Guru Nanak (1469-1539 AD) laid the
foundation of Sikhism during the fifteenth century. Nanak announced his mission
‘There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim`. To Nanak, truth was god, the True
Creator. He created institutions through which his followers could practise
what he preached. Sikhism is based on the principles of Guru’s philosophy. “Sikhism
is the advice given in the philosophy of the Guru”
Where can one find the philosophy of
the Guru? It is found in the Word of the Guru. In the Gurbani word is the Guru and the philosophy of the Guru Nanak. “Word is
Guru, Consciousness and intention toward it make one its disciple”
It contains hymns to the glory of
God written the Gurus and by various Hindu and Muslim Saints subscribing to the
same line of thinking as the Sikh Gurus. The Guru Granth Sahib contains the utterance
first five Guru and Guru Teg Bahadur Ji and some of Bhatt and Saints who
revolted against the ancient mythology and rituals. “The
Granth is the Enlightener. The noble people discuss the characteristics of the
Almighty and the philosophy in the congregation”
The Sikh (The word Sikh is Punjabi
from of Sanskrit word Shiksha, which means a learner or a disciple) Gurus
initiated the institution of Gurdwara. A building where the Congregation of the
follower is held in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib is in general called
Gurdwara. Gurdwara system became a great institute where the Sikhs can get
together to deliberate on the Sikhism philosophy, future of Sikhism, Social
work, scope of social interactions and interventions and their life problems.
It is a place where they eat together without any discrimination of caste,
creed, colour, sex, social status, etc. in a Langar hall. Sikhism gave us a unique philosophy that is
scientifically and logically very sounds having universal acceptability. In that
chaotic condition of society, Guru Nanak and his nine successors in Guruship
worked to redefine the religious and social values of humankind. Freedom from
economic oppression and uplift of the economically disadvantaged was their main
thrust. Gurdwara performed as one of the platforms for the social uplift of
mass.
Sikhism is one of the youngest
religion in the world. A majority of its followers live in the northern part of
India in Punjab and Delhi. It would be appropriate to broadly review the basic
principles of Sikhism, the teachings of its Gurus and its economic philosophy.
The basic requirements of any individual are food, clothing, shelter and
adequate supply of money for ancillary activities like education. Sikhs believe
that God, the Creator of this world, has supplied all this in plenty for all
the creation in the world. The History of the Sikh Panth is truly a saga of sacrifice
for the great cause of the Brotherhood of Humanity. It is a galaxy of heroes,
each more inspiring than the other.
Community Kitchen (Langar)
Langar in Gurdwara is a community kitchen.
Basically, Langar means to provide
food to all devotees and pilgrims. Subsequently, the Langar took on an institution form and became a part of the Sikh
Gurdwara. Every Sikh is expected to contribute to it either by donating
foodstuff or by participating in the cooking and distribution of the food. The
community has pay for the expenses, bring provisions or personally contribute
labour of love, by cleaning utensils, fetching water or fuel, or taking a hand
in cooking and distributing food. Langar
is one of the corners of the Sikhism and a symbol of equity and equality.
Langar is a Persian word, which means a
public kitchen established by a noble person for their followers and
dependents. Meaning of Langar is an
asylum for the poor and the destitute or a house or monastery of the Sufi Dervishes.
In India, Guru Nanak Dev Ji started Langar. The Guru desired that every Sikh
should share his food with others, Nanak called it “Wand Chhakna” and
their kitchen should be open to all. Guru Nanak set up a Gurdwara of bread at Kartar Pur Where people
brought corn and fuel and worked together to prepare an everyday meal for the
whole community. Nanak took practical steps to break the vicious hold of caste
by starting free community kitchens – Guru Ka Langar - in all centres and persuading his
followers, irrespective of their castes, to eat together. In addition to the ideals of equality,
the tradition of Langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community,
inclusiveness and oneness of all humankind. "The Light of God is in all
hearts."
Guru Angad extended the Langar and personally served in it. Langar in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is. “The Langar- the kitchen of the Guru’s Sabd
has been opened, and its supplies never run short. Balwand says that Khivi, the Guru’s wife, is a noblewoman,
who gives soothing, leafy shade to all. She distributes the bounty of the
Guru’s Langar; the kheer – the
rice pudding and ghee, is like
sweet ambrosia. The faces of the Guru’s Sikhs are radiant and bright; the
self-willed Manmunkhs are pale,
like straw. The master gave his approval when Angad exerted himself heroically.
Such is the husband of mother Khivi;
he sustains the world.”
Guru Amar Das turned it into an
institution and ordered that all who came to see him must first sit in a row in
the community kitchen, then seek the company of the Guru. “Pahle Pangat, Pacche Sangat” Food first, congregation next. The
Guru included a common mode of worship and a common social institute by laying
the foundation of Sangat and Pangat. Sangat means “association”, it
is getting together of noble and good people. Sangat constitutes a unit of the Sikh religious organization. Pangat literally means the same row. It
stands for people sitting and eating together in the same row in Guru- ka-Langar.
Sikh institutions are organizations
and practices established by Sikh Guru and later by Sikh Sangat to promote the Sikh way of life. From the time of Guru
Nanak, Sangat and Pangat have gone together, for the
Sikhs, both in percept as well as in practice.
Wherever there was a Sangat
there also was a Langar, as these Sangat
were’ not merely places of worship but also wayside refectories, which gave
food and shelter to indigent wayfarers. Apart from promoting social equality,
the Langar eliminated taboos about chauka - the preparation of food in a
special enclosure etc. Guru Gobind Singh Ji says ‘the kitchen and the Sword
prevail in the World’. Deg to feed the
poor and the stranger, regardless of caste and religion, It Symbolically Stands for the Free
Kitchen. “Teg” the Sword, to destroy the
oppressor of humanity and protect the oppressed, represents dignity and power. “A poor man’s mouth is the Guru’s treasure
chest’ is a common belief among the Sikhs”.
When a devotee comes to Gurdwara he
has to touch their forehead to the floor before Sri Guru Granth Sahib. There is a box in front of the canopy where
worshipers can place their offerings- of money or food for the Langar, now they
have a receipt for Langar and another box in the front of Langar hall also. All
the major places of worship maintain a free kitchen twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week, where any person irrespective of his religion, colour or creed is
welcome to eat.
Social Aspect
Religion is one of the primary
institutions of human society. Emile Durkheim’s view, it was through religion that
men first became able to think about society. If religion has given birth to
all that is essential in society, it is because the idea of society is the soul
of religion.
In Sikhism, the socio-economic
universe is declared to be the proper moral universe and consequently. We would
be interested to discover the nature of social relationship held by it as
desirable. The concept of
Community service is very strong “among” the Sikh devout who irrespective of
their status or station in life considers it their proud privilege and service
to God to volunteer time for the various services organized by Gurdwara. The
Sikh Gurus incessantly worked for social regeneration of society, making
Sikhism a religion on social action aimed at the well-being of humanity without
any distinction of caste and class, language and creed, community and country.
Sikh Gurus wanted to restructure society
on a sound basis. They gave new ideas and provided new interpretation to the
exiting tenets so as to bring a total change in outlook on life. Religious values provide springs of
inspiration and action but these typical values became functional when
institutionalised. Religious ideas and religious institutions both also have a
bearing on economic development. Nanak
says, “If you have virtues expose them and use them. If your friends also have
virtues, then share with them. One should share virtue and discord evil
characteristics.”
The Sikh Gurdwara is not only places
of worship but also the training centre of service. The crowd reflected the
secular democracy of faith. Gurdwara is a shelter to the shelterless,
providing food for the hungry, and a signpost of the Sikh Gurus who preached
the oneness of the human race and equality of all men. Such service
as sweeping the precincts, serving drinking water to the thirsty, fanning the
congregation in hot weather and serving food to the hungry has always formed an
integral part of the factions in a Sikh Gurdwara. Of these, Langar is perhaps the most important. A
Sikh Gurdwara without a free kitchen is inconceivable. “Dānā pānī guru kā,
tehal sevā sikhān dī”
Food and Drink are the gifts of the
Guru, Service and devotion contributed by his servitors. The exploitation of
man by man is regarded as the very negation of godliness. It set up the
institutions of holy congregation ‘sangat’
and community kitchen ‘Langar’ to
eliminate all social distinctions and moulded a collectively called the Sikh Panth. In term of Social Equality,
Guru Gobind Singh says, Realise that the human race is one. Guru Sahib did not
confine only in preaching equality, but put it in practice also, for continuity
of that purpose, he introduced three institutions, a congregation without any discrimination, to dine while sitting in row
in Langar, Common bathing tank, in those days low caste people were not permitted
to take water from common source. Ram Das say, “Ram das sarover nahate,
uttre sab pap kamate”.
The successive Gurus strengthened
and consolidated the institutions and through them sought to promote a feeling
of togetherness in the growing community. An intimate concern to earn his
livelihood through honest means, to share his earnings with others, and to
always remember his Creator, Nanak given three basic commandments to do honest labour, to distribute among
fellow beings and always remember God in memory.
The installation of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the Sikh Scripture and
finally as the Guru, the system of dioceses and pastors the system of the contribution
of one-tenth of one’s income for community’s well-being, the baptism by the
sword, the installations of sangat and
Langar. The concept of
dasvandh was implicit in Guru Nanak’s own line, “He alone, O Nanak, knoweth
the way who eats out of what he earneth by his honest labour and yet shareth
part of it with others” Duswandh, a majority of Sikhs consider it
their duty to donate up to 10 per cent of their income to the house of God. All
these funds are used for the uplift of the poor and the needy in the manner
stated above thus alleviating their sufferings, reducing their poverty and helping
them in time of need
Guru Nanak Dev says “Nanak
is found among the lowest caste, what he has to do with the high and mighty?
Wherever the lowliest are looked after, there lies the grace of Almighty God. Thus he declared all human beings are one and the same. No person is high
or low because of his or her birth, caste, religion or race”. Guru Nanak Dev, what are you proud of your
religion? For a test, consume poison and show, how it can save you from death? The
sovereignty of God is known to be true throughout all the ages. He, who obeys
the Lord’s will, becomes noble in his court. Social equality has been examined
in this context from four aspects, Relations among economic classes, Status of
women in society, Universal brotherhood, Sprit of Service.
Service in Sikhism is
imperative for social life. Service to the Society is the most excellent and
sublime penance of penances. In the former case, it is normally focused on the
Gurdwara and involves cash donations, contributions of food to the Langar, or
such unpaid duties as reading the scripture, cleaning the premises, polishing
the shoes of worshippers, or helping in the Langar. It is a means to acquiring
the highest merit. The Sikh often prays to god for a chance to render service. According to Guru Amar Das, He who is turned
towards the Guru finds repose and joy in Service. It is largely due to their
pervasive influence, that people in Punjab are much less caste conscious than
those in other parts of the country; the spirit of selfless service, of ‘Karseva’ is still strong among them, and
who can deny the glowing sacrifices they made in the cause of India’s freedom?
Sikh faith is karseva under
which free labour and Sangat provides resources for the building and
maintenance of Gurdwara and other structures of public utility. It is an
important adjunct of the Gurdwara system. Sikh is in a community who is deeply
committed to their faith.
Three varieties of service
are sanctioned in the Sikh lore, Tan- that rendered through the corporal
instrument, Man- that through the mental apparatus, Dhan- that
through the material. Seva is a sacred duty and can be done
anywhere for anyone. An important form of Seva
is Langar. The spirit of service “Seva Bhav” can be seen anywhere in world
apart from Gurdwara. Gurdwara also offers an excellent offer of social equality
in Langar hall. Therefore, we can say that Langar in India serves the purpose
of social equality and good example of spirit of service.
Economic aspect
For assessing the role of the religious factor in socio-economic
development in Sikh religion we have to examine various factors. Religious
ideas influence the development of economic spirit and the ethos of an economic
system. As Alfred Marshall,
the noted Cambridge economist, observed, “The two great forming agencies of the
world’s history have been religious and the economic. Religion and economics both
answer similar questions. Religion gives us ideals. Economics describes
reality.
We have to find a way to structure economic incentives
that support and encourage ideal social behaviour and to devise a common ground
in social behaviour, which governs both economic and religious activities. Guru
Nanak advises the Sikhs to share a portion of their truthful earnings, the
material wealth and other income. It gives rise to a new system of pooling such
contributions at a central place for spending on preaching of Sikhism and on
the collective welfare of the Sikhs at large and the needy Sikhs in particular.
The funds, thus collected, are not for personal use by the persons controlling
the Sikh institutes but for the spread of Sikhism.
Nanak says, “The one, who earns with his sweat of brow
and shares some of his earning with others, has recognized the path of life.”
Ideally religion aims at the maximum benefit of the maximum number of persons.
We also know that corporate capitalism or state monopoly is responses to
imperfect economic conditions. It is, therefore, necessary to review and
redefine some of the religious principles for the benefit of society as a whole
especially the underprivileged.
Religious economics has, of necessity, to be welfare economics. Sikhism is no exception to this general rule. It has tried to evolve a set of principles that are practically acceptable to a vast majority of its followers and can be implemented without undue harm to the participants. One has to work to earn money for their basic necessities and in today's world; an equitable distribution of wealth just does not exist. A Sikh should never be attached to his worldly possessions. It would be in the interest of mankind to donate a part of one's surplus wealth for the welfare of the needy. Economics translates this ideal into the format of progressive tax structure. A Sikh contributes by donating part of his/her income to a just cause.
A Sikh is a resourceful person and a worker par excellence with abounding love and zest for life. He believes he is that his religion has made him be. Basically, he is not insular and is looking outward to a world bigger than his own. He is neither complacent nor content and is known for his dynamism and enterprise. Wealth is also a determinant of social classes besides the caste system. Sikh religion rejects distinction based on ownership of economic resources. According to Guru Nanak, One lives not ever in the world: Neither king nor beggars would remain they all come and go. Sikhism believes in voluntary religious regulation of economy as distinguished from government regulated or capitalistic economy. It adopts a pragmatic and realistic approach of subordination of economic activity to the spiritual and religious values.
Conclusion
The present paper is mainly
concerned with the analysis of socio-economic implications of the religious
precepts of Sikhism. The Sikh Gurus led lives which served as the beacon light
to their followers to become active agents in promoting human welfare,
including economic. They thus facilitated full utilization of resources – human
and material – and promoted all-round development. Sangat promoted the constructive genius in man by helping him to
realize his fullest potential and progress in different walks of life. Gurdwara
stands for the total orientation of life of the individual and Sikh society to
a creative and meaningful existence. If this institution of Langar has been extended to all the
Hindu temples and mosques in India on the patterns of Sikh Langar, there would not have been any hunger, untouchable problem today.
The Langar system stands for
brotherhood, equity, equality, and humility.
इस टिप्पणी को लेखक द्वारा हटा दिया गया है.
जवाब देंहटाएं