The Sikh Bulletin

The Sikh Bulletin m`Gr- poh 544 nwnkSwhI November-December 2012of all and happiness of mankind. Hymns uttered byGuru Nanak contain pure devotion. They show us theway to devotional realization and demand subordinationof ego. He conveys his inter-faith message in such away that every human being gets true guidance andinspiration to pursue the right path.For Guru Nanak Dev, Allah, Ram. Hari and Wahguruis the same Lord. While he calls God Wahiguru, Ramand Hari, he also addresses Him as Allah in many ofhis hymns:-bwbw Alhu Agm Apwru ] pMnw 53‘ O dear! Allah is Unknowable and Vast.’He has a universal message for the well being ofhumanity. He gives a healing outlook on life. He breaksthe barriers of fanaticism, prejudices and condemns theattitude of hostility among different religions. He doesnot accept racial discrimination and treats all as equal.His tenets preach liberation of humanity from social,political, religious and economic exploitation. Asmentioned in his biographies (jnm swKIAW), he metYogis living on high mountains and the Muslim priestsat Multan and Pakpattan(Punjab), Mecca in SaudiArabia and Baghdad(Iraq) to deliver his inter-faithmessage and exchange views. He also collectedcompositions of holy persons like Shiekh Fareed. Thesewere later incorporated in the sacred Sikh scripture, SriGuru Granth sahib.As evident from the following sacred hymn, he adviseseverybody not to usurp what belongs to others, live anhonest life and shun ill-gotten wealth. He further warnsthat emancipation is by honest living and no one cango to heaven by mere talking:-hku prwieAw nwnkw ausu sUAr ausu gwie ]guru pIru hwmw qw Bry jw murdwru n Kwie ]glI iBsiq n jweIAY CutY scu kmwie ]mwrx pwih hrwm mih hoie hlwlu n jwie ]nwnk glI kUVIeI kUVo plY pwie ]pMnw 141‘To deprive one of one’s due is to eat the ( forbidden)cow for one (the Hindu) and swine for the other( theMuslim).The spiritual guide and the prophet will stand suretyonly if one does not usurp another’s due.By mere talk, man goes not to heaven. The deliveranceis by honest living.By putting condiments in the unlawful food, it does notbecome lawful.Nanak, by false talk only falsehood is obtained.’It was rightly said:-guru nwnk Swh PkIr[ihMdU dw gurU muslmwn dw pIr[‘Guru Nanak is a holy saint who is guide for both –Hindus and Muslims’.He advises a Hindu priest to be sincere at heart andsays:-qIrQ nwqw ikAw kry mn mih mYlu gumwnu ]pMnw 61‘What is the use of bathing oneself at a place ofpilgrimage, when the filth of self- conceit is withinones mind?’He also has a piece of advice for Qazi, a Muslimreligious leader and says:-soeI kwjI ijin Awpu qijAw ieku nwmu kIAw AwDwro]pMnw 24‘He alone is a Qazi, who renounces selfishness andconceit, and makes the One Name of God alone hisSupport’.Guru Nanak also exposes the hypocrisy of so-calledpriestly class and corruption in the ruling bureaucracyHe condemns both Muslim as well as Hindu hypocritereligious guides as is evident in the followingreference:-kwdI kUVu boil mlu Kwie[[ bRwhmxu nwvY jIAw Gwie[[jogI jugiq n jwxY AMDu[[ qIny EjwVy kw bMDu[[pMnw 662‘The Qazi tells lies and eats filth; the Brahmin killsand then takes cleansing baths.The Yogi is blind, and does not know the Way.The three of them devise their own destruction.’Muslims who were ruling India those days havebeen given sound advice by Guru Nanak Dev. Hesays that it is difficult to be called a good Muslim, fora true Muslim is he who shows regard for the religionof the other worshippers of God and removes pride ofhis wealth from his mind; does not care for the whimsof life and death. He should submit himself to theDivine Will; meditate on one God and show sympathyand kindness to all.muslmwxu khwvxu musklu jw hoie qw muslmwxu khwvY ]Avil Aauil dInu kir imTw mskl mwnw mwlu muswvY ]hoie musilmu dIn muhwxY mrx jIvx kw Brmu cukwvY ]rb kI rjwie mMny isr aupir krqw mMny Awpu gvwvY [[qau nwnk srb jIAw imhrMmiq hoie q muslmwxu khwvYK. T. F. of N. A. Inc. 3524 Rocky Ridge Way, El Dorado Hills, CA. 95762 32