God and You-2

 

God is the source and embodiment of truth. It is the guru who tells the disciple about the truth and truthful living in harmony with the divine will-satgur milay sach paya. Truth comes only to the discerning who has led a good life spent in the service of the community. Truth curses all maladies and washes away all sins from the mind.

In the mul mantra of japuji god, besides being given other attributes, is also called true. Guru Arjun Singh says: ”The tongue utters your attributive names, your primordial name is truth; and this true name forever provides solace.”

The path shown by Guru Nanak was based on humanitarian concerns, in which the theological is closely related to the sociological aspect. Truth is here not only an abstract notion of supreme reality, but is also a practical principle of human conduct. The ideal set for a disciple is to become sachair and the basic human problem, set forth in the opening stanza of Guru Nanak’s japuji, is: “how to become sachiar? How to demolish the wall of kur (falsehood)?” and the solution suggested in the line immediately succeeding is: “to conduct oneself under his hukam (will) and raza (pleasure).” In practical terms, Guru Nanak instructs: “Test you mind against the touchstone of truth and guided by guru’s light, deal in the merchandise of truth.”

The basic principle involved in the teaching of Guru Nanak is the orientation of the human personality towards pure, sociality fruitful action. For this, the steeps are enlightenment and restraint of passion. The personality so conditioned must wage a perpetual struggle against evil, not only with one’s inner self, but also in the external world of human relation.

All the gurus believed that the material world of time and space is true because it is god’s creation. It is as the creator himself. The created world is not Maya or illusion. It is not only true, it is also sacred. As Guru Angad says: “This world is the abide of the true one who is present in it While guru Amar Das identifies it with god himself.

Truthful living implies truthful actions (sach karam) and true discipline (sach sanjam) at individual level. But Guru Nanak also emphasized the need for true company (sachi sangat). Sat Sangat is defined as a school for learning virtue and a place where god’s name is only taken. Guru Nanak always laid more emphasis on truthful living by saying:

“Truth is higher but higher still is truthful living.”