Sikhism- A Comparative Study of Its Theology and Mysticism

After the work of Macauliffe who introduced Sikhism to the Western world, this is the most comprehensive book on the subject. It is not only an intensive study of the gospel of the Sikh Gurus, but also compares and contrasts the doctrines and principles of Sikhism with those of the other higher religions of the world.

The fundamentals and the doctrines of the Sikh religion and its world-view have clearly and completely been embodied in the Guru Granth Sahib. Further, the Ten Masters (the Sikh Gurus) have in their lives, apart from demonstrating the principles of their religion, shown and led the path of the ideal life. Among the scriptures of the world, the Guru Granth Sahib has two singular distinctions.

It is the only scripture that has the words of the Gurus compiled and authenticated by the Prophet himself. Again, it is the only scripture that has been sanctioned by the Prophet (Tenth Nanak) as the sole Guru or guide of his followers as to their religion. And, yet, there are many misconceptions about Sikhism and its institutions.

The object of the book is two-fold: first, to explain the identity, unity and integrity of the Sikh gospel, and, secondly, to undertake on the basis of the essentials of each system, a classification of the principal religions of the world and in that context, to bring out the place of Sikhism among them.

Following a bright academic record, the Author had competed successfully for the Civil Services and retired as Secretary and Commissioner Education, Government of Punjab in 1969. After retirement he had devoted himself to the study of Comparative Religion and Sikhism in particular. His works include a number of books and numerous papers on the Religion of Guru Nanak. He had delivered Guru Nanak Memorial Lectures and Guru Tegh Bahadur Commemorative Lectures at the Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab. He had earned a reputation of being a most authentic and prolific exponent of Sikhism among the scholars of his times. His views on Sikh Theology are sound and unchallenged, being based entirely on the doctrines in the Guru Granth Sahib and the lives of the Gurus.

The fundamentals and the doctrines of the Sikh religion and its world-view have clearly and completely been embodied in the Guru Granth Further, the Ten Masters (the Sikh Gurus) have in their lives, apart from demonstrating the principles of their religion, shown and led the path of the ideal life. Among the scriptures of the world, the Guru Granth has two singular distinctions. It is the only scripture that has the words of the Gurus compiled and authenticated by the prophet himself. Again, it is the only scripture that has been sanctioned by the prophet (Tenth Nanak) as the sole Guru or guide of his followers as to their religion. And, yet, there are many misconceptions about Sikhism and its institutions. The reason for it is not far to seek. Seen in the Indian background, the Sikh religion is unique, extremely radical in its ideas and ideals, and entirely original in its approach to life. The Sikh Gurus have repudiated many of the concepts and ideas that form the basis of the earlier Indian religions. As the Indian tradition comprises a large and heterogeneous variety of systems, there is generally a chauvinistic tendency to regard Sikhism as a part and parcel of it. The Bhagavad Gita approves different paths for Moksha, including what are known as the ways of Jnana, Bhakti and Karma. Some authors feel that it is just a matter of aptitude and temperament that one person is attracted to the path of Jnana and the other to that of Bhakti or Karma.

Sikhism does not believe in any of these paths. Nor does it believe that there can be different paths for the ideal life; nor that the mode of religious worship or belief can be attuned to the temperament or the psyche of the seeker. The Sikh Gurus have laid only one path for man. It is the life of creative love in accordance with the Will of God. Therefore, persons viewing Sikhism as a growth of the Indian religious tradition will not only fail to understand it, but also misinterpret it. According to the Gurus they had a prophetic message to deliver and a mission to fulfil The object of the book is two-fold: first to explain the identity, unity and integrity of the Sikh gospel, and, secondly, to undertake, on the basis of the essentials of each system, a classification of the principal religions of the world and, in that context, to bring out the place of Sikhism among them. There is little doubt that the task needs to be done by a person abler and more learned than L. My only excuse for making this attempt is that it might provoke scholars to work and produce something with distinction and thoroughness. For, after Macauliffe brought out his monumental exposition of Sikhism, it is only in recent years that further research on the subject has been taken up. But, for obvious reasons, Macauliffe could not emphasise one aspect of Sikhism, viz., its spiritual role for breaking the shackles of man in all fields of human endeavour and for developing in him a truly religious personality.

What the Sikh Gurus did for the freedom of man is a well known fact of history. But, the din of political clamour has generally obliterated the role of the Sikhs for the human cause. Even under the worst political persecution of Mir Mannu, the Muslim tyrant of the north, when there was a price on every Sikh head, faith in the ultimate victory of their mission is epitomised in their slogan; Mannu is the sickle, we are the grass; the more he cuts us, the faster we grow. H.R. Gupta, while appraising the triumphant struggle of the Sikhs against the Muslim political oppression in the eighteenth century, calls it nothing short of a miracle. Again in the twentieth century, the contribution of the Sikhs in the fight for freedom against the British rule has been, in spite of their meagre population of less than 2% in India, great, out of all proportion to their numbers. Recently, during the period of the Emergency in 1975-77, more than forty-thousand persons, out of about a lac who were arrested in the country, were the Sikhs, even though the issues concerned only the rights and liberties of man and not those of the Sikh community as such. It was late in 1975 that a non-Sikh friend asked me, "What has happened to the Sikhs who had been created by the Gurus always to fight for righteousness everywhere, and even to lay down their lives for a just or human cause as the Gurus had taught them by their martyrdom? He felt disappointed that Sikhs with such a tradition had silently accepted the curbs of the Emergency. He was surprised when I informed him that the Sikhs were the only people who had been conducting a Morcha (resistance) against the Government, involving the arrest of thousands of them.

**Contents and Sample Pages**