On Saturday, November 23, 2019, at the Grand Hall of the Croatian Journalists’ Association in Zagreb, the Croatian-Indian Society and the Embassy of India in Zagreb organized the celebration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak and the reading of the holy book of Sikhism Guru Granth Sahib for the first time in Croatia. The following excerpt from the holy book was read to the public:
God is one and is everywhere and in everyone. He is the Truth. Immortal, creator, without fear, without enmity, unborn, and self-created. This understanding comes by the Guru’s Grace. God was the Truth in the beginning, and has been so in all the ages. Nanak, He is the Truth now, and shall forever be so. Simply by contemplating on God, we cannot understand Him, even though we may think hundreds of thousands of times. Cleansing the body cannot make the mind clean.
By keeping silent, the mind does not receive satisfaction even though it thinks with constant absorption. Hunger for God is not appeased. Knowledge of God is not obtained, though one may study the relevant literature of the world. We may have a hundred thousand folds of wisdom, even this does not help us understand God. Then, how can we know the truth, and how can we remove our doubts? Nanak says, the answer is to stay in the will of God.
All forms get created by His inexpressible will. By His will the living-beings get created, and with His will these obtain honor. Highs and lows; joys and sorrows are His will. Some, by His command, are blessed and forgiven. Others, by His command, wander aimlessly forever. Everyone is subject to His command. No one is beyond His command. Nanak says, one who understands His command, his self pride/ego will disappear and humility will emerge.
Only those can sing of His greatness, who have the power to do so. Some take His Boons as signs of His existence and sing of His praise. Some sing of His praise on beholding His great qualities. Some sing of knowledge obtained of Him through difficult philosophical studies. Some sing impressed by the fact that He creates and then destroys. Some sing impressed by the fact that God has the power to take away life and then restore it too. Some sing that God seems so very far away. Some sing that He beholds them. They are in His presence.
There are many who sing His praise. God keeps on giving, though the recipients may become weary of receiving. Since ages the people have been eating and consuming His provisions. The Lord sets up everything within His System. Nanak, God stays in joy and is carefree.
True is the Lord, True His Name. People recite His name with great love. The Lord only understands the language of Love. The people pray, beg, and ask for His boons. The Giver fulfills their desires. When everything comes from Him and He gives, then what is ours that we should offer to Him so that we can enter His Court, go to His presence? What should we say that on hearing it He starts loving us? Early in the morning, think about the greatness of the true name. Recite His name.
Prepared by: Robert Bulat, secretary, Croatian-Indian Society