16.

JAAT PAAT
The ten Gurus of the Sikhs, during their life time, took necessary steps to
eliminate the differences of varn and caste which had become a canker on society.
The Sikh institutions of sangat and pangat did not discriminate against anyone. No
special places were reserved for people of high rank or caste. Pangat refers to the
rows of persons seated on the floor at meal times. The pangat institution was
strengthened by Guru Amar Das and he encouraged everyone to partake of the simple
vegetarian food in the langgar – dining area – when coming for sat sangat. It is said
that when Emperor Akbar came to see Guru Ji he was invited to have some food in
the langgar before going to see the Guru who was present in the sangat at that time.
The construction of sarovars – holy pools – served the same purpose of eliminating
differences. All were to have a dip, symbolic cleansing of the body, before going in to
the sangat for the Guru’s darshan. When Guru Gobind Singh founded the khalsa
panth, only one of the five Panj Pyaray – beloved ones – belonged to a high caste, a
khatri, whilst the other four were members of low castes, a jat, jheevar, cheemba and
a na-ee - farmer, water carrier, tailor and barber. Guru Ji administered the amret to
the Panj Pyaray by giving each of them five helpings of amret to drink, one after
another, the recipient making a cup with the right hand placed over the left. This was
followed by sprinkling the amret on their eyes and hair. Guru Ji then got them to
partake of the amret from the same steel bowl by turns,each raising the bowl to his
lips to have a sip.
However, with the passage of time, in spite of the foregoing, divisions of varn
and caste penetrated the Sikh World, in a somewhat covert manner. Probably because
of our lack of interest and understanding of Gurbani we have lost sight of our roots.
Let us see what Gurbani says about these divisions.

Guru Nanak Dev:

(a) In the next world, i.e. parlok there is no question of jaat being considered. So
understand the jot i.e. the light in you – jaanuh jot. Do not ask about jaat – na
poochuh jaati, as there is no jaat in the next world ahead – aagai.
Jaanuh jot na poochuh jaati aagai jaat na hay. P.349
jwxhu joiq n pUChu jwqI AwgY jwiq n hy Ò

(b) In parlok there are no caste divisions and no force is resorted to – agai jaat na
jor hai. All those with whom one comes into contact are unacquainted – jiu
navay. Those who earn respect , when being judged – jen ki laykhai pat pavai
– are the ones who are deemed to be good – cangay say-ee kay-e.
Agai jaat na jor hai agai jiu navay. Jen ki laykhai pat pavai cangay say-ee
kay-e. P.469
AgY jwiq n joru hY AgY jIau nvy Ò ijn@ kI lyKY piq pvY cMgy syeI kyie Ò

(c) In the court of the Lord what is considered - parkhi-ai – is whether the
jeevatma has accumulated the Lord’s naam which is referred to as sac – truth.
No consideration is given to jaat varn.
Jaati dai kea hath sac parkhi-ai. P.142
jwqI dY ikAw hiQ scu prKIAY Ò
(d) To feel proud of one’s jaat and of one’s name is foolish and not worth
considering – fakar jaati fakar nau. All humans are in a way similar- sabhna
jia(n) eka chau. No one can become what one claims to be. One is regarded as
good – bhala – only, if in the dargaah of the Lord, one gets respect at the
time when one is judged – ja(n) pat laykhai pae.
Fakar jaati fakar nau. Sabhna jia(n) eka chau. Aapuh jay ko bhala kahaa-ay.
Nanak ta(n) par jaapai ja(n) pat laykhai pae. P.83
PkV jwqI PkVu nwau Ò sBnw jIAw iekw Cwau Ò Awphu jy ko Blw khwey Ò
nwnk qw pru jwpY jw piq lyKY pwie Ò

(e) Do not ask for jaat or janm – jaat janm neh poochi-ai. Ask - layhu batae - in
whose heart the everlasting Lord has manifested Himself. A person’s jaat
paat is determined by his actions - karm.
Jaat janm neh poochi-ai sac ghar layhu batae. Sa jaat sa pat hai jayhay karm
kmae. P.1330
jwiq jnm nh pUCIAY sc Gru lyhu bqwie Ò sw jwiq sw piq hY jyhy krm
kmwie Ò

(f) Naam semran and singing the praises of the Lord earn the status of high caste
and respect - jaat paat – in the next world. Guru Ji says, “Oh Lord, your
blessing results in high caste status and respect”.
Tu(n) bakhseh jaat pat hoe. P.1330
qU bKsih jwiq piq hoie Ò

Guru Amar Das:

(a) The body – dayhi, and jaat do not go to the next world – dayhi jaat na aagai
jae. Where accountability is asked for – jethai laykha mangi-ai, one escapes –
chutai, if he has earned the naam of the Lord – chutai sac kmae.
Dayhi jaat na aagai jae. Jethai laykha mangi-ai tethai chutai sac kmae. P.112
dyhI jwiq n AwgY jwie Ò ijQY lyKw mMgIAY iqQY CutY sc kmwey Ò

(b) Neither caste nor beauty – roop – can go to the next world. One’s actions
determine what a person is – tayha hovai jayhay karm kmae. If with the gur
sabad one attains a high spiritual status that person can be deemed to be of
high caste – ooco ooca hoe.
Aagai jaat roop na jae. Tayha hovai jayhay karm kmae. Sabday ooco ooca
hoe. P.363
AwgY jwiq rUpu n jwie Ò qyhw hovY jyhy krm kmwie Ò sbdy aUco aUcw hoie Ò

(c) Those who are dyed with the colour of bhagti – bhagt(i) ratay – are the ones
who are regarded as noble - ootma. They are of high jaat paat because of the
gur sabad. Without the naam all are of low birth - neec jaat. They are worms
- keera, in excrement - besta.
Bhagt(i) ratay say ootma jat pat sabday hoe. Ben naavai sabh neec jaat hai
besta ka keera hoe. P.426
Bgiq rqy sy aUqmw jiq piq sbdy hoie Ò ibnu nwvY sB nIc jwiq hY ibstw
kw kIVw hoie Ò
(d) No one should feel proud of his jaat – jaat ka garb na kariuh koi. Only the
person who has knowledge of the Lord and understands Him is a brahman.
He who is proud of his jaat is a foolish person - moorakh gvaara. Feelings of
pride –garb – for one’s jaat, lead to a lot of vekaars. Everyone says that there
are four varn, but everyone has been created - opat hoi –from the one God’s
jot. It is like a potter – kumaara – making various types of pottery – bhaanday
– from the same clay – maati. All creation has been made from the five
elements – panc tat. It cannot be said that people of a particular varn have
less or more - ghat vadh - of the five elements.
Jaat ka garb na kariuh koi. Braham benday so brahman hoi. Jaat ka garb na
kar moorakh gvaara. Es garb tay caleh bahut vekaara. Caaray varn aakhai
sabh koi. Braham bend tay sabh opat hoi. Maati ayk sagal sansaara. Bahu
bedh bhaanday gharai kumaara. Panc tat mel dayhi ka akaara. Ghat vadh ko
karai bicaara. P.1128
jwiq kw grbu n krIAhU koeI Ò bRhmu ibMdy so bRwhmxu hoeI Ò jwiq kw grbu n
kir mUrK gvwrw Ò iesu grb qy clih bhuqu ivkwrw Ò cwry vrn AwKY sBu
koeI Ò bRhmu ibMd qy sB Epiq hoeI Ò mwtI eyk sgl sMswrw Ò bhu ibiD BWfy
GVY kumwrw Ò pMc qqu imil dyhI kw Awkwrw Ò Git viD ko krY bIcwrw Ò

Guru Ram Das:

(a) He is the most exalted – ooca, the most pure – sooca, in whose heart dwells
the Lord Bhagwaan. The Guru washes the feet – carn pakhaalai – of such a
sayvak even though he may be of low birth – neec jaat.
Ohu sabh tay ooca sabh tay sooca ja kai herdai vasea Bhagwaan. Jan Nanak
tes kay carn pakhaalai jo Har jan neec jaat sayvkaan. P.861
Ehu sB qy aUcw sB qy sUcw jw kY ihrdY visAw Bgvwnu Ò jn nwnku iqs ky
crn pKwlY jo hir jnu nIcu jwiq syvkwxu Ò

(b) All bodies breathe the same air – ayko pavn, all are made of the same elements
– maati sabh ayka. The same jot is found in all – sabh ayka jot, and does the
same function even though in appearance people tend to differ.
Ayko pavn maati sabh ayka sabh ayka jot sba-ee-a. Sabh eka jot vartai bhen
bhen na rala-i kesai di rala-ee-a. P.96
eyko pvxu mwtI sB eykw sB eykw joiq sbweIAw Ò sB iekw joiq vrqY iBin
iBin n rleI iksY dI rlweIAw Ò

(c) Even a person of low birth – neec jaat – attains a high status – uttam padvi pae
– by worshipping the Lord. Guru Ji gives some examples. One was the wise
Bedar who was of low birth. Guru Ji says, “Ask about Bedar, the servant’s
son – sut / sutai.” It was in Bedar’s house that Lord Kreshan spent the night
when He went to Hastnapur to see King Duryodhan. Ravedas was a cmaar by
caste and occupation but never did he forget the Lord’s sefat salaah / ustat.
People of all four varns fell at his feet – pa-ay pag ae – to do obeisance to
him. Nam Dev was a cheepa / cheemba by caste and profession. But his love –
preet – for the Lord was such that the Lord turned His back – peth – towards
the brahmans and khatris – khatri brahman peth day choday, and embraced
Nam Dev – Namdeu lee-a mukh lae. This is a reference to the mandar
miraculously making a l80 degree turn from which the high caste brahmans
 had expelled Nam Dev. Nam Dev went to the back of the temple and
continued singing the praises of the Lord and the miracle of the turning of the
mandar took place.
Neec jaat Har japtea uttam padvi pae. Poochuh Bedar daasi sutai Kesan utrea
ghar jes jae. ………Ravedas cmaar ustat karay Har keerat nemkh ek gae.
Patet jaat uttam bha-ea caar varn pa-ay pag ae. Nam Day-a preet lagi Har
sayti lok cheepa kahai bulae. Khatri brahman peth day choday Har Namdeu
lee-a mukh lae. P. 733
nIc jwiq hir jpiqAw auqm pdvI pwie Ò pUChu ibdr dwsI suqY iksnu
auqirAw Gir ijsu jwie Ò …… rivdwsu cmwru ausqiq kry hir kIriq
inmK iek gwie Ò piqq jwiq auqmu BieAw cwir vrn pey pig Awie Ò
nwmdyA pRIiq lgI hir syqI loku CIpw khY bulwie Ò KqRI bRwhmx ipiT dy Cofy
hir nwmdyau lIAw muiK lwie Ò

Guru Gobind Singh:

Guru Gobind Singh regards the whole human race – maans ki jaat – as
belonging to one jaat – sabhai aykai pehcaanbo. He says:
Maans ki jaat sabhai aykai pehcaanbo.
mwns kI jwq sBY eykY phcwnbo Ò

Bhagat Kabir:
(a) The whole world has been created by the Lord from His jot / noor – ayk
noor tay sabh jag upjea. As the Lord’s jot is in everyone it is not proper to
say as to who is good and who is bad – kaun bhalay ko manday.
Ayk noor tay sabh jag upjea kaun bhalay ko manday. P.1349
eyk nUr qy sBu jgu aupijAw kaun Bly ko mMdy Ò

(b) Telling a Brahman: “ When in the womb –garbh – of the mother jaat paat is
not known – garbh vaas meh kul nahi jaati. All are born of the Lord ……. If
you claim to be a brahman and are born of a brahaman woman – brahmani
jaea, why did you not come into this world through a different route – aan
baat kaahay nahi aea? How are you a brahman – tum kat brahman, and what
makes me a soodar / sood – ham kat sood? Do you mean that there is blood –
lohoo – in me whilst in your body there is milk – doodh – instead of blood -
ham kat lohoo tum kat doodh?”
Garbh vaas meh kul nahi jaati. Braham bend tay sabh utpaati ……… Jao tu(n)
brahman brahmani jaea. Tau aan baat kaahay nahi aea. Tum kat brahman
ham kat sood. Ham kat lohoo tum kat doodh. P.324
grB vws mih kulu nhI jwqI Ò bRhm ibMdu qy sB auqpwqI Ò ………jO qUM
bRwhmxu bRhmxI jwieAw Ò qau Awn bwt kwhy nhI AwieAw Ò qum kq bRwhmx
hm kq sUd Ò hm kq lohU qum kq dUD Ò

(c) Those persons who are fond believers of the jaat paat classification of
society are victims of haumai and discuss these matters with egoistic feelings.
In their minds there is love – preet – for matters concerning high and low caste
– abarn barn. On the other hand those who resort to naam semran and in
whose hearts the Lord dwells do not harbour such feelings. They have lovely
continuous music – anhad sabad - pertaining to the sefat salaah of the Lord
 Gopal going on in their hearts - pauray -all the while.
Abarn barn seu(n) man hi preet. Haumai gaavan gaaveh geet. Anhad sabad
hot jhunkaar. Jeh pauray Prabh Sri Gopal. P.1162
Abrn brn isau mn hI pRIiq Ò haumY gwvin gwvih gIq Ò Anhd sbd hoq
Junkwr Ò ijh pauVy pRB sRI gopwl Ò

According to the varn classification the four classes were:

l. Brahmans
The priestly and the learned classes including the
teachers.
2. Khatris
Warriors and the ruling classes.
3. Vaish
The agriculturists, artisans and traders.
4. Sood /shoodar
The working classes and unskilled workers. This group
also includes at the bottom of the classification ladder,
the untouchables known as dalits.

The Brahmans and khatris were regarded as high castes whereas the other two
were deemed to be low castes.