Sikhism is the youngest of world religions only over 500 years old. It originated in India when Islam was spreading every where in India. Guru Nanak who came to this mortal world in 15th century became the founder of this religion. The Social, Economic and Political conditions of the people in Punjab were disrupted. The people of Punjab were rendered destitute due to the frequent attacks of the invaders. The majority of the people worshipped idols, believed in ritualism and all sorts of superstitions. Guru Nanak has clearly depicted the Kaliyuga in a most telling manner in Gurbani:

Kalyuga is a dagger
Kings are butchers
Dharma has taken wings and disappeared
In the black night of falsehood
The Moon of truth is no where to be seen.

Guru Nanak took the bold step and revolted against the prevailing old rituals and superstitions in the society. He even condemned the corrupt ways of the administration as vehemently:

There is none
who receives or gives not bribe;
Even the King distributes justice
when his palm is greased.

Guru Nanak awakened the people from doing bad deeds. He told them to recite God's name to receive his grace. According to Sikh philosophy, God has created this universe and all that he has created is also true, holy and everlasting. Every activity of the universe is functioning with his 'Hukam':

With His order, the world was created.
It is maintained without any support.
He created Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.
He also created the illusion of Maya. (Maru)

There is no place forr Pantheism in Sikh thought. All Gurus were against casteism. The first prophetic utterance Guru Nanak made after deep immersion for three days in Wain stream was, 'There is no Hindu, No Muslim, only man'.

Man is never content with his present lot. His lust for wealth is unending. He is at war all the time with himself and with his species. Man is the only animal whose wants are never satisfied; whose pain is perpetual. Guru explains that in human life pain is the remedy and pleasure the sickness. Where there is nothing but pleasure, there is no yearning for God.

Dukh daru sukh rog bhaya, ja sukh tam na hoi.
Tu Karta karna mein nahi ja haun kari na hoi.
Suffering is curative, comfort the malady;
Where there self indulgence you are not.
You are the Creator; I dare not do anything. (Asa)

In the midst of attachments, He remains detached. Sikhism gives preference to family life (Grahasta Dharma). To renounce the world is to negate God. No importance is attached to celibacy or asceticism.

The Sikh way of life is the soul of simplicity. All the Gurus laid stress on three things (i) Kirit Karni (ii) Wand Chhakna (iii) Nam Japna. The Sikh will work to earn, but earn only to share. Only then could man justifiably meditate on God. The holy 'Adi Granth' was prepared by the fifth Guru Arjun Dev Ji. The unique catholicity of Guru Arjun is evidence of the fact that, alongwith, the hymns of the Sikh Gurus, he incorporated the compositions of as many as 36 Bhaktas belonging to various castes and creeds. Thus theGuru Granth has become unique from all the holy scriptures of other religions of the world.

The hymns inscribed in the holy Granth are in various Ragas. There are about Six thousand hymns in the holy Granth in 31 Ragas. The holy Granth was redictated by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Master, towards the close of his life. Guru Gobind Singh handed over the stewardship of the Sikh Panth, the Sikh way of life, to the holy Granth. Gurbani of Granth Sahib is highly revealing and reflects a way of life which is as simple as it is ennobling.

In a nutshell fundamental of social values can be seen in this way; According to Sikh way, a man is to live in a family and ought to lead a life of a householder. In Sikhism hierarchy and harmony are the essential characteristics of the systematic unity of the real. The Guru also sought to realize hierarchy and harmony in the society. In the hierarchy of social structure the degrees of higher and lower men are judged by the inward spiritual illumination and outward identification with other fellow beings. Panj Piaras chosen by 10th Guru were from different castes and different places. The value of social equality leads to Universal brotherhood. The creation of Khalsa Panth is the final, realized form of universal brotherhood.

In Sikh way there is no place of pride (Haumai) in it. In Haumai man fails to perceive the true nature of liberation because Haumai is the enemy of man. As long as Haumai persists, there is no hope of release as it is like a cloud blacking out the sun. It has been explained in Gurbani:

In Haumai he comes and in Haumai he goes
In Haumai he is born and in Haumai he dies
In Haumai he gives and in Haumai he takes
In Haumai he acquires and in Haumai he casts away;
In Haumai he is truthful and in Haumai he lies
In Haumai he sometimes does good and at other times evil (AG 466)

Thus we need His grace (Gurukirpa). Good actions may procure a better existence, but liberation comes only from His grace. No one is ever beyond his care. The Lord bestows his showers of benediction on all human beings. According to Bhai Gurdas:-

If man goes one step towards Him
The Lord comes a thousand towards man.

Altruism is also needed to get his love. Mutual help in the form of charity strengthens universal brotherhood. One should live in society without worldly desires because the entire world created by God lives in his fear or discipline:

In fear the winds ever blow
In fear millions of rivers flow
In fear the fire does its job
In fear the earth is buried under its weight
In fear the moon moves on its head
Even the God of death is in fear.
(Asa Di Var)

The attachment of Maya is also powerful in this world. Saints are like the duck which sits on the pond but does not get its wings wet. The Creator has created the poison and nectar both. When the one is perceived as the only reality the temporal will be merged in the eternal and Maya will no longer exist. Much importance has been given to Naam Simran in Gurbani. Naam is the panacea of all ills. Naam is described in Gurbani:

No good deeds and ceremonials may save you
God's name alone washes a million sins
O man of God you must meditate on Him;
Says Nanak, this is how you'll find real peace.
(Rag Gauri M.5)

A genuine seeker cannot do better than follow the path shown by the great Gurus.