ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮੁ (preetam)
Meaning: noun: Beloved, but here, a lover, a keen devotee, who longs for the vision of the Divine.
Quote:
ਦਰ ਦਰਸਨ ਕਾ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੈ ਕਰੈ ਕਿਆ॥
dar darsan kaa preetam hovai mukat baikuňṭhai karai kiaa.
What use is salvation or paradise to one, who longs for the vision of the court of the Divine? – Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 360
Message: The greater our ambition, the higher the goal we set for ourselves. In seeking closeness or intimacy with the Divine – the Beloved – should we be looking for His place of abode – heaven – or a personal relationship with Him?
When the mind is imbued with divine love and remains absorbed in divine wisdom, the concept of salvation and heaven is too remote to be of importance. Where a personal devotion to the Divine teaches us the Truth through His grace, why would we be looking elsewhere?
A beloved of the Divine, a devotee, is in heaven, immersed in divine love and wisdom.
Etymology: From Sanskrit priyatam (dearest, beloved).
Summary of the Week:
Every religion believes in its own version of heaven. An understanding of this term is based on the beliefs of that religion.
Sikhs believe in the one formless and all-pervading Creator. They believe that the Creator dwells in His creation. The abode of the Creator then cannot be on any far away plane.
A seeker who follows the wisdom of Gurbani to be closer to the Divine and who is conscious of and feels the presence and love of the Divine in one’s life is in heaven.
Where there is a vision of the Divine; where there is faith and devotion; where Divine praises are sung in the congregation there is heaven.
We all have an equal opportunity to experience this heaven.
ਸੁਰਗ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਸਭਿ ਬਾਂਛਹਿ ਨਿਤਿ ਆਸਾ ਆਸ ਕਰੀਜੈ॥
ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨ ਕੇ ਜਨ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਮਾਂਗਹਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਦਰਸਨ ਤ੍ਰਿਪਤਿ ਮਨੁ ਧੀਜੈ॥
All wish for paradise, heaven, and salvation, and desire them in their minds every day. Those, who long for the vision of the Divine, do not ask for salvation; their minds are satisfied and comforted only by the divine vision. – Guru Ram Das, Guru Granth Sahib,1324
