Gur-Mat!

[Guest]

The following are some excerpts from The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, on Gurmat.

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GURMAT

Gurmat (Gur-mat, mat, Sanskrit mati, i.e. counsel or tenets of the Guru, more specifically the religious principles laid down by the Guru) is a term which may in its essential sense be taken to be synonymous with Sikhism itself. It covers doctrinal, prescriptive, and directional aspects of Sikh faith and praxis. Besides the basic theological structure, doctrine and tenets derived form the teachings of Guru Nanak and his nine successors, it refers to the whole Sikh way of life both in its individual and social expressions evolved over the centuries. Guidance received by Sikhs in their day-to-day affairs from institutions established by the Gurus and by the community nurtured upon their teachings will also fall within the frame of gurmat. In any exigency, the decision to be taken by the followers must conform to gurmat in its ideological and/or conventional assumption.

The 'guru' in gurmat means the Ten Gurus of the Sikh faith as well as gurbani, i.e. their inspired utterances recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib. The instruction (mat) of the Guru implies the teaching imparted through the holy word, and the example set by the Ten Gurus in person. Direction derived from these sources is a Sikh's ultimate norm in shaping the course of his life, both in its sacred and secular aspects. The spiritual path he is called upon to pursue should be oriented towards obtaining release, i.e. freedom from the dread bondage of repeated births and deaths, and standards of religious and personal conduct he must conform to in order to relate to his community and to society as a whole are all collectively subsumed in the concept of gurmat.

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On the ethical plane, gurmat prescribes a code of duties and moral virtues, coupled with the distinctive appearance made obligatory for the Khalsa. A Sikh becomes a full member of the Khalsa brotherhood after he has received the rites of initiation and the vows that go with it. Violation of any part of the code (particularly the four prohibitions) of the Khalsa is treated as disregard of gurmat and it renders the offender guilty of apostasy. The tribunal of Sri Akal Takht at Amritsar has traditionally been regarded as Supreme in religious, social and secular affairs of the Siikhs and has the authority to issue edicts for providing guidance to the Panth as a whole and to excommunicate any individual who has acted contrary to its interests or who has been found guilty of attempting to overturn any established Sikh religious convention.

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The writings of the Gurus preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib and the Dasam Granth best interpret and elucidate what gurmat is. Some enecdotes recorded in the Janam Sakhis also help explain gurmat principles. A systematic exposition of gurmat principles was for the first time understaken by Bhai Gurdas (d. 1636), who in his Varan expatiated upon terms such as gurmukh, one attuned to the Guru;s teaching, sangat, fellowship of the holy, and seva, humble acts of service in the cause of the community and of fellow men in general, besides evolving a framework for the exegetics of gurbani. The process of exposition, continued by men of learning such as Baba Miharban (1581-1640), Bhai Mani Singh (d. 1737) and Bhai Santokh Singh (1787-1843) and by the writers of Rehitnama literature reached its culmination in the Singh Sabha movement which produced interpreters of the calibre of Bhai Kahn Singh (1861-1938), Bhai Vir Singh (1872-1957) and Bhai Jodh Singh (1882-1981)

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Selected from: Gurmat, Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Patiala, 1996.

[Niranjana]

Interesting article, Gurmat, the Way or Path (Mat) of Light (Gur/ Guru/SatGur Poora/Jyot) qualifies Dharm as ancient for Gurmat has always existed, does exist and always will exist...and is not limited to any creed, colour, form etc or time...

AadSach

JugadSach

NanakHoseeBeeSach