Behind the Beadbi

By Jarnail Singh Arshi | Opinion |

The underlying reason behind the sacrilegious activities on the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) occurring more and more frequently in Punjab is that the main focus of Gurbani in SGGS is the One Creator, Akal Purakh. This focus is very unsettling to the thousands of Godmen run institutions in Punjab. It’s a commonly known fact that Punjab has 12,000 villages but over 50,000 deras or establishments run by godmen or babas who strive to acquire more and more followers who are in turn the vote bank of all politicians/governments.

Gurbani soundly condemns these Godmen as pakhandees and frauds who are pretenders to the position of the Creator Akal Purakh. These persons cannot ever become the Creator and Gurbani exposes them stark naked. Thus there is a conflict of interests. The more the Sikhs become aware of this fraud, the more the godmen feel they have to show their powers and “expose” the SGGS as a powerless ordinary book.

These godmen are also very supportive of various other books and writings that are not as per SGGS Gurbani – but which serve their mission to undermine the truths in SGGS. These godmen are believers in the Kaal diety and actively promote those granths and books that promote this diety as opposed to the Truth in SGGS about the Creator Akaal Purakh. This Kaal Diety is the fountain head of all devtas, godmen, and humans pretending to be agents of God on earth.

The other arm of this unholy trinity are the politicians and the governments. These people need the vote banks of these godmen, deras, etc. They will never act to expose the real culprits and hidden hands master minds behind the attacks and sacrileges of the SGGS.

Big Business and the religious clergy are the third arm of this unholy trinity as they have vested interests in promoting snake oil as the cure all in all religious activities instead the hard truths in SGGS which actively promotes hard work, honest labour and good social habits and the building of an equitable happy healthy society Kirt Karo, Waand Chhako and Naam Jappo are the foundation of Begampura Society.

The solution towards stopping sacrilege of SGGS is not solely via active violence towards the culprits (who are actually paid pawns in this vile activity) but the spread of education to control and finally put a stop to the derawaad culture, dehdharee gurudoms, godmen run institutions and a return to the root teachings of SGGS in practise by Sikhs.

It’s an undeniable fact that each and every dera and godman run institution in Punjab is NOT a friend of the Sikhs but an enemy – even if some indeed have a parkash of SGGS to fool ordinary Sikhs. Any one who promotes the reading of SGGS yourself, understanding Gurbani and practising it daily to change ones life is a true Sikh while those who hide behind screens like simran, sampat paaths, various ways and methods to read Gurbani shbads for particular cures of physical and mental diseases, etc, are frauds out to stifle the Sikh Mind and put it in stupor like state which can be led by the nose.

Just beating up and even killing or jailing of culprits won’t stop these sacrilege attacks – each and every Sikh will have to be vigilant and become a Parcharak to spread the genuine teachings of SGGS and practise them. We don’t need “martyrs” but we do need to stop martyrdoms via education and living life in the 21st century. Our strength would be those Sikhs who are in Government, walk the corridors of power, decision makers, movers shakers …but sadly Sikhs are lacking in this aspect of “power”. Why are Sikhs having less and less IAS, top civil servants? It is because our educational and religious institutions have failed us – deras are producing vast numbers of “religious zealots” but economically unemployable and thus good for the “next world” but useless in this except to make money out of “religious activities like prayers, paaths, ardasses etc. When the Ordinary Sikh begins to read Gurbani, understand Gurbani and run his life based on Gurbani, he will become a good strong Sikh and the weak ones will either disappear or retreat and sacrileges will automatically stop.

Derawaad is the prime supporter of EXTRANEOUS GRANTHS that rival/undermine the SGGS. Deras produce Granthis that promote these granths as “Gurbani”. These are the breeding grounds of innocent youth led astray. We must not be fooled by the presence of SGGS in some of these deras – its just a smokescreen to fool the sangat. After gaining a substantial following these godmen are quick to discard the SGGS – examples Dera Beas, Dera Sirsa, etc. Naamdharees have a Living Guru and also use SGGS Gurbani!

In the latest case in Morinda, a historical Gurdwara was chosen for the sacrilege during an ongoing Akhand Paath with the sangat present. The culprit was caught red handed, beaten up, and mysteriously died in Police custody while in hospital undergoing treatment for stomach pains. His untimely death successfully covered up any hidden hands or the mastermind behind him. Earlier pictures of him with prominent politicians had begun to make the rounds of the Social Media – could be the reason for his swift end.

(Jarnail Singh Arshi is a freelance content creator on Gurbani, Gurmat Sikh History and Punjabi Language. The retired Malaysian government teacher and Giani in Punjabi Language contributes to various discussion groups, including the International Journal of Sikh Affairs (INJSA) and www.sikhphilosophy.net. He is also the webmaster of the Sikhi Vichar Forum website. He can be contacted at jsgyani@gmail.com)

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