Disturbing Article: Linking Sikhism To Hinduism

[Aman0001]

The Birth of the Khalsa Panth

by Rishi Handa

“The Khalsa is my own form;

I manifest myself through the Khalsa.

So long as the Khalsa remains distinct;

I bestow all glory on them.”

Guru Gobind Singh Ji

Hindus have three ‘new years’, each for a different reason, but caste, cultural and community customs prioritise different ones. One marks the beginning of the fiscal year; this falls on the day after Divali. The second relates to matters pertaining to Dharmic rites and activities as it is believed that Brahmaji’s creation happened on this day, notably at the beginning of the Navratri in March. March 17th this year was 5100 years of Kaliyuga. The other relates to matters not immediately associated with Dharma, such as the start of the harvest season. This occurs on the beginning of the month of Baishakh, or in Panjabi, Vaisakhi. This year’s Vaisakhi, falling on April 13th 1999 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh’s army, the Khalsa (the Pure Ones). This has an enormous relevance to Hindus and if we go back in the tradition, we can see what this is. In this paper, (apparent) digression is inevitable, as one needs to see the ‘big picture’.

One of the Hindu scriptures, the Bhavisya (future) Purana, was written, according to Hindu tradition, by Bhagavan Veda Vyasa about 5100 years ago at the time Sri Krsna ascended back to Vaikuntha, the abode of Visnu. The purana is believed to have prophesised the coming of many events in this dark age of Kaliyuga. Chapter 28 of the second part of the purana, tells the following story:

On one occasion, Rishi Sham Kartak asked Brahmaji to tell him the characteristics of Kaliyuga and how individuals of this age could cross over the ocean of worldliness. Brahmaji replied, “When the power of Dharma weakens, in the coming age when Kaliyuga arrives, for the protection of people and for the annihilation of the barbarians (mlecchas, i.e. the Muslims), in the lineage of the Bedis of the auspicious land of the west (Panjab), an avatar of a Rajyarishi by the name of Nanak will appear. He will bring his knowledge straight from the Almighty, but his appearance will be that of an ordinary man. He will destroy the quarrels of Kaliyuga, and the miseries and chaos of the people of that time.”

During the medieval time of Indian history, the uprising of the Mughal empire was proving to be disastrous for Hindus and for their consequently diminishing Vedic Dharma. What was to be done? The situation was so irredeemable that now only the Lord could save them. Such desperation of the people meant that the Almighty had to keep His promise that he made to Arjuna on the land on Kuruksetra, at the dawn of the great Mahabharata war. As the avatar of Lord Krsna, The timeless Being Sri Hari proclaimed in the Bhagavad Gita (4:7-8), “Whenever there is a decline in Dharma and a rise in Adharma, I will manifest Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of Dharma, I am born in every age (yuga).” Dharma is said to have four feet: Tapa, Jnana, Yajna and Dana, which are austerity, knowledge, sacrifice and charity respectively, and in our Sastras, Dharma is represented and symbolised by a bull. According to Bhai Gurdas Ji who was the son of the third Guru, the brother in law of the fourth Guru, and the maternal uncle of the fifth, Dharma had only to stand on one foot, and sin and irreligion spread. In one of the Sikh texts, the ‘Krit Pothi Janam Sakhi of Bhai Mani Singh’ (a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh), there is an account of a dialogue between Dharma and Lord Visnu.

Distressed, Dharma took the form of a bull:

Dharma went to Bhagavan Visnu and said, “Lord, as You have protected (the Dharma of) the Veda in each of the four yugas; in Satyayuga You have come as Hamsa avatar, in Tretayuga You have taken the avatar of Rama, in Dvapar You have come as Krsna, and in Kaliyuga, as Nishkalank (Kalki) avatar, in the same way taking the avatar of a sadhu, make the fifth Veda the book (granth) of Your words (bani/vani) so that Visnu bhakti may flourish and the strength of (worldly) infatuation (moh) may diminish.” Then the Lord thought, “I should oblige this bull”, and the form of Guru Nanak appeared.

Bhai Mani Singh Krit Pothi Janam Sakhi

Three points are worth noting here: 1) As the sadhu avatar of Visnu was none other than Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Rama, Krsna and Nanak are thus one and the same , 2) the sacred Veda number in four, namely the Rgveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. Whenever any text other than these four are glorified, they get referred to as the fifth Veda to enjoy an equally exalted position. In some texts the puranas have been called the fifth Veda, as has the Mahabharata. However in the reference above, the book of Visnu’s utterences in His avatar as Guruji, is the revered Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 3) with the Mughal rule in Bharatvarsa, the bhakti of Visnu had almost disappeared. At that time there was a strong resurgence of the bhakti movement during the medieval period, especially in Bengal by the avatar of Krsna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu whose birth was shortly before Guru Nanak’s. Being avatars of Visnu, they were to inevitably show devotion to Him; they both appear to have favoured His epithet, Hari. This is why Guru Granth Sahib Ji refers to several epithets of God, thousands of times, such as Hari, Rama, Madhao (Madhav), Keshao (Keshav), Bisan (Visnu). Bhai Gurdas Ji in his first // (Ode), elucidates the etymology of the term Vahiguru. Being Vaisnavas, or devotees of Visnu, the Gurus considered Vahiguru a Vaisnava mahamantra as, per Gurdas ji, each syllable came from different epithets of Visnu: Vava from Vasudeva, Haha from Hari, Gaga from Govind and Rara from Rama. Also, Guru Ramdas, the fourth Guru had the Golden Temple or Hari-mandir Sahib made. After making the tank, the Amrit Sarovar or ‘Lake of Amrit’ from where the name Amritsar comes, Guruji commanded, “In the middle, make the dwelling of Maha Visnu”.

Bhai Mani Singh, in his Janam Sakhi of Guru Nanak, reveals the first master’s prophetic promise when he was in Lahore, formerly known as Luvpur where Luv, the son of Bhagavan Rama reigned. The state of the city disturbed him. He observed that as early as the start of the day, the butcherly Muslims would be killing the sacred cows and causing chaos. Said Guru Nanak to his two companions and disciples, the first a Hindu of the Jat caste, and the second a Musalman:

Bhai Bala and Mardana, knowing this to the city of Luv, we have come here. However, because of the reign of the mlecch Musalmans here, there is chaos and devastation even (as early as) at day break; So taking my tenth avatar, I shall annihilate the mlecchas.

The tenth incarnation? Guru Gobind Singh!

His coming as the eleven Gurus had been predetermined by God, thus the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s arrival came at the necessary time, when the most despised Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was in power. The atrocities committed by him on the Hindus at that time were unimaginably severe. To wit, Aurangzeb’s plan was to convert Hindus to Islam en masse. The Muslim Qazis had advised him to focus on the root of the religion of the infidels, the Brahmins, as firstly, due to the respect that Hindus gave them, others would soon follow their way by example. Secondly, with Brahmins converted, no one would be able to read the Sastras in Sanskrit – therefore the demise of the religion of the Kafirs. Anyone not wishing to convert would have to pay a tax called Jazia, and those who had converted were given rewards and public posts. Temples were destroyed and mosques were built en lieu. The sacred cows were slaughtered in the temples and their flesh was then thrown into wells, from Hindus gave up their lives instead of sacrificing Dharma. The emperor converted or killed so may Hindus every day that their sacred threads forcibly removed on conversion or death, weighed a ‘Maund and a quarter’, which was approximately 47kg. Considering how light the sacred thread is, one can appreciate the extent of the tyranny. The distraught Kashmiri Pandits of the time prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Bhagavan Shiva appeared and told them that in this age of Kaliyuga, Guru Nanak was the Sovereign, and that he would save them. The Nanak of the time was the ninth master, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, father of Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s solution was that a holy man would have to sacrifice his life for Dharma. When his nine-year-old son, the then Gobind Rai, discovered what was happening, at once he exclaimed, “Gurudev, who else but you is holier in this age of ignorance? They have asked for your protection and you must give it to them even though, you may have to sacrifice your own life.” Pleased with his son’s reply, the Guru knew who would succeed him on the ‘throne of Nanak’. He could also see that His son would create the Order of the Khalsa, a group of holy men that would always come to the rescue of the downtrodden and the helpless.

At Delhi, Aurangzeb gave Guruji three choices: to embrace Islam and receive the highest honours, to show miracles which Muslims regard as the basic characteristic of a true prophet, or to accept death. The Guru chose death. The ‘Guru ki Sakhian, Sakhi 32’ tells of what happened.

The executioner performed his task (and) the head became separated from the body. The thread around the neck was not even singed; the whole congregation remained silent.

Being born in respectable Ksatriya families all the gurus were invested with the sacred thread, continuing the traditions that they protected and followed in their previous incarnations as Rama, Krsna, Vamana etc. We see above, that on execution, the ninth master’s thread was untouched by the sword. Guruji’s head was brought to the calm young boy Gobind Rai by his mourning disciples (sikhs) . In reference to his father, Guru Gobind Singh writes:

The Almighty Lord protected his tilak (frontal mark) and janeu (the sacred thread) ; he performed a supremely heroic act in this age of Kaliyuga. To uphold righteousness, so supreme an act did he perform; He gave his head, but he did not utter a word of sorrow. For the sake of Dharma, he did this great heroic deed; He laid down his life, but not his principles. Miracles are a cheap way of fooling people; True prophets of God are ashamed of displaying occult powers. Guru Tegh Bahadur broke his earthly vase on the head of the Emperor of Delhi; and went to the Abode of God. No one has ever done such a unique deed as did Guru Tegh Bahadur. On the Ascent of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the whole world went into mourning. Alas! Alas! rose the wailing cries from the earth; while shouts of Glory! Glory! resounded the heavens.

Bacittra Natak

After Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom, Gobind Rai was proclaimed the next Guru. The first thing he did after becoming Guru was perform a pilgrimage to Sri Ram Janma Bhumi. Guru Gobind Rai was unquestionably an amazing scholar. As well as studying the Sastras, and having many linguistic capabilities, he was also a prolific writer. He kept the company of learned Brahmins and composed excellent poetry on varied themes; his most revered work being the Dasam Granth. It contains many Puranic tales of the avatars of God, the largest stories being that of the avatar of Krsna, and then of Rama.

The Mughal supremacy made the Hindu population demoralised and lifeless. Around India many great warriors arose to destroy the Mughals and protect their Vedic Dharma, one of the greatest being Chatrapati Shivaji of Maharastra. A few of the other Gurus also had to fight, but now it was the time of the tenth Guru to do what all the great warriors did, for his disciples had now sought his help.

Dashamesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh Ji was an ardent devotee of Goddess Durga as was his father and had always been fascinated by the Puranic story of her, particularly in her incarnation as Mahisamardini (killer of Mahisa-asura). He composed ‘Chandi di //’, Chandi being an epithet of Durga, and in his work he gives glory to the Goddess, her various forms and her divine activities. He came to learn that by performing a certain Yajna or Vedic sacrifice, she would appear and grant him his desire. The Guru made arrangements with some Brahmins to perform the ceremony; he needed to invoke her for the protection of Dharma. He fasted for forty days, the duration of the Yajna, as was required. After the forty days, Maan Bhagvati appeared and presented him with a sword. Until the earlier part of this century, there was a picture of Durga, painted on the front wall of a room near the Dukhbhanjani Beri in the Golden Temple precincts. A student, Bir Singh, in a letter to Khalsa Akhbar, (12th Feb. 1897) wrote,

“The Goddess stands on golden sandals and she has many hands – ten or perhaps twenty. One of the hands is stretched out and in this she holds a khanda (double-edged sword). Guru Govind Singh stands barefoot in front of it with his hands folded.”

Now the Guru was ready for his contrivance. The Guru sent messages to all his disciples to come to a great fair at Anandpur Sahib, and with unshorn hair. Masses of the Guru’s Hindu disciples arrived and sat it front of a pitched tent. When Guru Ji stood up on the platform, he thundered, “I want a head”. No-one responded. Guru Ji repeated his request. At that moment a Ksatriya from Lahore called Daya Ram stood up. “My head is for you, my Lord”, came his reply. The Guru took him into the tent and a few moments later, he came out with his sword dripping with blood. He again shouted, “Is there any other true sikh of mine who will willingly offer his head?” Again no one replied, as they were sure that Guru Gobind Rai had killed Daya Ram. Just then Dharam Das, a Hindu from Delhi stood up and said, “My Guru, take my head”. His result was the same as Daya Ram’s. Guru Ji asked three more times, and Mohkam Chand of Dvarka, Sahib Chand of Bihar, and Himmat Rai of Jagannath came forward respectively. After a longer time in the tent, he came out with his Panj Piare or his ‘Five Beloved Ones’. On seeing them the crowd cheered ‘Sat Sri Akal’ The Guru now spoke to the crowd:

“In the time of Guru Nanak it was Lehna (Guru Angad Dev Ji) alone who passed the Guru’s test. Now two hundred years later, five followers have passed the test. I think the five sikhs are strong enough to support the edifice that Guru Nanak planned. I am creating the Khalsa, an army of saint-soldiers which will spread through the country and abroad to proclaim Guru Nanak’s message of peace and brotherhood. Through the Khalsa I shall work to bring about an age of Peace, in which all virtuous people will be exalted and the evil doers will be destroyed. Hail to the Khalsa Panth.”

He turned to the Panj Piare and embraced them:

“O beloved ones, you are the foundation of the Khalsa. How blessed I feel to pledge my head to you as you did for me. Believe me, all that is mine is yours. I will never flinch from sacrificing my life for you. After your supreme sacrifice it is only befitting to baptise you with a sword. The baptised sikhs will change from jackals (cowards) to lions (Singhs) . They will not only enjoy this life with dignity, but also obtain bliss hereafter.”12

The Guru and his Panj Piare sat around an iron bowl. In it were added pure water and sugar cakes and the Guru stirred it with his Khanda while the Panj Piare read the Panj Banian or the five sacred verses (Japji, Jap Sahib, Anand Sahib, Svayye and the Chaupai). After asking them to repeat ‘Vahiguru Ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru Ji ki Fatih’ and giving them the nectar, ‘Amrit’, he changed their names to Singh. He then presented the five ‘K’s, the description of which is in the ‘Guru Panth Prakash’, for all members of the Khalsa to wear:

1) The Kara (bangle) - this was adopted because it was worn by the Goddess Kali.

2) The Kirpan (sword)

3) The Kacch (shorts) - this was worn by Hanuman Ji.

4) Kesh (hair) – this is an interesting one. The only people who kept long uncut hair were the Sadhus. Guru Ji’s intention was to imitate them and make the Khalsa a group of Saint-Soldiers. Contrary to popular thought, none of the Gurus and their sikhs kept long hair, until the time the Khalsa was established. This is why Guru Gobind Singh made it one of the five ‘K’s (otherwise there was no need. The fact that he asked people to come with unshorn hair that day meant that they used to cut it). Man was considered to be complete with his turban. It was the sign of respect and honour for the Hindus, hence the Mughals forbade them from wearing it. The only place, in Northern India at least, that was not affected as much by Muslim authority was Rajasthan, consequently Rajasthani Hindus were able to wear them. Thus the first nine Gurus wore not turbans, but hats . The relatively recent but most popular paintings of Guru Nanak by Sobha Singh give the wrong idea. The older paintings of Guru Nanak early this century did not show him wearing a turban, but a black hat. When the Gurus undertook the ceremony of Guruship, it involved the application of tilak on their foreheads, and putting on a black hat. As well as this, upon the investiture of the sacred thread during their childhood, they had to have their heads shaved, except for the tonsure at the back.

5) The Kanga (comb) – this was to keep the hair tidy.

Baptising the panj piare, he asked them to baptise him in return. Hesitatingly they did so and changed his name from Gobind Rai to Gobind Singh. He said, “The Khalsa is the Guru and the Guru is the Khalsa. There is no difference between me and my Khalsa”. Commenting on this Bhai Gurdas Ji wrote, “Great is Gobind Singh, the Guru and disciple in one” . Guruji then initiated tens of thousands of people, many of whom were Brahmins and Ksatriyas, into the Khalsa. This marked the beginning of the end of the great Mughal Empire, and the preservation of the sanatana Vedic Dharma….

I have come into this world for this purpose

The Supreme Guru has sent me for the protection of Dharma:

“You should propagate Dharma everywhere;

Seize and destroy the sinful and the wicked”.

I have taken birth for this purpose,

Let the holy men understand this in their minds.

I have come for the establishment of Dharma and for the protection of saints, And for annihilating (uprooting) all the tyrants.

Guru Gobind Singh, Bacittra Natak

The Khalsa belongs to God

and

to God alone belongs Victory

[HSD1]

Where did you find this?

[Aman0001]

Where did you find this?

I dont think that someone who is in the Executive Board member of a U.K. based Sikhi affiliated institution should hold these kind of views. Rishi Handa:-

http://www.citysikhs.org.uk/meet-the-team/exec-board/

And here is where the article is from. Read the second post:-

http://www.tapoban.org/phorum/read.php?f=1&i=80074&t=78759

Dont get me wrong, I am a member of the City Sikhs Network and I know that they are doing some great things. But this Rishi Handa guy on the Exec Board, he just doesnt feel right.

[HSD1]

Yeah the bloke is a troublemaker. Supposedly he was kicked out of the secondary school he was teaching at for sending 'disturbing' messages to underage girls on Facebook.

He also has links to the Hindu Forum of Britain (a front for Hindustani intelligence agencies) and The Freedom Association (a bunch of upper middle class english tw@ts determined to bring back the British Empire and reassert British hegemony around the world).

He also has links to Niddar Singh and probably receives funding from one of the above groups like most other sanatans or other backstabbing Sikhs in the UK.

With Sikhs like him who needs enemies?

[Into the Light]

This article is totally flawed.

People like him should in no way shame or form be allowed to be apart of any Sikh jathebandi.

[singh154]

There may be countless ways to meet wahiguru and everyone has the right to meet wahgiuru regardless of their religion and belief. However saying sikhi is an offshoot of hinduism is unfair and biased. Sikhi is another unique and amazing path to wahiguru.

[Sikhistan]

Someone please send him what other reality stuff guru gobind singh jee mentioned in sri dasam granth about hindu avtars. He or his masters won't be able to digest that. lol..

This article is not written by him but by someone who is working behind the scene.