Guru Nanak saw the oppressive and murderous march of the army of Babar trampling the helpless Indians on its way. His reactions have been stated in his famous Shabad relating of this episode. Firstly, Guru Nanak was deeply anguished at the tragic events. Secondly, he upbraided Babar for his cruel actions and called his conquering army as an evil. He even reproached God for not showing mercy on helpless victims. Thirdly, he chided Indians for their spineless weakness.
He slated “God takes no blame on Himself. Sins of Hindustan disguised as the Mughal carne and swept over the country.”
He further asked, why all this tribulations, disgrace. And desolation if ‘one were strong to fight back the strong. He decided to uplift the downtrodden to make them mighty $o that they can face boldly any danger or onslaught, His preaching’s therefore, aimed at transforming the soul, spirit and body of people.
A different path
He warned that the new path on which he could be leading is a different one:
“Khanion likhi, walon Nikki, eunargjana His rousing call is described in the following Gurwak:
“Je to Prem khelan ka chau. Sir Dhar tali gali meri aa0 ET marg per dharijai
Sir deejai kan na keejai”
Those who want to follow his path, should come with their heads on their palms and be prepared for the extreme sacrifices without & grudge.
With this preamble, Guru Nanak enunciated a tough moral, spiritual, social and ethical code lo is followed with religious discipline. The old customs, culture and religious beliefs, which made the country and men weak, were done away: with. In their place a different set of religious thoughts, social customs, higher values and beliefs were introduced. These were not only reformist but revolutionary in character and meant for reconditioning the society and the thinking of man.
Unfortunately this important factor, i, ¢. Break from the old notions, has not been perfectly understood by Sikhs over the years. Many of their ills causing the decline in their religious strength and social status emanate from this ignorance, The old corrupted ideas and Brahminical culture continues to have a sway on their minds, They perceive and interpret Sikhism with that colored vision and often get a distorted view of their religion and social system Hence the present-day Sikh practices have tilled towards un Sikh religious and un-Sikh social order.
Amongst the aberrations which have crept in the faith the following need special attention for its resurgence.
Cooperation & Love
A critical look at present day Sikh society will show that they need a. The old savage ideas of internecine fights and mutual feuds should be replaced by civilized thoughts of mutual respect and cooperation. The Guru has ordered:”Chhodo kapat, howo nirvera” Hoye Ikattar milo mere Bhai Dubda door karo liv lac”. A British sociologist once stated that “where there are three Sikhs there are five organizations.” If no three Sikhs can cooperate how they can achieve the noble idea of universalism enshrined in the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, How can they contribute to cooperation of humanity when they do not cooperate as Sikhs Also what is the use of crying hoarse “Manas ki jat sabhe ekke pehchanbo”.
Sensibility:
It is noticed that Sikh as a community are somewhat indifferent towards happenings which affect them unitedly, There is a need that they must concern themselves in practical way with the crucial is~ sues of the times social, political, economic and religious. They must be more aware as to how these events affect Sikhs and adequately prepare themselves to race them, at present such Sensibility is lacking. From the old Brahminical culture, they have imbibed the quality of selfishness. Their personal interest usually takes precedence over the good of the community.
If one looks at the Sikh case over the years, be it commissions, territorial disputes, language problems, sharing political power, etc., there is hardly any verdict which has satisfied the Sikh demands, In the present times, the media is systematically trying to bring back the old Brahminical culture in the country. This is affecting Sikh culture, language and religion. There are subtle attempts to explain Sikhism as an appendage of Hinduism. Sikh culture needs to be redefined precisely ‘on Gurmat principles, Punjabi language is being heavily loaded with Hindi and Sanskrit words. A section of so-called Sikh intelligentsia is cooperating with these efforts.
A cruel example of lack of sensibility is the 1984 happenings. Inspite of their magnitude, gruesome killings and humiliation, Sikhs appear to have put them in the background. Some organizations are even cooperating with the perpetrators. There are hardly any effective, united and sustained efforts being made to bring back the past glory and prestige of the Panth.
Stripping of Accretions
On account of lack of preaching, and wrong preaching, the true identity of Sikhism has been blurred. Several extraneous aberrations have grown around the Faith. Over the years a number of accretions have been overlaid upon true Sikh doctrines, precepts and institutions. There is an urgent need to remove them. Some social evils which Gur Nanak noticed at the time of the invasion of Babar have crept in again. Majority of Sikhs now stress caste and clan. The enlightened spiritualism preached by the Guru is forgotten. The corrupt concepts of old culture ¢.g. ritualism, fatalism, Superstition, propitiation, easteism. etc. are back in practice.
Our Heritage
Sikhs are not fully aware of the great heritage of the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib was meant to give light to the whole universe, but it is a pity Sikhs are living mostly in the arc of darkness. Sikh society instead of moving to the enlightened era of universalism is satisfied in quibbling, flaunting castes and creeds, and floundering in the old decadent culture.
To improve the situation there is primary need of enlightened leadership with a vision and Sikh scholarship who can preach, in simple terms, the correct aspects of Sikh religion and its revolutionary ethos.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 18, 1993
