Guru Amar Das was the third in the succession of the gurus. He belonged to a trading family, and his spiritual progress did not find favour with some of his relatives. Two rich relatives, the brothers Prithi Mal and Tulsa, came to his ashram and said, “We will not bow to you, because you are the same trading caste as us.”
The Guru responded by saying, “Bow not to me, this mortal body, but bow to the divinity in yourself. For those on the spiritual journey, there is no caste – they see the oneness of all. Those who seek obeisance, only strengthen the ego.”
Pritihi Mal and Tulsa then ask, “If all are equal and His divine light is present in all, then why do we think differently, and why do we hurt each other?”
This is indeed a doubt that crops in our minds, even as we express a faith in the oneness of all creation. Why do we perceive ourselves as different, want to be richer than our neigbour, and at times even hurt each other?
The Guru explains by defining the basic character of existence:
What is the nature of this world—it is only a dream,
Believing it to be true, I have lost reality.
Life is said to be a dream, because of its ephemeral quality, for just as we wake up from all our dreams, we will certainly leave this life behind too:
Lost in dreams, dramas and plays, the day of departure dawns.
The dream becomes a dream—worldly actions become futile.
Everybody is awake after the dream, but when walking on the path of truth, the spiritual traveler becomes magically awake, during the dream itself. Even as he is part of this mortal existence, he is blessed with this vision, captured by Saint Kabeer:
First, Allah created the Light; all creatures belong to Him.
Born from this One Light – who is good, and who is bad?