Part 1
WHY AM I A SIKH?
Written & Published BY SIKH MISSIONARY COLLEGE, (REGD.) LUDHIANA
Why am I a Sikh?
Because I have not to worship and appease many a god and goddesses and seek the help of so many of them to meet my needs. Rather, I depend upon one God, who is Omnipresent and is with me where so ever I may be.
ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਮੇਰਾ ਏਕੋ ਹੈ ॥ ਏਕੋ ਹੈ ਭਾਈ ਏਕੋ ਹੈ ॥੧॥
My Master is One, One and the only One, O brother.
ਗੁਣੁ ਏਹੋ ਹੋਰੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਨਾ ਕੋ ਹੋਆ ਨਾ ਕੋ ਹੋਇ ॥੩॥.
His greatness lies in the fact that there is no other God nor has there ever been one, nor will there ever be.
My God has no equal and has none to fear from. By praying to Him I seek the protection of one, who is Himself fearless and makes me lose all my fears. My God is kind and merciful and forgives my sins, if I sincerely pray for that. My God is all-powerful and my enemies therefore dare not touch me. I have no rituals to perform to call Him to my side. I simply meditate on certain of His qualities and He stands by me in the particular form and shape of that quality.
Sikh Gurus even disapproved Arti, the popular mode of Hindu worship. When Guru Nanak visited Jagannath, he was invited by the high priest to assist in the Hindu worship, which was being performed. At such worship, Salver studded with gems is produced, on which are placed flowers, lamps and incense. The salver is then moved before the idol to the accompaniment of drums, bells conches and, occasionally cymbals.
Guru Nanak instead of joining worship, uttered:
Let sun and moon be earthen lamps. And orbs of stars be like rubies, Let there be incense of Chandan and fly-whisk of winds And blooming flowers of all vegetation be showered, How wonderful this Arti must be, O remover of fears, This Arti in which “the kettle-drum is of boundless word”.
He says,
The Gods and goddesses are worshipped, O brother, what ought we beg and what can they give. They are just like a stone in water, O brother, it sinks down in it.” Guru Arjan declared.
He who forsake God and attaches himself to idols shall abide in hell”.
Kabir, argues,
“if sculptor carving a stone turneth it into an idol, and in doing so putteth his foot upon its breast :
If it were a real God it would eat him up.”
I can meditate on His qualities anywhere, any time and on every occasion and my seeking. His help is so simple and easy that it tempts me to be a Sikh.
Because I need not go from door to door to seek guidance and advice. I have all guidance and advice incorporated in one and only one Holy Granth.
Sikh Guru declared in Mundavani :
“In this dish are placed three things : Truth, Harmony and Wisdom. These are seasoned with the Name of God which is the basis of all: who ever eats and enjoys it, shall be saved.”
Guru Gobind Singh enjoined upon Sikhs :
‘The song of Nam, the Guru Granth. All Sikhs should seek the master in his word. And bow to Guru Granth as, my Successor”.
Sikh Gurus deprecated the Hindu practice of dancing when singing His Name.
Guru Nanak says:
“Dancing, hopping and jumping are the pleasures of mind.
Guru Nanak telleth thee, that those who hath reverance of Him i.e. who live in the way He pleaseth will find their minds filled with love of Him,”
It is the fountainhead from where all knowledge springs. Through it I see my God visualized. It gives me a clear vision and a true perspective of this world and the world to come. It has in it the axioms of a happy life — a life of beauty and joy for ever and for ever, it makes me slight the most fearful — the very death itself, that emanates all fears. It brings home to me all the different values of life-personal and impersonal, social and individual, worldly and heavenly, pertaining to my soul and my God. With it I soar to immeasurable heights. With it I go fathoms deep in successful search of invaluable rubies and diamonds and with it I stand exalted high as Heavens. It puts into motion the innermost strings of my life. It carries me there where human intellect fails. It makes me distinguish right from wrong and puts me on the right track. It is a guide that never deserts. It has a transcendent beauty, an excellent music and an ambrosial food for my yearning soul and through it I feel one with universe, nay, one with God Himself. Its constant enlightenment, lest me not swerve from Sikhism.
Because I am never alone. My Guru though invisible to human eye, is always with me. He is a great warrior unsurpassed in valour, a knight among heroes, saviour of the innocent, kind and merciful and noblest of the noble souls who always comes to help me wherever and whenever I meditate and call on Him for help. When I am upset and feel lonely, when I am faced with in- surmountable difficulties and dangers, when enemies seem to overpower me I concentrate on his dynamical personality and so he is there by my side. Isn’t it then worthwhile to be a Sikh?
Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Master, has put on me three Commands — Service, Simran and Sacrifice; Service of the humble and the needy, Simran (remembering) of the Master’s great qualities and Sacrifice of self to uphold the right and the just. These are the picks of human excellence. To achieve this excellence I hold on as a Sikh.
Because Sikhs are a martial community, they always prefer to die heroic death for a noble cause. They take it as the sweet Will of God and grumble not, when faced with death. Their past history abounds with such deaths and they recollect their innumerable martyrs in their regular prayers every morning and evening to imbibe their spirit of sacrifice. It enlivens their souls and reminds them of Guru Gobind Singh’s command. To die a coward is the greatest sin with them. A death in the battlefield is what they covet most. They would not turn their back on the enemy. It is their martial spirit that has given them a place and an identity in the world. This incentive to martialism keeps me a Sikh.
Because of the heavenly nector, Amrit that Guru gave me, that I am Sikh. It gives me the supremacy of Nam, hardness of steel, coolness of water and sweetness of honey with it, I feel transformed to super humanity. I imbibe the spirit of Guru Gobind Singh and present a look of the very Guru himself. With my long hair and comely beard I vie in appearance with pious men. I feel a great confidence in me with a sword in hand to safeguard the interest of weak and the humble, to protect the honour and chastity of woman and to defend my people and my land against aggression. What a wonderful transformation by this Amrit, that makes me a Sikh!
Because practicing Sikhism is so simple no complexities of rituals and ceremonies. Sikh Gurus tried to remove the wrong notion of the efficacy of pilgrimage.
Guru Nanak says:
“Why wash only the body from outside, wash the mind, clean it of the dirt of desire, and tread the path of salvation.”
He further declared that
“Pilgrimage does not have the value of even a mustard seed. My place of pilgrimage is the word contemplation and divine knowledge within me.”
“Without the Lord (in mind) all pious deeds are illusion
Without the Lord (in mind) recitations, austerities, disciplines actions are left here.”
Hence Guru Arjan declared.
“I do not keep the Hindu fast, nor that observed by Mohammedans in Ramzan.
I serve Him and Him alone, who is my ultimate refuge, I believe in the same master who is also Allah.
I have broken with the Hindu and Muslim.
I won’t go on Hajj to Mecca, nor do I worship at the Hindu places, I shall serve Him alone and no other, I won’t worship idols nor read Namaz, I shall lay my heart at the feet of the one Supreme Being.
We are neither Hindus nor Mussalmans, Our bodies and souls are gifts of that God, whom Muslims call Allah and Hindus as Ram.”
Fasts and austerities, renunciation and reclusions or heavens and hells; are abandoned. I have no conch shells to blow, no bells to ring, no deities to appease, no pilgrimages to undertake. I preserve my long hair and beard as nature has given them to me and keep a comb to clean them every day. To look decent and civilized I keep my loins covered with a Kachhehra. I wear a sword to meet unforeseen enemies and iron-bracelet an emblem to remind me of the bondage (discipline) to my Guru. I eat when hungry, wear when naked and enjoy as I wilt, provided these do not -pollute my mind, nor harm my body. The only criterion with me is to preserve a clear conscience and rear a sound body. This simplicity of faith and freedom of joy are the greatest inducements for me to be a Sikh.
Because it is not a faith to be practiced In temples or live in seclusions. I have to practice it in daily life; behind the plough, on the roadside, in the workshop and on the table, I have to be a Sikh at home, a Sikh in a society and a Sikh in battle-field.
“Nama kahe Trilochana mukh te Ram Samal Hath paon kar kam sabh chit nirinjan nal”.
Nama says to Trilochan, “While engaged in work with hands or feet, you may sing His Name.”
Guru Nanak solemnly declared the possibility of the attainment of salvation by a householder. Nanak, I have met the true Guru and my union with God is accomplished. Even while men laugh, and play, and dress, and eat, salvation can be obtained.
I have to be a Sikh in thought, word and deed, a Sikh in my dealings with the world at large and a Sikh-like in all stations of life. It is a life to be lived and not a tenet or a philosophy to be preached. No recitations are of any avail, unless I live up to these. It is the action that counts with me, I must not say but do, and I must appear as I am and not what I am not. No show, no deceitful presentation of myself is my creed.
It is, therefore, that I am a Sikh.