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What Is Faith And Dharama As Per Gurbani

Oct 14, 2007
3,369
54
Sachkhand
Naam | ਨਾਮੁ
Main article: Nāma
Naam literally means, the Name. A fuller definition of the word can only be found within the SGGS itself. Naam is God’s Word, or the Divine Essence. Etymologically, the word has a striking resemblance with the Greek neumena or the Bright Essence as opposed to phenomena. Naam is not merely the ‘Name of God’ as is commonly believed; it symbolises the Being of God filling all Creation. Naam is also referred to as Shabad in the SGGS.
Where there was no creation, there was nothing in existence – no air, light, water, earth or space. God existed alone in deep meditation and self absorption. When God willed for the manifestations of his values, He created universes, worlds and all material and other living beings by uttering a single Word. His Word is all pervasive and the sole source of all Creation; the Word created the universes and supports and sustains all things within them. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib further enlightens us that God’s Word turned into waves of light, rays of which are present in all creatures and all other parts of His creation. This is consistent with a fundamental principle of physics that sound vibrations, when increased several fold, change into waves of light.
This Essence / Naam / Sabad / Logus is formless, colourless, and featureless but, as said, is present in all creation. There is no plant, no creature, in what it is not. The Earth and other heavenly bodies exist because there is Naam in this universe and when God withdraws this Naam from this Universe, there is natural calamities (Parloh / Mahaparloh) all over the universe and this is the time that the universe perishes and all the living creatures perish. Being so, the Essence can’t be seen or visualised by the mind. We can see only the physical dimension of Reality in God’s Creation – mountains, plants, trees, creatures etc. Thus the Outer Shell of Reality holds us (the appearances delude us) and we cannot penetrate deeper to experience the all pervading Reality. The physical dimensions of Reality (the outer shell) is always in flux; it keeps changing. While birth, death, creation, destruction etc. occur in the physical dimensions of creation, the Essence, being Sat (Sat-Naam) never changes, it transcends space and time.
We cannot focus our mind or attention on God, who is Absolute, the invisible Essence. The Naam (SHABAD), the Name of God is the only medium available to us for approaching Him. The Naam actually is a combination of 5 words (which actually are the name of 5 supernatural heavenly places which fall on the way when the soul is starting towards the SACHKHAND) which only a true Guru can give to its disciples. All who get Naam from the Guru have to concentrate at one point in their mind and recite the Naam in their mind without actually uttering it. When we recite Naam, our soul starts responding to it. It actually starts to shrink and starts moving towards the point in our body called the THIRD EYE.
When a person practices it for a very long time he/she reaches the SACHKHAND. Thus, it is through the Naam that we are able to think of Him, to remember Him. In other words, the Naam is God Himself, adopted to our limited powers of perception and thought, adopted to the capacities of our body and mind. Because we are endowed with the capacity to utter and attentively listen, the continuous recitation of and attentive listening to the Naam focuses our mind on the object of invocation, resulting in a ceaseless remembrance of God (DHYAAN). This Dhyaan, in turn, results in complete absorption of our consciousness on the thought of God, who responds to our earnest invocation and reveals Himself in our inner being.
The revelation of the Essence of Reality within us is the revelation of Naam. When the revelation of Naam occurs within, the devotee sees His the Essence of God pervading throughout His Creation. Gurus have taught that their teachings are for all the religion (varnas) and all have the right to get the teachings of the Gurus. To Initate our soul so that it starts towards the ultimate goal (SACHKHAND) a person has to repeatedly and continuously recite and remember the Naam, and to cherish it in the heart all the time – this is the essence of prayer and devotion to God.
In Gurbani, the word Gursabad or Shabad is synonymous with Naam. Without ceaseless recitation of Naam God cannot be realised.

Source:wikipedia
 
Oct 14, 2007
3,369
54
Sachkhand
I am giving below an artile from sikhiwiki .These have helped me a lot in understanding Godhead in Sikhism. Hope you will enjoy it.If interested one may continue as per the link provided below:

God

From SikhiWiki


The Sikhs believe in one God who has existed from the beginning of time, never dies and will exist for ever. He/She is genderless; without a body; fearless; without enemies; self sufficient; etc – God's qualities are too many for people to narrate.
Many names are used for God:- Waheguru - The Wonderful Lord; Satnam – Truth is your Name . Malik - Master; Akal Purakh – The primal being; Karta Purakh - The Creator being, etc
Below are the qualities that Sikhism attributes to God:
Compassionate & Kind:
  • Blessing us with His Glance of Grace, the Kind and Compassionate, All-powerful Lord comes to dwell within the mind and body. (SGGS Page 49)
  • The Cherisher Lord is so very merciful and wise; He is compassionate to all. (SGGS Page 249)
  • The Lord is kind and compassionate to all beings and creatures; His Protecting Hand is over all. (SGGS Page 300)
  • O Nanak, God has been kind and compassionate; He has blessed me. Removing pain and poverty, He has blended me with Himself. ||8||5|| (SGGS Page 1311)
God is everywhere
  • Nanak is attuned to the Love of the Lord, whose Light pervades the entire Universe. (SGGS Page 49)

GOD IN SIKHISM , a term used to denote any object of worship or evocation, signifies the belief of most modern religions in the existence of a Supreme Being who is the source and support of the spatio-temporal material world. Theologians remember Him by the name of God. The fundamental belief of Sikhism, too, is that God exists, not merely as an idea or concept, but as a Real Being, indescribable yet not unknowable. The Gurus, however, never theorized about proofs of the existence of God. For them He is too real and obvious to need any logical proof. Guru Arjan, Nanak V, says, "God is beyond colour and form, yet His presence is clearly visible" (GG, 74), and again, "Nanak's Lord transcends the world as well as the scriptures of the east and the west, and yet he is clearly manifest" (GG, 397). In any case, knowledge of the ultimate Reality is not a matter for reason; it comes by revelation of Himself through nadar or grace and by anubhava or mystical experience. Says Guru Nanak, budhi pathi na paiai bahu chaturaiai bhai milai mani bhane (He is not accessible through intellect, or through mere scholarship or cleverness at argument; He is met, when He pleases, through devotion) " (GG, 436).


Sikhism as a religion is uncompromisingly monotheistic. The Gurus have described God in numerous ways in their hymns included in the Guru Granth Sahib, but the unicity of the deity is consistently emphasized throughout. Briefly, God for the Sikhs as described in the Mool Mantar, basic formula of the faith, viz.

Ik oankar satinamu karta purakhu nirbhau nirvairu akal murati ajuni saibhan gurprasadi translates to
One Supreme Being, the Immutable and Eternal Name, the Creative Principle, Without fear and Without rancour, the Timeless Verity, Unincarnated and Self-Existent, known through His grace.
(GG. Pg 0001)

Oankar is a variation of the mystic monosyllable Om (also known as anahata nada, the unstruck sound) first set forth in the Upanisads as the transcendent object of profound religious meditation.


Guru Nanak prefixed the numeral one (ik) to it making it Ik Oankar or Ekankar to stress GOD's oneness. GOD is named and known only through GOD's Own immanent nature. Almost all names are attributive. The only name which can be said to truly fit GOD's transcendent state is Sati or Satinam (Sanskrit 'satya' meaning TRUTH ), the changeless and timeless Reality. GOD is transcendent and all-pervasive at the same time. Transcendence and immanence are two aspects of the same single Supreme Reality. The Reality is immanent in the entire creation, but the creation as a whole fails to contain GOD fully. As says Guru Tegh Bahadur, Nanak IX, "He has himself spread out His Own maya which He Himself oversees; many different forms He assumes in many colours, yet he stays independent of all" (GG, 537).


God is Karta Purakh, the Creator-Person. He created the spatio-temporal universe not from some pre-existing physical element, but from His own Self. Universe is His own emanation. It is not maya or illusion but is real (sati) because, as say Guru Arjan, “True is He and true is His creation [because] all has emanated from God Himself” (GG 294). But God is not identical with the universe. The latter exists and is contained in Him and not vice versa. God is immanent in the created world, but is not limited by it. “Many times He expands Himself into such worlds but He ever remains the same One Ekankar" (GG, 276). Even at one time "there are hundreds of thousands of skies and nether regions" (GG, 5). Included in Sach Khand, the figurative abode of God, there are countless regions and universes" (GG, 8). Creation is "His sport which He Himself witnesses, and when He rolls up the sport, He is His sole Self again" (GG, 292). He Himself is the Creator, Sustainer and the Destroyer.
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/God
To be contd..
 
Oct 14, 2007
3,369
54
Sachkhand
From your comments as above, here are a few points that come to mind:-

1. Guru Nanak has said, "...pay proper heed to the sowing and not to the harvesting, for the harvest will come of its own from the seeds sown. Guru Nanak has beautifully said: "It may be all very well to worry about events contrary to the Divine Plan, but what is destined will happen in spite of us..."

2. The practice of Naam is simple and natural.


3. God's Will is indescribable and the question arises - how may we become one with it? Guru Nanak replies that the best we can do is to sit in meditation at the early hour of
dawn and commune with His Holy Word.

4. ..........

5. Make the Naam your companion.
6
7 Naam is the Bread and Water of Life, the food for the soul -
8 You have to walk the path as explained by Guru Nanak in the Japji

eet rahe pat pava-riyan, chariye hoye ekees

==================================
Respected Sir,
I have quoted the above from your post.You have been kind as usual to explain the Naam and word. However, I have not full understanding due to lack of knowledge. Before I actually get involved in the process it would be very nice if you could amplify that you have stated above and that is put in the following words.

1. What do you mean when you say 'Practice word'. What should I be actually doing at this time.? Should I recite 'Mool Mantar' .Kindly do not explain.Just say yes or no.If it is 'no' you may kindly write a line.

2.Likewise 'what is Practice Naam'? What is the meaning of this. Should I recite and chant /meditate upon 'waheguru' or something else is to be done.


3.Make Naam your companion?What should I be doing to achieve this. Will it be keeping 'waheguru' in my thoughts or in mind for as long as possible.

I shall be grateful if the answer is in the form of 1,2 and 3.
Kindly forgive me for my bluntness.I am encouraged by your kind response to the querist and my intellect will absorb only that it is capable of. I would bother you further as and when doubt arises.



Regards
sikhi.sikhi@yahoo.co.in

.

Respected Begum ji,

Would you kindly continue with the thread, It seems that you were busy somewhere else. May kindly continue.
 

Astroboy

ਨਾਮ ਤੇਰੇ ਕੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਲਗਾਈ (Previously namjap)
Writer
SPNer
Jul 14, 2007
4,576
1,609
Sookham moorat naam niranjan, kaya ka akaar - naam which is often called Bij Mantar is the 'product' of Mool Mantar - sach (Truth).

Truth means God. If the germs in God's body were de-magnified to a millionth of their original size(made smaller), they would appear to have the appearance of massively huge salamanders whose skin would seem stronger than titanium - and we (human's) would start praying to them as the Gods by making idols.

Naam seems to change as we put our attention towards God. Because, real naam cannot be explained. But the level of proximity towards the road to Sat LOK each gives a different experience. Under reality terms, it is a reflection of a reflection of SAT LOK.

All changes only exist within the realm of duality, Maya. But God made Maya - our school.
Even if we forget the nearness of our Creator - real parent - Our creator keeps us in his fold while giving us these experiences.

More Later.
 

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