Aman’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?" said Robert Browning, the mystic English poet. Gurubani, the scriptural text of the Sikh religion, in soulful poetry throughout, provides an inspiring and liberating vision of the present and future.

Perhaps the arrangement of hymns in Sri Guru Granth Sahib according to ragas was meant to facilitate comprehension of the divine commandments by the masses. Music as the medium, and congregational singing of Gurbani as the mode were adopted by Guru Nanak in order that the message appeals to head as well as the heart. For, reason and emotion are human constants. The Sikh ideal is therefore at once reasonable and desirable. It is a perennial source of freedom and creativity unique in the present day world.

Let us take only one text from the sacred Scripture: Asa di Var, which is sung every morning in Gurdwaras around the world. Fortunately for the home bound Sikhs, a television channel now relays the kirtan, via satellite, from the holiest shrine at Amritsar, in the ambrosial pre-dawn hours.

But joining the spiritual experience is one thing, living the message is quite another. Asa di Var - couched in folksy phraseology and sung to popular beat and rhythm - is not only an analysis of the patterns of human and social mores, it is a passionate plea for change. Replete with ancient wisdom, its appeal is universal and timeless. Take, for instance, Guru Nanak’s warning: when the springs of society are poisoned by the dominance of avarice, sin, falsehood, sex, bribery, beggary, wealth and the misuse of religion, life becomes bereft of dignity and honour. That is the time for change. The text speaks of control over sexual reflexes in order to achieve the discipline of hands and feet, tongue and taste, sight and hearing - as a desirable goal for every Sikh, nay, all human beings.

Singing these 24 slokas and Pauris is the starting point of change. The divine truth, and the reality in human societies, stand apart in sharp contrast. This realisation brings about the stirring of revolutionary changes in the status quo. Guru Nanak (and Kabir) revolted against the corrupt practices of petty priesthoodand the duplicity of sycophantic bureaucrats. He admonishes the rulers for neglecting the poor. He tells male dominated institutions and society leaders that women must be given due respect as equal members of the community. The hypocritical and devious ways of the parasitical class are roundly condemned.

Indeed no religious leader of the medieval times has been as forthright as the illustrious Guru Nanak, and his successors, in promoting gender equality and denouncing caste divisions. Asa di Var, ideally, has the capability of setting up a disciplined, hard working, well knit socio-political organisation, with strong ethical commitments, repudiating rituals, the caste system and slavish culture.

How much have we imbibed from the Gurbani? In an excessively permissive scenario the curse of caste discrimination is becoming rampant. Matrimonial columns of Indian newspapers are jammed with parental preferences for a "Gursikh match of a particular caste." The obvious contradiction in terms is lost on them! Similarly, the pride of owning the noble surname "Singh" is being surrendered by the new generation of TV entertainers who flaunt their feudal-tribal origins.

Within this encircling gloom, a ray of hope shines every now and then. Readers of this Journal are familiar with the upbeat writings of Hardyal Singh Paul and Gurpal Singh Khaira (USA), Brig. (Retd.) Hardit Singh, Gurdev Singh, Dr. D.P. Singh, veteran Prof. Hazara Singh, and a host of other scholars, who have, over the years, focussed on the sociological problems besetting Sikhism in modern times. Arousal of the conscience is the first step towards a reform movement.

We have, time and again, referred to the status of girl child in Punjab and the more alarming practice of female foeticide, reflected in the census data. For a hundred years and more, the adverse man:woman ratio in the Punjab population failed to ring alarm bells, until publication of the latest census data which [at 775 women for every 1000 men] is the most adverse ratio in the whole of India.

Now, illustratively, good news comes from Fatehgarh Sahib where Prof. Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, convened a conclave of one hundred Granthis to launch a campaign against female foeticide in rural Punjab, using the religious idiom and recalling the holy edicts in the Sikh maryada. This campaign deserves universal support. We wish Jathedar Manjit Singh godspeed.

Instead of finding fault with the institutional framework, the Sikhs will do well to go back to the basics and start putting the Gurbani principles into practice. The Gurbani and Gurmat discipline hold the key to a wholesome society, free from superstition while rising above divisive caste distinctions.

Equality is a liberating force, while the distinction of belonging to the Panthic fraternity builds up collective confidence and a certain sense of pride in the Sikh legacy. If there is to be a moral revitalization of the Sikh society across the world, it might as well begin with the actualization of the lessons of Guru Nanak’s Asa di Var.