Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon, Dr. Gurcharan Singh Dhillon, Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer and Dr. Harbakhash Singh Sandhar

Sikhism are a soviet spiritual religion. It is a dynamic way of life, The cardinal principles of Sikhism present this aspect of Sikhism in succinct form. Some ‘of these principles are as follows Kirat Karna (Honest earning): The first and foremost commitment of a Sikh to his/her faith is honest earning, A Sikh cannot earn his/her living by cheating, stealing, begging, smuggling, corruption or any other dishonest or unlawful means of by trading in un Sikh like business (sale of drugs, tobacco products etc.)

Vand Chhakna (Sharing with the others): Along with honest earning, it I obligatory for a Sikh to share his ‘earnings and other belongings with others, Every Sikh must contribute a Daswand (With) of his/her earnings for the welfare of the Sikh Panth (the Sikh nation), for the propagation of the Sikh religion, and for the welfare of Humanity through the Sikh institutions, Nam Japna (Reciting hymns In the praise of Waheguru/Almighty): In Sikhism, Nam Simran (remembering Waheguru) is obligatory. Besides reciting his/her Nitnam, a Sikh must always remember the Almighty at all times. In Sikhism, Nam Simran does not mean ‘mere recitation of hymns. A Sikh must understand the substance of the hymns and should try to practice the thought presented therein. Truthful living is part of Nam Simran. Before beginning, ‘one’s daily routine, before eating, before retiring to bed too, a Sikh must meditate upon the Name of the Almighty and thank Him for blessing the mankind with His Gifts. Also, during the day, while performing one’s routine: job(s), a Sikh should keep in his mind the Name of the Almighty. A Sikh should always remember that the Almighty is observing every action and nothing should be done against His Laws.

Defend Human Rights: It is the seared duty of « Sikh to defend the poor, the weak and the oppressed. A Sikh must not allow tyranny to prevail in any form in any place. A Sikh should on devour to defend the human rights of every being to the extent of feasibility, A Sikh should never be a silent spectator (o cruelly, injustice, tyranny, terror, inhuman activities etc.

 PRAY FOR THE WHOLE OF THE WORLD (Sarbat Da Bhala): A Sikh seeks nothing (from the Almighty) for himself (or even for the Sikh nation). A ‘Sikh Ardas (prayer) is always cosmic in nature. The last sentence of the Sikh national prayer is “May Your Grace ‘grant prosperity to the whole of the world.”

 BHANA MANANA (Bow Before His Will): A Sikh is not a fatalist but he does not harbor a grudge against occurrence of any disturbing event. For a Sikh joy and sorrow are 1wo garments to be ‘changed frequently. A Sikh has striven for betterment, but if a positive change is not possible, the situation must be accepted with a smile.

Al the Blessing Is His Grace: A Sikh must always thank the Almighty for all His blessings. A Sikh must believe in His Grace and that everything is granted as it pleases Him. He takes care of every human being alike. Nothing can be obtained in this universe without His Grace. A Sikh must have complete faith in the Almighty.

CHARDIKALA: A Sikh must always live in Chardi Kala (Sikh concept of Euphoria), A Sikh must always see the bright side of the life a better tomorrow All this can be achieved insert Nam Simran which gives a Sikh Chardi Kala because it is only His Name which the Chardi Kala.

Sewa (Service): Sewa is another cardinal principle of Sikhism. Sewa is a unique institution of Sikhism. In Sikhism Sewa is not ordinary unpaid service, It is voluntary, selfless, humble, without motive, without expectation of reward ‘or compensation. Sewa can be done in any form, through money, body, mind 6, Sewa can be done by coo! for by washing dishes in Langar a (the sacred Sikh kitchen): by sweeping and cleaning floors in Gurdwara; by helping the poor and the needy in the store by imparting knowledge; by participate in the national struggle; by doing any humanitarian action and soon. It is a part of Sikh’s being to do some Sewa as a daily routine.

Sewa teaches a Sikh to be humble, tolerant, and generous, It brings an end to ago. It gives a Sikh a feeling of being a useful part of humanity, But, on the other hand, if a Sikh performs Sewa just for show or hypocritically, it is not accepted by Waheguru (the Almighty) and rather he/she becomes guilty of the sin (like an impostor), A Sikh, while doing Sewa, cannot make a distinction between one and the other.

 The Sikh Red Cross: An anecdote from the time of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (¢.1700) explains one aspect of the Sikh concept of Sewa and humanism, Bhai Ghanaiya Singh, Commander of the Sikh Red Cross, during the invasion of the Hindu and Mogul forces at Anandpur Sahib, used to help the wounded soldiers, even if they belonged to the army of the enemy. It was the command of Guru Sahib that a Sikh, while giving humanitarian help, should not distinguish between friend or foe. This happened as remote as in the first years of the 18th century. This was a Step farther than the modern “International Red Cross,” which, as a nonaligned body, looks after the soldiers/ civilians wounded/killed during war, or riots or natural calamity. The Sikh Red Cross was not a nonaligned body but it still provided the same facilities to every wounded soldier, without distinction. The Sikh Red Cross is the prototype of the International Red Cross. The Sikh Red Cross was founded more than 150 years before the International Red cross.

PINGALWARAR: Bhagat Puran Singh (25.8.1992) founded an institution in the name of Pingalwara, in 1947, this 100 is based on the Sikh concept of Sewa. Through this institution, he helped the orphans, the sick, the handicapped and the homeless people. Bhagat Puran Singh spent his whole life in the service of the sick, the homeless and like people. Bhagat Puran Singh personally served thousands of the sick and other needy persons without the help of any local or international organization. His work as an individual achievement is much more than the Nobel Prize winner, Mother Teresa.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 22, 1995