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

Ambedkar, has made a detailed and close study of the Hindu Scriptures and Shastras. He
concludes, first, that among Hindus there is want of both 'public conscience' and 'social
concience'. Its caste rules are supreme, and human loyalties and affinities do not go
beyond the sphere of one's family or caste."' His second conclusion is, like indications by
Weber, that in view of its Scriptures and Shastras, Hinduism cannot be reformed from
within," because all proposals of social reforms are found to run counter to Shastric or
sanctioned Caste injunctions.
It is in this context that we have to understand the system of Guru Nanak who
created a new ideology, guided by a new Scripture, a new ethos and a new culture, which
are essentially different from the earlier dichotomous or caste cultures. Acceptance of
social responsibilties in all fields, including the socio-political field, is an essential
doctrine of Sikhism. Madan makes quite a mistake by saying that Guru Nanak was
against the use of a scripture, and only suggested being in tune with the mystic
Shabad(word). Guru Nanak emphatically states. "O Lalo, I am saying what the Lord
commands me to ". This point has been repeated by him and the other Gurus. In fact, it
has been stressed that the real message is conveyed in the Bani which is the Guru, the
embodiment of all Amrit. Since the times of Guru Nanak the Sikh society has been
following the ethical and cultural pattern prescribed by the Gurus, and lived by them for
over two hundred years.
Now let us see what have been the corresponding developments in the Hindu
society. After the Islamic invasions, the first important revival was in Maharashtra. We
have noted separately that this involved a clear application of the Brahminical ideology in
all its aspects. But after the British invasions and the impact of Western culture in the
nineteenth century, Raja Rammohan Roy was one of the first to realise that some of the
reforms in Hindu Society, which might be necessary in view of the modern concepts,
were in conflict with the Hindu tradition. For example, the aboltion of Sati, could not find
sanction in the Hindu Shastras. Similarly, if the inequities of the caste ideology had to be
removed, one could not find sanction for that in the Scriptures. Perhaps, this was his
compulsion that in order to incorporate some of the norms of modern culture, he started
his system of Brahmo Samaj, wherein the member was free to accept ethical principles,
even though not in consonance with the Hindu doctrines.
But a major change in direction took place, when Mahatma Gandhi assumed the
undisputed leadership of the Congress, and introduced Hindu religious concepts in
politics. His justification that he was cooperating with the leaders of the Khilafat
Movement because it would help him in the protection of the cow, which was his
religion, his insistence on the religious doctrine of ahimsa as a national policy, his raising
of the imagery of Ram Rajya as a socio-political ideal, his reluctance to have food in non-
Hindu houses," and his clear anxiety to maintain the overall caste framework of the
Hindu society, emphasized that hence forward, that society had to look back to its past,
scriptures and Shastras. In protest, Mrs. Besant left the Presidentship of the Home Rule
League, because it became 'intertwined with religion' Instead Gandhi became its
president, Jinnah who had been the President of the Bombay Home Rule League, raised a
constitutional objection in a meeting presided over by Gandhi, who overruled his
objection. In protest, Jinnah and nineteen others, including Munshi, a noted Congress
leader, left the League. Munshi later recorded : "When Gandhiji forced Jinnah and his
followers out of the Home Rule League and later the Congress, we all felt with Jinnah