_ _ a gurmat gyan presentation _ khalsa heritage trust mukhtyar singh

_ _ A Gurmat Gyan Presentation

_KHALSA

HERITAGE

TRUST

Mukhtyar Singh

_ _ The Guru and Waheguru The Guru and God

in Gurmat ( Sikh Faith )

_ _

Who or what is Guru in Gurmat?

Who or what is Waheguru in Gurmat?

_ _

In order to determine who or what is Guru in Gurmat and who or what is Waheguru in Gurmat, we need to know what the individual characteristics of the Guru and Waheguru are.

By doing this we will be able to access what and if there is any relationship between the two entities.

_ _ How do we define individuality?

Every one’s individuality or identity is unique.

Individuals are identified by their personal characteristics or qualities. These characteristics or qualities stem from a collection of their thoughts.

Therefore an individual is the sum of his thoughts.

_ _Who or what is Waheguru in Gurmat?

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, in his composition the ‘ Jup ’ Ji Sahib, which appears in the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib ji, defines Waheguru in the form of the Mool Mantar, the root belief of Gurmat, as:

_ _ Who or what is Waheguru in Gurmat?--contd

‘ Ek Onkar, Satnam, Karta Purkh, Nirbhau, Nirvair, Akaal Murat, Ajunu, Saibhang, Gurparsad. ’

There is only One God, He is Eternal Truth, He is the Creator, He is Without Fear, He is without Enmity, He never dies, He is not Born, He is Self-Created, He is attained by His Grace.


Guru Gobind Singh Ji reiterates this qualification in his composition ‘ Jap ’ Sahib Ji which is enshrined in the Sarb Loh Granth:

‘ Chakar chehan or Burn Jat or Pat nehan je. Roop rung or rekh, pekh koi keh na sakat ke. Achul murat, anbhov prakash , amtoj kahijai, Kot inder indran, shah shahan ganijai. Tir bhavan maheep, sur nur asur, nait nait bun trin kehat. Tuv sarb nav kathe kavan, karm nam, burnat sumat.’


O God! You have no markings, no colour, no attitude. You have no dynasty nor parentage. Your personality is eternal, Self- illuminated, with immeasurable strength, it is said. You are Raja, counted millions times above rajas and counted Inder above millions of Inders. You are the King of the whole world. The demi-gods, Mankind and lower beings and nature say you are without limit. There is no one your equal. No one has complete knowledge of you. All who speak of you say that what you do.

_ _ Who or what is Guru in Gurmat?

What are the characteristics or qualities that qualify Guru?

Gurbani tells us that :-

---‘ Mun huth kine na paa eho sub thukhe karm kmae ’

Through physical and mental straining none have

obtained the Lord.

--‘ Mun huth bhekh kur bhurmde, dhukh pae – aa dhuje

bha-ae ’

Through obstinacy and assuming false forms they are

deluded and hence suffer pain through the attachment of

worldly gain.

_ _ Who or what is Guru in Gurmat?--contd

Gurbani also tells us that:-

--‘Jin kiah so gur te jania ’ –

He who has created you ( God ) , can only be known through the Guru and

--‘ Jis jul nid karn tum jug aaeh so amrit gur pahi jio ’

The eternal nectar for which you have come into the world is with the Guru.

--‘ Gur bin koi na utrus par ’-

Without the Guru there is no salvation


--‘ Kaho Nanak prubh ehai janaee, Bin Gur mukt na paa-ehe bhai ’

Sayes Nanak the Lord has said, without the Guru there is no

salvation.

--‘ Gur bin quore andhar, guru bin sumaj na avai. Gur bin surat na

sidh, Guru bin mukt na pavai ’

Without the Guru there is total darkness, Without the Guru there is

no understanding.

Without the Guru there is no awareness nor success, Without the

Guru there is no salvation.


Gurbani tells us about the world we have come into to achieve salvation :

--‘ Eh jug andha sub andh kmavai bin Gur mug na pa –eh -’

This world is blind and all act blindly. Without the Guru they find not the path


--‘ Bin Satgur sub jug bhohrana. Munmukh andhe shabad na janai jhoodhae bharm bhulana ’

Without the true Guru , the whole world has gone mad. The blind ego eccentric does not know not the name

( the true way ) and because of false delusions, has gone astray.

--‘ Satgur data mael milavai har nam devai aadhare ’

The Guru gives the nam through which we can unite with God .

_ _ What is the relationship between Guru and Waheguru?

In order to define the relationship between Guru and Waheguru we need to determine the individuality of both Guru and Waheguru.

How does Guru Nanak Dev Ji identify himself?

_ _ What is the relationship between Guru and Waheguru?- 1

Guru Nanak Dev Ji has never spoken or given his own opinion on any subject. In fact He has declared:

‘ Hukamai under sub ko, bahur Hukam na koi ’

Everyone is subject to the will of God. No one is outside this command.

_ _ What is the relationship between Guru and Waheguru? - 2

Guru Nanak Dev Ji declares that his thoughts are not his own but those of God that he receives when in communion with God. ‘ Jesai me avai Kasam ki Bani tesi kuroo vehkhian ve Lalo ’

All his thoughts are the thoughts that have come from God . He has merely uttered them:

_ _ What is the relationship between Guru and Waheguru?--3

Guru Gobind Singh Ji also declares the same – ‘ Jim tin kahi tinay tim keh ho.’ As he told me so I have told them. ‘ keh-ho prabhoo so bhakh hon.’ The Lord has told so I have spoken.


The Bhats have declared in their Sawayyas, incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, that Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s spirit amalgamated with the 2nd Guru and in turn the 2nd to the 3rd and so on until the 10th Guru. All the Gurus have the same one spirit – Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Thus all 10 Gurus are Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the sum of all the thoughts of the ten Gurus in written form.


So in conclusion, the relationship between Guru and

Waheguru, can be thus determined:

An individual or the identity of an individual is the sum of his thoughts.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his successors have declared that all their thoughts are not their own and therefore there is no contribution from them. The thoughts that they have propagated come from Waheguru.


This means that the Guru has no identity of his own. No individuality of his own. The Guru’s identity lies in the identity of the thoughts of God.

Therefore the relationship between the Guru and Waheguru is that they are one and the same.


The Guru is the Immanent ( Surgun ) form of the Transcendent

( Nirgun ) form of Waheguru.

The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the written Form of Waheguru.

‘ Bani Guru Guru hai Bani ’

Bani ( Waheguru thoughts ) are the Guru.

The Guru ( Waheguru thoughts ) is the Bani.


The Guru is the immanent form of Waheguru

There is no difference between

Guru and Waheguru

_ _ What is the relationship Guru and Waheguru? - 9

Further quotes from Gurbani :-

‘ Gur Parmesher eko jan ’

The Guru and Waheguru are One

‘ Gur Nanak Nanak Har soy ’

Nanak is the Guru, Nanak is Waheguru


Further quotes from Gurbani :- cont’d

‘ Parbrahm Gur nahi bhedh ’

There is no difference between

Waheguru and the Guru

‘ Parbrahm puran Gurdev ’

Waheguru and Guru are complete


Further quotes from Gurbani :- cont’d

‘ Gur mera Parbrahm Gur Bhagwant ’

My Guru is Waheguru, the Guru is Waheguru

‘ Parbrahm Gur reha smai ’

Waheguru and Guru remain absorbed


Conclusion

Waheguru exists in two states –

Transcendant and Immanent - Nirgun and Surgun

In the transcendant state Waheguru is unknowable –Nirgun

In the Immanent state Waheguru is knowable – Surgun

In the Surgun state he manifests himself as Guru Nanak


Conclusion – cont’d

Through Guru Nanak Dev ji Waheguru reveals himself as - Shabad / Bani

Thus in the Surgun state Waheguru is Guru Nanak who is Bani / Shabad.

-- ‘ Bani Guru Guru hai Bani ’

Waheguru is Guru, Guru is Waheguru


Conclusion –Cont’d

Guru Granth Sahib is the written form of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his nine successors and hence the Shabad / Bani form of Waheguru.

Guru Granth Sahib is the Immanent form of Waheguru

Mukhtyar Singh

_ _ a gurmat gyan presentation _ khalsa heritage trust mukhtyar singh

Documents

gurmat sikh faith slide

guru granth sahib ji

guru nanak dev ji

contd guru gobind singh

gurmat gyan presentation

root belief of gurmat

jup ji sahib

contd o god