(This article is Part 5 of the series. Read Part 4)

Theology in simple terms means working values of a given religion. In the Sikh faith propounded by Guru Nanak, there is an organic relationship between theology, philosophy and mysticism and all theological doctrines are related to ethics and mysticism. Guru Nanak's theology has fundamental differences with some others as it firmly believes that no religion or prophet can claim a finality, even though, he accepts different approaches to the same Truth. Clarifying this, scholar Bhupinder Singh writes, "...God is inexhaustible by any measure and, therefore, no religion, for instance whether Hinduism or Islam, could lay exclusive claim to Truth." That means that the mysteries of nature are revealed to man when he begins to search for Reality. But he is able to probe only to the extent he has the ability to probe it, therefore, he cannot arrive at the complete Truth. There lies the limitation of a human being. Guru Nanak does not believe in the authority of any ancient holy book either. He believes only in the eternal truth and the perennial philosophy, the kernel of every great scripture.

Freedom of worship and thought is the essence of Sikh religious practice.  Scholar Rohini Bakshi explains in an essay on 'The Mysticism of Guru Nanak': "Troubled by the exclusion of a large part of humanity Nanak set about making salvation accessible to all. In Hinduism, sudras (untouchables) and women of any caste have to be reborn as dvija (men of the three higher castes) before they can attain liberation. Nanak’s path was open to sagal jamati (each and every one). His objective to reach one and all is visible in his use of Hindu and Muslim nomenclature for God (Allah, Ram, Hari, Khuda, Shiva, Parvati etc.)”

In practice, he gave his sangat (congregation, followers) three cardinal principles – nãm japo (ceaseless remembrance through recitation of the name of God), kirt karo (earn an honest living) and vañd chakko (share your wealth, help those in need). The concept of seva (community service), the role of kirtan (hymns) and langar (casteless community kitchen) remain integral to his theology.  According to him the biggest sin is haumai (self-centred pride, ego). It must be obliterated and a state of sahaj (mental and spiritual equipoise) achieved before God can be attained. His teachings are summarised in this hymn:

Love the saints of every faith

Put away thy pride.
Remember the essence of religion
Is meekness and sympathy,
Not fine clothes,
Not the Yogi’s garb and ashes,
Not the blowing of the horns,
Not the shaven head,
Not long prayers,
Not recitations and torturings,
Not the ascetic way,
But a life of goodness and purity,.Amid the world’s temptations. (SGGS p. 684)

Concept of God

For Nanak, God was One Reality, and he firmly believed in the concept of the unicity of God. He did not believe in the reincarnations of God and his Avatars. Nanak believed that since God was "Infinite" he could not die to be reincarnated nor could he assume human incarnations since human life is subject to decay and death. "His Infinity no one may measure or state/Men's lives are swallowed up in the effort/Saith Nanak: Know that He is supreme, all-knowing" (SGGS p. 4)

The doctrine of One God is revealed with extraordinary clarity by Guru Nanak and the subsequent Masters. "The Lord Supreme is all deities/He is Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma/And the goddesses Parbati, Lakshmi and Saraswati/Were I to realise His true greatness/How may I utter it/By what power may I express it/My Master thus has enlightened me/He alone is the Provider of all..."(SGGS p. 2)

For Guru Nanak God was sat, (Truth) as opposed to asatya (falsehood) and mithya (illusion). He thus made God a spiritual concept and based principles of ethics on the concept. Ethical living was a pre-requisite for achieving a closer relationship with God.

If God is Truth speaking an untruth is ungodly. Untruthful conduct is thus irreligious. Any conduct that hurts anyone is untruth. The concept of God as Truth and One Reality is stated clearly in the m­ul-mantra that forms the cornerstone of the Sikh philosophy and the rest of the composition of the Japji elucidates that and the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Book, is an exposition of that One Reality.

One God.

Supreme truth.

Creator who resides in the Creation

Without fear and without hate.

Omnipresent,

Beyond time.

Beyond Birth, so no death,

Guru’s Grace to recognize God.

 

Truth since Beginning 

Truth since starting of Yugas

Is Truth

Will be Truth. (SGGS p.1)

Concept of Guru

Guru Nanak made the concept of Guru the pivot of his religious system. There could be no salvation without the Guru. He is a guide who prevents man from straying from the narrow path of Truth. Guru is the enlightener, one who banishes the darkness of ignorance. He is not an ordinary mortal but a divinely-inspired being and is sinless, has godly qualities. He is the instrument of God's Will and is chosen by Him to reveal His Truth to humanity. God revealed Himself to the guru and the guru in turn revealed Him to humanity. The Guru is the light that enlightens everyone, the spirit of God shines through the Word of the Guru.

In the true Guru, He has installed His own Spirit,

Through him, God reveals Himself. (SGGS p. 988)

The true Guru reveals the Truth,

It is a wealth which is priceless. (SGGS, p.1092)

There is no particular text that deals with the concept of guru in the Sikh Scripture. Though there are many scattered references.  Guru has been called a tirtha, place of holy pilgrimage, a purifier, a khevat, the boatman who rows one across the ocean of worldliness, a Sarovar, a lake where swans, that is, holy saints, dwell and pick up pearls of sacred wisdom for food, samund, ocean which is churned for the gems of his bani, a data, donor of wisdom, Amritsar, pool of ambrosia, Jyoti, the light which illuminates the world, paras, philosopher’s stone which turns base metal into gold.

Doctrine of Word

The doctrine of Word, termed sabad in Sikhism, has great significance in many religions as a Divine communication from God to man. More than the communication it is the essence, the illuminating light incarnate. On the metaphysical plane it is the all-pervading principle of the Transcendent God, the essence of knowledge. Through it, God has been revealed. It is the intermediary between God and creation, God and disciple. It personifies the Guru's innate wisdom and thinking, Word is the manifestation of the Divine. Word is actually the Guru.

The true Guru is the Word,

And human consciousness is the disciple.

What keepeth me in my detachment,

Is meditating on the Ungraspable One,

Through the Divine Word. (SGGS p. 943)

In Sikh usage sabad literally means a word, hymn or sacred work from the Guru Granth Sahib and is written as sabad in the Sikh scripture. It is connected with both sound and voice.  The doctrine of the Word or sabad is the most profound concept in Sikhism. In Guru Nanak's words and those of the subsequent Masters sabad means the Word of Divine revelation. The Word is revealed by God to the Guru, it may be the utterance of the mystical Guru. The Gurus' voice, or their utterance is preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib as gurshabad or gurbani. The term sabad appears 1271 times in the Guru Granth Sahib and 572 times it is linked with the word guru.

Since the Word is of mystical import, it implies many meanings. Guru Nanak calls the Word as "khasam ki bani", (the Lord's utterances or Word,  SGGS p 722). In other words, sabad is directly identified with God Himself.  "The holy Word in its abode perpetually abides"(SGGS p 945). Elsewhere, it is called Guru "From the Guru's guidance arises truth and poise" (SGGS  635). At places, it is used as a synonym of nam (Name adoration) "Should the Name Divine in mind be  lodged and the mind in it be absorbed/Does man find liberation and with honour return to his true abode." (SGGS 932). Thus, Guru, nam and sabad are interconnected in their import.

Nam in Gurbani stands for devotion and is considered the highest form of devotion. God speaks through the eternal Guru and he also makes Himself known through sabad. Guru Nanak says "the Word is the Guru" (SGGS 943).

Haumai

The word haumai means "I am" but the word does not provide a complete understanding as a concept in Sikh theology. It is reckoned as a spiritual malady among human beings. It lies at the origin of the five evils - lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride and is considered the most insidious. 

The term repeatedly appears in the Guru Granth Sahib and refers to the spiritual state of those who have not discovered the way to liberation and peace.

According to Guru Nanak, this condition dominates man's life as it holds and binds him:

In egoism does man come into the world; in egoism departs

In egoism is a man born; in egoism he dies

In egoism he gives away, in egoism he receives,

In egoism, he makes a gain, in egoism he incurs a loss.

In egoism seeks he to be truthful; in egoism remains false.

In egoism, he enters hell and heaven.

In egoism his joy and sorrow.

In egoism is he sin covered; in egoism tries to wash it off...

Saith Nanak: By Divine Ordinance has the writ run.

As is thy view of the world, so shalt thou thyself be seen. (SGGS p 466)

But Nanak believed in the triumph of human will over fate and predestination. He believed that all human beings have a basic fund of goodness, which, like the pearl in the oyster, only awaits the opening of this shell to emerge and enrich him. 

Hukam

Will of God is known as hukam in Sikh usage. It has acquired a metaphysical shade which implies Divine Law or Order that regulates the entire universe. Its importance in Sikh theology is indicated by its occurrence at the very beginning of the Sikh Scripture. In the first verse of the Japji Guru Nanak poses the fundamental question as to how enlightenment is to be gained:

How is Truth to be attained?

How is the veil of falsehood torn asunder? (SGGS p 1)

 

In the final line of the stanza he provides the answer:

Nanak, thus it is written: Submit to the hukam

Walk-in it's way. (SGGS p 1)

 

He goes on to explain the nature of hukam:

All life was created by hukam,

And by hukam alone distinction comes to some

Some are exalted by hukam, some are abased;

Some must suffer while others find joy

some receive by the hukam blessing

others are from birth to birth rotated

All come within the hukam, none beyond its authority

They who comprehend the hukam,

O Nanak! Renounce their self-centred pride. (SGGS p. 2)

 

It is that vital principle which creates sustains and regulates the universe. All creatures are born live and die under a definitive order. Evil and virtue are both the creation of the Will of God. Life aims to realise the Will of God and to abide by it. This realisation is attained only through the grace of God.

 

...Himself the beings He creates

Himself to them sustenance He provides

As by the Master's grace in the self, He is lodged,

Suffering born of dark ignorance from it is lifted.

Himself devotion to Truth He inspires.

To those without devotion is the vision of Truth not granted,

In the Hereafter is from reckoning exempt (GGS p. 349)

 

Understanding the Will of God means understanding God’s intention (bhana and raza). It is an all-embracing principle. The creation is constituted and ordered by His will. In this creation, God has made the Word manifest so that Name may be truly revealed.

This makes the concept of Will of God constructive energy and controlling power. It also signifies an ethical discipline in that it is the goal of human life to know or understand the Will of God, to accept it and mould his life according to it.  In a way, it attributes an element of choice to a human being- to decide on his karma - which becomes responsible for him to be able to reap or not reap the supreme reward of harmony and peace.

The knowledge of the Will of God is seen as a spiritual achievement. Knowing Will of God does not mean knowing its nature, scope and bounds. Knowing is recognising the existence of such a principle. Such a realisation is possible only through the grace of God and it can fall to the lot of only those enlightened ones who subordinate to the Will of God.

Image Credits: cchana via Flickr

 

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