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http://members.aol.com/porchnus/beliefs/sikhism.htm - Beliefs - Sikhism
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Interfaith Religion and Beliefs for an Internet Generation |
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Profile of a Belief System:
by Yuga2
ikhs are followers of Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in
The movement was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak (1469-1539 CE), who sought to combine Hindu and Muslim elements in a single religious creed [ 1]. He taught the unity of God, brotherhood of man, rejection of caste and 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 Moghul rule.
After Guru Gobind's assassination, the Sikhs were persecuted by the Muslim Moghul 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 Adi Granth Sahib, which contains hymns (poetry) of Sikh gurus as well as those of Hindu and Muslim saints such as Kabir, Ram Das and Namdev.
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 Guru Gobind Singh founded (1699) the martial fraternity Khalsa [ 2], meaning 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.
ome of India's Sikhs favor establishment of a separate Sikh nation. In the early
1980s Akali Dal, a Sikh nationalist party, provoked 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.
Holy Scriptures and Teachings
Two books are preeminent in the Sikh religion. The Dasam Granth, containing mythological works and writings attributed to Guru Gobind Singh is considered to be a sacred book, but below the status given to the Adi Granth (Adi or Guru Granth Sahib) which is today more highly regarded as the Guru and the holy scripture of the Sikhs. The Guru Granth Sahib is considered to be the symbolic representation of the ten Gurus and hence an object of deep reverence. Although some spadework had already been done, the systematic compilation of the Granth was undertaken by Guru Arjan and completed in 1604. The English text of Guru Granth Sahib may be seen on the www.sikhs.org website by clicking here: 
The work contains the writings of the first five Gurus and the ninth Guru (including Guru Arjan's famous composition- the Sukhmani or the Psalm of Peace); the writings of the first sixteen Hindu and Muslim saints, including Jaidev, Ramanand, Dhanna, Namdev, Ram Das, Farid, Mirabi and Kabir; and the compositions of bhats or bards, who were contemporaries of the Gurus.
The first few pages contain verses of surpassing interest -- Guru Nanak's Japji, So Dar (that door), So Purkh (that Supreme Being), and Kirtan Sohila (song of praise); then follows the main body of the text arranged according to thirty-one musical measures or Ragas; and finally we have the Bhog (Epilogue) and an appendix, called the Rag Mala (enumeration of Ragas and Raginis).
The Adi Granth Sahib is written partly in Punjabi, and partly in a kind of Sant-bhasa (a common language developed by the Sants in North India), Braj-bhasa, dialect of Old Hindi, and Standard Delhi Hindi, mixed with some Punjabi forms and forms of archaic Apabhramsa words and expressions. An historical document, the Adi Granth Sahib not only epitomizes the wisdom of the ages but also preserves the compositions of the Sikh Gurus in their original form. The Sikh Gurus employed the vehicle of verse, which could not be altered by copyists.
he basic teaching of Sikhism [ 3] is uncompromising
belief in monotheism. The Mulmantra, or root
Mantra, (preamble to the Japji) strikes the keynote
of the Sikh religion. The Japji hymn (first verse) is
presented at right in the original Gurmukhi script,
followed by a romanized pronunciation guide and an english translation. To see the entire hymn at the www.sikhs.org website, just click on it.
God or Sat Nam has no form or substance, but His grace can be invoked by faith and righteous living. Sikhism believes with Hinduism in the doctrines of the immortality of the soul and transmigration.
Meditation on God, utterance of the Name (Nam), the guidance of the Guru, the company of Sants, righteous living, and the service of humanity (seva) are the means of salvation. The Name, uttered not mechanically, but with faith and meditation, is the best form of worship; (they who meditate on God are emancipated; for them death's noose is broken. The name of the Lord is immaculate; he who would know must have faith).
Besides meditation on God and utterance of the Name, the disciples should follow the Guru's instructions, and chant his hymns.
Sikh religion is opposed to austere asceticism and emphasizes the ideal of achieving saintliness, as a member of society. "Abide in God amid the impurities of the world, thus shalt thou find the way to salvation." A strong element of predestination is traceable in the Sikh hymns, but in spite of frequent allusions to God's pre-ordained order, the importance of action (karma) is emphasized.
"The Lord driveth thee as is his will, but his pen writeth as are thy deeds." Sikh religion prohibits idolatry, caste system, sati, use of wine and tobacco smoking. It stresses the importance of leading a good moral life and, therefore, inculcates moral and domestic virtues, such as loyalty, gratitude for all favors received, philanthropy [ 4], justice, truth and honesty.
References and further reading:
The Gurpal Webpage: http://www.elite.net/~gurpal/list.html
Sikhnet: A Wealth of Resources: http://www.sikhnet.com/