MrDoaba

I recommend everyone to check out this Youtube channel, The Mardana Project; it's both eye opening and frustrating but also gives me hope:

10 hours ago, dalsingh101 said:

Thanks for the share. I have zero knowledge of these things.

Is this the more Sikh style?

I don't either - there's so much about Raag Kirtan that I don't know, it's a much bigger topic than I thought.

Also I should have worded my eariler comment properly....the Afghani Rabaab wasn't traditionally used for Kirtan although today it is. Seems to be the most popular.

From what I was told, it's rare to come across anyone who's learnt the two types of Rabaab I mentioned. Maybe with the exception of Namdharis - thank God they have preserved this Vidya.

In the video, I think it's still the Afghani one. It's has a very distinct 'Arabi' sound to it (in Kirtan it doesn't sound as obvious). My ears aren't trained but if you listen carefully, I think, I think it sounds the same as this...notice the Arabi vibe it has:

@dalsingh101 This is the Afghani Rabaab correct?

I recently learned that this type of Rabaab isn't used in Gurmat Sangeet/Raag Kirtan. I believe the Seni Rabaab and more rarely the Sur Rabaab is used:

According to the Namdhari Samparda, the following is a list of things required to make Havan Samagri, although I have not till date been able to figure out what 3 & 4 are:

1. ਸੰਦਲ ਸੁਰਖ਼ - Red Sandalwood
2. ਸੰਦਲ ਸਫ਼ੈਦ - White Sandalwood
3. ਛੜ - ???
4. ਮੁਥਰਾ - ???
5. ਭੋਜ ਪੱਤ੍ਰ - Himalayan Birch (leaves or bark?)
6. ਜੌਂ - Barley
7. ਇੰਦਰ ਜੌਂ - Bitter Oleander
8. ਗੁੱਗਲ - Guggal (Indian Myrrh) 
9. ਸੁਪਾਰੀ - Betel Nut
10. ਸੰਧੂਰ - Vermillion
11. ਛੁਹਾਰੇ - Dates
12. ਬਾਦਾਮ - Almonds
13. ਦਾਖਾਂ - Sultanas
14. ਖੋਪਾ - Coconut (chopped)
15. ਲਾਚੀ ਹਰੀ - Green Cardamom
16. ਲੌਂਗ - Cloves
17. ਮੁਸਕ ਕਾਫ਼ੂਰ - Camphor
18. ਤਿਲ - Sesame Seeds
19. ਕੇਸਰ - Saffron
20. ਕਸਤੂਰੀ - Musk
21. ਖੰਡ - Sugar
22. ਘਿਓ - Ghee

I would appreciate it if someone could help me find out what 3 & 4 are. Thanks!

Soon to follow, screen shots of the Vidhi!

Gurbar Akaal!

4 minutes ago, dalsingh101 said:

I've never heard of this. 

Sant Ji uses the reference as an example for the Panth. It's defo out there. It's not like an endorsement or a choosing of sides per se.

Sant Ji mentions Israel/Jews in a video of theirs - how the Jewish people made a nation for themselves. I saw it not too long ago but I'm having trouble locating it. If anyone knows which video it is I would be grateful if you could post it here.

Dhanvaad.

When writing commentaries and making Gurbani interpretation there is a system, part of which is as follows:

• Vyakaran - grammar analysis.
• Nirukta - etymology analysis.
• Uthanka - historical context.

And two types of Arth:

• Bhav Arth - outer layer, surface meaning, literal meaning.
• Antreev Arth - inner layer, deep explanations, metaphors, analogies etc.

All this must be taken into consideration.

7 minutes ago, seattlesingh said:

yes, I would assume grinding it dry, any moisture will cause mold.

Also, all kesar that we can get in the store is "dried" in that there is no moisture left in the flower because if there were it would not grind dry.

Yeah thanks. I see what you mean. Even the "dried one" is still very resiny. In Iran, where they use it a lot, they buy in large packets and and dry it out further..sort of like dry roasting, before storing.

Using a stone pestle and mortar would cause a lot of loss because of the texture, no? I will see if I can get one which is not so rough.

12 hours ago, jaikaara said:

bro i know a friend who applied kesar tilak for a specific spiritual purpose. I consulted him yesterday and what he would do was just grind 1-2 strands adding a small drop of water regularly . He also suggested that you could get pure kesar and grind it all together using a mortal and pestle and store it . When ever you want to apply tilak just take a small quantity and add a small drop of water. 

Thanks beere I really appreciate it! Now when you say pure kesar, do you mean non-commerically packaged kesar i.e. fresh? Also, if I was to grind kesar for storage I would grind it without water right? Cus when I did it last time it got mould on it after a few days.

2 hours ago, dalsingh101 said:

Okay, but the flipside is true as well. The majority Hindu culture also tried to wrap itself around Sikhi and erode or blur very important differences between Sikh mat and Hindu mat. Singh Sabha went gradually from one extreme to the other. A lot of this was down to creating docile sepoys for the imperial army (in that they wouldn't question the fact that their homeland was occupied and they had lost their political independence), or at least moulding them in a way that brits found acceptable. 

If Sikhs removed idols from Harmandir Sahib, for instance, it was a good thing. 

Sikhs DO have a distinct identity/culture - it's just the way SS pursued this pushed them into another territory altogether. 

Overall I agree with what you're saying. I'm not denying there was a need for some kind of revolution or lehar, but as you say Singh Sabha overshot it beyond a reasonable line. Indeed things may have started becoming blurred and fundamental differences/distinctions were being ignored between Sikh Mat and Hindu Mat, and yes this needed highlighting and correcting but this could have been achieved without creating the "us vs them" mindset. Where has this led, and what has this resulted in...the same things me, you and many others mentions. The bias, the sheer antipathy, the paranoia, the whitewashing, and in some cases hatred...of all things Hindu/Indic. The other repercussions are missionaries and shankavaadi Sikhs (if you can call them that).

Sikhi is distinct and Sikhi is niaara...have never denied this. But at the same time nor will I ever deny the Dharmic connection/s.

A very simplified way of summing it up is...Singh Sabha made keema out of something that was much needed and should have gone in a totally different direction.

Also, I think you're just better at wording things lol.

9 minutes ago, dalsingh101 said:

Cool. You know I've always found that when we start looking deeper into these non Singh Sabha sources, we get a wealth of otherwise suppressed information regarding our history. 

Giani Gian Singh is a legend. 

At the risk of repeating myself...it's amazing how so much of this supressed information, and to what extent, is antithetical to the popular and average Sikh frame of mind i.e. Sikh"ism"/Singh Sabha narratives.

I sometimes can't believe how divergent Sikhi became. Having a reform is one thing but one could go as far to say they practically reinvented the faith. They pushed their ideology as the standard for Sikhi which is so deepy rooted now that people dismiss information from the past as bullshit; it does not even come under consideration in many instances.

Once you start to wrap your head around pre-colonial/SS Sikhi, and even taking into account possible interpolations etc, there is enough evidence to categorically state that there was an agenda.

5 peggs out of a Sarbloh glassy.

Does anyone know the procedure for making Kesar Tilak? I did try once but I didn't manage to grind it down fine enough I think...I also don't know what to mix it with...water or oil?

It's not something I want to experiment with as Kesar is bloody expensive lol so the exact viddhi would be greatly appreciated.

How much would I need to make a small amount? Should I try to dry it before grinding? What is the best way to grind it...pestle and mortar? Bearing in mind you would want to minimise loss. What else if anything do you mix into it...chandan etc? What is the best way to store it?

@jaikaara beere you're from India right...would you happen to know?

@paapiman do you know bro?

Thanks.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:35 AM, tva prasad said:

I think drinking alcohol near your death will definitely result in rebirth in a lower family. I think that this sakhi portrays both things, namely,  being born in a Muslim family would be lower than a Hindu and also that alcohol can bring about bad karma. 

Thanks, I agree. Still unsure about the message Taksalis attach to this Sakhi though.

30 minutes ago, paapiman said:

@MrDoaba - There is another story with regards to Akbar's previous life. He too, was drunk in his previous life (just before death) and become a Muslim in his next life.

So, maybe there is a connection with dying drunk and becoming a Muslim in the next life.

 

Bhul chuk maaf

Thanks bro. I'm aware of the sakhi of Akbar, but not the part where he was drunk. I heard that overall he was not religious but he did punn-daan to a Saadhu type figure just once in his life, and hence he was known in his next janam as a good king/generally seen as positive...that was his reward.

Tbh, I just have an issue with some Taksalis using questionable tactics to enforce their beliefs. They sometimes use large amounts of masala when retelling sakhis or interpreting them, and I have noticed a pattern with this.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Taksal as a Samparda. But there are many fanatics within in, and this is coming from someone who is extremely pro-Sampardaic.

9 hours ago, tva prasad said:

Mardana ji was a yogi in his pad TV life, however due to drinking alcohol (for medical purposes near his death) he was born into a Muslim family. Nonetheless, god granted his desire to meet god. Therefore, he became a Muslim due to a mistake. 

As for bhagat fareed ji, it could be argued that he was a Sikh. 

What do you personally believe regarding this Sakhi? And by that I mean do you believe it's suggesting as a blanket statement that by consuming alcohol one runs the risk of being born a Muslim in their next janam?

Legit wondering what you believe here because, quite a few people (namely Taksalis) seem to use this Sakhi to promote the belief I have stated above. As some sort of deterrent or guilt trip. Not denying the Sakhi btw...but thoroughly disagree when it is used to make this argument.

Gurbar Akaal!

On 10/6/2018 at 8:24 PM, paapiman said:

Thanks for sharing the video.

He actually insults Sri Satguru jee (Tenth Master) in it, rather than Gurbani. He actually implies that Gurbani is above the 10 Satgurus. Either way, he needs to learn to speak in a respectful manner about our Satgurus.

 

Bhul chuk maaf

As another poster said, he is also saying Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is not Guru, that they did not receive Gurgaddi.

40 minutes ago, paapiman said:

One positive thing about him is that he can do deep interpretations of Gurbani.

His analysis on the Charitars (few ones whose katha he did) was also good.

 

Bhul chuk maaf

And what use is that when he holds the utmost heretical views? This old man has more than a few screws loose.

While his analysis on the Charitrs may be good (I haven't seen it), it is of little use when when twists the rest Gurmat and Gurbani. He has come out with some ridiculous things in the past vis a vis Gurbani.

Please watch this video where he insults Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaaj:

Would hardly take this old man as a source of credible information. He masquerades as a Nihang when in actual fact he is no different than missionaries. He is just a missionary who believes in Dasam Granth (but twists even that).

He has a record of rank koorh prachaar.

I am looking for the contact details of any Namdhari Raag Kirtan Jatha's in the UK who are available for private booking. Contact details for any of their local Asthaans will also be appreciated.

Please send me a PM with any information.

Dhanvaad Ji.

Gurbar Akaal!

11 minutes ago, angy15 said:

Seems like Suffering from Dhandriphobic syndrome.

As opposed to you practically bumming the guy.

Seems like you are desperate for Dhandri's dandi.

Isn't his chela in the west a sexual deviant? Didn't he start mouth to mouth simran under the guidance of Ranjit Singh Dhandrianwala?

Didn't Ranj shit himself recently? Like actually shite

Dhan Baba Dhumma Ji? No? Never say never?

Gurbar Akaal!

9 hours ago, manraj19 said:

This is a very good one, well punctuated and clear sharp print.

I don't think your rock star baba would approve of it tbh.