Lehal Library

From the Pacifist Sikh to the Militant Khalsa 85 Like Nanak, Gobind Singh believed that the sovereign remedy for the ills of mankind was nam-a life of prayer. He did not alter the form of prayer-the Adi Granth remained the scripture; his own works were never accorded the same sanctity. He disapproved of asceticism26 and ridiculed the caste system. His motto was: manas ki jat sab ek hi pahcan~know all mankind as one caste. Like Nanak, he believed that the end of life's journey was the merging of the individual in God: As sparks flying out of a flame Fall back on the fire from which they rise; As dust rising from the eanh Falls back upon the same earth; As waves beating upon Lhe shingle Recede and in the ocean mingle So from God come all things under the sun And lo God return when their race is run. (Akal Ustal) The only change Gobind brought in religion was to expose the other side of the medal Whereas Nanak had propagated goodness, Gobind Singh condemned evil. One preached the love of one's neighbour, the other the punishment of transgressors. Nanak's God loved His saints; Gobind's God destroyed His enemies. It would be idle to pretend that this change of emphasis was purely theological. The results were visible within a few months of the famous baptismal ceremony, when a sect of pacifists was suddenly transformed into a militant brotherhood of crusaders. The hills around Anandpur began to echo to the beating of wardrums and military commands. Gobind ordained that the 26 'ff you want to practise asceticism,' said Gobind, 'do it in this way: Let thine own house be the forest Thy heart !.he anchorite. Eat little, sleep litde, Learn to love, be merciful and forbear. Be mild, be paliem, Have no bst, nor wrath, Greed no..- obstinacy.' (Sabad Ha.:im)