People’s addiction to the luxuries of life, to the freedom of movement, to the latitude of indulgence has made it hard for them to adapt to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The post COVID-19 stage will be still more challenging for those who cannot come to terms to living in moderation. Going to extremes are not supported by a spiritual framework. Satguru Kabir Saheb taught us : “
Ati ka bhalaa na bolnaa, ati ka bhali na cchup Ati ka bhalaa na barasnaa, ati ka bhali na dhoop”
Meaning, it is not good to talk too much, neither is it good to be overly quiet; just like neither too much rain (causing floods) nor too much sunshine (causing droughts) is good. Many other doctrines also preach the middle path. Unless we change our outlook on our way of life, we will be caught in a spiral of extremes, shattering us from bad to worse.
Our desires can easily be the cause of our spiritual downfall. We need just enough to sustain ourselves so that we can use this human body for the purpose it was meant. We are already in a foreign land, imprisoned by our previous karma. If we add more shackles to our sentence, we cannot blame anyone else for our prolonged detention.
“Bandi manaawe te phal paawe, bandi diyaa so leye Kahein Kabir so oobare, nisoovaasar naamahi leye”
If the prisoner earnestly wishes for the fruits of his actions, he becomes the victim of further violations, leading him to longer sentencing. Kabir says : he, who day and night, remembers the name (of God) will be liberated. After going through such a pandemic, we should all learn our lesson : we should do our actions, the right ones, and not have any expectations. Expecting the results of our actions is in itself an action, which Satguru Kabir Saheb tells us will drive us in further bondage. Liberation is not an expectation, but a natural outcome based on what we do. Attachment to the outcome is what we should not do. Remembering the name (Naam) does not mean that we have to orally chant the name 24/7. It means that we must acknowledge who we are and connect with God’s consciousness. Because people keep building up desires one after the other, they drag themselves further away from their goal.
Let’s not be tricked, let’s connect to His network. And remain connected.
Mahant Jay Jaggessur, Kabir Association of Toronto
