By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
Across the world in most cultures there exists a fundamental divide relating to the question of belief or non belief in some kind of supernatural all powerful entity called God, Allah, etc. In order to distinguish those who are deemed to be non believers, the major traditions have coined specific terms.
The term in Christianity is atheist, whereas traditional Islamic discourse, refers to the kaffir. The term in Indic traditions is nastik, referring to one who rejects the authority of the Vedas or the existence of an afterlife/God.
These terms create a binary between those deemed to be believers, hence deserving of Gods grace and end up in Heaven, and those deemed to be non believers, who will suffer Gods wrath and be sent to Hell.
This division has been a source of much suffering and conflict in the world, and has possibly been the primary reason why, especially in the West, so many people are abandoning religion all together.
But there is another lest conflictual approach based on universal Divinity, which lies at the heart of Sikh philosophy. This is captured in the following Shabad by Guru Nanak Ji in Guru Granth Sahib Ji (page 953).
ਮਃ ੧ ॥ First Mehla:
ਕਿਉ ਮਰੈ ਮੰਦਾ ਕਿਉ ਜੀਵੈ ਜੁਗਤਿ ॥
In these lines, Guru Nanak begins by posing the simple question: How can we eradicate evil and how can we discover the path of truth? The key point here is that Guru is not addressing any particular audience in a sermon, but speaking to all of humanity
ਕੰਨ ਪੜਾਇ ਕਿਆ ਖਾਜੈ ਭੁਗਤਿ ॥
Referring to the yogic practice of piercing the ears as a sign of their “holiness”, Guru Nanak dismisses these external markers. For Nanak, whether you wear a specific robe, or perform any number of rituals, or just call yourself a believer, has no value if the heart remains unchanged.
ਆਸਤਿ ਨਾਸਤਿ ਏਕੋ ਨਾਉ ॥
The crux of the Guru Nanak’s rejection of the believer/non-believer binary lies in this line. Both believer (ਆਸਤਿ) and non-believer (ਨਾਸਤਿ) can be saved through One Naam (ਏਕੋ ਨਾਉ) Here Naam is understood as the Divine universal does not discriminate based on your intellectual assent to a creed. The sun shines on the atheist just as it does on the believer. Likewise, as gravity affects the kaffir, so it does the believer. A key consideration is the Sikh conception of the “Divine” isn’t perceived a person in the sky looking for praise or passing judgement, but the ultimate ineffable truth underlying the universe.
ਕਉਣੁ ਸੁ ਅਖਰੁ ਜਿਤੁ ਰਹੈ ਹਿਆਉ ॥
In this line, Guru Nanak develops the idea of Naam through the metaphor of the “Word” (ਅਖਰੁ) which, he points out isn’t a secret mantra, as many believe, but a source of divine wisdom and inner realisation. It worth reminding ourselves that according to Sikh philosophy, divinity is not defined as a distant, personified deity, but as the ultimate, all-pervading Reality that is both the Source and the Substance of everything.
ਧੂਪ ਛਾਵ ਜੇ ਸਮ ਕਰਿ ਸਹੈ ॥
Having pointed out the significance of Naam, the shabad now offers a method for realising/practicing Naam, as a way of escaping the duality that is inherent in the notion of believer and non believer. Nanak states when you look at pain (light) and suffering (shade) as two sides of a coin, you can begin to realise the universal truth. In other words, it is a state that reflects the ability to remain balanced, regardless of life’s circumstances.
ਤਾ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਆਖੈ ਗੁਰੁ ਕੋ ਕਹੈ ॥
And in this state of balance, or what in Gurbani is termed sehaj avasta says Nanak, then the Divine will speak to you.
When we examine the trajectory of human history, it becomes clear that the binary of “believer vs. unbeliever” is not merely a theological disagreement, it is a primary reason form human conflict,. When we label someone a kaffir or nastik, we create a psychological distance that makes it easier to justify exclusion, oppression, and war.
Guru Nanak’s affirms universal Divine consciousness offers a profound remedy for the divisive nature of religious that has divided people and societies. By stating that, for the believer and non-believer, the same divine rule applies, he effectively dismantles the binary and affirms the view that Divinity has no boundaries and can be realised through Naam or Divine wisdom.
Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is a 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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