Summary of 'Studies In Sikhism , Its Institutions And Its Scripture In Global Context' By Gurnam Kaur 

Sikhism, though very young in the history of world religious traditions, occupies an important place among the six main religious traditions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Its founder Guru Nanak Dev, was born in 1469 and left the mundane world in 1539.Today the followers of Guru Nanak, the Sikhs, are spread all over the world. Sikhism is a revealed religion. According to Sikhism, human being can have direct communion with God through meditation on His Name(Naam Simran).The idea of revelation in Sikhism is very unique one.It is in the form of bani, the Shabad(the Word), manifested through the Guru-joti and Guru­jugati. The theory of incarnation of God, or God taking birth in human form or any form, has been outrightly rejected by the Guru. The Guru does not claim himself to be an incarnation of God, but the knowledge contained in the hymns is described to be God given. The revelation of Truth, the insight, to the Guru is referred to by the Guru himself. The Guru had a direct experience of Truth and then expressed this experience in his own language. Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains the mystic experience of the Gurus; it is the expression of the Divine Truth realized by them. So in Sikhism, the spiritual communication is conceived to be directly from God and as such bani is a direct revelation. We find many references to this effect in Siri Guru Granth Sahib, Guru's biographical literature (the Janam Sakhis), and in the writings of Bhai Gurdas, the eminent Sikh scholar. It is told in 'the Janam Sakhis that Guru Nanak had been meditating on the highest Truth from the very beginning of his life. But he got the actual vision at the Vein stream. We are told how the Guru was rapt in meditation for three days in the river. The Guru ascended to the plane of Truth, and appeared before the Supreme Lord. On the third day he came out of the river with a luminous halo around  his face, and crowds gathered around him. He declared his first article of faith, "there is no Hindu, there is no Muslim." Bhai Gurdas has given a mystical account of this event in his Vars. He avers that Baba received the grace of God first, and then began his life's labor and efforts for the uplift of mankind. He lived on simple food, and sleeping on stony ground, he observed deep meditation. On ascending the plane of Truth God Almighty bestowed on him the robe of honor, the gifts of nine treasures, the holy Naam and humility. We find references to this unique experience in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, "I, an idle bard, am assigned a task by Thee: In Primal time I was commanded to laud Thee day and night. The bard was summoned by the Master to the Eternal Mansion and was honored with the robe of holy Divine laudation and praise, on the holy Name ambrosial was he feasted."

The process of this unique revelation in Sikhism takes place in three ways. The ultimate Reality, the highest Truth (the shabad) is revealed to the Guru in the mystic experience, in direct communion with God. Then this highest Truth (the shabad) is communicated by the Guru to the Sikh. Then the Gurmukh or Brahmgyani is enabled to comprehend the ultimate Truth. He is enabled to have a communion with God. Though he rises to this experience with the blessings of the Guru, the Guru does not remain a mediator. The Gurmukh or Brahmgyani experiences the shabad. It is an ascension of the seeker to God and not the descent of God. Guru Nanak says in the Asa di Var that he is a sacrifice to his Guru who makes angels out of men. It implies that the human being has the capacity to ascend to the spiritual heights. Another unique feature of Sikh revelation is that it is a continual process from Guru Nanak, the founder Guru, to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and the last Guru in human form. The same Divine Light resided in all the Gurus and the praxis (Guru-Jugati) was also the same, ''joti aha jugati sae seh kaya pheri palatiai."That is why all the Gurus regarded themselves as Nanak. The status of the Guru has been given to the bani, the word, by the Guru himself. There is no difference between the Guru and the revelation made by him. The Guru's revelation is  embodiment of the Guru. It is the unique feature of Sikhism that the Guru is accepted as permanent and perfect in the form of bani not in his corporeal form because corporeal form is perishable and his bani is eternal. Guru Gobind Singh formally bestowed this status on the Granth Sahib which contains the Sikh revelation before his departure from this world. He ordained the Sikhs to accept the Granth as Guru after him and seek guidance from the holy Guru Granth Sahib, which contains the bani of some Hindu Vaishnava bhagats, Sufi Muslim saints, Bhatts and others along with the bani of the Gurus. The holy Granth was compiled by the fifth Guru Arjan Dev himself in 1604. Guru Go bind Singh added the bani of the ninth Guru Teg Bahadur and bestowed formally the Gur-gaddi on the Granth. The compositions of saints and bhagats included in it embody the same ideology as that of Gurbani.

All the concepts and value-system of Sikhism originate from the Sikh revelation, the bani of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. God is the Source and Creator of all. According to Sikhism, the whole creation, the universe, is the manifestation of God. God reveals Himself through His qudrat and His hukam. The concept of qudrat implies the whole existence from the material-level to the level of the most rational and conscious being. Hukam means the causal relationship, the orderliness which makes the universe a cosmos. Qudrat has been used in Sikhism in the sense of the power of God and a means through which He manifests Himself. In the bani of Guru Nanak, God creates nature and then reflects on His own creation. He also sustains it. He Himself knows the why of it. He is ingrained in everybody as shabad. He is immanent in His qudrat and is realized through His shabad. In Sikhism one is not cut off from nature, one lives in the society and from the society moves towards the higher order. Revelation is something natural not supernatural. Sri Guru Granth Sahib rejects miracles. There is a gradual evolution from the lower to the higher, from the material to the spiritual. It is to be achieved by stages as described in the Japuji in terms of khands. The revelation in Sikhism is a continuous expression of the direct experience.  

Sikhism is a societal and whole life religion because the spiritual is realized while living in the society and leading a family life.At the same time individual salvation or emancipation of the self is not its sole aim. Its main concern is the realization of the self as well as salvation and emancipation of the whole society, 'aap trai sagalai nistaarai.'The self is not asked to seek emancipation in solitude or in isolation. The model given QY the Guru is congregational: vichi sangati naamu hari prabhu vartadaa, and vie hi sangati naamu sadaa. The seeking· of Highest Truth, Ultimate Reality or realization of the self is not confined to any particular class or caste of people, age or time of life; gurmukhi buddhe kade naahi. 'In simple words the Sikh way of life given by the Guru is to earn one's livelihood working with one's own hands i.e.by honest means ikirat karnaa), to share one's earnings with the needy (vand shakanaa) and to ever recite and remember the name of God (naam japanaa). Guru Arjan Dev says that by contact with the Master the true device of living is perfected. In a life of smiling, playfulness, enjoyment of wear and food is attained liberation. It is inclusive not exclusive as in Sikh prayer the good of all is sought: sarbat daa bhalaa.The above mentioned combination of spiritual and worldly concerns is very much evident from the articles included in this book. In the article on "Truth as Supreme Reality", it is clarified that in Sikhism sach or Truth has three meanings: (a) as an attribute of Supereme (b) as a quality of a proposition which has got the capacity for guiding the conduct, (c) as a moral virtue. Similarly the concept of martyrdom in Sikhism has spiritual as well as worldly concerns. Its spiritual concern is to submit fully to the will of God, "If you seek to engage in the game of love then step into my street with thy head placed on thy palm, while embarking upon this path sacrifice your head ungrudgingly."The social aspect is that one has to fight for the freedom, justice and self respect for all; one has to sacrifice one's head for this. All the articles included in this book were written from time to time for seminars held by different institutions: Department of Guru Nanak Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.  

Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh; Department of Philosophy, Banaras Hindu University; Department of History, Jaipur University; and Guru Nanak Dev Ji Chair of Madurai University of Tamil Nadu. All these institutions provided me the privilege to share my views with the much wider audience out of Punjab. I am grateful to Late S.Daljit Singh and Late Dr. Kharak Singh who were father figures to me. To evaluate the classical writings on Sikhism a seminar was organized under the chairmanship of Dr. J.S. Grewal, formerly Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and Director of Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla where I got a chance to evaluate Chaupa Singh's Rahitnama. The papers on "Gender Equation" and "Empowerment of Women" are the outcome of the conferences organized by Dr. Jasbir Singh Mann and his associates in U.S.A and Canada in 2004 to celebrate the four hundred years of the· first installation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Harmandar Sahib by Guru Arjan Dev in 1604. I am very much thankful to all these institutions and respected organizers who invited me and provided me chance to ponder over so many aspects of Sikhism. Otherwise it would have been difficult to cover all these various aspects at one place. I wanted to compile them in the form of a book for the students of religious studies. I had been discussing with them all these things during my stay in Guru Nanak Dev University as a Visiting Professor and with my own students of correspondence courses of Punjabi University, Patiala. I had the chance to work under the guidance of Dr. J.S.Grewal for the Khalsa Heritage Project. I do not know how to express my gratitude and thanks for his valuable advice and mature suggestions to shape this book. I am very thankful to Professor Indu Banga who found time from her very busy schedule to write the foreword. I want to express my thanks to Mr. Harish Jain who agreed to publish the book. Dr. Balkar Singh, my senior colleague, and Gurdial Singh Bal, my husband, also deserve my thanks for pursuing the publication of this book in my absence. 

About The Author of 'Studies In Sikhism, Its Institutions And Its Scripture In Global Context'

Dr. Gurnam Kaur has been a pioneer and leader in the Sikh academic world. She was the first girl in her village Ghungrali Sikhan (near Samrala) to step outside the village in pursuit of her academic aspirations. Since then, she has consistently moved higher and farther. The journey has taken her, via Punjabi University, Patiala, to Toronto where she continues to lecture and write on various aspects of Sikhism.

Her doctoral thesis titled Reason and Revelation in Sikhism, carried out under the supervision of Dr.Avtar Singh, was widely acclaimed when it was published as a book. She was honoured with Akali Phula Singh Award in recognition of the sterling merit of this work of trail-blazing scholarship. She ably accomplished the publication of the third and the fourth pothis of Shri Guru Granth Sahib translated by Dr. Gurbachan Singh Talib. Her research papers and articles currently exceed sixty. Another book, Socio-philosophical Perspective of Sikhism, by her is already in the press.

Dr. Gurnam Kaur has been honoured with Dr. Ganda Singh Memorial Award. In 2011, Sikh National Education Society, Chandigarh honoured her in recognition of her services.In addition, she has been felicitated by the World Sikh Organization (Canada) and The Sikh Educational Society (Canada) and The Sikh Educational Society (California, USA). She writes a weekly Column on Gurmat in Punjab Times published fromthe USA.