Greenlees writes: “Most great religions forms backslide from the high ideal given by their Founder almost as soon as he is dead. Different ideas of his meaning arise in various groups of the disciples, and there is no one universal authority to resolve them so they harden with time into sects and heresies, while the masses lapse to some extent into the marsh from which they had been rescued, renaming their countless old gods as angels, and rationalizing their superstitions by the names of sciences.

As Teja Singh points out, this could not happen in the case of Sikhism, because (1) the Founder arranged that he in person should teach, direct and train the young church or nation for 239 years after his birth in 1469 and (2) he contrived to continue the same control and guidance even after 1708 though personally invisible, through the Granth Sahib as inspiring the properly organized Khalsa itself. The continuity of Guru Nanak’s life, passing from one body to another of the Ten as one lamp is lighted from another (Guru X) has been the Certain faith of Sikhs from the beginning (Ref. Sorath Ki Var and Ramkali ki Var by Sata Balwand). It was clearly declared also by Bhai Gurdas in 1610 in his Vars (24: I:X Stanzas), by Mohsin Fani in his Dabistan Mazahib (page 253) in 1645, by Nand Lal in his Jot Bikasa in about 1692, while about the same time Bhai Kesar Singh wrote in his Bansavali nama: Consider all the Ten Gurus as Baba Nanak (Teja Singh, op cit., p.27). The testimony of the Tenth Guru himself in his Bachitra Natak puts the matter beyond dispute for all Sikhs. When the Guru realized the Sikhs had become able to lead themselves with his guidance veiled, he passed on that light received from Guru Nanak to the Khalsa, which then became the mystical body whereof the Guru’s word in the granth is the living spirit.

Reverence to the Granth as to the Guru

The Guru Granth is the Guru’s own book, through which the Guru speaks to his disciples from age to age. Thus it is also called “Gurbani” the “Guru’s Voice” he who attentively reads, sings or listens to its hymns is brought into direct personal contact with Guru who is in a very real sense incarnate in these hymns. Immediately on its completion Guru Arjan bade the Sikhs regard it with reverence as they regarded the Guru’s own person and on his passing from their visible midst the Tenth Guru declared he could be found in its hymns if diligently sought.” Greenless continues, “Thus it must always be natural and proper for the Sikhs to show utter reverence to the Holy Book wherein they find by their own experience the living Guru in their midst.

At first sight the idea of Guru Nanak’s abiding among the Sikhs and their Holy Book in the form of ‘Spirit’ and ‘light’ may seem strange to the Western mind. But Greenless points out: “Of course it is a sort of parallel to the Catholic doctrine of the church as Christ’s Mystical Body, perpetually guided by the Holy Spirit when gathered in regular Church Councils through the universal sense of the faithful or teaching bishops, or by the pontiff when proclaiming a doctrine of faith and morals for universal acceptance.” Greenless observes: “When a religious body has no such provision for continuity, it is laid open to constant splintering into new sects who form with every generation. No such sects can exist in Sikhism, for those who differ from the Granth or the panth cease to be Sikhs at all.” Greenless adds: “At the time with this capacity to adjust to the new needs of changing society, there is in the Guru granth the unchanging “Word” to hold Sikhs for all time to the fundamental truths first given by the Guru.”

 

The act of regarding a Scripture as one’s prophet, and the idea of perpetual dwelling of the latter amongst his followers, are the concepts peculiar only to Sikhism. One does not notice even a trace of these ideas in any of the religions that flourished in India at the time of the founder of Sikh faith.

Article extracted from this publication >>  March 17, 1989

 

Article extracted from this publication >>