Hymns of the Sikh Gurus

by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh

  The fact that the Guru Granth includes poetry of Hindu and Islamic saints, and the divine names and concepts from these faiths, demonstrates the Sikh attitude that the metaphysical Reality is essentially common to people from all different faiths and cultures. But while the Sikh Gurus respected the Hindu and Islamic scriptures and mention them in a positive light, they rejected the exclusive or final authority of any scripture.

  How many speak and begin to speak,

  Many have spoken and gone,

  And if their numbers were doubled again,

  Still no one could say.

  That One is as great as It chooses to be,

  Nanak says, only the True One knows Itself.18

  For the Gurus, religions converge beyond formalities and externals at the singular Truth. This is summed up in the Tenth Guru’s statement:

  . . . Hindus and Muslims are one.

  The same Reality is the Creator and Preserver of all;

  Know no distinctions between them.

  The monastery and the mosque are the same;

  So are the Hindu worship and the Muslim prayer.

  Humans are all one!19

  According to Radhakrishnan, the renowned Hindu scholar and former President of India, Mahatma Gandhi was inspired by these words of Guru Gobind Singh in his moving public prayer,

  Ishvara and Allah are Your names

  Temples and mosques are Your home.20

  Ethics

  Sikh ethics are encapsulated in Guru Nanak’s statement ‘Truth is higher than all, but higher still is true living.’21 All beings emerge from the singular Truth, so the Ultimate is within us all. But it is not sufficient simply to conceive the Truth; the Truth must be lived. Although there is no explicit statement about a hierarchy from plants to animals to humans, Sikhism suggests that humans are especially favoured in their capacity to approach the divine Reality. Sikh morality seeks the Eternal One, within our day-to-day existence. It is based on drawing the Ultimate Reality into the human situation.

  What prevents the individual from uniting with the Ultimate? According to Sikhism, haumai, literally ‘I-myself’, is the root cause of human suffering. It means investing oneself with pride and arrogance. By constantly centring on ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘mine’, the self is circumscribed as a particular person, away from the universal source. In his Jap, Guru Nanak provides the image of a wall: just as a wall creates barriers so does haumai. By building up the ego, the individual is divided from the One Reality. Duality comes into play. The ego sees itself in opposition to others, in opposition to the cosmos. The divine spark within remains obstructed. The singular harmony is broken. Such an existence is measured through competition, malice, ill-will towards others, and a craving for power. Blinded, the individual exists for himself or herself alone. The selfish person is called man mukh, ‘turned towards the ego’, in contrast with one who remains in harmony with the divine Word and is called gur mukh, ‘turned towards the Guru’. Dominated by haumai, a person never experiences the joy and infinity of the divine spark within. Haumai is a solid chain binding humans into the cycle of death and life.

  The question then is, how can egotism be overcome? How can one be turned from selfishness to harmony with the Ultimate? Sikh ethical injunctions reiterate that pilgrimages, fasts and ascetic practices are of no avail. The walls of egotism can be shattered by following a simple formula found in Guru Nanak’s lap which contains three precepts: sunia, mania and manu kita bhau, respectively hearing, holding in mind (remembering) and loving.

  Sunia literally signifies hearing, and in the Jap it means hearkening to the divine Word. It is the first step towards awakening to the transcendent Core of the universe. Hearing is the sense that most directly connects the conscious and the unconscious realms. According to Guru Nanak, by listening to the melodious Name, one fathoms the oceans of virtue. Stanzas 8 to 11 of the Jap (pp. 54–5) explain the vital role of listening. Through listening one accomplishes the faculties of all the gods, one gains knowledge of all the continents, one acquires the import of all the ancient texts, one learns all

  the techniques of meditation, one masters the expertise of all the sages of Hinduism and Islam (and by implication all religions) and through listening all suffering and distress is annulled. By hearing the divine Name the ultimate objective is achieved: one becomes immortal and is freed from the finitude of death. The refrain in these stanzas acknowledges that the devotees who hear the Name of the True One enjoy eternal bliss.

  Although the Transcendent Reality is beyond all human terminology, words are important for they give us an inkling of the Formless One. Guru Nanak clearly maintains that the divine Names and the divine places are countless, and the countless worlds are inaccessible and unfathomable. Yet through words we name, through words we extol, through words we know, sing, and discuss. Through words all communication is conducted and expressed, and they are sanctioned by the Truth: ‘As the One utters, that is how the words are arranged.’ Hearing the divine Word constitutes the first step for Guru Nanak. Through sound we are initiated into an awareness of the Reality that permeates all space and time.

  Mania means remembering the One, keeping the One constantly in our mind. This process is not purely intellectual for it has connotations of trust and faith. It is the second step, for it is only after something is heard that it can enter the mind. According to Guru Nanak, this state is ineffable: who is to describe it? in what words? on what paper? with what pen? Remembering the divine Word is something that cannot be discussed or analysed. However, Guru Nanak also describes this state of faith in positive terms: through faith, the mind and intellect become more conscious. It is the pathway to liberation, wide open to everybody. According to the Gurus, those who believe in the divine Word are not only liberated from the constant bondage of birth and death but also assist in liberating their family and friends. Implicit here is the Sikh ethical structure, one in which self and society are integrally related. The individual is interconnected with the community, the Ultimate One links us all.

  Manu kita bhau means to be full of love for the Divine. This state of devotion is the third step, one that goes beyond hearing the Name, and keeping the Name in mind. For those who attain this state, ‘Every thread of their being is drenched in love’.22 It is the highest form of action. Love is passionate and takes lovers to those depths of richness and fullness where there is freedom from all kinds of limitations of the self.

  . . . the mind is enraptured by love,

  Night and day it is in rapture, the self is lost.

  If it please You, ego and greed are cast out.23

  Cleansing through love and devotion is the starting point of Sikh ethics. Again and again in the Guru Granth, love is applauded as the supreme virtue:

  Pure, pure, utterly pure are they,

  Says Nanak, who recite the Name with love.24

  As noted earlier, through the symbol of the bride, Sikh scripture explores the power of intimacy and passion in the human relationship with the Divine. Through the bride, who is for ever seeking union with her Groom, the Gurus express the ardent love and longing for the Ultimate Reality.

  Embraced by her Beloved,

  the woman savours all delights.

  Only she who pleases her Lover is embraced,

  and she alone is the true bride.

  She makes her body with its nine doors the lofty palace,

  her own house enshrines the Beloved.

  I am all Yours and You are mine, my Dearest,

  I revel in Your love night and day.25

  Love is the only path to ultimate liberation:

  I tell the truth, do listen to me,

  they alone who love, find the Beloved.26

  The passion for the singular Creator is manifested in acts of love towards all fellow beings. The institutions of langar (community meal), seva (deeds of love and service), sangat (congregation) and the khalsa (fellowship founded by Guru Gobind Singh) are a means of providing a practical outlet for this disp
osition of love. Since all are equally the progeny of the Infinite One, they have to be treated as kinsfolk. The response of love is vital to Sikh metaphysics and ethics alike.

  Mysticism and Cosmology

  The mystical experience in Sikhism is not apart or separate from the everyday; rather, the deeper the awareness of the Transcendent, the more vibrant is the participation in the secular world. In the final lines of the Jap, Guru Nanak presents five stages by which human beings can journey into the Ultimate Reality. They are the realms, or regions, of duty, knowledge, beauty, action and truth.

  Dharam Khand is the Region of Duty or Dharam (similar to the Sanskrit ideal of Dharma) here on earth where we are all active agents. Here we human beings should coexist harmoniously and ethically with all beings. Time is a major factor at this level of existence. It is described as a region made up of nights and seasons and dates and days. All the elements—air, water, fire and earth—and all the compounds produced from them are a part of this physical universe with the earth as the axis, uniting all species. ‘In it are colourful beings and lifestyles, / Infinite are their names and infinite their forms’27 Guru Nanak tells us. Although there are innumerable varieties of species, all are interconnected, and there is no implication of any disjunctions or divisions of gender, race, and class in this organic Earth. We are all provided with the opportunity to act ethically and purposefully. Earthly existence is not to be shunned but to be lived fully and intensely. Actions are important, for whatever we do has an effect: as we sow, so do we reap. The sense of morality is developed in this region.

  Gyan Khand, the second stage, is the Region of Knowledge. Here the mind expands. The individual becomes cognizant of the vastness of creation, which is expressed in many different ways. In this region there are innumerable varieties of atmospheres, water and fire. It is made up of millions of inhabited planets like our earth, countless mountains, countless moons, suns and constellations. This sphere also contains innumerable gods and goddesses. In contrast with the vastness of infinite space, the smallness of the self is experienced. Knowledge of the widening horizons makes one stand fully in awe of the Invisible Creator. But knowledge here is not abstract. It does not pertain to ideas nor is it an accumulation of facts about the varied planets. Rather, it is the experience of dissolution of the ego. The selfish manipulation of others gives way to an all-embracing feeling. Limitations and prejudices are destroyed, creating an all-accepting and welcoming attitude.

  Saram Khand, the third stage, is the Realm of Beauty where the human faculties and sensibilities are sharpened and refined. It is a magnificent region, one whose beauty cannot be adequately described. Here the aesthetic sensitivity, an important stage in the mystical voyage, is developed. As Guru Nanak explains, ‘one who can appreciate fragrance will alone know the flower’.28 By refining our physical senses, we appreciate the marvellous presence of the Metaphysical Reality everywhere in our world. We begin to know that Reality Itself. Again the Sikh world-view does not distinguish between physical, mental or spiritual sensibilities. Together they constitute the person and together they are developed in this realm of beauty and art. In Guru Nanak’s words, ‘Here consciousness, wisdom, mind and discernment are honed.’29 The cultivation of the aesthetic faculties opens the way to the next stage.

  Karam Khand, the fourth stage, is the Realm of Action. It is described as the abode of those who cherish none other than the Transcendent One. ‘Here heroes and mighty warriors dwell.’30 Who are these warriors and heroes? The true hero, says Nanak, is one who kills the evil of egotism within. Real might and strength lie in overcoming the ego. Herculean muscle and power is not the ideal. In Sikh thought, ‘Conquering ourselves, we conquer the world.’31 Conquest of nations and peoples is much easier than the conquest of the self. Heroines and heroes residing in this region are in full control of themselves; and they are exempt from the cycle of birth and death. ‘They know bliss, for the True One is imprinted on their minds.’32 Firm in their conviction and full of joy, they blithely enter the final stage.

  Sach Khand, the Realm of Truth, is the fifth and final stage. The Metaphysical One is named ‘Truth’. The Realm of Truth is therefore the sphere of the Timeless One, the abode of the Formless Reality. As we enter into it, we are in the home of Ultimate Reality, we are at home with Ultimate Reality: there is a total union between the human and the Divine. The loving gaze of the Divine upon the seekers and their joyful vision of that One come together in this realm.

  But this stage is hard to describe: ‘as hard as iron’33 is the simile employed by Guru Nanak. ‘Here are continents, constellations and universes / Whose limits cannot be told.’34 The individual thus comes face to face with Infinity. The focus here turns from the individual to the Transcendent. The individual partakes of the qualities of the True One. The finite individual becomes free from the cycle of migrations and transmigrations. As the microcosmic self is emancipated from the limitations of space, time, gender and causality, there is the experience of utter joy.

  The Sikh mystical journey is not a journey away from our world. Rather, it is grounded in and of this earth. It is here in our everyday existence that we develop our moral, intellectual, aesthetic and spiritual capacities and experience the Ultimate Reality. The journey begins and ends in love for fellow beings, an immersion into our particular and material and secular world, and an insight into beauty and intimate relationships here and now. Since the transcendent goal does not lie high above, we need not climb up anywhere. With its maps and charts drafted totally on the longitudes and latitudes of our planet earth, Sikh mysticism is based on drawing the Ultimate Reality into the human situation. Thus we live in the truest sense, living as life would be in Sach Khand, the Realm of Truth.

  From Guru Nanak to the Guru Granth

  Nanak, who lived in the culturally diverse Punjab of the fifteenth century, disappeared for three days while bathing in a river and was thought to have drowned. On the third day he reappeared. He had been in communion with the Supreme Being.

  It is said that for a whole day after his emergence from the river Bein, Guru Nanak sat silently in deep meditation. ‘There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim’ are the first words he spoke. This statement should not be misinterpreted; Guru Nanak was not making a value judgment about, nor refuting, the religious life of the Hindus and Muslims of his day. He was pointing to the oneness of the Transcendent that translates into the oneness and equality of humanity. Nor did Guru Nanak’s statement propose religious uniformity. He was not asking people to abandon their faith and adopt another, but stressing the fundamental, common truth underlying the diverse faiths and systems of belief. His insight was to become the philosophical and ethical foundation for his Sikhs, his ‘followers’.

  This was a simple announcement, and yet a significant one in the context of India of his day. To a society torn by conflict, he brought a vision of common humanity—a vision which transcended all barriers of creed and caste, race and country.1

  Guru Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 in Talwandi, a small Indian village (in present-day Pakistan). His father, Kalyan Chand of the Bedi clan of Khatris, was the village accountant for the local Muslim landlord. His mother, Tripta, was well known as a pious and gentle lady. Nanak was named after his older sister Nanaki. From an early age, Nanak was opposed to rituals and to the caste system. Inclined towards the life of the spirit, he lost interest in the rigid discipline of formal schooling. His father, no doubt upset, sent Nanak to graze cattle. Soon the village of Talwandi was buzzing with miraculous accounts of Nanak the herdsman which are recorded in the Janamsakhis, the accounts of his birth and life,2 and which include a description of his revelation at the age of twenty-eight while bathing in the Bein:

  As the Primal Being willed, Nanak the devotee was ushered into the Divine Presence. Then a cup filled with amrit (nectar) was given him with the command, ‘Nanak, this is the cup of Name-adoration (naam piala). Drink it . . . I am with you and I do bless and exalt you. Whoever remembers yo
u will have my favour. Go, rejoice, in My Name and teach others to do so . . . I have bestowed upon you the gift of My Name. Let this be your calling.’ Nanak offered his salutations and stood up.3

  The genesis of the Sikh religion is traced to this epiphany in which Nanak had profound insight into the existence as well as into the nature of the Transcendent. He received ‘the cup of Name’, that is, he heard the divine Command, held the cup, savoured its ambrosial contents, and recognized the absolute Truth. To drink the ambrosia of the Name is to imbibe the sapiential quality of knowledge received from the Divine. Guru Nanak’s experience was at once sensuous and metaphysical. (For a further discussion of the ‘Name’, see pp. 4–9.)

  The vision of the Ultimate Oneness marked the beginning of Guru Nanak’s mission. He was charged to deliver the message bequeathed to him through the vision, a message which essentially entails discerning and rejoicing in the infinite and singular reality beyond the fragmented parts and particles. Guru Nanak celebrated the favour of receiving the Name through a song of praise; and song was to be the medium of his divine inspiration ever after.