Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

TIfE BAPTIST BEYOND PEER

--Gyani Brahma Singh

BAPTISM from Greek Baprizien - Boplien - lexically means to dip; to chri sten; to give name to; to immerge in water; sprinkle or for tbal malter to administer any potable substance orally to an individual with a view for hi. initiation. proselytisation or tr ansformation to the faith or churcb. extant or new and which term equally connoles one's theistic or ethic,,1 purification or regeneration from .the socalled Original Sin or any subsequent hetrodoxical action perpetrated . wittingly or unwilliDgly, by one in tbe course of one's day to day life span
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and one's volition for such a purgat or ial o r expiatory rite o r baptism. And such a sanctimoniu5 ceremonials have universal

applicability defying all geographical barriers. Baptism Pailul - Sanskril - PAHUR - Benediclion - Amril ChhakDa iD the Sikh termiDology, cannot claim to be aD exclusive rite in the annals of Sikhism. Almost all religion founders . large or small , had been initiating their likely followers , with their own methodology. new or borrowed, for initiatioD or conversion, into the orbf of their own thought or chorch_ But as the readers will see Sri Guru Gobind Singh'. mel hod of initiation to Guru Nanak's extant failh had its exclusive novity aDd bad not been applied by any preceplOr earlier.
H oweyer. there had been a belief current centuries earlier

that the birth of the Khalsa - Singhs of the Amrils-waS a copy of the origin of the Rajputs from the sacred fire kindled on the mountains of Abu in Rajastban. Tbis is known to the History as tbe Agnikund Theory and in facl is a mere Mythical Tale. " Rajputs believe that their ancestors were fro m the sacred lire lbat was kindled on tbe mount of Abu . First of all Sacbkband Palra

~ecember

1987

Chonolu Bardai set forth tbis story in bis boole Pritbiraj Rasso. According to him when Pra.hurama bad destroyed all the KsilOlerercs and there were no ODe left to protect the Brabmins (priests) they assembled and performed . Yagna on the mount Abu. They kindled the sacred fire and prayed to God to produce a brave class to protect them. In response to tbeir prayers four great heros sprang out of thi s sacred fire. Tbese four heros founded Ihe four great Rajput families - Par mars, Parhars. Chalukeyas a nd Chauhans. The wri ter of Swans. History of India adds that this is not admbsible to many and is laken to be very falaciou. and fabricated to glOrify the Rajputs. To add Chandu Bardai was a famous court poet of Maharana Prithvi Raj Cbauhan and be originally belonged to Lahore. This cathartical processing or baptism had been termed
by Aryam a' Dl'iyyota - twice- bornship spiritual rebirth psychic

or physical union or , urender of the baptised - disciple or Cilela with his pe rceptor or Guru till he breathed his last. The rites to achieve this cod are Mundun t('>nsoring and YajnopOIita wcaring of sacred threads Jenue or .Iallju. Wbile tbe Mundun is common to both male and female chi ld JU/lju is worn by male cblid olny wilh varyi ng count of sleien according to the Brahamanic Varano or caste distinctions. Ritual bathing with water and inccntation of relevant Vedic hymns are preliminary requ irements.
Zoroaste rinism , the ancient church of Iranians or Parsees followers of Mabaratu Zoroaster - Zarathushtra - a stem from the Aryan umbr,gious tree, has similar rites of initiation i. e .. wearing of a sacred thread - Kushti or Zlumar and Sudhra-a cotton cloth vest. after purgatory bath with chanting of hymns fr om holy AI'estha ('> r Gotha - the Parsec Scriptarc of extinct Zend script. This is taken for granted as rebirth . Maulana Rumi sings in praise of this rite in his celebrated Masnavis as ;-

Choon doyyam baar Aadamuada biz,ad Paayey khud bar faraquaaye iIIithaa nihaad Sachkhand Patra
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December 1987

When tbe son of Aadam is born a second time He plants bis foot on the head of all evils. Judaism - the church of Jews followers of Hazrat Abraham (3000 B.C.) and Moses (1400 BC) tbe Prophets of the ancient }\ ile velley had similar ceremonials of Bapti sm by im,nersion of the male child into water and his c ircumci sion - shearing of the foreskin of tbe male organ of generation - popularly termed as SUtllJot under iOC3nlatioD of the sacred text from Tovait. their holy book and the custom lives undying equally in christianity and I Slam. The practice of female circumcision was also prevalent with aborginal trin~s in Africa tho ugh it s neXus with the rite of Baptism cannot be vouchusafcd . lord Jes us a - Jew by birth - was bapti sed by Rabhi Jehn the Baptist with his co mplete immersion into the Jo rd on river prior to his theistic revelations. Being a Jew he had his c ircumcision rite while a child . Christianity has similar detail ed ceremooials of would-be cooverts after ritual bath. There is an uDscientific belif that the Christ wa s born oircumcised . Jainism - tbe followers of Tirathanka Aadinatb Rikh a bdeva - tbe Jio - the Victor - and his tweoty threc apost/es , ending with Lord Mahaveera, has similar rites of ceremonial bath. wearing of threads by male only with chanting of sacred texts and taking a vow of observance of Tri- Ralu1l0 - Three Jawel s Rigbt Faith, Right Knowledge and Right CondUCt. Strangely enough the performance is led by a Hindu Brabmin . Bbuddism - the church or Talhogalo Gautama Buddha, has similar initiation ceremony after a ritual bath and acclamation by the would-be-di sciples of refuge in the Buddha invoking ; Buddham saranam gachbami Dhammam saraDam gachhami Sangham saranam gachhami ) take refuge in Buddha, in Dharma and in Congregation - sangat Saclkband Palra 4 December 1987

J.ianism and BUddhism. bolh though do not have belief in Waheguru (God) as the creator - Karta - Bharra Sustainer Harta Destroyer of the universe. yet their teachings have good moral fortification. Confucism. Taoism and Shintoism-religions of the peopl es of China. Japan and Mangolia etc. being predominently oil" shoots of Buddhisam. foliow Buddhist practices, includin g ZenDbayan - Buddhism. Islaam - the Quraish Arabi an Saabi idolator converts .' followers of Hazrat Mohammad the Arabian Prophet - has similar practices of ritual bath, circumcision of males, incantation of the Ka!ma. LA'ILAHA ILLALLAH MOHAMMAD RASUL-ALLAH and the Fatell- li"t Sura of the Holy Qur'a" which includes inalienable belief in the Nabat Messangership of Ailah - of Hazrat Mohammad and the Da y of Judgment R 07' e- Quyamat wben harking Soure- Isra[eel sound of angel Isr. fee!"s trumpet- the believing-dead shail arise from the graves lying in the slate of Barzakh (life in grave awaiting call) shall hie for assembly in the plain of Has/lOr - end - to seek Mohammad's pardon and thei r entry into the Paradise - Bellish t. The readers will observe thaI in each case depicted above
use of water and chanting of religi ous tex ts are Sine - Qua nO"

along-with the other complimentary rites.

Sikhism - tb e church found ed by Guru N.nak Dev in the fifteenth century (1469-1539 A.D.) in its inceptive stages foll owed the mode of bapti sm prevalent with the Vai ' hnav. and Yogpanthi sects-Guru Chela syndrome i. e., drinking Guru's footwash CharoJl Pallu! by tbe would- be-disciples. The Brahimical practice o f wearing a sacred thread was vehemently den ounced by Gurll Nanak and he himse lf refused to wear it. reasoning its scientific futility.
It is rather cur.ious to note that although th roug ho ut th o
histro ci ty of dive rse practices of bapti smal ceremonials. the y

have potentials to impart a better sense of rcligio,ily and mnral Sachkband Patra
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Deceember 1987

re-armament of Ihe baptised individual, nowhere any such ceremonials seem to be insrrumental for the inoulealion of tbe power of self-defence by the baptised in Ihe event of any inlernal and oxlernal aggression or inroads for usurpation of his fundamental rights of mode of worsbip etc., etc. On the contrary the Jain as well as Buddhist philosophy of Abimsa - Paramo - Dharama - primacy to non-killing and lhe rigid cult of Bhii;shuism , botb male and female - for Ihe attainment of Moleash , Tureya and Nirvana, became condudve to Ihe promotion of prevalenl Brahminical mode of excapism and parasitism on the already famished households , with ultimate polilieal bondage. And to eliminate thii lacuns., Guru Gobind Singh. the Divine Baptisl Beyond Peer, the Spirituo Militant Genius introduced his novel melhod of Pahul- baplism of All-Steel under Ihe godly inspiration and guidance of his Waheguru (God) whom he invoked as ALL-STEEL - SARVA-LOH in counler parallelism of Islamic AII-Qahaar and AII-Jabbaar Tbe Terrorist and Ihe Ferocious (two out of the Ninetynine Names of Allah), in tbe presence of 80,000 devotees wbo congregated for the purpose, reaching from all the four corners of India bearing aU hazards of unsafe journey, on tbe bills of Anandpur-tbe City of Bliss, founded by his Guru-Fatber - Guru Tegh Dabadur who gave his life for tbe protection of mode of Hindu worship. in Chandni Chauk, Delhi on November, 1675. Sr i Guru Gobind Singb witb positively committed and unfiagged determination and unsweverving self-confidence. for Sam ubaaran-Dushat songharon Upliftmenl of tbe rigbteous Elimination of the evil-doers. And awareness of tbe immediate and long term efficacy of this new and novel scientific mode of baptism, did away with all the e.tant practices, even of his own Guru ancestors, he obtained pure and fresb water from tbe nearby river Satluj and put il inlO a small steel bowl. Adding a small quentity of sugara-puffst'nrasa be stirred tbe liquid witb a double-edged sword Khanda Bhagaoti or Dhagwati under incantation of Guru-vaoni. Sacbkhand Palra 6 December 1987

And this stirring and purcussional action of the two steels Khanda and Baara, under tbe eerie mystic chanting of tbe GUrI/-' Vaani - Shabd or Naad Brahma from the celestial lips of a true ksharerya CHHATRI KO POOT HOUN BAHMIN KO NAHA (Das5am Grantb-2489) a Karmayogi - seventeenth century Counterpart of Lord Krisbna. infused into the sweetened potable. a genetic force an invisible Divine Fire - Agni - SlIikha Spiritual Spark. turning it into an Alcbemy - Rassayan - Amrir - a Death Defying Nostrum - five times administration of wbich. orally . through tbe organ of sigbt. and through the channels of human antena- unsborn long hair - electrified the entire being of the baptised - Amrit Dllaaris transforming tbem into KHALSASlNGHS - Spirit Impregnated Saint - Militants - Sant- Sipaahi srear - free disciples or Sikbs. And the words of Sir Radhakrishna speaks" Human spirit wben lit by divine fire . is migbtier than mighty wapon." Guru Sahib sbowered on them the title of Panj PiarasBel oved Ones and announcing before the huge wondering and spell- bound congregalion. he said :.. Khalsa mero roop hai Khaas Khalse main haun karon Niwas" In the Khalsa (Pure ones) is my image proper In tbe Khalsa do I dwell . And to end tbe unparalleled performance and drenched in spiritual - beatitude and grateful towards his Waheguru , he ultered the Cry of victory :Bolo :- Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki fareh SayO. Pure ones of Waheguru It is Waheguru'S victory (for yo u onwards)

And tbe erstwhile Hindu Sikhs and Singhs (Sinhs) became Guru's Khalsa in multitudes or gained rea l and purposeful D.ijyata - Rebornship - shorn off their earlier lineage name . caste aDd vocation. Sachkhand Palra
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December 1987

The learned readers may kindly bear with me to accept , with my humble judgment probing through the unlimited effi cacy, potenlial and resultant achievements of the Guru's Khalsa Singhs under the Guru Sahib's liviug stewardsbip, during the Dharma Yudhas led by Banda Singh Bahadur and the Jatheda rs of the Sikh Misla and even since lhen lhe term SIKH is not an exclusive derivative from the Sanskrit word SHISHYA but it takes its militeristic divergence or proneness from Sanskrif term SHIKHA - Vedic Agni or Fire as explained above, It bas little relevance with Pali SEKHA or Sikheya or Se.kba etc . Term SHISHY A does not in any manner carry the connotation or import of Kshatryata - valour or chivalry, the attributes or aggressiveness essontial for defensiveness in the event of any calamity, natural or man made, And to infuse Ksbatryata in the uead bones of spineless people was the prime object of the novel methodology of the baptism, And this unique Amril dispensation gave a serious blow
to the age old decript , yet ineqorably clinging Brahminic caste

di stinction and indiscrimination , morally unjust, depraved, ind efeneible and which h.d injured the human dignity and fractu.red bonds of human fraternity fo r long. And in the words of Maulana Rumi again : [Jassal iell aamad k e Yaar- -Jaman Baash Chot/II bl/lgar az /rajar yaar-e-Iaraash

Tbe sum total was tbat the Superhuman Idol-Maker-Guru Gobind Singh - carved an idol - tbe KHALSA SINGH - friend o r one and all out of the neglected and cast-away stone, This metamorphosis - calterpiller into butterfly, evil into virtue, killing the old man and raising the DeW man, was the highest grace and gift towards oppressed and tbe morally depre>sed humanity, It was a re-materialisation of tbe eternal teach ings of the Gita,strengthening and regenerating of tbe tumbling Hindu Rasbtra for its self-preservation and rebuilding of its . ulidarity_ Sacbkhand Patra 8 December 1987

Unlike the earlier so many a self-seeking prophets and apostles, this great Levelle r of spiritual and ethical inequality and inequity, with his se nce of self esteernkssness and a biding faith in his Creator - Waheguru - refused to be accosted as Prarneshwar - the Transedental Master : -

Jo rno ko Prameshwar keh Jwin

Teb saM narak kund maill parhein
Mein hnull ParflmpurakIJ ko daa,\(l

Dekhall am'yo jagol tamaasa.

Who-so-ever calleth me as Prameshwar He shall, forsur., fall in the deep hell I am a servant of the Pararnpurak h And have come down to mit ness the World- Play, And through out his life span of almost fortytwo years, h" ceaselessly endeavou red for the redemption of the exploited spiritually, sccially, politically and ethically, unminMul of the .upreme-sacrifices of his kith and kin , far and near from th e prie,t1y as well as the Mughal Rule t yrra ny, a sisyphean elTOf\ with glory. And in the words of Thomas Paine: "Tyranny like hell is not easil y conquered yet we have consolation with us that harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph . What we obtain too cheaply. we esleem too lightly ." And the historical realil Y is that the KHALSA - SINGHS flagged the tyrannisers dome5tic or alien at eacb level and even to this day KHALSA glory shines in every part of the globe undiminished . In their brief bloodstaind history of 500 years, the Sikhs never gO I anything cheply and they can safelY clai m comparatively more mayhemed and dead at the altar of Victory. And to end this essay, I convey my humble appeal to all my breathern, Sikhs and non -SiJ,h Indians alil::e , not 10 be olivious of the glorious deeds and sacrifices of their Gurus and stand steadfast for the solidarity of tile c()untry and the nation. For they belonged to no simple histary bUI eltrinity. 01> Sachkband Patra 9 December 1987