The Source Book On Sikhism

Chapter Twenty-Four

Guru Arjan Dev Ji -

A Brahm Gyani

Dr.S.S. Sodhi, Halifax, Canada

Dr. J.S. Mann, M.D., Anaheim, California

Guru Arjan Dev Ji was a Brahm Gyani - a Guru who operated at a Cosmic Consciousness stage because he has experienced the presence of SATGURU - The Ultimate Reality. After transcending his body, ego, shadow, persona, through NAM SIMRAN he developed autonomy, integration authenticity and a “spontaneous will” through His Hukam and Parsad. Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s super-sensory awareness (what is and what ought to be) helped him to break egoic chains of many who came in contact with him or his BANI, especially SUKHMANI SAHIB.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji was capable of developing a mystic radiance of “formless – boundless” which got reflected in his SHABADS. Motivation to fight oppression took the form of KARUNA or “love-in-oneness” in him.

After experiencing NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI, he reached a stage of moral and spiritual exaltation where red hot sand or other tortures of the evil and dehumanized Jahangir and Chandu could not cause him subjective/objective pain.

In his Bani he showed to the Sikhs how to produce VIDYA (Knowledge), Eka Vidya (Knowledge of One SATGURU) and BRAHMA VIDYA (the knowledge of One In All).

According to Guru Arjan Dev Ji, at BRAHMA VIDYA level a person becomes BRAHM GYANI. A BRAHM GYANI believes (a) “world is false like a deer’s delusion” (b) “Sat Guru after creating Nature abides in it” (c) “with Sat Guruís word, the fog of ignorance vanishes and the light of gnosis gets illuminated in MANMAUKHS” (d) “Holy Granth Sahib is the LIVE manifestation of SATGURU” (e) “After receiving SAT GURU’s blessings, a Sikh never refrains from righteous deeds because HIS name can make a mere worm self-assertive” (g) “even though battered into bits, a Sikh does not desert the field” (h) “a lotus flower symbolizes how pure life can be lived surrounded by the MUK of MAYA”.

Evelyn Underhill in her famous book, “Mysticism” (1962) feels that all evolved souls follow a course called “Mystic Way”. Joy and suffering are a must for the attainment of the Unitive State. Guru Arjan Dev Ji while following the Mystic Way totally annihilated his self, and became fearless after reaching the Sufi’s Eighth Stage of FANAH. He was A BRAHM GYANI (Absorbed into Atman) which he beautifully described in his Amrit pure - Sukhmani SAHIB.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji in his bani urges us (MAN MUKHS) to get out of our cultural conditioning which cages and keeps us automatized until we die. He wants us to experience the fathomlessly strange, enigmatic “the other kind of seeing”.

He wants us to do transcendental operations (SEVA, NAM SIMRAN, etc.) to produce a “metaphoric universe” inside us. He wants us to use BANI to deautomatize our selfishness and greed and come to our senses by losing our egoic mind. He wants us to develop qualities of wise passiveness (SAHAJ), awareness without comparison, beatitude, fearlessness, and compulsions to fight oppression. He urges us to do these things as householders while relating and responding to our spouses and children and the “NORTH AMERICAN MAYA!”.

Man may conquer all,

And may have none to fear,

Yet if he does not remember God,

He will suffer at the hands of the demon of death.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Rag