Dr. Harjot Oberoi’s work, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, is mainly based on a very wrong assumption that “A pseudo-synthetic historiography comforts contemporary practitioners of the (Sikh) faith that their present vision of the world and their religious practices simply continue all that was enunciated and established by the founders of the Sikh tradition. I argue for a series of highly complex ruptures, rapprochements and transitions which eventually resulted in what we recognize as the modem Sikh community”(p.47).
Here we mean to tell the author that the religious practices enunciated and established by the founders Sikhism have continued to the present day. It is matter of history that Gunu Nanak’s mission has been regarded as the promulgation of a new religion that remains distinct and complete in itself. The pattern of religious life produced by him endured unaffected over the centuries. The Guru did not identify himself with the existing forms of religion. He condemned and discarded the contemporary forms of religious belief and ritualistic practices of the Hindus after he was convinced that he had something more valuable to offer. He adopted for himself and for his followers his own revealed composition. This clearly meant the rejection of the old Hindu scriptural authority and also Hindu deities and the scriptures of the contemporary religions. Wherever Guru Nanak went during his missionary travels he established Sangat with instruction to his followers to build dharamsalas where they could regularly meet and sing the Lord’s praises and remember the Guru’s teachings. The centers of his missionary activities included those established in Kamrup (Assam). Bihar, Cuttack, Surat, Nanakmata (in the Kumaon Hills), Khatmandu, Jallalabad and Kabul.
The Guru’s Sangat and Pangat aimed at level ling the invidious distinctions between man and man Guru Nanak outright rejected cases system on which the structure of social and religious life of the Hindus was based. The religious doctrine and practices introduced by Guru Nanak and his successors came down to us with the same undiminished emphasis against the thinking of Dr. Oberoi.
The author Oberoi wrongly remarks that, “Just as there is no fixed Guru Nanak in the Janam Sakhis there is no fixed Sikh identity in the early Sikh period” (p.56) Fixed Guru Nanak must be searched in his bani (spiritual composition) and not in his Janam Sakhis. Sikh identity was enshrined in Guru Nanak’s challenge to the use of various Hindu rituals and in the introduction of many practices that raised the dignity of man and status of woman, Dabistan informs us that “the disciples of Nanak did not read the mantras of the Hindus. They do not venerate their temples or idols nor do they esteem their avatars. They have no regard for the Sanskrit language which according to the Hindus is the speech of Gods.”
In Sikhism rituals do not so much define Sikh identity as the ideology and the deeds practiced. When doctrinal factors of a religion are avoided or ignored and only sociological factors are emphasized, the religion is the casualty.
Oberoi failed to notice the development of Sikhism under Guru Nanak’s successors. During the two centuries under the Gurus the Sikh institutions were mainly the interpretation or extension of Guru Nanak’s ideal with no let-up in the following period. In the words of Dr. Gokal Chand Narang, “Guru Gobind Singh himself, in fact, as well as his work, was the natural product of the process of evolution that had been going on ever since the foundation of Sikhism. The harvest which ripened in the time of Guru Gobind Singh had been sown by Guru Nanak and watered by his successors. The sword which carved the Khalsa’s way to glory was undoubtedly, forged by Guru Gobind Singh, but the steel had been provided by Guru Nanak.” Guru Angad condemned asceticism, popularized Gurmukhi letters and preserved the spiritual consumptions of Guru Nanak Guru Angad and Guru Amar Das enthusiastically pursued and promoted the institution langar. Under the third Guru sangats spread far and wide. He divided his spiritual domain into 22 manjis or bishoprics or dioceses under the charge of devoted Sikhs who preached the mission of the Sikh Gurus. Guru Amar Das initiated the Sikhs into new ceremonies regarding birth, marriage and death and forbade the Hindu practices of sati purdah. According to Indubhusan Banerjee,
“Guru Angad had, no doubt, done something to Live the Sikhs an individuality of their own but it was under Guru Amar Dasihat the difference between Hindu and Sikh became more pronounced and the Sikhs began gradually to drift away from the orthodox Hindu society and forma s, a son of new brotherhood by themselves.”
Guru Ran Dat gave the Sikhs a rallying center at Amritsar where they could occasion Ally meet and maintain closer relationship with their brother in faith Guru Arjun, the fifth Guru, gave the Sikh scripture in the form of the adi Granth, which embodies, in addition to his own writing, the competitions of his predecessors and mourner of Indian Saint
The author Oberos perversely observer that iu (Adi Granth’s) heterodox texuality and diverse contributors were for more the manifestation of a Nuid Sikh identity than a signifier of exdinivity” (p.35)
The author’s charge regarding ‘heterodox texuality and diverse contributors in preposterous. He does not seem to know that the compositions of the outside contributors were not accepted haphazardly Guru Arjan kopi certain spiritual ideology in mind. For him the agential thing was the expression of fundamental truth and the harmonics unity of spiritual motion and thought. And thus only those compositions that agreed with his religious doctrine and came up to his standard were incorporated in it without any other consider action than that the contributor must be an en lightened soul.
The Gurus whose compositions were incorporated in the holy Granth could not be considered as “divine contributors. They were the same in spirit though different in body. This fact has been again and again impressed upon The Guru continued to be the central unifying personality and in spite of change in succession ho was held to be one and the same as his predecessor. Satta and Balwand, the Guru’s bards, sang:”Lanha, the scion of Guru Nanak exchanged body with him and took possession of his throne. Lehna had the same light, the same method the master merely changed body The wise being. Guru Nanak, descended in the form of Amar Dus Thoo Ram Dasar Nanak thou ant Lohne, thou art Amar Das, so I deem them.
Bhai Coroas the amanuentis of Guru Arjun) also wrote about the cons of the Sikh Gurut known to him
Zalifigar Ardistan Maubidiippolarly known a Mohtin Fani), the author of DavistanMashab, completed in 1645, and close 16 quittance of Guru Hargobind, the to Nanak very correctly understands the fact that he succeeding Sich Guru inherits the spirit of his predecesso. When Nanak leh his body he absorbed himself in Guru Angad who was his most devoted disciple and Guru Angad entered the body of Amar Dat and Run Das in the same way go united with Arjun Dev And people said that whoever does not acknowledge of believe in Cone Arjun to be the very self Guru Nanak becomes mamukh of a non believer The Sikhe believed that all the Guru are identical with Nanak.”
In the holy Guru Granth Sahib we read accurse writing themselves as Nanak. Theo their of Dabisan informs us that Guru Hargobind in his letters to him always signed himself as Nanak The author says that he was incorrespondence with Guru Hargobind. Similarly Guru Gobind Singh wrote about his predecessor, “Know Guru Angad to be Nanak, Guru Amar Das to be Angad, Guru Ram Dar to be Amar Das, Guru Arjun to be Ram Das, and Guru Harbobind to be Arjun.” Guru Nanak’s spirit was believed to be working in all his SOCCORSO. So to talk of heterodox sexuality and diverse contributors in respect of Me Guru contributors is irrelevant
It is enlightening to me that he compositions of Bhai Gurdas, a savant or aint Paul of Sikhs whose vars were evaluated by the Guru is the key to Guru Granth Sahib were not incorporated in the holy Granth, perhaps being no fully in tune with the spirit of holy compilation Similarly the compositions of some Bhagau as Kanha, Chhaju, Shah Husain and Peels were not accepted by the compiler.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 11, 1995
