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 Q:
Does it make sense that Sikhs have 10 Gurus whom they worship? Are there
10 Gods? What makes you different than Hindus? Why did the Guru's come one after
the other in succession, some even being alive while the other Guru was still
alive-waiting to be promoted. The other major religions talk of gaps of approx.
500, 1000, years before God sent another Prophet to correct the people on their
innovations and corruption's. The other Prophets did not know of their Prophethood
until the Angel Gabriel came to them to give them the good news of it. But for
Sikhs the Guru's knew they would be next because they were chosen by the previous
Guru on his deathbed as one example.
Also, for a religion so against idol worship, isn't bowing to a BOOK pretty
hypocritical?
 A:
Sikhs believe that Akaal Purakh himself sent his Guru form, Satguru Nanak
to save the world. Satguru Nanak was no human.
ang 1406
thoo sathigur chuhu jugee aap aapae purumaesur
You are the True Guru, throughout the four ages; You Yourself are the Transcendent
Lord.
sur nur saadhik sidh sikh saevunth dhureh dhur
The angelic beings, seekers, Siddhas and Sikhs have served You, since the very
beginning of time.
aadh jugaadh anaadh kulaa dhaaree thrihu loah
You are primal, from the very beginning, and throughout the ages; Your Power
supports the three worlds.
Satguru is one with God and there remains no difference between the two. He is
like a drop of water in the ocean. There is only ONE GOD, and Satguru remains
immersed in him and shows the path to the Sikh and helps on the spiritual journey.
It is false to say Sikhs believe in 10 gods. In fact, Sikhs only believe in One
Satguru: Satguru Nanak. The body may have changed, but the light or jyot remained
the same. When the Guru felt ready, he transferred the jyot from one body to the
next. This is why Guru Nanak and all subsequent Gurus all used the name "Nanak" in
their baaNee. Thus Sikhs don't really have "10 prophets". Sikhs have one Satguru,
who had ten human forms and today resides in Satguru Granth Sahib.
As for Gabriel informing the prophets, we have already said that the Gurus were far
above the angels. BaaNee tells us that angels are finite creatures and seek the dust
of Gursikhs. Guru Nanak was informed of his duty by Akaal himself, not by any angel:
ang 150
pourree
Pauree:
ho taatee vaekaar kaarai laaeiaa
I was a minstrel, out of work, when the Lord took me into His service.
raath dhihai kai vaar dhuruhu furumaaeiaa
To sing His Praises day and night, He gave me His Order, right from the start.
taatee suchai mehal khusam bulaaeiaa
My Lord and Master has summoned me, His minstrel, to the True Mansion of His Presence.
suchee sifath saalaah kupurraa paaeiaa
He has dressed me in the robes of His True Praise and Glory.
suchaa anmrith naam bhojun aaeiaa
The Ambrosial Nectar of the True Name has become my food.
gurumuthee khaadhaa raj thin sukh paaeiaa
Those who follow the Guru's Teachings, who eat this food and are satisfied, find peace.
taatee kurae pusaao subudh vujaaeiaa
His minstrel spreads His Glory, singing and vibrating the Word of His Shabad.
naanuk such saalaahi pooraa paaeiaa
O Nanak, praising the True Lord, I have obtained His Perfection. ||27||Sudh||
As for the argument that bowing to Satguru Granth Sahib is idol worship, I would ask,
what is idol worship? Bowing to a stone that can teach nothing is idol worship.
Satguru jee is not worshipped and respected because of the way they look. An idol is
worshipped for no internal characteristic but for it's appearance and maybe for what
it represents. When we show our respect for a person by bowing the head or in the
past, people took off their hats, was this idol worship? No, because they were
saluting the qualities of the person, not his/her physical characteristics. In the
same way, a Sikh bows before Satguru jee not because of their appearance, but because
Satguru jee possess all divine qualities that are present in Akaal. A Sikh bows to
these qualities and shows respect. This is clearly different than the way Hindus bow
to idols and Muslims bow to the Kaab'ah; that is truly idol worship.
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