SAadmin

I blame all da makhan my mom and dad puts in these shaabji'z man

its too much

veer ji we gotta control it... so that when we get old .. we wont face heart problems... die peacefully by reciting vaheguroo, vahegurooo, vaheguroo in slow rythm.. imagine that death..WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PEACEFULL AINT IT...LOT BETTER THAN DYIN PAINFULLY :cry:

Another Death Nail into the Coffin of Religious Vegetarianism

http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/news/newsa...eartdiseaserisk

Eating oily fish cuts heart disease risk among Sikhs

Friday, 04 April 2003

The Sikh population, and potentially other Asian groups, could significantly reduce their risk of heart disease by increasing the amount of oily fish they eat, according to research released by the Food Standards Agency today.

In the UK, the risk of heart disease among Indian Asians is currently around twice the UK average.

The study, by the University of Reading, found that Sikh men and women consumed less of the fatty acids found mainly in fish oil, and more of those found in vegetable oils, than UK white men and women.

After a moderate intake of fish oil (4g per day for 12 weeks), the levels of beneficial fatty acids in the body increased in the Sikh group to levels similar to the white men and women studied. Results also showed that taking fish oil supplements reduced the risk of heart disease by changing levels of fats in the blood.

Dr Peter Sanderson, Nutrition Scientist at the Agency, said: 'This new research shows that Sikh men and women in the UK, who are at significantly higher than average risk of heart disease, have a low intake of fish. They therefore do not get the protective health benefits of fatty acids found in fish, especially oily fish.

'Eating at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily fish such as salmon or mackerel, could significantly help reduce the risk of heart disease in Asian communities.'

In the UK, admission to hospital with heart attack is about double the average in the Asian population, and early death from heart disease is 46% higher for Asian men and 51% higher for Asian women than the UK average.

Diabetes, which is associated with abnormal blood-fat levels, is also four times more likely in the Asian population, and diabetes is known to be linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

________________________

One day, a sikh appeared before guru gobind singh at anandpur. He did not bring any offering for the guru. This was something unusual for a sikh. he said to the guru, 'o true king, pardon me for coming empty-handed. All the same, i want to make an offering to you. I am sure you will like it. but it is too heavy. i have not been able to lift it and bring it to this place.' The guru enquired, 'what is it? where is it?' The sikh replied, ' Away in the forest, i came across a big tiger. i killed it. i should have brought its body to you as an offering. but, as i have said, it is too heavy. I am not strong enough to lift it and bring it to you. Be pleased to lend me suitable assistance.'

The guru sent some strong men with the sikh. they brought the tiger's body and placed it before the guru. He was pleased to see it. He praised the sikh for his bravery. He then got the tiger's body skinned. Then he sent for a potter's donkey. He got that donkey clothed in the tiger's ckin.The donkey thus, dressed as a tiger, was let loose. All animals ran away from it out of fear. even men, women and children fled on seeing it approach. The donkey in the tiger's grab enjoyed the new experience. It had no longer to carry any loads. it had no longer to obey any master. It was free to run about and feed at pleasure.

This went on for some time. in the meantime several complaints were made to the guru. several people requested him to kill or get killed the dreadful beast. In respose to these complaints and requests the guru went out to shoot that 'Dreadful beast'. He took a party of sikhs with him. The hunting party approached the donkey in the tiger's grab, raising the usual shouts and cries. On hearing the noise made by the guru's party, the supposed tiger began to bray in terror. it ran away at top speed. the hunting party allowed it to go away unchecked and unpursued. It fled for protection to its old master. it was trembling with fear. ITs behavious and movements were not at all like those of a tiger. They were those of a donkey. The potter was puzzled to see a tiger behave and move like a donkey. 'what is the matter with this tiger?' he said to himself. He approached it cautiously. AS he did so, the supposed tiger began to bray and move its tail

The potter realized that the animal before him was not a tiger. it was only in a donkey in a tiger's skin. He was greatly amused at this discovery. He had a hearty laugh. Then he said ' so, my lost donkey has come back in the tiger's suit. But its a donkey all the same. come on , my dear, i shall make you apear in your true grab. You have enjoyed quite a long holiday. i have missed you very much these days. now you have become stronger. so the loads will be heavier than before'.

Saying this, the potter took off the tiger's skin from the donkey's body. then he gave it a sound beating for having run away. He then employed it in carrying loads. The loads were much heavier now.

All who heard the story were greatly amused. they said to each other,'So we were all decieved. it was only a donkey dressed as a tiger. Yet how dreadful it looked! if it had continue to wear the tiger's skin, it would have continued to terify us all.'

Some sikhs asked the guru what he meant by what he had done. The guru replied,'I want you to learn a lasting lesson from this. As long as you were bound by castes and other hindu beliefes and customs, you were like donkeys. You were driven about by persons of no position or power. I have freed you from all those chains. I have conferred on you worldly powers and blessings. I have clothed you in the grab of tigers. I have given you the courage and bravery of lions. I have a made you supirior to your neighbours. I have given you the khalsa uniform. I have made you my singhs or lions. Stick and cling to that uniform of five 'Ks'. don't ever discard it.Remember what happened to the potter's donkey. when it wore the tiger's grab, it looked like a tiger. It was in fact, taken to be a tiger by all who saw it. Nobody could go near it or think of using it as a beast of burden. But when the tiger skin was taken off, it was caught and beaten by the potter. If it had not preserved and brayed like a donkey, it would have been still been regarded and treated as a tiger.

'You should learn a lesson from this. You must have not only the appreance of tigers, or lions. youshould also posses the qualities befitting your aprearance. this you can do by taking the amrit introduced by me and by following the Rehat prescribed by me for the Khalsa. An amritdhari sikh or a singh of mine will have the exterior as well as the interior of the king of the animal world. As long as you, will preserve that exterior, your enemies will fear you. You will be always victorious. But if you part with this exterior, if you discard the khalsa uniform, you will again revert to your original condition. You will fall from the lofty position to which i am lifting you.

"Yes, Guru nanak's sikhs should, henceforth take the baptismal nectar- amrit - as prescribed by me. They should ever keep distinct from others in charachter and conduct, as well as in appearance. So long as the sikhs preserve the form and apearance that i have given them, so long will they enjoy my blessings. they will have in them my spirit and my light. i shall ve with them at all times in all places.

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa,Sri waheguru ji ki fateh'

"

Taken from the book 'Stories from sikh history 4'.

http://www0.bbc.co.uk/london/news/march/templegallery.shtml

vaheguroo....

here are some pictures

I know this topic was debated before .. but i m bringin up these topic again to have more opnions.. so kindly once again leave ur humble views in :wink:

Gur Fateh all

whats ur views on marriage vs spirtual journey????????

you think those two things well get along with one another???

pls humbly leave ur views

vaheguroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Awesome topic.. right place and right timing.. since vaishakhi is coming.. you will see lot of that.. khanda design for our youths.. khanda on the golden chain and havin can of beer what they prefer to call "vaishaki mela" instead of relegious event :roll: ...

From what i see... its not their fault... its all ignorance..once you talk in there language and in their fashion.. you will see the postivity from our fellow sikh youths...

for example... heard of dhadi-jhata remix.. its awesome... we are plannin to do some seeva in toronto to youths.. like distribute dhadi-jhata remix wih hip-hop beats cds's to the youth.. so they can listen to it... and say wow.. its beautiful the sikh history, shaaheds and akal purkh

agree........

but how many of the rehitnamas say keski is the kakkar? i know bhai chaupa singhs and bhai desa singh (?) does.....are there any others?

are there any authentic hukamnamas which name kesh as a kakkar? how many of the rehit namas do?

Veer.. I dont beleive in it.. even akal takht rejected keski instead of kesh..

pratically you take ur keski out

in the time of the shower.. so theoratically you are violating the 5 k's rule on ur body all the time..every-day..i dont think havin keski instead of kesh it make sense...

bring me atleast one argument against that...

my opnion only..no offense to akj unit out here..

:roll:

Dastaar for Women

Dastaar (turban) is a very important part of Sikh religion. To Sikhs it is more than what is a crown to a king or queen. Sikh Gurus showed a great respect to turban. But some people think it is only for men and women are not required to wear it. This article will explain why Sikh women should wear Dastaar (turban).

First I will quote from Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Ji says "Saabat Soorat Dastaar Sira" means "Let your total awareness be the turban on your head" (Page 1084). This clearly states that a Sikh is instructed to live a natural life and have unshorn hair and to protect and keep those hair clean he/she must wear a Dastaar on his/her head. This line does not make an exception to women. Sikh Gurus gave women the equal rights. Both men and women are given the same message which means the above line implies to both not only to men. If we are Sikhs of Guru Granth Sahib Ji then we must wear Dastaar doesn't matter if you are male or female.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Rehtname make very clear points about women wearing Dastaar. Guru Gobind Singh Ji said "Jab Lab Khalsa Rahe Niara, Tab Lag Tej Diyoon Mein Saara" which means "As long as Khalsa preserves its uniqueness and follows the path of true Guru I will bless them with all of my powers." This clearly shows that Khalsa must have its uniqueness which means to have that uniqueness one must have a Dastaar on his/her head. Furthermore, when Bhai Jait Mal Ji presented the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Guru Ji said "I will give my Sikh a distinct and unique appearance which will allow him to be recognized while standing in millions". This uniqueness comes from following the path of Sikhi which is to have unshorn hair and wearing Dastaar on the head. One can easily recognize a Sikh by looking at his appearance and most of that does come from Dastaar. Guru Ji did not say that he would give uniqueness only to men. When Guru Ji said "Khalsa" he meant men and women both. Men and women both are Khalsa. Guru Ji gave the same Rehat Maryada, same uniqueness, same message, same symbols, same religious Bana (dress) and same rights then how are women excluded from wearing Dastaar. Guru Ji made no distinction and referred to men and women as Khalsa and instructed them to wear Dastaar. In above line the word "Niara" clearly means different from others and it does mean wearing Dastaar. It doesn't say only men have to be "Niara".

Furthermore, Guru Gobind Singh Ji said "Khalsa Mero Roop Hai Khaas" which means "Khalsa is my own self image." Again, Khalsa means men and women both. Guru Ji did not make two different Sikhs or Khalsa. He made one Sikh and there can only be one type or kind of Sikh. There is only one Khalsa. Women make different hair styles, color their hair, and tie them in the back which is prohibited. Those women are nowhere near Guru Gobind Singh Ji's image. Guru Ji always wore Dastaar. Not only Guru Gobind Singh Ji but all of the other nine Gurus practiced wearing Dastaar. So how are women who dye their hair "Roop" (image) of Guru Gobind Singh Ji? They are not. Guru Ji had one image not two. Guru Ji had unshorn hair and wore Dastaar. Women without Dastaar do not even come close to that image. When those women look in the mirror, do they see Guru Gobind Singh Ji? I don't think so. Dastaar is a sign of dignity. Men still have their dignity but where is women's dignity? They have lost it in fashion. Not many Sikh women wear Dastaar but their numbers are growing. Even white Sikhs men and women wear Dastaar. Women must wear turban as instructed by Guru Ji himself because that's what makes them unique and an image of Guru Ji.

Right up to the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sikh women had been steadfast in following the edicts of the Satguru in respect to their spiritual inner life as well as dress, including Dastaar. That is what J. D. Cunningham himself saw and wrote in the middle of the Nineteenth Century when he wrote his book, History of the Sikhs. He writes: "The Sikh women are distinguished from Hindus of their sex by some variety of dress but chiefly by a higher top knot of hair." Even after the Punjab came under the British rule, Dastaar was conspicuously seen in case of Sikh women as well as men right up to the Gurudwara movement and the establishment of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee in 1926. Until then, no one - man as well as woman was allowed to be baptized (by taking Amrit) at Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib without Dastaar. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the present one, as a result of the Sikh renaissance movement, a number of Khalsa schools for girls were established in Punjab. Small Dastaar was prescribed as an obligatory head dress for students as well as teachers in such schools at Jaspalon, Ferozepur and Sidhwan in Punjab.

Many famous Rehatname also support wearing of Dastaar. Here are some quotes:

"Each candidate for Baptism be made to wear kachhehra, tie hair in a topknot and cover the same with Dastaar; wear Sri Sahib (Kirpan) in Gaatra (shoulder belt). Then he/she should stand with folded hands." (Rahitnama Bhai Daya Singh Ji)

"...Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa should keep his hair unshorn, have flowing beard and have simple Dastaar which saves him from impiety. Then the Sikhs asked what would happen to those Amritdhari who start cutting their hair or do not keep their hair covered. The Guru replied that they would be stupid and will lose their sensibility It is a blemish to remain bareheaded...Always keep two turbans. When the bigger turban is removed, the smaller be kept. The smaller turban should not be removed."(Bijai Mukat Dharam Shastra - Sakhi-8)

"(A Sikh) who eats food with turban removed from the head (i.e., bareheaded) is destined for 'Kumbhi' hell." (Rahit Rama Bhai Prahlad Singh Ji)

"One who combs hair twice a day, ties turban fold by fold and cleans teeth everyday will not come to grief." (Tankhah Naama Bhai Nandlal Ji)

"Whosoever roams about bareheaded, takes food bareheaded and distributes the 'prasad' bareheaded is considered punishable." (Uttar-prashan Bhai Nandlal Ji)

"Women should tie their hair in topknot and should not keep them loose." (Rahitnama Bhai Daya Singh Ji)

"Keshas be washed. Turban or Dastaar should not be placed on floor but should always be kept with due respect. Food should not be eaten bareheaded." (Bijai Mukt Dharam Shastra, Sakhi 70)

It is thus, absolutely clear from the above quotations that remaining bareheaded at any time (except when washing, drying, and combing) and keeping hair loose and unknotted are basically against the Sikh Code of Conduct, which is applicable to all, men and women alike. For obvious reasons, therefore, the use of Dastaar is indispensable. There is no other way to keep the head covered all the time. Sikhs women who wear only dupattas, mostly remain bareheaded, at least in the privacy of their own homes, while taking food, etc., and thus are, perhaps unconsciously, infringing the Sikh Code of Conduct in this respect.

A FEW HISTORICAL AND OTHER FACTS IN THIS RESPECT:

1. Well-known Sikh historian Bhai Sahib Bhai Santokh Singh has given a somewhat detailed description concerning Mai Bhaag Kaur (commonly known as Mai Bhago) of Forty Muktas fame in his well known historical work GUR PARTAP SOORAJ. He mentions that Mai Bhaag Kaur had reached the highest stage of enlightenment and had almost lost her body consciousness...so much so that when her clothes became worn to shreds, she did not care to replace them. Sahib Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji called her in His Holy presence and instructed her to always stick to the Gursikh dress as prescribed in the Code of Conduct. In particular, she was ordered to wear Kachhehra and Dastaar. In fact, according to some chroniclers, the Dastaar was tied on her head by the Satguru himself. If this Dastaar was not a part of Sikhi, where was the need to include this item in the instructions given to a lady who had reached almost the Brahmgyan stage? It apparently shows that the Satguru gave very high importance to Dastaar.

2. In the Museum of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's fort at Lahore and Victoria Museum at Calcutta, the pictures of Sikh women of old time can be seen even now, depicting them with Dastaar.

3. Bhai Sahib Veer Singh, in his well known poetical work, RANA SURAT SINGH, depicts Rani Raj Kaur as a Saint Soldier or Rajyogi of the highest order. Her very impressive picture given in the book depicts her with a well-tied Dastaar, on which is also affixed a khanda-chakkar, the emblem of Sikhism. In another of his book "Mata Satwant Kaur" Satwant Kaur is shown as wearing Khalsa dress including Dastaar.

4. The Sikh women belonging to the Jatha of Bhai Sahib (Sant) Teja Singh Ji of Mastuana, have been seen doing Kirtan in congregations wearing Dastaar. He was instrumental in establishing Akaal Academy - a Higher Secondary School at Baru in Himachal Pradesh wherein all students - boys as well as girls - are required to wear Dastaar as a prescribed school uniform.

6. Jathedar of Damdami Taksaal Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale's whole family, including his wife, two sons and their wives practiced wearing Dastaar.

7. It is a historical fact that there was a time when a price was put on the head of a male Sikh. Greedy and unprincipled people, both Hindus and Muslims, availed of this opportunity to make money. When they could no longer find male Sikhs in the villages and towns, they started beheading Khalsa women and presenting their heads as the heads of young unbearded teenager Sikh lads. Even in those dark times Sikh women did not stop wearing Dastaar. It was only because of fashion and their misunderstanding of Sikh faith that they stopped wearing Dastaar and started piercing nose and ears.

8. S. Shamsher Singh Ashok who has been an active member of the Singh Sabha movement and an erstwhile Research Scholar of the S.G.P.C., while discussing the prevalence of the use of 'Dastaar', states: "...and, consequently in the Amrit-Parchaar at the Akaal Takhat Sahib, this was a precondition even for ladies before they could be baptized there. Any woman who was not prepared to wear Dastaar was not baptized. This practice continued even after the end of the Gurudwara movement. Relaxation was made only when Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafar became the Jathedar of the Akaal Takhat."

The wearing of Dastaar enables Sikh women to show their distinctiveness of being Sikh or Khalsa like men. The importance of this Khalsa distinctiveness has been clearly emphasized by the Tenth Guru for the Khalsa as a community, both men and women, and not for men only. At the time of the baptismal ceremony, the same Amrit (Khande-Ki-Pahul) is administered to all without any distinction, including that of sex. The title of Khalsa is bestowed on all of them. The same way of life and Code of Conduct is enjoined upon all of them. All of them are forbidden to roam about, take food, etc. bareheaded. How, then, have women become exempt from any of these injunctions? Dastaar is the only answer to this contradiction.

In view of all the aforesaid, it is clear that Dastaar has been traditionally worn by Sikhs, or Khalsa men and women, right from the birth of the Khalsa Nation. This practice has been enunciated and strongly emphasized by the Satguru himself. Akhand Kirtani Jatha, white Sikhs and a few other individuals and organizations are preserving this dignified Khalsa tradition with Guru's grace. Having become aware of these facts, the Sikh intelligentsia has also started showing a remarkable response in this regard. If the Khalsa is to live in accordance with the Rules of true Gurmat , both Khalsa men and women have to accept it. Dastaar is the crown bestowed by the Satguru for the head of the Khalsa, whether man or woman, who stands bestowed with the special form of the Satguru himself. By refraining from the use of Dastaar, a Sikh becomes a follower of his own ego instead of the Will of the Satguru. Wearing of Dastaar by Sikh women is decried mainly because modern day Sikhs want their women to fall in line with other women with respect to the so called modern way of life, including the modern fashions of dress. Sikhs - both men and women - will continue to be guilty of showing disrespect to the sacred hair by keeping them uncovered. In fact, it is the Dastaar's nonacceptance (and not its acceptance) that is very unconsciously eviscerating the Rehtname of their "tremendous and literally unlimited potency that operates on the collective subconscious level" of the Sikhs in general. One fails to understand how the use of Dastaar "...destroys the purity of the Khalsa and sabotages the unity of the Khalsa", as alleged by some. In fact, the shoe is on the other foot. If Dastaar is accepted by all Khalsa men and women, it will help in maintaining the purity and ensuring the unity of the Khalsa, as even women of the Khalsa faith, like the Khalsa men, will be distinguishable.

According to the famous historian Carlyle, a worthy sovereign should be judged from a sole factor as to how he employs his sword after being victorious.

**********

Le Griffin writes that:

"Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled his kingdom exactly according to the Sikh way of life and Sikhism considers everyone as friends and talks about the welfare of all irrespective of caste and creed."

**********

The spirit of Gurbani couplet, "The one Lord is the Father of all and we are the children of the one Lord rules supreme in every Sikh heart." Charles Hugal, writes in his book, "Travels in Kashmir and Punjab", that, "probably no person in the world could have established such a large empire with minimum bloodshed as Ranjit Singh has established his kingdom."

**********

Affirming Hugal's views, Prinsep, also writes in his book, "Origin of Sikh Power in Punjab", that, "Ranjit Singh's whole career was free of any blemishes like unnecessary atrocities and cruel bloodshed."

**********

Historian R.S. Kanungo praising all the aspects of the Kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in his writings says, "his empire was the kingdom for 'Welfare for All', in which all were equal sharing partners. In his kingdom there was no special love for Sikhs and no animosity for non-Sikhs. There were no special taxes on any caste to show it down from the other or to label it inferior."

**********

W.G. Osborne writes that, "Maharaja Ranjit Singh was so compassionate that outside a battle he did not kill anyone, so much so that in generosity he even forgave those who tried to kill him and felt happiness in forgiving."

**********

Charles Hugal in his book, "The Court and Camp of Ranjit Singh", writes that,

"Ranjit Singh ruled his kingdom according to the Sikh tenets. All the important positions were given to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, entirely based on merit. Even his main advisors were three famous Muslim brothers: Fakir Aziz-ud-Din, his foreign minister; Fakir Nur-ud-Din, his home minister; Fakir Imam-ud-Din, his custodian of the arsenals. Forty-six senior Army officers and two top ranking Generals were Muslims.

One General was French and score of military officers were Europeans. In police and civil services he has about one hundred Muslim officers alone. Hindus too, used to hold many key positions in Sarkar-e-Khalsa. Ranjit Singh was secular through-and-through.

Since he had lost his one eye in childhood, due to small pox, he used to remark jokingly about himself that,

"God Willed that as a true Sikh I should look upon all religions with one eye"."

**********

Sayyed Waheed-ud-Din, the great grandson of Fakir Aziz-ud-Din writes,

"On one occassion, Maharaja and Fakir were out walking on the outskirts of Lahore when they met a bullock cart carrying what looked like a huge book. The Maharaja stopped the cart and asked the driver, what he was carrying.

"Maharaja", replied the driver, "I am a calligraphist and this book is a manuscript of the Holy Quran, which is my entire life's work. I am on my way to Hyderabad to sell it to the Muslim king of that country.

Turning to Fakir Aziz-ud-Din the Maharaja said,

"This man seems to think that there is nobody on this side of Hyderabad who is pious and generous enough to pay him a good price". He then asked the calligraphist, "How much are you expecting my good man?"

The calligraphist mentioned a huge sum of Rs. 10,000. Before the minister could intervene, Ranjit Singh commanded,

"Fakir ji, please see to it that this man is paid ten thousand rupees from the state treasury." He then asked Fakir Aziz-ud-Din to read him a passage from the manuscript. Fakir read Sura 'Yusaf' and then translated it.

"But Fakir ji," remarked the Maharaja, "The Great Granth says the same kind of things. What is the difference?"

"None, your Highness", replied the Fakir, "The goal is the same, only the paths are different." The Maharaja awarded Aziz-ud-Din, for this apt reply, by gifting him the manuscript.

**********

Maharaja Ranjit Singh did not know about prejudice and sectarianism, that is why a Muslim poet like Shah Mohammed was not tired of praising him and lamented by recounting the virtues of Ranjit Singh on his death.

**********

Another unparalled quality of Ranjit Singh was that any king or landlord who was defeated by him, Ranjit Singh instead of showing him down, used to show generosity and allot him landed property worth hundreds of thousands of rupees so as to pass life with dignity.

Defeated Afghan Governor Muhammad Khan, Nawab of Kasur Kutub-o-din, defeated son of Governor of Multan are apparent examples of Ranjit Singh's benevolence.

**********

According to N.K. Sinha,

"Maharaja Ranjit Singh used to give robe of honour to Qazis, Sayyeds, Ulmas and hermits so that they could keep on working for welfare and building the nation with full devotion and enthusiasm."

**********

Henry Lawrence in his book, "Adventures of an Officer in Punjab", writes that:

"Maharaja Ranjit Singh used to give large properties to the defeated kings and keep them in a position to live a comfortable life, while others would enjoy to let their enemies suffer to the limit of defeat."

**********

Murray writes,

"Ranjit Singh was full of humanity. He ruled by following the etiquettes of Sikhism and therefore he was generous, benevolent and a sympathiser."

"He has been likened to Mehmet Ali and to Napoleon. There are some points in which he resembles both; but estimating his character with reference to his circumstances and positions, he is perhaps a more remarkable man than either. There was no ferocity in his disposition and he never punished a criminal with death even under the circumstances of aggravated offence. Humanity indeed, or rather tenderness for life was a trait in the character of Ranjit Singh. There is absolutely no instance of his having wantonly imbued his hands in blood."

**********

Maharaja was truely secular and democratic in ruling his kingdom and welfare of his subjects kept paramount importance in his performance agenda. There were 4000 schools in his Kingdom, which were all same for the children of all brotherhoods. Even English and French were taught so that students could communicate with the literature and culture of the outside world. The Maharaja gave a practical shape to the Sikh mentality. His empire, in the real meaning, was the kingdom of the people in which there was justice, happiness, dynamic power and universal partnership.

**********

Waheed-ud-Din, quotes, two of Ranjit Singh's orders which highlight his sense of justice and equality for his people. In one order he says, that even if His Highness himself issues an inappropriate order against any resident, it should be clearly brought to the notice of His Highness so that it may be amended......justice should be dispensed in accordance with legitimate right and without the slightest oppression and prejudice and orders should be passed in accordance with the Shatras or the Quran as pertinent to the faith of the party.

In his second decree, he frankly states that Sri Sat Guru ji forbid if His Highness or his beloved sons should commit any inappropriate act. It should be brought to the notice of His Highness.

Waheed-ud-Din considers these orders very unique in the sense that they do not even exclude the Emperor from the clutches of the law. History stands testimony that, Maharaja received lashes on his back in open view of the Sangat when the punishment was awarded to him by the Akal Takhat.

**********

Vincent Smith, observes:

"The Punjab state under Ranjit Singh was neither a traditional Indian territorial state and monarchy, nor merely a dictatorship".

**********

For the Sikhs his rule was a "Haleemi Raj" i.e. a Kingdom ruled with utmost humility, kindliness and a sense of service to humanity.

=====================

It was taken from sikhnet long time ago.. I believe it's Sardar. Preet Mohan Singh ji who researched and found these quotes..

Ranjit Singh, Maharaja

Sher-e-Punjab, The Last Ruler of the Punjab (1838-1893)

Popularly known as the Lion of Panjab, Ranjit Singh was not only the greatest man of his time in Panjab but was also among the few leading figures of the history of that period. Because of his extraordinary qualities as a fighter, conqueror and an empire-builder, Ranjit Singh is often compared with Napoleon Bonaparte, Bismarck and Akbar. Hero of many accounts by European travellers and Indian chronicles, he is perhaps the most enduring character in Sikh history. His reign was marked by benevolent rule, all round development, secular values and patriotic fervour.

Ranjit Singh was much ahead of his times in almost every sphere-army organisation, civil administration, foreign policy and, above all, the treatment of his subjects belonging to diverse faiths and cultures. Rising from the position of head of one of the twelve confederacies in Panjab, he became the first Indian ruler who stemmed the tide of continuous invasions from the North-west and succeeded in carrying his flag into the homeland of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali - the Afghan invaders and plunderers of the affluent Hindustan. His encounter with Shah Zaman, grandson of Ahmad Shah Abdali, is thus described in the contemporary accounts: "Oh grandson of Ahmad Shah come down and measure swords with the grandson of Charat Singh." Shah Zaman could not muster sufficient courage to face the powerful challenger and retreated with his troops under the cover of darkness. Ranjit Singh triumphantly entered the Lahore fort and laid the foundations of the mighty empire in North India which extended from the Khybar Pass in the North-west, Sutlej in the East, China in the North and deserts of Sindh in the South.

Ancestors

The earliest known ancestor of Ranjit Singh, who was transformed from an ordinary tiller of land into a saint soldier, was Budh Singh. According to popular accounts, Budh Singh was a soldier of fortune and is credited with having fought in various battles under Guru Gobind Singh and Banda Singh Bahadur. Budh Singh is believed to have crossed the rivers Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi on his favourite mare named Desi at least fifty times. A valiant fighter, he is said to have received thirty sword cuts and nine matchlock wounds on his body. On Budh Singh's death, his elder son Naudh Singh came forward to fight the Abdali invader Ahmad Shah under the command of Nawab Kapur Singh and met his end in the battlefield in 1752. Charat Singh, the eldest son of Naudh Singh, succeeded him. As chief of the Sukarchakia Misl, he made significant contribution in consolidating the territories of his misl through many conquests. Mahan Singh, son and successor of Charat Singh, further extended the boundaries of the principality he had inherited.

Birth and Childhood

On 13 November, 1780, Mahan Singh became the proud father of a son who was destined to play a unique role in Indian history by establishing a mighty empire in North India. The child was given the name of Budh Singh but when his father got the happy news in the thick of battle, he decided to change the name to Ranjit Singh, meaning victor in the battlefield. True to his name, Ranjit Singh rose to be a renowned warrior who fought many battles, sometimes in adverse situations, and never suffered a major defeat in his long and chequered career. As a young child Ranjit Singh suffered a virulent attack of small pox, which not only left permanent scars on his face but also deprived him of his left eye. An adventurous child that Ranjit Singh was, he was not deterred by the attack from pursuing his favourite activities of warfare, horse riding and swimming. Ranjit Singh accompanied his father during most of the military campaigns when he was less than ten years of age.

Chief of the Misl

The sudden death of his father in 1790 made Ranjit Singh the leader of the Sukkarchakkia Misl. Ranjit Singh's mother was worried as to what would happen to the territories conquered by her husband. Young and confident, Ranjit Singh is said to have assured her that he would not only keep the ancestral territories intact but would also extend them further and bring honour and glory to his family. Initially his mother acted as a regent but later Ranjit Singh took the administration of his misl in his own hands, and displayed rare tact and ability in the management of the territories under his control.

At the age of sixteen Ranjit Singh was married to Mehtab Kaur, daughter of Rani Sada Kaur, an ambitious and capable lady who has been described by historians as "a ladder by which Ranjit Singh climbed to power in his early years". Because of the weakening authority of the Mughal empire, Afghan invaders frequently attacked and plundered Panjab. Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded Panjab nine tines. The negative impact of his frequent invasions can be gauged from the following popular doggerel:

Khada Peeta lake da Baki Ahmad shahe da

(What we eat and drink is ours; Whatever is saved belongs to Ahmad Shah)

Three Afghan invaders, Mohamad Ghazni, Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali, took away all that was valuable in India-the peacock throne of Shah Jahan, the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond and other precious jewels, sandalwood doors of Somnath Temple studded with precious stones and caravans of elephants loaded with valuables and whatever they could lay their hands upon. Young women, who were forcibly captured and sold in the markets of Afghanistan, were the worst sufferers. While the Marathas made concerted efforts to assert their sovereignty and even managed to take control of Delhi, the imperial capital, they failed to check the advancing armies of Ahmad Shah Abdali and were defeated in the Third Battle of Panipat. However, it goes to the credit of the Sikh chiefs who, through their guerrilla tactics, chased the retreating army of Ahmad Shah Abdali and succeeded in retrieving some of the booty. Their most creditable achievement was the liberation of a large number of young Hindu women from the custody of the invading army and restoring them to their parents.

Impressed by the heroic deeds of the Sikh guerrillas, Ahmad Shah Abdali asked the Mughal Governor of Panjab, Zakaria Khan, as to who these people were and where did they live. The governor is reported to have replied that they were followers of Guru Nanak and the saddles of their horses were their homes. Upon this Ahmad Shah Abdali is reported to have remarked: "Beware! One day they will rule Panjab." It was not surprising therefore to find Ranjit Singh, the young chief of the Sukkarchakkia Misl, wresting power from the grandson of Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1799.

Ruler of Lahore

Based upon papers in the family archives of the distinguished Fakir brothers, who served as ministers under the Maharaja, Fakir Sved Waheed-ud-Din, a descendant of Fakir Aziz-ud-Din, mentions an interesting story which had a great bearing on Maharaja Ranjit Singh's rule in Panjab. According to Waheed-ud-Din, author of The Real Ranjit Singh, on entering the Samman Burj of Lahore Fort, Ranjit Singh found a shadow which appeared like a tiger. When Ranjit Singh tried to retreat he heard a voice calling him from inside the tower: "Ranjit Singh, don't be frightened, come in." Upon entering the burj, Ranjit Singh found himself in the presence of a frail, white bearded old man of medium height who motioned to him to come up and, when he had done so, prophesied that he would soon establish an independent kingdom in Panjab and advised him to observe the following rules:

1. Say his prayers every morning without fail.

2. Never hold court sitting on the throne of the Mughal emperors.

3. Treat his subjects equally, without distinction of caste and creed.

4. Respect and befriend Fakir Syed Ghulam Mohi-udDin of Lahore, a godly man who had been appointed spiritual guardian of the new state and whose sons would serve it truly and well.

The story may or may not be literally true, but what is true is that the commandments of the godly man remained the epitome of Ranjit Singh's policies and personal conduct till his death in 1839

Daily Routine of Ranjit Singh

The daily routine of Ranjit Singh started with early morning prayers. After listening to the Gurbani, the Maharaja would take a wak from the Guru Granth Sahib. Before starting the day's business, the Maharaja would place over his eyes and forehead the sacred kalgi of Guru Gobind Singh with great reverence. So deep was his faith in the Guru Granth Sahib that he would never take any major decision without seeking guidance from the Holy Book. We learn from contemporary accounts that the Maharaja led a very active life.

According to Col. C.M. Wade:

In the hot weather the Maharaja goes out at about 5:00 a.m. and spends an hour or two riding and inspecting his troops, and then takes his first meal, often without Dismounting from his horse. At about 9:00 a.m. he retires to his residence and holds the court, receiving reports, issuing orders to his officers and examining minutely the financial accounts of his government. At noon he rests for an hour having a secretary by his side to write his directions as different things requiring execution cross his mind. When the day begins to close he sends for a set of dancing girls to beguile the time or secludes himself in meditation until his second repast. He goes to bed between 8:00-9:00 p.m., a secretary still beside in attendance to whom he frequently dictates his orders.

(Despatch dated 31 May, 1831, front Col. C.M. Wade to the Secretary to the Governor-General of India)

Respect for Other Religions

Though a devout Sikh himself, the Maharaja had the same reverence for the religious beliefs of other faiths. Soon after becoming the ruler of Lahore, the first act of the Maharaja was to offer prayer at the Badshahi Masjid adjacent to the Lahore Fort. The Maharaja gave liberal grants to the shrines of Jawala Mukhi in Kangra, Jagannath Puri, Benaras, Haridwar, Dargah of Mian Mir in Lahore and the birthplace of Baba Farid in Pak Pattan.

According to a popular story, when the Maharaja and Fakir Aziz-ud-Din were walking on the outskirts of Lahore, they came across a bullock cart carrying a huge book. The Maharaja stopped the cart driver and asked as to what he was carrying. hi The driver replied that he was a calligraphist and was carrying the manuscript of the Holy Quran, which was his lifetime's work. When the Maharaja asked the man as to where he was heading for, the man replied that he was going to the ruler of Hyderabad because he had been told that the Muslim ruler of that state was a pious and generous man who would pay him a handsome price for his work. Ranjit Singh turned towards Fakir Aziz-udDin and said, "This man thinks that there is nobody this side of Hyderabad who is generous enough to pay him a good price for his work." The Maharaja asked the calligraphist as to how much did he expect for his work, and was quoted ten thousand rupees, which in those days was considered a huge amount. Before the minister could intervene, the Maharaja finalised the deal and asked Fakir to pay the settled amount.

Early Victories

Ranjit Singh vas twelve years old when his father Mahan Singh died. Without wasting time, he apprised himself of the situation: his kingdom was sandwiched between non-friendly powers like the Afghans and the British. Panjab was divided among twelve misls: Ahluvalia, Bhangi, Kanhaiya, Ramgarhia, Sukkarchakkia held lands north of Sutlej, and Phulkian, Singhpuria, Krorsinghia, Nishania, Dalewalia, Nakkais, Shahids held lands south of Sutlej. His vision was of a strong kingdom in Panjab. After assuming the leadership of the Sukarchakia Misl, he embarked upon a career of conquests. Within a decade he had conquered the cities of Lahore and Amritsar and brought under his sway the neighbouring territories of Sikh, Rajput and Muslim chiefs.

When checkmated by the British to advance beyond the Sutlej under the Treaty of 1809, Ranjit Singh expanded his empire northwards and westwards. His more remarkable achievements were conquests of the Afghan principalities of Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Derajat and Peshawar, which greatly extended the areas under his control.

Maharaja of Panjab

Though Ranjit Singh refused to sit on a throne or wear a crown in keeping with the egalitarian traditions of the Sikh faith, need was felt to organise some sort of ceremony to celebrate the fact that the young Sukarchakia chief had become de jure Maharaja of the Panjab. According to the account of the court historian Sohan Lal Suri, a grand durbar was organised on the Baisakhi day, 12 April, 1801, in the Lahore Fort when Baba Sahib Singh Bedi, a direct descendant of Guru Nanak, daubed Ranjit Singh's forehead with tilak and proclaimed him as the Maharaja of Panjab. Then he took up a sword and tied it round the Maharaja's waist declaring him to be the sole leader of the Sikh community. All dissidents were asked to lay down their arms before Ranjit Singh, which they did. When the ceremony was over, a royal salute was fired from the Lahore Fort heralding the establishment of Ranjit Singh's rule in Panjab. In the afternoon the young ruler rode on his elephant, showering gold and silver coins on the jubilant crowds. In the evening all homes in the city were illuminated. It is important to note that upon being declared the Maharaja of Panjab, Ranjit Singh did not issue coins in his name as was the custom. On the contrary, the coins he issued bore the inscription:

Degh-o-Tegh-o-Fateh Nusrat Bedrang Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh

(Hospitality, sword, victory and conquest

unfailing have been received from Guru Nanak - Gobind Singh.)

Ranjit Singh preferred to be addressed as Singh Sahib, Bhai or Sarkar, and his government to be called Sarkar-e-Khalsa. He transacted most of the state business either sitting cross-legged in one of the chairs which he had used as a misldar, or sometimes sitting on a carpet or even the saddle of his horse. "I am a peasant and a soldier, and do not care for external pomp and show. My sword is enough to win me all the distinction 1 need," said the Maharaja. It is important to note that while the Maharaja liked his family and nobles to be dressed in the best of silk and jewels, he himself wore simple white clothes and, on ceremonial occasions, tied the famous Koh-i-Noor round his arm.

The first challenge before Ranjit Singh after being declared the ruler of Lahore was to win over the confidence of his subjects. The Maharaja displayed great tact and farsightedness by appointing Imam Baksh as the kotwal and Nizamuddin as the gazi of the city. These steps went a long way in restoring confidence among his Muslim subjects who constituted a majority in the newly established empire. Ranjit Singh also sanctioned liberal funds for immediate repairs of the boundary walls of the city so that the citizens could live in peace.

Expansion of Territories

After securing his position in Lahore, Ranjit Singh thought of expanding the boundaries of his empire to become the Maharaja of Panjab in the real sense of the term. There were a number of hostile elements that the Maharaja had to subdue. The nawab of Kasur had not reconciled himself to Ranjit Singh being declared the ruler of Lahore. In conjunction with Sahib Singh, chief of the Bhangi Misl, he thought of challenging Ranjit Singh's authority. Ranjit Singh himself led an army to chastise the Bhangi ruler of Gujarat and another contingent was dispatched under his trusted ally, Fateh Singh Kallianwala. Both the Bhangi chief and the nawab of Kasur were defeated and they accepted Ranjit Singh's sovereignty.

Ranjit Singh next turned his attention to the holy city of Amritsar. With the help of his own forces and those of his mother-in-law, Rani Sada Kaur, he marched to Amritsar and besieged the Gobindgarh fort where the Bhangi forces had entrenched themselves. Noticing the invading army, Bhangi forces started firing at Ranjit Singh's forces. To avoid any damage to the Golden Temple and the Akal Takhat in fierce fighting, Ranjit Singh did not return the fire but succeeded in securing the surrender of the Bhangi forces through negotiations with the help of Akali Phoola Singh. He annexed Amritsar to his empire and took away the famous Zamzama gun to Lahore, which proved very useful to the Maharaja in his future military campaigns. He paid homage at the Harimandir and the Akal Takhat and made valuable offerings as thanksgiving.

Friendship Treaty with the British

Ranjit Singh's conquests of the nearby territories in quick

succession greatly alarmed the British Government, which had by then established its hold on most of the Indian states. The British intervened to prevent Ranjit Singh's move to further expand towards the east by subjugating the Sutlej Sikh states. These Sikh states also feared the expansionist policies of the Maharaja and took shelter under the British by signing subsidiary alliances with the British Government. In 1809 Ranjit Singh signed a treaty of friendship and peace with the British by which he agreed not to interfere in the affairs of the Sutlej Sikh chiefs. In return, the British Government acknowledged Ranjit Singh's sovereignty over Panjab and, by implication, agreed to his expansion towards the North-west. Having secured his borders with the British through the treaty, Ranjit Singh made determined advances towards the other side. In a series of rapid victories he succeeded in greatly expanding his empire whose borders touched north-west frontier on one side and Ladakh, Tibet and China on the other.

Conquests in the North-west

Checked in the East by the treaty of 1809, Ranjit Singh

made successful inroads into the territories to the North-west of his empire. After consolidating his hold over Kasur, Sialkot and Sheikhupura, Ranjit Singh turned to Multan, which, apart from its strategic military importance, was also a leading commercial centre. Ranjit Singh dispatched a force of 20,000 men under the joint command of his son Kharak Singh and General Diwan Chand. The artillery, which included the Zamzama gun, was under the command of General Ilahi Baksh. Ranjit Singh's army succeeded in capturing the forts of Muzzafargarh and Khangarh. Muzzafar Khan put up stiff resistance but was killed in action and Multan was captured by the invading army. He then marched to Hazara and, a little later, captured Peshawar. It was for the first time in Indian history that tables had been turned against the Afghan invaders when one of the native Indian rulers subdued the most ferocious tribesmen on the North-west frontier through his tact and heroism. In 1819 Ranjit Singh also annexed the beautiful valley of Kashmir.

Durbar of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

As chief of the misl, Ranjit Singh did not have much of

an administrative setup, his only staff being a financial manager, a few clerks and, of course, bands of soldiers of fortune. After the occupation of Lahore and further expansion of territories, Ranjit Singh needed a proper system of administration. With the help of Diwan Bhawani Das, the Maharaja soon built up a departmental organisation where he employed competent persons from different walks of life, irrespective of their religious affiliations. At its height, the Maharaja's Durbar had fifteen major departments, each headed by a trusted and competent minister. For the purposes of administration, his vast empire was divided into four provinces, namely: Lahore, Multan, Kashmir and Peshawar. In addition to these provinces under the direct control of the Maharaja, there were a number of hill principalities which had accepted his sovereignty. A governor controlled each province. Influential men like Hari Singh Nalwa, Diwan Sawan Mal, Sardar Lehna Singh Majithia and General Avitabile held these positions.

Popular Panjabi Maharaja

Ranjit Singh vas able to rise above the communal prejudices of his times and treated all his subjects on equal footing. Competent persons from all faiths - Sikh, Hindu, Muslim - occupied high positions in the court of the Maharaja. That the Maharaja was able to create a sense of Panjabi nationalism is evident from the fact that when, after his death, the British compelled the Lahore Durbar to take up arms, all communities-Hindu, Muslim and Sikh-fought shoulder to shoulder and ungrudgingly mingled their blood in a vain attempt to save the first Panjabi sovereign state established by Ranjit Singh. The Maharaja was able to do what no other Indian ruler had done before by making Panjabis realise that being a Panjabi was more important than being Muslim, Hindu or Sikh. He was the founding father of Panjabiyat-his army and administration fully represented all the three communities.

There were a large number of Muslim officers in the civil and military administration of Ranjit Singh. He gave them a place of honour in the government and the society. The famous Fakir brothers were three strong pillars of Ranjit Singh's empire. Fakir Aziz-ud-Din was the foreign minister, Fakir Nur-ud-Din was the home minister and his personal physician while Fakir Imam-ud-Din was in charge of the treasury at Gobindgarh Fort in Amritsar. Ranjit Singh established a powerful Panjabi state which was secular in character. There were no forced conversions in his reign, no communal riots, no language tensions and no second-class citizenship.

Queens: Brave and Beautiful

As was common with the monarchs during those days, Ranjit singh had many queens, some of whom he married according to Sikh custom. There were situations where the Maharaja had to enter into matrimonial alliances with the daughters of other Sikh chiefs and neighbouring rulers in order to strengthen his political base. What is noticeable about the queens of the Maharaja is the fact they not only possessed beautiful looks and feminine charm but also qualities of leadership, which was best demonstrated by Maharani Jindan. As Queen Mother and Regent of her young son Duleep Singh, who occupied the throne in 1843, Maharani Jindan gave ample evidence of being a brave and fearless queen with abilities to guide in matters of state. The Maharani provided able leadership to the Khalsa army and did not allow them to compromise their honour and dignity at the hands of treacherous British officials who were devising strategies to put to an end the last of the independent native states. While not much is known about the other queens of the Maharaja, such as Mehtab Kaur, Raj Kaur, Gul Begum and Raj Banso, Moran emerged as the favourite queen of the Maharaja. A year after his coronation when Ranjit Singh was a young man of twenty two, he fell in love with Moran. The Maharaja's decision to marry Moran greatly upset the orthodox Sikhs, who created a storm of protest. They met at the Akal Takhat and decided to summon the Maharaja and ordered him to undergo public flogging for violating the Sikh code of conduct. The Maharaja readily agreed to abide by the word of the Akal Takhat and presented himself before Akali Phoola Singh, then Jathedar of the Takhat, and bared his back to receive the lashes. Akali Phoola Singh was greatly moved by the Maharaja's humble submission and changed the corporal punishment to a fine of one and a quarter lakh rupees.

Moran was most beautiful of the queens of Ranjit Singh and the Maharaja fondly called her Moran Sarkar. Unlike other queens of the Maharaja, she did not observe purdah. She appeared with Ranjit Singh in public and rode on an elephant with the Maharaja in the processions. There is a popular tradition, though untenable, that the Maharaja even got a series of coins issued in her name. When the British Governor-General, Lord William Bentick, and his wife came to meet the Maharaja at the Ropar Durbar, noticing the couple's fondness for each other, Ranjit Singh remarked that he was reminded of Moran for whom he had the same kind of love and could not bear separation from her even for a moment.

Leili: The Favourite Horse

The Maharaja's passion for horses is evident from the battles he fought simply because he wanted to possess a particular horse and, upon the owner's refusal to part with the animal, he would not hesitate to wage a war. Baron Hugel, a contemporary European traveller who visited Panjab and met the Maharaja, claims to have been told by Ranjit Singh himself that it cost him 12,000 soldiers and 60,00,000 rupees to possess Leili, a legendary horse of its time. It was in AD 1822 when Ranjit Singh learnt that Yar Muhammad Barakzai, Chief of Basawan, had a Persian horse of rare breed called Leili. He sent Fakir Aziz-ud-Din to Peshawar to persuade the chief to part with Leili. Yar Muhammad offered a number of horses but Leili, the desired animal, was not one of them. When the Maharaja asked the reason for not sending Leili, Yar Muhammad told a lie saying the celebrated horse was dead. The shrewd Maharaja did not believe him. He sent a force under Budh Singh Sandhanwalia. In the ensuing battle, Budh Singh was killed; and the Maharaja sent his French Generals Allard and Ventura, who managed to bring Yar Mohammad's brother and twelve-year-old son as hostages to the Maharaja's court. Once, when the young boy was comparing Maharaja's horses with Leili, Ranjit Singh asked whether Leili was alive, to which the young boy innocently said yes. Losing no time, the Maharaja sent word to Yar Muhammad to send Leili forthwith and, on his refusal to do that, waged a bloody war and finally succeeded in securing Leili. The legendry horse entered Lahore almost in a bridal procession when it was decorated with world's costliest jewels, including the Koh-i-Noor. The court poet, Qadir Yar, even composed a poem in praise of Leili. A few years later when Leili died, the Maharaja wept inconsolably and the steed was given state burial with the firing of 21-gun salute. Such were Maharaja's passions.

Koh-i-Noor and Other Jewels

Maharaja Ranjit Singh not only possessed the world's

finest horses and the legendary Leili but also built a priceless collection of jewels, including the world's most precious jewel, the Koh-i-Noor. The following account of the nephew of Henry Edward Fane, an ADC of Colonel Wade, the British Political Agent posted in Ludhiana, describes the British astonishment over the fabulous collection of the Maharaja.

The dresses and jewels of the raja's court were the most superb that can be conceived; the whole scene can only be compared to a gala night at the Opera. The minister's son, in particular, the reigning favourite of the day (Hira Singh) was literally one mass of jewels; his neck, arms and legs were covered with necklaces, armlets and bangles, forms of pearls, diamonds and rubies, one above the other, so thick that it was difficult to discover anything beneath them.

During the marriage of the Maharaja's grandson, Kunwar Nau Nihal Singh, the Britishers not only saw the Maharaja wearing the world famous Koh-i-Noor and his sons and nobles donning equally valuable jewels, they also discovered to their dismay unique hardihood and skill of his troops, both traditional and non-traditional, trained on European lines by the French Generals employed by the Maharaja.

While the Maharaja got most of the jewels from the treasury of Multan during the capture of the city or as presents, Koh-i-Noor came into his possession in a rather dramatic manner. Shah Shuja, after being deposed as the ruler of Afghanistan, was sent to Kashmir as a prisoner while his wife Wafa Begum took refuge under Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore. In order to get her husband released from captivity, she approached the Maharaja and promised to give the fabulous diamond in return for his help. The mighty and shrewd Maharaja thought out a strategy by which he succeeded in capturing Kashmir and also getting Shah Shuja released. After restoring Shah Shuja to his family, Ranjit Singh expected that the diamond as promised would be handed over to him, which did not happen. The Maharaja cut off all supplies to the haveli where Shah Shuja and his family were camping, which compelled the Shah to hand over the promised diamond to the Maharaja. Ranjit Singh felt very proud in getting Koh-i-Noor back to India and thus vindicating the honour of his motherland. The Koh-i-Noor remained a proud possession of Ranjit Singh and his family till 1849. When Ranjit Singh's kingdom was annexed to the British Empire, the Koh-i-Noor and other valuables of the Maharaja were sent to England.

Kalgi of Guru Gobind Singh and Other Sikh Relics

Deeply religious, Ranjit Singh greatly valued the relics of the Sikh faith. He made a special room in the Lahore Fort where he kept the original volume of Guru Granth Sahib prepared by Guru Arjan Dev Before starting his day's work, he would listen to hymns, take a wak and finally kiss the kalgi (plume) of Guru Gobind Singh. With the passage of time, Ranjit Singh was able to build a valuable collection of the Sikh relics. According to the details given by Misar Beli Ram, in charge of Maharaja's toshakhana in Lahore, the sacred kalg was presented to the Maharaja by a Bedi descendant of Guru Nanak from Vyrowal in AD 1824. The toshakhana also lists various other weapons of Guru Gobind Singh and those of the Maharaja which were taken away by the British in AD 1849.

Beautification of the Golden Temple by the Maharaja

Amritsar, being the spiritual capital of the Sikh religion, received special attention from the Maharaja. The Maharaja would visit the Harimandir quite often and listen to the singing of the holy hymns sitting on the floor of the temple complex. It was because of the Maharaja's devotion that the Harimandir was covered with gold-plated copper sheets and came to be known as Swaran Mandir, or the Golden Temple. A gold plate at the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum records: "The Guru was kind enough to allow the privilege of service to the temple to his humble servant Sri Maharaja Singh Sahib Ranjit Singh." Master craftsmen under Ranjit Singh's instructions redecorated the Golden Temple, and he himself took a keen interest in the details of the work. The stone inlay and floral decorations were executed by expert Muslim artisans and the murals by painters from the famous Kangra School of Art. In terms of its architectural style, the Golden Temple stands out as unique among all the shrines of India.

Ranjit Singh in the Panjabi Folklore

Ranjit Singh was one of the few rulers who became a legend in his lifetime. There are number of stories in the Panjabi folklore still popular among the people of Panjab on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. It is said that soon after the Maharaja established his control over Lahore, a deputation of Sikhs waited upon the Maharaja and complained that they were finding it difficult to put up with the loud sound of the muezzin five times a day and made a forceful plea to stop the practice of azan. The Maharaja told the deputation to take up the responsibility of knocking at the door of each Muslim house in their vicinity to summon them for prayers five times before he could order the stoppage of azan. The Sikhs agreed to this arrangement. After doing this for a week they approached the Maharaja, looking more worried than before, and prayed for restoring the old practice. This was Maharaja's way of helping religious communities understand each other's point of view. Two other stories shed light on about Maharaja's concern for his poor subjects. At one time during a famine, the Maharaja ordered free distribution of ration from the royal granary. To ensure that his orders were faithfully implemented, the Maharaja used to visit various distribution points incognito. One day as he was walking past a hovel he saw an old man sitting on a sack, "Night is approaching, old man, why are you sitting here in darkness?" asked the Maharaja. The old man replied that the sack was too heavy for him to carry home. The Maharaja carried the sack to the old man's house and was blessed.

In another incident when the Maharaja was going out in a procession, an old woman rushed to him and banged her old iron pan on the Maharaja. On being arrested, she was produced before the Maharaja and asked to explain her mad act. She explained that she had heard that the Maharaja was like a paras whose mere touch would convert iron into gold. Being very poor and old, she thought this might end her misery. The Maharaja is said to have ordered his officials to give the old woman gold equivalent to the weight of her old iron pan.

There are stories which demonstrate Ranjit Singh's wit and sense of humour. Once Akali Phoola Singh noticed the Maharaja riding on an elephant and shouted, "You one-eyed man, who gave you this buffalo to ride on?" Rather than lose his temper and teach Phoola Singh a lesson, the Maharaja smiled and said in mocking humility, "It is a gift from Your Honour." In another incident, Moran, while exchanging pleasantries with him asked, "Maharaj where were you when God was distributing good looks?" "I was busy conquering territories and building an empire," retorted the quick-witted Maharaja.

The Last Phase

Hero of many decisive battles, Ranjit Singh possessed unusual vigour and vitality. Like most strong men of his times, Ranjit Singh overstrained himself. More often he plunged himself into some of the most difficult operations because he was not used to giving up and achieved success in almost all cases. How could he be outdone by anyone in any field? Noticing that because of continuous exertions he had exhausted himself, his doctors advised him rest but he hardly listened to them. Even after his first serious illness in 1826, the Maharaja refused to change his lifestyle. Some European doctors who treated him described him as a 'difficult patient' because he would consult everyone but hardly listen to the advice of anyone. Eight years later, the Maharaja got a second stroke which, according to Hugel, had occurred on account of the Maharaja overexerting himself. Fakir Aziz-ud-Din also confirms that "lack of rest eroded the iron constitution of the Maharaja"

The third stroke occurred when the Maharaja was busy entertaining the royal guests, including Lord Auckland, Governor General of India in AD 1838.

The iron-willed Maharaja managed to survive the two serious attacks. After his last attack, he was unable to speak but his mind was still active. He would give orders through the language of signs while the faithful minister Fakir Aziz-udDin would reduce them to writing and ensure their implementation. Before the final and fatal stroke on 22 June, 1839, the Maharaja was managing the affairs of the state as efficiently as before. In spite of having been incapacitated by repeated strokes, Ranjit Singh retained his passion for horse riding. Invincible hero of many battles, he lost his battle of life on 27 June, 1839. According to Osborne, "Ranjit Singh died like the old Lion as he had lived. He preserved his senses to the last, and was (which is unusual with the native princes) obeyed to the last by all his chiefs... ."

While Ranjit Singh died in AD 1839 and his kingdom was annexed to the British empire ten years later, he continues to live in the memory of the people on both sides of Panjab and rule over their hearts as a popular Panjabi Maharaja.

That was quite informative..thanks... i see the problem now.. since sgpc took over.. they strarted distorted the old sampradma of nihangs.... :roll:

Gurbani says that the Khalsa is the lotus flower and the hundu's are the roots of the flower.

But yet it still says that hindu is unna (blind) and muslim is kana (one eyed).

This does not mean they can not reach god. Anyone can. As long as they love and fear god. Without Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Gurmanter and Mool Mater they can not go into Sach Khand only see Sach Khands door. Not allowed to be entered.

Khalsa was already on its way form Sat Jug.

You do not need to read from Dasam Granth or Sarbloh Granth. Just go to your local Gurdwara and read Guru Granth Sahib Ji and all the answer are there for these types of questions. This is much easier because every one has access to to Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

If anybody has the time in there life to travel india then do so. But mainstream sikhi will confuse you. Go past Punjab south,, past Hazoor Sahib. and see all the dharamsala and Gurdwaraset up by guru Nanak Den Ji.

You will be totally confused with that sikh reht and mainstream sikh reht.

If you can not then got to any Sant Dera in Punjab. If you can not even do that then read Guru Granth Sahib Ji and that will differently confuse you with mainstream sikhi.

Gurbani says hindus are our roots and we are their lotus.

This is Kal jug the Satguru for Kalj Jug is only Satguru Nanak Dev Ji.

Yes Ram and Krishna are Gurus but only in the other jugs not in Kal Jug.

We must respect Krishna Hamnuman Shiva Brahma but rss and ppl like that must not forget. That Khalsa panth is the lotus flower.

Sakhi.

Bhai Mardana and Guru Nanak Dev Ji came to a place before a village. Guru Ji said that we must rest here for the night. Bhai mardana say why don't we go into the village. Guru Ji replies we will rest here

There were many sants in the village. All got angry at this Sant outside the village. They sent a messenger with a bowl full of milk. There was so much milk that the milk was spilling out of the bowl. Guru Nanak Dev Ji replied by putting a Lotus flower on top of the milk in the the bowl.

All this means is,Yes there are Sants(the milk) in the bowl(village/world). But Guru Nank Dev Ji(the Lotus) is higher.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was representing us sikhs and the sants in the village were representing hindus.

But do not think that we do not have to respect them. Respect we must give. Because we are now representing Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

But once again, if you meet a rss and he says that Satguru Nanak Dev Ji was a hindu then there is nothing wrong with that . Why should we say that Satguru Ji is not thier Satguru Ji. Because he is everyones Satguru.

Remember this is Kaal Jug and the Satguru of this time is Satguru Nanak Dev Ji.

Sat means truth true.

Guru means teacher. bringing from gu (dark) in to ru (light).

Please think about this.

Which of the following names are sikh names and with are hindu names:

Nanak, Angad, Amardas, Ramdas, Arjan,Hargobind, Har Rai, Har Krishn, Tegh Bahadur, Gobind Rai.

Sodhi surname was given to SatGuru Gobind Singh Ji from the khasetrees (hindu warriors).

Gurus have rejected hindu rituals But i do agree when you said khalsa foundation was planned in satyuga...

Your theory does make sense..However not many hindus wll like it... you said satguru nanak is their satguru too but it was gurus who saved em in kalyuga...You see satyuga, dwapar and traita yugs there prophets and avatars were there to fight with the oppression and teach peace...in kalyuga our gurus were there to fight with opression and spread peace...since we are in the kalyuga theoritically they should be following gurus and gurus principles since they owe us a lot...

but stuff it does make sense...whether you prefer sikhs were hindus... or hindus are sikhs theory.....both way it does make sense.. however both parties wont agree.. so same old propagand..spread hatred against each other...so why bother veer??

i m sure you heard of 96 crore sakhi in sau.. where guru ji himself said khalsa shall be 960 million ...i guess that be the end of the kalyug...who knows that will be include half hindus, chrisitians converted to khalsa saroop.....

www.shastarvidiya.org and www.sarbloh.info are controversial cuz they dont follow the fairy tale Sikhism people practice today.

Why do you have a Nihang and Shastar Vidiya section here because it is that knowledge that exists on the websites mentioned. If you wanna present it in a diluted form here, then, you're guilty of manmat

8)

No i created those sections because dedicated nihangs like you enlighten us with knowledge and get rid of the confustion ..we all having....

If you wish to copy and paste from other website, at least mention the source

Unless you wish to get a lawsuit slapped on you....

:x

HEHEH.. SOWWIE VEER... I GUESS I DIDNT BOTHER... SINCE SHASTAR VIDIYA SITE STILL VERY CONTOVERSIAL .. I M CONVINCED.. BUT THESE YOUTHS WILL HAVE MILLION AND MILLON DOUBTS IN THEIR MIND.. SO THATS WHY

Miss Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel laureate, while giving her comments on the English translation of the Granth Sahib wrote:

"I have studied the scriptures of the great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes. They are compact in spite of their length and are a revelation of the concept of God to the recognition and indeed the insistence upon the practical needs of the human body. There is something strangely modern about these scriptures and this puzzled me until I learned that they are in fact comparatively modern, compiled as late as the 16th century. When explorers were beginning to discover the globe, upon which we all live, is a single entity divided only by arbitrary lives of our own making. Perhaps this sense of unity is the source of power I find in these volumes. They speak to a person of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind."

(From the foreword to the English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib by Gopal Singh Dardi)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sir Lapel Griffin

"But the Sikh is always the same, same in peace, in war, in barracks or in the field, ever genial, good tempered and uncomplaining, a fair horseman, a stubborn infantry soldier, as steady under fire as he is eager for a charge. However, when his self-respect or the honour of his women-folk is at stake, he becomes desperate and will stop at nothing short of murder He does not pocket an insult, bides his opportunity for revenge and becomes quite unmindful of consequences. When aroused, he has the fury of 10 elephants. It is difficult to check him He becomes excited, loses his mental equilibrium and does not care for the consequences of his action You may break him but you cannot bend him When he is in desperate mood, he responds only to tactful handling, sympathetic treatment and persuasion Any coercive measure taken against him hardenes his mood of desperation. Handling in tactful measures, he easily forgives and forgets and is ready to side with his erstwhile enemies"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sikh religion is the highest and the best of all religions. By C.H. Payne

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the Sikhs forsake the Kakkaars, Khalsa Panth will end. These Kakkaars show up the everlasting Guru. Due to these alone, Sikhs have done so much, as no one else could do. Kakkaars are a Sign of Love to the Guru. On forsaking these, cannot do pure deeds, as also he cannot live a life of high spirit.

By Miss Jean Cooler

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Faith of the New Age

Rev. H.L. Bradshaw, of the U.S.A., after thoroughly studying the philosophy of Sikhism, observed:

"Sikhism is a Universal world Faith, a message for all men. This is amply illustrated in the writings of the Gurus. Sikhs must cease to think of their faith as just another good religion and must begin to think in terms of Sikhism being the religion for this New Age......The religion preached by Guru Nanak is the faith of the New Age. It completely supplants and fulfills all the former dispensations of older religions. Books must be written proving this. The other religions contain the truth, but Sikhism contains the fullness of truth...."

Sikhism is a universal world faith for the New Age with a message for all Men. The other religions contain the truth but Sikhism contains the fullness of truth. The Sikhism is truly the answer to the problems of the modern man. Guru Granth, Of all the WORLD SCRIPTURES ALONE states that there are innumerable worlds and universes, other than our own.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sikh religion is ideal brotherhood. In it, God worship is ever present.

By Dunken Greenledge

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Sikh religion, history and character, I am overwhelming influenced to resign from my high job, so as to make a deeper research. No other race is as brave as the Sikhs are. No other religion is as Humane, on Principles, as the Sikh religion is. Sikh sense of living is the purest of all. Gurbani is a source of Comforting Peace and unity of all. Unlike the scriptures of other creeds, Sikh scriptures do not contain love stories or accounts of wars waged for selfish considerations. They contain sublime truths, the study of which cannot but Elevate the Reader spiritually, morally. and socially. There are least things of sectarianism in them. They teach and inspire the believer with an ambition to Serve his fellow men, to sacrifice all and die for their sake. Macauliff further observes: Many of the great teachers of the world have known, have not left a line of their own composition, and we only knew what they taught through tradition or second hand information. If Pythagorean wrote any of tenets, his writings have not descended to us. We knew the teachings of Socrates only through the writings of Plato and Xenophone. Buddha has left no written memorials of his teaching. Kung fu-tze, known to Europeans as Confucius, left no documents in which he detailed the principles of his moral and social system. The Founder of Christianity did not reduce his doctrines to writing, and from them we are obliged to trust the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Arabian Prophet did not himself reduce to writing the chapters of the Quran. They were written or completed by his adherents and followers. But the compositions of the Sikh Gurus are preserved and we know first hand what they taught. They employed the vehicle of verse, which is generally unalterable by copyist, and we even become in time, familiar with their different styles. No spurious compositions or extraneous dogmas, can therefore be represented as theirs. Based on the Unity of God, it rejected Hindu formulations and adopted an independent -ethical system. It would be difficult to point to a religion of Greater Originality or to a more comprehensive ethical system.

By Macauliffe (Dy. Commissioner)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember the Tenets of Guru Nanak. His concept of God and Universal brotherhood of man. The Unique concept of Universality and system of Langar [free community kitchen] in Sikhism are the two features that attract me towards the study of Sikhism. Langar is an exclusive feature of Sikhism and found no where else in the world. Sikhism is the only religion which welcomes each and everyone to its Langar without any discrimination of caste, creed or colour.

By Dr. W 0 Cole of U.K. [an author of half a dozen books on Sikhism in his keynote address of 1985]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sikh religion is one, which could appeal to the occidental mind. If judged from the pragmatically standpoint, it will rank almost First in the world. Of no other religion, can it be said that it has made a nation in so short a time. The religion of the Sikhs is one of the most interesting at present existing in India, possibly indeed in the whole world.

By Dorothy Field

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sikh does not like slavery. Sikh lives with self-respect and and in high spirits. He fears none and terrorizes no one.

By Frostier (Historian)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Nanak, there was no such thing as a God for the Hindus, a God for the Mohmmedens and a God or gods for the outer heathen. For him there was but one God, one sole Indivisible, self existent, incomprehensible, timeless, all pervading to be named, but otherwise Indescribable and altogether Lovely. Such was the Nanak's idea of the Creator and a conception what at once abrogated all Petty Fictions of Creed, Sect, Dogma, and Ceremony.

By Frederic Pincot (British Scholar)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of all the humans, Sikh is the most beautiful, who maintains a flowing beard, long beard and turban on head.

By Tyanbee (Historian)

The Guru Granth is Divine Category

ORGINALLY CREATED: http://www.snsm.org.my/library/articles/divine.htm

Below are three sets of emails sent by Janet Lant to Chris Hammer in reply to his questions.

Part 1

Subject:

Proof for Chris Hammer, The Guru Granth is Divine.

Category:

General Feedback

Author:

Janet Lant

Date:

Saturday, 6/20/98 5:35 PM MDT

Listen Chris Hammers, I never got around to telling you some of the things about Sikh religion that convince me of its authenticity. One major evidence is the "Holy Book" of Sikh religion known as the "Granth Sahib". The Granth Sahib was complied over a period of 240years by the hands of the beings that founded Sikh religion. All copies are matched to the original handwritten one. It is scientifically impossible for any known being to write a book with all the qualities found in the Granth Sahib. Below are some of those amazing qualities:

It is written using very deeply profound words obtained from over 16 languages. (I would say that it's words are more profound then that of any other Book on the planet, but that would not get anywhere, I would be simply dismissed as being biased)

The words from over 16 incompatible languages are incorporated in a way that they make perfect sense.

The alphabet the Granth Sahib uses was invented by the Supreme Beings that wrote it. The Alphabet is called Gurmuki, it is impossible to make a spelling mistake using this alphabet because it has logical grammar rules. Every word or sound can only be written one way. Not like English where the k in knife is silent. This is the easiest alphabet to master. I bet the world would be using computers a long time ago to write things using speech recognition programs if Gurmuki was the business language of the world.

Every sentence is written in poetry of the highest order. (William Shakespeare would have been envious.)

At the same time every sentence rhymes.

At the same time everything is in music verse form, so that all sorts of musical instruments can be played while it is sung.

Sikh religion believes praying should be a very pleasurable, stress reliving, thought provoking event. Most other religions believe praying should be a act of submission(Catholics make you kneel allot!), unquestioningly following rituals, and fear of a jealous Angry God (the Ten Commandments of Judao-Christianity state something about God being a Jealous God and one prone to Anger.) Now Chris, tell me does it make sense following a God who is so immature he gets Jealous, how insecure could that kind of a God be! And how wimpy and powerless must this God be if he gets Angry.

The God of Sikh religion never gets Jealous because he made all those awesome things that make insecure persons jealous. Sikh religion also says God is without anger. Their is a very beautiful song about this in the Granth Sahib!

Plus before the Equal Rights movement, infact 540 years before , Guru Nanak said many nice Praises about women, instead of condemning them like all the other great religions do.

Quotes about Women in Sri Guru Granth Sahib In praise of women.

"We are born of woman, we are conceived in the womb of woman, we are engaged and married to woman. We make friendship with woman and the lineage continued because of woman. When one woman dies, we take another one, we are bound with the world through woman. We grow up stronger and wiser having drunk milk from the breast of woman. Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? The woman is born from woman; there is none without her. Only the One True Lord is without woman" (Guru Nanak Dev, Var Asa, pg. 473)

Marriage is an equal partnership of love and sharing between husband and wife.

"They are not husband and wife, who merely sit together. Rather they alone are called husband and wife, who have one spirit in two bodies." (Guru Amar Das, Pauri, pg. 788)

Women have an equal right to participate in the congregation.

"Come my sisters and dear comrades! Clasp me in thine embrace. Meeting together, let us tell the tales of our Omnipotent Spouse (God). In the True Lord are all merits, in us all demerits." (Guru Nanak Dev, Sri Rag, pg. 17)

God is the husband and we are all his brides.

"The spouse is but One and all others are His brides. The false bride assumes many religious garbs. When the Lord stops her going into another's home, then is she summoned into her Lord's mansion without any let and hindrance. She is adorned with the Name and is dear to her True Lord. She alone is the true bride and the Lord lends her His support." (Guru Nanak Dev, Ramkali, pg. 933) (note: Lord is one of the names of God)

God is our Mother as well as our Father.

"Thou O Lord, art my Father and Thou my Mother. Thou art the Giver of peace to my soul and very life." (Guru Arjan Dev, Bhairo, pg. 1144)

The rape and brutalities committed against women by the Mughal invader Babar condemned.

"Modesty and righteousness both have vanished and falsehood moves about as the leader, O Lalo. The function of the Qazis and the Brahmins is over and the Satan now reads the marriage rites (rape). The Muslim women read the Quran and in suffering call upon God, O Lalo. The Hindu women of high cast and others of low caste, may also be put in the same account, O Lalo." (Guru Nanak Dev, Tilang, pg. 722)

The practice of women burning themselves on their husband's funeral pyre (sati) condemned.

"They cannot be called satis, who burn themselves with their dead husbands. They can only be called satis, if they bear the shock of separation. They may also be known as satis, who live with character and contentment and always show veneration to their husbands by remembering them." (Guru Amar Das, Var Suhi, pg. 787)

The ritual of dowry so prevalent in many societies condemned.

"Any other dowry, which the perverse place for show, that is false pride and worthless gilding. O' my Father! give me the Name of Lord God as a gift and dowry." (Guru Ram Das, Sri Rag, pg. 79)

First Supreme Being Guru Nanak laid the foundation of Sikhism which believes in a casteless, egalitarian society which guarantees equal rights to Women. Each of the Supreme Being Gurus under authority of God gave women equal status. They gained social and religious freedom at a time when the existing religions and society considered women to be property. The false notion that they were inherently evil and unclean was removed. A woman was regarded as temptation-incarnate. The Gurus exposed the folly of such notions. [Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, they all directly say Women are Unclean and Inferior.].

Sixth Supreme Being Guru Hargobind called Woman "the conscience of man". In religious gatherings, men and women sang and preached without any distinction. The wearing of purdah (women wearing veils to hide the face) was rejected as demeaning to women. Guru Hargobind refused to have dinner with any Queen who wore a veil.

Ik OnKar: means "One Creator" The circle is a chuchrum representing the Universe, the double edged sword represents the positive and negative side of the Force, the 2 swords on the outside of the sphere represent the hands of the One Creator protecting and beholding all that exists and beyond.

-- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2

Dear Inquisitive, challenging brother "Chris Hammer", I will answer all your questions in better detail when time permits. For now I will torpedo your points. PLEASE READ THE KHALSA CONSENSUS ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI. Then you will see that Sikhs have more Divine proofs then any other Religion. I was born and still am a Christian, but I will soon Convert to Sikhism. The main reason being the Bible is anti-Women, it talks about the Woman’s Curse, the Old testament says God wants you to steal a baby boys foreskin, Science now says that mutilative operation is very harmful to the Defenseless infant boy, Mothering Magazine did a Science article on it. But Sikhs knew one should never destroy any Gift God gives, so cutting of a skin from the genitals is quite Evil, what happened to Human Rights, The Sikh religion Honors infants and all beings! Everyday a teaching of the Bible is found to be harmful.

First: You claim the proof that a revelation is truly from God, is Prophesy! As you know any occult palm reader etc... can claim they predicted an Earth Quake a year before it happened. All a Psychic has to say is next year the Earth will shake. Chances under rules of Science are that there is a good chance that some kind of explosion or Earth Shaking activity will happen in a year, so Prophesy is just clever manipulation of history.

You say "The Bible prophesied hundreds of years in advance giving detailed accounts of the major empires of the world and all major cities of the ancient world as well as the names of two emperors 200 years before they were born".

I have read the Bible, I find that these so called revelation do not prove anything anyone can make them, it's easy to turn anything written in the past into a accurate prediction, by stretching interpretations to suite an end result.

Not to really answer your challenge. SIKHS do not depend on Prophesy, because God like a Movie producer can make any changes whenever He/She wants to. What Proves the Sikh religion came directly from God is it is the only Religion in the world that has perfect Science. Your Bible was the reason Galileo was almost Executed, because the Bible was saying the Earth is Flat & the Sun revolves around the Earth. This Male Egotistical writing is now proven face by Science. The First Supreme Being GURU NANAK, "The Light that Dispels the Darkness", wrote many Divine Poems describing Solar Systems. If you know science you know Solar System means a planetary system in which all the planets revolve around a central Star.

Second proof The first Supreme Being or Light that Dispels the Darkness-Guru Nanak with his own hands at the order of God wrote Hymns that say the Earth and many planets are round. I will now Quote a Divine Poetic Quote translated from Gurmuki, that teaches that not only is Earth Round but there are uncountable Earths(planets), Uncountable Solar Systems around which they orbit, Uncountable Galaxies. Chris Hammer, you know that it was only a few decades ago when "Hubble" an astronomer discovered that we live in a Galaxy, then much later Hubble discovered that there are many Galaxies outside our own. Well Mr. Hammer, the Sikh Holy Scripture which is the only Holy Book written by the Founder(s) of its faith. That is like saying Jesus wrote the Bible, instead of Chauvinistic men 100's of years after Jesus died.

The Guru Granth Sahib, over 540 years ago stated that their were Countless Galaxies, Galileo was not born until 100 years later. Guru Nanak did not have a Telescope or vast scientific resources like Galileo did. If that is not enough & you demand Sikhs to have prophesy to be valid, then I will give you something no human not even Jesus knew, the Gurus said there are Universes upon Universes, Spheres upon Spheres. What this means is that when you reach the end of our 15 billion light years size Universe, go many times that distance into empty space, you will encounter the neighboring Universe, keep traveling and the scenario will repeat. Now the Spheres upon Spheres means that about 400 trillion Universes each the size of our one Universe make a Spherical structures called a Sphere, & that there are countless numbers of these huge Spheres each containing Trillions of Universes.

Now Mr. Hammer, your God is a God of 1 Flat Earth, 1 spiritual heaven, & 1 Spiritual Hell! The Sikh God as I mentioned above is bigger, his Earth is a Sphere, he is master of many Planets, Universes, Galaxies etc.. plus his is master of countless Physical Heavens in addition to 1 Spiritual Heaven + countless Physical Hells in addition to 1 Spiritual Hell! So your God Mr. Hammer is quite small in power etc... How come your Bible did not mention this.

Now to give you a prophesy, in the Future your Scientists will discover that the Sikh religion was correct when Guru Nanak stated there are Universes upon Universes, then much further into the future your Scientists will eventual realize that Trillions of these Universes form a Sphere. Below is the Quote! Enjoy!

"There are worlds upon worlds, solar systems upon solar systems, galaxies upon galaxies, universes upon universes, spheres upon spheres, They function according to Command of God. God gets joy by thinking of and beholding His Creation;"

"Beyond this Earth, there are many more and more earths. What power bears their load from underneath? (Not the supposed bull, but God's Force)."

"God's One Word created the world's expansion. And lacs of rivers began to flow."

"There are nether worlds and more nether worlds below them and there are lakhs of skies over them. Limitless the worlds beneath, limitless the worlds above. One may grow weary of searching out His limits. One can never reach the end of His Vastness."

"The continents, worlds and solar system, established by God, sing His glories. God's enlightened beings steeped in the Name, who are pleasing to God, sing His praises"

"God has His seat and His storehouses in all the worlds. Whatever is stored, was put only once for all, enough forever!"

"How many Indras, moons, suns, and how many Star Systems[surya Mandals], and stars, How many [countless], Siddh, Buddhas [like Gautama Buddha], Nath [Gurus], and how many forms and incarnations of Devi [Durga],How many Angles, Demons, Speakars of Truth[Muni], and countless Oceans having precious stones,"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 3

My Dear brother Chris Hammers,

You say "I am very sorry to hear of your bad experience with Christianity, but don't make the mistake of throwing out the baby with the bath water."

Now listen, why do you consider my future plans of upgrading(converting) to Sikhism, as throwing out the baby with the bath water. I am not interested in converting because I had bad experience with Christianity, how could I have a bad experience when all I knew as an infant was Christianity.

My parents like you tried to discourage me from embracing Sikh ways, they said Sikhism is primitive religion. I then proved to them exactly how misguided & ignorant they were. I did this by pointing out that Christianity began 2000 years ago, it was a primitive mans attempt to understand God. So it is Christianity that is primitive, Sikhism I taught my parents is a Religion of Divine Science.

You gave some quotes from the Bible, about Stars, but the Man who wrote that had no idea that a star is a HOT SUN like our sun, not a cool pretty shiny grain of sand in the sky. Most of my relatives understand the Bible considers stars to be Gods heavenly wallpaper nothing more. Only in the Sikh religion is it clearly stated that Stars are Suns because the Granth states Suraa Mundala, meaning solar systems.

I never said a Guru is "The Supreme Being". What I said is "The First Supreme Being GURU NANAK, "The Light that Dispels the Darkness", wrote many Divine Poems describing Solar Systems."

The Sikh religion states there is only one "SAT GURU" meaning True God. When I refer to Guru Nanak as a First Supreme Being, it means Pala Mehel or First Mehel, it does not mean GOD. God is The One Supreme Being, the Gurus were one step below as Supreme Beings under the One True Supreme Being. The word GURU comes from 2 words GU & RU, GU means Light, RU means Darkness. Combined they mean "The Light That Dispels The Darkness" or simply GURU. Clearly each of the 10 Gurus were and are Supreme Beings working for God the One True Supreme Being. Guru Nanak walked the Land like Jesus, only difference is Nanak walked much further distances, infact Nanak at a minimum based on other nations historical records walked enough to circle the Earth 3 times over. But in the future I feel the distance record will increase even further, for example the nation of ITALY has villagers reporting their ancestors made company with Nanak, and the Provincial Governments of CHINA are reporting, that they had visits by Nanak, they have now proved that Nanking province And Nanaking City were named to Honor First Supreme Being Nanak.

If you read Genesis or the TORAH it has a section called "The Woman's Curse", which is a Man made Bible teaching that God punished Women because a mythical Eve gave Adam a forbidden fruit. I will give you an exact quote when time permits. This Bible chapter states that a women had monthly menstrual cycles because God has Cursed her. In Genesis it also says a Woman's Husband shall strike her in the Head. Read the Bible & the Old Testament or Torah and you will see how much hatred of woman there is in there. It talks of God wanting Woman to be submissive to Man.

I am a MD and no Bible Thumping Man tells me what to do. I told my Fiancee that I am almost sure I am converting to Sikhism & if he is unwilling to do the same, then he can hit the road. He said whatever I want he wants too. I have been teaching him many of the Khalsa Books on Sikhism, and he is impressed at the GURU's teachings.

Chris Hammers, I studied all the religions, and found all flawed, only Sikhism was able to withstand my fierce assault. I tried & Tried to find fault in Sikhism, I found NONE! When I first saw a Sikh, I thought he was a Muslim, I latter I learned that most Muslims never wear a Turban, a Sikh wears a Turban, because it Give a Free Cranial Adjustment & tells Him & everyone else that he is beneath no one and only God is above Him!

The Pro Woman aspect of Sikhism is only one of the many Divine Reasons I am planing on Upgrading to Sikhism. I find Sikhism is a very advanced Dharma for the Modern world. My current religion just has no place to meet my Modern Demands, its not like after I got my MD, some guy with a Old Testament is going to put me in the Kitchen, because some imaginary MALE GOD told him a Woman belongs in the Kitchen, HA HA! Of course I do allot of work in the Kitchen, but only when I want to cook something I Love & avoid the unhealthy restaurant food.

The Tenth Supreme Being Guru Govind Singh, when traveling by the woods, got of his horse upon the sight of a Tombacoo Plant (Tobacco Plant). He then drew his Kirpan (holy Sword) and chopped it up, then with his feet he smeared it into the ground. Onlookers belonging to many different religions, asked the Tenths Supreme Being, why have you destroyed that plant? The Tenth Supreme Being replied " Alcohol will destroy one Generation, But Tombacoo will destroy many generations.

Chris Hammers, as you know it was only about 4 years ago that Scientist discovered that Second hand Tobacco Smoke kills, thus destroying(damaging or killing) the fetus and destroying the lives of children & great Grand Children & friends. So because the 10th Supreme Being was in constant communications with the One True Supreme Being(Ik Onkar, Sat Nam) he had access to absolute Science. Did the Men who wrote the Holy Bible not know about Tobacco, were the not in communication with the One True Creator? Sikhism is the only Faith that forbids Tobacco in its Scriptures. Read the English Translations by SANT SINGH KHALSA, also a MD! I only hope that God will let me earn the only True Degree there is the "Degree of Divine Sikhia".

Chris it was my Medical Colleagues who during the 50's started routine Circumcision of Defenseless Babies. This was done to make extra income for medical professionals, Circumcision increases the transmission and acquiring of STD's. Plus many other problems, In my next posting I will give over 70 Scientific references proving my point. I will do this not to prove you wrong, but to prove another Sikh wrong. Chris even Jesus tried to ban Circumcision, because the practice is Satanic, no Loving God would ask anyone to chop of a very valuable pleasure producing part.

Read the next post, then you will see the proof!

Until the past 12 years I when to Church every Sunday, now hopefully I will get to go to Gurdwara any day of the week as convenient. Instead of hearing a fiery sermon, I will get to enjoy Divine Music & Hymns!

And Chris Hammer, Only Ik Onkar or One Creators name is Precious, not a Nice Guy named Jesus. I get the impression you are a Religious Fanatic, something that the Sikh Dharm shuns. Because Fanaticism puts a wall between ones spiritual connection to One True Creator.

Sikhs don't waste time spreading Sikhism like other religions do because, one does not give away Diamonds. I am lucky I came across this True Diamond, I only hope I have the IQ it takes to follow the Super Advanced Spiritual Teachings of the "Lights that Dispel the Darkness or Gurus".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 4

See, I am not the only one that knows a Turban gives a Cranial Adjustment. It is a law of Physics, not Indian culture. Sikhism is from the future, Indian is from the past, you can take the wayward path if you like. Your comments indicate you already made many a wrong choice. And, Jass Singh, the Gurus were & are Supreme Beings, and there is nothing you can do to hurt them or lower There power. Some other Sikh, wrote that Punjabi Sikhs are cutting their Hair and trying to blend in with western culture. Well that's their & their parents poor understanding of Divinity of Sikhism. So by dumping diamonds they don't hurt me one bit, its their loss. I as a very Modern American, know I am becoming even more Modern by adopting the Guru's (the Lights that Dispel the Darkness)teachings and way of life. If Punjabi Sikhs misbehave they loose big time. I have looked at all Religions and Sikhism is the only Dharm that can exist in its current form on any Planet in Any Universe, maybe the Punjabi Sikhs don't deserve this best of all Universal Knowledge anymore.

I wore a Kara to the last continuing medical education seminar, and some of my colleagues asked me about it. So I told them what it was and about Sikh Dharm, they showed great interest in learning more. Two of the ladies from the group asked where they could get a translation of the Sikh Holy book. Page 14 of the Khalsa Consensus Translation must be what peaked there interest! If God gave me more time, I know it would be so easy to get far more individuals interested in Sikhism! I never ever saw a Sikh of India sharing knowledge of Sikhism with a Non-Sikh. Probably a good thing in disguise, because, I have been told so much misinformation by Native Sikhs. For example some tell me Meat is good, then they justify such butchery by saying the Gurus ate it. When I ask them for proof they come up with sloppy translations. I then waste time dissecting them and find the Gurus are speaking against killing animals in those passages. For a person like myself, it is so obvious the Gurus could never condone eating meat. As meat is unhealthy & a Shameful destruction of LifeForce. I quit eating meat 12 years ago, way before I even knew Sikhs existed. Thank God the Gurus wrote the Granth and not some body much latter on.

DESTINY

1. The Unknowable Lord's pen inscribes the destinies of all beings on their foreheads. (Gauri Bavan Akhri, M. 5)

2. When Your Destiny awakens you meet with the True Guru.(Sri Raag,M.3)

3. He who considers nothing as his own, leans only on the one God, meditates on the Infinite Being night and day, makes his mind as (humble as) dust and realizes the Lord's Will attains peace and receives what is written in his Destiny. (Gauri Bavan Akhri, M. 5)

4. Without destiny, countless many wander about aimlessly. They are born to die again and again, and their cycle does not cease. Loving poison, they gather poison, and do not enter into God's Peace. (Maru, M. 3)

5. A man becomes a prisoner of himself but he blames others for his bondage. (Gauri Bavan Akhri, M. 5)

-----------------------------------------------------

DOWRY

O my Father, give to me the Dowry of the Lord's Name. Let the Lord be my clothes, His glory my Beauty so that my task be accomplished. Blessed is the Lord's Worship; the True Guru has blessed me with it. In all lands, no, in all the Creation Pervades the Glory of the Lord; the gift of the Lord's (Name) is matchless; all other Dowry displayed by the self-willed is false egoism and a vain show. O my Father, bless me with the Dowry of the Lord's Name. (Sri Raag M.4)

------------------------------------------

EDUCATION

1. Ignorance hinders (worldly and spiritual) progress. (Kabirji, Asa Raag)

2. The ignorant man wastes his valuable life and cuts at his own roots. (Guru V, Gauri Raag)

3. The more one reads the more agitated one becomes. (Guru I, Asa Raag)

4. The knowledge of God cannot be obtained by mere talk, talk will not assist in understanding the Divine Essence. (Guru I, Asa Raag)

-----------------------------------------------------------

EGO / PRIDE

1. The egotist is blind because his conscience is not awake. He is the killer of himself and the killer of the world. (Majh M. 3)

2. When one sheds one's Ego, one is at peace and one's body and mind are in health. (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5)

3. The poor abide in peace, for they shed their ego. Nanak says: The high and the mighty have been wasted by away their pride.

4. I am gripped by the chronic disease of ego. The utterance of the Lord's Name and the Lord's Praise, is the only cure which I apply by the Guru's Grace. (Basant M. 1, Dutukas)

Ego-Part 2

1. The lowly who practice humility, live happily. Nanak says, thousands of arrogant people have been crushed to the dust through their pride. (GURU V, GAURI RAAG)

2. A wealthy man is full of conceit for his wealth, and a landlord boasts of his land. (GURU V, JAITSRI RAAG)

3. One who feels proud of (their) ruling powers will be thrown in hell and born again as a dog. One who takes pride in their own beauty, becomes a vermin of filth. One who shows off about his religious rituals, wanders through many re-incarnations. One who boasts of wealth and estate exposes his folly, blindness and ignorance. Nanak says, one in whose heart Gracious God instils humility, attains salvation in this world and beatitude in the next. (GURU V, GAURI RAAG)

4. Nanak says, one who is proud of oneself will not appear beautiful before the Lord. (GURU I, JAPJI)

5. Give up your pride and prostrate (lie down flat in submission) at the feet (Nam) of the Lord. (GURU V, JAITSRI RAAG)

6. One who boasts of their possessions will fall to the dust in a moment. (GURU V, GOND RAAG)

7. One who is proud will be destroyed. (GURU IV, SORATH RAAG)

8. The filth of pride cannot be washed off, even if one takes bath at hundred pilgrimage places. (GURU III, SRI RAAG)

9. One who considers oneself to be high and others to be low and one who acts or talks with pride willl be driven to hell. (KABIRJI, MARU RAAG)

10. One that is high shall fall to the dust. One that is low does not need to fear. ( GURU V, ASA RAAG)

11. Pride is a disease of the mind. (GURU IV, GAURI RAAG)

12. One who calls himself good can never have goodness come near them. (GURU V, GAURI RAAG)

13. Remove pride from your heart and serve the True Guru, then you will be respected in God's Court. (GURU I, SRI RAAG)

14. Kabir says, do not feel proud and do not laugh at a poor man. The boat (of our life) is midstream, who knows what may happen (God can still make the proud man poor)? (KABIRJI, S)

15. Why are you proud of your body and wealth? Why don't you remember God? (KABIRJI, GAURI RAAG)

16. Nanak says, Ones who are proud without possessing any merit are silly asses. (GURU I, SARANG RAAG)

17. Without the True Guru, pride is not removed from the heart. (GURU I, GAURI RAAG)

18. What can the created one be proud of? The Creator alone has the power to give. (GURU I, SRI RAAG)

Ego part 3

SHALOK, FIRST MEHL:

In ego they come, and in ego they go.

In ego they are born, and in ego they die.

In ego they give, and in ego they take.

In ego they earn, and in ego they lose.

In ego they become truthful or false.

In ego they go to heaven or hell.

In ego they laugh, and in ego they weep.

In ego they become dirty, and in ego they are washed clean.

In ego they lose social status and class.

In ego they are ignorant, and in ego they are wise.

They do not know the value of salvation and liberation.

In ego they love Maya, and in ego they are kept in darkness by it.

Living in ego, mortal beings are created.

When one understands ego, then the Lord's gate is known.

Without spiritual wisdom, they babble and argue.

O Nanak, by the Lord's Command, destiny is recorded.

As the Lord sees us, so are we seen. SECOND MEHL:

This is the nature of ego, that people perform their actions in ego.

This is the bondage of ego, that time and time again, they are reborn.

Where does ego come from? How can it be removed?

This ego exists by the Lord's Order;

people wander according to their past actions.

Ego is a chronic disease, but it contains its own cure as well.

If the Lord grants His Grace, one acts according to the Teachings of the Guru's Shabad.

Nanak says, listen, people: in this way, troubles depart.

PAUREE: Those who serve are content.

They meditate on the Truest of the True.

They do not place their feet in sin, but do good deeds and live righteously in Dharma.

They burn away the bonds of the world, and eat a simple diet of grain and water.

You are the Great Forgiver; You give continually, more and more each day.

By His greatness, the Great Lord is obtained.

Extracted from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Page 466)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

EQUALITY

1. The rich and the poor are all brethren, the Lord has ordained this and no one can contest it. Kabir says, poor is he in whose heart there is not the Naam of the Lord. (KABIRJI, BHAIRO RAAG)

2. Nanak says, no one is high and no one is low. (Guru I, JAPJI)

3. Only fools and idiots try to supress others. (Guru I, BASANT RAAG)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

EVIL SPIRITS

1. Call them the evil spirits who are engrossed in lust, anger,pride and Maya (worldliness). (Guru III, Gauri Raag)

2. Nanak says, the ones who are devoid of God's love and service and have forgotten the Lord are ghosts. (Guru V, Jaitsri Raag)

3. Call him an evil spirit who does evil actions and knows not the Master. (Guru I, Majh Raag)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

BEGGING

1.Do not bow to the one who assumes the role of a Guru, yet goes about begging. ( Guru I, Sarang Raag)

2.Why should one ,who always lives with God, go begging? (Guru I, Ramkali Raag)

3.Seeking happiness, man undergoes much suffering, and enslaves himself to many a man. Like a dog he knocks about from door to door, but never realizes the Nam of God. (Guru IX, Asa Raag)

4.Farid says: Master, may I never go to another man's door. If ever I am reduced to such a strait, then take away this soul from my body. (Faridji, Shlokas)

5.I serve my Master and I beg from no one else. (Guru I, Dhanasri Raag)

6.Woe to him who goes begging to another man. One who begs from God attains salvation. (Guru V, Dhanasri Raag)

7.Beg from God all that you need. (Guru V, Dhansri Raag)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BODY, MIND & SOUL

1. The Unknowable Lord's pen inscribes the destinies of all beings on their foreheads. (Gauri Bavan Akhri, M. 5)

2. When Your Destiny awakens you meet with the True Guru.(Sri Raag,M.3)

3. He who considers nothing as his own, leans only on the one God, meditates on the Infinite Being night and day, makes his mind as (humble as) dust and realizes the Lord's Will attains peace and receives what is written in his Destiny. (Gauri Bavan Akhri, M. 5)

4. Without destiny, countless many wander about aimlessly. They are born to die again and again, and their cycle does not cease. Loving poison, they gather poison, and do not enter into God's Peace. (Maru, M. 3)

5. A man becomes a prisoner of himself but he blames others for his bondage. (Gauri Bavan Akhri, M. 5)

-------------------------------------------------------

EARLY WAKING

1. Get up early in the morning and remember Naam. (GURU V, GAURI RAAG)

2. The wealth of Naam earned in the early hours of the morning, the saints spend freely and it is never exhausted. (GURU IV, SUHI RAAG)

3. In the dewy night the stars glitter. The saints, who are dear to God, awake. (GURU V, ASA RAAG)

4. In the early hours of the morning, meditate upon the True Naam and God's greatness. (GURU I, JAPJI)

------------------------------------------------

EVIL DOERS

1. When the body falls, the life's play is over. How shall the evil-doers be then dealt with? (GURU I, SRI RAAG)

2. Nanak says, I am an evil-doer, but I have thrown myself at Your feet. Save me from evil. (GURU IV, ASA RAAG)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

BACK BITING

1. O, People of the world, why do you backbite? The backbiter is always exposed. (Ravidasji, Gauri Raag)

2. The corrupt man has no protection, the backbiter has no honour. (Guru I, Gujri Raag)

3. The slanderer carries the great burden of sins, without payment he carries loads. (Guru III, Majh Raag)

4. Do not slander anyone thereby starting a quarrel. (Guru I, Vadhans Raag)

5. One who slanders is known as such, their actions will go in vain. (Guru IV, Gauri Raag)

6. One who backbites loses honour; the slanderer only exposes himself. (Guru IV, Bilawal Raag)

7. One who backbites us, rids us of our sins. (Kabirji, Gauri Raag)

8. One who slanders others, cannot face anybody without shame. (Guru IV, Gauri Raag)

9. Day and night we talk ill of others. We are full of malice and sins. (Guru I, Sri Raag)

10. All Praise to Great God - He does not listen to the backbiter. (Guru IV, Sri Raag)

11. The slanderer is cured not of his affiction, no matter how hard he tries. (Guru V, Gauri Raag)

12. He, who talks sweetly in one's presence, then talks ill behind one's back, is evil of heart and has been separated from God. (Guru IV, Gauri Raag)

13. Do not talk ill of others and do not become jealous; Though educated you have no peace of mind. (Guru I, Maru Raag)

14. The slanderer cries in the wilderness, he forgets the Lord hence gets the fruit of his deeds. (Guru V, Asa Raag)

15. The slanderer removes the dirt of others. He is the slave of mammon (maya) and eats the dirt of others. (Guru IV, Gujri Raag)

Powers and Effects of the Daily Gurbaniz

Orginally Created: http://www.snsm.org.my/library/articles/bani1.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JAPJI SAHIB: Control ones' 'ji', one's soul. When you ji, your being is endangered, when the radiance of your soul is weak, recite Jap Ji. Guru Nanak's blessing is that the thirty-eight pauris of Jap Ji will liberate humanity from the cycles of birth and death.

SHABAD HAZAARAY: This is the highest disciple's love letter, written by Guru Arjun to Guru Ram Das. Its boon is that it gives the benefits of a thousand shabads, and the soul shall directly merge with God. It makes the separated ones come home with grace. Those who recite this shabad shall never be separated from their Beloved.

JAAP SAHIB: The Naad of Jaap Sahib rouses the soul and the self of the Being. 'Sahib' means 'grace'. Recite it when your position is endangered, or when your authoritative personality is weak. This Bani brings grace and greatness. It will also give you the ability, that whatever people say, you will automatically be able to compute what they are actually saying. And, once you are able to to recite it correctly, it will give you the power, the Siddhi, that whatever you say, must happen. Man can direct God and God can direct man. Guru Gobind Singh recited Jaap sahib so that we would not become beggars at the doors of others.

TAV PRASAD SWAYIYAS: Spoken by Guru Gobind Singh. When you are not getting any satisfaction out of life, this is the Bani to recite.

ANAND SAHIB: Whosoever recites the forty pauris of Anand will have endless bliss, because the Guru is limitless. In this Bani, mind and body are explained in relation to cosmic divinity. Guru Amar Das gave us this Song of Bliss to qualify the mind and to understand the depth. Husband and wife should get together, recite it together, alternating sutra (lines).

REHIRAAS SAHIB: This Bani is recited after one has worked and is tired. It adds energy (raa-hu) to one's being, to ones's total concept. Also, recite it when your principle of worldly wealth is endangered. In Naad, reh means live, and raas means commodity. Rehiraas Sahib helps you: when you are physically weak, or weak in money, property and earthly goods.

KIRTAN SOHILA: This Bani is done before sleep at night. It is the most harmonious Naad ever uttered. It multiplies the aura to the sensitivity of protection that it eliminates any negativity for miles and miles. When you are endangered by any species of direct or indirect source; when you want to protect yourself with the surrounding of the entire magnetic field of the earth, recite Kirtan Sohila.

BAARAAH MAAHAA: The prayer of each month. Recited at the start of the month, it coves you for the month.

PAINTEE AKHREE: Gives all secret knowledge.

NASEEHAT NAAMAA: Gives wisdom

From Shabad Hazaaray of the Tenth Master:

Praanee param purakh pag laago: Takes away the tendency of laziness.

Kayval kaala-ee kartaar: Takes awaythe fear of death.

Si kim maanas roop kahaa-i: Brings the experience of Divinity.

Bin har naam na baachan paihai: Removes ego.

960 Million Khalsa Shall Be

There are no heavens after death. You can practice them here. If you can surprise yourself and surmount your personal difficulty, and rise above the negativity and look towards the light, you will be as bright as you think you can be. And that's the will of God. It is a path of a sage, a saint, a soldier, a seer. What is a sage? What is a saint? One whose personal inferiority does not bother him and his divine superiority guides him. There is no difference. The realism of life is the ecstasy of God.

960 million you shall be, and you will walk on this planet with grace and dignity, once mankind will be free of a man. We are born of the double-edged sword. We will be free in spirit, and ecstasy will be our right, and grace is our always there. Narrowness, shallowness, fear, and hollowness of thought has nothing to do with our path. The past is not our way; the future has to become today to face us. We are the blessed creation of almighty God. It's the God's glorified will in which the Khalsa appeared. I know that these days the question is being asked, "What shall happen to the Sikhs." Worry not, we have gone through this many times, but we are timeless. You do not understand, our watch doesn't mean anything, because after every 24 hours there comes the same sunrise again.

Chhiaanve karorr khalsa sachegaa

Khalsa raj karegaa

960 million khalsa there shall be

The khalsa shall rule

(Sau Sakhee)

I am saying to you all: you and your generations shall rule this planet forever. If man continues to survive for five thousand years, you shall survive in God's own Grace. When you don't forget that, you become the undying throne of this planet. Those who are challenging us, those who are planning to not let us exist, those who are trying to destroy us, we are grateful to them. They are our true love. Because they are making us stronger and stronger.

Our purpose is simple. Guru Arjan sat on the hot plate days in and days out to awaken the spirit of the Khalsa. Guru Teg Bahadur got beheaded so that the blood of that being could nurture the spirit of the Khalsa. The two sons of Guru Gobind Singh fought to give you the strength of the Khalsa. His two younger sons got into the very foundation and the bricks of you so that you can become Khalsa. And in our lifetime, Akal Takhat has offered itself to it's own martyrdom so that Khalsa should remember to be Khalsa.

Time will prove my word today. There shall be 960 million khalsa ruling in this earth, ruling the heart, head, prosperity and projection of all people. We shall illuminate the world in darkness and we'll warm the world in coldness. We'll serve the world at the cost of our entire strength.

The insanity will prevail in the next 20 years coming into the Age of Aquarius. It will be up to the year 2038, when things will come to a stage that people will wander around requesting to be taken into fold of Sikhism. For you, please continue to keep your beard intact and Khalsa will be your own son or daughter of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Some will go away, some will give us a bad time, but in the end, this Dharma shall rule this earth for 5000 years. You and your generations shall rule this planet.

Guru Gobind Singh, can you really know him? Yes you can. Wherever there is a body of the Khalsa, that's Guru Gobind Singh. Time and history shall record him in his magnificence and splendor. His subtle body shall cover our lives like the heat of a blanket. The brilliance of his subtle form will blind our eyes. Guru Gobind Singh is love.

If an action in life, good or bad, cannot create love, then that action is no good. That path is no good, that tradition is no good, that religion is no good. Guru Gobind Singh says:

Saach kaho sun leho sabhai,

Jin prem keeo tin hee prabh paaio.

I speak truth and all should listen

Those who love God, alone will get Him."

(Tav-prasaad Savaaiye, Guru Gobind Singh)

You know that God is Almighty. Guru Gobind Singh Ji tells us God becomes totally subjective to those who love him. He does not become subjective to those who worship Him. God does not become subjective to those who know Him, those who admire Him, or speak highly of Him. Those who love God, God becomes subjective to them. Love is a continuous jappa. Love is anhad. Always in my memory, my Love lives.

Extracted from "The Image of the Tenth Master - Guru Gobind Singh" by Yogi Bhajan

What is the Dasam Granth?

The collected writings of Guru Gobind Singh are known as Dasam Granth ("Scripture of the Tenth "). The writings of the poets in his court comprise a different scripture, known as Vidiya Sar ("Pool of Knowledge"). According to a famous history of the Sikhs written in 1843, Suraj Prakash ("Rising of the Sun"), 52 scholar-poets, 39 scribes and 7 pandits always lived in the court of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. This led to a great voluminous amount of writing, the poets produced a wide range of literature, which contained “nine subjects which in the opinion of Orientals are suitable themes of poetry”.

On the night of 5 December 1705 AD, Guru Gobind Singh left his court in Anandpur, after a long siege by Hindu and Muslim armies. During this departure, the Guru's possessions, including both his own writings and Vidiya Sar, were carried away by the strong current of the flooding Sarsa stream. However, in those days it was customary to make copies of Guru Gobind Singh's writings and the writings of the poets.

After Guru Gobind Singh left his mortal body in 1708, the wife of the Guru ordered Baba Mani Singh to collect the writings. She is known as the mother of the Khalsa, Mata Sahib Kaur.

Letter of Bhai Mani Singh to Mata Sundari Ji

May the Almighty help us.

Mani Singh makes his humble prostration at the holy feet of his venerable mother. Further news is that the climate of this place has aggravated my rheumatism and my health deteriorates fast. I will have to listen to the healing parable of the tertian fever. But my illness has caused no slackness in the performance of the holy service of the Hari Mandir (Golden Temple). The Khalsa no more hods away over the country and its power has waned. The Sikhs have migrated to the mountain retreats. The Malechhas reign supreme in the country. There is no security for the (Sikh) children and women in any habitation. They are hunted out and killed. The opposing states have also joined hands with them. The Hindalis spy on the Sikhs. All (the Sikhs) have deserted the Chak (The earliest name of Amritsar). The Mutsaddis (priests) have also fled. So far the Immortal Lord protects me. Tomorrow is uncertain. What is ordained by the Lord shall prevail. The adopted son of Binod Singh has passed away. Among the books I sent per Jhanda Singh, there is one entitled "303 Chritra Upakhyans" by the Lord (Guru Gobind Singh). Give that to Sihan Singh in the Mahal (Matia Mahal in the interior of Delhi City). So far there is no trace of the book "Nam Mala". I found the first part of "Krishna Avtar" but not the second. I shall send it when available. There is a rumour in the country that Banda (Bahadur) has made his good escape from the Emperor's jail. May the Guru protect him. The Guru's family (the descendants of the Guru) at Khandur have sent five tolas of gold as a gift for your son's bride(an adopted son of Mata Ji, as all of her four sons were martyred already). Recover seventeen rupees from Jhanda Singh ; I gave him five rupees to meet the expenses of the journey…(?) These expenses will be incurred by him. The Mutsaddis have not yet settled accounts, otherwise I would have sent a draft from the city (presumably Lahore) . If my health improves I shall come in the month of Kartik.

Baisakh 22

Signed- Mani Singh,

Guruchak, Bunga

P.S. Reply in bamboo stick. (as being confidential

Bhai Mani Singh a Sikh martyr, who was at that time Head Priest at Amritsar and also a great scholar, with great efforts collected the writings of Guru Gobind Singh and compiled one copy.

Bhai Kesar Singh Chhibbar who himself attended Mata Sundri Ji has written in his 1769 book known as Bansavalinama, "This book which contained the life stories of avtars was compiled by Bhai Mani Singh. He provided travel expenses for various people. One Sikh brought a large amount of cash. That cash was used by Bhai Mani Singh to make payments to the Sikhs for expenses in searching for the writings of Guru Gobind Singh."

He also says “a Small book (Granth) was got ready by the Guru himself at his place in Bikrami 1755. The book was loved by the Guru who wrote it himself. The Sikhs requested that this should be appended with the Adi Granth. The Guru repliedthat the Adi Granth was ‘Granth Sahib’ and his book was just a book presenting his mood”.

Later, Baba Deep Singh Shahid, Bhai Sukha Singh, and many other religious workers collected the writings of Guru Gobind Singh and edited the Dasam Granth. Among those Birs of Dasam Granth, those written by Bhai Mani Singh Shahid, the one in the library of Sangrur, and the one in Moti Bagh Gurdwara, Patiala, are at present kept safely. The Dasam Granth preserved at Patna Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, is also famous. But in these Dasam Granth birs, the banis (sacred writings) are not written in the same order, nor is their number equal. The reason is that as and when the devotees found copies of the writings, they included them in their collections. Those who had greater means for making these collections were certainly more successful in collecting more banis. But from those birs, many banis are the same and appear to be written from the same one source. It was due to the unavailability of proper means of collection that there were differences in the size and shape of the birs.

Bhai Desa Singh, known son of Bhai Mani Singh Sahid, has written in his Rahitnama,.

He said from his mouth:

"Oh Sikh, listen to what I say:

In the beginning I wrote Jaap,

Then I uttered Akal Ustat–

This is like the recital of Vedas.

Then I wrote Bachittar Natak–

In that the story of the Sodhi lineage is told.

Then two Chandi Charitras were compiled

And poets appreciated the poetry in them.

Then I recited Giyan Prabodh ["Source of Knowledge"]

I described that, and all the wise people ???understood.

Then came the stories of the 24 Incarnations,

Then the Masters of Datta Taraye [a saint who ??had 24 masters] were told,

Then Bachittar Bakhiyan ["wonderful descriptions"] were made;

Those were also called one scripture.

If a fool reads them, he becomes wise.

Then in Shabd Hazare the stories of all kings ??were told.

Then 404 Stories were made;

They described the guiles of women and men."

According to McLeod (1787) very few people at the time of the writings could speak the Braj language and at the same time were unable to write in Gurmukhi script. Hence as a result very few people have the literary credentials to study the Dasam Granth, which has led to the Granth being largely ignored. Here we can make a comparison with Bhai Gurdas’s compositions. Bhai Gurdas wrote both Kabitts and vars. The language used in the compilation of the vars is Punjabi hence these have become central to the commentary of the Adi Granth. The Kabitts, which were written in Braj, have been neglected. A similar point has been made by D.P.Ashta (1959) who states that the people of Punjab found it difficult to understand the text. He also states that non-Punjabis could notaccess the works because of the provincial character of the Gurmukhi script.

The Nihang sect suggest that the Adi Granth and the Dasam Granth are of equal importance. In all the Gurudwaras, which belong to the Nihangs, a daily Hukamnama is taken from the Dasam Granth together with one from the Adi Granth. This differs from most Gurudwaras, which only house the Adi Granth. Significantly there are five Takhts of Sikhism. Two of these,Takht Patna Sahib, Bihar and Takht Hazoor Sahib, Nander both house the Dasam Granth. Three of the five bani’s of the daily sikh prayer are from Dasam Granth

In the years after the passing of Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikhs were engaged in battles and struggles, due to which they could not prepare the Dasam Granth in proper form. With the beginning of the Singh Sabha movement in the late nineteenth century, scholars directed their attention toward the religious scriptures and Sikh history. The Gurmat Granth Parcharak Sabha Amritsar collected 32 copies of the Dasam Granth. After five years of deliberations in the second floor of Sri Akal Takht, Amritsar, these eminent scholars clarified the differences in the birs and published their report in 1897 A.D. In accordance with that report, the present form of the Dasam Granth came into existence. The banis included in it are as follows:

1. Jaap

2. Akal Ustat

3. Bachittar Natak

4. Chandi Charitra

5. Chandi Charitra II

6. War Bhagauti Ji Ki

7. Giyan Prabodh

8. Chaubis Avtar [incarnations of Lord Vishnu]

9. Up Avtar [brahma and Rudr]

10. Shabd Hazare

11. Swaiye

12. Khalsa Mehma

13. Shashtar Nam Mala

14. Charitropakhiyan

15. Zafarnama, Hikayat

Created with the aim of a war of righteousness the Dasam Granth is unique and changes the very face of religion, and society. Guru Gobind Singh Ji made an appearance at that crucial point of Indian history when the glory of India had been debased by the bestial cruelties of foreign rulers and its own internal disputes. India, as one country, existed in name only. At that time, religion had got mired in hollow ritualism, myths, superstition and creations of heaven and hell. True religion had ceased to exist.

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji had refuted and refused to accept all adynamic, parochial, and inhuman religious practices. In place of these he encouraged religious practices that upheld the universal good and well being. Guru Gobind Singh Ji told of his goal for the well being of all humanity in the form of a religious war of righteousness which aimed at destroying the inhuman and cruel administrative system of times.

A brief description of the various writings in the Dasam Granth follows:

JAAP SAHIB

The attributes and qualities of God delineated herein are based on the transcendental nature of God, He who is without attributes as in the ideology of Nirgun. While on one hand the form and shape of the Almighty God as portrayed in Gurbani have been further honed and highlighted, on the other hand there is an elaboration and embellishment of it. In this creation the various attributes of God almighty have been depicted. He is without caste, without creed, without community, without religion and he is fearless. He is the destroyer of enemies too. The vocabulary used and the connotations suggested by these words have lent it a universalism that makes it significant and meaningful for people of all religions. This is why people of varied religious backgrounds have accepted it and even today read it with great devotion. These writings encourage the saint-soldier to participate in war as the metre and rhyme scheme, full of alliteration and rhythm is set to martial moves. At the same time care has been taken that all moral values and norms of society are upheld while fighting evil.

AKAAL USTAT

The false belief that some people by virtue of belonging to a particular religion, region, history, culture, colour or creed are superior to others is strongly refuted. Instead, he has very clearly and firmly stated that all human beings are one.

BACHITTAR NATAK

an autobiographical piece which highlights incidents related to Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Only 32 years of his life are accounted for here in. Some references to his previous birth also exist.

CHANDI CHARITRA

The aim of writing this piece was to inspire the common man to rise up against the tyrannical rulers of the time and to fight and sacrifice all they had for their freedom. He invokes the blessings of the Almighty God thus. This composition is in the form sawaiye-an Indian metre of one and a quarter line. The mood is essentially forceful and fierce.

GYAN PRABODH

This composition has two main divisions. The first part is devoted to the praise of the Almighty God, He who is all prevading, Omniscient and Omnipotent. His various attributes, His might, magnanimity and his greatness are the subject of this part of Gyan Prabodh. The entire description follows the tradition of gurbani and elucidates the main ideas that are presented within it.

The second part is in the form of a dialogue in which the soul questions God about that super power whose radiance and glory is unending. The answers are all within. He is without differences of caste, creed, religion. For Him friend and foe are alike.

CHOUBEES AVATAR

This is a very important literary piece. In this the stories of twenty-three Avatars of lord Vishnu have been included. These are Machch, Kachch, Nar, Narain, Mohini, Varaha, Narsingha, Baman, Parasram, Brahma, Rudra, Jallandhar, Bisan, Sheshmai, Arihant, Dev, Manu Raja, Dhanantar, Sooraj, Chandra, Ram Krishan, Nar (Arjan), Budh and Nehkalanki. Of these, Krishnavatar is the longest followed by Ramavatar and then Nehkalanki avatar. While some of the facts included are as per the scriptures, the writer has also used his own imagination to further elaborate on the facts.

UP AVATAR

This composition begins by narrating the incidents and experiences of Brahma. His misfortunes due to an inflated ego and excessive pride. Brahma wrote the Vedas, but fell a victim to vanity. For this he was sent down on earth and it took him ages to rise again in the estimation of God. Finally, when he was successful in pleasing God, he was told that he would have to go down to earth and take the form of seven avatars. These were Balmik, Kashyap, Shukra, Brahaspati, Vyas, Sastrodharak and Kalidasa.

SHABAD HAZAAREY

These are composed in nine different ragas. In these Guru Ji has given expression to his philosophical and spiritual beliefs. He has negated the ritualism associated with yoga, belief in the Avatars and sensuality and inspired people to move on the path of truth and goodness. Alongwith these is included a Khayal Patshahi 10 which was by Guru Gobind Singh Ji while he was in the jungles of Machhiwara.

SAWAIYE

These are thirty-three in all. Apart from describing the form of the Khalsa, these describe God in a style very similar to that employed in the Akaal Ustat

KHALSA MAHIMA

Guru Ji explains the role of the Khalsa, and praises them.

SHASTRA NAAM MALA

This composition includes the description of the various weapons used in warfare. There is no similar writing in existence, as the details of weapons merge into the worship of the timeless lord.

CHARITROPAKHIYAN

This composition highlights the various faces of woman and men. While the positive roles played by woman as a wife, as a mother, as a soldier are outlined, the negative aspect of some women who stoop to lowly activities has also been brought out.

Thus, through the given examples, Guru Ji has formulated a very strong value system for the reader, laying down rules to be upheld and followed by both men and women so that a society free from all mortal sins may be formed.

As soon as the Dasam Granth was compiled, it led to a great controversy among the Sikh divines, especially in relation to its secular portions and more notably in regard to the Charitro-pakhyan and Hikayats. It was decided to divide the book. Bhai Mehtab Singh of Mirankot (who was charged by the Panth to capture or assassinate Massa Ranghar who had then planted himself in the holy Golden Temple at Amritsar and was desecrating its sanctity) suggested to the leaders of his community that if he came back victorious in his mission, the book should be preserved in one volume, otherwise it may divided into two. Mehtab Singh was successful in putting Massa Ranghar to an ignoble death and hence the volume was preserved as it now is. This, however, as the Sikh savant, Bhai Kahan Singh points out, (See Gurmat Sudhakar, second edition, P.35) is a most arbitrary way of settling a point of such literary and theological significance. Moreover, a single man's point of view should not have prevailed, -especially of a military hero, or even a Jathedar in search of martyrdom, in preference to the viewpoint of the theologians and scholars who were still discussing the point. Several recensions of this volume are now current, some of which contain some extra hymns also. Though it is a pity that the text of the Dasam Granth has yet to be fixed by scholars and theologians, it is our considered opinion that the secular portion of what is now available in print is also the creation of the Guru himself, not only because of the internal evidence of style and diction, but also because the secular portion, including Charitro-pakhyan does not, by any chance, contradict the Guru's philosophy of a full-blooded, though detached life in all its manifestations. A supreme artist that the Guru was, he could not ignore to write about the seamy side of life, though he does not commend it anywhere.

page 268/269 - History of the Sikh People by Dr. Gopal Singh)

ZAFARNAMA

This is a historic document sent by guru Gobind Singh Ji to Aurangzeb. It was written in the year 1906 AD Beginning with the customary invocation to God, the Guru addresses the emperor. Herein he has voiced his protest and displeasure at the tyranny of the emperor.

HIDAYATAN

There are eleven hidayatan or pieces of advice included in the Dasam Granth. These are written in Persian.

Extracts taken from dasamgranth.org

Conclusion

Giani Sardul Singh—the scholar who was charged with writing the committee report—agreed that the whole Dasam Granth is written by Guru Gobind Singh, and all doubts were ended.

However any of the rare compositions that are only in a few texts of Dasam Granth are not mentioned at all. There is also no mention of why the compositions mentioned at the beginning of this proposal were not included. They were rare pieces of work, and to this day there has been no attempt to preserve them.

Bibliography

Dasam Granth

Buddha Dal Gutka

Dr. Taran Singh, Punjabi University, Patiala, 1967 entitled Dasam Granth Roop te Ras

Giani Harbans Singh, Chandigarh, Dasam Granth Darpan 1980

Professor Piara Singh Padam , Dasam Granth Darshan, printed in 1968

Bhagwant Singh Hari, Dasam Granth Tuk Tatkara

In one of the sublime expressions of human soul’s homage to the Eternal, Guru Nanak says: How can one describe Thy beauty and the might of Thy works? In moments when one confronts the “vastness and wonder” of His creation, one is struck dumb and utterly speechless. It is then that the words break and fail to comprehend the utter majesty and infinity of the Word. It is with this sense of dazzle and wonder that I have looked at the avian glory reflected in the sacred hymns of Guru Granth Sahib.

Birds have been recurring motifs, themes and images in folklore, mythology religion and in the greatest of the works of art. From the Phoenix that emerges young from its ashes, to the charioting Garunda; from “the immortal” nightingale to the eternal skylark, birds have provided powerful symbolism in human creation. My first visual exposure to birds was the as much through seeing them fly and sing as the references to them in the sacred hymns of the Adi Granth.

The black koel (Eudynamys Scolopacea) that darts through leafy covers, stabbing the silence of midsummer afternoons, was as memorable an auditory, even visual image, as the as a bird image of (separation); a picture of a burnt out blackened human soul, lost and forlorn. These are the two dominant images that I have grown up with; these are pictures and sounds that will always haunt me; the Koel that flaps past restlessly and the papiha (Cuculus Varins) whose heart-rendering cries rock the summer dawns.

Birds as a species of life and as a part of the landscape of the physical world provide recurring images of the changing, the perishing forms of life that must return to dust, dust as they are:

Gone are those free birds of the air,

Who had their nurture on the happy plains;

How transient is life? (Sri Rag)

For nothing shall ever live and survive. Neither the lunar nor the solar spheres. Even the moving winds in the limitless spaces shall one day cease. But Thou alone art and shall endure. Unlike the transmuted immortal nightingale, not born for death, the birds in Guru Nanak’s poetry share the mortality of human life.

Yet another theme that recurs relate to the Creator as the great provider. He looks after men, beasts and birds. In one of the most exquisite expressions of the theme of the Divine care pervading the entire universe there is a description of birds fluttering about on the vast amphitheatre of time. They are not untended or uncared for:

Behold the birds of the air,

They build themselves no granaries;

They construct no tanks of water.

They depend on the forest trees,

And on the natural pools.

The Lord provideth them all,

Thou alone art! Thou alone art! (Ragh hajh ki var)

He greens the dry trees. He provides for the myriad insects that fly and creep and crawl in rocks and stones. In a remarkable reference to the riddle and fascination that is bird migration, there is a picture of the cranes (Anthropoides Virgo) that come from the cold North:

The migrating cranes fly hundreds of miles,

They leave their young behind them.

Think, O Man: who feedeth the young birds?

If that had been all for bird imagery, birds would have had probably an unjust deal. It is in the use of bird imagery as an expression of the human soul for the Divine that birds provide to my mind the sublime images created from these winged creatures. In one of the enunciations of Rag Asa, the lost human soul or those in whom “the eyes of the spirit have not been opened,” have been likened to a “bird without wings.”

It is characteristic of great poetry that it just cannot be translated. Whenever I have heard a good musician sing these lines, I have always felt sad and elevated, depressed and yet exalted. For one feels so much involved with the world and its meaningless pursuit of the shadows, in a state of sorrow, in a condition of forgetfulness of the Name.

It would be a fascinating study to trace all of the bird images in Guru Granth Sahib. What a rich variety of names of birds fleet across its pages, like splendid motifs woven into the limitless expense of the Divine tapestry of the firmament.

In a magnificent description of the Light that descended on Gautam Buddha there is a reference to the chorus of bird song. In this chorus, the Koel, the sunbird, the green hammersmith and the dove sing in a holy concordance of sounds on “that high dawn” when an unknown peace spread across the universe.

But in Guru Nanak’s hymns not only birds as a form of life but individual species are woven into beautiful images. Anyone who on a moonlit night has gone to a river can have an experience of an utterly inexpressible kind when Surkhabs (Tadorna Ferruginea) also called Sheldrakes, fly past silhouetted against the sky in an eternal quest. Their honking the stillness of the night is one of the most haunting auditory images. It is this Sheldrake that finds an articulation in Sri Rag:

Love God as the Sheldrake in the fable loveth the sun;

It sleepeth not for a moment:

At night when it cannot see,

It considers the Beloved, who is close to be far.

In the same composition yet another bird comes in as a symbol of the inexhorable love. Like the fish who loves water and dies separated from it, the Chatrik bird reaches for the raindrops:

Love God even as the Chatrik bird loveth the raindrops.

Rivers in spate and the drenched uplands

Are of no avail to the Chatrik;

Nothing but the raindrops can quench its thirst.

Yet the world is not as innocent as the reach of a bird for the raindrops. Or as the ceaseless quest of the Koel in the birha or even the haunting call of the lonely ducks longing for each other on a shivering still night. There is a fierce struggle as the bird and the predator, the man and the tyrant are cast away friendlessly:

As the small birds of the air are helpless

Against the hawk swooping down from the skies,

And against the nets of the hunter below. (Sri Rag)

This passage is so powerfully evocative. Like Baba Sheikh Farid’s description of the tragedy of an egret (Egretta garzetta) prancing about merrily when it is swooped upon by the fierce nature’s “tooth and claw” embodiment, a hawk (Spizaetus cirrhatus).

In yet another beautiful sense the birds of the air are airborne symbols of human soul’s reach for the Divine. The very fact that you fly high in the windy spaces does not mean that your are spiritually nearer the One who dwells everywhere. A mere wandering like a bird would not take you to His portals:

Where I hover like a bird soaring

Through skies innumerable,

And vanish beyond the range of mortal vision,

Self-sustained, not needing food or drink

Even so, my God, I could not know Thy price,

Nor say how great is Thy Name. (Sri Rag)

Life has many stages or for that matter seven ages. One way of looking at it is the pattern of craving; craving that ranges from the mother’s breast to games and sports, to food and drink, to lust and passion. This relentless rat race goes on till flames consume and the body is reduced to ashes. Yet another species of birds illustrates the theme and this time it is the swan (Cygnus olor) itself:

The swan has flown, who knows where.

He came and he went and his name is forgotten.

After him the obsequies : the eating of leaf-plates

And the feeding of crows. (Majh Var)

It is to the Bara Maha (Song of Twelve Months) that one should turn for the most beautiful series of bird images. It is in Bara Maha too that the birds are shorn of their metaphysical or theological implications. The birds emerge as they are, beautiful and free, neither the sad symbols of the transience of life, nor the fear and tyranny of the clawed hawks. It is with this that the month of (March-April) begins. It is appropriately the month month of the Koel:

It rains.

The nights are dark.

There is no peace for me.

Frogs croak in contentment.

Peacocks cry with joy.

The papeeha calls peeooh, peeooh.

Artwork by Sophie Webb.

To anyone who looks on birds as the finest creations of God, the Adi Granth would make an ecstatic reading, an experience of such an inexpressible joy in which one is literally carried on the wings of the birds, singing unto the glory of the joyous dawns. For that is the characteristic of Guru Nanak’s poetry, that is prophecy, and prophecy that is music and music that is divine.

To the infinite human variations of intellectual endowments, the Adi Granth is a great communion. The birds that perish and the birds that in perishing live in this holiest of the books, cover a vast range.

There are the chirping mynas, the prancing egrets, the snow-white swans, the shrieking koels, the forlorn papeehas, the fierce hawks, the migrating cranes and of course the ever present and ever cawing crows. They share the human characteristic of the body being made of clay and yet they are transmuted into images that live and abide; images that are so powerful evocative as much of a landscape as of a picture, a sound and a prophecy.

Life has been compared by poets and prophets to a journey and sometimes to a bridge. The sun sets and the sun rises as the cycle of seasons rolls on inexorably. We, the airy nothings, caught in the cycle of birth and death appear and bow out of the world, more often unsung and unlamented. We can only achieve liberation through Him. But before that happens to the blessed few, we are the birds who rise in quest of food and drink in the morning and return to roost in our ramshackle nest-like abodes of concrete mud and mortar:

Like birds of dusk settling on trees

To roost for the night

Some joyous, some sorrowing; all lost in themselves.

When dawns the day and gone is the night

They look up at the sky and resume the flight.

whats ur views ji????

Lot of youths gettin wrong idea of sikhi.. They think relegion and culture are more less the same thing...But actually its not....Its a close boundary... I think parents need to learn more about sikhi then the kids... I think parents are influenced more with the culture than the relegion itself... vaishakhi is coming .. people who will have go to nagark kirtan including parents, kids they think vaishakhi its more like an mela than an LOVE-SCARIFICED FOR GURU JI ..

KHALSA PANTH IS CREATED BY A SWORD DRIPPING WITH BLOOD OF PANJ PYAREIZ THEN THIS PEOPLE CLAIM ITS AN MELA... ASK EM.. IS IT REALLY????????? WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL YOU BE TAKING????

I M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PARENTS THEN THE YOUTHS.. BECAUSE YOUTHS.. THEY GOT ENUF UMAR.. THEY WILL REALIZED ONE DAY OR ANOTHER..BUT PARENTS ARE JUST IN THE VERGE OF GETTIN OLD AND IN THE VERGE OF GETTIN KICKED IN THE ARSE BY THEIR SPOIL KIDS.. WHAT THEN?? THEN THEY WILL TAKE AMRIT SOO THAT THEY CAN GET HAPPINESS... OH CMON... SEE HOW PEOPLE IN DUKH RUN OFF TO VAHEGUROO JI .. WHATS HAPPENINGIN IN SUKH MOOD??? MORGA EATING, DRINKING, PLAYIN GLAMBING IN CASINO, DAD OF A SON/DAUGHTER DOIN THEIR STEP MOM AND LOT OTHERS...

ITS PSYCHO HERE IN CANADA... ..EVERYONE IS ONE STEP AHEAD.. ...GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.. VAHEGUROOO VAHEGUROOO AKEL BAKSHOOO

This is what i know from my expereince hearing baba ishar singh ji tapes about 9 bhaktis..there are as follows

Sarvan Bhakti- Listen to Katha with full concentration.

Kirtan Bhakti- Signing Hymns Of Gurbani with full concentration.

Simran Bhakti- Doing bhakti alone.. reciting on gurmantar or vaheguroo, maala-naam jaap.. vaheguroo vahegurooo vahegurooo!!!

Namskar Bhakti- Doin Namskar (Humbly Bow Down) to guru granth sahib ji and be inferior to everyone even animals not just gursikhs..every living being.. vahegurooo

ARJAN Bhakti- I forgot about that one.. i gotta listen to that part again.. will let you update... morakh me.. lol :x

Ardas- Humbly Praying to akal purkh(god) before any important task to do.

Dasam Pab- Be Inferior And Praise Gurus as highest of the high

Sakhaya Sakhi Pab- Love vaheguroo like from one mitr(freind) to another mitr(freind)

Atam Nividan- Scarifice everything to vaheguroo.. its everything... basically completely surrender to vaheguroo ji....tan and mann completely scarifice to vaheguroo . thats when you get atam mukhti.

From what i gather,nihangs model themslelves upon hindu warriors,and accept all teachings within dasam granth (although some argue much of dasam granth has been tampered with by hindu extremists)

Are the nihangs then accepting,they are hindus in roots? Since they look down upon the mainstream khalsa i.e us 'mainstream sikh' and call us sheep,etc (and that they are the gurus army) doesnt this conclude we are breaking from guru jis message? Doesnt this also conclude that we are wrong is seeing sikhi as a seperate entity,and that guru ji was infact,only remodelling hinduism,and perfecting what was in existence many years prior to the khalsa?

Sangats views please. WJKK WJKF

you see nihangs are called "Ladla Khalsa" by guru ji... but however its sad today how they ignored.. its entirely because its been geeting screwed over time to time by british then rss aand unfortunately sikhs within our panth... really hope nihangs flourish like flowers and spread their shastar vidiya around someday......

Also since nihangs been broken into fragments by british and our people thats why you see bunch of fragments not accepting hindu roots but being more freindly with hindu tradition so they take part in it...

However just because nihangs do accept hindu traditions that doesnt mean nihangs accept rss propaganda too...they are good blokes with skills.. but if hindu extermist try to screw the panth then they will raise the swords.. thats what they are given the swords.. thats they praise mirri-pirri sword...sword of khalsa... lots of nihangs got shaheed in 84.. that just describes it.. they certainly not there to divide the panth but it seems like it because mainstream sikhs are makin fun of em... ie. jhatka, bhang.. thats all their tradition...when someone talks about nihangs.. first mainstream sikhs has to say.. oh those crack-heads... gimme a break... its sad to see whats happening in the panth these days... :cry:

http://www.maboli.com/seva/sikh_review/199.../sajjePhilo.htm

Sikhism : Its Ethics and Values

Sahib Kaur, M.Sc. B.T.*

All universal religions have a two-fold aspect. They are born at a particular place and time, and as such have a local colour. The idiom in which they speak to the people is couched in the history and culture of the people. The language in which the original message of these religions is embodied is the language of the people who were the first recipients of the message. However the content of the message,or the the meaning their writings convey to the common man is relevant to all men in all times and climes, because it is a call to humanity in general to raise itself above its animal base to its divine potential.

Sikhism as a universal religion has the flavour of the time and condition of Punjab of the times of the Gurus, with its clash of two great religions and also is a call to men to rise above these local limitations to see from new heights the road to a higher and nobler version of man. This is clear from the fact that any man who translates the Guru’s Word into the language to which he is accustomed to, will feel his heart touched.

The ethics and values of Sikh religion are the outcome of religious and historical experience of the ten Guru’s, (from the first Guru, Guru Nanak, to the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh), and the people adhering to the faith. The process was initiated by the founder of the faith, Guru Nanak, born in 1469 near Lahore. India of the times was passing through a dark period. The Hindus who formed nearly 90 percent of the population of the country were the subjects, while the Muslims, the then ruling class constituted the restof 10 percent, concentrated mostly in North-West of the country. The Hindus were rigidly following the caste system. They had no central church. Rather, there were separate creeds, each one following the ethical norms of its own. Muslims too were divided into three classes; the royal class, the preaching class and the common man. Such were the times when one of the noblest of men appeared on the Indian scene. Conduct, for him, was of wider and deeper significance in religious life, than it generally had in that of previous Indian thinkers. This is so, because Indian thought underrated the reality of Transitory world, while Guru Nanak showed profound faith in the Creator by declaring that the Creation of the True one cannot be devoid of Reality. Not only that, His creation was also the place where man recognizes God’s presence.

“Nanak, the Beneficent lord alone is True,

and He is Revealed through His nature.”

Var Majh M 1, P. 141

If so, the life of a man of religious insight must have a unique place in the scheme of things. At one point he says, Good conduct is above Truth itself.

“Truth is the highest of all virtues;

but true living is higher still.”

Sri Ast. M 1, p. 62

That is, though nothing else is more important than the vision of Truth, the life of truthful living is of great importance. Of course there can be no life of Truthful living without the experience of God or Reality. A man who contemplates on the Name of God attains the Truth through pure conduct.

“He contemplates His Lord with love

in the heart, and attaineth to God

through (pure) conduct and the Word,

by the Guru’s grace.”

Sidh G-33 Ramkali M 1, p. 941

This only means that you cannot separate a man’s conduct in the world from his insight of God. These two are the manifestations of the one Lord.

Concept of Mind

Man’s mind is given crucial importance in Guru Nanak’s ethical thought, as, “Man’s good or bad actions result from the working of his mind”.

“It is the mind that doeth deeds

and practiseth righteousness.”

Ast. M 1 9.8.3 p. 415

This mind is born out of five elements

Asa M 1 9.8.3. p. 415

In the Indian way of thinking, the five elements are the objects of five senses. These are sight, hearing, smell, taste and the skin sensation. By saying so, the Guru means to imply that the proper function of mind is to bind us to the real world and not to flee from it. Mind has three characteristics, all of which are ethically significant. First, it is restless, (chanchal). hence it is hard to fix attention on any object for any length to time. However, concentration of mind is as difficult a task as it is necessary. So it has to be acquired with constant discipline. And discipline requires surrender of the ego in man. This is emphasized again and again in Sikh teachings, and no doubt is allowed to remain on this point. Secondly, mind implies thinking and reasoning, attainment of beliefs and of convictions. Third, an essential characteristic of mind is its inherent ego-centredness (Haumai). The individual’s mind derives happiness or suffering due to his own experience. The I-ness, my-ness, of experience is ego (Haumai). It is neither good nor bad by itself. It is the power of mind, which could be used for good or misused for bad purposes. Haumai also leads us to identify ourselves with our way of life.

Man’s mind is the sum total of two factor’s. One factor is the evolutionary past of our species. This past is dominated by five inborn urges of lust, anger, avarice, attachment and pride. The second factors is the realization of man of his creaturliness and finite existence and his aspiration to transcend his finitude by relating himself to the transcendent God. Only too often, the urges to God-realization lies submerged in the mind and we live an ego-centred life, the life of Haumai. The ego-centered life is built on a false view of world called by Guru Nanak, Maya (illusion). Transitory things allure man towards falsehood or Maya. It deprives him of that potentiality of mind which enables man to rise to the vision of God, which for Guru Nanak is the Truth (Sach). Guru Nanak also says that it is through ego-centred-ness that man is oriented towards Truth or to falsehood.

“In ego is one truthful or

Lieth like a liar.”

Asa di Var 7.1, p. 466

Guru Angad, the Second Sikh Guru puts it thus

“Ego-centrism is a chronic disease, but the treatment also lies in it.”

Asa di Var 7.2, p. 466

In Guru Nanak’s teachings the vision of Truth is the vision of the Creator. Guru Nanak pays homage to the Creator as follows, “The Eternal ever was, ever shall be, the Eternal alone exists, nothing shall last but the Eternal.” (Japu-ji)

Again, he asks how can we find Truth and demolish the walls of falsehood?

“How then to be true? How rend the

veil of sham, untruth

Japuji p. 1

Here, falsehood stands for illusion or Maya which is the source of desire and worldliness. The Guru’s question points to the foremost concern of the seeker. When Truth is realized, it inevitably leads to noble action or good conduct. And Truth is realized only with help from the Guru or, as Guru Angad puts it, “By the grace of God, the Word of Guru (Shabad) dispels ego (Humai),” which hinders our search for Truth.

“If the Lord be in Grace, one

practiceth the Word of Guru.”

Asa di Var p. 466

It is only when man comprehends the Word (Shabad), that the life of worldliness or ‘Maya’ the life of gross egoism (humai) born out of lust, anger, avarice, attachment and pride is replaced by the life of self-transcendence, the life of Truth of the life of Naam or of Name of God.

“And stilthing his ego, he mergeth in God.

Ramkali M 1, Sidh G p. 941

The man oriented towards Guru’s Word (Shabad) is Gurmukh in contrast to Manmukh, the man sunk in the ego (humai). Gurmukh, is the man immersed in the Truth enshrined in the Guru’s Word thereby has killed his ego.

The Gurmukh is blest with Grace ...

and he stilteth his ego through the Word"

Sidh G p. 942

It is the mission of man to approach ever nearer to God. As he does this, he feels he has creativity, freedom and the will to act. The creativity of God has no reality apart from Him. In other words, only by expanding and transcending the ego, can a man accord with His Will, and thereby experience freedom.

Ethical Conduct

Having discussed the nature of human mind and its transcendence beyond the ego, we are now prepared to understand and define the ethical conduct of man. Guru Nanak has stressed the code of conduct for a God-oriented man in stanza 28 and 29 of his scripture Japuji. He has also stressed the code of conduct for the men in the position of rulers and religious leaders responsible for the moral set-up of society.

First, we will mention the ethical code for the individual comprising the elements as follows :

Contentment (Santokh)

Reflection (Saram)

Right orientation (Dhian)

Self discipline (Jugat)

Absolute faith in God (Partit)

Catholicity, i.e., showing respect to all other religious (Ai panthi sagal jamati)

Service to humanity (man jite jag jit)

We shall now consider the elaboration of these seven virtues in the compositions of the Gurus.

Contentment (Santokh) - The social order demands certain specific pattern of behaviour from every man and woman in society. An individual has to be content with his role in the social group. His ambitions should not outrun his role in the society. Thus, a farmer fulfills his Dharma by performing well his role of providing food for the society. A learned man performs his role well by acquiring and diffusing knowledge, a king by doing justice to every member of his society. In other words, by performing his own role every one is maintaining a desirable social order within the family, the occupations, the religious and social institutions, without which no one can lead a worthy life and be happy. Actually, through this variety of roles, they all really perform one role, that of maintaining the desirable social order.

“It is the bull of Dharma, the law born of mercy,

which through contentment creates harmony.

Japuji p.3

Reflections (Saram) - Man must determine and reflect on the propriety or otherwise of his own actions in terms of the ultimate concern, which is God-oriented life. By reflecting on Guru’s Word (Shabad) he must be able to interpret his Dharma in an honest and intelligent manner. To promote reflection, attachment to emphemeral objects has to be avoided :

“Love not then that which but

is a passing show.”

Sri Rag M 1 p. 21

Man has the capacity to withdraw himself in reflection. The concern of the wise man should be the preservation of social order. To attain this long-range objective, that is, maintenance of social order, he has to avoid temptations. For him, “Beauty, wealth, social status and the sweet pleasures of life as mere tinsels.” These are to be used only as necessities of life. Reflection helps us to shift real values from fake values.

(Asa di Var, Slok I, stanza 10, p. 468)

Right Orientation (Dhian) - that is, orientation to God. Guru Nanak calls this as the path of Naam or Name of God. Guru Nanak says, “I am blindfold, Naam is my Staff.” Concentrate on the Name and you will not be carried away by the allurements of Maya, that is, pitfalls in your ethical career :

“For me, the blind one, Lord’s Name is the only prop:

yea, he who leans on God

him the Maya enticeth not away.”

Suhi M 1 p. 752

Guru Arjun, the fifth Guru, says, this body is obtained by good fortune. Those who do not orient themselves properly by dwelling on the God by repetition of Naam or ‘Jap’ are slaying their self.

“The fortunate got the priceless gift of body;

But if he dwells not on the Name, he slayeth his self.”

Gauri M.5, p. 188

Repetition of the Name of God or ‘Jap’ is not to be taken as mechanical, parrot-like repetition of whatsoever name you choose to give God, but to align oneself with Him through Jap (repetition of Naam - Naam Simran).

Naam is not only the ultimate reality, but also the ultimate concern, which appears to us as the Truth, Truth which is the great medicine, that rinses away the sins.

“Truth is the cure-all, it washes

one clean of sin.”

Asa di Var 10.2 p. 468

Constant awareness of Naam is the cure for man’s ego-centredness. God can be best seen in His Creation, which he fills with himself without appearing to do so.

“In thy creations is thy light;

Through thy light are thou known,

and though without attributes, all attributes inhere in Thee.”

Asa di Var 12.2 p. 468

Even though intellectual conception does reveal the nature of Him and His Creation, yet for the common man the popular form of repetition of Naam is through listening and singing the praises of the Lord and to love Lord with all our heart.

“Sing of Him, of Him hear,

love Him, (He the master dear)”

Japuji, p. 2

Singing the praises of God through Guru’s Word in set musical notes according to Indian ‘Ragas’ is termed as ‘Kirtan’. For the common masses intellectual exploration of Naam, by reading piles of scriptures, Vedas, Puranas, and Guru Granth is a difficult task. For the common man Kirtan excels everything.

The Sikh way of life disapproves of concentration of mind on idols, pictures of Gurus, particular body postures, control of breath, performing formally prescribed bodily action, bathing at certain holy spots and going for pilgrimages just for the sake of going, as sham rituals.

Self-discipline and culture of life (Jugat) :- Self-discipline also means self-control. God-orientation naturally issue forth from a self disciplined and cultured style of life. It is the Lord sown in this body of man, sprouting forth in disciplined conduct, only thus do we know the presence of God in man:

“We know the Truth when the heart is true.”

Asa di Var 10.2 p. 468

Life that is oriented towards Guru leads a person to acquire three attributes i.e. Naam (the Name), Dan (service) and Ishnan (the purity of one’s own life).

“The Gurmukh is blest with the Name,

Compassion and purity.”

Ramkali M 1, Sidh p. 942

When we study the Guru’s scripture, we inevitably come upon some thoughts of self-discipline. A man should live the life of a hermit or an ascetic not by leaving one’s home or family, but by following the seeker’s path of God, in his daily life in his family and society. Man plays his distinctive role of Dharma by maintaining the social order. An essential part of this role is his life as a householder. Guru Nanak himself was a householder. In his life as Guru, he settled down to earn his own living by farming at Kartarpur, after he had completed his religious search. So were the next nine Gurus in succession, who were the true wise men upholding the social order of their society.

As a householder it is difficult for a man to keep his desires in check; he is apt to lose himself in the life of petty pleasures. Guru Nanak says that the householder of first waters is he who exercises self-control and regulates his life. One should eat just as much as is necessary for the maintenance of health and sleep as little as necessary.

“And I sleep little and eat little;

this is the quintessence I’ve found.”

Ramkali M 1, Sidh G p. 939

Guru Nanak abhors laziness. He exhorts man to work hard :

“Nanak : that alone is received whole in the you

that one giveth out off one’s honest day’s bread."

Asa di Var p. 472

One should keep away from lust, and anger particularly as they are physically and mentally injurious. We should root out greed and avarice from our mind, only then could we live in the spirit of God :

“But when through the Guru’s Word,

one overcometh one’s greed,

one is reconciled to the Lord.”

Asa di Var M 1 p. 419

Evenness of mind or poise under all circumstances has been regarded highly all Indian thinkers and Guru Nanak is no exception. He has given it a positive face. A God-oriented man lives in perpetual delight day and night.

“And they are thus ever in joy.”

Asa di Var 6.1 p. 466

The greatest upsetters of evenness of mind are worry and fear. Worry arises from our inability to adapt ourselves to unfavourable conditions in the world around us. Our own inability to detach ourselves from our loves and hatreds arises out of our ego-centred mind. The remedy lies in rising above ego-centrism, through the Guru’s Word :

“And bereft of hope and fear,

he burned down his ego with the Word.”

Asa di Var 9.2 p. 468

Our greatest worry comes with clinging to life and fear of death. There is no greater test of spiritual strength than when man is prepared to face death with poise. Guru Nanak has said this time after time :

“Thou, who abidest in me through

the Guru’s Grace, thou who determinest

my destiny as thou willest.”

Sri Rag M 1 p. 20

A God-oriented man, with complete submission to God looks at worry as not being his concern. “The Creator fulfills His purpose through us, let Him worry.” So says Guru Nanak. The care is His who created the world :

“Yea, the care is His who created the world.”

Asa di Var SMI p. 467

Self-discipline in God-oriented life is self regulation with devotion to Lord, not out of fear of God but out of divine love :

“What use that service which rids

not of the fear of the Lord Nanak;

the true servant is he who mergeth

in the master.”

Asa di Var p. 465

Guru Angad, the second Guru explains it further, saying that there is no service of Lord where there is fear of the Lord. A true servant is he who has completely attuned himself to the Lord :

“What use that service which rids

not of the fear of the Lord.

Nanak; the true servant is he

who mergeth in the Master.

Asa di Var SM2 p.475

The pursuit of worldly pleasure always lands us in suffering. The wise man therefore always tries to place himself, through reflection on Guru’s Shabad out of bounds to pleasures and sufferings alike.

“But one attains poise, and looks upon

pain and pleasure alike if one

pierces (the heart).”

Sr. M.1 Astp-57

Guru Nanak lays stress on all round religious and moral personality. Among the writings of numerous men of God who have adorned the pages of history, a special charm of Guru Nanak is, in going beyond orthodoxy, to include excellence, like mastery of language, knowledge, music sensitiveness to beauty, awareness of what is happening around you, intelligence, wisdom and literacy, which man must accomplish. He says those men who do not strive to attain these and yet are proud are real asses :

“Nanak : the real asses are those

who pride on themselves but have

no virtue to be proud of.”

Var Sarang M.1 p. 1246

A man who is God-oriented and self disciplined is simple in his appearance and behaviour. Those who assume air and throw their weight about in the world are so tainted that however often they bathe in 68 places of pilgrimages, the taint could never be removed. Guru Nanak believes in dignified simplicity (Garibi ves).

Indeed, they are good men in this world who are silk inside, while appearing as coarse clothes outside :

“They within is silk, and rags

without they are the good ones of the world.”

Asa di Var M.1 p. 473

The dignity of a cultured man comes through economy of speech, avoidance of needless debate and, above all, self-reliance :

“Why prathe over-much, all prattle is vain;

For the Lord knoweth all without being told.”

Dhanasari M.3 p. 661

“And, yea argue not with a fool.”

Asa di Var p. 473

“And thus with his own hands accomplish his task.”

Asa di Var p. 474

Faith (Partit) - Faith develops fearlessness in man. A man who has God in his heart and acts as described above walks tall with the staff of faith in his hand :

“For me, the blind one, the Lord’s Name

is the only prop.”

Suhi M.1 p. 752

Due to his well-regulated life and submission to God he attains fearlessness. Says Guru Nanak, “Now that I have your True Name in my heart, who is the other at whose door I should bow my head? “Except the True Master, he cares for none."

“For they care not for one other than

the True Lord.”

Asa di Var M.1 p. 473

He can serve no ordinary creature henceforth :

“When one serveth every “he and that,"

how will one attain to the Lord."

Asa M.1 p. 429

Not only does his faith show itself in this outer strength, but also in an inner strength. His mind is not like a divided house torn within itself because of doubts as is the mind of ego-centred man (Manmukh).

Principle of Catholicity i.e. Respect for all other religions (Ai Panthi Sagal Jamati).

In Sikh perspective, value is attributed to the principle that a wise man treats groups other than his, with the same respect that he gives to his own group. Says Guru Nanak, “We should not claim ourselves good and see others as evil beings. Suppressing our ego we should go on the basis of Truth” :

“I see no one that’s bad, though I am

not good sayeth Nanak; he who slayeth

his ego is himself like the true Lord.”

Maru M.1 p. 1015

Guru Arjun, the fifth Guru, says that if we change our angle of vision, we will see no enemy, no stranger, we will dwell in harmony with every human being.

“Yea, I am estranged with no one,

nor is anyone is a stranger unto me.”

Kanara M.5 p. 1299

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, says “Known you, that all human beings belong to one race” (Sarab Loh Granth). Guru Nanak applied this principle of friendly co-existence of religions and castes in his own times. At the very beginning of his mission he proclaimed that there were no Hindu and no Muslim, meaning thereby that they are both rooted in a common humanity. Between a good Muslim and a non-Muslim there could be no enmity. Not only did he say this, he demonstrated it by his warm and outgoing friendliness for his contemporary Muslim saints and admitting Muslims to his holy congregations (Sangat). In the Guru’s kitchen (Langar), which he established soon after settling down at Kartarpur, and which he continued since then as a living institution of organized Sikh religion, every body was expected to dine together without distinction of high and low. The fact that the shackles of Hindu caste systems are much less rigid in Punjab, than other parts of India, is due entirely to the work of Sikh Gurus, in this respect, first begun by Guru Nanak.

Service (Seva) - Guru Nanak perceives service as combination of four elements of behaviour in an individual - sweetness to others in daily life, forgiveness, compassion and service :

Sweetness to others in daily life without pride, but with humility is the basis of all social excellence.

“Sweetness and humility,

Nanak, is the essence of virtue."

Asa di Var 14.1 p. 470

We must avoid rude speech, as by speaking rudely we cast ourselves away from others.

“To be sour-tongued is to

destroy oneself.

O, foolish mind."

Sri Rag M.I p. 15

Avoid speaking ill of others and speak well of others in whichever place we are.

“Wherever we go,

We should speak nothing

but good,"

Suhi M.I. p. 766

Forgiveness (khima) - In the spirit of Guru Nanak forgiveness is not to be understood as mere overlooking offences aimed at us by others. Our false pride should not come in the way of forgiving others. But still we must keep in mind the overall social order or traditions of our society.

Compassion (Daya) - Man experiences universal compassion when ego dies in him. Having recognized himself in all beings he himself will become great, that is to say, transcend his finitude :

“When one dieth to the self,

one becometh a know-all;

and knoweth within All-Merciful God

the alone attaineth Glory who sooth himself in all life."

Sidh G, 24-940

If one finds himself in others, one will naturally do for them what he normally does for oneself. This is giving oneself to others (Dan). Without compassion one cannot give. Guru Nanak insists that we must give only from what we have earned by sweat of our brow.

Service (Seva) - We now come to the peak of behaviour pattern, that which we call service. Giving a desirable thing or a commodity is donation (Dan) service is style of life where one gives continuously. Short of service (Seva) there is no fulfillment :

“For, His service is

the Deed most sublime.”

Maru M.I p. 992

Here again, we have to see an all-society viewpoint, leaving our ego behind. Otherwise, you do not get the status in the moral life which belongs to a fulfilled man :

“If he loses his self and serves

He getteth honour.”

Asa di Var M. 2 p. 474

The best service a man can do is to help all those associated with him to similarly achieve their own perfections :

“And, emancipating themselves

they emancipate their clans too;

O, fulfilled is their life of the world.”

Maru Sohle M.I p. 1039

To sum up, taking a broad look on “mind” we found two seemingly opposite forces struggling for primacy in man’s life-man’s ego-Centredness (Haumai) and the urge for self-transcendence sought by following Guru’s Word or Shabad. We said ‘seemingly opposite’ because if Guru’s teachings have to be a force in our lives, it can only be done by the Guru’s Word being accepted by us, which means joining Guru’s Word with our ego. This is the essence of freedom of man, even when he is only a part of God’s Creation.