Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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172 emphasizes that, without the acceptance of this view, there can be no true understanding of the Sikh path. 70 Guru Hargobind Singh was eleven years old when he discarded the Seli, armed himself and his followers, and founded the Akal Takht. He did this despite the misgivings in the Sikh ranks and opposition from the Masands. The Masands were an important link in the Sikh organisation and a channel of communication between the Gurus and the Sikhs. The Masands prevailed upon the guru’s mother to convey it to the Guru that he had deviated from the path of Guru Nanak and had embarked upon a risky course involving conflict with the authorities. Bhai Gurdas has written a full stanza depicting doubts among the Sikh. 71 ‘Bhai Budha, too, on seeing the young Guru in military harness ‘mildly remonstrated with him.’ 72 Guru Arjan had told Hargobind to regard Bhai Budha as the image of Guru Nanak and bade him touch his feet. 73 Guru Hargobind respected him to much that on a later occasion, when he was Guru, he again placed his head at the feet of Bhai Budha. But when it came to the basic principles of policy, he did not accept Bhai Budha’s or any one else’s advice. The guru persisted single-handed and single-mindeldly in the policy of militarization he had embarked upon. Bhai Gurdas wrote that the Guru carried an ‘unbearable burden.’ 74 , becaue he could not divulge prematurely his full plans. The firmness of the Guru’s resolve speaks clearly of the Guru’s conviction that he was carrying out thereby God’s mission. In any case, the continuity of the Guru’s mission is clear. The naming of the new seat of temporal authority as Akal Takht is very significant. It was God’s throne. Guru Nanak had told Daulat Khan Lodi that he recognized no authority other than that of God. 75 Guru Arjan had declared, that he was “a worshpper of the Immortal Soul… There is no monarch save Him.” 76 Guru Hargobind established the throne of that Immortal Authority (Akal) as Akal Takht. Guru Nanak had clearly described the political conditions prevailing during his time as the ‘dark night of falsehood: “This age is a knife, kings are butchers; justice hath taken wings and fled.
173 In this completely dark night of falsehood the moon of truth is never seen to rise.” 77 Guru Arjan, when required by emperor Jahangir to explain his conduct, declared: “my main object is the spread of truth and the destruction of falsehood; and if, in pursuance of this object, this perishable body must depart, I shall account it a great good fortune.’ 78 As Guru Nanak regarded the situation created by the butcher kings ‘dark night of falsehood’, and as the same mission was followed by all the Gurus, the fight against ‘butcher kings’ was, therefore, as much a part of Guru Arjan’s main objective of ‘destroying falsehood’ as his fight against religious dictation. Guru Hargobind proceeded to arm the Panth for destroying ‘falsehood’ with the help of arms in order ‘to lighthen the burden of the earth.’ 79 Bhai Gurdas describes Guru Hargobind as ‘Destroyer of armies, a great warrior’, and links these attributes to his mission of beneficence and help others. 80 The representation of Guru Arjan as Sacha Padshah was given a very concrete form when Guru Hargobind ascended the Akal Takht, donned a plume on his turban and raised aloft two flags before the Akal Takht. Bhai Gurdas leaves no doubt on this point. He calls Guru Hargobind ‘sovereign of this world and also of the next.’ 81 We shall find the same continuity of the mission in the creation of the Khalsa of God (Waheguru ji ka Khalsa) by Guru Gobind Singh.
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CHAPTER 1 Introductory The Sikh mov
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and a major factor having a great b
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5 CHAPTER II The Caste And The Clas
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the nature of these so-called Egypt
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caste order. In their case the reas
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own womenfolk strongly highlights t
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one direction only, viz., of downgr
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15 CHAPTER III The Directive Force
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17 designs of ornaments, of article
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20 reborn into Aryan-hood, viz., th
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outstanding feature of Buddhism is
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political ascendancy over a long pe
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when it had lost its validity as an
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28 a) Pre-eminence of Caste Status
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30 were self-revealed texts. Had th
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32 inviolability of the laws laid d
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34 In very few cases only are we li
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36 exceptional favours; but the one
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38 is stigmatized as a degrading oc
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40 hindered the development of any
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42 We have mentioned that the key t
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44 and voiding; of washing, rinsing
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that it became different to demarca
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48 with the Vedic Mantras’. 5 ‘
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50 Aryans in the pre-Vedic period.
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52 of the Sudra reached its climax
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All the same, social inequality was
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56 vouched for in the sacred Hindu
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58 CHAPTER VI The Caste Society, Is
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60 But, the exclusive allegiance to
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62 memories of their homeland, from
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64 doing so, they are often influen
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66 The Muslims, however, spread ove
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68 shake of completely even upto no
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70 CHAPTER VII The Radical Bhakti I
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72 than a mere call was needed. But
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74 glance at the events that led to
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76 And the emotional heights that t
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78 and even reputed miracles, were
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80 expectations of the down-trodden
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83 followed. These Bhakti sects wer
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85 CHAPTER IX The Sikh Ideology Wha
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87 cumulative result of all the thr
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89 announcement of supreme signific
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91 loves all men, the lowest and th
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93 self-centredness, is at the root
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95 whatsoever. The cumulative resul
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97 If all these go to the hell, the
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99 life. In principle there could b
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101 Singh expired with Wahiguru (Go
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103 CHAPTER X The Sikh Panth In vie
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105 (Vishnu) and Mahesh (Shivas).
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107 form or the other. The Buddhist
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109 message to others. In addition,
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111 spirit, the doctrine, the tenet
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113 the shaping of any such traditi
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115 CHAPTER XI Egalitarian Society
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117 not to the king. 2a Between a h
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119 times, a major achievement of G
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Page 125 and 126: 125 Here we have good independent t
Page 127 and 128: 127 castes ranging from Brahmins to
Page 129 and 130: 129 selves, marriage outside the cl
Page 131 and 132: 131 classes. No wonder the Plato’
Page 133 and 134: 133 Secondly, as we have said, the
Page 135 and 136: 135 is reflected by the fact that t
Page 137 and 138: 137 hatred or class war; for this w
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Page 145 and 146: 145 Muslim rulers; not out of world
Page 147 and 148: 147 CHAPTER XIII Armed Struggle —
Page 149 and 150: 149 able to usurp political power p
Page 151 and 152: 151 Hindus patriotism consists in a
Page 153 and 154: 153 2. Preliminary Stage The Khatri
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Page 157 and 158: 157 them was that they were require
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Page 161 and 162: 161 But, Jahangir held different vi
Page 163 and 164: 163 Sikh Panth before Jahangir came
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Page 167 and 168: 167 and the attendant circumstance
Page 169 and 170: 169 emphatic were the Gurus in matt
Page 171: 171 And extirpating all tyrants.”
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Page 181 and 182: 181 From beginning to end, I reveal
Page 183 and 184: 183 Upananya ceremony, they were no
Page 185 and 186: 185 After his military successes, B
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Page 189 and 190: 189 time in their history. Hunted l
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Page 193 and 194: 193 of the unflinching faith in the
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Page 197 and 198: 197 order to wean him away from the
Page 199 and 200: 199 of inspiration, energy and opti
Page 201 and 202: 201 CHAPTER XVI Achievements The ac
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Page 205 and 206: 205 Ramgarhias. Even today they for
Page 207 and 208: 207 Rajputs will not allow inferior
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Page 211 and 212: 211 him home. Arrived there, the} s
Page 213 and 214: 213 CHAPTER XVII The Rajputs, the M
Page 215 and 216: 215 individual of the ruling caste
Page 217 and 218: 217 vanquished. This contrast in th
Page 219 and 220: 219 circumstances which favoured th
Page 221 and 222: 221 of a Maratha national state. Bu
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223 not bear his name. This show th
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225 an illusion. It also takes a un
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227 the Gurus, also in their letter
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229 priestly caste. There was no sc
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231 of Islam, which had no caste ba
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233 represent their order at Versai
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235 culottes.’ 32 The Gironde suc
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237 ideals embodied in the Guru Gra
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239 reactionary forces in the saddl
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241 Revolution, they believed that,
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243
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245 artisans and the craftsmen, i.e
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247 CHAPTER XIX CHARACTERIZATION 1.
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249 the Sikh movement, because its
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251 revolutionary maintained the hi
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253 revolts by lower castes in a va
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255 in 1789. Obviously, such a radi
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257 freedom and capturing political
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259 remind us that revolutions—as
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261 religion.’ The Guru wanted to
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263 forward his aims and ideals, he
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265 2. The Impact of Jat Cultural P
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267 Sikhs supported the Guru on thi
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269 come armed. That is probably, a
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271 the Gurus, and for most part of
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273 From the time of Guru Har Rai t
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275 symbols? Further, whether the f
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277 caste (e.g. Sandhu, Sidhu, Gill
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279 (iii) The news-writer, who repo
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281 the combination of objective co
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283 soms Bhaktas is doubt. The Sikh
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285 in following them…. The Mukta
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287 Ceaser what is Ceasor’s. The
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289 Sikh Gurus were not only social
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291 Singh Sabha movement merely res
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293 Appendix C Some Aspects of the
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295 He whose mind loveth to conside
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297 Those sinners ever wander in ev
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299 Sayeth Nanak : “He, who Reali
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301 You wear necklaces, put sacrifi
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303 Thousands upon thousands of god
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305 (Guru Granth, p. 39; trans. by
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307 wicked, in the battle-field Tho
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309 References CHAPTER I Introducto
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311 42 Senart, pp. 51-2 43 Bharatiy
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313 16 Ibid 17 Muir: I.A., Vol. 6 (
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315 90 Hutton, p. 71 91 Senart, p.
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317 52 Ibid 53 Alberuni’s India,
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319 5 Ibid, p. 360 6 Ibid, p. 1323
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321 8 Janamsakhi, Walaitwali, Sakhi
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323 11 Bhai Gurdas: Var One, Pauris
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325 79 Irvine, W. : Later Mughals,
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327 22 Ibid, p. 469 23 Ibid, p. 368
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329 22 Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri, Persian p
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331 66 Ibid, p. 301 67 Guru Granth.
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333 45a Forster, Vol. i, p. 329 46
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335 12. Bhangu, p. 202. I2a Max Web
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337 31 Ghurye, p. 11 32 Ranade, M.
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340 taken from the MSS. of the pers
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342 19 Chahar Gulzar-i-Shujai, 545a
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344 51. Ibbetson, sec. 424; Gazette
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346 Barth, A. 1963. Religions of In
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348 Hasrat, Bikramjit (ed.) 1970. P
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350 New Delhi. Ministry of Informat
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352 Janamsakhi, Bhai Bala Edited by
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354 186,214, 220, 263, 267,269. ] 2
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356 Grierson, 77, 79. Griffths, ] 2
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358 76-79, 253, 282. Mehar Gul, 58.
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360 227, 271, 274. Singh Sabha Move
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2 SERIES IN SIKH HISTORY AND CULTUR
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In India, on the other hand, the pl
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6 REFERENCES 1. Nizami, Khaliq Ahma
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