TheSikhRenaissance
SPNer
- Nov 7, 2020
- 47
- 8
Introduction:
It’s a given, if a certain section of Sikhs are unable to concede they are wrong they will venomously cry:
“Go do Simran, Naam Jaap; recite Vaheguru Vaheguru and you will be forgiven.”
One is left perplexed as to how divine justice works then. A few mystical terms are enough to acquire pardon? What consolation will any victim receive if divine justice can be flipped with regular meditation? Such questions are not indicative of doubt neither blasphemy/transgression against orthodoxy. They emanate from inquisitive minds who are newly treading the path of Sikhi. After all, Naam Jaap and Simran today have become interchangeable terms which define the consistent recitation of Vaheguru while removed from worldly living. Put candidly, pure renunciation in emulation of the various Pujari honchos who Guru Nanak decries on each and every Ang of Gurbani.
Had Naam Jaap been the ultimate purpose of the Gurus, the Bhagats, the Bhatts and Gursikhs than why did they confront such herculean obstacles in their lives? Why were they repeatedly tortured, expelled from society and even martyred if meditation alone was their sole aim in life? The contention that their Mantra or meditative formula was of higher value is entirely disingenuous given that countless Mantras existed prior to the Gurus. Their holders were never subject to such inhumane persecution. Why the authors of Gurbani alone? Were their Mantras more powerful on account of miracles? But Gurbani, their very essence, decries miracles. Even today, convoluted incidents appended to the Gurus’ lives are effortlessly exposed in light of their compositions. So what, then, is the truth?
Reality:
The dubious Pujari cliques have crafted an equally dubious purview of Sikhi through which it is argued that meditation is the sole aim of Sikh life. We find this strain of thought in the various Granths now littered across the world of Sikh soteriology. It must be remembered that during their lifetimes the Gurus emphasized adherence to the Guru Granth and no other text. Any ancillary compositions were later collected by post-Guru era Sikh sophists whose works were further corrupted by Pujari infiltrators. The reverence of the Guru Granth supreme, the Pujari was never able to alter it though myths to the effect were routinely spread. Even today, Pujari cliques heatedly argue that meditation means Simran (ਸਿਮਰਨ)-that one is to beat a hasty retreat from the world and meditate their lives away. How does Gurbani define Simran?
ਸਿਮਰਿ ਮਨਾ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਚਿਤਾਰੇ ॥
“Within your mind, consistently remember the Divine virtues which pervade us.”
-Guru Granth, 803.
The term ਸਿਮਰਿ refers to remembrance, the cognitive function of recollection. ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ are two different terms with ਰਾਮ or Raam defined as such:
ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮ ਕਹਨ ਮਹਿ ਭੇਦੁ ਹੈ ਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੁ ॥ ਸੋਈ ਰਾਮੁ ਸਭੈ ਕਹਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਕਉਤਕਹਾਰ ॥੧੯੦॥ ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮੈ ਰਾਮ ਕਹੁ ਕਹਿਬੇ ਮਾਹਿ ਬਿਬੇਕ ॥ ਏਕੁ ਅਨੇਕਹਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਗਇਆ ਏਕ ਸਮਾਨਾ ਏਕ ॥੧੯੧॥
“Kabir, indeed there are various connotations to this word Raam and I have contemplated them all. The one word Raam is used ubiquitously. Some like me use it to refer to the all pervasive Master; others to the son of Dasrath. There is a crucial distinction here: my Raam permeates each and every aspect of reality, the son of Dasrath was only ever contained within himself.”
-Guru Granth, 1374.
To dispel any lingering doubts:
ਪਾਂਡੇ ਤੁਮਰਾ ਰਾਮਚੰਦੁ ਸੋ ਭੀ ਆਵਤੁ ਦੇਖਿਆ ਥਾ ॥ ਰਾਵਨ ਸੇਤੀ ਸਰਬਰ ਹੋਈ ਘਰ ਕੀ ਜੋਇ ਗਵਾਈ ਥੀ ॥੩॥
“Worshipper, I witnessed the actions of your Raam Chandar who you infer to be the other Raam. He lost his wife to Ravana and had to war to win her back. What makes you think such actions are worthy of the other greater Raam?”
-Guru Granth, 875.
The fact clarified that Gurmat’s Raam is not the Raam of Ramayana, what then is Naam or ਨਾਮੁ?
ਤਤੁ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮ ॥
“The wisdom of all around me, the essential wisdom of how to live life-that is my elixir ਨਾਮ .”
-Guru Granth, 1146.
ਰਾਜਾ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਮੋਰਾ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਗਿਆਨੁ ॥੧॥
“My universal Emperor Raam’s wisdom (as opposed to the injunctions of Raam Chandar who only ruled over Ayodhya) is the requisite wisdom.”
-Guru Granth, 1159.
What then is Raam Naam in light of the above? How does Sikhi define ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ? It can be summarized, with the above evidence, that in the Sikh purview ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ stands for essential i.e. fundamental wisdom. The form of basic intelligence required to live life as humans far removed from the vagaries of bestial nature.
ਸਿਮਰਨ:
How does one obtain this intelligence? Through meditation as ਸਿਮਰਨ is inferred to be? What does Gurbani enunciate?
ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਗਾਉ ਗੁਨ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਉਧਰੁ ਸਾਗਰ ਕੇ ਖਾਤ॥
“Sing of that priceless intelligence which belongs to the Creator of this Creation. Sing and then imbibe what you sing.”
-Guru Granth, 1120.
By no means is ਸਿਮਰਨ meditation as the Pujaris categorize it to be. Rather, it is solely cognitive. In Sikhi, ਨਾਮੁ ਸਿਮਰਨ is a mental process which far transcends any meditative/self-hypnotic charades. It is an internalization where the intellect is attuned to its surroundings and these surroundings studied for their qualities. A process through which vice and virtue are sought out and analyzed for their consequential fruits. A Sikh’s ਨਾਮੁ ਸਿਮਰਨ is self-introspection out of which emanates the self-discipline to change oneself for the better and one’s environs. Such a ਨਾਮੁ ਸਿਮਰਨ, by its very existence, strikes fear in the hearts and minds of all power combines. Is it any wonder then that the Gurus were continually persecuted for emphasizing such a ਸਿਮਰਨ? Why were the meditative Sri Chand and his Udasis never set upon by imperial tyrants while Guru Nanak and his Sikhs weathered a never-ending purge? Gurbani’s ਸਿਮਰਨ is the Simran of the self-disciplined warrior.
ਨਿਰਭਉ ਜਪੈ ਸਗਲ ਭਉ ਮਿਟੈ॥
“I speak of fearlessness, I imbibe fearlessness.”
-Guru Granth, 294.
And,
ਭੈ ਕਾਹੂ ਕਉ ਦੇਤ ਨਹਿ ਨਹਿ ਭੈ ਮਾਨਤ ਆਨ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਾਹਿ ਬਖਾਨਿ ॥
“An enlightened human fears not, neither strikes fear in another’s heart. Nanak advises hearts and minds, live such a life and then you will be renowned as being wise.”
-Guru Granth, 1427.
Obviously, the Pujari cliques will never accept such salient principles of Gurbani given they subsist on misinterpreting it. However, Bhai Gurdass had foreseen their shenanigans almost five centuries prior. In his lesser-known Kabits, he observes:
ਖਾਂਡ ਖਾਂਡ ਕਹੈ ਜਿਹਬਾ ਨਾ ਸਵਾਦ ਮੀਠੋ ਆਵੈ, ਅਗਨ ਅਗਨ ਕਹੈ ਸੀਤ ਨਾ ਬਿਨਾਸ ਹੈ॥
“Chanting the names of sugar and fire do not bring their qualities to you. You have to seek them yourselves. Chanting invokes imagery alone.”
-Kabit.
The Vaheguru Bait:
Guru Gobind Singh Ji bequeathed the Khalsa an unique greeting, Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh. What or who is Vaheguru? Pujaris willfully misinterpret several ancillary verses of Bhai Gurdass and then Gurbani to argue Vaheguru is Naam and its Simran the end-all of Sikhi. These verses are:
ਸਤਿਜੁਗ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਵਾਸਦੇਵ ਵਵਾ ਵਿਸਨਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
ਦੁਆਪੁਰਿ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਹਰੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨ ਹਾਹਾ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
ਤ੍ਰੇਤੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਰਾਮ ਜੀ ਰਾਰਾ ਰਾਮ ਜਪੇ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਵੈ।
ਕਲਿਜੁਗਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰ ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ਗਗਾ ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਲਾਵੈ।
ਚਾਰੇ ਜਾਗੇ ਚਹੁ ਜੁਗੀ ਪੰਚਾਇਣ ਵਿਚਿ ਜਾਇ ਸਮਾਵੈ।
ਚਾਰੋ ਅਛਰ ਇਕੁ ਕਰਿ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜਪੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
ਜਹਾਂ ਤੇ ਉਪਜਿਆ ਫਿਰਿ ਤਹਾਂ ਸਮਾਵੈ ॥੪੯॥੧॥
“In the mythological age of contentment, the Guru was said to be Vasudeva who had everyone chant Visna with a V as the way to God.
Then in the subsequent age, HarKrisn with a H became the main epithet of chanting.
Now in the age of darkness, Nanak is made synonymous with Govind (cultivator) for he spreads the true Govind’s path far and wide.
The four mythological ages, the four directions, all these concepts emanate from within the individual.
Gathering the four adjectives of times past, the term Vaheguru is derived which is the unspeakable speech.
Understanding such creativity, the soul is freed of all constraints.”
-Vaaran, 1:46.
This is a formulaic description of how the term Vaheguru is formed as a compound from prior adjectives which were once utilized to refer to a singular Creator rather than deities. Bhai Gurdass makes this explicitly clear though our current English simplifications leave much to be desired in terms of clarity. The Pujari duplicity, though, revolves around the Gurmukhi:
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜਪੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
“Vaheguru is the Mantra which makes others meditate upon it.”
While the term Mantra or ਮੰਤ੍ਰ is figurative for speech, the ਜਪੁ is another term conveniently misinterpreted to mean continued recitation. What does ਜਪੁ mean in the Sikh purview?
ਬਿਨੁ ਜਿਹਵਾ ਜੋ ਜਪੈ ਹਿਆਇ ॥ ਕੋਈ ਜਾਣੈ ਕੈਸਾ ਨਾਉ ॥੨॥
“The one who imbibes the unrepeatable, such an individual carries the true wisdom alone.”
-Guru Granth, 1256.
The ਜਪੁ of Gurbani is not meditative but exemplary. It is not within the realm of speech; it cannot be recited. This is clarified by Gurbani itself:
ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ ਨ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਆਦਿ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਮਾਇ ॥ ਸਭਿ ਸਖੀਆ ਪੰਚੇ ਮਿਲੇ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਿਜ ਘਰਿ ਵਾਸੁ ॥ ਸਬਦੁ ਖੋਜਿ ਇਹੁ ਘਰੁ ਲਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਤਾ ਕਾ ਦਾਸੁ ॥
“When the unspeakable (that which cannot be put into words) does not depart from your mind, you become Gurmukh or a purveyor of truth…”
-Guru Granth, 1291.
The concept of the Sikh ਜਪੁ being ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ (unspeakable) is further reinforced by Guru Gobind Singh in his corroborative Jaap composition which delineates that the cultivation of character and virtue is ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ . The Pujari’s ਜਪੁ is by no means ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ . Nor does the Pujari’s ਜਪੁ point towards ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ . This is clarified by Bhai Gurdass in his Kabits. If the term Vaheguru is not ਜਪੁ , then what is it? It it imperative we comprehend its history to understand it better.
The term Vaheguru is not found in the:
947 verses of Guru Nanak within Gurbani.
63 verses of Guru Angad.
869 verses of Guru Amardass.
638 verses of Guru Ramdass.
2,313 verses of Guru Arjan.
115 verses of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
788 verses of the Bhagats.
11 verses of the Gursikhs.
Out of the aforementioned verses, the term Vaheguru is not found once in any form. Quite a surprise that Pujaris augment their fallacious arguments by willfully misinterpreting Ang 435 of Gurbani and arguing Guru Amardass mentions it in acrostic. The entire verse, in question, though starts with the Punjabi equivalent of S and there is no mention of V-A-H-E-G-U-R-U in any consecutive or non-consecutive form.
The term, in reality, originates with the Bhatts who use it only 16 times when compared with the more preponderant Satguru which is utilized 25 times. The true author of Vaheguru is Bhatt Gayand who utilizes it as an adjective for the genuineness of his contemporary Guru, Guru Ramdass’s, teachings.
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਵਾਹਿ ਜੀਉ ॥
“Vaheguru, Vaheguru, Vaheguru, Vahe will forever persist.”
-Guru Granth, 1402.
The Vahe, composed of four other adjectives, is an expression of awe at the truth revealed by the fourth Guru. It is within the realms of possibility that Gayand shared how he formed it with Bhai Gurdass. Upon the creation of the Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh Ji adopted this hitherto lesser known metaphor for truth and gave it to the Khalsa as a greeting. Essentially, the Khalsa greeting signifies:
The Khalsa belongs to the truth; victory belongs to the truth.
How tragic then that the very same Khalsa is today enmeshed in the Pujari’s snare.
It’s a given, if a certain section of Sikhs are unable to concede they are wrong they will venomously cry:
“Go do Simran, Naam Jaap; recite Vaheguru Vaheguru and you will be forgiven.”
One is left perplexed as to how divine justice works then. A few mystical terms are enough to acquire pardon? What consolation will any victim receive if divine justice can be flipped with regular meditation? Such questions are not indicative of doubt neither blasphemy/transgression against orthodoxy. They emanate from inquisitive minds who are newly treading the path of Sikhi. After all, Naam Jaap and Simran today have become interchangeable terms which define the consistent recitation of Vaheguru while removed from worldly living. Put candidly, pure renunciation in emulation of the various Pujari honchos who Guru Nanak decries on each and every Ang of Gurbani.
Had Naam Jaap been the ultimate purpose of the Gurus, the Bhagats, the Bhatts and Gursikhs than why did they confront such herculean obstacles in their lives? Why were they repeatedly tortured, expelled from society and even martyred if meditation alone was their sole aim in life? The contention that their Mantra or meditative formula was of higher value is entirely disingenuous given that countless Mantras existed prior to the Gurus. Their holders were never subject to such inhumane persecution. Why the authors of Gurbani alone? Were their Mantras more powerful on account of miracles? But Gurbani, their very essence, decries miracles. Even today, convoluted incidents appended to the Gurus’ lives are effortlessly exposed in light of their compositions. So what, then, is the truth?
Reality:
The dubious Pujari cliques have crafted an equally dubious purview of Sikhi through which it is argued that meditation is the sole aim of Sikh life. We find this strain of thought in the various Granths now littered across the world of Sikh soteriology. It must be remembered that during their lifetimes the Gurus emphasized adherence to the Guru Granth and no other text. Any ancillary compositions were later collected by post-Guru era Sikh sophists whose works were further corrupted by Pujari infiltrators. The reverence of the Guru Granth supreme, the Pujari was never able to alter it though myths to the effect were routinely spread. Even today, Pujari cliques heatedly argue that meditation means Simran (ਸਿਮਰਨ)-that one is to beat a hasty retreat from the world and meditate their lives away. How does Gurbani define Simran?
ਸਿਮਰਿ ਮਨਾ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਚਿਤਾਰੇ ॥
“Within your mind, consistently remember the Divine virtues which pervade us.”
-Guru Granth, 803.
The term ਸਿਮਰਿ refers to remembrance, the cognitive function of recollection. ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ are two different terms with ਰਾਮ or Raam defined as such:
ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮ ਕਹਨ ਮਹਿ ਭੇਦੁ ਹੈ ਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੁ ॥ ਸੋਈ ਰਾਮੁ ਸਭੈ ਕਹਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਕਉਤਕਹਾਰ ॥੧੯੦॥ ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮੈ ਰਾਮ ਕਹੁ ਕਹਿਬੇ ਮਾਹਿ ਬਿਬੇਕ ॥ ਏਕੁ ਅਨੇਕਹਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਗਇਆ ਏਕ ਸਮਾਨਾ ਏਕ ॥੧੯੧॥
“Kabir, indeed there are various connotations to this word Raam and I have contemplated them all. The one word Raam is used ubiquitously. Some like me use it to refer to the all pervasive Master; others to the son of Dasrath. There is a crucial distinction here: my Raam permeates each and every aspect of reality, the son of Dasrath was only ever contained within himself.”
-Guru Granth, 1374.
To dispel any lingering doubts:
ਪਾਂਡੇ ਤੁਮਰਾ ਰਾਮਚੰਦੁ ਸੋ ਭੀ ਆਵਤੁ ਦੇਖਿਆ ਥਾ ॥ ਰਾਵਨ ਸੇਤੀ ਸਰਬਰ ਹੋਈ ਘਰ ਕੀ ਜੋਇ ਗਵਾਈ ਥੀ ॥੩॥
“Worshipper, I witnessed the actions of your Raam Chandar who you infer to be the other Raam. He lost his wife to Ravana and had to war to win her back. What makes you think such actions are worthy of the other greater Raam?”
-Guru Granth, 875.
The fact clarified that Gurmat’s Raam is not the Raam of Ramayana, what then is Naam or ਨਾਮੁ?
ਤਤੁ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮ ॥
“The wisdom of all around me, the essential wisdom of how to live life-that is my elixir ਨਾਮ .”
-Guru Granth, 1146.
ਰਾਜਾ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਮੋਰਾ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਗਿਆਨੁ ॥੧॥
“My universal Emperor Raam’s wisdom (as opposed to the injunctions of Raam Chandar who only ruled over Ayodhya) is the requisite wisdom.”
-Guru Granth, 1159.
What then is Raam Naam in light of the above? How does Sikhi define ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ? It can be summarized, with the above evidence, that in the Sikh purview ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ stands for essential i.e. fundamental wisdom. The form of basic intelligence required to live life as humans far removed from the vagaries of bestial nature.
ਸਿਮਰਨ:
How does one obtain this intelligence? Through meditation as ਸਿਮਰਨ is inferred to be? What does Gurbani enunciate?
ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਗਾਉ ਗੁਨ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਉਧਰੁ ਸਾਗਰ ਕੇ ਖਾਤ॥
“Sing of that priceless intelligence which belongs to the Creator of this Creation. Sing and then imbibe what you sing.”
-Guru Granth, 1120.
By no means is ਸਿਮਰਨ meditation as the Pujaris categorize it to be. Rather, it is solely cognitive. In Sikhi, ਨਾਮੁ ਸਿਮਰਨ is a mental process which far transcends any meditative/self-hypnotic charades. It is an internalization where the intellect is attuned to its surroundings and these surroundings studied for their qualities. A process through which vice and virtue are sought out and analyzed for their consequential fruits. A Sikh’s ਨਾਮੁ ਸਿਮਰਨ is self-introspection out of which emanates the self-discipline to change oneself for the better and one’s environs. Such a ਨਾਮੁ ਸਿਮਰਨ, by its very existence, strikes fear in the hearts and minds of all power combines. Is it any wonder then that the Gurus were continually persecuted for emphasizing such a ਸਿਮਰਨ? Why were the meditative Sri Chand and his Udasis never set upon by imperial tyrants while Guru Nanak and his Sikhs weathered a never-ending purge? Gurbani’s ਸਿਮਰਨ is the Simran of the self-disciplined warrior.
ਨਿਰਭਉ ਜਪੈ ਸਗਲ ਭਉ ਮਿਟੈ॥
“I speak of fearlessness, I imbibe fearlessness.”
-Guru Granth, 294.
And,
ਭੈ ਕਾਹੂ ਕਉ ਦੇਤ ਨਹਿ ਨਹਿ ਭੈ ਮਾਨਤ ਆਨ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਾਹਿ ਬਖਾਨਿ ॥
“An enlightened human fears not, neither strikes fear in another’s heart. Nanak advises hearts and minds, live such a life and then you will be renowned as being wise.”
-Guru Granth, 1427.
Obviously, the Pujari cliques will never accept such salient principles of Gurbani given they subsist on misinterpreting it. However, Bhai Gurdass had foreseen their shenanigans almost five centuries prior. In his lesser-known Kabits, he observes:
ਖਾਂਡ ਖਾਂਡ ਕਹੈ ਜਿਹਬਾ ਨਾ ਸਵਾਦ ਮੀਠੋ ਆਵੈ, ਅਗਨ ਅਗਨ ਕਹੈ ਸੀਤ ਨਾ ਬਿਨਾਸ ਹੈ॥
“Chanting the names of sugar and fire do not bring their qualities to you. You have to seek them yourselves. Chanting invokes imagery alone.”
-Kabit.
The Vaheguru Bait:
Guru Gobind Singh Ji bequeathed the Khalsa an unique greeting, Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh. What or who is Vaheguru? Pujaris willfully misinterpret several ancillary verses of Bhai Gurdass and then Gurbani to argue Vaheguru is Naam and its Simran the end-all of Sikhi. These verses are:
ਸਤਿਜੁਗ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਵਾਸਦੇਵ ਵਵਾ ਵਿਸਨਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
ਦੁਆਪੁਰਿ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਹਰੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨ ਹਾਹਾ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
ਤ੍ਰੇਤੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਰਾਮ ਜੀ ਰਾਰਾ ਰਾਮ ਜਪੇ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਵੈ।
ਕਲਿਜੁਗਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰ ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ਗਗਾ ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਲਾਵੈ।
ਚਾਰੇ ਜਾਗੇ ਚਹੁ ਜੁਗੀ ਪੰਚਾਇਣ ਵਿਚਿ ਜਾਇ ਸਮਾਵੈ।
ਚਾਰੋ ਅਛਰ ਇਕੁ ਕਰਿ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜਪੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
ਜਹਾਂ ਤੇ ਉਪਜਿਆ ਫਿਰਿ ਤਹਾਂ ਸਮਾਵੈ ॥੪੯॥੧॥
“In the mythological age of contentment, the Guru was said to be Vasudeva who had everyone chant Visna with a V as the way to God.
Then in the subsequent age, HarKrisn with a H became the main epithet of chanting.
Now in the age of darkness, Nanak is made synonymous with Govind (cultivator) for he spreads the true Govind’s path far and wide.
The four mythological ages, the four directions, all these concepts emanate from within the individual.
Gathering the four adjectives of times past, the term Vaheguru is derived which is the unspeakable speech.
Understanding such creativity, the soul is freed of all constraints.”
-Vaaran, 1:46.
This is a formulaic description of how the term Vaheguru is formed as a compound from prior adjectives which were once utilized to refer to a singular Creator rather than deities. Bhai Gurdass makes this explicitly clear though our current English simplifications leave much to be desired in terms of clarity. The Pujari duplicity, though, revolves around the Gurmukhi:
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜਪੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਜਪਾਵੈ।
“Vaheguru is the Mantra which makes others meditate upon it.”
While the term Mantra or ਮੰਤ੍ਰ is figurative for speech, the ਜਪੁ is another term conveniently misinterpreted to mean continued recitation. What does ਜਪੁ mean in the Sikh purview?
ਬਿਨੁ ਜਿਹਵਾ ਜੋ ਜਪੈ ਹਿਆਇ ॥ ਕੋਈ ਜਾਣੈ ਕੈਸਾ ਨਾਉ ॥੨॥
“The one who imbibes the unrepeatable, such an individual carries the true wisdom alone.”
-Guru Granth, 1256.
The ਜਪੁ of Gurbani is not meditative but exemplary. It is not within the realm of speech; it cannot be recited. This is clarified by Gurbani itself:
ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ ਨ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਆਦਿ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਮਾਇ ॥ ਸਭਿ ਸਖੀਆ ਪੰਚੇ ਮਿਲੇ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਿਜ ਘਰਿ ਵਾਸੁ ॥ ਸਬਦੁ ਖੋਜਿ ਇਹੁ ਘਰੁ ਲਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਤਾ ਕਾ ਦਾਸੁ ॥
“When the unspeakable (that which cannot be put into words) does not depart from your mind, you become Gurmukh or a purveyor of truth…”
-Guru Granth, 1291.
The concept of the Sikh ਜਪੁ being ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ (unspeakable) is further reinforced by Guru Gobind Singh in his corroborative Jaap composition which delineates that the cultivation of character and virtue is ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ . The Pujari’s ਜਪੁ is by no means ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ . Nor does the Pujari’s ਜਪੁ point towards ਅਜਪਾ ਜਾਪੁ . This is clarified by Bhai Gurdass in his Kabits. If the term Vaheguru is not ਜਪੁ , then what is it? It it imperative we comprehend its history to understand it better.
The term Vaheguru is not found in the:
947 verses of Guru Nanak within Gurbani.
63 verses of Guru Angad.
869 verses of Guru Amardass.
638 verses of Guru Ramdass.
2,313 verses of Guru Arjan.
115 verses of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
788 verses of the Bhagats.
11 verses of the Gursikhs.
Out of the aforementioned verses, the term Vaheguru is not found once in any form. Quite a surprise that Pujaris augment their fallacious arguments by willfully misinterpreting Ang 435 of Gurbani and arguing Guru Amardass mentions it in acrostic. The entire verse, in question, though starts with the Punjabi equivalent of S and there is no mention of V-A-H-E-G-U-R-U in any consecutive or non-consecutive form.
The term, in reality, originates with the Bhatts who use it only 16 times when compared with the more preponderant Satguru which is utilized 25 times. The true author of Vaheguru is Bhatt Gayand who utilizes it as an adjective for the genuineness of his contemporary Guru, Guru Ramdass’s, teachings.
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਵਾਹਿ ਜੀਉ ॥
“Vaheguru, Vaheguru, Vaheguru, Vahe will forever persist.”
-Guru Granth, 1402.
The Vahe, composed of four other adjectives, is an expression of awe at the truth revealed by the fourth Guru. It is within the realms of possibility that Gayand shared how he formed it with Bhai Gurdass. Upon the creation of the Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh Ji adopted this hitherto lesser known metaphor for truth and gave it to the Khalsa as a greeting. Essentially, the Khalsa greeting signifies:
The Khalsa belongs to the truth; victory belongs to the truth.
How tragic then that the very same Khalsa is today enmeshed in the Pujari’s snare.
