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Sikhism And Liberation Theology

 

Grant me this wish O' Lord, that May I never refrain from righteous acts.
(Guru Gobind Singh)

The love for freedom, justice and equality is deeply engrained in Sikhism and Is symbolised in the Sikh emblem. To stand up to the opposing forces of tyranny and injustice is considered a moral duty of every Sikh. In fact, the idea that" "Religion" and the "Polities of Freedom" must go hand in hand is central to the very basis of Sikhism. This is clearly evident when we consider that the concept of an ideal Sikh is not that of a Saint but a "Saint- Soldier" (Khalsa): The saintly nature incorporates the traditional moral values of Religion and inherently represents a peace- loving individual whilst the soldier aspect demonstrates the resolve to uphold the social values of justice and freedom in which such a peaceful society can exist. As a result, Sikhs and arms are inseparably linked. The failure to recognise this, stemming from an inadequate understanding and appreciation of the underlying Sikh principles, played an important part in allowing the government of India to exploit the situation.

In recent months leading clergymen, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, have drawn sharp Criticism for their comments on issues such as unemployment and nuclear disarmament; "keep religion out of polities", is a common cry. Pope John Paul II has expressed strong reservations on the involvement of his Bishops in the liberation struggles of Central America. The underlying theme of this controversy is the role of religion in everyday society.

Traditionally, religion has been construed as being purely spiritual and is often seen as being inconsistent with a social (worldly) life. Even today the Roman Catholic Church, for example, places a high value on a celibate and monastic existence. The same is true of Eastern religions where renouncing the world and retreating to the solitude of the Himalayas is common practice.

Five hundred years ago Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, rejected this view of religion. "How goes the world below?", the hermits and Yogis would ask him. His reply was scathing: "Sin has enslaved the world and falsehood rules. Who will free the world when those that claim moral insight flee to the eaves and forest retreats and practice pointless penance?"[21]

For Guru Nanak the place for religion was firmly within society

Lead an active and hard-working life:
By honest work earn the comforts of life;
Through devoted remembrance attain Union with God.
Thus, 0 Nanak, all worries are dispelled.
Guru Granth Sahib: Raga Gujri, p. 522)

The belief in one God is the basic axiom of Sikhism. It is the fundamental principle on which the Sikh Faith rests. However, Guru Nanak considered worship which had been reduced to mere ritual to be meaningless; instead, he taught that religious devotion should be founded on a deep seated Love with God and that this relationship should manifest itself in every aspect of life. Thus, to a Moslem he would say:

Five prayers at five times, five are their names:
Truth is first, honest labour second, charity the third place claims;
The fourth asks for honesty in conduct and the fifth the praise of God.
Support thy prayers with thy actions and then call yourself a Moslem of the Lord.
(Guru Granth Sahib: Raga Maj, p. 141)

Similarly, to a Yogi Guru Nanak would say:

Make contentment and mercy thy earrings;
Self-respect thy wallet and meditation the ashes to smear on your body.
Make thy perishable body thy garb and faith thy rule of life and staff.
Guru Granth Sahib: Japji, p. 6)

An immediate consequence of this viewpoint is the equality of all men and women --- we are all the children of God. Hence, Guru Nanak strongly condemned all discrimination, whether it be on the basis of sex, colour, caste or creed. To underline this intrinsic equality of the human race the institution of "Langar" was set up - a tree kitchen where people from every corner of society (destitutes and emperors alike) sit together and share the same food [22]. Langar was designed both as a practical way to breakdown social barriers and also to highlight the importance of communal service.

Continuing the same line of thought naturally leads to social beliefs structured around human rights. The commitment to protect these basic rights of every individual is deeply engrained in Sikhism. Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, demonstrated this by sacrificing his life for this principle: A high powered delegation of Brahmins from Kashmir cane to see Guru Teg Bahadur at Anandpur and pleaded with him to protect their religion --- the Moghul Emperor, Aurangzeb, was forcing them to embrace Islam, demolishing their temples and the destruction of Hinduisn seemed imminent. Even though Guru Teg Bahadur did not agree with much of Hinduism, and was often very critical of the Brahmin behaviour, nevertheless, he believed that they had the right to practice their own religion. So, he agreed to champion their rights and, in so doing, had to sacrifice his own life --- he was beheaded in Chandni Chownk, in Delhi, on November 11, 1675[23]. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last (living) Sikh Guru, composed the following to commemorate Guru Teg Bahadur's sacrifice for humanity:

The Lord protected their frontal mark and sacred thread;
And performed a supremely heroic deed in this age of ignorance.
To uphold righteousness, so supreme an act did he perform.
He gave his head, but did not utter a word of sorrow.
For the sake of righteousness, he did this heroic deed;
He laid down his life, but not the principles.

The peaceful methods of persuasion having failed to put an end to the tyranny of Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Singh then took up arms to uphold the rights of the weak and the oppressed:

When all peaceful methods fail to ward off the enemy, It is righteous to unsheathe the sword.
(Guru Gobind Singh: Zafarnama)

Guru Gobind Singh moulded his Sikhs into the Khalsa Panth - a nation of Saint-Soldiers. A divine army of people prepared to sacrifice their lives to protect the sacred values of Justice and Freedom.

Some observers see a sharp break between the ' peaceful' path pursued by Guru Nanak and the militant attitude of Guru Gobind Singh. In reality, however, there is no such break. The iha13a Panth is just a formalisation of Guru Nanak's view of Religion. This is apparent in the Sikh belief that the ten Gurus were all the same in Spirit [24]. Indeed, that the semi-martial nature of the Khalsa is consistent with the teachings of Guru Nanak is immediately obvious from the following Hymn [25]:

The conscience resounds with the battle-drum,
As the wounds of suffering strike the heart.
The warriors take up the battlefield;
Now is the time to sacrifice one's all.
He alone is a true warrior,
who fights for the weak and oppressed.
He dies shred limb by limb,
But never deserts the battle.
(Guru Granth Sahib: Raga Maru, p, 1102)

Historically too, Guru Gobind Singh was not the only Sikh Guru to take up arms. In 1606 the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan, was tortured to death by the Emperor Jahengir; religious intolerance was the cause of his execution [26]. His successor, Guru HarGobind, then had to take up arms against the Emperor's persecution.

Guru Arjan had been the Apostle of Peace --- even under severe torture he accepted his ordeal calmly. However, Guru HarGobind showed that sometimes it becomes necessary to fight for one's freedom. But the motivation for this struggle must stem from a deep-seated love for peace. This may sound a little strange at first but it is an important concept in Sikhism --- namely, the idea of "Beer-Russ": Peace comes first. But if peaceful methods fail to ensure one's basic freedoms then beef-russ is the force, which inspires the struggle against injustice. But, because beer-russ is founded on a love for peace, it provides the motivation to fight but without the feeling of anger, hatred or revenge --- injustice is the only enemy. Fighting in this instance is seen as a call of duty resulting from a desire by every self- respecting individual to lead a dignified life. As Guru Nanak puts it: "Cursed is a man who tolerates a life of indignity and humiliation".[27]

We have seen that "Liberation Theology" is at the very heart of the Sikh religion. Guru HarGobind emphasised this by building the Akal Takhat directly in front of the Golden Temple:

The Golden Temple, at Amritsar, is the centre for the Sikhs' Spiritual inspiration. It is the House of God where people from every corner of the world are welcome to come and join in worship (this being symbolised by its four doors facing north, south, east and west). That the "essence of Religion" is common to all faiths is clear from the Guru Granth Sahib --- not only do the Sikh Scriptures contain the writings of the Sikh Gurus but they also contain the compositions of numerous contemporary Saints of various denominations. In fact , the very foundation stone of the Golden Temple was laid by the great Moslem Saint, Nian Meer, a close friend of Guru Arjan. Hymns are sung at the Golden Temple continuously from the early hours to late at night.

The Akal Takhat, meaning the "Throne of the Immortal", is the centre for the Sikhs' political (temporal) decisions. It was set up to champion the cause of religious freedom and civil liberties - the idea of "Miri" and "Piri", "Political and Spiritual Sovereignty"[28]. Setting the Akal Takhat alongside the Golden Temple was a gesture that Religion and the "Politics of Freedom" must go together.

To summarise, Sikhism views it as a moral duty of every religious individual to speak out against injustice and fight against oppression. Since a Saint is peaceful by nature, peaceful methods of persuasion must be tried first. But if all efforts are to no avail, then beer-russ spurs the Saint to take up arms and purge tyranny with the sword. But religion has learnt, from bitter experience, that to even comment on social and political problems is a sure way to invite persecution. Either way, the commitment to uphold the values of human rights necessarily entails sacrifice. This is reflected in Guru Nanak's declaration:

If you yearn to play the game of Devotion,
Carry your head on the palm of your hand;
Then, enter the path of my Faith.
If on this path you tread,
Hesitate not to sacrifice your head.
(Guru Granth Sahib: Shloka Vara-de-Vadhik, p. 1412)

   
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