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Their have always been people who have argued that Hinduism & Sikhism, or Hinduism and Sikh Panth, were never supposed to seperate into two seperate religions. The argument is that the Gurus were trying to unite everyone under god instead of separating people into a Hindu & Sikh category. It could also be argued that Sikhism was trying to unify the Muslims along with Hindus, however, the Islamic relgion does not have as much of a connection with Sikhism as Hinduism does. It was more of a political connection because at the time many Muslims were fighting with the Hindu population.
The founder of Sikhism, Baba Nanak, was born in a Hindu family. He never desired to create a new or distinct religion from Hinduism. He was in favor of uniting all of the population under a god. He was not against the actual teachigns of Hinduism, but he was against the orthodox Hinduism. For example the caste system, widow sacrafice, and idol worship, were all rituals that were not apart of the Hindu religion. When he died even his son, Sri Chand, founded the Udasi order. Also, various orders have flourished until the early 20th century until the Khalsa order became premanent. In Northern India Hinduism and Sikhism have always existed without a well defined border. Here are some of the reasons given by those who feel that the Gurus were not trying to creat a Hindu and Sikh catagory:
- At the time of the Gurus, most North Indian families would remain Hindu while the eldest son was a "Sikh." This shows unity and not seperation.
- The Gurus believed in Karma, Dharma, Reincarnation, being a veggetarian (The final Guru slightly changed that), and reaching Nirvana to gain enlightenment. These are foundation teachings of Hinduism. The Gurus were against orthodox Hinduism, not the actual teachings.
- The Gurus themselves had extremely religious Hindu names such as Har Krishan, Ram Das, and Arjun Dev. Guru Har Rai had even named his son Ram as well. It must be noted that these are not average names. These are extremely religous holy names. For example if a father named his son "praise Jesus", it would be natural to assume that the father believed in Jesus. So if a father named his son Har Krishan or Ram, combined with the fact they believed in the same teachings, it would be fair to assume that the father believed in Krishna & Ram.
- Many Hindus & Sikhs go to both a Gurudwara & Mandir.
- In general, Hindus & Sikhs have married together & it is not considered shameful if a Sikh and Hindu marry together.
People who believe in the notion of a Hindu & Sikh unity, argue that Sikhism has slowly seperated into a seperate religion due to political & educational reasons. They argue that their are a disporportionate amount of Sikhs who only look at the teaching of the 10th Guru, and ignore the teachings and life of the other 9 Gurus. The problem arises among Sikhs who longer live in India. This is especially true for Sikhs living in Canada, the UK and the USA, who no longer live in India and share the bonds and connection as the Sikh & Hindus share in India. Many of them live in an isolated Sikh community and are only familiar with the Punjabi language and the Sikh teachings alone. For example in Northern California their are many Sikhs who do not call themselves Indian, and instead call themselves Punjabi, the state of their origin in India.
Also, the new Sikh Rahit Maryada specifically prohibits Sikhs from participating in Hindu religious activities. An interpretation of the rules of the Anand Karaj (Sikh Marriage ceremony) states that non-Sikhs are not permitted to marry under the Anand Karaj marriage ceremony, therefore, many Sikhs now feel that they are not permitted to marry Hindus.
Here is the chronology of the main events leading to the modern perceptions about the Sikh Panth and Hinduism.
- 1879: Tat Khalsa Singh Sabha founded to replace the traditional Sanatan Singh Sabha.
- 1882: Max Arthur Macauliffe in Punjab since 1864, appointed Deputy Commissioner in Punjab.
- 1889: Kahan Singh Nabha writes "Hum Hindu Nahin".
- 1909: McAuliffe's "Sikh religion: its gurus, sacred writings, and authors" published
- 1920: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) formed.
- 1920s: Nankana Sahib, Punja Sahib, Golden Temple, TarnTaran Sahib taken over from mahants.
- 1915, 1931: New Rehat Maryada compiled to replace existing Rahits.
- 1950: Sikh Rahit Maryada approved.
Links
- Kahn Singh Nabha
- MA McAuliffe
- Tat Khalsa Singh Sabha
- SIKHS ARE NOT HINDUS
- Are the Sikhs Hindus?
- Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhias
- Khushwant Singh: "Guru Granth Sahib reflects Vedantic philosophy"
References
- Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries : Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition, University Of Chicago Press 1994.
