In Sikhism, the term Guru, Satguru or Waheguru have been used for the Almighty. Besides Him, these terms refer to the Ten Nanaks and Guru Granth Sahib. The Ten Nanaks are addressed Guru because the Almighty spoke through them. In Sikhism, Guru Sahib, the persons, too, are not to be equalled with God. A Sikh worships only the Almighty who manifests Himself through Word i.e. Guru Granth Sahib. The Ten Nanaks are to be respected but not worshipped. They were not the Almighty in human form. They were enlighteners. They removed the veil of ignorance and gave us light (knowledge) of the path towards union with the Almighty.
A student always needs some experienced teacher who gives him knowledge. Similarly, a Sikh certainly needs a spiritual teacher who can lead him towards his goal.
One who is without a Guru will not be able to achieve liberation (p 361).
and
Without Guru how can one swim across (the ocean of ignorance)
and achieve peace. (p. 20).
and
Without a Guru one can’t even meditate
even though every one longs for it (p. 31).
There are several such like hymns in Guru Granth Sahib. These hymns stress the need of a Guru for a human being to achieve spiritual heights, self-realisation, and liberation.
These hymns are picked up and propagated by cult leaders who make fool of illiterate and simple people with fictitious stories of their miraculous power. Radhasoami, Nirankari, Namdhari and several other (which have, nowadays, sprung up like mushrooms) quote these hymns of Gurbani which stress the need of a Guru for a human being, in reference to themselves. Their followers, then, propagate stories of their “miracles”.
To pick up a hymn with resembling sound, word or meaning and to use it for a different concept has been practice of the vested interests since long. Some others use such hymns by mistake. But, the living cult-leaders use these hymns (stressing the importance of Guru) in order to make a fool of the common people purporting themselves to be ones who can lead them to liberation. A common man does not bother to know the concept of Guru in Sikhism and falls into the trap of these cult leaders.
There is no doubt that Sikhism stressed the need of Guru to achieve self-realisation. But question arises as to what or who is Guru in Sikhism:
The Almighty, God, Himself, is the Guru
Nanak says, one should meditates upon His Name all the time (p. 387)
Consider Guru and Almighty as one (p.384)
The Almighty is the Guru are one
He manifest Himself in every being. (p. 53)
The above hymns prove that, in Sikhism, Almighty Himself is the Guru. But, there are a couple of hymns where one finds references to the Almighty as the enlightener.
By luck one attains such a Guru
Through whom we can know about the Almighty (p. 780)
I will sacrifice myself unto my Guru
Who united me with Supreme Spirit from whom I was separated (p. 167)
But here the term Guru (enlightener) has not been used for a human Guru. Here Guru is the “Word”. In Sikhism, Word is the Guru, the Guru-eternal who shows the path of the door of the Almighty:
The profound and unfathomable Word is the Guru, the spiritual guide
Without ‘Word’ the world is gone insane (p. 635)
and
Bani (Word) is Guru and Guru is Bani
Bani contains the complete nectar (p. 982)
It is evident that Guru Sahib has unequivocally stressed the need of a Guru who can lead us to the path of the Almighty. But, then question arises as to who or what is GURU in Sikhism. In Sikhism, it is the ‘Word’ which can perform this function, hence the Word is such a Guru. The Ten Nanaks are called Guru because through them we received the Word of the almighty.
On October 6, 1708, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib installed Guru Granth Sahib (the Word) as Guru-Eternal for the Sikhs and brought an end to the confusion of the term Guru.
Guru Sahib, in ten human forms, received the Almighty’s Word and Guru Arjan Sahib recorded it in a volume (later, in 1678, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib finalised it) so that no one should make changes to it. One can receive guidance, message, and solutions through Guru Granth Sahib. Word is Eternal. No human being is Eternal. One who himself can not exist forever, how can he grant liberation? Word is forever, hence the only Guru.
Some cult leaders have tried to confuse simple people by saying that Gurbani does not speak and human gurus (the cult leaders) can communicate with their followers. They assert that someone is needed to explain the Word. It is a funny logic. If one can not understand the philosophy of Socrates, Plato or Aristotle or any one else and seeks the help of a tutor. Can that tutor become Socrates or Plato or Aristotle. Similarly, those who have translated, paraphrased or performed explanations of Guru Granth Sahib, do they become Gurus? If we accept the logic of interpreter as guru, then Principal Sahib Singh, Gopal Singh, Gurbachan Singh Talib, Manmohan Singh, Bhai Mani Singh, Sirdar Kapur Singh, Harjinder Singh Dilgeer will become gurus in the sense of these cult leaders. This is childish. A teacher or interpreter or a writer is not a Guru.
The other point, that Bani (hymns) does not communicate, too, is wrong. If we understand the meaning of the hymns, it communicates with our spirit. Its celestial language makes a dialogue with us. But those who don’t want to understand it and those whose spirit is controlled by their ego, anger, avarice, passion, lust etc. can not achieve this stage. Purgation of these evils can pave way for a dialogue with Bani (hymns i.e. the Word of the Almighty).
Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, revealing Khalsa, said that “Khalsa is the subject of the Almighty”, hence there is none between Khalsa and the Almighty. A Khalsa, if he lives the life of a Truthful person, always makes communication with the Almighty (through Word). A Khalsa does not need an agent to talk to his Father, the Almighty.
Finally, it is interesting to know about the personality of the present day so called sants, babas (cult leaders) of Radhasoami, Nirankari, Namdhari, Kaleran, Sacha Sauda, Dodra and other cults (who call themselves guru or even Bhagwan i.e. GOD). Some of them have died of venereal or chronic diseases. Some of them are victims of depression. Some others get hospitalised when warrants for their arrests are issued in some criminal case. Most of these cult leaders are, in fact, Mafia type personalities and these cults too are Mafia type gangs making fool of the common folk on one hand and carrying out underworld activities on the other hand. They, however, succeed in getting simple and ignorant people as their followers.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)