Columnists

Of Kings & Masters

by I.J. SINGH

 

I was walking by a church the other day, and its massive signboard caught my eye.  Well, it was so big that it couldn't possibly be overlooked.

It celebrated "Christ the King" in neon-lit, two-feet-high letters. 

With me was a lapsed Christian, who could not resist his guffaw:  "King of what land?", he demanded to know.  Christ is remembered as meek and mild and symbolized by a lamb.  He never dressed in royal regalia.  "What kind of a king would not have two nickels to rub together?", my friend insisted.

But not all kings are as we think of them.  There are kings and then there are kings!

The Jews, too, speak of God as the king of the universe; I suppose this was before they knew that there were endless universes. 

Sikhs are no different in this.  History is replete with parables, wherein the Gurus were addressed by Sikhs as Saccha Patshah or the True King.  This was at a time when India was a monarchy; I wonder what the kings perched on their thrones thought of these Sikhs.  Were the Sikhs seen as fomenting rebellion and a challenge to the established order? 

When visiting a king for an audience, a citizen was generally expected to present a tribute  - a gift offering - commensurate with his station in life.  Tradition also tells us of an anecdote in which a Sikh, on his way to the court of Guru Hargobind, by mistake entered the encampment of Jehangir, the king of India.  When he realized the error, the Sikh walked out, but demanded that his offering at Jehangir's court be returned, because it was not meant for an Earthly king.

I am reminded of a couplet by Guru Arjan on page 1426 of Guru Granth (Sajjan saccha patshah...) that literally speaks of God as the "True King".  And this sentiment occurs repeatedly, several hundred times throughout the Sikh scripture. 

Christ the King or Saccha Patshah?  Are there political overtones in these words?

When Guru Hargobind or Guru Gobind Singh engaged in armed conflict, it was never to conquer any people or hold any territory. 

When Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?", Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world". (John 18:36) 

Yet, Sikh vocabulary, rituals and traditions brim with practices and splendor seen only at royal courts.  Some obvious examples are the flywhisk, ornate rumaalas and canopy that adorn the Guru Granth, and the obeisance that a Sikh pays to the Guru Granth when appearing with an offering at the durbar -  a word that is best translated as "royal court".  These are unquestionably the trappings of royalty. 

In fact, the five seats of authority in Sikhi are referred to as Takhts, meaning "thrones", with Akaal Takht being the preeminent one.

I interpret the oft-heard call of Sikhs, "Raj Karega Khalsa", usually literally translated to say that "The Khalsa shall rule", somewhat differently.  I think the point here is not territory or people to conquer or govern, but the battlefield of the mind.  And a Sikh is urged to engage in that battle everyday.

Guru Hargobind's concept of Miri-Piri makes the point brilliantly.  Miri, literally, refers to the worldly or temporal domain, and Piri speaks of the spiritual realm. The Guru here is telling us that neither can be ignored in a fully balanced life; both need to be nurtured and synchronized.  These, then, become the guiding lights and pillars of a well-lived life.

If sovereignty of the soul is not of this world, what do words like "Sachha Patshah" really mean?  In looking for such a king who is not of this Earth, one is seeking what, in our modern lingo (norma loquendi), we would term a "soul mate".  And Guru Granth is rife with such references and powerful imagery.

So, remain cognizant of Miri and use it wisely to direct your affairs in this world; at the same time, nurture Piri for the inner reality.  Let your Piri shape and direct the Miri in your life.  In other words, render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. 

Why, then, do we use for the spiritual realm the language of the royalty of this world?  Because, as humans, this is the only world we can envision.  The most powerful reality that controls our lives here is that of kings and masters.  We think in those terms because our Earthly survival  -  from birth to death  -  depends on it. These are the only models with which we can connect, and the only language that can give shape to our desperate existence.

A true king  -  one of hearts and minds  -  in the spiritual realm is so sated that he hungers not for newer or shinier baubles nor Earthly riches. 

There is the story of a beggar who approached a king, but the king was then engaged in praying for expansion of his kingdom and his treasury.  Finally, the king turned towards the beggar to fill his bowl with gold coins.  But the beggar walked away, rejecting the king's gift.  When pressed to explain, the beggar said that the king was not yet a king and, in reality, was no better than a beggar, much like him  -  both being equally hungry for more.  So, why should he beg from an intermediary like this Earthly king, who, like the beggar himself, was not yet sated and a master of his own fate.  They were, in spirit, beggars both!

Said Jesus to Pontius Pilate, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world  -  to bear witness to the truth". (John 18:37)

One of the many attributive names of God in the Guru Granth is Sat or "Truth". Sat Naam is first seen in the preamble to the Guru Granth and, as a name of God, occurs hundreds of times in the Sikh scripture -  "Naam" being the Punjabi word for "name".

The second Guru, Angad, reminds us (page 463): Eh jug sacchey kee hae kothree sacchey ka vicch vaas, meaning: "This world is the manse of the True One. It is where the True One resides".

And then, Guru Nanak tells us (Page 468): Sacch sabhna hoe daaroo paap kadhey dhoe, meaning that "Truth is the panacea of all evils".

Hence, our relentless longing for the "True King", who rules our souls, but not our bodies.

January 21, 2008

 

read other articles in Columnists