sBnw rwgW ivic so Blw BweI ijqu visAw min Awie ] (1423-17, slok vwrW qy vDIk, mÚ 4)
Among all Ragas, that one is sublime, O Siblings of Destiny, by which the Lord comes to abide in the mind.
rwgu nwdu sBu scu hY kImiq khI n jwie ] (1423-18, slok vwrW qy vDIk, mÚ 4)
Those Ragas which are in the Sound-current of the Naad are totally true; their value cannot be expressed.
rwgY nwdY bwhrw ienI hukmu n bUiJAw jwie ] (1423-18, slok vwrW qy vDIk, mÚ 4)
Those Ragas which are not in the Sound-current of the Naad - by these, the Lord's Will cannot be understood.
nwnk hukmY bUJY iqnw rwis hoie siqgur qy soJI pwie ] (1423-19, slok vwrW qy vDIk, mÚ 4)
O Nanak, they alone are right, who understand the Will of the True Guru.
http://www.rpi.edu/~anandh/nishkam/periodicals/sikh_review.html
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Hukam - The Divine Will and Human Freedom
by Shashi Bala Ph.D
The problem of freedom and determinism is one of the most crucial subjects of philosophy. Man has the potential for freedom due to the presence of the Divine Spirit in him. The present life of man is determined by the deeds of his previous life and it offers an opportunity for him to practise righteousness. Only actions can determine man's freedom and not the passivity of life. If man's thoughts and deeds are rigidly determined by the forces beyond his control, then he can neither act differently nor can choose the course of events in his own life.
In Sikhism, two types of statements are found in the Holy Scripture. One states the supremacy of the Divine Will (hukam) and the other explains man's freedom in absolute submission to the Divine Will. God is One who created the world with all its diversity and plurality and He can only understand it. God is transcendent as well as immanent. He Himself has put the beings to work; Himself has created temptation by giving it the intoxicating herb of worldly love (maya) and Himself directs man to perform action.[1] In this way, God Himself brings into existence the whole creation by His Divine Ordinance (hukam) and thus keeps all the beings in His Command.[2] Every created being is dependent on God for its sustenance. God is Omnipotent as well as Omniscient and also knower of everything. This criterion of judgement of man's deeds is in God's hands and only He can recognize the true and the false. It is repeatedly stressed that God Himself does, Himself makes others do, and can reform the mortals by His Divine Ordinance.[3]
On the other hand, man's life on this earth is transitory. From birth to death, he remains engrossed in worldly things and perishes due to spiritual darkness. The soul, being immortal, survives bodily death and goes into another body. In this way the process of transmigration of soul and the cycle of rebirth continues. All types of disease, suffering, separation, birth and death proceed from the sinful enjoyment of worldly pleasures. Man's identification with the false-self delimits his consciousness and creates fragmentary and narrow vision. Man's indulgence in the fulfillment of worldly aspirations reinforce his ego and strengthen the false notion of separateness. This type of attitude creates a feeling of self-centeredness, self-alienation, self-doubt and inner emptiness. In such a state of mind, man finds security in mundane things which enhance his illusions.
Among all Ragas, that one is sublime, O Siblings of Destiny, by which the Lord comes to abide in the mind.
rwgu nwdu sBu scu hY kImiq khI n jwie ] (1423-18, slok vwrW qy vDIk, mÚ 4)
Those Ragas which are in the Sound-current of the Naad are totally true; their value cannot be expressed.
rwgY nwdY bwhrw ienI hukmu n bUiJAw jwie ] (1423-18, slok vwrW qy vDIk, mÚ 4)
Those Ragas which are not in the Sound-current of the Naad - by these, the Lord's Will cannot be understood.
nwnk hukmY bUJY iqnw rwis hoie siqgur qy soJI pwie ] (1423-19, slok vwrW qy vDIk, mÚ 4)
O Nanak, they alone are right, who understand the Will of the True Guru.
http://www.rpi.edu/~anandh/nishkam/periodicals/sikh_review.html
********************************************************************************
Hukam - The Divine Will and Human Freedom
by Shashi Bala Ph.D
The problem of freedom and determinism is one of the most crucial subjects of philosophy. Man has the potential for freedom due to the presence of the Divine Spirit in him. The present life of man is determined by the deeds of his previous life and it offers an opportunity for him to practise righteousness. Only actions can determine man's freedom and not the passivity of life. If man's thoughts and deeds are rigidly determined by the forces beyond his control, then he can neither act differently nor can choose the course of events in his own life.
In Sikhism, two types of statements are found in the Holy Scripture. One states the supremacy of the Divine Will (hukam) and the other explains man's freedom in absolute submission to the Divine Will. God is One who created the world with all its diversity and plurality and He can only understand it. God is transcendent as well as immanent. He Himself has put the beings to work; Himself has created temptation by giving it the intoxicating herb of worldly love (maya) and Himself directs man to perform action.[1] In this way, God Himself brings into existence the whole creation by His Divine Ordinance (hukam) and thus keeps all the beings in His Command.[2] Every created being is dependent on God for its sustenance. God is Omnipotent as well as Omniscient and also knower of everything. This criterion of judgement of man's deeds is in God's hands and only He can recognize the true and the false. It is repeatedly stressed that God Himself does, Himself makes others do, and can reform the mortals by His Divine Ordinance.[3]
On the other hand, man's life on this earth is transitory. From birth to death, he remains engrossed in worldly things and perishes due to spiritual darkness. The soul, being immortal, survives bodily death and goes into another body. In this way the process of transmigration of soul and the cycle of rebirth continues. All types of disease, suffering, separation, birth and death proceed from the sinful enjoyment of worldly pleasures. Man's identification with the false-self delimits his consciousness and creates fragmentary and narrow vision. Man's indulgence in the fulfillment of worldly aspirations reinforce his ego and strengthen the false notion of separateness. This type of attitude creates a feeling of self-centeredness, self-alienation, self-doubt and inner emptiness. In such a state of mind, man finds security in mundane things which enhance his illusions.
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