The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : The vision of Guru Nanak

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Friday, Nov 26, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

The vision of Guru Nanak

CHENNAI, NOV. 26. Does the practice of rituals in itself fetch a devotee enlightenment and liberation? When followed by true devotion and an earnest attempt at purity of thought, word and deed, it is bound to be beneficial. However such a way of life is not practical for all men on earth. A visionary showed the way to salvation by offering in place a universal spiritual process founded on the fundamentals of prayer, devotion and meditation. This luminary was none other than Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

In his lecture on the occasion of the Guru's birth anniversary, Sri I. S. Sethi said Guru Nanak laid the foundation of a spiritually-oriented dynamic social life that is in complete contrast to age-old beliefs and uncompromising adherence to rigid rituals such as mortification of one's frame to attain salvation. His vision of life embraced the entire humanity, and "Jap Ji," his first revelation, commands universal appeal, and has the same significance for Sikhs just as the Upanishads and particularly the Gita hold for Hindus. The saint realised that a religion must be practical in order to flourish as a living force capable of bringing solace to the harried and the troubled. To this end he propounded the philosophy that in order to attain `mukti' there was no need for anyone to renounce family life. Rather he emphasised the prerequisites as good moral conduct, purity of heart and virtuous deeds. "Truth is higher than everything else, but higher still is truthful living." His teachings, as he traversed the vast subcontinent, revolutionised the prevalent modes of thought, initiating a new revolutionary movement aimed atspiritual reconstruction, moral regeneration and social amelioration of man. His basic tenet was "fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man."

His ideals brought all sections of society under the banner of `universal brotherhood.' Guru Nanak held that the light of the Supreme shines in all hearts. The real religion of man is humanity and a person should work for the welfare of human beings and adopt a truthful way of leading their lives at all times. In one of the hymns the Guru says, "Let men turn towards Him and enshrine Him in his heart." Enjoining on a person to combat the evils of the world, appealing to all to shed vainglory and pomp, repudiating the caste system and instead calling upon people to judge others by their deeds and nothing else, he envisioned a just society as the aspiration of a true seeker.

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