July 1792 __3
The Role and Status of Women in Sikh Socity
Sikhism made a radical departure from Hinduism by demolishing the iniquitous barriers that the society had erected between man and man and between man and woman. The Sikh Gurus laid down the foundations of a healthy egalitarian and progressive social order. They advocated the principles of universal equality and brotherhood as the only true basis of social relations. The Sikh concept of equality transcended the narrow considerations of caste creed clime sex and color. The Sikh Gurus held woman equal to man in every field of life. They pleaded for equal rights and privileges fo rher both in religious and socio-political fields. Sikhism does not debar woman from attaining salvation She can realize the highest religious goal while remaining a woman. There is no need for her to first take birth as a man to attain mukti. A woman is not debarred from reading the Scripture. She can act as a priest conduct the service and lead a prayer in the Gurdwara. She can join any congregation without any inhibition and restriction. She does not have to veil herself while sitting in a congregation. She can receive as well as impart baptism. She enjoys equal religious rights. Guru Amar Das even assigned to women the responsibility of supervising the community in certain sectors They were invested with the office of preacher ship and missionary work. Mata Sahib Kaur wife of Guru Gobind Singh participated in the preparation of amrit by pouring sugar crystals in it which was administered to the Five Beloved Ones at the time of the formation of Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh. Similarly women were invested with equal rights in the social and political fields. Mata Kheevi was held in high esteem for her dedication to social work. Mata Gujri Mata Sahib Kaur Mai Bhago Mai Sada Kaur Mcharani Jind Kaur and Maharani Sahib Kaur participated in political and war affairs of the Sikhs Some of them assumed the role of a fighter for dharam yudh and fought against enemy forces. The Sikh history records with appreciation the heroic deeds performed by these brave Sikh women. It was the impact of the egalitarian Sikh teaching that these women could come to the fore and distinguish themselves.
The transformation the Sikh Gurus brought in woman’s status was truly revolutionary. The concept of equality of woman with man not only gave woman an identity of her own but tended to free her from all kinds of fetters to which she was bound in the Hindu society. Condemned 10 a life of misery and degradation and deprived of all social privileges and rights she had hitherto come to develop a slavish mentality. This coupled with social restraints had totally killed her initiative and restricted her mobility She had grown into a listless individual and was a pathetic sight. It was in this setting that Guru Nanak the founder of the Sikh faith raised his voice for justice to women and provided the scriptural basis for equality which was not to be found in the scriptures of other India born religions. He pleaded the cause of women and strove for their liberation in the 1Sthcentury whereas women’s emancipation movement in Europe started much later in the 18th and the 19th centuries In an age when the inferiority of women was taken for granted and female infanticide and the customs of purdah and sati were commonly practiced the Guru spoke out against them in a voice of reason and sanity. As the Sikh faith grew his protest grew louder and it demolished one by one all centuries-old disabilities against woman In an of the quoted sermon the Guru tries to show the folly of treating woman with disrespect: From the woman is our birth;
In the woman’s womb are we shaped.
To the woman are we engaged; To the woman are we wedded. The woman yea is our friend And from woman is the family If one woman dies we seek mother;
Through the woman are the bonds of the world
O’ why call woman evil who give the birth to kings.
From the woman is the woman Without the woman there is none; Nanak without the woman is the One True Lord Alone.
The Guru insisted that woman must be treated with deference as she is the source of man’s physical existence and his entire social life. The Sikh Gurus denounced all those practices and restrictions which tended to reduce woman to a position of infinity. They gave them more freedom in the affairs of the society. The false notions that women were unclean were removed Women were no longer considered a source of sin They came to be respected as equally good members of the society. In the medieval India the practice of sati (immolation of a widow on the funeral pyre of her husband) was common. The Sikh Gurus condemned it long before any notice of it was taken by Akbar and later by the British rulers Guru Amar Das carried out a vigorous campaign for the abolition of this inhuman and barbarous practice. He observed:
A Sati is not she who berth herself
On the pyre of her spouse. Nanak: a Sati is she who ditch with
The sheer shock of separation. Yea the Sati is one who live the contended
And embellishe the herself with good conduct:
And cherishes the her Lord ever and calleth
On Him each morn The women burn themselves on the pyres Of their lords But if they love their spouses well they suffer the pangs of separation even otherwise
He further said: She who loveth not her spouse Why burncth she herself in fire? For be he alive or dead She oweth him not.
The Guru denounced Sati as an infliction of unforgivable cruelty on women and strove hard for the emancipation of women from this forced brutal social practice. He also sought amelioration of the position of women by deprecating the custom of purdah (veil) and by encouraging widow remarriage. No woman could come to the congregation in purdah. Guru Amar Das also established 22 Manjis covering several paris of India for the growth of Sikh religion and organization. He entrusted four of these to women The Sixth Guru Guru Hargobind called woman “the conscience of man” without whom moral living was impossible. The girls were also encouraged to receive education. Child marriage was discouraged and the practice of female infanticide severely banned The latter was considered so important that it was subsequently made a part of the instructions given to the Sikhs at the time of baptism The oath requires that Sikhs will not practise female infanticide or have any association at all with those who practise it will not take alcohol tobacco and other drugs and will not marry their daughters for monetary gain. Guru Gobind Singh the 10thGuru firmly endorsed the principle of human equality in all walks of life at the time of administering amrit “to his followers. Guru’s baptism was and is open to all A Sikh cannot be called a Sikh if he discriminates between a high and a low or between a man and a woman Sikhism has thus been a potent influence in the emancipation of Indian womanhood. According to the basic tenets of Sikh religion a woman has full freedom for worship education and vocation. She may work in a field or a factory or go to a baulefield as a soldier. There are no obstacles in her way. Further not only are there no prejudices in Sikhism against women engaging in productive work it is made obligatory for all individuals both men and women to engage in gainful and productive activity and contribute something for the public weal.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 24, 1992
