Women in Sikhism

The role of women in Sikhism is outlined in the Sikh Scriptures, which state that the Sikh woman is to be regarded as equal to the Sikh man. In Sikhism, women are considered to have the same souls as men and an equal right to grow spiritually. They are allowed to lead religious congregations, take part in the Akhand Path (the continuous recitation of the Holy Scriptures), perform Kirtan (congregational singing of hymns), work as a Granthi, and participate in all religious, cultural, social, and secular activities.

Sikh history has prominently recorded the role of women, portraying them as equal in service, devotion, sacrifice, and bravery to men. Examples of various women's moral dignity, service, and self-sacrifice are a source of inspiration to the Sikhs.

According to Sikhism, men and women are two sides of the same coin of the human race, a system of inter-relation and inter-dependence in which man takes birth from a woman, and woman is born of a man. Also, according to Sikhism a man can never feel secure and complete during his life without a woman, and a man's success depends upon the love and support of the woman who shares her life with him, and vice-versa. The founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, reportedly said in 1499 that "[it] is a woman who keeps the race going" and that we should not "consider woman cursed and condemned, [when] from woman are born leaders and rulers."

Sikhs, therefore, have had an obligation to treat women as equals, and gender discrimination in Sikh society has not been allowed. However, gender equality has been difficult to achieve.

History

Women who were used to having the same privileges as men in Vedic India were reduced to a position of subordination during the time of the Lawgivers.

Purdah and sati

The Smrtis pressured widows to practise sati (burning herself on the funeral pyre of her late husband). Even when widows were pregnant or had young children, they were expected to live a life of extreme self-denial.

Sikhism was a liberating force for women in Indian society. Affirmation of the dignity of humans, both men and women, was central to Guru Nanak's teaching. He said that all creatures were equal before God, so to make distinctions among them on the grounds of birth or sex was sinful. He was also bold, at least for his time, in his praise of women. In the Asa ki Var, a long composition sung in sangat in the morning service, he expresses extreme respect and admiration for women, "of whom great men are born".

Sutak and celibacy

In another stanza in the Asa ki Var, Guru Nanak Dev Ji rejects the prevalent superstition of sutak, the belief that a woman giving birth to a child is unclean for a given number of days depending upon the caste to which she belongs:

"The impurity of the mind is greed, and the impurity of the tongue is falsehood. The impurity of the eyes is to gaze upon the beauty of another man's wife, and his wealth. The impurity of the ears is to listen to the slander of others. O Nanak, the mortal's soul goes, bound and gagged, to the city of Death. All impurity comes from doubt and attachment to duality. Birth and death are subject to the Command of the Lord's Will; through His Will we come and go."(GG, 472)

Instead of celibacy and renunciation, Guru Nanak recommended grhastha — the life of a householder. Husband and wife were seen as equal partners and fidelity was enjoined upon both. In sacred verse, domestic happiness was presented as a cherished ideal and marriage provided a running metaphor for the expression of love for the Divine. Bhai Gurdas Ji, poet of early Sikhism and authoritative interpreter of Sikh doctrine, pays high tribute to women. He says:

"A woman, is the favourite in her parental home, loved dearly by her father and mother. In the home of her in-laws, she is the pillar of the family, the guarantee of its good fortune... Sharing in spiritual wisdom and enlightenment and with noble qualities endowed, a woman, the other half of man, escorts him to the door of liberation." (Varan, V.16)

Equal status for women

To ensure equal status for women, the Gurus made no distinction between the sexes in matters of initiation, instruction or participation in sangat (holy fellowship) and pangat (eating together). According to Sarup Das Bhalla, Mahima Prakash, Guru Amar Das disfavoured the use of veil by women. He assigned women to supervise some communities of disciples, and preached against the custom of sati. Sikh history records the names of several women such as Mai Bhago, Mata Sundari, Rani Sahib Kaur, Rani Sada Kaur and Maharani Jind Kaur who played an important role in the events of their time.

Women's displays of steadfastness during the eighteenth century when Sikhs were fiercely persecuted have had a strong impact on modern-day Sikhs, who recount these stories in their ardas:

"Our mothers and sisters they repeat every time in their prayer, who plied handmills in the jails of Mannu [the Mughal governor of Lahore (1748-53)], grinding daily a maund-and-a-quarter of corn each, who saw their children being hacked to pieces in front of their eyes, but who uttered not a moan from their lips and remained steadfast in their Sikh faith—recall their spirit of fortitude and sacrifice, and say, Vahiguru, Glory be to God!"

Praised treatment of enemy women

Even in times of severe trial and suffering, Sikhs were guided in their treatment of the women prisoners of war by the highest standards of chivalry. In 1763, for instance, one of Ahmad Shah Durrani’s generals, Jahan Khan, was defeated by the Sikhs at Sialkot and a number of his female relations and dependants fell into their hands. Ali ud-Din writes in his Ibratnamah;

"as the Sikhs of old would not lay their hands on women, they had them escorted safely to Jammu."

Another Muslim chronicler, Ghulam Muhaiy ud-Din, vituperates against the Sikhs in his Fatuhat Namah-i-Samadi, but notices the esteem they had for women. He writes;

"[The Sikhs] look upon all women in the light of mothers."

This had been how a Sikh was defined by Bhai Gurdas a century earlier;

"A Sikh casting his eyes upon the beautiful womenfolk of families other than his own regards them as his mothers, sisters and daughters."

Monogamy, Infanticide and Widow Burning

Such being the respect for womanhood among the Sikhs, monogamy has been the rule for them, and polygamy is exceptionally rare.

Female infanticide is prohibited. The Rahitnamas, (codes of conduct) prohibit Sikhs from having any contact or relationship with those who indulge in this practice.

As for sati (widow-burning), Scripture itself rejects it.

In a shabad (hymn) in measure Suhi, Guru Amar Das says;

"Satis are not those that burn themselves on the husband's funeral pyre; satis are they, O Nanak, who die of the pangs of separation (GG, 787)"

Stanza follows:

"They, too must be reckoned satis who live virtuously and contentedly in the service of the Lord, ever cherishing Him in their hearts... Some burn themselves along with their dead husbands: but they need not, for if they really loved them they would endure the pain alive."

As a practical step towards discouraging the practice of sati, Sikhism permitted remarriage of widows.

The Golden Temple and a Sikh guard

In the present-day democratic politics of India, women as a whole have been rid of many of their disadvantages. They enjoy political franchise and many new opportunities for advancement have opened up for them. Sikh women have shown enterprise in several fields and are among the most progressive in education and in the professions such as teaching and medicine. Within the Sikh system, they are the equals of men in all respects. They can lead congregational services and participate in akhand paths, uninterrupted readings of scripture to be accomplished within forty-eight hours. They vote with men to elect Sikhs' central religious body, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which administers their places of worship.

Famous women in Sikhism

The first woman to be remembered in Sikhism is Mata Tripta Ji, the mother of the first and founding Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. She is said to have meditated while carrying the child Nanak in her womb, and to have brought him up with love and tender care, while attempting to protect him from his father Mehta Kalu's undue wrath.

Another famous woman is Bebe Nanaki Ji, the elder and only sister of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. She is a highly intelligent, spiritually awake, and pious lady who recognised the divine light in her brother and envisaged his mission of life before anyone else could perceive it; she did not treat him just as a brother but also respected him as she would a Guru, supporting him throughout her life. Her brother would become known as a revolutionary who had come to redeem people from misconception and superstition.

Quotes

Equality of Women, in Sikh Ideology and Practice

A real distinction between the roles of the male and female exists in all historic and modern human societies. In the 15th century, Guru Nanak established Sikhism, the first religion to advocate emphatically the equality of all people, especially women. However, gender (and class) inequalities still exist.

Changes by Guru Nanak

At the time of Guru Nanak, Indian women were severely degraded and oppressed by their society. Given no education or freedom to make decisions, their presence in religious, political, social, cultural, and economic affairs was virtually non-existent. Woman was referred to as "man's shoe, the root of all evil, a snare, a temptress." Her function was only to perpetuate the race, do household work, and serve the male members of society. Female infanticide was common, and the practice of sati, the immolation of the wife on her husband's funeral pyre, was encouraged, sometimes even forced.

Guru Nanak condemned these notions of the inferiority of women, and protested against the subjugation of women. According to Sikh doctrine, The Ultimate Truth was revealed to Guru Nanak through a mystical experience, in direct communion with God. Guru Nanak conveyed this Truth through the bani, Sikh Scripture. It argues against sexist notions as follows:

"In a woman man is conceived, From a woman he is born, With a woman he is betrothed and married, With a woman he contracts friendship. Why denounce her, the one from whom even kings are born ? From a woman a woman is born, None may exist without a woman."

The fundamental analogy used in the bani depicts the relationship between God and man, and proves that the physical body does not matter. The bani parallels all human beings (men and women) to the woman or wife, and God to the man or husband. This means that every person is a sohagan - a woman who is the beloved of the Lord - whether they have the body of a man or woman. Because the human body is transitory, the difference between man and woman is only transitory, and as such superficial. Thus, according to Sikh ideology, all men and women possess equal status. All human beings, regardless of gender, caste, race, or birth, are judged only by their deeds.

With this assertion, the Sikh Gurus invited women to join the sangat (congregation), work with men in the langar (common kitchen), and participate in all other religious, social, and cultural activities of the gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship). The Gurus redefined celibacy as marriage to one wife and taught that male and female alike need to practice conjugal fidelity. They advocated marriage of two equal partners. Guru Amar Das, the third guru, wrote :

"Only they are truly wedded who have one spirit in two bodies."

Guru Amar Das also condemned purdah, the wearing of the veil, and female infanticide. He spoke against the custom of sati, thus permitting the remarriage of widows. Out of 146 missionaries chosen, the Guru appointed 52 women to spread the message of Sikhism, and out of 22 Manjis established by the Guru for the preaching of Sikhism, four were women. The steps the Gurus took to advocate the equality of women, revolutionized the tradition of Indian society. As they began to partake in social, religious, and political affairs, their contribution and worth as equal partners of men became more obvious.

However, the Guru's teachings of equality have never been fully realized, which is clearly evident in the treatment of women even in Sikh society today. Either because of the influence of the majority community on the Sikh minority or the Sikh male's unwillingness to give up his dominant role, women continue to suffer prejudice. A woman has never been elected as the president of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (the Central Management Committee to manage the affairs of the Gurdwaras in the Punjab)(this changed in 2005), or as the head of any of the five Takhats (the thrones of authority). Indian society discriminates against women in workplaces, and denies them the right to fight on the battlefield. People measure a woman's value as a bride by the size of her dowry, not necessarily by her character and integrity. Alice Basarke, a free-lance writer, sadly realizes, "After 500 years head start, Sikh Women are no better off than their counterparts in any other religion or nation."

Historical background

To understand what the Gurus said of women in Gurbani one must understand the conditions prevalent in India at the time of the Gurus. In the very early Vedic period women had much of the same access to an education, participation in religious, political and social roles. They even composed some of the hymns in the Vedas. That all changed drastically with the arrival of the laws of Manu. The status of women was totally degraded at every level and women were effectively enslaved. Women in Hindu society were now bound by a series of rigid laws that defined social, occupational and religious conduct.

The women were not only relegated to their households, they were literally under the control of men from cradle to grave. They were compelled to observe Purdah. Sati was expected at the death of the spouse in some castes or permanent widowhood in others even in the case of very young widows. Widowhood meant destitution at best, social rejection and lifelong loneliness. The birth of a daughter was viewed with disdain and sorrow and female infanticide rampant. The birth of a boy was celebrated lavishly but that of a girl meant scorn and blame by the in-laws. Women and girls’ health was poor due to frequent childbirth coerced by husband and in-laws till the birth of a male heir occurred for the former and sheer neglect of health care and nutrition of the latter. The Laws of Manu still maintain a powerful hold over Indian Society today in overt and covert fashions. Women are expected to dress modestly, and wear no make-up. Also they are expected to cover their head as a sign of respect. They manifest as such in present societal mores and attitudes.(article on Laws of Manu as applies to women). These affect as much the modern Punjabi as well as Hindu societies. (This article a blessing for boys and girls are killed)Many of the same conditions that plague women in Indian society described above still exist today in many villages and city centers.

Under Islamic rule women fared no better. Hindu women and children were enslaved and force-marched by their captors to be sold on the markets of Persia, Afghanistan and sent further to Arabia and Africa. Muslim women had some limited rights under Muslim law but functioned primarily in the home.

Coming of Sikhism

It is against such a backdrop that the Gurus implemented reform via their missions and tackled prevalent issues in their teachings.

This passage offers a powerful rejection of mistreatment of women:

"We are conceived in woman, We are born to woman. It is to woman we get engaged, and then get married. Woman is our lifelong companion, And pillar of our survival. It is through woman, that we establish social relationships. Why should we denounce her, When even kings and great men are born from her?" (P. 473 SGGS Guru Nanak)

Guru Amar Das abolished the tradition of Sati and Purdah and indeed refused to have an audience with ladies that kept Purdah. He established religious centers and women alongside men were recruited to lead and teach. Women worked alongside the men in maintaining the Guru’s kitchen, performing all duties and sitting side by side the men folk in Pangat.

Guru Angad strongly encouraged the education of women.

Women swelled the ranks in spreading the message of the Gurus as missionaries. By the time of Guru Gobind Singh, 40% of them were women.

With the birth of the Khalsa the last of the barriers of caste and gender oppression had been smashed. Women though continuing their roles of mothers and wives were forever changed. They were lifted up and given the same Amrit at the side of their brothers. The same rules that applied to them to follow the Khalsa way applied to them. They were granted the same 5 K’s. Guru Gobind Singh's encouragement of women to keep even shastars symbolized that he did not envision her role in society as being that of a "nice, meek housewife," but rather that of a fearless, active, independent warrior, involved in the world.

Kaur - Princess

Kaur has an interesting history. Its origin can be found in the word Kanwar, literally meaning princess or lioness. Women were named Kaur to give them an identity independent of that of their husband and to uplift their spirit.

At the time of SHRI Guru Gobind Singh Ji, women who were literally and legally possessions of their husbands in Europe and in the American colonies, women who had no voice in administration in Europe, the Americas or India were now orators, teachers, warriors, and administrators and participated in the Guru’s kitchen. Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s wife Mata Sundri Ji led the Khalsa Panth for many years after passing of the tenth Guru. Jathedar Sada Kaur along with Maharaja Ranjit Singh made possible the formation of the Sikh Empire. She gave her contribution to the Amrit, sweet Patashey so that the disposition of the Sikhs would be also sweet.

After Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji the situation of women and lower castes, had deteriorated as people reverted to the old ways of caste and oppression of women. The old habits and attitudes, as read in the laws of Manu continue, in some form or another, to ensnare the Sikh religion.

Gurbani and practises

Given what we know of the history then and now here are some of the quotes regarding women:

In regard to dowry:

"O my Lord, give me thy name as my wedding gift and dowry." Shri Guru Ram Das ji, Page 78, line 18 SGGSji

"Any other dowry offered is a valueless display of false pride and of no earthly use." Shri Guru Ram Das ji, Page 79, line 2

In regard to marriage:

"They are not called husband and wife who merely sit together Rather they alone are called husband and wife who have one soul in two bodies." In regard to the odious practice of Sati:

"A Sati is not she, who burns herself on the pyre of her spouse. Nanak, a Sati is she, who dies with the sheer shock of separation (from God). Yea, the Sati is one who lives contended and embellishes herself with good conduct (rather than jewels and dress) And cherishing her Lord ever calls on Him each morning. The women burn themselves on the pyres of their lords, If they love their spouses well, they suffer the pangs of separation. (moh) She who loves not her spouse, why burns she herself in fire? For, be he alive or dead she owns him not (only God does)" Page 787,13, SGGSji Guru Amar Das ji)

Shri Guru Hargobind singh ji called woman "the conscience of man" without whom moral living was impossible. Child marriage was discouraged and the practice of female infanticide, which had been strongly discouraged, was severely banned. Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji enshrined in the Khalsa code of conduct for his Khalsa, male or female not to have social conduct, relations or marriage to those who kill their daughters. This Hukam is always told in any Amrit Sanchaar.

Regarding the practice of Purdah:

"Stay, stay, O daughter-in-law - do not cover your face with a veil. In the end, this shall not bring you even half a shell. The one before you used to veil her face; do not follow in her footsteps. The only merit in veiling your face is that for a few days, people will say, "What a noble bride has come". Your veil shall be true only if you skip, dance and sing the Glorious praises of the Lord (P. 484, SGGSji, Kabeer)

Women and indeed all souls were strongly encouraged to lead a spiritual life:

"Come, my dear sisters and spiritual companions; hug me close in your embrace. Let's join together, and tell stories of our All-powerful Husband Lord."-Guru Nanak, pg 17, Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji.

See also

• Women in the Guru Granth Sahib
• Women in India
• Women's rights
• Legal rights of women in history

References

• Robert O. Ballou : The Portable World Bible, Penguin Books, 1976, p. 237-241.
• Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, translator : The Meaning of Glorious Koran, Mentor Book, New American Library, New York and Scarborough, Ontario, 1924, p. 53, Surah II, 223-228.
• Kanwaljit Kaur : Sikh Women, Fundamental Issues in Sikh Studies, Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, 1992, p. 96.
• Guru Granth Sahib : p 73.
• Guru Granth Sahib, p.788.
• Kanwaljit Kaur : op. cit., p. 99.
• Sabdarath Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Amritsar, 1975

External links

• Sikh women
• Guru Quotes on women
• www.sikhs.org
• www.sikhphilosophy.net
• www.sikhnarimanch.com
• www.sikhphilosophy.net
• Concepts In Sikhism - Edited by Dr. Surinder Singh Sodhi