The Khalsa
By Prithipal Singh (Kapur) and Dharam Singh
Publications Bureau, Punjabi University, Patiala, India, 1999
Pages : 150; Price : Rs. 180.00, US $4.00


Despite minor quibbling over historical detail it is universally agreed that the Khalsa discipline was revealed fully 300 years ago on Vaisakhi 1699. This event was the crowning glory in an uninterrupted unfolding of the 500-year-old message of Guru Nanak. One would think that the essential features of the history and the events in the manifestation of the Khalsa would be clear by now, accepted beyond doubt and ambiguity. In fact by now we should be focused on the meaning of the message rather than on its mechanism.

When in Guru Nanak's time Sikhism initially started to evolve into an institution, some fences between it and the other Indian religions extant at that time became apparent. With time additional borders between Sikhism and institutions of neighboring religions necessarily developed. It is in this light that the distinct identity of the Khalsa needs to be seen. Why is it then that there are credible writers like P.J. Nijhawan or Bhai Mahavir who strive mightily to deny the house of Nanak its independent existence? Or, for that mater, look at the currently piquant situation created by the Hindu Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh with its government supported efforts to erase the lines that delineate Sikhism from Hinduism.

Professors Prithipal Singh and Dharam Singh handle this issue well. They argue quite convincingly that the Hindu mind recognizes its historical debt to Sikhism and that without Sikhism Hinduism would not have survived. But Hinduism finds it difficult to accept and acknowledge such an onerous debt to a movement that is separate and distinct from it. Hence, the age-old efforts to recast Guru Nanak as an incarnation of Vishnu, and Sikh philosophy as an elegant restatement of Hindu beliefs.

The book consists of only six essays that competently span the gamut of historical detail and the philosophic interpretations that have shaped Sikh ethos over the past three centuries. Each essay carries a useful list of references. The first chapter covers very tersely the development of Sikh faith from Guru Nanak to the times and life of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Though brief, this essay convincingly lays to rest some of the oft-heard canards about the martyrdom of the fifth and ninth Gurus.

Guru Gobind Singh had fought most of his battles before the creation of the Khalsa; therefore, the Khalsa, as the authors point out, was not formed merely to fight battles. The political imperatives of the minor rulers and satraps of the hill states are analyzed in light of the strategic vision of Guru Gobind Singh. The presentation of the events of that historic Vaisakhi hews to traditional accounts. What is more important is that the few historical contradictions that exist in the record in the exact events that took place on Vaisakhi of 1699 are ably probed and examined. The continuity and consistency of Sikh belief and tradition are well explored and emphasized.

The views of Hew McLeod and Jagjit Singh on the influx of Jats into Sikhism around the time of Guru Arjan's martyrdom are discussed. Demographics of Punjab and the mixing of the Jat and non-Jat community of that time are invoked and in the main Jagjit Singh's logic is supported. But in this matter one thing has always baffled me in the reasoning of both Hew McLeod and Jagjit Singh, and now in these authors as well.

Even if we agree that there was a great influx of Jats in the Sikhs at that time, I wonder why and how it happened. It certainly did not occur overnight because of the Guru's martyrdom. It seems to me that, even before the martyrdom, Jats must have not been unaware or unmoved by Sikhism and its message and, in fact, must have been deeply attracted to it. In other words, their attachment to Sikhism must have already been considerable. They were Punjabis and could not have remained ignorant or unaffected by the message that sprang from the Gurus of Punjab. They did not suddenly discover the beauty of Sikhism. But it should surprise no one that after the martyrdom of Sikhism their attachment to the house of Nanak became stronger. It was not that their coming into Sikhism changed Sikhism but that they came into Sikhism because it satisfied their urgings, needs and aspirations. It was the Jats who were transformed by Sikhism.

The authors are Professors in the Department of Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala. Parenthetically I might add that the printing and publishing of the book are first rate. It has an attractive format and is mercifully free of the typographical glitches and unattractive covers that often adorn books produced in India. I also noticed that only 500 copies were published. Is it possible that a country of a billion people, including 20 million Sikhs and heaven knows how many universities would have so few people with an interest in reading ?


Dr. Inder Jit Singh is Professor & Co-ordinator in Anatomy, New York University. Among other publications, he is the author of two books: 'Sikhs and Sikhism: A View With a Bias' and 'The Sikhs Way: A Pilgrims Progress'.
I.J. Singh is on the editorial advisory board of 'The Sikh Review', Calcutta and 'The Encyclopedia of Sikhism', Punjabi University, Patiala.