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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Sikh Guru who brought religion to masses

 

CHENNAI, APRIl 14. The degrading social and deplorable political

conditions which prevailed in India in the earlier centuries made

a saint emerge as a hero and lead humanity on the path of virtue.

In the first instance, he had dedicated himself totally to God.

Then he desired to see all man-made differences created by

barriers of caste to be obliterated from society. He wanted to

bring religion to the masses in its simplest form, without

ritualistic obscurantism. Within the span of 42 years he lived

(born in 1666), he established the ``Khalsa Panth'' for the Sikhs

in 1699 on the occasion of Baisakhi of that year. He was the

tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs and was famed as Guru Gobind

Singh.

 

At his call when five Sikhs offered their heads in surrender, he

baptised them by administering ``Amrit'', prepared with a double-

edged sword (Khanda). They were known as the ``chosen five'' and

the Guru gave them a common surname ``Singh'' stating that

``Khalsa'' to which they belonged from then on, was the army of

the Lord raised by Him out of His pleasure. He told them that

they were meant to be legions of the Timeless God, commissioned

to establish the rule of Dharma on land and uproot all evil. The

Khalsa, with God's light shining within, was meant to be a global

society. Ideologically, its creation aimed at a well-balanced

combination of ``Bhakthi and Sakthi'', of moral and spiritual

excellence, military valour and heroism of the highest order.

 

When Sikhs requested Guru Gobind Singh to name his successor to

guide them in future, he said: ``At the will of God, I raised the

Khalsa Panth. All Sikhs should believe the Holy Granth as their

preceptor and have faith in it, treat it as their master and

consider it as the visible manifestation of all the Gurus. He who

has a pure heart will seek help from its holy words.'' The Granth

thus became the Guru.

 

In a lecture, Sri Surjit Singh Sahney said the baptism and other

disciplines of the Khalsa elevated the minds of the people. His

Sikhism in essence remained the same as ordained by the founder.

Instead of handing over the torch lit by Guru Nanak, to one

individual as hitherto, he gave it over to the Khalsa, assigned

it a particular form so that Sikhs could be easily recognised.

The distinction and appearance of the Sikh singles him out from

men of other faiths. Credit is due to his for having founded a

community of no mean order, for, he taught a vanquished people,

how to obtain political ascendancy and national freedom.

 

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