Man:
‘Man,’ G.I. Gurdjieff argued, ‘would easily concede his want of pleasure in lieu of his victimhood.’ One might wonder, what the hell? But Gurdjieff’s observation corresponds to that of many battle-hardened veterans of the religious world. After all, our minds derive a sick pleasure from a constant cry of victimization and by positing ourselves as victims. The affliction has grown radically in the past century until today it is an accredited occupation: professional victim. This is not to detract from the angst of true victims but rather to call out the charlatans who swindle good Samaritans by-in classic Punjabi parlance-sniping from the shoulders of the real victims; who rob the world by exploiting the pain of others.
The Inner Victim:
Humanity has regressed in order to avoid pain. It has forgotten that at the individual level pain awakens us and empowers us to confront life’s unpredictability. After all, our Maker never promised life would be one straight flight path. In our bid to avoid dizzying up’s and down’s we have strengthened our inner victim or more colloquially poor me. Religion emboldens the inner victim by promising afterlife, reincarnation or salvation which implies freedom from anything which can awaken the poor me. We fall for the lure straight away. Why us? Why me? Why do I deserve this? Poor me cries stingingly. Yet introspectively speaking, the inner victim is its own worst enemy. It misleads its bearer into jumping headlong into the traps of lust, wrath, obsession, fear and hubris. And then when the consequences emanate it moans.
ਦਦੈ ਦੋਸੁ ਨ ਦੇਊ ਕਿਸੈ ਦੋਸੁ ਕਰੰਮਾ ਆਪਣਿਆ ॥
ਜੋ ਮੈ ਕੀਆ ਸੋ ਮੈ ਪਾਇਆ ਦੋਸੁ ਨ ਦੀਜੈ ਅਵਰ ਜਨਾ ॥੨੧॥
“Do not blame others for the fruits of your deeds. Blame your own endeavors. Whatever you do, so you reap do not blame another.”
-Guru Granth, 432.
The inner victim cannot withstand criticism. It silences it. In order to placate it, multiple theories abound. Poor me need not worry in this life, its karma from its past life is hogging it in this life. Poor me is imperfect because humanity’s proto forefather sinned and rendered his progeny sinful and Poor me does not know better. All these, in one way or another, placate the inner victim disallowing it from learning of its own imperfectness and eventually killing itself. The striking words of Guru Nanak that it not blame others but itself are either ignored by Poor me or maliciously misinterpreted to live to fight another day.
Killing Poor Me:
Religion, spirituality, the world: all these have positioned our inner victims in a powerful state. Poor me wishes for immortality. It does not desire to cease experiencing physical pleasures. The Abrahamic faiths, unable to explain the inconvenience of death, promise it a resurrection. The Vedic faiths promulgate a return after reincarnating through 8.4 million lives. And if the cyclical effort is too excessive then there is salvation where the inner victim is lent a silent permanence in the form of cosmological sleep; a retreat from the tangible world where the inner victim is continually tempted. However in Sikhi, neither is the world made to be retreated from and nor is death temporary.
ਬੇਣੀ ਕਹੈ ਸੁਨਹੁ ਰੇ ਭਗਤਹੁ ਮਰਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਕਿਨਿ ਪਾਈ ॥੫॥
“Beni asks his fellow seekers, ‘tell me who has acquired salvation after dying?’”
-Guru Granth, 93.
The world of religion promises salvation post-death. One needs to die physically or one needs to die internally. Yet the Guru Granth challenges the necessity of such deaths by inquiring, why is death required for liberation? Why not slay the inner victim and then live life wholeheartedly as intended by our Maker. The inner victim must die first and then, if necessary, martyrdom can be embraced for a just cause. Otherwise, one should await their death and allow its eventuality to empower their daily lives while accepting its finality rather than fearing it.
ਸਬਦਿ ਮਰੈ ਤਾ ਮਾਰਿ ਮਰੁ ਭਾਗੋ ਕਿਸੁ ਪਹਿ ਜਾਉ ॥
“Those who die in the Guru’s (the truth’s) word, their very fear of death departs from them.”
-Guru Granth, 1010.
When Guru Tegh Bahadur was commanded to embrace Islam, he sarcastically inquired whether Islam would disallow him to die even once. His astounded detractors replied this was impossible. The Guru retorted than what was the use of his converting to such an obsolete creed which could not even prevent him from dying even once?
To effectively silence and finish off Poor me, acceptance of reality and humility are required.
ਪਹਿਲਾ ਮਰਣੁ ਕਬੂਲਿ ਜੀਵਣ ਕੀ ਛਡਿ ਆਸ ॥ ਹੋਹੁ ਸਭਨਾ ਕੀ ਰੇਣੁਕਾ ਤਉ ਆਉ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਪਾਸਿ ॥੧॥
“First accept the eventuality of death and then relinquish your own desire to live. Then when you become the dust of another’s feet come approach us.”
-Guru Granth, 1102.
This is of course easier said than done, but the dividends when successful are immense.
ਰਾਜੁ ਨ ਚਾਹਉ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਚਾਹਉ ਮਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਚਰਨ ਕਮਲਾਰੇ ॥
“I desire neither dominance nor salvation. All I desire is conformance with your sweet will (reality).”
-Guru Granth, 534.
And those who conform wholeheartedly to reality are able to slay their inner victim; their poor me or their base mind.
ਮਨੁ ਮਾਰੇ ਜੀਵਤ ਮਰਿ ਜਾਣੁ ॥
“Those who slay their base mind know how to live through death.”
-Guru Granth, 1343.
By slaying the inner victim one learns that to live perfectly, one is required to live as if death is their perennial companion. As if it permeates their very being ergo the reference, living through death.
ਜੀਵਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ:
Salvation is not from the world neither from the devils or infidelity within it. It is from the inner victim. True salvation is achieved while alive; not after death. After death, poor me ceases to exist yet the consequences of its fallibility drown its adherent.
ਮੂਏ ਹੂਏ ਜਉ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਦੇਹੁਗੇ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਜਾਨੈ ਕੋਇਲਾ ॥
“To offer Salvation to the dead; how would the living know about Salvation then?”
-Guru Granth, 1292.
The state of those who are under the control of their inner victim is adjudged thus:
ਜਬ ਹਮ ਹੋਤੇ ਤਬ ਤੂ ਨਾਹੀ ਅਬ ਤੂਹੀ ਮੈ ਨਾਹੀ ॥
ਅਨਲ ਅਗਮ ਜੈਸੇ ਲਹਰਿ ਮਇ ਓਦਧਿ ਜਲ ਕੇਵਲ ਜਲ ਮਾਂਹੀ ॥੧॥
ਮਾਧਵੇ ਕਿਆ ਕਹੀਐ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਐਸਾ ॥
ਜੈਸਾ ਮਾਨੀਐ ਹੋਇ ਨ ਤੈਸਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਨਰਪਤਿ ਏਕੁ ਸਿੰਘਾਸਨਿ ਸੋਇਆ ਸੁਪਨੇ ਭਇਆ ਭਿਖਾਰੀ ॥
ਅਛਤ ਰਾਜ ਬਿਛੁਰਤ ਦੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਸੋ ਗਤਿ ਭਈ ਹਮਾਰੀ ॥੨॥
ਰਾਜ ਭੁਇਅੰਗ ਪ੍ਰਸੰਗ ਜੈਸੇ ਹਹਿ ਅਬ ਕਛੁ ਮਰਮੁ ਜਨਾਇਆ ॥
ਅਨਿਕ ਕਟਕ ਜੈਸੇ ਭੂਲਿ ਪਰੇ ਅਬ ਕਹਤੇ ਕਹਨੁ ਨ ਆਇਆ ॥੩॥
ਸਰਬੇ ਏਕੁ ਅਨੇਕੈ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਸਭ ਘਟ ਭਦ਼ਗਵੈ ਸੋਈ ॥
ਕਹਿ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਹਾਥ ਪੈ ਨੇਰੈ ਸਹਜੇ ਹੋਇ ਸੁ ਹੋਈ ॥੪॥੧॥
“When we (our inner victims) are present then you (the Maker who controls reality) do not exist. Now that you are present (reality), we (poor me) do not exist. The wind raises great waves in the ocean but what is the wind raising if not water? Creator, what can I say of such elaborate phenomena? What we mistakenly believe does not even exist. It is similar to the Emperor who fell asleep while ruling from his throne and dreamt he was a beggar. His Empire was intact but he suffered in sorrow while attached to the illusion of his dream. Such is my state as well. Like ropes mistaken for serpents, the mystery has been illuminated to me. The fake jewellery I mistook for gold, now knowing my mistake I do not know what to assume. The one Maker pervades all and permeates all over Creation. Ravidas has realized that his Maker is more closer to him than his limbs. What exists, exists.”
-Guru Granth, 657-658.
As for they who have reached ਜੀਵਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ or Jivan Mukti (liberation while alive):
ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਜਾਗਿ ਰਹੇ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਈ ॥ ਜੀਵਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਗਤਿ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਪਾਈ ॥੪॥
“Internally awake and having attached themselves to reality through great effort, such are the individuals who have understood how to acquire the secret that is salvation while alive.”
-Guru Granth, 904.
When one has slain their inner victim; their poor me they have effectively become living martyrs who cultivate virtue in each and every iota of their lives. Such are the true Khalsas of Guru Nanak.
Amazing! What a beautiful explanation that completely refutes the Sikh religion Industry.
Well written