Deh Shiva bar mohe ihai (The Spiritual Battle Within)
Verse: Deh Shiva bar mohe ihai
देह शिवा बर मोहे ईहे, शुभ कर्मन ते कभुं न टरूं न डरौं अरि सौं जब जाय लड़ौं, निश्चय कर अपनी जीत करौं, अरु सिख हों आपने ही मन कौ इह लालच हउ गुन तउ उचरों, जब आव की अउध निदान बनै अति ही रन मै तब जूझ मरों ॥२३१॥
~ गुरु गोबिंद सिंह
Deh shiva bar mohe ihe, shubh karman te kabhu na tarun Na darun ari sau jab jaay ladun, nischay kar apni jeet karun Aru sikh hon apne hi man kau ih lalach hau gun tau ucharun Jab aav ki audh nidaan banai ati hi ran mai tab joojh marun.
~ Guru Govind Singh
English Translation
O Akaal, give me this boon May I never ever shirk from doing good deeds. That I shall not fear when I go into combat. And with determination, I will be victorious. That I may teach myself this greed alone, to speak only of Thy (almighty lord Waheguru) praises. And when the last days of my life come, I may die in the might of the battlefield.
~ Guru Gobind Singh
Questioner: With reference to the above verse, I request you to elaborate on its significance in today's world, as I have always encountered this verse being used as a battle anthem. But it appears to me that battles are not gross in our day-to-day life. Then how to live a life in the light of these beautiful verses of Guruji and Sahab?
Acharya Prashant: Subh karma, ari sau jab jaay ladun, sikh hon, gun tau ucharun, ati hi ran mai tab joojh marun — all these refer to the same one, the same thing. And when you see that, obviously the Guru is talking of just one, because he is devoted to just one. Then you realize what he is advising with respect to your day-to-day practical life.
He says, "Deh shiva bar mohe ihe, shubh karman te kabhu na tarun.” So, he is asking the Akal Purak, the Lord, the God. He is asking Shiva that he should never deviate from the path of auspicious deeds. This in itself is a total and complete prayer. But fortunately for us, there is more, and that helps deepen the understanding of the seeker.
What has Guru Gobind Singh asked for? Auspicious deeds. And he says, "I want nothing else. “Deh shiva bar mohe ihe.” This, only this, nothing else do I want. I should be committed to the good, I should be committed to good deeds, auspicious deeds."
Then he further says, "Na darun ari sau jab jaay ladun.” So, now you know what those auspicious deeds are. Now, those auspicious deeds are being talked of in other words. Now, you are being given another angle to look at those auspicious deeds from. Now, you are being given another way to understand what those auspicious deeds are. What are those auspicious deeds? The auspicious deed is to not to be afraid of the enemy when you are in the middle of the fight.
“Na darun ari sau jab jaay ladun.” Ari means the enemy. Which battle is he talking about? He is talking of the inner battle.
The ego-sense wants to reach the Truth, Shiva, but is being misled, blocked, bewitched by Prakriti.
That is the battle. That inner battle can sometimes manifest as a worldly battle as well. But in essence, even the worldly battle is an inner battle.
Do you see what the battle looks like? There is the ego-sense, it is being called by the Truth, but it is being mesmerized, enthralled, or being violently stopped by the forces of Prakriti, Maya, the world. This is the battle. The I-sense, the ego, is embattled. On one hand is love, on the other hand is conditioning.
This same inner battle can outwardly happen in a laboratory, in a battlefield, in a legislative assembly, in a household, in a classroom, in the streets, in a hospital, in a temple, anywhere. But irrespective of where that outwardly battle apparently happens, it is essentially an inner battle in which the ego is poised between Truth and Maya.
Are you getting it?
Truth enlightens, so it is attractive. Maya enthrals, so it is sometimes even more attractive. Where to go — that is the battle.
Outwardly, it may happen that sometimes, not always, you have to fight a physical enemy for the sake of your true love. That too is essentially the same inner battle.
The one who is steadfastly fighting the inner battle is as much of a warrior as the one who is shedding blood in an external battlefield. Both must be equally praised for their courage and valour. But it is just that when we see blood being spilled, it is a little more spectacular, we feel a little more reverence. But the outer warrior and the inner warrior are in the same dimension.
Anybody who is fighting the force of Maya is a warrior.
So, Guru Gobind Singh says, "Na darun ari sau jab jaay ladun.” The enemy is big and severe, and fear appears so natural. Fear must not be natural, because fear is not your nature. Nischay kar apni jeet karon. Be determined, fight it out. Your victory lies not in the outcome, but in the fight. Victory is not the upshot of the battle, victory is the essence of the battle. There is a great difference, you must understand.
Prakriti programs you to look only at the upshots, the results. Are you getting it? You tried hard, you did not get the fruit. As an ape, you are trying hard and you did not get the fruit, you will sleep on an empty stomach, right? And your condition would be no better than another ape who is sleeping on an empty stomach because he did not try at all. Prakriti knows only results. Prakriti respects only results.
Are you getting it?
There is a fire. Both the saint and the sinner would die because Prakriti is material, and material does not care for enlightenment. The result would be the same, the material result would be the same in case of a fire. Are you getting it? In a spiritual battle, it is not the result that counts, it is the battle that counts. The battle is the victory. To fight is to be victorious.
But if you look for an ultimate victory, as sometimes those people who look for some ultimate event called enlightenment, then you are just playing by Prakriti's rules. You have walked straight into the trap. It is Prakriti that teaches you to go for one final result, aim it and get it. And if you are targeting enlightenment, then you are actually targeting to live by an unenlightened Prakriti, because it is she who is teaching you to live by accomplishments. Are you getting it? Just fight. That is the "jeet" that the Guru is talking of.
“Aru sikh hon apne hi man kau ih lalach hau gun tau ucharun.” And I know that my mind is desirous of something. Feeling incomplete, it seeks something. I will be a good student and teach my mind that only one greed is acceptable — the greed towards Truth. I will keep forever reciting the name of God. I will be attached to His name, and that is the only worthwhile attachment.
You see, in this battle I am facing something impossible. I am fighting because I am body-identified. Had I not been body-identified, there would have been no need for any kind of spiritual practice or seeking. And because I am body-identified, I feel incompleteness, I feel attraction, I feel attachment, I feel greed, aversion, all these things. So, what do I do?
Here is a great method: target all your impulses towards God. If you have greed, be greedy towards God. If you have anger, be angry at not getting God. If you are attached, be attached to the Truth. Target whatever you have towards Him. Use whatever you have towards Him. If you can sing, sing of Him. If you can run, run for Him. If you are given to thinking, try thinking of Him. If you are so emotional, turn your emotions towards Him.
“Jab aav ki audh nidaan banai ati hi ran mai tab joojh marun.”
And when the time has come, then I should gladly disappear in both ways. Neither should I be afraid of physical death, nor should I be afraid of dissolution into You when the opportunity comes. Just as it is important that the warrior in the physical battlefield is not afraid of physical death, it is equally important that the warrior in the spiritual battlefield is not afraid of dissolution when it comes. That is your last test. That is what the enemy measures you on: "All right, you are a very skilled fighter, but can you remain unflinching in the face of death?" That is what would be asked of you.
Similarly, in your spiritual pursuit you would be asked, "All right, you have a very dedicated ego, it is prepared to give up everything. Finally, is it prepared to give up itself? And if it cannot give itself up, what is the point in other austerities? You are giving so much to the Lord, you say you are submitted, but you are constantly failing the last test. And the last test is to give yourself up, just as the last test for the physical warrior is to lay down his life. When on the physical battlefield, do not hesitate to lay down your life. And in the spiritual field, do not hesitate to lay down your ego. And both are one, both are one.
The physical warrior cannot lay down his life willingly if his ego is not fully dedicated to a noble cause. And the spiritual warrior cannot let his ego dissolve if he is very mindful of the body. The spiritual warrior must be prepared to give up the body. The physical warrior must be egoless to give up the body. Both are one. The world is a battlefield, we all are embattled. A spiritual practice is to fight well.
Questioner: Acharya Ji, as I see, the mind is not designed to go towards the Lord. then how can I make it go to lord?
Acharya Prashant: There is the mind, and there is Shubhankar as well, right? The mind is designed to do something. You have a choice in going along with the mind or not. There is the mind, and then there is you. Do you find it necessary to comply? You do, but it is not necessary, and therein lies hope.
Listener: You mentioned that the physical death and the spiritual death both are required. But usually we nowadays see that there have been such instances where people are ready for their physical death, but that will not necessarily mean the spiritual death. And somehow also we revert to the things that the Sikh Gurus have done and the disciples. But is it right to assume that it was all done with a spiritual...
Acharya Prashant: The battle is essentially internal. Remember that the battle is essentially internal. Outside you only have its manifestations. We said the manifestation could be in a laboratory, in a house, in a temple, in the street, or in a battlefield. So whatever you are doing and wherever you are doing it, the real thing is internal, and therefore it has to be won internally only.
What is certain is that if the manifestation is external, and you are afraid of losing physical life, that surely means you are losing the battle. However, it does not mean that in the external battle, if you are prepared to lay down your life, you are necessarily winning the inner battle. Please understand this.
A reluctance to lay down life is a sure-shot indicator of the presence of an ignorant ego. But an eagerness to lay down life is not a sure-shot indicator of a surrendered ego. So do not get confused. It has to be understood like this: a real spiritual warrior would be prepared to lay down his life. However, that does not mean that everybody who is prepared to lay down his life is a spiritual warrior. Is that clear?
Listener: Acharya Ji, when we talk of terrorism, and terrorism is specifically talked of in terms of a kind of religious war, at the same time it appears as if, even though they are prepared to lay down their life, they say that they are warriors of God. But at the same time, the ego-inflating business is going.
Acharya Prashant: It is a battle against ignorance. We said the real battle is essentially internal, and internally it is a battle against ignorance. Another name for Maya is Agyan ignorance, Avidya. Ignorance on one hand, clarity on the other. The Truth is Bodhswaroop. On one hand is clarity, on the other hand is Agyan, Avidya, right?
So in the battle you are against ignorance. Whereas if you are fighting propelled by ignorance, then obviously it is not a spiritual battle. If you are talking of many people who are motivated by false ideals, take to the battlefield, cause the death of others and their own death, then you have to ask: are they motivated by light or by ignorance? What is there? central inspiration. Where are they coming from?
The spiritual warrior is fighting against ignorance. He is not fighting as an ignorant one. Whereas these people that you are talking of, who cause bloodshed in the name of religion etc. — you have to ask: are they fighting as soldiers of clarity, or are they fighting motivated by just ignorance? Do they really understand, or are they just enthusiastic and energetic?
You have to go to one of those young people and check what their real inspiration is. Is it clarity, or is it some kind of hazy ideal? If the inspiration is coming from lucidity, the great clear Truth, then he is indeed a spiritual warrior. But if the motivation is coming from some random story or some hackneyed ideal, then he is not a warrior against darkness, then he is a soldier of darkness. He has no clarity, therefore what is he fighting against? He is fighting against light actually.
Check his clarity. Check out whether he is clear about what he is doing. He has passion, but does he have clarity? That is the thing to check out. Mere passion is not sufficient.
