dalvinder45
SPNer
- Jul 22, 2023
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Guru Nanak as a Communicator par excellence
Dr Dalvinder Singh GrewalGuru Nanak Dev (15 November 1469 – 22 September 1539) the founder of Sikhism was the dedicated seeker of God, great visionary, relentless preacher, acknowledged expounder of Truth, harbinger of social change, missionary traveller, poet par excellence and a prolific communicator. It was amazing to know Guru Nanak’s great mastery in communicating to the people of all hues and colours. To whomsoever he communicated; he created an immediate impact and lasting effect. This effect is a milestone in the history of communications and this mastery is taken up here for a detailed study so that it could provide insights of Guru Nanak’s communicative competence and provide new guidelines for effective communication.
Excellence in communication requires mastering linguistics including semantics, lexicography orthography, discourse analysis and strategic analysis and delivery systems. In modern terminology ability to communicate competently using the language correctly and appropriately to accomplish communication goals is known as communicative competence. Guru Nanak entered into communication at home, at school, during work and during his travels with kings and commoners; mullahs and pundits, saints and thugs. Despite of different types of communicated persons and in different type of circumstances and environments; his impact and effect have been par excellence. In childhood he remained in a contemplative and meditative mood and spoke very less. He preferred to be quite and observe rather than speak as is apparent from his interaction with his family members specially his father and father-in-law. His quietness itself gave answers. In school his dialogues with his teachers are very scholarly which made his teachers to comment that ‘he is blessed by God and no one can compete with him’. The owner of the village Rai Bullar and all his teachers became his devout followers. At his job at Sultanpur Lodhi, he answered most intriguing questions of Nawab Daulat Khan and the mullah so brilliantly that they became his life-long followers. The Nawab offered him free use of his entire property of the state as he so wished but he was not destined to be stuck at one place as he was to convey the message of truth to the entire world. For this he travelled nearly the entire globe.
He visited centres of power and religion and communicated with kings, courtiers, mullahs and pundits who treated the public like slaves rather than protecting them and doing justice to the commoner and guiding them to the true path. Guru Nanak communicated with them to make them realize the truth that all men are created by God and loved by Him equally. There is no one high or low in His eyes; hence they must be treated with love and affection. Universal brotherhood is the only right path towards real peace and success. He also awakened the public about their rights and made them to realize the truth. He enshrined the ideals that society should adopt and showed the real path of development of successful human life. His communication with his followers, the satsangat has become a guide for the generations to follow.
Guru Nanak had knowledge of plethora of languages. The proof of this is available in Sri Guru Granth Sahib which is now considered as the great repertoire of the languages of India. Though the fundamental philosophy of Guru Nanak can be seen in the Sanskrit, Prakrit, Sant-Bhakha and Panjabi yet some elements of Arabic and Persian are used to provide similes from Islamic culture. Though some fundamental thought process has been taken from Sanskrit, Hindwi, Jain, Buddhist and Siddhas literature but it has been effectively converted and utilized according to then existing situation turning it into a new thought process recoded in a new language and in a different methodology. It was done so that it could be easily understood by general public and adopted in their day to day life. Guru Nanak acquired the fundamental linguistic communication skills in Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, and Punjabi from village Pundit, Brahmin and Mullah. He mastered the various dialects of Punjabi like Majhi, Lahindi, Multani, Lande etc., and various dialects of Hindi like Braj, Awadhi, Bangru, Poorvi, Khadi Boli, Sadh-Bhakha etc. during his later contacts; specially during has travels. He learnt Lande, Hindwi, Sadhukri (Sadh Bhakha), Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, and Turkish from his teachers and developed these through when in contact with various people during his travels.
His delivery through verse in accompaniment of music by Bhai Mardana was extremely enchanting. His 947 hymns comprising Japji Sahib, Asa-Di-Var, Bara-Mah, Sidh-Gosht, Onkar (Dakhani) are included in Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjan. He composed such tunes in various Indian classical Ragas that charmed and tamed wild and subdued the savage. Guru Nanak’s great philosophy of One God and Universal brotherhood; his sweet and attracting behaviour, magnetic personality and the heart-touching poetry sung in rhythm and sweet and lilting voice accompanied with music and the continuously energy generating body attracted the beings instantly. His dare and gentleness, sweetness and humility, saying and doing, poetry and music, exquisite dress and smooth but impacting delivery of words caused long lasting impact. Tyrants kings like Babar, Kauda the cannibal; Bhumia, the thief, Sajjan, the Thhagg, Behlol, the established Peer, Chaturdas; the proud pundit, Malik the haughty rich, Siddhas, the egoistic mendicants; all were so changed that their character of anti-society became that of serving the society. Some of them even became saints and preachers of Guru Nanak’s path.
This study is primarily based on Guru Nanak’s hymns available in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and his life accounts and other descriptive accounts as are available in Janamsakhis, Varan Bhai Gurdas and Guru Nanak Parkash by Bhai Santokh Singh have also been used. Subjects in linguistics i.e., grammar, lexicon, phonology, orthography, syntax, semantics and discourses and in delivery of communication i.e., verse and music are the key topics of analysis of this study and have been made as the chapters.
Whomsoever Guru Nanak communicated with was instantly impressed and became his lifelong follower. His personality, methodology of communication, linguistic mastery, and dialogue delivery and above all the philosophy of communication played a stellar role in conveying exactly what he wanted to convey and made the receiver do what the Guru exactly wanted. Guru Nanak wanted to convey the revealed word to the entire world as was ordered to him at Vein. He was to spread the supremacy of One God of the entire humanity; thereby negating the multiplicity of Gods and religions. He was to convey the importance of truth and help removal of falsehood from the humanity. He was to guide the people on pleasing God through love and continuous recitation of His name for which one does not require to become a recluse. No hard penance was needed. Recitation of God’s Name could be easily done while performing the daily functions at home. When one recites God’s name from every pore of the body (rom rom japna) there is no question of the body getting detracted from Him. Even while mediating, one could keep on performing worldly tasks unperturbed and undisturbed. Hence one must perform his labour to earn sincerely and from his earning he should share with others (kirat karna te vand chakna). Propagation of his philosophy of communication was through mass contact. For this purpose he travelled globally and conveyed the message to all high and low. His methodology of communication was very simple. His fame spread by word of mouth. The message that ‘Nanak; the God revealed’ is going to visit the area spread fast. The people started waiting for his arrival even before he came in contact with them.
He was a reformer as well as a revolutionary. God endowed him with a contemplative mind and pious disposition. Impact of the teachings of Guru Nanak was immense. It not only raised his followers spiritually into, “men of truthful word, devout austerity and of accepted prayer-mindedness, looking upon friends and foes alike”[1] but also transformed them into saint warriors who took upon themselves the protection of the poor and helpless against the tyrannical aggressor of the land.[2] He stirred the inner soul of the people and freed them from the thralldom of the priestly classes. Freed from the worship of idol and image worship they came to their own and introduced into the country a monotheist, casteless and classless society of mainly servants of the people-an order of fearless and saint soldiers, who in their turn made innumerable sacrifices to free their land from its tyrannous rulers and foreign usurpers. They ultimately succeeded in creating on the north-west an independent sovereign state of the Punjab and made a gift of it to India as the guardian of honour and independence. Guru Nanak thus has become a permanent light in the darkness of the world and his scripture will go on redeeming the lost forever. This following is bound to expand exponentially as it has all the good for the humanity and there is nothing against it. It is a positive development which shall have no end. Besides, being the foremost man of his time, Guru Nanak had become one to whom later ages will always pay that tribute which the best of humanity deserve.[3]
He used poetry in accompaniment of music as an effective tool of communication. His poetry was recorded by him and his followers in Gurmukhi script. He used 35 letters and ….tones in his script. This poetry was the word revealed by God: hence easily accepted by the people. It became part of daily prayers even during his times Japuji, Sodar and Assa di Var started to be regularly recited in various sangats and individual homes as well. Similarly the accompaniment of music created a reverberating impact. The lilting and rhythmic music touched the hearts intimately. People gathered in numbers and listened to Guru Nanak’s hymns intently. The division of Guru Nanak’s poetry is based in the classical rags. A careful analysis of his poetry would show that the verse placed under a particular category is in strict accord with the spirit and the genius of the rag in question. It is remarkable how he employed the profane and erotic motifs of the rags to achieve mystical breakthrough.[4]
Guru Nanak’s compositions had proper meter and measure; were rhythmic and music tunes in- built. His singing in accompaniment with Mardana on rebab created a divine effect and had miraculous impact. He had the mastery in both the fields; poetry and music were both a great source of attraction. Music had no enemy but all friends. It established common grounds for meeting the masses. Whatever could not be understood was explained by the music, hence impact multiplied. Guru Nanak thus faced no opposition and advanced relentlessly. In Guru Nanak’s hymns the fine arts: the poetry and the music are enmeshed like merging of Ganga and Jamuna. The identification of these fine arts is the essence, beauty and measure in the form of sabds. Musical rags turn these in dhuni form. He was not a single track poet. As his poetic mission was multi-pronged so also came about his poetic art that was comprehensively competent.[5] Guru Nanak’s use of Ras creates the desired feelings at the desired moment. It becomes extremely effective in conveying the true sense of the words and left an imprintable impact on the receiver.
The beauty of Guru’s compositions lies in the fact that despite many sided experiments of artistic devices, there is neither artificiality nor prudery in it. The hall marks of the poetry are quiet tone and clarity. His verses do their work well. Their simplicity and directness of utterances make an instantaneous appeal. His verse provides the proper and right type of guidance for humanity. His simple, easy and home thrust teachings, his life, invigorating hymns and most impressive invocations and prayers have a marvelous effect to imprint the very God on human soul. The intellectual level of his compositions raises them ever higher. Many of his sayings and phrases have come to occupy a guiding role in the hearts of common men.[6]
The Guru’s love of nature though present in his poetry from the beginning assumes a profoundly mystical character. The imagery of flower and foliage, of birds and animals, of rivers and pools, of clouds and rains has a lyrical grace which is unique in Punjabi poetry. His changing use of archetypal metaphor persists in his poetry all through, but now it becomes an ineluctable medium of the union with God, man, the spouse, yearning for the touch of the Master, filling universe with felicities when He is around and with tender songs of separation when he is away, can only relish the spiritual consummation by his merger in the Lord. The bridal imagery of these songs, rich and ornate, would indicate among other things, the importance Guru Nanak attached to the beauty and sanctity of the human body. As against the monks and siddhs of his day who regarded it as the seat of sins, he affirms its primal purity. Like so many mystic poets, he celebrates the body’s rapture which at the moment of the union is inseparable from the rapture of the soul.[7]
The most characteristic quality of Guru Nanak’s poetry is the eloquence of its symbolism[8]. With the help of symbols Guru Nanak has provided us with the most intricate and subtle secrets of God and nature in a visible and understandable form that makes us easily feel and relive the entity Guru Nanak projected. The range, strength and effective utilization of metaphors to beautify his language is immaculate.
By using metaphors and similes Guru Nanak has been effectively able to present the metaphysical; the invisible world in a physical and visible form. This excellent use of the literary tools is so natural that one does not find them sticking or obstructing anywhere but forming the part of the normal discourses and fit in the music well. They are also so studded that they have become beautiful ornaments; making the language readable and understandable. He never imposed any unwanted metaphor anywhere; wherever he used them these turn out to be very natural. Metaphors in Guru Nanak’s hymns are of profoundly cognitive character. All the main figures of speech, similes and metaphors in particular, of Guru Nanak’s poetry generally emerge from the domestic and rural setting. His imagery is seldom confused and the metaphors do not give an impression of strain.[9] The triple metaphors of the smithy, the crucible and the mint, of the parchment, ink and the pen; of the ocean, ferry and oar; of the earth, seed and the fruit; of the lamp, oil and the wick; of the potter vessel and the wheel; of the father, mother and child etc., make Japuji as also nearly all the compositions of his advance age, a poetry of complex verbal and phenomenological relationships. The imagery of trade and commerce, of profit and loss, of the weighing balance and the merchandise would suggest the personal and the experiential base of the poetry.[10]
Guru Nanak created the cultural symbols to relate the event and the facts. To create such symbols he highlighted many aspects of the culture e.g., in Majh Rag, the situation relating to Punjab areas bordering Afghanistan was depicted through the Punjabi language as the base with cultural background of Muslims and a sprinkling of their languages Arabic and Persian to give the appearance of the Pakhtoon culture. He has described the condition of the people in general; their social, economic and political downfall in particular with a plea for succor for the spiritual regeneration. The entire culture depiction of the period is done through symbols in Var Majh.
The language used by Guru Nanak was simple; it was the language of the masses. Primarily he being from Punjab, Punjabi of Guru period remained the base but he made certain modification by adding certain words of the languages of the areas he visited, so that his message was easily understood. Born Punjabi and Panjabi being his mother tongue, he used it effectively along with the various dialects of the region like Lehndi, Multani, Multani, Majhi etc. In Japuji, Sodar, Vaar Jaitsri and Maaru Dakhne he used pure Punajbi. The Punjabi language has never before been put for a valuable work. Its vocabulary was vey scanty, and that too had never been employed for religious or philosophical purposes. The strain was too heavy for it was Guru Nanak who could make the compositions terse and full score with such brevity. Even now, with all the increased resources, we dare not use the vernacular to express our thoughts half so concisely as Guru Nanak has done in his Japuji.[11] Guru Nanak thus broke away from the tradition of using Sanskrit and Persian by the learned. He reached the common man through his own tongue. He preached to the people in their own language and taught them to have direct communion with God in whatever language they spoke. All words that were sincere were sacred. But the language of the hearth is inadequate for the expression of many concepts which must go towards the building of the vision enshrined in his hymns. A great number of such concepts were current in learned and religious circles in Guru’s time and were embodied in Sanskritised terminology which was current only in its Punjabised form (usually called the Apbhransha) and it is in this form that they appear in Guru’s writing.[12]
This choice itself was significant. For the first time Punjabi was used so extensively and consistently for literary expression of this order. The fact was illustrative of the process of resurgence which the regional languages all over India were then undergoing. The results of use of Punjabi were dramatic. From a spoken tongue it turned in Guru Nanak’s hands into subtle medium of self-revelations. The creative energy it acquired from him informed the subsequent growth and continues to be a vital influence to this day. Guru Nanak treated the language with delicacy and innovation. The core of his vocabulary was the speech of the common man in the Punjab of his day. To this he brought fresh elements from his power of vivid imagery from his vigorous observation and extensive experience of travel and contact with a variety of people.[13] It explains the secrets of God’s domain and the way to attain salvation in the simple language of masses. Guru Nanak’s greatness lies in these people specific and public oriented presentations of the most complex philosophy of religions.
His knowledge and application of linguistics of the languages was amazing and strategically woven to be the most appropriate and effective illocutionary, discursive, functional and interactive in the then sociolinguistic context. To create cultural closeness to the area he visited he used words of the languages of the area as well including Khadi Boli/Braj, Prakrit, Apbhransh, Sahaskriti, Persian and Arabic. but it will be wrong to say that Guru Nanak adopted these languages as it is. He modified and invented certain words and phrases as per the requirement of the situation wherever needed hence gave a new appearance. Panjabi spirit and features however remain the specific and predominant characteristics of Guru Nanak’s hymns because of his Punjabi background. Along with it, his use of other languages of dialects of India or abroad is nonetheless important which is because of his travels to the entire globe.[14] According to Dr Taran Singh, ‘Guru Nanak composed his hymns primarily for Punjabis but taking entire India into consideration. For this common cause he used common vocabulary and Punjabi metaphorical language’.[15]
Guru Nanak made the language so phonetic that it met the requirements of not only poetry but also the music as well. This wonderful use of sounds of a underdeveloped script in such a manner that all the new features which were suitable for the time, space and place made it perfectly suitable and easily adoptable. All his hymns have been sung for the last five hundred years with great devotion and heard by the devotees intently because of the pleasing tones set well keeping in view the readers and listeners alike. This is the reason that the later Gurus and the Sikhs adopted these sound and thus have made Punjabi a lingua franca accepted so globally. No one else on record is found to have done this much for this language.
Guru Nanak applied grammar as per the Old Punjabi grammar in the transitional period towards modern Punjabi. He created enormous varieties by the use of inflexions effectively and enriched the Punjabi language. He used all varieties of parts of speech effectively as per the need. He also created certain new rules and forms for the Punjabi to suit the poetic aspects. He modified Braj, Apbhransh, Lehindi and Multani grammatical rules to suit his poetry. He always kept content at the priority and did not allow it to be vitiated by grammatical complicacies.
The Guru was a great linguist and was in direct contact with various religious writings. He had learnt Persian and Arabic in his childhood and acquainted with Sufi saints and Islamic literature. He frequently borrowed some fine and expressive words from the vocabulary of Muslim literature written in Persian or Arabic languages as he did also from the Hindu literature. But the used words were modified by him wherever required into fit his music and poetry in Punjabi.[16]
The classical thought process which remained away from the masses was soon getting adopted by them through the hymns of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak presented these serious thoughts in very simple language even using the folk songs and music when needed. Thus Guru Nanak’s field of activity in languages is vast spread from classical to modern and folk languages and from Hinduism to Islamic languages. Further whenever it was required, he used a mixture of culture and languages to create an altogether different impact. The bani of Guru Nanak would continue to exercise its powerful influence on the deeply religious people. His art and genius will always inspire writers. His verse will always remain a fountain of exquisite devotional and lyrical poetry, sweet and sincere. His poetry is valuable for its sublime and literary excellence.[17]
The linguistic presentation of Guru Nanak was like a singing rivulet flowing through the greenery rich valleys of life and these valleys were not restricted to Punjab but to the entire globe where it has now spread and established with amazing speed, just within a period of five centuries. The later Gurus, great poets like Bhai Gurdas and many other writers not only followed but carried forward Guru Nanak’s traditions set in these languages and cultures.
Guru Nanak bani made the little sweet intense language of the Punjabi, the universal language of man, as says Prof. Puran Singh.
Guru Nanak’s teachings have been followed up by later Gurus and his Sikhs in true spirit as his followers concentrate their minds on God, to reflect on God's virtues such as love, benevolence, and kindness. They practice this to inculcate such virtues into their own character. The nine Gurus who were bestowed with his light (jot) after him, propagated his ideas exactly as he communicated. To ensure this, they even used name of Nanak in all their hymns and considered themselves as the mahlas of Guru Nanak. Later the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan compiled Guru Nanak’s bani, his own and the bani of all the Gurus before him as well as of the Bhagats of the period, which truly represented Guru Nanak’s teachings and thought process and composed Adi Granth. Guru Gobind Singh added 9th Guru’s bani into it and established it as the Sabd Guru Sri Guru Granth Sahib just before merging into eternal light. Sri Guru Granth Sahib which contains the entire bani of Guru Nanak along with the bani of Gurus, sants and bhagats is truly a progression of the thought process of Guru Nanak. This bani has been accepted globally as a scripture of relevance as saviour of the future world. Guru Nanak’s following is continuously increasing and shall continue so forever till followed by every person on the world. This is going to be the greatest effectiveness of communication of Guru Nanak. The findings of the detailed study justify the hypothesis that ‘Guru Nanak’s communication is exquisiteand provides a new path in linguistics and delivery systems for adoption as a guide for future studies.’
ReferencesExcellence in communication requires mastering linguistics including semantics, lexicography orthography, discourse analysis and strategic analysis and delivery systems. In modern terminology ability to communicate competently using the language correctly and appropriately to accomplish communication goals is known as communicative competence. Guru Nanak entered into communication at home, at school, during work and during his travels with kings and commoners; mullahs and pundits, saints and thugs. Despite of different types of communicated persons and in different type of circumstances and environments; his impact and effect have been par excellence. In childhood he remained in a contemplative and meditative mood and spoke very less. He preferred to be quite and observe rather than speak as is apparent from his interaction with his family members specially his father and father-in-law. His quietness itself gave answers. In school his dialogues with his teachers are very scholarly which made his teachers to comment that ‘he is blessed by God and no one can compete with him’. The owner of the village Rai Bullar and all his teachers became his devout followers. At his job at Sultanpur Lodhi, he answered most intriguing questions of Nawab Daulat Khan and the mullah so brilliantly that they became his life-long followers. The Nawab offered him free use of his entire property of the state as he so wished but he was not destined to be stuck at one place as he was to convey the message of truth to the entire world. For this he travelled nearly the entire globe.
He visited centres of power and religion and communicated with kings, courtiers, mullahs and pundits who treated the public like slaves rather than protecting them and doing justice to the commoner and guiding them to the true path. Guru Nanak communicated with them to make them realize the truth that all men are created by God and loved by Him equally. There is no one high or low in His eyes; hence they must be treated with love and affection. Universal brotherhood is the only right path towards real peace and success. He also awakened the public about their rights and made them to realize the truth. He enshrined the ideals that society should adopt and showed the real path of development of successful human life. His communication with his followers, the satsangat has become a guide for the generations to follow.
Guru Nanak had knowledge of plethora of languages. The proof of this is available in Sri Guru Granth Sahib which is now considered as the great repertoire of the languages of India. Though the fundamental philosophy of Guru Nanak can be seen in the Sanskrit, Prakrit, Sant-Bhakha and Panjabi yet some elements of Arabic and Persian are used to provide similes from Islamic culture. Though some fundamental thought process has been taken from Sanskrit, Hindwi, Jain, Buddhist and Siddhas literature but it has been effectively converted and utilized according to then existing situation turning it into a new thought process recoded in a new language and in a different methodology. It was done so that it could be easily understood by general public and adopted in their day to day life. Guru Nanak acquired the fundamental linguistic communication skills in Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, and Punjabi from village Pundit, Brahmin and Mullah. He mastered the various dialects of Punjabi like Majhi, Lahindi, Multani, Lande etc., and various dialects of Hindi like Braj, Awadhi, Bangru, Poorvi, Khadi Boli, Sadh-Bhakha etc. during his later contacts; specially during has travels. He learnt Lande, Hindwi, Sadhukri (Sadh Bhakha), Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, and Turkish from his teachers and developed these through when in contact with various people during his travels.
His delivery through verse in accompaniment of music by Bhai Mardana was extremely enchanting. His 947 hymns comprising Japji Sahib, Asa-Di-Var, Bara-Mah, Sidh-Gosht, Onkar (Dakhani) are included in Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjan. He composed such tunes in various Indian classical Ragas that charmed and tamed wild and subdued the savage. Guru Nanak’s great philosophy of One God and Universal brotherhood; his sweet and attracting behaviour, magnetic personality and the heart-touching poetry sung in rhythm and sweet and lilting voice accompanied with music and the continuously energy generating body attracted the beings instantly. His dare and gentleness, sweetness and humility, saying and doing, poetry and music, exquisite dress and smooth but impacting delivery of words caused long lasting impact. Tyrants kings like Babar, Kauda the cannibal; Bhumia, the thief, Sajjan, the Thhagg, Behlol, the established Peer, Chaturdas; the proud pundit, Malik the haughty rich, Siddhas, the egoistic mendicants; all were so changed that their character of anti-society became that of serving the society. Some of them even became saints and preachers of Guru Nanak’s path.
This study is primarily based on Guru Nanak’s hymns available in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and his life accounts and other descriptive accounts as are available in Janamsakhis, Varan Bhai Gurdas and Guru Nanak Parkash by Bhai Santokh Singh have also been used. Subjects in linguistics i.e., grammar, lexicon, phonology, orthography, syntax, semantics and discourses and in delivery of communication i.e., verse and music are the key topics of analysis of this study and have been made as the chapters.
Whomsoever Guru Nanak communicated with was instantly impressed and became his lifelong follower. His personality, methodology of communication, linguistic mastery, and dialogue delivery and above all the philosophy of communication played a stellar role in conveying exactly what he wanted to convey and made the receiver do what the Guru exactly wanted. Guru Nanak wanted to convey the revealed word to the entire world as was ordered to him at Vein. He was to spread the supremacy of One God of the entire humanity; thereby negating the multiplicity of Gods and religions. He was to convey the importance of truth and help removal of falsehood from the humanity. He was to guide the people on pleasing God through love and continuous recitation of His name for which one does not require to become a recluse. No hard penance was needed. Recitation of God’s Name could be easily done while performing the daily functions at home. When one recites God’s name from every pore of the body (rom rom japna) there is no question of the body getting detracted from Him. Even while mediating, one could keep on performing worldly tasks unperturbed and undisturbed. Hence one must perform his labour to earn sincerely and from his earning he should share with others (kirat karna te vand chakna). Propagation of his philosophy of communication was through mass contact. For this purpose he travelled globally and conveyed the message to all high and low. His methodology of communication was very simple. His fame spread by word of mouth. The message that ‘Nanak; the God revealed’ is going to visit the area spread fast. The people started waiting for his arrival even before he came in contact with them.
He was a reformer as well as a revolutionary. God endowed him with a contemplative mind and pious disposition. Impact of the teachings of Guru Nanak was immense. It not only raised his followers spiritually into, “men of truthful word, devout austerity and of accepted prayer-mindedness, looking upon friends and foes alike”[1] but also transformed them into saint warriors who took upon themselves the protection of the poor and helpless against the tyrannical aggressor of the land.[2] He stirred the inner soul of the people and freed them from the thralldom of the priestly classes. Freed from the worship of idol and image worship they came to their own and introduced into the country a monotheist, casteless and classless society of mainly servants of the people-an order of fearless and saint soldiers, who in their turn made innumerable sacrifices to free their land from its tyrannous rulers and foreign usurpers. They ultimately succeeded in creating on the north-west an independent sovereign state of the Punjab and made a gift of it to India as the guardian of honour and independence. Guru Nanak thus has become a permanent light in the darkness of the world and his scripture will go on redeeming the lost forever. This following is bound to expand exponentially as it has all the good for the humanity and there is nothing against it. It is a positive development which shall have no end. Besides, being the foremost man of his time, Guru Nanak had become one to whom later ages will always pay that tribute which the best of humanity deserve.[3]
He used poetry in accompaniment of music as an effective tool of communication. His poetry was recorded by him and his followers in Gurmukhi script. He used 35 letters and ….tones in his script. This poetry was the word revealed by God: hence easily accepted by the people. It became part of daily prayers even during his times Japuji, Sodar and Assa di Var started to be regularly recited in various sangats and individual homes as well. Similarly the accompaniment of music created a reverberating impact. The lilting and rhythmic music touched the hearts intimately. People gathered in numbers and listened to Guru Nanak’s hymns intently. The division of Guru Nanak’s poetry is based in the classical rags. A careful analysis of his poetry would show that the verse placed under a particular category is in strict accord with the spirit and the genius of the rag in question. It is remarkable how he employed the profane and erotic motifs of the rags to achieve mystical breakthrough.[4]
Guru Nanak’s compositions had proper meter and measure; were rhythmic and music tunes in- built. His singing in accompaniment with Mardana on rebab created a divine effect and had miraculous impact. He had the mastery in both the fields; poetry and music were both a great source of attraction. Music had no enemy but all friends. It established common grounds for meeting the masses. Whatever could not be understood was explained by the music, hence impact multiplied. Guru Nanak thus faced no opposition and advanced relentlessly. In Guru Nanak’s hymns the fine arts: the poetry and the music are enmeshed like merging of Ganga and Jamuna. The identification of these fine arts is the essence, beauty and measure in the form of sabds. Musical rags turn these in dhuni form. He was not a single track poet. As his poetic mission was multi-pronged so also came about his poetic art that was comprehensively competent.[5] Guru Nanak’s use of Ras creates the desired feelings at the desired moment. It becomes extremely effective in conveying the true sense of the words and left an imprintable impact on the receiver.
The beauty of Guru’s compositions lies in the fact that despite many sided experiments of artistic devices, there is neither artificiality nor prudery in it. The hall marks of the poetry are quiet tone and clarity. His verses do their work well. Their simplicity and directness of utterances make an instantaneous appeal. His verse provides the proper and right type of guidance for humanity. His simple, easy and home thrust teachings, his life, invigorating hymns and most impressive invocations and prayers have a marvelous effect to imprint the very God on human soul. The intellectual level of his compositions raises them ever higher. Many of his sayings and phrases have come to occupy a guiding role in the hearts of common men.[6]
The Guru’s love of nature though present in his poetry from the beginning assumes a profoundly mystical character. The imagery of flower and foliage, of birds and animals, of rivers and pools, of clouds and rains has a lyrical grace which is unique in Punjabi poetry. His changing use of archetypal metaphor persists in his poetry all through, but now it becomes an ineluctable medium of the union with God, man, the spouse, yearning for the touch of the Master, filling universe with felicities when He is around and with tender songs of separation when he is away, can only relish the spiritual consummation by his merger in the Lord. The bridal imagery of these songs, rich and ornate, would indicate among other things, the importance Guru Nanak attached to the beauty and sanctity of the human body. As against the monks and siddhs of his day who regarded it as the seat of sins, he affirms its primal purity. Like so many mystic poets, he celebrates the body’s rapture which at the moment of the union is inseparable from the rapture of the soul.[7]
The most characteristic quality of Guru Nanak’s poetry is the eloquence of its symbolism[8]. With the help of symbols Guru Nanak has provided us with the most intricate and subtle secrets of God and nature in a visible and understandable form that makes us easily feel and relive the entity Guru Nanak projected. The range, strength and effective utilization of metaphors to beautify his language is immaculate.
By using metaphors and similes Guru Nanak has been effectively able to present the metaphysical; the invisible world in a physical and visible form. This excellent use of the literary tools is so natural that one does not find them sticking or obstructing anywhere but forming the part of the normal discourses and fit in the music well. They are also so studded that they have become beautiful ornaments; making the language readable and understandable. He never imposed any unwanted metaphor anywhere; wherever he used them these turn out to be very natural. Metaphors in Guru Nanak’s hymns are of profoundly cognitive character. All the main figures of speech, similes and metaphors in particular, of Guru Nanak’s poetry generally emerge from the domestic and rural setting. His imagery is seldom confused and the metaphors do not give an impression of strain.[9] The triple metaphors of the smithy, the crucible and the mint, of the parchment, ink and the pen; of the ocean, ferry and oar; of the earth, seed and the fruit; of the lamp, oil and the wick; of the potter vessel and the wheel; of the father, mother and child etc., make Japuji as also nearly all the compositions of his advance age, a poetry of complex verbal and phenomenological relationships. The imagery of trade and commerce, of profit and loss, of the weighing balance and the merchandise would suggest the personal and the experiential base of the poetry.[10]
Guru Nanak created the cultural symbols to relate the event and the facts. To create such symbols he highlighted many aspects of the culture e.g., in Majh Rag, the situation relating to Punjab areas bordering Afghanistan was depicted through the Punjabi language as the base with cultural background of Muslims and a sprinkling of their languages Arabic and Persian to give the appearance of the Pakhtoon culture. He has described the condition of the people in general; their social, economic and political downfall in particular with a plea for succor for the spiritual regeneration. The entire culture depiction of the period is done through symbols in Var Majh.
The language used by Guru Nanak was simple; it was the language of the masses. Primarily he being from Punjab, Punjabi of Guru period remained the base but he made certain modification by adding certain words of the languages of the areas he visited, so that his message was easily understood. Born Punjabi and Panjabi being his mother tongue, he used it effectively along with the various dialects of the region like Lehndi, Multani, Multani, Majhi etc. In Japuji, Sodar, Vaar Jaitsri and Maaru Dakhne he used pure Punajbi. The Punjabi language has never before been put for a valuable work. Its vocabulary was vey scanty, and that too had never been employed for religious or philosophical purposes. The strain was too heavy for it was Guru Nanak who could make the compositions terse and full score with such brevity. Even now, with all the increased resources, we dare not use the vernacular to express our thoughts half so concisely as Guru Nanak has done in his Japuji.[11] Guru Nanak thus broke away from the tradition of using Sanskrit and Persian by the learned. He reached the common man through his own tongue. He preached to the people in their own language and taught them to have direct communion with God in whatever language they spoke. All words that were sincere were sacred. But the language of the hearth is inadequate for the expression of many concepts which must go towards the building of the vision enshrined in his hymns. A great number of such concepts were current in learned and religious circles in Guru’s time and were embodied in Sanskritised terminology which was current only in its Punjabised form (usually called the Apbhransha) and it is in this form that they appear in Guru’s writing.[12]
This choice itself was significant. For the first time Punjabi was used so extensively and consistently for literary expression of this order. The fact was illustrative of the process of resurgence which the regional languages all over India were then undergoing. The results of use of Punjabi were dramatic. From a spoken tongue it turned in Guru Nanak’s hands into subtle medium of self-revelations. The creative energy it acquired from him informed the subsequent growth and continues to be a vital influence to this day. Guru Nanak treated the language with delicacy and innovation. The core of his vocabulary was the speech of the common man in the Punjab of his day. To this he brought fresh elements from his power of vivid imagery from his vigorous observation and extensive experience of travel and contact with a variety of people.[13] It explains the secrets of God’s domain and the way to attain salvation in the simple language of masses. Guru Nanak’s greatness lies in these people specific and public oriented presentations of the most complex philosophy of religions.
His knowledge and application of linguistics of the languages was amazing and strategically woven to be the most appropriate and effective illocutionary, discursive, functional and interactive in the then sociolinguistic context. To create cultural closeness to the area he visited he used words of the languages of the area as well including Khadi Boli/Braj, Prakrit, Apbhransh, Sahaskriti, Persian and Arabic. but it will be wrong to say that Guru Nanak adopted these languages as it is. He modified and invented certain words and phrases as per the requirement of the situation wherever needed hence gave a new appearance. Panjabi spirit and features however remain the specific and predominant characteristics of Guru Nanak’s hymns because of his Punjabi background. Along with it, his use of other languages of dialects of India or abroad is nonetheless important which is because of his travels to the entire globe.[14] According to Dr Taran Singh, ‘Guru Nanak composed his hymns primarily for Punjabis but taking entire India into consideration. For this common cause he used common vocabulary and Punjabi metaphorical language’.[15]
Guru Nanak made the language so phonetic that it met the requirements of not only poetry but also the music as well. This wonderful use of sounds of a underdeveloped script in such a manner that all the new features which were suitable for the time, space and place made it perfectly suitable and easily adoptable. All his hymns have been sung for the last five hundred years with great devotion and heard by the devotees intently because of the pleasing tones set well keeping in view the readers and listeners alike. This is the reason that the later Gurus and the Sikhs adopted these sound and thus have made Punjabi a lingua franca accepted so globally. No one else on record is found to have done this much for this language.
Guru Nanak applied grammar as per the Old Punjabi grammar in the transitional period towards modern Punjabi. He created enormous varieties by the use of inflexions effectively and enriched the Punjabi language. He used all varieties of parts of speech effectively as per the need. He also created certain new rules and forms for the Punjabi to suit the poetic aspects. He modified Braj, Apbhransh, Lehindi and Multani grammatical rules to suit his poetry. He always kept content at the priority and did not allow it to be vitiated by grammatical complicacies.
The Guru was a great linguist and was in direct contact with various religious writings. He had learnt Persian and Arabic in his childhood and acquainted with Sufi saints and Islamic literature. He frequently borrowed some fine and expressive words from the vocabulary of Muslim literature written in Persian or Arabic languages as he did also from the Hindu literature. But the used words were modified by him wherever required into fit his music and poetry in Punjabi.[16]
The classical thought process which remained away from the masses was soon getting adopted by them through the hymns of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak presented these serious thoughts in very simple language even using the folk songs and music when needed. Thus Guru Nanak’s field of activity in languages is vast spread from classical to modern and folk languages and from Hinduism to Islamic languages. Further whenever it was required, he used a mixture of culture and languages to create an altogether different impact. The bani of Guru Nanak would continue to exercise its powerful influence on the deeply religious people. His art and genius will always inspire writers. His verse will always remain a fountain of exquisite devotional and lyrical poetry, sweet and sincere. His poetry is valuable for its sublime and literary excellence.[17]
The linguistic presentation of Guru Nanak was like a singing rivulet flowing through the greenery rich valleys of life and these valleys were not restricted to Punjab but to the entire globe where it has now spread and established with amazing speed, just within a period of five centuries. The later Gurus, great poets like Bhai Gurdas and many other writers not only followed but carried forward Guru Nanak’s traditions set in these languages and cultures.
Guru Nanak bani made the little sweet intense language of the Punjabi, the universal language of man, as says Prof. Puran Singh.
Guru Nanak’s teachings have been followed up by later Gurus and his Sikhs in true spirit as his followers concentrate their minds on God, to reflect on God's virtues such as love, benevolence, and kindness. They practice this to inculcate such virtues into their own character. The nine Gurus who were bestowed with his light (jot) after him, propagated his ideas exactly as he communicated. To ensure this, they even used name of Nanak in all their hymns and considered themselves as the mahlas of Guru Nanak. Later the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan compiled Guru Nanak’s bani, his own and the bani of all the Gurus before him as well as of the Bhagats of the period, which truly represented Guru Nanak’s teachings and thought process and composed Adi Granth. Guru Gobind Singh added 9th Guru’s bani into it and established it as the Sabd Guru Sri Guru Granth Sahib just before merging into eternal light. Sri Guru Granth Sahib which contains the entire bani of Guru Nanak along with the bani of Gurus, sants and bhagats is truly a progression of the thought process of Guru Nanak. This bani has been accepted globally as a scripture of relevance as saviour of the future world. Guru Nanak’s following is continuously increasing and shall continue so forever till followed by every person on the world. This is going to be the greatest effectiveness of communication of Guru Nanak. The findings of the detailed study justify the hypothesis that ‘Guru Nanak’s communication is exquisiteand provides a new path in linguistics and delivery systems for adoption as a guide for future studies.’
[1] Sujan Rai Bhandari, Khulasat-ut-Twarikh, 1695, p.70 “Maqbul-al maqal waahl-i-riazat wa mujtjab-ul-dawat Khwesh-o-begana dar nazar-i-eshan yaksan wa dost-o-dushman nizd-i-shan barabar.”
[2] Ganda Singh, The Impact of Guru Nanak’s teachings on the lives of his followers, The Punjab Past and Present, Vol. XI Part I-I Punjabi University, Patiala, 1993, p.32
[3] Sohan Singh, The Seeker’s Path, Delhi, 1959, p. xiii.
[4] Darshan Singh Maini Prof, Poetry of prophetic experience, The Sikh Review, Feb-Mar 1970, p.149
[5] Op.cit.
[6] Dharam Pal Ashta, Dr., The Poetry of Guru Nanak, The Sikh Review, Feb-Mar 1970, Guru Nanak Quincentenary Number Vol. III Vol XVIII, No. 197, p.142
[7] Op.cit. pp.149-150
[8] Harbans Singh prof., The poetic genius of Guru Nanak, The Sikh Review, Feb-Mar 1970, Guru Nanak Quincentenary Number Vol. III Vol XVIII, No. 197, p.125.
[9] Dharam Pal Ashta, Dr., The Poetry of Guru Nanak, The Sikh Review, Feb-Mar 1970, Guru Nanak Quincentenary Number Vol. III Vol XVIII, No. 197, p.139.
[10] Darshan Singh Maini Prof, Poetry of prophetic experience, The Sikh Review, Feb-Mar 1970, Guru Nanak Quincentenary Number Vol. III Vol XVIII, No. 197, p.149.
[11] Teja Singh, The Japuji, P.7
[12] Sohan Singh, The Seeker’s Path, p xviii, xix.
[13] Harbans Singh prof., The poetic genius of Guru Nanak, The Sikh Review, Feb-Mar 1970, Guru Nanak Quincentenary Number Vol. III Vol XVIII, No. 197, p.125.
[14] Shyam Sunder Dass Dr., Hindi Sahitya, Indian Press, Prayag, 1956, p. 160
[15] Taran Singh Dr., Guru Nanak Chintan te Kala, p.268
[16] Parkash Singh, Japuji of Guru Nanak, The Sikh Review, Feb-Mar 1970, p. 188
[17] Op.cit.
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