Sikhs, Sikhism

General Information

Sikhs are followers of Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab in northwest India. In 1971, India had approximately 10.3 million Sikhs, 1.9% of the population. Small communities of Sikhs also exist in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, and East Africa.

The movement was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak (1469 - 1539), who sought to combine Hindu and Muslim elements in a single religious creed. He taught "the unity of God, brotherhood of man, rejection of caste and the futility of idol worship." He was followed by nine masters, the last of whom was Guru Gobind Singh (1666 - 1708; guru 1675 - 1708), who involved his followers in an unsuccessful martial struggle against Mogul rule.

After Gobind's assassination, the Sikhs were persecuted by the Muslim Mogul rulers until 1799 when, under Ranjit Singh (1780 - 1839), they laid claim to a large part of northwest India. After Ranjit's death his Sikh kingdom disintegrated into anarchy. The British moved into the Punjab, and the Sikh Wars followed (1845 - 46, 1848 - 49).

The Sikhs were defeated, and the British annexed the Punjab. Sikhism did not recover until the 20th century, when the Sikhs were given control of their holy places (gurdwaras). When the Indian subcontinent was partitioned in 1947, the western Punjab became Pakistani territory and the eastern Punjab part of India. The Sikhs were victimized by the ensuing communal rioting, especially in Pakistan's Punjab, and about 2,500,000 moved from Pakistan into India.

The holiest place for Sikhs is the Golden Temple at Amritsar (now in the Indian state of Punjab) founded by the fourth guru, Ram Das (guru 1574 - 81). The fifth guru, Arjun (guru 1581 - 1606), gave Sikhism its holy book, the Granth Sahib, which contains hymns of Sikh gurus as well as those of Hindu and Muslim saints such as Kabir.

Sikhs are readily identifiable by their turbans. They take a vow not to cut their hair as well as not to smoke or drink alcoholic beverages. When Gobind Singh founded (1699) the martial fraternity Khalsa ("pure"), his followers vowed to keep the five K's: to wear long hair (kesh), a comb in the hair (kangha), a steel bracelet on the right wrist (kara), soldier's shorts (kachha), and a sword (kirpan). The tradition persists to the present day.

Some of India's Sikhs favor the establishment of a separate Sikh nation. In the early 1980s Akali Dal, a Sikh nationalist party, provoked a confrontation with the Indian government by demanding greater autonomy for Punjab. Unassuaged by the election of a Sikh, Zail Singh, to the largely ceremonial office of president of India in 1982, the militants continued to stage violent demonstrations. As fighting between Sikhs and Hindus became widespread in Punjab, the central government took direct control of the state in 1983. By April 1984 50,000 troops occupied Punjab and the neighboring state of Haryana. Sant Jarnail Bhindranwale, leader of Akali Dal's most intransigent faction, sought refuge from arrest in the Golden Temple.

Karl H Potter

Bibliography:
M A Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion (1909); W H McCleod, Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion (1968); G Singh, The Religion of the Sikhs (1971); H Singh, The Heritage of the Sikhs (1964); M Singh, Sikhism: Its Impact (1973).

Basic Creed of the Sikhs

The basic creed of the Sikhs - the Mul Mantra - gives the idea of Reality in a few telling words. The creed is:
Ekonkar Satnam, Karta Purkh, Nirbhav, Nirvair, Akal Murat, Ajoni, Suabhav, Gur Parsad.

In these words, Guru Nanak praises God and mentions some of His great attributes: He is Truth, self-created, beyond the limits of time, He can be realized through the grace of the Guru. Let us study the meaning of each word of the Mul Mantra.

Ekonkar:

The only One Absolute God who is forever unfolding. He is the Absolute - the Transcendental. As such, He is Unknowable, Unfathomable. He is beyond description and beyond human comprehension.

Satnam:

His name is true. He really exists. He is not an idea or a hypothesis or an illusion. As one who exists, He is ever changing. He is never the same, evolving and growing. Everything exists in Him and is caused by Him. His name is Truth. He is formless - He is "The Holy spirit" - NAM.

Karta Purkh:

He is the creator of the cosmos. He is responsible for the coming into existence of the whole universe.

Nirbhav:

He is fearless. He is afraid of no one because He is the Lord of the universe.

Nirvair:

He is without any enmity. His love and protection extend to all. This cuts at the root of the theory of the chosen prophets and the chosen people. Like God, a true Sikh must be fearless and impartial. This will help to establish equality and justice.

Akal Murat:

He is Timeless. He is not subject to death.

Ajoni:

He is unborn. God does not take birth in any manner. This is the very antithesis of the theory of incarnation.

Suabhav:

He is self-existent. He is unique in His own right.

Gur Prasad:

By the grace of the Guru, the Sikh can acquire knowledge of God

The short form of the creed is Ekonkar Satgur Prasad as used in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Core Beliefs of the Sikhs

• There is only one God
• God is without form, or gender
• Everyone has direct access to God
• Everyone is equal before God
• A good life is lived as part of a community, by living honestly and caring for others
• Empty religious rituals and superstitions have no value