Table Of ContentThe SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social
Science Perspectives
Sikhism
Contributors: Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi
Edited by: Paul Joseph
Book Title: The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives
Chapter Title: "Sikhism"
Pub. Date: 2017
Access Date: May 6, 2017
Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc.
City: Thousand Oaks,
Print ISBN: 9781483359892
Online ISBN: 9781483359878
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483359878.n603
Print pages: 1559-1560
©2017 SAGE Publications, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of
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Some Westerners sees Sikhism as a blend of Hinduism and Islam, a popular misconception,
and others fail to comprehend this religion while seeing it in terms of sports and military
activities. This kind of uninformed judgment can arise when individuals judge a religion by
observing the activities of the believers rather than through reading the scriptures. At the
same time, misguided believers of various faiths may engage in armed conflicts and terrorism,
justifying their activities by quoting and misinterpreting the principles and teachings of the
faith.
Sikhism, a relatively young religion, was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak (1469–
1539). The central teachings of this monotheistic religion consider sharing, equality,
truthfulness, honest living, fidelity, and spirituality essential for a good human life. This
religion advocates the belief in one God, and it claims that liberation from the cycles of birth
and death can be achieved through Satsang, “the company of good.” There are 10 Sikh gurus
in the history of Sikhism; the 11th and last guru is the Holy Scripture Guru Granth Sahib
(GGS).
In Sikhism, there is no direction for Sikhs to entice and allure believers of other religions to
convert to this faith. They welcome others to come to the faith, but they do not make any
conscious effort toward conversions. They staunchly believe in the principle of “live and let the
others live.” This entry first describes how the concept of war is addressed in Sikhism and
then examines Sikhs’ fight against oppression and their participation in wars.
The Concept of War in Sikhism
Guru Nanak founded this religion on the principles of peace. The first guru, Guru Nanak,
wrote that “no one is my enemy; no one is a foreigner; with all I am at peace; God within us
renders us” (GGS). But he says that “death is a privilege of the brave, if they die for a noble
cause” (GGS). In fact, the first five gurus were opposed to direct individual participation in war.
However, in 1606, Mughal Emperor Jahangir became suspicious and hostile over the structure
of the first Sikh sacred text, Adi Granth, prepared by Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606), the fifth
guru, and he ordered Arjan Dev’s persecution. This political act obliged the Sikhs to move
from a doctrine of pacifism, with the sixth guru, Har Gobind, contemplating that military action
would sometimes be required in response to oppression and suppression to faith. The tenth
guru, Govind Singh, formed the Khalasa, “the concept of baptized saint soldiers,” and gave
the Sikhs the mission of fighting against oppression. Moreover, in Krishnavtar, the tenth guru
says that “only that life is good in which the inner battle is fought with determination through
patience and determination.”
Based on this modified doctrine, Sikhism finds war a legitimate and permissible activity for
both nations and individuals. Guru Govind Singh in his 22 epistles says, “When the entire
stratagem employed for (solving) a problem are exhausted, (only) then taking your hand to
the sword is legitimate.” However, it is noted that war and the use of force in Sikhism are to be
deemed as means and not ends in themselves. Guru Nanak, the first guru, declared that “it is
the right and privilege of the true man to fight for, and die in the cause of righteousness”
(GGS). Unlike in Islam, the concept of holy war is not found in Sikhism; rather, the Sikhs
believe in just war. In a just war, the motive is the defense of righteousness; the army must be
disciplined and must not include mercenaries; civilians must not be harmed and no harm
should be inflicted to their property and goods; and there must not be any incidences of
looting, confiscation, or territory annexation.
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Sikhs’ Fight Against Oppression
Historians record that the relation of Sikh gurus and Mughal emperors was not cordial after
the death of Mughal emperor Akbar in 1556. The extremist Mughal emperors used to treat the
believers of other faiths with hostility by humiliating and depriving them of the right to conduct
their religious practices. One such emperor, Jahangir, the son of Akbar, mentioned a Sikh
guru in his memoirs Tuzak-i-Jahangiri. In 1606, Jahangir tried to force Guru Arjan Dev to
convert, but when Arjan Dev refused, he was put to death by boiling in a caldron. Another
Mughal tyrant ruler, Aurangzeb, tried to convert Kashmiri Pandits (Hindu Brahmin priests)
forcefully into Islam, but the ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, came forward and challenged
the emperor that if he succeeded in converting the Kashmiri Pandits to Islam, all Hindus
would accept the same fate of conversion; otherwise, he must stop the oppression. When the
Mughal emperor failed in his motives, despite torturing many, he beheaded the Guru Tegh
Bahadur. The two sons of the tenth guru, Guru Govind Singh, were martyred in the
battlefield, preferring to be stoned rather than give up their religion.
In 1738, Nadir Shah, the Persian ruler, invaded India from Kabul. When he was returning in
1739, after killing thousands of Sikhs and plundering Delhi (including a huge booty of looted
wealth, women, artisans, and slaves), the Sikhs, under the command of Sardar Jassa Singh,
attacked Nadir Shah’s army, releasing thousands of men and women and later escorting them
back to Delhi to be reunited with their families. Similarly, between 1748 and 1765, the Sikhs
freed thousands of men and women from Ahmad Shah Abdali, an Afghanistan ruler, saving
their lives. Between 1713 and 1798, the Sikhs lived a nomadic life and fought as guerillas.
Sikhs and War
In 1798, under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikhs took control of the Khyber Pass
(connecting present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan) and brought an end to 800 years of
foreign invasion. In 1819 and 1836, the Sikhs gained back Kashmir and Laddakh from
Afghanistan, respectively. Also in the 19th century, the Sikhs fought two wars with the British
Empire: the first Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842) and the Sikh war (1848–1849). The Sikhs
also participated in India’s struggle for independence from the British, which India achieved in
1947. Even though Sikhs comprised only 2% of the total population, 28,000 of 42,000 recruits
in the Indian National Army of Subhash Chandra Bose were Sikhs. During the Indian
Emergency (1975–1977), thousands of Sikhs who were campaigning for an autonomous state
were imprisoned. In June 1984, during Operation Blue Star, India’s prime minister Indira
Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to attack the Golden Temple and kill Sikh separatists and
insurgents hiding in the building. In October 1984, when Indira Gandhi was killed by two of
her Sikh bodyguards, violence broke out, resulting in the death of thousands of Sikhs. Today,
20% of the Indian military consists of Sikh soldiers, who have been fighting against Muslim
terrorism on the border of Pakistan.
See alsoAfghanistan; Hinduism; India; Islam, Shiite; Islam, Sunni; Just War; Religion and War
Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483359878.n603
10.4135/9781483359878.n603
Further Readings
Peace Pledge Union. “World Religions: War and Peace.” Peace Pledge Union. Retrieved from
http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/st_religions.html (Accessed May 20, 2014).
Sikh Missionary Society U.K. “A Sikh Approach to War and Peace.” Sikh Missionary Society
Page 3 of 4 The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives
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U.K. R e t r i e v e d f r o m
http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smsarticles/advisorypanel/gurmukhsinghsewauk/sikhapproachtow
arandpeace.html (Accessed May 22, 2014).
Singh, Rawel. “Sikh Approach to War and Peace.” Sadh Sangat, A Discourse on Comparative
Religion from a Sikh Perspective. December 27, 2009. Retrieved from
http://www.sadhsangat.com/sikh-approach-to-war-and-peace/ (Accessed April 18, 2014).
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