By Zile Singh

Guru Nanak - A Wanderer Mystic; Master Extraordinary!

“Satguru Nanak  Pargatya, Miti Dhund Jag Chanana Hoya.”  

Guru Nanak’s birthday, popularly known as “Gurpurab” was celebrated on November 30, throughout the world. Guru Nanak was a firm believer in esoteric mystical knowledge. He was an ardent believer in the perfection of Nature (Prakriti). During his discourses, he never missed an opportunity to compare inner human nature with outer nature like air, water, earth; sun, sky and seasons. As one of the exponents of the Bhakti Movement like Kabir, Namdev, Chetanya, Ravidas, Farid etc., Nanak understood that the human body was made of five natural elements. From the very beginning he had an inquisitive mind. As the story goes, Nanak disappeared from home and went into deep meditation for three days. He came out of meditation with the realization of truth.   This incident gave Guru Nanak a new Avatar.    After that he took a firm stand against the prevailing foggy, froggy and fuzzy ritualistic, superstitious, inhuman and hard to believe fanatical religious customs. He realized that false beliefs about God, the Creator, were the cause of human suffering.  His message, “Utter what you think and feel and also act upon it.”   Your thinking, feeling and acting should not be for self-glory, but for the good of others who are   less fortunate and deserving.  Nanak never used the word “I” except in a mood of self-surrender. As an example of a secular idea he said, “O God, the world is on fire.  Save it through whichever door he cometh unto you.” He wanted to give human beings freedom from organized religions.  He offered a clear vision for a better life beyond the boundaries of ritualistic religions.  “Satguru Nanak  Pargatya, Miti Dhund Jag Chanana Hoya.”

Guru Nanak Dev was born in a Hindu family in Talwandi, a village   near Lahore in 1469. He had a mysterious and zigzag childhood and adolescence.   Society and his relatives could not understand his inborn wisdom  and his way of pursuing his vocation in a non- professional manner as an adult.  He was taught under a Hindu priest and a Muslim maulvi.   He proved to be a curious student. His teachers were unable to answer his questions about life and God.   The unique were his ways which did not meet the expectations of his parents and his teachers.   Though a man of few academic letters, Guru Nanak, the first Guru of Sikhs, understood the agony of the masses and spread a message of love and logic cutting across the established unfounded and illogical customs of Hinduism and Islam prevailing at that time. Guru Nanak grew up as one of the spiritual leaders who dramatically went out of their ways to challenge rituals and defy institutions like the Janeu ceremony, undertaking pilgrimages to the holy places, performing Aarti of God and Goddesses and calling aloud Allah five times a day.    To establish his point of view he had to proclaim that he was neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, but a humble lowliest child of God.    Unfortunately, his followers started calling him a Fakir for Hindus and a Peer for Muslims; whereas he was none, but a human being.  He crossed the ritualistic boundaries of these two organized religions. The Hindus, being apparently docile, though clever in nature covertly agreed with him and did nothing wrong to him. Lately, in a large number, they   became his followers. On the contrary, Babar, the Islamic ruler of India at that time subjected him to various pains and punishments by putting Guru Nanak in jail.  Babar, with a fanatic zeal to rule over India and spread Islam did not want the Hindus to be consolidated and their traditional follies like the division in the society, inferior status of women and blind faith be removed.  These shortcomings in the Hindu religion were good enough reasons for a foreign ruler to establish his stronghold on the masses by persuasion as well as by persecution.  Nanak’s tirade against ritualistic atmosphere was not an   anti-religious activity.    In a true sense, he was a truly religious man far beyond the ritualistic and superstitious practices of Hinduism and Islam.  Thus, his advent on the religious scene of India was like clearing the fog of ignorance in material as well as religious matters. He gave importance to the inner experience than depending upon the outer rituals. He, with reason and logic, tried to wipe out the illusion (Dhund) created by the Priests and the Maulvis. Guru Nanak gave not only a spiritual philosophy but a simple and easy materialistic doctrine in the form of “Naam Jap, Kirat Kar and Vand Chhak.”  He never considered himself either the final messenger of God or an exclusive one. 

Despite a war of nerves by Nanak, man has not been able to free himself from a single ritual and false superstitious belief.  Today, there is an intense foggy and froggy atmosphere all around. The mushrooming of the so-called pseudo gurus and religious teachers at every corner is like the seasonal frogs. They are spreading a wrong message.    Instead of simple religion, bad politics has become the rule of life. When irresponsible politicians are made the masters of religion, their orders will always be disorderly.  The ox has been put behind the cart.  Instead of true religion (wisdom) guiding the ruling class, the ruling class has taken over religion lock, stock and barrel.  Religions in India have become the most lucrative commercial activity and an easy way to catch votes. 

Guru Nanak said, “To describe God is like chewing on the iron.” Similarly, it is a hard nut to crack to understand and follow Nanak’s message as it was conveyed more than five hundred centuries before. 

Zile Singh is a well respected Columnist, Writer and a Vipassana Meditater. He has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights.  He can be reached at zsnirwal@yahoo.ca