By Ajit Singh Liddar | The Sikh Bulletin |
Sacrilege (beadbi) is the physical or verbal attack on religious symbols, literature, places, religious leaders, prophets, Gurus, saints and pieties, etc. No one has the right to indulge in sacrilege of any kind of anything or anyone, be it pertaining to the religion of others or one’s own. It is with utmost sadness, that I mention that we Sikhs are the biggest perpetrators of this sacrilege. I list some of the acts of beadbi are given below.
Our Guru is neither the paper the Bani is written on nor the ink with which it is written but it is, what is written. Paper and ink can be destroyed, but the Bani – Shabd is immortal.
To understand the Bani, we must keep in mind the concept that the Bani is expressed in the spiritual essence and not its literal meanings, Bhav-arth and not the word-arth.
WE SIKHS HAVE ACCEPTED THAT:
1. Sikh Gurus ordained that all human beings are equal and be treated as such, i.e. no caste or class discrimination. Most Sikhs knowingly or unknowingly do not obey the Guru’s Hukam (Dictat) and keep on discriminating against the Dalits and other disadvantaged people of lower castes, treating them as sub-humans.
2. A recent Sikh phenomenon has created another upper-class caste among Sikhs, that of those who have partaken the Khande de Pahul. Most of them think and believe that they are higher in the hierarchy, and some of them claim a status closer to the Almighty. This goes against the concept of equality among humans. This, in my view, is a Beadbi.
3. The Guru Granth Sahib ordered us not to covet what belongs to others, be it property, or other possessions. How many Sikhs can honestly swear to the fact, that in their life, they have neither done that nor do it now, i.e. indulge in this practice? This is also a Beadbi.
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4. Guru advised us the be honest, and humble and not lust and greedy for riches. How many Sikhs can attest to the fact that they are friends with the lowest of the low? I believe most of us find ourselves in the company of the rich and the powerful or trying to catch up to them. This is also a sacrilege.
5. Guru Granth Sahib says that we shun man-made customs, rituals, maryadas, and riti-rivaz. We are so engrossed in these fake practices that we do not even know that are following them. A critical look at any Gurudwara will give us a handful of examples of this Beadbi. Baba Nanak and Bhagat Kabir forbade and warned us against these rituals. We ignore their teachings and supersede them with our wisdom.
Just one example will suffice, in my hometown in Canada, a few years ago, a local fire brigade was called to put out a fire in the Gurudwara parking lot. The cause of the fire was the burning of ‘Rumalas of Guru Granth Sahib’. The management explained that they did not have a storage facility to keep large volumes of Rumalas. We know that the sangat tends to buy the most expensive ones in blind Shardha. What a waste, can we simply wait till the present ones are sufficiently worn out to replace them and advise the sangat not to bring the Rumalas on every occasion? To avoid this sacrilege would mean to stop wastage of sangat’s resources. Money could be used for the needy or other uses, i.e. education and health services.
6. According to the philosophy of Sikhi, all Sikhs must involve themselves in Kirat Karni, Naam Japna, and Vand Shakna. To not partake in Kirat Karni and become a free-loader, or a parasite to the welfare system of a country is also a Beadbi.
7. The Gurus started the tradition of langar for the needy i.e. hungry. Look at who is eating in the Langer Halls today? Everywhere in the world, you will find rich and well-fed people discussing the menu of langar. The needy all over the world are still sleeping with empty stomachs. Is this not a Beadbi?
Ajit Singh Liddar, PhD, is the author of ‘Ghadar Movement: Genesis & Inspiration. He can be contacted at ajitliddar@yahoo.ca. The article is courtesy of The Sikh Bulletin – December 2024 (Vol 26, No 5). Click here to retrieve archived copies of the bulletin.
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