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  Simran and seva

Simran and seva

Published : Nov 24, 2015, 10:39 pm IST
Updated : Nov 24, 2015, 10:39 pm IST

Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, born in 1469 at Talwandi, now in Punjab, Pakistan, was a firm believer in the Oneness of God — Ek Onkar — “There is One God, there is no other, he is formles

Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, born in 1469 at Talwandi, now in Punjab, Pakistan, was a firm believer in the Oneness of God — Ek Onkar — “There is One God, there is no other, he is formless, he is the Supreme Truth.”

Guru Nanak was a mystic and for him mystical experience required no formal religion, no rituals, no external outward marks. He was against idol-worship and strongly advocated the concept of God as the all-pervading formless reality: “Thousands Thy eyes, yet hast Thou eyes Thousands Thy forms, yet hast Thou form Thousands Thy feet, yet hast Thou feet Thousands Thy nose to smell, yet, hast Thou a nose O, Wonder of wonders!”

The wondrous master, Wahiguru, does not require any artificial external expressions of faith because He resides within. At Jagannath Puri, while attending the elaborate aarti in the temple, Guru Nanak sang the hymn about how nature itself was singing the praises of the Lord above: “The sky is the salver and sun and moon the lamps in it. The stars are the pearls scattered in the salver. The wind itself is the fan and the entire kingdom of flowers is meant for His worship. Such is the aarti that the cosmos performs”.

Guru Nanak was an epitome of humility and his teachings were addressed to all men. He strongly denounced the practice of discrimination based on caste, creed, religion and sex since in the path of salvation only good deeds count. “Neither caste nor birth will be enquired... As you act so will be your caste and your status,” says the Guru. Insisting on equality and brotherhood of mankind, he emphasised, “The Hindus and the Muslims are all one. Men may have the habits of different environments. But they all have the same eyes, the same body; the same form compounded of the four elements — earth, air, fire and water; The One Lord made them all.”

Not surprisingly, Guru Nanak is remembered as the Guru of the Hindus and the Pir of the Muslims — “Baba Nanak Shah Faqir, Hindu Ka Guru Musalman Ka Pir”.

Based entirely on love and devotion, Guru Nanak’s path of salvation is simple and practical. Simran and seva are the core pillars of Sikhism. To remember the Supreme Reality in the form of word or shabad (Nam-Simran) and to serve society in the form of seva is the simplest way to remain humble and close to God. To remember nam is to remember the Akal Purakh and to be linked with the divine nam is to grow in likeness to God. With nam comes the realisation and experience of vismad (sense of awe and wonder of knowing the greatness of God). The seeker feels humble in this state of vismad and realisation, leading to liberation and union with the Supreme. “The Lord entered my heart, I have found the ‘Jewel of Life’, the beloved hath shown me His face”, sings the Guru.

Since Guru Nanak’s faith is a faith of affirmation and not of renunciation, Nam-Simran must be pursued while living an active life and fulfilling all the social responsibilities. Hence, kirat-karni (to earn one’s livelihood through honest labour) and vand-chchakna (sharing) form a natural part of nam-simran. In addition to it, langar and seva are the most important aspects of Sikhism.

Guru Nanak says, “There can be no love of God without service”. Equality and simplicity summarise the path shown by Guru Nanak which is what is required in today’s conflict-ridden society. The Sikhs, always yearning to be close to Wahiguru, conclude their ardas by saying, “Nanak Nam Chardi Kala — May the religion of Nam preached by Nanak increase and prevail in the world”.

Kulbir Kaur teaches sociology at Shyama Prasad Mukherji College, Delhi University