The Day Guru Nanak Really Impressed Me!

I born in a farmer family. I still remember when I was about 4 years old in 1979 and we were living in a remote farm near the city of Kurukshetra. There were about 10 families living in the farm and they were all relatives. 

The nearby village name was Barna. In Barna there is a Gurdwara (Sikh Temple is called Gurdwara). I used to go to this Gurdwara with my family and listened to Gurbani (teachings of Sikh Holy Book “Guru Granth Sahib”) and Kirtan (Singing of Gurbani with music).   

I didn’t understand it much, just knew that I had to bow my head in front of a huge book and then sit in the Sangat (congregation) and wait for the “Karah Prasad” (Sweet Sanctified Offering) to be served. 

Because of the good taste of the “Karah Prasad” kids really like it (especially when you have walked about 6 miles to reach the Gurdwara and then waited for another hour and so). It didn't make any sense to me other than this. Then in 1982 my family moved to Punjab about 150 Km north of Barna farm and that temple became a memory for me.   

In Punjab my family started to live in a village named Lasara. Lasara is a big village and there I grew up, went to school and finished my college in a nearby city and immigrated here in Canada in year 2000. Lasara is again a village of mainly farmers and there are many Gurdwaras.  The routine stayed same there too, go to Gurdwara very much weekly basis and bowed down my head in front of the big book and wait for the “Karah Prasad” and once served come back home. 

Also as I grew up, I started to read about Sikhism. Sikhism starts with its founder named “Guru Nanak”. Guru Nanak born in 1469 AD in a small town named Talwandi (Now in Pakistan). He was from a rich family but very spiritual from the very childhood (will write about Guru Nanak’s whole life in later posts). Reading about Guru Nanak's life gave me some interest in my religion because I read and amazed how Guru Nanak impressed all sorts of persons from the midwife at his birth to the king of Talwandi, The Hindu Priests and The Muslim Clerics. But this was all what some authors wrote about Guru Nanak. I didn’t read what Guru Nanak wrote himself, yet.   

Life kept going and I started my college in 1992 as grade 11 with major Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry (at that time after grade 10 we had to go to college for higher studies). I was very interested in studying astronomy as I like the suspense and there is no more suspense than cosmos. Read many many books on Solar System, The Milky way and the Universe.

I also kept going to temple and one day I asked myself, “why do I bow down my head in front of this big book? Is it because my parents do? No no, I want my answer!” Then I started to dig out for the answer. 

The answer came, that this big book contains all the teachings of Guru Nanak along with 5 other Sikh Gurus and many other Spiritual Persons from almost every other religion existed in India from late 1100 AD to 1675AD. So I realized that I bow down my head in front of this Big Book named “Guru Granth Sahib” because I am giving up (surrendering) my ego and humbly accepting the spiritual teachings (the holy knowledge) into my head. 

It did make sense and I realized that Sikhs didn’t bow down in front of a big book but in front of an ocean of knowledge. If so, then let’s read what is in The Book. I started to read it!

It starts with “MOOL MANTRA”, I just did a post about it ( link). But I wanted to know if there was anything about the cosmos. I found it one day. On Ang (Page) 1035, I found what Guru Nanak wrote about the whole universe and the creation. It is as follows;   

             ਮਾਰੂ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥
          Maru Mehla 1.   -----This is how to pronounce
Word Meaning: Mehla 1 Means the author is first Guru which is Guru Nanak;  and Maru is the instruction on how to sing what is written ahead (only for singers).     

         ਅਰਬਦ ਨਰਬਦ ਧੁੰਧੂਕਾਰਾ ॥ 

 Arbad Narbad Dhundhukara. -------- Pronunciation 

Word Meaning:  Arbad means Billions;      Narbad means beyond billions means infinite;         Dhundukara – Pitch darkness 

Translation: There was pitch darkness which can’t be tell in time (When) and how much (Intensity) with any measuring units available to humans.   

      ਧਰਣਿ ਨ ਗਗਨਾ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਅਪਾਰਾ ॥ 

 Dharan Na Gagna Hukam Apara. 

Word Meanings:   Dharan: Earth (Planets);    Na : Not or no or non existent;   Gagna: Space;       Hukam: Order or command;     Apara: Pervasive 

Translation: There was no planets and space existed and there was no need for the pervasive command to control them.  

    ਨਾ ਦਿਨੁ ਰੈਨਿ ਨ ਚੰਦੁ ਨ ਸੂਰਜੁ ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧਿ ਲਗਾਇਦਾ ॥੧॥ 

Na Din Ran Na Chand Na Suraj Sunn Samadh laga-ida. ||1||   

Word Meanings:   Na: Not, no or non existent;    Din: Day;       Ran: Night;      Chand: The Moon;       Suraj: The Sun;       Sunn: Zero; Samadh: Thoughtless stage, only itself;        Lagaida: In the posture   

Translation: There was no day and night, no Moon, no Sun, everything was zero (non existent) but “The Creator” self existed in thoughtless posture.   

Above is just the first stanza of the whole shabad (hymn) and there are 14 more such stanzas further all about before creation started.  

Once I read the whole Shabad (hymn) I was stunned! So wondrous to me.  

How Guru Nanak did knew all of this 500 years ago? There were no Hubble telescopes, there was no Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) model of the universe and there was no space technology available as of today. How did he? 

The answer is again in the Holy Book, I found the answer for my questions and from now on I knew why I put down my head in front of “Guru Granth Sahib”. This was the day Guru Nanak really impressed me and I started to follow Guru Nanak's teachings from the bottom of my heart and with a purpose.

Please let me know if you enjoyed it and also let me if you want to know more about the Sikhism. I will try my best based on my limited knowledge of English language and small knowledge of "Sri Guru Granth Sahib" blessed to me.