Forward:
The misappropriation and cannibalization of Sikh doctrines by mainstream media has presented us with the clownish spectacle of the modern warrior (ਸੂਰਾ) who arises when he is-to borrow vulgar colloquialism- ‘cockblocked.’ This misleading stereotype is rooted in Punjabi machoism and also the modern sense of entitlement bred by globalism. However this current absurdity is a far cry from the authentic concept of ਸੂਰਾ articulated by Gurbani. The Sikh ਸੂਰਾ wars against injustice ubiquitously and does not stake his life for conquest born out of selfishness. The Sikh ਸੂਰਾ is forever sovereign and seeks to physically realize this sovereignty as their loyalty is firmly oriented towards morality and truth. Such a ਸੂਰਾ lives to imbibe the truth and is not subject to the throes of individuation and its five corollaries: lust, wrath, obsession, fear and hubris. The ਸੂਰਾ of Sikhi, then, is far different to the brainless cannon-fodder which the lamestream presents it to be today.
The ਸੂਰਾ in Gurmat:
Gurbani, as the repository of Gurmat, provides a multifaceted definition of warrior which is intertwined with the way of the warrior. The latter-as the Sikh concept of Budo- entails the existence of two forms/species of warrior. The first is a mercenary who wars out of aggrandizement and for aggrandizement. This class is dismissed by Gurbani in the following terms:
ਸੂਰੇ ਏਹਿ ਨ ਆਖੀਅਹਿ ਅਹੰਕਾਰਿ ਮਰਹਿ ਦੁਖੁ ਪਾਵਹਿ ॥ ਅੰਧੇ ਆਪੁ ਨ ਪਛਾਣਨੀ ਦੂਜੈ ਪਚਿ ਜਾਵਹਿ ॥
“Do not class them as warriors who die while subject to the throes of egoistic individuation. Such blind individuals never realize their own potential; they also drown their adherents.”
-Guru Granth, 1089.
The way of the warrior, as per Gurmat, emphasizes that the ਸੂਰਾ be egoless and sans aggrandizement. Otherwise, the warrior is nothing more than a tool in the hands of external forces. They retain no autonomy in how they live their life and fail to realize their innate potential as humans. Far from dying in the service of an innately noble cause and in the service of humanity, even in death they imprint negativity on gullible minds. It is also crucial to note here that in Sikhi the cause for which one dies is as important as the very act of dying for a cause.
ਨ ਭੀਜੈ ਭੇੜਿ ਮਰਹਿ ਭਿੜਿ ਸੂਰ ॥
“They who kill and are killed for any mundane cause are not warriors in any sense. The Supreme Maker is not won over by such acts.”
-Guru Granth, 1237.
Adhering to a noble cause and dying for that cause is only a facet of a greater mission. The principle aim for a Sikh warrior should be to live as if their cause has already triumphed.
ਹੁਣਿ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਹੋਆ ਮਿਹਰਵਾਣ ਦਾ ॥
ਪੈ ਕੋਇ ਨ ਕਿਸੈ ਰਞਾਣਦਾ ॥
ਸਭ ਸੁਖਾਲੀ ਵੁਠੀਆ ਇਹੁ ਹੋਆ ਹਲੇਮੀ ਰਾਜੁ ਜੀਉ ॥੧੩॥
“Now the Master has commanded that all and sundry live in harmony. Let none suppress the other and escape the consequences. Usher peace into society through such a benevolent reign.”
-Guru Granth, 74.
ਭੈ ਕਾਹੂ ਕਉ ਦੇਤ ਨਹਿ ਨਹਿ ਭੈ ਮਾਨਤ ਆਨ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਾਹਿ ਬਖਾਨਿ ॥੧੬॥
“Fear not; frighten not. Such a Being is renowned as being wise.”
-Guru Granth, 1427.
How One Becomes a ਸੂਰਾ?
Countless historic figures (commanders and sophists alike) have provided multiple treatises on how one becomes a warrior. Contrary to the stereotypical purview that one who retains weaponry is a warrior, warriorship is essentially an internal mindset. It is primarily a psyche and secondarily a physical characteristic.
“There is nothing external to yourself which can enable you to become better, powerful, richer, swifter or smarter. Everything is within yourself…Seek nothing outside of yourself.”
-Miyamoto Musashi, The Book Of Five Rings (circa 17th century).
“All that matters is having a single-minded purpose in the present. Life is an on-going succession of one will at a time, each and every moment. A man who realizes this truth need not hurry to do or seek anything else anymore. All he has to do is live his life in the present with single-minded purpose. If you can see this, you will not need to concern yourself with other things or search for something else. Just live for the moment. People neglect this important point, and never come to this realization as they keep searching, thinking that other things need to be accomplished.”
-Hagakure, vol. ii-xvii (circa, 18th century).
Gurbani, as a compendium of enlightened thought preceding the aforementioned texts, articulates a similar sentiment. To discover the dormant warrior within oneself, the Sikh must discover the truth and imbibe it within their daily life. The process, however, is internal and not external as it solely relies on the act of acceptance. Acceptance of the truth and the subsequent consequences.
ਕਬੀਰ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸੂਰਮੇ ਬਾਹਿਆ ਬਾਨੁ ਜੁ ਏਕੁ ॥ ਲਾਗਤ ਹੀ ਭੁਇ ਗਿਰਿ ਪਰਿਆ ਪਰਾ ਕਰੇਜੇ ਛੇਕੁ ॥੧੯੪॥
“Kabir, the unparalleled warrior truth has shot me with his mighty arrows. They found their mark within my mind and now my heart is pierced (with wisdom).”
-Guru Granth, 1374.
Accepting the truth wholeheartedly unlocks the gate barring one from traversing the way of the warrior.
The Great Obstacle, ਮਨ:
As the fulcrum of consciousness and thought, the mind or ਮਨ is the sentient fortress within which egoistical individuation shields itself. Upon setting foot on the warrior’s way, the Sikh’s individuation awakens and unleashes the mind’s arsenal upon their resolve. Its foremost aim as well as the mind’s is to protect their sense of autonomy which allows them to control the individual. This, though, is an antithesis of Gurmat. Gurbani elucidates,
ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਮਨ ਸਿਉ ਲੁਝੈ ॥੪੬॥
“Nanak, the Gurmukh-the truthful individual-wars with their own mind.”
-Guru Granth, 1418.
This mental battle within oneself is by no means a simple exercise. Triumphing over one’s own self is possibly the most titanic of missions ever undertaken by any individual. Is victory possible? Gurbani is emphatic in its affirmation; yes, it is possible. But how is it achieved?
ਬੰਦੇ ਖੋਜੁ ਦਿਲ ਹਰ ਰੋਜ ਨਾ ਫਿਰੁ ਪਰੇਸਾਨੀ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
“Everyday you must introspectively glance within your heart (to locate and ameliorate defaults).”
-Guru Granth, 727.
ਬਾਹਰਿ ਜਾਤਉ ਉਲਟਿ ਪਰਾਵੈ ॥੫॥
“Through the wisdom gleaned from the truth as revealed by the Guru, the forever flirting mind is finally brought to bay and turned inwards.”
-Guru Granth, 414.
Once the mind is turned inwards i.e. subjected to the individual’s will rather than the individual being subject to the mind’s will, the awry individuation is expelled from its fortress. Its five corollaries-lust, wrath, obsession, fear and hubris-are cornered and effectively cut down. The process is described via military aesthetics in Gurbani:
ਗਿਆਨ ਖੜਗੁ ਲੈ ਮਨ ਸਿਉ ਲੂਝੈ ਮਨਸਾ ਮਨਹਿ ਸਮਾਈ ਹੇ ॥੩॥
“With the sword of wisdom (acquired from truthful living), I battle within my mind and slay all discordant thoughts arising from within my mind.”
-Guru Granth, 1022.
What is the ultimate result of defeating one’s ਮਨ? Why should the ਮਨ be defeated in the first place? The ਮਨ is that fortress which deviates the Sikh warrior from their path; their noble cause. It tempts with lust; blinds with wrath; derails with obsession; weakens through fear and destroys through hubris. It is the panoramic visualizer which enlarges the fear of an eventuality thus making the fear more potent than the eventuality itself. It prevents the individual from transcending their bestial state ergo the need to vanquish it.
ਬਿਖੈ ਰੋਗ ਭੈ ਬੰਧਨ ਭਾਗੇ ਮਨ ਨਿਜ ਘਰਿ ਸੁਖੁ ਜਾਨਾਨਾ ॥੧॥
“Now with the mind vanquished, the mental bonds afflicting me are shattered. Now I have realized myself and am imbued with joy in my own home.”
-Guru Granth, 339.
Having triumphed over their mind, the Sikh warrior realizes their unbounded potential. That they are more than just their physical self; that their intellectual prowess is limitless and can be utilized in the betterment of Creation. This final victory is summarized as the game of love in Gurbani for it seeds a selfless dedication born out of love in the Sikh’s mind in lieu of ego.
The ਸੂਰਾ Manifests:
Now with their psyche altered and their mental equilibrium restored, the Sikh warrior emerges from within the residual mists of their individuation. The ਮਨ is under control. The fear of death; lust for fine things; unnecessary fury; unhealthy obsession and egoistical hubris have now been transformed into:
-Caution that no missteps are made in pursuit of the cause.
-Desire for success.
-Passion for victory.
-Humility to learn anew.
-Acceptance of all eventualities.
Such an individual is aptly described in Gurbani,
ਜਾ ਕਉ ਹਰਿ ਰੰਗੁ ਲਾਗੋ ਇਸੁ ਜੁਗ ਮਹਿ ਸੋ ਕਹੀਅਤ ਹੈ ਸੂਰਾ ॥ ਆਤਮ ਜਿਣੈ ਸਗਲ ਵਸਿ ਤਾ ਕੈ ਜਾ ਕਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ॥੧॥
“One who imbibes virtue within this world, that one is known as a warrior. Through the truth, they conquer their mind and inculcate nobility within their soul.”
-Guru Granth, 679.
The ਸੂਰਾ:
The Sikh is now a full warrior from the inside. If their cause so demands, they will acquire weaponry to confront injustice. If not, they will nonetheless pursue their mission selflessly and single-mindedly now that their mind is subject to their control. What is the state of such an individual? Guru Nanak offers a tantalizing glimpse,
ਜਉ ਤਉ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਖੇਲਣ ਕਾ ਚਾਉ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਧਰਿ ਤਲੀ ਗਲੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਆਉ ॥ ਇਤੁ ਮਾਰਗਿ ਪੈਰੁ ਧਰੀਜੈ ॥ ਸਿਰੁ ਦੀਜੈ ਕਾਣਿ ਨ ਕੀਜੈ ॥੨੦॥
“They who desire to play this game of love, they would do well to place their heads on their palms and come to my alley. Once on my path, offer your head but do not even consider glancing back.”
-Guru Granth, 1412.
They are valorous enough to concede their lives (placing their head on their palm as an offering to the cause). They are assured enough in themselves that they do not consider retreat (do not even consider glancing back) and are resolute enough to not fear death. Such is the Sikh ਸੂਰਾ, the universal warrior and not the lamestream ਸੂਰਾ dancing in front of cameras. The Sikh ਸੂਰਾ does not necessarily require weapons. But once they acquire it, they deal out death to protect rather than tyrannize. They are warriors of retribution and not aggrandizement. Such a ਸੂਰਾ is truly rare nowdays.