It is only when his time comes that he may join the company of the holy and then he gets a glimpse of his light, within. ManвЂ™s desires are limitless as his cravings are beyond appeasement. In canto eleven the Guru tells us that the meek and the humble win GodвЂ™s love, while the haughty and the vain find no peace or joy. ManвЂ™s powers are limited the more he knows, the less he knows.

How the conceited men blindly follow their basic nature, while the seekers and seers who win GodвЂ™s grace, attain the goal of thIs life. In canto nine, Guru Arjan defines the various types of holy persons like the Pandit, Vaishnav, Bhagwati and touch-me-not, of these the best is the Jivanmuki, the liberated one who has acquired immortality while still alive.Д¬anto ten deals with the various types of people and substances, both good and bad. He is the refuge of the forsaken and the lost whom he accepts and treats like the members of his family. He offers help and support to all without any inhibition. He is kind, patient, humble and care-free. Similarly an appreciation of the God-oriented man-the Brahm-giani-is found in canto eight. Joining their company brings hope and peace, they never turn any one away empty-handed. Should we not thank the Lord for all His gifts by singing of His glory?Д¬anto seven dwells on the attributes of the saints: their self control, their love and compassion, their solicitude for the welfare of other people. Man should compare himself to the less fortunate.Д¬anto six examples GodвЂ™s gifts to man: a healthy body, delicacies to eat, silks and jewels to wear and pleasant music to hear. In canto five, we learn to thank God for all his various gifts and treasures which He gives us.

Give up greed in all its forms and remember that all worldly things come to an end. Learning and cleverness can not hide a filthy mind. Meditation and nobility of conduct can provide a passport to the Divine Court.Д¬anto four stresses the need for good behavior, Man is a thinking animal and should think ahead to consequences of his actions. In the third canto, the Guru states that any study of holy texts, the performance of austerities and various religious practices as giving away much in charity, cannot compare with the benefits obtainable by reading or listening to the Sacred Word. He comes to inner peace and spiritual joy. It also provides an escape from the hardships of life. The second canto tells us that practising holiness reduces manвЂ™s propensity to sin. Such people find the inner strength to devote themselves to the public good and develop the endurance to overcome all worldly obstacles. It tells that all physical pain and sorrow may vanish through the sincere remembrance of GodвЂ™s Holy Name and that man becomes physically healthy and morally strong. The first canto sums up the benefits of contemplation and meditation. Let us now examine the thought and contents of each canto briefly. The stave of each canto gives the gist of the stanzas that follow. There is also the unity of theme: the perfection of man mentally. Each stanza has ten lines, that is five couplets. There are 24 cantos, each containing 8 stanzas. It has 24 staves (Salokas), one of which begins each canto. By and by, he memorised the text and became a healthy and happy man. Wazir Khan then engaged a Sikh to recite this to him every day. When he met Guru Arjan, the latter told him to listen to a recitation of the Sukhmani Sahib daily, to gain inner peace. As Baba Buddha pressed his stomach, his condition became normal. He came to Amritsar for treatment and also visited the Harmandar Sahib. it is reported that Wazir Khaq, the Governor of Lahore, whose real name was Hakim Alleem-ud-din Ansari, was suffering form a chronic stomach disease. The word вЂSukhmaniвЂ™ means the psalm of equipoise or jewel of bliss.

It is said that he wrote it in response to request from a devotee who was suffering form physical pain and mental anguish it restored him to calm and health. The Sukhmani is probably the greatest composition of Guru Arjan.

Sukhmani sahib path duration