An excerpt from Gurdwara Lecture on July 10, 1983 by Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan

Actually, Sikh Dharma is a way of life. It’s a dharma.  Dharma is a practical experience.  It is not a religion. It is not a reality to the philosophy or to any authority. And one word in this Sikh way of life we use is Miri and Piri.

Now we are sitting in the court of Siri Guru Granth and I’ll like to make one thing very clear, I don’t want you to trust what I am saying. I don’t want you to follow it blindly and I don’t want you to believe it. It is my intuitive version, after seeing all what I know and knowing all what I see.  Therefore, I am going to be totally taking the responsibility of what I am saying. It will not fit in with the conventional Brahmanism and it will be not fit in with the neo, politico, religioso Sikh Dharma of the modern time. And it is not going to fit in with the pathat, highly qualified money people who rule this religion by hook and by crook.

This version of mine is meant for those who love the Guru; who will like to understand the master of this term, Guru Hargobind; who will like to understand what Miri-Piri actually is.  My version is not to publicize something and uplift your spirit and make you feel good.  Because I believe what is above, is below; what is good, is equally bad; what is right, is equally wrong.  Something which is right for somebody, is something wrong for somebody.  And to understand that version, what is temporal, is equally spiritual; what is equally spiritual, is equally temporal; that is how it was.  Miri and Piri.  In simple terms, means the royalty, or the richness or the affluence. From that word, Amir (rich man) came “Miri” and “Piri” means wisdom.  Piri means spirituality.  Piri actually, in simple terms, means consciousness of unpollutable frequency.

A spiritual personality, which can stand impurity to the point of Infinity.  To be spiritual is not important.  To be religious is not important.  To be good is not important.  To be honest is not important. When you are honest you are good, you are truthful, you are rich, you are great, you are wise, you serve your purpose; it’s a selfish act.  What is important is that you reach a stage where nothing can pollute you, including yourself.  Because whatever you do for yourself is great, but your self can become your own enemy.  In the name of the spirituality, you can persecute people.   in the name of your one God, you can kill thousands and hundred thousands of people.  In the name of one God, you can feel you are higher than others.  That is not spirituality at all.  You can persecute and prostitute people in the name of one holy extreme infinite God and not only I am saying it, you have been doing it.  More people have been exploited, used and abused and subjected in the name of God than in the name of any other thing. This is a history.

So when Piri is used, quote: unquote.  When Piri is used to enhance the Miri. When God power is used to enhance the world power, it is a corruption. And when earthly powers are used to enhance God power, it’s a corruption. You have to understand, if there is anything which is known as sin, then this is sin. God power is God power to which earthly power will come, but when earthly power comes to God power it should be only understood that it is coming to God power and not to the earthly individual.  Therefore, the self is under the dharma.  Dharma is not under the self.  So whosoever wants to practice dharma has to subject himself under the dharma.  That is what Miri-Piri means.

Miri-Piri ka badshah, Miri-Piri’s king means I am the king of Miri-Piri when I subject my ego to my dharma.  It should be very well understood by you.  If your ego workout your dharma, your ego workout your word, your ego workout the whole universe for you, you are not doing anybody a favor or you are not doing anybody a thing.  Because you have not done the potential religious thing to safeguard and separate yourself from damaging you.  Because you can become your own enemy.

Look at the life.  You raise a son, you bring him up; at one stage of life, something happens, he becomes your enemy. There is a historical account that Guru Ram Das’ elder son wanted Guruship so bad that he insulted Guru Ram Das, his father, his Guru and his God to the point that Guru Ram Das has to sing a shabad, “oh son why you are fighting with the one who gave you birth and who gave you love?” It is something like this,  “Pitha sae kyo jagadth pooth.”

Some simple situation I am just trying to explain to you.  But I can understand the pain at that time of that divine father, that he counseled his own son and that shabad was recorded in Siri Guru Granth.  Because there will be sons and sons and sons like that.  Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  This is a totally western phrase.  And when a man of power; man of status, that is okay.  I am saying a man of life.  Life is a power.   You do not subject your power yourself under the dharma, under the motivated… What is dharma?  Motivated higher consciousness.  Let me explain to you dharma.  Dharma is a motivated higher consciousness.  When you do not talk under the higher consciousness; when you do not deal under the higher consciousness; when your motivated purpose is not to achieve the higher consciousness, you will become your own enemy.  You will be destroyed by your own deeds.  Power is not what you want.  Power is what wants you.

Miri-Piri ke badhsha. That is what Guru Hargobind has said.  Guru Hargobind has never, never, ever been explained at all.  Except Akal Takhat belongs to Guru Hargobind; Miri-Piri ke badhsha; bandhee chor; all adjectives. But nobody explained the subjectiveness of it.  If you explain the objectiveness and subjectiveness, then you will find the very basic creativity.  Adjective and subjective will give you the balanced objective of life.  Miri-Piri always were the same; shall be the same; and will continue to be the same.  Miri-Piri is never going to change, because that’s where God is.  What is above is below; what is left, is right.  That’s the law of creativity.  Are you the power?  Are you the principle? There are two words you have to understand.  If you are the power, then you are the principle; if you are the principle, you are the power.  If you subject your principle and your power to you, you shall be destroyed and you should be destroyed.  But if you put your power and your principle under your consciousness and motivate your consciousness to merge with the higher consciousness, this is called Gurmath.

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Copyright:  Library of Teachings

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