ੴਸਤਿਨਾਮੁ

It is said that if you want to understand the whole of Guru Granth Sahib, you can do so by understanding Japjee alone, because Guru Nanak’s message was complete in Japjee itself. The rest of the Guru Granth Sahib is an interpretation, elaboration and explanation of Japjee Sahib. Many claim that in order to understand Japjee you need to understand the Mool Mantra only. Many others have gone to the extent of saying that it is Ek Omkar Satnam that contains the essence of the entire 1430 pages of Guru Granth Sahib. Regardless of such claims it is undoubtedly understood that Japjee, the first composition of Guru Nanak, contains the most valuable and authentic expression of the divine experience he had when he went missing for three days. Japjee was his first utterance when he returned after his encounter with the divine. Japjee contains the gist of his entire journey through which he was transformed from a seeker to the enlightened master. Osho says, Japjee is the latest news from heaven.

The opening statement of Guru Granth Sahib, of Japjee or of the Mool Mantra is EK OMKAR SATNAAM. Therefore the first word, EK is the profoundest statement which needs to be dived into to get the essence of it. Ek or one only. Whatever we can see appears to be many. Wherever we look we find divisions, differences, distinctions. Whatever the eyes can grasp is multiple. We look at the ocean and see myriads of waves; we cannot see the ocean. Whereas it is the ocean that exists, not the waves. The waves are on the surface; the waves form and disintegrate; the waves come and go. But, the ocean is. Yet we cannot see it because the eye can see only the surface, the top layer. It cannot go deeper to see the ocean.

We need another kind of eye to see beyond the surface. What you see depends on the kind of eye you have, the kind of vision you have. As we are, we have a very superficial vision. No wonder then that we can see only the apparent. We see only the waves, a multitude of waves and that is our image of the ocean. But, this is no way of getting to know the ocean. The waves are not the ocean. They are only on the surface, but they have blurred our vision. We look at the waves and feel content that we have seen the ocean. Then whatever you say or think about the ocean will be wrong, because you have mistaken the waves to be the ocean. Even the sum of all the waves does not make the ocean. And the basic difference is that the wave is here now, but will not be a moment from now and was not a moment ago.

That which comes and goes is a dream. The waves are a dream the ocean is the truth. There are many waves but the ocean is one. But we see many. And, until we are able to see the one behind the many, we will go round in circles, tiring ourselves with the effort but reaching nowhere. Because there is only one truth. And, you don’t have to go anywhere to look for it. All you need to do is to remove the film in the eyes that blurs your vision and you will see clearly that there is only one; there is nothing else other than the One. Whatever is, is the One. Whatever we see are the multitude.

Let me repeat the oft-repeated story that explains this phenomenon. It is said that there was a blind man who refused to believe the sun. He asserted that there was no sun and the people were trying to make a fool of him by telling him that the sun existed. And, he would give very logical arguments for his assertion. He argued that if the sun existed then he should be able to hear it, touch it, smell it or taste it. He challenged them to prove the existence of light. If light existed, he argued, he should be able to hear it, or feel it with the touch of his hand as he felt everything else. But how could they make him hear or touch light? Since they failed in doing so, it proved that there was no light. People had tried to prove the existence of light to him in various ways but he was not convinced. Finally, they took him to Buddha and asked him to convince the blind man.

Buddha said that they had come to the wrong man. He told them to take him to the doctor to treat his eyes. The story goes that the doctor was successful in treating his eyes and he got his vision back. Then there was no need for any further argument. He knew the light; no one had to convince him about its existence.

We also need treatment to awaken the inner eye. The eyes that we know have the capacity to look outwards only. We need to turn the direction inwards. What you see outside is the surface, the waves, the many. When you look within you see the centre, the ocean and the One. In order to look within we need the inner eye, because what you see cannot be deeper than the eye. So, the entire spiritual journey can be summed up as moving from the many to the one. Guru Nanak states it boldly by declaring Ek right at the outset, the very first word that he uttered after his mysterious encounter with the divine when he had disappeared in the river for full three days.

Satnaam!

The word SAT has got distorted over the centuries of usage. It needs to be understood in its original meaning. There are two words in Sanskrit – Sat and Satya. Sat means existence and satya means truth. The two are far apart from each other in meaning. Both have the same origin – truth, but there are a few differences. Satya or truth is the philosopher’s discovery like two and two make four; it is a mathematical truth. This truth is man’s discovery. It is true but not existential. On the other hand, a dream is sat, existential but not true because it is not there when you wake up. There are many incidents which are existential and not true.

God is both, true and existential. Neither science and mathematics can take you there nor arts can help you. They are both insufficient. Truth is in the domain of the head and arts are in the domain of the heart. The method of religion includes both. Guru Nanak says it is true like mathematics and existential like poetry. Religion begins where the head and heart meet.

Ek Omkar Satnaam!

Guru Nanak says that the name of that One is Omkar. All other names are manmade. Whether it is Ram or Krishna, Allah or Waheguru, they are given by man. We have made them. They are symbolic and utilitarian. But they cannot be the true name. How can the creation give a name to the creator? And, there is a name that we have not given, which is Omkar. It is Om. It is the one and only name of existence. It is synonym with existence. It is there just like nature is there. It can be heard but cannot be said.

Omkar is the name of the One because when all sounds are lost and the consciousness becomes absolutely silent, it can be heard. When all waves are left behind and you become one with the ocean, you can hear that sound. It is not a sound produced by us. It is the rhythtm of existence. It is the way of existence; it is the nature of existence. It is not a sound produced by friction; it is not a manmade sound. That is why Omkar has no meaning. Om is not a word; it is a sound. And, the sound is unique. It has no source. Nobody is creating it. It is hidden behind the very existence. It is the sound of existence.

All other sounds are produced by friction. The sound of a waterfall is produced by the water hitting against the rocks. The sound of the river is produced by the water gushing down the mountains. The rustle of trees is produced by the wind blowing through the leaves. All sounds need friction; they need at least two to make the sound. The sounds produced by two cannot be the true name. The true name is that which dissolves all dualities, and still the sound keeps resounding.

In this respect Guru Nanak’s assertion has the concurrence of science, with a minor difference of nomenclature only. Guru Nanak says existence is made of the sound, whereas science claims that it has been born out of electricity. Science has its own approach; it has analysed the matter and come up with its ultimate discovery of the electron, which they say is more like thought than matter. And, science says that sound is a form of electricity, while religion says that electricity is a form of sound. The method of science is analysis; they have dissected the pieces and come to the conclusion that in the end there is electron. The method of religion is synthesis; and the seers have synthesised everything and come to the conclusion that the sum total of all existence is the sound.

Guru Nanak says that the One Omkar is the true name. Guru Granth Sahib revolves round Naam. It is full of only Naam. Naam is the path. Naam is the goal. There is nothing else but Naam.

(This is the share of the bounty that Nanak has bestowed.

For nothing else is there in his house except Naam.)

Naam is the one and only unstruck sound of Omkar.