Chain Of The Ten Sikh Gurus example essay topic

In the year 1469 a man named Guru Nanak was born into a Punjabi-Hindu family. His name means 'He who was born at the home of his mother's parents', which was in Talwandi, near Lab one ('Sikhs'647). We know little about Nanak's life but a lot about his beliefs from a book called ' Adi Granth' or ' Granth Sahib', which means holy book. Some of his beliefs were the reality of 'karma' and 'reincarnation'. These are beliefs that our actions in this life determine how high or low we " ll be in our next life. The Hindus and Muslims believe it is best to worship, miss ionize, study and write the sacred scriptures, and other religious public actions and behaviors.

Nanakbelieved that this is wrong. He felt that the people should be involved in inward meditation to the God, Akal Purakh (Nanak was a monotheist, believing in one god). Nanakbelieved that Akal Purakh is the almighty creator and sustainer of the universe and he has no form. If one is truly devoted to Akal then Akal may reveal himself to you in " nam' or the divine name. Since Akal created the world and everything in it then, the world can be considered an expression of 'nam', (McLeod 5). Akal, to reveal himself through 'nam', speaks the 'sa bad' or divine word, through a loyal believer.

This believer acts as the eternal guru, or teacher, speaking in the mystical voice of Akal through the " sa bad'. A guru can achieve this divine harmony with Akal by the practice of 'nam simar an'. This can be accomplished in many ways. One way is by the repeating of a 'mantra', a word that expresses the divine reality. Another way is to sing devotional songs or even to have deep mystical concentration. Guru Nanak attracted many disciples, or " sikh a' (this is where the name Sikh comes from).

These " sikh as' were the original Sikhs. Before Guru Nanak died he appointed a successor from among his disciples to be the second guru. This started the chain of the ten Sikh gurus which lasted 439 years from the birth of Nanak to the death of Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, in the year 1708, ('Hindus and Sikhs' 11). Nanak appointed as his successor Lena orLa hina, who later changed his name to Angad (Angad was lesser legendary hero of that time).

Guru Angad is the person responsible for the thinking up the idea of a 'GranthSahib', the holy book. Angad appointed as his successor Amar Das, who did two things that differed from Nanak's beliefs. He made his own village, Goin dual, a city for pilgrims, though Nanak said that miss ionizing was not good. In addition, Amar Das collected materials for the forming of " Granth Sahib', though Nanak said you shouldn't make sacred writings. Guru Amar Das appointed, as his successor, his son-in-law Jetta or Ram Das. Guru Ram Das built the golden temple in Amritsar on the land given to him by emperor Arbor.

Before then the Guru- ship was given to someone who deserved it, but from that point on it was given to a family member. So, Ram Das gave it to his thirds on Arjan Dev, a legendary hero of his time. Guru Arjan Dev put together the 'Granth Sahib', supposedly taking it from the works of Amar Das. Before he died, Guru Arjan told his son Hargobind to wear, when he became Guru, not one but two swords because one stood for 'pir i', the continuing authority of the Guru and the other stood for " mir i' the newly assumed secular authority (McLeod 4). I twas from his secular authority that the Panth or Sikh community developed, always arming themselves out of fear of the Mughal forces. The death of Arjan is not clear but it probably did occur while he was in Mughal custody.

Guru Hargobind was forced to change the Panth from Nanak-Panth, the Panth similar to the days of Nanak, to a military Panth. After Guru Hargobind, Hari Rai took over. Inh is days, and in the short days of the next guru, Guru HariKrishan, the Mughal authorities didn't disturb the Sikhs. After these two gurus, Tegh Bahadun became the next guru. Guru Tegh Bahadun was beheaded by Aurangzeb in 1675 for not accepting Islam ('Sikhs' 647). After him came the last guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

Gobind Singh had to do " paul', the Sikh initiation. The Sikh initiation involves stirring together sugar with water with a two-sided dagger. This mixture must be drunk by the person about to be initiated. After this ritual water, water and sugar, drinking, the person purifies himself five times. After this, he then yells the Sikh war cry and forever wears the five k's. They are 'key' which is uncut hair, 'kachhi', pants reaching only to the knee,' kara', an iron bangle, 'kirman', a sword (or 'khanda', a small dagger), and 'khan ga', a hair comb.

The first four of five k's have soldierly uses and Guru Gobind Singh was an excellent warrior. He also instituted the 'kara pars had', when flour is mixed with butter and sugar and all castes eat it together. This was done in order to destroy the caste system so that no one could feel superior to their neighbor. In 1708 Guru Gobind Singh was assassinated at N ander in the Deccan. Nowadays, the Sikhs are fighting with the Indian government for a separate homeland for themselves in Punjab. In 1984, after the Sikhs assassinated the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, Hindus rioted and killed hundreds of Sikhs.

Since that time, the amount of violent crimes and murders by Sikhs and to Sikhs has been growing rapidly. Sikh terrorists, or rather militants, freedom-fighters or ', as they like to be called, killed over one thousand people in 1987 and almost twice that amount in 1988, ('Hindus and Sikhs' 11). In 1990, the Sikhs killed almost four thousand five hundred people in their attempt to gain independence, the highest amount for any year, ('Throwing Punches' 30). Newspapers and magazines in the United States have written about many of the horrible acts of terror occuring right now in India. One article told of Sikh militants fighting Indian police in Bombay, seven hundred-eighty miles southwest of Punjab ('Sikhs Attack Bombay' A 12). The Indian police seem to be very afraid of the violence of the Sikhs.

It has been reported that the police are willing to pay children thirty rupees, the equivalent of$1.70 a day, to fight Sikhs. Unfortunately, many of these children either run away with the guns given to them by the police or join the Sikh militants, ('Throwing Punches' 30) Itis very dangerous for journalists to write about the Sikhs. Inthe past few years. seventeen journalists have been killed by the Sikhs because they have written unfavorable articles about the Sikhs and their terrorist activities, ('ThrowingPunches' 30). A recent Sikh terrorist act involved Sikh " freedom-fighters's topping a train in Punjab. They boarded the train and killed forty-seven innocent people, ('Forty-seven Killed' A 1). Sikhism has changed from the time of Guru Nanak, where it was a peaceful, inward religion to the present where there is much violence by the Sikhs and pride in their violent ways.

Bibliography

Forty-seven Killed by Sikh Militants'. Wall Street Journal 27 Dec. 1991: A 1'Hindus and Sikhs'.
Scholastic Update 10 Mar. 1989: 11 McLeod, W.
H. The Sikhs. N.Y. : Columbia University Press, 1986.
Sikhs'. Encyclopedia Brittania. 1963 edition.
s sikhs Attack Bombay' New York Times 6 Mar. 1992: A 12 'Throwing Punches in Punjab' The Economist 5 Jan.
1991: 30.