The common un-wary people were made to believe in superstitions and were fleeced by the clever people tending to be priest or holy men. Brahmans assumed td themselves a unique & envious social and religious status. They ‘were “high” caste men. Their actions had to be accepted always: right & justified. Even when a Brahman is caught stealing it fault of the king and not of the Brahman, that the latter had been forced to commit a crime leaving not been provided sufficient right resources by the (king) on the other hand, if’ a low caste collects some ‘wealth through hard work, most of it should be taken away from him Because when economically independent, he will think of social freedom and stop respecting the high caste, In old days, the king Claimed that they had the diving right to rule. Similarly, the high caste assumed to them the divine right to socially & regionally subjugate the low caste people.
Guru Nanak declared a war against this thinking. He preached all people are born as equal human being. He visited the important headquarters of the “holy” men of many sects to remind them of their responsibilities. Nanak reached the Sikhs (persons claiming supernatural powers) living deep in snow: ‘mountains of Himalayas. The Sid has surprised to see Nanak their and asked how he could com there, Nanak said, “No doubt it is highly un-accessible, but I Reached here singing the praises of the Almighty. Sikhs enquired “How are the people down below in the plains?” To remind them of their weaknesses. Nanak replied, “The are wondering where the Sikhs have concealed themselves? The obtain donations from us with the promise of protecting us from the evils. They come only to receive charity from us and not to help ‘or guide us in our life.”
Nanak strongly criticized the un- social, corrupt and its religious be heavier of the priests and “holy men. In his popular hymns Nana pointed out, “The three types 0 people, The Kazi (judge) who accepts bribes to give biased an wrong judgments, the Brahman ‘who sucks the blood of the inn cent people and considers them a Two caste people the Yogis (who adopt inconvenient postures to meditate on God) who do not know the right method of worship are responsible for the miseries an problems of people.
Brahmans would force certain items on the people at the time of the, marriage, death extend extra act their “fees” for rendering religious service (unfortunately many Sikh priests are doing the same thing today). People were made to believe that needs fed to the Brahmans and donations giver to them would get multiplied many times and reach the souls 0 their fore fathers in the “heaven” Even when Brahman was enjoying the milk of the cow here on this earth the person who donated it him in the name of his dead parents, was assumed that the milk is reaching the heaven for his dead folks.
To save the people from the clutches of the priestly class, Nanak exposed these myths and explained the people that donation: given here in the name of the dead will never reach them in the “next” world. After his death, a person gets the “fruit” of his own actions, good or bad & not of those action: done by people still living on this each, To ridicule this philosophy of giving donation to Brahmans or “holy” men, Nanak wrote, “when the ill-got money and articles donated here, are recovered from the dead people, they will be caught red handed punished.
The middle man, the priest, will also be punished”. Nanak stressed that honest living both by the priests and other people is there first sharana (duty).
The Hindu “holy” men advised not to criticize them and hold them: responsible for their low character and poor performance, It is not the weakness of the priests or the community, it all is happening because it is the period of Kalyug (un-holy times), According to the Hindu mythology, the time cycle is divided into four “yugs”, each unit convictive of many thousand years, During Satyug, people are honest and Gody. During (the period when Krishna was the Lord)the flourish.
Nanak challenged their argument (Page 902 Adi Guru Gruru Sahib) and asked them, “what makes you to say that these are the unholy times (Kalyug), There is the same moan, the same sun people lost their sincerity and honesty wickedness and bad character ‘people and same wind is blowing. If you believe that Kalyug is wickedness personified, show me its house and tell me the place and country where the house has been. ‘The real Kalyug is that religious guides have given up their responsibility. The real symptoms are that the people believe might is right”
The same lesson, but in different words was given be Nanak at Mecca, the Muslim holy place, “Every person irrespective of his being a Hindu or a Muslim or any other faith will be punished if his deeds are bad. Do not mislead the people in the name of God & force them to say Allah instead Ram. Do not give the false hope of Behest (heaven). Tell people to love men of all faiths and live life of hatred”.
‘Nanak thus awakened the priestly class to teach love & not hatred. The poor character of the people was because their teachers themselves were greedy & bigoted they were told that they should not hold “bad times” as a scape got their own benefit.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 2, 1986
