Jeevit Mirtak

Jeevit Mirtak (ਜੀਵਿਤ ਮਿਰਤਕ) — noun

In Gurmat, Jeevit Mirtak means “dead while alive.” It refers to one who, while living in the body, has renounced all personal ichhā (desires). Gurbani teaches that only a virlā (rare one) or ek ādh (one among millions) attains this state.

A Gurmukh is Jeevit Mirtak: one who abandons worldly ichhā even while alive. Mechanical practices like mālā phernā or karm kāṇḍ are tied to ridhi-sidhi desires, which belong to māyā. True Jeevit Mirtak keeps only one ās: to remain in liv (union) with Sachkhand and attain the janam padārath (true purpose of life).

ਕਬੀਰ ਐਸਾ ਏਕੁ ਆਧੁ ਜੋ ਜੀਵਤ ਮਿਰਤਕੁ ਹੋਇ ॥

Kabir says:

ਕਬੀਰ ਸੋਈ ਮਾਰੀਐ ਜਿਹ ਮੂਐ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਭਲੋ ਭਲੋ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਕਹੈ ਬੁਰੋ ਨ ਮਾਨੈ ਕੋਇ ॥੯॥

In Gurmat, this means: “Kill only that, whose death brings true peace (sukh).”

Kabir is not speaking of killing beings but of slaying inner ichhā (desires), haumai (ego), and lobh (greed). When these die, the soul experiences sukh and no one calls such killing bad, because it is universally accepted as good.