Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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message to others. In addition, he appointed select persons (Manjis)
for the purpose of furthering his mission. 28 In his life-time, his followers
came to be known as Nanak-panthies, and they had their own separate
way of saluting each other (Sat Kartar). 29
The greatest single organisational step that Guru Nanak took
was to select, by a system of tests, a worthy successor to lead and
continue his mission. He was named Angad, i.e.a limb of Guru Nanak
himself. It is recorded in the Guru Granth that the change-over from
Nanak to his successors meant only a change of bodily forms, otherwise
the same light shown in them and they followed the same course. 30
Bhai Gurdas also writes that Guru Nanak established a pure Panth,
blended his light with that of Angad and nominated him in his place
as the Guru of that Panth. 31 Guru Nanak directed his successor Guru
Angad not to remain absorbed wholly in meditation but to devote his
time to the shaping of the Panth. 32 The same instructions were passed
on by Angad to his successor Amar Das, 33 and this mission was
continued by the later Gurus. 34 The evidence is of greate value because
it embodies an altogether new tradition. This could be true only of
the Sikh Gurus, because nowhere else in the Indian religious tradition
social objectives were given preference over spiritual bliss.
Guru Nanak had started the institution of Dharamsala (religious
centres), Sangat (congregations of his followers), Langar (common
kitchen) and Manjis (seats of preaching). The succeeding Gurus further
consolidated and extended these institutions. Guru Amar Das
systematised this institution of Manjis and created twenty-two centres
for the extension of the mission. Persons of high religious calibre
were nominated to these offices. They were in charge of the Guru’s
followers in an area and catered to their religious as well as secular
needs. They were the links of the organisation and the two-way
channels of communication between the Guru and the Sangat. They
collected the offerings and passed the same on to the central treasury
where these were used by the Guru for the purposes of the mission.
Guru Arjan regularised the collection of these contributions. He fixed
that every Sikh should set apart one tenth of his income for the
common cause.