(Revised for a deeper dive into the divinity)
Two words: Satnam Waheguru, carrying a profound spiritual punch.
Whether you’re flying solo in meditation or just trying to keep your cool in traffic, Satnam Waheguru is your go-to mantra. It’s the ultimate shout-out to the Universal Truth of His wonders, whispered with all the reverence you can muster. It’s a prayer, a praise, a proclamation: Satnam Waheguru, Satnam Waheguru.
Sat: The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.
Naam: Yep, you guessed it, the name of that Truth.
Wahe: That’s the divine “Wow!” – the awe we feel in the face of the universe’s grandeur.
Guru: The guide, the light at the end of the tunnel, leading us from ignorance to enlightenment.
Now, here’s the twist: Satnam Waheguru isn’t about bowing to some idol or performing rituals on autopilot. It’s a logical, no-nonsense path to understanding the divine. The magic of Satnam Waheguru lies in its practicality—how it grounds us, enlightens us, and steers us toward virtuous living.
It initiates spiritual awareness. It does not have healing, therapeutic, or miracle value. Instead, it is meditative in spirit, installing moral and ethical principles in our conscious minds.
But how does Satnam Waheguru work its wonders?
Enter Guru Nanak’s wisdom: “Hukam razai chalna, Nanak likhyea naal; hukmae andhar sabh, bahar hukme no koe.”
These lines are the secret sauce. They lay out two distinct but intertwined mandates, giving us an integrated roadmap to living a life of purpose and peace.
Hukam: Divine Order or command.
Razai: Acceptance.
Chalna: To walk or follow.
Likhyea naal: As it’s inevitably written down.
The whole package creates our fundamental realization of the divine message from Guru Nanak Dev.
Nanak’s message? To walk the path laid out by divine Hukam, accepting it as it’s written.
Guru Nanak reminds us that everyone and everything operates under this divine command—no exceptions. So, what’s the Hukam? It’s the cosmic code, the divine playbook, that ensures we don’t wreak havoc on ourselves, others, or the planet.
The keyword in the proclamation is Hukam, and this is where our razai or acceptance is based.
Does it mean that we dispel all our reasons and accept every situation or event as the will of God? In other words, that is our fate, good or bad.
If our answer is yes, then we are stereotypically and ritualistically wrong. And we miscarriage the Hukam.
Guru Nanak says: “Hukmae andhar sabh, bahar hukme na koe.”
A simple translation of the mandate is that everybody (sabh) is under(andhar) His command (hukam), and nobody (na koe) is beyond (bahar) His command.
The question is, what is that divine command or Hukam, signed and delivered by Nanak, from which we do not deviate or stray.
It is a path that refers to the divine Order. Disregarding this Order is a violation of God’s Hukam.
Divine Order is the system established by His Hukam, where we do not create chaos and misery for ourselves or fellow human beings, animals, plants, and our living environment.
This way, we are neither damaging our conscious mind nor hurting others. And we are staying hukmae andhar or within His Order.
In this Order resides our religiosity of being honest, humble, and sincere, being considerate and helpful to others, being merciful, forgetting and forgiving, loving fellow beings and caring for the environment, including animals, plants, and nature. And everything else which is pious, pure, and morally firm.
All this establishes the Divine Order, the perfect nature of God for all worldly purposes.
Satnam Waheguru, which gets its dynamics from the Nanak message of “Hukam razai chalna…., hukme andhar sabh….” represents the Divine Order.
Its practicality lies in following the Order, as envisioned by Nanak, to create peace and harmony within ourselves and the environment around us.
-Promod Puri
Promod Puri.com 