Pure Iron (i.e.: elemental iron) is very difficult to find in nature, and is not very useful. Iron needs to be alloyed to be useful.
Sarbloh, is wrought iron - which due to low smelting temperatures, has the lowest amount of carbon in it (~1%), and was worked into forms, while cast iron was smelted higher temperatures and ended up with higher carbon content (~5%) and was poured into moulds (cast). Both have their benefits... wrought iron is strong in tension, but not compression, while cast iron is stronger in compression but less so in tension. (as a side note, due to these qualities, cast iron would have been better than wrought for shastars blades etc.) and even karas as cast iron would withstand a blow from a sword much better and protect the wrist better.
It gets even more complicated when we start adding 'white' iron which is pretty close to wrought iron in carbon content but it is a cast iron not wrought. It resists rust better. It still retains the magnetic properties though. Steel is actually an alloy of iron as well. It was natural for weapons to progress to steel blades due to steel's hardness and tensile strength. It loses its magnetic properties however.
The difference we are talking about in carbon content (deemed as 'impurities') is a mere few percent. Those who say sarbloh is the only acceptable metal for karas and kirpan blades, are basically saying that the acceptable % of carbon must be only a couple percent at most.
Some people do react though to wrought iron against the skin since it's very reactive and oxidizes easily. Hence, why some people require to wear surgical stainless steel kara... I hear white iron karas also work well for people with these issues.
But... there are no karas in existence made purely of elemental (pure) iron... It's just not possible since it's the smelting / melting process that actually causes the carbon content, and without melting the metal, you'd never be able to work it.
Read Guru Arjun Dev ji's shabad on Page 1082-1083.
Maru Mehla 5
http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0&fb=0&Param=1082
When read and understood in Gurmukhi, it is extra powerful!
I remember as a child making my own mini Ravan, filling it with crackers & burning it up. Nostalgic days...
The symbolism regarding nine holes is interesting...never thought of it like that.
Wow - this sounds like whabbism Islam versus Sikhi. Sikhi is about equality. Why do we keep seeing again and again youth trying to mimick abhramic especially Islamic cultures, idols into Sikhi ? This I find very very distressing - Sikhi is way beyound Islamic ideas. Stop Diluting Sikhi
Guests, just ignore this paapiman. Here is a small sampling of what he thinks of women, quoted from this site over the past year or so. You can see, its hard to take him seriously, who has such skewed views of the female gender and such obvious hatred, which has blinded him to the point that he is misinterpreting Gurbani to support his own misogynistic views.
These are actual quotes from this site from this paapiman member (yes, he actually said these things):
He believes women are disgusting and impure:
He believes men should never listen to a woman's advice:
He believes women are downgrades to men:
He equates women with lesser beings like animals, plants and insects. (Apparently transgenders are also lumped in there):
He believes women are only half human, not full humans. Only men are fully human:
He believes women are to see husbands as God, but no mention of the husband seeing his wife as God - which as you can see above, he suggests most men are not high enough avastha to see the divine light in women:
How can anyone take what this member says seriously?? For that matter does anyone take him seriously at all??
What he is touting is not Sikhi. Just ignore him and let him spam his hatred. If nobody replies, he will eventually give up. I think he only does it for attention.
Admins why do you even allow this to go on? It's no wonder you have no female members! What are Kaurs supposed to think when they come here and read all of the above? If the statements were instead against a different race or skin colour, I am sure you would remove the posts as being racist and bigoted. So why do you allow it when it's against Kaurs?
Spirituality of Navratri (9 nights) and Dassehra (10th Day)
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The journey starts at night which represents the Agianta(ignorance) since the soul comes into this illusionary world of maya by obtaining a body and gets stuck in time and space due to the ignorance. Think of the Body as a cave. The nine nights represent the 9 holes/doors in the body thru which the soul experiences the world of Maya/Illusion. These nine doors are the 9 orifices or the doors that open to the outside world namely (2 eyes, 2 nostrils, 2 ears, 1mouth, and 2 below the belt= total of 9). The transaction/attachment thru these 9 holes keeps us bondage to the ignorance/agianta.
Dassehra is celebrated during the day to represent the light, wisdom,victory over ignorance. The 10th door/hole (also known as the dassam dwaar, Guru-dwaar, Hari-dwaar, also mentioned by Jesus as-knock and the door will open, 3ed eye, the pineal gland) is located above the other nine holes and is closed to the outer world.
During this journey of 10 days, the meditation is done to transcend/detach these 9 doors and celebrate the opening of the 10th door with the light of the Ultimate Creative Energy. This can only happen because of HIS grace, not because of the meditation alone.
May this celebration be of your soul to transcend the 9 doors of ignorance and fruit of opening of the 10th door/wisdom.
The Significance of the number 108
The Indian Subcontinent rosary or set of mantra counting has 108 beads. 108 has been a sacred number in the Indian Subcontinent for a very long time. This number is explained in many different ways.
The ancient Indians were excellent mathematicians and 108 may be the product of a precise mathematical operation (e.g. 1 power 1 x 2 power 2 x 3 power 3 = 108) which was thought to have special numerological significance.
Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108
Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.
Sri Yantra: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 x 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.
9 times 12: Both of these numbers have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.
Heart Chakra: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.
Marmas: Marmas or marmastanas are like energy intersections called chakras, except have fewer energy lines converging to form them. There are said to be 108 marmas in the subtle body.
Time: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
Astrology: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.
Planets and Houses: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.
Gopis of Krishna: In the Krishna tradition, there were said to be 108 gopis or maid servants of Krishna.
1, 0, and 8: 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.
Sun and Earth: The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.
Numerical scale: The 1 of 108, and the 8 of 108, when added together equals 9, which is the number of the numerical scale, i.e. 1, 2, 3 ... 10, etc., where 0 is not a number.
Smaller divisions: The number 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so that some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads.
Islam: The number 108 is used in Islam to refer to God.
Jain: In the Jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including 12, 8, 36, 25, and 27 virtues respectively.
Sikh: The Sikh tradition has a mala of 108 knots tied in a string of wool, rather than beads.
Chinese: The Chinese Buddhists and Taoists use a 108 bead mala, which is called su-chu, and has three dividing beads, so the mala is divided into three parts of 36 each.
Stages of the soul: Said that Atman, the human soul or center goes through 108 stages on the journey.
Meru: This is a larger bead, not part of the 108. It is not tied in the sequence of the other beads. It is the quiding bead, the one that marks the beginning and end of the mala.
Dance: There are 108 forms of dance in the Indian traditions.
Pythagorean: The nine is the limit of all numbers, all others existing and coming from the same. ie: 0 to 9 is all one needs to make up an infinite amount of numbers.
We have listed below 108 Upanishads as per the list contained in the Muktikopanishad . We have arranged them in four categories according to the particular Veda to which each of them belong.
The Significance of the number 108
We must agree that all measuring systems are merely reference frames. They give us a starting point. It doesn’t really matter if you call them farenheits or cycles. All science is based on fundamental assumptions of the mechanics of this universe. Yet, these assumptions, if correct, connect like building blocks.
Much in the same way, the number ‘108’ is just a reference frame. It is symbolic of a bigger picture: that of humility. When devotees recite 108 Hanuman Chalisas, in their minds they believe, they are proving their love for God, and that there is in fact a need to prove their love. When devotees assign a 108 names to Shri Ganesh, they are once again gauging their devotion through numbers. This, of course, may be considered unreasonable, since it suggests that 108 chants are more effective than 109 chants. How do they know this? Have they proved it? Is 108 the magic number of the universe? No, it is not! It is a reference frame. What is important is that a system is imposed to guide us through the fundamental struggles encountered in any evolutional process. Otherwise, chaos and anarchy follow and nothing gets done.
Having said that, I will show you justifications from a few subcultures in India. Obviously, I consider the Vedic rationale to be the most consistent with the fundamental laws of this universe. The others have borrowed and built, but it still smells of Vedic beginnings.
In present times, we can find many rationales for the proliferation of ‘108’ throughout our scriptures. In fact, this number seems to garner its unfair share of attention from myriad cults and faith systems around the world. I will give you a few justifications that have been brought to my attention.
JYOTISH SHASTRA {VEDIC SYSTEM}
This universe was created by the five elements: space, air, fire, water and earth. From these elements came the three attributes: Raj {birth}, Sat {protection} and Tam {destruction or death.}
The mathematical or geographical evidence proves that one circle has 360 degrees in space. Why is this circle or wheel of life considered to be of 360 degrees only? If we take a circle and start dividing it using the four elements and three attributes, all the logic can be observed.
The circle itself, is considered the first element of space, since we must consume space in drawing a circle. In this space {or circle}, the four remaining elements and three attributes create the idea of time. The circle is divisible by the product of four elements multiplied by three attributes. This involves the belief that the three attributes exist in the circle. By moving three times, each element completes its revolution.
So now we have the number 12 {3 x 4}. This division gave birth to our 12 months, and also to the 12 horas {1/2 of the day or Ahoratri}. We now have 360 degrees as well as 12 divisions. We can now further divide the wheel of time: there are 27 fixed stars (nakshatras) along with three attributes that divide the time in smaller portions. So this 27 + 3 = 30 is interpreted as 30 degrees or days of one part of the wheel (circle) or month. All of this is only half of a day. The night is yet unaccounted for. Therefore, we multiply these 30 degrees by 2. This gives us our reference of 60 seconds in a minute.
Thus the 360º x 30º = 10,800. Zero {0} is considered ‘Purna’ or complete. So we take out the last zeros and are left with 108. The idea of our total universe is represented by this number of 108. Offering 108, devotees believe that they are showing ultimate or complete respect to the Supreme.
There are many other justifications but all can be traced back to this system. A few are explained below:
SHOSHU BUDDHIST
Followers use 108 beads in their malas. They implement the following formula:
6 x 3 x 2 x3 = 108
6 senses [sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thought]
3 aspects of time [past, present, future]
2 condition of heart [pure or impure]
3 possibilties of sentiment [like, dislike, indifference]
BUDDHA’S FOOTPRINT
All Buddhists accept the Buddha Footprint with its 108 Auspicious Illustrations. These areas are considered to have been marked on the Buddha’s left foot when his body was discovered.
BUDDHISM
108 beads on the Hindu maalaa {rosary}
108 Arhats or Holy Ones
HINDUISM
108 Gopis {consorts} of Lord Krishna
108 Holy places for Vaishnavas
108 beads on the Japa maalaa {rosary}
108 Upanishads
108 Divyadeshes - Divine or Sacred Tirtha throughout India and Nepal
108 sacred water taps in Muktinath - Nepal
TANTRA SHASTRA
108 Pitha {Sacred Places}
The story goes that Lord Shiva was in deep and incessant meditation. His asceticism was creating great heat in the universe. All existence was in peril and Lord Brahma was deeply concerned. Lord Brahma asked the Mother of the Universe, Maa Shakti, to use Her strength and wile to seduce Lord Shiva. Maa Shakti agreed and was born as Sati, daughter of Shri Daksha. Lord Shiva was so entranced by Sati’s asceticism and extraordinary beauty that he took human form and they were married. Years later, at a feast, Sati’s father insulted Lord Shiva. Sati was so humiliated that she began a deep meditation which led to her immolation. Lord Shiva was completely heart broken. He reached into the sacrificial fire and pulled out as much of His beloved’s body as he could grab. As He ascended to heaven, bits of Sati’s body fell to earth. 108 bits to be precise! In time, these places were acknowledged and worshipped.
SANATANA DHARMA
In a book by Khurana, the explanation closely mirrors the original Vedic justifications:
A circle has 360 degrees, which when multiplied by 60 gives us 21,600 minutes in a circle. 60 comes from the 60 'ghatis' which Sanatana Dharmiks believe in. One ghati is equal to 24 minutes and 60 ghatis come to 24 hours.
One ghati is divided into 60 parts or 'palas'.
So the 60 ghatis multiplied by 60 palasa comes to 3,600.
This is further multiplied by 60 (becase a pala contains 60 vipalas) which gives us 21,600.
Half of this is for the day, and the other half for the night. So, 21,600
divided by 2 gives us 10,800. For practical purposes, we use 108. Using the
number 108 helps us coordinate the rhythm of time and space & we remain in harmony with the spiritual powers of nature.
My devi, pir and reality form closest to unconditional love is my mother. Seeing my mothers eyes radiating with happiness are everyday miracles for me. As first form of PrathaMA is MA.
When doing 3 prakahams around Guru Sahib, often before my eyes I feel presence of folks who have come across my path whom, my tiny mind has noticed (as we only use something like 2% of our actual brain capacity. Rest is unexplored). Folks like my mum, certain katha vachaks, certain yogis etc.
Life itself everyday is a Miracle - Saas Saas with each prana, simro pir ka naam.
In one from Sooraj Parkash, Guru Ji warns his Sikhs not to deviate from the path or change their convictions or lose their faith in Guru Sahib. Even if "someone/ some shakti manifests in front of you and flies to the top of a tree and sits there, etc (more example of various powers are given)".
If people break their convictions or faith in Guru Sahib due to minor things like dreams or even by seeing something when awake, then what chance have they got when Ridhya- Sidhya begin to follow them around or when Maya tries her hardest to break you from the path.
It is for this reason that nimrata and full faith in and love for Guru Sahib is required to succeed on this path. Full faith in Guru Sahib's teachings and power, and NOBODY else. Every true Mahapursh teaches this - that there are many distractions and tests on the path, but to keep bairaag and longing for Waheguru until only Waheguru remains and 'you' don't.
There are quite a few 'Mahapursh' who reach the level where pirs/devte etc come to do seva and they stop there and think they've made it. 'Prabhta' is the hardest thing to overcome and is referred to as 'bikham nadi' in Gurbani.
WJKK WJKF
Please can guru da roop sadh sangat help me with what the 5 kakkars for a female are and where this originated from (as 1699 vaishaki 5 pyare where men)
5 known kakaars
kesh
kanga
kara
keeshra
kirpan
I dont see any where keski, or keeping head covered - ie for women with a chunni or scarf.
Bhul chuk maaf.
Tina Kaur Bains reacted to CdnSikhGirl in What Is My Sarbloh Kara Made From?
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