Teaching Us that We Can't Be Broken

By Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji

One aspect of life is bhagatee; bhagatee is worship, devotion. Another is shaktee; shaktee means power. God gave you a combination of bhagatee and shaktee. Devotion and existence. The purpose of life is to live in peace, but when it is impossible to live in peace, it is better to die for peace. The purpose of life is to live free, but when somebody wants to enslave you, it is better you prefer death over slavery. That's why you all sing, “We die before we fall.” Death becomes meaningless, so there's no fear of death. Its purpose is righteousness.

Normally, if you get a nail in your hand what happens to you? You feel pain. Do you think that Jesus was in pain when they nailed his feet and hands? No, he was not. He didn't care. There was no pain. If your own son does something very insultingly crazy, it doesn't hurt you; it makes you angry. Insanity is resisted by the spirit. That's the law. Nature has made this body to immunize itself to pain when torture and insanity come to a righteous person. It's an automatic function of the glandular system. That's why when Guru Arjan was made to sit on a hot plate and hot sand was poured on his body for five days, he sat in absolute calm and peace and quiet. There's no example of human torture equal to that. How could he do it? The imperial forces were bent upon breaking him and he totally immunized himself with God's Light to be pure so there was no fear, no anger and no pain. If you do not have fear, anger and pain, nothing can break you.

When they were pouring hot sand on the head of Guru Arjan, Guru Arjan, partakh har (living God), was being tested. Only God can stand to sit on a hot plate and be a yogi and then have hot, burning sand put on his head in the month of June and still chant “Sat Naam.” Then for that man only, you can say Guru Arjan partakh har. It cannot be said for everybody. It would be wrong. So a standard has been established that a person who wants to say, "I am God," should sit on a hot plate, have hot sand poured on him for five days and just say:

Teraa keeaa meetaa laage
Har naam padaarat naanak maange.
-Guru Arjan (P. 394 Siri Guru Granth Sahib)

Thy Will is sweet to me, Oh Lord,
In the name of Naanak I ask for Thy Holy Naam.

Then, we will take him as God.

Fire purifies everything. Guru Arjan stood the test of purity. In shastar they call it "agan pursha," the test of the fire.

When tragedy hit Lord Rama and his wife was taken away by Ramana in the jungle, he was crying. When Lord Krishna lost his padam (lotus) the red ants totally ate him up. Gautam Buddha, the most acknowledged being, ended up eating poisonous mushrooms. Hazarath Mohammed, the prophet of the Muslims, hid himself in a cave. However, Guru Arjan offered himself to bring people to consciousness.

What is wrong with religions today? They have their exclusive God. God is not exclusive. God cannot be confined. God is as general as He is great. We achieve little, right? And we brag about it and we talk about it and we play every game you can name.

But Guru Arjan - what did he do? When he compiled the Adi Granth, the shabad he sang was,

“Teraa keetaa jaato naahee maino(n) jog keeto-ee.
Mai nirguniaare ko gun naahee aape taras pae-o-ee.
Taras pae-aa meheraamat ho-ee satigur sajan miliaa.
Naanak naam milai taa(n) jeevaa(n) tan man teevai hariaa."
- Guru Arjan (P. 1429 Siri Guru Granth Sahib)

That is Guru Arjan. That's a lesson. “Teraa keetaa jaato naahee maino(n) jog keeto-ee.” You made me competent, and I cannot comprehend what You have done to me. Your kindness, Your blessing, Your creativity in me, Oh God, I cannot even comprehend. But You made me competent, You made me capable. “Mai(n) nirguniaare ko gun naahee aape taras pae-o-ee.” I had no merits, I was without merit, and I had no merit to begin with. “Nirguniaare,” to begin with I had no merit. "Mai nirguniaare ko gun naahee,” I had no merit. A double statement. “Aape taras paeoee.” You became merciful. “Taras paeaa meheraamat ho-ee satgur sajan miliaa.” Through Your blessing and Your kindness I got to touch the True Guru. “Satgur sajan miliaa.” True, friendly Guru. "Sajan" means friendly. “Naanak naam milai taa(n) jeevaa(n).” It's very typical Punjabi: I shall find the spot of my life, if God You will give me the Name of Your own Self. “Tan man teevai hariaa.” My body and mind become blissful. “Hariaa” means blissful. "Upajaa-o" means creative. “Hariaa” does not mean green; it means creative. My mind and my body become creative.