A katha on conquering the mind by rising beyond doubt, Maya, the five vices, desire, pain and pleasure, and sin and virtue. Through Gurbani, it shows how...
What does it mean to conquer the mind? It means to conquer doubt ( dubda ).
What does it mean to conquer the mind? It means to rise above and conquer the three qualities of Maya: Tamogun (darkness/inertia), Rajogun (passion/activity), and Satogun (goodness/purity).
What does it mean to conquer the mind? It means to conquer the five vices ( Lust , Anger , Greed , Attachment , and Ego ).
What does it mean to conquer the mind? It means to conquer the entire sum collective of all desires and expectations ( khwaishat ).
It means to conquer pain ( dukh ) and pleasure ( sukh ).
It means to transcend both sin ( paap ) and virtue ( punn ).
It means to transcend both pleasure and pain .
Someone, due to their suffering , is unable to recite Japji Sahib ; the poor soul is distressed ( dukhi ), restless ( bechain ), troubled ( pareshan ), and helpless ( majboor ). They couldn’t come to the Gurdwara, they couldn't engage in meditation or spiritual discipline—they are deeply unsettled by their pain.
But someone else, due to their comforts ( sukh ), has become so deeply comfortable ( sukhiyara ), lazy ( aalsi ), arrogant ( hankaari ), and hedonistic ( ayaash ) this person doesn't chant ( jap ) either.
One is held back by suffering ; the other is held back by comfort .
So Bhagat Kabir Ji says, “I cannot conquer this; I cannot conquer the mind.”
A person who has lived in slavery for a long time eventually accepts it. They even forget that they are enslaved. Living in slavery simply becomes their way of life.
This is what I was humbly submitting before you earlier.
In that historical book, I read about prisoners who had been given life sentences—they were revolutionary ( krantikari ) leaders ( neta ).
The ruler of that time had arrested them and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
Some had spent ten years inside, some fifteen, some twenty years. They were all locked inside.
Some had been arrested in their youth and had grown old there. Some had been arrested in the absolute prime of their youth and had become weakened by old age ( zaeef ).
When the revolution succeeded, the dictatorial ( shakhsi ) rule ( hukumat ) came to an end, and the government came into the hands of the revolutionaries. The first thing they did was this: " These prisoners are our leaders. They are the ones who began the movement ( tehreek ). Let us set them free. "
So they went to the jail, opened the doors, and brought them out.
I was astonished when I read in that historical book that eighty percent of those prisoners came back to the prison by evening. They said, " Where should we go? We have even forgotten our homes. We have forgotten our relatives. Here, at least, we received two meals a day. We would sleep in peace. Today we have wandered hungry all day. Where should we go? Where should we go? "
Only one or two didn't come back to the prison, those whose relatives somehow recognized them.
Thirty, forty years had passed. They had grown old.
And they began to say, " Now, without handcuffs ( hathkhadiyan ), even our hands do not feel right. Without shackles ( bediyan ), our feet feel unnatural. " For thirty years they had lived in shackles and handcuffs. It had become a habit ( aadat ). It had become a habit.
The handcuffs had become their adornment ( shingaar ). the shackles had become their jewelry ( gehna ).
Now, when the prison itself becomes a home, and handcuffs become ornaments—who can liberate such a person?
All the Avatari Purash proclaim at the top of their voices: " Meditate on the Lord's Name! You will attain liberation ( moksh ) , you will find true freedom ( swatantrata ) , and the slavery ( ghulami ) of the mind ( mann ) will be destroyed. "
This slavery that people are living in.
We have become accustomed to living in slavery.
We have become accustomed to living in Vices ( Agun ).
We have become accustomed to a life of Lust and Desires ( Vaashna ). We have become accustomed to a life of Anger ( Krodh ). We have become accustomed to a life of Greed ( Lobh ). We have become accustomed to living in Dishonesty and wrongdoing ( Chori-yaari ).
Now that it has become a habit, who actually wants to be free? Nobody does.
And so, the spiritual discourses ( katha ) and devotional singing of Gurbani ( kirtan ) continue. The recitations of Bani continue. The recitations of the Quran and Namaz continue. Worship and ritual recitations continue.
But the human being ( manukh ) hears it with one ear and lets it go out through the other.
Just as eighty percent of those prisoners returned to the prison by evening, in these places of worship no matter how much we listen to talk about liberation—yet among millions, only a rare one out of millions becomes liberated. One in millions.
ਕੋਟਨ ਮੈ ਨਾਨਕ ਕੋਊ ਨਾਰਾਇਨੁ ਜਿਹ ਚੀਤਿ ॥੨੪॥ koTan mai naanak kouoo naarain jeh cheet ||24|| Among millions, O Nanak, there is scarcely anyone, who keeps the Lord in his consciousness. ||24|| ::endgurbani
Why? Because the human being tolerates ( bardaasht ) and accepts ( kabool ) the slavery of the mind. The thought of becoming free does not even arise within them. The human mind tolerates this captivity simply because it fails to realize it is enslaved. After all, if someone is completely unaware that they are imprisoned, the thought of seeking freedom can never even cross their mind.
How powerful ( parbal ) is this mind is? Dhan Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji Maharaj says: ਮਾਈ ਮਨੁ ਮੇਰੋ ਬਸਿ ਨਾਹਿ ॥ maiee man mero bas naeh || O my mother, the mind is not under my control. ਨਿਸ ਬਾਸੁਰ ਬਿਖਿਅਨ ਕਉ ਧਾਵਤ ਕਿਹਿ ਬਿਧਿ ਰੋਕਉ ਤਾਹਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ nis baasur bikhian kau dhaavat keh bidh rokau taeh ||1|| rahaau || Night and day, it runs after sin and corruption. How can I restrain it? ||1||Pause|| ::endgurbani ਬਿਰਥਾ ਕਹਉ ਕਉਨ ਸਿਉ ਮਨ ਕੀ ॥ birathaa kahau kaun siau man kee || Who should I tell the...
"Whom do I tell the sorry state of the mind? " —Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
ਬਿਰਥਾ ਕਹਉ ਕਉਨ ਸਿਉ ਮਨ ਕੀ ॥ birathaa kahau kaun siau man kee || Who should I tell the condition of the mind? ਲੋਭਿ ਗ੍ਰਸਿਓ ਦਸ ਹੂ ਦਿਸ ਧਾਵਤ ਆਸਾ ਲਾਗਿਓ ਧਨ ਕੀ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ lobh grasio dhas hoo dhis dhaavat aasaa laagio dhan kee ||1|| rahaau || Engrossed in greed, running around in the ten directions, you hold to your hopes of wealth. ||1||Pause|| ਸੁਖ ਕੈ ਹੇਤਿ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਦੁਖੁ ਪਾਵਤ ਸੇਵ ਕਰਤ ਜਨ ਜਨ ਕੀ ॥ sukh kai het bahut dhukh paavat sev karat jan jan kee || For the sake of transitory pleasure, one goes through a...
This human life was bestowed upon you for a supreme purpose—to attain liberation. Instead, you have ruined it in the slavery of the mind, wasting it away for absolutely nothing.
ਮਾਨਸ ਜਨਮ ਅਕਾਰਥ ਖੋਵਤ ਲਾਜ ਨ ਲੋਕ ਹਸਨ ਕੀ ॥ maanas janam akaarath khovat laaj na lok hasan kee || You lose this human life in vain, and You are not even ashamed when others laugh at you. ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਜਸੁ ਕਿਉ ਨਹੀ ਗਾਵਤ ਕੁਮਤਿ ਬਿਨਾਸੈ ਤਨ ਕੀ ॥੨॥੧॥੨੩੩॥ naanak har jas kiau nahee gaavat kumat binaasai tan kee ||2||1||233|| O Nanak, why don't you sing the Lord's Praises, so that evil tendency of the body is banished.||2||1||233|| ::endgurbani
Then Guru Arjan Dev Ji says: ਮਨ ਖੁਟਹਰ ਤੇਰਾ ਨਹੀ ਬਿਸਾਸੁ ਤੂ ਮਹਾ ਉਦਮਾਦਾ ॥ man khuTahar teraa nahee bisaas too mahaa udhamaadhaa || O vicious mind, no faith can be placed in you; you are totally intoxicated. ::endgurbani
O mind, I cannot trust you. You are greedy . Even while performing a virtue , you commit sin . Even while giving charity ( daan ), you steal ( chori ); you act dishonestly ( beyimaani ) .
Your charity is stained with theft . Your virtue is stained with sin . Your satsang is filled with corrupt company ( kusangat ). Your compassion (daya) is wrapped in hardness ( kathorta ). Kusangat means corrupt or negative company. It does not only refer to the people around us; it can also refer to the company of our own thoughts. Even if we sit in satsang, if the mind remains absorbed in greed, ego, jealousy, anger, or worldly desires, then kusangat is still continuing within us.
This is a reality ( haqeeqat )— a deep and profound truth ( sachaayi ).
That is why Guru Arjan Dev Ji says: ਮਨ ਖੁਟਹਰ ਤੇਰਾ ਨਹੀ ਬਿਸਾਸੁ ਤੂ ਮਹਾ ਉਦਮਾਦਾ ॥ man khuTahar teraa nahee bisaas too mahaa udhamaadhaa || O vicious mind, no faith can be placed in you; you are totally intoxicated. ਖਰ ਕਾ ਪੈਖਰੁ ਤਉ ਛੁਟੈ ਜਉ ਊਪਰਿ ਲਾਦਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ khar kaa paikhar tau chhuTai jau uoopar laadhaa ||1|| rahaau || The donkey's leg rope is only released after the load is placed on his back. ||1||Pause|| ::endgurbani Guru Sahib compares the mind to a donkey: its rope is only loosened when a...
Guru Nanak Dev Ji says: ਮਨ ਕਮੀਨ ਕਮਤਰੀਨ ਤੂ ਦਰੀਆਉ ਖੁਦਾਇਆ ॥ man kameen kamatareen too dhareeaau khudhaiaa || I am lowly, the lowest of the low; You, O God, are the great river. ::endgurbani
In the Persian language, the word Kameen carries the weight of an insult.
" He is a kameen person" — they do not even possess basic moral dignity. Forgive the strong language, but kameen refers to someone base, low, or morally degraded — and is used as a harsh insult similar to “low-life” or “scum.”
" Man kameen, kamtareen ” — even to explain the meaning of these words makes one’s tongue tremble.
ਮਨ ਕਮੀਨ ਕਮਤਰੀਨ ਤੂ ਦਰੀਆਉ ਖੁਦਾਇਆ ॥ man kameen kamatareen too dhareeaau khudhaiaa || I am lowly, the lowest of the low; You, O God, are the great river. ::endgurbani
And in relation to the mind, there are hundreds ( sainkde ) of such powerful verses within Dhan Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj .
Growing utterly exhausted, even Bhagat Kabir Ji says, “I could not fight with the mind.”
Turning to the sangat, Giani Sant Singh Maskeen Ji says, “You have already heard the essence of this entire reflection in the earlier lines. Let me repeat them.” ਕਿਉ ਲੀਜੈ ਗਢੁ ਬੰਕਾ ਭਾਈ ॥ kiau leejai gadd ba(n)kaa bhaiee || How can the beautiful fortress be conquered, O Siblings of Destiny? ਦੋਵਰ ਕੋਟ ਅਰੁ ਤੇਵਰ ਖਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ dhovar koT ar tevar khaiee ||1|| rahaau || It has double walls and triple moats. ||1||Pause|| ਪਾਂਚ ਪਚੀਸ ਮੋਹ ਮਦ ਮਤਸਰ ਆਡੀ ਪਰਬਲ ਮਾਇਆ ॥ paa(n)ch pachees moh madh matasar aaddee...
"O Raghuraiaa, O Prabhu, I am poor and helpless. I have no power over the mind. I cannot conquer it."
ਕਾਮੁ ਕਿਵਾਰੀ ਦੁਖੁ ਸੁਖੁ ਦਰਵਾਨੀ ਪਾਪੁ ਪੁੰਨੁ ਦਰਵਾਜਾ ॥ kaam kivaaree dhukh sukh dharavaanee paap pu(n)n dharavaajaa || Desire is the concierge/warden, pain and pleasure are the gatekeepers, virtue and sin are the gates. ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨੁ ਮਹਾ ਬਡ ਦੁੰਦਰ ਤਹ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਵਾਸੀ ਰਾਜਾ ॥੨॥ karodh pradhaan mahaa badd dhu(n)dhar teh man maavaasee raajaa ||2|| Anger is the great supreme commander, full of argument and strife, and the mind is the Rebel King there. ||2|| ::endgurbani
The fortress in which this mind lives has double walls ( kot ). On all four sides is the moat ( khaiee ) of the Three Gunas ( Tamogun , Rajogun , Satogun ). This fortress has two gates: Sin and Virtue . Sometimes the mind commits sin ; sometimes it performs virtue .
At the gates of Sin and Virtue stand the two gatekeepers: Pain and Pleasure .
Pain stands guard at the gate of Sin ; Every Sin inevitably leads to Pain .
There is no Sin in existence that can produce genuine Peace. There is no true Virtue that leads to Misery .
Sin and virtue are the seeds of pain and pleasure —you can look at it like that.
So, sin and virtue are the gates of this fortress of the mind-king.
There are two gates, and at those two gates stand two guards, two watchmen. Who are they? “Dukh sukh dharavaanee” — pain and pleasure .
Neither pain allows Asa Di Vaar to enter within, nor does pleasure . Neither pain allows Sukhmani Sahib to enter within, nor does pleasure . Neither pain nor pleasure allows the repetition of “ Waheguru, Waheguru ” to enter within. It never reaches the mind itself.
If it were to reach the mind, the mind would come to an end. Then the human being would rule ( raaj ). The human being would become their own master ( maalik ). But the human being is not their own master; they remain completely enslaved to the mind.
ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨੁ ਮਹਾ ਬਡ ਦੁੰਦਰ ਤਹ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਵਾਸੀ ਰਾਜਾ ॥੨॥ karodh pradhaan mahaa badd dhu(n)dhar teh man maavaasee raajaa ||2|| Anger is the great supreme commander, full of argument and strife, and the mind is the rebel king there. ||2|| ::endgurbani
The prime minister of this mind-king is Anger . It is very powerful ( shaktishali ) — immensely powerful.
How powerful is it? The great scholar Pandit Gulab Singh Ji has written vividly from the perspective of Anger itself. Anger boasts: "What am I capable of? I turn those with perfect vision completely blind, and I leave those endowed with wisdom and hearing utterly deaf. "
Makes even those who can see become blind!
In a fit of anger, does a person still see clearly? “This is my mother, this is my father, this is my wife, these are my children, or this is my husband”? When anger rises, nothing is seen. The human being becomes demonic ( shaitan ). They become completely blind. And in this blindness of anger, a person can commit horrific atrocities.
ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨੁ ਮਹਾ ਬਡ ਦੁੰਦਰ ਤਹ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਵਾਸੀ ਰਾਜਾ ॥੨॥ karodh pradhaan mahaa badd dhu(n)dhar teh man maavaasee raajaa ||2|| Anger is the great supreme commander, full of argument and strife, and the mind is the rebel king there. ||2|| ::endgurbani Inside this fortress sits the intoxicated king. Who is it? The mind. The dominion belongs entirely to the mind.
Outwardly, a person may appear to be entirely free, but inwardly they are enslaved — completely enslaved to their mind.
As long as a person is inwardly enslaved, outward freedom is worth only pennies; it amounts to absolutely nothing. This too, I submit to you.
On the other hand, someone who attained true inner freedom—the state of absolute spiritual liberation—no power on earth can ever enslave them again. This too, I submit to you.
As Guru Nanak Dev Ji declares in Japji Sahib: ਆਈ ਪੰਥੀ ਸਗਲ ਜਮਾਤੀ ਮਨਿ ਜੀਤੈ ਜਗੁ ਜੀਤੁ ॥ aaiee pa(n)thee sagal jamaatee man jeetai jag jeet || See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world. ::endgurbani
ਸ੍ਵਾਦ ਸਨਾਹ ਟੋਪੁ ਮਮਤਾ ਕੋ ਕੁਬੁਧਿ ਕਮਾਨ ਚਢਾਈ ॥ savaiaadh sanaeh Top mamataa ko kubudh kamaan chaddaiee || Their armor is the pleasure of tastes and flavors, their helmets are worldly attachments; they take aim with their bows of corrupt intellect. ਤਿਸਨਾ ਤੀਰ ਰਹੇ ਘਟ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਇਉ ਗਢੁ ਲੀਓ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥੩॥ tisanaa teer rahe ghaT bheetar iau gadd leeo na jaiee ||3|| The greed that fills their hearts is the arrow; with these things, their fortress is impregnable. ||3|| ::endgurbani
" I cannot conquer this fortress ”—up to here, you have already heard the explanation.
So, to conquer the mind means to conquer craving ( trishna ). It means to conquer wrong-mindedness ( kumati ).
To conquer the mind means to conquer anger .
To conquer the mind means to conquer pain and pleasure ; to conquer sin and virtue ; to conquer desires and passions .
To conquer the mind means to conquer doubt . It means to conquer Rajogun , Tamogun and Satogun .
Therefore, to conquer this entire army ( samuh ) is not an easy game; it is extremely difficult.
Bhagat Kabir Ji says: “When I saw the mind’s vast army ( lau-lashkar ) and its far-reaching ( pashara ) influence, I realized that the battle is with the mind itself. This slavery is not desirable.”
Through satsang , gradually, the human being first begins to feel ( mehsoos ) this slavery.
The one who does not even feel that they are enslaved — why would they ever break their handcuffs? To them, the handcuffs are precious ornaments.
ਲਬੁ ਅਧੇਰਾ ਬੰਦੀਖਾਨਾ ਅਉਗਣ ਪੈਰਿ ਲੁਹਾਰੀ ॥੩॥ lab adheraa ba(n)dheekhaanaa aaugan pair luhaaree ||3|| Greed is the dark prison cell, and vices are the shackles on his feet. ::endgurbani What are vices? Guru Nanak Dev Ji says: "they are the shackles placed upon the feet." They are the handcuffs upon the hands.
ਨਾਨਕ ਅਉਗੁਣ ਜੇਤੜੇ ਤੇਤੇ ਗਲੀ ਜੰਜੀਰ ॥ naanak aaugun jetaRe tete galee ja(n)jeer || Says Nanak: As many as are the sins one commits, so many are the chains around his neck. ::endgurbani Vices are chains around the neck.
But if a person begins to think of these chains around the neck, these handcuffs upon the hands, and these shackles on the feet as beautiful ornaments —then who will break them? Who is to break them ? The human being must break them themselves.
For countless lifetimes, the human being has become accustomed to living in anger , in ego ( hankaar ), and in desire . So no matter how much one tries to reason with this mind —
Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji Maharaj says: ਮਨ ਮੂਰਖ ਅਜਹੂ ਨਹ ਸਮਝਤ ਸਿਖ ਦੈ ਹਾਰਿਓ ਨੀਤ ॥ man moorakh ajahoo neh samajhat sikh dhai haario neet || This foolish mind still does not understand, even though I have grown weary of constantly advising it. ::endgurbani
Explain as much as you want—it will not understand. It has become a fixed habit. When Maskeen Ji says “it has become a habit,” he is pointing to the deep patterns (sanskaar) formed within the mind over countless lifetimes. Anger, ego, greed, and desire have become familiar ways of living. Even when a person wants to change, the mind keeps returning to its old ways because they feel known and comfortable.
A person has become used to living in greed; they find happiness in stealing.
A person has become used to living in ego; they find happiness in oppressing ( zulam ) others — they find happiness in it.
To find happiness in vices is like someone considering handcuffs to be golden ornaments. It is like someone considering the chains around their neck to be a necklace. It is like someone considering the shackles around their feet to be anklets.
Now, who will cut their shackles? Who will cut their handcuffs?
Bhagat Kabir Ji says, “When I saw the mind’s vast army and its whole extensive force, then I too began gathering an army. I too thought, ‘ Alone, I cannot fight against the mind. ’”
Moving forward, Bhagat Kabir Ji declares: ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਪਲੀਤਾ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਹਵਾਈ ਗੋਲਾ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਚਲਾਇਆ ॥ prem paleetaa surat havaiee golaa giaan chalaiaa || I have made divine love the fuse, and consciousness the rocket; I have launched the cannonball of wisdom. ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਅਗਨਿ ਸਹਜੇ ਪਰਜਾਲੀ ਏਕਹਿ ਚੋਟ ਸਿਝਾਇਆ ॥੪॥ braham agan sahaje parajaalee ekeh choT sijhaiaa ||4|| The fire of God was intuitively set ablaze, and with one shot, the fortress is taken. ||4|| ::endgurbani
Bhagat Kabir Ji says: “Then I, too, brought a cannon ( top ) to blow up the fortress. I, too, gathered an army and strengthened my resolve, realizing that this enemy would not die easily, and this fortress would not fall by ordinary means. ”
ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਪਲੀਤਾ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਹਵਾਈ ਗੋਲਾ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਚਲਾਇਆ ॥ prem paleetaa surat havaiee golaa giaan chalaiaa || I have made divine love the fuse, and consciousness the rocket; I have launched the cannonball of wisdom. ::endgurbani
Listening to the mantar given by the Guru, listening to hymns in praise of God in satsang — this is the cannon I brought.
And through that listening, spiritual wisdom ( gyiaan ) was born. Spiritual wisdom within listening. After all, the cannonball ( golaa ) has to be placed inside the cannon.
Consider the listening in satsang successful on the day spiritual wisdom arises.
When spiritual wisdom is obtained, then listening has become fruitful ( safal ). As long as wisdom has not been awakened within, listening has not yet become fruitful. There must still be some weakness in our listening.
What kind of listening is this listening? The one that is connected with acceptance ( manan ).
If there is no acceptance, then what is listening? What did you hear?
Sometimes a father tells his son, "Did you not hear what I said?" He heard it, but he didn't accept it. And when he didn't accept it, then what did he hear?
The one who listened and accepted it, a very powerful wisdom is born inside them; it is born by listening.
So Bhagat Kabir Ji says: “I made the cannon out of listening — out of the act of hearing/listening. Into that cannon I placed the cannonball of spirtual wisdom. Listening gave birth to wisdom. And to that, I applied the fuse of love.” Afterall a cannon is fired by a fuse.
The day that listening becomes spirtual wisdom, that spirtual wisdom will one day turn into love — this too, I submit to you.
Consider listening successful on the day spirtual wisdom is born within. And consider spirtual wisdom successful on the day love for the Lord is born. After all, true relationships ( sambandh ) are formed through love.
ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਪਲੀਤਾ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਹਵਾਈ ਗੋਲਾ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਚਲਾਇਆ ॥ prem paleetaa surat havaiee golaa giaan chalaiaa || I have made divine love the fuse, and consciousness the rocket; I have launched the cannonball of wisdom. ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਅਗਨਿ ਸਹਜੇ ਪਰਜਾਲੀ ਏਕਹਿ ਚੋਟ ਸਿਝਾਇਆ ॥੪॥ braham agan sahaje parajaalee ekeh choT sijhaiaa ||4|| The fire of God was intuitively set ablaze, and with one shot, the fortress is taken. ||4|| ::endgurbani
In satsang, if one recites the mantar given by the Guru and truly listens to it, if one repeats the Waheguru mantar and truly listens to it.
Then what has the cannon of listening, the cannonball of wisdom, and the fuse of divine love done? It has ignited the divine fire ( Brahm Agan ).
Yogis call this Yoga Agan (fire of God). Guru Nanak Dev Ji has called it Naam Agan (fire of God). Bhagat Kabir Ji is calling it Brahm Agan (fire of God).
Fire surely burns, but what does Brahm Agan burn? Brahm Agan burns the sanskaar of countless lifetimes and sins to ashes.
These sins will burn only through Brahm Agan ; they will not burn through anything else.
Whatever sanskaras and sins lie within, they will only be burnt to ashes by the fire of God ( Brahm Agan ). These sins will not be eradicated by any other virtuous deed. Even while doing virtuous deeds, sins will continue to occur. Even while attending the satsang, bad company will persist in the mind. Even while giving to charity, stealing will continue—forgive my bluntness—dishonesty will continue.
Without Brahm Agan , sins are not washed away, they are not washed away.
ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਅਗਨਿ ਸਹਜੇ ਪਰਜਾਲੀ ਏਕਹਿ ਚੋਟ ਸਿਝਾਇਆ ॥੪॥ braham agan sahaje parajaalee ekeh choT sijhaiaa ||4|| The fire of God was intuitively set ablaze, and with one shot, the fortress is taken. ||4|| ::endgurbani With just one single strike, the walls of doubt were broken. And as soon as the wall of doubt broke, that moat of the Three Gunas ( Tamogun , Rajogun , Satogun ) was filled in with the debris — completely filled in. Now the moat no longer exists, and that double-walled fortress also no longer...
But the mind has not yet been captured; only the fortress of the mind has been demolished. The mind has not yet come under control.
And now moving forward, Bhagat Kabir Ji says: "when I demolished the fortress, tore down the wall of the fortress, and filled the moat, my courage grew, and I advanced further."
And moving even further ahead, what did I do? ਭਗਵਤ ਭੀਰਿ ਸਕਤਿ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕੀ ਕਟੀ ਕਾਲ ਭੈ ਫਾਸੀ ॥ bhagavat bheer sakat simaran kee kaTee kaal bhai faasee || With the army of God's devotees, and Shakti, the power of remembrance, I have snapped the noose of the fear of death. ਦਾਸੁ ਕਮੀਰੁ ਚੜਿੑਓ ਗੜੑ ਊਪਰਿ ਰਾਜੁ ਲੀਓ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ॥੬॥੯॥੧੭॥ dhaas kameer chaRi(h)o gaR(h) uoopar raaj leeo abinaasee ||6||9||17|| This is how Slave Kabeer climbed to the top of the fortress and assumed the unperishable rule. ||6||9||17||...
ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਪਲੀਤਾ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਹਵਾਈ ਗੋਲਾ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਚਲਾਇਆ ॥ prem paleetaa surat havaiee golaa giaan chalaiaa || I have made divine love the fuse, and consciousness the rocket; I have launched the cannonball of wisdom. ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਅਗਨਿ ਸਹਜੇ ਪਰਜਾਲੀ ਏਕਹਿ ਚੋਟ ਸਿਝਾਇਆ ॥੪॥ braham agan sahaje parajaalee ekeh choT sijhaiaa ||4|| The fire of God was intuitively set ablaze, and with one shot, the fortress is taken. ||4|| ਸਤੁ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਲੈ ਲਰਨੇ ਲਾਗਾ ਤੋਰੇ ਦੁਇ ਦਰਵਾਜਾ ॥ sat sa(n)tokh lai larane laagaa tore dhui dharavaajaa || Taking...
My companions have arrived, my comrades have arrived. Seeing me winning, my companions/comrades have come to my side. Who are they? Truthfulness ( Sat ) and contentment ( Santokh ).
They have completely shattered both doors. Which ones? The doors of Sin and Virtue . And they have killed the guards standing at both doors. Which ones? Pain and pleasure .
The spiritual state ( avasta ) rose above pain and pleasure. It rose above sin and virtue. At this stage, the seeker’s inner state rises above pain and pleasure. They rise above sin and virtue.
With the help of satsang, with the help of the satsangi. Who are these satsangi? ਸਤੁ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਲੈ ਲਰਨੇ ਲਾਗਾ ਤੋਰੇ ਦੁਇ ਦਰਵਾਜਾ ॥ sat sa(n)tokh lai larane laagaa tore dhui dharavaajaa || Taking truthfulness and contentment with me, I begin the battle and storm both the gates. ::endgurbani Here, the “satsangi” are the seeker’s inner companions: Truthfulness and Contentment .
What is the fruit of the satsang? That one's character ( aacharan ) becomes elevated and a person becomes content . On that day, understand that you have received the fruit of doing satsang. Otherwise, not yet—right now we are just doing satsang. The planted seed has not yet blossomed into fruit.
A contented person becomes fully fulfilled ( tripat ). For them, the wealth ( dhan ) of others becomes like dust ( mitti ). ਸੁਖ ਸਨੇਹੁ ਅਰੁ ਭੈ ਨਹੀ ਜਾ ਕੈ ਕੰਚਨ ਮਾਟੀ ਮਾਨੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ sukh saneh ar bhai nahee jaa kai ka(n)chan maaTee maanai ||1|| rahaau || who is not affected by pleasure, affection or fear, and who looks alike upon gold and dust;||1||Pause|| ::endgurbani
For a greedy person, it's possible that even someone else’s dust may appear as gold ( sona ), and they will steal it. For a contented person, even someone else’s gold is like dust; they will not even touch it. This too, I submit to you.
ਸਤੁ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਲੈ ਲਰਨੇ ਲਾਗਾ ਤੋਰੇ ਦੁਇ ਦਰਵਾਜਾ ॥ sat sa(n)tokh lai larane laagaa tore dhui dharavaajaa || Taking truthfulness and contentment with me, I begin the battle and storm both the gates. ::endgurbani
"I have shattered both of those gates."
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਅਰੁ ਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਤੇ ਪਕਰਿਓ ਗਢ ਕੋ ਰਾਜਾ ॥੫॥ saadhasa(n)gat ar gur kee kirapaa te pakario gadd ko raajaa ||5|| In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and by Guru's Grace, I have captured the king of the fortress. ||5|| ::endgurbani
"The king of the fortress was captured — by the grace of the Guru."
"The mind was conquered."