History of similarities between hindus and sikhs
Nanak, was born in a Hindu Khatri family. However, he declared that all are equal in the eyes of God in his famous proclamation "I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim."[3] A unity between Hindus and Muslims under the teachings and revelations of the Guru. The Guru had some familiar and common beliefs as in Hindu concepts like Karma, Dharma, Reincarnation, and meditating on God's name to break the cycle of birth
Before Guru Nanak's death, he instructed his disciple Guru Angad Dev to carry on the teachings of his religion as Guru Angad had shown selflessness, compassion and endless service and was in tuned with the teachings of his Master, Guru Nanak. Sri Chand, one of his sons, founded the Udasi order. Various orders have arisen since the beginning of Sikhism, such as the Radhasoamis and the Nirankaris. It is debatable whether these religions constitute offshoots of Sikhism or merely differing Sikh philosophies. The Khalsa, ordained by Guru Gobind Singh, is regarded by many Sikhs as being the completion of the development of the Sikh religion.
[edit] Guru Tegh Bahadur
In 1675 Aurangzeb caused the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. He had gone to Aurangzeb on behalf of Kashmiri Pandits, who requested him to plead against their forceful conversion. Aurangzeb asked Guru Tegh Bahadur to convert and had him executed after he refused to convert to Islam.[4] According to Kushwant Singh, when "Guru Tegh Bahadur was summoned to Delhi, he went as a protector of the Kashmiri Hindu community and encourage them to stand against the increasing oppression of the Mughals. He was executed in the year 1675. His son who succeeded him as Guru later described his father's martyrdom as in the cause of the humanity. Guru Tegh Bahadar undertook the supreme sacrifice for the protection of the most fundamental of human rights - the right of a person to freely practice his or her religion without interference or hindrance. This is why Guru Tegh Bahadur is also known as (Tegh Bahadur, Hind Di Chadar" (Tegh Bahadur, Protector of Hindus).
Guru Tegh Bahadur is also honored by Hindus and the Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day is also observed by many Hindus.[5]
[edit] Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Also called "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of the Punjab") (1780-1839) was a Sikh emperor and the founder of Sikh Empire.Ranjit Singh crowned himself as the ruler of Punjab and willed the Koh-i-noor back to its original location at Jagannath Temple in Orissa while on his deathbed in 1839.[citation needed]
[edit] 19th century
The Sikh scholar Harjot Oberoi has argued that in the nineteenth century, the Singh Sabha movement, began to view the non-monolithic world view of Sikhism with suspicion and hostility, and tried to redefine a more limited Sikh identity.[3][opinion needs balancing]
[edit] Similarities
Here are some of the similarities between Hinduism and Sikhism:
* At the time of the Gurus, most North Indian families would remain "Hindu" while the eldest son was a "Sikh."[6] Hindus enlisting their eldest sons in the Khalsa was done for protection against the Mughals.
* Many Hindus visit Sikh temples.[citation needed]. For instance, the Hemkhund Sahib is a high-altitude lake in the Indian State of Uttarakhand is regarded as a pilgrimage site by the adherents of Hindus [4] and a Lakshman Temple and Sikh Gurudwaara exist close together on the banks of the same lake there.
* When a Sikh dies, cremation is the preferred method[7]. This is the same in Hinduism, although this is a cultural similarity between many cultures.
* Sikhs may also do the 'immersion of corpse remains' in a river after cremation, as Hindus do, although this is not a requirement; ashes may be deposited anywhere sentimental. [8]
Mutual views
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.[5]
The notion of dharma, karma, prasad, moksha and a belief in rebirth are very important for many Hindus and Sikhs as they make ethical decisions surrounding birth and death. Unlike the linear view of life taken in Abrahamic religions, for Hindus and Sikhs life, birth and death are repeated, for each person, in a continuous cycle. What a person does in each life influences the circumstances and predispositions experienced in future lives. In essence, every action or thought, whether noble or sinful, has consequences that are carried forward into the next life. When a similar situation is encountered, memories of past lives arise in the consciousness as an impulse to perform actions or think thoughts similar to the earlier ones. This impulse does not necessarily compel the person to repeat the act or thought. As proclaimed in the Guru Granth Sahib:
Mortals obtain a human body as a result of good deeds but he reaches the gate of salvation with God's kind grace. (Guru Nanak, Japji).
[edit] Common Sikh views of Hinduism
The references to Hindu deities in the Guru Granth Sahib are for the most part metaphorical, not literal. This is illustrated in a quote on page 1374, among others:
Kabeer, it does make a difference, how you chant the Lord's Name, 'Raam'. This is something to consider. Everyone uses the same word for the son of Dasrath and the Wondrous Lord. Kabeer, use the word 'Raam', only to speak of the All-pervading Lord. You must make that distinction. One 'Raam' is pervading everywhere, while the other is contained only in himself. (1374)
[edit] References to Vedas
The Guru Granth Sahib refers to Hindu scripture frequently, not as an endorsement but often referring to their lack of scope regarding God. However, they are not explicitly denounced, either; the Granth encourages openmindedness of all belief systems:
Do not say that the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran are false. Those who do not contemplate them are false.(1350)
Sikhism does not have belief in Heaven/Hell system, inequality of caste and gender and held the Vedas responsible for these fallacies in the contemporary society,
the quote below from second Sikh Guru mentions the same view:
"ਕਥਾ ਕਹਾਣੀ ਬੇਦੀ ਆਣੀ ਪਾਪੁ ਪੁੰਨੁ ਬੀਚਾਰੁ ॥ ਦੇ ਦੇ ਲੈਣਾ ਲੈ ਲੈ ਦੇਣਾ ਨਰਕਿ ਸੁਰਗਿ ਅਵਤਾਰ ॥"
"The Vedas bring forth stories and legends, and thoughts of vice and virtue.What is given, they receive, and what is received, they give. They are reincarnated in heaven and hell"
[6]
* Page 463 - ਵਿਸਮਾਦੁ ਨਾਦ ਵਿਸਮਾਦੁ ਵੇਦ ॥ - Wonderful is the sound current of the Naad, wonderful is the knowledge of the Vedas.
* Page 791 - ਬੇਦ ਪਾਠ ਮਤਿ ਪਾਪਾ ਖਾਇ ॥ - Reading the Vedas, sinful intellect is destroyed.
* Page 941 - ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਰਚੈ ਬੇਦ ਬੀਚਾਰੀ ॥ - The Gurmukh is pleasing to the True Guru; this is contemplation on the Vedas.
* Page 942 - ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸਾਸਤ੍ਰ ਸਿਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਬੇਦ ॥ - The Gurmukh understands the Simritees, the Shaastras and the Vedas.
* Page 1188 - ਬੇਦ ਵਖਾਣਿ ਕਹਹਿ ਇਕੁ ਕਹੀਐ ॥ - The Vedas say that we should chant the Name of the One Lord.
In regards to their shortcomings:
* Page 148 - ਵੇਦ ਕਹਹਿ ਵਖਿਆਣ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਪਾਵਣਾ ॥ - The Vedas speak and expound on the Lord, but they do not know His limits.
* Page 355 - ਅਸਟ ਦਸੀ ਚਹੁ ਭੇਦੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ - The eighteen Puraanas and the four Vedas do not know His mystery.
* Guru Nanak, on page 1021 - ਬੇਦ ਕਤੇਬੀ ਭੇਦੁ ਨ ਜਾਤਾ ॥ - Neither the Vedas (four Hindu texts) nor the four Katebas [Semitic texts: the Torah, the Zabur (Psalms), the Injil (Gospel), and the Quran] know the mystery (of the Creator of the Cosmos).[9]
* Page 1126 - ਸਾਸਤ੍ਰ ਬੇਦ ਤ੍ਰੈ ਗੁਣ ਹੈ ਮਾਇਆ ਅੰਧੁਲਉ ਧੰਧੁ ਕਮਾਈ ॥੩॥ - The Shaastras and the Vedas keep the mortal bound to the three modes of Maya, and so he performs his deeds blindly. ||3||
* Page 1237 - ਨਵ ਛਿਅ ਖਟ ਕਾ ਕਰੇ ਬੀਚਾਰੁ ॥ ਨਿਸਿ ਦਿਨ ਉਚਰੈ ਭਾਰ ਅਠਾਰ ॥ ਤਿਨਿ ਭੀ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਆ ਤੋਹਿ ॥ - You may study the nine grammars, the six Shaastras and the six divisions of the Vedas. You may recite the Mahaabhaarata. Even these cannot find the limits of the Lord.
The references above to not knowing the limits of God are a reference to the Sikh perception that the existence of demigods or devas puts a limit on the absolute power of God[citation needed].
The Guru Granth Sahib
Bhairao, Fifth Mehl - I do not perform Hindu worship services, nor do I offer the Muslim prayers... Guru Arjan Dev Page 1078 - Even the Vedas do not know the Guru's Glory. They narrate only a tiny bit of what is heard