In writing this article with my limited personal knowledge and experience in the field, I am highly obliged to have consulted with many Sikh scholars, practicing Sikhs and Sikh doctors. I have emphasized mainly on Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Code of Conduct and suitable extracts from various books and articles on Sikhism.
As an ordinary practising (learner) Sikh, and certainly not as an expert on Sikhism, I have endeavoured to include herein some suitable quotations from the Holy Guru Granth Sahib. I sincerely hope that this piece of writing would enable me to achieve the required objective and present to the authority a general view of the Sikh society.
First of all let us focus on the Sikh religion as we can only understand Sikh views on social issues by looking at the general thrust of Sikh teachings.
Guru Nanak Sahib (1469 – 1539) was the founder of Sikhism, the fifth largest world religion today. He introduced a whole-life system outside the caste system and contemporary religious systems. Guru Nanak preached the path of truthful conduct in the language of the ordinary working people.
For a Sikh, the relationship between the human soul and the Creator is God-loving rather than God-fearing and accepting God as the highest authority. Therefore, A Sikh has complete trust in the Will of God called “Hukam” in Sikhism.
Guru Nanak taught that basic humanity and sense of service are more important than religious boundaries; that there must be no discrimination based on gender, race, or religion, as all are equal before the One Creator; that all have the God-given right to live with honour, dignity, and freedom. He based his teachings on three basic concepts meditation on The Creator Being, honest work and sharing one's earnings with others.
He traveled thousands of miles over many years, spreading God's divine message throughout the Indian subcontinent and many other Countries.
Guru Nanak appointed his successor Guru Angad. This was repeated from one Guru personality to another and all successive nine Guru personalities are also referred to as Nanak. This is to show that Guru personalities after Guru Nanak carried the same divine light(i.e. message) of Guru Nanak. In that sense, the Sikhs believe in one Guru only: Guru Nanak represented God's “Word”, which was Guru Nanak's Guru and is also the ultimate Guru of the Sikhs. The Fifth Guru, Arjan Dev Ji, collated the Sikh teachings into the Sikh Scriptures, the Aad Granth, later to be called Guru Granth Sahib.
The Sikh institutions started by Guru Nanak based on his three principles of God remembrance, honest work and sharing with those in need, were developed and consolidated over a period of two hundred and thirty-nine years. This was the period of tuition during which the 10 Guru personalities taught by own example. Following the path of truthful conduct and speaking out for human rights, two Gurus, the Fifth Guru Arjan and the Ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur were martyred by the oppressive rulers of the day.
Nanak X, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru (Guruship 1675 - 1708), made final preparations for the formal introduction of an ideal social order based on the precepts stated by Guru Nanak. The Guru prescribed a visible distinct identity for the Sikhs. Every Sikh was to keep unshorn hair (Kesh) symbolising a saintly disposition and physical and spiritual harmony; (hair to be covered by a Sikh dastaar i.e. Sikh turban); wooden comb (Kangha) to keep the hair tidy; a steel bangle (Kara) symbolising discipline and allegiance to the Guru; a sword (Kirpan) reminding a Sikh of his duty to defend the weak and his/her own honour; and a pair of shorts (Kachhehra) to allow agility of the body and symbolising chastity. Thus, Kesh (and turban), Kangha, Kara, Kachhehra and Kirpan are the Five K s (Kakaars), gifts of Guru Gobind Singh to the Khalsa. These are the articles of Sikh faith, which give the Sikhs their distinct identity.
The Khalsa concept emerged as a complete system in 1699: in the form of Khalsa Panth, a nation of saint-soldiers, vested with temporal authority, directed to look at their sacred literature, the Guru Granth Sahib, for guidance, and provided with ideals and identity to build their national character.
Main features of Sikhism are:
Some unique features of Sikhism are:
Today there are well over 25 million Sikhs living in many countries.
Definition of a Sikh according to the Sikh Code of Conduct and Conventions.
Any human being who faithfully believes in
In other words, Any person irrespective of caste, creed, colour or sex who has faith in One God (Waheguru) and takes guidance from the teachings of Ten Guru's and Guru Granth Sahib is a Sikh .But he can call himself a real Sikh only if he develops a relation with Gurbani (The Guru's word as enshrined in the Holy Guru Granth Sahib), takes 'Amrit” from the five beloved-ones, and does not follow any other religion.
In my view being and becoming a Sikh are two separate aspects of life. Very briefly, anyone born in a Sikh family does not necessarily make one a Sikh unless one fulfils the conditions set out in the above mentioned Code of Conduct. To become a true Sikh is to follow the True Path through life. Hence it can be said that Sikhism is a life-long process.
Sikh Way of life:
The Sikh Gurus set the standard by their own behaviour . They all led a married life. The Sikhs, therefore ,strictly believe in family life, simple truthful living, equality between men and women, care and share and treatment of opposite sex with great respect.
Bhai Gurdas writes: -
dyK pRweIAW cMgIAW mwvW, DIAW, BYxW jwxY]
dekh praeeyaanchangeeyaan maavaan, dheeyaan, bhaienhaan jaanhai.
Look upon other women as mothers, daughters or sisters.
Another special quality of the Sikh way of life is that they must work hard, earn through honest labour and share their earnings with other with less fortunate members of the society., A popular parable from the life of Guru Nanak tells us that he turned down a rich man's feast and chose stale bread from a poor man's house. When challenged by the rich man, Guru Nanak took a loaf from both houses and squeezed them. From the rich man's bread oozed blood; but from the poor man's bread trickled milk. The point here is not whether blood literally came of the bread but that ill-gotten wealth finds no acceptance in the house of God.
Sikh's Daily Prayer:
A true Sikh recites Gurbani in the early hours of morning and in the evening and says his prayer in which he invokes the almighty God's blessings to grant him the strength to withstand all pressures of life and save him from the five sins, namely 'Kaam'- Lust, 'Krodh'- Wrath/Anger, 'Lobh'- Greed, 'Moh'- Worldly love/Attachment, 'Hankaar- Pride/Ego. The daily Sikh prayer concludes with the words: -
nwnk nwmu c`VHdI klw, qyry Bwxy srbq dw Blw
Guru Nanak Naam, chardhi kalaa, teray bhanaey sarbat da bhalaa.
O Nanak, may Naam be ever in ascendance! In thy 'will' may the good of all prevail.
Following quotations from Guru Granth Sahib are a constant reminder to a Sikh to be on guard at all times.
grbMiq nwrI mdon mqM ] (1359-16, shsik®qI, mÚ 5)
garbantnaaree madon mataN.
Those who are proud, and intoxicated with the pleasures of sex,blvMq blwq kwrxh ] (1359-17, shsik®qI, mÚ 5)
balvantbalaat kaarnah.
and asserting their power over others,crn kml nh BjMq iqRx smwin iDRgu jnmnh ](1359-17, shsik®qI, mÚ 5)
charankamal nah bhajant tarin samaan Dharigjanamneh.
never contemplate the Lord's Lotus Feet. Their lives are cursed, and as worthless as straw.bdPYlI gYbwnw Ksmu n jwxeI ] (142-6, mwJ, mÚ 1)
badfailee gaibaanaa khasam na jaan-ee.
The foolish demon, who does evil deeds, does not know his Lord and Master.so khIAY dyvwnw Awpu n pCwxeI ] (142-7, mwJ, mÚ1)
so kahee-aidayvaanaa aap na pachhaan-ee.
Call him a mad-man, if he does not understand himself.suAwd luBq ieMdRI rs pRyirE md rs lYq ibkwirE ry] (335-16, gauVI, Bgq kbIr jI)
su-aadlubhat indree ras parayri-o mad ras laitbikaari-o ray.
Those who are deluded by sensual pleasures, who are tempted by sexual delights and enjoy wine are corrupt.
When we study just a few quotations from Sri Guru Grant Sahib (quoted above) carefully and compare with the modern-day philosophers' views on the dangers of sex, (quoted below) it becomes evident that such issues were well within the knowledge of the Sikh Gurus. Therefore, through Gurbani, they warned their disciples against such evil elements of life long before such views ever came into being in their present state and they (The Sikh Gurus) vigorously emphasized on 'Naam Simran', i.e. meditation on the 'Divine Substance' as mentioned above under the 'Sikh's personal Life' in order keep a healthy mind and body.
Following are extracts from: - 'The internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'- Dangers of sex.
“Whether a particular sexual act or a specific type of sexual act provides sexual pleasure is not the only factor in judging its moral quality: pragmatic and prudential considerations also figure into whether a sexual act, all things considered, has a preponderance of no moral goodness. Many sexual activities can be physically or psychologically risky, dangerous, or harmful. Anal coitus, for example, whether carried out by a heterosexual couple or by two gay males, can damage delicate tissues and is a mechanism for the potential transmission of various HIV viruses. Both natural and unnatural sexual acts can be medically or psychologically risky or dangerous. Sexual intercourse with lower animals (bestiality), sexual activity with members of one's own sex (homosexuality), and masturbation are considered unnatural sexual and are immoral acts.”
However, there is ever growing number of seriously dreadful sexual acts that are carried out against women and children, very often by their very own relatives or friends with or without consent. Similarly, sexual acts against the very weak and completely helpless elderly women are known to have been and are being carried out by much younger men. The ongoing alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking etc., that contribute a great deal towards the modern promiscuous society, were profoundly denounced by the Sikh Gurus in totality many centuries ago.
Obviously, we now find that the worldwide society needs to be and has to be protected against such dreadful offences with suitable action taken against the perpetrators in accordance with the law of the land.
It can be said that all types of un-natural, extra-marital, and pre-marital sexual involvements are considered in Sikhism as a depravity and condemned. This is where Sikhism Parts Company with some other religions where Willy nilly sensual proclivities are described as natural human inclinations and is socially accepted under the guide of basic human freedom.
The general thrust of Sikh teachings suggests that we adopt a tolerant and helpful attitude to those who drift into anti-social behaviour. This means that we should offer sympathetic support to sex offenders to help them address their offending behaviour and rehabilitate themselves in the community.
As and when the prison authorities come face to face with any person who claims to be a 'Sikh' and seeks any special treatment on the religious grounds, I would suggest to the authorities to appropriately study the case carefully and without hesitation refer the matter to a knowledgeable Sikh Chaplain.
The Sikh Chaplain would be obliged to comply with the Sikh Code of Conduct and offer his services accordingly.
An experienced Chaplain should/would try to understand the prisoner's problem thoroughly and offer counselling service in accordance with the Sikh theology. He must encourage the prisoner to concentrate on positive thinking through simple meditation and to perform selfless service (seva) which would gradually help rid the prisoner of any lustful thoughts and eventually revert to Sikhism.