1999: 'Khaalsa Roop' WHY SIKH PERSONAL LAW ?

In an article for a Sikh magazine in Canada, I had said at the outset : "Believe it or
not, a Sikh has no problems." Our Gurus have equipped us to face any eventuality.
Why are we in doldrums ? Why cringe before others for this demand and that ? And
why do we not understand what is meant by Sikh Personal Law ? Obviously, this
kind of law would mean that for Sikhs, our primary sources of discipline, say Reht
Maryada, Rahit Namas, Gurbani-dictated ways of living and our traditions and
Gurus' own lives, would be taken into consideration. Now let us examine our Reht
Maryada to find out the meaning of a Sikh, for whom Sikh Personal Law is needed.
Chapter III, page 8, Section Two of Reht Maryada, published by Dharam Parchar
Committee, October, 1994, translated into English by Sardar Kulraj Singh states,
besides other things :
A Sikh's personal life should comprehend —
1. meditation on Naam (Divine Substance) and the scripture
2. leading life according to the Gurus' teachings
3. altruistic voluntary service
A Sikh should wake up in the ambrosial hours (three hours before dawn), take bath,
and, concentrating his / her thoughts on One Immortal Being, repeat the name
Waheguru (Wondrous Destroyer of darkness).
Moreover, a Sikh should recite Nitnem Banis and offer Ardas as prescribed. I have
personal knowledge of the fact that most of us including the highly placed
intellectuals, well-meaning image-building editors, journalists, advocates, generals
and civil servants, judges and others do not follow this Reht Maryada. Then for
whom are we thinking of this Sikh Personal Law and for whom do we complain
about the absence of this Law, if, by definition itself, which includes the above
conditions and the amrit bequeathed by the Tenth Guru and the commands of Guru
Granth Sahib, (Guru Ram Das : Gur Satgur ka jo Sikh akhaye, Sau Bhalke uth Har
Naam dhayawe....), and Baba Farid : Pichchal raat na jagion jivandrian moyon, (if
you don't get up at amrit vela, you are a dead body), most of us are not Sikhs. My
further chagrin is that most of us do not even plan to live the Sikh way of life - even
after taking amrit.
Let me remind you that those who once tore Article 25 of the Constitution are now -
after having sworn by the Constitution - Ministers, Chief Ministers, aspirants for
Vice-Presidentship, Governors, or Chairmen of Public Bodies. Then where do we
stand ? Have we any consistent policy of Sikh Personal Law and are we serious in
believing that by merely being clubbed with Hindus under some laws, we are not
treated as a separate religion or a separate entity ? I think, Artticle 25 itself loudly
proclaims that Sikhs have a distinct separate religion and even today, this entitles
them to have something which no one else has got. Read Explanation I under Article
25, the wearing and carrying of kirpans shall be deemed to be included in the
profession of the Sikh Religion.
My dear sisters, brothers and young people, do you not understand that this article
itself declares that your Sikh Religion is not only different from Hindu Religion, but is
distinctly different as you alone can carry kirpans, both boys and girls, men and
women ? Now you yourself have thrown away this right by not wearing and carrying
kirpans (remember, even if you are not amritdhari, you can carry them in terms of
this article if you look like a Sikh and profess the Sikh Religion, which could be
distinguished by your turbans and beards). I wonder whether we should fault anyone,
but ourselves. Again, if we have decided not to become amritdharis, it is our own
fault. Again, if we decided not to follow the Reht Maryada even after taking amrit, it
is our fault. I have been repeatedly saying that our problems arise from our own
derailment. And, it is natural that others should take advantage of our weaknesses,
our surrender to temptations of money, sex, position or drinks.
And, do you know, how we have made a mess of the Guru's philosophy of a
casteless society of Sikhism ? Look at this :
? We have castes and sub-castes still prevalent and just by removing surname,
they will not vanish, because the practice of untouchability or segregation
even in religious places and in villages is still prevalent.
? We have assiduously fought for inclusion of Sikh Scheduled Castes among
the beneficiaries of Scheduled Castes for whom reservations have been
made. Thereby; we ourselves, have made a mockery of our casteless
society. (Remember, Guru Gobind Singh refused to entertain the requests of
Hill Rajas to be included in a Superior Order of the Khalsa).
? We still practise the worst kind of prejudices against women about whom
Guru Nanak said : Why and how could you call them bad when they give birth
to Kings ?
? We still are prejudiced against the girl child. We go to the extent of killing her
in the mother's womb, and we are prepared to burn the bride so as to get
more dowry. We violate not only the law, but also our Guru's commands.
? We still want our marriages, our gurdwaras, our bhaicharas, our functions
and our common heritage of Sikhism to be divided into Pothohari,
Ramgarhia, Bhallas, Sethis and Gills, etc.
We must be sure, at least, in one principle of Sikhism, both personal and religious.
Our maryada at different takhts is different and we have not been able to prevail
upon the authorities controlling them to go by the verdict of Akal Takht. By pointing
this out, I wish to assert the following :
? when we cannot bring about uniformity in the Guru's Reht in our gurdwaras
? when we cannot prevail upon ourselves to maintain one common code of
discipline
? when we do not practise in our lives what our Gurus command us without any
force or coercion from outside
? when we shamelessly boast about increasing revenues through excise duties
on drinks
? when we indulge in shameless vote-catching for S.G.P.C. gurdwara elections
Then how can we demand, complain or agitate against so-called forced denial of
Sikh Personal Law to the Sikhs ?
I have already said that a Sikh who adheres to the Guru's commands in his life, has
no problems whatsoever, because no laws can be more liberal, more satisfying,
more convenient and more comfortable than the ones which come from the Gurus'
traditions and lives and our present perpetual Guru, Guru Granth Sahib. Obviously,
the benefits will go only to the ones who will be "law-abiding" in this respect.
I am now 67 and I do not remember even one instance in my entire life, when I had
to compromise my principles in my moveable or immoveable property, foreign
travel, religion or nationality of my children, etc. Even if it is true that we have no Sikh
Personal Law like the Hindu, Christian or Parsi personal laws, I should think that
such a law would easily have come about if we ourselves had paid attention to it,
wanted it or were serious about it. As I said at the outset, I am not a legal expert, but
I venture to believe that the clubbing of Buddhist, Jain and Sikh religions under the
Hindu articles or laws could be due to the need for elimination of duplication of
some sorts. Obviously, these Hindu laws are supposed to be applied to Sikhs
mutatis mutandis. I would consider that they would apply to us with the necessary
changes, which govern our system of marriage, and other customs. I repeat, how
would it be possible for the Hindu law to dominate Sikh system or Sikh religion in
the presence of a specific explanation that carrying and wearing of kirpans is
included in the Sikh religion, which shows it as a distinct separate entity ?
All that I have to deal with now is the authority of our Scripture and traditions in
detail. Let me give some quotations from Gurbani, Reht Maryada, Reht Namas and
suggest that the inferences, instructions, dictates and suggestions through them are
our personal laws, and if we choose to adhere to them there is no authority which
can stand in our way.
1. Mann ka sootak lobh hai jehva sootak koor. Akhi sootak vekhana partria
pardhan roop.
The pollution of mind is greed, that of tongue is un-truth and the pollution of
eyes is to have a lustful look at another woman (except one's wife) and
possessive wish at others' wealth.
Let us examine ourselves, our own conduct not only in respect of other Sikhs
and non-Sikhs, but also in terms of our own relationships at home with
brothers, sisters, parents and our internal strife with regard to property, false
witnessing and un-truth.
2. Hak praya Nanaka us sooer us gaye.
For a Muslim, the right of others is like pork and for a Hindu, like beef, to be
shunned for all times.
Are we free from it ?
3. Bisar gayee sab taat prayee jab te sadhsangat mohe payee.
I have lost the sense of mine and not mine ever since I found the company of
the Holy.
Have we lost that sense ? Are we able to get along with everyone ? (Sagal
sang hamkau ban aai).
4. Sabkau meet ham apan keena ham sabhna ke Sajan.
I have made everyone my friend and I have become the friend of everyone.
Have I received the Grace of my Guru to behave in such a manner so that
others would need my intervention to settle their disputes?
5. Khatri, Brahmin, Sood, Vaish, Updesh chau varna kau sanjha.
The teaching of my Gurus is common to all the four varnas of Hindus.
How have I got entangled into pursuing distinction between this caste and
that, and how do I treat my so-called lower castes among Sikhs ?
Before I conclude I would like to point out that there is something inherently wrong in
our thinking. There is no doubt that the rulers and others have done many wrongs to
us; there is no doubt that promises once made to us have been broken; there is no
doubt that communists and others have taken advantage of our weaknesses; and
there is no doubt that others would like us to vanish into thin air, but we, it seems,
are determined never to look at our own faults and our own inadequacies, so that
we can so effectively correct them that others will never dare to trifle with us. I have
said on many occasions that Indira Gandhi would never have dared to attack our
Mecca, the Darbar Sahib Complex, if she knew that we had not become hollow
inside. Zail Singh would never have dared to stick to his chair as President of India,
if he was a Sikh of the type we have mentioned above. And he would have never
dared to honour the attackers of Darbar Sahib in Rashtrapati Bhavan, if he had not
already declared after election as President that he was a Jharoo-Bardar of Indira
Gandhi.
Now, let us look at our resources to live as honest, self-respecting Sikhs, without any
help from anywhere and without any fear from anywhere. Our divine laws coming to
us from our Gurus are not only a permanent guarantee against anyone encroaching
upon our freedom but also a ceaseless encouragement to us to do good to the
society. Look at our assets !
? Guru Granth Sahib, embodiment of truth and universality (not Sikh Truth
alone) in terms of the messages of not only six Sikh Gurus, but also of non-
Sikh saints, both Hindu and Muslim. I have often said that any Brahmin, and
Muslim, anyone of another sect can study Guru Granth Sahib and become a
better Hindu, a better Brahmin, a better Muslim.
? As a guarantee of our universality, our Gurus not only notified that Truth is
universal and indivisible, but also included hymns of adherents, which talk
openly of respect to Mohammed, Rama and Krishna.
? Khalsa, born out of willingness to die, willing to serve humanity, spreading
love of Gurus to everyone, even to the enemy and the evil-intentioned and yet
ordained to take up arms when all methods of peaceful and friendly
approaches against tyranny have been exhausted.
? Innumerable martyrdoms including that of Guru Arjun, Guru Tegh Bahadur,
four sons of Guru Gobind Singh, Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Dayala,
Bhai Mani Singh, Bhai Taru Singh and countless others; including also our
mothers and sisters, who had their children cut into pieces and thrown in their
laps; and last, but not least,
? The assurance of Guru Gobind Singh :
Jab lag Khalsa rahe niara; tab lag tej dion mein sara; but jab eh gahe biprin
ki reet, mein na karoun in kee parteet.
So long as my Khalsa stays distinguished and distinct, I shall stand by him,
but when it becomes (Andron hor bahron hor) in the Brahminic mould, I shall
not stand by him.
I take your leave, sisters and brothers, after reminding you that the only personal law
we need to follow now is the law of our Gurus and we do not have to cringe before
others to make laws for us. We are a free, independent people, capable of looking
after ourselves, only if we adhere to Guru Granth Sahib's dictates and live in day-to-
day life the discipline of the Khalsa and display, without and within, the roop, the
Khaas roop of Guru Gobind Singh and prove his words : Khalsa
[ : * S.Bhagwant Singh Dalawari: IOSS, ]








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