Ram word has been misinterpreted more than any other word that appeared in the Sikh Holy Granths. I will not go writing the details and how the Ram for Ramchandra has been manipulated by many votaries of Ramchandra. Clichéd argument 18 will be sufficient to shed some light on this.
One thing that I learned over the years is Gurbani is not double minded while elaborating the One. We can’t say at one place it asks to worship Ramchandra, and at another it says opposite. It will definitely be our understanding that’s wrong, not Gurbani. I am not writing this because I am a Sikh; I am writing it because Gurbani refutes it if you say it allows you to worship Ramchandra.
There are two Rams.
Actually, not two. At least four. Waheguru, Ramchandra, Parsuram, and Balram. We will talk only about the first two. But why mentioned two in the title? Well, because we will be focusing on only two, as the verses we will be looking at has these two references.
One famous shabad in Bhagat Kabir’s writing is what we will be focusing on, because a clear distinction is made in the shabad that there are two Rams.
ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮ ਕਹਨ ਮਹਿ ਭੇਦੁ ਹੈ ਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੁ ।।
Kabir, calling Ram has a difference, there is one consideration/thought on this.
ਸੋਈ ਰਾਮੁ ਸਭੈ ਕਹਹਿ ਸੋਈ ਕਉਤਕਹਾਰ ।।190।।
The same name Ram is called by everyone, even the dramatists in the play.
ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮੈ ਰਾਮ ਕਹੁ ਕਹਿਬੇ ਮਾਹਿ ਬਿਬੇਕ ।।
Kabir, call the Ram, but there is a consideration.
ਏਕੁ ਅਨੇਕਹਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਗਇਆ ਏਕ ਸਮਾਨਾ ਏਕ ।।191।। - ਅੰਗ 1374
One is present in everyone, the other one is only in one.
The dramatists in this context are those who play the dramas of Ramlila. In the last line, Bhagat Kabir ji clears the picture that one Ram is omnipresent, and the other one is present only in one i.e., Ramchandra. I don’t think more than that is required to emphasis the worshipping of the One, and His name is used as Ram in Gurbani, which means ramya hoya – the Omnipresent One.
All the major English translations of Guru Granth Sahib ji, which are used by many during the online debate, have clearly mentioned the distinction between the two Rams when they translated these verses. But for some reasons, known to all the educated Sikhs, some people ignore this, and stick to the name without knowing its meaning.
Guru Gobind Singh ji’s and Bhai Gurdas ji’s writing will surely help us further to understand Ram for both the One and Ramchandra. Guru Gobind Singh ji’s writing has been ignored by many people and their reasons are various, but I would like to add two pivotal reasons here: a) they want you to get away from Gurbani as much as possible, with wrong translations and bad opinions; b) there are very important and intriguing verses in Dasam Guru Granth Sahib, which show the continuation of the philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev ji in the tenth Guru’s writing, so this affects those who want to create a distinction between Guru Nanak Dev ji and Guru Gobind Singh ji on the grounds of philosophy. It really requires time to connect and read Gurbani. What some people have done over the years is they have picked the verses to show why the Dasam Guru Granth Sahib couldn’t have been written by Guru Gobind Singh ji. What they didn’t show was the detailed reasons for the different banis and purposes.
Similar is the case of Bhai Gurdas ji. He was, in my opinion, the only Sikh who lived with different Sikh Gurus, saw their lives, spent time preaching about Sikhi, and eventually wrote in detail about the Sikh Philosophy. Some ‘scholars’ have rejected him because, according to them, he had the influence of the ‘legends’ when he narrated the life of Guru Nanak Dev ji in the first vaar. They don’t look at the things from his writings’ perspective, they look at them with their perspective, and if their perspective shows some things can’t be done in this material world, they ignore them. We are not far when they will raise the finger at Gurbani holistically.
Guru Gobind Singh ji in Tetti Sawaiye writes:
ਕਾਹੂ ਲੈ ਠੋਕ ਬਧੇ ਉਰ ਠਾਕੁਰ ਕਾਹੂ ਮਹੇਸ ਕੌ ਏਸ ਬਖਾਨ੍ਯੋ ।।
Some have tied the stones (thakur) to the stomachs, some call Shivji the big god (Ishwar.)
ਕਾਹੂ ਕਹਿਯੋ ਹਰਿ ਮੰਦਰ ਮੈ ਹਰਿ ਕਾਹੂ ਮਸੀਤ ਕੇ ਬੀਚ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਨਯੋ ।।
Some call He (Har) lives in mandir, some believe Him to be present in mosque.
ਕਾਹੂ ਨੇ ਰਾਮ ਕਹ੍ਯੋ ਕ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਕਹੁ ਕਾਹੂ ਮਨੈ ਅਵਤਾਰਨ ਮਾਨ੍ਯੋ ।।
Some call Ramchandra as Ram, some say chant Krishan’s name, some believe avatars as Ram/One in their minds.
ਫੋਕਟ ਧਰਮ ਬਿਸਾਰ ਸਬੈ ਕਰਤਾਰ ਹੀ ਕਉ ਕਰਿਤਾ ਜੀਅ ਜਾਨ੍ਯੋ ।।12।।
Leave all these false Dharma and believe the One/Waheguru (Kartaar) as Doer in your mind.
ਜੌ ਕਹੌ ਰਾਮ ਅਜੋਨਿ ਅਜੈ ਅਤਿ ਕਾਹੇ ਕੌ ਕੌਸਲ ਕੁੱਖ ਜਯੋ ਜੂ ।।
If say Ramchandra is unborn and undefeatable, then why he was born from the womb of Kausalya?
ਕਾਲ ਹੂ ਕਾਨ੍ ਕਹੈ ਜਿਹਿ ਕੌ ਕਿਹਿ ਕਾਰਣ ਕਾਲ ਤੇ ਦੀਨ ਭਯੋ ਜੂ ।। ...
If say Krishna as Timeless, for what purpose he came under time (kaal)?
ਕਾਹੇ ਕੌ ਏਸ ਮਹੇਸਹਿ ਭਾਖਤ ਕਾਹਿ ਦਿਜੇਸ ਕੋ ਏਸ ਬਖਾਨਯੋ ।।
Why call Shivji as Ishwar, and why call Brahmin’s Brahma as Ishwar?
ਹੈ ਨ ਰਘ੍ਵੇਸ ਜਦ੍ਵੇਸ ਰਮਾਪਤਿ ਤੈ ਜਨ ਕੌ ਬਿਸ੍ਵਨਾਥ ਪਛਾਨਯੋ ।।
Not Ramchandra, Krishna, nor Lakshmi’s husband Vishnu is Waheguru (Bisavnath), whom you have called so.
ਏਕ ਕੌ ਛਾਡਿ ਅਨੇਕ ਭਜੈ ਸੁਕਦੇਵ ਪਰਾਸਰ ਬਯਾਸ ਝੁਠਾਨਯੋ ।।
Whoever leaves the One and worships many, like Sukhdev, Indra, Vyas, he is a liar/false.
ਫੋਕਟ ਧਰਮ ਸਜੇ ਸਬ ਹੀ ਹਮ ਏਕ ਹੀ ਕੌ ਬਿਧ ਨੈਕ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਨਯੋ ।।15।।
All these Dharmas which were created are false, I consider only the One to be the doer of all.
ਕੋਊ ਦਿਜੇਸ ਕੌ ਮਾਨਤ ਹੈ ਅਰੁ ਕੋਊ ਮਹੇਸ ਕੌ ਏਸ ਬਤੈ ਹੈ ।।
Some believe Brahmin’s Brahma great, other believe Shivji to be Ishwar.
ਕੋਊ ਕਹੈ ਬਿਸਨੋ ਬਿਸਨਾਇਕ ਜਾਹਿ ਭਜੇ ਅਘ ਓਘ ਕਟੈ ਹੈ ।।
Some call Vishnu as the God of World (Bisnayak), by chanting whose name all the sins go away.
ਬਾਰ ਹਜਾਰ ਬਿਚਾਰ ਅਰੇ ਜੜ ਅੰਤ ਸਮੈ ਸਬਹੀ ਤਜਿ ਜੈ ਹੈ ।।
Oh foolish! Think thousands of times, these (gods) will leave you at last.
ਤਾਹੀ ਕੋ ਧਯਾਨ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਨਿ ਹੀਏ ਜੋਊ ਥੇ ਅਬ ਹੈ ਅਰੁ ਆਗੈ ਊ hY¤uਹੈ ।।16।।
Only whose (One’s) worshipping is accepted in the heart, who was, is, and will be there (meaning Timeless Waheguru).
There are some people you are going to interact online, who will say the verses of Guru Gobind Singh ji are correct, and they believe the same. Interesting, right? Why they say that? Here is the reason.
They say Guru Granth Sahib ji has the worshipping of Vishnu, and Dasam Guru Granth Sahib ji has the worshipping of the Shakti, which according to many is a goddess. So they say the Guru worshipped the goddess, that’s why he didn’t believe in the deities or incarnations of Vishnu/Shivji. This is the new argument which I have seen recently, and it’s as dumb as their other arguments. According to them, Har, Ram, etc., words in Guru Granth Sahib ji are for Vishnu, the tenth Guru didn’t use these words because he worshipped the Shakti. OK!
And I’m Batman.
Now, read the below verse of Guru Gobind Singh ji, and remember that 99.99 % people you’re going to interact online haven’t read Gurbani. What they have done is they Googled the verses, or they go to some Sikh sites and search the words Ram/Har and copy the verses from there.
ਹਰਿ ਜਨਮ ਮਰਨ ਬਿਹੀਨ ।।
Meaning, Har (Waheguru) is beyond dying and being born. This verse is from the Akaal Ustat.
And if you have read the article carefully from the beginning, you would have noticed the word Har written for Waheguru in Tetti Swaiye also, mentioned above.
We can look at the verses of Bhai Gurdas ji also and see for ourselves why he was rejected or neglected by the people.
ਬਿਸਨ ਲਏ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਦਸ ਵੈਰ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਜੋਧ ਸੰਘਾਰੇ ।
Vishnu took the ten avatars and killed the great warriors because of enmity between them.
ਮਛ ਕਛ ਵੈਰਾਹ ਰੂਪ ਹੋਇ ਨਰਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਵਨ ਬਉਧਾਰੇ ।
Mach, Kach, Vairah, Narsingh, Bavan, and Budh avatars came.
ਪਰਸਰਾਮੁ ਰਾਮੁ ਕਿਸਨੁ ਹੋਇ ਕਿਲੁਕਿ ਕਲੰਕੀ ਅਤਿ ਅਹੰਕਾਰੇ ।
Parsram, Ramchandra, Krishna, and Kalki were/is going to be filled with great ego.
ਖਤ੍ਰੀ ਮਾਰਿ ਇਕੀਹ ਵਾਰ ਰਾਮਾਇਣ ਕਰਿ ਭਾਰਥ ਭਾਰੇ ।
(Parsram) killed the Khatris 21 times on earth, and in Ramayana (Ramchandra) had a great war (with Ravana.)
ਕਾਮ ਕਰੋਧੁ ਨ ਸਾਧਿਓ ਲੋਭੁ ਮੋਹ ਅਹੰਕਾਰੁ ਨ ਮਾਰੇ ।
They didn’t overcome the lust, anger, and didn’t kill the greed, attachment, and ego.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨ ਭੇਟਿਆ ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਹਲੰਗ ਨ ਸਾਰੇ ।
They didn’t meet the Satguru, that’s why they didn’t meet the Sadh Sangat.
ਹਉਮੈ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਕਾਰਿ ਵਿਕਾਰੇ ।।8।।
Actions performed in ego are worthless.
- ਵਾਰ 12ਵੀਂ ਪਉੜੀ 8ਵੀਂ
Any more explanation will not be needed.
One last point that I want to highlight is a Sikh should never go hating the deities or hurt the sentiments of those who worship them. They are there because Waheguru/Ram/Allah created them. We are not here in this world to spend so much of our time writing against the deities. That’s not our task. Our task is to clear the doubts, to spread the message of Sikhi, to connect with the One, and to walk on the path shown by the Sikh Gurus.
