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Udasis And Nirmalas During The 18Th Century


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Earning the wrath of both Islamic fundamentalism and Hindu stratification, the Khalsa was forced to confront a bloody genocidal campaign engineered to eradicate it for the better part of the eighteenth century. Executed by various proponents of the larger Mughal state, this campaign forms an extensively bloody component of the Khalsa's history rivaled only by the Indian state's crusade to crush it's indomitable spirit. In such a bloody atmosphere the sword, obviously, became the heavily dominant instrument of usage and as such it's wielders are glorified in the annals of history even in the contemporary period. Yet history too is the instrument of man's will. It is constructed by him, recorded by him and exploited by him. As such there are many events and proponents which have been shrouded by the mists of time and are only now emerging. A specific example, from Khalsa history, is the role of the panth's educationalists during the heyday of this early genocide. The Udasis and the Nirmalas.

Camouflaged by their apparel and sense of dissemination, the Udasis and Nirmalas were not greatly affected by this maniacal drive to annihilate their parallels. Despite retaining their independent status from Hinduism and Islam, they freely intermingled with members of both faiths and as such were highly influential with many eminent personalities. Not only did this grant them a reprieve from the bloodbath surrounding them, but also emboldened them to assist the militant Khalsa and it's sympathizers. Via various stratagems they managed to incorporate themselves, via deliberate fault, into the larger body of the non-Khalsa spiritual traditions abound on the sub-continent and preserve significant Khalsa shrines and a major portion of it's heritage. They were especially vital in the replenishing of the Khalsa gene pool from time to time. The Khalsa, a minority even at the time, weathered heavy casualties and as such traversed through a virtual bottleneck effect. To replinsh it's numbers it heavily relied on the doctrines disseminated by both Udasis and the Nirmalas. They convinced and emboldened the proletariat to rise against the oppression, slavery and forced poverty plaguing him. Despite this maneuver earning them the wrath of several imminent Hindu sects, especially the Brahminical elite, they continued unabashed in their activities.

The chief reason for their survival can be given to their evolving mindset. Rather than expound the independence of the ten Gurus' newfound path of salvation, they painted it in heavy sub-continental philosophy in order to enlighten one to it's universality. Via this method they achieved a dual goal. Not only did they gain willing converts but also managed to retain the Khalsa's distinct persona and ethos in the latter's minds. Rather than conform to the notion of Durga appearing from flames and liberating the sub-continent and it's denizens from the Islamic yoke, they readily transformed the common man into her literal sibling. Through the employment of Dasam Bani and Sarbloh Bani, they transformed the image of Durga from a smiling, benevolent motherly multi-limbbed, feline riding female into a warrior queen. They discarded her bangles and replaced them with quoits. In her arms they placed various weapons and covered her body with armor. Her feline was tinted with blood to make it appear more fearsome. In a similar fashion they handed the same instruments to her worshippers, and gifted to them the blood-lusty steads which would carry them to and fro from the battlefield.

It is highly viable and entirely plausible that specific portions of both Udasis and Nirmalas suffered fatalities via the state's hand, yet weathered these bloody blows and continued ever onwards. Such strength and valor, in the face of death whilst possessing no arms and any training in the battlefield arts, served to inspire thousands of their contemporaries to passively resist their foes. Similar to Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Teghbahadur Ji who passively fared the enemies tortures inflicted upon them.

By the turn of the century however a variation was evident in the atmosphere. Long gone were the days of bloody crusades launched against the Khalsa, and long dead were there engineers. The Khalsa was now master of it's own domain and as such gained a reprieve which allowed it to annihilate the remnant vestiges of it's foes. It was during this period that both Udasi and Nirmala were awarded extensive riches and property to conduct their activities in return for the valor which they had displayed earlier. Both sects soon asserted their dominance and became a force to be reckoned with on the sub-continent, attending every major festival and such in order to disseminate the Guru's philosophy and recruit more willing individuals for the Khalsa's ranks.

Based on an excerpt from:

'The Sikh Gurus and their teaching. VOLII.'

http://tisarpanth.blogspot.co.nz/2013/06/camouflage-udasis-and-nirmalas-during.html

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