Guru.Granth.Sahib.Am.. - Gurmat Veechar

4 GURU GRANTH SAHIB AMONG THE SCRIPTURES OF THE WORLD
(3) Where unity exists in the plurality, as say in Ramanuja, all
names and fonns refer to a relation ofthe two, which may be revealed
by the dialectics ofcorrelation, opposition, mediation orofcontradiction,
correspondence and complementarity. Through Purusha witnessing
himselfin the names and fonns ofPrakriti, "freedom is possible." It is
not yet clear to us whetherthe trinity ofsubstance, attribute and relation
can be further made to correspond to the distinction ofsign, symptom
and symbol in a semiological analysis.
Non-dualist mediation between Brahman and the universe, Purusha
and Prakriti, is the true issue; and our revaluation ofname and fonn as
signs ofthis mediation fonns the real basis ofall three ways ofknowledge
Onana), ofvocation (karma) and ofinvocation (bhakti). It is no mere
coincidence then, Dr. Anuradha Veeravalli concludes, that the
exemplars ofthe modern Bhakti and Tantric traditions, the new religion
of Sikhism, and earlier Lingayatism and later Mahatma Gandhi's
experiments with truth, all have this in common that they recognize,
celebrate and eulogize the potency ofthe name. Bhakti does not have
its bases only in spiritual experience or simple faith, therefore, but in the
theoretical realization and revaluation ofthe theory ofthe name as the
essence ofthe classical Indian tradition, and therefore ofNam-marga
as the modem way ofmediation ofGod, man and nature or in other
words ofreligion, politics and science.
It is significant that the etymology of the tenn bhakti means
"partaking," referring to the creature's share in God's creation through
labour in production and reproduction, and the name that designates the
creature's specific office then becomes his new name. The name in
Sikhism, then, as with the Sufi orthe Sant, is not meant merely, only or
chiefly for reference or the designation ofentities: it is a definition of
the relation between the part and the whole, the subject and the object
ofworship, service and selfsacrifice.
Thus lay Christian labour might be regarded as the worship of
names and fonns related to one's calling; in fact, therefore, labour is
simply the modem and vernacular name for (self)-sacrifice. Similarly,
the etymology ofSruti refers to "that which is r.. ard," and it is taken as
eternal, unchanging and impersonal. But, without denying this aspect,
one may point out that what is implied is a "hearer" rather than a