[Article by Sonny Singh, courtesy of The Huffington Post - 11th October 2011]
This week, I join my fellow Sikhs around the world in celebrating the birth of Guru Nanak, a mystic poet, saint and revolutionary who was born in Punjab in 1469 and went on to found our faith.
Our history tells us that when he was about 30 years old, Guru Nanak disappeared for three days while bathing in a river. When he emerged, he stated, Na koi Hindu, Na Koi Mussalman — There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim.
This provocative statement wasn’t intended to be a critique of Hinduism or Islam. As Sikh scholar Nikki Guninder Kaur states, “Guru Nanak was not making a value judgment about, nor refuting, the religious life of the Hindus and Muslims of his day. He was pointing to the oneness of the Transcendent that translates into the oneness and equality of humanity.”
Guru Nanak saw religious divisions and rigidity as obstacles to the Divine. South Asia at the time was under the rule of the Mughal Empire, which was often at odds with the Hindu population. He saw a society brimming with hypocrisy, intolerance, caste oppression and sexism, all in the name of God. Guru Nanak traveled around Asia and the Middle East engaging the people he met about questions of God, religion, injustice and love, while singing his devotional poetry, accompanied by a Muslim musician, Bhai Mardana.
Five hundred and forty-two years after his birth, Guru Nanak’s message is more important than ever, as we as human beings grapple with rampant discrimination in its many forms. We Sikhs pride ourselves on being champions of equality and justice, inspired by the legacy of Guru Nanak.
Earlier this year, I was quite disappointed when the World Sikh Council, a “representative and elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras [Sikh houses of worship] and institutions in the US,” joined with other faith-based institutions to essentially champion injustice instead of equality. The organization lobbied President Obama to uphold the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA), a federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and woman. After the Obama Administration took a principled stance against DOMA in February, the World Sikh Council went so far as to co-sign a letter of protest to House Speaker John Boehner denouncing his decision.
While I take issue with the state having a role in defining what is and isn’t a legitimate relationship in general (and one’s romantic relationship defining whether or not they have access to certain legal protections and social services), it is nevertheless disheartening to see a Sikh institution — representing the legacy of Guru Nanak — aligning itself with such reactionary and anti-gay ideology, when Sikhism itself is a freedom-seeking, loving, open-minded philosophy and way of life.
Ik Onkar are the first words (written by Guru Nanak himself) in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scriptures, and the center of what it means to be a Sikh: Oneness of the Divine, Oneness of the Divine’s creation, Oneness of humanity. Our Gurus and our ancestors put everything on the line to establish a world that is inclusive of all people, religions and ways of life — a world in which all people were equal.
The World Sikh Council appears, in this case, to be fighting for a world quite contrary to this vision. As I reflect on the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee began debating the bill to repeal DOMA one week before Guru Nanak’s birthday, I find myself frustrated by the discriminatory actions of some who claim to speak for my community.
In some ways, the World Sikh Council reflects the homophobia I’ve witnessed in the Sikh community, which sometimes takes the form of someone saying, “This is not our issue,” as if to imply that all Sikhs are heterosexual or that we’re only concerned about some people’s oppression and suffering, but not all.
To the first point, sadly, just as in other religious communities, we have sometimes forced LGBT Sikhs to choose between their religion and their hearts. Clearly, this is not a dichotomy that should ever exist in Sikhism (or any religion for that matter).
To the second point, there’s an important concept in Sikhism called Sarbat da Bhala, which means working for the welfare and well-being of all people. This is a spiritual obligation for us Sikhs. We recite these words countless times, as they conclude one of the central Sikh prayers, Ardas (meaning “petition”).
Fortunately, many Sikhs are indeed embodying these words we say so often. A few months after the shooting and killing of two elderly Sikh men in Sacramento, Calif., in March, the Sacramento Sikh Temple offered a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator of a violent anti-gay hate attack in the same neighborhood. Twenty-six-year-old Seth Parker was punched in the face, suffering multiple facial fractures, while the attackers directed anti-gay slurs at him.
A spokesperson for the Gurdwara stated: “The Sikh Community condemns this disgusting attack motivated by ignorance and hate. In light of the recent murders of two Sikhs in Elk Grove and the hate crime conviction in Yolo County (of two men who attacked a Sikh taxi driver), we are especially sensitive to such crimes. We hope that our reward will help bring these criminals to justice.”
Now this is the kind of solidarity that is at the heart of what it means to be a Sikh.
Guru Nanak states: Jaano Jot Na Puucho, Jaati Aagai Jaat Na Hai — Recognize the Divine light within all, and do not consider social class or status; there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter.
The oppression of LGBT people is one of the most pervasive and accepted forms of subjugation today. Indeed, many individuals and institutions deem LGBT people a lower class or caste, justifying their discrimination with dogmatic rhetoric of what’s “natural,” “normal” and, in the case of the World Sikh Council’s letter to Speaker Boehner, what are true “American values.” This is no different than saying turbans are not truly American, so Sikhs should not be allowed to wear them in public. Oppression is oppression. Our struggles are intertwined.
Just as Guru Nanak said hundreds of years ago, “There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim,” perhaps today we can also say, “There is no straight, there is no gay.” Indeed, his message was ultimately that we are all One.
An anonymous article – London, UK
11th July 2011
There is the rose. The English rose. It is beautiful, sensual and represents all that is elegant and fragrant of what a flower ought to be. It is symbolic of a great nation. It is seen and used by many as an emblem. There are a number of varieties but the red rose is greatly favoured among others.
Now there are other flowers as well, which are equally sensual, tropical, beautiful, and bring great pleasure to many. Some say only the rose can bring pleasure like no other flower. But we have seen there are a variety of flowers, and when bunched together, they all look beautiful.
So are God’s creatures. We have the yellow skinned, black, brown, light brown, children, women, men, tall men, short men, fat men, fat women, tall women, heterosexuals, homosexuals, Sikhs, Christians, Muslims… All beautiful in their own right, but when put in a bunch of others like flowers they are even more fragrant and beautiful. When left alone because they are single parents, suffering, homosexuals, etc. Like flowers, they wonder and wither and waver and struggle alone.
Like flowers, our creator wanted us to be all together to learn and share, whatever the colour of our petals, because we are all His gracious creatures. It is no use for the orchard to pretend and struggle to be like the rose, because then as a rose she would be the symbol of the nation, brought by millions on Valentines day and celebrated. The orchard may struggle and even try, but it would be no use as she will still be an orchard. However, the orchard is still beautiful, is still elegant and will be even more respected if she stays as an orchard to true to herself and her faith.
Why am I writing this when I am a happily married mother of two? I have a few nephews, and I think one of them may be what others have described as ‘confused’. I suspect he is bisexual or homosexual. As a ‘massi’ I love him and want the best for him forever. I want him to be true to himself and I cannot say this to him, but I can write it, and write it for all the other nephews I have, for I do not now distinguish between my worldly family and spiritual family as a Sikh. Be true to yourself and do not destroy a girl’s life by trying to fit in to the pressures of society. It is far better to live the life you want than to live for others and struggle with your own life. Just imagine if, when Sikhs came to the UK decades ago, they lived the life of what English people wanted? We would have no Sikh faith or Gurdwaras in the UK. Have the same courage as those Sikhs. In the end, God created the bunch of flowers, not a single red rose. All his flowers are beautiful and precious to him.
Guruka Singh and Sikhnet have released a short video on the subject of homosexuality and Sikhism, and it is an enlightened response to the issue. Please watch the video and feel free to comment upon it below.
August 2010 has proven to be significant month for milestones for Sarbat.Net. Not only did we get our 200th member joining up for the message boards, but we also had the largest number of visitors to the website to date (almost 1500 people in the space of a single month).
Sarbat.Net would be nothing without the assistance and dedication of its service users, and we take this opportunity to thank you for all of the support given over the last 3 years to make the website what it is today – a thriving, growing, and developing community for LGBT Sikhs in the UK and around the world.
“Jithai avghat gallia bhiria, tithai har har mukat karai”
“Where the path is difficult and the street is narrow, that is where God will liberate you”
p.996 of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Ram Das Ji
By J. Singh 9th February 2009
Guru Nanak, the first of the Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism, lived from 1469 to 1539. During that time, he travelled as far afield as Baghdad and Mecca in the West and China and Tibet in the East, as well as the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent. These travels were known as the Udasis or ‘Journeys’, and the Guru spent the majority of his life on such travels. Stories concerning the Guru’s travels are contained within documents known as the Janamsakhis (literally ‘birth stories’), which purport to be the biographical accounts of Guru Nanak’s life.
The Janamsakhis are comparable to the Gospels in Christianity in that both sets of accounts were collated and written up some considerable time after the events that they purport to describe, and both are subject to discrepancies due to the period of time which had passed before their compilation and the personal perspectives of the individuals who wrote those accounts, as well as the possible manipulation and falsification of events. However, just as the Gospels provide an allegorical basis for Christian theology, so do the Janamsakhis provide a narrative setting for Guru Nanak’s teachings and beliefs. The Janamsakhis are important within Sikhism as historical documents because they show how the early Sikh community relied upon stories to provide a basis and an explanation for abstract beliefs as set out within the present-day Guru Granth Sahib in much the same way as the Hindu community sought such theological explanation from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, even if the Janamsakhis cannot be entirely relied upon for their historical accuracy.
The main Janamsakhis, and the ones that are best known amongst Sikhs, are:
Although Bhai Bala’s Janamsakhi has been criticised by modern historians for its inconsistencies with the other Janamsakhis and its veracity has been brought into question, with some historians questioning whether Bhai Bala ever travelled with Guru Nanak, it is still the most popular of the Janamsakhis and Bhai Bala has been elevated to the pantheon of Guru Nanak’s associates within the communal Sikh consciousness.
There are also various other Janamsakhis which are known to exist and which give accounts which are not to be found in any other Janamsakhi. One such Janamsakhi is the B40 Janamsakhi, which is dated 1790 Sakranti (1733 A.D.). Sikh historians in Punjab appear to have known of the existence of this particular Janamsakhi in the late 19th Century, but it was only following the acquisition of the Janamsakhi by the India Office Library in London in 1907 that it finally came under scrutiny. The Janamsakhi was filed in the India Office Library catalogue under the reference number ‘MS Panj B40’, hence its name. The B40 Janamsakhi has, in recent years attracted much attention due to the fact that it contains perhaps the greatest variety of stories than any of the other known Janamsakhis and in a multitude of Indian dialects, which seem to suggest that it has taken stories concerning Guru Nanak from a wide range of sources.[1]
One of the stories contained within the B40 Janamsakhi concerns a visit by Guru Nanak to Baghdad. It is illustrated with a picture of Guru Nanak, Mardana (his devoted Muslim disciple and companion), and a bearded younger man wearing a woman’s outfit which appears to be a red Punjabi-style suit. [2]
Guru Nanak, Mardana and Sheikh Sharaf
Description of Painting in Gurmukhi and English
The English translation of the accompanying story reads as follows:[3] ‘Once Baba [Nanak] visited the city of Baghdad [where] he observed Sheikh Sharaf wearing the sixteen adornments [that a woman traditionally applied to herself in order to attract her lover]. [He was clad in] female garments and arrayed in all manner of jewellery. To his eyes he had applied black eye-shadow (anjan) and his hands he had stained red with henna. He sang ghazals in the bazaar and drew enormous crowds.
“What dress is this which you have adopted, Sheikh?”, asked Baba [Nanak]. “I have not found my Beloved,” he answered. “To find my Beloved I have adorned [myself] in this manner.” “Sheikhji,” said Baba [Nanak], “the [Divine] Husband takes no pleasure in such attire. It is Truth that he seeks and adoring love that He desires. That which pleases Him is something unusual. If it pleases Him then no matter how [a man] may pour himself out in years of service the service of his entire lifetime is fruitless if he imagines himself to be worth anything. [On the other hand] if [a man] commits the sins of innumerable existences and then, if the Master so wills, meets one who has attained Truth then he is save. It is [dependant on] the favour of the Master. Whatever He desires, that He performs. But you sing ghazals – sing something for us.”
Sheikh [Sharaf] sang [two compositions] in Dhanasari raga:
Rag Dhanasari Everyday I ask the Brahman astrologer When shall I find my Beloved? When shall I be set free from the misery of separation? I am in torment, O mother; my spirit burns. I have not beheld my Master; both [my] eyes are filled [with tears]. Every day I despatch the crow [with a message for my beloved]. At night I count the stars, unable to sleep. As the piedcrested cuckoo cries [for the rain-drop] so I cry [for my Beloved]. Without my Beloved I cannot endure a moment. As the kulang separated [from its mate] cries [in anguish], As the fish deprived of water writhes [in agony, So do I suffer the absence of my Beloved] Hasten not, Sheikh Sharaf. The one who yearns [for union with the Beloved] will suffer not one wound [but many]. O mad one, have you forgotten [the joy of the Master’s] presence?
Rag Dhanasari Everyday I ask the Brahman astrologer When shall I find my Beloved? When shall I be set free from the misery of separation?
I am in torment, O mother; my spirit burns. I have not beheld my Master; both [my] eyes are filled [with tears].
Every day I despatch the crow [with a message for my beloved]. At night I count the stars, unable to sleep. As the piedcrested cuckoo cries [for the rain-drop] so I cry [for my Beloved].
Without my Beloved I cannot endure a moment. As the kulang separated [from its mate] cries [in anguish], As the fish deprived of water writhes [in agony, So do I suffer the absence of my Beloved]
Hasten not, Sheikh Sharaf. The one who yearns [for union with the Beloved] will suffer not one wound [but many]. O mad one, have you forgotten [the joy of the Master’s] presence?
Rag Dhanasari Lay yourself in a mill and grind yourself; Boil your limbs in dye; As your body is dyed like a cloth, So is [your spirit] steeped in the fast colour of the divine Name. Thus is drunk the cup of love, [And thus] does one live in this world a life of obedience. (Refrain) [As a brick is] fired in a kiln; [As] cotton is teased; [As] a sesame seed is squazed in an oil-press; So [by like suffering] is the light [of understanding] kindled [in the man]. [Steel] is heated in the fire of a furnace; It endures beating by a hammer on an anvil; [Finally it] is rendered beautiful by the burnisher. Be the tree from which [the Master’s] rabab is made; Be slaughtered like a goat [sacrificed to him]. What is the value of futile discussion? This is the song which Sharaf sings.
Rag Dhanasari Lay yourself in a mill and grind yourself; Boil your limbs in dye; As your body is dyed like a cloth, So is [your spirit] steeped in the fast colour of the divine Name.
Thus is drunk the cup of love, [And thus] does one live in this world a life of obedience. (Refrain)
[As a brick is] fired in a kiln; [As] cotton is teased; [As] a sesame seed is squazed in an oil-press; So [by like suffering] is the light [of understanding] kindled [in the man].
[Steel] is heated in the fire of a furnace; It endures beating by a hammer on an anvil; [Finally it] is rendered beautiful by the burnisher.
Be the tree from which [the Master’s] rabab is made; Be slaughtered like a goat [sacrificed to him]. What is the value of futile discussion? This is the song which Sharaf sings.
Baba [Nanak] then gave his reply:
Rag Dhanasari I have come to the door of submission; I have invited the Master into my abode. If the Master so pleases He gathers me in His embrace. 1. In doing this, O mother, I found Him Eyes filled [with tears of joy] I beheld [my] beloved and was at peace. (Refrain) He considered neither my virtue nor my iniquity. He observed neither my appearance nor physical beauty. To him who entered my dwelling I gave my love. 2. As the chakvi duck gazing at the sun finds bliss; Like the piedcrested cuckoo which received the raindrop, so is my heart enraptured, [For] I have met my Beloved and found [the supreme] happiness. How can my value be accounted! 3. Nanak says, thus does one find delight in the Master. When a dumb man tastes nectar he can but smile. He who has drunk it – he it is who knows! 4. [4]
Rag Dhanasari I have come to the door of submission; I have invited the Master into my abode. If the Master so pleases He gathers me in His embrace. 1.
In doing this, O mother, I found Him Eyes filled [with tears of joy] I beheld [my] beloved and was at peace. (Refrain)
He considered neither my virtue nor my iniquity. He observed neither my appearance nor physical beauty. To him who entered my dwelling I gave my love. 2.
As the chakvi duck gazing at the sun finds bliss; Like the piedcrested cuckoo which received the raindrop, so is my heart enraptured, [For] I have met my Beloved and found [the supreme] happiness. How can my value be accounted! 3.
Nanak says, thus does one find delight in the Master. When a dumb man tastes nectar he can but smile. He who has drunk it – he it is who knows! 4. [4]
Sheikh Sharaf touched his feet [and cried], “Wondrously fortunate am I that one so great should have visited me! [Truly] you are the refuge of the poor. Be merciful [to a worthless wretch].”
Baba [Nanak] looked graciously upon him, where upon Sheikh was purged of human understanding and endued with divine reason. The very hairs of his body stood erect and ecstasy came [upon him]. In everything that he could see he perceived God – in everything that existed, both visible and concealed. Baba [Nanak] departed joyfully and going to another place, rested there.’
Sufi teachings and qawalis (songs) are filled with plaintive images of the singer or writer being the bride of an absent lover (God) with whom the bride desired to be reunited, and for whom the pain of being separated is too great to bear. This story appears to take this to a literal reality, by showing a Sufi teacher going to the extent of dressing as a bride in order to attract God’s attention. Guru Nanak’s teaching to him is that it is not necessary to go to such an extreme in order to achieve unity with God, and that God can be found everywhere once one gains divine enlightenment. When Guru Nanak says that God ‘takes no pleasure in such attire’, it is not a condemnation of wearing the outfit but rather an explanation of why it is not necessary to wear such garments in order to please or be united with God.
The B40 Janamsakhi was completed in 1733, some 25 years after Guru Gobind Singh’s death, and the painting itself shows that cross-dressing was not unknown during the era of the Gurus, even if the historical accuracy of this particular painting and the accompanying story are highly doubtful. Guru Nanak had travelled extensively during his Udasis, and it is again likely that Guru Nanak met people who were cross-dressers or who had same-sex relationships. However, the absence within any Sikh literature, even within the context of this story within the B40 Janamsakhi, of condemnation of cross-dressing per-se or same-sex relationships seems to suggest that the Gurus considered such lifestyles to be irrelevant to living a life as a Sikh. According to this story, Guru Nanak teaches that the importance to living the life of a Sikh is living a life dedicated to Truth and being humble enough to appreciate that all is dependent on the grace of God.
A leaflet has been produced as a resource on Sikhism and attitudes towards sexuality, marriage, and same-sex relationships.
Please feel free to print out the leaflet.
Click here for the leaflet
11th April 2008
On April 13th each year, Sikhs around the world celebrate the festival of Vaisakhi. Although originally the north Indian spring harvest festival, Vaisakhi has come to be seen by most people as the birthday of the Sikh religion in its present form. It is a time of contemplation, of renewing one’s religious beliefs, and of celebrating the Sikh faith. Vaisakhi is also significant in that it relates to the identity of Sikhs in many respects, and it is that aspect which is perhaps the most important of this festival. In order to appreciate how and why Vaisakhi is a festival of Sikh identity and the ramifications of such a festival of identity, one needs to looks at the historical context of Vaisakhi.
Since the days of Guru Amar Das, the Third Guru, it was customary for Sikhs to assemble at the residence of the Guru on the days of Diwali and Vaisakhi when the Guru would make announcements and explain developments within the Sikh faith. Pilgrims would travel to wherever the Guru had established as his home and would listen intently to the Guru’s teachings. It’s not entirely clear why the days of Vaisakhi and Diwali were chosen, but it would not be wrong to assume that they were selected as Sikhs throughout the subcontinent would be fully aware of when those festivals would take place and also because the two festivals have an approximate gap of about six months, providing a natural biannual division.
Since the torture and subsequent death of the Fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev, in 1606, the Sikhs had been under increased persecution from the Mughal authorities. Guru Hargobind, the Sixth Guru and the son of Guru Arjan Dev, introduced the ideology of Miri-Piri to Sikhism – the belief that religion has both a political and spiritual basis in the world, both of which coexist and neither of which is superior over the other. This concept was represented at the investiture of Guru Hargobind in 1606 by his wearing two swords on either side of his person. Guru Hargobind established the Akal Takht as the political equivalent of the Darbar Sahib (‘Golden Temple’), and its positioning opposite the Darbar Sahib itself is of significance. Guru Hargobind’s legacy was the introduction of a distinct Sikh identity at the start of the 17th Century, that of the individual who is both spiritual and a warrior when necessary, the Saint-Soldier, but that identity needed to be strengthened as became apparent towards the end of the 17th Century.
In the winter of 1675, the son of Guru Hargobind and the Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded in Chandni Chowk in the heart of Old Delhi. After his death, the body of the Guru was left in public, albeit under guard, and no Sikh was willing to come forward to claim the body. In fact, the body and the head of the Guru were only taken by Sikhs under the cover of a heavy dust storm whereby those individuals could avoid being identified. The Tenth Guru was left with the task of consolidating the Sikh faith, and the fact that the Sikhs of Delhi had been too afraid to come forward to claim the body of his father must surely have not been too far from the Guru’s mind when he was considering the various ways of taking the religion forward.
On the day of Vaisakhi in 1699, it became clear that the response of Guru Gobind Rai (as he was known then) to the death of his father and the loss of a great spiritual leader was to create a unique identity for the Sikh community, and he did so by initiating the Khalsa. The Khalsa, or the ‘Brotherhood of the Pure’, is recognised as the core of the Sikh religion, and the Tenth Guru changed his own name from ‘Gobind Rai’ to Gobind Singh’ as he too joined the Khalsa, earning the epithet of ‘aapay gur chella’ – ‘He himself is the Guru become disciple’. Upon joining the Khalsa, one is not allowed to remove or cut the hair on one’s body, one is to wear the Five K’s or indicators of the Khalsa at all times, one is not to partake in any intoxicants, and one is to live one’s life as the embodiment of the Tenth Guru along with following a number of other conditions. Guru Gobind Singh’s aim was to create a fearless brotherhood of spiritual men and women who would fight in the name of justice and equality and who would be recognisable by their appearance, thus preventing a repeat of the fear that seemed to grip the Sikhs at the time of the death of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Vaisakhi is celebrated today as a confirmation of one’s own religious identity and a rededication of one’s faith as well as a birthday for the Sikh religion. In that same vein, Vaisakhi is a time of year when one looks at one’s own identity and considers what it means to be a Sikh. It is quite easy to forget the gift of identity that Guru Gobind Singh bestowed upon Sikhs, and when the issue of sexuality comes into the equation, it can make that identity even more fraught. Over 300 years have passed since the Khalsa was created and yet the turban, long hair and unshorn beard remain the distinguishing features for many Sikh men, as well as the middle names of Kaur (‘Princess’) for Sikh women and Singh (‘Lion’) for Sikh men.
The keeping of long hair and beards for men is probably the most difficult aspect of Sikhism for many people to maintain in the present day, and this is particularly the case for those individuals who are gay. The pressure is usually on gay men to look a certain way and follow the fashions and trends for that part of the world, and being a ‘Keshdhari’ Sikh (‘one who keeps uncut hair’) goes against the grain of that way of thinking. This often causes gay Keshdhari Sikh men specifically to turn against their religious beliefs, with many deciding to cut their hair in order to fit in with what it means to be gay in the 21st Century. Some have come to see the keeping of long hair and the wearing of a turban to be a restriction imposed upon their identity, especially at a time when turbans and long beards are associated in the Western World with fundamentalist Islamic beliefs rather than with Sikhism.
To say that it is not easy to be both a Keshdhari Sikh and a gay man would be an understatement. Some view the keeping of long hair as being irreconcilable with life as a gay man or woman in that it sets him or her apart from the majority of gay people on account of their external appearance, making that individual feel like an outsider when he or she may be looking for acceptance from within the gay community. However, the idea of keeping long hair is again tied up with the concept of Sikh identity. It is the idea of being unafraid of recognition, of standing out from the crowd, and of being proud of one’s heritage and identity. Rather than wanting to join the masses and look the same as the majority of gay men and women, Keshdhari Sikhs should be proud that their long hair make them instantly recognisable and memorable amongst those masses. Having a unique identity is a definite advantage in the present day where one interacts with countless identical-looking individuals on a daily basis that one would have difficulty in otherwise recalling.
Keshdhari Sikhs should also bear in mind the sacrifices that were made by Sikhs throughout history in order to protect the freedom of all religions, not just Sikhism, as was evident by Guru Tegh Bahadur’s beheading whilst protecting the rights of religious practice for the Kashmiri Hindus. Such sacrifices were often symbolic too, as in the case of the Sikhs who refused to have their hair cut and instead were scalped to protect the integrity of their religious beliefs. Sikhs have a rich history which is intertwined with their identity, a history which can be easily overlooked at times.
Vaisakhi should be celebrated as the festival of one’s personal as well as religious identity. Being Keshdhari Sikh and gay are not incompatible ways of being. The identity that one has can be changed if one so wishes, but before one considers changing it one should look at the reasons behind that identity and then determine whether such a change is worth making. Guru Gobind Singh gave Sikhs their present identity, and it is ours to keep or discard as we so wish. However, one should remember that whilst fashions will come and go over time, the teachings of the Gurus will not change and the Guru in the form of the Guru Granth Sahib will always be accessible to Sikhs and non-Sikhs, Keshdhari and non-Keshdhari alike.
A very happy Vaisakhi to everyone.
By J. Singh 21st November 2007
Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the founder of Sikhism. Although it is believed that Guru Nanak was actually born sometime around the festival of Vaisakhi in April 1469[1], his birth is traditionally celebrated 15 days after Diwali in accordance with the lunar calendar. In 2007, this anniversary will take place on 24th November.
It was exactly 500 years ago in 1507 that the Guru began to preach his beliefs throughout central and southern Asia. The fundamentals of Guru Nanak’s philosophy are the belief in one God for the whole of mankind, that all religions are pathways to that same God, that all equal regardless of caste or gender, education for all, and the creation of an inclusive society by the redistribution of wealth. If looked at from a secular and socio-political viewpoint, Guru Nanak can been seen as a predecessor to Marx and Engels.
Guru Nanak’s travels as a preacher took him as far afield as Mecca, Baghdad, Tibet, and Sri Lanka. There are numerous accounts of Guru Nanak’s travels that have collated in the Janamsakhis (literally ‘birth stories’). These accounts were written in the aftermath of the death of Guru Nanak, and in that respect are quite similar to the Gospels relating to Jesus within the Christian tradition. Although the historical veracity of some of the Janamsakhis is questionable, they provide information as to the context of Guru Nanak’s teachings as well as provide vivid illustrations of his teachings in action. The Janamsakhis also have their basis within the legends and oral tradition concerning Guru Nanak passed on from generation to generation.[2]
One of the most famous of these stories or legends concerns a visit by Guru Nanak, accompanied by his faithful friend Mardana, to Eminabad in present-day Pakistan. Whilst there, Guru Nanak decided to stay with a low caste individual called Bhai Lallo who was an impoverished but hard working carpenter. Bhai Lallo shared his humble food with the Guru and Mardana for the duration of their stay with him. After a few days at Bhai Lallo’s home, Guru Nanak was invited by a wealthy government official of the same caste as himself called Malak Bhago to a feast that was being held in honour of all eminent individuals in the area. It should be noted here that Guru Nanak was born into a Hindu family.
Guru Nanak refused the invitation and Malak Bhago, who was angered at that refusal, ordered the Guru to attend his property and explain the refusal. The Guru asked Bhai Lallo to come with him to Malak Bhago’s home and to bring a chapatti with him. When he was questioned by Malak Bhago as to why he continued to stay at the home of someone who was of a lower caste and bring shame upon his own caste by his actions by refusing to dine with his own caste, Guru Nanak replied that he wanted a chapatti from Malak Bhago.
The chapatti was placed in a plate before him, and Guru Nanak then asked Bhai Lallo to give him the chapatti that he had made at home. The Guru then proceeded to squeeze both of the chapattis. The chapatti from Malak Bhago produced droplets of blood whilst the chapatti from Bhai Lallo gave droplets of milk. The astonished crowd asked what this meant. Guru Nanak’s reply was that Bhai Lallo was a hard working and dedicated worker who lived a pure life, and this was reflected in his food. Malak Bhago, however, earned his living through the blood, sweat and tears of others by corrupt and dishonest means, and again this was reflected in his feast.[3]
Another story related to Guru Nanak states that he stayed at the home of a leper during his travels as no-one else was willing to accommodate the Guru in that area, and as a result of the Guru’s stay, the leper was cured of his leprosy.
The Janamsakhis also give an account of Guru Nanak visiting the home of an excessively wealthy man who had several flags outside of his home, each of which represented 100,000 rupees that he had accumulated. Guru Nanak asked the man to carry a needle into the next world for him, and when the reply came that it was impossible for the needle to carried after one has died, the Guru then asked how he expected his wealth to follow him after his death. The man, understanding what the Guru had meant, then redistributed a portion of his wealth to the poor in his area.[4]
Regardless of what one’s view is of the miracles attributed to Guru Nanak, the general theme to be taken from these stories is that all people should be treated as equal, that one should work hard in one’s life in order to reap honest rewards, that one should contribute to society in whatever way possible, and that one should never shirk from one’s responsibility to others.
Guru Nanak’s philosophy and teachings continue to have resonance today. It is only by treating individuals as equals that a truly inclusive society can exist. In that context, shunning or judging people because of their sexuality, for example, is morally wrong and contradicts Guru Nanak’s teachings. Guru Nanak challenged the prejudices that existed in society in 16th century Southern and Central Asia. Five hundred years may have passed since Guru Nanak commenced his travels, but many of those prejudices are still strong and new prejudices have emerged over time, such as homophobia.
The only way that such prejudices can be challenged is through egalitarianism and education. These prejudices will fade over time, just as caste is no longer a major barrier to employment or success in one’s life.[5] The question is how a society can be truly egalitarian in the way that Guru Nanak envisioned it to be whilst inequalities continue to be perpetuated by individuals.
Sikhism is a reformist religion, closer in many respects to Socialism than to some other belief systems. By allowing Sikhism to become a conservative rather than a progressive movement, it is a rejection of Guru Nanak’s stance on equality for all. In one of his earliest compilations, Guru Nanak stated that:
Virtue and Vice do not come by mere words, Actions repeated over and over again are engraved on the soul [6]
Until we heed these words, live by these teachings and act to make society truly egalitarian, Guru Nanak’s message of equality will continue to fall on deaf ears. It is up to each of us, collectively and as individuals, to take action and ensure that this message of equality becomes more than just a mere message and is transformed into a reality.