Email: I refer to some videos produced by Karminder Singh in the Sikh Concept of God, the links of which were provided in recent issues of the Sikh Bulletin. The question that has come up in my mind is whether the presence of God in creation or this universe is a physical one or spiritual? Or is it both?
I have some friends who say that God cannot reside within Creation. Instead, they emphasize his transcendence and separation of God and Creation. So, my question is, in Sikhi when we talk about God permeating creation, is it literal or spiritual or both? How can I better understand this concept of God’s immanence. Harpreet Singh.
Reply by Karminder Singh
The Sikh Bulletin had published an essay titled “Guru Nanak’s Concept of God” sometime back. You are encouraged to read it here.
At the core, Guru Nanak understood God to be the Law of Nature that governs the universe of creation. He used the term Hukm for it. His answer to what is spirituality is “Hukm Rajayi Chalna.” In practical terms, it is to understand, realize, and abide by the Hukm. The phrase “Rajai Chalna” means to “go with the flow of Rza or Hukm.”
His answer to the question “where is God” is answered by way of re-wording the question to “where is this Hukm?” The answer is “Likhiya Naal” – “imbued within, inscribed within, or contained within.” So, this is what we mean when we say “God is within, or the Divine is within his creation.
The Hukm (law of nature) of a seed is within the seed. We understand that Hukm to mean that if you plant it in soil, water it and give it access to sunlight, it will grow into a tree or plant and produce more seeds. The farmer understood this Hukm, abided by it – and was able to feed himself, his family, his village and sustain the whole world. Such sustenance is spirituality for Guru Nanak because it relies on going with the flow of Hukm (for the seed and agriculture in this case.
Your question “is the presence of God in creation or this universe a physical one or spiritual? Or is it both?” would have to be reworded in Guru Nanak’s terms as “Is the presence of Hukm in creation or this universe a physical one or spiritual or both?” The answer is that it is physical, but its understanding and applicability is of the spiritual domain in the sense that understanding and accepting it, or not understanding and not accepting it determines the presence or absence of spirituality within humanity.
The issue of “God’s immanence” is therefore an issue of the “immanence of Hukm” in Guru Nanak’s terms. Hukm is immanent in the sense that it is imbued within each element within the universe of creation – right from the electron and atom – right up to the planets and the space they take up in the universe.”
So, in this sense the issue of “separation of God and His Creation” is a non-issue in Sikhi. Guru Nanak advocated the unity of both. The ੴ symbolizes this unity – the numeral 1 in ੴ means “one-ness” (not ‘one’) and the open Oorra symbolises the immanence / manifestation of Hukm (God) into creation. The following video may provide you with a better understanding of the issue.
So long as the religious world subscribes to a God that is viewed as an entity sitting up there, out there, somewhere – the advocacy of Guru Nanak would never be realized or understood. All the religions of the world see God in this way – so separation is their default mode. Their adherents and followers cannot be faulted because their philosophy as contained within the Bible, Quran, Torah etc. present it that way – God is in the heavens etc.
The tragedy is that the entire Sikh world too sees God in the same way. We cannot be absolved of our fault because our philosophy (Gurbani) does not present God in that way.
The article, entitled ‘An E-Mail Exchange of Interest Regarding The Concept of God in Sikhi’, was first published in the The Sikh Bulletin – 2025 Issue 1 (January-March 2025).
Sikh thinker, writer and parcharak Karminder Singh Dhillon, PhD (Boston), is a retired Malaysian civil servant. He is the joint-editor of The Sikh Bulletin and author of The Hijacking of Sikhi. Click here to retrieve archived copies of the bulletin. The author can be contacted at dhillon99@gmail.com.
RELATED STORY:
The Nishan Sahib is finally ours, or is it? (Asia Samachar, 28 Nov 2024)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
According to Sikh teachings or Gurbani, the concept of God, referred to as “Waheguru,” is not created and exists outside of time and space, meaning God is not something that was created but rather is the eternal, omnipresent creator of the universe, present within all creation; therefore, there is no question of God’s creation in Sikhism as He is considered the ultimate reality that always existed.
There is no origin of God:
Sikhs believe that God is uncreated and beyond human comprehension, with no beginning or end to His existence.
Immanent nature
While beyond time and space, God is considered to be present within all creation, permeating the universe.
The Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, describes God as the creator who brought the universe into existence through a single command.
He established the earth, the sky and the air, the water of the oceans, fire and food. He created the moon, the stars and the sun, night and day and mountains; he blessed the trees with flowers and fruits. He created the gods, human beings and the seven seas; He established the three worlds.
— Guru Granth Sahib 1399
Comments are closed.