Word Of The Day : sachiaaraa

ਸਚਿਆਰਾ (sachiaaraa)
Meaning: adjective: Truthful; a true and upright man.

Quote:
ਕਿਵ ਸਚਿਆਰਾ ਹੋਈਐ   ਕਿਵ ਕੂੜੈ ਤੁਟੈ ਪਾਲਿ॥
kiv sachiaaraa ho-ee-ai   kiv kooṛai tuṭai paal.
How can one become truthful (righteous) and how can the wall of falsehood (between the self and the Supreme Self) be broken? – Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 01

Message: The first stanza of Jap Ji Sahib deals with the fundamental questions of religion, of our existence – how to become a truthful person? How to achieve internal purity and serenity of mind? How to break through the veil of falsehood, the illusion that separates us from the Divine?

The message is that no amount of physical rituals can change our conduct. To be truthful one needs to be clean in thought, word and action. Baths taken at places of pilgrimage cannot cleanse our minds. The mind cannot attain peace by quietly sitting in meditation or reciting some mantras. Neither can abundance of wealth, nor renunciation of it or fasting give us peace of mind. Nor any amount of clever talk or tricks can help us attain salvation. Such activities are of no avail in eliminating our false illusions and our egotism.

What is the solution then? All one needs to do is to live in accordance with hukam, the divine will, which is inscribed on everyone (in the form of genetic codes), revealing itself through one’s heart and intuition.

Face it, solve it if you can, or accept all that comes your way.

ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ    ਨਾਨਕ  ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ॥
Nanak! Walk in harmony with hukam which comes written with everyone (or which applies to everyone – i.e. no one is outside of it – this is how the wall of delusion is broken down, and truth, purity and peace of mind are achieved). – Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 01

Notes: The coming issue (stanza 2) will shed light on hukam. Look out for tomorrow’s issue to comprehend what this hukam is all about.

Keen to Explore Further?
Guru Nanak’s message cautions us against religious ritual, undertaken for its own sake. Religious rituals were and continue to be undertaken – in his times and our own – as a means to incur divine favour, much like a transaction or a bribe.

Such an attitude, Guru Nanak warns us, is pointless, if it is not accompanied by an inner sense of submission and surrender to the divine law (hukam). It only fosters the illusion that the divine law can be manipulated to personal ends.

To become a “sachiaar” (truthful and righteous) is a work in progress and that is what a Sikh life is all about. The hallmark of such a life is a constant awareness that our physical being is rooted in a timeless and eternal Truth that is expressed through creation – of which we are an expression.

Etymology: From Sanskrit satyakaar (truthful) [Rig Veda satyakarman ‘whose deeds are true’] → Sindhi sachaaru, Lahndi sachaar, andPunjabi sachiaar (a true and upright man).

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