Of the two, one is Swami Rama and the other Swami Ram Tirath Dandhi Sanyasi. Not much is known about the former. However, this thing can be said about him with absolute certainty that he is a gentleman with an oblique vision, who has authored ‘Celestial Song,’ with the ostensible object of presenting to the world at large the Sikh religion as a tiny and inconsequential drop in the vast ocean of Brahminism, and thereby. to denude the former faith of its distinctiveness and true significance.
‘On the other side is Swami Ram Tirath, who living as a Sanyasi from his early childhood, had made a penetrating study of the Vedas, the Epics, the Puranas and the Smirities. On Hinduism, he wrote over 30 books, one half of them in Hindi and the other half in Sanskrit language. Very late in his life, he had the chance to study the Sikh scripture, On the basis of his comparative study of the two faiths; he makes the following observations as regards Sikhism and Hinduism,
1, to believe in one God that is formless, without attributes and all is the Sikh religion. Contrary to this, following the teachings of various Acharyas (teachers), to rest one’s faith in the existence of countless deities, is the religion of the Hindu people.
2, To accept Adi Sri Guru Graath as their ONE AND THE ONLY SCRIPTURE, is the Sikh religion. But, against this, to acknowledge Vedas and multitude of other books as their scriptures, is the religion of the Hindu people. 3, To read Japji in the morning and Rehras in the evening, is the Sikh religion, Contrary to this, to read Vedas, Gita, Ramayana, Dur‘ga Spatsati, Vishnu Sanhansar Nama, numerous Stotaras. and to produce a new Stotara every other day, and in addition to perform ‘many Arties daily, is the religion of the Hindus,
- To construct Gurdwaras (temples) in every settlement for the purpose of one God’s worship, is a trait of the Sikh faith. As against this, to install in the Mandirs, the images of the dead along with those of the deities and to worship the both, is a characteristic of the Hindu religion.
‘Swami Ram Tirath informs us further that in many Hindu temples, wherein the images of the dead individuals have been installed, the worship of traditional Hindu duties has been discarded. *To treat the idols of the dead as preceptorsureater than Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, is the Hindu Dharma,” writes Swami Ram Tirath, Swamiadds that to pay homage to the crows, (o build shrines for the worship of Gugga Pir and to observe his Shradas (obsequialtes) is another trait of the Hindu Dharma.
(An eleventh century Moslem fakir, Gugga, an expert in the treatment of ‘snakebite, became so popular among the Hindus that they regarded him as an Incarnation of Shesh Nag. According to Vishnu Purana, Shesh Nag, a thousand headed serpent, is a ruler of one of the underworlds, which is inhabited by the serpents. Shrad a rites consist in the feeding of Brahmins done each year by the Hindu people with the belief that this act sates the hunger of the dead in the other world.)
- To discipline and chastise those miscreants who resort to the act of begging by dressing themselves as Gurus, is the Sikh religion. In contrast, to worship and to present Offerings to those individuals who indulge in dancing, singing and begging after dressing themselves as deities, is a mark of the Hindu Dharma.
- In Sikh religion, we notice, voluntary donations being made to temples by the faithful’s of cereals and other edibles, for the preparation of Langar (a meal) that is served for free to the general public. No demand is made for these goods from anyone; This act tends to present the Sikh Gurus to the public as the bestowals rather than as the beggars.
In Hindu religion, it is quite the ‘opposite, One notices almost never-ending demands being made of public for meals that are ceremonially offered as food to idols of deities (but later consumed by the priests and their family members), Also, there are continual demands for garments and ornaments for the purpose of dressing up and embellishing the bare idols of gods and goddesses. “These acts of the priests tend to present their deities to the public as though they are starved, naked, helpless and beggars,” comments Swami Ram Tirath.
- Among the Sikhs, the act of wedding the couple is performed by reciting the four stanzas (from the Sih holy book),
In contrast, keeping in mind the ancient practice of severing. the cow’s head at the wedding, the modern Hindu priests, for fear of reaction of the cow lovers, merely up symbolically a blide of grass into two. This act signifies that ‘when in future, the power of cow overs declines, the practice of cow murder at the wedding will be revived,
(It is to be noted by the reader that according to Chapter 1, Knitka 3 of Prasara Grih Sutra of the Hindus, the killing of a cow and serving the meat thereof to iM bride, is considered an essential part of the Hindu wedding money.)
8, Among the Sikhs, after being baptized, if someone commits the: error of drinking wine he is considered impure and polluted. He is deemed a fallen individual. Such an apostate regains his former status only by getting himself re-baptized if he feels repentant for his former act and takes a pledge to abide by the Sikh Code of Ethics (Rehat Maryada) in future. The points the use of wine on the part of a baptized Sikh renders him impure and polluted in the eyes of his co-religionists.
The Hindu Code of Ethics is entirely different. Deity Bhairo, who rides a black dog, is said to keep ever in his hand human skall which he uses to drink blood and alcohol. The same is true of she deity Durga, the consort of Lord Shiva. In addition to holding a skull in her hand, she wear sin her neck a garland of human heads. The flesh of bull and other animals, and alcohol, are offered by the devotees to propitiate Bhairo, Durga and Shiva. The Hindu priests who partake of the objects so offered to the deities, are worthy of honor according to the scriptures, and are deemed most pure by the Hindu masses. 9. In the opening line of the Sikh formal prayer (Ardas), the term ‘Bhagauti’ is used in the Sense of God, Toassign any other meaning to the term is nothing short of foolishness, In Adi Guru Granth, we find no mention of the Word *Durga’, let alone any edict as regards her worship. To take ‘God? as the true meaning of the word *Bhagauti’, and to worship Him alone, is the Sikh religion.
In contrast to this, in the Brabminic books, a lady bearing the name of Durga is called Bhagauti (and is worshipped by the Hindus).
10, To remember and to pray daily for the sight and service of the shrines like Nankana Sahib, ‘which are separated from the faithful’s, is a sign of the Sikh religion ‘On ‘the other hand, not even to, think of the shrines like Ktakhis Raj, which are under the control of theirs, is a distinguishing mark of the Hindu Dharma. 11. The Sikh religion does not permit its adherents to starve by resorting to fasts. The fasting individual is termed a hypocnie’ in the pages of Sikh scripture.
On the other hand, the Brahminic books enjoin the sinners and the non-sinners alike, to Observe: myriads of fasts, “Many Hindus’ resort to fasting under social pre Sure.” tells Swami Ram Tirathy 12. The Sikh people celebrate the birth-days of their Gurus by preparing in large qi the Karah Prashad (sweet pudding), Not only do they fully enjoy themselves, they also invite non- Sikhs to share the same.
On the other hand, are the Hindus. On the auspicious days of the birth of Sri Krishna and their other Incarnations, they observe hunger-strike, and go through, day and night, untold self-imposed agonies.
“TO CLASSIFY THE SIKH FAITH ALONG WITHTHE HI- NDU DHARMA WHICHIS PA- TENTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE LATTER, IS THE FOLLY OF THE WORST KIND,”
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1987
