Monday, 13 June 2011

Guru Nanak asserted that women were not at all inferior to men:


  • "From the woman is our birth, in the woman's womb are we shaped;
    To the woman we are engaged, to the woman we are wedded;
    The woman is our friend and from the woman is the family;
    If one woman dies, we seek another, through the woman are the bonds of the world;
    Why call woman evil who gives birth to kings?
    From the woman comes the woman, without woman there is none;
    O Nanak, God alone is the one Who is independent of the woman (because He is unborn)."

    (Var Asa Mohalla 1, 2-19, p-473)  (Reproduced from Sikhism Philosophy Network)

1 comment:

  1. Guru Nanak condemned this man-made notion of the inferiority of women, and protested against their long subjugation. The Ultimate Truth was revealed to Guru Nanak through a mystic experience, in direct communion with God. Guru Nanak conveys this Truth through the bani, Sikh Scripture. It first argues against the sexist sentiments of the pompous man about the necessity of women :

    "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." 5

    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 / wife, and God to the man/husband. 6 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. 7 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 gurudwaras (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." 8

    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. 9 Out of 146 chosen, the Guru
    appointed 52 women missionaries to spread the message of Sikhism, and out of 22 Manjis established by the Guru for the preaching of Sikhism, four were women.10 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.
    -By Valerie Kaur (http://www.sikhwomen.com/equality/ideology_vs_practice.htm)

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