Mithr

I read it at night and nothing happens to me. It's a very powerful bani. It can be done at anytime in my opinion. Even if Chandi devi were to appear, she woudn't hurt a Singh. She only hurts evil Rakshas/Daints/Danavs. I think she would be a friend of Singhs.

The Vidya Sagar was a collection of Granths that Guru Jee had written or had translated. This included a translation of Mahabharat, Ramayan various other Indic Granths into the language for the common man. Most was drowned in the river. Chandi Di Vaar for example is a translation of Markhandya Puraan, and Krishna Avtar is a translation of parts of Sri Mad Bhagwatam. Similarly, if all of Vidya Sagar was not drowned today we would have had the Mahabharat and Ramayan written by Dasam Patishah in the Khalsa perpective. What a great loss is was. Maybe in the future these Granths can be found if additional copies were written.

Chandi Di Vaar isn't such a difficult Bani to memorise. It's no larger that Japjee Sahib, and since it is in pure Punjabi language, it is also easy to understand. It's one of the easiest Banis to get KanTh. So try to KanTh it instead.

The Gita truelly is an amazing work to read. It gives such a deep understanding of the self. It puts everything in context. The Upanishads are also a must read.

The Abrahamic religions like Islam(Sunnis), Christianity(Catholics, American Christianity) seem to always make us fear God. While Indic Bhakti cults, Sufi cults, Sikhi shows us to love God with all our hearts. I think that PremaBhagti is the way to go. Jin Prem Kio, Tin Hi Prabh Payo.

If you read Sufi poetry by the likes of Rumi, Baba Farid Jee, Bulle Shah you get the message of love, same with Bhagti cults like Gaudiya Matt of Sri Chaitanya whose message is very similar to Sikhi(in my opinion). He also preaches PremeBhagti.

Our way is that of love. But at the same time I think that fear for God and only God should also exist, just as a dog(kookar) fears yet loves his master. Only through Prema Bhagti can we get Charan Kamal of our master Vaheguru.

Well, I should have added that with the exception of Punjabis/North Indians, rest of the Indians are usually slim people. Punjabis being more inclined towards being overweight. You guys all know what i'm talking about. Most of our youth are overweight. It's no secret.

Also, the Gianis, Yogi Bhajjan were all originally slim people when they were young. So they had alot of practice sitting down before they began getting fat. Fat for some reason, makes our joints hurt more when sitting down for long periods of time. As a result when a fat person who has no prior experience of sitting for long periods of time starts to sit down cross legged, their joints start hurting.

I'm speaking from my own experience. A few years ago, I was over weight. But I began jogging everday, lifting weights, doing sit ups and now after losing weight and gaining muscle I can sit for longer periods of time then when I was over weight. Also fat makes us more 'sust' (lazy).

Another thing I want to add is that it is easier for a slim person to wake up at amrit vela then a fat person. Again this is from my own personal experience. Personally speaking, I don't have anymore joint pains and it's more easier for me to wake up at amritvela.

Silence as I've always thought of it that Gurmat is close to Madhva's Dvait Vedant as opposed to Shankara's Advait Vedant. I don't think that the Atmaa was ever created, nor can it be destroyed, that is what Bhai Randhir Singh said to Bhagat Singh wasn't it? In my understanding, Atmaa is not Vaheguru, but it is of the same substance(for lack of a better word) as Parmatma.

I wish I could sit to 3 hours. But as Pheena jee mentioned, sitting on something elevating you, like 1 inch can really help a great deal. Also losing weight helps alot. The more fat you have, the harder it is to sit in a asan because the back, legs start hurting. Most yogis, sadhus are slim people. I rarely have seen over weight yogis and sadhus. So losing a weight is a must.

Chatanga, Veer the way I think of it is that, the fact that people who do Laanati stuff like Len-Dhen, Dhaaj, Lachar Ganay, serve alcohol at marriages yet are also allowed to carry out the Holy ceremony of the Anand Karaj is an insult to Guru Maharaj. Call me a fanatic, but why the hell are these people who obviously dont respect the Guru's way allowed to do marriage in a Anand Karaj when they are going to do all these things in there marriage? That's an insult to the Anand Karaj. They should be doing the old vedi agni style marriages as far as I'm concearned.

At least the Namdharis dont do any of that stuff in their marriages. They keep it simple just the way Baba Ram Singh Jee told them to do it.

Infact, the saddest thing is anyone who doesn't do Len-Dhen, Dhaaj, Lachar Ganay, serve alcohol in their marriage is considered a person with very low wordly standard by our Laanati Samaaj

We may not agree with Namdharis 100% in some things, but I give them credit where they deserve it over us. They are more Pakkay to their Rehet then we are to ours. They deserve a pat on the back for that.

For a person in Kaliyug not being a womaniser is a pretty big thing. Many Sants, Sadhus have given into Kaam. It's only natural when you have so many women devotees who serve you with full faith. Under normal circumstances any man might actually give in to temptation. We all know Bhai Ranjit Singh Dandariawala is no high avasthaa wala Gursikh. In fact my personal opinion is that his spiritual state is about the same as the average Raagi/Kirtani. He is very young right now. He is at an age when men feel a lot of kaam and being in the position he is in, it's very easy to give in to temptation. Yet despite all complaints against him, I have never heard of him being involved in a sexual scandal.

For a young man with no extra ordinary spiritual state, yet not having sexual scandals is worthy of respect. All he really does is just kirtan and tell some nice Dharmic stories. If such actions brings people into doing more Paath, increase Shardhaa, then I see nothing wrong. Of course the problem arises when his Chele and the average people began making him out to be a super human Brahmgiani. In fact, I remember some people a few years ago even going to the extent of claiming that he might be a reincarnation of Sant Jernail Singh Jee Bhindrawalay. In the end he could not live up to people’s expectations of him.

The problem is not Ranjit Singh Dandriawala, the problem is people. Punjabi people start giving Brahmgiani status to just about anyone with the word Sant attached to their name. They don’t realise that term can’t just be used for anyone. Men like the Bhindrawala Sants like Sant Gurbachan Singh Jee, Sant Kartar Singh Jee, Sant Jarnail Singh Jee or even Sants of other groups like Baba Bir Singh Naurangabad, Baba Karam Singh Jee Hotimardan, Sant Attar Singh Jee Mastuanay, Sant Ishar Singh Jee, Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Jee. These great men were Brahmgianis. I just can’t imagine placing any tom dick and harry into that divine category men. But our people still do, and that’s where the problem begins.

At the same time, I believe that people can be of very high spiritual states yet still not be a Brahmgiani. That is what we need to understand. Coming back to the point, Ranjit Singh Dandriawala is not a bad person. He’s not perfect, but he’s not a bad person. For people of a certain mental level he actually brings people into Sikhi.

Good point by Shaheediya. Just as water can be transformed into Amrit by the Panj who recite the 5 banis infront of it, Kara can be transformed into Parshad by the touch of a Sarbloh Kirpan similarly I don't see why water cannot be transformed into something more by reciting Bani next to it. It's all to do with Shardha at the end of the day. I also beleive that the Sarover at Harimandir Sahib is no ordinary water. It's my beleif that taking Ishnaan in that Sarovar is not some empty ritual.

Gurbani is Mantar Roop. Many Mahpursh repeatedly recite shabds like a Mantar. Recently many modern thinking Sikhs such as Kala Afghanist, missionaries etc discourage repetitive recitation of Shabds. They discourage Sikhs from doing it by ridiculing it as being too Hindu or by calling it tota raTnaa. This new movement within Sikhs is similar to the Wahabi movement of the Muslims who also make it their goal to discard anything they see as being "un Islamic", which includes doing Zikr of Gods names or repatitive recitation of Quranic verses.

This new movement within religions around the world with people thinking with too much logic is actually damaging religions than making it better. Firstly it destroys people's Shardaa for their Dharm. With less Sharda comes the down fall of your jeevan.

I know a guy long ago who had alot of Sharda for Sikhi. He was an Amritdhari with a long flowing beard. But later on he started reading Sikh missionary books. Sikh missionaries always promote too much logical thinking rather than Sharda. Soon he started analysing everything like a scientist when it came to matters of faith. It wasn't long before the guy cut his hair because the Sharda inside him was almost dead.

Many Mahpursh like Sant Jagjit Singh Harkhowalwalay encourage people to do many Paaths of Japji Sahib a day. These spiritual masters themselves have practical spiritual experience that people like us don't have. Yet we also have many worldly logical thinking Sikh missionary leaders who discourage it. Recently some big hot shot Sikh missionary guy from Gurdaspur is doing alot of Parchar against people who do too much paaths of Japji Sahib or Sukhmani Sahib or just Shabds.

Point is, matters of faith sometimes require Sharda rather then worldly logical thinking. Ideally we need to think with Sharda plus logical thinking. But that logical thinking should be based on Sikh traditions. By Sikh traditions I mean examples and traditions of the Gurus, great Sikh Mahpursh. Even the example of the Bhaggats of Kaliyug and of previous yugs (whose names are mentioned in Gurbani) are to be followed as exampliary Saints.

The Abrahamic religions like Islam(Sunnis), Christianity(Catholics, American Christianity) seem to always make us fear God. While Indic Bhakti cults, Sufi cults, Sikhi shows us to love God with all our hearts. I think that PremaBhagti is the way to go. Jin Prem Kio, Tin Hi Prabh Payo.

If you read Sufi poetry by the likes of Rumi, Baba Farid Jee, Bulle Shah you get the message of love, same with Bhagti cults like Gaudiya Matt of Sri Chaitanya whose message is very similar to Sikhi(in my opinion). He also preaches PremeBhagti.

Our way is that of love. But at the same time I think that fear for God and only God should also exist, just as a dog(kookar) fears yet loves his master. Only through Prema Bhagti can we get Charan Kamal of our master Vaheguru.