The Bhat Brahmins

Kashmiri Pandits and their contributions to Sikhism

The fact that the Sikh Gurus always surrounded themselves with Kashmiri Pandits has been suppressed as well as distorted by the so called 'historians' funded by the British to manipulate Sikh history. Instead, a deep contempt and hatred of Brahmins was encouraged in Punjab through various interpolations and canards spread by the British Christian missionaries. One of the main culprits is the Irish Christian missionary known as Max Arthur Macauliffe, who was funded by the British East India Company to further weaken Hindu society by establishing the Tat Khalsa Singh Sabha, the SGPC, AKJ, Nirankaris ( modern day Sikhs ) etc These prophets of doom nurtured a narrow minded puritanical Victorian ideals established by the British Raj, began to label Guru ordained Sanatan Sikhi as being false. They were financed heavily to set up their own printing presses and conversion schools, to carry out distortions of Punjab history by going as far as spreading canards that Jatt Sikhs were not of Indian or Hindu origin but were from Syria, Jordan and Greece or were Sythians - the agenda to give the notion that the Sikhs constitute one Race and Nation,and are not a part of Mother India at all. By specifically picking and choosing what should be a part of the Sikh holy scriptures, by erasing or manipulating the Banis such as the Kartarpur Banis, which are in Braj Bhasha, these stooges of the British re-wrote the Shri Adi Granth ji, renamed it the Guru Granth sahib and made it the main scripture to be followed by all Sikhs. The Tat Khalsa began to radically alter Sanatan Sikhism as it had been preached by all the Gurus, so to ensure it conformed to their new British Raj accommodating perception.
Facts ignored and distorted by Tat Khalsa & SGPC

Contempt of Brahmins was the main goal of the Jaichand stooges such as Kahn Singh of Nabha and Teja Singh Bhasuria. Myths were created about how the 9th Guru Tegh Bahadurji sacrificed his own life for some Kashmiri Brahmins who had allegedly run to him for protection. The accounts of the numbers of Kashmiri Pandits seeking protection from Guruji have been mentioned as : 500,600, 1000, 16, 25 etc with inconsistencies in the story from one sikh writer to another. But having done painstaking research on the various circumstances surrounding the beheading of Guru Tegh Bahadurji, one cannot stop taking into account the fact that guruji was initially summoned by Aurangzeb to accompany Raja Ram Singh ( commander of Mughal army ) to invade Assam in 1667. The war had continued for at least 3-4 years after which both Guruji and Ram Singh returned to Delhi defeated by the Ahom Hindu Kings. Accompanying Guru Tegh Bahadurji for the Assam mission were two other Kashmiri Pandits - Bhai Mati dass and Dayal Dass, who were brothers, but this has been conveniently ignored by the Tat Khalsa stooges. In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadurji and the two Kashmiri Pandits were summoned by Aurangzeb and were mercilessly tortured to death. The sacrifice of the Kashmiri Pandits has been written as 'brave Sikh sacrifices' in Tat Khalsa chronicles, blatantly leaving out the facts. 

Eleven Bhats who contributed Swayyas to Shri Adi Granth were all Brahmans. There are 123 compositions in holy book. The Bhat Brahmins all originally from Kashmir, were Saraswat Brahmins, who wrote the Bhat Vahi Talauda Parganah Jind, which has the genealogy of the Gurus, in a script called Bhatakshri. These Bhats were Bhat Kalsahar, Bhat Jalap, Bhat Kirat, Bhat Bhlkha, Bhat Salya, Bhat Bhalya, Bhat Nalya, Bhat Gayana, Bhat Mathura, Bhat Harshas, and Bhat Bhalya. Of these, Bhikha Bhat was of Sultanpur Lodhi whose family had escaped the tyrannical Islamic reign in Kashmir and given initiation as a shishya by Guru Amardas at Gobindwal. He lived upto the time of Guru Arjan Dev to whom he introduced seventeen other Brahmin scholars - Santokh Singh (Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth), Bhai Vir (Guru Granth Kosh) and some others among the traditional scholars count 17, and Pandit Kartar Dakha puts the figure at 19.This variation in numbers is owed to the fact that the Bhats used to sing the Gurubanis in chorus of traditional Ragas taken from the Sama Veda.

The works of these intellectual Brahmins are known as Bhat Banis. According to Bhai Santokh Singh, Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, `They were the Ved`as incarnate" (p. 2121).

What Bharat was like in 1835

Macaulay’s note on what kind of country was India when he visited it, and what should be done to break its backbone. The “modern” generation of Indians (the likes of Nehru and Arvind Adiga, and today’s pub-going cool dudes) grovelling in front of the white man is a result of this strategy put in motion by the British 150 years ago.

Our education system was subverted to teach the glory of Western civilisation while study of Hindu civilisation was banned. Sanskrit was banned. Traditional village schools were de-recognised. The result was mass illiteracy. By 1905 (in merely 50 years), the British had managed to reduce the literacy rate of India to only 6 percent! 

The steep fall of Indian economy and education was staggering. Entire industries were run to the ground. Captal and bullion were transferred to Britain by shiploads, which financed its industrial revolution. But millions began to die in famines in India. Remember, in 1750, India accounted for 25 percent of the world’s GDP. It was the richest country in the world. By the time the British left in 1947, it had come down to less than one percent. And our first Prime Minister Nehru has the cheek to go to Oxford and thank the British for ruling us and civilising us!

The curriculum that British introduced to brainwash our Hindu and Sikh children and fill them with low self-esteem about Hindu civilisation was left unchanged even after independence. The study of Hindu culture, literature and scriptures still remains banned in our schools. The communists entered the education system under patronage of Nehru and Indira Gandhi and injected it with anti-Hindu poison.

The result of all this? The White Man shows to the whole world Indians swimming in shit and projects the forced blindings of young children as the “reality of the heathens of India.” The White director is awarded the White Man’s award for his services. The Indians become delirious with joy and call Slumdog Millionaire the “highest achievement of Indian film industry”! Anil Kapoor dances a jig and swoons on the stage in front of the Whites. The coolies celebrate. ”We are coolies no more!” they gush. “We have progressed. Now we are slumdogs!” The prime minister congratulates Indians. The ruling party Congress declares it as the major achievement of its term. And I hear the macabre laughter of the ghost of Macaulay.

Sikhs do not believe in CASTE - Tat Khalsa Rumour

Let us begin with all the MYTHS propagated by Tat Khalsa stooges & the popular one that we all have been following blindly for the past 60 odd years. I've spoken about the first 2 Myths - now here is the third one: 


MYTH No 3 :
Sikhs do not believe in CASTE & the Facts are :


To be honest, this is the best lie which is used for Hindu bashing. All of us Sikhs do know which 'caste' we are descended from. I fully know I am a Tarkhaan with my roots in Kshatriya ancestry, which is mentioned in the Manu Smriti. Up to my great great grandfather we were ( and are still Sanatan Hindus of heritage ) until we became Keshdhari Singhs. That is 5 generations ago. My great great grandfather did not have the middle name Singh. He was a Hindu.


Let us take a good look at all the lies that have been spread by Tat Khalsa British puppets in the last couple of centuries to divide the Hindu & Sikh brothers. Punjab caste system was initially established by the British to keep their firm grip on Punjab which is a great agricultural area serving most parts of North India. 


The word CASTE is not rooted in Hindu thought but it is a Portuguese word 'CASTO'. There used to be only four VARNAS or groups in Vedic India - Brahmins ( teachers & priests & even warriors), Kshatriyas ( warriors & ruling class ), Vaishyas ( trading class, craftsmen etc ) & Shudras ( those who lived unclean lives of hunting, consuming meat & alcohol & cremating corpses ). All of these Varnas were ensured employment & livelihood through their various skills. 


The Vedic philosophy behind this Varna system was : A human being belongs to ALL these four Varnas - He becomes a Brahmin whenever he goes to offer Pujas ( prayers ) at the temple, does Jaap & recites the sacred Name of the Supreme Being; He becomes a Kshatriya when he stands up & takes up arms against enemies of the country, to protect his family from danger, to be loyal to the King & to protect the weak;  He becomes a Vaishya when he goes into business, buying & selling, engages in building work etc and finally the human also becomes a Shudra whenever he cleans his house, forgets to recite the sacred Name of Paramatma, engages in bad repulsive behaviour, such as consuming meat, alcohol, drugs etc which is contradictory to the laws of the Vedas.


It is believed that Vedic India thrived under this great philosophy of Varna system. Shudras were constantly encouraged by the Brahmins & Khsatriyas to elevate themselves & were treated equally so to encourage them into the Vedic fold. One classic example is that of Rishi Valmiki, who was born a Shudra & was a hunter. A Brahmin Rishi pointed out to Valmiki one day that the bad Karma he was accumulating, through hunting innocent animals to feed himself as well as his family, he would never become free from the bondage of sin accumulated through his actions. The Rishi told Valmiki of how he was sinning by killing innocent souls just to feed his family, who would not be the ones answerable in their after lives & that he was making a graveyard out of his stomach. The words of the Rishi made Valmiki think deeply & he renounced all his bad karma & joined a group of Brahmin sadhus. Valmiki, though born a Shudra, became to be honoured not only by all the other 3 Varnas but also the Vedic Gods fell at his feet. Lord Rama is is said to have honoured Valmiki by giving him the Divya Dhrishti ( Divine Eye ).


The message is deeply philosophical in Vedic thought in that  it is up to a person, whether he is a Brahmin or Shudra, to elevate his thoughts, actions, speech, behaviour, dress, etiquette etc to a Spiritual level that is pleasing to  human society as well as to the Devatas. 


The story of Shabri Bheel is also another beautiful episode in the Ramayana that was composed by Valmiki. Shabri, born a tribal, yearned for her Lord Hari all her life to come in person & bless her. Rama, the incarnation of Lord Hari ( Vishnu ) not only paid the aged Shabri a visit, the Supreme Lord also fell at her feet, touching them, revering her as His mother, but also ate all the sweet berries which Shabri gave to Him after having tasted them herself to make sure they were not bitter. Shabri had lived her life as a Sadhvi in the Sangat of Brahmin Sadhus. She had ran away from her wedding where the tribals were doing mass slaughter of innocent animals to feed the guests. Angry & dismayed at the mass slaughter & sad plight of animals, Shabri Bheel refused to marry & instead renounced the material world.


Both these instances mentioned in the epic Ramayana, indicate that the tribals, lower ranks, Shudras etc were highly encouraged by Brahmin Rishis to live a spiritual life free from bad karma, conducive to Vedic society as well as in harmony with the Earth & be honoured & be equal as one of them. The choice was left up to an individual whether to remain uncivilised or to be part of the highly spiritual Vedic brotherhood.


When ManMohan Singh became the Prime Minister of India, the media was rife with stories of his background with brothers' photos & write ups about their professions etc. His surname was mentioned as Kohli which is a Hindu Kshatriya name. So this in fact means that ManMohan Singh Kohli hails from a Hindu family whose ancestors probably gave their first son to join the Khalsa panth of Sanatan Sikhi to fight against the Islamic barbarians.


The bare truth is Sikhs are more divided into caste than Hindus, though we are always told that Sikhism was created to rid Punjab of caste systems & that only Hindus practise this, But it is only a lie created by the NEO Sikhs. Nowhere do any of the Gurus mention in their banis that they are creating a new religion called Sikhism because of the Hindu caste system, or any so called 'malpractices' in Hindu Dharam. These are blatant suppression of true facts of our Puraatan Sanatan Sikh heritage by the Tat Khalsa. 

For example, a Jatt will always marry a Jatt, a Ramgarhia will always marry a Ramgarhia, a Chamar will always marry a Chamar, the other two, Jatt & Ramgarhia will never marry into each other - I have seen a Ramgarhia friend of mine thrashed badly when he asked for the hand of his Jatt girlfriend from her father & brothers - these two groups will never marry into Chamars either. Further, the Naamdharis will never marry Jatts nor the Ramgarhias - then we have the Aroras, Khatri, Saini, Mohyal ( Brahmins Sikhs), Chibber ( Brahmin Sikhs), Bhatias, Kamboh,Mahton, Kalal, Ahluvaliyas, Soniyares & Chchimbas to mention a few. Of all these, the Jatts form the majority in terms of numbers in Sikh society with agriculture as their signature trade. Illiterate & mostly farmers from the beginning, Jatts had been given a special recognition by the British satans who brainwashed them into believing that the Jatt 'race' comes from Greece & that they were outsiders, ensuring that Jatts will forever be loyal puppets of the British Raj. Though now, they are educated & hold various professions, the politics of Punjab & the running of all Sikh institutions have gone to Jatts, since the time of the British. This also includes the Tat Khalsa, SGPC & Akaal Takht.  Jatts form 68% of Sikh society today. 

Brahmin Sikhs - believed to have originated from Gandhaar( Afghanistan) as well as Kashmir & also from Punjab region, are today found in rural Punjab. They are cooks, farmers & shop keepers. During the Islamic invasions of Afghanistan, Kashmir & Punjab, the Brahmins had been forced into giving up their livelihoods as priests & teachers. All landmark ancient Hindu temples had been destroyed by the Islamic Maleshas & Punjab was targeted for a campaign of loot, arson, desecration, plunder & rape of Hindu sacred places & of Hindu women - the Brahmins were the most highly persecuted. With no Hindu temples left in Punjab, the Brahmins almost were forced to stop Vedic rituals, which was blasphemy for the Islamic tyrants & the Hindus of Punjab were under warnings not to continue with Vedic worship. If caught, the repercussions were death through torturous means. 

Mohyal Brahmins are a warrior class of Brahmins who are also traditionally teachers or Gurus & priests & all our Gurus maintained their company throughout for guidance & education. Famous Brahmins who were martyred for Punjab & along side of Gurus were : Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Dayal Das, Bhai Chaupa, Bhai Buddh, Bhai Birham, Bhai Kripa Ram Dutt ( teacher to Guru Gobind Singhji & Khalsa warrior ) etc. Many had served as Brahmins under all our Gurus - especially during the building of Sri HariMandirji where the Praan Pratishtha ( sacred ceremony ) of laying the foundation stone & sanctum was done by the Brahmins of Punjab.  Many Brahmins served inside the Langar house at Amritsar. The Brahmins helped the Gurus to compile the entire Sri Adi Granthji & gave the entire works of the Guru 31 or so different Shastriya Ragas to be sung in. It is a well known fact that these Bhatts played a major role during the formation of a different form of Hindu Dharma known as  Nirguna Bhakti ( Vedic philosophy of where the Supreme Being can be worshipped formless ) giving Sanatan Sikhi its birth on Punjab soil. Since Hindus were banned from worshipping at Hindu temples which were already demolished in their thousands by the Malesha Muslims, the Nirguna Niraakar form of Vedic worship where no temple was required, nor any Murtis of Vedic Gods were required, but only the Naam Simran was the predominant way of worship. 

This Nirgun Niraakar philosophy was nothing new during the time of our Gurus, but goes back to 5,000 BC, in the time of the great Saint from Kerala - Adi Shankaracharya - who composed many scriptures honouring Lord Shiva as the Formless Niraakar Akaal Purusha ( sanskrit  for the Formless, Timeless Supreme Being ). The Upanishads, compiled millions of years prior to our Gurus,  too claim the Supreme Being as Niraakar ( formless), Nirbhaya ( fearless) , Ajam ( birthless) etc. 

Guru Nanak Dev ji having witnessed himself the barbaric rape of Punjab & its Hindus by the Malesha Babur, saw the sad plight of an otherwise progressive Hindu society, whose ancient traditions & heritage were being destroyed by the outsiders. By surrounding himself constantly with great Sadhus, Guruji realised that the Advaita philosophy of worshipping Paramatma was the only way out of keeping Vedic traditions from being destroyed & therefore kept Sanatan Dharam alive in the hearts of the oppressed Hindus.The continuous Islamic invasions into India had actually caused an upheaval of Hindu society & several sub-castes came about due to the imbalance caused by Islam. So, instead of the original four Varnas of Hindu society, India had thousands of sub-tribes & 'castes' as a result of Islamic tyranny.


Tat Khalsa Myth : 'Guru NanakDevji eradicated the Hindu Caste system'.


Well this is absolutely for the gullible & ridiculous. Though Nanak Devji longed to unite all the Hindus of Punjab at a time of great scale of genocides being carried out by Babur & his Islamic tyrants, it is a fact that ALL the Guru Sahibaans themselves kept to their own 'Castes' & married within their own Varnas. NanakDevji's message was more to do with One human brotherhood on Earth - similar to the ancient Hindu belief of 'Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava' : All beliefs are One & 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam' : Entire Cosmos is One family. The concept originates in the Maha Upanishad (Chapter 6, Verse 72):

” अयं बन्धुरयं नेति गणना लघुचेतसां उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकं ”
ayam bandhurayam neti ganana laghuchetasam udaracharitanam tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam

Only small men discriminate saying: One is a relative; the other is a stranger. For those who live magnanimously the entire world constitutes but a family.

So according to NanakDevji, he was only reminding the downtrodden Hindus of Punjab of this ancient Upanishadic philosophy while at the same time appeasing the Islamic tyrants, hoping to bring the message of peace as well as unity - something that unfortunately did not work when dealing with the fascist ideology of Islam. But at the same time, the Neo-Sikhs fail to comprehend the message of Guru NanakDevji & instead in their eagerness to break away from the Hindu system of Varna, they are quick to overlook the fact that whatever Guruji mentioned about the oneness of creation on Earth, the whole concept is in fact an ancient Hindu one.


Today, on Baisakhi Day, in 1699, Guru Gobind Singhji initiated the five Hindus who were from different 'castes' to form the Brotherhood of Khalsa - to bring unity of Hindu society, which he was also a part of & he gave them the name 'Paanch Piyaare' - the chosen 5. Guruji wanted unity within all the Varnas, regions & wanted equality, so to make a uniting force against the Islamic tyrants & throw them out of Punjab as well as India. His was a noble thought which had its roots in Vedic philosophy where all humans were equal. Though today, Sikhs fail to follow Guruji's words & are even more divided than before.

Copyright©Arjan Singh Virdi 2012

Dear Friends

I know I have not posted for some time - I have been so overwhelmed with writing a book, doing research etc and of course family commitments as marriages have taken place since my last post. I was also busy travelling around Punjab - from Jalandhar to Patiala, from Amritsar to Anandpur Sahib in Himachal in great research of Sikh history.

Well, I am back now & hope to pick up from the last post.
Waheguru Ji is great and He is the only One who has given me great strength to continue with the next series of posts on our great Sikhi heritage.


Here is one of my favourite Shabads sung by my favourite Bhai Harjinder Singhji - this is more or less the way shabads ought to be sung in their traditional Vedic Ragas & not in the monotonous way most Granthis are busy singing in nowadays - this is yet another topic I will be addressing very soon.

WaheguruJi Ka Khalsa
WaheguruJi Ki Fateh