ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਸਤਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਲਾਗੁ ॥

ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥

sireeraag mahalaa panjavaa ||

Siree Raag, Fifth Mehla:

ਮਿਠਾ (sweet) ਕਰਿ (do) ਕੈ (to) ਖਾਇਆ (eating) ਕਉੜਾ (bitter) ਉਪਜਿਆ (growing) ਸਾਦੁ (taste) ॥

miThaa kar kai khaiaa kauRaa upajiaa saadh ||

The world we are living in is all Waheguru Ji’s creation, even Maya. Maya is all around us, right in front of our eyes. It is video games, our phones, our friends, relationships, and much more. All of these things appear to us as attractive and good. As humans, our natural reactions to that attractiveness is to get closer to it. But, what happens when we do approach it? What happens when we get closer to all those materialistic items?

When our foolish minds tell us to go towards those sweet-looking things, we come to realize that those things are actually bitter and sour on the inside. It was just the appearance of them that made it so attractive. Those things we originally thought were sweet are actually good for nothing. The only thing that is real and sweet is the name of Waheguru. Anything and everything surrounding us will vanish in an instant but the thing that will always remain inside of us is Waheguru.

When we get closer to the things we believe are sweet (maya), we are getting further and further away from Waheguru. Imagine Maya and the Guru on two opposite ends of a Path. If you are walking towards maya, you are walking away from the Almighty. On the other hand, if you are walking towards the Guru Ji, you are forgetting about the Maya and all those materialistic things.

ਭਾਈ (brother) ਮੀਤ (friend) ਸੁਰਿਦ (friend) ਕੀਏ ਬਿਖਿਆ ਰਚਿਆ ॥

bhaiee meet suridh ke'ee bikhiaa rachiaa baadh ||

Just like in the last line how people are attracted to sweet things, us foolish humans also engross ourselves with affection towards our friends and family. As we grow up in life, we connect with people and get closer with them as time goes by. However, our minds don’t realize that these people who we built connections with are going to perish, like everyone in this world. Guru Ji is communicating to us, “Why do you become attached to people who are going to go away from this world?”

As teenagers, we don’t fully understand this concept. Yet, even if we do, we continue to be attached to people, not realizing that this will only cause pain and sadness in the future. It is important to understand that all the people we know today, might not even be in this world in the future, whether in a week from now, a month, or a year. It’s all up to Waheguru.

ਜਾਂਦੇ (Go away) ਬਿਲਮ (instantly) ਨ (no) ਹੋਵਈ (it is) ਵਿਣੁ ਨਾਵੈ ਬਿਸਮਾਦੁ (mystery) ॥੧॥

jaa(n)dhe bilam na hoviee vin naavai bisamaadh ||1||

As said before, EVERYTHING in this world is temporary. Our neighbor’s house, our wealth, our phones, our friends, ourselves. It may vanish tomorrow, in a month, or a year from now. It all depends on Waheguru’s hukam. Nothing is in our control. Nothing in this world will remain except for Waheguru. So why do we become attached to those things which we may lose either tomorrow or a year from now? Once you ask yourself this question, you will come to realize that you should only become attached to the things which will remain in your hearts forever. And that is definitely not your phone, your wealth, or your friends. It is Waheguru and only Waheguru Himself.

ਮੇਰੇ (my) ਮਨ (mind) ਸਤਗੁਰ (Satugur) ਕੀ (of) ਸੇਵਾ (Seva) ਲਾਗੁ (do) ॥

mere man satagur kee sevaa laag ||

Guru ji is saying that people attach themselves to false beliefs and feelings, which could be materialistic things, emotional relationships, etc. We believe these ideas to be sweet, but the only real relationship and goal is the True Guru. Everything and everyone else is corrupt and can go away in an instant. When this happens, people are dumbfounded. The Guru is the one who will never leave you and has been there all along. For example, when someone grieves over a family members death they are connected to a false relationship because everyone goes through the cycle of life and death. They should, instead, believe that that person is reunited with the Guru and they themselves to attach their mind to the Gury as well. The Rehao line sums this message up and reiterates this message by stating that the mortal needs to attach themselves to the True Guru, and rid themselves of the thoughts that embody Maya and worldly ideas. One must literally separate themselves from the mind (maya) and only see and believe in the Guru.

ਜੋ (Whatever) ਦੀਸੈ (we see) ਸੋ (that) ਵਿਣਸਣਾ (gets destroyed) ਮਨ (mind) ਕੀ (of) ਮਤਿ (thought) ਤਿਆਗੁ (take it away) ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

jo dheesai so vinasanaa man kee mat tiaag ||1|| rahaau ||

Everything that is physically present in our mortal world is indefinite. It goes away in a flash when we return to Sachkhand at birth and death. The only thing we need is Satguru. Otherwise, we are meaninglessly going through the cycle of life and death. Our minds are filled with worldly thoughts that take us away from the Guru. Maya is the root of all that can be considered evil and we need to get rid of it. When we do so, we are free of thoughts, desire, attachment and other vices. We become one with the Guru and chant his name day and night.

ਜਿਉ (Just like a) ਕੂਕਰੁ (dog) ਹਰਕਾਇਆ (who is crazy) ਧਾਵੈ (without) ਦਹ (direction) ਦਿਸ ਜਾਇ (going)॥

jiau kookar harakaiaa dhaavai dheh dhis jai ||

Engrossed in the maya of the world, we are running around in all directions, confused and lost, just like a dog.

All living beings have a mind of its own, including humans, dogs, and other species. We may all seem different, but we are similar in one way- we are confused and lost in this world, running around trying to find the right path. When we see dogs with owners, they seem like they know where they are going. Why? Because their owners are telling them what direction they need to head towards. However, if a dog is alone and without an owner, they are off-track and astray. Just like that solitary dog, us humans are lost without our owner, Waheguru. He is our owner, our care-taker and protector. Without Him, we are running around in all directions, not sure where the right path is. However, if we stay close to our protector, Waheguru Ji, He will guide us on the right path. He will make sure that we are not lost and confused. However, in order to do that, we have to be close to our owner. In order to stay close to Him, we have to do Simran, Keertan, Seva, and much more, at the same time as remembering and chanting Waheguru’s name 24/7.

ਲੋਭੀ (Greedy person) ਜੰਤੁ ਨ (no) ਜਾਣਈ (know) ਭਖੁ (hunger) ਅਭਖੁ () ਸਭ (everything) ਖਾਇ (eat) ॥

lobhee ja(n)t na jaaniee bhakh abhakh sabh khai ||

We are all human, we all have hunger. We have to eat to survive so hunger is natural to us. Waheguru created us with hunger but he also created us with greed. Greed and hunger go hand in hand. It is a battle between necessity and desire. If we didn’t have our inner greed we would be starving but a problem arises when our greed clouds our minds. The line between necessity and desire is blurred. On one hand we have our healthy greed which helps us make goals and be healthy but on the other hand we have this unnecessary greed for luxurious items. The difference between healthy greed and unhealthy greed is knowing the limit. Unhealthy greed can come in many forms, it can be food, sneakers, cars, accessories, etc. Using the example of food, we have our normal hunger which helps us survive but when we have an unhealthy craving for, let's say for sweetness. When our greed overpowers our minds we eat sweets with no limit. This leads to us getting diabetes. This example outlines how our greed ended up punishing us in the end. Overall to be smart in this game of life we need to be able to recognise limits. Without them we let our hunger run wild and untamed which ends up hurting those around us as well as us.

ਕਾਮ (lust) ਕ੍ਰੋਧ (anger) ਮਦਿ (in that) ਬਿਆਪਿਆ (to get stuck in) ਫਿਰਿ (again) ਫਿਰਿ (again) ਜੋਨੀ (lifeform) ਪਾਇ (is made/happens) ॥੨॥

kaam karodh madh biaapiaa fir fir jonee pai ||2||

As we fall deeper and deeper into our own vices, especially anger and lust, we become addicted and get too attached to this world. We forget about the one, about our spiritual selves, and go deep into the things that only give us temporary happiness. Think of it like your friend going through a breakup, or the “classic” break up on tv. They become so attached to this person, that the minute their partner pursues a different temporary, their entire life falls apart. They were so infatuated with the presence, not the feeling of that person, and they can’t get themselves out of that hole for months. They are stuck in a whole full of material happiness, unable to remember Waheguru. Like the line before, this applies to any addiction. Any addiction drives us into a hole that takes us away from ourselves.

ਮਾਇਆ (wordly pleasures) ਜਾਲੁ (net) ਪਸਾਰਿਆ (spreading) ਭੀਤਰਿ (within that net) ਚੋਗ (attraction in the jaal- bait) ਬਣਾਇ (created) ॥

maiaa jaal pasaariaa bheetar chog banai ||

Maya has spread out her net, and in the net, she has placed the bait. This net is like the net used to catch fish, hold spiders, and catch things in the air. All of these beings get stuck in the net, and that is the sole purpose of the net, to make something stuck in it. The maaia in this world has plenty of attraction (bait) in which us foolish people get easily caught into, without realizing the consequences.

ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ (desire) ਪੰਖੀ (bird) ਫਾਸਿਆ (gets stuck) ਨਿਕਸੁ ਨ (no)ਪਾਏ ਮਾਇ ॥

tirasanaa pa(n)khee faasiaa nikas na paae mai ||

Because the maaiaa has all the attractive things, the bait, the bird gets a desire to head towards that net. However, once the bird gets closer and closer to the maaia, the net, it gets stuck in it and is not able to fly out. First, it got attracted to that net which has a bait placed inside of it, and secondly, that bird doesn’t have the power to fly out of it and with that, stays in that net till his/her time of death.

Just like this bird, all of us humans get attracted to unnecessary things, which excite our vices. We are not aware of the consequences of being attracted to all this maaia, which is that we cannot go out of this. These are our extra desires, which are not necessary to live life. From this, we start doing bad deeds, and once we start doing it, we cannot stop. Drugs are an example. Accumulating a large amount of wealth is another example. Instead of blindly falling into that net, it is important to remember Waheguru, as he is the only true being in this universe. This brings us to our next line.

ਜਿਨਿ ਕੀਤਾ ਤਿਸਹਿ ਨ ਜਾਣਈ ਫਿਰਿ ਫਿਰਿ ਆਵੈ ਜਾਇ ॥੩॥

jin (whoever) keetaa (made) tiseh na (no) jaaniee (remember) fir (again) fir again) aavai (come) jai (go)|3||

If someone falls in Maya’s trap and fails to remember waheguru, then they will be stuck in the cycle of reincarnation. Our goal is to match our chemistry with almighty Waheguru and end the cycle of reincarnation. In the process of making dahi (yogurt), one puts a tiny amount of dahi in milk, which changes the chemistry of the milk into dahi. Similarly it just takes a tiny amount of Waheguru’s naam, backed with actions, to match our chemistry with Waheguru’s so that we can connect and be one. If we do not realize our mistakes and fail to control our desires in Maya’s inevitable trap of attraction, we will have a very hard time to connect and match our chemistry to Waheguru’s.

ਅਨਿਕ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਰੀ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਬਹੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਇਹੁ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ॥

anik (plenty of/endless) prakaaree (various ways) mohiaa (attachment) bahu (plenty) bidh ih (this) sa(n)saar (world)

There are so many ways in which we can get caught up in the bait, the maya that we are attracted to, and there are plenty of different baits to get caught up into. That is how the world is around you. Our mind has to be tamed with the knowledge of Naam so we can recognize how not to get stuck up in the bait of maya. Our attraction to things comes from inside and so do all the other vices, that’s why it’s so hard to avoid. It’s not like drugs or alcohol where it’s external and we can choose whether or not to consume it. The vices are the hardest things to tame because they are so natural in our being. That is the real challenge that Waheguru presents us in the game of life.

ਜਿਸ (whoever) ਨੋ ਰਖੈ (blessed) ਸੋ (those) ਰਹੈ ਸੰਮ੍ਰਿਥੁ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਅਪਾਰੁ ॥

jis no rakhai so rahai sa(n)mrith purakh apaar ||

Waheguru protects those who are blessed by him. Those who actively follow their Sikhi and try to further themselves on the path are those who are protected. Many people question why Waheguru discriminates between who he protects but those people are ignorant. Waheguru has provided everyone with the wisdom to educate themselves and to follow the path of the guru but many chose not too. They are too engrossed in homeh care only for themselves. When ignorant people do goods actions they give themselves the credit, but what they don’t know is that these actions were only possible because of the guru. Every action/decision is Waheguru’s mehar. Waheguru provides wisdom to everyone who has faith. As long as that person is doing their best to follow their chosen path. If you are Christian, be the best Christian. If you are Muslim, be the best Muslim.

ਹਰਿ ਜਨ ਹਰਿ ਲਿਵ ਉਧਰੇ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਦ ਬਲਿਹਾਰੁ ॥੪॥੨੧॥੯੧॥

har jan har liv udhare naanak sadh balihaar ||4||21||91||

Those who live by the advice of the guru are protected by Waheguru, and are admired by the panth. Though we have free will, we also have guidance. We are given the ability to think and act by ourselves, but we are also given a guide, a physical piece of wisdom to help make the most of our time here on earth. And it is up to us to take it. Those who are able to reach this spiritual enlightenment are then able to pass on their wisdom to others, creating communities deeply rooted from pure Gurbani.