Universe: Finding grace in the grind

PUNJAB, along with much of North India, lies devastated by floods. The rains would not stop, dams overflowed, as did the rivers. What was widely noticed was the spirit and resilience of the people.

While natural disasters occur with distressing frequency, there is little doubt that relentless encroachment of natural habitats in the name of development has exacerbated the situation. Guru Granth Sahib says a lot about respecting nature, but that’s something we will discuss another time. Coping with floods and their aftermath is the more immediate need, even though it only serves to emphasise the larger issue.

As people struggled to save themselves and salvage their belongings, videos showed many chanting Sat Naam Waheguru and others reciting lines from Gurbani even as they carried out manual tasks necessary for the moment.

The spirit of the people who were working at shoring up embankments, saving fellow human beings and animals as well as providing food and necessities to the displaced, was captivating. It arose from the Sikh ethos that is deeply entrenched in the people of Punjab.

Guru Nanak’s ‘Naam Japo, Wand Chhako, Kirat Karo’ call, asking his followers to engage in honest living, is not just economic advice. It is a spiritual direction asking them to work with integrity, serve without ego, and to remember the Divine in the midst of the mundane, which transforms the grind into grace. The Guru’s message sank deep into the psyche of the people who responded to it by making it a part of their lives. It resonates more in rural areas, and manifests especially during times of crisis.

In Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak says (page 1,245): “Ghaal khaye kichh hath de, Nanak raah pachhaneh se” (One who earns by honest labour and shares with others truly understands the path). As we navigate the vicissitudes of life, the principles provided by our Gurus and sages guide us. They give us the direction, but it is up to us to ensure that we follow these in letter and spirit.

The stress on ethical conduct is the first underpinning of moral life, and this is true no matter where you are and what your religious denomination is. Indeed, it is so fundamental that even those who do not believe in God or follow any particular faith still show allegiance to the fundamental ethical value system, which is universal and all-pervasive. Devotees find solace in meditation and in recitation of the holy hymns even as they carry out their duties. We have the “Tera-tera” example from Guru Nanak’s Janamsakhis. To recapitulate: as a young person, he worked as a storekeeper in Sultanpur, where his sister lived. Legend has it that as he was distributing goods, he was heard saying “Tera tera”, which implied, “Yours, yours — all is yours”, while also sounding like the number 13 in Punjabi. Some people felt that a person who should have been working  was disconnected with the world.

Complaints led to an audit, which exonerated the young Nanak. The incident is part of the lore that is woven into the Punjabi psyche. It is cited as an example of the Guru’s teachings of being a Gursikh, who is connected with God while being engaged in the regular day-to-day activities of a person with a livelihood.

Through God’s grace, we recognise the sacred in the mundane. We also submit to the divine order, or hukum, and recognise that all that happens is as a consequence of bhana, or God’s will. As part of daily prayers, Sikhs request the Almighty to give them the strength to submit themselves to the will of God. Indeed, the Gurus also submitted themselves to God’s will.

We see people’s inner strength as they live their lives empowered by their commitment to ethical and spiritual values. They act as exemplars for all of us, more so when they are blissfully humble.

— The writer is an author and journalist