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Illustrated: Hinduization of Sikh Faith & History
Based on "Tabai Roas Jagio" by Dr. Sukhpreet Singh Udhoke
Translate by Bhai Balpreet Singh
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."
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.
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
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.
21) Equate Γ
Γ 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
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")
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?
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