28 September 2001, 12:38am IST
A DEVA RAJU.
There have been several prophets in the world who have taught and propagated religion. saint guru nanak was one of them. he was not only the founder of the sikh religion, he was a great poet, philosopher, humanist and a powerful social reformer. rabindranath tagore called him the teacher of mankind. a teacher like guru nanak is a guide not just of a single religion but to all humankind. swami vivekananda said of him, "the guru's superb love of mankind is amazing. he opened his arms to embrace not only hindus but also muslims". at a time when there are a lot of war clouds gathering, important teachings of guru nanak come to mind. a lot of what he said was meant for us to attain peace and serenity in our lives. the most important thing, he said is 'god' and he preached throughout his life that 'god is one'. some of his teachings were that one should not live on others' earnings; there can be no untouchability; all are god's children; kindness, contentment, patience and truth are important; god loves those who feed the hungry and those who give their clothes to the needy. nanak said that one need not become a sanyasi sacrificing one's family, to please god. those who practice devotion, whose mind is pure and who have sympathy, patience and honesty, are in no way inferior to a sanyasi . he considered that all human beings were high-born; no one was low. he stressed, "do not ask about one's caste; those whose devotion is accepted by god are good people. god appreciates those who have conquered the 'i' and 'greed'. nanak washes the feet of those who concentrate their minds on god, the source of truth". the doctrines taught by guru nanak are the foundation of the sikh religion, which spread not only in india but all over the world. the main philosophy of the sikh religion is that nanak, who propagated a firm faith that there is only one god, taught that hindus, muslims and people of all religious denominations are children of the same god, that they should develop love and brotherly feelings; that external dress and decorations do not represent any religion and that superstitions and meaningless principles and practices come in the way of understanding the formless god. remembering him and praising him with a pure heart is the road to salvation. in this religion that began in the name of the 'disciple', the teacher has the highest place, a place of reverence. this 'teacher' does not wish to be called god. he calls himself the disciple of the 'first teacher'. influenced by the school of devotion of kabir, namdev, beji jayadeva, ramananda and others and having assimilated the philosophy of sufism and islam, guru nanak gave a new form to his religion. he composed bani , a gem of religious doctrine, and incorporated it in guru grantha sahib . the basic source of the sikh religion is the moola mantra or the first sacred verse and all of nanak's verses start with this moola mantra. sikhs do not worship the picture of the master and do not display the picture of any other teacher near the grantha sahib. they revere grantha sahib but do not worship with flowers, vermilion and turmeric. the sacred text contains the verses and auspicious words composed by the 10 gurus of the sikh religion. it contains the compositions of other hindu and muslim scholars and devotees. to those who are greedy and amass wealth, nanak said, "remember, only the merit that you earn by giving charity will follow you to the other world. your sins keep pushing you down to your doom. the wealth that you have amassed will not only trouble you throughout your life, it will be an obstacle in your journey to the other world. somebody will inherit the wealth you have amassed. you will be destroyed, just as the stingy and cruel ancestors of yours were destroyed". he said, "god is compassionate. confession is atonement for sin. distribute all the wealth that you have looted to the poor in the name of god. be determined to follow the right path, god will forgive you". for those who are thieves and dacoits, he said, "however bright brass may be, the hand that scours it turns dirty; no matter how many times you wash it, the dirt remains". finally guru nanak said, "i am not god, i am not even his incarnation. i am only a prophet spreading his message".
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