APNEE KATHA - By SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI

Guru Gobind Singh Ji meditating on the 'Hem Kunt' range of mountains, during his previous life - --- which he narrates in his autobiography "Bachitter Natak". In his narration he mentions his discourse with the Lord Almighty, who instructs him to be born to Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Guru in the lineage of Guru Nanak, and create the inimitable "Khalsa Panth". This narration and other 'Banis' of the Guru were collected by the Guru's most trusted and staunch sikh Bhai Mani Singh, who subsequently compiled the 'Dasam Guru Granth'.

CHAUPAYEE

Now I am going to narrate my own story;

I got to know the technique through hard meditation.

Where lies the snow covered Hemkunt in the himalyas,

Where seven peaks are gracing near to each other. (1)

That location is called ‘Seven peaks’,

Where the father of five pandavas, second son of Shaantnoo Raja meditated,

There I resolved to do excessively and hard penance,

And I worshipped the supreme-death, God, Kalka. (2)

This way my disposition had become such

That from the two, God and myself, we had merged into just one.

I worshipped the formless, who is above any worldly elements,

And I adopted many ways to hard penance. (3)

I did so much and such a service to the lord

That he became extremely pleased with me.

Then, he gave me a command, and

Only then I took birth in this world (Kalyug). (4)

I didn’t want to come down to earth

Because my internal vision was fixed in the feet of Waheguru;

The Lord gradually counselled with me, and finally sent me to this world. (5)

DESCRIPTION OF AKAAL PURAKH

THROUGH THIS LOWLY CREATURE, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

CHAUPAYEE

When I, Akaalpurakh, first created the universe,

Amongst my creations turned out to be misery-inflicting-demons;

They became mad with their mystical and muscular powers, and

They would not worship the adorable creator. (6)

Then, out of anger, I destroyed them all in a short time;

And, instead, I created the Gods and angles.

They too mustered considerable power and glorification;

And, started assuming to be God themselves. (7)

Shiva started to call himself immortal;

Vishnu also equated himself to the creator;

Brahma called himself the Supreme, and

No one considered the lord as the lord. (8)

Then, I (Waheguru) created eight witnesses, the sun, moon, fire, wind, yamma, element, axis and dhurv,

To certify the existence of the Lord;

And ordered them to worship AkaalPurakh, and declared that there is no one else worshippable. (9)

Those who didn’t, or couldn’t, recognise the supreme;

Started calling themselves as the ultimate.

Many started worshipping the suna and the moon,

And many accepted the powers of fire and the wind. (10)

Some call the stone (saligram) Waheguru;

Some, taking the baths regularly started calling the water, the supreme.

Many got scared indulging in various forms of acts and imitations,

But Dharamraaj recognized and accepted only the infinite. (11)

When the omnipotent produced witnesses for his cause;

When these witnesses’ came to this world, they would start calling themselves the divinity;

The real meaning of the immortal would be forgotten; they all got worried about their glory and splendour. (12)

When none of them accepted the existence of the eternal,

The lord created the progeny of the mind, the human beings;

They’ too got under the influence of worldly attachments,

And started assuming the statues and idols of stone as the providence. (13)

Then the Lord created the saints and seers;

They too didn’t acknowledge the all-powerful.

If someone was made intelligent and wise enough,

He/she too started their own sect or religion. (14)

No one recognized or attained the Supreme Being;

In fact they all increased the divisions and ambiguities;

They would promulgate their own traditions and rules,

And no one would after having been indoctrinated by the cult leaders follow Akaalpuraks commands. (15)

Whosoever attainted even an iota of ‘powers’

Would initiate their own religious divisions

No on gave cognizance to the creator;

Rather, became mad and insane by continuously indulging in Ego. (16)

The principal essence was not recognized nor appreciated by any one;

Each one was involved in a variety of vanities’;

Again, when he created Kings and ascetics;

They too initiated actions in favour of their own memories – simritis. (17)

Those who concentrated in the feet (humility) of the benefactor, they did not even cone bear the tracks of the smiritis. (18)

Bramhma created four Vedas,

And preached only the actions and deeds prescribed/described therein

And made them prevalent amongst the people;

Those whose concentration was confined to the love of his feet (waheguru)

Would have abnegated (distanced) themselves from the Vedas. (19)

Those who relinquished their dependence on books and the vedas,

They became the true adherents of the preserver (waheguru);

Their advice was based on true sermons,

Many miseries of various kinds were ground and destroyed under them. (20)

Those who even bore tortures over their bodies, (to be able to attain him)

They would not give up their adoration for the Lord;

They would gradually move towards the Land of Waheguru;

And then, there remained no difference between them and the Absolute. (21)

Those who were terrified by the books, the Vedas,

They would abandon his path, and acquiesce to their commands;

They would ultimately go to hell (inferno region) and

Would continue to be revolving in the cycles of births and deaths. (22)

Then the lord created Duttatrey, the founder of ascetics (jogis);

He, too, started his own religion;

He decorated his hands and nails, and locks of his hair,

But he did not follow the teachings and advice of the preserver. (23)

With Akaalpurakh’s blessings was created the Gorakh,

His disciples considered him, Gorakh as the loftiest King;

Piercing their ears they wore earrings, and

Did not pay attention to either the love of God or the modes of meditation. (24)

The Lord then blessed Ramanand;

He clad like a recluse;

He started wearing and playing with a necklace of wood;

No one ever thought about the practices and the traditions of the Absolute. (25)

If God created saintly persons,

They too directed people towards their own self styled paths;

God the created Mohammed

And bestowed upon him the kingship of Arabia. (26)

He too created another religion and produced princesses without the religious symbol of hair and their complete form;

He made everyone to meditate on his own name and he never preached nor confirmed the name of truth (Waheguru). (27)

Everyone pushed his own concepts, and

No one gave recognition to the infinite Spirit;

Then Waheguru called me while I was meditating, he said the following and sent me to this world. (28)

AKAALPURAKH BAACH

CHAUPAYEE

I am designating you as my son;

I am extending the privilege to you of being my son

I am creating you to spread my message

You organize a true religion down there in the world

And prevent the worldly people from falling into the practice of fake actions (instead of remembering Waheguru). (29)

DOHRAA

I (Gobind Singh), then stood up with folded hands,

And said some words with a bowed head.

The path of truth can prosper in this world only if you (waheguru)

Are by my side. (30)

CHAUPAYEE

For this mission I was sent to earth

Then I took birth in this materialistic world.

I am relating to you the worldly people exactly the way Akaalpurakh told me;

I will not invite animosity from any one else. (31)

Those people who call me (Gobind Singh) the Immortal Waheguru

Will be thrown into the deep hellish infernos;

Consider me the servant of the Infinite;

But there is not even an iota of difference between me and him. (32)

I am the servitor of the Supreme Being;

I have come to observe the worldly drama;

I am saying whatever the great Master of the universe has asked me to say

I will not remain quiet for the mortal world. (33)

NARAAJ CHHAND

I am conveying exactly whatever the Lord said

I am saying it all without any bias or favour to anyone

I will not blend with anyone’s fakery

Rather I will sow the seeds for the unaccountable Waheguru’s Naam. (34)

I do not worship the statues of stone

Nor do I get impressed with anyone’s guise

I sing the praises if the Naam of the endless

And I have attained the Ultimate (Waheguru). (35)

I will not acquire the matted hair

Nor will I wear big earrings

I will not favour anyone

And I will do only whatever the Everlasting dictates me to do. (36)

I will only worship the Naam of Akaalpurakh

That can be employed and be useful under all circumstances

I will not worship anyone else

Nor will I seek anyone else’s support and protection. (37)

I have meditated only on the Naam of the Infinity (Waheguru)

Having attainted the Supreme flame, the immortal Lord

I do not meditate on any other name. (38)

I am engrossed only in Ones Naam

And am not involved nor interested with egotistic or vane thoughts

I am contemplating on the Supreme Waheguru

This way I am able to wipe off endless Sins. (39)

I am permeating only your shape and form O Waheguru!

I will not be happy in someone’s donations nor will I be contended in someone’s giving of any kind of alms, neither of these activities will give me pleasure

I repeat only his Naam

This will erase countless misdeeds. (40)