The Voice of a Nation

The Voice of a Nation

A Book Review of Sirdar Kapur Singh's PARASARAPRASNA

by MANJYOT KAUR  

PARASARAPRASNA, by Kapur Singh. Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 2001 (3rd ed.). ISBN 81-7770-014-6. 319 pages. Price: Rs. 250.

This book was conceived in 1950, during a period of what the author qualifies as "forced leisure and detention" at Simla, in the foothills of the Himalayas, where he had come on holiday.

In the course of this stay, which was lengthened by circumstances into a semi-permanent one, Sirdar Kapur Singh met an old friend, Sri Sardari Lal Parasara, Principal of Simla's Government School of Arts. For more than a year, the two men made a practice of enjoying long walks and talks together in the rugged woods and snows.

Out of this scholarly intercourse was Parasaraprasna ("The Questions of Parasara") born.

The masterwork of Kapur Singh, National Professor of Sikhism and considered by many to be the faith's outstanding theologian, its every page radiates his amazingly profound erudition and insightful interpretations of various aspects of Sikh identity and institutions.

Indisputably a true "leading light" of Sikhi, he possessed an intellectual arsenal of staggering proportions which he displays most impressively throughout the book, adroitly connecting a mind-blowing array of esoteric and seemingly disparate "dots", in an absolutely awesome comparative study of world religions.

I have not undertaken here to write a formal, comprehensive review of Parasaraprasna; that did not seem appropriate, given it was first published in 1959. The following simply underscores some of the myriad highlights of this work, characterized by its author as "An enquiry into the genesis and unique character of the Order of the Khalsa with an exposition of the Sikh Tenets".

Right from the very first chapter, "The Baisakhi of Guru Gobind Singh", the author puts forth Sikhi as a completely unique religion, utterly at variance with Hinduism, embarking on a lengthy discussion of how the Tenth Master specifically repudiated the latter's four major traditions. In prescribing a new way of life and creating a distinct people owing allegiance to no earthly sovereign or power, the Order of the Khalsa gave rise to a "Third Panth", totally divorced from the Aryan and Semitic religions, "dedicated to the achievement of political ends aimed at the eventual establishment of a universal and egalitarian global community".

Out of the next group of chapters, dealing with even the most arcane aspects of the transformation of a Sikh into a Khalsa, pre-eminent is the one explaining the injunction of keeping long, unshorn hair, the breach of which is viewed more seriously than any other.

Grounding his arguments in "the metaphysical postulates of transcendental aesthetics" (a typical Kapur Singh-like turn of phrase!) and  -  as he does throughout the book  -  lavishly studding them with quotes from Gurbani, the author spares no effort to portray the human body as "nothing less than a microcosm of the entire Cosmos". Furthermore, he integrally identifies the beauty of the body's pristine, complete form with holiness and the Godhead itself.

Equally inspiring sections regarding Guru Granth Sahib and the Rite of Amrit soon follow. In the former, Kapur Singh characterizes the Shabd as "the only authentic portrait of the Guru" and "a perceivable record of revealed transcendental wisdom", the acceptance of which leads to beholding the Guru Himself, attaining comprehension of the Truth, and becoming one with it.

In a chapter intriguingly named "Parthenogenesis" (often likened to virgin birth), he terms Amrit chaknaa "the mystery of baptism of the Pure Steel", a "uniquely regenerative act of communion and union with God", engendering a new creation committed to Truth, and "releasing ever-expanding forces of love and service and strength, to form the basis of a new heaven on Earth".

Kapur Singh's monumental knowledge of mythology, world history and comparative religion is in full evidence throughout the concluding chapters. Securing the balance between Church and State, repudiating the Hindu caste system and extolling the Sikh institution of Ardas, the congregational prayer, are just some of the plethora of topics touched upon here.

Like almost every other issue treated in earlier parts of the book, all of these propel the author into immense, sweeping tangents, multi-page discourses which afford the reader dazzling   -  and often dizzying  -  glimpses of the labyrinthine twists and turns so innate to his convoluted thought processes. I must confess that while in their thrall, it would not be hyperbole to say that I often felt as if I were astride a runaway horse galloping at breakneck speed, while I simply tried to hang on for dear life!

To give but one example: in what other tome could one possibly find an interpretation of the significance of Guru Gobind Singh's "vision-inducing" jeweled aigrette, an analysis of the effects of colors on the mind, and an exegesis of the "extra-psychical perceptions" provided by yogic disciplines and hallucinogenic drugs presented in such rapid-fire succession?

Dear readers, if all of the above sounds just a bit too formidable for your liking, buck up and be brave! Delving into this book need not be done gingerly, as a "walking on quicksand" experience. In the words of the Introduction to its first edition,Parasaraprasna is, indeed, a "tour de force of living adoration of the Master".

Sikhs of all stripes (and not just those who strictly adhere toMaryada) may justifiably glory in the descriptions of the incomparable beauty and true uniqueness of our faith; non-Sikhs will certainly find much that enlights and delights.

While this work is seldom a gaping door, once prized open, there is genuine treasure to be found for those intrepid enough to explore its pages.

December 28, 2007

http://sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=397&cat=12

'GURU NANAK'S LIFE AND THOUGHT' by Kapur Singh

'GURU NANAK'S LIFE AND THOUGHT' by Kapur Singh, 

Edited by: Madanjit Kaur and Piar Singh, Amritsar, Guru Nanak Dev University. 1991, 200pp

The fragrance 


Ravinder Singh & I.J. Singh

When the Indian government hounded Kapur Singh (1909-1984) out of the prestigious Indian Civil Service in the mid fifties, it turned out to be a boon for the Sikhs. The embittered Kapur Singh, who could not be shackled and tamed by the bureaucracy, turned his ferocious energy and formidable intellect to the study of Sikhs and Sikhism. Steeped in both the Indian Vedic heritage and the Semitic Judeo-Christian-Islamic philosophic tradition, the Cambridge educated Kapur Singh was uniquely qualified to explore the roots of Sikhism, which has been called a synthesis of those two great systems by the historian Arnold Toynbee.
Kapur Singh traveled widely, spoke and wrote extensively. He was deservedly honored by Sikhs everywhere and a grateful Sikh nation bestowed upon him the honorific "National Professor of Sikhism" in
1973. His writings span the gamut from translations of the Sikh scriptures and exposition of Sikh theology to matters affecting the political life of the Sikhs; he was the author of the 1973 "Anandpur Sahib Resolution" which defines the political aspirations of the Sikhs, and has become the document which lies at the core of the present Sikh struggle in India.
But Kapur Singh was not shaped by a lifetime of discipline and rigor in academia; therefore, he did not always keep full or copious notes of what he wrote, nor did he document everything as painstakingly
as an academician would. Madanjit Kaur and Piar Singh have posthumously collected most of Kapur Singh's writings on Guru Nanak and edited them in this volume. Kapur Singh wrote in both Punjabi and English, all of his writings on Guru Nanak in English have been included. Sixteen essays are presented here. Many had been previously published; references to earlier publication dates have been provided, although it appears that he continually revised and tinkered with his manuscripts, even after their publication.
The editors have checked bibliographic references, and provided complete ones where necessary. One essay on Guru Nanak and Martin Luther had previously appeared only in Punjabi, the editors have rendered an English translation while retaining the robust but focused spirit of Kapur Singh's style.
In the lead essay on Guru Nanak's life, Kapur Singh melds the historical Nanak with the Nanak who was the
Guru and the founder of a nation. Not only Nanak's philosophy but also his iconoclastic personality is
vividly brought out. He categorically rejects attempts to paint Nanak as another God conscious spirit in the
Bhakti movement.
Kapur Singh finds that Guru Nanak's concept of nature rejected Hindu formulations and is closer to that of
Meister Eckhart (1260-1327). As Al Biruni (973-1048) said "The Hindus think there is no science or
knowledge which exists or has originated beyond the frontiers of the sacred land of India." Guru Nanak, on the other hand, in the words of Kapur Singh "opened the windows of the mind to all four quarters of space.
"Guru Nanak taught not just a life of surrender to God but suggested that for a properly developed and
integrated person, intellectual and scientific pursuits are imperative." How did Guru Nanak approach
the age-old philosophic problem of conflict between mind and matter, life and nature? There is an inspired
essay on that though it is heavy on Vedantic theory.
Kapur Singh successfully relates the message of Nanak to the needs of modern man. In Nanak's teaching the integrated person, the liberated man, the deified individual must return to the world and society. The
point is that the individual matters; justice, human dignity and freedom are important. There is a sensitive, brief segment on the Second World War, which was just starting at that time. Another thoroughly relevant piece concerns Guru Nanak's teaching as applied to the modern civil servant: an honest job, honestly done; not blind obedience to higher authority (immoral decisions by authority are a form of tyranny, says Nanak), but guided by thoughtful judgement and morality with no room for bribes or
other corrupt practices. If only modern India would heed!
There are useful essays on Sikhism and Islam and on Guru Nanak's meeting with the yogis of the day. Guru
Nanak was the first to use the word 'Hindustan' to denote the land. Finally there is a fine piece on Guru Nanak as the progenitor of Punjabi poetry. Kapur Singh clearly demonstrates that Guru Nanak was
not a reformer in the strict sense of the word because he did not set out to reform the established order of Hinduism, as Martin Luther did with Christianity. A particularly good essay starts by comparing Guru Nanak and Martin Luther and concludes by finding that Nanak was much more than a reformer. Guru Nanak founded the new religion of Sikhism based on revelation, and established the new nation of Sikhs.
Kapur Singh's view of Nanak is clear when he says, "In a sense Guru Nanak was all these (a saint, a reformer, a rishi, a prophet) but he was primarily and essentially the Guru. The Guru is that attribute and
power of God through which He dispels darkness of human mind and illumines it to see the Reality, when
the veil is lifted from its face.
In the Bhagvadgita the term 'Guru' is described as follows: Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu and Guru is
also Maheshwar." At times, it seems that Kapur Singh is too anxious to place Nanak within the framework and mainstream of Indian spiritualism by his excessive reliance on ancient Hindu scriptures, particularly in
his piece on the Japu; yet, he has very perceptively analyzed Sikh cosmography from the Japu and delineated it successfully from others such as Sufi, Hindu and Buddhist.
In one context Kapur Singh casts Guru Nanak's achievement and revolution in India in terms that are
liable to be misunderstood. Primarily because he is addressing Indian, largely Hindu audiences, Kapur
Singh uses references and citations from the Hindu scriptures liberally to buttress the unique position of Guru Nanak's life as spent at God's behest. In these writings and also elsewhere, he looks at India as Hindu civilization and the Indian people as the Hindu race. (Anthropologists would not agree to any such racial designation.) Clearly, he does not mean the Hindu religion as we know it. He is harking back to the concept in which the residents of the Indus valley were called Hindus, in fact that is how the moniker 'Hindu' arose. His use of the term 'Hindu race' has no connection with the Brahminical, caste-ridden Hindu religion based loosely and amorphously on the Vedas and Puranas. Kapur Singh unequivocally asserts that but it is liable to be missed by the casual reader. He emphasizes that Guru Nanak clearly rejected Hinduism, the religion. 
Kapur Singh's prose is a little obscure and his writing not the easiest to follow. At times, he gets so involved in some fine point of ancient Indian Vedantic philosophy that the reader is apt to get lost. Editorial comments on some of these points would have been helpful. Reading him requires concentrated
patience but is always well worth the time and effort. 
To me Kapur Singh's writings always illustrate the point that religions are best examined through the double lenses of faith and history, neither one alone is sufficient. It follows then that the best analysts
of a religion are those who, like Kapur Singh, are deeply touched by its inner reality but are also historians, not others who are content to look at it as outsiders for they would be like those who, being anosmic, can judge the fragrance of a flower only by a chemical analysis.
A fine book with an eclectic collection that not only brings out the multifaceted mind of Kapur Singh but
presents Guru Nanak as a three-dimensional figure, larger than life. The editors have done well and
deserve our appreciation.
Dr. Inder Jit Singh is Professor & Co-ordinator in Anatomy, New York University. Among other
publications, he is the author of two books: 'Sikhs and Sikhism: A View With a Bias' and 'The Sikhs Way: A
Pilgrims Progress'.

I.J. Singh is on the editorial advisory board of 'The Sikh Review', Calcutta and 'The Encyclopedia of
Sikhism', Punjabi University, Patiala.
http://www.sikhe.com/gsdno/articles/ajune2001/06132001/bookreview.htm

book available at: http://www.vidhia.com/Sikhism_For_Modern_Man_-_Kapur_Singh.pdf

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