The Underlying Values of Sikhism

The religious philosophy of Sikhism arose fundamentally as a non-Vedantic mode of contemplation in the historical clash against the feudal value-pattern. The founder of the religion, Guru Nanak (born in 1469 CE), developed an amicable conceptual structure within which he reconciled a spiritualist conception of the transcendental being with a materialist view of the phenomenal reality on the basis of a new causal relation that is different from vivartavada of Advaita Vedanta, satkaryavada of Visistadvaita Vedanta and parinamavada of the Sankhya system (Ahluwalia, p.22)

There are a number of underlying values within Sikhism philosophy. Social equality of all human beings irrespective of caste, creed, country, sex or station in life; elevation of labour; non-acceptance of the fatalistic-deterministic form of Karmic law-these concepts flow from the anti-feudal matrix of Sikhism.

One of the key values is that Sikhism admits of but one God, though there are many ways of approaching Him. They rejected idol worship, shunned excessive ritualism and held that caste was an irrelevant factor in the process of attainment of salvation. They also rejected asceticism and propagated the virtues of the life of a householder.

An important value in Sikhism is one’s duties as an individual and as part of a community. As an individual, must look after his body and his health. He must avoid that food and drink which will impair his physical or mental well-being. Through education and training a man will earn his living, but not amassing his wealth through the exploitation of labour. To others, he should set the right example to those who look to him. He should share his food with others and look after the sick and the poor.

Other underlying values featured in the Sikh religion include the belief that everyone is equal in the eyes of God, and it is this that affects all Sikh beliefs, rituals and behaviours. Payers are said multiple times a day, smoking is prohibited and one cannot consume alcohol.

Sikh unity was upheld by adherence to the five K's, visible signs setting Sikhs apart from other segments of the population;  these are Kesa (long hair that is never cut and sometimes referred to the turban), Kangah (comb), Kacha (short trousers), Kara (a metal bracelet) and Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger).

Nanak offered a doctrinal creation which answered the challenge of Islam and at the same time aimed at the very foundations of the top-heavy Brahmanical social structure. “By emphasizing an individualism already present in the Hindu tradition, he raised human dignity into a force which transcended other-worldly values, made excessive ritualism unnecessary, consecrated daily labour, and denied the validity of the caste system itself” (Ahluwalia, p.22).

Bibliography:

Ahluwalia, Jasbir Singh (1974) Anti-Feudal Dialectic of Sikhism, Social Scientist, Social Scientist.

Grewal, P. S. (1983) Nanak’s Doctrine and the Feudalism of the Sikh Gurudom, Social Scientist, Social Scientist.