Foreword To Book 'Sikhism and Major World Religions' Book By Surindar Singh Kohli

During my fourth visit to canada, I reached Vancouver on March 17, 1993 to stay for a few months with my son Darshan Inder Singh Kohli, who has settled down here with his family.S. Tara Singh Hayer of Indo-Canadia  Times very kindly intimated the Sikhs of Canada and America about my arrival through the issue of his popular weekly dated April 8-14, 1993. Several Canadian Sikhs already knew me through my writings. Sardar Pal Singh Purewal of Edmonton had read my book Travels of Guru Nanak, published during the quincentenary birthday year, in 1969, by the Panjab University, Chandigarh, where I was the Professor and Head of the Punjabi Department. He invited me to the city of Edmonton to deliver three lectures on 16th, 17th, and 18th of April, where the Baisakhi Festival was being celebrated by Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Edamonton. It was a pleasure to meet Sardar Purewal. He has recently completed his commendable Almanac, based on Knotty astrological calculations. I am confident that with the publication of his Almanac, many dates appearing in various historical works will be set right.

It was at Edmonton that S. Gurdarshan Singh Bhar of 19, Wheatstone Crescent, St. Albert-Alta T8N 3J9 came to see me at the house of Sardar Purewal. He had read earlier two of my books Philosophy of Guru Nanak (published by the Panjab University, Chandigarh) and Outlines of Sikh Though  (published by Messrs Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers(PvT) Ltd.,54, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055) and he wanted that during my stay in Canada, I should complete this work, making a critical and comparative study of various concepts of Sikhism with major world-religious, so that the Sikh students be made conversant with the distinct thought-content of their own religion. This work, is thus the outcome of the earnest desire of Sardar G.S. Bhar.

In my book Philosophy of Guru Nanak, I had briefly made a comparative study of the thought-content of Guru Nanak with the living religions of the world. The religion, which has a scripture of its own, a distinct set of injunctions and a tradition, may be called a living religion. In this sense, there are eleven living religions in the world, namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism in India, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the Middle East, Taoism and Confucianism in China and Shintoism in Japan. Out of these religious, Shintoism has its following confined in Japan, Taoism and Confucianism in China and Jainism in India. Other religions have spread far and wide besides the country of their origin, therefore I have included them in the category of major world-religions.

Several concepts belonging to both philosophy and religion of Sikhism have been discussed briefly in my book Outlines of Sikh Thought. I have mostly taken up these concepts in the present work, as desired by S.G.S. Bhar, because they will amply clarify for the Sikh student and other students of religions, the distinguishing features of major world-religions. Wherever considered necessary, I have touched upon the other religions also.

I am confident that the students of religion and especially of Comparative Religion will be amply benefitted by this short treatise.

Surinder Singh Kohli