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Guru Angad invented the present form
of the Gurmukhi script. It became the
medium of writing the Punjabi language
in which the hymns of the Gurus are
expressed This step had a far-reaching
purpose and impact. First, it gave the
people who spoke this language an identity
of their own, enabling them to express
their thought directly and without any
difficulty or transliteration. The measure
had the effect of establishing the independence
of the mission and the followers of
the Guru. Secondly, it helped the community
to dissociate itself from the Sanskrit
religous tradition so that the growth
and development of the Sikhs could take
place unhampered and unprejudiced by
the backlog of the earlier religious
and social philosophies and practices.
This measure, as shown by the subsequent
growth of Sikhism, was essential in
order to secure its unhindered development
and progress as it required an entirely
different approach to life.
Dr Gupta feels that this step, to a
certain extent, kept the upper classes
among Hindus, to which the Guru belonged,
away from Sikhism, partly because they
were steeped in the old religious and
Brahminical tradition and partly because
the Sanskrit tradition fed their ego
by giving them a superior caste status
to that of the other castes. But, the
idea of equality of man was fundamental
to the Sikh spiritual system. Thc Guru
knew that its association with traditional
religious literature would tend to water
it down. The matter is extremely important
from the point of view of the historical
growth and study. Actually, the students
of Sikh history know that over the centuries
the influence of these old traditions
has been very much in evidence. It has
sometimes even given a wrong twist to
the new thesis and its growth. The educated
persons were almost entirely drawn from
the upper castes and classes. They had
a vested interest, visible also in their
writings, in introducing ideas and practices
which helped in maintaining their privileges
and prejudices of caste superiority,
even though such customs were opposed
to the fundamentals about the equality
of man laid down by the Gurus. For example,
the Jats, who were themselves drawn
from classes branded as low by the Brahminical
system, started exhibiting caste prejudices
vis-a-vis the lower castes drawn from
the Hindu fold.
Earlier, the Punjabi language was written
in the Landa or Mahajani script This
had no vowel sounds, which had to be
imagined or construed by the reader
in order to decipher the writing. Therefore,
there was the need of a script which
could faithfully reproduce the hymns
of the Gurus so that the true meaning
and message of the Gurus could not be
misconstrued and misinterpreted by each
reader to suit his own purpose and prejudices.
The devising of the Gurmukhi script
was an essential step in order to maintain
the purity of the doctrine and exclude
all possibility of misunderstanding
and misconstruction by interested persons.
The institution of langar was maintained
and developed. The Guru's wife personally
worked in the kitchen. She also served
food to the members of the community
and the visitors. Her devotion to this
institution finds mention in Guru Granth
Sahib.
The Guru earned his own living by twisting
coarse grass into strings used for cots.
All offerings went to the common fund.
This demonstrates that it is necessary
and honourable to do even the meanest
productive work. It also emphasises
that parasitical living is not in consonance
with the mystic and moral path. In line
with Guru Nanak's teaching, the Guru
also declared that there was no place
for passive recluses in the community.
Like Guru Nanak, Guru Angad and the
subsequent Gurus selected and appointed
their successors by completely satisfying
themselves about their mystic fitness
and capacity to discharge the responsibilities
of the mission.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
encyclopedia of Sikhism. "
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