Article By Rajveer Singh, Head of Khalsa Diary; funding and conflict none

Following Narendra Modi’s announcement on Guru Nanak Sahib Ji’s Parkash Purab, where he sweet-talked his way into the hearts of many by repealing the farm laws. Everyone has been rejoicing and thanking Guru Sahib for this great gift on the Gurpurab.

However, when speaking to Dr Iqtidar Cheema, he brought to my attention that within the speech, Narendra Modi has also once again defamed Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj, by branding them as a “Devi Worshipper.”

Quoting the quite famous “Sikh National Anthem” he said that I have decided to be righteous like them and improve my actions. We have seen similar actions where he claimed that Guru Gobind Singh had written the “Gobind Ramayan” and even excepted the joke of a book by KS Tulsi. The very same day, we at Khalsa Diary posted a counter to this using Sri Dasam Granth Sahib as its base to prove that any mention of Ram or other deities is used to describe Akaal Purakh, the same as in Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj.

However, this supposed issue around the “Sikh National Anthem” (which has no mention of Sikh Sovereignty something that every country national anthem has) has been something that has been discussed over and over again. I will discuss it in brief, but there is something I am more interested in.

Essentially this Shabad comes from Chandi Charittar, not to be confused with Chandi Di Vaar either. Chandi is referring to Durga, one of the deities of the Hindu Faith. As we know that Sri Dasam Granth is highly controversial, and this is one of the sections that is treated as controversial as many of the translations lead it to believe that it is a translation from the Purans. Not falling into controversy though if we look in Sri Dasam Granth there are many instances where Guru Sahib makes it clear that we do not hold any significance for Hindu Deities. 

In the Bani of Akaal Ustat Guru Gobind singh Ji Maharaj writes;

ਅਨਹਦ ਰੂਪ ਅਨਾਹਦ ਬਾਨੀ ॥

anahadh roop anaahadh baanee ||

He is Limitless Entity and hath infinite celestial strain.

ਚਰਨ ਸਰਨ ਜਿਹ ਬਸਤ ਭਵਾਨੀ ॥

charan saran jeh basat bhavaanee ||

The goddess Durga takes refuge at His Feet and abides there.

ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਬਿਸਨ ਅੰਤੁ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਇਓ ॥

brahamaa bisan a(n)t nahee paio ||

Brahma and Vishnu Could not know His end.

ਨੇਤ ਨੇਤ ਮੁਖਚਾਰ ਬਤਾਇਓ ॥੫॥

net net mukhachaar bataio ||5||

The four-headed god Brahma described Him ad ‘Neti Neti’ (Not this, Not this).5.

ਕੋਟਿ ਇੰਦ੍ਰ ਉਪਇੰਦ੍ਰ ਬਨਾਏ ॥

koT i(n)dhr upi(n)dhr banaae ||

He hath created millions of Indras and Upindras (smaller Indras).

ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਰੁਦ੍ਰ ਉਪਾਇ ਖਪਾਏ ॥

brahamaa rudhr upai khapaae ||

He hath created and destroyed Brahmas and Rudras (Shivas).

Just within this couplet,  Guru Gobind Singh Ji makes it abundantly clear that these deities all bow before Akaal Purakh. The common belief within the Panth is that Guru Gobind Singh Ji wrote these writings as a way of exposing the behaviour of these so-called deities. From Guru Nanak Sahib’s written Mool Mantar, we know that Akaal Purakh is both without fear and without hatred. Praying to deities who spent their whole lives fighting each other is pointless, and instead, Guru Sahib told us to remember the true Mahakaal, Akaal Purakh Waheguru. 

Even within Chaupai Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj destroys the idea of any of these deities having any authority over themselves and their connection with Akaal Purakh or Mahakaal as they refer to in their Bani.

ਜਵਨ ਕਾਲ ਜੋਗੀ ਸਿਵ ਕੀਓ ॥

javan kaal jogee siv keeo ||

The Temporal Lord, who created Shiva, the Yogi

ਬੇਦ ਰਾਜ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਜੂ ਥੀਓ ॥

bedh raaj brahamaa joo theeo ||

Who created Brahma, the Master of the Vedas

ਜਵਨ ਕਾਲ ਸਭ ਲੋਕ ਸਵਾਰਾ ॥

javan kaal sabh lok savaaraa ||

The Temporal Lord who fashioned the entire world

ਨਮਸਕਾਰ ਹੈ ਤਾਹਿ ਹਮਾਰਾ ॥੩੮੪॥

namasakaar hai taeh hamaaraa ||384||

I salute the same Lord.384.

Maharaj only bowed to three things in their life, the three things that they told the Khalsa Panth to bow down to as well. First Akaal Purakh, second Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and third our Shastar or weapons. These have been referenced by Bhai Prahlad Singh’s Rehatname and Bhai Nand Lal Ji’s Rehatnama. 

So saying that “Deh Shiva Bar Mohe Ehai” has anything to do with Shiva the deity is like saying that coke and water taste the exact same. Distorting facts and Bani will not stop us from understanding the ideological siege. 

Now the main topic is why the fixation on Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj. Well, the majority of modern Sikh history being written at the moment is dependent on separating Guru Nanak Sahib from Guru Gobind Singh Ji and in turn separating Guru Granth Sahib from Guru Gobind Singh Ji. there are still a few good people out there like Sardar Ajmer Singh and Sikh Siyasat, Sardar Gurtej Singh IAS, the NSYF team or the Khalsa Diary team and the scholars we work with, and others who are focussing on the main ideology of Sikhi and are exposing the ideological siege and the issues we’re dealing with. But despite this, some of our own are falling into the modern category (even though Sikhi is leaps and bounds in front of humanity) and are leaving behind the divinity that Sikhi has. Because of them, Modi, the Bandar Sena and the RSS are able to capitalise on these confusions and counter them.

In 1999 on the 300-year celebration of the Khalsa Sajna Divas, the RSS made a proclamation where they said that Guru Gobind Singh Ji abandoned the route of Guru Nanak Sahib and we regard as a great warrior like Shivaji Maratha, and without this change, India would not be the country it was today. This went unchallenged for many years, which is unfortunate considering the weight of the statement made and the pure absurdity of it. 

Firstly India was a land with over 550 princely states and chieftains, and Guru Sahib themselves ruled over a large chunk of Punjab, with those kingdoms at Kartarpur Sahib, Amritsar Sahib, Govindwal Sahib, Khadur Sahib, Kiratpur Sahib, Anandpur Sahib and Patna Sahib. Now out of these, Kartarpur Sahib, Khadur Sahib, Gowindwal Sahib and Amritsar Sahib were established by what the RSS refers to as the peaceful Guru’s, and yet even they established kingdoms. 

The other clear idea is that India has a history of selling its daughters for riches. The Rajputs, aka “India’s bravest warriors” still marry their daughters at night because the Mughals forced them to do so. The Marathas collapsed at the feet of the Mughals and offered their princesses as trade deals. However, the Khalsa’s daughters raised hell for the Mughals and taught other women to do the same. So in order to remove their own embarrassment they try and claim Guru Gobind Singh Ji as one of their own, using their very famous line;

ਛਤ੍ਰੀ ਕੋ ਪੂਤ ਹੌ ਬਾਮਨ ਕੋ ਨਹਿ ਕੈ ਤਪੁ ਆਵਤ ਹੈ ਜੁ ਕਰੋ ॥

chhatree ko poot hau baaman ko neh kai tap aavat hai ju karo ||

I am the son of a Kshatriya and not of a Brahmin who may instruct for performing severe austerities

This translation has once again proven the importance of learning Gurmukhi. Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha and Bhai Vir Singh have both defined the word ਛਤ੍ਰੀ as “Gods warrior” which we now refer to as a “paladin”. This translation has been excepted by the Panth and by the Nihang Singhs as well, and yet we still have not reviewed this English translation or others.

All these years have gone by and our Sikh Scholars still don’t have any backing or support because everyone can study Wikipedia and suddenly understand everything. Sikhi is not academia, it’s a journey and transition from where you become Akaal Purakh. You can’t do that if you’re stuck trying to understand it in a tainted model of the Sarkar-E-Khalsa education system. You have to practically put it into practice and follow it. Because of the influence of the western world, Hinduvata capitalises and allows for these issues to come up and remain unanswered.

I finish with a final statement – when the Larger Holocaust happened and the Singhs were attacked from all sides by Ahmed Shah Abdali, Bhai Rattan Singh Bhangu writes how the Khalsa responded to the threat. He says;

ਲੜੈ ਸਿੰਘ ਪਰਸ਼੍ਵਰਥ ਜਾਨ ਟਲੈ ਨ ਮਰਨੋ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੁਜਾਨ

The Singhs fought for a common cause, removing all fear of death.

ਪੰਥ ਗੁਰੂ ਕੀ ਸਮਝੈ ਲਾਜ ਦੀਨ ਮਜ਼ਬ ਕੇ ਜੁਧੇ ਕਾਜ 

They considered it a battle for the honour of the Guru’s Panth in the cause of the faith and the deprived. 

Until the Panth does not understand that this should be our stance always so we can prevent these issues, we will continue to be a former shadow of the Guru Khalsa Panth the 10 Guru’s created.