Dear Friends,
This Oct/Nov I was given the opportunity for a First Visit to Punjab in 55 years..and what a visit it was!!! I thoroughly enjoyed it..the people, the weather, the Gurdwaras, the ROADS together with huge holes going under the name of nikka toa...i wonder what a wadda toaa would look like !!
On Nov 12/13th I was in Chandigarrh to present my Paper..At the Crossroads...at the International Conclave of the IOSS - International Institute of Sikh Studies, on the need for an Apex Body to represent Sikhs Worldwide ( at Present the SGPC only reps Sikhs in Punjab)
Here is the Complete paper...The Report on thsi was carried in the Daily Ajit on Nov 14th.
Read on:
Author: Jarnail Singh Gyani "Arshi"
Date: 11-26-05 16:01
The Paper below was presented at the recently concluded IOSS 2005 Conclave at Chandigarrh Punjab.
From CROWN to the CROSS-ROADS…?????
Sikh History goes full circle !!
Jarnail Singh Gyani “Arshi” MALAYSIA
S.Mahanbir Singh AUSTRALIA
It is an accepted fact that History repeats itself and those that fail to learn from History…fail in this world. Sikh History is also repeating itself and if we fail to learn from its lessons.. we will only have ourselves to blame.
We are all aware that the march of Sikh history on the world stage begins with the advent of Guru Nanak, the Founder in 1469. Over a span of 200 years, Sikhism evolved and matured into a major player.. and in the decades following Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s creation of the Compleat Man – the Khalsa in 1699, Sikhism under the able and dynamic leadership of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur , arrived at the Cross Roads……one of which roads led to the Crown. The Khalsa took the right road….and within a few decades of intense struggle took centre stage in Punjab and managed to defeat the mighty Mughal empire as well as Asia’s finest and most brilliant military genius..Ahamd Shah Durrani of Afghanistan. Banda Singh established the First Khalsa kingdom and from then onwards the Khalsa never looked back..until the Khalsa kingdom stretched from Delhi in the South to Ladakh in the North..from Jamuna to the East to The Khyber Pass in the west.
What were the reasons behind this meteoric rise from a fledging religion to the mightiest power under maharaja Ranjit Singh. And then just as rapidly, the Khalsa lost its sovereignity and became subservient to the British..and from then on a rapid decline….until TODAY we have gone one full circle and stand at the Crossroads again !!! Now as before the roads lead to total submission and merger into the majority hindu religion…apostacy and atheism among the youth….degeneration into various sects, babadoms, derawaadism, rituals and symbols…in other words slip into total oblivion or once again March towards the CROWN…maybe not in the same physical kingdom of the Banda Singh Bahadur /Misls/or Maharaja Ranjit Singh…but in the sense of Pride in our fine religion, our fine credentials…as we become the World’s Fifth largest religion, with 25 million followers worldwide.
We need to re-think….re-evaluate….re-invent…rejuvenate ourselves to make ourselves relevant. We need to pull ourselves out of the quagmire of the Western thinking whereby everything goes according to rules, regulations, by-laws, enactments etc etc. This is no body’s fault…we have been living in a westernized society for so long that we have forgotten or neglected our own homegrown solutions…solutions that have proved SUCCESSFUL. Solutions that led us up the right road towards the Crown…once before. I am very sure these same solutions and practices if adopted can lead us back to the Crown we so desire and which is our birthright.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the Khalsa in 1699 ..a fighting force that rivaled the finest soldiers of the land. Before he left this earth, Guru Gobind Singh gave us two guiding principles…Complete and total Faith in the GURU GRANTH (GURBANI) and the Democratic-Republican Punj System of Rule by Consensus of the Guru Khalsa Panth. Total dedication by all our leaders to these two Principles led us towards the Crown.
Banda Singh was sent to the Punjab by Guru Gobind Singh to carry forward His mission. He took this seriously and shook the mughal govt to its very foundations. Many others who were not Sikhs also joined his forces against the govt…some for the opportunity to loot.. others to taste freedom..but mostly Sikhs out of a sense of religious duty. Baba banda Singh’s Force uprooted the Govt Law and Order in many places…and Banda Singh was able to have a semblance of a rival Govt in small plots of territory. As a Devout Khalsa Banda’s Govt struck coins in the name of NOT Banda but the GURU. Alas..it was too early in the day for a sustainable Govt of anti-Mughals..and the Banda Govt soon collapsed…but the Sikhs had tasted FREEDOM and wouldn’t let go of it so easily. Defeat merely drove them deeper into the struggle. The next person on the stage..Ahmad Shaha Durrani, the bitterest enemy of the Sikhs was paradoxically their greatest benefactor. He invaded India and helped destroy the Mughal administration, then in 1761 he crushed the Maratha Power at Panipat…..thereby creating a huge power vacuum….which the Sikhs filled quite adequately. Duranee tried his best to subdue the Sikhs and the Punjab but retreated in the face of an relentless onslaught by the Sikhs. The 12 Sardars occupied territory between the Jamuna and Indus…a loose intermingled mass of independent land.. with fluid borders that shifted constantly.
What strikes us with astonishment is that within a short span of about 50 years ..1708 – 1760’s..Sikhs had gone from being chased from pillar to post, hunted down like wild animals, with a price of 80 Rupees on each sikh man woman and child, sleeping on horseback, and always on the GO…to being established rulers of the land.
If we take a real close look at the situation…. The problems we faced then and those we face now are not that much different. Then we were physically hunted down, and killed. The Sikhs were surrounded by enemies on all sides..and daily existence was a challenge. Thus the “problems” and “dangers” were more well defined..and visible. Today the situation is not so clear-cut. The danger the Panth faces are not as cut and dried…Apostacy is rearing its ugly head insidiously among the youth..and today has reached the middle aged and even elderly Sikhs. Gurbani is being questioned, misinterpreted, misrepresented, useless and empty rituals as opposed to morality and high living is on the upbeat. Truth is High but higher still is truthful Living declared Guru Nanak.. BUT today this rings hollow in the Sikh Context. We don’t have many leaders that subscribe to truth or truthful living.
In the 1920’s the Sikh nation faced the very same situation as we face today. We overcame the odds and gained the CROWN…..in the 1760’s and again in changed circumstances in the 1920’s..and we can do it again TODAY….IF we follow the same Rules and Systems we used then.
1. The PUNJ PIARAS were accepted by ALL, irrespective of status, as SUPREME. No one from the commonest Sikh foot soldier to the Sardar/Chief/ even the Maharja dared to question the PUNJ.
2. The MISLS met 2 times a year without fail and all decisions were taken in tabiah of Guru Granth ji and the Punj Piaras. Such a decision taken after full consultation and absolute freedom of speech by all, was then accepted in toto by all. In essence once a decision was arrived at, no one questioned it or disobeyed it.
3. The Entire Body of the Khalsa behaved as ONE – no doubt there were SARDARS and Foot Soldiers…but when it came down to basics…there was absolute freedom between all Sikhs. The Sardars sat down and ate with the common Sikhs, there was upward and downward communication and mobility, each was a SERVANT of the WHOLE. IF a Sardar committed something against the Moral Code.. he could be and would be punished. Even the Maharaja was tied to a tree and lashed 20 times in public for a moral offense. In essence no one was above the LAW of the Khalsa.
The Sikhs are one of the most prosperous and politically important religious minorities in India. Today the Diaspora Sikhs are a vibrant part of many Foreign countries such as Canada, UK, USA, Australia/New Zealand, apart from the long established migrant colonies in Malaysia, Singapore Indonesia and Thailand. The religion itself is of comparatively recent origin—it dates from the time of Babur—but the history of its community, called Panth , or "Path," by the faithful, is a deeply rooted aspect of Sikh life. Since its inception, the Sikh community has been one of the major factors in Indian history…and in the Two World Wars proved its valour and valuable contribution as well on a Global scale.
The Mughals correctly “understood” that Sikhism was a separatist movement, a “Danger” to their Hegemony and Empire….and tried their best to kill it in its infancy by martyring Guru Arjun Ji and waging war against Guru Hargobind Ji, Guru Gobind Singh ji.. but they failed and by the eighteenth century, the Sikhs had established a separate kingdom with its capital in Lahore. The British arrived in India as the British East India Company and gradually changed from traders to conquerors… also realized the “ biggest obstacle to their Empire” lay in the form of the Sikh kingdom of Lahore. By 1850 they had annexed the whole of India barring only the Punjab Khalsa Kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. As long as the Maharaja was alive..the British kept their distance…but once he was dead..they made their move..as the contemporary Muslim poet of the day Shaha muhammed writes..Jang Hind Punjab da hon laggah..dovehn patshahi faujaan bharian ne…on one side was the Khalsa Army of Punjab and on the opposite side was the British Allied Army of the Conquered Indians…. After Two of the bloodiest wars.. known as the Anglo Sikh wars.. the British eventually won and annexed the Punjab. From then on The Sikhs became a major force in the British Allied army as the British gradually consolidated their hold over India, and during the failed and ineffective Indian Mutiny of 1857, it was the Sikhs that helped save the British… and after Indian Independence, the Sikh community, half of which had to flee Muslim Pakistan after partition, became economically and politically the most significant and successful minority community in India. The Sikhs are unique as a religious movement. Founded in the deepest spirituality and mysticism, they are a radically egalitarian group rooted deeply in their sense of community, called "brotherhood" (khalsa ) , and history.
The khalsa is unified by one aspect: all Sikhs are disciples of the founding Gurus of the religion—the word, "Sikh," means disciple. They are also, however, a highly militant religion and society; the community has to be protected with the highest martial vigilance and ability. Since the seventeenth century, Sikh fighters have been feared throughout India for their ability and sheer courage. The British, who employed them in their army in the nineteenth century, referred to them as the greatest of the "martial races."
It's an odd mixture….MIRI and PIRI….something UNIQUE to Sikhism. On the one hand, Sikhism is one of the most deeply spiritual and profoundly mystical religions of the world, advocating a social harmony and egalitarianism unrivalled by any other major religion, with the possible exception of Buddhism. On the other hand, the Sikh community is a militant, warrior community, willing to fight, sacrifice, at any cost to protect or further the community.
The core teaching of Sikhism is one truth: that God is one God and is behind and present in all of creation, particularly in each human soul. God can be directly connected to by an individual by examining his or her soul; this examination is carried out by meditating on the name of God. There is no need of any intermediary function, such as rituals, priests, fasting, churches, mosques, or anything else. All other gods are human particularizations of the one God, that is, they particularize one aspect of God. So all religions are both legitimate and illegitimate.
Perhaps the most radical of Guru Nanak's teachings was the rejection of caste or class. Since all human beings contain God within themselves, social distinction and inequality are externalizations of humanity's sinfulness. The ideal community is one in which no social distinctions are in place at all. The early history of Sikhism under Nanak and the first four Gurus is largely an attempt to build a class-free and caste-free society.
The core of Guru Nanak's teachings involve three fundamental doctrines.
Nam: The Name. A direct, unmediated experience of God can be attained by meditating on God's name (Nam); this name, according to Guru Nanak, is ek , or "One." Each human being can overcome their sinfulness and achieve a mystical union with God by meditating on this name.
Sabad: The Word. God is revealed through the spoken word (sabad ) . The spoken word reveals the nature and name of God as well as the methods by which one can meditate on the Name and achieve union with god.
Guru: The Teacher. The Name and the Word are revealed through the Guru; knowledge of both only comes through the Guru. The Sikh concept of the Guru is different from the Hindu concept, for the Sikh Guru is synonymous with the Name and the Word. It is slightly inaccurate to say this, but it comes close to hitting the mark: in many ways, the Guru is the voice of God speaking to humanity.
The Guru is one of the foundational concepts of Sikhism, and before his death, Guru
Nanak appointed his successor. He was followed by nine more Gurus; the tenth and last declared the office to be discontinued and there has been no Guru since. While Guru Nanak established the central teachings of Sikhism, each Guru who followed added significantly to the religion (which was one aspect of the office of Guru). The figure of the Guru gave Sikhism a stable continuity from in its earliest and most volatile period; it also made it adaptable to changing situations. The figure of the Guru, who had the same authority as the founding Guru, allowed the religion to change and adapt to a growing community and growing hostility from the Mughal emperors.
The Gurus:
The first four Gurus of Sikhism established many of the customs and rituals of Sikhism. The fourth Guru, Ram Das (1574-1581) founded the city of Amritsar as a place of Sikh pilgrimage. It is to this day the most important city in Sikh geography; the central temple of Sikhism, the Golden Temple, is located there.
The most important of the early Gurus, however, was Guru Arjan, who led the Sikh community as Guru from 1581 to 1606. Guru Arjan was the Guru who assembled the verses of Guru Nanak and the first four Gurus into the anthology, Adi Granth , which became the scriptures of the Sikh community. Guru Arjan was the first Sikh Guru to fall afoul of the Mughal authorities, thus setting the tone for the remaining history of the Mughal Empire. When Prince Khusrau rebelled against his father, Jahangir, Guru Arjan helped him. Jahangir, growing suspicious of the steady growth of the Sikh community and Guru Arjan's increasing influence over the region, arrested him in 1606 and tortured him to death.
This event more than any other converted the Sikh community into a militant community. Guru Arjan was succeeded by his son, Guru Hargobind (1606-1644), who built the Sikh community into a military power. He elevated martyrdom to an ideal of the religion; this was not merely dying for the faith, but being killed while fighting for the Sikh community. At this point in history, the Sikh community began to actively resist the Mughal Empire and several battles are fought between the two sides.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji:
The most militant of the Gurus was the tenth and last, Guru Gobind Singh. Under Aurangzeb, who fanatically tried to suppress non-Muslim practices, the Sikhs were persecuted viciously by the Mughal government. In response, Guru Gobind Singh transformed the Sikh community into a military community. For the Mughals and for Muslim historians, Guru Gobind Singh was no better than a warlord with no religious credentials. He was a powerful military general with a profound vision of transforming Sikh society into a militaristic society—an absolute necessity for a community surrounded by a hostile and powerful empire. Guru Gobind Singh established the fourth and last most important doctrine of Sikhism (the first three being the Name, the Word, and the Guru): this was the doctrine of Khalsa, or the "Brotherhood" of Sikhs. The khalsa gives the community a deep sense of unity founded on Rehit – Discipline. The most important of these is an initiation rite called Khande Batte dee Pahul ( Amrit). In this rite, the believer drinks sweetened water that has been stirred with a dagger (the dagger represents the initiate's willingness to fight for the faith and the community). After this ceremony, the initiate is given a name added on to his own name: Singh, or "lion." This common name identifies each person as part of the community, as part of the same family, and as willing to fight for the faith. Each Sikh male is required to wear an external uniform known as the Panj Kakaars.. to make manifest his membership in the community: these include uncut hair , Kangha (comb), Karra (steel bangle), Kachh ( shorts) and Kirpan - a steel dagger.
There is no question that the formation of the khalsa is the single most important event in the Sikh experience of history. It fully unified the community and made it a force to reckon with militarily. After the formation of the khalsa , the political and military power of the Sikhs grew tremendously. By the early 1800's, the Sikhs managed to carve out an independent kingdom in the Mughal Empire, which they retained until the British annexations in the 1850's. The Sikh military brotherhood was the most powerful fighting force that rose against the Mughal Empire in its closing days.
Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru to be officially ended at his death. From his departure onwards, religious authority has rested in the scriptures, which were renamed Guru Granth Sahib , and in the Sikh community – called Guru Khalsa Panth.
To this day, the Sikh community is economically and politically very powerful and is one of the most restive of India's minorities…as well as one of most vibrant migrant communities in Canada/USA/UK and other places in the Diaspora. In India It has demanded greater autonomy and has militantly defied the government which partly led to the invasion of the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar. To Akbar, the Sikhs were a religious community deserving imperial support. To Jahangir, they were a growing political force that potentially threatened the Empire. To Aurangzeb, the Sikhs were dangerous heretics to be stamped out at any cost. To the successors of Aurangzeb, the Sikhs were a major military and social force pulling the Empire apart. As a separate and militant community, the Sikhs still find themselves partly foreigners in their own country, suspicious of and suspected by the dominant government.
The Sikh renaissance and need for an International Apex Body.
In the early 20th century Sikhism faced almost the same type of situation we face today. Sikhism was on guard from all sides…Hinduism had its Arya Samaj Movement which aimed at absorbing Sikhism into the fold of Hinduism..and the Newly established Christian Missionaries were also very active among the Sikhs..even to the extent of converting a Sikh Royal Household. The Sikh nation rose to the occasion and started the Singh Sabha Lehr which then evolved into the Gurdwara Sudhaar Lehrr culminating in the hugely successful Morchas of the Shiroamni Akali Dal which brought he British Govt to its knees and Sikhs tasted sweet success in the formation of the SGPC as a sort of Apex Body to manage all historical Gurdawras in the Punjab region. Despite many decades of trying the Sikhs were unable to get this extended to cover the whole of India….under an All India Gurdawra Act.
Now we face an almost similar situation…with one big difference. Sikhs now are spread out all over the World and the Diaspora Sikhs from a substantial section of the Sikh Nation. The SGPC is governed by an Indian Act confined to only Punjab state in India and is therefore inadequate to satisfy all Sikhs worldwide.. hence the need for an International Confederation of Sikhs.
But the question arises ..Why Confederation ? The answer is that it obviously works…………based on tried and successful Misl System/Gurmattas/consultations/democracy of Punj instead of individual. One for all and all for one.
By the time of the late Seventeenth Century when Guru Teg Bahadur standing his ground for religious freedom and mutual tolerance and understanding between the different religions and cultures in the Land was martyred in Delhi on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurengzeb, Sikhism had begun its relentless march towards eventual “independent entity”….a Third Force as the British called it later on. Guru gobind Singh in his historic Revelation of the Order of the Khalsa on vasakhi Day 1699 sealed this Path. Since that fateful day the Guru Khalsa Panth has never looked back.
Guru Gobind Singh reinforced in the Khalsa the Internal Moral Discipline, the External Discipline of the rehit, and the Moral Courage to Stand Out in Millions as Unique and one of a kind. A Khalsa from then on could never “hide” behind the anonymity of the public at large. A member could be instantly recognizable from afar.
Guru Gobind Singh also codified the unique concept of Punj which had been propogated by the previous nine Gurus. From 1699 Vasakhi Day, the Punj Khalsa was to represent the GURU in Person. Guru Gobind Singh gave the First Five the Pahul and then took pahul from them to emphasize that NO ONE…. not even the GURU himself was exempted from this rule. The Concept of GURMATTA and rule of the Consultation instead of individual took root and flourished as the Khalsa began to assert itself…finally turning into the Misls or “groups” who practiced the rule of all for one and one for all. This Win-win situation worked so well that the Sikhs although “divided” into 12 Misls or groups led by individual sardars….defeated the greatest Military Genius of the time Ahmad Shaha Durani. Ahmad Shah lost to the Sikhs when he had managed to completely destroy the Mahratta Power and vanquished the Mughal Armies. Compared to the Maharattas and the Mughals the Sikhs were an insignificant force – but they emerged victorious…and established their little kingdoms all over Punjab – all this within a few decades of the passing of Guru Gobind Singh from the scene. Against all odds – being hunted down like wild animals, having no home or hearth, spending their entire life on horseback always on the run, having a price on their head.. not big enough to wage full scale war but only small skirmishes with the enemy..the Sikhs went on to be the rulers of the land of their birthright. This was possible only with the use of the Winning Formula of the PUNJ/Consultation used by the Misls.
Today the Khalsa Panth faces a similar situation. We are at the losing end from outside and from within. We need to focus on our long term “needs” and evolve as necessary. The Panth is spread out all over the World. Each Diaspora Sikh community has its own unique set of restraints of environment/cultural influences/political environment/economic forces…etc etc that has to be dealt with. ONE Common SOLUTION for all wont work. Yet we all have certain core values that we all share with all Sikhs all over the world. We have to work on the premise that we can agree to disagree on certain points. This is the most compelling reason for the establishment of an International Confederation of Sikhism – an APEX Body that has worldwide representation – so that decisions reached at the Head can be suitably disseminated at ground zero.
Lets have a look at the MISL SYSTEM and how it was so successful in the late 17th century and how its validity can be used today for our benefit.
Khalsa Confederation..aka the MISL SYSTEM.
The Misl System can be rightly called the Golden Age of Sikhism ( if we include the time up to the Khalsa Raaj of maharaja Ranjit Singh as that was also a part of the same ideology)
WHY was this Khalsa Confederation so SUCCESSFUL ?
The answer lies in the FOUR aspects of Khalsa Brotherhood’s ideology that were strictly followed. Equality of all, Justice for all, Khalsa above all and Gurmatta Principle of republican Democracy.
EQUALITY of all Khalsa. In the MISLS, although there was a SARDAR or leader..that was strictly for command structure purposes…in effect ALL were EQUAL. From the foot soldier to the Sardar – no one was more equal than the other. As an example we can see that when Punjab Governor of the Mughal Govt decided to make peace witht eh Sikhs and offer them a Jagir and title of Nawab to go with it..the Khalsa Forces had a meeting and the post was offered to the Stable Hand Kapur Singh…who then became Nawab kapur Singh. In an ordinary classification, the title and jagir would have gone to a Sardar of one of the Misls. This was one Underlying Principle of faith Guru Gobind Singh had drilled into the Khalsa and this was so faithfully followed that it was the strength of the Confederation. Another example – for an alleged indiscretion, the Jathedar Akal takaht Phoola Singh ordered the Maharaja Ranjit Singh to be bound to a tree and given 20 lashes in public. The Maharaja complied immediately and without protest from any quarter. Third example – ALL the Sardars, Banda Singh Bahadur before them… and even Maharaja Ranjit Singh did not strike Coins or legal tender in their OWN NAMES..but in the Name of GURU GOBIND SINGH and GURU NANAK or the KHALSA. This proved beyond doubt that the Sardars and Maharajas were ruling in the name of the GURU and not their personal capacity. Fourth Example – the Sardar and his Territory was the malkiat of all – not hereditary. The next successor was chosen from among all the capable ones. Many times the sardar’s sons or relatives were ignored and passed over.
JUSTICE for all. This was another of Guru gobind Singh’s injunctions strictly followed. Justice was not denied to anyone – hindu muslim sikh isaii were all equal in the sikh ruled territories and the Maharaja gave equal amounts of gold and other aid to all religious institutions without fear or favour. Sikhsism had evolved a distinct set of ideals and the basic framework of the ethics had been formed by the end of the 18th century. Whenever a Sikh “Leader” was found “wanting” he was shown the right path. No Sikh Leader no matter how powerful dared to go against the Sikh Ideals.
Khalsa Panth – Commonwealth – ABOVE ALL
This sacred institution created by the GURUS and given its final shape by guru gobind Singh at vasakhi 1699 by merging himself into it. NO Sikh big or damll dared to do anything that violated the tenets laid down by Gurbani or Gurus. There was NO EXEMPTION to anyone on any account. No Single individual or group of individuals could be considered above the PANTH. NO Sikh ruler dared think of himself as a “ruler” destined by god to rule and therefore special in any way – everyone kept always in mind that their position as due to the grace of the GURU and the Panth. The GURUS ahd strictly enjoined upon the Khalsa that all decisions were to be taken through the PUNJ – PANCHAYAT – Councils and all important decisions relating to common interest of the Community MUST have the approval of those AFFECTED by them. Gurus had eveolved this democratic Ideals and all followed them to the letter. In the Panth this process of DEMOCRACY and REPUBLICAN IDEALS was called the GURMATTA. Every triumph was not of the individual but the entire Panth . A solemn promise made in the presence of the GURU GRANTH Ji was always followed to the best of the ability. Morality standards were high and followed.
4. GURMATTA – republican democracy at work
The Gurmatta started in the SANGAT. A Mata is an “opinion” or “resolution”. In the Khalsa Concept when an OPINION is placed before the congregation of Sikhs (sangat) in the Presence of the GURU Granth Ji, and some decision/Common consent is arrived at after dispassionate and unbiased discussions and deliberations and is confirmed by formal ardass and hukm of Guru, it is considered FINAL and BINDING on all as it is from the GURU himself. This now becomes known as a GURMATTA. The First Person to submit to a Gurmatta was Guru Gobind Singh Ji himself when he submitted to the Khalsa Punj at vasakhi 1699 and at Chamkaur later on. Through a revolutionary and democatic step Guru Gobind Singh brought GURUSHIP to the level of his KHALSA followers – and they proved able “containers” of this asset.
The Gurmatta concept helped the Panth “divide itself” for better organsiaion and Centralise itself for better Counsel. When Sikhs met for a Gurmatta – all individuals ceased to exist for the greater good of the Whole. Thus a gurmatta is religiously and morally binding on all khalsa everywhere. In theory the Sarbat kahlsa was Primary democracy similar to the Democracy of Ancient Greece…Athens and Socrates – at other times it became REPRESENTATIVE democracy like the modern democracies. The Sardar faithfully relayed the wishes of his followers who elected him. No matter how many dissented or agreed to any gurmatta but when the final delibration was announced..it would be carried UNANIMOUSLY – as a decision made by the GURU himself. Even those absent from aparticular meeting never opposed the resolutions passed.
In Conclusion we can clearly see that this DAL KHALSA/SARBATT KHALSA/GURMATTA are the Essential WIN-WIN components of the success of the Khalsa panth in the difficult times of the 17th-18th centuries. In the 1920s also the same principles of UNITY in DIVERSITY overcame great odds to bring the mighty British govt to its knees.
We can implement this Winning Formula to our present situation. The International sikh confederation ( Dal Khalsa) can be constructed, representatives of all sikh communities can send in their reps and deliberations can take place and a final Gurmatta is passed, the reps can ensure that their communities follow the decisions taken as coming from the GURU.
In summation I would like to put forward the view that We are a Freedom loving people – we just cannot accept all those minute Laws, rules and regulations that govern Western Society. The more “Laws” .. the more we “rebel”… Our past shows we are more attracted to MISL Types of Sardars who are strong leaders, very successful at what they do….. yet very approachable, humble and down to earth. Guru Gobind Singh Ji bowed down on bended knees BEFORE the PUNJ to show us Leadership by Example. The question is…WHY not our Present so called “leaders” ?? I am sad to say that our Organizations, our Gurdwaras, Societies, Panthic Managements are run by leaders who DO NOT have any of these qualities.
That in short is our failure. In our case “reform” has to begin from the TOP. We must elect or place in positions of power leaders who are humble, approachable, and effective like the sikh leaders of old. To be a Sikh leader one must be like Guru Gobind Singh Ji or baba banda Singh ji or the 12 Misl Sardars…Maan hundeh hoi Nimanna, Taan hundeh hoi Nitanna…having the strength of steel but soft as silk. With leaders like these, we can bring down apostacy, Pakhandee babas and derawaad will disappear from the scene, rituals and empty dikhawa will retreat…Truthful Living is the KEY to this winning situation.
I haven’t had enough time to write up a complete paper, but I am sure given time we can all work towards finding more complete solutions – provided we are on the right path from the start. I firmly believe the System given us by Guru Gobind Singh ji is one such complete system.. and its success has been proven twice before.
Thank You all.
Jarnail Singh Gyani Arshi malaysia.
This Oct/Nov I was given the opportunity for a First Visit to Punjab in 55 years..and what a visit it was!!! I thoroughly enjoyed it..the people, the weather, the Gurdwaras, the ROADS together with huge holes going under the name of nikka toa...i wonder what a wadda toaa would look like !!
On Nov 12/13th I was in Chandigarrh to present my Paper..At the Crossroads...at the International Conclave of the IOSS - International Institute of Sikh Studies, on the need for an Apex Body to represent Sikhs Worldwide ( at Present the SGPC only reps Sikhs in Punjab)
Here is the Complete paper...The Report on thsi was carried in the Daily Ajit on Nov 14th.
Read on:
Author: Jarnail Singh Gyani "Arshi"
Date: 11-26-05 16:01
The Paper below was presented at the recently concluded IOSS 2005 Conclave at Chandigarrh Punjab.
From CROWN to the CROSS-ROADS…?????
Sikh History goes full circle !!
Jarnail Singh Gyani “Arshi” MALAYSIA
S.Mahanbir Singh AUSTRALIA
It is an accepted fact that History repeats itself and those that fail to learn from History…fail in this world. Sikh History is also repeating itself and if we fail to learn from its lessons.. we will only have ourselves to blame.
We are all aware that the march of Sikh history on the world stage begins with the advent of Guru Nanak, the Founder in 1469. Over a span of 200 years, Sikhism evolved and matured into a major player.. and in the decades following Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s creation of the Compleat Man – the Khalsa in 1699, Sikhism under the able and dynamic leadership of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur , arrived at the Cross Roads……one of which roads led to the Crown. The Khalsa took the right road….and within a few decades of intense struggle took centre stage in Punjab and managed to defeat the mighty Mughal empire as well as Asia’s finest and most brilliant military genius..Ahamd Shah Durrani of Afghanistan. Banda Singh established the First Khalsa kingdom and from then onwards the Khalsa never looked back..until the Khalsa kingdom stretched from Delhi in the South to Ladakh in the North..from Jamuna to the East to The Khyber Pass in the west.
What were the reasons behind this meteoric rise from a fledging religion to the mightiest power under maharaja Ranjit Singh. And then just as rapidly, the Khalsa lost its sovereignity and became subservient to the British..and from then on a rapid decline….until TODAY we have gone one full circle and stand at the Crossroads again !!! Now as before the roads lead to total submission and merger into the majority hindu religion…apostacy and atheism among the youth….degeneration into various sects, babadoms, derawaadism, rituals and symbols…in other words slip into total oblivion or once again March towards the CROWN…maybe not in the same physical kingdom of the Banda Singh Bahadur /Misls/or Maharaja Ranjit Singh…but in the sense of Pride in our fine religion, our fine credentials…as we become the World’s Fifth largest religion, with 25 million followers worldwide.
We need to re-think….re-evaluate….re-invent…rejuvenate ourselves to make ourselves relevant. We need to pull ourselves out of the quagmire of the Western thinking whereby everything goes according to rules, regulations, by-laws, enactments etc etc. This is no body’s fault…we have been living in a westernized society for so long that we have forgotten or neglected our own homegrown solutions…solutions that have proved SUCCESSFUL. Solutions that led us up the right road towards the Crown…once before. I am very sure these same solutions and practices if adopted can lead us back to the Crown we so desire and which is our birthright.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the Khalsa in 1699 ..a fighting force that rivaled the finest soldiers of the land. Before he left this earth, Guru Gobind Singh gave us two guiding principles…Complete and total Faith in the GURU GRANTH (GURBANI) and the Democratic-Republican Punj System of Rule by Consensus of the Guru Khalsa Panth. Total dedication by all our leaders to these two Principles led us towards the Crown.
Banda Singh was sent to the Punjab by Guru Gobind Singh to carry forward His mission. He took this seriously and shook the mughal govt to its very foundations. Many others who were not Sikhs also joined his forces against the govt…some for the opportunity to loot.. others to taste freedom..but mostly Sikhs out of a sense of religious duty. Baba banda Singh’s Force uprooted the Govt Law and Order in many places…and Banda Singh was able to have a semblance of a rival Govt in small plots of territory. As a Devout Khalsa Banda’s Govt struck coins in the name of NOT Banda but the GURU. Alas..it was too early in the day for a sustainable Govt of anti-Mughals..and the Banda Govt soon collapsed…but the Sikhs had tasted FREEDOM and wouldn’t let go of it so easily. Defeat merely drove them deeper into the struggle. The next person on the stage..Ahmad Shaha Durrani, the bitterest enemy of the Sikhs was paradoxically their greatest benefactor. He invaded India and helped destroy the Mughal administration, then in 1761 he crushed the Maratha Power at Panipat…..thereby creating a huge power vacuum….which the Sikhs filled quite adequately. Duranee tried his best to subdue the Sikhs and the Punjab but retreated in the face of an relentless onslaught by the Sikhs. The 12 Sardars occupied territory between the Jamuna and Indus…a loose intermingled mass of independent land.. with fluid borders that shifted constantly.
What strikes us with astonishment is that within a short span of about 50 years ..1708 – 1760’s..Sikhs had gone from being chased from pillar to post, hunted down like wild animals, with a price of 80 Rupees on each sikh man woman and child, sleeping on horseback, and always on the GO…to being established rulers of the land.
If we take a real close look at the situation…. The problems we faced then and those we face now are not that much different. Then we were physically hunted down, and killed. The Sikhs were surrounded by enemies on all sides..and daily existence was a challenge. Thus the “problems” and “dangers” were more well defined..and visible. Today the situation is not so clear-cut. The danger the Panth faces are not as cut and dried…Apostacy is rearing its ugly head insidiously among the youth..and today has reached the middle aged and even elderly Sikhs. Gurbani is being questioned, misinterpreted, misrepresented, useless and empty rituals as opposed to morality and high living is on the upbeat. Truth is High but higher still is truthful Living declared Guru Nanak.. BUT today this rings hollow in the Sikh Context. We don’t have many leaders that subscribe to truth or truthful living.
In the 1920’s the Sikh nation faced the very same situation as we face today. We overcame the odds and gained the CROWN…..in the 1760’s and again in changed circumstances in the 1920’s..and we can do it again TODAY….IF we follow the same Rules and Systems we used then.
1. The PUNJ PIARAS were accepted by ALL, irrespective of status, as SUPREME. No one from the commonest Sikh foot soldier to the Sardar/Chief/ even the Maharja dared to question the PUNJ.
2. The MISLS met 2 times a year without fail and all decisions were taken in tabiah of Guru Granth ji and the Punj Piaras. Such a decision taken after full consultation and absolute freedom of speech by all, was then accepted in toto by all. In essence once a decision was arrived at, no one questioned it or disobeyed it.
3. The Entire Body of the Khalsa behaved as ONE – no doubt there were SARDARS and Foot Soldiers…but when it came down to basics…there was absolute freedom between all Sikhs. The Sardars sat down and ate with the common Sikhs, there was upward and downward communication and mobility, each was a SERVANT of the WHOLE. IF a Sardar committed something against the Moral Code.. he could be and would be punished. Even the Maharaja was tied to a tree and lashed 20 times in public for a moral offense. In essence no one was above the LAW of the Khalsa.
The Sikhs are one of the most prosperous and politically important religious minorities in India. Today the Diaspora Sikhs are a vibrant part of many Foreign countries such as Canada, UK, USA, Australia/New Zealand, apart from the long established migrant colonies in Malaysia, Singapore Indonesia and Thailand. The religion itself is of comparatively recent origin—it dates from the time of Babur—but the history of its community, called Panth , or "Path," by the faithful, is a deeply rooted aspect of Sikh life. Since its inception, the Sikh community has been one of the major factors in Indian history…and in the Two World Wars proved its valour and valuable contribution as well on a Global scale.
The Mughals correctly “understood” that Sikhism was a separatist movement, a “Danger” to their Hegemony and Empire….and tried their best to kill it in its infancy by martyring Guru Arjun Ji and waging war against Guru Hargobind Ji, Guru Gobind Singh ji.. but they failed and by the eighteenth century, the Sikhs had established a separate kingdom with its capital in Lahore. The British arrived in India as the British East India Company and gradually changed from traders to conquerors… also realized the “ biggest obstacle to their Empire” lay in the form of the Sikh kingdom of Lahore. By 1850 they had annexed the whole of India barring only the Punjab Khalsa Kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. As long as the Maharaja was alive..the British kept their distance…but once he was dead..they made their move..as the contemporary Muslim poet of the day Shaha muhammed writes..Jang Hind Punjab da hon laggah..dovehn patshahi faujaan bharian ne…on one side was the Khalsa Army of Punjab and on the opposite side was the British Allied Army of the Conquered Indians…. After Two of the bloodiest wars.. known as the Anglo Sikh wars.. the British eventually won and annexed the Punjab. From then on The Sikhs became a major force in the British Allied army as the British gradually consolidated their hold over India, and during the failed and ineffective Indian Mutiny of 1857, it was the Sikhs that helped save the British… and after Indian Independence, the Sikh community, half of which had to flee Muslim Pakistan after partition, became economically and politically the most significant and successful minority community in India. The Sikhs are unique as a religious movement. Founded in the deepest spirituality and mysticism, they are a radically egalitarian group rooted deeply in their sense of community, called "brotherhood" (khalsa ) , and history.
The khalsa is unified by one aspect: all Sikhs are disciples of the founding Gurus of the religion—the word, "Sikh," means disciple. They are also, however, a highly militant religion and society; the community has to be protected with the highest martial vigilance and ability. Since the seventeenth century, Sikh fighters have been feared throughout India for their ability and sheer courage. The British, who employed them in their army in the nineteenth century, referred to them as the greatest of the "martial races."
It's an odd mixture….MIRI and PIRI….something UNIQUE to Sikhism. On the one hand, Sikhism is one of the most deeply spiritual and profoundly mystical religions of the world, advocating a social harmony and egalitarianism unrivalled by any other major religion, with the possible exception of Buddhism. On the other hand, the Sikh community is a militant, warrior community, willing to fight, sacrifice, at any cost to protect or further the community.
The core teaching of Sikhism is one truth: that God is one God and is behind and present in all of creation, particularly in each human soul. God can be directly connected to by an individual by examining his or her soul; this examination is carried out by meditating on the name of God. There is no need of any intermediary function, such as rituals, priests, fasting, churches, mosques, or anything else. All other gods are human particularizations of the one God, that is, they particularize one aspect of God. So all religions are both legitimate and illegitimate.
Perhaps the most radical of Guru Nanak's teachings was the rejection of caste or class. Since all human beings contain God within themselves, social distinction and inequality are externalizations of humanity's sinfulness. The ideal community is one in which no social distinctions are in place at all. The early history of Sikhism under Nanak and the first four Gurus is largely an attempt to build a class-free and caste-free society.
The core of Guru Nanak's teachings involve three fundamental doctrines.
Nam: The Name. A direct, unmediated experience of God can be attained by meditating on God's name (Nam); this name, according to Guru Nanak, is ek , or "One." Each human being can overcome their sinfulness and achieve a mystical union with God by meditating on this name.
Sabad: The Word. God is revealed through the spoken word (sabad ) . The spoken word reveals the nature and name of God as well as the methods by which one can meditate on the Name and achieve union with god.
Guru: The Teacher. The Name and the Word are revealed through the Guru; knowledge of both only comes through the Guru. The Sikh concept of the Guru is different from the Hindu concept, for the Sikh Guru is synonymous with the Name and the Word. It is slightly inaccurate to say this, but it comes close to hitting the mark: in many ways, the Guru is the voice of God speaking to humanity.
The Guru is one of the foundational concepts of Sikhism, and before his death, Guru
Nanak appointed his successor. He was followed by nine more Gurus; the tenth and last declared the office to be discontinued and there has been no Guru since. While Guru Nanak established the central teachings of Sikhism, each Guru who followed added significantly to the religion (which was one aspect of the office of Guru). The figure of the Guru gave Sikhism a stable continuity from in its earliest and most volatile period; it also made it adaptable to changing situations. The figure of the Guru, who had the same authority as the founding Guru, allowed the religion to change and adapt to a growing community and growing hostility from the Mughal emperors.
The Gurus:
The first four Gurus of Sikhism established many of the customs and rituals of Sikhism. The fourth Guru, Ram Das (1574-1581) founded the city of Amritsar as a place of Sikh pilgrimage. It is to this day the most important city in Sikh geography; the central temple of Sikhism, the Golden Temple, is located there.
The most important of the early Gurus, however, was Guru Arjan, who led the Sikh community as Guru from 1581 to 1606. Guru Arjan was the Guru who assembled the verses of Guru Nanak and the first four Gurus into the anthology, Adi Granth , which became the scriptures of the Sikh community. Guru Arjan was the first Sikh Guru to fall afoul of the Mughal authorities, thus setting the tone for the remaining history of the Mughal Empire. When Prince Khusrau rebelled against his father, Jahangir, Guru Arjan helped him. Jahangir, growing suspicious of the steady growth of the Sikh community and Guru Arjan's increasing influence over the region, arrested him in 1606 and tortured him to death.
This event more than any other converted the Sikh community into a militant community. Guru Arjan was succeeded by his son, Guru Hargobind (1606-1644), who built the Sikh community into a military power. He elevated martyrdom to an ideal of the religion; this was not merely dying for the faith, but being killed while fighting for the Sikh community. At this point in history, the Sikh community began to actively resist the Mughal Empire and several battles are fought between the two sides.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji:
The most militant of the Gurus was the tenth and last, Guru Gobind Singh. Under Aurangzeb, who fanatically tried to suppress non-Muslim practices, the Sikhs were persecuted viciously by the Mughal government. In response, Guru Gobind Singh transformed the Sikh community into a military community. For the Mughals and for Muslim historians, Guru Gobind Singh was no better than a warlord with no religious credentials. He was a powerful military general with a profound vision of transforming Sikh society into a militaristic society—an absolute necessity for a community surrounded by a hostile and powerful empire. Guru Gobind Singh established the fourth and last most important doctrine of Sikhism (the first three being the Name, the Word, and the Guru): this was the doctrine of Khalsa, or the "Brotherhood" of Sikhs. The khalsa gives the community a deep sense of unity founded on Rehit – Discipline. The most important of these is an initiation rite called Khande Batte dee Pahul ( Amrit). In this rite, the believer drinks sweetened water that has been stirred with a dagger (the dagger represents the initiate's willingness to fight for the faith and the community). After this ceremony, the initiate is given a name added on to his own name: Singh, or "lion." This common name identifies each person as part of the community, as part of the same family, and as willing to fight for the faith. Each Sikh male is required to wear an external uniform known as the Panj Kakaars.. to make manifest his membership in the community: these include uncut hair , Kangha (comb), Karra (steel bangle), Kachh ( shorts) and Kirpan - a steel dagger.
There is no question that the formation of the khalsa is the single most important event in the Sikh experience of history. It fully unified the community and made it a force to reckon with militarily. After the formation of the khalsa , the political and military power of the Sikhs grew tremendously. By the early 1800's, the Sikhs managed to carve out an independent kingdom in the Mughal Empire, which they retained until the British annexations in the 1850's. The Sikh military brotherhood was the most powerful fighting force that rose against the Mughal Empire in its closing days.
Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru to be officially ended at his death. From his departure onwards, religious authority has rested in the scriptures, which were renamed Guru Granth Sahib , and in the Sikh community – called Guru Khalsa Panth.
To this day, the Sikh community is economically and politically very powerful and is one of the most restive of India's minorities…as well as one of most vibrant migrant communities in Canada/USA/UK and other places in the Diaspora. In India It has demanded greater autonomy and has militantly defied the government which partly led to the invasion of the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar. To Akbar, the Sikhs were a religious community deserving imperial support. To Jahangir, they were a growing political force that potentially threatened the Empire. To Aurangzeb, the Sikhs were dangerous heretics to be stamped out at any cost. To the successors of Aurangzeb, the Sikhs were a major military and social force pulling the Empire apart. As a separate and militant community, the Sikhs still find themselves partly foreigners in their own country, suspicious of and suspected by the dominant government.
The Sikh renaissance and need for an International Apex Body.
In the early 20th century Sikhism faced almost the same type of situation we face today. Sikhism was on guard from all sides…Hinduism had its Arya Samaj Movement which aimed at absorbing Sikhism into the fold of Hinduism..and the Newly established Christian Missionaries were also very active among the Sikhs..even to the extent of converting a Sikh Royal Household. The Sikh nation rose to the occasion and started the Singh Sabha Lehr which then evolved into the Gurdwara Sudhaar Lehrr culminating in the hugely successful Morchas of the Shiroamni Akali Dal which brought he British Govt to its knees and Sikhs tasted sweet success in the formation of the SGPC as a sort of Apex Body to manage all historical Gurdawras in the Punjab region. Despite many decades of trying the Sikhs were unable to get this extended to cover the whole of India….under an All India Gurdawra Act.
Now we face an almost similar situation…with one big difference. Sikhs now are spread out all over the World and the Diaspora Sikhs from a substantial section of the Sikh Nation. The SGPC is governed by an Indian Act confined to only Punjab state in India and is therefore inadequate to satisfy all Sikhs worldwide.. hence the need for an International Confederation of Sikhs.
But the question arises ..Why Confederation ? The answer is that it obviously works…………based on tried and successful Misl System/Gurmattas/consultations/democracy of Punj instead of individual. One for all and all for one.
By the time of the late Seventeenth Century when Guru Teg Bahadur standing his ground for religious freedom and mutual tolerance and understanding between the different religions and cultures in the Land was martyred in Delhi on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurengzeb, Sikhism had begun its relentless march towards eventual “independent entity”….a Third Force as the British called it later on. Guru gobind Singh in his historic Revelation of the Order of the Khalsa on vasakhi Day 1699 sealed this Path. Since that fateful day the Guru Khalsa Panth has never looked back.
Guru Gobind Singh reinforced in the Khalsa the Internal Moral Discipline, the External Discipline of the rehit, and the Moral Courage to Stand Out in Millions as Unique and one of a kind. A Khalsa from then on could never “hide” behind the anonymity of the public at large. A member could be instantly recognizable from afar.
Guru Gobind Singh also codified the unique concept of Punj which had been propogated by the previous nine Gurus. From 1699 Vasakhi Day, the Punj Khalsa was to represent the GURU in Person. Guru Gobind Singh gave the First Five the Pahul and then took pahul from them to emphasize that NO ONE…. not even the GURU himself was exempted from this rule. The Concept of GURMATTA and rule of the Consultation instead of individual took root and flourished as the Khalsa began to assert itself…finally turning into the Misls or “groups” who practiced the rule of all for one and one for all. This Win-win situation worked so well that the Sikhs although “divided” into 12 Misls or groups led by individual sardars….defeated the greatest Military Genius of the time Ahmad Shaha Durani. Ahmad Shah lost to the Sikhs when he had managed to completely destroy the Mahratta Power and vanquished the Mughal Armies. Compared to the Maharattas and the Mughals the Sikhs were an insignificant force – but they emerged victorious…and established their little kingdoms all over Punjab – all this within a few decades of the passing of Guru Gobind Singh from the scene. Against all odds – being hunted down like wild animals, having no home or hearth, spending their entire life on horseback always on the run, having a price on their head.. not big enough to wage full scale war but only small skirmishes with the enemy..the Sikhs went on to be the rulers of the land of their birthright. This was possible only with the use of the Winning Formula of the PUNJ/Consultation used by the Misls.
Today the Khalsa Panth faces a similar situation. We are at the losing end from outside and from within. We need to focus on our long term “needs” and evolve as necessary. The Panth is spread out all over the World. Each Diaspora Sikh community has its own unique set of restraints of environment/cultural influences/political environment/economic forces…etc etc that has to be dealt with. ONE Common SOLUTION for all wont work. Yet we all have certain core values that we all share with all Sikhs all over the world. We have to work on the premise that we can agree to disagree on certain points. This is the most compelling reason for the establishment of an International Confederation of Sikhism – an APEX Body that has worldwide representation – so that decisions reached at the Head can be suitably disseminated at ground zero.
Lets have a look at the MISL SYSTEM and how it was so successful in the late 17th century and how its validity can be used today for our benefit.
Khalsa Confederation..aka the MISL SYSTEM.
The Misl System can be rightly called the Golden Age of Sikhism ( if we include the time up to the Khalsa Raaj of maharaja Ranjit Singh as that was also a part of the same ideology)
WHY was this Khalsa Confederation so SUCCESSFUL ?
The answer lies in the FOUR aspects of Khalsa Brotherhood’s ideology that were strictly followed. Equality of all, Justice for all, Khalsa above all and Gurmatta Principle of republican Democracy.
EQUALITY of all Khalsa. In the MISLS, although there was a SARDAR or leader..that was strictly for command structure purposes…in effect ALL were EQUAL. From the foot soldier to the Sardar – no one was more equal than the other. As an example we can see that when Punjab Governor of the Mughal Govt decided to make peace witht eh Sikhs and offer them a Jagir and title of Nawab to go with it..the Khalsa Forces had a meeting and the post was offered to the Stable Hand Kapur Singh…who then became Nawab kapur Singh. In an ordinary classification, the title and jagir would have gone to a Sardar of one of the Misls. This was one Underlying Principle of faith Guru Gobind Singh had drilled into the Khalsa and this was so faithfully followed that it was the strength of the Confederation. Another example – for an alleged indiscretion, the Jathedar Akal takaht Phoola Singh ordered the Maharaja Ranjit Singh to be bound to a tree and given 20 lashes in public. The Maharaja complied immediately and without protest from any quarter. Third example – ALL the Sardars, Banda Singh Bahadur before them… and even Maharaja Ranjit Singh did not strike Coins or legal tender in their OWN NAMES..but in the Name of GURU GOBIND SINGH and GURU NANAK or the KHALSA. This proved beyond doubt that the Sardars and Maharajas were ruling in the name of the GURU and not their personal capacity. Fourth Example – the Sardar and his Territory was the malkiat of all – not hereditary. The next successor was chosen from among all the capable ones. Many times the sardar’s sons or relatives were ignored and passed over.
JUSTICE for all. This was another of Guru gobind Singh’s injunctions strictly followed. Justice was not denied to anyone – hindu muslim sikh isaii were all equal in the sikh ruled territories and the Maharaja gave equal amounts of gold and other aid to all religious institutions without fear or favour. Sikhsism had evolved a distinct set of ideals and the basic framework of the ethics had been formed by the end of the 18th century. Whenever a Sikh “Leader” was found “wanting” he was shown the right path. No Sikh Leader no matter how powerful dared to go against the Sikh Ideals.
Khalsa Panth – Commonwealth – ABOVE ALL
This sacred institution created by the GURUS and given its final shape by guru gobind Singh at vasakhi 1699 by merging himself into it. NO Sikh big or damll dared to do anything that violated the tenets laid down by Gurbani or Gurus. There was NO EXEMPTION to anyone on any account. No Single individual or group of individuals could be considered above the PANTH. NO Sikh ruler dared think of himself as a “ruler” destined by god to rule and therefore special in any way – everyone kept always in mind that their position as due to the grace of the GURU and the Panth. The GURUS ahd strictly enjoined upon the Khalsa that all decisions were to be taken through the PUNJ – PANCHAYAT – Councils and all important decisions relating to common interest of the Community MUST have the approval of those AFFECTED by them. Gurus had eveolved this democratic Ideals and all followed them to the letter. In the Panth this process of DEMOCRACY and REPUBLICAN IDEALS was called the GURMATTA. Every triumph was not of the individual but the entire Panth . A solemn promise made in the presence of the GURU GRANTH Ji was always followed to the best of the ability. Morality standards were high and followed.
4. GURMATTA – republican democracy at work
The Gurmatta started in the SANGAT. A Mata is an “opinion” or “resolution”. In the Khalsa Concept when an OPINION is placed before the congregation of Sikhs (sangat) in the Presence of the GURU Granth Ji, and some decision/Common consent is arrived at after dispassionate and unbiased discussions and deliberations and is confirmed by formal ardass and hukm of Guru, it is considered FINAL and BINDING on all as it is from the GURU himself. This now becomes known as a GURMATTA. The First Person to submit to a Gurmatta was Guru Gobind Singh Ji himself when he submitted to the Khalsa Punj at vasakhi 1699 and at Chamkaur later on. Through a revolutionary and democatic step Guru Gobind Singh brought GURUSHIP to the level of his KHALSA followers – and they proved able “containers” of this asset.
The Gurmatta concept helped the Panth “divide itself” for better organsiaion and Centralise itself for better Counsel. When Sikhs met for a Gurmatta – all individuals ceased to exist for the greater good of the Whole. Thus a gurmatta is religiously and morally binding on all khalsa everywhere. In theory the Sarbat kahlsa was Primary democracy similar to the Democracy of Ancient Greece…Athens and Socrates – at other times it became REPRESENTATIVE democracy like the modern democracies. The Sardar faithfully relayed the wishes of his followers who elected him. No matter how many dissented or agreed to any gurmatta but when the final delibration was announced..it would be carried UNANIMOUSLY – as a decision made by the GURU himself. Even those absent from aparticular meeting never opposed the resolutions passed.
In Conclusion we can clearly see that this DAL KHALSA/SARBATT KHALSA/GURMATTA are the Essential WIN-WIN components of the success of the Khalsa panth in the difficult times of the 17th-18th centuries. In the 1920s also the same principles of UNITY in DIVERSITY overcame great odds to bring the mighty British govt to its knees.
We can implement this Winning Formula to our present situation. The International sikh confederation ( Dal Khalsa) can be constructed, representatives of all sikh communities can send in their reps and deliberations can take place and a final Gurmatta is passed, the reps can ensure that their communities follow the decisions taken as coming from the GURU.
In summation I would like to put forward the view that We are a Freedom loving people – we just cannot accept all those minute Laws, rules and regulations that govern Western Society. The more “Laws” .. the more we “rebel”… Our past shows we are more attracted to MISL Types of Sardars who are strong leaders, very successful at what they do….. yet very approachable, humble and down to earth. Guru Gobind Singh Ji bowed down on bended knees BEFORE the PUNJ to show us Leadership by Example. The question is…WHY not our Present so called “leaders” ?? I am sad to say that our Organizations, our Gurdwaras, Societies, Panthic Managements are run by leaders who DO NOT have any of these qualities.
That in short is our failure. In our case “reform” has to begin from the TOP. We must elect or place in positions of power leaders who are humble, approachable, and effective like the sikh leaders of old. To be a Sikh leader one must be like Guru Gobind Singh Ji or baba banda Singh ji or the 12 Misl Sardars…Maan hundeh hoi Nimanna, Taan hundeh hoi Nitanna…having the strength of steel but soft as silk. With leaders like these, we can bring down apostacy, Pakhandee babas and derawaad will disappear from the scene, rituals and empty dikhawa will retreat…Truthful Living is the KEY to this winning situation.
I haven’t had enough time to write up a complete paper, but I am sure given time we can all work towards finding more complete solutions – provided we are on the right path from the start. I firmly believe the System given us by Guru Gobind Singh ji is one such complete system.. and its success has been proven twice before.
Thank You all.
Jarnail Singh Gyani Arshi malaysia.
