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ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES : APRIL-JUNE 2005 / 537 NS
of the Sikh scripture is beyond any doubt” (Contesting Interpretations p.
305) The point is that there was absolutely no need for him to raise
this point at all.
McLeod’s basic mischief in denying the originality for Guru
Nanak’s thought and starting a nirmal panth, a sovereign entity, by its
own right, stands apart. He denies the very import of Guru Nanak’s
revelation as one would deny Lord Buddha’s revelation or that of
Christ. To begin with, I repeat here what I stated in The Sikhs In History
(New Delhi 1999) pp14-19:
“Guru Nanak during the process of revelation gained new vistas
of cosmic consciousness that divine light permeates the entire
universe and it’s the only source of light in all human beings.
Universal brotherhood of humankind and common heritage shorn
of any limiting angularities, formed an essential part of the
revelation. The issues that agitated the minds of the people were
naturally the divisions within Hinduism and Islam, and relevance
of God as a factor in social interaction as between various sectors
of society.
“Basically, the issues impinged on social responsibility. These
were beyond the pale of any school of the Hindu thought. Neither
the Vedas, the Shastras, and Smritis, nor the various religious
teachers and law-givers – none of them – laid down social
responsibility on anyone, much less a section of the society, to
ameliorate the socio-political condition of the people. Rather by
laying emphasis on asceticism and world-withdrawing doctrines
that caused withdrawal from productive work and dependence
on alms for sustenance, the Hindu socio-religious orders had
become parasitic and irresponsible. Even the Bhaktas who were
critical of the caste system and repudiated essentials of
Vaishnavism, advocated individual moksha, deliverance. They
were not for acceptance of social responsibility. None of them,
in consonance with Hindu thought, raised his voice against the
prevalent political oppression, despite some of them including
Kabir and Namdev facing personal persecution at the hands of
the rulers...
“It was reserved for Guru Nanak to charter a new order by an