Guru Nanak – An Apostle of Peace
Dr. Devinder Pal Singh
Center for Understanding Sikhism, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an apostle as a person who initiates a great moral reform or who first advocates an important belief and system [1]. Similarly, the Cambridge dictionary states that an apostle is someone who strongly supports a particular belief or political movement [2]. The Free Dictionary by Farlexdescribes an apostle as a person who pioneers an important reform movement, cause, or belief; a passionate adherent; or a strong supporter.
In the light of the above meanings of the term ‘apostle’, one can easily say that Guru Nanak was an apostle as he initiated great moral and social reforms in the Indian society of his times, as is evident from his life and works. He promoted an important belief system (moral code) of truthful living [4]. He states:
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Sac?ahu orai sab? ko upar sac? ac?ar.
Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living. (M. 1, SGGS, p. 62)
Guru Nanak encouraged his fellow beings to do righteous deeds, cultivate the love of God in our lives and adopt a way of life-based on truthfulness.
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Amal kar ??ar?i bij sab?o kar sac? ki ab ni? ?eh pa?i.
Make good deeds the soil and let the love of God (Shabad) be the seed; irrigate it continually with the water of Truth. (M. 1, SGGS, p. 24)
He asserted that true peace can be attained by leading a life based on truthfulness.
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Sac?i raha? sac?a suk? pa?e.
Living a truthful way of life, one finds true peace. (M. 1, SGGS, p. 1343)
The second part of the current topic is related to the term “Peace.” Peace has always been among humanity's highest values. The most popular (Western) view of peace is an absence of dissension, violence, or war. But peace is also seen as concord, or harmony and tranquility. It is viewed as peace of mind or serenity, especially in the East [5]. Peace of mind (also called inner peace) indicates a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace. It refers to having enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself firm during discord or stress.We need some degree of inner peace in our own lives to be effective in helping to build peace in our organizations, communities, societies, and the world.
An individual is a microcosm of the global community. If the world is to finally come to an era of sustainable peace and harmony among civilizations, peace must be founded on humankind's this fundamental social unit. In other words, an individual is the central building block of society and is an instrument for peace and reconciliation [6-7].
Now let us examine that can we call Guru Nanak an apostle of peace. An apostle of peace is a passionate adherent to the cause (peace) or a strong supporter of it. To understand Guru Nanak’s approach to peace, whether in one’s life or the world, let us have a look at his hymns as enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
As in the present time, even during Guru Nanak’s lifetime, human conflicts were galore. After a thorough understanding of the situation, he pinpointed the primary cause of all such conflicts as the egoistic behavior of humans. He proclaimed:
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Ha?umai kar?i?a nah suk? ho?e.
Acting in egotism, peace is not obtained. (M. 1, SGGS, p. 222)
He elaborated that if the actions are done in egoism, they lead to suffering amonghumans.
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Suk? ma?ga? ?uk? agal ho?e.
People beg for peace, but (acting in egoism) they undergo suffering. (M 1, SGGS, p. 222)
He pointed out a way out of this predicament. He suggested that human suffering can be overcome by eradicating one’s self-conceit.
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Se suk?i?e sa?a soh?e jinh vic?ahu ap gava?e.
Those (people) are peaceful and pleasant forever, who eradicate self-conceit from within. (M1, SGGS, p. 1281)
He elaborates on how to eradicate egotism as:
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Ha?umai met saba? suk? ho?i.
Eradicating egotism, one obtains peace through spiritual enlightenment. (M.1, SGGS, p. 1040)
To attain inner peace, Guru Nanak advises us to avail of the company of holy (spiritually enlightened) persons.
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San? sab?a suk? upjai gurmuk? nam a??ar.
In the company of the Saints, (inner) peace wells up; the adherents imbibe the love of God in their life. (M. 1, SGGS, p. 58)