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Illustrated: Hinduization of Sikh Faith & History
Sunday 10th of July 2005
Balpreet Singh - Guest Columnist
(KP)
Based on "Tabai Roas Jagio" by Dr. Sukhpreet Singh Udokay
Last week's announcement by the VHP of putting portraits of Guru Gobind Singh and Sree Guru Granth Sahib in Hindu Mandirs has shocked Sikhs worldwide. The fact is that attacks on the Sikh faith and history have been ongoing for years in order to show Sikhs to be a part of Hinduism.
How Did This Begin?
Brahminism has always feared the Sikh faith. The Sikh Gurus proclaimed the equality of all humanity and rejected practices like caste, holy threads and worship of the cow. The exploitation of simple people by the Brahmin was eliminated. Although Hindu fundamentalists have taken a keen interest in destroying Sikhism for centuries, this latest cycle of Hindu attacks on Sikhism can be traced to 1993. The Sikh Liberation Movement had been brutally crushed in Punjab and was on its final breaths. Sikh villagers were afraid of being identified as being practicing Sikhs and roves of young Sikh men were cutting their hair so that they would not be harassed or killed by the police.
It was at this point that a new "Sikh" organization, the Rashtri Sikh Sangat began to enter Sikh villages. This organization began to distribute literature about the Sikh faith and hold meetings. Many villagers thought that it was an attempt to revive Sikh pride, but in fact, the literature was written to show Sikhs to be a part of Hinduism.
Akali Dal/BJP/RSS Alliance
Badal & RSS Leaders
The "Akali" party of Punjab, while claiming to represent Sikhs, is lead by the same old men who allowed the 1978 Amritsar massacre and the martyrdom of Bhai Fauja Singh and 12 other fellow Singhs. They are the same ones who let Gurbachana Narakdhari go unpunished.
The Akali party, in an alliance with the Hindu BJP began to rule Punjab. The RSS activity in Punjab also increased. Sangh programs were held in places like Guru Nanak Dev Stadium (Ludhiana) with the presence of Parkash Badal and other Akali/BJP leaders. On November 16, 1997, Badal while introducing the new RSS chief sad, "I can say with confidence that the Sangh, under the leadership of Raju Bhaiya is working towards removing all its shortcomings. Whenever this country has faced either internal or external danger, the Sangh and it's workers have been on the front lines.
Today, I am feeling very lucky to be a part of this gathering."
Today, I am feeling very lucky to be a part of this gathering."
Raju Bhaiya in his speech that day, in the presence of Badal, declared, "All Hindus are Sikhs and Sikhs Hindus. We are all one. Some grow hair and some don't. I say that All Hindus are Sikhs and all Sikh are Hindus. Our principles are the same. With the help of unity, we become very powerful…People are right when they say that Hindus have the power to make Hindustan a leader in the world!"
An RSS Poster for Punjab
Under the watchful guidance of this unholy alliance, the RSS increased its parchar amongst the Sikhs. It was a perfect time to move in for the kill. The Sikhs had been beaten very badly by the Indian government and their confidence had been shaken. The RSS would give the Sikhs sweet poison. They shouted loudly that the RSS and all Hindus LOVED Sikhs. They would preach that Sikhs were after all no different than Hindus. The Sikh Gurus were true Hindus and Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu blessed the Sikh faith. The Sikhs, they claimed, should feel proud as the sword-arm of Hinduism.
In this way, the RSS has tried to make the Sikh masses try to take pride in establishing a link between Sikhism and Hinduism. Once this link becomes solid, the RSS has already devised a plan to decay the foundations of the Sikh faith and history.
India's "Heros": Guru Nanak an equal of Indira Gandhi?
Who is the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat?
The Rashtriya Sikh Sangat (RSS) was officially formed on November 23, 1986 in Amritsar. The founder was one "Shamsher Sinh"
The express goals of the RSS are
1) To strengthen the bonds between Sikhs and Hindus to promote National unity, awareness and patriotism.
2) To make Guru Nanak's "Hindustan Smaalsee Bola" a reality and maintain national patriotism and unity.
3) To promote Sri Guru Bani fro Sri Guru Granth Sahib
4) To perform seva with "Sarbat Da Bhala" in mind.
2) To make Guru Nanak's "Hindustan Smaalsee Bola" a reality and maintain national patriotism and unity.
3) To promote Sri Guru Bani fro Sri Guru Granth Sahib
4) To perform seva with "Sarbat Da Bhala" in mind.
The Rashtriya Sikh Sangat has 500 branches across India and publishes the magazine "Sangat Sandesh".
Other goals of this organization are the creation of a Mandar at Ayodhya's "Ram Janam Bhoomi" and also a Gurdwara to commemorate visits by Guru Nanak, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh.
Every month, the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat has a function in which occasionally Sri Guru Granth Sahib is parkash and sometimes not. Usually the function takes place with paintings of Guru Nanak, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh at the front. These paintings are accompanied by paintings of Ram and Krishna. The paintings are garlanded with flowers.
The meeting begins with 5 readings of the Mool Mantar and then 20 minutes of keertan. After this, Sukhmani Sahib or Ram Avtar or Krishan Avtar are read. This is followed by a singing of "Vanday Matram".
The meeting concludes with a 20 minute lecture on the history the original RSS founder Golvarkar and discussion of the role of Sanskrit in Sri Guru Granth Sahib or some other similar topic.
Some Quotes…
* "Instead of sacrificing humans, Guru ji sacrificed goats and started the tradition of Punj Pyaaray. All five Pyaaras were followers of the Hindu faith" {Dr. Himmat Sinh in Rashtra Dharam)
* "The Sikh Gurus showed faith in the Hindu faith and visited Hindu pilgrimage sites to show this" (Rashtra Dharam, p. 31)
* "When Guru Arjan was doing the Kar Seva of Harimandeir, Vishnu reflected and said, "Lakshmi, the Guru is my own form. There is no difference between us. He is making my temple. Let us go and see the building of our new temple…" (Rashtra Dharam, 90)
* "The difference between Hindus and Sikhs was the creation of the English mind." (Rashtra Dharam, 98)
* "If today someone were to make a portrait of Guru Nanak without a beard and turban, his life would be in danger but in fact, the practice of keeping long hair and beards began only in the 20th Century. (Madhu Kishvara, Hindustan Times Aug 21, 1999)
* "Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur used to pay obeisance to the feet of the Devi" (Surindar Kumar, Jag Bani)
* "Guru Gobind Singh with the blessings of the Avtars (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) created the Khalsa Panth." (Sangat Sandesh, Sept 1998)
* "Maharana Partap, the Rani of Jhansi and Guru Gobind Singh were all great patriots" (Rashtra Dharam)
* "The Sangh [RSS] is the Khalsa" (Ravani, Dec 1997)
"Guru Mati Das Sharma"???
Bhai Mati Das jee is a famous Shahid of the Sikhs who happily faced death by being sawn alive but did not forsake his faith. Bhatt Vehis record the history of this Shahid and it is known that Bhai Mati Das's grandfather, Bhai Paraga jee was a Sikh of Guru Hargobind and also became a Shaheed in the battle of Ruhila.
Bhai Mati Das jee was of course then born into a Sikh family. The family had been Sikh since the time of Guru Ram Das. Bhai Sati Das was Bhai Sahib's brother. Bhai Mati Das accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur in his travels to Assam, Bengal and Bihar. When Guru Sahib was arrested and brought to Delhi, Bhai Mati Das was also brought with him. When offered the choice to forsake the Sikh faith and become a Muslim or to face death, Bhai Mati Das happily accepted the latter and only asked that he die while facing the Guru. Even when Bhai Sahib's body had been cut in two, Japji Sahib could be heard from both halves.
Bhai Sati Das was also offered the choice to forsake Sikhi or death, and accepted death. He was wrapped in cotton and burnt alive.
Hindu fundamentalist organizations, in an effort to demean Guru Tegh Bahadur's Shaheedee, have appropriated Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das as Hindu heros. Yearly events are held to commemorate their martyrdoms but they are presented as Hindus who died for their faith.
Bhai Hakeekat Singh jee was a young Sikh who is recorded in Bhatt Vehis as "Hakeekat Singh" but later was appropriated by Hindus as their own. Just like Bhai Hakeekat Singh is now referred to as Hakeekat Rai even by Sikhs, these groups hope Sikhs will also give up these two Sikh Shaheeds.
Sikhs and Raam
Another fallacy being promoted by the RSS is that the Sikh Gurus were from the family of Raam. That throughout history, Vishnu has supported the Sikhs. No Hindu text gives the family tree of Raam, and so there is no foundation for this claim. Giani Puran Singh gave this lie credence by repeating it publicly when he was Jathedar of the Akal Takhat. The only support this lie has is in a work by Kesar Singh Chhiber that has been corrupted. It claims the link between Raam and the Gurus but it also claims that Guru Gobind Singh worshipped Durga and took permission to keep his kesh from her. It also claims that the Sikh Gurus accepted Sanatan Hindu rites.
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur or Veer Banda Bairagi?
"Veer Bandai Bairagi"
One of the RSS's early targets has been Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. Baba Banda Singh is a Sikh hero who first created a Sikh Rule in Punjab and struck a Sikh coin. Baba Banda Singh is also a great Sikh martyr who sacrificed his life but did not compromise his faith.
The RSS has attempted to turn this great Sikh hero, into a Hindu Patriot. In the book "Veer Banda Bairagi" by Bhai Parmanand, Guru Gobind Singh was a defeated man who went to Nander in sadness. There he met the Hindu, Banda Bairagi who agreed to help Guru Sahib take revenge for the death of his sons. Banda Baigragi had with him Rajput warriors and a he gathered a Hindu army to punish the evil Wazir Khan.
Guru Gobind Singh giving "Veer Bairagi" arms
The new Hindu history claims that Banda Bairagi never became a Sikh and was an example of a pious Hindu helping his Sikh friend.
This story is of course utterly false. There was never any character named "Banda Bairagi". Baba Banda Singh was known as Madho Das. He became a Sikh of Guru Gobind Singh by receiving Khanday Kee Pahul. This fact is confirmed by the oldest sources including Tavarikh-Iradat Khan (1714) and Panj Sau Sakhi (1734). The Bhatt Vehis mention how Guru Gobind Singh himself gave Baba Banda Singh the five kakaars and tied a keski on his head.
Baba Banda Singh's own hukumnamas all make clear that he was a Sikh of the Guru and call upon "srbqR Akwl purK jIE dw Kwlsw"[.
The question arises, if "Banda Bairagi" had an army of Hindu warriors, why wouldn't he have taken revenge for the Mughal excesses at Kanshi and Mathura? Why are none of the famous Hindus in his army recorded in history? Why were the Faujdars of conquered areas always Sikhs? Why do even his own family accounts (Bansavalinama) refer to him and his sons with the name "Singh"?
It is a blatant lie by the RSS to appropriate a Sikh hero and make him into a Hindu.
A 25-Point of Attack
The RSS has 25 points with which it hopes to attack the Sikh faith and lead to its eventual assimilation. All 25 points are very easily refuted but lack of education and knowledge coupled with the RSS's organized attack make this a serious danger.
These points are already being incorporated into school text books and taught as real history. This skewed history is already taught in many areas.
1) Sikhs are an inseparable part of Hindu society.
2) If Hinduism is a tree, Sikhism is a fruit on that tree.
3) Gurbani is like the Ganga, it emerges from the Gangotri of the Vedas
4) The Khalsa was crated to protect Hinduism and Hindustan
5) Japji Sahib is a summary of the Gita
6) The Failure of the 1857 "War of Independence" [in reality an unorganized uprising by Poorbiya soldiers who 8 years earlier helped the British conquer Punjab] was defeated only by the Sikhs
7) Banda Singh Bahadur was really Veer Banda Bairagi
8) The Sikh Gurus worshipped the cow
9) Condemning Bhai Kanh Singh Nabha and Bhai Veer Singh
10) Use examples from Trumpp and other anti-Sikh western scholars
11) The Sikh Gurus used Vedic ceremonies
12) Guru Gobind Singh worshipped the Goddess Durga
13) Guru Sahib was from the family or Ram and his devotee
14) Sikhs are from Lav-Kush
15) Baba Ram Singh was the legitimate Guru of the Sikhs
16) Create posters which challenge Sikh principles but appear to be pro-Sikh
17) Insist on using the Bikrami calendar and share Hindu festivals
18) Call Bhai Hakeekat Singh, Hakeekat Rai and illustrate him as a clean-
shaven Hindu
shaven Hindu
19) Claim [with no historical basis] that Guru Gobind Singh sent his army to liberate Ram Janam Bhumi in Ayodhya from the Mughals
20) To create the Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh seeked blessing from the gods and goddesses and used Hindu mantras. The Kakaars were also
blessings from the gods.
blessings from the gods.
21) Equate ÅÆ with "OM"
22) Call Bhai Mati Das "Guru Mati Das Sharma"
23) To do parkash of Sree Guru Granth Sahib in Mandirs and put pictures of
Hindu Gods in Sikh Gurdwaras
Hindu Gods in Sikh Gurdwaras
24) Project Guru Gobind Singh as having taken a different ideology from Guru Nanak and to make him into a Patriotic Hero of India
Guru Gobind Singh with Rana Partap and other Hindu "Heros"
Guru Gobind Singh with Rana Partap and other Hindu "Heros"
25) Make all of Sikh history take a Hindu tint.
Small Steps to Oblivion
The RSS recognizes that Hinduism is many hundreds of years old and it can slowly assimilate the Sikhs with time. By establishing links between Vishnu/Raam and the Gurus, they hope that Sikhs will see these Hindu gods as their own. With time, perhaps pictures of Raam and Vishnu will find their way into Gurdwaras. The RSS has commissioned paintings and posters that mix Hinduism and Sikhism and present Sikh figures receiving blessings from Hindu gods.
Idol worship, which is taboo in Sikhism is also being slowly introduced. Idols of Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Nanak can now be purchased from many stores. Some Nanaksar Thaats have also installed these idols. If idols of Sikh Gurus are acceptable, then perhaps with time Hindu idols can be accepted. Gurdwara Manikaran is a good example of what the RSS would like to see more common.
By putting Guru Granth Sahib in Hindu mandirs, simple Sikh villagers will begin to go to pay obeisance regularly. With Sikhs attending Hindu Mandirs, they will also offer worship to the Hindu gods and goddesses there. Sikh marriages may also begin to take place in Mandirs. Eventually, Hinduism in Punjab will be a mish/mash of Sikhism and Hinduism and the Sikhs will lose their distinct identity. Given a few generations, Guru Nanak will be an Avtar of Vishnu just like the Buddha has become and the Sikhs will be eliminated.
Today, Hindu Mandirs and idols again surround Sree Darbaar Sahib in Amritsar. In total, nine mandirs surround the Darbar Sahib complex, with some even in the galleria. When will these small mandirs be turned into massive buildings? When they are, what will the Sikhs have to say?
The Sikhs today are facing dark days. The Sikh Liberation Movement has been destroyed along with Sikh self-confidence. Hindu Fundamentalist organizations are making deep inroads into the community and still there is no reaction. We will be remembered as the first generation of Sikhs to have accepted defeat and subjugation from an adversary.
Will we wake up when it is too late?
