REHAT

Derived From Gurbani

Abstract:

The Sikh Rehat Maryada (ਸਿੱਖ ਰਹਿਤ ਮਰਯਾਦਾ) is an ancillary code of conduct which simplifies the Gurmat way of life for Sikh conformists. While the current academic discourse bifurcates between Gurbani and Rehat, positing the two to be asynchronous, in reality both profoundly harmonize with each other. To comprehend this highly nuanced relationship, we need to look beyond the pall of obfuscation wrought by Postmodernist intellectuals and self-declared Sikh traditionalists. The Rehat Maryada constitutes the Sikh identity in appearance, thought and deed. But how does it harmonize with Gurmat? And is identity necessary in Sikh theology? We answer these contentious questions below.

Nanak:

Concomitant with a larger conspiracy to derail the faith, it is posited by the detractors of Sikhi that Guru Nanak-the progenitor Guru-envisioned a spirituality sans identity. This is rooted in the fallacious assumption that Sikh spiritualism consists of an otherworldliness, an element which denotes that the Sikh is to meditate their life away. This myth naturally posits that Creation is false and so are humanity’s cognitive attempts at defining itself; foremost among them being identity.

What, however, is evident from the Guru’s writings is that while he opposes the misuse of identity for binarizing society (conformist vs. infidel; elite caste vs. subordinate caste), he does not reject identity altogether. Identity for him is a marker of human progression in both the ideological and physical paradigms. By their very logic, all identities reflect the ideological edifices grounding them. For the Guru and his successors these ideological edifices have to conform to reality or Hukam. Otherwise they are specious and only deceiving their adherents.

ਬੇਦ ਕੀ ਪੁਤ੍ਰੀ ਸਿੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਭਾਈ ॥ ਸਾਂਕਲ ਜੇਵਰੀ ਲੈ ਹੈ ਆਈ ॥੧॥ ਆਪਨ ਨਗਰੁ ਆਪ ਤੇ ਬਾਧਿਆ ॥ ਮੋਹ ਕੈ ਫਾਧਿ ਕਾਲ ਸਰੁ ਸਾਂਧਿਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਕਟੀ ਨ ਕਟੈ ਤੂਟਿ ਨਹ ਜਾਈ ॥ ਸਾ ਸਾਪਨਿ ਹੋਇ ਜਗ ਕਉ ਖਾਈ ॥੨॥ ਹਮ ਦੇਖਤ ਜਿਨਿ ਸਭੁ ਜਗੁ ਲੂਟਿਆ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਮੈ ਰਾਮ ਕਹਿ ਛੂਟਿਆ ॥੩॥੩੦॥

“The Simritees emanate from the Vedas. They chain the seeker with hollow ritualism and obliterate their intelligence. Their strength is such that neither can they be cut off nor do they depart by themselves. The Simritees and their counterparts are serpents. They consume their followers after strangling them. I bear witness to these serpents plundering the world. Kabir has only escaped through divine mercy.”

-Guru Granth, 329.

Guru Nanak established a new identity based on his convictions. This was the Sikh identity rooted in conforming with Hukam.

ਙਿਆਨੀ ਰਹਤ ਆਗਿਆ ਦ੍ਰਿੜੁ ਜਾ ਕੈ ॥

“The Rehat (conduct) of the enlightened beings is to conform with Hukam.”

-Guru Granth, 251.

What is the purpose beyond conforming with Hukam?

ਸੰਤ ਰਹਤ ਸੁਨਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਭਾਈ ॥ ਉਆ ਕੀ ਮਹਿਮਾ ਕਥਨੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਵਰਤਣਿ ਜਾ ਕੈ ਕੇਵਲ ਨਾਮ ॥ 

“Hear now my description of the true mode of living realized by synchronizing with reality. Its glories are innumerable and it is rooted in virtue and truth.”

-Guru Granth, 392.

Fundamentals:

Guru Nanak articulated three fundamentals behind Rehat. These were to be made the cornerstones of Sikh life:

(a) ਨਾਮ ਜਪੋ- Seeking and then imbibing acquired wisdom.

(b) ਕਿੱਰਤ ਕਰੋ- Discovering a conducive purpose in life and attaching oneself to realizing it wholeheartedly.

(c) ਵੰਡ ਛੱਕੋ- Bettering oneself and then one’s environs.

These three principles are summarily rooted in accepting the authenticity and realness of Creation.

Physically:

As evinced in a landmark court case in the Indian High Courts in 2008, Guru Nanak and his successors in the pre-Khalsa era enunciated a hirsute appearance for their followers. They themselves acted as the physical templates for this unique identity by retaining unshorn but kempt hair. The latter underscored their commitment to civilization, growth, procreation and regeneration; elements associated with Hukam. Bhai Gurdas, while criticizing the heterodox Minas, observes:

ਪਹਿਨੇ ਪੰਜੇ ਕਪੜੇ ਪੁਰਸਾਵਾਂ ਵੇਸੁ।

ਮੁਛਾ ਦਾੜ੍ਹੀ ਸੋਹਣੀ ਬਹੁ ਦੁਰਬਲ ਵੇਸੁ।

ਸੈ ਹਥਿਆਰੀ ਸੂਰਮਾ ਪੰਚੀਂ ਪਰਵੇਸੁ।

ਮਾਹਰੁ ਦੜ ਦੀਬਾਣ ਵਿਚਿ ਜਾਣੇ ਸਭੁ ਦੇਸੁ।

ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨ ਗਣਿ ਪੁਰਖਤੁ ਵਿਣੁ ਕਾਮਣਿ ਕਿ ਕਰੇਸੁ।

ਵਿਣ ਗੁਣ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਦਾਇਦੇ ਕਉਣ ਕਰੈ ਅਦੇਸੁ ॥੧੧॥

“The fraudsters appropriate the appearance of the Gurus to fool the gullible. They adorn five-piece dresses and mandatorily retain similar unshorn beards and hairs. They retain a multitude of weaponry and keep close their knights who they instruct to emulate them in appearance. They brandy about their fame and make themselves known to men of multiple nations. But like effeminate men are useless to strong willed women, likewise these prophets of falsehood are rendered obsolete next to the true Guru.”

-V. 36:11.

Guru Nanak expected the Sikhs to emulate him in wearing their convictions on their sleeves. It was a challenge to Conformist and Convert alike to wholeheartedly accept his way of life and symbolize this acceptance to the world at large. More crucially, it was a permanent litmus test to filter out hypocrites and opportunists as they would be unable to live up to the standards emphasized by the Sikh appearance.

Khalsa:

The creation of the Khalsa was essentially a ratification of the humanist society envisioned by Guru Nanak. Guru Gobind Singh, in line with the first Guru’s directives, formalized the Sikhs into the Khalsa fraternity by attaching them to the Guru Granth Sahib perpetually and lending them an appearance rooted therein. He awarded them five kakkars or distinctive markers symbolizing their commitment to uphold Gurmat. They are:

(i) The Kes- unshorn hair intimating a Sikh’s acceptance of and commitment to regeneration as well as gender dualism. Uncut hair also symbolizes authority and prestige; two elements necessary for the Khalsa’s martial spirit.

(ii) The Kangha- wooden comb emphasizing a kempt appearance in contrast to ascetics who let their hair grow tangled and unkempt as a sign of opposing society. Societal living is a fundamental in Sikhi.

(iii) The Kachera- cotton drawers symbolizing restraint over base, animal, behaviorism and distinguishing the Sikh as a level above the human animal.

(iv) The Kara- steel bangle for defending the wrists in combat while acting as a symbol of the Khalsa’s all-encompassing unity.

(v) The Kirpan- dagger epitomizing the inherent sovereignty and societal/political liberty of the enlightened individual. Alongside, it serves as a weapon of offense and defense.

These five are the more conspicuous elements of the Khalsa/Sikh identity with some retaining parallel combative purposes. They are accompanied by a fundamental set of injunctions which form a core component of the Rehat. These govern the daily life of a Sikh and lend cohesion to the Khalsa as a fraternity. Alongside preventing individual regression, they also act as deterrents against corruption and degeneracy with regards to the Khalsa as a collective.

It should be remembered that Guru Nanak intended the Khalsa to be a perpetual trailblazer. It was to be a body of equals forever bettering their world. For this very reason, it had to have an identity stringently rooted in truth and morality. The upkeep of this identity and what it entails is conserved in the Rehat, ergo its necessity.

Corruption of Rehat:

Since the influx of self-declared godmen among Sikhs, Rehat has been brandished about as the sum all of Sikhi i.e. Rehat is the ultimate goal. This has allowed multiple fraudsters to corrupt the three cardinal principles behind Rehat while supplanting the cardinal aims of the Khalsa, as a fraternity, with their own inimical tenets. Rather than deduce their Rehat from within Gurbani, such elements rely on convoluted tenets of prior faiths to retain power over the gullible and the incredulous. We reproduce some examples below:

“Nishan Sahib is not to be erected in any of Nanaksar Gurdwaras because it is a political symbol or an army flag.” (sic).

-Nanaksar Maryada,

It is imperative to note that in the Sikh praxis the Nishan Sahib or the Khalsa pennant signals the presence of Sikhs who, ideologically, are oriented towards bettering Creation and then themselves. Its reduction to a mere “political symbol” or “army flag” is a subtle blow against accepting the empirical world to be real. Similarly, it is implied that the retaining of the five physical markers of the Sikh identity and repetitive chanting of certain passages of the Guru Granth are enough to live a Sikh lifestyle. There is no requirement for ethical conduct. Gurbani, though, differs:

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਾਈਐ ਸਬਦਿ ਅਚਾਰਿ ॥

“The Gurmukh acts through the prism of Gurmat for the betterment of all.”

-Guru Granth, 941.

And the Khalsa as Gurmukh announces it presence far and wide inviting the destitute and the meek to its shelter.

“A Singh must look upon his wife as a faithful Singhni, and a Singhni should look upon her husband as God.”

-DDT Maryada, 31:60.

Of interest here is the fact that a husband is advised to expect faithfulness from his wife, but a wife must look upon her husband as a God. The power imbalance is striking given that there is no onus placed on the husband to imbibe Godly virtues in this context. An attempt is made to attach legitimacy to this by referencing Bhai Gurdas:

ਏਕਾ ਨਾਰੀ ਜਤੀ ਹੋਇ ਪਰ ਨਾਰੀ ਧੀ ਭੈਣ ਵਖਾਣੈ।

“The Gurmukhs accept and respect their spouses. All others they treat as elders, siblings or youngsters.”

-V 6:8.

One is left wondering as to where Bhai Gurdas implies, for a better want of expression, that the husband has the divine right to accept faithfulness from a wife who must propitiate him like a God.

Such injunctions are often derived from ancient, and extremely archaic, texts which were rejected by the Gurus outright:

“Though a woman’s husband might be devoid of virtue; he might seek pleasure elsewhere- she is to worship him like a God. This is a sign of her faithfulness…A woman who obeys her husband, whatever his shortcomings, will gain entry to the heavens and beyond.”

-Manusimriti, 5:155.

A plethora of such Rehats abound which attempt to nullify the precedents established by Gurmat. Guru Nanak, however, had preempted such an eventuality ergo his grounding of Sikh Rehat in Gurbani.

Rehat Per se:

The Sikh Rehat Maryada is not divine in itself and nor are the five markers of the Khalsa identity. They are but a means to an end and that end is to wrought valuable changes in the realm of human progression. One must remember that the Maryada is a means, itself, to implement Gurbani in one’s life. It also provides internal cohesion to the Khalsa fraternity. Those found wanting in imbibing it are instantly expelled from the body and remedial steps taken to prevent future transgressions.

For the Gurus, the path of impartial Gian (wisdom) is the oldest yet timeless path for humanity to follow. Since its evolution, humanity has confronted itself in a deadly battle of self vs. self. Its advanced cognition has benefited it as well as hamstrung it in equal measures. To rein in this cognition, Gian is a must.

While conventional religiosity dismisses the need for impartial Gian, Sikhi celebrates it. The Sikhs are to imbibe this Gian to the utmost. In a world where it is disregarded, the Khalsa imbibes it in thought and deed. The Khalsa is Gian-Marg, the way of wisdom, personified. All Sikhs are expected by the Gurus to be Gurmukhs.

Gian-Marg is impartial. Sikhi is cultivated on this very impartiality. Rehat signifies this fact but is not the full total of Gian-Marg by itself. It orients one on the path, but is not the entire path. A true imbiber of Gian will forever be confronted by an egoistical world. The Rehat stiffens their spines to resist their chosen path’s trials and tribulations.

Summary:

The 1947 Sikh Rehat Maryada, while delineating the parameters of Khalsa conduct, preserves the fact that the Maryada is a way of life rather than a purpose in life. It orients one towards discovering a conducive purpose with which to perform selfless service in this world. It is, however, permeated with concessions brokered by the Pujari faction. It is crucial for Sikhs to rectify these concessions and realign the more disputed elements of the Rehat with Gurmat to reawaken the Khalsa spirit. Will we be brave enough to take this step?