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

upon the old boon, when Amar Das departed for the heaven. Sri Nanak was recongnised
in Angad, and Angad in Amar Das. Amar Das was called Ram Das, only the saints knew
it, and the fools did not. The people considered them separate ones, but there were a few
who recognized them as one and the same. Those who recongised them as one,
successfully understood the spiritual phenomenon. Without this recognition, there could
be no success in understanding. When Ram Das was merged in the Lord, the Guruship
was bestowed on Arjun. When he left for the abode of the Lord, Hargobind was seated on
the throne. When Hargobind left for the above of the Lord, Har Rai was seated in his
place. Har Krishan (the next Guru) was his son. After him, Teg Bahadur became the
Guru.
Let us first see what the Sikhs felt about the unity of their Gurus. We have stated
that both the Guru Granth and the Gurus have pro- claimed that unity. The Sikhs from the
very start, including Bhai Gurdas, call the Guru Sacha Patshah, involving his realm and
supremacy both in the spiritual and the temporal worlds. For the Sikhs, for all purposes of
reference and authority, the Guru was Nanak. Even in the times of the Tenth Master, it is
recorded that "If a wayfarer arrives at midnight, and takes the name of Guru Nanak, he is
treated as a friend and a brother, no matter he may be an utter stranger or even a thief or a
robber or an evil-doer." The point of significance is that even in the time of the Tenth
Master, the sole prophet of reference was no one other than Guru Nanak. Then there is
the statement of Bhangoo in reply to the question of Captain Murray, as to who gave
legitimacy to the political sovereignty of the Sikhs. He replied that it was given by the
Sacha Patshah himself. When asked who was the Sacha Patshah, the answer was prompt
that it was Guru Nanak who bestowed empirical sovereignty an the Sikhs. The point of
importance is the unity of the whole-life or Miri-Piri system of Guru Nanak, in which the
empirical component was an essential part of his spiritual system. Further, there are the
seals of Banda Bahadur, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, and Ranjit Singh in which Guru Nanak
has been referred to as the Master of both the worlds, namely, spiritual and the empirical,
and the bestower of the Sword to the Sikhs
An allied aspect is the impression the Sikh society gave to its adversaries about
its faith and its prophet. Qazi Nur Mohammad who came with Abdali, during his
invasions in the eighteenth Century, wrote that the Sikhs were not Hindus and that the
new religion which was distinct from Hinduism had been created by Guru Nanak.
Further, there are the orders of the Moghal Emperor and Governors in the eighteenth
century, which state that 'Nanak Pathis' should be eliminated and that rewards would be
given for their destruction. This shows that there was only one entity, namely, the 'Nanak
Panthis' or Sikhs, whom the rulers of the day considered to be the opponents worth
liquidation. Nowhere is the order confined only to Amritdharis, Singhs, or Khalsas. In
fact, these terms are not mentioned in related official records. This clearly shows that
making distinction of ideology or faith as between Nanak Panthis, on the one hand, and
Sikhs, Khalsa, Amritdharis, and Singhs, on the other hand, is a recent contrivance,
unknown to the insiders, outsiders or the adversaries of the Sikhs, before the nineteenth
century. The confusion has arisen, becuase in the nineteenth century during the rule of
Ranjit Singh when the Sikh star was ascendant, many fair-weather friends entered the
Sikh fold. At that time becoming a Sikh only meant gaining prestige and benefits without
any risk of liquidation as in the earlier century, and it is they who reverted to Hinduism
after the annexation of Punjab.