Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, born in 1469 at Talwandi, now in Punjab, Pakistan, was a firm believer in the Oneness of God — Ek Onkar — “There is One God, there is no other, he is formless, he is the Supreme Truth.” The wondrous master, Wahiguru, does not require any artificial external expressions of faith because He resides within. At Jagannath Puri, while attending the elaborate aarti in the temple, Guru Nanak sang the hymn about how nature itself was singing the praises of the Lord above: “The sky is the salver and sun and moon the lamps in it. The stars are the pearls scattered in the salver. The wind itself is the fan and the entire kingdom of flowers is meant for His worship. Such is the aarti that the cosmos performs”.
Guru Nanak was an epitome of humility and his teachings were addressed to all men. He strongly denounced the practice of discrimination based on caste, creed, religion and sex since in the path of salvation only good deeds count. Based entirely on love and devotion, Guru Nanak’s path of salvation is simple and practical. Simran and seva are the core pillars of Sikhism. To remember the Supreme Reality in the form of word or shabad (Nam-Simran) and to serve society in the form of seva is the simplest way to remain humble and close to God.
To remember nam is to remember the Akal Purakh and to be linked with the divine nam is to grow in likeness to God. With nam comes the realisation and experience of vismad (sense of awe and wonder of knowing the greatness of God). The seeker feels humble in this state of vismad and realisation, leading to liberation and union with the Supreme. Guru Nanak says, “There can be no love of God without service”. Equality and simplicity summarise the path shown by Guru Nanak which is what is required in today’s conflict-ridden society. The Sikhs, always yearning to be close to Wahiguru, conclude their ardas by saying, “Nanak Nam Chardi Kala — May the religion of Nam preached by Nanak increase and prevail in the world”.
Kulbir Kaur teaches sociology at Shyama Prasad Mukherji College, Delhi University
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