Is reading paath really fast a good thing?

[Guest Khalsa]

Wjkk wjkf

sangat ji, with maharaj kirpa I’ve been Amritdhari for about 4 years and I have my nitnem baniyan kant which makes me recite it faster. Just now I recited reharaas sahib and I completed the bani within 7 - 8 mins, I rarely do this and normally It takes me 17 mins. I wasn’t sure if it is right to rush through the paath like that but I feel like it’s better fast. I get a buzz out of it and it helps me concentrate better than reciting it slow which makes my mind wonder. So Is it ok to read bani fast, or am I doing beadbi? I still try to pronounce all the shabads correctly and I rarely make mistakes when reciting it fast (with vahegurus kirpa).

also i would like to add that we should all strive to get our baniyan kant(memorised) as it is one of the 52 hukams stated by dasam patshaah. It is so much better as your can sit in assan position, eyes closed, and recite. It’s so much anand and you feel peace within. Also for me it gives me a buz (lol)

[Guest Kaur 125]

WJKK WJKF

Can you understand pure Punjabi? If you can, then I highly recommend you listen to Giani Kulwant Singh Ji Ludhiana Wale's Katha. Their Katha has changed my life. They very clearly explain how you are supposed to read Gurbani and how you should do Simran. Throughout all these years, I had been doing Simran the wrong way, after listening to their Katha, I started doing simran and reading Gurbani the right away and started seeing changes. Listen to 2 videos below, they should be able to answer your questions. You can read Gurbani really fast at the beginning, or when your mind is racing too fast and simply cannot concentrate. But, you should not read Gurbani too fast everyday. Because the point of reading Gurbani and doing simran is to clean your mind, concentrate it on the Bani you are reading and increase your consciousness and then eventually achieve a stated of bliss when you achieve Naam ras. 

What I have noticed is when I do Simran, memories and experiences from years ago that I normally never think about - that I am usually not conscious of come in my mind only when I am doing simran. That is because when we do Simran/do paath, it cleanses our mind and that includes the unconscious mind (aka the subconscious mind). Our subconscious mind is completely stored, it is full of memories, experiences that were too painful, or inappropriate or that we repressed them and thus they got stored in our subconscious mind. Our suppressed desires that cannot be fulfilled or just too inappropriate get stored in our unconscious mind.

And so, what Simran or Gurbani does it empties our unconscious mind, hence you have all sorts of images come in your mind while you are doing paath. These images, memories are being released out of you - part of the mind cleansing process. These are things that I heard in Giani Kulwant Singh Ji's Katha. At the beginning, it's ok if your mind wanders, it is part of the process, you can at the beginning for a couple of minutes, read Gurbani fast but after that, you should slow down your speed once your mind's wandering decreases. Once your mind is cleansed, your mind will not wander anymore. After this, you go on to the next stages where you enter the state of anand and then experience the greatest pleasure of all - naam ras or also called Amrit. And this is the whole point of Naam simran, concentration of the mind is only a part of this whole game. 

Ok, I realise I just kind of summarised the videos. But still go ahead and carefully listen to the videos.

And yes I agree with you, we should get our baniyan kanth. I have decided to start working on getting Jaap Sahib kanth.