Part III –Liberation, Mukti , Nirvaan
Earlier reference :
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/gurmat-vichaar/17857-part-ii-liberation-mukti-salvation.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/gurmat-vichaar/17756-liberation-mukti-salvation.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/17707-can-we-know-him.html
Doubts raised in last post: yes, Status quo maintained [
Answersd received : None
Consequences: Doubts on ‘word of sabad’ and sabad/naam/naamdan as it as .
Present Post in brief: Deals with grey areas [for me ] like ‘sabad’/’word of sabad’; ‘naam’ and ‘Name of lord’,’Naam Daan’ etc., as used .It may not be grey areas for those who understand Naam and word of sabad when it appears in translations. But for me it is a grey area. You may kindly post if you have a clarity.It is an humble effort to present the state Of affairs amongst the sikhs with intellect of my level
Acknowledgements/indebtness
Begum ji.
Kelly-Kaur ji.and aadji
Thrust Areas of present Post: naam,Name of God,sabad.,word of sabad.etc and interrelated issues.
Part –III
Liberation/Mukti/Salvation
0
Naam
Naam is ,as stated in Gurbani, is present in each one of us.It is enclosed in 'kothri. This is locked by the lock of pawan and there is key of 'pawan'.It is for seeker to locate this and open it and get to know of Naam. It can be obtained thru. the help of the Saints and guru. A sikh must look for guidance in the SGGS ji. Irrrespective of the differences in the english translations it is fairly accepted that Naam is a precious jewel and is an ambriosal nectar. One is deemed to be liberated if one finds the Naam that is bestowed upon the aspirant By the NIrankaar Himself as per HIS grace. We may do everything and anything that is prescribed but we shall receive everything only if He let's us else we are all in the same boat.
One may continue the personal search for the mutual benefit.The present post represents the understanding or the misunderstanding of the SGGS ji. May be I am not a capable person to de-bug the meaning of some lines that appear to be not connected with the text of the particular page.It has happened with me at various places.
It is not understood as to what is the meaning of the following terms:
a] Akath Katha.
b] Unspoken speech.
The other doubts shall be posted as and when that is required.
nwmu inDwnu soeI pwey ik®pw kry pRBu soie ]3] (405-5, Awsw, mÚ 5)
He alone obtains the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, unto whom God shows His Mercy. ||3||
Gr mMdr KusI nwm kI ndir qyrI prvwru ] (16-19, isrIrwgu, mÚ 1)
The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is the pleasure of houses and mansions. Your Glance of Grace is my family, Lord.
ijnI siqguru syivAw iqnI pwieAw nwmu inDwnu ] (26-7, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
Those who serve the True Guru obtain the Treasure of the Naam.
syeI suKIey chu jugI ijnw nwmu AKutu Apwru ]3] (26-11, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
Those who attain the Inexhaustible Name of the Infinite Lord remain happy throughout the four ages. ||3||
ijs nau Awip dieAwlu hoie so gurmuiK nwim smwie ]2] (27-6, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
That Gurmukh, unto whom the Lord shows His Kindness, is absorbed in the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||2||
ijnI gurmuiK nwmu iDAwieAw ivchu Awpu gvwie ] (28-11, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
The Gurmukhs meditate on the Naam; they eradicate selfishness and conceit from within.
so swDU bYrwgI soeI ihrdY nwmu vswey ] (29-14, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
That person is a Holy Saadhu, and a renouncer of the world, whose heart is filled with the Naam.
Need Of Religion
1
From times immemorial, man has felt the need of some power of deity to liberate him from his toils and to protect him from dangers. Further, he seeks to obtain peace and hope through contact with a superior power that is called Divinity. Religion has occupied an important place in the history of civilization and philosophy. It gives a meaning and purpose to human life and satisfies man's longing for peace and salvation. The primitives believed in spirits, magic and images of gods. The basic forms of religious expression are sacrifice, prayer and ritual.
Definition of Religion
2.
Religion has been defined as "the relationship between man and the super- human power he believes in and depends upon". According to Jakob Burchardt, "Religions are the expression of the eternal and indestructible metaphysical cravings of human nature." It includes a rule of conduct or principle of individual life on which one's peace of mind depends. Religions offer different paths to salvation. The goal of religion is getting in tune with the infinite. Moreover, the philosophy of religion is neither ceremony nor ritual nor going to the temple, but an inner experience which finds God everywhere.
Major Characteristics of Religion
3.
Religion consists of a number of beliefs relating to a reality which cannot be demonstrated by proof, but which is an inexorable certainty to the believer. This reality induces him to adopt certain modes of action and behavior. When Guru Arjan(fifth Sikh Guru) was asked as to which is the best religion in the world, he answered: "The best religion in the world is the one which stresses the power of prayer and the performance of noble deeds." Holy living or altruistic action is the practical side of religion[1].
4.
Broad Characteristics of Sikhism : Enlisted
· Sikhism does not believe in Avtarvada, i.e God takes a human form. It does not attach any value to gods and goddesses and other deities as is done by Hindus.
5.
Sikhism emphasizes Bhakti Marg or the path of devotion. It does, however, recognizes the limited value of Gyan Marg(Path of Knowledge) and Karam Marg(Path of Action)[2]. It also lays stress on the need for earning God's Grace in order to reach the spiritual goal. Sikh has the right to action but not to its results as the latter is dependent upon HIS grace. One should persuade himself that fruits of action i.e achieving salvation as per the teachings of SGGS ji and assume that the result simply does not exist. Sikh should not desire any fruits and neither should he grow disillusioned with action. In any case one would get the results of Karmas in the next births/Incarnations as per the edict contained in the SGGS ji. On a macro level a seeker has a right to action as per the teachings, but not to its fruits. At the same time seeker/aspirant/sikh ought not to lose faith that results in doubts and duality in the performance of the duties. In other words, he should be constantly and devotedly engaged in its performance of praise of lord and devotion durimg the service of the Almighty. It has been stated that worship of the lord /worship of the one God is the only worthwhile action. The human body is meant for worship of God is pointed at more than one places in the SGGS ji.
1.siqguir syivAY nwmu min vsY ivchu BRmu Bau BwgY ] (590-10, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
[Serving the True Guru, the Naam comes to abide in the mind, and doubts and fears run away.]
2.hir hir nwmu AvKdu muiK pwieAw jn nwnk suiK vsMqI ]4]12]62] (625-2, soriT, mÚ 5)
[The Lord, Har, Har, has placed the medicine of the Naam into my mouth; servant Nanak abides in peace. ]
3.jgjIvn nwmu qumwrw ] (625-4, soriT, mÚ 5)
[Your Name is the Life of the world.]
4.nwm ibnw nwhI ko bylI ibKu lwdI isir Bwrw ] (688-14, DnwsrI, mÚ 1)
[Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the mortal has no friend at all; he carries loads of sin on his head.]
Self- Realisation and God Realisation
urpose Of Life
6.
The Gurus believed that this life has a purpose and a goal. It offers an opportunity for self and God realization. Moreover man is responsible for his own actions. He cannot claim immunity from the results of his actions. He must therefore be very vigilant in what he does. Finally, the Sikh Scripture (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) is the perpetual Guru. This is the only religion that has given the Holy Book the status of a religious preceptor. There is no place for a living human Guru (Dehdhari) in Sikh religion[3].
Sikhs beliefs Revisited
Maya and Transitory nature of World
7.
Sikhs believe that prior to creation, all that existed was God and His will . When God willed, the entire cosmos was created and by Hukum/command the creation was set to motion. From the beginnings, God nurtured "enticement and attachment" to Maya, or the human perception of reality[4]. I have taken some ‘quotes’ from SGGS to amplify the points. It is to help myself so that my approach in the paper falls in line with the sikhi. Most of the quotes have been given the part II of the post
I had to include these references to make the material as much objective as possible so that the post is elf contained and may be read independent of the earlier posts in this series. That what is stated as ‘reality’ in wikipedia is referred to as an ‘illusion’ and ‘transitory’ as already amplified in the last write as what we see is not a reality for sikhs.
5.nwnk iks no bwbw roeIAY bwjI hY iehu sMswro ] (580-4, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
Nanak: for whom should we mourn, O Baba? This world is merely a play.
6.bwbw AwieAw hY auiT clxw AD pMDY hY sMswrovw ] (581-8, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
O Baba, he has come, and now he must get up and depart; this world is only a way-station.
7.bwbw AwieAw hY auiT clxw iehu jgu JUTu pswrovw ] (581-17, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
O Baba, whoever has come, will rise up and leave; this world is merely a false show.
8.DMDw rovY mYlu n DovY supnµqru sMswro ] (581-15, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
They weep for the sake of worldly affairs, and they do not wash off their own filth; the world is merely a dream.
8.
That we see is unreal .And that what we cannot see [Truth/Sat] is real i.e soul and the God Himself. He is One and only One. He has manifest form and the unmanifest forms[5]. In the manifest form He is present in the entire creation.And some of the other ‘quotes’ are taken from the bani of Jap ji sahib are also reproduced below. The text is reproduced in Gurmukhi so that those who understand the gurmukhi can savour the original text of Gurbani.
9
Word/sabad and Naam/Anhat Naad/sound current/Bani
The scriptures states will/Hukum was through a ‘word’ and the entire creation came to a pass. The ‘word’ that brought this creation into being is a holy name ,as considered by them.
10.
The ‘word of sabad’ and the ‘Naam’, as most of the commentators and writers have presented, is considered to be a holy name of the God Himself. The following is from the ‘bani’ of Sri Guru Nanak dev ji Maharaj the first Guru of Sikhs.
9.kIqw pswau eyko kvwau ] (3-16, jpu, mÚ 1)
[You created the vast expanse of the Universe with One Word.]
Usage of the ‘word’ and ‘word Of sabad’
11.
The usage of the ‘sabad’ has appeared at many places in the SGGS ji.It has been employed by the translators in the following ways.
‘Word of the Shabad’ and ‘Shabad’ : Absence of clarity
12.
On account of the translations or on account of the knowledge of the gurmukhi dialect in which SGGS ji has been authored there is a confusion so far as the ‘sabad’ or ‘word of sabad’ is concerned insofar, as the English translations of the scripture is concerned. There is no uniformity of opinion about these expressions. One has to take a recourse to personal judgement.[something that the author is not in favor of] On account of the popularity of the Internet many sikhs find it convenient to practice ‘nitnem’ with the help of the electronic format of the banis as it is handy and some contains the meanings in English and makes the case of better understanding.As per that the author has observed this area is not clear to very many persons. I am no exception. On account of lack of clarity many feel that they have not interpreted the Bani propperly.
Effect of Confusion
13.
On account of confusion as to when one is to interpret the ‘sabad’ occuring in gurbani the process of appreciation becomes fairly complicated and one has to take recourse to the translations. In most of the cases the problem is sorted out by inferrinng the ‘sabad’ as the ‘sabad’ of Bani itself. This is not to suggest that this is a universal principle. This may not be so. One may have to seek clarification of these terms from an appropriate body/forum of sikhs wherein these kinds of problems can be referred to and cleared once for all. The following are given to make the point clear. I am not touching the topic further and leave it for the comprehension of the readers.
· 10.scVw dUir n BwlIAY Git Git sbdu pCwxovw ] (581-5, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
· [Do not search for the True Lord far away; recognize the ‘Word of the Shabad’ in each and every heart.]
· 11.sqguru scu pRBu inrmlw sbid imlwvw hoie ]1] rhwau ] (27-3, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
· [The True Guru leads us to meet the Immaculate True God through the Word of His Shabad.]
· 12.sbid rqy sy inrmly hau sd bilhwrY jwsu ] (27-13, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
· [Attuned to the ‘Word of the Shabad’, they are immaculate and pure. I am forever a sacrifice to them.]
· 13.siqguru sdw dieAwlu hY Avgux sbid jlwey ] (583-4, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
· Through the’ TrueWord of the Shabad’, be always happy, and you shall be acclaimed as True in the True Court.[What is the true word of sabad or Word of sabad is another line that has confused many..author]
· 15.ipru inrmwielu sdw suKdwqw nwnk sbid imlwey ] (583-6, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
· The Immaculate Husband Lord is forever the Giver of peace; O Nanak, through the ‘Word of His Shabad’, He is met.
· 16.eyhw kwieAw roig BrI ibnu sbdY duKu haumY rogu n jwie ] (588-15, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
· This body is filled with disease; without the ‘Word of the Shabad’, the pain of the disease of ego does not depart.
Usage of Akhar/word
14.
The another word used to represent is ’Akhar’ that in Gurmukhi means ‘word’.The following lines are reproduced for ready reference as these appear in Jap ji Sahib.Akhar in Gurmukhi means ‘word’. This is the literal translation as well.
The above is also reflective of the creativity of the creator. His potency and other attributes are stated to be beyond description as Man is not capable of doing so. Someone of His nature can do this and as there is none this cannot be done. One need to go only in detailed commentary of japji sahib to get a clear vision as to How mighty the Almighty is. He alone is capable of doing everything and does that is pleasing to HIM. Some of the ‘quotes’ in this regard are reproduced for ready reference.It is futher emphasized that the created beings have to be within HIS Hukum [command ] and will and it is He alone is the Truth.
15.
It is not the idea of expanding on HIS attributes here hence I shall trail down the thoughts that I left .It is also believed that through this ‘word’ also called as ‘Sabad’/’Shabad’. HE also put in HIS creative energy that is responsible for the sustainance of this manifest form and the evolution and the growth. This ‘sabad/shabad’ is the link that is available for any human being to achieve The Almighty and be blessed with.
17.qum swcy hm qum hI rwcy sbid Byid Puin swcy ] (597-2, soriT, mÚ 1)
You are True, and I am absorbed into You; through the mystery of the Shabad, I shall ultimately become True as well.
18.sbid imlY so imil rhY ijs nau Awpy ley imlwie ] (27-4, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[One whom the Lord merges into Himself is merged in the Shabad, and remains so merged.]
Usage of The term ‘Naam’ the ‘Name of lord’ or something more than this: Are these really different
16.
Likewise another term that is employed to convey the idea is ‘naam’.This is also treated as a ‘holy word’. From the following it is clear that ‘naam’ wherever used refers to Name of the lord as well. The translators , in their own wisdom’ has not done full justice as the original word in Gurmukhi has been stated to be either of the two i.e ‘naam’ or the ‘Name of the lord.’ In absence of any clear indication this is a grey area like the ‘sabad’ and the ‘word of sabad’ as discussed above. One is required to do some academic exercise.
19.nwmY qy siB aUpjy BweI nwie ivsirAY mir jwie ] (603-6, soriT, mÚ 3)
[From the Naam, everyone originated, O Siblings of Destiny; forgetting the Naam, they die away.]
20.ivxu nwvY nwhI swbwis ]3]32] (25-15, isrIrwgu, mÚ 1)
[Without the Name, no one is approved.]
21.ijs nau Awip dieAwlu hoie so gurmuiK nwim smwie ]2] (27-6, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[That Gurmukh[8], unto whom the Lord shows His Kindness, is absorbed in the Naam, the Name of the Lord.]
22.ijsu jl iniD kwrix qum jig Awey so AMimRqu gur pwhI jIau ] (598-4, soriT, mÚ 1)
The treasure of the Name, for which you have come into the world - that Ambrosial Nectar is with the Guru.
17.
As the Naam here has been referred to as the cause of Creation ,it has some element of divimity present in it. Hence the treatment given to it may be as ‘holy word’.As per the authors understanding there is not adequate literature available on this subject and the present material on this subject does not also clarity the matter beyond this or I am not aware of. Hence I shall not go beyond this.[9]
One may have to refer to some other authentic material for further investigation. I have given a brief touch up to the subject as per the little appreciation of the subject that I have.
Usage of Naam and Name in two distict ways
18.
As per my understanding the term is used in two imporatnt ways.
The first refers to
‘Naam’/‘Name of the lord’ as referred to in the Bani
23.nwnk nwim imlY vifAweI hir dir sohin AwgY ]2] (590-11, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
O Nanak, through the Naam, the Name of the Lord, greatness is obtained; he shall be resplendent in the Court of the Lord hereafter. ||2||
24.hir nwmu vxMjih rMg isau lwhw hir nwmu lY jwvih ] (590-12, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
[They trade lovingly in the Lord's Name, and depart after earning the profit of the Lord's Name.]
25.kMcn kwieAw inrmlI jo sic nwim sic lwgI ] (590-16, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
That body is golden and immaculate, which is attached to the True Name of the True Lord.
26.nwau iDAweIAY nwau mMgIAY nwmy shij smwie ]1] (26-5, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Meditate on the Name, worship the Name, and through the Name, you shall be absorbed in intuitive peace and poise.]
27.hir kw nwmu iDAweIAY sqsMgiq myil imlwie ]2] (26-16, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[So meditate on the Name of the Lord; join and merge with the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation.]
28.soeI soeI sdw scu swihbu swcw swcI nweI ] (6-13, jpu, mÚ 1)
That True Lord is True, Forever True, and True is His Name.
29.vfw swihbu vfI nweI kIqw jw kw hovY ] (5-1, jpu, mÚ 1)
Great is the Master, Great is His Name. Whatever happens is according to His Will.
‘Naam ‘ and its reference in the bani
20.
In the following the ‘Naam’ that refers to is of the second category i.e which referes to something that is realised by following the teachings as contained in SGGS ji:
30.ijnI siqguru syivAw iqnI pwieAw nwmu inDwnu ] (26-7, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Those who serve the True Guru obtain the Treasure of the Naam.]
In the above the ‘treasure of naam’ has been stated by the translators instead of the Name of the lord.In the original Gurmukhi text the word used is ‘naam Nidhaan’ and the literally would mean treaure of name as well but the translators have employed the term as word/expression as ‘Treasure of naam’.
31.beIAir nwim suohwgxI scu svwrxhwro ] (581-3, vfhMsu dKxI, mÚ 1)
Through the Naam, the soul-bride becomes the Lord's favorite; she is adorned with Truth.
32.sdw nwmu smwly siqguru hY nwly siqguru syiv suKu pwieAw ] (584-3, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
[They dwell constantly upon the Naam, and the True Guru is with them; they serve the True Guru, and so obtain peace.]
33.ibnu gur hir nwmu n iknY pwieAw myry BweI ] (591-7, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
Without the Guru, no one has found the Lord's Name, O my Siblings of Destiny.
34.siqguru Byty qw nwau pwey haumY mohu cukwieAw ]3] (600-1, soriT, mÚ 3)
But when he meets the True Guru, then he obtains the Name; he sheds egotism and emotional attachment.
35.AauKDu nwmu inrml jlu AMimRqu pweIAY gurU duAwrI ]4] (616-18, soriT, mÚ 5)
The medicine of the Naam, and the Immaculate Water of Ambrosial Nectar, are obtained through the Guru's Gate. ||4||
21.
The author has thus presumed that ‘naam’ and the ‘name’ are two distinct expression having their own weight and meaning in the context and there is no fixed rule for the usage of these terms as per the usage found in English Translations.One need to arrive at the consencus to sort out this problem. There may be experts but the doubt prevails in the ordinary person. English Translations ,on account of this, are not to be taken as reliable and would be misleading. Even if these are correct there should be rules that need to be spelt out as to when one is to interpret ‘naam’ as the name of Lord and as to when it is to be treated as the gift of lord i.e. ‘naam’
The author has completely relied on the translations and do believe that it is correct.It shall hold good only in the case the translations are correct.
And
36.gur imilAY nwmu pweIAY cUkY moh ipAws ] (26-11, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Meeting with the Guru, the Naam is obtained, and the thirst of emotional attachment departs.]
It is clear from the above that in these lines, atleast as per the translation, the naam[as per bani] refers to the’Naam’ that is the ‘holy naam’ /sabad’which may have different essence than the ordinary name of the lord[12].Similarly in the following:
37.jnu nwnku jIvY nwmu lY hir dyvhushij suBwie ]5]2]35] (26-19, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Servant Nanak lives by chanting the Naam. O Lord, please give it to me, in Your Natural Way.]
Conclusion
22.
It is concluded that the terms ‘naam’ and ‘name’ are two different entities. However, it would be as per individual understanding that would, probably, be the best guide. One may accept the translations of SGGS ji as well. The decision is all yours. In the case someone is clear about the concept one may kindly share.
38.BUfVY nwmu ivswirAw bUfVY ikAw iqsu cwro ] (580-12, vfhMsu dKxI, mÚ 1)
[The evil person has forgotten the Naam; he has drowned - what can he do now?]
39.AMimRqu nwmu sdw min mITw sbdy pwvY koeI ]3] (604-1, soriT, mÚ 3)
The Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam is ever-sweet to the mind; but how few are those who obtain the Shabad. ||3||
40.vfw swihbu vfI nweI kIqw jw kw hovY ] (5-1, jpu, mÚ 1)
Great is the Master, Great is His Name. Whatever happens is according to His Will.
Overlap in ‘word of Sabad’ and ‘Sabad’
23.
As per that is stated above the Bani of the SGGS is referred to as a word of the God there is an overlap ,atleast in English Translations of SGGS ji, in so far as the original word of ‘sabad’[holy word] and the words contained in the Bani of SGGS ji. Whatever little reasoning power that I possess, it is concluded that most consider that as the SGGS ji’s banis are also word of Guru sahibaan who were themselves insignia of Almighty anything contianed in SGGS ji would be treated as the ‘word of God’ or the word from the ‘mouth of God’ and hence the ‘sabad’ and the ‘word of sabad’ are equivalent. I have put forward the way I have analysed.One can always draw one’s conclusion and inferences.
24.
While conducting a study in the matter of ‘meta physics’ it has been observed that many analysts may vary but they may reach the same conclusion so far as the end result is concerned. Hence even though some may vary that holy ‘sabad’ and Bani are two differennt aspects so far as sikhi is concerned.I have no choice to admit that it is individual analysis that is presented along with sufficient reasoning and logic. If one has different point of view it would be his prerogative to explain the same. I am not likely to take questions on this aspect that is not clear to me but is presented here as per understanding. I may not have much to contribute on this except that is presented here. Please feel free to conceptualise the way that suits you or that fits well with your thought pattern. I cannot give any proof of this in any scientific manner as I am not discussing the topic like Newton’s law or Enistien’s theory of relativity though at point all sciences and religion merge together into one that we call at philosphy and it is not my area of interest right now.In future it may or may be not. I proceed with these limitations in mind. It is how any reader should interpret as well. One need not get along with this and hence can abandon further study or one may give the benefit of doubt and then proceed further[13].
Anhat naad and unstuck melody/sahaj Dhun/Naad
25.
It has been stated by Gyani Maskeen ji, in one of his lectures/kathas, that the celestial word uttered by Him at the time of creation was a sweet music and is still pervading. One can hear it. It is for the person to develop those senses to listen to the ‘word’. Thus the anhaat naad[sound current] is also treated as synonyms with the ‘sabad’ and ‘naam’ as discussed above. The translators have extensively used the term ‘sound current’ to express the concepts that are stated here.
41.qh Anhd sbd Agwjw ] (621-11, soriT, mÚ 5)
There, the unstruck melody of the Shabad resounds.
42.nau iniD pweI vjI vwDweI vwjy Anhd qUry ] (577-6, vfhMsu, mÚ 5)
I have obtained the nine treasures, congratulations are pouring in, and the unstruck melody resounds.
43.ibnvMiq nwnk suKu nwim BgqI dir vjih Anhd vwjy ]4]3] (578-16, vfhMsu, mÚ 5)
Prays Nanak, happiness comes from devotional worship of the Naam; at His Door, the unstruck melody resounds. ||4||3||
44.kmlu pRgwis sdw rMig rwqw Anhd sbdu vjwieAw ] (602-14, soriT, mÚ 3)
The lotus of his heart blossoms forth, he is ever imbued with the Lord's Love, and the unstruck melody of the Shabad resounds within him.
45.siqgur syvy qw shj Duin aupjY giq miq qd hI pwey ] (604-3, soriT, mÚ 3)
Serving the True Guru, the divine melody wells up within, and one is blessed with wisdom and salvation.
46.gurmuiK nwdM gurmuiK vydM gurmuiK rihAw smweI ] (2-8, jpu, mÚ 1)
The Guru's Word is the Sound-current of the Naad; the Guru's Word is the Wisdom of the Vedas; the Guru's Word is all-pervading.
47.vwjy nwd Anyk AsMKw kyqy vwvxhwry ] (6-5, jpu, mÚ 1)
The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates there, and countless musicians play on all sorts of instruments there.
48.suKu pwieAw shj Duin aupjI rogw Gwix imtweI ] rhwau ] (619-7, soriT, mÚ 5)
I have found peace, and the celestial sound current resounds within me; countless diseases have been eradicated. ||Pause||
Naamdan referred to in Ardas
26.
The term ‘Naam Dan’ has been employed in the ‘Bani[14]’ that makes one believe that this may have the word that has to be realised by a sikh by following the various teachings of the Guru sahibs. This is discussed in the next paragraphs.Naamdaan is also referred to in the prayers of sikhs. It is referred to as Ardas when it is read in the sangat in Gurudwaras and is of great significance.
What is Hukum or HIS command
27.
As per the cue provided by drkhalsa ji and Kelly ji in the earlier posts the Hukum is the order of the Almighty. This is very clearly stated as follows in Japji Sahib ji as well.
49.ikv sicAwrw hoeIAY ikv kUVY qutY pwil ] (1-6, jpu, mÚ 1)
[So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be torn away?]
50. hukim rjweI clxw nwnk iliKAw nwil ]1] (1-7, jpu, mÚ 1)
[O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will.]
How to achieve Naam or How it can be achieved
28.
To achieve one has to realize Naam and be blessed with HIS Grace as the Lord Himself selects/choses the one on whom this is to be blessed upon.There is , however, a firm belief that ‘Naam’ is everything. It is the cure for and of all. It is the end of all the knowledge in itself. It has all the wisdom that one may require for realizing HIM and in various expressions employed by various authors Nam is the Name of God.
[What is Naam ? In the Nad-bind Upanishad, we find, :A yogin ought to sit in Sidha Asan, and adopting Vaishnavi Mudra, should hear within him the "Sound" coming from the right side. (Nad-bind Shalok 31)
In the Muslim scriptures, It is variously described as Kalam-i-Ilahi (The Voice of God), Nida-i-Asmani (the Sound from Heaven), Ism-i-Azam (the Great Name), Saut-i-Sarmadi (the Intoxicating Sound), Saut-i-Nasira (the Sound Melodious), Kalam-i-Majid (the Great Commandment) and Kalam-i-Haq (the Voice of Truth) which can be heard inside, and It was taught as Sultan-ul-Azkar or the King of prayers. And listen to the call of Music coming from above.
MAULANA RUMI The whole world is reverberating with Sound, To listen to It thou must unseal thine inner ears, Then shalt thou hear an Unending Music, And that shall lead thee beyond the confines of death. SHAH NIAZ Drive away all skepticism from thy mind, And listen to the strains of heavenly music, And receive within thee the messages of God, For these come only by holy communion with the self. The Prophet declared that he heard the Voice of God, And it fell on his ears as clearly as any other sound, But God has sealed thy ears, And so ye listen not to His Voice. MAULANA RUMI[15]]
Example of significance of Naam/Name of Lord
29.
The following is a sabad taken from ang 1231 along with the translation
· nwie mMinAY suKu aUpjY nwmy giq hoeI ]
nwie mMinAY piq pweIAY ihrdY hir soeI ]
nwie mMinAY Bvjlu lµGIAY iPir ibGnu n hoeI ]
nwie mMinAY pMQu prgtw nwmy sB loeI ]
nwnk siqguir imilAY nwau mMnIAY ijn dyvY soeI[16] ]9]
· [With faith in the Name, peace wells up; the Name brings emancipation.
With faith in the Name, honor is obtained. The Lord is enshrined in the heart.
With faith in the Name, one crosses over the terrifying world-ocean, and no obstructions are ever again encountered.
With faith in the Name, the Path is revealed; through the Name, one is totally enlightened.
O Nanak, meeting with the True Guru, one comes to have faith in the Name; he alone has faith, who is blessed with it. ||9||]
Wide reference of Naam in SGGS ji
30.
It is widely referred to in the Granth sahib, the Holy book of Sikhs[17] that is almost worshipped in the Gurudwaras.[place of holy congregation of sangat [holy saints] where ‘Guru’s bani’ is recited and hymns are sung eulogising the Almighty ,the Creator/Lord .[The term ‘Lord’ is used by many Translators who have translated the Holy granth from the original Gurmukhi/punjabi to English]. To achieve ‘Naam’ is one the objectives of life of a sikh as it is the insignia of the omnipotent and omni present creator.
31.
Theological: The Divine Name, or Sabad, is identified with the presence of God which can be realized in one’s own consciousness. All spiritual expression of divine knowledge by the Gurus is called ‘Sabad’, or ‘Bani’. In practical, religious and mystical life, each prophet or Guru gave a word, or a formula of words, which not only describes the divine spirit but also, when used for practice in contemplation, was instrumental to the complete realization of the Divine presence. Therefore, from the theological point of view, according to Guru Nanak, there are two types of Names: Firstly, there are attributive names of the Supreme Reality, such as, Hari, Govind, Ram, Haq, Rahim, etc. Secondly, there are names that are brought to the world out of empirical studies, observation of nature, or experience of great prophets, such as, we find the Name "OM" in the Upanishads, ‘Ahura Mazda’ in the Zend Avastha, Tao of Lao Tzu, ‘Omkar’ and ‘WaheGuru’ by the Sikh Gurus. Omkar and Waheguru are immensely evocative and highly esteemed in the Sikh scriptures[18].
32.
According to Guru Nanak, the Divine Name (NAAM), or the Word, which he also calls Sabad, is the Cause of the universe. It is the way of His expression. The phenomenal world is the attribute with which God is described. The attributes of God can be found only in an outward expression or manifestation in the external world. Besides, it is through these attributes that God manifests His creative activities in the world. Therefore everything of this world is an aspect of the Divine Name, or the Word, to which it owes its existence.
33.
If one is not able to realise Naam it is stated that one has wasted this human life which is a precious gift to the Human being. The Human format of the living being is to be used for the salvation and merger with the creator also referred to as the Primal being[19].The living beings have to undergo 8.40 million incarnations to realize this Human body that is supposed to be the temple of the lord as He is present in it and is also present everywhere outside this.I am not making any attempt to compare the Hindu philosphy or the Vedantic philosphy here. There are some common points between the two. The practices of the Hindus and the sikhs makes the two as different faiths as the sikhs do not believe in the rituals being performed by them especially the idolatory. Sikhs also believe that the Creator ,Himself is performing the three functions of the creation, sustainance and the destruction of the creation. Hindus believe in the concept of ‘trimurti’, a term that is commonly employed to express that the three functions are performed by the Brahma, Vishnu and Shivas respectively. Baba Nanak also did not believe in caste syatem where in the entire society is divided on the basis of the birth. I am not going into the details of this aspect.
God and Hindu Philosphy
34.
In Hindu philosophy, the existence of the universe is governed by the trimurti of Brahma(the Creator), Vishnu (the Sustainer) and Shiva(the Destroyer). The sequence of Avtars of Vishnu- the Ten Avtars is generally accepted by most Hindus today as correlating well with Darwin's theory of evolution, the first Avatar generating from the environment of water[20].There appears to be a general concensus between Hindu philosphy and Sikhism so far as the appearance of water as the first environment is concerned[21].
35.
In Hinduism, nature and all of God's creations are manifestations of Him. He is within and without his creations, pervading the entire universe and also observing it externally. Hence all animals and humans have a divine element in them that is covered by the ignorance and illusions of material or profane existence.Sikhs do believe that HE ia all pervasive and is omnipresent. He is also inside the human beings and all living beings.
Sabad /Word of Sabad/ Naam: Does it matter.
36.
It is to be appreciated that most of the sikhs practice the jap/simran on either of word/term like ‘satnaam’/ek-ongkar/waheguru ….etc.All these words are the attributes of the lord or are the names of the lord [waheguru].The mool-mantra is reflective of the attributes of the Lord/Creator. It does not matter as to the meaning of sabad/word of sabad/Naam or name of lord. Hence in practice this does not matter.One is required to maintain the simran, jap and practice of truth etc,.To me, even waheguru’/’satnam’/ek-onkar and love for God are all love ford and hence the Naam initself.likwwise my friends may think of Mool-mantra,beej Mantra and Gurumantra as the extended names of God and he can be remembered .
In any case One will come to know of ‘Naam’ if one rises to a very high level of sprituality. We acnnot know that state of affairs while we are living in tri-gunas.It shall be possible when we are in ‘Turia.’
But one can do fine if the exact meanig of a particular line ,containing sabad, is concerned. The topic may be of interest to them who are interested in further study. There is no further query on the topic as it is related to the part II of the topic[22].
Alternatives
37.
scu vxMjih gur sbd isau lwhw nwmu leyin ]26] (756-9, sUhI, mÚ 3)
[They deal in Truth, through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, [23]and they earn the profit of the Naam. ||26||]
In Gurbani there is a reference to Guru’s sabad.I shall not try to translate it into some equivalent.However, it is fairly suggestive of seemingly another way of attaining ‘Naam’ that is considered as precious jewel.
[1]http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smspublications/introductiontosikhism2/chapter1.html#What%20is%20religion?
[2] As per my understanding, these are also as per the verses of Geeta., the holy Book of Hindus that is also believed to be the teachings of Lord Krishna and discusses the ‘Science of soul’/Karmas/Reincarnations of the beings. The Sikhism is amalgamation of all the three Margs i.e devotional, gyan and karma. The gurus have impressed upon the understanding of self and the creatoe[gyan ], they have impressed upon the devotional worship[bhakti] and the practice of deeds for the earning livelihood of the self and the family[karma]. Gurus have also not stated that one should be a renunciate for achieveing the salf and the creator.
[3]http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smspublications/introductiontosikhism2/chapter1.html#What%20is%20religion?
[4] Origin belief - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[5] It is fairly well known that Sikhs believe that God is in both formats of manifest and un manifest.[sakaar and Niraakar or Nirgun or Sargun.[Nirakaar and nirgun: without shape and without any qualities.] This would be an edict of Guru Sahibaan only as no one could have known this. The one who is of HIS statuture would have declared this. We are just helpless creature and have to accept that is contained in the teachings as contained in Bani’s and the other scriptural literature.
[6] I have avoided the translations for the simple reason that it may lead to confusion.
[7]It would be for the individual to accept the translation or assign the meaning to sabad/’word of ‘sabad’ as per one’s understanding. It always help to have a clear understanding as to that one is reading and reciting with reverence and respect and has placed all the faith else the process is just mechanical.It has been the case with me for last few years when I was not aware of thse fine differences whether these may only be in my perception and may not be actually there.]
[8] Gurmukh: Gurmukh is one who belives that He is one and also establishes Him in his mind and reflects/contemplate upon Guru’s teachings and abide by them. The opposite of this term that is employed is Manmukhs that would mean those who listen to their own minds and are faithless. Gurmukhs are the ones who are also entitlement to liberation with HIS grace and Mercy as the case may be.
[9] The author does not have adequate knowledge about this most respected tangible or non-tangible/intangible ‘terms’ that is ‘word/sabad/naam’. This is equated with the lord Himself. Naam can only be realized through Guru and is bestowed on the one whom the creator selects. One will be required to follow the code of conduct as is contained in the teachings of 10 Guru Sahibans who are held in reverence by all the Sikhs. Guru Granth sahib ji is the ‘living jot’ of the ten Gurus. As per Dashmesh ji , the tenth Guru, the SGGS ji is the living Guru. Sikhs do not recognize any living person as Guru. It is strictly prohibited and no sikh worth the salt adopts any human being as his Guru.
[10] [Ek-ong kar satnam karta-purukh nirbhao nirver akal-muran ajoni saibhang gurprasad.]
[11]ibGn ibnwsn siB duK nwsn siqguir nwmu idRVwieAw ] (622-3, soriT, mÚ 5)
[12] The author requests the readers to please check the meaning as the text and the translations are picked from the Translations that are easily available on the net. Those who know Gurmukhi will have an edge as they can have an access to the original words that are employed in Bani. They can throw light.
[13] The major purpose of this paper is to throw some light on this uncovered aspect of the faith and beliefs and I very humbly state that I amnot an expert in this area. It should be one’s understanding and appreciation that counts. I do have intentions of discussing this unexplored area that is not often discussed by the people.This may be on account of the sensitive nature of the subject matter and further I am not blessed with ‘word’ or ‘sabad’ or ‘naam’ and my knowledge is plainly academic.The author has visited many sites of sikhism during the process of study that stretched over six to seven months but could not get suitable clarification worth mentioning. I have , ofcourse, quoted some materail on this from the various posts available on this site and references have been made to some materail available on other sites.
[14] Bani refers to the holy words /hymns Of the Guru sahibs that are contained in various scriptures of Sikhs including the SGGS ji.
[15] Quoted from the post Of Respected Begum ji placed at URL http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/gurmat-vichaar/16923-what-is-faith-dharama-per-gurbani-4.html
[16]Quoted from the post of respected ‘Soul jot’ji: http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/interfaith-dialogues/5619-with-faith-in-the-name.html
[17] The Holy book is known as Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, I shall use the short form SGGS ji.
[18] From the post of respected Begum ji [supra]
[19] Aad Guru.
[20] Ibid sl.1 above.
[21] As per katha Sant Maskeen ji.
[22] The author has done his own research and have found some material on the practice of reaching above the state of Trigunas or out of Trigunas and establishing oneself in ‘turia’ and it is believed that gurbani can be fully appreciated once one has achieved the Turia. The bani has been authored by all those who had achieved that state of affairs and perfect communication is established once one has achieved the ‘fourth’ state. It is only personal experience.
[23] In ordinary language it should have meant guru’s teachings and hence Sabad Guru
E&OE..............
To be continued..................................
Earlier reference :
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/gurmat-vichaar/17857-part-ii-liberation-mukti-salvation.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/gurmat-vichaar/17756-liberation-mukti-salvation.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/17707-can-we-know-him.html
Doubts raised in last post: yes, Status quo maintained [
Answersd received : None
Consequences: Doubts on ‘word of sabad’ and sabad/naam/naamdan as it as .
Present Post in brief: Deals with grey areas [for me ] like ‘sabad’/’word of sabad’; ‘naam’ and ‘Name of lord’,’Naam Daan’ etc., as used .It may not be grey areas for those who understand Naam and word of sabad when it appears in translations. But for me it is a grey area. You may kindly post if you have a clarity.It is an humble effort to present the state Of affairs amongst the sikhs with intellect of my level
Acknowledgements/indebtness
Begum ji.
Kelly-Kaur ji.and aadji
Thrust Areas of present Post: naam,Name of God,sabad.,word of sabad.etc and interrelated issues.
Part –III
Liberation/Mukti/Salvation
0
Naam
Naam is ,as stated in Gurbani, is present in each one of us.It is enclosed in 'kothri. This is locked by the lock of pawan and there is key of 'pawan'.It is for seeker to locate this and open it and get to know of Naam. It can be obtained thru. the help of the Saints and guru. A sikh must look for guidance in the SGGS ji. Irrrespective of the differences in the english translations it is fairly accepted that Naam is a precious jewel and is an ambriosal nectar. One is deemed to be liberated if one finds the Naam that is bestowed upon the aspirant By the NIrankaar Himself as per HIS grace. We may do everything and anything that is prescribed but we shall receive everything only if He let's us else we are all in the same boat.
One may continue the personal search for the mutual benefit.The present post represents the understanding or the misunderstanding of the SGGS ji. May be I am not a capable person to de-bug the meaning of some lines that appear to be not connected with the text of the particular page.It has happened with me at various places.
It is not understood as to what is the meaning of the following terms:
a] Akath Katha.
b] Unspoken speech.
The other doubts shall be posted as and when that is required.
nwmu inDwnu soeI pwey ik®pw kry pRBu soie ]3] (405-5, Awsw, mÚ 5)
He alone obtains the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, unto whom God shows His Mercy. ||3||
Gr mMdr KusI nwm kI ndir qyrI prvwru ] (16-19, isrIrwgu, mÚ 1)
The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is the pleasure of houses and mansions. Your Glance of Grace is my family, Lord.
ijnI siqguru syivAw iqnI pwieAw nwmu inDwnu ] (26-7, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
Those who serve the True Guru obtain the Treasure of the Naam.
syeI suKIey chu jugI ijnw nwmu AKutu Apwru ]3] (26-11, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
Those who attain the Inexhaustible Name of the Infinite Lord remain happy throughout the four ages. ||3||
ijs nau Awip dieAwlu hoie so gurmuiK nwim smwie ]2] (27-6, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
That Gurmukh, unto whom the Lord shows His Kindness, is absorbed in the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||2||
ijnI gurmuiK nwmu iDAwieAw ivchu Awpu gvwie ] (28-11, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
The Gurmukhs meditate on the Naam; they eradicate selfishness and conceit from within.
so swDU bYrwgI soeI ihrdY nwmu vswey ] (29-14, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
That person is a Holy Saadhu, and a renouncer of the world, whose heart is filled with the Naam.
Need Of Religion
1
From times immemorial, man has felt the need of some power of deity to liberate him from his toils and to protect him from dangers. Further, he seeks to obtain peace and hope through contact with a superior power that is called Divinity. Religion has occupied an important place in the history of civilization and philosophy. It gives a meaning and purpose to human life and satisfies man's longing for peace and salvation. The primitives believed in spirits, magic and images of gods. The basic forms of religious expression are sacrifice, prayer and ritual.
Definition of Religion
2.
Religion has been defined as "the relationship between man and the super- human power he believes in and depends upon". According to Jakob Burchardt, "Religions are the expression of the eternal and indestructible metaphysical cravings of human nature." It includes a rule of conduct or principle of individual life on which one's peace of mind depends. Religions offer different paths to salvation. The goal of religion is getting in tune with the infinite. Moreover, the philosophy of religion is neither ceremony nor ritual nor going to the temple, but an inner experience which finds God everywhere.
Major Characteristics of Religion
3.
Religion consists of a number of beliefs relating to a reality which cannot be demonstrated by proof, but which is an inexorable certainty to the believer. This reality induces him to adopt certain modes of action and behavior. When Guru Arjan(fifth Sikh Guru) was asked as to which is the best religion in the world, he answered: "The best religion in the world is the one which stresses the power of prayer and the performance of noble deeds." Holy living or altruistic action is the practical side of religion[1].
4.
Broad Characteristics of Sikhism : Enlisted
- Sikhism is a monotheistic faith. It recognizes God as the only One. He who is not subject to time or space. He who is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of the Universe.
· Sikhism does not believe in Avtarvada, i.e God takes a human form. It does not attach any value to gods and goddesses and other deities as is done by Hindus.
- The Sikh religion rejects all rituals and routine practices like fasting and pilgrimage, omens and austerities. The goal of human life to merge with God is accomplished by following the teachings of the Guru, by meditation on the holy Name and performance of acts of service and charity.
5.
Sikhism emphasizes Bhakti Marg or the path of devotion. It does, however, recognizes the limited value of Gyan Marg(Path of Knowledge) and Karam Marg(Path of Action)[2]. It also lays stress on the need for earning God's Grace in order to reach the spiritual goal. Sikh has the right to action but not to its results as the latter is dependent upon HIS grace. One should persuade himself that fruits of action i.e achieving salvation as per the teachings of SGGS ji and assume that the result simply does not exist. Sikh should not desire any fruits and neither should he grow disillusioned with action. In any case one would get the results of Karmas in the next births/Incarnations as per the edict contained in the SGGS ji. On a macro level a seeker has a right to action as per the teachings, but not to its fruits. At the same time seeker/aspirant/sikh ought not to lose faith that results in doubts and duality in the performance of the duties. In other words, he should be constantly and devotedly engaged in its performance of praise of lord and devotion durimg the service of the Almighty. It has been stated that worship of the lord /worship of the one God is the only worthwhile action. The human body is meant for worship of God is pointed at more than one places in the SGGS ji.
1.siqguir syivAY nwmu min vsY ivchu BRmu Bau BwgY ] (590-10, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
[Serving the True Guru, the Naam comes to abide in the mind, and doubts and fears run away.]
2.hir hir nwmu AvKdu muiK pwieAw jn nwnk suiK vsMqI ]4]12]62] (625-2, soriT, mÚ 5)
[The Lord, Har, Har, has placed the medicine of the Naam into my mouth; servant Nanak abides in peace. ]
3.jgjIvn nwmu qumwrw ] (625-4, soriT, mÚ 5)
[Your Name is the Life of the world.]
4.nwm ibnw nwhI ko bylI ibKu lwdI isir Bwrw ] (688-14, DnwsrI, mÚ 1)
[Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the mortal has no friend at all; he carries loads of sin on his head.]
Self- Realisation and God Realisation
urpose Of Life6.
The Gurus believed that this life has a purpose and a goal. It offers an opportunity for self and God realization. Moreover man is responsible for his own actions. He cannot claim immunity from the results of his actions. He must therefore be very vigilant in what he does. Finally, the Sikh Scripture (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) is the perpetual Guru. This is the only religion that has given the Holy Book the status of a religious preceptor. There is no place for a living human Guru (Dehdhari) in Sikh religion[3].
Sikhs beliefs Revisited
Maya and Transitory nature of World
7.
Sikhs believe that prior to creation, all that existed was God and His will . When God willed, the entire cosmos was created and by Hukum/command the creation was set to motion. From the beginnings, God nurtured "enticement and attachment" to Maya, or the human perception of reality[4]. I have taken some ‘quotes’ from SGGS to amplify the points. It is to help myself so that my approach in the paper falls in line with the sikhi. Most of the quotes have been given the part II of the post
I had to include these references to make the material as much objective as possible so that the post is elf contained and may be read independent of the earlier posts in this series. That what is stated as ‘reality’ in wikipedia is referred to as an ‘illusion’ and ‘transitory’ as already amplified in the last write as what we see is not a reality for sikhs.
5.nwnk iks no bwbw roeIAY bwjI hY iehu sMswro ] (580-4, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
Nanak: for whom should we mourn, O Baba? This world is merely a play.
6.bwbw AwieAw hY auiT clxw AD pMDY hY sMswrovw ] (581-8, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
O Baba, he has come, and now he must get up and depart; this world is only a way-station.
7.bwbw AwieAw hY auiT clxw iehu jgu JUTu pswrovw ] (581-17, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
O Baba, whoever has come, will rise up and leave; this world is merely a false show.
8.DMDw rovY mYlu n DovY supnµqru sMswro ] (581-15, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
They weep for the sake of worldly affairs, and they do not wash off their own filth; the world is merely a dream.
8.
That we see is unreal .And that what we cannot see [Truth/Sat] is real i.e soul and the God Himself. He is One and only One. He has manifest form and the unmanifest forms[5]. In the manifest form He is present in the entire creation.And some of the other ‘quotes’ are taken from the bani of Jap ji sahib are also reproduced below. The text is reproduced in Gurmukhi so that those who understand the gurmukhi can savour the original text of Gurbani.
9
Word/sabad and Naam/Anhat Naad/sound current/Bani
The scriptures states will/Hukum was through a ‘word’ and the entire creation came to a pass. The ‘word’ that brought this creation into being is a holy name ,as considered by them.
10.
The ‘word of sabad’ and the ‘Naam’, as most of the commentators and writers have presented, is considered to be a holy name of the God Himself. The following is from the ‘bani’ of Sri Guru Nanak dev ji Maharaj the first Guru of Sikhs.
9.kIqw pswau eyko kvwau ] (3-16, jpu, mÚ 1)
[You created the vast expanse of the Universe with One Word.]
Usage of the ‘word’ and ‘word Of sabad’
11.
The usage of the ‘sabad’ has appeared at many places in the SGGS ji.It has been employed by the translators in the following ways.
- ‘Sabad’ means word of Gurbani as contained in SGGS ji and other scroptures.
- At other places it has different meanings i.e ‘word of the Shabad’
- ‘Guru’s shabad’ woild stand for Guru’s teachings as contained in the Bani’s of Guru Sahibaans.
- ‘Sabad’ also is used for the hymn/poems that are chantedung in the Gurudwars for the purpose of eulogisation of the Almighty.
‘Word of the Shabad’ and ‘Shabad’ : Absence of clarity
12.
On account of the translations or on account of the knowledge of the gurmukhi dialect in which SGGS ji has been authored there is a confusion so far as the ‘sabad’ or ‘word of sabad’ is concerned insofar, as the English translations of the scripture is concerned. There is no uniformity of opinion about these expressions. One has to take a recourse to personal judgement.[something that the author is not in favor of] On account of the popularity of the Internet many sikhs find it convenient to practice ‘nitnem’ with the help of the electronic format of the banis as it is handy and some contains the meanings in English and makes the case of better understanding.As per that the author has observed this area is not clear to very many persons. I am no exception. On account of lack of clarity many feel that they have not interpreted the Bani propperly.
Effect of Confusion
13.
On account of confusion as to when one is to interpret the ‘sabad’ occuring in gurbani the process of appreciation becomes fairly complicated and one has to take recourse to the translations. In most of the cases the problem is sorted out by inferrinng the ‘sabad’ as the ‘sabad’ of Bani itself. This is not to suggest that this is a universal principle. This may not be so. One may have to seek clarification of these terms from an appropriate body/forum of sikhs wherein these kinds of problems can be referred to and cleared once for all. The following are given to make the point clear. I am not touching the topic further and leave it for the comprehension of the readers.
· 10.scVw dUir n BwlIAY Git Git sbdu pCwxovw ] (581-5, vfhMsu, mÚ 1)
· [Do not search for the True Lord far away; recognize the ‘Word of the Shabad’ in each and every heart.]
· 11.sqguru scu pRBu inrmlw sbid imlwvw hoie ]1] rhwau ] (27-3, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
· [The True Guru leads us to meet the Immaculate True God through the Word of His Shabad.]
· 12.sbid rqy sy inrmly hau sd bilhwrY jwsu ] (27-13, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
· [Attuned to the ‘Word of the Shabad’, they are immaculate and pure. I am forever a sacrifice to them.]
· 13.siqguru sdw dieAwlu hY Avgux sbid jlwey ] (583-4, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
- The True Guru is forever merciful; through the’ Word of His Shabad’, demerits are burnt away.
· Through the’ TrueWord of the Shabad’, be always happy, and you shall be acclaimed as True in the True Court.[What is the true word of sabad or Word of sabad is another line that has confused many..author]
· 15.ipru inrmwielu sdw suKdwqw nwnk sbid imlwey ] (583-6, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
· The Immaculate Husband Lord is forever the Giver of peace; O Nanak, through the ‘Word of His Shabad’, He is met.
· 16.eyhw kwieAw roig BrI ibnu sbdY duKu haumY rogu n jwie ] (588-15, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
· This body is filled with disease; without the ‘Word of the Shabad’, the pain of the disease of ego does not depart.
Usage of Akhar/word
14.
The another word used to represent is ’Akhar’ that in Gurmukhi means ‘word’.The following lines are reproduced for ready reference as these appear in Jap ji Sahib.Akhar in Gurmukhi means ‘word’. This is the literal translation as well.
- From the Word, comes the Naam[6]; from the Word, comes Your Praise.
- From the Word, comes spiritual wisdom, singing the Songs of Your Glory.
- From the Word, come the written and spoken words and hymns.
- From the Word, comes destiny, written on one's forehead.
- But the One who wrote these Words of Destiny-no words are written on His Forehead.
- As He ordains, so do we receive.
- The created universe is the manifestation of Your Name.y
- Without Your Name, there is no place at all.
The above is also reflective of the creativity of the creator. His potency and other attributes are stated to be beyond description as Man is not capable of doing so. Someone of His nature can do this and as there is none this cannot be done. One need to go only in detailed commentary of japji sahib to get a clear vision as to How mighty the Almighty is. He alone is capable of doing everything and does that is pleasing to HIM. Some of the ‘quotes’ in this regard are reproduced for ready reference.It is futher emphasized that the created beings have to be within HIS Hukum [command ] and will and it is He alone is the Truth.
15.
It is not the idea of expanding on HIS attributes here hence I shall trail down the thoughts that I left .It is also believed that through this ‘word’ also called as ‘Sabad’/’Shabad’. HE also put in HIS creative energy that is responsible for the sustainance of this manifest form and the evolution and the growth. This ‘sabad/shabad’ is the link that is available for any human being to achieve The Almighty and be blessed with.
17.qum swcy hm qum hI rwcy sbid Byid Puin swcy ] (597-2, soriT, mÚ 1)
You are True, and I am absorbed into You; through the mystery of the Shabad, I shall ultimately become True as well.
18.sbid imlY so imil rhY ijs nau Awpy ley imlwie ] (27-4, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[One whom the Lord merges into Himself is merged in the Shabad, and remains so merged.]
Usage of The term ‘Naam’ the ‘Name of lord’ or something more than this: Are these really different
16.
Likewise another term that is employed to convey the idea is ‘naam’.This is also treated as a ‘holy word’. From the following it is clear that ‘naam’ wherever used refers to Name of the lord as well. The translators , in their own wisdom’ has not done full justice as the original word in Gurmukhi has been stated to be either of the two i.e ‘naam’ or the ‘Name of the lord.’ In absence of any clear indication this is a grey area like the ‘sabad’ and the ‘word of sabad’ as discussed above. One is required to do some academic exercise.
19.nwmY qy siB aUpjy BweI nwie ivsirAY mir jwie ] (603-6, soriT, mÚ 3)
[From the Naam, everyone originated, O Siblings of Destiny; forgetting the Naam, they die away.]
20.ivxu nwvY nwhI swbwis ]3]32] (25-15, isrIrwgu, mÚ 1)
[Without the Name, no one is approved.]
21.ijs nau Awip dieAwlu hoie so gurmuiK nwim smwie ]2] (27-6, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[That Gurmukh[8], unto whom the Lord shows His Kindness, is absorbed in the Naam, the Name of the Lord.]
22.ijsu jl iniD kwrix qum jig Awey so AMimRqu gur pwhI jIau ] (598-4, soriT, mÚ 1)
The treasure of the Name, for which you have come into the world - that Ambrosial Nectar is with the Guru.
17.
As the Naam here has been referred to as the cause of Creation ,it has some element of divimity present in it. Hence the treatment given to it may be as ‘holy word’.As per the authors understanding there is not adequate literature available on this subject and the present material on this subject does not also clarity the matter beyond this or I am not aware of. Hence I shall not go beyond this.[9]
One may have to refer to some other authentic material for further investigation. I have given a brief touch up to the subject as per the little appreciation of the subject that I have.
Usage of Naam and Name in two distict ways
18.
As per my understanding the term is used in two imporatnt ways.
The first refers to
- The Name of the lord that can be as per the convenience of the individual, it can be Ram/Shiva/Waheguru/Ek-ongkar or Satnaam or any other word/term.”waheguru’ is also stated to be ‘Gurumantar’ for sikhs.’Ek-ongkar’ is also stated to be ‘beej Mantra’.Besides this ‘mool mantar’ refers to the standard line that is the first line of SGGS ji. And is fairly well known to sikhs.[10]
- These Mantras are practised by sikhs in their daily routines in Simran or jap/Naam jaap/ajapa- jap etc.Most of the sikhs presume that it is the ‘Naam simran’ as well. I do believe so and the sangat that I mix with also believe so. These are all attributes of the Creator. He can be referred to as many other terms..SGGS makes an allusion to aad guru, jugad guru, Satguru, Sri gurudev, Guru etc for referring to the Creator. The True Guru has implanted the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within me; it is the Eliminator of obstructions, the Destroyer of all pains[11].
- is as per the references that are available as per the SGGS ji in the form of ‘Naam’ i.e. a blessing sought for the Almighty and it is the insignia/indica of the creator.It is believed that one who is blessed with Naamdan merges with the creator.As this ‘Naam’ is HIS indica no one can ,probably, expand on this. It can be described by the one who has been bestowed with the Gift. In the bani there are many reference that Guru Sahibaans were blessed with such a gift. Anyone who has this blessing is ‘God’ Himself. It is also stated that The SGGS ji contains the Banis of The gurus and various saints who had attauned these spritual heights. Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji Maharj, who compiled the SGGS ji, was approached by some saints with the requests that their banis should be included in he Granth sahib. However, this was not done on the basis of the fact that those persons had not attained the spritual heighs and purity that they could be treated as the God and their bains were not taken in for inclusion in the SGGS ji. The banis of all the Gurus and saints etc, are considered as a direct revealation/words of the lord Himslef. Hence it is one of the reason that sikhs call SGGS ji as ‘sabad Guru’ i.e God manifest in the format of ‘words’ in the shape of Banis. However, this does not simplify the problem as stated above.
‘Naam’/‘Name of the lord’ as referred to in the Bani
23.nwnk nwim imlY vifAweI hir dir sohin AwgY ]2] (590-11, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
O Nanak, through the Naam, the Name of the Lord, greatness is obtained; he shall be resplendent in the Court of the Lord hereafter. ||2||
24.hir nwmu vxMjih rMg isau lwhw hir nwmu lY jwvih ] (590-12, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
[They trade lovingly in the Lord's Name, and depart after earning the profit of the Lord's Name.]
25.kMcn kwieAw inrmlI jo sic nwim sic lwgI ] (590-16, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
That body is golden and immaculate, which is attached to the True Name of the True Lord.
26.nwau iDAweIAY nwau mMgIAY nwmy shij smwie ]1] (26-5, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Meditate on the Name, worship the Name, and through the Name, you shall be absorbed in intuitive peace and poise.]
27.hir kw nwmu iDAweIAY sqsMgiq myil imlwie ]2] (26-16, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[So meditate on the Name of the Lord; join and merge with the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation.]
28.soeI soeI sdw scu swihbu swcw swcI nweI ] (6-13, jpu, mÚ 1)
That True Lord is True, Forever True, and True is His Name.
29.vfw swihbu vfI nweI kIqw jw kw hovY ] (5-1, jpu, mÚ 1)
Great is the Master, Great is His Name. Whatever happens is according to His Will.
‘Naam ‘ and its reference in the bani
20.
In the following the ‘Naam’ that refers to is of the second category i.e which referes to something that is realised by following the teachings as contained in SGGS ji:
30.ijnI siqguru syivAw iqnI pwieAw nwmu inDwnu ] (26-7, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Those who serve the True Guru obtain the Treasure of the Naam.]
In the above the ‘treasure of naam’ has been stated by the translators instead of the Name of the lord.In the original Gurmukhi text the word used is ‘naam Nidhaan’ and the literally would mean treaure of name as well but the translators have employed the term as word/expression as ‘Treasure of naam’.
31.beIAir nwim suohwgxI scu svwrxhwro ] (581-3, vfhMsu dKxI, mÚ 1)
Through the Naam, the soul-bride becomes the Lord's favorite; she is adorned with Truth.
32.sdw nwmu smwly siqguru hY nwly siqguru syiv suKu pwieAw ] (584-3, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
[They dwell constantly upon the Naam, and the True Guru is with them; they serve the True Guru, and so obtain peace.]
33.ibnu gur hir nwmu n iknY pwieAw myry BweI ] (591-7, vfhMsu, mÚ 3)
Without the Guru, no one has found the Lord's Name, O my Siblings of Destiny.
34.siqguru Byty qw nwau pwey haumY mohu cukwieAw ]3] (600-1, soriT, mÚ 3)
But when he meets the True Guru, then he obtains the Name; he sheds egotism and emotional attachment.
35.AauKDu nwmu inrml jlu AMimRqu pweIAY gurU duAwrI ]4] (616-18, soriT, mÚ 5)
The medicine of the Naam, and the Immaculate Water of Ambrosial Nectar, are obtained through the Guru's Gate. ||4||
21.
The author has thus presumed that ‘naam’ and the ‘name’ are two distinct expression having their own weight and meaning in the context and there is no fixed rule for the usage of these terms as per the usage found in English Translations.One need to arrive at the consencus to sort out this problem. There may be experts but the doubt prevails in the ordinary person. English Translations ,on account of this, are not to be taken as reliable and would be misleading. Even if these are correct there should be rules that need to be spelt out as to when one is to interpret ‘naam’ as the name of Lord and as to when it is to be treated as the gift of lord i.e. ‘naam’
The author has completely relied on the translations and do believe that it is correct.It shall hold good only in the case the translations are correct.
And
36.gur imilAY nwmu pweIAY cUkY moh ipAws ] (26-11, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Meeting with the Guru, the Naam is obtained, and the thirst of emotional attachment departs.]
It is clear from the above that in these lines, atleast as per the translation, the naam[as per bani] refers to the’Naam’ that is the ‘holy naam’ /sabad’which may have different essence than the ordinary name of the lord[12].Similarly in the following:
37.jnu nwnku jIvY nwmu lY hir dyvhushij suBwie ]5]2]35] (26-19, isrIrwgu, mÚ 3)
[Servant Nanak lives by chanting the Naam. O Lord, please give it to me, in Your Natural Way.]
Conclusion
22.
It is concluded that the terms ‘naam’ and ‘name’ are two different entities. However, it would be as per individual understanding that would, probably, be the best guide. One may accept the translations of SGGS ji as well. The decision is all yours. In the case someone is clear about the concept one may kindly share.
38.BUfVY nwmu ivswirAw bUfVY ikAw iqsu cwro ] (580-12, vfhMsu dKxI, mÚ 1)
[The evil person has forgotten the Naam; he has drowned - what can he do now?]
39.AMimRqu nwmu sdw min mITw sbdy pwvY koeI ]3] (604-1, soriT, mÚ 3)
The Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam is ever-sweet to the mind; but how few are those who obtain the Shabad. ||3||
40.vfw swihbu vfI nweI kIqw jw kw hovY ] (5-1, jpu, mÚ 1)
Great is the Master, Great is His Name. Whatever happens is according to His Will.
Overlap in ‘word of Sabad’ and ‘Sabad’
23.
As per that is stated above the Bani of the SGGS is referred to as a word of the God there is an overlap ,atleast in English Translations of SGGS ji, in so far as the original word of ‘sabad’[holy word] and the words contained in the Bani of SGGS ji. Whatever little reasoning power that I possess, it is concluded that most consider that as the SGGS ji’s banis are also word of Guru sahibaan who were themselves insignia of Almighty anything contianed in SGGS ji would be treated as the ‘word of God’ or the word from the ‘mouth of God’ and hence the ‘sabad’ and the ‘word of sabad’ are equivalent. I have put forward the way I have analysed.One can always draw one’s conclusion and inferences.
24.
While conducting a study in the matter of ‘meta physics’ it has been observed that many analysts may vary but they may reach the same conclusion so far as the end result is concerned. Hence even though some may vary that holy ‘sabad’ and Bani are two differennt aspects so far as sikhi is concerned.I have no choice to admit that it is individual analysis that is presented along with sufficient reasoning and logic. If one has different point of view it would be his prerogative to explain the same. I am not likely to take questions on this aspect that is not clear to me but is presented here as per understanding. I may not have much to contribute on this except that is presented here. Please feel free to conceptualise the way that suits you or that fits well with your thought pattern. I cannot give any proof of this in any scientific manner as I am not discussing the topic like Newton’s law or Enistien’s theory of relativity though at point all sciences and religion merge together into one that we call at philosphy and it is not my area of interest right now.In future it may or may be not. I proceed with these limitations in mind. It is how any reader should interpret as well. One need not get along with this and hence can abandon further study or one may give the benefit of doubt and then proceed further[13].
Anhat naad and unstuck melody/sahaj Dhun/Naad
25.
It has been stated by Gyani Maskeen ji, in one of his lectures/kathas, that the celestial word uttered by Him at the time of creation was a sweet music and is still pervading. One can hear it. It is for the person to develop those senses to listen to the ‘word’. Thus the anhaat naad[sound current] is also treated as synonyms with the ‘sabad’ and ‘naam’ as discussed above. The translators have extensively used the term ‘sound current’ to express the concepts that are stated here.
41.qh Anhd sbd Agwjw ] (621-11, soriT, mÚ 5)
There, the unstruck melody of the Shabad resounds.
42.nau iniD pweI vjI vwDweI vwjy Anhd qUry ] (577-6, vfhMsu, mÚ 5)
I have obtained the nine treasures, congratulations are pouring in, and the unstruck melody resounds.
43.ibnvMiq nwnk suKu nwim BgqI dir vjih Anhd vwjy ]4]3] (578-16, vfhMsu, mÚ 5)
Prays Nanak, happiness comes from devotional worship of the Naam; at His Door, the unstruck melody resounds. ||4||3||
44.kmlu pRgwis sdw rMig rwqw Anhd sbdu vjwieAw ] (602-14, soriT, mÚ 3)
The lotus of his heart blossoms forth, he is ever imbued with the Lord's Love, and the unstruck melody of the Shabad resounds within him.
45.siqgur syvy qw shj Duin aupjY giq miq qd hI pwey ] (604-3, soriT, mÚ 3)
Serving the True Guru, the divine melody wells up within, and one is blessed with wisdom and salvation.
46.gurmuiK nwdM gurmuiK vydM gurmuiK rihAw smweI ] (2-8, jpu, mÚ 1)
The Guru's Word is the Sound-current of the Naad; the Guru's Word is the Wisdom of the Vedas; the Guru's Word is all-pervading.
47.vwjy nwd Anyk AsMKw kyqy vwvxhwry ] (6-5, jpu, mÚ 1)
The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates there, and countless musicians play on all sorts of instruments there.
48.suKu pwieAw shj Duin aupjI rogw Gwix imtweI ] rhwau ] (619-7, soriT, mÚ 5)
I have found peace, and the celestial sound current resounds within me; countless diseases have been eradicated. ||Pause||
Naamdan referred to in Ardas
26.
The term ‘Naam Dan’ has been employed in the ‘Bani[14]’ that makes one believe that this may have the word that has to be realised by a sikh by following the various teachings of the Guru sahibs. This is discussed in the next paragraphs.Naamdaan is also referred to in the prayers of sikhs. It is referred to as Ardas when it is read in the sangat in Gurudwaras and is of great significance.
What is Hukum or HIS command
27.
As per the cue provided by drkhalsa ji and Kelly ji in the earlier posts the Hukum is the order of the Almighty. This is very clearly stated as follows in Japji Sahib ji as well.
49.ikv sicAwrw hoeIAY ikv kUVY qutY pwil ] (1-6, jpu, mÚ 1)
[So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be torn away?]
50. hukim rjweI clxw nwnk iliKAw nwil ]1] (1-7, jpu, mÚ 1)
[O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will.]
How to achieve Naam or How it can be achieved
28.
To achieve one has to realize Naam and be blessed with HIS Grace as the Lord Himself selects/choses the one on whom this is to be blessed upon.There is , however, a firm belief that ‘Naam’ is everything. It is the cure for and of all. It is the end of all the knowledge in itself. It has all the wisdom that one may require for realizing HIM and in various expressions employed by various authors Nam is the Name of God.
[What is Naam ? In the Nad-bind Upanishad, we find, :A yogin ought to sit in Sidha Asan, and adopting Vaishnavi Mudra, should hear within him the "Sound" coming from the right side. (Nad-bind Shalok 31)
In the Muslim scriptures, It is variously described as Kalam-i-Ilahi (The Voice of God), Nida-i-Asmani (the Sound from Heaven), Ism-i-Azam (the Great Name), Saut-i-Sarmadi (the Intoxicating Sound), Saut-i-Nasira (the Sound Melodious), Kalam-i-Majid (the Great Commandment) and Kalam-i-Haq (the Voice of Truth) which can be heard inside, and It was taught as Sultan-ul-Azkar or the King of prayers. And listen to the call of Music coming from above.
MAULANA RUMI The whole world is reverberating with Sound, To listen to It thou must unseal thine inner ears, Then shalt thou hear an Unending Music, And that shall lead thee beyond the confines of death. SHAH NIAZ Drive away all skepticism from thy mind, And listen to the strains of heavenly music, And receive within thee the messages of God, For these come only by holy communion with the self. The Prophet declared that he heard the Voice of God, And it fell on his ears as clearly as any other sound, But God has sealed thy ears, And so ye listen not to His Voice. MAULANA RUMI[15]]
Example of significance of Naam/Name of Lord
29.
The following is a sabad taken from ang 1231 along with the translation
· nwie mMinAY suKu aUpjY nwmy giq hoeI ]
nwie mMinAY piq pweIAY ihrdY hir soeI ]
nwie mMinAY Bvjlu lµGIAY iPir ibGnu n hoeI ]
nwie mMinAY pMQu prgtw nwmy sB loeI ]
nwnk siqguir imilAY nwau mMnIAY ijn dyvY soeI[16] ]9]
· [With faith in the Name, peace wells up; the Name brings emancipation.
With faith in the Name, honor is obtained. The Lord is enshrined in the heart.
With faith in the Name, one crosses over the terrifying world-ocean, and no obstructions are ever again encountered.
With faith in the Name, the Path is revealed; through the Name, one is totally enlightened.
O Nanak, meeting with the True Guru, one comes to have faith in the Name; he alone has faith, who is blessed with it. ||9||]
Wide reference of Naam in SGGS ji
30.
It is widely referred to in the Granth sahib, the Holy book of Sikhs[17] that is almost worshipped in the Gurudwaras.[place of holy congregation of sangat [holy saints] where ‘Guru’s bani’ is recited and hymns are sung eulogising the Almighty ,the Creator/Lord .[The term ‘Lord’ is used by many Translators who have translated the Holy granth from the original Gurmukhi/punjabi to English]. To achieve ‘Naam’ is one the objectives of life of a sikh as it is the insignia of the omnipotent and omni present creator.
31.
Theological: The Divine Name, or Sabad, is identified with the presence of God which can be realized in one’s own consciousness. All spiritual expression of divine knowledge by the Gurus is called ‘Sabad’, or ‘Bani’. In practical, religious and mystical life, each prophet or Guru gave a word, or a formula of words, which not only describes the divine spirit but also, when used for practice in contemplation, was instrumental to the complete realization of the Divine presence. Therefore, from the theological point of view, according to Guru Nanak, there are two types of Names: Firstly, there are attributive names of the Supreme Reality, such as, Hari, Govind, Ram, Haq, Rahim, etc. Secondly, there are names that are brought to the world out of empirical studies, observation of nature, or experience of great prophets, such as, we find the Name "OM" in the Upanishads, ‘Ahura Mazda’ in the Zend Avastha, Tao of Lao Tzu, ‘Omkar’ and ‘WaheGuru’ by the Sikh Gurus. Omkar and Waheguru are immensely evocative and highly esteemed in the Sikh scriptures[18].
32.
According to Guru Nanak, the Divine Name (NAAM), or the Word, which he also calls Sabad, is the Cause of the universe. It is the way of His expression. The phenomenal world is the attribute with which God is described. The attributes of God can be found only in an outward expression or manifestation in the external world. Besides, it is through these attributes that God manifests His creative activities in the world. Therefore everything of this world is an aspect of the Divine Name, or the Word, to which it owes its existence.
33.
If one is not able to realise Naam it is stated that one has wasted this human life which is a precious gift to the Human being. The Human format of the living being is to be used for the salvation and merger with the creator also referred to as the Primal being[19].The living beings have to undergo 8.40 million incarnations to realize this Human body that is supposed to be the temple of the lord as He is present in it and is also present everywhere outside this.I am not making any attempt to compare the Hindu philosphy or the Vedantic philosphy here. There are some common points between the two. The practices of the Hindus and the sikhs makes the two as different faiths as the sikhs do not believe in the rituals being performed by them especially the idolatory. Sikhs also believe that the Creator ,Himself is performing the three functions of the creation, sustainance and the destruction of the creation. Hindus believe in the concept of ‘trimurti’, a term that is commonly employed to express that the three functions are performed by the Brahma, Vishnu and Shivas respectively. Baba Nanak also did not believe in caste syatem where in the entire society is divided on the basis of the birth. I am not going into the details of this aspect.
God and Hindu Philosphy
34.
In Hindu philosophy, the existence of the universe is governed by the trimurti of Brahma(the Creator), Vishnu (the Sustainer) and Shiva(the Destroyer). The sequence of Avtars of Vishnu- the Ten Avtars is generally accepted by most Hindus today as correlating well with Darwin's theory of evolution, the first Avatar generating from the environment of water[20].There appears to be a general concensus between Hindu philosphy and Sikhism so far as the appearance of water as the first environment is concerned[21].
35.
In Hinduism, nature and all of God's creations are manifestations of Him. He is within and without his creations, pervading the entire universe and also observing it externally. Hence all animals and humans have a divine element in them that is covered by the ignorance and illusions of material or profane existence.Sikhs do believe that HE ia all pervasive and is omnipresent. He is also inside the human beings and all living beings.
Sabad /Word of Sabad/ Naam: Does it matter.
36.
It is to be appreciated that most of the sikhs practice the jap/simran on either of word/term like ‘satnaam’/ek-ongkar/waheguru ….etc.All these words are the attributes of the lord or are the names of the lord [waheguru].The mool-mantra is reflective of the attributes of the Lord/Creator. It does not matter as to the meaning of sabad/word of sabad/Naam or name of lord. Hence in practice this does not matter.One is required to maintain the simran, jap and practice of truth etc,.To me, even waheguru’/’satnam’/ek-onkar and love for God are all love ford and hence the Naam initself.likwwise my friends may think of Mool-mantra,beej Mantra and Gurumantra as the extended names of God and he can be remembered .
In any case One will come to know of ‘Naam’ if one rises to a very high level of sprituality. We acnnot know that state of affairs while we are living in tri-gunas.It shall be possible when we are in ‘Turia.’
But one can do fine if the exact meanig of a particular line ,containing sabad, is concerned. The topic may be of interest to them who are interested in further study. There is no further query on the topic as it is related to the part II of the topic[22].
Alternatives
37.
scu vxMjih gur sbd isau lwhw nwmu leyin ]26] (756-9, sUhI, mÚ 3)
[They deal in Truth, through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, [23]and they earn the profit of the Naam. ||26||]
In Gurbani there is a reference to Guru’s sabad.I shall not try to translate it into some equivalent.However, it is fairly suggestive of seemingly another way of attaining ‘Naam’ that is considered as precious jewel.
[1]http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smspublications/introductiontosikhism2/chapter1.html#What%20is%20religion?
[2] As per my understanding, these are also as per the verses of Geeta., the holy Book of Hindus that is also believed to be the teachings of Lord Krishna and discusses the ‘Science of soul’/Karmas/Reincarnations of the beings. The Sikhism is amalgamation of all the three Margs i.e devotional, gyan and karma. The gurus have impressed upon the understanding of self and the creatoe[gyan ], they have impressed upon the devotional worship[bhakti] and the practice of deeds for the earning livelihood of the self and the family[karma]. Gurus have also not stated that one should be a renunciate for achieveing the salf and the creator.
[3]http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smspublications/introductiontosikhism2/chapter1.html#What%20is%20religion?
[4] Origin belief - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[5] It is fairly well known that Sikhs believe that God is in both formats of manifest and un manifest.[sakaar and Niraakar or Nirgun or Sargun.[Nirakaar and nirgun: without shape and without any qualities.] This would be an edict of Guru Sahibaan only as no one could have known this. The one who is of HIS statuture would have declared this. We are just helpless creature and have to accept that is contained in the teachings as contained in Bani’s and the other scriptural literature.
[6] I have avoided the translations for the simple reason that it may lead to confusion.
[7]It would be for the individual to accept the translation or assign the meaning to sabad/’word of ‘sabad’ as per one’s understanding. It always help to have a clear understanding as to that one is reading and reciting with reverence and respect and has placed all the faith else the process is just mechanical.It has been the case with me for last few years when I was not aware of thse fine differences whether these may only be in my perception and may not be actually there.]
[8] Gurmukh: Gurmukh is one who belives that He is one and also establishes Him in his mind and reflects/contemplate upon Guru’s teachings and abide by them. The opposite of this term that is employed is Manmukhs that would mean those who listen to their own minds and are faithless. Gurmukhs are the ones who are also entitlement to liberation with HIS grace and Mercy as the case may be.
[9] The author does not have adequate knowledge about this most respected tangible or non-tangible/intangible ‘terms’ that is ‘word/sabad/naam’. This is equated with the lord Himself. Naam can only be realized through Guru and is bestowed on the one whom the creator selects. One will be required to follow the code of conduct as is contained in the teachings of 10 Guru Sahibans who are held in reverence by all the Sikhs. Guru Granth sahib ji is the ‘living jot’ of the ten Gurus. As per Dashmesh ji , the tenth Guru, the SGGS ji is the living Guru. Sikhs do not recognize any living person as Guru. It is strictly prohibited and no sikh worth the salt adopts any human being as his Guru.
[10] [Ek-ong kar satnam karta-purukh nirbhao nirver akal-muran ajoni saibhang gurprasad.]
[11]ibGn ibnwsn siB duK nwsn siqguir nwmu idRVwieAw ] (622-3, soriT, mÚ 5)
[12] The author requests the readers to please check the meaning as the text and the translations are picked from the Translations that are easily available on the net. Those who know Gurmukhi will have an edge as they can have an access to the original words that are employed in Bani. They can throw light.
[13] The major purpose of this paper is to throw some light on this uncovered aspect of the faith and beliefs and I very humbly state that I amnot an expert in this area. It should be one’s understanding and appreciation that counts. I do have intentions of discussing this unexplored area that is not often discussed by the people.This may be on account of the sensitive nature of the subject matter and further I am not blessed with ‘word’ or ‘sabad’ or ‘naam’ and my knowledge is plainly academic.The author has visited many sites of sikhism during the process of study that stretched over six to seven months but could not get suitable clarification worth mentioning. I have , ofcourse, quoted some materail on this from the various posts available on this site and references have been made to some materail available on other sites.
[14] Bani refers to the holy words /hymns Of the Guru sahibs that are contained in various scriptures of Sikhs including the SGGS ji.
[15] Quoted from the post Of Respected Begum ji placed at URL http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/gurmat-vichaar/16923-what-is-faith-dharama-per-gurbani-4.html
[16]Quoted from the post of respected ‘Soul jot’ji: http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/interfaith-dialogues/5619-with-faith-in-the-name.html
[17] The Holy book is known as Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, I shall use the short form SGGS ji.
[18] From the post of respected Begum ji [supra]
[19] Aad Guru.
[20] Ibid sl.1 above.
[21] As per katha Sant Maskeen ji.
[22] The author has done his own research and have found some material on the practice of reaching above the state of Trigunas or out of Trigunas and establishing oneself in ‘turia’ and it is believed that gurbani can be fully appreciated once one has achieved the Turia. The bani has been authored by all those who had achieved that state of affairs and perfect communication is established once one has achieved the ‘fourth’ state. It is only personal experience.
[23] In ordinary language it should have meant guru’s teachings and hence Sabad Guru
E&OE..............
To be continued..................................
