Jan-March 2006 - Institute of Sikh Studies

80ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES : JAN-MARCH 2006 / 537-38 NSworld-famous British historian was pessimistic about the acceptanceof the traditional religions by the people in the coming times. A largenumber of people agree with him.SEARCH FOR PEACEIn the East, a holy man named Nanak, who went to a nearbyriver, was not seen for three days. People, both Hindus and Muslims,gathered around him when he came out of the river, and asked him,“Where were you?” Nanak revealed a new thought in the field ofspirituality to the people gathered there. He told them, “I wassummoned by the Creator – our common Father-Mother, and wasgiven the holy message to be shared with all the people. The sermonGod gave me is: “Do not divide human beings into Hindus, Muslims,or into other groups/faiths; they are all My children and equal. I loveall of them, they may love Me by any name - Allah, Ram, or so no. Noone should be hated or considered alien.”Nanak gave up his job, took long journeys all over Asia to theholy places of the Hindus, Muslims, and other believers. Wherever hewent, he preached, “Anyone who loves God, realizes Him, and achievesthe mission of human life. Beyond this earth, there is no physicalplace assumed to be Heaven or Hell anywhere in outer space. Whenwe love the Lord and sing His virtues, we enjoy Heavenly bliss. Whenwe ignore Him and become prisoners of vices such as ego, lust, anger,and greed, we undergo the sufferings of Hell here on this very earth.”Guru Nanak founded institutions, called Sangats ( a congregationof equals without discrimination) where all people, Hindus, Muslims,low caste, high caste, rich, poor, etc., were to sit together and reciteHis praises. For this, they adopted many names, (Allah, Ram, Rahim,Gopal, Krishan, Niranjan, Guru, etc.), with equal respect for all names,then in vogue among people of different faiths. The holy scripturescompiled by Guru Nanak’s successors include hymns by about threedozen devotees of God, irrespective of their being a Hindu or a Muslim,a low caste or poor. They all had adopted different names for God, butthey all realized the ultimate truth, “The same Lord, our commonFather-Mother, is reflected in every human being. We can love Him inany language and by any name, the way we may address our father asDad, Daddy, or Pappa. The best way to worship God and to please