Glimpses of God

The Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) gives us glimpses of God. We are also told by the Gurus and Bhagats of the Gurbani (SGGS) that it is not possible for humans to find the end of God.

  • ਕਬੀਰ ਸਾਤ ਸਮੁੰਦਹਿ ਮਸੁ ਕਰਉ ਕਲਮ ਕਰਉ ਬਨਰਾਇ ॥ ਬਸੁਧਾ ਕਾਗਦੁ ਜਉ ਕਰਉ ਹਰਿ ਜਸੁ ਲਿਖਨੁ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥੮੧॥ : Kabeer, if I were to change the water of all the seven oceans into ink, and make pens from all the trees of all the forests, and use the entire earth as paper, still God’s greatness cannot be written. ||81|| (sggs 1368).

Baabaa Nanak logically preached his Unique and Revolutionary Spirituality describing God as a virtual reality that has manifested itself in all creations, everywhere and in everything.

  • ਅਨਿਕ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਹੋਇ ਪਸਰਿਆ ਨਾਨਕ ਏਕੰਕਾਰੁ ॥: Nanak, the One ‘Ekankaar’ (God) has manifested in the creation in the so many ways. (sggs 296).

The Gurbani (SGGS) teaches us that God also dwells within the Heart of all of us, day and night. According to the Gurbani, those who don’t understand this simple fact are just fools.

  • ਤੂ ਹਿਰਦੈ ਗੁਪਤੁ ਵਸਹਿ ਦਿਨੁ ਰਾਤੀ ਤੇਰਾ ਭਾਉ ਨ ਬੁਝਹਿ ਗਵਾਰੀ ॥: (O Lord) You dwell, hidden, within the heart (of all beings) day and night, but the fools do not understand to Love You (sggs 607).

The Gurbani in SGGS repeatedly stresses that our mind is Jot Saroop. But, it is the curtain of our false ego-sense (Haumai – ਹਉਮੈ) that intervenes.

  • ਇਉ ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਮਨ ਤੂੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪੁ ਹੈ ਅਪਣਾ ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥੫॥: Eiou khai nanak(u)… (sggs 441).
  • ਇਉ ਹਉ ਭੀਤਿ ਭਇਓ ਹੈ ਬੀਚੋ ਸੁਨਤ ਦੇਸਿ ਨਿਕਟਾਇਓ ॥ ਭਾਂਭੀਰੀ ਕੇ ਪਾਤ ਪਰਦੋ ਬਿਨੁ ਪੇਖੇ ਦੂਰਾਇਓ ॥੩॥: (O my mother, I) hear this that (my Beloved) dwells near within (me but) the wall of egotism separates us. Like the wings of a butterfly, there is this thin veil (of egotism that separates us); without being able to see (due to the curtain of egotism, my Beloved), seems to be far away. ||3|| (sggs 624).

The Gurbani time and again stresses that the ONE God is omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience. In other words, the entire creation is pervaded with His infinite Grace.

  • ਲੋਗਾ ਭਰਮਿ ਨ ਭੂਲਹੁ ਭਾਈ ॥ ਖਾਲਿਕੁ ਖਲਕ ਖਲਕ ਮਹਿ ਖਾਲਿਕੁ ਪੂਰਿ ਰਹਿਓ ਸ੍ਰਬ ਠਾਂਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ : O people, have no doubt. The Creation (Khalak) is within the Creator (Khaalik), and the Creator is within the Creation, completely pervading all places. ||1||Pause||(sggs 1350).

God is Unmanifest or Transcendent (Param Tant, Nirguna, Timeless, Undying, Unborn, Changeless, Formless, Inaccessible, Unreachable or Unapproachable, Unrivaled or Incomparable, Incomprehensible, Unseen or Invisible, Inscrutable, Infinite, Limitless, Unfathomable, Immaculate, Absolute and Unchanging Reality, Incalculable, and so on.

In addition to God’s Transcendent aspect, He is also said to be Immanent (Sargun or revealed). God is both Immanent and Transcendent does not mean these are two phases of God. But these are two aspects of the same Reality.

  • ਤੂੰ ਨਿਰਗੁਨ ਤੂੰ ਸਰਗੁਨੀ ॥੨॥: Toon niragun toon saragunee ||2|| (sggs 211).
  • ਪਰਮ ਤੰਤ ਮਹਿ ਰੇਖ ਨ ਰੂਪੁ ॥: The Supreme Essence of the Reality has no shape or form (sggs 952).
  • ਕੋਇ ਨ ਜਾਨੈ ਤੁਮਰਾ ਅੰਤੁ ॥: (O Lord) No one knows Your limits (sggs 268).

Since God is within each of us here and now, the Gurbani repeatedly reminds us that there is nowhere to go to find Him! And that those who look for Him elsewhere are just deluded.

  • ਸਭ ਕਿਛੁ ਘਰ ਮਹਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਨਾਹੀ ॥ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਟੋਲੈ ਸੋ ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਹੀ ॥ ਗੁਰ ਪਰਸਾਦੀ ਜਿਨੀ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਸੋ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਸੁਹੇਲਾ ਜੀਉ ॥੧॥ : (The Creator, Divine Virtues, Spiritual tranquility, Naam, Shabad, Amrit…) all is WITHIN, not outside. The one who searches outside wanders in delusion. By ‘Gur Parasaadee’ (i.e. by the Grace of the Guru’s Giyan-Wisdom), those who have Realized WITHIN are at peace in mind/thoughts and outside dealing with the world. ||1|| (sggs 102).
  • ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਏਕਸ ਸਿਉ ਚਿਤੁ ਲਾਇ ॥ ਏਕਸ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਭ ਧੰਧੁ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਮਿਥਿਆ ਮੋਹੁ ਮਾਇ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ : O my mind, focus your Conscious on the One (Creator). Without (focusing the mind on) One, the whole (of the worldly love or entanglements) becomes a commercial transaction (ਧੰਧਾ), and Maya’s attachment (or hunger) is also totally Mithiya. ||1||Pause|| (sggs 44).

Last, but not least, the Gurbani asserts that when a person realizes God within his own body (by removing the curtain of the false ego-sense; acquiring all the godly virtues or qualities God is indicated to exhibit; etc.) that person himself becomes God-like. In other words, he links in Union with God by dissolving his limited individual self (Haume) into the Infinite Wisdom (Brahm Giaan).

  • ਆਪੁ ਗਇਆ ਤਾ ਆਪਹਿ ਭਏ ॥: When false ego-sense (ਆਪਾ-ਭਾਵ, etc.) is dissolved, (one) himself becomes Rabb-Like (ਉਹ ਰੱਬ ਦਾ ਰੂਪ ਹੀ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ). (sggs 202).
  • ਨਾਨਕ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਆਪਿ ਪਰਮੇਸੁਰ ॥੬॥: Nanak, the God-realized (Brahm Giaanee) person is the manifestation of God himself/herself. ||6|| (sggs 273).

However, for the sake of Golak (money, bread, ਰੋਟੀਆਂ…), the illiterate and self-serving Sikh Pujaaree groups want people to remain tied to some fake or imaginary god and Sach Khand’ / ‘Sachkhand up there somewhere in the sky! There aim is to keep people confused, ignorant, and tied to useless Karamkaand from which Baabaa Nanak freed us. Fittingly, the SGGS commands all Sikhs to discard the corrupt Pujaaree system from Sikhi.

In nutshell, God – without form-shape-color (without “Roopu-ਰੂਪੁ”, “Raekh-ਰੇਖ”, and “Rangu-ਰੰਗੁ”) – is within our brain as:

  • Virtues (ਗੁਣ) – Truth, honesty, contentment, mercy, patience, Sahaj, etc.
  • Wisdom, Bibek (ਸੱਚਾ ਗਿਆਨ) – “ਮਤਿ ਵਿਚਿ ਰਤਨ ਜਵਾਹਰ ਮਾਣਿਕ“.
  • System, Rule or Law of Nature  (Hukam, ਕੁਦਰਤੀ ਨਿਯਮ) – we reap what we saw! This Sytem-Rule-Law of Nature is present within and also throughout the Universe.

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