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Acknowledgement (Author) First of all, may I take this opportunity to wish a very happy 4th centenary day of manifestation of Adi Guru Granth Sahib to the whole Khalsa nation and the whole mankind. This booklet has been written in a special context as its title -Quadricentennial Special, 4th centenary Manifestation day of A. G. G. S. indicates. Worldwide preparations are vigorously being made all over the world to celebrate a very sacred event in the history of Sikhism. Quadricentennial of the composition of Adi Guru Granth Sahib and its installation (first Parkash) in Darbar Sahib, Amritsar by Guru Arjan Sahib. This event falls on September I, 2004. The question arises that how is this important event going to be celebrated and what would be the achievements?

We all are preparing to celebrate the forthcoming sacred event. The purpose of our conferences, seminars and celebrations should be something more than just making claims and pronouncements. Anybody can make claims of anything. Just claims are not enough; we should do some thing more. I dare say with a sense of shame that Sikhs may parade their religious tenets, may sing high praises of Guru Granth Sahib, may quote great personalities who have thought of Guru Granth Sahib as scriptures of the whole world, but they have themselves not lived its teachings.

If we parade the greatness of Guru Granth Sahib and claim the importance of its teachings on the present era, we will have to show ourselves as the living examples of the effectiveness of Guru's message oflove, peace and harmony for the whole world. Let the world see the importance of Guru's teachings in the Sikhs' day-to­day life and imbibe them for peace and harmony.

Sikhs, in order to justify their faith, must know better, live better and die better than those whom they want to educate in the Sikh faith. I am certain that if we had lived the teachings of our Guru Granth Sahib, we would have been universal human beings and the whole world would have sought the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib. We have only praised our Guru and tried to cover Holy Scriptures with fineries. Our daily lives do not reflect Guru's teachings. If we want the world to know the importance of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, we must live them and not just talk of them. We are good in talking but bad in living:

"We are good at talk, But vicious in our deeds. " (AGGS)

I have divided this booklet into three sections. In the first section I have tried to give Divinity of Sikhism as well as the cosmic aspect of its universal rational divinity. In the second part I have tried to depict the Divine message of Adi Guru Granth Sahib and the views of some of the modem religious thinkers in the west. In the third part, I have tried to state the role of the Sikh Divinity in modem society. The purpose of this booklet will be best served when the Sikh youth

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become aware of their great heritage, their heroic past and feel proud of being part of it, belonging to it and are inspired to lead the righteous Sikh way of life and thus enjoy the honour ofbelonging to it. I wish to thank Guru Nanak Foundation Great Britain who has undertaken this noble task of publishing and distributing free authentic literature on Sikhism. I am grateful to Sardarni Jasbir Kaur Ji Sidhu who has already published four of my booklets and is publishing and distributing the "Cosmic Divinity of Adi Guru Granth Sahib". I owe a deep debt of gratitude to the various authors I have consulted upon and some of whom I have freely drawn on some extracts for exposition of the various aspects of'Cosmic Divinity of Adi Guru Granth Sahib'.

My first and foremost thanks are due to my esteemed readers and also to my well­wishers and friends for their support in bringing out this booklet. I am thankful to S. Baldev Singh Sabar, a renowned Sikh scholar, convenor, Sikh Study Forum, who has very kindly read the draft of this booklet and added few scholarly lines to it. I also thankS. Kirpal Singh Rai, well known Sikh writer and one of the three founder members of the Sikh Missionary society, U.K. who has very kindly gone through the draft and given me valuable suggestions. I am thankful to Principal R.S. Gill who has gone through the draft. I am grateful to Principal Amrajit Singh (India) who has very kindly added his few scholarly lines to the booklet. I am also grateful to Principal S.S. Sangha for his views on the booklet. I am also thankful to my son Mr.T.S. Narang for his ever-willing help on the computer side of the work. My special thanks to my daughter S.K. Narang for the final reading of the draft. I also thank the following persons who have been a source of moral support and encouragement to me:

Bhai Rachhpal Singh Bassi, S. Harbinder Singh, S. Tarsem Singh Deol, S. Kulwant Singh Dhesi, Dr. Amarjit Kaur, S. Harchand Singh Grewal, S. Kuldip Singh Bhogal, S. Rajinder Singh Bhasin, Sardarni Harvinder Kaur Bhasin, S. Bhupinder Singh Bhasin, S. Gurbinder Singh Samra, S. Makhan Singh Sidhu, Sardarni Rajvinder Kaur Sidhu, S. Mohan Singh Randhawa, Mrs. Surinderpal Kaur, S.Surjit Singh Gill, Sardarni Amarjit Kaur Gill, S. Sartaj Singh Randhawa, S. Parminder Singh Randhawa, Gyani Jaswant Singh, S. Parminder Singh, Sardarni Amarjit Kaur, Mrs.Surinderpal Kaur Gulati, Sardami Jasbir Kaur Sidhu, S. Sarup Singh, S. Amarjit Singh, Sister Amarjit Kaur, Sardarni Jatinder Kaur Obhrai, S. Jarman Singh Sira, Sardarni Rashpal kaur Sehra, Sardarni Talvinder Kaur, S.Satwant Singh, Dr. Haribala (Rani) Kaur Vaid U.K., Mrs Manjit Kaur Ahuja, Sister Inderjit Kaur, S. Man Singh, S. Kuldip Singh Ahuja, Sardarni Daljit Kaur Khalsa, Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Dr. Baljit Kaur, Dr. Paramjit Kaur, Dr. Kharak Singh, Sant Sewa Singh Ji, Principal Amarjit Singh, S. Balwant Singh (India). I would like to thank all those who have directly or indirectly supported me in this project. Valuable suggestions for the improvement of the present volume will be thankfully received and acknowledged. My special thanks to S. Jaspal Singh Ji, Miss Jagjeet Kaur Panesar, Phyllis Reid and the whole team for designing and printing my second booklet.

S.S.Narang, 19 Manor Ave, Hounslow, Middx. TW4 7JP, U.K. Tel/ Fax: 020 8230 0888 S_S_ narang@ Hotmail. com

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Acknowledgement (Publisher) May I, on behalf of Guru Nanak Foundation Great Britain, take this opportunity to wish a very happy 4th centenary day of manifestation of Adi Guru Granth Sahib to the Khalsa Panth all over the world. This organisation was formed with the aim of spreading the divine message of Guru Nanak -equality for all, love for all and malice for none. It has, so far, distributed free, a considerable amount of literature in Europe, Canada and America. In Nov 1996, it distributed 7000 booklets titled "The Divine Message Of Guru Nanak For the Whole Mankind" by Mr. S.S. Narang. In 1997, it distributed 16000 booklets titled "Guru Gobind Singh The Divine symbol of Righteousness". The first edition of 'The Divine Message of Guru Nanak' was published and distributed in 1998 for our younger generation. The revised second edition of 'The Divine Message of Guru Nanak' has recently been published and distributed to the readers. Now I take this opportunity to present the "Cosmic Divinity Of Adi Guru Granth Sahib" written by S.S. Narang.

It is a hard fact that our children are living in an atmosphere, which is not inculcating Sikh ideology among them. It is futile to expect from ordinary parents to provide adequate knowledge about the Sikh scriptures, Sikh history and Sikh culture etc. to their children in this prevailing materialistic set up. If we want to save our young generation from drug culture, drink culture, smoke culture, violence culture and sex culture we will have to produce maximum authentic literature on Sikhism. Sardar S. S. Narang has made a commendable effort to present the 'Cosmic Divinity of Adi Guru Granth Sahib' in this small booklet. There is an urgent need ofbringing out authentic literature on Sikh philosophy, Sikh culture, Sikh history and the Sikh way of life. The purpose of this booklet is to educate the Sikh youth about their great heritage and to inspire them to lead their lives as per the principles laid down by our gurus in the Adi Guru Granth Sahib.

This institution is committed to do so and is doing its best to promote the divine message of Guru Nanak within its limited resources. We need funds and we need motivated helpers in this uphill task. Individual donors and Gurdwara Sahiban are welcomed to donate generously in this Guru's project. In the end, on behalf of Guru Nanak Foundation Great Britain, I express my deep sense of gratitude to the following who made valuable contributions in bringing this booklet out.

S. Sartaj Singh Randhawa and S. Parminder Singh Randhawa £500, S. Rajinder Singh Bhasin £200, S.Parminder Singh and Sardarni Amarjit Kaur £200 and Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (U.K.). Published by: Jasbir Kaur (Mrs.) Guru Nanak Foundation Great Britain 27, Rosemary Avenue, Hounslow, Middx. London TW4 7JQ U.K. Tel: 020 8570 6845 5

Section 1 -Divinity of Sikh Religion The study of religious concepts is very essential, for it guides, unites, motivates and enriches the social and individual life of the people. The doctrine of every religion consists of some such basic concepts, which are the result of experiences of its prophet, sages, holy persons or thinkers. In Sikhism these concepts have been expounded by Guru Nanak and elaborated by his successor Gurus in the AGGS. It guides people of all faiths, cultures and countries without any kind of distinction. Guru Nanak has chartered 'a royal road' (a gadi rah) for all to tread irrespective of the religious faith they subscribe to. It is a highway on which vehicles of all brand, sizes, shapes and speeds ply and reach their destination.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, heralded a new era on this planet; ushered a new kind of spiritual dawn; revealed a new religion of cosmic order which promotes and supports life; a new kind of divine message for all - momin, infidel (kaffir), malechh, male or female alike; the message, mankind had never heard before in its entire history. It was a divine and universal message of hope for all the mankind; a message of one God; one divine will; one cosmic order; one human race; a message that all human beings are sons and daughters of the same one God; a message that no one is superior or inferior by birth; a divine message of equality for the whole human race; liberty for all; equality for all; fraternity for all; irrespective of one's caste, colour, creed or country; human rights for all; justice for all; love for all and malice for none. Freedom of thought for all; freedom of speech for all and freedom of religion for all. No religion is more sacred than another. All human beings are equal. Nobody is pagan, malecha or a heretic.

Guru Nanak gave mankind a new brand of religion - a new way of life; a new society; a new social order with new social principles and institutions which are concerned with the 'now and here' in this very life. The concept of the social order envisaged by Guru Nanak is that of egalitarian society laced with ethical divinity. It brought a new inspiration to world rei gious thought so as to lead life akin to the law of nature and thereby enabling mankind to contribute its assigned share, like everything else of the universe in up keeping this cosmic order.

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Sikhism is a way of life shown to mankind by the ten Divine Masters, who were in direct and constant touch with Eternal Light. It is a socio-spiritual religion; it is a dynamic natural way of life; it has ushered in a qualitative new mode of thought in the realm of religious philosophies of the world; it is a dynamic faith that gives man a comprehensive vision of life. It has created its own history matching its universal theology's practical way of life. Sikhism is the latest and most modem of the living religions of the world. It is most modem religion, not only in age but also in its outlook on life. It is concerned with the now and here as Dr. De Bittencourt has rightly commented: "Here comes a second uniqueness of the Sikh religion; 'concerned with now and here' the Sikh way of life leads us straight to our goal- the realization of God within us. We can find God and be united to Him, not after death in some unknown region but now and here in this ve1y l{le. There will be no more delusion, no more sin. We get celestial peace, bliss and joy everlasting now here in the very life". (Dr. Edward A. De Bittencourt. Sikh way of life xiii)

Man of today wants a religion of rationalism, logic and reason. Today's scientific mind cannot be convinced that a mere allegiance to a faith can reserve a seat in heaven. Modem man is more concerned with the here and now of his daily problems rather than promises of future paradise.

For the first time in the history of mankind, Guru Nanak, by placing a positive value on the cosmic order, brought world structures- the family life, morality, social, economic, political systems- within the domain of religious concern. Never before hell and heaven were abolished from the sphere of religion. Unlike other major religions, Guru Nanak's religion does not confine itself with spirituality alone, but deals with all aspects of life. This was a new way of spiritual evolution through mundanity. Never before the Divinity of God and humanity of man were conceived in every human being. Here only a householder and a man with social commitments could attain the state of spirituality. In Sikhism, violation of obligations towards the community means alienation from divinity.

He asserted that without purity of thoughts and deeds of virtuous ethical living in the society, spiritual evolution was not possible. Thus by placing a positive value on the natural evolutionary order, he brought world structures - the family, the social, economic and political systems within the orbit of

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religious concern. This amazing synthesis of spiritual, socio-economical, political, philosophical thoughts and their assimilation in Sikhism is a unique concept and its arrival was a revolution in the religious world.

He brought the divine message for the whole human race. His aim was to establish global fraternity; he was a citizen of the entire world; no people, no living being and none was foreign to him; he pronounced his universal message loud and clear; all human beings are equal; all have been created by the same God; they are, therefore, sons and daughters of the same creator. It does not matter whether they are Hindu, Muslims, Jews or Christians; they are brothers and sisters. Guru Nanak preached the Oneness, Omnipresence, Omnipotence and Omniscience of God as well as the sameness of the whole human race; all human beings are equal; the whole of humanity has been created with one mold indicating the sameness of all humans without any disparity. Once it becomes clear about the Oneness of God; sameness of the whole human race; every human being becomes equal.

In Sikhism the status of man among all the living organisms on this earth has been declared as of the highest order, developed through a long evolutionary process. Man is the pivotal point in the universe. Guru Nanak revealed a new message of human dignity i.e. man is not sinful by birth, but a rather supreme creation of God. It is only one's deeds that make one sinful. According to Guru Nanak virgin births, resurrection, and rib-birth (woman) are against the law of nature. Men and women of God, wherever they are, of whatever race or colour, belong to one community, the community of human beings. He advocated an active householder's life- a life of truthful living. He held truth very high but rated truthful living the highest. ('Everything is lower than truth but higher still is the truthful living'- Guru Nanak).

A religious or moral person is not one who knows the religion and morality but who practises them. He exposed the hypocrisy of the Brahmins who put on white dhoti dresses, rosaries and saffron marks on their foreheads but cheated the common masses like wolf in lamb's clothing and had become parasite on the society. He made it compulsory that one must earn one's living by honest means and hard work. Furthermore, one should share one's earnings with others by giving one tenth of the earning for the welfare of the society. He made it irreligious and declared that to usurp the rights of

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somebody else is like eating beef for a Hindu and pork for a Muslim. He condemned all kinds of social exploitation unequivocally.

The fraternal religion of Guru Nanak rejects all distinctions of caste, colour and creed; it stands for the 'fatherhood of God' and the 'brotherhood of man', not in creed only but in deed as well. It was Guru N anak who dared to raise the banner of revolt against the caste system and caste tyranny of Brahmanism. He aimed to achieve a classless and casteless society in which all were equal; where the lowest is equal to the highest in all aspects of life; where one member did not exploit others; where there was love for all and malice to none; where all are treated as equal human beings as sons and daughters of the same Creator; where it does not matter whether they are Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Jews.

It was Guru Nanak, the first and only religious head in the world, who gave women equal respect, equal rights and equal status in all aspects of life. He challenged the then society for degrading the birth-givers of the human race and questioned their thinking- ' How can they be called inferior, when they are the one who give birth to the great men.'

In order to achieve his objectives i.e. to promote equality, eradicate caste restrictions, caste prejudices and the cancer of untouchability from the Indian society, Guru Nanak introduced two unique institutions i.e. Sangat (congregation) and Pangat- Guru Ka Langar (Guru's sacred free community kitchen). It was a crusade against the tyrannies of the caste-ridden society through the spiritual laboratories of Sangat and Pangat; the former provided spiritual food whereas the latter provided body food; in Sangat people sat together, prayed together and meditated together; in Pangat they prepared food together, served together and ate together; no distinction was made between man and woman, Sikh and non-Sikh, low caste and high caste or rich and poor; it was a revolution in caste-ridden society; it gradually brought a new vision of a casteless and classless society where everyone could claim equal status in faith and practice; it was a revolutionary change in the then social order; it infused a new spirit of equality; a new spirit of brotherly and sisterly love; a new spirit of cooperation; a new spirit of selfless service; it became the integrating place of divine word, divine thought, divine deeds through Simran in Sangat and Sewa in Pangat; thus ethical living became the goal of life; purity of thought and virtuous deeds elevated their souls. The basic cardinal principles of Sikhism are as under:

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• Kirt Kama (Honest earning): The first and foremost commitment of a Sikh to his or her faith is honest earning. A Sikh cannot earn his or her living by cheating, stealing, shirking, smuggling, begging, corruption or any other dishonest or unlawful means or trading in un-Sikh wise like business (sale of drugs, tobacco products etc.) which can damage other fellow being's health).

• Vand Chhakna (Sharing with others): Along with honest earning, it is obligatory for a Sikh to share his earning with others. Every Sikh must contribute a Daswandh (tithe) of his or her earnings for the welfare of community and humanity.

• Nam Japna (Reciting hymns in the praises of Almighty God): According to Sikhism, they are blessed with mental solace and eternal peace that keep God enshrined in their hearts. To bear God in mind is the best formula for eternal inner peace. Nam Simran (remembering WaheGuru - God) is obligatory. Nam Simran does not mean mere recitation of hymns. A Sikh must understand the substance of the hymns and should try to practise the thought presented therein.

• Truthful living is a part ofNam Simran. During the day, while performing one's routine duty, a Sikh should keep in his mind the Name of the Almighty. Besides reciting his or her daily Nitnam (prayers) a Sikh must remember the Almighty God at all times and should always remember that the Almighty is observing every action and should do nothing against His laws. Before beginning one's daily routine, before eating and before retiring to bed, a Sikh must meditate upon the Name of the Almighty and thank Him for his blessings: "There can be no worship, Without carrying out good deeds." (AGGS P.4) ~ crre cil3, Sd'1f3 o illE"n ru : 4 >

The goal of life is to merge with God. This can only be done by leading an exemplary life of virtue and truthfulness while at the same time maintaining a balance between spiritual obligations and the necessities of day-to-day life as a householder. A Sikh is a householder. He must work hard to produce the necessities of life. He must earn his living by honest and fair means. Then lovingly share the fruits of his labour with others.

According to Sikhism, the goal of human life is to become a Gurmukh (God oriented), to become a fit instrument of the Divine Will, which operates through the deeds of individuals with higher motivations. Thus, each individual must

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train himself for a life of duty, service and sacrifice based on righteousness. In order to be a duly participant in the universe, it is incumbent on him to play his role towards the creation of a just socio-political order that would eventually put an end to all inequalities, injustices, disharmony, tensions and turmoil. For this, God-consciousness or illumination of the soul is essential to foster both social and political enlightenment, the lack of which degrades the moral and ethical fibre of the people, narrows their outlook and leads to chaos and a disruptive social order.

When enlightened man shakes off ego, he merges his self with the cosmic self. Such a man considers himself as a drop in the ocean of life and understands that his interest is common with the good of the other members of the human society. Such a man identifies himself with the society and foregoes his individual interests. Self-interest, self-conceit, self-seeking -all become irrelevant to the realized man.

• Sewa {Service): Sewa is another cardinal principle of Sikhism. It is as important as the daily prayer itself. Sikhism is a religion of love, equality, service and sacrifice. The concepts of love, equality and service are well placed in other major religions of the world, but in Sikhism, service (Sewa) is as important as prayer (Simran) itself. The two are intertwined with each other- one without the other is incomplete. Guru Nanak made Social service a prerequisite to spiritual development; he declared that without service there couldn't be any Bhakti (worship); the greater the service of mankind, the higher the spiritual attainment. Social service is the most essential component of the Sikh way of life even after the highest spiritual enlightenment. In fact, the higher the spiritual enlightenment, the higher the service of mankind. The Sikh Gurus stressed the importance of selfless service, without expectation of reward. This non-utilitarian concept of service is the core of their teachings:

"Selfless service done in the society, earns an honourable place in the court of God" fmr ~ ~ ~II 31' FcJCffiJ ~ ~II (U. 2 6)

According to the Sikh way of life, serving the world must be made the primary purpose of life as persistent striving to serve others brings the seeker progressively nearer to God. Service is the yardstick of spiritual advancement. In Sikhism service is regarded as the highest form ofBhakti. The goal of the Sikh religion is not only to bring about a change in the character of the

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individual, but also in the socio-political environment, which determines his development. It aims at the transformation of both man and his society. In order to achieve this each and every activity of a man has to be God oriented. That is the reason Guru Nanak's spiritualism deals with all the challenges of life.

Sewa is voluntary, selfless, without any motive, without any material reward or compensation. Sewa is not an ordinary un-paid service; it teaches a Sikh to be humble and brings an end to his ego. It gives a Sikh a feeling of being a useful part of the community. If a Sikh performs Sewa just for show, the Almighty does not accept it. While doing Sewa, one must not make any kind of distinctions.

Sewa can be done in any form, through money, body or mind. It can be done by cooking food or washing dishes in Langar(the sacred Guru's free kitchen); by sweeping and cleaning floors in the Gurdwara; helping the poor and needy, by imparting knowledge and doing any humanitarian work.

• Egoism and the Sewa: According to Nanakian philosophy egoism is the biggest factor in human nature that leads him toward his destruction. Jealousy is another big factor of hatred between two countries, between two nations and between two communities. Any form of egoism is a sin against society. It is the force that destroys and undermines life; it works against any established order of nature or law of society, to gain some advantage for one's petty self.

Ego is the basis of individuality, which at once separates one from the totality of life or cosmic social order. This separation gives the idea of preservation of the self, which leads to struggle for existence. The idea of struggle for existence makes the egoist to preserve his own life, satisfy his own desires and seek his own goods that makes him selfish, self-seeking, proud, self­asserted and self-conceited. He develops a complex of superiority and begins to feel proud ofhis caste, conduct, creed, culture, colour, sex, prowess, wealth and power.

The spirit of service is the most potent force to conquer the ego. When ego is strong, we cannot serve anyone but ourselves. So the greater the ego, the greater the need for its antidote, service. Serving one's own kith and kin does not take us beyond the pale of the ego. Real service begins when it is rendered to whole society rather to the whole of humanity irrespective of colour, creed or country, and when it is rendered not only to mankind but

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also to all living creatures of the lord. But even service of this kind can be only moral and not spiritual. By this moral kind service, the ego is no doubt purified but is not eliminated; the feeling that I do all this remains there. Service in the spiritual sense is done when we see God in every one and serve the Lord present in every one. This kind of service is spiritual that links us up with God.

• Sacrifice for righteousness As far as the concept of sacrifice for righteousness is concerned, it is a totally new concept of Sikhism. It aims at selfless service for others and its ultimate goal is self-sacrifice for the protection of other's rights. This is the main driving force of the Khalsa, which corresponds with the universal law of nature. According to the Divine law of nature, each and everything of this universe is the living source of one and another and the ultimate goal of everything is to live a full life; to play its assigned role of helping others; to live in the universe; ultimately to perish while helping others. According to Sikhism "Live and let live" is not the ideal natural way of life. According to the universal law of nature everything of this universe is the living source of one another. Therefore, we should not only let others live, but we should also help others as well.

Based on the Divine law of nature, it is the sacred duty of a Sikh to endeavour to defend the human rights in every possible way. He should never be a silent spectator to cruelty, injustice, tyranny, terror or inhuman activities. A Sikh must not allow any tyranny to prevail in any form and he must defend the poor, the weak and the oppressed.

To bring the wrong doers to the right path; to bring the erring person or persons on the right lines; to desist the oppressor from their evil course; to destroy the evil doers and oppressors is an act of righteousness. Anti­evolutionary forces cannot be allowed a free run to harm the society; in other words, to bring justice to the oppressed people is righteousness. To pursue righteousness is nothing less than the execution of divine will, in other words, it is God's will. To follow God's will is an act of righteousness.

In order to become a Sikh, one has to dedicate oneself in full- body (Tan), mind (man) and all the belongings (dhan) to the Guru's mission of righteousness. Guru Gobind Singh himself has made this point explicit by stating, "All the wealth of my house with soul and body is for them" (the

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Khalsa-the Khalsa ideal - the divine mission). This ideal demanded total sacrifice on the part of a Sikh. One has to surrender and stake everything for the aforesaid mission. A Sikh has to travel a path, which is sharper than the razor's edge and thinner than the hair.

Guru Nanak advocated resistance to all kinds of social, religious and political oppression. It was Guru Nanak who, in the face of death, stepped forward and called Babar a cruel, merciless and tyrannical ruler at his face, none ever dared to raise a voice against the injustice, tyranny and oppression of the then Muslim rulers. It was Guru Nanak who criticised the hypocritical, greedy and corrupt priestly class of Pandits and Mullahs, the unjust blood­sucking state officials, oppressive and tyrant rulers of the time and barbarous and brutal invaders. It was Guru Nanak who condemned the oppressive rulers and corrupt officials in the strongest words: -

"The kings have become man-eaters, their officials behave like dogs For they made people's lives unbearable." (G.G.Sahib P.l288) "~mer ~~II trfu t"ldl'fefo ScS' ~II (1J:1 288)

Dedication of one's all was the first condition of joining the order of the Khalsa. To sacrifice everything for the righteous mission (of Gospel of love) was the requirement of a Sikh (would be Khalsa) laid down by Guru Nanak himself. Love is the essence of the entire universe; consequently, it is also the essential governing principle of human life. The mission of love is universal and knows no geographical boundaries. That is why Guru Nanak Sahib asserted that if you want to play the game of love, want to love every one, then one must be ready to undergo hazards, sacrifice and martyrdom.

Dedication of oneself to the order of the Khalsa was dedication to the divine mission. To sacrifice oneself for the divine mission was the fulfilment of the Khalsa ideal. When his eldest son died fighting, Tenth Master felt satisfied and said, "Today he has become the Khalsa in God's court." (Koer Singh-P.203).

It was Guru Nanak who introduced the concept of resistance against injustice as a prime moral duty of a spiritualist. What is the use of such spirituality, which would not inspire a person to resist the wrong with courage and boldness? When Babar invaded India, In 'Babar-vani ', he condemned the role of cowards and hypocritical religious leaders whose prayers and spells failed to make the aggressor blind, as a result thereof people had to suffer. The life of the average man had become a hell, unbearable and intolerable. Guru Nanak made it

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obligatory for a Sikh to resist and confront injustice and oppression, even if one has to sacrifice one's own life. It is a sin to let tyrants commit atrocities. One must not surrender before tyranny. A conscientious man cannot remain at ease when his fellow brothers are suffering before his eyes. It is better to die than to lead the life of a slave who has no right of conscience and free speech. One has to lead a fearless, dignified and independent life, the birth right of every human being. The divine message of Guru Nanak is crystal clear; lead a peaceful but dignified life and resist the injustice: -

"If one lives with honour lost, Unworthy and sinful all what he eats" (AGGSPI5) ~ ~ ijfu cscit ;:rfu HS ~ ~ faw crfun o:'r. 1 s >

Cosmic Divinity of Sikhism Balanced way of life- Miri (mundanity) and Piri (spirituality): The whole universe is one unit, being run by the divine force in a very systematic way; survival of each and everything of this universe including human beings is inter-dependent upon each other in a very regulated way. The whole universe is moving towards its evolutionary end in a systematic way. Sometime, somewhere, somehow, this process becomes blocked; human misery and helplessness increases to an extreme level. The life of the mortals becomes unbearable and unsustainable. Because the evolutionary process is unstoppable, removal of such blockage is the act of righteousness; it is the natural course of the divine force that regulates the whole universe. To facilitate the evolutionary process is righteous deed. It is akin to the divine law of nature.

All the natural forces such as air, water, rain, sun etc. are bestowing their goodness on each and everyone alike without any kind of distinction under the divine law of nature. In nature, storms and rains are sometimes violent and disruptive, but are indispensable equalisers of temperature and moisture for all the living beings. Similarly, volcanoes, cyclones, tornados and earthquakes are destructive, violent and fatal, but are exigent stabilizers of the earth.

It was reserved for Guru Nanak to reveal to the world a unique, new and practical balanced way of life, which is in agreement with the Divine law of nature. Each and everything of this universe is the living source of one another. Trees breathe out oxygen, which is the lifeline ofhuman beings; human beings

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breathe out carbon dioxide, which is the lifeline of trees. What a divinely system of this universe! The contribution of this cosmic vision of Guru Nanak's new kind of religion to the religious world has been dynamic and unique.

The existence of all living beings depends upon the certain balance of two opposing forces; with the absence of either of the two opposing forces, the existence of that very thing would disappear. To illustrate this point, let us take the example of a tree. The existence of a tree depends on the balanced -r-· combination of the two opposing forces of water and fire (heat). The absence of either of the two -water or heat -will kill the tree. A tree can exist, bloom and fructify only with the assigned balance of heat and water. This principle of nature applies to all living beings including human beings.

The existence of the human body physique also depends on the balance of heat (energy from food) and water. Similarly the social behaviour of human beings depends upon the balance of masculine and feminine virtues. Based on this Divine law of nature is the Sikh concept ofMiri Piri that is the balance of spirituality and mundanity. It is a unique, new and practical way of life the world has ever known and which is in agreement with the law of nature.

Miri Piri is a new idea, a new thought, and a new space age concept based on the divine law of nature. Each and everything of this universe is the living source of one another. Everything has a specific assigned role to play in up­keeping this universe. The contribution of a trivial insect has as much importance as that of an elephant or any other organism of the universe. Everything of this universe is equalitarian as well. The ultimate goal of every living or non-living thing is to live and exist at its best and to perish whilst serving others in a systematic way.

The Miri Piri concept is the balanced combination of two divergent aspects of life. Miri is the symbol of worldly activities and the masculine virtues of power, strength, courage, bravery etc. Piri represents the spiritual aspect of life and the feminine virtues such as compassion, humility, love, service etc. Life is the natural combination of body and soul. Without the soul, the body is dead and without the body, the soul cannot illuminate life. One without the other cannot illuminate life as negative current without positive, and positive current without negative, cannot generate power (electricity). An ideal individual needs the balanced virtues of both Miri and Piri. Hence a balanced development of the human being is vital - it should be physical as well as spiritual.

It is an evolutionary theory about the spiritual-empirical development of man. This theory has been explained in the Guru Granth Sahib, has been

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lived and demonstrated by the ten Sikh Gurus and applied by the Sikhs in their lives in the eighteenth century.

Guru Nanak wanted to create a balanced individual who on the one hand becomes part of the universe by participating in all of life's activities in the society (Mir - house holder) and, on the other hand, he becomes God conscious (Pir- spiritual person) as well. I may add here that the root cause of all our social problems is unbalanced man. A healthy body needs a healthy enlightened mind. AI I our research is being directed for the body comforts and nothing for the mind; too uch for the body and too little for the mind.

Miri (mundanity) without Piri (spirituality) and Piri without Miri is incomplete, extreme and unnatural. Miri without Piri becomes unjust, selfish, tyrannical, ruthless oppressor and dictator. Piri without Miri becomes weak, cowardly and dependent on the mercy of the Mir; neither can defend himself nor can he raise his voice against injustice. Mir and Pir both have been exploiting the people for their own selfish ends. Mir with the power of his sword and Pir on the strength of his religious threat.

Enlightened Mir has to lead a householder's life; he must participate in all aspects of life; he must earn his living by honest and fair means and produce all the prime necessities of life and he should share the fruits of his labour with others not as a charity but as a duty. Kirt (honest earnings) is important on three counts. Firstly, an empty stomach may not make a person morally strong. A starving person may barter his religion, his morality and his self­respect to fill his stomach. Secondly, one must not be a parasite on society. Idlers, parasites and beggars are a considerable burden on the society. Thirdly, in order to keep the body healthy and fit, it is vital that one should work and take care of one's body and use it for service and sacrifice; above all, a healthy mind needs a healthy body. Besides, one must not try to grab somebody else's share; all possessions acquired through dishonest means and exploitations of labour are not only sinful but morally illegitimate as well. The Gurbani injunction against exploitation of labour is very strong: -~~To exploit the rightful due of others is like eating the (forbidden). Cow for one (Hindu) and swine for the other (Muslim). The lord vouchsafes for us only if we are not usurpers." (A.G.G.S. P.I41)

"()'Ci 1.ICJWw ~ fur fP)fO fur ~II Cf@- tf@ (J'W 31" ~ ~- !jae•g ~ crfun (tr: 1 41 )

nlike other major religions of the world, Guru Nanak's spiritualism deals with the whole life. Tackling all the problems of life is an integral part of his

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divinity. No wonder outsiders had difficulties in properly understanding the original true message of Guru Nanak; the universal fraternal message of righteousness for the whole human race, where all are equal, all are momin and none is infidel (Kaffir) or Malechh. It was this divine message of love for all that corresponded with the aspirations of the masses, had greater appeal to the common people and it derived its strength from the masses.

Guru Nanak's moral laws are written on the tablets of eternity. They are not made up of human ideas and notions about things, which the mere increase of knowledge makes incredible. They are not mixed up with absurd miracles and miscalculations about the creation of the world. The world may change its theories of life; it may overhaul the whole relations of science, history and what is received as religion, but Sikhism will not have to undergo any change whatsoever in its creed, because its fundamentals are based on the righteousness.

The fundamentals of Sikhism are based on the righteous laws of nature. Righteous conduct and social ethics are the foundations of Sikhism. He recommended simple ethics like telling the truth, humility, contentment, tolerance, service and fair play. Of course, morality is not an end in itself; but it is an essential aid to the evolutionary spiritual life. Guru Nanak emphasised this point that a moral person is not one who knows morality but who practises it. Thus deeds are more important than creed:

"Truth is higher than everything else, But higher still is truthful living." (AGGS P.62) ~ W ~ "& ~ ffii ~II (tr:62)

The observance of ethical values and moral activities has the highest priority in Sikhism as moral activity is a step towards freedom and creativity. Moral activity is the basis of all spiritual growth and this can be done only in a house­holder's life which means the seeker's training has to take place during the course of a normal house-holder's life and not in caves and jungles. In other words householder's life is the place for the practice of righteousness where human psyche can be properly conditioned in the stresses and strains of the social environment of man. It is important to note here 'that the Sikh Gurus never created any monastic system or a place for the training of a few.

In Sikh spiritual discipline, there is only one method, the way of good deeds alone. It is virtuous deeds that are the essence of Sikh spiritual life. Sheer devotional dancing is considered to be of no consequence. This religion

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believes in a natural way of practical living, in rendering selfless service to mankind and engendering brotherly love and tolerance towards all people. One should live a full life with joy as a rose blooms with joy. It radiates the fragrance of its joy all around. A rose is joyful because it is playing its assigned natural role by emitting its fragrance and creating good atmosphere for others. Similarly man can be happy only if he carries out the righteous functions for which he is created. It is Guru Nanak's concept of Sachiar, invested with the divine qualities of truthfulness, love, service and sacrifice that bring fulfilment to the life.

Guru Nanak made it clear that neither he nor any other prophet would be able to intercede at the time of our final judgement, which would be based on our own actions only. Whether one is a king or a beggar, a high caste or a low caste, a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian, would make no difference to our final assessment. Everybody without good deeds will repent. One with the inner light, one with truth, one with love is the man of Guru Nanak who becomes part of the universe and plays his assigned part in helping fellow beings.

The philosophy, on which Sikhism is based, is scientific, logical and has universal acceptability. It is found to be true in the light of modem science and is applicable during the modem scientific age/ information age of the 21st century. Guru Nanak has ushered a new spiritual era as well as a social and political era for the mankind. Let us salute Guru Nanak.

Universal Divine Message in Practice Today custodians of every religion claim that their religion is the revealed one and they want to force their principles on others. As a result thereof the world is in turmoil. All religions claim that theirs is the only true religion that can lead one to salvation and the rest are aberrations. Guru Granth Sahib vehemently opposes this erroneous belief and puts forth a formula for all the faiths by praying to the Lord for all mankind:

"Whichever religious door they come through 0' Lord, l!ft them up. " ~ ~ ~,f33 ~ ~~~ (U:853)

There is not a single hymn in the Guru Granth Sahib whereby the Gurus have indicated any claim to exclusive religious authority. Judaism believes that 'the Jews are the chosen community of God, with whom they have a living covenant (Smart, Ninian. The religious experience of mankind P.346,347). In Islam, there is exclusiveness as well. It would not be easy for its theology to

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recognise the validity of any other revelations after Prophet Muhammad. The position in Christianity is the same as well, for the Roman Catholic maxim is 'Outside the Church no salvation'. Similarly, according to the Evangelical Protestants, salvation is denied to anyone without faith in Jesus. According to Professor Monier Williams, 'the non-Christian Bibles are developments in the wrong direction.' This is the theological position of the major world religions. There are Hindu Mandirs in which Shudras (low castes) and Non-Hindus are not allowed. In Mecca, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the Kaba.

The Sikh Gurus have brought a universal thesis in which there is no distinction of any kind and no exclusiveness. According to Sikhism no religion can be a full and final cognition of divinity; no single path, no single route, no single road, no single direction and no single door has the monopoly of access to the ultimate reality. No single idealism, no single system, no single doctrine and no single thesis can be an overall panacea for all the people. Any such claim of this nature is foreign to Sikhism. The modern world is getting closer and closer. Man of today is getting busier and busier. He has no time to waste on senseless rituals, dogmas and smadhis.

The labels of one or the other religion are immaterial says Guru Granth Sahib. What matters is the conduct of the human beings. Modern man wants a religion, which understands the aspirations of all the citizens of the world; a religion which protects the human society from social and moral degradation and restores the basic universal values; a religion which is above caste cult, race cult, creed cult and country cult; a religion which teaches how to live a life of fullness; above all a cosmopolitan religion oflove, service and sacrifice is the dire need of modem man.

The other major religions of the world also claim fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man, but without accepting and putting into practice, fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man remain empty slogans. The talk and preaching of the brotherhood of man have no meaning, if a religion is unable to translate into deeds in daily life. The merit does not lie in telling, reading or hearing the scriptures, but lies in living them in daily life.

The Sikh Gurus demonstrated their universal thesis in a universal manner in the two historical steps they took. First, they included the Bani of twenty­two Hindu and Muslim saints in the Sikh scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib) and gave exactly the same reverence that was given to that of the Sikh Gurus. This was something unique, unparalleled and new in the history of religious

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scriptures. The second was laying down the foundation stone of Harmandir Sahib (Holiest shrine of the Sikhs) by Saint Mian Mir, a Muslim Sufi. The Fifth Master as revealed by Baba Nanak, put 'There is no Hindu, no Musalman' into practice. It was the enlightened spirit that was made supreme over and above the person. That enlightened spirit could be Hindu, Muslim or any one else.

Similarly all the Gurus constantly pursued the enshrined objectives of the righteous mission as laid down by Guru Nanak. Neither Guru Hargobind Sahib nor Guru Gobind Singh departed even an iota from the teachings of Guru Nanak. It is on historical fact that both Hindus and Muslims fought equally on Guru's side. It was clearly the mission of righteousness for all mankind irrespective of one's creed.

All the Gurus followed a non-sectarian line; they were not against any religion; many Muslims from every walk of life were admirers of the Sikh Gurus. Mohson Fahni, a Persian historian, had correspondence with the Sixth Master. It was Guru Gobind Singh who waged war against the oppressive Mughal regime. Even at the time when Muslim sentiment against the Sikhs had crystallised, many noble Muslims had recognised the non-sectarian character of the Guru's mission. He had not only true friends and well wishers among the Mohammedans such as Qazi Pir Muhammed, Nabi Khan and Ghani Khan, but also allies like Pir Budhu Shah who fought with the Guru against the Mughal army, and whose sons died fighting for the cause of righteousness.

Equality, liberty and fraternity The spirit of equality and brotherhood was the natural sequence of Sikh thesis. Distinctions between high and low were destroyed. From the time of Guru Nanak to the Misl period, no caste distinctions were observed in the Sikh society. It is significant to note here that the French Revolution is not the champion of the principles of equality, liberty and fraternity as it is considered. It was Guru Nanak who started to teach and practise these principles in the fifteenth century and these principles were in full operation and institutionalised by the Tenth Master in 1699 whereas the French Revolution took place in 1789. Dr. Gupta, a prominent historian, says:

"He (the Guru) thus enunciated a hundred years earlier the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity which formed the bedrock of the French Revolution. "

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Guru Gobind Singh's revolutionary ideal "Recognise all human race as one" has taken deep roots in Sikh ethos. The attributes that are generated in the Sikh community through this ideal such as straight forwardness, fight against injustice, sincerity, hard work, honesty, self-reliance and sense of initiative is not generally found among other Indian communities.

The prevalence of the intense spirit of equality, brotherhood and fraternity among the Sikhs during the post-Guru period is confirmed by evidence from the non-Sikh contemporary sources. The significance of this achievement can be realized only if it is contrasted with the rigid caste infested society of the time in which non-observance of the caste system was a religious and social crime. Gokal Chand Narang has very aptly described the Guru's concept of equality:-

"The Guru's views of democratic equality were much more advanced than the mere equality among his followers could satisfy. In his system, there was no place even for the privileges of the chief or the leader. No leader, he (Guru Gobind Singh) believed, could be fit to lead unless he was elected or accepted by the followers. History shows that individuals or classes in enjoining a religious or sacerdotal superiority have been only too loath to forego even a particle of their privileges. But the Guru, though regarded by his faithful followers as the greatest of prophets, was made of a different stuff, and had too much political insight to stand on an exclusive eminence apart from his followers. Therefore, when he had initiated his first five disciples, his beloved five, he was initiated by them in tum, taking the same vows as they had done, and claiming no higher privileges than the ones he allowed them. Soon after he called a meeting of all his followers and announced his new doctrine to them." {Transformation of Sikhism by Gokal Chand Narang)

'Amrit' initiation completely transformed and transmuted the Sikhs. Those who had lived their lives in utter humiliation were inspired with a new spirit of equality and their minds were free from the clutches of centuries old slavery. It was no less than a miracle, which brought a new awakening to demoralised and degraded people who had lost all sense of human dignity. The lowest of the low in society, sweepers, carpenters, farmers, barbers, washer men etc. were transformed into gallant saint soldier warriors who became victorious over the tyrant Mughals.

'Amrit' initiation, in itself was a great regulatory leveller. No one could become a member of the Khalsa brotherhood without being initiated and no one could be initiated without taking five vows, which required obliteration

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of all previous lineage, faith and professions. Every one was required to drink from one and the same vessel without any distinction of caste, colour, creed or status. Viewed against this background, the degree of social equality, brotherhood and fraternity achieved by the Sikh movement was indeed remarkable. The initiation of the Guru by his disciples was a thing unknown in the history of the religious world. He offered to submit himself to the same discipline as had been laid down for the Khalsa. This is the equality of man in Guru Nanak's mission in which Guru (enlightener) and the disciple become one. Gordon has very aptly described this equality: -

"The equality signified by the 'Khalsa' is of the highest degree. The Guru himself knelt before the Beloved ones and was initiated by them into the faith. The Khalsa rose from the Guru and the Guru from the Khalsa; they were mutually protectors of each other. " (Gordon, The Sikhs: P.39).

Bhangu writes that "Nobody bore malice to anyone; the Singh (Sikhs who had been initiated) vied with each other in rendering service to others; one would offer food to others first and then eat oneself. Singh would be addressed with great love." (Bhangu, P.212). According to Bhangu, during the days of struggle, one Niranjania reported to the Mughal Governor against the Sikhs. Khushwant Rai, a contemporary historian of Aurangzeb writes: -

"If a stranger knocks at their door (i.e. door of the Sikhs) at midnight and utters the name of Nanak, though he may be a thief, robber or wretched, he is considered a friend and brother, and is properly looked after. " ( Sujan Rai Bhandari, Khulasat-ut-Twarikh)

According to Polier ( 1780) "All the chiefs, great or small and even the poorest and most abject Siques (Sikhs), look on themselves as perfect equal in all their public concerns and in the greatest council or Goormatta (Gurmatta) of the nation, held annually either at Amritsar, Lahore or some other place."

According to N.K.Sinha "His (ordinary Sikh) power to intervene in a debate and push forward his own views was always there. His freedom of speech was unrestrained. Naturally he could never sink in his own estimation and a real democratic element was there in the constitution."

George Forester, who visited Punjab in 1783, writes in his travels, "The grand convention called in their language Gurmatta in which army met to

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transact the more important affairs of the nation". 'Misl' word also signifies equality. It is an Arabic word which means equal. According to Muhammad Latif, since all the Sardars were equal in the relationship to their leader, had equal share in the booty and were treated equally, their organisation came to be known as Misl.

There was complete equality among all the members of the Khalsa Dal including Rangrettas and they addressed each other as brother (Bhai). One of the five divisions of the Taruana Dal was commanded by Rangretta Bir Singh and was chosen to be the first to receive honour after the battle of Malerkotla. Commenting about equality, renowned historian Gordon 'The Sardar did not exercise absolute supremacy over their Misls, the constitution of which was very democratic and the authority of the chiefs limited' (The Sikhs, Gordon, P.72). According to Foster,' An equality of rank is maintained in their civil society which no class of men, however wealthy or powerful is sufficient to break down.'

Equality for Women Guru Nanak is the first religious leader, who advocated identity of love between man and woman as the way forward to spiritual uplift. The cosmic evolutionary approach of the Gurus towards the women is another indication of the uniqueness of their message in an age when the religious, social and political authorities of that time had consigned them to the lowest level all over the world. The Sikh religion is the only religion of the world, which gives equal status to the women. In Sikh scriptures, the same discipline has been prescribed for man and woman. According to Sikh thesis, man and woman as biological entities are different, but it is the soul within those that alone matters, thereby it is deeds that matter in the evolutionary process. Man has therefore no right to .subjugate women to his will. According to the Third Master, those are the real husband and wife who have one soul and two bodies.

Guru Nanak challenged the society of the fifteenth century, which was failing to give a respectful place to the women. Guru Nanak reminded the authorities that without her there could have been no human race. It is from her that man is born and it is she who keeps the human race going. He reminded them that the Kings, reformers, warriors and all great men had always been inspired by and guided by women. He questioned their wisdom and asked

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them why call her bad or degrade her of whom are born Kings and great men:-

"From woman man is born; within woman man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married Woman becomes his friend; through woman the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to whom he is bound So why call her inferior? From her kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no men. 0' Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman." (AGGS P. 473) fu" fDiMf fu" ~ fu" lfaTe ~II ~ ~ '§"R3l ~ ~ O'CJII ~ HlW ~ ~ m- ~ in:r?>u R ~ ~ ~ ft:s furfu ~~~ ~-eft ti ~ ~ ~ 0 mill~-~~~ R"ir mn (tr :-4 73) - = -

All the Gurus have given a special respect and dignity to the woman. When the Third Master established 22 Mission centres (Manjis) for preaching Sikhism, he deputed two women in-charge of Sikh mission centres along with men. That was the greatest honour for womankind, as such respect was not granted to any women anywhere in the world in medieval times by any religion. Tenth Master initiated Sikh women in exactly the same way as men and they enjoyed the same full equal rights and followed the same Khalsa code of conduct.

In Sikhism women have full religious, social and political rights. Sikh women have been at the forefront in every walk of life. The Sikh effort has been to allow women a free and uninhibited participation in spiritual as well as in ordinary life. Sikh history furnishes many names of women who inspired men to heroic deeds like Mai Bhago, Sardami Sada Kaur, Rani Rajinder Kaur, A us Kaur, Daler Kaur, Sharan Kaur, Sahib Kaur etc. The Sikh women proved equals in service, devotion, sacrifice and bravery and acted as a check and restraint on the weakness of their husbands. It was Mai Bhago who rallied the deserters, pricked the consciences of those who had renounced their allegiance to Guru Gobind Singh, led them in the battlefield ofKhidrana (Mukatsar) where they laid down their lives along with Mai Bhago for the Guru and who later became 'forty saved ones'.

During the dark days, Sikh women as members of the Khalsa played a glorious part. Sikh women participated in the Sikh movement on equal terms. They became the leaders of the Sikh Jathas, Misls and the heads of states. Their

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heroic deeds, administrative ability, their endurance and bravery are par excellence. They have always upheld the honour and glory of the Khalsa.

Equality between the Guru and the Sikh (Khalsa) When the Tenth Master felt that the order of the Khalsa was competent and qualified enough to guide and lead the society and had learnt enough to walk on its own legs and carry on the righteous work independently, he shifted the whole responsibility to the Khalsa. This was the greatest democratic liberalisation of the religion, placing all authority in the hands of the Khalsa under the guidance of the Guru Granth Sahib. After accomplishing the mission, before leaving this world, Tenth Master defused that divine light in person, which he had got from Guru Nanak. Thus, Khalsa Panth became the body of the Guru and spirit became the Guru's revealed word -Gurbani- the revealed scriptures. He had then became one with the Khalsa and the distinction between the Sikh and the Guru had virtually disappeared. Finally, he assured the Khalsa that wherever five initiated Sikhs assemble, he would be with them in spirit. It was a unique thing in the whole history of the human race.

What a divine vision it was of Guru Gobind Singh when conferring the Guruship to the Holy Granth (divine light of the Gurus), and abolishing the Guruship in human form, so that there would be no more family feuds and impostors. It was the vision of the Tenth Master to strictly ban smoking and drinking for the Sikhs 300 years ago. He made it an act of apostasy and to this day Sikhs as a community are never found smoking. As a result thereof Sikhs are the only nation of the world that are not the victim of smoke related diseases. Five million people die of smoke-related diseases every year in the world. It goes to the credit of Guru Go bind Singh that where the laws of western and eastern rulers have badly failed to curb or control smoking, the commandment of the Tenth Master has been completely successful to save the Sikh community from this killer disease. A Sikh is deemed to be an apostate even if he touches tobacco or cigarette. Is there another community in the whole world that has been observing voluntarily ban on the use of drugs within itself for the last five hundred years? The rest of the world has just become aware of this complex problem. This is another field .in which we should have been the natural leaders and

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our Gurdwaras should have been running de-addiction research centres for the benefit of the rest of the world. But we failed badly.

Guru Go bind Singh inspired the Khalsa by a sense of divine mission. Their souls were elevated and the constitution of their minds was altered so that no fear of any earthly power could deflect them from their noble mission. What a divinely force ofPahul!- What a magical sensational touch!- What a miracle of transformation! The creation of Khalsa ushered a new era of emancipation of the caste-ridden, low caste and the downtrodden. Demoralised, degraded, humiliated, the so-called low castes became dauntless warriors; they fought against injustices, exploitation and oppression. The entire history of the Khalsa is filled with sacrifices for the sake of other's human rights, freedom and honour. Throughout their glorious history, Sikhs have confronted challenges, faced onslaughts and fought both external and internal onslaughts.

The more the persecutions, the more the fire of enthusiasm and sacrifices among the Sikhs; persecutions and progress went side by side; they walked as action and reaction; one led to the other; out of each persecution the Sikhs emerged with greater strength. Sikhs were ruthlessly persecuted; they were sawn alive into two pieces; they were cut into pieces limb by limb; whilst still alive, they were crushed on spiked wheels. Despite such tortures inflicted on them, they upheld the banner of the Khalsa faith, Khalsa ideals and Khalsa panth. Initiated daughters of Guru Gobind Singh also upheld the Khalsa's ideals along with their men folk.

It was the struggle in pursuit of new ideals: freedom for all, love for all, and malice for none. It was the courage of belief that defied the defeat. It was the courage of heart that enabled ordinary Sikhs to endure imprisonment, torture and death. It was the courage of spirit that defied the tyranny and persecution. It was the courage of mind, the strength of moral character, the spirit of selfless sacrifice and the thought of freedom for all that made Sikhs victorious against all the odds.

Height of Sikh character during the 18th century When the Arab countries and the whole of Europe was in the grip of social and moral decay, the churches and the state exploited the common masses;

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slavery was on the increase; human beings were sold by auction in the market place; their plight was worse than that of the animals; women were declared to be witches and spoilers of men's spiritual lives hence brutally treated; it was the time when the corrupt, unjust and immoral human society on the whole planet was drifting towards a catastrophic end. At that time, the Khalsa righteous code of conduct was prevalent in the Punjab.

Qazi Nur Mohammed, a staunch anti-Sikh Baluch writer of the mid­eighteenth century who accompanied Ahmed Shah Abdali during his invasion of 1764-65, will not out of place here to give a sketch of the Sikh character depicted. In his 'Jang nama' he records his first hand impression of the Sikhs from which it is possible to know the height of Sikh character reached during the eighteenth century:-

It is a well-documented historical fact that the Khalsa code of conduct did not permit attacking a person who had laid down arms or one who became a fugitive from the battlefield. It is on the record that they never killed in cold blood or made the captives their slaves. The Khalsa code of conduct, in war or peace, was highly praised by contemporary Muslim historians as well as early European historians. Qazi Nur Muhammed, a staunch anti-Sikh Persian historian was forced by his conscience to pay the glowing tribute to the Sikh character. In his Jangnama (P.l56-159), he depicts Sikh character in his own way. He hated the Sikhs but was forced by his conscience to pay due tributes to the Sikh character: -

"They never slay a coward nor they attack a fugitive." "They do not attack an unarmed person." "They do not plunder the wealth or ornaments of a woman, be she a well-to-do lady or a maid servant." "They are extremely brave. If you want to learn the swordsmanship, learn from them." "There is no thief at all among these dogs, nor is their any house- breaker born among these miscreants." They do not make friends with adulterers and house breakers." "There is no adultery among these dogs." "They are not among the Hindus. They have a separate religion of their own." Such was the exemplary character of the Khalsa of the eighteenth century, bravery as much as truthfulness, devotion and purity of deeds, that there is no parallel to it in the whole world history. The outstanding treatment the Sikh armies gave to their vanquished adversaries or the civil population, out matches the conduct of any army of the world- contemporary or modem army of today as well.

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Who else but the Sikhs of the 18th century saved the honour of slave India and won for them independence which India had never experienced since 1 OOOAD? Who else shaped the history of demoralised slave India? Who else stopped the invasions from the north and proved to the world that Khalsa is the one who possesses the power to fight the aggressor and pay him back in the same coin? Who else was the champion of the Green revolution to feed the hungry masses of India? Khalsa has always given a good account of itself in every walk of life. The whole credit goes to the Great Tenth Master who sacrificed everything for the Khalsa. Who else's sons were bricked up alive, who else would have directed his two minor sons to the battlefield against all odds when defeat was certain? Who else could sacrifice his father, sons, mother and every other relation including maternal uncle?

It was also the Tenth Master who founded the Red Cross system. More than 150 years before the concept of this red cross system came into being, Bhai Kanhaya Singh, a tenth master devotee was operating this system by offering water and ointment in the battlefield to friend and foe alike. Long before the modern Red Cross, an anecdote from the time of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ( c.1700) explains one aspect of the Sikh concept of Sewa and humanism. Bhai Kanhaya Singh, Commander of the Sikh Red-Cross, during the invasion of the Hindu and Mughal forces at Anandpur Sahib, used to help the wounded soldiers, even if they belonged to the army of the enemy.

It was the command of Guru Gobind Singh that a Sikh, while giving humanitarian help, should not distinguish between friend and foe. This happened as remote as in the first years of the eighteenth century when western countries did not know the meaning of human values. This was a step further than the modem "International Red-Cross", which, as a non­aligned body, looks after the soldiers/ civilians wounded/killed during war, riots or natural calamity. The Sikh Red-Cross was not a non-aligned body but it still provided the same facilities to every wounded soldier, without distinction. The Sikh Red-Cross is the prototype of the International Red­Cross. The Sikh Red-Cross was founded more than 150 years before the International Red-Cross. Unfortunately, Sikhs failed to promote it further.

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Section 2 - Guru Granth Sahib Divine Message for the whole human race

Where would you find the universal common faith of the whole human race whether one is Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Sikh or Christian, eastern or western, African or Arabian? Where would you find the teaching of universal love for all living beings? Where would you find, enshrined in the religious text of one religion, the divine message of the saints of other religions? Where would you find the sacred text of one religion approvingly referring to the methods of worship of other religions? Expect in the Guru Granth Sahib, eternal Guru of the Sikhs. Adi Guru Granth Sahib embodies the ultimate evolutionary cosmic goals of the whole of mankind, which have yet to be achieved. It epitomises the key values of mankind upon which the emerging cosmic human civilization can be built; key values which may be called human values; neither Western nor Eastern; neither Christian nor Judaic; neither English nor German; neither Islamic nor Hindu, neither Arabian nor African, but human. It crosses all social, religious and national boundaries. It is evolutionary and is based on altruism. Man has to learn altruism. The Divine message of Guru Granth Sahib is universal in spirit and expression. Therefore, it can be called the scripture of all the nations of the globe. We should study the divinity of Adi Guru Granth Sahib not as the scripture of the Sikhs, but as a part of the entire human race.

The divine message of Guru Granth Sahib envisages a universal social order in which animosities between countries and nations, jealousies among races and religions can be transformed into mutual cooperation, unity and tolerance. It is a universal divine message for the whole universe and for the whole human race; its message is loud and clear that all human beings are equal; all have been created by the same God; they are, therefore, sons and daughters of the same creator; it does not matter whether they are Hindus, Muslims, Jews or Christians; they are brothers and sisters.

Guru Granth Sahib is the only multi-religious holy Granth that provides a comprehensive philosophy of life for the whole human race. It does not advocate any one particular path to reach the ultimate goal, instead it initiates the doctrine of the equal validity of all faiths. It does not convert people to the Sikh religion, but teaches to make all people better human beings. The Hindu should become a true Hindu, the Muslim should become a true Muslim,

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the Christian should become a true Christian and the Jew should become a true Jew. God does not recognise the labels people wear but their deeds. It urges everyone to be a good human being and play his assigned part in the universe.

Comparative dispassionate studies of all the major world religions reveal that in the modern age of discord and conflicts, only Sikhism gives a ray of hope to mankind. Guru Nanak envisaged a universal social order in which animosities between countries and nations, jealousies among races and religious faiths were dissolved into mutual cooperation, tolerance, unity and love. It tackles all the challenges of life.

It was for the first time, in the history of the religious world, that the Adi Granth, the Holy Scriptures, welcomed all those hymns (irrespective of religion, caste and status) -which fulfilled the criterion of objectivity, were free from inner-contradictions and were in accordance with universal truth. No other Holy Scriptures so far as knowledge of this writer goes- has ever been designed to be multi- religious.

Guru Granth Sahib - Authentic Aspect Guru Granth is the only world scripture, which was compiled during the lifetime of its compiler. All other world known scriptures were compiled many years after the death of their prophets. It has the distinction that it was written and compiled by the Gurus themselves, whereas in the case of many other religions sacred books were compiled long after the prophets had left this world. The scriptures were prepared by their followers at a much later stage, and were based upon either the discourses of those prophets on their life styles or their deeds in particular situations, thereby leaving much scope for surmises, exaggeration, heresy and interpolations. But, in the case of the Sikh scripture, the Gurus themselves recorded the revelations received by the Gurus. The Sikh scriptures have come to us in their original form. The Guru has authenticated each sentence of them.

The Vedas were written at least a thousand years after their pronouncement; the Bible, was written about 60 years after the death of Christ; the Quran was written about 25 years after the death of Mohammed; three baskets and Angas, were written about 40 years after the death of Budha and Mahavir.

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The inclusion of Scriptures of other religious holy men Adi Guru Granth Sahib is the unique Holy Scripture in the world, which contains the wisdom of spiritual thoughts of about five centuries, which promotes integration and co-existence. There is no denying fact that these are the rare qualities so badly needed today for the world of greed, selfishness, hatred and distrust. It is the first religious book of its kind, which included scriptures of not only Sikh Gurus, but other holy men from all over India irrespective of their caste and creed. Guru Arjan Sahib included the hymns of the first four Gurus and enlightened saints of pre-Guru period and the Guru period. Some of them were Muslims and others were Hindus from higher as well as the so-called lower castes that represented different parts of India.

The only criterion for selecting a contributor was that he should have expressed the belief that the same God existed in every human being. The Guru included only those hymns that supported the universal Sikh doctrine. Wherever there was a difference, the Guru inserted his own verse to correct that. Guru Granth Sahib is the only sacred scripture book which gives equal respect to all the different names of God mentioned by different religions and sects. All the prevailing names of God such as Ram, Bhagwan (names used by Hindus), Allah, Rahim and Karim (names used by the Muslims) have been used in Guru Granth Sahib for addressing God. · There is absolutely no dissertation on any particular subject and stories of the Gurus' lives or miracles. It contains only the praises of God. The very first verse of the Guru Granth Sahib reveals the infinite divinity that it contains: "The Creator is one, the only one. Truth is His name. He is doer of everything. He is without fear and without enmity. He is immortal. He is unborn and self illuminated. He is realized by Guru's grace. " ,,~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ RY ~II

Guru Arjan Sahib, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, compiled Guru Granth Sahib. The compilation started in 160 I and was accomplished in 1604, which was scribed by Bhai Gurdas. At the conclusion of the Granth, Guru Arjan Sahib told his Sikhs that the Granth Sahib was the embodiment of the Gurus and should, therefore, be held in extreme reverence. The Granth was called by Guru Arjan Sahib as Pothi Sahib and was installed at the Golden Temple (then called 'Harimandir' -the house of God) with great celebrations.

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Spiritual aspect The Adi Guru Granth starts with a prayer to the Supreme Lord and invokes God in every passage. It contains only ecstatic and spontaneous outpourings and praises of God. There is hardly a hymn in Guru Granth Sahib where God is not mentioned. There is absolutely no dissertation on any particular subject or stories of the Gurus' lives or any kind of miracles. It is significant to note that in the entire Adi Guru Granth Sahib there is no miracle attributed to a Guru. In the Guru's system, only the miracles of deeds are performed. Man's assessment and his nearness to God depend on the deeds of the seeker.

The Granth enshrines in its pages and highlights the principles of a profound spiritualism. Praises of God, search for God, means of communication with God, methods to realise God, the Sikh theology, universal religious commandments and social rules of morality are the main features. It offers to mankind a solid basis for common codes valuable for the edification of the whole human race. Its message is universal; it addresses human beings as men and women and not as devotees, followers, 'momins-infidel (kaffir)' 'flock' or 'believers'. No human is alien to it. It lays no divisions of creed, caste, sex or any other kind between man and man. Guru Granth Sahib's message is universal. It cares and seeks the welfare of the whole living beings:

"Save this burning world through thy grace, 0' Lord! Lift us to whichever door of salvation thou decides!." (AGGS 853) ";:ra-s ~ af1f R ~ fcxatfr trfou ~ ~ ~.fa-3' ~ ~~~ <ihss3)

The central theme of Sikh scriptures is the spiritual unity and solidarity of all existence. It reveals the character of the eternal self of the man and the self of the universe and also the moral, ethical and spiritual relations between soul and soul and between individual spirits and the Father of all spirits. Gurbani is the living fountain of divinity from which millions quench their thirst. It is like a snow fed river in which we can dip our souls. This cools down all fire of passions and one feels refreshed.

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Guru Granth Sahib- Uniqueness in Composition Guru Granth Sahib is the voluminous anthology of the sacred verses of six of the ten Gurus and some of the medieval spiritually enlightened Hindu and Muslim saints belonging to the different religions and hailing from varying parts of the sub-continent. The inclusion of hymns of Hindu and Muslim saints in Guru Granth Sahib is evident proof that the Sikh Gurus regarded all men as equal before God. It is a unique compilation of the spiritual revelations of men-of-God born in different faiths at different times and in different regions of the Indian subcontinent. It is a divine message for the whole human race.

Every hymn ofGurbani ends with the name ofNanak as the author, whether it was revealed to Guru Nanak or any other Guru. The heading of the hymns, however, indicates the name (via number) of the Guru who had actually composed it. This is the unique system for presenting oneness in the authorship of all the Sikh Gurus and oneness in the whole philosophy of the Sikh Gurus under Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

Nevertheless, the identity of the contributing Guru is specified under their succession number of the house ofNanak. The house ofNanak represents as mahla. Thus the contribution of Guru Nanak is identified as 'mahla I', as he is the founder of Sikhism. The hymns of the second Guru, Guru Angad, is identified as 'mahla 2', as he is the second in succession to the House of Nanak. The hymns of the third Guru, Guru Amar das, is identified as 'mahla 3', hymns of the fourth Guru is identified as 'mahla 4', hymns composed by Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, is headed as 'mahla 5' and hymns of the nineth Guru is 'mahla 9'.

The text of Guru Granth Sahib is composed in poetry and is arranged in musical measures that refer to the timing of rhythm and mood of singing the particular hymn. 31 musical measures (Ragas) have been used in Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Arjan Sahib has used a numerical system to number the hymns included in Guru Granth Sahib to avoid later interpolations by others. The structure of the compositions differs from hymn to hymn; couplets (sloaks) varying from 2 lines to 6 lines; hymns (shabads) of 2 - 16 verses, ballads ( vars) made of hymns (pauris) of different sizes; verses of praise ( chhants) of different lengths; stanzas (swayas) of different length and measures.

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Languages The Gurbani in AGGS is in the language that was spoken during the period between the 15th and 17th century. Similarly the Bani of the Bhagats indicates that the language used by them was the language spoken by the people during their period between 12th and 17th century. The writings in the AGGS are the best that Punjabi literature has hitherto achieved. It is a treasure of Indian languages. Punjabi, Sindhi, Gujrati, Marathi, eastern and western Hindi languages have been used.

During the period of Bhagats and the Sikh Gurus, Persian was the official language of the rulers, and Sanskrit was the language of Hindu sacred books. Gurus and Saints (Bhagats) preferred to use the language spoken by the people, so that the common people easily understood their language. Analysis of the language used in AGGS clearly shows that there is not even a single verse in AGGS that can be identified as pure Sanskrit, although there is good use of Persian and Sanskrit vocabulary in many verses.

Guru Granth Sahib - Eternal Guru In every religion certain texts are regarded as sacred and revered as they are the basis of that religion. But the acceptance of the Granth Sahib as Guru is a remarkable feature of Sikhism.

The question arises that why do Sikhs revere Adi Granth as Guru? It is Guru because it throws light on the path leading to the highest goal of spirituality. When the Guru was living bodily, he guided his disciples by his words. At that time auditory organs received the divine message. Now the same words of the same Gurus are contained in the Granth and the mode of receiving is shifted from hearing to sight - to visual organs of the reader or to the same organ if one happens to be a listener to what is being read by the Granthi.

Adi Guru Granth Sahib is the religious scripture of the Sikhs as well as eternal spiritual Guru. Since the day Guru Gobind Singh vested succession in it, the Guru Granth has commanded the same honour and reverence as would be due to the Guru in person. It is the focal point of Sikhs' devotion. No individual person was to be a Guru in the future. The corporate. body would be the Guru and the decision taken in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib of that body would be the decision of the Guru. It was Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth in line, who detached ideology from the person of ideologue.

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He made the eternal spirit, doctrine tenet supreme and installed the Sikh Holy Book, Guru Granth Sahib in 1708 as the eternal Guru of the Sikhs.

Guru Granth Sahib is a living Guru to those who have eyes to see; therefore, we should not be deceived by our physical eyes; we should not regard the Guru Granth Sahib as a mere holy book; it is a live, universal, divine, spirituality of Gurus in person for all time to come. Guru Granth Sahib has to be respected, not merely because it contains the whole truth, but also because it is the divine word of the Gurus and saints.

Guru Granth Sahib - The treasure of Scientific Facts Science view of the Universe

The planet that we call earth is infinitesimal in relation to the limitless and vast universe. Cosmology deals with all aspects of the whole universe. It is the study of the origin, shape, vastness, behaviour and evolution of the universe. The unlimited vastness of the universe is so phenomenal and incomprehensible that our attempt to comprehend it is like a fish trying to comprehend the greatness of the ocean.

Science theory of Creation Various cosmological theories have been proposed in both science and religion. Almost all the major religions of the world believe that the universe and the life in it are not the result of automatic evolution; they have been created by the Supreme power that is called God. He is the source of all creation.

Newton's approach towards cosmology was metaphysical and he considered the creation of the universe to be an act of God. More than a century later, Kant and Laplace put forward their views, together known as Gas-cloud hypothesis. It considers that the creation of the universe was out of gases and vapours such as hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, cyanogens and water. The planets and the sun were created out of the same nebular gas medium.

It is claimed that in the distant past there was neither sun nor moon, neither planets nor satellites or galaxies and the whole space was full of nebula, a kind of gas. It is believed that by some lengthy process this nebula began to revolve at a tremendous speed. That led to the production of heat. On condensing of the nebula, the stars and planets came into existence. In other

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--~

f

-l

..

-~

words nebula (a kind of gas) is the raw material out of which the whole universe has been formed. This nebula is 'matter' which is eternal. The big bang theory was advanced by Garis Lambatre (Belgium) and Garag Gamov (Russia). Current scientific evidence supports the 'big-bang' model of cosmology. Evidence collected by the astronomers during the last 50 years confirms the hypothesis of an expanding universe, which is the basis of'big­bang' cosmology. Modern scientists like Gold, Bondi and Hoyle have advanced the latest theory, 'Continuous Creation Hypothesis', which agrees with the thesis propounded by the Sikh Gurus. Their view is that, "It (universe) has no beginning and the creation never ends."

According to the big bang theory 15 to 20 billion years ago, there was an explosion and in the millionth part of a second the universe came into existence and expanded into space. The gases from this explosion turned into millions of galaxies, planets, our earth, the sun and moon. According to British scientist Stephen Hawking the universe emerged as a result of an explosion of energy.

In short.1 one line of thought is that matter somehow turned itself into the universe. It is believed that matter began to revolve and revolve by some force and thus the universe came into being. The other thought is that there are signs of designing and planning in the universe and therefore it must have been created by a super power.

Regarding the vastness of the universe, the Italian physicist Galileo Galiglee put forth his theory that, "There are millions of stars which get together to form the Milky Way." According to latest estimates by scientists there are more than 40 thousand million stars in the Milky Way alone. 13 other known galaxies further surround the Milky Way, of which we are a part. One galaxy is collections of stars held together by their mutual gravitational attraction. It is believed that the part of the universe that scientists have so far been able to explore contains in excess of 50 billion galaxies. Contours and contents of countless galaxies are likely to remain a big secret for the earthly creature, man. There are numerous other suns several thousand times bigger and million times more luminous than our own sun. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the unlimited vastness of the universe is incomprehensible. According to Dr. Andrew of the Cambridge Institute of Astronomy "The universe has no beginning and no end."

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Scientists now believe that there are billions of earths like our own. The extent of His creation is incomprehensible. Modern science, five centuries after Guru Nanak, confirms on the basis of its specialised readings and calculations that what man knows of the universe is only its fringe. The more we discover of the universe, the more still lies ahead to discover. What the modern scientists have discovered after years of search and spending billions of pounds on various research equipments was explicitly stated by the Sikh Gurus more than five hundred years ago. Cosmological ideas as enunciated in Adi Guru Granth Sahib have been found to be, not only compatible with the modern cosmological theories, but far ahead of scientific discoveries.

Besides science theories, the prevalent religious idea of God's resting after six days' creation does not find favour with the Sikh belief as well. According to Sikh Gurus God has no human failings and needs no rest:

.. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord: in it thou shalt not do any work - - - - - -The Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it. " (Exodus 20:8-1 0)

Moreover, the division of time into days, nights, weeks, months and years etc. is man made and is not perfect. Secondly, a day is not everywhere a day even on our own earth's surface. When there is night in the west, the east basks in the sun. Sikhism does not accept that certain days are sacred and the others are not so. According to Sikhism, time spent in righteous pursuits is sacred time and time spent in selfish worldly pursuits that makes man forget the Lord is wasted. Guru Nanak asks a logical question how certain times can be good or bad when the creators of day and night remain the same:

"The sun, the moon and the stars remain the same so do the earth and the air. How can then certain times be called bad and others good for dwellers of the same earth. " "Ail~~ H ~Ail~ 3tS ~II w tl031- H ~ ~ BOT ;:ft>,r ~ ~ cifrn" rU =so 2 >

Cosmology of Guru Nanak- Sikh view of the universe The compositions of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), contained in the Adi Guru Granth Sahib, make repeated references to cosmic creation and cosmic order prevailing in the universe. These verses weave a pattern of the Guru's cosmology. The cosmology of Guru Nanak's conception is immensely wide. There are countless stars that are giving birth to hundreds of new stars. Expansion and contraction is going on all the time. Our galaxy is packed

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with billions of stars. Stars are spinning all the time in a regular way and playing their part in up-keeping the universe. The Gurus, centuries ago, talked of millions of worlds, universes, suns and moons, as the science does reveal today. Scriptural references to cosmology in Adi Guru Granth Sahib are too numerous to be quoted; therefore, interested readers are advised to study Guru Granth Sahib.

How the universe came into being According to the theory propounded by Guru Nanak the universe did not come into existence by itself. The Almighty God created this universe with one word. By His order the Holy Word, the universe came into being. This primordial sound was the first source of energy that created the universe. It was accompanied by light. This light and sound spreaded throughout space. This energy took different material shapes and forms found in the universe. The primordial sound heard at the time of creation is called Shabada and the light is called the Jot. Today's scientist Sir Arthur Eddington has confirmed that "The universe is nothing but an ocean of conscious energy in motion." According to Guru Nanak, the Creation sprouted from the sunnya position in which the Creator existed. From this primal void came the whole universe as explained in the Sikh scriptures:

"In the beginning there was indescribable darkness, and there was neither earth nor sky; only the Infinite will prevailed. And there was neither day nor night, neither sun nor moon and God was in absolute trance." (AGGS P.1035) ~ ~ ~II t:ICJR' o 01010" mm >mrorll 0 fuo am 0-~ 0 R"Cft=J,Ho RWfu 8arfet!'ll (ti:1 035) - - = - -

The cosmic order of Guru Nanak's vision is immeasurably large; its objects are countless. There are countless under worlds (Patals ), countless skies (Akashas), having countless suns and moons, which run the course of millions ofkosas (kosa = 1.5 miles). The immensity of creation is, indeed, beyond the grasp ofhuman intellect. According to Guru Nanak "there are earths beyond earths, beyond earths" ('Q'd"31 ~ tra" ~ ~" (lr: 3 ); "there are earths below earths and skies above skies" ("tfl3TW t.r3"'C3' <Sl:f ))f'cJPW 'WOT'HII" (lr: 5 ); "there are numerous suns, moons and other galaxies" ("cia" ffi't!" ~ BO a-3' ~ BHII" (lr: 7 ); "many millions are the winds, waters and fires,- many millions are the countries and realms of the universe, many millions are the

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moons and suns, many millions are the categories of creation and the galaxies, many millions are the skies and the solar systems. " "~ '&Fe ~ lPel ~~~ ~ '&fc fur s ~~~ ~ '&fc m:ft>,rn HOOtSII" i "~ '&fc ~ = = ... 4,.

~~II ~'&Fe ))f"&TFf ~II" U: 276); "innumerable are the planets and underworlds, I cannot quantify them. " ("~ l('3""8" ~, H trre3" o ~II" u:1 283)1

How life came into being When life did appear is not definitely known. The science of cosmology has attempted to find the time but it is so long ago that its authenticity cannot be claimed. According to the latest science theory, the universe and life in it had a gradual development.

According to scientists inorganic matter changed into organic matter that developed life by gradual steps. The first living organism produced out of the organic matter was amoeba. This first organism was simple and then the complex was evolved out of it. By struggle for existence and environmental effects different species grew out of the first species such as fish, reptiles, birds and mammals. Man is the most highly developed living organism; he stands at the top and monkey is a step behind. The science theory of creation fails to explain the origin of intelligence from matter. It is something subtle in man, which works under the influence of Atma (soul). This subtle content is present in every man although in a varying degree.

Almost all religions believe that the universe and life in it are not the result of automatic evolution; they have been created by some power that is called God. He is the source of all creation. Sikhism has an identical view. According to Guru Nanak, before the creation of the universe, darkness prevailed; it had been there for limitless time when there was nothing but God; He was in a detached form; He, then, created the universe out of Himself through His Will.

God felt the desire to create, He willed, He expressed it through His order (Hukam) and the universe came into existence. Sayeth Guru Nanak: "One word and the whole universe throbbed into being, and myriads of rivers of life came gushing." "God created the universe by uttering a word." (A.G.G.S. P.3). This, therefore, means that the universe was created by the word of God: a9::r' ~, ~ ~II f3Fr 3' ~ ~ ~II (U. 3)

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According to the Sikh Gurus, there are countless forms of life inhabiting this earth, countless species with countless names, countless their languages and shapes. Creatures corporate among themselves in their daily living; they communicate with each other, help each other and cooperate with each other:

"Numerous are sources of life and numerous are the planes and places of existence. There are millions of skies and planets." (A.G.G.S. 276) "am cifc l:f1<tt ))fO ~~~ a-m me- ))f1Q'H ~~~ <i'r. 2 16 > - ~

According to Guru Nanak, the universe is a divine system. Nothing happens haphazardly in the world. All events are governed by the natural divine laws. Wind, water, fire, earth, sun, stars and galaxies are kept in their places by the same divine law. All forces of nature are the primal source of life. Its forces are dynamic agent of creation. Air, water and temperature play a very important role in the existence of all living beings.

Sikh view of Evolution Man as a product of nature's evolution is a unique specimen of that evolution, holding the key to the mystery of nature, to the purpose of evolution. Every living or non-living thing of this universe is evolutionary. Evolution is neither an absolute forward progress nor an absolute backward regress. Evolution is a determined sequence in the events of nature. According to Sikh Gurus the whole universe including all the living organisms was created by God. Here evolution means that plant and animal life progressed from one-celled organisms to its highest state and reached humans (trillions of cells) by transforming one kind of life into another kind. The human beings are, therefore, the result of a series of automatic biological changes taking place over billions of years.

Scientists today agree that life passed through many stages on this earth. It is believed that human being has appeared on the scene last of all and is the most intelligent of all life. The Sikh Gurus had already revealed this fact that life has passed through different stages and reached its peak and appeared in the human form:

"For ages and ages life existed as worms and insects. For ages and ages life existed as elephants, fish and deer. For ages and ages life existed as birds and snakes. For ages and ages life existed and laboured as horses and oxen. At long last came the human form, an opportunity to merge in the Universal consciousness (God)." (AGGS,P. 176) "'&it ;:ro}{ ~ cite tScw, em ;:ro}f -ar;:r ).flo a-ffirrn '&it 1=rOH ihft J1a1l ~II '&it 1=rOH ~ ful:f ~II ~ 1"'1dii!lH fi.fcso a1 ~~~ r~aoc'8 fucJ ~ frt:rctPw11 <i'r:1 76)

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Man superior creature Scientists agree today that of all the species, human being is the most superior one. Human body is the ultimate in technological perfection. According to biochemist Isaac Asimov, the human brain can absorb and retain more than one million bits of information whereas the brains of other species have much limited capability. According to Sikh Gurus there is an invisible and indescribable spark of consciousness in the human being. Man possesses intellect, intelligence and thinking power. With it he can distinguish between right and wrong, and good and bad in his daily life. The science theory of evolution fails to explain the origin of intelligence from matter. According to Sikh Gurus it is the same subtle intelligence that pervades the whole universe, which operates according to a very ordered plan not fully intelligible to man. This intelligence in the universe is the manifestation of the Supreme Being.

According to Sikhism God is the totality of cosmic divine consciousness. Universal divine cosmic consciousness is as much beyond our limited comprehension as infinity in space. The working order of organic and inorganic matter is the work of some super intelligence. Very complex and exact divine laws control the evolutionary system of the stars, planets, the whole galaxy systems and the living organisms. All laws, natural, eternal and divine are together in a coherent system by which a harmonious universe is governed. Life in the world runs according to a highly intelligent scheme, not discemable to man; it is the reflection of a cosmic intelligence and manifestation of super beings.

Man is the highest and noblest creature bestowed with a very developed mind, intellect, reason and power of discrimination. Although physiologically he is composed of the same elements as the other living creatures, only he has the faculty of intellect and vision to attain self-realization. He is comparatively more social than all other creatures. Among all the living beings, humans reign supreme because they have intellect, which leads to their supremacy over all other forms of life. Sikh gurus have already inserted this fact in the Guru Granth Sahib:

''0' human being! You are the lord of the world. The other species are subservient to you." (AGGS P.374) "~ ~ 3it ~~~ fuB trcJ31 Hfu 3-al fAoce•a9n <tr=374)

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Life in Plants It was discovered by an Indian scientist Sir Jagdish Chander Bose ( 1858-1937), that there is life in plants for which he was awarded the Noble prize. However, the Sikh Gurus had stated this fact in the Guru Granth Sahib nearly 400 years earlier than that:

"AI/ food grains have life in them" (AGGS P.472) ~ ~ ,fir; a- t=fl>,.r ~ o '&fun <fr: 4 7 2 >

Not only food grains but also all the plants have life in them is already stated in Guru Granth Sahib:

· The gardener's wife plucks the flower petals to offer them to a stone statue. Little does she know that the flower petals she plucks, have life in them and the stone idol has no life in it.' (AGGS. P. 479) 1 ) "l.f31 ~ lff8o1, l.f31 l.f31 ~II

ft:n:r trtJO ~ tr3l ~,Ft m fcsat=t9@n"<tr=479) 2 > ~ Q'Cfu ~ fcs a t=t9@ ut=Jfu, >H-3 WcS" ~ Ycfln <fr: 3 3 2 > - - = -

Life via Pollination In 1580 for the first time Prospero Alpini stated that plants had male and female sexes. In 1694 Rudolph Jakob Camerarius identified male and female parts in plants. In 1763 Joseph Kott1ieb Kolreuter conducted experiment on plants. It was then that the pollination of plants through wind and insects like bees, birds, flies and bumblebees etc was established and confirmed. The Sikh Gurus had revealed this nature's secret when they stated:

"Such is the result of a bumble bee enjoying fragrance that (by carrying pollen) it causes the trees to bloom and the woods to become lush green and fructify." (AGGS, P. 1190) "~ ~ ~ 5 ~ 65 llO cren (tr:11 90) - =

Life through water Today Scientists have established that the main constituent of life is cytoplasm, which is made of 80% water. They have also discovered that hydrogen and oxygen gases in the air combined to form water and life emerged from water about 350 millions years ago. In 1784 Henry Cavendish proved that water was a compound of two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen. The Sikh Gurus had already unveiled this fact that water is a compound and it transforms itself from air and this whole living world is dependent upon water.

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"From the Lord came the air, and from the air came water.From water, He created the three worlds-life in water, on earth and in the air; in each and every heart He has infused His divine light.'' (AGGS P.l9) "~ 3 ~ 5Ww ~ 3 Me; ~II MB 3 Fa s~ e wf;::rlw urk urrc -t=tfu RHfu11 <tr : 1 9 > ... -

The theory of water in nature and the dependence of life on water were advanced by Bernard Palissy in the sixteenth century after the demise of Guru Nanak Sahib who said:

"This whole world is of water and everything is dependent upon water." (AGGS P.l283) "~ ~ Ff! t:1C§ ~ Me; tit 3 RS ~II" (tr:"' 283)

"From the air began life and from God, the system" (AGGS P.942) "~ ~ ~ Hf3' ~II" (tr:942)

Life via Air One of the most important things created by God is air, which became the source of all life. In 1960, a scientist named Robert Hooke proved that "Air is essential for respiration and that there is no substitute for it" This fact was already revealed by the Sikh Gurus many years earlier at various places in the Guru Granth Sahib:

• Born of water, life is sustained by air. ' ~ ~ acs fu'a'Br MB 3 mrf3' ft>wn

(AGGS P.884) (tr: 884)

Moon has no light of its own The latest scientific theory states that both the moon and the earth were formed side by side from one and the nebula material. According to the Sikh Gurus Lord created both the sun and moon together. (AGGS, P.454)

"~ ~ ~ wcr ~n" <tr:454)

Some scientists believe that the moon was once a part of the sun. In 1564 Galileo proved that the moon did not have light of its own and that it reflected the light from the sun. The Sikh Gurus had already stated this fact:

"Sun lights up the moon." (AGGS, P.329) "FI'O't1 ~ aofu ~II" (tr: 3 2 9) = - ~

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Expansion and contraction "The Sikh Gurus say that expansion and contraction of the universe has occurred many times. This process of appearance and disappearance goes on forever." (AGGS P.276) "a-it WCJ ~ lJTWOII ~ ~ fu'c! ~II (ts:276) "When He wishes to create, the world comes into existence. When He wills otherwise, it is retracted into Himself." (AGGS P. 292) "t=r faR R 3'1' fi:mfc ~II~ n ere mnll" (U:292) - ~ -

Everything including all planets is rotating Scientists today have come to the conclusion that nothing is static in the universe. The whole universe is always on the move. All planets, stars, suns, moons, billions of galaxies are moving in space at various tremendous speeds. Unknown to the western scientists, Guru Nanak had already unveiled these facts in the Guru Granth Sahib long before Galileo and Giordano. The rotation of the earth and all the other planets of the universe are already mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib:

"The sun and the moon obey His law. They move billions of miles and never stop moving." (AGGS P.464) "y frffir RCI'H Y fcffir ~II ~ ~ tffi3 o ~II" (U: 464) = - - -

Guru Nanak revealed that not only all planet were rotating, but everything of this universe is in motion:

"The Lord binds us in the bondage of motions and eve1ything is in motion without an end." (AGGS P.465) "~ trfs' ~ 'furn ~ s@fu>w "Cfl'e3' o ~II" (ts:465) = ' -

Who created the universe? Scientists believe that the constitution of the matter is very scientific; it consists of elements, atoms, protons, electrons and neutrons. It has in built self-sufficiency to evolve, dissolve and shape itself, therefore, they argue that matter is eternal. According to many scientists, there is no higher authority (God) creating, controlling and running the universe.

The question arises that how lifeless atoms (matter) became living organisms that progressed into complex brain and mind? How did the single human cell automatically evolve into trillions of cells and how did their instincts take root in individual human being? There are 75 trillion cells in the human body and each second in each cell there are at least 6 trillion chemical

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reactions taking place and yet they are as small as the full stop at the end of this sentence. Can scientists create 6 trillion chemicals? So far modem scientists with all the advanced technology at their command, have not been able to do so. As far as God's existence is concemed,just as the sun does not exist for the owl, God does not exist for those who haven't got the vision to see Him. According to Sikh Gurus, God is visible everywhere if only we have the eyes to see Him. To see God one has to have mental vision and intuitive eyes. The Guru says,

"The eyes see God are different from physical eyes." (A.G.G.S. P.IIOO) "~ H ~ fu>Mo f;:r(;1 ~ w fuol11 (tr:11 oo>

Scientists today have come to the conclusion that the whole universe is nothing but an ocean of waves of energy and they have now established that matter/ energy can never be created or destroyed by any chemical means. They only change their form. Let us take the example of water. It may change into ice, snow, steam or cloud but its mass remains the same. When we bum anything, it does not disappear from the surface of the earth. It merely changes into carbon dioxide, ashes, water, light and other forms. Atoms in the matter do not change their identities but remain in different guises. Their total mass remains the same. When coal burns, it leaves ashes behind. The weight of the ashes is less than the weight of the coal. The scientists have concluded that if we add the weight of heat, light and gases produced by the burning to the weight of ashes, then it will come to be equal to the original weight of coal. This fact is revealed in Guru Granth Sahib. The Sikh belief is that whatever God has created, neither increases nor decreases: "Nothing is produced and nothing is lost. I say it by God's grace." (AGGS P. 695) "(I)T aw ~ OT aw ~ (f'}f cil ~~~, <fr=6ss>

"Nothing is born and nothing dies. Birth and death are only the Lord's game." (P.281) "mf raw 'tfOH mJ raw lffl ))fTtJO ~ >wfu til ~II" (tr: 2 81 )

Sikh scriptures state that the universe is limitless. There are innumerable planets, stars, galaxies and earths and they are all made up of one common substance. The whole world is born out of one light (energy). The whole universe is made up of energy in different form, different size and different shape: "You (Almighty God) have placed your whole expanse in the field of energy." "tlal ~ 1lfa>w ~II" (tr: 9 7 2)

This primordial sound was the first source of energy that created the universe. It was accompanied by light. This light and sound spreaded throughout space.

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This energy took different material shapes and forms found in the universe. Today, the scientist Sir Arthur Eddington has confirmed that, "The universe is nothing but an ocean of conscious energy in motion."

Same principle in macrocosm and microcosm Man in relation to the universe is a universe on a small scale. Just as the body of man is made of five elements - air, water, fire, space and earth, similarly the universe is also composed of these elements. The divine element or the soul is the essence of both of them. To illustrate this resemblance, the Sikh Gurus used the simile of the sea and a sea drop, just as the sea is represented in the drop and the drop is the sea on a smaller scale. As the substance of both of them is the same, similarly is the resemblance between man and the universe.

The psychophysical system in the man is a miniature universe in itself. Man and the universe are similar to each other; they have similarity and unity. Man is the supreme creation of God. The whole of universe is built upon the same plan as a part of it. Just as a man has a mind, there is a cosmic mind, as in the individual so in the universe. There is a universal gross body and behind that a universal intelligence. Then there is the self of man, which is also the self of the universe. Man is likened to the universe.

Man, the microcosm and universe, the macrocosm, both have a common content, the intelligence. God, the creator of macrocosm, is the Supreme Intelligence. He imparts to man an infinitesimally small part of it with which he understands the working of some of the laws of nature.

According to Sikhism the universe is the macrocosm and the human body is the microcosm. What scientists have discovered in this century, the Gurus have already stated the fact that the same principle works in microcosm and macrocosm.

The whole universe is expanding and contracting in an orderly manner. The law of nature works both progressively and regressively. In its progressive direction the final stage is man- the last step of the staircase of creation. As is the case with the universe, so it is with the composition of a human being. In the human body, there exist these two opposite forces - one set of cells maintains the equilibrium of health and life, the other set disintegrates whatever is faulty and useless. Disintegration is done for the purpose of renewing it in a better form.

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"Whatever is in the cosmos is also to be found within the body. He who explores can know this fact. " ( AGGS p.695) "~ ~ Hit fi'& ~ i3"R R ~II" (tro: 695) ....

The same universal principle works inside the single cell of matter as it does in the whole universe. The principle within the atom is similar to that of the solar system. Within an atom electrons are revolving around its nucleus just as the smaller stars are moving around bigger stars in their solar system like nine planets of our solar system going around the sun. Sikh Gurus have highlighted this fact umpteen times: "Whatever is in the universe is also in the atom (smallest part of the matter)" "~ ~ ~ ft ;:rrea-11" (U:1 040) "On~ and the same 'di;ective principle' exists in the moon, the sun and the galaxies. " (AGGS P. 294) "m:fl>,.ra 110 Ol:S Hfu ~~~" (U: 2 9 4 > = <I.... -

Scientists have yet to highlight many facts already stated in AGGS It would take scientists perhaps another century to find out the basic facts of nature that Sikh Gurus have already stated in the Guru Granth Sahib. Who provides food for its growth until the chick develops into millions of complex Jiving cells? What mechanics provides oxygen to the chick in the egg? And disposes off exhaled carbon dioxide? Who provides sustenance and protection in the womb? Some scientists have now come to the point to say that there is some 'directive principle' at work. But they don't know the answer. But the Sikh Gurus have already given the answer: "The Lord provides protection to you in the womb and looks after. "(AGGS P. 488)

t > "~ ))ftJ"' ))fOJfo Hfu ~ ,;fw l:fHH ()lf'cJTII" <tl: 4 8 8 > 2) "Wd B Hfu f;::rfo ~II"- (U:1 07)

3 > "Wd O"T"a'9 Hfu ~ m"' trWII" (U: 1 3 2 >

Each and every one has been assigned a specific role Every living or non-living thing of this universe is evolutionary; everything has a specific purpose in life and everything has to make a specific contribution in up keeping the universe. Every single organism has been assigned a specific role to play in the universe, which no other organism of any species including human being, however intelligent, can play that role. From the sma11est insect to human being and from the smallest molecule to the mountain, from microcosm to macrocosm everything has a specific assigned role to play, no matter how trivial it may be, in the running of this universe. There is not a single grain of sand, which has no role to play in the universe.

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I

~

Every planet, sun, moon, star, air, water, earth, billions of insects, birds, animals, all vegetation and human beings are living sources of one another. Each and everything of this universe is the living source of one and another; the ultimate goal of everything is to live at its best and perish whilst serving others. Everything of this universe is equalitarian. Air, rain, water, sun etc. are bestowing their goodness on each and everyone alike without any kind of distinction or discrimination under the divine law of nature. Everything is moving under God's divine ordinance. Everything is playing its assigned role in the universe. Even the countless roundworms are busy in making this earth fertile. All things are well and wisely put by the Creator. All species have been created according to the assigned role they have to play in the universe.

"The Lord created all creatures and they all have been assigned different tasks." (AGGS P. 103)

'1=fl>,r fl'3' Rfs ~~II ~ ~ 9'e' ~~~II" (U:1 03)

Every single thing is different from the other There are millions of species of life; millions are their languages and millions are their varieties. No single organism, creature or species is exactly the same. Such is the greatness of the Almighty Creator. This difference has been created by the Creator suited to the work each specie is assigned to do.

Science has yet to highlight the fact that every leaf of the same tree is different; every fruit of the same tree is different; every man is different; every bird is different; no insect of the same group is the same; and no animal of the same breed is the same; nobody knows but God who is doing what. Such is the greatness of Almighty Lord:

"My Lord has enacted a mysterious play. He has created each one different from the other." (AGGS P. I 056) "ifa" trFs w-e- rna ~ ~~~ afu~o fern al~-~n" (tr:1056)

God has stocked energy once and for all Some time back, scientists believed that the expansion of the universe had started slowing down; the time would come when stars and galaxies would move away from each other; there would be cold and the universe would die. Another theory was advanced that the sun was burning out; the rotation of the earth was slowing down; stars were burning up or moving away from their positions to new locations; cosmic heat was turning into cold and the universe was progressing towards death. But Sikh Gurus have stated that the energy will never run out. The universe will come to an end only when

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God wills it. The emergence, expansion and contraction of the universe have occurred many times. God has established His stocks and stores in the whole universe once and for all so that the supplies never run out:

"There are storehouses of His limitless bounties which have been replenished once and for all." (AGGS P.7) ">Wtle~~~ll ;':1 faW trfE'>w B ~ ~II (tr: 7)

"The whole universe is of one light. It neither decreases nor increases, stays the same." (Guru Gobind SinghSahib) ft:n.tl ;:n.ro "& ~ J=i}m::r Fcx "il3 ~I o urc ~ o ~ ~ o urc ~ ~ ~I" ~ ~ ffiur wfua) "Sun and moon are His lamp, In the whole universe is His light (energy)." (AGGS P.489) "~ HfR ~ ;:r-& fas~e ~ -:if3 HCPfon" <i'r=489) .. -

Scientists have yet to find out how myriads of insects living in rocks and stones are eating and breathing. Sikh Gurus have already revealed this fact

"In rocks and stones He created living beings and provides them their food. " "Frs tlCRJ Hfu -:s ~ ~ w ~ ri em tlfu>wn" (tr:1 0)

Man cannot comprehend God's creation According to Guru Nanak ( 1469-1539) "Many millions are the winds, waters and fires. Many millions are the countries and realms of the universe. Many millions are the moons and suns. Many millions are the fields of creation and the galaxies. Many millions are the skies and the solar systems." Guru Nanak wrote, "There are earths, beyond earths and earths beyond earths. And there are skies above skies." this fact has been stated umpteen times in Adi Guru Granth Sahib that man cannot comprehend God's creation:

I) "The extent of his creation is known to none. The more we state the more remains to be stated " "~ ~ o ~'&fun~~~ ~n"

2) 0' Nanak the limits of the creator are incomprehensible." "'O""''Cf cxa3' ~ ~ or ~~~"

3) "The creation can never fully comprehend the Creator." ''a"CS cit fHfu 0 ~ ctPwll "

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(A.G.G.S. P.5) (tr: 5)

(A.G.G.S. P 274) (tr: 2 7 4) (A.G.G.S. P285) (tr: 2 8 5)

Guru Granth Sahib In the eyes of Distinguished world known religious authorities

Many learned authors and philosophers who have studied Sikh scriptures have given their comments. All have noted the concept of the universal message for the whole mankind preached therein. The Sikh religion, and its scriptures, Adi Granth, has something special and of value to say to the rest of the world. It is not only Sikhs who see that Sikhism is a philosophy, which has validity for the whole mankind, but non-Sikhs thinkers-writers also strongly endorse this view.

When we discuss the importance of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib today, it would be natural to talk of the views of Dr. Edward A. De Bittencourt, Arnold Toynbee, Mr. Archer, Prof. H.L.Bradshaw, Dorothy Field, Max Arthur Macauliffe, Miss Pearl S. Buck, Dr. W.O. Cole, Swami Nitya Nand, Duncan Greenles and other distinguished world known authorities on religion.

• "It was reserved for the religious genius of a great Master like Guru Nanak tore-estate in a clearer, precise, definite and accurate way and at the very opening of Gurbani, the One-ness of God." "The Bible really does not begin like Gurbani with One-God. It begins with many Gods; the Hebrew word Allahim or Elohim is the plural of Semitic Allah or God." "It is only in the King James version of the Bible that appeared in 1611 A.D., that is to say a hundred years after Guru Nanak (1469 - 1539), the verse (genesis 1-1 )" runs thus: "In the beginning God created the heaven and earth." (Dr. Edward A. De Bittencourt. Sikh way of life xiii)

• "Mankind's religious future may be obscure; yet one thing can be foreseen that in the coming religious debate, the Sikh religion, and its Scripture - the Adi Granth, will have something of special value to say to the rest of the world. This religion is itself a monument of creative spiritual intercourse between two traditional religions -."

(World-renowned historian- Arnold Toynbee)

• "The religion of the Guru Granth is a universal and practical religion - - -.Due to ancient prejudices of the Sikhs it could not spread in the world. The world today needs its message of peace and love." (Mr. Archer)

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"Guru Granth Sahib of all the world religious scriptures, alone states that there are innumerable worlds and universes other than our own. The Sikh religion is truly the answer to the problems of modern man." (Dr. H.L.Bradshaw)

• "The religion of the Sikhs is one of the most interesting at present existing in India, possibly indeed in the whole world." P .1 0 ~~A reading of the Granth strongly suggests that Sikhism should be regarded as a new and separate World-religion, rather than as a reformed sect of the Hinduism." P .34. "The religion is also one which should appeal to the occidental mind. It is essentially a practical religion. If judged from the pragmatic standpoint - which is a favourite point of view in some quarters - it would rank almost first in the world. Of no other religion can it be said that it has made a nation in so short a time."P. 35.(~Religion of the Sikhs' Miss Dorothy Field)

• "The Sikh religion differs as regards the authenticity of its dogmas from other great theological systems. Many of the great teachers the world has known have not left a line of their own composition, and we only know what they taught through tradition or second hand information."

"We know the teachings of Socrates only through the writings of Plato. Budha has left no written memorials of his teachings. Kung-fu-Zu, known to Europeans, as Confucius left no document in which he detailed the principles of his moral and social system. The Founder of Christianity did not reduce his doctrines to writing and for them we are obliged to trust to the Gospels according to Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. The Arabian Prophet Muhammad did not himself reduce to writing the chapters of the Quran. They were written or compiled by his adherents and followers."

"But the compositions of the Sikh Gurus are preserved, and we know at first hand what they taught. They employed the vehicle of verse, which is generally unalterable by copyists, and we even become in time familiar with their different styles. No spurious composition or extraneous dogmas can, therefore, be represented as theirs .. As we shall see hereafter, it would be difficult to point to a religion of greater originality or to a more comprehensive ethical system." (Max Arthur Macauliffe, British Author, "The Sikh Religion")

• " Sikhism is a universal world faith - - a message for all men. This is amply illustrated in the writings of the Gurus. Sikhs must cease to think of

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their faith as just another good religion and must begin to think of Sikhism being the religion for this new age." (Dr. H.L. Bradshaw of U.S.A.)

• "I have studied the scriptures of the great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes. --There is something strangely modem about these scriptures and this puzzled me until I learned that they are in fact comparatively modem, compiled as late as the 16th century." (Miss Pearl S. Buck)

• "Pure Sikhism is far above dependence on Hindu rituals and is capable of a distinct position as a world religion so long as Sikhs maintain their distinctiveness. (Dorothy Field)

• Mankind's religious future may be obscure, yet one thing can be foreseen. The living higher religions are going to influence each other more than ever before, in the days of increasing communications between all parts of the world and branches of human race. In this coming religious debate, the Sikh religion and its scriptures, the Adi Granth, will have something special of value to say to the rest of the world. In other words, it is not only Sikhs who see that Sikhism unlike most other religions, is a philosophy which has validity for all cultures but non-Sikh writers also strongly endure this view." (Arnold Toynbee, an historian who has done much work in comparing cultures)

• Dr.W.O. Cole, Chairman - Consultant, Religious Education Projects, U.K. who has written half a dozen books on Sikhism. He was asked what drew him to the study of Sikhism? His reply was: " Theologically, I can not answer it. You may call it, the purpose of God. But to be more specific, the unique concept of universality and the system ofLangar (free community meal) in Sikhism are the two features that attract me towards the study of Sikhism. Langar is the exclusive feature of Sikhism and found nowhere else in the world. Sikhism is the only religion which welcomes each and everyone to its Langar without any discrimination of caste, creed, colour or sex." (Dr. W.O. Cole) " I sifted sand whole of my life. The truth was in the house ofNanak. I will have to take one more birth in that house, only then I will attain Kalyan." (Swami Nitya Nand who expired at the age of 135 years. He wrote in his book ' Gur Gian'

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According to Duncan Greenlees (a U.S.A. theosophist): " There is no doubt that all religions advocate the pursuit of the ultimate Truth, but it falls to the credit of Sikhism alone that it is so perfect and so thorough that it takes the truth to logical ends and allows no faltering, and no let up, nor any arbitrariness or deviation from the postulates of the Truth." (From S. Surjeet Singh Bhatia, Current thoughts on Sikhism, P.64)

• "There is something strangely modern about these scriptures. They speak to a person of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind." (Professor Toynbee, 'The sacred writings of the Sikhs' published by UNESCO)

• "It is the scripture of all nations, for it is the lyric of Divine Love and all the people of the earth submit on such growing lyrical prayer that Guru Granth is one song, one idea and one life. Immensity is the substance of the sublime." (Prof. Puran Singh)

Section 3-The Role of Sikh Cosmic Divinity in modem society The impulse towards religion is an integral part of human nature. It has always had a definite place in society and will continue to play a vital role in this scientific age. Man may live in comfort, luxury and prosperity and yet have no peace of mind. Wealth, body comforts and material goods are of immense value to mankind but are not everything.

Without spiritual and moral foundations, science is apt to bring mankind to ruination. It has brought man to the brink of the total destruction of civilization and annihilation of the human race. Man has achieved some mastery over nature but not over himself. Either man will abolish this one sided extreme course, or this course will abolish man itsel£ Scientists discover one law of nature and when it does not hold good then they make another better one. Science is merely the accumulation of the discovered laws of nature. It does not explain who made them. The fact remains that nature makes laws and scientists simply discover them. Scientific theories keep on changing. Science has got its own limitations. It can state what exists, but not what should exist.

Science cannot produce honesty, compassion, tolerance, friendship and peace of mind; therefore it cannot remove social injustice, racial prejudices and economic exploitation from the society. Science cannot deal with the instincts, emotions, sentiments and behaviour of the individual human being. No

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j

~ f

)

scientific machine can control greed, lust, anger, ego and fanatic attitude of human being. Science provides body comforts but religion satisfies spiritual appetite. Science and religion are both necessary for human beings. Science and religion are complementary to each other. Science nurtures the human body, whereas religion nurtures the human soul.

Sikhism confronts rituals and superstitions with a scientific argumentative approach and works hand in hand with modern scientific theories. There is no inherent inconsistency between Sikhism and science. The approach of Sikhism to modern mind is based on reason. Therefore, science poses no adverse challenge to Sikhism. On the other hand it has much to offer to the modern world. In fact, scientists highlight the facts already revealed in the Adi Guru Granth Sahib. Modem society can learn a lot from the Sikh ethics based on the universal laws of nature: respect for all religions, equality for all nations and service for all irrespective of one's caste, colour or creed.

Science and religion are complimentary to each other. One deals with the physical aspect of life and the other the spiritual aspect of life. One without the other is incomplete and extreme. Great scientists of today themselves realise the limitations of the sciences. Without religion science is incomplete and one-sided.

Material comforts are vital; no serious thinking person can deny the importance of economic satisfaction for modern man but ethics and religion have to play their part in keeping the social fabric of modern society in a desirable state. Experience shows that strict state laws, harsh punishments and tough penalties will never be able to end this violence. An optimum level of economic security for each individual and family along with a spiritual and ethical norm is the dire need oftoday's modern society.

In spite of an abundance of wealth and body comforts, man's greatest problems today are poverty, disease and wars. Are these not the symptoms of inner sickness? The whole of mankind is in the grip of materialism. Unlimited demands, greed, selfishness and pride lead to social exploitation, which results in imbalances, dissatisfaction, boredom, the meaningless of life, ill health, depression and other such abnormalities of life.

The economic exploitation is rampant in the entire world. Rich and powerful countries are manipulating resources in order to keep the poor countries poor. Their offer of aid to the poor countries is like a lion beefing up a cow. Today deceit, cheating, making money by hook or by crook have become respectable qualification for growing rich. The Sikh Gurus called it leeching on other's blood. It makes man more vicious. Sikh Guru said:

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"Accumulation of wealth only promotes selfishness, ego, pride and greed." (AGGS p.188)

There is no such thing as a shortage of wealth or body comforts in Western countries, but cruelty, violence, child abuse, heinous crimes and human suffering are multiplying everywhere in these countries. Where there is more wealth, there are more crimes, more alcoholism, more drug addictions, more adulteries and more divorces. No amount of wealth seems to satisfy modem man. He wants more, more and still more. It is an unappeasable hunger of mind, which cannot be appeased by worldly goods. Its appetite increases as one feeds it. Even in a highly affluent society like that of America it is now realised that wealth and power are not everything.

The improvements in our physical comforts of living are nothing less than a miracle by any standard. Science and technology have played a major role in shaping the modem world. New inventions, new discoveries and new technology have changed the whole structure of modem society. Science has done wonders in creating enormous wealth and body comforts on an unprecedented scale. It has immensely improved the physical conditions, surroundings and the economic standard oftoday's man. However, this one sided extreme progress could be menacing.

The modem world's glamour and glitter are associated with wealth, wine and woman. These are the most sought after pleasures of modem life. Wealth alone has the immense capacity to buy anything available in the market, which is the source of enjoyment. No wonder everyone runs after it and is ready to commit one sin after another so on and so forth endlessly. The more one feeds one's insatiable hunger for wealth, the more it increases. Surprisingly, "have" and "have not" both are running alike in the never­ending money race.

Suspicion, ill will and greed are rampant everywhere. Wars are being fought and preparations are being made for naked aggressions in various parts of the world. Today's world is on a dangerous course. Bluff and counter bluff are the dominant force prevalent everywhere. This world has become an arena of double standards. On the one hand, new nuclear weapons are being produced; on the other hand, the same powers are at the forefront of negotiating nuclear non-proliferation arms control treaties. The present unethical extreme course of mundanity is bound to lead mankind to ruination. Unless all this technological and scientific progress in the world is matched by moral standards and ethical values, it is very likely to lead mankind to catastrophic disaster.

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The well-being and survival of the human race are today largely determined by a mere handful of the top rulers of the great nuclear powers. In the hollows of their hands they hold the monopolistic control of unprecedented deadly weapons. Upon their wisdom or egoistic stupidity largely depends mankind's fate - lasting peace or suicidal war. Never before in human history has the life or death of so many depended upon so very few. Such dangerous situation raises the momentous questions of our time:

'Can we entrust the fateful decision of war or peace to the few magnates of this power? Do they have the wisdom of the serpent and innocence of the dove necessary to lead us to a lasting peace? The fact of the matter is that the existing nuclear governments of great powers and the politicians cannot be entrusted. It is a historic fact that Men tum beast with the political power.'

In the first place, throughout history the moral integrity of powerful rulers has been and still is too low to entrust to them the life and well-being of mankind. Secondly, a fruitful resolution of these problems far exceeds the creative ability of the existing governments. To meet the gigantic challenge of this new era, we have to mobilise the righteous forces of mankind, its best minds, purest hearts and highest consciences, for building a nobler and better order in the human universe. Where the sway of righteousness is weak or non-existent, only power politics would hold the field.

Man of today is living in an atmosphere of ill will, distrust, hatred and unrest everywhere. The root cause of all our troubles is our selfishness. It is against the law of nature. Everything of this universe is living happily and is helping others to live. Greed, lust, attachment, anger and conceit- all these impurities are the offshoots of egoism. The so-called civilized man of today is a wolf in sheep's clothing; he is ready to pounce on others as he gets an opportunity to do so.

The whole fabric of modem society is at breaking point and is heading towards its catastrophic end; violence has penetrated deep into the heart of it; teachers are being assaulted in the class-room; doctors are being assaulted in the surgeries; clergies are being attacked; policemen are being attacked; indiscipline, vandalism, bad behaviour, violence, the carrying of weapons and the disruptive trend amongst children is on the increase; 11.4% of boys carry knives; 80% of children are being offered drugs; 40% of 15 years old have tried drugs of one kind or the other in 1995; class room discipline is falling apart; single parent family has become the norm; more than one third of children are living without fathers.

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Health problems are multiplying in all western countries. Three hundred thousand people have heart attacks every year in the U.K. Suicide is the second biggest killer in Britain. Half of the British people are over weight. Alcohol costs the N.H.S. more than four million a year. Tobacco costs the N.H.S. more than 600 million a year and more than 22000 deaths every year. 35% of the British work force has a drink problem and 15% of workers have drug problems, which costs this nation in billions. Britain is spending £1/2 billion to fight the drug problem with no success. In London 23% of doctors have been assaulted in their surgeries. Billions are being spent on the N.H.S. It needs one extra billion every year to run it at its present level. Proposed bureaucratic saving is a drop in the ocean and it will go nowhere. Demands are outstripping resources. How you are going to improve? Preventive steps can only solve these problems.

Violence, vandalism, weapons and indiscipline are part of our schools of today: school discipline in the U.K. is falling apart; class anarchy is on the increase; students are becoming unruly; 15% of students are truanting; 11.4 % of boy students carry knives; 25% of students smoke regularly; 40 % of students (aged 14-16) have tried drugs in one form or the other; 23% of doctors have been assaulted in London; clergies are on the path of becoming gay and lesbians; drug problems among professionals- accountants, factory owners, teachers, magistrates and city officials are getting worse; mental ill health is on the increase; the future looks bleak all round. Where there is more literacy in the western countries there is more burglary, more smoking, more drinking, more heart disease and more unhappiness. Where there are more advanced health clinics, more medicines are breeding more diseases in mankind, which are rarely seen in birds that lead a cosmic way of life.

Unhappiness, miseries and sufferings are multiplying; the extreme course of materialism is getting out of control; demands are out stripping the resources in all western countries. In spite of more wealth, more education, more body comforts and more health care, more divorces, more adulteries, more violent crimes, more drug culture, more diseases and more exploitation are taking place. Common man is full of wants and desires. Man seeks happiness through passions and pleasures of the senses and remains dazzled in wealth, power, talent, beauty and fame. He is unaware that his desire cannot be satiated with sensual pleasures. In spite of the luxuries of life, modem man's inner-self is bleeding. The question arises as to why man of today lacks inner happiness in an otherwise rapidly advancing civilisation.

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This situation never arose in the past because the world had never been one unit as it is today. The revolution in the means of communication and technology has revolutionised human thinking altogether. It has reached a new climax on one extreme side. Instead of strengthening human values, science has weakened them. The so-called scientific attitude has struck at the very roots of human values. The context of the soul is being ignored. The progress of science is turning men into intellectual animals manufacturing/handling tools and weapons, with no ethical controls over their use. The human civilization is, thus, standing on the top of a precipice from where a fall is imminent.

Men may study books all their lives; they may become intellectuals, professionals, doctors, engineers, scientists, surgeons, but when it comes to leading a successful happy life, they find thetnselves ill-equipped, deficient and wanting. Educational establishments everywhere all over the world are churning out high earning professionals - doctors, educationalists, engineers and scientists, - but not successful fathers, mothers, sisters and above all decent human beings. Those establishments are producing unbalanced human beings as money minting machines, which is the root cause of all social ills and domestic violence.

All our domestic, social, economic and political problems are the product of unbalanced men and women. In spite of wealth and body comforts, there is no happiness, no satisfaction and no peace of mind. Our all research is for the body and none for the mind, which controls the body. Balanced person is the answer of all our present ills. It can wipe out domestic violence, divorces and crimes, which drain, out most of the national income of every country. All these ills are the product of the unbalanced person. A balanced human being is the answer to all these current problems. Only and only the balanced state of mind and body can lead to a harmonious life through balanced pursuits of spirituality and mundanity.

We have studied everything but ourselves; we have studied all aspects of nature but human nature; we have improved everything but ourselves; we have revolutionized dazzling electronic systems but not the lighting system for the mind; we have done everything for the body but not for the mind. The mind is the source of all human desires. It carries human feelings, impulses, instincts, thoughts, likings and disliking; it is the pivot of human activity; of all the constituents, the mind is the most important; it moves at tremendous speed, flies, roams and runs after the sensual pleasures. It is noble when God-orientated and is evil when self-orientated; our minds are blackened with sins of our

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present and past deeds. Just as the light of a lamp cannot be seen through a smoky and blackened chimney, God's divine light cannot be seen through the veil of our sins and ego.

In the modern age of discord and conflict, the balanced development of man's personality is most essential; it should be physical as well as spiritual. Today, the soul is completely being ignored. The result is the unbalanced person whereas the balanced person is the solution of all our problems. The balanced state is the one most needed in the scientific world of today. Everyone seeks pleasure, nobody wants pains and sufferings; physical and sensual pleasure are momentary, transitory and subject to the law of diminishing satisfaction which ends in pain; when one object stops giving pleasure after some time, man switches over to another one and so on. The rich man with all his physical needs satisfied still feels hunger; it is the spiritual hunger that remains unsatisfied.

The West has brought the ideal of bigness, ideal of wealth and the ideal of power. In order to eliminate conflicts and wars a creative altruistic order must be established in the world. When the lust for power vanishes, only then humanitarianism sprouts. We must revive the ideal of basic human dignity. Neither economic nor political adjustments can transmute egotism into altruism, which is essential to eliminate conflict and war.

Western countries have sacrificed righteousness, morality and religion for material prosperity. Greed, selfishness, ill will and suspicion are rampant everywhere. As a result thereof drug culture, drink culture, smoke culture, sex culture, crime culture and violence culture are spiralling. Materialism is getting out of hand. Today's world is on a dangerous course.

Man can have no peace and happiness unless he discourses his antecedents. A healthy body needs a healthy enlightened mind. All our research is being directed for the body comforts and nothing for the mind; too much for the body and too little for the mind. Of all the constituents of man, mind is the most important; it moves at a tremendous speed; it wanders; it flies; it is mercurial having a myriad of ways; it is attached to God as well as to the world; it practises austerities and it runs after pleasures; it may become virtuous or remain in the grip of sins; it lives between hal flight and darkness; it may become noble when it is God-oriented; it may become vicious and evil when ego-oriented. The root cause of all our social problems is unbalanced man. We have lost the path of righteousness and gone astray.

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Today, the most urgent problem faced by mankind is to find the social and political order based on righteousness in order to put an end to the atmosphere of turmoil, tension, deception and breakdown of positive ethical social human values. The western polity model has given rise to gross materialism, concentration of wealth by hook or crook, militarism and elitism. It has fostered inequalities, cruelty, friction, deception and the exploitation of man by man.

Man of today wants a religion which understands the aspirations of all the citizens of the world; a religion which protects the human society from social and moral degradation and restores the. basic universal values; a religion which is above caste cult, race cult, creed cult and country cult; a religion which teaches how to live a life of fullness; above all a cosmopolitan religion of love, service and sacrifice is the dire need of modern man. It is the true religion of righteousness alone that can save the modem society from such a catastrophe and check the erosion of human values. Sikhism has lived its thesis, shown the world and is the answer to all our present problems.

The ultimate aim of life is self realization that keeps one in a state of eternal bliss, not after death in some unknown regions but here and now in this very life; one becomes self-conscious, self-realised and self-disciplined through participating in the social process of society with ethical consciousness, social responsibility and political activity. The enlightened individual, in its highest attainment, becomes as wide and big a force as the universe; his heart begins to palpitate with the whole universe; he begins to love all living beings. On the one hand, he becomes a part of the universe by participating in the universe in the active life of the society and on the other hand he is God conscious all the time. He lives in a special detached way; despite all worldly activities, he remains detached and aloof from it. His balanced state of mind is unaffected by the pleasures and pains of the world. He lives as the lotus lives in the water, remaining above its water surface, or as a duck floats on the stream water, keeps its plumage dry and it remains ready all the time to take flight away from the water. That is how a saint soldier, while fully engaged in worldly activities, remains disengaged. The secret lies in the balanced state (Sehaj Avastha). This balanced state or equipoise must not be under-rated in the present age. It is the tenet of space age and it is the cure of all our social, economical and political problems, which we face. Let us do something.

Guru Granth Sahib exhorts us to actively involve in voluntary service. We have not been able to create even a single remotely comparable organisation like Oxfam, War on want and Christian Aid etc. Let us pledge to start a

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world wide Sikh charitable organisation to amplify our Guru's concept, on this auspicious day of the inception of Guru Granth Sahib.

The gigantic task before us Today, the Sikh spirit is buried under the thick layers of false ritualism. Ritualism is infested in every walk of life. The Sikh code of conduct is of paramount importance, but it has already become a thing of the past. The Five Kakaars are an absolute must for the Khalsa. Although the Khalsa uniform is there, the saintly qualities or Khalsa virtues are rare. Today, the Kirpan has become just a ritual symbol. It is no longer considered as the protector of righteousness.

The question arises, why a religion, which has been praised even by the people of other faiths, which has boundless power of inspiring mankind, deteriorated to an extent that many upholders as well as some scholars of other faiths, have been forced to express their doubts regarding its very survival? Whatever may be its future, one cannot deny the fact that its present is not very reassuring and it is passing through a very critical phase. In order to save the faith from all-round deterioration, to spread the message of Guru Granth Sahib to mankind, we must do something. We are good at making grand announcements but not implementing them. We worship Guru Granth Sahib more than endeavour to understand it and learn from it. We have not only to understand the divine message of Guru Granth Sahib ourselves but have the onerous task of sharing it with people of other faiths as well. We must make worldwide arrangements to disseminate the universal philosophy of Guru Granth Sahib. At present it is not reaching our own children much less people of other faiths. We should set up an international organisation that should coordinate the preaching of the Sikh school of thought and the Sikh way of life in its truest form. No doubt, it is a challenging task.

The exposition of the qualitative aspect of Sikh doctrine is rarely touched upon from the modem thought point of view; as a result thereof its identity still remains to be worked out. Sikh thought has played a unique revolutionary role on a sociological level in restructuring human society on a cosmopolitan egalitarian basis. The sociological significance of"Amrit initiation" lies in its wiping out of the millennium old caste-ridden stigmas, infusion ofbrotherly spirit, and solemn declaration of equality, liberty and fraternity. It was an unparalleled historical feat the Sikh doctrine had achieved. It is the only bright epoch in an otheiWise dark period that stretched over northern India for more than a millennium.

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There is an urgent need of bringing out authentic literature on Sikh philosophy, Sikh culture, Sikh history and Sikh way of life. Such literature should be prepared at a central level. Firstly, no educated and enlightened person is ready to become a Sikh missionary because of the inferiority complex created by this class. If at all, some make up their mind to devote their life in the propagation of Sikh ideology, they are faced with a problem of the non-availability of authentic Sikh literature. This is a great handicap in preaching the Sikh ideology. In the absence of any authentic literature, every missionary blows his own trumpet, which further harms the faith. Nobody receives any inspiration to adopt Sikhism from the hollow and shoddy preaching done by our preachers. Congregations are not infusing any religious spirit among the minds of the Sikhs.

In one of his lectures at Cambridge, the world famous philosopher Bertrand Russell is reported to have said, "- The Sikhs have not brought out in the broad daylight, the splendid doctrines of this religion which has come into existence for the benefit of the entire mankind. This is their greatest sin and the Sikhs cannot be freed of it." The man who takes upon himself the task of preaching has first to give up his whole self to Guru Nanak. This complete self-surrender to the Guru does not leave any scope for rough behaviour towards fellow men. We need a heroic band of workers; a hundred thousand men and women fired with the zeal of sacrifice, who should go over the length and breadth of the land, preaching the gospel of love, gospel of equality and gospel ofhelp. Whatever good we can do to others, whatever service we can render to mankind, let us not delay, let us start doing it now.

A Sikh has unparalleled love for his Gurdwaras. In fact a Sikh and Gurdwara are wedded to each other. Gurdwaras made the Sikh nation and the Sikh nation made the Gurdwaras. Gurdwaras are the nucleus of the life of Sikhs; their whole life revolves around the Gurdwaras. The Sikhs draw the whole inspiration of religious life from these; every Sikh has an unflinching faith in Gurdwaras; he can never tolerate any kind of disrespect shown to the Gurdwaras; he would sacrifice his all for its protection. We have to make sure that Sikh Gurdwaras are opened to visitors belonging to any region, religion, caste, creed or colour. Gurdwaras' managers should take the lead in spreading the divine message of Guru #th Sahib.

It is not possible to change everything at once. Let us begin in small groups and struggle against a hostile milieu. Let us struggle to grow from small to big and from big to bigger. Let us pray! May the spirit ofSikhi rise in every way!

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Let us pledge today Now it is the hour of need to stand up against the forces of unrighteousness and uphold the lofty ideals and glorious traditions of our universal religion. Let us regenerate the Khalsa code of conduct. Let us pledge to live up to the Khalsa traditions by thought, word and deed. Let us uphold the truth and righteousness. Let us cultivate the spirit of love, brotherhood and kindness for all of mankind. Let us dedicate ourselves to this divine mission of Guru Nanak. Let us pledge ourselves to carry forward the divine message of Guru Granth Sahib the entire world over. Let us tell the global village who the Sikhs are. We have to demonstrate how Guru Granth Sahib can tum this world into a world worth living in, a world free from all kinds of exploitations.

It is time for the Sikhs to wake up and discharge their duties. Let us not forget our present responsibilities. Let us not forget we are a proud people united by our fraternal divine religion, our culture and our proud history. Let us not forget the glorious history of our sacrifices. Let us pledge to be our own watch guards to chisel and shape our own destiny. Else we may lead our nation and ourselves to self-destruction. Let us pin all our hopes for our better destiny. Let us tell the Brahmanism in one voice - the Sikh nation shall never submit to brahminical caste-ridden social order. Let us raise our voice against the brute force of the Indian police who are engaged in Sikh genocide. Let us raise our voice against police intimidation, police torture, police gang rapes and police kidnapping. We survived a decade of fake encounters by sacrificing a hundred thousand precious lives. We survived the June 1984 genocide. We survived the Nov. 1984 genocide. We will never compromise with our liberty. We will never accept slavery. We will never surrender our identity.

Let us join to the ending words of the Sikh daily prayer: "By the grace of God's name says Nanak, you may go on ever rising higher and higher (chardhi kala), let there be good of all through Divine Dispensation."

W AHEGURU JI KA KHALSA (Khalsa belongs to the Lord) WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

(Victol)' to the Lord)

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The Divine Revelations From Adi Guru Granth Sahib (Translated)

"Life devoid of good deeds Is all in vain."

"Those who torment the poor, Are in tum tormented by the Lord."

"By serving the Giver of happiness, One remains happy for ever."

"Whosoever is kind to others, The Lord receives him with kindness."

"In the end, you will be judged According to your own actions."

"Why delay doing good, Delay if the action is evil."

"In the whole wide world that I see around, Nothing can be gained without good deeds."

"There can be no worship, Without doing good deeds."

"Divine knowledge ripeneth, By good acts."

" Those who suck the blood of other persons, How can they be pure of heart?"

"Nanak, sweetness and humility Are the essence of all virtues."

"Consider friend and foe alike, Is the best way of realising the Lord."

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~~one who has conquered the mind, Has conquered the whole world."

"Do not harbour ill-will for any person, For the lord resides in all."

"One who is full of jealousy of others, shall never get peace."

"The surging greed is like the madness of a dog, This madness has vitiated all." "You have never searched within your heart; Nor have you done any service to others."

" My God honours the virtuous, And punishes the sinful."

"Pride is a disease of the mind."

"God is Just, and honours truthful."

"Service of mankind is the service of God "Blessed is he who serves God."

"By serving the Giver of happiness, One remains happy for ever."

"To serve God is the highest blessing,"

"To remember His Name is the highest service."

"Only fools and idiots, try to suppress others."

"No one is my enemy and none is stranger to me."

"Pride is a disease of mind."

"Egoism is a chronic disease."

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Views about the booklet In this extended essay the author S.S.Narang provides an analysis

of his understanding of some of the key messages of the Sikh religion. He has compiled this essay around some of the core concepts from the Guru Granth Sahib, which are pivotal to developing an appreciation of the Sikh Gurus' teachings. The author guides through these concepts emphasising their modem application of relevance. For example, the values of truthful living, hard work and being of service to others are crucial to developing a balance in material and spiritual life. The concepts of 'Miri' and 'Piri' have been highlighted as being at the heart of purposeful individual and collective life for freedom and against oppression. Dr. S.S.Sangha, Principal, Stockton Riverside College. U.K.

I have to most heartily congratulate your illustrious self for writing a very exhaustive yet very comprehensive treatise on 'Cosmic Divinity of Adi Guru Granth Sahib' to commemorate the quadricentennial year of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Your dedication to the Sikh Gurus, the Sikh Scritures, Sikh literature, Sikh polity and Sikh religion is par excellence. I wish to put on record the rich compliments that Prof. Dr. H.L. Bradshaw deserves for his recognition of 'Sikhism not just another good religion' but 'a universal world faith' with a Divine message for the whole mankind. The great teachings and tenets of Sikhism based on ethics, morality, religious tolerance & love, peace and respect for the whole humanity as enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, can play an important part in keeping the social fabric of modern society in a desireable state. It is equally admirable to pay our deep gratitude to Resp. Mrs. Jasbir Kaur Ji, who has rendered her magnanimous services for the publication of this treatise on behalf of Guru Nanak Foundation Great Britain. Amarjit Singh, PES (1) Principal, G.R.C.,BTl.(Retd.) Msc. (Hons Sch); M.Phil; in Zoology; M.A. (Religious Studies); PGD in Env. Edu.

I must express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated writer S.S.Narang for producing this very informative, elucidative and thought provoking booklet on the much needed suject to bring awareness about the noble and cosmic divinity of Adi Guru Granth Sahib. The booklet will certainly be useful to the lay reader as well as scholar. May Waheguru bless him long life so that he can keep on producing such valuable literature in English for the benefit of both Sikhs and non-Sikhs readers.

Baldev Singh Sabar , convenor, Sikh Study Form 226 Romford Road, Forest Gate, London E7 9HZ.

A Challenge

"Sikhism is a universal world faith wi th message for all men. This is amply illustrated in the writings of the gurus. Sikhs must cease to think of thei r faith as 'just another good religion ' and must begin to think in tetms of Sikhism being the religion of this new age - books must be written proving this."

"The Sikh religion is truly the answer to problems of mo•.~ .: rn man."

"We must modemise and centralise our faci lities, schoo! · , .... f Sikh scholars must translate the Guru Granth Sahib meaningfully, in its ~ntirety, into all the world's major languages, as commanded by Gur·• Atjan ... .. Our colleges and educational institutions must become miss ionary minded, rev ise their curriculum and give great impetus to the training of Sikh missionaries."

"Sikh parents must teach their children honour of being missionaries and the responsibi lity which is ours and they must encourage these young people to become miss ionaries. Books of instruction must be written. trans lated and distributed throughout the world -which should be sent to all the larger city libraries and university libraries in India, England ana America. Courses of instruction and training programmes utili zing the latest techniques of other religions and large scale organisations must be formulated, standardised and pursued."

"You wi ll ask if this is not too ambitious and a difficult pr0gramme to pursue. In answer, let us ask ourselves: ' if this is not what the gurus have

.. .

enjoined us to do -if this is any greater sacrifice than those made by Sikh f martyrs and our fathers?"' ,

Dr H. L. Bradshaw ~