Write about the caste system prevalent before Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
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Situation in India at time of Guru Naanak ji's birth with respect to caste discrimination : To understand how big was this caste based discrimination we need to go back 550 years .When a dog could walk up to the well of so called high caste people but a person belonging to low caste could not dare to walk near the same well.
Some examples of prevailign mindset are :
Born of the feet of Brahma, if a shudra speaks harshly to Brahmin, Kshatriya or Vaish, the king should get his tongue cut. (Manu Simariti Chap. 8, S: 270)
If a shudra calls people from other castes harshly then put an eight inch long hot iron rod in his mouth.
If a shudra, in pride, instructs a Brahmin in dharma then the king should put hot oil in his mouth and ears. (Manu Simariti Chap. 8, S: 271-271)
Sikhism has equality as its basic principle and strongly opposes discrimination based on caste , race , color of skin , gender , etc. So naturally Guru Nanak ji vehemently opposed caste system.This opposition was both in principle and action.Lets see how :
1. Gurbani /Sikh spiritual literature : Guru Nanak ji and subsequent gurus strongly opposed the practice of discrimination based on caste in their writigns which are enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib (What is unique about Guru Granth Sahib?) Some of the examples from Guru Granth sahib are as below :
ਫਕੜ ਜਾਤੀ ਫਕੜ ਨਾਉ ॥ ਸਭਨਾ ਜੀਆ ਇਕਾ ਛਾਉ ॥ Pride in social status is empty; pride in personal glory is useless. The One Lord gives shade to all beings. (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 83)
ਜਾਣਹੁ ਜੋਤਿ ਨ ਪੂਛਹੁ ਜਾਤੀ ਆਗੈ ਜਾਤਿ ਨ ਹੇ
Recognize the Lord's Light within all, and do not consider social class or status; there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter. ||1|| (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 349)
ਅਗੈ ਜਾਤਿ ਨ ਜੋਰ ਹੈ ਅਗੈ ਜੀਉ ਨਵੇ।। ਜਿਨ ਕੀ ਲੇਖੈ ਪਤਿ ਪਵੈ ਚੰਗੇ ਸੇਈ ਕੇਇ।।॥ In the world hereafter, social status and power mean nothing; hereafter, the soul is new. Those few, whose honor is confirmed, are good. ||3|| (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 459)
ਜਾਤਿ ਜਨਮੁ ਨਹ ਪੂਛੀਐ, ਸਚੁਘਰੁ ਲੇਹੁ ਬਤਾਇ, ਸਾ ਜਾਤਿ, ਸਾ ਪਤਿ ਹੈ, ਜੇਹੇ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਇ.
God does not ask about social class or birth; you must find your true home. That is your social class and that is your status - the karma of what you have done. (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page1330)
2. Langar (community kitchen ) : Langar tradition in Sikhism had two purpose when it was started. First one was to satisfy the hunger of body (for food) and second langar was to act as platform for social change. Caste system was so deep rooted in Indian psyche that people from so called high class were not ready to sit along side the so called low castes but in langar all were to be treated as equal and every one had to sit in same row(pangat). This was an attempt to change the mindset.Hence starting from guru Nanak ji by the time of Guru Angad Dev ji it became essential for a person to sit in langar (as a token that he believes in equality of all) before having an audience with Guru himself.
3. Sarovar ( community baths ) : Again sarovar that we see in each of the historical gurudwaras also served two purposes one was the obvious usage for bathing ( there were no water pipelines as today). Second and most important they also aacted as engine of social change by having people from all castes and social status taking bath from the same place. This may seem usual to us today.But if we go 550 years back in Indian history it was unthinkable for people from low caste to have such an opportunity when they had separate wells in villages for low caste people. To conclude by having sarovars in gurudwaras or adjacent to worship place Guru ji made a successful attempt to remove the deep rooted believe in caste based discrimination.
4. Sewa (selfless service): Sewa is an essential ingredient of being Sikh.Now when a Sikh does sewa he serves does it irrespective of the caste or race or any other identity. So you will see a Sikh doing sewa and keeping the shoes of incomign sangat in gurudwara or washing the utensils in gurudwara. All these selfless services /Sewa are to have a mindset of treating all as equal irrespective of his social status based on money , caste , race etc.
Some examples of prevailign mindset are :
Born of the feet of Brahma, if a shudra speaks harshly to Brahmin, Kshatriya or Vaish, the king should get his tongue cut. (Manu Simariti Chap. 8, S: 270)
If a shudra calls people from other castes harshly then put an eight inch long hot iron rod in his mouth.
If a shudra, in pride, instructs a Brahmin in dharma then the king should put hot oil in his mouth and ears. (Manu Simariti Chap. 8, S: 271-271)
Sikhism has equality as its basic principle and strongly opposes discrimination based on caste , race , color of skin , gender , etc. So naturally Guru Nanak ji vehemently opposed caste system.This opposition was both in principle and action.Lets see how :
1. Gurbani /Sikh spiritual literature : Guru Nanak ji and subsequent gurus strongly opposed the practice of discrimination based on caste in their writigns which are enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib (What is unique about Guru Granth Sahib?) Some of the examples from Guru Granth sahib are as below :
ਫਕੜ ਜਾਤੀ ਫਕੜ ਨਾਉ ॥ ਸਭਨਾ ਜੀਆ ਇਕਾ ਛਾਉ ॥ Pride in social status is empty; pride in personal glory is useless. The One Lord gives shade to all beings. (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 83)
ਜਾਣਹੁ ਜੋਤਿ ਨ ਪੂਛਹੁ ਜਾਤੀ ਆਗੈ ਜਾਤਿ ਨ ਹੇ
Recognize the Lord's Light within all, and do not consider social class or status; there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter. ||1|| (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 349)
ਅਗੈ ਜਾਤਿ ਨ ਜੋਰ ਹੈ ਅਗੈ ਜੀਉ ਨਵੇ।। ਜਿਨ ਕੀ ਲੇਖੈ ਪਤਿ ਪਵੈ ਚੰਗੇ ਸੇਈ ਕੇਇ।।॥ In the world hereafter, social status and power mean nothing; hereafter, the soul is new. Those few, whose honor is confirmed, are good. ||3|| (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 459)
ਜਾਤਿ ਜਨਮੁ ਨਹ ਪੂਛੀਐ, ਸਚੁਘਰੁ ਲੇਹੁ ਬਤਾਇ, ਸਾ ਜਾਤਿ, ਸਾ ਪਤਿ ਹੈ, ਜੇਹੇ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਇ.
God does not ask about social class or birth; you must find your true home. That is your social class and that is your status - the karma of what you have done. (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page1330)
2. Langar (community kitchen ) : Langar tradition in Sikhism had two purpose when it was started. First one was to satisfy the hunger of body (for food) and second langar was to act as platform for social change. Caste system was so deep rooted in Indian psyche that people from so called high class were not ready to sit along side the so called low castes but in langar all were to be treated as equal and every one had to sit in same row(pangat). This was an attempt to change the mindset.Hence starting from guru Nanak ji by the time of Guru Angad Dev ji it became essential for a person to sit in langar (as a token that he believes in equality of all) before having an audience with Guru himself.
3. Sarovar ( community baths ) : Again sarovar that we see in each of the historical gurudwaras also served two purposes one was the obvious usage for bathing ( there were no water pipelines as today). Second and most important they also aacted as engine of social change by having people from all castes and social status taking bath from the same place. This may seem usual to us today.But if we go 550 years back in Indian history it was unthinkable for people from low caste to have such an opportunity when they had separate wells in villages for low caste people. To conclude by having sarovars in gurudwaras or adjacent to worship place Guru ji made a successful attempt to remove the deep rooted believe in caste based discrimination.
4. Sewa (selfless service): Sewa is an essential ingredient of being Sikh.Now when a Sikh does sewa he serves does it irrespective of the caste or race or any other identity. So you will see a Sikh doing sewa and keeping the shoes of incomign sangat in gurudwara or washing the utensils in gurudwara. All these selfless services /Sewa are to have a mindset of treating all as equal irrespective of his social status based on money , caste , race etc.
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