Unity hymns

SONGS of the Gurus From Nanak to Gobind Singh is a translation by Khushwant Singh of the hymns of the Sikh gurus. It is a well-produced book with beautiful illustrations by the noted painter Arpana Caur.

More than half of this small, 123-page book is devoted to Guru Nanaks hymns. Nanak, the founder and the first Guru of Sikhism, is said to have composed 974 hymns in all. These hymns form a major part of the Adi Granth or the Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs. Seven of the 10 Sikh gurus were composers and poets themselves. Besides their compositions, the writings of Hindu and Muslim saints and poets of the medieval period, such as Kabir, Trilochandas, Baba Farid and Namdev, are included in the Adi Granth. The holy book of the Sikhs is not merely a religious work but a work of historical importance, throwing light on language, literature and society of medieval India. Some of the compositions of the bards who accompanied the gurus were also included in the holy book. It is to the credit of the Sikh gurus that they have not appropriated the contributions of these simple folk as their own work but have acknowledged their authorship.

The compilation of the hymns, which started during the time of the fifth guru, Arjan Dev, was completed during the lifetime of the tenth and last guru, Gobind Singh. The personal involvement of the gurus in the compilation of the hymns leaves no room for doubt about their authenticity and authorship. The same cannot be said about some other works of the medieval period, which were appropriated by established religions not to reform themselves but to dilute the teachings and blunt the criticism contained in them. The Sikh gurus and their disciples, in contrast, guarded the independence of their young religion zealously from those who were eager to destroy it.

Only those who have read the hymns in the original Punjabi will be able to comment on the quality of the authors translation of them into English. This reviewer can only say that the translations read effortlessly.

Hymn or kirtan singing has always occupied an important place in Sikh community worship. Guru Nanak himself composed hymns and sang them at prayer meetings. The hymns were set to music by Mardana, his first Muslim disciple and also a rebeck player. Mardana followed the guru everywhere in the subcontinent and to far-away places. Upon Mardanas death, his son played the rebeck for Nanak. It is still a Sikh tradition to have Muslim rebeck players called rababis perform devotional music in gurdwaras along with Sikh and Hindu rebeck players.

The subject matter of most hymns is simple and is meant to appeal to ordinary people. Most of the hymns are basically about the true nature of God. The hymns dispel false notions and myths about God. Nanak believed in the unity of God, not in the plurality of gods. He preached against exhibitionism in religion and emphasised inner spiritual awakening; wherever Nanak went, he challenged superstition and formalism. Nanak turned deeply inward and came up with the powerful message of love and unity at a time of social divisiveness resulting from competition and mistrust among religions. The hymns tell us that the way to experience God is through love.

God is the Master, God is Truth,His name spelleth love divine,His creatures ever cry: O give,O give,He the bounteous doth never decline.

Some of the hymns are so relevant to our times that they read as if they were written only a week ago, on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections.

There is no count of fools whowill not see,Nor of thieves who live by fraud,There is no count of despotspractising tyranny,Nor of those whose hands aresoiled with blood.There is no count of those whosin and go free,Nor of liars caught in theweb of falsehood,There is no count of thepolluted who live on filth,Nor of the evil-tonguedweighed down with calumny.Of such degradation, O Nanak,also think.

Khushwant Singh is also a historian of Sikhism. In a brief introduction to this book, he outlines the important aspects of Sikh religion and the symbols in Sikh rituals. According to him, Nanaks teachings reveal the influence of Islam as well as Hinduism, and his early band of disciples were dissenters from both Hinduism and Islam. Nanak rejected the caste system and idol worship, emphasised devotion to God and propagated a religion for the householder, thereby rejecting asceticism. While Nanak spoke against polytheism, caste differences and the seclusion of women, he was inspired by the philosophy of the Upanishads and the metaphysics of the Gita. He took from Hinduism the belief in Karma and transmigration of the soul but rejected the belief in the Vedas and the Puranas, reincarnation and the degradation of women as propounded in Manu Smriti, and so on.

The importance of Sikhism as an independent religion does not diminish because it was influenced by Hinduism or Islam. One cannot deny Christianity its independence just because it originated in the larger ethos of the time of Judaic influence. Sikhism too retained its distinct character from mainstream Brahmanical Hinduism throughout its history. Nanaks religion grew out of the turbulence of the times he lived in. His spiritual quest led him to the acceptance of the best in other traditions and faiths such as Islam and Hinduism. According to Dr. Gopal Singh, author of A history of the Sikh People (1469-1988), many people before Nanak had preached the oneness of God but Nanak was the first to speak of the oneness of man.

The gurus that succeeded Nanak came into conflict with Mughal officials in Punjab. They often complained to the emperor in Delhi of the rising power and influence of the Sikh gurus, which they viewed with suspicion, and they saw the rise of Sikhism as an economic and political threat to Mughal power. It must be remembered that Sikhism was a householders religion and the gurus and their disciples were not recluses. The Sikhs were a prosperous community. The gurus laid great emphasis on hard work and pursued their professions of trade and agriculture. Soldiering was also considered a noble profession by the gurus.

After Guru Arjan Dev was put to death by the Mughals, the Sikh religion became more militant. There are several interpretations about why the Mughals mistrusted Sikhs. The outcome of these tensions was that the pacifist ideals propagated by Nanak when he started the movement lost its usefulness to its followers. The Sikhs paid a heavy price for their insubordination to Mughal power. Three of the Sikh gurus were put to death by Mughal rulers.

It is interesting to note that Mahatma Gandhi was critical of the teachings of Sikhism. Gandhiji felt that the greatness of Nanaks movement and Sikhisms value as a great religion diminished after the death of Nanak. Sikhism as interpreted by the gurus who succeeded him changed. It changed forever under Guru Gobind Singh.

Sikhism lost its universal appeal when it became the religion of only a small band of men, more a cult of the sword. Whatever the merits of this charge, Nanaks religion no doubt was an inclusive one in which even outcastes and dissenters from other religions could find refuge. Of course, the same cannot be said about Sikhism today.

Gobind Singh was only 10 years old when his father Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru, was put to death by the Mughal rulers. His decision to put an end to the line of gurus and declare the Adi Granth the future guru in guiding Sikhs was revolutionary. Guru Gobind Singh knew the impermanence of human gurus since his own death was imminent.

The message of Sikhism as a religion that preached the unity of God and man is as relevant today as it was when it was founded. The first words uttered by Nanak at the age of 30 after his first mystical experience was: There is no Hindu, no Mussalman. Thus the teachings of Nanak will never lose its relevance, especially for India. Songs of the Gurus is a timely publication reminding us of the need for more tolerance between religions and love amongst mankind.