dyvI dyvw pUjIAY BweI ikAw mwgau ikAw dyih ]
dhaevee dhaevaa poojeeai bhaaee kiaa maago kiaa dhaehi
Why worship gods and goddesses, O Siblings of Destiny? What can we ask of them? What can they give us?
pwhxu nIir pKwlIAY BweI jl mih bUfih qyih ]6]
paahun neer pukhaaleeai bhaaee jul mehi booddehi thaehi
The stone gods are washed with water, O Siblings of Destiny, but they just sink in the water. ||6|| -- SGGS 636-7
In this quote, the stone gods just got owned. :)
From a short essay entititled A Molecular God.
"We can believe what most people have always believed: that God made us and God moves us. Science is only learning how He made us and how He moves us; it does not alter the fact that He does. If anything, seeing the incredible detail only increases our awe and wonder at His achievement." -- Brian Crawford
Bhai Gurdaas Jee's Vaar #1
juggrdI jb hovhy aulty jug ikAw hoie vrqwrw]
During the down fall of an age, people setting aside the duties of the age bahave contrary to their nature.
auTy iglwn jgq ivc vrqY pwp BRSt sMswrw]
The world gets engrossed in remorseful activities and sin and corruption prevail.
vrnw vrn n BwvnI Kih Kih jln bWs AMgXwrw]
Different sections(castes) of society develop hatred for one another and finish themselves through squabbles as the bamboos, due to their mutual friction, producing fire burn themselves as well as others.
inµdw cwlY vyd kI smJn nih AigAwn gubwrw]
Condemnation of the knowledge starts and in the darkness of ignorance nothing remains visible.
byd gRMQ gur h`t hY ijs lg Bvjl pwr auqwrw]
From that knowledge of the Vedas which gets man across the world ocean even the knowledgeable people get away.
siqgur bwJ n buJIAY ijc`r Dry n gur Avqwrw]
So long God does not descend on earth in the form of true Guru, no mystery can be understood.
gur prmySr iek hY s`cw Swh jgq vxjwrw]
The Guru and God are one; He is the true master and the whole world craves for Him.
cVy sUr imt jwie AMDwrw ]ñ÷]
He rises like sun and the darkness is dispelled.
It's been a while since I updated my blog (sorry!)... but I did find a very interesting article!
Take a look!
The Concept of God in Sikhism
Vanishing Sikhs
A good article that describes some of the problems, and how we can work to fix them.
Vanishing Sikhs! Why are the numbers shrinking?
Some plausible reasons and suggestions
Tarlochan Singh (Seattle, USA)*
* Email: tkhalsa@yahoo.com.
Confusion as to what is more important - The Punjabi or the Sikh way of life?
Unfortunately, after proclaiming that Sanskrit is not a Deva Bhasha since the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, we have now started claiming that Punjabi is a ‘Deva Bhasha’. Therefore, instead of reaching out to the masses, with the rich Sikh literature as the Gurus did, we wait for the thirsty seeker to approach us for the wisdom of the Gurus. Similarly, after proclaiming that the Brahmins were wicked in restricting the knowledge of the Vedas to themselves we have now started practicing the same trade of not sharing the wisdom contained in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (SGGS) even with our own children unless they learn Punjabi. And then we wonder aloud as to why our children are not respecting the traditional Sikh values.
Suggestions
a) Try to teach the children, even when they are in infancy, values of Sikh religion in any language that they are comfortable in. Punjabi is not required to teach some simple concepts like – As you Sow so Shall you Reap; Naam Japna, Vand Chakkna, Kirt Karni; Awal Allah Noor Upiah Kudrat ke Sab Bande; Sabna Jihan ka Ik Datta; Jo aiha so chalsi; etc.
b) Teach Punjabi, as a language when the child starts going to school.
Role of woman ignored
The most important and distinguishing characteristic of Sikh religion is the equality in religious practice prescribed for both man and woman. After all, only in Sikh religion, woman can take Amrit, wear the Kakkars, and go to sit in the sanctum sanctorum any day of her life – unlike in any other religion. Guru Amar Das Ji granted nearly one-third manjis and pirhas to female devotees in mid-sixteenth century, when the society still held women in very low esteem. Also, the Gurus give sole credit to a woman in successfully bringing up the child as a bhagat, surma or a datha. And the historians as well as parcharaks, all males, seem to have underplayed the roles of mothers of the Gurus, sahibzadas and the historical Sikh personalities. None of us know the name of the mothers of the Gurus, Panj Pyaras, Baba Budhaji, Bhai Gurdas, Bhai Nand Lal, Bhai Attar Singh, Bhai Randhir Singh and Bhai Veer Singh.
Suggestions
a) Appoint women on at least one-third of all administrative and managerial posts. These women should visibly belong to Sikh religion like Bibi Jagir Kaur, President, SGPC. Incidentally, one American Sikh lady brought to my notice that “Sabat Soorat Dastar Sira” applies commonly to men and women, as does all the other parts of Gurbani. She also felt that Indian Sikh men, in the tradition of Manu, continue to subjugate their women, including depriving them the privilege of tying dastar.
b) Allow women to undertake duties of a Priest or Head Priest in our Gurdwaras, especially historical Gurdwaras at Delhi and Amritsar.
c) Encourage and train female Kathakars, Kirtani Jathas, and Dhadhis.
Ignoring Gurudwara Sahib as a focal-point of Activities
It is noted in Sikh religion, that no effort is made in a Gurdwara to explain the meanings or implications of the Gurbani to the young child. Consequently, the young child does not want to participate in the Kirtan/Sangat and if forced to, then only disturbs others. It needs to be emphasized that if children do not understand Gurbani Kirtan, they will never understand the rich philosophy and may not benefit adequately from the time spent in Gurdwara – how can then we expect them to become a Sikh. In addition, in the times of the Gurus, various educational events, medical camps, relief operations, physical sports and literary competitions used to be organized and supervised by the Gurus themselves. The Gurdwara Sahib served as a social and cultural center for all the devotees.
Suggestions
a) It may be necessary to advise the speaker or Ragi Jatha, to explain word meaning of the crucial lines that they sing, may be before they start to do kirtan, or illustrate their discourse with simple illustrations that even a child can understand. One easy solution could be to follow the practice prevalent in the Gurdwaras/Ashrams run by the American Sikhs where English translation of the shabad being sung is distributed in the sangat, similar to the practice followed in India of keeping a copy of the Amrit Kirtan Pothi in front during Kirtan – may be a similar Pothi in English/other languages can be provided in the respective Gurdwaras, taking into account the location and spoken language of the area, for the benefit of children and others who do not know Punjabi. The other could be the installation of the electronic display screen, with meanings of the hymns being sung then, in the Gurdwara.
b) The most important event of the time at Gurdwara is the Hukam – which our children do not understand. Can we read them just a translation, and not katha please, from a standard accepted book of meanings (this minimizes the scope of dilution/bias by the speaker) – say for English from S. Manmohan Singh (eight volumes are available world-wide) and for Punjabi from Prof.Sahib Singh (ten volumes).
c) The visit to a Gurudwara premises should be made attractive for young Sikhs. For the Sikh children, our Committees should be encouraged to organize competitions of all varieties - Gurubani, sports, poetry, music, painting, phulkari, Karate, Olympic events like fencing, and then richly reward the winners. The aim should be to make the Gurdwara activities so wholesome and interesting that our children should begin to enjoy it as their second home.
Lack of Marketing - World fears Uncertainty but respects Individuality
The Gurus had taught us to be distinct (Nyara) but we have interpreted it as isolation. There is a big difference in the two – a) a lion is distinct but integrated in the animal life of the forest, b) a rose is distinct but integrated in the plant and thorns, and c) the Bani of Bhagats is distinct from that of the Gurus but integrated in SGGS. We were taught by the Gurus to be distinct in our style of life, conduct of business and pursuit of spirituality but we opted to shroud ourselves in mystery, jealously guard the teachings of SGGS and do not share the rich philosophy contained therein with others. This continues to result in suspicion of our teachings leading to isolation from all others. In restricting ourselves in a confined environment, we have created uncertainty leading to fear in our neighborhood about our faith and purpose. All the Gurus were transparent in their approach towards spirituality and taught universally in common daily spoken language to the wider public. Perhaps, our lack of transparency and communication skills betrays low confidence in our beliefs, which have also led us into a ridicule trap - along with our infighting and washing of linen in public happily portrayed in media. More we are ridiculed, more our children suffer and tend to bend-over-backwards to look like non-Sikhs.
Suggestions
a) Please advertise the basic tenets of Sikh religion openly in as many languages as possible. Share with other non-Sikhs (i) our values of Sewa and Simran; (ii) our concept of one God; and (iii) our concept of conduct of life (Rehat Maryada). We should boldly spread the concept that Sikhism Teaches universal religion – a) “Sarab Dharam mei shresth dharma, har ko naam jap nirmal karm” and b) permits to a spiritual seeker, to continue to be Sain Mian Mir and even a Sikh of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, like holding two passports.
b) We should not be shy of telling that Sikh men and women keep Kirpan to help and serve people in distress. If Muslim men can be circumcised and women can wear Burka, Brahmin men can wear threads and maintain a bodhi, Lord Rama can sport a bow-arrow, Shiva a Trishul, and Krishna a sudarshan chakra then why a Sikh should be ashamed of a defensive instrument like kirpan, which is not a weapon but a deterrent for a rapist and a mischief maker. Also publicize that wearing a Kirpan entails a responsibility to meditate at least two and half hours everyday (A Sikh who is baptized and ordained to sport a Kirpan has to do Simran, Nitname, Rehras and Sohilla everyday). If some Sikh misuses the Kirpan (uses it for any purpose to get political mileage or to spread terror), then before the law courts decide, the Takths should hold that Sikh accountable and, if need be, dispense severe punishment too, for having misused an article of Sikh faith and given the community a bad name. This will endear us to our brothers and sisters, within our faith and those in others. After all every way-led behavior and misuse of Kirpan cannot transform a Sikh into a surma or martyr. The justice dispensed from Takhts should take into account wider interests of the community and not only of the individual and the family. Every Sikh, especially young, should be made aware that misadventures would not lead to picture frames in Sikh Museum at Amritsar.
c) Let us be transparent in our approach to problems in every day life and help the needy, poor and sick in the society. Today, we Sikhs seeped in riches have forgotten to contribute one-tenth of our earnings for the welfare of the society. We have stopped funding shelters, orphanages, widow-homes, hospitals and schools in many parts of our country – please count the Sikh run institutions in Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Northeast states, and other places like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Baghdad, where the Gurus traveled to spread the word of God. The focus should be to encourage more Bhagat Puran Singh ji from amongst us.
d) Ensure that Sikhs are not ridiculed in media – history books, novels, movies, theatre, magazines, papers, etc. This ridicule impacts the young mind in a very profound manner. The administrative Sikh units like SGPC and DSGMC should undertake all steps, permitted by law in a civilized society, to stop the poor portrayal of Sikh Gurus and practices in media. Ridicule of a complete community in a civilized society should not be permitted or tolerated, be it of Parsis, Sikhs, or Hindus.
e) The occasion of Nagar Kirtans on every Gurpurabs should be used to distribute small pamphlets in different languages in different parts of India. Our effort should concentrate on marketing our viewpoint. The material that is distributed in different languages should preferably originate from SGPC, so that there is uniformity of material distributed across the world. When the fear of uncertainty about our beliefs will be dispelled in our society, we will be respected for our individuality. Vand Chakna does not only refer to food, but also to philosophy, beliefs, and spiritual experiences.
f) In the modern times, advertisement and marketing helps to change the perception. We should liberally use media, especially on occasions of Gurpurabs, to spread the word of the Guru. The capsules provided for TV/Radio programs/print material should be brief, focused and in different languages. Time slots can be sponsored on Gurpurabs, if necessary.
g) TV serials, stage theatre, documentary films should be encouraged on the life and times of Kabir Ji, Farid Ji, Baba Budha Ji, Sahibzadas, Banda Singh, Sant Attar Singh Ji, Bhai Vir Singh Ji, Bibi Kaulan Ji, etc.
h) Sikh Art exhibitions should be sponsored and Sikh artists should be encouraged in their activities.
Lack of Education in Divinity
Today, knowledge of Sikh religion and the meanings of textual material of SGGS are not even understood by many adult Sikhs. All those statements of Gurbani like “bani virlo vichar see, je ko gurmuk hoi” or “dhithe mukt na hovai jichar shabad na kare vichar” have been lost in layers of hypocrisy, rituals, superstitions and dogmas that we have been practising in the name of Sikh religion, openly even in Gurdwaras e.g. observing Saturdays (chana parshad) and sangrands, and openly paying reverence/garlanding pictures of Gurus (e.g. Picture of Guru Tegh Bhadur Ji at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib). This hypocrisy of singing Gurus’ hymns but practising something else has not given us status, enlightenment, acceptability or recognition amongst others that we so desperately desire. We are no different from others for whom the Gurus used words like “anay” or “kanay”. The tragedy is that we were cautioned and still we have fallen in the same trap. How can our children respect us and promise us to follow in our footsteps – they have been taught to question everything, including our hypocrisy. So now let us learn to be individuals with understanding – Sikhs – and save our children and ourselves.
Suggestions
a) Teach Divinity as taught by the Gurus in every Sikh school. Start from “Na koi Hindu na Musalman”. Teach common brotherhood of mankind. Inform the children and the world that the foundation stone of the Golden temple was kept by a Muslim faqir and that SGGS contains hymns of Hindu and Muslim Bhagats and that the Gurus hymns and the Bhagat Hymns were respected by the Guru alike. This reflects the core Sikh philosophy – Na koi beri nahe behgana, sagal sangh hum ko ban aiyee. The same tradition is followed by the Sikhs today. Our Divinity Teachers will then be invited by other schools too, to teach other students. The degradation of moral standards in general should encourage all religo-educational bodies to pool their resources to contain the sad state of affairs.
b) No caste-based Gurudwaras should be encouraged or promoted. This hypocritical behavior leads to ridicule of the basic tenets of Sikh religion which dis-illusion our children.
c) Teach Tolerance and Mutual respect of belief of each other and that the Gurus tolerated the tyranny of many a Mogul and Hindu kings. Teach that we never fight nor believe in violence, we only defend ourselves, as did Lord Rama, Lord Krishna and also Prophet Muhammad.
d) Train Divinity Teachers and reorient them regularly. Accountability should be demanded of each Divinity teacher, for their role is far superior to that of any other teacher in the School. The pay scale of divinity teacher should be the higher than that of other teachers and their selection also should be more rigorous. Divinity Teachers should be of exemplary character, visibly Sikh in appearance and conduct. To illustrate, a Sikh Divinity Teacher, who colors his beard or shapes her eyebrows will do more damage then benefit. The post of Divinity teachers should be treated with utmost respect.
e) An Advisory board of Sikh scholars of repute from across the world should be established by SGPC and DSGMC. The advice of these board members should regularly be solicited on important matters pertaining to divinity. The constitution and tenure of each of the board member should be limited to encourage wider participation.
We say that Akal Purakh is in everyone, everything, all the time. It’s just that we have to look hard enough to see that Vaheguroo is really there.
I've been fascinated by this, because if Vaheguroo exists in everything, then that means that everything in our known universe must have something physical in common. I mean that what the field of physics has been trying to achieve for the past century, a unified theory that explains all phenomena and existence! So what's the common denominator of us, a rock, light, gravity, fusion particles, neutrinos, suns, galaxies, and ladoos?
Energy :)
isrIrwgu mhlw 5 ]
Siree Raag, Fifth Mehl:
mnu qnu Dnu ijin pRiB dIAw riKAw shij svwir ]
This mind, body and wealth were given by God, who naturally adorns us.
srb klw kir QwipAw AMqir joiq Apwr ]
He has blessed us with all our energy, and infused His Infinite Light deep within us.
sdw sdw pRBu ismrIAY AMqir rKu aur Dwir ]1]
Forever and ever, meditate in remembrance on God; keep Him enshrined in your heart. ||1||
There are a few stories in the SGGSjee, but this one is one of my favorites. The story of Prahlad (from ancient hindu times).
This Shabad is by Guru Amar Daas Ji in Raag Bhairao on Pannaa 1154
BYrau mhlw 3 Gru 2
<> siqgur pRswid ]
iqin krqY ieku clqu aupwieAw ] Anhd bwxI sbdu suxwieAw ]
mnmuiK BUly gurmuiK buJwieAw ] kwrxu krqw krdw AwieAw ]1]
gur kw sbdu myrY AMqir iDAwnu ] hau kbhu n Cofau hir kw nwmu ]1] rhwau ]
ipqw pRhlwdu pVx pTwieAw ] lY pwtI pwDy kY AwieAw ]
nwm ibnw nh pVau Acwr ] myrI ptIAw iliK dyhu goibMd murwir ]2]
puqR pRihlwd isau kihAw mwie ] privriq n pVhu rhI smJwie ]
inrBau dwqw hir jIau myrY nwil ] jy hir Cofau qau kuil lwgY gwil ]3]
pRhlwid siB cwtVy ivgwry ] hmwrw kihAw n suxY Awpxy kwrj svwry ]
sB ngrI mih Bgiq idRVweI ] dust sBw kw ikCu n vsweI ]4]
sMfY mrkY kIeI pUkwr ] sBy dYq rhy JK mwir ]
Bgq jnw kI piq rwKY soeI ] kIqy kY kihAY ikAw hoeI ]5]
ikrq sMjogI dYiq rwju clwieAw ] hir n bUJY iqin Awip BulwieAw ]
puqR pRhlwd isau vwdu rcwieAw ] AMDw n bUJY kwlu nyVY AwieAw ]6]
pRhlwdu koTy ivic rwiKAw bwir dIAw qwlw ] inrBau bwlku mUil n freI myrY AMqir gur gopwlw ]
kIqw hovY srIkI krY Anhodw nwau DrwieAw ] jo Duir iliKAw suo Awie phuqw jn isau vwdu rcwieAw ]7]
ipqw pRhlwd isau gurj auTweI ] khW qum@wrw jgdIs gusweI ]
jgjIvnu dwqw AMiq sKweI ] jh dyKw qh rihAw smweI ]8]
QMm@ü aupwiV hir Awpu idKwieAw ] AhMkwrI dYqu mwir pcwieAw ]
Bgqw min Awnµdu vjI vDweI ] Apny syvk kau dy vifAweI ]9]
jMmxu mrxw mohu aupwieAw ] Awvxu jwxw krqY iliK pwieAw ]
pRhlwd kY kwrij hir Awpu idKwieAw ] Bgqw kw bolu AwgY AwieAw ]10]
dyv kulI liKmI kau krih jYkwru ] mwqw nrisMG kw rUpu invwru ]
liKmI Bau krY n swkY jwie ] pRhlwdu jnu crxI lwgw Awie ]11]
siqguir nwmu inDwnu idRVwieAw ] rwju mwlu JUTI sB mwieAw ]
loBI nr rhy lptwie ] hir ky nwm ibnu drgh imlY sjwie ]12]
khY nwnku sBu ko kry krwieAw ] sy prvwxu ijnI hir isau icqu lwieAw ]
Bgqw kw AMgIkwru krdw AwieAw ] krqY Apxw rUpu idKwieAw ]13]1]2]
Bhairao, Third Mehl, Second House:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The Creator has staged His Wondrous Play.
I listen to the Unstruck Sound-current of the Shabad, and the Bani of His Word.
The self-willed manmukhs are deluded and confused, while the Gurmukhs understand.
The Creator creates the Cause that causes. ||1||
Deep within my being, I meditate on the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
I shall never forsake the Name of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
Prahlaad's father sent him to school, to learn to read.
He took his writing tablet and went to the teacher.
He said, ""I shall not read anything except the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Write the Lord's Name on my tablet.""||2||
Prahlaad's mother said to her son,
"I advise you not to read anything except what you are taught."
He answered, ""The Great Giver, my Fearless Lord God is always with me.
If I were to forsake the Lord, then my family would be disgraced.""||3||
"Prahlaad has corrupted all the other students.
He does not listen to what I say, and he does his own thing.
He instigated devotional worship in the townspeople.""
The gathering of the wicked people could not do anything against him. ||4||
Sanda and Marka, his teachers, made the complaint.
All the demons kept trying in vain.
The Lord protected His humble devotee, and preserved his honor.
What can be done by mere created beings? ||5||
Because of his past karma, the demon ruled over his kingdom.
He did not realize the Lord; the Lord Himself confused him.
He started an argument with his son Prahlaad.
The blind one did not understand that his death was approaching. ||6||
Prahlaad was placed in a cell, and the door was locked.
The fearless child was not afraid at all. He said, ""Within my being, is the Guru, the Lord of the World.""
The created being tried to compete with his Creator, but he assumed this name in vain.
That which was predestined for him has come to pass; he started an argument with the Lord's humble servant. ||7||
The father raised the club to strike down Prahlaad, saying,
"Where is your God, the Lord of the Universe, now?"
He replied, ""The Life of the World, the Great Giver, is my Help and Support in the end.
Wherever I look, I see Him permeating and prevailing.""||8||
Tearing down the pillars, the Lord Himself appeared.
The egotistical demon was killed and destroyed.
The minds of the devotees were filled with bliss, and congratulations poured in.
He blessed His servant with glorious greatness. ||9||
He created birth, death and attachment.
The Creator has ordained coming and going in reincarnation.
For the sake of Prahlaad, the Lord Himself appeared.
The word of the devotee came true. ||10||
The gods proclaimed the victory of Lakshmi, and said,
"O mother, make this form of the Man-lion disappear!"
Lakshmi was afraid, and did not approach.
The humble servant Prahlaad came and fell at the Lord's Feet. ||11||
The True Guru implanted the treasure of the Naam within.
Power, property and all Maya is false.
But still, the greedy people continue clinging to them.
Without the Name of the Lord, the mortals are punished in His Court. ||12||
Says Nanak, everyone acts as the Lord makes them act.
They alone are approved and accepted, who focus their consciousness on the Lord.
He has made His devotees His Own.
The Creator has appeared in His Own Form. ||13||1||2||
It surprises me how many people out there believe that their faith is the only one that can achieve final unity with God. Like no one reached God till your particular prophet was born?
And there is soo much focus on names. "Only Allah is the true God." "Only the Lord Jesus Christ is God." (and now there are some apparently believing unless you CALL yourself a sikh you can't unite with God. Good grief)
But Gurbani makes it clear that its not a name that will get you to the final destination, but your ACTIONS.
ang 885
Page 885
raamukulee mehulaa 5
Raamkalee, Fifth Mehl:
koee bolai raam raam koee khudhaae
Some call Him, 'Raam, Raam', and some call Him, 'Khudaa-i'.
koee saevai guseeaa koee alaahi
Some serve Him as 'Gusain', others as 'Allaah'. ||1||
kaarun kurun kureem
He is the Cause of causes, the Generous Lord.
kirupaa dhaar reheem
He showers His Grace and Mercy upon us. ||1||Pause||
koee naavai theerath koee huj jaae
Some bathe at sacred shrines of pilgrimage, and some make the pilgrimage to Mecca.|
koee kurai poojaa koee sir nivaae
Some perform devotional worship services, and some bow their heads in prayer. ||2||
koee purrai baedh koee kuthaeb
Some read the Vedas, and some the Koran.
koee outai neel koee supaedh
Some wear blue robes, and some wear white. ||3||
koee kehai thuruk koee kehai hindhoo
Some call themselves Muslim, and some call themselves Hindu.
koee baashai bhisuth koee suragindhoo
Some yearn for paradise, and others long for heaven. ||4||
kuhu naanuk jin hukum pushaathaa
Says Nanak, one who realizes the Hukam of God's Will,
prubh saahib kaa thin bhaedh jaathaa
knows the secrets of his Lord and Master. ||5||9||
That's what I feel like doing after listening to this recent spat against a particular individual "A. Singh" thats running around the net (I actually got an email about it too).
Apparently there is a "sikh" (who is involved in running a bunch of well known panthic websites) who may not be living life according to rehat. And so a bunch of blogs, emails, etc. have all popped up showing "evidence" that he is a bad character, etc. etc.
My reply to those running around sending emails and blogs:
prweI bKIlI krih AwpxI prqIiq Kovin sgvw BI Awpu lKwih ]
paraaee bakheelee karehi aapanee paratheeth khovan sagavaa bhee aap lakhaahi ||
They gossip about others, and lose their credit, and expose themselves as well.
Not that this may not be important to you, but don't waste our Sikhi on a personal squabble between yourselves and A. Singh. I really don't care what he is, but sending emails and defamatory blogs just goes to show who you really are. Time to grow up people. Work it out, and leave the sangat out of it.
I hate this word. I despise this word. Hearing this word makes me want to get up and give a thappar to whoever uttered it. But yet we say it all the time. I see huge discussions on Siksangat forums and Waheguroo! Forums and this stupid word keeps coming up. AND PEOPLE DEFEND THEIR USE OF IT!
The word? CASTE.
jwxhu joiq n pUChu jwqI AwgY jwiq n hy ]1] rhwau ]
Recognize the Lord's Light within all, and do not consider social class or status; there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter. ||1||Pause||
No one should be proud of his caste.
He alone is a Brahmin who knows God.
Do not be proud of your social class and status, you ignorant fool!
So much sin and corruption comes from this pride.
Everyone says that there are four castes, four social classes.
They all emanate from the drop of God’s Seed. The entire universe is made of the same clay.
The Potter has shaped it into all sorts of vessels.
The five elements join together, to make up the form of the human body.
Who can say which is inferior, and which is superior?
Says Nanak, this soul is bound by its actions.
Without meeting the True Guru, it is not liberated. (SGGS 1128)
We just had sangat at my place, and I recorded most of it. This is a sample of Raman bhenji doing Simran. Have a listen!
Supreme Court overturns ban on Sikh ceremonial dagger
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the kirpaan, far from being a weapon, is an essential article of faith, and is legal in every respect. The Court stated that the Quebec argument that the kirpaan might be dangerous was "disrespectful to believers in the Sikh religion and does not take into account Canadian values based on multiculturalism."
Way to go Gurbaj Singh!
Supreme Court hones ruling on Sikh ceremonial daggers
kirpaan - from word "kirpaa" meaning "mercy". Represents the determination to defend the truth and justiceAlthough this topic is a little bit off what I would normally write (I'm not too big a fan of watching current events), this is an important ruling about to be made which underlines probably the only significant problem that amritdhari sikhs face in Canada.
