Fundamentalism and the Sikh Religious Tradition by T.N. Madan

It is significant that whereas no earlier religious system in India prescribed,
much less took specific measures to practise them, it was Guru Nanak who both
emphasized and implemented these four and allied religious doctrines and
responsibilities. Historically, Guru Nanak appeared in a land with a dichotomous
religious tradition that recommended personal salvation, with hardly any concern for
social morality, as concluded by Maitra in his study of Hindu ethics. It is for the reason of
this background, that Guru Nanak had to introduce the system of succession. Guru Arjun
continued it, even after the compilcation of the Scripture, and Guru Gobind Singh, after
the creation of the Panth, closed it. It is important that the system of Miri-Piri or Sant-
Sipahi, as is the case of Moses and Prophet Mohammad, was actually practised and lived
by the Gurus themselves, so that there is no misunderstanding or ambiguity about Guru
Nanak's system. As explained by us, so far as the contemporaries of the Gurus and the
Sikhs were concerned, there was never any misunderstanding about the unity of Sikhism,
its independent identity and theology. It is only the present-day scholars, mostly votaries
of dichotomous religions, often politically oriented, who sometimes feel confused and
misrepresent its unity of ideology.
It is an important fact of history that Pir Budhu Shah, a Sufi Muslim sacrificed
two of his sons, while they were fighting in the army of Guru Gobind Singh." Had the
Sufi not been deeply impressed by the spiritual cause the Guru had been fighting for, it is
unthinkable that he would have sent practically all his sons and men to fight for the Guru
while a Muslim Emperor had been ruling in Delhi. Pir Budhu Shah was not a mercenary,
but a pious and respected religious divine above temptation of material or secular gains.
Evidently, Sikhism is a whole-life religion. A radical departure from the earlier
religous systems was made by Guru Nanak. No doctrinal addition was made by
subsequent Gurus. Only those ignoring the religious history of man, could find dual parts,
or a split between the system of Guru Nanak and that of Guru Hargobind and the
subsequent Guru. In fact, it is the only religion in India which, instead of seeking
personal salvation presents an evolutionary view, involving the spiritual growth of the
manmukh or the egoist to that of gurmukh or superman who will play the same role as
did the Gurus, being the instruments of God.
II. THE PUNJAB PROBLEM
While ignorance of Madan, because of the lack of the necessary background of
the discipline of religion, is obvious, his blackout of the realities of the Punjab situation,
is, indeed, inexplicable. Unfortunately he has, it appears, without studying the problem
and facts himself largely relied on the misinformation projected by the media, Mcleod or
scholars like Oberoi or his coreligionist. It seems necessary, therefore, to give a brief
account of the issues involved in the Punjab Problem.
(a) Background before 1947: It is well know that immediately before 1947 the
British were, broadly speaking, dealing with three parties in India, namely, the Congress,
representing the majority of Indian opinion,the Muslim League, representing by and large
the Muslims of India, and Akali Party, representing the Sikhs. Sikhs being largely located
in the old Punjab, both the Congress and the Muslim League tried to woo them, each
hoping to retain a major part of the old Punjab with the support of Sikhs. Jinnah had
made tempting and specific offers of autonomy and safeguards to the Sikhs. However,
the Sikhs chose to throw in their lot with India, depending upon the following assurances
of the Congress, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jawahar Lal Nehru.