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Hinduism and Sikhism
Hinduism and Sikhism, both religions from India, have had a complex relationship. Sikhism is among the newer world religions, while Hinduism is often considered the oldest. Historically, some cases of Hindu-Sikh intermarriage have been found acceptable.[1] There are examples of Hindu and Sikh shrines being located in close proximity, and Hindus seem to hold the Sikh Golden Temple site in high regard.[2] [3] Hindus and Sikhism in PunjabHinduism in Punjab is usually held by Sants who claim to incorporate a personal and private path of spiritual development in the common tradition of mystics past and present. They discuss the irrelevance of rituals, priestly class, mandatory contributions, and compulsory gatherings of Hindus and Sikhs, they are regarded as the real Hindu/Sikh who follow teachings from both Sikhism and Hinduism. These movements are more present in Punjab. However in Sikhism, the tenth Guru stated that as a Sikh, one must not follow any other religion. Sikhism is traditionally seen as a religion of warriors who were protectors of those who could not defend themselves.Though it should be noted that the role of Sikhism is to protect humanity, not any specific set of people or religion. There was a practice in Punjab where Hindu families give their first born son to the Guru to be baptized as a Khalsa Sikh and join the Guru?s army of protectors. This practice started when Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 asked the Hindu families to give him their eldest sons to help raise the new Khalsa Army to protect Dharma and all against Mughal tyranny and forced conversions to Islam. As it is the Hindu religious duty of every Kshatriya including every Rajput to bear arms and protect society and the Dharma, local Punjabi Hindu Kshtriya families including Rajputs living in Punjab keenly supported the Guru and offered him their eldest sons all too willingly and the tradition continued hence many Punjabi Rajput families too have been giving their eldest sons to be enrolled in the Guru?s Army and baptized as Khalsa Sikhs. Thus there are many Hindu, Punjabi Hindu Rajput and Punjabi Hindu Mair Rajput families whose kin are followers of Sikhism today with their eldest sons as baptized Khalsa Sikhs. Thus there are many Sikhs who call themselves "Sikh Rajputs" today and still use Rajput family names. However, this is in direct contradiction within Sikh teachings as once baptized into the Khalsa, the only caste, creed and lineage is now the Khalsa. History of similarities and differences between Hindu traditions and SikhismNanak, was born in a Hindu Khatri family. However, he declared that all are equal in the eyes of God in his famous proclamation "I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim."[4] A unity between Hindus and Muslims under the teachings and revelations of the Guru. The Guru had some familiar and common beliefs as in Hindu concepts like Karma, Dharma, Reincarnation, and meditating on God's name to break the cycle of birth. Before Guru Nanak's death, he instructed his disciple Guru Angad Dev to carry on the teachings of his religion as Guru Angad had shown selflessness, compassion and endless service and was in tuned with the teachings of his Master, Guru Nanak. Sri Chand, one of his sons, founded the Udasi order. Various orders have arisen since the beginning of Sikhism, such as the Radhasoamis and the Nirankaris. It is debatable whether these religions constitute offshoots of Sikhism or merely differing Sikh philosophies. The Khalsa, ordained by Guru Gobind Singh, is regarded by many Sikhs as being the completion of the development of the Sikh religion. Guru Tegh BahadurIn 1675 Aurangzeb caused the matyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. He had gone to Aurangzeb on behalf of Kashmiri Pandits, who requested him to plead against their forceful conversion. Aurangzeb asked Guru Tegh Bahadur to convert and had him executed after he refused to convert to Islam.[5] According to Kushwant Singh, when "Guru Tegh Bahadur was summoned to Delhi, he went as a protector of the Hindus and encourage them to stand against the increasing oppression of the Mughals. He was executed in the year 1675. His son who succeeded him as Guru later described his father's martyrdom as in the cause of the humanity. Guru Tegh Bahadar undertook the supreme sacrifice for the protection of the most fundamental of human rights - the right of a person to freely practice his or her religion without interference or hindrance. This is why Guru Tegh Bahadur is also known as (Tegh Bahadur, Hind Di Chadar" (Tegh Bahadur, Protector of Hindus). Guru Tegh Bahadur is also honored by Hindus and the Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day is also observed by many Hindus.[6] Maharaja Ranjit SinghAlso called "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of the Punjab") (1780-1839) was a Sikh emperor and the founder of Sikh Empire.Ranjit Singh crowned himself as the ruler of Punjab and willed the Koh-i-noor back to its original location at Jagannath Temple in Orissa while on his deathbed in 1839. This clearly indicate relationship between Hindus and Sikhs- a great sikh king gave gift to Hindu temple- the precious Koh-i-noor diamond. 19th centuryThe Sikh scholar Harjot Oberoi has argued that in the nineteenth century, the Singh Sabha movement, began to view the non-monolithic world view of Sikhism with suspicion and hostility, and tried to redefine a more limited Sikh identity.http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/12752.ctl SimilaritiesHere are some of the similarities between Hinduism and Sikhism:
Mutual viewsIn the Hindu and Sikh traditions, there is a distinction between religion and culture, and ethical decisions are grounded in both religious beliefs and cultural values. Both Hindu and Sikh ethics are primarily duty based. Traditional teachings deal with the duties of individuals and families to maintain a lifestyle conducive to physical, mental and spiritual health. These traditions share a culture and world view that includes ideas of karma and rebirth, collective versus individual identity, and a strong emphasis on spiritual purity.http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/163/9/1167 The notion of dharma, karma, prasad, moksha and a belief in rebirth are very important for many Hindus and Sikhs as they make ethical decisions surrounding birth and death. Unlike the linear view of life taken in Abrahamic religions, for Hindus and Sikhs life, birth and death are repeated, for each person, in a continuous cycle. What a person does in each life influences the circumstances and predispositions experienced in future lives. In essence, every action or thought, whether noble or sinful, has consequences that are carried forward into the next life. When a similar situation is encountered, memories of past lives arise in the consciousness as an impulse to perform actions or think thoughts similar to the earlier ones. This impulse does not necessarily compel the person to repeat the act or thought. As proclaimed in the Guru Granth Sahib: Mortals obtain a human body as a result of good deeds but he reaches the gate of salvation with God's kind grace. (Guru Nanak, Japji). Common Sikh views of HinduismReferences to VedasThe following verses from the Guru Granth Sahib shed some light on its views on some aspects of Hindu scripture: Sikhism does not have belief in Heaven/Hell system, inequality of caste and gender and held the Vedas responsible for these fallacies in the contemporary society, the quote below from second Sikh Guru mentions the same view: http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0&Param=1243
DifferencesLike many bhakti saints within Hinduism, Guru Nanak, together with other elements of Sikh canon, rejected many tenets of Hinduism, such as:
The majority accept that the two belief systems have been separate from the beginning of Sikhism [10] . Sikhs believe that the Gurus were receiving the beliefs and practices from God as the Gurus constantly stated that they were not part of the Hindu or Muslim religions. One belief in Sikhism that is commonly cited in support of this is the belief in equality between men and women, regardless of background or race. Sikh writers like Khushwant Singh, have written that despite innovations, "this new community, the [Sikh] Khalsa Panth, remained an integral part of the Hindu social and religious system. It is significant that when Tegh Bahadur was summoned to Delhi, he went as a representative of the Hindus. He was executed in the year 1675. His son who succeeded him as guru later described his father?s martyrdom as in the cause of the Hindu faith, ?to preserve their caste marks and their sacred thread did he perform the supreme sacrifice?. The guru himself looked upon his community as an integral part of the Hindu social system.?[11] Cultural differencesMany social anthropologists have historically categorized Sikhs as a separate ethno-religious group, with its own distinct identity shaped by Mughal conflict, communalism, and a worldview including the events of 1984.[12] In the Sikh diaspora, Sikhs see themselves completely distinct from Hindus (but this is not an issue per se with Punjabi Hindus who share a cultural and ethnic bond with Punjabi Sikhs), and have an ethnic identity of 'Punjabi Sikh,' which is often their most salient identity, even for those who are first-generation immigrants. Such constructions have led to some tensions between Sikh and Hindu youth in Canada.[13] Foundation of Sikh Panth
My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Ram, God . ||4|| .[14]
Differences Sikhism and specific Hindu traditionsIdol worshipThe worship of murtis (idols) is an important part of several Hindu traditions, such as Vaishnavism and Shaivism, although some Hindu denominations like Arya Samaj and Satya Mahima Dharma have rejected idol worship. Sikhs do not believe in worship of any sort of physical idol, symbol, picture, or statue. Pictures of Gurus and the book itself are not directly prayed to or revered in place of Sikhism's formless God. Pictures of Gurus are not a requirement in the Gurdwara, and they are often not even displayed in the Darbar Sahib (prayer hall), but by the eating areas and the shoe-removing areas. This shows the low level of spiritual reverence for physical representions of the Gurus, as opposed to prayer (Prayer is not a "verbal idol"). Fanning of the Guru Granth Sahib is a tradition carried over from Punjab to protect the Granth and its reader from airborne debris, as outside worship was common. Only recital of prayers and listening to hymns make up Sikh prayer in front of gurus pictures (idol). As the following quote states: VegetarianismSome Hindu traditions, such as Vaishnavism, emphasize strict vegetarianism. Some Sikhs believe that there is to be strict vegetarianism while others believe the only meat that is expressly forbidden for Sikhs to consume is Halal/Kosher (Kutha) meat, or the meat of animals slowly and ceremoniously killed in sacrificing rituals. Several Gurus such as Guru Hargobind Sahib and Guru Gobind Singh hunted frequently and consumed non-Halal meat. The Guru Granth Sahib states:[16] From Sri Guru Granth Sahib. (http://www.srigranth.org)
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