Joshi says Guru's teachings no different from Vedas

New Delhi, June 30 (UNI) What could be an embarrassment for the Shiromani Akali Dal, its political ally Bharatiya Janata Party's senior leader sees no distinction between the messages given by the writings of Guru Gobind Singh and those of Vedas and Upanishads.

Releasing the Hindi version of 'Zafarnama'(Letter of Victory) authored by the Guru, recently here , senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi was quoted by the latest issue of Organiser as saying, ''What tenth Guru preached is nothing different from the message of Vedas and Upanishads".

The Sikh clergy is very touchy about comparing the Guru's wirtings with any other religious works and the Akal Takht has recently issued an edict against treating the Sikhs as part of pan Hindu society saying that the Sikh community has a district identity.

The function was organised by Zafarnama Trishatabdi Samaroh Samiti at Bhai Vir Sadan here on June 24.

However, Dr Joshi said "Zafarnama taught how to fight against evil and how to win the fight... there is need to study the social sight of the Guru".

Delivering the keynote address, Dr Kuldip Chand Agnihotri, convenor of the Samaroh Samiti, said " Guru Gobind Singh was not against Islam, he wanted to Indianise Islam... Basically exposed the cruelty of the then Mughal rulers who terrorised the people in the name of Islam." The tenth Guru wrote and sent Zafarnama to Aurangeb as a challenge to the latter's way of ruling, manner of treating his subjects and reminding the emperor that he had failed to abide by his promises and committments.

The Zafarnama has been translated from the original Persian to Hindi by Mr Jivan Jot Singh Anand and is in peotry form.

UNI