30 November 2001, 12:16am IST
Patwant Singh.
I was asked to write a piece on spirituality, not religion — neither formal, scriptural, belief-based or biographical. i have a problem with that. which, quite simply, is: where do you draw the line between religion and spirituality? doesn’t one depend on the other for sense, sustenance, and inspiration? isn’t spirituality largely refracted from religion? i believe it is another dimension, a condition if you like, which owes its existence to the religious realm. most of the world’s major religions explain, in varying degrees of detail, the existence of things which are not susceptible to rigorous proof, like the occult, magical, astrological and supernatural phenomenon. but the enthusiasm and faith of the adherents, and their sense of spirituality, makes them accept many things unquestioningly, without seeking further explication. sikhism does not believe in the magical, occult or supernatural. based on rational thought, it does not require suspension of belief in the inquiring mind. in fact, enquiry and participation in the search for understanding the meaning of existence are encouraged. because it is a republican and participatory faith, whose followers draw inspiration from the guru granth sahib , the collected sacred writings of sikhism’s ten founding fathers, and other wise men of that period. the faith’s religious beliefs and spiritual search are indistinguishable from each other, since both are firmly anchored in the insights and logic provided by the contents of the granth sahib , which opens with verses by guru nanak who founded sikhism and whose 532nd birth anniversary is being celebrated today. the tenth guru gobind singh, before his death on october 17, 1708, ended the line of gurus by directing his followers to look upon the granth sahib — and not upon any individual — as their guru thereafter. this the sikhs have done ever since. as a result, the collective wisdom of the gurus, saints and savants, and the philosophic vigour of their work, have guided successive sikh generations for centuries, providing principled direction to sustain them through troubled times. by helping them renew their sense of determination, dedication and purpose. in turn, sikhs have willingly sacrificed their lives to uphold the sanctity of their scriptures. in which realm would such a profound commitment to an idea fall? in the religious or the spiritual? nanak stated his own belief unambiguously: ‘‘religion lies not in empty words. he who regards all men as equal is religious’’. he insisted that sikhs show a liberal and sensitive concern for the individual. to nanak, god did not have a physical form, but was an ideal; an amalgam of truth, integrity and courage. so god was present in every person. not the property of the priestly class, but of all humankind. and since god resides in each person, service of humanity was a form of worship. voluntary sewa (or service), as a personal undertaking, is thus enjoined on every sikh man, woman and child. it has become an ethical commitment, for followers of this faith, without expectation of monetary rewards, or as a shortcut to spiritual salvation. altruism is seen as the ‘‘essence of all knowledge’’. sewa must be rendered in humility ( nimarta ), with purity of intention ( hirda suddh ), with sincerity ( chitlae ), in utter selflessness (vichon ap gavae), without desire ( nishkam ), and without guile ( nishkapat ). these attributes, sought to be instilled in the sikhs, were aimed at erasing distinctions between religion and spirituality, between the real and the abstract. because there had to be an effortless relationship between the two, an inspired and acceptable co-mingling. guru gobind singh put the final seal of discipline and dedication on the sikhs by baptising them into the khalsa. although estimates vary, around 50,000 sikhs were baptised during the first few days of april 1699 in a remote northern indian town, anandpur. in his message to the assembled sikhs, guru gobind singh told them: ‘‘you will love man as man, making no distinction of caste or creed...in each of you the whole brotherhood will be incarnated. you are my sons, both in flesh and spirit...’’ the emphasis on flesh and spirit was a reiteration of the idea of an inspired people knit together by their ideals and beliefs — by their sense of spirituality — in the fellowship of the khalsa. which is not a hierarchical order of the high above and the dispossessed below, but a humane, caring and courageous community.
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