Sikhism and Ritualism

The Sikh faith condemns empty rituals and superstitions. The practice of blind ritualism, worshiping of idols and inanimate objects, participating in fasts, pilgrimages, special diets, or believing in any other superstitions or fads, will not bring one closer to God or make one a better human being:

"I observe neither Hindu fasting nor the ritual of the Muslim Ramadan month; I serve the One, who at the last shall save. The Lord of the Universe of the Hindus, Gosain and Allah to me are One… I do not make pilgrimages to Mecca, nor do I worship at Hindu sacred shrines. I serve the One Lord, and not any other. I perform neither the Hindu worship nor the Muslim prayer. I have taken the One Formless Lord into my heart; and I humbly worship my Lord there. We neither are Hindus nor Muslims; our body and life belong to the One Supreme Being who alone is both Ram and Allah for us." (SGGS, 1136)

The above quote from the Sikh scripture makes reference to Hinduism and Islam, as they were the prevalent religions during that time, but this also helps clear the often-misperceived fact that Sikhism is an offshoot of Islam or Hinduism, instead of a distinct ideology and faith.

Many religions, with the passage of time had become engrossed in worthless ritualism, sacrifice and penance which brought no spiritual enhancement and value to the life of the devotee. Guru Nanak, even when he was still a child spoke against valueless rituals.

Main article: Guru Nanak and the Sacred Thread

When Nanak was only nine years old, his father Mehta Kalu, determined to have him invested with the Janoy or janeu, or "sacrificial thread of the Hindus". This ritual was commonly performed by all males of Hindu families. Until a boy is so invested, he is deemed an outcaste. When the members and relations of the Nanak family, and all the neighbours, secular and religious people, had assembled, and all preliminary rites had been duly performed, Hardial, the family priest, proceeded to put the sacred thread on Nanak's neck. The boy caught the thread with his hand, and asked the priest what he was doing, and what advantage it was to put a thread of that description on him. The priest then explained that the janoy was the basis of the Hindu religion, that without it the boy would only be a Shudra (an untouchable or outcaste), and that by putting it on greatness should be obtained in this world and happiness in the next.

Young Guru Nanak disagreed with the Brahmin priest and declined to wear the cotton thread. He reminded the priest what qualities a person should attempt to master:

In addition to this, the Sikh Gurus spoke against other empty ritualistic practices of their time. The spoke against idol-worship or belief in gods and goddesses; astrology and fortune telling; tantra, mantra and yantra; hattha yoga and maceration of body; pilgrimages and the notions of good and bad days, places and omens; dress or deity. They also decried other negative practises like: dishonesty, slander, false-hood, alcoholism and drug-addictions, breach of faith and violence. The Gurus disapproved of renunciation of the world and sanctified the life of the householder.

The Situation before Guru Nanak

Before the arrival of Guru Nanak, the situation in South-East Asia was bleak and oppressive and in keeping with the practice to be found elsewhere on the Globe. Inequality, oppression, torture, abuse, corruption, idol worship, and blind ritualism composed the thread of society. The majority of people comprised of lower castes, mainly consisting of peasants, labourers and servants. These accounted for more than seventy to eighty percent of the population and were labelled Sudars. Most of their day was spent working extremely hard and long hours, just to be able to eat and provide crumbs for their families. Many of these outcastes were literally owned by the upper caste (Khatris and Brahmins) and were severely maltreated by their masters.

Child labor and abuse, along with physical, verbal and sexual abuse towards the majority of the population was quite common and was generally tolerated and accepted by society. The Sudars along with women were thought of as impure, polluted, and the equivalent of animals. They were not allowed to participate in any sort of "religious" ceremony or ritual performed by the Brahmin priest. They had no access to the Sanskrit language and were not allowed any sort of education as they were thought incapable of being educated. Equally, they had no desire to demand equality and had accepted their subservient status as a law of Nature.

Guru Nanak very quickly started to question these prevalent practices and recited many Shabads (hymns) preaching his message against inequality, oppression, abuse, corruption, idol worship and blind ritualism. He instilled in the masses the need to live a life of righteousness; to respect the rights of others; the need for equality and the respect for the values of all life; to back away from rituals; to only worship and remember one God; to respect and protect God's entire creation; etc.

He said clearly that:

God could not be found through ritualistic actions. By "feeding" images of God; by taking cleansing baths in holy places, God could not be won over. The only way to reach God was by remembering him through reciting His Naam and living a life of righteousness and pure actions.

Rituals in the modern era

The following a passage from a researcher, Göran Viktor Ståhle, Uppsala University, Sweden. "The essential material for my study is ethnographic data that I have collected among low caste communities in West Bengal, mostly in the metropolitan city of Calcutta. The majority of my informants were shaktas, namely worshippers of the Mahadevi, the Great Goddess and her various images. ….. According to my notion, in the Hindu tradition people usually perform rituals in hope of reciprocity. In the course of the ritual performance, the votary offers material gifts, usually food, flowers and money, as well as intellectual gifts, vows or resolves to satisfy the deity and to achieve particular objectives. As a response, and as an exchange of her gifts, the votive expects her wishes and prayers to be realized". So the tradition of rituals to appease various deities still continues in India and also the rest of the world.

Rituals Condemned

References

• 1 Be kind to all beings-this is more meritorious than bathing at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage and the giving of charity. page 136

• 2 What use is chanting, and what use is penance, fasting or devotional worship, to one whose heart is filled with the love of duality? ||1|| page 324

Quotes from Gurbani

He may practice spiritual wisdom, meditation, pilgrimages to sacred shrines and ritual cleansing baths. He may cook his own food, and never touch anyone else's; he may live in the wilderness like a hermit. But if he does not enshrine love for the Lord's Name within his heart, then everything he does is transitory. Even an untouchable pariah is superior to him, O Nanak, if the Lord of the World abides in his mind. ||16|| page 253

The ritual sacrifice of horses, giving one's weight in gold to charities, and ceremonial cleansing baths -||1|| These are not equal to singing the Praises of the Lord's Name. Meditate on your Lord, you lazy man! ||1||Pause|| page 873