This paper was presented in International Sikh Conferences 2004

	Sikh Vision of the Cosmic Order
	Narindar Singh

	The paper endeavours to bring out the spiritual dimensions by sifting through the theological concepts enunciated by the Gurus as enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib.  The concepts reveal about the nature of God – the ultimate metaphysical reality, the nature of creation and functioning of the universe according to divine will.  These concepts have a strong bearing in the development of Sikh ideology.  Sikh vision of the cosmic order is organized into three parts for convenience of presentation.  These are: Nature of Ultimate Reality and Creation of Universe, Human Destiny, and Realization of Akal Purakh (God).  I have commenced the paper with Guru Nanak’s Divine mission and considered appropriate to say a few words about the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib.

Guru Nanak’s Divine Mission

In 1499, Guru Nanak proclaimed a new faith Sikhism as a revealed religion which embraced both spiritual and temporal aspects of life, a life affirmation and a whole life system.  He radically departed from the principles of earlier Indian religions – which aimed at reaching heaven or attaining salvation or seeking merger in God.  In Buddhism, Jainism, Nathism, and Hinduism there is a dichotomy between the spiritual life of man and the empirical life which cannot go together.  Empirical life is considered a hindrance in the pursuit of spiritual objectives.  Guru Nanak integrated both kinds of life.  He rejected the authority of Vedas for having given sanction to the caste system.  He discarded the three thousand year old Brahminical institutions of withdrawal from life, asceticism, monasticism, and celibacy, which are life negating to achieve salvation.  He denounced both the caste system and downgrading of women, instead he prescribed equality between man and man as well as equality between man and women.  He expressed deep anguish at the prevailing evil and injustice in society.  Nanak also rejected Ahimsa a view held by Buddhists and Hindus that non-meat-eating is an act of piety.  Nanak says, “Men Discriminate not and quarrel over meat eating.  They do not know what is flesh and what is non-flesh.  There is life in every grain of food we eat.”  He recommended living a householder’s marital life, remaining engaged in beneficent activity, and staying absorbed in devotion to God.  

Sikhism is preeminently monotheistic; it is a revelation, and an ethically grounded faith, with unflinching faith in Akal Purakh (God).  Nanak preached his new vision of universal humanism of spiritual deliverance, human equality and justice.  His teachings are for all mankind irrespective of their religious orientation.  The Sikh tenets of earning an honest living, meditating on God’s name, and sharing one’s earnings with others are fundamental duties of a Sikh.  The mission of Sikhism is to evolve humanity towards higher levels of spiritual and ethical excellence.  Guru Nanak’s successors did not deviate from the guidelines laid down by him rather they built upon that foundation and faithfully carried out his mission and brought to culmination the salient aspects of his philosophy.

Mulmantra signifies the concept of Akal Purakh and constitutes the core of Sikh philosophy.  “There is Akal Purakh, Ek Onkar (Sole Immortal Being).  He is truth eternal and creator of all things.  Yet He does not remain apart from His creation.  He is the pervasive Reality.  He is not limited by time.  Yet He is the one form that exists.  There is light in all and that light is He.  Through His light, everything is illumined.  He is formless and yet pervades all forms.  He is never incarnated, nor can any image contain Him.  All human beings are God’s creation.”  “Hukam is the fundamental principle of God’s activity and permeates all activity.  The Divine Reality sustains the world.”  God is love.  He is the ocean of virtues and is deeply interested in the world.  The world is not only real but also the arena of spiritual expression and development.  Virtuous deeds in the world are the sole measure of human being’s religious growth and assessment.  This concept of God determined Sikh ideology.  “If you want to play the game of love, step on to my path with the head on your palm. Once you come on to my path, be prepared to lay down thy life without any fear.”  The seeker must live a virtuous life.

	Guru Nanak’s compositions are metaphysical, devotional, and mystical having Godly passion.  Compositions of rapture are sung in music to explain relationship with God.  To convey the revelatory message he used symbolism, metaphor, poetry, language, discourse, and arguments to describe the indescribable Akal Purakh.  He exhibited intense love of nature and sanctity of human body in his compositions.

	Sikh identity emerged from the teachings of Guru Nanak.  The introduction of Gurmukhi script for writing Punjabi, the compilation of Adi Granth (the Sikh scripture) by Guru Arjan which is the primary source of Sikh teachings.  The succeeding Gurus’ developed upon the guidelines that Nanak laid down which resulted in a Sikh code of ethics, Guru Gobind Singh’s institution of Amrit (Sikh Initiation), the Sikh symbols, the tradition of martyrdom, truthful living, and advancement of human rights shaped the Sikh identity.  With major ingredients of a distinct organization such as Sikh institutions, separate religious centers, a separate script, and scripture of their own in place, the Sikhs became an entirely distinct religion and emerged as a new nation.

Sikh Scripture

	Guru Granth, the Sikh scripture is not a religious text like a holy Bible or Quran but a treatise on human life and righteous living.  It is an inalienable combination between the spiritual life and empirical life of human being.  Its contents are spiritual poetry depicting Gurus revelatory vision of the cosmic order, the nature of creation and the functioning of the universe according to divine will and exhortation to higher life.  Granth’s creed provides aesthetic feeling, a religion of beauty and aesthetically merges into the wonderful workings of Akal Purakh.  The teachings of the Granth are primarily spiritual and secondarily philosophical.  It teaches that all values proceed from the supreme source Akal Purakh.  Spiritual ascent is attained by living through the mystical experience.  The individual is strongly urged to lead a higher life of moral and truthful living and engage in righteous activity.

	Granth a repository of the Divine Word (Shabad, Naam) it is offered worship and not mere veneration.  All decisions taken in its presence are held sacred and binding on the faithful.  Most of the composition are written in Punjabi language and Sant Bhasha, although few hymns are in Sanskrit, Hindi and Persian.  All compositions embody supplication in  praise of the Akal Purakh.  This Gurbani is a spiritual revelation.  It speaks about the thing-in-itself, the eternal changeless Reality the ultimate reality of things.  It is divine light and divine music.  It is intuitional experience.  It is spiritual presence.  This spiritual reservoir is the source and inspiration of Sikh teachings and Sikh culture.

Part I - Nature of Ultimate Reality and Creation of Universe

Concept of Akal Purakh (Immortal Being)

	As enunciated in Mul Mantra, Guru Nanak calls God Ek OnKar, The Sole One, The Sole Indivisible Transcendent and Immanent Supreme Being - the eternal changeless Reality, God is Absolute Truth, Creator Person, Without Fear, without Enmity, Timeless Person, Never born – un-incarnated, Self-luminous, Self-Existent, and Self-created, Gracious, Enlightener, Benevolent, and Ocean of Virtues. Japji

	Akal Purakh is both Transcendent and Immanent in Sikhism.  To differentiate it a subtle terminology of Ek Onkar has been used.  In order to express unequivocal monotheism the Guru changed the construction of the word Om of the Hindus.  He prefixed the figure I and suffixed Kar to the same old word: Om.   The latter means only.  Figure I expresses the unity.  Ek is the unattributed Transcendent and Onkar is the attributed immanent.  The other interpretation is that Guru used figure 1. to make absolutely clear that Akal Purakh is the sole one.

	Akal Purakh is the Sole Unattributed Transcendent and The Attributed Immanent, controller of Hukam (the cosmic moral force for the operation of the law of retribution of deeds and the awarder of Karma grace according to transmigratory process.  The attributed immanent aspect, of the Supreme Being is operating in the creation, preservation, and dissolution of the universe.  He is the vital creative force of the universe and is the fountain of all existence and of moral and spiritual values.  In the unattributed Transcendent aspect, the Akal Purakh is in trance – the state of absorption in the cosmic void.

Concept of Naam

	The concept of Naam is fundamental to the gospel of Guru Granth.  In fact Sikhism has been called the Naam Marga.  Naam is the summary expression for the whole nature of Akal Purakh.  Naam is the sole medium whereby the Lord may be approached.  It is the only visible form of the Creator available to the devotee.  The concept expresses the nature of the Creator with all aspects and inherent qualities attached to the Divine Name.  Naam is the dynamic immanence of God, a reality sustaining and working through the manifest world by force and form.  Naam Will and Shabad and Word of God are virtually synonymous and they are the Immanence of God.  The highest ideal for human being is to “carry out the Will of God” or to link one-self with Naam.

o	“Naam sustains all regions and universes, all thought, knowledge and consciousness, all skies and stars, all forces and substances, all continents and spheres.  Naam emancipates those who accept it in their heart.  He, on whom is His Grace, is yoked to Naam and he reaches the highest state of development.”
o	“Naam is the Creator of everything.  To be divorced from Naam is death.”  “All is created by Naam.” “Naam gives form to everything and through Naam comes all Wisdom or Light.”
o	“Naam extends to all creation.  There is no place or space where Naam is not.”
o	Naam is the ‘Nine Treasures’ and Nector (amrita). “It permeates the body.”
o	“Naam, the immaculate, is unfathomable, how can it be known?  Naam is within us, how to get to it?  It is Naam that works everywhere and permeates all space.  The perfect Guru awakens your heart to the vision of Naam.  It is by the Grace of God that one meets such an Enlightener.”
o	“In the region of truth is God where He perpetually creates and watches the universe with His benevolent eye, deliberating and directing accordingly as He Wills.”

Sikh Cosmology

	Guru Nanak writes, “The Self-existent God manifested Himself into Naam.  Second came the Creation of the Universe.  God created the world and permeated it with His Light and revels in His creation.”  “God created the world of life, He planted Naam in it, and made it the place for righteous action.”

	The fundamental reality is God in its Transcendental conscious state.  In this state of consciousness, there is no knowing, feeling or willing.  From the state of consciousness whenever God pleases, He wills, this willing is Hukam of God.  His willing is activity.  As soon as willing appears, individuation results.  The Haumain proceeds from the will.  Guru's God is Transcendent as well as immanent.  Immanent God is Will or Hukam and source of the whole creation.  Hukam also takes the form of Law and Order of the Universe.  The laws of science and the laws of nature all proceed from the Divine Word.

	“Transcendent God was prior to the creation of the world.  Even at that stage of void, He permeated all that void.” “The Transcendent God was all by Himself in the Self-Absorbed state.”  “For millions of eons the Timeless One was by Himself.  There was no substance or space, no day or night, no stars or galaxies, God was in His Trance.”  “His creative power was not in operation. When He willed, He created the Universe.”  “When He willed the creation appeared.”  “When there was no form, no sign, no individuation, the word in its essence, abided in the Transcendent God; the Lord permeated everything, all forms then abided in the Wonderous Word.”  The Word is Will, which is the cause of all the manifestation.  As God, He remains outside the world and as Will, He is in it.  When God wants to roll up His manifestation, the order is reversed.  Guru believes in creation of the world by Divine Will – Hukam.  When this Will began to work and how it works, according to Guru all this is known to God.  Nobody knows the time, day, date, month, season, and year when the world was made.  One who created it only He knows. Ja Karta Sristhi Kau Saji Ape Janai Soi Nature of the Will cannot be described. JapJi.

	Guru believes in one ultimate reality and does not believe that the world is illusion as the vendantist believes.  Nature is the creation of God and not His emanation or extension.  While everything in nature is changing, i.e. born and dies.  The world is real.  God has created it and is deeply interested in it.  Naam's immanence in this world guarantees its being a place of righteous activity.  “Having created the world, God stands in the midst of it and yet is separate from it.”  God is Ajooni (never born). God is the sole cause of this universe and there is no duality.  God is life of the universe.  There is diversity in the creation, but underlying this manifested difference there is permanent unity.  Guru says, “My True Lord has made such an interesting world, in which everything is different from the other - He created light and darkness and still there is one element in all, and that is He Himself.”  

	Guru says, “True are Thy worlds.  True are Thy Universes, true Thy forms Thou createth.  True are Thy doings.  This world is the Abode of True One and He resides in it.”  “True is He, true is His Creation.” “Human body is the temple of God.” “Beauteous O, Farid, are the Gardens of earth and beautiful is the human body.”  The world is authentic creation of God, supported by His immanence, there is continuing process of development, evolution and progress in the empirical world.  The universe is the creation of God but not identical with God.  The world is neither an illusion nor identical with Akal Purakh.  The world is false in comparison with the really Real the subtle Naam and Akal Purakh.  The gross aspect of reality goes on changing while the essential or subtle remains the same.  The gross is Maya and the subtle is Naam.  Maya is change.  The Guru used the word Maya very often in a modified sense.  All that changes, appears and disappears is Maya, and all that underlies this change is real Naam.  And Naam is God.  He is the sole cause of all that appears and disappears.  He himself caused Good and Evil.