Mai main keh bidh lakhon gusai (Guru Tegh Bahadur, in Sorath, Guru Granth Sahib, p 632)
"Mother, how can I have a glimpse of God?"
The quest to know and see God, the Overself, is unending. Even Gurus beseech His Glimpse. One can see His Light but can not comprehend Him completely. He ever assists the seeker to know Him but the fulsomeness of that knowledge varies from person to person. Before the Guru reveals its secret, first I would like to recount my personal experience in this regard.
In October 1996, I was invited to attend a political conference at Mount Abu. My friend and General Secretary International Human Rights Organisation, Mohinder Singh Grewal accompanied me. While sitting in a room past sunset I was bestowed with a vision of a shining light as if it were a Godly vision. First I saw a bright point-of-light on a plain screen. Within a few seconds, the point of light started glowing and expanding until it became refulgent like sun, the sun we see in a broad daylight.
I was wonder-struck and overjoyed to see this entire phenomenon. When we were sharing the wonderment of God I was again conferred with other visions that included Darshan (visual perceptions) of Guru Nanak and Guru Arjan Dev, the First and the Fifth Masters of the Sikh faith. All this went on for about half an hour and I continued telling everything to Grewal.
"He (God) is Unknowable and is beyond the mind and the senses. He hath neither form nor lines. Yet seeing Him in the heart (soul) I have seen Him there." (Guru Nanak, in Bilawal, Guru Granth Sahib, p 836)
God viewed in form of light in Gurbani
He is seen with the senses of the spirit (soul), as Guru Arjan, in Maru, explains:
"I have seen the Light with my inner eye. So pleasant is the Vision that my thirst for the sight remaineth unquenched. Those eyes are different, O Nanak, with which my Beloved Lord is seen." (Guru Arjan, Guru Granth Sahib, p 577)
So, it actualised in me a thirst to know more about this Wonderful Lord Who is known as God, Allah, Ram or Shiva (sometimes as Krishna and Ram Chander) and Waheguru by Christians, Moslems, Hindus and Sikhs respectively. To quench my thirst I started absorbing knowledge from Sri Guru Granth Sahib and did comparative studies of other faiths. All this consequently resulted in initiating me to start Simran (meditation) at Amrit Vela (early hours of the morning).
After about a year I felt expressing myself to my friends, relatives and other persons who may be interested to experience consummation with the Almighty. This enchanting experience, I must say, will continue to guide every one to follow 'Guru Gaadi Rah,' the highway that is Gurmat.
The idea that struck me the most was why and how could I get the blessing of the Almighty. The other things about which I was eager to know were: What really is He, whether He is Omnipresent or Omnipotent, the riddle of Creation, how did the universe come into being, when did it begin, if it had a beginning at all, and when if ever, it will end.
"The Lord is True and every person can also become true, through His Nam-Simran (remembrance in Sehaj), says Guru Nanak, in Asa (Guru Granth Sahib, p 2).
Which is the Door of the House, where Thou dwellest? How can He be reached? Guru Nanak says, in Ramkali that He can be reached by the loveful remembrance of Him or by meditating on Him.
God-realisation is person's highest destiny, and it can come by first dying to the self. The implication is that for entering into the soul, dying to the self is a necessary requirement. The loveful remembrance of God kills the Ego and paves the way to reach Him. Then the soul comes to perfect equipoise position or cosmic balance. This position is called the Sehaj where it gets concordant with the Supreme Soul.
To see Him, to have a vision of Him, to merge in Him, are different phrases to express the union of the human soul (Atma) with the Supreme Soul (Parm-atma), from which it is descended, and in essence is like Him. Therefore, ultimately it can go back Home to Him alone and to none else.
"He who recogniseth his real self (soul) meeteth the Lord (Supreme Soul)." (Shaloka of Guru Nanak, Guru Granth Sahib, p 1410)
Guru Arjan also puts it as: "The Supreme Lord has to be realised within the soul." (Guru Arjan, in Gauri, Guru Granth Sahib, p 276)
Soul-consciousness- the gateway to God
It is the soul that is the master of the body and the senses are its instruments. The soul entering into the realm, beyond the physical, is a thing that actually happens and therefore there is nothing to prove. The answer is within one's self. Truth will not become invalid simply because some people will not see it or are not qualified for that kind of vision.
Aldous Huxley had some mystic state before him when he said:
"Mystics are the channels through which the knowledge of Reality filters down into our human universal. A totally un-mystical world would be a world totally blind and insane." (Guru Nanak Dev's Views of Life Amplified, p 112)
This mystic state is a state of awareness in which the soul is reunited with the Supreme Soul from which it had descended. Then a state of higher consciousness is reached where the soul becomes, for the time being, timeless and space-less. Guru Nanak speaks of it, in Rag Basant:
"He who is attuned to the External Lord, through meditation, in love, attaineth unto the Unfathomable and the Infinite Lord." (Guru Granth Sahib, p 1188)
To attain that higher state one has to put in a lot of concentration to meditate on God. Guru Nanak explains, in Srirag, what is necessary to achieve that position:
"The Beauteous Seat is on high where stands the Palace of the Lord. One attaineth to Its Door by the offerings of Truth, Love and Deeds. The mind is to be instructed in the wisdom of Guru and the soul enlightened through the inner knowledge." (Guru Granth Sahib, p 18)
"High above is the Sky (the Tenth Door) wherein abideth the Lord..." (Guru Nanak in Maru). (Guru Granth Sahib, p 1131)
"The Gate-way to Him opens up when the fire of Ego is extinguished" (Guru Nanak, in Asa) (Guru Granth Sahib, p 466)
The Guru further says, in Asa: "The True One is realised through the purity of the soul." (Guru Granth Sahib, p 472)
Thus, the purification of this self is the key to peace. We should meditate if we aspire for deep bliss and lasting peace and a state of higher consciousness. If we link our souls with the Supreme and have full faith in Him, He will shower divine peace and bliss on us.
The Creator and His creation
Persons in tune with the Infinite can alone give the conceivably correct picture of the Personal God. For instance, the Guru is able to speak of God as the Creator. Regarding the Creator and creation, Guru Nanak, in Japu Ji Sahib, says:
Hukami hovan akaru
hukamu na kahia jai (Guru Granth Sahib, p 1)
"By His Order the creation (forms) came into being, but His Order can not be described."
Hukam is a link between the Creator (Karta) and the creation (Akaru), which include human beings. "All that is created, by the Lord, is the Manifestation of His Ownself," also says Guru Nanak, in Japuji Sahib. His general approach to the subject is apparent from a line of his Japu Ji Sahib: "It is the Creator alone, Who knoweth how He had come to create His Universe." (Guru Granth Sahib, p 7)
There are, however, two hymns- Dhundhukara and Sunya, regarding the nature of the Creator and creation. Dhundhukara creation hymn is the most popular hymn of Guru Nanak, in Maru:
Arabada narabada dhundhukara...
Ja tisu bhana ta jagatu upaia...
Brahma Vishnu Mahesh apae maya mohu vadhaida
Virale ku shabadu suaia kari kari dekhai hukam subaia
Khand Brahmand patal arambhe gupatahu paragati aida
Ta ka anti na jane koi pure gur te sojhie hoi
Nanak saache rate bismadi bisam bhaye gun gaida (Guru Granth Sahib, p 1035)
The Guru has made references to the pre-creation state and Infinite Lord's state of that time. General description of the Sunya state (un-attributed state of perfect stillness) and how creation took place has been given. The reason behind creation has been described the Will of the Creator.
Guru Nanak clearly describes how the Lord makes the whole world, including His forces of creation (Brahma), sustenance (Vishnu) and destruction (Mahesh) symbolised as three main gods, and instils in persons the love of Maya. Thus, it is He who creates the whole universe, its parts and underworlds.
According to Dr. James Massey, three scholars have translated the dhundhukara as 'chaos' (Gopal Singh), 'utter darkness' (Manmohan Singh), and 'darkness' (Talib). In Punjabi, dhund means mist. Therefore, the literal meaning can be mistiness.
Bhai Gurdas makes it crystal-clear:
Kaljuge dhundukar hai bharam bhulai bahu bidh bhakhe (Var 1:25)
Satgur Nanak pargatya miti dhun jag chanan hoa (Var 1: 27)So, dhundukar means iron age (chaos or disorder) and dhun means darkness (evil or sin).
In Dakhni Oamkaar, Guru Nanak says:
Oamkaar Brahma utpati.. (Guru Granth Sahib, p 929-30) which means Oamkaar, the Personal God (Sargun) created Brahma through whom the Ekamkaar (Nirgun), the Absolute God (Transcendent) shaped the creation.
Sunya, the second important hymn is being quoted as Sunya hymn of the creation:
Sunya Kala aparampari dhari, Api niralamu apara apari
Ape Kudarati Kari Kari dekhu sunnhu Sunya upaida..... (Guru Granth Sahib, pp. 1037-38)
This hymn does not present any views about the pre-creation state, except it states the Absolute nature of the Creator, who is not only infinite (apar), but also unique and different (niralamu apara). The point that needs to be noted is that He is not the same as His creation, or He is not identical with it, says Dr. James Massey. Thus, it makes very clear how Guru Nanak's concept of creation is opposed to the pantheistic view.
God and Souls are eternal and immortal
Thus, it was He, Who from the Absolute Self, became Manifest. Sunya literally means Absolute Self (Gopal Singh), Absolute Lord (Manmohan Singh), Void (Talib).
When was creation created? Guru Nanak, in Japu Ji Sahib, says:
Ja Karta sirathi ku saje Ape jane soi (Guru Granth Sahib, p 7)
This means that the Creator Who fashioned the creation only knows the time of creation.
Dhahi usare dhare dhiana (Guru Granth Sahib, p 354). He destroys, and makes, keeping all ever in mind. So, creation is not eternal while the Supreme Soul and souls are eternal and immortal. The Creator created creation many times and destroyed the same. It is a repetition, periodic and cyclic.
Guru Gobind Singh also endorses the repetition of creation as:
Jab udkarakh kara Kartara, praja dharat tab dahe apara
Jab Aakarakh karat ho kabhun, tum mein milat dahe dhar sabh-hun (Chaupai Patshahi 10)
"When the Creator revealed Himself, all creatures of the earth assumed diverse shapes but whenever, Thou drawest creation within Thyself, all embodied beings are absorbed (Mukt) in Thee."
Guru Tegh Bahadur also says:
Ram geyio Ravan geyio ja ka bahu parvaar (Guru Granth Sahib, p 1428)
"Civilisations rise and vanish on the face of the earth like stormy waves that change everything around them in upheaval, then disappear (ascend) into the Changeless. Prophets and tyrants, heroes and villains, the saints and the wicked are all irresistibly and indiscriminately swept away by the Inscrutable Power of God. With one stroke the Almighty Eternal Being shatters the personal influence of despots and tyrants. He brings them to power only in order to grind them down again. Nothing remains except the eternal principle integrating divine actions. All that we consider real vanishes like a dream, and the eternal Reality we fail to see, asserts its power and existence over the history and destiny of nations and people." (Dr. Trilochan Singh: Hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur, 214)
To conclude it is now apparent that there are two aspects of the nature of the Creator, who is Ekamkaar, the Absolute God (unmanifested) and also Oamkaar, the Personal God (manifested). These two are summed up in the phrase of dhundukara hymn, that is, guptahu pargati aida (from the unmanifested He becomes manifested). In the last verse, the Guru says that no one knows the Extent of the Lord. It is through the Perfect Guru (the Overself) that He is revealed to human beings. Nanak, they, who are in love with the True One (Gurmukh), are imbued with His Wonder (gati-miti), then wonder-struck, they sing His Praise.
Dr. Paul Brunton, of the 'The Secret Path' fame, also says:
"The Absolute will re-interpret Itself anew to every age and every clime (region). The divine Silence will break its sacred reticence (reserve) periodically by sending into 'flesh and form' its endless message of Hope to man (humanity). Thus, is the "Word made flesh" and those arise who remind us (people) of what we may become." (The Quest of the Overself, p 228)
The question of creation coming out of 'nothing' or 'pre-existing matter' or 'out of Creator' is not the basic subject of the creation of hymns of Guru Nanak. His basic subject is the sovereignty of the Creator over His creation. At the same time distinction between the Creator and creation has been maintained in the hymns. Phrases like niralamu (different), apar (boundless), nirala (unique), etc. show very clearly that the Creator is above His creation.
The personal aspect of the Creator's nature becomes further evident from the phrases as samale (takes care) and de... rijak (gives food), also concludes Dr. Massey. (Abstracts of Sikh Studies: Jan. 1994, pp. 49-50)
We all are children of God
If we go through the writings of James Huston, the father of Geology, Sir Charles Lyell, the greatest uniformitarian Geologist, Charles Darwin, the profounder of the Evolution Theory and Thomus Henry Huxley, we find that all of them did not believe in the story of Creation (Genesis) as given in the Old Testament. They, therefore, wanted to search for an alternative theory of the origin of the species, the earth and universe.
If the world process were considered as eternal or cyclic in time and if God had been considered Creator in the moral or spiritual sense rather than in the gross meaning in which it has been generally and traditionally been understood, then Darwin and others like him would have continued to believe in a loving God Who is the embodiment of moral good, and the original Source of moral knowledge. (The External World Drama, p 518)
Thus, we should have the spiritual meanings of Creator and creation. God recreates the moral order, and gives spiritual re-birth to children. It is in this sense that He is called Father.
And that is why Guru Arjan Dev reveals, in Sorath:
Ek Pita Ekas ke hum barik (Guru Granth Sahib, p 611)
"We all have a common Father (God) and, on that basis, we are all His children (brothers)."
Therefore, there are two fields of existence: the physical (corporeal) and the metaphysical (incorporeal). Both fields act, react and interact to produce the world drama of which we are all a part, including God. On the physical level, there is the interaction between souls and matter (Maya). On the metaphysical level, there is the interaction between souls and God.
When we assume the Nirgun (Absolute or Transcendent) aspect of God then He is Parbrahm, Avyakt, Nirakar (Incorporeal) at the metaphysical level. He is seen, in form of Light, with the Third eye (through one's soul), of course, with His Grace (Gurprasad). On this plane, He is Omnipotent.
And when we postulate the Sargun (Personal or Immanent) aspect of God, then He is Brahm, Vyakt, Sakaar (Corporeal) at the physical level. He is seen in form of Its creation with these eyes. On this account, He is Omnipresent.
Thus, the Personal God is clothed with Attributes. It also represents to us a Person who loves us as Father and Mother do, leads us on the path of Truth, and Whom we call our Guru, Teacher, Brother and Companion. Thus, Guru Nanak, in Majh, speaks of Him:
Tun mera Pita Tun hain mera Mata
Tun mera Bandhpu Tun mera Bharata (Guru Granth Sahib, p 103)Thus, the two- the Absolute and the Personal- are not to be regarded as separate entities. These are so arranged in this order. The Absolute has to be there before the phenomenon of creation can start to function.
The Real is not the sum of the two, also affirms Narain Singh (The Jap of the Name: Bhagat Puran Singh, Pingalwara, Amritsar, p 17). He adds, the Absolute, conceived as It is, in Itself, independent of creation, is the Supreme. And This Supreme GodFather is Omnipotent.
The Absolute is the Supreme, the All-inclusive Essence (Ekamkaar-Nirgun). When it is thought of as creating (Brahma), sustaining (Vishnu) and destroying (Shanker), It is called Qualifying God, the Personal (Oamkaar-Sargun). Thus, Ekamkaar and Oamkaar are the two aspects or roles of the Lord, as Guru Arjan states, in Asa:
'The Absolute God (Nirgun) and the Personal God (Sargun) are but His Names, since both converge to the One." (Guru Granth Sahib, p 387)
Guru Gobind Singh craves to meditate on Nirgun God (Transcendent) when he says:
"Aad anti Eko Awtara soi Guru samjheo hamara" (Guru Gobind Singh, Chaupai)
"One Who manifests Himself at the time of creation, is my Guru"
"Deh Siva bar moh ehai" (Guru Gobind Singh, Chandi Charitar)
"Give me, O Shiva, the boon (blessing)"
Siva joti kanhu budhi pai satiguru rakhavala (Guru Granth Sahib, p 1328)
"Through the True Guru the Saviour Shiva, Light is received in the soul." (Sikhism, Punjabi University, 84)
Guru Tegh Bahadur further illustrates:
"Why goest thou, O man, in the forests, in search of the Lord? He liveth in all and yet remaineth Distinct (ever detached), and He abideth within thee also as fragrance is in the flower or as reflection in the mirror, so doth He dwells, within thee. Seek Him, therefore, in thy own soul." (Sikhism, Punjabi University, 84)
"The Name of the Lord, ever flames in my heart. There is nothing like it in the world. By meditating on Him, pain and sorrow depart. And person sees the vision the vision of God." (Guru Granth Sahib, p 1429)
So is revealed to the true seeker the hidden mystery of Truth of truths, the vision and Light of God.
The writer is a lawyer and chairperson of the International Human Rights Organisation
(IHRO).
-The Sikh Review: July 1998
-Also Charhdikala: Feb 19-25/1998 &
-The World Renewal: April 1998