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What exactly is a farla and how do you go about getting one?

Who is eligible to hand one out?

What is the maryada to keeping one? Ie what length should it be, when do you have to wear it? When can you take it off?

Also what doe sit mean to have one? Are all people with a farla on the same level of respect? Or can you get different ranks of farleh as well?

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I dont know if this is real story behind the farla. I found this little piece from ss in respond to our beloved premi "Mkhalsa 's" penji with a farla on.

Guru Gobind Singh jee wore blue baanaa to dress up as "Uch da peer" in order to safely get through a passage where Moghul rulers were doing checkings.

Gani Khan and Nabi Khan were blessed with the seva of transporting Guru jee through.

When Guru jee arrived back, the evidence of the blue baanaa was destroyed by burning. While the baana was burning a piece of clothe flew out and a Singh embraced it.

He became so elated and happy that a peice of the Guru's baanaa was in his hand. He nicely installed it into his dastaar.

Guru Gobind Singh became pleased with the Singh and the tradition of Blue Baanaa began. The tradition of the Farlaa also began. FArlaa is the clothe that is installed in the dastaar of Gursikhs - it is only given out to very rare people as a reward, for a very high service to the Panth or to humanity. It is a very rare thing and probably one of the only non-adulterated honours of panthic history.

As we know "siropas" and "kirpans" have been messed around with and people don't respect them as much because of stupid people who have given them to General O'Dwyer and other non-deserving people. It is important we don't adulterate the "farlaa" and recognize that NOBODY but NOBODY should wear the farlaa if they haven't been presented it by the Punj Pyare.)

I hoep this helps :)

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From past experience, there will be people who will find the following information unpalatable due to their own prejudice towards Akali Nihang practices. Some will even accuse Nihang Singhs of being "Hindu" and agents of the RSS....once again, the result of hatered and ignorance.

The "Farla" is a sacred Akali Nihang institution. This, like almost every other Akali Nihang tradition will probably get stolen and abused by non-nihangs in the future who will claim that it is theirs...

As Akali Nihangs are considered as "Shiv Swaroop" (the very form of Shiva), the Farla represents "Ganga Mata". Just as Shivji has Ganga sprouting from his hair, so too, the Akali Nihangs (representing Shiv Swaroop) have the Dark Blue Farla atop their dumallas.

The "Aad Chand" (half-moon cresent) adorned by Akali Nihangs ALSO represents Shivji and Parvati in union, ie, the trishul (trident) of Shivji.

In addition, with regards to the Farla :

1) It is, and was historically given out by the Jathedar of the Budha Dal (like it or not), and no one else. Today, the "Farla" is given out by 96 Crore Jathedar Singh Sahib Akali Nihang Baba Santa Singh Ji

2) It represents transition from a "Nihang Singh" to an "Akali Nihang Singh"/"Mahakal" Singh through service (traditionally a minimum of 14 years)

3) It also represents the "Neela" (dark blue) Budha Dal Nishaan Sahib (various Sakhis that confirm this). Nishaan Sahibs of the Budha Dal are spears, and are therefore weapons. The Akali Nihang Singh, with his Dumalla covered in weapons becomes a walking Nishaan Sahib.

It is reserved for those who have taken amrit from the Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa Panth. Once a Nihang Singh has accepted the Farla and becomes an Akali Nihang Singh, traditionally he would remain celibate, eat ONLY Jhatka Meat, Bibecki Rehit (food only made by himself or Ardasia Sikhs) and have Shaheedi Degh made according to Akali Nihang Singh maryada.

There will be an article coming shortly on www.shastarvidiya.org regarding the K's that will delve further into this and provide AMPLE quotes, both historical and scriptural.

Thats all for now..

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I don't want to take any side but till now, I have not seen anyone else having "farla" besides Nihangs. And Mkhalsa's story is something, which IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve never seen before. And I think we should request Mkhalsa for the reference, but its not worth asking him because he is so abusive as I see his posts online.

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I think that MKhalsa's interpretation is really fascinating - particularly in the context of Narsinghas write up of the institution and symbolism of the Farla (which is the 'official line' on the farla). Mkhalsas interpretation is simply a fanciful reinvention of history and something that is all too common when historical evidence and tradition don't align with the sanitised view of Sikhism that has been in vogue in the last 50+ years.

These fanciful stories exist around debates concerning the Gurus' marriages, Sikh women in battle, dastar, meat and endless other matters. Ultimately these deceptions and cover-ups end in the destruction of material Sikh heritage (such as the whitewashing of wall paintings at Tarn Taran and the removal of paintings and panels at the Golden Temple and the Akal takht or the ritual cremation of hand-written birs) in order to continue the deception. At the end of the day these are lies, simple deceits and have no place in and honest exchange. They would see it differently and say that they are protecting us from Brahministic influence !!

I am reminded of an instance where I lent some pictures of Sikh in the First World War to a few AKJ Sikhs to do a talk within the Gurdwara Durbar Hall about Sikh military tradition. These young men had no problem in getting up on stage and lying in front of the entire sangat and Guru mahraj by simply making up stories about the people in the pictures - one example was that one of the French boys that was seen in the picture later converted to Sikhism !! that may seem like a minor transgression but of course it is not . In their zeal to promote Sikhism they cheapen us with this kind of patronising story. Ultimately they are always caught out.

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i know it is going off the track but reading the interpretation by the nihangs regarding the farla written by Narsingha is fascinating. However i have been told by many sants that the actual images we see of hindu gods is all metaphorical

I have been told regarding Shiv Ji he is a great sadh. The ganga sprouting from the head actually represents the dasam dwar open an the contant flow of amrit through the body of the divine being. The snake around the head represents the five evil within ones person and shows that shiv Ji is still under the control of all of them and maya. The five evils are not under the control but control the great god.

there was also a reason for the half moon as well however i forgot what the meaning was. i remember hearing this in a divan by Sant Baba Jagjit Singh Ji harkhowalae around july 1994 in Leicester.

For this reason i do consider the interpretation to be incorrect just inconsistant with that put foreward by nirmala sants

i do not mean to cause a debate just putting foreward my arguement against it

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello? Any replies as to maryada of keeping farleh?

Please could somebody provide the answers?

Iron Bangle brother, it seems that there is some serious allegations made by people concerning the vichaar of baba nihal singh ji (please see discussion on them) and until the question i have asked on their i think it would be better to get the Budha Dal answer from jagdeep first. then see what baba nihal singh says, its not like in the old days when the nihangs all used to believe in the same things is it!

Please somebody the farla maryada?!

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  • 2 weeks later...

anyone?? Can you be a jathedhar and not have a farla!?!?

narsingha have you got a farla??

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  • 11 years later...

Lets talk about more deeply about this subject of farla?

1. Did all misal jathedars had farla?

2. is farla or farladhari even more chivalrous than saropa or panj pyares?

3. What's the daily nitneem of farladhari jathedar singh or singh? whats are key guidelines?

4. Can one be fellow singh and still have farla or jathedari or farlaship goes hand in hand?

5. What are decisions farladhari can make ?

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  • SAadmin unlocked this topic
  • 2 years later...
  • 3 years later...
On 7/29/2015 at 4:20 PM, SAadmin said:

Lets talk about more deeply about this subject of farla?

1. Did all misal jathedars had farla?

2. is farla or farladhari even more chivalrous than saropa or panj pyares?

3. What's the daily nitneem of farladhari jathedar singh or singh? whats are key guidelines?

4. Can one be fellow singh and still have farla or jathedari or farlaship goes hand in hand?

5. What are decisions farladhari can make ?

1) All/Most Dal jathedars have a farla

2) You have to keep a maryada of the farla. You cannot lie down straight if you have a farla as the nishan sahib should never face down.

3) A Farladhari should add a few more bania to there Nitnem I think.

4) As I said most dals Jathedars have a farla accept Baba Bidhi Chand Dal Jathedars.

5) Farladhari Singh = Walking Nishan Sahib

A Farladhari Singh has a higher ranking than a normal singh (in the Dal) as I know 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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