GRACE OF TRUE GURU
The True Guru (briefly written as 'Guru') has been defined as the one, who comprehends the True Purusha Le. Lord-God. It is only in his company, the Sikh attains final beatitude by singing the Praises of Lord. (Gauri Sukhmani M. S, p. 286). The Sikh religion is based on the Guru-Sikh relations. Guru Nanak Dev has said:
I am a sacrifice to the True Guru, on meeting whom, I have remembered the Lord,
Who instructed me and gave me the antimony of knowledge and with these knowledgable eyes, I have scanned the whole world,
Those, who haveforsaken the Lord and have attached themselves with some other, such traders have been drowned,
The True Guru is a ship, only a rare one has thought about it,
The True Guru through his Grace has enabled me to cross the world-ocean.
(Var Asa M. 1, p. 470)
The fourth and fifth Gurus have described at length the position of the True Guru in their hymns. According to the fourth Guru, Guru Ramdas 'the True Guru is the Gracious Donor, who is ever Merciful, he is uninimical from within, who sees the Lord everywhere.
Those, who become inimical towards him, none of them can stand against him for long. The True Guru has the welfare of everyone in his heart, who can then be harmful towards him? Whatever one desires to receive from him, he obtains the same. The Lord knows everything, from whom nothing remains hidden.
The True Guru is the field of Piety and whatever one sows in it, he is rewarded likewise. The Sikhs of the Guru sow ambrosia in it, they obtain the Lord as ambrosia, their faces are bright in both the worlds and are honored with robes in the Lord's Court. (Var Gauri M. 4, p. 302). The True Guru is the Unapproachable Purusha, who keeps the Lord in his heart.
Since the Creator is on the side of the True Guru, no one can ever reach up to him. The sword and the armor of the True Guru is the Lord's Devotion, with which he has struck and dispelled the thorn-like Yama. The Protector of the True Guru is God Himself and for His sake, He has saved many. If anyone thinks ill of the True Guru, the Creator-Lord thrashed him. This is the matter of the True Court of the Lord, Nanak has considered the future. (Var Gauri M. 4, p. 312).
If any slanderer of the True Guru comes under his refuge, the True Guru forgives his sins and allow him to join the holy congregation. Just as when it rains, the water of streets, brooks, and ponds flows down to the river Ganges, where it becomes pure and holy, this is the compliment of the True Guru, who is without enmity and on meeting whom aII the thirst and hunger is removed and the peace prevails very quickly. Look at this wonder of the True Sovereign Lord, that whosoever has faith in the True Guru, is loved by all, (Var Bilawal M. 4, pp. 854-55),
Some quotations from the hymns of Guru Arjan Dev, expressing his extreme love and respect for the True Guru are produced below:
1. Guru is Powerful and Boundless, He comes into our sight by great fortune. The Guru is unknowable and Pure, none equals the Guru. The Guru is the doer and maker and through him, one attains the true glory. There is nothing outside the Guru, whatever the Guru wants, happens. The Guru is the holy shrine, he is the Elysian tree, he is the fulfiller of desires. Guru is the donor, he gives the Name of the Lord and the whole world is redeemed. The Guru is Mighty and the Lord Himself. He is the High one, Unapproachable and Limitless. The Praise of the Guru is Inaccessible, what should the narrator narrate? (Sri Raga M. 5, p. 52)
2. Whatever I had heard about the Grace of True Guru, I have found him the same. He unites with the Lord the separated ones. He is the Mediator of Lord's Court. He fixes firmly in the heart, the mantra of the Name of the Lord, and removes the ailment of ego. The True Guru has been caused to meet those, saith Nanak, who had been destined from the very beginning. (Var Ramkali M. 5, p. 957)
3. My True Guru is ever Gracious, who has protected lowly one like me. He has dispelled the malady giving me the Supreme Bliss and put in my mouth the ambrosial Name of the Lord. He has repelled many sins of mine and cutting my bondage freed me. Catching me by the arm, he has taken me out of the most terrible blind well. (Asa M. 5, p. 383)
4. O my mind! Repeat the words 'Guru, Guru'. There is none else for my support than the Guru. I recline all the time on the prop of the Guru, whose gift nobody can efface. Consider the Guru and God as one. I accept whatever he wills. He, whose mind is attached to the feet of the Guru, all his troubles and apprehensions vanish away. One gets honor by serving the Guru. I am ever a sacrifice to the Guru. I am highly pleased to have a sight of the Guru. The intense effort of the servitor of the Guru is fully rewarded. No trouble comes to the servitor of the Guru. This servitor of the Guru gets renown in all the ten directions. The Praise of the Guru cannot be narrated. The Transcendent Lord is merged in the Guru. He, who is completely fortunate, saith Nanak, his mind clings to the feet of the Guru. (Gaund M. 5, p. 864)
5. Concentrate on the Guru's image in your mind and have full faith on the Word of the Guru as the mantra, adopt the Guru's feet in your heart·, and make your obeisance always to the Guru as the Transcendent Lord. None should fall in illusions in the world. Undoubtedly, no one will be able to cross the world-ocean without the Guru.
He who has strayed, the Guru has shown him the Path. Forsaking all others, he has to absorb himself in the devotion of the Lord. The Guru wiped out his fear of birth and death. This is the Limitless greatness of the Perfect Guru. By the Guru's grace, the inverted lotus of the heart has blossomed and there has dawned light in the darkness. I have known through the Guru the Lord, who has created me and by the Grace of the Guru, my foolish mind has propitiated. The Guru is the doer and worthy of doing and the Guru like God is ever there and ever shall be. The Lord has made me comprehend this, saith. Nanak, O brother! No one can attain salvation without the Guru. (Gaund M. 5, p. 864)
6. With the Grace of True Guru, I attained the Supreme spiritual state, the Perfect Guru has maintained my honor; with the Guru's Word, I remembered the Name of the Lord; by the Guru's grace, I have attained the real position; on listening to the Guru's Word, my tongue repeated that by the Guru's grace my utterance became ambrosial; with the Guru's Word, my ego was effaced, by the Guru's grace I have attained great glory. With the Guru's Word, my illusion has been effaced; with the Guru's Word, I have seen the Lord everywhere. With the Guru's Word, I have attained both worldly and spiritual grandeur. In the company of the Guru, all the people have ferried across the world-ocean. With the Guru's Word, all my errands have been fulfilled. With the Guru's Word, I have obtained all the nine treasures. Those who have reposed their confidence in the Guru, their noose of Yama has been cut down. With the Guru's Word, my fortune has awakened, I have met the Guru as Transcendent Lord, saith Nanak. (Gauri M. 5, p. 239)
