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Gurus Was Guru Nanak God?

Amardeep

SPNer
Feb 12, 2006
58
5
i just got home from the local Gurdwara, and there there was a sikh from England who claimed that Guru Nanak was God himself.... i thought he was ridiculous and went home to research and found these verses.

Page 136, Line 10
ਹਰਿ ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਆਰਾਧਿਆ ਦਰਗਹ ਸਚਿ ਖਰੇ ॥
हरि गुरु पूरा आराधिआ दरगह सचि खरे ॥
har gur pooraa aaraaDhi-aa dargeh sach kharay.
Those who meditate on the Perfect Guru, the Lord-Incarnate-they are judged true in the Court of the Lord.
Guru Arjan Dev - [SIZE=-1]view Shabad/Paurhi/Salok

[/SIZE]Page 306, Line 14
ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਰ ਸਫਲ ਦਰਸਨ ਕੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਲੇਖਾ ਮੰਗੈ ਨ ਕੋਈ ॥੨॥
नानक सेवा करहु हरि गुर सफल दरसन की फिरि लेखा मंगै न कोई ॥२॥
naanak sayvaa karahu har gur safal darsan kee fir laykhaa mangai na ko-ee. ||2||
O Nanak, serve the Guru, the Lord Incarnate; the Blessed Vision of His Darshan is profitable, and in the end, you shall not be called to account. ||2||
Guru Ram Das - [SIZE=-1]view Shabad/Paurhi/Salok


and there are propbably also others..

it this true ? was Guru Nanak and the others God?.

if if they were, who were they praying to? If their prayers were just God showing how a prayer should be done, it means that their Prayers were empty rituals as God can not pray to God, since there is only One God.

The Guru's slept, ate, had children etc..does this mean that God is limited as a human being who needs sleep, rest, etc??

i cant make this work...seriously..how could Guru Nanak have been God?:shock:


[/SIZE]
 
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drkhalsa

SPNer
Sep 16, 2004
1,308
54
Dear Friend

If you are asking in YES AND NO format then the simple answer is NO

Guru Nanak was NOT GOD

Instead he was at Peak state of counciousness where one is one with GOD and so can any other Human reach the the state , the same as Guru Nanak .



About THE ABOVE TWO QUOTES There is PROBLEM IN TRANSLATION AND IS GIVING THE DIFFERENT PICTURE

If you know any indian language like Punjabi /Hindi then you can appreciate that the WORD LORD INCARNATE IS THE INTERPRETATION OF THE WRITER and not mentioned by Guruji

I would recommend to follow Translation given



As I have understood that in Gurbani Guru JI and Bhagats have refered to Guru the perfect Guru and that Guru is AKAL PURAKH Himself and I firmly believe that Even for all the sikhs the Guru is AKAL PURAKH HIMSELF which has manifested in the world as SHABAD GURU that is the way it has been commnicated to the Human beings and our GURU Ji were in real sense of Guardian of the SHABAD guru and so that it could be preserved and propagated as SHABD Guru in form of GURU GRANTH Sahib to all the Humanity.



To aviod such confusion further in your Understanding of Gurbani I would suggest the TEEKA BY PROF. SAHIB SINGH JI but unfortunately it is in PUNJABI .



THIS THE COMPLETE VAAK HERE


ਜਿਸ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਲੇਖਾ ਮੰਗੀਐ ਸਾ ਸੇਵਾ ਅਉਖੀ ਹੋਈ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਰ ਸਫਲ ਦਰਸਨ ਕੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਲੇਖਾ ਮੰਗੈ ਕੋਈ ॥੨॥



In this VAAK of Guru Sahibaan , are advising

That if you serve somebody and still you dont get liberated then that service is Dificult or in other wise uselss as you will not be liberated

in second part Guru ji Advises to Serve Perfect Guru AKAL PURAKH so that your cousisness is elevated to level of liberation where you can precive ( DARSHAN )all prevading god and get liberated .





Jatinder Singh
 
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Amardeep

SPNer
Feb 12, 2006
58
5
more verses here..

raamdaas guroo jag taaran ka-o gur jot arjun maahi Dharee. ||4||
Guru Raam Daas, to save the world, enshrined the Guru's Light into Guru Arjun. ||4||

ਜਗ ਅਉਰੁ ਨ ਯਾਹਿ ਮਹਾ ਤਮ ਮੈ ਅਵਤਾਰੁ ਉਜਾਗਰੁ ਆਨਿ ਕੀਅਉ ॥
जग अउरु न याहि महा तम मै अवतारु उजागरु आनि कीअउ ॥
jag a-or na yaahi mahaa tam mai avtaar ujaagar aan kee-a-o.
In the great darkness of this world, the Lord revealed Himself, incarnated as Guru Arjun.

ਤਿਨ ਕੇ ਦੁਖ ਕੋਟਿਕ ਦੂਰਿ ਗਏ ਮਥੁਰਾ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਪੀਅਉ ॥
तिन के दुख कोटिक दूरि गए मथुरा जिन्ह अम्रित नामु पीअउ ॥
tin kay dukh kotik door ga-ay mathuraa jinH amrit naam pee-a-o.
Millions of pains are taken away, from those who drink in the Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam, says Mat'huraa.

ਇਹ ਪਧਤਿ ਤੇ ਮਤ ਚੂਕਹਿ ਰੇ ਮਨ ਭੇਦੁ ਬਿਭੇਦੁ ਨ ਜਾਨ ਬੀਅਉ ॥
इह पधति ते मत चूकहि रे मन भेदु बिभेदु न जान बीअउ ॥
ih paDhat tay mat chookeh ray man bhayd bibhayd na jaan bee-a-o.
O mortal being, do not leave this path; do not think that there is any difference between God and Guru.

ਪਰਤਛਿ ਰਿਦੈ ਗੁਰ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਕੈ ਹਰਿ ਪੂਰਨ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਿ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ਲੀਅਉ ॥੫॥
परतछि रिदै गुर अरजुन कै हरि पूरन ब्रहमि निवासु लीअउ ॥५॥
partachh ridai gur arjun kai har pooran barahm nivaas lee-a-o. ||5||
The Perfect Lord God has manifested Himself; He dwells in the heart of Guru Arjun. ||5||

ਜਬ ਲਉ ਨਹੀ ਭਾਗ ਲਿਲਾਰ ਉਦੈ ਤਬ ਲਉ ਭ੍ਰਮਤੇ ਫਿਰਤੇ ਬਹੁ ਧਾਯਉ ॥
जब लउ नही भाग लिलार उदै तब लउ भ्रमते फिरते बहु धायउ ॥
jab la-o nahee bhaag lilaar udai tab la-o bharamtay firtay baho Dhaa-ya-o.
As long as the destiny written upon my forehead was not activated, I wandered around lost, running in all directions.

ਕਲਿ ਘੋਰ ਸਮੁਦ੍ਰ ਮੈ ਬੂਡਤ ਥੇ ਕਬਹੂ ਮਿਟਿ ਹੈ ਨਹੀ ਰੇ ਪਛੁਤਾਯਉ ॥
कलि घोर समुद्र मै बूडत थे कबहू मिटि है नही रे पछुतायउ ॥
kal ghor samudar mai boodat thay kabhoo mit hai nahee ray pachhotaa-ya-o.
I was drowning in the horrible world-ocean of this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, and my remorse would never have ended.

ਤਤੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੁ ਯਹੈ ਮਥੁਰਾ ਜਗ ਤਾਰਨ ਕਉ ਅਵਤਾਰੁ ਬਨਾਯਉ ॥
ततु बिचारु यहै मथुरा जग तारन कउ अवतारु बनायउ ॥
tat bichaar yahai mathuraa jag taaran ka-o avtaar banaa-ya-o.
O Mat'huraa, consider this essential truth: to save the world, the Lord incarnated Himself.

ਜਪ੍ਯ੍ਯਉ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਦੇਵ ਗੁਰੂ ਫਿਰਿ ਸੰਕਟ ਜੋਨਿ ਗਰਭ ਨ ਆਯਉ ॥੬॥
जप्यउ जिन्ह अरजुन देव गुरू फिरि संकट जोनि गरभ न आयउ ॥६॥
jap-ya-o jinH arjun dayv guroo fir sankat jon garabh na aa-ya-o. ||6||
Whoever meditates on Guru Arjun Dayv, shall not have to pass through the painful womb of reincarnation ever again. ||6||

ਕਲਿ ਸਮੁਦ੍ਰ ਭਏ ਰੂਪ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮ ਉਧਾਰਨੁ ॥
कलि समुद्र भए रूप प्रगटि हरि नाम उधारनु ॥
kal samudar bha-ay roop pargat har naam uDhaaran.
In the ocean of this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, the Lord's Name has been revealed in the Form of Guru Arjun, to save the world.

ਬਸਹਿ ਸੰਤ ਜਿਸੁ ਰਿਦੈ ਦੁਖ ਦਾਰਿਦ੍ਰ ਨਿਵਾਰਨੁ ॥
बसहि संत जिसु रिदै दुख दारिद्र निवारनु ॥
baseh sant jis ridai dukh daridar nivaaran.
Pain and poverty are taken away from that person, within whose heart the Saint abides.

ਨਿਰਮਲ ਭੇਖ ਅਪਾਰ ਤਾਸੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਕੋਈ ॥
निरमल भेख अपार तासु बिनु अवरु न कोई ॥
nirmal bhaykh apaar taas bin avar na ko-ee.
He is the Pure, Immaculate Form of the Infinite Lord; except for Him, there is no other at all.

ਮਨ ਬਚ ਜਿਨਿ ਜਾਣਿਅਉ ਭਯਉ ਤਿਹ ਸਮਸਰਿ ਸੋਈ ॥
मन बच जिनि जाणिअउ भयउ तिह समसरि सोई ॥
man bach jin jaani-a-o bha-ya-o tih samsar so-ee.
Whoever knows Him in thought, word and deed, becomes just like Him.

ਧਰਨਿ ਗਗਨ ਨਵ ਖੰਡ ਮਹਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਸ੍ਵਰੂਪੀ ਰਹਿਓ ਭਰਿ ॥
धरनि गगन नव खंड महि जोति स्वरूपी रहिओ भरि ॥
Dharan gagan nav khand meh jot savroopee rahi-o bhar.
He is totally pervading the earth, the sky and the nine regions of the planet. He is the Embodiment of the Light of God.

ਭਨਿ ਮਥੁਰਾ ਕਛੁ ਭੇਦੁ ਨਹੀ ਗੁਰੁ ਅਰਜੁਨੁ ਪਰਤਖ੍ਯ੍ਯ ਹਰਿ ॥੭॥੧੯॥
भनि मथुरा कछु भेदु नही गुरु अरजुनु परतख्य हरि ॥७॥१९॥
bhan mathuraa kachh bhayd nahee gur arjun partakh-y har. ||7||19||
So speaks Mat'huraa: there is no difference between God and Guru; Guru Arjun is the Personification of the Lord Himself. ||7||19||

ਅਜੈ ਗੰਗ ਜਲੁ ਅਟਲੁ ਸਿਖ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਭ ਨਾਵੈ ॥
अजै गंग जलु अटलु सिख संगति सभ नावै ॥
ajai gang jal atal sikh sangat sabh naavai.
The stream of the Lord's Name flows like the Ganges, invincible and unstoppable. The Sikhs of the Sangat all bathe in it.

ਨਿਤ ਪੁਰਾਣ ਬਾਚੀਅਹਿ ਬੇਦ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਮੁਖਿ ਗਾਵੈ ॥
नित पुराण बाचीअहि बेद ब्रहमा मुखि गावै ॥
nit puraan baachee-ah bayd barahmaa mukh gaavai.
It appears as if the holy texts like the Puraanaas are being recited there and Brahma himself sings the Vedas.

ਅਜੈ ਚਵਰੁ ਸਿਰਿ ਢੁਲੈ ਨਾਮੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਮੁਖਿ ਲੀਅਉ ॥
अजै चवरु सिरि ढुलै नामु अम्रितु मुखि लीअउ ॥
ajai chavar sir dhulai naam amrit mukh lee-a-o.
The invincible chauri, the fly-brush, waves over His head; with His mouth, He drinks in the Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam.

ਗੁਰ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਸਿਰਿ ਛਤ੍ਰੁ ਆਪਿ ਪਰਮੇਸਰਿ ਦੀਅਉ ॥
गुर अरजुन सिरि छत्रु आपि परमेसरि दीअउ ॥
gur arjun sir chhatar aap parmaysar dee-a-o.
The Transcendent Lord Himself has placed the royal canopy over the head of Guru Arjun.

ਮਿਲਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਅੰਗਦ ਅਮਰ ਗੁਰ ਗੁਰੁ ਰਾਮਦਾਸੁ ਹਰਿ ਪਹਿ ਗਯਉ ॥
मिलि नानक अंगद अमर गुर गुरु रामदासु हरि पहि गयउ ॥
mil naanak angad amar gur gur raamdaas har peh ga-ya-o.
Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Daas and Guru Raam Daas met together before the Lord.

ਹਰਿਬੰਸ ਜਗਤਿ ਜਸੁ ਸੰਚਰ੍ਯ੍ਯਉ ਸੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਕਹੈ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੁ ਮੁਯਉ ॥੧॥
हरिबंस जगति जसु संचर्यउ सु कवणु कहै स्री गुरु मुयउ ॥१॥
harbans jagat jas sanchar-ya-o so kavan kahai saree gur mu-ya-o. ||1||
So speaks HARBANS: Their Praises echo and resound all over the world; who can possibly say that the Great Gurus are dead? ||1||

ਦੇਵ ਪੁਰੀ ਮਹਿ ਗਯਉ ਆਪਿ ਪਰਮੇਸ੍ਵਰ ਭਾਯਉ ॥
देव पुरी महि गयउ आपि परमेस्वर भायउ ॥
dayv puree meh ga-ya-o aap parmaysvar bhaa-ya-o.
When it was the Will of the Transcendent Lord Himself, Guru Raam Daas went to the City of God.

ਹਰਿ ਸਿੰਘਾਸਣੁ ਦੀਅਉ ਸਿਰੀ ਗੁਰੁ ਤਹ ਬੈਠਾਯਉ ॥
हरि सिंघासणु दीअउ सिरी गुरु तह बैठायउ ॥
har singhaasan dee-a-o siree gur tah bathaa-ya-o.
The Lord offered Him His Royal Throne, and seated the Guru upon it.

ਰਹਸੁ ਕੀਅਉ ਸੁਰ ਦੇਵ ਤੋਹਿ ਜਸੁ ਜਯ ਜਯ ਜੰਪਹਿ ॥
रहसु कीअउ सुर देव तोहि जसु जय जय ज्मपहि ॥
rahas kee-a-o sur dayv tohi jas ja-y ja-y jampeh.
The angels and gods were delighted; they proclaimed and celebrated Your victory, O Guru.

ਅਸੁਰ ਗਏ ਤੇ ਭਾਗਿ ਪਾਪ ਤਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਕੰਪਹਿ ॥
असुर गए ते भागि पाप तिन्ह भीतरि क्मपहि ॥
asur ga-ay tay bhaag paap tinH bheetar kampeh.
The demons ran away; their sins made them shake and tremble inside.

ਕਾਟੇ ਸੁ ਪਾਪ ਤਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਨਰਹੁ ਕੇ ਗੁਰੁ ਰਾਮਦਾਸੁ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਪਾਇਯਉ ॥
काटे सु पाप तिन्ह नरहु के गुरु रामदासु जिन्ह पाइयउ ॥
kaatay so paap tinH marahu kay gur raamdaas jinH paa-i-ya-o.
Those people who found Guru Raam Daas were rid of their sins.

ਛਤ੍ਰੁ ਸਿੰਘਾਸਨੁ ਪਿਰਥਮੀ ਗੁਰ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਕਉ ਦੇ ਆਇਅਉ ॥੨॥੨੧॥੯॥੧੧॥੧੦॥੧੦॥੨੨॥੬੦॥੧੪੩॥
छत्रु सिंघासनु पिरथमी गुर अरजुन कउ दे आइअउ ॥२॥२१॥९॥११॥१०॥१०॥२२॥६०॥१४३॥
chhatar singhaasan pirathmee gur arjun ka-o day aa-i-a-o. ||2||21||9||11||10||10||22||60||143||
He gave the Royal Canopy and Throne to Guru Arjun, and came home. ||2||21||9||11||10||10||22||60||143||


-srigranth.org
 
Jul 30, 2004
1,744
88
world
Gurfateh

Kindly see the reply das posted for you with the same question at differnt forum.Das only repeats here that God in Guru spoke and Nanak is secind person often adressed by God.So it is word of God.
 

max314

SPNer
May 28, 2006
285
86
Amardeep said:
i just got home from the local Gurdwara, and there there was a sikh from England who claimed that Guru Nanak was God himself.... i thought he was ridiculous and went home to research and found these verses.

Page 136, Line 10
ਹਰਿ ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਆਰਾਧਿਆ ਦਰਗਹ ਸਚਿ ਖਰੇ ॥
हरि गुरु पूरा आराधिआ दरगह सचि खरे ॥
har gur pooraa aaraaDhi-aa dargeh sach kharay.
Those who meditate on the Perfect Guru, the Lord-Incarnate-they are judged true in the Court of the Lord.
Guru Arjan Dev - [SIZE=-1]view Shabad/Paurhi/Salok
http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=KeertanPage&K=136&L=10&id=5572

The "Perfect Guru" is Sat Guru. God.

This is no reference to the living Gurus.

[/SIZE]
ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਰ ਸਫਲ ਦਰਸਨ ਕੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਲੇਖਾ ਮੰਗੈ ਨ ਕੋਈ ॥੨॥
नानक सेवा करहु हरि गुर सफल दरसन की फिरि लेखा मंगै न कोई ॥२॥
naanak sayvaa karahu har gur safal darsan kee fir laykhaa mangai na ko-ee. ||2||
O Nanak, serve the Guru, the Lord Incarnate; the Blessed Vision of His Darshan is profitable, and in the end, you shall not be called to account. ||2||
Guru Ram Das - [SIZE=-1]view Shabad/Paurhi/Salok

How did you extrapolate that this was a reference to the Guru and God being the same?
[/SIZE]
 
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Anoop

SPNer
Mar 12, 2006
153
14
London Uk
The thing is... everything is god! God is everything, so we part of that everything, jus tlike the ocean and raindrops...

its when we merge into the light and become one with the creator, then we get absorbed into it. Its like going into the void, though we cant direct the void, we can go into it. So the gurus were going through god realisation and got absorbed into the light of god. But the gurus were no the creators.
 

max314

SPNer
May 28, 2006
285
86
Anoop said:
The thing is... everything is god! God is everything, so we part of that everything, jus tlike the ocean and raindrops...

Yes, but that's not the issue being discusssed. People are asking whether the Gurus were literally the human incarnations of God à la the Christian view of Jesus Christ.

The very fact that Guru Gobind Singh Ji makes an example of past heroes of Hindu scriptures as becoming obsessed with themselves and believing themselves to be God indicates as much that the idea that Guru and God are literally the same entity is about as non-Sikkh an idea as you can have.
 

jag1t

SPNer
Jul 7, 2006
48
0
:) Depends on what God is taken to be. If every thing is (taken as) God then Guru Nanak was God as is everything else. If not then he was no more God than anyone else.
 

max314

SPNer
May 28, 2006
285
86
jag1t said:
:) Depends on what God is taken to be. If every thing is (taken as) God then Guru Nanak was God as is everything else is. If not then he was no more God than anyone else.

Precisely. Though I tend to subscribe to the former.
 

drkhalsa

SPNer
Sep 16, 2004
1,308
54
Thanks , to both of you for making it even more clear to describe it .

Totally agree with you both




Jatinder Singh
 
Apr 7, 2006
6
0
goNf mhlw 5 ]
go(n)add mehalaa 5 ||
Gond, Fifth Mehla:

gurU gurU guru kir mn mor ]
guroo guroo gur kar man mor ||
Chant Guru, Guru, Guru, O my mind.

gurU ibnw mY nwhI hor ]
guroo binaa mai naahee hor ||
I have no other than the Guru.

gur kI tyk rhhu idnu rwiq ]
gur kee ttaek rehahu dhin raath ||
I lean upon the Support of the Guru, day and night.

jw kI koie n mytY dwiq ]1]
jaa kee koe n maettai dhaath ||1||
No one can decrease His bounty. ||1||

guru prmysru eyko jwxu ]
gur paramaesar eaeko jaan ||
Know that the Guru and the Transcendent Lord are One.

jo iqsu BwvY so prvwxu ]1] rhwau ]
jo this bhaavai so paravaan ||1|| rehaao ||
Whatever pleases Him is acceptable and approved. ||1||Pause||

gur crxI jw kw mnu lwgY ]
gur charanee jaa kaa man laagai ||
One whose mind is attached to the Guru's feet

dUKu drdu BRmu qw kw BwgY ]
dhookh dharadh bhram thaa kaa bhaagai ||
his pains, sufferings and doubts run away.

gur kI syvw pwey mwnu ]
gur kee saevaa paaeae maan ||
Serving the Guru, honor is obtained.

gur aUpir sdw kurbwnu ]2]
gur oopar sadhaa kurabaan ||2||
I am forever a sacrifice to the Guru. ||2||

gur kw drsnu dyiK inhwl ]
gur kaa dharasan dhaekh nihaal ||
Gazing upon the Blessed Vision of the Guru's Darshan, I am exalted.

gur ky syvk kI pUrn Gwl ]
gur kae saevak kee pooran ghaal ||
The work of the Guru's servant is perfect.

gur ky syvk kau duKu n ibAwpY ]
gur kae saevak ko dhukh n biaapai ||
Pain does not afflict the Guru's servant.

gur kw syvku dh idis jwpY ]3]
gur kaa saevak dheh dhis jaapai ||3||
The Guru's servant is famous in the ten directions. ||3||

gur kI mihmw kQnu n jwie ]
gur kee mehimaa kathhan n jaae ||
The Guru's glory cannot be described.

pwrbRhmu guru rihAw smwie ]
paarabreham gur rehiaa samaae ||
The Guru remains absorbed in the Supreme Lord God.

khu nwnk jw ky pUry Bwg ]
kahu naanak jaa kae poorae bhaag ||
Says Nanak, one who is blessed with perfect destiny

gur crxI qw kw mnu lwg ]4]6]8]
gur charanee thaa kaa man laag ||4||6||8||
- his mind is attached to the Guru's feet. ||4||6||8
 
Jul 10, 2006
918
77
From what I gather, Guru Nanak Dayv ji a human(not God) had God like attributes, so pure that to us he was the image of God. If you see what I mean.

We the human only have a tiniest divine spark-jyot (and most of us on earth arent even conscious of this divine spark) of God but the Guru's were on a different level to us.

I also found this enlightening word doc today in:
Sikhism for Youth a good read for beginners like me even though I am not exactly a youth!.


Sikhism for Youth

Source Book on Sikhism - Edited by Dr. Surinder Singh Sodhi
Concepts in Sikhism - Edited by Dr. Surinder Singh Sodhi


Excerpt:

GURU (W. Owen Cole), a spiritual guide or preceptor. The term, long used in the Indian religious tradition, has a special connotation in the Sikh system. The Sikh faith itself signifies discipleship, the word sikh (sisya in Sanskrit and sissa or sekha in Pali) meaning pupil or learner. The concept of Guru, the teacher or enlightener, is thus central to Sikhism. The Guru, according to Sikh belief, is the vital link in man’s spiritual progress. He is the teacher who shows the way. He is not an intercessor, but exemplar and guide. He is no avatar or God’s incarnation, but it is through him that God instructs men. He is the perfectly realized soul; at the same time, he is capable of leading the believers to the highest state of spiritual enlightenment. The Guru has been called the ladder, the rowboat by means of which one reaches God. He is the revealer of God’s word. Through him God’s word, sabda, enters human history. The Guru is the voice of God, the Divine self-revelation. Man turns to the Guru for instruction because of his wisdom and his moral piety. He indicates the path to liberation. It is the Guru who brings the love and nature of God to the believer. It is he who brings that grace of God by which haumai or egoity is mastered. The Guru is witness to God’s love of His creation. He is God’s hakam, i.e. Will, made concrete.



A special figure is employed to describe the transference of the Guruship in the Sikh tradition. This figure helps us understand the true nature of Guru. The Guruship passes from one Guru to the other as one candle lights another. Thus the real Guru is God, for He is the source of all light. It is clear that the Guru is not to be confused with the human form (the unlit body). In the Sikh faith which originated in Guru Nanak’s revelation, Ten Gurus held the office. In Sikhism the word Guru is used only for the ten spiritual prophets—Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, and for none other. Now this office of Guru is fulfilled by the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sacred Book, which was so apotheosized by Guru Gobind Singh.


Various connotations of guru have been given based on different etymological interpretations. One generally accepted in Sikhism is that derived from the syllable gu standing for darkness and ru for its removal. Thus guru is he who banishes the darkness of ignorance. According to Sikh belief, guidance of the guru is essential for one’s spiritual enlightenment.


No particular text dealing with the concept of guru is found in the Sikh Scripture, though scattered references abound. They are often figurative and symbolic but are fully expressive of the pre-eminence accorded to the guru. He has been called a tirtha, place of holy pilgrimage, i.e. purifier; a khevat, the boatman who rows one across the ocean of worldliness; a sarovar, a lake where swans, i.e. holy saints, dwell and pick up pearls of sacred wisdom for food; a samund, ocean which is churned for the gems, for his bani, or inspired word, is itself deep like the ocean and its wisdom can be brought out only after long meditation; a dipak, lamp which lights up the three worlds. In another comparison the Guru is called pilak, elephant controller, as he restrains the mind that is like a mad, romping elephant.



He is called data, donor of wisdom; amritsar, the pool of ambrosia of the Name; a basith, one joining the seeker in union with God; joti, the light which illuminates the world. Other comparisons are anjan, collyrium, which sharpens the sight— a metaphor for the spiritual vision; sahjai da khet, the field of equipoise or equanimity; paharua, the watchman who drives away the five thieves, i.e. the five evils. He is sura, the hero whose sword of jnana or knowledge rends the veil of darkness and overcomes ignorance and wickedness, paras, philosopher’s stone which turns base metals into gold, for he transforms ordinary men into holy saints. There are numerous more comparisons.


The first stanza of Bhavan Akhari, one of Guru Arjan’s compositions in the Guru Granth Sahib, is a paean of glorification in honour of the Guru (Gurudev) in exalted classical style. Gurudev, i.e. the divinely inspired Master, is the mother, father; he is the Master and the Lord Supreme. He is friend, relative, brother. He confers on the seeker the name of the Supreme Being, i.e. the mantra, which is infallible. Gurudev is the touchstone which surpasses all paras. Gurudev is sacred tirath of the ambrosia of immortality, a bath wherein is a bath in jnana. Gurudev is the banisher of sins; he makes the impure pure. Gurudev has existed from beginning of the beginning, from the beginning of the ages and has lasted through all the yugas; i.e. his light is eternal. His teachings of the Name alone can save humanity (GG, 250).


The guidance of the guru is absolutely essential; no spiritual gain can accrue without the guru’s guidance. The view has been constantly reiterated in the Guru Granth Sahib:
Were there to rise a hundred moons, and a thousand suns besides,


Without the guru, it will still be pitch darkness (GG, 463).
None other than the guru can give enlightenment,
Nor can happiness without him enter the heart (GG, 650).
“None has ever realized God, none at all, without the guru’s guidance,” declares Guru Nanak (GG, 466). Using figurative language, it is pointed out that no blind man can find the path without the guru, as nobody can reach the housetop without the stairs and no one can cross the river without a boat. As says Guru Amar Das, he who remains without the Guru’s guidance is the rejected one (GG, 435).
What is gained if the guru’s compassion and guidance are available is thus elaborated:
By the holy preceptor’s grace is faith perfected;
By the holy preceptor’s grace is grief cancelled,
By the holy preceptor’s grace is suffering annulled;
By the holy preceptor’s grace is love of God enjoyed;
By the holy preceptor’s grace is union with God attained (GG, 149).


The guru cleanses the seeker’s mind of the impurity and brings it to contemplating on the Name. He breaks the shackles of the disciple who turns away from the excitements of the senses. He seeks his welfare and cherishes him as the beloved of his heart. A touch of him erases all blemishes of conduct. The bard Nall refers to the transforming power of the guru thus in symbolic language: “From base metal I became gold by hearing the words of the Guru. Poison was turned into nectar as one uttered the Name revealed by the Guru. From iron a diamond I became by the Guru’s grace. From stone one becomes a diamond in light of the jnana manifested by the Guru. The Guru transformed common timber into fragrant sandalwood and banished all pain and misery. By worshipping the feet of the Guru, the foolish and the evil became angels—the noblest of men” (GG, 1399).


God, who is “without form, colour or feature,” is yet self-communicating. “Through the True Word (sada) is He revealed,” as says Guru Nanak (GG, 597). Further:
Within every heart is hid the Lord;
In all hearts and bodies is his light.
By the guru’s instruction
Are the adamantine doors opened.
Here sabda and guru are juxtaposed. Often they become one word, sabdaguru, identifying sabda with the guru.
The sabda guru is the profound teacher;
Without the sabda the world remains in perplexity (GG, 635).
Set your mind on the gursabda
Which is over and above everything else (GG, 904).
Through the sabda one recognizes the adorable Lord
Through the word of the guru (gurvak)
Is he imbued with the truth (GG. 55).

Sabda is the same as the guru, says Guru Ram Das. “Bani (the guru’s utterance or word) is the guru and the guru is bani; in bani are contained all the elixirs” (GG, 982). Sabda, ever present, is articulated through the human medium, the guru, so ordained by the Supreme Being. The historical Gurus of the Sikh faith are believed to have uttered the truth vouchsafed to them by God. “As I received the word from the Lord, so do I deliver it,” says Guru Nanak (GG, 722). Guru Arjan: “I know not what to say; I utter only the word I receive from God” (GG, 763). And Guru Rim Das: “Own ye the Sikhs the bani of the guru as truth and truth alone, for the Creator Himself makes him utter it” (GG, 308).
God, thus, is the primal Guru of the whole creation. This is how Guru Nanak discloses the identity of his own Guru. One of his compositions, the Sidha Gosti, is in the form of a discourse with a group of yogis. Therein a yogi puts the question to him, “Who is your Guru? Whose disciple are you?” (GG, 942). To which Guru Nanak replies:
Sabda is my Guru, and the meditating mind the disciple.
By dwelling on Him I remain detached.
Nanak, God, the cherisher of the world through the ages, is my Guru (GG, 943).
Elsewhere Guru Nanak and his successors affirm that the Satiguru is God.
The light of the pure Lord, the essence of everything, is all-pervading.
He is the infinite, transcendent Lord, the Supreme God
Him Nanak has obtained as his Guru (GG. 599).
Accredited is the personality of the bright Guru, God
Who is brimful of all might.
Nanak, the Guru is the transcendent Lord Master.
He, the ever present, is the Guru (GG, 802).


According to Sikh belief there is no difference in spirit between such a guru and God. “The guru is God and God is the Guru; there is no distinction between the two” says Guru Ram Das (GG, 442). “God hath placed Himself within the guru, which He explicitly explaineth” (GG, 466). “Acknowledge the Transcendent God and the guru as one “ (GG, 864). The real personality of a human being is the atman, the physical body is only a temporary dwelling place for the atman which is eternal and is a spark from the Eternal Flame, the Supreme Atman or God. “O my self, you are an embodiment of God’s Light; know your true origin” (GG, 441). Being encased in the physical frame, this atman becomes so involved in the temptations of the physical world that it forgets its reality and loses contact with the Flame of its origin, whereas the atman of the Guru remains ever in tune with that Supreme Light from which it has sparked off. It is thus that God is accepted as residing within the guru. It is in this sense that there is no distinction seen between the guru and God. Guru or satiguru is thus a word with a double meaning in the Guru Granth Sahib. It may refer to God or to His chosen prophet.
The true Guru is easily distinguished. “The true guru is one who has realized the Supreme Being and whose association saves the disciple” (GG, 286). “The true guru is one in whose heart dwells the Name Divine” (GG, 287). “He by meeting whom the mind is filled with bliss is the true guru. He ends the duality of the mind and leads (the disciple) to the ultimate state of realization” (GG, 168). “Praise, praise be to the true guru who demolishes the fort of dubiety; wondrous, wondrous the true guru who unites the seeker with the Lord” (GG 522). The guru is ordained as such for the liberation of mankind. He transmits the message of God to men and performs acts of grace to save them. The guru is sent by God, but he is not God’s incarnation. “Singed be the tongue which says that the Lord takes birth” (GG, 1136). He is ajuni (unborn); He is saibhan (self-existent). Highest tribute and adoration are reserved for the guru. Devotion to the guru is deemed to be the quintessential quality of a religious man. The pain of separation from the guru and the joy of meeting with him find expression in poetry of deep intensity, as in Guru Arjan’s hymn in Rag Majh (GG, 96-97).


Guru Nanak was suspicious of human preceptors, pandits, gurus and pirs. They are generally denounced as blind guides, self-styled and traders upon ignorance and superstition. He warns against them:
Never fall at the feet of one
Who calls himself guru and pir, and goes begging.
He who eats what he earns
And from his own hands gives some in charity,
He alone knows the true way of life (GG, 1245).
The disciple whose guru is blind will not attain the goal (GG, 58). Taking up this thought the third Guru said:
The disciples whose guru is blind perform only blind deeds.
They follow their own wayward will,
And ever utter the grossest lies (GG, 951).


When Guru Nanak speaks of his guru or satiguru, it is not such teachers that he has in mind. The true guru is the means of the self-revelation of God. He makes the concealed and ineffable God known. He symbolizes the supreme act of God’s grace in revealing Himself as Truth, as the Name, as the Word. The true guru comes to unite all people of the world and to unite them to the Supreme Being. A false guru creates schisms, divisions and prejudices. The true guru as manifested in the history of the Sikh faith comes to suppress the forces of evil and to rally the forces of good. He comes to resuscitate the values of true religion, dharma.


The Sikh faith developed under the guidance of ten successive Gurus from 1469 to 1708. Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Guru, appointed no personal successor, but bequeathed the guruship to the Holy Book, the Guru Granth Sahib. The holy Word or sabda had always been referred by the Gurus as well as by their disciples as of Divine origin. The Guru was the revealer of the Word. The Word was identified with the Guru when Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed the Holy Book Guru before he passed away. Bards Balvand and Satta theorize that of their three aspects—joti, i.e. light, jugati, way or procedure, and kaia, i.e. body—it is only kaia, the body, that changes as succession passed from one historical Guru of the Sikh faith to the next. Joti and jugati remained the same. As sang the bards: “Joti oha jugati sai sahi kaia pheri palatiai” (GG, 966). From their verse emerges this concept of three aspects of the guruship.


God is the source of all light or consciousness. God kindles that light, in the chosen human body, the Guru; in the joti-aspect the Guru is the most enlightened human being, he is in direct communion with God. He communicates the message of God to mankind. He transmits His light to the world. Without the guru, darkness prevails. Says Guru Nanak, “The light of the guru alone dispels darkness” (GG, 463); “The guru is that lamp which illuminates the three worlds” (GG, 137). Balvand and Satta in their hymn in the Guru Granth Sahib affirm that the historical Gurus of the Sikhs shared the same joti (light). The joti got transferred to the successor’s body. Thus, right from 1469, the year of the birth of Guru Nanak, to 1708, the year of the passing away of Guru Gobind Singh, it was one continuing joti manifesting itself in the Ten Gurus.


This awareness of one light acting through the successive Gurus was so permeating among the Sikhs that Mobid Zulfiqar Ardastani (d. 1670) wrote in his Persian work Dabistan-i-Mazahib, “The Sikhs say that when Nanak left his body, he absorbed himself in Guru Angad who was his most devoted disciple, and that Guru Angad was Nanak himself. After that, at the time of his death, Guru Angad entered into the body of Amar Das. He in the same manner occupied a place in the body of Ram Das who in the same way got united with Arjan. They say that whoever does not acknowledge Guru Arjan to be the very self of Baba Nanak becomes a nonbeliever.”


Guru Gobind Singh, last of the Gurus, himself wrote in his poetical autobiography called Bachitra Natak, “Nanak assumed the body of Angad. . . Afterwards, Nanak was called Amar Das, as one lamp is lit from another. . . The holy Nanak was revered as Angad, Angad was recognized as Amar Das. And Amar Das became Ram Das. . . When Ram Das was blended with the Divine, he gave the Guruship to Arjan. Arjan appointed Hargobind in his place and Hargobind gave his seat to Har Rai. Har Krishan, his son, then became Guru. After him came Tegh Bahadur.”


Balvand and Satta further proclaim that the Gurus indicated the same jugati or the method and way of life. The ministry of Guru Nanak combining joti and jugati, took care of both the worlds, the spiritual and the temporal. It was the ministry of deg (charity), and tegh (power), of miri (temporal authority) and piri (spiritual power). According to the bard, Nanak founded sovereignty on the firm rock of truth. . . Nanaku raju chalaia sachu kotu satani niv dai (GG, 966). As Nanak transferred the joti (light) to Lahina who became Guru Angad, he unfurled the umbrella over his head—lahane dharionu chhatu siri, i.e. he invested Lahina with the authority to carry on with the practice he had introduced. The Gurus preached devotion, bhakti or nam (meditation on the Divine Name), recitation of bani, the sacred texts, and kirtan, i.e. singing of the Lord’s glory in sangat or holy assembly. Along with nam, they inculcated the values of kirat, labouring with one’s hands, and vand chhakna, sharing with others the fruit of one’s exertions. The Gurus had carved a clear way for the disciples.


The Guru’s kaia or body was the repository of God’s light. It was the medium for the articulation of sabda, Word Divine, or God’s message. So it was worthy of reverence. The historical Guru was the focal point of the sangat and the living example of truths he had brought to light. He himself lived up to the teachings he imparted to his disciples.


The sangat turned into Khalsa in the time of Guru Gobind Singh who introduced khande di pahul, i.e. baptism of the double-edged steel sword. With the formation of the Khalsa, the concept of the Guru Panth formalized. By becoming the sixth person to receive amrit at the hands of the Panj Piare, the Five Beloved, who formed the nucleus of the Khalsa Panth, Guru Gobind Singh testified to his own membership of the Panth, and to having merged himself with it and endowed it with the charisma of his own personality. The bani, always revered by the Sikhs as well as by the Gurus as Word Divine, was however above all.



This was something which even the Gurus themselves could not change. It was this superiority which Guru Gobind Singh acknowledged in 1708 when he invested Scripture as Guru. The idea of the Guru Panth lives on in the Khalsa. But the Khalsa itself could not alter the fundamental tenets of the Sikh faith as enunciated in the bani. The Guru Granth Sahib was, in the presence of the Khalsa, proclaimed Guru. The finality of the pronouncement remains a cherished truth for the Sikhs and the Holy Book has since been the perpetual authority, spiritual as well as historical, for them. No living person, however holy or revered, can now have for them the title or status of Guru. For Sikhs the Guru is the teacher, the prophet under direct commission from God—the Ten who have been and the Guru Granth Sahib which is their continuing visible manifestation.


BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Sabadarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Amritsar, 1959
2. Jodh Singh, Bhai, Gurmati Nirnaya. Amritsar, 1932
3. Darshan Singh, Guru Granth Bani vich Guru da Sankalap. Patiala, 1976
4. Kapur Singh, Parasaraprasna. Amritsar, 1989
5. Sher Singh, Philosophy of Sikhism. Amritsar, 1980
6. Cole, W. O., The Guru in Sikhism. London, 1982
W. O. C."
 

simpy

SPNer
Mar 28, 2006
1,133
126
i feel it this way- God spoke to the humanity through Dhan Dhan Siri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

And Now God is talking to us through Dhan Dhan Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji......



And Bani says:
inhclu scu Kudwie eyku, Kudwie bMdw AibnwsI ]
nihuchul such khudhaae eaek khudhaae bundhaa abinaasee



Waheguru Sadaa Sahaee
 

simpy

SPNer
Mar 28, 2006
1,133
126
You are there….

Gurbani answers this question so beautifully many times:

We are able to understand this only after we reach a certain stage of realization. Sense of duality has to go away to understand this. And for that you have to have 100% faith in Guru Ji(Dhan Dhan Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji).


'Gur Nanak Dev Govind roop.'
(Basant Mohalla 5, p-1192, Guru Granth Sahib)

'Gur Mera Parbrahm Gur Bhagwant/
Gur Gopal Purkh Bhagwan/
Gur Nanak Nanak har soai.'
(Gaund Mohalla 5, p-865)





SatGur Ki Agya Sach Sach Kar Mano Gursikho..........
 
Jul 10, 2006
918
77
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Surinder Kaur ji, am I correct to say that a, lets say in present day, brahm giani, a sadhu, a saint or a Gurmukh cannot called themselves a Guru ie Sat Guru (in relation to the Sikh dharam).

A Guru i.e. the 10 Sikh Guru's can be all the above but not vice versa. Otherwise we will have "living Guru's" which unfortunately some Sikhs ( a particular sect) tend to believe in.

A Guru is the voice of God - the revealer of God’s word

 

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