One Universal Creator God, The Name is Truth;
True in the Primal Beginning, True Throughout the Ages;
True Here and Now, O, Nanak, Forever and Ever True.
Continuing to learn from teachings of prominent Saints, Gurus and Philosophers of Bhakti Era, we shall now try to learn a few messages on " Dharma & Ethical Living" by another great Indian Philosopher Saint Guru Nanak Dev ji ( 1469-1539 AD), who practiced and preached Service, Humility, Meditation and Truthful living to the masses. He advocated Ahimsa (path of nonviolence) to masses for Ethical Living--- Ahimsa of thoughts, Ahimsa of speech & Ahimsa of action. Besides stressing upon several moral & ethical values, he also practiced and preached values of Forgiveness, Spiritual Endurance and Helping people in need.
Guru Nanak, Dev ji was a great Humanist, Philosopher and Spiritual Guru. He nurtured a universal religion of brotherhood & compassion and founded Sikhism. He believed that true salvation can only be achieved by purity in thoughts and excellence of conduct. He had unquestioned love for God. He conveyed that God was omnipresent & did not adhere to any kind of ritualism or worship pattern. At the young age of around thirty, he shared his enlightened philosophy with masses by declaring that there is neither anyone a Hindu nor a Muslim, thus conveying his respect for Humanity at large, encompassing all religions and faiths. In the words of Guru Nanak Dev ji,
Speaking the truth is the real fast;
Remaining contented is the pilgrimage;
Meditation is the true ablution;
Compassion is the true worship; and
Humility is the real rosary.
What a great ethical message conveyed in the above lines! During his Guru-ship span of around 32 years ( 1507-1539 AD), he traveled widely across present boundaries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Arab world, Sri Lanka, Kashmir and Sikkim, preaching and practicing three major Ethical cum Spiritual Beliefs for the benefit of Humanity . These were;
Vand Chakko------ Share with others in need; Help them.
Kirat Karo------ Earn and make an honest living without fraud/ cheating or exploitation.
Na-am Japo----- Meditate on God's name for ethical and spiritual progress.
The above referred three beliefs/ philosophies demonstrate emphasis on generating commitment of masses on ETHICAL LIVING and overall spiritual progress. Besides, Guru Nanak Dev ji stressed upon the importance of a Guru in human life by preaching that one should be GURMUKH (follow directions of awakened souls), rather than MANMUKH(follow directions of self & mind). This philosophy led people to adapt an Ethical and Dharmik life, adoring Human Values in society.
Focusing on spiritual progress of mankind ( indirectly conveying what Dharma & Ethical living broadly means), Guru Nanak Dev ji emphasized upon the following progressive, step by step, Five Stages of Spiritual Progress.
Guru Granth Sahib is such a massive self- speaking, thought provoking storehouse of spiritual knowledge & ethical values, that one can not attempt to pen down even a few messages from it , in a small blog like this. Yet, considering the theme of the blog, only a few relevant writings confined to my theme of understanding are being shared below;
आपे बीज आपे ही खाहू।( P 4& P 25) -- meaning " you shall harvest what you plant" ie. emphasizing upon the need to do good deeds in life.
सुनिअै सत संतोख गिआनु।( P 3)--- meaning " one should listen to truth, contentment and spiritual wisdom" ie stressing upon ethical and morale values in life.
हउमै ममता मोहणी, सभ मुठी अंहकारि।( P 19)--meaning " Egotism and possessiveness are very enticing but such pride plunders everyone".
खोटे जाति ना पात है, खोटि ना सीझसि कोइि।(P 23)-- meaning" the false ones have no honor OR none succeeds through falsehood."ie again stressing upon the value of leading a truthful life.
मेरे मन तजि निन्दा हउमैै अहंकार।( P 29/30)-- meaning" O, my mind, give up slander, egotism and arrogance. Further, on P 8( 38), certain key desirable values of a Human Life have been summed up beautifully in the following para;
"Let Self-Control be the furnace and Patience, the Goldsmith; let Understanding be the anvil and Spiritual Wisdom, the tools: With the fear of God as the bellows, Fan the flames of Tapa, the body's internal heat. Finally, in the crucible of Love, melt the nectar of the name and mint the true coin of Shabad, the word of God." What a powerful message on Ethical Living for the masses!
In this great Spiritual Scripture, there is a strong emphasis on one to be a Gurmukh and not a Manmukh, which again stress upon the importance of a spiritually & morally awakened God's representative to help mankind follow ethical values. Quoting a few of these;
मनहठि मती बूडीअै, गुरुमुखि सचु सु तारि।(P 20)---meaning" Through stubborn mindedness, the intellect is drowned; on the other hand, one who becomes Gurmukh and truthful, he is saved."
गुरुमुखि कुहु न भावई, सचि रते सच भाइि। (P 22)--- meaning that the Gurmukhs dislike falsehood; they are always engaged with truth and therefore love only truth.
मनमुख मूढ जलत अहंकारी, हउमै विचि दुखु पाई।
आवत जात बिरथा जनमु गवाईआ, दुखि लागै पछुताई।
जिसते उपजे तिसहि न चेतहि, ध्रिगु जीवणु ध्रिगु खाई।। ( P 1265) meaning thereby that the life of Self willed Manmukh is useless; he comes and goes in shame; at times they are burnt in anger, desires and egotism;they suffer in pain because of their greed & possessiveness. Finally, they do not attain perfection or reach higher life goals.
साचे गुरु की साची सीख,तनु मनु सीतलु साचु परीख।(P 152)---meaning thereby that True are the teachings of a True Guru which in turn cool and soothe the body & mind by pious touchstone of truth. Again on P 177 of Guru Granth Sahib, some beautiful lines have been written ;
गुरु का वचनु अटल अछेद, गुरु के वचनि कटे भ्रम भेद।
गुरु कै वचनु कतहु न जाई, गुरु कै वचनि हरि के गुण गाई।। ie Guru's words are infallible and unchanging and these help dispel doubts and prejudices from the mind of the followers. Again Guru's words are never lost but remain with us; helping us sing the glory of Lord and guiding us towards an ethical and moral life in society.
Dharma and Ethical living got a powerful uplift with these teachings and practices. As stated earlier in the blog, one can not extract and put forward all the messages from such vast storehouse of knowledge, in a small blog like this of mine. I would like to sum up the blog by a final message from P 1427 of this great scripture.
" One, who is not touched by pleasure or pain, greed, emotional attachment OR egotistical pride, says Nanak, listen,mind; he is the very image of God."
" One , who has forsaken all sin & corruption, who wears the robes of neutral detachment-- says Nanak, listen,mind; good destiny is written on his forehead; One, who renounces Maya and Possessiveness & is detached from everything, says Nanak, listen, mind; God abides in his heart."
Focusing on spiritual progress of mankind ( indirectly conveying what Dharma & Ethical living broadly means), Guru Nanak Dev ji emphasized upon the following progressive, step by step, Five Stages of Spiritual Progress.
- Dharam Khand----- Carrying out one's duties honestly and sincerely ( region of duty).
- Gian Khand ------ Learning knowledge of God & the universe and also the limitations as well as vastness of God's creations ( region of knowledge).
- Saram Khand----- Making all out efforts to purify one's mind and understanding( region of effort).
- Karam Khand---- Acquiring divine grace and spiritual enlightenment ( region of grace).
- Sach Khand------ Stage of reaching ultimate spiritual reality where God and Man become one and same. Only selfless devotees with great efforts and perseverance under the guidance of a Guru reach this stage ( region of truth).
Guru Granth Sahib is such a massive self- speaking, thought provoking storehouse of spiritual knowledge & ethical values, that one can not attempt to pen down even a few messages from it , in a small blog like this. Yet, considering the theme of the blog, only a few relevant writings confined to my theme of understanding are being shared below;
आपे बीज आपे ही खाहू।( P 4& P 25) -- meaning " you shall harvest what you plant" ie. emphasizing upon the need to do good deeds in life.
सुनिअै सत संतोख गिआनु।( P 3)--- meaning " one should listen to truth, contentment and spiritual wisdom" ie stressing upon ethical and morale values in life.
हउमै ममता मोहणी, सभ मुठी अंहकारि।( P 19)--meaning " Egotism and possessiveness are very enticing but such pride plunders everyone".
खोटे जाति ना पात है, खोटि ना सीझसि कोइि।(P 23)-- meaning" the false ones have no honor OR none succeeds through falsehood."ie again stressing upon the value of leading a truthful life.
मेरे मन तजि निन्दा हउमैै अहंकार।( P 29/30)-- meaning" O, my mind, give up slander, egotism and arrogance. Further, on P 8( 38), certain key desirable values of a Human Life have been summed up beautifully in the following para;
"Let Self-Control be the furnace and Patience, the Goldsmith; let Understanding be the anvil and Spiritual Wisdom, the tools: With the fear of God as the bellows, Fan the flames of Tapa, the body's internal heat. Finally, in the crucible of Love, melt the nectar of the name and mint the true coin of Shabad, the word of God." What a powerful message on Ethical Living for the masses!
In this great Spiritual Scripture, there is a strong emphasis on one to be a Gurmukh and not a Manmukh, which again stress upon the importance of a spiritually & morally awakened God's representative to help mankind follow ethical values. Quoting a few of these;
मनहठि मती बूडीअै, गुरुमुखि सचु सु तारि।(P 20)---meaning" Through stubborn mindedness, the intellect is drowned; on the other hand, one who becomes Gurmukh and truthful, he is saved."
गुरुमुखि कुहु न भावई, सचि रते सच भाइि। (P 22)--- meaning that the Gurmukhs dislike falsehood; they are always engaged with truth and therefore love only truth.
मनमुख मूढ जलत अहंकारी, हउमै विचि दुखु पाई।
आवत जात बिरथा जनमु गवाईआ, दुखि लागै पछुताई।
जिसते उपजे तिसहि न चेतहि, ध्रिगु जीवणु ध्रिगु खाई।। ( P 1265) meaning thereby that the life of Self willed Manmukh is useless; he comes and goes in shame; at times they are burnt in anger, desires and egotism;they suffer in pain because of their greed & possessiveness. Finally, they do not attain perfection or reach higher life goals.
साचे गुरु की साची सीख,तनु मनु सीतलु साचु परीख।(P 152)---meaning thereby that True are the teachings of a True Guru which in turn cool and soothe the body & mind by pious touchstone of truth. Again on P 177 of Guru Granth Sahib, some beautiful lines have been written ;
गुरु का वचनु अटल अछेद, गुरु के वचनि कटे भ्रम भेद।
गुरु कै वचनु कतहु न जाई, गुरु कै वचनि हरि के गुण गाई।। ie Guru's words are infallible and unchanging and these help dispel doubts and prejudices from the mind of the followers. Again Guru's words are never lost but remain with us; helping us sing the glory of Lord and guiding us towards an ethical and moral life in society.
Dharma and Ethical living got a powerful uplift with these teachings and practices. As stated earlier in the blog, one can not extract and put forward all the messages from such vast storehouse of knowledge, in a small blog like this of mine. I would like to sum up the blog by a final message from P 1427 of this great scripture.
" One, who is not touched by pleasure or pain, greed, emotional attachment OR egotistical pride, says Nanak, listen,mind; he is the very image of God."
" One , who has forsaken all sin & corruption, who wears the robes of neutral detachment-- says Nanak, listen,mind; good destiny is written on his forehead; One, who renounces Maya and Possessiveness & is detached from everything, says Nanak, listen, mind; God abides in his heart."
