OnPathToSikhi

What makes you think otherwise? You seem to be rationalizing from a battle warriors perspective. We are taking about 'Saint Soldiers' here not your typical 'brave soldiers'. These were the Singhs who had conquered death ... without ego. Perhaps not something that our puny boxed minds can comprehend.

Sikhs' root is SGGS.  Many have tried to extinguish Sikhism, and many more will try unsuccessfully.  Since the root cannot be destroyed, Sikhs will keep sprouting out of it.  Any Sikh who is connected with SGGS remains in chardi kala.
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh

Happy Vaisakhi to everyone !!!

Happy Khalsa Sirjana Divas
Dhan Dhan Dhan Bajjanwale Satguru jee.
 
Bhul chuk maaf

Happy Vasaikhi everyone!

Happy Vaisakhi Sangat Ji

Happy Vaisakhi to all
ਸ੍ਵੈਯਾ
ਗਨ ਮੰਗਲ ਕ ਗੁਰ ਮੰਗਲ ਰੂਪ, ਮਹਾਂ ਉਤਸ਼ਾਹਨਿ ਕੇ ਉਤਸ਼ਾਹੂ ।
ਸਭਿ ਤੇਜਨਿ ਕੇ ਅਤਿ ਤੇਜ ਦਿਪੈਂ, ਸਭਿ ੳਜਨ ੳਜ, ਗਰੂਰਨਿ ਗਾਹੂ ।
ਸ਼ੁਭ ਆਦਿ ਮ੍ਰਿਜਾਦ ਟਿਕਾਵਨਿ ਕੋ, ਬਿਗਸਾਵਨਿ ਸੰਤਨਿ ਕੋ, ਰਿਪੁ ਦਾਹੂ ।
ਤੁਰਕਾਨਿ ਤਰੂ ਜਰ ਨਾਸ਼ਨਿ ਕੋ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਉਦਾਰ ਲਯੋ ਜਗ ਮਾਂਹੂ ।।੧।।
[Guru Gobind Singh Ji] is the bliss within all bliss, the greatest inspiration out of all inspiration.
[Their] glory shines brighter than all others, the greatest power out of all powerful beings and the destoryer of the egotistical.
[Guru Gobind Singh Ji] lays down the primordial [aad] pure way of life, gives bliss to saints, and destroys the enemies.
[Guru Gobind Singh Ji] is the destroyer of the roots of the tree of the Turks, has taken the highest avtar [birth/manifestation] in this world. (1)
ਸਰਦੂਲ ਕਿ ਤੂਲ ਅਭੂਲ ਭਏ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਕੂਲ ਨਦੀ ਗਿਰ ਰਾਜਨਿ ਕੋ ।
ਹਿੰਦਵਾਇਨ ਤੀਰਥ ਪਾਵਨ ਕੋ ਥਿਰਤਾਵਨ ਕੋ ਅਘ ਮਾਂਜਨ ਕੋ ।
ਸਰਬੋਤਮ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਪੰਥ ਸਤੇਜ ਅਮੇਜ ਹ੍ਵੈ ਆਪ ਹੀ ਸਾਜਨ ਕੋ ।
ਕਵਿ ਸਿੰਘ ਕਹੈ ਅਵਿਤਾਰ ਭਯੋ ਹਮ ਜੈਸੇ ਗਰੀਬ ਨਿਵਾਜਨ ਕੋ ।।੨।।
[Guru Gobind Singh Ji] walked like a lion against the flow of the river of hate of the Hill Kings, You did not make the mistake of the tree and passively stay seated.
You are the purifier of the tiraths [pilgrimages] of the Hindus, You made [existence of] Hindu [Dharam] stable, and You are the destroyer of sins !
The highest order, the Khalsa Panth, was created by You ! You did not stay separate from the Panth, You became apart of it [the Khalsa] Yourself !
Kavi Santhok Singh says, Guru Gobind Singh Ji took avatar [birth/manifestation] to give glory to the meek, like us! (2)

250 years on, Battle of Panipat revisited
January 13, 2011 16:55 IST Colonel (Dr) Anil Athale (retd) recalls how the Battle of Panipat, 250 years ago, changed the history of the Indian subcontinent for the next century and half.
 
The doyen in the field of military history, Dr Srinandan Prasad underscored the importance of this field. According to him, wars are an acid test of the economic, social, technological and moral strength of a nation. On the other hand the result of wars affects all fields of human endeavour. History of nations can well be understood as history of its wars. On this score other than the exception of Shivaji and Ranjit Singh, Indian history is a succession of military defeats.
 
The events of January 1761 were momentous and had its impact for the next century and a half. The freedom that Indians lost was only regained in 1947. It is an event that needs to be studied and remembered even after 250 years since modern India again faces a similar Af-Pak threat.
 
The invasion of Nadir Shah of Iran in 1740 forced the Marathas to consider the strategic importance of Punjab. The Marathas were at the same time also involved in fighting in the south in Karnataka and against the Nizam whose capital then was at Aurangabad. Both these theatres of war were on an average 1,000 miles away from Maharashtra. The 1750s saw them over stretching in fighting in far flung areas.
The discord with the Rajputs meant a loss of potential allies as well as a secure base close to Delhi. The loyalties of various Mughal nobles were always suspect as most of them disliked the overlordship of the Marathas. When the Marathas took on the might of Abdali, the King of Afghanistan, it was a decisive moment in the Indian history. The Marathas not only had the plans to defeat Abdali but also wanted to move on to Bengal to reduce the growing British power there.  
 
The Marathas had committed several policy blunders in the preceding years. Right from the time of Shivaji, friendship with Rajputs was a constant in Maratha policy. But in the 1750s, they got involved in the internal fights of the Rajputs and played one side against the other. Maharaj Surajmal Jat was a staunch Maratha ally. But when he demanded to be made governor of Delhi, the Marathas preferred the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja ud Daulla. His 50,000 strong cavalry was thought to be a greater asset. The fact that he was Shia and wary of Sunni Afghans, made the Marathas rely on him. But in the event Abadali lured him to his side by invoking Islamic solidarity.
The Sikhs under various 'Misals' (fighting groups) were similarly well disposed towards the Marathas. But the overconfident Marathas ignored them. Thus at Panipat, the Marathas who were fighting for India, nearly thousand miles away from their home base, found themselves lonely and friendless. Faulty Maratha diplomacy was largely responsible for this mess and the blame goes directly to the Peshwa or the prime minister of the Marathas.
On 14 April, Sadashivrao Bhau left Poona on his way to Delhi with the bulk of Huzurat or the Peshwa's army. The fighting strength of the army was around 50,000. Nearly three times that number also accompanied as followers. Most of the experienced soldiers like Mehendale, Samsherbahadur, Winchurkar, Pawar, Gaikwar of Baroda and Mankeshwar went with this force.
A major addition was the French-trained infantry of Ibrahim Khan Gardi that had a strength of 8,000 men armed with the latest French-made rifles. Gardi had an artillery park of 200 excellent guns and also war rockets. Many Goans, Portuguese and some western mercenaries manned the artillery. In May and June on reaching Agra, Malharao Holkar and Jankoji Shinde joined the Maratha army with their cavalry. By the time the Marathas reached Delhi the strength of their army had swelled to nearly 2 lakhs.
It was a confident Maratha army that embarked on this venture. The Maratha war aims were to re-establish their domination in Delhi and deal with the Afghan threat. In addition the Peshwa had also instructed Bhau that after settling Delhi, he was to proceed to Bengal to reduce the British power there.
The Marathas were treaty-bound to come to the aid of Mughal Emperor. In Delhi itself however the Marathas had very few friends. Most Mughal courtiers resented the Maratha domination and some like Najib Khan were instrumental in inviting Abdali.
In a similar way, in 1739, it was the Mughlal politicians that had invited Nadir Shah of Iran. Nadir Shah made no distinction between the Hindus and Muslims in looting and walked away with the Mughal Emperor's peacock throne and the Kohinoor diamond besides other goods worth Rs 100 crore. Despite this past, the hatred of Marathas proved stronger than common sense.
Abdali had invaded India not merely for loot but dreamt of establishing Afghan supremacy in place of the Mughals in Delhi. In this the Rohillas, people of Afghan descent living north of Delhi were fully on his side. The local support to Abdali was to prove crucial in the end.
On August 2, 1761, the Marathas entered Delhi and captured it after only slight resistance.
Between August and October 1760 negotiations continued between Abdali and the Marathas. Abdali wanted control over Punjab right upto Sirhind. The Marathas were not prepared to concede the rich province to him. All this while the Afghan army remained across Jamuna while the Marathas remained at Delhi. In October the Marathas marched north of Delhi and reduced the fort at Kunjpura to dust. Qutub Shah, the Afghan general defending the fort was killed so were nearly 10,000 Afghans. Qutub Shah's severed head was paraded by the Marathas in vengeance for the death of Dattaji Scindia.
Abdali was shaken up by the loss of Kunjpura and the bitterness generated by Qutub Shah's death made peace virtually impossible. While Bhau was thus engaged in the north, on October 25, Abdali crossed the Jamuna near Bhagpat and located himself between the Marathas at Kunjpura and their rear in Delhi.
Bhau had initially planned to advance further north and get in touch with the Sikhs. But the move of the Afghans caught him by surprise and he turned back towards Delhi. On reaching the plains of Panipat, he found his path to Delhi blocked by Abdali camped to his south. The opportunity to attack the Afghan army while it crossed the river had already passed. The Maratha army entrenched near Panipat, blocking the road to Afghanistan. Govindpant Bundele, a Maratha general with long experience in the north, was allotted the task of cutting off the supplies of Abdali.
The two armies entrenched themselves in the vicinity of Panipat, the Marathas blocking Abdali's route to Afghanistan and he in turn blocked the Maratha route to Delhi and down south. A war now became inevitable. In the initial period the Marathas were successful in cutting off supplies to the Afghan army and appeared to be in a better position.
  On December 17, Govindpant Bundele, the experienced general in charge of procuring supplies to the Maratha army, was killed in an encounter. After this the Maratha supply position deteriorated rapidly. All the valuables in the camp were collected and sold to get food. The countryside around Panipat was dominated by Muslims of Afghan descent further complicated the problem of supplies for the Marathas. Soon the horses of the famed Maratha cavalry began dying of starvation. Bhau's essentially sound strategy of waiting for Abdali to attack his entrenched position and then destroy him with his artillery failed due to the problem of logistics.
The Marathas were unwise to carry a large number of non-combatants including wives along with them. This proved a severe handicap as it not only slowed down the movement of the army but also put extra burden on the supplies. A large part of the fighting strength had to be diverted to protecting the camp. The Maratha morale was however still very high and an attack in December offered the best hope. This was not to be and Bhau waited till January 14, 1761. Finally he was forced to battle as the Marathas could take the starvation no more and begged him to finish the agony once and for all. It was this army weakened by starvation that fought the decisive battle of Panipat.
On January 14, the Maratha army in a huge square formation began slowly moving south towards Delhi. The aim of the Marathas was to fight through the Afghan army to Delhi and safety. The Marathas battle array perforce had to keep a sizeable number of troops to guard the rear. The Marathas had formed a rough sphere with guns in front defended by infantry and cavalry. The aim of this formation was to keep the guns free to engage the enemy.
While Ibrahim Khan and his trained Gardis were familiar with these tactics the cavalry oriented Maratha armies of other generals were not. The ferocity of the Maratha attack in the early phase was such that the Afghans reeled under it and began running away. The Maratha artillery and rockets took a heavy toll of the enemy. It was at this juncture around mid-day that confusion occurred when the dismounted Maratha cavalry troopers left their position and masked the fire of guns. This proved fatal and Afghans regained their footing.
At this time a bullet hit Vishwasrao, the eldest son of the Peshwa. Bhau at this stage lost his cool and left his elephant and joined hand to hand combat. Rumours of leader's death set panic wave in the Marathas. At this crucial moment, Abdali unleashed his reserves of 12,000 chosen cavalry that attacked and broke the centre of the Maratha army.
A near victory now turned into a rout and Marathas began running in the direction of Delhi. A fearful slaughter took place and the Marathas were completely routed. The Afghan casualties were also very heavy and soon after the battle Abdali quickly left for Afghanistan.
On his way his army suffered heavily due to the attacks by Sikhs. In battle of Govindwal the Sikhs rescued many Maratha prisoners who were being carried off to Afghanistan as slaves. Many widows never came back and instead married Sikh soldiers. Many Marathas instead of coming back to Maharashtra went to the hills of north and settled there. In all the Maratha losses were put at 22 generals and nearly 1 lakh soldiers. The estimated population of Maharashtra at that time was around 80 lakh and it was indeed a heavy blow and flower of the youth of one whole generation perished at Panipat.
There was scarcely a home in Maharashtra that did not lose at least one member of its family at Panipat.
The battle of Panipat was a turning point in the history of not only Marathas but whole of India. A British historian writing about this battle has opined that but for this defeat' whole of India would have been 'Marathaised'.
Panipat was the first major battle that Marathas fought with reliance on artillery and fire-arms based infantry. The defeat at Panipat discredited this form of war and Maratha armies again reverted back to cavalry mode of fighting. The Maratha faith in efficacy of guns was shaken up so thoroughly that in many future battles with the British, they never hesitated to abandon the guns.
The Maratha defeat at Panipat can be primarily attributed to their failure to harmonise the cavalry mode of warfare with the drilled infantry and artillery based set piece battles. This problem was to plague the Marathas for long time to come.
Politically the Maratha loss was not felt for very long as they soon recovered and re-established themselves at Delhi. The Marathas however never again attempted to control Punjab and their western frontier remained on the Sutlej river for a long time. The Sikhs were other beneficiaries of the battle of Panipat. The weakened Afghans could no longer hold Punjab and soon a powerful Sikh state came up and ruled from Lahore.
The Marathas fought at Panipat for a national cause. Their failure to defend India left a deep psychological impact on them. The ideal of Hindavi Swarajya and aim to dominate the entire country was given up.
Panipat inculcated a kind of diffidence in the Maratha psyche that brought in defeatist mentality when it came to a really great contest. The tendency now on was to retreat in good time rather than risk everything on an uncertain prospect. This caution that can be seen in many later day battles can be directly traced back to the happenings at Panipat. Panipat was a major national trauma and never again were the Marathas to repeat the daring feat of Bajirao the first and his dash to Delhi. Most post Panipat wars fought by the Marathas were defensive wars. The offensive spirit of the Marathas was the biggest casualty at Panipat.
The disaster of Panipat took place mainly due to bad politics on part of the Marathas.  The lessons from Shivaji's time were forgotten and Marathas fought simultaneously both in the south as well as in the north. Half the Maratha army was in south when the life and death struggle was being fought at Panipat. The Rajputs were alienated, the Jats spurned and Sikhs underestimated. With even one of these as allies, Panipat would never have taken place.
Unfortunately this lesson was never learnt and even in the fight against the British the Marathas fought alone except in 1804 when Holkar took the help of Jats of Bharatpore and defeated the British.
Colonel (Dr.) Anil Athale studied Maratha history as first Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses fellow in military history between 1991 -1996.
 
Colonel (Dr) Anil Athale (retd)

250 years on, Battle of Panipat revisited
January 13, 2011 16:55 IST Colonel (Dr) Anil Athale (retd) recalls how the Battle of Panipat, 250 years ago, changed the history of the Indian subcontinent for the next century and half.
 
The doyen in the field of military history, Dr Srinandan Prasad underscored the importance of this field. According to him, wars are an acid test of the economic, social, technological and moral strength of a nation. On the other hand the result of wars affects all fields of human endeavour. History of nations can well be understood as history of its wars. On this score other than the exception of Shivaji and Ranjit Singh, Indian history is a succession of military defeats.
 
The events of January 1761 were momentous and had its impact for the next century and a half. The freedom that Indians lost was only regained in 1947. It is an event that needs to be studied and remembered even after 250 years since modern India again faces a similar Af-Pak threat.
 
The invasion of Nadir Shah of Iran in 1740 forced the Marathas to consider the strategic importance of Punjab. The Marathas were at the same time also involved in fighting in the south in Karnataka and against the Nizam whose capital then was at Aurangabad. Both these theatres of war were on an average 1,000 miles away from Maharashtra. The 1750s saw them over stretching in fighting in far flung areas.
The discord with the Rajputs meant a loss of potential allies as well as a secure base close to Delhi. The loyalties of various Mughal nobles were always suspect as most of them disliked the overlordship of the Marathas. When the Marathas took on the might of Abdali, the King of Afghanistan, it was a decisive moment in the Indian history. The Marathas not only had the plans to defeat Abdali but also wanted to move on to Bengal to reduce the growing British power there.  
 
The Marathas had committed several policy blunders in the preceding years. Right from the time of Shivaji, friendship with Rajputs was a constant in Maratha policy. But in the 1750s, they got involved in the internal fights of the Rajputs and played one side against the other. Maharaj Surajmal Jat was a staunch Maratha ally. But when he demanded to be made governor of Delhi, the Marathas preferred the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja ud Daulla. His 50,000 strong cavalry was thought to be a greater asset. The fact that he was Shia and wary of Sunni Afghans, made the Marathas rely on him. But in the event Abadali lured him to his side by invoking Islamic solidarity.
The Sikhs under various 'Misals' (fighting groups) were similarly well disposed towards the Marathas. But the overconfident Marathas ignored them. Thus at Panipat, the Marathas who were fighting for India, nearly thousand miles away from their home base, found themselves lonely and friendless. Faulty Maratha diplomacy was largely responsible for this mess and the blame goes directly to the Peshwa or the prime minister of the Marathas.
On 14 April, Sadashivrao Bhau left Poona on his way to Delhi with the bulk of Huzurat or the Peshwa's army. The fighting strength of the army was around 50,000. Nearly three times that number also accompanied as followers. Most of the experienced soldiers like Mehendale, Samsherbahadur, Winchurkar, Pawar, Gaikwar of Baroda and Mankeshwar went with this force.
A major addition was the French-trained infantry of Ibrahim Khan Gardi that had a strength of 8,000 men armed with the latest French-made rifles. Gardi had an artillery park of 200 excellent guns and also war rockets. Many Goans, Portuguese and some western mercenaries manned the artillery. In May and June on reaching Agra, Malharao Holkar and Jankoji Shinde joined the Maratha army with their cavalry. By the time the Marathas reached Delhi the strength of their army had swelled to nearly 2 lakhs.
It was a confident Maratha army that embarked on this venture. The Maratha war aims were to re-establish their domination in Delhi and deal with the Afghan threat. In addition the Peshwa had also instructed Bhau that after settling Delhi, he was to proceed to Bengal to reduce the British power there.
The Marathas were treaty-bound to come to the aid of Mughal Emperor. In Delhi itself however the Marathas had very few friends. Most Mughal courtiers resented the Maratha domination and some like Najib Khan were instrumental in inviting Abdali.
In a similar way, in 1739, it was the Mughlal politicians that had invited Nadir Shah of Iran. Nadir Shah made no distinction between the Hindus and Muslims in looting and walked away with the Mughal Emperor's peacock throne and the Kohinoor diamond besides other goods worth Rs 100 crore. Despite this past, the hatred of Marathas proved stronger than common sense.
Abdali had invaded India not merely for loot but dreamt of establishing Afghan supremacy in place of the Mughals in Delhi. In this the Rohillas, people of Afghan descent living north of Delhi were fully on his side. The local support to Abdali was to prove crucial in the end.
On August 2, 1761, the Marathas entered Delhi and captured it after only slight resistance.
Between August and October 1760 negotiations continued between Abdali and the Marathas. Abdali wanted control over Punjab right upto Sirhind. The Marathas were not prepared to concede the rich province to him. All this while the Afghan army remained across Jamuna while the Marathas remained at Delhi. In October the Marathas marched north of Delhi and reduced the fort at Kunjpura to dust. Qutub Shah, the Afghan general defending the fort was killed so were nearly 10,000 Afghans. Qutub Shah's severed head was paraded by the Marathas in vengeance for the death of Dattaji Scindia.
Abdali was shaken up by the loss of Kunjpura and the bitterness generated by Qutub Shah's death made peace virtually impossible. While Bhau was thus engaged in the north, on October 25, Abdali crossed the Jamuna near Bhagpat and located himself between the Marathas at Kunjpura and their rear in Delhi.
Bhau had initially planned to advance further north and get in touch with the Sikhs. But the move of the Afghans caught him by surprise and he turned back towards Delhi. On reaching the plains of Panipat, he found his path to Delhi blocked by Abdali camped to his south. The opportunity to attack the Afghan army while it crossed the river had already passed. The Maratha army entrenched near Panipat, blocking the road to Afghanistan. Govindpant Bundele, a Maratha general with long experience in the north, was allotted the task of cutting off the supplies of Abdali.
The two armies entrenched themselves in the vicinity of Panipat, the Marathas blocking Abdali's route to Afghanistan and he in turn blocked the Maratha route to Delhi and down south. A war now became inevitable. In the initial period the Marathas were successful in cutting off supplies to the Afghan army and appeared to be in a better position.
  On December 17, Govindpant Bundele, the experienced general in charge of procuring supplies to the Maratha army, was killed in an encounter. After this the Maratha supply position deteriorated rapidly. All the valuables in the camp were collected and sold to get food. The countryside around Panipat was dominated by Muslims of Afghan descent further complicated the problem of supplies for the Marathas. Soon the horses of the famed Maratha cavalry began dying of starvation. Bhau's essentially sound strategy of waiting for Abdali to attack his entrenched position and then destroy him with his artillery failed due to the problem of logistics.
The Marathas were unwise to carry a large number of non-combatants including wives along with them. This proved a severe handicap as it not only slowed down the movement of the army but also put extra burden on the supplies. A large part of the fighting strength had to be diverted to protecting the camp. The Maratha morale was however still very high and an attack in December offered the best hope. This was not to be and Bhau waited till January 14, 1761. Finally he was forced to battle as the Marathas could take the starvation no more and begged him to finish the agony once and for all. It was this army weakened by starvation that fought the decisive battle of Panipat.
On January 14, the Maratha army in a huge square formation began slowly moving south towards Delhi. The aim of the Marathas was to fight through the Afghan army to Delhi and safety. The Marathas battle array perforce had to keep a sizeable number of troops to guard the rear. The Marathas had formed a rough sphere with guns in front defended by infantry and cavalry. The aim of this formation was to keep the guns free to engage the enemy.
While Ibrahim Khan and his trained Gardis were familiar with these tactics the cavalry oriented Maratha armies of other generals were not. The ferocity of the Maratha attack in the early phase was such that the Afghans reeled under it and began running away. The Maratha artillery and rockets took a heavy toll of the enemy. It was at this juncture around mid-day that confusion occurred when the dismounted Maratha cavalry troopers left their position and masked the fire of guns. This proved fatal and Afghans regained their footing.
At this time a bullet hit Vishwasrao, the eldest son of the Peshwa. Bhau at this stage lost his cool and left his elephant and joined hand to hand combat. Rumours of leader's death set panic wave in the Marathas. At this crucial moment, Abdali unleashed his reserves of 12,000 chosen cavalry that attacked and broke the centre of the Maratha army.
A near victory now turned into a rout and Marathas began running in the direction of Delhi. A fearful slaughter took place and the Marathas were completely routed. The Afghan casualties were also very heavy and soon after the battle Abdali quickly left for Afghanistan.
On his way his army suffered heavily due to the attacks by Sikhs. In battle of Govindwal the Sikhs rescued many Maratha prisoners who were being carried off to Afghanistan as slaves. Many widows never came back and instead married Sikh soldiers. Many Marathas instead of coming back to Maharashtra went to the hills of north and settled there. In all the Maratha losses were put at 22 generals and nearly 1 lakh soldiers. The estimated population of Maharashtra at that time was around 80 lakh and it was indeed a heavy blow and flower of the youth of one whole generation perished at Panipat.
There was scarcely a home in Maharashtra that did not lose at least one member of its family at Panipat.
The battle of Panipat was a turning point in the history of not only Marathas but whole of India. A British historian writing about this battle has opined that but for this defeat' whole of India would have been 'Marathaised'.
Panipat was the first major battle that Marathas fought with reliance on artillery and fire-arms based infantry. The defeat at Panipat discredited this form of war and Maratha armies again reverted back to cavalry mode of fighting. The Maratha faith in efficacy of guns was shaken up so thoroughly that in many future battles with the British, they never hesitated to abandon the guns.
The Maratha defeat at Panipat can be primarily attributed to their failure to harmonise the cavalry mode of warfare with the drilled infantry and artillery based set piece battles. This problem was to plague the Marathas for long time to come.
Politically the Maratha loss was not felt for very long as they soon recovered and re-established themselves at Delhi. The Marathas however never again attempted to control Punjab and their western frontier remained on the Sutlej river for a long time. The Sikhs were other beneficiaries of the battle of Panipat. The weakened Afghans could no longer hold Punjab and soon a powerful Sikh state came up and ruled from Lahore.
The Marathas fought at Panipat for a national cause. Their failure to defend India left a deep psychological impact on them. The ideal of Hindavi Swarajya and aim to dominate the entire country was given up.
Panipat inculcated a kind of diffidence in the Maratha psyche that brought in defeatist mentality when it came to a really great contest. The tendency now on was to retreat in good time rather than risk everything on an uncertain prospect. This caution that can be seen in many later day battles can be directly traced back to the happenings at Panipat. Panipat was a major national trauma and never again were the Marathas to repeat the daring feat of Bajirao the first and his dash to Delhi. Most post Panipat wars fought by the Marathas were defensive wars. The offensive spirit of the Marathas was the biggest casualty at Panipat.
The disaster of Panipat took place mainly due to bad politics on part of the Marathas.  The lessons from Shivaji's time were forgotten and Marathas fought simultaneously both in the south as well as in the north. Half the Maratha army was in south when the life and death struggle was being fought at Panipat. The Rajputs were alienated, the Jats spurned and Sikhs underestimated. With even one of these as allies, Panipat would never have taken place.
Unfortunately this lesson was never learnt and even in the fight against the British the Marathas fought alone except in 1804 when Holkar took the help of Jats of Bharatpore and defeated the British.
Colonel (Dr.) Anil Athale studied Maratha history as first Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses fellow in military history between 1991 -1996.
 
Colonel (Dr) Anil Athale (retd)

I feel for you bro... 
Don't assume people will not understand as if you open up people may share a little bit about them-self which will make you realise thats things could be a lot worse. 
I've also been in a position where i couldn't get a job and sitting at home with law degree. It got to a point where i started working on construction sites and doing driving jobs (needed the money) i lost all hope in terms of career, but i've never been a career minded person..Its only recently that i got an 'office' job and this was simply because i looked at another direction in terms of career. You may want to consider other options interms of your career. (i know this will be very hard)
Being in a dark times can be a blessing in disguise (people used to piss me off when they would say that to me, but its true), you will find out who is really there for you. My nani would always say to me 'it's not important for you to be around people in their happy times but make sure you are there for them in their sad times.'  
On more practical level, stick to your bani and consider doing some jaap's of manters you are familiar with. (get digital counter) Most will say do sukhmani sahib paath, which is very good but i felt personally dasam bani manters helped me big time(this worked for me, it may not work for you). 
Try not staying home all day, this is mentally draining, even if you go for hour walk in morning and hour at night. carry on training...don't stop this!!
If you can do some voluntary work, (or any work), its good just to be out and interacting with other people.
If you don't mind me asking, are your parents supportive of your situation...when i started working on sites my dad couldn't accept the fact that i was doing a laborers job with a degree..lol. we clashed a lot. But a job is a job.
You will get through this like a' babbar sher'..lol..........Keep your head up bro..

I'm not supposed to enter this thread but I saw how dally posted in it I will only post once as well. 
 
Satkiran for two years you have been asking these same questions over and over. In these two years you could have progressed in your bhagti but did you? No you didn't. You kept on making these trivial threads over and over again. Did it not once occur to you that if you did bhagti the answers would have come to you on their own? That Akaal purkh may have given you the answers? Now your asking Amardeep questions and he is responding but in the end you will not be satisfied because there will still be a doubt in your mind. Amardeep is giving answers which is good and all but what if his answers are wrong(hey Amardeep I'm not saying your right or wrong. I'm just giving an example)? For he too is a man and men make mistakes! That doubt will always be with you. There are people who won't ever conform to your ideology such as paapiman and many others because they are in their ways and you cannot accept the fact that they follow something you don't preach. Then ultimately you will keep on wondering why do they still believe in what they believe in. Maybe they could be right? You show them Amardeep's answers but nobody will actually pay them any heed except people who have your ideology. Then after you will try finding answers to justify your position again and again but the outcome will be the same in the end. You will still have doubts.
I will give you one answer that will lead you to all answers. It will only work if you actually do it. 
Stop wasting time discussing trivial matter such as these and start doing bhagti. Stop wasting time on here and do bhagti and the guru will give you answers. That is the only way you can be without doubt.
 
PS: Don't respond back to this post.

I think you are living in your own little world. People have told you over and over again not to put things in their mouths. You connect things that are not connected and then use that as an argument against people. I think its called a straw man in english. You build up a narrative in your own head and then argue with people about why they feel a certain way. But they actually dont feel that way!
 
When people here have respect for samprdayas it is NOT because of the way they view women.. thats YOUR take on it because you seem to center your life on feminism.. So if I tell you im into the samprdayas, then you will find something you dont agree with and make a fuss and drama about me being into the samprdayas due to this one female statement only!! Its bloody weird man and you need to stop it!  People here respect the samprdayas because they reflect a pre-colonial disposition of Sikhi with a heavy regard on oral tradition...... NOBODY HAS MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT WOMEN!! yet you keep hammering on and on and on about them....The puratan samprdayas dont even follow the old rahitname, - they have their own oral traditions which they follow.
Like I said, - you dont understand what people are writing, nor do they understand what you are writing.. bloody kinder garden man!! When people showed you the tuks of Sri Guru Amar Das on women, they did'n mean to say that The Satguru talks ill of women.. They were saying "if you use this kind of arguments against Sri Dasam Granth then why dont you apply the same logic to the Guru Granth Sahib".. Its a way of showing how illogical you are.. Yet you read it as the guys saying Guru Amar Das looked down on women...
And now you're making connections between Rahitanme and Dasam Granth....SERIOSLY??? wtf???? The rehitname for the most part are 2-3 pages long... The Dasam Granth is 1300+ pages long... Stop making weird analogies... I dont know if you have some sort of OCD or something but if you do, please let us know... This is getting really tiring.. Everyone here is tired of having to explain themselves over and over again as well as having to defend themselves of weird allegations you keep making, -putting words in their mouths etc....
 
Pappiman says weird shit at times, - all of us laugh at it from time to time and consider those views as representing only himself.. Yet you take it and blow it out of proportions and make it sound like pappiman is the sole global ambassador of SIkhi - everything he says is true and law!
Give it a rest man..

Do any of you guys view the charitars in deeper spiritual contexts?? ..or maybe I'm going loopy? ;)
Personally, I usually read and try to think of what quality or dhoot is being represented by characters. In most of them, and in this one, the woman could be maya. How maya can sometimes convince you of how loved and great you are and yet at the same time she's fooling you and having you play around in the drama of life. 
Most of dasam bani and Guruji's works are given for us to see the truth in them and NOT to judge them at surface levels on whether men do this, did that or did the story really happen or not. For example, the Ramayan recited in detail is not to endorse whether the myth of ram and sita is true or not, but it's the message.  .. If you look at the whole story carefully, you may see that Ram represents the True Lord in his purest form. When he is born of Das-rath (represents 10 indries), then he is bound in human kapra. Thus falls in love with physical roop/beauty of maya-Mann (when mind is drenched in maya) this is Sita. Remember that SIta is not born of human and comes and dies to the earth of Mother-maya-nature..............you see what I'm getting at?    ... Because I really don't think myths like that were reiterated by Guruji to prove whether the stories took place or not, but were given to knock some truthful messages into us moorakhs.

dhan dhan guru teg bahadur sahib ji.

Bhul chuk maaf

People should try to do jaap of the following verses (from Sri Dasam Granth jee) today.
 
ਤਿਲਕ ਜੰਵੂ ਰਾਖਾ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਤਾ ਕਾ ॥ ਕੀਨੋ ਬਡੋ ਕਲੂ ਮਹਿ ਸਾਕਾ ॥
तिलक जंवू राखा प्रभ ता का ॥ कीनो बडो कलू महि साका ॥
He protected the forehead mark and sacred thread (of the Hindus) which marked a great event in the Iron age.

ਸਾਧਨ ਹੇਤਿ ਇਤੀ ਜਿਨਿ ਕਰੀ ॥ ਸੀਸੁ ਦੀਆ ਪਰ ਸੀ ਨ ਉਚਰੀ ॥੧੩॥
साधन हेति इती जिनि करी ॥ सीसु दीआ पर सी न उचरी ॥१३॥
For the sake of saints, he laid down his head without even a sign.13.

ਧਰਮ ਹੇਤਿ ਸਾਕਾ ਜਿਨਿ ਕੀਆ ॥ ਸੀਸੁ ਦੀਆ ਪਰ ਸਿਰਰੁ ਨ ਦੀਆ ॥
धरम हेति साका जिनि कीआ ॥ सीसु दीआ पर सिररु न दीआ ॥
For the sake of Dharma, he sacrificed himself. He laid down his head but not his creed.

ਨਾਟਕ ਚੇਟਕ ਕੀਏ ਕੁਕਾਜਾ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਲੋਗਨ ਕਹ ਆਵਤ ਲਾਜਾ ॥੧੪॥
नाटक चेटक कीए कुकाजा ॥ प्रभ लोगन कह आवत लाजा ॥१४॥
The saints of the Lord abhor the performance of miracles and malpractices. 14.

ਦੋਹਰਾ ॥
दोहरा ॥
DOHRA

ਠੀਕਰਿ ਫੋਰਿ ਦਿਲੀਸਿ ਸਿਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਪੁਰਿ ਕੀਯਾ ਪਯਾਨ ॥
ठीकरि फोरि दिलीसि सिरि प्रभ पुरि कीया पयान ॥
Breaking the potsherd of his body head of the king of Delhi (Aurangzeb), He left for the abode of the Lord.

ਤੇਗ ਬਹਾਦਰ ਸੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਆ ਕਰੀ ਨ ਕਿਨਹੂੰ ਆਨ ॥੧੫॥
तेग बहादर सी क्रिआ करी न किनहूं आन ॥१५॥
None could perform such a feat as that of Tegh Bahadur.15.

ਤੇਗ ਬਹਾਦਰ ਕੇ ਚਲਤ ਭਯੋ ਜਗਤ ਕੋ ਸੋਕ ॥
तेग बहादर के चलत भयो जगत को सोक ॥
The whole world bemoaned the departure of Tegh Bahadur.

ਹੈ ਹੈ ਹੈ ਸਭ ਜਗ ਭਯੋ ਜੈ ਜੈ ਜੈ ਸੁਰ ਲੋਕਿ ॥੧੬॥
है है है सभ जग भयो जै जै जै सुर लोकि ॥१६॥
Whit the world Iamented, the gods hailed his arrival in heavens.16.
 
Bhul chuk maaf

For those of us on their high horse of pride/ego should ponder on this shabad.
SGGS Ang 224
 
ਗਉੜੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥
Gauree, First Mehl:
 
ਬ੍ਰਹਮੈ ਗਰਬੁ ਕੀਆ ਨਹੀ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥ ਬੇਦ ਕੀ ਬਿਪਤਿ ਪੜੀ ਪਛੁਤਾਨਿਆ ॥
Brahma acted in pride, and did not understand. Only when he was faced with the downfall of the Vedas did he repent.
 
ਜਹ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸਿਮਰੇ ਤਹੀ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ॥੧॥
Remembering God in meditation, the mind is conciliated. ||1||
 
ਐਸਾ ਗਰਬੁ ਬੁਰਾ ਸੰਸਾਰੈ ॥ ਜਿਸੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਤਿਸੁ ਗਰਬੁ ਨਿਵਾਰੈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
Such is the horrible pride of the world.The Guru eliminates the pride of those who meet Him. ||Pause||
 
ਬਲਿ ਰਾਜਾ ਮਾਇਆ ਅਹੰਕਾਰੀ ॥ ਜਗਨ ਕਰੈ ਬਹੁ ਭਾਰ ਅਫਾਰੀ ॥
Bal the King, in Maya and egotism, held his ceremonial feasts, but he was puffed up with pride.
 
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਪੂਛੇ ਜਾਇ ਪਇਆਰੀ ॥੨॥
Without the Guru's advice, he had to go to the underworld. ||2||
 
ਹਰੀਚੰਦੁ ਦਾਨੁ ਕਰੈ ਜਸੁ ਲੇਵੈ ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਪਾਇ ਅਭੇਵੈ ॥
Hari Chand gave in charity, and earned public praise. But without the Guru, he did not find the limits of the Mysterious Lord.
 
ਆਪਿ ਭੁਲਾਇ ਆਪੇ ਮਤਿ ਦੇਵੈ ॥੩॥
The Lord Himself misleads people, and He Himself imparts understanding. ||3||
 
ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਹਰਣਾਖਸੁ ਦੁਰਾਚਾਰੀ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਨਾਰਾਇਣੁ ਗਰਬ ਪ੍ਰਹਾਰੀ ॥
The evil-minded Harnaakhash committed evil deeds. God, the Lord of all, is the Destroyer of pride.
 
ਪ੍ਰਹਲਾਦ ਉਧਾਰੇ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਧਾਰੀ ॥੪॥
He bestowed His Mercy, and saved Prahlaad. ||4||
 
ਭੂਲੋ ਰਾਵਣੁ ਮੁਗਧੁ ਅਚੇਤਿ ॥ ਲੂਟੀ ਲੰਕਾ ਸੀਸ ਸਮੇਤਿ ॥
Raawan was deluded, foolish and unwise. Sri Lanka was plundered, and he lost his head.
 
ਗਰਬਿ ਗਇਆ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਹੇਤਿ ॥੫॥
He indulged in ego, and lacked the love of the True Guru. ||5||
 
ਸਹਸਬਾਹੁ ਮਧੁ ਕੀਟ ਮਹਿਖਾਸਾ ॥ ਹਰਣਾਖਸੁ ਲੇ ਨਖਹੁ ਬਿਧਾਸਾ ॥
The Lord killed the thousand-armed Arjun, and the demons Madhu-keetab and Meh-khaasaa. He seized Harnaakhash and tore him apart with his nails.
 
ਦੈਤ ਸੰਘਾਰੇ ਬਿਨੁ ਭਗਤਿ ਅਭਿਆਸਾ ॥੬॥
The demons were slain; they did not practice devotional worship. ||6||
 
ਜਰਾਸੰਧਿ ਕਾਲਜਮੁਨ ਸੰਘਾਰੇ ॥ ਰਕਤਬੀਜੁ ਕਾਲੁਨੇਮੁ ਬਿਦਾਰੇ ॥
The demons Jaraa-sandh and Kaal-jamun were destroyed.Rakat-beej and Kaal-naym were annihilated.
 
ਦੈਤ ਸੰਘਾਰਿ ਸੰਤ ਨਿਸਤਾਰੇ ॥੭॥
Slaying the demons, the Lord saved His Saints. ||7||
 
ਆਪੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਬੀਚਾਰੇ ॥
He Himself, as the True Guru, contemplates the Shabad.
 
ਦੂਜੈ ਭਾਇ ਦੈਤ ਸੰਘਾਰੇ ॥ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸਾਚਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਨਿਸਤਾਰੇ ॥੮॥
Because of the love of duality, God killed the demons. By their true devotion, the Gurmukhs have been saved. ||8||
 
ਬੂਡਾ ਦੁਰਜੋਧਨੁ ਪਤਿ ਖੋਈ ॥ ਰਾਮੁ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ਕਰਤਾ ਸੋਈ ॥
Sinking down, Durodhan lost his honor. He did not know the Creator Lord.
 
ਜਨ ਕਉ ਦੂਖਿ ਪਚੈ ਦੁਖੁ ਹੋਈ ॥੯॥
One who makes the Lord's humble servant suffer, shall himself suffer and rot. ||9||
 
ਜਨਮੇਜੈ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੁ ਨ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥ ਕਿਉ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਵੈ ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਨਿਆ ॥
Janameja did not know the Word of the Guru's Shabad. Deluded by doubt, how could he find peace?
 
ਇਕੁ ਤਿਲੁ ਭੂਲੇ ਬਹੁਰਿ ਪਛੁਤਾਨਿਆ ॥੧੦॥
Making a mistake, for even an instant, you shall regret and repent later on. ||10||
 
ਕੰਸੁ ਕੇਸੁ ਚਾਂਡੂਰੁ ਨ ਕੋਈ ॥ ਰਾਮੁ ਨ ਚੀਨਿਆ ਅਪਨੀ ਪਤਿ ਖੋਈ ॥
Kansa the King and his warriors Kays and Chandoor had no equals. But they did not remember the Lord, and they lost their honor.
 
ਬਿਨੁ ਜਗਦੀਸ ਨ ਰਾਖੈ ਕੋਈ ॥੧੧॥
Without the Lord of the Universe, no one can be saved. ||11||
 
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਰਬੁ ਨ ਮੇਟਿਆ ਜਾਇ ॥ ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਧਰਮੁ ਧੀਰਜੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਇ ॥ 
Without the Guru, pride cannot be eradicated. Following the Guru's Teachings, one obtains Dharmic faith, composure and the Lord's Name.
 
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਇ ॥੧੨॥੯॥
O Nanak, singing the Glories of God, His Name is received. ||12||9||
 

TARN TARAN, Punjab—The gathering of Sarbat Khalsa 2015 at Gurdwara Baba Naudh Singh today announced appointment of new Jathedars –
Jathedar Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara – Akal Takht Sahib (Bhai Dhyan Singh Mand as acting Jathedar on Bhai Hawara’s behalf) Jathedar Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala – Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Bhai Baljit Singh Daduwal – Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Appointment of the new Jathedars was accepted by shouts of jaikaras by the Sikh Sangat.  New jathedars are appointed until Vaisakhi 2016.  
A number of other key resolutions were taken –
Giani Gurbachan Singh, Giani Mal Singh, Giani Gurmukh Singh and Giani Iqbal Singh absolved of duties KP Gill and KS Brar have been deemed as “tankhaeeye” (guilty) for their role in the Sikh Genocide.  These have been asked to appear at Akal Takht Sahib by November 30, 2015 Faqr-E-Qaum & Panth Ratan titles have been taken away from Badal, and Makkar is relieved from his title of Shiromani Sevak Starting from November 30 2015, there will be a pursuit for an International Sikh Parliament to represent the Global Sikhs.  Committee will be drafted of Punjab and diaspora Sikhs Denounce desecration and punish perpetrators who do beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib Free political prisoners from Punjab and other struggles such as Kashmir. Sarbat Khalsa recognizes Sikh political prisoners as assets of the Sikh Nation and recognizes Bapu Surat Singh’s plight SGPC will be revised to be democratic Sikhs must refrain from all internal scriptural debates until Akal Takht Sahib is independent. Solidify a sovereign Sikh calendar Vatican like status for Sri Harmandir Sahib where all Sikhs could visit without problems Reaffirm the resolutions adopted by Sarbat Khalsa of 1986 Caste Based gurdwaras are to be stopped globally All Sikhs must adopt all resolutions in letter and spirit

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji Ke Fateh
It is FANTASTIC to see the Sikhs gathering in Punjab , The Khalsa as awakened !!! May waheguru make it successful
Source http://sarbatkhalsausa.com/faq/
Please see below some questions and answers regarding SARBAT KHALSA 
 
1.      What is Sarbat Khalsa ?

The words by themselves mean the following:

Sarbat means whole or entire.

 Khalsa is the entire body of committed Sikhs (those who have partaken in Khande di Pahul / Amrit Sanchar). (as defined in the sikh rehat maryada, approved by Khalsa Panth worldwide in 1925)

 These two words together have a dual connotation. In conceptual sense it is the extension of sangat, holy congregation, and institution which has been eulogized in the Sikh Scripture as symbolizing GodSarbat Khalsa in this sense is a mystic entity representing the “integrated conscience” of the entire Sikh people imbued with the all pervasive spirit of the Guru. (This is denoted Guru Panth Sahib Ji) Own presence (GG.460,1314, B35).

Sarbat Khalsa in this sense is a mystic entity representing the “integrated conscience” of the entire Sikh people imbued with the all pervasive spirit of the Guru. (This is denoted Guru Panth Sahib Ji) -Online Sikh Encyclopedia

1.      2. What is Guru Panth ?
Rehat Maryada: Section Six

Article XXIII – Panth’s Status of Guru-hood

a. The Guru Panth (Panth’s status of Guruhood) means the whole body of committed baptized Sikhs [Khalsa]. This body was fostered by all the ten Gurus and the tenth Guru gave it its final shape and invested it with Guruhood.
This corporate entity is the Panth. Every Sikh has also to fulfill his obligations as a unit of the corporate body, the Panth.

“Khalsa is the body of the Guru, and the bani (Guru Granth Sahib) his soul. The Panth conducting its spiritual and temporal affairs in the spirit of the bani also assumes the form of the Guru. Independent of the bani, however, the Khalsa is not entitled to this status”.

-Mahan Kosh Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha

In practice the doctrine means that the body of the Panth has to take decisions on temporal matters dealing with a situation prevailing at a particular time strictly following the spiritual principles laid down in Guru Granth Sahib to carry out the will of God or sarbat da bhala.”
“In the twin doctrine of ‘Guru Granth – Guru Panth’, the two components have a complementary relationship with a distinct role assigned to each. For effective functioning of body and soul, they have to act together.

-Guru Granth-Guru Panth, Dr. Kharak Singh

2.  3.     What does Sarbat Khalsa Do ?
Sarbat Khalsa is the process for deliberation and an ultimate venue for creating Gurmata (Guru’s words) and is the embodiment of Guru Panth Sahib Ji. “The gurumata was usually organized on the occasion of Baisakhi or Diwali at Amritsar and was considered to be morally binding on all Sikhs since it was seen as an application of the Guru Granth-Guru Panth or miri–piri doctrine” (Sikhism 71).

” …Sarbat Khalsa is the highest organ of the Khalsa Commonwealth representing its “integrated will”, which no Sikh-commoner, sardar or prince – could dare defy. Sarbat Khalsa, meeting in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib, is the supreme sovereign body, with deliberative and executive powers, including authority to direct affairs of the community. The Sarbat Khalsa discussed and took decisions by common counsel upon matters of policy and upon matters requiring urgent action.”

-The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume IV, Punjabi University Patiala, 1998

It is the unique Sikh mode of democracy where majority rules mentality does not exist and there is no voting. Decisions are only made unanimously. Only the minimum everyone agrees to can be accepted.

When resolutions are passed, they are called a Gurmatta. A Gurmatta is understood as the words or will of the Guru. After a Gurmatta is passed, an action plan is created to implement the Gurmatta.

Gurmattas are passed for major policy decisions of the Panth.

3.       4. Who can attend Sarbat Khalsa?

The entire Sikh Panth can attend. Anyone who identifies as Sikh, based on the definition of a Sikh taken straight from Sikh Rehat Maryada:

Article I – Definition of Sikh

Any human being who faithfully believes in:

The baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh
The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus
The Guru Granth Sahib
Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Gobind Singh
One Immortal Being


4.    5   What is the process of sarbat khalsa? Is it basically wrong
Anyone in the Sikh Panth, defined as a Sikh according to Sikh Rehat Maryada, submits a written proposal that has a resolution and a plan of action or just a resolution alone. The resolution is deliberated.

The proposal or resolution must be given approval by Sri Guru Panth, which is the Khalsa. The entire body of the Khalsa has to approve it in accordance with the spiritual teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Maharaj. This is deliberated and only the minimum everyone agrees to passes after thorough consensus of all involved.

There is no voting in terms of a majority decision. It is about unanimous decisions of the Khalsa, according to teachings of Guru Granth Sahib Maharaj. Once the resolution has reached consensus, the resolution is deemed Gurmatta or words of the Guru. Then an action plan is created to carry out the Gurmatta.

5.       6. Where does sarbat khalsa happen?
Historical sources seem to agree it used to happen at the site of Sri Akal Takht Sahib within the Darbar Sahib complex. This may be due to the nature of the historical geographic location of the Sikh population at the time and the historical understanding of Darbar Sahib as the central location for national meetings. There is no evidence of a political or spiritual law/rule necessitating that sarbat khalsa meetings happen there perpetually.


6.     7.   How do you make sure someone prioritize the interest of the Panth?
h   This passage best answers this: “the atmosphere of freedom which prevailed in the ranks of the Khalsa prevented soldiers from harboring secret opinions and private reservations which fostered unity and raised morale.”

-Sword of the Khalsa, Arjun Dass Mallik

There were no secrets. If you could not fully explain your intentions when they were in question, then you were harboring a secret.  This implies you are not giving yourself completely to the Panth, which is a requirement for participation.


7.       8. When does Sarbat Khalsa happen?
Sarbat Khalsa last occurred in 1986.  Since Guru Ram Das Sahib’s time though, an all Sikh meeting took place twice a year: on Vasaikhi and Divali.  This was because both of these occasions were aligned with the agricultural cycle, making it the the two times of the year when people could collectively meet.

When the Khalsa was established, these two occasions became the dates for Sarbat Khalsa. Sarbat Khalsa used to happen twice a year and stopped when Maharaja Ranjit Singh consolidated power into the Sikh Empire.


8.       9. Who can call a Sarbat Khalsa?
Historically, after the creation of the Khalsa, the Jathedar or head Granthi of Akal Takht did this but at other points in history it’s unclear who called it. The times it is unclear are times where the Khalsa are scattered/being persecuted.

Prior to the Khalsa, it was a well established procedure for Sikh Sangats to meet on Vasaikhi and Divali.  By the time the Khalsa was created, it was understood that the Khalsa automatically would get together at that point. Outside of these automatic meetings, Sarbat Khalsa was also called for emergencies and urgent actions.


9.       10. The Sarbat Khalsa on November 10th was not called by a Jatedar.Does this make a call for Sarbat Khalsa illegitimate?
this is a special circumstance for two reasons:No 

1) The Sarbat Khalsa was called specifically to address the appointment of Jathedars of the Takhts including Akal Takht. Currently, the Jathedars are not appointed by Sarbat Khalsa, which is how it is supposed to be. This came about because the Jathedars are not performing their duties from the perspective of Guru Panth.  Hence, this is sort of a “vote of no confidence” or impeachment.

2) It is a revival of the true form of Khalsa deliberation which is supposed to happen at least twice a year but has not kept to this process in a very long time.


1  10.   Can the Jatedar or Akal Takht veto the calling of Sarbat Khalsa?
No, they cannot do so.  The Jathedar of Akal Takht or even the Jathedars of the current 5 Takhts do not have the authority to veto the call for a Sarbat Khalsa.  The authority ultimately lies with Guru Panth. The function of the Jathedars is to be the representatives and servants of the Panth.

Historically, Jathedars did not issue hukamnamas, but simply read the hukamnama arrived at through the consensus of the Sarbat Khalsa. Jathedars in recent times have increasingly tried to make their personal power greater than what it is intended to be.  This has happened due to a lack of checks and balances over the years, due to Sarbat Khalsa deliberations no longer happening on a regular basis.


1  11. How can the Sikhs and the Khalsa conduct a Sarbat Khalsa given their worldwide locations?
At the moment Sarbat Khalsa will require everyone to go to one location or have a representative on their behalf go that they personally chose who represents them fully. It is entirely possible that someone who lives in Canada can see that there is a Sikh in New Zealand going, who holds the same views, and that would work fine. Each representative won’t be treated differently according to how many people they are representing since majority does not matter in Sarbat Khalsa form of democratic deliberation.

Sikh Sangats should also consider the technology of the times and create a committee of technologically literate, committed Sikh individuals, to figure how to make a global virtual Sarbat Khalsa possible.

1 12.  If a sangat from one particular geographic location submits a resolution, is it considered to be binding on all Sikh sangats?
No. The only resolutions that apply to all Sikhs are those passed through a Sarbat Khalsa that is representative of all Sikhs across the world. Resolutions passed in a particular Sangat only apply to that Sangat. Otherwise resolutions would be passed on the whole Panth without representation from the whole Panth.

Sangat jee: Below is an ancedote (some people might find it hilarious) from the life of Shromani Bhagat Baba Kabeer jee Maharaaj.
 
Quote
Satguru Kabir Saheb never agreed with the caste system. Many disciples of Swami Ramanand were of low caste. Once Swami Ramanandji was invited to attend a function at Totadri, a place in South India, where the majority of the followers of Ramanuja Vaishnava sect lived. They adhered strictly to the caste system. When Swami Ramanand’s disciples arrived with their belongings loaded on a buffalo, the main priest was confused because the disciples were of various castes. His problem was how to feed them without humiliating his guests. After a discussion with other priests, he declared that only those who could recite the Vedic verses would be allowed to eat with the Brahmins. The others would have to eat elsewhere. Satguru Kabir Saheb did not like that decision and taught them a lesson. He told the head priest that the recitation of the Vedic verses is not difficult even for the buffalo. He told one of his disciples to bring the buffalo. Kabir Saheb told the buffalo: “Please recite some verses of the Vedas.” The buffalo immediately started reciting verses from the Vedas. All the Brahmins were astonished with Kabir’s superhuman power. They were more embarrassed when Kabir Saheb told them to allow the buffalo to sit with them. They realized their folly and, with due respect, bowed down to Kabir Saheb and asked for his forgiveness. Consequently, all the sadhus and saints were allowed to eat together.
Unquote [1]
[1] - http://www.kabir.ca/pictorial-glimpses/pictorial-glimpses-31-39/vedas-recited-by-buffalo/
 
Bhul chuk maaf

satnaam satnaam 

Sant Gyaneshwar Maharaj ..also lovingly called Gyanoba Mauli ..Mauli is for mother ..amazing abhangs (shabad kirtan) composed ..there is a collective form of his abhangs called Haripath really love to hear .
Hari Mukkhe mhanna..Hari Mukkhe mhanna ..punnyachi ganannaa kon kari ..
Recite Hari ...Recite Hari ..do not try to measure progress, as nobody has been able to measure progress on this path

Sant Gyaneshwar Maharaj's composition which is recited before sleeping like Sohila is Pasaydan. Pasaydan ends with ..Je bhajeeto Aad Purakhhi .Akhanditta  (The one who worships Aad Purakh  as a One Complete Form )

Another Sakhi, similar to the above. 
Note: Sant Jnaneshwar jee was a contemporary and a friend of Bhagat Baba Namdev jee Maharaaj.
 

 

 
Bhul chuk maaf

This is amazing!  He helped me with the fight to wear turban in uniform!  
Also, Justin Trudeau did a first in history as the cabinet reflects the society in Canada with regards to gender parity!  Half his cabinet are females :) 

There are 3 other Punjabi Ministers appointed, Navdeep Bains is also turban wearing Minister.  

We also have a previous astronaut on the Cabinet now... Marc Garneau.