amardeep

Very interesting

Gurfateh He used to be active on this forum but has'nt been so in ages. He has written an immense amount of knowledgeable posts under his username Tsingh I haven't heard from him in ages though.

Gurfateh Most Gurdware today have turned into cultural centers for Punjabi diaspora community. It means that there is less focus on spirituality and spiritual progress and more on bringing the punjabis together at a central place. If you go to a white Hare Krishna temple you will notice that they have a different athmosphere. Kids are not allowed at certain times and you have to whisper in order to not disturb the people who are meditating, doing their prayers etc. However, It is always good to visit the Gurdwara and have Darshan of Guru Granth Sahib and the darbaar, so I would recommend you to go at "odd" hours instead where you know there aren't many people around. And leave the sunday programs aside..

Oh I thought you meant they were taxed due to being Muslims and not due to living in a certain area. Islamic law for instances taxes people based on their religion. I thought you said Sikhs were doing the same. I think the Sikh Raj taxed certain provinces differently but I dont think there was a difference between whether the individual citizen was muslim, hindu or sikh .

I've never heard that Muslims were specifically taxed. Where did you read that and do you have more info on this?

It is an ancient discussion in all major religions whether the rule set is to be followed eternally by the people or whether one can reach such a state where one does not need to follow the rules anylonger. The jews of the Kabalah, Sufis of Islam etc all claimed that it was possible to reach a higher stage where rules (Talmud/Sharia) no longer applied to them because "the rules are a walking stick that teaches you how to walk. Once you learn to walk you no longer need the stick and hence get rid of it". I've heard some Sikhs say the same, - that the rahit becomes insignificant at some point because you are already living Sikhi inside out - the soul being in constant vibration. one Singh cited this tuk as ref: ਕਬੀਰ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਇਕ ਸਿਉ ਕੀਏ ਆਨ ਦੁਬਿਧਾ ਜਾਇ ॥ Kabeer, when you are in love with the One Lord, duality and alienation depart. ਭਾਵੈ ਲਾਂਬੇ ਕੇਸ ਕਰੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਘਰਰਿ ਮੁਡਾਇ ॥੨੫॥ You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald. ||25||

I think Bhai Nand Lal mentions them in some of his writings. I will take a look.

Each action you commit results in karma: a re-action. This can be good karma or bad karma depending on the deed you do I think it is possible in some cases to balance out negative karma through good karma (doing good deeds, simran etc) BUT I dont think it is all deeds that can be cancelled out. And it also depends on your intentions. If your intentions of being good is to erase your negative karma then at the end of the day you're being selfish and it will not have the effect you're hoping for.

Please write under the name Sikh Khoj when you're writing on the forum so people know who they are writing with.

Please write under the name Sikh Khoj when you're writing on the forum so people know who they are writing with.

Gurfateh Bhenji make sure to see the areas around Anandpur and also Paonta Sahib. The sorrounding hilly areas are extremely beautiful with their lakes, animal life etc. It is a good place to sit and contemplate.

What are examples of jayraj? What species are born from sweat?

Rhetorics so the person has a understanding of how to cater his message to the audience he is talking to.What level he needs to speak at, use of vocab so you dont confuse the listeners etc. Politics is mostly in terms of having a kathavaak who understands the world and how societies work etc. I often feel that kathavaaks dont understand the world around them that well

In generel I think it is also a good idea for kathavaaks to study subjects outside the Sikh canon. Ie study some psychology, logic, rhetorics, politics etc.

I would say the Bandaginama by Bhai Raghbir Singh Bir is a must. It talks about spirituality and meditation.

Other interesting debates. http://defence.pk/threads/sikh-warrior-hari-singh-nalwa-tops-list-of-top-ten-world-conquerors.393349/ http://defence.pk/threads/is-it-possible-that-some-sikhs-have-muslim-ancestry.326666/#post-5991851 http://defence.pk/threads/defeat-of-sikhs-by-dilasa-khan-bannuchi.341889/ http://defence.pk/threads/how-pakistanis-view-indian-kings.438079/ http://defence.pk/threads/the-myth-of-pashtuns-never-been-ruled-and-reality-check-for-afghans.354933/#post-6686375 http://defence.pk/threads/hari-singh-nalwas-defeat-at-nara-1824-a-d-at-the-hands-of-mashwanis-and-said-khanis.346183/#post-6492808 http://defence.pk/threads/defeat-of-sikh-army-and-death-of-hari-singh-nalwa-in-battle-of-jamrud.342087/page-8#post-6397430

Interesting post on page 8: It seems to me that waris shah was supporter of Sikh misals and disliked feudal set up. Dr Manzur Ejaz in his article writes, "During Waris Shah's lifetime not only was the Delhi thrown rotated among many incompetent rulers, but Ahmad Shah Abdali and Marhattas were constantly ruling Punjab and North India. On top of that, the Sikh guerilla movement led by sections of poor Jatts was establishing misals (territories comprised of a few districts or smaller units) in the entire region. On a practical level, the Mughal empire's hold in Punjab had come to an end, the local Sikh misal chiefs were providing security to villages and towns for a small fee in comparison to the Mughal rulers' taking of half or one-third of the crop. Consequently, the farmers and peasantry were much more prosperous and the urban elites' living in the Mughal revenue system, for the latter were mostly impoverished. Waris Shah said: The Jatts became rulers of the land and every place has its own governance. The aristocracy is ruined, the working class is refreshed [better off] and the land owners are blooming [with prosperity]. Waris shah was poor and his hometown was dominated by feudal pathans. According to Dr Manzur Ejaz, "Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Khan, Sheikhupura, a small town about 40 kilometers from Lahore. The town was dominated by Afghan Pathans who were the major landowners. It seems from circumstantial evidence that Waris Shah's father, Gulshar Shah, must have been living a modest life as the town's religious teacher or "paish imam". The absence of any family monastery and the poor condition of Waris Shah's grave till the 1960s shows that his family was not rich. Further, his documented wandering in the Sahiwal-Pakpattan area and his choice of Malka Hans's mosque also shows that his family was unable to support an unemployed poet." Waris Shah has not written much about his hometown's suffering but he lamented the plundering of Kasur which was then highest seat of learning and he was educated there himself. From the entire country of Punjab I am extremely saddened about Kasur (Pathan colony of Kasur was plundered by sikhs in may 1763, they were allied with abdali and were facing constant invasions from sikhs, why waris didnt use word kuttian for sikhs?) History: This wanting world by Dr Manzur Ejaz Source: http://defence.pk/threads/afghan-invaders-and-waris-shah.320499/page-8#ixzz4Fq8UA3Pl

Very interesting to see how Muslims view Punjab history compared to how we view it. If you know of other similiar discussions please do post. http://defence.pk/threads/afghan-invaders-and-waris-shah.320499/

Look up Sikh Youth Birmingham .. they help with alcohol and drug abuse

There is some debate as to whether it was translated by Bhai Adhan Shah (the third leader of the Sewa Panthi organisation) or by one of his students named Bhai Gharhu. In any case we are in the mid 1700s here. The sewa panthis translated and studied loads of Sufi literature since they were primarily based in West Punjab (also across the Indus river) which had an almost 90% muslim population.They are fascinating indeed.

Trai mudra are mentioned in Sarbloh Granth and Suraj Prakash Granth

The writings of Rumi has had a special place in the curriculum of the Sewa Panthis for the past 200 years since they translated the Masnavi in the mid 1700s.

im not sure. I've heard different explanations, one being that the 5 K's were always there but refered to as 3 mudras due to some of the items belonging together. The Kesh and Kanga is the first mudra. They go hand in hand just as the kirpan and gatra today go hand in hand (but gatra is not included in the list of 5 K's). The keshara is the second mudra The Kirpan and Kara is the third mudra. Both are weapons and therefore considered one. Later on Sikh poets started playing with the names of these five items and started giving them the name panj kakaar - therefore it went from 3 mudras to 5 K's...

They most likely are.

Here you go :) Enjoy, amazing info on pre-colonial education system in punjab http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPage.jsp?ID=6767&page=1&CategoryID=1&Searched=education