Economist Article - Sikhs and Dera

I don't know if this is accessible to non-members. Economist a few weeks ago also covered the Dera Sacha Sauda issue. Pretty interesting I would say for a magazine of that caliber to go into the nitty gritty issues of the Sikh Nation. Here is the link.

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9444533

Sikh Research Institute wrote a brief missive on the article. Here is the link.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/theinbox/2007/07/heresy_and_history_july_7th.cfm

Be-adbi

There has been a lot of carca (discussion and incidents) on the be-adbi of Guru Granth Sahib. I have been thinking about this quite a bit, especially in light of the pakhandi Gurmeet Ram Rahim episode. What really is the disrespect of Guru Granth Sahib? I recall a speech of Baba Jarnail Singh which he says something like: Respect all your daughters and sisters, older generations and all people from different religions. Don't lay a hand on innocents. However, don't leave alone the "disrespectors" of the Guru Granth Sahib.

I agree with that...but we must all be careful and require the blessing of discerning intellect before acting (bibek dan).

Recently, we held a Nagar Kirtan from Milford Gurduara to Millis Gurduara here in Massachusetts. Someone came to me and mentioned that he cannot believe that we are doing parkash of Guru Granth Sahib on the lead truck and taking it in the Nagar Kirtan. Where he grew up, they always took Guru Granth Sahib in sukhasan form. Why - so as to avoid be-adbi along the way. Hmm...in sukhasan, no disrespect...when parkash...disrespect?

The key is to discern the difference between idolatry and worship of the word.

Respect Paid to the Holy Granth

Great respect is shown to the Book when opening, reading, or closing it. It is kept in clean clothes, is opened under a canopy and a flyflicker (chaur) is always kept at hand to wave over it. When it is brought in, all those present stand up with bowed heads.

These signs of royalty and the marked attention paid by Sikhs to the Holy Book - especially when it is exaggerated by ignorant people - give an impression to others that Sikhs worship their Book. This is wrong. Sikhs are enjoined to worship nothing by the Name (see Guru Nanak's Sri Rag, viii. 3) They can offer respect to any person or thing worthy of praise, but worship is due to God alone. Perhaps the bowing of Sikhs before the Book is misunderstood by Westerners whose way of salutation is different. They kiss their book as Sikhs bow before theirs, both conforming to the local custom of paying respect. Both ways of salutation are highly personal, but they cannot be called idolatry, as long as the Book is not given the place of God. In Sikhism the highest respect is paid to the Word, as in a modern state the greatest homage is paid to the Law, which stands even above the king. This sovereignty of the Shabd or the Word was acknowledged even by the Gurus who bowed before it in reverence.

Taken from "The Holy Granth Sri Rag to Majh" by Professor Teja Singh

The 99 connection and Carhdi Kala!

I think I'm back...slowly yet surely.

1499 - the Revolution begins
1599 - the Granth begins to emerge
1699 - the Panth is inaugurated
1799 - the Sikh Raj is established (for the 2nd time!)
1899 - the Revival was triggered - reason was 4 Sikh boys chopped their hair in public! Just 4!!
1999 - huh? What happened? 8 years later - 80% of Sikhs in Panjab have shed the Guru's insignia.

And we thought we were the Spirit Born People!

No, don't worry - I am not in dhaindi kala...the essential ingredient of carhdi kala is to look forward, have a refreshing outlook and a positive mindset. It reminds me of the words of the great Giani Dit Singh. His words were a call to arms even though they sound like the sounding of a catastrophe. What do you think?

“An English newspaper writes that the Christian faith is making rapid progress and makes the prophesy, that within the next twenty five years, one third of the Majha area would be Christian. The Malwa will follow suit. Just as we do not see any Buddhists in the country except in images, in the same fashion the Sikhs, who are now, here and there, visible in their turbans and their other religious forms like wrist-bangles and swords, will be seen only in pictures in museums. Their own sons and grandsons turning Christians and clad in coat and trousers and sporting mushroom-like caps will go to see them in the museums and say in their pidgin Punjabi: Look, that is the picture of a Sikh - the tribe that inhabited this country once upon a time. Efforts of those who wish to resist the onslaught of Christianity are feeble and will prove abortive like a leper without hands and feet trying to save a boy falling of a rooftop” - Khalsa Akhbar of Lahore, May 25, 1894, from the pen of its editor Giani Dit Singh."

Ardas

I was at the Surat Conference a couple of weeks ago. My topic/lecture was on Ardas in the context of Sohila sahib di bani and relationship with Hukam. An aspect of the talk was to review the Sangati or Panthak Ardas.

Here is a translation/transcreation that was shared at the first Candlelight Vigil in Toronto in 2004 (november). I have used Sirdar Kapur Singh's translation, a little bit of Principal Teja Singh's translation and then Harpreet Singh (Harvard University) and I modified it a little. Reading through it really gives a sense of the original that our ancestors wrote...but there is really no comparison to the original. Our ancestor Gursikhs not only lived Guru-inspired cultural lives, they were so eloquent at describing it....

Would be delighted to hear suggestions for improvement to this....

Carhdi kala!

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Ardas

One Formless-form, To Vahiguru, the abiding Victory.
Var Sri Bhaguti composition of the 10th.

To begin with, we invoke the Divine Spirit of Vahiguru and we remember Guru Nanak (This Spirit) which then inspired Guru Angad, Amardas, and Ramdas.
We call upon the Gurus, Arjun, Hargobind, and Harirai. Let us invoke the blessed Harikrishan whose vision heals all pains.
Let us call upon Guru Tegbahadur so that the nine spiritual treasures may abide in our hearts.
May they help us everywhere. Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh, may he help us everywhere.
The Spirit of the Ten Masters enshrined in the sabad (word) of the Guru Granth Sahib, concentrate on that and say, revered Khalsa, Vahiguru!

Five Beloved Ones, Four Princes, Forty Redeemed Ones, those who have kept constant remembrance of Vahiguru, those who have constantly lived in the Divine Presence, those who have loved their neighbors by sharing their possessions with them, those who have turned a blind eye to the faults and failings of others, those who have assuaged the hunger and want of the hungry and the needy, those who have persevered in their fight in the cause of Justice, concentrate your mind on the struggles and achievements of those, O, revered members of the Order of the Khalsa, and say, Vahiguru!

The Singhs and Singhnis who courted martyrdom in the cause of Religion and underwent unspeakable sufferings of being dismembered alive, scalped alive, broken on wheels, sawed alive and boiled alive and those who made sacrifice in the service of the centers of the Sikh religion, the Gurduaras, but never wavered in their faith and remained steadfast in the cause of Sikhi to the last hair of their body and to their last breath, O, revered members of the Order of the Khalsa, concentrate your minds on the glorious deeds of those, and utter, Vahiguru!

Think of the Five High Seats of Sikh Authority, the Thrones of Religion, and all the centers from where the good Religion is preached, and say, Vahiguru!

First, we pray on behalf of all the creatures of Vahiguru.
May the Presence of Vahiguru be progressively felt in the hearts of all the sentient creatures, and may the whole Creation become happy and prosperous thereby. (Then) may Vahiguru shower blessings upon and grant protection to each and every member of the Order of the Khalsa, wherever he, she or they are.

May the supplies of the Khalsa ever remain replenished.
May the Sword of the Khalsa be ever victorious.
May the Royal title of the “Khalsa” be universally recognized and honored.
May victory attend upon all just endeavors of the Panth, the Khalsa Commonwealth. May the arms and armaments be our constant ally. May the Order of the Khalsa achieve ever-expanding progress and supremacy. Revered Khalsa, say, Vahiguru!

May Vahiguru grant to the Sikhs, the gift of Faith, the gift of uncut Hair, the gift of Discriminatory Intellect, the gift of Mutual Trust, the gift of Self-confidence and the Supreme Gift of all gifts, the gift of communion with Vahiguru, the Name, and may Sikhs freely center around and dip in the holy Amritsar.
May the government-centers, the banners, the cantonments of the Khalsa ever remain inviolate.
May the Cause of Truth and Justice prevail everywhere and at all times.
Revered Khalsa, say, Vahiguru!

May the passions in the heart of the Sikhs remain calm and their reason flow clear, and may the reason always be guided by the Light of Vahiguru.
Vahiguru Almighty, our protector and Helper ever, restore to us the right and privilege of unhindered management and free service of and access to all centers of the Sikh Religion, the gurduaras, out of which we have been forcibly evicted.

(Here, the specific purpose and occasion of the prayer is stated by the officiant – adasia - in suitable terms and the blessings and aid of Vahiguru are beseeched.)

Vahiguru, forgive us our remisses. Extend Your Helping Hand to all and everyone.
Grant us the company of those who may help keep Your Nam fresh in our hearts.
May Your Nam, the path preached by Nanak, prevail and prosper forever and forever.
May Your Will be done wherein lies the good of all mankind.
The Khalsa is of Vahiguru, and to Vahiguru the Victory.

Amazing Photos - Being Sikh

Just got information about this photographer and his current work in the Panjab.

Goto: http://www.charlesmeacham.com/ and click on "Being Sikh".

I am quite impressed with some (not all) of the text/captions that he has written too!

Carhdi Kala!

Quiz - Sikh strangulation

When writing his report on the development of Sikh politics, who made the following observation: “The activities of Hindus have, therefore, been constantly directed to the undermining of Sikhism both by preventing the children of Sikh fathers from taking pahul and by reducing professed Sikhs from their allegiance to their faith. Hinduism has strangled Buddhism, once a formidable rival to it and it has already made serious inroads into the domain of Sikhism.”

a) Mr. D. Petrie
b) Emperor Akbar
c) Lepel Henry Griffin
d) Max Arthur Macauliffe

Scripture and weapons...

Pehle shāstar se maro. Jo bach jai, to shastar se maro...
First attempt to destroy (all religions and movements that are a danger to Brahmins) should be through re-interpretation of their theology and scripture. If that does not work, then physical destruction of the enemy with weapons is a must.

This is attributed to Ādī Shankarāchāryā (788-820 C.E.), a Brahmin well versed in the Vedic tradition, who led the movement to completely annihilate Buddhism from South Asia.

Does it sound familiar? The difference with the Sikhs and Sikhī is that complete annhilation or assimilation has not taken place yet. But its getting awfully close! And the strategy of scripture and weapon attack as espoused by the Brahmin seems to have morphed into a cyclic tactic. Why? Well, look back at the major events of our past.

The post-Banda Singh Bahadur and pre-Misl period, physical destruction was attempted by the ruling elite (with connivance with Brahminical forces) because the Guru's scripture and theology was intact. Don't forget that prior attempts to dilute Sikh thought by Dhīrmalīe, Rāmrāīe, Masands, etc. had already taken place, so attack on scripture and theology was indeed attempted first. Then Misl period and the Sarkār-e-Khālsā period (aka Ranjit Singh rule) the Sikh literary canon had been severely tampered with (gurbilas, janamsakhis, rahatname, and others). Thankfully the Singh Sabhā period brought an end to that. Then post-partition of Panjāb (1947 onwards), when Sikhs were destined for 2nd class citizen status in Bharat, once again a physical annhilation was attempted in the 1980's and 1990's. Although there was tremendous loss of quantity, the quality seemed to have survived to some extent.

But alas, now it is clear and evident that the attack on our scriptural canon and theology is in full swing. The whole concept of Sikhī is under attack once again and sanction for this is being announced in the highest echelons of Sikh leadership. I will not give specific details, I leave it up to you to decipher the situation by reading and asking for yourselves.

Anonymous' - a post of your own.

Well, I didn't want to post this, but I couldn't resist. I actually got quite a few comments on my last two posts both officially and informaly. But apparently this mr. or mrs. anonymous found my usage of non-alphanumeric characters as quite horrendous and reprimand worthy.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post " (Customs + traditions + history) = Sovereign = Pan...":

What is this "*(^%^! "? What do you have on mind? On one side you talk big about being a Sikh and on the other hand you talk so loose that you have inappropriate words in your head that you yourself don't like to put in words..... I know, I know you will give Why Anonymous stuff.... Why dont you just bar Anonymous comments.... I'm pretty sure this one won't make it to your blog as it will meet the moderator's knife.

Then a few days went by where I didn't pass through any comments because I was travelling and mr. or mrs. anonymous seemed to be getting anxious to see the comment published:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post " (Customs + traditions + history) = Sovereign = Pan... ":

What happened to my comment on your use of "*(^%^!".... You are a big hypocrate I came across....

I could go off on a philosophical rant in defense or in offense. But I would rather be short and sweet. The nit picking of Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous is as narrow minded and missing the point as it would be if I picked on his/her spelling of the word "hypocrate". Neither of us are getting each other's point!

(Customs + traditions + history) = Sovereign = Panth

OK, one more before I hit the sack!
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The trend in my writing has been to share what I truely believe and that is that the Sikh or Khalsa is an inherently sovereign entity. If there is one modern Sikh writer who has been able to articulate the inherent sovereign sense of the Khalsa it is Sirdar Kapur Singh. In order to even comprehend what he is talking about it is necessary to know our "immemorial customs", cherish and practice our "long-established traditions" and live with examples from "the facts of the history of the Sikhs". Here is how Sirdar Kapur Singh explains the Khalsa's status in world politics:

“The Panth stands for the Sikh religion as well as the invisible mystic body of the committed Sikhs who profess it and who thus represent the Will of God on Earth. It is to this Panth that all true Sikhs owe their allegiance and it is in the name of this Panth that true Sikhs are expected to sacrifice their all on this earth. This political concept of the Panth sharply distinguishes it from the current political convictions that hold that economic activity and considerations are the sole concern and aim of politics. The concept of Panth joins issues with the contemporary political mode of thinking and asserts that the true concern of politics is the ethical and spiritual evolution and life of human beings in an organized society … The Panth’s metalegal constitution lays down that (1) the Sikhs must be approached and dealt with at State level as a collective group and entity, and (2) they must be governed impersonally, that is, through the rule of law and not by arbitrary will, and this self limitation must further be circumscribed by the immemorial customs, long-established traditions and the facts of the history of the Sikhs.”

Can any "Guru Nanak nam leva Sikh" disagree?

Carhdi Kala!

P.S. - you might be thinking where the *(^%^! does he get all these quotes from? Especially when he is on business travel down in Boca Raton, Florida! You can't imagine the kinds of documents and clippings and writings I have stored in my laptop which I peruse in solitary confinement of the hotel rooms on some (not all) business trips. :-)

The sleeping sovereign...

I was browsing through Sikhi blogosphere and noticed that a few bloggers had cut and pasted translations of a guru-vak recently.

ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ ਬਾਣੀ ਭਗਤ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਜੀ ਕੀ
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ਜਬ ਹਮ ਹੋਤੇ ਤਬ ਤੂ ਨਾਹੀ ਅਬ ਤੂਹੀ ਮੈ ਨਾਹੀ ॥
ਅਨਲ ਅਗਮ ਜੈਸੇ ਲਹਰਿ ਮਇ ਓਦਧਿ ਜਲ ਕੇਵਲ ਜਲ ਮਾਂਹੀ ॥1॥
ਮਾਧਵੇ ਕਿਆ ਕਹੀਐ ਭ੍ਰਮੁ ਐਸਾ ॥
ਜੈਸਾ ਮਾਨੀਐ ਹੋਇ ਨ ਤੈਸਾ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਨਰਪਤਿ ਏਕੁ ਸਿੰਘਾਸਨਿ ਸੋਇਆ ਸੁਪਨੇ ਭਇਆ ਭਿਖਾਰੀ ॥
ਅਛਤ ਰਾਜ ਬਿਛੁਰਤ ਦੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਸੋ ਗਤਿ ਭਈ ਹਮਾਰੀ ॥2॥
ਰਾਜ ਭੁਇਅੰਗ ਪ੍ਰਸੰਗ ਜੈਸੇ ਹਹਿ ਅਬ ਕਛੁ ਮਰਮੁ ਜਨਾਇਆ ॥
ਅਨਿਕ ਕਟਕ ਜੈਸੇ ਭੂਲਿ ਪਰੇ ਅਬ ਕਹਤੇ ਕਹਨੁ ਨ ਆਇਆ ॥3॥
ਸਰਬੇ ਏਕੁ ਅਨੇਕੈ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਸਭ ਘਟ ਭੁੋਗਵੈ ਸੋਈ ॥
ਕਹਿ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਹਾਥ ਪੈ ਨੇਰੈ ਸਹਜੇ ਹੋਇ ਸੁ ਹੋਈ ॥4॥1॥

One blogger, in addition to using the sikhitothemax translation, also intensely personalized the sabad for herself. It was great reading that. Guru-vaks (aka hukams) are precisely that. Personalized messages of the Guru to individual Sikhs as well as collective orders of the day. Whenever I hear or read this sabad of Bhagat Ravidas ji I recall the first time it was explained to me via a cassette recording kirtan.

Some of you may be familiar with the post 1984 Darbar Sahib attack kirtan and katha of Prof. Darshan Singh. These recordings were banned in India and some Gursikhs from Singapore had tapes copied and distributed widely. I had the opportunity to hear it while at home in Japan. I still have most of the cassettes BTW. Anyway, Prof. Darshan Singh personalized it for our collective in explaining the tuk regarding the sleeping sovereign (or in gender specific terms the sleeping king). He made the analogy something like this:

"Imagine if you will, a sovereign, while sitting on the throne, may fall asleep and start dreaming like he/she is a beggar. All around the sovereign, there is glory, freedom, actionable responsibility in reality, but in the dream there is intense poverty, slavery, oppression and despair. This is usually the state of humans in the context of their relationship with Vahiguru. More importantly, this was the state of the Khalsa collective prior to the recent events. The Panth is an inherent sovereign entity, and the current state of affairs in the country called India for the Sikhs is that of 2nd class citizens and slaves. The state of the Sikhs "was" like the sovereign who is asleep and dreaming. And, sadh sangat ji! Blessed be Baba Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale for waking up the sleeping sovereigns!" Then there is a roaring interruption to his katha with jaikara after jaikara! The timeframe was summer of 1984 after the Darbar Sahib attack. I am sure many of you would be quite intrigued by it. I for one completely agree.

Of course, this sabad is very intense, has deep meaning and is universal in nature. At that time and context when Prof. ji interpreted it was very apt. I believe it still is. I truly believe if active Sikhs were to accept and realize that we sovereigns, then 80% kes-katal, and 80% drug addiction in Panjab would never occur.

Oh well, so this sabad also presents, in very imaginative and intriguing manners, the relationship of human action and reaction viz a viz human ego. It also, reemphasises the relationship of human and Vahguru that is unique to Sikh thought - ie. humans are inherently sin-less and the Guru is required to keep sin out; rather than the Christian thought of humans are inherently sinners and Guru or Prophet is needed to eradicate that sin. This is understood with the "kahi ravidas hath pai nerai..." tuk and the general "don't get fooled by duality" theme of the sabad which is the rahao di tuk.

So, let's wake up sovereigns. And remember Vahiguru is near...never far.

Yo yo girlfriend! Me no complain no more!

It’s amazing how the Guru speaks to us. Sometimes we are his children (puta), sometimes his brothers (bhai), sometimes his girlfriends (saheli), sometimes a spiritual companion (sant jano).

I thought of this when I heard this sabad sung in rag asa. It is part of the Sikh Heritage recordings on www.gurmatsangeetproject.com. Sarbpreet Singh is busy loading up all the recordings he did while Gyani Dyal Singh and Bhai Kanwarpal Singh were in town. Now that I am back in the Boston area, I hope to get a chance to listen live to the traditionalist kirtania that will hopefully keep visiting us in the future.

So, the sabad is on page 384 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. You should also check out the sabads before and after this one. It is in the section of Asa Mahala 5, Ghar 7, it is the 2^nd sabad in that section and is the 53^rd sabad by Guru Arjan Sahib in Rag Asa. The metaphors relate to “girlfriend”, “husband”, “virtuous bride”, "immaculate marriage". These are metaphors for us now, but back in the day, this is how people spoke, and people understood when it was spoken. Based on that I always think, hypothetically, if Guru Sahib was around today and wanted to speak to the youth, he would use the kind of language that the youth are used to. Something like a mild form of ghetto talk that I get a big dose of while I am at Sikh youth camps. You know what I’m talking about! Anyway, the Guru does indeed visit us at the camps in the form of the sabad – the infinite wisdom. And it is up to us to interpret the wisdom in the current generation vernacular.

So, the first sentence of the rahao di tuk is: ਚੁਕਾ ਨਿਹੋਰਾ ਸਖੀ ਸਹੇਰੀ ॥ A formal (read bland) translation/transcreation would be something like: “My complaining and frustrations (of materialistic life) has seized, oh my truthful female companions”. Now if I share that with teenagers they will 1) insist on calling me Uncle ji, 2) have no interest and not understand how it applies to their life. However, if we explained it to them something like this: “Yo yo, girlfriends, check it out! I no complain no more! The main man - my Guru - has ….”. I don’t know good ghetto talk so I can’t think of how to complete the sentence. But you get my point. If I said it that way, then the kids would atleast laugh at me trying to be like them, and at least listen, if not get the point.

Anyway, below I present my flowery, partial uncle ji partial ghetto style transcreation of the sabad:

Yo, yo girlfriends! I don’t need to complain no more! Through the Guru, I have no more confusions and frustrations, and as a result I have merged with my spouse - Vahiguru! (Reflect and ponder this thought).

Yo, yo girlfriends! I was really down and unhappy because I felt far away from Reality, kinda in a zone of my own. But now, I think I understand the teachings of the Guru, and I feel I am always within Divine presence.

Yo, yo girlfriends! Thanks to the Guru, I am now in the safety of the protection (bed) of the Universal Spouse. I am no longer dependent and oppressed and stand confident as an independent sovereign.

Yo, yo girlfriends! The infinite wisdom (Sabad) has enlightened my heart and thus, my way of life! It’s all good! It’s all bliss with me and my Universal Spouse!

Yo, yo girlfriends! Nanak says: Check it out! Ain’t it cool that because of grace and positive fortune, my Infinite Spouse is like in my heart! It’s like the coolest Divine Marriage and I am simply a happy bride!

(originally revealed by Nanak V in Raga Asa)

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ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ 5 ॥
ਦੂਖੁ ਘਨੋ ਜਬ ਹੋਤੇ ਦੂਰਿ ॥
ਅਬ ਮਸਲਤਿ ਮੋਹਿ ਮਿਲੀ ਹਦੂਰਿ ॥1॥
ਚੁਕਾ ਨਿਹੋਰਾ ਸਖੀ ਸਹੇਰੀ ॥
ਭਰਮੁ ਗਇਆ ਗੁਰਿ ਪਿਰ ਸੰਗਿ ਮੇਰੀ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਨਿਕਟਿ ਆਨਿ ਪ੍ਰਿਅ ਸੇਜ ਧਰੀ ॥
ਕਾਣਿ ਕਢਨ ਤੇ ਛੂਟਿ ਪਰੀ ॥2॥
ਮੰਦਰਿ ਮੇਰੈ ਸਬਦਿ ਉਜਾਰਾ ॥
ਅਨਦ ਬਿਨੋਦੀ ਖਸਮੁ ਹਮਾਰਾ ॥3॥
ਮਸਤਕਿ ਭਾਗੁ ਮੈ ਪਿਰੁ ਘਰਿ ਆਇਆ ॥
ਥਿਰੁ ਸੋਹਾਗੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਜਨ ਪਾਇਆ ॥4॥2॥53॥

Sikh Revolution

A must read for all Sikhs and non-Sikhs to understand the integrated unifying life approach of Guru Nanak, and to glimpse into the revolutionary nation building of the Sikhs is a book by Jagjit Singh – The Sikh Revolution. In it he sums up the importance of the multi-dimensional aspects of the Sikh ideology:

“According to the Sikh Gurus, religious, moral and spiritual activity covers the totality of life of the individual as well as of the society. For, life is one whole and cannot be arbitrarily split up into separate religious, social and political spheres. Nor can it be ignored of left to take care of itself. For them, religion has to meet all the problems and challenges thrown up by life. Each and every activity of man is either God-oriented or self-oriented – viz. it is either for the uplift of man and his society or it is destructive. There cannot be a neutral position. Inaction and sloth are sins”

Recently, the Nanakshahi Trust (www.nanakshahi.org) has published "Percussions of History" a twosome of Sardar Jagjit Singh's The Sikh Revolution and In The Caravan of Revolutions. My appeal to all: Go get it!

Also see: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061015/spectrum/book4.htm

How to love

The question was “How can one love creation and/or the Creator”. This was not a question for me to answer. It is a question that the mind (the entity that thinks) is asking itself. In the Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak has addressed the mind and given example after example, and showered it with wise experience filled advice and observations. This poignant question and a hint at the answer is made clear by examples that only our great Master Nanak can be so thoughtful to, first of all, discern and then so eloquently explain.

I need not say more. I have done a meager job at transcreating this sabad. I hope I have kept to the original meaning and message. The only caution is the interchanging of the words “mind” and “heart”.

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How can the mind break away from the entanglements of non-Truth without the feeling and action of love? As a matter of fact, the hearts of those individuals whose minds are Guru-focused are filled with love in the form of total surrender to Vahiguru, and as a result, they are blessed with the virtues and attributes of Vahiguru. (Central idea – a question worth pondering!).

Oh mind, learn to love just like the lotus flower loves the water. Despite the tossing and tipping as a result of the turbulence of the waves in the pond, the lotus flower is full of grace and continues to share its beauty. If it wasn’t for the life giving water, the lotus would die and wither away. Such is the intense relationship of love that Vahguru has blessed the lotus and water

Oh mind, learn to love just like the fish loves water. The contentment of the fish is as full as the vastness of the body of water. That is, the more the water, the more the fish is content and alive. What fascinating relationship the fish has with water. Only Vahiguru knows the real depth of this relationship.

Oh mind, learn to love just like the catrik loves the rain. There may be oceans filled with water at the catrik’s disposal and the whole world is blossomed green as a result of the bodies of water, but until and unless the drops of water straight from the clouds up above don’t quench the thirst of the bird, it has no use of the other water. But alas, it is only through Grace that one can realize the intensity of the relationship we are to have with Vahiguru. Otherwise, we sow what we reap and our life continues on.

Oh mind, learn to love just like water loves pure milk. Water ends up mixing into the pure milk and the milk transforms the water into its own form. When a pot of the milk-water mix is put to boil, the water takes all the heat. It doesn’t let the milk burn of heat. Similar is the relationship of creations with the Creator. Vahguru provides a union to the wandering mind and blesses the realization of Truth.

Oh mind, learn to love just like the cakvī loves the sun. After the sun sets at night, it does not sleep even for an instant and considers the sun to be close at hand. The experience of this feeling does not arise within those people that are individually focused, whereas the Guru-inspired person always feels the omnipresence of Vahiguru.

Oh mind, think about this: The individually focused person focuses on praising oneself for accomplishments, but the Creator is responsible for what goes on. No matter how hard one tries, one cannot completely fathom the vastness of the Creator. This vastness is understood and satisfaction is gained only by submitting to the wisdom of the Guru.

Oh mind, think about this: The bond of action-filled love for truth is only sustained by the Satiguru. Through the grace of the Satiguru one develops a deep relationship with Nam-Vahiguru who is the sustainer of the complete universe. If one becomes a customer of the virtues of Vahiguru, then the pure Nam relationship is further developed.

Oh mind, imagine the people of the world to be birds. They fly into this world, feed on their grain and seeds, and then depart from this world. It is like a game and all that arrive into the play field must eventually depart within a short period of time. Understand that the success factor of time spent on life is a matter of Grace. Focus on making the most of your time in the play field.

Oh mind, understand that without the Guru love does not manifest because individualistic effort inspired by haumai is impossible to conquer on your own. When the intuitive understanding is formed as a result of imbibing the meaning of the sabad (Infinite Wisdom), then one realizes that the self and Vahiguru are a merged entity. Only the Guru-inspired individuals can introspect and realize the self. The individualistic inspired individuals can try all they want, they will never succeed in self-realization.

Oh mind, those that have created a strong relationship with the sabad (Infinite Wisdom), they never have to suffer the frustration of separation. Those that follow an individualistic mindset are doomed to suffer separation because they have not understood the Guru-inspired concept of love. Nanak emphasizes the fact that once inspired by the Guru, the individual feels, sees and experiences no difference between the self and Vahiguru.

Revealed by Guru Baba Nanak in Siri Rag, Page 60 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib
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ਸਿਰੀ ਰਾਗੁ ਮਹਲਾ 1 ॥
ਰੇ ਮਨ, ਐਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਸਿਉ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਕਰਿ, ਜੈਸੀ ਜਲ ਕਮਲੇਹਿ ॥
ਲਹਰੀ ਨਾਲਿ ਪਛਾੜੀਐ ਭੀ ਵਿਗਸੈ ਅਸਨੇਹਿ ॥
ਜਲਿ ਮਹਿ ਜੀਅ ਉਪਾਇ ਕੈ ਬਿਨੁ ਜਲ ਮਰਣੁ ਤਿਨੇਹਿ ॥1॥
ਮਨ ਰੇ, ਕਿਉ ਛੂਟਹਿ ਬਿਨੁ ਪਿਆਰ ॥ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਰਵਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਬਖਸੇ ਭਗਤਿ ਭੰਡਾਰ ॥1॥ਰਹਾਉ॥
ਰੇ ਮਨ, ਐਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਸਿਉ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਕਰਿ, ਜੈਸੀ ਮਛੁਲੀ ਨੀਰ ॥
ਜਿਉ ਅਧਿਕਉ ਤਿਉ ਸੁਖੁ ਘਣੋ ਮਨਿ ਤਨਿ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਸਰੀਰ ॥
ਬਿਨੁ ਜਲ ਘੜੀ ਨ ਜੀਵਈ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਜਾਣੈ ਅਭ ਪੀਰ ॥2॥
ਰੇ ਮਨ, ਐਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਸਿਉ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਕਰਿ, ਜੈਸੀ ਚਾਤ੍ਰਿਕ ਮੇਹ ॥
ਸਰ ਭਰਿ ਥਲ ਹਰੀਆਵਲੇ ਇਕ ਬੂੰਦ ਨ ਪਵਈ ਕੇਹ ॥
ਕਰਮਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਸੋ ਪਾਈਐ ਕਿਰਤੁ ਪਇਆ ਸਿਰਿ ਦੇਹ ॥3॥
ਰੇ ਮਨ, ਐਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਸਿਉ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਕਰਿ, ਜੈਸੀ ਜਲ ਦੁਧ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਆਵਟਣੁ ਆਪੇ ਖਵੈ ਦੁਧ ਕਉ ਖਪਣਿ ਨ ਦੇਇ ॥
ਆਪੇ ਮੇਲਿ ਵਿਛੁੰਨਿਆ ਸਚਿ ਵਡਿਆਈ ਦੇਇ ॥4॥
ਰੇ ਮਨ, ਐਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਸਿਉ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਕਰਿ, ਜੈਸੀ ਚਕਵੀ ਸੂਰ ॥
ਖਿਨੁ ਪਲੁ ਨੀਦ ਨ ਸੋਵਈ ਜਾਣੈ ਦੂਰਿ ਹਜੂਰਿ ॥
ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਸੋਝੀ ਨਾ ਪਵੈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸਦਾ ਹਜੂਰਿ ॥5॥
ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਗਣਤ ਗਣਾਵਣੀ ਕਰਤਾ ਕਰੇ ਸੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਤਾ ਕੀ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨ ਪਵੈ ਜੇ ਲੋਚੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਇ ॥
ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਹੋਇ ਤ ਪਾਈਐ ਸਚਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੋਇ ॥6॥
ਸਚਾ ਨੇਹੁ ਨ ਤੁਟਈ ਜੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਭੇਟੇ ਸੋਇ ॥
ਗਿਆਨ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਪਾਈਐ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣ ਸੋਝੀ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਨ ਵੀਸਰੈ ਜੇ ਗੁਣ ਕਾ ਗਾਹਕੁ ਹੋਇ ॥7॥
ਖੇਲਿ ਗਏ ਸੇ ਪੰਖਣੂੰ ਜੋ ਚੁਗਦੇ ਸਰ ਤਲਿ ॥
ਘੜੀ ਕਿ ਮੁਹਤਿ ਕਿ ਚਲਣਾ ਖੇਲਣੁ ਅਜੁ ਕਿ ਕਲਿ ॥
ਜਿਸੁ ਤੂੰ ਮੇਲਹਿ ਸੋ ਮਿਲੈ ਜਾਇ ਸਚਾ ਪਿੜੁ ਮਲਿ ॥8॥
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ, ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਨ ਉਪਜੈ ਹਉਮੈ ਮੈਲੁ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥
ਸੋਹੰ ਆਪੁ ਪਛਾਣੀਐ ਸਬਦਿ ਭੇਦਿ ਪਤੀਆਇ ॥
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਆਪੁ ਪਛਾਣੀਐ ਅਵਰ ਕਿ ਕਰੇ ਕਰਾਇ ॥9॥
ਮਿਲਿਆ ਕਾ ਕਿਆ ਮੇਲੀਐ ਸਬਦਿ ਮਿਲੇ ਪਤੀਆਇ ॥
ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਸੋਝੀ ਨਾ ਪਵੈ ਵੀਛੁੜਿ ਚੋਟਾ ਖਾਇ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਦਰੁ ਘਰੁ ਏਕੁ ਹੈ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਦੂਜੀ ਜਾਇ ॥10॥11॥

Reason and Faith - Nām Sevā (no "and"!)

One of the motivations for the Pope's speech at the university in Regensburg, Germany was the apparent decline of faith among Catholics. The Pope and the Catholic clergy are worried that reason or science is overtaking the element of Faith. Some of you may have read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown of the Da Vinci Code fame. This topic was precisely the intertwined theme of that novel in addition to Brown's infatuation with anti-authority - the theme revolved around the fear of a fictitious pope who believed that science was going to disprove faith and cause its eventual futility. It was a theme created in a novel by Dan Brown, is it a real issue for them?. Obviously the Pope in Regensburg thought so and that was really the topic of his talk. It is unfortunate that as a result of bad judgement (IMHO) he quoted an obscure text (not endorsed the text, just "quoted") in which the Prophet Mohammed and the Islamic faith was portrayed in a negative light.

But on the topic of Reason and Faith the Economist reported an interesting development in an article titled Islam and the Vatican in their Oct. 19th issue. Islamic scholars have asked that the tiff between Catholics and Muslims be taken off the streets and into the debating chamber. I quote:

Vatican officials have cautiously welcomed the scholars' letter, saying they too see prospects for a tough, meaningful conversation. After all, they point out, the pope has often said that the two faiths have different, but related problems: for the Christian, today's adversary is “reason without faith” or cold secularism. For moderate Muslims, it is “faith without reason” or violent fundamentalism.

This is indeed an issue that is simmering and will soon reach boiling point. My 9 months in Europe gives me this inherent sense.

However, for me personally I have reflected on the state of the Panth at the moment. The recent Inder Singh Ghagga incident made me think about the clash of Reason and Faith in our own belief system. (I may be getting in trouble here because ppl will think I am taking sides, but bear with me I consider myself one of the "neutral Singhs" too, just like the ones that hosted the debate in their basement!!). So, while not getting into the details about the controversy (just read it and hear it on www.panthic.org), I would like to submit that it is within our Panth where we have an emergence of two different schools of thought or practitioners. One group relies heavily on "faith without reason" and another group relies heavily on "reason without faith". Is this a new trend? Is this something that will lead to the demise of the Panth as we know it and cause even further disintegration?

Well, I remembered a paragraph from an essay by Principal Teja Singh (yes...you guessed it, who else but him, he is my favorite author along with Prof. Puran Singh). The point of that paragraph is to show that there has existed this dichotomy of groups within our Panth from a very long time. This is nothing new. It is unfortunate that all the debaters are excellent Gursikhs and are very adept at Gurmat (bānī, rehat and tvārikh) but didn't look at the historical context of the clash of reason and faith within Sikhī. Knowing the historical precedence of this debate could have added better or more information to deal with this controversy. Here are the couple of paragraphs. Taken from Essays in Sikhism, by Principal Teja Singh in the essay "The Singh Sabha Movement".

At present there are mainly two schools of thought: one dominated by the Chief Khalsa Diwan, which, continuing the old tradition of the Amritsar Diwan, is more conservative; and the other by the S.G.P.C, which, inheriting the extreme tendencies of the Lahore Diwan, is more critical. The former, inspired by Bhai Vir Singh and his paper, the Khalsa Samachar, emphasises the divinity of the Gurus who are identified with God, while the latter believes in the humanity of the Gurus and is less mystical. The one stresses the worship of saints, and comes out now and then with biographies of holy men, who preached asceticism and self-renunciation; while the other party holds this kind of thing as a mere man-worship and does not encourage too much kowtowing before human beings. They also do not favour the use of a rosary in worship, the whispering of Mantras in private into ears of disciples, the letting or sub-letting of recitations and other mysteries which are indulged in by the saints of these latter days.

In my view, there are two great elements of Sikhism: One is Nām (or the Name) and the other is Sevā (or Service). The Chief Khalsa Diwan has come to emphasise the practice of Nām, and does not see much opportunity for Sevā, while the other party has come to monopolise Sevā, without seeing much use in the practice of Nām. The desireable thing would be to combine the two. When that is done, the Khalsa will be one and supreme.

Okay, I would like to caution that I am not making direct comparisons between the Chief Khalsa Divan and theAKJ, Taksal, Tapoban group on one hand and the SGPC and Inder Ghagga group on the other hand ( btw I will not associate Ghagga and group with Sikh Missionary College - but that's another topic).

But understand the point of Teja Singh's words and its relevance today. Sikhī is all about balance. That is why the path of Sikhī is "sharper than the edge of a sword and thinner than a strand of hair" (khaneo thikī vālo nikkī...). It is not easy to balance Reason and Faith, but nevertheless, both do exist and can exist in perfect harmony.

I completely disagree with those that say that the whole point of Sikhī is only Nām japnā. I content that the whole point of Sikhī is only Nām japnā, kirt karnī and vand chaknā. I think Principal Teja Singh would agree. The crux of the matter is that now a days all the well meaning Gursikhs are lacking in a proper articulation of a balanced Sikhī.

Remember, there is no "and" in the following Sikh vocabulary phrases:

sevā simran
sant sipāhī
degh tegh
sangat pangat
grihast udāsi
mīrī pīrī
etc.

Each phrase is a unique singhle thought merely utilizing two words. When talking about it you simply cannot put the word "and" between them. Therefore, it is all about balance between two complementary ideas. Think about it! Am I off track?

Carhdī Kalā!

Interesting Punishment...

In Prague there is a famous bridge called the Charles Bridge. There are 30 Baroque style statues that adorn this bridge. I was intrigued by one of these statues which is of a crucifix with writing in Hebrew in bronze. The story of this statue is interesting as it says that the Hebrew writing was put there at the expense of a Jew of Prague as a punishment for blasphemy againsts Christianity. the wikipedia article on this statue is here .

Hmm...Now that's an interesting punishment!? I was thinking if a non-Sikh, let's say Hindu, blasphemed our Gurus, would it make sense to have them pay for a writing in, let's say in Sanskrit, that said something like "Guru Nanak is great!". We wouldn't want to be associated with that. It just doesn't make sense. How is that considered a punishement for the Judaic faith? Its pretty much saying that Jesus Christ was a prophet of the Jews as well and not the ultimate prophet!? Oh well, I guess the 1600's in Europe was a pretty crazy time, and this interesting conflict between Jews, Christians and Muslims has been going on for a very very long time. I learnt a lot about that during my stay in Europe.

Any way, here are some pics from the bridge.

Doors of Prague - Part 3

A. Singh took a much better picture of this door because he has a much better camera...but it was quite exquisite.


















Plain black door with funny looking face on top!



















This is the door to an embassy, I think the Italian embassy!! Click on picture to get a better view. Now that's a door!!


















"I am the sunshine that lights the path for those that enter through this door...."

Doors of Prague - part 2

Remember my post of the European infatuation with lion heads with a ring through their mouths!?

















Heavy wooden door...


















Heavy wooden door with funny looking Singh!!?? :-)


















C'mon, don't tell me you don't look at this door and say "Hmm...cool!"

The Doors of Prague.

All I can say is "fascinating". No, I do not have door fetish as my friend A. Singh, who accompanied me to Prague, would say. I just find the handiwork and the elaboration quite fascinating. It also reminds me of the gurbani tuk - "guru duare hoe sojhi paisi, et duare hoe hacha hoisi..."





 

Slacker...going back home!!

Sorry. I have been a complete slacker with my blog. My last months in Europe have been so busy. Because of work I have crossed the Atlantic Ocean approximatley 8 times (that's 4 round trips) in the last 2 months!! In addition, travel within Europe is huge. I am writing this from the Stockholm airport. Any spare moment I get at the airport are also consumed by work. But before I do my next work email, I thought I'd slip this in.

I will be moving back to Boston area by the 1st week of November. Things are not going to slow down, but at least I will be back home. I left Boston about 4 years ago for Toronto, and the last year I have been in Munich. I hope to blog when back and will definitely get off my *(&^ and post some pictures. Hang in there.

Another thing I want to do when I get back is share my thoughts and present commentary on interesting happenings around the world and wonder about the Sikh perspective. For example, the Pope's comments about Islam, Jack Straw's comments about the hijab, recent reprimands by the Akal Takhat against Guggha, Ecology and Climate change etc.

Okay...stay tuned. And remain in Carhdi kala!

Technology Review - TR35 - Sumeet Singh

A family friend of ours gets tapped for one of 35 Young Innovators of the Year by MIT's Technology Review magazine which is a popular cutting edge technology power magazine! Great to see him make so much progress in such little time, and another sabat surat in the technology field.

http://www.technologyreview.com/TR35/Profile.aspx?Cand=T&TRID=426

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/awards/tr3506.asp