The relationship between the Teacher and the student devotee is imbued with myriad shades – mother, friend, philosopher and guide. Saint Kabeer gives pride of place to the Teacher:
If I was with both God and Teacher, who would I worship?
I bow to my Teacher, without him I would not know Him!
Saint Kabeer is also alluding to the oneness of Teacher and God, but he is clear on the Teacher’s great role. Sri Guru Granth Sahib calls the teacher a mother, a father, a sibling, and a friend, who is guiding the devotee to become even better than the Teacher. The devotee is so central, that the religion adopted for itself the nomenclature of Sikh, denoting a devoted student (from the Sanskrit shishya). Guru Gobind Singh introduced the concept of the devotee as Khalsa, or pure person. What makes us pure is the values we imbibe. Values are not action, but they are the bedrock of action and conduct. They reside deep inside our consciousness, and Guru Nanak Devexpressed these values in a simple meter – kirat karna, vandchakna, naam japna. Earn an honest living, Share your earnings, and Meditate on Him. If we live these values in our daily lives, the devotee will not be corrupt but honest, not greedy but helping the needy, and moving on the spiritual path of self-improvement. For such a devotee, Guru Gobind Singh says:
He is in my pure image, I reside in him.
When he remains pure, he has all my presence.
And if the devotee loses his values?
If he acts with impure thoughts,
I will not lend support.
Bhai Nanadlal writes of an incident, when the congregations ask Guru Gobind Singh, “Teacher, do you love the Sikhs?” To highlight the importance of values, the Guru answered by reciting a couplet:
What I love and cherish?
The devotee’s values and principles.