The Guru Granth Sahib contains around 15,028 of references to Hindu concepts and the names of Hindu gods.
A near-exact count is given in K.P. Agrawala: Adi Shrî Gurû Granth Sâhib kî Mahimâ (Hindi: “The greatness of the original sacred Guru scripture”), p.2, and in Ram Swarup: “Hindu roots of Sikhism”, Indian Express,
The name of the Hindu god Shri Ram, is recited 2,400 times, (the gods name whose constant repetition leads to salvation).
Hari (Vishnu) over 8,300 times, 630 times by Guru Nanak alone,
Parabrahman, 550 times, Omkara, (the primeval sound of OM) 400 times.
Please note the names of countless other Hindu gods are also mentioned and are one and the same.
In contrast the name Mohammed is never mentioned and the name allah is used but a couple of times, merely as an example. It is interesting to note that the Granth itself contains banis from seven of the sikh gurus, two muslim Sufis, but EIGHTEEN Hindu saints and pandits.
The religious source of Sikhism is Hinduism, Sikhism is a tradition developed within Hinduism. Guru Granth Sahib reflect Vedantic philosophy, the Vedanta of Rishi Vedvyas who wrote the Mahabharat. The Japji Sahib is based on Upanishads.
Summary :
IN 1500 , Guru Nanak Dev Ji ( 1469-1538 ad.), went to bathe in a stream and was missing for three days.His first statement when he came out was “neti, neti " (neither here, nor there from the Upanishads-Vedas) na koi hindu, na koi turkh, kudrat keh hain sab bandey".
...three days is a short time if you want to free yourself from acquired physics and start a new religion... the insight with which he came back with after three days retreat, as quoted by Khushwant Singh was entirely within Hindu tradition:
" their is no muslim, no hindu" it does not mean that I Nanak, am neither hindu or muslim, it means that the self ( atma , timeless indweller, the object of this mystical experience) is beyond worldly divisions....
”the self is neither black nor white, neither hindu nor muslim, neither this nor that : neti, neti ,” is the Upanishadic phrase from the Vedas, is as typically Hindu as you can get’’
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, continued the bhakti methods of the saints before him, starting with the oral repetition of the name "Rama Nama'
If Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s discovery " neither hindu nor muslim" had meant a positive conclusion, wouldn’t he have said: "neither Hindu, nor Muslim , sab Sikh?
It is strange that the statement used by many to say, he founded a new religion does not even mention this new religion?
Ek Om Kar, was already there in the Vedas - Hindu text, it is still there today. Ek = single OM = supreme being KAR= sound. Guru Nanak merely emphasised that particular path. Ek Om Kar is originally a Hindu concept. some Sikh separatists like to say EK ‘ON’KAR! what does ‘on’ mean?
Guru Angad was a devoted worshipper of the Goddess Durga. Every year he used to lead a group of devotees from Khadur Sahib, where he had settled, to the temple of Jwalamukhi in the lower Himalayas. In 1532 ad he met Guru Nanak at Kartarpur (pakistan) on his way to Jwalamukhi and became his disciple. Guru Nanak was most impressed with the devotion and selfless services of Lehna, that he proclaimed him as his successor guru in ad1539. As Nanak had previously embraced him, and because of the touch with his body e.g. "ang", he changed the name of Lehna to Angad, Guru Angad made Khadur sahib his headquarters. Humayun, the Mughal emperor called on him here and paid him homage.
Sikhs were always known as a sect of Hinduism, which is why they continued celebrating traditional Hindu festivals such as Rakhri, Diwali, Lohri, Vaisakhi, Dusshera and Holi. Unlike the Hindus who became known as muslims and started celebrating muslim festivals. If indeed the Gurus wanted to create a new religion, would they not have created religious festivals to coincide and mark this new religions separate?
The fourth guru, Ram Das (1574-1581a.d ), excavated a tank which subsequently became known as Amritsar (pool of nectar) and gave its name to the city that grew around it. in due course, a splendid edifice, Har-mandir (temple of Hari-Vishnu), rose in the middle of this tank and became the supreme centre of the sikh sect of hinduism
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Instead, All ten Gurus marriages were conducted by Hindu pandits and they were married within Hindu rituals, as were other Sikhs until the Anand Karaj Act was passed in 1909.
The Laava written by the fourth Guru Ram Dass were about mans spiritual union wiv god, which can never be BROKEN, not about a union between man and woman!
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Hindus and the Hindus who later became known as Sikhs, would worship together at Hari(Vishnu)-mandir Sahib, aptly named by the fourth guru Ram Dass,(1574-1581), it housed murtis of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and the 6th Guru Harigobind until 1906 and is today known as the golden temple.
Some closed minded bigots refer to Hindus as Idol worshippers, but Idol worshiping is truly something that we do not do, we worship with great vigor, with heart and soul.
Idol-worshipping is an offensive and derogatory term used by the British during the British Raj through shear ignorance to degrade our ancient religion. We use Murtis to help us worship we do not specifically worship these images, we use these as focal points to help us worship god
Arjun101
13th July 2007, 03:04 PM
1. Page79 Line 4 Raag Sriraag: Guru Ram Das
hir rwm rwm myry bwbolw ipr imil Dn vyl vDMdI ]
har raam raam maerae baabolaa pir mil dhhan vael vadhhandhee ||
The Lord, Raam, Raam, is All-pervading, O my father. Meeting her Husband Lord, the soul-bride blossoms forth like the flourishing vine.
2. Page79 Line 7 Raag Sriraag: Guru Ram Das
hir rwm rwm myry bwbulw ipr imil Dn vyl vDMdI ]5]1]
har raam raam maerae baabulaa pir mil dhhan vael vadhhandhee ||5||1||
The Lord, Raam, Raam, is All-pervading, O my father. Meeting her Husband Lord, the soul-bride blossoms forth like the flourishing vine. ||5||1||
3. Page159 Line 15 Raag Gaurhee Guaarayree: Guru Amar Das
rwm rwm kriqAw suKu sWiq srIr ]
raam raam karathiaa sukh saanth sareer ||
Chanting the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, the body becomes peaceful and tranquil.
4. Page177 Line 19 Raag Gaurhee Guaarayree: Guru Arjan Dev
jip mn myry rwm rwm rMig ]
jap man maerae raam raam rang ||
Meditate, O my mind, on the Lord, Raam, Raam, with love.
5. Page218 Line 9 Raag Maajh: Guru Arjan Dev
hir rwm rwm rwm rwmw ]
har raam raam raam raamaa ||
The Lord, the Lord, Raam, Raam, Raam:
6. Page326 Line 15 Raag Gaurhee: Saint Kabir
rwmY rwm rmq suKu pwvY ]4]
raamai raam ramath sukh paavai ||4||
Chant the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, and find peace. ||4||
7. Page387 Line 1 Raag Aasaa: Guru Arjan Dev
rwm rwmw rwmw gun gwvau ]
raam raamaa raamaa gun gaavo ||
I sing the Praises of the Lord, Raam, Raam, Raam.
8. Page393 Line 8 Raag Aasaa: Guru Arjan Dev
swligrwmu hmwrY syvw ]
saalagiraam hamaarai saevaa ||
Such is the Saalagraam, the stone idol, which I serve;
9. Page393 Line 11 Raag Aasaa: Guru Arjan Dev
hwiQ ciVE hir swligrwmu ]
haathh charriou har saalagiraam ||
I hold in my hands the Saalagraam of the Lord.
10. Page409 Line 1 Raag Aasaa: Guru Arjan Dev
qij mwn moh ivkwr imiQAw jip rwm rwm rwm ]
thaj maan moh vikaar mithhiaa jap raam raam raam ||
Renounce pride, attachment, corruption and falsehood, and chant the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, Raam.
11. Page417 Line 10 Raag Aasaa: Guru Nanak Dev
rwmu n kbhU cyiqE huix khix n imlY Kudwie ]6]
raam n kabehoo chaethiou hun kehan n milai khudhaae ||6||
They never remembered their Lord as Raam, and now they cannot even chant Khudaa-i||6||
12. Page443 Line 3 Raag Aasaa: Guru Ram Das
rwmo rwm nwmu jipAw duK iklivK nws gvwieAw rwm ]
raamo raam naam japiaa dhukh kilavikh naas gavaaeiaa raam ||
I chant the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, which destroys my sorrows and erases my sins.
13. Page443 Line 9 Raag Aasaa: Guru Ram Das
rwmo rwmu rivAw Gt AMqir sB iqRsnw BUK gvweI ]
raamo raam raviaa ghatt anthar sabh thrisanaa bhookh gavaaee ||
The Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, is permeating my heart deep within, and all of my desire and hunger has disappeared.
14. Page443 Line 10 Raag Aasaa: Guru Ram Das
ijnI rwmo rwm nwmu ivswirAw sy mnmuK mUV ABwgI rwm ]
jinee raamo raam naam visaariaa sae manamukh moorr abhaagee raam ||
Those who forget the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, are foolish, unfortunate, self-willed manmukhs.
15. Page443 Line 14 Raag Aasaa: Guru Ram Das
rwmo rwm nwmu gurU rwmu gurmuKy jwxY rwm ]
raamo raam naam guroo raam guramukhae jaanai raam ||
The Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, and the Lord Guru, are known by the Gurmukh.
16. Page443 Line 16 Raag Aasaa: Guru Ram Das
rwmo rwmu rmo rmu aUcw gux khiqAw AMqu n pwieAw ]
raamo raam ramo ram oochaa gun kehathiaa anth n paaeiaa ||
So repeat continually the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam; chanting His Glorious Virtues, His limit cannot be found.
17. Page444 Line 6 Raag Aasaa: Guru Ram Das
rwmo rwm nwmu sqy siq gurmuiK jwixAw rwm ]
raamo raam naam sathae sath guramukh jaaniaa raam ||
True, True is the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam; the Gurmukh knows the Lord.
18. Page481 Line 3 Raag Aasaa: Saint Kabir
rwm rwm rwm rmy rim rhIAY ]
raam raam raam ramae ram reheeai ||
Remain absorbed in the Lord's Name, Raam, Raam, Raam.
19. Page484 Line 1 Raag Aasaa: Saint Kabir
ly rwiKE rwm jnIAw nwau ]1]
lae raakhiou raam janeeaa naao ||1||
but now she is called Raam-jannia, the servant of the Lord. ||1||
20. Page491 Line 1 Raag Goojree: Guru Amar Das
rwm rwm sBu ko khY kihAY rwmu n hoie ]
raam raam sabh ko kehai kehiai raam n hoe ||
Everyone chants the Lord's Name, Raam, Raam; but by such chanting, the Lord is not obtained.
21. Page501 Line 4 Raag Goojree: Guru Arjan Dev
rsnw rwm rwm rvMq ]
rasanaa raam raam ravanth ||
With your tongue, chant the Lord's Name, Raam, Raam.
22. Page502 Line 10 Raag Goojree: Guru Arjan Dev
jip rwm rwmw duK invwry imlY hir jn sMq ]4]
jap raam raamaa dhukh nivaarae milai har jan santh ||4||
Chanting the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, one's miseries are ended, as one meets the Saintly servants of the Lord. ||4||
23. Page555 Line 10 Raag Bihaagrhaa: Guru Amar Das
rwmu rwmu krqw sBu jgu iPrY rwmu n pwieAw jwie ]
raam raam karathaa sabh jag firai raam n paaeiaa jaae ||
The entire world roams around, chanting, ""Raam, Raam, Lord, Lord"", but the Lord cannot be obtained like this.
24. Page695 Line 7 Raag Dhanaasree: Saint Trilochan
dwDIly lµkw gVu aupwVIly rwvx bxu sil ibsil Awix qoKIly hrI ]
dhaadhheelae lankaa garr oupaarreelae raavan ban sal bisal aan thokheelae haree ||
Hanuman burnt the fortress of Sri Lanka, uprooted the garden of Raawan, and brought healing herbs for the wounds of Lachhman, pleasing Lord Raamaa;
25. Page695 Line 12 Raag Dhanaasree: Saint Sain
rwmw Bgiq rwmwnµdu jwnY ]
raamaa bhagath raamaanandh jaanai ||
Raamaanand knows the devotional worship of the Lord.
Last edited by Sikh scholar on Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
Arjun101
13th July 2007, 03:04 PM
. Page469 Line 15 Raag Aasaa: Guru Angad Dev
eyk ik®snµ srb dyvw dyv dyvw q Awqmw ]
eaek kirasanan sarab dhaevaa dhaev dhaevaa th aathamaa ||
The One Lord Krishna is the Divine Lord of all; He is the Divinity of the individual soul.
Arjun101
13th July 2007, 03:05 PM
1. Page2 Line 9 Raag Jap: Guru Nanak Dev
guru eIsru guru gorKu brmw guru pwrbqI mweI ]
gur eesar gur gorakh baramaa gur paarabathee maaee ||
The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is Paarvati and Lakhshmi.
2. Page199 Line 6 Raag Gaurhee: Guru Arjan Dev
so bYsno hY Apr Apwru ]
so baisano hai apar apaar ||
Infinitely invaluable is that Vaishnaav, that worshipper of Vishnu,
3. Page274 Line 6 Raag Gaurhee Sukhmanee: Guru Arjan Dev
bYsno so ijsu aUpir supRsMn ]
baisano so jis oopar suprasann ||
The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu, is the one with whom God is thoroughly pleased.
4. Page300 Line 12 Raag Thitee Gaurhee: Guru Arjan Dev
so surqw so bYsno so igAwnI DnvMqu ]
so surathaa so baisano so giaanee dhhanavanth ||
They are intuitively wise, and they are Vaishnaavs, worshippers of Vishnu; they are spiritually wise, wealthy and prosperous
Arjun101
13th July 2007, 03:08 PM
QUOTES FROM THE GURU GRANTH SAHIB
Generally, historians have their own personal views, agendas, spin and interpretations on things, I will therefore quote from the Primary, original sources only.
I present to you quotes, with page references from the GURU GRANTH SAHIB, written by the seven Sikh Gurus, eighteen Hindu saints and two Muslim Sufis. I will also provide quotes from the Dasam Granth, written by Guru Govind Singh Ji himself, and despite what some may say, the authenticity of this work has been proved BEYOND a shadow of a doubt, as the gurus work. The most damning proof being the fact that the original still lies in the Akhal Thakt to this day.
The Guru Granth Sahib contains around 15,028 of references to Hindu concepts and the names of Hindu gods.
A near-exact count is given in K.P. Agrawala: Adi Shrî Gurû Granth Sâhib kî Mahimâ (Hindi: “The greatness of the original sacred Guru scripture”), p.2, and in Ram Swarup: “Hindu roots of Sikhism”, Indian Express,
The name of the Hindu god Shri Ram, is recited 2,400 times, (the gods name whose constant repetition leads to salvation).
Hari (Vishnu) over 8,300 times, 630 times by Guru Nanak alone,
Parabrahman, 550 times, Omkara, (the primeval sound of OM) 400 times.
Please note the names of countless other Hindu gods are also mentioned and are one and the same.
In contrast the name Mohammed is never mentioned and the name allah is used but a couple of times, merely as an example. It is interesting to note that the Granth itself contains banis from seven of the sikh gurus, two muslim Sufis, but EIGHTEEN Hindu saints and pandits.
The religious source of Sikhism is Hinduism, Sikhism is a tradition developed within Hinduism. Guru Granth Sahib reflect Vedantic philosophy, the Vedanta of Rishi Vedvyas who wrote the Mahabharat. The Japji Sahib is based on Upanishads.
Guru Nanak Ji wrote in the Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Malaar, Pa.1279 thus:
‘BRAHMA, VISHNU, MAHESH [SHIVA] the three demigods were expanded into [by God].
He gave BRAHMA the VEDAS and involved them in it’s worship.
Ten Avatars did king RAMA [VISHNU] take.
He attacked and killed demons but all in accordance with God’s command.
God did SHIVA serve but he too did not find his limits.
Attaining true value he created his [heavenly] throne.
He has set the world to task and concealed himself.
He makes all function this Karma is divinely ordained.’
(‘Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Malaar, Pa.1279)
This is entirley reminiscent of what is stated in the Mahabharata, where it was written by Rishi Vedvyas Ji that God who is referred to as Omkar or Parbrahma, converted Himself into Lord Vishnu. Out of Lord Vishnu's navel came Lord Brahma and from His forehead came the Akal Pursh (otherwise known as Akal or Lord Shiva ) .
When Vishnu, Brahma and Akal combined their powers, or shaktis, to create the image of the Mother goddess it was Durga who came forth. Durga is also known as Shiva, Devi, Mata, Parvati, Chamunda, and Jwaladevi. Guru Govind Singh was a great devotee of Durga Mata, and wrote the prayer known as Chandi Ki Vaar in her praise.
Guru Nanak spoke to a Vaishnav Hindu (‘Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Thiti Gauri, Pa.300) thus :
‘He who focuses his mind on God is a Vaisnu [follower of VISHNU] He is a man of great knowledge.
He is a warrior of a high clan who worships Bhagwant [God/VISHNU].
Be they Khatri, Shudar, Vaise or a Chandal [Four castes of Hinduism] by contemplating God they are saved from vice.
They who ever have acknowledged God, Nanak asks for the dust of their feet.
(‘Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Thiti Gauri, Pa.300)
The third Sikh Guru Amardas said of a true Sanatan Brahmin (‘Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Gujri, Pa.512) thus:
‘He who appreciates BRAHM [God] call him a Brahmin, he day and night stays absorbed in Har [God].
He lives in accordance within the will of the true Guru, truth and Sanjam [self-restraint] he practices thus his ailment of ego flees.’ (‘Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Gujri, Pa.512)
Arjun101
13th July 2007, 03:09 PM
Guru Angad Dev said to a Brahmin (Guru Granth Sahib’, Sukhmani Sahib, Pa.274-275):
‘He is a true Pundit [Brahmin] who awakens his mind.
And searches for the Naam [ineffable name of] RAAM [God] in himself.
From the teachings of such a Pundit all beings find [spiritual] life.
He transplants the story of Har in their hearts.
Such a Pundit then never again is born.
He appreciates the fundamental truth [God] of the VEDAS, PURAANAS and SIMIRITIA [Hindu religious texts].
He appreciates the subtle/sublime within the great expansive World.
He instructs the four castes [without discrimination].
Such a Pundit say’s Nanak I always salute.’
(Guru Granth Sahib’, Sukhmani Sahib, Pa.274-275)
In the entire Guru Granth Sahib, the Vedas are respected and referred to as sacred.
Guru Nanak Ji said (Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Kanra, Pa.1309):
‘All ways be humble before the Bhagats being humble you will attain merit.
A evil person who slanders the Bhagats will be destroyed like Harnyaksh.
BRAHMA, son of a lotus [BRAHMA emerged from a lotus symbol of order out of chaos] VYAS [One of the greatest of Sanatan sages to whom were revealed the Sanatan scriptures VEDAS and Mahabharat epic with Bhagvad GITA. VYAS is also credited with the authorship of the oldest extent commentary on the source book of Hatha Yoga, ‘Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutra’, the, ‘Yoga-Bhashya’. In the Mahabharat he is recognised as the foremost master and expert on Yoga.] Born of a fish [Symbol of agitated mind] by devotion of highest God they themselves were worshiped.
Whoever are Bhagats respect them your great doubts and fears will thus flee.
Do not consider the cast of a Bhagat Sukdev [A Brahmin] grasping the feet of Jank [A Khashatriya king father of Sita hence lower cast than Sukdev] as Guru worshiped highest God.
Janak who sat on a throne on seeing the nine [Vedic] holy sages himself fell at their feet [Because they were Bhagats of highest God].
Say’s Nanak bless me oh bless me master [Va-eh Guru] make me the servant of your servants [The Bhagats such as PRAHLAD, BRAHMA, VYAS, SUKHDEV, JANK, nine sages etc.]
Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Kanra, Pa.1309)
Guru Ramdas ( wore the Vaishnav tilak) spoke of the Gurmukhs of the past thus:
‘The Sidhas [Holy Sanatan sages] meditated and contemplated [God] Sadik and Muni [both aforementioned are Sanatan holy men] contemplated [God].
Men of penance, sexual restraint and contentment contemplated [God] demigods such as INDRA [King of demigods] contemplated [God].
The Gurmukh who seeking God’s protection contemplates him attains salvation.
Oh my mind by contemplation of Gods Naam one is saved.
Dhanna a Jatt [Farming clan of northern India] and Balmikh [Composer of RAMAYANA] a highwayman becoming a Gurmukh was saved.
The demigods, Gan [Followers of Shiva], Gandarb [Beings between demigods and men who are believed to sing for the Indian demigods] contemplate [God] as well as even the poor Dharmraj [demigod who judges dead for God according to Indian religions].
SHIVA, BRAHMA all demigods contemplated with their mouths the name Har Har.
They who have been absorbed in God's name those Gurmukh attained salvation.’
(‘Guru Granth Sahib’, Raag Maru, Pa.995)
Shabads on Hanuman Ji inside Guru Granth Sahib Ji here is one. This shabad is by Bhagat Kabeer Ji in
Raag Basant on Pannaa 1193
PMIFQ JN MWQY PIV* PURWN ] PA(N)DDITH JAN MAATHAE PARRIH PURAAN ||
the pandits, the hindu religious scholars, are intoxicated, reading the puraanas.
JOGI MWQY JOG IDAWN ] JOGEE MAATHAE JOG DHHIAAN ||
the yogis are intoxicated in yoga and meditation.
SMINAWSI MWQY AHMMYV ] SA(N)NIAASEE MAATHAE AHA(N)MAEV ||
the sannyaasees are intoxicated in egotism.
QPSI MWQY QP KY BYV ]1] THAPASEE MAATHAE THAP KAI BHAEV ||1||
the penitents are intoxicated with the mystery of penance.
||1|| SB MD MWQY KOAU N JWG ] SABH MADH MAATHAE KOOO N JAAG ||
all are intoxicated with the wine of maya; no one is awake and aware.
SMG HI COR GRU MUSN LWG ]1] RHWAU ] SA(N)G HEE CHOR GHAR MUSAN LAAG ||1|| REHAAO ||
the thieves are with them, p****ering their homes.
||1||PAUSE|| JWGY SUKDYAU ARU AKURU ] JAAGAI SUKADHAEO AR AKOOR ||
sukdayv and akrur are awake and aware.
HXVMQU JWGY DIR LµKURU ] HANAVA(N)TH JAAGAI DHHAR LA(N)KOOR ||
HANUMAN WITH HIS TAIL IS AWAKE AND AWARE.
SMKRU JWGY CRN SYV ] SA(N)KAR JAAGAI CHARAN SAEV ||
SHIVA IS AWAKE, SERVING AT THE LORD'S FEET.
KIL JWGY NWMW JYDYV ]2] KAL JAAGAE NAAMAA JAIDHAEV ||2||
naam dayv and jai dayv are awake in this dark age of kali yuga.
||2|| JWGQ SOVQ BHU PRKWR ] JAAGATH SOVATH BAHU PRAKAAR ||
there are many ways of being awake, and sleeping.
GURMUIK JWGY SOEI SWRU ] GURAMUKH JAAGAI SOEE SAAR ||
to be awake as gurmukh is the most excellent way.
IESU DYHI KY AIDK KWM ] EIS DHAEHEE KAE ADHHIK KAAM ||
the most sublime of all the actions of this body,
KIH KBIR BIJ RWM NWM ]3]2] KEHI KABEER BHAJ RAAM NAAM ||3||2||
says kabeer, is to meditate and vibrate on the lord's name. ||3
"Guru Arjun Dev Ji , who compiled the Guru Granth sahib, writes in the fifth granth :
Arjun101
13th July 2007, 04:07 PM
why then do sikhs in the west say they have nothing to do with Hinduism and make fun of Hindu gods?
It is the mistake to Hindus that they do not spread or discuss this information
Arjun101
13th July 2007, 04:14 PM
thank god for hindusikh.org from which we have been able to learn such great historical information
Showing posts with label Sikhs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sikhs. Show all posts
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monopoly religion & Public Comments
Pratap Bhanu Mehta Posted: Tuesday , May 26, 2009 at 0945 hrs IST
New Delhi:
It is deeply sad that a most gloriously inventive, radical and genuinely pious religious community like the Sikhs now seems to be frequently hostage to a regime of internal intolerance. Not only was this tradition founded on the premise of an astonishing synthesis; it allowed an amazing internal diversity as well. In the nineteenth century, there were a large number of traditions with which Sikhs identified: Khalsa, Nirmala, Udasi, Nanak-Panthi, Nihang, Kalu Panthi, Ram Dasi, Kuka, Nirankari, etc. Now it is fair to say that over the course of the twentieth century this diverse tradition has also succumbed to the cardinal sins any religious tradition can commit: establish a coercive set of monopolies.
The roots of the current conflict that took a murderous turn in Vienna will, in due course be traced to contingent causes. On the face of it, both the violence in Vienna and the violent response in Punjab will turn out to have political overtones. But underlying this conflict is the fact that Sikh identity has been transformed over the course of the twentieth century, often in the direction of internal intolerance.
Some of its followers have succumbed to the idea that there can be only one authoritative interpretation of the tradition, there can be only one authority pronouncing over temporal aspects of the religion, and that both of these monopolies will also be tied to a territorial imagination. The attempt is to monopolise the master narrative of Sikh tradition, to eviscerate its diverse imaginings, and to concentrate power in organisations like the SGPC. You take all of these aspirations, and align them with religious politics and you will get the combustible mix that we are seeing in Punjab.
The blunt truth is that the drive to standardise Sikh identity is the root cause of so many of these troubles. It is not often discussed in public, but there is no getting away from the fact that organised groups within Sikhism, including the SGPC, have served to silence internal criticism within the tradition. Openly challenging authority has become a risky business, and a number of Sikh intellectuals feel under pressure not to challenge the insidious monopolies that are putting the liberal imagination within Sikhism at great risk.
It is a truism that the conditions for generating an enlarged and liberal outlook are less a function of the doctrine of a religion, but more a product of the fragmentation of authority. When any tradition is comfortable with the idea that there is no monopoly over authority, over interpretation, it is more likely to be comfortable with internal dissent. The fragmentation of authority is important for the intellectual vitality of any tradition. But the move in organised Sikhism has often been in the reverse direction: to uphold monopoly over authority and homogeneity of identity at all cost. Unless the tradition comes to terms with this increasing internal intolerance it will remain hostage to violence.
Many religious identities see themselves under siege in the modern world, and are inventing new abstract identifications that do away with the richness of traditions. In that sense Sikhism is not exceptional. But in the Indian context the fact that so much of its authority has been closely linked to politics, complicates its character. Political parties, let alone unfriendly powers, will not hesitate to fish in this political cauldron. It is important that this conflict be contained, and justice done, before it acquires dangerous proportions. And it is important to learn the lesson that monopolies within any religion are dangerous: they generate more conflict. One can only hope that the religion will return to the eternal and limitless verities of the sabda, and not be hijacked by the narcissism of so many little selves.
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Even youngstersBy: emmarcee | Wednesday , 27 May '09 21:51:43 PM Reply | Forward Very good column. You are 100 percent right. I think that Sikhs are taught a version of "infalliability" of Granth just like Quran (or Vatican in yester years). Nobdoy can question what is written. Recently in one of the blogs I found rather laughable assumption that the Historicity of Rama should be true since Grantha/ Guru Nanak said so. One young Sikh was chiding the other for saying Rama could n't have been. Where is the free thought?
Wondeful articleBy: Anshuman Singh | Wednesday , 27 May '09 20:47:20 PM Reply | Forward This article hits the nail on the head. Sikhism was created to be a movement of people of any confession of faith to subscribe to a doctrine of diversity in the path to salvation and universalism. It seems incomprehensively sad to me that a religion that was founded on the concept of in the eyes of God, "there is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" is now trying to define what exactly is a Sikh. A Sikh is any person who professes belief in the Almighty, remembers to make his actions and thoughts pious and truthful, who does not forget his responsibility to those around him regardless of origin, and does not presume to judge who is sinner and who is a saint. Its genuinely sad that a faith built to encourage inter-communal harmony is now suffering at the hands of those who would prefer it to be standardised at the price of intra-communal violence. The ultimate message of Sikhism is the unfathomable mercy of the Divine, and the ability to choose one's actions. Us Sikhs should never forget this.
Religion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my footBy: astrix | Wednesday , 27 May '09 17:44:25 PM Reply | Forward One solution to all problems plaguing the world today - BAN RELIGION. It does not serve any purpose at all except for inciting intolerence resulting in hatred and culminating into violence. RELIGION IS BAD for mankind. It is the root cause of all evil that exists in society today, and mind you, it is irrespective of any religion since poison by any name is poison ultimately. I urge to one and all, stop fooling yourself in the name of religion, it doesn't take you anywhere.
All religions by their definition are monopolistic and intolerant.By: Suvi Cyriac Nadakluzhackal | Wednesday , 27 May '09 15:25:15 PM Reply | Forward How else can they bring in more members and money in to their hands?
Reply to op73By: Sameer | Wednesday , 27 May '09 14:26:59 PM Reply | Forward RSS
Rising Religious Intolerance in IndiaBy: Dr. Ankeshwar Prakash | Wednesday , 27 May '09 11:37:57 AM Reply | Forward I think that it is not merely a problem of existence of caste system, rather it is a problem of rising religious intolerance in the minds of only a few people belonging to a particular community. The solution lies in honest introspection by such people. Further both central and state governments should have handled the issue carefully. Due to the involvement of religious sentiments, the governments should have been proactive rather than reactive. Guilty people, from whichever community they are, shoud be punished and brought to justice.
Read the best book on Sikh identity politics by Harjot Singh OberoiBy: op73 | Wednesday , 27 May '09 7:57:21 AM Reply | Forward The finest book on the subject discussed by Mehta is Harjot Singh Oberoi's THE CONSTRUCTION OF RELIGIOUS BOUNDARIES, which reveals the huge diversity within Sikh traditions that was stamped out by Khalsa Sikhism. Oberoi was hounded into silence for revealing this historical truth. The fact is that the monopoly of the Sikh Panth now is no different from the BJP's effort to monopolize the existing diversity of Hindu traditions.
Carry on the good work!By: Jayadevan | Wednesday , 27 May '09 7:49:54 AM Reply | Forward The very idea of speaking the words "religion" and "tolerance" with the same breath is ludicrous. Organized religion is an excellent way to acquire power - can we imagine the beneficiaries ever tolerating competition? The fact that reactions of this sort - the attack in Vienna - come from the Jat Sikhs is only incidental, they were the people whose position was being threatened. All religions have used every method in the lexicon to wipe out competition - they only needed to have the opportunity and the power. That this sort of confrontationism also serves to cement the hold of a highly corrupt priesthood is a fringe benefit. If there were no Shias or Nirankaris, they would have to be invented. Fortunately, there is always an unending supply of fools who know nothing about theology or philosophy and mistake symbols for the actual thing to commit the next horror. It would seem difficult to make the human race extinct, but God did provide a destruct button - stupidity.
Monopoly religion????By: Dr.G.Srinivasan | Wednesday , 27 May '09 6:40:16 AM Reply | Forward This happened in all religions Sikhism is no exception
Except Islam no other Religion is a very near success in eliminating castes,By: naufulamhu | Wednesday , 27 May '09 5:06:34 AM Reply | Forward I am naive and ignorant, I was under the impression that Sikhism brought a great revolution in Hinduism by abolishing the four traditional castes and hundreds of other sub-castes. Only today I understand that Cates do exist in Sikhism as it does exist in my country Sri Lanka among the Buddhists. Low caste people like us are not allowed entry into some of the Buddhist temples. Did religious conversion bring the revolution of caste-less religion?( Where are you Dr. Ambethcar) It appeared to do so in the case of Hindus converting to Christianity. But that is also wrong. Very many high caste Hindus Christians proudly add their Hindu Caste names after their Christian names such as Margaret Mudaliar, James, Sylvia, Mary, etc and in some places there are separate Burial grounds for low caste Christians, but in the case of Sri Lankan Islam and in Tamil Nadu, Muslims who used to belong to various Hindu Castes, have totally got rid of their Hindu Caste identity,, this is a real revolution
Issue is with tolerance, on Dalit side as wellBy: Navdeep Bajwa | Wednesday , 27 May '09 3:50:08 AM Reply | Forward Seems like the whole media is vilifying the higher caste sikhs for not being tolerant. The issue here is with "GURU MANYO GRANTH". Sikhs do not regard a livcing person as a guru, the holy book is the guru. THe ravidasis use the holy book but consider a living person as a guru. That is what causes this issue. Why cant tolerance be taught to ravidasis to understand this and show respect to the sikh traditions as well. A simil;ar issue caused the Nirankari problem in 80's as well and we know how that was politically and socially exploited.
Reader CommentBy: rohitchandavarker | Tuesday , 26 May '09 17:02:00 PM Reply | Forward The simmering discontent within the Sikh community resulted in this senseless violence.The reasons are manifold but the underlying reason is the chasm between the affluent sections
Guru Nanak Devji must be crying nowBy: Rajdeep | Tuesday , 26 May '09 15:56:52 PM Reply | Forward Great Guru Nanak Devji fought all his life against mindless rituals and symbolism in religion and today his followers kill somebody because he was sitting with the holy book Adi Granth instead of a notch lower. How stupid one can go on these things, some times back they were trying to kill some one else because he was dressed as Guru Govind Singhji. All the problems of rituals and castism that were cleaned by these Ten Gurus are now a days back in modern day Sikhism. Its time we all read and interpret the Adi Granth an japji Sahab once again and start the clean up act.
Business of expansion of the neo gurusBy: shantam i singh | Tuesday , 26 May '09 15:55:47 PM Reply | Forward Sikh masters and their contempraries have made religion free from the cluches of elite of their time. They have given immense importance to the idea of finding a living guru. This freedom to choose create the markets of gurus. Problem arises when these kiosk holder gurus cross the limits of their porfession. Just imagine you are a show room holder and a street seller start selling his things in your shop. What you will do? The same Sikhs are doing with this particular guru, otherwise hundreds of other deras are doing their business in their way.
Folks first try to get facts rightBy: Gurpreet Sandhu | Tuesday , 26 May '09 15:45:28 PM Reply | Forward The case here is that of one sect who call themselves ‘Ravidasis’
Monopoly ReligionBy: Parminder Singh | Tuesday , 26 May '09 14:56:31 PM Reply | Forward Sikhism tolerates all religions. It is borne out by the fact that Shabads of Hindu, Muslim Saints find a place in Guru Granth Sahibji. Nobody can deny the fact that saints like Kabir, Farid, Dhana, Tirlochan, Bhatts,Ramanand etc. did not belong to high castes. Nowhere in the Guru Granth Sahib there is preaching that Hindus/ Muslims should give up their religion. The advice to them is to be true Hindus/Muslims. Sikhs do not worship Idols, but they do not break them. Ravi Das is one of the saints whose Bani finds a respectable place in Sri Guru Granth Sahibji. However, nobody, including saints of other sects/ faiths/ deras have a right to either misinterpret or show disrespect to Guru Granth Sahib or the Sikh tradition/ teachings. If they want to charter a different line of thought, so be it. Let them have their holy book, place of worship, etc.
Folks first try to get facts rightBy: Gurpreet Sandhu | Tuesday , 26 May '09 14:27:05 PM Reply | Forward The case here is that of one sect who call themselves ‘Ravidasis’
Caste system in IndiaBy: Raman Mittal | Tuesday , 26 May '09 13:27:26 PM Reply | Forward Caste is a factor which is age old in India and refuses to die--come what may. Irrespective of religion, the caste system rises again and again and refuses to die. Nanak, Kabir, Sufis, Ramakrishna, missionaries, Constitution may have shown the door to caste based practices, but still it enters from back door. It appears the caste system is so deep rooted in Indian milieu that it is almost impossible to get rid of it. So, let us learn to live with it.
commentBy: santosh | Tuesday , 26 May '09 11:38:48 AM Reply | Forward who owns the religion?
Monopoly religionBy: MOHAN DADDIKAR | Tuesday , 26 May '09 11:29:51 AM Reply | Forward Sikhs, though deeply religious are generally a tolernat and peace-loving community. They are modern in outlook and proressive in soial reforms.But nowadays they are aping the Muslims in all spheres of human relations. So even waaring a turban has bccome a symbol of aggressive Sikhism. I reauest the Sikh commnunity to return to their age-old tolerance and love for peace and stop becoming like Muslims.
It was not the 6 people, it was a philosophyBy: T R Suman | Tuesday , 26 May '09 10:52:25 AM Reply | Forward This was not just an emotional killing of Sant Ramanand by 6 antisocial elements. This has lot to with the growing intollerence in the modern day Sikhism. A religion whose roots get watered from the respect to every religion. But the so called custodians of sikhism want to interpret the things the way they want and not the way they are. They want evry sub section of sikhism to follow there line. They can't digest the rise of so called lower caste sikhs or whatever they call them. They always forget that all of us are living in a free democratic society where everybody has it fundamental right to follow any religion in his own way. The difinition of a particular religion by a particular section is not binding to everybody. Things will get normal in the course of time but one thing is bound to happen. The social landscape of punjab has changed for ever.
New Delhi:
It is deeply sad that a most gloriously inventive, radical and genuinely pious religious community like the Sikhs now seems to be frequently hostage to a regime of internal intolerance. Not only was this tradition founded on the premise of an astonishing synthesis; it allowed an amazing internal diversity as well. In the nineteenth century, there were a large number of traditions with which Sikhs identified: Khalsa, Nirmala, Udasi, Nanak-Panthi, Nihang, Kalu Panthi, Ram Dasi, Kuka, Nirankari, etc. Now it is fair to say that over the course of the twentieth century this diverse tradition has also succumbed to the cardinal sins any religious tradition can commit: establish a coercive set of monopolies.
The roots of the current conflict that took a murderous turn in Vienna will, in due course be traced to contingent causes. On the face of it, both the violence in Vienna and the violent response in Punjab will turn out to have political overtones. But underlying this conflict is the fact that Sikh identity has been transformed over the course of the twentieth century, often in the direction of internal intolerance.
Some of its followers have succumbed to the idea that there can be only one authoritative interpretation of the tradition, there can be only one authority pronouncing over temporal aspects of the religion, and that both of these monopolies will also be tied to a territorial imagination. The attempt is to monopolise the master narrative of Sikh tradition, to eviscerate its diverse imaginings, and to concentrate power in organisations like the SGPC. You take all of these aspirations, and align them with religious politics and you will get the combustible mix that we are seeing in Punjab.
The blunt truth is that the drive to standardise Sikh identity is the root cause of so many of these troubles. It is not often discussed in public, but there is no getting away from the fact that organised groups within Sikhism, including the SGPC, have served to silence internal criticism within the tradition. Openly challenging authority has become a risky business, and a number of Sikh intellectuals feel under pressure not to challenge the insidious monopolies that are putting the liberal imagination within Sikhism at great risk.
It is a truism that the conditions for generating an enlarged and liberal outlook are less a function of the doctrine of a religion, but more a product of the fragmentation of authority. When any tradition is comfortable with the idea that there is no monopoly over authority, over interpretation, it is more likely to be comfortable with internal dissent. The fragmentation of authority is important for the intellectual vitality of any tradition. But the move in organised Sikhism has often been in the reverse direction: to uphold monopoly over authority and homogeneity of identity at all cost. Unless the tradition comes to terms with this increasing internal intolerance it will remain hostage to violence.
Many religious identities see themselves under siege in the modern world, and are inventing new abstract identifications that do away with the richness of traditions. In that sense Sikhism is not exceptional. But in the Indian context the fact that so much of its authority has been closely linked to politics, complicates its character. Political parties, let alone unfriendly powers, will not hesitate to fish in this political cauldron. It is important that this conflict be contained, and justice done, before it acquires dangerous proportions. And it is important to learn the lesson that monopolies within any religion are dangerous: they generate more conflict. One can only hope that the religion will return to the eternal and limitless verities of the sabda, and not be hijacked by the narcissism of so many little selves.
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21 Comments |
Even youngstersBy: emmarcee | Wednesday , 27 May '09 21:51:43 PM Reply | Forward Very good column. You are 100 percent right. I think that Sikhs are taught a version of "infalliability" of Granth just like Quran (or Vatican in yester years). Nobdoy can question what is written. Recently in one of the blogs I found rather laughable assumption that the Historicity of Rama should be true since Grantha/ Guru Nanak said so. One young Sikh was chiding the other for saying Rama could n't have been. Where is the free thought?
Wondeful articleBy: Anshuman Singh | Wednesday , 27 May '09 20:47:20 PM Reply | Forward This article hits the nail on the head. Sikhism was created to be a movement of people of any confession of faith to subscribe to a doctrine of diversity in the path to salvation and universalism. It seems incomprehensively sad to me that a religion that was founded on the concept of in the eyes of God, "there is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" is now trying to define what exactly is a Sikh. A Sikh is any person who professes belief in the Almighty, remembers to make his actions and thoughts pious and truthful, who does not forget his responsibility to those around him regardless of origin, and does not presume to judge who is sinner and who is a saint. Its genuinely sad that a faith built to encourage inter-communal harmony is now suffering at the hands of those who would prefer it to be standardised at the price of intra-communal violence. The ultimate message of Sikhism is the unfathomable mercy of the Divine, and the ability to choose one's actions. Us Sikhs should never forget this.
Religion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my footBy: astrix | Wednesday , 27 May '09 17:44:25 PM Reply | Forward One solution to all problems plaguing the world today - BAN RELIGION. It does not serve any purpose at all except for inciting intolerence resulting in hatred and culminating into violence. RELIGION IS BAD for mankind. It is the root cause of all evil that exists in society today, and mind you, it is irrespective of any religion since poison by any name is poison ultimately. I urge to one and all, stop fooling yourself in the name of religion, it doesn't take you anywhere.
All religions by their definition are monopolistic and intolerant.By: Suvi Cyriac Nadakluzhackal | Wednesday , 27 May '09 15:25:15 PM Reply | Forward How else can they bring in more members and money in to their hands?
Reply to op73By: Sameer | Wednesday , 27 May '09 14:26:59 PM Reply | Forward RSS
Rising Religious Intolerance in IndiaBy: Dr. Ankeshwar Prakash | Wednesday , 27 May '09 11:37:57 AM Reply | Forward I think that it is not merely a problem of existence of caste system, rather it is a problem of rising religious intolerance in the minds of only a few people belonging to a particular community. The solution lies in honest introspection by such people. Further both central and state governments should have handled the issue carefully. Due to the involvement of religious sentiments, the governments should have been proactive rather than reactive. Guilty people, from whichever community they are, shoud be punished and brought to justice.
Read the best book on Sikh identity politics by Harjot Singh OberoiBy: op73 | Wednesday , 27 May '09 7:57:21 AM Reply | Forward The finest book on the subject discussed by Mehta is Harjot Singh Oberoi's THE CONSTRUCTION OF RELIGIOUS BOUNDARIES, which reveals the huge diversity within Sikh traditions that was stamped out by Khalsa Sikhism. Oberoi was hounded into silence for revealing this historical truth. The fact is that the monopoly of the Sikh Panth now is no different from the BJP's effort to monopolize the existing diversity of Hindu traditions.
Carry on the good work!By: Jayadevan | Wednesday , 27 May '09 7:49:54 AM Reply | Forward The very idea of speaking the words "religion" and "tolerance" with the same breath is ludicrous. Organized religion is an excellent way to acquire power - can we imagine the beneficiaries ever tolerating competition? The fact that reactions of this sort - the attack in Vienna - come from the Jat Sikhs is only incidental, they were the people whose position was being threatened. All religions have used every method in the lexicon to wipe out competition - they only needed to have the opportunity and the power. That this sort of confrontationism also serves to cement the hold of a highly corrupt priesthood is a fringe benefit. If there were no Shias or Nirankaris, they would have to be invented. Fortunately, there is always an unending supply of fools who know nothing about theology or philosophy and mistake symbols for the actual thing to commit the next horror. It would seem difficult to make the human race extinct, but God did provide a destruct button - stupidity.
Monopoly religion????By: Dr.G.Srinivasan | Wednesday , 27 May '09 6:40:16 AM Reply | Forward This happened in all religions Sikhism is no exception
Except Islam no other Religion is a very near success in eliminating castes,By: naufulamhu | Wednesday , 27 May '09 5:06:34 AM Reply | Forward I am naive and ignorant, I was under the impression that Sikhism brought a great revolution in Hinduism by abolishing the four traditional castes and hundreds of other sub-castes. Only today I understand that Cates do exist in Sikhism as it does exist in my country Sri Lanka among the Buddhists. Low caste people like us are not allowed entry into some of the Buddhist temples. Did religious conversion bring the revolution of caste-less religion?( Where are you Dr. Ambethcar) It appeared to do so in the case of Hindus converting to Christianity. But that is also wrong. Very many high caste Hindus Christians proudly add their Hindu Caste names after their Christian names such as Margaret Mudaliar, James, Sylvia, Mary, etc and in some places there are separate Burial grounds for low caste Christians, but in the case of Sri Lankan Islam and in Tamil Nadu, Muslims who used to belong to various Hindu Castes, have totally got rid of their Hindu Caste identity,, this is a real revolution
Issue is with tolerance, on Dalit side as wellBy: Navdeep Bajwa | Wednesday , 27 May '09 3:50:08 AM Reply | Forward Seems like the whole media is vilifying the higher caste sikhs for not being tolerant. The issue here is with "GURU MANYO GRANTH". Sikhs do not regard a livcing person as a guru, the holy book is the guru. THe ravidasis use the holy book but consider a living person as a guru. That is what causes this issue. Why cant tolerance be taught to ravidasis to understand this and show respect to the sikh traditions as well. A simil;ar issue caused the Nirankari problem in 80's as well and we know how that was politically and socially exploited.
Reader CommentBy: rohitchandavarker | Tuesday , 26 May '09 17:02:00 PM Reply | Forward The simmering discontent within the Sikh community resulted in this senseless violence.The reasons are manifold but the underlying reason is the chasm between the affluent sections
Guru Nanak Devji must be crying nowBy: Rajdeep | Tuesday , 26 May '09 15:56:52 PM Reply | Forward Great Guru Nanak Devji fought all his life against mindless rituals and symbolism in religion and today his followers kill somebody because he was sitting with the holy book Adi Granth instead of a notch lower. How stupid one can go on these things, some times back they were trying to kill some one else because he was dressed as Guru Govind Singhji. All the problems of rituals and castism that were cleaned by these Ten Gurus are now a days back in modern day Sikhism. Its time we all read and interpret the Adi Granth an japji Sahab once again and start the clean up act.
Business of expansion of the neo gurusBy: shantam i singh | Tuesday , 26 May '09 15:55:47 PM Reply | Forward Sikh masters and their contempraries have made religion free from the cluches of elite of their time. They have given immense importance to the idea of finding a living guru. This freedom to choose create the markets of gurus. Problem arises when these kiosk holder gurus cross the limits of their porfession. Just imagine you are a show room holder and a street seller start selling his things in your shop. What you will do? The same Sikhs are doing with this particular guru, otherwise hundreds of other deras are doing their business in their way.
Folks first try to get facts rightBy: Gurpreet Sandhu | Tuesday , 26 May '09 15:45:28 PM Reply | Forward The case here is that of one sect who call themselves ‘Ravidasis’
Monopoly ReligionBy: Parminder Singh | Tuesday , 26 May '09 14:56:31 PM Reply | Forward Sikhism tolerates all religions. It is borne out by the fact that Shabads of Hindu, Muslim Saints find a place in Guru Granth Sahibji. Nobody can deny the fact that saints like Kabir, Farid, Dhana, Tirlochan, Bhatts,Ramanand etc. did not belong to high castes. Nowhere in the Guru Granth Sahib there is preaching that Hindus/ Muslims should give up their religion. The advice to them is to be true Hindus/Muslims. Sikhs do not worship Idols, but they do not break them. Ravi Das is one of the saints whose Bani finds a respectable place in Sri Guru Granth Sahibji. However, nobody, including saints of other sects/ faiths/ deras have a right to either misinterpret or show disrespect to Guru Granth Sahib or the Sikh tradition/ teachings. If they want to charter a different line of thought, so be it. Let them have their holy book, place of worship, etc.
Folks first try to get facts rightBy: Gurpreet Sandhu | Tuesday , 26 May '09 14:27:05 PM Reply | Forward The case here is that of one sect who call themselves ‘Ravidasis’
Caste system in IndiaBy: Raman Mittal | Tuesday , 26 May '09 13:27:26 PM Reply | Forward Caste is a factor which is age old in India and refuses to die--come what may. Irrespective of religion, the caste system rises again and again and refuses to die. Nanak, Kabir, Sufis, Ramakrishna, missionaries, Constitution may have shown the door to caste based practices, but still it enters from back door. It appears the caste system is so deep rooted in Indian milieu that it is almost impossible to get rid of it. So, let us learn to live with it.
commentBy: santosh | Tuesday , 26 May '09 11:38:48 AM Reply | Forward who owns the religion?
Monopoly religionBy: MOHAN DADDIKAR | Tuesday , 26 May '09 11:29:51 AM Reply | Forward Sikhs, though deeply religious are generally a tolernat and peace-loving community. They are modern in outlook and proressive in soial reforms.But nowadays they are aping the Muslims in all spheres of human relations. So even waaring a turban has bccome a symbol of aggressive Sikhism. I reauest the Sikh commnunity to return to their age-old tolerance and love for peace and stop becoming like Muslims.
It was not the 6 people, it was a philosophyBy: T R Suman | Tuesday , 26 May '09 10:52:25 AM Reply | Forward This was not just an emotional killing of Sant Ramanand by 6 antisocial elements. This has lot to with the growing intollerence in the modern day Sikhism. A religion whose roots get watered from the respect to every religion. But the so called custodians of sikhism want to interpret the things the way they want and not the way they are. They want evry sub section of sikhism to follow there line. They can't digest the rise of so called lower caste sikhs or whatever they call them. They always forget that all of us are living in a free democratic society where everybody has it fundamental right to follow any religion in his own way. The difinition of a particular religion by a particular section is not binding to everybody. Things will get normal in the course of time but one thing is bound to happen. The social landscape of punjab has changed for ever.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Taliban impose Jazia on Sikhs in Pakistan
Sikhs living in Pakistan’s Orakzai Agency have reportedly paid Rs 20 million as “jazia” to the Taliban, a tax previously levied by Mughal rulers on non-Muslims to exempt them from military service and protect their person in the sub-continent.
The Daily Times, a Pakistani newspaper, reported on Thursday that “detained” Sikh leader Sardar Saiwang Singh was released by the Taliban, who also vacated the community’s houses occupied by them.
They also announced protection for the Sikh community, saying no one would harm them after they paid “jazia”. Sikhs who had left the agency would now return and resume their business in the Agency, which is part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in north-western Pakistan, the paper added.
“The Taliban don’t have a state, so they can’t impose jazia,” Lucknow-based historian Salim Kidwai told the HT.
The Mughal ruler, Akbar, abolished jazia on his subjects, which was re-imposed by Aurangzeb in the 17th century.
In Amritsar, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) secretary Dilmegh Singh quoted the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Bishen Singh as saying that more than 200 Sikhs and Hindus had taken shelter in gurdwaras in Nankan Sahib and Peshawar.
Meanwhile, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani to ensure the security of Sikhs and Hindus in the trouble-torn country.
The Daily Times, a Pakistani newspaper, reported on Thursday that “detained” Sikh leader Sardar Saiwang Singh was released by the Taliban, who also vacated the community’s houses occupied by them.
They also announced protection for the Sikh community, saying no one would harm them after they paid “jazia”. Sikhs who had left the agency would now return and resume their business in the Agency, which is part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in north-western Pakistan, the paper added.
“The Taliban don’t have a state, so they can’t impose jazia,” Lucknow-based historian Salim Kidwai told the HT.
The Mughal ruler, Akbar, abolished jazia on his subjects, which was re-imposed by Aurangzeb in the 17th century.
In Amritsar, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) secretary Dilmegh Singh quoted the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Bishen Singh as saying that more than 200 Sikhs and Hindus had taken shelter in gurdwaras in Nankan Sahib and Peshawar.
Meanwhile, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani to ensure the security of Sikhs and Hindus in the trouble-torn country.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Are Hindus Cowards ???
Source: Rediff.com and Www.francoisgautier.com
“Muslims are bullies and Hindus cowards”, the Mahatma Gandhi once said. He was right - at least about Hindus: there has been in the past 1400 years, since the first invasions started, very few Shivaji’s and Rajput princes to fight the bloody rule of the Moghuls, or hardly any Rani of Jhansi’s to stand against the humiliating colonial yoke of the British. If a nation’s soul is measured by the courage of its children, then India is definitely doomed: without the Sikhs, whose bravery is unparalleled in the more recent history of India, Hindus would have even lost additional land to the Muslim invaders and there would have been infinitely more massacres of Hindus by Muslims during the first weeks of Partition.
Are Hindus more courageous since they have an independent nation (thanks - not to the non-violence of Gandhi - but to the true nationalists, such as Sri Aurobindo and Tilak, who prepared the ground for the Mahatma at the beginning of the century)? Not at all! Because of Nehru’s absurd and naïve “hindi-chini-bhai-bhai” policy, the Indian army was shamefully routed in 1962 by the Chinese, a humiliation which rankles even today. Beijing is still able to hoodwink Indian politicians, by pretending it has good intentions, through the interviews the Chinese leaders very generously give to the Hindu newspaper (which should rightly be called the “anti-Hindu”) and Frontline (”the mouthpiece in India for the Chinese communist party”), while quietly keeping on giving nuclear know-how to Pakistan, as well as the missiles to carry their atomic warheads to Indian cities, arm separatists groups in the north-east and continuing to claim Arunachal Pradesh or Sikkim.
Everywhere in the world, Hindus are hounded, humiliated, routed, be it in Fiji where, once more, an elected democratic government was deposed in an armed coup, or in Pakistan and Bangladesh, where Muslims indulge in pogroms against Hindus every time they want to vent their hunger against India (read Taslima Nasreen’s book “Lalja”). In Kashmir, the land of yogis, where Hindu sadhus and sages have meditated for 5000 years, Hindus have been chased out of their ancestral home by death, terror and intimidation: there were 25% of Hindus at the beginning of the century in the Kashmir valley… and hardly a handful today. And how did India start the new millennium? By surrendering as a lamb goes to the slaughterhouse to a handful of terrorists who took over flight IC 814 from Kathmandu to Delhi (Nepal is another small inconsequential country, which owes its culture to India, but keeps on indulging India’s enemies, whether Pakistan or China)! India had the opportunity to storm the plane when it landed in Amritsar, at a time when the militants had not been furnished with explosives and more guns by the Talibans, but it did nothing out of bureaucratic bungling and sheer incapability. And not only did this Hindu Government (yes, BJP/Hindu, not Congress/Secular) make an ass of itself by calling the Talibans “friendly”, whereas all along the Talibans only helped the terrorists, but also by its weak “Gandhian” attitude, it lost any credibility in a world, where Might is the only criteria, as the US proves us every day.
And what happens when there is ONE man in India - whatever his faults, quirks, or excesses - who dares to call a spade a spade, is not afraid of words and is ready to stand-up for his opinions? Not only, of course, he is attacked by Christians and Muslims, but he is also hounded by his own brothers and sisters, the “secular” Hindus, the Human Rights activists, the journalists, the judges, the police, the (Congress) politicians! Are Hindus so intent to show the world that not only they are cowards, but also idiots? This man, of course, is Bal Thakeray. When Bal Thakeray said, already many years ago, that there was no point in playing cricket against Pakistan, as long as Islamabad was sending militants to kill and maim into Indian territory, he was ridiculed by the secular press as fanatic and un-sportive (and cricket is certainly not a gentleman’s game as the recent scandal has shown). But he was proved right, when during Kargil, India refused - for once - to play cricket with Pakistan. When he says too, that since fourteen centuries, Muslims always strike first against Hindus, he has another good point, for those who live in Indian cities which have important Muslim minorities, will tell you that every time there are Hindu-Muslims, it is the Muslims who start them, either by attacking the police, or by provoking the Hindus.
And this is exactly what happened in Bombay, after the Ayodya mosque was brought down by Hindu militants : Muslims, angry of the “terrible” affront done to Islam, started pelting the police with stones and burning shops; but unfortunately for the Muslims, who have made of riots an art (please read the passages of the Koran which deal with riots as part of jihad), they found that for once, the Hindus under the leadership of the Shiv Sena, retaliated blow for blow - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - as the Israelis, who have been so long at the receiving end of Muslim bullying, say so well. It is not for us to condone violence: but how long can the Hindus be the butt of killings and persecution, be sacrificial lambs that meekly go to slaughter ? For in a way, Gandhi was right: Muslims are bullies, they have bullied India and they continue to bully Hindu India, as Pakistan has demonstrated by receiving a well-meaning, but naïve Vajpayee at Lahore, while its soldiers were quietly invading the heights above Kargil; or as Mushraraf shows, by giving gullible Indian journalists pep talk about how he wants peace with India, while Islamabad is still training and arming murderous jihadis for Kashmir.
And what monstrous murder is Bal Thakeray accused of ? What crime against humanity has he committed? He is guilty of having written two “inflammatory” editorials in the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece. Editorials? Inflammatory? But did Bal Thakeray ever kill anyone ? Is the man going to be arrested for having “written” something ? Are not the leaders of the Muslim organization which spearheaded the recent bombing of churches in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, to sow disharmony between Christians and Hindus, still scot-free, by pretending that they believe in secularism ? Has Tiger Memom, who planted deadly bombs in Bombay in 1992, ever been caught and brought to court ? Are not the Muslim organizations, which organized the bomb attacks in Coimbatore a few years back, still functioning under different names ? Isn’t it true that in Kerala, every day a new mosque is built with money coming from the Gulf and that from these mosques and madrasas the mullahs preach openly violence and anti-Hinduism ? …
The truth is that there are two standards in India: one for the Hindus; and one for the Muslims. Did the “fanatic” Hindus who brought down Ayodhya (and brought shame onto secular India, according to the Indian media) kill or even injure anyone in the process? No. But Muslims do not have such qualms. When Gandhi said they were bullies, he was being very nice or very polite. For forget about the millions of Hindus killed during the ten centuries of Muslim invasions, probably the worst Holocaust in world history; forget about the hundreds of thousands of Hindu temples razed to the ground, whose destruction - whatever our “secular” Hindus of today say - was carefully recorded by the Muslims themselves, because they were proud of it (see Aurangzeb’s own chronicles); forget about the millions of Hindus forcibly converted to Islam, and who sadly are now rallying under a banner, a language, a scripture which have nothing to do with their own ethos and culture (*). Yesterday and also today, when the Muslim world feels it has been slighted, in even a small measure by Hindus, these Infidels, who submitted meekly to Muslim rule for ten centuries, it retaliates a hundred fold - this is the only way one intimidates cowards. After Ayodhya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia (at least in a passive way by giving shelter for a while to Tiger Memon) with the help of Indian Muslims, planted bombs in the heart of Bombay and killed a thousand innocent human beings, most of them, once more, Hindus. Tomorrow, Pakistan might wage, with the blessing of the Muslim word, the ultimate jihad against India, which if necessary, will utilise the ultimate weapon, nuclear bombs. For has not the Koran said “‘Choose not thy friends among the Infidels till they forsake their homes and the way of idolatry. If they return to paganism then take them whenever you find them and kill them” (Koran 98:51-9:5-4:89) ?
Unfortunately for India, the British, when they were here, had created an intellectual elite, to act as a go-between themselves and the “natives”, which today, thanks to the Nehruvian culture of successive Congress governments, looks at its own country, not by means of its own Indian eyes, but through a western prism, as fashioned by the white colonizers and the missionaries. These ” Brown Shahibs “, these true children of Macaulay, the ” secular ” politicians, the journalists, the top bureaucrats, in fact the whole westernised cream of India are very critical of anything Hindu. And what is even more paradoxical, is that 98% of them are Hindus ! It is they, who upon getting independence, have denied India its true identity and borrowed blindly from the British education system, without trying to adapt it to the unique Indian mentality and psychology; and it is they who are refusing to accept a change of India’s education system, which is totally western-oriented and is churning out machines, learning by heart boring statistics which are of little usefulness in life. And what India is getting from this education is a youth which apes the West : they go to Mac Donald’s, thrive on MTV culture, wear the latest Klein jeans and Lacoste T Shirts, and in general are useless, rich parasites, in a country which has so many talented youngsters who live in poverty. They will grow-up like millions of other western clones in the developing world, who wear a tie, read the New York Times and swear by liberalism and secularism to save their countries from doom. In time, they will reach elevated positions and write books and articles which make fun of their own country, ridicule the Bal Thakeray’s of India and put them in jail; they will preside human-right committees, be “secular” high bureaucrats who take the wrong decisions and generally do tremendous harm to India, because it has been programmed in their genes to always run down their own country. It is said that a nation has to be proud of itself to move forward - and unless there is a big change in this intellectual elite, unless it is more conscious of its heritage and of India’s greatness, which has begun to happen in a small way, it is going to be very difficult for India to emerge as a real 21st century superpower.
One would be tempted to say in conclusion : “Arise ô Hindus, stop being cowards, remember that a nation requires Kshatriyas, warriors, to defend Knowledge, to protect one’s women and children, to guard one’s borders from the Enemy”….
And do Indians need a Bal Thakeray to remind them of that simple truth ?
(*) This is no to say that all Muslims are fanatics; on the contrary, many of India’s Muslims are extremely gentle and their sense of hospitality unsurpassed. The same thing can be said about Pakistan: Pakistani politicians, for instance, are much more accessible than in India and Pakistan has its own identity, which cannot be wished away. No, the problem is not with Muslims, whether they are Indians or Pakistanis, the problem is with Islam, which teaches Indian Muslims from an early age, to look beyond their national identity to a country - the Mecca, in Saudi Arabia - which is not their country, to read a Scripture which is not written in their own language, to espouse a way of thinking, which is inimical to their own roots and indigenous culture. Indian Muslims, have to think of themselves first as Muslims and secondly only as Muslims. Muslim soldiers fighting against Pakistan in Kargil, have shown the way.
** From his new book “Arise Ô India” (Har-Anand)
“Muslims are bullies and Hindus cowards”, the Mahatma Gandhi once said. He was right - at least about Hindus: there has been in the past 1400 years, since the first invasions started, very few Shivaji’s and Rajput princes to fight the bloody rule of the Moghuls, or hardly any Rani of Jhansi’s to stand against the humiliating colonial yoke of the British. If a nation’s soul is measured by the courage of its children, then India is definitely doomed: without the Sikhs, whose bravery is unparalleled in the more recent history of India, Hindus would have even lost additional land to the Muslim invaders and there would have been infinitely more massacres of Hindus by Muslims during the first weeks of Partition.
Are Hindus more courageous since they have an independent nation (thanks - not to the non-violence of Gandhi - but to the true nationalists, such as Sri Aurobindo and Tilak, who prepared the ground for the Mahatma at the beginning of the century)? Not at all! Because of Nehru’s absurd and naïve “hindi-chini-bhai-bhai” policy, the Indian army was shamefully routed in 1962 by the Chinese, a humiliation which rankles even today. Beijing is still able to hoodwink Indian politicians, by pretending it has good intentions, through the interviews the Chinese leaders very generously give to the Hindu newspaper (which should rightly be called the “anti-Hindu”) and Frontline (”the mouthpiece in India for the Chinese communist party”), while quietly keeping on giving nuclear know-how to Pakistan, as well as the missiles to carry their atomic warheads to Indian cities, arm separatists groups in the north-east and continuing to claim Arunachal Pradesh or Sikkim.
Everywhere in the world, Hindus are hounded, humiliated, routed, be it in Fiji where, once more, an elected democratic government was deposed in an armed coup, or in Pakistan and Bangladesh, where Muslims indulge in pogroms against Hindus every time they want to vent their hunger against India (read Taslima Nasreen’s book “Lalja”). In Kashmir, the land of yogis, where Hindu sadhus and sages have meditated for 5000 years, Hindus have been chased out of their ancestral home by death, terror and intimidation: there were 25% of Hindus at the beginning of the century in the Kashmir valley… and hardly a handful today. And how did India start the new millennium? By surrendering as a lamb goes to the slaughterhouse to a handful of terrorists who took over flight IC 814 from Kathmandu to Delhi (Nepal is another small inconsequential country, which owes its culture to India, but keeps on indulging India’s enemies, whether Pakistan or China)! India had the opportunity to storm the plane when it landed in Amritsar, at a time when the militants had not been furnished with explosives and more guns by the Talibans, but it did nothing out of bureaucratic bungling and sheer incapability. And not only did this Hindu Government (yes, BJP/Hindu, not Congress/Secular) make an ass of itself by calling the Talibans “friendly”, whereas all along the Talibans only helped the terrorists, but also by its weak “Gandhian” attitude, it lost any credibility in a world, where Might is the only criteria, as the US proves us every day.
And what happens when there is ONE man in India - whatever his faults, quirks, or excesses - who dares to call a spade a spade, is not afraid of words and is ready to stand-up for his opinions? Not only, of course, he is attacked by Christians and Muslims, but he is also hounded by his own brothers and sisters, the “secular” Hindus, the Human Rights activists, the journalists, the judges, the police, the (Congress) politicians! Are Hindus so intent to show the world that not only they are cowards, but also idiots? This man, of course, is Bal Thakeray. When Bal Thakeray said, already many years ago, that there was no point in playing cricket against Pakistan, as long as Islamabad was sending militants to kill and maim into Indian territory, he was ridiculed by the secular press as fanatic and un-sportive (and cricket is certainly not a gentleman’s game as the recent scandal has shown). But he was proved right, when during Kargil, India refused - for once - to play cricket with Pakistan. When he says too, that since fourteen centuries, Muslims always strike first against Hindus, he has another good point, for those who live in Indian cities which have important Muslim minorities, will tell you that every time there are Hindu-Muslims, it is the Muslims who start them, either by attacking the police, or by provoking the Hindus.
And this is exactly what happened in Bombay, after the Ayodya mosque was brought down by Hindu militants : Muslims, angry of the “terrible” affront done to Islam, started pelting the police with stones and burning shops; but unfortunately for the Muslims, who have made of riots an art (please read the passages of the Koran which deal with riots as part of jihad), they found that for once, the Hindus under the leadership of the Shiv Sena, retaliated blow for blow - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - as the Israelis, who have been so long at the receiving end of Muslim bullying, say so well. It is not for us to condone violence: but how long can the Hindus be the butt of killings and persecution, be sacrificial lambs that meekly go to slaughter ? For in a way, Gandhi was right: Muslims are bullies, they have bullied India and they continue to bully Hindu India, as Pakistan has demonstrated by receiving a well-meaning, but naïve Vajpayee at Lahore, while its soldiers were quietly invading the heights above Kargil; or as Mushraraf shows, by giving gullible Indian journalists pep talk about how he wants peace with India, while Islamabad is still training and arming murderous jihadis for Kashmir.
And what monstrous murder is Bal Thakeray accused of ? What crime against humanity has he committed? He is guilty of having written two “inflammatory” editorials in the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece. Editorials? Inflammatory? But did Bal Thakeray ever kill anyone ? Is the man going to be arrested for having “written” something ? Are not the leaders of the Muslim organization which spearheaded the recent bombing of churches in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, to sow disharmony between Christians and Hindus, still scot-free, by pretending that they believe in secularism ? Has Tiger Memom, who planted deadly bombs in Bombay in 1992, ever been caught and brought to court ? Are not the Muslim organizations, which organized the bomb attacks in Coimbatore a few years back, still functioning under different names ? Isn’t it true that in Kerala, every day a new mosque is built with money coming from the Gulf and that from these mosques and madrasas the mullahs preach openly violence and anti-Hinduism ? …
The truth is that there are two standards in India: one for the Hindus; and one for the Muslims. Did the “fanatic” Hindus who brought down Ayodhya (and brought shame onto secular India, according to the Indian media) kill or even injure anyone in the process? No. But Muslims do not have such qualms. When Gandhi said they were bullies, he was being very nice or very polite. For forget about the millions of Hindus killed during the ten centuries of Muslim invasions, probably the worst Holocaust in world history; forget about the hundreds of thousands of Hindu temples razed to the ground, whose destruction - whatever our “secular” Hindus of today say - was carefully recorded by the Muslims themselves, because they were proud of it (see Aurangzeb’s own chronicles); forget about the millions of Hindus forcibly converted to Islam, and who sadly are now rallying under a banner, a language, a scripture which have nothing to do with their own ethos and culture (*). Yesterday and also today, when the Muslim world feels it has been slighted, in even a small measure by Hindus, these Infidels, who submitted meekly to Muslim rule for ten centuries, it retaliates a hundred fold - this is the only way one intimidates cowards. After Ayodhya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia (at least in a passive way by giving shelter for a while to Tiger Memon) with the help of Indian Muslims, planted bombs in the heart of Bombay and killed a thousand innocent human beings, most of them, once more, Hindus. Tomorrow, Pakistan might wage, with the blessing of the Muslim word, the ultimate jihad against India, which if necessary, will utilise the ultimate weapon, nuclear bombs. For has not the Koran said “‘Choose not thy friends among the Infidels till they forsake their homes and the way of idolatry. If they return to paganism then take them whenever you find them and kill them” (Koran 98:51-9:5-4:89) ?
Unfortunately for India, the British, when they were here, had created an intellectual elite, to act as a go-between themselves and the “natives”, which today, thanks to the Nehruvian culture of successive Congress governments, looks at its own country, not by means of its own Indian eyes, but through a western prism, as fashioned by the white colonizers and the missionaries. These ” Brown Shahibs “, these true children of Macaulay, the ” secular ” politicians, the journalists, the top bureaucrats, in fact the whole westernised cream of India are very critical of anything Hindu. And what is even more paradoxical, is that 98% of them are Hindus ! It is they, who upon getting independence, have denied India its true identity and borrowed blindly from the British education system, without trying to adapt it to the unique Indian mentality and psychology; and it is they who are refusing to accept a change of India’s education system, which is totally western-oriented and is churning out machines, learning by heart boring statistics which are of little usefulness in life. And what India is getting from this education is a youth which apes the West : they go to Mac Donald’s, thrive on MTV culture, wear the latest Klein jeans and Lacoste T Shirts, and in general are useless, rich parasites, in a country which has so many talented youngsters who live in poverty. They will grow-up like millions of other western clones in the developing world, who wear a tie, read the New York Times and swear by liberalism and secularism to save their countries from doom. In time, they will reach elevated positions and write books and articles which make fun of their own country, ridicule the Bal Thakeray’s of India and put them in jail; they will preside human-right committees, be “secular” high bureaucrats who take the wrong decisions and generally do tremendous harm to India, because it has been programmed in their genes to always run down their own country. It is said that a nation has to be proud of itself to move forward - and unless there is a big change in this intellectual elite, unless it is more conscious of its heritage and of India’s greatness, which has begun to happen in a small way, it is going to be very difficult for India to emerge as a real 21st century superpower.
One would be tempted to say in conclusion : “Arise ô Hindus, stop being cowards, remember that a nation requires Kshatriyas, warriors, to defend Knowledge, to protect one’s women and children, to guard one’s borders from the Enemy”….
And do Indians need a Bal Thakeray to remind them of that simple truth ?
(*) This is no to say that all Muslims are fanatics; on the contrary, many of India’s Muslims are extremely gentle and their sense of hospitality unsurpassed. The same thing can be said about Pakistan: Pakistani politicians, for instance, are much more accessible than in India and Pakistan has its own identity, which cannot be wished away. No, the problem is not with Muslims, whether they are Indians or Pakistanis, the problem is with Islam, which teaches Indian Muslims from an early age, to look beyond their national identity to a country - the Mecca, in Saudi Arabia - which is not their country, to read a Scripture which is not written in their own language, to espouse a way of thinking, which is inimical to their own roots and indigenous culture. Indian Muslims, have to think of themselves first as Muslims and secondly only as Muslims. Muslim soldiers fighting against Pakistan in Kargil, have shown the way.
** From his new book “Arise Ô India” (Har-Anand)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Religious brains more calm in face of anxiety
By Jenny Green, Canwest News Service
The brains of religious people are calmer in the face of error and uncertainty than doubters, Canadian university researchers have found.
“This is the first set of studies connecting individual differences in religious conviction to basic (brain) processes,” say authors Michael Inzlicht and Ian McGregor, psychology professors at the University of Toronto and York University, respectively.
Compared to non-religious subjects, the highly religious had 33 per cent less activity in the anterior cingulated cortex, the part of our brain that regulates anxiety. Those certain of God’s existence had 45 per cent less activity in this region compared to those convinced that there is no God.
The religious people weren’t just calm, they were more accurate.
“The more participants were zealous, the fewer errors they made,” said the paper, Neural Markers of Religious Conviction, published in the March edition of the academic journal Psychological Science.
“We suggest that religious conviction buffers against anxiety by providing meaning,” said the authors.
Ten men and 18 women of various convictions and faiths were asked to rate themselves on a scale of zero to five on questions such as: “I aspire to live according to (certain religious codes)” or “My beliefs are more correct than others.”
In a second test, nine men and 13 women from diverse ethnic backgrounds were asked on a scale of one to five whether God exists. Religious affiliations were not recorded for this test.
In both studies, the subjects then donned skull caps with electrodes to record brain activity, and quickly read words such as “purple” printed in purple ink or “red” printed in red ink. The next test was a little more confusing with “purple” printed in red ink, or “yellow” in blue ink.
Everyone stayed relatively calm for the easy test but the non-religious brain got much more agitated during the more difficult one. The religious people took their time, answered the questions more carefully, and made fewer errors. If they did make a mistake, they took it in stride.
Inzlicht said the team was taken aback by the results, so it tried the experiment repeatedly.
“We’re pretty sure it’s a robust finding, and not just an accident.”
“The anterior cingulated cortex is kind of like a cortical alarm bell. It rings when something’s not right; you’ve made an error. The things that tend to set it off are anxiety inducing, such as error, uncertainty and conflict.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Why do Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs fight each other?
We see that Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus all clash among each other. They have political grievances against each other. They fight for land. They fight for converting the other to one’s faith. They are natural enemies of each other, dividing the human race into warring factions that are perpetually fighting to each other creating holy wars, border territorial disputes, communal conflicts in civil life and now global terrorism.
Why do professional (scientific) denominations like Doctors and Lawyers NOT fight each other?
Why is it that doctors, do not fight lawyers in the manner in which Muslim fight Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. Or for that matter why is it that no professional denominations fight each other as members of different professions. They may still fight against each other, as Muslim doctors may fight against Jewish lawyers, but here we have Muslim fighting Jews and not doctors fighting lawyers.
Why does religion motivate humans to fight other humans, while science motivates people to live with each other and fight the challenges of nature instead of fighting with each other?
This is a profound question, which the authors of this webpage have not encountered anywhere so far. So we make an attempt to answer this question here. An attempt that strikes at the very root of the Quran, the Injil (Bible), the Tureth (Torah), the Bhagvad Geeta, the Guru Granth Sahib, and all other religious texts.
An answer that will be found offensive by the Muslims, the Christians, the Jews, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Sikhs, and all other religious denominations all of which account for nearly 100% of the human species. Since very few humans declare themselves to be atheists, we take it that the nearly the entire human race is religious.Religion is an emotion which is a dead-end and a roadblock to free-thinking and growth of knowledge.
Although we know that this is far from the truth, and many enlightened folks, have cast off religion, but would not admit to having done so, as that would make them, apostates(ex-Christians), murtads (ex-Muslims), pakhandis (ex-Hindus), tankhaiyas (ex-Sikhs). Such humans would also be targeted for social boycott and in the case of ex-Muslim, targets for assassination and murder by the Muslims. This and this alone accounts for the silence of those who have abjured all religion.
Again while all religions are organized into communities, the atheists are not. Humanist-Atheists are spread disparately across the world, and are found wherever the human spirit of quest has overcome the sub-human instinct of faith - an instinct bred by fear of the unknown and a desire to survive the challenges of life, an instinct that we have inherited from the lower animals.
It is Faith that originates from the human fear of the unknown that gives birth to religion in Man. Religion is an emotion which is a dead-end and a roadblock to free-thinking and growth of knowledge. As against this, Quest gets integrated into a thought process which is an open-ended path and gives birth to knowledge and science.
Why do we have religious fanaticism, but no professional or scientific fanaticism? Why are there fanatic Muslims, fanatic Christians, fanatic Hindus, but no fanatic doctors and fanatic lawyers?
All religions are based on fear of the unknown. While fear of the known can intimidate, like the fear of a stronger bully, fear of the law, etc., the fear of an unknown illusory power that is assumed to exist, can drive the victims of this fear to any paranoia in order to please that assumed illusory power. We find many religious people saying, “We fear nobody but god.” What they are telling you is that they have totally subsumed their existence to that power, in fact to those who represent that power in society - the priests, the Rabbis, Bishops, Cardinals, Popes, Maulavis, Pundits, Gurus of different religions.
With this kind of subsuming of personal human intellectual discretion at the altar of an overpowering fear of an illusory unknown power that is assumed to exist, all human reasoning ends. What remains is an unthinking and mindless desire to do anything to please that power, through the word of Messiahs, Prophets, Avatars, Deities, etc.
Emotion along with Denial of Quest is at the root of religious existence, while Quest is the overpowering instinct at the root of all science which makes us professionals of different denominations. Thinking intellectuals will not fight for no reason, while mindless robotic crowds at the mercy and command of religious preachers can do anything against others.
Hence we find religious people considering theirs to be the only right religion and all others to be on the wrong path, to be either converted or terrorized or even killed.
Why does no profession say that it alone is the right profession and all other professions are wrong.
Why does no profession, say that it alone is the right profession and all other professions are wrong, and that all doctors will have to become lawyers, or else the doctors will kill the lawyers who refuse to become doctors! The answer lies in the fact that while thinking makes people into professionals and scientists, the lack of and the ban on thinking makes people religious, as Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews or whatever else.Since in the history of evolution of life forms, no species has fought for its own self-destruction as we humans are doing.
This is especially dangerous, since today we have the capability to self-destruct all across this planet, and in the process also destroy all other life forms - birds animals and vegetation!! So it becomes more than necessary to hold back this self-destructive tendency in humans that is bred by religion, and religious fanaticism, of which the most blood-thirsty expression is Islam.
The Jihad, the Crusades and other manifestations of holy wars in the name of religion are examples of the first tendency of grabbing land and resources being made paranoid by the second one based on our fear of the unknown, that drives us into mad acts to serve the cause of our tribe, nation, religion motivated by the desire to do anything and everything for the unknown �power�. So we see Muslims, Christians, Hindus willing to die or kill in the name of religion, with Muslims leading the pack of bloodthirstiness.
When evil geniuses combined these two factors and motivated humans to attack other humans in the name of religion to grab land and to dominate their lives, then human greed, coupled with religion became a major problem, a problem that today threatens to end all life on earth.
How will religions self-destruct?
The actual destruction of religion will begin in the form of next world war with the Christian, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists combining to destroy Islam. Violent form of Islam will be destroyed first of all, but in the process all the other religions too would be weakened and the most fanatic sects among them will be next in the line of fire. Therein lies the opportunity to give all violent, rabid and intolerant religious sects the final push, otherwise these will destroy the human species from this planet.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sikhs, Muslims must respect our tradition: Sarkozy
29 Sep 2008, 2028 hrs IST,PTI
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MARSEILLES: Insisting that France is not discriminating against Sikhs wearing turbans, President Nicholas Sarkozy on Monday said that he expects the community to respect the customs and traditions of the French people.
"We respect their traditions and customs and I hope they also respect France's rules," Sarkozy said in a joint interaction with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who also belongs to the Sikh community, after the India-EU summit.
"We respect Sikhs, their customs, their traditions. They are most welcome to France. But we have rules concerning the neutrality of the civil servants, rules concerning secularism and these rules don't apply to just Sikhs, they apply to the Muslims, they apply to all on the territory of the French Republic." Sarkozy said.
France in 2004 had imposed a ban under which Sikh students were prohibited from wearing turbans to schools, a decision that has incurred world-wide protests from the community.
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MARSEILLES: Insisting that France is not discriminating against Sikhs wearing turbans, President Nicholas Sarkozy on Monday said that he expects the community to respect the customs and traditions of the French people.
"We respect their traditions and customs and I hope they also respect France's rules," Sarkozy said in a joint interaction with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who also belongs to the Sikh community, after the India-EU summit.
"We respect Sikhs, their customs, their traditions. They are most welcome to France. But we have rules concerning the neutrality of the civil servants, rules concerning secularism and these rules don't apply to just Sikhs, they apply to the Muslims, they apply to all on the territory of the French Republic." Sarkozy said.
France in 2004 had imposed a ban under which Sikh students were prohibited from wearing turbans to schools, a decision that has incurred world-wide protests from the community.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Bal Thackeray cautions Sikhs
24 Jun, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, ET Bureau
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MUMBAI: The aftershocks from the Sikh violence over the weekend continue to be felt in the city. Even as top Sikh religious bodies demanded a judicial probe into the incidents, Bal Thackeray yet again warned Sikhs about their violence against innocent ‘Hindus’. One person was killed in a clash between two Sikh sects on Friday and the violence thereafter held the city to ransom for 2 days.
With the Sikh bodies presenting their case, the Shiv Sena supremo Thackeray warned them that Shivsainiks will not be mute spectators to violence against innocent ‘Hindus’. “Though Punjab is quiet, the situation in Mumbai is volatile due to the violence unleashed by the Sikhs....They should stop violence immediately and maintain peace,” he said in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Monday.
The newspaper carried an editorial by Mr Thackeray on Monday and a front-page commentary on the issue on Sunday airing the Sena chief’s resentment over the violence sparked off by the killing. “Why are you raising your sword on innocents? Maintain peace and stop the violence immediately,” Mr Thackeray said and added, “Attacking innocents will boomerang on you. I want to say only one thing to the Sikhs. Stop this violence irrespective of your sect. If it continues, Maharashtra may soon retaliate.”
On Monday, the Akali Dal decided to send a delegation led by Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal to meet the members of the family of Balkar Singh, who was killed in an alleged firing by private security guards of Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
A decision to send the delegation was taken at the meeting of the core committee of the ruling party presided by chief minister Prakash Singh Badal in Chandigarh. The delegation is expected to call on Vilasrao Deshmukh to urge him to take the strictest possible action against the culprits responsible for this incident, an SAD official said.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday demanded judicial probe into the killing. Addressing the media here, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said they have submitted a memorandum to this effect to deputy CM RR Patil. SGPC wants the Dera chief to be booked for Balkar Singh’s murder.
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Save Write to Editor
MUMBAI: The aftershocks from the Sikh violence over the weekend continue to be felt in the city. Even as top Sikh religious bodies demanded a judicial probe into the incidents, Bal Thackeray yet again warned Sikhs about their violence against innocent ‘Hindus’. One person was killed in a clash between two Sikh sects on Friday and the violence thereafter held the city to ransom for 2 days.
With the Sikh bodies presenting their case, the Shiv Sena supremo Thackeray warned them that Shivsainiks will not be mute spectators to violence against innocent ‘Hindus’. “Though Punjab is quiet, the situation in Mumbai is volatile due to the violence unleashed by the Sikhs....They should stop violence immediately and maintain peace,” he said in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Monday.
The newspaper carried an editorial by Mr Thackeray on Monday and a front-page commentary on the issue on Sunday airing the Sena chief’s resentment over the violence sparked off by the killing. “Why are you raising your sword on innocents? Maintain peace and stop the violence immediately,” Mr Thackeray said and added, “Attacking innocents will boomerang on you. I want to say only one thing to the Sikhs. Stop this violence irrespective of your sect. If it continues, Maharashtra may soon retaliate.”
On Monday, the Akali Dal decided to send a delegation led by Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal to meet the members of the family of Balkar Singh, who was killed in an alleged firing by private security guards of Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
A decision to send the delegation was taken at the meeting of the core committee of the ruling party presided by chief minister Prakash Singh Badal in Chandigarh. The delegation is expected to call on Vilasrao Deshmukh to urge him to take the strictest possible action against the culprits responsible for this incident, an SAD official said.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday demanded judicial probe into the killing. Addressing the media here, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said they have submitted a memorandum to this effect to deputy CM RR Patil. SGPC wants the Dera chief to be booked for Balkar Singh’s murder.
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