Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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to interpret one and all of its important features.
Nam Dev, Kabir, Basawa, Chaitanaya and other savants
repudiated, in varying accent, the caste ideology, but in no case these
protests resulted in a movement aiming to cut itself completely from
the caste society. The most radical departure was the one introduced
by Basawa. But, his followers, the Lingayats, as already seen, got
frightened, as if it were, by this very radicalism and did not pursue it
to its logical conclusion. They did not want or dared not, to cut
framework of the caste order. 6 Consequently, Basawa’s experiment
got arrested. It remained more of an accident rather than as a purposeful
anti-caste movement. In fact, there was little room for any anti-caste
innovation to make much headway, or even retain its anti-caste
character, unless it was organized into a movement and consistently
pursued with the set aim of breaking away from the caste society. It is
the Sikh movement along which, in the medieval times, consistently
planned and worked to establish the Sikh Panth outside the caste
society and tried to maintain its separate identity even after the time
of the Gurus.
Secondly, there is not one Indian religious movement, other that
the Sikh movement, which attempted to face the political problems
of the age.
Thirdly, there is no other movement of Indian origin which even
conceived that the downtrodden people should be the masters of their
own political destiny.
Fourthly, the Sikh movement made the maintenance of ethical
standards and conduct, as integral parts of its militant programme. In
fact, the movement was militarized in order to achieve the highly ethical
ideals of complete human freedom and equality. In the words of
Chaupa Singh, Guru Gobind Singh said : “If the Sikh spirit is retained
during raj (political sway) it would be a blessing; otherwise it would be
a bane. It is difficult to keep alive the Sikh spirit along with raj. The
sense of discrimination is lost. 6a This marriage between morality and
militancy was not a mere theoretical exercise or a nominal ideal. The
testimony of Qazi Nur-ud-Din leaves no doubt that the Sikh