali is NOT AT ALL about lighting Diwas and Lamps to "celebrate diwali"...IT is just an ALANGKAAR - metaphor to show us how SHORTLIVED such lamps and their lighting is.



TRULY SPEAKING, CELEBRATING DIWALI WITH THE SENCE OF ITS UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCE THAT “RAAM CHANDAR JI RETURNED BACK TO AYODHAYA” IS TRULY NOT WHAT A SIKH SHOULD AIM FOR.

So, what is the purpose of celebrating diwali for Sikhs ???


Here it is …


Bandi Chhorh Diwas (Diwali) of 1737


It was on this, diwali day when Guru hargobind saheb ji & and 52 Hindu Kings were released from the imprisonment by Moghul Emperor Jahangir. We celebrate the happiness of our guru ji’s release.

Sacrifice of Bhai Mani Singh on the Occasion of Diwali:


Bhai Mani Singh transcribed the final version of Guru Granth Sahib upon dictation from Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1704 at Damdamma Sahib. After heavenly abode of Guru Sahib in 1708, he took charge of Harmandir Sahib's management. In 1737, invitations were sent to the Sikhs all over India to join Bandi Chhorh Diwas celebrations at Harmandir Sahib. A tax of 5000 Rs. had to be paid to the Mogul governor of Punjab, Zakariya Khan. Bhai Mani Singh Ji later discovered the secret plan of Zakariya Khan to kill the Sikhs during the gathering. Bhai Mani Singh Ji immediately sent message to all the Sikhs not to turn up for celebrations. Zakariya Khan was not happy about the situation and he ordered Bhai Mani Singh's assassination at Lahore by ruthlessly cutting him limb-by-limb to death. Ever since, the great sacrifice & devotion of Bhai Mani Singh Ji is remembered on the Bandi Chhorh Diwas (Diwali) celebration.

Main significance of diwali for all Sikhs:

Purpose of the Celebrations is to remember Guru Ji and pray for one's own release from the imprisonment like 52 rajas. One might think that he/she is not in prison and is free to do whatever.

This is not true. Most people are constantly being forced into the PRISON of pride, rat race, show off, peer pressure and one may go to the extent of turning morals against what Gurus have laid down (smoking, using intoxicants, adultery, removing hair and so on .....). Most of us are prisoners of the culture & society.

Objective of the celebration is to pray for our liberation from the worldly bonds and act upon Guru's path of truthfulness to avail human life time (i.e. to be one with Waheguru / Lord). Rather than lighting a deeva of clay, oil & wick, one should light the mind with the divine knowledge contained in Gurbani.

Therefore, lighting a deeva in true sense is acquiring Divine knowledge & virtues (being kind, humble, meek, tolerant, selfless, sweet spoken .....) that leads one to become one with Waheguru / God.

|| deevaa mayraa ayk naam dukh vich paa-i-aa tayl. un chaanan oh sokhi-aa chookaa jam si-o mayl. ||

Lord's One Name (divine devotion) is my lamp (to be lighted in the mind); I have put the oil of suffering (ego, jealousy, anger, lust, greed) into it. Its flame has dried up this oil, and I have escaped meeting with the Messenger of Death i.e. attained union with the almighty.

We have pulled and shoved diwali into a "SIKH FESTIVAL" by claiming it is in honour of Bandi chhor Diwas of Guru Hargobind. I find it hard to believe we all would FORGET the torture and horrible martyrdom of GURU ARJUN just a short while ago and start celebrating with deepmala and fireworks the return from exile of Guru Hargobind ji. There is no record of any deepmala and fireworks in a continuous period after guru Hargobind Ji... the other FOUR GURUS NEVER even Visited Amrtisar. Bhai mani Singh was martyred by cutting limb from limb for failing to call a meeting of sikhs on Diwali... hardly a reason for Sikhs to "celebrate" with fireworks and deepmala. So you see the problem here? We enjoy without knowing why we are enjoying; Its like driving on a road without having even a tiniest bit of idea where we are destined to go.



ITS NOT JUST THE CELEBRATION WE DO FOR DIWALI, IT’S THE INTENTION WITH WHICH WE SHOULD DO IT. AND IDEALLY SPEAKING, THAT SHOULD BE …

|| pothee puraan kamaa-ee-ai. bha-o vatee it tan paa-ee-ai.||

Let the reading of your prayer book be the oil, and let the Fear of God be the wick for the lamp of this body.


|| sach boojhan aan jalaa-ee-ai. ||

Light this lamp with the understanding of Truth.


|| ih tayl deevaa i-o jalai. ||

Use this oil to light this lamp.


|| kar chaanan saahib ta-o milai. ||1|| rahaa-o.||

Light it, and meet your Lord and Master.


I have observed people having the notion that you burn more or bigger lamps, then it will bring more prosperity & good will to you. But, here is what gurbani says :


|| anDhaa chaanan rakhee-ai deevay baleh pachaas. ||

You may place a light before a blind man (Blind of spiritual knowledge) and burn fifty lamps, but how will he see?


Take your body as the burning diya & see what gurbani says:

|| jab lag tayl deevay mukh baatee tab soojhai sabh ko-ee.||

As long as the oil and the wick are in the lamp, everything is illuminated.


|| tayl jalay baatee thehraanee soonnaa mandar ho-ee.||

But when the oil is burnt, the wick goes out, and the mansion becomes desolate.


|| ray ba-uray tuhi gharee na raakhai ko-ee.||

O mad-man, no one will keep you, for even a moment.


|| tooN raam naam jap so-ee.||

Meditate on the Name of that Lord.


Also, gurbani says that:


|| deepak baaNDh Dhari-o bin tayl.||

God has placed His lamp deep within you, which burns without any oil.


Do you still need to light a lamp to celebrate ???


So lets celebrate this diwali with the pure intention of the almighty granting us freedom from our vices by burning the lamp of his love forever in our hearts & may we all merge with him.

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ke fateh

2 comments:

PK LAMBA said...

Wonderfully expressed.

May waheguru bless you.

Why donot you email me too whenever new blog is added.

It is quite elevating to ponder over your blogs.

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