Harbans Singh Noor

After witnessing pillage, bloody massacre and destruction of Eminabad by murderous hordes of Babur, Guru Nanak and Mardana returned home in the autumn of 1521.

During their udasis, or long tours, spread over more than two decades, they had covered most of the celebrated religious centres sacred to Hindus and Muslims, in the East up to Assam, in the South up to Sri Lanka; up to Mecca in the West, and up to Tibet in the North.

Long journeys, mostly on foot, through plains and plateaus, hills and dales, deserts and woods, living under open skies in many places, in rains, thunders and storms, some times with no places to sleep or cook, and at times even without food or water, had taken a heavy toll on their bodies, especially that of Mardana, who was 62 -- ten years older than Guru Nanak.

It was time to settle down, and carry on the mission from a central point

Guru Nanak gave up his attire of a pilgrim and donned ordinary clothes of a householder to live in the village, that he had founded in 1516 on the right bank of the river Ravi.

He had named the place 'Kartarpur' , or abode of the Creator.

In addition to his wife and two sons, his both parents were living there. His wife's extended family lived across the river in Pakhoke Randhawa.

As the word went round that Guru Nanak had come to reside permanently in Kartarpur, his disciples from far and near started coming to pay their respects, and to seek his blessings and his guidance.

Traditionally holy people seeking 'the ultimate truth', or self-realization, or union with God, chose asceticism, as a path to lead them to their goal. They did not deem helpful the lifestyle of a householder. That was a common belief not only among Hindu, Jain or Buddhist sadhus and yogis , but also among Muslim faqirs and Sufis.

In Guru Nanak's view, blessed were those yogis who had true love for the Creator and His creation. But, equally praiseworthy was the householder, who goes about his daily life with his mind fixed on the Supreme. He says:

Blessed is the householder, ascetic and the yogi Whose mind is focused at the feet of the Lord. (GGS, p. 1013)

But, asceticism was neither essential nor a shortcut to union with God. Getting away from realities of life was escapism. He had seen it all. He found no merit or self respect, in giving up one's own house and knocking at other people's homes for food. He admonished those who pledged celibacy, or left their own wives at home, yet cast lustful eyes on other women.

Living an active ethical life, offering loving devotion to the Creator and treating all beings as equals, was the true way towards one's salvation or union with God. He says:

Yog, or way to spiritual union with God
did not lie in wearing a patched coat
Yog is not carrying an ascetic's staff,
or smearing one's body with ash.
Yog is not in wearing ear-rings,
or shaving one's head, or in blowing horns.
Living a pure life among impurities of this world,
one finds the way to yog.
Also mere talk does not make one a Yogi.
Only that person be called a Yogi,
who sees all beings with the same vision
and deems them all as equals. (GGS, p. 730)

Salvation or ultimate spiritual union with the Divine spirit did not require liberating oneself from secular life. It depended on one's ethical conduct . Wife and children did not stand in its way. Good deeds earn Lord's grace and deliverance from the cycle of rebirths. He says:

Such is the greatness of the Satguru, the true source of guidance
That living amidst children and wife one gains liberation. (GGS, p. 661)

At Kartarpur Guru Nanak was no longer a casual itinerant, that he would not have enough time to observe and nurture flowering of the saplings planted by him.

Here, he had the opportunity to develop the prototype of his ideal man, a man who believed in one and only one God, and love and justice for all His children, especially the downtrodden.

What better way could there have been than leading by his own example. And we find, that is what he did. He put into practice what he had been preaching all along. He laid three cardinal principles for an ideal man: nam japna, kirt karni, and vand chhakna i.e.

Remembering the Creator;
Putting the best of one's labor for an honest living; and
Sharing fruits of one's labor with others.

Advocating these spiritual, economic and social virtues Guru Nanak had said:

O Nanak, one who earns with sweat of his brow,
and gives some from his hands,
He is the one who recognizes the true path. (GGS, 1245)

And, vain are eating, drinking and laughter, if one does not have the Creator in one's mind. Blessed is the person who remembers the Creator, lives a virtuous life by earning his own livelihood, and sharing a part of it with the needy, or for common good; above all by considering all beings as equal, and treating them as such (GGS, p. 351).

The well from which Guru Nanak used to draw water and irigate his fields. Guru Nanak Sahib's relics at Kartarpur Sahib, Harpal Singh Bhullar, Spokesman, August 2003.

Guru Nanak joined his family in farming, working with his own hands. They grew munji, a coarse variety of rice, because piece of land that he had near the river bed was more suitable for this crop, although harvesting and hulling it required much harder labour.

To share the fruits of his labour , and to carry on his Mission, he founded a dharamsal --a place of religious gathering, plus a hospice for wayfarers.

In keeping with his motto of 'seeing all beings with the same vision and deeming them all as equals' the doors of his dharamsal were open to all, irrespective of caste, creed, or status -- he could not have even thought otherwise. Hindus or Muslims, men or women, rich or poor were all welcome.

Within the dharamsal , he established a sangat or a congregational 'church' like the ones he had initiated at several places during his long sojourns. He called this congregation, a sadh sangat or a holy congregation, an assembly of devotees of the Creator -- the One and only God.

His own lifestyle included waking up early in the morning -- in the last quarter of the night, or three hours before sunrise. He called it amrit vela, or the ambrosial hour, during which he would take his bath and perform his individual worship, or meditation.

After that, he would get together with Mardana, in the dharamsal , for Kirtan, or collective devotional singing. He would sing hymns in his melodious voice while Mardana would provide accompaniment playing on the strings of his rebeck. People of all faiths in the neighborhood were encouraged to come and join the sangat . There were no icons or idols in the dharamsal . The locus of worship was none other than the One and only Absolute Divine Being. I

ncreasing numbers gathered in the morning before the sun-up and in the evening after the day's work for simran, or worship, of the formless Creator -- singing and hearing hymns and psalms of tributes to Him for wonders of His creation, for His blessings and for His grace. Disciples and visitors who came from far and near also joined in the collective worship. Afternoons were usually devoted to discourses on spiritual, moral or social issues of concern to the participants.

To cultivate a spirit of universal brotherhood, primary requirement was abolition of the so called 'divinely ordained' varna framework or the caste hierarchy based on occupations and areas of origin. The code of conduct ascribed by this varna pattern, popularly known as the Laws of Manu, had created such rigid caste barriers, that they had become norms of Indian life. Most despicable feature of this code was unjust and inhuman practice of untouchability, which was being tolerated -- complacently even by those who were targets and victims of this abomination.

Close companionship with Mardana, a Muslim, coming from a so called 'low caste' Mirasi family, was a loud message that religious or caste discrimination had no place in Guru Nanak's Mission. Rejecting these caste barriers the sangat was open to all. People of 'lower castes' who were prohibited entrance into Hindu temples, or use of common public facilities such as wells must have 'found a welcome mat' at the door of this dharamsal .

To bring about a silent revolution, Guru Nanak instituted a langar , or a free community kitchen for the sangat -- open to rich and poor, irrespective of caste, creed, gender or status. To partake food in the langar all persons had to sit together and at one level. The aim was to practice and promote equality by abolishing the caste barriers. It was not to pull the 'high' -- the Brahmins and the Khshatriyas -- to a lower level, but it was to lift up and restore dignity and social justice to those who had been placed at the lower rung of the Hindu society, because of their occupations, or 'low' birth.

Langar was different from charitable trusts funded by some Rajahs or rich persons to feed the poor and hungry. It was a participatory institution, In true community spirit it was funded by voluntary contributions of money or provisions from the sangat . An essential feature of the langar as well as of the sangat , indeed of Sikh spirit, was sewa -- voluntary and selfless social service. Fetching water from the river or the well, or fuel from the woods; grinding corn, cooking food and serving it to the sangat was all voluntary sewa . No work was considered below dignity. Cleaning utensils, sweeping floors, or waving fans over the assembled, in hot summers, was performed by the participants, in the spirit of sewa assuming that not as a chore, but as an honor.

The spirit of sewa with humility and cooperation so prevailed in these institutions, that one could notice a person of limited means being served food by his own master, for whom he worked in his house, or in his farm or at his business. Guru Nanak promoted service of fellow beings as service of the Guru - service of the Lord. He says:

If we do sewa in this world,
Then only we get a seat in the Lord's court. (GGS, p. 26)

Copyright ©2005 Harbans Singh Noor. About the author