Since about 1499, the Sikh Gurus have emphasized the concept of the equality of mankind in the sacred verses found in the Sikh holy scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Guru Nanak says in Japji Sahib: "Accept all humans as your equals, and let them be your only sect", and Guru Gobind Singh Ji, tell the world: "manas ki jat sabhe eke paihcanbo" - recognize all of mankind as a single caste of humanity".
Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all time, truthful living, and equality of mankind. Because of this Sikhism is open to all through the teachings of its ten Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book and the living Guru Sri Guru Grand Sahib
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, gave a very clear message in his first message when he said, ‘Ek Ong Kar’. He gave the equality. We are all creatures of one Creator.”
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, said you are to be equal, you have no power to differentiate between the black and white between the Mohammedan and Hindu, between the Christian and a Buddhist, between the tall and the short, between having the long hairs and the short hairs, you have absolutely no difference and you cannot preach difference and thus you cannot rule and others cannot be ruled.”
Guru Nanak Dev Ji was also a social revolutionary in the way that he addressed the rights of women. At that time women were treated like property, but Guru Nanak elaborated on his concept of equality by unequivocally declaring that women are equal to men.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, described in "Asa Di Var"
From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to the woman, he is engaged and married.
A woman becomes his friend; through a woman, the future generations come.
When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to a woman, he is bound.
So why call her bad? From her, kings are born.
From woman, a woman is born; without the woman, there would be no one at all.
Although, Guru Amar Das Ji extended the importance of treating women with equality even further by declaring that women should not veil their faces (Purdah) in public. He also banned female infanticide and the practice of voluntary or forced self-immolation of the widow on the funeral pyre of her husband (Sati) and encouraged widows to remarry. It was during the reign of Guru Amar Das Ji that women were included in the “Manji and Piri” programs of spiritual stewardship, where Guru Amar Das Ji chose 146 leaders, of which 52 were women, to carry the light of Sikh Dharma teachings to people far and wide.
When the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji formed the Khalsa (those who live in purity of consciousness), he made no distinction between men and women – expecting both to live with the same discipline. At that time many women even fought and died on the battlefield in equal roles of leadership with their male counterparts. It has been documented that women also proudly wore turbans, along with the other 5 K’s at that time. In current times many Sikh women have bent to social pressures to abandon their commitment to wearing a turban or wear them furtively, as small black wraps hidden under their colorful chunnis (scarfs). Only after young Sikh women of the West, upon the inspiration of the Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan, began proudly wearing larger white turbans have we seen a resurgence of the bold women’s turban being worn by women of Eastern origin. The full equal rights of women in Sikh Dharma continue to expand as we leave behind the archaic patriarchal social model of the Piscean Age and more Sikh women are empowered to demand equality.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji promotes the concept of equality by highlighting the fact that we are made of the same flesh, blood, and bone and we have the same light of God with us – Soul. Our building bricks are the same:
There is only one breath; all are made of the same clay;
The light within all is the same.
The One Light pervades all the many and various beings.
This Light intermingles with them, but it is not diluted or obscured.
By Guru’s Grace, I have come to see the One. I am a sacrifice to the True Guru.
However, Promoting social equality is still a challenge that each nation still has to overcome. It is quite common to see inequality through race, ethnicity, gender, and social status. We are still segregated by social class, gender, and through political association. Greed and power also contribute greatly toward social inequality. The more exposed we are too different cultures, the more accepting we become. Once we accept the ideas of other cultures, we will be able to be more accepting of others, thus eliminating social inequality.
Finally, Equality; all those who feel are brothers. Simple formula: All those who breathe are brethren. If you can live on this you can all live in peace.
