On 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Sahib
Contribution of Guru Nanak Sahib
Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer*
National Professor of Sikh History
The seventh decade of the fifteenth century, the Punjab witnessed a real miracle; it was the birth of Guru Nanak in 1469. Guru Nanak began his active mission in the year 1507; and, for the next fifteen years he toured different areas of the sub-continent as well as the Arabian lands. He visited major centres of all the religions and discussed the plight of the people with their leaders and missionaries; he talked to common people, the learned men, the royals and the other elite. Having discussed with countless learned people and religious chief, he preached the real religion, not of any god or any person but that of one God only.
Guru Nanak had all the riches; his father had the status of a minister (with the ruler of the State of Rai Bhoi Di Talwandi); and he himself was a Modi (chief of the revenue department of the sub-division of Sultanpur Lodhi). He gave up all this and began his mission of holy path of life. In the last 17 years of his life, he was a farmer, producing grain for livelihood and would share his earnings with other. He did not preach but he practiced what he said.
Guru Nanak preached that there should be none as a ‘go-between’ (an agent) God and a man. When people called him Guru (an Enlightener), he told them that a Guru tells the path of truth, but he himself is not God, hence not to be worshipped.
Another contribution of Guru Nanak was educating people against the worship of mythical gods and goddesses. Further, he brought an end to ritualism; the new religion of Guru Nanak was a practical religion; and it was not renunciation of the world; it was a path of liberation/self-realisation while living the life of a householder.
Guru Nanak told the people to fearless, not to fear even the rulers. He challenged that only that person has a right to be the ruler who is acceptable to the people (Takht bahe takhte ki laik… & Kya sultan salaam vihoona…); Guru Nanak could call Babur’s army as ‘marriage-party of sin’, the rulers as ‘tigers’ and their officials as ‘hounds’.
Guru Nanak was perhaps the greatest religious missionary. He travelled more than 40 thousand kilometres, mostly on foot, and wandered through hundreds of cities, towns and villages in different countries and preached his mission to millions of people. He changed the way of life of the people he met.
Guru Nanak was a great miracle on this earth. To define his personality in one word, one can say that he was a spiritual magnet. As a magnet attracts even tiny particles of iron toward it and grips them; Guru Nanak captivated every heart and mesmerized every human being he met, and made him/her his follower (a Sikh). Guru Nanak won over the minds of the intellectuals, teachers, saints, kings, tribal chiefs, traders, farmers, labourers and hermits; and
every one admired him, loved him and bowed one’s head before his greatness. Guru Nanak never asked anyone to join his faith but whosoever met him became a part and parcel of Guru’s world.
Guru Nanak taught people to live an honourable and graceful life. He advised people to live a truthful life (honest earning, sharing with others and remembering God). A human being should earn honestly, share his earnings and wealth with the poor, the needy and the helpless. He wanted everyone to be a creative and positive part of society. He taught that all of us must contribute to the welfare of humanity. Besides, one must meditate upon the name of God; meditation does not mean repetition of the name of God, but it means that one must have ‘noble fear’ of God in one’s heart, all the time.
He taught that one should get liberation from maya (attachment to the world) while living in this world; it is living like a lotus (flower) which grows in dirty waters but is not affected by its dirt.
Guru Nanak told that God was Nirankar (formless). He does not have any colour, form or shape. He never appears on this earth in human form. He pervades Himself in His creation; and, we can feel and realize Him from the vastness and greatness of His creation. We can express our amazement at His creation, which exists and functions under His orders.
Guru Nanak said that God loves every one alike. I the eyes of God, there is no one who is low or high; for Him, there are no ‘chosen people’ or ‘rejected beings’; God showers His benign Grace on every one alike; He bestows His blessings and love to everyone without discrimination; His justice is alike for everyone. But, those who do not have quality of mercy, love, generosity, goodness and humanism, and, those who spread hatred, remain bereft of His graceful glance and blessings. But, such people can also obtain His mercy again, if they begin living their lives in accordance with the Divine law.
Whatever is happening in the world is all God’s Will. He knows what He has to grant, to whom, when, where and how much. Having grudge against Him means refusing to accept His will and thus losing His grace.
Guru Nanak professed that God prevails in every being. He preached “fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man”. He organised the Sikh faith as a brotherhood. He said God is our father; hence we are each other’s brethren. One who accepts Him as father must not discriminate, hate or be partial to the other beings. As God’s light prevails in every human being, so hating any one would mean hating at least some part of the creation of God. One who practices discrimination, lacks spiritualism, and, is ignorant about the concept of God and thus, such person is a hypocrite.
Guru Nanak expounded that those who consider woman as inferior to man cannot be considered as religious persons. How can a woman, who gives birth to kings, spiritual personalities and intellectuals, be evil or inferior? Moreover, a woman too is a creation of God; we cannot condemn God’s any creation as inferior or evil.
Guru Nanak made spiritualism and service of humanity as sequel (complementary) of each other. He said religion sans humanism is lame, and spiritualism without social role is dwarf. He preached religion as ‘social spiritualism’. Guru Nanak gave the message of “spiritualism tempered in the colour of socialism and humanism”.
He rejected the idea of wandering in forests, hills and deserts in search of salvation or God, as a meaningless pursuit. He said troubling one’s body (penance) or performing ritualistic meditation was of no avail. One can become a spiritual being while living his life as a householder. He said that married life is not an obstacle, but it is helpful, on the path to liberation; rather, Guru Nanak asserted that a householder’s life was the best path towards a spiritual journey. Every living being has some physical needs too; hence one cannot (and must not) run from the realities of the world. Even after renouncing the world, one again turns to householders for assistance to fulfil one’s daily needs; moreover, renunciation (escapism) is running from the field; it is, in fact, accepting one’s defeat. He asserted that one can achieve liberation while living as an ordinary human being (laughing and playing i.e. entertaining and fulfilling one’s daily needs). He told people to renounce spirit of attachment and possessiveness and not the world itself.
Guru Sahib said that liberation is not a post-death phenomenon; one can achieve liberation in this life. Being free from lust, anger, avarice, compassion and pride is liberation. If there is any other liberation, then it is death itself which is the end of life. He said that real liberation is self-realization and a state of equipoise.
Guru Nanak said that human body is made of five elements (air, fire, water, earth and ether); and, after one’s death these elements merge again with their base elements; this is the end of human existence. Rebirth is just an illusion. Brahmins preach that one is born as human being after living 84 lakh (8.4 million) lives of other species; he rejected this theory and said that there were 8.4 million (countless) species of creatures on this earth and human being is the supreme among them (but one does not pass through each one of all these 8.4 million lives). Human being is born only once and there is no transmigration of soul; one has to achieve liberation in this very life. He said that there is no hell or heaven beyond this universe; when we obey God and sing His praise, we are in heaven; when we turn our back to Him and live sinful life we are in hell. Understanding this secret is one stage of liberation.
Guru Nanak told the human beings to live simple lives. He said that man goes on increasing one’s desires and needs and then uses unfair means to fulfil them. He advocated simple and light diet. He said that the world is like an inn and we are just like travellers; one should realise that one has not to stay here forever; hence one ought not to have attachment with this material world.
Guru Nanak rejected ritualism. He said that real religion is living the life of a truthful person. Truth, love, humanism, justice, simple living, service of humanity, saving oneself from sins/vices and control over one’s mind/wishes/self is real meditation. Exhibition of meditation, havans, yajnas and ritualistic worship are sheer formality, hence hypocrisy; and, are of no avail.
Guru Nanak said religion was not an end in itself; it was a way of life to become a good human being. If one meditates upon the Name of God (i.e. always keeps God in one’s
mind), lives an ethical life, helps in making the world a better place to live; such a man is on the right path, the holy path of life. He suggested Muslims to live real Islam; Brahmin to follow God’s ways; and Sikh to bow before the Will of God as this was the real religion. Adopting such a path could make a human being a real man. This is the ‘liberation in this very life’; this is the eternal bliss; this is equipoise.
According to Guru Nanak God is all love. He hates never, discriminates none, and, regards no body as inferior or superior. All beings are his children; He has created everyone with His own light. It depends upon our efforts as to how much can we make ourselves capable of getting His blessings.
Guru Nanak gave new definitions of God, salvation, religion, meditation and purpose of human life etc. He founded a complete religion and preached a perfect philosophy.
He was the first person who revealed scientific truths about the creation of universe and several other scientific questions, which were not even known to most of the scientists of his times. Several of the present day discoveries find mention in his verses.
Interfaith dialogue
It was Guru Nanak who started the tradition of interfaith dialogue. Kurukashetra and Hardwar to Mansarovar, Gaya to Mecca, Varanasi to Multan, Pakpatan to Sri Lanka Guru Nanak had a discourse with religious intellectuals, spiritual guides, kings and feudal, teachers and students, householders and ascetics, rich and poor.
He would not force his views on anyone and would love to present his point of view and convince others with logic and arguments. He would say ‘let us learn what is true religion’.
To sum up we can say that Guru Nanak was founder of a Nirmal Panth (holy path of life). He was an embodiment of tolerance, brotherhood, humanism, equality, justice, truthfulness and human rights. He taught the value of honest earning and sharing with others; thus inculcating in his followers the spirit of a positive part of society. Guru Nanak taught people to shun ego, attachment, anger, greed and sexual indulgence. He wished people to reject ritualism and become a truthful person.
*About the author:
Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, National Professor of Sikh History, is Director of G.N. Research Institute (Birmingham, England). He is Editor-in-Chief of the journal ‘Sikhs: Past and Present’. He is former Director of Sikh History Research Boards (SGPC). He has been teaching at Panjab University Chandigarh and Punjabi University Patiala as well as colleges and institution in the Punjab as well as Canada and England. He is the only historian who has written complete history of the Sikhs in 10 volumes and has translated Guru Granth Sahib in English in 7 volumes. He is author of more than 50 books. Contact: hsdilgeer@yahoo.com