Pritam Singh Grewal

The recent news about starting of bus service between Amritsar and Nankana Sahib activated a dormant memory of my own first visit to Guru Nanak Sahib’s birthplace.

It was well before Nankana Sahib went to Pakistan as a result of the unfortunate partition of Punjab in 1947. A long train journey from Ludhiana to Lahore in the company of my parents was full of excitement and expectations. Onwards from Lahore, the capital of Punjab, the rail cars were jam-packed with devotees going to celebrate the great Guru's birth anniversary at his birthplace.

Punjab's social harmony was not yet shattered by the politically motivated communal discord. This is how an inspired Punjabi poet, Prof. Puran Singh, sang the essence of Punjabi life:

        Punjab is neither Hindu nor Musalman
        Punjab lives by the Gurus’ name.

Gurdwara that marks the birthplace of Guru Nanak at Nankana Sahib allaboutsikhs.com

In Punjabi folklore, the Guru was acclaimed as

        Nanak Shah fakir, Hindu da Guru Muslim da Pir.

No wonder, the enthusiastic celebration of the Gurpurab took the form of a joyful fair for all Punjabis. I still recall the spirit of that shared festivity being spontaneously expressed by our co-passengers as well as the marchers in the joyous parade on the streets of Nankana. It crystallized into this popular slogan:

         Katik dee puranmashi, mela Nankanay da
        The full moon night of Katik month (October-November) marks the fair of Nanakana.

At that time, for me, Nanak was like a mythical figure as portrayed in Janam Sakhis or popular stories of his childhood spent in and around Nanakana Sahib. This visit took me to the very locale of those tales. Impelled by a child's curiosity, I viewed the spots where child Nanak sat to learn literacy and numeracy, encountered a cobra while lying in a meditative state, let his buffalos graze on a neighbor's crop to the embarrassment of his father and annoyance of the farmer, and did true bargain of feeding hungry people by using the money his father had given him for starting a business.

My imagination might have recreated and peopled these scenes. This visit also added a historical dimension to my legendary picture of Nanak. However, I still thought of him as a misfit or an exceptional boy who could question his teachers about the purposefulness of what they taught or madden his father by spending his money on an otherworldly gain instead of doing a mundane business. Nevertheless, he was understood, loved and admired by his sister Nanaki and the local Muslim landlord, Rai Bular. Maybe, a precocious lad who dared to embarrass the priest and the family by refusing to wear the customary Janju thread on his body but asked for an abiding, spiritual garland comprising compassion, contentment, self-discipline and truth.

The Punjabi literature program in a Khalsa high school introduced me to selections from Nanak Bani or Guru Nanak's verses. This experience kindled my interest in his thoughts which he says are expressed as they come from the Khasam or True Master. I marveled at the felicity and spontaneity of his poetic overflow which seemed to be emanating from his contemplation of One Eternal, Immanent-cum-Transcendent and Compassionate Creator, whose Hukum (will) and Qudrat (creation) is unknowable.

The Guru's universal message and mission aimed at healing the society which was ailing from ignorance, hypocrisy, bigotry, exploitation and discrimination based on caste, creed and gender; his daring challenge to the forces of injustice and oppression and his arduous travels with the purpose of building bridges of understanding, tolerance and love among diverse faiths, cultures and lands won my admiration. I now regarded him as a truthful, genuine and selfless well-wisher of humanity.

Guru Nanak's image of my earlier perception was transformed into that of a colossal historical character that played a very significant and effective role as a rational enlightener for diverse people living over a large area of Asia. His daring and outgoing inter-faith dialogues with leaders of major faiths like Hinduism, Islam and also yogis by reaching their remote holy centres amazed me. More so, as I realized that he advised them to practice the genuine values of their own faiths rather than persuade them to join his fold.

An all-embracing bard of the Lord spreading universal message of human harmony, equality and dignity from Tibet to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia, five centuries ago. A contemporary of European Renaissance, who lead people to spiritual reawakening and discovery of innate human excellence.

Another landmark in my growing regard for the Guru was my study for Punjabi (Hons) degree program. What a height of awareness, width of vision as well as an abundance of content and variety of style opened up before me as I stepped into the awesome precinct of Nanak Bani! His shabad called Sodar or that door gave me a breathtaking glimpse of Timeless Creator's cosmic court from where He takes care of the entire creation. In His presence innumerable angels, deities, saints, scholars, singers, heroes, kings, warriors, elements as well as solar systems stand in attendance and chant His praises.

The verse known as Aarti or ceremonial worship transported me to the cosmic presence of Waheguru where the sun and the moon serve as lamps, stars as pearls, scented sandal woods as incense, wind as whisk and entire flora as fragrant offering.

After reading his popular verse Var Assa, I was fascinated by Nanak's blissful wonder (Vismad) issuing from his Naam-imbued contemplation of countless creatures and things both big and small; immense diversity of species, shapes, colors, tastes, cravings and their fulfillment and also the wondrous phenomenon of union and separation. I discovered a new meaning in such things and relations as were being taken for granted.

Today, it does not surprise me to find out from scientific knowledge that countless suns and galaxies are in perpetual motion, or that our surmises about the origin and size of the universe go on changing because I had learned from Nanak Bani decades ago about the immeasurable journey on which the innumerable stars and planets are set under divine discipline or Hukum:

        Bhaye wich sooraj bhaye wich chand
        Koh kroree chalat na unt (Var Assa)

I believe the Guru's word that human intellect is incapable of grasping the infinite expanse of time and space. This knowledge keeps me aware of the smallness of my ego and makes me marvel at and utter the praise of Akal Purakh’s Wadiaee or greatness by saying Waheguru, the Wondrous Lord!

Yet another picture of Nanak emerged on a blood-soaked page of the Punjab's history when I read his hymns titled Babarbani - verses that depict first-hand the tragic scene of human misery caused by the Mughal chief Babar's attack on Eminabad town in 1520. In a mood of compassion-cum-anguish, the Guru condemns the perpetrator of this carnage, laments the helplessness of the victims and castigates the Lodi rulers of India for their indulgence in luxuries at the cost of their duty to protect the people. The Guru's overflowing compassion could not help asking his beloved God:

         O Creator, thou art of all alike! It does not matter if
        one tyrant fights another.
        But if a furious tiger attacks a herd of meek cattle, the owner
        is duty-bound to intervene...
        Didn't the wails of the tortured touch you?

My respect for this fountain of divine compassion and champion of human rights and dignity could now be called reverence.

Gurudwara Chakki Sahib, Eminabad. In Samvat 1578 when the armies of Emperor Baber captured Saidpur (Eminahad), they took Gur Nanak Dev Ji as prisoner along with many other people. allaboutsikhs.com

My revered Guru Nanak:

I thank you for saving me from superstitions, rituals, idolatry, bigotry and intolerance;

I praise you for showing me a simple but fulfilling way of life which helps me to remain in touch with Waheguru while performing my social responsibilities, doing honest work and sharing my gains with others;

I salute you for making me aware that true peace of mind lies in obeying Hukum or God's Will with equanimity, come woe or weal;

I esteem you for dispelling my illusion that innate spiritual quest can be dodged by indulging in transitory pleasures of power, pelf, lust, drugs etc;

I bow to you for making me aware that there are only two classes of humanity, Gurmukh (God-oriented) and Manmukh (self-oriented); I trust you and humbly seek your guidance and support for my faltering steps on the path you blazed towards being sachiara or aiming at the pinnacle of human glory.

Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi at Karachi allaboutsikhs.com