: Kanta Arora
: Philosophy of Life as Reflected in the Bani of Guru Nanak and Upanishads
: D.K. Printworld
: 9788124609941
: 1
: CHF 13.00
:
: Philosophie, Religion
: English
: 368
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB

About the Book
This volume illustrates, compares and discusses as to how Guru Nānak with his transcendental exposition, sharp skill, argumentative capability and common poetic language further enriched, explained, simplified, modernized and expressed various theological and philosophical concepts elucidated in Upaniṣads for the understanding and adaptation of a common man. Upaniṣads are 'breath of eternal' and hymns of Guru Nānak are 'a divine song of life'. Guru  Nānak's  exuberance  of  love  and  search  for  God  and godly  people  was  not confined to any religion or religious institution. He revolted against the ritualistic mind of a brāhmaṇa. He was essentially a man of God whose love and quest for search for the Ultimate Truth knew no limits. In the pursuit of this search he enjoyed a reach to the state of void meaning a state where there is no distinction between the object and the subject - the knower and the known.  He was a protagonist of Bhakti tradition and stressed more on bhakti or devotion to God. He taught the Sahaja-Patha or Sūrata Śabada Yoga that easily takes one straight to the Lord by spontaneous concentration of mind.
Both hymns of Guru Nānak and Upaniṣads explain that the real aim of human life is to attain liberation from the repeated coming and going in incarnations, which can be attained by adequate karma, knowledge and disciplined meditation.
About the Author
Born in a small town of Chamkaur Sahib, Kanta Arora, MA, LLB, PhD, spent her childhood within the premises of Ghari, where Sri Guru Gobind Singh had sacrificed his two sons. This had left a profound influence of Guru Nānak's teaching on her.
Having done graduation and post-graduation from the Punjab University, she joined Govt of India and held various positions in Finance and Accounts Dept of different ministries. 
After superannuation, she became a regular student of theology and made a comparative study of religions and consciousness studies and got her PhD for the thesis 'Philosophy of Life: A Study in the Light of Bani (Hymns) of Guru Nanak and Upanishads' from the Department of Sanskrit of Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed University). She has participated in many national seminars, and international conferences organized by the Center for Conscious Studies, University of Arizona, USA.

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Cosmogony or Origin of Creation

Man spends his lifetime in acquiring knowledge, professional training and accumulating assets and wows (wonders) to find the answer to the questions.

1. Who am I?

2. Where from have I come?

3.Who is my master or creator?

These questions are not new but repeated many times by great masters of religion and philosophy. Sages and scriptures of different time periods envisaged, revealed and answered them in their own way.

Guru Nānak, in the following lines, says:

kahā te āvai kahā ihu jāvai kahā ihu rahai samāī।।

esu sabada ka-u jo arathāvai tisu gura tilu na tamāī।।

kiu tatai avigatai pāvai guramukhi lagai piāro।।

āpe suratā āpe karatā kahu nānaka bīcāro।।

hukame āvai hukame jāvai hukame rahai samāī।।

pūre gura te sācu kamāvai gati miti sabade pāī।।

Ādi Granth,p. 940

In this hymn Guru Nānak shares his wisdom by queries and answers to them. He questions: From what source we come? To which source we merge after death? What is the way to get absorbed in the ultimate source? If one can explain the meaning of this hymn thatguru should be considered without any greed at all. How can one find the Ultimate Truth? How one becomes godly and gets absorbed in the love for the Lord? He replies that we are born by His command, and will go by His command; we merge with the Ultimate Reality by His command. Guru Nānak has describedBrahman asKartā-Purakha (the creator) in themūla mantra. He creates, and is both the cause and effect of the origin of the creation.

Hymns of Creation by Guru Nānak

arabada narabada dhauṅdhūkārā।।

dharaṇi na gaganā hukamu apāra।।

nā dinu raini na caṅdu na surajū suṅna samādhi lagāidā।।

khāṇī na bāṇī pauṇa na pāṇī।। opati khapati na āvaṇa jāṇī।।

khaṅḍa patāla sapata nahī sāgara nadī na nīru vahāidā<