This is in response to advertisement “Ram Shila Movement,” published in L.A. INDIA on 9/7/90 and India West whereby the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, tried to categories Sikhs as Keshadhari Hindus and Guru Granth Sahib as Hindu scripture. I think Dr. Subramaniya and V.I.P. are entitled to their opinion, but having a degree in engineering or being a nuclear physicists cannot justify the credentials to comment on theology but if he wants to make an emotional appeal to create disharmony he has every right to do so. Theology has its own parameters and Dr. Shiva needs more insight into various Indian religions. I hope he understands the following theological and ontological differences between various Hindu traditions themselves and Sikh religion.
Sikhism
Spiritual experience is that God is Love Ocean of virtues ‘A dynamic experience.
World Real Arena of spiritual growth.
Life Affirming
Morheism
God interested in the world. He is milk to child, eyes to blind, riches to poor and Helper of the weak. This means combination between spiritual and empirical life of man Householder’s life with full social responsibility.
Equality of man and woman. Women in charge of missionary districts
Equality and brotherhood of man.
Man’s spiritual assessment on his virtuous deed. By our deeds we ate near or away from God. Higher than Truth is truthful living.
Work and sharing essential.
Methodology of remembering God and of virtuous deed: and social responsibility.
Use of force accepted if other means Goal is to be the instrument of God’s will
Jivau Mukta active and accepts social responsibility. In the above context Guru Nanak did three things. He created a panth and appointed a successor to continue the mission. He identified the social problems of caste and that of political oppression. Rejected Ahimsa as an inviolable rule. Finally Panth was created and Guru Granth was appointed as Guru in pursuance of the doctrine of Miri and Piri.
Vaisnavism
Sach Chit Anand Blissful and Quietist.
Maya
Life negating
Pantheisam
Dichotomy between spiritual ‘and empirical life of man. Hence monasticism & Sanyas
Celibacy and Sanyas
Woman not fit for Vaisnava path.
Hierarchical caste Sudras not fit for Bhakti
Ail morality is super moral to do only one’s caste duly or ritual acts.
Sanyas Ritualistic, formal or emotional dancing, meditational
Sex methodology accepted. Ahimsa Merger in Brahman
Individual salvation. Ritual duties performed
Vedantism
Sach Chit Anand Blissful and Quietist.
Mithya (illusion)
World does not exist.
Monoism.
World an illusion activity a delusion. Sanyas
Celibacy and Sanyas Woman a hurdle in spiritual Path
Accepts caste
No deeds ritual acts for men of low intellect.
Sanyas
Meditational. Also value of ritualism accepted.
‘Ahimsa
Realization of I am Brahman.
No interest in the world Unconscious of the world.
Nathism
Blissful Isolation Quietist
Real but a place of misery Death to the world.
Pantheism
Yogi vows to withdraw from the world.
Vow of celibacy and never to work
Vow of celibacy. Naths do not eat with even Nath woman.
Accept caste, Low castes not admitted.
Vows never to work.
Vows not ever to work. Hath Yoga and Kundalini yoga
Sex methodology also accepted. Vow of Ahimsa, blood sacrifices done. Merger in Siva Individual salvation. No interest in the world a place of misery.
I appreciate Dr. Shiva worshiping “Guru Granth Sahib” and works of Gurus every day but he does not understand that there is no role of worship in Sikhism. He can read Guru Granth Sahib but the essence lies in understanding what he reads and not in worshipping. Moral ethic of Guru Granth is not worship but Right belief and Right Deeds.
I hope Dr. Shiva understands academic meaning of Sri Guru Granth (Shabad Guru) which he calls Sri Gurvani. Guru Granth Sahib is a unique scripture and Sikhism has its own identity as follows.
- Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture is purely monotheistic. It accepts only one God and rejects all other deities, spirits angels, etc. Only God is Immortal. All other deities are mortal and prone to death.
- The religion of Guru Granth Sahib, being free from inhibitions of any kind regarding the way of life and its adaptability in all the regions of the world vouches its universality. It is not a religion of the chosen people (like Judaism), but instead, it is the religion of the entire humanity. It raises above all the regional barriers.
- It rejects all ritualism, formalism and symbolism. It has no belief in any sacrament.
4: It focuses all its attention on the unfoldment of the discipline for the attainment of the unity of the soul with God. The emphasis has been laid on the adoption of godly qualities by the seeker.
5: It repudiates the prevalent theories of Creation and scans the universe as the work of the Creator, whose existence pulsates everywhere in His Creation. The extent and expanse of the Creation of the Infinite Lord cannot be delimited.
6: It lays great emphasis on honest and sincere labor. Its religion is the religion of workers and householders. Therefore il decries the renunciations and all types of ascetic practices.
7: It advocates the equality of all human beings, irrespective of birth and sex. The woman is in no way Inferior to man. It rejects all distinctions of caste and color.
- The State has to play its part in the provision of food, shelter, and clothing to the members of the society. There can be no devotion. If the individual is not carefree about his requirements.
9: it presents a balanced combination of action, devotion, and knowledge. Whereas the body has to work for the wellbeing of family and society the mind has to remain in tune with the Lord. Service is, thus, the motto of an adherent of Guru Granth Sahib. His best service toward the Guru and the Lord is the remembrance of the Name.
- The religion of Guru Granth Sahib is most practical. The devotee over brims with love and devotion. The whole world appears as a family to him. The earth is an abode ‘of Dharma for him.
- Breaks dichotomy between spiritual and empirical lives.
- Rejects Ascetism.
- Rejects Varnasharm Dharma which incorporates basic caste system.
14, Rejects Ahmsa.
- God never incarnates. He is UnIncamnated and Trancendent
16 World View and Guru Granth
Both the surveys of Maxwebster and Schweitzer bring out that all Indian religions are life negating and suggest withdrawal from life. This is quite true of Buddhism, Jainism, Vaishnavism, Vedanta and even the Sant Tradition. All these Hindu systems as indicated above, involve withdrawal from life, and denial of social responsibility, evidently. Systems that recommend Ahimsa, asceticism, monasticism, Sanyasa, celibacy or withdrawal from life, reject every kind of social involvement, much less Social responsibility, as an unwanted bondage. S.K. Mitra, who has surveyed the ethics of all Hindu systems, says “that the common feature of all doctrines of the ideal Ife, or Moksha, is the conception of ideal as a negation, or at least as a transcendence of the empirical life proper, and that this stale is thus a super moral spiritual ideal, rather than a strictly moral idea.” It is so, because all these systems accept a clear dichotomy between the spiritual path and the empirical path, and, thus, life negation is a natural and logical consequence of all these religious systems and their worldview. But, Sikhism, as the hymns and lives of the Gurus express and demonstrate very clearly, has a worldview of life affirmation, since in the Sikh ideology there is an inalienable combination between the spiritual life and the empirical life of man.For, whatever is within the domain of God is also within the sphere of operation of the Godman. In short, Sikhism is a whole life religion with a worldview entirely opposed to that of other Indian religions.
17: Guru Granth as a New Scripture with New Ideology with New Religious Experience.
Vedas and Upanishads are without doubt the scriptures of all Hindu systems. But Sikhism completely denies their authority, and Guru Nanak even calls some of their ‘injunctions to be wrong’. The Sikh Gurus were so clear and particular about the independent and separate identity of their religious system and the complete originality and newness of its character, that they took very significant stage which no other religious leader in the world had done. They specifically compiled and authenticated the Sikh Scripture, Secondly, since the time of its compilation in 1604 A.D., it is the complete repository of and the final authority on the Sikh ideology and its doctrines. Since the Gurus called it revealed Bani, it has been regarded as the Shabad having the sanction of God. The Tenth Master took two important steps in this regard. First, he introduced the Nash doctrine, thereby making complete and final break with all other Indian ideologies. Neither the Vedas and Upanishads, nor any other religious systems is given any sanction or accepted as authentic, We all know that the Bani of Bhagat in the Guru Granth is a selection. It is accepted only to the extent it is in Consonance with the doctrines of the Gurus, and even where differences seem to be suggested, the Gurus have made adequate comments and clarifications, The Bani of Bhagat outside the Granth Sahib is not given any authenticity. Secondly, he made the Sikh Scripture not only as the exclusive vehicle of the Guru’s message, but also gave it the status of the Guru, Guide or the Teacher of the Sikhs. The creation and sanction of Guru Granth as the sole scriptures of the Sikhs reveals that the Gurus were gory clear and conscious of its independent and separate character, and wanted their ideology to remain as such without chance of any addition, alteration, or any departure from its authenticity or contents.
Being a good religious person whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jew or any other religion of the world is essential and one should feel proud of, Propagate religion one should himself understand the essential ethics of the religion rather than using emotional mic rebuttal to the separate Sikh Identity as defined above theologically.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 5, 1990
