The Sikh Gurus
India/Jain and Sikh
Sikhism is a comparatively modern religion, formulated in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The early leaders of the Sikhs were called Gurus, or Teachers, and the founder of Sikhism was Guru Nanak (1460-1539), who developed his ideas from both Hindu and Muslim thought. Stories grew up about him of the kind which cling to celebrated religious teachers. It was said that his future greatness was predicted at his birth and there were tales which pithily conveyed the essence of his teaching. When he visited Mecca, he lay down near the Kaaba, the dwelling-place of God, with his feet pointing to it. Reproved by a Muslim for this disrespect toward the house of God, Nanak asked the man to point his feet in whatever direction the house of God was not. The man pulled his feet round and as he moved them, the Kaaba moved too.
There is a famous story, which may well be true, about the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh (1666-1708), who was largely responsible for the transformation of the Sikh community into a military brotherhood, renowned for its fighting qualities. Gathering the Sikhs together, he told them that the times required supreme loyalty to their leader. He drew his sword and asked for volunteers who would give him their heads. After a long silence, one Sikh volunteered and was led into the Guru's tent, from which Gobind Singh presently reappeared, alone with blood on his sword. The same thing happen four times more, and then the Guru reappeared with all five volunteers, unharmed. Some Sikhs say that the blood on the sword came from a goat, others that the Guru had beheaded the volunteers and restored them to life again. In either version the point of the story is the courage and devotion required of the faithful Sikh.
Legends Of The World
Edited by
Richard Cavendish
ISBN 1-56619-462-8
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