663. Is salvation possible only through Sikhism ?
Sikhism
does not claim monopolics. It lays stress on leading a pious life
and on deserving God's grace. The Gurus never claimed that only those stand
to fain salvation who come through them or that they had a key to the
gateway of heaven. What the Gurus really did was to show a short and simple
way of self-realisation exemplified by their own lives based on practical
experimentation. Sikhism is one of the ways and perhaps the simplest. "The
world is ablaze O Lord; Save it in thy mercy. Through whatever way they come
Lord; Pull them up to your bossom." (Guru Granth Sahib)
664. Do Sikhs believe in miracles ?
The
Sikhs call miracles and occult powers useless and fruitless because they
lead one away from God. As such the Sikhs have been strictly warned not to
show any miracles and not to hanker after supernatural powers. All that
Sikhs ask for is the true name of the Creator and no miracle is considered
greater than just remembering God and controlling one's mind in such a way
as to feel satisfied. "To hanker after supernatural powers" says Guru Nanak
"is pandering to low taste." When Guru Tegh Bahadur was asked to show
miracles he only smiled and repeated the following hymns of Guru Ram Das:-
"The desire to perform miracles is worldly and created ego, It is an
obstacle in the way of repeating Lord's name that resides in my heart."
The
Guru did not show any miracles and only accepted to be beheaded. When Ram Rai, the son of the Guru Har Gobind, showed some miracles to Emperor
Arungzeb at Delhi the Guru was extremely angry and refused to see his son
for the whole of his life. In spite of the latter words repeated
applications the Guru remained adamant and excommunicated his son.
Baba Gurditta was so condemned at having shown a miracle that he dared not come
before the Guru. Guru Nanak was asked to perform miracles when he visited
the Sikhs and his reply was:- "I can do nothing against the laws of nature
It is only He who can perform a miracle. For me the True Name is the miracle
of miracles I know no other miracle." The Gurus never performed miracles to
convince others of their spiritual superiority or occult powers and only
said, "Miracles can delude only the fools."