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Now, before we go any further, let’s do a quick check. Try to write one line of Bani and its meanings without looking at a Pothi (Prayer book), your phone or any other resource. We’re serious, take some time right now to try this - it’s harder than it looks/sounds/seems. Most of us have been listening or reading Nitnem/Gurbani for years, but still won’t be able to write even one line of Gurbani with all the ਲਗਾਂ (siharees, unkars and all).
After you’ve really scrutinized yourself and assessed how much attention we’re really paying to each character that Guru Ji describes as their very limbs, let’s delve into the first benefit of Shudh Ucharan.
How many of us often have trouble concentrating and controlling our mind while reading Gurbani? If you had a hard time writing Gurbani with all its ਲਗਾਂ (characters), it means that without forcing ourselves to pronounce all the characters, we’re sort of just glancing over Bani, without actually embedding its full form into our hearts. So how can we bear the fruits of Bani without properly planting it into our souls? This coincides exactly with Bhai Gurdas Ji’s writings:
As stated before and throughout Gurbani, the vision of the Guru is their very Bani:
ਗੁਰ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੁ ਹੈ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਮਸਰਿ ਪਰਵਾਣਾ। ਵਾਰ ੩੨ ਪਉੜੀ ੨ ਪੰ. ੫
One should accept the Guru’s image as being equivalent to seeing the Guru’s Shabads (Bani) and/or their congregation. (Vaar 32, Pauri 2, Panth Prakaash)
If after years of reading Bani, we’re still unable to write it with ALL its characters without referring to some resource, we haven’t really immersed ourselves into the complete image/form of Bani have we? And as ordained by Bhai Gurdas Ji, without (ਸਮਾਈਐ) immersing ourselves fully into the (ਗੁਰ ਦਰਸ) vision of the Guru, we can never experience the concentration and control of the mind that we’ve been longing for. One may find that they’ll be reading Bani, but actually thinking about their 5 o’clock meeting or some other unrelated topic.
But fear not!
ਵੈਦਾ ਵੈਦੁ ਸੁਵੈਦੁ ਤੂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਰੋਗੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥
O physician, you are a competent physician, if you first diagnose the disease.
ਐਸਾ ਦਾਰੂ ਲੋੜਿ ਲਹੁ ਜਿਤੁ ਵੰਞੈ ਰੋਗਾ ਘਾਣਿ ॥ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੧੨੭੯
Prescribe such a remedy, by which all sorts of illnesses may be cured. (SGGS Ji, Ang 1279)
Namely, if we focus on implementing Shudh Ucharan everytime we read Bani - if we start pronouncing all characters with their distinct/proper sounds, stop skipping over ‘silent’ or ‘small’ characters and apply all the correct pauses while reading, we’ll start to transfix each and every letter, character and punctuation of Bani within our hearts. We’ll finally engross ourselves in the full form/image of Bani and you’ll find that the fight against the mind will get exponentially easier!
That blessed, divine, indescribable ambrosial nectar:
ਸੁਰਿ ਨਰ ਮੁਨਿ ਜਨ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਖੋਜਦੇ ਸੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੯੧
The same one that even demi-gods, angelic beings and everything else incessantly longs for. It’s actually so much closer than we may think! All we have to do is take the support of the Guru. Again, we cannot overstate this enough:
ਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਧਿਆਨੁ ॥ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੮੬੪
Meditate on the image of the Guru within your mind. (SGGS Ji, Ang 864)
Guru Sahib is telling us time and time again to immerse their vision - they’re Bani - within ourselves. Why? Because when we plant these celestic characters deep within our mind, heart and soul, they help us experience the true bliss of the ambrosial nectar we are yearning for.
Let’s step back and really try to understand this concept. Gurbani tells us that the ambrosial nectar we yearn for is located deep within every heart:
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਖੂਹਟਾ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਭਰਿਆ ਸਬਦੇ ਕਾਢਿ ਪੀਐ ਪਨਿਹਾਰੀ ॥ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੫੭੦
Deep within our hearts exists a well overflowing with the Lord’s Ambrosial Nectar; the water-carrier [metaphorically representing the Gursikhs acting according to the Guru’s wishes] draws and drinks this nectar using [the metaphorical string bucket] of the Shabad. (SGGS Ji, Ang 570)
So these shabads are the conduit with which we obtain this nectar. Each character of these shabads helps form the metaphorical string-bucket we need to use to draw up the nectar. But if we’re mispronouncing the shabads and skipping or overlooking characters, we’re essentially leaving holes and imperfections in our bucket. And if we’re not embedding these shabads into our hearts (i.e., memorizing their spellings, meanings and implementing them in our lives), we’re leaving the bucket far away from our hearts where they’re actually needed.
But now the good news! The more we fix our ucharan (pronunciation), the easier it becomes to embed each character of these shabads within ourselves. We’ll start to see these shabads in their full forms, and better understand their meanings. They’ll work to uplift the nectar inside us. Through the image of these shabads, we’ll finally experience the bliss of the ambrosial nectar that has alluded many for so long.
This phenomenon is referenced throughout Gurbani and is just one of the many benefits of Shudh Ucharan:
ਓੁਇ ਸੁਖ ਕਾ ਸਿਉ ਬਰਨਿ ਸੁਨਾਵਤ ॥
Who can I tell, and with whom can I speak, about this state of peace and bliss?
ਅਨਦ ਬਿਨੋਦ ਪੇਖਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਦਰਸਨ ਮਨਿ ਮੰਗਲ ਗੁਨ ਗਾਵਤ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
I am in ecstasy and delight, gazing upon the Blessed Vision of God’s Darshan. My mind sings His Songs of Joy and His Glories. ||1||Pause||
ਬਿਸਮ ਭਈ ਪੇਖਿ ਬਿਸਮਾਦੀ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹੇ ਕਿਰਪਾਵਤ ॥
I am wonderstruck, gazing upon the Wondrous Lord. The Merciful Lord is All-pervading everywhere.
ਪੀਓ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਮੋਲਕ ਜਿਉ ਚਾਖਿ ਗੂੰਗਾ ਮੁਸਕਾਵਤ॥੧॥ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੧੨੦੫
I drink in the Invaluable Ambrosial Nectar of the Lord. Like the mute, I can only smile - I cannot speak of its flavor. ||1|| (SGGS Ji, Ang 1205)
ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਦ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਗਾ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੀ ਸਾਦੁ ਆਇਆ ॥
The Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam is always sweet to me; through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, I come to taste it.
ਸਚੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਸਹਜਿ ਸਮਾਣੀ ਹਰਿ ਜੀਉ ਮਨਿ ਵਸਾਇਆ ॥੧॥ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੫੫੯
Through the True Word of the Guru’s Bani, I am merged in peace and poise; the Dear Lord is enshrined in the mind. ||1|| (SGGS Ji, Ang 559)
The last point we want to touch on is the vision of Guru Sahib. Everyone wants to see the physical form of God in their eyes. How can we obtain this? You guessed it. The Guru’s edicts are themselves the form of the Guru.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਬਚਨ ਬਚਨ ਹੈ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪਾਧਰੁ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਜਨਾਵੈਗੋ ॥੫॥
ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ : ਅੰਗ ੧੩੦੯
The True Guru is the Word, and the Word is the True Guru, who teaches the Path of Liberation. ||5|| (SGGS Ji, Ang 1309)
In another instance at Nabhaa Sahib, Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji starts questioning everyone with them as to “which one of you wrote Bani over all 4 walls?” Everyone looked at Sant Ji perplexed and informed them that no Bani was actually written on the walls. But this very literally highlights the state of mind that one develops when they fully commit themselves to Bani.
In fact, you are not only blessed with the sight of Bani all around you while doing your daily tasks, but even during sleep, these individuals are rewarded with obtaining the blessed vision of Bani throughout their dreams. Even their sleeping turns into a form of meditation!
