THE ULTIMATE LEADER - 'SANT-SIPAHI'

By: Dya Singh (Australia)

Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the order of the Khalsa thereby handing over the temporal authority, through the Five Beloved Ones, for time immemorial, through the sacrament of 'Amrit', in 1699.

Khalsa is the ultimate human being - a 'Saint-soldier', a leader, a soldier of conscience, a saint with the ability to pick up arms when the need arises. Most importantly, he/she is always consciously improving himself/herself as an instrument of God.

A psychiatrist, who went as medical observer on five combat missions on the side of the Americans in the Vietnam war noted that the crew of a giant bomber represented by a great diversity of human types with different physiological, psychological, cultural and religious differences, in crisis, when in enemy territory, facing possible death in combat, behaved remarkably alike.

When crisis came, each of these young men and women, forgot their particular personality and all behaved in a strikingly similar and wholly admirable way working with precision, as a team, backing each other and prepared to die for each other, even when wounded. But once they were out of the enemy territory and danger was past, they again took on their individual selves and started finding 'differences' amongst each other - no more a team.

The Saint intends to make others selfless - ALL THE TIME.

For a saint every moment of living is a moment of crisis. At every moment we are called upon to make all important decisions - TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE WAY THAT LEADS TO DEATH AND SPIRITUAL DARKNESS OR THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIGHT AND LIFE.

There are choices and decisions to be made all the time between interests exclusively temporal and/or spiritual; between our personal Will or the Will of God. The saint is troubled by the discrepancy between 'what is' and 'what ought to be'. he/she is always working to make this world a better place for everyone.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji, thus, rolled the 'saint' and the 'soldier' into one, creating a new breed of human - 'Khalsa so jo nit karay jang' (A saint-soldier' is one who is continually at war to improve himself and human kind).

As a saint, a Sikh would always be concerned with the larger social problems of inequality, suffering and injustice. As a soldier, he would be prepared to wield a sword to clear the obstacles towards this state of Utopia and strive to achieve the loftier objectives of this life. Such a Sikh, is a Saint-Soldier, a 'Sant-Sipahi'.

Guru Gobind Singh did NOT subscribe to the theory of 'might is right'. But let us remember that 'survival of the fittest' is the law of nature.

Oppressors think twice before tackling the 'strong'. Whether you use your own might, the might of your group, or your state, there is no other way to protect your rights or yourself. The Tibetans are finding that out as time moves on...

That is why Guru Ji introduced the worship of arms in Sikh rituals and even described the sword, the spear and the musket as the 'Pir' - the religious mentors/saviours of the Sikhs. This was entirely in the context of force as the rectifier and protector of 'right'. "When the affairs were past any other remedy, I considered it righteous to unsheath the sword", said Guru Gobind Singh.

So, into this millenium ...

1. While the Saint-Soldier created by Guru Gobind Singh Ji would always be working to make this world a better place, he would still, into the 21st century, be prepared to fight to achieve his mission. He/she is a soldier besides being a saint.
2. The Saint-Soldier is selfless and does not seek or expect material reward or accolades for his actions. His life is one of service unto humanity as that is his/her salvation. The father of the Khalsa invokes Waheguru's blessings : "Sukhi vasai moro pervara. Sevak Sikh sebhai kertara" (May my Sikh find peace and harmony. May He/she always be of service to Him).
   
   

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