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Authenticity of the True Path
By:
Bijla Singh
A Short
Background
It is only
sheer ignorance and lack of proper understanding of Sikhi that have led Muslims
to question the purpose of Rehat Maryada based on conjectures. To understand
this we need to look at the history of the Sikh Panth and the political struggle
it went through during the British rule. In 1849, the British annexed the Sikh
kingdom and took strong measures to destabilize the Sikhs. The Sikh army was
reduced significantly and replaced with Anglo and Indian soldiers. Forts, weapon
factories and Sikh schools were closed down. All Sikh Gurdwaras were taken over
by the British and their control was handed over to the Sanatan Hindu priests.
Muslims and Hindus had the right to run their own Gurdwaras but this was not the
case with the Sikhs. It was done to suppress the mighty Sikh power which was the
only opposing force left in India. There still remained large number of Sikh
groups that had started to raise a revolt and Gurdwaras were the best places for
them to organize, hold meetings and discuss their plans. To prevent any
rebellion from taking place, the British took precautionary steps and took
control of the Gurdwaras. In the words of Dr. A.R. Darshi:
When the British
conquered and annexed Punjab in 1849 they were aware of the power and glory of
the Sikhs. They also knew that Sikh power emerges from the Gurdwaras. Therefore
they conceived a sinister plan to scuttle Sikhism by taking control of these
institutions of religious power through their agents. In pursuit of their aim
they installed Hindu Mahants as managers of important Gurdwaras. For instance,
Mahant Narain Das and Mahant Sadhu Ram both anti-Sikh elements, were
respectively made in charge of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Harimandir Sahib. The
fanatic and corrupt Hindu Mahants installed idols in the Gurdwaras and
introduced Hindu rites and rituals which were denounced and renounced by the
Sikh Gurus. In this way the Mahants brought Sikh religion under the evil
influence of Hinduism and muddled it greatly. (The Gallant Defender, Dr.
A.R. Darshi, 25)
Sanatan
Hindu priests, puppets of the government, installed idols in the vicinity of
Gurdwaras and introduced Hindu practices. If this was not enough, the British
refused to recognize the separate Sikh identity. Sikh ceremonies, rites, wearing
Kirpan and black turban were declared illegal. The result was that many gullible
Sikhs came under the Hindu influence. Max Arthur Macauliffe who resigned the
high post of divisional judge in Punjab to author 'The Sikh Religion', published
by Oxford University London in 1909, had recorded in its introduction in Vol.1
that the best religion of the present age, the Sikh religion, may not survive
for long as Sikhs fell under the Brahmanical spell to follow its rites and
rituals categorically prohibited in the Sikh religion and in spite of the
warnings of their great Gurus. He surmised that, by this blurring of values,
Sikhs would forget their Sikh code of conduct and be reabsorbed back into the
Hindu fold. It is apparent that when Macauliffe wrote his book, Sikh rites and
ceremonies were practiced by many Sikhs and thus Rehat Maryada existed.
Seeing the
decline of Sikh practices in Sikh Gurdwaras and among the Sikhs, many eminent
Sikh scholars came forward and formed the Singh Sabha which sought to bring back
the traditional principles and Sikh way of life as prescribed by the Gurus. The
reform movement worked like a magic and within a short period of time, the Sikh
population was on the rise again. Then the attention turned to the political
recognition of the Sikh principles and its identity. In 1909, the Anand Marriage
Act was passed which recognized a separate marriage ceremony of the Sikhs, and
Sikhs could legally marry according to the Sikh tradition. The British also
passed the laws allowing Sikhs to wear Kirpans and black turbans. Idols were
removed from Gurdwaras though the control was not handed over. The British
started to make changes in their laws and recognize the Sikh identity and
ceremonies. Although professed and learned Sikhs had been practicing their
religion but passing of the laws was a sign of government recognition. These
laws were nothing more than politically accepting the Sikh identity and its
religious practices.
Sikhs
appealed to the government to restore the control of Gurdwaras back to them and
take action against the Hindu mahants for committing immoral activities in the
Gurdwaras. When nothing was done by the government to stop such disrespect to
the Gurdwaras, Sikhs resorted to protests and started to take over the Gurdwaras
themselves. This was a hard and long struggle but eventually Sikhs won. When
all of the major Gurdwaras came under the Sikh control, a managing committee was
formed called the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Its job was to
properly manage and run Gurdwaras based on Sikh principles. The Gurdwara Act of
1925 was written. All of the Rehat Maryada was scattered in different sources
and, therefore, it was decided to prepare one single document that would
encompass every single aspect of the Maryada. Also, it was a considered the best
way to stop the mismanagement of the Gurdwaras in the future and prevent
gullible Sikhs from falling under the anti-Sikhi influence.
Furthermore, the language the Rehat was written in was over 200 years old and it
had become difficult for many people to understand it without properly studying
it. For this purpose, in 1927, the SGPC appointed a 29 member committee whose
job was to prepare a draft of the Rehat Maryada. In this daunting task, many
Sikh scholars and groups were consulted and had the opportunity to review the
initial draft.
Sikh scriptures and various historical sources were reviewed. These sources were
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Dasam Granth, the poetical works of Bhai Gurdas and Bhai
Nand Lal, Janamsakhis, Bhagat Mala, Bhagat Rachnaavli, Sarabloh Granth,
Rehatnama Bhai Chaupa Singh, Rehatnama Bhai Prehlad Singh, Rehatnama Bhai Desa
Singh, Rehatnama Bhai Daya Singh, Gur Sobha, Prem Sumarag, Sau Sakhi, Mahima
Parkash, Gur Bilas, Gur Partap Suraj Granth, Sri Guru Panth Parkash, Gurmat
Parkash (Bhag Sanskaar), and the many Hukumnamas of the Gurus that are
available. This process took over 13 years and scholars made sure that nothing
was left out. Nothing in the Rehat Maryada was new or something that had not
been in practice since the beginning of the Sikh faith. Thus, Sikh Rehat Maryada
came into the present form.
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