Meaning of Jap(u) Ji in brief
How can the ever increasing chasm between God & man be bridged ? This can be achieved by following the Divine Orders obediently & developing one's temprament in harmony with Lord's character . If a son remains obedient to his father , it will remove all differences between them .
This gap cannot be removed by giving alms , bathing at places of pilgrimage or by the process of exercising control over breathing ( step 1 to 7 )
What is the method of following Divine Order ?
When a person obeys Guru's command increasingly & worships Lord , he starts experiencing a strange sweetness in His Will . There fore in order to follow His will & Order , a person has to absorb himself attentively in singing Lord's glory . This absorption or attention should be such that his mind gets enamoured in Lord's love & would not like to come out of this state of mind ( 8-15 ) .
The result of this attentiveness is not that a person be able to know the secrets of His creation . He is limitless & so is His creation . Engrossing or absorbing in Lord's glory will result in absolute obedience of His will ( 16-27 ).
As the ideology of charity , bathing at places of pilgrims of the Upanishads & breathing exercises are incapable of removing this yawning gap between a man & the God , similarly , the earings or the patched quilts worn by ascetics are not capable of bridging the gap either . Meditation or worshipping is the only means to reducing this distance ( one who is remembered becomes more lovable ) . Through love tempraments also become alike .
When the Lord bestows His grace , a person mediates on God selflessly . This is the only means of bridging the gap ( step 28-33 ) .
With the Lord's blessings , a person first rises above mundane life & percieves his ultimate aim of coming into the world . For fulfilment of what duties he has been sent ? When he acquires this realisation , then he comes out of the bond of attachments of the family & precieves the whole world as Lord's big family , he then strives to serve this big family . As the service of humanity enlarges his vision & perception of God , his ego reduces & he becomes a man of service to His creation . The door of Lord's creation opens upon him & he becomes no different than Him . As the gold ingot bears the heat in a crucible & strokes on the anvil , similarly a man has to mould or structure his mind into True Mind by meditation . What is that Mind ? Self-control , patience , intellegence , knowledge , reverential fear , hard work & love . It means that a person should first develop noble character , tolerance of others , give up idiosyncracies , inculcate high & broad thinking & fear of Almighty in his heart . He should work hard , serve the mankind & hold love & affection for the humanity in his heart . People enunciated in the last cantos as under :
The world is an ampitheatre in which each & every person is playing his predetermined role . Actions of every individual are keenly observed . those who indulge in the game of mammon , created a distance between God & themselves . But those who played the game of meditation , their efforts became fruitful . By guiding others on this true path , they themselves became triumphtant & honourabely aquitted in the court of the Lord .
Some Question-Answers Regarding Jap(u) Ji
Question : Why is this sacred composition called Jap(u) ?Why has Guru Arjan Sahib placed it in the beginning of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ? Why should this be recited daily ?
Answer: In the very first Pauri of this composition , a question has been raised as to how the
separation of a man from God may be removed . The answer that has been given is that by living according to God's will, this gap or difference can be eradicated. How could Lord's will be accepted happily? The answer is meditation. If a person gets engrossed in Lord's worship, He bestows increasing love upon him due to which all his actions find ready acceptance in his heart. Lord's actions are then considered sweet by him. Thus meditation or perpetual rememberance of the Lord is the only method of bringing down the wall of separation between man & God . The main theme of the composition revolves around the fact that no amount of charity , pilgrims , breathing exercises , wearing of externalities & observance of rituals can unite a man with the Lord Divine . It also throws up views on the last knwon subject of the creation of the Universe , Jog mat & other cults . The composition categorically suggest meditation on His name as the only means of God realisation . the composition elucidates the subject of meditation . Therefore it has been named as 'Jap(u)'
