sikhism

"Brahmin priests and their idols had been associated with the Golden Temple for at least a century and had over these years received the patronage of pious Hindus and Sikhs. In the 1890s these practices came under increasing attack by reformist Sikhs."

"The related tradition tells us that one Ksatriya King Iksvaku, a predecessor of Ram Chandra, performed many Yajnas at ]this holy place and that it was named Iksvakusar after him. It is claimed that Sita stayed at Ram Tirath (15 KM from Amritsar) during her exile and gave birth to two sons, Lava and Kush. It is further said that Lava and Kush fought a battle with their father, Ram Chandra, in which the latter was wounded at the site where now stands the Dukh Bhanjani Beri. When the identity of dying Ram Chandra was disclosed to Lava and Kush, they brought amrit (nectar) which saved him. After serving some amrit to Ram Chandra, the rest of it was immersed in a nearby pond. From that very moment, the pond became a reservoir of amrit."

"The comments of the Chief Secretary to the Punjab Government of those days, Mr. Akhtar Hussain; are significant:... “The two cities have shown some distinctive features in their disorders and in Lahore stabbings had the place in favour taken by crude bombs in Amritsar. However, both have points in common, the most important of which have been arson and the signs of better organization and greater determination which have emerged. In respect of arson Muslims have been the main culprits and there have been numerous acts of incendiarism in both places resulting in conflagrations which have taxed the available army and civil resources to their utmost limit.”"

"In the history of the Muslim League War on the Hindus and Sikhs of the Punjab in 1947, Amritsar occupies an outstanding position. It was in this city, along with Lahore, though with an intensity even greater than in the latter town, that the most sustained war, lasting for over five months was waged on the Hindus and Sikhs, especially the latter, by the Amritsar Muslims. In the scheme of the Muslim League, Amritsar appears to have been Theatre of War No. 1. ... Amritsar, to use a not inappropriate parallel, became a kind of Stalingrad of this Muslim League-Sikh War."

"Amritsar was the spiritual capital of the Sikhs, and Sikh history is full of wars waged by Sikhs in the pre-Ranjit Singh Era for the recovery of Amritsar from the hands of Muslims who desecrated the holy Hari Mandir (the Golden Temple of, later days) and filled the sacred Tank with sand. ... To surrender Amritsar to the Muslims would mean practically the writing off of Sikh history and admitting a status inferior to that of the Muslims in the Punjab-a status, in view of the past record and declared ambitions and methods of the Muslim League, of serfdom. To break the Sikh resistance and morale in Amritsar was, therefore, of the first importance... As a result of the Muslim campaign of arson, from the 5th March onwards, more than one-fourth of the city of Amritsar has been laid in ruins-the worst sufferer in this respect among the cities of the Punjab."

"In towns like Amritsar, where the earliest attacks occurred, even before any Hindu or Sikh was thinking that fighting would take place, the Muslims were fully prepared for the offensive. For example, they had distributed among their own folk all the available sword-blades in Amritsar. On Muslim shops had been written in prominent lettering ‘Muslim Shop’ in Urdu to protect these shops from planned arson."

"No one in the whole city ate anything on this night; no one slept a wink. The whole town was ringing with the yells of the attacking Muslims and the defiant shouts of Hindus and Sikhs. Flames were rising and tall buildings were gutted with huge fires. (149)... During the night, the Hindu and Sikh quarters got hell. Parties of Muslims would go about shouting Pakistan and Islamic slogans, setting fire to Hindu and Sikh houses... Hindus and Sikhs trying to escape from flames were lynched by the mob. A large part of Amritsar was reduced to cinders and rubble in the fires of this night and the one following it. If one stood on the top of a high building in the night, red flames could be seen rising high, spread over large areas, lending a terrible and awful glow to the darkness of the night... Attacks on Sikhs found anywhere became a feature of the Muslim campaign in Amritsar. Any Sikh found anywhere on the road was attacked and killed. A large number of Sikhs coming from the villages around Amritsar, and many pilgrims coming from outside to visit Darbar Sahib were stabbed by Muslim parties lying in ambush.... Besides the Muslim mobs and assassins, Muslim police shot out of hand any Sikh or Hindu they could lay hands on. Muslim police are known to have gone about prowling of a night, to have sometimes called out of their homes Hindus and Sikhs and to have shot them dead on the spot. This practice they called ‘shikar’ and it was a terror for Hindus and Sikhs."

"The Seiks received Proselytes of almost every Cast, a point in which they differ most materially from the Hindoos…They have forbid absolutely the use of the Hookah, but they are as liberal in the use of Bang, and Ophiam, as their Neighbours. They are not prohibited the use of animal food of any kind, excepting Beef, which they are rigidly scrupulous in abstaining from. They never shave either Head or Beard; They sometimes wear yellow, but the prevailing Colour of their Cloaths is deep blue; They make their Turbans capaciously large, over which they frequently wear a piece of pliable Iron Chain or Net work [an early reference to the Sikh turban known as dastar bunga or the turban fortress]."

"After performing the requisite duties of their religion by ablution and prayer, the Sikhs comb their beards and hair with peculiar care. Mounting their horses they ride forth towards the enemy with whom they engage in a continual skirmish, advancing and retiring until men and horses are equally tired. They then draw off for a distance from the enemy, until meeting with cultivated ground they permit their horses to graze, whilst they parch a little grain for themselves. After satisfying nature in this frugal manner they renew the skirmishing if the enemy is near. Should he have retreated they follow up and renew these tactics. Seldom indulging in the comforts of a tent whilst in the enemy’s country, the repast of a Sikh cannot be supposed to be either sumptuous or elegant. Seated on the ground with a mat spread before them, a Bramin appointed for the purpose serves out a portion of food to each person, the cakes of flour which they eat during the meal serving them in the room of plates and dishes. Accustomed from their earliest infancy to a life of hardship and difficulty, the Sikh despises the comforts of a tent. In lieu of this, each horseman is furnished with two blankets, one for himself, and one for the horse. These blankets, which are placed beneath the saddle, and a grain bag and heel rope, comprise in war the whole baggage of a Sikh. Their cooking utensils are carried on ponies. Considering this mode of life and the extraordinary rapidity of their marches, it cannot be a wonder if they perform marches, which to those accustomed only to European warfare, must seem incredible."

"They told me further, that some years after this book of Naneek Shah had been promulgated, another made its appearance, now held in almost as much esteem as the former. The name of the author has escaped my memory; but they favoured me with an extract from the book itself in praise of the Deity. The passage had struck my ear on my first entering the hall, when the students were all engaged in reading. From the familiarity of the language to the Hindoovee, and many Shanscrit words, I was able to understand a good deal of it, and I hope, at some future period, to have the honour of laying a translation of it before the Society."

"A Sikh wishing to become a Singh, must go though the ceremonies of the institution at this temple [Akal Takht]. It is, however, only the more indigent description of them who apostatize, and generally those who are fed by priests. Although no person can visit the temple without paying, on the first admission, a sum of money to the priests, who divide it equally among themselves, yet they are by no means avaricious; the monies so collected, being expanded on their personal wants, given in charity, or laid out in erecting additional buildings; and there is no instance of an Akalee’s accumulating money for any other purpose. Choirs of singers assemble at three o’clock every morning, and chaunt their canticles by reliefs, during the day, and till late at night, in the temple; and at two or three other sacred spots, and with great solemnity, thus exciting to religious veneration and awe, and raising the soul to heavenly contemplation. Although the priests are held in the greatest reverence, still you are not to suppose that they are entirely exempt from every vice…. The concourse of fine women who go to bathe at the temple in the morning is prodigious. The individuals composing this groupe of beauty, are far superior in the elegance of their persons, the symmetry of their forms, and the fine traits of countenance, to the generality of the lower Hindoostanees. The Birakees, (or fine singers) as they are here called, are composed of handsome young women, Mooslimas, but are by no means superior either in their singing or dancing to the nautch sets of other parts of Hindoostan; they are, however, much better dressed, and many of them appear decorated with gold and silver ornaments, to a considerable amount. The Singhs being greatly devoted to pleasure, give every encouragement to the nautch girls. Their songs are chiefly in the Punjab dialect, which is performed as being better understood than the Persian or Hindoostanee, but to an European ear, they are by no means so pleasing, being full of discordant, inharmonious tones."

"They move about constantly, armed to the teeth, and it is not an uncommon thing to see them riding about with a drawn sword in each hand, two more in their belt, a matchlock at their back, and three or four pair of quoits fastened round their turbans. The quoit is an arm peculiar to this race of people; it is a steel ring, varying from six to nine inches in diameter, and about an inch in breadth, very thin, and the edges ground very sharp…Runjeet Sing has done much towards reducing these people to a state of subjection, (though they are still very troublesome,) by breaking up the large bands of them that were accustomed to congregate in all parts of the Punjab. He has raised some irregular regiments composed entirely of Akalees, which he always employs on any dangerous or desperate service; and as they fight like devils, he continues to make them useful, as well as to expend a great number of them in this way. In 1815, when the Maharajah’s army was investing the city of Moultan, the Affghans made so protracted and determined a defence, that Runjeet Sing was induced to offer very advantageous terms, compared to what he was in the habit of doing under similar circumstances; and during the progress of the negotiations, an Akalee, named Sadhoo Sing, with a few companions, advanced to the fausse braye, and without orders, in one of their fits of enthusiasm, attacked the Affghans, who were sleeping or careless on their watch, and killed every man; the Sihk army took advantage of the opportunity, and rushing on, in two hours carried the citadel, Muzuffer Khan and his four sons being all cut down in the gateway, after a gallant defence."

"The Siques are in general strong and well made, accustomed from their Infancy to the most labourious Life and hardest fare, they make marches and undergo fatigues that will appear really astonishing. In their Excursions they carry no tents or baggage with them, except perhaps a small tent for the principal Chief, the rest Shelter themselves under a Blanket, which serves them also in the cold Weather, to wrap themselves in, and which in a March covers their Saddles. They have mostly two horses a piece, and some three; their horses are middle sized, but exceeding good, strong and high spirited, and mild tempered; The Provinces of Lahore and Multan, noted for producing the best Horses in Indostan, supply them amply, and indeed they take the greatest Care to encrease their numbers by all means in their power, and tho’ they make merry in the Demise of one of their Brethren, they condole and lament the Death of a Horse, thus shewing their Value for an animal so necessary to them in their Excursions. The Sect of the Siques has a strong taint of the Gentoo Religion, they venerate the Cow, and abstain piously from killing or feeding on it, and they also pay some Respect to the Devtas or Idols. But their great object of worship is with them their own saints, or those whom they have honoured with the name of Gorou. Those they invoke continually and they seem to look on them as everything. Wah Gorou repeated several times is their only Simbol, from which the Musulmen have (not without Reason) taxed them with being downright Atheists. Their mode of initiating their Converts, is by making them drink out of a Pan in which the feet of those present have been washed meaning by that, I presume, to abolish all those Distinctions of Casts which so much encumber the Gentoos; they also steep in it, particularly for a Musulman the tusks or Bones of a Boar and add some of the Blood of that Animal to it. This with repeating the Simbol to Wah Gorou wearing an Iron Bracelet on one Arm, and letting the Hair of the head and beard grown forms the whole Mystery of their Religion, if such a filthy beastly Ceremony, can be dignified with that name. They have also stated Pilgrimages both to the Ganges and their famous Tank at Ambarsar where at fixed times they wash and perform some trifling Ceremonies invoking at the same time their Gorou."

"The mouth is not satisfied by speaking, and the ears are not satisfied by hearing. The eyes are not satisfied by seeing-each organ seeks out one sensory quality. The hunger of the hungry is not appeased; by mere words, hunger is not relieved. O Nanak, hunger is relieved only when one utters the Glorious Praises of the Praiseworthy Lord."

"Nanak's religion consisted in the love of God, love of man and love of godly living. His religion was above the limits of caste, creed and country. He gave his love to all, Hindus, Muslims, Indians and foreigners alike. His religion was a people's movement based on modern conceptions of secularism and socialism, a common brotherhood of all human beings. Like Rousseau, Nanak felt 250 years earlier that it was the common people who made up the human race. They had always toiled and tussled for princes, priests and politicians. What did not concern the common people was hardly worth considering. Nanak's work to begin with assumed the form of an agrarian movement. His teachings were purely in Punjabi language mostly spoken by cultivators. He appealed to the downtrodden and the oppressed peasants and petty traders as they were ground down between the two mill stones of Government tyranny and the new Muslims' brutality. Nanak's faith was simple and sublime. It was the life lived. His religion was not a system of philosophy like Hinduism. It was a discipline, a way of life, a force, which connected one Sikh with another as well as with the Guru."

"Sikhism for instance, though it emerged as a separate religion from Hinduism, was approved of by Vivekananda. He admired the Sikhs for rising up against Islamic power and religion in India. His description of Guru Gobind Singh, the last Guru of the Sikhs, as a ‘creative genius’ centered around the latter’s religio-political exploits against the Mughal Empire."

"The impurity of the mind is greed, and the impurity of the tongue is falsehood. The impurity of the eyes is to gaze upon the beauty of another man's wife, and his wealth. The impurity of the ears is to listen to the slander of others. O Nanak, the mortal's soul goes, bound and gagged to the city of Death. All impurity comes from doubt and attachment to duality. Birth and death are subject to the Command of the Lord's Will; through His Will we come and go."

"Make compassion the cotton, contentment the thread, modesty the knot and truth the twist. This is the sacred thread of the soul; if you have it, then go ahead and put it on me."

"Over 500 years ago in sub continental India arose Sikhism one of the five major world religions as a unique renaissance and resurgence of the human spirit. The spirit of man, realizing afresh its kinship, its integral bond, with the spirit Divine, liberated itself out of the obsolescent, dogma encrusted existence and came into its own efflorescent, as a dynamic force, a creative impulse. The élan vital of Sikhism had great potential for ushering in a new civilization qualitatively different from the earlier Indic and Hindu civilizations, thereby raising humanity to a new level of cultural and civilization progress. In its universal dimension Sikhism introduced a new concept of man, of society and state and in its historical dimension; this religion awakened medieval Indian society out of its collective amnesia, its inertia, and shook it out of its bondage to the dead past."

"In Sikhism epistemological idealism also leads to metaphysical idealism. Sikhism starts with plurality of objects and ends in monism. It evolves a comprehensive metaphysical system of absolute dynamic non-dualist view of the Reality."

"In the context of Sikhism it [Metaphysical monism] considers atman (spiritual element) and body (material element) as inseparable aspects of a single spiritual cosmic spiritual continuum."

"Sikhism lays more emphasis on dynamism, non-dualism and social involvement. All these characteristics of the spiritual Reality imply that Sikhism puts forth a dynamic metaphysical system. In this dynamic concrete system the differences or modifications are not negated. There is another way to explain the nature of non-dual Reality in terms of them personal and personal unities."

"To wean the followers away from Hindu system of incantations, Sikhism advised them to use 'Waheguru' as the only incantation. 'Waheguru' is the only incantation repeating which one sheds one’s ego."

"Sikhism does not subscribe to the theory of incarnation or to the concept of prophet hood. But it has the pivotal concept of Guru. He is not the incarnation of God, not even a prophet. He is an illuminated soul – a [spiritual]] torch with the jyoti (light) that illuminates the path to the Lord. God is timeless, formless, beyond life and death. The Guru, though human in form is godly in spirit and is thus a spiritual preceptor of humanity."

"Sikhism has expressed itself clearly and forcefully against the use of all intoxicants. It is laid down the Code of Conduct for Sikhs that: Sikhs should not partake of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and other intoxicants."

"If you can't see God in All, You can't see God at All."

"Over 90 percent of the worlds Sikhs live in India; of those, a large majority are concentrated in the northern Indian state of Punjab. Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States host growing Sikh minorities of several hundred thousand people each. In several isolated incidents after 9/11, turban-wearing Sikh men in Britain and the United States were mistaken for Muslims and attacked."

"What is Sikhism? The term Sikhism has two components: “Sikh” and “ism”. The word sikh is the Punjabi form of the Sanskrit word w:Guru-shishya traditionShishya, which means a “Student”, a learner, or a disciple, while “ism” is a Greek suffix that was added to the word “Sikh” around 1830 by the British administrators who ruled India to denote the Sikh tradition."

"Sikhism is primarily a Punjabi tradition that originated and developed under the leadership of the ten human gurus.LIke most Indic traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, the Sikh tradition is a guru-sikh (teacher –disciple)-oriented movement in which the relationship between a guru and his/her disciple is considered sacred."

"Guru Nanak intensely believed in the Oneness of God. His search for truth resulted in a divine calling at Sultanpur where he made his historic declaration. “There is no Hindu and there is no Muslim”...he shared his understanding of divine truth with people who became his disciples who came to be known as Nanak-panthis (literally, followers of Nanak’s path or teachings) which became popular among the Punjabis."

"The Sikh movement has passed through many stages. In the first phase (1469-1606) Guru Nanak and his four successors established some of the fundamental institutions of Sikh tradition, that is, the institution of human guruship, congregational worship, the langar (communal meal), compilation of the Adi Granth (Sikh scripture) and the Golden temple."

"The second phase (1606 -1675) began with the martyrdom of the fifth Guru, Arjun Dev. He was succeeded by his son, Hargobind who adopted a rdical policy of miri-piri (temporal and spiritual authority) for the defense of the Sikh community...During his ministry, we came across the use of the corporate title of “Sikh” for the Gurus followers."

"The martyrdom of the ninth Guru, Teg Bahadur is the third phase. His successor Guru Gobind Singh who founded a radical institution called the Khalsa in 1699. He introduced some fundamental innovations: a) institution of the panj pyarey (the five beloved ones); b) new-style initiation of amrit (water of immortality; and c) introduction of the title Singh for men and Kaur for women. The distinction between amritdhari (initiated) and non-amritdhari Sikhs occurred after the founding of the Khalsa in 1699."

"The process of evolution and development of the Adi Granth is closely linked with the emergence and maturity of the Sikh tradition. The name Adi Granth provides deep insight into the central teachings of Sikhism....The followers of Sikh tradition are popularly known as Sikhs."

"In Sikhism, the diversity of God’s kingdom is perceived as a dynamic and positive force. ...Sikhism rejects the view that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly regarding “Absolute Truth”. Sikhism strongly rejects the practice of converting people to other religious traditions."

"God is every where. He has created us all. He who realizes this is true Hindu or a Muslim….Although threre are two paths, the Hindu and the Muslim … there is only one God."

"In the Sikh teachings, God is conceived as being without any form or shape (Nirankar). Therefore no image or idol can represent God. The multilingual nature of Indian society made a valuable contribution toward the development of universalism in Sikhism....The central gurudwara of the Sikhs is called Harmandir (Golden Temple). According to Sikh teachings, all human beings evolved and developed their own modes of worship and religious traditions within the context of their social milieu."

"He is not known through burnt offerings and ritual chanting; the True Lord is known through the Guru's Teachings."

"Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, no one finds shelter in the Court of the Lord, the false come and go in reincarnation."

"When the mind is cleaned with the jewel of spiritual wisdom, it does not become dirty again."

"Oh! Lord of the Universe, What is Your Name, and what is it like? If you summon me into the Mansion of Your Presence, I will ask you how can I become one with You."

"He alone is a Brahmin who takes his cleansing bath in the spiritual wisdom of God, and whose leafy-offerings in worship are the Glorious Praises of the Lord."

"The One Name, the One Lord, and His One Light pervade the three Worlds."

"Above is the sky of the mind, and beyond this sky is the Lord, the Protector of the World; the Inaccessible Lord God; the Guru abides there as well."

"The word of the Shabad abides within, and doubt is ended, for those who constantly serve, day and night."

"What is outside is the same as what is inside the home of the self."

"O mind, you are so full of pride; loaded with pride you will depart from this world. Maya has fascinated you over and over, and lured you into reincarnation. You shall depart clinging to your pride, O foolish mind. In the end, you shall regret and repent. You are afflicted with the diseases of ego and desire, and you are wasting your life in vain. The self-willed manmukh does not remember God. Thus he shall regret and repent hereafter. Nanak says: O mind, you are full of pride; loaded with pride, you will depart. O mind, don't be so proud of yourself, as if you know it all; A Gurmukh is humble and modest."

"Ignorance and ego is within the mind; through the True Word of the Shabad, this filth is washed away. Be humble and surrender to the true Guru; do not attach your identity to your ego. The world is consumed by ego and arrogance; realize it, lest you will lose your own self as well. Make yourself follow the sweet will of the true Guru and remain attached to His Sweet Will. Nanak says: renounce your ego and self-conceit; obtain peace and let your mind abide in humility."

"Blessed was the time when I met the true Guru and God came into my consciousness. I became very blissful because my mind and body found natural peace."

"Renounce sexual desire, anger, falsehood and slander; forsake maya and eliminate egotistical pride. Renounce lust and promiscuity, and give up emotionnal attachment. Only then shall you obtain the Immaculate Lord amidst the darkness of the world. Renounce selfishness, conceit and arrogant pride, and your love for your children and spouse. Abandon your thirsty hopes and desires, and embrace love for the Lord. O Nanak, the true one shall come to dwell in your [mind]]. Through the True Word of Shabad, you shall be absorbed in the Name of Lord."