Mina (Sikhism)

Miharvan Sikhs are followers of the sect of Sikhism that followed Baba Prithi Chand[1][2] (1558–1618), the eldest son of Guru Ram Das after the younger brother Guru Arjan was officially made the next Guru.[3][4] Miharvans were shunned by the followers of Guru Arjan who derogatively labelled them Minas (ਮੀਣੇ) meaning "scoundrels",[4][5] and declared as one of the five Panj Mel that a Sikh must avoid by Guru Gobind Singh.

Miharvan Sikhs emerged as major sect which ran in parallel to Guru Arjan and his official successors.[6] They controlled Amritsar and Harmandir Sahib built under Guru Arjan for much of the 17th century.[7]

History

In Miharvan literature, Prithi Chand was a devout follower of Guru Arjan who helped the Sikh cause and was the rightful successor of Guru Arjan. After the arrest and execution of Guru Arjan by Mughal emperor Jehangir, unofficial associates in the commune made the eleven year old Guru Hargobind the next Guru and began vilifying Prithi Chand.[1]

In contrast, some historic sources allege that Prithi Chand was a mean person who challenged Guru Arjan, who tried to poison his son Guru Hargobind and helped the Mughal officials arrest then execute Guru Arjan. They began to apply the offensive term Mina, meaning a "deceitful, charlatan, hypocrite", to Miharvan Sikhs. They say this term emerged after Guru Ram Das nominated his younger son as the next Guru, instead of the elder son. The elder son Prithi Chand protested this decision. Sikhs in the commune split, some supporting Guru Arjan, others Prithi Chand. The latter group were considered hostile.[8] Some scholars avoid using the derogatory term for them, and call them the Miharvan sampraday (meaning "Miharvan commune") or Sikhan da chotta mel ("Sikh sect that lived for a short while").[1]

They were a major parallel Sikh sect in the 17th century in addition to the orthodox Sikhs, but not the only one. Other sub-traditions of Sikhism included the Hindali Sikhs who followed Baba Hindal. All of these Sikh sects produced a variety of competing Sikh literature that is of historic importance to Sikh studies.[1]

Miharvan Sikhs emerged in a period of religious persecution and inner dispute within the Sikh tradition on the appropriateness of violence and non-violence in the pursuit of religious freedoms and spiritual matters. According to Hardip Syan and Pritam Singh, Miharvans emphasized more of the non-militant approach of Guru Nanak and earlier Gurus in theological pursuits, while the Guru Hargobind followers pursued the "miri-piri" approach and began militarizing the Sikh tradition to resist the Mughal persecution.[9][10]

The Miharvans sect is nearly extinct.[7]

Miharvan Guru lineage

Miharvans accept the authority of first five Gurus (as recognised by mainstream Sikhs) but subsequently have their own lineage.

The Gurus recognised by Miharvans are:[1]

1. Guru Nanak
2. Guru Angad
3. Guru Amardas
4. Guru Ramdas
5. Guru Arjan
6. Guru Prithi Chand
7. Guru Miharvan (Manohar Das)[11]
8. Guru Harji

Literary contributions

Miharvans, also called the Miharban Sikh tradition, created significant literature about 16th and 17th century Sikhism.[4] However, as outcasts from other Sikhs, the literature is not a part of the Khalsa approved historic texts of Sikhism. They are credited with the authorship of Janamsakhis (about the first four Gurus) but the Khalsa considers them corrupted texts.[1]

According to some scholars such as Ahluwalia, Prithi Chand's copious literary compositions as a devotional poet and pen name of "Nanak", "Jan Nanak" or "Nanak Das", were a reason that pressured Guru Arjan to compile and release an official version of the Adi Granth. Guru Arjan hoped to prevent a competing version of scripture confusing his Sikh followers.[1] The Miharvan tradition launched by Prithi Chand continued to compose poems dedicated to God, which they believed was in the tradition of Guru Nanak.[1][11]

The Islamic historians of the Mughal era recorded the conflict and contest between the Miharvan and the followers of Hargobind, such as in the Dabistan-i Mazahib.[12]

References

1. Hardip S Syan (2014). Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 170–179. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
2. Hardip Singh Syan (2013). Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India. I.B.Tauris. pp. 88–90. ISBN 978-1-78076-250-0.
3. H. S. Singha (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1.
4. Winand M. Callewaert; Rupert Snell (1994). According to Tradition: Hagiographical Writing in India. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 23–24. ISBN 978-3-447-03524-8.
5. Arvind-Pal S. Mandair; Christopher Shackle; Gurharpal Singh (2013). Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity. Taylor & Francis. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-1-136-84634-2.
6. Page 170, The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies, Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech
7. W. H. McLeod (2005). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Scarecrow. pp. 130–131. ISBN 978-0-8108-5088-0.
8. Page 41, Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed, Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair
9. Singh, Pritam (2015-01-14). "Review: Sikh militancy in the seventeenth century: religious violence in the Moghul and early modern India, by Hardip Singh Syan". South Asian History and Culture. Taylor & Francis. 6 (2): 307–310. doi:10.1080/19472498.2014.999446.
10. Syan, Hardip Singh (2011). "Early Sikh Historiography". Sikh Formations. Taylor & Francis. 7 (2): 145–160. doi:10.1080/17448727.2011.593297.
11. Hardip Singh Syan (2013). Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India. I.B.Tauris. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-78076-250-0.
12. Hardip Singh Syan (2013). Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India. I.B.Tauris. pp. 88–91. ISBN 978-1-78076-250-0.