Sabad is one of the many concepts which had come down to Guru Nanak from the Sant traditions through the Nath sources. According to Kabir, the word Sabad meant the gurus words but for Nanak, the concept of Sabad had transcended far beyond. By Sabad he meant a convenient means of conveying an impression of an experience which is strictly inexpressible. For Nanak, Sabad meant a means of revelation. The Word or the Sabad is the path which allows an individual to know the Almighty and also know the way which leads to the Almighty. Repeatedly Nanak had declared Sabad as the essential means of salvation. Sabad or the Word is the means of revelation of the Lord and as an individual soul comes to know the Lord more closely, the mind gets emancipated from all kinds of negative emotions. As a result the individual soul unites with the Almighty and hence comes out from the cycle of birth and death. Nanak had also said that without the name of God it is not possible to attain salvation. He believed that one who chants the Name of God with the aid of the guru's words is able to attain salvation and is accepted by the Lord as His true follower. Rather it can be said that Guru Nanak wanted to say that Sabad or the Word is the means of communication to the Almighty whereas Nam is the object of communication. Both Word and Nam are expressions of Truth. Nanak had said that Word is the Truth that is communicated to the believer by the Lord whereas Nam is the Truth that is meditated by the believer towards the Lord. Nanak believed that the Lord may be called by various names but those are not Nam in the true sense. The Nam of God is the total expression of the Lord. The Nam of God is all encompassing and practicing the Nam of the Lord in the true sense leads human soul towards salvation. Within the Sikh tradition the concept of Guru is of prime importance. This can well be understood from the reverence which the Sikh community has for all the ten gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib declared as the ultimate guru of the Sikhs. The question in this regard is who the guru of Guru Nanak was. Guru Nanak had ample description about the concept of guru but Guru Arjan Dev had further elucidated the concept. He had said that the True Guru is the Nirankar and Niranjan God. He is the ultimate guru who leads us towards the path of righteousness. Guru believed that God is the true guru and the voice of God or the Sabad directs us to the path of salvation. He had said that the Lord is the Eternal Truth and hence the true guru of all human souls. Guru Nanak had further emphasised that submission to the Hukam frames the way for seeking the Truth. According to Nanak, Hukam is also beyond the comprehension of man just as the Almighty is beyond the comprehension and imagination of human beings. He had said that Hukam is the Divine Order by which the Universe moves on. He believed that Hukam is a constant principle and works in a predictable manner. Not only does Hukam work with the Universal principle but it is also closely related to the Karma of an individual. An individual receives according to his or her deeds. Nanak also believed that one who understands the Divine Order or the Hukam realises the Truth and when an individual realises the Truth a way is framed for his or her salvation. By realising the Truth an individual is able to attain unification with the Lord and hence follows the ultimate Divine Order which is to merge with the Eternal Truth or the true Guru. According to Guru Nanak Sach implies Truth. Nanak had said that Truth means walking in the path of Truth. Only if an individual acts according to Truth then he or she can achieve salvation or emancipation from the cycles of birth and death. Mere words cannot help an individual to reach heaven, actions are of prime importance. The Divine Grace is of prime importance in an individual's life. He had said that only with the help of God's grace the True Guru is revealed to a devotee. It is essential for an individual to receive the grace of Lord in order to achieve salvation. An individual who receives the grace of Lord is showered with the capacity to meditate and unless an individual meditates he or she will not come close to the Almighty. Moreover Nanak had said that only when a person meditates deeply the Name of the Lord he or she is able to hear the Sabad or the Word from the divine. Nanak believed that God's grace has a deeper implication. The divine grace gives enlightenment and perception to an individual and as a result the individual is in a position to recognise the True Guru. Only when an individual recognises a True Guru he or she can hear the Sabad and in the process attain unification with the Lord. Guru Nanak the great guru of the Sikhs had tried to preach all his devotees that the Almighty reveals Himself in various ways to human beings and only with the deeper understanding of the Lord's revelation an individual can reach close to God and achieve salvation thereby. |