At the most sacred place for the Sikhs

Sikhism is one of the youngest religion in the world the foundation of which was laid by First Guru, Guru Nanak ji. This happened in one of the most vibrant phase of Indian subcontinent history- the Bhakti movement. The early medieval history of north Indian subcontinent is very much influenced by Bhakti and Sufi Confluence. This period saw great saints like Ramanuja, Ramanand (his great and very popular disciple Kabir), Ramdev, Farid, Tukaram, Chaithanya (the Hare Krishna movement has roots in these) Sufis like Chisti, as also Shaivites, Vaishnavites in south India and many more. Mostly from the lower strata of the society and from very humble background this movement was a first serious reaction to the ossified hierarchical Hindu society probably after Buddhism some ten centuries early, as also later Islamic invasions. They gave message of unity of God and tolerance, they initiated personalizing God for common people through devotion also using language used by common people, stressing equality. This period not only had a significant influence on moral and spiritual ways of life of the medieval society but laid the foundation for future generations to live with the spirit of toleration. This was also the phase which saw tremendous growth in literature in various languages, new languages like Urdu and Punjabi got consolidated. Also singing as part of devotion got wider acceptance (Kirtan at Temple, Qawalli at a Dargah, and Gurbani at Gurdwara are all derived from the Bhakti movement). One wouldn’t be mistaken to assert that the idea of India was tremendously influenced by understandings of this period. Some of these great saints and mystics we have studied in school. Some wrote dohas (poems is the nearest word in English) we had to mug them and write the meaning. Kabir was quite popular with the kids. His dohas are brilliant and is part of Indian folklore, he is so entrenched among common people that they even quote these during discussions in small towns of north India, recall how many times have we have heard

this one:

Bada hua tho kya hua jaise ped kajoor
panthi ko chaya nahi phal aye athi dhoor

(what is the point being big-meaning rich and powerful, it is like being a Date tree there is no shade for travelers and fruits are so far…translate into English the punch is gone!!). During school days we used to use these to make fun of taller kids!!.
I recall this unfortunate incident years back when I had gone for a seminar on Kabir (at National Museum, Delhi, if I recall rightly) wherein two speakers-supposed to be experts on Kabir had verbal duel, one claiming Kabir to be Hindu while the other tried to prove him to be Muslim. I could not help laughing (….incidentally like most seminars food was good!!. Long live seminars and seminar culture!!. This culture has recently shifted to TV studios). Kabir was a mystic and in his dohas he had distanced and simultaneously claimed both Ram and Rahim (ie hindus and muslims). This is what he had to say about God

I am neither in temple nor in Mosque,
neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash;
I am not in any ritual or rite nor in yoga or in renunciation;
If thou be a true seeker, thou shall find me in a moment.

In another place he says:
To the East is Hari, to the West Allah’s abode,
search thy heart, within the inner core, Ram and Rahim live there.

Guru Nanak dev ji (1469-1539) was an enlightened man who had traveled widely from Haridwar to Ceylon to Mecca, he preached against caste distinctions, ritualism, idol worship and the pseudo-religious beliefs that had no spiritual content. Significantly he started community eating to stress equality and sharing (every Gurudwara anywhere in the world will have Langar and is open to anyone).

Legend has it that when Nanakji was only twelve his father gave him twenty rupees and asked him to do a business, apparently to teach him business. Guru Nanak dev ji bought food for all the money and distributed among saints, and poor. When his father asked him what happened to business? He replied that he had done a "True business". At the place where Guru Nanak dev had fed the poor, a gurudwara was made and named Sacha Sauda. Guru Nanakji chose to mix with all, the normal life-i.e. family life, became the medium of spiritual training and expression. He continued to work as an ordinary peasant as he preached. This is significant aspect of Sikh religion- the negation of saints as recluse or higher than others; even now you will find most Sikhs extremely hardworking, enterprising and religious. The stress was on practicality.

Asceticism doesn't lie in ascetic robes, or in walking staff, nor in the ashes. Asceticism doesn't lie in the earring, nor in the shaven head, nor blowing a conch. Asceticism lies in remaining pure amidst impurities. Asceticism doesn't lie in mere words; He is an ascetic who treats everyone alike. Asceticism doesn't lie in visiting burial places, It lies not in wandering about, nor in bathing at places of pilgrimage. Asceticism is to remain pure amidst impurities.

This was also the period of extreme misery for common people, with ossified Hinduism on one side and Islamic invaders on the other. Guru Nanak’s teaching provided an alternative. Nanakji tried to take the best of the times he lived in to give spiritual insight and moral fiber to people. There is a story which I found very riveting: On his return journey home he stopped at Saidpur in western Punjab during the invasion of the first Mughal Emperor Babar. On seeing the extent of the massacre by the invaders, Mardana asked Guru Nanak why so many innocent people were put to death along with those few who were guilty. Guru Nanak told Mardana to wait under a banyan tree and after a while he would return to answer his question. While sitting under the tree Mardana was suddenly bitten by an ant. In anger Mardana killed as many ants as he could with his feet. Guru Nanak said to him, "You know now Mardana, why do the innocents suffer along with the guilty?"

Khushwant Singh (who has written two volumes on Sikh History that is considered authoritative version, incidentally he also has collections of some seriously bad jokes!!. His reckoning definitely is ‘Train to Pakistan’, a book enjoyed reading as well as watched movie version by Pamela Brooks. It was a well made movie. We also had a short story in school ‘Mark of Vishnu’- if I recall rightly, it was about a snake killing its own devotee) writes …..it is till disputed whether Guru Nanak intended to reform Hinduism, form a third community or bring Hindus and Muslims together. It would appear that in his earlier career he tried to bring the two communities closer to each other. Being himself a Hindu he was at the same time equally concerned with reforming Hinduism. But as the years went by and his message caught on among the masses, he decided to give his teachings permanency through a sect of his own.

Th

ese lines of Nanakji I got from the Net

Had thou the eighteen Puranas with thee,
Could thou recite the four Vedas.
Did thou bathe on holy days and give alms according to man's castes
Did thou fast and perform religious ceremonies day and night,
Was thou a Qazi, a Mulla, or a Sheikh,
A jogi, a Jangam did thou wear an ochre-coloured dress,
Or did thou perform the duties of a household
Without knowing God, Death would bind and take all away.

Guru Nanakji says, “Truth never gets old” (Sach Puraana Hovai Nahi). His preachings were consolidated as Gurubani. These eternal words are considered most sacred by the sikhs and the Holy book Granth Sahib given the status of sacred Guru. These words are enshrined at the beginning of the holy scripture:

"There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now."

(this blog is continued later with visit to Harmandir sahibji)