Fundamentalism and the Sikh Religious Tradition by T.N. Madan
Fundamentalism and the Sikh Religious Tradition by T.N. Madan
Fundamentalism and the Sikh Religious Tradition by T.N. Madan
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you want to play <strong>the</strong> game of love, enter my lane with your head on thy palm" <strong>and</strong> "Truth<br />
is higher than every thing; higher still is truthful living."<br />
Fur<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>re are four clear responsibilities of <strong>the</strong> spiritual man, which are<br />
specifically prescribed <strong>by</strong> Guru Nanak. First is <strong>the</strong> duty of maintaining equality between<br />
man <strong>and</strong> man, <strong>and</strong> man <strong>and</strong> woman. His call that <strong>the</strong>re is 'No Hindu nor any Mussalman',<br />
<strong>and</strong> his taking a Muslim Marasi (a low caste in <strong>the</strong> Brahminical system) as his first life<br />
companion, was a major blow to <strong>the</strong> hierarchical caste ideology. Caste ideology <strong>and</strong><br />
immobility of caste duties governed <strong>the</strong> entire empirical life in Hinduism. An allied step<br />
he took was <strong>the</strong> creation of <strong>the</strong> institution of Langar, (community kitchen), involving help<br />
to <strong>the</strong> poor <strong>and</strong> equality of status for one <strong>and</strong> all. The second responsibility which he<br />
prescribed was that of work, involving production <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> sustenance of life. He wrote<br />
"The person incapable of earning his living gets his ears split, <strong>and</strong> becomes a mendicant.<br />
He calls himself a guru or a saint. Look not upto him <strong>and</strong> touch not his feet. He knows<br />
<strong>the</strong> true path who earns his living <strong>and</strong> shares his earnings with o<strong>the</strong>rs." He fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
emphasizes <strong>the</strong> religious necessity <strong>and</strong> responsibility of equitable distribution of wealth,<br />
saying, "God's bounty belongs to all but in <strong>the</strong> world it is maldistributed" <strong>and</strong>, 'riches<br />
cannot be ga<strong>the</strong>red without sin, but do not keep company after death. He, thus,<br />
condemned exploitation <strong>and</strong> accumulation of wealth, <strong>and</strong> demonstrated his censure of it,<br />
<strong>by</strong> acceptance of <strong>the</strong> invitation of Bhai Lalo, a poor carpenter, <strong>and</strong> rejecting that of Malik<br />
Bhago, <strong>the</strong> wealthy local chief. The most significant responsibility, which is often missed<br />
<strong>by</strong> casual scholars, is that of confrontation with <strong>the</strong> unjust <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> oppressors. This<br />
responsibility logically follows from his description of God, whom he calls <strong>the</strong> "True<br />
Emperor", <strong>the</strong> 'Protector', <strong>the</strong> 'Shelter of <strong>the</strong> Shelterless', <strong>the</strong> 'Helper of <strong>the</strong> helpless', <strong>and</strong><br />
what is very significant, <strong>the</strong> 'Destroyer of <strong>the</strong> Evil', '<strong>the</strong> Destroyer of <strong>the</strong> Demonical', <strong>and</strong><br />
'<strong>the</strong> Slayer of <strong>the</strong> Inimical."<br />
In this context, two aspects of <strong>the</strong> Bani of Guru Nanak, are very important. First,<br />
he is critical of <strong>the</strong> failure of <strong>the</strong> rulers to secure justice, fairness <strong>and</strong> safety for <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
subjects, <strong>and</strong> to resist <strong>and</strong> repel <strong>the</strong> invaders whose butchery <strong>and</strong> tyranny he condemns.<br />
He goes to <strong>the</strong> extent of ridiculing religious persons who were depending upon Mantras<br />
lo make <strong>the</strong> invading hordes blind or invoking <strong>the</strong> protection of <strong>the</strong> Devis <strong>and</strong> Devitas<br />
against <strong>the</strong> enemy. He criticised corruption at all levels of <strong>the</strong> administration <strong>and</strong> social<br />
life. The second fact is his complaint to God for allowing <strong>the</strong> weak to be oppressed <strong>by</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
strong <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> consequent failure of <strong>the</strong> Master to protect his flock. This Bani of Guru<br />
Nanak is not idle rhetoric, but it lays down an emphatic direction as to what is necessary<br />
<strong>and</strong> virtuous for <strong>the</strong> religious man to do <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> targets for which his Panth has always to<br />
struggle to achieve. It is in this background, that Guru Nanak directed <strong>the</strong> futility of some<br />
earlier ethical injunctions saying that people did not know what was sin <strong>and</strong> what was not<br />
sin, <strong>and</strong> if <strong>the</strong>re was any piety involved in avoiding meat-eating. He wrote : Men<br />
discriminate not <strong>and</strong> quarrel over meat-eating. They do not know what is flesh or nonflesh<br />
<strong>and</strong> what is sin or non-sin". This being his st<strong>and</strong> regarding Ahimsa, he explained<br />
that <strong>the</strong>re was life in every grain of food man ate. The obvious inference is that since he<br />
envisages his society to confront <strong>and</strong> resist injustice <strong>and</strong> oppression, <strong>and</strong> since injustice<br />
<strong>and</strong> oppression are greatest <strong>by</strong> <strong>the</strong> rulers, <strong>the</strong> State or <strong>the</strong> invaders, it is he who clearly<br />
removes <strong>the</strong> hurdle of Ahimsa in <strong>the</strong> life <strong>and</strong> development of his society that could<br />
possibly arise in its pursuing or fulfilling its responsibilities of resisting or removing<br />
social injustice.