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he prays to God to save the world through whichever way

He deems fit: “Save by Thy grace, the world in flames; save

it at whatever portal it may be saved.”

The customary

daily Sikh prayer,

Ardas,

concludes with the supplication

‘welfare of all’. A similar spirit of respect and love for the

whole of mankind runs throughout the linguistic phra-

seology of Guru Granth Sahib. The scripture is a unique

text of pure spiritual ecstasy, reflecting the unity of the

divine creator and its creation in a rare cosmic together-

ness. In addition to the verses of the Gurus, selected verses

of various contemporary sages and saints from different

religious denominations are also included herein. Many a

name used for God by Hindu, Muslim and other oriental

religious faiths finds mention in it with equal respect to

emphasize the divinity and oneness of the divine power.

The Guru’s religion is a whole-life religion, and aims

at a balanced development of the individual physically,

mentally, morally and spiritually. The Guru rejects the

dichotomy of spiritual

(piri)

life and temporal

(miri)

life,

and stresses the significance of spiritual ethics in temporal

deeds. The Guru calls life a ‘game of love’, which is to be

played with absolute commitment. He beckons his follow-

ers thus: “Shouldst thou seek to play the game of love, step

into my street with thy head placed on thy palm: While on

to this stepping, ungrudgingly sacrifice your head.”

Sikhism’s message is to live a life of dignity and uphold

human rights; one must protect not only one’s own rights,

but also those of the oppressed and the suppressed.

Tyranny should be resisted by all means, even by fighting

if all else fails. Brave is considered the one who fights for

the helpless: “The true hero is one who fights in defence

of the humble; is cut limb after limb, and flees not the

field.”

The saint-warrior is a fundamental concept of an

ideal human being in Sikhism, in whom the righteousness

of a saint and the dynamism of a warrior integrate and

assimilate. In other words, one is neither to frighten anyone

nor fear anyone: “One that strikes not terror in others, nor

of others stands in fear – saith Nanak: Listen my self, know

Image: Kirpal Signh, 1952

Bhai Kanhaiya serving water to Sikh and enemy soldiers on the battlefield – an example of the importance in Sikhism of doing selfless service

to friend and foe alike

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