How many Rams are there

By Devinder Singh Chahal | Opinion |

INTRODUCTION

As the date of the inauguration of Ram Bhumi Mandir is drawing near (January 22, 2024), the Sikhs are confused about their position to celebrate this function with Hindu brothers because RAM appears about 2,230 times in the Aad Guru Granth Sahib (AGGS). Who is this Ram who appears in the AGGS, and who is that Ram whose Mandir is going to be inaugurated on Jan 22, 2024?

DISCUSSION

Sr. Gurinder Singh at Kotkapura reported in Rozana Spokesman that Giani Jagtar Singh Jachak, past Granthi of Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, and international parcharak (preacher), says that there was a news in Hindi newspapers from the Gurdwara of Model Town, Bareilly, UP. It says that the committee has announced that all the Gurdwaras will sing the praise of Ram on the inauguration of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Ayodhya, on Jan 22, 2024, at 12:30 PM IST. In this committee, the preacher of RSS, Dhamudar Bharati, and another member, Praveen Arora, were present.  

Giani Jachak says that it is a very serious matter, and it is against the Gurmat because the Ram in the Aad Guru Granth Sahib (AGGS) is not the Ram son of Dashrath of Ayodhya.

Jachak quoted the Ram of Ayodhya in the AGGS as follows:

ਰਾਮੁ ਝੁਰੈ ਦਲ ਮੇਲਵੈ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਲੁ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ॥ 

Rām jẖurai ḏal melvai anṯar bal aḏẖikār. 

Ram, sad at heart, assembled an army force under his control. 

And

ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਝੂਰੈ ਰਾਮਚੰਦੁ ਸੀਤਾ ਲਛਮਣ ਜੋਗੁ ॥ 

Man mėh jẖūrai rāmcẖanḏ sīṯā lacẖẖmaṇ jog. 

Ram Chand was worried about the abduction of Sita and about the injured Lachhman in his mind.

AGGS, M 1, p 1412.

The above quote is about an episode in Ram’s life when his wife was abducted by Ravana.

Is this Ram, an incarnation of Vishnu, of Treta Yuga, or somebody else?

Jachak further reported the Ram of AGGS is different from that discussed above because this Ram pervades everywhere as follows:

ਰਮਤ¹ ਰਾਮੁ ਸਭ ਰਹਿਓ ਸਮਾਇ² ॥੧॥ 

Ramṯ rām sabẖ rahi▫o samā▫e. ||1|| 

Ram is pervading^1,2 everywhere.

AGGS, M 5, p 865.

And

ਰਮਤ ਰਾਮ ਘਟ ਘਟ ਆਧਾਰ ॥ 

Ramṯ rām gẖat gẖat āḏẖār. 

The all-pervading Ram is the support of every and each heart.

Is this Ram an incarnation of Vishnu, Treta Yuga, or some super god that is mentioned in the AGGS?

However, this sabd starts with Vishnu and Narasingha and includes Vasdev (Krishna) as follows:

ਨਾਰਾਇਣ ਨਰਹਰ ਦਇਆਲ ॥ 

Nārā▫iṇ narhar ḏa▫i▫āl. 

Vishnu and Narasingha are merciful.

ਬਾਸੁਦੇਵ ਬਸਤ ਸਭ ਠਾਇ ॥ 

Bāsuḏev basaṯ sabẖ ṯẖā▫e. 

Krishna dwells everywhere.

ਲੀਲਾ ਕਿਛੁ ਲਖੀ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥੪॥ 

Līlā kicẖẖ lakẖī na jā▫e. ||4|| 

It is not possible to describe his play. 4.

AGGS, M 5, p 897.

(Note: I have added transliteration and English translation for better understanding by the readers.)

Now, a question is:

In the above verse, Vishnu, Narasingha, and Vasdev (Krishna) also dwell everywhere. Is their position the same as that of Ram in the AGGS?

Bhagat Namdev (1270 – 1350) says that Ram speaks in everybody:

ਸਭੈ ਘਟ ਰਾਮੁ ਬੋਲੈ ਰਾਮਾ ਬੋਲੈ ॥

Sabẖai gẖat rām bolai rāmā bolai. 

Ram speaks in everybody. It is Ram who speaks.

ਰਾਮ ਬਿਨਾ ਕੋ ਬੋਲੈ ਰੇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ 

Rām binā ko bolai re. ||1|| rahā▫o. 

Nobody else other than Ram speaks,

AGGS, Namdev, p 988.

It is evident that Ram was used by Bhagat Namdev about 200 years before Guru Nanak.

Bhagat Kabir (1440-1518), a contemporary of Guru Nanak, has used Ram 219 times in his bani. He says that there is no salvation without the help of Ram:

ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਸੁਨਹੁ ਨਰ ਭਾਈ ॥ 

Kaho Kabīr sunhu nar bẖā▫ī. 

ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨੁ ਕਿਨਿ ਗਤਿ ਪਾਈ ॥੪॥੪॥ 

Rām nām bin kin gaṯ pā▫ī. ||4||4|| 

Kabir says: Oh, Brothers! Nobody has ever found salvation without reciting Ram, Ram… 4.4.

AGGS, Kabir, p 324.

The Ram has been used by Bhagats since long before it was picked up by the Sikh Gurus and entered in the AGGS.  Now the question is:

Do the Sikh Gurus use the same Ram that Bhagat Namdev used 200 years ago?

Sr. KBS Sidhu, in his The KBS Chronicle dated Jan 14, 2023, writes about the use of Ram by Guru Teg Bahadur in connection with the inauguration of Ram Bhumi Mandir on Jan 22, 2024, as follows:

ਸੋਰਠਿ ਮਹਲਾ ੯ 

Soraṯẖ mėhlā 9 Sorat’h, Ninth Mehl:

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ 

Ikoaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace of the True Guru:

ਰੇ ਮਨ ਰਾਮ ਸਿਉ ਕਰਿ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ॥

Re man rām sio kar parīṯ.

O mind, love the Lord.

ਸ੍ਰਵਨ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਗੁਨੁ ਸੁਨਉ ਅਰੁ ਗਾਉ ਰਸਨਾ ਗੀਤਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ 

Sarvan gobinḏ gun suno ar gāo rasnā gīṯ. ||1|| rahāo.

With your ears, hear the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe, and with your tongue, sing His song. ||1||Pause||

ਕਰਿ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਿਮਰੁ ਮਾਧੋ ਹੋਹਿ ਪਤਿਤ ਪੁਨੀਤ ॥ 

Kar sāḏẖsangaṯ simar māḏẖo hohi paṯiṯ punīṯ.

Join the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and meditate in remembrance on the Lord; even a sinner like yourself will become pure.

ਕਾਲੁ ਬਿਆਲੁ ਜਿਉ ਪਰਿਓ ਡੋਲੈ ਮੁਖੁ ਪਸਾਰੇ ਮੀਤ ॥੧॥ 

Kāl biāl jio pario dolai mukẖ pasāre mīṯ. ||1||

Death is on the prowl, with its mouth wide open, friend. ||1||

ਆਜੁ ਕਾਲਿ ਫੁਨਿ ਤੋਹਿ ਗ੍ਰਸਿ ਹੈ ਸਮਝਿ ਰਾਖਉ ਚੀਤਿ ॥ 

Āj kāl fun ṯohi garas hai samajẖ rākẖao cẖīṯ.

Today or tomorrow, eventually it will seize you; understand this in your consciousness.

ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਰਾਮੁ ਭਜਿ ਲੈ ਜਾਤੁ ਅਉਸਰੁ ਬੀਤ ॥੨॥੧॥ 

Kahai Nānak rām bẖaj lai jāṯ aosar bīṯ. ||2||1||

Says Nanak, meditate, and vibrate upon the Lord; this opportunity is slipping away! ||2||1||

AGGS, M 9, p 631.

The main theme is that Guru Teg Bahadur recommends remembering Ram along with Gobind (Krishna) and Madhoo (Vishnu).

I may add here that Ram and Krishna are the incarnations of Vishnu during the Treta and the Dwapar Yugas, respectively, as follows:

Vedic Periods and Their Avatars

According to Parthasarathy, 2021, Vedic Periods are as follows: (2)

 1.    Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga:    1,728,000 solar years

 2.    Treta Yuga:                                 1,296,000 solar years

 3.    Dwapar Yuga:                              864,000 solar years

 4.    Kali Yuga:                                    432,000 solar years

        (In the ratio of 4:3:2:1)

Total of One Cycle (Maha Yuga)                 4,320,000 solar years

Kali Yuga started in 3102 BCE, i.e., 3,102 + 2,023 = 5,125 years ago.

Therefore, Setambar appeared in Satya Yuga: Age of Satya Yuga + Age of Treta Yuga + Age of Dwapar Yuga + Age of KaliYuga: 1,728,000 + 1,296,000 + 864,000 + 5,125 = 3,893,125 years ago.

Ram appeared in Treta Yuga: Age of Treta Yuga + Age of Dwapar  + Age of Kali Yuga: 1,296,000 + 864,000 + 5,125 = 2,165,125 years ago

Krishna appeared in Dwapar Yuga: Age of Dwapar Yuga + Age of Kali Yuga: 864,000 + 5,125  =  869,125 years ago.

Now the question is:

If Ram existed on this Earth during the Treta Yuga about 2,165,125 years ago, when there were no humans. Because Homo sapiens (Wise man) appeared about 200,000 years ago in Africa.

Homo sapiens sapiens (Wiser man) appeared about 160,000 years ago in Africa and they moved to Europe and other worlds (India) around 60,000 and 30,000 years ago. (3)

Major religions of the world appeared as follows:

Hinduism: Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between 2,300 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. (3,523 and 4,523 years ago) in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan. (1) Judaism appeared more than 3,500 years ago. Buddha appeared in 600 BCE, about 2,623 years ago. Jainism appeared between 700 and 500 BCE, about 2,723 – 2,523 years ago. Mohammad appeared in 570 CE, about 1,453 years ago. Guru Nanak appeared in 1469 CE, i.e., 2023-1469 = 554 years ago.

If Hinduism appeared about 4,523 years ago, but the Ram of Treta Yuga, an incarnation of Vishnu, existed on this Earth 2,165,124 years ago when there were no humans, then who is the Ram mentioned in Hinduism and in the AGGS?

CONCLUSIONS

 The above study indicates that a Ram lived on this Earth 2,165,124 years ago during the Treta Yuga for 1,296,000 solar years when there were no humans.

Then there is a Ram whose wife was abducted by Ravana, as mentioned by Preacher Jachak in the AGGS.

Besides, a Ram is pervading everywhere, as mentioned in the AGGS.

Moreover, Ram has been used by Bhagat Namdev about 200 years before Guru Nanak.

Similarly, Bhagat Kabir, a contemporary of Guru Nanak, has used Ram 219 times in his bani. Kabir says that nobody can get salvation without Ram.

Nevertheless, it appears from the above study that Ram, whether of Ayodhya, of Treta Yuga, or somebody else, is an important figure in the minds of the Hindus and the Sikhs.

REFERENCES

1. Anonymous. Origin of Hinduism. https://www.history.com/topics/religion/hinduism
2. Parthasarathy, R. (2021). The Time Scale and Yuga System in Puranas. .indica.today/research/time-scales-yuga-puranas/
3. Pontzer, H. (2012). Overview of Hominin Evolution. https:// www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/ overview-of-hominin-evolution-89010983/ 

Devinder Singh Chahal, PhD, a retired Professor of Microbiology, is the president of the Canada-based Institute for Understanding Sikhism. Relying on his long life as a Sikh, his training as a scientist and his love of the Guru, Prof Chahal has dedicated an enormous amount of energy trying to reform Sikhi by demonstrating the incorrect interpretations of the Aad Granth. Click here for his work. His most recent book is NANAK and His Philosophy.

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