The Merciful Master heard the wail of the Earth and sent Guru Nanak to the Earth,” said Bhai Gurdas. It was a time when only ill-will prevailed in the world and religious faith got lost in the web of superstitions. People were interested only in rituals, ceremonies, spells and magic. Guru Nanak was against superstition and meaningless rituals and believed that God could be realised within oneself. No wonder when Guru Nanak appeared in the world there was light everywhere, as when the Sun rises and the darkness retreats.
Guru Nanak’s philosophy was simple and monotheistic in nature. His God was “Ikk” — one who could be realised not through pilgrimages, penance and fasts, but through remembrance (naam-simran), hardwork (kirat karni) and sharing (vand chchakna). Sikh religion, founded by Guru Nanak, was a worldly religion. A perfect balance between the sacred and the profane. Guru Nanak exhorted people to establish a direct link between them and the Almighty instead of being misguided by fake sadhus and sants.
He said, “Use your intelligence in serving God and in gaining merit. Use your brain to read and how to give charity.” He believed that “religion lies not in the yogi’s patched garment, nor in his staff; nor in besmearing the body with ashes. Religion lies not in suspending large rings from split ears, nor in shaving the head nor in the blowing of horns. To live uncontaminated amid worldly temptations is to find the secret of religion.”
Once he was asked to join the worship of an idol at Rameshwaram. The Guru recited a shabad in reply, “Listen O Pandit, absorbed in the performance of ceremonial rituals; the only action that secures true happiness is contemplation of his Divine Essence.” Purity of mind and body with a feeling of complete surrender to His will was the path propagated by Guru Nanak. The form-less (nirankar) is the ultimate truth (satnam). “Who besides Him could be the guide, who the instructor? Who could appraise His worth? O my beloved, I know not thy end.”
Truth which stands for the “absolute” is regarded as the highest virtue in Sikhism. “Th-ose who rea-lise truth re-main in comfort throughout the four ages, for they have killed their ego and desire and have enshrined truth in their hearts,” says the Guru. Satnam — the Creator — is the eternal truth and all worldly desires are meaningless.
Once a villager fetched a bowl of milk and left it at the side of the Guru. He had secretly put four gold coins in it. When the villager returned in the morning the Guru had already left but his bowl was turned into gold which was full of gold coins as well. The villager began to regret and said, “They were men of God. If I had so desired I could have obtained from them the eternal truth. I came with a worldly desire and the world alone I secured.” This sakhi also highlights the distinction between the mundane and the highest truth and the false and the real objective of life.
Once Guru Nanak was asked, “Who is a real dervish (a spiritual person)?” “He who dies unto his self while he lives, and loses himself while he wakes. Who lets himself be destituted, and surrendering himself completely meets the beloved, is a real dervish. Such dervishes serve but one Lord. They are unperturbed by joy or grief, and they feel not anger, wrath, pride or avarice. They are not tempted by worldly riches, and discern what is right and lawful. They render obedience to the Lord’s commands. And acknowledge none other,” says Guru Nanak. These attributes are desirable not only for saintly persons but for all human beings too.
Baba Nanak’s philosophy was simple and practical. Devotion, love, seva, sharing, honest living and his “twin notions of Pangat and Sangat” laid the foundation of Sikh religion. He preached the futility of charms, spells and various forms of superstitions prevalent at that time, but sadly the same ills have recently invaded the modern city life again. The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak should be a time to embrace his teachings in a true manner and at a practical level. Our real wish should be to remain imbued in His simran as says the Guru, “Tera bhana meetha lage, har naam padarath Nanak mange” — everything happens as per your hukam (command) which is in my best interest. To remember Him always is the only thing Nanak desires.
Kulbir Kaur teaches sociology at Shyama Prasad Mukherji College, Delhi University
