Characteristics of Kaljug
The way of Kaljug is very strange and is totally opposite of what Dharam preaches. In Kaljug, saints are slandered and scoundrels are worshipped; fools are considered to be wise and wise are derided as fools; poison is consumed as if it is Amrit and Amrit is loathed as poison; and so on.
ਸਲੋਕ ਮ:੨ ॥
ਨਾਉ ਫਕੀਰੈ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੁ ਮੂਰਖ ਪੰਡਿਤੁ ਨਾਉ ॥
ਅੰਧੇ ਕਾ ਨਾਉ ਪਾਰਖੂ ਏਵੈ ਕਰੇ ਗੁਆਉ ॥
ਇਲਤਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਉ ਚਉਧਰੀ ਕੂੜੀ ਪੂਰੇ ਥਾਉ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਕਲਿ ਕਾ ਏਹੁ ਨਿਆਉ ॥੧॥
1. Poor person is called King and foolish person is called scholar.
2. Blind person is called a seer, this is the nonsense people talk.
3. Mischievous one is called leader and a dishonest woman takes prime spot (everywhere).
4. Through Guru's teachings one realizes that such is the justice in Kaljug.
At another place in Gurbani, a very interesting account of Kaljug is written:
ਖੋਟੇ ਕਉ ਖਰਾ ਕਹੈ ਖਰੇ ਸਾਰ ਨ ਜਾਣੈ ॥ ਅੰਧੇ ਕਾ ਨਾਉ ਪਾਰਖੂ ਕਲੀ ਕਾਲ ਵਿਡਾਣੈ ॥3॥
ਸੂਤੇ ਕਉ ਜਾਗਤੁ ਕਹੈ ਜਾਗਤ ਕਉ ਸੂਤਾ ॥ ਜੀਵਤ ਕਉ ਮੂਆ ਕਹੈ ਮੂਏ ਨਹੀ ਰੋਤਾ ॥4॥
ਆਵਤ ਕਉ ਜਾਤਾ ਕਹੈ ਜਾਤੇ ਕਉ ਆਇਆ ॥ ਪਰ ਕੀ ਕਉ ਅਪੁਨੀ ਕਹੈ ਅਪੁਨੋ ਨਹੀ ਭਾਇਆ ॥5॥
ਮੀਠੇ ਕਉ ਕਉੜਾ ਕਹੈ ਕੜੂਏ ਕਉ ਮੀਠਾ ॥ ਰਾਤੇ ਕੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਐਸਾ ਕਲਿ ਮਹਿ ਡੀਠਾ ॥6॥
ਚੇਰੀ ਕੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਠਾਕੁਰੁ ਨਹੀ ਦੀਸੈ ॥ ਪੋਖਰੁ ਨੀਰੁ ਵਿਰੋਲੀਐ ਮਾਖਨੁ ਨਹੀ ਰੀਸੈ ॥7॥
1. He (the Manmukh person) calls fake thing real and know not about the real thing. Blind person is called a seer, the time of Kaljug is strange.
2. He calls sleeping person awake and an awake person sleeping. Living person is called dead and one who is dead is not mourned.
3. The person who has come is said to have gone and one who has gone is said to have come. He calls that thing that does not belong to him as his and that does belong to him, he likes not.
4. He calls sweet substance bitter and bitter substance sweet. One who is imbued in Naam is slandered, such has been witnessed in Kaljug.
5. They serve the servant and see not the Master. They don't realize that by churning water, butter will not be obtained.
Awake here means such person who has found out the reality and sleeping person is such person who is intoxicated in Maya. Living person means one who chants Naam and dead person is one who forgets Naam. This is witnessed all the time in this world. Gursikhs who get up early morning to do Naam Abhyaas, do Gurbani Paaths are slandered and ones who make money, are in high positions are worshiped.
Try keeping Rehit e.g. Sarbloh Bibek, and Baana, and sometimes even the uninformed Amritdhari people oppose you. Eat from tobacco chewing Bhaiyaas, no one minds or even utters a word.
If you ask a Manmukh to drink liquor (Sharaab) he will not think even for a second but try telling him to taste Amrit, he will make million excuses e.g. I want to think about it, my wife will not agree, my mother will not agree, I will not find work etc.
Having said that, Kaljug is also a very blessed Yug because even though distractions are almost impossible to ignore but if one can somehow (by the Kirpa of Guru Sahib) engage in Naam Abhyaas, the rewards come very quickly. Since the expectations are very low in Kaljug, a little effort for righteousness bears great fruits. The fortunate ones who have the true Guru - Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee - and who have received Naam from the true Guru, should indulge in Naam as much as they can.
May Guru Sahib save us from Kaljug and bless us with true Gurmukhi jeevan.
Kulbir Singh
ਸਲੋਕ ਮ:੨ ॥
ਨਾਉ ਫਕੀਰੈ ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹੁ ਮੂਰਖ ਪੰਡਿਤੁ ਨਾਉ ॥
ਅੰਧੇ ਕਾ ਨਾਉ ਪਾਰਖੂ ਏਵੈ ਕਰੇ ਗੁਆਉ ॥
ਇਲਤਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਉ ਚਉਧਰੀ ਕੂੜੀ ਪੂਰੇ ਥਾਉ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਕਲਿ ਕਾ ਏਹੁ ਨਿਆਉ ॥੧॥
1. Poor person is called King and foolish person is called scholar.
2. Blind person is called a seer, this is the nonsense people talk.
3. Mischievous one is called leader and a dishonest woman takes prime spot (everywhere).
4. Through Guru's teachings one realizes that such is the justice in Kaljug.
At another place in Gurbani, a very interesting account of Kaljug is written:
ਖੋਟੇ ਕਉ ਖਰਾ ਕਹੈ ਖਰੇ ਸਾਰ ਨ ਜਾਣੈ ॥ ਅੰਧੇ ਕਾ ਨਾਉ ਪਾਰਖੂ ਕਲੀ ਕਾਲ ਵਿਡਾਣੈ ॥3॥
ਸੂਤੇ ਕਉ ਜਾਗਤੁ ਕਹੈ ਜਾਗਤ ਕਉ ਸੂਤਾ ॥ ਜੀਵਤ ਕਉ ਮੂਆ ਕਹੈ ਮੂਏ ਨਹੀ ਰੋਤਾ ॥4॥
ਆਵਤ ਕਉ ਜਾਤਾ ਕਹੈ ਜਾਤੇ ਕਉ ਆਇਆ ॥ ਪਰ ਕੀ ਕਉ ਅਪੁਨੀ ਕਹੈ ਅਪੁਨੋ ਨਹੀ ਭਾਇਆ ॥5॥
ਮੀਠੇ ਕਉ ਕਉੜਾ ਕਹੈ ਕੜੂਏ ਕਉ ਮੀਠਾ ॥ ਰਾਤੇ ਕੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਐਸਾ ਕਲਿ ਮਹਿ ਡੀਠਾ ॥6॥
ਚੇਰੀ ਕੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਹਿ ਠਾਕੁਰੁ ਨਹੀ ਦੀਸੈ ॥ ਪੋਖਰੁ ਨੀਰੁ ਵਿਰੋਲੀਐ ਮਾਖਨੁ ਨਹੀ ਰੀਸੈ ॥7॥
1. He (the Manmukh person) calls fake thing real and know not about the real thing. Blind person is called a seer, the time of Kaljug is strange.
2. He calls sleeping person awake and an awake person sleeping. Living person is called dead and one who is dead is not mourned.
3. The person who has come is said to have gone and one who has gone is said to have come. He calls that thing that does not belong to him as his and that does belong to him, he likes not.
4. He calls sweet substance bitter and bitter substance sweet. One who is imbued in Naam is slandered, such has been witnessed in Kaljug.
5. They serve the servant and see not the Master. They don't realize that by churning water, butter will not be obtained.
Awake here means such person who has found out the reality and sleeping person is such person who is intoxicated in Maya. Living person means one who chants Naam and dead person is one who forgets Naam. This is witnessed all the time in this world. Gursikhs who get up early morning to do Naam Abhyaas, do Gurbani Paaths are slandered and ones who make money, are in high positions are worshiped.
Try keeping Rehit e.g. Sarbloh Bibek, and Baana, and sometimes even the uninformed Amritdhari people oppose you. Eat from tobacco chewing Bhaiyaas, no one minds or even utters a word.
If you ask a Manmukh to drink liquor (Sharaab) he will not think even for a second but try telling him to taste Amrit, he will make million excuses e.g. I want to think about it, my wife will not agree, my mother will not agree, I will not find work etc.
Having said that, Kaljug is also a very blessed Yug because even though distractions are almost impossible to ignore but if one can somehow (by the Kirpa of Guru Sahib) engage in Naam Abhyaas, the rewards come very quickly. Since the expectations are very low in Kaljug, a little effort for righteousness bears great fruits. The fortunate ones who have the true Guru - Siri Guru Nanak Dev jee - and who have received Naam from the true Guru, should indulge in Naam as much as they can.
May Guru Sahib save us from Kaljug and bless us with true Gurmukhi jeevan.
Kulbir Singh