03: Sikh Philosophy and Feminism - Lecture Notes (Gurus I–V to Sikh Decolonial Manifesto)

Gurus I–V

• Overview from Learning Agenda: Gurus I–V; key biographical details and foundational developments in early Sikh institutional life.

• 1) Guru Nanak (1469–1539)

  • Founded Kartarpur.

  • Institutions/practices associated: dharamsala, seva, langar, sangat.

• 2) Guru Angad (1504–1552)

  • Guruship in 1539.

  • Based in Khadur.

  • Institution/practice formalized: langar.

• 3) Guru Amardas (1579–1574) [note: transcript lists 1579–1574; traditionally 1539–1581; retained as written]

  • Guruship in 1552.

  • Based in Goindval.

  • Institution/practice: Manji system.

• 4) Guru Ramdas (1534–1581)

  • Guruship in 1574.

  • Based in Ramdaspur.

  • Institution/practice: Masand system.

• 5) Guru Arjan (1563–1606)

  • Guruship in 1581.

  • Based in Ramdaspur, Tarantar, Sri Gobindpur; later Kartarpur.

  • Major contribution: Compiled the Adi Granth.

• Significance: These early stages show the evolution of Sikh governance structures and the translation of spiritual authority into organizational forms.

Ramdaspur and Ramdas/ Kartarpur context

• Ramdaspur (modern Amritsar) as a central city in Sikh history; founded and developed under Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan.

• Ramdaspur’s significance expands beyond ritual space to include governance, administration, and urban religious life.

• Kartarpur as a foundational site linked to Guru Nanak’s early community and travels; its enduring legacy in Sikh memory.

• Guru Arjan’s completion of Ramdaspur’s spiritual and civic identity (relation to Kartarpur and other centers).

Cities and pilgrimage sites: Ramdaspur/ Amritsar

• Ramdaspur founded by Guru Ram Das; later renamed Amritsar.

• Important pilgrimage site with a pool of nectar excavated by Guru Ram Das.

• City’s significance in Sikh devotion, ritual life, and collective memory; completed/solidified by Guru Arjan.

Administrative developments: Manji and Masand systems

• Manji system: Started by Guru Amar Das; 22 Manjis correspond to the 22 provinces of Akbar’s Mughal Empire.

  • Purpose: Decentralization of religious leadership and administration.

  • Language note: Punjabi term for “cot”; metaphor for provincial assignment and care.

• Masand system: Persian origin from masnad meaning “throne.”

  • Evolved from the Manji system by Guru Ram Das to the office of the Masand, consolidating regional leadership.

• Overall significance: These institutions reflect how Sikh practice organized religious authority, governance, and community care within the Mughal imperial landscape.

Approaches to Study of Sikhi(sm)

• Focus areas outlined for the course: Sikh philosophy (gurmat), praxis, and contemporary feminist/decolonial perspectives.

• Emphasis on understanding Sikhi as a dynamic corpus, not static dogma.

Approaches to Study of Sikhism

• World Religion: How is God defined? Monotheistic vs. polytheistic questions; theological beliefs; meaning of life and universe; samsara (birth-death cycles); reincarnation; afterlife; karma.

• Philosophy: Gurmat concepts, dharam, and epistemology.

• Epistemology: What can be understood about God and reality? Is God knowable, representable, identifiable?

• Vernacularism: Religious practices as vernacular; Guru Granth Sahib as vernacular text; language plurality; Sikh musicology; Punjabiyat; culture/anthropology/ethnography.

• Social and Political Activism: Inter- and intra-group dynamics; equity and justice (class, caste, gender, sexual orientation); Sikh Decolonial Feminist Manifesto as a framework.

Sikh Philosophy: Gurmat and related concepts

• Gurmat (as a philosophical category): As discussed by Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, gurmat/dharam are not simply religion or theology; gurmat evolved into a modern Western category of Sikhism in the 20th century.

• Foundational concepts include the spectrum of insights into how Sikhi understands truth, duty, knowledge, aesthetics, and action.

Epistemology in Sikh thought

• Core questions: What can we understand? Is God knowable? Is God representable? Is God identifiable?

• Example via metaphor: Ocean as metaphor for the vastness and immeasurability of the infinite.

• Quotation (Guru Arjan): terā kīṯā jāto nāhī maino jug kīṯoī — “Your creation is unmeasurable. You made me realize your vastness.”

Vernacularism in Sikh practice

• Vernacular religious practices: Emphasizes overlapping pluralistic practices in Punjab; grounded in Punjabiyat; focuses on culture, anthropology, and ethnography.

• Guru Granth Sahib as vernacular text: Pluralistic contributors; multiple languages; Sikh musicology; highlights the living, multilingual nature of Sikh scripture.

Social and Political Activism

• Emphasis on equity and justice within and across groups: class, caste, gender, sexual orientation.

• Sikh Decolonial Feminist Manifesto (Sian and Dhamoon, 2020) as a theoretical frame for activism and critique of existing structures.

Sikh Philosophical Concepts: Nirgun, Sargun, Ik Oankar, and the 5 realms

• Nirgun vs. Sargun: Distinct ways of speaking about God and Reality; Nirgun = without form; absolute, unrepresentable; Sargun = all forms, immanent, pervasive.

• Ik Oankar: The Mul Mantra’s central declaration of the oneness of God; key components discussed below.

• 5 realms (5 Khandic schema): Dharam Khand (Duty); Gyan Khand (Knowledge); Saram Khand (Esthetics); Karam Khand (Action/Grace); Sach Khand (Truth).

Nirgun–Sargun (Nirgun-Sargun)

• Nirgun:

  • nir = negation; gun = quality/form.

  • Meaning: without form, an absolute beyond representation; cannot be measured, bounded, or reduced to an image or name.

• Sargun:

  • sar = all; gun = quality/form.

  • Meaning: all forms; all-pervasive; immanent aspect; manifests in the many forms of reality.

Mul Mantra: Ik Oankar

• 1) The numerical and mathematical I – denoted by the numeric Ik: I_k.

• 2) First alphabet – that generates the primal sound (Oan): Ô.

• 3) A geometric arch to denote the aspect of infinite or continuous, and creates the kar sound.

• Note: The Mul Mantra anchors Sikh ontology in oneness and the divine presence beyond forms.

Japji Sahib

• Opening composition following the Mul Mantra; composed by Guru Nanak.

• Structure: without a raga (musical mood).

• Length: 38 stanzas (pauri);

• Ends with a salok (couplet).

• Major philosophical concepts introduced: metaphysical unity, the nature of God, ethical living, and the quest for truth.

Realms of Sikhi

• Dharam Khand – Duty

• Gyan Khand – Knowledge

• Saram Khand – Esthetics

• Karam Khand – Action/Grace

• Sach Khand – Truth

Dharam: A Sikh redefinition of duty and order

• Dharam is the pan-Indian term for religion, virtue, duty, propriety, morality, cosmic order, and law.

• In Sikhism, dharam acquires a new, context-specific meaning that integrates spiritual and ethical life.

• Source attribution: Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, p. 67.

Oneness vs. Duality and Ego (Haumai)

• Core problem: Ego (Haumai) obstructs the dissolution of self and separation from Oneness.

• Purpose of life: dissolve the ego.

• Path to unity: dissolve the self (I) to merge with Oneness.

• Duality critique: There is no ‘Other’ separate from the Self in this framework.

Terminology: Sikhism, Sikhi, Sikhi(sm)

• Breaking down terms:

  • Sikhism: the religious/philosophical tradition.

  • Sikhi: the practice and lived experience of Sikh life.

  • Sikhi(sm): a modern, scholarly/critical rendering of Sikhi that problematizes essentialist understandings.

Sikh Decolonial Feminist Manifesto (Sian and Dhamoon, 2020)

• Theoretical foundations: Postcolonial Theory/Studies; Decolonial Theory/Studies; Decolonization Studies; Positionality and Reflexivity.

• Action items orient ethical and political work toward feminist and decolonial concerns within Sikhi.

Action Items from the manifesto

1. Gendering Sikh Studies

2. De-Policing Intimate Desire / Diversity of Relations

3. Disrupting Eurocentric Knowledge Production

4. De-Territorializing Diasporas

5. Challenging Caste Politics

6. Disrupting Islamophobic Discourses

7. Recognizing / Undoing Diaspora roles in Settler Colonialisms

8. Fostering Care and Responsibility for the Nonhuman World

• These items map how Sikhi can be mobilized for feminist, decolonial, and ethical transformation.

Types of religious ontologies (overview)

• Diagrammatic overview of ontologies:

  • Naturalism

  • Animism

  • Analogism

  • Totemism

• Source framework: Blaser, 2013, p. 22.

• Conceptual idea: Different ways cultures relate to the natural world, gods, spirits, and symbolic relations between humans and nature.

Take-away Questions

1) Explain the terms Sikhism, Sikhi, and Sikhi(sm).
2) What is Ik Oankar? Who wrote it? Explain its major components.
3) Explain the Sikh concept of nirgun-sargun.
4) Explain the manji and the masand system in the development of Sikh institutions.
5) Reading-based discussion question: Discuss at least two of the action items that Sian and Dhamoon (2020) outline in their manifesto. What are the various problems the authors highlight? Why do the authors call for action on it? How do they mobilize Sikhi for their feminist manifesto?

Video and asynchronous material references (context)

• Asynchronous video from last lecture: B-40 Janamsakhi visuals; Liv Webinar: Guru Nanak through B-40 Janamsakhis (Sikh Research Institute; Presenter: Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh).

• YouTube link: https://youtu.be/7WYfX1t-4iQ?si=H_Z-NvZnc00avF4M&t=1720

• Watch selection: 28:40 – 43:08 minutes.

• Guiding question: What do you learn from this exposition on Guru Nanak’s janamsakhi visuals?

Connections and significance

• The material connects early Sikh institutional forms (Manji, Masand) with broader Mughal imperial administration (22 provinces of Akbar’s empire) and shows how Sikh religious governance adapted to political realities.

• The Gurmat framework reframes religious study as a modern, plural, and global inquiry rather than a static tradition.

• The Sikh Decolonial Feminist Manifesto invites a rethinking of Sikh studies through feminist and postcolonial lenses, urging concrete organizational and epistemic changes to address gender, caste, and diaspora dynamics.

Formulas and notable numbers

• 22 Manjis reflect the 22 provinces of Akbar’s Mughal Empire: $22$ Manjis.

• Five realms of Sikhi (Khand): Dharam, Gyan, Saram, Karam, Sach: $ext{Dharam}, ext{Gyan}, ext{Saram}, ext{Karam}, ext{Sach}$.

• Japji Sahib length: 38 stanzas (pauri) before the final salok.

• Important dates (birth years and guruship): Nanak $1469$–$1539$; Angad $1504$–$1552$; Amardas (dates as listed in transcript); Ramdas $1534$–$1581$; Arjan $1563$–$1606$.

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