What Does The Guru Granth Sahib Ji Say About Slavery ?

[Guest Steven]

I was just wondering if slavery is covered by the book and whether its an issue dealt with within the texts.

[S1ngh]

Whole India was slave under the Mughal Rulers (15 to 17th century). It was our Gurus (composers of our religious scripture) who then preached and rose against the use of slavery by mughals. Sikhism is very much strictly against the slavery which is clearly stated in our scripture. I am sure other members will reply much better than me by providing verses from our holy scripture

very interesting topic though...

[citizen_soulja]

Admin Note: Before you blast your head off with anger, i would point out that non-sikhs do not have sufficient information or knowledge regarding Sikhs following Guru Granth Sahib jee as their living guru but not as some book. Instead of shouting in an uncivilized manner is easy to do but replying with calm head giving out information of importance of our scripture and answering the question posted by non-sikh seems to be hard task to you? Calm down and i would love to see your next post probably answering the question by thread starter & explaining it nicely why Sikhs do not consider GGSJi as book?

[Balait_da_Sher]

You know you could have directed your post to the original poster and calmly explained to him that we do not refer to our Guru ji as a book. Yet you would rather repost the same post stating how bad the admins are. Its not just admins job to maintain a respectful environment its every forum member's responsibility as well.

[S1ngh]

You know you could have directed your post to the original poster and calmly explained to him that we do not refer to our Guru ji as a book. Yet you would rather repost the same post stating how bad the admins are. Its not just admins job to maintain a respectful environment its every forum member's responsibility as well.

Well said !!

[citizen_soulja]

To our guest, Steven,

Thank you for coming to SikhSangat.com and posting you question about slavery. You have obviously conducted some preliminary research into your topic before posting, that much is evident by the fact that you have referred to our Guru with the proper title 'Guru Granth Sahib Ji'. In your research you may have come across the fact that Sikhs do not consider their Guru to be a mere text or book, and to say so would offend the sentiments of the Sikhs.

Our current Guru is the embodiment of our ten previous Gurus. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains all the teachings and therefore the very essence of thought of our previous Gurus. Realisation of this thought liberates one from the clutches of Maya (worldly sin, vice & materiality) and the Five Thieves which are subservient to Maya (Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Ego). Our Guru is our everything, without which we would be nothing, less than nothing. The teachings of our Guru are for everyone. Our Guru loves everyone and our Gurus have made countless sacrifices for us. It is for these reasons that Our Guru has our utmost respect.

All of our Gurus educated Sikhs about the value of equality, humility, humanity, hard work, selfless service and contemplative mediation on the oneness and omnipotence of God.

To preserve these principles our Gurus instruct us as Sikhs to bear arms to battle against tyranny and oppression, not just of Sikhs but of humanity as a whole.

Now to answer your question more directly, Slavery is a recursive concept that appears throughout the teachings of our Gurus, but perhaps not in the form you may have envisioned. Our Gurus constantly tell us that the whole of humanity is slave to Maya and the Five Thieves. The reason we are on this planet in human form is to realise God and become one with God, leaving behind the shackles that bind us to physical existence. The greatest Slave owner on the planet is the mind which enslaves us in futile pursuits and is forever concerned with material gain. This is the very reason that the slave trade existed in the first place. A few men sought riches and power. They themselves were slave to the very Maya they pursued!! In pursuit of that Maya they committed untold atrocities against their fellow man, the effects of which are felt to this day. Slavery of the mind has corrupted the thoughts of so many people, our Guru urges us not to waste this precious human form in fruitless pursuits, but to attain True Wealth – Naam, Vaheguru, which will liberate us from this slavery. If you attain Spirituality in life even though your body may be in chains your mind will always be free to remember God.

Our Guru has given us so many gifts; everything that I have said above has come through realisation of the teachings of our Guru. As you can so clearly see I would be nothing but a slave without my Guru...

All Hail Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji the Great Liberator of Humanity!!

[S1ngh]

Amazing reply...

The greatest Slave owner on the planet is the mind which enslaves us in futile pursuits and is forever concerned with material gain.

Perfect ! I learned something today..