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Interfaith So Help Me O’ God, Yahweh, Allah, Vaheguru, Et. Al……

IJSingh

Writer
SPNer
Sep 24, 2004
139
395
Introduction

The outlandish title of this essay is a fair reflection of my state of mind on this matter. So bear with me awhile.

Today I bring to you an issue that periodically shatters our peace in the virtual world of Internet, sometimes even more brusquely in the real world in which we live.

Sikh teaching repeatedly directs us to constantly remember the Creator and that, in comparison, all other activities in life are futile (“Avar kaaj terey kitay na kaam; mil saadh sangat bhaj keval naam” Guru Granth p. 12). I am convinced that this directive is not to be literally translated to mean that we quit our jobs and meditate on the Creator 24/7. Instead it asks that the awareness of the Creator becomes the foundational and defining principle of life and its actions.

Most Sikhs seem pretty much agreed on these fundamentals.

What seems to divide us – often passionately -- is what name to ascribe to the Creator. How to tag him in our worship? I suppose this is important; we can’t really address the Creator by a hearty “Hey You” or “Howdy.”

The Jews have Yahweh or haShem, Christians look to God and Jesus as the Father and his deified Son, Muslims worship Allah, while Hindus have myriad Gods with just as many definable and recognizable entities that collectively direct us to the Creator.

What about us -- Sikhs?

We know when the passion and possession of an idea -- the love of God for instance – becomes the flashing point of anger. In Malaysia a recently enacted law decreed that the name Allah may only be used by Muslims; its use by non-Muslims would be a crime. I remind you that the word Allah is found in the Guru Granth Sahib, p.1349. I don’t really know how methodically this law is or was enforced. It may be like many statutes in every society that remain on the books for generations but are rarely, if ever, invoked. After some vigorous back and forth with the government, Sikhs were apparently granted an exception to the rule.

The ever present danger of conflict arising from such fragmented identity of the Creator is self evident; human history bears ample and bloody testimony of it. Personally I have problems with embracing the idea of a God who is the micromanager of our puny lives. Believe me I am not attempting to deconstruct the Creator -- so help me Yahweh, Ram, Allah, Vahiguru, God, et al!

How many names exist for the Creator? Like any 10 O’clock scholar, I hurried to Google and, just as quickly, gave up.The list is endless, the task daunting.


The Creator in Sikh Tradition

Let’s explore a little history and tradition.

Among Sikhs the verbal battleground on the Internet usually turns on the idea that the most commonly used moniker for the Creator is “Vaheguru.” Its origin and usage have a contentious history like most old world practices of any religion. It is not a word that is unambiguously and clearly coined by any of the ten Sikh Founder-Gurus. So, one may safely conclude that it was not in popular usage at the time of the Gurus.

I offer you an aside: In the Gurmukhi script in which the Guru Granth is usually, but not always scribed, there is only one phoneme for the sound of both “v” and “w;” the two are not distinguishable from each other. Punjabi itself is a perfectly phonetic language; English is not and comes to us with a chaotic history to its structure and rules. Gurmukhi remains our preferred script. Indic languages generally conflate the sounds of v and w.

Also, wide ranging regional differences in enunciation and recording exist when transcribing Gurmukhi and Punjabi into Roman script. So, is it Vaheguru, Vahiguru, Waheguru, or some other minor tongue twisting variant? This remains pretty much a matter of personal or regional preference and no rule governs such usage.

Vahiguru appears to be a combined form derived from “Vahu” and “Guru.” Hew McLeod took note of this and recently, in a well documented essay in The Sikh Review Dalvinder Singh Grewal, pointed out that Guru Amardas used the words “Vahu” (Guru Granth p. 515-516) and “Guru” repeatedly but separately and never in the combined form as “Vaheguru.”

As noted earlier, only one author in the Guru Granth, the Bhatt Gyand, has used “Vahiguru” in the combined form (p. 1402-4). Not that it matters, but in this hymn in Gurmukhi script Gyand spells it so that on transliteration into Roman script it sounds like Vahiguru with an iand not as Vaheguru with an e.

Gyand spells it as Vahiguru six times and as Vahguru twice; the latter variant may reflect the needs of poesy and may not be significant in itself. Some scholars also assert that the word Vahiguru by Gyand was not intended for the name of the Creator but in praise of Guru Ramdas. Of course, in Guru Granth, many examples also exist of “Gur or Guru” to indicate the Creator.

Some literature also suggests that the popularity of the term Vahiguru in Sikhism stems from the writings of Kapur Singh but that seems improbable, hence incorrect. Kapur Singh was a man of the 20th century. The word Vaheguru existed earlier and was used by the legendary scholar Bhai Gurdas (in Vaars 24 & 40). A contemporary of the first six Gurus and scribe of the first recension of the Aadi Granth; his writings are revered in Sikh tradition.

What leaves us in difficulty is that Bhai Gurdas went a step further; he p{censored}d the term Vahiguru and strongly opined that this name for the Creator owes its origin to the defining gods of the Hindu pantheon. He said:


Satijug Satigur Vasdev vavaa Visna naam japavae

Duapur(i) satigur Hari trisan haha Har Har naam japaaavae

Trete Satigur Raam jee raara naam japay sukh paavae

Kaljug Nanak Gur Govind gagga Govind naam alaavae

Chaaray jaagay chahu jugee panchhayan vitch jayay samavae

Chaaray achhar ik(u) kar(i) Vaheguru japu mant(r) japaapavae

Jahaa(n) te upjiyaa phir tahaa(n) samaavae (49,I)

.........Bhai Gurdas Vaar I, Pauri 49

In a rough and ready but brief translation this says that for the moniker Vaheguru, the letter V stands for the Hindu God Vishnu, H comes from Hari, G denotes Govind, and R is for Raam. The problem is that it ties Vaheguru to Hindu mythology in an embrace that is too close for comfort and undermines Sikh identity. But this tale of the complex origin of “Vaheguru” is not verifiable history. This poetic rendition, gives us no clue on when the term Vaheguru was designed or by whom.

My take on this matter is a bit different.

No writing of Bhai Gurdas is Canon; absolutely none is incorporated in the Guru Granth. A fantastic poet, he had a unique insight into Sikhi. Perhaps he was indulging his magical genius for poetry here, not necessarily connecting Sikhi to Hinduism. His poetry is catchy, enjoyable and instructive, even though we recognize that, at times, it may be inconsistent with Sikh principles, as we see them. Don’t forget that elsewhere in his writings he also celebrates the caste and clan of the Gurus. I offer one such example. Says Bhai Gurdas (Vaar I, Pauri 48): “Challi peeree Sodhian roop dikhavan vaaro vaari” where he seems to be celebrating the Sodhi caste of the Gurus.

Keep in mind that Sikhism and Hinduism (with Islam) have always occupied and operated in the same common socio-cultural, ethnographic and linguistic space with overlapping boundaries. In India, where Sikhism arose, Sikhs have always existed as a small powerful minority -- a prominent drop in the sea of Hinduism and its practices. It is also undeniable that most of the early converts to Sikhi came from Hindu roots.

Remember that religions do not emerge de novo in a vacuum but find their niche within existing societies. In my view, Bhai Gurdas is celebrating this commonality in this poem and it should not surprise us. So we need to step beyond the literal translation to understand him.

That to me explains why there is such mixed usage; the interpretational confusion is not surprising. Hence, my respect for Bhai Gurdas is not lessened any; the larger body of his work is simply awesome.

History suggests that in at least one Hukumnama Guru Gobind Singh used the word Vaheguru; he is also said to have used it in his last greeting to the Sikhs. In the immediate post-Guru period, Mata Sahib Devan apparently used the appellation Vaheguru in her messages to Sikhs as well. Additionally, there are copious references in 18th and 19th century literature where the term Vaheguru is prominent.

I leave it to social historians and religious scholars quibble over exactly when, by whom and under what circumstances the term Vahiguru evolved, as I am unable to unravel this convoluted knot. My further take on this comes from an entirely different direction and perspective.

The Many Ways of Connecting to the Creator

Undeniably, the term Vahiguru, Vaheguru or Vahguru for the Creator is now very much an integral part of the Sikh lexicon. This does not necessarily imply that any Guru prescribed or mandated its use in Sikh worship or religious service. These are the all important questions here.

“Let me count the ways…” as Shakespeare said. Look at the Guru Granth; the question is: In how many different ways is the Creator referred to, and why?

Think with me a moment: If every people and their religions speak in a specific language, as they do, and cultural context, as they do, there are bound to be endless names and endless variations on them for an endless entity that is the Creator.

The Guru Granth of the Sikhs speaks of the many Islamic names for an Infinite Creator: Allah, Rahim, Kareem, Khuda… and so on. Hindu names of God are even more plentiful: Hari, Ram, Gopal, Thakur, Bekuntth, Prabhu, Ishvar, Bhagvan, Vishnu, Shiva, and so on … a truly endless list. Sometimes the Gurus address the Creator as Sajjan, meaning a soul mate in contemporary Americanese. I can’t personally vouch for the numbers but apparently, in the entire Guru Granth, the name Hari for the Creator occurs 8324 times and Ram over 2000 times.

This emphatically does not mean that Sikhism is an offshoot of Hinduism as many Hindu scholars like to insist; that would be a horrendously erroneous idea, akin to labeling Christianity a sect of Judaism. What is important: The three faiths, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism, shared the same socio-cultural linguistic, ethnic and geographic territory.

I also ask you to explore the Jaap Sahib, a composition attributed to Guru Gobind Singh that’s not included in the Guru Granth but is read every day by observant Sikhs. It seems to be a catalogue of the many names and endless attributes of the Creator. The many attributive names of the Creator in the Jaap Sahib alone come to an awesome 950. Not having counted them myself I cannot speak for the veracity of this overwhelming number. But having read the Jaap Sahib this number seems eminently credible.

To my mind, this is a confession of the fact that our finite language and limited human imagination can never fully grasp the reality of an Infinite Creator. At the same time, it remains a wonderful tribute to human imagination and proclivities.

Ergo, exactly how many names exist for the Infinite is absolutely immaterial.


Which Name of the Creator Should Sikhs Use?

The operative principle here is simple: Not that it is necessarily healthier, more respectful, or more acceptable to remember the Creator by a specific name but that it is essential to cultivate a relationship with the Infinite. What language, what name or what ritual we use to train our minds is just so much trivia.

On the other hand, such minutia may not always be so trivial a matter. Why? The human mind is fickle. A discipline, a habit of practice is essential to cultivating a life. Hence, the many religions, traditions and ways of worship!

It may not matter if the worshipper is alone; in his solitude he can use any name for the Creator. But what if, in a group of worshippers, the words of the congregants do not coincide?

It cannot be particularly peaceful or fruitful if in the same congregation one person prefers to sing or dance a joyful prayer, another wants to close his/her eyes to the world and merge in silence, while a third needs a celebratory bash. Or just imagine a religious service punctuated by a cacophony of different languages, terms and monikers for the Creator. Surely, this would not help; the congregation would be essentially dissembled.

Yet in human societies all these signal variations exist.

Yes, there is a place for each in God’s green acre, but not within the same congregation and not at the same time. There are times when we need to be on the same page and the same line.

The Sikh scripture – Guru Granth Sahib – is unique in that it showcases many names of God from the different religions of others. The widespread usage of so many names from both Hindu and Islamic traditions is an indication of the diverse, inclusive and rich culture of the greater Punjab at that time -- over 500 years ago. If literature and traditions of other religions had been widely available at that time, I am sure they too, would have found inclusion and commentary.

The word Vaheguru seems to have evolved from the Sikh community’s need for a common culture, lexicon and practice – indeed the norma loquendi of a people. Thus Sikhs seem to have sanctified the appellation “Vahiguru” more than any other.

In summary I would say this: In connecting to the Infinite one may address the Creator by any name or none; this would be entirely consistent with the message of Guru Granth Sahib. But in communal practice (sangat, congregation) a common moniker would be necessary.

The Sikh scripture – Guru Granth Sahib –opens with Ik Oankar, an alphanumeric designed by Guru Nanak, the Founder of the Sikh faith. Ik Oankar speaks of Singularity – one Creator of all creation. If one can comprehend this Oneness and Universality there is then no room left for differences in caste, creed, color, gender, religious label or national origin etc.

From Ik Oankar (sometimes phonetically rendered as Ik Oangkaar or with other minor variations) to Vahiguru the journey points to a meaningful evolution that seems simple yet complex. This path towards a working terminology for the Creator from Ik Oankar to Vahiguru speaks of several centuries of a meaningful process that is breathtaking in its simplicity and at the same time rich in its impact on our lives.

Ergo, the evolution of the name “Vahiguru” and its universal usage in Sikhi!

One way to describe the Creator (Vaheguru) would be as the inner reality that our intellect cannot fathom, our senses cannot perceive but with which our inner self can commune. This intimate practice has to emerge from the language, culture and world view of a people. This is what connects us to our inner self.

Theoretically then, any moniker for that inner reality is just as good as any other name. It is not at all a matter of which name is right or wrong.

The idea is to find the Creator in the individual self; discover and nurture this universal connectivity. This then enables us to create a community and a sacred fellowship.

"si volet usus /quem penes arbitrium est et ius et norma loquendi" ("if it be the will of custom, in the power of whose judgment is the law and the standard of language")

*Presented at the 5th Annual Conference on the Guru Granth Sahib at the San Jose Gurduara, September 10, 2016
 

swarn bains

Poet
SPNer
Apr 8, 2012
774
187
SGGS page 964

ਸਲੋਕਮਃ੫॥ Hymn, Fifth Mahalla:

ਸੋਇਸੁਣੰਦੜੀਮੇਰਾਤਨੁਮਨੁਮਉਲਾਨਾਮੁਜਪੰਦੜੀਲਾਲੀ॥

Listening to His praises my mind and body blossom;

reciting God it gets dyed deep red.

ਪੰਧਿਜੁਲੰਦੜੀਮੇਰਾਅੰਦਰੁਠੰਢਾਗੁਰਦਰਸਨੁਦੇਖਿਨਿਹਾਲੀ॥੧॥

Walking on that path, I am soothed; seeing the guru I am content. ||1||

ਮਃ੫॥ Fifth Mahalla:

ਹਠਮੰਝਾਹੂਮੈਮਾਣਕੁਲਧਾ॥

I have found the jewel in my heart.

ਮੁਲਿਨਘਿਧਾਮੈਕੂਸਤਿਗੁਰਿਦਿਤਾ॥

I did not buy it; my guru gave it to me.

ਢੂੰਢਵਞਾਈਥੀਆਥਿਤਾ॥

My search has ended and I have become stable.

ਜਨਮੁਪਦਾਰਥੁਨਾਨਕਜਿਤਾ॥੨॥

O Nanak, I have conquered this priceless human life.


This is how Godliness is obtained or attained. It is the only process to become divine or Godly ei through the guru. Sikhism, Sufi ism and to some degree Hinduism is based on the guru. According to SGGS the guru is the highest power in the universe. The divine power is transferred from the guru to the devotee telepathically as Nanak did to Lehna and further to Amardas and so on. Divine knowledge cannot be transferred by any other means even if you try to worship Nanak, because he is dead. There are no religious people as Godly people. But there are many who pretend so. Some saints have adopted a religion later after initiation by the guru such as sant Atar singh.

There is no other process to realize God. In many places in SGGS the guru is called God.

Based on the above assumption on sggs page 1402 and 1403 bhatt Gayand started with wah guru separately ( word wah guru comes in many other places in SGGS as well) and then he combined the two and made the word wahiguru. So the admiration of the guru now is converted into one word which describes as God. When we combine two consonants then according to grammar it is pronounced as sihari or lavan. But Gayand adopted sihari and that is how the word Wahiguru is adopted by him and by the Sikhs as a whole.

Gurmukhi alphabets do not have letter V. Therefore the word cannot be pronounced with Vahiguru. Let us see how w or v are pronounced. The letter V is pronounced by pulling the lips closer to teeth by releasing the air from the mouth and W is pronounced by pulling the lips away from teeth by filling the mouth with air. So you the critic please pronounce wahiguru and test your own ability and knowledge. As you mentioned guru Amar das and Gayand pronounced wahiguru as vahiguru. Guru Amardas was from Punjab and Gayand was from jind. Both did not have letter V in their alphabets or vocabulary. So they cannot pronounce wahiguru as vahiguru. When there is no letter V, how can they pronounce the word as Vahiguru. It applies to the English speaking people also. They also cannot pronounce many words which we use.

In Sikhism people who criticize or speak a lot are called the kathakrs or saints as scholars. The gianis who sing sabad are also called scholars. The other types of scholars in Sikhism are those who search from the history and write and put their own name as a scholar and writers such as Ganda singh , ganga singh and Jhanda singh. They are all social or history scholars. They write from the brain but have nothing to offer from the mind or soul. Therefore after the affect of guru Gobind singh disappeared there are no sikh scholars as godly persons but have lot of big names criticizers like criticism of word Wahiguru. It does not mean that there are no godly Sikhs. There are but they are not called the critiqers or scholars. They are simple people and sit in their own homes.

Next comes the word wahiguru copied by Bhai Gurdas. The SGGS was written and he found the word wahiguru written by Gayand. He was a good poet and very cunning. So he made his own word such as w or v vasdev from satjug, haha from hari krishan ( there was no such person as harikrishan at that time) Krishan was from dawaper. So it should be the third letter. then g from guru and r from ram. Which is out of sequence and illogical. He copied it and Sikhs believe him more than Gayand. There is hardly a sikh who know Gayand. My knowledge is limited but I will further discus it with you.
 
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RD1

Writer
SPNer
Sep 25, 2016
361
153
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other word would smell as sweet" - Shakespeare
 

swarn bains

Poet
SPNer
Apr 8, 2012
774
187
there is a difference in writing novels and writing gurbani and so are the names of the almighty
 
further to wah guru , guru and God wahiguru
ਗੁਰੂਗੁਰੂਗੁਰੁਕਰਿਮਨਮੋਰ॥

Say guru, guru, guru, O my mind;

ਗੁਰੂਬਿਨਾਮੈਨਾਹੀਹੋਰ॥

I have no other than the guru.

ਗੁਰਕੀਟੇਕਰਹਹੁਦਿਨੁਰਾਤਿ॥

Take the support of the guru, day and night.

ਜਾਕੀਕੋਇਨਮੇਟੈਦਾਤਿ॥੧॥

No one can erase His blessing. ||1||

ਗੁਰੁਪਰਮੇਸਰੁਏਕੋਜਾਣੁ॥

Know that the guru and the transcendent Lord are one.

ਜੋਤਿਸੁਭਾਵੈਸੋਪਰਵਾਣੁ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ॥

Whatever pleases Him is approved. ||1||Pause||

ਗੁਰਚਰਣੀਜਾਕਾਮਨੁਲਾਗੈ॥

One whose mind is attached to guru’s feet;

ਦੂਖੁਦਰਦੁਭ੍ਰਮੁਤਾਕਾਭਾਗੈ॥

His pains, sufferings and doubts run away.

ਗੁਰਕੀਸੇਵਾਪਾਏਮਾਨੁ॥

Serving the guru, obtains honor.

ਗੁਰਊਪਰਿਸਦਾਕੁਰਬਾਨੁ॥੨॥

I praise the guru forever. ||2||

ਗੁਰਕਾਦਰਸਨੁਦੇਖਿਨਿਹਾਲ॥

Visualizing the guru I am content.

ਗੁਰ ਕੇ ਸੇਵਕ ਕੀ ਪੂਰਲ ਘਾਲ

Efforts of the devotee of the guru are rewarded.

ਗੁਰਕੇਸੇਵਕਕਉਦੁਖੁਨਬਿਆਪੈ॥

Pain does not afflict guru’s servant.

ਗੁਰਕਾਸੇਵਕੁਦਹਦਿਸਿਜਾਪੈ॥੩॥

Guru’s servant is known in ten directions. ||3||

ਗੁਰਕੀਮਹਿਮਾਕਥਨੁਨਜਾਇ॥

Guru’s glory cannot be described.

ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮੁਗੁਰੁਰਹਿਆਸਮਾਇ॥

Guru is merged in the supreme Lord.

ਕਹੁਨਾਨਕਜਾਕੇਪੂਰੇਭਾਗ॥

Says Nanak, one who is lucky;

ਗੁਰਚਰਣੀਤਾਕਾਮਨੁਲਾਗ॥੪॥੬॥੮॥

His mind is attached to guru’s feet.
 

sukhsingh

Writer
SPNer
Aug 13, 2012
748
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48
UK
Thank you for a excellent post!

One which actually goes to the very heart of (for me at least) the intellectual challenges presented to us 'students'. The elusive nature of ੴ and the inability to make a literal translation to me seems crucial.. I personally believe this to be by design and the genius of guru nanak dev ji.. By using a alphanumeric symbol which sits outside of normal grammatical rules challenges us to look beyond easy definitions. Beyond definition. Onkaar itself in this instance is a symbol which cannot be reduced to 'creator /god/lord' can only be described by its nature as 'truth'

Which Name of the Creator Should Sikhs Use?
Why should 'sikhs' need a name? Guru nanak ji expressed to us that any definition would never capture nor explain it.. Except for the mathematical expression of 1.

The Sikh scripture – Guru Granth Sahib –opens with Ik Oankar, an alphanumeric designed by Guru Nanak, the Founder of the Sikh faith. Ik Oankar speaks of Singularity – one Creator of all creation. If one can comprehend this Oneness and Universality there is then no room left for differences in caste, creed, color, gender, religious label or national origin etc.

For me the closest translation of ੴ is 1 creative source

Thoughts?
 

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