ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>V&#256HIGUR&#362</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="VHIGURj"> <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">&#65279V&#256HIGUR&#362, also spelt and pronounced V&#257hgur&#363, is the distinctive name of the Supreme Being in the Sikh dispensation, like Yahweh in Judaism and Allah in Islam. In Sikh Scripture, the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, the term does not figure in the compositions of the Gur&#363s, though it occurs therein, both as V&#257higur&#363 and V&#257hgur&#363, in the hymns of Bha&#7789&#7789 Gayand, the bard contemporary with Gur&#363 Arjan, N&#257nak V (1553-1606), and also in the <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i> of Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s. Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, N&#257nak X (1666-1708), used V&#257higur&#363 in the invocatory formula (Ik O&#7749k&#257r Sr&#299 V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh, besides the traditional Ik O&#7749k&#257r Satigur Pras&#257di) at the beginning of some of his compositions as well as in the Sikh salutation (V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh varied as Sr&#299 V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh). Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s at one place in his <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i> (I.49) construes <i>v&#257higur&#363</i> as an acrostic using the first consonants of the names of four divine incarnations of the Hindu tradition appearing in four successive eons. Some classical Sikh scholars, such as Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299 Santokh Si&#7749gh and Pa&#7751&#7693it T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh Narotam, taking this poetic interpretation seriously, have traced the origin of the term in ancient mythology. Modern scholars, however, affirm that the name V&#257higur&#363 is owed originally to the Gur&#363s, most likely to the founder of the faith, Gur&#363 N&#257nak, himself. According to this view, V&#257higur&#363 is a compound of two words, one from Persian and the other from Sanskrit, joined in a symbiolic relationship to define the indefinable, indescribable Ultimate Reality. <i>V&#257h</i> in Persian is an interjection of wonder and admiration, and <i>gur&#363</i> (Sanskrit <i>guru</i>: heavy, weighty, great, venerable; a spiritual parent or preceptor) has been frequently used by Gur&#363 N&#257nak and his successors for <i>satigur&#363</i> (True Gur&#363) or God. Bh&#257&#299 Santokh Si&#7749gh, in <i>Sr&#299 Gur N&#257nak Prak&#257sh</i> (pp. 1249-51), reporting Gur&#363 N&#257nak&#8217s testament to the Sikhs has thus explicated V&#257higur&#363 : <i>V&#257h</i> is wonder at the Divine might; <i>gu</i> is spiritual darkness while <i>r&#363</i> is illumination brought to eliminate this darkness. Cumulatively, the name implies wonder at the Divine Light eliminating spiritual darkness. It might also imply, "Hail the Lord whose name eliminates spiritual darkness." Earlier, Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh <i>Sikh&#257&#7749 d&#299 Bhagat M&#257l&#257</i>, gave a similar explication, also on the authority of Gur&#363 N&#257nak. Considering the two constituents of V&#257higur&#363 (<i>v&#257hi + gur&#363</i>) implying the state of wondrous ecstasy and offering of homage to the Lord, the first one was brought distinctly and prominently into the devotional system by Gur&#363 N&#257nak, who has made use of this interjection, as in <i>M&#257jh k&#299 V&#257r</i> (stanza 24), and <i>S&#363h&#299 k&#299 V&#257r, &#347loka</i> to <i>pau&#7771&#299 </i>10.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Apart from the use of this interjection, the attitude of wonder and total submission at the sight of Divine Greatness is prominently visible in Gur&#363 N&#257nak as evidenced for example in the hymn in Dhan&#257sar&#299 : <i>"gagan mai th&#257lu ravi chandu d&#299pak bane t&#257rik&#257 ma&#7751&#7693al janak mot&#299</i> (GG,663); in measure S&#363h&#299 : <i>"kau&#7751 tar&#257j&#299 kava&#7751u tul&#257 ter&#257 kava&#7751&#363 sar&#257phu bul&#257v&#257"</i> (GG, 730) ; and in <i>Japu</i> : <i>"kete pavan p&#257&#7751&#299 vaisantar kete k&#257n mahes, kete barame gh&#257&#7771at&#299 gha&#7771&#299ahi r&#363p rang ke ves"</i> (GG,7). In <i>As&#257 k&#299 V&#257r</i> (GG, 462-75) the opening <i>&#347loka</i> to <i>pau&#7771&#299</i> 3 is woven round <i>vism&#257d--vism&#257du n&#257d vism&#257du ved</i>, wondrous is the sound, wondrous the wisdom. Wonder and ecstasy are expressed at the cosmic order and its mystery full of contradictions, yet all comprehended in the Divinely appointed system. This <i>&#347loka</i> concludes with : "Ever present to our gaze is wonder. At the sight of this mystery are we wonderstruck. Only by supreme good fortune is it unravelled." In the opening <i>&#347loka</i> to <i>pa&#363&#7771&#299</i> 4 <i>bha&#299 vichi pava&#7751u vahai sadv&#257u</i>, in (the Lord's) fear bloweth the wind with its myriad breezes is expressed wonder at the cosmic "fear" under which the universe operates in obedience to the Divine Law, the Lord alone being exempt from such fear.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In <i>Japu</i>, besides other themes, one that stands out prominent is wonder at the cosmic order, its infinitude and the mystery of its moral clan. As a matter of fact, the theme of <i>Japu</i> may be said to be what occurs in the course of stanza 4 : <i>va&#7692i&#257&#299 v&#299ch&#257ru</i> (contemplation of Divine infinity). In stanza 16, for example, is the expression of wonder at the limitlessness of space. Stanzas 17-19, each beginning with <i>asa&#7749kh</i> (infinite), are uttered in the same mood.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In stanza 22 ---<i>p&#257t&#257l&#257 p&#257t&#257l lakh &#257g&#257s&#257 &#257g&#257s</i>, countless the worlds beneath, countless the worlds above--- is a vision of the limitlessness of the universe. So are stanzas 24,25,26,27,32,34,35 and 36. It is in response to this overwhelming vision of Gur&#363 N&#257nak that the unique Name of the Supreme Being, V&#257higur&#363, originated. No other name could have been adequate to express what in his vision he found lying at the heart of the cosmos, compelling a response in the human self attuned to devotion and ecstasy.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s has also employed the term in <i>Gujari k&#299 V&#257r</i> (GG, 514-16) and in A&#7779&#7789pad&#299s in Mal&#257r (GG, 1277). In the former, it is calculated that the interjection <i>v&#257hu-v&#257hu</i> (Hail, hail the Lord) is used as many as 96 times. The interjection <i>v&#257hu</i> (hail; wondrous is the Lord) occurs in Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s in conjunction with Satigur&#363 (compounded from Gur&#363) in <i>&#347loka</i> 2 in <i>Sloka V&#257r&#257&#7749 te Vadh&#299k</i> (GG, 1421). In Gur&#363 Arjan by whose time the formulation <i>V&#257higur&#363</i> appears to have become current and acquired distinctiveness as the Name Divine, the phrase 'Gur V&#257hu' figures in &#256s&#257 measure (GG, 376). This is only as inverted form of V&#257higur&#363 and has the same force and significance. Kavi Santokh Si&#7749gh in <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i> (p. 5686) uses the two terms as synonymous: <i>"simrahu v&#257higur&#363 guru v&#257h&#299</i>, or contemplate ye V&#257higur&#363, the Lord all hail."</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The earliest use of <i>V&#257higur&#363</i>, in this form, is traceable to <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i> by Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s and to Gayand's hymns in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. In both it may be said to have occurred contemporaneously, for while no date can be assigned to Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s' <i>Var&#257&#7749</i>, the work may be assumed to have appeared soon after the compilation of the Scripture in 1604, being so much alive with its spirit and phraseology. Gayand in the course of his lines encomiastic of Gur&#363 R&#257m Das (GG, 1403) made use of V&#257higur&#363 as the supreme Name Divine in recognition of the primacy and appeal it had by then come to acquire in the Sikh tradition. In this Savaiyy&#257 numbered 11, the term occurs twice as V&#257h Gur&#363. Earlier in that numbered 6, it is repeated thrice as <i>V&#257higur&#363</i> in the opening line, expressing fervour of devotion. So also in the concluding line of Savaiyy&#257 7. In Savaiyy&#257 12, V&#257hu V&#257hu (Wonder, personifying the Lord) signifies the Supreme marvel, embracing the infinitude of the universe. In Savaiyy&#257 13, this name is used twice once as V&#257higur&#363 in the opening line and Vah Gur&#363 in the last line. In the concluding line of Savaiyy&#257 8, V&#257higur&#363 is used thrice, concluding with the interjection V&#257hi (Hail).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some relevant lines from Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s, <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i>, may also be reproduced here : <i>v&#257higur&#363 guru sabadu lai piram pi&#257l&#257 chupi chabol&#257</i>, putting faith in V&#257higur&#363, the Master's teaching, the seeker drains in peace and tranquility the cup of devotion (IV.17) ; <i>"pau&#7751u gur&#363 gursabadu hai v&#257higur&#363 gur sabadu su&#7751&#257i&#257, pau&#7751---gur&#363</i> is the Master's word where through he imparted the holy name <i>V&#257higur&#363</i> (VI.5) ; <i>v&#257higur&#363 s&#257l&#257h&#7751&#257 gur&#363 sabadu al&#257e</i>, to laud the Lord let me give utterance to the Master's Word (IX.13) ; <i>satiguru purakh dai&#257l hoi v&#257higur&#363 sachu Mantra sun&#257i&#257</i>, the holy Master in his grace imparted to the seeker the sacred incantation <i>V&#257higur&#363</i> (XI.3) ; <i>nirank&#257ru &#257k&#257su kari joti sar&#363p an&#363p dikh&#257i&#257, bed kateb agochar&#257 v&#257higur&#363 gursabadu su&#7751&#257i&#257</i>, the formless Lord manifesting Himself granted sight of His unique effulgent self and imparted to the seeker the Word V&#257higur&#363, that is beyond the ken of Vedas and the Muslim Scriptures" (XII. 17); <i>v&#257higur&#363 gurumantra hai japi haumai kho&#299</i>, V&#257higur&#363 is the Master's incantation. By repeating it egoism is cast out (XIII.2) ; <i>dharams&#257l kart&#257rpuru s&#257dh sa&#7749gat&#299 sachkha&#7751&#7693u vas&#257i&#257, v&#257higur&#363 gur sabadu su&#7751&#257i&#257</i>, Gur&#363 N&#257nak in the temple at Kart&#257rpur established the Realm Eternal as the holy congregation, and imparted to it the Divine Word V&#257higur&#363 (XXIV.1) ; <i>sati n&#257mu kart&#257 purakhu v&#257higur&#363 vichi ridai sam&#257e</i>, let the seeker lodge in his heart the holy Name, the Creator immanent, V&#257higur&#363" (XL.22). In these verses, V&#257higur&#363 signifies the supreme Name Divine, to which devotion may be offered. It is transcendent and annular of sin and evil, thus combining in itself the 'attributed' and the 'unattributed' aspects in consonance with the Sikh doctrine voiced in the Scripture. The main point is that by Gur&#363 Arjan's time and after, this name over all others was established as the object of devotion. The term received the final seal in the time of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;V&#257higur&#363 is for Sikhs the <i>gurmantra</i> (invocatory formula received from the Gur&#363) or <i>n&#257m</i> for repetition (silently or aloud, with or without a rosary) and meditation upon the Supreme Reality. Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s in his <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i> refers to it variously as <i>japu mantra</i> (invocation for repetition), <i>guru sabadu</i> (the Gur&#363's Word), <i>sachu mantra</i> (true <i>mantra</i>) and <i>gurmantra</i>. It is also called <i>n&#257m</i> (the Name), and is sometimes compounded as "Satin&#257m-V&#257higur&#363" to be chanted aloud in congregations. <i>N&#257m jap&#7751&#257</i> (repeated utterance of God's Name, i.e. V&#257higur&#363) is one of the three cardinal moral principles of Sikhism, the other two being <i>kirat karn&#299</i> or honest labour and <i>va&#7751&#7693 chhak&#7751&#257</i> or sharing one's victuals with the needy. Since the manifestation of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh in 1699, V&#257higur&#363 has been part of the Sikh salutation: V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#257 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, V&#257higur&#363 j&#299 k&#299 Fateh (Hail the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 who belongs to the Lord God ! Hail the Lord God to whom belongs the victory!!). It has since also been the <i>gurmantra</i> imparted formally at initiation to the novitiate by the leader of the Pañj Pi&#257re administering the rites.</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, 1959<BR> <li class="C1"> Gurd&#257s, Bh&#257&#299, <i>V&#257r&#257&#7749</i>. Amritsar, 1962<BR> <li class="C1"> Man&#299 Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sikh&#257&#7749 d&#299 Bhagat M&#257l&#257</i>. Amritsar, 1955<BR> <li class="C1"> Santokh Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gur Prat&#257p S&#363raj Granth</i>. Amritsar, 1927-35<BR> <li class="C1"> Sher Singh, <i>Philosophy of Sikhism</i>. Lahore, 1944<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Gurbachan Si&#7749gh T&#257lib<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>