Philosophy of Life

as Reflected in the B?n? of Guru N?nak and Upani?ads

Kanta Arora

• Publisher: D.K. Printworld
• Print ISBN: 9788124609453
• eBook ISBN: 9788124609941
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Eastern Philosophy

About the Book
This volume illustrates, compares and discusses as to how Guru N?nak with his transcendental exposition, sharp skill, argumentative capability and common poetic language further enriched, explained, simplified, modernized and expressed various theological and philosophical concepts elucidated in Upani?ads for the understanding and adaptation of a common man. Upani?ads are "breath of eternal" and hymns of Guru N?nak are "a divine song of life". Guru N?nak's exuberance of love and search for God and godly people was not confined to any religion or religious institution. He revolted against the ritualistic mind of a br?hma?a. He was essentially a man of God whose love and quest for search for the Ultimate Truth knew no limits. In the pursuit of this search he enjoyed a reach to the state of void meaning a state where there is no distinction between the object and the subject – the knower and the known. He was a protagonist of Bhakti tradition and stressed more on bhakti or devotion to God. He taught the Sahaja-Patha or S?rata ?abada Yoga that easily takes one straight to the Lord by spontaneous concentration of mind.
Both hymns of Guru N?nak and Upani?ads explain that the real aim of human life is to attain liberation from the repeated coming and going in incarnations, which can be attained by adequate karma, knowledge and disciplined meditation. About the Author
Born in a small town of Chamkaur Sahib, Kanta Arora, MA, LLB, PhD, spent her childhood within the premises of Ghari, where Sri Guru Gobind Singh had sacrificed his two sons. This had left a profound influence of Guru N?nak's teaching on her.
Having done graduation and post-graduation from the Punjab University, she joined Govt of India and held various positions in Finance and Accounts Dept of different ministries.
After superannuation, she became a regular student of theology and made a comparative study of religions and consciousness studies and got her PhD for the thesis "Philosophy of Life: A Study in the Light of Bani (Hymns) of Guru Nanak and Upanishads" from the Department of Sanskrit of Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed University). She has participated in many national seminars, and international conferences organized by the Center for Conscious Studies, University of Arizona, USA.

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Bānī (Hymns) of Guru Nānak
and Upaniṣads

Period of Guru Nānak

Philosophy of any religion/individual work is intensely influenced by the prevailing socio-political and religious atmosphere. Guru Nānak lived in the second half of the fifteenth century and the first half of the sixteenth century. During his life, he travelled hundreds of miles towards the east, west, north and south of India. He also crossed the Indian borders several times and went to other countries of varying cultures in search of truth with his universal message of love for God, man and divine life.

Before the birth of Guru Nānak, India was under the rule of several Muslim dynasties. When Guru Nānak was born, Bahlol Lodhī was the ruler of Delhi. He was succeeded by Sikandar Lodhī who a policy of persecution. Hindu temples were destroyed and mosques were erected on their sites. Guru Nānak was in his teens at that time. After Sikandar, Ibrāhim Lodhī came to the throne. He was a weak sultān. Babur defeated him. He established the Mughal rule in India. The horror and tyranny of Babur and his on-slaught of Hindus appear in many verses of Guru Nānak. He called Babur an angel of death and destruction. As the story goes, the military strength of the Hindus was reduced and several efforts were made to eliminate Hinduism. There was a great religious intolerance on the part of the conqueror, and the defeated people suffered heavily.

The society was divided into two parts representing Indian culture by the Hindus and Semitic culture by the Muslims. Muslims being conquerors had the upper hand and were divided into threefolded strata of the upper, the middle and the lower classes. The upper class led an idle and luxurious life. They took lion’s share of earnings of poor people. Middle-class people shared their booty, and also led an easy life. Guru Nānak called upper-class people lions and middle-class people as dogs. “The kings are lions, their officials like dogs disturb the resting people. Officials are like nails which make wounds.” Muslim society had two main divisions based on their religious practices. Some were Shias and others were Sunnis.

Hindu society had four major castes and had to face Muslim oppression and tyranny. The main religion of India before the advent of Islam was Hinduism which was divided into various cults. Gopal Singh (2005) writes:

Guru Nānak came to the scene when three currents, viz. Advaitism, Vaiṣṇavism and yogic cult were flowing.1

Doctrine of Advaitism popularized by Śaṅkarācārya postulated that while the jīva (soul), jagat (world) and Brahman (God) were one in essence, they appeared distant and individualized through māyā (illusion) and avidyā (ignorance). If jīva (individual soul) was to acquire jñāna (knowledge of the real), through suppression of impressions or desire by giving up all worldly activity, the identity of the three would be established. This creed was too intellectual for ordinary minds to grasp and required disciplined life, too hard to endure. If there is no distinction between the individual soul and Īśvara to whom is one to pray except to oneself as he does in “I am He (aham brahmāsmi) or That are Thou”.

Rāmānuja believed in qualified monism or Viśiṣṭādvaita, Nimbārka in Dvaitādvaita (dual–non-dualism), Madhvācārya in dualism and Vallabha in pure non-dualism. Vaiṣṇavism or the cult of Viṣṇu, popularly known as the school of Bhakti, love or worship of the incarnation of Viṣṇu, like Rāma and Kr̥ṣṇa, was enjoined to the exclusion of Śaṅkara’s jñāna-mārga. Cult of Bhakti was made very popular all over India by known bhaktas like Rāmānuja, Madhvācārya, Rāmānanda, Kabīr, Vallabhācārya and Caitanya who, differing here and there in their metaphysical beliefs, all believed that it was t...

Table of contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• 1. Bānī (Hymns) of Guru Nānak and Upaniṣads
• 2. Cosmogony or Origin of Creation
• 3. God, Man and the World
• 4. God’s Love and Grace in Life
• 5. Aim of Man’s Life and Path of Liberation
• 6. Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index