Eternal India Encyclopedia

RELIGIONS

Eternal India encyclopedia

SIKHISM

Origin : 15th Century, Place : India Founder: GURU NANAK Global Following : 19,853,000(0.4%) Global Spread : All Continents (21 countries) Predominant : Asia nos. in (‘000) Africa Asia Europe Latin America

* Harmonised Hinduism and Islam * Uncompromising belief in monotheism * Ek Oankar - Unity of God. Flag - Embedded in saffron colour with emblems of chakra and Khanda. * Singh means "Lion hearted" * Sikh derived from Sanskrit “Shishya" and Pali "Sikkim”. Both mean disciple.

Khanda - (Double edged spear), used to stir AMRIT (nectar - solution of water and patasha the sugar crystals). Chakra - instru- ment used in warfare. Two swords placed

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congregation and while partaking food from the community kitchen ( langar ) should sit in one line without distinction of high and low or rich and poor. * Guru Nanak preached strict monotheism and described the Crea- tor as Ikk (one), without a second. Guru Nanak's philosophy of God is Japji, the primal creed. There is one God He is the supreme truth, He, the creator Is without fear and without hatred, He, the omnipresent, Pervades the universe, He is not born, Nor does he die to be born again. * Guru Nanak was succeeded by nine other Gurus. * The second Guru Angad evolved a distinct script called Gur- mukhi (coming from the mouth of the Guru) which became the sole medium for the sacred writings of the Sikhs. It is in this script that the Guru Granth, the holy book of the Sikhs is written. * The third Guru Amar Das, to abolish caste distinctions, continued the tradition of Langar (community kitchen). Emperor Akbar who went to see the Guru at Goindwal had to eat in the Langar, sitting on the floor with his nobles and servants. The Emperor was so much impressed by the Guru's strict practice of equality that he donated a village on which the modern city of Amritsar came up later. * The fourth Guru Ram Das, son-in-law of Guru Amar Das, laid the foundation for the holy city of Amritsar which became the spiritual capital of the Sikhs. * The fifth Guru Arjun, youngest son of Guru Ram Das, compiled the Adi Granth, (the first book, the nucleus of the Granth Sahib) from the writings of the previous four Gurus. He consolidated them in order of ragas and set them to music and himself contrib- uted 2,218 hymns. He incorporated a number of hymns by Muslim and Hindu saints — Kabir, a weaver, Namdev, a tailor, Ravi Das, a cobbler, Jaidev, a Brahmin and many others. He designed the Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) as a symbol of the faith, simple and pure in belief which opens its doors to one and all and demonstrated its universality and asked Hazrat Mian Mir, a Muslim saint, to lay the foundation stone. Guru Arjun installed the Adi Granth in the "Harmandir" (Golden Temple). Guru Arjun was tortured to death on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. * The sixth Guru Hargobind laid the foundation of the Akal Takht in 1606 A.D. in front of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) Guru Hargobind called the Akal Takht , 'the Throne of the Immortal and declared it as the centre of Sikh temporal authority. He converted Sikhs into saint-soldiers. He wore two swords, one of piri' indicating spiritual power and second of miri representing tempo- ral power. * The seventh Guru Har Rai and eighth Guru Har Kishan continued the mission of their predecesors. * The ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, incurred the wrath of Aurangzeb for espousing the cause of Kashmiri Brahmins and was executed.

LINEAGE GuruNanak (1469-1539); Guru Angad (1504-1552); Guru Amar Das (1479- 1574); Guru Ram Das (1534-1581); Guru Arjun (1563-1606); Guru Hargob- ind (1595-1644); Guru Har Rai (1630-1661); Guru Har Kishan (1656-1664); Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621-1675); Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708). * The advent of a dynamic force called Guru Nanak on the Indian horizon heralded a new era of happy fusion of faiths and doc- trines. The Guru gave practical shape to the dream of Sultan Hussain Shah, the last of the enlightened Sharqi Rulers of Jaun- pur (1452-78) to evolve a simplified religion out of beliefs of the Hindus and Muslims. * Guru Nanak (1469-1539) the founder of Sikhism was born to a small Hindu farmer-trader and village revenue official named Kalyan Rai in Rai Bho-Ki-Talwandi (later called Nankana Sahib after him) not far from Lahore (Pakistan). * Nanak married early and had two sons. His father sent him to Sultanpur Lodhi, a town in Kapurthala District of Indian Punjab. For some time he served as a keeper of the grain store of the Khan of Sultanpur Lodhi. One morning while bathing in the rivulet Bein flowing by Siritanpur, he was absorbed in thoughts of God and in that state was ushered into the Divine Presence. Thereaf- ter, emerging from the rivulet he went into the town and the first words he uttered were:" There is no Hindu, there is no Musal- man". At this point, Nanak became a Guru. * Guru Nanak, accompanied by Mardana (a rebec player) a Mus- lim follower, travelled arduously for 24 years spreading his message of love, faith, truth and equality. He travelled to the four corners of India, Assam in the east, Rameshwaram and Kanya Kumari in the south, the Himalayan region in the north and Sind in the west. He visited the Hindu centres of pilgrimage. He visited Muslim centres also, both in India and abroad, going as far as Mecca and Baghdad. * Through dialogues he convinced people that good action alone can ensure slavation. While in Mecca he was asked who was superior, a Hindu or a Muslim, to which the Guru replied that without actions both were of no consequence. "Truth is high but higher still is truthful living" , said he. * Contrary to medieval Indian practice of renouncing the world for spiritual elevation, Guru Nanak believed that the world is worth living. "This world is the abode of God and the True One lives therein”. Guru Nanak believed that it was possible to live pure among the impurities of life. "As the lotus liveth detached in waters, as the duck floateth care-free in the stream, so doth one cross the sea of existence, his mind attuned to the word. One liveth detached, enshrining the one Lord in the mind, shorn of hope, living in the midst of hope." * To practise his teaching of equality Guru Nanak started twin institutions of Sangat and Pangat, emphasising that all sit in a CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS