Following our Article On Sikh Dharma, it becomes necessary to do a deeper study in the life and legacy of the various Gurus of the Panth. British Colonialists naturally interfered in the religious matters of the fiercely independent inheritors of the Empire of Ranjit Singh. If Hindu Dharma and History had been tampered with in translation (and otherwise), then Sikhi too was not spared.
While it is best to have Sikhas themselves decide and expound what Sikh Dharma truly is, the Sikh Gurus are best of all—from the 11th Guru (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) to the 1st, whom we will study today.
Background
The first Guru of Sikh Sampradaya was born as Nanak (pronounced Naanak), to Kalyan Das Bedi and Mata Tripta, at Raibhoe-di Talwandi. He had an elder sister named Nanaki, and this place is now known as Nankana Sahib. His birth in 1469 CE was at a time when Dharma was on the defensive. Though it was alive and vibrant in Vijayanagara, Odisha, and Assam, it was all but dead in the Punjab. Nanak ji’s coming heralded its revival in the North, with a message of reform.
Guru Nanak was born in a time of great trial in Indian society. Punjab and the Indo-Gangetic plains had fallen to the Turks for almost 500 years. His own shabads in the Adi Granth note the nature of the time:
“The kaliyuga is a knife; the rajas are butchers; dharma is fast vanishing; in the dark night of falsehood the moon of truth nowhere seems to rise”. [2, 29]
Rajadharma was being snuffed out, and forgotten. Only some morbid form of “rajniti!” or short-sighted, ego-driven “chanakyanism” was being practiced by most remaining opportunist native rulers, or ministers who played kingmaker. Though there were embers here and there, the spirit of Rajadharma was all but gone in Punjab. Guru Nanak ji was a spiritually enlightened being who saw the practical nature of Dharma as well.
“Guru Nanak exhorted people to turn to God, the true king, the king of kings. His service alone is true service. He who finds a place with the true king does not have to look towards an earthly potentate.” [2, 29]
“The pride of the Brahman and the Khatri is totally misplaced. Many a Brahman eats bread provided by the [foreign] rulers, reads their books and adopts their dress in public, taxing the cow and the Brahman, and yet he tries to maintain ritual purity in private. Many a Khatri has adopted the language of the rulers, and their manners. They are part of the oppressive establishment. The social reality did not conform to the ideal norm of the varna order” [2, 29]
Thus, those most concerned with asserting varnashrama dharma were least concerned with preserving its ideals. They were paying only lip-service to ritual or feudal legacy to preserve privilege instead. While there were honest brahmanas and noble kshatriyas still even in that time, Guru Nanak Dev’s account gives us insight into just how varnashrama dharma had collapsed.
“A true Brahman should attain to salvation through his conduct and worship. A true Khatri should be a hero in martial action. These were no longer the roles of the Brahmans and Khatris; there was nothing commendable in their conduct. Conversely, those who follow the true path are the true Brahmans those who fight bravely in action are the true Khatris. Degeneration was not peculiar to the Brahman and the Khatri.” [2, 30]
Fittingly, it fell upon a Khatri to draw attention to the universal degeneration (and the consequences of it in those entrusted with spiritual and political leadership respectively), and took it upon himself to commence the regeneration of Northwestern Indian society.
Early Life
Young Nanak’s schooling began at age 6 and he was educated in the traditional Sanskrit of India, as well as Persian & Arabic—languages which had now accompanied the invading rulers. Invested with yagnopavit, he did not wish to wear it, seeing outward symbols as less significant than inner worth. He showed signs of being spiritually enlightened even at a very young age, and is considered to be a jivanmukta.
Nevertheless, his parents married him off at age 16 to Sulakhni. Despite performing domestic duties as householder and also as a storekeeper, Nanak ji continued to meditate. After his wife gave birth to two sons, Srichand (founder of the Udaasi sect) and Lakhmi Das, he began the first of his travels (Udaasi). Shortly before his journey, he took a dip in the Kali Bein river, and emerged uttering his famous line “Na ko Hindu, Na ko Musalman“. It was a message of unity in an age of bigotry.
Chaar Udaasi
From there he began his travels, first throughout the Punjab then east to Bihar and Assam. After returning to Kartarpur to visit his family, he then went on his second Udaasi to the South. He passed through Andhra, Tamil Nadu, and even reached Ceylon (Mangaldeep). He traveled incognito preaching Naam, Daan, and Ishnaan (devotion to God, service to humanity, and sincere action). [1, 14] He is also said to have traveled to Puri and had darsan at the Temple of Lord Jagannath. There he is thought to have composed the hymn of Kirtan Sohila:
“Wonderful is this Arati of the entire creation to Thee, Thou Annuller of transmigration:
Divine spiritual harmony
Thy laudation orchestrates
Thousands Thy eyes, thy shapes, yet invisible Thou remainst;
Thousands Thy lotus feet; of thousand waves thy wafted fragrance,
Yet invisible, wonderful thy essence” [5, 27]
On his return, he traveled through Kanchi, Trivandrum (in Kerala), Nanak Jhira (Karnataka), and Nanded (Maharashtra). From there he went up through the west coast into Gujarat and Sindh, and finally returned to rejoin his family for some months. His third Udaasi took him through Kashmir and past the Himalayas. In Srinagar, he debated a Kashmiri Pandit, who was very proud of his learning.
“Guru made him realize that learning was not wisdom nor a spiritual enlightenment. It had rather made him egoistic and failed to give him contentment. The grace of God does not agree with ego. It is realised through spiritual discipline and humility. Contemplation on the word of God (Nam Simran) is essential for peace of mind and contentment.” [1, 16]
From there, Guru ji traveled through traditional pilgrimage sites such as Jwalamukhi, Badrinath, and Hemkunt. He even reached and climbed Mount Kailas (Sumer Parbat). He met siddhas here, and also composed Bani, such as Sidh-Gosht. From here he went to Ladakh, Tibet, China, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal. Finally traveling through Kashmir and Jammu, he returned to the plains of the Punjab.
His fourth, and most audacious Udaasi was to foreign lands. He traveled to Karachi, before going to Mecca with Hajis to understand the birthplace of Islamic culture. From there, he went to Medina, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Damascus, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Kabul. In Afghanistan and the Western Indus, he gained many followers, who are now called Nanakpanthis. After that, he went through Peshawar, and finally returned home. What is interesting is on his way back, he met the Mughal Babar, who is said to have begged the Guru for forgiveness, in light of Mughal atrocities. As such, fate has interlinked the history of the Sikh Gurus with this dynasty of invaders, from their tyrannical beginning, to their liberal but politicking middle, and ultimately facilitating their tyrannical end. Another noteworthy point is Guru Nanak ji was accompanied on his journeys by a rabak player named Mardana, who is one of the Gursikhs. After he passed, he was replaced by his son Shahzada. Finally, Bhai Lehna took a prominent role as follower.
SGGS
(1-1)
ik-oaNkaar sat naam kartaa purakh nirbha-o nirvair akaal moorat ajoonee saibhaN gur parsaad.
One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru’s Grace ~ 1-1(3-9)
mannai Dharam saytee san-banDh.
The faithful are firmly bound to the Dharma. [4]
When Guru Nanak returned to Kartarpur, his parents had passed away and his family was managing the family farm.
Sensing his life was approaching an end, he tested his sons, but chose Bhai Lehna as his successor due to his humility and obedience to Guru. Unique for the time, and demonstrating his own humility, Nanak ji relinquished his own Guru’ship, anointed Angad Dev ji as the new Guru, placed a coconut with 5 paise before him, and circum-ambulated him. This would be the protocol for future Gurus, as would Bhai Budha (and his descendants) anointing the new Guru with tilak. The enlightened one then left the earth in 1539 CE, his life’s mission complete, heralding the birth of the Sikh Panth. If one quote could sum up this mahatma’s monumental mission, it is this:
“At its highest reach religion is the mystical experience, ineffable and indescribable, joy in cosmic harmony, but in its expression in mundane life it must take the form of the moral life. When religion remains indifferent to moral issues, it becomes a kind of inebriation of the mind and is actually a pursuit of values militating against the spirit of humanity. It is in subduing the lower impulses of greed, selfishness, pride, etc., that the spirit of true morality inheres.” [5, 43]
Achievements
- Founder of Sikh Panth
- Gave Mul Mantar of Sikh Dharma: Ik Onkar
- Voluntary Abdication of Guruship. Institutionalised Guru Gaddi
- Composed 947 shabads in 19 ragas, and languages including Punjabi, Braj, Sindhi, Haryanvi, and Rajasthani.
- Notable contributions to Gurbani include Mul Mantar, Japuji, Asadi Vaar, Majh, Solahe, Siddha-Goshti, Alahuniyan (dirges), Bara-Mah.
- Literary forms used include Chaupada, Ashtapadi, Vaar (ballads), Patti (acrostic), and Slokas (couplets)
- Chaar Udaasi—Four travels throughout India & other parts of the World
Guru Nanak was a restorer of conscience. At a time when men were preying upon each other, and matsya nyaya (big fish eats little fish) was the law, he was a reviver of true religion. He condemned the behavior of Rajas who failed to protect the poor:
“Avarice is the king; evil-doing his minister, Falsehood his revenue-factor; Lust is the counsellor, always consulted for advice,
The subjects are purblind and thoughtless—Wretches who foolishly obey these evil rulers.”
(Vaar Asa) [5, 57]
Clerics of all creeds are not spared either, nor are power-minded spiritual practicioners:
“The Quadi speaks falsehood and eats filth.
The Brahmin, guilty of cruelty, makes a show of ritual bathing.
The Yogi, blind and misguided, knows not the true prac-tice.
All three are at one in bringing harm to the people.” (Raga Dhanasari)
Despite ‘high birth’, one anecdote illustrates his empathy for the common man:
“To illustrate his view-point, he called for a palmful of the rich man’s food, dripping with ghee, and the coarse bread of a poor worker. As he squeezed these in his hands, from the rich man’s food oozed blood—the blood of the dispossessed poor—while from the poor man’s coarse fare came milk, the milk of love.” [5, 55]
Caste
In vaar sri raag, we see how Guru Nanak sympathises with the suffering of the lower orders:
“Neechan andari neech jati neechihun ati neech
The lowest of the low-castes, lower beyond description—
Nanak is with such; he emulates not the great.” [5, 59]
This shabad is particularly illuminating:
“Kabuddhi dumani kudaiya kasain
Evil thinking, hard-heartedness, slander, violence—These be the real untouchables” [5, 59}
In his view, those forgetting God, despite privilege of birth, were the real ‘low castes’. As one Sikh noted: “Guru Nanak is the true harbinger of the modern age, long before liberalism and enlightenment appeared in the thought of the West.” [5, 62]
This is underscored in Vaar Suhi
“They wash their bowels from outside; inside is undiluted venom.
The pure in soul are pure even without ritual bathing.
The wicked will be wicked with all ritual performances” [5, 62]
Compositions
At a time when many Indians are questioning the efficacy of Hindi for national communication, Guru Nanak Dev showed his pan-Indian attitude in using not only Punjabi, but also Hindi, Braji, and even Rajasthani. His is considered the first true pure Punjabi poetry, and yet he also was willing to include other languages (a lesson to language warriors of the present time). [5, 38]
Japuji
Arguably one of the most important of the shabads composed by Guru Nanak Dev, Japuji literally means ‘Holy chant’ and its most famous lines states this truth:
“Vin gun kite bhagati na hoe
Without doing good no true devotion can be” [5, 75]
Other sections of this morning prayer are relevant as well
“So dar keha so ghar keha jit bahi sarb samaale
What the Portal, what the mansions where from Thy seat
Thou all creation dost cherish! “[5, 22]
“Whose records Dharamaraja considers. Shiva, Brahma and Devi—All Laud thee. Shining in the Splendour given by Thee; Indra on his throne in company with deities” [5, 23]
Thus, as one can see in Japuji XXVII, not only Dharma, but the the deities Shiva, Brahma, Devi, and Indra, are all mentioned. Five stages (panj khand) are given as the means of the self ascending to reunion with the Divine.
Solahe
In Maru Solahe, Guru ji writes Chaari nadi agni asraal, meaning Four are the fearful rivers of fire (hans (violence), het (attachment), lobh (greed), and kop (wrath)) . [5, 47] “Friend, the world is caught in a mighty net; Only by Divine grace and meditating on the holy Name, May man survive.” [5, 46]
Vaar Asa, however, has the most potent injunction for all Sikhs, from Guru Nanak Dev:
“According to Guru Nanak’s teaching, man must bring the wild impulses of his mind, leading to sin, under control. This is a hard discipline entailing prayer and subordination of the ego to the dictates of God.” [5, 79]
Guru ji writes:
“Sach ta par janiyai ja ridai sacha hoi
He alone is truly pure whose heart is pure;
Who sheds the filth of falsehood,
And through self-purification, makes his body chaste.” [5, 80]
Legacy
“In his prophetic vision of an integrated life of action, spiritually and ethically directed, and of a society purged of the evil both of a selfish priest-craft and grasping temporal overlords, along with their tyrannical minions, he remains a pre-eminent teacher of India” [1, 11]
When hypocrites and oppressive feudal overlords were feeding on the masses, Guru Nanak Dev took birth to remind Bharatavarsha of the true nature of Dharma. Not only did he uplift the masses, but he lamented the foreign yoke that self-centered elites had reduced India to due to their incompetence, selfishness, and avarice. Their refusal to work together against invaders, in the name of Dharma, was astonishing.
His legacy is apparent not only in India, but even in Pakistan, where Nankana Sahib is a place of pilgrimage even to this day. Guru Nanak’s grandson (Baba Dharam Chand) established the Gurudwara of Dera Baba Nanak.
Guru Nanak Dev referred to his followers as his ‘Shish’ (punjabified from the Sanskrit Shishya, meaning student). This would later go on to become ‘Sikh’, during the time of his immediate successor, Guru Angad Dev.
That Guru Nanak installed the humble Lehna, over the claims of his own sons, and then proceeded to bow before his own former ‘Shish’, demonstrates not only the meritocratic institutionalisation of the Guru Gaddi, but Guru Nanak ji’s own humility.
“He has denounced empty shells of piety…To him the Hindu was a good Hindu only in respect of the practice of compassion and righteousness, which lie at the core of the highest and ideal expression of his faith.” [5, 14]
He is severest on the degeneration of brahmanas and the sanctimonious hypocrisy of the Pandits of his time, who had fallen from the high-minded ideals of the Ancient Rishis. This is noticeable in various sections of the Adi Granth paraphrased in composite verse here:
“He is a ‘broker’ in false practices. He does it in mundane self-interest. With his intrinsic interest in worldly occupations, his pretence of knowledge increases the inner dirt which keeps on multiplying. He is like the spider that weaves its web all the time, living and dying upside down. The sacred thread of the pandit, the sacred mark on his forehead, his spotless dhoti and his rosary are useless without a genuine faith. Notwithstanding his eristic wrangling, he does not know what he does not know.” [2, 31-32]
Thus, eristic egomaniacs are condemned, but those people of all varnas, with genuine faith in God are praised by him.
Though he is very critical of Brahmanas and even his own Kshatriya (Khatri) caste, Guru Nanak Dev, let no one off in his critiques. He scolded shaiks and syeds in the same way. Siddha yogis (jogis) who sought to gain occult powers are also excoriated by him. He chided them by saying “The true Yogi is one who views in all existence harmony.” [5, 76] He castigated casteists, opportunists, and charlatans of all sorts.
Neither merchants, nor peasants, nor least of all the rapacious turkic occupiers, were spared. He is hard on ritualism, but he is harder still on renunciation (udaas), favouring the spirit of the detached householder. He didn’t even spare Jain monks:
“Guru Nanak is hard on the Jain monks. They have discarded the occupations of their parents and their families weep for them” [2, 31]
Worst of all, in the mind of Guru ji, is the manmukh (self-willed man), filled with haumai (self-centeredness).
“The life of the self-willed man (manmukh), who vainly attributes things to himself, is like that of spurious sesame which is left desolate in the field.” [2, 37]
“Thus, right conduct is closely connected with Guru Nanak’s idea of right belief and right worship. Foremost in right conduct was honest living and charity based on that.
He who eats what he has earned by his own labour and gives some to others – Nanak, he it is who knows the true way. Adi Granth (1245)” [2, 39]
Most interesting of all, are the sheer number of Vedic concepts deployed by Guru Nanak Dev to expound Sikhi. This all but confirms the assertion of Sanatan Sikhs and other Dharma oriented Sikhs today, that Sikhi was a reaffirmation of the core message of the Upanishads.
From sat (Satya) to sadachar (Achara) to dharam (Dharma) to hukm (Rta) to rejection of humai (ahankar), the Dharmic aspects of Sikhi are apparent to all who would see it.
“The Supreme Being is given by Guru Nanak the names Ek Oankar (the Sole Supreme Being), and Kartar (Creator). He is also called Guru in His aspect as the Divine Enlightener, from whom all spiritual illumination proceeds. A number of attribu-tive names are given to Supreme Being, such as Akaal (the Timeless, the Immortal), Sachaa (True, Holy), Piyaaraa (Beloved), Niranjan (Untainted by Maya).” [5, 12]
What about Karma and Reincarnation? Contrary to some British colonial influenced types, Sikhi retained the concept of Reincarnation, hence the emphasis on jivanmukti.
It has become fashionable in the present time to say Sikhi is a synthesis of two religions. But as one Sikh asserts, this is far from the truth:
“Some believe that Guru Nanak was a synthesizer of faiths. However, there is no evidence of this in his bani. He was on the other hand, a great reconciler of religions.” [5, 20]
Rather than deepen divisions and sow hatred (like some ‘self-help’ institutions are doing today), Guru Nanak sought to foster Indian unity in the wake of foreign exploitation. He was committed to Dharma, but it was a practical Dharma, that was not pie-in-the-sky, but served to pragmatically improve the plight of the people. He reasserted the core message of the Upanishads, averring the True Reality of Para-Brahman, whom he referred to as Akaal & Satguru. He stated quite plainly that the goal was moksha, but rather than ritual (kalpa) or renunciation (sannyaasa), he supported the path of Sahaj (devotion to the divine). Outward show meant nothing to him who sought only bhakti. This aligns very much with the upasana kanda of Vedic practice. Sincere worship meant more than precise practice of ritual to the Supreme—so stated the first Guru of Sikhi.
“the moral law [Rta] can in now way be disregarded, but must form part of the spiritual process. The earth, as stated in Japji, is looked upon as ‘the theatre of righteousness’ (dharmasal).” [5, 30]
Core teachings of Guru Nanak focused on suniyai (listening to shabad), mannei (reflection on gurbani as well as evaluating own conduct) and dhyan (deep meditation). This was built upon the foundation of Sangat (congregation) & Pangat (community meals).
Above all, it is obvious that Guru Nanak was a desh bhakt. He would reimbue Punjab with this spirit of patriotism at a time when the people were groaning under tyranny.
He squarely blamed the elite classes for their lust and squabbling:
“The rulers have lost their senses in pleasure and frivolity” [2, 66]
Slavery was not due to lack of valour or weaponry, but due to loss of dharma and augmentation of selfishness.
“Strife was widespread among men, who were filled with egoism, meanness and pride”
One Sikh biographer summarises by saying the following:
“For the people of India the lesson enshrined in these pieces is basically moral: Misery and suffering shall befall those living without devotion to God. The path of sensual pleasure leads only to death. On those made weak by their own indulgence scourges like Babar shall fall. That is the Divine Law. This is the core of Guru Nanak’s teaching to his followers: Live in remembrance of God, be of pure character.” [2, 67]
500 years after Guru Nanak Dev’s passing, one question worth asking is, have Indians gone back to old habits?
Irrespective of this, the namesake of Nankana Sahib remains a towering figure in the realm of philosophy and pragmatic Dharma. He provided a meaningful path to fulfillment and protection of the masses. Guru Nanak Dev was the conscience of society whose message of religion as public service remains relevant now more than ever. Manava sevaye Madhava seva.
Om Sat Sri Akal.
https://twitter.com/KPSinghtweets/status/986180671293997057
References:
- Singh, Priti Pal. History of the Sikh Gurus. New Delhi: Lotus Press. 2013
- Grewal, J.S. The Sikhs of the Punjab.Cambridge. 2017
- Singh, Nirmal. Searches in Sikhism. Delhi: Hemkunt Publishers. 2008
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib
- Talib, Gurbachan Singh. Guru Nanak.New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. 2001
