This topic covers Ram Swarup’s writings on the relationship between Hinduism and Sikhism, arguing that Sikhism is a sect within the larger Hindu society and that the historical Hindu-Sikh unity has been fractured by colonial policies and separatist politics.

Sikh Spirituality

Ram Swarup traces Sikhism’s origins to Guru Nanak (1469–1538), born at a time when Islamic invaders had devastated North India. Guru Nanak’s message is presented as part of the broader Bhakti Movement—a Hindu spiritual response to Islamic oppression. Key points:

  • The Adi Granth contains compositions of Sikh Gurus and Hindu saints; not a single line is discordant with Hindu spirituality
  • Sikh rituals (parikrama, dhoop, deep, naivaidya, prasadam) resemble Hindu worship
  • Hindus regard the Adi Granth as the sixth Veda
  • Sikhism’s diction, imagery, cosmology, metaphysics, ethics, and meditation methods are all derived from Hindu scriptures

Sikh History of Resistance

The fifth Guru, Arjun Dev, was martyred by Emperor Jahangir for “spreading falsehood and tempting Muslims to apostasy.” The ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam. The tenth Guru, Govind Singh, founded the Khalsa (1699) as a martial formation to fight Muslim tyranny—not as a new religious sect, but as the “sword-arm of Hindu society.”

Sikh Separatism

Ram Swarup analyses the forces that have promoted a separate Sikh identity:

  • Colonial policies of divide and rule
  • The demand for a separate Sikh state (Khalistan)
  • The role of political actors who exploited religious identity for political ends
  • The erosion of the organic Hindu-Sikh relationship that had existed for centuries

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