A Tale of Two Masters
Guru Hargobind, revered as the sixth Nanak, was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion founded by Guru Nanak. Even though a saint, Guru Hargobind had taken to martial ways to create a will of resistance among his people to enable them to stand up to the tyranny and oppression of the Mughal empire that held sway on the Indian subcontinent.
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After the martyrdom of his father Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind was enthroned as the next Guru. At the time of his coronation, the traditional symbols of holiness – saili (a woollen cord belt signifying spiritual power), topi (cap), etc. – were brought. Guru Hargobind put them aside with great respect and declared, “My saili shall be a sword belt and I shall wear my turban with a royal aigrette.” He asked for two swords to be donned on him. The wearing of two swords was a departure from tradition since the preceding Gurus only wore the salli. One sword symbolized the concept of miri (derived from the Persian word amir which means lord signifying temporal authority) and the second symbolized the concept of Piri (derived from the Persian word pir which means saint signifying spiritual authority).
From Dr Satish K Kapoor’s article – Equipoise: Keynote of Miri-Piri
Equipoise is the keynote of miri-piri. It is living in the blazing consciousness of one’s higher self and, at the same time, working with zeal and purpose on the material plane. From equipoise comes balance and harmony in life. Miri-piri symbolizes the amalgam of power and devotion, of royalty and humility. When the inner awakening born of piri reflects in one’s actions, miri becomes the outer aspect of Truth. The illumined soul makes history by lacing worldly activity with spiritual values.
The revered Guru met the Maratha saint, Swami Samarth Ramdas, during his rambles in Northern India. Swami Samarth Ramdas was himself a powerful spiritual Master who would later go on to instruct Chatrapati Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire, who also fought against the Mughal empire.
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Fully armed, riding a horse with a full retinue of soldiers with him, the Guru was returning from a hunting excursion when he encountered Swami Samarth Ramdas. The discourse that followed further elaborates on this concept of miri and piri.
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Swami Samarth Ramdas, “I heard that you have occupied the gaddi (seat) of Guru Nanak.”
He continued, “Guru Nanak was a renunciate – a saint who had renounced the world. You are wearing arms, keeping an army and riding horses. You allow yourself to be addressed as Sacha Padshah (the true emperor). What sort of a saint are you?” asked the Maratha saint.
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Guru Hargobind replied eloquently in verse,
“Batan faqiri, Zahir amiri“
A renunciate inside, a royal outside.
“Shastar garib ki rakhya, Jarwan ki bhakhiya“
Arms to protect the poor and destroy the tyrant
“Baba Nanak sansar nahi tyagya, Maya tyagi thi“
Guru Nanak did not renounce the world, He renounced Maya
These words of Guru Hargobind found a ready response in the heart of Swami Samarth Ramdas. He spontaneously replied, “Yeh hamare man ko bhaata hai” (This appeals to my mind).
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I love this response and the story because it expresses, in a nutshell, Mohanji’s philosophy of practical spirituality. Being spiritual is not an escape mechanism to detach from the world. Far from it. You involve yourself even more deeply with the world adding as much value as possible while, at the same time, working equally hard to lead your life based on the highest principles.
One aspect of that is also experiencing life fully without censure. Many people express surprise or disapproval at Mohanji expressing his individuality – whether dressing flamboyantly in non-spiritual apparel, riding bikes, participating in adventure sports or doing things that don’t fit their “mental mould” of a spiritual Master. They fail to connect to him because they are unable to get past the external. Or actually their internal mental frames of how a Master is supposed to look and behave. It is entirely their loss. Because it does not bother him the least bit. Quite to the contrary, I feel that it serves the purpose of keeping out those with a rigid outlook who won’t benefit from a Master whose basic teaching is to break through all mental frames.
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Those who have “eyes” will see. For the rest, it is aptly said in the Bible,
God has given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.
They are left to bide their time searching futilely in the unreal world of illusions until dealt a second chance. Unfortunately, the rarest of the rare.
