Sikh Missionary Society U.K. (Regd) 10, Featherstone Road. Southall, Middx, U.K. UB2 5AA Tel: +44 020 8574 1902 Fax: +44 020 8574 1912 Email: info@sikhmissionarysociety.org Reg Charity No: 262404
Amrit Ki Hain - The Meaning of Sikh Baptism

Sikh Missionary Society: Publications: Amrit Ki Hain:

Unveiling the Light of HIS Presence

Unveiling the Light of HIS Presence

"By contemplating the divine Name, there is, within the seeker's heart, revelation of transcendent Light, more resplendent than the Light of a million suns, and it dispels all darkness of doubt and delusion."¹ "In my heart,". Nanak, now peace and spontaneous joy and happiness reigns, and the Light of a million suns shine visibly in my heart."² "Neither is an enlightened seeker victim of rebirth, nor of death and doom. Through the Word of the Guru, the lotus of the heart is abloom and illumined."³ "The lotus-heart has blossomed and is illumined when the light of the soul is blended with the transcendent Light."⁴ "Through the Word of the Guru, the lotus-heart has been 'illumined with the divine Light and evil propensities of egoism have been dispelled."⁵ "His Light has been revealed within the heart; in my mind there is perpetual peace and joy of having achieved the Presence of the true Guru."⁶

"These quotations from Gurbani (Sacred Hymns of Guru Granth) make it clear that on meeting the Guru, the seeker is initiated into the Divine Word, contemplating which divine Light is revealed within the heart and soul of the devotee. This Light is experienced to be far more illuminating than the Light of a thousand suns. Our own sun, in the face of this resplendent Light appears to be something less than a firefly. Whoever is blessed with the revelations of this Light of God finds his own inner vision: (divya drishti), able to see everything on earth. He can even have a glimpse into the abode of gods, heaven and hell. The illumined inner eyes can see even the smallest creature like an ant. The spiritual divine powers acquired over nature through contemplation and meditations serve much better and higher purpose than the instruments of scientific discoveries like radio, X-rays, telephone, wireless can ever do. A still greater benefit that is acquired is that the Light of divine Name has immense healing powers over physical and mental diseases. It is able to destroy all ladies of the body and the soul.

The divine Name is the Elixir of life. The true Name (Satnam) initiated into the human world by God, is the divine Name that is to contemplated. It is acquired in a disciplined manner through the mystic initiation of the Panj Pyaras (the Five of Initiate) when a vice accepts Sikh baptism.

The formal Sikh baptism acts as a medium of this divine inspiration, like the processing base of bleaching, used for dyeing cloth. Just as unbleached and unprocessed cloth cannot be dyed properly, the unbaptised soul unworthy of receiving divine inspiration remains spiritually unawakened by the formal baptism or initiation the Name of God to him. Says Guru Nanak. "Without a processing base, an unbleached cloth cannot be dyed. Let the soul be placed the vat of reverence, and let the body be bleached with modesty and utter humility."⁷

On being baptised, the whole being of the disciple is inspired and spiritually disciplined for higher mystic life, and it is only after intense and sustained meditations on the true Name of God, carried in a life of devotional worship can the soul be dyed in divine colour. Sayeth Nanak, "he who, in intense love of God (Bhakti), contemplates and repeats the Name is free from the stain of falsehood."⁸ It meditation on the Name, through faith and sincere devotion, that the seeker can attain happiness and peace in this life and the life and death.

Happiness in this world
Blessed and joyous in the world beyond.
Sayeth Nanak, the Lord God
Unites the seeker with Himself.⁹