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Sikhism &
Status of Women
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Sikhism & Status of
Women
Synopsis of an article by Prof. Prabhjot Kaur
(Note: The original article by Prof. Prabhjot Kaur was published in the
Abstract of Sikh Studies (ASS) some years ago. It was a fresh approach
to understanding the status of women in Sikhism. Have uncovered this
item in the system but do not have any reference to the ASS issue.
Perhaps someone can let me know in due course. These notes were first
used for a short talk at a UK event organised by the Sikh Women's
Alliance. Gurmukh Singh)
“It has been said that the status accorded to women is the touchstone
of the civilization of society.” (Prof Prabhjot Kaur)
Women’s Liberation Movement, started by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the
year 1848 in Seneca Falls near New York, received a further boost with
the setting up of a UN Commission on the status of women. Much has been
done to secure equal rights and opportunities for women worldwide. Much
has been achieved. The question, which Prof Prabhjot Kaur asks is, if
better status for women has made today’s society more civilized than
before? Her answer is a “definite no”.
She argues that the divorce rate has increased manifold, there are
increasingly more broken families, and, despite much progress in all
other spheres, the institution of the family is threatened as never
before. Why is this so when the lot of women, who have always been the
pivot of the family unit, has improved so much?
For the answers to these modern problems, Sikh scholars turn to
Gurbani, the Word or the knowledge revealed to the Gurus and other
devotees of God, the Bhagats. Prabhjot Kaur does not repeat the much
quoted passages from Gurbani which questions “Why condemn women who
conceive and give birth (to men); to whom men are betrothed and married
and who give birth to kings?” (GGS p.473) The Gurus treated women equal
to men and the Third Guru, Guru Amardas, even appointed women
preachers. Prabhjot Kaur’s approach is from an entirely different
angle. Her view based on Gurbani research is that women naturally
possess the qualities necessary for getting closer to the Lord Creator
Being.
With reference to the relationship between the human soul and the Lord,
all human beings (men and women) have been called “naar” (woman or
wife) in Gurbani. Through communion with the Lord, human soul is
constantly seeking the status of a “sohagan” – one who is beloved of
the Lord, decribed as “kanth” (Husband) in Gurbani. This is a constant
theme of Gurbani. As in a worldly husband/wife relationship, certain
qualities need to be cultivated to reach this harmonious relationship.
It is in this respect that women are likely to have an advantage over
men; for they are more likely to possess the qualities necessary to
become “sohagan”, the beloved of the Lord.
In Gurbani, a woman who becomes the “sohagan” has been referred to as
“batees sulakhani” i.e. she has thirty-two qualities, which according
to Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha’s “Mahan Kosh” are: beauty, cleanliness,
modesty, humility, concord, observance of religion, intelligence,
knowledge, service, compassion, truth, dedicated love of spouse, purity
of mind, patience, frugality, beneficence, sobriety, chivalry, active
habits, house decoration, respect of elders, proficiency in music,
poetry, painting, domestic science and embroidery, respectful attention
to guests, and bringing up children.
All men and women can be “sohagan” if they have the qualities necessary
to please the Lord. Therefore, the man/woman division is a mere
technicality in this respect – it matters not whether one has the body
of a man or a woman. The path to reach the Lord for both is the same.
Men and women (physical beings) enjoy equal status in Gurbani. Indeed,
if we go by the “batees sulakhni” description of a “suhagan” –
qualities in a woman which please the husband, or qualities necessary
in a human soul to please the Lord – then women are more naturally
bequeathed with those qualities than men. Or, men would require a
greater effort to acquire those qualities found more naturally in
women. Reading Prabhjot Kaur’s article, one gets the impression that
women have an edge over men in this respect. More so as the new age of
science and technology makes the masculine attributes less relevant to
the question of men/women parity.
It seems that today’s woman is demanding equality with men under the
mistaken belief that men are superior to women; while Gurbani says that
it is the woman who is “the best of the best” (“Sabh parvare mahe
sresht”). So, “it is the man who is expected to follow the footsteps of
the woman”! For the man must be guided by the “sohagan” – in the
worldly sense, the woman who has won the heart of her husband. Those
same qualities found in a “sohagan” need to be cultivated by all
(regardless of the men/women bodies they occupy) to win the Lord’s
attention (Nadar).
Socially, and in the family, a woman who is “batees sulakhnee” is able
to create a peaceful and heavenly environment. With her qualities (see
above) she is able to guide others, and through her roles as mother and
wife (and other family relationships) she is able to change the destiny
of a family. A woman must have own personality and must be bold and
chivalrous when required. Otherwise, the situation described in Gurbani
would arise when “Women have become submissive, while men have become
tyrants.” (GGS p. 142) Sikh women like Mata Sundariji (wife of the
Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh) who took a keen interest in Sikh polity
after the Guru’s death, and Mata Bhago leading Sikh warriors in battle,
have shown that women should be bold and take action when the situation
arises.
Prof. Prabhjot Kaur feels that Gurbani teachings about the true role of
women can show the way ahead for the global community. Women need not
compete with men but use their feminine, natural God-given attributes
to improve family and social life. She quotes Dr. H B Dinesh in
support, “….the new age will be less masculine and more permeated with
feminine ideals – or to speak more exactly, will be the age in which
masculine and feminine elements of civilisation will be more properly
balanced.”.
The family life advocated in Guru Granth Sahib will become increasingly
more relevant to the resolution of modern family and social problems.
In the age of science and technology the “shifting of the scales” is
creating a more level playing field for men and women; maybe even
shifting in favour of women in the long run. Seeking equality with men
is not the answer for women; rather, they should cultivate and use the
natural qualities with which they are naturally gifted to pave the way
for a better future for men and women – all “suhagans” of the One Lord.
©
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Gurmukh
Singh (U.K.)
E-mail: sewauk2005@yahoo.co.uk
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