VAHIGURU, also spelt and pronounced Vahguru, is the distinctive name of the Supreme Being in the Sikh dispensation, like Yahweh in Judaism and Allah in Islam. In Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, the term does not figure in the compositions of the Gurus, though it occurs therein, both as Vahiguru and Vahguru, in the hymns of Bhatt Gayand, the bard contemporary with Guru Arjan, Nanak V (1553-1606), and also in the Varan of Bhai Gurdas. Guru Gobind Singh, Nanak X (1666-1708), used Vahiguru in the invocatory formula (Ik Onkar Sri Vahiguru ji ki Fateh, besides the traditional Ik Onkar Satigur Prasadi) at the beginning of some of his compositions as well as in the Sikh salutation (Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa Vahiguru ji ki Fateh varied as Sri Vahiguru ji ki Fateh).
Bhai Gurdas at one place in his Varan (1.49) construes vahiguru as an acrostic using the first consonants of the names of four divine incarnations of the Hindu tradition appearing in four successive eons. Some classical Sikh scholars, such as Bhai Mani Singh, Bhai Santokh Singh and Pandit Tara Singh Narotam, taking this poetic interpretation seriously, have traced the origin of the term in ancient mythology. Modern scholars, however, affirm that the name Vahiguru is owed originally to the Gurus, most likely to the founder of the faith, Guru Nanak, himself. According to this view, Vahiguru is a compound of two words, one from Persian and the other from Sanskrit, joined in a symbiotic relationship to define the indefinable, indescribable Ultimate Reality.
Vah in Persian is an interjection of wonder and admiration, and guru (Sanskrit guru: heavy, weighty, great, venerable ; a spiritual parent or preceptor) has been frequently used by Guru Nanak and his successors for satiguru (True Guru) or God. Bhai Santokh Singh, in Sri Gur Nanak Prakash (pp. 1249-51), reporting Guru Nanak`s testament to the Sikhs has thus explicated Vahiguru : Vah is wonder at the Divine might; gu is spiritual darkness while ru is illumination brought to eliminate this darkness. Cumulatively, the name implies wonder at the Divine Light eliminating spiritual darkness. It might also imply, “Hail the Lord whose name eliminates spiritual darkness.” Earlier, Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala, gave a similar explication, also on the authority of Guru Nanak.
Considering the two constituents of Vahiguru (vahi + g”uru) implying the state of wondrous ecstasy and offering of homage to the Lord, the first one was brought distinctly and prominently into the devotional system by Guru Nanak, who has made use of this interjection, as in Majh ki Var (stanza 24), and Suhi ki Var, sloka to paun 10. Apart from the use of this interjection, the attitude of wonder and total submission at the sight of Divine Greatness is prominently visible in Guru Nanak as evidenced for example in the hymn in Dhanasari ; “gagan mai thalu ravi chandu dipak bane tarika mandaljanak moti (GG, 663) ; in measure Suhi: “kaun taraji kavanu tula tera kavanu saraphu bulava” (GG, 730) ; and in Japu : “kete pavan pan! vaisantar kete kan mahes, kete barame gharati ghanahi rup rang ke ves” (GG,7). In Asa ki Var (GG, 46275) the opening sloka to paun 3 is woven round vismad vismadu nad vismadu ved, wondrous is the sound, wondrous the wisdom.
Wonder and ecstasy are expressed at the cosmic order and its mystery full of contradictions, yet all comprehended in the Divinely appointed system. This sloka concludes with : “Ever present to our gaze is wonder. At the sight of this mystery are we wonder struck. Only by supreme good fortune is it unravelled.” In the opening sloka to parun 4 bhai vichi pa van u vahai sadvau, in (the Lord`s) fear bloweth the wind with its myriad breezesis expressed wonder at the cosmic “fear” under which the universe operates in obedience to the Divine Law, the Lord alone being exempt from such fear.
In Japu, besides other themes, one that stands out prominent is wonder at the cosmic order, its infinitude and the mystery of its moral elan.As a matter of fact, the theme of Japu may be said to be what occurs in the course of stanza 4 : vacua! vicharu (contemplation of Divine infinity). In stanza 16, for example, is the expression of wonder at the limitles Sriess of space. Stanzas 1719, each beginning with asankh (infinite), are uttered in the same mood. In stanza 22 patala patal lakh agasa agas, countless the worlds beneath, countless the worlds aboveis a vision of the limides Sriess of the universe.
So are stanzas 24,25,26,27,32,34,. 35 and 36. It is in response to this overwhelming vision of Guru Nanak that the unique Name of the Supreme Being, Vahiguru, originated. No other name could have been adequate to express what in his vision he found lying at the heart of the cosmos, compelling a response in the human self attuned to devotion and ecstasy.Guru Amar Das has also employed the term in Gujariki Var (GG, 51416) and in Astpadis in Malar (GG, 1277). In the former, it is calculated that the interjection vahuvahu (Hail, hail the Lord) is used as many as 96 times.
The interjection vahu (hail; wondrous is the Lord) occurs in Guru Ram Das in conjunction with Satiguru (compounded from Guru ) in sloka 2 in Sloka Varan te Vadhik (GG`, 1421). In Guru Arjan by whose time the formulation Vahiguru appears to have become current and acquired distinctiveness as the Name Divine, the phrase `Gur Vahu` figures in Asa measure (GG, 376). This is only as inverted form of Vahiguru and has the same force and significance. Kavi Santo kh Singh in Sri” Gur Pratap Sura/ Granth (p. 5686) uses the two terms as synonymous : “simrahu vahiguru guru vahi, or contemplate ye Vahiguru, the Lord all hail.”
The earliest use of Vahiguru, in this form, is traceable to Varan by Bhai Gurdas and to Gayand`s hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib. In both it may be said to have occurred contemporaneously, for while no date can be assigned to Bhai Gurdas` Varan, the work may be assumed to have appeared soon after the compilation of the Scripture in 1604, being so much alive with its spirit and phraseology. Gayand in the course of his lines encomiastic of Guru Ram Das (GG, 1403) made use of Vahiguru as the supreme Name Divine in recognition of the primacy and appeal it had by then come to acquire in the Sikh tradition. In this Savaiyya numbered 11, the term occurs twice asVah Guru.
Earlier in that numbered 6, it is repeated thrice as Vahiguru in the opening line, expressing fervour of devotion.So also in the concluding line of Savaiyya 7. In Savaiyya 12, Vahu Vahu ( Wonder, personifying the Lord) signifies the Supreme marvel, embracing the infinitude of the universe. In Savaiyya 13, this name is used twice once as Vahiguru in the opening line and Vah Guru in the last line. In the concluding line of Savaiyya 8, Vahiguru is used thrice, concluding with the interjection Vahi (Hail).
Some relevant lines from Bhai Gurdas, Varan, may also be reproduced here : vahiguru guru sabadu lai piram piala chupi chabola, putting faith in Vahiguru, the Master`s teaching, the seeker drains in peace and tranquility the cup of devotion (IV .17) ; “paunu guru gursabadu hai vahiguru gur sabadu sunaia, paunguru is the Master`s word wherethrough he imparted the holy name Vahiguru (VI.5) ; vahiguru salahna guru sabadu alae, to laud the Lord let me give utterance to the Master`s Word (IX. 13) ; satiguru purakh daial hoi vahiguru sachu mantra sunaia, the holy Master in his grace imparted to the seeker the sacred incantation VaAiguru (XI.3) ; nirankaru akasu kari joti sarup an up dikhaia, bed kateb agochara vahiguru gursabadu sunaia, the Formless Lord manifesting Himself granted sight of His unique effulgent self and imparted to the seeker the Word Vahiguru, that is beyond the ken ofVedas and the Muslim Scriptures” (XII. 17) ; vahiguru gurmantra haijapi haumai khol, Vahiguru is the Master`s incantation.
By repeating it egoism is cast out (XIII.2) ; dharamsal kartarpuru sadh sangati sachkhandu vasaia, vahiguru gursabadu sunaia, Guru Nanak in the temple at Kartarpur established the Realm Eternal as t
he holy congregation, and imparted to it the Divine Word Vahiguru (XXIV. 1) ; sati namu karta purakhu vahiguru vichi ridai samae, let the seeker lodge in his heart the holy Name, the Creator immanent, Vahiguru” (XL.22). In these verses, Vahiguru signifies the supreme Name Divine, to which devotion may be offered. It is trancendent and annular of sin and evil, thus combining in itself the `attributed` and the `unattributed` aspects in consonance with the Sikh doctrine voiced in the Scripture. The main point is that by Guru Arjan`s time and after, this name over all others was established as the object of devotion.
The term received the final seal in the time of Guru Gobind Singh. Vahiguru is for Sikhs the gurmantra (invocatory formula received from the Guru) or nam for repetition (silently or aloud, with or without a rosary) and meditation upon the Supreme Reality. Bhai Gurdas in his Varan refers to it variously asJapu mantra (invocation for repetition), guru sabadu (the Guru`s Word), sachu mantra (true mantra) and gurmantra. It is also called nam (the Name), and is sometimes compounded as “Satinam Vahiguru” to be chanted aloud in congregations.
Namjapna (repeated utterance of God`s Name, i.e. Vahiguru) is one of the three cardinal moral principles ofSikhism, the other two being kirat karni or honest labour and vand chhakna or sharing one`s victuals with the needy. Since the manifestation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, Vahiguru has been part of the Sikh salutation : Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru ji ki Fateh (Hail the Khalsa who belongs to the Lord God ! Hail the Lord God to whom belongs the victory!!). It has since also been the gurmantra imparted formally at initiation to the novitiate by the leader of the Pahj Piare administering the rites.
References :
1. Sabadarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Amritsar, 1959
2. Gurdas, Bhai, Varan. Amritsar, 1962
3. Mani Singh, Bhai, Sikhan di Bhagat Mala. Amritsar, 1955
4. Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth. Amritsar, 1927-35
5. Sher Singh, Philosophy of Sikhism. Lahore, 1944.
Waheguru, often translated as “Wondrous Enlightener” or “Wonderful Lord,” holds an essential place in Sikhism as the ultimate name and representation of the divine. It is not merely a word, but a profound invocation that encapsulates the Sikh understanding of God’s infinite and awe-inspiring nature. The significance of Waheguru is deeply interwoven into the theology, practice, and daily life of Sikhs, serving as both a spiritual anchor and an expression of divine connection.
Waheguru: The Eternal and Formless Creator
In Sikhism, Waheguru is understood as the ultimate reality—formless, timeless, and beyond human comprehension. This aligns with the core belief in Ik Onkar, the opening statement of the Guru Granth Sahib, which emphasizes the oneness of God. Waheguru embodies the qualities of being eternal, omnipresent, and omnipotent while transcending human attributes and limitations.
Unlike anthropomorphic depictions of God in some traditions, Waheguru is recognized as the creative force behind the universe, both immanent and transcendent. The wondrous nature of Waheguru reflects the Sikh belief that God’s greatness is beyond full human understanding, yet approachable through devotion, humility, and love.
Spiritual Significance of Waheguru
Central to the Sikh spiritual journey is the remembrance and meditation on Waheguru. This is encapsulated in the practice of Naam Simran, or the meditative repetition of Waheguru, which serves as a means to connect with the divine. Chanting Waheguru not only fosters inner peace but also helps Sikhs transcend the distractions of the material world, align with God’s will, and purify their consciousness.
The invocation of Waheguru is a profound expression of gratitude and wonder. It acknowledges the divine’s unfathomable wisdom and the miracles inherent in existence. By meditating on Waheguru, Sikhs aim to overcome ego (Haumai) and merge their individual consciousness with the universal divine essence.
Waheguru in Sikh Practices and Prayers
Waheguru is prominently featured in Sikh prayers and rituals, serving as a unifying thread in all aspects of spiritual practice. Key prayers, such as the Japji Sahib and Rehras Sahib, consistently focus on the qualities of Waheguru, inspiring Sikhs to live virtuous lives in alignment with divine will. The daily recitation of these prayers reinforces the connection with Waheguru, reminding individuals of God’s eternal presence in their lives.
In the Sikh greeting, “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh” (The Khalsa belongs to Waheguru, and victory belongs to Waheguru), the name Waheguru reflects the community’s acknowledgment of divine sovereignty and the belief that all achievements and victories are due to God’s grace.
Waheguru as the Eternal Source of Guidance
Sikhs turn to Waheguru as the ultimate source of wisdom, guidance, and solace. The belief that Waheguru resides within every being encourages Sikhs to recognize the divine presence in all of creation, fostering values of compassion, equality, and humility. The concept of Waheguru also reinforces the Sikh understanding of divine justice and the belief that truth, love, and righteousness ultimately prevail.
Even in times of adversity, the invocation of Waheguru provides strength and resilience, serving as a reminder of the divine plan and the transient nature of worldly challenges. The ever-present nature of Waheguru inspires Sikhs to cultivate inner courage and remain steadfast on the path of righteousness.
Philosophical Depth of Waheguru
The essence of Waheguru lies in its profound philosophical depth. While the term itself defies precise translation, it encapsulates the Sikh experience of awe and wonder at the divine’s infinite nature. The unifying power of Waheguru emphasizes that all spiritual experiences, regardless of external forms and practices, ultimately lead to the same universal truth.
Waheguru also reflects the Sikh rejection of ritualistic and dogmatic approaches to spirituality. Instead of focusing on specific symbols or forms, Sikhism emphasizes the direct and personal experience of the divine through remembrance, devotion, and ethical living.
Conclusion
Waheguru is not just a name but the very essence of Sikh spirituality, embodying the religion’s vision of an eternal, formless, and wondrous divine presence. It serves as a guiding light, inspiring Sikhs to live lives of devotion, compassion, and humility while fostering a deep and personal connection with the Creator. Through the remembrance of Waheguru, Sikhs transcend the confines of the material world, aligning themselves with eternal truths and embracing a higher purpose. In every invocation, Waheguru remains a timeless and universal expression of divine wonder, offering a path of enlightenment and unity for all who seek it.
