Lehal Library

Birth of Sikhism 27 Muslim, found its authority circumscribed and its coffers denuded and turned to robbing the wealthier Hindu trading community by imposing illegal taxes and denying it justice. Protests were met with severe persecution, massacre of 'infidels,' and destruction of their places of worship. Thus the work done by the Sufis who had preached tolerance towards Hinduism and of the Hindu Bhaktas who had advocated a sympathetic understanding of Islam was undone. Political rurmoil affected the religious practices of the masses. For the Muslim, the most meritorious act became the conversion or destruction of infidels. For the rest, he simply had to be circumcised, refrain from eating flesh forbidden by the Koran, and fast during the month of Ramadan, to pass off for a good Mussalman. Hindus revened to the worship of idols, to washing away their sins in holy rivers, to the wearing of caste marks and ·sacred' threads, as well as to fads like vegetarianism and cooking food in precisely demarcated squares.9 The caste system came back into its own. Guru Nanak described the times in many of his writings: 'The age is like a knife. Kings are butchers. Religion hath taken wings and flown. Tn the dark night of falsehood I cannot see where the moon of truth is rising.' (1\1.ajh ki Var) And again; 'Modesty and religion have disappeared because falsehood reigns supreme. The Muslim Mulla and the Hindu Pandit have resigned their duties, the Devil reads the marriage vows.... Praises of murder are sung and people smear themselves with blood in.stead of saffron.' (Tilang) The reigning dynasty at the time were the Lodhis, who according to Nanak had 'squandered away the priceless heritage' that was Hindustan and allowed it to be ravaged bv Babar's Mughal 9 The 01der of Hindu ascetics which drew Nanak's attention most of all were Lhe Ktmpha{ii (pieret:d ear) Yogis who were the followers of Gorakhnath {15th cenuny) . The Kanphatas were the Shaiv11es who had imbibed some elements of Buddhi,;m. To Nanak che Kanphatas represented Hinduism in its most decadent fonn. He had many encounters with leaders of thi:. order, and some of his philosophic tenets were propounded in discoursing with them. They are referred 10 as I.he s1dhas and the dialogue with them as sidhtigoi_t.