Practicing life in a holy manner is the real prayer of soul.

It is more important for the

consciousness of a person to be alive than any physical life. This is what
distinguishes living from existing. Guru Gobind Singh expresses his prayer “Tud bin
rog rajayeaan da oodan”.

Only a free spirit can feel that life is sick in luxurious automobiles and air-conditioned
homes if it does not have love for Almighty and His Creations. The lust for various
substances or for being more influential is the sign of enslavement of thought. A free
spirit on the other hand believes in providing comfort to all mankind.

It is like a poem that is for one and all. It is like a million letters to the Almighty
having the message, "Sarbhaat da Bhalla!" - “Dear Almighty, Please! Bless
Everybody”. Our prayer further says, “Thank you for giving me the chance to pray
this Prayer”. This spirit is free and fearless. It is associated with the pains and
sufferings of the downtrodden.

Puran Singh remarks, “The greatest miracle that a man of Simran performs is to heal
the wounded souls”.

That life is the life of Guru Grantha.

The life of Sikh has to be like rain that drenches everyone. Unless our life has
something to offer to mankind, living is not justified. The style with which we carry
our souls brings life in our bodies.

Once Guru Teg Bahadur was in the Cis Satluj area. Some Afghan Sikhs came over to
visit the Master and seek his blessings. This became a great show, as the Sikhs
brought many expensive gifts and offerings. A peasant in his farms was deeply
moved and wanted to offer everything he had to the Master. He offered his food. He
offered it to the Master and all His Sikhs. This is the spiritual spark. He was unaware
if his offering was small or great. He only knew that he must sacrifice everything to
Guru. He was free from all mental bondage. He just felt all in all and offered his
worship. He is living in the Guru and the Guru is living in him. There is no
distinction.

The enslavement of life is not just confined to physical or political colonialization. The
real enslavement is the enslavement of ideas and thoughts. Although European
countries ruled the colonies around the world until middle of 20th century, European
culture and language and most importantly the European way of life is still followed
around the world. Capitalism is now a way of life. All that started with the industrial
revolution in Europe and has created a culture of individualism and to a certain
extent killed the universal spirit.

Music cannot be restricted to boundaries, air cannot be locked in cages, love does
not have any caste and God cannot be for only one. If one wishes to be in love with
the Almighty, he has to be universal. If they are not universal, then all prayers are
pretences. When prayer is restricted it is not universal, and these are prayers are for
self and family, not for the One in everyone. Love for God has to be universal. Air is
Universal, Truth is universal and People who belong to God are universal. Guru
Gobind Singh is universal. Guru Grantha is universal.

So life is just a myth if it cannot realize Almighty. As said by Puran Singh, “Reaching
our soul we reach the soul of universe”.

There is a difference between understanding a pain and feeling the pain. The former
is a mere intellectual exercise while the latter develops human character. As Sikhs we
must feel the pain. How many teachers do we find in Punjab that teach their
students for no monetary interest? How many landlords do we find in Punjab who
have given their land to preserve the environment? This is an indicator of how inert
we are towards our Guru, who is alive in every heart.

The symbolic reference to the tree of Simbal by Guru Nanak in Asa di Vaar is for the
people who could be very wealthy, but are useless to the society. The tree may be
very tall but it has neither fruits nor flowers and even its leaves are useless, while
the trees that bear fruit, always tend to bend down. They have highest culmination
of their life in their service to everyone.

Such trees and such people live Guru Grantha. This feeling has to be preserved. If
we love Guru Grantha we have to live Him in our actions. When we feel Guru
Grantha as the poetry full of life, then we see His physical characteristics, the Guru’s
hands, the Guru’s mind and the Guru’s soul.

Unless our soul is immersed and wet in Guru Ji’s poetry, we are not able to realize
the Guru in Guru Grantha. We see it as a book, just like any physical object that may
be used to to soothe the intellectual mind.

We just create a mental statue in order to worship something. Unless we are able to
break this statue we are not able to realize the essence of Guru. Merely offering
expensive “Rumalas” is not what our Guru is looking for.
It is up to us to attempt to realize and experience our Guru. It is ourselves we offer
up to Him.Totally and completely, not simply some dollars we place in the Golaks.

Guru Fateh!