Power of Hukam

Hukam is the basic force behind creation, which sustains and transforms whole creation. Hukam is the primal force due to which everything is created, which makes people high and low, gives them happiness and sadness. Everything, every single atom of universe works in Hukam of Waheguru, but only few blessed ones recognise power of Hukam.

There are two basic principles of Sikhi, Jaap and Hukam. Jaap is to contemplate on Lord’s name, to remember him, love him. Hukam is living in divine will of Guru, living as he wishes us to. Guru is redeemer, Guru is the one who blesses his Sikh, Guru is the one who wakes up his Sikh to truth, Guru is the one who breaks the shackles of time and space and takes his Sikh into immortality. And all this happens when Sikh learns to live in Guru’s Hukam. Jaap is for spiritual upliftment of Soul, to take it near to Waheguru and Hukam is a physical manifestation of Spiritual position. The more we get closer to Waheguru through Japp, more we live in Guru’s hukam and more we live in Hukam, more we get closer to Waheguru. Both are inter-related to one another.

When Guru Gobind Singh ji created Khalsa Panth, he gave it a Rehat maryada, a discipline of how to live life of a Sant-Sipahi. He decreed that till Khalsa lives in Hukam, he’ll bless it with whole of his Power, his Grace and Light. The day Khalsa goes out of Hukam, he’ll leave it to its fate. Sikh’s only support, only Power, only companion is his Guru, and the day Sikh leaves his Guru or goes out of Guru’s Hukam, he/she is sure to be lost in Darkness of this world. We should try that there is nothing, no relation, no friends, no Vikaars which are strong enough to take us far from Guru, out of Guru’s Hukam.

Read as much baani you can, listen as much baani you can, do as much Sangat or sewa, it is useful only if Guru blesses our Baani, Sewa and Simran, it’ll help us only if we are in Guru’s Hukam, live in Guru’s will. Baani says
ਸੇਵਕ ਸਿਖ ਪੂਜਣ ਸਭਿ ਆਵਹਿ ਸਭਿ ਗਾਵਹਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਊਤਮ ਬਾਨੀ ॥
ਗਾਵਿਆ ਸੁਣਿਆ ਤਿਨ ਕਾ ਹਰਿ ਥਾਇ ਪਾਵੈ ਜਿਨ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਆਗਿਆ ਸਤਿ ਸਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਮਾਨੀ ॥1॥
All the Sikhs and servants come to worship and adore you; they sing the sublime Bani of the Lord, Har, Har.
Only their singing and listening is approved by the Lord who accept the Order of the True Guru as True, totally True. ||1||

For a Sikh, heavens are in Guru’s holy feet. Sikh is Servant of Guru, Slave of his Guru, and the Sikh who considers himself servant of Guru, Guru blesses that Sikh with his Love and mercy, Guru makes that Sikh his own roop, gives his own form, gives him his power and glory. The Sikh, who has dedicated his life to Word of Guru, lives his life according to Hukam of Guru, is blessed by Guru with Bliss and eternal life.
ਆਗਿਆ ਮਹਿ ਭੂਖ ਸੋਈ ਕਰਿ ਸੂਖਾ ਸੋਗ ਹਰਖ ਨਹੀ ਜਾਨਿਓ ॥
ਜੋ ਜੋ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਭਇਓ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਕਾ ਸੋ ਮਾਥੈ ਲੇ ਮਾਨਿਓ ॥3॥
ਭਇਓ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾਲੁ ਠਾਕੁਰੁ ਸੇਵਕ ਕਉ ਸਵਰੇ ਹਲਤ ਪਲਾਤਾ ॥
ਧੰਨੁ ਸੇਵਕੁ ਸਫਲੁ ਓਹੁ ਆਇਆ ਜਿਨਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਖਸਮੁ ਪਛਾਤਾ ॥4॥5॥
When I am under the Lord's Command, I find even hunger pleasurable; I know no difference between sorrow and joy.
Whatever the Command of my Lord and Master is, I bow my forehead and accept it. ||3||
The Lord and Master has become merciful to His servant; He has embellished both this world and the next.
Blessed is that servant, and fruitful is his birth; O Nanak, he realizes his Lord and Master. ||4||5||

In Hukam lies Guru’s power. One who makes Guru’s Hukam as his/her rule of living is blessed by supreme power by Guru, to live according to that Hukam. Sikh who is ready to get his scalp removed just for Guru’s Hukam is blessed by Power from Guru to endure that pain. The Sikh who is ready to get his limbs cut for Guru is blessed by Guru with power to read baani and keep smiling even when the killer is cutting body parts one by one. This is power of Hukam.

Hill kings of north India attack Anandpur sahib and plan to break the gates of Fort Lohgarh with help of a drunken wild elephant. Sikhs come to know about this and tell Guru Gobind Singh ji about enemy plan. Guruji looks at his Sikhs and orders Bhai Dunichand to fight the elephant next morning. Dunichand is a heavily-built, 7 feet and 200kg strong warrior, but when he hears that he’ll have to fight a drunken elephant, he chooses to run away. In the dark of night, he jumps the wall of fort, fracturing his leg in the process. When he reaches his home next day, while lying on his bed, leg bandaged by doctor, a snake come and bites him. Dunichand dies. The death he was so afraid of, the death fearing which he goes out of Guru’s Hukam comes and grabs him.

On other hand, in the morning when Khalsa is ready to take on Kings and their elephant, Sikhs report to Guruji that Dunichand has run away. Guruji again smiles and looks at all the Sikhs. This time he chooses a 5.5 feet tall sikh, Bhai Bachittar Singh ji, who’s better known as ‘bahroopia singh’’(for his ability to change guise) and asks him to fight the elephant. Sikh comes and places his head on Guru’s feet and says ‘’O Lord, I don’t have the power to fight or win, bless me’’! Guru smiles and blesses his sikh and gives him a Naagni Barcha( Spear with curved blades) and places his heand on his head.

Ranjeet Nagara thunders and Singhs reach the battlefield to stop the elephant approaching Lohgarh fort. Elephant, on whose forehead 7 iron plates, each 1 inch thick are tied comes face to face with Bhai Bachittar singh. As Elephant tries to crush Singh under his feet, Singh stands on his horse back, shouts a Jaikaara and hits Elephant with his Naagni, which pierces the Iron plates and hits his forehead, wounding the elephant. Maddened with rage, the elephant turns back and starts crushing the same army which brought him and falls after a distance. Bhai Udai singh jumps in battle and cuts off head of Commander of Army of Hill kings, Kesrichand, lifts it up with his spear and gives out a victory Jaikaara. The attacking army runs away and Khalsa wins the battle.

What power has a human got to fight with an Elephant, fully protected, armoured and drunk? No, it was not Bhai Bachittar Singh who killed it, he just readied himself to walk on Guru’s Hukam, to follow Guru’s Hukam and if need be, lay down life for Guru’s Hukam. When the Sikh readied himself to die for Guru, fight for Guru, then Guru blessed him with his power. It was Guru’s Power, Shakti, which was working through the Sikh.

No surprise Sikhi is a Religion of Hukam, Guru’s will! And those who follow it, live by it are blessed by Guru with Bliss, Power, Ras and Sehaj!

What else does a sikh need?