In Defense of Faith
Boundaries
Kanwal Prakash "KP" Singh
God has no country, dress, form,
limit, or hue; God is omnipresent; God's love is everywhere.
There is One God. Eternal Truth is God's Name; Maker
of all things.
- Sikh Scriptures
Throughout history, faith communities have challenged
authority, awakened social conscience, fought tyranny,
and made sacrifices to safeguard the sanctity of their
religious traditions. The Sikh faith, the fifth largest
religion with 25 million followers worldwide, makes
its own unique contributions to the "Tapestry
of Faiths."
In Sikhism, Waheguru, the Wonderful Lord, is the
Father of all Creation. God is the fountainhead and
inspiration of all languages and all faiths, the benevolent
sustainer of all life. No one is higher or holier
because of caste, color, creed, nationality, gender,
or station in life. Sikhs are reminded in their sacred
texts that, "all life has originated from the
same source of Light" and "every living
being is a repository of Divine Light;" therefore,
"recognize all humanity as one race, one brotherhood."
The doctrine of spiritual oneness of God and humanity
resonates throughout the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy
scripture) and other Sikh sacred texts. The faith
teaches that "God has no country, dress, form,
limit, or hue; God is omnipresent; God's universal
love is everywhere" (Jaap Sahib - a morning Sikh
prayer).
The Sikh sacred texts teach that "God is the
source of all Light, and that Light illumines all
Creation." It is unconscionable to discriminate
against anyone on the basis of one's religion. All
paths lead to the same "Center." The Sikh
faith recognizes the equality, dignity, and sovereignty
of the entire spiritual community. One Supreme Spirit
guides our temporal and spiritual destiny and "none
now is our foe, nor a stranger; with all we are in
accord." God has no boundaries, but humans create
boundaries and limits to understand and define "the
unfathomable and limitless Creator." Each faith
offers its own Divine perspective, inspirations, traditions,
and unique cultural and spiritual thresholds.
In the seventeenth century, the Mughal ruler of India,
Emperor Aurangzeb, began a systematic persecution
and forced conversion of Hindus to Islam by the thousands.
Those who resisted perished. The Hindu religion was
threatened; its way of life and peace shattered. In
desperation, a delegation of frightened Kashmiri pundits
(Hindu religious leaders) led by Kirpa Ram arrived
at the spiritual court of the Ninth Sikh Guru, Teg
Bahadur, at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. The Kashmiri pundits
related tales of horror, of grave danger to their
religion, sacred places, and people. They sought the
Guru's wise counsel and intervention to save them
from this campaign of oppression and persecution.
The Guru realized the gravity of the situation and
the dangers of confrontation with the Emperor. He
told the Hindu leader that he could inform the Emperor
that the Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur was the spiritual leader
of the Hindus, and that if he, their Guru, were persuaded
to embrace Islam, then the Hindu community would accept
the Muslim faith without further resistance.
The Guru was immediately summoned to the Mughal Royal
Court at Delhi, imprisoned, and tortured. The Guru
said to the Emperor during their "meetings"
that forced conversion was a moral outrage. The freedom
to practice one's faith was a God-given right and
the State had no right to interfere with people's
peaceful spiritual associations and faith traditions.
The Guru reminded Aurangzeb that he was the Emperor
of all his subjects who follow many religions. The
angered Emperor first tortured and killed three of
the Guru's disciples in front of him and then gave
him the choice to either accept Islam or face death.
The Guru refused to surrender and fearlessly accepted
death rather than abandon his commitment to a sacred
principle.
The Sikh Guru was publicly beheaded on November 11
in 1675 at Chandni Chowk, a public square in Old Delhi,
defending the honor of the Hindu faith and upholding
the right of all to embrace, worship, and celebrate
their faith in total freedom. Today, there is a Sikh
Temple, Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, at the site of his
martyrdom, a place of solemn Sikh pilgrimage. The
Sikhs draw strength and inspiration from this sacred
symbol of resistance to oppression, a shrine commemorating
the supreme sacrifice of the Divine Prophet of the
Sikh faith for the cause of another faith. This is
hallowed ground. Many historians believe that the
Guru's death may have saved India from becoming a
total Muslim State. His martyrdom set in motion events
that changed the course of Indian history.
Although the Sikh tradition had broken from Hinduism,
Guru Teg Bahadur's remarkable deed honored the Hindu
tradition and thus preserved the integrity of the
Sikh faith. Sacred scriptures, traditions, a universal
spirit, and seva (selfless service) define the cherished
boundaries of this unique Sikh faith. The defense
of the sacred borders of other faiths and cultural
traditions has been an honored commitment in Sikhism
since its founding in 1469. Sacred texts counsel that
in "matters of conscience," a "righteous
fight and supreme sacrifice" is the way to live
the faith and to honor the Guru and the Wonderful
Lord.
Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth and last Sikh Guru,
in his autobiography Bachittar Natak (the strange
drama) wrote about the supreme and extraordinary sacrifice
of his father, Guru Teg Bahadur, in defense of Hinduism
and a universal sacred right. "He protected the
tilak (sacred forehead mark) and the janeau (sacrificial
thread) of the Hindus and performed an incredible
noble deed in Kal Yug (the present Age)." He
further wrote, "The world cried in horror over
his
death, but the gods in heaven rejoiced that the victor
returns 'Home' in triumph."
Guru Teg Bahadur symbolically and literally crossed
a spiritual boundary to uphold a principle. The Sikh
fight was against tyranny of rulers who sought to
invade the boundaries of others. There was no malice
towards Islam or any other faith. The Sikh founder,
Guru Nanak, proclaimed, "There is one God. Eternal
Truth is God's Name; Maker of all things." (Japji
Sahib, morning prayer).
Guru Nanak sought to unify the Hindu and Moslem communities.
He studied Eastern and Western faiths during his extended
travels to the religious centers in the Middle East,
Russia, China, Tibet, and throughout India in the
early sixteenth century. The fifth Sikh Guru, Arjan
Dev, completed the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy scriptures).
This extraordinary poetic treasure enshrines sacred
writings of Muslim and Hindu saints alongside the
compositions of the Sikh Gurus. The foundation stone
of The Golden Temple (also known as Harimander Sahib),
the holiest shrine of the Sikh faith, the St. Peter's
and Vatican, the Mecca, and Wailing Wall of Sikhs
was laid by venerated Moslem Sufi saint, Hazrat Mian
Mir, in 1588. Under the "golden domes" of
this magnificent Indo-Saracenic shimmering architectural
jewel situated in the middle of a sacred pool, reverberates
an unmistakable message of unity, equality, and sovereignty
of all faiths and sacred traditions
A Sikh sees every living being as worthy of God's
love and human compassion. A Sikh feels "kinship
of spirit" with all and no one as "outside
the circle of universal spirit." The Sikh scriptures
present a limitless view of the temporal and celestial
universe and reject all divisive and separating walls
created by faith leaders and religious zealots for
personal gains and glory. For Sikhs, Kirat Karni (honest
labor), Vand Chhakna (sharing with others), Naam Japna
(remembering God), and Seva (selfless service) are
the true spiritual centers of a faithful life. Our
daily recitation and meditation of Jaap Sahib (sacred
text) affirm, "To love God is to love all Creation.
Every act of service is an offering to God."
Sikh history is a living witness to the countless
sacrifices made for worthy causes and communities
outside its own.
As an act of our common humanity, we must safeguard
the dignity of all God's children. Injury to the civic
or spiritual rights of even one soul is an affront
to human decency everywhere and to God who loves us
all. Inaction on the part of people of goodwill may
encourage continued aggression, embolden the oppressor,
and repeat the long nightmares of the past. Guru Teg
Bahadur reminds us that it is an act of faith to stand
united in spiritual and human solidarity in the face
of evil. The sacrifices of pious souls like Guru Teg
Bahadur set before us an example of extraordinary
dimension; physical, cultural, and spiritual differences
must not stop us from doing the right thing. We must
be prepared to cross the temporal and spiritual boundaries
to defend the fundamental freedoms and rights of all
people. Guru Teg Bahadur's martyrdom stands as testimony
to the sanctity and human dignity of every person
regardless of that person's faith. Although the Hindu
faith had traditions and doctrines very different
than his own Sikh faith, the Guru nonetheless defended
its honor and a sacred principle and inalienable right.
Imagine crossing and traversing boundaries as a bridge
to a more enlightened and peaceful world where unity
of purpose, equality of opportunity, sanctity of all
faiths, dignity of each individual, and justice for
all are enshrined as the "Universal Commandments."
No sacrifice is too great to safeguard them and no
one should be left outside this universal circle of
hope and basic dignity. Sikhs remember the saintly
Teg Bahadur in the daily Ardas (prayer of supplication)
and celebrate his life. Now the world does too. The
United Nations recognizes him as a great champion
of human rights.
The spirit of selfless sacrifice of Guru Teg Bahadur
in 1675 continues to inspire us to create a world
where right actions, not fear, shape human destiny,
where tolerance and understanding reign supreme. He
challenges us to transcend diverse faith traditions
and ethnic and cultural divides, and bridge a message
of hope to unfamiliar lands and communities still
yearning to triumph in their battles and struggles
for freedom of thought, spirit, and conscience. May
each of us live the true essence of our sacred texts
by respecting the faith of the others.
*****
Kanwal Prakash (K.P.) Singh was educated in India
and the USA in liberal arts, architecture, and city
planning. KP is known for his finely executed drawings
of historic architectural landmarks from around the
world, for his support of historic and cultural preservation,
and interfaith events in Indiana. He is a founding
member of the International Center of Indianapolis.
Singh is a regular contributor to the IN Touch feature
of The Indianapolis Star. A member of the Central
Indiana Sikh community, Singh has resided in the U.S.
since 1965.
