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Articles: Essays on Sikh
Values: Sikh Theology, its Originality
Sikh Theology
Its Originality
Without an iota of doubt, the Sikh faith is original in
its every aspect. It becomes clear if we pay a little attention, and study
it a bit more deeply, rather than (like Tyonby etc.) believing some who
merely follow the hearsay without searching the truth.
Problem
The statements that the Sikh Gurus picked up things mainly
from Hinduism and Islam, and intertwined them into the new Sikh faith,
have no base. Such a claim may directly project the expression that the
Sikh Gurus were not God-sent Prophets, and the Sikh faith was only a maneuvered
byproduct of other faiths. Anything may get imagined and distorted by those
having nefarious intentions and vested interests.
Has anyone in other religions, ever professed such derogatory
claims for his or her faith? Perhaps, only the Sikhs assert their �vague�
liberal-mindedness, feel proud of their misdirected modernity, and make
such ill-founded assertions! Very innocently, they insult their Prophets,
and feel dignified and distinguished with their confused ideas. The so-called
scholars and searchers, should make sincere efforts to find out the truth
before making their minds public, and when advancing their opinions.
What do the Gurus
Say?
Such unfounded ideas evaporate when we even cursorily
study what the Gurus say in Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Book -
jYsI mY AwvY Ksm kI
bwxI qYsVw krI igAwnu vy lwlo ]
jYsI mY AwvY Ksm kI bwxI qYsVw
krI igAwnu vy lwlo ]
Jaae-see maae aavaae khasam kee baan.ee
t.aaesr.aa karee geaanu vae Lalo
O Lalo, I say what God reveals to me!
1-722-Line 16
siqgur kI bwxI siq
siq kir jwxhu gurisKhu
hir krqw Awip muhhu kFwie ]
siqgur kI bwxI siq siq kir
jwxhu gurisKhu
hir krqw Awip muhhu kFwE ]
Sat.t.egur kee ban.ee sat.t.e sa.t.t.e kar-e jaan.hu
gur-sikh-hu
Har-e Kart.aa aape muhu kadhaae
O faithful ones, have faith in the Guru�s Hymns,
The Lord Himself makes him utter these.
4-308-5
qU Awip scw qyrI bwxI
scI Awpy AlKu AQwhw hy ]
qU Awp sçcw qyrI bwxI
sçcI Awpy AlKu AQwhw hy ]
Toon� aaep sachaa t .aeree baan.ee sachee
aapae alakhu athaahaa hae
O Lord, You are a truth, Your Hymns are true (revealed
to the Guru), You are unfathomable and unlimited!
3-1057-8
Dur kI bwxI AweI ]
iqin sglI icMq imtweI ]
Dur kI bwxI Aweé ]
iqin sglI icMq imtweé
]
Dhur kee baan.ee aa-ee
t.in-e saglee chint. mitaa-ee
What I say is the revealed one (received directly from
God),
and it alleviates all anxieties.
5-628-2
inq aiT gwvhu pRB kI
bwxI ]
inq auiT gwvhu pRB kI bwxI
]
Nit.t. outh:.e gaavhu Prabh kee baan.ee
Get up and sing the God given Hymns (His praise).
5-1340-7
Guru Nanak, the First Sikh Prophet would himself say something
like, �O Mardana, take out Rabab (string instrument played with a striker),
revelation is coming.� What the Gurus sang was God-sent.
The Tenth Master
Let us see what the Tenth Master Guru Gobind Singh says
in �Bachitar; Natak,� (Dassam Granth) -
mY Apnw suq qoih invwjw
] pMQu pRcur krby kh swjw ]
jwih qhW qYN Drmu clwie ] kbuiD
krn qy lok htwie ]
mY Apnw suq qoih invwjw ] pMQu
pRcur krby kh swjw ]
jwih qhW qYN Drmu clwe ] kbuiD
krn qy lok htwe ]
Maaen�. apnaa sut.t. tohe nivaajaa
Panthu pr;achur karbae ko saajaa
Jaahe t.ahaan� taae dh:armu chalaa-e
Kabudh:e karan t.ae lok hataa-e
I have designated you my son
And am sending you to set up the path of righteousness.
In the world, you should establish Dharma (right path),
And take the people away from evils.
10th Guru-Dassam Granth.
ieh kwrin pRB moih
pTwXo ] qb mY jgiq jnmu Dir AwXo ]
Eh kwrin pRB moih pTwXo ] qb
mY jgiq jnmu Dir AwXo ]
Eh kaarane Pr;abh mohe pathaa-eyo
Tabb maaen. jagat. janamu d:har-e aa-eyo
God made me for this reason (to start a right path),
And sent me to the world.
10th Guru-Dassam Granth.
How clearly the Guru tells that God prepared and then sent
him to the world to start a new Dharma. Clearly, he came to the world prepared
to start a new faith and had no need to borrow things from others. The
Tenth Master declares -
pWie ghy jb qy qumry
qb qy koaU AWK qry nhIN AwnÎo ]
rwm rhIm purwn kurwn Anyk khYN
mq eyk n mwnÎo ]
isMimRiq swsqR byd sBY bhu
Byd khYN hm eyk n jwnÎo ]
sRI Aispwn ik®pw qumrI
kir mY n khÎo sB qoih bKwnÎo ]
pWie ghy jb qy qumry qb qy
koaU AWK qry nhIN AwnÎo ]
rwm rhIm purwn kurwn Anyk khYN
mq eyk n mwnÎo ]
isMimRiq swsqR byd sBY bhu
Byd khYN hm eyk n jwnÎo ]
sRI Aispwn ik®pw qumrI
kir mY n khÎo sB qoih bKwnÎo ]
Paan�ae gahae jabb t.e T.umrae t.abb t.ae kouoo aan�kh
t.arae naheen� aanyo
Raam Raheem Puraan Kuraan anaek kahaen� mat.t. aek
naa maanyo
Sin:mr;ite Sastr; Baed sabhaae bahu bhaed kahaaen�
hamm aek naa jaanyo
Sr;ee Asipaan kr;ipaa T.umree Karre maae naa kahyo
sabh T.ohe bakhaaneou
Since I have taken Your refuge, I never looked to anyone
else.
Rama, Mohammad, Puranas, Qouran, tell a lot, but I have
depended only on You, God!
All the books of the Hindu faith tell so many secrets,
but I kept steady in my faith only on You.
God, my praising You is due to Your blessing. On my own,
I cannot do anything, only You make me praise!
Svayaa-10-Dassam Granth
If we have faith in our Gurus, we will have to believe them
word by word. The Gurus say the truth, because it is what God ordained
them to do, they themselves do not say or do anything. They are in total
surrender to God. Their every thingis said or done by Him, and they stay
unbound by the Karma (actions and their reactions i.e. they stay above
destiny).
Every thing in the world is under His will, but the irony
is that the worldly people do not absolutely surrender to the Lord; therefore,
they say or do things themselves and incur their Karma (they themselves
create their destinies).
Guru Nanak
Na Ko Hindu Na Musalman.
Guru Nanak, came out of �Bae-een� rivulet after staying submerged
in it for a couple of days, and declared, �None is Hindu nor a Muslim.�
He meant that quite a number of them did not practice their faiths sincerely,
and he had his independent path seeking no ideas from anyone else. He gave
to his faith, the following original things -
-
Beej-Mantar - the �Seed-Formula.� It is the Symbol
< �Ik-Oankar.� It means �He is One (there is none other
like Him), All Pervading, All Powerful, and the Doer.�
-
Mool-Mantar - the Basic-Formula -
<> siq nwmu krqw purKu inrBa
inrvYr
Akwl mUriq AjUnI sYBM gur pRswid
]
< siq nwmu krqw purK inrBå
inrvYr
Akwl mUrq AjUnI sYBM gur pRswid
]
(< kw açcwrn
hY �iek AoMAMkwr�)
Ik oNkaar sat naam kartaa purakh nirbh-a-o nirvair
akaal moorat ajoonee saibhN gur parsaad.
God is everywhere and in everything, He is the truth
- immortal, creator, without-fear, without-enmity, unborn, and self-created.
This understanding comes by the Guru's Grace.
-
Gur-Mantar - the Supreme-Formula, or Guru�s-Formula. It is
the Holy Word - vwihgurU vwhyguu{ �Waheguru� - It means the Wonderful
Lord i.e. God is Great!
There is no doubt that Guru Nanak had his Guru, but He is
God Himself and none else -
AprMpr pwrbRhmu prmysr
nwnk gur imilAw soeI jIa ]
AprMpr pwrbRhmu prmysru nwnk
guu{ imilXw soe ijå ]
Apran:par Parbr;ahmu Parmesaru
Nanak Guru mil-eaa soo-ee jeeo
The Lord Himself, who is unfathomable,
and beyond reach, is the Guru of Nanak.
1-599-5
Guru Nanak got every thingfrom God, had no need to learn
things from others in the world, and rather he taught things to the humanity.
Protection
of the Original Faith
The Tenth Master was also born ready (prepared) to protect
and promote this new - original, faith. He asserts the same thing as Guru
Nanak -
jvn kwl sB jgq bnwXo
] dyv dYq j`Cn aupjwXo ]
Awid AMiq eykY Avqwrw ] soeI
gurU smiJXhu hmwrw ]9]
jvn kwl sB jgq bnwXo ] dyv
dYq jçCn apjwXo ]
Awid AMq eykY Avqwrw ] soe
guu{ smiJhu hmwrw ]9]
Javan kaal sabh jagat. banaayo
d.ae d.aaeq jachhan oupjaayo
Aad.e ant.t.e aekaae avt.aaraa
Soee Guroo samjhyhu hamaaraa ||9||
One who created the world,
gods, devils and semi-gods,
One who is the Prime-Being (Constant: Immortal),
know that He is my Guru!
10 - Chaupai - Hamree karo haath d.ae Rachhaa - Dassam
Granth.
Bhai Gurdas
suxI pUkwir dwqwr pRBu
guru nwnk jg mwih pTwieAw ]
..... kil qwrix guru nwnk AwieAw
]
suxI pUkwir dwqwr pRBu
guu{ nwnk jg mwih pTweXw ]
..... kil qwrix guu{ nwnk AweXw
]
Sun.ee pukaare d.aat.aar Prabhu Gur Nanak jagg maahe
pathaa-eaa| ................ Kalle t.aaran.e Guru Nanak aa-eaa|
The Lord, sanctioning the appeal of the (suffering) humanity,
sent Guru Nanak to the world............... Guru Nanak
came to emancipate Kalljug (dark age - the people of the present time).
Bhai Gurdas-Vaar 1-Paaor.ee 23.
Guru Nanak came prepared to save the world and had no need
to learn anything from anyone other than God.
What does all this
mean?
The above given Words of the Gurus reveal that they did
not pick things from here and there, but proclaimed what the Lord Himself
ordained to them - they followed His command. Anything said by anyone Guru,
pertains to all the Ten of them (they are one in spirit), and it collectively
becomes in its totality the philosophy and psyche of the Sikh faith. This
signifies that this faith is original, and not an outcome of any other
faith, singly or jointly. The Gurus kept revealing to the people the �Words
of God� through their revelations: compositions i.e. the Holy Hymns. They
did not adopt anything from anywhere else in the world, but equally shared
with everyone what the Lord gave to them. They illuminated the world equally
all over with God�s light.
The beauty is that the Guru�s preachings: Hymns, are preserved
in their originality as these were composed by them. No one else authored
or compiled these after their departure from the world.
A Guru is beheld as his body, which is perishable, or
in the form of his spirit which is immortal. The immortal spirit of the
Gurus is what they said (composed) - their Hymns, and these are contained
in Guru Granth Sahib - The Sikh Holy Book. This is the reason why the Sikhs
revere their Holy Book i.e. the �originality,� as their �Living Guru.�
Had their Hymns been with no originality, there was no need for the Gurus
to compose, preserve and protect them in the form of Guru Granth Sahib.
Many other holy books already existed. The Gurus had originality, they
shared it with the world, and it (the world) followed them in millions
not in vain. The people became aware of something different, and it was
the originality which they followed.
Truth and Goodness
We should keep in the mind that all faiths teach goodness
- truth, honesty, compassion, sharing, and remembering God. No religion
ever preached anything different from goodness. Goodness or truth is always
the same, and it never differs from faith to faith. There is nothing like
Hindu-goodness or Muslim-goodness. If it differs, it is not the truth or
goodness.
The Sikh Gurus had no need to beg the truth or goodness
from other religions, they had it as the others had, and they were sent
with it by God. They gave it to the world in its own original form and
decorated with simplicity, free from superstitions, and, free from discriminations
including caste system etc., filled with equality, a life free from drugs,
and with controlled or right and restrained use of sex (no lust). It was
based on the honest earnings and sharing with the needy. This is for the
Sikhs to follow and practice. If they fail -
kbIr swcw siqgur ikAw
krY ja isKw mih cUk ]
kbIr swcw sqguu{ ikAw krY jå
isKw mih cUk ]
Kabeer sachaa Sat.t.e-guru keaa akraae
jou Sikhaa mahe chook
Kabeer, what can a Guru do if his disciple fails to follow!
Kabeer-1372-18
Bani (compositions) of Kabir or any other saint, when accepted
by the Guru and entered in the Holy Book, became �Gurbani� - expressing
the views of the Gurus. The preceding quote of saint Kabir, equally projects
the mind of the Guru.
Misleading
Roots of the Sikh faith were in the main Hindu-block.
The first four Gurus came directly from the Hindu families, and became
the Guru�s Sikhs later.
The First Guru Nanak was a born Guru, and was different
from the other faiths right from his beginning. As a child, he refused
Janju (Jan-eoo), the Hindu Sacred-Thread Ceremony (putting their holy thread
across the trunk). Later, he did not accept the Hindu rites for his marriage.
He devised his own unique ways.
The Hindu and Sikh religions are mostly apart in certain
regions and in their total philosophy. But they both are one socially as
well mostly in their spiritual thinking. It is impossible to easily separate
them. Perhaps, due to this closeness the Gurus heavily drew episodes from
the Hindu mythology to elaborate and illustrate their own views. This,
extremely close relationship may sometimes create an illusion that the
Sikh faith which is so recent, depended heavily on Hinduism and Islam etc.
The Sikhi (Sikh faith) established its own independent, individual and
distinct path uninfluenced by any other religion.
Military Hue
If anyone says that the Guru gave military hue to the
faith, it may get mistaken as the faith of fighters, and then it will fail
to project its right picture and essence. The Gurus were not afraid of
anyone other than God, and preached the same. Ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur said
-
BY kwhU kau dyq nih
nih BY mwnq Awn ]
BY kwhU kau dyq nih nih BY
mwnq Awn ]
Bhaae kahoo ko daet. nahe
naah bhaae maanat. aan
Fear none, and frighten none.
9-1427-9
The Gurus taught fearlessness and courage to adopt and practice
the faith, and to fight tyranny, inequality, and discrimination. They preached
to safeguard their rights, freedom, and dignity. They prepared the masses
to fight evil -
ggn dmwmw bwijE pirE
nIswnY Gwau ]
Kyqu ju mWifAo sUrmw Ab jUJn
ko dwau ]1]
sUrw so pihcwnIAYy ju lrY dIn
ky hyq ]
purjw purjw kit mrY kbhU n
CwfY Kyqu ]
ggn dmwmw bwijAo pirau inswny
Gwå ]
Kyqu ju mWifE sUrmw Ab jUJn
ko dwå ]1]
sUrw so pihcwinE ju lrY dIn
ky hyq ]
purjw purjw kit mrY kbhU n
CwfY Kyqu ]
Gagan d.amamaa bajeo pareou nisaa-naae ghaao
Khaet.u ju maan.deou soormaa abb joojhan ko d.aao
Sooraa so pahe-chaani-aae jo laraae d.een kae haet.
Purjaa purjaa katte maraae kab-hoo naa chhadaae khaet.u
Answering the battle drum, aim is taken
and wound is inflicted.
The warriors enter the battlefield for combat.
He is the real warrior who fights for the faith.
He gets cut to pieces, but never turns his back to the
battlefield.
Kabir-1105-4.
What is
the real battle?
It is fighting for the faith (Dharam) - a struggle with
evils.
The Gurus developed the spirit, and instilled high morale
into the people to live a God-oriented ethical life, to protect the needy
- the weak, and downtrodden. They encouraged them to have an able body,
stable mind, tough will, and developed in them ability essential for all
this - an edict to bear arms, as illustrated by the lives of the 6th Guru
Hargobind, and the 10th Guru Gobind Singh.
Guru Hargobind
The Fifth Guru Arjun Dev told his son the Sixth Guru Hargobind
to take up arms if the atrocities of the Mugal reign (Jahangir) did not
stop even after his martyrdom. He had to take up arms, and constructed
Akaal-Takht beside Harimandir-Sahib, at Amritsar, to impress the need of
self-assertion (temporal power) to protect the faith and the self etc.
Kakkaars -
Guru Gobind Singh
When atrocities particularly of the Mogul kings continued,
the Tenth - the last Master Guru Gobind Singh, ordained all and especially
his initiated followers - the Khalsa (Singhs), not to part with the following
at any time -
-
Karra - a heavy iron ring on the right wrist - an ever ready
blunt weapon. It reminds the commitment with the Guru at the time of taking
Amrit, to live an ethical life.
-
Kirpaan - dagger, a small sharp weapon.
-
Kaes (Hair) - covered with a turban: a long cloth. Adding
to the other factors, it acts like a helmet - protects the head.
-
Kangha - comb, to keep the hair tidy.
-
Kachha - the special baggy shorts, closely fitting above
the knees. This is a reminder to assert the sex-control, and is a suitable
dress for combat: horse riding etc.
All the Gurus preserved their hair and kept their heads covered.
The Tenth Master, further conferred on his disciples their identity, individuality,
dignity, impressive form, and a strong personality, by ordering to strictly
preserve the hair, and to keep the head covered.
The Guru benevolently enabled the Sikhs to protect their
faith and selves without waiting for any outside aid - created Sant-Sipaahee:
saintly persons who could defend themselves without looking to others.
It was never the Guru�s idea to create an army to win
the lands and treasures, and to sit on a throne to become a worldly king.
The Gurus prepared the people to stand for the human values, liberty, and
dignity.
Conclusion
Had there been no originality, the Gurus had no need to
create a new faith. Already, there were so many of them. The Gurus cared
for it, protected it, and smilingly sacrificed their lives for the sake
of originality in the faith.
Had Kings Jahangir and Aurangzeb not beheld danger of
opposition in the originality of the new faith, they had no need to put
Guru Arjun Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh and his four sons,
and a great number of the Sikhs to inhuman torture and elimination. For
this very reason, Sri Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, had been
repeatedly destroyed by the anti Sikh forces.
The power of originality did not let the faith die. It
took roots and sprouted in the Tenth Master Guru Gobind Singh. The Tenth
Master put this originality into the Sikh Panth - the world of Sikhs.
Right Approach
Everyone should honor his or her Prophets and faith and
look up to their subtle halos. If we ourselves fail to do so, who else
will look to them with awe and derive inspiration from them? We have to
get directions from them to cure our own ignorance, faults, misconceptions,
and shortcomings.
We have ourselves to become ethical and to improve ourselves
rather than criticizing the Prophets and the faith. We are not wiser than
the Gurus and need to ponder on our own selves.
The right choice is to try to find goodness in everything,
and to eradicate our own deficiencies. On achieving this, our ill-based
concepts will clear up and we will not say that the Sikh faith was processed
from the other faiths. If we say that the Sikh faith has good things as
in Hinduism, Islam and other faiths, then it is an absolutely different
story, and quite understandable. All faiths are basically good and original.
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