Sikhism

Sikhism. The religion and life-way of those who are Sikhs. The word sikh (Pañjābī; cf. Skt., śikṣya) means ‘a learner’, ‘a disciple’. Sikhs are those who believe in one God (Ik Onkar) and are disciples of the Gurū. In Indian usage, gurū can apply to any religious teacher or guide, but for Sikhs it is restricted to God as Sat Gurū (true teacher), the ten Gurūs (listed under Gurū) from Gurū Nānak (b. 1469 CE) to Gurū Gobind Siṅgh (d. 1708), and to the Ādi Granth (Sikh scripture), known as Gurū Granth Sāhib and revered as such. Sikhs accept initiation with amrit, according to the rahit maryādā which gives detailed requirements. Together Sikhs make up the panth in which it is believed that the guidance of the Gurū is also present, but in a more limited way. Fully committed and initiated Sikhs belong to the khālsā. There are c.14 million Sikhs in India, four-fifths in Pañjāb. In a wide diaspora, the largest community (c.300,000) is in the UK.

Sikhism began in the context of the Muslim–Hindu confrontation in N. India, when some (e.g. Kabīr) were seeking reconciling truth. It was a time also of vivid and moving devotion to God (bhakti), all of which (especially the Vaiṣṇavites) was influential on Gurū Nānak, though even more so was his own profound experience of God. He did not attempt to merge Hinduism and Islam, but simply insisted on the worship of the True Name (Nām), God who can be found within and does not require the rituals and doctrinal controversies of existing religions. God does not become present in the world (in contrast to Hindu understandings of avatāra), but makes his will and his way known. In discerning this, meditation (nām simaran) on śabda (‘sound’) is of paramount importance, especially through repetition of the Name, or on the hymns of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. Karma and saṃsāra are accepted: the way to release or liberation is to move one's life against one's own wilful and disordered inclination (haumai) into alignment with the will (hukam) of God. This is only possible because of the help of God, the equivalent of grace, described in many words, e.g. kirpā, nadar, praśād. Those who do so pass through stages (khaṇḍ): dharam khaṇḍ (living appropriately; cf. dharma); giān̄ khaṇḍ (deeper knowledge); saram khaṇḍ (effort or joy); karam khaṇḍ (effort or joy); sach khaṇḍ (bliss beyond words and beyond rebirth, merging with the divine as a drop in an ocean or as a spark in a flame). Sikhs remain grihasth (‘house-holders’), in contrast to the four āśramas of the Hindus, for whom gṛhastha is only one stage, to be followed by progressive renunciation.

Under the first four Gurūs, there was no conflict with the surrounding majority religions, but marks of identity were further developed—e.g. Sikh days in the religious calendar. Under Rām Dās, ‘the tank of nectar’, Amritsar, was built, leading to the Harimandīr (Golden Temple), the centre of Sikh identity. Always more at ease in general with Hindus, Sikhs found tensions with Muslims and the Mughal emperors increasing; this led to the forming of the khālsā under the tenth Gurū, Gobind Siṅgh. The khālsā is the community of Sikhs who have received khaṇḍe-dī-pāhul, and are distinguished by the Five Ks. Various reform movements emerged, notably that of Dyāl Dās (1783–1855) whose Niraṅkārīs (the formless) resisted the use of images, even of the Gurūs; Sain Sahib (d. 1862) whose Namdhāris attacked all reversion to Hinduism and held that a continuing Gurū is necessary; and Sant Niraṅkārī Maṇḍal (the Universal Brotherhood, not to be confused with the Niraṅkārīs), which has modified traditional practices and was banned or boycotted by the Akal Takht in 1978. In response to Christian missionaries, the Siṅgh Sabhā was formed. The British recognized with some gratitude Sikh assistance during the Mutiny, and reinforced their spiritual independence. Partly from this encouragement, the Akāli movement emerged, which secured the return of gurdwārās to Sikh control and remains committed to Sikh autonomy in the Puñjāb (Khālistān).

The communal nature of the Sikh religion is greatly emphasized by its institutions, with sevā (community service) being highly valued. Gurū Nānak had established the dharmsālā as a place of assembly, in distinction from Hindu temples, not least by including the langar as a basis for communal meals. The dharmsālā led to the gurdwārā (though Namdhāris retain the older name). Worship is simple compared with Hindu ritual; and kīrtan is prominent.