drawrof

Waheguru ji ka khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh This is a forum for discussion, it isn't gospel. Each person on this forum has a reason for why they do or do not follow their faith and to which extreme. What I find interesting is that those who have connected to god are very strong in their faith and see god in everything but sincerely respect their path because it has been tread. The majority of us fall into this second category yet those who are still walking or etching their path seem to find everything wrong with their path and others.... Great gursikhs came, they established their connection with god and they became jivan mukat and are one with god. Great muslims probably did the same and reached their destinations. (Meaning, they have achieved their jivan mukti or their destination, I used probably because apart from names like baba bulleh shah, jalal ul din rumi, and others who I have heard of are my only source of claim. I wanted to avoid making a blanket statement in ignorance because I wouldn't be able to back it up). do you think they cared about what taoists, monks, pagans and others did??? The path of those treading towards god is etched by god, the purity of heart and the intention to love god and accept god's hukam is part of what is weighed. baaki da, rab jaanay. now....I've clearly made a seperation....you have those who are walking and those who are planning to walk....those who are TRULY walking will help those who are planning to walk appropriately and accordingly, yet will see their fellow humans who are walking (but on a different path, in the same direction) as their parallel brothers...... I say we start that from the word go. BAZ clearly gave his opinion and his knowledge on islam to help clear up doubts, bobbyboy did the same by relating how satguru nanak sahib ji clearly said that what he was relaying was the word of god......everything beyond that bobbyboy was pretty much attacking islam....the circle started and ended at the same spot. lets get ourselves sorted out, and let everyone worry about their own paths. a sikh is a sikh and a muslim is a muslim depending on how much they put their faith into practice....... waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh

amazing pictures, it gives off this feeling of familiarity, like I've met them before......

Waheguru ji ka khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh! The information and symbolism and relation back to meta history echoed sardar kapoor singh's parasprasna!!!! Excellent scholarly work, what we need now are more bahadurs cropping up and intellectually proving that sikhi, in itself, transcends ALL religious boundaries!!! btw, I think I am partial because for brief second in my life I found inspiration from GI.JOE the great american hero!

thanks baz

I don't know how this topic has gotten to where it has from where it has started. I believe makeup isn't that important, as an issue...I don't see it as altering nature either. I personally am not a fan of makeup, but thats me. I see it as a concealer by most, but I choose not to judge anyone because some people are above the reasons for and against it and even if they do do it, it is because they see god in the process...understand what I am getting at here. It can be seen as a compromise of one's own god given beauty but it can also be seen as a minor addition in life.. Now, I don't think it should be enforced on anyone..either way, but rather the husband should help the wife feel better about her self and make her feel more loved because god does that with us, and in imbibing that quality we can do the same. It is a fact that women are prone to the expectations of them in society, but real beauty and appreciation is only felt genuinely when genuine appreciation and reinforcements are given on the other side. I guess my point is, lets get beyond the do's and don'ts and actually love our partners. That love will give one less reason for your partner to hate god....because eventually that is what happens when one feels disjointed.

bhagat singh was keshdari until he went into hiding, you are right about one thing...bhai randhir singh, "I don't want to meet you until you keep your kesh"....bhagat singh being respectful of him being a sant kept his kesh and then met him (as he respected the sacrifices that bhai randhir singh had made)....they were both freedom fighters in their own right. That picture of him with his head tilted is from 1919 (I have a copy of one of the 3 originals hanging on my wall). he met bhai randhir singh AFTER that. The athiest thing comes from his memoirs which stress his socialist attitudes. One would have to understand the context in which he was writing. The author of jail chittian had a vendetta, based on politics, against the family of bhagat singh....much of what he wrote is believed to be influenced by that. On the sikh diaspora side, there were long standing battles between kulbir singh and kairon...so that is another primal source who would not be "pro". Bhagat singh said that 50 years after his death, India would wake up and remember him..that is exactly what happened.

I'm glad I checked this site today! let me clarify a few things, especially for khalsa fauj! Snatan is Hinduism based. E.g. Bhagat Singh's parents were snaatan. (Shaheed bhagat singh's parents WERE NOT snatan. His father Kishen SINGH was actually an amritdhari gursikh who pushed to have his wedding as an anand karaj around guru granth sahib ji. His father Arjun Singh was snatan! Bhagat singh's mother told my naniji (her daughter and the youngest sister of bhagat singh) that on every sangrand, bhagat singh would go to a gurdwara, wherever he was, and do bheta of a ramaala). My nanaji who went to university with him in lahore said he would always be doing simran in his mouth. next point. That is why he became and atheist. He wasn't athiest. he was a socialist who was greatly inspired by the communist revolution. He din want to worship all the devi devtas. He didn't worship any devis/devtas...another concoction Bhai Randheer Singh taught him about Sikhism and he accepted. another concoction He was going to take Khanday Di Pahul but was hanged. He had long hair before he dies. 6 Inches with beard and mush. no he wasn't, had he wanted to become amritdhari, his family would have followed his footsteps. If you look at any of the brothers, none of them were keshdari! also I asked his one living sister, who l visit regularly...his mother was really religious and always did paat...hence my naniji, and my naniji's sisters did the same I am not part of AKJ. So don't try to label me AKJ or something because I wrote about Bhai Randheer Singh. if you have any further questions, I have talked to everyone in the family who has written anything about bhagat singh, btw....the lineage traces back to baba deep singh....and I have seen with my own eyes,and held in my own hand...bhagat singh's final writings....no where, is bhai randhir singh mentioned...feel free to ask

OH "YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: you have to show them the martial oh yes! 8) then give them the martial stare :shock: and then say akaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal

it might be 2 granths, but most probably 2 copies of maharaj di bir or one of the japji sahib sateeks that have 25 japji sahibs in it

this is an amazing post! please give more info on baba anup singh! what made him want to come here? how has he kept up maryada? was he married? is he still part of the dal? I am interested in the experience of this individual

I had the pleasure of meeting this man when I was in india, he was quite pricey when it came to portraits etc, he wanted 12-15000 rupees for a portrait. It was maharaja ranjit singh's patronage that made this art of naqqash flourish, if what I recall him saying is right.

singh47, this wasn't directed at you only. your comments certainly did trigger me, I mean it more in terms of discussing the ideal. there is one ideal. guru gobind singh ji..and he lived it. everyone else is trying, but we are missing the point. the point is that we focus too much on rights and wrongs, hazoorias, colors, etc etc...jathas, meat/no meat. This is all good to know, but you know what, that which makes us sikhs...(gurbani) is rarely discussed. Instead of learning about true sikhi and even trying to grasp it. we focus on the ideologies behind it.....and dumb things at that. its not an attack on you singh47, just the state everyone is in collectively. your points are very valid and true. you don't see nihangs in pajama's. I even appreciate your voice of reason and your devil's advocate approach. (I'll keep smiling)h

I am taking 2 posts from sikhsangat. one the actual bani, and secondly, the response by a member of the forum....this is the type of acceptance guruji wanted us to AT LEAST practice....well everything except the "we shouldn't support them"...in essence, they are practicing their guru's hukam (as per our thought)...so why shouldn't we support them???.. maaroo mehalaa 5 || Maaroo, Fifth Mehl: Alh Agm KudweI bMdy ] aleh agam khudhaaee ba(n)dhae || O slave of the inaccessible Lord God Allah, Coif iKAwl dunIAw ky DMDy ] shhodd khiaal dhuneeaa kae dhha(n)dhhae || forsake thoughts of worldly entanglements. hoie pY Kwk PkIr muswPru iehu drvysu kbUlu drw ]1] hoe pai khaak fakeer musaafar eihu dharavaes kabool dharaa ||1|| Become the dust of the feet of the humble fakeers, and consider yourself a traveller on this journey. O saintly dervish, you shall be approved in the Court of the Lord. ||1|| scu invwj XkIn muslw ] sach nivaaj yakeen musalaa || Let Truth be your prayer, and faith your prayer-mat. mnsw mwir invwirhu Awsw ] manasaa maar nivaarihu aasaa || Subdue your desires, and overcome your hopes. dyh msIiq mnu maulwxw klm KudweI pwku Krw ]2] dhaeh maseeth man moulaanaa kalam khudhaaee paak kharaa ||2|| Let your body be the mosque, and your mind the priest. Let true purity be God's Word for you. ||2|| srw srIAiq ly kMmwvhu ] saraa sareeath lae ka(n)maavahu || Let your practice be to live the spiritual life. qrIkiq qrk Koij tolwvhu ] thareekath tharak khoj ttolaavahu || Let your spiritual cleansing be to renounce the world and seek God. mwrPiq mnu mwrhu Abdwlw imlhu hkIkiq ijqu iPir n mrw ]3] maarafath man maarahu abadhaalaa milahu hakeekath jith fir n maraa ||3|| Let control of the mind be your spiritual wisdom, O holy man; meeting with God, you shall never die again. ||3|| kurwxu kqyb idl mwih kmwhI ] kuraan kathaeb dhil maahi kamaahee || Practice within your heart the teachings of the Koran and the Bible; ds Aaurwq rKhu bd rwhI ] dhas aouraath rakhahu badh raahee || restrain the ten sensory organs from straying into evil. pMc mrd isdik ly bwDhu KYir sbUrI kbUl prw ]4] pa(n)ch maradh sidhak lae baadhhahu khair sabooree kabool paraa ||4|| Tie up the five demons of desire with faith, charity and contentment, and you shall be acceptable. ||4|| mkw imhr rojw pY Kwkw ] makaa mihar rojaa pai khaakaa || Let compassion be your Mecca, and the dust of the feet of the holy your fast. iBsqu pIr lPj kmwie AMdwjw ] bhisath peer lafaj kamaae a(n)dhaajaa || Let Paradise be your practice of the Prophet's Word. hUr nUr musku KudwieAw bMdgI Alh Awlw hujrw ]5] hoor noor musak khudhaaeiaa ba(n)dhagee aleh aalaa hujaraa ||5|| God is the beauty, the light and the fragrance. Meditation on Allah is the secluded meditation chamber. ||5|| scu kmwvY soeI kwjI ] sach kamaavai soee kaajee || He alone is a Qazi, who practices the Truth. jo idlu soDY soeI hwjI ] jo dhil sodhhai soee haajee || He alone is a Haji, a pilgrim to Mecca, who purifies his heart. so mulw mlaUn invwrY so drvysu ijsu isPiq Drw ]6] so mulaa maloon nivaarai so dharavaes jis sifath dhharaa ||6|| He alone is a Mullah, who banishes evil; he alone is a saintly dervish, who takes the Support of the Lord's Praise. ||6|| sBy vKq sBy kir vylw ] Kwlku Xwid idlY mih maulw ] sabhae vakhath sabhae kar vaelaa || khaalak yaadh dhilai mehi moulaa || Always, at every moment, remember God, the Creator within your heart. qsbI Xwid krhu ds mrdnu suMniq sIlu bMDwin brw ]7] thasabee yaadh karahu dhas maradhan su(n)nath seel ba(n)dhhaan baraa ||7|| Let your meditation beads be the subjugation of the ten senses. Let good conduct and self-restraint be your circumcision. ||7|| idl mih jwnhu sB iPlhwlw ] dhil mehi jaanahu sabh filehaalaa || You must know in your heart that everything is temporary. iKlKwnw ibrwdr hmU jMjwlw ] khilakhaanaa biraadhar hamoo ja(n)jaalaa || Family, household and siblings are all entanglements. mIr mlk aumry PwnwieAw eyk mukwm Kudwie drw ]8] meer malak oumarae faanaaeiaa eaek mukaam khudhaae dharaa ||8|| Kings, rulers and nobles are mortal and transitory; only God's Gate is the permanent place. ||8|| Avil isPiq dUjI swbUrI ] aval sifath dhoojee saabooree || First, is the Lord's Praise; second, contentment; qIjY hlymI cauQY KYrI ] theejai halaemee chouthhai khairee || third, humility, and fourth, giving to charities. pMjvY pMjy iekqu mukwmY eyih pMij vKq qyry Aprprw ]9] pa(n)javai pa(n)jae eikath mukaamai eaehi pa(n)j vakhath thaerae aparaparaa ||9|| Fifth is to hold one's desires in restraint. These are the five most sublime daily prayers. ||9|| sglI jwin krhu maudIPw ] sagalee jaan karahu moudheefaa || Let your daily worship be the knowledge that God is everywhere. bd Aml Coif krhu hiQ kUjw ] badh amal shhodd karahu hathh koojaa || Let renunciation of evil actions be the water-jug you carry. Kudwie eyku buiJ dyvhu bWgW burgU brKurdwr Krw ]10] khudhaae eaek bujh dhaevahu baa(n)gaa(n) buragoo barakhuradhaar kharaa ||10|| Let realization of the One Lord God be your call to prayer; be a good child of God - let this be your trumpet. ||10|| hku hlwlu bKorhu Kwxw ] hak halaal bakhorahu khaanaa || Let what is earned righteously be your blessed food. idl drIAwau Dovhu mYlwxw ] dhil dhareeaao dhhovahu mailaanaa || Wash away pollution with the river of your heart. pIru pCwxY iBsqI soeI AjrweIlu n doj Trw ]11] peer pashhaanai bhisathee soee ajaraaeel n dhoj t(h)araa ||11|| One who realizes the Prophet attains heaven. Azraa-eel, the Messenger of Death, does not cast him into hell. ||11|| kwieAw ikrdwr Aaurq XkInw ] kaaeiaa kiradhaar aourath yakeenaa || Let good deeds be your body, and faith your bride. rMg qmwsy mwix hkInw ] ra(n)g thamaasae maan hakeenaa || Play and enjoy the Lord's love and delight. nwpwk pwku kir hdUir hdIsw swbq sUriq dsqwr isrw ]12] naapaak paak kar hadhoor hadheesaa saabath soorath dhasathaar siraa ||12|| Purify what is impure, and let the Lord's Presence be your religious tradition. Let your total awareness be the turban on your head. ||12|| muslmwxu mom idil hovY ] musalamaan mom dhil hovai || To be Muslim is to be kind-hearted, AMqr kI mlu idl qy DovY ] a(n)thar kee mal dhil thae dhhovai || and wash away pollution from within the heart. dunIAw rMg n AwvY nyVY ijau kusm pwtu iGau pwku hrw ]13] dhuneeaa ra(n)g n aavai naerrai jio kusam paatt ghio paak haraa ||13|| He does not even approach worldly pleasures; he is pure, like flowers, silk, ghee and the deer-skin. ||13|| jw kau imhr imhr imhrvwnw ] jaa ko mihar mihar miharavaanaa || One who is blessed with the mercy and compassion of the Merciful Lord, soeI mrdu mrdu mrdwnw ] soee maradh maradh maradhaanaa || is the manliest man among men. soeI syKu mswieku hwjI so bMdw ijsu njir nrw ]14] soee saekh masaaeik haajee so ba(n)dhaa jis najar naraa ||14|| He alone is a Shaykh, a preacher, a Haji, and he alone is God's slave, who is blessed with God's Grace. ||14|| kudriq kwdr krx krImw ] kudharath kaadhar karan kareemaa || The Creator Lord has Creative Power; the Merciful Lord has Mercy. isPiq muhbiq AQwh rhImw ] sifath muhabath athhaah reheemaa || The Praises and the Love of the Merciful Lord are unfathomable. hku hukmu scu KudwieAw buiJ nwnk bMid Klws qrw ]15]3]12] hak hukam sach khudhaaeiaa bujh naanak ba(n)dh khalaas tharaa ||15||3||12|| Realize the True Hukam, the Command of the Lord, O Nanak; you shall be released from bondage, and carried across. ||15||3||12|| Gurfateh!! That like all others is an amazing Shabad.... Nowhere does Guru Ji hate or dislike Musalmaan...instead Guru Ji helps them in understanding their religion... Instead, so much of todays youth 'hates' Muslims, we should learn from Guru Ji and understand them not nesseccarily support them or become Muslims ourselves... but learn to love every religion of God. There may be some fanatical so called Islamic groups who go around forcefully converting people...those people i say they are not Muslims. Guru Ji has shown us what a true Muslim should be and believe me there are some and are so devoted to God, that i respect them so much. But do not forget, it is all of us who have these problems and go against God's wishes, as so much Bani says. Lets keep trying hard to keep our hearts pure and our minds focussed on Akal Purukh. If we can do that then we can conquer anything. Bhul Chuk Maaf! Gurfateh!!

people who insist on having certain colors, clothes etc etc, are just getting themselves caught up in stupid stuff. do bhagtee and clean your heart and mind.... so that the baani of waheguru can clearly remain there

many see baba jarnail singh bhindrawala as a rogue in indian history. Most of this is due to people being partial etc. due to the change in the political climate of punjab at that time. If you hear what bhindrawala was against, it was simply the fact that the government was muddling up religious systems and creating new ones to weaken the existing ones. He was first with the government and then stepped away, of course he was going to be seen as anti-hindu or anti-muslim etc.. but one thing interesting to note is that he was learned in the koran sharif. My source of this information is Dr. cynthia mahmood ( a non indian, non sikh source). It is good this picture is up, only to show a facet of reality that wasn't as readily available earlier. Whether this was politically motivated or not, I am not too sure, but this exemplifies the human acceptance that sikhs and sikhism has exemplified over the last 500 years.

ik oangkar I believe, again I what I believe could be wrong

I'd like some clarification, isn't celibacy itself a "Sianpa" or a "methodology" in itself which won't grant anything unless there is gurparsaad. Further, in defining celibacy, isn't guruji talking about continence?. Now with continence in mind, isn't continence determined by a person actively engaging in pyaar for waheguru and being in touch with the essence/naam of waheguru? whereas anything up until that point, that is regimented, is just an attempt until one's inner state is pulled in with divine grace? (I would like you all to dissect these thoughts, thanks).

tsingh and shaka have both alluded to something very important.... us looking at mahapurash/sants/saadhs/nihangs/gurmukhs...and emulating their life.... truly my brothers and sisters, you are not in their shoes so emulation is more an act of ego-rooted perfection when played out than an emmanation of a sincere thrive. now, to make it simple. you should befriend guru sahib. take out the middle man, and just get in touch with the truth if reading ramkali vi vaar, doing seva and reading about history brings you close to god...by all means do so. just because someone has done it doesn't mean it'll work for you..guruji made you (Guru meaning god)...you've been tailored to be an individual, doesn't it make sense for you to have your own tailored path ?

waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh! I gotta make mine quick because its half time. I'll give details in a bit, but in essence. I wanted spirituality without religion. I guess I have come more to appreciate discipline and see the need for rituals at a very basic level, but focusing too much on ritualism will inarguably make the rituals an advesary to god. I found narinder grewal...the story is REALLY interesting. He had a few mystical abilities in the beginning, I noticed a change in him when I started introducing him to people. then everyone around thought they were the chosen ones. When 90% of his talking became bashing of gurdwaras etc...I realised he was caught in a loop, and I stepped back in time. I find many of the dedhari sects have the same way of dealing with things. You have one guy who is like a "god", and everything said by them is "gospel". you have dumbass chelay who think they're tatti is special. The chelay are usually just "lobhi" (Greedy) bandhay who want more money and think they will get blessings to do so, and the bibian are usually either tattered from having a rough life (bechaarian) or the wives have no peace of mind and think..."this will help the business". The people can't answer everything....(They shouldn't be able to anyways), but they will play it off like they either know EVERYTHING or cover it up with a very "blanketed" statement. Dhan dhan to those who say do "japji sahib, sukhmani sahib"....at least they are putting you on the right track, but if their intention is to just get money from you for what you already know...piss on their cholay!.

from a scholarly perspective, I have a question regarding the philosophy/belief of nirankar as given by the sant nirankari's. Their guru supposedly gives god realisation and shows you nirankar. Has there been any talk or debate of that in the nirmalla circles?

I have said alot and may have seemed critical or harsh, my apologies for any thing said outside the confines of daya, but the only way to truly have an impact is to practice what one preaches. I typed in 'koran+wisdom' in google, and read this before posting, lets have something constructive. May everyone's dharam and allegiance to dharam strengthen through positivity. SOME PEARLS OF WISDOM FROM THE QURAN prepared by the Quranic Society of Malaysia 1. Believe in God and live righteously. (2:62, 112) 2. Worship God alone and do not associate Him with anyone or anything else. (17:22-23) 3. Do not fear mankind, but fear God. (5:44; 33:37, 39) 4. Respect and honor your parents. (17:23-24) 5. Enjoin good and forbid evil. (3:104) 6. Fight in the cause of justice and truth with your wealth and your lives. (4:75; 9:111) 7. Act justly, do not commit evil and rule according to God’s laws, i.e. justice, truth and mercy. (4:58, 135; 5:8; 7:28-29; 5:44) 8. Perform prayers and other rites of worship, without quarrelling over methodology, and pay the poor-rate. (98:5; 22:67) 9. Obey just leaders, respect, honor and support them, but do 10. Be an active, dynamic, creative and courageous person. (2:30-34; 4:75-77; 15:28-30) 11. Do not be egoistic and proud. (25:43; 17:37) 12. Treat everyone with civility and give greetings to all. (2:83; 28:55; 43:89; 4:86) 13. Hold firmly to principles, but be flexible in methods. (2:67-71, 142; 3:103; 5:54; 22:67) 14. Put moral considerations uppermost, but do not disregard your due material interests. (28:77) 15. Save lives and do not kill except in the cause of justice. (17:33) 16. Do not kill for fear of poverty. (17:31) 17. Do not practice usury, but practice charity. (2:275-80) 18. Be honest and fair in financial and economic dealings. (6:152) 19. Practice consultations to solve problems. (42:36) 20. Do not accept unverified information. (17:36) 21. Listen to all views and follow the best. (39:18) 22. Read in order to know, but read critically. (96:1-5) 23. Unite and do not divide. (3:103; 6:159; 61:4) 24. Fulfil promises. (17:34) 25: Do not practice bribery and corruption. (2:188) 26. Do not devour the properties of orphans. (17:34) 27. Do not be extravagant and wasteful, or stingy. (17:26-29) 28. Give charities to relatives, the poor and destitute and towards public welfare. (9:60; 17:26) 29. Do not aggress, but defend yourself against aggression. (7:33; 42:39) 30. Believers are brothers and make peace between believers. Avoid suspicion, spying and backbiting among believers. (49:9-10,12) 31. Persevere in any good effort and do not fear to face difficulties and hardships. Success comes only after hardships. (2:45, 177; 94:5-8) 32. Use intelligence, reason and historical precedents to understand and carry out God’s commands. (7:179; 8:22; 10:100; 12:111; 3:137) 33. Speak the truth. Do not lie, although stratagem is allowed against adversaries. (8:7-8; 25:72; 33:70; 12:70-81) 34. Enter into marriage with believers, do not marry disbelievers, and do not commit adultery. (5:5; 30:21; 17:32) 35. Cooperate and help each other in good works; do not cooperate in evil works. (5:2) 36. Eat and drink moderately, and avoid intoxicants and gambling. (7:31; 2:219) 37. Dress decently. (24:30-31) 38. Be kind and forgiving. (42:40,43) 39. Do not ridicule or mock one another. (49:11) 40. Do not ask about small and inconsequential details. (2:67-71; 5:101-102; 22:67)

As a sikh, I don't see why we have to belittle or put down any faith. It is said that there is no intention or malice put towards the koran sharif, but at the same time...why is it negative stuff that has been posted? Here is my take on it, you had pakkay muslims of a higher order (meaning those who had cultivated a perception of god which is above the divisive nature of society....<with society being a manifestation governed by maya/illusion). You had muslims accept guru nanak as a pir, how else would he have entered mecca. He even revealed another world to a pir in baghdad (I believe a gurdwara still stands, although baghdad has been bombed like mad lately). you had muslims such as mian mir and pir buddhu shah who read gurbani because of the peace they felt from it. Lets not use this or anyone else's like towards sikhi (or islam) as a way of getting points. when you die, your actions will be judged (and for those of us who'll have mukti, we're set ...dharam raj will hook us up) but my point here being that this new age way of propping faiths against each other instead of globally and communaly enjoying kudrat in its many forms is screwing us up. These days, we are sikh because we are not hindu. or we are sikhs because we are not muslims. Straight up guys, you can claim to be part of any faith but if you are looking for flaws and just plain logic to believe in a religion....do yourselves a favor and just become scientists . Love of god should govern adherence to a dharam. I don't know about anyone else, but I feel sikhi is complete in itself...therefore I don't feel the need to put down any religion. Instead we should celebrate the commonality. Honestly, so what if a muslim feels they have the final word or if christians feel they have the final word (this point is being made at the base level)...everyone needs to prop theirselves and be grounded in one thing. God created the world and everything underneath 2 opposites can co-exist (this is the hukam of akaal in kudrat). It is evident from sikh history and websites such as www.sewapanthi.org that there have been a communal feeling of unity between factions of sikhs and muslims... lets be sikhs, learn about islam...the fact that we can do that and then think of how great people of that faith have shown reverence to guru nanak, should reinforce our faith if experience hasn't.

according to professor surinderpal singh, the dhadhi tradition and singing vaars is a rajasthani tradition. The nihangs are known to have migrated to rajasthan as well. the elements of sikh culture which have to do with jats/rajputs has similarities in rajasthan as the elements of both clans that are linked migrated through rajasthan up into malwa and abroad. what elements specifically, strike you as being similar ?

one traditional belief is that gurunanak sahib spent 36 yugs (9 yugs per letter) of abhyaas to bring out waheguru mantar. I am not sure of any other reasons

OSINGH, good point here, the best way to deal with this is...get out there; be normal and live off of what you are...no hangups, no nothings.... where I live in toronto, Its awesome because most parents are starting to keep their kids hair (and to our media's credit, it is encouraged and most kids will keep their kesh for a while). These next few streams of kids will determine alot, we must cater to our youth but in a way that makes them comfortable with who they are, meaning "utilize" the identity. With older guys, brush off all the 'factors' working against us and move forward with pride....you will see a change ps. don't ever judge a book by its cover, some of the hottest girls I know would marry a guy with a pagh.