Anand Sahib

Guru Amardas Sahib

In the tenth pauri, the tenth step of the ladder, Guru Amardas revealed an imperative to the fickle mind: through its cleverness, it cannot experience bliss. Moving on to the eleventh pauri, the eleventh step of the ladder, the Guru Amardas says, O beloved mind! Always remember the truth. Guru Amardas lovingly addresses the fickle mind as beloved and provides a way to transcend enchanting Maya, the allure of material possessions, and worldly relationships by always remembering the truth. We pause. What does remembering the truth entail? Truth isn’t a physical, tangible element; remembering the truth is recalling the Eternal. Guru Amardas reminds the mind that the family surrounding you won’t accompany you when you depart this world. So, why fixate on them? The mind is presented with a rhetorical question. Why attach your consciousness to those who won’t journey with you? Why persist in this when it leads to eventual regret? Listen to the instructions of the Wisdom-Guru; they’ll guide you in the end. Listening to instructions is synonymous with following, walking, and remembering. Guru Amardas concludes this ladder step by saying, O beloved mind! Always remember the truth.

We reflect. The fickle mind, engrossed in the captivating, bewitching allure of material possessions and worldly relationships, is addressed as the beloved mind. The mind entangled in these allurements is urged to relinquish its cleverness and instead focus on the truth—the Eternal—thus attaining bliss. This strategy is to counteract the forgotten, wandering, doubt-ridden mind and redirect it toward remembering the Eternal. We pause. Whom do we remember most? Our family, as we’re constantly in their presence. We engage in numerous activities with and for them. We offer our body, mind, and all assets to them. Despite circumstances, we persist in our efforts for them. Yet, this family won’t accompany us when we depart; they won’t aid us in the end. So, why attach our consciousness to them? Yes, they inhabit our thoughts due to constant proximity, but elevating them to our consciousness is another level. This isn’t to suggest forsaking our families or neglecting them. It addresses our preoccupation with family. Why permit family to dominate our consciousness? The world, the surveys, and numerous successful individuals uphold family as paramount, reflecting the world’s paradigm, the Maya’ paradigm. However, this isn’t the Sikh paradigm. Guru Amardas questions this paradigm. Instead, our consciousness needs to align with the Eternal. Changing this entrenched paradigm requires the teachings and instructions of the Wisdom-Guru. It’s challenging because this thinking inundates us from an early age and endures. We waver, stumble, and submit to this family-oriented mindset instead of submitting to the Command.

We may ask ourselves: What dominates our consciousness? In which paradigm do we wish to dwell: the Maya’s, the Worlds, or the Sikh paradigm? Will we learn to heed the instructions? Will we learn to live in perpetual, unwavering remembrance? This is the sole invaluable treasure we can amass for ourselves; everything else accrues for the world’s stage. This solitary gain is everlasting.