In Bachittar Natak, the Tenth Guru claims His family ancestry to Lav and Kush (sons of Rama). Does this mean Sikhs are Hindus?

This argument does not hold any ground when we evaluate it with some rationality. Many Sikhs take an easy approach and reject the authority of Bachittar Natak but this way we will have to reject everything we don’t like or don’t agree with. I do not want to discuss authenticity or validity of Dasam Granth here but our objective is to see if Guru Ji’s lineage really makes Him a Hindu.

a) Family background has nothing to do with religion. Religion is not inherent.
If someone doesn’t follow anything of Hindu religion and does not even hold a single belief of Hindu religion then how can they be called a Hindu? On the contrary Guru Gobind Singh Ji claimed himself to be “an idol breaker”. Guru Ji rejected wearing sacred thread, caste and varna system, idol worship, authority of Vedas, puranas, and simaritis, 330 millions gods including Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma which are the core belief system of Hinduism.

ਮਨਮ ਕੁਸ਼ਤਨਮ ਕੋਹੀਯਾਂ ਬੁਤ ਪਰਸਤ ॥
ਕਿ ਓ ਬੁਤ ਪਰਸਤੰਦੁ ਮਨ ਬੁਤ ਸ਼ਿਕਸਤ ॥95॥
“I have killed hill Rajas (kings) who are bent on mischief. They are stone idol worshippers, I break idols and I worship one Lord.”
(Zaffarnama, Guru Gobind Singh Ji)

ਕਾਹੇ ਕਉ ਪੂਜਤ ਪਾਹਨ ਕਉ ਕਛੁ ਪਾਹਨ ਮੈ ਪਰਮੇਸੁਰ ਨਾਹੀ ॥
ਤਾਹੀ ਕੋ ਪੂਜ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਕਰਿ ਕੈ ਜਿਹ ਪੂਜਤ ਹੀ ਅਘ ਓਘ ਮਿਟਾਹੀ ॥
“Why do you worship stones? The Lord is not in any stones. Worship that Lord by whose adoration is destroyed all conflicts.”
(Akal Ustat, Guru Gobind Singh Ji)

There are many more quotes in Dasam Bani that reject idol worship but why doesn’t RSS follow Guru Ji’s teachings and give up idol worship? Guru Gobind Singh Ji established Khalsa Panth that was unique and distinct from Hindus and Muslims.

ਨਿਜ ਪੰਥ ਚਲਾਇਓ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਧਰਿ ਤੇਜ ਕਰਾਰਾ॥
ਸਿਰ ਕੇਸ ਧਾਰਿ ਗਹਿ ਖੜਗ ਕੋ ਸਭ ਦੁਸਟ ਪਛਾਰਾ॥
ਸੀਲ ਜਤ ਕੀ ਕਛ ਪਹਰਿ ਪਕੜੋ ਹਥਿਆਰਾ॥
ਸਚ ਫਤੇ ਬੁਲਾਈ ਗੁਰੂ ਕੀ ਜੀਤਿਓ ਰਣ ਭਾਰਾ॥
(ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ)

Is the RSS really willing to call someone (Guru Ji in this case) a Hindu who openly rejected Hinduism on all grounds and formed a new community with belief system that was entirely opposed to Hinduism?

b) If family ancestry determines the religion then it is impossible for Christians to be Christians since Jesus was from Jewish family and it is equally impossible for Muslims to be Muslims who originated from Quereshi Christians and Jews. Furthermore, why those (Christians and Muslims) who are converts from Hindus, not called Hindus? If someone is born in a family in which the father is a Hindu and mother is a Christian how would the religion be determined of the new born baby? If a Christian, who believes in Jesus and follows the teachings of Bible, claims his great-great-great grandfather to be from a Hindu family does that mean he is also a Hindu? If no then why does the same not apply to Sikhs? Nonetheless Hindus should very well familiarize themselves with Sikh way of life before making such derogatory and barbaric comments.

A person is never born as a Sikh. Only after taking Amrit and following Rehat prescribed by Panj Pyare one becomes a Sikh. At the time of initiation he/she loses all ties with family background, caste and previous way of life. A Sikh is given new way of life and his father and mother become Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji. Keep in mind that Guru Gobind Singh Ji also took the same Amrit in the same manner as other Sikhs did. Therefore, Guru Gobind Singh Ji also lost his ties with his family background and thus his ancestry had nothing significance in the life of Guru Gobind Singh not that it had any significance to begin with.

c) Even if for the sake of argument we assume that Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s ancestry does make him and Sikhs Hindus, RSS traps itself in a very complicated situation. RSS and founding fathers of India make a claim that “Sikhs, a sect of Hindus, are more civilized and Sikh religion is better than all other sects of Hinduism.”

Sikhs are called “protectors of Hindu faith.” Now one would only wonder that if Sikhs are “more civilized” and are “Hindus” then why RSS and other Hindu organizations don’t preach the “better form of Hinduism”? Why don’t they propagate Amrit and Khalsa Rehat? Why don’t they join their “protectors” and become saint-soldiers? Why don’t they claim Guru Gobind Singh Ji the father of nation? Can Sikhs really be from a religion whose father is Gandhi and mother is a cow? Since when did Hindus become a nation and since when did Hinduism become a religion? RSS has no answers to these questions.

It is also argued that Khalsa was started to protect Hindu faith and since Hindus are safe there is no need for Khalsa anymore but is it not backward and barbaric to even think of giving up a better and more civilized “sect” to go back to an old form of Hinduism whose followers were ruled by foreign invaders for 1200 years? If Sikhs are Hindus then Guru Granth Sahib Ji is their holy scriptures and Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) is one of their holiest places. In 1984 the followers (Hindus) attacked their own holy place and destroyed their own sovereignty (Akal Takhat Sahib). They desecrated their own holy scripture (Guru Granth Sahib Ji) and smoked cigars inside the complex. Hindus dishonoured their own community’s (Sikh) women. Why such hostility and hatred towards Sikhs exists if they are Hindus? Can a community really attack their own place of worship and dishonour their own women? Even cave men did not attack their group members.

If Sikhs are actually Hindus then why are they called a minority? Why only Sikh Gurdwaras are attacked and Guru Granth Sahib Ji is disrespected? Why only Sikh men are called “terrorists” and only Sikh women are dishonoured? If Sikhs are Hindus then Punjab is a Hindu state which means all the demands raised by “better hindus” regarding Punjab’s autonomy, capital, water and electricity should be met. If Sikhs are Hindus then Hindus should adopt Gurmukhi Lipi and make it mandatory for every Indian to learn Gurmukhi and study Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Punjabi should be declared national language simply because it is the language of “more civilized” people.

This could go on but RSS has no answers to the above listed questions and arguments. Their mouths are shut because they didn’t think it through before attacking Sikhs with such questions. Sikhs are a separate nation and Sikhi is a separate religion. It is only foolish and stupidities on their part to first claim Sikhi as part of Hinduism and then not follow and adopt it.