Superstitions

Superstitions

1. One keeps fast for thirty days and says his prayers five times in a day; but sees not that Satan may wash away their merits. [Sri Rag M. 1] 2. Immediate and practise austerity, and discipline my body and live at a holy place, And give away in charity and do good deds, but, ithout the True Lord, of what avail are all these? As one sows, so one reaps, And, without Merit, life passes away in vain. (1) (Sri Rag M. 1) 3. The belief in gods and goddesses is the source of Maya, the great Illusion; This it is that led to the creation of Smritis and the Shastras. But, Lust and Anger still permeate the world, And, coming and going, one suffers. (2) (Majh, M. 3) 4. Wherever there is His Grace, the month, the day, and the time are auspicious. Bestow Thy Grace, O God! Nanak desires but a glance at Thy Countenance. [14-1] (Baramaha, Majh M. 5) 5. If I abide in a cave in a mountain of gold or down in the deeps of waters, Whether on the earth, or over the skies, or if I keep ever standing on my head, Or, put on abundant clothes and wash them ever to keep them clean; And I shreik out the Vedas of the white, red, yellow and black hues. Or, live in dirt; all this is ignorance, for, the mind thus abides in Evil, But if I dwell on the (Guru's) Word, my Ego goes and no more remains the I-amness in me. (1) (Var of Majh and the Shloka of M. 1) 6. Some there are who live in the woods and feed themselves upon the roots. Some wear the ochre robes and are acclaimed as Yogis and Sanyasins. Wasted, in vain, is their life, for, they are neithe of the household, nor have they renounced the world. Over their heads hangs death, and they, egged on by Desire, work within the Three Modes. (Var of Majh and the Shloka of M. 1) 7. All thy meditation, austerity, knowledge and concentration, The discourse the six Shastras, and the Smritis, The discipline of Yoga, the way of works, all kinds of works done, And deeds of charity and piety and oblations to the sacred fire, And cutting up of the body and offering each bit as a Sacrifice the gods) And keeping of fasts and other deeds of merit; These, O all these, not Meditation on the Lord's Name.

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Nanak: Through the Guru, Dwell thou then on the Lord's Name for once. If one scans the nine divisions of the world and lives long, And becomes a great ascetic. Dwelling on sadness; And offers his life to the fire: And has the inly washings, the Yogic-postures And, like a Jaina, disciplines himself wit practices hard, And gets himself cut up, bit by bit, (But, alas!) the Dirt of his Ego departs not. Nothing, O nothing, equals the Name of the Lord. Nanak: Meditate thou on it, by the Guru' Grace, that thou art saved. If one's mind is torn by Desire and one's life ends at a holy place, The ego and pride of his self go not from his mind. Even if one washes one's body day and night, One's mind is cleansed not of its dirt.

One may discipline one's body the hard way, But one rids not thus the mind of Maya. One may wash the mortal frame as well as one may, But, can the wall of mud be washed clean? O my mind, great is the Glory of the Lord's Name. For, the Lord's Name has Saved many a Sinner. (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5) 8. I did penance at Kashi for many, many years, And when it came to dying, I ran to hee ! I look upon Kashi and Maghara alike: But they, whose worship is false, O how shall they Swimm across? [Kabir] 9. Contaminated is water, contaminated is the earth, yea, the whole creation is conta- minated. Our birth is contaminated, as is our death, yea, the whole world is infected by contamination. O Pundit, tell me then, who at all is Pure? And, dwell on such a Wisdom, O friend, which Reveals the Pure One to thee. Aren't our eyes contaminated and our tongue too? Aren't the ears contaminated? For, contamination is everywhere. And we are contaminated in whatever we do and so our kitchen too is contaminated. Many know how to be ensnared but rarely how to be Released. Says Kabir: "He, who Contemplates the Lord in the heart, is contaminated not. [Gauri] 10. Is Brahma greater or the One who Created him? Is the Veda greater or the One from whom it issued forth? Says Kabir: "I have become sad and desolate at heart, (Knowing not whether) a pilgrim-station is more sacred or the Devotee of the Lord." (Ibid) 11. One shapes idols but of dust and makes offering to them of human life: Such are the souls of the dead ancestors too, who cannot ask for what they crave. One kills the living life to propitiate the dead ones, and so one is making one's own death miserable. (Ibid) 12. He who tells of the fifteen lunar and the seven week-days (as auspicious, and inauspicious), Is neither here nor there. (Ibid) 14. O simple man, Leave all your superstitions, And be in love with One. (Guru V, Gujri Rag) 15. He, who is free from superstitions, Has no fear of death. (Guru V, Gauri Rag) 16. Get rid of all thy superstitions, And fear, (Guru I, Sri Rag) 17. The True Guru granteth the Nam of the Lord, Which casts away all the evil influences of the planets. (Guru V, Asa Rag) 18. They are fools and uncivilized people, Who worship week days and lunar dates. (Guru III, Bilawal Rag) 19. You calculate the auspicious moments, But do not realize:

The God is far above the effects of auspicious moments. (Guru I, Ramkali Rag) 20. Good and ill omens affect him, Who does not remember the lord. (Guru V, Asa Rag) 21. Without the True Guru, there is utter darkness; He is outright foolish and mean,Who believes certain lunar and solar days as auspicious. (Guru III, Bilawal Rag) 22. Blessed is the day, blessed the auspicious time, When the Lord Supreme, thy Master is met. Sacrifice am I to the moment, When my mind rests on the Lord's Name. (Guru V, Gauri Rag)