[Following article was written by Dr K. Jamanadas on 9th June 2009 after the 24th May 2009 killing of Sant Ramanand in Vienna (Austria), one of the religious leaders at Sach Khand Ballan, Jalandhar. Read 24th May in Dalit History – Death Anniversary of Sant Ramanand Ji and Attack on Shri Guru Ravidass temple in Vienna (Austria) for the detailed account of the incident and violence that followed in Punjab after the killing. ~ Editor]

Everybody now knows what happened in Vienna and its aftermath in Punjab. But we were not very clear about the reasons. The picture presented by the Brahmin-Bania media is of internal rivalry and not of caste contradictions.  Since the days of Indira Gandhi and blue star operation, Punjab was a kind of an enigma for us. There were many organizations of Sikhs mentioned and we heard many new names like ‘kar seva’, budha dal’ etc. But we were wondering about many events and goings on in Punjab. Reading the books of Sikh history gave us no clues.

It is a Caste-war

We believed that the various Sikh groups and organizations had their contradictions due to internal rivalries. Now reading books by Gurunam Singh Muktsar and Kuldip Kumar, during recent past, we learned many new points. Going through the details about the recent struggle of Punjab Dalits against the Punjab Sikhs, as explained by Brother Kuldip Kumar and others, many new points seem to appear to be clear. Now we know it is a Caste War.

Also, I had read somewhere that this caste discrimination is maintained in the Indian Army, and Jats and Dalits are in different regiments though both are Sikhs. If that is true, it is a point to be pondered over, if not by the rulers, at least by the Dalits.

Dalit Saints were Buddhists

Brother Kuldip observes that,

“COULD WE EVER IMAGINE `KABIR´ WAS A BUDDHIST BHIKKHU. HE REVEALS THIS IN HIS WRITINGS AS PRESERVED IN GURU GRANTH SAHIB.”

It could be presumed to be true of Raidas, Meera and others too.

Was Guru Gobind Singh Brahminized?

Brother Kuldip Kumar mentions that Guru Govind Singh was the supporter of Brahmins, a fact I never read in history.

He says:

“Gobind Singh was fully brahmanised. He is claimed to be Avtar of Mahesh. In 1699, he started Khalsa Panth (Army of pure people) to protect Brahmans. Mostly Majahabis and Chamars joined his army. No Brahman ever joined it.” [Editor – I don’t think that was the case.]

If this true, then I would be enlightened to know whether the present day KHALSA are mostly Dalits.

How Deras Came into Being?

Brother Kuldip mentions how the Dalits established their own centres and called them Deras. It seems that they did not severe their links from Sikhism. Do they call themselves as SIKHS? Are they willing to be controlled by SGPC and Akal-Takht? I believe Akal-Takht is the supreme body of Sikhs. They once punished Mr. Barnala for something, I remember.

What are the Future Plans of Dalits?

What are the views of Dalits for the future? Do they want to be controlled by Sikh Laws and Rules or are they willing to consider other ways of freedom? What are the options open for them?

Every Ambedkarite knows Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s discussion of the history of Irish Home Rule. Mr. Redmond, the representative of Catholic Southern Ireland, offered to the representatives of Protestant province of Ulster “any political safeguards you like and you shall have them.” And the reply that Ulstermen gave was “Damn your safeguards, we don’t want to be ruled by you on any terms.” Why did they say so? Ambedkar says it was because that was “essentially a problem of Caste”. This also is a problem of Caste.

Are the Dalits of Punjab less proud than the Ulstermen of the twenties of the last century? Ulstermen thought the Irish Home rule would be ‘Rome Rule’. Do the Dalits of Punjab, Haryana and other North Indian provinces not consider it will be the rule of Amritsar if they do not find ways of freedom.

Did Raidas blunder?

Mr Saint observed,

“… as a whole state Dalit consciousness, it would be Punjab that will stand in a striking distance ahead of other states.”

This is very true and highly commendable for Punjab and its people. Referring to Raidas, he, however, observes that,

“Guruji made a blunder that he prayed, praised and worshipped Hindu gods” [Editor’s note – I believe Mr Saint didn’t know the reality. It’s Brahminical propaganda that Guru Ravidas was a follower of Ramananda and worshipping Rama. Read Appropriation of Guru Ravidas]

But he amends himself that those were the trying times and may not be termed as a blunder. Very true!

Dalit saints did not pray to Hindu gods

But, I think, our saints DID NOT pray the HINDU GODS. As a matter of fact, they prayed and preached the teachings of the Buddha. Though the religion of the Buddha passing through the various stages of Theravada, through Mahayana through various stages of Vajrayana (Kalchara, Sahajayana etc.) had reached these saints through the Siddhas, Yogis and Nathas; but IT WAS STILL BUDDHISM, though may be rather corrupt. They prayed no Brahminic deity. They prayed the Buddha in the form of NIRANJAN, we are told. Very true.

That is the reason the Brahmins had to coin a new phrase, a new concept of ‘Nirgun Saints’ as opposed to ‘Sagun’ saints, who prayed Brahminic idols. It is a different matter that many Buddhist idols were usurped and converted into Brahminic ones. (See my ‘Tirupati Balaji was a Buddhist Shrine’). So in my humble opinion, we today, must not blame our saints. Though the saints in other parts of India achieved practically nothing, it seems the saints in Northern India kept the spirit of Buddhism alive through their preaching and through the formation of Sikh religion.

Present Contradictions

Now it seems the present day Sikh dignitaries are not willing to accept our saints even as ‘gurus’. They call them ‘bhagats’, an inferior epithet. The present-day Sikh dignitaries do not like the Dalits should be prosperous, they should carry a golden image of Raidas from Punjab to Benaras. (Kuldip in DV June 1, 2009)

An Important Suggestion by Mr Saint

Mr. Saint further urges these brave Dalits to show the path to the rest of Dalits of all denominations in the rest of India – or rather the rest of the world – and think of Buddhism. He says:

“But, the Punjab/Haryana or whe(re)ver the Dera or Gurdwara people live, they must come out of the slavish Hinduized system, stop doing the same ruthless and meaningless worshipping and should embrace en-mass into Buddha’s path once for all, it will be a great liberation.”

My Suggestions

Concurring with his views, I have some suggestions for our Dalits of Punjab and elsewhere.

1.         Now it is proved beyond all doubts that our saints did not preach Hinduism.

2.         What they preached was Buddhism, though it was much corrupted by Brahminic ideas.

3.         Our saints were helpless because of Muslim rulers and Brahminic persecution and had to pass days in disguise and could not declare themselves as Buddhists.

4.         Therefore, hereafter, we should not call them ‘saints’, or ‘bhaktas’, or ‘bhagats’ or even ‘gurus’. We should call them ‘Bodhisattvas’. This is the ancient term for preachers of the Dhamma.

5.         We should say, Bodhisattva Kabir, Bodhisattva Raidas, Bodhisattva Namdev, Bodhisattva Tukaram, Bodhisattva Chokhamela etc. If others do not say so, let them say whatever they like. In Maharashtra, the Shiv-Dharmis have been partly successful in bringing the slogan ‘Namdev Tukaram’ replacing ‘Janba Tukaram’.

6.         If the dignitaries of Dalit religious establishments in Punjab could agree to this and lead the movement in rest of India – or rest of the world – it would be unnecessary to apply for carrying guns, as suggested by some brothers in same digest.

Saints and Not Sahibs Required

When I got this article ready in response to [bodhisatva_group] Digest Number 196, the recent issue of DV (June 1, 2009) arrived by post. In a letter there, Brother Kuldip mentions, that the revolution cannot be brought out by ‘sahibs’, what is required is “Ravidas and Kabirs”. Maybe he is right. The dignitaries in Deras are the “Ravidas and Kabirs”. Let them think about this.

If the Dalit religious dignitaries from Punjab agree to this suggestion and call our saints as Bodhisattvas, the other things will automatically follow and the face of India will change and the fate of Dalits would change in a matter of a century, at the most.

If they do not, or if they do not find some other solution, they would be wiped out and one day become the part of the atrocious system of Hinduism. This is the writing on the wall.

Author – Dr K. Jamanadas, “Shalimar”, Main Road, Chandrapur – 442 402, Tuesday, June 09, 2009

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