A Reflection On Guru Arjan's Life And Message
On June 16, 2006, Sikhs worldwide will observe the 400th Anniversary of the Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan, the fifth successor of Guru Nanak. Many Sikhs will make the trip to Dera Sahib Gurdwara (now in Lahore, Pakistan) the site of Guru Arjan's execution, and pay respects to their humble Teacher.
Guru Arjan can be credited as the First Interfaith Teacher who taught tolerance. He constructed the Harmandar Sahib which is popularly known as the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, India and compiled the Holy Scriptures called Sri Guru Granth Sahib. To strengthen the interfaith bonds, he invited Hazrat Mian Mir, a highly revered Sufi Muslim saint, to lay the foundation stone of the Golden Temple in 1598. This is perhaps the first interfaith move in the world's religious history.
Sikhism is strictly monotheistic in its belief. The Sikh Holy Scriptures, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, teaches us that there is only one God who is merciful, infinite and is everywhere. It teachs ideals that are universally accepted such as honesty, compassion, humility, piety, social commitment, and most of all tolerance for other religions or beliefs. Sri Guru Granth Sahib promotes the message of equality of all beings. These Teachings established the dignity of labor, by making social service (Seva) as an important vehicle of spiritual advancement.
Guru Arjan compiled these Scriptures to be universal in character. It contained no life story of the Gurus but only the Universal Truth, each and every word of which was dedicated to the Glory of the Almighty God only. It is possibly the first Interfaith Scripture in the world. Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains a total of 5894 hymns, of which over 2000 hymns were written by Guru Arjan. He wrote in a simple, conversational language, reflecting the various stages of the spiritual journey of the human soul. Guru Arjan carried out the compilation of these Holy Scriptures with extraordinary exactness. He arranged the hymns in thirty different ragas, or musical patterns. A precise method was followed in setting down the compositions. This Holy Scripture transcends caste, creed and gender. Guru Arjan installed this Scripture at the Golden Temple, which is considered the central place of worship for Sikhs. All Sikhs bow before this Holy Scripture, not as an idol, but as the book of divine inspiration. The temple building has four entrances instead of the usual single entry. This is symbolic of the openness of Sikhism and indicates that followers of all faiths are welcomed inside to immerse themselves in its splendid beauty and spirituality.
A Sikh believes in One God and the teachings of the Ten Gurus, embodied in the Sikh Holy Scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib. All the wisdom needed by Sikhs for spiritual guidance in their daily lives can be found in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Eternal Guru of the Sikhs. Sikhs believe that the One God is the same God for all people of all religions. Sikhism rejects idolatry, the caste system, ritualism, and asceticism. It recognizes the equality between both genders and all religions, prohibits the intake of any intoxicants, and encourages an honest, truthful living.
The word "Guru" is a Sanskrit word meaning teacher, honored person, religious person or saint. Sikhism though has a very specific definition of the word Guru. It means the descent of divine guidance to mankind provided through the Ten Enlightened Masters. This honor of being called a Sikh Guru applies only to the ten Gurus who founded the religion starting with Guru Nanak in 1469 and ending with Guru Gobind Singh in 1708; thereafter it refers to the Sikh Holy Scriptures as the Guru Granth Sahib.
The idea of Guru Arjan was to celebrate the diversity in all religions and mystic experiences, and, at the same time, establish the fundamental unity of spirituality and faith through the Scripture of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
No other religion has included in its holy book the sayings of other faiths, however revered. Guru Arjan added a great many of his own Shabads (hymns) to those that were revealed to Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das. He also added Divine Sayings of thirty-six Hindu and Muslim Saints, which he considered consistent with the teachings of Sikhism. This was the first time any religion incorporated the works of sincere devotees of other religions into its own scripture; it reflects the universality of thought which underlies the Sikh belief in One God, and the one family of humanity as children of God. Guru Granth Sahib is truly secular and universal in character. It is indeed a treasure for all humankind.
Sikhs find direction for their own lives by seeking guidance from the Teachings of the Gurus, as embodied in this unique sacred Scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the collection of hymns that represents the core of Sikhism. It is the only holy book in the world which was written by the creators of the religion. The founder of the Sikh religion was Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji who was born in 1469. He preached a message of love, devotion and remembrance of God at all times. Guru Nanak passed on his enlightened leadership of this new religion to nine successive Gurus. The Gurus themselves also said that they were human and were not to be worshipped as God and considered themselves to be mere servants of God. They taught values like freedom, unity of all humankind, charity, obedience, understanding, sympathy, patience, humility, simplicity, and piety, and outlined the path to spirituality in life. Sikhism today has a following of over 26 million people worldwide.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib is an anthology of prayers and hymns compiled by Guru Arjan. Most of the hymns are addressed to God and often describe the devotee's condition: his aspirations and yearning, his agony in separation and his longing to be with the Lord. The subject of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is truth and how to live a truthful life. As Guru Nanak describes in the Mool Mantar, God is the Ultimate Truth and one has to cultivate those qualities which are associated with Him, in order to like Him. The best definition that any Sikh can give regarding the concept of God in Sikhism is to quote the Mool Mantar, the fundamental creed of Sikhism, which can be read at the very beginning of Sri Guru Granth Sahib: "There exists but one God, who is called The True, The Creator, Free from fear and hate, Immortal, Not begotten, Self-Existent, Great and Compassionate."
The basic concept behind the hymns of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is that sacred music, when sung or listened to with devotion and undivided attention, can link the individual's consciousness with God. A mind may become stable and enjoy the peace of His divine Presence, as listening to the hymns can exert a powerful influence on the mind and help to establish its communion with God. It is devotional music in praise of the Glory of God conveyed by melody and rhythm and its goal is to put the individual soul in tune with God. Through its teachings, this Holy Scripture can enable men and women to lead a purposeful and rewarding life while being productive members of a society. It seeks universal peace and the good of all mankind.
During the years 1601-1604, in one of His compositions, Sukhmani Sahib (Prayer of Peace) Guru Arjan describes the essence of true life, the union of Soul with the Supreme Being and great importance of both the Guru and the saintly people in one's life. His Teachings gives us inspiration to find deeper meaning in our lives. The goal of life for Sikhs is to lead a life as set out by the Gurus' teachings in order to merge with God. It is essential for a Sikh to partake in Seva (selfless service), Simran (meditation) and Sadh Sangat (congregation) which helps cleanse the soul of past actions and helps overcome the five vices namely lust, anger, greed, worldy attachment, and ego which refrains one from reaching salvation. Sikhism comprises love of God and service of humanity.
In 1598, the Guru interceded on behalf of the local peasantry with Moghul Emperor Akbar to get the excessive levy of land revenue reduced. These activities of the Guru gave him a new status. It was at this time that the Guru came to be called by the Sikhs as Sacha Patshah or True Emperor.
Guru Arjan's popularity and his ability to mobilize masses was noticed by Jahangir (1569-1609) who had felt threatened, even though Emperor Akbar, Jahangir's father, had very cordial relations with the Sikh Gurus. Jahangir grew alarmed at the steady growth of the Sikh community, and of Guru Arjan's increasing influence over the region. In October 1605 Akbar died and was succeeded by Jahangir as Emperor. Akbar had nominated his grandson Prince Khusro in supersession of his son. Having seized power, Jahangir had to fend off his own son Khusro's claim to the throne.
Khusro claimed Punjab and Afghanistan which his father, Jahangir, was unwilling to concede to him. Jahangir ordered Khusro's arrest but the latter escaped and went towards Afghanistan. On his way he visited the Guru at Tarn Taran and told him that he was friendless, needy, poor and had no travelling expenses. So he begged the Guru for pecuniary assistance.
Khusro had previously visited the Guru accompanying his grandfather Akbar and was, therefore, very well known to him. Secondly in Guru's house everybody- friend or foe, king or pauper, is treated equally. The Guru knew what was coming, but seeing the plight of the prince, he gave Khusro financial help. While crossing the Jehlum River, Khusro was seized by the imperial forces and was brought in chains to his father and as a punishment, his eyes were taken out.
According to his own autobiography and memoirs known as Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri, Emperor Jahangir ordered the execution of the Guru and gave orders to torture and then kill the Sikh Guru. Guru Arjan was made to sit in a cauldron of hot water, scorching sand was poured over his head, and he was put on heated metallic sheets. When Hazrat Mian Mir came to know of it he was extremely distressed; the Sikhs too were frantic and intensely agitated. Guru Arjan never uttered a word of protest against his own torture, or showed any sign of ill-will towards those who inflicted these brutalities on him. He asked his followers to learn the lesson of showing perseverance in the face of great adversity. His bare body was covered with blisters, Guru Arjan Dev Ji repeated over and over; "Sweet is Your will, O God; the gift of your Name alone I seek." The Guru then calmly walked into the Ravi River with blisters glistening on his feet, bidding his farewell to his followers and was gone forever, his body carried away by the currents. This act of brutality in ending such a saintly life with such cruelty was to forever change the course of Sikhism.
Sikhs revere the Guru fervently, and believe that he gave his life for the cause of bringing humanity close to God and to each other. He is the first Sikh martyr and perhaps the first and the most famous martyr of India who willingly gave his life for upholding the noble cause of freedom of faith and worship; because he condemned the rulers and the rich for their tyranny over the people; because he aroused in people's hearts a sense of dignity and self-respect, and because he refused to give up his faith and embrace Islam.
Guru Arjan is credited for giving the young Sikh religion a strong foundation. Guru Arjan lived an extraordinary life and was only forty-three years old when he gave up His life in supreme sacrifice
Sources:
http://www.sikhs.org/granth1.htm http://www.searchsikhism.com/arjandev.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Arjan http://sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Message_of_Guru_Granth_Sahib http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/amritsar-golden-temple.htm http://www.harmandirsahib.com/ http://allaboutsikhs.com/gurudwaras/gt02.htm http://www.sikhpoint.com/community/Articles/WashingtonSikhs.php http://sikhcouncilusa.org
========================================================= Worldwide praise: http://sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Worldwide_Praise_for_the_Guru_Granth_Sahib
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