shaheediyan

"The part about Shastar Puja is pretty cool also. It's especially cool since Sant ji is Nirmala-focused not a Nihang. For anyone who didn't listen to that part yet, Sant ji says that real shastar puja is cleaning and maintaining your shastar and learning how to use it. If you don't know how to use it, waving all the incense sticks in the world around your khanda will not help you one bit when you are forced to use it. It's a great reality check for those who confuse Shastar Puja with some empty ritual that will magically teach you to fight like you've got 8 arms and a tiger." To be honest, I have never heard of anyone who thinks doing shastar pooja (as in the literal sense) gives you super fighting powers. In fact, I personally do not even know anyone in the UK that does shastar pooja. The closest I have heard to the above scenario is Singhs from certain groups who think that doing Vaheguru simran alone will give you the ultimate fighting skill. We shouldn't mock or throw the baby out with the bath water. The literal shastar pooja is mentioned in detail in our ithihaas at a time when Singhs were Warriors. It's common sense that one must train hard and do abyaas on yudh, the pooja only seeks to create a special relationship with the shastar that one will depend on when it comes to the crunch. Also, if one has reverence for their shastar, they will undoubtedly look after them and maintain the to the highest standard (as we do Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji di seva). I have seen a trend in questions about shastar pooja and relevance of shastar vidya today, and sadly, to me, it seems like certain groups are trying to get respected personalities to provide the answer that justify their lack of efforts/understanding. I haven't heard the interview yet, but from what is said above, Sant Ji seems to have provided excellent common-sensical asnwers as per usual. My thanks to N3O Singh also for this great seva, I look forward to finding a spare few minutes to listen to the recording. Thanks.

Whats wrong with the Sahara, there are some amazing people who live amazing lives there.. to them the Sahara is paradise. The same is true for Inuits and the Northern Hemisphere, Aborigines and the Outback, Tribal Indians and the Amazon. That is a perfect example of how people make their own hell.

There is no worse hell than being seperated from the beloved. All other versions of hell in my opinion are an attempt at making people understand, a means to an end. It's irrelevant if they are real of metaphoric. As a wise Sufi once said in his deep understanding of Islam... we all create our own hells and our heavens, the versions portrayed in Semetic and Indian beliefs, not to mention every other faith (inc tribal) in the world, being perfect examples of the prevailent era/culture/environment dictating the nature of Heaven & Hell. For a Gursikh, the realisation of being without naam, is hell.

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was both a Yodha and Sadhu, at different stages oof his life. Their earlier years were spent as a Warrior, fighting alongside his Father, latter years were spent in bhagti i.e. during the time the search for the 9th Guru commenced. Sobha Singhs painting (as with everything else during his era) is westernised.

FMA CORNER: Traditional Remedies for FMA Injuries By Perry Gil S. Mallari - January 14, 2010 Training in the Filipino martial arts (FMA) employs bladed and impact weapons and with it comes the possibility of injuries. The latter was very prevalent in the olden days when dueling was a norm among escrimadores. This article is about traditional Filipino remedies for such injuries. The methods of treatments discussed in this article are for information purposes only presented within the context of Philippine culture and traditions. Any individual who intends to employ them for actual use should first consult a medical professional. FMA weapons generally produced three types of injuries namely wounds, bruises and contusions. The general term for skin and flesh wounds in Filipino is “sugat,” for bruises “pasa” and for contusions “bukol.” The first is caused by contact with a sharp object while the last two results from a hit of a blunt instrument. There are basically two ways to inflict trauma with a knife, it’s either to slash (creating a cut) or to thrust (creating a puncture wound). Felipe Landa Jocano, the Philippines’ foremost anthropologist in his award-winning book “Folk Medicine in a Philippine Municipality,” elaborates on the nature of wounds based on his research on traditional Filipino healers, he wrote, “Sugat caused by sharp blades, made either of wood stone or metal, are known as taga or hiwa. Taga are cuts or incisions inflicted on the skin by big instruments like bolos, knives, or daggers. Hiwa are cuts inflicted by smaller instruments like pen knives, shaving blades or broken glasses. Characteristically, taga are bigger and deeper; the incisions are vertical – that is, crosswise through the skin and the flesh. Hiwa are smaller; the incisions horizontal – that is the cuts follow lengthwise the layer of the skin and the flesh. Because of these characteristics, the two terms are often interchanged and the inflicting instruments becomes of secondary importance in the process of identifying the wound. Sugat through punctures are known as saksak, deep piercing wounds made with pointed instruments or objects.” Mayana, bayabas [guava] and bawang [garlic] are three medicinal plants commonly used by traditional Filipino healers to treat wounds. Mayana (scientific name: Coeus blumei Benth), which is cultivated for ornamental purposes is administered to stop minor bleeding of wounds and to heal bruises and sprains. For treatment, mayana leaves are crushed and applied directly on the wound. In case of bruises, the crushed leaves are secured on the injured part with a bandage and are replaced three times daily. The young leaves of a bayabas tree (scientific name: Psidium Guajava) are widely used in the Philippines for cleaning and treating wounds. For cleaning wounds, the leaves are boiled in water for a few minutes. The liquid is allowed to cool down and is applied generously on the wound while still lukewarm. Guava leaves can also be pounded and applied directly on the wound. This medicinal plant is heavily used by Filipinos to hasten the healing of circumcision wounds. Ubiquitous in Filipino kitchens, bawang (scientific name: Allium sativum), is the most important ingredient of adobo the Philippines’ most popular dish. Several scientific studies in the West have already proven the antiseptic properties of garlic. To disinfect wounds, garlic cloves are crushed and the juice applied directly on the wound. Stories abound of how soldiers during World War II used garlic to heal wounds and prevent the onset of gangrene. Written during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jocano in his book mentioned a type of healer called “tigagamot ng taga,” whose specialty was exclusively the treatment of hack wounds, a part of his book reads, “This specialists are skillful in stopping hemorrhage and profuse bleeding. One well-known specialist in the lakeshore area was a woman who claimed, when we interviewed her, that her treatment consists mainly of pangungusap (saying prayers). “I do not use medicine,” she said.” Bukol resulting from hits of a blunt weapon usually involves swelling of tissues and skin discoloration ranging from reddish blue at the center of the puffed area to ash gray around it. Pain from this injury can be reduced by administering pounded leaves of yerba buena (scientific name: Clinopodium Douglasii), commonly known as peppermint on the affected area. Yerba buena has long been known to possess analgesic properties. Jocano’s book even contained a liniment formula, which may prove useful in reducing muscle soreness from hard escrima training, it says, “For simple muscular pains only, the following medication is used: one tablespoon of black pepper, two tablespoons of salt, a quantity of garlic, and one cup of coconut oil. The garlic is pounded, mixed with pepper and salt, and heated on a frying pan. Coconut oil is poured into the mixture as soon as it is hot. The resulting paste is allowed to cool a little and is used, while still warm, to massage the aching body. After this is done, the patient is wrapped in a blanket and instructed to go to sleep.”

Using GM crops and khaad, and getting 3 harvest where they used to get 1 isn't exactly the governments fault. They have over worked the land to exhaustion, Americans have ruined many masses of land the same way. Punjabs farmers have not shown any regard/respect for their land and water, and are now going to pay the price (sadly all Punjabis are). Africans calling Punjabis to their aid are stupid. They need to get onto the responsible farming bandwagon i.e. seasonal growth, organic, using nature as an aid (rather than depleting it) etc etc.

Wow, he grows his own nishan sahibs... now thats impressive Seriously, that is an old school Punjabi garden, concrete and veg, no need for anything else! Not the neatest I've seen, but he has certainly made maximum use of space!! Those onions are most definately ready to be pulled out...

Lol, not quite central, Zone 3. Thats a great trip for cats, hopefully should work with foxes too (we have loads where I live). What I have done to keep those nocturnal mammalian beasties at bay is quite different. I have numerous 'CDs' hanging off strings placed strategically around the garden. The CDs hang at around 7 inches off the floor, samish height as cats/foxes. The science bit - The CDs reflect moonlight and are constantly moving and banging into the fence with light wind, the animals see the moving reflections and think its some big old predator with massive eyes! Has made a great difference, and without the need for a smelly garden!!

Garden is not big at all, being so central to London I would say approx 30ft long by 15ft wide? But we try and make good use of it, even though we have decked area adn 2 lawns. We grow around the complete border of both laws (strangely, the laws get smaller and border gets wider every year....). Also use lots of pots and rectangular plant boxes (around 2ft long and 1 ft wide). Oh, yes, we grow puthna too, Desi and British variety! Radishes are a great alternative to Muli, they are easy to grow, you can grow them tight (i.e. not much spacing required) and they are ready literally in around 4-5 weeks. "gardening and shit. its brilliant." Lol, that is defo a 'Chatanga-ism'. If you are refering to manure fertiliser, then yes!

"But how about evil eye? Nazaar" Live a simple life. Don't entice jealously. Don't brag (don't speak excessively), try and keep your material possesions simple i.e. car, house, clothes etc. Celebrate and commiserate in a Gurmat fashion. Spend more of your time in khaalis sangat.

Funny you mention that, we always have lady birds hanging around near the beans... looks Mata Dharth Mahath has already smiled on us

One thing I passionately believe we should all try and do (and a vidya we should all have) is know how to grow fruit, veg and herbs. There is so much knowledge out required re season, germinating, soil types, when to water, pest control (natural), kaadh (fertiliser – natural), when to harvest, how to collect seeds etc etc. It would be good to share and learn from each other on this thread, I will start by giving a glimpse into my small but busy garden  Some things currently growing: Watermelons Courgettes Spring Onions Cherry Tomatoes Green Beans Carrots Coriander Basil Methi (sorry gone blank, can’t remember what it is in English) Rosemary Chives Lavender Garlic Rhubarb Olives (fingers crossed, the tree will produce this year) Peppers Beetroot That’s most of it. We just harvested our Radishes, which my Massi told us are part of the Turnip family, and advised us that in Pakistan they make sabji from it. So we gave it a go. You cook the radishes same way as shalgum (turnip) and utilise the leaves to (50/50 radish and leaves mix), the result was amazing, delicious. The leaves are near identical in taste (and nutrition I imagine) to paalak and radishes are a slightly meatier version of shalgum! Some tips: Olive leaves are said to have great anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant value, a few leaves chucked in a pan and boiled and drunk as tea once a weak is excellent for your health. You can simply take individual pieces of garlic and place them in the soil (one inch depth) and they will grow into a plant. Rather than harvesting the garlic, simply keep cutting and using the leaves, they taste exactly like and can be used the same way as garlic!! They grow back so you have a continuous harvest!! Try and plant rosemary/coriander around the garden/near your veg, slugs/snails can’t stand it. Don’t fret if you don’t have a big garden or veg path, you get many great sizes of plant boxes nowadays, get some organic soil and hey presto, you can pretty much grow anything in plant boxes (make sure they have holes in the bottom for drainage otherwise the roots will rot and kill the plant). Label your plants, if you have quite a few, and not much prior knowledge, you will have no idea whats what when the leaves come through! Onions and carrots are easy to recognise, but veg (non-root) generally isn’t. You can buy copper tape for £1 per roll. Slugs and Snails actually receive an electric shock when their mucus comes into touch with copper. So they stay away from copper. You can apply a strip around all your pots and boxes. For ground growing plants, you can get copper circles, but they are quite expensive as copper is not cheap anymore. Beer traps are great, you get small green cones, which you push into the ground, put some beer in them and they will draw and catch many slugs and snails! Simply tip them into your next door neighbours garden if you don’t get on or release them in some green space nearby. I personally have not used the this trap because neither me or my wife can bring ourselves to go to the corner shop to buy some beer, if asked, we don’t feel the Tamil shopkeeper will believe ‘Mr Singhs’ story!! Another great trick is to leave pieces of metal or any low lying material with some dampness underneath in the garden. Come down into the garden around 6am in the morning and guaranteed you will have a sangat of mucus waiting for you! Personally, i find the favourite places of snails and slugs (some particular plants they hide under leaves or near the base) and clear out a few times a week. Its important to catch the small/baby slugs as well as they are prolific breeders! I already mentioned once before, but potatoes are excellent to grow. Simply get black bin bag, fill 2 inches of soil, scatter seeds (or half seeds) and repeat all the way to the top. Leave top of bag (or bin) open. Make some holes around the bag. In no time at all, you will have over 20-30 kilos of spuds!! A brilliant and not so messy method for khaadh is to collect all your peelings i.e. potato, orange, carrots, any food based leftovers (fresh, not cooked) i.e. leaves, roots anything, and them in a bucket of water. Leave for 2 days then use to water the plants. You can use the same peelings etc for 3 buckets worth i.e. 6days, before you have to chuck it away and start again. The result is ‘super-nutritious’ water, your plant growth and size will rocket!!! That’s it for now, I hope other would be gardeners here will enlighten us with their family secrets/methods for great home grown food also!! Cheers.

Why don't you see what Gurbani says. One can aquire powers (riddian siddhian), this can be done by one with that exact objective, or it can be a by-product of Bhakti. Powers can be used for good or bad.

Thanks for clearing that up W. All of a sudden, the world seems like a nicer place...

Jadu-Toona is all too real and still prevails in most societies across the world, yes as Dal Singh says, there are fakers and sometimes people confuse general bad luck/karam for toona etc, but that doesn't mean many others do not fall victim. Its a myth that simply being of the sikh religion or even following it varying levels is enough to protect you, one must have total love and strong rehit to achieve protection, the very minimum being stipulated by Kavi Santokh Singh is for one to have a NIT rehit of JapJi Sahib, done with devotion. All too often when a 'Sikh' becomes a victim, they become of followers of a Baba who eliminates teh problem, and loose faith in Sikhi as a complete power/protection. The sad thing here is that Singh sabha types are western scientific minded, so therefore do parchaar that it doesn't exist, those who are real victims therefore see the Sikh door as closed. Also, it is lack of understanding as to what is required for one to be a 'Sikh' and therefore achieve Gurus raksha. A Pag, regular visit to the Gurdwara, and I would say even being Amritdhari in some cases is not enough - a consistent effort towards improvement, a strong rehit, clean mind/heart, devotion/pyaar for the supreme are requried to achieve Gurus raksha.

Dhanvaad Jeeo.

If its the same art, then it should be pretty cool, although after reading Dr Hatsumis early books (and seeing early vids) compared to what he teaches now, I am convinced he has adopted bits from other systems and made innovations (which is fine and to be expected). The class you attended actually sounds great. In a Khalsa class, class is opened and closed with an Ardaas, so that seems to be their equivalent, not a bad thing. Same as NITNEM, the shakti is kept in check (i.e. Bir Bani in the middle). I much prefer smaller classes/one to one teaching, as this is how it was done in most traditions worldwide in the old days. Big classes are frankly just annoying - on a number of different levels.

Personally, I am not a fan of the Japanese arts, to many formalities, ranks, belts, hierachies (like mini-cults), secrecy and ridiculous expectation in terms of how long a student needs to train before he is given 'secrets'. Plus many kata forms are irrelevant in modern day fighting. Ninjitsu are exceptions, as it is an assasins skill, not an art form/sport. Combat Aikido is cool also (as opposed to the new, more popular sports/arts version. Don't really know much about Ninpo, it may have some overlap with Ninjitsu, best to go and check the teacher out, as his attitude/knowledge/skill/interpretation and teaching ability is equally (if not more) important to the actual system it self. You need to explore and test systems in order to learn 'what works'. As long as you stay 'independant' and don't get drawn into the closed cult culture that many schools operate, you will be able to intelligently discriminate and see everything for what it is. Best of luck.

Lol, if you heard the majority of ethnic Punjabi London teenagers speak today, you would certainly think it was a dungar kaum, they all sound like the spawn of Ali G! Friggin Jafaican!! Sometimes you see a great CV of a Singh, invite him for an interview, or see a beautiful (Guru Svaroop) Singh.......... then they open their mouth. I have always said Sikhs should take a page out of our Gur-Pitas book, and always try and achieve all we do to the highest degree possible, this includes communication/language skills. For some reason, this area is nearly always neglected. The Punjabi some folk speak is horrendous too, properly anpa(d) pindufied! Just because your parents may have been uneducated, does not mean you need not improve your Punjabi...

Nice clip, not sure about it be 'the' most angelic sound I've heard Admin, please move this post to the regular music section.

I concede and agree, from the onset of the British Raj, the traditional orders also lapsed somewhat in parts. I also understand that SS sought to address this, the point of contention was they went hugely OTT, and for the sins of a few, punished the whole, in doing so seperated the Panth and nearly destroyed all its traditions.

SUN-TZU: THE PRINCIPLES OF WARFARE "THE ART OF WAR" Chapter Four: Formation Sun Tzu said: In ancient times, those skilled in warfare make themselves invincible and then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable. Being invincible depends on oneself, but the enemy becoming vulnerable depends on himself. ? Therefore, those skilled in warfare can make themselves invincible, but cannot necessarily cause the enemy to be vulnerable. Therefore it is said one may know how to win but cannot necessarily do it. ? One takes on invincibility defending, one takes on vulnerability attacking. ? One takes on sufficiency defending, one takes on deficiency attacking. ? Those skilled in defense conceal themselves in the lowest depths of the Earth, Those skilled in attack move in the highest reaches of the Heavens. Therefore, they are able to protect themselves and achieve complete victory. ? Perceiving a victory when it is perceived by all is not the highest excellence. ? Winning battles such that the whole world says "excellent" is not the highest excellence. ? For lifting an autumn down is not considered great strength, seeing the sun and the moon is not considered a sign of sharp vision, hearing thunder is not considered a sign of sensitive hearing. ? In ancient times, those who are skilled in warfare gained victory where victory was easily gained. Therefore, the victories from those skilled in warfare are not considered of great wisdom or courage, because their victories have no miscalculations. ? No miscalculations mean the victories are certain, achieving victory over those who have already lost. ? Therefore, those skilled in warfare establish positions that make them invincible and do not miss opportunities to attack the enemy. ? Therefore, a victorious army first obtains conditions for victory, then seeks to do battle. A defeated army first seeks to do battle, then obtains conditions for victory. ? Those skilled in warfare cultivate the Way, and preserve the Law, therefore, they govern victory and defeat. ? The factors in warfare are: First, measurement, second, quantity, third, calculation, fourth, comparison, and fifth, victory. ? Measurements are derived from Ground, quantities are derived from measurement, calculations are derived from quantities, comparisons are derived from calculations, and victories are derived from comparisons. ? A victorious army is like a ton against an ounce; a defeated army is like an ounce against a ton! The victorious army is like pent up waters released, bursting through a deep gorge. This is formation. ?

No Tony, you are right. Using Singh Sabha statistics, authors and books, you have disproved traditional history yet again. That our Panth is now in the pathetic state it is, removed of its martial, linguistic, artistic, progressive, musical, mystical, scholarly, charitable traditions (to name but a few) is obvioulsy no fault of Singh Sabha and their child, SGPC... Yet, before Singh Sabha manifested - nearly all these traditions were intact....? Thankfully, some have survived, but no thanks to the reformists - luckily the pre-reformists traditions respected and kept their treasures alive, which are now making a comeback in many areas, again no thanks to the reformists. May be we need to do another Mahant hunt, and do away with all Singh Sahba/SGPC and complete the circle.... we all know history works in cycles... You will be shocked to discover that it is not only one fairytale snaatn website which resents some of the outcomes of the reformist movement, in fact, most traditional orders have gripes with the reformists in one shape or another. Saying that, I have never disputed Singh Sabha has good intentions, but good intentions are not free of bias, influece and manmat - their 'zeal' led to the loss of much of our Sikh culture. There were also some stars amongst the movement who I personally have great respect for like Prof Sahib Singh irrelevant of some differences on opinion. What couldn't be changed by SS was the massive knowledge Seva Panthi/Nirmalai/Udasis had on mystical Hindu/Islamic schools - which gave them an olive branch to reach out to so many other groups, where as Singh Sabha parchaar was more along the lines of 'Sikhi' is the only way - and showing how other paths were lowly/incorrect. It is common sense who's parchaar was going to be more receptive. All that being said, I am always open to the truth, so here is your chance, give me the names of some neutral/unbiased literature re Singh Sabha parchaar amongst non-Sikhs and I promise to read it.

A sad fact that in all teh world, Punjab still pretty much comes on top when it comes to new born life having zero value... She should be made an example of and jailed for a very, very long time for attempted murder.

SUN-TZU: THE PRINCIPLES OF WARFARE"THE ART OF WAR" Chapter Three: Planning Attacks Sun Tzu said: Generally in warfare, keeping a nation intact is best, destroying a nation second best; keeping an army intact is best, destroying an army second best; keeping a battalion intact is best, destroying a battalion second best; keeping a company intact is best, destroying a company second best; keeping a squad intact is best, destroying a squad second best. ? Therefore, to gain a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the highest excellence; to subjugate the enemy's army without doing battle is the highest of excellence. ? Therefore, the best warfare strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, next is to attack alliances, next is to attack the army, and the worst is to attack a walled city. ? Laying siege to a city is only done when other options are not available. ? To build large protective shields, armored wagons, and make ready the necessary arms and equipment will require at least three months. ? To build earthen mounds against the walls will require another three months. ? If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city. ? Therefore, one who is skilled in warfare principles subdues the enemy without doing battle, takes the enemy's walled city without attacking, and overthrows the enemy quickly, without protracted warfare. ? His aim must be to take All-Under-Heaven intact. ? Therefore, weapons will not be blunted, and gains will be intact. These are the principles of planning attacks. ? Generally in warfare: If ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, divide them; if equal, be able to fight them; if fewer, be able to evade them; if weaker, be able to avoid them. ? Therefore, a smaller army that is inflexible will be captured by a larger one. ? A general is the safeguard of the nation. When this support is in place, the nation will certainly be strong. When this support is not in place, the nation will certainly not be strong. ? There are three ways the ruler can bring difficulty to the army: To order an advance when not realizing the army is in no position to advance, or to order a withdrawal when not realizing the army is in no position to withdraw. This is called entangling the army. ? By not knowing the army's matters, and administering the army the same as administering civil matters, the officers and troops will be confused. ? By not knowing the army's calculations, and taking command of the army, the officers and troops will be hesitant. ? When the army is confused and hesitant, the neighboring rulers will take advantage. This is called a confused and hesitant army leading another to victory. ? Therefore, there are five factors of knowing who will win: One who knows when he can fight, and when he cannot fight, will be victorious; ? one who knows how to use both large and small forces will be victorious; ? one who knows how to unite upper and lower ranks in purpose will be victorious; ? one who is prepared and waits for the unprepared will be victorious; ? one whose general is able and is not interfered by the ruler will be victorious. These five factors are the way to know who will win. Therefore I say: ? One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be in danger in a hundred battles. ? One who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes win, sometimes lose. One who does not know the enemy and does not know himself will be in danger in every battle. ?