Sikhism: An Introduction

288 Pages·2011·7.58 MB·English

by  Nikky-Guninder Kaur Kaur Singh

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Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh is the Crawford Family Professor of
Religious Studies and Chair of the department at Colby College in
Waterville, Maine. She is Co-Chair of the Sikh Studies Section of
the American Academy of Religion. Her books include: The Guru
GranthSahib:itsPhysicsandMetaphysics(1981),TheFemininePrinciple
in the Sikh Vision of the Transcendent (1993), The Name of My Beloved:
Verses of the Sikh Gurus (2001) and The Birth of the Khalsa: A Feminist
Re-memory of Sikh Identity (2005).
‘NikkySingh’slatestpublicationprovidesaneloquentintroductionto
Sikhism,groundedinreferencetothescripturesandarticulatewitha
sharp awareness of contemporary issues. Students will find Singh’s
Sikhism:AnIntroductionaclearlyorganisedtext,writteninanengaging
style,andusefullyaugmentedbyasubstantialbibliography.Sikhism:An
IntroductionisthefruitofmanyyearsofimmersioninSikhStudiesand
of sharing it through the author’s university teaching. This excellent
illustratedguidetotheSikhtraditionoffersreadersnotonlykeyfactual
material but also Singh’s own insights into gender and her substantial
attention to the arts, to colonial encounters and diasporic life stories.’
–EleanorNesbitt,ProfessorofReligionsandEducation,Universityof
WarwickandauthorofSikhism: A Very Short Introduction
‘AsolidandlivelyintroductiontokeyeventsinSikhhistory,Sikhism:
An Introduction paints a vivid portrait of Sikh spirituality, arts, politics,
gender and family life. This engaging text takes readers from the
originsofSikhisminGuruNanak’slifeandteachingstocontemporary
SikhlifeinIndiaandtheSikhdiaspora.Nikky-GuninderKaurSingh’s
call to Sikhs to reflect on the founding principles of their tradition
gives Sikh and non-Sikh readers alike insight into the challenges all
religionsfaceastheyevolveovertime.’–RobinRinehart,Professorof
ReligiousStudiesandAsianStudiesProgramChair,LafayetteCollege,
Easton,Pennsylvania
‘In this delightful study Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh introduces the
readertothehistory,religion,andcultureoftheSikhs,highlightingthe
variousissuesrelatedtodoctrine,worship,ethics,art,architecture,and
diaspora. Her bold critique of patriarchal structures of Sikh society is
refreshing.Writteninaccessiblestylethisexcitingbookwillappealnot
onlytoundergraduatestudentsofSikhstudies,religion,medievalIndian
history, and literature, but also to lay readers who will gain firsthand
information about the youngest world religion.’– Pashaura Singh,
Professor and Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and
PunjabiStudies,UniversityofCalifornia,Riverside
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I.B.TAURISINTRODUCTIONSTORELIGION
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00_Sikhism_i-xviii 31/1/11 16:02 Page iii
i.b.tauris introductions to religion
Sikhism
An Introduction
by
Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh
00_Sikhism_i-xviii 31/1/11 16:02 Page iv
Publishedin2011byI.B.Tauris&CoLtd
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DistributedintheUnitedStatesandCanadaExclusivelybyPalgraveMacmillan
175FifthAvenue,NewYorkNY10010
Copyright©2011Nikky-GuninderKaurSingh
TherightofNikky-GuninderKaurSinghtobeidentifiedastheauthorofthis
workhasbeenassertedbytheauthorinaccordancewiththeCopyright,Designs
andPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Thisbook,oranypartthereof,maynotbereproduced,stored
inorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyany
means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutthe
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I.B.TaurisIntroductionstoReligion
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ISBN:9781848853218(PB)
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In memory of Ajeet Singh Matharu, a promising young Sikh scholar
(1983–2010)
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Contents
Preface ix
Introduction xi
ChapterI: Guru Nanak and the Origins of Sikhism 1
ChapterII: Guru Arjan and the Crystallization of the
Sikh Faith 23
ChapterIII: Guru Gobind Singh and the Cultivation of
Sikh Identity 41
ChapterIV: Sikh Metaphysics, Ethics and Esthetics 59
ChapterV: Worship, Ceremonies and Rites of Passage 79
ChapterVI: Feminist Text in a Patriarchal Context 101
ChapterVII: Colonial Encounters 123
ChapterVIII: Sikh Art 157
ChapterIX: Sikhs in the Diaspora 197
Glossary of Names and Terms 235
Illustration, Map and Picture Credits 241
Notes 245
Select Bibliography 257
Index 265
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Preface
This project is based on the ‘polarity of familiarity and strangeness,’
which for Hans Gadamer is fundamental to hermeneutics (Truth and
Method: 295). My bond with Sikhism goes way back to childhood
visits to the Gurdwara in Bathinda with my grandmother. In fact I
can still feel the specialness of that space with its air of formality,
colorfulbrocades,joyousmusic,andthehumoftheelectricfanover
a star-filled canopy. In order to understand the Sikh tradition I
belong to, I have been studying, writing, and teaching its sacred
literature for many years now. But along with familiarity, Gadamer
stipulates the condition of ‘strangeness’in the hermeneutic activity,
whichcreatesatensionthatisquiteexciting.Havingcometoagirls’
prep school in the USA, I have been dislocated from my home and
the familiar world of Sikhism since I was a teenager. The unique
nature of this introductory text, however, elicited a more conscious
rupturewiththeliterature,ceremonies,art,andhistoricaleventsthat
I was familiar with. So I tried to return to them as a ‘distanciated
other’. And paradoxically, as the intimate became foreign, new
insights and new possibilities opened up. The flow of recent
publications, conference papers, websites, and media coverage on
matters Sikh added to my adventure.
Sinceunderstandingisaperpetualactivity,wemustapproachtexts
and events from our own horizon. ‘To acquire a horizon means that
one learns to look beyond what is close at hand — not in order to
look away from it but to see it better, within a larger whole and in
truer proportion’(T&M: 305). This introduction is an invitation for
more meaningful communications in our global society. It is not
intended to be a closure of any sort; I only hope it will generate
more familiarity, reflection, and publications on Sikhism.
IwanttothankmyeditorMr.AlexWrightatI.B.Taurisforgiving
me this opportunity. I have met him once briefly, 20 some years ago
at an AAR Exhibit Hall. I was going around with my manuscript,
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x Sikhism:AnIntroduction
Feminine Principle in the Sikh Vision. The word ‘Sikh’ in the title
instantly brought a sparkle in the eyes of Mr. Wright, working for
Cambridge University Press at that time. His breadth of vision and
sustained interest in Sikh scholarship has been inspirational. I am also
verygratefultoHarpreetSinghatHarvardforhisnuancedreadingof
the proofs at such short notice, and making valuable suggestions. My
thanks to students, friends, colleagues and critics directly and
indirectly involved in this project. For the images I thank Bhai Satpal
Singh Khalsa, Eliza Browning, Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa, Binky
Manpreet Singh, Dr Narinder Kapany, and from Ireland, Harpreet
Singh. My thanks to the ever helpful Suzanne Jones and to Mel
Regnellforhertechnicalexpertise.
The combination of familiarity and strangeness made me discover
many fascinating topics and personalities that I so wished to include,
but unfortunately I could only cover so much in a single volume.
Most of all, I regret my inability to include the young generation of
Sikh men and women promoting Sikhism in diverse fields across the
continents.Theirboundlessenergyandcreativityaretrulyadmirable.
I salute each one of them, and especially the young Ajeet Singh
Matharu.HistragicdeathonJuly25,2010isanenormouslosstothe
Sikhworld.BorninCalifornia,educatedatPhillipsAcademyandthe
University of Southern California, Ajeet was pursing his PhD in
history at Columbia University. This summer he was in Chandigarh
to study Punjabi. It is hard to come to terms with such scholarly
promise crashed in a minute in a car accident. This book is dedicated
tothememoryofAjeet.
Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh