Castes System and Sikhism

We all believe that Sikhs do not believe in caste-ism but reality is strikingly different. Majority of Sikhs these days use caste based family names and some even try to hide "Singh" and "Kaur" as middle names, and an increasing number of Sikhs drop them all together.

Hindu or Sikh?

These Sikhs who use Hindu caste names as their family names, are the Hindu or Sikhs? Are the Punjabi last names like Dhillon, Sahni, Sidhu, Matharu, Chhabra, Kapoor, or Saini demonstrate Sikh heritage or Hindu ancestry? 

To understand this thought, you will have to learn the meaning of these family names and how these are related to Hindu caste system.

Hindu Caste System

The caste system in India is a system of social stratification which has ancient origins, The Hindu conception of the social order is that people are different, and different people will fit well into different aspects of society.  The duties or "Dharma" of these four castes are documented in sacred Hindu scripture - Manusmiriti. The term "Varna" may be translated as "class," and refers to the four social classes which existed in the Vedic society, namely Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Certain groups, now known as Dalits, were historically included as Shudras. Some of these were ostracized as untouchables and excluded from the four caste system.

Caste

The term caste is not an Indian word. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is derived from the Portuguese "casta", meaning "race, lineage, breed" and, originally, "‘pure or unmixed (stock or breed)". There is no exact translation in Indian languages, but varna and jāti are the two most proximate terms.

Varna

Literally varna means color, and was a framework for grouping people into classes, first used in Vedic Indian society. It is referred to frequently in the ancient Indian texts as the four four classes - Brahmins (priestly people), the Kshatriyas (rulers, administrators and warriors), the Vaishyas (merchants, traders moneylenders, goldsmiths), and Shudras (labor classes). For example, "Suvarna Bhavan" means the house of the people belonging to high "Varna".

Jāti

Jāti (Jaat in Punjabi), meaning birth, is mentioned much less often in ancient texts, where it is clearly distinguished from Varna. There are four Varnas but hundreds of Jātis. The Jātis are complex social groups that lack universally applicable definition or characteristic, and have been more flexible and diverse than was previously often assumed. 

Gotras

The subcategories of Jāti is called Gotras (or Got in Punjabi). These typically denote clan or family names. For example, Bishambar Dass Kohli belongs to Kshatriya-Varna, Khukhrain Khatri-Jaat, and Kohli-Got. Another example would be, Natha Singh Sandhu belongs to Vaishya-Varna, Jatt-Jaat, and Sandhu-Got.

Sikh Philosophy on Castes

Sikhism respectfully disagrees with the Hindu practice of caste system. Sikh tenets consider all humans equal, regardless of their class, color, race, gender or religion. Without any doubt the caste system has separated the mankind. Sikh Gurus have been strong supporter of equality and rejected the separation among mankind. 

Sri Guru Granth Sahib

"Your Light is the light in all beings, O Creator, All Your Creations are True" (SGGS, 1314). 

God’s light (soul) is within all and there is no difference between the souls of the humans from different races or castes.

ਜਾਤਿ ਕਾ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕਰੀਅਹੁ ਕੋਈ ॥ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਿੰਦੇ ਸੋ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣੁ ਹੋਈ ॥1॥

ਜਾਤਿ ਕਾ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਕਰਿ ਮੂਰਖ ਗਵਾਰਾ ॥ ਇਸੁ ਗਰਬ ਤੇ ਚਲਹਿ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਵਿਕਾਰਾ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

ਚਾਰੇ ਵਰਨ ਆਖੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਈ ॥ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਬਿੰਦ ਤੇ ਸਭ ਓਪਤਿ ਹੋਈ ॥2॥

ਮਾਟੀ ਏਕ ਸਗਲ ਸੰਸਾਰਾ ॥ ਬਹੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਭਾਂਡੇ ਘੜੈ ਕੁਮ੍ਾਰਾ ॥3॥

ਪੰਚ ਤਤੁ ਮਿਲਿ ਦੇਹੀ ਕਾ ਆਕਾਰਾ ॥ ਘਟਿ ਵਧਿ ਕੋ ਕਰੈ ਬੀਚਾਰਾ ॥4॥

ਕਹਤੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਇਹੁ ਜੀਉ ਕਰਮ ਬੰਧੁ ਹੋਈ ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਭੇਟੇ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਈ ॥5॥1॥

No one should be proud of his caste.

He alone is a Brahmin who knows God.

Do not be proud of your social class and status, you ignorant fool!

So much sin and corruption comes from this pride.

Everyone says that there are four castes, four social classes.

They all emanate from the drop of God's Seed. The entire universe is made of the same clay.

The Potter has shaped it into all sorts of vessels.

The five elements join together, to make up the form of the human body.

Who can say which is less (inferior or bad), and which is more? (Superior or good)

Says Nanak, this soul is bound by its actions.

Without meeting the True Guru, it is not liberated. (Guru Amardas, SGGS, 1128)

God does not love based on one’s caste or color, He loves all, He belongs to all. In addition, "Recognize the Lord's Light (Spirit) within all, and do not consider social class or status; there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter" (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 349). 

Bhai Gurdas Ji writes "The special feature of the Sikh of the Guru is that he goes beyond the framework of caste-classification and moves in humility. Then his labor becomes acceptable at the door of God" (The Vaars of Bhai Gurdas Ji, 1).

Sikh Gurus made every attempt possible to eliminate the caste system. Guru Nanak preferred to stay at the homes of poor and lower castes sunning the privileged hospitality of the rich and upper castes.

Guru Nanak at Bhai Lalo's humble dwelling

 ਨੀਚਾ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਨੀਚ ਜਾਤਿ ਨੀਚੀ ਹੂ ਅਤਿ ਨੀਚੁ ॥ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਤਿਨ ਕੈ ਸੰਗਿ ਸਾਥਿ ਵਡਿਆ ਸਿਉ ਕਿਆ ਰੀਸ ॥ 

ਜਿਥੈ ਨੀਚ ਸਮਾਲੀਅਨਿ ਤਿਥੈ ਨਦਰਿ ਤੇਰੀ ਬਖਸੀਸ

Nanak seeks the company of the lowest of the low class, the very lowest of the low. Why should he try to compete with the great? In that place where the lowly are cared for-there, the Blessings of Your Glance of Grace rain down. (Guru Nanak, SGGS, 15)

Langar Tradition - All eat the same

Several practices and beliefs were incorporated to instill the sense of equality and disowning of caste-ism. The tradition of Langar was established where all people gather to eat food while sitting together at the same level on the floor, as there is nothing lower than the floor. Furthermore, by knowing the last name one could distinguish which caste the person is from, Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave all Sikh men the last name "Singh" and all Sikh women the last name "Kaur" so that no one can distinguish anyone’s caste. Everyone is considered equal in Sikhism.

Khalsa - Singh and Kaurs

Reality of Caste-ism among Sikhs

One thing we can be certain about is that  Guru Gobind Singh had abolished all caste inequality with the inception of Khalsa on 13 April, 1699. Faithful Sikhs do not practice caste discrimination but this is not to say that all Sikhs necessarily act in accordance to their faith.  Consequently, the  caste does exist in Sikhism , though in a diluted form than found  in the rest of  Indian society.

The divide among the Sikhs is based on whether you belong to "urban" or "rural" castes. The "Urban Sikhs" are referred to as "Bhapa"  a term used for older brother in Lehnda or West Punjab and particularly among the Punjabis belonging to Rawalpindi area. These days the term is used derogatorily for all urban Sikhs - Khatri, Arora, etc. The Punjabi youth of today will recognize Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, Bhai Daya Singh, Jass Singh Ahluwalia, and Hari Singh Nalwa  as "Bhapas" when he comes face-to-face today.

The fact is that a Jatt Sikh who runs a 7-11 or a Sandwich shop in Fresno, California is no longer a farmer but a "Karaad" or a shopkeeper. Similarly The "Urban Sikhs" tend to forget that their origin also started in rural backdrop. 

The "Rural Sikhs" are further divided between the landowner castes and the labor class castes. The landowning castes of Jatts-agriculturists, Rajputs-warriors, and Gujjars-cattle farmers are often incorrectly grouped together as "Jatts"  while the working class Sikhs are referred to by new names denoting their castes, for example, Ramgharia-Carpenters, Ravidasia-Shoemakers, and Mazhabi-Sweepers.

The Talhan conflict is a very important event in the assertion of dalit rights in Punjab. In June 2003, Talhan hit the headlines in when a forceful assertion of the majority dalit community of Ravidasia Sikh Chamars took on members of the Jatt Sikh community for a share on the governing committee of the Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh Gurdwara. Though the Ravidasia community form more than 60 percent of Talhan's 3,000-strong population, they were denied a share in the committee.

Did Gurus meant Equality of Castes?

Some Sikhs say that Guru Gobind Singh did not abolish caste system within Sikhs but merely implied equality of all castes. As per this view no caste was to be treated as superior or inferior to the other. These people cite the example from Gurus' own family as an example for this. They say that since none of the Gurus or their family members married outside the Khatri warrior caste,  it is a proof that the Gurus meant to abolish inequality inherent in caste system but not necessarily the caste itself.

Did Gurus Abolished Castes?

There are some Sikhs who hold a more orthodox view that the caste should not exist in any form and all marks of caste identity should be abolished which should lead to fusion of all castes into one temporal  and spiritual  body called the Khalsa.  This view was very actively propagated by Singh Sabha, a reformist Sikh movement which was born in the  later half of 19th century in response to Christian attempts to proselytize Sikhs.  

Conclusion

We, the humans have tendency to divide ourselves, segregate a group together to beat up the other group. This tendency existed even when humans lived in caves and exists today. We tend to divide ourselves in the name of religion, race, caste, nation, or a football club. The Sikhs are no different! We have deliberately erased the messages of our Gurus on equality and oneness of humankind. Instead we have taken shelter in the age old caste systems.

We need to ask ourselves, are we being a faithful Sikhs of our Gurus in observing all castes as equals .. OR we have gone back to the progress-throttling system of castes. Do our caste based last names demonstrate Sikh values as preserved in Sri Guru Granth Sahib or caste system as documented in Manusmiriti?

Let's all of us celebrate the coming Gurpurab by making a promise with our soul and to Almighty that we won't entertain any caste and we indeed belong to a casteless society, as proclaimed by our Tenth Guru Gobind Singh.

Manas ki jaat sabhai ekai penchanbo
Recognize the caste of all mankind as One

References

1. www.sikhcastes.com 
2. www.panthic.org/articles/2295
3. www.realsikhism.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1248369635&ucat=7
4. www.countercurrents.org/dalit-louis240703.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Smriti
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varna_(Hinduism)
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit