Time and again, the rays of divinity manifest in varied forms and consecrate the earthly pastures. They are the flowers of the same garden and spread the fragrance of divine love. But we have always tried to bottle this fragrance and labeled it as Hindu, Muslim, Christian and so forth.
The master of this cosmos is however a great logician and presents glimpses of his non-duality through pious codes and symbols. Hidden in the garb of sacred “OM” and “EK OMKARA”, the parables and legends, varied religious tenets and the life histories of incarnations, is one such enigmatic code. It is the sacred number “THREE”.
GURU Nanak’s janamsakhi narrates the importance of this divine number. In august 1507, Nanak dived into the Baeen River and disappeared. In the Almighty’s presence, he savored the holy nectar and was entrusted with the task of preaching the divine name (NAM). He reappeared mysteriously “Three days” later on the dawn of full moon. Parallel to this incident, is the episode of Christ’s resurrection. The lord had risen “Three Days” after the burial of his body and thereafter gave sermons to his disciples for many days. The “Three Wise Men” or “The Magi”, who traveled from the east to Jerusalem to worship infant Jesus, also corroborate the vitality of number three.
The Trinity appears in most of the religions. The Sikhs revere it as God, Guru and Gurbani. The Christians call it God, the father, Christ, the son and the Holy Ghost. In Hinduism, there are three aspects of “Parabrahman”, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. A devout Muslim aspires to make a pilgrimage to all the three holy cities in Islam, Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Through legends we also learnt about the “Three Worlds” and the “Three Boons”, Shivji’s “Trishul” and his “Third Eye”.
This mystical number is the leveler that binds all religions, creeds and beliefs. It however tries to unravel a deeper significance that in the end we must also transcend “The three” to reach “The One”.
PAYAL WALIA HATTAR
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