Anti-Sikhism

Charnjit Singh Bal

Note:- To read Punjabi Text please download D. R. Chatrik fonts from www.sikhsundesh.net 

At the time of advent of Guru Nanak Sahib in 1469 AD there were two predominant religions, polytheistic Hinduism and monotheistic Islam, in India. Both religions’ theocrats and clergy claimed to be holier than the other. The Muslim Invaders considered the Hindus who practiced barbaric human and animal sacrifices, idolatry, blind faith rituals and pagan taboos, superstitions, as pagans. And the Hindus called the marauding and murdering Muslim imperialists, who considered coercive conversion of non-Muslims to Islam as meritorious holy act, vile. The zealous clerics and sanctimonious holy quacks of both religions incited religious in-tolerance and hatred towards the rival Faith. Consequently inter-Faith rivalry and hostility between the two was rampant.

The reformist Guru Nanak whose concepts of religiosity were essentially different than those of the two contemporary religions, founded a monotheistic faith, Sikhism that prescribes quintessential spiritual consciousness, piety, human virtues, productive societal family life and socio-religious harmony and proscribes blind faith rituals and futile dogmatic religious practices. To propagate his religion that blends Monotheism with Pragmatism, Humanism, Liberalism and Pluralism, he embarked upon four odysseys traveling on foot all over the Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East during late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. During his travels the Guru Nanak Sahib collected the Scriptures of medieval pious Hindu and Muslim eminent Sages who subscribed to his religious concepts. Guru Arjun Sahib compiled the preceding four Sikh Gurus’ and his own scriptures and Guru Nanak Sahib’s collections in the Guru Granth Sahib that exemplifies universality of the Sikhism’s illuminating Message.

Early Sikh Sectarians

However the progressive Sikhism encountered regressions, dissentions, cultism, sectarianism and factionalism from the Gurus’ own disenchanted progeny, kith and kin, wayward apostles (Massunds/Masnunds), cultist Gurus opportunistic holy quakes and spurious saints. Guru Nanak Sahib’s elder son Sri Chand, discontented because the Guru Sahib selected Bhai Lehna (Angud) Jee on merit for the august seat of Sikh Guru, founded his own un-Sikh ascetic sect. For the same reason Guru Angud Sahib’s Son Daatu motivated by jealousy assaulted (kicked) Guru Amar Das Sahib and tried to set a parallel Guru-ship that eventually failed.

Guru Arjun Dev Sahib’s older brother Prithi Chand driven by envy swindled the tithe and other offerings meant for the Guru from the Sikh devotees and instigated murderous attempts on his nephew, Guru's infant son Hargobind Jee.

Guru Har Rai Sahib’s elder son Ram Rai who was deprived of the Guru-ship because he distorted a verse of Gurbani to appease the Mogul Emperor Aurangzeb, started his own sect.

Guru Har Rai's elder brother Dhir Mal, another pretender to the august seat of Sikh Guru instigated Massund Shinha to murder his uncle Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib. Shinha fired on Guru Sahib, wounded the Guru and looted Guru Sahib’s belongings including the original copy of Guru Granth Sahib.

The Massunds (resident Sikh preachers) became arrogant, corrupt and started to embezzle tithes that were meant to preach and promote Sikhism. Guru Gobind Singh discontinued the practice of appointing Massunds.

Discerning Sagely the probable future abuse of the August seat of the Guru by the likes of Dattuji, Prithi Chand, Ram Rai and Dhirmal, Guru Gobind Singh decreed, "All Sikhs to regard the Granth Sahib as their perpetual (spiritual) Guru" which is consistent with the Sikhism’s fundamental tenet, "Word is Guru, Guru is word." The Guru Sahib mandated the collective Sikh Panth (Nation) to administer the temporal Authority of Sikhism democratically. Unfortunately for the Sikhism and Sikh Community, neither that decree nor the noble message of the Sikhism has deterred some opportunists from misusing and abusing the Sikh religion for the self-serving ambitions.

Anti-Sikh Religious Practices

The Nirmlas from Brahmin scholastic fraternity, quasi-Sikh Mahants and Poojaries who virtually controlled the Sikh Gurdwaras for more than one and a half centuries, (from seventeen sixties till nineteen twenties), introduced Idolatry, cultism, ritualism, superstitions, prejudices, taboos and dogmas into the otherwise pragmatic, pristine practice of Sikhism. Some embezzled donations, funds, and held titles of endowment lands in their names and lived a life of sin and perversion in the Gurdwaras. Their un-Sikh practices and nefarious activities not only distorted the Sikhism's quintessential message and noble image, but also impeded the growth and progression of Sikhism/Khalsa Panth. Their legacy lives on in sectarian Sikh fiefdoms, seminaries and mainstream fringe elements including some so-called Singh Sahibs and Jathedars with propensity for cultism, ritualism and Idol worship.

Sikh-Raj failed Sikhism

Although Maharaja Ranjit Singh built many Sikh Gurdwaras and allotted endowments to the Gurdwaras, no real attempts were made to counter the corruptive influences of the Mahants, Pujaris, zealous Hindu and Muslim clerics and holy quacks. Perhaps the Maharaja’s preoccupation to establish Sikh empire, defend it from Muslim invaders and govern it according to the liberal Sikh ideals curtailed his obligation and ability to counter anti-Sikh influences. His noble objectivity to set up secular state and appoint the Hindu Dogra brothers Dhyan Singh and Gulaub Singh and Purbi Bhyya brothers Teja Singh and Lall Singh from U. P. to the elite posts in the administration and Sikh army proved to be fatal for the Sikh Raj and religion.

Christian Missionary Tentacles

Soon after the Maharaja’s death in 1839, treachery and intrigues of these traitors enabled the British to occupy Punjab. As usual the zealous Christian Missionaries, who without fail followed the Christian Conquistadors (Conquerors), spread their proselytizing (conversionary) tentacles in Punjab and built the Missionary Network. The Christian Missionaries enticed the gullible, weaklings and the naïve Sikhs to convert to Christianity.

The British conquers played their sinister part to detract the influence of Sikhism and demoralize the Sikh population. They let the corrupt Mahants of Sikh Gurdwaras to hold titles of land and property in their names and appointed Harimandir’s Sarbrah who took orders from Deputy commissioner of Amritsar. Sarbrah Aroor Singh declared Kamagata Maru returnees from Canada in 1915 as un-Sikhs at the behest of British authorities and awarded Gen. Dyer who massacred hundreds of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims including women and children on 1919 Vaisakhi day in the Jallianwala Baag, with a Saropa (the Sikh scarf of honor).

Contemporary Sikh Sects, Spurious Gurus and Saints

As per Sikhism's fundamental concept 'Word is Guru, Guru is Word' and Guru Gobind Singh's decree 'Granth is Guru' there is no more Guru Sikh incarnate. Nor is there any concept of beatified saints in Sikhism. As per Sikh scriptures a saint is one who is pious, humane, moral, altruist and leads a productive socio-family life. However there are many superiors Sikh Gurus and imposter saints. Whereas it is virtually rare to find a real Saint, there are so many pretenders that the intelligent Sikhs cannot help being skeptical of the flock of so-called saints. About these self beatified imposter saints and Guru pretenders the Gurbani says,

rihE sMq hAu tol, sfD bhuqyry izTy]

sMinafsI, qpsiah, muKhu ey pMzq imTy] sveIey mhly qIjy ky, pMnf 1395

(I am) Searching for the true Saints, (though I have) seen many holy quacks.

These (sanctimonious) ascetics, mendicants and pundits are slick of tongue. Page 1395.

kbIr isK sfKf bhuqy kIey, kyso kIE n mIqu]

cfly Qy hir imln kAu, bIcY atikE cIqu] slok 96, kbIr jI, pMnf 1369

Kabir, (Fake gurus) made many disciples, (but) didn’t develop a harmonious relationship with the God. (Ostensibly they) started out to re-unite with God, but their sanctimonious piety got mired (in exploiting the naïve devotees). Sloke 96, Kabir Jee, Page 1369

With the downfall of Sikh-Raj the cause of Sikhism suffered further digression. The Sikhism’s fundamental concept 'Word is Guru, Guru is Word' and Guru Gobind Singh's decree 'Granth is Guru' have not deterred some opportunists from misusing and abusing the Sikh religion for their self-serving ambitions. The Radhaswami, Nirankari, Namdhari, Nanaksari sects and Tuksaals (Sikh seminaries) sprouted from the ashes of apparently pious Sikhs like Baba Jaimal Singh (Radhaswami), Baba Dyala Jee (Nirankari) and Baba Ram Singh (Namdhari) and Baba Nand Singh (Nanaksari). The succeeding spurious Satgurus and Babas of these Fiefdoms have customized and commercialized the Sikh religious creed and practice. Some of the high-ranking mainstream Sikh leaders and preachers are product of these sects and seminaries. With cultist, sectarian indoctrination that is contrary to the essence of Sikhism’s progressive philosophy and illuminating Gurbani (Sikh scriptures), they keep misleading the Sikh community back to the era of darkness from which the Gurus tried to extricate the Sikhs.

Anti-Sikh Literature

The Hindu mythology oriented anonymous or pseudonymous Sikh writers and Pundits intentionally or inadvertently adulterated Sikh philosophy, practice and History with Avatar-ism, Idolatry, occultism, cultism and mythology. These writers, products of Hindu religious fraternities wrote the so-called Granths with ulterior motives or otherwise to obliterate unique Sikh identity and assimilate progressive Sikhism into primitive Hinduism that fosters polytheism, cultism, dogmatic ritualism, idolatry, blind faith taboos, superstitions and prejudices.

Mother of all Anti-Sikh literature, ‘Gurbilas Patshahi 6’ that vilifies Gurus as idolaters, Bhang (marijuana) junkies, amorous, written by an anonymous writer in the early 18th century (circa 1718), was recently edited by the so-called Sikh high priest Joginder Singh Vedanti (Vedanta's scholar/adherent) and Dr. Amarjit Singh. Published by the S. G. P. C. and printed by its Golden Offset press in 1998, this quasi-granth was sponsored by the thirteen so-called elite Sikh scholars and leaders. Due to the overwhelming criticism from the Sikh Intelligentsia and writers that book has been taken off the market but there are many more of its versions and type (of quasi-granths) in circulation. A so-called Dasam Granth, compilation of many scripts by anonymous writers but mischievously purported and propagated to be the Scriptures by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, contains Hindu Avatar-ism, mythology, wizardry, asceticism and explicit eroticism.

The writers, proponents and propagators of this dubious literature have succeeded to a large extent in their sinister plot to contaminate the quintessential Sikh philosophy, religiosity and History with dogmatism, polytheism, wizardry, witchcraft, mythology, eroticism, etc and consequently in beguile Sikh majority.

The overwhelming majority of Sikhs accepts as gospel truth and historical facts whatever the Sikh quasi-literate preachers, holy quakes and fake Gurus choose to quote from these so called Granths that contain no more than five percent of authentic history and philosophy of Sikhism. Consequently the practice of Sikhism is replete with blind faith, prejudices, dogmatic rituals, Idolatry, pagan taboos and superstitions. Sikh religious services and ceremonies are performed to invoke God’s benedictions and Guru’s blessings at the Sikh Gurdwaras (temples) at a price commensurate with the Sikh’s perceptual devotion and ability to pay. The international Sikh religious community has been fragmented into numerous sects and antagonistic factions.

Whereas the majority of innocent Sikhs’ inability to grasp the Sikhism’s essential message is a naiveté on their part, the role of the numerous cultist Guru pretenders, half literate preachers, self-serving main stream Sikh leaders which propagate such blasphemous literature as integral part of Sikh history and philosophy is much more detrimental.

The genuine Sikh Scholars have refuted the compatibility of the mythical, wizardly and erotic contents of these Granths with the illuminating philosophy of the Guru Granth Sahib’s quintessential Gurbani with convincing arguments. They have also revealed that the anonymous, pseudonym and quasi-Sikh writers wrote these so-called Granths with ulterior motives. But the proponents of blind faith, witchcraft and mythology have thwarted attempts by the rational minded Sikh scholars and intelligentsia to establish the authenticity of authorship and compatibility of these Granths with the Sikhism’s fundamental concepts and philosophy. Instead of acclaiming and honoring them, the quasi-literate, opportunistic Sikh Leaders who have had stranglehold on the seat of temporal authority of Sikhism for too long, have criticized, bullied and ostracized them and banned their books.

One of the most prominent Sikh Scholars ever Bhai Kahn Singh writes, "the earlier and contemporary writers of our Faith have written numerous books on (Sikh) history, creed and code according to their beliefs and tendencies. These books are both beneficial and harmful i.e. the subject matter compatible with essential message of Sikh Gurus’ edification is beneficial otherwise it is harmful."

"The in-depth study of these Granths gives the impression that the poets of our Faith have blundered in copying the authors of religious books of other Faiths. They have bundled and dyed the natural phenomena, social customs, cultural traditions and political ethos in the religious color. It is all the more saddening that there are very few analytical minded Sikh scholars seeking the truth. In fact their opponents, those who call the rational minded writers and speakers agnostics, are in majority."

Before he joined Dasam Granth’s propagandist Sadh Virsa Singh's sect, Rattan Singh Jaggi in his thesis on Dasam Granth writes, "The subject matter in the Chritro Pakhyan is so erotic and its language so sexually explicit that in some places it surpasses even the (Hindu) Koke Shastra or Kama Sutra (Hindu Erotica)"

Prof. Harinder Singh Mehboob writes, "The devious activity of adulterating the Granths and attributing the heretical writings to the Sikh Gurus has often been perpetrated repeatedly. This insidious activity has been pursued at the instigation of the mischievous and jealous people inimical to Sikhism."

Prominent Sikh academician Pr. Harbhajan Singh in his Punjabi book ‘ Dasam Granth Baray Chonvén Laikh’ (Selected Articles on Dasam Granth) writes, "In their wild flights of fancy both authors, (Bhai Santokh Singh of Suraj Prakash and the anonymous writer of Dasam Granth’s Bachitir Natak) left no discrepancy in fabricating blatant gossips and mythical fantasies."

Wizardry

In spite of the Gurbani’s explicit assertion that the God alone gives and takes life, many unscrupulous self-ordained sectarian Sikh Gurus, spurious Saints and holy quacks have been conning gullible Sikhs into believing that they can bless them with sons, good health and prolonged life. The fact that the revered Sikh Gurus and the venerated Muslim and Hindu sages, who co-authored the Guru Granth Sahib’s Gurbani, never claimed such providential powers doesn’t seem to deter these unconscionable pretenders.

To impress the Wizardry and witchcraft upon the gullible Sikhs they resort to preaching from the numerous surreal quasi- religious books such as Janumsakhies, Gurbilases, Panth Perkash, Rehetnamas, etc., instead of Guru Granth Sahib’s illuminating message. Two of the numerous mythological and wizardly tales they often narrate from these so-called Granths to the Sikh Sangat [congregation] about Gurus blessing Sikh supplicants with sons are,

1) A childless Sikh came to Guru Ram Dass Sahib and begged the Guru to bless him with a son. The Guru is quoted as saying “providence was to bless me with four sons. I have already got three sons, I grant you the fourth son which the God was going to bless me with.”

2) A childless Sikh woman named Sallukhni came to Guru Hargobind Sahib and beseeched the Guru to bless her with one son. When the Guru agreed to bless her with one son, she begged for another and another, finally ending up with a firm commitment from the Guru to grant her seven sons.

Another version of the same mythical tale is that she met the Guru Sahib while he was out riding a horse in the countryside. When the Guru Sahib started to write 1 (one son) on a piece of paper the horse shifted his hoof causing the Guru Sahib to write digit 7 (seven sons) instead of 1.

The analytical Sikh scholars and historians have traced these tales to the primeval Hindu mythological books. They believe it is the mischievous work of some sinister Hindus to adulterate Sikhism, a rational and pragmatic faith, with Hindu mythology, blind faith, wizardry, witchcraft, etcetera, to obliterate the unique Sikh identity and/or proclaim contemporary Sikhism as a sect of ancient Hinduism.

Contemporary Anti-Sikh writers

The contemporary zealous Hindu writers and academics with antagonism towards Sikhism continue casting aspersions on Sikh history and Gurus' liberal socio-religious philosophy and apolitical intentions. The history books that the Hindu dominated central government agency N. S. E. R. T. publishes for schools and colleges contain disparaging remarks about Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib and Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. The respondent agency's rebuttal, to Malkiat Singh Rahi's libel suit in high court attests to the dominant Hindu majority's blatant lack of concern for a minority's religious sensitivities. The rebuttal asserts, "To think that a true account of historical events is an attack on minority rights and to have this thinking affirmed with the help of constitution and courts is first degree impertinence."

Satish Chandra in his book 'Historiograph' writes, "Under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh the Sikhs tried to establish a separate sovereign state that was to be established at the cost of Hindu Hill rajahs. Soon this conflict engulfed the Mogul rulers too."

Dr. Rita Joshi of the Allahabad University's medieval history dept. in her book 'Aurangzeb and his relations with Hindus' on pages 101-105 writes, " In reality Sikhism was not a religion, just a sect that was founded on principles of Hinduism. After Guru Nanak the Gurus abandoned the path of spiritual devotion and fell into wicked world (materialism?) and started extorting religious tax. Despite political activities of the Sikhs Aurangzeb did not interfere with the affairs of the Sikhs. Aurangzeb was religiously impartial. Conflict between the Sikhs and Moguls started in 1676."

"Guru Teg Bahadur passed away. Accusation was leveled against Aurangzeb that he martyred Guru Teg Bahadur. Some Sikhs historians say ‘some unknown person murdered Guru Teg Bahadur.’ Why would Aurangzeb want to martyr Guru Teg Bahadur and cause upheaval in Punjab when the Sikhs had become a continuous cause of dilemma for him inciting people against him and extorting taxes from the people from 1663 to 1675?"

"The fact is Guru Teg Bahadur wanted to martyr himself purposely because there was tussle for the guru-ship at the time. They (Sikhs) were divided amongst themselves. The Guru by martyring himself in the name of religion wanted to bring about and solidify Sikh unity and solidarity. So Aurangzeb was in no way responsible for the death of Guru. It is unjust to place blame on him for Guru's death."

"In the beginning the Sikhs engaged in the struggle but in the end Guru Gobind Singh having lost, conceded defeat. After the death of Aurangzeb, Bahadur Shah gave employment to Guru Gobind Singh under him. This way the conflict between Aurangzeb and Sikhs ended. In this conflict Aurangzeb was victorious. Without doubt Aurangzeb was not responsible for the Aurangzeb-Sikh conflict, nor did he have Guru Teg Bahadur murdered."

In the Social sciences book for the seventh grade students of Education Center, Rajiv Gandhi Education Mission, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, in the chapter 'Revolt of the Sikhs' on page 50 is written that Guru Teg Bahadur Jee built a castle in Anandpur Sahib and incited revolt against the Moguls. The emperor Aurangzeb after having him jailed hanged Guru Sahib.

Conversion or Death

The Muslim imperialists made use of two coercive methods to convert Sikhs to Islam. On one hand they hunted and tortured them to death and butchered their children in front of them to coerce them to convert to Islam. On the other hand they enticed potential converts with endowment lands and elite posts. Although hunted and massacred on the genocidal scale, the eighteenth and nineteenth Century Sikhs resisted valiantly and survived the Muslim and Christian onslaughts.

Sinister Scheme to Obliterate Sikh Identity

However the Hindus deprived of political powers for nearly a millennium used insidious strategy to either obliterate the progressive Sikhism’s unique identity and swallow it or proclaim it as a sect of Hinduism. With the downfall of the Mogul Muslim rulers and advent of British into Sikh homeland the Hindu Arya Smaj fundamentalists were emboldened. Whereas in the past they targeted Sikhism covertly, now they started to malign the Sikh Gurus and Sikhism overtly.

Acting on the Hindu Vivaka Nanda’s devious advice, "If you want to root out a religion, cast aspersions on the historical facts of its founders"; Daya Nand the founder of radical Arya Samaj launched vicious attacks on the Sikh Gurus and Sikhism. He denigrated Guru Nanak Sahib with remarks, "Ideals of Nanak Ji were noble but he was illiterate; why would he otherwise write Sanskrit word nirbhya as nirbhow? Since he (Guru Nanak Ji) had some ego, he must have resorted to some deceit for the sake of his conceit."

That Daya Nand was a Charlatan is evident from his ignorance of the fact that Guru Nanak Sahib wrote, preached and sang his Scriptural compositions in the vernacular language of the people of Punjab, i.e. Punjabi that was already in use at the time. Eminent Muslim Sage Sheik Freed who lived couple of centuries (circa 1173-1266 AD) before Guru Nanak wrote Scriptures in Punjabi. Guru Nanak Sahib collected and Guru Arjun Sahib compiled these Scriptures in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Like all charlatans Daya Nand was a liar, duplicitous and cunning. His contemporary Gyani Ditt Singh writes, "Once during his discourse at Braham Smaj Temple he stated that the Sun orbits around the Earth and supported his statement with quotes from the Vedas. However later at the rest house when a companion, Saien Das told him that since today’s advanced Astronomy confirms that the Earth orbits around the Sun, people will not think highly of Vedas, Daya Nand said that he should have told me earlier; now I will refute the statement tomorrow."

Next day he contradicted his own statement by saying, "Yesterday when I said that the Sun orbits around the Earth, that is the assertion of the adversaries. That is how they interpret the concepts of Vedas. Actually these (Hinduism’s) concepts confirm that the Sun doesn’t orbit around the earth, but the Earth orbits around the Sun."

The Rashtrya Svayam Savek Sangh (RSS), a radical Hindu fundamentalist offshoot of Arya Smaj sprouted eight decades ago. Its strategy is much more insidious. To obliterate the unique Sikh identity and proclaim Sikhism as a sect of Hinduism, RSS is promoting and preaching the so-called quasi-Granths written by dubious Scholars. As mentioned earlier the subject matter of these Granths is contaminated with Hindu mythology, polytheism, wizardry, Idolatry, blind faith ritualism, eroticism, etc. that are totally contrary to the Monotheistic, pragmatic and spiritually illuminating doctrines of the Guru Granth Sahib’s quintessential Gurbani.

In a clandestine move the Hindu RSS has spawned an ill-conceived organization called Rashtrya Sikh Sangat that has same initials as the ill begotten mother organization (RSS) to beguile the gullible Sikhs and non-Sikhs. The discerning Sikhs, Scholars and Intelligentsia contend that the cagey Hindu RSS has created Rashtrya Sikh Sangat and filled its ranks with the mercenary Hindus and naïve Sikhs to boost its efforts to propagate anti-Sikh literature, Hindu mythology and distorted version of the Guru Granth Sahib’s Gurbani.

The RSS president Mr. Sudershan claims, "The Sikhs were created to defend Hindu Faith from the tyranny of the Mogul Rulers; and the two Hundred and fifty thousand Sikhs killed during (1717-1799 AD) the extreme Mogul tyranny were originally Hindus who made supreme sacrifices to defend the Hindu Faith." One wonders why didn’t these Hindus make supreme sacrifices to defend Hinduism,

When Mohamed Bin-Kasam, who was sent by the Khalifa of Baghdad, conquered India’s principality of Sindh in the eighth century with just 700 hundred men?

When Mehmood Gaznavi advanced all the way to Hinduism’s most sacred shrine Som Nath, smashed the Idols, looted valuables including the pair of doors with gold inlays and took away Hindu women as concubines and slaves to Afghanistan?

Note- The pair of doors was retrieved from Afghanistan during the Sikh Raj and Maharaja Ranjit Singh had it installed at the main portal to the Golden Temple

When the tyrannical Muslim Rulers forcibly converted enormous number of Hindus to Islam?

When India was slave to the Muslim invaders for almost a millennium until the Sikh Panth dealt fatal blows to the tyrannical Mogul Rule in the late seventeen and early eighteen centuries at the time when Himalayan hill Hindu Rajahs were banding with the Moguls?

The Sikhs that constitute two percent of the total population of India’s society overwhelming Hindu majority made eighty percent of the sacrifices to oust the British imperialists that ruled India for two centuries and Sikh homeland, Punjab, for one century. Only an ignorant or insidious person can proclaim that the Sikhs, who came from all castes and creeds to adopt Sikhism, originated from Hindus. And man of Mr. Sudershan’s credentials cannot be ignorant.

Some misguided or naive Sikhs, zealous Hindus and mercenaries are helping RSS in its insidious designs. Because the concerned Sikh Scholars and intelligentsia challenge the deceitful agenda of the RSS, a Sikh lawyer Gurcharanjit Singh Lamba characterizes the call by the Institute of Sikh Studies to reject the Dasam Granth, "irrational, motivated and sacrilege." And a self-beatified Saint (also known as Serkari Sadh) Virsa Singh of Delhi is distributing translations of Dasam Granth.

The founding of Sikhism was motivated by the noble concepts of universal religious freedom and socio-cultural Liberalism. Ever since its inception the Sikhism has espoused and made supreme sacrifices for these noble causes The authentic Sikh History is witness to the sacrifices and valiant acts of defiance of the Sikh Gurus, Muslim and Hindu holy Sages (co-authors of Guru Granth Sahib) and numerous Sikh Martyrs for these noble causes. The Sikhism would have defended the Muslims’ right to religious freedom had they been the oppressed religious community under tyrannical Hindu Rulers.

Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is akin to orthodoxy that is inherently zealous, dogmatic and adamantly averse to any progressive socio-religious change. The Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak’s concepts of a religion were liberalism, rationalism and humanism oriented. The successive Guru Nanaks carried on founder Guru Nanak’s mission that culminated in Sikhism flourishing into one of the world’s half dozen major religions. To champion the cause of religious freedom and thwart Muslim rulers’ genocidal attacks on Sikhism, the tenth Guru Nanak evoked the martial spirit in the Sikhs and redefined the role of a Sikh. A Sikh was now a Khalsa, noble warrior and Sikhism, Khalsa Panth.

Sadly a fringe element of Sikhs tends to equate the noble concept of Khalsa Panth to fundamentalism that in today's vocabulary is synonymous with militancy, fanaticism, radicalism even terrorism. Whereas a genuine Khalsa is worthy of veneration, but if he is even so much as suspected of terrorism, he fails to uphold the Guru's lofty concept of a Khalsa, and disgraces the Guru, Sikhism and Sikh community. Evidently there have been numerous instances of baptized Sikhs having reneged on the sacrosanct pledge. The blame perhaps lies with the Sikh leaders, preachers, self proclaimed sectarian Sikh gurus and self anointed saints who are overly zealous to maximize the number of baptized Sikhs, but not concerned enough to ensure the preparedness and worthiness of a Sikh to be baptized to optimize the success rate. Perhaps if they were to focus on the preparedness and the worthiness of a Sikh before baptizing him there wouldn't be so many strays on the sublime highway of Khalsa Panth.

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