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THE SIKH DOCTRINE OF LIBERATION
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3. saram-khand 4. karam-khand 5. sac-khand
The first section or chapter of religious life is called dharam-khand. This is an area of moral and religious culture. The Guru has described this earth as a dharamsāla, the place of virtuous life, and every man is judged by God according to his deeds done here. The Guru says:
“True is God, and true is His court. There the elect are accepted and honoured. The Merciful One marketh them according to their acts. The bad and the good shall there be distinguished. Nānak, on arrival there, this shall be seen. Such is the practice in the realm of righteousness."13
The necessity of knowledge is suggested by giān-khand. Here giān or knowledge refers to discriminating insight or wisdom. The knowledge of gurbāņi is implied, but the saving wisdom or gián is the knowledge of Divine providence.
The word saram seems to be connected with the Sanskrit śrama ‘extertion' rather than with the Arabic saram, 'shame'. Religious and spiritual practice is essentially an exercise or spiritual endeavour in the persuit of supramundane goal.
The compound karam-khand has been translated by some writers as 'plane of grace' without amplification, though; it seems to us that the word karam has its obvious meaning of action or deed. Guru Nának stresses the importance of pious and devotional acts. A person becomes powerful with the blessings of God only when he performs pure actions imbued with loving devotion to God.
The concluding chapter of religious life of the devotee is called sac-khand. Here the word sac stands for God or Ultimate Reality. This stage is comparable to the turiya-avastha of the Upanişads and sahajāvasthā of the Buddhist siddhas; it is called sunn-samădhi by Kabir and Guru Nānak. The seeker of liberation concludes his quest of perfection in sac-khand. Guru Nānak says that the Formless One dwells in the true realm, sac khandi vasai nirankār.44
THE NATURE OF LIBERATION IN SIKHISM
The Sikh literature uses several words for liberation; mukati, mokh, nirbān, nirbānpad, nirbhaipad are commonly used terms. Bhāi Gurdās
43. 44.
Japu, stanzas, 34-35 Tr. M.A. Macauliffe, op. cit., vol. I, p. 215. Japu, stanzas 35-37,1 A di Granth, vol. I, pp. 7-8
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