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| The Sikh Review ************************************************ CONCEPT OF THE GURU AND RELEVANCE OF BHAGAT BANI Gurnam Kaur, Ph.D Revelation is basic to most religions in one way or another. Sikhism is indubitably a revealed religion. According to the Sikh revelation, man can have direct communication with God through His Naam. He can realise Naam through the Guru. The Guru is the True Master and the perfect one, who himself has realized the Truth. The idea of revelation in Sikhism is thus, unique. The revelation is manifest through Bani, the Scripture. The idea of incarnation of God, or God taking birth as a living being has been rejected categorically. The physiculity of the Divine is rejected. In its place the knowledge revealed in the Bani is stated to be God given. We find many references to it in Sri Guru Granth Sahib[1]. The Guru had the direct experience of the Truth and expressed it in his own language. Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the record of the Truth received by the Guru from communication with God. According to the Gurus, God Himself is the source of the Bani,[2] the primal Word. Only the Message in Bani is eternal because of which the status of Guru has been bestowed on the Bani. The importance of the Word has been stressed by Guru Nanak, Guru Angad and Guru Amar Das. Guru Ram Das has given the status of Guru to Bani in clear terms. According to him there is no difference between the Guru and his Bani. The Gurus' Bani is an embodiment of the Guru and the Guru in revelation (Bani). In revelation is contained the Nectar which is the sustainer of a spiritual life. The Guru utters the revelation and the seeker must accept it. He emancipates the seeker by manifesting himself in the Bani[3]. It is the unique feature of Sikhism that the Guru is accepted as perfect and permanent in the form of Bani, not in his corporeal form because corporeal form is ephemeral, while his Bani is eternal. Even as the Fourth Guru gave this status to bani, Guru Gobind Singh formally bestowed the status of Guru on Sri Guru Granth Sahib., thus confirming the institution of the Sikh revelation. He ordained the Sik hs to accept Guru Granth Sahib as the Guru after him and seek the guidance from the Holy book. The revelation in Sikhism operates in an ascending spiritual order. The receiver of the revelation rises spiritually to receive it and revelation (Bani) has the capacity to bestow angelic virtues on humans. Its promise to transform humans into spiritual beings is a distinctive feature of the Sikh revelation. According to Sri Guru Granth Sahib the divine manifestation is in the form of enlightenment ("joti")[4] and not in the form of birth as a human being. It is the realization of the Divine light ("Joti") the Word ("Shabad") and the Gurmat methodology ("Jugati") which is to provide the status of the perfect preceptor (Puran-Gur). The way through which this Divine Light is to be realized is the Guru oriented way, the Gurmat way, ("Gurmukh gaadi raah chalaaya"[5]). Owing to this concept of Light (joti) and the Word (shabad) all the Gurus treated themselves as the spirit of Nanak. So, according to Sri Guru granth Sahib, the Divine manifestation is in the form of Bani, which is a continual process from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Nanak says, in Asa di Var, that he is a sacrifice to his Guru who makes angels out of men. According to Sikh revelation, Joti, the spiritual spark, is common in every physical body, the difference lies in Jugati. Jugati is the Gurmat way in Sikhism. This is not so in the case of Bhagats. In the absence of jugati they were scattered and isolated in spiritual longings. Guru Nanak established the perspective and the term Jugati is used for that, meaning that the physicality of Bhagats is mines while they are being included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The composition of the Bhagats are available outside of Sri Guru Granth Sahib also. Only selected portions of their compositions are included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. We know in Sikhism a distinction has been made between true revelation and a false one, i.e. Kachi and Sachi Bani. The first reference to this effect is made by the Third Guru, in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. According to him only that revelation is true the source of which is God Himself. And this criterion is used strictly for the selection of the Bhagat Bani. Only such portion of the Bhagat Bani has been accorded the status of Guru as has been incorported in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, not their whole compositions. In achieved completeness ("Puranata") when it was included in the Holy scripture by the Guru. It received the touch of the Guru, just as a common tree that grows near the sandalwood tree, becomes fragrant like sandlewood. Similarly the Bhagat Bani attained the Guru status when it was accepted by the Guru and juxtaposed in every Raga. Once incorporated, there was no difference in any composition being Shabad or Bani as included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. All compositions are treated as equal, recited, sung and meditated upon with equal devotion. In order, however, to establish the true perspective, we must keep in mind the concepts of "Joti" and "Jugati". On the basis of the concepts, only the ten Gurus could be called Nanak; none else not even the Bhagats. So when the other contributers are referred to in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the word Bhagat Bani and their respective names are mentioned. In every Raga, their compositions come after the Bani of the Gurus. So in the physical form their status is clear as Bhagats and their Bani attained the status of the Guru. In consequence, the question of elevating any Bhagats as the Guru of Guru Nanak does not arise. It becomes irrelevat when we consider the concepts of "Joti" and "Jugati", as mentioned above. The "Joti" is same in Gurus and the Bhagats because same Light resides in every body but not the "Jugat". In combination with this concept is given another theory of Guru Nanak, viz that of "Shabad Guru". God alone is Guru Nanak's teacher and Guru, in the form of Shabad. According to Sikh revelation, individual physical existence has no importance, only the Shabad is important which is revealed through that individual. The examples from Sikh revelation and tradition are before us. When Guru Nanak bestowed the Guruship on Bhai Lehna, and named him Guru Angad, he bowed to and saluted the Guru, so ordained. Thus the founding Prophet established the supremacy of "Joti" and "Jugat" during his life-time. Bhagat Bani is Shabad Guru in totality of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, not individually or independently. [1] Sri Guru Granth Sahib M-5.p.963 "houn apahu bol na jan-da, main kahiya sabhu humkaou jio" [2] Sri Guru Granth Sahib M-1.p.7 [3] Ibid. M-4, p.982 [4] Ibid,(Ramkali ki Var Raya Balwand tatha Satai Dum) p.966 [5] Varan Bhai Gurdas(Var 40, Stanza 11) |
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