ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MANMUKH</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="MANMUKH"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279MANMUKH, the ego-guided person, as opposed to <i>gurmukh</i> who is Gur&#363-guided. The <i>gurmukh-manmukh</i> bipolarity represents the personality typology employed in the Sikh sacred literature. Basically it opposes and contrasts theocentric and egocentric personality types. The word <i>manmukh</i> is compounded of <i>man</i> (mind, lower self) and <i>mukh</i> (face) : thus one who has his face towards his own mind or ego is egocentric. "The <i>gurmukh</i> keeps his face towards the Gur&#363 for guidance while the <i>manmukh</i> turns away from him&#8212<i>gurmukhi sanmukhu manmukhi vemukh&#299&#257</i>" (GG, 131). Thus is a <i>manmukh</i> characterized in another verse : "This is of the nature of a <i>manmukh</i> that he cherishes not (the Lord's) Name and reflects not on (His) Word" (GG, 509). While the <i>gurmukh</i> ever lives in the presence of God, the <i>manmukh</i> remains oblivious of Him. "The <i>manmukh</i> depends upon his own intelligence and calculations (not realizing that) whatever happens is by God's Will&#8212<i>manmukhi ga&#7751at ga&#7751ava&#7751&#299 karat&#257 kare su hoi</i>" (GG,60). His own calculations put him into <i>karmic</i> bondage, for he becomes a slave to his own impulses. Anger and avarice, lust and delusion, arrogance and passion tighten their grip on him. He obeys his own impulses refusing to reckon any law outside of himself. He never cares to listen to the word of the Gur&#363 or the advice of the holy . "He is lost in the wilderness of his own delusions and passions&#8212<i>manmukhi bharami bhavai beb&#257&#7751i"</i> (GG, 941) . Forgetting the Giver, that is God, he chases material goods all the time. The longer he remains under the sway of his baser self (<i>man</i>), the farther he drifts from God's grace. The <i>manmukh</i> is compared to a stone which, even if kept in water for long, remains unsoaked at heart : "<i>manmukh patharu sailu hai dhrigu J&#299va&#7751u ph&#299k&#257. jal mahi ket&#257 r&#257kh&#299ai abh antari s&#363k&#257</i>" (GG, 419). He allows his senses to be ruled by his passions : his egoity stands between him and the Lord.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gur&#363 N&#257nak applied the term <i>manmukh</i> to those persons who were ego-ridden materialistic, and hypocritical. They pose to be religious, but are in reality proud and evil-minded. His successor-Gur&#363s, besides the above typology, applied the term to persons who calumniated the Gur&#363, opposed his teachings and doctrines and kept away from the <i>sa&#7749gat</i> (fellowship of the holy). Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s had the Gur&#363s' calumniators in mind when he discoursed on <i>manmukhs</i> in his <i>V&#257rs</i>. After the institution of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, those <i>kes&#257dh&#257r&#299s</i> who did not receive <i>p&#257hul</i> were, in a sense, considered to be <i>manmukhs</i> like those who took <i>p&#257hul</i> but then did not abide by stipulated conduct. Apart from this latter-day usage, the term in its original conceptual signification refers to one who believes in duality (<i>dvaitbh&#257va</i>) and who led by his self-will refuses the Gur&#363's guidance and wantonly indulges his impulses. He loves the gifts but forgets the Giver.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"><i>&#346abad&#257rth Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib</i>. Amritsar, 1964<BR> <li class="C1"> Sher Singh, <i>The Philosophy of Sikhism</i>. Lahore, 1944<BR> <li class="C1"> Ishar Singh, <i>The Philosophy of Sikhism</i>. Delhi, 1985<BR> <li class="C1"> Jagjit Singh, <i>Perspectives on Sikh Studies</i>. Delhi, 1985<BR> <li class="C1"> Khazan Singh, <i>History and Philosophy of Sikh Religion</i>. Patiala, 1964<BR> <li class="C1"> Nripinder Singh, <i>The Sikh Moral Tradition</i>. Delhi, 1990<BR> <li class="C1"> Avtar Singh, <i>Ethics of the Sikhs</i>. Patiala, 1970<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Jaswant Si&#7749gh Nek&#299<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>