Guru Granth predates third 1920's Hubble Revolution by centuries

[Guest guest]

>

> The third revolution began in the 1920's, and the full impact of its

> accompanying paradigm shift has yet to be fully felt. While not a

> commonly accepted term, I would dub it the Hubble Revolution, after

> the American astronomer Edwin Hubble, who first came to the

> conclusion that our Milky Way galaxy - thought at the time to

> comprise the entire universe - was merely one single " island

> universe " in a seemingly infinite sea of hundreds of billions of

> other galaxies.

>

 

Planets, solar systems and galaxies

 

There are planets, solar systems and galaxies. If one speaks of them,

there is no limit, no end. There are worlds upon worlds of His

Creation. As He commands, so they exist. He watches over all, and

contemplating the creation, He rejoices. Nanak says, to describe this

is as hard as steel!

(Guru Granth Sahib, 8)

 

 

You Yourself created the earth, and the two lamps of the sun and the

moon.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 83)

 

 

Neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the planets, nor the seven

continents, nor the oceans, nor food, nor the wind-nothing is

permanent. You alone, Lord, You alone.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 144)

 

 

In the heavenly paradise, in the nether regions of the underworld, on

the planet earth and throughout the galaxies, the One Lord is

pervading everywhere.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 207)

 

 

Many millions are the moons, suns and stars.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 275)

 

 

He created the sun and the moon; night and day, they move according

to His Will.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 580)

 

 

For endless ages, there was only utter darkness. There was no earth

or sky; there was only His command. There was no day or night, no

moon or sun; God sat in primal, profound meditation position. There

were no food or sources of speech, no air or water. There was no

creation or destruction, no birth or death. There were no continents,

regions, seven seas, rivers or flowing water. There were no heavenly

realms, earth or nether regions of the underworld. There was no

heaven or hell, no death or time. There was no hell or heaven, no

birth or death, no coming or going in reincarnation. There was no

Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva. No one was seen, except the One Lord. There

was no female or male, no social class or caste of birth; no one

experienced pain or pleasure. There were no people of celibacy or

charity; no one lived in the forests. There were no saints or seekers

of living in peace. There were no Yogis, no wandering pilgrims, no

religious robes; no one called himself the master. There was no

chanting or meditation, no self-discipline, fasting or worship. No

one spoke or talked in duality. He created Himself, and rejoiced; He

evaluated Himself. There was no purification, no self-restraint, no

malas of basil seeds. There were no Gopis, no Krishna, no cows or

cowherds. There were no tantras, no mantras and no hypocrisy; no one

played the flute. There was no karma, no Dharma, no buzzing fly of

Maya. Social class and birth were not seen with any eyes. There was

no noose of attachment, no death inscribed upon the forehead; no one

meditated on anything. There was no slander, no seed, no soul and no

life. There was no Gorakh and no Maachhindra. There was no spiritual

wisdom or meditation, no ancestry or creation, no reckoning of

accounts. There were no castes or social classes, no religious robes,

no Brahmin or Kh'shaatriya. There were no burnt offerings, no

ceremonial feasts, no cleansing rituals at sacred shrines of

pilgrimage; no one worshipped in adoration. There was no Mullah,

there was no Qazi. There was no Shaykh, or pilgrims to Mecca. There

was no king or subjects, and no worldly egotism; no one spoke of

himself. There was no love or devotion, no Shiva or strength - no

energy or matter. There were no friends or companions, no semen or

blood. He Himself is the banker, and He Himself is the merchant. Such

is the Pleasure of the Will of the True Lord. There were no Vedas,

Korans, Bibles and no sacred books. There was no recitation of the

Holy Scriptures, no sunrise or sunset. The Unfathomable Lord Himself

was the speaker and the preacher; the unseen Lord Himself saw

everything. When He so willed, He created the world. Without any

supporting power, He sustained the universe. He created Brahma,

Vishnu and Shiva; He fostered enticement and attachment to

materialistic things. How rare is that person who listens to the Word

of the Guru's Shabad. He created the creation, and watches over it;

His Command is over all. He formed the planets, solar systems and

nether regions, and brought what was hidden to manifestation. No one

knows His limits. This understanding comes from the Perfect Guru. O

Nanak, those who are attuned to the Truth are wonderstruck; singing

His Glorious Praises, they are filled with wonder.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 1035)

 

 

Night and day, and the stars in the sky shall vanish. The sun and the

moon shall vanish. The mountains, the earth, the water and the air

shall pass away. Only the Word of the Holy Saint shall endure.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 1204)

 

 

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 spiritual beings, human beings and the seven

seas; He established the three worlds. Guru Amar Daas is blessed with

the Light of the One Name, the True Name of the Lord.

(Guru Granth Sahib, 1399)

 

 

The Origin of the Universe

 

kavan so vaylaa vakhat kavan kavan thit kavan vaar.

What was that time, and what was that moment? What was that day, and

what was that date?

 

kavan se rutee maahu kavan jit ho-aa aakaar.

What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was

created?

 

vayl na paa-ee-aa pandtee je hovai laykh puraan.

The Pandits, the religious scholars, cannot find that time, even if

it is written in the Puraanas.

 

vakhat na paa-i-o kaadee-aa je likhan laykh kuraan.

That time is not known to the Qazis, who study the Koran.

 

thit vaar naa jogee jaanai rut maahu naa ko-ee.

The day and the date are not known to the Yogis, nor is the month or

the season.

 

jaa kartaa sirthee ka-o saajay aapay jaanai so-ee.

The Creator who created this creation-only He Himself knows.

 

kiv kar aakhaa kiv saalaahee ki-o varnee kiv jaanaa.

How can we speak of Him? How can we praise Him? How can we describe

Him? How can we know Him?

 

naanak aakhan sabh ko aakhai ik doo ik si-aanaa.

O Nanak, everyone speaks of Him, each one wiser than the rest.

 

vadaa saahib vadee naa-ee keetaa jaa kaa hovai.

Great is the Master, Great is His Name. Whatever happens is according

to His Will.

 

naanak jay ko aapou jaanai agai ga-i-aa na sohai. ||21||

O Nanak, one who claims to know everything shall not be decorated in

the world hereafter. ||21||

 

paataalaa paataal lakh aagaasaa aagaas.

There are nether worlds beneath nether worlds, and hundreds of

thousands of heavenly worlds above.

 

orhak orhak bhaal thakay vayd kahan ik vaat.

The Vedas say that you can search and search for them all, until you

grow weary.

 

sehas athaarah kahan kataybaa asuloo ik Dhaat.

The scriptures say that there are 18,000 worlds, but in reality,

there is only One Universe.

 

laykhaa ho-ay ta likee-ai laykhai ho-ay vinaas.

If you try to write an account of this, you will surely finish

yourself before you finish writing it.

 

naanak vadaa aakhee-ai aapay jaanai aap. ||22||

O Nanak, call Him Great! He Himself knows Himself. ||22||

 

saalaahee saalaahi aytee surat na paa-ee-aa.

The praisers praise the Lord, but they do not obtain intuitive

understanding -

 

nadee-aa atai vaah pavahi samund na jaanee-ahi.

the streams and rivers flowing into the ocean do not know its

vastness.

 

samund saah sultaan girhaa saytee maal Dhan.

Even kings and emperors, with mountains of property and oceans of

wealth -

 

keerhee tul na hovnee jay tis manhu na veesrahi. ||23||

these are not even equal to an ant, who does not forget God. ||23||

 

Japji Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib

 

 

Guru Granth Sahib has given Sikhs an explanation of the universe that

matches the views of contemporary scientists.

 

" The Sikh explanation of creation is much more detailed and true than

the story of Adam and Eve etc. Satguru has given the process clearly

in Akaalee baanee. Satguru first describes what was before

creation: " Arbad, narbad dhundoo kaaraa, dharn na gugana hukum

apaaraa " pg 1035. This means for countless ages there was utter

darkness (nothingness), no heaven or earth. The will of Akaal reigned

everywhere. No day no night, no sun, no moon. Only Akaal stayed in

solitary meditation.

 

Then guru jee says " keetaa pasaao eko kavao " . With his one word, the

universe was created. Then what was the process? On panna 1037-38

Satguru describes that the elements of air and water were evolved

along with everything else in the universe. On panna 19, Satguru

says " sache te pavanaa bhaiyaa pavne te jal hoi. jal tay tribhavan

saajiyaa, ghat ghat jot samoi " from the true on, air (gases) were

created and from them was created water. From water arose the three

worlds (metaphor or common term for the universe and all within) with

his divine light within all bodies.

 

Satguru continues and says, " kai baar pasario paasaar, sadaa sadaa ik

ekankaar " many times has creation been created (the universe been

created) only Akaal is forever. This clearly shows that satguru has

told us that the universe has been created, destroyed and recreated

many times: we are just in one cycle of this creation. And even

commenting on other parts of the universe we can't see, Satguru

says " kaytay pavan panee baisantar " countless are the airs

(atmospheres), waters and fires.

 

Thus it has been shown Satguru has given Sikhs an understanding of

Gurmat that is very scientific and matches the views of contemporary

scientists. Very unlike humanity being created out of mud and a human

rib. " (www.whyichosesikhism.com)

 

Teachings of Guru Granth Sahib

 

Some of the many important lessons one learns by reading Gurbani are

summarized below:

 

God is the Lord of the whole universe. He/She alone is the

Father/Mother of all of us. While the universe is moving and changing

according to His Will, He alone is unchanged, beyond time, neither

born nor susceptible to death. He is forever self-existent. (SGGS, 1)

 

All people are God's children. No community or religion has a

monopoly on Him or His blessings to claim that God is theirs alone

and other communities will be sent to hell. (SGGS, 97, 658)

 

All will be judged by their deeds alone. Anyone who loves God

achieves the mission of life. We will not be judged by the name of

the faith we adopt. There is only one faith: sincere love. Anybody,

from any community or faith who loves God, can realize Him and

achieve the purpose of life. No person is born a sinner. Rather, life

has been gifted to us by God to enjoy singing His virtues. To love

God, one must love His children, that is, all human beings. Every

person is His manifestation and every person has His reflection

within him or her. (SGGS, 8, 12, 13)

 

God Himself is all-powerful. It is wrong to believe there exists any

being other than God who can challenge His power. Do not worry about

Satan, Brahma, Inder, and others - these poor, mythological fellows

consider it fortunate to have a chance to sing God's praises standing

at His door. (SGGS, 6, 463)

 

Heaven and hell are not physically real places. Consider the place

where we love God and sing His virtues as heaven, and consider the

person entrapped by egotism as living in hell on this very earth.

(SGGS, 749, 1369)

 

No given day is holier than any other. Every day when one practices

righteousness is a good day. Every day is valuable. Prayers and

sacredness are not reserved for any particular day, but rather for

all days. Those who worship specific days or dates, or cycles of the

moon considering them to be auspicious or inauspicious, are naive and

ill-informed. (SGGS, 843)

 

Comments on Guru Granth Sahib

The comments below, all from non-Sikhs, reflect the experiences a

diverse group of people had while studying Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

 

Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel Laureate: " I have studied the scriptures of

the great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of

appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes. They

are compact in spite of their length and are a revelation of the

concept of God to the recognition and indeed the insistence upon the

practical needs of the human body. There is something strangely

modern about these scriptures and this puzzled me until I learned

that they are in fact comparatively modern, compiled as late as the

sixteenth century when explorers were beginning to discover the

globe, upon which we all live, is a single entity divided only by

arbitrary lines of our own making. Perhaps this sense of unity is the

source of power I find in these volumes. They speak to a person of

any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the

searching mind. "

 

Reverend H.L. Bradshaw, a Christian academic from the United

States: " The religion preached by Guru Nanak is the faith of the New

Age. It completely supplants and fulfills all the former

dispensations of older religions. Books must be written proving this.

The other religions contain the truth, but Sikhism contains the

fullness of truth.

 

" The Guru Granth Sahib of all the world religious scriptures, alone

states that there are innumerable worlds and universes other than our

own. The previous scriptures were all concerned only with this world

and its spiritual counterpart. To imply that they spoke of other

worlds as does the Guru Granth Sahib, is to stretch their obvious

meanings out of context. The Sikh religion is truly the answer to the

problems of modern man. "

 

Dorothy Field, an eminent author: " The religion of the Sikhs is one

of the most interesting at present existing in India, possibly indeed

in the whole world. The religion is also one which should appeal to

the occidental mind. It is essentially a practical religion. If

judged from the pragmatical standpoint which is a favorite point of

view in some quarters, it would rank almost first in the world. "

 

Dr. W.O. Cole of the United Kingdom, a scholar: " Theologically, I

cannot answer the question what drew me to the study of Sikhism. You

may call it the purpose of God. But to be more specific, the unique

concept of universality and the system of Langar in Sikhism are the

two features that attract me towards the study of Sikhism. Langar is

the exclusive feature of Sikhism and found nowhere else in the world.

Sikhism is the only religion which welcomes each and everyone to its

langar without any discrimination of caste, creed, color, or sex. "

 

Max Arthur Macauliffe, a British scholar writing about the

authenticity of Guru Granth Sahib: " Unlike the scriptures of other

creeds, they do not contain love stories or accounts of wars waged

for selfish considerations. They contain sublime truths, the study of

which cannot but elevate the reader spiritually, morally, and

socially. There is not the least tinge of sectarianism in them. They

teach the highest and purest principles that serve to bind man to man

and inspire the believer with an ambition to serve his fellow men, to

sacrifice all and die for their sake.

 

" Now there is here presented a religion totally unaffected by Semitic

or Christian influences. Based on the concept of the unity of God, it

rejected Hindu formalities and adopted an independent ethical system,

ritual, and standards which were totally opposed to the theological

beliefs of Guru Nanak's age and country. It would be difficult to

point to a religion of greater originality or to a more comprehensive

ethical system. "