Understanding Sikhism

Understanding Sikhism

September 2, 2007

Sikhs are followers of Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab in Northwest India. A Sikh believes implicitly in the teachings of the ten Gurus, of the ten Gurus, three in particular, Nanak, Arjan and Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh realized the imperative necessity of raising the morale of the Sikhs by giving them a distinct individuality. The Gurus asked worshippers to follow five (5) rules of conduct; not to cut the hair, abstain from smoking tobacco and consuming alcoholic drinks, to avoid eating kosher meat, and refrain from adultery. Finally, Guru Gobind Singh declared the line of personal Gurus to an end, and installed the Granth Sahib as the Guru, the symbolic representation of the ten (10) Gurus. Guru Gobind Singh was a versatile scholar. His writings are available under the title Dasam Granth or the book of the Tenth Guru. His life was one long struggle against the Mughals and their allies.

There are so many intricacies into the study of Sikhism, fortunately I had the pleasure of meeting and subsequently interviewing a member of Gurdwara Singh Sabha of Dallas; the gentleman that I interviewed is named Biduit Roy. Upon entering the Gurdwara, my first impression was awe. The elegant tapestries and beautifully etched glass portraits of the Gurus gave the Temple the atmosphere of serenity. We entered the Temple and immediately took off our shoes at sat on the floor. I pre-screened the ten (10) questions I had prepared for Roy as to not ask any questions that he might find offensive. He was very informative and thrilled to share information about his “most sacred” religion (Roy, 2007). He was not born into Sikhism, as a young man, he was seeking a higher purpose in life which lead him to the study Sikhism.

My first question was how his chosen religion had impacted his life. His answer was very poetic, “A Sikh is not he who knows all about the principles and philosophy of Sikhism, and can scholarly explain it and effectively preach it. To be a Sikh, is to act according to one’s faith which may mean sacrificing all the comforts, wealth and even one's life”. It is not just a new religion; it is a way of life for the new man-the man who believes all men are brethren and children of the same God and its mission is to work for the welfare of all and when the occasion demands to sacrifice his all for this ideal (Roy, 2007).

The majority of my questions pertained to the traditions and ceremonial aspects of Sikhism. For instance, my next question was about the validity and importance of the Sakhis, which are the story of the lives of the ten (10) gurus. Roy (2007) stated that Sakhis are a part of history; however, the actual details mentioned by the writers or narrators differ and may not be true. This happens all the time with all religions. If two people write about an historical incident they give different details. Many Sakhis were not written at the time they happened. They were only an oral history passed on from person to person. Some differences and variations in them, however, have been introduced because of the perceptions and feelings of the writers and narrators when they were passed on from generation to generation orally. Fables and mythological stories are written for moral lessons. They are acceptable as they have a very important place in the literature of a nation, community, and religion.

With all of the many Sikhism traditions, the rule about Sikhs not being able to cut their hair was quite interesting and made Roy laugh when asked about it. Maintaining uncut hair is a part of the 5K uniform of a Sikh, who is required to keep these articles of faith as a symbol of his/her identity, and his/her mission in life. If a religion involved only individual concerns, one would need no form or ceremonies. Sikhism is a mission that requires one to be a noble person and work together as an organization to serve people. Maintaining discipline and spirit of service, called esprit de corps, use of such devices as flags, drills, and uniforms among the members of an organization like the army, police and scouts, has been in common use for a long time. Guru Gobind Singh, in founding the Khalsa, the Sikh Panth, required the 5K uniform to be worn by every member of the Khalsa. Sometimes it is said Kesh (hair) are natural and they preserve energy The Kanga is the comb that is tucked under the rim of the turbans to secure the Kesh. Kirpan, or swords helps to protect Sikhs from bad people. The Kara is a steel bracelet that must be worn at all times to visibly show a persons dedication to Sikhism and the Kaccha is a type of underwear that is worn by Sikhs to remind them that they should control their sexual desire. However, just wearing the 5K’s will make no difference if the person has no commitment to the faith. A Sikh must commit themselves to a certain prescribed way of life and honesty to follow it (Roddick, 2006).

My next combination question was asked mainly because we had to take off our shoes and sit on the floor while in the Gurdwara. Roy (2007) stated that taking off your shoes is considered a sign of respect for the Gurus as is humbly sitting cross-legged in a Gurdwara. In Eastern culture, taking off shoes and covering one’s head whenever you present yourself to some holy personality is considered a way of showing respect. A person can sit more comfortably without shoes than with the shoes on. In the erect posture, one can listen to the Kirtan attentively Sandhu, 2001). Sitting on the floor is an expression of humility before the Guru. Furthermore, it also makes people feel equal and allows each person to choose a place suitable for him/her. A common problem with sitting on the floor is caused by skintight pants, which are not supposed to be worn in a Gurdwara, anyway. If a person has a medical problem and cannot sit without support for his back, there is no objection for his/her sitting by the wall of the Gurdwara. However, in practice it has been found that most of the people want to sit there for the sake of comfort and convenience, which is discouraged. It is, therefore, suggested, that the people having a medical problem may be provided with a speaker in a separate room other than the Sangat hall.

Good social behavior and manners demand that one should not be sitting very close or physically touching others’ spouses and it the reason the men and women must sit separately in the Gurdwara (Sandhu, 2001). It is very difficult for anyone to avoid rubbing his or her shoulders with a person sitting close to him/her in the Sangat. If men and women sit together in Sangat, I is believed that it is difficult for them to concentrate on