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qUM swJw swihbu bwpu hmwrw ]
You are the Universal Father of all, O my Lord and Master. (SGGS p. 97, Majh M 5)
eyku ipqw eyks ky hm bwirk ]
There is One God, our father; we are all children of the One. (SGGS p. 611, Sorath M 5)
He defined himself as being unconstrained by any specific religion but showed respect
for all:
nw hm ihMdU nw muslmwn ]
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.
Alh rwm ky ipMfu prwn ]4]
My body and soul belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. || 4 || (SGGS p. 611, Bhairon M 5)
He preached love and tolerance towards all:
sB ko mIqu hm Awpn kInw hm sBnw ky swjn ]
I see every one as a friend; I am everyone's well wisher. (SGGS p.671, Dhanasri M 5)
And
nw ko bYrI nhI ibgwnw sgl sMig hm kau bin AweI ]1]
I see no stranger, I see no enemy. I get along with everyone. || 1 || (SGGS p.1299, Kanra M 5)
We should recognize the presence of God in each individual – then nobody is a stranger
or enemy.
sBu mih rid rihAw pRBU eyky pyiK nwnk ibgsweI ]3]8]
The One God is pervading in all. Gazing upon Him, beholding Him, Nanak blossoms forth in happiness. ||
3 || 8 || (SGGS p. 1299, Kanra M 5)
He saw the one Divine Light in the heart of each person. All are beggars before the same
bountiful giver of all gifts.
sB joiq qyrI jgjIdnw qU Git Git hir rMg rMgnw ]
You are the Light in all, O Life of the World; You imbue each and every heart with Your Love.
sB iDAwdih quDu myry pRIqmw qU siq siq purK inrMjnw ]
All meditate on You, O my Beloved; You are the True, True Primal Being, the Immaculate Lord.
ieku dwqw sBu jgqu iBKwrIAw hir jwcih sB mMg mMgnw ]
The One is the Giver; the whole world is the beggar. All the beggars constantly ask for His Gifts.
(SGGS p.1313, Kanra M 5)
sBu ko Awsy qyrI bYTw ]
All place their hopes in You.
Git Git AMqir qUhy dunw ]
You dwell deep within each and every heart.
sBy swJIvwl sdwiein qUM iksy nw idsih bwhrw jIau ]3]
All are co-equal partners in Your commonwealth; none are treated as alien. || 3 || (SGGS p.97, Majh M 5)
Different faiths, Hindus and Muslims for example, use different vocabularies and
practice different rituals but they are following their separate paths to realize the same
ultimate Reality, because there is only one God who is loving, compassionate and the
creator and cause of all. Only those who can recognize His Will in everything can realize
Him:
koeI boly rwm rwm koeI Kudwie ]
Some call Him, 'Raam, Raam', and some call Him, 'Khudaa-i'.
koeI syvy guseIAw koeI Alwih ]1]
Some serve Him as 'Gusaeen', others as 'Allaah'. || 1 ||
kwrx krx krIm ]
He is the Cause of causes, the Generous Lord.
ikrpw Dwir rhIm ]1] rhwau ]
He showers His Grace and Mercy upon us. || 1 || Pause ||
koeI nwvy qIriQ koeI hj jwie ]
Some bathe at sacred Hindu shrines of pilgrimage, and some make the pilgrimage to Mecca.|
koeI kry pUjw koeI isru invwie ]2]
Some perform devotional worship services, and some bow their heads in prayer. || 2 ||
koeI pVy byd koeI kqyb ]
Some read the Vedas, and some the Koran.
koeI EFy nIl koeI supyd ]3]
Some wear blue robes, and some wear white. || 3 ||
koeI khy qurku koeI khy ihMdU ]
Some call themselves Muslim, and some call themselves Hindu.
koeI bwCy iBsqu koeI isrigMdU ]4]
Some yearn for paradise, and others long for heaven. || 4 ||
khu nwnku ijin hukmu pCwqw ]
Says Nanak, one who realizes the Hukam of God's Will,
pRB swihb kw iqin Bydu jwqw ]5]9]
knows the secrets of his Lord and Master. || 5 || 9 || (SGGS p.885, Ramkali M 5)
Guru Arjan was the architect of the Hari Mandir, or Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh
shrines . He designed it with entrances on all four sides, proclaiming “My faith is for
people of all castes and creeds from whichever direction they come, and to whichever
direction they bow.” Whereas the Hindu temples were only open to the chosen classes,
the Golden temple was open to all who would seek God. Muslim mosques were open
only to Muslim men; the Golden temple was open equally to all men, women and
children, irrespective of caste, creed, race, color, gender, religion or nationality.
When he was compiling the manuscripts that would make up the Guru Granth Sahib,
Guru Arjan included hymns written by both Hindu and Muslim religious thinkers. It is
the only scripture of its kind which includes and sanctifies texts of people belonging to
other faiths, so long as their spirit conformed to the spirit of Sikhism. The Guru Granth
Sahib also includes hymns written by those considered to be untouchables of low caste by
Hindus.
Some of the compositions of these Bhagats, or devotees, included in the Guru Granth
Sahib are themselves ringing endorsements of the universalistic spirit, such as these two
hymns by Kabeer and Namdev:
In the words of Kabeer:
pRB swihb kw iqin Bydu jwqw ]5]9]
In the beginning, Allah created the Light; then, by His Creative Power, He made all mortal beings.
eyk nUr qy sBu jgu aupijAw kaun Bly ko mMdy ]1]
From the One Light, the entire universe welled up. So who is good, and who is bad? || 1 ||
logw Brim n BUlhu BweI ]
O people, brothers and sisters, do not wander deluded by doubt.
Kwilku Klk Klk mih Kwilku pUir rihE sub nWeI ]1] rhwau ]
The Creation is a part of the Creator, and the Creator is in the Creation, totally pervading and permeating
all places. || 1 || Pause ||
mwtI eyk Anyk BWiq kir swjI swjnhwry ]
The clay is the same, but the Cosmic Potter has fashioned it in various ways.
nw kCu poc mwtI ky BWfy nw kCu poc kuMBwry ]2]
There is nothing wrong with any of the pots of clay – the Divine Potter does not err. || 2 || (SGGS p. 1349,
Parbhati – Kabeer)
And Namdev has this to say:
sBY Git rwmu boly rwmw boly ]
Within all hearts, the Lord speaks, the Lord speaks.
rwm ibnw ko boly ry ]1] rhwau ]
Who else speaks, other than the Lord? || 1 || Pause ||
eykl mwtI kuMjr cItI Bwjn hy bhu nwnw ry ]
Out of the same clay, the elephant, the ant, and the many sorts of species are formed.
AsQwdr jMgm kIt pqMgm Git Git rwmu smwnw ry ]1]
In stationary life forms, moving beings, worms, moths and within each and every heart, the Lord is
contained. || 1 ||
eyklu icMqw rwKu AnMqw Aaur qjhu sB Awsw ry ]
Remember the One, Infinite Lord; abandon all hopes from anyone else.
puxdy nwmw Bey inhkwmw ko Twkuru ko dwsw ry ]2]3]
Naam Dev prays, I have become dispassionate and detached; what difference is there now between the
Lord and Master, and the slave? || 2 || 3 || (SGGS p. 988, Gaura – Namdev)
Guru Arjan himself was actively involved in interfaith dialog and cooperation just like
Guru Nanak before him. He maintained close personal relationships with several spiritual
leaders belonging to the Muslim, Hindu and Yogic traditions.
When the construction of the Golden Temple, was started, Guru Arjan invited Hazrat
Mian Mir, a Muslim Sufi spiritual leader, to lay the first foundation stone. Mian Mir was
given a warm welcome, Guru Arjan and Mian Mir embraced each other in sincere love
and regard. The foundation stone was placed by Mian Mir to the singing of Kirtan,
hymns from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib in praise of God.
One cannot find another example where the foundation stone of the highest spiritual
center of a faith has been laid by a religious leader of another religion.
By compiling the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Arjan has created a spiritual treasure for
all humanity. Arnold Toynbee, a historian, (in the Forward to the Sacred Writings of the
Sikhs by UNESCO) said, “Mankind’s religious future may be obscure; yet one thing can
be foreseen. The living higher religions are going to influence each other more than ever
before, in the days of increasing communications between all parts of the world and
branches of human race. In this coming religious debate, the Sikh religion and its
scriptures, the Guru Granth, will have something special of value to say to the rest of the
world.”
We Sikhs should look at ourselves as caretakers of this legacy and work actively to share
it will the rest of the world in the same spirit of interfaith dialog and understanding that
has been shown to us by Guru Arjan. To this end, we must make this legacy accessible to
the rest of the world through translation into modern languages and discussions
highlighting the universal truths contained therein rather than focusing only on the
differences. The uniqueness that is inherent in Sikhism is found in its universality, it’s
applicability to humanity as a whole, but this benefits no one if it cannot be shared
beyond the Sikh community.
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