Contradictory statements on friendship in the Gurbani
ਮਨਮੁਖਾ ਕੇਰੀ ਦੋਸਤੀ ਮਾਇਆ ਕਾ ਸਨਬੰਧੁ ॥: Manmukhaa keree dosatee Maya kaa sanbandh: Friendship with the Manmukhs is an alliance with Maya (sggs 959). ਦੁਨੀਆ ਕੇਰੀ ਦੋਸਤੀ ਮਨਮੁਖ ਦਝਿ ਮਰੰਨਿ ॥: Duneeaa keree dosatee manmukh dajhi maranni: Making worldly friendships (the love of Maya), the Manmukhs (self-willed ...) burn and die (destroy their spiritual life - ਆਤਮਕ ਜੀਵਨ ਸਾੜ ਕੇ ਸੁਆਹ ਕਰ ਲੈਂਦੇ ਹਨ). (sggs 755).
Hi, I have a question pertaining to the notion of friendship in gurbani. On the one hand the above passages indicates that we shouldn't make friends with Manmuks, but on the other hand it is also mentioned In the gurbani that: Naa ko meraa dusman rahiaa na hum kis ke bairaaee. Braham pasaar pasaariou bheethar satgur te sojhee paaee ||2||. Sabh ko meet hum aapan keenaa ham sabhanaa ke saajan. door paraaeio mann kaa birahaa taa mel keeo merai raajan ||3|| : No one is my enemy, and I am no one's enemy. God, who expanded His expanse, is within all; I learned this from the Satguru. I have befriend all; I am everyone's friend. Upon removal of the sense of separateness from my mind, I got united with the Lord, my King. ||3|| (sggs 671)
Could you kindly explain these contradictory statements on friendship? Also does the phrase 'Friendship with Manmukhs is an alliance with Maya' suggest that friendship with Manmukhs indicates one's level of consciousness to be Mayaic (deluded, ignorant etc.). Can't we be Gurmukhs and still have friends who are Manmukhs and not allow our consciousness to drop to their level? Certainly there are a lot of good people out there, who may not believe in God, and does this suggest that we should unfriend them because they are nonbelievers?
