Hinduism and Sikhism
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Hinduism and Sikhism are
Links
Ideological
The roots of the Sikh tradition are, states Louis Fenech, perhaps in the
Some historians do not see evidence of Sikhism as simply an extension of the
Struggle against Mughals
During the Mughal Empire period, the Sikh and Hindu traditions believe that Sikhs helped protect Hindus from Islamic persecution, and this caused martyrdom of their Guru.[19] The Sikh historians, for example, record that the Sikh movement was rapidly growing in northwest India, and Guru Tegh Bahadur was openly encouraging Sikhs to, "be fearless in their pursuit of just society: he who holds none in fear, nor is afraid of anyone, is acknowledged as a man of true wisdom", a statement recorded in Adi Granth 1427.[20][21][22] While Guru Tegh Bahadur influence was rising, Aurangzeb had imposed Islamic laws, demolished Hindu schools and temples, and enforced new taxes on non-Muslims.[21][23][24]
According to records written by his son Guru Gobind Singh, the Guru had resisted persecution, adopted and promised to protect Kashmiri Hindus.[20][22] The Guru was summoned to Delhi by Aurangzeb on a pretext, but when he arrived with his companions, he was offered, "to abandon his faith, and convert to Islam",[20][22] but after refusing the demand of the Mughal emperor, Guru Tegh Bahadur and his companions were arrested and tortured for many weeks.[22][25][26] The Guru himself was beheaded in public.[21][27][28]
Beliefs
Concept of God
The oneness of God is at the core of
The description of God in
Sukhmani Sahib describes God as Nirguna and Sargun as well in the following words:
niragun aap saragun bhee ohee || kalaa dhaar jin sagalee mohee || apane charit prabh aap banaae || . ||8||18||
He Himself is absolute and unrelated; He Himself is also involved and related. Manifesting His power, He fascinates the entire world. God Himself sets His play in motion. [32]
Views on cattle
Guru Amar Das condemned atrocities against Brahmins and cattle. According to W. Owen Cole and P. S. Sambhi, an aggregate of evidence tentatively suggests that the Guru refrained from censuring Hindu traditions in order to induct Hindu followers.[33] Under Sikh rule, cow slaughter was punishable by death; the prohibiton was maintained by even the British after the annexation of Punjab to placate Hindu-Sikh sentiments.[34] Sikhs and Hindus traditionally held the cow as sacred due to their role in providing sustenance and haulage.[35]
Idol worship
Hindus accept the worship facilitated with images or
Sikhism prohibits idol worship,[40][36] in accordance with mainstream Khalsa norms and the teachings of the Sikh Gurus,[41] a position that has been accepted as orthodox.[42][43][44] The prohibition on idol worship is traceable in Sikhism since the early 20th century, a change led by the Tat Khalsa of the Singh Sabha Movement of late 19th-century.[43]
Heaven and Hell
According to Hinduism, the soul is sent to heaven or hell before it is sent back to a new reincarnation.[45] The souls are reborn into another being as per their karma.[46]
Sikhs believe that heaven and hell are also both in this world where everyone reaps the fruit of karma.[45] They refer to good and evil stages of life respectively and can be lived now and here during our life on Earth.[47]
Pilgrimage
Hinduism considers pilgrimage as helpful for one's spiritual development.[48] According to Karel Werner's Popular Dictionary of Hinduism, "most Hindu places of pilgrimage are associated with legendary events from the lives of various gods. Almost any place can become a focus for pilgrimage, but in most cases they are sacred cities, rivers, lakes, and mountains."[49]
Sikhism does not overtly promote pilgrimage as a religious practice.[48][50]
According to a study pubslihed by Madanjit Kaur, there exists documentary proof in the form of vahis (ledgers maintained by genealogists and priests at various places of pilgrimage) that Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh and his widows visited various Hindu tirthas, appointed their family purohits to those sites, and directed their followers to honor the appointed purohits.[51]
Śrāddha
Hindus offer Śrāddha every year in memory of their ancestors. On the corresponding day, the descendants invite the Brahmin and feed them in memory of their parents and grandparents, in the belief that this will give some benefit to the soul of their dead ancestors.[52]
According to
Auspicious days
According to certain shastras of Hinduism, some moments, days and lunar dates are regarded as auspicious. On all these days special rituals are observed.[53] It is a common practice in Hinduism to perform or avoid activities like important religious ceremonies on the basis of the quality of a particular muhurta. One or more Muhūrtas are recommended by the Vedic scriptures when performing rituals and other ceremonies.[54][55]
The Sikh Scripture,
Fasting
Sikhism does not regard fasting as a spiritual act. Fasting as an austerity or as a mortification of the body by means of willful hunger is discouraged in Sikhism. Sikhism encourages temperance and moderation in food i.e. neither starve nor over-eat.[57]
Caste system
There are four varnas within Hindu society.[59] Within these varnas, there are also many jati. The first is the Brahmin (teacher or priest), the second is the Kshatriya (ruler or warrior), the third is the Vaishya (merchant or farmer) and the fourth is the Shudra (servant or labourer). People who are excluded from the four-fold varna system are considered untouchables and are called Dalit.[60]
Asceticism
Hinduism has exalted asceticism because of the belief that ascetics live the pure life of spiritual attainment.[63] Sannyasa as a form of asceticism, is marked by renunciation of material desires and prejudices, represented by a state of disinterest and detachment from material life, and has the purpose of spending one's life in peaceful, love-inspired, simple spiritual life.[64][65]
While Sikhism treats lust as a sin, it at the same time points out that man must share the moral responsibility by leading the life of a householder. According to Sikhism, being God-centred while being a householder is better than being an ascetic. According to Sikhism, ascetics are not on the right path.[63]
Menstruation
Hindu traditions present varying opinions regarding menstruation. Tantric sects consider menstrual blood to be sacred and even incorporated it into certain rituals and practices. Several texts, including
On the contrary, many strict Menstruation laws are expressed in the Manusmriti. Any touch of the menstruating woman was deemed polluted, and if she touches any food item, that was also considered forbidden. To lie down in the same bed as a menstruating woman was also not allowed.[67][68] However, Manusmriti is only one among several other, approximated to be around 100,[a] Dharmaśāstra. These Hindu theological texts have differing views on the subject of Menstruation with some recognizing menstruation as a natural process.[69] The Vedas, the primary and most sacred Hindu texts do not put any such restrictions around menstruation. Menstruation is a natural process and is seen as sacred as it gives life. Menstruating women in the Vedic period were relieved from their regular duties to rest and be served by their family members. They would use their free time to pray, meditate and pursue any pastimes of their choice.[70]
Sikh scriptures acknowledge menstrual bleeding as an essential and natural process.
Animal sacrifice
The rituals of
Sikhism rejects the concept of sacrificing animals to appease God.
Beliefs regarding eclipse
According to Hinduism, Rahu is responsible for causing an eclipse. During an eclipse, cooked food should not be consumed.[79][80] Hindus wash off in the Ganges river (which is believed to be spiritually cleansing) directly following an eclipse to clean themselves.[81]
Yajna
Yajna refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.[82][71] Yajna has been a Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature called Brahmanas, as well as Yajurveda.[83]
There is no concept of
Similarities
- Both Hindus and Sikhs are cremated after death[85]
- Both believe in karma[86] although Sikhism does not necessarily infer a metaphysical soteriology similar to Hinduism[6][7]
- Both Sikhs and Hindus revere the concept of a guru[87] although the role and concept of a guru in Sikhism is different from that in Hinduism[88]
In 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.[89]
The notion of
Culture and intermarriage
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While organically related to Hinduism, with the religious philosophy of the Gurus showing both continuity with and reaction against earlier Hindu thought, the Sikh faith is a religion in its own right, with a strong sense of its own identity throughout its existence.[92][93] Some groups view Sikhism as a tradition within Hinduism along with other Dharmic faiths,[94] even though the Sikh faith is a distinct religion.[95] Historically, Sikhs were seen as the protectors of Hindus, among others, and were even considered by some right-wing Hindu political organizations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as the "sword arm" of Hinduism.[96][97] This status as protectors of Hindus was strong enough that Punjabi Hindus would sometimes raise their eldest son as a Sikh.[96]
Marriages between Sikhs and Hindus, particularly among Khatris,[92] are frequent.[92] Dogra states that there has always been inter-marriage between the Hindu Khatri and Sikh Khatri communities.[98][99] William Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi state that for Khatri Sikhs, intermarriage between Hindus and Sikhs of same community was preferable than other communities.[100]
Sikh scriptures are venerated by certain Hindu communities,[96] often by syncretic sects.
See also
- Nanakpanthi
- Udasi
- Sanatan Sikh
- Keshdhari Hindus
- Rashtriya Sikh Sangat
- Idolatry in Sikhism
- Sikhism and Jainism
- Hinduism and Jainism
- Sikhism and Islam
- Hinduism and Islam
Notes
- bhasya and digests that have survived. Currently, 18 major Dharmasastra texts are in existence.[citation needed]
References
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- ^ "Sikh world history". BBC. 30 September 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
Sikhism was born in the Punjab area of South Asia, which now falls into the present day states of India and Pakistan. The main religions of the area at the time were Hinduism and Islam. The Sikh faith began around 1500 CE, when Guru Nanak began teaching a faith that was quite distinct from Hinduism and Islam. Nine Gurus followed Nanak and developed the Sikh faith and community over the next centuries.
- ^ Sikhism and death BBC
- ^ Reincarnation and Sikhism (religion), Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ a b Chahal, Amarjit Singh (December 2011). "Concept of Reincarnation in Guru Nanak's Philosophy" (PDF). Understanding Sikhism – the Research Journal. 13 (1–2): 52–59. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
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Further reading
- K.P. Agrawala: Adi Shrî Gurû Granth Sâhib kî Mahimâ (Hindi: "The greatness of the original sacred Guru scripture")
- Rajendra Singh Nirala: Ham Hindu Hain, 1989. Ham Hindu Kyon, 1990. Delhi: Voice of India.
- Kahn Singh Nabha: Hum Hindu Nahin, Singh Brothers 2011
- E. Trumpp. Adi Granth or the Holy Scripture of the Sikhs, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi 1970.
- McLeod, W.H.:(ed.) Textual Sources for the Study of Sikhism. Manchester University Press, Manchester 1984., -: Who Is a Sikh? The Problem of Sikh Identity. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1989.
- Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries : Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition, University Of Chicago Press 1994.
- Rajendra Singh: Sikkha Itihâsa mein Râma Janmabhûmi.
- Swarup, Ram: Hindu-Sikh Relationship. Voice of India, Delhi 1985. -: Whither Sikhism? Voice of India, Delhi 1991.
External links
Quotations related to Hinduism and Sikhism at Wikiquote
