Coinciding with the 581st birth anniversary of Bhagat Kabir, WSN columnist Bhupinder Singh shares an interesting and engaging spiritual conversation between Bhagat Namdev and Bhagat Trilochan, narrated in Guru Granth Sahib by Bhagat Kabir. Remarkably, six centuries ago, the celebrated Sufi-saint emphasized the significance of work and worship.

IN A SLOK ON PAGE 1375 OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB, Bhagat Kabir Ji has captured the conversation between two saints Bhagat Trilochan and Bhagat Namdev in Maharashtra.

ਨਾਮਾ ਮਾਇਆ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਕਹੈ ਤਿਲੋਚਨੁ ਮੀਤ ॥
ਕਾਹੇ ਛੀਪਹੁ ਛਾਇਲੈ ਰਾਮ ਨ ਲਾਵਹੁ ਚੀਤੁ ॥212॥
ਨਾਮਾ ਕਹੈ ਤਿਲੋਚਨਾ ਮੁਖ ਤੇ ਰਾਮੁ ਸੰਮ੍ਹਾਲਿ ॥
ਹਾਥ ਪਾਉ ਕਰਿ ਕਾਮੁ ਸਭੁ ਚੀਤੁ ਨਿਰੰਜਨ ਨਾਲਿ ॥213॥

Trilochan says, O Namdev, the material world (Maya) has enticed you, my friend. Why are you busy printing designs on these sheets, and not focusing your consciousness on God?

Namdev answers, O Trilochan, say God’s Name with your mouth. With your hands and feet, do all your work, but let your consciousness remain with God.

Guru Granth Sahib, page 1375

This conversation took place when Bhagat Trilochan Ji visited Bhagat Namdev Ji at the latter’s place. Significantly, Kabir Ji, a Banaras resident, born about 128 years after Namdev and living hundreds of miles away was aware of this incident and captured it with his pen when there were no established methods of communication or transfer of information.

As we can see here, Bhagat Trilochan was surprised to find Bhagat Namdev engaged in the pursuit of money, utilizing his training as a calico printer. Bhagat Trilochan Ji asked a very pointed question as to why he was engaged in such futile pursuits. The sage Trilochan added that instead, he should be focusing his attention on God. Obviously, Bhagat Trilochan Ji expected Bhagat Namdev Ji to be deep in meditation.

It is like that moment “what are you doing”?

Namdev shot back that it is alright to work with hands and feet, while the tongue is engaged in the remembrance of God. Here Namdev Ji has shared a crucial insight about where consciousness or awareness should be focused on.

It is like that moment “what are you doing”?

Many times in life we are physically engaged in an activity but our mind is somewhere else, in La-La land. Here Bhagat Namdev has emphasized where the awareness should be focused on, while the hands and feet are engaged in work. The words above do not provide the details of Bhagat Namdev Ji’s response, but we have the details of the response available. Let us look at them for additional clarity.

Bhagat Namdev’s replies in his own words as captured in Guru Granth Sahib are as follows:

ਆਨੀਲੇ ਕਾਗਦੁ ਕਾਟੀਲੇ ਗੂਡੀ ਆਕਾਸ ਮਧੇ ਭਰਮੀਅਲੇ ॥
ਪੰਚ ਜਨਾ ਸਿਉ ਬਾਤ ਬਤਊਆ ਚੀਤੁ ਸੁ ਡੋਰੀ ਰਾਖੀਅਲੇ ॥1॥
ਮਨੁ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮਾ ਬੇਧੀਅਲੇ ॥
ਜੈਸੇ ਕਨਿਕ ਕਲਾ ਚਿਤੁ ਮਾਂਡੀਅਲੇ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਆਨੀਲੇ ਕੁੰਭੁ ਭਰਾਈਲੇ ਊਦਕ ਰਾਜ ਕੁਆਰਿ ਪੁਰੰਦਰੀਏ ॥
ਹਸਤ ਬਿਨੋਦ ਬੀਚਾਰ ਕਰਤੀ ਹੈ ਚੀਤੁ ਸੁ ਗਾਗਰਿ ਰਾਖੀਅਲੇ ॥2॥
ਮੰਦਰੁ ਏਕੁ ਦੁਆਰ ਦਸ ਜਾ ਕੇ ਗਊ ਚਰਾਵਨ ਛਾਡੀਅਲੇ ॥
ਪਾਂਚ ਕੋਸ ਪਰ ਗਊ ਚਰਾਵਤ ਚੀਤੁ ਸੁ ਬਛਰਾ ਰਾਖੀਅਲੇ ॥3॥
ਕਹਤ ਨਾਮਦੇਉ ਸੁਨਹੁ ਤਿਲੋਚਨ ਬਾਲਕੁ ਪਾਲਨ ਪਉਢੀਅਲੇ ॥
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਕਾਜ ਬਿਰੂਧੀ ਚੀਤੁ ਸੁ ਬਾਰਿਕ ਰਾਖੀਅਲੇ ॥4॥1॥

Translation: (O Trilochan, as a boy) brings paper, cuts it and makes a kite, and flies it in the sky, keeps talking with his friends, yet he keeps his attention on the string (attached to the kite).1.

(O! Trilochan, my mind has been pierced by the Naam, like the goldsmith, whose attention is held by his work (while talking to customers he is paying attention to gold in the crucible atop a burning furnace).1. Pause.

(O Trilochan) The young girls in the city take a pitcher (go outside the city), fill it with water, laugh, play, and talk with friends, yet keep their attention focused on the pitcher of water.2.

(O Trilochan) cows are let loose out of a mansion with ten gates, to graze in the field. Cows graze up to five miles away, but keep attention focused on calves (similarly, my ten organs work to earn livelihood for the body, yet my mind stays focused on God).3.

Says Namdev (I give you one more example), listen, O Trilochan: the child is laid down in the cradle, its mother works, inside and outside, yet she holds her child in her thoughts.4.1.

Guru Granth Sahib, page 972

The above answer, loaded with 5 practical illustrations from daily life, impressed Bhagat Trilochan. He heeded the advice and incorporated it into his daily routine. After the visit with Bhagat Namdev, Bhagat Trilochan returned back to his village and started serving religious mendicants, who came that way, taking a leaf again from Bhagat Namdev Ji’s practices. Slowly, the daily meditation and service of religious men transformed Trilochan, and he too became enlightened.

The takeaway from this discussion between two spiritual souls is the significance of awareness.

The takeaway from this discussion between two spiritual souls is the significance of awareness. The true reality is that most of us go through our lives like a robot, without any awareness of what we are doing. Awareness means living every moment with the consciousness of self and what is happening around. It is not an easy change to incorporate in life. This awareness will become an agent of change as it happened with Bhagat Trilochan after his meeting with Namdev.

Awareness means living every moment with the consciousness of self and what is happening around.

Living a life of awareness is quite challenging as it means forgetting the past and the future. Yet in life, we always live in the memories of the past or in the imagination of the future. However, becoming aware and living a life of awareness is living in the present and it is a true virtue. The journey starts with becoming aware of the body, progressing to become aware of emotions, thoughts, feelings and moods.

The ultimate progress is when individual awareness becomes aware of universal awareness and merges in it. Kabir Ji is sharing that aspect of the power of awareness.

An en­gi­neer by pro­fes­sion, hail­ing from Myan­mar, ed­u­cated in In­dia, Bhupin­der Singh is a Hous­ton-based busi­ness­man, with a keen in­ter­est in writ­ing books and ar­ti­cles on Sikh his­tory, mo­ti­va­tion and spir­i­tu­al­ity.