tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52306732612241166082024-03-05T13:50:16.072-08:00My RumblingsHARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-16840806548614970442015-07-19T18:06:00.001-07:002015-07-19T18:06:24.001-07:00Nature of Reality: Physical, Metaphysical and Mystical Aspects <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nature of Reality: Physical,
Metaphysical and Mystical Aspects <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hardev
Singh Virk<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Visiting
Professor, SGGS World University, Fatehgarh Sahib- 140 406, India<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">E-mail:
hardevsingh.virk@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ABSTRACT<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nature of Reality has been subject
of investigations since historical times both in science and religion. The
physical interpretation of Reality has experienced a dynamic change from
Aristotle to Einstein. Relativity theory and Quantum mechanics have led to
formulations of new concepts regarding space, time, matter and reality.
Uncertainty Principle by Heisenberg and the concept of dual nature of matter
and radiation by Louis de Broglie gave a serious blow to the philosophy of
determinism based on Newtonian Mechanics and Cartesian world view. The great
debates between Einstein and Bohr at Solvay Conferences about the inadequacy of
quantum mechanics to describe physical aspect of Reality are a part of history
of science now. EPR paradox and Bell’s theorem have introduced the idea of
connectedness and consciousness in Quantum Reality. Experience is the ultimate
test of truth or Reality for the Indian philosopher. The Reality is
trans-empirical, hence, it cannot be known through sense experience in the way
in which empirical/scientific knowledge is gained. Reality is better understood
or comprehended through intuitive experience for it transcends both the
rational and the sensory aspects of human experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Keywords:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Reality, Newtonian World view, Copenhagen Interpretation, Uncertainty
Principle, EPR Paradox, Metaphysics, Mysticism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nature
of Reality deals with investigations which fall under three different domains
of knowledge pertaining to Physical Sciences, Metaphysics or Philosophy, and
Mysticism. The queries to be addressed are: What is real? What is the universe
made of? How does it work? What is the origin of life in this universe? Who
created this universe? Physicists and philosophers have been asking these
questions since the dawn of civilization. Greek Philosophers, including
Socrates, Aristotle and Plato, are known as founders of modern philosophy. The
concept of Reality has undergone a revolutionary change ever since the time of
these celebrated Greeks. The study of planetary motion established that there
is perfect order in the Universe. The philosophical quest for the ultimate
Reality, using reason and speculation, transcended the boundaries of physical
Reality. Recent developments in physics have revolutionised the physicist’s
conception of Reality. Today many scientists explore the “metaphysics” of
physics with their powerful instruments. The new insights of the modern physics
into the mystery of the universe have prepared the stage for a dialogue between
science and philosophy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF REALITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Classical notions about Reality: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Aristotle is known as founder of
Physics; he wrote the first book of Physics and introduced many metaphysical
principles in physics. Everything had a natural
place and every object had its own nature in his world view. Aristotle made a
sharp distinction between celestial and terrestrial world, the latter being
imperfect, corruptible, and prone to constant change; while the former perfect,
incorruptible and immutable. Aristotle’s philosophy of nature was comprehensive
and highly appealing to the common place wisdom of the day. It gave birth to
monotheistic conceptions of God and a dualistic vision of Reality. The germs of
an anthropocentric worldview were inherent in Aristotle’s philosophy of
science.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Newtonian
mechanics gave birth to a mechanical philosophy of nature. It claimed that
everything could be explained in terms of laws of motion and the interaction
between the material particles. This meant that all things could be explained
in terms of just four fundamental concepts: space, time, mass and force. A
mechanistic worldview or the clockwork universe was the immediate consequence
of Newtonian physics. The divine hand, having set it right in the beginning,
left it undisturbed. There was not scope for divine intervention, chance and
indeterminacy in a deterministic worldview. Reality can be known by using
mathematical tools and all events become predictable in future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the beginning of 20<sup>th</sup> century, the advent of special theory of
relativity dealt a death blow to mechanical philosophy of nature. Newtonian
mechanics held space, time and mass to be absolute, but relativity theory
showed them to be relative. Quantum mechanics introduced the concept of indeterminacy
and chance in physical measurements. It gave a serious jolt to the mechanical
philosophy of nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scientists
of Vienna circle, better known as Logical Positivists, believed that knowledge
of Reality should be based on sense experience. All valid statements must have
an empirical basis, otherwise they are meaningless. Logical positivists were
antagonist to the use of metaphysics in science. However, mechanical philosophy
of nature seems to be an internally inconsistent, experientially unrealistic
and philosophically unreflective approach to Reality. Einstein<sup>2</sup> had
a dig at mathematical approach to Reality: “As far as the laws of mathematics
refer to Reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not
refer to Reality.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Einstein
realized a new vision of the universe. His theory of relativity has altered the
long-held scientific assumptions of Newtonian mechanics and changed radically
the way we look at the world. Relativity shows that our knowledge of Reality is
not limited by sense perception only, but brings home to us that Reality is
often much deeper than what can be perceived by our senses. Materialism which
refuses to go beyond what is observable by the senses has been shown to be an
inadequate philosophy of nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Quantum Nature of Reality:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The Copenhagen interpretation<sup>3</sup>
of quantum mechanics was the first and the most prevalent response to the
quantum Reality question. Neils Bohr and Werner Heisenberg were the founding
fathers of Copenhagen interpretation which was not acceptable to Einstein, the
father of Relativity theory. The key idea in the Copenhagen denial of deep
Reality was that the quantum entities did not have dynamic attributes of their
own; it was only in the act of measurement that they received dynamic attributes.
Principles of Uncertainty and Complementarity were the corner stones of
Copenhagen interpretation, proposed by Heisenberg and Bohr, respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
discovery of Uncertainty principle is the most significant development in the
history of science. It puts a natural limit to the precision attainable in the
quantum world. It must be noted that this limitation is imposed not by
practical difficulties of measurement but by theoretical considerations, by the
very nature of Reality itself. There will always be a finite inaccuracy and
uncertainty; this is a law of nature. Since precise knowledge of the present
state of affairs of a phenomenon is not possible, precise prediction of its
behaviour also becomes impossible. Hence the quantum world and its Reality are
indeterminate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Principle
of Complementarity highlights the linkage between different aspects of Reality.
For instance, the particle nature and wave nature of light are mutually
exclusive in the sense that the presence of one excludes that of the other.
Thus this principle argues that even items which appear incompatible are united
at a deeper level. What appear opposites need not be contradictory, but may be
two poles of the same deeper reality. The principles of Complementarity and
Uncertainty show the unbreakable link between the act of observation and our
picture of Reality. Bohr sums up his outlook on quantum Reality<sup>4</sup>.
“There is no quantum world. There is only an abstract quantum physical
description. The task of physics is not to find out how nature is; Physics
concerns what we can say about nature.” In the Copenhagen interpretation, there
is no Reality in the absence of observation, or in the other words, observation
creates Reality. The conceptual weakness of the Copenhagen interpretation is
that it regards both the measuring device and the measurement act as ultimately
unanalysable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Consciousness and Quantum Reality: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">David Bohm<sup>5</sup> explains the
limitation of Copenhagen interpretation by introduction of a new concept: the
implicate order. The implicate order is a process of enfoldment and unfoldment
in a multi-dimensional space. The entire universe with all its fields and
particles is an unfoldment of this implicate order. It implies an organic
vision of the universe unlike the classical emphasis on fragmentation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another
important aspect of the quantum revolution is that it highlights the role of
consciousness in creating Reality. According to Eugene Wigner<sup>6</sup>: “It
is not possible to formulate the laws of quantum mechanics in a fully
consistent way without reference to the consciousness. It will remain
remarkable that the very study of the external world led to the conclusion that
the content of the consciousness is an ultimate Reality”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John
Stewart Bell<sup>7</sup> developed a model of Reality known as Bell’s theorem:
Reality must be non-local, which means that at a fundamental level, the
different isolated objects of our experience are connected in an intimate and
immediate way. Where quantum physics revealed the inadequacy of our common
sense ideas to deal with the microscopic world, Bell’s theorem showed the
inadequacy of the same to deal with the macroscopic phenomena. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">EPR
(Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen) Paradox aims to show that quantum theory was
incomplete since it fails to give a full description of nature. The key idea of
EPR is the assumption of locality or the principle of local causes. According
to this principle, what happens in one place is in no way dependent on an
experimenter or an event at another place, where the distance between the two
places are ‘space-like’ separated. EPR effect seems to indicate a super –
luminal (faster than light) communication<sup>8</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bell’s
theorem resolves the contradictions of EPR Paradox. Bell stated that either the
statistical predictions of quantum mechanics or the principle of local causes
must be wrong. Experimental proof of Bell’s theorem established that assumption
of locality collapses while statistical assumptions on which Bell based his
theorem are correct. To show that the principle of locality is false, it should
be shown that what happens in one area is dependent on the changes that an
experimenter makes in a distant space - like separated area. Thus in Bell’s
theorem, non-locality imposes itself as a fundamental Reality against our
common sense idea of the world as consisting of different parts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Einstein
believed that quantum theory was incomplete and hence inadequate to describe
the nature of Reality. As a whole, there seems to be contradictions, logical
paradoxes and speculative jumps inherent in quantum theory in explaining the
physical Reality. Bell<sup>9</sup> and some of his supporters share the view
that the quantum mechanical description of natural phenomena will be superseded
in future. Each model of Reality of the physicists is thus also indicative of
the unexplored regions of Reality. Concept of Reality has undergone a sea
change since the times of Aristotle. Let us probe the metaphysical and mystical
roots of Reality and explore the possibilities of a dialogue between Science
and Religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">METAPHYSICAL
NATURE OF REALITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Metaphysics is a systematic and
sustained inquiry into the nature of ultimate reality. It is an attempt to know
the reality as against mere appearance. Metaphysics is the bridge between
science and religion. Religion relies both on reason and revelation in its
attempt to study the nature of Reality. In the <i>Mandukya Upanishad, </i>the method of inquiry into the states of
experiencing, waking, dreaming and deep sleep is frequently adopted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To the Indian philosopher,
experience is the ultimate test of truth<sup>10</sup>. Since the reality is
trans-empirical, it cannot be known through sense experience in the way in
which empirical objects are known. It is known through intuitive experience <i>(anubhuti), </i>it is the experience of the
highest level, for it transcends both the rational and the sensory aspects of
human experience with which we are normally acquainted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since the ultimate reality is
trans-empirical, the Hindu philosophers rely on scripture <i>(sruti) </i>for obtaining the knowledge of the real. Discursive
reasoning functions at the relational level. Since the ultimate reality is
distinction-less, reason is not competent to comprehend it. So the proper
ground of rational knowledge is immediate experience, which differs from
experimentation in science. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The truth, which the scripture
speaks about, is the direct outcome of the intuitive or mystic experience of
the ancient seers. It contains what is borne out by their direct and authentic
experience. Though the scripture is authoritative, the knowledge which one
derives from it is only mediate. The knowledge, which is revealed by the
scripture, must become a matter of experience; only then revelation would have
fulfilled its mission. A man who has realised the integral experience, there is
no need for him to depend on any external authority in the form of a scripture.
His wisdom is self-certifying or self - revealed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to <i>Upanishads, Brahman or Atman, </i>which is the ultimate Reality<i>,</i> is of the nature of existence <i>(sat), </i>consciousness <i>(cit), </i>and bliss <i>(ananda). </i>It is one only and non-dual. The pluralistic universe is
only an illusory appearance of <i>Brahman </i>or
<i>Atman </i>due to <i>Maya </i>or <i>avidya </i>(ignorance)<i>. </i>There are two views of reality in the <i>Upanishads, </i>the cosmic view and the
acosmic view. These two views serve as the bases for the theistic and
absolutistic schools of Vedanta. Hindu Philosophy of Vedanta considers this
word as <i>Maya </i>(illusion) and lays
stress on Reality beyond appearance in phenomenal world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MYSTICAL ASPECTS OF REALITY <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
contrast to scientific knowledge, mysticism is concerned with a direct
experience of Reality. It is by transcending intellectual knowledge and sensory
perception that we come to the “absolute knowledge” of the Reality. According
to Fritzof Capra<sup>11</sup>: “The knowledge of Reality in mysticism is the
direct experience of undifferentiated, undivided, indeterminate ‘suchness’. In
mysticism knowledge of the ultimate Reality cannot be attained through
reasoning because it transcends our conventional modes of language”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
process of scientific research tells us that an experimental enquiry into the
nature of Reality cannot discard either reason or intuition. Since both these
abilities are integrated in the one human being, a mutual complementarity of
the two is essential. The significance of intuition and reason is quite evident
in our life and they must complement each other in our search of Reality. There
cannot exist a rebellion between truth and truth. The pragmatism of the
Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory indirectly affirms the desperate
quest for integration. As Gary Zukov<sup>12</sup> puts it: “ The rational part
of our psyche, typified by science, began to merge again with that other part
of us which we had ignored since the 1700’s, our irrational side”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Modern
science has come up with the most exciting discovery of the interconnectedness
of the universe. The vastness of the Universe poses no threat to its
interconnectedness. This phenomenon is found both at the local and cosmic
levels, both in the ontological and epistemological levels. This progressive
trend towards greater unification enabled science to transcend the apparent
contradictions of several pairs of opposites, e.g., force and matter, particles
and waves, motion and rest, existence and non-existence. The scientific
research has established interconnectedness of all material beings tracing
their common origin to quarks and leptons. The Human Genome Project has proved
the unity in diversity of the living world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Capra<sup>13</sup> has established
parallels between the principal theories of modern physics and the mystical
traditions of the East, viz., Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. For example, we
have no direct sensory experience of the four-dimensional space-time continuum,
and whenever this 'relativistic' reality manifests itself we find it very hard
to deal with it at the level of intuition and ordinary language. A similar
situation exists in Eastern mysticism. The mystics seem to be able to attain
non-ordinary states of consciousness in which they transcend the
three-dimensional world of everyday life to experience a multi-dimensional
reality, which is impossible to describe in ordinary language. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Opposed to the mechanistic
conception of the world is the view of the Eastern mystics<sup>14</sup> which
may be characterized by the word 'organic', as it regards all phenomena in the
universe as integral parts of an inseparable harmonious whole. For the Eastern
mystic, all things and events perceived by the senses are interrelated,
connected, and are but different aspects or manifestations of the same ultimate
Reality. Our tendency to divide the world we perceive into individual and
separate 'things' and to experience ourselves in this world as isolated egos is
seen as an 'illusion' which comes from our measuring and categorizing
mentality. The division of nature into separate objects is, of course, useful
and necessary to cope with everyday environment, but it is not a fundamental
feature of Reality. For the Eastern
mystic, any such objects have, therefore, a fluid and ever-changing character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Eastern worldview is thus
intrinsically dynamic, and contains time and change as essential features. The
cosmos is seen as one inseparable Reality -forever in motion, alive, organic -
spiritual and material at the same time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mysticism is the art of union with Reality<sup>15</sup>.
A mystical state has the quality of ineffability. It thus resembles a state of
feeling rather than a state of intellect. The mystic experience is imbued with
a noetic quality, a quality of transience and of timelessness. There are many
stages of evolution in the life of a mystic. Ultimately, the mystic attains the
perfect union with God and he cries: 'I am God - <i>aham brahm asmi'. </i>It is a well-known fact that mystics feel that
exalted state of ecstasy but fail to describe it in ordinary language. The
mystics use the simile of a dumb person who cannot describe the taste of candy<sup>16</sup>.
Saith Kabir: <i>"Such state is like the
dumb tasting of sugar, which in no way can be described". <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mystics believe in the integral or
holistic experience of Reality. We need not rest content with the partial
truths revealed by astronomy, by physics, by biology, by history; each true in
its own field, none complete in itself, none giving the whole picture; nor yet
with the truth of mathematics or the truth of language, primarily truths of
expression, obeying rules which men themselves have made. Beyond all these,
beyond the contradictions of each separate truth, lies concealed the supreme
and final truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The realm of mystic experience is a
Reality beyond the comprehension of our senses. But there is clear evidence in Sri
Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS)<sup>17</sup> regarding the transcendental nature of
this phenomenon:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"In this realm, one sees but without the eyes; one
listens but without the ears;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One walks but without the feet; one works but without the
hands;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One speaks but without the tongue; thus attaining life in
death.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">O</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>Nanak,
one meets the God after realisation of the divine law".</i></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">REFERENCES <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A. Pamplany and J. Kozhamthadam,
East – West Interface of Reality, ASSR
Publications, Pune, p. 13-33<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fritzof Capra, The Tao of Physics,
Bantam Books : New York, 1984, p. 27<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pampalany and Kozhamthadam,
East-West Interface of Reality, ASSR Publications Pune, p. 45 (Copenhagen
interpretation was developed at Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, hence known
by its name).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Richard Morris, The Nature of
Reality, Noonday Press : New York, 1987, p. 104<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">W. Kilmister, Review Article on
David Bohm: Wholeness and the Implicate Order, British Journal for the
Philosophy of Science, 32 (1981) p. 305<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nick Herbert, Quantum Reality,
Anchor Books : New York, 1987, p. 27-28<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Henry Stapp, S-Matrix Interpretation
of Quantum Theory, Physical Review D, 3(1971), p. 1303<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paul Schilpp, Albert Einstein :
Philosopher – Scientist, Harper and Row : New York, 1944, p. 85<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">J.S. Bell, Speakable and Unspeakable
in Quantum Mechanics, Cambridge University Press : Cambridge, 1988, p. 27<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: right -121.5pt list 18.0pt right 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mahadevan, T.P. Essays on Hinduism
(Ed. L.M. Joshi), Punjabi University, Patiala, India, 1968.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">11.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fritzof Capra, The Tao of Physics,
Bantam Books: New York, 1984, p.16.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">12.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gary Zukov, p. 62 (cited in ref. 7).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: right -121.5pt list 18.0pt right 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">13.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Capra, F. <i>The Tao of Physics</i>. Shambhala, Berkeley, USA, 1975.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: right -121.5pt list 18.0pt right 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">14.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Capra,F. Modern Physics &
Eastern Mysticism. J. Transpersonal Psychology, 8(1)(1976), pp.20-40<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: right -121.5pt list 18.0pt right 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Happold, F.C. Mysticism, Viking
Penguin, 1991.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: right -121.5pt list 18.0pt right 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">16.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Kabir, P. 334 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">17.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sri Guru Granth Sahib, M 2, P. 139 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-9208822111399830452015-07-19T18:03:00.001-07:002015-07-19T18:03:11.560-07:00Cosmological Ideas in Science and Religion: The Riddle of Singularity and its Solution by Guru Nanak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Cosmological Ideas in Science and Religion:
The Riddle of Singularity and its Solution by Guru Nanak<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; text-align: right;">Hardev
Singh Virk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: right;">Visiting
Professor, SGGS World University, Fatehgarh Sahib</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Abstract<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cosmology deals with the
problem of the creation of the universe. Almost all religions have dealt with the
problem of creation of the universe from time immemorial in their sacred texts.
Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, critically examined the theories of
creation of the universe prevalent in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> before his advent, from
pre-historic times to the end of 15<sup>th</sup> century. The seeds of modern
cosmology, namely, the Big-Bang
cosmology are explicitly visible in the sacred writings of Guru Nanak
and his successors, compiled during 1604 in the form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib,
the Sikh holy book The cosmological
hypothesis of this sacred text has been compared with other texts, both of
oriental and occidental traditions. It has been observed that scientific
evidence supports the Big-Bang model of cosmology. An overview of the scientific
theories has also been given for sake of comparison and to appreciate the
revelatory but scientific vision of Guru Nanak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Introduction<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Scientists
use physical and chemical methods to discover the secrets of universe while the
Prophets use divine intuition to reveal these secrets. All their conclusions
may not coincide but their objective remains the same to explore the secret of
Laws of Universe for the benefit of the humanity so that humanity can live
peacefully on this tiny planet, the earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The most important question discussed by the Prophets and
scientists is the origin of the universe. The question has been answered in two
different ways. One line of thought is that the universe came into existence
itself. The other line of thought is that there are signs of designing and
planning in the universe (Intelligent Design); therefore, it must have been
created by a superpower. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">There are a large number of theories about the creation
of the universe but so far ‘Big Bang Theory’ is widely accepted by many
scientists. However, with every new scientific discovery the theory may undergo
a drastic change in the future. One must keep in mind that theories are based
on some scientific information and use of logic and it will change as soon as
more facts are discovered. Many theologians emphasize that theories propounded
by scientists change with the time, therefore, the science is not a stable
field. On the other hand they say that the God has revealed the theology to the
deities, prophets, Gurus; therefore, it cannot change. But one should also not
forget that God has also revealed principles of science, Laws of Universe, to
the scientists. Therefore, science and theology cannot contradict each other
since both have been revealed by God <sup>1</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">(A) Cosmological Ideas
in Science<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cosmology<sup>2-5</sup>
deals with the problem of creation of the Universe. It has played a decisive role in the conflict
between science and religion. Various
cosmological theories and models have been proposed in both science and religion.
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Newton</st1:place></st1:city>’s
approach towards cosmology was metaphysical and he considered the creation of
the Universe as an act of God. In his
system, space and time appear as absolutes and the earth occupies a unique
position in the Universe. More than a
century later, Kant and Laplace put forward their views, together known as
Gas-Cloud hypothesis. It considers the
creation of the Universe out of gases and vapors such as hydrogen, methane,
carbon dioxide, cyanogens and water. The
planets and the sun were created out of the same nebular gas medium. A similar view has been expressed in SGGS<sup>6</sup>:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">God created the air, from
air came water and from water the world was created. God spirit permeates all the beings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">swcy qy pvnw
BieAw pvnY qy jl hoie ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">jl qy
iqRBvxu swijAw Git Git joiq smoie ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h1>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Relativistic
Models of the Universe<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The real investigation of
the cosmological problem begins with the advent of Einstein’s general theory of
relativity presented in 1915, which is in reality a cosmological theory. Each cosmological solution of the field
equations of Einstein gives us a model of the Universe, by which is meant an
account of the history of the Universe.
Of the many models available, only one can be correct, as we have only
one actual universe. We will describe
several models which have been proposed till date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> A cosmological model is intended to represent the
positions and motions of the clusters of galaxies. The basic feature in the history of the
universe is the expansion. For relativistic
cosmological models, the expansion curve is obtained from solutions of
Einstein’s equations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Let us fix attention on two typical galaxies A and B, and
suppose that at a certain moment the distance between A and B is 1 unit: the
unit could be any large distance, say 100 million light years. Before this moment the distance AB will be
less and afterwards it will be greater.
If R is used to denote the distance AB, then R depends on the time. Different models (Figure 1) give different
graphs for the dependence of R on the time.
Accordingly we get these models:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">(1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Einstein-De
Sitter model, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">(2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cycloidal
model, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">(3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Hyperbolic
model.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">. <b>The Einstein-De Sitter
model:</b> It is simplest relativistic
model which starts from a ‘singular state’.
This means that function R is Zero in the beginning so that distance AB
was zero, and the distance between all pairs of galaxies was zero. Matter was so closely packed that density was
infinite. In this model, R increases
rapidly from zero, the rate of increase becomes less rapid as time goes
on. According to this model, the present
time is about 7,000 million years after the singular state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">2. Cycloidal model:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> In this model, R increases to a maximum and
then decreases to zero again. The
distance AB between the two galaxies increases up to time M and after time M,
it starts decreasing, until at E, the distance AB is again zero. The event ‘E’ which is known as ‘end of the
world’ is the most remarkable feature of this model. Both S and E represent singular states.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the cycloidal model,
light from distant galaxies is shifted towards the red while the expansion is
going on. During the second half there
is a contraction and the red shift becomes a violet shift. During contraction the night sky will appear
as bright as the day. According to this
model the space is finite and the expansion of universe can be explained on the
analogy of an expanding balloon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">3. Hyperbolic model:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> This model has an expansion curve similar to
that of the Einstein-de Sitter model, but it rises rather more steeply. The model starts from a singular state and
expands for ever; its volume is infinite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We can sum up all three
models, based on their expansion curves, as parabolic, elliptic and hyperbolic,
respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Singular</span></b></st1:placename><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></span></b></st1:place><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> and a job for God</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">: The three models of the universe described
above all start from a condition of infinite density which is called a singular
state. What happened before the
expansion started? Einstein’s equations
break down at the singular state and our models fail to explain the history of
the universe backward. Scientists have to invoke God to get rid of singularity
problem and for starting expansion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Oscillating model:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> To get rid of the singular states, the
oscillating model (Figure 2) has been proposed.
Each contracting period in the universe’s history ends in a smooth
transition to subsequent period of expansion.
The universe is infinite in time but finite in space. There are no singular states and hence no
need of bringing in the creator. The
universe continues for ever following the cycles of expansion and contraction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h1>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Relativistic
Models with Cosmic Repulsion<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1. Einstein model:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> This model is static with
its space curved and of finite volume.</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: maroon; font-family: "new times roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Einstein assumed a static
universe, and to accommodate for it, he introduced an antigravity unit called
cosmological term which is multiplied by a cosmological constant. The reason
for its inclusion was simply to provide for a static cosmic equilibrium. The
assumption that cosmic bodies are continuously experiencing mutual
gravitational pull would eventually cause the cosmic bodies to converge and
become one. In other words, the universe would collapse. To overcome
gravitational attraction, Einstein introduced a </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">l</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> term in his field
equations to bring in repulsion at cosmological distances. With Hubble’s
observation of an expanding universe, Einstein regretted modifying his theory
of general relativity with the cosmological constant and called it “the biggest
blunder of my life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">2. Lemaitre’s model:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> This model (Figure 2) starts from a singular
state at O, and begins to expand rapidly.
The expansion slows down and for a period AB the conditions are almost
static as the gravitational attraction is being balanced by cosmic repulsion. After AB, the repulsion predominates and the
universe expands continuously for ever under the influence of the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">l</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> term alone.
If there is no cosmic repulsion, Lemaitre model would be similar to
cycloidal model with its curved space and a finite volume.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Lemaitre believes his model to be a
correct representation of the real universe.
In particular, he has pictured the initial singular state as being the
explosion of the ‘primeval atom’ as mentioned earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Steady State Theory/Model<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It
is important to understand that steady state universe is not static. Change is going on all the time, but the
overall picture does not alter. There is
continuous creation of matter and unceasing motion. But the amount of matter created is so small,
that it has not been detected by any experiment so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
most controversial feature of the theory is the creation of matter. It is created not out of radiation or
something else, but out of ‘nothing’.
The rate of creation is so small and the universe so large that if one
hydrogen atom is supposed to be created in a room of normal size every 5000
years, there will be enough matter for 50,000 Suns every second.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This model (Figure 2) is based on
cosmological principle: ‘Universe is the same for all observers, for all the
time and space to come’. There is no
singular state to be explained. The main
objections to this model are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(1).
It does not obey the law of conservation of energy, and (2) no explanation is
given of why the universe is expanding as there are no field equations, as in
relativistic models, with or without </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">l</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> term. To detect creation of matter would be a final
test for this model.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Fred
Hoyle and Jayant Narlikar (1962-63) have introduced field equations to explain
for expansion of the universe. The
observations of M. Royle of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Cambridge</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> on distant
radio galaxies contradict the predictions of Hoyle and his group. The detection of cosmic microwave background
radiation at 3<sup>0</sup>K has dealt the final death blow to this model. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Big Bang Theory/Model<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The creation or expansion
of the universe from singular state is referred to as ‘Big Bang’. It’s most ambitious and detailed theory is
that of Gamow and collaborators, known as </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">a</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">b</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">g</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> theory. They suppose that universe started from a
very dense, hot mass of neutrons which decayed into protons and electrons.
These combined to form complex nuclei.
The temperature during this phase was 10,000 million degrees Kelvin and
most of the heavy elements were built up in the first 30 minutes of the
expansion. The </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">a</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">b</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">g</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> theory fails to explain
the production of heavier elements after helium. Lemaitre explains the big bang from a
primeval atom--an atom which contained all the matter of the universe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The Big Bang theory is an effort to explain what happened
at the very beginning of our universe. Discoveries in astronomy and physics
have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that our universe did in fact have a
beginning. Prior to that moment there was nothing; during and after that moment
there was something: our universe. The big bang theory is an effort to explain
what happened during and after that moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Our universe sprang into existence as a "singularity"
around 13.7 billion years ago (some say about 15 billions). What is a
"singularity" and where does it come from? Well, to be honest, we
don't know for sure. Singularities are zones which defy our current
understanding of physics. They are thought to exist at the core of "black
holes." According to Big-Bang model, our universe is thought to have begun
as an infinitesimally small, infinitely hot, infinitely dense, something - a
singularity. Where did it come from? We don't know. Why did it appear? We don't
know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mathematically speaking, the moment of
origin (time, t=0) of the universe is called a <i>singularity</i>; the density
of matter and space-time curvature is infinite and the distance between any two
“observers” is zero. Interestingly, the laws of physics, as are known to us,
breakdown here. To understand the events close to the singularity, rules of
quantum mechanics are employed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">In 1964 Arno Penzia and Robert Wilson discovered very
high frequency radio microwaves coming from all directions of the sky. They believed that these microwaves were the
remnants of the "echo" of the Big Bang, which is still pulsating and
reverberating through the universe<sup>7</sup>. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Evidence collected by
astronomers during the last 50 years confirms the hypothesis of expanding
Universe and it is the basis of Big-Bang cosmology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">According to current scientific
understanding, origin of the universe is best understood by reversing the
expansion process. In the reverse, more than 100 billion galaxies with billions
of stars are compressed together. As it shrinks the temperature and the density
of the primordial plasma rises. Extrapolating to the point of origin the
universe would have begun as a point of extremely high temperature and density.
The Big Bang occurred at this stage and space and time came into existence. It
was believed that matter is made of protons and neutrons, but with the advances
in particle physics these have been replaced by their smaller constituents
called <i>quarks.</i> Before protons and neutrons the universe is said to
consist of quarks, electrons and photons. Using this model the history of the
universe has been reconstructed to one thousand-billionth of a second (10<sup>-12</sup>)
after the Big Bang. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Inflation
Theory of Big-Bang<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Alan Guth of MIT proposed Inflation
theory<sup>8</sup> to explain the rapid expansion of Universe. According to this theory, the size of the
Universe doubles every 10<sup>-35</sup> of a second and age of the Universe is
about 15 billion years. Quantum physics
allows the Universe to appear out of nothing at all, as a vacuum fluctuation. It
should be noted that “quantum nothingness” is different from absolute
nothingness (complete emptiness). Chaotic inflation led to the sudden expansion
of the Universe out of a quantum fluctuation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The seed of the Universe is considered
to be a ‘magnetic monopole’, according to a new version of inflation
theory. Hubble Telescope has provided
some most useful data to clinch the issues in Big-Bang Cosmology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: maroon; font-family: "new times roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1992
COBE satellite discovered hot and cold patches in the cosmic background
radiation that are characterized as primeval ripples. These patches have
traveled undisturbed since the cooling of the universe, three hundred thousand
years after the Big Bang. George Smoot, 2006 Nobel Laureate<sup>9</sup>, has
discovered the long-sought hard evidence for the Big-Bang origin of Universe on
the basis of small fluctuations found with the help of NASA’s Cosmic Background
Explorer (COBE).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">B) Cosmological
Ideas in Oriental and Occidental Religions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -9.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Hindu Religion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Let
us examine the approach of Hindu religion to the problems of cosmology. The
world’s most ancient text of religious literature, viz. <i>Rig Veda</i> deals with the problem of
creation of universe in its famous chapter<sup>10</sup> ‘<i>Nasdiya Sukt</i>’. The Vedic seer sang in <i>Rig Veda</i> thus:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Who
can tell us surely?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">From
what and how this universe has risen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And
whether or not till after it the gods lived?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Who then can know from what
it has arisen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
source from which this universe has risen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And
whether it was made or uncreated,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">He only knows, who from the
highest heaven rules,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
all-seeing Lord or does not He know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> We may quote
some more hymns on the creation of the Universe from Atharva</span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Veda</span></i><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">11</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">.
It is known as Golden Womb (<i>Hiranyagarbha</i>) hypothesis which assumes Universe
as extension of God. The division of creation into terrestrial, celestial and
interspatial regions is more akin to Greek and Islamic traditions. The
relationship of man and universe is also demonstrated through this division
into three realms in a perfectly logical manner. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: -18.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the beginning was Hiranyagarbha, The
seed of Elemental Existence, The only Lord of all that was born. The whole of
this Universe is stationed in the Omnipresent and the Omnipotent God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We see Him in various forms. He brings
to light all these Worlds. Him they call the Kala, Infinite, pervading the
Infinite Space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In this creation are held in balance
the three regions, terrestrial, interspatial and celestial, and the three
divine realms pertaining to body, mind and spirit provided with three eternal
functions-physical, mental and transcendental.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Upnishadas</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">, the great treatises on
Indian Philosophy, also deal with the cosmological problem. According to Deussen<sup>12</sup> there are
four views of creation in Hindu philosophy based on <i>Upnishadas:</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Matter
is eternal and <i>Purusha</i> (creator) has always been independent of
God. God does not create the matter but
moulds it into creation as a potter makes the earthen pots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Purusha</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> is the cause and creator
of matter. But after the creation, God
does not interfere in its working and it continues according to its own
fundamental laws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">God
himself transforms into creation i.e., changing his <i>Nirguna</i> form into <i>Saguna</i>
form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Creation
is a play of Maya. It is a mere
illusion. Only God is real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">H</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">induism has several funny creation
beliefs in the <i>Purana</i> literature<sup>13</sup>.
According to <i>Vamapurana,</i> Brahma lay within an egg and after it broke the
sacred word <st1:place w:st="on"><i>Om</i></st1:place> emanated. The first
sound was <i>bhuh,</i> the second <i>bhuvaha</i> and the third <i>svaha.</i>
The sun emerged from the egg, in the centre of which was the creator Brahma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">n <i>Brahmanda Purana,</i>
Brahma hatched from a golden egg and made the sky and earth from the eggshell.
After creating rocks and mountains, Brahma created Saraswati and fell
passionately in love with her. He persuaded her to marry him and at the end of
the wedding night Manu, the first human being was born. To him Brahma gave
eight gifts - five senses, movement, reproduction and intelligence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
age of the universe according to the Hindu view is infinite. There are innumerable <i>Brahmas</i> who are
employed in the process of creation.
Each <i>Brahma</i> has life-time of 100 years. On astronomical time scale the year is much
bigger than our solar year. Some of the
units are given below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1 <i>Maha Yuga</i> =
S+D+T+K (Four <i>Yugas</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> =
432x10<sup>4</sup> Solar Years<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1000 <i>Maha Yugas</i>=
Kalp=Day=Night (of <i>Brahma</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1000<i> Maha Yugas</i> = 14
<i>Manvantar</i> + 15 Junctions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After working out the above relation
we can get:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1 <i>Manvantar</i> =
71x432x10<sup>4</sup> Solar years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For
an analogy if we represent the cosmological time as still water in a pond, then
the cycles of creation can be represented by the surface ripples which continue
for ever. Thus the age of universe in
this system is infinite and the creation (<i>Utpal-Parlo</i>) is a mere phase
in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Semitic Religions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Judeo-Christian
Tradition<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">According
to the Holy Bible, the creation of universe is the manifestation of God. The whole process of creation was completed
in six days. The first book of Moses,
called Genesis<sup>14</sup>, opens with the lines: In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth. God
created the universe out of nothing (<i>ex nihilo</i>) through a series of
commands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 5.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And God said, "Let there be
light"; and there was light (Gen. 1:3). "Let there be a firmament in
the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters"
(Gen.1:6). And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered
together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so (Gen.
1:9). "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the
day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and
years (Gen. 1:14). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 5.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And God said, "Let the waters
bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth
across the firmament of the heavens" (Gen. 1:20). Then God said, "Let
us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and
over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the
earth" (Gen. 1:26). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In
1650, Bishop Usher of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>
calculated the date of creation as 4004 B.C. according to the ‘Genesis’ story
of the Bible. This date has been pushed
back by a long span that has elapsed since the appearance of man on earth
confirmed by recent archeological find (Neanderthal man in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
end of the world too is envisaged in the Bible: “The heavens shall pass away
with a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and
the works that are therein shall be burned up” <sup>15</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Islamic tradition<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">According to a recent study
of Cosmology in Quran, Kamel Ben Salem<sup>16</sup> tries to interpret Quranic
verses in the light of scientific theories of creation of Universe. The Holy Quran
speaks of creation as a big bang. When
Allah spoke the word ‘<i>Kun</i>’ there was creation all around. The Quran
states that the creation phenomenon in the universe is a continuous process (<i>Sura 30, verse 11</i>):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">"It is God Who begins (the process of) creation;
Then repeats it." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">According to the Islamic
view, there are seven heavens and seven earths (<i>Sura 65, verse 12</i>):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">"God
is the One Who created seven heavens and of the earth a similar number.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> The Quran almost repeats the Biblical version
of the genesis story that God created the Universe with all its manifestations
in just six days but does not state that God took rest on seventh day (<i>Sura 50, verse 38</i>):<b><i> <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin-right: 7.1pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"We
created the heavens, the earth and what is between them in six days and no
weariness touched Us."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">S</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ome
accounts deal with the creation more specifically stating that earth was
created on a Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday He created the mountains and on
Wednesday trees, water and cultivation came into existence. On Thursday God
created heaven and the stars, sun, and moon and the angels were created on a
Friday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Universe is divided
into three realms as shown in Hindu view of creation in Atharva Veda: those
which are found in heavens; those<b> </b>which
are found on Earth; those which are found between the heavens and the Earth (<i>Sura 32, verse 4</i>):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin-right: 7.1pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"God
is He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them in six
days”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin-right: 7.1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin-right: 7.1pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Quran
says that the universe was created from a gaseous mass with fine particles, the
elements of which were initially soldered to form one unit which will later be
divided. Expansion started after the build up operation and it continues until
now (<i>Sura 51, verse 47</i>):<i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> "The heaven, We have built it with power,
Verily We are expanding it."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Quran advocates a
cyclic view of the Universe as in Hindu and Sikh Cosmologies, and specifies
that after expansion there will be a collapse, then a re-birth in exactly the
same way as at the beginning (<i>Sura 30, verse 11</i>):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"It is God Who
begins (the process of) creation; Then repeats it."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText2">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> According to Ben Salem, the following
chronology may be established according to the verses concerning the creation
and the evolution of the universe in Quran, provided we consider the length of
God’s day equivalent to one thousand lunar years</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "new times roman","serif";"> (</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sura 32, verse </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "new times roman","serif";">5)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "new times roman","serif";"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">age of the Earth = 4.6 billion years<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The age of the Universe = 13.8
billion years <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The end of the Universe is
linked to that of the solar system (according to Sura 81, verse 1 and Sura 41,
verse 10), which would occur towards 18.4 billion years after the big-bang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cosmology in Sikh
Religion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It is my considered opinion
that Sikh Cosmology as enunciated in SGGS has been found to be most scientific
and compatible with the modern cosmological theories of science. Guru Nanak challenges the Hindu world-view as
archaic and based on dogma and mythology.
In <i>Japuji</i>, Guru Nanak sums up
his ideas about creation of the Universe, which he elaborates further in the
most precise and scientific manner in the <i>Raga
Maru Solhe</i> in SGGS. The creation
hypothesis is summed up as follows by Guru Nanak <sup>17</sup>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‘God created
the Universe by uttering a word.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">kIqw pswau eyko kvwau ] iqs qy hoey lK drIAwau
]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Thus the problem of
‘singularity’ faced by the Big-Bang model of the Universe is solved by the Guru
by bringing in God as the creator of the Universe. Once this riddle is solved, the sequence of
creation, its epoch and extent is described in SGGS in a most rational manner.
Guru Nanak poses the next question in <i>Japuji</i><sup>18</sup>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‘What was the
time and the moment<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">the day and
the month,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When the
world was created?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">kvxu su vylw
vKqu kvxu kvxu iQiq kvxu vwru ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">kvix is ruqI
mwhu kvxu ijqu hoAw Awkwru ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the next stanza, Guru
Nanak provides the answer <sup>19</sup>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‘Neither the
Pundit can find this date<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">by looking
through the Purana texts,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Nor can the
Qazi tell from the Koran,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Neither the
Yogi nor any one else knows<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The day,
weak, season and month of creation,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The creator
who creates the World<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">He alone
knows the time’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">vyl n pweIAw
pMfqI ij hovY lyKu purwxu ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">vKqu n pwieE
kwdIAw ij ilKin lyKu kurwx ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">iQiq vwru nw
jogI jwxY ruiq mwhu nw koeI ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">jw krqw
isrTI kau swjy Awpy jwxY soeI ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Guru Nanak does not want to
formulate any hypothesis based on false assumptions and leaves this question
open. The creation process is started
under the command of God, the creator of the universe. The Guru envisages the creation of the
Universe out of ‘<i>Sunya</i>’ which is
devoid of matter but not of energy.
Hence a beautiful analogy with quantum concept of creation ‘out of
nothing’ as a vacuum fluctuation is established in <i>Raga</i> <i>Maru Solhe </i><sup>20</sup>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the Primal
Void, the Infinite Lord assumed His Power<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">He created
the air, water, earth and sky; <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">He created universe and the man in the
fortress of body<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniAkhar; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">suMn klw
AprMpir DwrI ] <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">pauxu pwxI
suMnY qy swjy ] isRsit aupwie kwieAw gV rwjy ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This wonderful drama of
creation is elucidated further by Guru Nanak in his mystic reverie. Surprisingly, there is a perfect
correspondence between the epoch of ‘Big-Bang’ and the creation out of <i>Sunya</i> phase as enunciated in <i>Maru Solhe,</i> the most beautiful hymn on
Sikh Cosmology <sup>21</sup>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">‘For
billions of years, there was nothing but utter darkness. There was neither day nor night, nor moon,
nor sun, but the Lord alone sat in profound trance. Neither there was creation, nor air, nor
water. There were no continents, nor
underworlds, nor seven oceans nor rivers, or the flowing water. There was neither death, nor time. There was no Brahma, nor Vishnu or Shiva.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When
He so willed, He created the world and supported the firmament without
support. He created Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva and extended the love of mammon.
He founded the continents, solar systems and underworlds, and from the
Absolute self,He became manifest.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">Arbd nrbd
DuMDUkwrw [[Drix n ggnw hukmu Apwrw [[<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;"> nw idnu
rYin n cMdu n sUrju suMn smwiD lgwiedw ] <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth
Sikh Guru and compiler of SGGS, describes in <i>Sukhman</i>i
the myriad forms of creation<sup>22</sup>. The cyclic theory of creation is
accepted as a norm in SGGS:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There
are millions and millions of galaxies and solar systems in the universe. The phenomenon of creation has occurred so
many times. But the one Lord remains for
ever and ever.”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-bidi-font-family: GurmukhiIIGS;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-bidi-font-family: GurmukhiIIGS;">keI koit KwxI Aru KMf ] keI koit Akws bRhmMf ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-bidi-font-family: GurmukhiIIGS;">keI koit hoey Avqwr ] keI
jugiq kIno ibsQwr]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-bidi-font-family: GurmukhiIIGS;"> keI bwr psirE pwswr] sdw sdw ieku eykMkwr]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="PunjabiQuote" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The universe is still expanding since the Big Bang
occurred. And no limit has been established according to the present day
knowledge of science. Guru Nanak explains infiniteness of universe in his own
inimitable style after rejecting the hypotheses put forward by religions of
both the oriental and occidental traditions, as follows<sup>23</sup>: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">There are
hundreds of thousands of nether worlds,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">and
hundreds of thousands of skies.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">After
great research the Vedas have said it definitely.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The
Semitic books say that there are eighteen thousand worlds,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">and that
is the fact.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-ansi-language: EN;">pwqwlw pwqwl lK Awgwsw Awgws ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-ansi-language: EN;">EVk EVk Bwil Qky vyd khin iek vwq ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-ansi-language: EN;">shs ATwrh khin kqybw AsulU ieku Dwqu ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">However, Guru Nanak does not enter into any mathematical
rigmaroles to make an assessment or count of the celestial bodies comprising
our Universe. After quoting the prevalent tradition or information available at
that time, Guru Nanak records his own observations in SGGS in the form of his
mystic reverie. He says that the cosmos (universe) contains countless number of
celestial bodies. The real number would be known only to the God, the creator
of the Universe<sup>23</sup>: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">It cannot
be possible to count (number of the celestial bodies in the universe)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">because
the accounting person may reach the end of his life during counting,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">it will
still be incomplete.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">He
further says that the God is the Great,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Who knows
the account (of the celestial bodies in the universe).<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-ansi-language: EN;">lyKw hoie q ilKIAY lyKY hoie ivxwsu ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-ansi-language: EN;">nwnk vfw AwKIAY
Awpy jwxY Awpu ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">According to the present scientific information available
there are billions of galaxies and each galaxy is composed of billions of stars
and their planets and moons. Our sun, having nine planets revolving around it,
is one of the billions of stars of our galaxy, the Milky Way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The riddle of creation of
the Universe will remain an enigma for cosmologists and there is no final word
yet in cosmology. About the present
theories and models, we may conclude with a quotation from the <i>Benti Chaupai</i> in <i>Dasam Granth </i><sup>24</sup>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Everyone
explains the creation process according to his intellect,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But no one
can tell, O Lord,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">How
you first created the universe”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-no-proof: yes;"> Awp
AwpnI buiD hY jyqI [ brnq iBMn-iBMn quih qyqI [<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 72.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-no-proof: yes;">qumrw
lKw n jwie pswrw [ ikh ibiD sjw pRQm sMswrw [<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">End
Note: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This
Essay is part of My Book: “Scientific Vision in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and
Inter-Faith Dialogue” published by Singh Brothers Amritsar (2007).<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">References:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">DS
Chahal, Understanding Sikhism: The Research Journal, Vol. 9(1), p.46, 2006.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">HS
Virk, Cosmology: Religious & Scientific Aspects, Khoj Patrika, Punjabi University, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Patiala</st1:place></st1:city>, pp. 150-161, 1969.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">HS
Virk, Cosmology in Science & Religion, Proc. Summer School History of
Science, INSA, New Delhi, 1974.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">HS
Virk, Cosmology in Science & Religion, Journal of Sikh Studies, Vol. 9(2),
pp. 19-30, 1982.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> 5 HS Virk, Cosmological Ideas in Science
& Aad Guru Granth Sahib, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Omega: Ind. Journal of Science &
Religion, Vol. 3(1), pp. 72-75, 2004.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">6 SGGS, M1, p.19. (SGGS = Sri Guru Granth
Sahib, published by SGPC, Golden
Temple Press, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Amritsar</st1:place></st1:city>.
This Holy Book of the Sikh Religion is treated as a Living Sabad Guru).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">7 Time Magazine, Hammond Almanac Inc. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Maplewood</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">New
Jersey</st1:state></st1:place>, 1979.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">8 John Gribbin, Watching the Universe,
Universities Press (<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>)
Ltd, p. 202, 1998.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">9 George
Smoot, CERN Courrier, Vol. 47(3), p.
26, 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">10 The Holy
Vedas, English Translation by Pandit Satyakam Vidyalankar, International Veda Trust, Delhi,
1983, p.39 (Rig. 10.129.7).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">11 Ibid, Hymns
on Creation (Atharva, 4.2.7).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">12 Paul Deussen,
The Philosophy of the Upanishads (English
Translation by Rev. A. S. Geden), <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dover</st1:place></st1:city>
Publications, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>,
1966.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">13 PMS
Ahluwalia, The Handwriting of God, SikhSpectrum.com Monthly, Issue No.
12, May 2003, pp. 1-6.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">14 The Old
Testament, Genesis, Chapter 1, p. 5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">15 The Old
Testament, II Peter, Chapter 3, p. 964.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; tab-stops: 18.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">16 Kamel
Ben <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salem</st1:place></st1:city>, The
Evolution of the Universe: A New Vision, Pacific Journal of Science &
Technology, Vol. 6(1), May 2005, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Akamai
University</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:state></st1:place>.
Also the revised version: “The Future of Solar system and Earth from Religious
point of View” published in: The Future
of Life and Future of Our Civilization (Ed. V. Burdyuzha), Springer, 2006, pp.
437-453. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">17 SGGS, M1, p.3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">18<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">SGGS,
M1, p.4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">19<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">SGGS,
M1, p.4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">20 SGGS, M1, p.1037.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">21<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">SGGS,
M1, p.1035.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">22 SGGS, M5, p.276. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">23 SGGS, M1, Jap 22, p. 5.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: GurbaniLipi; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">24 Guru Gobind
Singh, Benati Chaupai, Dasam Granth, Published by Bhai Chattar Singh - Jeewan Singh, Amritsar, 1902, p.1387.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-85024317839576219862015-07-19T17:53:00.000-07:002015-07-19T17:53:03.826-07:00WOMAN by Professor Puran Singh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="Hanging1">
<br /></div>
<div class="chapterhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="chapterhead">
<span lang="EN-US">Woman*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: double windowtext 2.25pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;">
<div class="author">
<span lang="EN-US">Prof. Puran Singh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">Next to bread, the
essential man is centred in his divine love for woman. His sexless passion also
has woman as its terra firma. All his glorious hopes and aspirations are bees
humming round this flower-woman. The Home of Love revolves round her as a dream
beauty. In a great and cultured world the honour for woman must needs be
infinite. I do not think that the ideal honour for woman is as yet in sight. As
George Meredith puts in the mouth of Bis Diana of the Crossways, "Men may
have rounded Seraglio Point, they have not yet doubled Cape Turk."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">Women shall be
second best God or the God of the intellectuals on earth. She shall be
absolutely free. And it is out of her freedom that we shall yet win new ideals
of Home and Art. I tell you as a beloved slave of man she has contributed a
major portion of the whole of his culture and civilization. The slavery of
woman to man is due to man largely but essentially to the woman herself. Only
in motherhood does she become free. A divine sovereignty is then conferred on
her. Her intuitive omniscience is more developed than man's. Her spirit of
self-sacrifice is real and man's is more or less dramatic and unreal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">The whole of Guru
Grantha is the voice of a wedded woman or a maiden pining in love of the
Beautiful. Her nobleness in Guru Grantha is infinite, her freedom is of the
highest. Both man and woman as sexes are forgotten in her voice. She becomes
the Supreme Reality and a freed Soul. In the freed soul alone is the
subordination of one to the other effectively abolished and all disputes
hushed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">As Bolshevism is
in modern politics so is the modern women's movement in the sphere of women;
both are protests. There is something rotten in the systems of our marriages
and social inequalities and the protest is to bring better culture. Much is
frivolous futility in such ill-balanced movements. But the balance shall
tremble again and women shall find her real spiritual worth in herself. So far
she is still a toy-like thing. In her imagined freedom what is she doing? Aping
man. Man himself is yet in his swaddling clothes. Let us look at the modern
woman a little and compare that old and this new. She has certainly lost her
beauty and has not yet gained her soul. When in that old superb figure of hers
the Christ-braids fell all about her swan-like neck, her face shone in this
world like the moon in black clouds. Even that so-called savage Afridi of the
Indian Frontier was moved to sing of "the <i>bazar</i> of the tresses of
my Beloved", and in passionate worship of her the most brutal of men found
some kind of cultural atmosphere. It was the culture of total self-sacrifice
for her sake. In her worship too is all patriotism, honour of a race, war and
defence of home and hearth. What would freedom itself be if man were devoid of
women worship? One wonders what is woman. Man called her wife, but she stood as
his daughter before him and she made a Buddha of her father. She was always a
mystery to the human race. Her tresses suggested a secret, her eyes that loved
made it deeper. The virgin was desired by the young man, he fell worshipping
before her, she was the mother and he the son. Her clothes were a Universe in
themselves and her soul was sought after from eternity to eternity. It was
hidden in the fold of her clothes, it was fluttering of some one's heart in the
flapping of her veil-cloth. The national flags are dim shadows of the
veil-cloth that flies, as the sister of the nation runs appealing to
man-"up and fight, for I am in danger." The other day the eastern
wind was flaunting a sun-lit cloud before my eyes. I thought it was the veil-cloth
of my mother, and I stood up thinking my mother had come back from the dead. I
shed a tear and the sun went past me. The woman's forehead we have for
centuries contemplated as our sky aglow with the calm sparkle of the moon.
Poets sang and husbands and fathers and all poets in action in this living love
of woman, died serving her and her children. The mother mysterious, so noble,
divine, so full of love that she drew the whole-souled devotion of humane men
for centuries and was still a mystery. She was as mysterious as Nature. A
literature was born, an art became alive, a history was made glorious in the
defence of her honour and pride. Woman was still a mystery. And for ever
concealed was her face in the night of hair, in the mystery of her clothes, in
the appeal of her eyes and in the music of her voice, and she was revealed
partly to man in her acts of faith, love, and noble self-sacrifice. She wore
the cross of the whole family as did Jesus, but started no Christianity. Every
woman is the Messiah. Her daily life in the service of man gave us the songs of
her beautiful soul as the shifting colours of the sky and the changing lines of
Nature tell us of Nature's inner Person. Woman was thus the inspiration for all
the heroic efforts of man to make himself man. Woman is responsible for all his best longings for
immortality, for all his religions, for all his arts, and for all his noble
wingings above earth and sky. And when I contemplate the modern type of woman
that had denuded her head of hair and
her limbs of the mystery of clothes and when she had not, by throwing
all these cumbersome veils aside, revealed her soul to us, I fall dead with
despair-wither is she going? The world has became emptied of human beauty. I
wanted to cling to her soul, the immortal portion of her, and she wishes me to
cling to her flesh and bone which is precious only because of her great soul.
Otherwise all is mutton, mere mutton. None need quarrel with her experiments
with her self. Of course she is absolutely free to do as she chooses, but we
are concerned in the decoration of the Temple of flesh where we have worshipped
for so many centuries and poured out our soul. And when someone asked me what
is the ideal of modern Art, I replied "speed". Get into a motor car,
free of all encumbrances, Speed! More speed! Bang! Dash against the mountain!
And to pieces! There lie the mutton pieces! The end! Discovered! Man a corpse!
Woman a corpse! To come to such a discovery is the suicide of all civilization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">In this too, the
Guru leads the ideas of the coming world, if Sikhs of to-day there are who veil
their women and enslave them, they are not of the Gurus. The third Guru while
giving audience to a Hindu Queen of Mandi when she came all veiled to Him said,
"You O mad woman, have come to see the Guru and you cover your face from
Him." How can those who call themselves His disciples tolerate anything
infringing the absolute freedom of woman. On the other hand, those who free her
and ape the western fashions remind one, as Marie Corelli graphically puts it,
"of the poultry yard." That is certainly worse than nursing a
peculiar type of womanhood of noble self-restraint behind the oriental veils.
Veils often symbolize the beauty and mystery of the concealed and the veiled is
more sacred than the unveiling. But if veil accendtuate this sex difference or
unveiling does the same, both are unholy. Only when man and woman both live
above body and mind as freed souls, they represent the culture of live freedom.
Live freedom is freed also of sex differences. Stupid, indeed, are those sects
who wish to get rid of woman as an obstacle to spiritual progress. Woman is the
greatest and truest aid to the maintenance of the true spiritual attitude.
Woman's soul crying to the soul of man is the only divine lyric trembling like
the music of the Infinite and the Eternal. Man's self-transcendence is as much
of him, as his physical indulgence, as his intellectual aestheticism. He is a
spirit. It is when the spirit of the Holy Ghost fills him and his body and bread,
his intellect and his woman are suffused with his discovery of the personal God
in man and Nature that Man, the artist, becomes himself the highest Art-the
expression of the mystery of life. The true artist is the best art, the best
culture, the best literature and the best religion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<br /></div>
<div class="center">
<span lang="EN-US">¤<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">From <i>The Spirit Born People</i>, Punjabi
University, Patiala, 1976, p. 31-34 and 38<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-40674360724222111842015-07-19T17:48:00.002-07:002015-07-19T17:48:27.542-07:00THE SIKH SYMBOLISM* by Professor Puran Singh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="Hanging1">
<br /></div>
<div class="chapterhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="chapterhead">
<span lang="EN-US">The Sikh Symbolism*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: double windowtext 2.25pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;">
<div class="author">
<span lang="EN-US">Prof Puran Singh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">When personal love
for Jesus Christ ebbed away from Europe and mere Christian principles took hold
of the minds of his disciples, the creative and true feeling of discipleship
ended. And the long-flowing locks of Christ worn by a few devoted Saints, Jesus
images, went out of fashion. The symbolism born of the fire of human feeling,
be it a kiss, or a wound or a lock of hair, a ring, a tree, is an index of the
intensity of life. The traditional form of Christ is the seal on His Word; both
go together. Take one away, the other becomes lifeless. So it is with the Sikhs
and Guru Gobind Singh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Subhead1">
<span lang="EN-US">Worship of the Word</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>tc "</span><span
lang=EN-US>Worship of the Word"</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Subhead1">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">After all it may
be said, there is a good deal of symbolism with the Sikh. He has the Golden
Temple, the Akal Takht, his worship of relics similar to the Buddhists, his
worship of “The Book”, his submission to the authority of his unique church,
like that of the Vatican, and a hundred other symbols and traditions. True. And
all this shows that there is a genuine religious feeling, for whenever there
has been a genuine feeling, it clothes itself in similar forms. Symbolism is
dead if the feeling is absent; and if feeling is there, it cannot live without
creating its own clay. To think of a genuine religious feeling without its cherished
symbolism is to think of a soul without a body: Dead symbolism, however, hugs
the pictures of other peoples, loves, and as such is empty self-deception; it
is the glorification of a corpse</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6.0pt; mso-text-raise: 3.5pt; position: relative; top: -3.5pt;">1</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">, in the words of Guru Arjan Dev. But to
pretend to rise above portrait-worship and above the affection of love letters
from one’s beloved, and above the worship of relics and memories, and yet to
claim at the same time to have feeling burning within one’s bosom is a peculiar
freak of dead puritanism which is equally lifeless and vain.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6.0pt; mso-text-raise: 3.5pt; position: relative; top: -3.5pt;">2</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6.0pt; mso-text-raise: 3.5pt; position: relative; top: -3.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">It is our personal
love for the Guru who has fascinated our soul with his life, his endeavour and
love for us that gives to us the breath of life. Such dedication is our faith.
There is deep solace for us repeating the Name. Our cherished sentiments and
even superstitions, however crude and primitive seemingly from the viewpoint of
shallow faithless rationalism or of a dry, academic metaphysics about God and
Man, have all the same, an essential bearing on the fervent continuation of our
life-giving traditions in the society and the individual. The sentiments and
symbols of a living faith are artistic forms of its highest poetry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Subhead1">
<span lang="EN-US">My Bosom Throbs</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>tc "</span><span
lang=EN-US>My Bosom Throbs"</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">The other day a
God-intoxicated Sikh went along muttering a prayer between his lips. I put my
ear to his bosom and heard his heart-beat: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“I have come away
now,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">My bosom throbs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">The Guru has
called me to the service of the Khalsa; I am offering my heart’s blood, only a
few drops they are, for mixing it with the cement with which one more marble
slab is to be laid today on the floor of our Hari Mandir.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6.0pt; mso-text-raise: 3.5pt; position: relative; top: -3.5pt;">3</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“Ah! why do not my
brothers accept my prayers?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">Why do they not
bless me thus?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“Ah! why don’t
they accept it at once”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Subhead1">
<span lang="EN-US">Baptism of Fire</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>tc "</span><span
lang=EN-US>Baptism of Fire"</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">The baptism of
fire and steel inaugurated by Guru Gobind Singh is the inspiration that
remoulds man to a new faith, a new death in love. It is emancipation by the
touch of the Adepts</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6.0pt; mso-text-raise: 3.5pt; position: relative; top: -3.5pt;">4 </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">who have the Guru’s authority to give the gift of
personality. It is the miracle of man-making by a divine touch, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“Come, let us not
despair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“We too go out and
seek the Emancipated ones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“Those whom God
has favoured with His Own gift of love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“Perchance we may
find them,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">“And attain
liberation from misery of Illusion of Duality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Subhead1">
<span lang="EN-US">Our Long Tresses</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>tc "</span><span
lang=EN-US>Our Long Tresses"</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">Don't you know
these tresses of ours are the wandering waves of the sea of Illusion? Guru
Gobind Singh gathered the waves of the Ocean of Consciousness as the mother
gathers the hair of the child. What is man but an ocean of consciousness. The
Master washed them, combed them and bound them in a knot as the vow of the
future manhood which shall know no caste, no distinction between man and man, and which shall work for the
peace and amity of spiritual brotherhood. He who wears His knot of hair is a
brother to all men, freed of all ill-feeling of selfishness. He is to be on the
bayonet's point to be of no separatist creed, no religion, nor of any national
combine of men bent upon loot and plunder and the tyranny of subjugating other
men. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">Those who do not
yet understand the law of love cannot and should not wear the Master's knot of
the sacred tresses and those who do should wear it as a token of spiritual
isolation from the herd. So did Guru Gobind Singh command. And obedience to him
is life. There is no life outside that Great Love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">The aim of the <i>Brothers
of the tress-knot of </i>Guru Gobind Singh is different, different the
direction, different their persuasion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">We do not concern
ourselves with the conditions of life. We glow like flowers on the thorny bed
or the bed of velvet moss with equal joy, for facing Him and living in Him and
breathing Him is our life. And all who desire to be Brother of the tress-knot of
Guru Gobind Singh come and be. This is the life of love, not of any other
truth. All other truths are of no concern to us! We are now the Sangha of the
tress-knot of Guru Gobind Singh, our purposes are as inscrutable as those of
the God of Destiny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<br /></div>
<div class="center">
<span lang="EN-US">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<br /></div>
<div class="center">
<span lang="EN-US" style="text-transform: uppercase;">REferences</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="hang-1">
<span lang="EN-US"> 1. <i>Varan</i>, Bhai Gurdas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="hang-1">
<span lang="EN-US"> 2. This insight should be carefully understood and
its meaning sought for in one’s experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="hang-1">
<span lang="EN-US"> 3. The original name of the famous Golden Temple
at Amritsar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="hang-1">
<span lang="EN-US"> 4. These are the <i>Panj Pyare</i>, symbolized by
five devoted Sikhs who administer <i>Amrita</i> or the Baptism of Immortality
or of the Sword to the initiate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BodyText1">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">¤<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">*From: Puran Singh, <i>Spirit of the Sikh</i>,
Publication Bureau, Punjabi University, Patiala, 2000. p. 12-14.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-11167883130588466822015-07-19T17:39:00.002-07:002015-07-19T17:39:46.734-07:00My Visit to Calgary and Edmonton (June 12-15, 2015) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My
Visit to Calgary and Edmonton (June 12-15, 2015) <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was almost 3 months
after I left India on March 16 and an invitation to participate in Abdus Salam
(Nobel Laureate) Symposium at University of Calgary was a welcome break
through. When I booked my flight for Calgary, the very next day I received an
invitation letter from Deepak Manmohan Singh of Punjabi University, Patiala for
presenting my Paper at International Punjabi Conference to be held at Toronto
on 12-13 June. I was in a perplex what to do? But I decided to join Abdus Salam
Symposium, as it was a celebration of my mentor, guide and philosopher. The
year I joined GND University, Amritsar to create an independent department of
Physics in 1979, Abdus Salam was recommended for Nobel Prize for his
Electro-Weak Unification theory. He had given me a strong reference letter for joining
as Professor of Physics in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In addition to Salam
Symposium, Calgary has an added attraction for me. My high school Science
teacher, Harjit Singh Rai, lives in this city since 1982. Last time, I visited
him in 2013 during our tour of Canadian Rockies around Banff and Jasper. Harjit
S. Rai provided me all moral support to continue my studies in Science when my
financial situation worsened and I was facing all type of misfortunes. I joined
Govt. High School Malerkotla in April 1955 and my destiny took a plunge in May
catapulting my dreams in to doldrums of life. My Science teacher provided me moral
support and I topped in my School despite my adverse situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On June 11, I reached
Calgary Airport at 7 PM by West Jet flight in 55 minutes. My teacher received
me at airport and I was driven to his home in his brand new car. After informal
introductions, and dinner I was shown my bed room to spend 2 nights in Calgary.
Next morning, it was a rainy day and the Symposium was scheduled at 3 PM.
Harjit Singh drove me to the Calgary university campus and I reached the venue
of Symposium in Science Auditorium of Physics Department just in nick of time.
I was introduced to main speakers of Symposium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr Barry Sanders spoke
on my favourite topic, “Abdus Salam: The Grand Unifier”. I had contributed an
article to a Volume published by ICTP, Trieste under the Title: “Abdus Salam:
The Grand Unifier of Men and Forces”. Prof. Sanders covered most of the work of
Abdus Salam which was done during his sojourn in Cambridge University.
Professor Rachid Ouyed tried to find a connection between Particle Physics and
Astrophysics in his lecture. I appreciated his idea that Abdus Salam’s vision
of Grand Unification of Forces was based on unification of five rivers of
Punjab, merging into one before falling in to Arabian Sea as one river known as
Sind Sagar (the mighty Indus). It is a beautiful analogy suggested by Professor
Rachid. Dr Robert Thompson, Head Physics Department, spoke about his Group’s
research on “Understanding Antimatter”. Experiments done on “Anti-hydrogen” in
CERN, Geneva were reported but he failed to link it with Professor Salam. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr Zakariya Virk of
Toronto, the man who invited me to Salam Symposium was absent and I was
disappointed. However, Dr Perwez Parwazi, whom I knew from ICTP days was there
to speak on his favourite subject: “My Personal Encounters with Dr. Salam”. It
was considered the best presentation as Dr Parwazi narrated some interesting
episodes from the life of Abdus Salam. I was shocked to learn that on
instigation from Sunni Maulvis the Epitaph on the grave of Abdus Salam has been
defaced in Rabbwah. What a pity, the man who remained faithful to his
motherland (Pakistan) and brought laurels by winning the Nobel Prize has been
declared a <i>Kafir</i> (unbeliever) by his own compatriots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr Naweed I. Syed, a
renowned Professor of Medicine in Calgary University introduced me to the
audience. There was no slot for my presentation but I had to be content by
narrating my Encounters with Professor Salam to his well-wishers in the
audience. The most memorable was his visit to GND University Amritsar when he
delivered his Nobel Lecture in Punjabi at the university convocation held in
his honour to confer honorary doctorate on 25<sup>th</sup> Jan. 1981. I was
present during his public lecture at Qadian on Jan. 26 where he was a crowd
puller and rural folk came to see their Super Star Punjabi Scientist. The same
evening, Professor Salam was honoured by Secretary SGPC during his visit to
Golden Temple Amritsar. My duty was to escort him to Raja Sansi Airport outside
Amritsar and I remember the affection he was given by all and sundry to this
son of Punjab. The organisers offered me their love and promised to organise a
special symposium next year in local Ahmedya mosque. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On June 13<sup>th</sup>,
my old student, Resham Singh Thiara drove me to Edmonton. This was my second
visit to this beautiful city and capital of Alberta Province. June 14<sup>th</sup>
being Sunday, I fixed up Gurdwara Singh Sabha as a meeting place to meet my old
friends and class fellows. Pal Singh Purewal, the promoter of Nanakshahi
Calendar and Bhinder Sohi were already present. I addressed the Sikh Sangat for
a short while which was not received well by the orthodox in the audience but
appreciated highly by the younger generation of diaspora. In the afternoon, we
went round the downtown and other spots of touristic interest in Edmonton. To
my surprise, Edmonton impressed me by its spotless beauty, aesthetics and highly
reputed University. On June 15<sup>th</sup>, I took my West Jet flight to
Abbotsford, flying over Canadian Rockies, catching glimpses of snow covered
peaks and majestically flowing river Fraser through its gorges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-42168988751793845402015-06-10T22:22:00.002-07:002015-06-10T22:22:10.650-07:00Reminiscences of My Visit to China (1992)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reminiscences of My Visit to China (1992)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hardev Singh Virk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ex- Director Centre for Promotion of
Science, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">E-mail: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="mailto:hardevsingh.virk@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">hardevsingh.virk@gmail.com</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After
joining Guru Nanak Dev University as Head Physics department in July 1979, I
started my odyssey to universities of Europe for research collaboration. My
friendship with Professor Abdus Salam (Nobel Laureate) helped me a lot. I was
offered Senior Associateship of International Centre for Theoretical Physics
(ICTP), Trieste, Italy in 1985, which covered my travel expenses. Later on, Third
World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy extended this facility for my
travel to developing countries under South-South Fellowship Program. My visit
to China was sponsored under this fellowship for a period of 4 weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
landed at Beijing airport on 2<sup>nd</sup> September, 1992. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">China Institute of Atomic Energy</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">,
Beijing hosted my visit and Dr Shi-Lun Guo was my research collaborator. I met
Dr Guo in 1983 during an international conference in Acapulco (Mexico) and
started research collaboration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">During
90s, China started on its journey of liberalization. Buddhist temples were
opened to public and tourists were allowed access to mainland China. Perhaps, I
was the first Indian Scientist who was allowed entry into Nuclear Reactor
complex in Beijing. During first week, I was asked to Chair a session of
International Conference in my field. I found Chinese scientists very shy as
they failed to communicate in English. China was wriggling out of Maoist
legacy; the ruthless massacre of students fighting for democracy in Tiananmen
Square was fresh in my memory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My
impressions of first visit are still fresh. Beijing airport was almost
identical to old Palam airport of India. There were no foreign made cars on
roads of China. Beijing roads were crowded with cycles. The Chinese workers and
students used to wear old Maoist uniforms. Jean culture was totally absent in
China. University students were not allowed to loiter or date openly; if caught
they were asked to kill flies and mosquitoes on the campus! Entry to university
was restricted and admission was strictly on merit only.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">During
the first week, my stay was arranged in Minzu hotel in the downtown Beijing.
During Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai era, Pandit Nehru was also lodged in this hotel. From
the hotel window, I could have a glimpse of Chinese workers going to their work
places on their cycles as if locust swarm has descended on the road. There is
no right to strike work in China; that is how China has maintained highest
growth rate of economy in the world. Workers and engineers were bracketed in
the same salary group; pay disparity was kept to the minimum in most of the
establishments. Education, health facility and housing were provided to all in
China free of cost. I found my collaborator and his driver occupying similar
accommodation; a 2 bed apartment. It is need based, not status based as in
India. There were no private baths in houses; all had to share common baths in
the Atomic Energy establishment. There were no IAS, IPS, Military Generals or
Business magnates lobbies anywhere in Mao’s China. All were reduced to mere
entities along with proletariat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
was a special guest in China under TWAS Fellowship. I was privileged to have a
chauffeur-driven air- conditioned car at my disposal. My collaborator tried to
keep my driver in good humour by providing some costly gifts. The boss
mentality was totally absent in China. There were hardly any frauds or scams
reported in China; during my sojourn a bank manager was involved in a foreign
currency racket and he was put to death after a summary trial. Severe
punishments were given to party dissidents, criminals and law breakers. In
India, it is free for all; hardly any political leader or law breaker goes
behind bars. Indians enjoy freedom in real terms!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
impressed me most in China was discipline. It was built into their genetic
code; as we have corruption built into Indian genetic code (refer to Nirad
Chaudhary’s famous quote: Indians are genetically corrupt). Beijing was found
to be cleanest city with clean Metro stations underground and regulated traffic
on roads. There were NO BEGGARS or mendicants (<i>Sadhus</i>) anywhere in China. Chinese ladies were not exploited by
hooligans as in India. Bollywood culture was missing in China.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
visited some rural areas in the neighbourhood of Beijing. The presence of rich
farmers was non-existent. Most of the farmers used mini-tractors (a contraption
called <i>jugad</i> in Punjab) for
transportation of goods. During my visit to Tangshan city, I observed the rural
life on the way. Most of the un-employed rural youth were provided odd jobs,
for example, sweeping of highways or main roads in the area. Dignity of labour
is appreciated by the Chinese. My visit to a High School revealed that Chinese
youth are provided skill training along with class teaching. The monster of
un-employment was not visible in China. But the salaries were bare minimum just
at subsistence level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When
I look back after 20 years, China has made a tremendous progress on all fronts
vis a vis India, namely in scientific research, industrial production and
economic growth. I learn from Chinese friends that <i>jean culture</i> has pervaded China but riches have not yet spoilt the Chinese
as the Irish poet Oliver Goldsmith quoted: “Where wealth accumulates and men
decay”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-85389008261833674282015-06-10T22:20:00.000-07:002015-06-10T22:20:10.975-07:00How ICTP Shaped My Scientific Career in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">How ICTP Shaped My Scientific Career in India<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Hardev Singh Virk <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Senior Associate ICTP
(1988-93)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Formerly Head,
Physics Department & <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Director, Earthquake
Research Centre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Guru Nanak Dev
University<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Amritsar, India<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Mailing Address:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"># 360, Sector 71, SAS
Nagar (Mohali), India – 160071<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">E-mail: hardevsingh.virk@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> My
schooling started in 1947, after India gained her freedom, in a rural
one-teacher primary school with hardly any infrastructure. Learning was by rote
and I mastered all the texts. I topped in Government High School Malerkotla
(1957) and opted to study science (non-medical group) on the advice of my
Headmaster. My interest and faith in science grew after reading a popular
science book “The Universe and Dr. Einstein” by Lincoln Barnett, priced at
Rupee 1(2 cents), awarded to me for scoring second position in First Year of
College Physics. I was so fascinated by the Theory of Relativity and Cosmology
that Einstein became my role model in life. After my Master degree (M.Sc.) in
Physics from Aligarh Muslim University in India (1963), my interest shifted to
the study of Elementary Particles. When I started teaching in Punjabi
University Patiala, my favourite subjects were Theory of Relativity and
Particle Physics. I could motivate my undergraduate students by narrating
episodes from the lives of great physicists like Albert Einstein, Marie Curie
and Abdus Salam. The latter belonged to my own province of Punjab in united
India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> My
research career started in 1970 when I was selected as a ‘Boursier’ (Scholar)
of the French Government to pursue my doctoral research in Marie Curie
University of Paris under Professor Max Morand in Particle Physics. Our group
was working on nuclear emulsions exposed to proton beams at CERN (Geneva) and
Fermi lab at Batavia. My passion to find a new particle or a resonance in
high-energy nuclear interactions was so great that I started working round the
clock in my laboratory. For two years, I worked in perfect isolation and got
frustrated in my research pursuits. A visit to Rutherford Laboratory in
Cambridge in April 1972 brought me on the right track and I submitted my
doctoral thesis rejecting the hypothesis of L-meson put forward by my own
supervisor, Tsai Chu. My research career has been quite eventful but I bade
good-bye to Particle Physics after failing to discover a new particle proposed
by my own supervisor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> During
the seventies, India had no high-energy accelerators. I was given the choice to
work under Indo-French collaboration at CERN but my family wanted me to return
home. During my stay of more than two years in Paris I could not visit my
family and was feeling homesick. Moreover, I wanted to serve India despite
obvious handicaps in experimental research in my area of interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> ICTP
came to my rescue in shaping my scientific career in India. It is no less than
a miracle that a physicist returning from Paris was saved from utter
frustration by the intervention of the ICTP. During 1977, Professor A.H. Cook
of Cambridge University conducted the first ten-week course on Physics of Earth
at ICTP and I was lucky to join it. It gave me an opportunity to visit some
laboratories in Europe. In those days ICTP funded such visits and the choice
was given to the participant. I also made a friendship with Professor Abdus Salam,
which lasted till his death. We met frequently and discussed the problems of
scientists from the developing countries. I advised him to start more courses
of the applied nature, e.g., medical physics, soil physics, geophysics, and
microelectronics, to which he agreed in principle but he had reservations about
setting up laboratories at the ICTP. During the eighties ICTP took the
initiative to start Applied Physics programmes with the collaboration of the
University of Trieste. I may claim some credit for changing the character of
ICTP from a purely theoretical centre of physics to a wholesome physics
institute. As a consequence, ICTP underwent a sea change, creating
infrastructure at both the physical and academic levels. This rapid expansion
put a lot of strain on the resources of ICTP, its staff and its Director. ICTP
became more and more bureaucratic in its approach and the cordial personal
relationship between the staff and course participants became a legacy of the
past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> After
my training at the ICTP, I ventured into new fields of research in Earth
Sciences, namely, Geochronology, Exploration Geophysics, Earthquake Prediction
studies. Professor Abdus Salam visited my laboratory in 1981 and was surprised
to see a Particle physicist transformed into a Geophysicist. I also attended
courses in Medical Physics at ICTP and on return to India set up the Radiation
Physics laboratory in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Using the heavy ion
beam facility (UNILAC) at GSI, Darmstadt, I engaged myself in the study of
radiation effects in mineral crystals, glasses and polymers. Ion Track Filters
were developed and used in medicine and environment and our laboratory became a
pioneer in earthquake prediction research and Ion Track Technology in India. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> Our
collaboration resulted in many diverse activities when our Physics Department
was affiliated to ICTP for almost a decade. A Centre for the Promotion of
Science was set up under my supervision for popularisation of science in
Punjab; research grants were received from ICTP in a project mode; the book <i>Ideals and Realities</i> by Abdus Salam was
translated by me into Punjabi and I had the honour to work as a Senior
Associate of ICTP (1988-93). ICTP proved to be a launching pad for my research
activity in India, culminating in the publication of 360 research papers, 125
popular science articles and 30 books during my scientific career. To keep
alive the spirit of ICTP, since my retirement in June 2002, I have been engaged
in the promotion of Physics Education in India as President of the Indian
Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). I am also engaged in nanotechnology
research as my pastime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> Let
me quote the last paragraph from the obituary note I published in <i>Current Science</i> (Vol. 72, No. 11, June
10, 1997), after the sad demise of my esteemed friend, guide and philosopher:
“If ICTP in Trieste has become a Mecca for Third World scientists over the
years since its creation in 1964, Professor Abdus Salam, its Director, was
destined to play the role of a prophet of Third World scientists. May the mercy
of Allah be on His servant?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-45059532701078262432015-06-10T22:15:00.004-07:002015-06-10T22:15:40.600-07:00My Review Report (II) on GNDU Physics Department <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After 2 years, interest
in my Report on Physics department has revived again; some motivation came from
Dr Gursharanjit Singh of GN studies and the rest by our own students/teachers.
I don’t mind criticism as nothing is perfect in this World. We are bound to
make errors (To error is human).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After my return from
Paris, I met VC of GNDU in Jan. 1974. He read my CV but asked me a counter
question: How can U reach the top of Ladder from the lower <i>danda</i> (rung)? I understood his satire that I am too young for
Professorship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In June 1979, when GNDU
failed to find a suitable candidate for Professorship from USA, I was called by
Dean Science Faculty (SS Sandhu of Chemistry) to appear for Professor’s post
again; this time they selected me as Assoc. Professor (Reader) with a rider
that I shall be promoted after watching my progress for 2 years. I reported
myself on duty on 10<sup>th</sup> July, started admission exercise, as we were
already late, and shifting from one room accommodation in Chemistry block to 2
rooms provided in Physics Block on 15<sup>th</sup> July.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our Start was good but
we were soon plagued by circumstances: Punjab was engulfed by terrorism leading
to Operation Blue Star in 1984. In 1979 interview, 55 candidates appeared for
Lecturer Interview including 16 Toppers of Universities from Kolkatta to Calicut.
After 1984, GNDU failed to attract good candidates beyond Punjab-Haryana border
at Shambu. We lost 4 best teachers up to 1984 and replacement was a big
problem. Once I called a Particle Physicist from UK, Baldev Singh Bains, he
reached Amritsar but returned from city Bus stop calling me on Phone: “Sir, I
am a clean shaven, I don’t want to be killed by joining GNDU”. Ultimately, I asked Dr Z.R. Khan of AMU to
send some suitable Scholar to teach Theory courses in GNDU.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our Courses were up to
date but our faculty could not cope with its delivery. In my Opinion, teachers
are mere Communicators of Knowledge and students, if guided and inspired, can
fill up the gap. Building up Teaching & Research from a scratch was a big
Challenge. No one can doubt my sincerity but we were under duress to cope with
the Punjab situation going from bad to worse. This situation remained up to
1990s but my Headship was over after 7 years (1979-86). Another handicap was
our sudden expansion program during my headship: from B.Sc. (Hons) in 1979, we
started 4 M.Sc. Courses during 7 years. Geophysics and Energy Science Programs
crashed after 5 years as competent faculty was not available. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Why I recount all this
Story? Last year, GNDU VC twice complained that our Teachers are not doing
enough research as We (myself and other HODs of Physics) failed to recruit good
quality teachers and employed our own Ph.Ds. I reminded him, we recruited 4 IITians, 2 were
good but the other 2 proved a flop show.
Analysis of 500 Research Papers published by Physics Faculty (2009-14)
has revealed that per Capita production of research in Physics is higher than
any other Department of GNDU in citations. As Tarsem Gill points: Google Baba
and Research gate can establish the TRUTH, if there is any doubt about
performance of our faculty. Hope this blame game is a part of GNDU politics,
not a reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HS Virk <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-21504469263526647112015-06-10T22:07:00.005-07:002015-06-10T22:07:56.455-07:00Review Report GNDU Physics Department <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">GNDU
Physics Department: An Introductory Survey<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">H.S.
Virk (Founder Head Physics Deptt.)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When Gurtej Sandhu,
Topper of 1st M.Sc. (Hons.) batch, presently serving in the top echelon of
Micron Company, visited me in Surrey in mid-July, I was reminded of good old
days when we started B.Sc. (Hons.) in end of July 1979 with intake of 16
students. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Till my joining on 10<sup>th</sup> July as HOD Physics, the
department operated from Chemistry Block. The first task before me was to shift
to Physics block which was then housing Registrar Office and University
Library. We got just 2 rooms, one for HOD and the other served as a class room.
We were 5 teachers to begin with. Berkeley Physics Course was introduced at
B.Sc. level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">UGC had sanctioned a
total grant of Rs. 5 lacs (10,000 USD) for Teaching and Research Labs. But VC
did not allow us to spend the whole amount; I had to move all demands for
approval of an Advisory Committee of Senior Physicists. This was my first
encounter and foretaste of Indian bureaucracy and its tentacles. By nature, I
was a little rebel and faced lot of problems to build infrastructure for
teaching and research. Despite these hurdles, we could publish 3 Papers in area
of Geochronology during 1979 using a Student Microscope (costing 200 USD) for
study of fission tracks in minerals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our first batch of
M.Sc. (Hons.) and M.Sc. (Pass) was out in 1983. It took us 5 years to get the
Physics block vacated and set up facilities for research in Thin films
(Material Science), Ultrasonics, Radiation Physics and Nuclear Spectroscopy. During
the first decade, Physics Department was running 4 M.Sc. Courses; M.Sc. in
Geophysics and Energy Sciences were added to diversify our Physics Program. Our
faculty strength grew up to 22; Earthquake Research Centre was created on GNDU
Campus; Solar Energy Station became functional and an MOU was signed with ICTP,
Trieste, Italy for training of Physics Faculty. A Centre for Promotion of
Science was created in 1986, with the blessings of Professor Abdus Salam, the
Nobel Laureate, and Director ICTP. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I retired on 30<sup>th</sup>
June 2002. It is more than a decade when I moved out of GNDU; never to be
invited by its faculty or the VC, except once by Jai Rup Singh, then VC GNDU,
to speak on CV Raman on Science Day. I wonder WHY Professors are not allowed to
do research in India till they desire, as it exists in USA. Professors in US
Universities enjoy doing cutting edge research even during their 80s! I was
fortunate to serve DAV University in its formative years to create a Research
Centre in Nanotechnology; as a consequence, 2011 turned out to be year of my
highest citations in research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to my rough
estimate, Physics Department has produced more than 1000 M.Scs. during last 3
decades (1983-2013) and nearly 200 Ph.Ds. (my loud guess). Will any one inform
me, if GNDU Physics produced any Professor in a university outside India? In my
survey, I failed to find any! Our students are engaged in all other Professions
in India and abroad. RC Singh, present HOD in Physics may try to locate if
there are any students serving as Professors abroad?<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-28837903009976052072011-07-04T20:24:00.000-07:002011-07-04T20:24:38.899-07:00A Message for Sikh Youth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Author>Compaq</o:Author> <o:Version>12.00</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="Default"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Aspects of the Sikh Religion: </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 15pt;">A Dialogue with Prof. Hardev Singh Virk</span></b></div><div class="Default"><br />
</div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">* </span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpts of the Interview recorded by Asian Television in September 2003 in Canada for the Sikh Youth of North America by Professor H.S.Virk , after his retirement from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.</span></i></div><div class="Default"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Q 1. What are special features of Sikh Religion? </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">A. (a) It is one of the five major religions of the world, viz., Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">(b) It was established by Guru Nanak in 15th Century, in the epoch when Martin Luther introduced Reformation in Roman Catholic religion in Europe. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">(c) It is a unique religion and not a synthesis or syncretisation of Hinduism and Islam, as misunderstood by most of the foreigners. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">(d) It has its own Holy Book, Aad Guru Granth Sahib, which contains hymns of Sikh Gurus, Hindu and Muslim saints of India. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">(e) It has a universal message for whole of mankind: Reality (God) is one, its name is Truth, Creator Person, Without Fear, Without Enmity, Timeless Being, Unborn, Self Existent, Realised with Grace of the Guru. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">(f) AGGS was installed in Harmandir Sahib by Guru Arjun, 400 years ago (Sept. 1604) (Bhadon Sudi 1, 1661 Bikrami). </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">(g) Creation.of Khalsa (Transformation of Sikhism) in April 1699, which gave distinct identity to the Sikhs. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Q. 2. What is your message for the Sikh Diaspora? </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">A. Diaspora is the term used for the Jews who spread all over the globe. Now same is the case of Sikhs. Guru Nanak visited many countries during his itineraries, called <i>Udasis. </i>He visited Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afganistan, Uzbekistan, Tibet and Ceylon. Guru blessed his Sikhs in a unique way; if he was served well, he used to utter a blessing: </span><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Be uprooted</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">. To others who misbehaved, He uttered: </span><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Be confined to your home and hearth</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">! So the Diaspora Sikhs should prove themselves worthy of great Guru’s utterance by excelling in all fields of their activity. In Multicultural society of Canada, they have equal opportunity to prosper. My students in Abbotsford and Toronto are doing fine. Sikhs have established their own schools, Gurdwaras and cultural centers. While keeping their separate identity intact, they should participate in all spheres of activity. During my travels in B.C; Ontario and Alberta, I was pleased to see that Sikhs have created a niche for their religion and culture in Canadian society. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Q.3. What is the purpose of SGPC and role of Akal Takht? </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">A. Guru Nanak established <i>Dharamshala </i>at Kartarpur and started <i>Sangat </i>and <i>Pangat</i>. Guru Amardas set up 22 <i>Manjis </i>to propagate Sikh Religion. Guru Ramdas created Amritsar city and Guru Arjun, Tarn Taran. Sikh Gurdwaras were managed by Udassi/Nirmalas during the period of Sikh <i>misals. </i>During Ranjit Singh’s rule, it further degenerated into the Brahmanical tradition. Singh Sabha Movement (1872) was promoted by Professor Gurmukh Singh and Giani Dit Singh of Oriental College, Lahore. Sunder Singh Majithia, Harbans Singh Attari, and a galaxy of other Sikh intellectuals were involved in its activities. British Govt. wanted to perpetuate the Brahmanical tradition and accepted Mahants as owners of Gurdwaras. During 1920’s, the struggle for Gurdwara control by the Sikhs was started. Mahant Narayan Das of Nankana Sahib Gurdwara murdered 130 Sikhs and in Jaito Morcha nearly 200 Sikhs died in jails. Gurdwara Bill was passed in July 1925 and first election was held on 18 June 1926.SGPC came into power. Akali Dal became a political wing of SGPC. All evils of election process i.e. corrupt practices were used even during first SGPC election. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Q.4. What is the concept of Miri and Piri in Sikh Religion? </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">A. Since the times of Guru Hargobind, the concept of Miri-Piri was introduced in Sikh Religion. Guru Jee wanted to wear 2 swords at the initiation ceremony: one of Piri (divine power) and the other of Miri (temporal power). He also raised army to defend Sikh religion against the state repression let loose by the Mongol rulers. Akal Takht (The throne of Timeless Being) was set up by Guru Hargobind (as his seat of Temporal power) and political decisions were taken sitting there. It was constructed in front of Harmandir Sahib(Golden Temple), so that temporal power is subordinate to spiritual power or divinity of Sikh religion. During <i>misal </i>period all Sikh Sardars assembled here on two occasions, Diwali and Baisakhi, to take stock of the Sikh affairs. This gathering was called Sarbat Khalsa. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was also called by Akali Phula Singh to appear at Akal Takhat,when he violated Sikh <i>Maryada </i>by marrying a Muslim dancing girl ‘Moran’. Akal Takhat held a special role in Sikh religious and political affairs and its <i>hukamnamas </i>have sanctity for all Sikhs. </span></div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Q. 5. What is your message for Sikh Youth of America? </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">A.(a) Sikh youth must study history of Sikh Religion, its unique philosophy of </span></div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Universal brotherhood and other salient features in the comity of world religions. </span></div><div class="Default"><br />
</div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">(b) <span> </span>They must keep and cherish their unique identity. I was the only Sikh</span></div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> student<span> </span>in Marie Curie university of Paris in 1970 amongst more than 100,000</span></div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> on its rolls.<span> </span>Hence I used to be invited as a special guest on all occasions.</span></div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> I always<span> </span>considered myself an ambassador of my country and Sikh Religion. </span></div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span> </span>So Sikh youth must behave in a manner which leaves an impact on the</span></div><div class="Default"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span> </span>minds of other people with whom they interact.</span></div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">(c) <span> </span>Sikh youth must try to excel in their studies, professions and sports. </span></div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">(d) <span> </span>Participation in Sikh youth camps is useful. </span></div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">(e) <span> </span>Keeping Sikh and Indian traditions intact will be useful for the Sikh youth.</span></div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">(f) <span> </span>Exploring other cultures in a multicultural society is a useful act.</span></div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">(g) <span> </span>Sikh youth must aviod the use of DRUGS as forbidden by the Sikh Gurus </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">and Rehat Maryada.</span></div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-88393131881924017042011-07-03T23:03:00.000-07:002011-07-03T23:03:35.556-07:00My Teacher Who Inspired Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; font-variant: small-caps;">Piara Singh Gill (1911-2002)</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Piara Singh Gill, a pioneer cosmic ray physicist, died 23 March 2002 at Atlanta, Georgia. Born on 28 October 1911 in Hoshiarpur District, Punjab, Gill used to trek 10 km daily to attend primary school. Graduating high school in 1928, he sailed for America, working initially as a taxi driver in Panama to earn money for his education. He was later awarded tuition scholarships at the University of Southern California, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees there in 1935 and 1936. During this time, he picked fruit, scrubbed floors, and washed dishes to support him. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">During 1936-40, Gill worked at the University of Chicago for his PhD under Nobel Laureate Arthur Compton. His thesis established the ‘latitude effect’ in cosmic ray intensity at sea level. In the course of this work, he travelled 15 times between Vancouver, Canada and Hobart, Tasmania during 1937-38 in a regular passenger steamship, the <i>S.S. Aurangi</i>, where he had installed an ionization chamber shielded by a 12cm thick lead enclosure. In June 1939, Gill attended the International Symposium on Cosmic Rays, presenting a paper on the ‘Size-frequency distribution of cosmic ray bursts’, which described the first experiment to provide clues about meson spin.</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">On his graduation in 1940, Compton offered Gill a postdoctoral fellowship to continue his research at Chicago, but Gill was keen to carry out experiments on the azimuthal variation of cosmic ray intensity in India. So Chicago awarded him a travelling Research Fellowship, and Gill sailed for India in April 1940, joining Forman Christian College, Lahore as a lecturer in physics, where he also set up a cosmic ray research laboratory. In the summer of 1945, he organized an expedition to the Himalayas to study the production of mesons by the non-ionizing component of cosmic rays, but the results showed no production of mesons. Later, these experiments were repeated using RAF planes and meson production was detected at altitudes above 20,000 ft.<span> </span>In 1946, Gill visited the USA and Europe, delivering invited lectures on cosmic ray experiments carried out in India. Upon returning, he became a Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bombay, where he initiated high altitude experiments with hydrogen balloons. Gill resigned from TIFR the next year (probably due to personality conflicts with its then Director Homi Bhabha, himself an eminent cosmic ray physicist) and returned to the US to work at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, studying the relationship between solar flares and sudden increases in the intensity of cosmic rays, in collaboration with M. S. Vallarta and S. E. Forbush. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Gill was appointed to the Atomic Energy Commission when he returned to India. Soon thereafter, he was invited to work at the National Bureau of Standards, when he also assisted the Indian Embassy in Washington DC as Scientific Advisor. In 1949, Gill joined Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) as Professor & Head of the Physics Department where he spent a very fruitful decade-and-a-half. He took immediate steps to update course syllabi, improve physics instruction, and establish well-equipped research laboratories. Under his leadership, AMU became a leading centre for physics research in India by the late 1950s. In September 1963, Gill was appointed Director of the Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO) in Chandigarh. Under his leadership, CSIO established itself as a leader in instrument design in Asia. On retiring from CSIO in 1971, Gill joined Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana as Emeritus Professor. During this time, he also wrote high school physics texts in English, which I translated into Punjabi. Later, he became an entrepreneur, starting a company manufacturing magnetic heads for tape recorders. He sold the company to return to the US to spend the last years of his life with his daughter, Suristha G. Sehgal at Georgia State University, Atlanta. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Gill set an inspiring personal example to his students and colleagues. He was always punctual and never missed lectures, despite a busy schedule of non-academic engagements. His students eventually came to occupy eminent positions in Indian universities and scientific establishments. He was a first-class researcher, a teacher of teachers, an institution builder, an administrator and an entrepreneur who spent significant chunks of his career both in India and the US. Even in the Indian context, his is the story of a person from humble beginnings rising to great prominence in scientific and public life. His career is truly a testament to the power of the individual to succeed against all odds. His autobiography <i>Up Against Odds, </i>is compelling, inspirational and educative reading. May his soul rest in peace! </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">H. S. VIRK </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Department of Physics </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Guru Nanak Dev University </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Amritsar 143 005, India </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">e-mail: hardevsingh.virk@gmail.com</span></div></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-35860444260755177712011-07-03T22:57:00.000-07:002011-07-03T22:57:54.097-07:00100 Reasons To Be A Scientist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoTitle" style="text-align: center;"><b>One Hundred Reasons To Be A Scientist</b></div><div class="MsoTitle"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">(40<sup>th</sup> Anniversary Volume of ICTP, Trieste, Italy)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b>Published by</b>: Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b>Reviewed by</b>: Prof. H. S. Virk, President Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Pages: 263, Price: 3 Euro, 1<sup>st</sup> Edition: Oct. 2004</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">The book under review is a 40<sup>th</sup> anniversary volume of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), which was founded by Professor Abdus Salam, Nobel Laureate, in Trieste in 1964. As the title suggests, the book contains 100 essays written by eminent scientists who were connected with ICTP during the 40 years since its inception. The galaxy of contributors to this volume include 25 Nobel Laureates, many Field Medallists, ICTP Dirac Medallists and other decorated scientists. Out of 100 selected contributors, 7 are of Indian origin. Most of the essays are written in the first person and revolve around the formative years in the life of the scientist. It mainly focuses on the trials and tribulations undergone by the scientists and their contributions to research.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The opening essay of this volume is written by the late Professor Abdus Salam, narrating episodes of his student life, a scholarship to Cambridge University at the end of Second World War, his isolation in Lahore and return to Cambridge. Abdus Salam created ICTP to help Third World Scientists from developing countries. He had a prophetic vision and devoted his whole life in building up infrastructure at ICTP, for training of Third World scientists from all over the world. I had the privilege of visiting ICTP, almost a dozen times, first as a participant and later as a Senior Associate of ICTP. I feel delighted that the Director ICTP chose me as one of the contributors for the next volume of the series.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Reading personal accounts of eminent scientists is an exhilarating experience for both students and teachers. Two decades ago, ICTP arranged special lectures by Nobel Laureates and this monograph was published by ICTP under the title, “My Life of Physics”. I believe this new volume is an extension of the same exercise at a bigger scale. Some of the common themes elaborated by most of the contributors are their adventure or accidental entry into field of science, rewarding experience of working in a world class laboratory helped by peers and reaching the pinnacle of their career resulting in Nobel Prize or some other distinction.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It is not possible to quote from all essays included in this volume. Just for sake of citation, I choose from D. Allen Bromley’s essay, “A life of Literature, Science, Engineering, Business and Public Policy”. Professor Bromley describes vividly how he entered Queens University at Kingston in Canada by winning a national essay competition on the evils of alcohol. The family could not support his university education. Entering as a freshman in English literature, he shifted to Engineering Physics, then moved on to Nuclear Physics, became Chairman of Physics Department and Dean of Science Faculty at Yale University, Director of New York Stock Exchange Companies, ending up as Science Policy Advisor to the U.S President. In his own words: “Changes of field are actually important to maintaining intellectual interest and acuity and I would urge all scientists and engineers to consider spending some time in public policy and government activities as a small return for all the opportunities and activities that the public provides”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span> </span>I found equally or more interesting accounts given by some of the Nobel Laureates. ECG Sudarshan in his essay, “An Account of My Theoretical Physics Contributions” describes highlights of his research work. He ends his essay with remarks: “The great miracle is that the physical world can be understood in terms of mathematical models which can make predictions that could be verified by laboratory experiments. From the beginning of my career, I have been fascinated and even mystified by this”. CNR Rao was lucky to be brought up in Bangalore, a city famous for its Raman Research Institute and Indian Institute of Science. He was attracted to research even when he was in school after listening to Sir CV Raman, the Nobel Laureate. CNR Rao is a leading scientist of India involved in Science Policy and planning cell of Government of India. We have MGK Menon, JV Narlikar, K Kasturirangan, Roddam Narasimha and Partha Dasgupta, other Indian contributors to this special volume.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The most interesting essay by the Indian contributors is from Dasgupta: “The Making of an Academic Economist”. The author describes how he shifted from Physics to Economics in Cambridge University during his Ph.D; even without knowing an iota of economics. He is a leading economist in the world in the field of Ecological Economics. He is concerned with environmental ecology and developing world. There are more than a dozen women scientists included in the list of contributors to this volume.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-62930367870800717612011-07-03T22:53:00.000-07:002011-07-03T22:53:04.763-07:00Sonia Gandhi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">My Encounter with Sonia’s Family in Orbassano</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br />
</span></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I have kept myself aloof from the din of elections but the sarcastic tone of Sushma Swaraj’s speech made at her Chandigarh rally (The Tribune May 4) induced me to write about my encounter with Sonia’s family in Italy.<span> </span>Madam Swaraj has been a respectable minister in the NDA government and I could not believe she will cross the limits of decency in her criticism of Sonia Gandhi, the leader of opposition. Sushma Swaraj remarked that Sonia cannot feel the pulse of real India living in villages. “Does she know about the life of people who reared cattle in the countryside, cooked on earthen stoves, collected wood from jungles and ploughed the fields”? One may pose the same question to the urban-bred Sushma Swaraj to test her affinity for ruralites in India. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Very few Indians know about the rural background of Sonia Gandhi. She was born and bred in village Orbassano near Torino city of Italy. Her father was a mason and she went to Cambridge for higher education on Italian government scholarship. There she met Rajiv Gandhi and the friendship between the two, culminated into their marriage.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">During 1970, I entered the portals of University of Paris for my Doctoral research. In summer, all students were asked to vacate the university hostels for a month. During 1971 summer holidays, I went on tour of Italy and reached Torino where my old colleague, Avtar Singh Rana, from Guru Nanak Engg. College Ludhiana was employed as an engineer in the Fiat factory. We planned our tour and Rana proposed to show me village life of Italy during the week end. Next day, we took the route to Orbassano. Rana told me jokingly that Indian Prime Minister’s son, Rajiv Gandhi, is married to Signorina Sonia whose family lives in this village. He knew Sonia’s parents as her brother-in-law was also employed as a technician in the Fiat factory. On reaching Orbassano, we stopped at a street shop for a while. The girl at the counter, recognizing me as an Indian, offered cold drinks and told us that she is a friend of Sonia. Our next stop was at Sonia’s house in Orbassano where his father entertained us to tea and made lot of enquiries about Punjab and the Sikhs. Italians are talkative in nature and so was Sonia’s father. The family owned a modest house in Orbassano in1971.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Rana got married and moved out of Torino city. He purchased a house in Orbassano to reside near his Fiat factory. In 1985, I was visiting Europe on research fellowship. From Rome, I called Rana who was pleased to know my itinerary. He guided me to reach Orbassano by a local bus when I reach Torino on my way to Paris. I was excited to meet my friend and his family. Next morning, Parminder, Rana’s wife, forbade me to go for a morning walk. After 1984 riots in Delhi, Sonia’s family was provided a security cover by Italian government. My wish to walk in the streets of Orbassano again was never fulfilled.<span> </span>I left Sonia’s village with heavy heart and took the train to Paris.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-49554294487968120702011-07-02T20:37:00.000-07:002011-07-02T20:37:23.131-07:00Spirit of The Sikh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-right: 12.1pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">The Sikh Gurus, The Sikhs and The Khalsa</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-right: 12.1pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-right: 12.1pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Prof. Hardev Singh Virk</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-right: 12.1pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Professor Emeritus, eternal University, Baru Sahib, HP, India</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-right: 12.1pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText">This article is based on excerpts from the Spirit of the Sikh written by Professor Puran Singh in 1920's and published by Punjabi University Patiala in two volumes during<span> </span>1982.<span> </span>Puran Singh was a great scientist, mystic poet, and a visionary and interpreter of the Sikh cultural consciousness.<span> </span>This article reflects the personal views of the great Sikh scholar which seem to be relevant for understanding Sikhism <span> </span>in view of the recent controversy created by RSS.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span>1. The Sikh Gurus</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>As usual, the world is too inert, too late, to welcome its prophets who bring an altogether new message.<span> </span>So it has been with the Sikh Gurus.<span> </span>The Hindus just condescended with a superior air to say that the Sikhs are of them- 'born out of them'.<span> </span>Culturally and academically and even racially this was not wrong, but inspirationally, it was an attempt to thwart all the potentialities of the Guru's universal message.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>After Buddha, it was Guru Nanak who for the first time championed the cause of the masses in caste-ridden India.<span> </span>The rich aristocracy and the degraded priests of Hindus and Muslims did not listen to the Guru, but the oppressed people followed him with joy.<span> </span>He made a whole people throb with love and life.<span> </span>For more than a century and half his message was secretly flaming in the bosom of the people when the genius of Guru Gobind Singh gave them the eternal shape of the Disciples, the Khalsa [1].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Guru Gobind Singh is the Guru of the modern times.<span> </span>Assuredly, the slaves of India have not understood him so far and are not capable of understanding his genius.<span> </span>The shadow of his large personality falls far away above the head of centuries, and the so-called best intellectuals of India, when they spread out their mind to understand the Guru, get bruised by mere thorns and give him up as something not as spiritual as Guru Nanak.<span> </span>If they cannot see Guru Gobind Singh as the highest, brightest culmination of Guru Nanak, assuredly they do not understand that King of revolution of religious thought, the great Guru Nanak.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The world of thought has yet to understand the Ten Gurus in the splendour of their thought which has been misunderstood due to the Brahmanical language they had to employ to express themselves and to the Brahmanical environment which always has been inimical to the true progress of man [2].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Guru Granth of the Sikhs is the most authentic account of the Guru's soul.<span> </span>It is a pity that some Sikh enthusiasts and half-baked scholars, perverted by the thought of the age, have tampered with the meanings they themselves wish to give it.<span> </span>But the authentic word of Guru Granth can never be lost to the world.<span> </span>And as the Bible is translated into different languages, so Guru Granth will have to be put by poets of different nations into their own language direct from their own souls.<span> </span>Life alone can translate life [3].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Guru Granth is the history of the Sikh soul, and it’s translation is to come through the great figure of the social reconstruction of human society as the Khalsa, where shall reign love, and not hatred.<span> </span>It is society founded on the highest verity of love of man, inspired by the inspiration of God-like men who<span> </span>symbolize truth as personalities of love, grace and mercy,<span> </span>such personalities are images of the personalities in the unseen.<span> </span>Giving ourselves in infinite self-sacrifice in the name of God, washing away the selfishness of man in the supreme love of<span> </span>the Guru, is the simple, but extremely difficult path of discipleship.<span> </span>Without the Word of the Guru, and the ideal, the Khalsa, which stands for the sovereign society, there is no key to the heart of Guru Nanak and his anthems for the liberation of man.<span> </span>The destruction by the Guru of the Brahmanical citadels of superstition (as in Guru Nanak's Asa-Ki-Var or in the great Kabits and Sawayyas of the Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh, or in the Vars of Bhai Gurdas, the great exponent of Sikh ideals),<span> </span>is symbolic of<span> </span>the destruction of all lies on which human society might be wrongly founded and misguided.<span> </span>Guru Nanak is universal, but he is mostly the Prophet of the future.<span> </span>Freedom of the human mind and soul is the Guru's passion [4].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Guru did not eschew politics-in fact he made the liberation of the people the cause of the assertion of his heroism; but surely, if the Sikh lives on the surface only, like the Englishman, for mere politics, votes and such inanities, one straying from the Guru's path forthwith becomes a traitor to his cause.<span> </span>All freedom is but a spiritual tradition of the life of the Khalsa: if the Khalsa spirit is dead, all freedom fails.<span> </span>The Khalsa is the son of the Guru who brings everywhere his Heaven and its delectable freedoms [5].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The following words were addressed by Guru Gobind Singh to the Sikhs at Nander on the day of his departure from this world;<span> </span>"I have entrusted you to the Immortal God.<span> </span>Ever remain under His protection, and trust none besides.<span> </span>Wherever there are five Sikhs assembled who abide by the Guru's teachings, know, that I am in the midst of them.<span> </span>He who serveth them shall obtain the reward thereof-the fulfillment of all his heart's desires".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>"Read the history of your Gurus from the time of Guru Nanak.<span> </span>Henceforth the Guru shall be the Khalsa and the Khalsa the Guru.<span> </span>I have infused my mental and bodily spirit into the Granth Sahib and the Khalsa..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Then uttering 'Wah Guruji Ka Khalsa, Wah Guruji Ki Fateh"<span> </span>he circumambulated the sacred volume and said, "O Beloved Khalsa, let him who desireth to behold me, behold the Granth Sahib.<span> </span>Obey the Granth Sahib.<span> </span>It is the visible body of the Guru, and let him who desireth to meet me diligently search its hymns.<span> </span>And lastly keep my kitchen ever open and receive offerings for its maintenance".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span>2. The Sikh People</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Sikh people, unlike other people of India, are a race of straight forward men of action, whose simple minds, informed of the Eternal by the Guru, shrinks from the idle speculation of the Brahminical mind, and also shrinks from the too theological law of the Muslim, and lives the simple, austere life of incessant labour that characterises the tiller of soil everywhere.<span> </span>They have an inventive genius and love the practical persuits of life - agriculture, tool-making and engineering.<span> </span>They are, as a people, fond of colonisation.<span> </span>Given opportunities and modern education, this nation has potentialities of progress which no other set of people in India possesses in so remarkable a degree [6].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Four<span> </span>hundred years ago, the inhabitants of the Punjab were all slaves.<span> </span>The invaders that came by the Khyber pass destroyed by the sword all Indian hopes of ever becoming a self-governing nation.<span> </span>What could the invaders have achieved if the will to die for freedom were there in the soul of India?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span><span> </span>Out of the downtrodden, oppressed, lifeless slaves of the Punjab, Guru Gobind Singh moulded a nation which has in it the potentialities of a progressive nation of men.<span> </span>In the whole of India, the Sikh nation is the brightest spot still which has an inexhaustible will to die for the love of its ideals.<span> </span>When they are called upon, the Sikhs seek death as moths seek light.<span> </span>Guru Gobind Singh cut the moorings of this nation form its racial past and a nation wholly modern in spirit and mind sprang up out of the Guru's mind, with a highly inspiring and most deeply reactive tradition and history of it own.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Sikh was made to be a feast-giver on the roadside, to spend as the<span> </span>day ended, all he earned daily: and it is his self degeneration if he accumulates and thinks of the morrow.<span> </span>The thought of the morrow for a Sikh is irreligious.<span> </span>To a true Sikh, death is better than security earned with dishonesty.<span> </span>His giving away of his labour and love is like the lamp distributing light,<span> </span>like the rose distributing its fragrance.<span> </span>A Sikh's spontaneous and natural function of life is such; otherwise he is not a true Sikh.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Culture created by the Guru is in one word, the all-mind divine culture.<span> </span>The Sikh, like the Guru, like sunlight and air and water belongs to all: he is culture-embodied, love-incarnate, sweet fragrance of humanity that kindles dead souls.<span> </span>Men are very rare and the Sikh still more so.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>If you wish to know the Sikh, love him.<span> </span>There is<span> </span>a gleam under the stack of hay, such as Moses beheld at Sinai.<span> </span>The Sikh body politic is a heap of immense matter in which still scintillates the spirit.<span> </span>The hair of the Sikh distinguishes him and his unique love.<span> </span>In Brahmanical India, the spirit itself would have died without those who have worn this rather unkempt exterior.<span> </span>And those of Brahmanical India who might desire life, and having got the life spark to maintain it, have similarly to isolate themselves [7].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Religious fanaticism was that the Guru never allowed to enter his court.<span> </span>Religious superstition was eradicated from the very blood of the Sikh.<span> </span>The Guru cleaned with his sword the darkness that clung and clings still to the endless philosophical hair splitting of the Hindu and the Jain.<span> </span>The liberation of the human mind was the first and foremost thought of the Guru.<span> </span>He liberated man from the slavery of the Devas, the Vedas, and put him to work [8].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>If the Sikh, as he was born, had ever been afforded opportunities of spiritual isolation from the rest of world, to develop his powers of self-realisation, and his instincts of art and agriculture and colonisation, his would have been by now, one of the best societies of divinely inspired labourers, of saints living by the sweat of their brow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>But Brahminism was there to engulf it from within.<span> </span>His political temper, the result of his complete mental liberation and his passionate love of liberty pitched him against the Moghuls from the time of its birth.<span> </span>Out of the jaws of death, if the Khasla has still come out, there is much hope for it yet.<span> </span>All is not yet lost.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span>3. The Khalsa Ideal - State and Democracy</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Khalsa is the ideal future international state of man: it is an absolute monarchy of the kingdom of heaven for each and every man, the absolute democracy, distribution of bread and raiment of the kingdom of labour on this earth - all in one.<span> </span>It is democracy of feeling all on this physical plane of life, where most misery is due to man's callousness to man.<span> </span>It is brotherhood of the souls where intensity of feeling burns out all differences [9].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>In the realms of the soul, each is to have his own measure of the Guru's joy and sorrow and love and feeling and spiritual delight, according to his individual capacity.<span> </span>This will constitute the measure of the real aristocracy of each one's genius; but bread and raiment, the barest necessities of the physical body shall, in this kingdom of love for the Guru, never be denied to any one.<span> </span>If the Guru's ideal state, or even an approach to it, is ever made by man, no one will thenceforward die of<span> </span>hunger or go naked. Death cannot be prevented, innate differences cannot be destroyed; but physical privation will be prevented here on this earth by man himself.<span> </span>Let mountains be high, flowers small and grass low, but all shall be clothed with the beauty of God and fed with His abundance.<span> </span>The true vindication of the Khalsa commonwealth and its ideals as announced by Guru Gobind Singh, have yet to appear in terms of the practice of those ideals by those having faith in the Guru.<span> </span>The modern world is, however, busy evolving its version of the Guru's Khalsa state out of social chaos.<span> </span>This much<span> </span>be said at once, that the Khalsa is more than a mere republic of votes of little men who must be influenced to give votes.<span> </span>It is more than the Soviet, which aims at the change of political environment and law, to bring the Heaven of equal distribution on earth because without the transmutation of the animal substance of man, of selfishness into sympathy, there can be no true socialism.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Guru Khalsa state is based on the essential goodness of humanity, which longs to share the mystery and secret of the Creator, and longs to love the Beautiful one living in His creation.<span> </span>The Guru thus admits man to an inner kingdom of the soul, where each and every person receives such abundance of pleasure and the beauty of His Love, that selfishness dies of itself.<span> </span>Inspiration to the higher life drives out the lower.<span> </span>Each one, according to his worth and capacity to contain, has enough of the inner rapture of the beauty of God in him, so that he lives quite happy and contented without interfering in anyone's affairs or robbing any of his rightful freedom to increase his own pleasure.<span> </span>This endless self-sacrifice in utter gladness of a new realization is the sign and symptom of the true 'Nam' culture of the Guru.<span> </span>No one can be man of truly human society, who has not obtained this divine spark which puts the self at rest, which thereby imbibes a nobility from God to leave everything along and gaze at Him with unending rapture and renunciation.<span> </span>Man need to be truly and inwardly a divine aristocrat to be truly democratic in this world..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>In the constitution of the Khalsa commonwealth [10], the greatest act of genius of Guru Gobind Singh was when he transferred the divine sovereignty vested in him to the God-inspired people, the Khalsa. When speaking of the people, the Guru speaks of the people whose personality is transmuted into the divine personality of selfless being.<span> </span>As the chemist talks of pure elements just as they occur in nature, the Guru refers to the 'Pure' of the Cosmic Spirit and not as they are found with their blind animal instincts.<span> </span>In this one act lies our history and the future history of human progress.<span> </span>At Chamkaur when all was lost, he made His Five Disciples representative of the Guru, and gave them his insignia of Guruship and saluted them.<span> </span>The constitution of the Khalsa was thus built on the heartshrines of humanity inspired with love of God, on the God-consciousness of Disciples, and not on law-books.<span> </span>Guru Gobind Singh would have died fighting on the battlefield even, as a while before, his two young sons had obtained the glory of martyrdom.<span> </span>But these 'Five Enthroned' asked him to go from the scene, and to do for the Khalsa, what only he, Guru Gobind Singh, could do. <span> </span>So, he went, herein the Guru's benign submission to the will of the Khalsa was complete and unconditional.<span> </span>To obey, to continue to live instead of fighting and dying, even in that great personal affliction of having seen his sons and his dear disciple soldiers dying before him, overwhelmed by odds, yet to go and live for them, as bidden by them, is the supreme self-sacrifice of God for man, out of whose red flames of blood is born this Khalsa with the mysterious destiny.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>In the Khalsa constitution, the people inspired by the natural goodness of humanity, by the spontaneous Divinity of God, by the Guru's mystic presence in all beings, are made supreme.<span> </span>They are the embodiment of Law and Justice fulfilled for ever in the love of Man.<span> </span>This state has but the Guru as Personal God.<span> </span>In this state, the Khalsa, the law of man's natural goodness is the only law [11].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Guru Gobind Singh was neither a Caesar nor an Aurangzeb.<span> </span>He was the true king of the people and a comrade of the people, in the truest representative spirit. Guru Gobind Singh founded the true democracy of the people in which there were no dead votes or votes won by mental persuasion or interested coercion.<span> </span>Democracy was a feeling in the bosom of the Khalsa and it gave an organic cohesion to the people who founded both society and state on the law of love, on Justice and Truth, not an impersonal system of the will of the blinded mob-representation by sympathy and not by dead votes. The Khalsa-State is an Ideal; Sikhs may die, it does not. It is immortal [12].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span>4. Genesis of Hindu-Sikh Divide</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>It might seem that owing to the hostility of an environment, and the not unoften deliberate attempts of the Hindu society to obliterate the Sikh ideals, Sikhs tend to deny any relationship with Hindu society.<span> </span>The Sikh may deny him or not, the Hindu has already denied the Sikh.<span> </span>The great Hindu culture and its innate influence on Sikh culture, however, cannot be denied.<span> </span>It would be to deny one's parentage.<span> </span>Such denials add nothing to the stature of the Sikh.<span> </span>All that is lofty and noble must be and is fully reflected in the soul of Sikhism, for<span> </span>matter of that, not Hindu culture alone, but all human culture itself.<span> </span>The Sikh is rather spiritualistic in his consciousness than metaphysical [13].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The songs of the Ten Gurus and the lives of unparalleled martyrdom have created a new race-emotion in the Punjab; the Sikhs are a new nation in its inspiration and its remarkable cohesion of the masses. The brief Sikh history and tradition inspire the Punjab peasants as no manner of religious fervour did before, which goes to show that the Sikh has a tradition and culture of his own which the Hindu has been unwilling to receive, though he wishes at times to pat him on the back as a kind of off-spring.<span> </span>It is unfair of the Hindus to condemn the Sikhs for their attempts to cut themselves away from the mass of Hindudom.<span> </span>They make it a grievance that the Sikhs wish to make their church stand apart [14].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span><i>In view of the political solidarity of India it is mischievous for any one to suggest that we are not of the Hindu and not equally of the Muslims.<span> </span>It is mischievous to multiply the point of difference with the Hindu which are not fundamental [15].</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Gurus have shown to Hindus the way to freedom of mind and soul and also to political freedom.<span> </span>The Hindus, out of the spirit of vain intellectual pride have withheld themselves from the resurgence that Sikhism would bring.<span> </span>For the Hindus, the way to survival and freedom is the Guru's way.<span> </span>Unless they accept Guru Granth as their new Gita, the old scriptures and the stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata can no longer inspire new life into the mass of people whose backbone has been crushed by systematic metaphysical and theological burdens.<span> </span>Political slavery has been the result of their metaphysical mentality [16].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Hindus in the Punjab have much to answer for.<span> </span>They find more in Bhagavad Gita and the old Veda than in Guru Granth.<span> </span>They love Hindi more than their mother-tongue. They relate themselves to the bards of Vedas more than the Gurus [17].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>The Hindus failed Guru Gobind Singh: but Guru Gobind Singh has not failed them.<span> </span>They have not understood him; he understood them.<span> </span>As they have grown so apathetic, almost antagonistic to the message of the Gurus, it is essential that the basic unique character of Sikh culture should now be expressed [18].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span>5. Physics of Spirituality</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>In the scheme of human progress there is such a thing as the physics of spirituality; the Hindu has ignored it, the Western races have realized it [19]. Because of their comprehensive vision, the Khalsa shall have the spiritual and temporal sovereignty and all shall submit to it, soon or late. Only those shall be saved, who gather under this flag.<span> </span>The Hindus, so far, have not seen the significance of the Guru's creation, the Khalsa.<span> </span>Great Hindu philosophers like Tilak, Aurobindo and Tagore are reinterpreting the Gita and the Upanishads in order to come abreast with modern Western thought and scientific conclusions.<span> </span>But they do not see that more than four hundred years ago, their own country-men, the Sikh Gurus, actually worked all these modern tendencies into the constitution of the mind and society of this unhappy land, by creating the Khalsa. Their lives gave birth to a new country in this old one, and peopled it with a new race, with a universal religion of faith in man, and fired it with the spiritual passion for progress.<span> </span>Out of the Gurus came a daring, colonising race, lovers of land and agriculture, ready to start a new page of life at every turn.<span> </span>And of all the older texts the Sikh texts alone need not be tortured to come abreast with modern developments:<span> </span>they have woven the philosophy of the ancient scriptures in an organic whole.<span> </span>The Sikh life is the vindication of natural manhood and womanhood.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Some modern typical Hindus are trying to interpret Upanishads and the Gita in modern modes.<span> </span>But such attempts are against the traditional faith that has gathered round these books.<span> </span>And, however easily they may be interpreted in the modern modes, they have never shown the great reactivity that is attributed to them.<span> </span>In the past the teaching of the Gita has never been harnessed to action nor the Upanishads to love of the people.<span> </span>There has been no phenomena of transmutation of personality by a higher Being's personal touch on any large scale, as in Sikh history.<span> </span>The Upanishads are examples of mental splendor, unique and truly glorious.<span> </span>But without Buddhism and now without Sikhism in India, and without the modern spirit of the West, which lives and works and<span> </span>attains to knowledge by<span> </span>the experimental method, which is, as I term it, 'physics of spirituality',<span> </span>the Upanishads and Bhagavat Gita could never have been so interpreted. On the other hand, from close and devoted study of the Guru's hymns, I assert that many revolutionary tendencies are found in the Sikh thought, song and life.<span> </span>No texts need be turned upside down for it.<span> </span>It was atrocious not to have seen this, and to have ignored Sikh history, from the main features of the hostility of the racial environment in which Sikhism took its birth.<span> </span>The Sikh believes in one great culture of man which is yet to come.<span> </span>There is more future and past in Sikhism while there is all the emphasis on the past in Hinduism [20].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>References</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>1. Singh, Puran<span> </span>1982.<span> </span>Spirit of the Sikh, Vol. II, Punjabi University Press, Patiala,India. p.317.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>2. Singh, Puran 1976. The Spirit Born People, Punjabi University Press, Patiala, India.p. 126.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>3. Singh, Puran 1982. Spirit of the Sikh, Vol. I, Punjabi University Press, Patiala,India. p. 12.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>4. Ibid, p. 14.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>5. Ibid, p. 54.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>6. Ibid, Vol. II, p. 311.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>7. Ibid, Vol. I, p. 6.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>8. Ibid, Vol. II, p. 321.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>9. Ibid, Vol. I, p. 9.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>10.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 23.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>11.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 24.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>12.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 27.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>13.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 28.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>14.Ibid, Vol. II, p. 327.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>15.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 34.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>16.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 31.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>17.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 58.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>18.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 33.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>19.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 32.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: 48.1pt; text-align: justify;"><span>20.Ibid, Vol. I, p. 39.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 12.1pt;"><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Implications of Guru Nanak’s Bani for Indian Social and Philosophical Thought</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 4.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">H.S.Virk,</span></i></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"># 360, Sector 71, SAS Nagar (Mohali) – 160071</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">The theme proposed for this seminar “Impact of Guru Nanak on Indian Social and Philosophical Thought” proved to be a predicament for writing a paper. The one line answer to this predicament will be that there is no visible or practical impact of Guru Nanak’s Bani on Indian social and philosophical thought. I know this answer will not be to the liking of Sikh intellectuals participating in this seminar. My readings of Guru Nanak Bani revealed to me the implications of Guru Nanak’s thought for Indian masses in general and for Hindu society, in particular. Hence I changed the title of my paper from Impact to Implications of Guru Nanak Bani. I got some solace after reading the interpretations of Guru Nanak Bani by three great Sikh savants, namely, Professor<span> </span>Puran Singh (Spirit of the Sikh)<sup>1</sup>, Sirdar Kapoor Singh (Sikhism for Modern Man)<sup>2</sup> and Sirdar Jagjit Singh (Dynamics of Sikh Revolution)<sup>3</sup>. In a way, my paper is based on their interpretation of social, philosophical and political relevance of Guru Nanak Bani in India. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">One of the prominent features of Guru Nanak Bani is the overwhelming concern in it of a humanitarian, compassionate attitude towards all humanity, which militates against cruelty, and injustice and thus aims at the establishment of a just society. The rich aristocracy and the unjust rulers have been criticised vehemently for their malafide actions. Guru Nanak identifies himself with the poorest of the poor<sup>4</sup>: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">nIcw AMdir nIc jwiq, nIcI hU Aiq nIcu[</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">nwnku iqn kY sMig swiQ, vifAw isau ikAw rIs[</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">ijQy nIc smwlIAin, iqQY ndir qyrI bKsIs ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Guru Nanak has expressed deep anguish at the prevailing evil and injustice in society, which he has expressed through the symbol of dark night<sup>5</sup>: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">kil kwqI rwjy ksweI Drmu pMK kir aufirAw [</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">kUiV Amwvs scu cMdrmw dIsY nwhI kh ciVAw[</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">hau Bwil ivkMunI hoeI [ AwDyrY rwhu n koeI [</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Guru Nanak and his successors inculcated the spirit of humility. They exposed the cruelty and hypocrisy rampant among the professional teachers and priests of both the religions, Hindu and Muslim. Guru Nanak rejected the caste system, the universal prevalent evil in Indian society and preached universal humanitarianism. His message was simple and straight forward exhorting his followers to follow the golden rule: Earn your livelihood by honest labour, distribute the fruits of your labour among the needy and meditate on the name of God (</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">ikrq kro, vMf Cko Aqy nwm jpo)[</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Guru Nanak preached against ritualism in society. He stressed on the truthful conduct of his followers, rather than visiting holy places or bathing on auspicious occasions to placate gods and goddesses. According to Guru Nanak<sup>6</sup> :</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Truth is higher than everything but higher still is truthful living.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 13pt;">schu ErY sBu ko, aupir s`cu Awcwru[</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Prof. Puran Singh brings forth the impact of Guru Nanak Bani on Indian society in his famous treatise “Spirit of the Sikh”. In the foreword of his book<sup>7</sup>, Puran Singh emphasises:“Guru Nanak embodied in himself a revolution – religious, social and political. It is remarkable that he invokes no concept God. He calls forth the great one cosmic spirit of the universe. Guru Nanak was not understood, since the whole country was steeped in religious ignorance and superstition. It is remarkable that the Guru’s mind was modern in outlook and he abhorred the outworn forms of religiosity”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Puran Singh is highly critical of Hindu philosophers (Tilak, Aurobindo and Tagore), who are re-interpreting the Gita and the Upanishads in order to come abreast with modern western thought and scientific conclusions. He narrates: “The Gurus have shown to Hindus the way to freedom of mind and soul and also to political freedom. The Hindus out of the spirit of vain intellectual pride have withheld themselves from the resurgence that Sikhism would bring. For the good of the Hindu people, Guru Granth ought to have been the new Veda, the new Gita and the new Upanishads, if they are to share in the great life-urge of the modern world”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">The best exposition of social and philosophical implications of Guru Nanak Bani is given by Sirdar Kapoor Singh in his book<sup>2</sup>.<sub> </sub>Starting from the triple precepts: Kirat Karo, Wand Chhako, Nam Japo; the Sirdar brings out the unique character of Guru Nanak Bani and its implications for modern man in global society. He is devastating in his criticism of capitalism, communism, democracy and secularism for the simple reason that Sikhism conceives of the religious evolution of man as a necessary and integral prerequisite and condition of its march towards the ideal society.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Jagjit Singh, the author of Dynamics of Sikh Revolution<sup>3</sup>, differs from both Puran Singh and Kapur Singh in interpreting social implications of Guru Nanak Bani. According to Jagjit Singh: “Guru’s reaction was not born of social, political, or economic considerations or compulsions, because the moral, social and political ideas of the prophets are caused, conditioned and determined by their basic religious experience. Guru Nanak condemned the caste order not because he was a social reformer but because of his deeper perception, born out of his experience of Nam”. I agree with Jagjit Singh on his commendable conclusions in the Chapter “Social Significance of Nam”, wherein he advocates two-fold mission of Guru Nanak; propagating Nam and of creating the Panth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Reality or God. However, Guru Nanak Bani presents a most scientific account of Cosmology in Maru Solhe Rag<sup>8</sup>, which is a unique contribution in the history of In my view, Sikh Gurus avoided metaphysical speculations about the nature of religions. Puran Singh condemns all discussions of implications of Guru Nanak Bani leading to some sort of philosophy. He asserts<sup>9</sup>: “We are more Buddhistic than Brahmanical, essentially more artistic than philosophical”. However, Sirdar Kapoor Singh resolves this contradiction in his essay<sup>10</sup>, “The Sikh Thought”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">It becomes difficult, almost impossible, to delineate a new philosophy distinct from Hindu philosophy, in Guru Nanak Bani.<span> </span>Kapoor Singh comes to our help in this predicament: “The basic problems of Sikh thought (Philosophy) are naturally the same as those of the Hindu and Buddhist speculative thought. Wherever, Sikhism differs or departs from these, it does so, as a rule, not by introducing new terms or concepts but by underlining an already familiar concept or interpreting it otherwise. This is, as it should be and it is thus that all great cultures and civilizations have emerged and developed”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">References </span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><span>1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Puran Singh : Spirit of the Sikh (Part II, Volume one), Published by Punjabi University, Patiala, p.p 1-60, 1980.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><span>2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Kapoor Singh : Sikhism for Modern Man, Published by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, p.p. 130-144, 1992</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><span>3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Jagjit Singh : Dynamics of Sikh Revolution, Published by Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, p.p 58-70, 2000</span></div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-44838031025459045792011-07-02T17:46:00.000-07:002011-07-02T17:46:22.200-07:00Prof. Puran Singh Photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh499U9nGenZPpXeDJMCk8a94tQta7RgDKY87lv7YuqnLHbXkp8ZnVDBaifkIc6b6rcD4CN1ou_QBHYZjByy41_IC6L7oHN-BIeMFVoE3mVb1QUTzprBO42ba23JDe95eo8JZTQ3vGi0JQ/s1600/Puran+Singh0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh499U9nGenZPpXeDJMCk8a94tQta7RgDKY87lv7YuqnLHbXkp8ZnVDBaifkIc6b6rcD4CN1ou_QBHYZjByy41_IC6L7oHN-BIeMFVoE3mVb1QUTzprBO42ba23JDe95eo8JZTQ3vGi0JQ/s320/Puran+Singh0001.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> Puran Singh with his Comrades in Tokyo (1900)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcufL686hBwnpeYuKXyg47pny9PjueWN6PjMgp-IlTk-YsfGxBV9wWNr5lOLLyv1B5M2Ys6kbZbwXEdyg4fqwxX_jKZgC5suSVACm-aa8SKgoVB0SGIra-2KSwEea0RkQ-bM9m_MzIcs/s1600/Puran+Singh0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcufL686hBwnpeYuKXyg47pny9PjueWN6PjMgp-IlTk-YsfGxBV9wWNr5lOLLyv1B5M2Ys6kbZbwXEdyg4fqwxX_jKZgC5suSVACm-aa8SKgoVB0SGIra-2KSwEea0RkQ-bM9m_MzIcs/s320/Puran+Singh0002.jpg" width="231" /></a></div> Puran Singh (Student in Tokyo University, 1900) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE1eV4acJ0b1hwAsh6jVPf4fwxwbkfQ8pWFQA9BcxFS3LsA0s_dMvcnnhDOH7GPqjlzYCZBSnTJRpTXlljlWjHVxehIzKWHjCOFhpmZJH_MpTfcLR4F4qmnbAgtGhtAFHeV0iedOxwdk/s1600/Puran+Singh0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE1eV4acJ0b1hwAsh6jVPf4fwxwbkfQ8pWFQA9BcxFS3LsA0s_dMvcnnhDOH7GPqjlzYCZBSnTJRpTXlljlWjHVxehIzKWHjCOFhpmZJH_MpTfcLR4F4qmnbAgtGhtAFHeV0iedOxwdk/s320/Puran+Singh0005.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br />
Puran Singh (A Buddhist Monk in Tokyo, 1901)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcaWphlZwhOK9tnfQjqgOgqQmpeHMMsa7XGmZ9XKAqtGXQg-hPeVvxTCMuhtsQWM7OSwLd2AMNeOSt7UOL7a9hzERmkKQxbLatgvplcu_hOVVGTXFymhPmXCgM3Jqg-6ew8V_11-e2lA/s1600/Puran+Singh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcaWphlZwhOK9tnfQjqgOgqQmpeHMMsa7XGmZ9XKAqtGXQg-hPeVvxTCMuhtsQWM7OSwLd2AMNeOSt7UOL7a9hzERmkKQxbLatgvplcu_hOVVGTXFymhPmXCgM3Jqg-6ew8V_11-e2lA/s320/Puran+Singh.jpg" width="220" /></a></div> Puran Singh (Research Chemist in FRI Dehradun, 1908-18)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMWNLDTRsH7VLA6meA2S6ZEPA3ois2Jtm285ot1kRHN3veMdRI2F0lYF1K8veSmw1D3xPsEKDEOuHH9fCBZXZdfRqPj1ECB4FIN3xQzpV0P_MQcDe-lHCXd0Sreuvk0gRq8t1tBTNTBY/s1600/Puran+Singh0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMWNLDTRsH7VLA6meA2S6ZEPA3ois2Jtm285ot1kRHN3veMdRI2F0lYF1K8veSmw1D3xPsEKDEOuHH9fCBZXZdfRqPj1ECB4FIN3xQzpV0P_MQcDe-lHCXd0Sreuvk0gRq8t1tBTNTBY/s320/Puran+Singh0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Puran Singh Family in a Marriage Ceremony (Doiwala, Dehradun) <br />
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</div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-29941835516393661272011-07-02T17:18:00.000-07:002011-07-02T17:18:21.099-07:00Maharaja Ranjit Singh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">The Real Ranjit Singh: An Account based on the Archive of Fakir Family</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Hardev Singh Virk</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">#14017, 30 Ave, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">History is not science and it can be twisted to suit the whims of the ruling class.<span> </span>Much has been written about Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his bicentenary to eulogize his achievements.<span> </span>No doubt he was a great ruler who liberated Punjab from the clutches of Afgan invaders and created a secular state in India but he had all the vices of a medieval monarch.<span> </span>The most authentic source about the personal life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is the book written by Fakir Syed Waheed-ud-Din of Lahore, a doyen and descendant of the famous Fakir family which served with dedication and devotion to the Maharaja.<span> </span>The book is based on the archival material in the possession<span> </span>of<span> </span>the Fakir family .<span> </span>It resolves some of the mysteries about Maharaja’s personal life and state policy.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>The author writes that Maharaja Ranjit Singh entered Lahore Fort as a conqueror on July 7, 1799.<span> </span>He was admonished by a holy ‘voice’ to obey four commandments as a ruler, if he wants to prosper:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">To say his prayers every morning without fail.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Never to hold court sitting on the throne of the Mughal emperors.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">To treat his subjects equally, without distinction of caste or creed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">To respect and befriend Fakir family which would serve him truly and well as a spiritual guardian of the new state.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">These four commandments became the corner stone of his state policy.<span> </span>Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a devout Sikh and his daily routine began with early morning prayers and listening to recitation of Guru Granth.<span> </span>He started his military campaigns after seeking guidance or ‘hukamnama’ from Guru Granth Sahib.<span> </span>He had a profound reverence for all that was holy and spiritual, irrespective of what religion it pertained to.<span> </span>He paid regular visits to Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple) on special occasions.<span> </span>His visits to the shrines of Muslim saints and Hindu temples were as much acts of faith as those to the Golden Temple.<span> </span>He donated liberally to the religious places of all sects in Punjab.<span> </span>He participated in religious festivals of both Hindus and Muslims.<span> </span>Thus he was the first true Sikh, secular King of Punjab.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>Following the second commandment, Ranjit Singh never sat upon a throne but held his durbar sitting cross-legged on a chair.<span> </span>He never added any royal emblem to his turban or attire.<span> </span>He used to tell his courtiers, “I am a peasant and a soldier, and do not care for external pomp.<span> </span>My sword is enough to win for me all the distinction I need”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>He had a keen sense of delight in beauty, colour and gaiety in his surroundings.<span> </span>His courtiers, councilors and military officers were among the best-looking and most magnificently dressed men of their time.<span> </span>It is doubtful if any court in Europe possessed such a grandeur as the court of <i>Sarkar-i-Khalsa</i> in Lahore.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>Fakir Azizuddin attributed Ranjit Singh’s lack of interest in his looks and dress to an utter lack of personal vanity and humble acceptance of a disadvantage which it had pleased God to inflict on him.<span> </span>He had a deeply pitted face, a blind eye and a diminutive figure and he wasted no time or money on trying to improve it.<span> </span>Fakir Azizuddin also endorses the well-known exchange of remarks between Ranjit Singh and Akali Phula Singh, the Nihang Chief and Jathedar of Akal Takhat.<span> </span>One day, while the Maharaja was passing under Phula Singh’s balcony riding on an elephant, the Jathedar shouted down at him, “O you one-eyed man, who gave you that he-buffalo to ride on?”<span> </span>Ranjit Singh looked up and said with mock humility, “Your Honour, it is a<span> </span>gift from you.”<span> </span>Akali Phula Singh represented <i>Khalsa Sarkar</i> and Maharaja Ranjit Singh considered himself a humble servant (<i>sevadar</i>) only.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>Historians have not done justice to<span> </span>the stellar role played by Rani Sada Kaur and Sarbat Khalsa in building up the foundations of Sikh Empire ruled by Ranjit Singh.<span> </span>Shah Zaman, the Afgan ruler marched into India at the head to 30,000 men and plundered Punjab.<span> </span>All the Sikh chiefs were afraid to fight with the Afgans.<span> </span>Sada Kaur called the Sarbat Khalsa on behalf of Ranjit Singh at Amritsar and threw a challenge to Sikh misaldars, “Khalsa Jee, if you fail to summon courage to fight, I shall die fighting to save the honour of Punjab”.<span> </span>Thus, Ranjit Singh was chosen to commend the defending army at the young age of 19 at the bidding of Sada Kaur.<span> </span>He laid the siege of Lahore fort, rode upto Samman Burj and challenged Shah Zaman to single combat.<span> </span>Demoralised and defeated Shah Zaman returned to Kabut and Ranjit Singh became the acknowledged leader of the Sikhs.<span> </span>Sada Kaur was not only a mother-in-law of Ranjit Singh but she also guided his destiny and helped him to acquire the Sikh Empire in Punjab.<span> </span>In later years, she felt ignored and nursed a grudge against Ranjit Singh.<span> </span>She was even imprisoned and put under house arrest in Lahore and was allowed to return to her estate in Batala only when she signed the ownership deed in favour of Prince Sher Singh , her grand-son and the second son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>Maharaja’s fascination towards horses was matched only by his love for liquor, aphrodisiacs and pretty women.<span> </span>His harem comprised forty-six women of four categories: nine whom he married in the orthodox Sikh manner, another nine, all of them rich widows, whom he adopted as his wives by casting his mantle (<i>Chadar</i>) over<span> </span>them, seven courtesans, mostly Muslim dancing girls and the rest consisted of concubines.<span> </span>Fakir Nuruddin, the Home Minister, was also incharge of Maharaja’s palaces and the harem.<span> </span>Due allowance being made for his reticence, it is remarkable that there exists hardly any account or mention of anything scandalous that happened in the harem.<span> </span>The size of his harem was much smaller than the average monarch of Oriental history.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>Ranjit Singh conducted an expedition against Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra, especially to marry his two daughters, Guddan and Raj Banso,<span> </span>known for their beauty and good looks.<span> </span>Ranjit Singh’s favourite queen, however, was Moran, a dancing girl of Amritsar, with whom he fell violently in love at first sight when he was just twenty-two.<span> </span>Ranjit Singh accepted all the conditions of<span> </span>Moran’s father to marry her as per custom of the courtesan’s family.<span> </span>After this marriage, Akali Phula Singh reprimanded Maharaja Ranjit Singh and he presented himself at the Akal Takhat to receive the ‘tankhah’ imposed by the Jathedar, by baring his back to receive the lashes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>Maharaja was fond of spending his hours of relaxation in singing and dancing soirees in the<span> </span>presence of his courtiers and guests.<span> </span>He would drink his special wine, an extract of raisins with ground pearls mixed in it, at these soirees.<span> </span>The service was provided by a royal troupe consisting of a hundred and twenty five girls chosen for their good looks from all over the Maharaja’s domains.<span> </span>The upper age limit was twentyfive after which these girls were given to the Maharaja’s officers as a favour or a reward for good work.<span> </span>The <i>prima donna</i> of this royal troupe was Bashiran, whom the Maharaja used to call ‘Billo’ because of her brown eyes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span> </span>Glowing tributes have been paid by Fakir Wahid -ud-Din<span> </span>in his book, “The Real Ranjit Singh”<span> </span>to the Lion of Punjab.<span> </span>It is a personal account of Maharaja’s rule of justice, his secular politics, his conquests and empire building and his relations with the British.<span> </span>However, it fails to determine the causes of the fall of Sikh Empire within a decade of Maharaja’s death.</span></div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-59325030104691968412011-07-02T17:15:00.000-07:002011-07-02T17:15:01.527-07:00Guru Nanak and Martin Luther<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Guru Nanak and Martin Luther: A Comparative Study</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><b>Dr. H.S. Virk </b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><b>Professor Emeritus, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, HP, India</b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a contemporary of Guru Nanak, born on 10 November, 1483 in Eiselben, Germany. He was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Protestant and other Christian traditions. Luther’s call to the church to return to the teachings of the Bible resulted in the formation of new traditions within the Christianity and Counter – Reformation in the Roman Church. He brought many revolutionary changes in the Roman Catholic Church and became a leader of Protestant movement in Europe.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b>Early Life</b>:<span> </span>He was harshly treated at home and school which forced him to run away to a monastery and become a monk. In 1497, he entered a school at Magdeburg and in 1501, the University of Erfurt from where he received the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy in 1502. Three years later, in 1505, he received a Master’s degree at Erfurt, scoring second position in his class. Lurther’s sudden and unexpected entrance into the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt occurred 17 July, 1505. The motives that prompted him to do this are conflicting and the subject of considerable debate He himself alleges that the brutality of his home and school life drove him into the monastery. In a letter to his father, he writes, “When I was terror-stricken and overwhelmed by the fear of impending death, I made an involuntary and forced vow.” The popular belief is that once Martin Luther while returning from his Mansfield home to school was overtaken by a terrible storm, with an alarming lightning flash and thunderbolt. Terrified and overwhelmed he cries out: “Help St. Anne! I shall become a monk”. Luther kept his bargain, dropped out of law school and entered the monastery at Eurfurt.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. There is no reason to doubt that Luther’s monastic career was exemplary; his heart at rest, his mind undisturbed, his soul at peace. He devoted himself to fasts, flagellations, long hours in prayer and pilgrimages, and constant confession. He was happy in the monastery.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">During 1508-09, he was sent to the University of Wittenberg to teach theology. Luther earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies in 1508 and the Doctor of Theology on 19 October, 1512 at Wittenberg.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b><span> </span>Evangelical Discovery</b>: The demands of study for academic degree and preparation for delivering lectures drove Martin Luther to study the scriptures in depth. He tried to understand the basic principles of the early Church and meaning of terms like penance and righteousness with their new connotation. This study convinced him that the Church had lost sight of several central truths. To Luther, the most important was the doctrine that brought him peace with God. Luther now believed and taught that salvation is a gift of God’s grace, received by faith and trust in God’s promise to forgive sins for the sake of Christ’s death on the cross. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">His mission to Rome in 1511 was a turning point of his life which imparted an inspirational character to the leading doctrine of the Reformation. On Halloween of 1517, Luther changed the course of human history when he nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, accusing the Roman Catholic Church of heresy upon heresy. Many people cite this act as the primary starting point of the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s action was in great part a response to the selling of indulgences by Johann Tetzel, a Dominican priest. Luther’s charges also directly challenged the position of the clergy in regard to individual salvation. Before long, Luther’s 95 Theses of Contention had been copied and published all over Europe. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Luther the reformer had become Luther the revolutionary; the religious agitation had become political rebellion. Luther’s theological attitude at this time was as follows: The Bible is the only source of faith; it contains the plenary inspiration of God. Human nature has been totally corrupted by <i>original sin</i>, and man, accordingly, is deprived of free will. Whatsoever he does be it good or bad, is not his own work, but God’s. Faith alone can work justification, and man is saved by confidently believing that God will pardon him. The hierarchy and priesthood are not divinely instituted or necessary, and ceremonial or external worship is not essential or useful. Ecclesiastical vestments, pilgrimages, mortifications, monastic vows, prayers for the dead, intercession of saints, avail the soul nothing. All sacraments, with the exception of baptism and Holy Eucharist, are rejected, but their absence may be supplied by faith. The priesthood is universal, every Christian may assume it. There is no need for specially trained and ordained men to dispense the mysteries of God. There is no visible Church established by God whereby men may work out their salvation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b>Luther’s Trial and Exile</b>:<span> </span>Luther’s protestant views were condemned as heretical by Pope Leo III in the Bull of excommunication, “Exsurge Domine” in 1520. Luther was summoned to either renounce or reaffirm them at the Diet of Worms on 17 April 1521. Luther respectfully but boldly stated, <i>“Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I cannot and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”</i> The Emperor Charles V issued his Edict of Worms on May 26, 1521, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw. Luther was ordered to return but forbidden to preach or publish while on the way. It placed Luther under the ban of the empire and ordered the destruction of his writings. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Luther appealed to the emperor (Charles V) in his pamphlets, to destroy the power of the Pope, to confiscate all ecclesiastical property for his own use, to abolish holy feasts, fasts and holidays, to do away with Masses for the dead, etc. The Bull of excommunication affected him little. It only drove him to further virulent attacks on the Roman Catholic Church. The Bull itself became the object of shocking indignities in Germany. The university students at Wittenberg, led by Melancthon and Luther himself, consigned it to the flames. Germany was living on a politico-religious volcano. Luther by his inflammatory denunciation of Pope and clergy let loose a veritable hurricane of fierce, uncontrollable racial and religious hatred, which was to spend itself in the bloodshed of the Peasant’s War and the orgies of the sack of Rome.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Luther had powerful friends among the princes of Germany, one of whom was his own prince, Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony. The prince arranged for Luther to be kidnapped by masked horsemen on return from Diet of Worms and carried to the castle of Wartburg, where he was kept in hiding for a year in the garb of a knight. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b>Luther’s Writings</b>:<span> </span>Luther published many pamphlets attacking Pope, Papal Bull and sacramental system. His chief distinction while at the Wartburg castle was his translation of the New Testament into commonly spoken dialect of the German people. It was first published in 1522 and a complete version of the Bible appeared in 1534. Fourteen editions were published during his lifetime.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">The number of books attributed to Luther is quite impressive but the German Bible is his master-piece. “Opinion on Monastic Orders” is considered another important work of Luther, the book that helped to depopulate the sanctuary and monastery in Germany. It made the bold proclamation of new code of ethics: It made the gratification of sexual propensities as natural and inexorable, a physiological necessity of our being. It was a trumpet call to priest, monk, and nun to break their vows of chastity and enter matrimony. It demanded an instant abrogation of the laws of celibacy. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b>A Strange Character</b>: Luther had one prominent trait of character: It was an overweening confidence and unbending will, buttressed by an inflexible dogmatism. He recognized no superior, tolerated no rival, and brooked no contradiction. His role during Peasant’s War speaks volumes about his character. Luther calls upon the princes to slaughter the offending peasants like mad dogs, to stab, strangle and slay as best one can, and holds out as a reward the promise of heaven. More than 1000 monasteries were leveled to the ground, hundreds of villages were laid in ashes, and one lakh people killed. While Germany was drenched in blood, its people paralyzed with horror, the cry of the widow and wail of the orphan rented the air, Luther then in his 42<sup>nd</sup> year was spending his honeymoon with Catherine von Bora, a Bernardine nun of 26 years, who had abandoned her convent. It was a most detestable act on his part.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b>Jewish Hatred</b>: Luther initially preached tolerance towards the Jewish people but after his overtures to Jews failed to convince them to adopt Christianity; he began preaching that Jews were set in evil, anti-Christian ways, and needed to be expelled from German politics. He wrote a treatise, “On the Jews and Their Lies” quoting the words of Jesus calling Jews “a brood of vipers and children of the devil.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Martin Luther died on 18 February, 1546 at Eisleben. He was buried on 22<sup>nd</sup> Feb. in the Wartberg castle church. Fortunately, he escaped martyrdom and died of natural causes. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>A Comparative Study of Martin Luther and Guru Nanak</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">There are a few common features between Martin Luther and Guru Nanak. My study shows a string of contradictions between these two contemporaries. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b>Common Features</b>: Both Guru Nanak and Martin Luther got harsh treatment at the hands of their fathers while their mothers showered mercy and kindness. Guru Nanak entered the village school but was not a keen student and left without completing his elementary schooling. Martin Lurther was a highly qualified person. He earned his Master’s in Philosophy from university of Erfurt and a doctorine in Theology from University of Wittenberg. He was a professor of theology throughout his life.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Guru Nanak got an audience with God during his Bein episode and started preaching His divine mission as ordained by God Almighty. His message had universal appeal for all human beings without the distinction of caste, creed or sex. Guru remark was highly critical of the religious preachers, both Hindu and Muslim, who delivered sermons to others but failed to practice in their own lives what they preached to others. He condemned the hypocrisy of clergy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Luther studied the scriptures in depth and found discrepancy in the written message and its adoption by the Church. The priestly class exploited the poor people and played a second fiddle to the ruling class. The situation was almost identical to the scenario in India during the supremacy of Brahmanical priests. Both Guru Nanak and Martin Luther reject the superiority of priestly class in religious affairs. Salvation is not a prerogative of priests but it is within reach of common people.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Another common feature between Guru Nanak and Martin Luther is their theological attitude towards religion. All forms of external worship and rituals were rejected by both. Guru Nanak advocated truthful living as the core concept of his spiritual ethics. He believed in grace of God and declared that salvation is not earned by human effort; it is bestowed by grace of God. Martin Luther rejected the rituals of Roman Catholic Church and preached his new code of ethics based on the Bible and old Church. He accepted the institution of marriage for monks and nuns and pleaded for abrogation of the laws and vows of celibacy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><b>A Study in Contradictions</b><span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">(a) <span> </span>Guru Nanak adopted a mystic approach to religion while Martin Luther had an intellectual approach only. The element of mysticism, so essential for a religion, was missing in the writings of Martin Luther. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">(b)<span> </span>Guru Nanak was a prophet in his own right, ordained by God to preach his mission, a kind of true spirituality in the world. It is a mischief on the part of the Brahmanical scholars to call Guru Nanak, a reformer of Hindu faith in India. Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation in Europe and can be labeled as a mere reformer of Christian faith.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">(c)<span> </span>Guru Nanak laid the foundation of a new religion in India with its distinct social system and holy book. It got a revolutionary character in the hands of Guru Gobind Singh. Martin Luther revolutionized the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church without modifying the Bible or pristine form of Christanity.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">(d)<span> </span>Guru Nanak always stood with the poor and fought for the exploited people of India while Martin Luther stood with the princes and rich aristocracy who butchered the poor during Peasant’s War in Germany. Rather, he became instrumental for this carnage. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">(e)<span> </span>Guru Nanak represented humility of character in all his dealings even with the adversaries while Martin Luther was haughty, intolerant, dogmatic and venomous in his uttering against the Pope and the Jews.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">(f)<span> </span>Guru Nanak was a pinnacle glory of Bhakti culture in India while Martin Luther was a by-product of a revolt of State against the Church in Europe.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-56117909845634008562011-07-02T17:06:00.000-07:002011-07-02T17:06:25.338-07:00NATURAL DIASTERS: MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoBodyText">Definition: Webster's Dictionary defines a disaster as 'a grave occurrence having ruinous results'. WHO defines disaster as 'any occurrence that causes damage, economic destruction, loss of human life and deterioration in health and health services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community'.<span> </span>Disasters are either natural, such as floods, droughts, cyclones and earthquakes, or man-made such as riots, conflicts, refugee situations and others like fire, epidemics, industrial accidents, and environmental fallouts.<span> </span>In 1996, 40 million people were affected by disasters. During 1990-95, over 30 billion US$ was spent on humanitarian assistance.<span> </span>On the average, 3 billion US$ is spent on disaster mitigation every year while the average annual global military spending is around 780 billion US dollars.<span> </span>In South Asia, where poverty, deprivation and death due to disasters are a common feature of life, India remains the worst affected country.</div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">(Source: Indian Disasters Report 2000, Oxford University Press)</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><h1>Natural Hazards, Disasters and Vulnerability </h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Natural hazards become disasters when they impact on the vulnerabilities of an area/region and its people.<span> </span>For example, cigarette smoking or drug-addiction is a health hazard, which can become a disaster if the vulnerable section of population is exposed to it freely.<span> </span>The vulnerability of a region is a complex phenomenon; it is defined as the influence on it by heterogeneity of social, political and economic factors.<span> </span>Natural on man-made hazards impact differently in different parts of the world depending upon vulnerability.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The 1993, Latur earthquake of 6.2 M left over 10,000 dead and destroyed 200, 000 households.<span> </span>However, much more powerful (7.5 M) Los Angeles earthquake of 1971 killed only 55 persons.<span> </span>In India, with a fast growing population, the disaster mitigation and management must take into account the assessment of risk and vulnerability of the area under consideration.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><h1>India: A Country profile on Disasters</h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">During the decade 1988-97, disasters in India affected over 24 million people and killed 5116 each year, on the average.<span> </span>The economic loss amounted to 1884 million US $ per year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In India, 11.2 percent area is flood-prone, 28 percent of total cultivable area is drought-prone and it is estimated that 57 percent of India is earthquake-prone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Communal and caste riots pepper the country.<span> </span>In India, the member of internally displaced people caused by developmental projects is probably 30 million today, according to Walter Fernandes of Indian Social Institute.<span> </span>As for non-conventional disasters, the cost of road accidents is equivalent to 1 percent of a country's GNP.<span> </span>The road transport system in India is about to crack.<span> </span>The number of 4-wheeled vehicles is increasing at a tremendous rate and it has been forecast that 300 million vehicles will be on the roads by AD 2050.<span> </span>The country, on the face of it, presents a dismal picture, so far as disaster management is concerned.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Major Disasters in India (1990-2000)</span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">United Nations declared 1990-2000 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).<span> </span>During this decade, India faced many major disasters, e.g., cyclones in Andhra Pradesh (1990 & 96) and Gujarat (1998), earthquakes in Uttarkashi (1991), Latur (1993), Jabhalpur (1997) and Bhuj (2001), landslide in Uttar Pradesh 91998), in addition to floods (1993-1999).<span> </span>On an average 3000 lives have been lost besides destruction of public property worth 10,000 million rupees.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Keeping in view, the objectives of IDNDR and Yokohoma Declaration, Indian Govt has planned for disaster preparedness, mitigation and management at the national, state and district level by creating infrastructure, namely National Centre for Disaster Management (NCDM), Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) at state level and National Fund for calamity Relief (NFCR) at national level.<span> </span>Forecasting and warning systems to deal with floods, cyclones, droughts and earthquakes are being upgraded. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><h1>Nuclear Radiation Disasters</h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Historical : Natural Radioactivity was discovered by Henry Becqueral and Marie Curie in 1897 and Artificial radioactivity by Frederic Joliot and Irene Curie in 1932. Sir James Chadrick discovered neutron in 1935. Nuclear fission was discovered by Otto Hahn, Strassman and Cise Mertner in 1938 in Germany, when they bombarded uranium with neutrons.<span> </span>Enrico Fermi demonstrated the chain reaction in a nuclear pile (reactor) on 2<sup>nd</sup> December 14942 in Chicago (USA) which led to the making of first Nuclear Bomb (Atomic Bomb) under the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in the desert of New Mexico (USA). Two thousand million dollars was the budget estimate for Manhattan Project.<span> </span>The test explosion of Atomic Bomb on 16<sup>th</sup> July 1945 was a complete success.<span> </span>The First Atomic Bomb was thrown / dropped on Hiroshima on 6<sup>th</sup> August 1945 and the second on Nagasaki on 9<sup>th</sup> August 1945.<span> </span>The bomb had the power of 20,000 tons of TNT. Hiroshima nuclear explosion killed 92,133 Japanese and more than 100,000 were permanently injured and disfigured.<span> </span>The disaster was worst in the recorded history of mankind.<span> </span>The following lines appeared in an American newspaper:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The Atom Bomb is here to stay,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Most scientists agree.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Oh, the bomb is here to stay,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The question is, are we?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Russians prepared a Hydrogen Bomb (Fusion Device) in 1953 and tested it in the Arctic Ocean.<span> </span>In March 1954, America exploded H-bomb at Bikimi and the nuclear race started in the world.<span> </span>France, UK, China, India and Pakistan have also become members of the Nuclear Club.<span> </span>It is a feared that Israel and North Korea have also developed nuclear bombs and some more countries are engaged in making bombs clandestinely.<span> </span>We have Atomic, Hydrogen and Neutron bombs in the world.<span> </span>Nuclear Warfare will be suicide for the human race!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><h2><i>Causes of Nuclear Disaster</i></h2><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>a)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Sohock Wave: destroys all buildings within a radius of 15 Kms from Ground Zero.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>b)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Hear Wave: burns all in its path.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>c)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Nuclear Radiations: in the form of gamma rays and neutrons destroy all living beings.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>d)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Radioactivity of fission products remains for many years after the nuclear explosion.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Radiation effects are of two types:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>i.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Somatic Effects, and </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span>ii.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Genetic Effects</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Somatic effects affect the person exposed to radiation and a dose of 600 Roentgen (r) can prove fatal.<span> </span>Genetic effects appear in the successive generations of exposed person. Radiation dose limits are defined for general public and occupational workers by ICRP (International Commission on Radiation Protection) set up under UN. Health Physics is a profession devoted to protection of man and his environment from unwarranted radiation exposure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-86075494399894055242011-07-02T16:31:00.000-07:002011-07-02T16:31:19.120-07:00Get me to the Golden Temple on time!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if !mso]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">February 9, 2011 by Victoria Aitken Source: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1354049/Alexandra-Aitken-wedding-Sister-Victoria-relives-magic.html?ITO=1490" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.dailymail.co.uk</span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #660066; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Victoria Aitken relives the colorful magic of her twin sister’s wedding to a Sikh warrior</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I was sitting in a Westminster restaurant having lunch with my father Jonathan when the call came through on my mobile.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was my twin sister Alexandra in India. ‘Are you sitting down?’ she asked. When I replied that I was, she said: ‘I’m going to get married – next week!’ I could hear the happiness in Ally’s voice, which meant I instinctively shared her joy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My father was also happy that his daughter was on cloud nine, although he was understandably concerned about the speed of events last month. Big day: Our exclusive picture shows Inderjot and Alexandra at their wedding</span></div><div align="center"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 468px;"><tbody>
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<tr> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNs0Efg2UBWg_ZlTyVSfyhjir6YU1xOA43ApDSpD0s4MXrx9QJ4tUHyVV3TpKpJ595bCRZelH5QO8rESIaeg10ngKWa_-3r3xSn_I5RPexHtW_6Qh2T2wAbIwoYYWUEkcyzthQaQ0auEk/s1600/dh" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNs0Efg2UBWg_ZlTyVSfyhjir6YU1xOA43ApDSpD0s4MXrx9QJ4tUHyVV3TpKpJ595bCRZelH5QO8rESIaeg10ngKWa_-3r3xSn_I5RPexHtW_6Qh2T2wAbIwoYYWUEkcyzthQaQ0auEk/s320/dh" width="272" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">Big day: Our exclusive picture shows Inderjot and Alexandra at their wedding in Amritsar which took place less than a week after he proposed</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That she was marrying wasn’t a surprise in itself. I knew that in Inderjot Singh, a handsome Sikh of noble blood, she had found someone special.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">They’d met a year ago when she was practising yoga on a retreat at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, near the foothills of the Himalayas, and I’d had the feeling since she first started to talk about him that he might be husband material.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Now, her retreat had become her advance to her greatest romantic adventure – getting married. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But the timing certainly came as a shock. Although as a family we knew all about Ally’s husband-to-be, we hadn’t met him because he and Ally had been living in India. Traditional display: Nihang warriors entertain the guests with a sword fight at the wedding breakfast</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The wedding was to take place in Amritsar and I had less than a week to make a frantic dash there.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The suddenness of the wedding even amazed Ally herself. Inderjot surprised his bride with elaborate, secret preparations for their wedding, which would take place less than a week after he had proposed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A Nihang warrior determined to take his bride to the Sikh equivalent of the altar moves at cavalry-charge speed. Inderjot had arranged the whole wedding – for the following Tuesday!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Although delighted, Ally knew it would be impossible for us all to travel to India at such short notice. She told me: ‘I don’t mind if you don’t come. It’s going to be a purely religious and spiritual ceremony.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'We will have a more westernised ceremony later on.’</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the end, it was impossible for my father and mother Lolicia to change their schedules and fly out to India to be there. My father visited the couple last week instead and shares the welcoming love I feel for my new brother-in-law. But for me, missing my twin’s wedding simply wasn’t an option. Happily married: The couple, who married four months ago, didn't tell Alexandra's parents about the ceremony and the only member of her family to attend was her twin sister Victoria who was sworn to secrecy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
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<tr> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">Happy couple: Alexandra had told Victoria she didn't have to be at the ceremony as it was going to be very spriritual - but Victoria was determined to make it</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">‘Of course I have to come,’ I told her. ‘Get me to the Golden Temple on time! You are my twin sister and wild horses wouldn’t keep me away.’</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I immediately set about searching for flights. By incredible luck, I found one with perfect timing going via Qatar, which has direct flights from Doha to Amritsar. I had to rush off my passport to the Indian High Commission.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The deadline was tight and there was a strong chance I wouldn’t be granted a visa quickly enough. But thanks to some string-pulling with a contact on my father’s part, it was issued in the nick of time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I also took the time to research my future brother-in-law’s background and culture, so I would have an understanding of the world my sister was entering.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He is a Nihang warrior, which I learned is a military Sikh order formed 300 years ago, in which men and women are trained in horsemanship and swordsmanship and are renowned for being brave against all odds.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m aware some people may find it strange that Ally would marry a devout Sikh. We were brought up as Christians – my father is an Anglican – but we were also taught to be extremely open-minded about other cultures. Sister act: Alexandra, left, who got married just a week after Inderjot proposed, with Victoria. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
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<tr><td style="padding: 0.75pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">Sister act: Alexandra, left, and Victoria were taught to be open-minded. Their father Johnathan is an Anglican Christian and mother Lolicia a Buddhist</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My mother Lolicia is a Buddhist and instilled in us the idea that whatever religion makes the most sense is the right one for you. As children, we would trek to temples, visit ancient ruins and commune with gurus, and we’ve both continued to travel widely and experience different cultures as adults.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I am the family’s sceptic, but I have a great deal of respect for the beliefs of others and I’ve seen how happy my sister’s faith makes her since her conversion to Sikhism.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, she did not convert for Inderjot but for herself. It wasn’t out of the blue but a very gradual process that had begun before she even met him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ally and I are extremely close, although we’re very different. Many identical twins have the same fashion sense and interests but Ally and I have always been individuals with strong, separate identities – hence I’m trying to make my name as a musician and she’s found her own purpose as a spiritual yoga teacher.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But we’ve been through so much together, including my father’s dramas, which include bankruptcy, jail for perjury and divorce, that we know instinctively if the other is happy and at peace.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Long before I got on the plane to India, I knew that was true of Ally.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And although I was desperate to meet Inderjot, I trusted her judgment of him from the start. Ancestor: The twins' great-granfather, John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby, was one of the last Englishmen to rule as part of the British Raj.</span></div><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin-bottom: 5.25pt; margin-left: 7.5pt; width: 233px;"><tbody>
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<tr> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">Ancestor: The twins' great-granfather, John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby, was one of the last Englishmen to rule as part of the British Raj</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She’s always had more conventional taste in men than me, going for the kind and intelligent ones, while my last boyfriend was a DJ who stayed up all night and had women throwing themselves at him. Besides, I’d spoken to Inderjot on the phone many times and found him to be charming and sweet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I already knew something about the area of northern India where the wedding would be held.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My great-grandfather John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby, was one of the last Englishmen to rule as part of the British Raj. He was the viceroy of India’s private secretary, chief commissioner of the North–West Frontier Province and acting governor of the Punjab, where Inderjot comes from.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It seemed like serendipity that my sister should now be marrying in the areas my great-grandfather once ruled.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My flight stopped in Doha overnight and the following morning, before my connecting flight, I focused my mind on a crucial detail: what was I going to wear? I called my sister to ask what I needed – a sari?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She told me I needed a Punjabi dress. I couldn’t find anything in Doha’s shopping malls, so I would just have to make do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When I boarded the plane in Doha for Amritsar, I was the only Westerner on the plane.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I heard whispers and other passengers looked at me strangely. When I got to immigration in Amritsar, the official asked me, ‘What are you doing here?’ When I told him, ‘I’m here for my sister’s wedding’, he gave me a funny look. I felt out of place, but excited.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I arrived at 4am in Amritsar and drove along dark roads lined with trees and rickshaws before finally arriving at my hotel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">After just three hours of sleep, I met my sister and her bridegroom the following morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I was delighted to find that Inderjot was every bit as handsome, calm, thoughtful and intelligent as Ally had told me – and even though he was educated in Australia, his English is perfect.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Both Ally and Inderjot were wearing traditional Nihang dress, which consists of trousers, shawls featuring crossed-swords motifs, turbans and kirpans (miniature-curved daggers).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When I asked about it, Inderjot explained: ‘The main purpose of the kirpan is not for attack or for self-defence. It is for the symbolic use of cutting out evil.’</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In my jeans and T-shirt, I felt distinctly under-dressed and I was crestfallen when I showed Ally the beautiful off-the-shoulder black dress I’d planned to wear at the wedding.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">‘That’s far too sexy to wear in front of holy Sikhs,’ she said. Inderjot rescued me by presenting me with a Punjabi wedding outfit consisting of a flowing robe on top of a patterned trouser suit. Racy: Alexandra Aitken pictured during her modeling days.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Once I was suitably dressed, Inderjot and Ally took me to the Harmandir, known to the West as the Golden Temple, which is the headquarters of Sikhism.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It can only be entered with bare feet and with your head covered. Inderjot gives much of his time to serving in the temple, as a Gaini – a spiritual instructor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We walked around the holy lake in the middle of the temple. It was like going around Westminster Abbey with two very experienced guides to explain every tombstone, shrine and side-chapel in great detail.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Under the night stars I saw pilgrims diving into the holy lake, which is said to have healing properties.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was a beautiful spot with a deep tranquillity which helped me understand Sikhism’s appeal to my sister. They also showed me the soup kitchens in the temple, where food, including special bread, is prepared to give away to thousands of poor people every day.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I was impressed at the warmth and generosity. My sister’s wedding began at the unusual hour of 4am the following morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">According to the Sikh religion the dawn is the holiest time of the day and extra blessings come to couples who get married just before sunrise.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ally told me I didn’t have to be there at the start, as the first part of the long service consisted of long prayers said by the 150 holy men from the Nihang. I told her I wasn’t going to miss a second of her wedding.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I arrived with Vijay, an Indian friend from Bangalore, who drove me to the gurdwara, or place of worship for a wedding. I walked through a moonlit field, in warm air, to get to the beautifully decorated space, which was set up in the open air.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lining the entrance were several Nihang warriors in their ceremonial robes, who bowed and smiled at me as I walked past. Famous father: Alexandra pictured at a film premiere with former Tory Minister Jonathan</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The ceremony began with singing and prayers. The 300 guests – mostly Inderjot’s family and many Indian friends of his and Ally’s, both men and women – gathered around the holy book, which stood on an altar surrounded by water. A kind woman standing in front of me explained the rituals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As all the guests had taken their seats, my sister entered with her husband and everyone stood up again. She was wearing traditional robes, with a turban on her head and no make-up, and she looked radiant.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Facing us was a little island surrounded by water, in front of which a group of musicians were playing raggas, the melodic tunes used for special occasions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We were lucky enough to have Bhai Balbir Singh, probably the most famous raggi, playing and the musicians continued throughout the ceremony.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I found the group’s music and the sonorous chanting which accompanied it hauntingly beautiful and extremely uplifting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Inderjot later told me that the ceremony I’d witnessed was a particularly old Nihang service and that the music played had not been performed for many years. Throughout the ceremony, I had never seen my sister look so beautiful and happy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The moment when the bride and groom say ‘I do’ is much more complicated than in a Western marriage service. Ally followed Inderjot around several circuits of four pillars, bowed in front of the holy book and sat down to more prayers as the sun came up and the birds began to sing. It seemed like a wedding made in paradise.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">After the service I received a wonderful bonus when Inderjot presented me with an amazing diamond ring. Apparently it is the Nihang tradition that the sister of the bride is given a ring for becoming the bridegroom’s sister-in-law.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This is a tradition I thoroughly approve of. Devout: Newly married Alexandra Aitken clutches her prayer beads as she walks with husband Inderjot near the temple in Amritsar.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">All 300 guests then sat down to an amazing breakfast of Indian vegan delicacies served on long tables. I sat with Vijay and my sister’s next-door neighbour, who was able to explain everything I’d witnessed and help me take it all in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout the meal, which was not accompanied by alcohol as the Nihang are teetotal, the warriors performed a series of tribal dances consisting of cartwheels, sword fights and dagger throwing. It was an amazing display of artistic talent and I was mesmerised.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By midday, the sun was getting hot so I went back to my hotel to sleep. I felt I’d been transported to another world by the wedding, which was beyond anything I could have imagined.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But I am down to earth in my judgment about my sister’s marriage. I know it is a true love match. I believe that for Ally and Inderjot love will cross all boundaries – cultural, spiritual and practical.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Like my father, I am thrilled that my sister has found the man for her. She intends to make her home in India, where she will continue to practise as a yoga teacher – a job she has been doing for several years in London and LA. I will visit her often, and look forward to experiencing more of the beauty and peace I saw at the wedding.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Her conversion to Sikhism is totally sincere, although far beyond my spiritual horizons.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She has found her path to grace as well as a handsome, kind husband. Lucky her. I wish Ally and Inderjot the greatest happiness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I hope one day to marry too, but only if I meet the right man. Who knows who that might be?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve learned I could fall in love with a Japanese Samurai warrior just as easily as a hedge-fund manager from London – nobody really knows their type until they meet that special person. My sister has shown us all that.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Victoria’s website can be found at <a href="http://www.victoriaaitken.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.victoriaaitken.com</span></a></span></div><div align="center"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 0px;"><tbody>
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</div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-16412183747134105142011-07-02T14:17:00.000-07:002011-07-02T14:17:30.949-07:00GOD or Reality is Uncreated<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.5in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>GOD or Reality is Uncreated (This is exactly the REVELATION of our Guru Nanak in Japu Pauri 5: <i>thapia na jae kita na hoe; ape aap niranjan soe</i>) </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span> </span><span> </span>The situation is far more radical than most practicing scientists suppose. Whatever is the fundamental source of creation, it itself must be uncreated. Otherwise, there is a hidden creator lying in the background, and then we must ask who or what created that.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>What does it mean to be uncreated? The source of reality must be self-sufficient, capable of engendering complex systems on the micro and macro scale, self-regulating, and holistic. Nothing can exist outside its influence. Ultimately, the uncreated source must also turn into the physical universe, not simply oversee it as God or the gods do in conventional religion. We feel that only consciousness fits the bill, for as a prima facie truth, no experience takes place outside consciousness, which means that if there is a reality existing beyond our awareness (counting mathematics and the laws of physics as 1 part of our conscious experience), we will never be able to know it. The fact that consciousness is inseparable from cognition, perception, observation, and measurement is undeniable; therefore, this is the starting point for new insights into the nature of reality</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;">CONSCIOUSNESS is the Creator of Physical Universe</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span> </span>Consciousness includes human mental processes, but it is not just a human attribute. Existing outside space and time, it was "there" "before" those two words had any meaning. In essence, space and time are conceptual artifacts that sprang from primordial consciousness. The reason that the human mind meshes with nature, mathematics, and the fundamental forces described by physics, is no accident: we mesh because we are a product of the same conceptual expansion by which primordial consciousness turned into the physical world. We cannot extract consciousness from the physical universe, despite the fervent hope of materialists and reductionists. Our approach, positing consciousness as more fundamental than anything physical, is the most reasonable alternative.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">--- In <a href="mailto:learning-zone%40yahoogroups.com" target="_blank">learning-zone@yahoogroups.com</a>, HARDEV SINGH VIRK <hardevsingh.virk@...> wrote:<br />
<br />
Dr Virk is world famous scientist in Physics. Similarly there are other famous scientists on the GLZ forum. 'Origin of Universe' is the subject of discussion from the time immemorial and has been discussed by the prophets, Gurus, seers, sages of various religions and also by experts in astronomy and physics. This is an on-going research and it may take many years to come to a uniform theory. I don't think that I can resolve this issue.<br />
<br />
Now the "consciousness" has entered in this subject - "Origin of Universe". If we see the solution for this problem is "Consciousness" then there is NO ARGUMENT since nobody has defined what this "Consciousness" is. However, it is a best excuse to avoid further discussion. <br />
<br />
Anyhow the Sikh scientists have recently turned to this subject looking form the angle of Gurbani and science. Guru Nanak has discussed this subject as revealed to him by God as is understood by many Sikh theologians as well as scientists. If it is so then whatever he has said in his Bani should be unchallenged. On the other hand there are a few who may say that it is the vision of Guru Nanak as he observed in the Universe/Nature. I have not come across anything like "Consciousness" as the Creator of the Universe in Guru Nanak's Bani.<br />
<br />
But the question is how do we the Sikh theologians and scientists interpret the Bani of Guru Nanak. For example Dr Virk says:<br />
<br />
<<<GOD or Reality is Uncreated (This is exactly the REVELATION of our Guru Nanak in Japu Pauri 5:thapia na jae kita na hoe; ape aap niranjan soe)>>>.<br />
<br />
Dr Virk has not interpreted the above phrase but says as follows:<br />
<br />
<<<Whatever is the fundamental source of creation, it itself must be uncreated. Otherwise, there is a hidden creator lying in the background, and then we must ask who or what created that. What does it mean to be uncreated? The source of reality must be self-sufficient, capable of engendering complex systems on the micro and macro scale, self-regulating, and holistic. Nothing can exist outside its influence. Ultimately, the uncreated source must also turn into the physical universe, not simply oversee it as God or the gods do in conventional religion. We feel that only consciousness fits the bill, for as a prima facie truth, no experience takes place outside consciousness, which means that if there is a reality existing beyond our awareness (counting mathematics and the laws of physics as 1 part<br />
of our conscious experience), we will never be able to know it. The<br />
fact that consciousness is inseparable from cognition, perception, observation, and measurement is undeniable; therefore, this is the<br />
starting point for new insights into the nature of reality.>>><br />
<br />
I would interpret this phrase of Guru Nanak (thapia na jae kita na hoe; ape aap niranjan soe) as follows: <br />
<br />
It can neither be constructed nor created since It has always been there of Its own without any fault (Flawless). <br />
<br />
The "It" used here is called ENERGY by the scientists and is called JYOT (JOT) by Guru Nanak. This Energy or Jyot is Niranjan (without any fault). This Energy cannot be created since it was always there. <br />
<br />
The so-called "Consciousness" has nothing to do with this phrase of Guru Nanak.<br />
<br />
This Energy is represented as:<br />
<br />
E = M C square<br />
<br />
It means The Energy is converted into Matter and Matter into Energy and this cycle goes on in this Universe. <br />
<br />
Kaiee baar pasrio pasara.<br />
<br />
Regards, <br />
Devinder Singh Chahal<br />
Canada</span></div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230673261224116608.post-36009013530604432712011-05-17T16:13:00.000-07:002011-05-17T16:31:36.738-07:00GURU NANAK’S CONCEPT OF GOD (ABSOLUTE REALITY)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br />
<h4 align="center" style="text-align: center;">GURU NANAK’S CONCEPT OF GOD (ABSOLUTE REALITY)</h4><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Hardev Singh Virk</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">#360 Sector 71, SAS Nagar (Mohali) -160071</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Email: <span style="color: #00b0f0;">hardevsingh.<span class="apple-style-span"><a href="mailto:virk@gmail.com"><span style="color: #00b0f0;">virk@gmail.com</span></a></span></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">ABSTRACT</span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">It is unfortunate that Nanakian Philosophy failed to impact at global level despite its unique world-view. Nanakian Philosophy dialectically unites the ideas of God and the World created by Him. No school of Hindu philosophy believes that God is <i>Karta Purkh</i> in the same sense as implied by Nanakian Philosophy. Guru Nanak discarded the worship of the whole pantheon of gods and goddesses of Hindu religion. He laid the foundation of a strictly monotheistic religion in India for the first time. Guru Nanak's God is absolute, formless one, inscrutable, boundless, self-existent, ineffable and beyond time. Guru Nanak's God is both transcendental and immanent, pervading the macrocosm as well as the microcosm. The idea of divine self-expression in the World is another revolutionary theological concept introduced by Guru Nanak. The concepts of Truth (<i>Sach</i>), the Name (<i>Naam</i>), the Word (<i><span style="color: red;">Sabd</span></i>), the Divine Preceptor (<i><span style="color: red;">Guru</span></i>), and the Divine Order <span style="color: red;">(<i>H</i><i>ukm</i>)</span> form the key-concepts of divine self-expression. Guru Nanak is the first prophet of God in the history of world religions who removed the dualism and dichotomy between the spiritual life and empirical life of man. We may conclude that Guru Nanak's vision of God was far more scientific/logical and comprehensive than his predecessors both in the East and the West.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">INTRODUCTION</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">According to Bhai Jodh Singh [4] the well known Sikh savant, philosophy depends on the conclusions reached by human reason and thought but religious truth depends upon the intuitive experience of the individual, who reveals it to the world in human language as far as possible. But in India, religion and philosophy went hand in hand. All the six schools of Indian philosophy discuss the existence of God, the creation of the Universe, the nature of human soul, its redemption and how to achieve it. The testimony of the Indian <i>rishis </i>or the intuitive experience recorded in Vedas and Upanishads was considered to be a valid proof. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Nanak was not a philosopher, as understood by its generic meaning, but essentially a religious man who proclaimed to the world what he experienced in his own soul. He was a messenger of God who narrated what he received in his divine communications:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">jYsI mY AwvY Ksm kI bwxI qYsVw krI igAwnu vy lwlo ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 1, p 722 [1]. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">As the Word of the Lord comes to me, so do I express it, O Lalo.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">He had this intuitive experience and came face to face with the supreme reality as has been recorded allegorically in his earliest biography and by Bhai Gurdas, too, in his first <i>var</i>. Guru Nanak himself described his encounter with God in his own words in as follows:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">hau FwFI vykwru kwrY lwieAw ] </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">rwiq idhY kY vwr Durhu PurmwieAw ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">FwFI scY mhil Ksim bulwieAw ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 1, p 150.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I was a minstrel jobless and He (God) put me to this work.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Sing my praises day and night was the order from his presence.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The True lord summoned the bard to His palace. </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">He got the robe of honour of singing His everlasting attributes,</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">and was provided the ambrosial food of the Name.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The minstrel proclaimed what he was ordered through the Word.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Those who praise the Truth meet the Perfect (Lord) Nanak.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Ram Das also repeats the same prayer in a similar vein in Sri Rag:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">hau FwFI hir pRB Ksm kw hir kY dir AwieAw ]</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">hir AMdir suxI pUkwr FwFI muiK lwieAw ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">AGGS, M 4, p 91.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I am a minstrel of the Lord God, my Lord and Master;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I have come to the Lord's Door.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Lord has heard my sad cries from within;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">He has called me, His minstrel, into His Presence.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism" title="Hinduism"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Hinduism</span></a> the concept of god is complex and depends on the particular tradition. The concept spans conceptions from absolute <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monism" title="Monism"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">monism</span></a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henotheism" title="Henotheism"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">henotheism</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism" title="Monotheism"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">monotheism</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism" title="Polytheism"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">polytheism</span></a>. A study of Vedic hymns shows that the early <i>rishis</i> believed in polytheism. They deified the forces of Nature and suggested to carry out <i>yajnas</i> (sacrifices) to placate gods to secure their goodwill, granting mundane happiness and a delectable heavenly life after death. The principal Vedic gods Pusan, Visnu, Indra, Rudra, Agni later on gave place to Brahma (the creator), Visnu (the preserver) and Siva (the destroyer). These three gods formed the Trinity of the Hindu faith, when Guru Nanak was born in Punjab. Guru Nanak discarded the polytheism of Vedic <i>rishis</i> and rejected the hierarchy of gods and goddesses of Hindu faith. Guru Nanak preached the worship of one God in truth and spirit.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Sikh faith founded by Guru Nanak is strictly monotheistic in its belief system. This means that God is believed to be the One and the sole Reality in the Universe, and there is no other entity worthy of worship. All other worship is false and a waste of precious human life. God in Sikhism is believed to be eternal. All else that is visible, had a beginning and will end. God alone is Timeless (<i>Akal</i>). Akal is one of the key concepts in Sikh spiritual thought introduced by Guru Nanak. Its spiritual and philosophical signification in Sikh religion is unprecedented in Indian philosophy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">According to Wikipedia [7], Nānak's interpretation of God is that of a single, personal and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence_%28religion%29" title="Transcendence (religion)"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">transcendental</span></a> creator with whom the devotee must develop a most intimate faith and relationship to achieve <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation" title="Salvation"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">salvation</span></a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism" title="Sikhism"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Sikhism</span></a> advocates the belief in one God who is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnipresent" title="Omnipresent"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">omnipresent</span></a> and has infinite qualities. This aspect has been repeated on numerous occasions in the Gurū Granth Sāhib and the term <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ek_Onkar" title="Ek Onkar"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">ik ōaṅkār</span></a></i> signifies this. In the Sikh teachings, there is no gender for God. Nānak further emphasizes that a full understanding of God is beyond human beings. However, Nānak also describes God as being not wholly unknowable. God is considered <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarav_vi%C4%81pak" title="Sarav viāpak"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">sarav vi'āpak</span></a></i> (omnipresent) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. God in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism" title="Sikhism"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Sikhism</span></a> is depicted in three distinct aspects, viz. God in himself, God in relation to creation, and God in relation to man. During a discourse with Siddhas (popularly known as <i>Siddh Goshit</i>), Hindu recluses, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Nanak" title="Guru Nanak"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Guru Nanak</span></a> in reply to a question as to where the Transcendent God was before the stage of creation replies:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: navy; font-family: GurbaniAkharThick;">Awid kau kvnu bIcwru kQIAly suMn khw Gr vwso]</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 1. p 940</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: GurbaniAkharThick;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">What can you tell us about the beginning? In what home did the Absolute dwell then?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: navy; font-family: GurbaniAkharThick;">Awid kau ibsmwdu bIcwru kQIAly suMn inrMqir vwsu lIAw ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> AGGS, M 1. p 940</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: GurbaniAkharThick;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">"To think of the Transcendent Lord in that state is to enter the realm of wonder. Even at that stage of sünn, he permeated the entire void"</span></i></div><h4> </h4><h4><span class="MsoBookTitle">Guru Nanak’s Concept of God and its Implications</span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Nanak defines the concept of God through His attributes: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="AkOmkar36"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">< siq nwmu krqw purKu inrBau inrvYru Akwl mUriq AjUnI sYBM gur pRswid ]</span></div><div class="AkOmkar36"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">AGGS, </span><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Manglacharan </span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">(</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Commencing Verse), p 1.</span></div><div class="AkOmkar36"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The One Supreme Being; Eternal Reality; The Creator Person; Without Fear; Without Rancour; Unborn; Self-Existent; Realized through Divine Grace.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="AkOmkar36"><br />
</div><div class="AkOmkar36"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The interpretation of these attributes in Sikh spiritual tradition and literature will lead us to the true significance of Sikh belief and its idea of God. It is unfortunate that most of the Indian and foreign scholars of Sikhism have tried to mis-interpret the originality of Guru Nanak’s concept of God because of the theological terms used by him. According to Grewal [3]: “ The impression that Guru Nanak’s religious ideas present a great deal of similarity to the ideas which one can easily discover in contemporary Islam and Hinduism has a strong basis in the terms and concepts used by Guru Nanak in his compositions; but this impression is quite misleading. In the context of his theological thought, current terms and concepts undergo a significant change, so significant indeed that they acquire a new meaning.” For example, the term <i>Ram</i> has been used by the Sikh Gurus for God in AGGS [1] and whenever they use it for <i>Rama, </i>the king of Ayodhya, the distinction is made crystal clear to remove any confusion. G.S. Talib [6] has further resolved this conflict: “Sikh Gurus adopted the names like Rama and Krishna derived from Indian mythology for God as these were current among the Indian people and had become synonymous with God in common speech. In SGGS, <i>Ram-Nam</i> means literally God’s name and implies devotion, prayer, meditation.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The concept of God as Creator Person <i>(Karta Purakh)</i> of the world has far reaching implications in the religious history of India. A positive relationship between God and the world is a revolutionary postulate in Sikh religion. God is both Transcendent and Immanent. Transcendence shows that God is prior to and distinct from the world. Immanence of God is a symbolic way of expressing God’s connection with the world. God himself transforms into creation, i.e., changing his <i>nirguna</i> form into <i>sarguna</i> form.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Nanak’s God is conceived as without any form and designated as <i>Nirankar or Nirakar</i> and Guru Nanak himself called Nanak Nirankari. No image or idol or any figurine can represent God, or be worshipped as God. All creation is God’s visible form (<i>sarguna roop</i>), but no part of it is a substitute for God. God is also <i>nirguna,</i> without physical attributes and unattached to <i>maya,</i> manifested by its three <i>gunas</i>. Guru Nanak has employed some other terms to represent God, for example, <i>Brahm or Parbrahm, Gurudev, Satguru, Thakur, Sahib, Swami, Parmeshwar, Prabhu, Sacha, Pritam, etc.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> An equally important attribute of God or Absolute Reality defined in AGGS is its Time-transcendence <i>(Akal-Murt)</i>. According to Ahluwalia [2]: “This new conception of God marks a qualitative change in the cognition of the ultimate Reality from Being to Spirit. This revolutionary change, heralded by the Sikh metaphysics in the history of Indian religious thought, leads to a new conception of Time”. It is unfortunate that most of the Sikh scholars have failed to realize the significance of Sikh doctrine and interpreted attributes of God in Vedantic terms. It was Professor Puran Singh [5] who first of all realized the unique contribution of the Sikh Gurus in re-interpreting the concept of God: “Guru Nanak does not take the Vedantic conceptions as real. He calls them dead matter and they are good only for the museum of human thoughts”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Concept of <i>Sahaj - Bhakti</i> was introduced by the Sikh Gurus as distinct from prevalent Bhakti cult of India. It is also known as <i>nirakar bhakti</i>. One great departure is made by the Sikh Gurus in calling God as a bridegroom and individual souls as brides of God. The seeker views him in the character of a loving wife, patiently waiting for reunion with her Lord. The imagery used by Sikh Gurus is the same as that of mundane love, though its inner meaning is spiritual and not physical. The greatest example of divine poetry is Guru Nanak’s <i>Baramaha Tukhari</i> in AGGS, in which the soul pines in sorrow of separation as months and seasons roll by. God as Beloved is one of the important modes of conceiving Him in the spiritual poetry of the Sikh faith: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">imil sKIAw puCih khu kMq nIswxI ] </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniLipi;">ris pRym BrI kCu boil n jwxI ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 5, p 459.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I meet with my companions and say, "Show me the insignia of my Husband Lord”.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I am filled with the sublime essence of His Love, and I do not know how to say anything.</span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><h4><span class="MsoBookTitle">Concept of Absolute Reality in AGGS</span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The <i>Manglacharan </i>(the Commencing Verse of SGGS) is a philosophic testimony of Guru Nanak's poetic and scientific vision of the Supreme Reality. Reality is one and non-dual. Hence the <i>Manglacharan</i> commences with the numeral 1 before <i>'Open Oora', </i>which represents Existence or Being. It is followed by <i>Satt Naam </i>which means the Supreme Reality is true and it is manifested in Truth, Existence and Being. The other features of Reality are its<i> </i>transcendence and immanence, creator person, without fear or hatred, beyond time and space, self-existent, transcendental cosmic spirit made manifest by grace of the Guru. Thus Guru Nanak projects the nature, potentialities and characteristics of Supreme Reality or God of his vision. This concept of Reality is unique, scientific and revolutionary and it differs in its connotation from the Vedantic concept. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The very first <i>sloka</i> after <i>Manglacharan </i>elaborates further the nature of ultimate reality: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">Awid scu jugwid scu ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">hY BI scu nwnk hosI BI scu ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, Jap, p 1. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Reality or God was in existence before the commencement of creation and time (yugas) during the epoch of cosmic void. God existed at the beginning of this universe, i.e., creation of space and time. God exists now and will also exist in the future (even when the universe is annihilated).</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Sikh philosophy dialectically unites the ideas of God and the world. Transcendence shows that God is prior to and distinct from the world. Immanence of God represents God's connection with the world. God himself transforms into creation, i.e., changing His <i>nirguna </i>form into <i>sarguna </i>form:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">srgun inrgun inrMkwr suMn smwDI Awip ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">Awpn kIAw nwnkw Awpy hI iPir jwip ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 5, p 290. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Formless is attributed and un-attributed;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">And gone into absorption in the cosmic void.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Saith Nanak</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">: <i>He has made creation, Himself on it meditates</i>.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The <i>Manglacharan </i>in the SGGS is an expression of Guru Nanak's intuitive insight into the metaphysical realm, which presents an integrated view of the basic Reality that is monistic, but whose manifestation is pluralistic:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">inrMkwr Awkwr Awip inrgun srgun eyk]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">eykih eyk bKwnno nwnk eyk Anyk ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 5, p 250.</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">He Himself is formless, and also formed; the One Lord is without attributes, and also with attributes. Describe the One Lord as One, and Only One; O Nanak, He is the One, and the many.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The conceptual framework of the <i>Manglacharan </i>is comprehensive enough to include some of the most significant attributes of the Absolute (Supreme Reality). Even the manifest aspect of Reality, namely, the physical universe, defies measure and count:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">AMq n jwpY kIqw Awkwru ] </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">AMqu n jwpY pwrwvwru ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, Jap, p 5.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Limitless the creation; </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Limitless the expansion</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Perhaps, God alone can contemplate the vastness and totality of the cosmic existence. The Guru assures us that the light and grace of the Absolute are ever with man in his search for Supreme Reality. A person of cosmic consciousness <i>(brahm gyani) </i>can experience Reality and all his doubts are dispelled:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">jw kY irdy ibsÍws pRBu AwieAw ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">qqu igAwnu iqsu min pRgtwieAw ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 5, p 285.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">He, <i>who receives faith of Lord in himself,</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">His mind is illumined by the Reality of the Real.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Ultimate Reality is subtle and incomprehensible but can be realised through Guru's Word (<i>sabd) </i>unconsciously: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">hir jI sUKmu Agmu hY ikqu ibiD imilAw jwie ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">gur kY sbid BRmu ktIAY AicMqu vsY min Awie ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 3, p 756.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Lord is the subtle, unfathomable entity; so how is one to attain Him? It is through Guru's Word that our doubt is dispelled and the self-dependent Being cometh into our minds</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Nanak has combined the symbol <i>Satt </i>with <i>Naam, which</i> literally means 'Name'. When we refer to the world of names and forms, we refer to the concrete, empirical Universe, which we know in our ordinary experience and discover through the agency of science. In short <i>Naam is </i>Truth, or the knowable aspect of Reality. <i>Naam </i>is immanent in the universe and its practice is the only formula prescribed by the Sikh Gurus to realize God. In fact, whatever is created, is <i>Naam</i>:</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">jyqw kIqw qyqw nwau ]ivxu nwvY nwhI ko Qwau ]</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, Jap, p 4. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">All that is created is His manifestation</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Nanak was always antipathetic to any view of the world, which denigrated its reality or made the world illusory. He was, therefore, firm on the principle that the creation is as real as the creator -- it includes, besides material existence, the culture of man, his thoughts and his values. Guru Nanak discards the Vedantic conception of Reality in <i>Asa-di-Var, </i>and proclaims that this universe is real, not an illusion:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">scy qyry KMf scy bRhmMf ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">scy qyry loA scy Awkwru ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 1, p 463.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Real are Thy continents; Real is the universe;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Real are these</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> <i>forms and material objects;</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Thy doings are Real, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">0 <i>Lord.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Guru calls this vast Universe as His mansion: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">iehu jgu scY kI hY koTVI scy kw ivic vwsu ]</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 2, p 463. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">This moving universe is the divine mansion of the true Lord;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">And the true one lives therein</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Nanak has identified the manifest Reality with Nature: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">nwnk sc dwqwru isnwKqu kudrqI ]</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 1, p 141.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Nanak, the beneficent Lord alone is true and He is revealed through His Nature</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">God transformed Himself from <i>nirguna </i>to <i>sarguna, </i>created <i>Nam(u) </i>and <i>Kudrat(i), </i>i.e; Nature: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">AwpInY Awpu swijE AwpInY ricE nwau ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">duXI kudirq swjIAY kir Awsxu ifTo cwau]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 1, p 463. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">His-self He created and manifested His Name;</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">And then He created Nature and abiding within it,</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">He revelled in His wonder.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The description of Nature by Guru Nanak in <i>Asa-di-Var </i>is a new dimension in the history of religious thought: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">kudriq idsY kudriq suxIAY kudriq Bau suK swru]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">kudriq pwqwlI AwkwsI kudirq srb Awkwr ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS. M 1, 464.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">All that is visible is His Nature;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">All that is heard too is His Nature….</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">In the nether regions and skies is the manifestation of His Nature;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Of His Nature are all the manifestations</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">In a way, scientific study of Nature is sanctioned in Sikh religion in an identical manner as it was pursued by Kepler and Newton in the Christian world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">To sum up the concept of Supreme Reality as presented in SGGS is unique, scientific and revolutionary. It is not a mere abstraction. Its realization is possible through the practice of <i>Sabd </i>and <i>Naam. </i>Guru Nanak was blessed with the vision of God or Reality in Nature: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">sWiq pwvih hovih mnu sIql Agin n AMqir DuKI ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: GurbaniAkharHeavy; font-size: 11pt;">gur nwnk kau pRBu idKwieAw jil Qil iqRBvix ruKI ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">AGGS, M 5, p 617.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Lord's presence was revealed to Guru Nanak in the three worlds;</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">In the woods, waters and over the earth</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> CONCLUSIONS</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Guru Nanak’s concept of God is unique but it needs to be interpreted in modern scientific context. T</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">he originality of Guru Nanak’s concept of God has been over-shadowed because of the theological and mythological terms used by him. Ik <i>Oankar, Karta Purkh and Akal Murat </i>delineate some unique features of Supreme Reality. Guru Nanak’s concept of God is more Universal and can prove to be a harbinger of World peace. Spiritual and empirical domains are not opposite poles of Reality as propagated by Vedanta School of Philosophy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">REFERENCES</span></b></div><div class="ref"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">AGGS = Aad Guru Granth Sahib. 1983 (reprint). Publishers: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar. (M = Mahla, i.e., succession number of the Sikh Gurus to the House of Nanak, p = Page of the AGGS. M is replaced with the name of Bhagat or Bhatt with their Bani.)</span></div><div class="ref" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Ahluwalia, J.S. 1985. <i>Akal Murat.</i> In: The Concept of the Divine, G.N.D. University, Amritsar, pp.100-113.</span></div><div class="ref" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Grewal, J.S. 1982. From Guru Nanak to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Guru Nanak Dev</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> University, University, Chapter 5, p. 31. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 34.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Singh, Bhai Jodh, 1977. <i>Indian Philosophical and Religious Thought and Guru Nanak. </i>In: Teachings of Guru Nanak (ed. Taran Singh), Punjabi University, Patiala, pp.1-10. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 34.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Singh, Puran, 1981.Spirit of the Sikh, Punjabi University, Patiala, Part II, Vol. 2, p.141.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 34.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Talib, G.S. 1977.<i>The Idea of Supreme Being (God) in Sikhism</i>. In: Teachings of Guru Nanak (ed. Taran Singh), Punjabi University, Patiala, pp. 22-32.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 34.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Wikipedia, Conceptions of God. Section 3: Eastern Religions (3.2, Hinduism).</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div></div>HARDEV SINGHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959838971242434417noreply@blogger.com0