Let modesty be the rules of observance.
Let piety be the fasts thou keepest.
In such wise strive to become a Muslim.
Guru Nanak, Var Majh p 140
Be Such a Sannyasin
O Man practice such
asannyasa, Consider these mansions of the cities To
be forest dwellings; Live like a hermit in the
solitude of your heart. Eat little and sleep little. Be
compassionate and forgiving. Be calm and
contented. Then you will go beyond the three
states.
Eat little and
sleep little, Be
compassionate and forgiving. Be calm and
contented. Then you will go beyond
the three states. Discard lust, anger,
greed, Obstinate self-sense and love of
worldly things. Then Reality will unveil,
And you will attain the One Lord.
Guru Gobind Singh: Dasm Granth
These definitions do not suggest that Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh encouraged the Sikhs to become Brahmins, Muslims, sannaysins and yogis. Nor do they suggest that the Sikhs should be Khalsa with turban, hair and beard only in form and continue to practice Brahmanism, yoga or any other system that suits them to attract disciples and followers.
The second method of opening the gates of Sikh Faith to people of other religions and systems adopted by Guru Nanak was by telling them that the highest state and spiritual position acquired through other disciplines can easily be acquired through the Guru's Bank In the everlasting Spirit of the true Guru Nanak, a Sikh must see all seers, prophets, avatars, Sheiks and Pirs.
The Guru is the Shiva,
the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma, The Guru is Mother goddess.
Guru Nanak: Japji 5
Conversely, the highest state of divine vision which is achieved by other systems to enable them to become Sid-dhas, Sheiks, Pirs, Bodhisattvas can be achieved by hearkening to the divine Name in inner spiritual meditations and communion:
Hearkening to the Name, A Sikh becomes
a Siddha, a Pir and an adept Yogi.
Japji 7
It is in this context, Bhai Gurdas says, that a Gurmukh (Enlightened Sikh) is a real Pundit (scholar) and correctly gives divine knowledge to the world: (gurmukh hoe jag parbodhe). In the following verses, Bhai Gurdas, whose writings are considered Key to Adi Guru Granth, makes it clear that sincere and practicing Sikhs alone are awakened and illumined Yogis, and their technique is not the absurd asanas and pranayama taught by Bhajan Yogi but the one and only moral and spiritual discipline of Sikh path and spiritual living through the contemplation of His Name:
gursikh jogi jagde may a vie karn udasi
The Sikhs of the Guru are the ever illumined and spiritually awake Yogis. They live in the world and yet are detached from Maya: material attractions. To hear with the ears the Guru's Word is their symbolic earing of the yogis. They seek the dust of true saints. Humility is their garb of holiness and poverty. Living in divine Love is their worship. Their blissful prayer is nothing but love. They are always absorbed in the Music of Divine Word. Their cave of meditation is the company of truly holy men. Thus they achieve the samadhi of the Ineffable and the Infinite.
Bhai Gurdas, Var 29- pauri 15
Yogi Bhajan does not wear the earrings of the Nath Panthi Yogis, but he wears precious gold rings (sometimes two and sometimes three) heavily studded with jewels, and cannot help displaying them ostentatiously, probably as a symbol of wealth acquired through the techniques of Tantric Yoga, which he sacrilegiously identifies with the techniques of Sikh mysticism. Bhai Gurdas, however, makes it clear to all Sikhs of all ages that Yoga asanas and yoga techniques are absolutely useless and unnecessary for Sikh meditations and the spiritual path of Sikhism:
jog jugat gursikh gurs am jhay a
The Guru has himself explained to the Sikhs the technique of true Yoga, and it is this: A Sikh must live in such a moral and spiritual poise that while hoping and waiting he ceases to aspire or crave for low ambitions and remains unconcerned and detached. He should eat little and drink little. He should speak little and never waste time in nonsensical discussion. He should sleep little at night and keep away from the snare of wealth. He should never crave avariciously after wealth and property.
Bhai Gurdas, Var 20 / 15
Yogi Bhajan's theorists of Kundalini and Guru Yoga on finding the word "Yoga" used in Guru Nanak's hymns in a number of different contexts, jump to the untenable and incorrect conclusion that Guru Nanak's teachings are in perfect accord with the Tantric Yoga taught by their Master, Maha Tantric Yogi Bhajan. The third type of hymns in which the word Yoga is mentioned are those which sum up the debates the Guru held with Yogis of various centers. It may be noted that Guru Nanak visited all the centers of Yogis throughout India and not only convinced them of the error of the Yoga system but under his influence most of them gave up Yoga practices. Bhai Gurdas tells us that Guru Nanak met all Yogis, Siddhas, and those who claimed to be avatars of ancient Yogis, and through debate and spiritual influence he scored victory over them and made them submit to his ideology. Not only that, Guru Nanak also made Babar and his Ministers to submit to his moral and spiritual sovereignty.
Thus the third type of hymn in which the term Yoga is used are those in which various systems and doctrines are severely criticized by the Gurus. We shall be quoting such hymns throughout the book, and shall bring out sharp differences between the various Yoga cults and Sikhism as authenticated by Guru Granth Sahib and Sikh history. As will be shown subsequently, the word "Yogi" is used in Sikh scriptures even for God and the Guru, and this does not mean that God and the Gurus practiced the absurd asanas now taught by Yogi Bahjan, and shown in some of the pictures published in this book.
I would now like to make it clear that the major differences between Patanjali's Yoga and Guru Nanak's Darshana (philosophy) begin with clear-cut differences in Guru Nanak's conception of God and Patanjali's conception of God. The contention of Yogi Bhajan's theorists that with the exception of celibacy Patanjali's Yoga doctrines are identical with those of Guru Nanak, is absolutely incorrect. It appears that these young men and women have neither studied or practiced Patanjali's Yoga theories correctly nor do they have correct knowledge of the profound mystical doctrines of Guru Nanak. All the intelligent inmates of 3HO, particularly the right-hand men and the left-hand women of Yogi Bhajan, take pains to rationalize the Mumbo Jumbo Tantra and Kundalini Yoga of Yogi Bhajan with the hodge-podge and messy knowledge of Sikhism of their teacher. I would therefore first make clear the fundamental metaphysical differences between Guru Nanak's conception of God and that of Patanjali yoga.
Chapter III
Guru Nanak's Absolute God and Patanjali's Ishvara
"The word Yoga was originally applied to control horses and then it began to be applied for control of flying passions." The senses are the horses and whatever they grasp are their objects. In Panani's time the word 'yoga' had attained technical meaning and he distinguished this root yug samadhau (yug in the sense of concentration) from yugis yoge (root yugir in the sense of connecting). The science of breath had attracted the notice of many early Upanishads, though no systematic form of pranayama developed as in the Yoga system. A system of breath control ideas are found even in Katha and Svetesvara Upanishads.2
The science of breath known as pranayam in Yoga, and embryonic respiration in Taoism, is involved in the mystical meditations of Sufis called dhikr (zikr) and Simrin of Sikhism, called svas svas Nam japna, and has been found even in some practices of Christian mystics. But this involvement of the science of breath in various systems has nothing to do with Yoga asanas, and Yoga techniques. They are the natural outcome of a continuous disciplined mediation.3
The Hesychastic monks to whom Yoga was unknown developed through their meditations similar techniques. Summarizing the essential Hesychastic prayer, Father Irenee Hausherr says: "It comprises of two fold exercises, omphaloskespsis and indefinite repetition of the Prayer of Jesus: 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.' By sitting in darkness, bowing the head, fixing the eyes on the center of the abdomen (navel)