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GURU GRANTH SAHIB SPEAKS- 2 NAAM - Internet Archive

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Page 1: GURU GRANTH SAHIB SPEAKS- 2 NAAM - Internet Archive
Page 2: GURU GRANTH SAHIB SPEAKS- 2 NAAM - Internet Archive
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GURU GRANTH SAHIB SPEAKS - 2

NAAMNAME OF THE LORD

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By tbe same autbor:

Guru Granth Sahib: An Analytical Study, Dictionary 0Guru Granth Sahib, Dictionary ofMythological Reference:in Guru Granth Sahib, The Sikh Philosophy, Yoga of thlSikhs, The Sikh Prayers, Sikhism and Major World ReligionsOutlines ofSikh Thought, Sikh Ethics, Life and Ideals ofGunGobind Singh (based on original sources), Sikh PredictiornPhilosophy of Guru Nanak, Travels of Guru Nanak, ThNinth Nanak, Sikhism and Guru Granth Sahib, A Hist07ofPunjabi Literature, A Conceptual Encyclopaedia of GU7Granth Sahib, The Sikh and Sikhism, Death and After an

Real Sikhism. {

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fflT W3' fi.r3r 83' H13- c:; griff /I

H?i~ ?iT!:! ~ frfar HtJ Ie] /I

fflT }fi]T~ F!3" HH~ /I-"3CT~ 7iT!:f frfar ~ 'fJ5 /I

W'bere mother, father, son, brother, noone will associate you,

o Mind! only God's Name will supportyou there.

W'bere there big terrible demons reside,Only Lord's True Name will accompany

you there.

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CONTENTS

• Foreword 9

• Concept of Naam in SikhismA General Study 11

• Logos or Word (Shabda) Shabda-Brahm 25

• Names of God or Adorable Deity 32

• Remembrance of Naam 42

• Naam as Gum-Mantra 52

• Devotion and Prayer 59

• Several Manifestations of a SikhConstantly reciting Naam 69

• Spiritual Experiences of a Gursikh 78

• Meditation in Sikhism 94

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FOREWORD

By the Grace of the True Guru, a strong desire had beencreated in. my mind to bring before the Sikhs now spreadin various parts of world the message of their Scripture ina series of books. For this purpose, a series entitled 'GuruGranth Sahib Speaks' has been launched, in which two bookshave been prepared with the titles Death and After andNaam. I am confident that the Sikhs living in various partsof the world will be interested to imbibe the True Guru'swords in their lives and reform themselves in order tobecome worthy citizens of not only this world, but also berecipient of honours in the next world. There is no doubtthat at present the Sikhs who have migrated to variouscountries and settled there for the last half a century or morehave not only lost their hold on their own language Le.Punjabi, but also do not know intimately about their religiousliterature. They mostly know that they are Sikhs coming fromPunjab and settling in foreign lands with different cultures.They are of course very sturdy and brave people and unlessthey know the ins and outs of their own religion and followthe sayings of the Gurus, they will not survive as Sikhs fora long time. Therefore, it is necessary for them to live uptothe standards and norms fixed by their Gurus and a deeppercepti9n of their heritage.

I do not claim to be an ideal Sikh and might have fallena prey to many failings, but it is the Grace of the True Guru,who beckons me to proceed further in his mission. I do notclaim to be a great Scholar of my religion and might havegiven some erratic explanations, but the Sikh Sangat which

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10 FOREWORD

is Supreme, will come to my guidance. The above-mentionedtwo books are before the Sikh community, which will suggestto me some very emergent topics for the series so that aslong as I live, some service may be done from my side,though I believe that it is only the True Guru, who goes onbestowing his kindness upon his Sikhs.

I am confident that the Sikhs will like this series andwrite to me about their suggestions for its betterment. Mypresent address is given below.

39, Henderson Street,

Levenshulme,

Manchester M 19 2QR (UK)

Surindar Singh Kohli(Professor)

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CONCEPT OF NAAM IN SIKHISMA GENERAL STUDY

In every walk of loife we need a guide. In order to beproficient in a line, we have to get proper training. Similaris the case in spiritual domain. For our spiritual uplift weneed a Guru or religious preceptor, who prepares us inthought, deed and action in order to make us a loving brideof the Lord. The Guru or Satgum (True Guru) is the kindlylight, which sheds lustre on our path. The precious gift ofthe Guru to the disciple is Naam, the Name of the Lord.

The institution of Guru is very old in India. InUpanishads, the last part of the Vedas, we find the Guruinstructing his disciples. The disciple expresses his doubtsand questions the seer, who gives apt replies, which arebased upon his personal experience. The Guru or Satgum!is the one, who has realised Brahman. But there have beeninnumerable pretenders in every age, who deceived theirdi~ciples and had only their material gains in view. Theydanced before their disciples in several guises for the sakeof their bread.2 The Sikh Gurus and the saint:'poets of theSikh Scripture have painted these pretenders in their truecolours, blind preceptor always drowns his companions.3 Ifthe master is naked and hungry, how can his servant haveto his fill?4

In Gum Granth Sahib, nearly every hymn talks directlyor indirectly about the Guru. The Guru is the pivot of thewhole Sikh thought. The reverence for the Guru is not onlydelineated in Sikhism, it is also found in Upanishads, Tantrasand Agamas. For the disciple his Guru is Brahma, Vishnu

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12 NAAM

and Shiva.5 For the disciple his Guru is a vast ocean, a holyplace of pilgrimage, a ship, a philosopher's stone, amoneylender, a jeweller, a guide, a mahout, a doctor, awarrior, mediator etc.6 He looks at his preceptor fromdifferent angles.

But the question arises about the physical aspect of theGuru-Soul. In the Primal Age, the Guru-Soul was identicalwith Brahman. This shows that the first and the foremostGuru is God Himself. Guru Nanak Dev and Guru GobindSingh talk of Him as their Guru.7 When the universe wascreated by Brahman, the Guru-Soul pervaded the universeas Ishvara, but when Ishvara became manifest through anenlightened Soul in a physical form, it adopted several namesin different periods. These enlightened Souls through whomthe Word of God or Naam or Gur-Shabad spread in theuniverse were called Gurus. The ten Gurus of the Sikhs arethe ten manifestations of the Guru-Soul. All the radical saints,whose verses have been included in the Sikh Scriptureexperienced the manifestation of the Guru-Soul within them.Since this Scripture contains the message of the Guru-Soul,his Word or Bani, it was given the status of the Guru byGuru Gobind Singh. The physical form disappeared with theTenth Guru and the Guru-Soul manifested in the form ofWord or Shabda or Bani or Naam. In fact, the body is proneto death, but the Shabda or Naam lives for ever. In theScripture itself, the significance of Gurbani or Gur-Shabdahas been depicted in the follOWing manner:

The Bani is the Gum. and Guru is the BaniAnd all the ambrosias exist in Bani.s

If the disciple follows the sayings of Bani, the Gurutakes the disciple across the world-ocean.

In the words of Guru Nanak Dev:

The Word is the Gum. and the Concentration is thedisciple. (Ramkali M. 1, p. 943)9

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CONCEPT OF NAAM IN SIKHISM-A GENERAL STUDY 13

When the Guru is in the physical form, he possessesthe following attributes:

1. He has realised Brahman. 10

2. He is anxious to get the release of all humanity.He is Merciful and forgives the sinners,u

3. He is the field of piety.124. He is without enmity. He sees Brahman all around.

Everybody is equal in his eyes. 13

5. He is the giver of comfort and destroyer of evils.1i

6. Whosoever meets him and acts according to hisinstructions, attains the state of bliss. IS

7. He is the house of snow like Himalayas. 16

8. He imparts the knowledge of Brahman. 17

9. He gives Naam (Name) or Shabda (Word) to thedisciple.18

to. For his disciple, he is like father, mother, master,God, friend, relative and brother. 19

11. He is the key-bearer of the House of the Lord. OnlyHe can open it.2O

The two important functions of the Guru are:

1. Imparting Guru Mantra or Word or Name of theLord to the disciple.

2. Imparting the knowledge of Brahman.

The mantra or the Word of the Guru is Guru himself,therefore the greatest service of the Guru consists in therepetition of this mantra with faith and love. Just as the wateris contained in the pitcher and without water there can beno pitcher, in a similar manner the mind is controlled by theknowledge and there can be no knowledge without theGuru. 21 The Word of the Guru destroys the ego and theknowledge imparted by the Guru destroys the poisonousfangs of maya, the she-serpent. Guru Arjan Dev says:

I have broken offfrom the deceitful she-serpent.The Guru told me that she was false and fraudulent.She is a bitter pill coated with sugar.

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But my mind is satisfied with the nectar of Name.I have broken off from the company of greed and

attachment.The Merciful Gum hath given me refuge.This trickish (maya) hath mined many a house.We have been saved by the Merciful Gum.I have broken offfrom lust and anger,I have heard the instmction ofthe Gum with my own

ears.Whenever I see, the supreme demon is there,We have been saved by the Gum and God.The senses and sense-organs have been made widows

by me.The Gum told me that they were like poisonous fire.Whosoever hath any concern with them goes to hell.We have been saved by the Gum through the love of

God.I have broken offfrom ego, the Gum told me that it

was foolish and obstinate.It is homeless, it can never find a home.We have been saved by the Gum through the love of

God.We have become inimical to these people.Both cannot live in the same house,We have come to the Lord and taken refuge in Him.Do justice, 0 Omniscient Lord!God spoke with us smilingly and did justice,He put in my service all the seroants,Thou arl my Master, all this house is Thine,The Gum hath given this decision, saith Nanak.

(Prabhati M. 5, p. 1347)ll

The above verses make it clear that in the company ofthe Guru, the five principal evils dwindle away and we realisethe Lord. The miracle is brought about by the mantraimparted by the Guru, therefore the real Guru is this mantra(Gur-mantra) and the promulgator of mantra is none else

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CONCEPT OF NAAM IN SIKHISM-A GENERAL STUDY 15

than the first Lord. The human Teacher is a representativeof the Divine. In other words he may be called the Divineitself in human form.

The Tantras have also taken a similar view about theGuru. In the Yogini Tantra it is written: He who is the firstLord and is called Mabakal is the Guru, 0 Devi! in allmantras. None else is the Guru. He is verily the Guru ofthe Shaivas, Shaktas, Vaishanavas, Ganapatyas, Moon­Worshippers, Mahashaivas, and Sauras. He and none else isthe promulgator of mantra. At tbe time ofimparting mantra,o daughter of Mountain! He manifests Himself in bim, wboimparts mantra. Hence 0 Devi! verily there is no Gurushipin man.....Because He Manifests Himself in the human Guru,therefore the greatness of the human Guru is published inall the Sbastras.

In Visbvasara Tantra the follOWing significant wordsoccur about the Guru: "The appearance of the Guru is theroot of Dbyana, the lotus-feet of the Guru is the root of PUja,the word of the Guru is the root of mantra and the Graceof the Guru is the root of Siddbi." Guru Arjan Dev hasdepicted and classified the above ideas about the Guru inone of his hymns:

Bring tbe appearance (murtO of tbe Guru in tbeDbyana of tbe mind.

Accept tbe Word of tbe Guru as tbe Mantra in yourmind,

Adopt tbe Feet of tbe Guru in your beart,Always bow before tbe GUTU-"-tbe Higher Brahman.None in the world should remain in doubt,Nobody can cross the world-ocean without the Guru.The Guru has put me on the right path,I have broken offfrom everything except devotion.The fear of transmigration has been removed.Ibis is the infinite greatness of tbe Perfect Guru.With the Grace oftbe Guru, tbe downward lotus hath

blossomed up.

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16 NAAM

The light hath spread in the darkness,The Creator hath been realised by me through the

Guru.With the Grace of the Guru, the foolish mind hath

come on the right path.The Guru is the Creator, He hath power to do

everything,The Guru is the Supreme Ishvara, 'Who is and 'Who will

be.God hath taught me this, saith Nanak,We cannot achieve final emancipation without the

Guru.(Gaund M. 5, p. 864)23

The True Guru ipcludes the functions of both of ShikshaGuru (Teacher) and the Deeksha Guru (Initiator). Thesefunctions are the imparting of knowledge of the path andthe initiation. The initiation is done through a mantra or theShabda (Word). The Guru guides the disciple at every step;md Siddhi is attained only through his guidance..... A mantra, which may be called sacred syllable or wordis an invocation to the Deity. The mantra occurs in twoforms. One form is the regular prayer in words. In this respectmany hymns of Guru Granth Sahib may be called mantras.The practice of mantras for the fulfilment of worldly desireshas been rejected by the Sikh Gurus as mere incantationsand charms. Only such mantra or mantras are acceptableas a~e imparted by the True Guru for the sake of the unionof the disciple with the. Lord. The Mool Mantra is thesignificant mantra in Sikhism, which occurs in the verybeginning of Guru Granth Sahib. The other form of mantrais the combination of syllables. It is called Beef-Mantra (Seed­Mantra), Gur-Shabad (Word of the Guru) or the Name ofthe Lord. Since Guru is a field of piety, the Seed-Mantra fromthat field can only grow in the disciple's field with a similarclimate and similar efforts. The syllables of Bija-Mantra inSikhism are Wahu-Guru, which are the sound-bodies of

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CONCEPT OF NAAM IN SIKHISM-A GENERAL STUDY 17

Brahman. They reproduce in human speech the originalsound-vibrations th~t accompany the manifestation ofBrahman. When repeated, these sounds act as evocationsto Brahman and provide the appearance of Brahm to theaspiring devotee. In the Bija-Mantra of the Sikhs Le. Wahu­Guru, the word Guru is for Para-Brahman and Wahu, thecombination of wa and ha stands for the 'Wonderful Lord'.The combination of wa and ha also occurs in the tenthsection of Taittinya Upanishad as ha vu ha vu ha vu, whichmeans 'Oh Wonderful, Oh Wonderful, Oh Wonderful'. Thesound-bodies of Wahu-Guru manifest l1efore the disciple 'theWonderful Para-Brahman'. Brahma! may be called bycountless names by the disciples, who create these namesaccording to the attributes of their Godhead, but the realName of God is Sat, which is the first and the foremost. Itshows Brahman as Ever-Existent.

Since the Word of the Guru is the Bija-Mantra or theName of the Lord, it grows into the heart of the devotee asBrahm, therefore the Seed-Mantra is sometimes calledShabad-Brahm.

None of the meritorius works equals the Name of theLord.24 All the sins are washed away with it.25 Those whorepeat or listen to it become pure.26 They attain bliss. TheName of Han (Lore1) is like Paarjaat (wish-fulfJ1ling tree) andKaamdhenu (Wish-fulfilling cow),27 It fulfils all the wishesof the devotee. The best Dharma of all is the Name of theLord, the remembrance of which is the best action.28 Itpreserves us in all conditions and ftnishes all our hungersand desires.29 Through it we attain the peace of mind.30 Thewhole world is diseased and the Name of the Lord is theonly remedy. The 9isease occurs in the absence of Truth.3!

Early hours of the morning known as Amrit-vela (thetime for receipt of the Nectar) is the best time forconcentration, therefore, it is the best time for remembranceof the Name of the Lord.32 But there is no bar regarding theother parts of the day for the purpose. The True Devotee

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18 NAAM

remembers the Lord in all his actions and postures i.e.standing, sleeping or walking.33 One may be at home or injourney, the whole-hearted remembrance at all times underthe guidance of the Guru fulfils our objective.Yl The adviceof Namdev, the Maharashtrian saint to the saint Trilochanmust be followed by every disciple: "Do all the work withyour hands and feet, but keep your chitta (conscious mind)in tune with the Lord."Yl But the question arises--How canwe remember the Lord in our sleep? The sleep is only meantfor the tired body. The body may take rest, but the soul isalways awake. The body may relax, but the mind is alwayson the move. This mind, which is an outer covering of thesoul alongwith Buddhi (intellect) has to be trained on theright path, so that the soul becomes conscious of its entity.In this way, we always (even in sleep) remain in tune withInfinite. Kabir says: "If a person repeats the Name of theLord in his dream, I am ready to cast off my body for hisshoes."35

Some people argue and question the utility of the Nameof the Lord. The devotee, who is always imbued with theName, subdues his ego and kills his evil thoughts by hiswhole-time engagement with the Name. He performs all hisworldly duties, but he swerves from the right path, alwaysworking under the instruction and guidance of the Guru. Theouter and inner disorders fill our houses with dirt everydayand the housewife sweeps it regularly, similarly the Nameregularly sweeps away the dirt of ego etc. from our mindsand makes us worthy devotees of the Lord. The Name andego cannot live at one plane.36 Several maunds of fuel isconsumed with a spark of fire, similarly the great numberof sins are consumed by the devotional remembrance of theName.37 The Name saves us from the dreadful Yama. It helpsus at the time of death as a true friend. It helps us in alldifficulties, a~ all times. The Lord Himself appears and takesHis devotee out of all the difficulties and troubles.

The person who is imbued with the Name of the Lord

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CONCEPT OF NAAM IN SIKHISM-A GENERAL STUDY 19

has the following attributes:

He is a warrior with perfect forbearance andintelligence.

He is in Sahaj (equipoise) meditation, deep andserene.He is ever released and his works are complete.In whose heart resides the Name of Han (Lord),He has all comforts, he is blissful and healthy.All are equal in his eyes. He is perfectly unattached,He neither comes nor goes and never sweroes,In whose mind, the Name of Lord resides.

(~~iM. 5, p. 890~

All the works and actions enjoined by Shastras for theemancipation remain far inferior to the remembrance of theName of the Lord. The significance of the Name has beenvery well propounded in Sukhmani by Guru Arjan Dev.Without the Name of the Lord, a human being wastes hislife,39 and can never attain the peace of mind. The world islike fire and the Name of the Lord is like cold water.40

Now the question arises as to how a disciple has totraverse the path of Naam- Yoga? The first and commonmethod of the remembrance of the Name is through thetongue, about which Guru Nanak Dev says in ]apuji:

If a tongue multiplies into a lakh and it grows intotwenty lakhs,

And if we repeat the Name of the Lord a lakh timeswith a tongue,

In this way we can climb the rungs of reverence andbecome one with the Lord."1

One who, by the Grace of God, attains the blessingsof Simran and always utters God's Name With profounddevotion, does not swerve in this or the next world."2 Peoplemay repeat the Name of the Lord through their tongues, butthat will never bring the peace of mind. If the Name residesin the heart through the Grace of the Guru, the devotee wiliget the desired result,43 All repeat the Name of Han with their

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20 NAAM

mouths, but the person in whose heart the Name resides isa rarity.'" The final emancipation can only be obtained, whenthe Name resides in the heart. The remembrance of the Namecan bring no fruit, if the life of a person is corrupt.45

The second method of the remembrance of the Nameof the Lord is through breath. Each breath goes inward andoutward, bears the Name. In this way a time comes, whenthe remembrance becomes spontaneous. The repetition ofthe Name continues through breath in every walk of life. Thetongue does not work in this case and only the mind workswith the breath.

Without tongue, who repeats with the breath the Nameof the Lord, he is rarity. (Malar M. 1, p. 1256)46

This method may not be mistaken for Pranayama ofthe Yogis. Pranayama requires a complicated practice of theregulation of breath, but the method of the Guru is quitesimple. Just as the beads are put together in a rosary by theaid of a thread, in a similar manner the thread of the breathcombines together the beads of the Name of the Lord. Thismethod may bring in more concentration, but it may be ahasty and slippery step, the first method can be utilised bycommon people and the second by more rermed ones.

In the more mature stages, when the devotee can thinkof nothing else except the Name of the Lord, the Name isuttered through every pore of the body.47 The advanced stageof the remembrance of the Name of the Lord is known asAjapa ]aap i.e. the spontaneous remembrance.

REFERENCES

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reo "5dTo fmI mf ~~ II ~ far\J Hfu~ (')~ II

~ l{9 ufu "fufo~ 'I qoy~ l.{9 Jra'S"fcJr "",l{9 um~~ ~II ~~ Hal JRT mil

~~ rey faN Hi 30T II ~ oroor QJfa~ fo1laT IItllctll

~ l[9Tiff H: 4, l/r;r 'lfJ8.:J)

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CONCEPT OF NAAM IN SIKHISM-A GENERAL STUlJY 23

23. ~ eft~ }fc') Hfu ftt>wQ II qJO ct mrfu~ liQ }{TO II

qJO cl WO~ .g~ II q@~ JRT~ 11<t11

H3' ~ gafH ~ Hwfo II qJO fun cjfu (')~ UTfo II <til~ II

~~ qrfa wofar l.Pfuw II~~ ufo saml~ II

;:ro)f H'OO eft~ fHctm II qJO ~ eft~~II~II

qJO l.{Wfu~ COO? ftrnrl:r II~ Hfu~ 1.(d1TR II

fufo a1w H qJO 3~ II qJO forOlJT 3~ liQ wfo>w II~II

q@ ~q@~HqJIIq@~~51~11

~ (')TOq l{f9 fuj~ II fun qJO~ (')~~ 11811411"11

r&'9 H: 1./, l/1;rtE8)

24. ufo cl 0T)f mrnfu~ 0Tfu II (~~ H: 1./, l/1;r ~EI./)

25.~ Hf3 lPlJT ct Mar II ~ iN m ci MoT II r;:ry, l/1;r 8)

26.~~ ¢ Hfg "do.... .!1 dRd'lcNl.i H: 1./, l/1;r tel)

27.~ fuy ufo ~ 0T)f II~ ufo ufo cue aJTH II

(~ !flIH1ff H: 1./, l/1;r ~EI./)

28. Jmr 1JOH Hfu~ lfOtf II ufo ~ 0Ttf ttfu foa}ffi aotr II

~~ H: 1./, l/1;r ~EE)

29. ;:ru W3" fiaT E8 H8 (') 5Tit II }fc')~ 0Ttf 3'a Mar Jm1"el11

;:ru HUT~~ tnf ~II 3U~~ Mar 3'a ~II. ....

~~ -aor f3l:f (')~ II mo w 0Ttf ;::rlS "fTUR II

(~ !flIH1ff H: 1./, l/1;r ~E8)

30. OTH 0T)f fuo Wfu (')~ ttfu ufo ufo 0Ttf B' UTfo W II

(~H: 'l, l/1;r 'l'l~:J)

31. fu:pg~ ?)T)j'~~ri Jre W II ('t1?;"1Iit H: 'l, l/1;r Et:J)

32.~ W ~~~~ II (NY, l/1;r ~)

33.~m ~ WOT3' JRT JRT ufo~11<t11~1. -(11fTHT H: 1./, l/1;r fJ:Jr)

34. wafu tMH If'C UfTC~ II qJO l.{Wfu ufo~~II~II

(11fTHT H: 1./, l/1;r fJtE)

(')T}fT ~ raMe(')1 lilf 3 artr~ II

ura~ em-~ Hi~ foat:ro~11~<t~1I

~ Cffffa, l/1;r 'lfJ:JE)

35. milo~ ~~ ct fuu ~ f7;cffl artr II

"JT cll.lOT eft l.POOT Ha~ ~~ 11l~~11 ~ Cffffa, l/1;r 'lfJE:J)

36.~m ~ fWg ~ ~ (')~ fuq orfull

(~ H: fJ, l/1;r I./Eo)

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24 NAAM

37. ~ Hf:pw afcr m ~ 0315 grfull~lI~lI

(1)(T1fT 'H: 'l, l/;;r fll.Jt)

~ cffc QQ'd€1~~m ~CRt II~II (iiafo 'H: 1./, l/;;r Eot)

38. HOlita' lffirt:r Hf3 lW II m:r;:r mM1:r trfo orfuo ai'9W II

~~ 3T ~ ~ a"'H1l W c} ~-~ ufo mfll~1IHan? mf~ 'I)f'ffirr II ffiRORT l.lO<'i~ II. .l1f'fu (') wfu~ Ci3' 0Ttit II W cl ortr ~ Wi wtit II:JII

~ 'H: 1./, l/;;r tto)

39. 0Tlf mf fuo~ ;:ffin ffi')HT II rkfj 'H: 'l, l/;;r 'l 'l~.:J)

40. l)flJ Hfu irl?3' 0Tlf~~ II

0Tlf~~ irl?3'~II~II~I

~ cma, l/;;r fl~fl)

l)fT3R~~ ortr~II~II ~ >flPCf, 'H: 'l, l/;;r 'l~t'l)

41. ~ ~;:ftj~mu~~~WIll

~ ~ o"faT~~ ortr~ II

t? CJTfu l.lf3~~~ fi:cttR II (;:{Y, l/;;r .:J)

42. HOfu~~ ufo ufo~ II H ;:ro~~ Cf3'fu (') j"g II~II

~ 'H: 1./, l/;;r 'ltt)

43. 0Tlf 0Tlf ~ ci om~~ (') ~IIqJO 'l.lOW€l~ Hfo~ 3T~~ im' II~II ~ 'H: fl, l/;;r Bt'l)

44.~ ufo ufo~ ci a-a~ fua"e~ II

()17iCif ffio c} fua"e~ H1:r~ fun,~IItll~1I

~ 'H: fl, l/;;r I./EI./)

45. HOtflf ufo ufo afcr m} ~ (') ffiit iifu II ~II~ II

Hfo AA~ (')~ ortr (')~ wfu II

(fRiIow 'H: fl, l/;;r flt)

46. fuo~ it ;:pi ftF>fTfu II ~ W<! c}w~ II~II

(>flPCf 'H: 'l, l/;;r 'f~I./E)

47.~ ij'fi.f ij'fi.f ufo~ II (owcm't fT.rcr~ 'H: 'l, l/;;r tB'l)

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LOGOS OR WORD (SHABDA)SHABDA-BRAHM

Logos is a Greek word. In Greek philosophy andtheology, it conveys the sense of 'the divine reason', whichis implicit in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form andmeaning. The concept conveyed by Logos is also found inIndian, Egyptian and Persian philosophical and theologicalsystems. In Christian Theology this concept defines the roleof Jesus Christ as principle of God active in the creation andalso revealing the divine plan of salvation to humanity.

The concept of Logos comes from the 6th century B.C.Greek philosopher Heracleitus for whom Logos wasanalogous to the reasoning power in man. But later on theStoics defined it as an active rational and spiritual principlethat permeated all reality. In this way they meant by it theprovidence, nature, god and the soul of the universe. It wasa first century A.D., Jewish philosopher P.hilo of Alexandria,who said that Logos was the intermediary between God andthe universe. He interpreted like Plato that Logos was bothimmanent in the world as well as transcendent divine mind.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John in 'TheNew Testament', Jesus Christ is identified as Logos or theWord incarnated. This identification is based on OldTestament concept of revelation occurring as 'Word of theLord'. This idea of 'Word-incarnation' is found in IndianPhilosophy and Theology from very early times as Shabda­Brahm, which was carried on further by the institution of theGurus for the diSciples, being called Gur-Shabda (The Wordof the Guru). The Sikh Religion, the youngest World-religion,

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projected it forward in a big way for the salvation ofhumanity.

In Sikh Thought, as in early Eastern Thought, thecreative power of the divine Word has been brought forward.It is said that the Word is the cause of the creation anddissolution of the universe.! In this sense the Word itself isthe Transcendent Brahman, Who may be called Shabda­Brahm. This Shabda-Brahman's command in one utterancebrought forward many rivers of life.2 This utterance may beOnam Akshara (Aum), which has been called the'Quintessence of the whole universe'. 3 This Shabda-Brahmbecomes Immanent in the world, as mentioned by the greatGreek philosopher Plato and his Alexanderian disciple Philo.Those who ruminate on this 'Word' become One withTranscendent Brahman.4

This Shabda-Brahman is the primordeal sound Aum(Anhad Naad), a mystic sound experienced by Yogis in deepmeditation. Anhad Shabda and Anhat Shabda-both phrasespoint to the celestial music, which is both limitless andunassailable. Thus the Word-incarnate has a significantresonance, which can be heard by those, within whom theTenth Door (Dasam Dvar) has opened. Anhat Shabda is notthe verbal testimony as produced by different kinds ofmusical instruments, it is the limitless spontaneous musicheard on entering the Tenth Door. The Yogi is said to hearthis Shabda before reaching the Dasam Dvar, but accordingto the Sikh Scripture, the disciple hears it on entering theTenth Door. The state of Samadhi (abstract meditation) iscalled Saha} Samadhi in the Scripture. In this state ofSamadhi, duality vanishes, the awareness of the world ceasesto exist and Unity alone remains.s

The Yogi tries to attain this state (Shunya Samadht)through Hath Yoga, but the Sikh reaches it through love. TheSikh, who is attuned with God and repeats the Name of theLord (Word of the Guru), reaches the state of Samadhi andhears Anhat Shabda. The state of ecstasy reached within by

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SHABDA-BRAHM 27

singing the Praises of the Lord takes us near this Shabda.When questioned by the old Yogis (Siddhas) of· the

snow-clad Himalayas about his Guru and about thediscipleship, Guru Nanak Dev replied that Shabda was hisGuru and it was the Guru of his tone of awareness (Surt­dhun).6 Awareness of Shabda was the focal point in thespiritual domain. It was the truth and reality for Guru Nanak.7

For him Shabda was his only Guru, profound and serene,without whom, the world was quite insane.8 It wassynonymous for him with Supreme Brahman.9 The tenthGuru Gobind Singh said that he had three forms. Whereashe was both Transcendent and Immanent Brahman, he wasalso Shabda. 10 His Guru was the Only One who was in thebeginning and Who will be at the end. II Thus Shabda andBrahman are One and the same. The awareness does notcome without the Shabda, the study of the Scriptures by thehermits are of no avail. 12 Nanak realised Supreme Brahmanand Guru cQnc1usively through Shabda. For him Shabda­Guru and Shabda-Brahm are the same.13

Thus the Guru of the Sikh (disciple) is only Shabda,which has come down to us in the garb of language. Hehas to absorb himself in this Shabda. Just as the temple standson .the columns, similarly the Shabda of the Guru is thesupport for the mercurial mind. 14 The mind cannot be bounddown without the Shabda of the Guru.15 The ShabdCl of theGuru is ever unassailable.16 He can only be called a ]iwan­Mukta, who is ever absorbed in the Shabda of the Guru.17

The Guru is not something physical, a mortal man, he is thesubtle Shabda only. Without the Guru, the ailment does notleave and the ego-ache is not cast off. By the Grace of theGuru, the mind of the mortal remains absorbed in the Nameof the Lord. Only through Gur-Shabda the Lord is realisedand without Shabda the mortal falters in illusion. 18 Onerealise God, when he is blessed with Shabda and all hisefforts are rewarded. When one touches the philosopher'sstone, he becomes the philosopher's stone himself, the light

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merges in the Light.19 It has been clearly said that the TrueGuru in person is seen by the whole world, but with mereseeing, the salvation is not attained, unless there is nopondering on Shabda.20 But Gur-Shabda stays firmly with theaid of the Ture Guru and does not reveal itself in any otherway.21

We produce below the translation of a few quotationsregarding Shabda· from Guru Granth Sahib:

1. The treasure ofShabda is inexhaustible, though onemay eat and expend this wealth, 0 Baba Nanak!

(S!ok M. 5, p. 1426)zZ

2. The Perfect and True Guru gives the consciousnessof Shabda. (Maru M. 1, p. 1021Y'

3. With the True Shabda make thou thy crimson­coloured clothes and the fear and love be thyornamentation. (Var Suhi M. 3, p. 786)Z4

4. If the cool Shabda abides in the mind and body,there is not any sorrow and separation there.

(Var Sarang M. 4, p. 1249~

5. With the Shabda, the spring is there for ever, whichkeeps the mind and body verdant.

(S!ok M. 3, p. 1420)26

6. The Yogi, who dies in Shabda and overpowers hismind, realises the way of Yoga; 0 Yogi! Theattachment ofMaya drowns one in terrible ocean,one ferries across through Shabda and also saveshis clan. (Ramkali M. 1, p. 908Y'

7. The bliss is attained through awareness ofShabdaand being imbued with the Lord one realises thequintessence of happiness.

(Sri Raga M. 1, p. 62)ZB

8. Without theawareness ofShabda, onetransmigrates.(Maru M. 1, p. 1042):19

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SHABDA-BRAHM 29

9. With Shabda, the state of 'Sahj' (equipoise) isrealised, and that True Lord is attained.

(Sri Raga M. 3, p. 68)30

10. The Name of the Lord is realised through Shabdaand the Unity is obtained. Without Shabda, thewhole world is insane and wastes its life, Shabdais the only nectar and the Guruward realises it.

(Var Sorath M. 4, p. 644)'1

11. He, who realises his home by making a search ofShabda, Nanak is his seroant.

(Var Malar M. I, p. 1291)'2

12. 'Gur-Shabda' enables us to visualise sixty-ei.ght holy• shrines, wherein after bathing we cast off the

impurities. (Suhi M. 3, p. 753)'3

13. I died in Shabda and this Shabda gave new life, Iattained salvation through Shabda,

Through Shabda my mind and body became pureand the Lord came to abide in my mind,

The Guru is the giver of Shabda, with which mymind is absorbed and I remain imbued with theLord.

Those who do not know Shabda, they are blind anddeaf, for what they have come in the world.

(Sorath M. 3, p. 601)'4

14. Above all is the consideration of 'Gur-Shabda'.(Ramkali M. I, p. 9(4),~

REFERENCES

1.~~~~II m ul fm~~II

()f'¥ )(: ~, l/nr ".')2. C5ffirr~~~ II fuJi 3 ~~~ II !r1Y, l/nr ~)

3.~~~~1I<tll ~t!lRt~)(: " l/nrt~o)

4. miV lffiJrfo ~ F(")aa'J! " ~)(: " l/or tOB)

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30 NAAM

5. The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol. III, p. 525.6. ~~ ¢ yfo ~II rawm H: '1, l/'rir t8?J)

7. ~ WW~~.... .I1 (~H: '1, l/'rir =?8=?)

8. ~ Q.TO l.IW orfuo~ fuQ mR ~ ~II

(itafo H: '1, l/'rir 1ff?J1.1)

~ H: ?J, l/'rir '1l.1t)

15.. fuQ Q.TO mR HQ ouT~ II

16. Q.TO efT~ lRT lfe~ II

17.~~Q.TO~~11

18. fuQ Q.TO aqr (')~~ lfuJ (') wrell

Q.TO~ Hfo~m ~ mPfull

Q.TO mRt ufo~ fuQ mR safu~ 11"\11

(fFrciIarqr H: ?J, l/1i" ?JIff)

19. HlJftr 00ffiJ ~ ufo fHt jW~ R9 mil

wafR~ 'U"OH'~ ;:t3t "ffi3 mPfu II (fFrciIarqr H: ?J, l/nr =?:J)

20.~~ Hi' ~~~ MOT?-Awgll

rot~ (')~~ HlJftr (') ~~ II

~ wfJEJ, H: ?J, l/nr I.It8)

21. Q.TO efT~ Q.TO t feci ~ t llOOT? (')~ II

~ 1Pilar, H: ?J, l/nr 't=?8t)

22.~~ li'W (')TOQT l:fTfu lfOfu 'tTQ~ II ~Oll

("Fr5a" H: 1.1, l/nr 't8 =?Iff)

23.~~~ YOT II (>f1J H: 't, l/nr 'to=?'l)

24. HlJftr~ ~~ afo t m JitaTrg ~II~ lJdf, H: ?J, l/1i" :Jtlff)

9. HlJftr~~ (') ~II10. 310 St1 ~ Hfu cj ~ ~ fu3 ·wfu II

~~~~"3fu~11

(l{111i-~ m ttr Wlf)

11.))fTfu))j'f3~ ~II Hit~~ VWOTII

rWP1, t!11'H~)

12. fJ:ffi13~ u;;ffir trfo a-a-, fuQ mR ¢ (') 1JTit II

~ H: ?J, l/nr 't't?Jo)

13. W9~ ?)T(')q~~ HlJftr~ II:JIIEII

rawm H: '1, l/'rir t:Jt)

14. ftrtI m ~ lMf lhro II ~ Q.TO efT~ w;fu~ II

~ !JW7i'f H: 1.1, l/nr =?t=?)

(11fTW H: '1, l/1i" 8 eN)

~ H: 1.1, l/1i" 't?J80)

(>f1J H: ?J, l/nr 'lol.lt)

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SHABDA-BRAHM 31

35. m ~ OJ(J mR ~II. - - -

25.~~ Hfo 3fo ~ fBi ~~ (') cjfull

(~ 11"fraT, H: fl, li;r;r "l~8r)

26. mR~~ ~ ffi? ~ HO ufo>w ~II

(1f5N H: fl, li;r;r "l8~o)

27. mrfu mHO wij'~ fuJT trOTf3~lI~cW

wfu>w My~~~ mrfu ~ ~ N II~~II

(O'T>{Cffl1 H: "l, li;r;r rof:)

28. mR ¢ 'ffif~ l{9~ EJl:f wg II IfRcild'ill H: "l, li;r;r E~)

29. mR ¢ tao~~ II (H7§ H: "l, li;r;r "l08~)

30. mR tit 3' HmJ~ ufo~~ ilfu 1I"l1l~1I

IfRcild'ilf H: fl, li;r;r Ef:)

31. mRtit~~mRHm~11

tao mR Hi~~ fuow ffi'itr~ II

~~~ ~ 0T00r~~II~II

~ ffdfo H: 8, li;r;r E88)

32.~ ijfu fuy U@ ~~ 31' CfT~ 1I"l1l

(~ H5"d', H: "l, li;r;r "l~r"l)

33.~~ <iTO mrfu~ f3? m ~~ II

rgdt H: fl, li;r;r .:Jl.Jfl)

34. UH mrfu ~ mrfu wfa~ grit mR tit~~ II

mR HO ~~~ ufo~ Hfo~ It

~ q,ro~ ffi? HO 0T31' ufo~ ofu>w mrrelll~11

~ (') W<ffir II~ it5 R fa'?~ "Rwor II

rRafo H: fl, l/;t;r EO "l)

(O'T>{Cffl1 H: "l, l/;t;r r08)

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NAMES OF GOD OR ADORABLE DEITY

THE TRADITION OF SAHANSARNAMAS

(BUT mE SIKH SCRIPTURE HAS ANANT-NAMAIN VIEW)

The question arises as to the number of Names of Godor Adorable Deity? Guru Nanak Dev says that there arecountless unapproachable worlds with countless places andcountless names. lWen to utter the word 'countless' is notappropriate. l Everything has a name. Every place has a nameand every person carries a name. The names of a personcan be of two types, the personal (Zaatee) and attributive(Sijaatz). Similarly the names of God or the Adorable Deitycan be of these two types. The personal names of God usedby Muslims and commonly used in Punjab are Allab, Rabband Kbuda have been used in the verses of the Sikh Scriptureside by side with Ram and Hari of Hindus. But manyattributive names have been created. The Lord revealedHimself through the Gurus and saints. These great myticspresented their experiences through their hymns, whichreveal the exuberance of their love for the Lord. The wholerange of experience was a spontaneous phenomenon. Themystic vision was the result of the inward urge created bycircumstances. The Hindu names of God viz., Gopal, Gobind,Damodar, Mumri, Madbava, Gosain, Kavla Kant, Gajpati,

Cbaturbbuj, Sripat, Laksbmibar, Cbakradbar etc., are theVaishnava attributive names of Vishnu. The etymology ofthese names is a pointer towards the chief god of HinduTrinity Le. Vishnu. e.g.,

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NAMES OF GOD OR ADORABLE DEITY 33

Gopal - Go (The world) + pal (Sustainer) - Sustainer of theworld - Vishnu.

Madhava -= Ma (Lakshmi) + dhava (husband) - The husbandof Lakshmi - Vishnu.

Chaturbhuj - Chatur (four) + bhuj (ann) - Four armed "'VlShnU.

All these names have been used for the one and onlyone Lord, who is neither the God of the Muslims nor theIshvara of the Hindus. That Lord is the common father ofall the created beings. The general masses knew that thesenames were the names of the Universal Lord withoutconsidering their historical or etymological implication. Thenames of God referred to above ar~ man-made names. Theonly Name that can be given to the Lord is Sat i.e. the Ever­existent Lord. Sat means truth, which abides for ever.Vaishnavas, Shaivas, Shaktas and other sects have createdmany names of their Adorable Deity, keeping in view hisdistinctive attributes. But each of these does not focus thecomplete view of the Lord. It will be ludicrous to assumethat because of the Vaishnavite names of God used in theSikh Scripture, the Sikh Religion is a part and parcel ofVaishnavism. Similarly, it will be mere imbecility to considerSikhism related to either Shaivism, Shaktaism or other sects.Vaishnavism and Shaktaism have their own Sahansarnamas.The Islamic Names of God also appear in Guru Granth Sahiband most of the attributive name among the ninety-ninenames of God of Islam can be applied to God envisaged bySikhism, it does not become a part or the sect of Islam. Ifthe word EES (ffh:r) can be mistaken for EESA (1fIw) - Jesusby the Christian missionaries and because of many similaritiesin thought-eontent, Sikhism has no relation with Christianity.The Shaivas called their Adorable Diety by the names Shiva,Ishvara, Rudra, Neel Kanth etc.

Guru Arjan Dev addresses the Lord thus: "My tongueutters only your acquired Names, but your age-old Name isSat" (Maru M. 5, p. 1083).2 The Muslim tradition mentions

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ninety-nine Names of God. In Hinduism, Sahansarnamasmention one thousand Names of the Deity. There is a hymnin Raga Maru, which contains a few Names of the Lord. buthas often been called a Sahansarnama after the Hindutradition. The translation of this hymn is given below:

My Master, the Supreme Ishvara is Achyut(Imperishable), Para-Brahman (TranscendentLord), Antaryami (Inner Controller), Madhusudan(the killer ofMadhu demon) and Damodar (withstring around His body).

That Colourful Lord is Rikhikes (Master of organs),Govarshandhari (the carrierofMount Govardhana)and Murli Manohar (with fascinating flute).

He is Mohan Madhav (the Enticer Lord of Lakshmi)and Krishan Murare (Krishna, the enemy ofMurdemon).

That Lord is jagdeeshar (the Master ofthe world) andAsur Sanghare (the killer of demons).

That Master isjagjivan (the life ofthe world), Abnashi(Eternal), Ghat Ghat vasi hai sanga (accompaniesevery heart).

That 'Ees' (Lord) is Dharnidhar (support ofthe earth),Narsingh (Man-lion) and Narayan (PrimalPurusha).

He is Dara Agre Pritham Dharayan (the Upholder ofthe earth with fore-teeth).

o Creator! Thou dost create the form of Vamana(pigmy) and are Changa (good Lord) for al/.

Thou art Sri Ram Chand (Lord Rama), 'Who hasneither form nor mark.

Thou art Banwa/i (the Master of flowery forests),Chakrapan (having discus in hand) and DarsAnupia (having unique sight).

Thou hast Sahs Netra (thousand eyes), Murat haiSahsa (thousand forms) and Ik Data sabh haiManga (One Giver and aI/ others beggars).

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NAMES OF GOD OR ADORABLE DEITY 35

Thou art Bhagat Vachhal (Lover of devotees) andAnatheh Nathe (the Patron ofpatronless).

Thou art Gopi Nath (the Lord ofmilkmaids) and Sagalhai sathe (ever present with all).

Thou art Vasudeva, Niranjan (Unstained), and Date(the Beneficent Lord), I cannot even describe a partof Thy Praises.

Thou art Mukand (salvation-Giver), Manohar(Fascinating) and Lakhmi Narayan (the Lord ofLakshmO.

Thou art Daropati Lajja nivar udharan (the Saviourof the chastity of Daropati).

Thou art Kamla Kant (the Lord of LakshmiJ, KarehKantuhal (performer of wondrous deeds), AnadBinodi (Joyful and Sportive) and Nihsanga(detatched).

Thou hast Amogh Daesan (Fruitful sight), Thou artAjuni (unborn), Sambhau (Self-Existent) and AkalMurat (Immortal Being), Wbo never perishes.

Thou artAbnasi (Everlasting), Abgat (Eternal), Agochar(Imperceptible), everything is attached to Thee.

Thou art Sri' Rang (the Lover of eminence) andBaikunth ke vasi (the Lord abiding in heaven).

Under Thy Will Thou didst come in theform ofMachh(Fish), and Kachh Kuram (Tortoise).

Thou art Kesav (the Lord of Beauteous hair) andChalit Kareh Nirale (Performer of queer deeds)and whatever Thou dost desire to do, that onlyhappens.

Thou art Nirahari (Non-eating), Niroair (Uninimical)and All-Peroading and beginning the world-playThou wert called Chaturbhuj (jour-armed).

Thou art Saval (of black colour) assuming thebeautifulform and listening to The Bain (flute), allare fascinated.

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Thou hast Banmala Bibhukhan (Bedecked withforest-flowers) and Kamal Naina (Lotus eyes).

Thou hast sundar Kundal (beautiful ear-rings),Mukat (crown) and Bain (flute).

Thou art equipped with Sankh (conch), chakra(discus) and Gada (mace). Thou art Maha Sarathi(the great charioteer) and Satsanga (the companionof Truthful).

Thou dost wear Peet Pitambar (the yellow robes) andart Tribhavam Dahni (the Lord of three worlds).

I utter with my mouth thy Names jagannath (the Lordof the universe) and Gopal (the Sustainer of theworld).

I utter Thy Names Saringdhar (the wielder of bow),Bhagwan (Supreme Being) and Beethula (LordVithul). I cannQt count all Thy parts.

I call Thee Nihkantak (without angUish) and Nihkewal(Immaculate) .

I call Thee Dhananjai (Tbe conqueror of riches) andjal Thai hai mahial (living within water andplain).

Thou dost abide near Mirt Lok (the world of mortals)and Pyaal (nether-world) and hast Asthir andAbhagga Than (stable and imperishable place).

Thou artPaWPaavan (Purifierofthesinners)and DukhBhai Bhanjan (the destroyer ofsuffering andfear).

Thou art Ahankar nivaarfln (the remover ofego) andBhav Khandan (Repudiator of Transmigration).

Thou art Bhagti Tokhit (pleased with devotion) andDeen Kripaala (Bestower of Mercy on the lowly)and art not softened through any other merit.

Thou art Nirankaar (the Transcendent Lord), Achhal(Undeceivable) and Adolo (Unwavering).

Thou art jot Saroopi (Embodiment ofLight) and Sabhjag maulo (the flourisher of the whole world).

He only meets Him, whom He Himself unites, nonecan attain Him by his efforts.

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NAMES OF GOD OR ADORABLE DEITY 37

Thou art yourself Gopi (milkmaid) and also Kahna(Krishna), Thou dost graze the cows in the forest.

Thou dost Upaavah (create) and also Khapaavah(destroy) Thyself. Not even an iota of filth isattached to Thee.

I have only one tongue, what praises of Thine can Idescribe with it? The thousand-headed SheshaNaga doth not know Thy end. He uiters Thy newnames day and night, but cannot narrate even onevirtue of Thine.

I have come under the refute and protection of theFather of the world. The messenger of Yama isdreadful and terrible and the ocean ofmaya-worldis impassable:

Be Merciful to me and under Thy Will protect me andkeep me in the society of the saints.

Whatever is seen, is all false. 0 Sustainer of theuniverse, I beg of Thee the gift of the dust ofthe feetof saints, applying which to my forehead I mayattain the supreme spiritual state. To whom Thoudost bless it, He will only obtain it.

opeace-giving Lord! they, to whom Thou hast blessed,they have enshrined in their hearts the feet of thesaints; they have only obtained the entire treasureof the Name and the limitless celestial soundresounds in their mind.

My tongue only utters Thy acquired Names. The Name'Sat'is Thy Primal and old Name. Thy devotees havecome under Thy Protection, saith Nanak. Blessthem with Thy Sight, they love Thee in their mind,Thou only knowest Thy state and limits; which ThouThyself dost Utter and Describe. Make me the slaveof Thy slaves, saith Nanak, and under Thy Will,keep me in the company of Thy slaves.

(Maru M. 5, p. 1082-83)3

Sahansarnama contains one thousand names of the

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Deity, but though in the imitation of the tradition, the above­translated hymn has been called a Sabansarnama, it containsabout one hundred names and moreover, these are, in fact,mostly Vaishnavite names, which have been accepted as theNames of Lord-God. They were, in fact, uttered as the Namesof the common Father Lord-God. Are there then such limitednumber of Names of God? Not at all, Guru Nanak Dev says:"0 Lord! Many are Thy Names and infinite Thy forms. II (AsaM. 1, p. 358)4. According to him, the forms are infinite,therefore the Names of the Lord are also countless. TheShesha Naga utters countless Names of the Lord, but stillthere is no end to His Names. Even Shesha Naga has notbeen able to know the mystery of the Lord. (Dhanasari Kabir,p. 691)5. The Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh emphaticallysays in the beginning of his poem I]aapu': 'Tav Sarab NaamKatbia kavan?" [Who can describe all Thy (countless)Names ?J6. Thus we see that the Sikh Scriptures had noSabansarnama in view. They had before them Anant-nama,wbicb could never be recorded by anyone.

There are many acquired names of God in Guru GrantbSabib, some of which are given hereunder:

1. God as Perfect and treasure-house of qualities:Puran, Sampuran, Gun Tas, Guni Gabir, GunNidban, Bemobtaj.

2. God is faultless and flawless: Abbu/, Ado/, Acbba/,Abbang, Acbbed, Avgat, Amolak.

3. God is Light: Prakash, Jot.4. God is good and holy: Pavittar, Punit, Pavan, Pak5. God is Beautiful: Sundar, Suban, Gaubar, Lal,

Gulal, Ratnagar, Manmohan, Manoramang,Jagmoban, Sohna, Nadanot.

6. God is Almighty: Sarab Shaktiman, Samarath,Asur Sangbar, Sabal Malan, Balah Chhal/an, AkalKala, Bhuj Bal, Cbatur Bbuj.

7. God is Omnipresent: Ape Ap, Hadra Hadur,Sarab-Biap!, Sarab-Nivasi, Sarbatr Ramnang,Bbarpur.

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NAMES OF GOD OR ADORABLE DEITY 39

8. God is Omniscient: janoi, jananbar, Gian, Cbit,Dana Bina.

9. God is Primal Cause and the Essence: Mul, Tat.10. God is beyond our cognizance: Asujb, Nirbujb,

Gupt, Agadb, Agam, Akab, Besbumar, Apar, Amit,Bisiar, AparApara, Bekimat, Adrisbt, Atol, Akaram,Akrai, Varnan Cbibna Babra.

11. God is Truth, All-Pervasive and Everlasting: Sacb,Sat, Sacbdanand, Sarbang, Sacba.

12. God is the Creator: Kartar, Siranda, Kbaliq,Sirjanbar, Karn Karan, Pran Data, Pran Pati,Svaranbar.

13. God is Purusha : Adi Purakb, Niranjan Purakb, SatPurakb, AkaJ Purakb.

14. God is Master of the Universe: Sabib, Malik,Thakur.

15. God is ever in the State of Bliss: Nibal, Prasann,Harkbwant, Rang, Anand, Binod.

16. God is carefree: Beparwab, Nibkantak.17. God is Just, Graceful and Benevolent: DukbJatb,

SagaJSukb-Sagar, Sukbebgami, Sukbdai, Sukbdata,Amrit, MitbboJra, Nimribboot, Sabaee, Garib-nivaz,Din Dard, Din-Bandbap, Din Dayal, Anatb Natb,Nitbavian Thaon, Dial, Karim, Rabim, Mebarban,Karunamai, Dukbbbanjan, Adli, Paij Rakbanbar,Bird PaJanbar, Bakbsbind, Nistaranbar, PatitPawan, Ola.

18. God is always full of love: Bbagat Vacbbal, Pita,Mata, Kant, Bbataar, Kbasam, Bbarta, Bbai, Mitra,Sangi, Satbi, Sajan, Sakba, Yaar, ?riya, Piara.

19. God is always the same: Ik-ras, Ik-ves.20. He is ever New and Fresh: Nit Navan, Navtan.21. God is Formless: Arup, Nirakar, Nirankar.22. God is Ecstatic: Wabu Wabu, Kbub Kbub,

Ascbaraj.23. God is Sublime: Ucbo Ucba, Dur.

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REFERENCES

1.~~~~11

~~~mll

~~ fRfcJ grg~ II (ny, l/1ir 8)

2. foro3H ('iT}{ all ~ f;:mr- II

Hf3 i'iT)j~ lJOT~ II oq H: lJ, l/1ir .,ot~)

3.~ lPOl{UH~~II~~~II

~ d'ii@dQ(')~~~ ufo 'tcw lI eW

Hun~~ ~II tidle1ad ufo~~~II

tidltili@(')~~ UfC UfC 'i@TJft ~ "ROJT II~II

QdalQd lftH oofi:ful (') Id i fee:! II~~ ftpriH 'Q"d'l'fue II

~ sY citlJfT ~~ Jf9 u't 'R3t ~ WTT II~II

~~ fH'Er sY (') ~II ij(')i@lsl~~~II

HUH ~ trafu ~ HUW~~ Jf9 ~ HafT 11811

sarfa'~ l)fOTlfU m II~~ R'a5 ~ ri II

~ fo3ffi'l~ lICJfo (')~~ "fayT'11411

~~~ (')Idifee:! II~~ f<wtfa~ II

~~~~ m-eT FC'iuRdl' lIell

>HHul~~~ II~ trafu fi:IEr~ O'tit~ II

~~~ Hi~~ u't ~ ~II"I

l{tffirr~ <l 'i@TJft I~ ~~~ >J1(lad 1m II

~~~~ cih;T~ H ~lltll

FC'idluldl~~ II 'lJTfa inJ e¥ld~tj ~ II

~~~ ije:!Ii@Fu ~~ Jf9~ IItll

If(')WW f&lfO 0f}5 *0 II m ~ HQC to II. - - -mr~ aTeT ~ ~ HUT JITa'lit ~11"lOIItit3~~ l!eT II~~ "tJfu geT II

H'Fa"dIQd ~"litQw H~ (')~ HOltwllctctll

FC'iua<::{! FC'iuai@t}~ II~ Mfg~ ~~ II

fHao ~~ minl3~ l:JTQ fi:IEr ~ l)f9OJT Ilct~11

l.lfud l.RO~ t ~ II~ FC'ii@'dC: ~ 9i@" mil9OT3T 3fts tfto~~ (') res u't ~ fsop-lIct~1I

~~~II"Ma-~~~~11

H nm fi:IEr l)fTfu~ l)fTl.@~ (')~ IIct811

})f'l)~ })f'l) qw II })f'l)~~ lf17)T II

Page 41: GURU GRANTH SAHIB SPEAKS- 2 NAAM - Internet Archive

5.~~~ 0" t=J1'(')'T II~II

6. ~ R01i O'H ri CRO..... II~II

NAMES OF GOD OR ADORABLE DEITY 41

))fTfu~ ))fTfu~~~ om fuc!~~II~~II

~ iffiJ q]e CRO ~II HUH rn mr~ 0" ~II

~ O'H~ fuo 0T3l fuc!~ 0""UTl{9 mu ltJTT II~ell

~ 0TUl 'ROTd fu3 Rae ·feIJiT II t~~~ -a lfTfew II

try~ fu&T cno 0'l:IY wq H30 <i Hfor ltJTT II~'II

~~~ fHllorll fuc!~~~~ ~II

>m3fa rn llaH~~ ffitr l{'llf3' R~II~tll

fmj ~~ acft ~II f30~~ t foe lW311~ O'H fotrrg f30 lJTfu>w~ mR Hfo~II~~II

fcrcr3H O'H ri ~ ft:mlfT II JIf3 O'H 3'dT lW l.lOlfW II- .ay (')T(')Q 9OT3' W~~~ Hfo 'ijqr~II~OII

3al orf3 flh ~ W<!fu II 3 l)fTl) m:rfu ~ ))fTfu~ II. .(')T(')Q~~ ~~ ufo ri~~ ltJTT II~~II

M'3 H: I.J, l/;f <fot:?-t5)

4. ~ O'H~ SU~~ 0" wtit ~ q]e chT 1I~1I~1I

(11(W H: <f, l/;;r 51.Jt)

(7J7iTR'if ZiliIa, l/;;r Et <f)

(HTY 'FfTfc!11, t!11H ¥)

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REMEMBRANCE OF NAAM

CHIEF OBJECTIVE OF HUMAN LIFE

The Guru says, "0 living creature! You had taken birthto make gains, but what condemnable life you are leading?The night of life is coming to an end." l These verses havebeen addressed to each and every person of the world. Thecobbler saint Ravidas has said, liThe body is a wall of waterwith the pillar of air and the blood of mother and the semenof the father as mortar. The skeleton is composed of bones,flesh and veins, in which the poor soul-bird abides. 0 livingcreature! What is mine and what is thine? Just as a bird liveson the tree, in a similar manner the soul lives in this body.You lay down the foundations and built walls, but your limitat the end is only three and a half cubic measure. Your hairare very finely dressed and there is slanting turban on yourhead, but your body will be reduced only to a heap of ashes.You have lofty mansions and a very comely wife, but youhave lost the game without the Name of the Lord. My casteand lineage are very low and my birth is very mean. I havecome under Thy refuge, 0 my Sovereign Lord! I the cobblerRavidas say this." (Sorath Ravidas, p. 659).2 This hymn of thesaint is an eye-opener for the humanity.

We have forgotten that the body produced by the bloodof the mother and the semen of the father could never havegrown further without the life-force Le. the soul. Thereforethe birtp is not merely by chance, it has been devised bythe Creator, whose life-force inf1ltrated through every poreof the body. The body grows within the womb of the motherand when the time comes, it takes birth in the world. Kabir

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REMEMBRANCE OF NAAM 43

writes: liThe Lord, who created thy body from semen andkept thee within the fire-pit. For ten months, He kept theein the mother's belly and when thou wert born, the mayawas attached to thee. 0 living creature! Why wert thou gotentangled with greed? And in this way thou hast wasted thyprecious gem-like birth. In thy previous births thou didst notsow the seed of good actions in thy body-field. Fromchildhood thou didst grow to old age. Whatever had tohappen, that hast happened. When the Yama comes to catchthee by the top-lock, then why didst thou weep? Thou artdesirous of a longer life, but the Yama watches thy breaths.This world is a game, saith Kabir, therefore throw the dicecautiously. (Asa Kabir, pp. 481-82).3 In this hymn, Kabir hasmade the human being very cautious, who under the impactof maya, has become subservient to covetousness andmerely wasted his life.

In the sixth canto of Sukbmani (Psalm of Peace), GuruArjan Dev has thrown light on various aspects of the Graceof the Lord on the human being, who never shows hisgratefulness on Him. The Guru says: "By whose Grace thoueatest thirty-six delicacies, keep that Lord in thy mind. Bywhose Grace thou appliest perfume to the body, thou canstachieve the supreme merit by remembering Him. By whoseGrace thou dwellest in the cosy mansions, meditate Him everwithin thy mind. By whose Grace thou livest in comfort withthy family, remember Him with thy tongue in all the eightwatches. By whose Grace thou enjoyest love and pleasure,meditate constantly on Him, Who is worthy of meditation."(Gauri M. 5, p. 270).~ The Guru continues further in the samestrain and lays emphasis on the remembrance of the Lord,Who is ever so Gracious. In the fourth canto, the Guru hassaid that the man is so ungrateful that the Lord, who hastgiven him hands, feet, ears, eyes and tongue, he hastforsaken Him and hast attached himself to others.5 In the fifthcanto, the Guru further clarifies his point saying: "Vain arethe ears, which listen to the slander of others. Vain are the

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hands, which steal the wealth of others. Vain are the eyes,which see the beauty of another's wife. Vain is the tongue,which tastes dainties and other savours. Vain are the feet,which run to do bad actions to others. Vain is the mind, whichlooks for the wealth of others. Vain is the body, which doesnot do good to others. Vain is the nose, which inhales theevil smell. Without comprehending the Lord all are in vain,Thy body is fruitful, saith Nanak, which remembers the Nameof Lord-God. (Gauri M. 5, p. 268-69).6

Under the impact of maya, all our actions are engrossedin evil. We are entrapped in the sufferings and transmigrateunless the remembrance of the Name of God saves us. Welove the gifts of God, but forget the Giver.7 "Why should weforget Him, who sustains us in the womb of the mother?Why should we forget that Great Lord, who supplies us foodin the fire of the womb? .....Like the fire of the motherls belly,there is another fire maya outside. Both fires are one andthe same, this is all the play of the Creator. When the Lorddesires, the birth takes place and the infant is well receivedby the family. The love of the Lord ends and the commandof the mammon's desires begins. Such is the mammon, bywhich we forget the Lord, the worldly attachment and dualityemerges. Those who are blessed with Lord's love under thegrace of the Guru, they realise the Lord in the midst of theplay of maya. (Ramkali M. 3, Anand, pp. 920-21).8 Thus wesee that the grace of the Guru puts us on the path of theremembrance of the Name of the Lord.

The remembrance of the Name of the Lord is theuniversal phenomenon. The earth and the sky rememberHim. The sun and moon both contemplate on Him, thetreasure of virtues. The air, water, fire and the entire creationremember Him. All the regions, islands and the whole worldmeditate on Him. The nether-worlds and the spheresremember that True Lord. The sources of creation, the sIX'echand the men of God all contemplate on Him. Brahma,Vishnu, Shiva and thirty-three crores of gods remember Him.

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The Yakshas and the demons all meditate on Him. They arecountless, who eulogise Him. The animals, birds and theghosts all remember Him. The forests, mountains and theascetics remember Him. All the creepers and boughs meditateon Him. The Lord pervades in the mind of all. All the grossand subtle beings remember Him. The adepts and the striversremember the Name of the Lord. All the visible and invisiblemeditate on Him. That Lord is the Master of all the worlds.The men, women of all the institutions remember Him. Allthe castes, beings and divisions of society contemplate onHim. All the meritorius, clever .and knowledgable personsalongwith night and day remember Him. Even all the unitsof time remember Him. The Yama, the non-Yama, thethoughts of purification meditate on Him. The religious textsof omens announcing the unions remember Him. TheIncomprehensible Lord cannot be comprehended even foran instant. 0 the Lord of all actions, the Prompters of alldeeds and the Knower of all the hearts, he, on whom Thoublessest Thy devotion, he alone conquers the substance ofhuman birth. (Maru M. 5, pp. 1078-79).9 According to thishymn all the conscious and unconscious things in the worldmeditate on the Lord, then why the human being afterreceiving all the gifts remains ungrateful and keeps thinkingabout his own efforts. The non-remembrance of the Nameof the Lord is a suicidal step. 10

He, who has the Name of the Lord in his heart, is, infact a great king. All his errands are fulfilled by the Lord.He, who has the Name of the Lord in h~s heart, considerhim having received crores of wealth. Without the Name thehuman birth goes waste. Praise him, who has the capital ofLord's Name. He is indeed very fortunate, on whose foreheadthere is the hand of the Guru. He, who has the Name ofthe Lord in his heart, has several crores of army with him,he is in a state of ease and comfort, he becomes devoid ofpassion and without the Lord's Name he is worthy ofcontempt and is a liVing dead. He, who has the Lord's Name

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in his heart, he is a liberated one, he has all the skills, hehas obtained the nine treasures and without the Lord's Name,he comes and goes in illusion. He, who has the Lord's Namein his heart, he is carefree, he is always gainful, he is a manof big family, but without the Name he is self-willed anduncivilised. He, who has the Lord's Name in his heart, hehas obtained a stable seat, he sits on the throne, he is a truesovereign, but without Lord's Name, he is honourless andtrustless. He, who has the Name of the Lord in his heart,he has been comprehended in all, he is Providence-incarnate,he is the highest of all, but without the Name he goes astrayin many species. He, who has the Name of the Lord in hisheart, he is conspicuous like a forge, his darkness is effaced,he is an approved Purusha, but without the Name hetransmigrates. He only obtains the Name, on whom the Lordis Gracious, he comprehends the Lord in the holycongregation. His transmigration ceases and he obtains peaceand comfort, the essence meets the essence, saith Nanak.(Bhairo M. 5, pp. 1155-56).11

The above quotation from the hymns of Guru Arjan Devis directly concerned with the constant remembrance ofthe Name of the Lord. "The whole world is diseased andonly the Name of the Lord is the remedy. The impurityis caused by the absence of Truth."12 There is one fullcanto in Sukhmani in the remembrance of God's Name.A few stanzas of the same are being translated here inorder to unders~.nd the blessing accruing from suchremembrance:

The nectarean Name of the Lord accrues from bliss­giving Sukhmani,

Which abides in the mind of Lord's devotees.With the remembrance ofthe Lord, one does not enter

the womb,With the remembrance ofthe Lord, the torture ofYama

flies away,

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REMEMBRANCE OF NAAM 47

With the remembrance of the Lord, there is no moredeath,

With the remembrance ofthe Lord, the enemy vanishesaway,

With the remembrance of the Lord, there is noobstacle,

With the remembrance of the Lord, one is watchfulnight a~d day,

With the remembrance of the Lord, there is no fear,With the remembrance of the Lord, no suffering

troubles,With the remembrance of the Lord, takes place in the

company of saints,There are all the treasures in the lave of t~e Lord.With the remembrance of the Lord, all the treasures

and powers are attained,With the remembrance of the Lord, one attains

knowledge, contemplation and essence of wisdom,With the remembrance of the Lord, one attains

devotional worship,With the remembrance of the Lord, the duality is

destroyed,With the remembrance of the Lord, the merit of

bathing at shrines is obtained,With the remembrance of the Lord, one receives

honours in Lord's Court,With the remembrance ofthe Lord, one accepts Lord's

Will sweetly,With the remembrance ofthe Lord, one blossoms and

becomes fruitful,They only remember the Lord, whom he causes to

remember,Nanak humbly falls at their feet.....By remembering the Lord, the saints become

distinguished,

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48 NAAM

By remembering the Lord, the Vedas are created,By remembering the Lord, men become adepts,

celibates and donors,By remembering the Lord, the lowly become known in

four directions,By remembering the Lord, the entire earth is supported,Therefore remember the Lord, Who is the cause of

causes,The Lord created the whole universefor His meditation,The Formless Lord is there, whereverHe is remembered,To whomsoever, with His Grace, He gives

understanding,That enlightened one obtains the gift of Lord's

remembrance.(Gauri Sukhmani M. 5, pp. 262-63)13

REFERENCES

1. l{'<tt ~~ WUT mil~~~ HS~~~II'\I~I

(fHJIa'ill )(: l.I, 'l/;;T 8:J)

2. i:m cit itf3~ QT @ CfCI'3 ~ QT 0T'cJT II

~ }fTH O':it cl ft1t:@ tM ml mrrar 11'\11

l.{'ol~ >faT~ 3aT II AA~ lffir lfJW 11'\11~ II

O'l:@ mr~~ II we- 3tfo UTl:I' 3"al~ II=?II

tci~ l.fTOT fRfo i1aT II fuy ~~ 9ffif cit~II~II

~ Hea~Nil 0T}f (')T}f fuQ 'a"tft~ 11811

Hal wfu crHtol tr+fu crHtol W t1t'ltf UWijT II

~ Rd(')idlFa CJ1ilT 0T}f~ orfu~~ 1I11IlEIl

ritafo~, 'l/;;T (Nt)

3. ~ ~ fHfo fti¥ ctl>w >HaTfo ~~ II

~}fTH ~~~~ woft H1'fu>w11'\11

l.{'ol~~m ~ 037'i t1t'ltf~ II

~ mffif emf jfi.f litB orul~ 11'\11~ II

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REMEMBRANCE OF NAAM 49

lfTfaq ~ ftrcJfu sWw~ it~ II

W ~ »fTfu ic lid~ GiTfr~II~II

~ Ql )){TH aofu~~ WW II

ij·flldldl Rwg QlftoT~ wfg 'lI"W II~II'\II~~II

(~ 'llfifa, 'lI'* 8t:'f-t:~)

4. ftm~ 53tu~ lfTfu II faEr~~~ }{O wfu II

ftm~~ 3fo~ II f31J~ fmrcr3 llOH m lRfu II

ftm l{Hlft! lfRfu~ Hefo II f31lfu~~ }{O "Rfcr II

ftm l{Wfu faru Mar ~ lffiOT II »(TO l.lUO fRHay faEr 0J1c')T II

ftm l{Wfu itcrr em jar II (')1'(I)(i~~~ ;lor 11"t11

~ !flIH1/t H: lJ, l/;;r ~Ef)

5. ~~ l.(fCf ClOO ~ 0J1c')T II f31lfu f3>,{Tfar~ Mar~ II

~ !flIH1/t H: lJ, ti;t;r ~E:J)

6.~~ \JO f?RT Bofu II~~ \JO t!dlf~ fuafu II

~~~ \JO~~II~ CJFrOT ~»f() ~II

~~ \JO~~~II ~}{O \JO 89 ljgii@Fu II

~~ mft~ II~ lJT!.f "Pi3 faqraT II

fuQ yV~ Jig nil m-g~ (')1'(I)(i mo mo O'H ~ 11411

(0Tfj:it 'lJlfH7ff H: lJ, 'lI'* ~Eto-Ef)

7.~ fl.rwal~~ II (l1i'f'1Iif H: lJ, l/;;r E:JE)

8. ~C}~Hfu~~it~}{(l@~I'

}{(l@~ r<ii!Rial~ m ~ ffi lIfa'ffo Hfu~~II

~ ~ fay ilftJ"O mit ftm ~~~~II

~~ l)fTil ri~~~II

em 0'0g m ~ it~ }{(l@~II~tll

~ »fdJfo~ Hfu 3Hllf'Ufa~ II

~ lIfa'ffo Jig fuel ffiJl m lR§~ II

W faEr~ OT~ ucwrfcJ 9W~ II

~~ g ~~~ ifa3'feI)fTII

~~ fu? uB~ Hy~~~ wWwl'em~qro~ffioT~~faitfriwful)fT~II~tll

rawm H: !J, ~, 'lI'* f~e>-~'f)

9. M wall)@~ II fm.lofu w~ cua3 iRi II

~~ tfr30 fm.lofu ,fJM' ROm~ 11'\11

fm.lofu l:hs t!lu Hfg~ II fRHafu~~ J@ W II

fmrefu~ fRHafu lJl<tt fRHafu ffim5' mo ffi')T II =-:'

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50 NAAM

fHHafu l:[mi ftmo~ II fHHafu~ "&fu~ II

fHHafu tIDt~ Rfs fHHafu~ (') tMft tfEf CffiI)T II:JII

fHHafu ~ tNt Rfs F II fHHofu lfO l.lOlE~ II

~~ Wlf Rfs fHHafu~ ofullfT~ 'R9 HOT 11811

fHHafu ~~ Rfs t=r3T II fmrcrfu fJrq wf1:rQ ufo H'3T II

~ \{OTC fHHafu l.{i' Ha' Ram~ CfT l.{i' 'Q('jT 11411

fHHafu 00 0Tal ))fTffil'}{T II fHHafu wfu "ffi3 Rfs~ II

fHHafu ¢ ~m i3 ffiHofu~ l>@ fuoT IIEII

fHHafu usl~ 15 fo>.AfT II fi:n.ffi' CfTl?~ 'Rfu jjw II. - - -fmrafu~~ lffiOfT~ (')~~ fu?jT II.?II

crcro o(di'@'(')(J'd~ II FI'd5 UlCT ~~ II

qfcJ~ fi:Qr 9dI"3t~ ffi'ilj~ jj ft10T IItll

~ H: 1./, ll* 'fO.7t-.7t)

10. O'tl (') msfu 3" ))fTB'H UfT3l 11"111 anf;if H: 1./, l/nr 'itt)

11. ft:m O"H~ mIT~ QTiJT II ft:m 0T\f~ fuR ~~ II- - - - -s

fi:Qr O'tl~ f3fC'i~ tro lri II OT}{ faoT ffi'ilj fsaw~ 11"111

~ wwul ft:rff ufo lJQ 0'fR II

jj '@'iJijlan ftfff qro~~ 11911~ II

ft:rff O'tl~ fa13.~.m Aor II fi:Qr O'tl~~ ffirn~ II

ftfff O'tl~ jj~~ II O"H faoT ftriu~~II~II

ft:rff O'tl ftR it~~ II ft:rff O'tl~~ 'R9 tit BOf3T II

ft:rff O'tl~ f3fC'i ~ foftr wel II OT}{ faoT~~ tMft II:JII

ft:rff O'tl ftR it~ II ft:rff O'tl~~~ tit WUT II

ft:rff O'tl~~~~ II O"H faoT~~ 11811

ft:rff O'tl~~~ l)fT}lQ II ftfff O'tl~~~ f(')iii! IRO II

ft:rff O'tl~ it~ W'g II mitite 0'T'tit lIfo~ 1I1111

fuff O'tl~ it R9 Hfu~ II ft:rff O'tl ftR it~ fuwa'T II

ftfff O'tl~ it R9 3"~ II O"H faoT~~~ IIell

ft:rff O'tl ftR~ l{dTfc l.fUTCT II ft:rff O'tl ftR~~~ II

ft:rff O'tl~ jj~~ II OT}{ faoT Mo~~ II.?II

f3'f?) O'tl~ ft:rff~~ II R'QRdlfa Hfu ~~ II

))fT'ifii!'(!'~ oft IDf~ II C@ (')1'(')C.f~ "3"?~ II til "111811

(#aq H: 1./, ll* 'f'fW-I./E)

12. R;rro~ O"H~~~ l«J faoT II (lli'i"11if H: fl, l/;;r Et.7)- - = -13.~ Bli~ l.{i' O'tlll 9aT3' ;:rcr)T Ii Hfo faJ:rH II~II

l.{i' Ii fRHofo aTcJfg "0 liA II l.{i' it fRHofo ~ mf ollll

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REMEMBRANCE OF NAAM 51

l{9 cl fJMfo~ ~11l{9 cl fJMfo~~II

l{9 fltHE ~ fuulo (')~ II l{9 cl fJMfo~~ II

l{9 cl fJMfo ~ (')~ II l{9 cl fi:rHofo ~ (')~ II

l{9 W fRHao W'Q' cl Mar II l1cJll fotJro~ ufo -afar II~II

l{9 cl fJMfo fafu fRfu~ f?ifu II

l{9 cl fJMfo~ ftJ>wo ~ ~ II

l{9 cl fJMfo ;:Jl! 3tl yw II l{9 cl fi:rHofo fa7ffi~ II

l{9 cl fm.rofo 3la'lr reR(*) 1(')111 l{9 cl fi:rHofo~ wot II

l{9 cl fJMfo~ !.J gw II l{9 cl fi:rHofo Em? 6W II*fm1crfu fun l)fTfu ~II ~ 3T cl~~II~II. ....

ufo fRHao em 9OT3~ II ufo fmfafo m ~~ II

ufo fm.rofo n fmT it3t~ II ufo f ..rafo oTtJ ~ ~~ II

ufo fm.rofo war H9 trcJ(')'T II fm.ffcT fm.ffcT ufo qroo crcJOT II

ufo fm.rofo Cilffi" R05~ II ufo fRHoo Hfu l)fTfu rode( 'd 1 II

em fa'olfT froJ l1i'fu~ II

~ cuatrfu ufo fRHao f3fo~ Iltll"\11

ro$if !FfH1i'f H: 1./, z$ ~S~Sf})

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NAAM AS GURU-MANTRA

Gum Granth Sahib has decried all those incantations(called mantras in Indian tenninology), which are recited forthe fulfilment of certain worldly wishes. The practice ofincantation differs greatly in different cultures. An incantationcontains 'words of power' meant to accomplish a desiredobjective. The power of the chanced formula may be goodor bad. In olden times an incantation was considered as afonn of magic, but as a powerful scriptural expression, it iscalled mantra. Guru Nanak Dev has rejected the use ofincantations or spells. He says: "The one, who strays awayfrom the path, recites incantations at the crematoriums,wastes away his life. He does not know the Word (Shabda)and speaks evil." (Ramkali, Siddh Goshta, M. 1, p. 941).1These incantations are of no avail. At the time of the invasionof Babur, the pirs (divines) of the Muslims recited incantationsin order to check his advance, but the temples were burntand princes were murdered." (Asa M. 1, p. 417).2 The wordmantra is a Sanskrit tenn for 'sacred speech'. It has beenderived from the root 'man' meaning 'to think', conveyingthe idea of 'a vehicle of thought'. The proper concentration .of the speaker (incantor) brings in the desired result of themantra. The original mantras of Hinduism are contained inthe four Vedas. By reciting a mantra, some god or goddessis invoked. A mantra forms part of a ritual. But Sikhism hasno faith in gods, goddesses and the rituals. The mantras ofthe Tantriks are nothing more than hypocrisy or guile. GuruNanak Dev says: "I do not know the hypocrisies of tantrasand mantras. My mind is only pleased with the Name ofthe Lord." (Suhi M. 1, p. 766).3 The real mantra is the Name

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of the Lord. Since the Guru gives this mantra to the devotee,it is known as Gum-Mantra. A few words mentioning theattributes of Brahman, which are given in the very beginningof the Sikh Scripture and form part of Japu are called MoolMantra (the preliminary mantra). This mantra occurshundreds of times in Gum Granth Sahib. There is alsomention of Bija Mantra in Sikhism. This word occurs inSukhmani of Guru Arjan Dev and the Swayyas of the bards.Guru Arjan Dev says: "He, who listens to and contemplateson the Name of the Lord, all his maladies disappear. Herecites the great mantra and sings the Praises of the Lord."(Bilawal M. 5, p. 814).4

We give hereunder the translation of a few quotationsfrom Gum Granth Sahib regarding Gum-Mantra, whichapprise us about its impact on the devotee, who may becalled the striver (Sadhik) :

1. The Gum gave his mantra, the Name of the Lord,Saith Nanak, chanting which the devotee does notundergo the suffering of birth and death.

(Maru M. 5, p. l002)~

2. The Gum gave his mantra, the true Shabda.(Wadhans M. 5, p . 576)6

3. The human being, who is without the mantra oftheGum, fie on his defiled birth; that fool is not evenequal a dog, a pig, an ass, a crow and a snake.

(Sahaskriti Shlokas, pp. 1356-57)7

4. The Gum gives a firm understanding ofhis mantraand tells the method ofenjoying the taste ofLord'sName with great relish. He drips the ambrosia ofLord's Name in the mouth of the devotee.

(Asa M. 4, p. 447)8

5. Pulling your bow, shoot your arrow and bringdown the sins. Remember the mantra of the GumNanak and thus you will not undergo anysuffering, saith Nanak. (Gujri Ki Var M. 5, p. 521)9

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The above examples make it clear that Guru-Mantrais the Name of the Lord or the Word (Shabda) of the Guru.It ends all the sufferings of the devotee. He does nottransmigrate any more. He enjoys the superior relish of Naam

with great gusto. All his sins committed earlier fall down,ending all their ill-effects. A person without the gift of Guru­Mantra from the Guru wastes his birth and is even inferiorto a dog, a pig, an ass, a crow and a serpent.

Now the question arises as to what Naam has beengiven to us by our Gurus. Our living Guru Guru Granth Sahibmust guide us on this issue. It is clearly written in the hymnsthat the Shabda or the Bani is the Guru. While holding hisdiscussions with the adepts and Yogis, Guru Nanak Dev saidthat Shabda was his Guru. 1O Guru Ramdas also said:

Bani is the Guru and the Guru is the Bani, all theambrosias are within the Bani,

The devotee should follow whatever Guru-Bani says,the Guru will apparently emancipate him.

(Nat M. 4, p. 982)11

There are hints in the hymns of Guru Amar Dasregarding Guru-Mantra. A few examples will suffice:

1. He, the True Lord, causes Himself to be called'Wahu, Wahu' through the Guru's Word.

(Var GUjri M. 3, p. 514)12

2. True is the utterance (Bani) 'Wahu, Wahu' bywhich one meets the True Lord. By chanting'Wahu, W'ahu' the Lord is attained and His Graceis obtained. (Var Gujri M. 3, p. 514)1)

3. The tongue is adorned by the Shabda 'Wahu,Wahu'. With this perfect Shabda, the Lord isrealised. (Var Gujri M. 3, p. 514)14

4. Beauteous are the persons, who utter 'Wahu,Wahu', the people come to adore them.

(Var GUjri M. 3, p. 514)15

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NAAM AS GURU-MANTRA 55

5. By uttering 'Wahu, Wahu 1 the night passes inpeace. 0 my mother! by uttering 'Wahu, Wahu I

one is ever in bliss. (Var GUjri M. 3, p. 514)16

6. The utterance (Baani) of 'Wahu, Wahu ' is trne, theGurnward has found it through search.

(Var Gujri M. 3, p. 514)17

7. The Lord is realised by chanting 'Wahu, Wahu ~

which the Gurnwards havefound spontaneouslythrough search. (Var Gujri M. 3. p. 514)18

8. The Gurnwards always utter 'Wahu, Wahu 1 andthe self-willed die eating poison. They do not like'Wahu, Wahu 1 and Pass their life in greatmisery. (Var Gujri M. 3, p. 515)19

9. The mind is purified by uttering 'Wahu, Wahu 1

and the ego vanishes from within. The discipleswho always utter 'Wahu, Wahu 1 are rewarded totheir hearl's content.

(Var Gujri M. 3, p. 515~

10. I utter 'Wahu, Wahu ' within my bearl and alsowitb my moutb; tbose wbo utter 'Wabu, Wabu ',I surrender my body and mind to them.

(Var GUjri M. 3. p. 515)21

11. It is tbrough tbe Grace of tbe Lord tbat we obtaintbe utterance of 'Wabu, Wabu I. The Lord Himselfbestows it tbrougb His Kindness. The Gurnwardobtains 'Wabu, Wabu~ saitb Nanak, be rememberstbis Name of tbe Lord nigbt and day.

(Var GUjri M. 3, p. 516)22

Only a few quotations have been given above, whichamply prove that the Guruward is blessed with the Sbabdaof the Guru or the Name of the Lord Le. 'Wahu, Wahu' bythe Grace of the Lord. His ego vanishes and he is everabsorbed in this Name or mantra.

The first Sikh theologian, Bhai Gurdas, who lived in the

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times of the four Sikh Gurus, from Guru Amar Das to GuruHargobind, has very dearly said in his Vars :

1. 'Wahegum 1 is Gum-mantra, by chanting whichthe ego is affaced. (Bhai Gurdas, Var 13)23

2. The Gum-Shabda asks for the eulogy of'Wahegum I. (Bhai Gurdas, Var 13)24

3. The Gum caused us to listen to the Shabda'Wahegum I. (Bhai Gurdas, Var 24)25

This Gum-mantra i.e. 'Wahegum', is inconceivable byVedas and Katebs i.e. Hindu and Semitic Scriptures. (BhaiGurdas, Var 12).26 Fie on that tongue, which remembersmantras other than the Gum-mantra. (Bhai Gurdas,Var 24).27

We fmd the use of Gum-mantra 'Wahegum' in theSwayyas of Bhatts (Bards) in Gum Granth Sahib. Gum­mantra 'Wahegum 1 is repeated several times in the Swayyasof the fourth Guru like this :

Wahegum Wahegum Wahegum Wahe ]iu.(Swayye M. 4, p. 1402)28

The traditional Gum-Mantra in Hinduism has beenAum, which has been used in Gum Granth Sahib also. Itoccurs in the very beginning of ]apu and Dakhni Oankar.Though it forms part of the Mool Mantra and is recited bythe devout Sikhs many times, but has not been recommendedas Guru-mantra, which is only Wahegum for a Sikh. Waheor Wahu are the combination of two letters 'W' and 'hi. Theyeven occur in Taittiriya Upanishad. Their combination means'Wonderful' and 'Guru' means 'Enlightener1

• Thus the Gum­mantra signifies the Wonderful Enlightener, Who is GodHimself. Though Aum means (Akar-Brahma+Ukar-Vishnu+Makar-Shiva) the wielder of the three powers of creation,preservation and destruction, it does not give us a full pictureof Brahman, which the Gum-mantra 'Waheguro 1 gives.Wahegum 1provides a Sikh wi.th the enlightenment of all the

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NAAM AS GURU-MANTRA 57

marvels of the Lord. It brings in the complete identity of theLord with the Sikh, which is highly desirable in the case ofGum-mantra.

Thus the Gum-mantra for a Sikh is 'Wahegum I and heis required to remember it at all times, which is the objectiveof his life.

REFERENCES

1.~ HR >ff3~ II rawcmt H: 'l, f1rll~, l/;r;r t8'l). ,

2. "&it -g lito~~ w Htg~~ II

lfTO ljWH 'm5' fut:r >ffia lif& lif&~~ II

(71fT1{T H: 'l, l!* 8'l.:r 'l t)

3. ~ If?~ (') W(!T OTt!~ HQ HTfo>w II

ruu't H: 'l, l/;r;r :JEE)

4. ~;:NO ufo OTH ~ OT ott~ ~II

HUT ~~ Cit ufo ci QJe 0JTit II (fifflJiIlj H: 1./, l/;r;r t'l8)

5. qrfo~~ 0Ttf~ ;:m (')TOQ Rorc Mo (') lJ'I'fu II

{>f7 H: 1./, ift;r 'loo:V

6. qrfo~~~ -elOT OT}{ 11 rwtm H: 1./, l/;r;r I./.:JE)

7. qra lfil~ ;:r lpel fqaiB' i1c'iH~ II

~ Jrcil'Oij" arcJtTSU arcm JmJOU 3fl?~ II. . - .(HiJHff!tdf 11i!kT, l!* 'l~I./E-I./:J)

8. q@~~ ufo d"Afcf~ ufo~ ufo trfu ijfu~ II

(1HfW H: 8, ift;r 88:J)

9. ~~~mRTmo,<l11

qra~ fuOTfa (')TOQ ~ (')~ II

~ cit ?Ta, H: 1./, ift;r I./~'l)

10.~ QJ9 JJOf3 yfo~ II rawcmt H: 'l, f1rll~, l/;r;r t8~)

11.~ QJ9 ~ ~~~~~ wij'1I

ora~~~ ;:m~ 1J03flf ora~ Ill/II-- - - -.~ H: 8, l/;r;r tt~)

12. ~~ lJfTfu~. QJO mreT ~ Rfu II

~ WHit, H: ~, l/;r;r 1./"18)

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58 NAAM

13.~~ W<!t~ ~ Rfu~~II

~~~~~~ 'aOfH lJCJ'l1f3~ 11<t11

(iPO if"if, H: ~, lfc;r 1./"18)

14. ~~ CfC3l 0J1c')T mJfu~ II

~ ffiifu ~~~ II rq;;t, t/nT 1./"18)

15. ~~ orafu m 'ffi')~ fun,~ l.fd'W~~ II

rq;;t, lfc;r 1./"18)

16. ~~~~ 'ffflf ~II~~~ JRT~~ H'al wfu II rq;;t, l/1iT 1./"18)

17.~~ W<!t~ ~~ B1it 91ffi1l rq;;t, l/1iT 1./"18)

18.~~~ ufo~ ffiffi~ 91ffi II rq;;t, t/nT 1./"18)

19. ~~~ JRT orafu HOtN HOfu~ lfTfu II

~~~ () gr,ffi~~ ~II rq;;t, l/1iT 1./"11./)

20. ~~~ H?i~~~~ wrell

~~ ~;:r~ era R}fc')~~ urrell

~, l/1iT 1./.,1./)

21. ~~~~ljl@sT~~~1I

~~~ ;:r orafu~ 3Q H?i fun,~~ 1I<t1l

rq;;t, l/1iT I./<tl./)

22. ~~ qoHt~ >wfu~ qfa'~ II

~~~~~~~~II<t11

~, l/1iT I./<tlt)

23. i@{tJqjS~~ ;:rfu~ W II (sri!~, ~ 'l~, ~ :V24. i@IFtJqjS Ri8'ij~i qJg~~II rsrif~, ~ r, lIf};it .,~)

25. i@·FtJillS ~~~ II (sri!~, ¥"iT :?8,~ 'l).... - f, ~~26. ~ "a"3ll'~ i@' tJqjs ~~ ~G·It:",· II

(sri!~, ~ <t:?, lIf};it <t.:J)

27. fqw ft::«nrT ~~~~~ fRHo<tt II

rsrif~,~ :?.:J,~ <to)

28. i@{uqjS i@·Fuqjs i@{uiilS i@Tfu~ II

~ HeR? ~~, l/1iT <t80:?)

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DEVOTION AND PRAYER

Devotion comes with faith after imbibing virtues inhuman life. It has been very clearly said by Guru Nanak Devin ]apu. 1 Bhakti or devotion takes its birth from faith. AMuslim must have the prayer-mat of faith (Var Majh M. 1,p. 140),2 and a Yogi the staff of faith Oapuji, p. 6).3 Withoutfaith there can be only deceit and no devotion. Devotiondemands complete self-surrender. The devotee cannotquestion the Will of the Lord. (Asa M. 3, p. 440).4 Those whoquestion can never find a place in the Heart of the Lord.(Ibid, p. 440).5 Therefore the devotee must resign completelyto the will of Lord. Fear of the Fearless Lord is a pre-requisitefor devotion. (Bilawal M. 5, p. 829).6 Ordinarily fear and loveare two antagonistic factors in the development of humanpersonality, but in the domain of devotion, they go side byside. The devotee (Bhakta) is full of undefiled fear and purelove, fear of the Omnipotent and Love of the Merciful andCompassionate Lord. The real devotion of the Lord is his Love(Sri Raga M. 3, p. 28)7. There are two types of devotion i.e.Laukika and Anuraga and Behrang(outward) and Anatarang(inward). The Laukika devotion is outward and formalisticand Anuraga devotion is inward. The Sikh Gurus haverejected the outward form of devotion and laid greatemphasis on inward devotion Le. pure love. There are ninetypes of Bhakti called Naudha Bhakti, which includes thedevotion through 1. Listening (Shravan), 2. Music (Kirtan),3. Remembrance (Simran), 4. Washing the feet of the Lord(Paad-Sevan), 5. Service (archa), 6. Bowing (vandana),7. Obedience (Dass-Bhaav), 8. Friendship (Mitrata) and

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9. Self-surrender (Atam-NivedanJ. Suitable quotations regardingeach type of Bhakti can be found in the verses of the SikhScripture, but prominence is given to Bhaae Bhakti or PremaBhakti or devotion through love. The path of devotion canbe attained through the Grace of the Guru and the Lord (AsaM. 3, p. 440).8 When the disciple meets the Guru and receivesinstructions from him, the real devotion begins at that time.Bhakti is the real path of Niroana. The final emancipationcan never be attained through learning and guises. The worldis mad without Bhakti (Asa M. 3, p. 440).9 Without Bhakti,the human being looks like a dog or a swine (Slok M. 9,p. 1428).10 Bhakti is a type of Yoga, which unites a devoteewith the Lord. The word of the Guru is the treasure-houseof devotion. Whosoever sings, listens or practices it, attainsthe objective. (Asa M. 5, p. 376),u

We have to see which virtues are the pre-requisites fora person adopting the path of devotion. In Sikhism, theperformance of duty i.e. dharma does not mean theobservance of the formal ritualism of the pursuance of theShastric injunctions. The Sikh Guru laid down a definitemoral code, which enjoins a Sikh to do such actions, whichcan be called higher Karmas. The practice of these higherKarmas is the practice of virtues in life. The socialresponsibility of an individual is the inception of thesevirtuous acts for the good of mankind. Our mind tends moretowards vices than virtues.. We become slaves to lust, anger,greed, worldly attachment and ego, which are the five greatvices and are the root-cause of all the ills and foibles in life.They engender infirmities in individuals and societies. Allsorts of troubles, anxieties, sorrows, frustrations, vexationsand crosses crop up. In order to avoid such a miserable life,it is essential that an individual may bring himself underdiscipline. The virtue and vice are both the creation of God.The Satan, if any, is subservient to the orders of the Lord.The physical and moral laws of causation work everywhere.The virtuous will be rewarded and the sinful punished. Vice

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DEVOTION AND PRAYER 61

is a sin. It is impure and unclean. God is pure. An individualbecomes God-like to the extent he becomes pure.

In a world vitiated by all types of ills, one should avoidindulgence to the extreme and also avoid self-mortificationto the extreme. Over-indulgence is a sin, because it makesus materialists; ove-repression is sin, because it misguides ustowards fruitless mortification. On both the sides we losebalance. Sikhism follows the middle path i.e. the goldenmean. It does not allow an individual either to renounce theworld or to jump in the field like an unbridled horse. Theforemost duty of an individual is to understand Dharma orthe path of piety. The pious is really great. The piety canbe realised by the control over our senses. The five sensesof sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch are to be kept underthe follwing discipline:

1. Our sight should never become impure. We shouldavoid a lustful and greedy look. We should look at theworld as the Creation of God, its beauty as the Beautyof God.12 Our perception should be devoid of the senseof possession, because it creates worldly attachment andego.

2. We should hear no evil. The faculty of hearing isrelated to the faculty of speech. Whatever we hear, itis the speech-sound created by somebody. The hearingof evil can only be avoided, if we avoid a maliciousspeech. One should speak less in order to avoid anextravagant and unruly talk. The tongue often inflictsdeep wounds than the sword. A discourteous talkcreates unhealthy effect not only on the mind, but alsoon the body. The person who indulges in such talkreceives punishment in the Court of the Lord. We shouldbe sweet in speech.13

3. One should not fall a prey to the tempting pleasuresof the world. These pleasures are transitory and leadus to trouble. We like and indulge in whatever is tasteful.This is the age of Kaliyuga in which the tastes of the

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tongue and sex predominate. A true Sikh has to avoidall sensuous tastes and intoxicants. 14

4. All smells inciting or exciting an individual to lustful actsare to be avoided. 15 The above-mentioned injunctions,positive or negative must be practiced in order to controlthe senses. These injunctions not only concern anindividual, but also have a social significance as well.The purity or perfection of an individual leads to thepurity and perfection of society.The Sikh Gurus have laid great emphasis on moral

qualities of an individual. God as Ishvara is a treasure-houseof qualities. If a person practises, he becomes god-like. Theultimate objective of a Sikh is the unity with the Lord andthis unity can be achieved by adopting His qualities and alsoremembering His Name. But our efforts in this direction canonly be successful through the Grace of a religious preceptor(Guru). Guru Nanak Dev has said regarding these godlyqualities that devotion is not possible without thesequalities.16 G~ru Arjan Dev says:

From the toilet-box ofqualities, the fragrance shouldbe taken out,

Ifthere are qualities, 0 friend! we should share them,The qualities should be shared and the vices should

be forsaken. 17

The beauty-aids of a personality suggested by GuruArjan Dev are truth, contentment, mercy and piety. Thefollowing godly qualities figure prominently in Sikh literature:1. God is Truth, 2. God is Good, 3. God is Just, 4. God isSweet, 5. God is Pure, 6. God is Fearless, 7. God is devoidof enmity, 8. God is Gracious and 9. God is Merciful. If aperson adopts truth, goodness, justice, sweetness, purity,fearlessness, brotherly feelings, graciousness and mercifulness,he becomes god-like. These qualities prepare the ground forthe realisation of Brahman.18 They are like a base, overwhich a spiritual mansion can be raised.

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DEVOTION AND PRAYER 63

The five major vices can be overcome with the practiceof five virtues i.e. the lust can be overcome with self-control,19anger with toleration,20 greed with contentment,21 worldaffection with devotion to duty~2 and ego with modesty.23 Thesages have mentioned l"Iirteen vices, which are enemies ofliving beings. They are: lust, anger, greed, dejection,delusion, cynicism, wrongful activity, envy, jealousy, irritatedworry, malice, scorn and fear. (Mahabharata, Santi Paroaclxi, 1-3). These vices can be conquered with increasingcontrol over mind, body and senses. Side by side they havetalked ofvirtues i.e. fOrgiveness, self-possession, harmlessness,equality, truthfulness, straightforwardness, the conquest ofsenses, skill, gentleness, modesty, restfulness, absence ofscorn, absence of excitement, sweet speech and absence ofjealousy-of all these, the self-control is the source.[Mahabharata, Shanti Paroa elmii (1), 13-161. Manu hastalked of ten virtues; self-possession, patience, self-control,integrity, purity, restraint, intelligence, learning, truthfulnessand absence of anger-these are the marks of dharma.(Manu Smriti, VI, 92). The Sikh Gurus also talk of thesevirtues in an individual, but they are bitterly against anybarrier of caste in the society. For them all the human beingsare equal and no barrier can be placed between a man anda man and also between a man and a woman.

The Sikh Gurus have laid great emphasis on thecompany of the good (or Sadh Sangat) besides the above­mentioned virtues.2i In the company of the good, one feelsinspired for leading a virtuous life. Guru Nanak Devconsiders humility or modesty as the best quality in anindividual,25 By the practice of modesty, we can subdue ego,which is the source of many evils. Modesty inspires withinus a holy sense of service,26 which leads us to help others,to serve mankind, to serve all beings and to serve ourcountry. The sense of service brings in mercy andcompassion towards others, produces the qualities oftoleration, fofbearance, patience and self-surrender. With the

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armour of qualities and virtues, the Sikh enters the field ofaction like a disciplined soldier with the mace of humilityand the double-edged sword of becoming the dust of thefeet of all and no enemy can stay long before him. 27 Hisactions are controlled by the injunctions laid down by thegreat Gurus. He fulfils all his worldly duties but never forgetsthe Name of the Lord. He performs his physical, mental,moral and spiritual duties at the same time. He earns hislivelihood, performing his duty honestly. He takes out aportion of his earning for the service of the needy brethem28

and while performing all worldly duties, he remembers theLord and in the end attains the final beautitude.

A Sikh leading a virtuous life in the society and servingthe humanity to the best of his capacity, wherever he can,and serving his fellow-brethren in the holy congregationaccording to the injunctions laid down in the Sikh Scripture,29is always absorbed in the Gum-Mantra. He prays for thewelfare of all. A prayer is a personal communicationaddressed to a deity in the form of supplication, adoration,praise, contrition or thanks-giving. But in Sikhism all otherdeities except God have been rejected. All other gods,goddesses, angels and the spirits are prone to death. Whyshould one serve or remember him, who takes birth and thendies down. (Var Gujri M. 3, p. 509).30 Even Brahmas, Vishnusand Shivas pass away after the lapse of their fixed periodof life. 00 Swayyas, Dasam Granth)Y Only One Lord willbe there in all the ages. Who has not died? and who willnot die? (Maru M. 1, p. 1022).32 Death is a certainty and thesouls, because of their actions, undergo transmigrations; thehuman being wears the garments of both pleasure and pain,happiness and sorrow (Var Majh M. 1, p. 149),33 which hereceives from the Lord according to his worth. But thesuffering mostly pervades in our liv~s. The so-calledpleasures of the world also bring pain. As many are thepleasures of the body, so many are the sufferings. (Var MalarM. 1, p. 1287).34 The sensuous pleasures result in sufferings

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and maladies. (Basant M. 1, p. 1189).35 Guru Nanak Dev hassaid: "There is suffering in birth and suffering in death andsuffering in all the dealings of the world." (Var Sarang M. 4,Slok M. 1, p. 1240).36 There is suffering in separation, thereis suffering in hunger, there is suffering of the mighty Yama.There is also suffering caused by physical ailment. (MalarM. 1, p. 1256).37 Guru Nanak Dev has also conclusively said,''Though the ]ivas move towards their destruction by the fireof suffering, still the suffering itself is the remedy (Var Sarang.M. 4, Slok M. 1, p. 1240)38 and the peace-giving remedy isthe Prayer, gushing out from the. core of the heart.

The formal prayer is like a ritual. It is offered in SikhTemples everyday in the mornings as well as in the evenings.The real prayer is neither ritualistic nor it can be capturedin the vesture of language, by the human beings withoutdevotion, faith and love. The prayer creates a bridge betweenthe soul and the Lord. It wells up in the mind of the manof God. The prayers are offered not only by the men of God,but also by the men of the world. The men of the worldmay express worldly demands in their formal prayers. Theymay also pray from their hearts, if they need something forthemselves very badly. They may also request for a gravedanger to be averted from someone whom they love. Themen of God may express worldly requirements which canhelp in their spiritual quest. They may also pray for strengthto be granted to them for the welfare and service of humanity,in which they visualise. the All-Pervasive Lord. Even theformal prayer of the Sikhs end with the follOWing words :'Nanak Naam Cbarbdi Kala. Tere Bbaane Sarbat da Bbala'(The Name of the Lord emanating from the Guru (GuruNanak) may bring high spirits and the welfare of all underHis Will).

Most of the hymns of Guru Grantb Sabib, written bythe Sikh Gurus and radical saints are the prayers offered tothe Lord or the Guru. A Sikh offers his prayers in the presenceof Guru Grantb Sabib, the Sikh Scripture, if he can. But if

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he is out of his home or is in journey, he can offer his prayers.at any time at any place. The prayers flXed for dailyobselVance are recorded in the beginning of Guru GranthSahib. They are meant for three times during the day viz.,

1. japu, a longer bani of Guru Nanak Devto be recitedin the morning;

2. So-Daru or Rahiras, consisting of nine hyms of theGurus, to be recited in the evenings; and

3. Sohi/a or Aarti or Kirtan Sohi/a, consisting of thefive hymns of the Gurus, to be recited at bed-time.

Bhai Gurdas, the Sikh threolowan has made a mentionof these prayers in his first Var. Shiromani GurdwaraPrabandhak Committee, has, however, added a few hymnsof the Gurus with Rahiras Sahib, consisting especially ofsome verses from the Dasam Granth.

REFERENCES

lt1Y, l/;;r 8)

~ H"V H: 'I, l/;;r '180)

lt1Y, l/;;r ~)

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3 :I1JT~II

4.~~~ qay '3T Rftr Jro'~ (')~ II

()I(rJ1r H: :I, l/;;r 880)

5. salfo qay~ ~~ it Jro'~~II

()I(rJ1r H: :I, l/;;r 880)

6. fuQ t ~ 30Q tit II (71lM j.~ H: (/, l/;;r ~~t)

7. ufo salfo ufo QT~~ ~~ cR lffi:rrg II

dim arqJ H: :I, l/;;r ~~)

8. salfo~~~~~~"8~11

~~~ cR faotrr it ufo~~~ II cUI

()I(rJ1r H: :I, l/;;r 880)

()I(rJ1r H: :I, l/;;r 880)9. 0'00f fuQ~ ffiU~..... II

10. ~ smfu~ rnu l.{'Ol ~ O'fu Hfo II

AA l1ciO FP1fTO 0'00f~m '30 1188/1 .~)(: t, l/;;r 'l8~~).. - -

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DEVOTION AND PRAYER 67

11.~ h10 cnds i C!l ~II arr.I3~~~II~II

~ H: l/, t/irT ~:ld)

12. ~ ~ lifcro ufo~ lffu "AAr lTcit ufo flrg~ n~mil. ~ H: ~ ~, t/irT r!~~)

13. (")T(')ci fd~~ NO fcqT~ II

fI'«~~ fd kaT jtfu II

~~~~ F fri" lS'fu11

~~~ lfT<!T~ Jrt:l'Tfullctil ~ 1If"W, H: " ~ 8:1~)

14. lfY~~~~ II ia@ aqr ff lJffir fdt II

fH7 H: " ~ 'O~8)

;l3' alf JI'aTcJ ~ ~~~II~II ~~, H: " ~ '~t:l)

JOT~~ n lffin!l tl ~ l.fTfa~ II

~ J fD/W"""d""'1S-', H: ~, t/irT l/l(8)

15. #s~ HI~~~~ llSfu~ II

~ H: 8, t/irT tt~)

16.~~ ott3 soTfo n~ II (Ry, t/irT 8)

17.~~~~ crfv~ m;lll

tl~~,Wffi')T fHm Wi' aanlll

Wi' cmA~ ciol m~~II

f8'J1 H: " t/irT :lIN)

18. q ~~~~ feu~ fa[u sl3fcJ rill'lI

(/;18'.6 H: l/, t/irT ~:lr!)

19. "4JC!' cit Wi'~~ mft soTfo rim II

f8'J1~, H: ~, t/irT :ll/d)

lid' lJ?i lid'~ lId'Udlll ~ t ~~~ 11'11

~~, t/irT "I§~)

20.~~~~ trr ;::itatR lI~oll ~ Nff!, ~ '~t')

21. f1r?iT~ nul~~ II ~ l}lIH?ft H: l/, t/irT ~:lr!)

22. cma~ fary emu ~ ~ ~ n'Ul ~ ~ ~II

~ mikT, t/irT '~:I:I)

23. l)fTlffl~ it wt olwll ~~ HS ~ ~II

~ l}lIH?ft H: l/, t/irT ~dd)

24. HdAdlFa~~~~ ufo~ fHlfT II

~ CP7);p", H: 8, ~~ '~'d)

25. fiR>?~ 7)T(')clT~~ '3? II

~ 1If"W, }{: 'i, ~ 8:10)

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68 NAAM

26. f,cp CiQ3 illtr~ II ~~ ~ UOTl.lfu~ II

(~~ }{: 1../. ifoT :?tE)

27. oraTaT~ uwolll linT HOTl? ~ &TOT II

~~ ~ (')~~" (itato }{: 1../. ifoT E:?t)

28. l1f1'ffi l:f1fu raw~~ II ?)T(')(X~~ 'Rfu II "tIl

~ wfJar}{: 8,~ }{: 8. ifoT 't:?81../)

29. mfT~~ w ma ffi') ct~litfJT~"

{7Jdt}{: 1../, ifoT 28t)30. ))fqO~ fm1~ AA 3 Hfu wk II- '" -

~ iJfflif }{: fJ, ifoT l../oC)

31. l{UH~ flmo~ lli'3' ~~~I

('g71T ~, ~ $I)32.~ (') tp)fT ortR" (') HaRT (( M'S}{: '1, l/or 'lo~~)

33. ~ ~~~ CiflS lffiJafu wk }@f ((

("iiTO }(TV }{: '1, ifoT '18t)

(q-ra }{5TO}{: '1, l/or 't:?t2)

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36. ~~~~~~~>lwfoll('ilTO wfror }{: 8, 1fif«}{: '1, l/ir;r 't=?80)

37.~~~~~II~~Ra3iie'a~1I

~~~~ 3fo tfTfull ~ (')~~ wreliCUt

(}{Wa}{: '1, l/ir;r .,=?I../E)

38. ~~ l)fOft~ -m- ~~~ 11'\11- -- .('IITa wfror }{: 8, 1fif«}{: 'I, l/ir;r 'I =?80)

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SEVERAL MANIFESTATIONS OF A SIKHCONSTANTLY RECITING NAAM

We have already seen that a SHill is required toremember the Name of the Lord at all times and in allpositions, whether sitting, standing or sleeping. In theCongregation, he considers himself a Sewak (an attendant).He may also be called a Hari-jan (Man of God). As a devoutSHill, he is called a Bhakta (devotee). He is sometimes knownas a Sadh or Sadhu (a Striver) and often called a Sant (aSaint). At a more advanced spiritual stage, he is called aBrahm-Giani (Knower of Brahman) or a Jiwan-Mukta(Liberated Soul). Though called by different names orepithets, he is still a Sikh (disciple), who has an unbreakablerelation with his Guru (Preceptor). And whenever absorbedwith the Name of the Lord, he is said to have become onewith the Lord as has been said in the Scripture:

God and the man of God, both are one,there is no consideration of any difference.

Just as the wave arising on water, merges itself inwater.!

The earliest definition of a Sikh is contained in GuruGranth Sahib. Guru Ramdas, the fourth Sikh Guru says:"Whosoever calls himself a Sikh of the True Guru, he getsup early in the morning and remembers the Name of theLord. He makes efforts to rise early and take a bath in theambrosial pool (of the Name). Following the instructions ofthe Guru, he repeats the Name of the Lord and washes awayall his sins. And when the day dawns, he sings the bani

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(hymns) of the Guru and remembers the Name of the Lordwhile sitting or standing. He, who remembers my Lord withevery breath and loaf,that Gursikh wins the affection of theGuru. He, on whom my Lord showers His Grace, he receivesthe instructions of the Guru. I crave for the dust of the feetof that GUrsikh, who not only repeats himself, but also makesothers to repeat the Name of the Lord." (Var Gauri M. 4,pp.305-06).2 According to Guru Amar Das, the third SikhGuru, that Sikh alone is a friend and a kinsman, who observesthe Guru's discipline (Sorath M. 3, p. 601).3 The Guru andSikh are thus closely related to each other. This bond isspiritual and not physical or mental. In his longer poemSukhmani, the ftfth Guru says: liThe True Guru sustains theSikh. He is always Gracious towards him. The Guru washesaway the dirt of evil from him. Following the instructions ofthe Guru, the Sikh repeats the Name of the Lord. The TrueGuru cuts off the fetters of the Sikh, who recoils from theevil actions. The True Guru gives the wealth of the Nameto the Sikh, who is very fortunate in this respect. The TrueGuru embellishes the life of the Sikh in this as well as thenext world. The True Guru mends the Sikh very affectionately. II

(Gauri M. 5, Sukhmani, p. 286).·. Such examples from GuruGranth Sahib can be multiplied, wherein the relation of theSikh with the Guru has been depicted and the position andstatus of a Sikh has been defmed. This relation and positionsubsists for all times. The Guru is the redeemer of Sikh fromworldly shackles and unites him with the Lord, saving himfrom transmigration.

Bhai Gurdas, the great Sikh theologian has defmed a'Gursikh' in the following manner: "The birth of theenlightened Sikh is meritorious, who comes under theumbrella of the Guru in the company of other Sikhs. He bowsbefore the Primal Purusha and comes to have a sight of theglorious Guru. After prostrating before him, he puts hisforehead on the lotus-feet of the Guru. The True Guru, outof kindness makes him listen to Waheguru, the Name of the

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MANIFESTATIONS OF A SIKH CONSTANTLY RECfiNG NAAM 71

Lord. After obtaining the True commodity, he remainsextremely modest and in this way receives reverence fromthe world. He forsakes all the inimical forces incJuding lust,anger, greed, attachment and ego. He adopts steadfastly truth,contentment, mercy, righteousness, the Name of the Lord, thecharitable disposition and pUrity. Following the instructionsof the Guru, he is called a IGursikh' . (Var 11, Pauri 3).5

Only the Sewaks (attendants) of the True Sovereign areapproved by Him, saith Nanak; those who attend on othersignorantly, die constantly in affliction. (Gauri ki Var M. 4, SlokM. 5, p. 315).6 Kabir says that the saints have come to knownow in their hearts that only those Sewaks (attendants) aregood for service, in whose heart the Lord abides. (GauriKabir, p. 337).7 The Sewaks(attendants) worship the Lord forwhom the Grace of the Lord is on the ascendant and in whosemind there is zest of love, the night of life is soaked withdew of God's Mercy for them. (Var Asa M. 1, p. 465).8 Itbehoves the Sewak (attendant) to perform service; byremaining under God's Will, he attains the Supreme SpiritualState. (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5, p. 292).9

The Sikh is also called the devotee (Bhagat) of the Lordand is highly eulogised in Anand Sahib by Guru Amar Das,wherein he says : "Peculiar is the way of life of the Bhagats;their way of life is indeed peculiar, they have to tread a verydifficult path, they have to forsake greed, covetousness, egoand desire; they do not talk much. They have to travel onthe path, which is sharper than the double-edged sword andfiner than a hair. By the grace of the Guru they have shedaway the self-conceit and their sensuality merges in the Lord.The way of life of the Bhagats in verious ages is indeedpeculiar, saith Nanak." (Ramkali M. 3, p. 918).10 At anotherplace, the Guru says: "The Lord protects His Bhagats andprotect them throughout the ages. He is only a Bhagat, whois Guruward and burns his ego with the Sbabda (Name). Heburns his ego with the Namp. and his utterance is True; heperforms the true devotion day and night, which is only

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uttered and narrated by the Guruwards. The way of life ofthe Bhagats is true and exceedingly immaculate, the trueName is pleasing to their mind. Nanak says that theseBhagats look beauteous at Lord's Mansion. They practiceTruth and nothing else except the Truth." (Suhi M. 3,p. 768).11

These Bhagats are very often designated as Saadh andSanto Though the word Saadh is used for an ascetic incommon terminology, but here the householder Sikh is aSaadh and the fifth Guru Arjan Dev has devoted a full cantoin Sukhmani in his honour. He has recorded: "In the.company of the Saadh, the mind never wanders away; inthe company of the Saadh, one ever remains in peace; inthe company of the Saadh, one obtains the IncomprehensibleCommodity of the Name; in the company of the Saadh, theunendurable is endured; in the company of the Saadh, oneabides in a high place; in the company of the Saadh, onereaches the Lord's Mansion; in the company of the Saadh,one's faith is firmly established; in the company of the Saadh,one meditates only on the Transcendent Lord; in thecompany of the Saadh, one obtains the treasure of the Name;I am a sacriflce to the Saadh, saith Nanak." (Gauri SukhmaniM. 5, p. 271).12 Such is the merit of a Saadh, who is a Sikh.The prayer of the Saadh, according to the same Guru is "0Lord! I may not forget Thee even for the duration of a breathand a morsel. Whatever pleases Thee is Good, the affairs areadjusted under Thy Will." (Asavari M. 5, p. 431).13

Guru Arjan Dev has also described the way of theliving of a Santo It is recorded as follows: "0 my brother!listen to the discipline of a Sant, his praise connot bedescribed. He is busy only with the Name. He is theembodiment of bliss and his rest is only the singing of thePraises of the Lord. The friends and foes are alike to him.He knows none else except His Lord. He is the effacer ofmillions of sins. He dispels the sufferings and bestows divinelife upon the being. He is valiant and man of word. He has

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MANIFESTATIONS OF A slIm CONSTANnY RECfiNG NAAM 73

over-ridden the poor maya. Even the gods wish for hiscompany, His sight is accredited and his service is fruitful.Nanak supplicates with folded hands, "0 the Treasure ofExcellences! Bless me with the service of the saint." (AsaM. 5, p. 392).14

According to Guru Tegh Bahadur, "A Sikh, whoconstantly remembers the Lord, forsaking his pride andattachment, is called a]iwan-Mukta." (Bilawal M. 9, p. 831).15He achieves redemption, while being alive. Guru Arjan Devsays in Sukbmani: "He, who loves in his heart the Commandof the Lord, he is called a ]iwan-Mukta. The joy and sorroware both alike for him. He is ever in bliss, there is noseparation for him. The gold and dust are both alike for him.The nectar and poison are both alike for him. The honourand dishonour are both alike for him. The pauper and theking are both alike for him. The proper way of life for himis acting under Lord's Will. That man is said to be ]iwan­Mukta, saith Nanak." (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5, p. 275).16

A Sikh at the height of his spiritual excellence becomesa Brabm-Giani (Knower of Brabman). This is a rarephenomenon. Bhai Ram Kuir, the descendant of Baba Budha,in the time of Guru Gobind Singh was a Brabm-Giani. Theexcellences of a Brabm-Giani are described i.n a full cantoin Sukbmani by GUru Arjan Dev, wherein he says: "Brabm­Giani ever remains unattached like the lotus abidingunattached in water. Brabm-Giani ever remains spotless likethe sun giving comfort to all. Brabm-Giani looks on aU withequal eyes like the wind that blows alike for the pauper andthe king. Brabm-Giani has even patience like the earth,whom someone digs and someone smears with sandal. Thisis the attribute of Brabm-Giani, saith Nanak, it is the all­purifying inherent nature of fire. Brabm-Giani is the purestof the pure, just as the dirt remains unattached with water.The mind of a Brabm-Giani is ever enlightened like the skyabove the earth. To the Brahm-Giani the friend and foe areboth alike. He is without any ego. Brahm-Giani is the

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highest of the high, but within his own mind, he is thehumblest of all. Only those persons become Brahm-Gumis,whom the Lord Himself makes so." (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5,p. 272).17

It was Guru Nanak himself, who in his Siddh Goshta,called the Sikh a 'Gurmukb (whose face is turned towardsthe Guru), wherein he has mentioned very clearly thequalities of a Gurmukh: "Gurmukb is blessed with Name,charity and purity. The attention of a Gurmukb remains fixedon the Lord. The Gurmukb obtains honour in the Court ofthe Lord and attains the Supreme Lord, the Destroyer of Fear.The Gurmukb practices virtuous deeds and actions andunites in the Lord's union, saith Nanak. The Gurmukb achievesthe knowldge of Sbastras, Sm1'jtis and Vedas and knows themystery of all the hearts. The Gurmukh loses enmity andopposition and does away with all the reckonings. TheGurmukb is dyed completely with the Name of the Lord andthus realises the Lord Himself, saith Nanak." (Ramkali, SiddhGoshta M. 1, p. 942).18 Such are the various phases of aGursikh, who is constantly absorbed in the Name of the Lord.

REFERENCES

1. ufo ufutfo~ ~~, flN~ q ()Tfull

;:rg ~~~~, "tr8" tit ftN FJH1'fu lI~oll~~1I ~ 7i"CCT)

2. qJO~ GfT ~ ~~ tr~~ufo ~ ~II

~ cR~ l1CI"i"'3l ft!'Jroro ~~ Hfcr~ II

~ CfJ9 ufo ufo~ Wli Hfg~ ll'U~~wi II

Ma~ fui:tr C!!dij'el~~~ ufo~~ II

~ wm fa1a1fR~ l1CJT ufo ufo it~~ lifo S't II- .ftm '&~~ >W~ f.3tr qrafmf CfJ9~~ II

no 0'0Ci lJf;J *cit farr~ eft ~ wfu· tN~ OT}{ illl't II~II- -. -- -

~~ H: 8, 7/it ~o~o~)3. it~ mIT tqy ~ 9Tel rn qra cl ri Nfu ~II

ritof6 H: ~, l/;r;r ~o.,)

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MANIFESTATIONS OF A SIKH CONSTANTIY RECfiNG NAAM 75

4.~ 1Hlf cit ~ ~II JRcl~~~~II1Hlf cit~~ }R§ Mil QJO wnl uftJ~~ II

~ 1Hlf ci ttm~ II QJO (iT~ fuCfTO ~ ~ II

~ 1Hlf ~?iT}{ tIO ~II QJO (iT~ ii:i1i 'dft ~II

~ 1Hlf (iT~~~ II

?)'(')Cf~ 1Hlf~ ;fll)f ?'i"fp;~ II "\11

~ lJlI'{7if H: l./, l/;;r ~td)

S.~ if?ilf~~ flfm qrdRdctl~ I

~ lfiJlf~ afu~~ dldedRC'l 1JTWw I- - . - -~~ afu~~ Cif}fg QJO~I

~ Y01f~~ ii:·FilQJS 'RV~~ I

mr~~~ 'O"aTli~~ 1JTWw1

Cil'tf~~ uftJ~ Hy~~I

H?~~~~~ fuRoTQ F~~if'e»fT1

QJO 1Hlf t~~ I rm qJirt!"H, ~ 'l'l,~ :J)

6. W:ci~ WU ci mrr ~IIVW W:fo ('iT(')(iT R lJfu l.lfu 1ft~ 11"\11

~ lit 'ifTO H: 8,~ H: l./, l/;;r :J'll./)

7. Qfu mitcJ l)fV tM'?i'JfT >l3o~ >Wfcr II

W:ci H jW~ ftru UlG lfR~ II ~ n1a, l/nr :J:J:J)

8. W:ci~ Cil'OfH~ II &C'll~ fun..r Hfo~ II

~~, H: 'l, l/nr 8dl./)

9. W:ci~~ llfn~ II~ !fir llIDf ~ lI'1!lll

~ lJlI'{7if H: l./, l/nr ~t~)

10. 80JdT cit~~ II

WW~~ cleft 1l1lfH H'Ofar~ II

~~~~~lfY?n'Ul~11

~ f3lit~ fC'lctt ~ H'Ofar ;:l'lGT II

QJO~ moT '1fTY '3fWHr uftJ~~ II

~~~ 9CfT3T~~~ IIct811

~ H: :J, l/nr t'lt)

11. 8aT3' tfOT cit uftJ~~~~ CM!T~ lf1H II

H~ t1~~~ mrfu~ lf1H II

~ mrfu~ HW uftJ S'fu))fT fim ~ lMit If'<tt II

mft S"a1f3~ fuQ or:3l~ 'JfTftr~ II

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9tJT3T ott~ mit l)ffu fcmm 0Ttf m:JT Hfn~ II

i"i""<"i'a" 9aT3' itJfu mo~ f;:{nl Jfij 11V~ 11"t11

(udf H: ~, l/?ir .:JE~)

12. W'Q' ~ Mar 0 ~ ~II W'Q' ~ Mar~~ ~II

RIQAfal~~~II W9' ~ Mar~ ~II

W'Q' ~ Mar lnl~ ~II ~ ~ Mar~~II

W'Q' ~ Mar~m trOH II W'Q' ~ Mar~ lJTOlftlH II

W'Q' ~ Mar~ OT}{ fotlto II i"i""<"i'a" wg ~~ 11811

(arfj:if !!lfH7iT H: 4, l/?ir :?.:J 't)

13. W'Q' '3'a' ott~ f.mg 0 wm fara"rfu II

'R~ R H 9W ~ 'iJTt CfT'CI't::r m 11.:)1\

~ )(: 4, l/?ir 8~(V

14. ~ 0U3 BOY ~m II~ ott Hfuw~ 0 tr'ET 1I"t1l~ II

~ W ~~ OT}{ II~~ ofta3Q fuJrH II

~~ W ~ ~ ~1Il{9~ fuQ~ 0 ~II~II

elk elk~ o(l<:(')i) 'd i II ~ Wo adO ;::fp,f a-~ II

lia"8to~ a- li8't II~ lMIl 1l3t 6rnl11~11. - -~ W 'AqJ '8T&fu~ II l)f}{w~ Jm? W ott ~ II

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(>1fTW )(: 1I, l/?ir ~t:?)

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(fWrP4ij H: t, l/?ir t~(V

16. l{9 orr~ l)fT3}f~ II~~~~ II

~~~~~II~~~otit~11

'3w~3'Rl~witll ~~3'Rl~~11

~ }fTQ "3w~ II "3w ~~ art:fTQ II

'R~~~II i"i""<"i'a" €y~ ~;:ftvo~II'II

(arfj:if !!lfH7iT H: 4, l/?ir :?.:J4)

17. l{UH~~~II AA tm Hfu IDm ~II

l{UH~~~II AA ~ Jm{~ Hlfll

l{UH~~~ ffifTfo II AA (JTii ~~ woT ?fg~ II

l{UH~ cl titatr ~ II~ lf8"QT ~ ~ ~~~ II

l{UH~ w ~~ II oroq~ 'l.RCif W HU;=J~ 11"t11

l{UH~ fcmm ~ ~II AA ~ 0 woT ttWll

l{UH~~ Hfn~ l{OJ1B II AA lJO~~ II

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MANIFESTATIONS OF A SIKH CONSTANTI.Y RECmNG NAAM 77

l{UH foMroT ci~~ mrrfo II l{UH foMroT ci (')1\ft~ II

l{UH foMroT ~ 3'~ II Hfo~ ~ mr 3' o1w II

l{UH foMroT R;:ro n II (')T(')Cf fun lff ))fTfu~ II ~II

~ lflIH('if H: lJ, l/;;r :?~:V

18.~ O'tf~ ful:roroll~~ RUf;:r ~II

~~~WOII~~~~II

~ qa<!t qT(J~ II (')T(')Cf~ Hffi fHm JJ:J~JJ

~~ fi:IDf:F3 ie II~~ ulk ulk~ II

~~ 1Wtr~ II~ JraTffi aTe3~ II

~ Ol}f ('iT}{ MoT QT3T II (')'T(')Gf~~~ II:J'II

~ H: ~, fHr1 itHfc, l/;;r r:8:?)

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SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES OFA GURSIKH

1. AKSHARA AND NAAM

A Gursikh constantly remembering Naam comprehendsthe relation of Akshara and Naam. Grammatically Naam ornoun is offive kinds viz., Proper, Common, Material, Collectiveand Abstract. Every object, place and individual has somename, therefore the names are innumerable (anek anantJ.They are countless (asankhJ. It is clearly recorded in japu :

The names are innumerable, the places areinnumerable.

Unapproachable andInaccessible are the innumerableworlds.

We feel uncomfortable in uttering the wordinntlmerab/e. (p. 4)\

Every name is an assemblage of two or more sounds,which is called 'a word'. Every sound is represented by aletter in writing. A letter or an akshara is an imperishablesound. It is perpetual and everlasting, therefore it is relatedto the Immortal Brahman (God). Naam is not only anassemblage of letters, but through such assemblage also, thehomage to Lord-God is paid through a eulogy. According tojapu:

The Naam is an assemblage of letters and throughletters we praise the Lord;

Through letters we get knowledge and the songs ofLord's Attributes are sung;

Through /etters we write and the speech is uttered;Through letters, the Writ on the head is recorded;

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Only the Lord Who Records the Writs has no Writ onhis head;

Every Writ is His own Dictation. (p. 4)2

The Writ on our forehead is recorded according to theCommand of the Lord. A commendation of Akshara Oetter)by Guru Arjan Dev is as follows:

The Akshara (letter) prevailed in the creation of the.three worlds by the Lord.

Through the creation ofthe Aksharas, the Vedas wereanalysed.

Through Aksharas, Shastras, Smritis and Puranaswere created.

Through Aksharas, sounds are produced and thespeeches are recorded.•Through Aksharas, thefreedom from fear and illusionis achieved.

Through Aksharas, the actions and deeds of purityand righteousness are performed.

The Akshara prevails in all the visible world, but theTranscendent Lord is Unaffected by Akshara.

(Gauri Bawan Akhri, p. 261)'

Kabir has also expressed the relation of Aksbara Oetter)and Brahman (God) in the following manner:

Where there is speech, there is Akshara (letter);Where there is no speech, there is no play of mind

there;The Lord abides in both speech and non-speech;Whatever He is, none can determine.

(Gauri Bawan Akhri, p. 340)4

When the letter is pronounced with the help of tongueand mouth, this stage of speech is called Vaikhari, but thereare three earlier stages viz., para, pashyanti and madhyama.All these four stages of the utterance (speech) are called vanisin teminology.

As has been said earlier, each and every creation of theLord has been given a name. The Guru has also said:

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Everything that has been created has a name. Thereis no place without a name. Qapu, p. 4)5

But the question arises, whe~her the Lord, who isbeyond Ak.shara or speech, can have a Name? In reality, Heis without any Name. Guru Gobind Singh, in obeissance callsHim Nameless (Anaame). But as the human being has givensome name to every object or individual, numerous nameshave been created for the Lord. An effort has been madeto personify the Imperceptible Lord through various names.But all such names are 'created names' :

o Lord! the tongue calls Thee by several 'creatednames: but Thy Primal Name is Sat (Truth).

(Maru M. 5, p. 1083)6

All other names are His 'created names' , but His real nameis Sat, which represents His Attribute of being Ever-Existent.there is no end to His 'created names'. The Guru says:

o Lord! Thy names are many and innumerable.(Bhairo M. 4, p. 1135)7

The Vaishnavas and Shaktas have mentioned a thousandnames of their Deities in their Sahansarnamas. The Muslimshave narrated ninety-nine Names of Lord-God. The Name canbe personal as well as qualitative. These names aremeaningful. But do these names truly represent the PerfectLord? The real name can only be that which expresses thequalities of the Lord in totality. Gurbani refers to such Namein the follOWing quotations :

The Immaculate Name is Unknowable, how can it beknown?

The Immaculate Name Abides in us, how can it beachieved?

The Immaculate Name is All-Pervasive.(Var Sarang M. 4, p. 1242)8

Although the Immaculate Name Pervades the wholeuniverse, this Miraculous-Ambrosial Name alsoAbides within the body.

(Gauri Sukhmani M. 5, p. 293)9

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Therefore the Name and the Lord are one and the same.When this Name is absorbed within the body, theImperceptible Lord may be said to have materialised.

Whosoever is the recipient ofa bit of this Name, he isindeed very fortunate.

His greatness is inexplicable.(Gauri Sukhmani, M. 5, p. 262)1°

The only remedy for the diseased world is the Nameof the Lord. (Dhanasari M. I, p. 687)11

But how can we comprehend such a Name? GuruRamdas says clearly:

Our Name of the Lord is God Himself, the Immortal,the Incomprehensible, Everlasting, IrresistiblePurnsha;

We remember and worship it and are also absorbedin this Name of the Lord,.

None equals its Greatness, it rescues one at the timeof death;

The Beneficent Guru. has given me this name,. Blessedbe the Parents of the Guru.;

I shall always remain in obeissance to my Tru.e Guru.,on meeting whom, I have comprehended the Nameof the Lord. (Var Vadhans M. 4, p. 592)12

It is clear from the above quotations, that we can obtainthe Name of the Lord only from the True Guru. The mainobjective of the human life is the achievement of the Unitywith the Lord and this Unity can only be obtained throughthe Name of the Lord given by the True Guru. Whereas thereis none greater than the Name of the Lord, there is also nonegreater than the True Guru, because the True Guru and theLord are one :

There is non other greater than the Tru.e Guru.,. TheGuru. and the Transcendent Lord are the same.

(Malar M. 5, p. 1271)13

But the school of the True Guru is Satsangat (The TrueCompany), in which the True Guru abides in the devotees

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(Gurmukhs). One gets the training of godly qualities in thisschool:

Satsangat is the school of the Tme Gum, where onegets the training of godly qualities.

(Var Kama M. 4, p. 1316)14

Guru Nanak Dev has recorded the followingcommendation for Satsangat:

Satsangat is the treasure of the Name, where onerealises the Lord.

The self is enlightened by the Grace of the Gum andthe darkness is expelled.

The iron in touch with the philosopher's stone becomesgold. (Var Sarang M. I, p. 1244)15

The nature of Satsangat has been described by GuruNanak Dev himself in the following manner:

In what way Satsangat can be known ?Only the Name of the Lord is related there.

(Sri Raga M. 1, p. 72)16

In a nutshell it may be said, that in the company of theTrue Guru and the enlightened person, the Name of the Lordis remembered and through its remembrance, perpetual lifeis gained:

o Lord! The ambrosial Name keeps him alive,whosoever remembers Thee. (Sorath M. S, p. 616)17

2. WHY SHOULD mE NAME BE REPEATED?

The solemnity of the Name is inexpressible. Itsremembrance is highly significant. In the first canto ofSukbmani, his masterpiece, Guru Arjan Dev has mentionedthe rewards obtained by remembering the Name of .the Lord.But the rationalists raise several questions regarding therepetition of the Name. Does the Lord require His OwnPraise? How can the repetition of the Naam again and againbe useful? Why does an intelligent individual need theassistance of a Guru?

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God is Carefree, He does not need the praise of acreated being. He does not require any special attention fromanyone. He is the Beneficent Lord. He abides withineveryone and knows everyone. He likes only a pure heart.Wherever the purity arises, the Grace of the Lord Prevailsthere. We can deceive the world, we can deceive ourselves,but how can we deceive the Lord. But there is need of theeffort for the purity of the mind. This effort is theremembrance of the Name of the Lord.

But what is the technique of the remembrance of theName? The repetition of the Name with the tongue or mouthis not sufficient, it is necessary to absorb it within the heart.Guru Amar Das says:

Everyone repeats the Name ofthe Lord with his mouth,but such persons are rare, who have absorbed itwithin the heart;

And those who have absorbed it within the heart, theyonly have achieved salvation.

(Vadhans M. 3, p. 565)18

Those who are steeped in the Name, they are pure,others are filled with the dirt of ego.

(Vadhans M. 3, p. 570)19

The enlightened ones, who have effaced their ego andhave remembered the Name,

They are pure both inwardly and outwardly and areabsorbed in Truth;

Their birth in the world is acclaimed, who haveremembered the Lord in accordance with thediscipline of the Guru. (Sri Raga M. 3, p. 28)20

Purity and Truth are inter-related. Whosoever is pure,is also truthful. The hymns of the Guru emphasise this point.According to Guru Nanak Dev, "We realise Truth, if there isPurity." (Asa M. 1, p. 472).21 Guru Arjan Dev says, "Truth isalways Pure-O Brother! Truth is always Pure; those whoare Truthful, are also Pure." (Sorath M. 5, p. 6(9).22 But GodHimself is Truth, Who is also the True Guru. According tojapu, "Truth is in the beginning and also in the beginning

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of ages. He is Truth now and shall be Truth in future. 1I (p. 1).23

According to Guru Ramdas, "The True Guru ever rememberedTruth, the True Guru and the True Lord are thus both One. II

(Var Gauri M. 4, p. 304).24 He is the True Guru, who hascomprehended the True Lord. Both of them are thesymbols of Truth and Purity and the true disciple of the TrueGuru also upholds these two virtues. According to Guru AmarDas, liThe Enlightened Person who upholds veracity andcontentment is all Truth and Pure. 1I (Var Gujri M. 3, p. 512).25

This fact can be expressed by the following diagram:

SAT+NAM

Truth .&.- Purity

___ SATGURU II

GURMUKH(Enlightened Person)

This is the reason, why there is necessity of trulyobselVing the discipline of the True Guru for a devotee inorder to become a Gurmukh (Enlightened Person). But therationalists have been heard saying that when our conscienceor the inner light can help us, then where is the need ofa Guru? The good intellect guides the human being regardingthe good or a bad action. Have the Scriptures not proclaimedthat the Lord abides in eveJY heart? When this innercontroller can guide us, then where is the necessity of aGuru? This inner controller is itself the Guru of the world,but the question arises how many of us know and feel thepresence of this inner controller? How many are there, whoface him and get guidance from him ? Having been steepedin profound ignorance, the man is greatly limited in hissenses of sight and hearing, having been mostly absorbedin falsehood, therefore erratically he considers his own ego'svoice as the spiritual order. This is the reason why there isnecessity of a Guru for True guidance. Sikhism does not

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believe in a Personal Guru. In reality, the Word is the Gum,which is ever present in Guru Granth Sahib. The Gumhimself resides in Sadh Sangat (Sat-SangatJ and thoseenlightened persons, who are totally engrossed in the Gum'sdiscipline, they can assist quite well the initiate in his spiritualdevelopment. Our great quest ends in the realisation ofBrahman, but the same cannot be achieved throughintellectual efforts. Only that person can be helpful in thisendeavour, who himself has comprehended this state and thistask can only be accomplished through Satsangat (thecompany of truthful persons):

How and in what way can we realise our Lord, giveme such instruction about Lord-God.

The Lord abides in Satsangat, meet such a congregationand know the Attributes of the Lord.

The attainment ofSatsangat is through good fortune,when one comes into contact with godlike TrueGuru. (Parbhati M. 5, p. 1335)26

7be devotee ofthe Guru remembers the TranscendentLord.

7be devotee of the Guru comes into contact withSatsangat. (Maru M. 5, p. 1075Y'

3. HOW TO REMEMBER THE NAME?

When the Name is known through the Tme Gum orSatsangat, it is the duty of the Sikh to remain absorbed inthe remembrance of the Name. The great significance isattached to the remembrance of the Name in the ambrosialperiod of the day:

In the ambrosial period ofthe day, the True Name Wremembered alongwith its commendation.

(Japu, p. 2)18

Rise up early in the morning and remember the Name.(Var Maru M. 5, p. 1(99)29

But the devotee should be absorbed in the Name at alltimes. Gum Ramdas has depicted the daily life of a Sikh

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emphasising upon remembrance of the Name at all times inevery posture. (Var Gauri M. 4, pp. 305-(6).30 According toGuru Nanak Dev:

Iffrom one tongue, one hundred thousand tonguesare created and even twenty times more;

And with each tongue, the Name of the Lord isrepeated a hundred thousand times;

One attains the unity with the Lord by ascending therungs of the ladder of honour in this way.

(Japu, p. 7)'1

In the alx>ve verses, the remembrance of Name bytongue is indicated. In the hymns of Guru Granth Sahib, wefmd at various places the mention of lx>th the methods ofthe remembrance of the Name: by tongue e.g., "If the tonguedoes not repeat the Name, it may be cut bit by bit." (p. 1363)32and by breath e.g., "The Name be remembered with everybreath for the Sight of the Lord." (p 257).33 In japu, thesignificance of the Name has been revealed in the threestages of Shravan, Manan and Niddhyasana : 'The Name beheard (Sunia), believed (mania) and embraced (Kita Bhao).The Name should be remembered in every situation :

It should be remembered in both comfort and sorrow,it should not be forgotten in any situation;

By repeating the Name, the light of millions of sunsshines forth and the darkness of illusion isdestroyed. (Jaitsri M. 5, p. 700~

The discourse (KathaJ of the Name should be heard:"The discourse of the Name should always be heard." (MajhM. 4, p. 95).35

There should be the Kirtan (singing) of the Name: "He,who hears Han Kirtan and sings Han Kirtan, no grief shallbefall him." (Gauri M. 5, p. 190).36

The True Guru gives the instruction on the Name. Thedevotee should sow the seed of this Name in the field ofhis body: "The field of the body should be cultivated andthe seed of the Name of the Lord be sown." (Var Asa M. 1,p. 468).37

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The Word or the mantra given by the Guru to thedevotee is the Name of the Lord. There is no other mantrain Sikhism except the Name of the Lord. This mantradestroys all the ills and sorrows: "Remember the mantra ofthe Guru; no sorrow will befall you." (Var Gujri M. 5, p. 521).38

In Hinduism, the mantras are mostly related to the godsand goddesses, but in Sikhism Guru-mantra is only theName of the Lord, whose remembrance results in the unitywith the Lord. In Indian Bhakti-eults, we find two kinds ofmantras: Mool Mantra and Bija Mantra. Mool Mantra is theconcise and pithy form of prayer and Bija Mantra is thecombination of a few syllables. Bija Mantra is the sound­body of the deity. When there is vibration in its sounds, itis straightway linked with the deity. There is mention of MoolMantra, (p. 1040),39 Bija Mantra (p. 891)"<> and Maha Mantra(p. 814)41 in Gurbani. Bija Mantra is also Maha Mantra andthis Mantra is the Name of the' Lord:

Bija Mantra is embodiment of all-knowledge;Among four castes such .person is very rare, who

repeats this Name. (Gauri Sukhmani M. S, p. 274)42

Bija Mantra is meant for all human beings. No portionof humanity is forbidden from its use. Anyone can make itsuse and rise in the higher spiritual spheres. The True Guruwants the welfare of all the humanity (p. 302)43 and bringsall the people in unison with the Lord. (p. 72).44 The MoolMantra his been given in the beginning of ]apu, which hasbeen repeated several times in Guru Granth Sahib.

Just as it is a difficult task to reach the most subtle body(Anandmaya KoshaJ from the gross body (Annmaya KoshaJ,likewise it is an uphill task to reach the stage of Para Banifrom Vaikhari Bani in the process of Naam-Simran(remembrance of the Name). It cannot be completed withoutthe Grace of the True Guru and the Lord. The visible worldis gross and from this Dharam Khand (the region of piety),the realisation of Sach Khand (The region of Truth) can onlybe achieved through the Grace of God. Similarly theachievement of the state of Para can only be possible

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through the Grace. Vaikhari or outward repetition of theName is through the throat and tongue. When the repetitiongoes deep down into the heart, it is known as Madhyama.This is the first stage of inner ]apa (repetition). The nextstage is Pashyanti, which is imperceptible. There is not onlythe Light of deity here, the Supreme Spiritual State can beinternally visualised from this stage. No other stage of ]apabeyond Pashyanti can be imagined. The stage of Para Baniis also called Unman. There is no other stage beyond Para.Regarding Unman, Guru Nanak Dev says:

After obseroing the essence ofUnman, the effort of theEnlightened Person is approved.

(Var Suhi M. 1, p. 788)4S

Unman stage is the same as Sahaj State, in which theLord is realised. Kabir says :

When the airy mind stays in Unman, there is neitherbirth nor old age nor death.

(Ramkali Kabir, p. 972)46

There is mention of another stage of Naam ]apa inGurbani. It is called Ajappa ]aap. This stage is related tobreath. Breathing is a natural activity. If with every breaththe name of the Lord is linked, this activity also becomesnatural, which is known as Ajappa ]aap. Some people tryto keep the Pranas under control with the help of this ]apa.Guru Nanak Dev says:

He, who Peroades in His Creation in the Beginningand the Beginning of the Ages is never forgottenthrough Ajappa ]aap. (Var Malar M. 1, p. 1291)47

There is mention of another activity of Naam ]apa inGurbani. A time comes in the life of an Enlightened Personengaged in Naam ]apa, when inspite of the repetition of theName through the tongue or breath, it is being repeatedthrouth every pore of the body : "The Gurmukh remembersthe Lord through every pore of his body." (Ramkali M. 1,p. 941).48 This stage is indeed the stage of Para.

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4. ANHAD, ANHAD NAAD, ANHAD SHABDA

Limitless Celestial Music. When the Gursikh attains hisideal and realises Brabman, he is called a Brabm-Giani. Thelotus of his mind blossoms by the Grace of the Guru andthe ego and all illusions vanish away. The lotus of the mind,which is said to be hanging downwards, raises its headupwards and blooms forth. The Gursikh enters the TenthDoor, which is hidden one and only those who are therecipients of the Grace of the Lord and the Guru enter thisDoor. There are several words of Yogic terminology used inGuru Grantb Sabib, to which the Sikh Gurus and the" Saint­poets have attached a meaning of their own. For example,Anbad or Anabat Sbabda is not the verbal testimony asproduced by different kinds of musical instruments, it is theLimitless Spontaneous Music heard on entering the TenthDoor (Dasam Dvaar). The Yogi is said to hear this Sbabdabefore reaching the Dasam Dvaar, but the Gursikh hears iton entering the Tenth Door. This State of Samaadbi is calledSaba} Samaadbi by the Gurus and Saints of the Guru GrantbSabib. The Yogi tries to attain this Samaadbi through HatbYoga, but the Gursikh realises it through his discipline ofdevotion through love (Prema BbaktiJ. IIBy remembering theLord, the Limitless Music resounds. II (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5,p. 263).49 lI'fhe mind was prevented from going out of thenine doors (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth and theorgans of procreation and elimination) and it settleddown within the Tenth Door in its own hime, there theAnbad Sbabda resounds throughout day and nightll

• (MajhM. 3, p. 124).50 Anbat Sbabda or the lnassailable CelestialMusic resounds in the heart of the Perfect Devotee followingthe discipline of the Guru. (Gauri M. 1, p. 228).51

5. OWN HOME

The Gursikh has to comprehend the significance of hisown home. The homes which he has raised for himself inthe worldly sense have no value for him. The palaces a~d

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mansions with solid foundations are of no worth to him.Every Gursikh has his own home within himself, where hecan be safe from the flights of the mind towards differentdirections, where he has no ego at all and where heconstantly remembers the Name of the Lord. In the hymnsof Guru Granth Sahib, this 'Own Home' has been calledNij Ghar. Guru Nanak Dev says in Siddh Goshta: "With theShabda of the Guru, the Gursikh destroys the poison of egoand then he abides in Nij Ghar." (p. 940).52

The Guru says again: "With the True Shabda, theGursikh practices Truth. Through True Bani, he sings thepraises of the Lord. He abides in Nij Ghar, obtaining theSupreme State. Then he receives the honours in the Courtof the Lord. (Prabhati M. 1, p. 1342).53

Thus it becomes clear that the Supreme Spiritual Stateor the Fourth State of the Saha) State is the Gursikh's ownhome, where he has entered the Tenth Door (Dasam Dvaar).Guru Amar Das has described the Saha} State in one of hishymns. (Sri Raga M. 3, p. 68).54 In this state, the Gursikh hasto go beyond the three modes of maya. "The path leadingtowards this State is visited stealthily by the wild animals,who steal the merit of the virtuous actions. When the doorsare closed, then there is no danger of any theft and withinthe Tenth Door the Limitless Celestial Music resounds."(Sorath Kabir, p. 656).55 "There is seen the sharp effulgentUght." (Sorath Namdev, p. 657).56 The saint Beni has in hisown way through signs and symbols described this Statewithtin the Tenth Door: "'The Tenth Gate is the abode of theInaccessible and Inftnite Supreme Lord. There is a niche inthe store above, where there is the real commodity. II (RamkaHBeni, p.974).57 This is the 'Own Home' of the Gursikh.

REFERENCES

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SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES OF A GURSIKH 91

2.~ O'tf~ FflWUII~~ ait3 qJG OJTUII

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fufo m ~ f3Er fRfo orfu II~~m m wfu II

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l)flfO~ fJffi{fu yorot' II l)flfO~ 0lli0~ II

l)flfO~ tJOTfu t SOW II l)flfO aoH fofaf3' ~ lm{T II

~ l)flfO ~ ~ II (')TOOl'~~ 114811

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6. fcfa'3H (')T}f eN~ ft::rcw II JIfu (')T}f 30T l«JT ll'alfl?" II- .{W§ H: {J, l/nT "o~?J)

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O'tf foa';:1c')~~ H9~ II (?TO wfIar H: 8, li1ir "~8~)

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~ 8liH?i'f H: {J, l/;;r ~r?J)

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17.~ O'tf llIDffig 30T ;=t M it~ II (i;ofo H: {J, l/nT 1f.,If)

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35. ufo ufo ()T}f CfflT fig~ II

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31. ~~;:j§ ~mu ~~~cmrll

~~~~~01tf~11

~ 0Tfu ufu~~~ feotts:rll (HY, zi1ir:J)

32. 0J1<')T ;:ni (') 01tf f311 f311 afa~ II ('Fi'J H: 14, zi1ir 'l:1E:?)

33. wfu wfu~ oufu (')T(')q~ ))flTTO II <tIl

~ 'lfT?1i 'HlfCif H: 14, zi1ir :?I.J:J)

34.~~~~~(,)~~1I()T}f ;:r1.l3' -afG m~ flroA' SOH~ 11<t11- ~ - -

(~H: 14, zi1ir :Joo)

(}f1¥ H: 8, zi1ir tl.J)

92 NAAM

18.~ ufo ufo Hi' a- ~~~~II

(')T(')q fun ~~~ Hlf~ fun,~IItll~1I

~ H: :1, zi1ir I.JtN)

19. (')T(')q 0Tf>f a3 H fool.m ~~~~II~II

~ H: :1, zi1ir l.J:Jo)

20. ft:1oT qratrfu 01tf~~ »fTy~ II

€fu~~~~Rfu~\1

(')T(')q~ H~ ufu fun~ ufo f'tp,pfu 1181111Il~tll

rfi:roT OW H: :1, zi1ir :?t)

21. lJfu~ '3T ~~II~II (iPO 1Ifl11T H: 'l, zi1ir 8:J:?)

22. Jffi JRT ~~~ fool.m~ Hfu II (ikJfo H: 14, zi1ir Eot)

23. l)flfu ~~~ II ~ 9l~ (')T(')q fuft 9l~ Will

(HY, zi1ir 'l)

24. it Rf3oto f;:r Jffi~ Jffi m:JT Rf3oto fu'& II. -- - - --(~~ H: 8, zi1ir :108)

25. H?~ Hi' ~ ~ 0T0Hfu~ II (1iTO F H: :1, zi1ir 1.J'l:?)

26. RaHdl Fa Hfu ufo ufo~~ 'lla1'fu ufo q]('i ;:po II

~ grfor RaHdlFa lJTl#t ~~ tram~II~II

(l{9"3T H: 14, zi1ir 'l:1:114)

27. qro qT~~~ II qro qT~ wmtu~.... .lI~1I{WJ H: 14, zi1ir 'lo':N)

(HY, zi1ir :?)

(iPO W1 H: 14, zi1ir 'lott)

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SPIRITIJAL EXPERIENCES OF A GURSIKH 93

37. tJOf3~ wfu et Rfu~ aoOT ~II

~ 11fT11T )(: 'I, l/;r;T 8Et)

38. q]O~ fu'3"rfo~~ 0~II~II

(?Ta~ H: I.J, l/;r;r I.J~'V

39. }fC1i H3" ufo Ol}f~ em~ lW~ 111.111. ~ - - - .(Hf]' H: 'I, l/;r;r '1080)

40. m ~ ufo~ aMI II rorHOflif H: I.J, l/;r;r tt'l)

41. }fiJT~~ ri ufo ~ ~ ~II di1Mj~?'} H: I.J, l/;r;r t'l8)

42. m ~ ROlf-& ~II ~~ Hfu tW~ 0T)j1l- ~ !fl:IH('ft H: C/, l/;r;r ~:J8)

43.~ Hsor ;:T 9W~.... .I1 (?Ta~ H: 8, l/;r;r ~o~)

44.~~ >Hw~ it m ~ fHwfu ;:00 11"\011

rfT1it OW H: 'l, l/;r;r :J~)

45. QJatrfu~m ~~~~ II (?Ta udt H: 'I, l/;r;r :Jtt)

46.~~ 0cJQ lfiJTlI nul~ 0 'HOlj t«JT1I"\1I~1I

rorHOflif ClliIiJ, l/;r;r t:J~)

47. >ffi1UT wy 0 ~ »f1fu~ IDfTfu II

(?Ta~ H: 'I, l/;r;r If~tIf)

48. QJatrfu 'afH am ufo~ II ~ H: If, Wir t8'l)

49. 't[i' t~~ JOCfTO II ~ !fl:IH('ft H: 1/, t!?;r ~E~)

50. ~ ~ orci~~II ~ foH usfa~ ~II

~~~~ Ro oral~~ 8~i;;r~1)fT11

(HfV H: 11, t!?;r 1f~8)

51. QJOHfd 0Ttf iN ;;g yo" II fa'? UlC~ lPtl ¥ II~II

~ H: If, t!?;r ~~t)

52. q]O et~~~~ '3T foH usfa~ rill~ H: " t!?;r t80)

53. ~~HV~IImrr~ufo~rill

foH usfa~ >HHa' ~~ II '3T~~ 'RgT~ 111.111

(~H: " t!?;r 'l~8~)

54. ''ffiffi' lR~~~~ t:ft ~ fRol 0tQ.T ~ ~ et~

~~~I

55. cWo~ ifal II ffi? fHaor 1S3" ~ Wt II

"tffu~~ II~~ lPtlll"\1I {iiafo ClliIiJ, l/;r;r EI.JE}

56.~~ "3tit II ('i!ta'f5~, l/;r;r ElI:J)

57.~~ ))fOTH »fl.l1OT 1.lOlf YOl:f cit l..llTit II

~ U'C U'C lSfcJ l)fTW~ sT3fcJ lfT3l11 811. -(~m, l/;r;r t:J8)

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MEDITATION IN SIKHISM

INTRODUCTORY

According to English lexicon, meditation is serious andsustained affection or mental contemplation. It is thecontinuous application of the mind to the contemplation ofsome religious truth, mystery or object of reverence, as thedevotional exercise. This definition of meditation projects thefollowing thoughts :

1. That mind is the basic conscious factor formeditation;

2. That it is applied to the contemplation of somereligous object of reverence; and

3. That the application of mind is continuous and adevotional exercise.

All the religions lay emphasis on the conquest of mind,without which we cannot tread the path of meditation.According to Guru Nanak Dev, if the mind is conquered, thewhole world is conquered. 1 But mind is both imperceptibleand mercurial. Has anyone ever seen the mind?

Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan, Sant Kumar, Narda­Muni and Shesha Naga could not see the mindwithin the body,

Search for this mind, 0 fellow-beings,Where goes the mind, when the body is no more?With the Grace of the Guru, jaideva and Namdeva

comprehended it in their devotional love.This mind neither comes nor goes,Only a person without illusion, knows the Truth,This mind is without any form or sign.

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By the Will of the Lord, it comes into being and alsoMerges in Him under His Will.

If anyone knows its secret,It then merges in the Lord, the Bestower of Peace,With one Self and all the bodiesKabir roves in his mind.

(Gauri Guareri Kabir, p. 330Y

Only an enlightened person, called Gurmukh in Sikhterminology, can see and know the mind within the body.Guru Amar Das says:

Only an enlightenedperson (Gurmukh) sees the mindwithin this body,

Because of the devotional love, the ego is dried up.The adepts, seekers and men of silence, though

absorbed in c9ntemplation;Have not been able to visualise the mind within the

body. (Majh M. 3, p. 124)3

He, who is ignorant about the mind, is also ignorantabout meditation. According to Guru Nanak Dev, "Within thisunseen mind, are hidden five evils, which are unstable androam as if dejected. Therefore, the mind does not remainsteadfast with the Beneficent Lord, because it is greatly boundwith Maya (mammon) and enchanted by greed, deceit, sinand hypocrisy." (Asa M. 1, p. 359),4

It follows from the above exposition that there is adefinite devotional exercise of technique of meditation inSikhism, on which the disciple (Sikh) has to workcontinuously under the guidance of the Guru. The mind hasto be emptied of the evil forces and has to ~ purified byfollOWing closely thediscipline enunciated by the Guru. Theobject of reverence is God Himself, with whom Unity is tobe attained.

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VARIOUS TECHNIQUES OF MEDITATIONREJECfED IN SIKHISM

All those techniques involving violent processess andinconvenient postures of the body have been rejected byGuru Nanak Dev. According to him:

There are some who go to the forests and obseroesilence;

There are others who suffer the pangs offrosty winterand ice-cold water;

There are others who besmear their bodies with ashesand do not wash off the dirt;

There are others who wear matted hair and look wild,in this way they dishonour their lineage;

There are others who wander about naked all the timeand do not have sound sleep;

There are others who burn their limbs in fire andwaste away themselves.

Without the Name ofthe Lord, their bodies are reducedto ashes; why and for what to wail for them ?

Only they look beautiful in the court of the Lord, whoseroe their true Guru. (Var Malar M. I, p. 1284-85)5

There are some who live in the forests, pick and eatfruits and roots;

Some wander about wearing ochre-coloured robes asYogis and Sannyasis;

Within their hearts they are haunted by the greatdesire for clothes and food;

They waste their lives, they are neither householdersnor ascetics;

The death hangs over their heads and they are victimsof three-phased desire;

Death does not come near him, who under the Guru ~'1

discipline, surrenders completely to the Lord.(Var Majh M.I, p. 140)6

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Guru Nanak Dev is very critical about deep andprofound thinking and prolonged reflection on some abstrusesubject. He is equally against the method of observing silencefor concentration. He is not in favour of keeping fasts orbecoming worldly-wise. (Japuji, p. 1).7 According to theGuru, the austerities are of no avail. He says, "The more onereads and writes, the more he burns. The more one wanderson pilgrim-stations, the more he prates. The more one takesto religious guises, the more discomfort he causes to hisbody. He who does not eat corn, loses the taste of life. Oneremains in great anguish, having been absorbed in love forthe other (Except the Lord). He ~ho does not wear clothes,suffers great agony all the time. Steeped in silence, one iswaste away, how will he wake up from sleep without theGuru? He walks bare-footed, which is the result of one's ownactions. He eats fllth and throws ashes on his head, in thisway the blind fool loses his honour. He does not know thatnothing is acceptable without the Name of the Lord. Hedwells in wilderness or on the cremation-ground. The blindone being ignorant repents in the end. One who meets theTrue Guru, attains peace. He imbibes the Name of the Lordin his mind. He, on whom, the Lord, showers His Grace,meets Him. He becomes free from hope and fear and burnshis ego with the Word of the Guru." (Var Asa M. I, pp. 467).8

Talking about various garbs, Guru Ram Das says,"Forsaking the life of the householder, one went to the forest,but his mind could not be controlled even for a moment;but when it came under the refuge of the saint, its wanderingceased and it settled down in its own home. The Sannyasiabandoned his sons and daughters, but his mind's plentifulcravings did not stop and in these cravings he did notunderstand his objective, through the Word of the Guru, hedestfoyed his cravings and attained peace. In melancholy, hebecame a Digambara (Jain monk), but his mind wanderedceaselessly in all the directions, in these wanderings, hisdesires were not extinguished. When he met the saint, he

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entered the Abode of Compassion. As a Siddha (Adept), hepractised many postures, but his mind wants to acquire themiraculous powers; it could not attain contentment, but onmeeting the saint, it became content and attained themiraculous power of the Name of the Lord." (Bilawal M. 4,p. 835).9

Guru Arjan Dev sings in the same strain. He says, "Byreading the sacred texts and ruminating on the Vedas,cleansing the intestines and controlling breath in the nerve­channels could not free me from the bondage of five evilpassions, but instead enchained me more in ego. 0 dear one,none could meet the Lold by such techniques, I performedmany such practices. Ultimately I prostrated at the Lord's doorand prayed for the grant of discriminating intellect. I practisedsilence, made my hands as the leaf-plates and wanderednaked in the forest. I visited the river-banks, pilgrim-stationsand the whole earth, but could not get rid of duality. Idesired to live at the pilgrim-station and place my headunder the saw, but could not absolve myself from themind's impurity in this way inspite of lakhs of efforts. Iperformed charitable acts in various ways and gifted gold,woman, horses, elephants, com, clothes and many lands, butcould not arrive at the Lord's door. I performed worship,making flower-offering, prostrations, situations and sixritualistic works. Steeped more and more in the bondage ofego, I could not meet the Lord in this way. I practised Yoga

as a Siddh with eighty-foUf postures and attained long life,but was born again and again and could not meet theLord. As a king I indulged in royal pleasures and in greatego issued orders. I slept on beautiful couches, perfumedwith sandal-scent, but ultimately fell into the terrible hell.Singing the praises of the Lord in the company of the saints,is the highest of all the karmas. Only he could obtain it, whois pre-destined to do it (according to the writ of the Lord).(Sorath M. 5, pp. 641-42).10

Sikhism rejects all gods and goddesses, all incarnations

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and prophets, therefore all the techniques regardingmeditation on them, stand rejected. Idol-worship andworship of lingam have been decried. II All ritualism,fonnalism and symbolism have been renounced. Only theLord-God is the subject of meditation. All entities, which havebeen created by the Lord and are within the fold of mayafind no adoration in Sikhism. According to Guru Nanak Dev,"The Lord is not pleased by making music, by the sound ofmusical instruments and by reading Vedas; He is not pleasedthrough the attainment of wisdom, knowledge and Yoga; Heis not pleased by abiding ever in sorrow; He is not pleasedthrough beauty, wealth and enjoym~ ~ts; He is not pleasedby wandering naked at pilgrim-stations; He is not pleasedby giving alms in charity; He is not pleased by sitting alonein wilderness; He is not pleased by death as a warrior inthe battlefield; He is not pleased by rolling in the dust ofmany; He takes the account of mind's love and is pleasedwith the absorption in True Name." (Var Sarang M. 4, SalokM. 1, p. 1237).12 Thus all the techniques involving the bodilypostures, the fancies of the mind and the worldly intellectare of no avail. Even Bhakti cults like Vaishnavism, Shaivism,Shaktaism, Ganapatyaism and Shauryaism adoring gods andgoddesses and indulging in ritualism are not in consonancewith the ideals of Sikhism. Dancing in devotional ecstasy isalso prohibited. 13 All other mantras except the Name of theLord, all the mantras (magical diagrams) and all tantras(Shaiva-Shakta texts) as understood in Hinduism are nothelpful in any way in Sikhism. Guru Nanak Dev says, "I donot know the religious hypocrisy of tantra and mantra, mymind is pleased as I have placed the Lord, within my heart."(Suhi M. 1, p. 766).14

TECHNIQUE OF MEDITATION IN SIKHISM

We have noticed in the foregoing exposition thatalongwith their thoughts on various techniques, the SikhGurus have reffered to their own technique of meditation.

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It consists in the total surrender by the seeker by killing hisduality and following closely the discipline of the Name asenunciated by the Guru. The mind has to practise thisdi~cipline in toto. As long as the mind thinks of the pairsof opposites it is steeped in ignorance, illusion and duality.As long as it thinks of pleasure and pain, bliss and woe, goldand dust, poison and nectar, honour and dishonour, praiseand calumny etc., it cannot practise meditation. Guru ArjanDev says, "So long as the mind believes in love and hate,the union with the Lord cannot take place; so long as thereis discrimination between one's self and another there isdifference between the seeker and the Lord." (Sorath M. 5,p. 609).15 If the thought of duality is killed, then, assuredly,the mind enjoys bliss. According to the fifth Nanak, "He whokills the duality of the mind is a hero; he is perfect; he isglorious; he is freed from suffering; he becomes fearless; hemerges in ~he Name of Lord; he quenches his desire; he isapproved in the Court of the Lord; he is really wealthy; heis truly honourable; he is the celibate; he attains salvation;his birth in the world is of account; he is rich for all times;he is very fortunate; he is wakeful night and day; he attainsfinal emancipation in life; he leads pure life; he is trulyenlightened; he contemplates in the state of equipoise.Without killing this duality, one does not become acceptable;even if he may practise millions of works, worship andausterities. Without killing it, the transmigration does notcease; one does not escape from death; he does not obtainknowledge, his impurity is not washed off; he remains defiledand loses everything. He on whom the Beneficent Lordshowers His Grace, he gets release and obtains fulfilment.He whose duality has been killed by the Guru, he dwellsonly on One Lord." (Gauri M. 5, pp. 237-38).16 Thus dualityis the main obstacle in the way of meditation. The destructionof duality is the first step towards meditation. This is the firstlesson learnt in the school of the True Guru,17 which is knownas Sat Sangat. What is the nature of Sat Sangat (the True

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Company)? Only the Name of the Lord prevails in this TrueCongregation.18

Who is the True Guru in Sikhism? It is Gum-bani orGum Granth Sahib, which is the embodiment of the spiritof the ten Sikh Gurus. The personal Guruship ended withthe tenth Guru. Guru Gobind Singh bestowed the Gurushipon Granth Sahib and thereafter Gum-bani became the Gurufor all times, replacing the personal Guruship. The seal ofGuruship had already been put on Gum-bani by theprevious Gurus. Gum-bani has also been called Gum­

Shabad (The Word of the Guru). Guru Nanak Dev said, ''TheWord (Shabda) is the Guru, Profound and Serene; withoutthe Word, the world moves about in madness." (Sorath, M. 1,p. 635).19 He again said, "The Word is the Guru and the mindattuned to it is the disciple." (Ramkali, Siddh Goshta,p. 943).20 Guru Ram Das said, "The Bani (Word) is the Guruand Guru is the Bani, all the ambrosia is contained in theBani. Whatever Gum-bani says, the Sikh must accept andthe Guru, manifesting himself in his Word, bestowsemancipation." (Nat M. 4, p. 982).21 The Bani of Gum Granth

Sahib is Khasam Ki Bani (The Word of the Lord), thereforethe Bani of the Guru is the direct revelation from the Lord. 22The Lord Himself is the Primal Guru. 23

THE DISCIPLINE REGARDING MEDITATIONORDAINED BY GURU GRAN71l SAHIB

The Guru performs two functions, firstly imp<l.rtingknowledge24 about the chief objective of our birth in thisworld and secondly giving the Word or the Name of the Lordto the disciple.25 This Name is the Bija-mantra (the seed),sown in the field of the cultivated body as per instructionsof the Guru.26 The central theme of Gum Granth Sahib isthe remembrance of the Name of the Lord. "In the salver ofGum Granth Sahib, there are placed three things--Truth,Contentment and Meditation. And also there is Nectar-Name

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of the Lord, Who is the Support of all, He who eats it andrelishes it, he is emancipated. None can abandon this(priceless) thing, it should always be kept in mind. II(Mundavani M. 5, p. 1429).27 Two significant Bija-mantras

have been mentioned in Gum Granth Sahib, the one istraditional i.e. AUM, which occurs in the very beginning ofthe Mul Mantra as Ik-AunkardB and the other has beenincluded by a bard (Bhatt) in his Swayyas.29 It is Wahegum,a combination of two words Wahe and Gum. The thirdNanak has included the parts of this Name in his verses.30

Bhai Gurdas, the Sikh theologian has very clearly stated thatWahegum is the mantra of the GuruY This Bija-mantra, acombination of syllables is an invocation to the TranscendentalLord. The syllables of the mantra are reproductions in humanspeech of the original sound-vibrations that accompany themanifestation of the Lord.

Just as the mother's love for the child makes him eatand the love of the fish for water makes it bathe (in water),similarly the love of the True Guru for the Sikh (disciple)makes him put the Name o( the Lord in his mouth.32 Thereis a very clear injunction of the fifth Nanak for the Sikh, IIEatalways the food of Nectar-Name of the Lord and put it inyour mouth at all times. 1I (Sorath M. 5, p. 611),33

The Discipline of the Name

When the duality of the seeker ceases, by the Grace ofthe Guru, he is enjoined to follow the discipline of the Namein the company of the saintly persons, side by side with theinculcation of the godly qualities and virtues in his life. Therecan be no meditation without the practice of virtues. 34 Theimmaculate Name of the Lord stays only in a pure vessel. 35For the diseased world, the Name is only remedy. Withoutthe observance of Truth, one gets soiled.36 But Truth comesonly with Purity.37 The dirt of sins can only be washed offby the Name of the Lord.38

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The initiate is asked to remember the Lord (i.e. Naam­Simran) with his tongue. Guru Nanak Dev says, "Let thechurning be the repetition of God's Name with the tongue,in this way the Butter Le. Nectar-Lord will be obtained." (SuhiM. 1, p. 728).39 Guru Arjan Dev says, "Other tastes that youhave relished have not diminished your desires for an instant.If you relish the taste of the Essence of the Lord, you willbe struck dumb in wonder. 0 dear tongue, drink the Nectar(of the Name) which alone will satiate you, 0 my tongue,utter the praises of the Lord and meditate on the Lord at alltimes. Hear nothing else (except the Name) and do not goanywhere else (except towards the Lord). With good fortune,the company of the Holy congregation is obtained, 0 tongue,Utter at all times (the Name) of the Supreme andIncomprehensible Lord. You will be happy in this world andalso in the world hereafter. By Praising the Lord, the tonguebecomes invaluable....." (Gauri Guareri M. 5, p. 180).10Repeating the Name continuously with the tongue makes oneascend the ladder of honour and become one with the Lord.Qapu, p. 7).41

The ]apa (repetition) of Bija-mantra should beperformed with faith, devotion, attention and submission.]apa is of three kinds; Vacika (by audible words), Upamsu(lips and tongue move without sound) and Manasika(mental, when the lips and tongue do not move). In the initialstages, the ]apa is audible. There is speech-sound, which isknown as Vaikbari. This audible sound proceeds from Para,situated beyond or on the other side, which is abstract, fromwhere its intimation is received by the brain at the stageknown as Pasbyanti, then the communication is received bythe tongue at the stage known as Madbyama. Vaikbari isvocal repetition, but this continuous repetition becomes Inneror Mental repetition of its own accord. The seeker travelsin reverse order from Vaikbari to Madbyama, fromMadbyama to Pasbyanti and from Pasbyanti to Para. InMadbyama stage, the ]apa becomes internal and abides in

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the heart (Hirdaya). In Pasbyanti, it is called A}apalap, thestage of effortless repetition of the mantra with everyincoming and outgoing breath.42 In the Para stage, therepetition of the Name is through every pore of the body.43For total non-difference between the ]iva and Brabman, the]apa of the formula 'So/bam Hamsa' has also been suggestedby Guru Nanak Dev. (Var Maru M. 3, Salok M. 1, p. 1093).«He has also recommended the practice of 'Hearing' the Name(Sbravana), 'Thingking on' the Name (Manana) and 'Self­meditation' (Nidbyasana). Oapu, pp. 2-5).45

STABLE-MIND STATE OR SARA] STATE

The Stable-mind State is the zenith of the mysticachievement, but it occurs only with the perfect Grace of theLord. It is called Stbitapra}na state or the ]ivan-mukta stateor Saba) state. One feels 'liberated', through living an activenormal life. It is an Easy (Saba}) state, free from the stressof the world around us. This is a perfectly healthly mentalstate, free from all tensions as well as the ego, which causesthem. There is God-eonsciousness and the highest bliss,above pleasure and pain. Guru Amar Das says, "The ]ivan­mukta practises the Word of the Guru and is always absorbedin the Lord. He attains meritorious position by the Grace ofthe Guru and is not inflicted by the malady of ego." (MaruM. 3, p. 1058).46 With continuous contemplation on the Wordof the Guru, the highest spiritual state i.e. the Saba) stateis attained. Guru Amar Das says, "Everyone craves for thestate of Saba}, which cannot be realised without the TrueGuru.....O brother, there can be no Saba} without the TrueGuru, Saba} is born with contemplation on the Word andthe True Lord is Realised..... Saba} does not take birth inmaya, which is in duality..... There is no Saba} in threemodes, which lead towards illusion..... Without Saba} thereis darkness of maya and attachment..... In Saba} the unseenLord is Perceived....." (Sri Rag M. 3, p. 68),47 A Sikh mystic,

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who has attained the Saha} state rises above the idea ofmukti (salvation) or ]ivan-mukti (emancipation in life),because he is always imbued in the Love of the Lord.48 Hisfinal goal consists in the Love of God and non in]ivan-mukti.He sings with the fifth Nanak, "I do not seek either dominionor mukti, my mind is imbued with the love of the Lotus-Feetof the Lord." (Devgandhari, p. 534).49 The Saha) state is thestate of complete desirelessness and selflessness. Though themystic attains all miraculous powers, they are of no use tohim. He becomes a superman; he has no personal interests,but makes his contribution towards the welfare of humanityas a whole.50 He not only listens to the continuous unstrungmusic at the Tenth Door, but also guides the humanitytowards the Guru's discipline, which has in view the welfareof all humanity. As for himself he becomes carefree, abidingin several moods, in a state of intense love.51

THE FINAL DESTINATION AND THE USE OFFIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

We find the use of Yogic terminology and the figurativelanguage with regard to the' culmination of the process ofmeditation in the verses of the Sikh Gurus and the radicalsaints, whose hymns have been included in the SikhScripture, Guru Nanak Dev says, "In the town of the body,there are nine doors. The Creator-Lord has Blessed all withthese, and within the Tenth Door, Abides the Unattached andUnique Transcendental Lord, who only makes us RealiseHim." (Maru M. 1, p. 1039).52 According to the third Nanak,"The Lord placed the soul in the caves of the body and theair made the music. The air made the music; the nine doorswere manifested by the Lord, but the Tenth Door wasconcealed within. Some were blessed with faith through theGuru and were shown the Tenth Door." (Ramkali M. 3,Anand, p. 922).53 The Fourth Nanak says, liThe Nectar of theLord drips (in the mouth) through the Grace of the Guru.

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The Lord became manifest in the Tenth Door, where theunstruck melody of the Word resounds and one merges inthe state of Saha} spontaneously." (Maru SoWa M. 4,p. 1069).54 According to the fifth Nanak, "On meeting the saint(Guru) uttered the Unutterable One, Who is Imperceptibleand Incomprehensible. The Unstruck Melody resounds in theTenth Door, from where the Nectar of the Name tricklesdown. (Maru M. 5, p.1002).55 The tenninology of the saintsis still more note-worthy in respect of the location of theTenth Door, which is the fmal destination of the mystic. Kabirsays, "I have bound myself at the Primal door. I have firmlyplaced the moon above the sun. The sun blazes at thewestern gate. The great club (of death) hangs over the head.Towards the side of the western gate, there is a stone, overwhich there is another window. Over this window, there isthe Tenth Door, where the vision of the expanse is Infiniteand endless." (Bhairo Kabir, p. 1159).56 According to the saintBeni, "The Tenth Door is the Mount of Supreme Being. Whyis Inaccessible and Infinite. There is a shop on that Mount,in which there is a niche and in that niche there is atreasure....." (Ramkali Beni, p. 974).57 Only an enlightenedseeker with mystic zeal can understand, interpret andelucidate such imagery.

REFERENCES

1. .....Hfo;:tt3~~ II ("!I, l/i;r E)2. RC'la I Fea C'i'cfe' lj1?) 'RlfT II f30 gT '30 Hfu HQ nul Wt" II =311

retr}ffi~~ iffig ~II '30 F HQ QUT ~1I811

qJO~~ orW II 9"a'Ifu ci i{fH reo tit -a wo+ II~II

retr}ffi~ nul~ t=r'(')T II f;:m~9Olj~ f3fo w;j l.l6:"'?)T IIEII

retr HQ ~ sY (')~ welll~~ Yatr!fV ~II'II

feR}ffi ~ ~ w* ~II feu Hfo m ~ ~1It:1I

~ ~ l)@ Ha'n? RCIW II retr }ffi~~ ~~ IItllcUl=3EII

~~ mila, l/i;r :1:10)

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MEDITATION IN SIKHISM 107

3. futr "3?i Hfu HQ ci~~ II rn sa1f3 w~~ II

1m7wftrcfHfotJral~~wfuf3ngl"3?iHfuHQ(')~ II!)II

(W¥ }{: :t, l/;;T 9.~8)

4. 9l3fa lffi qJla Hfo ri II

fag (') aufu AA~~ 1I"l11

HQ Hw~ R'3T fag (') emil"8sl CiNit lfTlit lritt HTfu))fT »ffuq ffift 1I"l11~1I

(~}{: 9., l/7ir :tl./r!)

5. fufcir~~m wfu~ (') ~II. fufcir l.lW crng m~ m1~ II

fufcir 9RH e;$~iii!FiJ ~~ (')~ II

fufcir~ faac~~ U@ ifiiilulil

fufcir oam fiofu fuo m ~ (') fR'jt II

fufcir l)fOTfo til') i iii! FiJ l){qr 'I)fTy Fiii!Ji iii! iJl II

~~ "3?i &1g fuw mu~ II

Hufo l:fffif~m~ 'Riii!<ft II"lllil

~~}{: 9., l/7ir 9.=?t8)

6. fufcir ct=~~ l:fTfu~~ ~II

fufcir~~ crftJ fiofu~~ II

~~~~ j;::ro cit ))fTW II

f'aow Witr 0Jiii!'1'fu (') faTaul (')~ II

~ fJrcry (')~~ }ffiW II

QJO}f3t CMJ (')~~ w ~~ ~II

~ }fT¥}{: 9., l/;;T 9.80)

7. ~ Hfu (')~ it iter~ ~II

vU 9U (')~ it wfu our~ 3T(J1I

~ ilf (')~ it l37;T yciPw 910 II

HUH~~ mu ~ ~ (')~ (')Tfgll

8. f8fu f8fu~ II "33T~ II

lIY 3tafu~ II 3"3~ II

lIY~ oft)){T~~~ II

HY ~~~ ciPlfT II

~(,)~~~II

~~~~rnwll

~-~tlfuall~~11

Hfn~ II~ W<ft- qra fuQ~ II

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108 NAAM

l.lOT ~II ~~~II

~~m fi1fo srel tPm II

Hafu "ro l.lf3~ II

~~~lPfu(')tPmll~ ~}{;it ~II ~ (')~ f6fo ~II~~ jj ~ ~II ufo (IT~ Hfo ~II()TOCf~~ jj ~II

»fTFf~ 3' F(')ija;;l}~ mJfu~II~II

('iiTa 11(T1fT H: 'l, l/7rr 8E:J)

9. a-A fcrm8~ lIO~ fucf fun }fi9)fT fc& (')~ II

~ wfu~ ulfa~ ufo~~~ ~II~IItit»fT~m~ l)fTW »fTFf Hfo~~ II

l)fTW »fTFf ri om ¥ qra cl mJfu foCJ111 ~~II~II

~ 3O<i fuai'sg~ HQ ~ fuR~~~~ II

(faM'~?} H: 8, l/;;r tfJ4)

10. llTQ~ »@ ~ sleifae~~ wU II

lie' 'i1(')T~ HqJ (')~~~~ 11<t11

~ fun fuftr~ (') Wlft Hcite' aaH~ II

UTftJ l.lfa'§'~ cl~~ !fu friQT II~IHfo~~ afutr OOTO~ lIO wuT II

"3C 3lOlf H9~~~ ¢ 0'Ul11~11

HO Q1}fOT 3lOlf wfu~ fi1fo CifR3'~ II

HO cit~ (')~ fuu fuftr tl ~ mrc') ~II~II

-afocf~~m l@ fuftr~~ II

l)j?)~ !fu l@ »f(l'l) ?W~ ufo~ 11811

~ lffiJW~~ If? Q'aliT ~~ ItmI mI a'CfO 1l11O Hfu lffipw ?W~ fuu~ 11"111

iioT fmr l)fTJi(!' eQaiAlij ~ 91 em em ofu>w II

~ »fTCJW f6fo f6fo ;:roM ufo~ HqJ (') orfuw Ilell

0'Tif~ or,:ro cit ae?)T~ YOQf~ II

ffi::r itJ7il m ~ <"ida' Ulo (IT~ II:JII

ufo ottafd AI QRdl Fa '5" fi1fo CifO}f(')' cl aaw II

ay ()TOCf f3tr~ l.JCJTlJfa fu"ff YOll'~ (IT~ Iltll

(f;ofo H: 4, tI* E8'l-8:?)

11. urcr Hfu~~ (') ~II em? Hfu~ t ~1I<t1l

rudf H: 4, l/7rr :JfJr:)

~~ ytffiJ~~ II ~ fatl'd@' H: 'l, l/;;r WE)

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MEDITATION IN SIKHISM 109

12. "0 9l;l 0'0ft~ 'ijfu II

"0 9l;l B03l~ -Mar II "0 9TR jjaft al3~ II

"0 9l;l oi:lt wffi afar II "0 9TR 3lafu~ #or II

"0 9l;l~~ Yfo II "0 9TR wufa~ 'fffo II

"0 9l;l m HOfu~ mr II "0 9TR a3'~ tr;J II

~~ }fi') <l grfu ~ ('iT(')Cf 9TR~ 0Tfu 17~1I~ 1PiJar H: 8,~ H: 'l, l/?;r 'l~fl.:J)

13.~~ }fi') OfT~ II ~~ H: 'l, l/?;r 81N)

14. ~ H?~ "0 tl'(!T O')j~ HQ~ II

rgdt H: 'l, l/?;r .:JEE)

15. mI~~~ fuy~~~~~II»fTO ))fTll(')T QCJ3'~~~~~ 11"t11

(itafo H: 1J, iftrir Eot)

16. # fuR~ mIT JiOT II # fuR~ mIT l.((JT II-- . - .# fuff~ f3'Rfu ~II # fuff~ f3ll OfT ~ ~1I"t1l

>Hw &fu fM~ wfcr~ II mtfJ wfcr or,:r~~1I'l1l~1I

# fuff~ f3ll~~ orfu II # fuff~ l3 ('i"Tfi.{ RWfu II

# fuff~ f3ll cit~~ II # fuff~ !f~ fRt II~II

#fuff~R~1I # fuff~R~1I# fuff~ mIT t13T1I # fuff~ fuB' ~ oat II~II

# fuff~ f3ll OfT~ otolll # fuff~ !f~ troll!# fuff~ R ;eiilg'dl' II # fuff~ !f~ tf"dTT 11811# fuff~ l3~~ II # fuff~ f3ll cit foIDm~ II

# fuff~ mIT~ II # fuff~ !f ffil"R~II~II

fuff wal fuo ~"O ~II '&k~ Wll 011 ~II

fuff wal fuo t1<'Qr "0 fiR II fuff wal fuo t:JH 3 ouT F lIellfuff wal fuo~ "0~ II fuff wal fuo tITo "0 ihft IIfuff wal reo Hi~ Hw II fuff wal fuo Hi~~ "'"w ~ ~~~ fofu II fuB' sm~~ HOm fRfu II

QJftJ~ w cit 5' )fICjt II O@ ('iT(')Cf R l{UH~IItll~1I

~ H: 1J, '1M :?fl.:J-flt)

17. R3RdiFa Hf3qrcr~ 5' fu? ufo iU<! fm:rr II~~ H: 8, l/?;r 'lfl'tE)

18. R3HdiFa ~~ II fut ~~~ II

(tim~ H: 't, iftrir .:J~)

19.~ qro l/taT Cl'I'fua ai9fa'T fuo~~~ II

~ (i/af6 H: 't, t/1ir EfllJ)

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110 NAAM

20.~~ B'd'f3 yfo~ II (fHrT'iitRfc, ifnr t8~)

21. ~~~~~Rfu~~mll

qJg~~~ RQ~ l.103'fu~~ 11411

me W: 8, 'l/;r;T tN)

22. m:ft H~ lfm{ cit~..... II (f3*ar )(: 't ifnr ~~:V

23. "fTfu~ (')}fUll ~ lfWi'/f W: 1.1, ifnr ~E~)

24......wa No fdr)(TQ '0~ 11411 ~ 11fT1{T W: 'l, 'l/;r;T 8Et)

25.~ R'afu~~ II ~ )(: 'l, ifnr ~~'f)

26. lTOf3~ wfu cj·Rfu~ <if03T ~II

~ 11fT1{T W: 'l, 'l/;r;T 8E~)

27. ~ Rfu f3fo~ lteffi'~~ ~II

~~~ w l.l1W ft:m w H9ff ~II~&~~&#f3lrW~~1I

tu~ om ou wit~~~~ l:JT'ij II

~ W: 1.1, l/;r;T 'l8~t)

28. ~))fl:fC~ ~II~~~ rJTgII'W

~ f:Wzpg W: 'l, l/;r;T t~o)

29. q'FilqjS "iii!'FilqjS q'FilqjS~~ II

~ )(:~ ~, ifnr 'l8o~)

30. ~~~ ijfe lJfu fquTfu II

~~~ lRT~~ HaT }{Tfu 11.....

~~ )(: ~, l/(r;r 1.I'l8)

31. qlFilqj§~~ ;:rfu~ iret II rm~, ~ 'l~, ~ ~)

32.~~~ y? lfTfull

~~m~~11

~~~~ l.fTfu II <til ~ )(: 8, l/;r;T 'lE8)

33. ufo~~~~ ~e!J mJl:f W ~~ II

(i/afo )(: 1.1, l/;r;T E'l 'l)

34.~~m- 9OT8 '0~ II (;Ty, l/;r;T 8)

35. ufo W ~ llffi{3 tR2~~~ ;:ITar WQT II

(i/afo ina, l/;r;T tNt)

36. ffi:rrcJ aatt ()T)f~ Hg A mr fuor II ~ W: 'l, ifnr Et:~)- - -= -37. Bfu ~ '3'1' ~~II~II (~ 11fT1{T W: 'l, l/;r;T 8~~)

38.~ Hf3 lJTUT cj Mar II ~ iN m cl-afaT II (Hy, ifnr 8)

39. OR(')T~~ 3'a~ fun fufu~~II~II

ru<ff ){; 'l, W;r .:J~t:)

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MEDITATION IN SIKHISM 111

40. l)fTO OW~ -3 ~II foHlf (')~~ rill

ufo OR (iT ~~ ~II~~ oufu ~IIC\II

~ (fffi')T~~ II fuu OR 0T0l~~IIC\II~I

-a~~ OTH qre~ II foHlf~ ufo ufo ufo~ II

l)fTO (')~~~II R'QRdIFa 4i!i 'dn ~II~II

lJfTO llUd"~ >Jfl'dTfu II lPOl@H'~ >wcJrTfu II

lftuT~~~ II ufo Cffi! aJTii!"3' OH(')~II~II. - -~~ H: lI, l/1;r 'ito)

41. ~ <I"'fu~~~~ reotm 11 (Ny, l/1ir .?)

42.~ wy (')~ lJfTfu B"OI"fu~ II

~ HliPa H: 'i, l/1ir 'i~t'i)

43. QJOtffu MH MH ufo~ II rawm H: 'i, l/1;r t8'i)

44. (')T(')(f ffij tiw ;:ry WlIY~ f3ll ffifTfu II C\II

~ H'J' H: ~, ~ H: 'i, l/1ir 'iot~)

45.~~ Hfn aTd"r ~II~~ Hm ~II

(H!!, l/!;r 8)

46.~~qJO~~1I

ufo~~tit~~11

qJO fcmsT ~ ~~~ '8qJ (')~ -a IItli

(H'J' H: ~, l/1ir 'iOllt)

47.~ ~ Ri"~ fuQ qJO~ (') ~II

trf;J trf;J~~ ri "i'tit~~ II

qJO n ~~ l)fTlR't fcmsT ~ 0'tfIfi! IJ~II

ri aqJO fuQ~ (') ~IIm tit ~~~ ufo ll'fu))fT~ jffu II~I~I.....

wWw f.mJ~ (')~ wWw~ grfu II .....

f@~~ HmJ (')~~ qre~~II.....

fun HUA Hi"j-g ~ wWw Hy ~II .....

~~~~~~II

(Fjf 0'qJ H: ~, l/1;r Et)

48.~~ sT~ f3>,rrcit 11 (H'J' H: lI, l/1;r 'fo.?t)

49. ~ (')~~ (')~ Hfn l{tf3~~II

(iNi/wci/ H: lI, l/1;r 1./~8)

50. l{UH'~~~ II ~ 8lIHO't H: 1./, l/1ir ~.?~)

51. MaT umu MaT~~ sT em;:Mu1l

~ O"'UT rem-~ W! Jffi ('jT<J" (?7U 1JfI1fT H: 'i, l/1ir 8.?~)

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112 NAAM

52. ~ ocrral~~ II mfcr mfcr aaJ\J'd ~ II

~~ »f31? foarw wi}~~ II

MS H: 'l, l/;;r 'lofJr)

53.~~ t$!~~ 1.lOaT?~~~~II

~ wfu~ fuoror~~~II

~ H: fJ 11ftitr, l/;;r r=l=l)

54.~ ali~~II~~ lfcJT?~~II

dU~ mitT~ yfo~~ Jroft:r~ "fr Ilell

MS H: 8, l/;;r 'loEr)

55.~~~ fum Wlf~~ WII

~~ tmf'~~ dU »ffi.[3 0Tl:f~ W II~II

MS H: (I, l/;;r 'loo=l)

56. ~~~ WII oR thrfo 0Tfu~~II. - -. -Ui:'H~~ :;N II Her "h tHo~ l:ffi II~II

llJleH~ cit 1m?~ II fuu 1m?~ ftr::rcit~ II

ftr::rcit thrfo~~ II afu CI'lito dT W ~ (') lPO IISII. - - - -(kq mo, l/;;r 'l'l(lr)

57. tmf'~ ))f(ffif »fllTCJT l.lIDf YOl:f cit UJTit II

~ UT? UTe llfo >wW~ i8fo~ 11811

~m, l/;;r r.:J8)