21 January 2002, 12:38am IST
Patwant Singh.
Sikhism’s astonishing appeal lies in the degree to which sikhs draw strength from it. besides providing a bedrock of religious beliefs — which sustain them in their journey through life — this youngest of the six great faiths also stresses the importance of defining an individual’s ethical and humane basis for existence. its ten gurus (or teachers) emphasised the need to expand those elements of the spirit which enable people to be more complete in themselves, to develop a sense of existential purpose, the confidence to achieve the impossible, a capacity for compassion, a philosophic acceptance of life’s ups and downs. the individual’s moral fibre had to be strengthened through basic convictions. with this farsightedness, the tenth and last guru, gobind singh, set about honing the faith’s dynamics through innovation and personal example. his rigorous self-discipline and inner fortitude were exemplified by his equanimity and poise in the face of tragedies few encounter in their lifetime. he was nine when he received the head of his father guru tegh bahadur, beheaded in delhi on the orders of the mughal emperor, aurangzeb. his father had chosen martyrdom to demonstrate to aurangzeb — and the people of india — that a man convinced of his moral purpose and inalienable right to practise his own religion, is unafraid to die. the spiritual significance of his father’s bold and assertive defiance of the imperium, which denied its subjects their essential rights and freedoms, was not lost on young gobind, and his own conduct during the next 33 years, between the age of nine, when his father died, and his own death at the age of forty-two, shows how the concept of martyrdom shaped his character. j d cunningham, an official of the east india company and author of a classic history of the sikhs, describes his contribution: ‘‘in the heart of a powerful empire he set himself to the task of subverting it, and from the midst of social degradation and religious corruption he called up simplicity of manners, singleness of purpose, and enthusiasm of desire’’. convinced that only people with an iron will and high self-esteem could oppose injustice, he laid the foundations of martial traditions so his people could proudly proclaim their beliefs and moral goals. he baptised them as a first step towards giving them a distinct identity. in a simple ceremony, an iron bowl full of clear water with sugar added, was stirred by a double-edged sword and a few drops of this magical mix of sweetness and steel — called amrit — were administered to the thousands waiting on the day of baisakhi in april 1699. he called baptised sikhs, the khalsa: a people distinctive in appearance, completely equal, with shared ideals, principles and sense of purpose, without caste distinctions and with service (or sewa) of humanity as an article of their faith. it would be the most democratic of all faiths. the sword — in effect steel — became the symbol of their pride and purpose and of the divine being’s will by which the khalsa would raise it to defend the defenceless and its own beliefs. bhai gurdas, a chronicler of the gurus, places the khalsa’s emphasis on military preparedness in this perspective: ‘‘the orchard of the sikh faith needed the thorny hedge of armed men for its protection’’. military skill was just one facet of guru gobind singh’s personality. he also learnt sanskrit, braj, persian, arabic and avadhi, and studied the classics in these languages. these scholarly foundations resulted in a book of psalms, a narrative of his times, an autobiography, the inclusion of his father’s hymns in the guru granth sahib, (the sacred writings of the sikhs), and poems based on the entire gamut of human existence. the diversity of the guru’s interests ranged from astronomy, geography, metaphysics, yoga and botany to ayurvedic healing. because of the wide range of his interests and his all-embracing vision, he rose above the petty prejudices of his time to become an uncompromising advocate of humanistic principles. he stressed this ethic in his poetic composition, akal ustat: ‘‘recognise all mankind as one,/ whether hindus or muslims,/ the same lord is the creator/ and nourisher of all:/ recognise no distinction between them./ the monastery and the mosque are the same,/ so is hindu worship and muslim prayer./ men are all one!’’ his life is a telling reaffirmation of his personal values. despite the fact that his great-grandfather, father, four sons and countless comrades-in-arms were put to death by the paramount power, he opposed no faith nor its followers, but only the tyrannical few who denied others the right to practise their beliefs. that is what spiritualism is about.
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