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Accepting the Will of God (Bhana Mannana): Pleasure
and pain are given to us by God, and whether or not our efforts are successful
is according to God's Will. Sikhs accept this philosophy in order to be
at peace with themselves and their environment, and to stop worrying about
the 'failure' or 'success' of their efforts.
Maintaining Moral Behavior (Sacha Achar): For
a Sikh, lying, cheating, stealing, backstabbing (treachery), and infidelity
are all forbidden. In the age when Guru Gobind Singh fought his battles,
it was not uncommon for a victorious army to rape women as an expression
of power over the enemy. Guru Gobind Singh halted this practice by ordering
that any person who raped a woman would be summarily expelled from the
Khalsa Panth. The moral character of Sikhs, in war and in peace, was praised
highly by historians of the time, even by historians and writers working
for enemy armies. Nur Mohammed, the Muslim author of Jang Nama, writes:
In no case would the Sikhs slay a coward, nor would
they put an obstacle in the way of someone trying to flee. They do not
plunder the wealth and ornaments of a woman, be she an important person
or a servant. There is no adultery among the Sikhs nor are they given
to thievery. Whether a woman is young or old, they address her respectfully.
There is not a thief at all among them nor is there any housebreaker.
They do not make friends with adulterers.
As can be seen by this observation, the
Khalsa Code is not merely a statement of ideals, but rather the living
legacy of the Sikhs, the implementation in practice of what Guru Nanak
preached.
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