SIKHISM AND BIHAR
Bihar was the cradle of the Indian Civilization. Guru Nanak visited Patna (Pataliputra) during his travels. Guru Teg Bahadur was on his way to Assam when his son, Guru Gobind Singh, was born at Patna. Guru Gobind Singh, spent the early part of his childhood here and then went to Anandpur from Patna. Therefore, Patna or Patna Saheb as it is called by some, is a place of pilgrimage for the Sikhs where there is a very impressive temple built by Rana Ranjit Singh in the last century. After the partition of India in 1947, many Sikhs came to Patna. Sikhism is an important religion taught in the schools and universities of Bihar. Whether or not all of the people in Bihar are Sikhs it does not matter, the fact is that they take special pride in this religion.
WORLD PEACE AND BIHAR
We have seen that Bihar has witnessed the evolution and peaks of all the Eastern Religions. If we look at their philosophies, they all consider the worldly life as a mere sojourn of a pilgrim who has to traverse the path from darkness to light. Some believe in the existence of God and the others do not. However, irrespective of such beliefs, the paths to be followed in this life recommended for the human beings, in all cases, are the same; based on same or similar values. The goals are also almost the same, whether it is attaining nirvana or merging with God. It is quite surprising indeed. In fact, Swami Dayananda, whose followers are called Arya Samajees, said that the truth exists, but to know what is the truth - it must be accepted as the truth, independent of place, culture, race and religion. If it meets these criteria then only it can be called `the truth'.
The examples of great souls like King Janaka, Devi Sita, Lord Buddha, Lord Mahavira, and Guru Gobind Singh will long be remembered in the human history as positive contributors towards peace and that of King Ashoka, whose concepts of sending the Buddhist monks to spread the message of peace, which can also be called as the First Peace Mission of that scale, is also no less contribution for the humanity. His concern for humans as well as lower creatures by establishing medical care for them is unparallel in the human history. The same concepts, evolved in this state through the rise and fall of different religions, were practised by the Dalai Lama in the twentieth century and the world has recognized his greatness by awarding him with the Nobel Peace Award. Mahatma Gandhi, having been convinced of the non violence concept, used it for the first time after returning to India in this state at Champaran, to seek justice for the indigo farmers. Sage Patanjali's Yoga is being widely used by the individuals to seek peace and tranquillity, not only in India but all over the world. He lived in the Pataliputra during the second century B. C. .
Bihar has been the cultural center of India for times much greater than any other states in the country. The languages such as Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit developed here. To understand how these ancient languages still have a role to play in our daily lives, let us take the Fig. 3. If we imagine that there are only two concentric shells in this figure and consider the Sanskrit as the core instead of the Atman. If we also imagine our regional languages, one at a time, as the outer shell then we can see that these languages are modifications from Sanskrit which plays the subtle role even to-day. Just like the Atman, it is Sukshma ( Subtle ), but always there and acts as the unifier or a binding force for the country. Different languages have developed in the past mainly due to, ( a ) lack of mobility of the people due to the poor communication facilities, and ( b ) the existence of smaller kingdoms within the country. In this day and age, one needs bigger nations which are, as far as possible, homogeneous in nature. Otherwise there will be a tendency to split along the linguistic lines as has happened in the Soviet Union or Yugoslavia. People cannot be held together by force or any other artificial means. Even the Sinhalese language used in Sri Lanka is a derivative of Prakrit. To have better standard of living, a country has to have order in the society first; secondly, the resources, both human and material, must also be there. These two criteria require the formation of a nation, not a split up country.
Bihar has been in the past blessed by the presence of the great Souls, and that is why even to-day, Mumukshu ( Seekers of Truth ) come to visit different shrines. This land has an unique history.
