Agnostic Khushwant

by Khushwant Singh

  To Him make obeisance, to Him be victory!

  May His court be in eternal session!

  O Nanak, if we have not the True Name

  Worthless is the mark on the forehead,

  Worthless too the sacred thread.

  Siddha Goshta

  Siddha Goshta is based on a dialogue said to have taken place between Guru Nanak and a band of yogis who came to visit him either at Achal Batala* (a place near Kartarpur in Punjab) or at Gorakh Hatri (a place probably in present-day Uttarakhand).** This dialogue deals largely with the respective merits of Hath Yoga advocated by yogic followers of Guru Gorakhnath and Namamarga (the path of the divine word) preached by the Guru. In this composition, the Guru also spells out in greater detail his notion of terms like sahaj (harmony or balance) and sunya (vacuity or nothingness) as well as the personalities of the Guru and a gurmukh (a follower of the guru).

  Selections from Nanak’s dialogue with the yogis (Raga Ramkali):

  The yogis took their seats on their prayer mats.

  And spake in chorus:

  Our salutations to this holy assemblage!

  I salute Him who is the Truth, replied Nanak,

  Who is Infinite, Who is without any limit.

  Fain would I sever my head with my own hand

  And lay it at His feet!

  To Him I dedicate my body and my soul.

  Truth is however also found in the company of the holy

  And through them the soul is led by the path of sahaj to glory.

  But what use is it to wander in the wilderness?

  Through truth alone is true purification

  Without the True Word there is no salvation.

  Who art thou? the yogis asked, What is thy name?

  What path dost thou pursue?

  What is thy life’s aim?

  Pray tell us all, to us be true.

  To men of God my life be sacrificed,

  Nanak made obeisance and replied.

  Where is thy seat? persisted the yogis,

  Son, where is thy home?

  From where hast thou come?

  Where wilt thou go when thou goest away?

  Thou hadst renounced the world to become a wandering hermit,

  What path wilt thou pursue, tell us we pray?

  He that dwells in every heart

  Within Him I’ve made my seat, replied Nanak.

  Whichever way I’m directed by the true guru

  That is the path I pursue.

  Gently did I come from God

  To God shall I return

  Nanak shall forever live according to His will.

  My seat is my prayer mat

  I worship the immortal Narayana.

  This was I taught by my guru

  Through the guru did I come to know myself

  And merged myself in the Truest of the True.

  Then spake one of them, called Charpat Yogi:

  They say the world is like a turbulent sea

  A sea which no one can swim over.

  How then can we find the other shore?

  Nanak, detached from the world dost thou live

  Ponder over the problem and the true answer give.

  Nanak replied: When someone poses a question in such form

  That the question itself contains the answer;

  What answer can anyone give such a question?

  If you claim to have reached the other shore

  Why ponder over this problem any more?

  As the lotus in the water is not wet

  Nor the water fowl sporting in a stream

  Fix your mind on the guru’s words and thus,

  Says Nanak, cross the world’s sea to your Lord Supreme.

  He who in a crowd can be alone

  In a multitude of desires is without desire

  Such a one has access to the Inaccessible

  And knows the Unknowable.

  Having himself had the vision

  He shows others to see

  Nanak is the slave of such a one.

  Master, listen to me, pleaded one,

  Be not offended by my question!

  How does one reach the gate of the house of the guru?

  Much have I pondered over this problem, I tell thee true.

  This mind of ours is restless, said Nanak

  It is brought to rest by the anchor of the Name

  Then does it find its true abode and resting place

  The Creator unites it with Himself and thus

  Is conceived love for the truth (by His grace).

  Shun the shops and highways of the cities,

  Amidst trees of forests go and stay

  Wild roots and berries be the food you eat

  Sages who know say this is the way.

  Go bathe at places of pilgrimage

  Go pluck the fruits of peace

  The filth of the world will not soil you.

  If union with God be your goal, says Loharipa, son of Gorakhnath,

  This is the only way of life as you will see.

  Among shops and highways may you live

  Only be vigilant and never slumber

  Let not your mind stay and dwell

  On the wife or wealth of a stranger.

  Without the Name the mind will never be stable

  Nor, says Nanak, from worldly hankerings be ever free

  My guru has shown me cities and shops within my heart.

  There can I easily trade and earn truthful gain.

  Says Nanak, the essence of asceticism, let it be understood,

  Is to abstain from too much sleep and too much food.

  Examine the schools of philosophy

  Accept one that is pre-eminent

  Wear rings in your ears and

  The hermit’s cloak on your person.

  Carry the beggar’s bowl

  Of the twelve orders choose one

  Of the six schools to one subscribe

  If you take my advice, my son,

  You will be spared the buffeting of chance

  The sage achieves the goal of divine union.

  Let the divine word be always within you

  Overcome your ego, erase attachment to worldly things

  The guru’s word will help you conquer

  Pride in self, lust and anger.

  What means the patched cloak and begging bowl?

  It’s better to know that the spirit of God pervades

  Nanak knows that only God can save

  He is the Truth, His name is True

  I found this by testing the words of the guru.

  Instead of putting upside down your begging bowl

  Turn your back on worldly things.

  Little use is it to wear the yogi’s cap upon your head.

  From the five elements take their quality

  Instead of a mattress to preserve you from dust

  Keep your body clean by acts of purity

  Instead of a jockstrap to check your lust

  Bend your mind towards chastity

  Truth, tranquillity and self-control be ever your guides

  Says Nanak, learn from the guru, the Name

  Ever abides.

  Who is hidden in all things?

  Who attains the gates of paradise?

  Whose body and soul blend with God?

  What comes to life at birth?

  What dies when a man dies?

  Whose spirit pervades the three regions

  The nether world, the earth and the skies?

  God is hidden in all things.

  Those that serve Him attain the gates of paradise

  Those bodies and souls

  Are permeated with the divine Word

  Blend their light with the Light of God.

  Evil-doers perish [and] are reborn only to die

  Men of God merge with the True One

  Why are some to worldly values bound?

  Why do they let themselves be swallowed by maya’s [illusion] serpent?

  How
is the soul lost? How is it found?

  How does one become pure?

  How is the mind’s darkness dispelled?

  On these if you give us answers true,

  We’ll acknowledge you as our guru.

  Because of evil counsel to worldly values are we bound

  We throw ourselves in the maws of maya’s serpent

  Evil-doers lose their souls, by the godly are they found

  Those who find the true guru, dispel the darkness in their minds.

  They erase their egos and are merged into God.

  If in sunya’s trance you still yourself, a yogi said,

  Your soul will stop its swan-like wayward flight,

  Your body will not like a rotten wall crumble and fall dead.

  In the calm of sahaj’s cave

  You can discover the True One,

  Sayeth Nanak, the True One loves the truthful.

  What prompted you to leave your home

  And become a wandering udasi [a saint who has renounced the world]?

  Why wear you this hermit’s garb?

  What is the merchandise in your store?

  How will you take us to the opposite shore?

  In search of the saintly men

  I became a wandering udasi,

  In the hope of getting a vision of the Divine

  I donned this hermit’s garb.

  Truth is all the merchandise I have in my store,

  Nanak says, with the saintly shall we get to the opposite shore.

  Man, by what devices did you change the course destined for you?

  How single-minded[ly] did you this aim pursue?

  How did you worldly hopes and desires eschew?

  How did you find the divine light within yourself?

  A man who knows no yoga is like a man without teeth.

  Life is hard as steel, how can he bite on it and live?

  Nanak, ponder over these questions and the right answers give.

  Since I was born in the house of the true guru

  I escaped the wheel of death and rebirth.

  The destined course of my life was thus changed.

  I heard divine music and was entranced

  And became single-minded in my pursuit.

  My mundane hopes and aspirations did I burn

  In the fire of the divine Word; to the guru I turn

  To find the divine light within me burn.

  Erase the three-tiered division of article and action

  And you will grow teeth that will bite on steel,

  Nanak says, He is the ferryman, He’ll ferry you across to salvation.

  What are your views on the beginning of creation?

  Where did the Creator-in-trance then reside?

  What were the first glimmerings of knowledge?

  What does in all our hearts abide?

  This terrible blot of death how can we burn?

  How [to] be fearless when to our final home we turn?

  How do we find the seat of sahaj and contentment?

  By what means can our enemies be slain?

  With the guru’s words purge the poison of the ego

  There will you find real place of rest

  He who through the Word learns of the Creator [and] of this Creation

  Him will Nanak serve as a slave (for he is blest).

  Where does man come from?

  Where does he go when he dies?

  Where does he rest when he attains salvation?

  One who can answer these questions is a real seer.

  A guru with no failing, a guru without a peer.

  How can we find the reality of the Ineffable?

  How do we cultivate love for the guru’s words?

  Nanak, reflect and your views state on these questions

  How does the Creator evaluate His creations?

  By divine command does man come into the world.

  By divine command does he depart.

  By divine command he remains merged in God.

  From the true guru does he learn

  The wage of truth to earn.

  Through the divine word he achieves salvation.

  The beginning of the beginning staggers the imagination.

  It can only be described as indescribable wonder.

  In the profound stillness of sunya

  God came to indwell within Himself.

  Through the guru’s instruction free yourself of desires.

  Let triumph over desires be the emblem you wear.

  Know that in every heart that beats

  The Lord of life hath His mansion.

  It is through the guru’s teaching

  We merge in[to] the Formless One.

  By the gentle path of sahaj

  Attain God, purest of the pure.

  A disciple who serves his guru and no other

  Will succeed, says Nanak, that is sure.

  He who questions not the divine command

  But accepts it as a wonder beyond seeing

  Will understand the reality of things and beings.

  He who effaces his ego

  Of attachments is made free

  Within whose heart is truth enshrined

  He alone is a real yogi.

  He the formless and the immaculate

  From nirguna – without attributes

  Became saguna – with attributes.

  Hereafter, the question-and-answer pattern of Siddha Goshta becomes somewhat confused. There are some soliloquies, sometimes repetitive, interrupted by further questions – also frequently repetitive. I have consequently thought it best to summarize the contents of the longer passages and reproduce only a selected few:

  Nanak states that the service of the guru has its reward in the union with God. This is achieved through knowledge of truth, removal of doubt and duality and the conquest of desires. While the saintly merge with God, the self-willed spend their days without finding any moorings, i.e., the guru’s instruction; they stumble along the path of evil, they are not united with God but continue in the cycle of death and rebirth.

  The saintly (gurmukh) not only achieve godliness for themselves, but they are also able to instruct and influence others to take to the path of moral rectitude. It is not necessary to be an ascetic or a celibate to achieve union with God: one can lead a life of prayer and devotion doing one’s ordinary work and discharging obligations to one’s family.

  The way to salvation lies through the divine word (sabda) and the worship of the name of God – nam simran. One who is imbued with the name of God conquers his ego and achieves salvation through union with God. Being imbued with the name of God is therefore more rewarding than performing penances, acquiring occult power or book learning.

  ‘How did life begin?’ asked one yogi.

  ‘With air we drew in our first breath,’ replied Nanak.

  ‘You exhort everyone to take a guru,’ said another, ‘who is your guru?’

  Nanak replied: ‘The sabda or the divine word is my teacher. Through the sabda I worship God by ceaseless adoration. Through the sabda I know God, through the sabda I live in the world without being infected by the world’s values; the sabda helps me overcome my ego.’

  ‘If teeth are made of wax, how can they bite on steel?’ asked the yogis, meaning thereby that the path to salvation is hard and one must steel oneself by ascetic austerities to be able to tread it. ‘How can one live in a house of snow when one’s clothes are aflame?’ they asked, meaning thereby that the soul, since it is encased in a body subject to passions, has little chance of salvation. ‘Where can one find a cave wherein the mind can be tranquil?’ they asked.

  Nanak replied: ‘If you exorcize the ego, doubt and duality, you will grow teeth strong enough to bite on steel. Flames of passion can be dowsed by the consciousness of God within. Fear of God destroys pride of self. As soon as the divine word sabda and God find a place in the heart, mind and body are cleansed, the venomous fires of lust and anger are put out and so is man prepared to rec
eive the grace of God.’

  The yogis continued their questions in cryptic form: ‘Wherefrom comes the light of the moon which is itself only the house of snows and shadows? And wherefrom does the sun get its searing heat? How can the mind (moon) and the reason (sun being the symbol of knowledge) overcome the fear of death?’

  Nanak replied: ‘The repetition of sabda illumines the mind with radiance; from the guru learn to treat joy and sorrow with equal indifference and the fear of death will cease to gnaw into your vitals. Above all, know nama – the name of God. With nama overcome sorrow and fear of death, dispel doubt and duality. Worship nama as you breathe till breathing becomes like an Aeolian harp [an ancient wind instrument]. Then with a thunderclap will open the tenth orifice [the human body has nine orifices] and eternal light come flooding in. Thus will you be gently merged in God. You will attain sunya which is also the fourth state – turiya avastha. Sunya is the great stillness within and without and pervades the three regions. It is in the state of sunya that a human being is identified with God.’

  On being further questioned on the status of those who attained sunya, Nanak replied: ‘They are like the Creator who created them outside the wheel of birth, death and rebirth; they hear the beat of drum unbeaten by hand and are in tune with the Infinite.’

  The guru further elucidated the difference between the gurmukh (the saintly), who in their humility accept guidance from a guru, and the manmukh who burn in conceit and never get to know the essence of reality.

  The yogis questioned Nanak on the validity of their own beliefs: ‘What is the mantra which helps man cross the fearful ocean of life? Where does human breath (life) which the yogis believe when exhaled goes the length of ten fingers from the nostrils reside? How can the mind be made stable? How can we see something which is admittedly beyond the range of vision?’

  ‘The divine mantra is within us,’ the guru replied. ‘God is invisible as the air and like it everywhere about us. God is born nirguna (without attributes) and saguna (with attributes). The mind is purified and stabilized when it becomes the abode of nama. The guru will teach you how to cross the fearful ocean of life and prove that God in life is the same as God in the life hereafter. Although He has no form or colour and casts no shadow, He is not illusory. Our lives (the exhaled breath that the yogis spoke of) are sustained by God.

  ‘In order to discover the invisible and infinite God, it is vital that we rise above the threefold nature of qualities and actions (satvik, rajsik and tamsik),* through the sabda, rid the mind of ego and pride, acknowledge God as the one and only Master and cultivate love for Him. Then by His grace shall we have the mystical experience of partaking of union with Him.’