editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies

38
ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES : APRIL-JUNE 2005 / 537 NS
peaceful, prosperous and free from any bias. They have turned their
eyes towards the teachings of Sikh Gurus for achieving this goal. World
celebrities like Koffi Annan, Secretary General of UNO and other
Asian and Europian leaders including the President of India APJ Abdul
Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ex-Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpai and many others share the view that these teachings
which were relevant in the times of Sikh Gurus, are relevant today
and would ever be so in times to come. Thus, a responsibility devolves
on the Sikh community and its leaders to rise to the occasion. The
Sikh period from 1469, birth of Guru Nanak Dev, to 1708, demise of
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, and the later century and a half
depicting the ascendancy of Sikh Panth and its rule, not only over the
Punjab of that period but also in the regions like Jammu and Kashmir
and Afghanistan, etc., was a golden period that marks the awakening
of suppressed people in respect of their rights which had been denied
to them since the dawn of civilization by the ruling class of educated,
clever and smart people.
Guru Nanak Dev, in his teachings, had not only all that is good
in Marxist Theory, but also much more than that. Marxism would not
have failed the way it did, had this theory been as comprehensive as
that of Guru Nanak. Marxist theory pleads for equality in material
needs of the people, which alone does not ensure contentment and
peace of mind. Guru Nanak’s theory paid attention to the spiritual
needs as well, without which a person would never feel satisfied,
howsoever large the material comforts. In this regard, Guru Granth
Sahib contains the following exhortation on page 1013 :
Mind falters without spiritual knowledge. Mad after material gains
it rushes from place to place (poison) instead of Nectar (which is the
elixir of life as described in Gurbani). *
It is time for the Marxist friends to turn to the Sikh philosophy, if
they are really sincere about the welfare of the poor. Marx gave his
theory in 19 th century while Guru Nanak spelled it out much earlier in
the 15 th . The French Revolution of 1789 extolling the principles of
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity also took place much later. The
* mnUAw folY dh ids DwvY ibnu rq Awqm igAwnw ]
AMimRqu Coif mhw ibKu pIvY mwieAw kw dyvwnw ]