Sikh Theology
SPNer
- Oct 31, 2024
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An argument is often made that Guru Sahib is not God based on two pangtis from Dasmesh Ji, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji:
The verses leading up to this go into detail about the state of past devtay and men, who falsely considered themselves to be God and had their followers worship them as Parmeshar:
Thus, the pangtis in question are a warning to those who call themselves Parmeshar, and should be translated as follows:
Sri Nanak Dasmesh, as chela, makes nirgun Vaheguru his own Guru, and simultaneously is that Guru (Vahe-guru) himself. This is the true meaning of the concept of "ਵਾਹ ਵਾਹ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਆਪੇ ਗੁਰੁ ਚੇਲਾ ॥੧॥ Hail, hail (Guru) Gobind Singh; He, Himself, is the Guru and the servant.”
And this is why, immediately proceeding the pangtis in question, (ਜੋ ਹਮ ਕੋ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਉਚਰਿਹੈਂ ॥ ਤੇ ਸਭ ਨਰਕ ਕੁੰਡ ਮਹਿ ਪਰਿਹੈਂ ॥) Guru Sahib then immediately says:
He indeed is Parmeshar and must be recognized as such:
There is an important point that must be mentioned here. Sargun does NOT mean physical. Sargun means: the manifest form that is tangible within the realm of tri-gun maya**.** Nirgun, on the the other hand, means: the form that transcends the realm of tri-gun maya***.**
And so, what we must understand is that Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji is the sargun roop of nirgun Vaheguru. It is not his physical form which is that roop. Gurmat does not concede to the Christian idea that “God became fully human”, nor to the Hindu idea that God manifests as physical entity. When speaking of Guru Gobind Singh Ji as the sargun roop, we are referring to the metaphysical jot roop - the very roop that is called Guru Nanak:
1
Nirgun comes from Nir-gun, a negation of the word gun, which means qualities. Thus nirgun is often misinterpreted to mean “without physical qualities”.
However, gun here refers to ‘tri-gun maya’, the three qualities of rajo, sato, tamo. These are both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ actions which keep us entrapped in the physical maya illusion.
Thus, nirgun means to be outside of this physical illusion. On the other hand, sargun means to permeate alongside/within the physical realm of maya (while being unaffected by it). For this reason, the metaphysical form of Naam is also sargun, as it permeates throughout the entire physical creation.
This is often translated into English as:
This interpretation ignores the surrounding context of these tuks.
The verses leading up to this go into detail about the state of past devtay and men, who falsely considered themselves to be God and had their followers worship them as Parmeshar:
They falsely called themselves Parmeshar; in ego, they attempted to be shareek (equal) of the true, infinite God.
Thus, the pangtis in question are a warning to those who call themselves Parmeshar, and should be translated as follows:
There is no sensibility to the claim that 10th avtar Sri Nanak Dasmesh, the jot roop of Satguru Nanak, cannot be called Parmeshar. Gurbani itself is clear on this:
Guru Gobind Singh Ji is Guru Nanak Dev Ji - and thus, as the 10th avtar, is the sargun manifestation of nirgun Vaheguru.
Sri Nanak Dasmesh, as chela, makes nirgun Vaheguru his own Guru, and simultaneously is that Guru (Vahe-guru) himself. This is the true meaning of the concept of "ਵਾਹ ਵਾਹ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਆਪੇ ਗੁਰੁ ਚੇਲਾ ॥੧॥ Hail, hail (Guru) Gobind Singh; He, Himself, is the Guru and the servant.”
And this is why, immediately proceeding the pangtis in question, (ਜੋ ਹਮ ਕੋ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਉਚਰਿਹੈਂ ॥ ਤੇ ਸਭ ਨਰਕ ਕੁੰਡ ਮਹਿ ਪਰਿਹੈਂ ॥) Guru Sahib then immediately says:
Why would Dasmesh Ji immediately proceed to command us not to differentiate between himself and Parmeshar, if such a consideration would send us to hell?
He indeed is Parmeshar and must be recognized as such:
However, it is Dasmesh Ji’s physical form which cannot be considered to be Parmeshar.
There is an important point that must be mentioned here. Sargun does NOT mean physical. Sargun means: the manifest form that is tangible within the realm of tri-gun maya**.** Nirgun, on the the other hand, means: the form that transcends the realm of tri-gun maya***.**
And so, what we must understand is that Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji is the sargun roop of nirgun Vaheguru. It is not his physical form which is that roop. Gurmat does not concede to the Christian idea that “God became fully human”, nor to the Hindu idea that God manifests as physical entity. When speaking of Guru Gobind Singh Ji as the sargun roop, we are referring to the metaphysical jot roop - the very roop that is called Guru Nanak:
Thus, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji - Sri Nanak Dasmesh - is Parmeshar in the sargun jot roop form. We must recognize him as such and understand that there is no difference between them. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, as jot roop avtar, is the complete wholeness of nirgun Parmeshar.
1
Nirgun comes from Nir-gun, a negation of the word gun, which means qualities. Thus nirgun is often misinterpreted to mean “without physical qualities”.
However, gun here refers to ‘tri-gun maya’, the three qualities of rajo, sato, tamo. These are both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ actions which keep us entrapped in the physical maya illusion.
Thus, nirgun means to be outside of this physical illusion. On the other hand, sargun means to permeate alongside/within the physical realm of maya (while being unaffected by it). For this reason, the metaphysical form of Naam is also sargun, as it permeates throughout the entire physical creation.
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