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by Jayaram V
Nanak rebukes us because we have forgotten our true
nature. We live on the surface; we lead superficial lives. - S.
Radhakrishnan
Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism and the first Guru of Sikhs.
He is the last in
the series of the greatest prophets born upon earth who were
instrumental in establishing major world religions through their teachings
and revelations. Guru Nanak led a simple but extraordinary life,
preaching a straightforward way to find God in one's own heart through inner purity and social
responsibility. He lived in troubled times, when religious practice in the Indian subcontinent
was dogged by spiritual and moral crisis and the country was
witnessing an intense conflict between Hindus and Muslims,
aggravated by the religious zeal of Muslim rulers. It was also the
time when Hinduism was undergoing an internal reform through the
bhakti movement. Very few people in his life time would have thought
that Guru Nanak's teachings would eventually culminate in the formation a new
religion and attract millions of followers from various
parts of the world.
Guru Nanak Dev was born in 1469, in the village of
Rau Bhoi di Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib,
forty miles from Lahore in present-day Pakistan. His father, Kalayan Das Mehta
or Kalu Mehta,
belonged to a sub caste of the Kshatriyas and worked as a tax collector.
His mother was Matta Tripat. The Guru had an older sister called Bibi
Nanki. From an early age Guru Nanak showed particular interest in spiritual
matters. He became acquainted with the teachings of both Hinduism and
Islam and met holy men of both religions. In the process, he developed distaste
for the superficial aspects of religious practice, questioning
their efficacy and value in achieving God realization. When his
elders asked him to
wear the sacred thread, usually worn by the upper caste Hindus, he
refused, saying that he
would instead wear the name of God in his heart as it would never be
broken nor tainted with impurities.
Guru Nanak's parents wanted him to lead a normal householder's
life. So in 1487 they married him to a girl named Sulkhni, of Batala, through whom he had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das.
Like many other Prophets, Guru Nanak led an ordinary householder's
life, signifying the fact that a true follower of God ought live in
the middle of people and work for the salvation of himself and
others through his good deeds and exemplary life. For some time he worked as a store keeper in the state granary of
Daulat Khan Lodi in Sultanpur, where he came into contact with a Muslim
servant named Mardana. The two were perhaps destined to meet, as
Maradana subsequently began setting music for the hymns Nanak composed. Together they
organized satsangs or religious
gatherings, in which they involved both Hindus and Muslims in singing bhajans or devotional songs
in praise of God.
It is said that when he was twenty-eight years, he suddenly
disappeared and returned after three days, revealing that he had a
vision of God in which he was made aware of his mission in life.
Declaring himself to be neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, He began
preaching that there was only one God, who could be worshipped by any
name and reached directly by any one, through abiding
faith and devotion. He proclaimed God as the creator on whose
command or Hukm moved all things and who being formless and
transcendental would not assume any form,
nor manifest Himself physically in our world as an embodied being. But,
as the true witness, He
resided in the heart of every one. So the best way to reach Him was
by obtaining His grace through namsmaran or constant remembrance of His name and leading
an ethical and selfless life. Guru Nanak criticized
caste and gender inequalities, idol worship, superficial
observances, sacrificial rituals, religious marks, widow burning, and many other practices
which he believed were superstitious and not conducive to
liberation. Among other things he acknowledged as valid were the law of karma, rebirth, respect for Guru,
importance of righteous conduct etc.
Travels
According to tradition Guru Nanak traveled widely in
his life time and went as far as Assam in the east, Sri Lanka in the
south, Tibet in the north and Mecca and Baghdad in the west. During
his travels, he met
people of all faiths: Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Muslims,
Zoroastrians. He also met Kabir, the famous bhakti saint of Benaras
in whose company he spent some time, and who exemplified his vision
of an ideal devotee of God with a pure heart and selfless attitude.
In his life time Guru Nanak personified humility and simplicity. He always
presented himself to others as an obedient follower of God who
cherished His company and the sweet nectar of His love in his own
heart. He never
claimed himself any special privileges nor prophethood. His teachings
stood in contrast with the religious practices of his time and in due course of
time constituted the core teachings of Sikhism. He worked for the
unity of people and universal brotherhood, by emphasizing the
underlying unity of all men and the entire creation and the need for
leading socially responsible and morally pure lives for the
collective welfare of all.
Last Days
After traveling for twenty years, Guru Nanak decided to resume life as a
householder. He acquired farmland on the banks of river Ravi in
central Punjab and founded a town, Kartapur
(the city of God). A small community of followers, mostly Hindus,
gathered around him and began practicing the new creed he preached.
Probably to preserve his teachings for future generations, he began composing hymns of great beauty in Gurumukhi, which
became part of the Adi Granth (the original book), the holy book of
Sikhs. At Kartarpur he introduced the practice of offering three
daily prayers to God and also the institution of
langar or community kitchen, where the followers shared food to signify the equality of all human beings.
After institutionalizing the office of Guru and
appointing Guru Angad as his successor Guru Nanak finally passed away at the
age of 70.
Teachings
Nanakji taught that if God was to be found, he would be found in
the inner chambers of human heart. If man is intoxicated enough with
the name, memory
and thought of God, he would experience Him in his
own self. For Nanakji such a person was a true yogi and a true
Brahmin, not the one who wore orange robes for appearance sake or
some one who was born into a Brahmin caste. Nanak Dev castigated
ostentatious display of religiosity and superficial observation of religious
conduct. He laid emphasis on
inner virtue and adherence to truth, sincerity and honesty in
devotion to God. Without these man is devoid of
any hope to earn the grace of God.
According Guru Nanak God may be known to man by many names and
attributes, but there is only one God. He is the creator (kartar) and sustainer of all, who abides in the
realm of eternity, casting His graceful glance over His entire
creation and who responds to the call of His true devotees, who are
pure in their minds and hearts. In God's realm there are innumerable worlds and beings, who
are showered by His grace when they submit to His Hukm (command).
His supreme power is characterized by the twin
principles of justice (nian) and grace (nadar). In the creation of
God, human beings occupy the highest position. All human beings are
created equal and endowed with the same potential to achieve mukati
or liberation, which is freedom from the cycle of births and deaths
and union with God. What prevents human beings from achieving it is their haumai or self-centeredness, which can be
overcome by cultivating love (bhau) and fear (bhai) towards God,
which is possible only through constant remembrance of the names of
God (namsmaran), good works (kirat karana), charity (vaad chhakna)
and overcoming the five vices, namely lust, greed, attachment, anger
and pride.
Guru Nanak traced the progress of the human beings on the path of
liberation in five distant phases by attaining five distinct ideals: dharam, gian, saram, karam and
sach. In the first phase man comes to know about God and his
supremacy as the creator and upholder of divine justice (dharam). In
the second he gains the knowledge (gian) and immensity of God's
complex creation. This awareness creates in him the feelings of
humility (saram) and self-surrender. This prompts him to overcome
his self-centeredness and indulge in good actions (karam) such as
constant remembrance of God's name, giving charity and doing
selfless service. Doing good works, finally he becomes eligible for
the divine grace through which he comes face to face with the divine
Truth (sach) and attains liberation.
Relevance of Guru Nanak's Teachings In the Modern World
The teachings of Guru Nanak are very relevant in the modern world,
which is presently suffering from a deep moral and spiritual crisis,
characterized by religious animosity, unbridled materialism, moral
decline, superficial religiosity and misuse of religions and
religious symbols. Even if you are not a Sikh,
you can still apply his teachings to your daily life and benefit
from them immensely, because his teachings transcend social and
religious barriers and appeal to us directly as the guiding
principles of an ideal human life that can bring out the best in our
character and reconnect us with our source. If you ignore the
subsequent developments that took place in Sikhism, where it
developed its own religious formalities, symbols and code of
conduct, you can be a
Sikh without wearing the turban or the beard or the remaining Ks or
without ever visiting a Gurudwara.
Just as a Brahmin does not become a
true follower of God by merely being born in the Brahmin caste or wearing
religious marks, Guru Nanak would have declared that a Sikh would
not become a true devotee of God and followers of his teachings by
just being born in a Sikh family or wearing the five Ks or visiting a Gurudwara or by superficially
reciting the Adi Granth. More important than all these is adhering to truth, devotion to God, constantly
remembering His name, practicing inner purity by overcoming the five enemies of lust, greed,
attachment, anger
and pride, cultivating selflessness
and doing selfless service to humanity.
To realize God you do not have to
renounce the world or become a monk. You do not have to wear orange
robes or a beard or long hair, or subject your body and mind to severe austerities. You can
lead a normal and ordinary life, as a householder, just as Nanakji
did, doing whatever
you are interested in, but with a selfless attitude, keeping your
heart and mind filled with devotion to God and dedicating your life to the
service of God and His creation. These are the values taught by Guru
Nanak. They are still relevant today as they were centuries ago and
can be of immense help, if we want to focus more on our inner
connection with God rather than the Hukms and fatwahs (commands) of authoritarian institutions and
mere superficial observances of each religion.
The Sayings of Guru Nanak
Following are some of the sayings from the Adi Granth attributed
to Guru Nanak
One Universal Creator God.
The Name Is Truth.
Creative Being
Personified. No Fear.
No Hatred.
Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth,
Self-Existent.
By Guru's Grace
Chant And Meditate:
True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.
True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True. (Section 01 - Jup -
Part 1)
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Some sing that He watches over us, face to face, ever-present.
There is no shortage of those who preach and teach.
Millions upon millions offer millions of sermons and stories.
The Great Giver keeps on giving, while those who receive grow weary of
receiving.
Throughout the ages, consumers consume.
The Commander, by His Command, leads us to walk on the Path.
O Nanak, He blossoms forth, Carefree and Untroubled. ||3||
True is the Master, True is His Name-speak it with infinite love.
People beg and pray, "Give to us, give to us", and the Great
Giver gives His Gifts.
So what offering can we place before Him, by which we might see the
Darbaar of His Court?
What words can we speak to evoke His Love?
In the Amrit Vaylaa, the ambrosial hours before dawn, chant the True
Name, and contemplate His Glorious Greatness.
By the karma of past actions, the robe of this physical body is
obtained. By His Grace, the Gate of Liberation is found.
O Nanak, know this well: the True One Himself is All. (Section 01 - Jup -
Part 2)
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Listening-pain and sin are erased. ||9||
Listening-truth, contentment and spiritual wisdom.
Listening-take your cleansing bath at the sixty-eight places of
pilgrimage.
Listening-reading and reciting, honor is obtained.
Listening-intuitively grasp the essence of meditation.
O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss. (Section 01 - Jup - Part 3)
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When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,
water can wash away the dirt.
When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,
soap can wash them clean.
But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,
it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.
Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;
actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.
You shall harvest what you plant.
O Nanak, by the Hukam of God's Command, we come and go in
reincarnation. ||20||
Pilgrimages, austere discipline, compassion and charity
-these, by themselves, bring only an iota of merit.
Listening and believing with love and humility in your mind,
cleanse yourself with the Name, at the sacred shrine deep within.
All virtues are Yours, Lord, I have none at all.
Without virtue, there is no devotional worship. (Section 01 - Jup - Part
4)
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The Guru is the Ladder, the Guru is the Boat, and the Guru is the Raft to take
me to the Lord's Name.
The Guru is the Boat to carry me across the world-ocean; the Guru is the Sacred
Shrine of Pilgrimage, the Guru is the Holy River.
If it pleases Him, I bathe in the Pool of Truth, and become radiant and pure.
||3||
He is called the Most Perfect of the Perfect. He sits upon His Perfect Throne.
He looks so Beautiful in His Perfect Place. He fulfills the hopes of the
hopeless.
O Nanak, if one obtains the Perfect Lord, how can his virtues decrease? (Section 05 - Siree Raag - Part
4)
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What should I account as the rewards of this human life, if one does not feel
love and devotion to the Lord?
Wearing clothes and eating food is useless, if the mind is filled with the love
of duality.
Seeing and hearing is false, if one speaks lies.
O Nanak, praise the Naam, the Name of the Lord; everything else is coming and
going in egotism. | (Section 43 - Shaloks In Addition To The Vaars - Part 2)
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He alone is a Brahmin, who knows God.
He chants and meditates, and practices austerity and good deeds.
He keeps to the Dharma, with faith, humility and contentment.
Breaking his bonds, he is liberated.
Such a Brahmin is worthy of being worshipped. ||16||
He alone is a Kh'shaatriyaa, who is a hero in good deeds.
He uses his body to give in charity;
he understands his farm, and plants the seeds of generosity.
Such a Kh'shaatriyaa is accepted in the Court of the Lord. (Section 43 - Shaloks
In Addition To The Vaars - Part 2)
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Suggested Further Reading
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