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THE ART OF SEEKING GOD’S GRACE THROUGH SELF-ANNIHILATION
9
the hard-heartedness of Dharamraj I am frightened. I find that
this world is like a dark well or a burning fire. That is why I now
want to hold on to the support of my Guru. Says Nanak : I
concentrate on the Lord. And I find that I have now received the
Perfect Lord in my heart. 1
What strikes me is not only the form of prayer and its total
surrender but also the confidence and faith with which the prayer is
offered. I had heard so may shabads, two of which I detail below in
English translation which command us to lose our vanity in prayer
and show ourselves as supportless and absolutely helpless. But the
above shabad exudes confidence and later shows that the Lord is not
only responsive but also responds immediately. Let me refer to the
English rendering of the verses of the two shabads envisaging similar,
but not identical ardas.
In total helplessness, my Lord, I have come to seek Your shelter.
And now that I fall at Your feet, I come with the determination
never to leave, whether You protect me or You kill me. And
then, I have now decided never to care for people’s criticism or
praise; I throw both in the fire. Also whether people call me good
or bad, I am sold unto You. 2
In absolute humility I fall at your feet, my Satguru, Guru is the
pride of the prideless and welcomes me. 3
Our system of prayer and our philosophy are distinctly dependent
on the purity of the soul and have nothing to do with karam kand. On
the other hand, our Guru strictly forbids mere karam kand bhakti. Let
us look at the following verse :
Whatever karam-kand is performed for devotion is really a form
of public hypocrisy, because this kind of devotee will be subject
to the onslaught of Yamas. On the other hand, if you devotedly
sing the praises of the Lord without any expectation of material
reward, even an instant of remembrance can liberate you. 4
Since Guru Granth Sahib now is my only support in the world, I
literally experience the warmth of every word that I meditate on. Every
word, every shabad and every thought has a spiritual meaning, distinctly
different from religious connotations. Since this scripture is really for
all mankind, the messages are truly universal. And I happen to witness
this everyday, living with over a thousand people, none of whom is a