A Tribute to Sri Guru Nànak and Gurbàni

PARAMJEET KAUR A Tribute to Sri Guru Nànak and Gurbàni PARAMJEET KAUR uru Nànak, a name known to all, had contained in the Granth is based on a ràga set the foundation of Sikhism. or classical Indian music system and based GSikhism is a very practical and a on its notations. With each ràga is very logical way of life. I do not call it a mentioned the ghar, such as ghar chauthà, religion which often makes a person ghar tisrà etc which indicate the tàla or somewhat fanatic and very narrow-minded. rhythm of the ràga. Ghar means màtràs or Sikhism, we believe, is a way of life. beats. It can be of four màtràs, ie ghar The very word ‘Sikh’ means shishya or chautha, or of three màtràs, ie ghar tisrà. disciple. That is to say, one who has Tisrà is three. Similarly Ghar chauthà accepted the teachings of the Guru. Sikhism would mean tàla of four màtràs. Thus you is based on the teachings of the ten Gurus can very well imagine or comprehend how beginning with Guru Nànak and culminating thorough knowledge they had of the in Guru Govind Singhji. Following this, the classical Indian music. Indeed, the whole of place of the Guru is given to the Guru the Gurbàni is music-based. Each shabad or Granth Sàhib, the holy book of Sikhism, by hymn is composed in a particular ràga and, Guru Govind Singhji. He gave instruction to for that, specific màtràs have been all Sikhs, mentioned. These hymns of the Granth Sàhib were Sabh Sikhan ko hukam hai, Guru màniyo composed by all the Gurus of Sikhism. That Granth; Guru Granth màniyo pargat Guran ki deh. is why we term these Gurbàni, or the words (vàni), of the Guru or preceptor. This is not It means hereforth after Guru Govind a poem composed by any poet. As the Vedas Singhji, the Sikhs will not have a Guru are the revelations of the Supreme Being to having the physical frame, but the holy book our ancient sages, similarly these vàni of of the Sikhs—the Guru Granth Sàhib—will Gurus were revealed to them by the be the Guru. This is why when you visit a Almighty. It was only when these were Gurudwara you will find the Guru Granth revealed that the Gurus would burst into Sàhib placed on the high altar which some mystic flow of the divine urge or receives all the obeisance and honour due to would be filled with some divine power to a Guru. The Granth Sàhib is revered as the compose them, set to verse and style them manifest body of the true Guru. into music. That is why we say, The Granth Sàhib has 1429 pages which we term angas, ie limbs. Why? Since the Dhur ki bàni ài tin sagli chint mitài daial purakh meharvànà har Nànak sàch Granth Sàhib is our Guru, the pages are his vakhànà limbs. The Granth Sàhib is composed of thirty-one ràgas. Each of the hymns That is, a divine order from God came by 10 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture November 2018 A TRIBUTE TO SRI GURU NâNAK AND GURBâNI His grace and Nànak speaks about that Ik omkàr sat nàm karatà purakh nirbhau Truth. nirvair akàl murat ajuni saibham gur Whatever be the occasion, we have a prasàd jap àd sach jugàd sach hai bhi sach hymn for it. Whether it is happiness or grief, nànak hosi bhi sach. marriage, birth or death, for every experience of life we have a shabad or Metaphorical darkness hymn. We sing the hymn when we celebrate Five hundred and forty-eight years ago a happy occasion. We do the same when we there was no pollution, no global warming, want to mourn the loss. Hymns are also there no smog, but there existed a metaphorical for other occasions. darkness over our land. This darkness was The opening prayer of the Granth Sàhib the darkness of ignorance, ajnànatà, is the Japji Sàhib, considered to be the first illogical religious practices, divisions on the composition of the first Guru of Sikhism, basis of caste and inequality in society. The Guru Nànak Devji. He was enamoured of common masses were ruled according to the the magnanimity of the Almighty. He was whims of and fancies of the rulers. And in simply God-intoxicated and from this divine this period of metaphorical darkness came inebriation came out the ustat of the God light—the light in the form of a divine and that is Japji Sàhib. being. And this divine being came to this The Japji Sàhib has thirty-eight paudis earth through Màtà Triptàji and Kalyandas, which mean thirty-eight verses. And the the mother and father of Guru Nànak Devji. Sikhs try to begin their day with the His light tore away the veil of darkness. singing of the Japji Sàhib. The first paudi Bhai Gurudasji was raptured by this light of (verse) is known as the mulmantra, ie root Guru Nànak and composed the following or the basic mantra or tattva. The shabad: mulmantra ie ‘ik omkàr’, which means one Creator; ‘satnàm’, Truth is Thy name; Satguru Nànak pargatia miti thud jag chànan hoa ‘kartà purakh’, Doer of everything; Jeon kar suraj nikliya tàray shupai andhar nirbhau, free from fear, ‘nirvair’, free of paloa any ill-will toward anybody; ‘akàl murat’, eternal, not subject to causation of time. With the emergence of the true Guru— The mortal beings are all subject to time, Nànak, the mist cleared and the light spread death and rebirth. But the Creator is not. everywhere, as with the sunrise, the night of He is ‘ajuni’, unborn, and self-existent. But darkness is dispelled and the stars go into we will have to transmigrate. It is said that hiding. With the roar of lion in the forest, the eighty-four lakhs of transmigrations we herd of deer lost their endurance. Wherever have to undergo. ‘Saibham’, Self-existent; Bàbà Nànak put his feet a religious place ‘Gur prasàd’, by His grace one realises the was established. All that is related to him truth; ‘jap’, repeat God’s name, meditate has now been renamed with Nànak’s name. on His name; ‘àd sach jugàdi sach’, true in Every home became a place of dharma and the primal beginning; ‘hai bhi sach’ true religious singing. Bàbà Nànak influenced now and true for all time; ‘Nànak hosi bhi and showed the path to salvation. His name sach’, Nànak says, God will remain spread in all directions—in the east, west, true for ever and ever. So the complete north and south. Nànak is a gurmukh who shabad is: emerged in the dark age of Kaliyuga. Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture November 2018 11 PARAMJEET KAUR I mentioned the term gurmukh Nànak. In How far is death? Sikhism, the words gurmukh and manmukh are of great importance. Mukh means Once Nànak was on his way to a certain direction, guru means teacher, and man place with his disciples, Bàlà, Mardànà and means inclinations of an undiscerning mind. others. He first asked Bàlà: Bàlà, tell me So a human being is given two choices of how far death is away from you? Bàlà being gurmukh or manmukh. Now, who is a replied: Guruji, I have witnessed the gurmukh? Gurmukh is one who listens to his morning today, I do not know whether I guru and follows his words, and who turns shall see tomorrow’s morning or not. Nànak his way of life towards his guru’s preachings then said: So, according to you, death is that and in turn earns the blessings of his guru. far. And who is a manmukh? Manmukh is one Nànakji then put the same question to who follows his mental inclinations and his other disciple, Mardànà. Mardànà allows himself to be led by those tendencies replied: Today’s morning I have seen; I do without using discretion. What happens to not know if I shall see today’s evening too. such a person? The Guru says, you followed Nànak then said: Death is only away at a the whims of your mind, so reap its distance of your outstretched palm and four consequences. fingers, ie from the nose to the heart. You do So everything depends on us, whether not know whether the breath you just we wish to become a gurmukh or a inhaled will come out or not. So, with this manmukh, whether we wish to follow the little time at your disposal you should not words of our guru and lead our life lose a moment. You should repeat mindfully accordingly, or to become a manmukh and His name all the time. unwittingly get trapped in the worldly However, this does not mean that we whirlpool. When we face adversities in life shall abandon all our work and duties and sit we lay the blame on our karmas—past and without doing any work and say that I am present. Our birth itself is an effect of our engaged in nàmajapa. Here a verse of Sant past actions, and we do reap their banes and Nàmdev is very significant. boons. However, our present karma is also Man ràm nàmà bedhiale, in our hands and hence we are given a jaise kanik kala chit manhdiale. choice. We may perform such karmas as to negate the good and bad effects of the past My mind has been pierced by the Name karmas. We may also choose to bind of the Lord like the Goldsmith whose ourselves with their good and bad effects.

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