By Atma Singh Tips For Laarvaar
VahegurooJeeKaKhalsa,VahegurooJeeKeeFateh!
Sadh Sangat Jeeo,
Many people have yet to take the step towards reading Gurbanee exclusively from Lareevaar Saroop. ‘Lareevaar Saroop’ refers to the original and only Guroo-sanctioned un-broken worded format Beer. Two of the main reasons that people do not read from Lareevaar Saroop are because either some respected Gursikhs have told them there is no difference between pad-ched and Lareevaar Saroop and/or because many people either perceive it is as very difficult or give-up after a small amount of effort.
The following article is an attempt to convince people that they should ‘take the plunge’. There are many persuasive arguments regarding Lareevaar Saroop which offer more detail than this article. Please have a look at:
[
tapoban.org]
[
tapoban.org]
[
www.tapoban.org]
1. Why reading from Lareevaar Saroop is of paramount importance- We should read Gurbanee as intended and not go against Maharaaj Jee's Hukam.
- The true form of respect towards our Guroo Sahib, whose Shabad-Roop is Lareevaar, is to not tamper with His Saroop.
- Gurgadee was given to Lareevaar Saroop alone.
- Apart from that written by Maharaaj Jee's hand or spoken from His mouth, nothing can be called '100% correct pad-ched'. Maharaaj Jee is perfect - to 'assume' that we can fathom, separate and re-write His Words according to out limited Mat is one of the greatest acts of Manmat possible.
- By reading from pad-ched Saroop, we are reading Gurbanee according to the 'interpretation' of fallible human minds.
- There are many incidents, some estimate over 500, where there is disagreement amongst knowledgeable Gursikhs regarding the way pad-ched should be applied to various Pankteean. We have undoubtedly and knowingly placed mistakes within that which we claim to accept as 'Perfect'.
2. Building-up your confidenceIf the above has convinced you that you need to start reading exclusively from Lareevaar Saroop, then let's look at how you can build-up your confidence:
- Remember, up until printing presses were employed, all of our great ancestors read from Lareevar Saoop. We who have access to so many resources in this information age, including SikhiToTheMax and MP3 Paath Audios, are in a position to learn much quicker and face much less difficulty.
- Remember that by reading from Lareevaar Saroop, despite your ability i.e. whether you are doing your Nitnaym or are doing a Raol during an Akhand Paath Sahib, you are helping to re-introduce the prominence of Lareevaar Saroop, which is Maharaaj Jee's Hukam. This in itself is a blessed Seva.
- Ignore people who tell you that it doesn't make a difference whether you read from Lareevaar Saroop or pad-ched. This argument is absolutely irrelevant. A Gursikh finds happiness by following Maharaaj Jee's Hukam; not by rationalising, doubting or conflicting with it.
- When reading from Lareevaar Saroop seems difficult, you may find yourself questioning your commitment and thinking 'surely reading from pad-ched can't be wrong'. At times like that remind yourself as to why you began in the first place.
- If you commit to doing your seven daily Baneean from a Lareevar Nitnaym Gutka Sahib, you will give yourself the best possible start. You will be preparing yourself to make your first big step...which is to read regularly, at least several hours per week, from Lareevaar Senchiyaan.
3. Hints and TipsIf you've decided to start, let's look at how you can speed up your progress:
- Before you do Paath, always do Ardaas to Maharaaj Jee, that He may assist you to read Paath as he intends and that He may forgive you for the unintentional mistakes that you will undoubtedly make. After you finish doing Paath, do Ardaas to thank Him for the Paath he has blessed you with and to ask forgiveness for the unintentional mistakes you made.
- Start meeting weekly with like-minded Sangat who are trying to achieve the same goal. If there are even just two of you, one person can attempt to read form a Senchee whilst the other person can use SikhiToTheMax to check the other person's Paath. You can then discuss whether you think that the Paath is being pronounced correctly, if your and SikhiToTheMax's pad-ched attempts make sense and where the pauses (Bisraams) should go. You can then switch positions.
- If you are by yourself, why not use the Lareevaar reader on Sikhitothemax; when you need help, just float over the Panktee and lo and behold, you will have a pad-ched suggestion suggested to you.
- It will seem very tough and slow-going at first but within several weeks you will notice that you can read much faster as your eyes and brain adapt. Readingwhatiamwritingherecouldseemdifficultbutyouhavemanageditquitewell. Your brain adapts remarkably well. Enev if i mxi up teh floloiwg wdros, yuo wlil slitl mganae to do a godo jbo of ranedig waht i hvae wittern. So not only can your brain read words joined-up, it can read words which have been mixed-up. This proves that reading from Lareevaar Saroop isn't really that difficult, even though many of us feel that it must be. It is simply about acclimatising and getting used to it. What is difficult is putting in the regular time to expose yourself to it, to read it and eventually become very used to it. Becoming adept at reading Gurbanee is about patience and commitment; this in itself is a golden lesson in Gurmat.
- By starting a Sehaj Paath and trying to read a few Ang daily, you will make very fast progress.
- Given that Gurbanee is poetic by It's very nature, the rhythm and flow of Gurbanee as It is read can help you get a feel for how many syllables each word is composed of. This will over time prove a big help to you because it will subconsciously help you decide long each word is and then to apply pad-ched.
- Siharees often appear before the last letters of words. Aunkards very often appear under the last letter of many words. These conventions in themselves are related to Gurbanee Viyakaran (Grammar) but they also prove a big help when it comes to reading. This is because they give hints as to where words end. Although you cannot use these as absolute rules, it is surprising how many times the placement of a Siharee or an Aunkardh in this manner signals the end of a word.
- Just by the act of attempting to do Paath from Lareevaar Saroop, you will start to look slightly ahead of yourself along the Panktee, especially if you find yourself stuck. This automatically helps you begin to ‘see the bigger picture’ i.e. the context of the Panktee and not just single words. Over time, you will take in more and more of a Panktee in this automatic manner. Have a wider view than just word-by-word. Try to take-in the Tuk (line) as a whole.
- Do not worry too much about not knowing the meaning of words. Gurbanee makes it clear that simply by reading and listening to Gurbanee, it still has a major effect. However, as you practise Paath, as you listen exclusively to Keertan, you will find that the meaning of Paath slowly but surely becomes clearer over time. This will assist you greatly because your brain will start to make decisions regarding pad-ched according to the vocabulary you have picked-up and possible meanings. Do not be deterred from reading from Lareevaar Saroop due to the mistaken belief that someone who doesn’t understand the vocabulary within Gurbanee will not be able to do it. There is a multiplier effect: Reading more = understanding more = reading more accurately = understanding more accurately= etc.
- With regular Paath Abhyaas, sub-conscious correlations start forming in your mind regarding which words usually appear in which ‘manner’ e.g. alongside which other words, alongside which other verbs, nouns, adjectives etc. This is a major help.
- You will notice that reading from Lareevaar saroop requires more concentration and your mind becomes more attuned to what it is reading because it has to concentrate more. You will certainly get more Lahaa from doing Paath as a result.
- Some people think that Maharaaj Jee will be angry with them for reading Paath wrongly. There is a popular Sakhee regarding Maharaaj Jee physically hitting a Gursikh for making a mistake whilst doing Paath, saying it caused Them physical pain. I think that this is, at the very least, a slightly dubious Sakhee. It seems like an attempt to create a fear-psychosis so that it can be then asserted that only a certain group possesses perfect knowledge or can read Paath properly. I believe Maharaaj Jee is more happy with those who do Ardaas both before and after Paath, keeping their humility intact, as opposed to reading from the non-Guroo sanctioned pad-ched form, which leads people to believe they must be reading correctly. Believing that your Paath is Shud and the ‘only right way to do it’ certainly doesn’t carry any favour with Maharaaj Jee.
4. Why you don't need a Santhiya Teacher right from the beginning of your journey- Some people argue that students could end-up picking up lots of bad habits if they do not have the guidance of a Santhiya Teacher re: pronunciation, but I would say that if this does happen, it is easily and very quickly ironed-out with regular Paath Abhiyaas.
- Pronunciation is simply about learning rules and applying them in given situations. There are many differences of opinion regarding this so you will never gain the 'perfect answer' when it comes to pronunciation. See pronunciation as a constant work in progress and not something which you will perfect via a teacher over a period of time. Many Singhs change their opinions about pronunciation over time as they read more Paath, learn meanings and interact with different members of the Sangat.
- The major task one must address when doing Paath is applying correct pad-ched; relatively speaking, pronunciation requires much less effort. People should not put their Paath 'on hold' while they wait for a teacher. A teacher can always be accepted at a later point if you wish to obtain opinions regarding your pronunciation.
I hope the above will encourage Sangat worldwide to begin holding regular Lareevaar Paath Workshops, where people can get together on a weekly basis and work together to read from Lareevaar Senchiyaan. This is the only way to make a lasting and long-term difference and to turn the tide regarding pad-ched Saroop which has subsumed perhaps over 99% of the worldwide Sangat and Guroo-Ghars. The sad truth is that as result, perhaps over 99% of the Panth is currently ignoring Maharaaj Jee’s Hukam and wishes by rebelling against the way He intends, in His Infinite Wisdom, for us to read Gurbanee.
Please become part of the solution.
VahegurooJeeKaKhalsa,VahegurooJeeKeeFateh!
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥
