Adi Guru Nanak 9th Guru Incarnated

Shri Guru Nanak Ji was the 9th Adi Guru incarnated on earth to uplift the mankind.

Shri Guru Nanak was Born into a Hindu family in 1439 ( some ancient text confirm it as 29th November 1469) in a place what is now Pakistan. Following a transformative realization, while taking bath in the river Bein, he gave up his career as an accountant in a provisional shop and began to travel throughout India teaching, composing hymns and establishing centres of workship known as Dharmasalas

Shri Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated worldwide as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Kartik Pooranmashi, the full moon day in the month of Katak, Oct- Nov.

Shri Guru Nanak has said that what is inside is what is outside, there is no difference. He does not differentiate between all that exists. According to him, all is one. He taught the absolute unity of God, everything is God and everything that depends upon the 'Will' of God. He says Spirit and matter are not different but both are same. The 'Matter', is a form of spirit. (What is briefed in Ganeshatharvasheesham is applicable to his this teaching)

When Mughal's domination had led to increasing tension between Hindu and Muslim community, seeing the divisiveness of human religions, he said, "There is no Hindu or Muslim, all are only Human beings so "whose path shall I follow?, I shall follow the path of God".

Shri Guru Nanak taught that the way to connect with the Supreme is not through rituals but through direct personal experience. Therefore, Shri Guru Nanak emphasised meditation on the Name and Presence of God.  "As fragrance abides in the flower, as reflection is within the mirror, so does your Lord abide within you. Why search for him without?" (elsewhere outside).

He also made it clear that the realization of Self / God is not possible without the compassionate agency of a true Guru. (But in today's worst Kaliyug where all the Psuedo Gurus are roaming for personal gains and to cover the respective other illegal business they might be involved, "Shree Mataji Nirmala Devi" has clearly asked to find the Guru within oneself. "Every human being has his own Guru sleeping inside him her in the form of "Adi Shakti" Kundalini at our respective 'Sacrum Bone' "Mooladhar Chakra". We can awaken her through mediation with pure desire.

"The Guru is my ship to cross the world ocean. The Guru is my place of pilgrimage and sacred stream."

"Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru, none can cross over to the other shore." (He probably hinted without awakening our own sleeping Holy Kundalini within ourself we cannot think of Salvation).

Before His death in 1539, Guru Nanaka chose one of his followers to take responsibility for establishing the principles He had taught. The principles were then passed down through a succession of gurus in the Sikh religion. Sikhism was not initially intended to be a separate religion from Hinduism or Islam but, due to a long period of persecution, it became increasingly distinct.

Once Shri Guru Nanak, while travelling to Kashmir, met Pandit Brahm Das, a learned but proud man. Brahm Das approached the Guru with two camel loads of books and texts and with a stone idol suspended from his neck. Unable to find out the religious identity of the Guru, he questioned Guru Nanak on his faith, the rituals he observed and the food he ate. Shri Guru Nanak replied, "there is but one highway and there is but one entrance: He created Himself and Himself He recognised. od is Himself the relish, the thing relished and the relisher".

Brahm Das further asked him how the Lord existed before creation. "There was neither night nor day, neither sun nor moon, no earth nor firmaments. He alone was there. There was neither birth nor death, no speech, neither air nor water, neither creation nor destruction, neither coming nor going. There was neither male nor female, neither caste nor reincarnation, neither pain nor pleasure. The unspeakable one was Himself the speaker, the Unknowable One had alone the knowledge of Himself" answered Shri Guru Nanak.

Almighty, as seen by Shri Guru Nanak, is IK Onkar, the One (Hindus address the same force as "Sadashiv", Muslims as "Allah", Christians as "The Father in heaven")  He said, "He is the creator and the creation. The Nirakas(formless) manifests through creation so the question of divisions does not emerge. The supreme is Satnam, the only Truth and it is futile to please Him through rituals and sacrifices. Outward forms, formulas, incantations, image workship and superstitions are of no use. (Prophet Shri Mohammed Nabi too has preached the same meaningful lines in a slightly different contest)

Shri Guru Nanak exhorted the people to establish a direct link with the Almighty through a simple marg of Nam-Simran, chanting the Name. Divine love is the only way of salvation. When he was weighing wheat flour in the provision store as Nanak would reach the number 13( tera), which in Punjabi means "yours", Shri Nanak could only utter, "Tera",  "Tera",  "Tera", ...(Lord I am Thine, I am Thine I am Thine).

He said there cannot be Love without Gods service. All living beings are God's own and none can obtain any reward without rendering service. We shall be rewarded according to our service.

Vand- chchakna, Sharing, incorporates another aspect of Sikh faith. It is like providing service to society and people. But this sharing should be based on Kirat Karni, honest livelihood, Nam-japna, vand-chchakna and Kirat Karna along with seva, form the main pillars of Sikhism as propounded by Shri Guru Nanak.

Shri Guru Nanak explains the five stages in the path of Realization.

 

Dharam- khand is where a man performs his duties towards himself, family and society. 

Jnana-khand symbolises knowledge where man realises the vastness of God's creation. 

Saram-khand is the realm of spiritual effort and a man tries to imbibe the qualities of God like truth, justice, and compassion. Jaisa sewai taisa hoi- you become what you meditate on. 

Karam-khand is grace. With the grace of Guru, he gets a vision of God's realm and becomes a Gurmukh.

Sach-khand, The last stage shows him the Sach-khand, the "Almighty" the "Supreme Truth"

These stages are a part of householders way of life, not of a renouncer. Shri Guru Nanak says that this highway of illumination is open to one and all. "The learned and the illiterate can both attain the highest spiritual stage", Hence Shri Guru Nanak preached, listening to the Word, Gurbani and its acceptance and then carrying out the Guru's instructions in everyday life is what distinguishes the Sikh way of life.

The above information was gathered from the various reliable literatures, internet sourses and various holy books of Sahaja yoga.

"Jai Shree Mataji"

Sudesh DJV

Indore / MP/ India

23rd Nov 2018

Sudesh DJV writes on contemporary subjects in the form of Articles and poems which is in the interest of the Nation in particular and for the Mankind in general.