Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

jb lg Kwlsw rhy inAwrw qb lg qyj dyaUN mYN swrw[[

jb ieh ghyN ibprn kI rIq mY nw krUM ien kI pRqIq[[
(srb loh gRMQ, pw:10)

“Jab lag Khalsa rahay niaara tab lag tej deoon mein saara,
Jab ih gahein bipran kee reet mein na karoon in kee parteet”.
(Sarb Loh Granth—Patshahi 10)
Khalsa could progress only if it remained always distinguishable from the general
mass of people by its behaviour and appearance. (Philosophy of Sikhism p.107, Sher Singh, published
by SGPC Amritsar, March 1980).

Akwl shwie

Copyright Dr. Jagraj Singh 1

Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

<siq gur pRswid

>
dyg qyg Pqih

Rejection of Ritual Brahmanical

Practices of Hinduism

(Bipran kee Reet)

By Sikhism / Gumat

Dr. Jagraj Singh

Copyright Dr. Jagraj Singh 2

Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

> <siq gur pRswid >

dyg qyg Pqih dyg qyg Pqih

Rejection of Ritual
Brahmanical practices
of Hinduism
(Bipran kee reet)
by
Sikhism / Gurmat

Dr Jagraj Singh

Publisher
B. Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh

Copyright Dr. Jagraj Singh 3

Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

jb lg Kwlsw rhy inAwrw qb lg qyj dyaUN mYN swrw[[

jb ieh ghyN ibprn kI rIq mY nw krUM ien kI pRqIq[[
(srb loh gRMQ, pw:10)

“Jab lag Khalsa rahay niaara tab lag tej deoon mein saara,
Jab ih gahein bipran kee reet mein na karoon in kee parteet”.
(Sarb Loh Granth—Patshahi 10)
Khalsa could progress only if it remained always distinguishable from the general
mass of people by its behaviour and appearance. (Philosophy of Sikhism p.107, Sher Singh, published
by SGPC Amritsar, March 1980).

Akwl shwie

Dr. Jagraj Singh

Copyright Dr. Jagraj Singh 4

Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

Rejection of Ritual Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism / Gurmat

By
Dr Jagraj Singh

Copyright Dr Jagraj Singh

ISBN: 978-93-84194-28-4

First Edition 2014

Price: Rs. 350-00

Seal

Published by:
B. Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh
Bazar Mai Sewan, Amritsar (India)
Ph: 91-183-5011003, 2542346, 2547974 Fax: 0183-5017488
Email: [email protected] [email protected]
Website: www.csjs.com

The views expressed in this book are those of the author and not necessarily that of the
publisher. The publisher is not responsible for the views of the author and authenticity of the
data, in any way whatsoever.

Printed and bound in India by:

Jeevan Printers, Amritsar (India).

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

Contents
Preface

Chapter1

A brief introduction to Sikhism and Hinduism

Sikhism

Sikh way of life

Inner values of Sikhism

The articles of Sikh faith

The rationale behind the articles of faith of Sikhism

Genesis of the Sikhs and Sikhism

Chapter 2

The Hindu caste system and its rejection in Sikhism

 Pahul (Sikh Baptism ) for eradication of caste
 Evils of Caste system
 Proselytisation (religious conversion and Sikhism)
Rejection of the Hindu concept of trinity of God and its symbol Oam (Å) in Sikhism
Chapter 3
Hindu Karm Kanda and their rejection in Sikhism
Categories of Hindu Karm Kanda
Nitya Karma:
 Sandhya and its rejection in Sikhism
 Pooja, (offering to deities) and its rejection in Sikhism:
 Idol worship (Moorti Pooja / Butt Pooja) and its rejection in Sikhism
 Stone Worship (Saligram / Thakur Pooja) and its rejection in Sikhism
 Devi / Devta Pooja and its rejection in Sikhism
 Avtaar Pooja (Worship of Incarnations) and its rejection in Sikhism
 Rejection of Grave and Tomb Worship in Sikhism
 Jot Jagaoni-Holiness of lighting earthen ‘ wheat fflour lamps with desi ghee (clarifies
better) in Hinduism and its rejection in Sikhism
 Superstition regarding special days, Good and bad omens and their rejection in Sikhism
 Rejection of Mon-varat (fast of speech) in Sikhism
 Panchmahayajnas of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism
Namittika Karma
 The funeral rites of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism

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 Shradh—Memorial feasts and their rejection in Sikhism

 Astrology (Jyotish)
 Tap
Chapter 4:
Some Major beliefs of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism;
 Ishnan (Ritual bath)
 Tirath Ishnan (Ritual bathing at Places of Pilgrimage) and its rejection in Sikhism
 The Hindu Athsath Tirath Pooja and its rejection in Sikhism
 Dhan Daan / Punn Daan (Alms in charity)
 Mantras, Yantras, Tantras and Sikhism
 Jap
 Reading Scriptures and Sikhism
 Miracles, magic and Sikhism
 Pollution / Defilement—Sutak-Patak, Physical impurity / bhit—iB~t, Ritual purification /
Such--su~c, superstition-Bharm (unfounded beliefs) of Hinduism and their rejection in
Sikhism
Chapter 5:
Hypocrisy / Diguise (Pakhand / Bhekh) and its Rejection in Sikhism

 Janeu-Tag (Yagyopavit) and Sikhism

 Tilak (Tikka/ Bindi), Dhoti, Mala and Gurmat

 Rosery (Mala / Japni /Japmali) and its rejection in Sikhism

Chapter : 6

Rejection of various concepts of Hinduism:

 Rejection of gender inequality in Sikhism

 Oankar and Sikhism

 The Hindu sign of invocation (Å) Oam / Aum) vesus the Sikh invocation < siqgur
pRswid[[
 Rejection of renunciation and Asceticism in Sikhism
 Rejection of Brahmacharya i.e celibacy in Sikhism
 Rejection of vegetarianism by Sikhism
Chapter 7:
Rejection of Yoga (Yogic philosophy) of Hinduism by Sikhism
Chapter 8:
Rejection of Authority of of Hindu scriptures in Sikhism
Chapter 9:
Un-Sikh and anti-Sikh practices of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism
Chapter 10
Miscellaneous:

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 World seat of Sikhism

 The Sikh Homeland—Punjab
 Amritsar ‘theo-political capital of the Sikhs and Sikhism’
 Punjabi—The Religious and National Langusge of the Sikh and Sikhism
 Punjabi Versus Sanskrit
 Origin of Sanskrit
 Punjabi versus Urdu as language in India
 Music in Sikhism

GLOSSARY OF COMMON TERMS USED IN SIKHISM

Bibliography

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Preface
The words Bip and Bipar mean Brahmin, whereas Bipran means Brahmins and Bipran
kee reet means Brahmanical culture / ways / ideology. After the entry of the Aryans into the
Indus Valley the Brahmins, as custodian, of spirituality and religion in the Indian subcontinent
have been holding the central control of religious practices in Hinduism since their arrival in the
Indus Valley. Hindu scriptures created by the Brahmins themselves, gave them high headedness
of highest order and they reinterpreted the message of religious texts to their own advantage.
They reserved the right to education for themselves. Only they were entitled to access to
knowledge written in Vedas, shastras, simrities, purans and so on. The Brahmins only could
perform prayers (Poojas) and could worship gods and goddesses for the benefit of the people.
Their authority was unquestionable. Even the kings could not rule out their verdicts. Once a
person was born as Brahmin, this was enough for him to enjoy the status of Barahmin. Whatever
he learnt from his father was adequate to make him qualified for all his duties his ancestors were
perorming. The Brahmins reserved the right to learn Sanskrit, the language of Vedas and othe
scriptures, and learning the special Mantras for various occasions in a Hindu household. They
designed occasions for birth, naming ceremonies, Janeu Sanskar (initiation ceremony), mundane
ceremonies, shub mahoorats for opening new business set up, lagan cecremonies, special
cecremonies for pregnant women (god bharai), mirtak Sanskar and so no. With the passage of
time this class of unquestionable lot was stupefied with greed and power. They divided the
society into four Varnas (Jatis ie, castes) and life into four Ashrams (stages). They were
protectorates of religious institutions. They made rules for entry to the places of worship. They
denied this fundamental right to worship to a very significant majority of so called Ashoots
(untouchables). They spread the virus of hatred in the minds of other upper castes in the society.
These deprived people were forced to do all menial jobs for the benfit of upper classes in the
society. In return they were neither paid for any kind of work they did for them nor rewarded in
any way. Hatred and abuse was the only reward given to their several generations throughout
India. Brahmins on the contrary were treated like gods. Their visits to the residences was
considered as divine blessing on the family. Hindu way of routine life was guided and controlled
by this highly placed class of Brahmins. Some of the injunctions of Manu the Hindu law giver as
laid down in his Manu Simriti are given here:
 During the days of distress and destitution, the members of a caste can engage in the
work of lower caste, but under no circumstances is he to undertake the work of the higher
caste. (Chapter X/99-100)
 The Shudra is forbidden to study, the Vedas, the Shastras aand the scriptures (Chapter
x/127-128)
 It is reprehensible for a Brahmin to study the Vedas before a Shudra (Chapter IV/99)
 The Shudra should be fed the left overs of his master’s food and clothed with his tattered
and discarded dress (Chapter X/25).
 The Shudra is not allowed to amass wealth (Chapter x/129).
 If a Shudra abuses a man of higher caste, his tongue should be cut off (Chapter viii).
 If a Shudra sits near a Brahmin on the same floor, the flesh of his bottoms should be
sheared off (Chapter viii/281).
 If a Shudra talks of religious matters to a Brahmin, molten lead or boiling oil be poured in
his mouth and ears (Chapter viii/272)
 The atonement for the killing of a Shudra is the same as that for killing of a cat or a dog
or a frog or a lizard or any other animal.

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The Shudras were treated like dogs and cattle. They could not rise higher up in the
scale and do the work of Kashatriyas. If per chance a Shudra attained some worthwhile staure in
political arena, he could under no circumstances be admitted to a higher caste. No amount of
wealth or personal status of political nature or courage or scholasticism could raise a Shudra to a
higher caste. What is shocking and highly damnable is that this was done in the name of religion
and God, supported by the so-called gospels of God.
Hindus were made to believe that man is reborn after death and this cycle continues
indefinitely unless salvation (Mukti) is achieved for which the Hindu priest (Brahmin) told
methods in the form of rituals to be performed by the followers of Hinduism. These rituals of
three types: Karam Kanda (rituals mentioned in Veds / Shastras) dealing with sacrificial acts,
Upasna Kanda (rituals dealing with actions pertaining to worship) and Gian Kanda (rituals
dealing with spiritual knowledge). The Brahmin laid stress on the Kram Kanda and Upasna
Kanda, because they helped to maintain his importance and make monetary gains. He did not
show much interest in Gian Kanda, because he was devoid of any spiritual knowledge. Guru
Nanak says, “You expect others to call you wise, O Pandit! But you are devoid of knowledge
(spiritual) and meditation (GGS, p.1290).
The Hindu psyche injected in a common Hindu mind is governed by the dictum of
Bramanic supremacy. Most of the Sanskaras or rituals are performed by reading the respective
Mantras by the priest who performs such rituals for the people (Yajmans). These Mantras are
known only to these actively involved Brahmins, who are paid well by these Yajmans. Sanskrit is
the religious language of Brahminism / Hinduism, therefore all religious service takes place in
Sanskrit. A common Hindu does not know Sanskrit and hence cannot read the required scriptures
for various rituals. He had no direct access to God, but had to reach Him through the institution
of Pandits. Not only this institution controlled the process of worship of God, even the
solemnizing of various auspicious and inauspicious occasions in the family had become so much
ritualized that Brahmin had become an inevitable part of Hindu’s life. Dependence of common
men in the Hindu society on such necessary services is so acute that even if a person wants to
sideline these priests, other members of the society giving psychological warnings of evils to fall
if the task is not handed over to the priests will warn them. Even a dying person puts his wish
about rituals required to be performed by the family members. There are short cuts known to
priests only when their palms are greased well, they deviate and reduce the time schedule. People
get what they want by bribing them at all occasions of ritualistic chorus according to their
convenience. Society by and large does not dare to stand in their way. This is going on from one
generation to another inspite of understanding among the more reasonably level headed people.
These services were denied to the members of low caste fraternity of Hindus. They
are ill treated to an extent that their dead bodies are also denied ritualistic disposal. According to
the high-headedness of priestly segment, they are destined to go to hell and need no purification
of their souls. A born Shudra, lives as Shudra and dies as Shudra. God will also put them in the
separate place where high caste won’t even peep into. Their shadows are also impure and can
cause immense harm to the souls of dead from high castes. Brahmin at that time enjoyed the
supermost status in the society, which made him living god for every regal decision of the ruling
class. He has ruled not only the heart and mind of Indian masses since past many thousand years,
but also has remained undisputed god man for millions in this country.
Guru Nanak founded Sikhism in 1496 AD; in Punjab as revealed to him by the
“Supreme Eternal Reality” i.e God at Sultanpur Lodhi, in Punjab, in the Indian subcontinent
among the two already well established religions of Hinduism and Islam. He declared, ‘oneness
of God’ and ‘oneness of man’ and laid down the complete ideology of Sikhism which developed

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and matured over a period spanning over two hundred and three years under the guidance of his
nine successors. Guru Nanak spearheaded the the cause of these under cared millions from all
walks of life. Sikh thought treated every human soul at par. “The deeds are more important of a
person than his pedigree”, said he. He exposed the social, religious and political leaders of his
time and their methods cutting at the very roots of misrepresentation of religious doctrines of
Hinduism by Brahmins and those of Islam by Mullas and Qazis. He preached virtues should
receive preference over outward acts in daily life. He rejected all rituals which the clever
religious leaders had invented to maintain their hold on the common man inorder to maintain
their supremacy and gain material benefits. He condemned the escapist life of Jogis and
advocated full participation in social and domestic life. In Asa dee var he has discussed the
doctrines, rituals, rites practices and life of Yogis, Brahmins and Turks (Muslims) and given
their right interpretation which forms the foundations of Sikhism.
Sikhism was formally consecrated by the tenth Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, at
Anandpur Sahib in Punjab on the Vaisakhi day 1699 AD; corresponding with 30th March 1699.
He fomally declared the abolishen of caste system in Sikhism by admistring Pahul to the initiates
from the same communion bowl (Amrit Bata). On this day he laid down the Sikh religious code
of conduct, distinct from Hinduism and Islam and he said:
jb lg Kwlsw rhy inAwrw qb lg qyj dyaUN mYN swrw[[-
jb ieh ghyN ibprn kI rIq mYN nw krUM ien kI pRqIq[[
(srb loh gRMQ, pw:10).
jab lag Khalsa rahay naira tab lag tej deoon main sara,
Jab ih gahein bipran kee reet mein na karoon in kee parteet.
(Sarb Loh Granth—Patshahi 10)
Meaning: “As long as Khalsa strictly maintains its separate identity, I will lend him my full
support, when he adopts the Brahmanical ways (culture), then I shall not believe him”
(Guru Gobind Singh)
Sikhism one of the youngest and modern religions of the world is based on belief in
One God and recognizes the equality of all human beings and is marked by its rejection of
polytheism, ritualism, hypocrisy, idolatry, caste system, gender discrimination, celibacy and
asceticism. Its philosophy called ‘Gurmat’ lays great stress on leading a life full of virtues (Shub
karman-love, truthfulness, compassion, righteousness full of good intentions, devoid of ego,
instead of acts of outward show popularly called rituals. It is the latest religion in the series of
religions introduced to the humanity for its spiritual survival.
Gurbani simplified the concept of religion in context with mysterious, transcendental
and beyond those rituals which were not real in human reach and had a direct access to God
while living the life of a Gurmukh instead of s Manmukh. The whole Gurbani consists of a
dislogue describing a prescribed way of life for a Gursikh by practicing the life that draws
strength from practice of egalitarianism, humility, honest devotion to God and same love for all
his created human beings.
The Brahmin had hierarchized the society on two important basis, caste and
gender. Guru Nanak and his successors forcefully attacked and successfully weaned the
followers of the new faith, “Sikhism” from the divisive Hindu caste system, gender
discrimaination, idolatry, celibacy, asceticism, renunciation and other ritualistic practices of
Hinduism. They advocated leading a life of householder full of virtues, devoid of rituals,
superstitions, caste, gender discrimination and hypocrisy. They disapproved religious intolerance
and stood as a rock against ritualism. Guru Nanak attacked directly on caste system. He said,

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

“Fakkar jaati, fakkar nao, sabhna jeean ikka chhao” i.e, False is the distinction of caste and
status. Every body has equal protection of God” (GGS, p.83). He rejected thed distinction
between man and man on the basis of birth and caste. He emphasized the idea of brotherhood
and equality. He further clarified that individual could achieve higher status by practicing
righteous behavior. It did not matter which caste or economic status he came from. He stressed
upon the achievement of status by a person on the basis of his deeds, “Jaat janam neh poochhiye
sach ghar leho bata-ay. So jaat so paat hai jehe karam kamaye” (GGS, p.1330).
Gurbani (Sikhism) rejects the notion that Brahmins were born with purity and low
castess were impure by birth, “Garabhvas mein kul nahin jaati, Brahm bind te sab utpati. Kaho
re Pandit Brahmin kab te ho-ay. Brahm keh keh janam mat kho-ay. Je toon Brahmin Brahmani
Jaaya, tao ann dwar kahay nahin aiah. Tum kat Brahman ham kat sud, hum kat lohu tum kat
doodh. Kaho Kabir jo brahm beecharay, so Brahman kahiat hai hamaray” (GGS, p.324).
Second important inequality ordained in Hinduism is based on gender discrimination.
Though man and woman are different biologically, there is no justification to place them in
hierarchy. In context of Varna, woman was considered physically impure due to certain
biological features. Hence she was considered physically impure to certain biological features.
Hence she was prescribed not to indulge in certain religious rituals and social ceremonies.
Gurbani negats philosophy of physical impurity both in men and women. Discrimination against
women in terms of physical impurity during mensturation and child birth, has been protested in
Gurbani, “Jion joru sir nahvani aavay vaaro vaar, juthay jootha much vasay nit nit hoay khuvar”
(GGS, p.472). The discrimination ofn this account is illogical and against the law of nature. This
is sheer ignorance of mond, which needs to be shed off, “Saach kateb bakhaane Alho naar purkh
nahi koi, padhe gune nahin kachh baure, jao dil meih khabar na hoi—The book tells thee that
God is true. He is neither male nor female. Thou gainest nothing by reading the reflecting, O
mad man, if thou obtainest not understanding in thy mind (GGS, .483). Guru Nanak says,
“Bhand jammiey bhand nimiey bhand mangan viaho—Nanak bhande bahra eko sachcha soay”
(GGS, p.473). Gurbani clarifies the greatness of a person, man or woman, based on deeds and
not on the gender bias. It is the humility one follows in every aspect of life that makes a person
great and not the wordly riches one may possess, “Jis ke antar raj abhimaan so narakpati hovat
suan. Jo jaane mein jobanvant, so hovat bista ka jant (GGS, p.278).
Regarding Hindu concept of salvation Gurmat says, “If salvation can be achieved
by washing in water then a frog has a better chance because he remains in water everyday (GS,
p,484). Similarly regarding union (Jog-Yoga) with the God, Gurbani says, “If union could be
obtained by wandering around naked, then all deer of the forest would be liberated. What does it
matter whether someone goes naked or wears deer skin, if he does not remember the Lord within
his soul? If the spiritual perfection of Siddhas could be obtained by shaving the head, then why
haven’t the sheep found salvation? If someone could save himself by celibacy, O siblings of
destiny why then haven’t eunuchs obtained the state of supreme dignity?” (GGS, p.324).
Gurmat confronts superstition with scientific argumentative approach (Bibek
Buddhi). For example the Pandas at Hardawar questioned the Guru’s so called sacrilegious act of
throwing water to the west when everybody was throwing it vto the sun in the east. The Guru
said, “I am throwing water to my crops at Kartarpur”. The Pandas asked, How can your water
reach hundereds of miles in Kartarpur?”. The Guru replied, “If your water can reach billions of
miles at the sun why can’t my water a few hundred miles on earth?” The lesson went home to the
Pandas and the general public that had gathered to see the spectacle.
Gurmat has ever advocated for the betterment of life on the globe. Kirt karni (Work
to earn honest living), Vand chhakna (Share the meals with the needy), Naam Japna

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(Remembering God) are three cardinal principles of Gurmat. This principle provides comfort to
man, meet his moral and spiritual needs and provides satisfaction of purposeful living. Gurbani
not only attacks in-egalitarin philosophy, it also offers an alternative way of life style with
different priorties. Here religion, attainment of God and related issues have been taken out of the
domain of temples and mosques and put in the center of his home and easily reachable,
irrespective of gender or caste distinction. It is stated that outer physical beauty, wealth,
shrewdness, arrogance or even pride of knowledge, cannot get one happiness and solace.
The path of Gurmat, therefore is to revolutionize the human character to create ideal
personalities from the society so that society gets rid of all such superstitions, useless rituals and
evils from the ambit of prevailing human society. Therefore it is revolutionary and much wider
multidimentional principle for human race. It is full of love, compassion and human
understanding in the fields of social, political, economic, good will, universl brotherhood and
spiritual upliftment. It speaks for every huna being. Sikh Ardas ends with “Nanak Naam chardi
kala teray bhanay sarbat daa bhala”. Thus the disguising as a saintly person with lots of greed
for wordly pusuits at heart would not fetch anything. Without the true service to God (by doing
service to mankind) man would never attain true happiness. This is a reaction, to the very
institutionalization of ritual symbolization of God with some kinds of colour of dress (outward
garb of godliness), which may infact be totally false and deceitful. Hence Gurbani’s insistence
upon real and unreal, true and false and fraudulent is very significant. It negates a blind
submission to any kind of hierarchization, ritual, social, economical and so on. By putting on a
particular garb on does not become jogi, Sant, Pandit or Qazi, it is the deeds that count. In
Sikhism one has to be on practical path for a respectable and satisfying ideal human, selective for
virtues and be prepared to shun rituals and compulsions. He has to learn the art of co-existence
and shun the hatred for others with whom his ideologies don’t match
At personal level I have no objection against the Brahmin community. But
Brahminsism as an ideology has been propounded by members of Brahmin community to divide
the (Indian) society on a permanent basis as a result of which India’s political sovereignty as a
nation has been disintegrating and this is the negative aspect of Brahminism. Exploitation of
ritualistic practices of religion for one’s personal vested interests downgrading the spiritual and
Divine aspects of religion by linking one’s trade with religion, fleecing the common masses in
the name of charity by making them victims of superstition and hollow rituals, promoting one’s
own ritualistic trade through the propagation of the nine planetry configurations, serving one’s
own monetary interests by devising various kinds of beneficient or malefic effects of particular
moments, planets, of days and months, belief and propagation of untouchability, association of
purity and impurity with the task of cooking, creating superstitions, charts and suggesting
various kinds of tantric (occult) solutions—these are various malpractices of Brahminism.
A true religion unites and integrates the society rather than creating divisive walls of superstition
and prejudice based on birth and caste.
Sikhism has no aversion for any one and not the least for Hindus. This book only
expounds differences in various thought currents in both the religions. All the topics under
various chapters have been authenticated with quotations from the scriptures constituting the
canon of the Sikh faith. I am confident that the Sikhs living in various parts of the world in
particular and followers of other religions in general will be able to understand Sikhism better
and benefitted by this work. Suggestions for improvement will be most welcome. I wish the
readers a happy reading of the text ahead.
Jagraj Singh
Tampa Florida, January, 2013

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

Chapter 1

A brief introduction to Sikhism and Hinduism

Before taking up the subject of ritualism and its rejection in Sikhism it is necessary for
the readers to have some preliminary knowledge of both these religions.
Sikhism
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak Dev in 1496 A.D, as revealed to him by the
‘Supreme Spiritual Reality (Akaal Purkh) at Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab in the Indian
subcontinent. Sikhism is a simple, non-ritualistic religion that allows its followers to live a
religious life while taking care of their worldly duties.It preaches oneness of God and oneness of
man and denounces ritualism, idolatry, asceticism, celibacy, down grading of women, gender
inequality, hypocrisy and the caste system in strongest terms. Guru Nanak was born in a Hindu
family but he refused to formally get himself initiated into Brahminism / Hinduism and severely
criticized its divisive caste system, ritual practices and gender inequality, as recorded in the holy
Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib in Asa Dee vaar. Guru Arjan, the fifth Nanak, formally
declared the separate existence of Sikhism by writing it in the holy Sikh Scrpiture, Guru Granth
Sahib on page 1136. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Nanak formally cosecrated Sikhism on the
Vaisakhi day 1699 AD at Anandpur Sahib in the Punjab, prescribed a distinct religious code of
conduct for the Sikhs and propagated the Nash doctrine, thereby abolishing the caste system in
Sikhism, which forms the bed rock of the Brahmanical religion, “Varn Ashram Dharma”now
popularly called “Hinduism”.
Who is a Sikh*?
The Sikh religious code of conduct (Sikh Rahit Maryada), defines a ‘Sikh’ as `any
person who believes in ‘One Immortal Being’(God), in the ten Gurus; in the Guru Granth Sahib and
other writings of the Gurus and their teaching, the Khalsa initiation (Amritpaan) ceremony and who
does not believe in the doctrinal system of any other religion.
“Sikh” (isK) in Punjabi, literally means learned and “Asikh” (AisK) means not learned.
Guru Gobind Singh in his prayer to the Supreme Eternal Realty (God) says, “isK aubwr AisK
sMGro[[-Sikh ubhar Asikh sanghaaro”, i.e, “ O Lord increase the number of the learned (Sikh) people
and eliminate the non-learned - not knowledgable (Asikh)- Chaupai, Guru Gobind Singh (Dasam
Granth, p.1387). The word was patronized by the founders of the Sikh faith for the followers of the
new religion i.e; Sikhism (Sikhi).
According to the Hindu belief progress on the spiritual path was not possible without
fomally adopting a worldly Guru. Sanatan Dharma / Brahmanism now popularly called Hinduism
has a very strong Guru and chela tradition, but Sikhism forcefully denounces it. Guru Nanak, the
founder of Sikhism was not Chela (disciple) of any worldly Guru. At the time of his enlightenment
he was an employee of Nawab Daulat Khan Lodhi working as manager of his food grain stores.
When the Siddhas questiond him in this regard, he replied, “Shabad Guru Surat dhun chela”i.e
Shabad is Guru, consciousness and intention tuned towards it make one its disciple” (GGS M1, p.
943). Describing‘Sikh’ as ‘Shishya’ (Disciple) is invention of Brahmans / Hindus writers who have
infiltrated into the Sikh institutions in the garb of Sikhs.
The Sikh, the Khalsa and the Singh refer to the same entity and there is no other category of
Sikhs.There are no classification categories in Sikhism. Either one is a Sikh or not a Sikh.

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The word *Sikh is purely Punjabi in origion and is derived from ‘Sikhna’ meaning to
learn. It was patronized by the founders of the Sikh faith for the adherents of the Sikh religion
(Sikhism-Sikhi-is`KI), “isKI isiKAw gur vIcwru[[-Sikhi sikhia gur veechar” i.e, “Sikhism is the
philosophy of Guru Granth Sahib and the teachings of the Sikh Gurus” (GGS, M1, p.465).
When Guru Nanak embarked upon his mission for preaching his message he had with
him two companions, a Muslim named Mardana and a Hindu named Bala. When people asked him
as to who were his companions. He always replied: Bhai Mardana and Bhai Bala. He never
metioned them as his Chelas (Shish) as is being advocated by the Hindu theologians. Even after
Guru Nanak during the period of all his successor Gurus, the word of Bhai was used as title of
honour for the Sikhs, for instance: Bhai Buddha, Bhai Mansukh, Bhai Gurdas, Bhai Salo, Bhai
Manjh, Bhai Joga Singh, Bhai Mani Singh, Bhai Tara Singh, Bhai Taru Singh and so on. Bhai in
Punjabi means brother, meaning all Sikhs are brothers and this brother-hood is called Panth,
“Nanak nirmal panth chalaio” (Bhai Gurdas). The sonorous titles of Sant and Baba and Sant Baba,
Braham Giani etc being used by so called modern preachers of Sikhism were never used by the
Sikhs till recently. They have mush-roomed after the independence of India and are trying to
Hinduise Sikhism with their preachings of ritualistic practices etc based on Vedantic philosophy
among the ignorant Sikh masses.
*As in English and many other languages of the world some words have more than one meaning,
similarly in Punjabi the word ‘Sikh’ has many meanings. It may mean learned, learner, teaching or a
follower of Sikh religion (Sikhism-Sikhi). The word Sikh is purely Punjabi in origion and is derived
from ‘Sikhna’ meaning to learn. It was patronized by the founders of the Sikh faith for the adherents
of the Sikh religion (Sikhism-Sikhi-is`KI. It has nothing to do with the Sanskrit word Shishya.
Signs of Sikh Identity
All practicing Sikhs express their religious identity in leaving the hair on their body
unshorn, in wearing articles of the Sikh faith (by initiated--baptized Sikhs), in adopting a common
suffix ‘Singh’ for male and ‘Kaur’ for female names, in avoiding tobacco, Halal meat, in
shunning idolatry, ritualism and in abjuring any connection with Hinduism, Islam, Christianity or
any other religion. All Sikh men wear turban in Sikh style to cover the unshorn hair on their head.
Turban is an essential and complimentary adjunct to unshorn hair. Sikh women wear dupatta to
cover their head. Because of their smart turbans, unshorn hair with flowing or well-set or rolled
beards, practicing Sikh men can be easily identified among large crowds. They are highly
conscious and committed to assert their identity through their dress and appearance and of course
through their mother tongue, Punjabi. It stands for their willingness to be identified and held
accountable so that their character and actions meet the standards set by the founders of the faith. Like
all other religious communities of the world apostates and renegades are found in Sikhism too.
Why identity is necessary or needed?
It is enshrined in the holy Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, “dwgy hoih su rn mih jUJih ibnu
dwgy Big jweI—Daage hoay so run meh joojheh bin daage bhag jaaee i.e, The branded ones fight in
the battle-field with zest, the unbranded turn away as renegades (GGS, p. 970)..
Being a Sikh
One may be Sikh:
(1) *By birth: being born of Sikh parents or
(2) By conversion: who has embraced Sikhism through conversion from some other religion.
*Guru Arjan was the first born Sikh Guru, born of Sikh parents. After him all Sikh Gurus were

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born Sikhs.

Sikh way of life

The Sikh way of life known as ‘Gurmat’ was demonstrated by the Sikh Gurus.
They supervised the theoratical and practical aspects of Sikhism and guided their followers. Guru Ram
Dass prescribed the daily routine of the Sikhs (GGS, p.305), while Guru Gobind Singh completed
the form. A religious committee constituted at Akal Takhat, finalized a draft of ‘The Sikh Rehat
Maryada’—‘Sikh religious code of conduct’ based on the canon of the Sikh faith and released it
for the Sikh nation, which was published in a booklet form by the Sharomani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee in 1945, regulates individual and corporate Sikh life.
The Sikh way of life is the honest house-holder’s life and to live in the world in the
normal way with the endeavour to attain the higher consciousness without entanglements in
temporary alluring materialistic attractions and leading a worldly desire free life in the world. It
is based on the doctrines and ideology of Sikhism.
Sikh religious beliefs
Belief in the existence of One God (Akal Purkh) is the fundamental theological concept of
Sikhism. Belief in Akal Purkh through Shabad Bani to the strict exclusion of all other forms of
worship, define the basic position of the Khalsa*. They believe in ten Gurus and after them, in
Shabad Bani as the Guru, it is embodied essentially in the Guru Granth Sahib. To converse with
Guru one could read his Shabad. To see the Guru one could go to a gathering of the Khalsa to
see the Guru in the Khalsa. No living person is to be regarded as Guru.
The Khalsa commandments:
pUjw Akwl kI--Pooja Akal Kee -----------Worship only God
prIcw Sbd kw--Paricha Shabad Ka---Believe only in Gurbani
dIdwr Kwlsy kw--Deedaar Khalsay Ka-- keep the company of the Khalsa.
* Khalsa is an Arabic / Persian word and means Sovereign, it should not be confused with the
Punjabi word Khalis, which means pure.

Sikh Rehatmaryada (Sikh Dharm Achaar Shastar) OR

Sikh Religious Code of Conduct

Like all other major world religions, Sikhism too has its own religious code of conduct, which
is called ‘the Sikh Rehatmaryada', which is based on commandments of Guru Granth Sahib
and commandments of Guru Gobind Singh as recorded by Bhai Nanad Lal and some other writers
of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A religious committee constituted at Akal Takhat,
finalized a draft of ‘The Sikh Rehat Maryada’ and released it for the Sikh nation, which was
published in a booklet form by the Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 1945 A.D,
regulates individual and corporate Sikh life. The Sikh religious code of conduct consists of: Sroop
(Bana) and Rehni (as per Bani).

Sroop (appearance-Banaa):
A Sikh is a saint-soldier (Sant-Sipahi). Saint (Sant) means that he is scholarly in
his knowledge of Gurbani (Bani) and leads his life according to the teachings of the Gurus as
enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib, while soldier (Sipahi) denotes that he is a fearless warrior
and maintains the Sikh uniform (Bana- the five K’s--Kes, Kangha, Kachhehra, Kara and
Kirpan)- “Saabat soorat dastaar sira—swbq sUrq dsqwr isrw” (GGS, p1084) and follows all the

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instructions of Guru Gobind Singh issued at the time of Amritpaan sanskaar. Guru Gobind Singh
has issued a very strict warning in this regard, “jb lg Kwlsw rhY inAwrw qb lg qyj idau mY swrw-
Jab lag Khalsa rahay naira tab lag tej deoon mein saara-- As long as Khalsa strictly maintains its
separate identity, I will lend Him, my full support, jb ieh ghY ibprn kI rIq mY nw krUM ien kI
pRqIq[[ Jab eh gahein bipran kee reet*, mein na karoon in kee parteet---when he adopts the
Brahminical ways, then I shall not believe Him”
(Sarb Loh Granth, Patshahi Dasween).
Guru Gobind Singh further says:

 rihxI rhY soeI isK myrw, auh swihb mY aus dw cyrw-“Rehni rahay soi Sikh mera, oh sahib mein
os da chera” i.e, “Only the follower of rehat is my Sikh, he is my sahib (master) and I am
his disciple”.

 rihq ipAwrI mohI ko siK ipAwrw nwhI-“Rehat piari mohi ko Sikh piara nahin” i.e, "I love
Rehat and not the Sikh i.e I love the law and not the follower of law”.

• ibnw ssqr kysm nrU Byf jwno, ghY kwn qw ko ikqy lY isDwno-“Bina sastra kesam naroo bhed
jano, gahey kaan ta ko kitay lay sidhano” , - Without weapon (sword) a man with kesas
(unshorn hair ) on the head is like a sheep, ready to be led by the ear into slaughterhouse any
time by whosoever may wish to do so.

 ibnw ssqr kysm idau nw dIdwry-“Bina kes tegham deo na deedaray” ie, “Don't show me
your face without unshorn hair and sword”.

Rehni-way of life:
The Sikh way of life was demonstrated by the Sikh Gurus. They supervised theoretical
and practical aspects of Sikhism and guided the `Sikhs'. Guru Ram Dass prescribed the daily
routine of the Sikh; Guru Gobind Singh completed the form of Sikhism by creation of the
Khalsa Panth. He gave his Sikhs an outer uniform, “The five K's” and an inner uniform of
“courage, meditation and sacrifice”. Sikh way of life includes:

 The inner values of Sikhism as per Gurbani (contents of Aad Granth-Bani / Gurbani).
 Commandments of Guru Gobind Singh,

 Practices of Sikhism (dos and don'ts of Sikhism),

 Rites / social ceremonies, customs and traditions etc of Sikhism.

Inner values of Sikhism

As per Gurbani a Sikh should posses following qualities:

 Aaugux sB imtwieky pr aupkwr krY -“Augun sab mita-ay ke par upkar Karen” (GGS,
p.218). A Sikh should be free from all vices and do good to others. He should look
different from others due to his inner qualities (Bani) and not, because of his outer looks only

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(Bana).

 Awqm rs ijh jwxhI so hY Kwls dyv, pRBU mih mo mih qws mih rMck nwhI nw Byv-“Aatam ras jih
jaan he so hai-ay khalas dev prabhu mae mo mae taas meh ranchak nahin bhev” (Sarb Loh
Granth)

 Alp Ahwr sulp sI inMdRw dXw iCmw qn pRIiq--“Alp ahar sulp see nindra daya chhama tan
preet i.e; Eat little and sleep little, love the practice of compassion and forbearance
sIl sMqoK sdw inrbwihQo hYvbo iqRgux AqIiq--Seel santokh sada nirbahithio, havbho tregun
ateet i.e ; Be calm and contended and thus you will gain freedom from the Three States
(Rajas, Tamas, Satva)
kwm, kRoD, loB, hT, moh nw mn soN ilXwvy--Kaam, karodh, lobh, hath, moh na mann sion liavay-
Keep your mind away from lust, anger, pride, greed, obstinacy and wordly love.
qb hI Awqm qq ko drsy prm purK kh pwvY--Tab he atam tat ko darse parm purkh keh
pavay”-Thus you will see the essence of your own soul and also realise the Supreme Lord.
(Ram Kali Patshi 10).

 jih krnI qih pUrI mq krnI bwJo Gty Gt--“Jeh karni tahay poori mat, karni bajhon ghatay
ghat” i.e “A Sikh should mean what he says, any person who does not possess this quality
cannot be called a Sikh” (GGS, p.25)

 ieau gurmuK Awp invwrIey sb rwj siSRt kw ly--“Eo Gurmukh aap niwari-ay sab raj srishat ka
lay” -- “God shall himself honour such a Gurmukh Sikh and he can rule the whole world”
(Ibid, p. 648).

Gurbani further says:

• Those who maintain only the outer appearance of a Sikh but do not posses inner values of
Sikhism are not Sikhs. They are called Bhekhi (ByKI) Sikhs (Sikhs in disguise--hypocrites):
rihq Avr ikC Avr kmwvq, mn nhI pRIq muKo gMD lwvq, jwnx hwr pRBU pRbIn, bwhr ByK nw kwhUU
BIn--“Rehat avar kichh avar kamavat, mann nahin paret mukho gand laavat, jaananhaar
prabhu parbu parbeen, bahir bhekh na kahoon bheen” i.e, "Man professes one thing and
practices quite another, in his heart there is no love but in his speech he talks tall. The wise Lord
who is inner-knower is not pleased with the outward uniform (Ibid, p. 269).

• ijn ky BIqr AMqrw, jYsy psU qYsy auh nrw--“Jin kay bheetar antra, jaisay pasoo taisay uh
nara” i.e, “Those who donot mean what they say, they are as good as animals” (ibid,
p.1163).

 krqUq psU kI mwns jwiq lok pcwrw kru idn rwq--“Kartoot pasoo kee maanas jaat lok
pachara karay din raat” i.e, “They only look humans but by actions they are animals" (Ibid,
p.267). and while commenting on them, Guru Nanak says:
 nwnk sy nr Asl Kr jy ibn gux grB krn--“Nanak se nar asal khar, je bin gun garbh karan”
(Ibid, p. 1246) i.e, “ Nanak, those persons who have not adopted good qualities, but are full of

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ego, they are in reality, donkeys and not human being (Ibid, p.1246)

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The articles of Sikh faith

All initiated (Khalsa) Sikhs should support the articles of Sikh faith, commonly known as
5K's and these are:

Kes ---the unshorn hair

Kangha ----small comb for the topknot (Joora)
Kara ---a steel wrist bangle
Kirpan ---steel sword
Kachhehra or Kachha- (Punjabi name for breeches)

inSwny isKI eI pMj hrP, kwP , hrigz nw bwSd eI pMj muAwP--“Nishane Sikhi een
panj harf, kaaf, Hargiz na bashad een panj muaaf
kVw, krdo, k`C, kMGw ibdW, iblw kys hyc Asq jumlw inSwn---Kara, Kardho, Kachh,
Kangha Bidaan, Bila Kes hech ast jumla nishan”.
(Bhai Nand Lal Goya, Dasam Granth)
Meaning:
There are symbols of five letters Kaaf (Five K's) in Sikhism, which cannot be
exempted. These are, “Kara, Kirpan, Kachha and Kangha”, but these are meaningless in the
absence of Kes.
In addition:
They should wear turban (Dastaar--dsqwr) to cover the unshorn hair on their head.
Every Sikh male name should have ‘Singh’ and Sikh female name ‘Kaur’ as compulsory ending of
the name.
The five symbols of Sikh faith, give an identity to the organized form of Sikhism.
These are national uniform of the Sikhs. These symbolize the fact that the Sikh has been baptized.
Addressing the Khalsa after completing the Amrit Paan Sanskar–(Baptismal
ceremony) at Anandpur Sahib Guru Gobind Singh said:

Kwlsw myro rUp hY Kws, Kwlsy my hUM krUM invws--“Khalsa mero roop hae khas,
Khalse mein hoop karoon niwas"
Meaning:
Khalsa is my ownself and I dwell within the Khalsa.
To maitain separate identity from Muslims and to prevent the extinction of the distinct Sikh
way of life and relapse of Sikhism into Brahminism (Hinduism) Guru Gobind Singh warned the Khalsa,
extorting:

jb lg Kwlsw rhy inAwrw qb lg qyj idau mY swrw--“Jab lag Khalsa rahay niara, tab lag tej dioon
mein saara,
jb ieh ghY ibprn kI rIq qb nw krUM ien kI pRqIq--Jab eh gahen bipran kee reet, mein na
karoon in kee parteet”.
Meaning:

 “As long as Khalsa strictly maintains its separate identity, I will lend him my full support, when
He adopts the Brahmanical culture, I shall not believe Him”.

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The rationale behind the articles of faith of Sikhism

Kes and Turban:
Before the birth of Sikhism, the Arabic and Turkish Muslim invaders took pride in
supporting beard and turban. They did not like the slave Hindus to keep beard, long hair, support turban
and look like them. Therefore the Muslim rulers after the occupation of Hindustan (now India)
issued orders that the Hindus keep the beard and head shaved and wear a prescribed cap
(Topi) instead of turban.
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and thereafter all his nine successors maintained
unshorn hair and supported turbans in defiance of the Muslim imperial order. The sanctity of hair on
human body was practiced by all the Sikh Gurus who kept it unshorn, to obey the God’s will. How
can those be called Sikhs who disobey the Sikh dictum and defy the Sikh code of conduct? Guru
Nanak in the very beginning of Japji Sahib at p.1 of GGS proclaimed: “hukm rjweI clnw nwnk iliKAw
nwl[[-Hukam rajaee chalna Nanak likhia naal” i.e “To remain under the will of God, is ordained
from the very beginning”. No doubt is left at all in this respect that God’s will has to prevail and
everyone has to follow it. The hair on the body are in accordance with the will of God and the
appearance of the human body is to be kept intact if one is to live in the will of God. The God’s will is
defied when we cut hair and refuse to keep it intact. How can so called Sikhs (clean shaven) call
themselves to have faith in the teachings of Guru Nanak and the Sikhism?
At the time of formal consecration of Sikism in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh made Kes-
and turban as part of the Sikh dress. Both Kes and turban in Sikhism represent freedom, liberty, justice
and peaceful co-existence. Sikhs keep unshorn hair and wear turban as a distinctive identifying marks.
It symbolizes their commitment living the Sikh values of humanity, service and leadership in both
public and private lives. It stands for their willingness to be identified and held accountable so that
their character and actions meet the standards set by the founders of their faith. Sikhism regards both
shave (Hajamat-Bhaddan-Tonsure) and cap (Topi-) as signs of slavery.

Kirpan:
Every Sikh (Khalsa) is a saint-soldier and weapons are life and soul of the soldier.
Kirpan-in Sikhism signifies two fundamental tenets of Sikhism namely that it is the basic
responsibility of a Sikh to confront and resist injustice, and that asceticism, monasticism or
escapeism of any kind is wrong. Thus Kirpan, on one hand is a constant reminder to the Sikh of his duty,
and on the other hand, is a standing guard against reversion to pacifism and otherworldliness.

Kachhehra or Kachha
The Hindus wore either Langoti or Dhoti to cover their loin. Langoti kept the person
half naked and a person wearing a Dhoti cannot discharge the duties of a soldier. Guru Gobind
Singh discarded both and made Kachehra a part of Sikh Rehat, which is a smart battle dress.

Kara (kVw):
It is a sign of solemn pledge (Rakhree) for adhering to the tenets of Sikhism.
Kangha:
Kangha in the topknot (Joora) is meant for combing the hair. It signifies negation of
filthy living of Sadhus with matted hair.

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Genesis of the Sikhs and Sikhism

It is universally agreed upon now that man evolved in Africa and gradually spread
over the entire globe. According to Dr. H.D Sankalia, the renouned anthropologist, “It is more
orless established that at the end of First Glacial Period and into the beginning of the second Ice
Age, Early Man entered the foothills of the Northwest Punjab, in the area traversed by Soan,
Haro and other rivers within the Indus-Jhelum Doab. Early man spread into the area comprised
by Rawalpindi and Attock districts of the Punjab, and the Jammu and Kashmir States”.
Recent Genographic studies reveal that these people arrived in India from Central
Asia (Kazakstan area) by travelling south of the rugged and mountainous Pamir Knot, some
30,000 years ago. Early humans lived here as gatherers and hunters, who gradually developed
into a great civilization—The Harappan civilization, now known as as “The Indus Valley
Civilization”, which is one of the oldest civilizations of the world. The natives here farmed the
lands and were called “Jatts—j~t”, which is the oldest naed tribe in India whose name is found
even in Mahbharta. After the region was named Punjab in 1590 A.D by Emperor Akbar, the
natives of this land came to be called Punjabis. Scholars of history generally agree that Punjabi
heritage is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and that its cradle was the soil of Punjab.Its
main cities were Mohinjodaro and Harappa. It dates back to about 3300 BC and flowered
between 2500 and 1700 BC.
It is a well known fact that the earliest spiritual traditions stsrted in the east in the
Indus Valley. Those practicing spirituality were called Jogis / Siddhas. They believed in ‘One
Supreme Eternal Reality, whom they called, ‘Brahma’ and they had a script called Brahmi /
Siddhmatrica. The people of the Indus Valley had reached a very high level of civilization more
than 4000 years ago, when people of a white tribe from Asia Minor who called themselves
Aryans entered Punjab through the passs in the Hindu Kush mountains as herds-men and graziers
of cattle and settled in the Kashmir region of the Punjab. The first center of Aryan culture
developed in the Kashmir hills of the Punjab. All Aryans did not come at once bu kept on
pouring gradually over a period of centuries. The Aryans were smart people and realized the
impotance of education. Some of them learnt spirituality / Jog from the Punjabi Jogis. It was in
the hills of the Punjab that the Aryans evolved their Vedic culture. It was here that they
developed a slang dialect of the Punjabi language for their worship purposes and to begin they
called it Brahm Basha, literally meaning the language of God, but subsequently it was named
Sanskrit. Around 1000 BC, the Aryans produced scriptures in Brahm Bhasha and named them
Vedas, literally meaning the books of knowledge, which were memorized verbally and passed on
from generation to generation orally. Around 500 BC Rishi Panini wrote Sanskrit grammar,
Ashtadhiay in Taxilla in thefoot hills of the Punjab (The Penguin History of Early India from origns to
AD 1300, Romila Thapar, p,163). The Vedas gave birth to Vedic Culture, which gave birth to caste
system in India.
Gradually, after many centuries of their stay in the hills they descended down into
the plains of the Punjab. They tried to dominate the jatt of the Punjab through their priest, the
Brahman, but the jatt refused to submit the Brahmanical dominance and pushed the Aryans
beyond the limits of the Punjab into the Ganga-Jamna Doab. Kushwant Singh in his book totled,
‘A History of the Sikhs’ writes, “The jatt’s spirit of freedom and equality refused to submit to
Brahmanical Hinduism and in turn drew the censure of the privileged Brahmins of the Gangetic
plains who pronounced that, “no Aryan should stay in the Punjab for even two days, because the
‘Punjabis’ refused to obey the priests”. Hence forth the Aryan Brahmin developed an extremely
hostile attitude towards the jatts of the Punjab.

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The Aryans named the area between Afghanistan and Jamna River as Sapt Sindhu i.
e, land of seven rivers. With the passage of time the Aryans followed the Chanakya policy and
came to settle in this part of the Indian subcontinent in a servile position to the jatts. The
mercantile community among the Aryans called Khatris (Kashatriyas) lived mostly in urban
areas and became engaged in trade, accountancy, mangereal and administrative jobs etc. The
jatts lived in the country side and controlled the lands and agricultural production. The Brahmans
in small numbers setelled there as teachers, priests and astrologers. There was atleast one Khatri
and one Brahman household in each village of the Punjab. The jatts of the Punjab did not profess
any religion, they just worshiped nature only.
Punjab connects South Asia with Middle East and the Central Asia. Because of its
gepgraphical location it has been a perpetual battlefield serving as the gateway to India for the
invaders from the Central Asia and the Middle-East. After the Aryan foreign invasions of the
Punjab started in the 5th century BC. A series of invaders trampled over this land for centuries.
These early invaders included Iranians (Persians), the Greeks, the Parthians, the Sakas
(Scythians), the Kushans, the Huns and the Bctrians. Persian king Darius was the first to invade
this land in 5th century BC. He was followed by Greek conquerer, Alexander the great in 326
BC, after whom Punjab was annexed by Bactrian king Saleucus in 305 BC, and the Bactrians
rule over this land for about two hundred years. The Bactrians were defeated by Chander Gupat
Mauriya and he made the Punjab part of the vast Mauryan Empire. Buddhism became the state
religion during the rule of Mauryan King Ashoka (274—232 BC), who established university of
Buddhist learning in Taxilla in the foot hills of the Punjab, but Buddhism could not influence the
jatts in the plains of the Punjab and Buddhism remained limited to the hilly areas bordering
Afghanistan.
After the fall of Buddhist Mauryan Empire, Brahmanical revival took place in
Hindustan, but Brahmanism could not influence the “Jatts’ of the Punjab and did not dare to
penetrate into them in a big way and extend its influence beyond Jamna River. Punjab remained
politically isolated from the Gigentic Plains for about a thousand years after the fall of Mauryan
Empire.
Islamic invasions of the Punjab started in the beginning of the 8th century and the
Turks, Mughals and Afghans followed one after the other. The brave people of the Punjab
resisted for almost three centuries, but ultimately the Punjab fell to the invading Islamic forces
coming in hordes in the beginning of the 11th century. Turks, Moghuls and Afghans, (Pathan)
tribes occupied the areas of the Punjab bordering Afghanistan and settled there permanently.
Some of the weak minded Punjabis in this area got converted into Islam, while others fled in
front of the Muslim onsalughts and settled on the northern fringe of the Punjab in a narrow belt
running along the foothills of the Himalayas, a region intersected by mountain streams and deep
ravines, difficult for easy access. They started worshipping goddess Durga and came to be
known as Durgras (worshipers of Durga), now simply called ‘Dogras’ and are found in the hills
of the Punjab in large numbers.
The brave natives of the Punjab called ‘Jatts’ never left the plains of the
Punjab.They kept resisting and fighting against the invaders, got concentrated on both sides of
River Ravi in the Central Punjab around Lahore, between River Chenab and River Satluj.
Guru Nanak founded Sikhism, in Punjab at the fag end of the 15th century.
Although Sikh Gurus preached their message in the Punjab, Hindustan, and adjoining countries
including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Arabia, Palestine, Turkey, Tibet, Parts of China, Russia
and Sri Lanka etc for a period spanning over more than two centuries, their teachings were
accepted only by the Punjabis, and Sikhism was formally embraced en-mass by the people of the

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central Punjab called Majha, mostly jatts, when it was formally consecrated by the 10th Nanak,
Gutu Gobind Singh on the Vaiskhi day in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib in the Punjab through
Amritpaan ceremony. The Sikhs of the Punjab are therefore a distinct ethnic people.
Today Sikhism is a world religion. Global spread of Sikhism has been mainly through
migration of the Sikhs from ‘Punjab’. Recently because of of its principles Sikhism has been
embraced by many white people and now many white Sikhs and even black Sikhs can be found
internationally, particularly in USA.
References and notes
K.S. Duggal: The Sikh people yesterday and today.
Kushwant Singh: AHistory of the Sikhs Volume 2:1839—1988.
Romila Thapar: The Penguine History of Early India from Origins to AD 1300.

Genesis of Brahmans &Brahmanism / Sanatan Dharma / Hinduism

After their exist from the Punjab by the ‘Jatts’, the Aryans crossed the Jamna (Yamuna)
River and settled in the Ganga Jamna divide of the Indian subcontinent. They built their religio-cultural
center here in the Malwa region and named it ‘Ujjain’, which they affectionately called, ‘Dev Nagri’
(dyv ngrI), a town inhabited by Brahmins who are gods (Devtas-dyvqy) in human form. After
sometime they shifted their center of activity in the easternly direction into the fertile and mineral rich area
and built here another religio-cultural center on the banks of Ganges and named it Kashi (Varanasi-
Benaras). Here they wrote more religious books in Sanskrit and named them, 'Shastras'. Because of the
shastras the language spoken in and around Kashi (Varanasi-Benaras) came to be popularly called
‘Shastri’ (now Hindi).
After the fall of Buddhist Mauryan Empire, Brahmanical revival took place in the
Hindustan. The Aryan Brahmins converted the local farming tribes of the Ganges Valley into
Brahminism (now Hinduism) and named them “Rajputs” and showered upon them various titles
viz, Surya Vanshi, Chander Vanshi, Agni Vanshi and so on and created their long genealogies.
There is no mention of Rajputs in Mahabharata and hence they are a later creation of the Aryan
Bhamins. Heun Tsang makes no mention of the word Rajput during his visit in the 7th century.
The Brahmans under the leadership of Shankra Acharya (788-820 C.E), violently
wiped out Buddhism from Hindustan, but the Brahminism could not influence the “Jatts of the
Punjab” and did not dare to penetrate into them in a big way and extend its influence beyond
Jamna River. Punjab remained politically isolated from the Gangetic Plains for about one
thousand years after the fall of Mauryan Empire.
Islamic invasions of the Punjab started in the beginning of the 8th century and the
Turks, Moghul and Afghans followed one after the other. The brave people of the Punjab
resisted for almost three centuries, but ultimately the Punjab fell to the invading Islamic forces in
the beginning of the 11th century. Turks, Moghuls and Afghan (Pathan) tribes occupied the areas
of the Punjab bordering Afghanistan and settled there permanently. Some of the weak minded
Punjabis in this area got converted into Islam, while others fled in front of the Muslim onslaughts
and settled on the northern fringe of the Punjab in a narrow belt running along the foothills of the
Himalays, a region intersectected by mountain streams and deep ravines, difficult for easy
access. They started worshipping goddess Durga and came to be known as ‘Durgras’
(worshippers of Durga), now simply called ‘Dogras’ and are found in the hills of the Punjab in
large numbers.
References

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

K.S. Duggal: The Sikh people yesterday and today.

Khushwant Singh: A History of the Sikhs Volume 2 : 1839 – 1988.
Romila Thapar: The Penguin History of Early India from origins to AD1300.

Who is a Brahmin?
According to Gurbani:
1. so bRwhmx, jo ibMdy bRhm--Brahmin is the one who knows about Brahma (God) (GGS, P68)
2. khu kbIr jo bRhm bIcwrY so bRwhmx khIAq hY hmwry—Kabir says, “Brahmin is the one who
remembers Brahma” (God) (Ibid, p.324).
Brahmin is the first and foremost caste among the Hindus. Brahmnis are further
subdivided into ten subcastes.
Qualities of a Brahmin
According to Gurbani:
so bRhmxu jo ibMdY bRhmu[ jpu qpu sMjmu kmwvY krmu[[ sIl sMqoK kw rKY Drmu bMDn qoVY hovy mukqu[[ soeI bRhmxu
pUjx jugqu[[So Brahmin jo bindai Brahmu, jap, tap, sanjam kamavai karm i.e, A true Brahmin is
one, who grasps Brahm. Meditation on God and sel-control are his daily routine. His religious
observances are right conduct and humility. He removes the sensual chains that bind the soul. Such
a Brahmin deserves all praise and honour (GGS, p.1411).
Duties of a Brahmin
Duties of a Brahmin consist of reading of Vedas, performing ritual Yajnas for self and
others, giving and accepting charity and defending the right to worship.
Hindus* and Hindustan
The Aryans after their arrival in India gave birth to Vedic Brahminism. Vedic
Brahmanism was also called Varn Ahram Dharma / Sanatan Dharma. The Brahmins named the
first river on the north-west of India as Sindhu and they called the area between it and Jamna
River as Sapt Sindhu (The land of seven rivers). Islamic invasions of the Indian subcontinent
started in the beginning of the 8th century. They called the Aryan Sindhu River simply as ‘Daryae
Sindh’. The Islamic invaders contemptuoulsly called the natives as *Hindu.They changed the
name of the area beyond the Sindh River from Sapt Sindhu to Hidustan. Thereafter, gradually
Brahminism came to be known as Hinduism and its followers came to be called Hindus. Thus
names Hindu and Hindustan were given by the Islamic invaders and not by any founder of the so
called Hinduism. Before the beginning of the eighth century, there is no mention of Hindus or
Hinduism in the Indian literature.
* Meaning of Hindu: According to Mahan Kosh (Encyclopaedia Of Sikh literature) by Bhai
Kahan Singh Nabha: The foreigners have used this word (Hindu) for the ancient people who lived in
the vicinity of the Sindh River and called themselves Aryans. Poets of Arabic and Persian languages
have used this word (Hindu) for thief, slave and black.
Hindu according Vishnu Puran
It says: ““Krsnanugrahato labhadawa manave janam bharte, anyasthane brtha janam
nispphlanca gatagatam” (Vishnupurana) i.e; It is exclusive priviledge and grace of God that
enables man to be born a Hindu in the sacred land called, Bharat, that is India; a birth in other lands, no
matter of how excellent a condition and however frequently, is no better than a repetitious frustration
and wearisome waste”. This prevented the Hindus from migrating abroad. The Hindus believe in
ritual pollution (iB~ty jwxw) and purification, and say that man gets polluted by crossing the Kala Paani
i.e; ‘Sea’.

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

Most obvious characteristics of an ordinary Hindu

Till today no body has been able to define a Hindu, who worships or at least believes in
plurality of gods and believes in Scriptures of Hinduism (Vedas, Shastras, Simrities and Purans
etc), Varn wand ie; ‘caste system’, ritualism, idolatry, ascetism, celibacy, accepts Brahmanical
supremacy, Sanskrit as religious language and physical appearance through Hajamat, Dhoti, topi,
langoti, choti, Tilak and Janeu. He does not eat beef. He looks upon the cow as a sacred and not
merely as an economically useful or indispensable animal.

Genesis of Brahmans &Brahmanism / Sanatan Dharma / Hinduism

Sikhs are not Hindus

--------------After their exist from the Punjab by the ‘Jatts’, the Aryans crossed the Jamna
(Yamuna) River and settled in the Ganga Jamna divide of the Indian subcontinent. They built their
religio-cultural center here in the Malwa region and named it ‘Ujjain’, which they affectionately
called, ‘Dev Nagri’ (dyv ngrI), a town inhabited by Brahmins who are gods (Devtas-dyvqy) in
human form. Here they used local version of the Siddhmatrica script for the production of their
literature and named it Dev Naagri (dyv nwgrI), because the Sanskrit does not have any script of
its own therefore they used the local script in the place of its writing. After sometime they shifted
their center of activity in the easternly direction into the fertile and mineral rich area and built here another
religio-cultural center on the banks of Ganges and named it Kashi (Varanasi-Benaras). Here they wrote
more religious books in Sanskrit and named them, 'Shastras'. Because of the shastras the language spoken
in and around Kashi (Varanasi-Benaras) came to be popularly called ‘Shastri’ (now Hindi).
Punjab connects South Asia with the Middle East and the Central Asia. Because of
its geographical position it has been a perpetual battlefield serving as the gateway to India for the
invaders from Central Asia and the Middle East.
After the Aryans foreign invasions of the Punjab started in the 5th century B.C. A
series of invaders trampled over this land for centuries. These early invaders included Iranians
(Persians), the Greeks, the Parthians, the Shakas, (Scythians) the Kushans, the Huns and the
Bactrians. Persian king Darius was the first to invade this land in the 5th century B.C. He was
followed by the Greek conqueror, Alexander the great in 326 B.C, after whom Punjab was
annexed by the Bactrian king Saleucus in 305 B.C and the Bactrians ruled over this land for
about two hundred years. The Bactrians were defeated by Chander Gupat Maurya and he made
the Punjab part of the vast Mauryan Empire. Buddhism became the state religion during the rule
of Mauryan King Ashoka (274-232 B.C), who established university of Buddhist learning in
Taxilla, located in the foot hills of the Punjab, but Buddhism could not influence the Jatts in the
plains of the Punjab and remained limited to the mountainous regions only. After the fall of
Buddhist Mauryan Empire, Brahmanical revival took place in the Hindustan. From 320 CE to
550 CE, during the rule of the Gupta dynasty Hinduism / Brahmanism made remarkable
progress. The Aryan Brahmins converted the local farming tribes of the Ganges Valley into
Brahminism (now Hinduism) and named them “Rajputs” and showered upon them various titles
viz, Surya Vanshi, Chander Vanshi, Agni Vanshi and so on and created their long genealogies.
There is no mention of Rajputs in Mahabharata and hence they are a later creation of the Aryan
Bhamins. Heun Tsang makes no mention of the word Rajput during his visit in the 7th century.

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

The Brahmans under the leadership of Shankra Acharya (788-820 C.E), violently wiped out
Buddhism from Hindustan, but the Brahminism could not influence the “Jatts of the Punjab” and
did not dare to penetrate into them in a big way and extend its influence beyond Jamna River.
Punjab remained politically isolated from the Gangetic Plains for about one thousand years after
the fall of Mauryan Empire.
Islamic invasions of the Punjab started in the beginning of the 8th century and the
Turks, Moghul and Afghans followed one after the other. The brave people of the Punjab
resisted for almost three centuries, but ultimately the Punjab fell to the invading Islamic forces in
the beginning of the 11th century. Turks, Moghuls and Afghan (Pathan) tribes occupied the areas
of the Punjab bordering Afghanistan and settled there permanently. Some of the weak minded
Punjabis in this area got converted into Islam, while others fled in front of the Muslim onslaughts
and settled on the northern fringe of the Punjab in a narrow belt running along the foothills of the
Himalays, a region intersectected by mountain streams and deep ravines, difficult for easy
access. They started worshipping goddess Durga and came to be known as ‘Durgras’
(worshippers of Durga), now simply called ‘Dogras’ and are found in the hills of the Punjab in
large numbers.
References

K.S. Duggal: The Sikh people yesterday and today.

Khushwant Singh: A History of the Sikhs Volume 2 : 1839 – 1988.
Romila Thapar: The Penguin History of Early India from origins to AD1300.

Who is a Brahmin?
According to Gurbani:
3. so bRwhmx, jo ibMdy bRhm--Brahmin is the one who knows about Brahma (God) (GGS, P68)
4. khu kbIr jo bRhm bIcwrY so bRwhmx khIAq hY hmwry—Kabir says, “Brahmin is the one who
remembers Brahma” (God) (Ibid, p.324).
Brahmin is the first and foremost caste among the Hindus. Brahmnis are further
subdivided into ten subcastes.
Qualities of a Brahmin
According to Gurbani:
so bRhmxu jo ibMdY bRhmu[ jpu qpu sMjmu kmwvY krmu[[ sIl sMqoK kw rKY Drmu bMDn qoVY hovy mukqu[[ soeI bRhmxu
pUjx jugqu[[So Brahmin jo bindai Brahmu, jap, tap, sanjam kamavai karm i.e, A true Brahmin is
one, who grasps Brahm. Meditation on God and sel-control are his daily routine. His religious
observances are right conduct and humility. He removes the sensual chains that bind the soul. Such
a Brahmin deserves all praise and honour (GGS, p.1411).
Duties of a Brahmin
Duties of a Brahmin consist of reading of Vedas, performing ritual Yajnas for self and
others, giving and accepting charity and defending the right to worship.
Hindus* and Hindustan
The Aryans after their arrival in India gave birth to Vedic Brahminism. Vedic
Brahmanism was also called Varn Ahram Dharma / Sanatan Dharma. The Brahmins named the
first river on the north-west of India as Sindhu and they called the area between it and Jamna
River as Sapt Sindhu (The land of seven rivers). Islamic invasions of the Indian subcontinent
started in the beginning of the 8th century. They called the Aryan Sindhu River simply as ‘Daryae
Sindh’. The Islamic invaders contemptuoulsly called the natives as *Hindu.They changed the
name of the area beyond the Sindh River from Sapt Sindhu to Hidustan. Thereafter, gradually
Brahminism came to be known as Hinduism and its followers came to be called Hindus. Thus

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

names Hindu and Hindustan were given by the Islamic invaders and not by any founder of the so
called Hinduism. Before the beginning of the eighth century, there is no mention of Hindus or
Hinduism or Hindustan in the Indian literature.
* Meaning of Hindu: According to Mahan Kosh (Encyclopaedia Of Sikh literature) by Bhai
Kahan Singh Nabha: The foreigners have used this word (Hindu) for the ancient people who lived in
the vicinity of the Sindh River and called themselves Aryans. Poets of Arabic and Persian languages
have used this word (Hindu) for thief, slave and black.
Hindu according Vishnu Puran
It says: ““Krsnanugrahato labhadawa manave janam bharte, anyasthane brtha janam
nispphlanca gatagatam” (Vishnupurana) i.e; It is exclusive priviledge and grace of God that
enables man to be born a Hindu in the sacred land called, Bharat, that is India; a birth in other lands, no
matter of how excellent a condition and however frequently, is no better than a repetitious frustration
and wearisome waste”. This prevented the Hindus from migrating abroad. The Hindus believe in
ritual pollution (iB~ty jwxw) and purification, and say that man gets polluted by crossing the Kala Paani
i.e; ‘Sea’.

Most obvious characteristics of an ordinary Hindu

Till today no body has been able to define a Hindu, who worships or at least believes in
plurality of gods and believes in Scriptures of Hinduism (Vedas, Shastras, Simrities and Purans
etc), Varn wand ie; ‘caste system’, ritualism, idolatry, ascetism, celibacy, accepts Brahmanical
supremacy, Sanskrit as religious language and physical appearance through Hajamat, Dhoti, topi,
langoti, choti, Tilak and Janeu. He does not eat beef. He looks upon the cow as a sacred and not
merely as an economically useful or indispensable animal.

Sikhs are not Hindus

Guru Arjan Dev clearly declared the independent position of Sikhism by
writing in the Aad Granth (Guru Granth Sahib), in Rag Bhairon, on page 1136 that:

“I do not keep the Hindu fast (vrat) or observe the Muslim Ramzan,
I serve only the One Supreme Being who alone is my refuge,
I serve the One Master who ministers justice to both Hindus and Muslims,
I have broken with the Hindus and Muslims,
I neither worship with the Hindu nor like the Muslim go to Mecca,
I serve Him alone and no other,
I do not pray to idols nor say the Muslim prayer
Taking the formless One in my mind I make obeisance there to the Supreme Being, for we are
neither Hindus nor Mussalman”.
Qazi Noor Mohammad, who came with Abdali, during his seventh invasion of India in
the eighteenth century, wrote that Sikhs were not Hindus and that the new religion which was distinct
from Hinduism had been created by Guru Nanak (Qazi Noor Mohammad, Jang Namah, Ed by Ganda Singh,
Amritsar, 1939, (English translation) PP58-59). Further there are orders of Mughal Emperors and Governors in
the eighteenth century, which state that ‘Nanak Panthis’ should be eliminated and that rewards would
be given for their destruction. Within two years and a quarter of the death of Guru Gobind Singh in
October 1708, the infuriated emperor issued on December10, 1710, an edict for a wholesale massacre
of the Sikhs wherever found, “Nanak prastan ra har ga kih bayaband ba qatal rasanand” (Akhbarat-i-
Darbar-i-Mualla).This shows that there was only one entity, namely the ‘Nanak Panthis’ i.e, Sikhs,
whom the rulers of the day considered to be the opponents worth liquidation. No where the order is

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confined to Amritdharis, Singhs, or Khalsas, In fact, these terms are not mentioned in related official
records. This clearly shows that making distinction of ideology or faith as between Nanak Panthis, on
the one hand, and Sikhs, Khalsa, Amritdahris, Singhs on the other, is a recent contrivance, unknown to
the insiders, outsiders or the adversaries of the Sikhs, before the nineteenth century. The confusion has
arisen, because in the nineteenth century during the rule of Ranjit Singh when Sikh star was ascendant,
many fair-weather friends entered the Sikh fold. The same thing was repeated after the suppression of
the mutiny in 1857 by the British and the Sikhs became their favourites. Again these fair-weather
friends embraced Sikhism in large numbers during the Singh Sabha period in order to enjoy the
benefits available to the Sikhs under the British rule. During all these periods, becoming a Sikh only
meant gaining prestige and benefits without any risk of liquidation as in the earlier century, and it is
they who revertred to Hinduism after annexation of Punjab and then after the independence of India.
Some of these neoconverts have been holding the ship of Sikhism with their hands but kept their feet
firmly stuck in the boat of Hinduism i.e, they believe in Guru Granth Sahib, but continue to observe
Brahmnaical practices, caste, rituals, rites, ceremonies etc. Instead of following the Sikh ‘Rehat
maryada’ they try to Hinduise Sikhism by introducing Bipran kee reet (Brahmanical practices like
mentioning caste with their names, observe rituals and rites etc) into Sikhism.
In 1905 A.D, an international decision came in favour of the Sikhs when King Abdur
Rehman of Afghanistan dismissed an appeal by Hindus for keeping idols in Gurdwara Guru Har Rai in
Kabul. He made clear distinction between idol worshipper Hindus and the Sikhs: “Followers of Baba
Nanak who was one of the greatest Unitarians and was opposed to idol worship”. Recent
anthropological and Genographic studies have revealed that the Sikhs of the Punjab are a distict ethnic
people.
Sikh identity and the Hindu Muslim hostility towards Sikhs and Sikhism
It is very well known that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism was born in a Hindu
Khatri family, but he refused to accept the sacraments / marks of Hinduism and Hindu way of
worshiping the idols, and practice Hindu caste system which forms the bed rock of Hinduism. He
denounced all this in strongest terms. He emphatically declared, “There is neither any Hindu nor
any Muslim, we all are all children of the same one father (God)”. First four Sikh Gurus were born
in Hindu Khatri families, but the fifth Guru, Arjan was a born Sikh of Sikh parents and he declared
the separate existence of Sikhism by writing it in the holy Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, in
Rag Bhairon, on page 1136:
“I do not keep the Hindu fast (Vart) or observe the Muslim Ramzan,
I serve only the One Supreme Being who alone is my refuge,
Serve the One Master who minister justice to both Hindus and Muslims,
I have broken with the Hindus and the Muslims,
I neither worship with the Hindu nor like the Muslim go to Mecca,
I serve Him alone and no other,
I do not pray to idols nor say the Muslim prayer,
Taking the formless One in my mind I make obeisance there to the Supreme Being, for we are
neither Hindus nor Musalman”.
Guru Arjan created the holy Sikh Scripture (Aad Granth, now Guru Granth Sahib),
the world seat of Sikhism (Gurdwara Darbar Sahib / Golden Temple) in 1604 A.D and installed it in
the building which he had already completed in the midst of Sarovar at Amritsar; there by
establishing separate religious identity of Sikhism. Till then the spread of Sikhism had been carried
out through the word of mouth by the Sikh Gurus and it had no separate religious existence distinct
from Hinduism and Islam.

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Because of its principles, Sikhism was acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims. The
erosion of their faiths surprised the religious leaders of both Hinduism (Brahmans / Pandits) and
those of Islam (Mullas / Qazis). They regarded Sikhism as threat to their respective faiths. The
Muslim administration, in addition, perceived it threat to its political power. The tensions that
followed between the Sikhs, Hindus and the Muslim government resulted in the execution of Guru
Arjan at Lahore on June 05, 1606 A.D.
Hargobind son of Guru Arjan succeeded him as the sixth Guru of the Sikhs. His career
marks a turning point in the Sikh history. Seeing how peaceful resistance to oppression had proved
abortive, he took the seat of his father with two swords girded round his waist one symbolizing
spiritual power and the other temporal authority. At that time the Hindus were forbidden to wear a
turban, ride a horse, to sit on a raised platform or seat and to keep weapons. In an open defiance of
the imperial policy Guru Hargobind wore turban with a crown and made it compulsory part of the
Sikh dress. He asked his followers to present him with young men, good horses and weapons. He
encouraged martial activity among his followers, exhorting them to learn horsemanship and the use
of arms. As a part of his new policy he founded Akal Takhat the Supreme Sikh seat of temporal
authority of Sikhism, opposite Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, as counterpart
to the imperial Delhi Throne. He held his court there, received envoys, settled disputes and
administered justice. He built a fort in Amritsar and named it ‘Lohgarh’.
The Governor of Lahore sent reports to Emperor Jahangir, in Delhi, regarding his
activities. Guru Hargobind was summoned to Agra by the emperor. He presented himself in the
imperial court, where he was taken into custody and sent to Gwalior fort as a prisoner, where
political prisoners were kept. After the detention of Guru Hargobind, Jahangir became a bit
mentally disturbed and used to have very frightening dreams. Noor Jahan (who was a follower of
Hazrat Sain Mian Mir) prevailed upon her husband to release Guru Hargobind, which might help
him cure his mental sickness. Guru Hargobind successfully secured release of fifty two Hindu Rajas
from the emperor along with him. Guru Hargobind left the Gwalior fort on October 26, 1619. Guru
Hargobind reached Agra, Jahangir and Guru Hargobind befriended each other, but the provincial
government at Lahore continued to maintain hostile attitude towards him.

The Exodus
The Mina Khatris (Pirthi Chand elder brother of Guru Arjan and his progeny, the rival
claimants to Guruship), caste Hindus i.e Brahmins and the provincial Muslim officials of Lahore
government, forged an alliance to liquidate Guru Hargobind. The provincial Muslim forces under
the governor at Lahore attacked Guru Hargobind and made four armed attempts at various places in
the Punjab to capture or kill him, but were defeated by the Sikhs in all the encounters. After the
fourth battle in 1635 A.D, at Kartarpur in Bist Doab, Guru Hargobind shifted his headquarter from
Amritsar to Kiratpur in the Shivalik foot hills. This area lay outside the jurisdiction of the province
of Lahore and was under the direct control of the emperor of Delhi, who at that time had cordial
relations with Guru Hargobind.

Infiltration of Brahmanical forces into Sikhism

After the expulsion of Guru Hargobind from Amritsar, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden
Temple) and Akal Takhat came under the control of Mina Khatris—(Pirthi Chand and his progeny,
who were Sikh in appearance, but Hindu at heart and antagonistic to Sikh thought) and remained
under their control for about six decades till 1699 A.D. During this period of occupation they in
collaboration with the caste Hindus i.e, Brahmins introduced not only un-Sikh, but even anti-Sikh
practices in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and Akal Takhat Amritsar. They created havoc with Sikh

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ideology and made several interpolations in the theology, philosophy and history of Sikhism and the
Sikhs. They also created their own Granth and placed it in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in place of Aad
Granth of Guru Arjan, which was carried away by Dhirmal, grand son of Guru Hargobind Sahib to
Kartarpur in Bist Doab, which is still in the possession of the family of Sodhis there. They also
created Janam Sakhi-biography (Meharban Janam Sakhi) of Guru Nanak and in the process
reducing him to an avatar with in the pantheonism of Hinduism.
Sikhism developed, matured and became established to work its way in the world
at the end of two centuries under the guidance of its ten Gurus. It was formally consecrated by its
tenth Guru Gobind Singh on the Vaisakhi day 1699 A.D; at Anandpur Sahib in the Shivalik foot-
hills in the Punjab, through his Sikh initiation ceremony--Amritpaan by administering Khanday
Baatay dee Pahul (Amrit). On this day he prescribed the religious code of conduct for the Sikhs.The
Minas at Amritsar, because of their Sikh connection were persecuted by the provincial Muslim
Government at Lahore, who did not need them any more. They left Amritsar crossed River Satluj
and settled in the sandy desert area of the Punjab in the Malwa region and founded a new town
there, which they named, Guru Har Sahai. In the middle of June 1699 Guru Gobind Singh sent
Bhai Mani Singh along with a Jatha of the Sikhs, who took possession of the shrine, Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar and resumed the daily Maryada (Sikh religious service)
there.
Guru Gobind Singh left this mortal world in 1708 A.D. Before departing from this
mortal world shortly after midnight between October 7&8, 1708, Guru Gobind Singh told the Sikhs
that, the community in its organized form of Panth was to guide itself by the teachings of the Gurus
as enshrined in the Holy Granth and also the collective sense of the community. In this way he
passed the spiritual authority of the Sikhs to the Holy Sikh Scripture, “Aad Granth” and called it
“Guru Granth”. He vested the temporal authority of the Sikhs with the Khalsa and called it “Guru
Khalsa Panth”, who could neither be killed nor eliminated.
The Sikhs declared the war of independence of the Sikh nation in 1709 A.D;
under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur (1708-1715) and occupied vast areas of the Punjab
between Delhi and Lahore, destroyed Sarhind, killed its governor Wazid Khan, who was resposible
for slaughtering Guru Gobind Singh’s younger sons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, established
Sikh rule in the Punjab and appointed Sardar Baj Singh as governor at Sarhind. Banda Singh was
captured alive and executed in Delhi on June 9, 1716 A.D.
After the death of Banda Singh, the Muslim government of Hindustan vowed to
exterminate the Sikh nation from the face of the earth. The Sikhs left their homes and hearths, took
refuge in the jugles and the mountain caves of the Punjab and the desert area of the Punjab
adjoining Rajputana. Moghul rulers and their Hindu collaborators perpetrated atrocities on the Sikhs
and their families. For many years just being a Sikh was a crime punishable with death, but the
Sikhs refused to submit and continued their struggle for survival and independence.
After a hard gruesome and determined struggle of about fifty years, the Sikhs over
came all oppression, destroyed the Muslim rule and domination in their homeland by 1765; and
earned a place under the sun as sovereigns of Punjab and established small confedracies in the form
of Misals throughout the length and breadth of the Punjab between Afghanistan in the west and
Jamna (Yamuna) river (upto Delhi) in the east, Korakoram mountain range in the north and plains
of Sindh in the south. In 1799, all the Sikh Misals on the western side of the river Satluj
consolidated themselves under the leadership of Ranjit Singh and formally established Sikh
Kingdom based on Sikh traditions, values and principles under the supremacy of Akal Takhat
Amritsar. The Sikhs of the Malwa region led by Ala Singh dissociated themselves from the main

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stream Sikhism. They refused to accept the supremacy of Akaal Takhat and follow the Khalsa
traditions including Sarbat Khalsa.
During the days of the persecution of the Khalsa (Sikhs) in the first and second
quarters of the 18th century, when the Khalsa had escaped into jungles, deserts and caves etc, the
Sikh shrines (Gurdwaras) came under the control of the clean shaven Udasi Khatri Sadhus
followers of Sri Chand son of Guru Nanak Dev. Because of their being clean shaven and having
Hindu looks they were not targeted by the Muslim rulers. They introduced not only un-Sikh but
even anti-Sikh practices into Gurdwarars and tried their best to Hinduise Sikhism.
The Sikhs overcame all oppression around 1765 AD; destroyed the Muslim rule and
domination in their motherland and established their own rule in Punjab. They established small
principalties called Misals. They consolidated their position under the leadership of Ranjit Singh
and established Sikh State 1799 AD, which became most powerful State in Asia. The Sikh
government was called ‘Sarkare Khalsa’. People were given employment in the Sikh State on merit
irrespective of the religion. The opportunists among the Hindus embraced Sikhism, rose to high
positions and treacherously aligned with the British and brought down the Sikh government in 1848
A.D. The Udasis during the period of Sikh rule grew hair and became Sikh in appearance, but
remained Hindu at heart.They designated themselves as Mahants. During the Sikh rule in the
Punjab huge properties were given in grant to the historical Sikh shrines. The Sikhs lost their rule in
1849, when their kingdom was annexed by the British. These were patronized by the British rulers
of the Punjab for political reasons.
The rulers of the Cis Satluj Sikh states i.e Malwa region of the Punjab went under the
British protection in 1809 A.D; the learned Brahmins from Benaras crossed Jamna River in the garb
of Nirmala Sikhs and settled in the Malwa region of the Punjab. They were patronized there by the
rulers of the Sikh princely states there. These learned Brahmins in the garb of Nirmala / Udasi
Sikhs, called themselves, ‘Sant Babas’ built their own Gurdwaras, which were called ‘Sant Deras’.
They interpreted the Sikh Scriptures according to the Vedantic philosophy and preached and
propagated Hindu practices in the Sikh places of worship in order to Hinduise Sikhism. They also
produced a large amount of literature in this regard, which is presently being used to damage
Sikhism.
Because of their Hindu background both the Udasi and Nirmala sadhus introduced
Hindu practices and rituals in Gurdwaras, which were not only un-Sikh, but even anti-Sikh. They
also made several interpolations in the Sikh literature. They misused the names of several Sikh
personages to corroborate these myths and gave it credence. They demonstrated that these ritualistic
practices had been initiated at the behest of Guru Gobind Singh and issued these in the form of
instructions called Rehatnamas (Code of conduct). Before this phase of issuing Rehatnamas, this
sort of theological crisis had crept up during the time of Guru Arjan Dev when attempts were made
to induct fictitious verses (Bani) in the verses of the Sikh Gurus. But Guru Arjan Dev resolved the
crisis by compiling the text of Guru Granth Sahib. The Rehatnamas are replete with anti-Gurmat
views. All of these seem to have been composed towards the end of eighteenth century. The writers
of these commandments have cleverly omitted their own name and replaced these by names of
scholars and great Sikh-personalities who have been contemporaries of the tenth Guru. Thus
falcification was done by certain cunning people who tried to support their views by attributing
them to the Gurus.
The Sikh Gurus had disapproved and condemned both Brahmanism and its ritualistic
practices. Their crusade was not against Brahmins but against the ideology of Brahminism. They
never visualized that a new breed of Sikh Brahminical priests should replace an existing class of
Hindu Brahmanical priests.

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The decay of Sikhism had, infact, started during the rise of Dogra-Khatris (Dhian
Singh, Gulab Singh, Suchet Singh and Hira Singh) and Brahmins (Khushal Singh, Tej Singh and
Lal Singh) at the Sikh court in the days of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. They were all saboteurs,
opportunist, neoconverts into Sikhism. They came to control the whole civil government. With
them had once again, came the worship of stones, idols and tombs. Towards the close of the 19th
cenrutry, the Sikhism had actually become much Hinduized. Brahmins had actually pushed idols
into the holy precints of a number of Sikh shrines, where, in apparent contradictions to the spirit of
Sikhism, idol worship was being practiced. There sprang a number of persons from the descendents
of the Gurus who posed themselves as Gurus, and arrogated to themselves the position and
privileges to which they laid claims as self-appointed successors of Guru Nanak—Guru Gobind
Singh. They also reintroduced various Brahmanical rituals and ceremonials, like worship of idols
and relics, rites connected with birth, marraige and death, and pilgrimages to Hardawar and other
Hindu places etc; from all of which the Guru had weaned or liberated the Sikhs. A relapse of into
Hinduism was thus in progress. The Sikh Kingdom was annexed by the British in 1849, after many
bloody battles. The Sikhs lost due to the treachery of the civil government dominated by neoconvert
Hindus into Sikhism and not due to any lack of bravery on the part of the Sikh army.

Birth of Singh Sabha

&
Social separation of the Sikhs and Hindus
After the annexation of the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab by the British in 1849, the
relationship between the Muslims, Hindus and the Sikhs underwent complete change. With Muslim
threat gone, the external factors that kept Hindus and Sikhs together disappeared. They had to
redefine their relationships. After its annexation the Sikh kingdom of the Punjab was dismantled,
reorganized and merged with rest of the Britsh India. The Hindus of the Punjab came into contact
with well educated members of their respective communities from rest of the Hindustan (India),
which had been already under the British rule for almost over more than one hundred years and
were more enlightened with modern education and knowledge, whereas the Sikhs of the British
Punjab had none to fall back upon. The ownership of the Gurdwaras had fallen into the hands of the
cleanshaven Udasi Khatri Sadhus, during the days of the persecution of the Sikhs by the Moghul
Muslim Government, who were at first patronized by Sarkare Khalsa and then by the British. The
Sikhs during their rule in the Punjab remained busy with expanding and securing the boundries of
their nascent kingdom and did not take any steps to assert their religious identity through the ‘Sikh
Rehat’ (Sikh religious code of conduct) distinct from Hindu practices.
The Christian missionaries were firmly entrenched in Ludhiana. They established their
centers in the Sikh heart-land Majha at Amritsar, Lahore, Batala, Dhariwal and the hills of the
Punjab at Shimla and Dalhousie etc and were seeking conversion into Christianity.
Another thing that shook the Sikhs at that time was a series of carping lectures on the
Sikh faith and the narration of Guru Nanak Dev’s life in deliberately garbled detail by one Brahman
named, Sharda Ram Phillauri. In these lectures delivered by him at Guru Ka Bagh in Amritsar he
made vulgar attacks on Sikh Gurus and Sikh scriptures, and ridiculed the Sikh community.
After the loss of Sikh power in the Punjab, the Brahmins from Benaras crossed river
Jamna (Yamuna) in the garb of Nirmala and Udasi sadhus / saints, in Sikh appearance and settled in
the Malwa region of the Punjab. They were patronized by the Phoolkia Malwaee rulers in this
region at the behest of the British, with whom they had entered into a treaty for protection against
the Sikh State (Khalsa Raj) of the Punjab during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in1809. These
Nirmala and Udasi Sadhus were in Sikh garb but Hindu at heart and antagonistic to Sikh thought

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and doctrines. They produced Sikh literature inorder to Hinduize Sikhism and made several
interpolations in the Sikh theology, philosophy and history and are presently using that literature to
misguide the Sikhs and others in India and internationally.
Naturally enough, such inroads and attacks aroused strong feelings among the
Sikhs. Sardar Thakur Singh Sandhanwalia an uncle of the deposed Maharja Dalip Singh took the
initiative and called a meeing of prominent Sikh leaders of the Punjab in Guru Ka Bagh Amritsar to
consider this matter. The meeting resulted in the formation of the Sikh society, which was named,
‘Singh Sabha’ in 1873, with Sardar Thakur Singh Sandhawalia as president. That marked the birth
of Singh Sabha movement. Unfortunately the Sikh society came to be dominated by persons who
called themselves, Sanatan Sikhs (literally: ancient Sikhs). They were mostly of urban origion and
belonged to the trading community of Khatri Hindus.These Sanatan Sikhs although believed in
Guru Granth Sahib, but observed caste, personal Guruship, idol worship and other Hindu rites,
rituals and practices. They were led by Baba Khem Singh Bedi, a direct descent of Guru Nanak and
had their head-quarters at Amritsar. In the programme they devised, particular emphasis was laid on
the promotion of periodicals and other literature on Sikhism, but failed to address the question of
crystallizing a distinct Sikh Rehat and establish a separate identity distinct from Hindus, which
concerned the major portion of the Sikh Panth in Punjab.
In 1877 a Gujrati Brahmin, named Dayanand who called himself Sawami came to
Punjab and opened a branch of his newly founded Hindu sect called Arya Samaj in Lahore. He
cleverly contended that the Sikhs are a sect of Hinduism and Sikhism was not a separate religion.
He attacked the Sikh Scriptures vehemently, ridiculed the Sikh Gurus and the Punjabi language.
The Khalsa Sikhs disagreed with the actions of Amritsar Singh Sabha therefore they
dissociated themselves from the parent body and formed a parallel Singh Sabha in Lahore in1879,
under the leadership of Professor Gurmukh Singh, Harsa Singh, Jawahar Singh and Giani Ditt
Singh and it was patronized by persons like Kanwar Bikram Singh Kapurthala and Sardar Attar
Singh Bhadaur. The Singh Sabha Lahore proved to be more aggressive. As it was a revivalist
movement and sought only to revive Sikhism of Guru period without making any deviations, it
instantly caught the imagination of the Sikhs in general and attracted the attention of Sikh
aristocrats, intellectuals and scholars in particular. Among them the names of Bhai Kahn Singh
Nabha (author of encyclopaedia of Sikh literature, doctrine and history), Bhai Vir Singh and Vaid
Mohan Singh Tarn Taran are worth mentioning.
The movement grew rapidly and within a short span of time Singh Sabhas sprang up
in all cities, towns and most of the villages of the Punjab, setting up a network of schools with a
common appelation’ Khalsa’ thoughout the length and breath of of the Punjab where study of Guru
Granth Sahib and Gurmukhi were compulsory. It did not indulge into politics, but instead sought
co-operation and involved the Punjab government in its educational activities. It established the
Premier Sikh Institution Khalsa College Amritsar for higher education in 1892. Singh Sabha not
only checked the relapse of the Sikhs into Hinduism but retaliated by carrying proselytizing
activities into the Hindu camp. Large numbers of Hindus of Northern and North Western Punjab
became Sikhs especially in urban areas. This however, brought Professor Gurmukh Singh
incharge of the movement in conflict with the Mahants (Pujaris--Priests) of Gurdwaras. As the
Gurdwaras were in possession of the Mahants who believed in Hindu practices, they stopped
allowing the revivalist Sikhs to perform religious services there. The Singh Sabhas constructed
their own Gurdwaras, with Granthis, Ragis and Updeshaks and became centers of Sikh
revivalism.

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Singh Sabha movement taught the Sikhs three things: Firstly, they were not
Hindus, secondly, the Khalsa membership should be the objective of all Sikhs and thirdly
obedience to the Sikh religious code of conduct (Sikh Rahat Maryada).
Achievements of Singh Sabha:
(a) It brought religious awakening among the Sikhs and laid the foundation of social
separation of the Sikhs from Hindus, which was completed by them under Chief Khalsa
Diwan, Sharromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and The Sharomani Akali
Dal. The Sikhs crystallized their distinct Rehat Maryada (Sikh relogious code of conduct
based on the canon of Sikh faith), which was published in a booklet form by SGPC in
1945.
(b) It started first Punjabi press in Lahore and published first Punjabi paper in Gurmukhi—
Khalsa Akhbar, whose editor was Giani Ditt Singh.
(c) It got Punjabi in Gurmukhi script recognized as a subject for teaching in schools, colleges
and university.
(d) It established Khalsa College Amritsar in 1892. It also opened a number of Khalsa
Schools throughout the length and breadth of the Punjab.
(e) In 1905, it forced Auroor Singh, manager of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple)
Amritsar to remove the statues of Hindu deities from Prikarma under legal orders.
(f) It propagated Anand Marriage among the Sikhs.
Singh Sabha movement brought about socio-religious awakening among the
Sikhs by raising Khalsa educational institutions, publishing news papers, books and journals
on Sikhism and Sikh history and promoting the Punjabi language in Gurmukhi script, which
was considered to be a vehicle of progress for the community and the country. The news
papers, journals and books, were published in Punjabi, Urdu and English on weekly,
fortnightly, on monthly basis, and as bulletins or supplements. The Sikh journalism of the
first two decades of the twentieth century brought about political resurgence and collective
consciousness of Panth. It also brought about awareness among the Sikhs to maintain their
religious symbols and manage their own socioreligious institutions. Singh Sabha was totally
committed to educational and religious matters of the Sikhs and Sikhism and paid no heed to
politics.
It is a well known fact that the Hindus are highly intolerant of the non-confirming
faiths, there have been persistent attempts on their part to over turn the Sikh history, theology and
philosophy after the Sikhs lost their rule. Before the decolonization of the Indian subcontinent
(Hidustan) in 1947 AD; and the division, destruction and denial of their state back to the Sikhs by
the British, they (Sikhs) for the first time in history came under the tulelage of a reviving Hinduism.
Immediately after gaining independence the Government of India dominated by radical Hindus
undertook the task of distorting of the Sikh history, theology and undermining of Sikhism and even
declaring Sikhism a sect of Hinduism. The Brahmins / Sanatani Hindus in the garb of Sikhs called
Sant Babas who had been patronized firstly by the Phoolkia rulers in the Malwa region and then
encouraged by the British officials spread all over the country and even abroad. They have now
been patronized by the Indian government dominted by radical Hindus. They have established their
own Gurdwaras called Sant Deras, both in India and abroad, independent of main stream followers
of Sikhism. These Sant Babas in Sikh garb are preaching, propagating and practicing Hindu rituals
and ceremonies etc against the tenets of Sikhism (Gurmat), among the ignorant Sikhs and trying
their utmost to Hinduize Sikhism.

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Legal separation of the Sikhs and Hindus

The Sikhs finally adopted recourse for their legal separation from the Hindus:
 In 1905 Auroor Singh the manager of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) Amritsar
was forced by the revivalist Sikhs through court orders to remove all Hindu idols from
the precints of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), which the Hindus had installed
there and used to worship them after bath at the Amritsarovar, thereby putting an end to
the performance of Hindu rituals in that area. The Hindus in Amritsar did not possess any
common land in Amritsar except for the cremation ground, therefore they took away the
idols and installed them there over a platform inside a small room and named it Seetla
Mandir, which was subsequently expanded and is now known as Durgiana mandir.
 In 1905 A.D, an international decision came in fovour of the Sikhs, when King Abdur
Rehman Khan of Afghanistan dismissed an appeal by Hindus for keeping idols in
Gurdwara Guru Har Rai in Kabul. He made clear distinction between idol worshipper
Hindus and the Sikhs,-- “Followers of Baba Nanak who was one of the greatest
Unitarians and was opposed to idol worship”.
 Sikh educational conference was established in 1908 A.D, which was instrumental in
opening numerous Khalsa (Sikh) schools in towns and villages of the Punjab and even
outside Punjab. It did a lot for the growth of literacy in the community.
 Enactment of Sikh marriage Act in 1909 A.D:
To establish the validity of distinct Sikh cermonies and remove the legal objections
raised by judicial officials in civil courts, Prince Ripudaman Singh of Nabha, on behalf of the
Sikhs prepared the draft of Anand marriage Act, which was presented by Sardar Sunder Singh
Majithia before the Punjab Legislative Concil, and was passed after discussion. It became an Act
on October 22, 1909A.D inspite opposition of the Arya Samaji Hindus, Santani Sikhs, Mahants
and Pujaris.
 Getting of Kirpan (Sword) legal
As a result of assertions of the Sikhs, the Punjab Government exempted Kirpan from
within the perview of the Arms Act in 1914. Wearing of Kirpan was allowed to cover other parts
of British India in 1917 and the Sikh soldiers in 1920.
 Getting Jhatka meat (Sikh way of slaughtering animals for meat) legalized:
The religious boundry marking involved fixing the proper method of animal slaughter.
Muslims upto late 19th century were major puveyors of meat in Punjab. They slaughtered
animals by Halal (Kosher) method, which requires that the throat be slit and blood drained while
the animal is still alive. According to meat eating Singh’s (Sikhs), the proper method was Jhatka
slaughter, in which the animal’s head is chopped by a single sword stroke. Under the revivalist
Singh’s this tradition emerged as an important definition of identity. The British officials
recognized this as a potential issue for Muslim Sikh conflict in Punjab and started granting
licences for Jhatka meat shops in Sikh dominated areas.
 Separate Sikh electrolate:
The Montague-Chelmsford committee on Indian Constitutional reforms in July
1918 accepted the Sikh demand for separate representation in the process giving an effective
recognition to their independent political identity. The franchise committee conceded, ‘a
separate electrolate and separate constituencies for Sikhs’. This established an independent
political entity of the Sikhs. Provincial autonomy was introduced by the British in Punjab in
1935 under which elections were held in 1937 after Montague-Chelmsford reforms. The
total 175 seats of Punjab legislative assembly were communally divided among the Muslims,
Hindus and the Sikhs.

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 By establishing Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC):

The Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925 placed the entire control and management of
all historical Sikh shrines under the elected body of the Sikhs, SGPC. The Act accentuated a
legalized “separate entity of the Sikh and Hindu shrines”. The intervention of the Hindus through
Mahants and Pujaris in the Gurdwars was legally put to an end. The bill defined a Sikh who
made declaration, “I solemnly affirm that I am a Sikh, that I believe in Guru Granth Sahib, the
ten Gurus and I have no other religion” Hence in the process the Sikhs clarified and delimited
their own religious and distinct cultural identity. The parameters of distinct cultural identity of
the Sikhs were laid down by way of defining Sikhism as distinct religion, which did not have
philosophical and historical links with Hinduism. “Sikh Rehat Matyada” (Sikh religious code of
conduct) was evolved on the basis of monotheism and Khalsa traditions.
To summarize in early twentieth century, the Sikhs could legally and
legitimately claim to have their distinct religion, language, history, historical shrines, a large
number of educational institutions and press. Guru Granth Sahib and Khalsa traditions occupied
the central position on the pattern of ceremonies, customs and Rehat. Thus in the process the
Sikhs clarified, refined and delimited their own religious identity.
The SGPC became a sort of of Parliament of the Sikhs. The income from
Gurdwaras gave it financial sustenance. Disbursement of income in the management of shrines,
patronage in the appointment of hundereds of Granthis, sewadars (shrine servant), teachers for
schools and colleges which were built, arrangements for training of Granthis for the missionary
activity outside Punjab, all made SGPC a government within the government.
After its constitution the SGPC constituted a religious committee at Akal Takhat
Amritsar, which finalized the draft of “The Sikh Rahat Maryada” (The Sikh religious code of
conduct), which was published in a booklet form in 1945 A.D, by the Sharomani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee Amritsar for compliance by the Sikh nation.
 By adopting separate Sikh Calendar: On the eve of 300th year anniversary of the
birthday of the Khalsa in 1999 A.D, the SGPC discarded the Lunar Hindu Bikrami
Calendar and adopted its own Nanak Shahi Calendar based on the length of tropical
(solar) year.

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Chapter 2

The Hindu caste system and its rejection in Sikhism

The term Jaati (caste) is Indian in origion and its mention for the first time is found in the
Aryan scripture Rig Veda. It came into practice after the arrival of Aryans in India and the creation of
‘Vedas’. It describes the origion of the four Varnas, or the caste groups, through the symbolic sacrifice
of Purusha, the Primeval Man, from whose head rose the Brahmins, from arms the Kashatriyas, from
thighs the Vaishyas and from his feet the Shudras.
To begin with the term was applied to various professional groups, but gradually it became
hereditary. In Brahminism now called Hinduism the term jaati is applied to social groups, which rank
in a hierarchic order within which there is a minimal of social mobility. It refers to the division of
Indian society. Its use in the Indian society became extensively prevalent during the time of Manu, the
Hindu law-giver, when he wrote his Manu Simriti. According to the holy Sikh Scipture, ‘Guru Granth
Sahib’: “byd kI puqRI isMimRiq BweI[[ swNkl jyvrI lY hY AweI”—Bed kee putree simriti bhai sankal jevree lai
hai aaee ie; “Simriti is the daughter of the Vedas, she has brought chain and rope for men” (GGS, p
329). The caste system has been rightly described as Brahmanical Hinduism, for it was the Brahmins
who moulded this pattern of social order to suite their own ends.
The caste system forms the bedrock of the Brahmanical religion i.e, ‘Varn
Ashram Dahrma’ also known as Sanatan Dharma and now called Hinduism. Varn means
caste (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishiya and Shudra) and Ashram means stages (of life)-- (Brahm
charya ashram, Grahist ashram, Sanyas ashram and Vaanprast ashram). The people who were
engaged in the professions of scavenging, cremations and allied professions were kept out of the pale
of the caste system and were called Chandaal / Ashoot (untouchables). Brahmins, the interpretors of
the tradition are to be found in all locations literally every village, certainly at every point of
dispensation of power. They exercise their dominance through rules, rituals and rigmarole. They
propagated their own doctrine saying, “syvIAY ibpR igAwn gux ivhUxw[[ sUdr nw syvIAY igAwn gux prbInw[[
i.e, The Brahmin should be worshipped even if he is devoid of any knowledge or merits / virtues. A
Shudra should be shunned even if he is full of knowledge and merits / virtues”. The Shudras were
neither entitled to education nor could become rich, because a Shudra who makes money is distressing
to the Brahman.
The caste system prevented development of a society based on values of human
freedom and equality for common class interests. Guru Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikhism at the
fag end of the 15th century. He stepped beyond the frontier in defiance of the 3000 years old caste rules
of Hinduism. He attacked directly on caste system, “PkV jwqI PkVu nwau[[ sBnw jIAw iekw Cwau[[--
Phakar jaatee phakar naao sabhna jeeaa ika chhaao i.e False is the distinction of caste and status.Every
body has equal protection of God” (GGS, p.83). He rejected distinction between men on the basis of
birth and caste. He emphasized the idea of botherhood and equality. He further clarified that individual
could achieve a higher status by practicing righteous behaviour. It did not matter which caste or
economic status he came from. He stressed upon the achievement of status by a person on the basis of
his deeds, “jwiq jnmu nh pUCIAY sc Gru lyhu bqwie[[ sw jwiq sw piq hY jyhy krm kmwie[[ jaat janam
nah poochheeai sach ghar leho bta-ay. Sa jaat sa pat hai jehay karam kama-ay. i.e; The Lord does
not ask the mortals caste and birth in His True Home, only actions performed are taken into
consideration (GGS, p. 1330). He declared, “Oneness of God and one-ness of man—eyk ipqw eyks ky
hm bwirk”. He associated himself with the weaker sections of the society, “nIcw AMdr nIc jwiq nIcw hUM

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

Aiq nIc nwnk aun ky swQ sMg vifAw isau ikAw rIq[[--Neechaan under neech jaat neechaan hoon at
neech. Nanak un ke saath sang wadiaan sion kia reet i.e, “Nanak seeks the company of those, who are
low caste among the low, infact, the lowest of the low and has no desire to compete with the high”
(GGS, p.15). His mission was carried forwards by his nine successors. Sikh Gurus powerfully attacked
the Hindu caste system and successfully disengaged their followers from it. Sikhism became
established at the end of about two centuries to work its way in the world, when it was formally
consecrated by the 10th Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh through Sikh baptismal ceremony-Khanday
batay Dee Pahul, on the Vaisakhi day, 1699AD; at Anandpur Sahib in the Punjab. On this day he
declared caste a taboo in the order of the Khalsa (Initiated--Baptized) Sikhs / Sikhism. The theory
of separate duties for different castes was replaced by the same ethical and religious duties for all.
Therefore, the fundamental equality of all men was ensured by free and voluntary admission into
the order of the Khalsa / Sikhism.
Sikhism believes in universal brotherhood, egalitarian society and anti-casteism is one of
its basic distinguishing features. The Holy Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib is opposed to any
discrimination in human society. It stongly condemns the age old caste system, the social classification
in Hindu society, and the disdain for the poor who were called Shudras and ashoots. Guru Nanak
found faults with that ideology saying:
 “kQw khwxI byNdI AwxI pwpu puMnu bIcwru[[ dy dy lYxw lY lY dyxw nrk surg Avqwr[[ auqm miDm jwqI
ijnsI Brim BvY sMswru[[-Katha kahanee Bedi aanee paap pun beechaar. De de laina lai lai
dena narak surag avatar. Utam madham jaatee jinsee bharm bhavai sansaaar i.e, “The Vedas
have brought forth legends and tales and they expound sin and virtue. What one gives gratis, he
receives and what he receives gratis, he gives. According to their deeds they are born in hell or
heaven. The world caught in delusion strays in doubt of high and low, castes and classes”. The
Vedas make a wrong distinction of caste (GGS,p.1243).
 jwiq kw grub n krIAhu koeI[[ bRhm ibMdy so bRwhmx hoeI[[--Jaat ka garb na kareeah koee braham
binday so Brahman hoee i.e; No one should be proud of his caste. He alone is Brahman who
knows his God (GGS, p.1127).
 “eyku ipqw eyks ky hm bwirk qU myrw gur hweI[[-Ek pita ekas ke ham barik toon mera
gurhaaee” i.e; The One Lord is the father of all and we are children of the One Lord .
Thou O Lord, art our Guru—care taker” (GGS, p.61 1).

 “jwxhu joiq n pUChu jwqI AwgY jwiq n hY[[-Jano joti, na poochhohjaati, aagay jati na haiy—
i.e, “Know that Divine Light is within all, do not inquire the caste. There is no caste in
the next world.” (Ibid, Asa Ml, p.349).

 “AwgY jwiq rUpu n jwie[[ qyhw hovY jyhy krm kmwie[[-Aagay, jaati roop na ja-ay, teha hovay,
jehay karam kama-ay—i. e, ‘Hereafter caste and beauty does not go with man. As are
the deeds done by a person, so shall he be judged there” (Ibid, Asa M3, p.363).
Guru Nanak dissociated caste from birth and said that the caste of a person should be
associated with the person’s deeds and not his birth:
 “sw jwiq sw piq hY jyhy krm kmwie[[-Sa Jaat sa pat hai jehay karam kamai”--“One's
deeds proclaim one's caste and respect” (Ibid, p.1330).
Sikh Gurus openly declare that God is not in the grip of the Brahmans:
 “nwmw CINbw, kbIr julwhw pUry gur qy giq pweI[[Naamaa chheebaa Kabir jolahaa pooray gur

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tay gat paaee i.e, “ Naam Dev the caloco-printer and Kabir the weaver, obtained salvation
from the perfect Guru” (GGS, p. 67).

• “jwiq kw grbu n kir mUrK gvwrw[[ iesu grb qy clih bhuqu ivkwrw[[-Jaat ka garbh na kar
moorakh gawara is garb te chalah bahut vikaaraa” (Ibid, p. 1128}-“O, stupid fool do
not take pride in grand caste, it leads to great conflicts”
 cwry vrn AwKy sBu koeI[[ bRhmu ibMd qy sB Epiq hoeI[[--Chaaray varan aakhay sabh koee.
Brahm bind tay sabh upat hoee.i.e, “Everyone says, there are four castes. But they all are
created from the Lord’s seed’s, essence”.

 Kabir during his discussion with Brahmins inquires from them, “grB vws mih kulu
nhI jwqI[[ bRhm ibMdu qy sB auqpwqI[[1[[ khu ry pMifq bwmn kb ky huey[[ bwmn kih kih jnmu
mq Koey[[1[[ rhwE[[ jO qMU bRwhmxu bRwhmxI jwieAw[[ qau Awn bwt kwhy nhI AwieAw[[2[[ qum
kq bRwhmx hm kq sUd[[ hm kq lohU qum kq dUD[[3[[khu kbIr jp bRhmu bIcwrY[[ so brwhmxu
khIAqu hY hmwrY [[4[[-- Garbh vaas meh, kul nahin jaati, brahm bind tay sabh utpaatee I
II1. II Kaho ray Pandit, Baman kab kay hoay, Baman keh keh janam mat khoay /|II1.II
Rahao / Jao toon Brahmin Brahmani jaaiya, tao aan baat, kahay nahin aiya, Tum kat
Brahmin, ham kat sood, ham kat lahoo, tum kat doodh i.e, “Dwelling in the womb, the
mortal has no lineage and caste. From the seed of the Lord, all have sprung. 1. Say, O
Pundit, since when hast thou been a Brahmin? Waste not thy life by repeatedly calling
thyself a Brahmin.1. Pause. If thou art a Brahmin, born of a Brahmani mother, then, why
hast thou not come by some other way?2. How art thou a Brahman and how am I of low
caste? How am I of blood and how thou art of milk? 3. Kabir says, only he, who
contemplates over the Lord, is said to be a Brahmin among us”.4. (GGS,p..324).

Taking the image of the potter's wheel Guru has compared the different kinds of people to vessels
of many types and patterns, but all made of same clay:
 “mwtI ey k Any k BWiq kir swjI isrjn hwrY [ [ --Maati ek anek bhaant kar saaji
sirjan haarai” i.e, Clay is the same but the Creator has shaped it in innumerable forms
(Ibid, 1350).
 mwtI eyk sgl sMswrw[[ bhu ibiD BWfy GVY kumwrw[[ --Maatee ek sagal sansaaraa. Bahu bidh
bhaande gharai kumaraa i.e; “The whole world is made out of one clay. But the Potter has
fashioned it into vessels of numerous forms” (GGS, p. 1128).
 Avl Alw nUr aupwieAw kudrq ky sB bMdy[[ eyk nUr qy sB jg aupijAw kOx Bly kOx mMdy[[ --
Awal Allah noor upaia kudrat kay sabh banday, ek noor tay sabh jag upjiaa kaun bhalay
kaun manday i.e, “God first created Light, and then by His omnipotence, made all the
mortals. From one Light has arisen entire universe. Then who is good and who is bad?”
GGS, p. 1349-50).
 “eykY nYx eykY kwn[[ eykY dyih eykY bwn[[ Kwk bwid AwiqS Aau Awb ko rlwau hY[[ Alwh AByK soeI
purwx AO kurwn EeI[[ eykhI srUp sBy eyk hI bnwau hY[[-Ekay nain ekay kaan, ekay deh ekay
baan,Khaak baad, aatash au aab ko rlao hai, Allah abhekh soee, Puraan au Quraan soee
Ek hee saroop sabhay ek hee bnao haiy” i.e, all men have same eyes, ears body and
figure made out of the mixture of earth, air, fire and water. The Abhekh (of
the Hindus) and the Allah (of the Muslims) are one and the same, the Quran

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and the Purans are His (Praise). They are all of the same pattern; the one
Lord has made them (Akal Ustat - Guru Gobind Singh).

 “eyk ipqw eyks ky hm bwirk qUM myrw gurhweI[[-Ek pita ekas kay ham barik toon mera
gurhaee—We are all children of the One God and he is our common father” (GGS, p.61 1)
 “mwns kI jwiq sBY eykY pihcwnbo[[-Manas kee jaat sabe ekay pehchanbo” i.e, “Treat all
Homosapiens alike” (Guru Gobind Singh, Dasam Granth, p.10).
Finally it is held by the Guru that the caste is no consideration in the
spiritual realization that human beings of lower caste need not wait to be born in
the next higher class for the attainment of deliverance:
 bRwhmx KqRI sUd vYs cwir vrn cwir AwsRm hih jo hir iDAwvY so pRDwn[[--Brahmin Khatri Sood
Vais chaar varn chaar ashram haih jo har dhiavai so pardhaan i.e, “There are four castes
Brahmin, Khatri, Shudra and Vaishya and four stages of life. Out of these, whoever
meditates on the Lord is superior”. (GGS, p.861).
 jwiq Ajwiq koeI pRBu iDAwvY siB pUry mwns iqnCy-Jaat ajaat koee prabh dhiaavai sabh
poore maanas tinchhay i.e; Anyone, of caste or no caste, who contemplates on
God, becomes a blessed devotee of God” (GGS, p 1178).
 sB mih joiq joiq hY soie[[ iqs dY cwnix sB mih cwnxu hoie[[-- Sabh mah jot jot hai soe. Tis
dai chaanan sabh mah chaanan hoe i.e; There is light in every heart and that is Thy light
which illuminates every one (GGS, p.13).
 jwiq Ajwiq AjonI sMBau nw iqs Bwau n Brmw[[--Jaat ajaat ajonee sambhao naa tis bhaao na
bharmaa i.e; “His caste is castelessness. He is incarnated not, He is Self- illuminated
and without fear and doubt (GGS, p.597)
The teachings of the Gurus, Gurmat, verily destroy the superstitions (doubt) of caste, race and
lineage:
 jwq brn kul shsw cUkw gurmiq sbid bIcwrI[[--Jaat barn kul sehsa chooka gurmat sabad
beecharee i.e, “By contemplating the Name through Guru’s teaching, one is rid of caste,
race, lineage and doubt” (GGS, p.1198).
 KqRI bRwhmx sUd vYs aupdysu chu vrnw kau swNJw[[gurmuiK nwmu jpY auDrY so kil mih Git Git nwnk
mwJw[[--Khatri Brahmin Sood Vais updes chauh varna kao sanjha, gurmukh Naam japai
udhrai so kal meh ghat ghat Nanak majha.—“For the four castes of warriors, priests,
farmers and menials, there is one common spiritual message. He who under Guru’s
guidance utters the Name of God, who abides in all hearts, Nanak says, is saved in the Dark-
age” (GGS, p. 747-48).
 jwiq Ajwiq jpY jnu koie[[ jo jwpY iqs kI giq hoie[[--Jaat ajaat japai jan koe, jo jaapai tis
kee gat ho-ay.i.e; “Any of high, low or no caste may contemplate God, whoever meditates
on Him, he is emancipated” (GGS, p. 1150).
 sBY swJIvwl sdwiein qUM iksy n idsih bwhrw jIau[[--Sabhai saanjheewal sdain toon kisay na
dishay bahra jeeo i.e, “All are partakers of your grace. You are not alien to any one (GGS, p
97).
 jwiq jnmu nh pUCIAY sc Gru lyhu bqwie[[ sw jwiq sw piq hY jyhy krm kmwie[[ jaat janam nah
poochheeai sach ghar leho bta-ay. Sa jaat sa pat hai jehay karam kama-ay. i.e; The Lord
does not ask the mortals caste and birth in His True Home, only actions performed are

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taken into consideration (GGS, p. 1330).

 jwxhu joiq n pUChu jwiq AwgY jwiq n hy[[--jano jaat na poochho jaati aagay jaat na hai i.e,
“Know that Divine Light is within all, donot inquire the caste. There is no caste in the next
world” (GGS, p. 349)
 eyk nUr qy sB jg auijAw kaun Bly ko mMdy [[--Ek noor tay sabh jag upjio kaun bhalay ko
manday i.e, “From One Light has arisen entire iniverse. Then who is good and who is
bad?” (GGS, p.1348-49).
 vrnw vrn n BwvnI jy iksy vfw kryie[--Varna varn na bhavnee je kisay wadaa karay i.e,
“when God makes people of one race great, the people of other race do not like it” (GGS,
p.53).
The Guru thus refuses to accredit the caste institution in social ethics and further
denies God having favoured a few by bringing them out from the higher parts of the body of the
Primeval man.
This was a distinct blow to the social ideology of Varn Ashram Dharma
(Hinduism), which gave scriptural sanction for the hierarchical caste system.
Sikhism not only gave every one right to be a warrior, but it also gave everyone
right to be priest. Under the caste hierarchy, the workers were looked upon with disrespect and those
whom they served were considered honourable. The elimination of caste system by Guru Nanak
established the equality of man and dignity of labour.

Sikhism took practical steps to eradicate the caste system:

 Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism chose Bhai Mardana, a Muslim as his first life long
companion. He founded the basic institutions of Sikhism based on equality:

Sangat-Praying as equals.
Pangat---Sitting in a row as equals.
Langar-Eating cooked food as equals.

 2nd Nanak, Guru Angad Dev created equality in learning. He named the script for Punjabi
language introduced by Guru Nanak, as Gurmukhi. After giving it form and finish he
produced booklets of alphabets (Baalupdesh-bwlaupdyS) of the Punjabi language and made
copies of the hymns of Guru Nanak and distributed them among the Sikh centers for teaching
to the common mass of the people in the Punjab to increase the number of the literates there.
Thus he broke the monopoly of the Brahmin over learning, who boasted of having the
knowledge of Sanskrit, which was neither spoken nor understood by the common mass of the
people in the Punjab.

 3th Nanak, Guru Amar Dass got Baoli dug at Goindwal, where people had to go down the
steps to reach water and fill their buckets as equals. Before this the Shudras were not allowed to
draw water from the community wells.

 4th Nanak, Guru Ram Dass got Amrit-sarovar (Amrit-sar) dug for bathing in the same
water as equals.

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 5th Nanak, Guru Man Dev built--Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) with four doors
denoting that it was open to all the four castes-Brahmins, Kashatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, to
all four religions in India-Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism, and to all the people of the
world from all directions-- North, South, East and west. He edited Aad Granth (Guru Granth
Sahib) the holy Sikh scripture, which is in itself an example of casteless-ness. In addition to the
hymns of the Sikh Gurus contains hymns of holy men of other religions and different castes
including the Shudras.

 9th Nanak, Guru Teg Bahadur himself strictly monotheist sacrificed his life to defend the faith
of Idolatrous Hindus.

 10th Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, gave Sikhism, the Naas doctrine: Kul Naas, (deliverance
from shams of caste system by birth), Dharam Naas (deliverence from previous religious
practices), Karam Naas (deliverence from ritualism); Bharam Naas (deliverence from all
the superstitions), Kirt Naas (deliverence from previous occupation) to signify a casteless
society. The Panj Piaras, who received Pahul (Sikh Baptism) from Guru Gobind Singh were:
Bhai Dya Ram a Khatri from Lahore
Bhai Dharam Dass, a Jat of Delhi
Bhai Mohkam Chand, a washer man from Dwarka
Bhai Sahib Chand, a barber from Bidar
Bhai Himmat Chand, a water-carrier of Jagan Nath.

Pahul (Sikh baptism) symbolizes a rebirth, by which the initiated are considered as having freed
themselves of their previous family origion-caste or lineage (Kulnash) to become the family of Gobind
Singh; of having of having renounced their earlier creeds-communal outlook (Dharamnash) for the
creed of Khalsa; of having renounced their previous occupations or professions (Kirtnash) for that of
soldering; of having given up superstition (Bharamnash); of having given up all rituals (Karamnash)
and develop catholicity and universality of outlook; “Maanas kee jaat sabhay ekay pechanbo-Treat all
mankind alike” (Guru Gobind Singh).

 In order to establish equality Guru Gobind Singh at the formal consecration of Sikhism on the
Vaisakhi day 1699; instructed the followers of Sikhism to drop their last names, which in India
indicate one's caste and take the last common name 'Singh' for males and ‘Kaur’ for females
to show their acceptance of equality of all people.
Sikhism does not believe in classification of its followers on the basis of caste, class,
clan or profession etc. After the demise of Guru Gobind Singh, the division of the Sikhs on such
a basis was the creation of early writers of Sikhism who were mostly literate Hindus especially
Brahmins, some of whom perhaps had embraced Sikhism with the ulterior motive of Hinduising it
through their writings as they did not wish to do away with the divisive caste system, which forms
the bedrock of the Brahminism / Snatan Dharma / Varan Ashram Dharma now called Hinduism.
Among them the name of Kesar Singh Chhiber figures prominently.
Mentioning of caste, class, clan or profession etc, along with Sikh name in Sikhism is a
social defect and does not concern Sikh religion. Any body who mentions caste with his name,
therefore, is not a true Sikh, but a hypocrite.
. Under the influence of Singh Sabha movement towards the end of the 19th century and
beginning of the 20th century a large number of Punjabi Hindus of Aryan descent embraced

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Sikhism. Majority of them embraced Sikhism to enjoy the benefits available to the Sikhs under
British rule and not any love for Sikhism. History and census figures stand witness to this fact
that till then the Sikhs did not mention their caste with their names, which is strictly prohibited in
Sikhism. It was the Hindu converts of Aryan origin into Sikhism, who started mentioning caste
with their names inorder to Hinduise Sikhism during the British rule in the Punjab.
It is very interesting to note that the use of caste with Sikh names came into vogue
after mass conversions of Hindus of Aryan origion mostly living in urban areas into Sikhism in
the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, when a large number of Hindus embraced
Sikhism inorder to enjoy the benefits available to the Sikhs under British rule. These people
inspite of embracing Sikhism wholeheartedly are trying to Hinduize Sikhism by observing Hindu
rites, rituals and writing caste with their names inspite of their Sikh appearance.
NB:
The census figures of the last quarter of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20 th
century in the Punjab reveal that Sikh population increased significantly during this period, because a
large number of Punjabi Hindus of Aryan origion embraced Sikhism inorder to avail the benefits
available to Sikhs under the British rule. These neo-converts have their kinship closely-nit with Hindus.
Some of these neoconverts into Sikhism have been holding the ship of Sikhism with their hands but
kept their feet firmly stuck in the boat of Hinduism i.e, they believe in Guru Granth Sahib, but
continue to observe Brahmanical practices, rituals, rites/ ceremonies and mention caste with their
names along with the Sikh suffix, ‘Singh’. Instead of following the Sikh ‘Rehat maryada’ they
try to Hinduize Sikhism by introducing Bipran kee reet (Brahmanical practices, rituals and
ceremonies/ rites etc) into Sikhism. They are antagonistic to the idea of considering Sikhism separate
and superior to Hinduism even at the cost of following the tenets of Gurbani.

Pahul, (Sikh Baptism) for eradication of caste

Pahul (Sikh baptism) symbolizes a rebirth, by which the initiated are considered as having
freed themselves of their previous family origion-caste or lineage (Kulnash) to become the family of
Gobind Singh; of having of having renounced their earlier creeds-communal outlook (Dharamnash) for
the creed of Khalsa; of having renounced their previous occupations or professions (Kirtnash) for that of
soldering; of having given up superstition (Bharamnash); of having given up all rituals (Karamnash)
and develop catholicity and universality of outlook; “Maanas kee jaat sabhay ekay pechanbo-Treat all
mankind alike” (Guru Gobind Singh).

In order to establish equality Guru Gobind Singh at the formal consecration of Sikhism on the
Vaisakhi day 1699; instructed the followers of Sikhism to drop their last names, which in India indicate
one's caste and take the last common name 'Singh' for males and ‘Kaur’ for females to show their
acceptance of equality of all people.
Sikhism does not believe in classification of its followers on the basis of caste, class,
clan or profession etc. After the demise of Guru Gobind Singh, the division of the Sikhs on such
a basis was the creation of early writers of Sikhism who were mostly literate Hindus especially
Brahmins, some of whom perhaps had embraced Sikhism with the ulterior motive of Hinduising it
through their writings as they did not wish to do away with the divisive caste system, which forms
the bedrock of the Brahminism / Snatan Dharma / Varan Ashram Dharma now called Hinduism.
Mentioning of caste, class, clan or profession etc, along with Sikh name in Sikhism is a social defect

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and does not concern Sikh religion. Any body who mentions caste with his name therefore is not a true
Sikh, but a hypocrite.
It is very interesting to note that the use of caste with Sikh names came into vogue
after mass conversions of Hindus into Sikhism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century,
when a large number of Hindus embraced Sikhism for greed and glory i.e; inorder to enjoy the
benefits available to the Sikhs under British rule. These people have kept their feet firmly stuck
into the boat of Hinduism and are holding the ship of Sikhism with their hands. Instead of
accepting Sikhism holeheartedly they are trying to Hinduize Sikhism by observing Hindu rites,
rituals and writing caste with their names inspite of their Sikh appearance.
NB:
The census figures of the last quarter of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20 th
century in the Punjab reveal that Sikh population increased significantly during this period, because a
large number of Punjabi Hindus embraced Sikhism inorder to avail the benefits (material gains and
glory) available to Sikhs under the British rule. These neo-converts have their kinship closely-nit with
Hindus. Some of these neoconverts into Sikhism have been holding the ship of Sikhism with their
hands but kept their feet firmly stuck in the boat of Hinduism i.e, they believe in Guru Granth Sahib,
but continue to observe Brahmanical practices, rituals, rites/ ceremonies etc. Instead of following
the Sikh ‘Rehat maryada’ they try to Hinduize Sikhism by introducing Bipran kee reet
(Brahmanical practices, rituals and ceremonies/ rites etc) into Sikhism. They are antagonistic to the idea
of considering Sikhism separate and superior to Hinduism even at the cost of following the tenets of
Gurbani.
Evils of caste system
As per Varan Ashram Dharma only Brahmans were entitled to have education,
therefore 25% of the population was eligible to have education. Even among the Brahmans
females were prohibited from aquiring education. In this way hardly 12.5% population was
eligible to have education.
Similarly only Kashatriya constituting 25% of were supposed to defend the country,
out of whom 50% were women, and there were children, elderly, sick and invalid person. In this
way an insignificant number of persons were left for the defence purpose. This attracted hostile
neibhours to attack and loot the country rich in resources and making the natives slave.
Trader class was interested only in trading and they were concerned with money /
profit making. It did not matter to them whether they are independent or slaves. They were
concerned with their trade only. Whosoever was buyer was respectable for them irrespective of
fact that whether they were their own countrymen or invaders. Shudras were not concerned who
is the ruler because they were to serve and bear humiliation whether humiliating persons were
their own countrymen or invaders. Therefore they were not concerned with anything. No
individual in the Indian society behaved in a responsible manner which led to all round
degradation of India.

Proselytisation (religious conversion) and Sikhism

All inhabitants of the Punjab are called Punjabis. Sikhism took its birth in the Punjab
at the fag end of the 15th century. It was founded by Guru Nanak in 1496 A.D. Although people
having faith in Islam and all the six systems of Hinduism lived in the Punjab at that time, the
religious landscape here was dominated by the Jogis (Yoigs) / Naths.

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Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism was born in a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family of Bedi
subcaste, but he refused to accept the divisive Hindu caste system and its highly ritualized way of
life since his childhood. Hinduism had become a matter of form rather than inner illumination.
Guru Nanak said that it is not the intellectual or verbal assent to it that liberates man, but the
deed and his quality of living. Truth is highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living.

Sikh religion strongly emphasizes humanism. Its philosophy contains all positive
qualities required for the welfare of mankind. It has a global perspective that has concern for
the whole humanity as opposed to a concern for a particular cultural group. It has never
emphasized conversion to Sikhism rather it has preached becoming better human beings by
following one's own beliefs. Any body who likes its ideals is welcome to embrace it. Sikhism
does not believe in proselytisation through any bait or pressure.
It goes to the credit of the Sikhs that they have never resorted to forced conversions.
Even during their eighty years of rule or any other time there is not even a single example of
forced proselytisation by the Sikhs.
Sikh Gurus had their own methods to extend their moral and spiritual affinity with
other faiths. They told people belonging to different faiths that they should believe in and love
God; then it did not matter if they were Hindus or Muslims or Sikhs. All religions are equally good
and that their followers should follow the inner values of their respective religions truthfully and
not their outer form only, which is mere hypocrisy and not religion in the true sense. According
to Gurbani: srb Drm mih sRyst Drm[[ hir kw nwmu jpu inrmlu krm[[-Sarb dharm meh sreshat dharm
har ka naam jap nirmal karm i.e; “Among all the religions of the world, supremost religion is,
remembrance of God and doing good deeds” (GGS, p266).

Guru Nanak said:

Be such a Brahmin

 “so bRwhmxu jo ibMdY bRhmu[[ jpu qpu sMjm kmwvY krmu[[ sIl sMqoK kw rKY Drmu[[ bMdn qoVY hovY mukqu[[
soeI bRhmxu pUjx jugqu[[--So Brahmin jo bindai Brahm, Jap tap sanjam kamavai
karam. Seel santokh kaa rakhai dharm. Bandhan torai hovai mukat. Soee
Brahman poojan gugat.--” i.e; A true Brahmin is one, who garsps Brahm. Meditation
on God and self-control are his daily routine. His religious observances are right conduct
and humility. He removes the sensual chains that bind the soul. Such a Brahmin
deserves all praise and honour (GGS, M1, p.1411).

 “so bRwhmxu jo bRhmu bIcwrY[[ Awip qrY sgly kul qwrY[[ --So Brahmin jo Brahmu
beechaaray. Aap taarai saglay kul taarai. He alone is a Brahmin, who reflects upon
the Lord. He saves himself and saves all his generations as well” (Ibid, p.662).
Be such a scholar:
 “so pMifqu jo mnu prboDY[[ rwmnwmu Awqm mih soDY[[ ---chu vrnw kau dy aupdys[[ nwnk ausu pMifq
kau sdw Awdys[[-So Pandit jo man parbodhay Ram naam atam meh sodhay---Chahu
varnaa kao de updes. Nanak us pandit kao sadaa ades i. e; He is a Pandit, who
instructs his mind. He seeks Lord’s Name in his self---Teaches all the four castes,
Nanak says I ever make obeisance unto that Pandit” (Ibid, p.274).

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Be such a Khatri:
 KqRI so ju krmw kw sUru[[puMn kw krY srIru[[ Kyqu pCwxY bIjY dwnu[[ so KqRI drgh prvwxu[[lbu loBu jy
kUVu kmwvY[[ Apxw kIqw Awpy pwvY[[Khatree so ju karama kaa soor. Pun daan kaa karai
sareer. Khet pachhaanai beejai daan. So khatree dargah parvaan. Lab lobh je koor
kamaavai. Apna keeta aape paavai.--- He alone is a Khatri, who is brave in good deeds.
Who uses his body for charity and alms giving purposes and who ascertaining the farm to
be right, sows the seed of beneficence. Such a Khatri alone becomes acceptable at the Lrd’s
Portal. Whosoever practices greed, avarice and falsehood, he must receive the fruite of his
own deeds (GGS, p.1411).

Be such a vaisnav:

 “bYsno so ijs aUpr so pRsMn[[ ibsn kI mwieAw qy hoie iBMn[[ krm krq hovY inhkrm[[ iqsu bYsno
kw inrml drm[[ kwhU Pl k ieCw nh bwCY[[ kyvl Bgiq kIrqn sMig rwcY[[ mn qn AMqir ismrn
gopwl[[ sB aUpir hovq ikrpwl[[ Awip idRVY Avrh nwmu jpwvY nwnk Ehu bYsno prm giq pwvYY[[-
Baisno so jis ooper so parsann, bisan kee maya tay hoay bhinn. Karm kart hoai nihkarm.
Tis baisno kaa nirmal dharm. Kahoo fal kee ichha nahee baachhai. Kewal bhagat
keertan sang raachai. Man tan antar simran gopaal. Sabh oopar hovat kirpall. Aap
dirrhai avrah naam japaavai. Nanak oh baisno parm gat paavai.—He is a true Vaisnav
with whom He, the Lord is peased, who keeps away from God’s mammon, who doing
good acts, do not look for reward, pure is the faith of that worshipper of Vishnu. He
does not entertain desire for any reward. He is solely devoted to Lord’s meditation
and singing His praises. Within his mind and body is the contemplation of the World-
cherisher. He is gracious to all the creatures. He himself contemplates Lrd’s Name and
cause others to repeat it. Nanak says, such a Vaishnav attains supreme state.” (Ibid,
p.274)

Guru also asked Hindus to discard rituals. He logically asked them to substitute pious and
virtuous deeds and the name of God in place of Rituals. Guru Nanak educates the stone worshiper
and ritualist to realize the pervading God faith and do not waste this human birth:
Parbhatee M 1.
“rwm nwmu jip AMqir pUjw[[gur sbdu vIcwir Avru nhI dUjw[[1[[ eyko rv rIhAw sB TweI[[ Avru n dIsY
iksu pUj cVweI[[--Ram naam jap antar poojaa . Gur sabad veechaar avar nahee dooja. 1. Eko
rav rahiaa sabh thaaee. Avar na deesay kis pooj charhaaee. I rahaao.—Utter the Lord’s Name,
that is your heart’s worship. Contemplate on the Guru’s Word and nothing else. 1. One Lord is
pervasive in all places. I do not see another, to whom should I make an offering? (Ibid, 1345).

Be such a Muslim:
In Sri Rag Guru Nanak has described the attributes of a good Mussalman, “imhr msIiq
isdku muslw hku hlwlu kurwxu[[ srm sMuniq sIlu rojw hohu muslmwxu[[ kQxI kwbw scu pYru klmw krm
invwj[[ qsbI sw iqsu BwvsI nwnk rKY lwj[[--Mihar maseeti sidaku musalaa hak halaal Quran.
Saram sunat seel rojaa hoh Musalmaan. Karnee Kabaa sach peer kalma karm nivaaj. Tasbee
saa tis Bhaavsee Nanak rakhai laaj.-- ” i.e, “Let mercy be your mosque. Let righteousness be
your prayer mat. Let lawful living be your Quran. Let modesty be your circumcision. Let

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gentleness be the fast you keep. So shalt thou be a Muslim. Make right conduct thy Kaba, truth
thy spiritual guide and pious deeds thy creed and prayer. Rosary is that, what is pleasing to
Him (Ibid, Ml, p.140).

 muslmwn khwvx muskl hoie qw muslmwn khwvY[[ Avl dIn kr imTw muslmwnw mwl muswvY[ i.e To
be a Muslim is difficult and one should call himself a Muslim only if he is really a Muslim.
He should first accept Islam as his voluntary choice and then give away all property to the
Muslims.(GGS, p.141).
 “muslmwn mom idl hovY[[ AMqr kI mlu idl qy DovY[[dunIAw rMg n AwvY nyVY ijau kusm pwtu iGau pwk
hrw[[Mussalmaan mom dil hovay, antar mal dil tay dhovay. A Muslim is he, who has a
tender heart. He ought to cleanse his inner impurity from his heart. He should not
draw near the wordly pleasures and ought to be pure like the flower, silk, clarified
butter and deer skin” (ibid, p.1084).

 “so mu~lW jo mn isau lrY[[ gur aupdyis kwl isau jury[[ kwl purK kw mrdYmwnu[[ iqs mulw kau sdw
slwmu[[ So mullaa jo mann sion larai . Gur updes kaal sion jurai. Kaal purkh kaa mardai
maan. Tis mulaa kao sadaa salaam. He alone is a true Mulla, who battles with his mind
and by the Guru’s teaching conflicts with death. He, who crushes the pride of Death’
courier, to such a Mulla, we ever make obeisance. ” (Ibid. p.1159).

 “scu kmwvY soeI kwjI[[ jo idlu soDY soeI hwjI[[----Sach kamavai soee. Kaajee. Jo dil sodhay
soee haajee. He alone is a Qazi, who practices truth. He alone is a ‘Haji’, who purifies his
heart ” (Ibid, p.1084).

 “soeI syKu mswieku hwjI so bMdw ijsu njir nrw[[--Soee Sekh massaa-ik haajee so bandaa jis
najar naraa. He is the the Muslim peacher, the chief of shaikhs,, the pilgrim of Mecca
and he alone is the Lord’s slave on whom is the grace of God (Ibid, p.1084).

Be such a Sanyasi (Yogi)

In the Guru Nanak era, dominating sects were of yogis and naths among Hindus. They
practiced asceticism, renunciation and celibacy. Guru Nanak (GGS, p419) advised yogis, who
had renunciated the world and the clothes to leave forests and come back to their homes. He
ridiculed them for not knowing any thing about meditating to merge with God. “ry mn AY s o kir
sM i nAwsw--Re man aiso kar sanyasa, ban se sadan sabai kari samjhau mann hi mahi udasa” i.e,
“O man practice such a sanyasa, consider these mansions of the cities to be the forest dwellings,
live like a hermit in solitude of your heart. Eat little and sleep little. Be compassionate and
forgiving. Be calm and contended. Then you will go beyond the three states. Discard anger, lust,
greed, obstinate self-sense and love of wordly things. Then reality will unveil and you will attain
the Lord”.

Guru Nanak during his discussion with Yogis in the Himalyas told them: “nwnku bolYy
gurmuiK bUJY jog jugiq iev pweIAY[[--Nanak bolai gurmukh bujhai Jog jugat iv paaee-ai”--My

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philosophical system (darsana) is continuous meditation on the Word of God. My symbols of

penance and robes of poverty and renunciation are to discard attachment and pride, and see God
in all human beings. Only the Lord can make me free. God is the Truth, and Truth is His name,
says Nanak, let everyone test and experience this (GGS, Ml Siddh Gosht, p.938-946).
For Udasis GGS, p1003
For audhoot GGS, p.1004
For Farmer GGS, p. 24
For Bairagi GGS, p. 216
For Manoor GGS, p. 931
Be such a Sikh

 “Aaugx siB imtwie kY praupkwru kryie--Augun sabh mita-ay ke parupkar karai” i.e; A
Sikh should be free from all vices and do good to others. He should look different
from others due to his inner qualities and not only because of his outer looks (Bana)
(Ibid p.218).

 “jh krxI qy pUrI miq krxI bwJhu Gty Git[[-Jah karnee tah pooree mat. Karnee bajhu
ghatai ghat” (Ibid, p.24) i.e “A Sikh should mean what he says, any person who does
not posess this quality cannot be called a Sikh (Ibid, p.25)

 “hsqI isir ijau AMksu hY Ahrix ijau isru dyie[[ mnu qnu AwgY rwiK kY aUBI syv kryie[[ieau
gurmuiK Awpu invwrIAY sBu rwju isRsit kw lyie[[-Hastee sir jio ankas hai ahran jio sir de-e.
man tan aagai rakh kai oobhee sev kare-e. Eou gurmukh aap nivaareeai sabh raaj srisat
kaa le-e.” As elephant offers his head to the goad and as anvil offers itself to the
hammer, so place thou thy mind and body before the Guru and ever serve him
standing. In this having effaced his ego, the Guru-ward assumes the sovereignty of
the whole world i.e; God shall himself honour such a Sikh and he can rule the whole
world” (Ibid, p.648)
Those who maintain only outer appearance of a particular faith but donot
possess its inner values, are called Bhekhi, and while commenting on such people Gurbani says,
“ijn kY BIqir AMqrw[[ jYsY psu qYsy Eie nrw[[-Jin ke bheetar antra, jaise pasoo taise oae naraa” i.e;
“Those persons who donot practice what they preach, they are as good as animals”
(Ibid,p.1163). It father says, “krqiUq psU kI mwns jwiq[[ lok pcwrw krY idnu rwiq[[-Kartoot
pasoo kee manas jaat lok pchara kare din raat” i.e; “They only look humans but by actions they
are animals” (Ibid,p.267).

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Rejection of gender inequality in Sikism

Before the birth of Sikhism the plight of woman in the Indian subcontinent was highly
deplorable. She had most inferior position in the society. In Hinduism she was treated at par with
animals. Tulsi Dass in his ‘Ram Chrit Manas’ says. “Dhor ghanwar, shudar, pashu, nari, yeh
sab tarin ke adhikari” meaning: “The stupid person, the shudra, animals and women all deserve
reprimand”. Manu the Hindu law-giver has attributed all that is good and great to males and on
the contrary, assigned that is bad and obnoxious to females. Even Bhagat Kabir did not speak
very high of woman and he has described her as a source of lust and passions and refuse of the
world. In Buddhism a male Bhikshu is not supposed to touch and rescue a drowning woman
even if she was his mother. Dighambra Jains believe that a woman cannot reach Kavalya and has
to achieve first male incarnation.
The position in Sikhism is totally different. One of the most notable social improvements
introduced by Sikhism is the emancipation of women. The Sikh Gurus laid down norms of
ethical equality of woman with man and granted her an exalted status. Sikhism does not consider
woman inferior to man rather her position has been eulogized in Guru Granth Sahib (Thye holy
Sikh scripture):
 From the woman is our birth; in woman’s womb are we shaped. To woman are we
engaged; to woman are we wedded. The woman is our friend and from woman is the
family. If one woman dies, we seek another, through the woman are the bonds of the
world. Why call the woman evil who gives birth to kings? So kion manda akhie jit
jamein rajaan. From the woman is the man, without woman there is none GGS, Var Asa
M1, p.473).
 Man is born of woman and woman of man, realize this O’ divine-“Purkh meh naar, naar
meh pukha, bhoojho brahm giani” (Ibid, p.879).
 From temporal as well as spiritual point of view, woman is man’s other half and assists
him to salvation. She brings him salvation. She assuredly brings happiness to the
virtuous—Var5. Bhai Gurdas.
 Guru Hargobind during the course of his conversation with sant Samrath Ram Dass, the
mentor of Shiva jee Marhatta called woman, “Aurat eemaan”—Woman is the conscious
of man. This shows unequivocally the high esteem in which a woman is required to be
held in Sikhism.
Sikhism took practical steps for the socio-religious equality of man and woman:
 In Sikhism there is no ban or prohibition on women to attend a Gurdwara and pay obeisance.
Women are equally entitled to get Sikh initiation (Baptism) like men and wear articles of
Sikh faith. Initiated women can perform all Sikh religious ceremonies, which initiated Sikh
en can perform. Sikhism condemns female infanticide and a Sikh found guilty in this regard
is excommunicated from the Sikh Panth. Sikhs are forbidden to have ant relationship with
‘Kuri maar’ {One who kills his daughter).
 Sikhism strictly forbids ‘Sati’. the burning of widow on the pyre of her diseased husband
 A widow or a divorced woman is allowed to remarry and lead a hoseholder’s life if she so
desired.
 Sikhism advocates education of women and encourages them to adopt various professions
including armed forces and politics. Sikhism strictly forbids veiling of women.

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Rejection of authority of Hindu scriptures in Sikhism

The Sikh Gurus clearly criticize the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures and reject them out rightly
as useless and misleading. Sikhism does not accept the authority of Vedas and other scriptures o
Hindusm, which is very clear from some of the hymns as enshrined in the holy scriptures of
Sikhism:
 rwm rhIm purwn kurwn Anyk Anyk khyHN mq eyk n mwnXo[[ isMimRq swsqR byd sbY bhu Byd khY hm
eyk n jwnXo[[ sRI Aspwn ikRpw qumrI kr mYN n khXo sB qoih bKwinXo[[--Ram Rahim,Puran,
Quran anek kahay mut ek na manyo. Simrat Shastra Bed sabhay bahu bhed kahay hum
ek na janyo. Sri Aspan kirpa tumri kar main na kahio sabh tohay bakhanyo i.e, “Ram
(incarnation of Hinduism), Rahim (Muslim Prophet), Puran (scripture of Hinduism),
Quran (scripturer of Islam), have put forth several thoughts, but I accept none of them.
The Simritis, Shastras and the Vedas lay down different doctrines; but I do not recognize
any of them. O God the sword bearer (of justice)! With your grace, all that has been
uttered by me has been done under your command (Guru Gobind Singh Sawaiyye).
 byd pukwry puMnu pwpu surg kw bIau[[ jo bIjY so agvY KWdw jwxY jIau[[ igAwn slwhy vfw kir sco
scw nwau[[ scu bIjY scu augvY drgh pweIAY Qwau[[ bydu vpwrI igAwnu rwis krmI plY hoie[[
nwnk rwsY bwhrw lid n cilAw koie[[--The Vedas proclaim that virtue and sin are the seed
of heaven and hell. Whatever man sows, that sprouts and the self realizes it and eats the
fruit of his deeds. Deeming Divine knowledge great, whoever praises it, he becomes
truthful by uttering the True Name. By sowing truthfulness, truthfulness grows in man
and he finds a place at the Lord’s Portal. The Veda is a merchant, enlightenment, the
capital, which is attained by the Lord’s grace. Nanak says, without such capital none has
ever departed laden with profit of the Lord’s Name (GGS, p.1243).

 isimRiq swsqR puMn pwp bIcwrdy qqY swr n jwxI[[--Simrit shastar pun paap beecharday
tattay saar na janee. The Simritis and Shastras discriminate between good and evil but
donot know the essence of the Real Thing. (GGS, p.920).
 vydu pVih hir rsu nhI AwieAw[[ vwdu vKwxih mohy mwieAw[[-Ved paday har ras nahin
aaiaya, vaad wakhaanay mohay maya i.e, Reading of Vedas does not lead to spiritual
peace. Readers get entangled in mammon (materialism) and argue un-necessarily (GGS,
p.128)
 vyd pVih hir nwmu n bUJih[[ mwieAw kwrix piv piV lUJih[[AMwir mYlu AigAwnI AMDw, ikau
kir duqru qrIjY hy[[ byd bwd siB AwiK vKwxih[[ n AMqru BIjY n sbdu pCwxih[[ puMn pwpu sBu
byid idRVwieAw gurmuiK AMimRiqu pIjY hy[[ (GGS, p.1049).
 mihmw n jwnih byd[[ bRhmy nhI jwnih Byd[[-Mahimaa na jaanah bed. Brahme nahee
jaanah bhed i.e; “The Vedas , know not the Lord’s glory. Brahma cannot realize His
mystery”(GGS, p. 894).

 Ast dsI chu Byd n pwieAw[[-Astdasee chahu bhed na paa-i-aa i.e; “Eighteen Puranas
and four Vedas know not God’s secrets” (GGS, p. 355).
 vyd khih viKAwx AMqu n pwvxw[[ piVAY nwhI Bydu buuiJAY pwvxw[[-Ved kahah vakhiaan ant
na pavaana. Pariai naahee bhed bujhiai paavanaa i.e; “Vedas speak of and interpret

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God, but know not His limits; Not through studying, but through understanding the
Lord’s secrect is found.” (GGS, p.148).
 vyd pukwry iqRibD mwieAw[[mnmuK n bUJih dUjy BwieAw[[ Ved pukaaray tirbidh maaya,
manmukh na boojhay doojay bhaaiaa i.e The Vedas proclaim the three modes of
materialism. The self-willed does not understand by being deluded by duality (GGS, p.
128).
 swsqr byd qRY gux hY mwieAw AMDlau DMDu kmweI[[-Saastar bed trai gun hai maa-i-aa
andhulao dhandh kamaee.“The Shastras and Vedas keep man bound to three modes of
materialism and he does the blind deeds” (GGS, p.1126).
 mwNdl byid ij bwjxo Gxo DVIAY joie, nwnk nwmu smwil qU bIjau Avr nw koie[[--Maandal ved
je banjo ghano dhadiay joay, Nanak naam smaal too beejo awar na koay i.e, The drum-
beat preaching of the Vedas has brought disputes and social divisions. O Nanak
contemplate on prayer of the Lord who is one and the only savoiur (GGS, p.1081).
 byd kqyb ismRiq siB swsq ien piVAw mukiq n hoeI eyk AKru jo gurmuiK jwpY iqs kI inrml
soeI[[-Bed Kateb Simrit sabh Sasat in pariaa mukat na hoee. Ek akhar go gurmukh japai
tis kee nirmal soee i.e; “The Vedas and other books, the Simritis and Shastras, by reading
these, salvation is not obtained. He, who, utters the Guru’s Name, he gathers the pure
glory. (GGS,p.747).
 byd kqyb iePqrw BweI idl kw iPkr n jwie[[ tUk dmu krwrI jau krhu hwijr hjUir
Kudwie[[Bed Kateb iftra bhai dil ka fikar na jaa-ay, took dam karaaree jao karho hajar
hjoor khuda-ay i.e, “The Vedas and other Scriptures are only make-believe, O siblings
of Destiny; they donot relieve the anxiety of the heart. If you center yourself on the Lord,
even for just a breath, you shall see the Lord face-to-face, present before you” (GGS,
p.727).
 swsq byd purwx pukwrih Drum krhu Kt krm idRVeIAw, mnmuK pwKMif Brim ivgUqy loB lhir nwv
Bwir bufeIAw[[-Saasat Bed Puran pukaarah dharma karah khat karam driraeeaa.
Manmukh paakhand bharam wigoote lobh lahar naav bhaar budaeeaa i.e; “The
Shastras, Vedas and Purans proclaim the doing of righteousness and steadfastly the six
duties. The self-willed hypocrites are ruined in doubt. Their boat is heavily loaded with
sins and sinks in the tides of avarice” (GGS, p.834).
 bhu swsqR bhu isimRqI pyKy srb FFoil[[ pUijs nwhI hir hry nwnk nwm Amol[[ Bahu Saastar
bahu Simritee pekhe sarb- dhadhol. Poojas naahee har haray Nanak naam amol
i.e;“There are many Smiritis and Shastras, which I have studied, but none of them
reaches or preaches the invaluable Name of God” (GGS, p. 265).
 rwm rhIm purwn kurwn Anyk khyHN mq eyk n mwnXo[[ isMimRq swsqR byd sbY bhu Byd khY hm eyk n
jwnXo[[ sRI Aispwn ikRpw qumrI kr mYN n khXo sB qoih bKwnXo[[-Ram Rahim Puran Quran
anek kahay mut ek na manyo. Simrat Shastra Bed sabai bahu bhed kahay hum ek na
janyo. Sri Aspaan kirpa tumri kar main a kahyo Sabh toh bakhaanyo i.e;“Ram
(incarnation of Hiduism), Rahim (Muslim prophet), Puran (scripture of Hinduism), Quran
(scripture of Islam), have put forth several thoughts, but I accept none of them. The
Simritis, Shastras and the Vedas lay down different doctrines; but I do not recognise any
of them. O God the sword-bearer ((of justice)! With Your Grace, all that has been uttered
by me has been done under your command (Guru Gobind Singh Sawaiye).

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For Sikhs the only source of spirirtual enlightenment (adhiatmac gian) is Gurbani:
 sIB nwd byd gurbwxI[[ mnu rwqw swrigpwxI[[--Seebh naad Bed Gurbani, mun raata saarag
paanee i.e, Gurbani is the sound Naad (Yogi’s spiritual tune), the Vedas and everything.
Through Gurbani the mind should be attuned to the Lord of the universe (GGS, p. 879).
 ijn kI ilv hir crnn lwgI, qy bydn qy Bey iqAwgI[[19[[ bicqr nwtk[[ AiDAwey 6).--Jin
kee liv har charnan laagee, tay bedan tay bhai-ay tiagee-i.e, Those who tuned themselves
with the word of the Supreme Eternal Reality (God), renounced the Vedas (Bachittar
Natak, adhiay 6).
The Sikhs consider Guru Granth Sahib as the only source of spiritual instruction
and the Gurus have instructed the Sikhs to understand and act upon those instructions which
are contained in its pages:
 siqgur kI bwxI siq siq kr jwxhu gurisKhu hir krqw Awip muhhu kFwey[[ Satgur kee banee
sat sat kar jaanahu gursikhu har karta aap muha kadhaa-ay i.e; “O followers of the
Guru, know that the true Guru’s hymns are perfectly true. God, the Creator, Himself
inspires the Guru to utter these from his mouth (GGS, p.308)
 bIj mMqR srb ko igAwn-Beej mantar sarb ko giaan i.e; “The seed of comprehension of
God’s Name, has been imparted to every one” (GGS,p. 274).
 dYq puqR pRihlwdu, gwieqRI qrpxu ikCu n jwxY, sbdy myil imlwieAw[[-Dait putar prahlaad gaa-
i-tree tarpan kichhoo na jaanai sabday mel milaa-i-aa i.e; “Prahlad, the son of demon,
knew nothing of the Gayatri and water-offering to the ancestors. By the holy Word, he
was united with the Lord” (GGS, p.1133).
 guru swsiq isimRiq Ktu krmw guru pivqu AsQwnw hy[[-Gur Saasat simrit khat karma gur
pavitar asthaana hay i.e; “The Guru is my Shastras, Simritis and the six rituals and the
Guru is my holy place” (GGS, p. 1074).

Rejection of Hindu concept of trinity of God and its symbol (Å) in Sikhism
Å is the symbol of God in Hinduism representing its Divine Trinity (Tripunda)
consisting of Brahma (the creator), Vishu (the sustainer) and Shiva (the destroyer). It is used as
manifesting word for God and written as sign of invocation in Hindu literature both sacred and
temporal and is pronounced as Oam / Aum.
Guru Nanak did not assign any particular name to the ‘Supreme Eternal Reality’
because according to him the Almighty is ineffable. He simply called the ‘Supreme Eternal
Reality’, ‘Oh’ meaning, ‘He’i.e; God. ‘Oh’ in Punjabi (Gurmukhi) is written as E. In order to
convey his stern monotheism Guru Nanak put digit one (1--ikk) before the open end Punjabi
(Gurmukhi) alphabet oora E. 1+E=1E and pronounced it Ikk Oankar / Ekankar instead of Å
(Oam / Aum) representing the Hindu trinity of God. Guru Nanak freely employed the names used
for God in Hinduism and Islam. Oakaar is one of such several names used for God in Sikhism.
The open end of the alphabet E denotes infiniteness of God. Guru Nanak says, “<--- auh
(Oankar-i.e; God) iek hY qy byAMq hY-Oh ikk hai tay Beant hai”, meaning: “There is one Supreme
Eternal Reality and he is infinite”, thereby rejecting the Hindu concept of trinity of God. Gurmat
holds that God is the sole Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer, Doer and indivisible. There was no
partner or agent to God in the sweep of universal Infinity. <is not found written as such alone
in the holy Sikh Scripture. It only forms a part of the Basic postulate called Mool mantra of

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Sikhism, which defines the attributes of the ‘Supreme Eternal Reality’ i.e God. It stands for the
attributes and not the name of the Almighty (God).The shortest form of Mool Mantra written
as invocation in Guru Granth Sahib is: <siq gur pRswid[[ meaning, “There is ‘One Supreme
Eternal Reality’, the infinite, enlightner and gracious”.
< is a new word i.e,’One’+’Oora’ with an open end and that is
extended, coined by Guru Nanak to explain the’oneness’ and ‘Infiniteness of ‘Oh’, the Almighty,
to whom no descriptive or specific name can be assigned. < is nowhere found written alone
in Guru Granth Sahib published by the Supreme Sikh organization, Sharomani, Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee.
Since the word Oam / Aum (Å) was used as manifesting word for God in Hindu
theology and was written as invocation in the ancient Hindu literature, the early Sikh theologians
after Bhai Gurdas who were mostly literate Brahmin converts into Sikhism trained in Vedantic
philosophy who were Sikhs in appearance, but antagonistc to the Sikh thought started writing
<as sign of invocation and synonym for Å-Oam in place of the Sikh invocation: <siqgur
pRswid, prescribed in Guru Granth Sahib[[ Similarly as another step towards Hinduising Sikhism
they also started writing < siq nwm vwihguru in place of the Sikh invocation <siq gur pRswid[[
< alone or < siq nwm vwihguru being used as sign of invocation these days by the
Sanatan Dharmi Sikhs populary called Sant Babas, who are Sikh in appearance but Hindu at
heart and antagonistic to Gurmat is not found written as invocation anywhere in Guru Granth
Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism and is not in conformity with the ideology of Sikhism.
Oankaar and Sikhism
Oankar is one of the several deities worshiped as God in Hinduism. There is a Hindu
shrine associated with Shiv ji, situated on the banks of Narbada River in southern India in this
name i.e, ‘Oankar’. During Guru Nanak’s visit to this place at the time of Aarti in the evening
everybody performed Dandaot Bandna (Hindu way of offering prayer by lying straight with face
down) to ‘Oankar’, but Guru Nanak remained standing. He was questioned by worshippers, the
reason for his not joining the Dandwat Parnam to the Hindu deity Oankar, in the temple. Then
Guru Nanak explained them the concept of Oankar (God) and the correct method of worshipping
him. The long sermon, which he delivered here, is found recorded in GGS on pages 929--- 938
under the heading “Dakhnee Oankar”.
The Hindu sign of invocation (Å/ Oam / Aum) versus the Sikh invocation <siqgur pRswid[[
Å is the symbol of God in Hinduism. It is used as manifesting word for God
and written as sign of invocation in Hindu scriptures. Since the word Oam (Å/ Aum) was used
as manifesting word for God in Hindu theology and was written as invocation in the ancient
Hindu literature, the early Sikh theologians after Bhai Gurdas who were mostly literate Brahmin
converts into Sikhism trained in Vedantic philosophy who were Sikh in appearance, but
antagonistc to the Sikh thought started writing <as sign of invocation and synonym for Å-
Oam in place of the Sikh invocation: <siqgur pRswid, prescribed in Guru Granth Sahib[[
Similarly as another step towards weaning the Sikhs away from the Sikh invocation <siq gur
pRswid, and Hinduising Sikhism, they also started writing < siq nwm vwihguru in place of the
Sikh invocation <siq gur pRswid[[
NB: < alone or < siq nwm vwihguru being used as sign of invocation these days by the
Sanatan Dharmi Sikhs populary called Sant Babas, who are Sikh in appearance but Hindu at

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heart and antagonistic to Gurmat is not found written as invocation anywhere in Guru Granth
Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism published by Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. It is
not in conformity with the ideology of Sikhism. It is a deliberate attempt to Hinduise Sikhism.

Un-Sikh and anti-Sikh practices of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism

Sikh traditions are being targeted by Brahminic forces. These traditions are inseparable
from Sikh life. They need careful guarding. The desire to offer services to propagate the Guru’s
cause, one must learn it well by self-education. Sikhism is based on Gurmat. Any tradition, which
fails to conform to the philosophy of Sikhism must be discarded without reservation. Gurbani
Says,“Akleen Sahib saveeyay, Akleen payeeay maan –With thoughtful logic should one worship
God, with the same logic should one seek honour” (GGS, p1245).
The status of Guru Granth Sahib in Sikhism and among the Sikhs is synonymous with the
Sikh Gurus. Therefore, all doubts, controversies regarding Sikh religion must be settled in the light
of the Gurbani of this supreme scripture and the Guru. The ideas and views which conform to the
Gurbani should alone be accepted as valid and authentic. All other versions should be discarded.
Prevalent Brahmanical practices and rituals should be tested on touchstone of Gurmat principles. All
those practices which violate the spirit of Gurmat and whch create contradictions between belief and
conduct must be done away with. Following acts of Brahminism are against the Sikh ideology and
are strictly prohibited in Sikhism:
The commencing verse of Guru Granth Sahib known as Mool Mantar (Basic Postulate of
Sikhism) is used as invocation (Mangal-mMgl) in Sikhism. It has been represented by Guru Arjan
Dev many times throughout the holy Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib before the beginning of
every Raag, every section and subsection of Guru Granth Sahib as such without abridgement or in an
abridged form as follows:
Complete form:
< siq nwm krqw purK inrBau inrvYr Akwl mUriq AjUnI sYBM gur pRswid[[
Abridged forms:
<siq nwm krqw purK gur pRswid[[
<siq nwm gur pRswid[[
<siq gur pRswid[[
Hence the shortest abridged form of Mool Mantar most commonly used as invocation in GGS is:
< siq gur pRswid[[
 Writing <alone or < siq nwm vwihgurU instead of writing <siq gur pRswid as sign of
invocation (Mangal-mMgl) is against the ideology of Sikhism. <alone is not found written
alone in the holy scripture of Sikhism, ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ published by Sharomani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Similarly <siq nwm vwihgurU is also not found written
together as such in Guru Granth Sahib published by Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandhak
committee. These are recent innovations of the so called Sanatani (radical) Hindus, who
have infiltrated into the main stream Sikhism in the garb of Sikhs and are popularly called
Sant Babas, are trying to Hinduize Sikhism through various ways. For instance, they equate
< with Å, the sign used as invocation in Hinduism, which according to the theology of
Hinduism represents the divine Trinity of Hinduism constituted by Brahma, Vishu and
Mahesh also called Shiva, is totally against the monotheism of Sikhism and therefore stands
rejected.

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 Belief in polytheism, belief in a living Guru after Guru Gobind Singh, idolatry, grave, tomb
and picture worship are against the teachings of Gurmat. Putting the Charn-dhoor (dust
under the footmats at entry doors of the Gurdwara) on the fore-head is a farce and does not
really signify the humility of the Sikh. This has to appear from the conduct of the Sikh.
 Pinni or Panjeeri Parsad has no sanction of the Panth-Khalsa. Only Kraah Parsaad
introduced by Guru Nanak is distributed to all who gather as Sangat in Gurdwaras at the end
of Sikh service (Bhog and Ardaas) in all events organized in Gurdwaras or homes.
 Treating Guru Granth Sahib as deity, viz: Offering garlands, flowers, sprinkling scented
sprays, pressing, kissing pillars or legs of the Peedha (pIVw) of the Guru, burning of dhoop,
breaking Naryal (Coconut) and keeping a vessel (Kumbh) full of water during recitation of
Gurbani or in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib, keeping fan running or providing air
conditioner in the room for Guru Granth Sahib in summer, warm blankets and heaters
during the winter are all acts akin to idol worship and therefore prohibited in Sikhism.
Lighting lamps with Ghio / Ghee (with a view of holiness of lamps)—Jot jagaoni is against
the teachings of Gurmat, the use of lamps for necessary light is permitted. Ringing of bells,
clapping and dancing in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib, displaying of pictures of Sikh
Gurus along with Guru Granth Sahib in a Gurdwara or any other place, performance of Aarti
with lamps in a platter in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib is against the ideology of
Sikhism.
 Washing Gurdwara floors with Kachi Lassi is nothing but a blind orthodoxy, which finds no
approval of Gurmat. Observing Chalihas (walking bare footed to a religious place for forty
days) for a desire to be fulfilled, Sukhna-Sukhni, Shagun-Upshagun (Good or bad omens),
Nazar Lagni (evil eye), removing Bhoot-Pret-Atma (fowl spirits) by Jhar-Phook (Beating
with broom and Chimta) and holding breath to enter Dasam-dwar (Tenth door) are all
against the teachings of Gurmat. Observing Such-Jooth or Bhit is against the teachings of
Gurmat. Reading of five Shabds of Dukh-Bhanjani or Sankat-mochan for getting relief from
ailments is only a myth advocated by superstitious people is also against Gurmat.
 Observing caste system and even mentioning caste with one’s name and observing gender
inequality are against the teachings of Gurmat.
 Removal of hair from any part of body and use of tobacco in any form are among the major
prohibitions in Sikhism. Gursikh should remain away from all kind of intoxicants. Taking
part in Devi Jagratas, Raas–lila, Krishan-lila, Ram-lila etc are against the teachings of
Gurmat. Observance of fast, observance of Shradhs, belief in magical and occult powers,
wearing of rosary (Mala) or counting the beads for worship purposes, putting up Bindi on
the forhead and Sandhoor (vermillion) in the head by Sikh women and Tilak by men, dyeing
of hair, veiling of women, Sati and child marriage is against the teacings of Gurmat..
 Eating Halal meat is prohibited in Sikhism: Halal is a Muslim method of slaughtering the
animal, in which the throat of the animal is slit and the animal is allowed to bleed and die a
painful death. Guru Gobind Singh introduced jhatka method for killing an animal for the
meat eating Singhs. In Jhatka method the head of the animal is separted from the body with a
single stroke of the sword. Sikhs are advised to eat Jhatka meat.
 Having relationship with enemies of Guru’s house (Guru Ghar)—Meene, Masand,
Dhirmaliay, Ram Raieay, Kurimaar (those who commit female infanticide), Chhurimaar,
Narimaar and Patit Sikhs.
 Having sexual relationship with Turkani (Muslim woman): The Muslims during their hey-
days in Punjab used to forcibly take away Hindu women. The Sikhs during their eminence

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asked for permission from Guru Gobind Singh to retaliate against the Muslim women. Guru
Gobind Singh not only refused permission but made it as one of the Bajjar Kurehats (major
prohibitions) of Sikhism.
 Wearing of cap: The Turkish and Arabic Muslim invaders took pride in supporting beard
and hair on the head along with turban, which they considered as signs of royalty. They did
not like the slave Hindus to look like them. The Muslim rulers therefore issued farmans
(orders) that the Hindus should keep their beards and heads shaved and wear a cap (Topi)
instead of a turban.The Hindus complied with the orders very politely in a very humble way
to save their lives without any resistance. Hence cap and shave (Hajamat) became signs of
slavery in that part of the world. The Hindus were also forbidden from riding a horse and to
keep weapons. Guru Gobind Singh in defiance of the Muslim imperial orders made unshorn
hair and turban as part of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, the Sikh religious code of conduct. He
made Kirpan part of articles of Sikh faith. Wearing of cap or helmet of any kind is against
the Sikh tenets.
 Celebration of Hindu festivals—Rakhri, Lohri, Holi by the Sikhs is against the teachings of
Sikhism:
Rakhi / Rakhri on the wrist is a Hindu relgious ceremony. The Hindu females tie a thread
or some decrated knot around the wrist of their brothers, and the brothers in return, promise to protect
them at the time of crisis. This ceremony is in contradiction with the Sikh philosophy as a Sikh is bound
to protrect not only his own sister but also all the women folk, the weak and the oppressed against all
kind of oppression, exploitation and tyranny and smite the oppressor. Kara (kVw) is a permanent vow
with the Sikhs to protect the tenets of Sikhism. Hence a Sikh must never wear a Rakhri. Simlarly tying a
Multicoloured thread (Mauli) on the wrist is a Hindu relgious ceremony
Holi is a festival of Hindus. It is observed on Phagan Sudi 15 (first week of March) to
commemorate the death of a mythical Hindu evil spirit named Holika. On this day Hindus throw colour-
powder and spray coloured water on each other.Now a days it has become more of hooliganism than
religious function. Guru Gobind Singh, in order to wean the Sikhs away from this silly custom organized
mock battles at Anandpur Sahib and named the occasion Hola Mahalla (literally Halla or Hamla means
attack and Mahalla means place of attack). Now it has become a routine with the Sikhs to hold
celebrations and hold martial arts competitions on day, next to Holi at Anandpur Sahib. It, however has
no sanctity for the Sikhs. Throwing of colour-powder or coloured water is completely in contradiction tp
the Sikh ideology.
Lohri is not a cultural or seasonal festival. It is a religious function of the Hindus. The
Hindus observe it on the day sun enters Capricon on the eve of Sangrand of Maagh month (usually
January 12-13). It symbolizes worship of the mythical Hindu god of fire (Agni Devta). Sikhs must not
celebrate this festival. Celebration of this festival is disobeying the command of Guru Granth Sahib.
Sikhism is based on Gurmat. Any tradition, which fails to conform to the philosophy of
Sikhism must be discarded without reservation-Akleen Sahib saveeyay, Akleen payeeay maan –With
thoughtful logic should one worship God, with the same logic should one seek honour” (GGS, p1245).
The status of Guru Granth Sahib in Sikhism and among the Sikhs is synonymous with the Sikh Gurus.
Therefore, all doubts, controversies regarding Sikh religion must be settled in the light of the Gurbani of
this supreme scripture and the Guru. The ideas and views which conform to the Gurbani should alone be
accepted as valid and authentic. All other versions should be discarded. Prevalent Brahmanical practices
and rituals should be tested on touchstone of Gurmat principles. All those practices which violate the
spirit of Gurmat philosophy and whch create contradictions between belief and conduct must be done
away with.

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Chapter 3
Hindu Karam Kanda and their rejection in Sikhism
Karam literally means act or action and Kaand means chapter or portion.
Theologically in Hinduism Karam-Kaand means that portion of Vedas which deals with the
actions pertaining to worship and life in Hinduism. It also tells the way and time at which a
particular action of religious worship is to be performed. In Hinduism, great emphasis is
laid on the performance of rites and ceremonies, which are considered necessary for
advancement in spiritual domain. The Vedas are divided into four parts viz; Mantras,
Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upnishads. The Mantras and Brahmanas together are known as
Karma-Kanda (the parts of Vedas dealing with sacrificial actions), Aranyakas are called
Upashana-Kanda (dealing with the actions performing to worship) and Upnishads are called
Gyan-kanda (dealing with knowledge).
The actions pertaining to sacrifices and worship are all rejected by the Sikh
Gurus. According to Gurbani, “Without devotion to God all other deeds are vain. The
performance of lip recitation, penace, self mortification and other rites in this world are all
wasted and plundred.1. Pause. One engaging in fasts, daily ceremonies and restraints shall not
obtain even a shell for them O brother, hereafter, the way is different. These are of no avail
there. 1. He who bathes at places of pilgrimage and wanders over earth, finds no place of rest
hereafter. Such devices are of no avail there. By these you please the people here.2. By reciting
the four Vedas from memory, one does not attain Lord’s mansion hereafter. One, who does
not understand One Pure Name, he prates, all nonsense.3, After deep thinking Nanak says, he,
who lives in devotion shall swim across the sea of life” (GGS, Gauri M5, p. 216)
Religiosity in Hinduism is limited to please and propitiate gods to find magical
solutions for day to day problems by specific rites and ceremonies, which are practiced by,
Hom / Havan /yajna (burnt offerings), fasting, pilgrimage, bathing, Vedic and tantric mantras,
Yantras, tantras, yogic concentrations, meditations, sacrifices and rituals merely to obtain
boons of prosperity. In Vedic system (Brahminism/ Hinduism) everything including heaven
could be achieved by the performance of rituals and sacrifices. Hinduism believes in
performing certain acts of outward show inorder to appease the deity. The worship and
devotion were side streams.
Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism did not believe in the Vedas and Quran.
He vehemently attacked the formalities of religion, religious dress, ostentiuos prayers,
penance, pilgrimages, fasts, celibacy, asceticism, idolatry and the caste system. Sikhism,
one of the latest and modem religions of the world, is basically anti-ritualistic. Gurmat lays
great stress on Truth / Truthful living and leading a life full of virtues (Shub Karman), based
on righteousness, full of good intentions / morality and devoid of ego, instead of acts of
outward show. The external marks of holiness do not make a person holy. It is only the
virtuous deeds of a man which can make him great and spiritual. God blesses only those who
perform good deeds. Guru Nanak exposed the social, religious and political leaders of his time
and their methods cutting at the very roots of misrepresentation of the religious doctrines of
Hinduism by Brahmins and those of Islam by Mullas, Qazis and the rulers. He preached
virtues should receive preference over outward acts in daily life. He rejected all the rituals
(acts of outward show) which the clever religious leaders had invented to maintain their

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hold on the common man inorder to maintain their supremacy and gain social and
material benefits. His Manjh kee var in Guru Granth Sahib deals with socio-ethical, socio-
political and socio-economic conditions of India in his times. In Asa Dee Var he has discussed the
doctrines, rituals, rites, practices and life of Yogis, Brahmins, and Turks (Muslims) and given
their right interpretation which forms the foundations of Sikhism.
The holy Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib denounces all ritualistic acts and says:
 piV pusqk sMiDAw bwdM[[ isl pUjis bgul smwDM[[ muiK JUT ibBUKx swrM[[ qRYpwl iqhwl ibcwrM[[
gil mwlw iqlku illwtM[[ dui e DoqI bsqR kpwtM[[ jy jwxis bRhmM krmM[[ sib Pokt inscau krmM[[
khu nwnk inhcau iDAwvY[[ ivxu siqgur vwt n pwvY[[ Par pustak sandhiaa baadang. Sil poojas
bagul samaadhang. Mukh jhooth bibhookhan saarang. Traipaal tihaal bichaaran. Gal
maalaa tilak lilaatang. Duay dhotee bastar kapaatang. Je janas brahmang karmang. Sabh
phokat nischo karmang. Kah Nanak nihcho dhiaavai. Win satgur waat na paavai. The
Brahman priests read scriptures, say prayers and argue. They worship stone idols and sit in
a trance like heron. With their mouth they utter falsehood like the precious stones. They
recite three line (Gaayatri) mantra thice daily. Around their neck is the rosary, sacred mark
on the forehead and on their head is a towel and they always keep two loin- cloths. If they
know the real nature of the Lord, then they will find that all these beliefs and rites are in
vain. Nanak says, in good faith, meditate on the Lord. Without the True Lord (God), man
finds not the way (GGS, p. 470).
 rwm nwm gux gwie pMifq[[ krm kWf AhMkwr n kwjY kusl syqI Gir jwih pMfiq[[--Ram naam
gun gaa-ay pandit. Karam kaanmd ahankaar na kkaajai kusal seetee ghar jaahay pandit i.e
O Pandit singh thou the praise the praise of Lord’s Name. The ritual acts and thy pride are
of no avail. By singing his praise, though shall go home with pleasure (GGS, p.891).
 krm kWf bhu krih Acwr[[ ibn nwvY iDRgu iDRgu AhMkwr[[- “Karam kand bahu karay achar, bin
navin dhrig dhrig ahankar” ie; “Some perform many ritual rites and good actions, but
without the Name of the Lord (God) they are accursed and doomed in ego (GGS, M3,
p.162).
 jl kY mjin jy giq hovY inq inq myNfuk nwvih[[ jYsy myNfuk qYsy Eie nr iPir iPr jUnI Awvih[[ -
-jal kai majan je gat hovai nit nit medak naavah. Jaise medak taise o-ay nar phir phir
jonee aavah. i.e; If salvation is obtained by bathing in water, then the frog eve,ever bathes
in water.As is frog so is that man, he enters the existence again and again (GGS, p.484).
 ngn iPrq jO jog[[ bn kw imrg mukiq sBu hog[[ ikAw nwgy ikAw bwDy cwm[[ jb nhI cInis
Awqm rwm[[ mUf mMufwey jO isiD pweI[[ mukqI Byf geIAw kweI[[ ibMd rwiK jO qrIAY BweI[[ KusrY
ikau n prm giq pweI[[--Nagan firt jo paaeeai jog. Ban ka mirg mkat sabh hog. Kiaa
naagay kiaa baadhe cchaam. Jab hnain cheenas aatamraam. Mood munddaae jo sidh
paaee. Muktee bhed na gaeeaa kaaee. Bind raakh jau tareeai bhaee. Khusray kio nap
arm gat paaeei.e;If union with God is obtaine by going about naked then all the deer of of
the forest would be emancipated. What matters it whether man goes naked or wears a deer
skin, when he does not contemplate on the Pervading Lord in his mind. If perfection be
obtained by shaving the head, then, salvation for he sheep is not gone anywhere. O,
brother, if one be saved by celibacy, then, then why should not an eunuch obtain sup er
dignity? (GGS, p.324).
 krm Drm pwKMf jo dIsih iqn jmu jwgwqI lUtY[[ inrbwx kIrqnu gwvhu krqy kw inmK ismrq

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ijqu CUtY[[“Karam Dharam pakhand jo deesay, tin jam jaagati lootay' Nirbaan keertan
gawo kartay ka, nimakh simrat jitchhootay-i.e;The ritual poses of piety and hypocrisies,
which are seen, them plunders Yama, the tax-gatherer. Sing thou the pure praise of the
Creator, contemplating whom, even for an instant, thou shall be saved-(GGS,p. 747).
 qMqu mMqu pwKMfu n jwxw rwmu irdy mnu mwinAw[[-“Tant mant pakhand na jana Ram riday
mann mania--I (Nanak) do not believe in magical formulae, magical hymns and religious
hypocricies, because my mind is imbued with Almighty” (Ibid, Ml, p.766).
 hom jpw nhI jwixAw gurmqI swcu pCwxu —Hom japaa nahee jaania gurmatee sach
pachhaan i.e,“Through burnt (Barbecue) offerings and ritual recitations of religious
books of Hinduism, God is known not. The True One is realized by Gurbani, as
contained in Guru Granth Sahib (GGS, p.992)
 jgn hom pun qp pUjw dyh duKI inq dUK shY[[ rwm nwm ibnu mukiq n pwvis mukiq nwm gurmuK
lhY[[--Jagan hom pun tap pooja deh dukhee nit dookh sahai. Ram Naan bin mukat na
paavas mukat naam gurmukh lahai i.e, “Even though man may give gracious feasts
make burnt offerings offer alms, perform penances and worship and suffering even
endue bodily pain and self torture; (as prescribed in Hinduism) but without devotion to
the Lord’s Name he does not obtain emancipation and the redeeming Name, one gathers
by Guru’s grace.” (GGS, p.1127)
 qIrQ vrq suic sMjmu nwhI krmu Drmu nhI pUjw[[ nwnk Bwie Bgiq insqwrw duibDw ivAwpy
dUjw[[--Teerath vart such sanjam nahee karam dharm nahee pooja. Nanak bhaae
bhagat nistara dubidha viapa dooja” i.e, “Pilgrimage, fasts, purification and austerities
are meaningless and so are rituals and religious ceremonies and show-worship. O Nanak
emancipation comes only by involving in worship of God and controlling duality”
(GGS, p. 75).
 n hm krm n Drm scu pRiB gih Bujw AwpwieE[[--Naa ham karam na dharm such prabh
geh bhuja aapa-i-o i.e, “In me there is no good deed, neither faith nor piety. Taking me
by the arm the Lord has owned me” (GGS, p.241).
 krm Drm kI sUl nw shhu[[-- Karm dharm kee sool na saho i.e, “Thou donot endure the
toture of rituals and religious rites (GGS, p.343).
 krm Drm siB bMDnw pwp puMn sMbMD[[--Karm dharm sabh bandhna paap pun sanbandh i.e,
“Actions and rituals are all bondages, tying man to sin and virtue (GGS, p.551).
 krm Drm krqy bhu sMjm AMbuiD mnu hwirE ry[[--Karm dharm karte bahu sanjam
ahanbudh man jaario re i.e, “Those, who practise religious rituals and great self-
discipline, their proud-intellect consumes their soul. (GGS, p.335).
 krm kWf bhu krih Acwr[[ ibn nwvY iDRgu iDRgu AhMkwr[[- “Karam kand bahu karay achar, bin
navin dhrig dhrig ahankar” ie; “Some perform many ritual rites and good actions, but
without the Name of the Lord (God) they are accursed and doomed in ego (GGS, M3,
p.162).

 krm Drm pwKMf jo dIsih iqn jmu jwgwqI lUtY[[ inrbwx kIrqnu gwvhu krqy kw inmK ismrq
ijqu CUtY[[“Karam Dharam pakhand jo deesay, tin jam jaagati lootay' Nirbaan keertan
gawo kartay ka, nimakh simrat jitchhootay-i.e;The ritual poses of piety and hypocrisies,

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which are seen, them plunders Yama, the tax-gatherer. Sing thou the pure praise of the
Creator, contemplating whom, even for an instant, thou shall be saved-(GGS,p. 747).
 qMqu mMqu pwKMfu n jwxw rwmu irdy mnu mwinAw[[-“Tant mant pakhand na jana Ram riday
mann mania--I (Nanak) do not believe in magical formulae, magical hymns and religious
hypocricies, because my mind is imbued with Almighty” (Ibid, Ml, p.766).
 hom jpw nhI jwixAw gurmqI swcu pCwxu —Hom japaa nahee jaania gurmatee sach
pachhaan i.e,“Through burnt (Barbecue) offerings and ritual recitations of religious
books of Hinduism, God is known not. The True One is realized by Gurbani, as
contained in Guru Granth Sahib (GGS, p.992)
 jgn hom pun qp pUjw dyh duKI inq dUK shY[[ rwm nwm ibnu mukiq n pwvis mukiq nwm gurmuK
lhY[[--Jagan hom pun tap pooja deh dukhee nit dookh sahai. Ram Naan bin mukat na
paavas mukat naam gurmukh lahai i.e, “Even though man may give gracious feasts
make burnt offerings offer alms, perform penances and worship and suffering even
endue bodily pain and self torture; (as prescribed in Hinduism) but without devotion to
the Lord’s Name he does not obtain emancipation and the redeeming Name, one gathers
by Guru’s grace.” (GGS, p.1127)
 qIrQ vrq suic sMjmu nwhI krmu Drmu nhI pUjw[[ nwnk Bwie Bgiq insqwrw duibDw ivAwpy
dUjw[[--Teerath vart such sanjam nahee karam dharm nahee pooja. Nanak bhaae
bhagat nistara dubidha viapa dooja” i.e, “Pilgrimage, fasts, purification and austerities
are meaningless and so are rituals and religious ceremonies and show-worship. O Nanak
emancipation comes only by involving in worship of God and controlling duality”
(GGS, p. 75).
 n hm krm n Drm scu pRiB gih Bujw AwpwieE[[--Naa ham karam na dharm such prabh
geh bhuja aapa-i-o i.e, “In me there is no good deed, neither faith nor piety. Taking me
by the arm the Lord has owned me” (GGS, p.241).
 krm Drm kI sUl nw shhu[[-- Karm dharm kee sool na saho i.e, “Thou donot endure the
toture of rituals and religious rites (GGS, p.343).
 krm Drm siB bMDnw pwp puMn sMbMD[[--Karm dharm sabh bandhna paap pun sanbandh i.e,
“Actions and rituals are all bondages, tying man to sin and virtue (GGS, p.551).
 krm Drm krqy bhu sMjm AMbuiD mnu hwirE ry[[--Karm dharm karte bahu sanjam
ahanbudh man jaario re i.e, “Those, who practise religious rituals and great self-
discipline, their proud-intellect consumes their soul. (GGS, p.335).
According to Gurmat:
 krmI sihju n aUpjY ivxu shjY shsw n jwie[[--karmee sahaj na oopjai win sahajai sahsaa
na jaae—By ritual acts, intuitive poise (serenity) is not produced and without serenity
doubt does not go (GGS, p.919)
 khy nwnku gur prswdI sihju aupjY ieh shsw iev jwie[[--Nanak says, by Guru’s grace
serenity arises and thus in this way the doubt is dispelled (GGS, p. 919).
 ihMdU AMnw qurkU kwxw dohw qy igAwnI isAwxw[[ --“Hindu anna turkoo kaana, dohaan tay
giani sianaa” i.e The Hindu is totally blind (ignorant) when he follows the path of
superstition and worships the dumb stone idols and Muslim is one eyed (when he treats
mankind partially) i.e favouring Muslims to non-Muslims. Wiser than both is the man

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of true knowledge (who sheds ignorance or prejudice) and sees everything in t he Divine
Light, regardless of his professed religion (GGS, P 875).
 KqRI bRwhmx sUd vYs aupdysu cOhu vrnw kau swJw[[ gurmuiK nwmu jpY auDrYy so kil mih Git Git
nwnk mwJw[[-Khatri, Brahmin, Sood, Vais, updes chauh varna kao saajha, Gurmukh Naam
japay, udhray so kal meh, ghat ghat Nanak majha. 4. i.e; For the four castes of
warriors, priests, farmers and menials, there is one common spiritual message. He,
who under Guru’s guidance utters the Name of God, who abides in all hearts, Nanak
says, is saved in the Dark-age” (Ibid, M5, p.747-48).
 rwm nwmu jip AMqir pUjw[[ gur sbdu vIcwir Avru nhI dUjw[[--Ram Naam jap antar pooja.
Gur sabad veechaar avar nahin dooja.--Utter the Lord’s Name, that is your heart’s
worship. Contemplate on Guru’s word and nothing else (GGS, p.1345).
 isDw syvin isD pIr mwgih iriD isiD[[mY ieku nwmu n vIsrY swcY gur buiD[[
jogI BogI kwpVI ikAw Bvih idsMqr[[ gur kw sbdu n cInhI qqu swru inrMqr[[--Sidha sewan
sidh peer magah ridh sidh. Mai iku Naam na weesrai saache gur budh. Jogee bhogee
kaapree kia bhaavah disantar. Gur ka shabad na cheenhee tat saar nirantar.-- Some
serve men of miracles to become adepts and religious preceptors and they crave for
wealth and supernatural powers. I should not forget to remember the One Name (God),
which is the instruction of the Guru (GGS, p.418)
Modern Hinduism formerly called Brahmanism is represented by its Vaishnava,
Ganapatya, Shauriya, Shaiva and Shakta sects and their beliefs and practices, which have been
described as Biprn kee reet in Gurmat. All Hindus pay veneration to cow and Brahman. The
Hindus believe that man is re-born after his death and this cycle continues indefinitely unless
salvation (Mukti) is attained, for which the Brahmin (Hindu priest) told methods in the
form of rituals to be performed by the followers of Hinduism. These rituals have been
mentioned in the Vedas. The Vedas are divided into four parts viz; Mantras, Brahmanas,
Aranyakas and Upnishads. The Mantras and Brahmanas together are known as Karma-Kanda
(the parts of Vedas dealing with sacrificial actions), Aranyakas are called Upashana-Kanda
(dealing with the actions performing to worship) and Upnishads are called Gyan-kanda
(dealing with knowledge). The Brahmin laid stress on the Karma Kanda, and upashna
Kanda, because they helped to maintain his importance and enjoy monetary benefits. He
did not show much interest in Gian Kanda, which can be obtained from the study of four
Vedas along with that of Shastras, Smiritis, Puranas, Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharta .
The Vedas emphasise upon certain practices and qualities which need to be adopted for
Moksha. The Brahman did not teach the real religion to the Hindus and led them into
superstition and materialism. Under their wrong direction Hindus began to believe that
religion concerned only caste, the ways of eating, bathing and listening to katha. The
Brahman advocated for certain actions and methods of worship, according to Scriptures for
the purification of mind, but in fact, his own mind was not pure. Guru Nanak says, “igAwnu iDAwnu
kCu sUJY nwhI cquru khwvY pwNfy[[-Gian dhian kachh soojee naahee chatur kahaavay paanday--You
expect others to call you wise, O Pundit! But you are devoid of (spiritual) knowledge and
meditation” (Ibid, M1 p.1290). The Brahmin, who was without any knowledge in the field of
spirituality, was well versed in the Pauranic legends. He did not teach the real religion to
the Hindus and led them into superstition and materialism. Under their direction Hindus
began to believe that religion concerned only caste, performing certain rituals, the ways
of eating, bathing and listening to kathas. But Gurbani says:

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 krmI sihju n aUpjY ivxu shjY shsw n jwie[[--karmee sahaj na oopjai win sahajai sahsaa
na jaae—By ritual acts, intuitive poise (serenity) is not produced and without serenity
doubt does not go. khy nwnku gur prswdI sihju aupjY ieh shsw iev jwie[[--Nanak says, by
Guru’s grace serenity arises and thus in this way the doubt is dispelled (GGS, p. 919).
Sikhism confronts superstition with a scientific argumentative approach. For example
the Pandas at Hardawar questioned the Guru’s so-called sacrilegious act of throwing water to the
West when everybody was throwing to the East. The Guru said, “I am throwing water to my crops
at Kartarpur”. The Pandas asked, “How can your water reach hundreds of miles in Kartarpur?” the
Guru replied, “If your water can reach billions of miles at the sun, why my water can’t reach a few
hundred miles on the earth?” The lesson went home to the Pandas and the general public that had
gathered to see the spectacle.
Similarly he engaged himself with the Pandas at Kurukshetra on the occasion of sun
eclipse, the Brahmins at Jagan Nath Puri in the evening at the time of Aarti, The Mullah in Mecca,
the Sidhas and Jogis at Sumer (Kailash Parbat), Gorakh Mata (now Nanak Mata) in UP and Achal
Batala (Punjab), Sajjan Thag in Tolumba (Multan), Wali Ghandhari in Peshawar, Kauda in Asaam,
etc and he carried his point logically. He reformed them and established them at their respective
places as preachers of Sikhism. He discoursed with Babur in Emnabad and His Bani uttered on this
occasion is founded recorded in Guru Ganth Sahib under the heading ‘Babar Vani’.
Categories of Hindu Karm Kanda
There are two categories of Karmas (Karam Kanda) in Hinduism Viz; Nitya Karmas and
Naimittika Karmas. The first one observed daily and the second on special occasions.
a) Nitya Karma: Observed daily
1. Sandhya,
2. Pooja (worship), and
3. Panch-mahayajna:
a) Brahma Yajna
b) Pitri Yajna
c) Deva Yajna
d) Bhuta Yajna
e) Atithi Yajna

b) Naimittika Karma—Observed on special ocassions. These are divided into four parts:
1. Samskaras (Sacraments / rites / Ceremonies)-Total forty six, but among the commonly
observed one include: Garbhadharna Karma (impregnation of wife), Janam-Samskara (birth of
child), Namadheya (naming the child) Annaprasana, Chudakarna, upanaya, Vivaha and Dah
Samskara (the funeral ceremony).
2. The second kind of Naimittka Karmas are Shantis or propitiatory ceremonies, which have
been introduced by Puranas. These are connected with, Ganesha, the giver of success, the
planets, which have astrological effects.
3. The third type of Naimittika Karmas are Vratas (fasts) and Kathas (recitation of sacred
legends).
4. The fourth kind of Naimittika Karma are praschitta or penances for the purification of the soul
fom sins.

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Nitya Karmas
They are to be observed daily and are mainly divided into three parts:
(a) Sandhya
(b) Pooja
(c) Panch-maha-yajna.

Sandhya and its rejection in Sikhism

The prayer which the Hindus offer along with the rituals in the morning noon and
in the evening is known as Sandhya*, in which they recite Gaayatri mantra, which is an
invocation to the Sun God, through which the person offering prayer invokes the God to shed
His blessings on the earth. In addition to reciting the mantra, they offer water to Sun and the
ritual is called Tarpan. This is followed by the practice of Pranayama. There is mention of this
ritual of Sandhya and Tarpan in the holy Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib:
 sMiDAw qrpxu krih gwieqRI ibnu bUJy duKu pwieAw[[-Sandhya tarpan karah gaayatri bin
bhoojhe dukh paa-i-a. They perform ‘Sandhya’and ‘Tarpan’and recite Gaayatri
mantra, but without the True knowledge they undergo sufferings’ (ibid, M3, p.603).
The Guru means that the worship of created things is useless. Only the Lord-
God should be remembered. According to Gurbani:

 eyhw sMiDAw prvwn hY ijq hir pRBu myrw iciq AwvY[ [hr isau pRIiq aUpjY mwieAw mohu jlwvY[[-
“Ehaa Sandhya parvaan hai jit har prabh meraa chit aavai.H Har sion ppreet oopjai
maya moh jalavai..-i.e;-Such “Sandhya” is approved, which implants my Lord in my
mind. It produces attachment with God and burns the love of materialism "(Ibid,
p.553).
Gurbani says:
 dYq puqR pRihlwdu, gwieqRI qrpxu ikCu n jwxY, sbdy myil imlwieAw[[--Dait puttar prehlad, gaayitri
kichh na janay, sabday mail milaaia i.e Prehlad the son of a demon, did not perform any
Sandhya or Gaayatri and yet became a man of God (GGS, p.1133).
 gur swsiq isimRiq Ktu krmw gur pivqR AsQwnw hy[[ Gur saasat simrit khat karma gur pavittar
asthana hay-- The Guru is my Shastras, Simritis and the six rituals and the Guru is my holy
place i.e, For the Sikhs their Guru is everything (GGS,P. 1074)

* The word Sandhya comes from Sanskrit / Punjabi word Sandhi –union (between two times
viz day and night noon after-noon, evening and night).

Pooja, (offering to deities) and its rejection in Sikhism

The second Nitya Karma in Hinduism is, ‘Pooja’, which is offered to deities. Pooja is
not an act of prayer; it is an act of homage, including that of entertainment. Hindus worship
stones and stone idols of different gods and goddesses. Hinduism has five principal sects: The
Vaishnavas, the Shaivas, the Shaktas, the Ganapatyas and the Shauryas, who are worshippers
of Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti (Devi), Ganesha, and Surya (Sun) respectively. All Hindus pay
veneration to cow and rever the Brahmin.
The Vaishnavas are devotees of Vishnu and his incarnations Rama and Krishna. Their
scriptures include: Bhagvadgeeta, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana. The worship
involves bathing, dressing, feeding and singing hymns to the stone gods / statues / pictures.

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They call the stones, Saligram, while the idols are called moortis. They gather in the temple
in the morning and in the evening for Pooja. In Pooja, the Icon-god is ceremoniously
awakened from his bed in the morning with music, given a bath, ceremoniously dressed
and is presented with an offering. The offering consists of flowers (Phool) garlands, dhoopa
(incense burning), deepa (lighting lamps with clarified butter), arga (grass blades, washed
rice and oblations of water and milk--kachi lassi etc), madhuparka (offering of honey etc),
gandha (perfumes, sandal paste etc), and Tulsi leaves and naibed (food for the deity) of
which it eats the subtle part, leaving the gross food, ‘seet parsaad’, i.e ‘jootha-jUTw’ for the
worshipper. In larger temples, the icon-god is taken to bed at night to join his wives or
shaktis, and he is entertained by dancers, the devdasis, during the day. In the evening there
is display of lights combined with offering and devotional singing. This is called ‘Aarti’.
Aarti is performed by Shaivites also around the Lingum, with prayers the
worshipper pours water on the lingum and makes on it the three marks of tripunda with a paste
of sandalwood ash, mixed sometimes with saffron. He makes similar marks on his own forehead
and places flowers and leaves on the top of the lingum as a sort of offering to the god. There are
many manifestaions of Shiva and Shakti like the manifestations of Vishnu. The manifestations of
Shiva are: Bhairva, Rudra,, Mahavira etc. Their scriptures are Agamas and Puranas.
The Shaktas worship the Goddess (Devi) Shakti in her various forms: Chandi, Kali, Durga
etc. The scriptures of Shaktas are called Tantras. The Shaktas are divided into two paths i.e:
‘Dakshina’ (rightists) and ‘Vama’ (leftists). The Vamcharis are steeped in sensuous life. The
Shaktas worship their supreme goddess through mantras (prayers and mystical formulae),
mudras (hand gestures) and mandalas (magical diagrams representing cosmos). In all this the
basic elememnts of prayer are lacking.
The havna (homa) is performed with sacrificial offerings, the sacred text is recited,
the mantras are repeated along with meditation. The flowers water with perfume etc; incense
(dhoopa), lighted lamp (deepa) etc are used during worship.
Gurmat regards all these rituals i.e; Karmas or Karm Kanda as acts of hypocrisy and
therefore rejects all such practices. The Gurus criticized the paraphernalia and the material
ingredients used in worship. Saying:

 pUjw vrq iqlk ieSnwnw pun dwn bhu dYn[[ khMU n BIjY sMjm suAwmI bolih mITY bYn[[---AMimRq nwmu
inrmolku hir jsu iqin pwieE ijsu ikrpYn[[ Pooja, vart, tilak isnana, pun daan bahu daen
Kahoon na bheeje sanjam soami, bolay meethay bain .l. ---Amrit naam nirmolak har jas tin
paio jis kirpain Sadh sang rang prabh bhetay, Nanak sukh jan raen .3. i.e.Worship, fasting,
frontal mark, ablution, the giving of copious alms and charity, self-mortification and
utterance of sweet words, with none of these the Lord is pleased.---The ambrosial Name
and the Lord’s praise are invaluable and he alone obtains them, whom the Lord shows
mercy. By meeting the holy company, slave Nanak is blessed with the Lord’s love and his
life night passes in peace (Ibid, p.674).
 DUp dIp neIbydih bwsw[[ kYsy pUj krih qyrI dwsw[[ qnu mnu Arpau pUj crwvau[[ gurprswid
inrMjnu pwvau[[-“Dhoop deep naibedeh basa, kaisay pooj kareh teri dasa. Tan man arppao
pooj chraavao. Gur parsaad niranjan paavao.”i.e. With incense, lamps, victuals and
scents, how can Thy devotees worship Thee? I dedicate and offer my mind and my
body as worship. By Guru’s grace, I attain to the immaculate Lord (GGS, p 525).

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 BRm BUly AigAwnI AMDly BRm BRm Pl qorwvy[[ inrjIau pUjih mVw sryvih sB ibrQI Gwl
gvwvY[[Bharam bhoolay agiani andhlay, bhram bhram phal toravay, Nirjio poojay, marah
srevay sabh birthi ghaal gaavay i.e. The blind ignorant ones stray in doubt and so deluded,
they pluck flowers for worship. They worship the lifeless stones and adore tombs. Their
service all goes in vain (Ibid, p.1264).

 pwqI qoVy mwilnI pwqI pwqI jIE[[ijsu pwhn kau pwqI qorY so pwhn inrjIau-Paati toray malini,
paati paati jio,Jis pahan kao paati toray, so pahan nirjio, Bhooli malini hai io, satgur
jagta hai deo i.e. Thou tearest off leaves, O lady-gardener, but in every leaf there is life.
The stone (idol) for which thou pluckest the leaves, that stone is lifelss. In this, thou art
mistaken, O lady gardener. The True Guru is the living Lord (Ibid p.479).
 siqgur imly qw sihsw jweI[[ iksu hau pUjau dUjw ndr n AweI[[ eykY pwQr kIjY Bwau[[ dUjY pwQr
DrIAY pwau[[ jy Ehu dyau q Ehu BI dyvw[[ kih nwmdyv hm hir kI syvw[[ Satgur milay taan
sehsa jaie, kis hao poojo, dooja nadir na aie, Ekay pathar, keejay bhao, doojay pathar
dhariay pao, Je uh deo, tan uh bhi deva, kahay Nam Deo, ham har kee sewa i.e. When the
True Guru (Lord God) is met, it is then that the doubt is dispelled. Whom should I
worship? I see no another. One stone is lovingly adorned. Another is trodden under the
feet. If the one is god, the other is also a god (Ibid, p525).

 qyrw nwmu krI cnxwTIAW jy mn aursw hoie[[ krxI kuMgU jy rlY Gt AMqir pUjw hoie[[ pUjw kIcY nwmu
iDAweIAY ibnu nwvY pUj n hoie[[[[1[[ rhwau[[ bwihr dyv pKwlIAih jy mnu DovY koie[[ jUT lhY
jIau mwjIAY moK pieAwxw hoie[[ Tera Naam kari channathian, je mann ursa hoay,Kani
kungoo je ralay, ghat antar pooja hoay, Pooja keechay Naam dhiaiay, bin navin pooj na
hoay, Rhao, Bahir dev pakhalieh, je mann dhovay koay, jooth lahay jio manjiay, mokh
paiana hoay i.e. I make thy name sandalwood and my mind the rubbing stone. If good
deeds be mixed with as saffron, then alone shall the true worship be performed in the
heart. Perform His service by meditating on God’s Name, for, without the Name there
is no worship. 1. Pause. If man were to wash his heart as the stone-god is washed
from without, his impurity shall be removed, the mind shall be cleaned and he shall
depart to deliverance (Gujri, Ml, p.489).

 hir ibnu sBu ikCuu mYlw sMqohu ikAw hau pUj cVweI[[ hir swcY BwvY sw pUjw hovY Bwxw min vsweI[[-Har
bin sabh kichh maila santoh, kia haon pooj chdai, Har saachay bhavay sa pooja, bhana
man vasaaee i.e. Without God, everything is filthy, O saints. What offering should I lay
before Him? Whatever pleases the True Lord, that alone is His worship (Ibid, M3,
p.910).
 Acuq pUjw jog gopwl[[ mnu qnu Arip rKau hir AwgY srb jIAw kw hY pRiqpwl[[--Achut pooja jog
gopal. Man tan arp rakho har aagay sarab jeeaa kaa hai pratipaal..-i.e. The Lord eternal
alone is worthy of worship. My mind and body, I dedicate to the Lord and place them before
Him, who is the cherisher of all beings. (GGS, P.824).
 mMny nwmu scI piq pUjw[[ iks vyKw nwhI ko dUjw[[--Mannay naam sachee pat pooja. Kis wekhaa
naahee ko dooja.—i.e. To believe in the Naam (God) is to attain true honour and worship.
Whom else should I see, when there is no other except the Lord. (GGS,P.832).

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 pUjw kIcY nwmu iDAweIAY[[ibn nwvY pUj n hoeI[[--Perform His service by meditating on God’s
Name, for, without the Name, there is no worship. (GGS, p.489)
 pRB jI ko nwmu jpq mn cYn[[--By contemplating the reverend God’s Name, mind obtains
peace (GGS, p.674).
 pUjw krau n invwj gujwau[[ eyk inrMkwr ly irdY nmskwrau[[--I donot perform Hindu worship
nor offer Muslim prayer. Tking the One Formless Lord into my heart, i make obeisance to
Him (GGS, p.1136).

Aarti:
Aarti is Hindu ceremony performed in adoration of the deity or personage in which lamps are
lit with desi ghee (clarified butter) and placed in a platter. The number of lamps in the platter may vary
from one to one hundred. The person performing Aarti moves the platter four times before the feet,
twice before the naval, once before face and seven times around the body. He rings a bell with
one hand and moves the platter with lit lamps around the image (moorti) or the person with the other
hand. During the process he continues to chant mantras. Each devotee snaps his fingers and claps with
hands and towards the end attendents touch their respective heart, arms, eyes and head etc with the
hands.

In Guru Granth Sahib there is mention of Aarti, and the above mentioned offerings, but
Gurbani denounces this ritual system of Aarti and the mode of worship and presents a cosmic
version:
 ggn mY Qwlu riv cMdu dIpk bny qwirkw mMfl jnk moqI[[ DUpu mlAwnlau pvxu cvr kry sgl bnrwie
PulMq joqI[[ kYsI AwrqI hoie Bv KMfnw qyrI AwrqI[[ Anhqw sbd vwjMq ByrI [ rhwau[[ shs qv nYn nn
nYn hY qoih kau shs mUriq nnw eyk qohI[[ sh pd ibml nn eyk pd gMD ibnu shs qv gm iev clq
mohI[[2[[ sb mih joiq joiq hY soie[[ iqs kY cwnix sB mih cwnxu hoie[[ gur swKI joiq prgtu hoie[[
[jo iqsu BwvY su AwrqI hoie[[3[[ hir crx kml mkrMd loiBq mno Anidno moih AwhI ipAwsw[[ ikRpw jlu
dyih nwnk swirMg kau hoie jw qy qyry nwim vwsw[[--Gangan mai thaal rav chand Deepak banay
taarika mandal janak mote. Dhoop malaalno pavan chavro karay sagal ban rai phoolant jotee.
Kaisee aarti hoay bhav khandnaa teree aarti. Anhataa sabad waajant bheree. Rahao. Sahas tav
nain nan nain hai tohe kao sahas moorat nana ek tohee. Sahs pad bimal nan ek pad gandh bin
sahas tav gandh iv chalet mohee. Sab mah jot jot hai soe. Tis kai chaanan sabh mah chaanan
hoay. Gur saakhee jot pargar hoay. Jo tis bhavay su aarti hoay. Har charn kanwal makrand
lobhit mano andino mohay aahee piaasa. Kirpa jal deh Nanak saarang kao hoay jaa te teray
naam waasa. i.e. “In the sky salver, the sun and the moon are the lamps and stars with their orbs,
are the studded pearls. The fragrance of sandal wood trees makes Thy incense, wind Thy fan
and all the vegetation Thine flowers, O Luminous Lord.1. What beautiful worship with the lamps
is being performed? Such is Thine adoration O Lord, the Destroyer of dread. The unstruck
music, is the sounding of temple drums. Pause. Thousands of Thine eyes, yet Thou hast no eye.
Thousand are Thine forms, yet Thou hast not even one. Thousands are Thine holy feet, yet Thou
hast not even one foot. Thousands are Thine noses yet Thou art without a nose. I am bewitched
by these plays of Thine.2. In all there is light and that light art Thou. By His light, the light shines
in all the bodies. By Guru’s teaching the Divine Light becomes manifest. Whatever pleases Him,
that is His real worship. My mind is bewitched by the honey of the lotus feet of God, night and
day, I am thirsty for them. O Lord Bless Nanak, the pied cuckoo, with the Nectar of Thine

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mercy, so that he may have an abode in Thy Name, 0 Lord." (Ibid, Ml p.663).
During his visit to the Hindu Temple at Jagan Nath Puri in Orissa in the
evening the Pandas of the temple asked Guru Nanak to join the Aarti poojan with them,
which he refused and told about the real Aarti being performed in nature by the
Supreme Erernal Reality (God) and uttered this shabad singing the cosmic Aarti and
spiritually enlightened them against the futility of the ritualistic Aarti with lamps in the
platter.
Idol Worship (*Moorti Pooja / Butt pooja) and its rejection in Sikhism
Idol (Image) worship is predominant and accepted form of worship in Hinduism. It
is said to have been introduced by Narad Muni. According to the ideology of Sikhism God is
Transcendental, Who is without any form, delineation and colour: rUpu n ryK n rMgu iqs qRY gux qy pRB
iBMNn (GGS, p.283). He is Indefinable, immeasurable and Inacessible, QwipAw n jwey kIqw n hoie[[-
“Thapia na ja-ay keeta na ho-ay” i.e, He cannot be created or installed (Ibid, M1, p.2), therefore
He cannot be adorned in any form image or idol nor created. The disapproval of idol worship has
been expressed in the holy Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth sahib in simple and common place terms:
 “iMhMdU mUly BUly AKutI jWhI[[ nwrid kihAw is pUj krWhI[[ AMDy guMgy AMD ADwru[[ pwQru ly pUjih mugD
gvwr[[ Eih jw Awip fuby qum khw qrxhwru[[-Hindu moolay bhoolay akhutee jaahee. Naarad
kahiaa se pooj karaahee. Andhay gungay andh andhaar. Paathar le poojah mughad gavaar. Ohe
jaa aap dubay tum kahaa taranhaar.-i.e-Hindus have forgotten the Primal Lord and are going the
wrong way. As Narad instructed so they worship the idols. They are blind, dumb and the blindest
of the blind. The ignorant fools take stones and worship them. Those stone idols which themselves
sink, cannot ferry you across (Ibid, p.556).
 “pwKwn giF kY mUriq kInI dy kY CwqI pwau[[ jy eyh mUriq swcI hY qau gVHhwry Kwau[[-Paakhaan gadh kai
moorat keenee de kai chhatee paao. Je eh moorat saachee hai tao gharnhaaray khaao.-i.e- “The
sculptor carves the stone into an idol, by putting his feet on its chest. If the idol is truly God, then,
why it does not punish the sculptor” (Ibid, p.479).
 “Gir nwrwiex sBw nwil[[ pUj kry rKY nwvwil[[kuMgU cMnxu Pul cVwey[[ pYrI pY pY bhuqu mnwey[[ mwxUAw mMig
mMig pYny Kwie[[ AMDI kMmI AMD sjwie[[BuiKAw dyie n mridAw rKy[[ AMDw JgVw AMDI sQY[[Ghar nara-i-n
sabhaa naal. Pooj karay rakhai navaal. Kungoo channan ful chara-ay. Pairee pai pai bahutut
mana-ay. Manooa mang mang painay kha-ay. Andhee kam-mee andh saja-ay.-i.e.- O Pundit, you
install the idol of god in your house, along with lesser godlings. You wash it, worship it, offer
saffron, sandalwood and flowers. You fall at its feet seeking to propitiate it. But you beg men for
what you wear and eat. For thine dark deeds, thou shalt receive unforeseen punishment. The idol
gives not the hungry and saves not the dying. It is a blind wrangling of the society of the blind”
(Ibid, p.1240-41).
 “buq pUij piUj ihMdU mUey qurk mUey isru nweI[[ Eie ly jwry Eiey gwfy qyrI giq duhU n pweI[[-But pooj
pooj Hindu mooay Turk mooay sir naaee. Oay le jaaray oay lay gaaday teree gat duhoo na
paaee.-i.e-“The Hindu die worshipping and worshipping the idols and Mussalman die bowing
their heads. The former burns the dead and the latter bury them. Neither of the two find Thy real
state. 0 Lord” (Ibid, p.654).
Guru Gobind Singh says:
 koau buqwn ko pUjq hY ps koau imRqwn ko pUjn DwieE[[ kUV ikRAw auriJau hI sB jg sRI Bgvwn kw Byd n
pwieE[[--Some fools worship idols or proceed to worship the dead. The whole world, being in the
grip of false ceremonies, has not known God’s secrets (Tav Parsad Savaiye).

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*Moorti could be made up of skin, bones and flesh i.e in form of a human being or a painting on a
paper or wall or in the form of a photograph etc; or created from stone clay, wood, metal or plastic
etc. Moorti is a Moorti and its worship in any form is strictly prohibited in Gurmat (Sikhism).

Gurbani says:
.
 eyko jip eyko swlwih[[eyku ismir eyko mn Awih[[eyks ky gun gwau AnMq[[ min qin jwip eyk
BgvMq[[ eyko eyk eyku hir Awip[[pUrn pUir rihE pRB ibAwip[[ “Eko jap eko salahay, ek
simer ekay mann ahay Ekas kay gun gao anant, mann tan jaap ek bhagwant. Eko ek ek
har aap, pooran poor rehio prabh biap.-i.e-Contemplate on one sole Lord and laud
Him alone. Him alone contemplate and seek Him only in thy mind. Sing the
excellences of the Infinite One Lord. With thy mind and body contemplate the one
Lord. God Himself is solely One and Real. The pervading Lord is fully filling every
place.” (Ibid, p.289).

 jwgiq joiq jpY ins bwsur eyk ibnw mn nYk n AwnY[[-“Jaagat jot Japai nis basar, ek bina
mann naik na aanai i.e, He (the Khalsa) meditates on the Ever-radiant Light, day and
night, and rejects all else but the One Lord from his mind.”
(33,Swayie, Patshahi, 10).

 siqgur no sBu ko vyKdw, jyqw jgqu sMswru[[ ifTY mukiq n hoveI, ijcru sbid n kry vIcwru –--Satgur
sabh noon vekhda jetaa sagal sansaar, dithai mukat na hovaee jichar shabad na karay
veechaar i.e, All the mortals that are in the world, behold the True Guru. By merely seeing
the Guru, one is not emancipated, until one contemplates not on the Guru’s word (GGS,
p594).
 gur mUrq gur sbd hY, swD sMgiq ivc prgtI AwieAw[[ In fact the image of the Guru is
Shabad (Word) of the Guru that remains conspicuous amidst Sadh Sangat (Holy
congregation) (Bhai Gurdas var 24 pauri 25).
 qIn rUp hY moih ko suno nMd icq lwie[[ inrgux srgux gur sbd hY khY qohy smJwie[[-Teen
ropp hai mohay ko suno Nand chit laa-ay. Nirgun, Sargun, Gur Shabad hai kahay tohay
samjha-ay (Mukh vaak Patshahi 10-Rahitnaama Bhai Nand Lal).
Sikh commandment is:
“pUjw Akwl kI-Pooja Akaal kee i. e, Worship only God, prIcw sbd kw-Paricha Shabad ka, i.e
Believe only in Gurbani, dIdwr Kwlsy kw-Deedar Khalse Ka-i.e Keep the company of the
Khalsa”

Stone Worship (Saligram / Thakur Pooja) and its rejection in Sikhism

Hindus worship stone and call it Saligram or Thakur, which according to them represents
Vishnu. Saligram is a village located in the south of Nepal, which is situated on the bank of Gandka
River. From the bed of this river come out round stones, black or bluish in colour having white streaks
on them. According to Hinduism they represent Vishnu. From the name of this village these stones
have derived their name Saligram, which are also called Gandika Sut (son of Gandika).
According to a Pauranic story Vishnu turned into a stone after he had a curse from Rani
Satbrinda wife of Raja Jalandhara, whom he had cheated. Before his turning into stone Vishnu said
that he will marry her in his next birth. Satbrinda committed 'Sati' and she was reborn as Tulsi plant,

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on her grave. The Hindus solemnize marriage of Tulsi with Saligram every year in the month of Kartik
in temples. Gurmat denounces such beliefs:

 ihMdU mUly BUly AKutI jWhI[[ nwrid kihAw is pUj krWhI[[ AMDy guMgy AMD AMDwru[[ pwQr ly pUjih
mugD gvwr[[ Eh jw Awip fuby qum khw qrxhwru[[-“Hindu moolay bhoolay akhuti janhi
Narad kahia se pooj kranhi. Andhey gungey andh andhar. Pather ley poojeh mughad
gavar. Uh ja api dubey tum kaha taarnhaar.-i.e. The Hindus have forgotten the Primal
Lord and are going the wrong way. As Narad instructed so they worship the stones (idols).
They are blind, dumb and blindest of the blind. The ignorant fools take stones and worship
them. Those stones, when they, themselves sink, how shall they ferry thee across? (Ibid, p.
556).
 qw kO kr pwhn Anumwnq[[ mhw mUVH kCu Byd n jwnq[[Ta kao kar pahan anumanat. Maha
murh bhed na janat.—The great fool thinks that God is a stone. But he does not know the
difference between the two (Guru Gobind Singh, Chaupai).
 jo pwQr kau khqy dyv[[qw kI ibrQw hovY syv[[-Jo pathar ko kehtay dev, ta kee birtha hovai
sev i.e Those who call stone their God, their service is wasted (GGS, p.1160).
 jo pwQr kI pWeI pwie iqs kI Gwl AjWeI jwie[[1[[Jo pathar kee paein paa-ay, tis kee ghaal
ajain ja-ay. i.e. Those who fall at the feet of the stone, their endeavour goes in vain (GGS,
p.1160).
 nw pwQru bolY nw ikCu dyie[[ Pokt krm inhPl hY syv[[-Na pathar bolai na kichh day, fokat
karam, nihphal hai sev –The stone does not speak nor gives you anything. Hollow are the
rituals of the idol worshipper and fruitless his service (Ibid, M5, p.1160).
 eykY pwQr kIjY Bwau[[ dUjy pwQr DrIAY pwau[[ jy Ehu dyau q Ehu BI dyvw[[.-Ekey pathar keejai
bhao, doojay pathar dhareeay pao, Je uh deo taan uh bhi deva. i.e-One stone is lovingly
adorned. Another stone is trodden under the feet. If one stone is god, the other is also a
god. (Ibid, p525).
 kbIr Twkuru pUjih miol ly mn hT qIrQ jwih[[ dyKw dyKI svWgu Dir Buly Btkw Kwih[[ Kabeer
thaakar poojah mol lay man hath teerath jaahay. Dekhaa dekhee sawaang dhar bhoolay
bhatkaa khaahay i.e; Kabir says, men buy and worship the god-idols and by their
stubborness go on pilgrimages. In imitation of each other, they wear ritual garbs, go astray
and wander at large (GGS, p.1371)
 kbIr pwhn prmysur kIAw pUjY sBu sMswru[[ ies BrvwsY jo rhY bUfY kwlIDwr[[ Kabeer paahan
parmesar keeaa poojai sabh sansaar. Is bharvaasay jo rahay booday kaalee dhaar i.e;
Kabeer says, making gods of stone, all the world worships them. They, who abide in this
belief, are drowned in the dark stream.(GGS, Kabir, p1371).
 AMqir dyau n jwnY AMDu[[ BRm kw moihAw pwvY PMDu[[ n pwQru bolY nw ikCu dyie[[ Pokt krm inhPl
hY syv[[-Antar deo na janai andh. Bhram ka mohia pavai phandh. Na pathar bolai na
kichh day. Phokat karam nihphal hai sev i.e; The blind one does not perceive God inside
him; Immersed in doubts he gets entangled; Idol neither speaks nor gives; these are
mere meaningless actions, without any rewards (GGS, p.1130).

 swlgRwm ibp pUij mnwvhu suikRqu qulsI mwlw[[ rwmnwmu jip byVw bWDhu dieAw krhu dieAwlw[[--
bguly qy Pun hMslw hovY jy qU krih dieAwlw[[ pRxviq nwnku dwsin dwsw dieAw krhu dieAwlw[[

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“Saligram bip pooj manavhoo, sukrit tulsi mala, Ram Naam, jap beda bandho daya
karho dayala--- Pranvat Nanak, daasan daasa, daya karoh dayala-O Brahmin, you
worship, and propitiate the stone-god and deem it a good act to wear the rosary of sweet
basil. Build thou the ship of meditation of Lord’s Name and pray to gracious Lord for
grace.--- O Lord, if you be graceful then the heroin again turns into a swan. Nanak, the
slave of Thy slaves, humbly supplicates, gracious Lord, show grace.” (Ibid, p.1171)
 pUj islw qIrQ bnvwsw, Brmq folq Bey audwsw[[ mn mYly sUcw ikau hoie? swc imlY pwvY pq
soie[[i.e. The man worships stones, abides at holy places, jungles, wanders, wavers and
becomes a renouncer but with the filthy mind, how can he become pure? He, who meets the
True Lord, obtains honour (GGS, p686).
 Gr mih Twkur ndr n AwvY[[ gl mih pwhx lY ltkwvY[[ Brmy BUlw swkqu iPrqw[[ nIr ibrolY Kip
Kip mrqw[[ rhwau[[ ijsu pwhx kau Twkuru kihqw[[ Ehu pwihxu lY aus kau fubqw[[ gunihgwr lUx
hrwmI[[ pwhx nwv n pwrigrwmI[[ guriml nwnk Twkuru jwqw[[ jil Qil mhIAil pUrn ibDwqw[[ i.e.
Within his home, the man beholds not the Lord and suspends a stone-god aroud his neck.
The mammon-woshiper wanders astray in doubt. He churns water and dies tired in agony.
Pause. The stone which he calls his god, that stone drowns him along with itself. O sinner,
untrue to thy salt, it is not the boat of stone that shall ferry thee across. By meeting the Guru,
has Nanak realized the Lord. God the creator is fully prevalent in the water, dry land and
troposhere (GGS, p.739).
 nwvih Dovih pUijh sYlw[[ ibnu hir rwqy mYlo mYlw--Naavah dhovah poojah saila. Bin har rate
mailo mailaa i.e. Thou (The Hindus) bathest, washest and worshippest stones. But without
being imbued with God, they remain impure and filthy (GGS, p.904).

 gur imil nwnk Twkuru jwqw[[ jil Qil mhIAil pUrn ibDwqw Gur mil Nanak thakur jaataa, Jal
thal mahial pooran bidhaataaa- i.e-By meeting the Guru, has Nanak realized the Lord,
God, the creator is fully prevalent in water, dry land and the troposhere. (Ibid, Suhi 5,
p739)

 Apny syvk kI Awpy rwKY AwpY nwmu jpwvY[[ jh jh kwj ikrq syvk kI qhw qhw auT DwvY[[ syvk
kau inktI hoie idKwvY[[ jo jo khY Twkur pih syvku qq kwl hoie AwvY[[ Apunay sevak kee
aapay raakhay aapay naam japaavay. Jah jah kaaj kirat sevak kee tahaa tahaa uth
dhavai. Sevak kao nikatee hoay dikhaavay. Jo jo kahay thakur pah sevak tat kaal hoay
aavay i.e. The Lord Himself preserves the honour of His slave and Himself causes him
to repeat His name. Withersoever the business and affair of His slave is, thither the
Lord runs to help him (Ibid, M5, p.403).
Guru Gobind Singh says:
 kwhy ko pUjq pwhx ko ikC pwhx my pRmySr nwhI[[qwhI pUj pRBU krkY ijh pUjq hI AG EG imtwhI[[
AwiD ibAwiD ky bMDn jyqk nwm ky lyq sbY Cut jwhI[[ qwhI ko iDXwn pRmwn sdw ien Pokt Drm kry
Plu nwhI[[ Kahay ko poojat pahan kao, kichh pahan meh permesar nahee? Tahee ko pooj
Prabhu karkay jih poojat hee agh ogh mitahee. Aadh biaabh kay bandhan jetak Naam
kay lait sabhai chhut jaahee. Tahee ko dhian pramaan sadaa in fokat dharma karay fal
nahee, ie. “Why worship a stone, God is not in a stone; Worship Him as thy master, by
the worshipping whom all pains are assuaged. And by uttering whose Name thou shall

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be freed from all thy mental and bodily entanglements. Meditation on Him only is
acceptable these false deeds end in no gain.
(Guru Gobind Singh, 33 Sawayyas, 20)
 Pokt Drm BXo Pl hIn ju pUj islw jug kot gvweI[[isD khw isl ky prsy bl ibRD GtI nvin~D n pweI[[
The hollow religion became friteless O being! You have lost years by worshipping the stones; you
will not get power with the worship of stones; the strength and glory will only decrease; (DG, 33
swayyas, 21)
 jO jug qY kirhY qpsw, kCu qoih pRsMnu n pwhn kY hY[[ hwQ auTwie BlI ibD so, jV qoih kCU brdwnu n dY hY[[
You may perform auterities and worship the stone for three yugas, it will not gadden thy heart. The
image will not cofer any boon upon thee, with arms uplifted in a gracious manner; (33 Sawayyas
22 ).
 kwhU lY pwhn pUj DrXo isr kwhU lY ilMg gly ltkwieE[[ kwhU liKE hir AvwcI idsw mih kwhU pCwh
ko sIs invwieE[[ koU buqwn ko pUjq hY psu koaU imRqwn ko pUjn DwieE[[ kUr ikRAw auriJE sB hI jg
sRI Bgvwn ko Bydu n pwieE[[Some worship stone and their head on it i.e bow their head to
stones. Some hang the phallus (lingum) stung in necklace. Some bow their head towards the
south (towards Dwarka) and some towards the west (towards Kaba in Mecca). Some worship
images, others busy praying to dead, The world is thus bound by false ritual, and God is
secret unread.” (Tav Parsad Swayye, Guru Gobind Singh).

According to Gurmat:
 eyko jip eyko swlwih[[ eyku ismir eyko mn Awih[[ eyks ky gun gwau AnMq[[ min qin jwp eyk BgvMq[[ eyko
eyk hir Awip[[ pUrn pUir rihE pRB ibAwip[[-“Eko jap eko salahay, ek simer ekay mann ahay, ekas
kay gun gaao anant, mann tan jaap ek bhagwant. Eko eke k har aap, pooran poor rehio prabh
biap—i.e; “Contemplate on one Lord and laud Him alone. Him alone and seek Him only in mind.
Sing the excellences of the infinite One Lord. With thy mind and body contemplate the One Lord
God Himself is soley One and Real. The pervading Lord is fully filling every place” (ibid, p.289).
 jwgjoq bsY ins bwsr eyk ibnw mn nYk n AwnY[[-jaagat jot japai nis baasar, ek binaa mun naik na
aanai i.e; “He (Khalsa) meditates on the Ever-radiant Light, and rejects all else but One Lord, and
rejects all else but the One Lord from his mind (33 Sawaiyye Paatshahi10)
 ibn krqwr nw ikRqm mwno—“Bin Kartaar na Kirtam maano-Except the Creator donot worship any
created being” Shabad Hazare, Guru Gobind Singh)
The Sikh Commandment is:
“Pooja Akaal kee---Worship only God,
Paricha Sahabad kaa,
Deedar Khalsay kaa—Keep the company of the Khalsa”.

Devi / Devta Pooja and its rejection in Sikhism

(Gods and Goddesses worship)
Devta lit: means One who gives something, whereas Devi lit: means give me
something. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion and belief in numerous gods and goddesses is one of its
cardinal principles. The Hindu priest, Brahman, determined, a controller (Devta) for every natural
force, blessing, disease or clamity. These Devtas included planet gods viz; sun, moon and earth etc.
Then the natural forces as gods; Air, fire, rain and water etc , rivers viz Ganga-Ganges, Jamna etc, food

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items as gods (Ann devta) including salt etc, the animals as gods: Cow, Boar (Varah), snake (Shesh
naag) fish (Machh), tortoise (Kachh), rat etc, birds as gods: Neelkanth, Garud etc, trees and plants as
gods: Banyan, coconut, Pipal, Tulsi etc, diseases viz small pox (Seetla Devi) etc are also among
them. Then there were superhuman gods responsible for creation and destruction of the world. The
giver of life or creator was named Brahma, the sustainer as Vishnu and the destroyer was given the
name of Shiva. These three gods are spoken of as forming a Trimurti (Trinity). The female forces were
given the name of Devis-(Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Lakshami etc), while the male forces were called
Devtas. The Brahmin, himself, designated as Brahmin Devta. The total number of such Devtas and
Devis (divinities i.e Gods and Goddesses) in Hinduism came to be thirty three crores. Different time was
fixed for each one of them, different type of worship was fixed for different Devtas and Devis and
different types of offerings were conceived for them, because every Devta fulfilled a different desire or
demand. Because of his ignorance man became victim of uncessary imaginative worship. The verdict of
Gurbani in this regard is:

 pvxu pwxI Agin iqin kIAw bRhmw ibsnu mhys Akwr[[--Pawan paanee Agn tin keeaa Brahma,
Bisan, Mahesh akaar. i.e “The master who created air water and fire also created Brahma,
Vishnu and Mahesh” (GGS, p.504).
 qyqIs kroVI dws qumwry iriD isiD pRwx ADwrI[[ qwky rUp n jwhI lKxy ikAw kir AwiK vIcwrI[[-
Tetees karoree dass turaray ridh sisidh praan adhaaree. Taa ke roop na jaahee lakhnay kiaa
kar aakh weechaaree i.e, “Thirty three crores of gods are Thy servants Thou givest wealth
of supernatural powers and thou art prop of their life. His forms cannot be comprehended.
What can one narrate or contemplate on these?” (GGS, p.423).
 dyvI dyvw pUjIAY BweI ikAw mwgau ikAw dyih[[ pwhxu nIir pKwlIAY BweI jl mih bUfih qy ih[[“Devi
Deva pooji-ay bhai kia mangi kia deh'Pahan neer pikhali-ay bhai, jal meh booday teh.—i.e,
“why worship goddesses and gods , brother, what can one ask from them and what can they
give him? The stone gods are washed with water, brother but they drown in water.” (Ibid,
M1, p. 637).
 Twkur Cof dwsI kau ismrih mnmuK AMD AigAwnw[[ hir kI Bgiq krih iqn inMdih ingury psU
smwnw[[ “Thakur chhod dasi kao simreh, manmukh andh agiana. Har kee bhagat karah tin
nindah niguray pasoo samana i.e. The blind and thoughtless egocentric leaving the Lord,
contemplates His subordinates. Those who are without the Guru, are like the beasts. They
slander those, who worship God.” (Ibid, p.1138-39).
 eIsr bRhmw dyvI dyvw[[ ieMdR qpy muin qyrI syvw[[jqI sqI kyqy bnvwsI AMqu n koeI pwiedw[[ “Eesar
Brahma Devi Deva, Inder tapay mun teri sewa, Jatee Satee ketay banvaee ant na koi paaida
i.e. Shiva, Brahma, goddesses, gods, Indra, penitents and silent sages, are all engaged in
Thine service. The celibates, the men of piety and good many forest dwellers, none of
these, is able to realize thy extent. (Ibid, M1, p.1034).
 eIsru bRhmw syvdy AMqu iqnI n lhIAw[[ inrBau inrMkwru AlKu hY gurmuiK pRgtIAw[[--Eesar
Brahma sevade ant tinee na laheeaa. Nirbhao nirankaar alakh hai gurmukh pargateeaa i.e.
Shiva and Brahma, despite their devotion, have not found God’s limit. The fearless and
Formless Lord is invisible and is revealed only to God-oriented ones. (GGS, p.516).
 bRhmw ibsnu mhwdyau moihAw[[ gurmuiK nwim lgy sy soihAw[[-Brahma Bisan Mahadeo mohia.
Gurmukh naam lagay se sohia i.e,“Brahma Vishnu and Mahadev were under the worldly
attachments. The Guru-wards in devotion to the Name, have come out with honour” (GGS,

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p.394).
 “dyvI dyvw mUl hY mwieAw[[isMimRiq swsq ijMn aupwieAw[[ “Devee Deva mool hai maya, Simrit
saasat jin upaa-i-aa i.e The great illusion is the origin of gods, and goddesses on whom
Simritis and Shastra were written” (Ibid, M3, p.129).
 “mwieAw mohy dyvI siB dyvw kwlu n CofY ibnu gur kI syvw[[ Ehu AibnwsI AlK AByvw[[ -“Maya
mohay Devi sabh Deva, kaal na chhoday bin gur kee sevaa,.Oh abinaasee alakh abhevaa i.e.
Materialism has deluded all gods and goddesses. Death spares none without Guru’s service.
That Lord is imperishable, Unseen, and Inscrutable.” (Ibid, p. 227).
 “bRhmw ibsnu mhwdyau qRY gux rogI ivic haumY kwr kmweI[[ijn kIey iqsih n cyqih bpuVy hir
gurmuiK soJI pweI[[-Brahma, Vishnu and Mahadev were suffering from three qualities of
materialism and were acting under egoism. They remembered not God who created them
(GGS, p. 735).
 “mihmw n jwnih byd[[ bRhmy nhI jwnih Byd[[ Avqwr n jwnih AMqu prmysru pwrbRhm byAMq[[ ApnI
giq Awip jwnY[[ suix suix Avr vKwnY[[ sMkrw nhI jwxih Byv[[ Koj hwry dyv[[ dyvIAw nhI jwnY
mrm[[sB aUpir AlK pwrbRhm[[ - “Mahima na jaaneh baid Brahmey nahee jaaneh bhed.
Avatar na jaaneh ant. Parmesar paarbrahm beant.Apni gat aap janay. Sun sun avar
wakhaanai. Rhao. Sankra nahin janeh bhev, Khojat haray dev. Deveeaa nahi janai marm.
Sabh oopar alakh Parbrahm i.e. The Vedas, know not the Lord’s glory. Brahma cannot
realize His mystery. The incarnations know not His extent. The Lord is supreme,
transcendent and limitless. His state, He Himself knows. Others speak of Him from hearsay.
Shiva knows not His secret. The gods have grown weary searching Him. The goddesses
know not His mystery. Over all is the Unseen Supreme Lord”. (Ibid, p. 894).
Guru Gobind Singh says:
 kwhy ko eys mhysih, kwhy idjys ko eys bKwnXo[[ hY n rGvYs, jdvYs rmwpiq qY ijnko ibvnwQ
pCwinXo[[ eyko Cwf Anyk BjY, sukdyv, prwsr, ibXws JUTwinXo[[ Pokt Drm sjY sB hI, hm eyk hI ko
ibD nyk pRmwinXo[[“Why call Shiva God and why speak Brahma as God, God is not Ram
Chandra or Krishna whom ye suppose to be the Lords of the world; Sukhdev, Prashar and
Vyas erred in abandoning the One God and worshipping many Gods. All have set up false
religions; I in every way believe that there is but One God” (Thirthy three sawayas—XV
Swaiya).
 koaU idjys ko mwnq hY psu, koaU mhys ko eys bqy hY[[ koaU khY ibsno ibsnwiek, jwih BjY AG EG
ktY hY[[bwr hjwr ibcwr Ary jV, AMq smyN sB hI qj jY hY[[ qwhI ko iDAwn pRmwn hIey, joaU Qw,
Ab hY Aru Awgy aUhY hY[[ i.e, “Some worship Brahma as God others point to Shiva as
God; Some say Vishnu is the Lord of the world and that by worshipping Him all sins
are erased; Think on this a thousand times, O fool, at the last hour, all thy gods will
forsake thee; Meditate in thy heart who was, is and shall ever be”. (Thirty three
swayyas -xvi)
 bRhm mhysR ibsn scIpiq AMq Psy jm Pws prY hYN[[-- “Brahm, Mahesar, Bisan Sachipat ant
fasay jam faas paren gay” i.e; “Brahma, Shiva and the husband of Sachi i.e; Indra will
ultimately be entrapped in the noose of death” (Tav Parsaad Sawaiyye Patshi10))).

Gurbani says:

 “pUjhu rwmu eyk hI dyvw”[[--“Poojoh ram ek he deva” i.e,Worship only the One Lord (GGS, p.

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484).
 eyko jip eyko swlwih[[eyku ismir eyko mn Awih[[eyks ky gun gwau AnMq[[ min qin jwip eyk BgvMq[[
eyko eyk eyku hir Awip[[pUrn pUir rihE pRB ibAwip[[ “Eko jap eko salahay, ek simer ekay mann
ahay Ekas kay gun gao anant, mann tan jaap ek bhagwant. Eko ek ek har aap, pooran poor
rehio prabh biap.-i.e-Contemplate on one sole Lord and laud Him alone. Him alone
contemplate and seek Him only in thy mind. Sing the excellences of the Infinite One Lord.
With thy mind and body contemplate the one Lord. God Himself is solely One and Real.
The pervading Lord is fully filling every place.” (Ibid, p.289).
 jwgiq joiq jpY ins bwsur eyk ibnw mn nYk n AwnY[[-“Jaagat jot Japai nis basar, ek bina mann
naik na aanai i.e, He (the Khalsa) meditates on the Ever-radiant Light, day and night, and
rejects all else but the One Lord from his mind.”
(33,Swayie, Patshahi, 10).
The Sikh Commandment is:
“Pooja Akaal kee---Worship only God,
Paricha Sahabad kaa,
Deedar Khalsay kaa—Keep the company of the Khalsa”.

Avtaar Pooja (Worship of Incarnations) and its rejection in Sikhism

In the theology of Sikhism, ‘Avtaar’ literally means birth: mwnuKw Avqwr dulB—
Maanukha avatar dulabh i.e; “Human birth is difficult to obtain” (GGS, p.486), but in Hinduism it
means any person or animal serving as the embodiment of God or spirit. According to Hindu
thought God descends to earth in the form of an incarnation to restore Dharma (righteousness)
whenever there was rule of Adharma (un-righteousness) and therefore these incarnations are
worshiped as God. When Guru Nanak appeared on the soil in the Indian subcontinent, according to
ancient Hindu thought there were many Gods. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva formed the trinity as
creator, preserver and destroyer. It was held in Hinduism that God took birth not only in human
form, but also himself comes into the world in various anthropomorphic forms, such as, The
Hansa (Swan), Machh or Matsya (Fish), Kachh or Kurma (Tortoise), Varaha (Boar), Nar-Simha
(Partly human, partly tiger) and finally in human forms. Twenty-four incarnations of God
Vishnu were accepted. Rama the son of king Dashratha and Krishna son of Vasudeva were among
them. Countless male and female divinities were also regarded as Gods. The total came to 33
crores.
Contrary to this philosophy according to Sikhism, there is one and only one God
and he does not descend on earth and does not assume human form as the Avtaar Vaad
(Incarnation) theory in Hinduism portrays. Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism says, “srbM swcw
eyku hY dUjw nwhI koie[[-Sarbang saachaa ek hai dooja naheen ko-ay” i.e, “In this whole world
there is one God second to none” (GGS, p.660). Sikhism neither believes in the Hindu trinity of
God-Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva nor 24 incarnations nor 33 crore divinities. As per Sikh thought
there is One God and He is Supreme Eternal Reality. There is no division of functions and no
delegation of authority. According to Sikhism, “God does not descend on earth. He neither takes
birth nor dies. He is uncreated. He does not assume human or anthropomorphic form as the
Avtaarvaad (incarnation) theory of Hinduism portrays”. This characteristic has been mentioned
in Gurbani repeatedly. Guru Granth Sahib rejects the worship of Gods and their incarnations,
because they are all created beings and also prone to death. The Brahmans confused the created

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beings with the ctreator. Gurbani lays emphasis on the worship of the Transcendent Almighty
(Nirguna), who is Immortal and Infinite. It describes God as ‘Ajooni’ (beyond birth and death).
Its conception of God is uncompromisingly monotheistic, with no room for the idea of
incarnation. Therefore worship should be of One Formless God. It says:
 eykm eykMkwru inrwlw[[ Amru AjonI jwiq n jwlw[[ Agm Agocru rUpu n ryiKAw Kojq Kojq Git Git
dyiKAw[[-“Ekam, ekankaar nirala, amar ajoni, jaat na jala, Agam agochar, roop na rekhia,
Khojat khojat ghat ghat dekhia—The Unique Lord is Peerless, Immortal, Unborn, and
without caste and involvement. He is Inaccessible, unknowable and has no form or
outline. By searching and searching I have seen Him in all hearts.” (GGS, M1, p.838).
 Akwl mUriq AjUnI sMBau kil AMDkwr dIpweI[[-“Akal moorat ajooni sanbhao kal andhkar
deepai”, i.e; “The one (whose allegoric body) is without any effect of time and space, is free
from life and death cycle, is created by itself and gives light to disperse darkness (of ignorance)”
(Ibid, M5 p.916).
 jnm mrn nhI DMDw DYir[[-“Janam maran nahin dhanda dher”, ie; “The Almighty is free from
birth and death cycle” (Ibid, p936).
 jnm mrn qy rihq nwrwiex[[-“Janam maran tay rehat Narain” i.e; “The Almighty is free
from birth and death” (Ibid, M5, p.1 136)
 qU pwrbRhmu prmysru join n AwvhI[[-“Toon parbrahm parmesar joon na avhi” i.e; “You are the
greatest and do not come into life and death cycle” (Ibid, M5, p.1095).
 AmoG drsn AwjUnI sMBau[[ Akwl mUriq ijsu kdy nwhI Kau[[-“Amog darshan ajooni sanbhao,
Akal moorat jis kaday na khao”, i.e; “The inexhaustible Bounteous is without life-death cycle
and is created by itself. There is no effect of time and space (on its allegoric body) and is never
destroyed” (Ibid, M5, p.1082).
According to Gurbani the so called Avtars (of Hindus) were human beings and not
God in human form, therefore it rejects their worship, because they are all created beings and also
prone to death:
 “jugh jugh ky rwjy kIey gwvih kir AvqwrI [[iqn BI AMqu n pwieAw qw kw ikAw kr AwK vIcwrI[[-Jugah
jugah ke raaje kee-ay gaavah kar avtaaree.tin bhee ant na paa-i-a ta ka kiaa kar aakh
weechaaree-i.e-The kings created by Thee in different ages are sung as Thine Avtaars
(incarnations). Even they have not found Thy limits. (Ibid, p.423).
 Avqwr n jwnih AMqu[[prmysru pwrbRhm byAMqu-Avtaar na jaanah ant. Parmeshar paarbraham
beant i.e. The incarnations know not His extent. The Lord is supreme, transcendent and
limitless (GGS,p.894)
 hukim aupwey ds Aauqwrw dyv dwnv Agxq Apwrw[[ mwnih hukm su drgih pYJY[[ swc imlwie
smwiedw[[ Hukame upaae das aotaaraa. Dev daanav aagant apaaraa. Maanai hukam su
dargah paijhai saach molaae samaaidaa i.e. By His order God created ten incarnations,
innumerable gods and numberless devils. Whoever obeys Lord’s command is robed in honour
at the Divine Portal. By uniting him with the True Name, the Lord merges him in Himself
(GGS, p.1037)
 shMsr dwn dy ieMdR roAwieAw[[ prsrwmu rovY Gir AwieAw[[ AjY su rovY BIiKAw Kwie[[ AYsI drgh imlY
sjwie[[ rovY rwmu inkwlw BieAw[[ sIqw lKmx ivCuiV gieAw[[ rovY dihisru lMk gvwie[[ ijn sIqw
AwdI faurU vwie[[ rovih pWfv Bey mjUr[[ ijn kY suAwmI rhq hdUir[[ rovY jnmyjw Koie gieAw[[ eykI
kwrix pwpI BieAw[[ rovih syK mswiek pIr[[ AMq kwil mqu lwgY BIV[[ rovY rwjy kMn pVwie[[ Gir
Gir mwgih BiiKAw jwie[[ rovih ikrpn sMcih Dnu jwie[[ pMifq rovY igAwnu gvwie[[ bwlI rovY nwih
Bqwru[[ nwnk duKIAw sB sMswru[[--Sahansar daan de indar roaia. Paras ram rovai ghar a-i-aa.

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Ajai su rovai bheekhia kha-ay. Aisee dargah millai saja-ay. Rovaiy ram nikalaa bha-i-a. Seeta
Lakhman wichhur ga-i-a. Rovaiy dahsir lank gava-ay. Jin seta adee daoroo wa-ay. Rovah
pandav bha-ay majoor. Jin ki suamee rahat hadoor. Rovaiy janmeja kho-ay ga-i-a. Ekee
kaaran papee bha-i-a. Rovah raje kann parae. Ghar ghar magah bheekhia ja-ay. Rovah kirpan
sanchah dhan ja-ay. Pandit rovah gian gava-ay. Balee rovai naahe bhataar. Nanak dukheea
sabh sansaar.—With reward of punishment of the thousand marks of infamy, Indar had to
weep. Paras Ram returned home crying. Ajai wailed, when he was made to eat the dung he
gave in charity. Such is the punishment, meted out at the God’s Portal. Rama wept when he
was exiled and Sita and Lachhman were separated from him. The ten headed Rawan, who took
away Sita by beating a hand drum, wept when he lost Ceylon. The Pandvas, whose Master
lived with them, became servants and wailed. Janmeja wailed as he was gone astray. A single
lapse turned him sinner. The Seikhs, seers and spiritual guides weep, lest they suffer agony at
the last moment. The kings weep, having their ears torn and they go begging from house to
house. The miser weeps when his hoarded wealth parts company with him. The Pandits wail
when their learning fails. The young woman weeps for she has no husband. Nanak says, all the
world is involved in suffering. He who believes in the Name, becomes victorious. No other
ritual or deed is of any account (GGS, p.953).
Regarding Ram Chandar, the Hindu incarnarnation of God, Guru Nanak Dev
proclaimed that if Ram had been God, he would not have lost his wife Sita and he would have
healed his brother Lachhman, instead calling on Hanuman to do so. It was God the Almighty who
did every thing not Ram:
 rwm JurY dl mylvY AMqir blu AiDkwr[[ bMqr kI sYnw syvIAY min qin jJu Apwru[[ sIqw lY gieAw
dhisro lCmxu mUE srwip[[nwnk krqw krxhwru kir vyKY Qwp auQwp[[Ram jhurai dal melvai antar
bal adhikaar. Bantar kee saina seveevai man tan jujh apaar. Seeta lai gaiaa dah-siro
Lachhman moo-o saraap. Nanak karta karnhaar kar wekhai thaap uthaap.--Rama grieves in
his mind, he gathers the army, he has within him the power and authority. The ten-
headed Ravana has taken away Sita and because of a curse, Lakshmana was killed. Ram
Chand grieves in his mind for Sita and Lakshmana. The misguided demon (Ravana)
does not comprehend it. It was Lord God, who did everything, who is carefree and whose
writ cannot be effaced, saith Nanak (Ibid, M1, p.1412).
 “pWfy qumrw rwmcMdu so BI Awvqu dyiKAw Qw[[rwvn syqI srbr hoeI Gr kI joie gvweI QI[[-Paanday
tumra ramchand so bhee aavat dekhia tha . Ravan setee sarbar hoee ghar kee jo-ay gavaaee
thee--O Puandit! I saw your Ram Chand coming. He had a quarrel with Ravana and lost
his wife” (Ibid, Gaund Nam Dev, p.875).
 gwvin gopIAw gwvin kwn[[ gwvn sIqw rwjy rwm[[ inrBau inrMkwru scu nwmu[[ jw kw kIAw sgl jhwnu[[
syvk syvih krim cVwau[[iBMnI ryn ijnw min cwau[[-People sing the Gopis and Krishna, Sita and
Rama, but not the fearless, true transcendent Lord, who is the creator of the whole world,
whom only the servants through His grace adore (Ibid, Ml, p.465).
 nwnk inrBau inrMkwru hoir kyqy rwm rvwl[[ kyqIAw kMn khwxIAw kyqy byd bIcwr[[-Nanak nirbhao
nirankar hor ketay Ram raval. Ketia Kaan kahanian ketay Bed bichar i.e; Nanak God is
Fearless and Formless, there are many Ramas lying in dust. There are many stories about
Krishna. There may be many thought-provoking Vedas (GGS, p.464).
Regarding Shri Krishna another incarnation of God in Hinduism, Gurbani says:
 qum ju khq hau nMd ko nMdnu nMd su nMdnu kw ko ry[[ Drin Akwsu dso ids nwhI qb ieh nMd khw Qo
ry[[ sMkit nhI prY join nhI AwvY nwm inrMjn jw ko ry[[-Tum jo kahat hau nand ko nandan nand
so nandan ka ko ray. Dharn akas daso dis nahin tab ih nand kaha tho ray. Pause. Sankat

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nahi parai jon nai avai naam Niranjan ja ko ray i.e; You call God as Nand’s son, how is he
God when there was neither earth nor sky in all directions where was this Nand? God is
beyond troubles nor is he born. He is called immanent (GGS, p. 338).
Guru Gobind Singh says:
 jO khO rwm Ajoin AjY Aiq kwhy kO kOSl kuK jXo jU[[ If you consider Ram, the Lord as unborn,
then how did he take birth from the womb of Kaushlya?
 kwl hU kwn khY ijih ko ikih kwrx kwl qy dIn BXo jU[[He, who is said to be the destroyer of
death, then why did he become subjugated himself before death?
 sMq srUp ibbYr khwie su kXoN pQ kO rQ hwNk DXo jU[[If you call Him (Krishna) all goodness and
without enmity, why did then He become the charitor of Arjuna?
 qwhI ko mwin pRBU kr kY ijh ko koaU Bydu n lyn lXo jU[[ O mind! You only consider him the Lord
God, whose Mystery could not be known to anyone (33 Swayyas, 13)
 ikXo khu ikRSn ikRpwinD hY, ikh kwj qy biDk bwx lgwXo[[ How do you identify Krishna, with
All –merciful? Why did the hunter shot him with an arrow?
 Aaur kulIn auDwrq jo, ikhqy Apno kul nws krwXo[[Why did he, who saves the families of
others, had his own clan destroyed?
 Awid Ajoin khwie kho, ikm dyvik ky jTrMqr AwXo[[ If he (Krishna) is said to be primeval and
unborn, then how did he come into the womb of Devki?
 qwq n mwq khY ijh ko, iqh ikauN bsudyvih bwp khwXo[[He, who is considered without any
father or mother, why then Vasudev be termed his father? (33 Sawayye—14,)
 kwhy ko eys mhysih BwKq, kwhy idjys ko eys bKwnXo[[ hY n rGvYs jdvYs rmwpiq, qY ijnko
ibisnwQ pCwinXo[[ eyk ko Cwif Anyk BjY , sukdyv, prwsr, ibXws JUTwinXo [[ Pokt Drm sjy sB
hI, hm eykih ko ibD nyk pRmwinXo[[ i.e, “Why call Shiva God and why speak Brahma as
God? God is not Ram Chander or Krishna or Vishnu, whom ye suppose to be the Lords
of the world; Sukhdev, Prasar and Vyas erred in abandoning the one God and
worshipping many gods. All have set up false religions; I, in every way believe that
there is but one God who manifests himself in many ways” (Thirty three sawayyas-
xv)
 koaU idjys ko mwnq hY psu, koaU mhys ko eys bqY hY[[ koaU khY ibsno ibsnwiek, jwih BjY AG EG
ktY hY[[bwr hjwr ibcwr Ary jV, AMq smyN sB hI qj jY hY[[ qwhI ko iDAwn pRmwn hIey, joaU Qw,
Ab hY Aru Awgy aUhY hY[[ i.e, “Some worship Brahma as God others point to Shiva as
God; Some say Vishnu is the Lord of the world and that by worshipping Him all sins
are erased; Think on this a thousand times, O fool, at the last hour, all thy gods will
forsake thee; Meditate in thy heart who was, is and shall ever be”. (Thirty three
swayyas -xvi)
 bRhm mhysR ibsn scIpiq AMq Psy jm Pws prY hYN[[-- “Brahm, Mahesar, Bisan Sachipat ant
fasay jam faas paren gay” i.e; “Brahma, Shiva and the husband of Sachi i.e; Indra will
ultimately be entrapped in the noose of death” (Akal Ustat).

Thus all divinities are prone to death, therefore the Lord God is to be adorned,
who is Ever-Existent, ibn krqwr n ikrqm mwno “Bin Kartar na kirtam mano” i.e; ‘Except
the Creator do not worship any created beings’ (Patshahi 10, Shabad Hazare).

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Gurbani lays emphasis on the worship of the Transcendent Almighty (Nirguna), who is immortal
and infinite:
 ibn krqwr n ikRqm mwno[[ Awid AwjUnI AbnwsI qih pRmysr jwno[[-“Bin Kartar na kirtam mano,
adi ajoni abnasi teh Parmesar jano-O man, except the creator do not worship anything other
created being. Regard God, who was from the beginning Unborn, Invincible and
Indestructible as the Supreme Being” (Mukh waak Patshahi 10, Shabad Hazare). This is
very impotant tenet of Sikhism.
 “pUjhu rwmu eyk hI dyvw”[[--“Poojoh ram ek he deva” i.e,Worship only the One Lord (GGS, p. 484).
 nwnk scu iDAwiein scu[[ jo mir jMmy su kcu inkcu[[-- Nanak says true are they, who meditate
the True One. They who die and are reborn, are unbaked and worthless, false (GGS, p.463).
Several names of these incarnations, which were prevalent among the masses for
the Supreme Eternal Reality (God), have been used by the Sikh Gurus in their verses, because
they were more clearly understood by the devotees viz: Rama, Krishna, Gobind, Gopal, Banwari,
Murari, Damodar etc.

Rejection of Grave and Tomb Worship in Sikhism

Sikhism strictly forbids any such worship. The cannon of Sikh faith says:

 duibDw n pVauo hir ibnu horu n pUjau[[ mVy mswix n jweI[[ iqRsnw rwic n pr Gir jwvw iqRsnw nwim
buJweI[[-“Dubhdha na parho, Har bin hor na poojo, Marhay masaan na jaee Trisna raach
na par ghar Java, trisna naam bujhaee—I do not indulge into duality, do not worship any
other but God and do not go to tombs or crematoriums. With desire in mind, I do not go
to another’s house. The Naam has assuaged my desire. ” (GGS, Ml, p. 634)
 koaU buqwn ko pUjq hY ps koaU imRqwn ko pUjn DwieE[[ kUr ikRAw auriJay hI sB jg sRI Bgvwn
ko Byd n pwieE[[ Some fools worship Idols others proceed to worship graves. The
entire world is engaged in false rituals (cermonies) and none has understood the s ecret
of the Lord God (Patshahi 10, Tav Parsad Sawayye).
 jwgiq joiq jpY ins bwsur eyk ibnw mn nYk n AwnY[[ Jagat jot japai nisbasur ek bina man
naik na aney“--He (Khalsa) who meditates on the ever-radiant, day and night and
rejects all else but the One Lord from his mind. pUrn pRym pRqIq sjY bRq gor mVHI mt BUl nw
mwnY[[Pooran prem pratit sajai, gor marhi mat bhool na maney,--He who decorates
himself with perfect love and faith and believes not in fasts, tombs, crematoriums and
hermit-cells by mistake. qIrQ dwn dXw qp sMjm eyk ibnw nhI eyk pCwnY[[Tirath dan daya
tap sanjam ek bina neh ek pachhane--He who knows none except the One Lord in the
performance of acts of pilgrimage, charities, compassion, austerity and self control.
pUrn joq jgy Gt mY qb Kwls qwih nwKwls jwnY[[,Pooran jot jagai ghat maein tab Khalas
tahe nakhalas jaane--Such a man in whose heart shines the full Divinely radiant Light is
a true Khalsa (33 Sawayyas patshahi. 10, Sawayya 1).

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Jot Jagaoni--Holiness of lighting earthen / Wheat flour lamps with Desi Ghee
(Clarified butter) in Hinduism
&
Its rejection in Sikhism
Sikhism is not against lighting lamps for light purposes, but is definitely opposed
to make it a ritual. Vedanta/Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) believes in worship of fire,
therefore they keep the lamp (Jot) lit all the time in their place of worship. They believe
that it keeps the evil Spirits away and they remain free from adversities. Sikhsim does not
accept ythe authority of Vedas. According to Gurmat only the lamp of Divine knowledge
can dispel the darkness of ignorance, which is responsible for all our worldly sufferings:
 kil kwlK AMiDAwrIAw gur igAwn dIpk auijAwrIAw[[--Kal kaalakh andhiaariaa. Gur giaan
deepak ujiaareeaa i.e; “In the kalyuga there is pitch darkness (of ignorance). The Guru has
lamp of divine knowledge, enlightens it”(GGS,P.210).
 dIpk bwNiD DirE ibnu qyl[[ so dIpku Amrku sMswir[[ kwm kRoD ibKu kwFIly mwir[[--Deepak
baandh dhario bin tel. so deepak amrak sanaar. Kaam krodh bikh kaadheele maar ie; “By
contemplating whom thou shalt make merry, within thee, the Lord has firmly placed a lamp
that burns without oil. That lamp renders the world immortal and drives out the poison of
carnal appetite and anger” (GGS, p. 971).
 goibMd jIvn pRwn Dn rUp[[ AigAwn moh mgn mhw pRwnI AMiDAwry mih dIp Gobind jeevan praan
dhan roop. Agiaan moh magan mahaa praanee andhiaare mah deep i.e; “The lord is our
life, breath, wealth and beauty. The mortal is greatly involved in ignorance and wordly love
and the Lord is the lamp in this darkness” (GGS, p.701).
 sbdu dIpku vrqY iqhu loie[[ jo cwKY so inrmlu hoie[[inrml nwim haumY mlu Doie[[--Sabad
deepak wartai tih loe. Jo chaakhai so nirmal hoe. Nirmal naam haomai mal dhoe i.e; “The
light of the Naam lamp is pervading the three worlds. He, who tastes the Naam becomes
pure. The immaculate Naam washes off the filth of ego (GGS, p.664).
 dIpku sihj blY qiq jlwieAw[[ dIpk rs qylo Dn ipr mylo Dn EmwhY srsI[—Deepak sahj balai
tat jalaa-i-aa. Deepak ras telo dhan pir melo dhan omaahai saesee i.e; “The lamp, lighted
by the essence of enlightenment burns steadily. God’s love is the oil of the lamp that unites
the bride (soul/atma) with her groom (Parmatma / God). The bride is in bliss and blooms”
(GGS, p. 1109).
 dIvw myrw ieku nwmu duKu ivic pwieAw qylu[[ auin cwnix Eh soiKAw cUkw jm isau mylu[[Deeva
mera ikk Naam dukh vich paia tail, un chaanan uh sokhia chooka jam sion mail. The
Naam is alone is my lamp and therein, I put oil of suffering. The Naam’s lamp light
has dried up the oil of suffering and I have escaped from Death’s courier (GGS, p.
358).

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Superstition regarding special days, Good and Bad Omens and their rejection in Sikhism
In Hinduism people consider some months or days sacred and believe that it is
meritorious to perform certain rituals on those days. Gurmat denounces such beliefs. It considers
all days equally good. Guru Granth Sahib says:
 “Only idiots and fools worry about lunar dates and particular days of the week.—iQqI vwr
syvih mugD gvwr (GGS, p.843) good and bad omens.

 sgun Apsgun iqs kau lgih ijsu iciq n AwvY[[-“Sagun upsagun tis kao lageh jis chit
na aavay—Good omens and bad omens befall him, who does not remember God in
his heart” (Ibid, M5, p.401).
 CinSrvwir saux swsq bIcwru[[ haumY myrw BrmY sMswru[[ mn muKu AMDw dUjY Bwie[[ jm dir bwDw
cotw Kwie[[-“Chhanichhar vaar saon saasat beechaar. Haumai mera bharmai sansar.
Manmukh andha dujai bha-ay Jam dar badhachota kha-ay” Saturday: To deliberate
over good omens and shastras, in these and in ego and selfhood, the world wanders.
The blind self-willed person is engrossed in the love of another and bound at the
death’s door, bears the blows (GGS, p.841).
 saux sgun vIcwrxy, nau igRh bwrh rwis vIcwrw[[ kwmx tUxy AausIAw kxsoeI pwswr pswrw[[
gdhu kuqy iblIAw, iel mlwlI igdV Cwrw[[ nwir purKu pwxI Agin iCk pd ihfkI vrqwrw[[
iQiq vwr BdRw Brm idswsUl shsw sYswrw[[vl Cl kir ivsvws lK, bhu cuKI ikau rvY
Bqwrw[[gurmuiK suK Plu pwr auqwrw[[ (Varan Bhai Gurdas 5.8)—Many consult tomes of
astrology to work out good omens, from the position of nine planets (Moon, Sun,, Mars,
Jupitar etc), and the twelve positions of the Sun (Ras). Many women indulge in exorcism
and predictions and many other such-like acts-the product of ignorance and dark age.
Some take auspicious and inauspicious cues from the sighting or position of the donkey,
dog, cat, eagle, jackal or whirlwind that they may see or come across while setting out
from home on way to some business. Coming across a female with water-filled pitcher or
a male or a fire, has good or bad significance in their scheme of things. Some try to take a
cue of good or bad omen from one / two sneezes or hiccups. The entire world is
entangled in doubts and suspicions of Thit, Var and Bhadra. How will a woman with
multi-tastes and desires (a prostitute) and who uses countless deceits enamour the Lord
husband? Gurmukhs obtain fruits of comfort and peace (from the divine word of the
(Guru) and thus are emancipated (Varan Bhai Gurdas 5.8).
 sjw Kbw saux n mMn vswieAw, nwir purK no vyiK n pYir htwieAw[[ BwK suBwK vIcwir n iCk
mnwieAw, dyvI dyv n syv n pUj krwieAw[[ BMbl Busy Kwie n mn BrmwieAw, gurisK scw Kyq bIj
PlwieAw”—Gursikhs donot believe in good or bad omens. Seeing other men/ women
indulging in such frivolities they donot retrace their steps. They donot consider the
sounds of animals/ birds as indicators of auspicious/ inauspicious happenings nor
sneezing as warning or ill omen. They neither believe gods/ goddesses, nor worship their
idols. Other than God, they do not hold love for anyone else in their mind and thus are
never confused due to duality. Company of Gur-Sikhs is like a true fold where seed sown
always sprouts and yeilds good crop (Bhai Gurdas 20.8)—.

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C) The third type of Namittika Karma are: Vratas (Fasts)

Vratas (Fasts-Willful Hunger) and their rejection in Gurmat (Sikhism)
Vratas (Fasts), observed in Hinduism and Islam for the purification of the soul, inorder
to achieve union with God. In Hinduism observed, mostly by women, as they are not entitled to
recite Vedic mantras. They think that by fasting soul gets purified for union with God. The
Hindus consider Ekadshi fast as more meritorious. Muslims observe fasts during
Ramadan/Ramzan.

According to Gurbani fasting does not lead to union with God, instead it hurts the body. In
reality soul becomes purified and bold only with knowledge of God (Gur Gian):

 AMnu n Kwih dyhI duKu dIjY ibnu gur igAwn qipRiq nhI QIjY[[-“Ann na kha-ay dehi dukh deejay,
bin gur gian tripat nahin theejay. By not taking food, is torturing the body. Without
enlightenment given by the Guru, contenment comes not.” (Ibid, p.Ml,p.905)
 vrqu nymu inqwpRiq pUjw[[ ibnu bUJy sBu Bwau hY dUjw[[-- Warat nem nitaprat pooja. Bin boojhay
sabh bho hai dooja i.e; All the fastings, ritual rites and daily worship, without realization of
the Lord, lead man to the love of another-(wordly materialism) (GGS, p,841).
 hTu ingRhu kir kwieAw CIjY[[ vrqu qpnu kir mnu nhI BIjY[[--Hath nigrah kar ka-i-aa chheejai.
Varat tapan kar man nahee bheejai. By practicing stubborn self-torture, the body wears off.
Through fasting and penance, the mind is not softened (GGS,p.905).
 vrq nymu suc sMjmu pUjw pwKMif Brmu n jwie[[Doubt (unfounded belief) does not depart by
practicing fasting, ritual routines, piety, self discipline, worship and hypocrisy (GGS,
p.1423).
 vrq nym sMjm kir Qwky[[ nwnk swD srin pRB sMig vsY[[ men have grown weary of
observing fasts, vows and selmortification. Taking shelter of the Holy, Nanak abides
with the Lord (GGS, p.408).
 vrq nym kir Qwky punh crnw[[ qt qIrQ Bvy sB Drnw sy aubry ij siqgur kI srnw[[-Men
have grown weary performing fasts, vows and expiations. They wander to the banks of
sacred streams of the whole world. They alone are saved, who seek the shelter of the
True Guru (394).
 srIru ktwie homY kir rwqI[[ vrq nym kry bhu BwqI[[ nhI quil rwm nwm bIcwr[[nwnk gurmuiK
nwm jpIAY iek bwr[[) cutting the body in small pieces and making offering of it to the
fire, observance of fasts and taking vows of various kinds; none of these ritual actions
equal contemplation of the Name Divine of the Lord Nanak says, should one, by Guru’s
guidance, contemplate on the Name even once(GGS, p.265).
 vrq nym mjn iqsu pUjw[[ byd purwn iqin isMimRiq sunIjw[[ mhw punIq jw kw inrml Qwnu[[ swD
sMgiq jw kY hir hir nwmu[[ All the fastings, ritual vows, ablutions and worship lie in
contemplation of God and also lie therein the listening to Vedas, Purans and the Simritis.
Exceedingly pure is he, who in company of the holy meditates on Lord God’s Name and
pure is his abode (GGS, p.393).
 vrq krih cMdRwiexw sy ikqY n lyKM[[ byd pVih sMpUrnw qqu swr n pyKM[[ iqlk kFih iesnwnu
kir AMqir kwlyKM[[ ByKI pRBU n lBeI ivxu scI isKM[[BUla mwrig so pvy ijsu Duir msqik
lyKM[[ iqn jnm svwirAw Awpxw ijin guru AKI dyKM[[ They who keep fasts appropos the

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moon, are of no account. They who read the Vedas in full do not see its essence and
vision. They, who draw paste mark on their foreheads after taking bath, have within
them, the blackness of sins. He who wears ritual garb does not find the Lord without true
teaching. The strayed one, on whose forehead good destiny is pre-recorded, takes to the
right path. He alone embellishes his human life, who sees the Guru with his eyes (GGS,
p.1099).
 AMn nw KwieAw swdu gvwieAw, bhu duK pwieAw dUjw BwieAw[[. i.e, “They observe fast and
loose taste only to involve in deeds that wean them away from God” (GGS, p.467)
 rojw DrY mnwvY Alhu suAwdqu jIA sMGwry[[ i.e, He observes fast to propitiate God and yet
destroys God’s creation for satisfying his own palate (GGS, p.483).

 Cofih AMnu krih pwKMf[[ n suhwgin nw auih rMf[[Chhoday ann karay pakhand na suhagan
na uh randd--she who abandons food, really practices hypocrisy. She is neither a blessed a
bride nor a widow (GGS, p.873).
 kbIr hir kw ismrnu CwfkY AhoeI rwKY nwir[[ gdhI hoie kY AauqrY, Bwru shY mn cwir[[ Kabir har
kaa simran chhod kai ahoee rakhay naar. Gadhee hoay kai utrai bhaar sahai man chaar i.e;
Kabir says, a woman who observes the fast of small pox (seetla mata) shall be born as she
donkey will carry four maunds of load (GGS, p1370).

 brq nym sMjm mih rihqw iqn kw AwiFu n pwieAw AwgY clxu Aauru hY BweI aUNhw kwim n
AwieAw[[-“Bart name sanjam meh rehta, tin ka aad na paiya Aggay chalan our hai bhai
oohan kaam na aiya—One engaging in fasts, daily ceremonies and restraints shall not
obtain even a shell for them O brother, hereafter, the way is different. These are of no
avail there.” (Ibid, p.216).

 vrq n rhau n mh rmdwnw iqsu syvI jo rKY indwnw[[-“Vrat na raho, na meh ramdana, tis sei,
jo rakhay nidhana—I do not practice ritual fasting nor observe the ritual of Ramzan. I
seve Him alone who ministers justice to all.” (Ibid, M5, p.1136)
 jg mih bkqy dUDw DwrI[[ gupqI Kwvih vitkw swrI[[AMnY ibnw n hoie sukwlu qijey AMin n imly
gupwlu --jag mah baktay doodah dhari. Guptee khaveh watika saree. Annai bina naa ho-
ay sukaal. Tajiai ann na milai gupaal i.e; They, who proclaim in the world that they live
on milk alone, secretly eat a whole two seers of eatables. Without food, time does not
pass in peace. Forsking food, the Lord is not met” (Ibid, p.873).

Instead of observing fasts Gurbani tells us to control our mind and love His Creation:

• min sMqoKu srb jIA dieAw ien ibiD brqu sMpUrn BieAw[[-“Mann santokh sarb jee daya, in
bidh, bart sampooran bhaia i.e. Be satisfied in thy mind and show kindness to all living
beings. In this way thy fast shall be complete” (Ibid, p.299).
 rwm sMig nwm dyv jn kau pRiqigAw AweI[[eykwdsI bRqu rhY kwhy kau qIrQ jweI[[ Ram sang Naam
Dev jan kao pratigiaa aaee.Ekaadasee brat rahi kaahe kao teerath jaaee. In the company of
the Lord, slave Nam Dev has made a resolve. He has ceased to fast on the eleventh lunar
day. Why go on pilgrimages to shrines? (GGS, p.718).

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Rejection of Mon-varat (fast of speech) in Sikhsm

Sikhism does not believe in mon-varat (fast of speech) of Hinduism. It believes in
constructive dialogue during our stay in this world. Gurbani says, “Jab lag dunia rahee--ay
Nanak kuchh kahee-ay kuchh sunnee-ay (GGS, p.611).

d) Prayaschittas (Penances for the purification of the soul from sins). The fourth kind of
Naimittika Karmas are praschitta or penances for the purification of the soul from sins. Gurbani
rejects all such practices:
Tap
Some people think that by torturing the body mind comes under control and thus
union with God is attained. The common methods for torturing the body adopted by the
ascetics were, exposing the body to extrememes of heat or cold, standing in water on one leg for
long periods of time, hanging the body upside down etc. Gurmat forbids such practices:
• qnu n qpwie qnUr ijau bwlxu hf n bwil[[ isir pYrI ikAw PyirAw AMdir iprI smHwl[[-“Tan na
tapai tanoor jio, balan hadd na baal, sir pairin kia, pheria, andarpiri samaal i.e; O man,
do not heat your body like an ovan and donot burn your bones like firewood. What
wrong your head and feet have done? Pray, realize your Beloved within yourself” (Ibid,
p 1411).
 hom jg jp qp siB sMjm qit qIrQ nhI pwieAw-“By fire offerings,gratuitous feasts,
recitations, penances, austerities, restraints and abiding at the banks of rivers and holies,
God is not attained” (GGS, p.1139).
Gurbani says:

 ijau pwvk sMig sIq ko nws[[ AYsy pRwiCq sMq sMig ibnws[[-“Jion paawak sang seet ko naas,
ai-say praschit sant sang binas. As cold is destroyed with fire, so contemplating in the
company of the holy all the doubts and dreads are annulled” (Ibid, p.914).

 gur syvw qpW isir qpu swru[[ hir jIau min vsY sB dUK vswrx hwru[[-“Gur sewa, tapaan sir
tap Saar,Har jio mann vassay, sabh dukh visaaran haar.—Guru’s service is the essence
and the excellent penance of all the penances. The reverend Lord then abides in man’s
mind and all his sufferings depart. (Ibid,M3, p.423).
In addition to the above mentioned Karmas laid down in Vedas the Manu simriti
added six more Karmas and these are:
1. Study of Vedas
2. Teaching of Vedas
3. To make sacrifice
4. To persuade others to make sacrifice
5. To give alms
6. To accept alms
It says when bath, recitation, Havana, worship of gods, pilgrimage and
austerity are combined with above Karmas, they are known as ‘Dwadas Karmas’
or twelve Karmas. Guru Granth Sahib is critical of these, because instead of the
purification of the body and mind, they brought people into the fold of Maya
(materialism) and created ego in the mind. According to Hinduism, the recitation
of mantras, the gods were said to be under control. The bath at sacred places of

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pilgrimage is considered a virtuous act in Hinduism, but Guru Granth Sahib gives
no significance.

Panchmahayajnas of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism

These include:
(1) Brahma Yajna: It calls upon every Hindu to study the Vedas.
(2) Pitri Yajna: It contains oblations offered to the manes (pitris). It is a libation of water
poured out to the forefathers.

*(3) Deva Yajna (Yag-Hom): It consists of sacrifices to gods through fire. The sacred fires are
kept burning on sacrificial platforms (Vedis) and oblations of Ghee (clarified butter) are
offered. This practice is called ‘Havna’.

(4) Bhuta Yajna: It consists of sacrifices to spirits or departed souls.

(5) Atithi Yajna: It means hospitality to guests.

Sikhism does not accept authority of the Vedas and denounces all of these and other allied
ritual practices.

*Yag-Hom (Burnt offerings):

According to Brahminism gods and goddesses are sustained because of sacrifices. It
promotes holding of Yag--Homs and believe it to help in resolving all issues in life. Methods to
please every Devi or Devta were outlined, which was in the form of Yag-Hom. It consists of
offering the sacrificed animal to fire. The fire was designated as tongue of the Devta and
Yag was believed to give pleasure in this and the next world. Different offerings or
sacrifices were fixed for each and every Devi and Devta and on the basis of this offering or
sacrifice various Yagias assumed their names viz:

 Narmedh Yajna-in which human sacrifice was offered.

 Ashavamedh Yajna-in which horse sacrifice was offered.
 Gaindamedh Yajna-in which rhinoceros was offered.
 Gaomedh Yajna-in which cow sacrifice was offered.
 Bhainsamedh Yajna-in which buffalo sacrifice was offered.

The animal which is sacrificed at the Yag and he who has made the offer of the
animal, goes to heaven (Vishnu Smriti, Ch. 51).
According to Manu Brahma has created animals for offering them as a sacrifice during
Yag. Sacrificing them does good to the entire world. Therefore, it carries no offence of violence.
Whatever is used up during Yag, attains better life in the next birth. He who does not consume
meat of a sacrificed animal takes twenty one births as a swine.
(Manu Ch 5, Shalok 35, 39-40)

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The fee paid to the Brahmin for the performance of the priestly work during the
sacrifice is called dakshna. Manu says that the Brahmin should not perform the sacrifice if he
does not receive the dakshna desired by him.

The holy scripture of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib, does not believe in the existence of Devis
and Devtas (gods and goddesses), who form the basis of these Yagas. So the question of these
Yagas does not arise in Sikhism. Gurbani says:

 hom jg jp qp siB sMjm qit qIriQ nhI pwieAw[[ imitAw Awpu pey srxweI gumuiK nwnk jgqu
qrieAw[[ Hom jag jap tap sabh sanjam tat teerath nahin paaiaa. Mitia aap pae sarnaaee
gurmukh Nanak jagat traiaa (GGS, p.1139) i.e, Homa sacrifices, austerities and
pilgrimages have no use for the society. If you remove your ego and submit to God you
will help yourself and leave good influence on others.
 hom jg qIrQ kIey ibic haumY bDy ibkwr nrkuu surgu duie BuMcnw hoie bhiur bhuir Avqwr—--[[
jYso guir aupdyisAw mY qYso kihAw pukwir[[ nwnku khY siun ry mnw kir kIrqn hoie auDwru [[--Hom
jag teerath kee-ay bich haomai badhe bikaar. Narak surg do-ay bhunchna ho-ay bahur
bahur avatar.----Jaiso gur updesia mai taiso kahiaa pukaar. Nanak kahay sun re manaa
kar keertan ho-ay udhaar i.e,.— Performing burnt offerings, sacrificial feasts and
pilgrimages, only increase egoism and evil thinking. With this one experiences hell and
heaven and is born again and again. The realm of Shiva, the realm of Brahma and Indra, no
place is stable. Without God’s service, there is no peace. The reprobate person continues
coming and going. As the Guru instructed me, so have I proclaimed aloud. Nanak says,
listen, O man, sing the praises of God and thou be emancipated (GGS, p.214).

 hom jg siB qIrQw pVH pMifq Qky purwx[[ ibKu mwieAw mohu n imteI ivic haumY Awvxu jwxu[[
siqgur imilAY mlu auqrI hir jipAw purKu sujwxu[[ ijnw hir hir pRBu syivAw jn nwnku sd
kurbwxu[[ - “Hom jag sabh teerathaa, pad Pandit thakay Puraan, Bikh maya moh na
mittee, vich haumai aawan jaan. Satgur miliay mal utree har japiaa purkh sujaan. Jinna
har har prabh seviaa jan Nanak sad kurbaan. The Brahmins have grown weary of
performing Yajnas, Havans, pilgrims to holy places and reading of Puranas. But they are
not rid of the poison of love of the worldly wealth and ego, they continue coming and
going. By meeting the True Guru, the filth is shed and one meditates on the All-wise
Lord God. They who serve God, the Lord Master, unto them, slave Nanak is ever
sacrifice. ” (Ibid, p.1417).

 AsumyD jgny[[ qulw purK dwny[[ pRwg iesnwny[[ qau n pujih hr kIriq nwmw[[Apuny rwmih Bju
ry mn AwlsIAw[[-“Asumedh jagnay, tula purkh daane, Praag isnanay, tao na pujeh har
keerat Nama. Apunay raam bhaj re man aalseeaa. The performance of horse sacrifices. Giving
of ones weight in gold as charity and bathing at Paryag. Even these do not equal the hymning of
the praise of the Lord’s Name. O slothful man, meditate on the Omnipresent Lord.” (Ibid, p.
873).

 qIrQ lK kroV purbI nwvxw[[ dyvI dyv sQwn pUj krwvxw[[ jp qp sMjm lK swD sDwvxw[[ hom
jg neIbyd Bog lgwvxw[[ vrq nym lK dwn krm kmwvxw[[ laubwlI drgih pwKMf n jwvxw[[-

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“Tirath lakh crore purbi nahvna, devi dev sthan sev kravna,Jap, tap, sanjam lakh sadh
sdhavna, hom jag naived bhog lgavna, Vart name lakh daan karm kmavna, laobali
dargeh pakhand na javna i.e, Bathing numerous times at places of pilgrimage on
auspicious occasions, performing service of gods and goddesses in temples, getting
involved in performing several types of meditation, hard penances, disciplines and
taking to countless other spiritual practices, performing homs yag and offering
eatables to the idols, observing countless fasts, routines and indulging in such noble
tasks as charities etc, in the court of the carefree Lord, all these acts have no meaning.
These are all pretensions.”
 “hom jpw nhI jwixAw gurmqI swcu pCwxu[[--Hom japaa nahi janiaa Gurmatee saach
pachhaan.--By Guru’s guidance is the holy truth realized.Through burnt offerings and
recitations of religious books of Hinduism, (havan) God is known not.” (GGS, p 992).

Naimittika Karmas
They are observed on special occasions and include:

A) The Samskaras (Rites / ceremonies). There are forty-six rites / ceremonies in

Hinduism, which start from the impregnation of the wife and proceed towards the birth of
the child the most commonly performed ones are:
1) Garbhadharna (ceremony of conception),
2 ) Jata Karma (cermoney after birth),
3) Namadheya (The ceremony of naming the child),
4) Annaprasna (The ceremony of first feeding with rice,
5) Chudakarma (Tonsure i.e mundan ceremony),
6) Upanayana (Initiation ceremony),
7) Vivaha ceremony (Marriage ceremony)
8) Death rites/ Dah Samskara-- Shraddha
The Hindus perform their marriage ceremony by going around the fire
burning in a specially prepared pit among the chanting of Sanskrit mantras from the
vedas. The Sikhs donot accept the authority of the Vedas. They perform their marriage
according to Gurmat and the ceremony is called Anand Karaj. The last rite for the
departed person is called Antam Ardas.

The funeral rites of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism

The Sanatan Dharma (Ancient Hinduism) / Brahmanism devised many rites and
rituals for the peace and salvation of the departed soul after the death of a person. The right to
perform these rites and rituals lies with the priest (Brahmin). In Hinduism when a person is
about to die, his son, wife or any other person lifts him up and places on the ground. The Hindu
priest (Brahman) is called. A diva (lamp) made out of wheat flour is lit and placed on the palm
of his hand. After the person expires the Brahman is paid his necessary service fee. The body is
taken to the funeral ground, midway between the house of the deceased and the cremation ground
an earthen pitcher is broken by throwing on the ground and the son of the deceased person makes a
loud cry (Dhah). So that evil spirits run away out of fear. At the cremation ground the Brahman
priest chants mantras. Hinduism carries a faith of offering balls of cereals (barley flour), placed
on dried leaves (Patals) and offered to crows in the name of the dead for their deliverance.
This ceremony is called Pind patal. Last rites are performed on the 13th day. Utensils, bedding

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and cot etc are donated and given to the Brahman in the name of the dead person. The Hindus
believe that it takes 360 days for the soul to reach Pitarpuri. Therefore the ceremony called
varheena is performed to observe the anniversary. The ashes of the deceased are thrown in the
Ganges. It is a Hindu belief that if the ashes are not disposed in Ganges then the deceased cannot
get salvation. In Sikhism there is no belief of salvation (Mukti) after death instead it propagates the
principle of Jiwan Mukti: mwn moh dono kau prhir goibMd ky gun gwvY[[ khu nwnk ieh ibiD ko pRwnI jIvn
mukiq khwvY[[-- “Maan moh dono ko parhar, gobind kay gun gaavai. Kahu Nanak ih bidh ko
pranee jiwan mukat khaway i.e, He who laying aside his pride and wordly love sings the praises of
Lord, Nanak says, the mortal of this type is said to have obtained salvation whilst alive (GGS, p.
831). Gurbani denounces such beliefs like Diva, Pind, patal, kiriya etc; in very clear terms:
 dIvw myrw ieku nwmu duKu ivic pwieAw qylu[[ auin cwnix Eh soiKAw cUkw jm isau mylu[[Deeva mera
ikk Naam dukh vich paia tail, un chaanan uh sokhia chooka jam sion mail. The Naam is alone
is my lamp and therein, I put oil of suffering. The Naam’s lamp light has dried up the oil
of suffering and I have escaped from Death’s courier.
 ipMf pqil myrI kysau ikirAw scu nwmu krqwru[[AYQY EQY AwgY pwCY eyhu myrw AwDwru[[Pind patal meri
keso kiriya Sach naam kartar. Aithai othai agai pachhai eh mera adhar. The Lord is my barley
rolls and plates of leaves and the True Name of the Creator is my obsequites. Here and here-
after, in the past and in the future, this is my support.
 iek lokI hour CimCrI bRwhmxu vit ipMfu Kwie[[ Nnwnk ipMfu bKsIs kw kbhMU inKUtis nwih[[-Ik loki
hor chhamichhri Brahmin vatt pind kha-ay, Nanak pind bakhsis ka kabhoon nikhootis
nahay.--Some barley-balls are given to departed ancestors and others gods but it is the
Brahmin, who moulds them and eats them. Nanak says, the offerings of the gifts by the
Lord are never exhausted.” (Ibid, p. 358).
 AwieAw gieAw moieAw nwau[ ipCY pqil sdihu kwv[[ nwnk mnmiuK AMDu ipAwru bwJu guru fubw
sMswru[[-“Aiya gaya moiya nao, pichhay patal sadih kaav, Nanak manmukh andh piar baajh
guru duba sansaar-He came and departed and even his name is dead. After him leaf and
plates are laid and crows attracted. Nanak says, the wordly-minded love is the spiritual
darkness. Thus without the Guru the world is drowned.”(GGS, p.138).

Regarding disposal of the dead body:

Gurmat has no such belief that either burning the body or emersing the ashes in
Ganges kindles or brings some specific fruite to the departed soul. Gurbani tells us about
the disposal of the dead body for salvation by people having different beliefs, ”iek dJih iek
dbIih ieknw kuqy Kwih[[ iek pwxI ivic austIAih ieik BI iPir hsix pwih[[ nwnk eyv n jwpeI ikQy
jwie smwih[[-Ik dajhah ikdabeeah ikna kutay khaahe.Ik paanee wichio sateeah ik bhee phir
hasan paahe. Nanak ev na jaapaee kithai jaa-ay samaahe i.e, ”After death some are cremated,
some are burried and some are eaten by dogs. Some are thrown into water and are again put into
tower of silence. Nanak says, this is not evident as to where they go and get absorbed (GGS,
p.648). The Guru then answers:
 ”ijs qy aupjy iqsu mwih smwie]]—He is absorbed in Him from whom he had sprung”
(GGS, p282).

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 pvnY mih pvnu smwieAw[[ joqI mih joiq ril jwieAw[[ mwtI mwtI hoeI eyk[[ rovxhwry kI kvn
tyk[[--At death the breath, merges in the air. The light merges in the light. The dust
becomes one with dust. What support the bewailer has to stay here? (GGS, p.885)
Regarding emersing the ashes in Ganges Gurbani says:
 “jy imrqk kau cMdnu cVwvY[[ aus qy khhu kvn Pl pwvY[[ jy imrqk kau ibstw mwih rulweI[[ qwN imrqk
kw ikAw Git jweI-je mirtak kao chandan charaavai. Us te kahah kavan fal paavai. Je mirtak kao
bista maah rulaaee.Taa mirtak kaa kiaa ghat jaaee. i.e, “If sandalwood paste is applied to the
dead body what gain can be obtained therefrom? If the corpse be thrown about in ordure then
what does the corpse loose thereby?” (GGS, p. 1160).

Shraddha (SrwD)-Memorial feasts of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism

The ceremony of giving food and clothes etc; in charity in the memory of the dead
elders in Hinduism is known as Shraddha. In Hinduism Shradh ceremony is done in the name of
dead ancestors for the appeasement of their souls. During the days of Shradhas Brahmins are
served food and offerings of other daily necessities.
According to Hindu belief during the days of Shradhs, Pitarpuri, the abode of the
elders gets vacated and all the elders come down on the earth to partake food of the Shradhs. If
they are not served the meals, they shower curses and return to their abode. As per Hindu belief
there is no bigger virtue than holding Shrads. Biggest sins of the person are destroyed if he
organizes Shradhs in the memory of his ancestors. Such a person qualifies for a seat in heaven.
Gurbani denounces Shradh rites / beliefs saying:
 jIvq ipqr n mwnY koaU mUeYN isrwD krwhI[[ ipqr BI bpury khu ikau pwvih kaUAw kUkr KwhI[[-“Jeevat
pitar na maanay ko-oo mooay siraddh karahi. Pitar bhee bapuray kah kio paavah kaooa
kookar khaaee.”--No one shows respect to living ancestors but when they are dead,
memorial feasts are given. Say, how shall the poor ancestors obtain, what the crows and
dogs have eaten? (Ibid, p.332)
 AwieAw gieAw muieAw nwau[[ ipCY pqil sdihu kwv[[ nwnk mnmuK AMD ipAwr[[ bwJ guru fubw
sMswr--Aa-i-aa ga-i-aa mu-iaa naao. Pichhai patal sadih kaav. Nanak manmukh andh piaar.
Bajh Guru dubaa sansaar-i.e. He came and departed and even his name is dead. After him
leaf plates are laid and crows attracted. Nanak says the wordly minded people love the
spiritual darkness. Thus without the Guru the world is drowned (GGS, p.138).
 Gr ky dyv ipqr kI CofI[[ guru ko sbd lieE-Ghar ke dev pitar kee chhodee gur ko sabad la-
io. i.e. I have abandoned the gods of ancestors of my house (Jatheray) and taken to Guru’s
Word (GGS, p.856)[[

B) Propitiatory Cermonies of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism

Evil influences of the planets / sacred days and its rejection in Sikhism
The second kind of Naimittika Karmas are Shantis or propitiatory ceremoies,
which are of Puranic origion and are connected with Ganesha (the giver of success / Siddhi daa
devta or daataa). Blessings of Ganesha the giver of success / Siddhi daa daataa) and Parvati (the
Goddess of wisdom / Bhuddhi dee devi) are invoked in Hinduism. Some of the Hindu
ceremonies are connected with planets, which are nine in numbers (Nav Grehas).
. According to the Hindu priests (Brahmins) the position of the planets, the day of the
week and month of the year at the time of the birth of a person are said to exert favourable or evil

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influences. These planets called Grehas, are nine in numbers and are called Navgrehas. The
planets which have astrological effects include: The Suriya (Sun), Soma (Moon), Mangla (Mars)
Budh, Guru, Shukar (Veenus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu (Ascending and descending node of
moon). The Brahmins designated various planets as Devtas (gods) and correlated them with the
days of the week, months and seasons etc. According to the dictates of shastras some moments,
days and lunar dates are regarded as auspicious.
Before the birth of Sikhism there was great religious, social, economic and political
decadence in the Indian society. People were ridden with ignorance and superstitions and due to
this the priestly class was in ascendance. This ascendence was not due to the knowledge of the
priestly class (Brahmins), but because of the ignorance of the general mass of people on account
of which they were being exploited. The priestly class infused superstition regarding auspicious
and inauspicious effects of planets and the impending clamity. They devised and prescribed
certain actions and rites / rituals to appease the concerned planet to save them from ill effects.
The Brahmans preached that donation given on the occasions of Sankranti
(Sangrand), Pooran Mashi (full moon) and Amavas (no moon) etc; was more fruiteful. It is very
clear that the priestly class had invented thit and var reverence for its monetary gains. Guru warns
that the Brahmin loots the common man by devising the fear of auspicious and in-auspicious days and
dates: “Awpn aUc nIc Gr Bojn, hTy krm kir audru Brih[[ cauds Amwvs ric ric mwNgih[[ kr
dIpk lY kUip prih[[-“Aapan ooch neech ghar bhojan, hathay karm kar udhar bharay, chaudas
amavas rach rach mangeh, kar Deepak lai koop pareh—On the fourteenth and the moonless
night, thou fervourly seekest charity by telling the people that the entire knowledge lies with you
and taking a lamp (of knowledge) in thy hand, thou fallest into the well (of ignorance)” (Ibid,
p970). On all these days special rituals and functions are observed by the Hindus and the priests
make money. Gurbani denounces worship of created beings and only invokes blessings of the Creator-
- “The Supreme Eternal Reality (God)”, by remembering His attributes “<siq gur pRswid[[ Gurbani
teaches us:
 mukwm iqs nUM AwKIAY ijs isis n hovI lyK[[ Asmwnu DrqI clsI mukwmu auhI eyku[[ idn riv clY,
inis sis clY, qwirkw lK ploie[[ mukwm auhI eyk hY nwnkw scu bogie[[--i.e; He will be called
permanent, whose head does not have the writ of destiny, the death. The sky and earth shall
pass away. Ever stable is he alone. The day and sun shall depart, the night and moon shall
vanish and hundreds of thousands of stars shall disappear. He alone is eternal. Nanak says
the truth. (GGS, p.64)
 Awidqvwir Awid purK hY soeI[[ Awpy vrqY Avru n koeI[[ somvwir sic rihAw smwie[[ iqs kI
kimq khI n jwie[[ mMgl mwieAw mohu aupwieAw[[ Awpy isir isir DMDY lwieAw[[ buDvwir Awpy
buiDswru[[ gurmuiK krxI sbdu vIcwru[[ vIrvwir sB Brim Bulwie[[ pRyq BUq siB dUjy lwey[[ sukRvwir
pRBu rihAw smweI[[ Awip aupwie sB kImiq pweI[[ Cincrvwir swaux swsq bIcwru[[ haumY myrw BrmY
sMswru[[ (GGS, p.841).
 pdRh iQMqI qY sq vwr[[ mwhw ruqI Awvih vwr vwr[[ idnsu rYix iqvY sMswru[[ Awvw gauxu kIAw
krqwir[[ inhcl swcu rihAw klDwir[[ nwnk gurmuiK buJY ko sbdu vIcwru[[--The fifteen lunar
days, seven week days, months, seasons, days and nights come agin and again, like them the
world moves around. Coming and going the Creator Lord has ordained. The possessor of
might, the True Lord Himself remains ever stable. Nanak says, by the Guru’s guidance
through contemplation of the holy Word, some rare devotee finds realization (GGS, p.842).

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 by, ds, mwh ruqI, iQqI, vwr Bly[[ GVI, mUrqu, pl, swcy Awie sihj imly[[—i.e; The twelve
months, the seasons, the lunar days, the week days, the hours, the minutes and moments are
all auspicious when the True Lord comes and naturally meets me (GGS, p.1109).
 mwh ruqI sB qU GVI mUrq vIcwrw[[ qUM gxqY ikny n pwieE scy AlK Apwrw—Throughout all the
months, seasons, gharries (24 minutes), I meditate on Thee, O Lord. By calculations, none has
obtained Thee, O True, unseen and unlimited Lord. (GGS,p.140).
 sUK shj AwnMdu Gxw hir kIrqnu gwau [[ grh invwry siqgurU dy Apxw nwau[[-“Sookh sehaj
anand ghana har keertan gao, greh nivaray satguru dey apna nao—Sing God’s praises
and thou shalt obtain peace, poise and great joy. By granting His Name, the True Guru
removes the evil-influences” (Ibid,p. 400).

Astrology (Jyotish), Horoscope (Patree)

Asrology in Hinduism has two parts i.e Ganit and Phalit. Sikhism accepts the ganit
part, which deals with calculating various movements of the planets including sun and moon, which
make day night, months, years and seasons including calculations about the lunar and solar eclipse etc,
but it denounces the phalit part which deals with the measures to ward off their evil effects through
performance of various rituals / donations to Brahmins. Sikhism condemns phalit part of astrological
practices as mere superstition. It preaches discriminative thinking (ibbyk buDI) and forbids the Sikhs
from believing in any thing without rationalizing it. Gurbani says:
 JUuTu n boil pwfy scu khIAY haumY jwie sbid Gru lhIAY[[ gix gix joqku kWfI kInI[[ pVY suxwvY qqu n
cInI[[ sBsYN aUpir gur sbdu bIcwru[[ hor kQnI bdau n sglI Cwru[[ Jhooth na bol paaday sach
kaheeai. Haomai ja-ay sabad ghar laheeai. Gan Gan jotak kandee keenee. Parai sunavai tat na
cheenee. Sabhsai oopar gur sabad beechar. Hor kathnee badao na saglee chhaar i.e; O, Pundit,
speak not falsehood, tell the truth. When through the Word, ego is stilled then one finds the Lord’s
mansion. Calculating and counting, the astrologer makes the horoscope. He reads and makes others
to listen to it but realizes not the reality. Supreme over all is contemplation of the Guru’s Word.
Utter not any other discourse as all else is but ashes (GGS, p.904).
 swhw gxih n krih bIcwru[[ swhy aUpir eykMkwru[[Saha ganah na karah beechar. Sahay oopar ekankaar.
i.e; Thou calculatest auspicious day for marriage but reflectest not on that One Lord, who is above
and beyond these days. (GGS, p.904)
 gixq gxIAY sihsw duK jIAY[[ gur kI srix pvY suK QIAY[[ Ganat ganeeai sahsaa dukh jeeai. Gur kee
saran pavai sukh theeai i.e; By making calculations, doubt and sorrow enter the mind. By seeking
Guru’s shelter peace ensues (GGS, p.904)
 mn kI pqRI vwcxI suKI hU suKu swru[[ so bRhmxu Blw AwKIAY ij bUJY bRhmu bIcwru[[ Man kee patree
waachnee sukhee hoo sukh saar. So Brahman bhalaa aakheeai je bujhai braham beechar i.e; The
sublimest of the comforts is the comfort to read the script of the mind.. He alone is called a good
Brahman, who realizes the Lord’s Truth (GGS, p.1093).
Sikhism believes that by remembering the all-powerful Lord-God one should have no
fear of any universal agency created by the Almighty Lord. According to Gurbani the Sikh has to
submit to the will of the Almighty God:
 krxhwru jo kir rihAw, sweI vifAweI[[ gur pUry aupdyisAw, suKu Ksm rjweI[[ icMq AMdysw gxq qij,
jin hukmu pCwqw[[ nh ibnsY nh Coif jwie, nwnk rMig rwqw[[ Karanhaar jo kar rahia saaee
wadiaaee. Gur poorai updesiaa such khasam rajaee. Chint andesa ganat taj jan hukam

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pachhatata. Nah binsai nah chhod jaae Nanak rang raata i.e, “What the Creator is doing in
that lies our exaltation. The perfect Guru has taught me that peace lies in acceptance of the
Master’s Will. By discarding anxiety, apprehension and calculations the Lord’s slave, realizes
the lord’s order. Nanak is imbued with love of the Lord, who does not die nor leaves us (GGS,
p.813)
Almost all religions consider some months or days sacred and believe that it is
meritorious to perform certain rituals on those. The Gurus considered all days equally good. They
said:
 pdRh iQqI qy sqvwr [[ mwh ruqI Awvih vwr vwr[[idx rYx iqvY sMswr[[ Awvwgaux kIAw krqwir[[
inhclu swcu rihAw kl Dwir[[--The fifteen lunar days, seven week days, months, seasons,
days and nights come again and again, like them the world moves around. Coming and
going the Creator Lord has ordained. The possessor of might, the True Lord, Himself ever
remains stable (GGS, p. 842).
 iQqI vwr siB sbid suhwey[[ siqguru syvy qw Plu pwey[[ iQqI vwr siB Awvih jwih[[ gur sbdu inhclu
sdw sic smwih[[ iQqI vwr qw jw sic rwqy[[ ibnu nwvY siB Brmih kwcy[[--All the lunar days and the
week days look beautiful if one contemplates the Name-Word. By serving the True Guru one
obtains the fruit. All the lunar and solar days come and go. Ever eternal is the Guru’s Word,
through which man merges in the True Lord. Then alone become fruitful the Lunar and Solar
days, when one is dyed with Truth. Without the Name all the false ones wander in existences
(GGS, p.842).
 sgun Apsgun iqs kau lgih ijsu cIiq n AwvY[[ iqsu jmu nyiV n AwveI jo hir pRiB BwvY[[--Good or
bad omens befall on him, who does not remember God in his heart. Death’s courier does not come
near him, who is pleasing to the Lord (GGS, p.401).
According to Gurmat:
 sweI GVI sulKxI ismrq hirnwmu[[-“Sai ghadi sulakhni simrat Har Naam—Auspicious is
the time when he Lord’s Name is meditated” (Ibid, M5, p.819).
 siqgur bwJhu AMDu gubwru[[ iQqI vwr syvih mugD gvwr[[-“Satgur bajhon andh ghubar thiti sevey
mughad gwar—Without the True Guru’s guidance, there is pitch darkness
(ignorance).The omens regarding the days, Lunar or Solar, only the fools and idiots
observe.” (Ibid,M3, p.843)
 mwh idvs mUrq Bly ijn kau ndir kry[[-“Mah divas moorat bhaley, jin ko nadir karey-
i.e.The months, days and moments are auspicious for those on whom the Lord casts
His merciful glance” (Ibid, M5, p.136).
 soeI idvsu Blw myry BweI[[ hir gux gwie prm giq pweI[[-“Soi divas bhla meray bhai, Har gun
ga-ay, param gat pai—O my brother, auspicious is that day, when by singing God’s
praises, the Supreme status is attained” (Ibid, M5, p.395).
 nwnk soeI idnsu suhwvVw ijqu pRBu AwvY iciq[[ ijqu idin ivsrY pwrbR hmu iPtu BulyrI ruiq[[-
“Nanak soi dins suhavda jit prabh avey chit, jit din visray Parbrahm, fit bhleri rutt—
Nanak says, beautiful is the day, when the Lord comes into the mind. Accursed is the
day and season, however, pleasant, when the Supreme Lord is forgotten” (Ibid, M5.
p.318).
 idnu rYix sB suhwvxy ipAwry ijqu jpIAY hirnwau[[-y“Din raen sabh suhavnay piaray, jit japi-ay
Har naao—Embelished are all the days and nights, O my love, when God’s Name is

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contemplated” (Ibid, M5, p.432).

 sw vylw so mUrqu sw GVI so muhqu sPlu hY myrI ijMduVIey ijqu hir iciq AwvY rwm[[-“Sa vela, so
moorat, sa ghari, so mohat, safal hai, meri jindri-ay, jit Har chit aavay Ram—That time ,
that instant and that trice are gainful, O myself, when my God comes into my mind.”
(Ibid, M4, p.540)
 gurisK mIq clhu gur cwlI[[ jo gur khY soeI Bl mwnhhu hir hir kQw inrwlI[[ Gursikh meet
chalho gur chaalee. Jo gur kahai soee bhal maano har har katha niralee—i.e, “O Guru’s
Sikhs and friends , walk ye, following the Guru’s steps. Whatever the Guru says, accept
that as good. Unique is the Lord God’s discourse” (GGS, p. 667)
 iQqI vwr syvih mugD gvwr—Only idiots and fools worship lunar days and week days (GGS,
p.843).

Ishnan (Ritual Bath)

According to Brahminical teaching by washing the body, mind also becomes clean,
but as per Gurmat mere washing the body does not clean the evil thoughts in one's mind.
Gurbani says:
 AMqir mYlu loB bhu JUTy bwhir nwvhu kwhI jIau[[-Antar mail lobh bahu jhoothay baahar naavah
kaahee jeeo i.e, “Within thee is great filth of greed and falsehood, so what for washest thou
thy outside (body)? (Ibid, Ml, p.598).
 mn mYlY sBu ikCu mYlw qin Doqy mnu hCw n hoey[[-Man mailay sabh kichh mailaa tan dhotay man
hachhaa na ho-ay-i.e, “When mind is filthy, everything is filthy. By washing the body, the
mind becomes not pure” (Ibid, M3, p.558).
 sUcy ieh n AwKIAih bhin ij ipMfw Doie[[ sUcy syeI nwnkw ijn min visAw soie[[-Soochay eh na
aakhee-ay bahan je pindaa dho-ay. Soochay sayee Nanka jin man waasiaa so-ay--“Those who
sit after washing their body are not called pure. Pure are they, O, Nanak within whose mind,
He, the Lord abides” (GGS, Ml, p.472).
 kwieAw kUV ivgwiV kwhy nweIAY[[ nwqw so prvwxu scu kmweIAY[[-Kaaiaa koor wigaar kaahay naaee-ay.
Naataa so parvaan sach kamaaee-ay--“Why bath the body, defiled by falsehood. He, who
practices Truth, only his ablution is approved” (Ibid Ml, p.565).
 sc qw pru jwxIAY jw irdY scw hoie[[ kUV kI mlu aqrY qnu kry hCw Doie[[[[-Sach taa par
jaaneeai jaa ridhai sachaa hoe. Koor kee mal utrai tan kare hachhaa dhoe—Then alone
man is kown as true, if truth be in his heart. His filth of falsehood is cast off and he
washes his body clean (GGS, p.468).
In Sikhism after bathing the body a Sikh sits in prayer and meditation and
thereby bathes his mind, heart and soul with the elixir of divine Name and the ambrosial
hymns of sacred scriptures. This is called the inner bath or inner pilgrimage: antar-tirath
ishnan, which is much more important than the outer bath. There are innumerable hymns
in GGS, which indicate that the inner pilgrimage is of far great importance than outer bath
or outer pilgrimage. The Name of God and the hymns of the sacred scriptures are called
ambrosial waters: amrit. The mind should be purified and the heart be cleaned with it.

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Tirath Ishnan (Ritual bathing at Places of Pilgrimage) and its rejection in Sikhism
Tirath is a sacred place of pilgrimage, which the Hindus visit to remove their sins or to get their
wishes fulfilled or seek salvation. Sikhism attaches no importance to bathing at places of pilgrimage. It
gives prime importance to cleaning the mind of filth of false ego. Ritual tirath Ishnan which cleans only
the body has been denounced multiple times in Gurbani:

 qIrQ nwie n auqris mYlu[[ krm Drm sB haumY PYl[[- “Tirath naa-ay, na utras mail, karam
dharm sabh, haumai phail—By bathing at shrines, the filth does not go off. The rituals and
religious rites are all the ostentations of egoism.” (Ibid, M5, p.890).
 qIrQ nwqw ikAw kry mn mih mYl gumwn[[ Teerath naataa kiaa kare man mah mail gumaan ie. It
is of no use to bathe at a place of pilgrimage when the filth of pride is in the mind (GGS,
p.61).
 AMqir mYlu jy qIrQ nwvY iqsu bYkuMT n jwnw[[ lok pqIny kCU n hovY nwhI rwmu AXwnw[[--antar mail
je teerath naavay tis baikunth na jaana. Lok pateenay kachhoo na hovay naahee raam
ayaanaa.—With filth within, if one bathes at holy places, he does not attain paradise.
Nothing is gained by pleasing the people. God is not an ignorant child (GGS, p 905).
 AMqir mYlu qIrQ BrmIjY[[[ mnu nhI sUcw ikAw soc krIjY[[ With filth in mind, man wanders at
the holy bathing places. When the mind is not pure, what is the good of practicing outward
cleanliness (GGS, p.905).
 jig haumY mYlu duKu pwieAw ml lwgI dUjY Bwie[[ mlu haumY DoqI ikvY n auqrY jy sau qIrQ nwie[[--
“Jag haumai mail (mYlu) dukh paia, mal lagi dooje bhaa-ay, Mal haumai, dhoti kive na utray, je
sao tirath naa-ay”—having been smeared with filth of pride, the world suffers pain. This filth
attaches because of duality. By no means, this dirt of ego is washed off, even though one may
have ablutions at hundreds of places of pilgrimage. (Ibid, p39 Sri Rag M3).
 min mYly sBu ikCu mYlw qin Doqy mnu hCw n hoie[[ ieh jgqu Brim BulwieAw ivrlw bUJY koie[[“Man
mailey sabh kichh maila Tan dhotai man hachha na ho-ay. Ih jagat bhram bhulaia virla
bujhai koey.—When the mind is filthy, everything is filthy. By washing body, mind does not
become pure. This world is lead astray by doubt, only a rare one realizes this (Ibid,
p.558).
 jl kY mjin ij giq hovY inq inq myNfuk nwvih[[ jYsy myNfku qYsy auie nr iPr iPr jonI Awvih[[
mnhu kToru mrY bwnwris nrku n bWicAw jweI[[ hir kw sMqu mrY hwVMbY q sglI sYn qrweI[[-“Jal kai
majjan je gat hovai Nit nit meinduk naveh Jaisey meinduk taisey oey nar Phir phir joni
aaveh. Manah kathor mari baanaras narak na baanchhiaa jaaee. Har ka sant maray
haarambay ta saglee sain taraaee.—If salvation is obtained by bathing in water, then the
frog ever, ever bathes in water. As is the frog so is that man, he enters the existence again
and again. If a hard hearted sinner dies in Banaras, he cannot escape hell. If God’s saint dies
in Haramba (held to be cursed) then he saves all his tribe” (Ibid, p.484).
 nwvn kau qIrQ Gny mn baurw ry pUjn ko bhu dyv[[ khu kbIr CuUtnu nhI mn baurw ry CUtnu hr kI
syv[[- “Nawan ko tirath ghaney, man baora rey, poojan kao bahu dev, Kah Kabir chhootan
nahee, man baora rey, chhootan har kee sev—My maddenedself, there are good many holy
places to bathe and many dieties to worship. Kabir says, my maddened self, thou shall not
be released like this, thou shall be released by God’s service” (Ibid, p.336.).
 mkr pRwig dwnu bhu kIAw srIr dIE AD kwit[[ ibnu hirnwm ko mukiq n pwvY bhu kMcnu dIjY kwit

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kwit[[-“Makar prag (pRwg) daan bahu keea, sarir deeo adh kaat, Bin Har Naam ko mukat na
pavey, bahu kanchan deeje kat kaat—Though man may give in charity much at Allahbad in the
Makar Zodiac and get his body cut into two at Banaras, may also give gold in several bars but
without devotion to the Lord’s Name, he cannot obtain salvation. (Ibid M4, p.986).
 nwvx cly qIrQI min Koty qin cor[[ iek Bwau lQI nwiqAw duie Bw cVIAsu hor[[ bwhir DoqI qUmVI
AMdir ivsu inkor[[ swD Bly AxnwiqAw cor is corw cor[[--Naavan chalay teerathee man khotay
tan chor. Ik bhaao lathe naatiaa du-e bhaa charis hor. Baahar dhoti toomaree andar wis
nikor. Saadh bhalay annaatia chor se choraa chor.—Men of evil minds and thievish bodies,
go to bathe at the pilgrim stations. The one part of their bodily filth is washed off by bathing
but twice that gets stuck to them. From outside a gourd is washed clean but within it is pure
poison. God’s devotees are pure without bathing. A thief is always a thief whether he bathes or
not (GGS.p789).
 nwie ivsrirAY iDRgu jIvxw qUty kc Dwgy[[nwnk DUV punIq swD lK koit iprwgy[[-Naa-ay visaari-ai
dhrig jeewanaa tootay kach dhaagay. Nanak dhoor puneet saadh lakh kot piraagay--
“accursed is the life, which forgets the Name. It breaks like frail thread. Nanak says, the
dust of the feet of the holy is more sacred than millions of ablutions at Paryag.” (Ibid,
p.322).
 khw BieE qIrQ bRq kIey rwm srin nhI AwvY[[ jog jg inhPl iqh mwnau jo pRB jsu ibsrwvY[[-
“Kaha bhaio, tirath brat ki-ay, Ram saran nahin aavey, Jog jag nihphal tih mano, jo prabh
jas bisravey—Of what avail are the pilgrimages and fastings if man seeks not the Lord’s shelter.
Be assured that fruiteless are one’s yogic practices and sacrificial feasts, who forget the Lord’s
praise” (Ibid, p. 830-31).
 qIrQ krY bRq Piun rwKY nhI mnUAw bis jw ko[[ inhPl Drm qwih qum mwno swcu khq mY Xw kau[[-
“Tirath karey, brat phun rakhey, neh manooa bas ja ko, Nihphal dharm tahey tum manho,
saach kehat mein ya kao-He who bathes at shrines and keeps fasts but has no control over
his mind, be assured that these ritual practices done in faith, are of no avail (Ibid, p.831).
Hindus believe in the sacredness of the Ganges but according to Guru Granth Sahib:
 kbIr gMgw qIr ju Gru krih, pIvY inrml nIr[[ ibn hir Bgiq n mukiq hoie ieau kih rmy kbIr[[
Kabir gangaa teer jo ghar karah peevah nirmal neer. Bin har bhagat na mukat ho-ay io kah
ramay i.e, Kabir says, they who make their home on the bank of Ganges and drink pure water,
even they are not emancipated without the Lord’s meditation. Kabir proclaims this eternal truth
(GGS, 1367).
 gMgw jlu gur goibMd nwm[[ jo ismry iqs kI giq hovY[[ pIvq bhuq n jon BRmwm[[ The great God’s
Name is like water of Ganges for me. Whoever contemplates it, he is emancipated. By quaffing
it one does not again wander into existences (GGS, p.1137).
 pRB ky ismrn qIrQ iesnwnI—Prabh kay simran teerath isnanee i.e, “By contemplation of the
Lord, the merit of bathing at places of pilgrimage is obtained” [[ (GGS, p.262).
 suixAw mMinAw min kIqw Bwau[[ AMqr giq qIrQ ml nwau[[-Suniaa mania man keeta bhao.
Antargat teerath mal naao i.e, “Whoever heartily hears, believes and loves God, obtains
salvation by bathing in the shrine within Him” (GGS, p.4).
 pUjhu rwm eyk hI dyvw[[ swcw nwvxu gur kI syv[[ Poojah raam ek hee devaa. Saachaa naavan
gur kee seva i.e, “Worship only the One Lord God. The true ablution is the service of the
Guru” (GGS, p.484).

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There is no doubt that the Sikh Gurus visited places of pilgrimage of various religions, but
the purpose of their visits was to wean away people from performing useless rituals and show them the
right path for the realization of the Almighty God and not to have isnan and perform pun daan
themselves, qIrQ auDmu siqgurU kIAw sB lok auDwrx ArQw-“Tirath udham satgur kia, sabh lok
udhran artha” (Ibid, M4, p1116). Thus it becomes clear that the pupose of their visits to these centres
was not isnan and pun daan. According to Gurbani:
 qIriQ nwvx jwau qIrQu nwmu hY[[ qIrQu sbd bIcwru AMqir igAwnu hY[[- “Tirath navan jao tirath
nam hai.Tirath sabad bichar antar gian hai i.e, “Why should I go to bathe at the place of
pilgrimage? God’s name is the real place of pilgrimage. My place of pilgrimage is the
Name’s meditation and the inner divine knowledge.” (Ibid, p.687)
 gur smwin qIrQu nhI koie sru sMqoKu qwsu guru hoie[[-“Gur samaan, tirath nahin koay, sar
santokh, taas gur hoay i.e, “Equal to the Guru there is no pilgrimage spot. The lake of
contentment is the Guru (Ibid”, Ml, p.1328-29).
 qIrQu pUrw siqgurU jo Anidnu hir hir nwmu iDAwey[[ Eh Awip Cutw kutMb isau dy hir hir nwmu sB
isRsit Cfwey[[-“Tirath poora satguru, jo andin, har har Naam dhia-ay. Oh aap chhutaa
kutamb sio de har har naam sabh sarist chhadaa-ay i.e, “The perfect place of pilgrimage is
the True Guru, who night and day meditates on the Name of Lord God. He is saved himself
along with his family and by giving the Name of Lord Master, saves the whole world” (Ibid,
M4, p.140).
 ieh srIr srvru hY sMqhu iesnwn kry ilv lweI[[ nwm ienwnu krih sy jn inrml sbdy mYlu
gvweI[[-Eh sareer sarvar hai santah isnaan kare liv laaee i.e, “O saints this body is a tank
and one should bathe in it by enshrining love for the Lord. They who take bath in the tank of
the Name, are pure persons and through the Name they, wash off their filth” (GGS, p. 909).
The Hindu Athsath Tirath Pooja and its rejection in Sikhism
In Gurbani there is mention of sixty eight Hindu places of pilgrimage, “suixAY
AT sT kw iesnwnu” (jpu)[[- According to Mahan Kosh Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, Ancient
Hindu Granths differ in their count, some mention less, while others mention more. but in
Gurbani athsath means all places of Hindu pilgrimage.
 byd purwxu kQyy suxy hwry munI Anykw[[ ATsiT qIrQ bhu Gxw Brim Qwky ByKw[[ swco swihbu inrmlo
min mwnY eykw[[--By reciting and listening the Vedas and Puranas numberless sages have
got exhausted. Numerous votaries of various sects by wandering at sixty eight places of
pilgrimages are tired. Immaculate is the true Lord. By contemplating the One Lord the
mind is propitiated (GGS, p.1008).
 rsnw aucrY hir srvxI so auDrY imqw[[ hir jsu ilKih lwie BwvnI sy hsq pivqw[[ ATsiT
qIrQ mjnw siBpuMn iqn ikqw[[ sMswr swgr qy auDry ibiKAw gV ijqw[[--O friend, he who
utters God’s Name with his tongue and hears it with his ears, is saved. The hands which
write God’s praise with love, are pure. Such a person obtains the merit of ablutions at
sixty eight holy places and is deemed to have performed all the pious acts. He crosses the
world-ocean and wins over the fort of evil (GGS, p.322).
 guir pURrY pUrI miq hY pUrY sbid bIcwrw[[ ATsiT qIrQ hir nwmu hY iklivK kwtxhwrw[[--By
Guru’s guidance utter and realize the Lord’s Name. It is through Name that that thou
shall be emancipated. Perfect is the understanding of the perfect Guru and through the

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perfect Guru, the Lord is meditated. God’s Name is the sixty eight holy places and the
destroyer of the sins (GGS, p.1009).

 scw qIrQu ijq sqsir nwvxu gurmuiK Awip buJwey[[ ATsiT qIrQ gur sbid idKwey iqqu nwqY mlu
jwey[[--God is the true place of pilgrimage where the Guru-wards bathe in the lake of
truth. God Himself makes His devotees realize this. The sixtyeight places of pilgrimage,
the Lord has shown to be in the Guru’s word, bathing werein, the filth of sins is washed
off (GGS, p.753).
 soieny kw ibrKu pq prvwlw Pul jvyhr lwl[[ iqqu Pl rqn lgih muiK BwiKq ihrdY irdY
inhwlu[[ nwnk krmu hovY muiK msqik iliKAw hovY lyKu[[ ATsiT qIrQ gur kI crxI pUjY sdw
ivsyKu[[--The Guru is the tree of gold, its leaves are pearls and its flowers are jewls and
rubies.That plant bears the fruite of emerald of the uttereances of Guru’s mouth. Within
the heart of his heart the Guru beholds the Lord. Nanak says, it is obtained by him on
whose face and forehead the writ of good fortune is recorded. The sixty-eight places of
pilgrimage lie at the most exalted Guru’s feet whome they ever worship (GGS, p.147).

Dhan Daan / Punn Daan (Alms in Charity)

The philosophy of giving alms in charity to ward off calamities, condone one’s sins, and
attain salvation (Mukti) was also the invention of the clever Pundits (Brahmins) in Hinduism.
According to this philosophy if a sinner gives alms to a Brahmin then his sins will be condoned. In
Hinduism charity is fruitful only if it is given to Brahmin. The alms could be in the form of cash
money, land, gold, woman, etc.
In Gurmat Daswandh and not charity is approved. Daswandh is connected with intense
compassion. It is to be given out of genuine compassion (not pity) and human love for the poor,
the needy and the destitute, for providing educational and health facilities etc to the society.
According to Gurmat by giving ritualistic alms in charity, a sinner cannot be absolved of his sins,
for the alms given to the hypocritic religious leaders are of no use in spiritual life, instead only
‘Naam Simran’ is given priorty:
 ikCu puMn dwn Anyk krxI nwim quil n smsry[[-“Kichh pun daan anek karni, Naam tul na
samsaray-” i.e, “Alms and charity in any amount and numerous ritual deeds are not
equal to or at par with the contemplation of Lord’s Name” (Ibid, M1,p. 566).
 Aausr hir js gux rmx ijq koit mjn iesnwn[[ rsnw aucrY guxvqI koie n pujY dwn[[-Aosar
har jas gun raman jit kot majan isnaan. Rasanaa uchrai gunwantee koe na pujai daan i. e;
“This is the opportunity to say the praises and merits of God. By doing so the merit of taking
myriads of baths and ablutions at shrines is obtained. The tongue utters meritorious Lord’s
praise. No charity equals this” (GGS, p.49).
 bwnwrsI qp krY aulit, qIrQ mrY, Agin dhY, kwieAw klp kIjY[[ AsmyD jgu kIjY, sonw grBdwn
dIjY, rwm nwm sir qaU n pUjY[[ Asu dwn, gjudwnu, ishjw nwrI, BUm dwn, AYso dwnu inq inqih kIjY[[
Awqm jau inrmwielu kIjY, Awp brwbir kMcnu dIjY, rwm nwm sir qau n pUjY[[--If man practises
penances at Banaras, or dies inverted at a shrine or burns himself in fire or makes his body
to live for long; if he performs a horse sacrificial feast or gives concealed alms of gold, even
all these equal not the Lord’s Name. If man gives in charity, horses, elephants, women with
their couches and lands and gives this charity ever and ever, if he purifies himself, gives in

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charity gold equal in weight of his body, even then all these wqual not to the devotion to the
Lord’s Name (GGS, p.973).
 kMcn isau pweIAY nhI qoil]] mnu dy rwmu lIAw hy moil[[--The Lord cannot be obtained by
giving in alms, gold equal to one’s body weight. By giving myself, I have purchased the
Lord.(GGS, p.327).
 qnu mnU Arpau pUij crwvau[[ gurpRswid inrMjnu pwvau[[--I dedicate and offer my mind and my
body as worship. By Guru’s grace, I attain to the immaculate Lord (GGS, p.525).
 iqn hrI cMid ipRQmI piq rwjY, kwgid kIm n pweI[[ Aaugxu jwxY qw puMn krY ikau, ikau nyKwis
ibkweI[[--King Hri Chand the Lord of the land did not realize the value of the writ on his
forhead. Had he known it to be a demerit, he would not have given charity and for that have
not been sold in the market (GGS, p.1344).
 krau AFweI DrqI mWgI, bwvn rUp bhwnY[[ ikau pieAwl jwie ikau ClIAY, jy bil rUp pCwnY[[--
The Lord posing to be a dwarf , begged two and a half steps of land. If king Bal had
recognized the garb why should he have gone to the under-world and why should he have
been deceived (GGS, p.1344).
 siqguru purKu n mMinE, sbid n lgo ipAwru[[ iesnwn dwnu jyqw krih, dUjY Bwie KuAwru[[--They
who don’t worship the Divine True Guru and do not love the Word, inspite of their repeated
ablutions and alms giving, are miserable y loving other than God (GGS, p.34).
 puMn dwn jp qp jyqy sB aupir nwm[[ hir hir rsnw jo jpY iqsu pUrn kwmu[[--As many as there
are alms-giving, charities, recitations and penances, above all these is the God’s Name.
Whoever with his tongue utters God’s Name, his affairs are perfectly settled (GGS, p.401).
 kink kwimnI hYvr gYvr, bhu ibiD dwnu dwqwrw[[ AMn bsqR BUim bhu Arpy, nh imlIAY hirduAwrw[[-
-He may be a man of bounty and give gifts of many sorts like gold, women, horses and
elephants. He may offer corn, clothes and lands in abundance but he does not attain the
Lord’s Portal (GGS, p.642).
 n BIjY rwgI nwdI byid[[ n BIjY surqI igAwnI joig[[ n BIjY sogI kIqY roij[[ n BIjY rUpI mwlI rMg[[
n BIjY qIriQ BivAY nMig[[ n BIjY dwqI kIqY puMin[[ n BIjY bwhir bYiTAw suMin[[ n BijY ByiV mrih
iBiV sUr[[ n BIjY kyqy hovih DUiV[[ lyKw ilKIAY mn kY Bwie[[ nwnk BIjY swcY nwie[[--The Lord is
not pleased by playing music, tuning musical instruments and reading the Vedas. He is not
pleased through wisdom, knowledge and Yoga. He is not pleased by daily melancholy
attitude. He is not pleased by beauty, wealth and revelments. He is not pleased by wandering
naked at places of pilgrimages. He is not pleased by gifts and alms. He is not pleased by
sitting outside in the wilderness. He is not pleased by fighting to death as warriors in the
battle. He is not pleased by becoming dust of the feet of the many. The account of love with
heart is written there. Nanak says, He is pleased by devotion to the True Name (GGS,
p.1237).
Sikhism approves donations for helping the sick, orphans, propagation of religion and
education. According to Gurbani if the earning of a person is not honest then his alms giving in
charity (Pun daan) is mere hypocrisy. Guru Nanak in Asa dee vaar says:
 scu qw pru jwxIAY jw isK scI lyie[[ dieAw jwxY jIA kI ikC puMnu dwnu kryie[[ Sach taa par
jaaneeai jaa sikh sachee lay. Da-i-aa jaanai jeea kee kichh pun-n daan karay i.e, “Then

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alone one is known to be true, when he receives true instruction. He shows mercy to living
beings and gives something in charity. (GGS, p.468).
About the Brahmanical teachings Gurbani says:
 byd pVih hir nwmu n bUJih[[ mwieAw kwrix piV piV lUjih[[ AMqir mYlu AigAwnI AMDw, ikau
kir du qru qrIjY hy[[ byd bwd siB AwiK vKwxih[[ n AMqru BIjY n sbdu pCwxih[[ puMnu pwpu sBu
byid idRVwieAw gurmuiK AMMimRqu pIjY hy[[--One reads the Vedas but realizes not God’s Name,
involved in mammon, his reading and reciting, leads to quarrels. Within the ignorant and
blind man is the filth of sin How can he swim across the impassable world-occean? He
expounds all the controversial points in the Vedas but his heart is not saturated with
devotion nor realizes the Name. The Vedas tell all the virtues and vices but it is by all
Guru’s guidance alone that the Name-nectar is quaffed (GGS, p.1049).
 hk prwieAw nwnkw, aus sUAru ausu gwie[[ guru pIru hwmw qw Bry, jw murdwru n Kwie[[ glI iBsiq n
jweIAY, CUtY scu kmwie[[ mwrx pwih hrwm mih, hoie hlwlu n jwie[[ nwnk glI kUVIeI kUVo plY
pwie[[ (GGS, p.141).
 Gwl Kwie ikC hQhu dyih[[ nwnk rwhu pCwxih syie[[ Ghaal khaa-ay kichh hathoh deh Nanak
raah pachhaanah say, “He who eats what he earns by his earnest labour and from his hand
gives something in charity, Nanak says, he alone knows the true way of life (GGS,p 1245).
Gurbani cautions time and again to remains vigilant against these so called
religious robbers:
 Psil AhwVI eyku nwmu, swvxI scu nwau[[ mY mhdUdu (ptw) ilKwieAw KsmY kY dir jwie[[ dunIAw ky
dr kyqVy, kyqy Awvih jwih[[ kyqy mMgih mMgqy, kyqy mMig mMig jwih[[--For me harvest of winter is
the One Name and harvest of summer the True Name. By going the Lord’s portal, I have
got written the rental due from me. Many are entrances and exits to the world. Innumerable
are those that enter here and depart. Many are the beggers and many more continue begging
till they depart (GGS, p.1286).
 inrMkwir jo rhy smwie[[ kwhy BIiKAw mMgix jwie[--He, who remains absorbed in the Formless
Lord, why should he go to beg alms? (GGS, p.953).
 cUkw gauxu imitAw AMiDAwru[[ guir idKlwieAw mukiq diAwru[[ bYr ibroD Cydy BY Brmw[[ pRB puMin
AwqmY kIny Drmw[[--The Guru has shown me the door of salvation and my coming and
going are ended and darkness of spiritual ignorance has been dispelled. With the Lord’s
loving adoration my mind and body are ever imbued. Then alone could I realize my Lord,
when the Lord made me realize Him (GGS, p.1348).
 puMn dwn Anyk ikirAw, swDU sMig smwie[[ qwp sMqwp imty nwnk, bhuiV kwlu n Kwie[[--
Absorption in the holy company equals giving of alms, charity and doing various other
good deeds. Thiswise man’s torments and sufferings are ended. Nanak says, thereafter
death does not devour him again (GGS, p.1300).
 AklI swihbu syvIAY[[ AklI pweIAY mwnu[[AklI piVH kY buJIAY AklI kIcY dwnu[[-By wisdom
Lord is served and by wisdom is honour attained. By wisdom one has knowledge by
reading the books and by wisdom is charity given (GGS, p.1245).
Gurbani says: “nwnk syvku soeI AwKIAY, jo isr Dry auqwir[[ siqgur kw Bwxw mMin ley, sbdu rKY
aurDwir”[[--Nanak says, he alone can be called a true servant, who cutts off his head and
places it before the Lord.. he accepts the True Guru’s will and keeps the Word in his heart

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(GGS, p.1247).

Mantras, Tantras and Sikhism

The word mantra in Hinduism stands for a hymn or text especially from Vedas chanted or
intoned as an incantation or prayer. There can be two types of mantras i.e. the sacred ones, used for
spiritual uplift and the second type of mantras are those, which are used to create a spell and are
described as tantric mantras, also called tantras. Guru Granth Sahib only propagates spiritual mantras
and decries all those mantras, which are recited to creat a spell. In the teachings of Sikhism i.e, Gurmat
mantra means Gur-updesh i.e Guru’s teaching. Guru Nanak Dev says:

 qMqu mMqu pwKMf n jwxw rwm irDy mn mwinAw[[-“Tant mant pakhand na jana Ram ridhay
man mania” i.e; I (Nanak) do not believe in magical formulae, magical hymns and
religious hypocrisies, because my mind is imbibed with the Almighty (Ibid, Ml, p.766).
 Avru n AauKDu qMq n mMqw[[ hir hir ismrxu iklivK hMqw[[qUM Awip Bulwvih nwmu ivswir[[ qUM
Awpy rwKih ikrpw Dwir[[--To annul sins, there is no other medicine, charm or spell. Lord
God’s contemplation destroys sins. Thou Thyself strayest the mortals and they forget
Thy Name. O Lord. Thou Thyself savest by showering Thy grace (GGS, p.416).
 mnmuK Brm BvY bybwx[[ vymwrg mUsy mMqR mswx[[ sbd n cInY lvY kubwx[[ nwnk swc rqy suK
jwx[[ Manmukh bharam bhavai bebaan. Gurmukh bharam bhavai bebaan. Wemaarag
moosai mantar masaan. Sabad na cheenai lavai kubaan Nanak saach rate such jaan i.e.
The self-willed is strayed by doubt and wanders in wilderness. He, who recites
incantations in the cremation ground, is following the evil path and is robed of merit. He
contemplates not on the Name and utters obscene words. Nanak says, he alone, who is
imbued with the True Name, knows what peace is (GGS, p.941).
 sunq jpq hirnwm jsu qw kI dUir blweI[[ mhw mMqRu nwnku kQY hir ky gux gweI[[ -Sunat japat
harnaam jas taa kee door balaaee. Maha mantar Nanak kathai har ke gun gaaee i.e. He,
who listens and utters the praise of God’s Name his calamities are warded off. This
supreme spell, Nanak utters and sings Lord’s praise (GGS, p.814).
 duK klys n Bau ibAwpY gur mMqR ihrdY hoie[[-Dukh kales na bhao biaapai gurmantar hirdai
ho-ay i.e, “One shall not have distress, agony and fright if the magic of Guru’s Word is
in his mind” (GGS p. 51)
 kwmixAwrI kwmx pwey bhurMgI gl qwgw[[ hoCI miq BieAw mn hoCw guV sw mKI KwieAw[[
Kaamaniaaree kaaman paae bahrangee gal taagaa. Hochhee mat bh-i-aa man hochhaa
gur saa makhee khaa-i-aa i.e; The materialistic wizard tries her magic by putting multi-
coloured thread around every one’s neck. One with shallow intellect, his mind becomes
shallow. He swallows fly along with the sweet (GGS, p.582).
 Aink punhcrn krq nhI qrY[[ hir ko nwm kot pwp prhrY[[ Anik punnacharn kart nahee
tarai. Har ko naam kot paap parharai i.e. The mortal is not saved by performing many
expiation acts. The Name of God annuls millions of sins (GGS, p.264)
 rwm nwmu jo jnu jpy Anidnu sd jwgY[[ qMqu mMqu nh joheI iqs cwKu n lwgY[[--He, who utters
the Lord’s Name day and night, is ever awake. Charm and spell, do not affect him nor an
evil does him any harm (GGS, p.818)

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 AauKD koit ismir goibMd[[ qMqu mMqu BjIAY BgvMq [[rog sog imty pRB iDAwey[[ mn bwNCq pUrn
Pl pwey[[-Meditation of the Lord is the cure-all of the myriads of maldies. My charm
and spell is the rememberance of the illustrious Lord. By contemplating on the Lord,
maladies and sorrows are effaced. Man is blessed with all his heat desired fruits (GGS,
p.866).
 hir hir qMqu mMqu guru dInw[[ iehu suK nwnk Anidn cInw[[ Har har tant mant gur deena. Ihu
sukh Nanak an-din Nanak cheena i.e; God’s Name is the supernatural power and spell,
which the Guru has given me. Nanak says, he has enjoyed pleasure from it day and night
(GGS, p.386).
 sjxu siqguru purK hY duiK kFY haumY mwir[[ Sajan satgur purkh hai dukh kadhai haomai
maar-i.e, “Your friend is the True Being, The Guru, who by taking out your egoism ends
your suffering” (GGS p. 41).
 iDRg iqnw kw jIivAw ij iliK vycih nwau[[--Dhrig tina ka jeevia je likh likh wechah naao-
i.e, “Accursed is the life of those who write out God’s Name and sell it as incantations”
(GGS, p. 1245).
 Avru n AauKDu qMq n mMqw[[ hir hir ismrxu iklivK hMqw[[qUM Awip Bulwvih nwmu ivswir[[ qUM
Awpy rwKih ikrpw Dwir[[--To annul sins, there is no other medicine, charm or spell. Lord
God’s contemplation destroys sins. Thou Thyself strayest the mortals and they forget
Thy Name. O Lord. Thou Thyself savest by showering Thy grace (GGS, p.416).

Jap
Innumerable mantras have been mentioned for recitation in Hindu mantra shastras for
the fulfillment of man's desires (manokamnavan) and attain union with the Supreme
Eternal Reality. Innumerable methods and their fruites have been enumerated in Hindu
shastras and by reciting the mantras of Bhairav, Kali Mai, Lashmi, Saraswati, Durga, Chandi etc;
devis and devtas for the attainment of innumerable powers have been told. Gurmat considers such
rituals as fruiteless and advises the Sikhs to refrain from such rituals:

 ikAw jpu ikAw qpu ikAw bRq pUjw[[ jw kY irdY Bwau hY dUjw[[-“Kia jap kia tap, kia brat pooja,
jakay ridhay bhao hai dooja i.e, “What meditation, what penance and what fasting and
worship to Him, in whose heart, there is the love of another i.e, other than God” (Ibid,
p324).

 ijnI nwmu ivswirAw ikAw jpu jwpih hoir[[ ibstw AMdir kIt sy muTy DMDY coir[[ nwnk nwmu n vIsir
JUTy lwlc hoir[[ i.e, “Jinni Naam visaaria, kia jap japeh hor' bista under keet se, muthay
dhanday chor, Nanak Naam na veesray jhoothay laalach hor-” They, who forget the Lord’s
Name, what else can they worship? They are worms in the ordure.The thief of wordly affairs
has defrauded them. Nanak prays, may he not forget the Lord’s Name by being beguilded by
other false greeds “ (Ibid, p.1247).

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Reading of Scriptures and Sikhism

Guru Nanak boldly criticicized mere reading (machine recitation) of scriptures and
following useless rituals prevalent among people for centuries as hollow actions. He
emphasizes that understanding of the Lord is more important:

 byd (vyd) pwT sMswr kI kwr pVH pVH pMfiq kry bIcwr ibn bUJY sB hoey KuAwr nwnk gurmuK auqrs
pwr[[-“Baid path sansar kee kaar, par par Pandit karay beechar,Bin boojhe sab ho-ay
khuar, Nanak gurmukh utras paar i.e ”The reading of Vedas is the world’s occupation. The
learned read, study and deliberate over them. Without understanding the Lord, every one
comes to grief. Nanak says, by Guru’s grace, the mortal is ferried across” (Ibid, p.791).
 piV piV gfI ldIAih piV piV BrIAih swQ]] piV piV byVI pweIAY piV piV gfIAih
Kwq[[pVIAih jyqy brs brs pVIAih jyqy mws[[ pVIAY jyqI Awrjw pVIAih jyqy sws[[ nwnk lyKY
iek gl hor haumY JKxw JwK[[ Man may read and study cart-loads of books and he may read
and study the pack loads of books. He may read boatfulls of books and study books filling
cellars. He may read year upon year and may study all the months that are there. He may
continue reading his entire life and may study with his every breath. Nanak says, only one
thing, God’s Name is of account and all else is but to prate (to talk much and foolishly) in
pride (GGS, p. 467).
 pVy suny ikAw hoeI [[ jau sihj n imilE soeI[[What good reading and listening if intutive
poise is not attained (GGS, p. 655).

Miracles, magic and Sikhism

Magic is a belief in the materialistic forces and animism is a belief in the spiritual
elements. Miracle is the power, which a spiritual aspirant attains during continual spiritual
pursuits. These Niddhis and Siddhis attract the Yogis and other self-centered persons, but they
have no attraction in Sikhism. Sikhism calls miracles and occult powers useless and fruiteless
because they lead one away from God. According to Gurbani the miraculous powers are vain
and useless as compared to the True Name of the Lord. The Omnipresent Lord showers His
grace on him only, who is absorbed in His Name. The performance of miracle is the result of
ego and the ego and the Lord (or His Name) cannot abide together. Gurbani says:
 isDu hovw isiD lweI iriD AwKw Awau[[ gupqu prgtu hoie bYsw loku rwKY Bwau[[ mqu dyiK BUlw vIsrY
qyrw iciq n AwvY nwau[[--If I become a Siddha and attain all the occult powers and wealth. If
I appear and disappear at will and receive the adoration of the People. O Lord! Let me not
go astray and foget Thy Name (GGS, p.14).
 irD isD sB moh hY nwmu n vsY min Awie[[ gur syvw qy mnu inrml hovY AwigAwnu AMDyrw jwie[[-Ridh
sidh sabh moh hai naam na wasai man aaiay. Gur seva te man nirmal hovai agiaan andhera
jaa-ay i.e, “Riches and miracles are all wordly attachments hence the Naam (God) does not
abide in the mind of the people of such inclination. By Guru’s service mind is rendered pure
and the darkness of spiritual ignorance goes. (GGS, p 593).
 Bugiq igAwnu dieAw BMfwrix Git Git vwjih nwd[[ Awip nwQ nwQI sB kw jI iriD isiD Avrw
swd[[-Make spiritual knowledge your food, mercy your steward and listen to the Divine
music which sounds within every one. God Himself is supreme; riches and miracles are

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useless relishes (not real achievements) (GGS, p.6).

 nv inDI ATwrh isDI ipCY lgIAw iPrih jo hir ihrdY sdw vswie[[-The nine Nidhis and
eighteen Siddhis pursue him, who is ever absorbed in love of God (GGS, p.649).
 ibnu nwvY pYnxu Kwxu sBu bwid hY iDgu isDI iDgu krwmwiq[[ sw isiD sw krwmwiq hY AicMqu kry ijsu
dwiq[[ nwnk gurmuiK hirnwmu min vsY eyhw isiD eyhw krwmwiq[[--Wihout the Name of the Lord
all garments and meals are useless. All the Siddhis and supernatural powers are vain. That
indeed, is a miracle and supernatural power, with which one is blessed spontaneously by the
Lord.The Name of the Lord abides in the mind of the Enlightened saith Nanak. And this is
the real miracle and supernatural power (GGS, p.650).
Sikh Gurus with unlimited spiritual powers at their disposal did not use an iota of it.
They were themselves attuned with the Lord and also wanted their Sikhs to remain absorbed
in the Name of the Lord, which they considered as the real Beneficient Power of the Lord.

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Chapter4

Pollution – Sutak-Patak-- / Physical impurity / iB~t

Ritual Purification-Such / su~c

Superstition, Bharm (Unfounded beliefs) of Hinduism and their rejection in Sikhism

Pollution literally means contamination of water, air, food or any anything else, by dirt,
harmful chemicals, waste material etc to make them unclean, impure, defile or dirty, but in
Hinduism it has nothing to do with dirt or environmental issues that concern us in day to day life.
Sutak in Hindu society is associated with impurity of the house on account of birth of a child and
Patak is impurity associated with death of some one in the house. The Brahmaical (Hindu)
scriptures only talk of bodily (physical-Tan) pollution and are silent about the pollution of the
thought process (Man dee mael).
Vedic Brahminism (Varan Ashram Dharma / Sanatan Dharma) now popularly called
Hinduism says that certain places, rivers, castes, cow (animal) and its products, and seasons are
pure. Among the castes, Brahmins are born pure and if they ever incur impurity from bodily
contact with an impure person, with a corpse or through sexual intercourse, they can regain
their status of purity by bathing or performing other rituals. The Kashatriyas and the Vaishyas
become pure after the jagyopavit ceremony, while the Shudras were permanently impure. To
touch them or things with which they have been in contact results in pollution called Bhitt in
Punjabi. River Ganges is pure, and forms the source of purification for all who bathe in it. The
cow is a pure animal whose products are therefore purifying, hence Hindu system of using cow
dung as a covering for the floor of the kitchen, the place in the house, which must be most pure.
The Kala pani (lit: black water i.e sea around the Indian peninsula), is something no Hindu
should cross for fear of pollution. In ancient Sanskrit texts, Vishnu purana in particular, it is laid
that, “it is an exclusive privilege and grace of God that enables man to be born a Hindu in the sacred
land called, Bharat, a birth in other lands, no matter of how excellent a condition and however
frequently, is no better than a repetitious frustration and wearisome waste” i.e, “Krsnanugrahato
labhadawa manave janam bharte, anyasthane brtha janam nispphlanca gatagatam”. It is
because of this fear that the Hindus refrained to migrate to the other parts of the world from
India till the recent past.
The Hindu ritualists considered several aspects of social life as devoid of purity, not
in spiritual sense, but in physical sense. In the Brahmanical system, it was believed that any death
rendered impure those of the household in which the demise occurred. It also held that women
were most prone to such impurity called Sutak, during childbirth and during their menstrual
periods, because both involved bleeding. This notion of impurity (Sutak) and other such Hindu
notions to which the Brahman attaches vital importance are rejected by Sikhism and Guru Nanak
condemned them in no uncertain terms:
 jykir sUqku mMNnIAY sBqY sUqku hoie[[ gohy AqY lkVI AMdir kIVw hoie[[ jyqy dwxy AMn ky jIAw bwJu n
koie[[ pihlw pwxI jIau hY ijqu hirAw sBu koie[[ sUqku ikau kir rKIAY sUqk pvY rsoie[[ nwnk sUqku
eyv n auqrY igAwnu auqwry Doie[[-jekar sootak man-neeay sabhtai sootak hoay---Nanak sootak
iv na uyray gian utaray dhoay.---.If Sutak impurity be believed in, then that such impurity occurs
everywhere, Worms are found in cow dung and the wood. No single grain of corn is without

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life in it. Water is the first source of life, and everyone is dependent on it for remaining alive”
How can impurity of Sutak be warded off? It is to be found in every kitchen. Nanak says,
pollution is not removed in this way (through rituals). It is washed away by knowledge of
God (adhiatmic gian / spiritual enlightenment)” (Ibid, Ml, p.472)
 mn kw sUqku loB hY ijhvw sUqku kUV[[ AKI sUqk vyKxw pr iqRAw pr Dn rUpu[[ kMnI sUqku kMn pY
lwieqbwrI Kwih[[ nwnk hMsw AwdmI bDy jmpuir jwih[[--Man ka sootak lobh hai jihva sootak
koor.----Nanak hansa aadmee badhay jampur haahay.--The impurity of mind is greed,
impurity of tongue is falsehood, The impurity of the eyes is to see the beauty of another's
wife and another's wealth, The impurity of ears is to hear the calumny of others.Nanak says
by such practices, the swan like persons go bound to the city of death. (Ibid, Ml, p.472).
 sUcy eyih n AwKIAih bhin ij ipMfw Doie[[ sUcy syeI nwnkw ijn mn visAw soie[[--Soochay eh na
aakheeay bahan je panda dhoay. Soochay sayee Nanka jin man wassia soay.--They are not said to
be pure, who wash their bodies, only they are pure in whose mind, abides the Lord, saith Nanak
(Ibid, Ml, p.472).
 sBo sUqk Brmu hY dUjY lgY jwie[[ jMmxu mrxw hukmu hY BwxY Awie jwie[[ Kwxw pIxw pivquR hY idqonu
irjku sMbwih[[ nwnk ijnI gurmuK buiJAw iqnHw sUqku nwih[[--Sabho sootak bharm hai doojai
lagai jaa-ay. Jamman marna hukam hai bhaanai aavi jaa-ay-i.e,“All consideration of Sutak
(ritual impurity) is an illusion, which induces man to worship of other than God. Birth and
death are subject to Lord’s command and through His will mortal comes and goes. All the
eatables and drinks given by the Lord as subsistence are pure, The Guruwards, who have
become conscious about it, there is no impurity for them, saith Nanak" (Ibid, M1 p.472-73).
The upper Caste Hindus think that for purity of food they must have specially
prepared cooking place (chaunka-square) plastered with cow dung, so that no evil spirit can
come near it and pollute the cooked food. Such practices have been denounced in Sikhism.
Guru Nanak says:
 dy ky caukw kFI kwr[[ aupir Awie bYTy kUiVAwr[[ mqu iBtY vy mqu iBtY[[ ieh AMnu Aswfw iPtY[[ qin iPtY
PyV kryin[[min jUTY culI Bryin[[ khu nwnk scu iDAweIAY[[ suic hovY qw scu pweIAY[[--De kai chaoka
kadee kaar. Upar aaei baithay kuriaar. Mat bhitai way mat bhitai. Ih ann asaada phitai Tan phitai
pher Karen. Man joothai chchulee bharen. kah Nanak sach dhiaaeeai. Such hovai taa sach pa
aeeai.--“After preparing the square cooking place and marking its boundry, the liers sit
saying that this food may not be touched so that it may not get polluted. With polluted body
they indulge in evil actions and with the impure mind they rinse their mouth. Therefore saith
Nanak, meditate on the True Lord. The True Lord can only be obtained with purity (Ibid, Ml,
p.472).
 jUiT n rwgI jiUT n vydI[[ jiUT n cMd sUrj kI BydI[[ jUiT n AMnI jUiT n nweI [[ jUiT n mIhu virHAY
sB QweI[[ jUiT n DrqI jUiT n pwxI[[jUiT n pauxY mwih smwxI[[ nwnk inguirAw guxu nhI koie mUh
PyirAw muh jUTw hoie [[--Jooth na raagee jooth na Vedee jooth na chand sooraj kee bhedee.
Jooth na annee jooth naaee. Jooth na mmeeh warihai sabh thaee. Jooth na dhartee jooth na
paanee. Jooth na paonai mahee samaanee. Nanak niguriaa gun nahee ko-ay. Muh feriai muh
jootha ho-ay i.e, There is no impurity in music, nor is there any impurity in Vedas. There is
no impurity in various phases of moon and the sun. There is no impurity in grain nor there is
any impurity in ablution. There is no impurity in rain which fall at all the places. There is no
impurity in the earth nor there is any impurity in water. There is no impurity in the air too.
Nanak says there is no merit in the man, without a Guru and one, who turns away his face

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from the Guru, his face is defiled (GGS, p. 1240).

 myry pRB Bwvin sy aUjly sB mYlu BrIjY[[ mYlw aUjlu qw QIAY pwrs sMig BIjY[[-Meray prabh bhaavan se
oojlay sabh mail bhareejai. Maila oojal taa theeai paaras sang bheejai.---“Those, who are liked by
the Lord are pure, all others are full of impurity. The impure one becomes pure, when he is
drenched by the philosopher's stone i.e. Guru (Ibid, M, p.1012).
 eyk ipqw eyks ky hm bwirk[[ Ek pita ekas ke ham barik i.e, There is one father and we are all his
children (GGS, p.611)
In contradiction to the Brahmanical thinking in terms of physical impurities, Gurmat
lays stress on cleaning the thought process for the development of a good society. It says:
 min mYly sBu ikCu mYlw qin Doqy mnu hCw n hoie[[ ieh jgqu Brim BulwieAw ivrlw bUJY koie[[“Man
mailey sabh kichh maila Tan dhotai man hachha na ho-ay. Ih jagat bhram bhulaia virla
bujhai koey.—When the mind is filthy, everything is filthy. By washing body, mind does not
become pure. This world is lead astray by doubt, only a rare one realizes this (Ibid,
p.558).
 BrIAY hQ pYru qnu dyh[[ pwxI DoqY auqrsu Kyh[[mUq plIqI kpVu hoie dy swbUxu leIAY Ehu Doie[[BrIAY
miq pwpw kY sMig[[ Ehu DopY nwvY ky rMig[[ Bhareeai hath pair tan deh. Paanee dhotai utras kheh.
Moot paleetee kapar hoe. De saaboon laeeai oh dhoe. Bhreeai mat paapa kai sang. Oh dhopai
naavai kai rang. When the hands, feet and other parts of the body become dirty, by washing
them with water , the dust is removed. The garments polluted with urine are washed clean
with soap. When the mind is polluted with sins it can only be cleaned with rememberance of
God (GGS, Japuji Pauri 20, p 4)
 sUcY eyih nw AwKIAih bhin ij ipMfw Doie[[ sUcY syeI nwnkw ijn min visAw soie[[--They, who just
wash their bodies are not pure. Nanak says, pure are they, in whose mind abides the pure Lord
(GGS, p.472).

Hypocrisy / Disguise (Pakhand / Bhekh) and its Rejection in Sikhism

Religion professed by men before the Sikh views were known to mankind, contained
rituals and pseudo-believes (Andh-vishwas). Guru Granth Sahib is highly critical of all outer acts
of show and denounces them in strongest terms:

 – hu ByK kr BrmweIAY min ihrdY kptu kmwie[[ hir kw mihl n pwveI mir ivstw mwih smwie[[ i.e.
b
Bahu bhekh kar bharmaaeeai man hirdai kapat kama-ay. Har ka mehal na pav-ee mar vista
maahe samaa-ay, “Those who put on many garbs and wander about but in their heart and mind
practice deception, they do not reach God’s house and after death merge in ordure (GGS, Sri
Rag, p.26).
 pwKMif Bgq n hoveI pwrbRhm n pwieAw jwie[[ Pakhand bhagat na hov-ee paarbrahm na paa-iaa
jaa-ay, i.e; “Through hypocrisy Lord's devotion is not performed, nor is the Transcendent
Lord obtained”. (Ibid, M3 .849).

 pwKMf pRymu n pweIAY Kotw pwju KuAwru[[--Pakhand prem na paee-ay khota paaj khuaar. i.
e.Through hypocrisy His love is not obtained. The counterfeit gilding is ruinous (GGS, Ml,
p.54).

In Guru Nanak era, dominating sects were of Yogis and Naths among the
Hindus, the Guru has asked yogis to leave forests and come back to their homes (GGS, p.

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223, 420, 504, 662, 730, 903). Sidh Gosit has been recited just to change the style of Nath,
Yogis, Sidh sects and Hindus, who believed in ascetic way of life.
 GolI gyrU rMgu cVwieAw vsqR ByK ByKwrI[[ kwpV Pwr bnweI iKMQw JolI mwieAwDwrI[[ Gir Gir mwgY jgu
prboDY min AMDY piq hwrI[[ Brim Bulwxw sbdu n cInY jUAY bwjI hwrI[[ AMqir Agin n guru ibnu bJYU
bwhr pUAr qwpY[[ gur syvw ibn Bgiq n hovI ikaukr cInis AwpY[[ Gholee geroo rang charaa-iaa
wastar bhekh bhekhaaree. Kaapar phaar banaaee khintha jholee maa-iaa dhaaree. Ghar
gharmai jag parbodhai man andhai pat haaree. Bharam bhulaana shabad na cheenai jooai
baajee haaree. Antar agan na gur bin boojai baahir pooar taapai. Gur seva bin bhagat na
hovee kio kar cheenis aapai. i.e; “He dissolves brick-powder and dyes his clothes with it.
Wearing this garb he becomes a beggar. Tearing off bits of clothes, he makes a patched gown
and puts money in his pouch. He begs from house to house and the world he instructs. Blind of
the mind, he looses his honour like this. He strays in doubt and does not contemplate on the
Name, like this he looses his life in the game of gamble. Without the Guru’s guidance the inner
fire is not extinguished and he burns fire around himself. Without serving the Guru, the Lord’s
meditation is not possible” (GGS, p.1012-13).
 cugl inMdk BuKy rul mUey eynw hQu n ikQwaU pwie[[ bwhir pwKMf sB krm krih min ihrdY kptu
kmwie[[ Chugal nindak bhukhay rul moo-ay enaa hath naa kithaaoo paa-ay. Baahar paakhand
sabh karm karah man hirdai kapat kamaa-ay. i.e. “The back-biters and slanderers remain
hungry, die rolling in dust and their hands reach no where. Outwardly with hypocrisy,
they do all the good deeds, but in their mind and heart they practice deceit” (Ibid, M3,
p.1417).
Commenting on the hypocrisy of the Brahmins Guru Nanak says,
 “gj swFy qY qY DoqIAw iqhry pwien qg[[ glI ijnw jpmwlIAw loty hiQ inbg[[ Eie hir ky sMq n
AwKIAih bwnwris ky Tg[[--Gaj saad-ay tai tai dhoteea tihray paein tag. Galee jinaa japmaleea
lotay hath nibag. O-ay har kay sant na akheeay banaras kay thag. i.e. “They wear lion-cloth
three and a half yards long, three fold sacred threads. They have rosaries around their necks
and glittering jugs in their hands. They are not called the saints of God, but the cheats of
Benaras” (Ibid, Asa Kabir, p.475).
 piV pusqk sMiDAw bwdM[[ isl pUjs bgul smwDM[[ muK JUT ibBUKx swrM[[ qRYpwl iqhwl ibcwrM[[ gl mwlw
iqlku illwtM[[ duie DoqI bsqR kpwtM[[ jy jwixs bRhmM krmM[[ siB Pokt inscau krmM[[ khu nwnk inhcau
iDAwvY[[ ivxu siqgur vwt n pwvY[[-Par pustak sandhia badang. Sil poojas bagul samadhang. Mukh
jhooth bibhookhan sarang. Traipaal tihaal bicharang. Gal mala tilak lilatang. Du-ay dhotee bastar
kapatang. Je janas brahmang karmang. Sabh phokat nischao karmang. Kah Nanak nihcho
dhiavavai. Win satgur waat na pavai.-i.e. The Brahmin priests read scriptures, say prayers and
argue. They worship stones and sit in trance like a heron. With their mouth, they utter falsehood,
like the precious ornaments. Thrice daily they recite Gayatri. Around their neck is the rosary, on
their forehead the sacred mark and on their head is a towel and they have two lion clothes. If they
know the real nature of the Lord, then will find that all these beliefs and rites are in vain. Nanak
says in good faith, meditate on Lord. Without the True Guru, man finds not the way (Ibid,
M1, p470).
 The Brahman’s performance of Shrads was equally sinful. Guru Nanak says, “If a burglar
stole from a house and used the stolen goods to offer in the name of his ancestors, the goods
are identified, the dead ancestors become party to the theft, and the hands of the guilty are
chopped off. If the earnings of a jajmaan are unlawful and he feeds Brahmans for the benefit

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of his dead ancestors, the whole exercise, too is futile, the ancestors can not derive any
benefit. Guru Nanak adds that the Brahman who serves as the ‘broker’ is equally guilty.
Reward is received only by those who give charity from lawfully earned profits or wages, “je
mohakaa ghar muhai ghar mohe pitree day. Agai wasat sinjaneeai pitree chor kar-ay. Wadheeai
hath dalaal ke musfee ih kar-ay. Nanak agai so milai je khate ghaale day, “jy muhwkw Gru muhY Gru
muih ipqrI dyie[[ AgY vsqu isvwxIAY ipqrI cor kryie[[ vFIAih hQ dlwl ky musPI eyh kryie[[ nwnk
AgY so imlY ij Kty Gwly dyie”[[ (GGS, p. 472).
 piV piV pMifq monI Qwky ByKI mukiq n pweI[[ nwnk ibnu BgqI jg baurwnw scY sbid imlweI[[--Par
par pandit monee thaakay bhekhee mukat na paaee. Nanak bin bhagtee jag baoraana sachai
sabad milaaee. i.e. By continued reading, the scholars and silent sages are tired. Through the
sectarian garbs emancipation is not attained. Nanak says, the world without devotion is gone
mad. (GGS,p.440).----
 bydu pukwrY muK qy pMfq kwmwmn kw mwTw[[ monI hoie bYTw eykWqI ihrdY klpngWTw[[ hoie audwsI igRhu
qij cilE CutkY nwhI nwTw[[ jIA kI kY pih bwq khw[[Awip mukqu mo kau pRBu myly AYso khw lhw[[
qpsI kr kY dyhI swDI mnUAw dih ids Dwnw[[ bRhmcwir bRhmcrju kInw ihrdY BieAw gumwnw[[
sMinAwsI hoie kY qIriQ BRimE ausu mih kRoDu ibgwnw[[ GUMgrU bwiD Bey rwmdwsw rotIAn ky Epwvw[[ brq
nym krmKt kIny bwhir ByK idKwvw[[ gIq nwd muiK rwg Alwpy min nhI hir hir gwvw[[3[[ hrK
sog loB moh rhq hih inrml hir ky sMqw[[ iqn kI DUiV pwey mnu myrw jw dieAw kry BgvMqw[[ khu
nwnk guru pUrw imilAw qW auqrI mn kI icMqw[[ i.e. With his mouth, the Pandit shouts aloud the
Vedas, but he is slow to act thereon. The silent sage sits apart, but in his mind are the knots of
desires. Becoming an anchorite, one abandons and walks out of his home, but he is not saved
by such flight.1. To who shall I tell the state of my mind? Where can I find such a person, who
himself is emancipated and unites me with the Lord. By becoming a penitent, one disciplines
his body, but his mind runs in ten directions. The celibate practises celibacy but his heart is
filled with pride. Becoming a renouncer, one wanders at holy places but within him is fool
hardy wrath. People, in their effort to get bread, become temple dancers by tying ankle-bells to
their feet. People fast, take vows, perform six rites and wear religious garbs for outward show.
People, with their mouth, melodiously hymn songs and sermons but in their mind they do not
sing the Lord God’s praise.3. God’s saints are pure and are free from weal, woe, avairice and
worldly love. If the Auspicious Lord shows grace, then my mind obtains the dust of the feet of
those saints. Nanak says, when I met the perfect Guru, then was my mind’s anxiety removed
(GGS, p.1003).
Commenting on the hypocrisy of the Khatris (Kashatriyas), who worked as chief
ministers, ministers and officials on behalf of the Muslim rulers (Mughals and Pathans) Guru
Nanak says:
 gaU ibrwhmx kau kru lwvhu gobir qrxu n jweI[[ DoqI itkw qY jpmwlI Dn mlyCw KweI[[AMqir pUjw
pVih kqybw sMjm qurkw BweI[[ CofIly pwKMfw[[ nwim lieAY jwih qrMdw[[You (The Khatris) tax
the cows and the Brahmins but the cow dung will not save you. You wear a lion cloth,
put a fontal mark, carry a rosary and eat, the provisions supplied by the persons whom
you call malechh (unclean). You perform Hindu services inside your home but read the
books of Muslims in public and adopt their ways. Lay aside hypocrisy. By taking god’s
name, thou shall swim across (GGS, p.471).
 The wearing of sacred thread by the Khatris, according to Guru Nanak, did not stop them
from pandering to the rulers whom they regarded unclean and called malechhas. They

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wore thread and wielded the butcher’s knife. Brahmans blew conches in their homes
and ate their food. False is their commerce and false the sustenance derived. The mark
on their forehead and the dhoti with its stuck up end does not stop them from
butchering the world. To become acceptable to the rulers they wore blue dress, they
would perform worship according to the Purans but eat the malechha’s food. Indeed
they ate meat of goats slaughtered in the Muslim fashion. And yet in their chaunka told
others not to come near so that their food was not polluted. They practiced sinful
hypocrisy and rinsed their mouths with falsehood in their hearts. Guru Nanak says,
meditate on the True Lord, if thou art pure of heart then alone shalt thou attain the True
One –mwns Kwxy krih invwj[[ CurI vgwiein iqn gil qwg[[ iqn Gir bRhmx pUrih nwd[[ aunHw iB
Awvih EeI swd[[ kUVI rws kUVw vwpwru kUVu bol kry Awhwru[[ srm Drm kw fyrw dUir nwnk kUVu rihAw
BrpUir[[mQY itkw qyiV DoqI kKweI[[ hiQ CurI jgq kwsweI[[ nIl vsqR pihir hovih prvwxu[[ mlyC
Dwnu ly pUjih purwxu[[ ABwiKAw kw kuTw bkrw Kwxw[[ cauky aupir iksy n jwxw[[ dy caukw kFI kwr[[
aupir Awie bYTy kUiVAwr[[ mqu iBtY vy mqu iBtY[[ ieh AMn Aswfw iPtY[[ qin iPtY PyV kryin[[ min
jUTY culI Bryin[[ khu nwnk scu iDAweIAY[[ suc hovY qw scu pweIAY[[(GGS, p471-472).
 lY BwiV kry vIAwhu[[ kiF kwglu dsy rwhuu[[suix vyKhu lokw iehu ivfwxu[[ min AMDw nwau sujwxu[[--He
(the Brahman) takes remuneration for performing marriages. Pulling out the calender, he
shows the way. Listen and see, ye people, to this strange thing. The Pandit mentally blind is
called wise (GGS, p.471).
Commenting upon the hypocrisy of the Jogis, who dominated the religious scene in the
Punjab at that perid of time, Guru Nanak says:
 ieik kMd mUlu cuix Kwih vxKMif vwsw[[ ieik Bgvw vysu kir iPrih jogI sMinAwsw[[ AMdir iqRsnw
bhuqu Cwdn Bojn kIAwsw[[ ibrQw jnmu gvwie n igrhI n audwsw[[ jm kwlu isrhu n auqrY iqRibiD
mnsw[[ gurmqI kwlu n AwvY nyVY jW hovY dwsndwsw[[ scw sbdu scu min Gr hI mwih audwsw[[ nwnk
siqguru syvin Awpxw sy Awsw qy inrwsw[[ i.e. Some pick and eat frites and roots and dwell in
forest localities. Some roam about wearing ochre robs as yogis and renouncers. Within
them is great desire and they long to get clothes and food from others. In vain they waist
their lives. They are neither householders nor anchorites. Because their mind is dominated
by the three qualities of desire, they do not find escape from yama, the agent of death.
When by the wisdom granted by the Guru, man becomes slave of Lord’s slaves, death
draws not near him. When the True Word abides in one’s true mind then in his very home,
he remains detached. Those who serve their True Guru, Nanak says, they rise from desire
to desirelessness (GGS, p.140).
 ngn iPrq jO pweIAY jogu[[ bnkw imrgu mukiq sBu hogu[[ ikAw nwgy ikAw bwDy cwm[[ jb nhI
cInis Awqmrwm[[ mUf mMufwey jo isiD pweI[[mukqI Byf n geIAw kweI[[ ibMdu rwiK jO qrIAY BweI
KusrY ikau n prm giq pweI[[ i.e. If union with God be obtained by going about naked then
all deer of forest would be emancipated What matters it whether man goes naked or wears
a deer skin, when he does not contemplate on the Pervading Lord in his mind. 1. Pause. If
perfection be obtained by shaving the head, then, salvation for the sheep is not gone
anwhere.. O brother, if one be saved by celibacy, then why should not an eunuch obtain the
supreme dignity? (GGS, 324).
 iliK iliK piVAw qyqw kiVAw[[ bhu qIrQ BivAw qyqo livAw[[bhu ByK kIAw dyhI duKu dIAw [[ shu
vy jIAw Awpnw kIAw[[ AMnu n KwieAw swdu gvwieAw[[ bhu duKu pwieAw dUjw BwieAw[[ bsqR n pihrY

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Aihinis khrY[[ mon ivgUqw ikau jwgY guru ibnu sUqw[[ pg aupyqwxw Awpxw kIAw kmwxw[[ Alu mlu
KweI isir CweI pweI[[ mUrK AMDY piq gvweI[[ ivx nwvY ikCu Qwie n pweI[[ rhY bybwxI mVI
mswxI[[ AMDu n jwxY iPir pCuqwxI]] siqguru Byty so suKu pwey[[ hir kw nwmu mMin vswey[[ nwnk
ndir kry so pwey[[ Aws AMdysy qy inhkyvlu haumY sbid jlwey[[ i.e. The more one writes and
reads, the more is he overcome by anxiety. The more man wanders on pilgrimages, the
more he prattles. The more he puts on sectarian guises, more discomfort he causes to his
body. Endure, O myself, the results of thine acts. He, who does not eat food, his own
pleasure he forefeits. By love of duality, man suffers great hardship. He who does not wear
clothes, day and night, endures calamity.By stubborn silence man is lost. How can the
sleeping one be awakened without the Guru? He, who goes bare footed, obtains the
consequences of his actions. He, who eats filth throws ashes on his head, He the ignorant
fool, looses his honour. Without God’s Name, no place with Him is obtained. He, who
lives in wild places, at burial and cremation grounds, that blind man does not know the
Lord and regrets aftereards. He, who meets the True Guru attains peace. He, who implants
God’s Name in his mind, Nanak says, by Lord’s grace, attains Name Divine. Such one
becomes free from desire and anxiety and by the holy Word destroys his egoism (GGS,
p.467).
 kir bYrwgu qUM Coif pwKMf so shu sBu ikCu jwxey[[--Kar bairaag toon chhod paakhand so sah
sabh kichh jaan-ay.-- Detach thyself from the world and shed thy hypocrisy. He, the
Lord knows everything (Ibid, M3, p.440).
 ByKI Agin n buJeI icMqw hY mn mwih[[ vrmI mwrI swp n mrY[[ iqau ingury krm kmwih[[ siqgur
dwqw syvIAY sbdu vsY min Awie[[ mnu qnu sIql sWiq hoie iqRsnw Agin buJwie[[suKw isir sdw suKu
hoie jw ivchu Awpu gvwie[[ i.e. By wearing sectarian garbs, the flame of desire is not quenched
and its anguish continues to abide in the mind. As the destruction of snakes’s hole, does not
kill the snake so it is useless, the doing of deeds without the Guru. By serving beneficent True
Guru, the Name comes to abide in man’s mind. The mind and body are comforted and
pacified and the fire is extinguished. When man discards ego from within his self, he obtains
the supreme comfort of all the comforts for ever (GGS, p.588)
 AMqrml inrml nhI kInw bwhr ByK audwsI[[ ihrdY kml Gt bRhm n cInw kwhy BieAw sMinAwsI[[
Antar mal nirmal nahee keena baahar bhekh udasi.. Hrdai kamal ghat brahm na cheena
kahay bha-i-aa saniasee i.e; Thou hast not cleansed Thy heart from impurity. Though
apparently thou wearest the dress of a hermit. In Thy body’s heart lotus thou hast not realized
the Lord so what for hast thou become a solitarian. (GGS,p.525)
 Akl klw nih pweIAY pRBu AlK AlyKM[[ Ktu drsn BRmqy iPrih nh imlIAY ByKM[[ vrq krih
cMdRwiexw sy ikqy n liKM[[ byd pVih sMpUrnw qqu swr n pyKM[[ iqlku kFih iesnwnu kir AMqir kwlyKM[[
ByKI pRBU n lBeI ivxu scI isKM[[ i.e. Not by devices of intellect is attained the Lord unknowable.
And limitless. By roaming in six Shastras and wearing ritual garbs, God is not obtained. They
who keep fasts apropos the moon, are of no account, they, who read the Vedas in full, do not
see its essence and vision. They who draw the paste mark on their forheads after taking bath,
have within them, the blackness of sins. He who wears ritual garb does not find the Lord
without true teaching (GGS, p.1098).
 kwjI mulw hovih syK[[ jogI jMgm Bgvy ByK[[ ko igrhI krmw kI sMiD[[ ibnu bUJy sB KVIAis bMiD[[
Kajee mula hovah sekh. Jogee jangam bhagvay bhekh. Ko girhee karma kee sandh. Bin

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boojhay sabh khareeas bandh i.e.Though he may be a Qazi, a Mulla or a Sheikh; though he
may be a yogi, a wandering sage or a hermit of ochre-coloured dress and though some one be
a house-holder and performer of ritual rites, yet without realizing the Lord, all are bound down
and driven by Yama (GGS,p.1169).
 ieik vxKMif bYsih jwie sdu n dyvhI[[ iek pwlw kkru BMin sIqlu jlu hoNvhI[[ ieik Bsm cVHwvih
AMig mYlu n DovhI[[ iek jtw ibkt ibkrwl kul Gr KovhI[[ ieik ngn iPrih idnrwq nId n
soovhI[[ ieik Agin jlwvih AMgu Awpu ivgovhI[[ ivxuu nwvY qnu Cwru ikAw kih rovhI[[ sohin Ksm
duAwr ij sqgur syvhI[[ i.e. Some go and sit in the forest regions and do not respond to a call.
Some there are, who in winter season, shatter their body with ice and ice-cold water. Some
smear their limbs with ashes and do not wash their filth. Some wear unshorn matted locks and
look hideous. They thus dishonour their lineage and dynasty. Some day and night wander
about naked and do not take sound sleep. Some there are who burn their body limbs with fire
and like this ruin themselves. Without the Lord’s Name, man’s body is reduced to ashes. Of
what avail is then, saying and wailing? They alone look beauteous at the Lord’s Portal, who
serve the True Guru (GGS, p.1284).
 brq nym qIrQ sihq gMgw[[ jl hyvq BUK Aru nMgw[[ pUjw cwr krq mylMgw[[ ckR krm iqlk KwtMgw[[
drsnu Byty ibnu sqsMgw[[1[[ hT ingRih Aiq rihq ibtMgw[[ hau rogu ibAwpY cukY n BMgw[[ kwm kRoD
Aiq iqRsn jrMgw[[ so mukqu nwnk ijsu siqguru cMgw[[ i.e.Men keep fasts, vows, go for baths at
holies including Ganges. They endure hunger, poverty, nakedness and pain of hot and cold
water. By sitting cross-leged, they perform worship and good deeds. They do the deeds of
painting symbols and sacrificial marks on their six limbs. Without the the holy congregation,
the Divine sight is not seen (GGS, p.1305).
 bwrh mih rwvl Kip jwvih chu iCA mih sMinAwsI[[ jogI kwpVIAw isr KUQy ibnu sbdY gil PwsI[[
sbd rqy pUry bYrwgI[[ AauhiT hsq mih BIiKAw jwcI eykBwie ilv lwgI[[ bRhmx vwdu pVih kr
ikirAw[[ krxI krm krwey[[ ibnu bUJY ikCu sUJY nwhI[[ mnmuK ivCuV duK pwey[[ sbd imly sy sUcwcwrI
swcI drgih mwny[[ Anuidn nwim rqin ilv lwgy juig juig swc smwny[[ sgly krm Drm suic sMjm
jp qp qIrQ sbd vsy[[ nwnk sqgur imlY imlwieAw dUK prwCq kwl nsy[[ The Yogis divided in
twelve sects are ruined, so are the Sanyasis divided in ten sects. Similarly, the disciples of
Gorakh, the mendicants in tatters and the plucked headed ones (Jains), without the Lord’s
Name, are loaded with the noose around their necks. Those absorbed in the holy word, are the
perfect anchorites. They seek to obtain the alm of His Name in their mind’s hand and are
absorbed in the love of the Sole Lord. The Brahmans read strifes, do ritual deeds, their daily
routine and make others perform rituals. Without realization, those egocentrics understand
nothing and separated from God, they suffer pain. They who are united to the holy Word, are
pure of deed and at the Divine Portal are honoured. Night and day, they remain absorbed in
the jewel of the Name and age after age remain merged in truth. All the virtuous deeds,
religious acts, purifications, self-mortifications, devotion, austerities and pilgrimages to the
holies abide in the holy Word, the Lord’s Name. Nanak says, if the True Guru is met he unites
man with the Lord, then suffering, sin and death flee away (GGS, p.1332).
 mn mih kRoDu mhW AhMkwrw[[ pUjw krih bhuqu ibsQwrw[[ kr iesnwnu qin ckR bnwey[[ AMqr kI mlu kb
hI n jwey[[ iequ sMjim pRBu iknhI n pwieAw[[ BgauqI mudRw mnu moihAw mwieAw[[ i.e. “Within the
man’s mind is wrath and great pride, indulging in these, he performs worship with great
ostentations. After taking bath, he makes ritual marks on his body but the dirt of his mind does

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not ever depart.1.In this way, no one has ever found the Lord. He paints Vishnu’s marks on
his body but his mind is lured by wealth” (GGS, p.1347-48).
 PrIdw kMn muuslw sUP gil idil kwqI guVu vwiq[[ bwhr idsY cwnxw idil AMiDAwrI rwiq[[ Farida kan
musla soof gal dil kaatee gur waat. Bahar disay chaanana dil andhiaree raat i.e. ‘Farid says,
O man, on your shoulder is the prayer mat, on your body the devotee’s garb and you speak
sweetly but there is scalpel in your heart. Fom outside, you appear bright but in your heart is
the dark night” (GGS, p. slok farid, p.1380).
 sbid mrY soeI jn isJY ibnu sbdY mukiq n hoeI[[ByK kry bhu krm ivguuqy Bwie dYjy prj ivgoeI[[
Sabad marai so-ee jan sijai bin sabdai mukat na hoeeBhekh karah bahu karam wigute naao
na paaeeai je sao lochai ko-ee –He, who dies in the remembrance of the word of Lord, is
exonerated.Without the word of the Lord, one is not emancipated. They, who wear various
garbs and perform many rituals, are ruined (GGS, p.1416).
 ivx mnu mwry koie n isJeI vyKhu ko ilv lwie[[ ByKDwrI qIrQI Biv Qky nw ieh mnu mwirAw jwie[[-
Win man mare koe na sijhaee wekhhah ko liv laae. Bhekhdhaaree teerath bhav thake naa eh
man maariaa jaae.—Without subduing one’s mind no body attains success. Let any body see
it by deep concentration. The hypocites grow fed up of roaming at holy places, yet their mind
is not subdued (GGS, p650)
 ByK idKwvY sc nw kmwvY[[ khqo mhlI inkit n AwvY[[ AqIq sdwey mwieAw kw mwqw[[ mn nhI pRIiq
khy muiK rwqw[[--Bhekh dikhaavai sach na kamaavai. Kahto mahlee nikat na aavai.Ateet
sadaae maa-i-aa kaa maataa. Man nahee preet kahai much raataa.—He flutters in ritual
garb but practices not truth. Claiming to be inmate of the mansion, he is no where near it. He
is absorbed in materialism and calls himself a detached one (GGS, p.738).
 rs ks Kwey ipMf vDwey[[ByK kry gur sbdu n kmwey[[Ras kas khaae pind wadhaa-ay. Bhekh karai
gur sabad na kamaa-ay.—By eating various kinds of dainties, the mortal flattens his body and
wears ritual garbs but acts not on Guru’s Word (GGS, p.1058)
 mnmK mMnu Aijq hY dUjY lgY jwie[[ iqs no suK supny nhI dKy duiK ivhwie[[ Gir Gir piV piV pMifq
Qky isD smwiD lgwie[[ ieh mnu vis n AwveI Qky krm kmwie[[ ByKDwrI ByK kir Qky AT sT qIrQ
nwie[[ mn kI swr n jwxnI haumY Brim Bulwie[[ gurpRswdI Bau pieAw vfBwig visAw min Awie[[ BY
pweIAY mn vis hoAw haumY sbid jlwie[[ sc rqy sy inrmly joqI joiq imlwey[[ siqgur imilAY nwau
pwieAw nank suiK smwie[[--Manmukh mann ajit hai doojai lagai jaa-ay. Tis no such punai
nahee dukhe dukh wihaa-ay.Gha ghar par par pandit thakay sidh samaadh lagaa-ay. Ihu
mann was na aavaee thakay karam kamaa-ay. Bhekhdhree bhekh kar thakay athsath teerath
naa-ay. Mann kee saar na jaananee bharam bhulaa-ay. Gur parsaadee bhao pa-i-aa
wadbhaag wasiaa manna a-ay.Bhai paa-e-ai mann vas hoaa haumai sabad jalaa-ay.Sach
ratay se nirmalay jotee jot milaa-ay Satgur miliai naao paa-i-aa Nanak such samaa-ay. The
mind of egocentric is adamant and is attached to another. He does not obtain peace even in
dream and passes his life in great suffering. The Pandits grow weary of reading and reciting
from door to door and adepts of going into trance. The mortals are tired of performing formal
rites but their mind does not come under control. The pseudo-saints grow weary of wearing of
false dresses and bathing at sixty eight places. Their mind’s condition, they do not know and
are misled by proud and doubt. By Guru’s grace God’s fear is obtained and by great good
fortune God comes and abides in the mind. When the Lord’s fear is obtained, the mind is
restrained, and through the Word, ego is burnt. Pure are they, who are embued with the True
Name and their light merges with the Supreme Light. By meeting the True Guru mortal

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obtains the Name, Nanak says, then the self is absorbed in bliss (GGS, p. 644).
 Akl klw nh pweIAY pRBu AlK AlyKM[[ Ktu drsn BRmqy iPrih nh imlIAY ByKM[[ vrq krih cMdRiexw
sy ikqY n lyKM[[ byd pVih sMpUrnw qqu swr n pyKM[[iqlk kFih iesnwnu kir AMqir kwlyKM[[ByKI pRBU n
lBeI ivx scI isKM[[BUlw mwrig so pvY ijsu Duir msiqk lyKM[[ iqin jnmu svwirAw Awpxw ijin gur
AKI dyKM[[ Akal kalaa nah paaeai prabhu alakh alekhang. Khat darsn bharmataay phirah nah
mileeai bhekhang. Warat karah chandraa-i-naa se kitai na lekhang. Baid parah sampoorna
tat saar na pekhang. Tilak kaah isnaan kar antar kaalekhang. Bhekhee prabhoo na labhaee
win schee sikhang. Bhoola maarag so pavai jis dhur mastak lekhang Tin janam savaariaa
aapna jin gur akhee dekhang—Not by devices of intellect is attained the Lord unknowable
and limitless. By roaminmg and rambling, in six shastras and weaing ritual garbs, God is not
obtained. They who keep fasts apropos the moon are of no account. They who read the Vedas
in full, donot see its essence and vision. They who draw paste mark on their forheads after
taking bath, have within them, the blackness of sins. He who wears ritual garb does not find
the Lord without true teaching.The strayed one, on whose forehead good destiny is
prerecorded, takes to the right path. He alone embellishes his human life, who sees the Guru
with his eyes (GGS, p.1099).
According to Gurmat:
 ByKI pRBU n lBeI ibn scI isKM”-- “Bhekhi prabhu na labhee bin sachi sikhang—He who wears
ritual garb does not find the Lord without true teaching (GGS, P.1099).
 siqguir imilAY BuK geI[[ ByKI bUK n jwie[-Satgur miliay bhukh gaee bhekhee bhukh na ja-ay
i.e. “By meeting the True Guru hunger departs but by wearing deceptive garbs the wordly
hunger does not go” (GGS, p.586).
 iek Bsm lgwie iPrih ByKDwrI[[ ibn sbdY haumY ikn mwrI[[ Anidn jlq rhih idn rwqI Brm ByK
BrmweI hy[[ Ik bhasam laga-ay phirah bhekhdharee. Bin sabday haomai kin maaree. An din
jalat rahah din raatee bharam bhekh bharmaaee hay “i.e. Some smear their bodies with
ashes go about as disguisers. Without the the holy Word who has ever subdued ego?” (GGS,
p.1046)
 mn ry gihE n guruaupdys[[ khW BieE jau mUf mufwieE Bgvau kIno Bysu[[ swc CwfkY JUTih
lwigE[[ jnm AkwrQ KoieE[[ kr prpMc audr inj poiKE psu kI inAweI soieE[[ Man re
gahio na gur updes. Kaha ha-io jao mood muda-io bhagvao keeno bhes. Saach chhaad
kai jhooth laagio janam akaarath khoio. Kar parpanch udar nij pokhio pasu kee niaaee
soio i.e. “Myself, thou hast not attached thyself to the Guru’s teaching.What availeth thee
to shave thy head and put on an ochre-dyed garment?1. Pause. Abandoning truth, thou art
clung to false hood and art wasting away thy life in vain. Practicing hypocrisy, thou
fillest thy belly and thou sleepest like a beast” (GGS, p633).

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Janeu-Tag (Yagyopavit) and Sikhism

The sacred thread worn across chest by male members of the Hindu religion is
called Janeu or Yagyopavit or Tag. The Brahmin had made its wearing compulsory for the
followers of the Varan Ashram Dharma (Brahmanism /Sanatan Dharma / Hinduism).
According to Gurmat it cannot put any check on evil intentions of man. The praise of the Lord is the
real check because that produces a change in character and not mere outer acts of show: Useless
for life hereafter, to Guru Nanak, the sacred thread of the Brahman does not serve any moral
purpose in life on this earth:
 qg kpwhhu kqIAY bwmHxu vty Awie[[ kuih bkrw irMinH KwieAw sBu ko AwKY pwie[[ hoie purwxw
sutIAY BY iPir pweIAY hour[[ nwnk qgu n quteI jy qig hovY joru[[ Tag kapah kateeay baman
watay a-ay. Koh bakra rinn khaia sabh ko aakhay pa-ay. Ho-ay purana suteeay bhee
phir pa-ee-ay hor. Nanak tag na tutaee je tag hovay jor i.e; “The thread is spun from
cotton, the Brahman twists it. A he goat is killed, cooked and eaten then every one says,
“put on the thread”. When it wears off, it is thown away, then another is put on again.
Nanak says, the thread would not break, if it had any strength”.
 caukiV muil AxwieAw bih caukY pwieAw[[ isKw kMn cVweIAw guru bRwhmxu iQAw[[ Ehu muAw Ehu
JiV pieAw vyqgw gieAw[[-Chaokar mul anaa-iaa bah chaokay pa-i-a. Sikha kannn
chraeea guru Brahman thia. Oh mooa oh jhar pa-i-a wetaga ga-i-a i.e; Thou buyest
and bringest a thread for four shells and seated inside the cooking space, puttest it on.
The Brahman becomes the preceptor and wispers some instuctions into the ears of the
wearer. When the wearer dies, the thread falls and he departs without the thread. (GGS,
p 471).
 ihMdU kY Gir ihMdU AwvY[[ sUq jnyaU piV gil pwvY[[ sUqu pwie kry buirAweI[[ nwqw Doqw Qwie n
pweI[[--Hindu ke ghar Hindu aavai soot janeu par gal paavai. Soot pai karay buriaaee.
Naataa dhota thaae na paaee. --Hindu comes to the house of Hindu. By chanting a
sermon, he puts on the sacred thread made of cotton around his neck. Putting on the
thread, he still commits evil. His ablutions and washings are not approved by God.
(GGS, p 951)
Gurbani says:
 dieAw kpwh sMqoK sUqu jqu gMFI squ vtu[[ eyh jnyaU jIA kw heI q pwfy Gqu[[ nw ieh qutY n mlu lgY nw
ieh jlY n jwie[[ DMnu su mwxs nwnkw jo gil cly pwie[[--Da-i-aa kapaah santokh soot jat gandhee
sat wat. Eh janeoo jeea kaa haee ta paaday ghat. Naa eh tutai na mal lagai naa eh jalai na jaa-
ay. Dhan su maanas Nanka jo gal chalay paa-ay.-i.e- Guru Nanak tells the Brahman that the
sacred thread he wears and puts on others has no spiritual or moral efficacy. The only sacred
thread that does not get soiled and does not snap is the one prepared with mercy as cotton,
contentment as the tread, self-control as the knot, and truthful living as the twist. ‘If you have
such a janeu O Pande then put it on me’. . Such a yagopavit never breaks, never gets
polluted, can never be burnt by fire, and once worn is an everlasting asset of the human
mind. Sayeth Nanak such persons who wear this sacred thread are the worthiest of the
worthy, and whole universe says all hail to them” (GGS, Ml, p.471).
 scu vrqu sMqoKu qIrQu igAwnuu iDAwnu iesnwnu[[ dieAw dyvqw iKmw jmpwlI qy mwxs prDwn[[ jugiq
DoqI siurq caukw iqlku krnxI hoie[[ Bwuau Bojn nwnkw ivrlw q koeI koie[[--“Sach vart,
santokh tirath, gian dhian isnaan, Daya devta, khima jampali, tay maanas pardhaan,
Jugat dhoti, surat chauka, tilak karni ho-ay, Bhao bhojan Nanaka, virla taan koi ko-ay—

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They who make truth, their fasting, contentment their pilgrimage, enlightenment and
meditation their ablution, compassion their deity and forgiveness their rosary; the most
sublime are those persons. They who make right way of living, their lion-cloth,
absorption in God their sacred kitchen enclosure, good deeds their forhead paste mark
and the Lord’s love their food; few, very few are such men, says Nanak” (Ibid, Ml,
p1245).
 nwnk scy nwm ibnu ikAw itkw ikAw qgu[[-Nanak sachay Naam bin kiaa tikaa kiaa tag.—
Nanak says, without the True Naam (God), of what avail is the frontal mark and the
sacred thread? (GGS, p.467)[[

Tilak (Tikka/ Bindi), Dhoti, Mala and Gurmat

Tilak is a mark made with kesar etc, on the forehead and in some sects on other
parts of the body in various sects of Brahmanism (Hinduism) as part of worship (Pooja).
Supporting Tilak and other marks of Brahmanism are strictly forbidden in Sikhism, because
these outward acts of mere show drive the mind away from God. Guru Nanak says if the Pandit
had known about God, then he should have considered all the rituals as false:
 gil mwlw iqlku illwtM duie DoqI bsqR kpwtM[[ jy jwnis bRhmM krmM[[ siB Pokt inscau krmM[[-Gal
mala, tilak lilatan, do-ay dhoti, bastar kapaatang, Je jaanas braham karmang, sabh fokat
nischio karmang—Around their neck is the rosary, on their forehead the sacred mark and on their
head is a towel and they have two lion-clothes. If they know the real nature of the Lord, then they
will find that all these beliefs and rites are in vain.” (Ibid, M1, p.470).
 mwQy iqlku hiQ mwlw bwnW[[ logn rwmu iKlaunw jwnW[[--“Mathay tilak hath maala baanaa, logan
Ram khilauna jaana—People put on the paste mark on their fore-head, carry rosary in
hand and wear sectarian dresses. People look upon God as a play thing” (Ibid, p.1158).

 pwKMf Bgiq n hoveI pwrbRhm n pwieAw jwie[[ Through hypocrisy Lord's devotion is
performed not, nor is Transcendent Lord obtained (Ibid, p849).
 nwnk scy nwm ibnu ikAw itkw ikAw qgu[[-Nanak sachay Naam bin kiaa tikaa kiaa tag.—
Nanak says, witout the True Naam i.e remembrance of God, of what avail is the frontal
mark and the sacred thread? (GGS, p.467)[[
Various sects of Bahmanism (Hinduism) have numerous differences among
themselves and there is a lot of difference in their tilaks. For instance the Shaivas put
Tripunda tilak and the Vaishnavs put urdhpundar. Also there are differences of thought
among various sects of Brahmanism (Hinduism). In Padam Puran it is written that a Vaishnav
should support twelve tilak marks on his various parts of the body after reciting the names of
twelve deities. The rejection of Brahmanical (Hindu) thought is found written in the cannon of
the Sikh faith:
 bwrih iqlk imtwiekY gurmuK iqlk nIswx cVwieAw[[12[[7[[--Obliterating the consecration
marks of twelve sects of Jogis (who dominated the religious scene at that time and formed
a part of the Khat Darsan of Hinduism) the Guru-oriented Sikhs donned one mark (of
piety of character and conduct in their lives)-- (Bhai Gurdas).
 crx ryx msqik iqlk, Brm krm dw lyKu imtwey[[ 19[[16[[--Instead of the ritual mark on
the forehead, the Sikhs make teachings of the Guru as their consecration mark, which
destroy unfounded beliefs and ritualism (Bhai Gurdas).

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Rosery (Mala / Japni /Japmali) and its rejection in Sikhism

Followers of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity believe in turning the beads for
spiritual enlightenment but Gurbani says:
 kbIr jpnI kwT kI ikAw idKlwvih loie[[ ihrdY rwmu n cyqhI ieh jpnI ikAw hoie[[--
“Kabir Japnee kaath kee kia dikhlaveh lo-ay, Hirday Ram na chetee, ih japnee kia ho-ay—
Kabir, how the wooden rosary can bring you enlightenment? In your mind you do not
remember the Lord, of what avail is this rosary to you?” (Ibid Salok Kabir ji, p.1368)
 ihrdY jpnI jpau guxqwsw[[ hiur Agm Agocr AprMpwr suAwmI jn pig lig iDAwvhu hoie
dwsin dwsw[[--“Hirday japni, japo gun taasa,Har agham agochar, aprampar soami, Jan
pag lag dhiavo, ho-ay dasan dasaa—Within heart I tell the beads of rosary of the
Treasure of merits. God is inaccessible, unknowable and illimitable. By repairing to the
saint’s feet and becoming the slave of the Lord’s slaves, I meditate on Him” (Ibid, p.841).

 sukiRqu krxI swru jpmwlI[[ ihrdY Pyir clY quDu nwlI [[1[[ hir hir nwmu jphu bnvwlI[[ kir
ikrpw mylhu sqsMgiq qUit geI mwieAw jmjwlI[[--“Sukrit karni, saar japmali, hirday pher,
chaley tudh nali, 1,Har har naam, japo banwali, Kar kirpa meloh sat sangat, toot gai
jam jali—Doing good deeds, is the essence of telling the rosary. In thy heart turn the
rosary, then it shall go with thee.1. Meditate on the Name of the Lord, forest-wanderer..
O Lord, take pity on me and unite me with the holy company so that my noose of the
fatal mammon, be snapped” (Ibid M4, p1134).

 kMT rmxIX rwm rwm mwlW hsq aUc pRym DwrxI[[ jIh Bixjo auqm slok auDrxM nYn NnMdnI [[--
“Kanth ramneeya ram ram maala, hast ooch prem dharnee, Jeeh bhanijo utam slok,
udharnang, nain nandnee—i.e; To utter the Lord’s Name, is the rosary around my neck and
to love the Lord is my secretly telling of it. By uttering with my tongue, the sublime word of
the Guru, I have been saved and joy is in my eyes (Ibid, M5, p.1356).
It is very clearly stated in Guru Granth Sahib that hypocrisy has no place in Gurmat
instead truthful living is only acceptable. Guru Nanak says:

 scu vrqu sMqoKu qIrQu igAwnuu iDAwnu iesnwnu[[ dieAw dyvqw iKmw jpmwlI qy mwxs prDwn[[ jugiq
DoqI siurq caukw iqlku krnxI hoie[[ Bwuau Bojn nwnkw ivrlw q koeI koie[[--“Sach vart,
santokh tirath, gian dhian isnaan, Daya devta, khima japmali, tay maanas pardhaan,
Jugat dhoti, surat chauka, tilak karni ho-ay, Bhao bhojan Nanaka, virla taan koi ko-ay—
They who make truth, their fasting, contentment their pilgrimage, enlightenment and
meditation their ablution, compassion their deity and forgiveness their rosary; the most
sublime are those persons. They who make right way of living, their lion-
cloth,absorption in Godtheir sacred kitchen enclosure, good deeds their forhead paste
mark and the Lord’s love their food; few, very few are such men, says Nanak” (Ibid, Ml,
p1245).
 While answering an anonymous Brahman who asked Guru Nanak that apparently
he looked like a Sadhu but had neither the Saligram nor the rosary of Tulsi beads,
the Guru replied and said, “swgRwm ibp pUij mnwvhu suikRqu qulsI mwlw[[ rwmunwmu jip byVw
bwNDhu dieAw krhu dieAwlw[[1[[kwhy klrw isMchu jnmu gvwvhu[[ kwcI Fhig idvwl kwhy

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gculwvhu[[-Saaligraam bip pooj manaavah sukrit tulsee maala. Raamnaam jap beraa
baandah da-i-aa karah da-i-aala. Kaahe kalraa kalra sinchah janam gavaavah.
Kaacchee dhahage divaal kaahe gach laavah: meaning, “O Brahman you worship
and propitiate the stone-god and wear the rosary of myrobalam beads (sweet
basil) symbolizing as good actions. Better equip your ship of repetition of the
Name Divine and pray to the gracious Lord for grace. Why water the alkaline soil
and waste your life? The mud wall shall crumble, why plaster it with lime?” (GGS
1171)
 gaU ibrwhmx kau kr lwvhu gobir qrxu n jweI[[ DoqI itkw qY jpmwlI Dwnu mlyCw KweI[[
AMqr pUjw pVih kqybw sMjmu qurkw BweI[[ CofIly pwKMfw[[ nwim lieAY jwih qrMdw[[--Thou
(The Khatris) tax the cows and Brahmans but the cow-dung will not save thee. Thou
wearest a loin cloth, puttest a frontal mark, carriest a rosary and eatest, the provisions
supplied by the unclean. O, bother, within, thou performest worship, outside thou
readest Muslim books, adoptest their way of life. Lay aside the hypocrisy. By taking
God’s Name, thou shalt swim across (GGS, p.471).
 mwlw PyrY mMgY ibBUq[[ ieh ibiD koie n qirE mIq[[--Thou churns the rosary yet begs for
wealth. O friend, in this way, none, has been saved (GGS, p.888).
 kwjI hoiekY bhY inAwie[[ Pyry qsbI kry Kudwie[[ vFI lY ky hku gvwey[[ jy ko puCY q piV
suxwey[[--By becoming Qazi, a judge, he sts to administer justice. He tells the roary
and mutters god’s Name. Tking bribe he does injustice. If someone questions him, then
he quotes and reads out some citation (GGS, p.951).
 kbIr jpnI kwT kI ikAw idKlwvih loie[[ ihrdY rwm n cyqhI ieh jpnI ikAw hoie[[ --
Kabir why do you display, the wooden rosary to people? In your mind you do not
remember the Lord (GGS, p.1368).
 imRg Awsxu qulsI mwlw[[ kr aUjl iqlku kpwlw[[ irdY kUVu kMiT rudRwKM[[ry lMpt ikRsnu
ABwKM[[--Thou sttest on the deer skin and tallest the rosary of sweet basil. Thou puttest
bright sacred mark on thy forehead. While within thy heart is falsehood, around thy
neck thou wearest the rosary of eleocarpus. O evil one, thou uttrest not the Lord’s
Name (GGS, p.1351).
 kbIr bYsno hUAw q ikAw BieAw mwlw mylI cwir[[ bwhir kMcnu bwrhw BIqir BrI BMgwr[[ --
Kabir says what does it avail a man to become the follower of Vishnu and wear four
rosaries. Externally he is gold twelve times purified within he is stuffed with dust
(GGS, p.1372).
 gj swFy qY qY DoqIAW iqhry pwiein qg[[ glI ijnHw jp mwlIAw loty hiQ inbg[[ Eie hir ky
sMq n AwKIAih bwnwris ky Tg[[--They, who wear loin-cloth three and a half yard long
and three-fold sacred threads, they have rosaries around their necks and shinning jugs
in their hands, they are not called the saints of God but cheats of Banaras (GGS,
p.475-476[[
According to Gurmat, the real mala for salvation is:
 hir hir AKr duie ieh mwlw[[ jpq jpq pey dIn dieAwlw[[ krau bynqI siqgur
ApunI[[kir ikrpw rwKhu srxweI mo kau dyhu hry hir jpnI[[ rhwau[[ hir mwlw aur AMqir

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DwrY[[ jnm mrx kw dUKu invwrY[[ ihrdY smwlY muiK hir hir bolY[[ so jnu ieq auq kqih n
folY[[ khu nwnk jo rwcY nwie[[ hir mwlw qw kY sMig jwie[[--These two words God, God, I
repeat on the rosary. While these I repeat, to me, the humble one, the Lord has shown
grace. I make supplication unto my True Guru. Mercifully keep me under Thy
protection and give me the rosary of God’s Name. He who wears the rosary of God’s
Name in his heart, is freed from pain of birth and death. He who contemplates the Lord
God in his mind and utters His Name with his mouth, never wavers here and hereafter.
Nanak says, he, who is absorbed in the Name, with him gtoes the Lord’s rosary into
the next world (GGS,p.388).
 cyqhu bwsdau bnvwlI[[ rwm irdY jpmwlI[[--Meditate thou on the Omnipresent Lord,
wearing the garland of forest vegetation. To enshrine the Lord within the mind is true
telling the rosary (GGS, p.503).
 sc vrq sMqoKu qIrQu igAwnu iDAwnu iesnwnu[[ dieAw dyvqw iKmw jpmwlI qy mwxs prDwn[[ --
they who make truth, their fasting, contentment their pilgrimage, enlightenment and
meditation their ablution, compassion their deity and forgiveness their rosary, the most
sublime are those persons (GGS, p.1245).
 AYsw jwp jpau jpmwlI[[ duK suK prhir Bgiq inrwlI[[--May I repeat such a rosary of
God, that rising above weal and woe, I pracise, the wondrous service of the Lord
(GGS,p.1342).
 kbIr myrI ismrnI rsnw aupir rwm[[ Awid jugwdI sgl Bgq qw ko suKu ibsrwmu —Kabir says
my rosary is my tongue, on which is the Lord’s Name. From the very beginning, all
the devotees dwell in peace through it (GGS, p.1364).
 nw suic sMjmu qulsI mwlw[[ gopI kwnu n gau gvwlw[[ qMqu mMqu pwKMfu n koeI nw ko vMs
vjwieMdw[[--There was no purification or self restraint or rosary of sweet basil. There
was no milk maid or Krishna or cow or herdsmen. There were no incantations and
spells, no hypocrisy nor did anyone play on the flute (GGS, p.1035).
Chapter 5-----
Rejection of Renunciation and Asceticism in Sikhism
In religious life renunciation (iqAwg) means dissociation from wordly life
(Grahisti jiwan). All ancient Indian relgious systems (Hinduism, Budhism and Jainism)
regarded renunciation as a precondition for achieving salvation (Mukti). Sikhism denounces
this concept in strong terms. It is a whole life religion and does not accept dicotchotomy in life,
whether it is ‘spiritual and material’, ‘faith and reason,’, or any other such differentiation It involves an
integral combination between spiritual and empirical life of man. It accepts householder's life
(Grahisti jiwan) as the forum of spiritual activities and growth. It does not believe the version of
earlier religions that this world was a snare or at the best a mere delusion, a house of sin, a place
of pain and suffering and hence an evil and release could come through complete dissociation with
it. Sikhism regards this world as, “The house of God and He resides in it” i.e, “ieh jg scY kI hY
koTVI[[ scY kw ivc vws[[-Ih jag sachchay kee hai kothari sachahay ka vich vaas” (GGS, M2, p
463). Also, “ieh ivs sMswr qum dyKdy ieh hir kw rUp hY[[ hir rUp ndrI AwieAw[[-Ih vis sanar tum
dekhday, ih har ka roop hai, har coop nadrin aiya” ie, “This world you see is his manifestation.
It is the God that you see every where” (Ibid, Ram Kali, M3, Anand). Sikhism believes in

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shouldering full social responsibility and rejects a life of escapeism. It denounces asceticism
(sanyasa /Bhikshuhood) for achieving salvation as propagated by Hinduism, radical saints,
Buddhism and Jainism. It propagates the life of a householder. Guru Nanak deprecates the Yogi
who gives up the world and then is not ashamed of begging at the door of the householder. He
says, “mKtU hoie kY kMn pVwiey[[ Pkru kry horu jwiq gvwey[[ guru pIru sdwey mMgx jwie[[ qw kY mUil n lgIAY
pwie[[--Makhattoo ho-ay kai kan paraa-ay. Fakar karay hor jaat gavaa-ay. Gur peer sadaa-ay mangan
jaa-ay. Taa kai mool na lgee-ay paa-ay.-i.e. The person incapable of earning his living gets his ears
split (turns a Nath Yogi) and becomes a mendicant. He calls himself a guru or a saint. Do not look
upto him nor touch his feet (GGS, p1245). He knows the way, who earns his living and shares his
earnings with others, “Gwl Kwie ikC hQo dyie nwnk rwh pCwxY sy[[-Ghaal kha-ay kichh hathon day
Nanak rah pachhanay say” (Ibid, p.1245). According to Sikh thought, salvation is not
incompatible with laughing, playing, dressing well and eating i.e; “nwnk siqguir pUrw BytIAY pUrI
hovY jugiq[[ hsMidAW KylMidAW pYnHMidAW KwvMidAW ivcy hovY mukiq[[-Nanak Satgur bhetiay poori hovay
jugat, hasandian, khelandian, penandian, khavandian vichay hovay mukat (Ibid, p.522). Sikhism
believes that one can lead a thoroughly religious life, as a part of the household, “igRhu bnu smsir
shij suBwie[[Greh ban samsar sehj subhaa-ay i.e. The house and the forest are alike for one who
lives in poise (Ibid, p.351)”.

According to Gurbani, “iesu ByKy Qwvhu igrho Blw ijQhu ko vrswie[[ Is bhekhay thaavah girho
bhalaa jithah ko warsaa-ay i.e. “Family life is superior to the ascetic life because it is from
householders that ascetics meet their needs (i.e, by begging) (Ibid, p.587), God is there in the
world that we see and we have to find Him there and yet remain detached, “ijau jl mih kmlu
Ailpqo vrqY iqau ivcy igrh audwsu[[-Jion jal mein kamla alpato vartey, tion vichey girhey udas
i.e. As lotus remains unaffected in water, so he (householder) remains detached in his
household. ” (Ibid, p949). Guru Nanak says, “nwnk Gr hI bYiTAw shu imlY jy nIAiq rwis kryie[[-
Nanak ghar he baithian sahu milay je neeat raas karay i.e If you put your mind on the right
path then, even while seated at home, you shall Nanak says, meet with your Groom (God)”
(Ibid, p1383).
According to Sikh thought true renunciation is renunciation of evil / ego / lust, anger,
greed, attachment, and pride. Only renunciation of wordly life (Grahisti jiwan) cannot lead to
bliss (realization of God / salvation). The evil thought remains in mind:

 “gRihu qij bnKMf jweIAY cuin KweIAY kMdw[[ Ajhu ibkwr n CofeI pwpI mnu mMdw[[-Greh taj ban
khand jai-ay chun khai-ay kanda, ajhu bikaar na chhodaee paapi man manda i.e;
Abandoning home, one may go to the forest region and pick up tubers to eat, even
then the sinful and evil mind forsakes not misdeeds” (Ibid, p.855).

 “ibnu hau iqAwig khw koaUo iqAwgI[[-Bin haun tiag kaha ko-oo tiagi ; without casting off
egoism, how can one be a renouncer?-”” (Ibid, p.1140)

• “iqAwgnw iqAwgnu nIkw kwmu kRoDu loB moh iqAwgnw[[-Tiagna tiagun neeka kam, karodh,
lobh tiagna-i.e; Of all the renunciations, the excellent renunciation is the renunciation
of lust, wrath and avarice (Ibid, p.101 8).

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Sikhism propagates living in equipoise (Sehaj), while leading a householder's life

without falling prey to worldly temptations. “kwie ptolw pwVqI kMblVI pihryie[[ nwnk Gr hI
bYiTAw shu imlY jy nIAiq rwis kryie”[[ “Ka-aye patola paartee kamblaree pehray, Nanak ghar hee
baithian soh milai je neeat raas karay” i.e, “Why do you tear your rich garment and wear a
blanket. O Nanak! While leading a family life, you will find the Lord, if you keep your heart pure”
(Ibid, p.1383).
Rejection of Yoga (Yogic philosophy) of Hinduism by Sikhism
Jogism (Jog) is the oldest spiritual / religious philosophy in the world, which took birth
in Punjab in the Indus valley in the Indian subcontinent. It originated here much before the
arrival of the Aryans in the Idus valley. The Aryans learnt yoga (Jog) from the Punjabi
(Harappan) jogis. The Harappan jogis worshipped only “One Supreme Etenal Reality”, whom
the called ‘Brahma’. Jog literally means to unite together--yoke (a pair of animals harnessed
together—a yoke of oxen). Theosophically it means to unite with the Supreme Eternal Reality
i.e; God. The Aryans who came to Punjab around 2000 BC, pronounced the Punjabi word ‘Jog’
as ‘yoga’. They developed six systems of thought (Philosophy) which came to be known as
‘Khat Darshan’ and yoga forms a part of Khat Darshan. The Punjabi jog was corrupted by the
Aryans. They introduced tortuous physical practices, which had nothing to do with spirituality.
The Aryans propagated the theory of ‘Trinity of God’ and started the worship of deities: Vishu
and Shiva in addition to Brahma. At the time of the birth of Sikhism in the 15th century, the Jogis
/ Naths and Siddhas dominated the religious landscape in Punjab. They practiced asceticism,
renunciation, celibacy and tortuous practices for seeking salvation. Guru Nanak preached
Oneness of God and oneness of man, house-holder’s life and denounced the escapist life and
other practices of the jogis, who had reduced the spiritual heights of yoga to mainly a healthy
body building exercise. Guru Nanak visited all prominent centers of the Jogis and debated with
them (GGS, p. 223, 420, 504,642, 662, 730, 886, 903). Sidh Gosit has been recited just to
change the style of Nath, Yogis, Sidh sects and Hindus, who believed in ascetic way of life.
Guru Nanak advised the jogis to accept the householder’s life and inspired them to accept the
path of dwelling upon the name of God or Naam Simran. Sikhism strongly denounces the
escapist life of jogis and their tortuous practices. It preaches householder’s life as the forum of
all activities. Gurbani deprecates the jogi who gives up the world and then is not ashamed of
begging at the door of the householder (GGS, p.886). It says:
 jqI sdwvih jugiq n jwxih Cif bhih Grbwru[[--“Jati sadavay jugat na janay chhad
bahay ghar baar”—They call themselves celibates, leave their homes and hearth but
know not the right way of life” (GGS, Var Asa M1, p.469)
 nwnk siqguru pUrw BytIAY pUrI hovY jugiq[[ hsMidAw KylMidAw pYnMidAw ivcy hovy mukiq[[-Nanak
satgur poora bhaiti-ay pooree hovay jugat. Hasandian, khelandian, penandian,
khawandian vichay hovay mukat- “O Nanak, when one meets the true Guru one learns
the proper discipline to brealize Gid / Truth. One is liberated while enjoying wordly
pleasures and comforts (laughing, playing, eating good food and wearing good clothes)
(GGS, p.522). The Yogis (ascetics) looked down upon the house-holders. Guru Nanak
admonished them saying:
 “Gwl Kwie ikC hQhu dyih nwnk rwhu pCwxih syie”[[ Ghaal kha-ay kichh hathon dey Nanak
rah pachhanay say—“He knows the way who earns his living and shares his earnigs
with others” (Ibid, 1245).

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 so jogI jo jugiq pCwxY[[ gur pRswdI eyko jwxY[[--So jogi jo jugat pchhanay gurparsaadeee
eko jaanay. A jogi, ie one who recognizes the right way (Truth) and recognizes the right
way (Truth) and understands the One / God through enlightenment (Ibid, p.662).
According to Gurbani man should renounce evil and selfish motives and not the wordly life:
 iqAwgxw iqAwgx nIkw kWm, kRoD, loB, iqwgxw—Tiagna tiagan neeka kam karodh lobh
tiagna—Of all the renunciations, the excellent renunciation is the renunciation of lust,
wrath and avarice (ibid, p.1018).
 ibn hau iqAwg khW ko iqAwgY[[-Bin haun tiag kahan ko tiagi—Without renunciation of
ego, how can man be detached (Ibid, p.1140).
God is there in the world we see and we have to find Him there and yet remain
detached:
 kwhy ry bn Kojn jweI[[ srb ivAwpI sdw Alypw qohI sMig smweI[[-Kahay ray ban khojan jaee,
sarb nivasee sadaa alepa tohee sang samaee-“O man why thou goest in the forest, to search
for God”? God though ever invisible, dwells everywhere and abides even with thee (Ibid,
M9. p.684).
 jYsy jl nmih kmlu inrwlmu mugweI nYswny[[ suriq sbd Bv swgru qrIAY nwnk nwmu vKwxY[[-Jaisay
jal mah kamal niralam murgaee naisanay. Surt sabad bhav sagar taree-ay Nanak Naam
vakhaanai (Ibid, p.938).
 AMjn mwih inrMjin rhIAY jog jugiq qau pweIey—Anjan mahe niranjan rahiay jog jugat tao pai-
ay—When one remains detached amongst wordly attachments then he attains the way of
yoga {Ibid, p.730).

The Sikh Gurus have clearly disapproved of and rejected yogic practices of Kundlani
yoga and Hath Yoga:
 invlI krm BuAMgm BwTI, rock pUrk kuMB kry[[ ibnu siqgur soJI nwhI Brmy BUlw bUif mrY[[--He
who practices the only-washings and makes a furnace of the spinal cord, He who achieves
Poise through inhalation, exhaltation and holding of breath. He awakens not this
consciousness without the Divine Guru’s guidance. Strayed away by doubts, he drowns in
the ocean’s existence (GGS, p.1343).
 Awsn kot kry AStWg Dry bhu inAws kry muK kwry[[ dIn idAwl Bjy ibn AMq ko AMq ky Dwm suDwry[[-
Aasan kot karay ashtang dharay bahu nias karay much karay, deen dyal Akal bhajay bin ant
ko ant kay dham sudharay—Those who practice millions of postures according to ashtaag
yoga and make offerings of limbs and blacken their faces. Without remembering the name of
the compassionate and immortal God, all of them will have to proceed to the place of the
God of death (Tawparsad Swayye Patshahi10).
 AKI q mItih nwk pkVih Tgx kau sMswr[[1[[rhwau[[ AWt syqI nwku pkVih sUJqy iqn loA[[ mgr
pwCY kCu n sUJY eyhu pdmu AloA[[--Akhee ta meeteh naak pakreh thagan kao sansaar.1. Rhao.
Ant setee naak pakreh soojhtay tin alo. Magar paachhay kachh na soojhay ih padam aloa.—A
yogi closes his eyes and holds his nose to deceive the world. Holding his nose with thumb
and two fingers, he proclaims, “I seing the three worlds”. But he does not see anything that is
behind him. Strange is the lotus posture (Ibid, p.662-63).
 AMDw BirAw Bir Bir DovY, AMqr kI mlu kdy n lhY[[ Nnwm ibnw Pokt siB krmw, ijau bwjIgr Brim
bUlY[[ The myopic washes his dark spots, again and over again. Defiled does he remain

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forever from inside. Without the Lord’s Name, as futile are all other deeds, As the tricks of a
trickster who dupes with illusions (Ibid p.1343)
Sikhism does not approve of spiritual enlightenment and union with the Divine
through the process of Kundlini activation:
 isDw ky Awsx jy isKY, ieMdRI vis kir kmwie[[ mn kI mYlu nw auqrY, haumY mYlu nw jwie[[
Even if one exercises control over one’s senses, by learning the yogic practices from the
Siddhas. Even then is man’s mind not cleansed of dross, nor is rid of the taint of egoistic
pride (GGS, p.642).
Gurbani has compared these yogic practices with actions of Bzigar (acrobat) in the
absence of remembering of Naam (God):
 nwm ibnw Pokt siB krmw ijau bwjIgru Brim BulY[[-- Naam bina fokat sabh karma join bazigar
bharam bhoolay—Without the Name, vain are all deeds like those of a juggler, who deceives
audience through illusion )Ibid, p.1343).
According to Gurbani, the human body is the shrine of God, mnu mMdru qnu vys klMdru[[-
-“Mun mandir tan ves kalandar”i.e; “The mind in the body is the temple and the soul is the
priest therein” (Ibid, Rag Bilawal, M1, p.795). If it is so, it is sin against Him (God) to torture the
body or to deny it its rightful place. The search of the Lord will necessitate the care of the body,
which needs to be fed inorder that it may live, function properly and serve its master, the soul, so
that it was enabled to realize its goal, “nwnk so pRB ismrIAY iqs dyhI kau pwil[[-“Nanak so prabh
simree-ay tis dehi ko paal”—The Lord should be meditated on by serving the body first” (Rag
Bihagra, M5, p.554).
Gurbani defines the true yogi as follows:
 pr inMdw ausqiq nhI jw kY kMcn loh smwno[[ hrK sog qy rhY AqIqw jogI qwih bKwno[[-Par ninda
ustat nahi ja kay kanchan loh smano, harkh sog tay rahey ateeta jogi tahey bakhano—He
who slanders or praises not others and to whom gold and iron are alike and who is also free
from joy and sorrow, call him, a true jogi” (Ibid Dhanasari, M9, p.685).
The Aryans entered into the Indus Valley about four thousand years ago. They were
smart people. Some of them learnt Jog (spirituality) from the Punjabi Jogis. They wrote Vedas
and developed six systems of spiritual thought (Philosophy), which is called ‘Khat Darshan’ and
Jog (Yoga) is one of them, which was founded by Rishi Patanjli.
Although the philosophical terminology of the ancient systems like Samkhya,
Vedanta and Yoga had been used by the Sikh Gurus, yet they completely rejected the Yoga
System as enunciated by Patanjali and his commentator Vyasa. They deliberately used those
terms and redefined them in the light of their own philosophy and Sikh mystical experience.

Rejection of Brahmacharya i.e Celibacy in Sikhism

Brahm-acharya literally means student of God, whereas in Hindu theosoy it means
an un-married person under a vow not to marry as a means to achieve bliss. According to
Gurbani, “ibMd rwiK jO qrIAY BweI[[ Kusry ikau n prm giq pweI[[--Bind rakh jo tariay bhai Khusaray
kion na parm gat paee” i.e, “If one were to be saved by celibacy, then why didn't the enuchs attain
highest bliss? (GGS, p. 324)”. Guru Gobind Singh says, “ibMd ky sD`Xw qwih hIj kI bf`Xw dyq[[ “Bind ke
sadhya taahe heej kee badayya det” meaning “A celebate can be surnamed as an Eunuch” (Dasam
Granth). “jqI sdwvih jugiq n jwxih Cif bhih Grbwru[[--jatee sadaavah jugat na jaanah chhad bahah
gharbaar.--Those who call themselves celibates do not know the way and so they leave their homes
in search of God (GGS, p.469)”. Logically monasticism and celibacy go together and Guru Nanak

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categorically rejected both of them. Celibacy before marriage is a part of Sikh but it ethics, is
mandatory for a Sikh to get married.
Rejection of vegetarianism by Sikhism
Before the birth of Sikhism various sects of Hinduism and the radical saints
prohibited eating meat. Bhagat Kabir's views in this regard have been included in the holy Sikh
scrpituture Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak told them saying:

 mwsu mwsu kir mUrKu JgVy igAwnu iDAwnu nhI jwxY[[ kauxu mwsu kauxu swgu khwvY iksu mih pwp
smwxY--“Maas, maas kar moorakh jhagre giaan dhiaan nahee jaanay kaun maas kaun
saag kahavay kis meh paap samaanay--” i.e; “Only fools argue whether to eat meat or
not. Who can define what is meat and what is not meat, who knows where the sin lies,
being a vegetarian or non-vegetarian (GGS, P.1289).

 jyqy dwxy An ky jIAW bwJ nw koie[ pihlw pwxI jIv hY ijq hirAw sb koie--“Jetay daanay ann
kay jeean baaj na koay, pehla panee jeev hai jit haria sab koay” (Ibid, Asa M1, p 472)-
Every food grain has life, water is the source of all life. It assists the growth of human
beings, animals and vegetables. There is life in vegetables. Every thing is alive because of
water. In nature living beings feed on living beings, “jIAw kw Awhwru jIA Kwxw eyhu kryie[[-
Jeeaa ka aahaar khana eh karay” (GGS, p 955). Hence there is nothing unnatural or ungodly
in eating flesh. Gurbani tells us that the claim of vegetarians to be superior or holier than
non vegetarians does not stand the test of logic:

 mwshu inMmy mwshu jMmy hMm mwsY ky BWfy--“Masshu nimmay maashu jammay ham maas kay
bhaanday i.e, “We are conceived from meat and born from meat and we are vessels
made up of meat (Ibid, 1290).

 pihlW mwshu inMimAW mwsY AMdir vwsu[ jIau pwie mws mohy imilAw hf cm qn mws[-“Pehlaan
mason nimmian maasay under vaas, jeeo paa-ay tan sajia maas mohay miliaa hadd
chamm tan maas i.e, Man is first cconceived in flesh and then abides in flesh. When life
comes, he obtains the mouth of flesh, his bones, skin and body, all of flesh (1289)
 mwshu bwhr kiFAw mMmw mwsu igrwsu[ Maasah baahar kadhia mam-maa maas giraas- i.e,
Once out of mother’s womb of flesh he again suckles meat through mother’s nipples (GGS,
p.1289).
 mUh mwis kw jIB mwis kI mwis AMdir swsu[[- Muh maasai kaa jeebh maasai kee maasai andar
saas. i.e; The mouth is of flesh, tongue is of flesh and breath comes out of flesh.
 vfw hoieAw vIAwihAw Gr lY AwieAw mwsu[-Vadda hoaa veeaahiaa ghar lai aya maas-i.e;
When he grows up , he is married and brings the wife of flesh into his home.
 mwshuu hI mwsu aupjY mwshuu sBo swku[[-maashu hee maas oopjai maasahu sabo saak i.e Flesh
is produced from flesh and all the relatives of man are made of flesh (Ibid, p 1289)

According to Sikhism to deprive some one of his / her right or rob of his / her share or
charging interest rates in excess than the prevailing rates or not paying for one's hard labour is
just like drinking the human blood and that is an unpardonable si n - jy r qu lg Y k pV Y jw mw

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hoi e plI qu [jo r q u pI v i h mw xs w i q n i k au i nr m l u cI q u[ [- - “ Je ratt laggay kapray jama

hoay paleet jo ratt peevah mansaa tin ko nirmal cheet” (Ibid, Ml, p 140).
In Sikhism there is no prohibition on eating any kind of meat provided it comes from
healthy animal and has been prepared by, ‘Jhatka’ method. According to Sikh Rehat Maryada
(Sikh religious code of conduct), published by SGPC, Amritsar, a Sikh is not allowed to eat ‘Halaal’
(Kosher) meat (prepared according to Muslim rites). A Sikh should eat only, ‘Jhatka’ meat. The
food offered in Guru Ka Langar is always vegetarian as it is meant for the persons of all faiths.

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Chapter6

Miscellanoeous

WORLD SEAT OF SIKHISM

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib / Har Mandar / Golden Temple
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib* Amritsar, also known as Har Mandar** in Punjab and India,
and Golden Temple in the western world, is the world seat of Sikhism as the Kabba in Mecca for
Muslims, Vatican in Rome for Christians and Varanasi in India for Hindus. It is a living symbol
of spiritual and historical traditions of the Sikhs. It emerged as the new edifice on the Indian
subcontinent’s religious landscape in the seventeenth century, when, in 1604 AD the first
volume of Aad Granth (Guru Granth Sahib---Holy Sikh scripture) was placed here with reverence
by Guru Arjan Dev, in the building which had been completed by him three years earlier,
making it, the world seat of Sikhism. Guru Arjan Dev also clearly declared the
independent position of Sikhism by writing in the Aad Granth (Guru Granth Sahib), in Rag
Bhairon, on page 1136 that:

“I do not keep the Hindu fast (vrat) or observe the Muslim Ramzan,
I serve only the One Supreme Being who alone is my refuge,
I serve the One Master who ministers justice to both Hindus and Muslims,
I have broken with the Hindus and Muslims,
I neither worship wih the Hindu nor like the Muslim go to Mecca,
I serve Him alone and no other,
I do not pray to idols nor say the Muslim prayer
Taking the formless One in my mind I make obeisance there to the Supreme Being, for we are
neither Hindus nor Mussalman”.

The foundation stone of the building was, laid by the Muslim Divine Hazrat Mian Mir, at
the Guru’s request in 1589 and the building was completed in 1601AD. The glistening shrine
stands in the midst of a square tank of each side about 150 meters with some 18meters
Parikarma (path) on all four sides. A causeway about 60 meters long has to be covered to reach the
shrine which itself is 12 meters square and rests upon a 20 meter square platform.

The basic architectural concept of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden temple) was that of
Guru Arjan Dev himself. Instead of building the shrine on a high plinth, as was the Hindu custom, Guru
Arjan Dev had it built on a level lower than the surrounding land, the worshippers have to go
down the steps to enter it and the head of the devotee automatically bows down with humility,
while entering it, to have a glimpse. And, unlike the Hindu temples, which had only one
entrance Guru Arjan Dev had Gurdwara Darbar Sahib open on all four sides denoting that it was open:

To all the four Varnas of Varn Ashram Dharma,

To the followers of all religions of the world from all directions
To all people irrespective of their caste, creed, gender and nationality,
To all economic sections of the society, rich and poor alike,

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The architectural features were intended to be symbolic of the new faith (Sikhism), which
required the humble to be humblest and whose doors were open to all who wished to enter.
It is the destination of all the Sikhs visiting Amritsar.

*Darbar Sahib: Literal meaning: divine court.

**Harimandir: Literal meaning: abode of God.

THE SIKH HOMELAND--PUNJAB

Punjab is the name of the land mass situated in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent.
It has its natural boundries with Korakorrum mountain range in the north, Hindu
Kush and Sulemanki mountain ranges in the west, Jamna River (Delhi) in the east and Thar Desert
in the south. During the Sikh rule it shared its boundries with the British India in the East,
Afghanistan in the West, Tibet in the North and Baluchistan-Sindh in the South. It joins the
South Asia with the Turkish Middle East and the Central Asia.

Physically and geographically the Sikh homeland formed the most important part of the
Indian subcontinent. The `Punjab' with `Sikhs' as rulers and Sikhism as their religion, was the only
tri-religious state, which placed it apart from other parts of the Indian subcontinent, with Hinduism
and Islam as the two dominant religions. It divided the Muslim and Hindu worlds and acted as a
transitional zone between them. The Sikh homeland, Punjab was an independent country under
Sikh rule from 1767 to 1849. During this period the Sikhs entered into many international
agreements with Mughal and Afghan rulers of Hindustan, Dalai Lama of Tibet and the British.
The Punjab was annexed by the British in 1849 A.D, and merged with rest of the Indian
subcontinent already under their control for administrative purposes and made a part of Hindustan
(India) under a written agreement with the Sikh government, “Sarkare Khalsa”.

The word ‘Punjab’ literally means the land of five waters (rivers), Satlej Beas, Ravi,
Jehlum and Chenab, which flowed through it. Because of its location it has been target of
frequent attacks from Middle-East and the Central Asia and as a result, both, its
boundries and the name have been changing quite frequently almost with every
invasion. The earliest name of this land was Sindhu Des, while Aryans (Rig Veda) called it
Sapta Sindhu i.e; the land of seven rivers between river Indus (Sindhu), in the west and Jamna in
the east. It has been also variously called by the invading people Taka Des, Vaheek or
Baheek Des, Arat Des, Pentopotamia, Sindhu Khashtana, Panchana Sindhu, Hafat Hindu, 'Panj-
nad', while the natives called it 'Mother-Des'. During the Muslim rule here, Emperor Akbar
named this land `Punjab' in 1590 AD. The name Punjab has persisted since then. The Punjabis
affectionately call it, ‘Des Punjab’.

Guru Nanak founded Sikhism in the Punjab in 1496 as revealed to him by God. Hinduism
and Islam were dominant religions in the Punjab at that time. In order to create a society based
on human equality, the Sikh Gurus powerfully attacked the divisive Hindu caste system. They
successfully disengaged their followers, ‘the Sikhs’ from the Hindu caste system which forms
the bedrock of the Brahmanical religion, “Varn Ashram Dharma”. Because of its principles,
Sikhism was acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims. The mass acceptance of Sikhism by
common people made Sikhs a potential social and political force. Erosion of the Hindu and

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Muslim faiths surprised the religious leaders of both communities. Both of them (The Qazis and
the Brahmins) began to consider Sikhism challenge to their respective faiths. The Muslims in
addition felt challenge to their political power. The Muslim government therefore tried to
suppress the Sikhs and spread of their faith, the Hindus especially Brahmins actively collaborated
with the Muslim government against the Sikhs in this resolve. Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Teg
Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh all his four sons and innumerable Sikhs embraced martydom during
this period in their struggle against injustice and oppression.

After the demise of Guru Gobind Singh in 1708, the Sikhs declared the war of independence of the
“Sikh Nation” in 1709 AD and launched an open armed struggle against the oppressive Muslim rule in
order to uproot it from their motherland-‘Punjab’. Lahore had been official capital of
Mughals in Punjab from where the crusade against the Sikhs used to be played and planned
by the Mughal governors. Inspite of the indescribable persecution by the Islamic Moghul and
later Afghan governments, the Sikhs refused to submit and continued their struggle for
independnce. After a hard and determined struggle of about fifty years they destroyed the Muslim
rule and domination in their motherland by 1765 and estlablished small confedracies in the form of
Misals, thereby establishing Sikh rule between Afghanistan and Delhi and thus they earned a
place under the sun for themselves. The Sikh Nation jointly ruled the entire `Sikh homeland',
`Punjab' from 1765 to 1799 A.D.

Map of the Punjab under Sikh rule and British India- 1846

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The total number of the Sikh Misals ruling the entire Punjab was twelve. In 1799 A.D;
eleven Sikh Misals controlling the areas west of the Sutlej River jointly established “Theocratic
Sikh Empire / Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab,” based on Sikh principles, values and
Khalsa traditions under the supremacy of Akal Takhat, with Ranjit Singh as its ruler. Ranjit
Singh was formally installed as Maharaja on the Vaiskhi day 1801 A.D. Lahore became the
capital of the Sikh Empire. The government of the “Sikh Kingdom” was named “Sarkare Khalsa”,
which was secular in character with Hindus and Muslims as ministers holding important portfolios
along with the Sikhs. The limits of the `Sikh Empire' came to extend between Hindu Kush and
Sulemanki mountain ranges in the west, River Sutlej in the east, Korakorum mountain range in the
north and Thar Desert in the south. It shared its borders with Afghanistan in the west,
princely Sikh States in the east, Tibet in the north and Sindh -Baluchistan in the south.

After the creation of the “Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab” by the eleven Sikh
Misals in the Sikh homeland, the ‘Phoolkian Misal’, which constituted the 12th Sikh Misal and
controlled most of the areas in the Malwa region of the Punjab, between Sutlej and Jamna Rivers,
severed its ties with ‘Dal Khalsa’ (The Sikh National Army) and the ‘Akal Takhat’ in Amritsar
and discarded the Sikh traditions of Sarbat Khalsa and Gurmatta and isolated itself from the
main stream Sikh politics. It divided the area under its control among its constituents into small
princely Sikh States of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Khaithal etc. The ruler of the non-Phoolkian Sikh
state of Faridkot in this region, who did not owe allegiance to any Misal, followed the foot steps of
the Phoolkian Misal. Some of the areas in this region remained under the control of Karor Singhia
Misal, which had its origion in the Majha area of the Punjab and ruled the Sikh State of Kalsia,
between river Sutlej and Delhi in a narrow strip along the hills of the Punjab, with its headquarters at
Chhichhrauli.

The Sikhs built up a commanding position on the North Western frontier, checking for the
first time the inflow of invaders who had incessantly swept through the passes in the hills
to loot or rule the Indian subcontinent since the earliest Aryan groups had discovered the route
about 2000 to 3,000 BC. The Sikhs for the first time in the history of this region reversed the tide
of the attacks and subjugated the turbulent Afghans (Pathans) and recovered from them the Kohi-
Noor diamond and the doors of the Hindu temple of Som Nath, which had been carried away to
Ghazni in Afghanistan by Ahmad Shah Abdali. During the Sikh rule in the Punjab, “Sarkare
Khalsa” entered into many international agreements with other governments including various
kings of Afghanistan, Dalai Lama of Tibet, China and the British. Thus the Sikhs put the “Sikh
Nation” and the “Sikh Empire” on the map of the world. The British started hostilities against the
Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab in 1846 A.D and in 1848, after corrupting the secular
civil government of “The Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab”, in which neoconvert Hindus
held impotant positions of the Prime Minister and the Commander-in-Chief, they declared war
against the Sikhs with the help of the Poorbiah (Eastern) Hindus and Muslims from the entire
British India already under their control. The Sikhs fought very bravely, but were ultimately
defeated because of the treachery of their civil government dominated by the neoconvert,
opportunist Hindus. `The Sikh Democratic Republic of Punjab' was totally, annexed by the
British from the Sikhs in March 1849. During the Anglo-Sikh wars the Phoolkian states and so
also the ruler of the Sikh State of Faridkot (Pahara Singh), co-operated with the British
against the ‘Sarkare Khalsa’ of the “Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab”, for which
they were duly rewarded and remained autonomous. The Kalsia State was the only Sikh State

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beyond river Sutlej, ruled by Karor Singhia Misal whose founder was a Mujhail. The British
annexed it in 1848, after leveling baseless charges.
After its annexation the British merged the “Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab” with
rest of the British India, already under their control, for administrative purposes and thus it
became part of Hindustan (India). Kashmir, which was a province of Punjab, was sold out to
Gulab Singh Dogra, governor of the province of Jammu and Kashmir, who had
treacherously bargained with the British and betrayed the Sikhs. In addition to this North-West
Frontier Province was carved out of the “Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab”.

The Sikhs were the last defenders of liberty in India and most difficult power to fall to the
British. After annexation of the “Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab”, the British adopted
dual policy towards the Sikhs. The loyal to the crown were rewarded, while those who had
opposed the British in the Anglo-Sikh wars were ruthlessly suppressed.

The final phase of struggle for the Independence of India started in the beginning of the
20th century. It is worth mentioning here that the Sikhs were on the top in the struggle for the
movement of Indian independence, followed by Bengalis. It is for anybody to verify the number
of persons hanged, exiled or jailed or fined during the struggle for the Indian independence
against the British rule in India. At the time of the decolonization of the Indian subcontinent in
1947 the British refused to hand over the country of the Sikhs back to them because of their grave
annoyance with the Sikhs for their bitter opposition to the British rule in India and abroad. In
order to punish both the Sikhs and the Bengalis, the British at the time of decolnozation of the
Indian subcontinent divided both Punjab and Bengal, there by creating West Paskistan (now
Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangla Des). They penalized and killed the Sikhs politically by
denying them back their independent country, which they had annexed from them in 1849.

In order to justify their denial, the British introduced the politics of numbers and the
notion of the majority, neither property nor being martial mattered and in the matter of numbers
the Sikhs were barely 12-13 percent of the population of Punjab and about two percent of
the population of Hindustan and were no where in majority except in a small pocket around
Amritsar. Leave aside the transfer of Lahore, the capital of the Sikh kingdom, which formed the
nerve center of the Punjabi Sikh culture and Punjabi press, one fails to understand how the
areas in the district of Lahore like Chunian, Dipalpur and Kanganwal etc in which the Sikhs
gained suzrenity, during the Moghul rule in 1733 were transferred to Pakistan. This raises
suspicion on the accuracy of the census, which was made the basis of the division of the Sikh
homeland in 1947. The Sikhs were denied the right of self-deternination regarding, the future
governance of their state, where as all other states in the Indian subcontinent were given this
privilege, Bhutan is a living example, it neither joined India nor Pakistan! Kashmir is still burning
because of this clause.

The British created the state of Israel for the Jews with a population of 10 percent in 1948 in
Palestine, but had denied the Sikhs a separate state in 1947, constituting 12--13 percent of population of
their motherland! The Sikhhomeland was handed over to India and Pakistan after its division
against the wishes of the ‘Sikh Nation’. It was repetition of transfer of Norway to Sweden in
1814 AD. Since then we find Indian Punjab and the Pakistani Punjab and no Sikh State on the map
of the world.

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As soon as the boundry line was drawn bloody riots broke out and the non-Muslims, of
which about 70% were Sikhs, were forced by the Muslims to leave the western segment and
migrate to the Indian segment or other parts of the world. Presently the Sikhs donot have an
independent country of their own and majority of them live in the truncated Indian segment of
Punjab in which they constitute 60.2 % of the total population. Now they are found settled in almost
all countries of the world.

The Sikhs were denied their country where their Gurus were born, Sikhism flourished, they
have their religious and historical shrines (Gurdwaras), paid 40 % of the land revenue, were
running more than 200 self-dependent educational institutions and before the arrival of the British
were the rulers of this land.

Sikhism and the Sikhs fullfil all the globally defined norms and parameters of a religion
and nation, all that they lack is their own independent country, which they lost to the British in
1849.
Location, Boundries and Geography:
Punjab is located in the north west of the Indian subciontinent. During the Sikh rule it shared
its boundries with Afghanistan in the west, Tibet in the north, Baluchistan -Sindh in the
south and the British India in the east. It connected the Middle East and Central Asia on one
hand with South Asia on the other. It enjoyed its natural boundries under the Sikh rule with Korakorum
mountain range in the north, Thar Dersert in the south, Hindu Kush and Sulemanki mountain
ranges in the west and Jamna River in the east.

Majha (The area between River Beas / Satlej and River Ravi), Sandal Bar between Ravi
and Chenab river, Pothohar (The areas beyond Chenab River upto the border of the Punjab with
Afghanistan) Doaba (The areas between Beas and Sutlej Rivers), Malwa (The areas between
Sutlej and River Ghaggar), Haryana (The areas between Ghaggar and Jamna Rivers), and Pahar
(The hill tracts of the Punjab including Jammu and Kashmir) were indigineously recognized
regions within the Sikh ruled Punjab, which have somewhat different ecologies and
populations have different psychologies and constitutions.

Area:

The undivided Punjab, before 1947 had an area of 138, 105 square miles. The present day Sikh
dominated Punjab in which they constitute about 60.2 % of its total population is a part of Hindu
India, sharing its western border with Pakistan. It has an area of 50,255 square kilometers and is
1/5th of the prepartition Punjab.
Terrain:

Terrain is largely plain, sloping from the sub-Himalayas in the north towards the Thar
Desert in the south. At the end of the seventeenth century when the Sikhs rose to power, the region fell
into three divisions-The Punjab plains, the Punjab hills and a large tract of broken country
between them. The three areas were part of the same Punjabi region but differed greatly in
communications and accessibility. It was easy to move in the plains, difficult in hills, while
the belt of the country in between, with low hills and jungle gave excellent shelter to bands of

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marauders in times of distress. Here they could avoid capture and organize brigandage and
revolt.
Climate:
Punjab witnesses extremes of weather conditions. Summer 48C to 35C, Winter 14C to OC.
The rains of July, August and September (Monsoon) mark the end of extreme heat of May and June
and return of spring in March and April marks the end of extreme cold of Decamber and January. The
most temperate weeks come in February-March and OctoberNovember.
Natural resources and economy:
The present day Indian Punjab is a farm country, one of the world's most heavily
irrigated regions. 80% of its population is dependent on agriculture and 80% of Punjab
farmers are Sikhs. Punjab survives only on economics of its agriculture it neither has, mineral
resources nor heavy industry. It has its land, its rivers, and hard working farmers, with just about two
percent of India's total cultivable land Punjab has been contributing 50% of country's total out
put of food grains. Diary farming and poultry farming are also contributing their own share. Major
crops are wheat, rice, sugar cane, cotton, Potatoes, maize and pulses. Sunflower, mustard and
sesame seeds are grown as oil seeds. Kinnow-oranges, grapes, mango, Litchee are grown in some
pockets. Punjab has developed a good system for marketing agricultural produce by its farmers but
lacks in food processing.
Communications:

Punjab is the first state in India to link its all villages with metalled roads, after the green
revolution in mid sixties. It has a good railway network and all its cities are connected by rail.
All its major cities have rail link with the Indian capital New Delhi. It has two international
airports, one at Amritsar and the other at Mohali. It has domestic airports at Bathinda, Pathankot
and Ludhiana.

Population and character of population:

Presently total population of the present Indian Punjab is about 25 million, out of which
70% lives in villages. 80% population of the Punjab is constituted by farmers, out of whom 80%
are Sikhs. The Sikhs constitute about 60.2% of its population, the rest about 40% are Hindus, Muslims
and Christians. Thus Punjab stands apart from other parts of the Indian subcontinent with Hinduism
and Islam as two major religions.

Language:
Punjabi is the spoken language of all Punjabis including those in Pakistan, but it is sacred to the
Sikhs, because their scriptures are in Punjabi. Like the name of the Punjab, its language has been
variously and contemptuously been called by different names by the invading people, who tried to force
their own culture especially the language upon them. It has been variously called Sindh Saagri,
Harappan, Taki or Takri, Apabhramsha, Prakrit, Sauraseni, Jatki, Zabane Jattaan, Hindvi, Desi, Sant
Bhasha, Lahori and finally Punjabi, when Emperor Akbar named this region as Punjab in 1590, the
name which has persisted since then.

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Countries of the Sikh homeland: The Sikh homeland under Sikh rule had in it:
1. Sikh Empire / Sikh Kingdom / The Sikh Democratic Republic of the Punjab under, “Sarkare
Khalsa” having natural boundries with Korakorram mountain range in the north, Hindu Kush
and Sulemanki mountain ranges in west and Thar Desert in the south, sharing its borders with
Afghanistan in the west, princely states of the Punjab in the east, Tibet in the north and
Baluchistan-Sindh in the south. Lahore was the capital of the "Sikh Democratic Republic of the
Punjab".
2. The princely States of Patiala, Nabha, Faridkot, Malerkotla, Kaithal, Jind, Kalsia etc; were
located between river Sutlej in the west, River Jamna (Delhi) in the east.

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AMRITSAR
‘THEOPOLITICAL CAPITAL OF THE SIKHS AND SIKHISM’

Amritsar is the holiest of the Sikh places, the biggest centre of Sikh politics and strongest
defence post on the north-western frontier of India. It lies at a distance of 264 miles in the northwest of
Delhi. In the evolution of the Sikh community it has from the beginning of its existence played a key
role, and subsequently enshrines numerous hallowed memories for the Sikhs.

Guru Ram Dass, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs laid the foundation stone of the present city of
Amritsar in 1574 A.D, on a piece of land selected by Guru Nanak and aquired by the 3rd Nanak, Guru
Amar Dass. Guru Ram Dass excavated the famous Sarovar (tank), which he named Amrit- Sarovar (Lit:
The pool of elixir of life). Initially, the township was appropriately called-Ram Dasspur or the town of
Guru Ram Dass, which ultimately came to be known as Amritsar, after the name of Amritsarovar.

Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, compiled and placed the first volume of the Aad
Granth (now Guru Granth Sahib) in 1604 A.D in the building, which he had completed three years
earlier in the midst of Amrit-Sarovar, making it first religious center of the Sikhs for all times to come.
He called it Harimandir (now popularly called Golden Temple). Guru Arjan Dev also clearly declared
the independent position of Sikhism by writing in the Aad Granth on page 1136. Aad Granth became
the way of Sikh life and all religious observances of the Sikhs. The Gurbani (contents of Aad Granth)
containing spiritual knowledge became the object of the highest reverence for the Sikhs. Thus Amritsar
became the spiritual capital of Sikhism.

The growing popularity of Sikhism among Hindus and the Muslims led to the execution of Guru
Arjan Dev at the hands of the intolerant, oppressive and bigoted Islamic government of Hindustan, who
wished to stop the spread of the Sikh faith. Hargobind the only son of Guru Arjan Dev succeeded
him as the 6th Guru of the Sikhs. Seeing how peaceful resistance to oppression had proved abortive,
Guru Hargobind recognized recourse to sword as a lawful alternative. He took the seat of his father
with two swords girded round his waist, one symbolizing spiritual power and the other temporal
authority. He built Akal Takhat as counter part to the imperial Delhi throne, where he held his court
and instead of chanting hymns of peace, the congregation (Sangat) heard ballads extolling feats of
heroism instead of listening to religious discourses, discussed plans of military conquests. Here the Guru
received envoys, settled disputes and administered justice. Ever since then, The Akal Takhat has
remained the seat of supreme temporal authority of the Sikhism.

With Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Harimandir) as supreme seat of spiritual authority and Akal
Takhat as the supreme seat of temporal authority of the Sikhism Amritsar became Religio-Political
Capital of the Sikhs and it became a rallying point for the Sikhs, which resulted in great heart burning
among the meenas (Pirthi Chand elder brother of Guru Arjan Dev and his progeny, the rival
claiments to Guruship). The Meenas, orthodox Hindus, especially Brahmins and the provincial
Moghul government at Lahore forged an alliance to contain the growing Sikh power. In order to kill or
capture Guru Hargobind, the provincial Moghul forces of Lahore repeatedly attacked Guru
Hargobind, but were defeated by the Sikhs each time. In order to avoid further confrontation Guru
Hargobind shifted his headquarter from Amritsar to Kiratpur in the Shivalik foot hills, out of the
Jurisriction of the Lahore government. Thereafter, the administration of the ‘world seat of Sikhism’,
‘Gurdwara Darbar Sahib’ passed into the hands of the Meenas. Henceforth all the Sikh Gurus
maintained their headquarters in the Shivalik foot hills.

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Sikhism was formally consecrated by Guru Gobind Singh on the Vaiskhi day 1699 at Anandpur
Sahib in the Shivalik foot hills. By that time the Meenas had virtually relapsed into Hinduism,
became irrelevant for the Moghul government and instead suffered persecution, because of their
previous Sikh connection. Under those adverse circumstances they vacated Amritsar, left Majha area,
crossed the river Sutlej and settled in the sandy desert region of the Punjab called ‘Malwa’, where they
founded the town of Guru Harsahai. Guru Gobind Singh appointed, Bhai Mani Singh as Sewadar of
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. He took over the charge of the shrine in the month of June, 1699 and
started regular service. Thereafter, Amritsar became the nerve centre of all Sikh activities. Being the
Religio-Political Capital of the Sikhs and Sikhism, it has been the target of attacks of contemporary
governments inimical to the Sikhs, all of whom wanted to make Sikhism as their hand made religion.

Guru Gobind Singh left this mortal world in 1708 A.D. The Sikhs declared the war of
independence of the Sikh Nation in 1709 against the oppressive and bigoted Muslim rule, under the
leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur and occupied vast areas of the Punjab between Lahore and Delhi.
Banda Singh was captured alive and executed in Delhi by the Moghul Government of Hindustan in 1716,
after which two most powerful nations of Asia at that time, the Moghul Emperor of Hindustan from
Dehli and Ahmad Shah Abdali King of Afghanistan from Kabul vowed to wipe out the Sikhs from the
face of the earth. The Sikhs left their homes and hearths and escaped to the safety of jungles, mountains
of the Punjab and desert of the adjoining Rajputana, refused to submit and continued their struggle for
the independence of the Sikh Nation. They re-organized themselves and first Sarbat Khalsa meeting was
held at Akal Takhat Amritsar under the leadership of Jathedar Darbara on the Vaisakhi day in 1726.
Thereafter Amritsar became the headquarters of Dal Khalsa, Buddha Dal, Taruna Dal and then 12
Misals.

The Khalsa soon brought down the Moghul Government to its knees and suzrenity of the Sikhs
over the Parganas of Patti, Jhabal, Dipalpur and Kangalwal etc, with Amritsar as their headquarter in the
territory of the Province of Lahore was accepted by the Mughal government in the Sarbat Khalsa
meeting held at Akal Takhat Amritsar in 1733 by conferring the title of Nawab on the Sikh leader
Sardar Kapur Singh Faizalpuria (Singhpuria).The biannual meetings of the Sarbat Khalsa on the
occasions of Diwali and Vaisakhi festivals were held at Akal Takhat Amritsar, where all vital decisions
were discussed and passed bearing on the problems facing the Sikh Nation.

Moghul government unilaterally cancelled the agreement in 1735, and drove Sikhs out of
Amritsar and reoccupied Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Bhai Mani Singh the custodian of Gurdwara Darbar
Sahib was arrested and cut to a limb in Lahore in 1738. Sardar Shahbeg Singh the broker of peace
agreement between the Sikhs and Moghul government was captured along with his young son Sardar
Shahbaz Singh, on false charges of passing government secrets to the Sikhs, They were asked to accept
Islam or face death. Both refused to accept Islam and were crushed on the wheel in Lahore publically.

In view of the central role which Amritsar was playing in the Sikh resistance to the Mughals and
after them the Afghans, the enemy attached the maximum importance to the devastation of Amritsar as
a precondition of total destruction of the Panth. What was a survival struggle for the Panth was also a
survival struggle for the city of Amritsar as the Panth derived its sustenance mainly from Amritsar.
During this period, to be a Sikh was a crime punishable with death, but the Sikhs refused to submit and
continued their struggle for the independence of the Sikh Nation. Ultimately, they successfully destroyed
the Muslim rule and domination in their motherland, the Punjab in 1765 and established small socialistic

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confedracies in the form of Misals. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Hrimandir-Golden Temple) was bown up
with gun powder and destroyed by the Afghan invaders thrice in 1757,1762 and 1764, but it was soon
rebuilt by the Sikhs every time. It was finally built in its present structure during the period of Sikh
Misals in 1765. Khalsa completed the construction of Amrit Sarowar, the building of Gurdwara Darbar
Sahib, the bridge and the Darshani Deori by 1776. The Parikarma and the residential places (Bungas)
around the tank were completed by 1784.
Amritsar was the common city of entire Khalsa Panth. The leaders of various Sikh Misals built
their own localities called katras there, which they named after their own or after the name of the Misal.
When they came to Amritsar various Sardars lived and behaved as brothers to one another.

In 1798 Shah Zaman the king of Afghanistan and grand son of Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded
Punjab for the second time to avenge his defeat at the hands of Khalsa forces in 1796. Sardarni Sada
Kaur, mother-in-law of Ranjit Singh called Sarbat Khalsa, at Akal Takhat Amritsar. Ranjit Singh was
unanimously elected leader and given the command of the Dal Khalsa. The Afghans were routed
in the battle, which ensued there-after. All the Sikh Misals on the western side of river Satlej in the
Punjab with Ranjit Singh as their leader announced the establishment of ‘Independent Theocratic Sikh
State of the Punjab’, based on the Sikh principles, values and traditions of Sarbat Khalsa, Panj Piaray
and Gurmatta, under the supremacy of Akal Takhat in 1799 A.D. The Malwaee rulers of the Phoolkian
states under the leadership of Ala Singh refused to accept the supremacy of Akal Takhat and Sarbat
Khalsa, Gurmattta and other Sikh traditions and did not become part of the Sikh State. Ranjit Singh
moved his seat of power from Gujrat to Lahore. He was formally installed as Maharaja of `The Sikh
Democratic Republic of the Punjab' in 1801. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Harimandir--Golden Temple)
was gold plated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1805. Gobindgarh forte was constructed by Maharaja
Ranjit Singh in 1809. City was walled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1825 and it had twelve gates.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh built his palace in the Garden, called Ram Bagh in the north of the city five
hundred yards from Darwaza Ram Bagh. The construction of the palace was completed in 1831. The
degree of attention which Maharaja and his Sardars bestowed upon Amritsar soon elevated it to first
position among all the cities in the kingdom. He made it the greatest centre of trade and industry in the
entire state. The city served as second capital of the Sikh Kingdom and as head office of the
governor of the Majha tract.
The city of Amritsar came under the British rule in 1849, after the annexation of Punjab by the
British. The British were shrewed enough to realize, quite early in their period of rule, the
importance of keeping Amritsar under their firm control. They conducted the administration of the
Golden Temple through a British appointed custodian entitled 'Sarbrah'. The Mahants whose
duty was to discharge religious functions at the place were placated by special favours, such as
conferment of land proprietary rights, and were protected against their detractors. They established
Civil Hospital here in a building outside Ram Bagh in early 1850s. Municipality was set up in 1858.
Railway station was constructed in 1859. Railway service started between Lahore and Amritsar in
1862. Town Hall was completed in 1870. Building of Government School in the neighbourhood of town
hall was completed in 1873. Hall Gate was constructed in 1873 by breaking the wall around the city
to connect the Town Hall with Railway Station and the Civil Lines. Singh Sabha, which gave
modem orientation to the Sikh community, was founded by the Sarbat Khalsa in 1873, in
Amritsar. The buildings of District Courts and Treasury were constructed in 1876. Work on the
Victoria Jubillee Hospital (now Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital) started in 1891. Singh Sabha established
Khalsa College in 1892. City was electrified in1913. Jallian-wala Bagh tragedy took place in
Amritsar in 1919.

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Sarbat Khalsa at Akal Takhat Amritsar established, Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandhak

Committee and Sharomani Akali Dal in 1920 with the object of freeing the Sikh shrines
(Gurdwaras) from the control of corrupt Mahants and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) from
the British control. After a prolonged struggle of five years, the Sikhs forced the British to legally
recognize SGPC and Sikh Gurdarwa Act was enacted in 1925. All the peaceful agitations popularly
called morchas by the Sikhs, for fulfilment of this purpose were planned, launched and spearheaded by
the Sikhs under Sharomani Akali Dal from Akal Takhat, Amritsar.

At the time of the decolonozation of the Indian subcontinent by the British in 1947, the Sikh
homeland was divided into two parts. The eastern segment 38% was attached to Hindu India and the
western part 62% was made over to the newly created Islamic State of Pakistan. The Sikhs and Hindus in
the western segment were forced to migrate either to the eastern segment or other parts of the world. The
city of Amritsar witnessed large scale violence and carnage. The partition of the Punjab and its close
proximity to Indo-Pak border and then continuous strained relations between the newly created states of
India and Pakistan were serious setbacks to the development of the city. Even during this period of wide-
spread feelings of social insecurity, Amritsar was able to perform deeds of rare courage and heroism.
After India gained its independence several states were re-organized on linguistic basis on the
recommendations of the States Re-organization Commission (1956). But Punjab's demand in this
respect, persistently voiced over by the Sikhs since the time the country had attained freedom was
totally disregarded. There were sharp reactions to this act of denial of justice to the state, resulting in
several peaceful agitations popularly called morchas by the Sikhs in Punjabi. Ultimately the struggle
met with success in 1966, when the government of India carved out a Punjabi speaking state out of the
already truncated Punjab. However, this reorganization of the Punjab was done by the central
government more on communal, rather than linguistic basis and large tracts of Punjabi speaking areas
were kept out of the Punjab. All the morchas on this issue were also planned, launched and
spearheaded by Sharomani Akali Dal, the supreme representative body of the Sikhs from Akal Takhat
Amritsar. Guru Nanak Dev University was established here in 1969.
On June 26, 1975, the entire country was placed under emergency and all civil liberties were
denied to its citizens by the then government of India headed by Mrs Indira Gandhi inorder to curb a
popular agitation launched by a veteran socialist leader, Jayaprakash Narayan, which threatened to bring
down her government. The Sikhs under Sharomani Akali Dal launched incessant agitation (morcha)
from Akal Takhat Amritsar against the imposition of emergency and in the pocess nearly forty five
thousand Sikhs courted arrest for its withdrawal and thereby restoration of civil liberties. No other
political party in India dared to oppose the government action. Most Akali leaders spent the emergency
years in jail. The elections that followed in March 1977, after lifting the emergency, Mrs Gandhi's
Congress Party was routed and an alliance of different parties under the name of Janta Party formed a
government at the Centre and Sharomani Akali Dal headed by Sardar Parkash Singh Badal formed
government in the Punjab. Akali-Janta Government barely lasted for two years and the coalition heading
the central government collapsed due to ideological differences between its various factions. Fresh
elections to Parliament were announced in 1980. Congress Party won the elections and Mrs Indira Gandhi
came to power with a vengeance against the Sikhs, who had opposed her emergency. She made up her
mind to teach the Sikhs a lesson. She dissolved the Punjab State Legislative Assembly and called for new
elections. Congress Party routed the Akali-Janta combine and Darbara Singh was elected chief
minister of the Punjab State. Thereafter, chaotic conditions were engineered by the central
government in the Punjab through various mechanisations. Darbara Singh government was dismissed on
October 6, 1983 and the State of Punjab brought under President's Rule. The Akalis started agitation

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(morcha) from Akal Takhat Amritsar, based on their Anandpur Sahib Resolution (1973) demanding
more financial powers to the states and a separate Sikh Civil law like the Hindus and Muslims in that
country. The central government did not care to find out an amicable solution to the problem. The law
and order situation in the state deteriorated everyday, but it was allowed to proceed to its worst
possible position.

Indian army on the instructions of the government of India occupied Punjab on June 3,
1984, imposed curfew and promogulated an undeclared marshal law and snapped
communication with the outside world. On June 5, the government of India invaded Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) and Akal Takhat along with 120 other Gurdwaras throughout the
length and breadth of Punjab, with its full military might, resulting in the killing of charismatic Sikh
leader Sant Jernail Singh Bhindranwale, Bhai Amrik Singh president of all India Sikh students
fedration, general Shahbeg Singh, hero of Bangla Desh war along with thousands of innocent
Sikhs, destruction of Akal Takhat, damaging the building of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden
Temple) with innumerable bullet marks, destroying the buildings around Parikarma of the shrine,
burning Sikh reference library, damaging Darshani Deori housing Tosha Khana thereby burning of
Chanani studded with jewels presented to Maharaja Ranjit Singh by.Nizam of Hydrabad and setting
ablaze Langar hall, Guru Ram Dass Serai, and Teja Singh Samundri Hall-the meeting place of
Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandhak committee. Sikh soldiers rebelled. Several of them were killed and
several thousand arrested and court marshled. Sikh leaders including the president of SGPC, the
president of Sharomani Akali Dal and other established political leaders were arrested for waging
war against the central government. There was great turmoil in the Sikh state. The government of
India entered into an agreement with the Sikhs, popularly known as, “Rajiv Longowal accord” on 24th
July 1985, which has yet to see the light of the day. The Sikhs have rebuilt the Akal Takhat and
repaired the damage to the building of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, but the Sikh demands are still
unresolved.

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Punjabi
The Religious and National Language of the Sikhs and Sikhism

Punjabi has been the spoken language of all the natives of the undivided Punjab, since prehistoric
times. F.E Keay and Grierson, both well known Orientalists are of the opinion, “that Punjabi is of greater
antiquity than any of the languages of the Indo-Gangetic plain”. Hence it is one of the oldest spoken
languages in the world, although it was given different names at different times.
Punjabi with Gurmukhi script is the religious language and national language of the Sikhs and
it is sacred to them, because their scriptures are in Punjabi with Gurmukhi script. Presently Punjabi is 10th
popular spoken language in the world. Punjab, the Sikh homeland, lies in the north-west of the Indian
subcontinent and connects the Middle East and Central Asia with the South Asia. Because of its
geographical location, a series of invaders from the north and west have trampled over this land for
centuries. Every invader tried to destroy the local culture especially its language and impose his culture
and language on the people of this land. Its different dialects have been variously and contemptuously
been called by the invading people as: Harrapan (The language spoken by the people in and around
Harrapa and Mohenjodaro), Prakrit lit: the language of the people who work for others-prweI ikRq
krn vwly lokW dI bolI, Apbhransh literally meaning corrupt, Taki or Takri (lit: The language of the
malechh people), Sindh Sagri, Sauraseni, Sahaskriti, Jatki (The language of the Jatts), Zabane Jattan,
Hindvi, Sant Bhasha, Desi (lit:: local), Lahori (lit: The language spoken in and around Lahore) etc.
During the Muslim rule here Emperor Akbar named this region of the Indus Valley as ‘Punjab’ in 1590
A.D, after which gradually the local vernacular came to be called ‘Punjabi’, the name which has
persisted since then.
It is universally agreed upon now that man evolved in Africa and gradually spread over the
entire globe. According to Dr. H.D. Sankalia, the renowed anthropologist, “It is more or less
established that at the end of the First Glacial Period and into the beginning of the Second lce Age,
Early Man entered the foot hills of the Northwest Punjab, into the area traversed by the Soan, Haro
and other rivers within the Indus-Jhelum Doab. Early man spread into the area comprised by
Rawalpindi and Attock districts of the Punjab, and the Jammu and Kashmir States”. Recent
Genographic studies reveal that these people arrived in India from Central Asia by travelling south
of the rugged and mountainous Pamir knot, some 30,000 years ago. Early humans lived here as
gatherers and hunters, who gradually developed ino a great civilization, now known as “The Indus
Valley Civilization”, which is one of the oldest civilizations of the world. The natives of the Indus
Valley lived by farming the lands and were called “Jatts”. ‘The Jat tribe’ is the oldest named tribe
in India whose name is found even in Mahabharta. Because of its location and prosperity this
region of the Indus valley has been target of repeated attacks from Middle-East, Central Asia and
Eastern Europe. Ispite of all odds the ‘Jatt’ tribe never left this region, got concentrated on both
sides of the river Ravi between Satluj / Beas and Chenab / Jehlum rivers in the central Punjab
around Lahore and faced every invader defiantly. They offered stiff resistence to Alexander the
great and his advance was halted on the banks of River Beas and forced to retreat. After the region
was named Punjab by Emperor Akbar, its natives came to be called Punjabis and their dialect
(Language) came to be called Punjabi. It is these people who accepted the teachings of Guru
Nanak en-mass in large numbers. Again it was these people who formally embraced Sikhism en-
mass in large numbers when it was formally consecrated by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind
Singh on the Vaisakhi day 1699 AD, at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.
More than 4000 years ago (about 2000 B.C), people of a white tribe from Asia Minor who

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called themselves ‘Aryans’ entered into the hills of the Punjab as herds-men and graziers of the cattle,
through the passes in the Hindu Kush mountains and setteled in the Kashmir region. It is a well known
fact that the earliest spiritual traditions in the world began in the Punjab in the Indus Valley. People
professing spirituality among the Punjabis called themselves Jogis / Siddhas (lit: knowledgeable). These
Jogis believed in ‘One Supreme Eternal Power’, whom they called ‘Brahma’. They remembered
their spiritual revelations orally and transmitted them from generation to generations verbally and
did not produce any written scriptures, perhaps they feared loss of their sanctity by putting them into
writing, although they had a script called, Brahmi / Siddhmatrica. The Aryans spoke an Indo-European
language that originated on the steppes of Eurasia. The Aryans although tribal in nature, but apparently
smart people very early realized the importance of education and knowledge. Some of them learnt
spirituality from Jogis of the Punjab. They developed a slang dialect of local Punjabi for worship
purposes and cleverly called it, ‘Brahm Bhasha’ literally: the language of God, but later on named it
‘Sanskrit’. Around 1000 BC; they produced scriptures in Brahm Bhasha (Sanskrit). The Scriptures were
named, ‘Vedas’ literally meaning books of knowledge, which were memorized by them orally and
continued to be transmitted verbally from one generation to the other for centuries. Romila Thapar in her
book titled, “The Penguin History of Early India” writes that Rishi Panini laid the rules for Sanskrit
grammar in Taxilla (located in the foot hills of the Punjab) around 500 BC and wrote Sanskrit grammer,
the Ashtadhyai. As Sanskrit was devoid of any script, the Aryans created Sanskrit literature by using the
local script in the place of writing, for instance they used Brahmi / Sidhhmatrica script of Punjabi Jogis in
the Kashmir region of the Punjab. The persons among the Aryans having knowledge of Vedas became
the priestly class and called themselves ‘Brahmins’ (having knowledge of Brahma). The Brahmins made
Sanskrit as the language of their scriptures, which could only be interpreted by them, because it was
neither spoken nor understood by the common mass of the native people. The first center of Aryan culure
in the Indian subcontinent developed in the hills of the Punjab in the Kashmir region. After centuries of
their stay, development and proliferation in the hills of the Punjab in the Kashmir region the Aryans
descended into the plains of the Punjab. They tried to dominate the ‘Jatts’ through the Brahmin. The Jatt
spirit of freedom and equality refused to submit to the Brahmanical dominance and pushed the Aryans
out of the limits of the Punjab and in its turns drew the censure of the learned Brahmins who
pronounced that “no Aryan should stay in the Punjab for even two days because the Punjabis refused to
obey the priests”*. Henceforth the Aryan Brahmin developed an extremely hostile attitude towards the
jatts of the Punjab.
After their exist from the Punjab by the ‘Jatts’, the Aryans settled in the Ganga Jamna divide
in the Malwa region of India, built their religio-cultural center there and named it ‘Ujjain’, which they
affectionately called, ‘Dev Nagri’ (dyv ngrI), a town inhabited by Brahins, who are gods (Devtas-
dyvqy) in human form. Here they used the local form of Sidhmatrica script for writing their Sanskrit
literature but named it‘Dev Naagri’ (dyv nwgrI). After sometime they shifted their center of activity in the
easternly direction into the fertile and mineral rich area and built here their religio-cultural center on the
banks of Ganges and named it Kashi (Varanasi-Banaras). Here they wrote more religious books in Sanskrit
and named them, 'Shastras' in the 11th century. Because of the shastras the language spoken in and
around Kashi (Varanasi-Benaras) came to be popularly called ‘Shastri’ (now Hindi).
The Aryans gained religious and cultural control of the Gangaes valley through
the priest (Brahmin) by blending their culture with that of the natives, who believed in
many Gods, the principals ones being by Brahma (creator), Vishnu (sustainer) and Shiva
(destroyer). The Aryan society consisted of priests and warriors. The priests communed
with the gods through animal sacrifices. They worshiped fire and chanted mantras from

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the Vedas. The warrior class consisted of tribal chieftains. The Aryans as a group lorded
over merchants, land lords and the under class whom they called dasas, who served as
laborers and farmers. Later on this class system was turned into hereditary caste system by
Mannu, the Hindu law giver. Because the natives revered cow, the Aryans discarded
animal sacrifices, prohibited meat eating, introduced vegetarianism ad started worshiping
the Gods of the natives.
The Punjabi Jogis / Siddhas lived away from human habitations meditating for seeking
personal salvation in the caves, jungles and snow clad mountains therefore acquisition of knowledge
by the common man in the plains of the Punjab became impossible.

After the Aryans, foreign invasions of the Punjab started in the 5th century BC and continued
until 1849 AD. A series of invaders from the north and west trampled over this land for centuries. They
included the Persians (Iranians), Shakas (Scythians), the Parthians, the Greeks, the Bactrians, the
Kushans, the Huns, the Turks, the Mongols (Mughals), the Afghans (Pathans) and the British etc.
Islamic invasions of the Punjab began in 711 AD. Its people resisted for centuries, but
ultimately it fell to the invading Islamic forces in 1001 A.D. They named the area east of Indus River
as ‘Hindustan’ in the beginning of the eighth century and called its inhabitants “Hindi,” and later on
Hindus. After the occupation of the Punjab they spread into the remaining India without any
resistance.They made Persian as court language and Arabic as religious language of this region. They
recorded the native language of the gangetic plain, in Persian script, which came to be called
`Urdu***' and became the Muslim language in Hindustan.
For centuries Punjab has witnessed numerous invasions in ever changing political upheavals.
Every invader tried his best to kill the Punjabi language, Punjabi culture and civilization and replace it
with his own. Inspite of all odds the Punjabi language and the Punjabis have remained unvanquished
and proud, protecting their land and their rich heritage and assimilating all new comers.

Guru Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikhism in the Punjab at the fag end of 15th century. At
that period of time with the exception of Muslim rulers and the Muslim elite, Punjabi was the
spoken language of the Punjab and Persian was the official language, Arabic was the religious
language of the Muslims and Sanskrit was the religious language of the Hindus. Neither Sanskrit,
nor Persian nor Arabic was spoken or understood by common mass of the People of the Punjab,
who conversed among themselves in Punjabi. Guru Nanak gave his ‘Bani’ in local vernacular that
is Punjabi, instead of Sanskrit, which till then was the traditional medium for religious poetry /
philosophy among the Hindustanis. As mentioned earlier Punjabi has been the spoken language of the
people of the Punjab since prehistoric times, but till the birth of Sikhism it was only a spoken language
and did not have a script for its proper pronunciation and expressions, therefore it did not have any
written literature. Guru Nanak developed the script for Punjabi language by selecting appropriate
letters from other scripts (Brahmi / Sidhhmatrica / Lande etc) current in north India and creating
some new ones. He purged the Sidhhmatrica and its offspring, Devnagri, of their irritating and
unscientific characteristic of being an alphabet without consonants. He perfected the script with
acrophils / vowels and laid down the rules for its grammer. The alphabet has thirty five letters. He
composed a hymn enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib in Rag Asa M1, on pages 432 to 434, as ‘Patti
Likhi’ in the form of an acrostic, making use of the 35-letter alphabet. Thus the Sikhs developed their
dialect into written language. It gave the Sikhs a written language distinct from written language of
Hindus-Sanskrit (Vedas) and Mussalmans-Arabic (Quran). The script was named Gurmukhi (The
script used to write the language spoken from the mouth of the Guru) by his successor, Guru Angad, who greatly
propagated the use of Gurmukhi letters in his drive for literacy among his followers, ‘the Sikhs’. He

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gave form and finish to the alphabet, prepared primers (Baalupdesh) of Gurmukhi (Punjabi) alphabet
and made copies of Guru Nanak’s hymns and distributed them among the people leading to the
increase in the number of literates in the Punjab. He broke the monopoly of the Brahmin over learning.
Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru compiled, Granth Sahib (Guru Granth Sahib), the holy Sikh
scripture in Gurmukhi script, in 1604 AD. Guru Gobind Singh established the first Sikh seat of learning
in 1706AD, at Talwandi Sabo, now called Dam Dama Sahib in Bathinda district and named it Guru Ki
Kanshi as counter part to the Hindu seat of learning in Varanasi (Benaras--Kanshi). After Guru Gobind
Singh Sikhs were busy in their struggle for existence and were unable to pay any attention for the
development of their mother tongue. At one time the teaching of Punjabi was forbidden in schools,
which retarded the development of Punjabi literature. During the Sikh rule in Punjab Persian
remained the official court language, no efforts were made for the promotion of Punjabi by them,
because they remained busy in expanding and securing the borders of their young kingdom. Although
Punjabi was not the official language of the Sikh cort, but being the language of the rulers it flourished
immensely during the Sikh rule in the Punja, copies of Guru Granth Sahib were produced and Sikh
literature written in Punjabi.
The British annexed the Sikh Kingdom, Punjab in 1849 A.D. Punjabis unlike the Bengalis and
Sindhis were not allowed by them to use their mother tongue as an official language because they
feared the development of Punjabi-Sikh nationalism. They made Urdu along with English as the
official court language in the British Punjab. The Muslims were made to believe that Urdu was their
mother tongue. None of the alien languages i.e, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Udru or English etc,
was spoken by the common mass of people of the Punjab, who continued to communicate among
themselves in Punjabi, irrespective of their religious affiliations. After its annexation by the British,
Christian missionaries came to Punjab and started seeking conversions of the Sikhs into Christianity in
the Sikh homeland. Also a Gujrati Brahmin named Dyanand Saraswati, came to the Punjab in and
founded his Hindu sect, Arya Samaj in Lahore. He started propagating the teachings of the Vedas and
claimed that the Sikhs were a sect of Hindus and that Sikhism was not a separate religion. He started
attacking the Punjabi language, Sikh scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib), the Sikh Gurus and other Sikh
institutions. This awakened the Sikh inteligentia, who founded Singh Sabha (society of the practicing
Sikhs) in 1873 AD, in Amritsar, for the propagation of the Sikh religion, Punjabi language and Punjabi
culture.

Development of the Punjabi language and Gurmukhi script started after the birth of Singh
Sabha. Singh Sabha started first Punjabi printing press in the Punjab with Gurmukhi script in Lahore
in 1876 A.D, and published first Punjabi paper in Gurmukhi-Khalsa Akhbar. Under Singh Sabha
movement Punjabi gained admittance into the university curriculum; inspite of severe opposition by
the Hindu members of the Punjab University Lahore, who viewed it as no more than a rude dialect
without any literary tradition and hence not worth teaching. Teaching of Punjabi in Gurmukhi script
started in Oriental College Lahore in 1877. This gave Punjabi a communal label as language of the
Sikhs, just as Shastri (now Hindi) was of the Hindus and Urdu of the Muslims. As a result, although
Punjabi remained, as before, the spoken language of all Punjabis, whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or
Christian, its literary output came to be largely confined to the Sikh writers. Till the advent of print
media and the modem broadcasting system, different dialects of Punjabi were spoken in different parts
of the Punjab viz: Majhi, Malwai and Doabi were spoken in the central Punjab. Poadi, Haryanvi,
Sarhandi, Raathi, Bhatiani and Kangri dialects were spoken beyond Ghaggar river, whereas Dogri,
Kangar, Himachali were spoken in the hill tracts of the Punjab. Multani, Jhangi, Pothohari and
Dhani dialects were spoken beyond Chenab River. After the advent of print and modem broadcasting
media, the writers and broadcasters have evolved a standard form of Punjabi based on the dialect spoken

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in and around Lahore i.e, central Punjab called ‘Majha’ giving it its present global form.

Development of Punjabi suffered a severe set back, when Punjab, the Sikh homeland was
partitioned by the British in 1947 and Lahore, the capital of the Sikh Democratic Republic of Punjab,
the nerve center of Punjabi culture and headquater of Punjabi press was denied to Sikhs and transferred
to Pakistan by the British at the time of the decolonizaion of the Indian subcontinent.

After gaining independence, the congress government of India dominated by radical Hindus,
officially recognized Shastri i.e, the vernacular spoken in and around the cities of Delhi and Lucknow,
as the official language of India and named it ‘Hindi’. Thereafter Hindi came to be symbolized as the
language of all Hindus irrespective of the region they lived in.The Punjabi Hindu fundamentalists
disowned Punjabi language and propagated that Punjabi was the language of the Sikh Nation only as it
was the language of their scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib); the mother tongue of the Punjabi Hindu was
Hindi. The Punjabi Hindu spoke Punjabi, but when it came to writing he felt more at home with
English or Urdu and refused to accept Punjabi as his mother tongue, which was an absolute lie and
when the Sikhs said their language was Punjabi, the Hindus sometimes accused them of motives
beneath one’s dignity to accept. Not only had the Sikh to defend his language but with that his honour
as a patriot as well. When the Punjabi Hindus finally were reconciled to the inescapable fact that
Punjabi was to be their mother tongue, they trotted out a lame excuse that Gurmukhi was not a proper
script for Punjabi. They wanted it to be written in ‘Dev Naagri” (dyv nwgrI) script and not in
Gurmukhi script.

Secondly, shortly after independence the government of India announced that boundries of all
the Indian States would be redrawn along linguistic lines and consequently, this was done for all the 14
major languages spoken in India except Punjabi. The Sikhs, therefore, raised the demand for the
creation of a “Punjabi speaking state of the Punjab” through a campaign of non-violence inorder to
defend the Sikh traditions and identity in addition to their cultural, linguistic, religious, economic and
other interests. The Hindu organizations reacted by appealing to members of their community to
formally disown Punjabi language. The Hindus in Punjab registered their language as Hindi in the
census of 1951. Hindu organizations like Arya Samaj, Hindu Maha Sabha and Jan Sangh opposed the
Sikh demand vehemently. The Hindus of Punjab and the Press dominated by Arya Samajist Hindus
dubbed the Sikh demand as a stepping-stone towards the creation of an “independent Sikh State”. Hindu
Sikh riots broke out in many towns. The Hindu congress government with Pandit jawahar Lal Nehru
as Prime Minister and Sardar Partap Singh Kairon as Chief Minister of Punjab opposed, each and
every Sikh demand. Both in India and abroad the government-controlled media projected that the Sikhs
demand an independent Sikh State. The Sikhs cajoled, threatened, pleaded, marched and suffered to
win a “Punjabi speaking state,” but India resisted.

Both Pt Nehru and Kairon, the arch opponents of the Sikh demand, died in 1964. Lal Bahadur
Shastri became the next Prime Minister of India. Sant Fateh Singh, the then president of Sharomani
Akali Dal, threatened to launch morcha (agitation) for the creation of Punjabi speaking state. Clouds
of war between India and Pakistan were looming large at that time. Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri
gave an understanding to the Sikh leadership to conceed their demand provided they co-operated with
the government in case of war between India and Pakistan. War broke out between India and Pakistan.
The Sikhs played a remarkable role for defending the Indian borders. Ultimately on the conclusion of the
Indo-Pakistan war in September 1965 in which the Sikh peasantry played a notable role helping Indian
troops on the front line, a commission was appointed to demarcate Punjabi speaking areas from the

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Hindi speaking. In 1966, the already truncated Punjab was split into four states: Haryana,
Himachal, Union Territory of Chandigarh and ‘Punjabi speaking Punjab’. The division of the state was
done by the congress government dominated by radical Hindus on communal lines and not on linguistic
basis leaving large tracts of Punjabi speaking population out of the ‘Punjabi Speaking Punjab’.

The Punjab Legislative Assembly under the Chief Ministership of Sardar Lashman Singh Gill in
1967, legistated and made Punjabi in Gurmukhi script as the official language of the Punjab and
thereafter, the development of Punjabi language and production of Punjabi literature began in the right
earnest.
Punjabi language has its own expressions and manifestations amongst the languages of the
world. It is not in any way inferior to any other language. Unlike English Punjabi has a specific-name
for each and every relationship, which indicates its cultural strength. Hiearchy in Punjabi families is
very important and at a very young age children learn the appropriate kinship terms. One particular
example of precise meaning of kinship names in Punjabi might be given as a demonstration, for instance
an aunt might be called:
Masee if she is mother's sister
Mamee if she is mother's brother’s wife
Bhooa if she is father’s sister
Chachee if he is father’s younger brother’s wife
Taee if she is father’s elder brother’s wife
So many other examples can be quoted to tell the richness of the Punjabi language
and culture viz the human excreta is called ghunh (gUMh), in case of buffalo and cow it is called Phos
(Pos), in case of horse it is called liddh (il~d) , in case of camel it is called laiday or laidnay (lyfy /
lyfxy), in case of goat and sheep it is called mainhknaan (myN|xw), in case birds it is called vithaan
(iv~TW). Another common example is: a buffalo / cow in heat is called boli hoee, a mare in heat is
called vegi hoee, a bitch in heat is called mushkee hoee, a female camel in heat is called Bahaar vich
or uthaa vich and so on. It seems difficult to excel Punjabi language in richness of its culture.
Today Punjabi is the world’s tenth popular language and second popular language in the
Indian capital, Delhi. It is second most popular spoken language in Pakistan and fourth popular spoken
language in Canada. Punjabi with Gurmukhi script is used only by the Sikhs because it is connected
with their religion and is the vehicle for its propagation. It is, and it will remain, the language of the
Sikhs and Sikh religion. Its neglect cuts them off from their cultural and spiritual heritage in the form
of worship in sangat and ablity to understand the Guru Granth Sahib.

References

K.S. Duggal: The Sikh people yesterday and today

Khushwant Singh: The Sikhs
Khushwant Singh: A History of the Sikhs volume1: 1439-1839
The Penguine History of India from origion to AD 1300—Romila Thapar
* Mahabharta, viii, verses 2063-2068 (Karna Parva).
** After the Muslims occupied Delhi in the 11th century they used Persian script to record the
local dialect in-order to communicate with the common people. The Hindustani dialect of the

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Ganga Jamna divide around Delhi and Lukhnow called Shastri now Hindi recorded in Persian
script came to be called Urdu. As Urdu in Persian language means camp and Urdugah means camping
ground, the Muslim camp language in and around Delhi came to be called Urdu, which became the
Muslim language in Hindustan (Indian subcontinent). Later Muslims added more words of
Persian and the Hindus added more words of Sanskrit to Shastri now Hindi.
NB: Gokal Chand Narang in his book, ‘Tranformation of Sikhism’ writes on page 48, “The
postpartition Hindu-Sikh estrangement which has now gradually crystallized around the
question of Gurmukhi script, which the Hindus in the Punjab repudiate with such vociferous
passion, becomes more comprehensible in the light of this assessment of the implications of
the use of Gurmkhi script by the Sikhs in the past. Gurmukhi script is the badge and guarantee
of a distinct and separate Sikh entity and, thus, its prevalence and continuity is a hindrance to
the much-desired final liquidation of Sikh identity / culture.
Punjabi versus Sanskrit
Punjabi with Gurmukhi script is the religious and national language of the Sikhs and
Sanskrit with Devnagri script is the religious language of the Hindus, who describe
themselves as Aryans and who entered Punjab from Asia Minor through the passes in the
Hindu Kush Mountains more than four thousand years (around 2000 BC) ago as herd’s men
and graziers of cattle and settled in the Kashmir region of the Punjab. They spoke an Indo-
European language that had origionated on the steppes of Eurasia. The Aryans were smart
people and very soon realized the value of learning i.e education. They interacted with the
Punjabi Jogis here, who lived in mountains caves away from human habitations and practiced
spirituality. They learnt spirituality from the Punjabi jogis who believed in One Supreme
Eternal Reality, whom they called ‘Brahma’. The Aryan scholars having knowledge of
(Brahma--God) designated themselves as Brahmins. They developed a slang form of the local
Punjabi dialect for worship purposes and cleverly named it ‘Brahm Bhasha’ (Lit: The
language of God), which was subsequently named ‘Sanskrit’ and that became the religious
language of the Aryans. ‘Sanskrit’ therefore, is a dialect of Punjabi language. Punjabi has been
the spoken language of all the natives of the undivided Punjab, since prehistoric times. F.E Keay and
Grierson, both well known Orientalists are of the opinion, “that Punjabi is of greater antiquity than any of
the languages of the Indo-Gangetic plain”. Hence it is one of the oldest spoken languages in the world,
although it was given different names at different times. It is 10th popular spoken language in the world.
It is sacred to the Sikhs, because their scriptures are in Punjabi. Till the advent of print media and the
modem broadcasting system, different dialects of Punjabi were spoken in different parts of the Punjab
viz: Majhi, Malwai and Doabi were spoken in the central Punjab. Poadi, Haryanvi, Sarhandi,
Raathi, Bhatiani and Kangri dialects were spoken beyond Ghaggar river, whereas Dogri, Kangar,
Himachali, Sehaskriti were spoken in the hill tracts of the Punjab. Multani, Jhangi, Pothohari and
Dhani dialects were spoken beyond Chenab River. After the advent of print and modem broadcasting
media, the writers and broadcasters have evolved a standard form of Punjabi based on the dialect spoken
in and around Lahore i.e, central Punjab called ‘Majha’ giving it its present global form.
. Around 1000 BC; the Aryans produced scriptures in Brahm Bhasha (Sanskrit). The Scriptures
were named, ‘Vedas’ literally meaning books of knowledge. They rememberd them orally and continued
to transmit them from generation to generation verbally for centuries. Romila Thapar in her book titled,
“The Penguin History of Early India” writes that Rishi Panini laid the rules for Sanskrit grammar in
Taxilla (located in the foot hills of the Punjab) around 500 BC and wrote Sanskrit grammer, the
Ashtadhyai. The Aryans recorded their Sanskrit scriptures in Brahmi / Siddhmarica script of the Punjabi
Jogis as Sanskrit had no script of its own. The Brahmins made Sanskrit as the language of their scriptures,
which could only be interpreted by them, because it was neither spoken nor understood by the common

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mass of the native people. The first center of Aryan culure in the Indian subcontinent developed in the
hills of the Punjab in the Kashmir region. After centuries of their stay, development and proliferation in the
hills of the Punjab the Aryans descended into the plains of the Punjab. They tried to dominate the ‘Jatts’
through the Brahmin. The Jatt spirit of freedom and equality refused to submit to the Brahmanical
dominance and pushed the Aryans out of the limits of the Punjab and in its turns drew the censure of
the learned Brahmins who pronounced that “no Aryan should stay in the Punjab for even two days
because the Punjabis refused to obey the priests”*. Henceforth the Aryan Brahmin developed an
extremely hostile attitude towards the jatts of the Punjab.
After their exist from the Punjab by the ‘Jatts’, the Aryans settled in the Ganga Jamna divide
in the Malwa region of India, built their religio-cultural center there and named it ‘Ujjain’, which they
affectionately called, ‘Dev Nagri’ (dyv ngrI), a town inhabited by Brahmins, who are gods
(Devtas-dyvqy) in human form. Here they used the local form of Sidhmatrica script for writing their
Sanskrit literature but named it‘Dev Naagri’ (dyv nwgrI). After sometime they shifted their center of
activity in the easternly direction into the fertile and mineral rich area and built here their religio-cultural
center on the banks of Ganges and named it Kashi (Varanasi-Banaras). Here they wrote more religious
books in Sanskrit and named them, 'Shastras' in the 11th century. Because of the shastras the dialect
(language) spoken in and around Kashi (Varanasi-Benaras) came to be popularly called ‘Shastri’. It
was only in 1900 AD, that the British administration acceded to the popular demand of the
Indian State of United provinces now called Uttar Pardesh, naming Shastri written in Dev
Nagri script as ‘Hindi’ and making it official language of this State.
. The Aryans gradually gained religious and cultural control of the Ganges valley
through the priest (Brahmin) by blending their culture with that of the natives. Later when the
Aryans gained full controll of the Gangetic plain and established their rule, they made
Sanskrit as the court language. Sanskrit texts were given priorty even where there were
variants of the same narrative in other languages. Inspite of all these efforts by the Aryans, the
common mass of people continued to converse in their native language. The use of Sanskrit
remained limited to court and the elite, mostly Brahmins. Sanskrit never became language of
the common people any where in the world. The Aryan scholars enriched the Sanskrit
language by creating and adding new terms and words as per needs.
The Punjabi Jogis / Siddhas lived away from human habitations meditating for seeking
personal salvation in the caves, jungles and snow clad mountains therefore acquisition of knowledge
by the common man in the plains of the Punjab became impossible.

After the Aryans, foreign invasions of the Punjab started in the 5th century BC and continued
until 1849 AD. A series of invaders from the north and west trampled over this land for centuries. They
included the Persians (Iranians), Shakas (Scythians), the Parthians, the Greeks, the Bactrians, the
Kushans, the Huns, the Turks, the Mongols (Mughals), the Afghans (Pathans) and the British etc.
Islamic invasions of the Punjab began in 711 AD. Its people resisted for centuries, but
ultimately it fell to the invading Islamic forces in 1001 A.D. They named the area east of Indus River
as ‘Hindustan’ in the beginning of the eighth century and called its inhabitants “Hindi,” and later on
Hindus. After the occupation of the Punjab they spread into the remaining India without any
resistance.They made Persian as court language and Arabic as religious language of this region. They
recorded the native language of the gangetic plain, in Persian script, which came to be called
`Urdu***' and became the Muslim language in Hindustan.
For centuries Punjab has witnessed numerous invasions in ever changing political upheavals.

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Every invader tried his best to kill the Punjabi language, Punjabi culture and civilization and replace it
with his own. Inspite of all odds the Punjabi language and the Punjabis have remained unvanquished
and proud, protecting their land and their rich heritage and assimilating all new comers.

Guru Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikhism in the Punjab at the fag end of 15th century. At
that period of time with the exception of Muslim rulers and the Muslim elite, Punjabi was the
spoken language of the Punjab and Persian was the official language, Arabic was the religious
language of the Muslims and Sanskrit was the religious language of the Hindus. Neither Sanskrit,
nor Persian nor Arabic was spoken or understood by common mass of the People of the Punjab,
who conversed among themselves in Punjabi. Guru Nanak gave his ‘Bani’ in local vernacular that
is Punjabi, instead of Sanskrit, which till then was the traditional medium for religious poetry /
philosophy among the Hindustanis. As mentioned earlier Punjabi has been the spoken language of the
people of the Punjab since prehistoric times, but till the birth of Sikhism it was only a spoken language
and did not have a script for its proper pronunciation and expressions, therefore it did not have any
written literature in its own script. Guru Nanak developed the script for Punjabi language by selecting
appropriate letters from other scripts (Brahmi / Sidhhmatrica / Lande also called Mahajni etc)
current in north India and creating some new ones. He purged the Sidhhmatrica and its offspring,
Devnagri, of their irritating and unscientific characteristic of being an alphabet without consonants. He
perfected the script with acrophils (Lagaan matraan /vowels) and laid down the rules for its grammer.
The alphabet has thirty five letters. He composed a hymn enshrined in the holy Sikh scripture, Guru
Granth Sahib, in Rag Asa M1, on pages 432 to 434, as ‘Patti Likhi’ in the form of an acrostic, making
use of the 35-letter alphabet. Thus the Sikhs developed their dialect into written language. It gave the
Sikhs a written language distinct from written language of Hindus-Sanskrit (Vedas) and Mussalmans-
Arabic (Quran). The script was named Gurmukhi (The script used to write the language spoken from the
mouth of the Guru) by his successor, Guru Angad, who greatly propagated the use of Gurmukhi letters in
his drive for literacy among his followers, ‘the Sikhs’. He gave form and finish to the alphabet,
prepared primers (Baalupdesh) of Gurmukhi (Punjabi) alphabet and made copies of Guru Nanak’s
hymns and distributed them among the people leading to the increase in the number of literates in the
Punjab. He broke the monopoly of the Brahmin over learning. Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru
compiled, Granth Sahib (Guru Granth Sahib), the holy Sikh scripture in Gurmukhi script, in 1604 AD.
Guru Gobind Singh established the first Sikh seat of learning in 1706AD, at Talwandi Sabo, now called
Dam Dama Sahib in Bathinda district and named it Guru Ki Kanshi as counter part to the Hindu seat of
learning in Varanasi (Benaras--Kanshi). After Guru Gobind Singh Sikhs were busy in their struggle for
existence and were unable to pay any attention for the development of their mother tongue. At one
time the teaching of Punjabi was forbidden in schools, which retarded the development of Punjabi
literature. During the Sikh rule in Punjab Persian remained the official court language, no efforts
were made for the promotion of Punjabi by them, because they remained busy in expanding and
securing the borders of their young kingdom. Although Punjabi was not the official language of the
Sikh cort, but being the language of the rulers it flourished immensely during the Sikh rule in the
Punjab, copies of Guru Granth Sahib were produced and Sikh literature written in Punjabi.
The British annexed the Sikh Kingdom, Punjab in 1849 A.D. The Sikhs / Punjabis unlike the
Bengalis and Sindhis were not allowed by them to use their mother tongue as an official language
because they feared the development of Punjabi-Sikh nationalism. They made Urdu along with
English as the official court language in the British Punjab. The Muslims were made to believe that
Urdu was their mother tongue. None of the alien languages i.e, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Udru
or English etc, was spoken by the common mass of people of the Punjab, who continued to
communicate among themselves in Punjabi, irrespective of their religious affiliations. After its

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annexation by the British, Christian missionaries came to Punjab and started seeking conversions of the
Sikhs into Christianity in the Sikh homeland. This awakened the Sikh inteligentia, who founded Singh
Sabha (society of the practicing Sikhs) in 1873 AD, in Amritsar, for the propagation of the Sikh religion,
Punjabi language and Punjabi culture. A Gujrati Brahmin named Dyanand Saraswati, came to the
Punjab in 1875 and founded his Hindu sect, Arya Samaj in Lahore. He started propagating the
teachings of the Vedas and claimed that the Sikhs were a sect of Hindus and that Sikhism was not a
separate religion. He started attacking the Punjabi language, Sikh scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib), the
Sikh Gurus and other Sikh institutions. The Sikhs then established a branch of Singh Sabha at Lahore.

Development of the Punjabi language and Gurmukhi script started after the birth of Singh
Sabha Lahore, which started first Punjabi printing press in the Punjab with Gurmukhi script in Lahore
in 1876 A.D, and published first Punjabi paper in Gurmukhi-Khalsa Akhbar. Under Singh Sabha
movement Punjabi gained admittance into the university curriculum; inspite of severe opposition by
the Hindu members of the Punjab University Lahore, who viewed it as no more than a rude dialect
without any literary tradition and hence not worth teaching. Teaching of Punjabi in Gurmukhi script
started in Oriental College Lahore in 1877. This gave Punjabi a communal label as language of the
Sikhs, just as Shastri (now Hindi) was of the Hindus and Urdu of the Muslims. As a result, although
Punjabi remained, as before, the spoken language of all Punjabis, whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or
Christian, its literary output came to be largely confined to the Sikh writers.
It is worth mentioning here that Sanskrit till today does not have any distinct script of its own.
It is only a spoken dialect used by Brahmin priests for religious worship only. Like other languages of the
world including Punjabi, it is not a spoken language of the common people in any part of the world. Maximally
Sanskrit became the court language in the areas of Brahmanical dominance in the Indian subcontinent and there
too its dominance in the royal courts came to an end with the loss of Brahmanical control over the Royalty. The
Hindus now have adopted Hindi as their spoken language and limited the use of Sanskrit for chanting Vedic
Mantras by Hindu Priests (Brahmins) for worship purposes and religious ceremonies.
Origin of Sanskrit
It is a well known fact that the earliest spiritual traditions stsrted in the east in the
Indus Valley. Those practicing spirituality were called Jogis / Siddhas. They believed in ‘One
Supreme Eternal Reality, whom they called, ‘Brahma’ and they had a script called Brahmi /
Siddhmatrica. The people of the Indus Valley had reached a very high level of civilization more
than 4000 years ago, when people of a white tribe from Asia Minor who called themselves
Aryans entered Punjab through the passs in the Hindu Kush mountains as herds-men and graziers
of cattle and settled in the Kashmir region of the Punjab. They spoke an Indo-European
language that had origionated on the steppes of Eurasia. Thus first center of Aryan culture
developed in the Kashmir hills of the Punjab. All Aryans did not come at once but kept on
pouring gradually over a period of centuries. The Aryans were smart people and realized the
impotance of education. Some of them learnt spirituality / Jog from the Punjabi Jogis. It was in
the hills of the Punjab that the Aryans evolved their Vedic culture. It was here that they
developed a slang dialect of the Punjabi language for their worship purposes and to begin they
called it Brahm Basha, literally meaning the language of God, but subsequently they named
Sanskrit. Around 1000 BC, the Aryans produced scriptures in Brahm Bhasha and named them
Vedas, literally meaning the books of knowledge, which were memorized verbally and passed on
from generation to generation orally. Around 500 BC Rishi Panini wrote Sanskrit grammar,
Ashtadhiay in Taxilla in thefoot hills of the Punjab (The Penguin History of Early India from origns to
AD 1300, Romila Thapar, p,163). The Vedas gave birth to Vedic Culture, which gave birth to caste
system in India.

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Punjabi versus Urdu as language in India

After the Muslims occupied Delhi in the 11th century they used Persian script to
record the local dialect in-order to communicate with the common people and maintain their records.
The Hindustani dialect of the Ganga Jamna divide around Delhi and Lukhnow called Shastri
now Hindi recorded in Persian script came to be called Urdu. As Urdu in Persian language means camp
and Urdugah means camping ground, the Muslim camp language in and around Delhi came to be
called Urdu (Camp language), which became the Muslim language in Hindustan (Indian
subcontinent). Later Muslims added more words of Persian to Urdu and the Hindus added
more words of Sanskrit to Shastri now Hindi.
The British annexed the Sikh Kingdom, Punjab in 1849 A.D. Punjabis unlike the Bengalis
and Sindhis were not allowed by them to use their mother tongue as an official language in Punjab,
because they feared the development of Punjabi-Sikh nationalism. They made Urdu along with
English as the official court language in the British Punjab. The Muslims were made to believe that
Urdu was their mother tongue.

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MUSIC IN SIKHISM

Music, one of the fine arts of the world, occupies prime position in Sikhism. Sikhs love music
and would sit through all night performances. Sikh music is of two types:

1. Sikh religious music

2. Sikh flok music

SIKH RELIGIOUS MUSIC

Sikh Gurus understood the power of music in men's minds and it was for this reason that they
conveyed their message in sacred and devotional music. This sublime music called Kirtan inspires the
disciple to higher spiritual goals. It promotes spiritual vision and is quite different from ordinary wordly
music that is meant for entertainment. Divine poetry sung in appropriate raagas in perfect
accompaniment of musical instruments stir the mind of the listener. This magical impact helps an
ordinary mind for a change in his behavior towards betterment. Music in both vocal and ininstrumental
formats helps the devotees to meditate on the Invincible God. Guru Granth Sahib contains excellent
formats of Divine poetry to stir the mind, soul and heart of the reader and listeners. Gurbani Kirtan creats
Divine environment wherein the pangs of affected mind and soul get new lease of fruitful living. This
Divine Balm leaves soothing and rejuvenating effect on the defeated soul. The effect of tender words of
Shabad, in Guru Darbar, release waves of Divine elative comfort to the ailing minds. This lasts in the
subconscious mind of the dedicated listener for long duration thereafter while he is doing his routine work
in the following hours.
The entire holy book of Sikhism, ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ except for the initial pre-raga section
(pages 1 to 13) and the concluding post-raga section, seventy seven pages (pages 1353 to 1430) is
structured on the basis of ragas (Gurmat Sangeet) in which the portions are supposed to be sung. Bani
under Shabad Kirtan is to be sung according to the prescribed Ragas, raag forms, singing styles, music
signs, Rhaao, Ank, (digit) ect. This style of singing is known as Gurmat Sangeet called Shabad Kirtan.
The Indian classical music has two main branches: Hindustani and Karnatic, constituted by
84 Ragas, the mention of which is found on the last two pages of Guru Granth Sahib (1429-30) in the
Rag Maala, which says that there are major six raagas which form parental axis along with the major
raaginies. Their collective number becomes 84. Rag maala in Guru Granth Sahib gives their break up
thus: “Khasht (6) raag un gaaa-ay sang raagi tees (30), sabhay puttar raagin kay aatharh (18) das (10)
bees (20) making a total 84.
Guru Granth Sahib has representation of 31 Shudh and 31 Mishrat Ragas in which the
Bani is composed. In Guru Granth Sahib there is no distinction between Ragas and Raginies like
the Indian catalogue style. The Hindustani and Karnatic Ragas which did not conform to the
ideology of Sikhism did not find place in the holy book of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib. Some
ragas included in Guru Granth Sahib are such that were developed by the Sikh Gurus from Lok
Dhuns eg, Aasa, Tilang, Maajh, and Vadhans etc. The 31 ragas are included in Guru Granth
Sahib. The 31 ragas, which appear in Guru Granth Sahib are:
Raga Page No Raga Page No
Sri Raga 14 to 93 , Raga Gaund 858 to 875
Raga Majh 94 to 150 Raga Ram Kali 876 to 974
Raga Gauri 151 to 346 Raga Nat Naryan 975 to 983
Raga Asa, 347 to 488 Raga Mali Gaura 984 to 988
Raga Gujri, 489 to 526 Raga Maru 889 to 1106

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Raga Devgandhari 527 to 536 Raga Tukhari 1107 to1117

Raga Bihagra, 537 to556 Raga Kedara 1118 1124
Raga Vadhans, 557 to 594 Raga Bhairon 1125 to 1167
Raga Sorath, 595 to 659 Raga Basant 1168 to 1196
Raga Dhanasri, 660 to 695 Raga Saarang 1197 to 1253
Raga Jaitsri, 696 to 710 Raga Malar 1254 to 1293
Raga Todi, 711 to 718 Raga Kanra 1294 to1318
Raga Bairari, 719 to 720 Raga Kalyan 1319 to 1326
Raga Tilang, 721 to 727 Raga Parbhati 1327 to1351
Raga Suhi, 728 to 794 Raga Jaijaiwanti 1352 to 1353
Raga Bilaaval 795 to 858
The ancient Ragas like Megh, Deepak, Maalkauns, jog etc, which create more than desired
tranquility, hype, sadness or happiness have not been used in Gurbani and if used at all, then in a mixture
with other Ragas viz, Gauri-Deepki, Basant Hindol etc. Ragas in Guru Granth Sahib begin with Sri
Rag. There are a large number of Shabads pertaining to Jogis in Ram Kali, whereas Aasa, Suhi and
Tilang have more sermons pertaining to Muslims, Because Muslim Divines freely made use of these
Ragas.
Each raga is associated with the specific hour of the day or night or sometimes with
particular season, and is designed, by virtue of its constitution, to express a certain mood or sentiment.
Each Raga is associated with the specific timings (Pehar) of the day or night or sometimes with
particular season and is designed, by virtue of its constitution, to express a certain mood or sentiment. 24
hours of the day and night have been divided into three hour time span each of a Pehar making 8
Pehars. There are various Ragas specified for each particular Pehar and the learned Gurbani Kirtan
performers choose Shabads from those hymns which have been composed accordingly. The impact
of specific Raga can be appreciatedat a specified time. This time theory, which governs the Raga is
most unique feature of the Sikh religious music.
Time Period Raga
6 AM-9 AM: Bairari, Devghandhari
9 AM-12 PM: Saarang, Suhi, Bilaaval, Gujri, Gond, Todi
12-3PM: Vadhans, Maru, Dhanasari
3-6 PM: Maajh, Gauri, Tilang, Tukhari
6-9 PM: Sri, Basant, Maali Gaura, Jaitsri, Kedara, Kalyaan
9-12 PM-AM: Bihagra, Nat Narayan, Sorath, Malaar, Kaanra,
Jaijaiwanti
12 AM-3AM: No Ragas from Guru Granth Sahib
3 AM-6AM: Asa, Ram Kali, Bhairav, Parbhati
Bani composed in some Ragas has seasonal effects, for instance Raag Basant is very
popular raga and is sung during the entire season of Spring (Basant-Ritu). Shabads with this theme
of happiness are clustered under this raga in Guru Granth Sahib. Also, Malaar raga can be sung at
any time in the rainy season. Shabads with this theme of separation are clustered under this raga in
Guru Granth Sahib.
Maryada (Tradition) of Gurmat Sangeet was established by the founder of Sikhism,
Guru Nanak Dev ji. Today Gurmat Sangeet has its own recognized placement in Indian classical
Divine music.

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Sikh religious music has two subdivisions:-

(a) Shabad Kirtan

(b) Dhadi Darbar

Commonly used instruments used for Sikh Religious Music

Sikh Gurus while creating Gurmat Sangeet (Shabad Kirtan) developed and chose
special musical instruments. Playing on Rabab by Bhai Mardana during Guru Nanak’s time, Jori
Saranda, and Israj during the period of Guru Arjan Dev, Taus and Dad Sarangi for vaar singing
during the period of the 6th Guru, Mirdang the ninth Guru’s time, Tanpura and Dilruba during
Guru Gobind Singh’s time are peculiar, which explicitly proves the use of special instruments.
The use of Tanti (stringed) instruments is especially for purity of notes, of Ragas and traditional
excellence of Gur Shabad Kirtan. Dhadis use Sarangi and Dhads for singing balads (Varaan).
During Nagar Kirtan These days ragis generally perform kirtan with harmonium and tablas
(drums), but sometimes string instruments like Sitar, guitar, Rebec (Rabab), Taoos and Dilruba etc may
be added. Dhadis use Sarangi and Dhads for singing ballads (Varan). During Nagar Kirtan and
Parbhat Pheris Dholki, Chimta and Chhanay are used.
These days ragis generally perform Kirtan with harmonium and tablas (drums).
Harmonium was developed in Europe in 1842 and subsequently introduced in Punjab by the
Hidustani court musicians and thereafter adopted by Keertankaars (Sikh Religious musicians) for
performing Kirtan.

SIKH FOLK MUSIC

It includes: Kissey, waraan, jugni and mahia, dohray, tappay, suhag, ghorian etc. Folk music is
part of every day Sikh life in Punjab. There is no festival or event in Sikh life, which is without music.
Commonly used Instruments for Folk Music:

Dhol, toombi, algozay, vanjali (bansuri) and been (bIn) are the commonly used Sikh folk
musical instruments in Punjab.

Sensual music is prohibited in Sikhism.

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EMBLEM OF SIKHISM

The Sikh national Emblem was created by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
(SGPC) after its constitution in the early twentieth century, when it depicted the Sikh doctrine “Deg
Teg Fateh” in the form of Emblem (logo). Since then it is seen inscribed on the Sikh national flag/
letter heads and the stamps of various Sikh organizations. The doctrine is first found in written form in
Persian, on the seal of Banda Singh Bahadur (1708-1716), stamped on his letters. The seal bore the
inscription:

“Deg-O-Teg 0 Fateh-Nusrat-I -Bedrang Yafat -Az Nanak--Guru Gobind Singh”i.e, “The

kettle (Deg)- (The Sikh symbol of economy, the means to feed all and sundry on an
egalitarian base), sword (Teg)-(The Sikh symbol of power, to protect the weak and
hapless and smite the oppressor), victory and unending patronage are obtained from
Gurus Nanak-- Gobind Singh “. After Banda Singh this inscription was adopted by
the Sikh Misals and then by Sikh rulers for their coins also. Now the official seal of
Akal Takhat bears this inscription.

>
Deg Teg Fateh

The circle in the emblem of Sikhism represents the Deg (caldron) used to prepare food,
Guru ka Langar initiated by the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak to remove caste barriers, teach
people equality and humility before each other and to feed all and sundry on an egalitarian base so that
no body sleeps empty stomach.

The two swords on the outside represent the Miri--Piri (Bhagti and Shakti) doctrine of
Sikhism, revealed by Guru Nanak and put into practice by his sixth successor, Guru Hargobind
indicating the integration of spiritual and temporal powers together and not treating them as two
separate and distinct entities.

In the center is the Khanda, the double-edged sword, used by the tenth Nanak, Guru Gobind
Singh to prepare Amrit to initiate the Sikhs. Khanda has cutting edge on both sides indicative of two
swords fused together representing Bhagti and Shakti (spiritual and temporal powers), giving birth to
“The Khalsa”, who is a saint-soldier (Sant-Sipahi), the saint meaning scholarly in knowledge of Gurbani
and soldier meaning martial in spirit.

To summarize, the Sikh national Emblem, reminds the Sikhs that they are warriors, they
should take Pahul (Amrit), become ‘Khalsa’ i.e, The ultimate form of the Sikh, keep Guru Ka Langar
going so that no body sleeps hungry, protect the weak and hapless, fight injustice and oppression,
wherever it takes place, the victory will be theirs: ‘Deg-Teg-Fateh’.

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GLOSSARY OF COMMON TERMS USED IN SIKHISM

Aad: First: Origional

Ant: The end

Akal Purkh: The Being beyond time; God

Akali: Worshipper of Akal (God).

Akhand Path: Continuous, uninterrupted reading of Guru Granth

Sahib, by a relay of readers

Akiratghan: Ungrateful

Amrit: Elixer used for initiation into Sikhism. Literally: Mrit means dead and

A-mrit is immortal.

Ades: Epiphet used as greetings by Jogis

Asikh: Non-Sikh. Literally means not learned.

Avidya: Lack of education

Amritdhari: One who has been initiated according to Sikh rites.

Ardas: Sikh prayer—A humble and sincere request to Akaal Purkh i.e; God.

Atman: Soul / Spirit / Self

Avtar: Incarnation of God

Bani: Contents of all the Holy Scriptures forming canon of Sikh faith.

Bhai: Literally, brother; an epiphet of respect used for a Sikh connected with religious affairs.
Bhagauti: (BgauqI )—another name for God—Akal Purkh
Bhagauti (BgauqI) means Kirpan / sword
Bhagauti (BgauqI) means devotee (Bhagat)
Bhog: Concluding ceremony of Sikh service

Baoli: A well with stairs down to water level

Baba: Title given to a respected man (often elderly)

Brahm-Giani: God-illuminated human being, a perfect saint

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Banda (bMdww ): Man

Buddhi: Woman

Baanda (bWdw ): Slave

Baandi: Slave woman

Bhataar (Bqwr): Husband
Bharam (Brm): Unfounded belief

Birdh (ibrD): Old person

Bird(ibRd ): Follower (murId)

Bird kee Paij (ibRd kI pYj): Follower's honour

Bungay: Places of residence

Buddh: Wisdom

Bip, Biper, Brahmin: Purist Hindu Varna entiled to become priest and teacher.
Bipran kee reet: Brahmanical culture
Bhugat-gian: Spiritual knowledge

Choohra: Member of serf class outside the pale of Hindu caste system i.e, Ashoot.

Chaunkian: Guard posts

Chaur: A fan of Yak hair or peacock feathers, waved over Sri Guru Granth Sahib as a sign of respect,
a symbol of authority.

Chanani: Canopy over Guru Granth Sahib

Chardi-Kala: Active optimism

Darbar Sahib: Sikh name for Golden Temple

Divan: Sikh act of congregational worship

Darsan: Literally, glimpse, whereas in Indian theosophy means Philosophy

Dera: Settlement of a spiritual teacher, where his followers get together to listen his sermons.

Daswandh: literally meaning one tenth, but practically it is voluntary contribution by the Sikhs to
Gurdwara for the welfare of society and propagation of their religion i.e, Sikhism.

Deg: Cauldron

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Dahri: Beard

Fakir: Muslim divine who lives on alms.

Guru: In Sikh scriptures, the word ‘Guru’ has been used to denote at least three different senses. Firstly,
it has been used for God Himself, secondly, the word has been referred to as teacher-Guru and finally it
is used for the Holy Sikh Scripture, “Guru Granth Sahib”.

Gurdwara: Sikh place of prayer and piety.

Guru Granth Sahib: The holy Sikh scripture.

Granthi: Reader of Sikh scriptures during service.

Giani: A person learned in Sikh teachings.

Gola: Slave
Gutka: Hand book of hymns for daily devotion in Sikhism.

Gurmat: Philosophy of Sikhism.

Gurmatta: Collective decision taken by the Sikhs in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib.

Gurmukh: God-oriented.

Grahisti: Householder

Gurpurb: Anniversary of a Guru's birth, death or succession.

Gaddi: Seat of authority

Gola: Servant
Hukam: Literally order, theologically divine command
Jaat: Caste

Jatha: A band or group of the Sikhs

Jathedar: Leader of the Jatha

Joora: Top knot

Jog: One of the six systems of Hindu philosophy.

Kartar: God
Kirtam: Created beings
Kaal: Time, death, black, tomorrow
Khalis: Punjabi word meaning pure.
Khalsa: Arabic / Persian word meaning sovereign.
Kes: Unshorn hair on the head.

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Kachhehra: Breaches extending upto knees worn by initiated Sikhs.

Kanga: Special comb used by the Sikhs.

Kara: Iron wristlet.

Kirpan: Sword

Kafir: Non-believer

Kookas: A break away sect of the Sikhs, who believe in Guru Granth Sahib but along with it also
believe in the continuity of a living Guru after Guru Gobind Singh. The sect was founded by Baba Balak
Singh / Ram Singh. They have lost relevance in main stream Sikhism because of their belief in the
continuity of a living Guru.

Kala Pani: Literally means black water, but in Hinduism it refers to sea water, which Hindus
consider as ritually polluting to cross.
Kirar (ikrwV): Opportunist. The term is also used for merchantile community of Punjabi
Hindu Khatris.

Landa: A script used by shopkeepers in the Punjab, before the creation of Punjabi
speaking Punjab (punjabi Suba)

Lawan: Literaly separation, Hymn read at the time of somenization of marriage in Sikhism.
Lala (lwlw): Slave (gulwm)
Madh: Middle

Malechh: Unclean

Man-mukh: Self-centered person

Mat (miq) Intellect / Wisdom
Man (min) Mind / Soul

Masands: Order of the Sikh missionaries established by Guru Arjan and abolished by Guru
Gobind Singh in Sikhism.

Math: a monastery
Maya: Deceptive power of material world

Meena (mIxw): Scoundrel

Moorti: Representation of deity used for worship in Hindu temlples and homes.

Misar: Another name for Brahmin

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Mullah: Muslim religious teacher.

Mundavani: Stamp
Nidhaan: Treasure
Nishan Sahib: Sikh national flag

Nitnem: Daily devotional routine of the Sikhs

Nirmalas: Literally sinless. They believe in Guru Granth Sahib, instead of Sanatan image
worship and caste observance, but because of their being deeply rooted in
vedic philosophy have lost their relevance in Sikhism.
Paat (pwq): Dynasty

Pathi: Reciter of Sikh scriptures.

Panth: The entire Sikh community

Panj kakaar: Five symbols of Sikh faith, worn by initiated Sikhs.

Parchar: Preaching.

Parvirti: Ceremony / rite of others (AnXrIiq)

Pasaar: Propagation.

Patka: Piece of cloth used by Sikh children as head covering.

Pandit: Learned i.e, teacher Brahmin

Pandiya /Panda: Tirath Brahmin.

Pir: Muslim divine

Pujari: Priest of a temple

Qazi / Qadi: Muslim legal authority.

Raj : Sovereignty

Ridh (iriD): Wealth.

Ridaa (irdw) Heart.
Raagee: Sikh religious musician

Ramraiya: Sikh follower of Ram Rai , Rival claimants to Guru Gaddi

Sikhi: Sikhism

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Sikh: Follower of Sikhism i.e, Sikh faith. Literally meaning, learned.

Sangat: Congregation

Sant: Holy person, comes from the word Shaant meaning who has controlled his desires.

Sehaj: Equipoise
Sej: (syj) conjugal bed

Siddh: A hermit possessing mystic powers.

Sidh: (isiD) Supernatural i.e, miraculous power.
Sidharan Path / Sehaj Path: Recitation of Guru Granth Sahib not over a specified period of time.
Surat: (suriq) inner consciousness.
Tirath: Place of pilgrimage
Tikh: Thirst
Udasis: Udasi sect in Sikhism was founded by Sri Chand s/o Guru Nanak. Its followers are called Udasi
Sikhs, who believe in Guru Granth Sahib, but donot grow long hair and believe in renunciation,
asceticism and celibacy. They have also lost their relevance in Sikhism, because of their Hindu
practices.

Vaak: A random reading from Guru Granth Sahib

Ved / Vedas: Literally mean knowledge / Books of knowledge, but religiously mean
Scriptures of Aryans / Brahminism / Hinduism

Var: Ode, ballad, a composition about the deeds of a hero.

Vidhya: Education

Vismad: wonder

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Bibliography
Aad Granth & ‘Guru Granth Sahib’
Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha: Encyclopaedia of Sikh Literature-Mahan Kosh (in Punjabi)
Bhai Gurdas: Varan
Dasam Granth
Dr Tarlochan Singh, Anurag Singh: Sikhism and Six Hindu Systems, Bhai Chatar Singh Jiwan
Singh, Amritsar (PB) India
Dr. Man Singh Nirankari: Sikhism-A Perspective, Unistar, Chandigarh
Dr. Ajit Singh Aulakh: Tuk tatkra, Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, (Punjabi), Bhai Jiwan Singh, Chatar
Singh, Bazar Mai Sewan, Amritsar
Jaswant Singh Neki: Spiritual Heritage of Punjab, G.N.D.U. Amritsar 2003.
K.S. Duggal: The Sikh people yesterday and today, UBSPD Publishers, Distributors Ltd.
5, Ansari Road, New Delhi 1994.
Kushwant Singh: A History of the Sikhs, Harper Collins Publishers India 1952.
Kushwant Singh: A History of the Sikhs, Oxford India paper backs 1991

Narain Singh: Our Heritage, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Amritsar

Professor Ujagar Singh Bawa: Biography and writings of Bhai Sahib Bhai Nand Lal ji
(English translation). The Washington Sikh Center/The Sikh
youth forum P.O Box7061, 7500 Warfield Road Gaitherburg,
MD20898 USA
Romila Thapar: The Penguin History of Early India from origins to AD1300 Volume1
Secretary Dharam Parchar Committee (SGPC): Sikh Rehat matyada, Amritsar.
Surinder Singh Kohli: Ritualism and its rejection in Sikhism, Singh Brothers, Amritsar,
2000.
Sikh Missionary College: Sikh Dharam Philosophy. Ludhiana.

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

Preface
Introduction

 “Karam kand bahu karay achar, bin navin dhrig dhrig ahankar” ie; “The ego created
by performance of rituals and good actions is cursed and damned without the Name of Lord
(God) (GGS, M3, p.162).
.
 “Tant mant pakhand na jana Ram riday mann mania” i.e; “I (Nanak) do not believe in
magical formulae, magical hymns and religious hypocrisies, because my mind is imbued with
Almighty (Ibid, Ml, p.766).

 “Karam Dharam pakhand jo deesay, tin jam jaagati lootay'

Nirbaan keertan gawo kartay ka, nimakh simrat jit chhootay. 1. --
Khatri, Brahmin, Sood, Vais, updes chauh varna kao sanjha,
Gurmukh Naam japay, udhray so kal meh, ghat ghat Nanak majha”. 4. (Ibid, M5, p.747).
 Karmi sehaj na upjai, vin sahjai sahsa na jaa-ay, “Intuitive poise (Divine knowledge),
without which the doubts and superstions will not vanish, cannot be obtained through
useless ceremonies and rituals (GGS, Anand Sahib)
Modern Hinduism is represented by its Vaishnava, Ganapatya, Shauriya, Shaiva and Shakta
sects and their beliefs and practices. The Hindus believe that man is re-born after his death and this cycle
continues indefinitely unless salvation (Mukti) is attained, for which the Hindu priest, Brahmin told
methods in the form of rituals to be performed by the followers of Hinduism. These rituals are of
three types: Karam Kanda (the rituals mentioned in the Vedas / Shastras dealing with sacrificial
acts), Upashna Kanda (rituals dealing with the actions pertaining to worship) and Gian Kanda
(rituals dealing with spiritual knowledge). The Brahmin laid stress on the Karma Kanda, and
upashna Kanda, because they helped to maintain his importance and earnings also. He did not
show much interest in Gian Kanda. He advocated for certain actions and methods of worship,
according to Scriptures for the purification of mind, but in fact, his own mind was not pure. Guru Nanak
says, “You expect others to call you wise, O Pundit! But you are devoid of (spiritual) knowledge and
meditation” (Ibid, M1 p.1290). The Brahmin, who was without any knowledge in the field of
spirituality, was well versed in the Pauranic legends. According to Guru Granth Sahib:

“Pundits are busy studying Puranas,

Yogis are busy in Yogic meditations,
Sanyasis are intoxicated with ego,
Tapsis are intoxicated with secrets of ‘Tapas’,
All are intoxicated, none is awake,
With them are thieves robbing then” (Ibid, p.1193).

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Acknowledgement
I am grateful to the Almighty whose grace enabled me to comprehend and edit this book on Ritualism etc
and its rejection in Sikhism

I will be more than gratified if the book is able if the book is able to remove doubts of readers, and help
them in getting precise information about Sikhism. Suggestions for improvement will be most welcome

Jagraj Singh

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Chapter 1

Idol Worship (Moorti Pooja)

Guru Gobind Singh says:

 kwhU lY pwhn pUj DrXo isr kwhU kY ilMg gry ltkwieE[[ (pg. 42)
 koau buqwn ko pUjq hY psu koau imRqwn ko pUjn DwieE[[ (pg.42)
 pwie pro prmysr ky jV pwhn mYN prmysr nwhI[ 99[[ (111)
 qy BI bis mmqw huie gey[[ prmysr pwhn Tihrey[[13[[, (D G pg.134)
 pwhn pujY hY eyk n iDAY hY mq ADk ADyrw[[ AMimRq khu qij hY ibK khu Bij hY swJih khih svyrw[[
 qws ikau n pCwnhI jo hoih hY Ab hY[[ inhPl kwhy Bjq pwhn qoih kCu Pil dY[[ (DG, p1289).
 A~Cq DUp dIp Arpq hY pwhn kCU n KY hY[[ (DG, pg1349)
 khw BieE jo Aq ihq icq kr bhu ibD islw pujweI[[ pRwn QikE pwhn kh prsq kCu kr isD n
AweI[[ qw mYN khwN isD hY ry jV qoih kCu br dyhY[[ (sbd hjwry)
 kwhy kau pUjq pwhn kau kCu pwhn mY prmysur nwhI[[ qwhI ko pUj pRBU kir kY ijh pUjq hI AG EG
imtwhI[[ (DG, pg. 1353)
 jO jug qY kir hY qpsw kCu qoih pRsMnu n pwhn kY hY[[ hwQ auTwie BlI ibD so qoih kCU brdwn n dY hY[[
(DG, p.1353)
 Pokt Drm BXo Pl hIn ju pUj islw jug kot gvweI[[ is~D khw isl ky prsy bl ibR~D GtI nvin~D n
pweI[[ (DG, pg1353).
 pwhn ko AsQwlX ko isr nXwie iPrXo kCu hwQ n AwXo[[ ry mn mUV AGUV pRBU qij Awpn hUV khw
aurJwXo[[26[[ (DG,pg1354).
 khMU lY Tok bDy aur Twkur kwhMU mhyS kO eys bKwnXo[[ kwhMU khXo hir mMdr mY hir kwhMU msIq kY bIc
pRmwnXo[[ (1351).
 ik E buq prsqMdu mn buq isksn (zPrnwmw)
Gurbani says:

 “Eko jap eko salahay, ek simer ekay mann ahay

Ekas kay gun gao anant, mann tan jaap ek bhagwant
Eko ek ek har aap, pooran poor rehio prabh biap”
(Ibid, p.289).

 “Jaagat jot basay nis basar, ek bina mann naik na anay”

(33,Swayie, Patshahi, 10).

 “Har bin sabh kichh maila Santo, kia hao pooj charaie,
Har sachay bhavay sa pooja hovay, bhana mann vasaie

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Guru Gobind Singh says:

 ikqy iksn sy kIt koty aupwey, auswry gVy iPr myty bnwey[[
 ikqy ikRsn sy kIt koty bnwey[[ ikqy rwm sy myit fwry aupwey[[ (DG.p 98)
 rwm rhIm auBwr n skhY jwkr nwm rtY hY[[ bRhmw ibsn rudR sUrh sis qy bis kwl sBY hY[[ (Shabad
Hazare)
 rwm rhIm purwn kurwn Anyk khY mq eyk n mwnXo[[ isMimqR swsqR byd sBY bhu Byd khY hm eyk n jwnXo[[
pwNie ghy jb qy qumry qb qy koaU AwNK qry nhI AwnXo[[ (Ram Avtar)
 jwkr rUp rMg nih jinXq so ikm sXwm khY hY[[ (Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10).
 kwhU khXo ikRsnw khu kwhU mnY Avqwrn mwnXo[[ Pokt Drm ibswr sBY krqwr hI kau krqw jIA
jwnXo[[--AMq mry pCuwqie ipRQI pr, jy jg mY Aqwr khwey[[ (33 sawayye).
 kwl hI pwie Biea bRhmw gih dMf kmMfl bUm BRmwnXo[[ kwl hI pwie sdw iSvjU sB dys ibdys BieAw
hm jwnXo]
 iksn AO ibsn jpy quih koitk rwm rhIm BlI ibiD iDAwXo[[bRhm jipa Aru sMBu QipE iqh qy quih ko
iknhUM n bcwXo[[---qoih bcwie skY kY Awpn Gwv bcwie n AYhy[[ kop krwl kI pwvk kuMf mY Awp tMigE
iqm qoih tMgY hY[[ (Dasam Granth, p 111)
 mY n gnysih ipRQm mnwaUN[[ iksn ibsn kbhMU nh iDAwaUN[[ kwn suny pihcwn n iqn so[[ ilv lwgI myrI
pg ien soN[[ 434[[ (ikR. Avqwr)
 Koj rhy isv sy ijh AMq AnMq kihE Qk AMq n pwXo[[ qwhI kI bwq suno qumry muK qy sukdyv iehY
ThrwXo[[ (20403).
 jO khO rwm Ajoin AjY Aiq kwhy kO kOSl kuK jXo jU[[ kwl hUM kwl khY ijih kO ikih kwrx kwl qy dIn BXo
jU[[
 s~q srUp ibbYh khwie su kXoN pQ kO rQ hwNk DXo jU[[ qwhI ko mwin pRBU kir kY ijh ko koaU Bydu n lyn
lXo jU[[13[[
 kXo khu ikRSn ikRpwinD hY ikh kwj qy b~Dk bwx lgwXo[[ Aaur kulIn auDwrq jo ikh qy Apny kul nwsu
krwXo[[
 Awid Ajoin khwie kho ikm dyvik ky jTrMqr AwXo[[ qwq n mwq khY ijh ko iqh kXoN bsudyvih bwpu
khwXo[[14[[
 Kwhy ko eyS mhySih BwKq kwih idjyS ko eys bKwnXo[[ hY n rGvyS jdvyS rmwpiq qY ijn kO ibsvnwQ
pCwnXo[[
 eyk ko Cwif Anyk BjY sukdyv prwsr bXws JuTwnXo[[ Pokt Drm sjy sB hI eyk hI kO ibD nYk
pRmwnXo[[15[[
 koaU idjyS. Ko mwnq hY Aru koaU mhyS ko eyS bwY hY[[ koaU khY ibSno ibSnwiek jwih Bjy AG EG ktY hY[[
 bwr hjwr ibcwr Ary jV AMq smY sB hI qij jY hY[[ qwhI ko DXwn pRmwin hIey joaU Qy Ab hY Aru AwgY aU
hvY hY[[16[[
 kotk ieMdR kry ijh ko keI kit auipMdR bnwie KpwXo[[ dwnv dyv PinMdRDrwDr p~C psU nih jwiq gnwXo[[
 Awj lgy qpu swDq hY iSv aU bRhmw kCu pwr n pwXo[[ byd kqyb n Byd lKXo ijh soaU guru gur moih
bqwXo[[17[[
 Byd kqyb n Byd lhXo iqih isD smwiD sBY kir hwry[[ isMimRq SwsqR byd sBY bhu BwNiq purwn
ibcwr bIcwry[[

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 so ikm mwns rUp khwey[[ isD smwiD swD kr hwry kXo n dyKn pwey[[1[[ rhwau[[ (sbd hjwryy)
 SyS suryS gnyS mhysur gwih iPrY suRiq Qwh n AwXo[[ ry mn mUV AgUV ieso pRB qY ikh kwij kho
ibsrwXo[[4[[ 1350, 33 sv~XY
Several names of these incarnations, which were prevalent among the masses for the Supreme
Eternal Reality (God), have been used by the Sikh Gurus in their verses, because they were more clearly
understood by the devotees viz: Rama, Krishna, Gobind, Gopal, Banwari, Murari, Damodar etc.

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Malwai Sikhs
The holy scripture of Sikhism (Aad Granth now Guru Granth Sahib), the world
seat of Sikhism (Gurdwara Darbar Sahib / Golden Temple) in Amritsar were created by the
fifth Guru Dev in 1604 AD; thereby establishing the separate religious identity of Sikhism. Till
then the spread of Sikhism had been carried out through word of mouth by the Sikh Gurus and
it had no separte religious existence distinct form Hinduism and Islam. Because of its
principles Sikhism was acceptable to both Hindus and the Muslims.The erosion of their faiths
surprised the religious leaders of both, Hinduism (Brahims / Pandits) and those of Islam
(Mullas / Qazis). Therefore they regarded it as threat to their respective faths. The Muslim
administration, in addition perceived it as threat to its political power. They all joined hand and
decided to destroy it root and branch. The tensions that followed resulted in the martyrdom of
Guru Arjan Dev in Lahore. Guru Arjan Dev’s son Hargobind succeeded him as sixth Guru of
the Sikhs. Four armed attempts were made inorder to kill or capture Guru Hargobind by the
provincial forces of Lahore, but each time the invading force was defeated by the Sikhs. After
the fourth battle at Kartarpur in Bist Doab, Guru Hargobind shifted the Sikh headquarter at
Amritsar to Kirat pur in the Shivalik foot hills out of the jurisdiction of the Suba Lahore. The
Sikh headquarter in Amritsar was occupied by the dissident Sanatan Khatris headed by Pirthi
Chand hostile to Guru Ghar (Guru’s institution). After the occupation of the Sikh headquarter
(Gurwara Darbar Sahib and Akal Takhat) in Amritsar the Khatris under the leadership of Pi rthi
Chand and his progeny in collabration with the learned Brahmins played havoc with the Sikh
literature and introduced into it a lot of Puranic tales and tried to assimilate it within the
pantheism of Hinduism through their writings and introducing various rituals of Hinduism in
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) Amritsar. Guru Hargobind was succeeded by four
more Gurus.
Sikhism developed and matured and became established to work its way in the
world at the end of two centuries under the guidance of its ten Gurus. It was fomally initiated
by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib on the Vaisakhi day 1699 AD, through the
Amritpaan ceremony. On this day he gave finishing touch to Sikhism. He laid down distinct
Sikh religious code of conduct (Sikh Rehat Maryada) and gave the Sikhs a distinct corporate
identity. Amritpaan broke caste that forms the bedrock of the Brahmanical religion, Varn
Ashram Dharma / Sanatan Dharma, presently called Hinduism. Majority of the Khatris, the
community to which all Sikh Gurus belonged, refused to get formally initiated into Sikhism by
accepting Pahul / Amrit from the same Baata (Communion Bowl) along with the shudras as it
broke caste. They asked for Pahul (Amrit) prepared in a separate commninion bowl for them,
but the Guru turned down their request. The Hindu Khatri Rajput Rajas arround Anandpur
Sahib walked out of the Amritpaan ceremony and vowed to destroy the Guru Gobind Singh
and his newly created ‘Khalsa’—‘The Sikh Nation’. They became thirsty for Guru Gobind
Singh’s blood. The Guru accepted the challenge and defeated them in all the battles they
fought with him. The Brahmans, the Hindu Khatri hill Rajput Rajas around Anandpur and the
Moghul Muslim government of Hindustan all joined hands and attacked the Sikh citadel at
Anandpur Sahib. The Sikhs fought valiantly. Guru Gobind Singh, all his four sons and
innumerable Sikhs embraced martyrdom. Before leaving this mortal world on the night
intervening Oct 7-8;1708, Guru Gobind Singh institutionalized the Guruship
and invested it into the holy Sikh Scripture Aad Granth and Khalsa Panth and granted them the
status of Guru Granth and Guru Khalsa Panth respectively, which could neither be killed nor
eliminated. The Khalsa ultimately destroyed the Muslim rule and religious domination by
Hindus in their motherland, Punjab, and established their own rule (Khalsa Raj) in the middle

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of the 18th century. The Sikhs remained busy in securing and expanding the boundries of their
newly established rule. They did not pay attention to socially separate themselves from
Hinduism on the basis of the identity provided to them by the founders of the faith.
The Sikhs lost their rule in 1849 AD; to the British after many bloody wars not
because of lack of bravery on their part, but due to the treachery of the officials of the civil
government dominated by the Hindus. The Kingdom of the Sikhs was annexed by the British
under an agreement with the Sikh nation by the British.
After the loss of Sikh power in the Punjab, the Brahmins from Benaras invaded the
Punjab in Sikh garb. They crossed river Jamna (Yamuna) in the garb of Nirmala and Udasi sadhus /
saints, in Sikh appearance and settled in the Malwa region of the Punjab. They were patronized by
the Phoolkia Malwaee rulers in this region at the behest of the British, with whom they had entered
into a treaty for protection against the Sikh State (Khalsa Raj) of the Punjab during the rule of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in1809. These Nirmala and Udasi Brahmins were in Sikh garb but Hindu at
heart and antagonistic to Sikh thought and doctrines. They produced Sikh literature inorder to
Hinduize it and made several interpolations in the Sikh theology, philosophy and history and are
presently using them to misguide the Sikhs and others in India and internationally.
The final phase for the independence of India started in the beginning of the 20 th
cenrtury. It is worth mentioning here that the Sikhs were on the top in the struggle for the
movement of Indian independence, followed by the Bengalis. It is for any body to verify the
number of persons hanged, exiled, or fined during the struggle for the Indian independence
against the British rule in India. At the time of decolonization of the Indian subcontinent in
1947 the British refused to hand over the country of the Sikhs back to them, disregarding the
treaty of annexation with them, because of their annoyance with the Sikhs for their bitter
opposition to the British rule in India and abroad. They divided the country of the Sikhs,
Punjab into two parts, the western parrt 62% was made over to the newly created Islamic state
of Pakistan and the eastern 38% was handed over to the Hindu India. The Sikhs who were
rulers of the Punjab before the arrival of the British were thus made homeless and politically
dead.
It is a well known fact that the Hindus are highly intolerant of the non-confirming
faiths, there have been persitent attempts on their part to overturn the Sikh history, theology
and philosophy particularly after the Sikhs lost their rule. With the decolonization of the Indian
subcontinent (Hidustan) in 1947 and the division, destruction and denial of their state back to
the Sikhs by the British, they (Sikhs) for the first time in history came under the tultelage of a
reviving Hinduism. Immediately after gaining independence the Government of India
dominated by radical Hindus undertook the task of distirting the Sikh history, theology and
undermining of Sikhism and even declaring Sikhism a sect of Hinduism.
Guru Arjan Dev very clearly and emphatically declared and wrote it in the holy
Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib in Rag Bhairon on page 1136 that we, ‘the Sikhs’ are
neither Hindus nor Muslims. But the Hindus are antagonistic to the idea of considering
Sikhism separate from Hinduism. They try to Hinduize Sikhism by infiltrating into the Sikh
places of worship, introducing ritualism there and other practices of Hinduism including the
caste system and influencing the Sikh way of life in many other ways, which is strongly
resented by the Sikhs sometimes resulting in violent calshes.
Sikhism has no aversion for anyone and not the least for Hindus. This book only
expounds the differences in various thought currents in both the religions. I am confident that
the Sikhs living in various parts of the world in particular and followers of other religions in
general will be able to understand Sikhism better and benefitted by this work.

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Rejection of Brahmanical Practices of Hinduism (Bipran kee reet) by Sikhism/Gurmat

I will be more than gratified if the book is able to remove doubts of readers, and help
them in getting precise information about Sikhism. Suggestions for improvement will be most
welcome.

Jagraj Singh
Tampa, Florida.
September, 2012

Yoga
Patanjali, the author of Yoga Sutras does not believe in the ‘Absolute and Supreme
God’; the worship and achievement of which forms the prime foundations of Sikh faith and
practices. Patanjali speaks of the deity as Isvara, an eternally emancipated Purusa, Omniscient
and teacher of the past teachers. By meditating on him, many of the obstacles, such as illness
which stand in the way of Yoga practices are removed. He is regarded as an interesting object of
concentration. ----The God of Patanjali is not easy to describe. He is said to be a special kind
of’’Self’, untouched by the taint of imperfections and above the law of Karma. He is omniscient
teacher of the ancient Rishis. So he is not the Creator and Preserver of the Universe, but only an
inward teacher of Truth. Patanjali, the author of Yoga Sutras does not believe in the ‘Absolute
and Supreme God’; the worship and achievement of which forms the prime foundations of Sikh
faith and practices. According to Patanjali, “the goal of human aspiration is not union with God
but the absolute separation of Purusa from Prakrti”. Patanjali, the author of Yoga Sutras does
not believe in the ‘Absolute and Supreme God’; the worship and achievement of which forms the
prime foundations of Sikh faith and practices. Patanjali speaks of the deity as Isvara, an eternally
emancipated Purusa, Omniscient and teacher of the past teachers. By meditating on him, many
of the obstacles, such as illness which stand in the way of Yoga practices are removed. He is
regarded as an interesting object of concentration. Patanjali’s God is “only a particular Self
(purusavisesa) and not the Creator and Preserver of the Universe”. On the contray Sikhism
believes in a God who is the Creator, Preserver, Destroyer, the Light Eternal, the Saviour and
Father of humanity. The concept of Ishvara in which Patanjali and some other Hindu Systems
believe is absent in Hinduism. Although the Immanent spirit of God is accepted as the indwelling
spirit of the Infinite in everyone, it is not Isvara of Patanjali. This difference in the theism of
Patanjali and Guru Nanak leads to all the metaphysical, theological and mystical difference in
Yoga and Sikhism. As mentioned earlier, according to Patanjali, “the goal of human aspiration is
not union with God but the absolute separation of Purusa from Prakrti”. There is no where
mention of union of the human spirit with the ‘Supreme Eternal Reality’ i.e God, in his
teachings, but his teachings are still called jog (Union) or Yoga.

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Practices of Brahmanism / Varan Ashram Dharma /Hinduism

called
Bipran kee Reet
Bipar means Brahman and Bipran means Brahmans. **Bipran kee Reet means
Brahmanical culture, which in Brahmanism (Hinduism) is practiced through:
1. Belief in many Gods ie; Polytheism--(Devtas), Goddesses (Devis). Belief in
incarnations of God-- (Avtaars), Belief in Hindu scriptures: Vedas, Shastras, Purans and
Simritis etc. Belief in renunciation, asceticism, celibacy. Belief in the sacredness of cow.
Belief in caste system. Belief in ritual practices-- like: worship of fire (Havan/ Havan-
Yajna (jag). Belief in horoscopes, astrology, Jantra, mantra and tantras, Sutak /Patak
(Birth death impurity and ritual purification), good and bad omens, auspicious and
inauspicious days, dates and months. Belief in Hindu scriptures, celibacy, asceticism and
renunciation.
2. Worship (Pooja) of idols (Moortis), pictures, tombs (Samadhis), cremation grounds, by
way of performing rituals like A a r t i , clapping of hands, dancing, ringing of bells,
blowing of conches, burning incense ( D h o o p ) , offering food for the deity (naibed),
lighting lamp (Jot jagaoni) with clarified butter (desi ghio), with a view of holiness of
lamps, keeping kumbh (new earthen pitcher full of water with its mouth covered with
red cloth), a coconut wraped in red cloth, breaking of coconut on ceremonial occasions
and reciting Mantras in ‘Brahmanical language’-‘Sanskrit’on cecremonial occasions.
3. Caste observance and acceptance of Brahmanical supremacy and
4. Appearance-- through Mundan (Bhaddan /Hajamat / --shave), bodi (sikhasut-keeping a
tuft of hair on the head) and dress--dhoti, topi (cap), and langoti, supporting-- tilak-
Tikka (frontal mark ) by men, Bindi and Sandhoor by women and wearing of Janeu
(Tug) by men,
5. Oservance of superstitious acts, performing Devi's jagratas, wearing of maoli (multi-
coloured thread) on the wrist, wearing of Rakhri (Rakhi), celebration of Holi and
Dusehra festivals etc.
Most obvious characteristics of an ordinary Hindu are:
He worships or at least believes in plurality of gods and believes in Scriptures of Hinduism, Caste
system, idolatry, ascetism, celibacy and accepts Brahmanical supremacy. He looks upon the cow as a
sacred and not merely as an economically useful or indispensable animal.
NB: In Hinduism Jot (lamp made of wheat flour or / lamp made of clay and lit with clarified butter
or vegetable oil) represents worship of Agni Devta, Coconut represents worship of Ganesh Devta,
Kumbh or water represents Jal Devta and red cloth represents Devi / Mangal greh, round bindi or
tilak represents moon (soma greh), which have no place in Gurmat, in which only worship of Akal
Purkh is sanctioned.

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A glance upon the Intrusion of un-Sikh and anti-Sikh practices into

Sikhism
Sikhism gave its followers a legacy of equality, but in due course, when the Sikhs
came into confrontation with the Moghul Muslim government their shrines came under the
control of the Hindu Khatris and Brahmins, who tried their maximum to Hinduise their religion
by introducing Brahmanical ritualism into it. After the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, his only
son Hargobind succeeded him as sixth Guru of the Sikhs. All the enemies of Guru Ghar (Guru’s
institution) i.e, the dissident Khatris under the leadership of meenas, the Brahmins and provincial
Moghul Muslim government at Lahore joined hands and made four attempts at different places
inorder to kill or capture Guru Hargobind but they were always defeated by the Sikhs. After the
fourth battle at Kartarpur Guru Hargobind left Amritsar and moved the Sikh heaqdquarter to
Kiratpur in the Shivalik foot hills outside the jurisdiction of the province of Lahore. Thus
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) and Akal Takhat at Amritsar came under the
occupation of the enemies of Guru Ghar led by meenas and it remained it remained so for about
six decades till 1699. During this period of occupation the meenas in collaboration with the
learned Brahmins played havoc with Sikh ideology. The meenas (Pirthi Chand and his progeny)
in collaboration with the Brahmins brought in a lot of Puranic mythology in various
compositions on Sikhism including Guru Nanak’s Janam Sakhi (biography), in the process
reducing him to an avatar within the framework of Hindu pantheonism.
After the demise of Guru Gobind Singh in 1708, the Sikhs declared the war of
their independence in 1709. The Sikhs destroyed the Muslim rule and domination and
established their own rule under Banda Singh Bahadur in 1710 AD; between Lahore and Delhi
with Lohgarh as their capital, but this was short lived. Banda Singh was captured alive on 17 th
December 1715 AD; and executed in Delhi along with his captured companions, after inflicting
horrible tortures. The Sikhs were declared outlaws and were hunted like wild beasts and killing
of the Sikhs and plunder of their houses was made legal by the government. The Sikhs left their
homes and hearths and escaped into the safety of the jungles, mountains, caves and deserts, but
refused to submit and continued their sutruggle for independence. The situation prevailed for
about half a century.During this period of absence of the Sikhs from the scene the clean shaven
Hindu Sadhus took care of their shrines (Gurdwaras). Because of their Hindu background they
not only introduced un-Sikh, but even anti-Sikh practices in Sikhism.
After a hard, but determined struggle the Sikhs overcame all oppression and destroyed
both, the rule and domination of the Muslims in the middle of the 18th century; and established
their rule in the form of small confedracies called Misals in their homeland, Punjab. In 1801 all
the Misals on the western side of the river Satlej consolidated themselves under the leadership of
Ranjit Singh and established the Sikh Empire and named their government ‘Sarkare Khalsa’.
During the persecution of the Sikhs in the 18th century the management of Gurdwara
Harmander Sahib passed into the hands of the Hindu Udasi Sadhus. These Udasi Sadhus
successively served as head-priests of Akal Takhat and Harmander Sahib Amritsar, till they were
forcibly ejected by the Khalsa Sikhs under Singh Sabha in early 1920’s and with the constitution
of Sharomani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 1925; their control over the Sikh shrines and
institutions officially came to an end. During their control over the Sikh shrines the Udasis tried
their best to Hinduise Sikhism. They not only introduced un-Sikh, but even anti-Sikh, ritualistic
Brahmanical practices in the Sikh shrines and made several interpolations in the Sikh literature. .
In this way Sikhism came under the influence of Brahmanical ritualism.
During the Sikh rule in the Punjab, Punjabis irrespective of their caste or creed were
given employment on merit on an egalitarian base. The Hindus (both Brahmins and Khatris)

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because of of their literacy and hereditary skills in civil administration got employment in
various departments and rose to high positions. The Army was almost Sikh and the Sikhs
themselves remained busy with defending, increasing and securing the boundries of their nascent
empire. The Brahmians and the Khatris very discretely followed their Chanakya policy, rose to
the top posts in the administration of the Sikh empire, conspired and colluded with the British
and brought down the Sikh rule in the Punjab in 1849 AD. The Sikhs lost the war not because of
the lack of bravery of the Khalsa army, but due to the treachery of the civil government
dominated by the Hindu Khatris and Brahmins. The Sikhs in Punjab were ruthlessly suppressed
by the British with the help of the Poorbias (Punjabi word literally meaning people belonging to
the eastern side of the Punjab i.e UP and Bihar), both Hindus and Muslims, who were deployed
as occupation force on behalf of the British against the Sikhs in the Punjab.
In 1857 the Poorbias (both Hindus and Muslims) revolted against the British rule in
India under the leadership of the deposed Mughul Emperor Bahadur Shah and killed a large
number of the feringis. Now the British had no body to fall back upon except the Sikhs whom
they had treacherously defeated were presently humiliating them through the Poorbiah Hindus
and Muslims. The British desperately appealed to the Sikhs for help. The Sikhs, decided to
avenge the Moghul and Purbiah tyrannies committed against them both in the recent and distant
past by helping the British. The disbanded Khalsa army of the Sikh empire immediately gathered
itself and Sikh soldiers led the assault on Delhi and they captured the city on September 20,
1857. They captured Emperor ‘Bahaur Shah Zafar’, Begum Zeenat Mahal, three sons and a
grand son of the Emperor and re-established the rule of the East India Company.
After the suppression of the mutiny the Sikhs became most sought after soldiers for
the British. During this period a large number of Hindus in Punjab, who mostly lived in the
urban areas embraced Sikhism inorder to enjoy the benefits available to the Sikhs under the
British rule. Having come from the Hindu fold a sizeable number of them have not discarded the
Hindu traditions and instead are trying to Hinduize Sikhism by introducing Hindu traditions into
it.

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