sexy_singh Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 durin the weekend i was out with friends when a car drove past .. my friend who was sitting on the front seat exclaimed, "khalsa!" .. i thought he was referring to me or somethin because i was the only sikh amongst them and why else would he use a word he was unfamiliar with? but then he spoke out the rest of what he had read on the passing car, "raj karega khalsa". i was silent. im sure he understood what it meant, at least in the superficial sense of a rule, or kingdom. it suddenly had occured to me that our maxim, 'raj karega khalsa' would seem, quite easily, to an outsider, a very supercilious, even belligerent, assertion. khalsa will rule? can anyone explain me in a sensible reasonable manner why a non sikh should not be offended when we say 'raj karega khalsa'. I understand that the faithful would see no problem, because to them its blindingly obvious why it is true. But i think others might find it may seem patronising. do u like it, would u like it if a christian told u that christians would inherit the earth .. or if a muslim tells u that only muslims will be saved? I dunno, personally it doesnt bother me one bit because i've learnt that the biggest test of ones patience is listening to someone saying something that you dont like, or care for, about things like religion, morality and so on and convincing urself that no matter how much u disagree, its ok for them to think that because they truly believe it. so what should i have said to my friend - should i have stopped to explain to him that sikhs dont think they have a monopoly on the truth, and that our religion is not about conquering the world? If so, how would i reconcile the 'raj karega khalsa' slogan he had just read? in other words, should i have apologised? (aside, my friend might not know what khalsa means but he is aware, im sure, that it is a sikh construct of some kind as hes seen the word around by knowing me) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niranjana Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 This reminds me of a time during my university when as an aspiring Amritdhari, a number of my non-Sikh colleagues began to notice subtle changes in my habits as I worked on my preparations for Amrit. After a while, one of them asked about the Kirpan and the “Khalsaâ€, before I could answer another quipped in a very honest inquisitive manner, “Are the Khalsa not those who have been demanding Khalistan, is it not all about a separate homeland…†0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
challenge_everything Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 The concept of Khalsa Raaj, needs to be explained like every other maxim in Sikhi. But again with this maxim we have failed to understand its true meaning ourselves and therefore not been able to project any real accurate meaing to the world around us. raaj karega khalsa - aaki rahe na koe i think everyone really needs to look at original sources where this phrase crops up - such as karni nama waheguru 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niranjana Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Of course, during the 1980s "raaj karega khalsa - aaki rahe na koe" was frequently mocked as being "raaj karega khalsa - baki rahe na koe" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niranjana Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 And by Indian soldiers outside the Darbar Sahib as "Yaad karega Khalsa"...sadly sometimes it feels as if these mocking words are true... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSM Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 I don't think you should have apologised but to explain to your friend what it meant. I was listening to the radio station ages ago and remember similar topic being discussed , from what i recall , khalsa is the pure not just sikh , it could be any religion and only the khalsa "the pure " will rule I may be wrong here but what I understand form the word pure is a person who only sees waheguru in there eyes , they are free from the 5 sins ( anger,lust,greed,ego and apologise i can't remember the last one) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singh47 Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Khalsa does not mean ‘Pure’. This is a common misconception amongst the Sikhs. They confuse the words ‘khalsa’ with ‘khalis’ since they sound similar so they think that it must also mean the same thing. The term ‘khalsa’ is a farci word which means that which belongs to the emperor. Mughal Emperor Jahangir in his personal memoirs ‘Tozkay Jahangiri’ has used the term ‘khalsa’ when mentioning crown lands which belong to him. Similarly we the Singhs known as Khalsa belong to Guru Gobind Singh Jee who is our Sache Patshah (emperor). Strange how Muslims, Christians, and Hindus dont act like apologists for their beleifs, but Sikhs have to always act like apologists just to sound politically correct by thinking 'oh what would others say?'. When I went to India recently, I had a talk with Nihangs, and they very boldly and proudly say how Khalsa will one day rule in the form of Nihang Singhs. They don’t care what others think of them, nor do they act like apologists. But strangely in the west, Sikhs always seem to care what others will think. Anyway, I will be answering any replies after a week because I'm going out of town. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernal Monk Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 I don't think it is an apologistic (word? lol) act. It is attempting to clear up a contradiction. Sikhi teaches tolerance, and that it istn't the only path to God. Yet, some may interpret Raj Karega Khalsa to be an exclusivist attitude, which doesn't seem to go along with Sikhi. This is not an answer obviously, but what I think the original question wasy saying 47. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSM Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 But surely if we belong to sri Guru Gobind Singh ji , we have to practice and live in the rehat meriyda and if we are doing it with pyar and devotion , our minds become purer and then only the people who live this code will rule regardless of which religion they follow Is this true or am I barking up the wrong tree ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pheena Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 Can anyone here define the word "Aaki"? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
challenge_everything Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 akai - close to akar 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Javanmard Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 I believe in the religion of Love, whatever direction its caravans may take, for Love is my religion and my faith - Ibn 'Arabi 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
challenge_everything Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 akai as in full of ego if u define akkar as ego 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pheena Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 the translation that i have heard defines Aaki as that which opposes, Hinders, objects. Some take this words and relate the translations to individuals, groups, or a Nation. Yet some relate the translation to their Ignorance or as you said ego being the opposing force from you becoming the Khalsa. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mloco Posted May 28, 2005 Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 if 'Khalsa' means belonging to the emperor then I would say that 'Raj Karega Khalsa' would mean that the people of God will rule. You dont need to be a Sikh to be a person of God - 'Chea ghar, chea Gur, chea Updes' A Mahapursh once said that all the religions will eventually lead to God, the difference with Sikhi is that its the straightest most direct route, without all the rituals etc. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic_Banda Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 raj karega khalsa aki rehe na koi.. gurbrakaaal. As Challenge says akai may refer to hankar then the khalsa refers to the pure this may mean a more mental state so when the pure rules ones mind then hankar does not remain.. Also Khalsa is guru (khalsa mera roop hai kas) and hence in the kingdom of God nothing else remains. Or in the kingdom (that place which becomes) of God no ego remains it could also be refering specifically to the khalsa as in army of akaalpurakh in which case its not about a rule over a country or place like a kingdom but rule over kaljug ie good over evil as maharaj goes into explaining in ugardanti with the notion of the third panth upholding dharam etc etc Then again it can be manipulated and used as a khalistan slogan meaning the khalsa will rule and all infedels and non believers will die, allah hu akbar.. i mean oops.. !! :twisted: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexy_singh Posted May 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 ok. nice set of posts there. so what about these bumper stickers, should ppl not put them up? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic_Banda Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 they should put them up with a translation as i provided above. lol (need one big a$$ bumper for that..) Or with disclaimers.. And yaara just look at the intent as thats what we will all be judged by our intent, if the person who places the sticker on his or her car did so with the intent to be a racist then maybe they shouldnt.. If its simply because its something they brought from the gurdwara stall for a few bucks then hey whats the problem. And if someone feels that sikhism is a load of blox because they read a statement like raj karega khalsa on a car bumper and thought it was offensive then man that person needs to be informed that a bumper sticker is not the definition of a religion.. lol Its like i read a bumper sticker once saying jesus loves you.. first thing i thought was Jesus is gay and the pope hates gay ppl lol how ironic.. !! But I see the point you was trying to raise yaara.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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