The Khalsa Fauj
SPNer
- Dec 1, 2006
- 315
- 186
Anti-Sikhism
Charnjit Singh Bal
To propagate his religion that blends Monotheism with Pragmatism, Humanism, Liberalism and Pluralism, he embarked upon four odysseys traveling on foot all over the Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East during fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. During his travels the Guru Nanak Sahib collected the Scriptures of medieval pious Hindu and Muslim venerated Sages who subscribed to his religious concepts. Guru Arjun Sahib compiled the scriptures of the preceding Sikh Gurus and Guru Nanak Sahib’s collections in the Guru Granth Sahib that exemplifies universality of the Sikhism’s illuminating Message. However the progressive Sikhism encountered regressions, dissentions, cultism sectarianism and factionalism from the Gurus’ own kith and kin, opportunistic Sikhs and cultist guru pretenders.
Guru Nanak Sahib’s elder son Sri Chand, discontented because the Guru Sahib selected Bhai Lehna Ji on merit for the august seat of Sikh Guru, founded his own un-Sikh ascetic sect. Motivated by jealousy for the same reason Guru Angud Sahib’s Son Daatu kicked Guru Amar Das Sahib and tried to set a parallel Guru-ship that eventually failed.
Guru Arjun Dev Sahib’s older brother Prithi Chand driven by envy swindled the tithe and other offerings meant for the Guru from the Sikh devotees.
Guru Har Rai Sahib’s elder son Ram Rai being deprived of the Guru-ship, for having cringed and distorted a verse of Gurbani to appease the Mogul Emperor Aurangzeb, started his own sect.
Dhir Mal, another pretender to the august seat of Sikh Guru instigated Massund Shinha to murder his uncle Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib. Shinha fired on Guru Sahib, wounded the Guru and looted Guru Sahib’s belongings including the original copy of Guru Granth Sahib.
The Massunds (Sikh Apostles) became arrogant, corrupt and started to embezzle tithes that were meant to preach and promote Sikhism. Guru Gobind Singh discontinued the practice of appointing Massunds.
Discerning Sagely the probable future abuse of the August seat of the Guru by the likes of Dattuji, Prithi Chand, Ram Rai and Dhirmal, Guru Gobind Singh decreed, "All Sikhs to regard the Granth Sahib as their perpetual (spiritual) Guru" which is consistent with the Sikhism’s fundamental tenet, "Word is Guru, Guru is word." The Guru Sahib mandated the collective Sikh Panth (Nation) to administer the temporal Authority of Sikhism democratically. Unfortunately for the Sikhism and Sikh Community, neither that decree nor the noble message of the Sikhism has deterred some opportunists from misusing and abusing the Sikh religion for the self-serving ambitions.
Radhaswami, Nirankari, Namdhari, Nanaksari cultist Gurus and Tuksaals (standardized study of Sikh Theology Institutions) have customized and commercialized the Sikh religion and set up their own Fiefdoms. Even some main stream Sikh leaders and preachers who are devoid of the essence of Sikhism’s progressive philosophy and illuminating Gurbani (Sikh scriptures) keep misleading the Sikh community back to the era of darkness from which the Gurus tried to extricate the Sikhs.
From mid eighteenth century till nineteen-twenties, a span of a century and a half, the Sikh Nation was engaged in Life and death struggle against the Muslim and Christian Colonialism, Imperialism and Jihads/Crusades. During these crucial times the Nirmlas, Mahants and Poojaris who had the control of the Sikh Gurdwaras (Temples) introduced Idol worship, ritualism, superstition and taboos into the into Sikhism. They embezzled donations and funds, held endowment lands titles in their names and lived a life of sin and perversion in the Gurdwaras.
The Hindu mythology oriented anonymous or pseudonymous (imposter) Sikh writers and Pundits cunningly adulterated Sikh History and Philosophy with mythology, wizardry and witchcraft. These writers, products of Hindu religious institutions, wrote the so-called Granths with ulterior motives to obliterate unique Sikh identity and assimilate progressive monotheistic Sikhism that promotes spiritual enlightenment into primitive Hinduism that fosters polytheism, idolatry, dogmatic ritualism, blind faith taboos, superstitions and prejudices.
One such Granth, ‘Gurblas Patshahi 6’, written by an anonymous writer, edited by the Sikh leader Joginder Singh Vedanti (one who practices Hindu Vedanta) and Dr. Amarjit Singh and sponsored by the thirteen so-called elite Sikh scholars and leaders was recently published by the S. G. P C. Due to the overwhelming criticism from the Sikh Intelligentsia and writers that Granth has been taken off the market but there are many more of that type in circulation. A so-called Dassam Granth, compilation of many scripts by anonymous writers but mischievously purported and propagated to be the Scriptures by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib contains fiction, mythology, wizardry and explicit eroticism.
The proponents and propagators of this dubious literature have succeeded to a large extent in their sinister plot in beguiling Sikh majority and contaminating the Sikh History and quintessential philosophy with mythology, dogmatism, polytheism, wizardry witchcraft, eroticism, etc. Whereas the majority of innocent Sikh’s inability to grasp the Sikhism’s essential message is a simple failure on their part, the role of the numerous cultist Guru pretenders, half literate preachers, self-serving main stream Sikh leaders which propagate such blasphemous literature as integral part of Sikh history and philosophy is much more detrimental.
Consequently the practice of Sikhism, a pragmatic faith of knowledge is replete with blind faith, prejudices, dogmatic rituals, Idolatry, pagan taboos and superstitions. Sikh religious services and ceremonies are performed at the Sikh Gurdwaras (temples) at a price commensurate with the Sikh’s perceptual devotion and ability to pay to invoke God’s benedictions and Guru’s blessings. The international Sikh community has been fragmented into numerous sects, cults and antagonistic factions.
The genuine Sikh Scholars have refuted with convincing arguments the compatibility of the mythical, wizardly and erotic contents of these Granths’ with the illuminating philosophy of the Guru Granth Sahib’s quintessential Gurbani. They have also revealed that the anonymous, pseudonym and quasi-Sikh writers wrote these so-called Granths with ulterior motives. But instead of acclaiming and honoring them, the half literate opportunistic Sikh Leaders who have had strangle-hold on Sikh Nation, have criticized, bullied and ostracized them and banned their books.
One of the most prominent Sikh Scholars ever Bhai Kahn Singh writes, "the earlier and contemporary writers of our Faith have written numerous books on (Sikh) history, code and conventions according to their beliefs and mental tendencies. These books are both beneficial and harmful i.e. the subject matter compatible with essential message of Sikh Gurus’ edification is beneficial otherwise it is harmful."
"The in-depth study of these Granths gives the impression that the poets of our Faith have blundered in copying the authors of religious books of other Faiths. They have bundled and dyed the social, political and religious principles in the religious color. It is all the more saddening that there are very few analytical minded Sikh scholars seeking the truth. In fact the opponents, those who call the rational minded writers and speakers agnostics, are in majority."
Rattan Singh Jaggi who did an in-depth review of the Dassam Granth writes, "The subject matter in the Chritro Pakhyan is so erotic and its language is so sexually explicit that in some places it surpasses even the (Hindu) Koke Shastra or Kama Shastra (Erotica Manual)"
Prof. Harinder Singh Mehboob writes, "The devious activity of contaminating the Granths and attributing the heretical writings to the Sikh Gurus has often been perpetrated repeatedly. This insidious activity has been pursued at the instigation of the mischievous and jealous people (inimical to Sikhism)."
Prominent Sikh academician Pr. Harbhajan Singh in his Punjabi book ‘Selected Articles on Dassam Granth’ writes, "In their wild flights of fancy both authors, (Bhai Santokh Singh of Suraj Prakash and the dubious writer of Dassam Granth’s Bachitir Natak) left no deficiency in fabricating blatant Gossips and mythical Fantasies."
Prof. Gurmukh Singh’s Ex-communication
The ex-communication of a true Sikh, Prof. Gurmukh Singh is an epitome (prime example) of abuse of illicit power by a bunch of self-serving religious leaders. At the time of his ex-communication Prof. Gurmukh Singh, one of pioneer founders of the reformist Sikh movement Singh Sabha, was actively pursuing his goal to establish the first Khalsa College at Amritsar. The band of pretenders to the Sikh spiritual and temporal Authority not only ex-communicated Prof. Gurmukh Singh but also incited the Sikh community not to render him financial help to carry out his missionary work and the noble cause of founding the Khalsa College.
In 1883 Akal Takht head Granthi Bedi Khem Singh proclaimed himself as the Sikh Guru. Aided and abetted by his cohorts, Rajah Bikram Singh of Fridkote, Mahants , Pujaris and other Guru pretenders, he ex-communicated a genuine Sikh scholar and missionary Prof. Gurmukh Singh who criticized him for the un-Sikh act in 1887. They harassed and hounded Giani Dit Singh who dared to condemn their anti-Sikhism activity and canvass support for Prof. Gurmukh Singh to an early grave.
The un-Sikh activities of Khem Singh Bedi and his cohorts are indicative of the sly religious leaders’ ability to manipulate repressive proceedings against a devout religious person. Some of the unjust accusations leveled against Prof. Gurmukh Singh who dedicated his life to the noble causes of reforming the Sikhism’s management and preaching system and eradication of wide spread illiteracy among the community were:-
1) He does not revere the Sikh Gurus’ descents, (pretenders to Sikh Guru-ship).
2) Twenty pictures of Avtars (Hindu Mythical god incarnates), were burned during a convention of Lahore Singh Sabha (Forum) to refute their existence.
3) A Hindu convert to Islam was baptized as a Singh by the Lahore Singh Sabha.
4) In an article published in the Khalsa Newspaper he wrote, "Worship of weapons in the Sikh Gurdwaras is copy of Hindu ritual that is against Guru’s edification."
To an intelligent student of Sikh theology it is clear the ex-communication of Prof. Gurmukh Singh was a case of blatant abuse of illicit spiritual and temporal authority and the heretics punishing the pious Sikh. Prof. Manjit Singh revoked this dictatorial edict in 1995 and acclaimed Prof. Gurmukh Singh as a true Sikh.
Giani Bhag Singh’s ex-communication
The ex-communication of Giani Bhag Singh exemplifies how the conniving religious leaders wield the authority to destroy those who dare to dissent. Giani Bhag Singh’s Book ‘Dassam Granth Nirnay’ (critique) was published in 1976. The book publication caused great deal of controversy amongst the Sikh community. During this period of controversy Giani Bhag Singh and Giani Sant Singh Muskeen were in Indore on lecture tours. As usual at one place when asked Muskeen told congregation that Akhand Path is compatible with the Guru’s edification while at another he said it is not. And when Giani Bhag Singh mentioned about these contradictions Muskeen was naturally resentful.
During his lectures at Rajauri Gardens’ Gurudwara, Delhi, Muskeen quoted some verses from the Dassam Granth’s spurious scriptures. Some young Sikhs argued with Muskeen and told him that the verses he had quoted were not that of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. Although the young Sikhs were absolutely right, Muskeen adamantly refused to concede that he was wrong. Next day they had some scripts from Dassam Granth printed and asked Muskeen to preach the scripts to the Sikh congregation. Muskeen refused and accused Giani Bhag Singh of sending the thugs (young Sikhs) to insult him.
Muskeen approached his friend Golden Temple Head Granthi, Giani Chet Singh. Both Muskeen and Chet Singh instigated Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Sadhu Singh Bhaura (from my village Bhaura) to issue Hokum-nama (edict) to ex-communicate Giani Bhag Singh. However in view of the controversy amongst Sikh community the S. G. P. C. decided to call an ad-hoc advisory committee meeting that was chaired by Giani Sadhu Singh. When at this meeting the research Sikh Historian Shamsher Singh Ashoke who had also written a critical review on Dassam Granth tried to express his views, he was shouted down by the prejudiced members.
When Pr. Harbhajan Singh asked all the 15 members at the meeting, if anyone had studied the Dassam Granth analytically, their silence conveyed the negative reply. And he asked them, (1) if the Dassam Granth’s authenticity controversy wasn’t as old as the Granth itself? (2) Didn’t the Akal Takht Jathedar and Granthi Singh Sahiban reply in June 1973 through Assistant Sec. S. Gurbakhsh Singh to Santokh of Chandigarh that Chritro Pakhyan is not Guru Gobind Singh’s work? (3) Aren’t we, the high-ranking Sikh personalities, too eager to condemn a pious person without his representation?
Note:- In a reply No. 36672 dated 3rd August 1973 to S Santokh Singh (Chandigarh) the religious preaching sub-Committee of S. G. P .C. wrote, "In regard to your inquiry of 6th July 1973 the views of Singh Sahiban of Derbar Sahib and Akal Takht Jathedar are being sent to you. "Chritro Pakhyan in the Dassam Granth is not Guru Gobind Singh’s Scriptures. These are copies of the primitive Hindu mythical tales." Signed, Gurbakhsh Singh, Assistant Secretary, Religious Preaching Committee, Shrimoni G. P. Committee, Amritsar.
Pr. Harbhajan Singh’s wisdom prevailed in drafting and passing two resolutions unanimously, (1) Giani Bhag Singh should have presented his side of the case in detail to the Panth instead of two-line comment. (2) Since with time the issue is getting serious, this committee humbly requests the S. G .P. C. to institute a sub-committee of prominent Sikh Scholars to authenticate the Dassam Granth’s scripts that are compatible with the Guru Granth Sahib’s philosophy and Guru’s Ideals. No punishment was considered appropriate for Giani Bhag Singh.
Despite these unanimous consensus that were reached at the meeting Giani Bhag Singh was ex-communicated on 5th July 1977 in a mystifying manner. The same bunch of Singh-Sahiban (Giani Bhaura, Giani Chet Singh and Giani Kirpal Singh) who said that Chritro Pakhyan wasn’t Guru Gobind Singh’s Work and were also star participants at the meeting to adjudge Giani Bhag Singh, ex-communicated him.
The concerned Sikh Scholars Pr. Harbhajan Singh, Giani Surjit Singh, Bhai Milap Singh and Amar Singh conferred with each other to have the edict issue redressed. Bhai Amar Singh Aligarh, who knew Jathedar Bhaura when he was a Granthi, convinced him of his folly. Jathedar Bhaura agreed to rescind the edict. Bhai Amar Singh, Giani Surjit Singh and S. Milap Singh were to accompany Giani Bhag Singh to Akal Takht to have the edict rescinded.
Muskeen who came to know about this visit, cunningly took Giani Bhag Singh to Akal Takht himself at his own expense. Jathedar Bhaura had a paper with a text, "Giani Bhag Singh has apologized regarding Ardas (Sikh Litany) and Chaupie (a lyrical supplication from Dassam Granth)" typed in advance. When it was given to old and feeble Giani Bhag Singh to sign, he accidentally dropped his reading glasses. Both Bhaura and Muskeen said, leave the glasses; don’t you trust us? They practically tricked Giani Bhag Singh into signing the apology that he deeply regretted. He told Giani Surjit Singh with tears in his eyes that Muskeen had tricked him.
Jathedar Aroor Singh declared Kamagata Maru returnees from Canada in 1915 as un-Sikhs at the behest of the British Government of India; and awarded Gen. Dyre who massacred hundreds of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims on 1919 Vaisakhi day in the Jallianwala Baug, with a Saropa (the Sikh scarf of honour).
During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sikhism was sacrificed at the altar of Secularism. Although he built many Sikh Gurdwaras and allotted endowed lands to these Gurdwaras, no real attempts were made to counter the corruptive influences of the sly Brahmins, impostor Sikh Gurus, zealous Hindu and Muslim clerics and holy quacks. The Maharaja’s folly to trust and appoint the Hindu Dogra brothers Dhyan Singh and Gulaub Singh and brothers Teja Singh and Lall Singh from U. P. to the elite posts proved to be fatal for the Sikh Raj. Soon after the Maharaja’s death in 1839, treachery and intrigues of these traitors enabled the British to occupy Punjab. As usual the ‘Holier than Thou’ Christian Missionaries who without fail followed the Christian Conquistadors (Conquerors), spread their proselytizing (conversionary) tentacles in Punjab and built the Missionary Network.
The Muslim and the Christian imperialists made two pronged intrusions into Sikhism. On one hand they un-leashed brute power of imperialism especially the Muslims who butchered children in front of the mothers to force conversion to Islam. On the other hand they enticed potential converts with endowment lands and elite posts. Then there were the Christian Missionaries and Muslim Quazis, and holy men/quacks to convert the weaklings, impoverished and the naïve.
Note:- Although hunted and massacred on the genocidal scale, the eighteenth and nineteenth Century Sikhs resisted the Muslim and Christian onslaughts valiantly.
However the Hindus deprived of political powers for nearly a thousand years used insidious means to either obliterate the progressive Sikhism’s unique identity and swallow it into Hinduism or proclaim it as a sect of Hinduism. With the downfall of the ruling Muslims who called the Hindus as Kaffirs (Pagans) and considered converting them to Islam as a benevolent act, the ultra Hindu fundamentalists were emboldened. Whereas in the past they targeted Sikhism covertly, now started to malign the Sikh Gurus and Sikhism openly.
Acting on the Hindu cultist Vivaka Nanda’s devious advice, "If you want to root out a religion, cast doubts about the historical facts of its founders", Daya Nand the founder of radical Arya Samaj (Aryan Social Order) launched vicious attacks on the Sikh Gurus and Sikhism. He denigrated Guru Nanak Sahib with remarks, "Ideals of Nanak Ji were noble but he was illiterate; why would he otherwise write Sanskrit word nirbhya as nirbhow? Since he (Guru Nanak Ji) had some ego, he must have resorted to some deceit for the sake of his conceit."
That Daya Nand was an ignorant Charlatan is evident from the fact that Guru Nanak Sahib wrote, preached and sang his Scriptural compositions in the colloquial language of the people of Punjab, Punjabi that was in use before Guru Nanak’s time. Venerated Muslim Sage Sheik Freed who lived couple centuries (1173-1266 AD) before Guru Nanak wrote Scriptures in Punjabi. Guru Nanak Sahib collected and Guru Arjan Sahib compiled these Scriptures in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Like all impostors Daya Nand was a liar, duplicitous and cunning. Giani Dit Singh, his contemporary writes, "Once during his discourse at Brahm Smaj Temple he stated that the Sun orbits around the Earth and supported his statement with quotes from the Vedas. However later at the residence when a companion Saien Das told him that since today’s advanced Astronomy confirms that the Earth orbits around the Sun, people will not think highly of Vedas. Daya Nand said that he should have been told me earlier; now I will refute the statement tomorrow.
Next day he contradicted his own statement by saying, "Yesterday when I said that the Sun orbits around the Earth, that is the assertion of the adversaries. That is how they interpret the concepts of Vedas. Actually these concepts confirm that the Sun doesn’t orbit around the earth, but the Earth orbits around the Sun."
The Rashtrya Svayam Savek Sang (R. S. S.), a radical Hindu fundamentalist organization sprouted eight decades ago. Its strategy is more insidious. To obliterate the unique Sikh identity and proclaim Sikhism as a sect of Hinduism, R .S. S. is promoting and preaching the so-called Granths written by dubious Scholars. The subject matter of these Granths is contaminated with Hindu mythology, polytheism, wizardry Idolatry, blind faith ritualism, eroticism, etc. that are totally contrary to the Monotheistic, pragmatic and spiritually illuminating doctrines of the Guru Granth Sahib’s quintessential Gurbani.
In a clandestine move the Hindu R. S. S. has spawned an ill-conceived organization called Rashtrya Sikh Sangat that has same initials as the promiscuous mother organization to beguile the gullible Sikhs and non-Sikhs. The discerning Sikhs Scholars and Intelligentsia contend that the cagey Hindu R. S. S. has created Rashtrya Sikh Sangat and filled its ranks with the mercenary Hindus and naïve Sikhs to boost its efforts to propagate distorted facts from Sikh History and misinterpretations of the selected verses from the Guru Granth Sahib’s Gurbani.
Some misguided or naive Sikhs, zealous Hindus and mercenaries are helping R. S. S in its deviant designs. Because the concerned Sikh Scholars and intelligentsia challenge the deceitful agenda of the R. S. S., a Sikh lawyer Gurcharanjit Singh Lamba characterizes the call of Institute of Sikh Studies to reject the Dassam Granth, "irrational, motivated and sacrilege." And a self-beatified Sikh Saint (also known as Serkari Saadh) Virsa Singh of Delhi is distributing translations of Dassam Granth.
The R. S. S. president Mr. Sudershan claims, "The Sikhs were created to defend Hindu Faith from the tyranny of the Mogul Rulers; and the two Hundred and fifty thousand Sikhs killed during the (1717-1799 AD) extreme Mogul tyranny were originally Hindus who made supreme sacrifices to defend the Hindu Faith."
One wonders why didn’t these original Hindus make supreme sacrifices to defend Hinduism when the tyrannical Muslim Rulers forcibly converted enormous number of Hindus to Islam? And why didn’t the original Hindus make supreme sacrifices when Mohamed Bin-Kasam, who was by the Khalifa of Baghdad, conquered India’s principality of Sindh in the eighth century with just 700 hundred men?
Mehmood Gaznavi advanced all the way to Hinduism’s most sacred shrine Som Nath, smashed the Idols, looted gold doors with gold inlay and took away Hindu women as concubines and slaves?
If the Hindus were capable of making supreme sacrifices why was India slave to the Muslim invaders for seven centuries until the three hundred year old Sikh panth dealt fatal blows to the tyrannical Mogul Rule in the late seventeen and early eighteen centuries when Himalayan Hindu Principalities were banding with the Moguls. The Sikhs that constitute two percent of the total population of India’s predominantly Hindu society made eighty percent of the sacrifices to oust the British imperialists that ruled India for two centuries and Sikh Homeland, Punjab, for one century
Only an ignorant or insidious can proclaim the Sikhs, who came from all castes and creeds to adopt Sikhism by choice, original Hindus. A man of Mr. Sudershan’s credentials can be called ignorant.
The origin of Sikhism was motivated by the noble concepts of universal religious freedom and socio-cultural Liberalism. Ever since its inception the Sikhism has espoused and made supreme sacrifices for these noble causes The authentic Sikh History is witness to the valiant acts of defiance of the Sikh Gurus, Muslim and Hindu holy Sages (co-authors of Guru Granth Sahib) and numerous Sikh Martyrs for these noble causes. Conversely the Sikhism would have defended the Muslims’ right to religious freedom under tyrannical Hindu Rulers.
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