(Courtesy: The Sikh Review, by Dr. C. Rajeswari)

Guru Nanak started his mission roundabout the year 1486. During this period the Sikh movement was continuously engaged, Tint, in propagating the ideals of complete human freedom and equality, then, in building a society (The Sikh Panth) based on these ideals and, finally, in creating, through the Panth, a political revolution.

No other movement in the sub-continent succeeded in deliberately establishing a distinct social identity outside the caste system. Now Indianized” religions like Islam and Christianity living in contiguity with lindoism also thought of abolishing easterners, but It has proved to be stubbornly durable. The Muhammadans in practice recognize two main social divisions: Ashraf or noble, including all undoubted descendants of foreigners and converts from the higher Ilinda castes, and Ajlaf, or common people. Intermarriage between Ashraf and Ajlaf is repro hated and it is seldom that a man of the higher class will give his daughter to one of the lower. Paradoxically, the average Indian Christian is a staunch observer of caste There are a larger number of Christians in the Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu who eyen boast of their being the firmer and true adherents of the caste system than the Ilindus.

The concept of Hindu Dharma was synonymous, or very closely interwoven, with the social order of Brahmanism, viz., the caste system (Varna Ashrama Dharma). It determined the limits within which the Indian social life must flow and the direction in which it must move. So long as this flow remained confined within the prescribed social limits, all varieties and sorts of dogmas, ideas, faiths, creeds, customs and practices were tolerated and allowed to be a part Or the Hindu Dharma. But any threat to the framework of the social order was frowned upon, condemned or combated against, depending upon the seriousness of the threat posed. This is the basic hypothesis. To nullify this hypothesis Guru Nanak Devji started his categorical mission to abolish caustics. Venture of Social Change.

Many of the Bhakthi saints suggested some social reforms like equality, but did not venture to disturb its framework. Kabir and some other saints challenged in an obvious manner the very ideological basis of the caste system. Theirs was a call for a radical social change. The rejection of theory and practice of “population,” and the restrictions on food and drinks, sought to eliminate one of the most potent means of the propagation or caste exclusiveness. The Bhaktas attacked the pillars on which the caste system rested, but not the system as such. The radical Bhaktas could not succeed in mobilizing the people to come out from the bonds of casteism. They give priority to discover the essential truth in all scriptures. What the radical Bhaktas could not do, the Sikh Gurus did. They created an egalitarian society (The Sikh Panth) outside the caste society and made it the spring-board for giving shape to revolutionary movement.

Sikhs and Social Justice.

The character and development of the Sikh movement reveals that the first among the main social goals is to build up an egalitarian society; the others are, to use this new society as a base to wage an armed struggle against religious and political oppression. The Sikh movement deliberately built up a society outside the caste society. It was indeed the only people’s movement for Indi origin which strove to capture political power for humanistic ends and socialist objectives.

It cannot be sad that the Sikh Gurus used religion as a mask cover their social alms, For them the tackling of all problems of life was an integral part of their religion its Sikhism felt that the world being real the objects not to secure a release from life, but to strive for more and spiritual living Service to humanity is regarded to be the God-centered activity and not salvations the goal. In the find place, the so-called Muko, the idea for salvation from life, was not given that importance. Guru Gobind Singh change the will of Bha Nand Li’s composition from Bandginama (Meditational Pail) to Zindaginama.

The idea of Muku was given a now mooring in Sikhism It meant release from self ounterdness, selfishness, and individual tom and not from the world. In fact Maku was linked to the service of humanity Sikhism does med not only the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God, but also his clear and primary interest not in any metaphysical doctrine but only in man and his fate Sikhism’s Importance to Householder’s Life.

One great practical stop Guru Nanak took for the social involvement of his creed was to establish the primacy of the family duties of the householder. I was such a major departure from the old religious tradition that the Nath Yogis were alarmed and tried to underling it for Sikhs the normal life became the medium of spiritual training and expression. Guru Angad and Guru Amar Dus explicitly excluded the Udasis, who led celibates and accede life, from the Sikh sold All the Sikh Gurus, excepting Guru Harikrishan who died at tender age, wet themselves married householders. Another mayor practical step to wean people away from an ascetic’s or a mendicant’s life was the Guru’s insistence on coming one’s bread by honest work. The liberation which Baba Nanak realized in his heart was not political liberty but spiritual freedom. Humanitarian Concerns in Sikhism Nanak had called upon his disciples to free themselves from selfishness, narrow bigotry, and spiritual lethargy Guru Gobind organized the Sikhs la suit such a special purpose the called in the human energy of the Sikhs from all other sides and made it now in one particular channel the converted the spiritual unity of the Sikhs into a means of worldly success The Sikh view of religion is diametrically opposed to the traditional one. I do not permit of any dichotomy of life, or of any divorce of the individual from his society. Nor does it visualize that true religion and ethics can operate unconcerned beside an unjust social or political order, nor that spiritual freedom can co-exist with religious dictation and political slavery Some other religions claim that wealth and usury are desirable, und poverty is a curse and supposed to be inherent in God’s will They conveniently separate the concept of social justice from religion. According to the Sikh Gurus, however, religious, mural and spiritual activity covers the totality of life of the individual as well as of the society The Sikh Gurus made social service (sewa) a Pre-requisite to Spiritual development. Identity of Sikhism.

Sikhist universality and humanism were compatible neither with any sectarian exclusiveness nar with the caste-ridden and sectarian orthodox society. The greatest social hurdle in the way of humanism was the iniquitous caste system. Since the caste system was the greatest obstacle in the way of the Sikh movement for developing an egalitarian society, the Sikh Gurus had no sol corner for the lesser variations of social inequities. They felt that unless the funds mental peace of the case was eliminated there could be no major change in the other inequities, they therefore, concentrated on the egalitarian social aspect of the movement mainly in its relevance to the caste.

It is important that the struggle of the Sikh movement against the caste system should be judged in the context of its observance in the medieval era, and not under the present day conditions when it is losing its old hold and sting. The Indian orthodox religious tradition too has emphasized the need for eliminating ego (Ahankara). But at the same time it saw no contradiction in sanctifying the caste system (Vama Ashrama Dharma), which involves inequality and hierarchism. In order to reconcile this contradiction, the orthodox tradition compartmentalized ethics by setting different standards in ethical behaviors for the individual and the society. In Sikhism, social and individual problems cannot be divorced from each other. Both have to be tackled by a single religious approach Establishment of an Egalitarian Society Guru Nanak explicitly fraternized with Bhai Lalo-a carpenter, Guru Gobind Singh introduced commonally among the four caste to make them unified, llc put one cobbler (Chamar) in charge of memorial shrine (Damdama) he built. The same Guru told Bhai Bidhia that Rup Chand (who had come from the carpenter caste) was very dear to him. The Guru anointed him with his own hands, Guru Gobind Singh chose five Be. loved Ones (Panj Piarus) as the leaders of the Khalsa community. Or them, one was Jat, one a barber, one a calico-printer and one a water-carrier The three last were Sudras, the Jat being on the borderline of Vaisyas and Sudras Guru’s address to his Sikhs in 1699 runs as follows:

“Let all embrace one creed and obliterate differences of religion. Let the four lundu caste who have different rules for their guidance abandon them all, adopt the one form of adoration and become brothers. Let those who receive my baptism cat out of one dish, and feel no disgust or contempt for one another Guru has made the four castes into a single one, and made the Sudras, Vaish, Khatri and Brahminke meals at the same place

In the later literature, 100, it has been recorded that the Guru’s mission was to weld the four castes into one “Any one of the four castes who takes baptism assured my (the Guru’s) form All members of the Khalsa Dal were issued clothes from a common store. Without concealing anything, they would pool all their earnings at one place. If anyone found or bought any valuable, they were deposited in the treasury as common property. All the transgressions of the taboos on food and drinks were always punished Limitations or Sikhism

Though the Gurus’ stand on the issue of caste is crystal clear they could not risk the future of the movement by insisting on inter caste marriages. The Sikh movement de pended for all its recruitment to its ranks entirely on elements drawn from the caste society. It could not afford to cut itself off completely from the reservoir of its recruitment They knew that human prejudices regarding marriages would automatically disappear with the leveling up of the castes, i.e. caster status consciousness and the ritualistic barriers Role of Women In Sikhism

The egalitarianism of Sikhism not only meant the abolition of caste hierarchy but also abolition of gender or sexual discrimination. The role of women in Sikhism is a notable feature to be dealt with.

The Sikh movement had comprehensive egalitarian objectives. As such, raising the status of women formed an essential part of is program. Guru Nanak declared, “why call her bad from whom are born Kings” Guru Amar Das abolished the customs of Purdah and Sati and of the twenty two manjis, dioceses or preaching districts, so up by him, some were headed by women. The status of women raised by the movements reflected by the fact that they participated in the revolutionary struggle on equal terms with men. It was Mai Bhago who Tallied the deserters from Anandpur and led them in the battle of Mukatsar Ina period of guerilla warfure, Sikh women were imprisoned and subjected to hard labour, but they did not forsake their faith. Sada Kaur, wife of Baba Gunbeksh Singh ruled the Area which was under the control of Kannahya Misals. She led her armies in battle and Ranjit Singh owed his success, in no small measure, to her political acumen. Conclusion

Sikhism is thus the first Indian movement Started with the vision of challenging and abolishing the caste hierarchy, it was started as a social movement and developed as a political movement Service to humankind is considered to be the service to God, since God loves every man creates. Sikhism insisted very mach on household life than on Asceticism. Sikhism does not demarcate an individual from the society. Sharing has become an important aspect in the life. Sikh Panth and Sewa are notable features in Sikhism This movement firmly believed that until and unless the casteism was eliminated, no major change can be brought about in the society in economic or political level. Taboos and disgust or contempt for one another are strictly abhorred, Sexual dis. crimination is also abolished and women are involved in military and religious services on an equal footing .

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 18, 1995