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Bertrand Russell (Philosopher, Mathematician 1872-1970)
If some lucky men survive the onslaught of the third world war of atomic and hydrogen bombs, then the Sikh religion will be the only means of guiding them. When asked, isn’t this religion capable of guiding mankind before the third world war? He said, ‘Yes it has the capability, but the Sikhs haven’t brought out in the broad daylight the splendid doctrines of this religion, which has come into existence for the benefit of the entire mankind. This is their greatest sin and the Sikhs cannot be freed of it.'
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Pearl S. Buck Noble Laureate, ‘Good Earth’
while giving her comments on the English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib (From the foreword to the English translation of Guru Granth Sahib by Gopal Singh Dardi) wrote:
"I have studied the scriptures of the great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes. They are compact in spite of their length and are a revelation of the concept of God to the recognition and indeed the insistence upon the practical needs of the human body. There is something strangely modern about these scriptures and this puzzled me until I learned that they are in fact comparatively modern, compiled as late as the 16th century when explorers were beginning to discover the globe upon which we all live is a single entity divided only by arbitrary lines of our making. Perhaps this sense of unity is the source of power I find in these volumes. They speak to a person of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind.
The hymns in Guru Granth are an expression of man’s loneliness, his aspirations, his longings, his cry to God and his hunger for communication with that being. It speaks to me of life and death; of time and eternity; of temporal human body and its needs; of the mystic human soul and its longing to be fulfilled; of God and the indissoluble bond between them."
[/left]Max Arthur Macauliffe
This eminent scholar has written six books on Sikh history. He addresses the Western Six books on Sikh history. He addresses the Western Society and claims to bring Sikh religion from the East which is simple to understand. There is no place to pretence and hypocritical in this religion…..
Flesh, Alcohol Tobacco and other drugs are prohibited in it…. It nor only teachers kindness, love, honesty but also encourages its followers to accept all human beings as one thus diminishing all racial differences…. Teachings of Buddha and other religious were written when they were no more in this world. But teachings of Sikh Guru’s is written and edited by themselves, thus they are found in their original forms.
Battles fought by Sikh Gurus were not against any communalism and orthodoxy but they fought for the betterment of society, to protect people from tyranny and for the upliftment of their souls.
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In his book, "The Sikh Religion," Macauliffe writes:
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"Unlike the scriptures of other creeds, they do not contain love stories or accounts of wars waged for selfish considerations. They contain sublime truths, the study of which cannot but elevate the reader spiritually, morally, and socially. There is not the least tinge of sectarianism in them. They teach the highest and purest principle that serve to bind man to man and inspire the believer with an ambition to serve his fellow men, to sacrifice all and die for their sake."
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Macauliffe deems it necessary to draw the reader's attention to another significant feature of Sikhism which distinguishes it and separates it from other philosophical and religious systems of thought:
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"The Sikh religion differs as regards the authenticity of its dogmas from most other great theological systems. Many of the great teachers the world has known, have not left a line of their own composition, and we only know what they taught through tradition or second-hand information. If Pythagoras wrote any of tenets, his writings have not descended to us. We know the teachings of Socrates only through the writings of Plato and Xenophon. Buddha has left no written memorials of his teaching. Kungfu-tze, known to Europeans as Confucious, left no documents in which he detailed the principles of his moral and social systems. The Founder of Christianity did not reduce his doctrines to writing, and for them we are obliged to trust to the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark. Luke, and John.
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The Arabian Prophet did not himself reduce to writing the chapters of the Quran. They were written or compiled by his adherents and followers. But the compositions of the Sikh Gurus are preserved and we know first hand what they taught. They employed the vehicle of verse, which is generally unalterable by copyist, and we even become in time familiar with their different styles. No spurious compositions or extraneous dogmas, can therefore be represented as theirs.
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The author of the 'Vie de Jesus' was a great admirer of Jesus Christ. Greatly impressed as he was of the spiritual message delivered by Christ and those of the Semitic thinkers that preceded him, he posed the question: "Whether great originality will again arise or the world be content to follow the paths opened by the daring creators of the ancient ages?" Bearing Sikhism in mind, Macauliffe answers the above question in the following words:
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Now there is here a religion totally unaffected by Semite or Christian influences. Based on the concept of the unity of God, it rejected Hindu formalities and adopted an independent ethical system, ritual, and standards, which were totally opposed to the theological beliefs of Guru Nanak’s age and country. As we shall see hereafter, it would be difficult to point to a religion of greater originality or a more comprehensive ethical system."
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Macauliffe continues:
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"Guru Nanak was not a priest either by birth or education, but a man who soared to the loftiest heights of divine emotionalism, and exalted his mental vision to an ethical ideal beyond the concept of Hinduism or Mohammadanism.
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It (Sikhism) prohibits idolatry, hypocrisy, caste exclusiveness, con-cremation (Satti) of widows, the immurement (confinement) of women (like Muslims), the use of wine and other intoxicants, tobacco smoking, infanticide, slander, pilgrimage to the sacred rivers and tanks of the Hindus. It inculcates loyalty, justice, impartiality, truth, honesty and all the moral and domestic virtues to holiest citizens of any country. "
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Arnold Toynbee, a historian
One of the prominent historians in the 20th Century, Amold has written 20 volumes on World History. Arnold has given very high and prominent place to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in Sikh History. He calls Guru Ji as divinity of highest rank. He gets emotional when he writes about Guru Sahib’s contribution in the formation of Khalsa. Again & again he emphasizes the fact that there can not be any person like them.
When Western organizations and U.N.O. became known to Sri Guru Granth Sahib’s teachings, they at once decided to translate them into English and other languages. The decided to publish a book based on the principles and teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. For writing the prologue of this book, they did not find any one more intelligent, intensive and sensible than Toynbee. Since Toynbee had a deep knowledge regarding different societies religions and principles so this task was assigned to him. No one could write better than him. Toynbee in his prologue to this book has clearly mentioned that there can not be better guide to humans as compare to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This book also explains how Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji inspire its followers to do their best, give knowledge and deep insight to them in the name of the God and yet God is an imagined as a word only, hence no worshipping, nothing at all. God is an imagined word which inspire his followers for good deeds.
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Toynbee in his sacred writings of the Sikhs—A Unesco Publications explains, “Although the future of religion is bleak but yet one hope is there in the form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji which teaches us all God’s message of love and gives direction to life."
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Swami Nitya Nand, author of Guru Gyan
Swami Nitya Nand (expired at the age of 135 years) writes in his book Guru Gyan:
"I, in the company of my Guru Swami Brahma Nanda, while on a pilgrimage tour, reached Punjab. There we met Swami Satya Nanda, Udaasi (a Hindu ascetic) He expounded Guru Nanak’s philosophy and religiosity so eloquently that Swami Brahma Nanda experienced spiritual bliss. During the visit to the Golden temple in Amritsar his soul was so impressed that he became Guru’s devotee. After sojourn in Punjab we went to Hardwar. One day I saw tears in his eyes, though he was healthy. When asked about it he answered, "I have sifted sand all my life. The truth dwells in the house of Guru Nanak. I have to take another birth in that house then only I will attain Mukti (salvation). As he said that his spirit passed away.
I too contemplate incessantly on Wahéguru (wonderful God) as manifested by Guru Nanak. For many years I practiced Yoga Aasnas taught by Yogis, but the rapture and serenity I feel now was never attained before. "[/left]
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