Sikhi and the concept of God

By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |

There is no doubt that the idea of the existence of an all-powerful and all-pervasive God, is universal. There are few conversations that at some point or other, even amongst scientists, do not invoke the idea of God. It was no other than the Cambridge theoretical physicists and self-professed atheist Stephen Hawking, who in the final lines of his best-selling book a Brief History of Time, where he discusses black holes and the origins of the universe, ends with the speculation that if humanity did discover a complete theory of the cosmos, “it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we would know the mind of God.”

Though he later clarified that he was invoking God as a metaphor and not some latent belief in a divine creator as such, it’s worth noting that the idea of God is still very much mobilised by contemporary philosophers seeking to make sense of our existence.

The idea of God is so infused into human culture and language that even for non-believers, it is impossible to ignore God. The idea of God is at least as old as the major world faiths, though consensus about what God is and how God can be attained varies considerably. Indeed, it is the ongoing differences in theology and practice that sustains divisions, not only between faith groups but also among all the faiths. These divisions can range from friendly doctrinal disputes to war, conflict, and genocide. Though all religions extol the virtues of love and peace, as history shows, those very same commitments to faith identities can lead to mindless violence, which is almost always justified in the name go God.

Though Sikhs can proudly claim to have never launched jihad or holy war on another faith, we are not immune from internal divisions and conflict. Even though we have one common divine scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji (SGGS), and notionally a common code of conduct, the Sikh Rehit Maryada, beliefs and practices amongst the various Sikhs groups can vary considerably. Internal doctrinal differences are usually played out in verbal insults, but occasionally this can morph into physical violence which thankfully tends to be limited to the confines of the Gurdwara.

Though almost all the great world faiths assert the idea of the one creator, God, Allah, Parmershwar, Paratma etc, there is little consensus about how one might conceptualise that entity and how one can attain union with the divine. Amongst Sikhs, perhaps because we are such a small community in comparison to the major faiths, there is much confusion to the point where we have a polarisation of views on a whole range of practices.

The problem doesn’t appear to be in the general acceptance of the reality of the existence of a divine entity, though atheists will strongly dispute this, but in how we interpret what it means to express a belief in something that can appear to be quite abstract or beyond our comprehension. The paradox is that in some senses the idea of God as a supernatural entity can only be sustained through mystification, but this also means that this lack of clarity will lead to different perspectives on what God is.

Whether or not God exists separate from consciousness, we can all agree that as an idea, God resides in our own creative imagination, and for this reason, it is almost impossible to make any logical, scientific, or even reasonable statement about the nature of God that may satisfy everybody. The irony is that though we can all agree that the very essence of God is universality and timelessness, humanity has been incapable of agreeing on what that essence is.

So, what does Sikhi have to say about the concept of God? Given the infinite vastness of God, which incorporates the whole of the cosmos, time and space, past present and future, and indeed, before time itself, any attempt to answer this question is likely to end in failure. Indeed, Guru Nanak in Siree Raag GGS P25, even though we possess immense intellectual capacity as human beings, reminds us of the limits to our capacity to understand.

The fact that our mental capacities may be finite doesn’t mean we should not think about the nature of God. However, perhaps rather than arguing over establishing some general description of what is ultimately indescribable, a more sensible approach is to focus on the impact that the divine entity has on our lives. Here one can draw an analogy with the moon or sun. Both celestial bodies can literally be seen to exist, and as well as making scientific measurements about their make-up, shape, and size of these, we can generate a whole set of myths about their nature. However, in practical terms, the way the sun and moon impact us directly is through the waves of light and radiation and the gravitational effects. Indeed, without the gravitational effects of the moon, we would not have the tidal flow that we see in the seas.

So, in realising the futility of seeking answers to an impossible question, Guru Nanak places great emphasis on the experiential dimension of knowing, i.e., the pursuit of understanding and realising God, the creator, or whatever name one might want to give to the entity that represents ultimate truth or ‘sat’. In this regard, there is an associated concept which is woven through Gurbani in the writings of all the various contributors, and that is the concept of ‘Naam’. Repeatedly Gurbani talks about the importance, power and centrality of Naam to the realisation of the divine. Whilst acknowledging that God has many, perhaps an infinite number of descriptive attributes, it is naam that is its true essence.

Guru Arjan ji, in Raag Maroo, after extensively listing some of the commonly held attributes that are recounted in various mythological texts, concludes that beneath the descriptive names lies a true essence, ‘sat naam’

ਕਿਰਤਮ ਨਾਮ ਕਥੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਜਿਹਬਾ ॥ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਤੇਰਾ ਪਰਾ ਪੂਰਬਲਾ ॥

With my tongue I chant the Names given to You. ‘Sat Naam’ is Your perfect, primal Name. (SGGS, 1083)

One of the ways in which this notion of ‘sat naam’ is commonly understood is that it is a mantra that through repetition, one can unlock a path towards enlightenment. In this regard, often reference is made to a Saar by Bhai Gurdass, in which he says that Guru Nanak came to this world to deliver the ‘sat naam’ mantra.

ਕਲਿਜੁਗੁ ਬਾਬੇ ਤਾਰਿਆ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਪੜ੍ਹਿ ਮੰਤ੍ਰੁ ਸੁਣਾਇਆ।

Baba Nanak liberated this dark age (kaljug) and recited the mantra of satnaam for one and all.

A complete exposition of the concept of Satnam would require a separate article, needless to note that it is one of the central concepts within Sikhi. Satnaam constitutes a foundational component of the Maglacharan or Moon mantra, which can be found in the commencement of most sections of the Guru Granth Sahib, after “Ik Onkaar…”

The term can be literally translated as ‘true, timeless name’. And because there the reference is being made to Ik Oankaar or the divine all-pervasive entity, commonly called ‘God’, here Nanak is suggesting no name whatsoever, hence Sat naan can be seen as a negation of labels, hence avoiding reducing what is ultimate to some limited property or attribute.

And so, in this sense within Sikhi, because God is beyond our imagination, attempts to talk about God are at best futile. It logically follows that the only way to realise the divine entity that has no label is to realise and experience divine virtues and practice those in our lives. In this regard, belief in a superpower, God etc is perhaps less important than developing an appreciation that to be born a human being, unlike all other species beings, is to be programmed to both possess self-awareness, out of which ego itself is manifest, but also the capacity, like a divine being, to be creative, loving, beyond hate and fear etc. In other words, to realise the divine virtues of Ik Oankaar that are set out in the Manglacharan or mool mantra, need to be inculcated into our lives. In short, to realise the divine is to become like the divine. As Kabeer Ji notes:

ਕਬੀਰ ਪਾਨੀ ਹੂਆ ਤ ਕਿਆ ਭਇਆ ਸੀਰਾ ਤਾਤਾ ਹੋਇ ॥

Kabeer, what then, if one could become water? It becomes cold, then hot.

ਹਰਿ ਜਨੁ ਐਸਾ ਚਾਹੀਐ ਜੈਸਾ ਹਰਿ ਹੀ ਹੋਇ ॥੧੪੯॥

The humble servant of the Lord should be just like the Lord. ||149|| (SGGS, 1372)

If one accepts that God and the disciple appear to possess separate bodies, other than the lack of realisation of such, there is no separation. How one achieves this realisation and union is where major differences can emerge. For example, the Yogis advocated aestheticism, a social, and, as far as possible, physically withdrawal from society. For them, enlightenment or perfect union with the creator could only be achieved through a precise set of practices designed to suppress desires through austerities and rituals. Though many Sikhs tragically are trapped in ritualistic practices, albeit with a coating of Sikh symbolism, in truth Gurbani rejects completely rejects the general idea that it is only through religious ritualistic practices that one can become one with the divine.

The Guru makes it clear that the Sikh way of establishing a union between the self and the divine is to fully appreciate the world around so and to achieve a state of balance by living the life of a householder, earning an honest reflective life and by serving others. Union with God or the divine, according to the Sikh perspective, is not through occasional intense emotional experiences induced through Sufi or Yogic practices and rituals, which were deemed to be temporary and performative, but through everyday connections, through sehaj or steadily developing one’s appreciation of the divine aspects of life.

In condemning many of the prevailing ritualistic practices that were deemed to be the only way to attain union with mythical gods in the present, or afterlife, Guru Nanak in Suhee Rag, offers a simple path:

ਅੰਜਨ ਮਾਹਿ ਨਿਰੰਜਨਿ ਰਹੀਐ ਜੋਗ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਇਵ ਪਾਈਐ ॥੧॥
Remaining unblemished in the midst of the filth of the world – this is the way to attain Yoga. ||1||

ਗਲੀ ਜੋਗੁ ਨ ਹੋਈ ॥
By mere words, Yoga is not attained.

ਏਕ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਕਰਿ ਸਮਸਰਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਜੋਗੀ ਕਹੀਐ ਸੋਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
One who looks upon all with a single eye, and knows them to be one and the same – he alone is known as a Yogi. ||1|| Pause ||

To conclude, the answer to the original question, what is the concept of God in Sikhi is to reject the idea of God as a thing, concept or entity that is separate from our being. It is the quest for a realisation that we and God are no separate entities and that to live our lives (manukji janam) as human beings in balance with the world around us, by sharing, serving and learning.

Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk

* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.



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Miracles and Godmen (Asia Samachar, 31 July 2020)



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