Reference to Vaishnavic Thought in Sikh Philosophy - 2

[Guest guest]

Here is Article # 2 - the link and the actual article:

 

http://www.hinduweb.org/home/sikh/rverma/tiwari.html

 

Ram in Sikh Thought

Posted By N. Tiwari

 

This post of mine is an attempt to higlight the bhakti of 10 Gurus,

of the saguna aspect of God. Quite often, the modern Sikh clergy has

claimed, incorrectly in my opinion, that God and form do not go

together as per Sikh thought. One of the key arguments of the clergy

has been that on the basis of the Sikh scriptures, (the Guru Granth

Sahib), it cannot be shown that the Sikh Gurus in any way were

worshipping Gods who possessed form. It has also been claimed that

whenever Nanak et al allude to Ram, Shiva, etc., that they allude to

them as mere names of the Nirguna Bramha, and not Ram the person, who

is supposed to be an avatar of Vishnu, as per Hindu thought.

 

What I produce below are 5 verses, from the Sikh texts themselves,

which refute this theological stance of modern Sikh clergy. The five

verses are taken from the compositions of Nanak et al, and clearly

show that the person being alluded to as God, at least in these

verses, do possess form. In short, the Sikh Gurus, at least in these

verses, are offering their prayers to Saguna Bramha. It is not that

there are only 5 such verses which prove this assertion of mine. A

careful study of Sikh scriptures will reveal that the number of such

verses runs into several hundreds.

 

1. pitaa prahlad siu guraj uthaai, kahan tamaaraa jagdees gusian

jagjeevanu daataa anti sakhaai, jah dekha tah rahia ramaai

 

(Bhairav Mahla)

 

This verse alludes to the Narsimha avatar. The demonic father of

Prahlad, Hiranyaksha threatened his son and was trying to kill him.

He wanted to see if the Lord could come out of a pillar to save him.

And the Lord did come out of the pillar, in the form of a half lion,

half man, and killed the demon. The poet here is calling Narsimha as

Jagadeesh (God), and further says that He exists wherever you can see

Him. He pays obesiance to a form (Narsimha) which in Hindu thought is

a manifestation of Vishnu.

 

2. raam kathaa jug jug atal, jo koi gaavey neta

swarga vaas dashrath kiyo, saglee puri sameta

 

(Dasham Granth)

 

In this composition, Guru Govind Singh alludes to the greatness of

Lord Ram and His story. He calls him as Raghuvar (the best among the

line of Raghu, an obvious reference to Ram, the son of Dashrath). He

calls him so great that upon his death, he took along with himself

the entire people of Ayodhya to the heavens.

 

3. man mahi jhoorey ramchandu, sita lachman jogu

hanvantaru aaraadhiaa, aaiaa kari sanjogu

bhoola daitya na samjhai, tini prabha kiye kaam

nanak beparvaahu so, kiratu na mitai raam

 

 

(Vara te Vadhik Mahla)

 

In this verse, Guru Nanak essentially says that Ravan (the ignorant

daitya) did not understand that Hanuman and Sugriv were serving the

Lord without expecting anything in return. He, unlike Hanuman and

Sugreeva, did not realize the divine nature of the Lord. And Lord Ram

is above worries. He does not have any worries. But throughout his

life, he showed to the average people that every act is associated

with definite consequences. In this verse, Nanak is calling Ram as

Prabhu, and this Ram is the same to whom Hanuman (Hanvantaru

aaraadhiaa) worships.

 

4 kahu nanak iha vipati mein, teka eka raghunaath

 

(Salok Mahla)

 

Here, Nanak says that the Lord of Rahhus (Lord Ram) (here called

Raghunath) is the only source of support during bad times. He relates

Ram to Raghu, the ancestor of Lord Ram, the incarnation of Vishnu.

 

5. ramchandi maario ahi ravanu, bhedu bibheeshan gurmukhi parchaainu

gurmukhi bandhio setu bidhaatey, lanka lootee daita santaapey

ramchandi maario ahi ravanu, bhedu bibheeshan gurmukhi parchaainu

gurmukhi saain pahan taarey, gurmukhi koti taintees udhaarey

 

(Ramkali Mahla)

 

The Gurmukh (here Lord Ram) killed Ahiravan (brother of Ravan). He

looted Lanka, bridged the ocean, and killed Ravan with the help of

Vibhishan. He caused the stones to float over the oceans, and

liberated (gave moksha) to 33 crore souls.

 

(Here, we are clearly hearing about the exploits of Ram, the Vishnu

avataar, who is credited as having liberated 33 crore souls, and who

created the miracle of floating stone over water.)

 

-- Nachiketa Tiwari