ADDRESS BY SHRI K.R. NARAYANAN, VICE-PRESIDENT OF INDIA, AT THE GURU NANAK MEMORIAL LECTURE FUNCTION
JULY 10, 1993
Dr. Indrajit Singhji. Shri S.S. Dhanoa, Mr. Chhatwal, Shri Satnam Singh, Shri Iqbal Singh my friend from Rajya Sabha, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very happy and honoured to be the guest of the Guru Nanak Foundation this evening at the precincts of the Foundation itself. I am also, particularly happy that this is an occasion when Shri Dhanoa is going to deliver the Guru Nanak Foundation Lecture. He was and he is, I think, still a distinguished administrator, a scholar, who has contributed much to our country, particularly to Sikhism or Sikh studies.
It is a critical time that we are facing in this country and in the world as a whole. During this crisis, it is important for us to look back and to recall the great teachings of the Sikh Gurus. I am happy that this Foundation is doing such remarkable work not only on Sikhism but on comparative religions which, is the kind of study most needed in our country for bringing about understanding among different religions and harmony and amity among them. I am also happy that the Foundation has an institute which is also concerned with, musicology. One might ask how these things are mixed together. I think, it is perhaps natural because the life of Guru Nanak himself has been full of poetry, full of beauty and full of music and the great gurus have always been poets themselves. The hymns composed by them are simple, beautiful and uplifting. I think, they move not only the Sikhs but the people of India as a whole by their melody, by their harmony and by the great beautiful thoughts embodiend in these hymns. Today, we recall the life and teachings of Guru Nanak Devji with respect, admiration and also with a sense of his relevance to our own times.
I am one of those who believe that though in India We have had such a great heritage of great men such as the Gurus, we are still struggling to see the light, we are still struggling to establish brotherhood and harmony among our people. Therefore, the relevance of these great men and great Gurus of our history is really a very acute thing today. In the life and teachings of Guru Nanakji, I should like in my brief remarks to point out a few things. One is that his perception of the times in which he lived and those times were in the 15th, early 16th century but they are reminiscent to some extent to our own times in the type of problems we have in our country. I should like to read out what would be very familiar to be a passage from Guru Devji. He said, "The age is like a knife, kings are butchers, religion had taken wings and flown. In the dark night of falsehood I cannot see where the moon of truth is rising." To some extent, even today, we cannot see where the moon of truth is rising.
It is such a bewildering time in which we are living and the emphasis on truth that Guru Nanak Dev put is something we have to recall today. We know that many of the seers and sages of India had emphasised truth and described God as truth. Gandhiji had in our own time. But let us go back to Guruji who said, "Before time itself, there was truth. Even now he is the truth and evermore shall truth prevail." It is this principal which is embodiend in our national motto, Satyameva Jayate. There is one thing more, I should like to point out. Guruji not only said truth is important, that truth is God." He said something more, which is in the simple quotation.
"Truth above all. Above truth, truthful conduct." I think this is very important to remember. Truth is above everything. But above truth Guruji not only said that truthful conduct is above truth itself. I think this emphasis on the practice of truth, truthful conduct is something very remarkable indeed because he knew that everybody has accepted truth, every religion has accepted it but this is very vehement emphasis on the fact that above truth stands truthful conduct is something we have to remember today.
Very often we pay lip service to truth but live a life which is far away from the path of truth. Now, Gurudevji's conception of religion is also important to emphasise in our own time. Religion today is a matter of controversy, conflict, probably throughout history but even today for us, particularly it has become a matter of dispute and a matter of controversy and a matter on which people are being divided. What was religion according to Guru Nanakji? He said and I am quoting, "Religion lieth not in the patched coat the yogis wear, not in the staff he bears, nor in the ashes on his body; religion lieth not in the rings in the ears, nor in a shaven and head, nor the blowing of the conch shell.
If thou must take the path of true religion, among the world impurities be of impurities free." Here he has touched the soul of religion. It is not the externalities. In fact, we are today living in India where ritualism has dominated religion and truth. What is called the revival of religion in India, is the revival of ritualism. In the midst of this luxuriating in rituals we have lost almost the capacity to think and we have forgotten that the essence of the matter is to become free of impurities and the religion which was founded on the principles of Guru Nanak Dev is a religion which have striven to free man of impurities, to clean living, concept of equality among people, and brotherhood among people.
It is this concept which has dominated Sikhism ever since it was preached by Guru Nanakji and followed by the great Gurus and their disciples. Now, we know that Guruji lived at a time when the Hindu Muslim problem was very acute. Hindus and Muslims have lived together nearly 9 centuries at that time, interacted with each other and we had a great renaissance in India starting with Ramanujam, Ramananda, Kabir. In fact, in the l5th century and early l6th century almost in all the parts of India some guru or some sage, or some sufis came up preaching, brotherhood and harmony among religions and also preaching that there is only one God. We found in the South, North, East and the rest of India in the l5th and l6th centuries and the climax of this was Guru Nanak Devji who more less summed up this vast renaissance movement and projected it into a living religion and his familiar slogan, as we know, so that there is no Hindu, there is no Musalman and he was described as Hindu ka Guru and Musalman ka Peer.
This approach of his, this great teachings of his could not be more relevant today. It is something which calls for remembering, practising in the India of today. One wonders how this country which had such great teachers, such great gurus who taught such great principles, this country could deviate from these principles and behave differently. Therefore, to remember this great Guru is for us to establish peace in our county, establish harmony among different religions and to show the path for a new renaissance and for a new reformation of our society.
Another thing which has struck me very much is the activist, dynamic concept of religion, not as something separate from daily or worldly life but something which is part and parcel of the daily life of the ordinary people and Guruji had said that you can attain salvation while engaging in normal worldly activities. He said while laughing, while playing, clothing, eating, one can attain salvation. This harmonious, close integration between life and religion is what made Sikhism great.
It was not a separate compartment where you are devotee, or are seeking philosophy or personal salvation but it was made part and parcel of your daily life. This is what made Sikhism such a dynamic religion and a religion which has become the secret of the great success of the Sikhs in this country and in everywhere they are. Now, of course we have to remember what Swami Vivekananda once said. He was a great philosopher of course, but he was also a practical man like Guruji. He said that you can reach salvation playing football as much as you can by reading the Shastras better than reading the Shastras.
It is his living, dynamic concept of religion that is embodiend in Sikhism. You all know it but I am reiterating this because of its intense relevance to our own times. This is a concept of equality and the opposition to the system of caste which obtained in India at that time but unfortunately which still flourishes in our country. The Guru said, the best creation of God is the entire mankind.
Having sprung from one source who can be high or low. This approach is embodiend in Sikh religion itself. But I know that the caste system has invaded even the Sikh religion. It is such a powerful institution in India that it has committed aggression more or less on every other religion in this country. But the institutions and practices which have been started by the Guru like, Langar, is a most vivid example of the brotherhood and equality of mankind, that was not just preached but practiced. We need today all these great yet simple principles to be applied to our life in India as a whole and I think this is the immense relevance of Guru Nanak Devji's teachings for us today. As I mentioned earlier this is the secret of the success of the Sikh community in our country.
I would say that the Sikh community has been and is the pride of India. If in Punjab today we have managed to restore peace by and large, it is to my mind an example of the triumph of the great teachings and principles of the great gurus. It is a restoration, re-establishment in actual life of these great teachings and I should, on this occasion, join you before I listen to this scholarly lecture from my distinguished friend join me, join you all in paying my tribute to this great guru who stands like a beacon light for all mankind, particularly for us in India who are distracted by so much confusion, so much disintegrating thoughts. I think we have to follow that beacon light.
Thank you
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