To some degree, Guru Nanak of India realized the supreme transcendental nature of One God and shared it with who came to him. In this piece his words are enlightened and inspiring.

One evening while Guru Nanak was traveling in Puri, India he passed the famed Jagannatha Mandir at Puri. Sri Jagannatha is an avatar or incarnation of Visnu, the Creator according to Indian understanding. Nanak saw that the priests brought a salver or ornate tray full of many lighted lamps, flowers, incense and pearls, They stood before the murti or image of Sri Jagannatha, Lord of the Universe, to make their offerings in the ceremony called 'Arti', a rite where ghee lamps are offered signifying that One God is teh Source of all light. Seeing the highly respected Guru, the bramanas of the mandir offered the honor of leading teh arti to Nanak. This was a great honor because jagannatha Puri is one of the four holiest sites in the Sanatana Dharma system. Nonetheless, Guru Nanack declined with the following rationale. He said that righteous humans sequetered in a temple by human hands could not compare with the worship of God manifested in nature offered, and uttered the following Sikh shabad of Aarti:

"The sun and moon, O Lord, are Your lamps; the firmament

Your salver; the orbs of the stars, the pearls enchased in it.

The perfume of the sandalwood trees are Your incense;

The wind is Your fan; all the forests are Your flowers, O Lord of light.

What worship is human rituals to You, O Destroyer of birth?

Unbeaten strains of ecstasy are the trumpets of Your worship.

You have unlimited eyes and yet not one eye;

You have unlimited forms and yet not one form;

You hast unlimited pure feet and yet not one foot;

You have unlimited organs of smell and yet not one organ.

I am fascinated by this play of Yours!

The Light in everything is Your Light, O Lord of Light.

From Your brilliancy, everything is brilliant;

Through the Sages' teaching Your Light becometh manifest to us.

Whatever pleases You is the real Arti.

O One God, my mind is fascinated with Your lotus feet as the bumblebee is with the flower: night and day I thirst for them.

Give the water of Your Grace to us through the sarang [sacred music], Nanak, so that we may dwell in Your Name.

(Dhanasri Mohalla 1, Arti, Ang 663)

Note that Guru Nanak is not discounting the offering of arti (formal worship), but is advising his hearers to understand that One God is infinate and that what Bhagavan desires is the arti that arises from the heart and soul, not ritual.

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* Sat Kewal Singh (John of AllFaith) © 1987 January 09, 2025

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