I have always believed that God
should be worshiped thru Love .... not fear.
God is not some frightening cruel
being, ready and waiting to revenge or punish for every mistake we make.
The ultimate reward of devotion is
"Moksha" which means liberation... free from the fear of sufferings
and death.
The old Hindu scriptures is full of
many such stories where God, when pleased with the devotion of the sages &
Bhaktas, gave them the boon of "Abhaya Daan" and "Abheeh"
(to be free from fear).
Similarly, Gurubani also says:
"Bhaya kaahoo ko dait nahin, nahi
bhaya maanat Aan
Kahu Nanak sun re
manaa, Giani Tahi bakhaan"
(9th Guru Teg
Bahadur ji)
भय काहू को देत नहीं, नहि भय मानत आन
कहु नानक सुन रे मना ज्ञानी ताहि बखान (म: 9 )
"One who does not frighten
anyone, nor is afraid of anyone (or anything)
Listen O' mind, says Nanak,
consider them spiritually wise."
There is no need to be afraid of
God. Devotion out of fear or greed is not a real devotion.
But every time I say this, some
people start quoting another popular verse from the Gurubani:
"Bhaya binu Bhakti na hovayi,
Naam na lagay Pyaar"
"भय बिनु भक्ति न होवई, नाम न लगै प्यार "
(without the fear of God, one can
neither have devotion, nor the love for His name.)
Both these verses are from Gurubani
and sound contradictory.
But then again, they may not be.
Perhaps the Gurus give different
upadesh to different people, according to their need and understanding.
As Shehanshaah ji used to say "I want people to listen to me, to understand me. So I am willing to tell them in their own way.... whichever way they want to understand it."
As Shehanshaah ji used to say "I want people to listen to me, to understand me. So I am willing to tell them in their own way.... whichever way they want to understand it."
It's like some people, by nature,
like to drive within the speed limit, while others may stay within the limit
only if they see a cop nearby........ for the fear of getting a ticket.
I guess, the devotion thru
"love for God or fear of God" could also be an individual choice.
‘Rajan Sachdeva’
Dhan Nirankar ji.
ReplyDeleteIn my understanding both the verses have different meaning and they do not contradict;
"Bhaya kaahoo ko dait nahin, nahi bhaya maanat Aan
Kahu Nanak sun re manaa, Giani Tahi bakhaan"
I think this is meant for the fear of unknown or the fear arising from the worldly things. A spiritual being does not fear anything as he is always relying on the will of God.
On the other hand, 'bhaya bin bhagti na hoyee ram' is also true as that fear is not a scary one but it is the outcome of love. If we love someone deeply then we would automaticaly not do anything against the wishes of the beloved and would never want our love to decrease. When a gursikh's mind is attached with Nirankar, that gursikh will become more cautious of his actions because his actions will directly affect his (bliss)connection with Nirankar.So that kind of fear is healthy for a gursikh who is connected.
Humbly.... In your holy feet