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God accepts humans the way they are, because He is the one who made us that way in the first place. The question is, are you ready to accept yourself the way God made you? Those who quit dishonoring their hair have submitted themselves, their identity and their appearance to His wisdom and have bowed before His decision to grant them the blessing of hair. Think about it, hair holds the topmost spot in our body. Surely God saw something special about them so He placed them there. A Sikh submits to God's wisdom and decision and chooses not to remove them. True, but by keeping the Sikh identity and standing out, it becomes your responsibility to always be good, fair and kind, and not just when you want to. There are several people who are good, fair and kind, and don't have the Sikh appearance. However, if at some point they chose to be mean, unfair and cruel, no one would hold it against their community as it wouldn't be that obvious. A Sikh on the other hand needs to be 100%. If I am good/fair/kind to 99 people and end up being mean/unfair/cruel to 1 person, he/she may not remember my name or face but will always remember that a Sikh was mean/unfair/cruel to them. Thus, Gurujee's gifted appearance has locked us permanently for eternity to be the best 24/7, to be good/fair/kind 24/7. Others may choose once in a while to take a step back, but we can't. Those my friend are your own personal choices. A Sikh is supposed to be a lighthouse seen from a distance, so that people can look upto you for help and assistance, look upto you for knowledge about Sikhi. Why is the beard and turban be an exception, because the Guru who blessed us with these was an exceptional personality Himself. There never was, there isn't at present, and there never ever will be in future another one like Him ever on this planet, or anywhere else where life exists. Again these are your own personal decisions and choices. Sir, no one is more logical than Guru Sahib. If you don't see a reason, then I am sorry.In a nutshell: Beard and turban is Guru Sahib's Hukam, His representation, full stop.

Here is a link to Sharda Pooran Granth by Bhai Mani Singh ji. In here you can find the correct shabad, which will give you what you want. http://www.scribd.com/doc/25542845/Sharda-Pooran-Granth

Yup, few of us have been on here 9 years already lol, and trust me we wish too hard that those old times returned. Nothing like the good old days, used to have so much fun that Sikhsangat was a second home. Sikhi discussion and inspirational threads were abundant. We wished every member on their birthdays, congratulated everyone who took Amrit, etc. etc.

vaaheguru ji ka khalsa vaaheguru ji ki fateh i've been trying to get a copy of undithi duniya too, but whichever stall person I ask, they say all the copies have been sold. This book must really be awesome! How did I get into Sikhi? Well, once I was searching for Malkit Singh's bhangra tracks on napster and when I couldn't find anything new, I just took Malkit off and did a search with the word Singh. The first file which showed up was that of Dhan Dhan Baba Jernail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindrawale!! I don't know why I even clicked on that file, but when it got done downloading, I just bursted out into tears. And then daas found the websites: akj.org and akj.org.uk. I downloaded some tracks of Bhai Harpreet Singh ji of Canada without knowing that he was a good kirtani or not as I had no sense of what the files would be like. Those kirtan files gave daas a final blow of prem di teer of Satguru ji's Sikhi!! And luckily after some days daas came in contact with some Singhs associted with AKJ and I was amazed to see their prem for Sikhi and Rehit Maryada. And then I started attending a local simran program which was being organized mostly by Singhs associted with AKJ and dang!, the simran just shook me! It was so chardi kaala. Luckily after getting into Sikhi daas's local town had an amrit sanchaar (this was before starting simran programs). So I took amrit over there and started doing Path and keeping Rehit. Only after doing all these things did I find out how practical Sikhi is. There are many of our brothers and sisters who think keeping sarbloh bebeaik and baana is just pakhand but i t really isn't, atleast from what I know. We only get to know the importance of such things after we start doing them. ok, continuing with the story, then daas got naam drir and it was just AWESOME to get it done from charde kaala vaale Singhs! Sikhi is really beautiful but we really cannot see the true Sikhi without actually practising it. Sarbloh, bebeaik/baana/naam simran/paath/santhea are all the things which will give us courage similar to that of Puraatan Singhs and Kaurs. I'm REALLY REALLY thankful to Guru Sahib for blessing me with the daat of Khande baate ki Pahul. I really think that I'm not worthy of being an Amritthaari, it was the vaadeae of Guru Sahib that he bestowed me with it! :D I LOVE GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D va aheguru ji ka khalsa vaaheguru ji ki fateh

Sikhsangat.com is possibly the only Sikh forum on this planet where God knows how many members have taken Amrit after they joined, as is evident from our "ancient" threads where each member who became Amritdhari was profusely congratulated. I just ran a search and found a ton of such threads which I am posting the link to. Wow it feels so nostalgic going back in time! http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__22728 http://www.sikhsanga...ndpost__p__5223 http://www.sikhsanga...e__hl__congrats http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__55311 http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__53677 http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__53398 http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__42554 http://www.sikhsanga...__fromsearch__1 http://www.sikhsanga...h__1#entry65650 http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__93444 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__101926 http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__97678 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__118056 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__114133 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__114147 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__112819 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__108271 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__193652 http://www.sikhsanga...post__p__286466 And you might be tired by now, so don't bother viewing this one http://www.sikhsanga...dpost__p__59324

It's ok don't feel bad and move on, you will understand as you grow along that these things are just tiny bit of worldly pleasure or anand...as you keep growing in sikhi you will find these tiny bit of worldy pleasure are nothing compare to spiritual bliss just to put it contrast what you experienced today its small drop of anand, as you will grow spiritually in sikhi you will find lake of spiritual bliss, river of spiritual bliss, sea of spiritual bliss and finally ocean of spiritual bliss which cannot be compared with worldy pleasures..cannot be described its infinite bliss. So always keep in mind, you deserve more and you are worth more than this lame pleasure, every human being have a potential of experiencing ocean of spiritual bliss..so next time you try to go back to this same worldy pleasure, just think about higher bliss in spirituality and start thinking about striving for it.

Does anybody else like it when the complex around Darbar Sahib featured greenery and trees? It seemed a lot more natural and old-school that way.

I miss his posts as well. Especially the priceless diamonds translations of Sant Rara Sahibs writings.

http://gurmatbibek.c...ead.php?3,22579 Bhai Moola, Bhai Sooja, Bhai Chandu, Bhai Raamdaas Bhandaari, Bhai Baala and Bhai Sayeen Daas came to Siri Guru Arjun Dev jee Maharaj and asked a very important and pertinent question about way the system of Karma works in Sikhi. They asked if the Paap (sins) and Punn (good deeds) of Gursikhs are accounted for and rewarded separately or are they netted out against each other and only the remaining Paap or Punn are rewarded. In other words, their question was that as an example if someone has 100 Punns and 60 Paaps, then do they pay for 100 minus 60 = 40 Punns or do they get fruits of 100 Punns and 60 Paaps separately. This is a very relevant question for us. Do our Punns delete our Paaps and do our Paaps dampen the fruits of our Punns or are the Paaps and Punns accounted for separately and the Jeev gets fruits of all the Punns and Paaps they commit. Siri Guru Arjun Dev jee in response to their question, informed them that for the purpose of the accountability of Karma, there are 4 kinds of Sikhs: 1. Sehkaam Karmi 2. Nihkaam Karmi 3. Upaashna waale 4. Giani Then Guru Sahib asked them, about which kind of Sikhs was their question related to. The Sikhs with folded hands and extreme humility requested Guru Sahib to tell them about all 4 kinds of Sikhs and how Karma affects them differently. Hereon, the summary of Guru Sahib's Updesh, as written by Bhai Mani Singh jee in Sikha dee Bhagatmaala, is presented: In the rule of a king, there are 4 kinds of citizens. The first kind pay taxes based on a certain percentage and no matter what, they have to pay their share. The second kind have a fixed amount they pay as taxes and even if their income is high, still they end up paying little taxes and get to keep most of their wealth. The third kind are close to the king and sometimes present the king with good horses or other gifts and as a result they enjoy tax free income and also get many other perks. The fourth kind are the Maafi citizens who are very close to the king. They go about travelling with the king and instead of paying taxes, they get paid by the state for being close to the king. Same way, Maharaj jee too has 4 kinds of Sikhs: Sehkaam Karmi, the first type of Sikhs are Sikhs in appearance only but all their priorities are Maya related. Any Karma related to Dharma that they do is only to forward their Maya related agenda. Any Paath or Naam Simran they do is only for their selfish needs. On the heads of such people, the stick of Jamdoots (messengers of death) always remains. Their Paaps and Punns are accounted for separately. If they have total of 160 Karma which include 80 Punns and 80 Paaps, they get fruits of all 160 Karams and none of their sins are netted out against their good deeds. Depending on their Karma, they enjoy the fruits of heaven and hell in the next world. Since they are Sikhs, they do get to be born in the homes of rich and prosperous people in their next life and occasionally are given opportunities to earn Gurmat related Karma - Naam Simran and Gurbani Paath. Nihkaam Karmi, the second type of Sikhs, they become Sikhs not out of some greed or vested interest but because they like to be Dharmi (religious). They do good deeds and religious deeds out of pleasure and because such is their natural disposition, as opposed to doing it just for their Maya-related agenda. Even though they have natural tendency to do good deeds, still they do end up committing many sins as well because due to lack of serious Naam Simran and Gurbani Paath, they come under the influence of Maya and 5 Bikaars. Their Paaps and Punns are taken together and evened out and they only pay for their remaining Karma. As an example, if a Nihkaam Karmi Sikh has a total of 160 Karma which include 100 Punns and 60 Paaps, most of their Karma are netted out and they pay the fruits of only 40 Karma. Their sins are netted out against their good deeds and they seldom go to hell as a punishment of their sins. They get to be born in homes of Sant Gursikhs and are given ample opportunities to engage in Naam Simran and Gurbani Paath. Upaashna Waale Sikh: Upaashna waale Sikhs are such Sikhs who have their priority set on Naam and Gurbani Paath only. Their natural disposition is religious and they willingly do only good Karma. They always do Punns and spend time in Naam Abhyaas and Gurbani Paath but still contrary to their natural disposition, they commit some Paaps (sins) as a result of their Prarabadh (destiny) or when they come under the influence of Bikaars. Guru Sahib forgives their Paaps and if such Gursikhs don't reach their spiritual destiny, then they take another Janam and are born in the homes of Sant Gursikhs and eventually get Gyaan and are released from birth and death. Gyani: Gyan Gursikhs who have realized their self as well as Vaheguru, consider this world to be Mithiya (false). They reject the system of Karma and depend solely on Vaheguru jee's Naam. Since they don't associate with Haume, none of their Karma falls under the Karma system. Just as darkness does not go near sun, same way Bikaars and Paaps don't go near Gyani Gursikhs. They are free from Karma. They neither get rewarded for their Punns nor get punished for their mistakes. First of all they don't commit any mistake but if they unwittingly do commit a mistake as per this Gurbani Pankiti: ਜੇ ਬਾਹਰਹੁ ਭੁਲਿ ਚੁਕਿ ਬੋਲਦੇ ਭੀ ਖਰੇ ਹਰਿ ਭਾਣੇ ॥, they are not held accountable for it. Then the Gursikhs asked Guru Sahib as to what happens to the Punns that are done by a Gyani and the mistakes they make. Guru Sahib gave the most interesting and revealing answer. Guru Sahib said that since the Gyani rises above the effect of Karma, any Punns that they do during their life here on Earth, are given to the ones who serve them. In other words, the Gursikhs who serve the Gyani Gursikhs, get the rewards of the Punns done by Gyani Gursikhs. On the other hand the ones who slander Gyani Gursikhs, get the fruit of unwitting mistakes committed by the Gyani Gursikhs. Gyani stays Nirlep (aloof) from all effects and fruits of Paaps and Punns. As for the future of these 4 types of Gursikhs, the Sehkaam Karmi Sikhs are born in heavens and other high realms where they enjoy good life and then come back on Earth and are born in the homes of rich and prosperous people. They occasionally get chance to earn Gursikhi and eventually over many life forms, slowly rise to become Jeevan Mukat. The Nihkaam Karmi and Upaashna waale Gursikhs get to go to higher Khands and are reborn here in this world in the homes of Sant Gursikhs. They get many chances of doing Bhagti and they get to meet Sadh Sangat. Eventually they become Gyani Gursikhs and get everlasting blissful life in Sachkhand. Gyani Gursikhs of course get to go to Sachkhand after their exhausting their time here on Earth. The above thoughts are in accordance to Gurmat. In religions like Buddhism and many sects of Hinduism, the system of Karma is all powerful and totally independent. In Gurmat, the system of Karma is there but it is not run automatically (especially for Gursikhs) but Vaheguru jee is actively involved as a witness of the Karams of Jeevs and in giving the fruits of the good and bad Karma of Jeevs and Gursikhs. It seems natural that everyone cannot be given the same fruit of a single Karma. Let's take a worldly example to illustrate the point that all sinner are not treated equally by Vaheguru. If a repeat offender goes to the court of a worldly judge, the judge is likely to give him the maximum sentence possible and on the other hand if a first time offender goes to the same judge for the same offense as the repeat offender, then the judge is likely to go easy on the first time offender. Same way, a Gursikh who is indulged in Naam, Gurbani and Punns for the most part would get much less punishment for a rare sin as opposed to a Sikh of first stage who is still very much engaged in Maya. This Updesh of Guru Sahib should prompt us to strive to become Gyani Gursikhs and at least at the current time be at the level of Upaashna waale Gursikh, who are always eager to do Bhagti by engaging in Naam Abhyaas, Gurbani Kirtan and Paath. Guru Sahib Kirpa Karan. Kulbir Singh

I would suggest both of you do it together and your husband refrain from meat and drinking so he can get the full benefit and increase his spirituality. Meat and alcohol consumption will be wasting the earned spiritual wealth. You want to earn it and keep it amassed not waste it so live like proper Amritdharis. There was once a group of gursikhs who went to Hazoor Sahib and there came a Hindu man who wanted to have a son. He made a request to gursikhs to do ardaas for him. They consulted among themselves and told him that if he makes a promise to Guru Sahib that he would raise his son as a proper Sikh, they would be happy to do ardaas. He agreed. A year later he had a son. Few years later, he came back again and made a similar promise for a second son. Later he had another son. Both were raised as Amritdharis gursikhs. So if you ask Guru Sahib for a child, then make sure you dedicate his/her life to Guru’s way of life. This means the household in which the child will be raised should be free of meat and intoxicants. Many times, it is our own Punjabis who are big hindrance to their kids taking Amrit because they themselves do not practice Sikhi. You both must lead the same way of life. I would strongly suggest you consult only Guru Sahib and keep away from any “baba ji”. Guru Rakha

Something I made a while ago....

The basic of becoming a Brahmgian is to accept Waheguru's hukam. If we feel we have to change how we were created how can we accept Waheguru's hukam? Other religions, such as christianity and islam, not only kill their hair they also do circumcision. The hair on the head is cut to fit into modern society's standard of what beauty is and they cut their foreskin for sexual pleasure. Same thing with shaving their genitalia, they do it for sexual pleasure. How can a saint indulge in kaam (lust) and meet waheguru? Doing so is no different than acting like an animal. Humans have a brain that allows us to not only experience higher level thinking, but also our aatma has a chance to merge back into Waheguru. What's the difference between a sex addict individual and a pig? Another reason for kesh is that we renounce the world (renounce worldly attachment) and yet still are very much involved in the world. It's like a perfect balance of yin and yang. Names are different but Truth is Universal. It doesn't matter which part of the Universe you're in or what era- truth will always be the same. Yes, I keep my hair with reasons stated above. I used to be a mona and i felt i needed to keep it to make the very basic step to become a Sikh - accept the Guru's teachings and blessings. Not entirely related, but check this out (Native Americans and special forces in the Vietnam war story about their kesh and what happened after they cut it) http://www.sott.net/...Their-Hair-Long Hair has been a source for strength for many people around the world from the Samurai, to Christian saints, to Native Americans, to original Buddhists, Ancient China, people who Hindus worship (actual people - Krishna ect).

Yea you can do it a little bit at a time until you are comfortable at doing the entire paath in one sitting. I learned the five banis from my nana ji whos a strict Amrit Shari and he would sit with me until I was reciting it properly and was able to do the entire paath on my own. When I started to do the sukhmani sahib it was really hard for me because of the wording. So what I did was I had the audio nitnem app and the sunder Gutka app on my iPod and I would read along as the baba ji was reciting the paath and some words that I couldn't pronounce I was able to. I usually did that at night when u was gonna go to sleep. Then jn the morning I would do as much as I could and then mark it where I left off and o that the next morning. And then slowly following this I was able to do the entire paath in one sitting. I don't think there is anything wrong in doing this. Guru ji would want you to do as much as you can and slowly work your way up so your not overwhelmed. I wish guru ji gives me enough memory and strength to memorize the paath withou the Gutka sahib one day.

I thought all the speeches were poor. really poor. the lawyer woman whose brother in law was killes in delhi riots was ok. other than that they were poor. really sorry to say this. last year was much better. what saddened me was that the videos on the large screen were also crap. we needed better english ones and much louder. before the rally hit trafalgar square goreh and kaleh and japanese asked me what was going on - they couldnt understand through the video. the whole point is not to preach to the converted. pointless exercise now. we needed much more leaflets and better quality speakers and videos in english

We are an incredibly naive community. You do realise that none of this mobilisation would have even begun without Sikh channel? Not many would give two pennies for anything to do with Rajoana or any other recent campaign for that matter without Sikh Channel. Be very wary of the politics being played. Do not withdraw support from any of the Sikh Channels, they are a bigger nightmare for the Indian Government than every website and youtube channel combined. As usual our panth is being as stupid as ever and playing into the divide and rule tactic of our enemies. Believe me, the Indian Government wants absolutely nothing more than for the Sikh Channels to be closed, they are terrifed of them. With a whole Government on the prowl against them watching their every move just waiting for an excuse to have them shut down, the channels have to be very careful. Aside from bhagti, Sikh Channel is politically the biggest and most powerful tool we have and ever had have. Instead of withdrawing your support from Sikh Channel, give it MORE of your support- backers and donors have much more influence than internet groaners. Back it financially and get involved in the studio and behind the scenes, while your at it get politically and legally astute. NONE of the positive action we have been seeing lately would be happening in the first place without Sikh Channel. Just remember it was Sikh Channel and Sangat tv who were the first to send reporters and film crews immediately when the Rajoana protests took place in Punjab. Without that crucial first hand footage nobody would have cared for the issue, how many would have known or cared about Shaheed Bhai Jaspal Singh Ji? Without the Sikh Channel/Sangat Tv precedent Rajoana TV or anything like it would never have even been started in the first place.

I knew a couple who did not have a child. So they started waking up at 2am, did full ishnaan and recited “Thir Ghar Baiso..” shabad for two hours. Then they did nitnem and Sukhmani Sahib. They did this for two weeks. I think after a month or so they found out the bibi was pregnant. I know some who have done abhiyaas of the same shabad for different reasons and they got what they wanted. So my recommendation would be to do abhiyaas of this shabad in the early morning in addition to your rehat and Sukhmani Sahib. Beginners set a time limit of 11, 21 or 30 days as a bare minimum and do ardaas at the completion and start it again. You can do it as you like but do it for long enough and then do ardaas and take hukamnama which should tell you the outcome. If more is required you would know and do another ardaas to start. Keep doing it and when you find out you have been blessed, continue to do as much Gurbani abhiyaas as you can. No one can tell you whose fault it was other than high spiritual gursikhs but I suggest you to not contemplate on it. Rather, focus on your future. It could be that your naam kamayee was not enough to receive the blessed soul destined to come to your house. Guru Sahib wishes to send souls of past gursikhs and shaheeds to families of Amritdharis and for that a lot of naam kamayee is needed. So maybe you need more. Guru Sahib will surely bless you with what you want. If it is not in your karma then Gurbani and Naam abhiyaas will change it. Just don’t lose faith. Guru Rakha

One day during a ride, the Guru halted and knocked at the door of a poor woman and said,"Good lady, I am very hungry, bring me the bread you have prepared." The woman, throbbing with joy, brought out some coarse bread which he partook on horseback, without washing his hands, and relished it very much. He then blessed the woman and cut off the shackles of her transmigration. Next day the Sikhs prepared dainty dishes with great attention to cleanliness and offered them to the Guru at the same hour. He laughed and said,"O Sikhs, I ate food from that woman's hands because she was holy. This food which you have prepared with attention to ancient ceremonial is not pleasing to me." The Sikhs asked,"O true king, yesterday you ate bread on horseback from the hands of an old woman whom you did not know. There was no consecrated space and the food was in every way impure. Today we have prepared the food for you; no impurity is attached to it, yet you reject it. Be kind enough to explain the reason." The Guru replied," The woman with great devotion and faith prepared food for me out of what she had earned from the sweat of her brow. On this account the food was very pure, and I partook of it. The Guru is hungry for love and not for dainty dishes. In the matter of love for God, no rule is recognized. It is not what man eats that pleases God, it is man's devotion that is acceptable to Him."

Speaking from recent experience I wanted to learn Sukhmani Sahib da Paath, but it took me 3 hours to do just the first half of it! :blush2: So the first few weeks I had to split one Sukhmani Sahib da Paath over 2 days. Gradually I became accustomed to doing it, learning the correct pronounciations, etc., and finally managed to do one paath in 2 hours. So for me this system worked but I wouldn't like to say whether this is allowed. I did wonder whether I was doing beadbi by not completing one paath in one sitting, but I had no other choice. If you do choose to take it easy (for a while) like I did, even if it is not allowed, then don't worry we'll both get jootiya together. :lol2:

Please don't take offense, but it's comments like yours that make me feel Dhundha is succeeding in his evil quest.

wooooow wicked vidoes man, nuff respect, simranjeet singh maan looks well diffrnt, unfortunatly its sad wen 2wards the end of the video wen the elections were being discussed, coz we all kno in hindsight, the monster devil beant came in, and killed lorry loads of apnay, kp gill talkin tatti as usual was annoying too. bandhar kushwant also talkin crap bowt khalistan, n how the usual rubbish annoyin quote of "99% of sikhs dont support khalistan" crap, lol, watever mate. Also found it interesting that daljit singh bittu sed the boundaries of khalistan will be made afterwards, not b4.

Probably one of the best threads this forum has ever had, I remember first reading it all the way back in 2003. Definitely had a profound impact on my Gursikhi journey.

qyrw kIqw jwqo nwhI mYno jogu kIqoeI ] thaeraa keethaa jaatho naahee maino jog keethoee || I have not appreciated what You have done for me, Lord; only You can make me worthy. mY inrguixAwry ko guxu nwhI Awpy qrsu pieEeI ] mai niraguniaarae ko gun naahee aapae tharas paeiouee || I am unworthy - I have no worth or virtues at all. You have taken pity on me. qrsu pieAw imhrwmiq hoeI siqguru sjxu imilAw ] tharas paeiaa miharaamath hoee sathigur sajan miliaa || You took pity on me, and blessed me with Your Mercy, and I have met the True Guru, my Friend. nwnk nwmu imlY qW jIvW qnu mnu QIvY hirAw ]1] naanak naam milai thaa(n) jeevaa(n) than man thheevai hariaa ||1|| O Nanak, if I am blessed with the Naam, I live, and my body and mind blossom forth. ||1|| I don't know how much this story is going to inspire anyone. There is not much to say, nothing too great as compared to the stories above, so just gonna give it a try. I wish I could name the people who helped me a great deal in becoming what I am, but since they may not appreciate it, I am gonna refrain from naming them. But you know who you are, and I will always be the dust of your feet!! I was born in a non-Sikh family, Punjabi Brahmin to be specific. Till I was nearly 19, I grew up in the United Arab Emirates, an Islamic country. My entire schooling, including my first year in college was done there. I saw the Hindi movie Maachis on T.V. This movie did the job of providing air to a hidden spark. The various scenes of Gurdwaras, the sound of Gurbani being sung gave me immense inner delight. Towards the end of 1997, when I was only 18 years and a few months, I sensed that some massive change was about to come in my life. I did some research on Sikhism on the internet which I had started using only after I was 18 and half years old. To my utter shock, I found the answers to all my lifelong spiritual queries which were left unanswered by every other religion. I fell in love with Guru Nanak!! Soon after I started doing path of Sri Sukhmani Sahib and fell in love with this Bani as well. I came to USA in August 1998, in the white majority and known to be racist part of the US. Thanks to the internet, I drowned myself into knowledge about Sikhi, Sikh history and everything else related to Sikhi. I would listen to Gurbani and kathas on the internet In the summer of 2003 I joined Sikhsangat.com. Now my Sikhi went on a rampage. I fell deeper and deeper into it. I met new Singhs on the net, talked to some over the telephone. I was sent "In Search of the True Guru", the autobiography of Bhai Rama Singh ji by a Singh from this forum (yeah man you know who you are lol). I never liked AKJ style keertan, but after I saw the live telecast of the November 2003 L.A. Samagam, I got addicted to it. In December 2003 I read Bhai Rama Singh ji's autobiography, and only after reading half of the book i decided to quit shaving and cutting my hair. Another veerjee from India who posts here sometimes urged me a lot to maintain strict Amritvela, and that was the reason I was able to stay strong. As my beard and hair grew, I cut myself off from everyone totally. People would ask my sister, who stayed with me, as to what was going wrong with me. I received absolutely no motivation from my family, or even the few Sikh acquaintances that I knew in my university. As surprising as you may find, the ones to congratulate me on my transformation were the Hindus and Muslims I knew. June 2004 was the twentieth anniversary of Operation Bluestar, the attack on Darbar Sahib. One Singh from California was kind enough to take me with him to Chicago where a Shaheedi Samagam was held. Here, for the first time in my life, I saw and met so many Amritdharis. I stayed with them for almost a week, and never for a moment did I feel that they were people other than my family. This was when I got my name changed as well. We visited a Singh, who was one of my panj pyaare in the very near future. He gifted me with 2 kirpans, 1 small and 1 huge. I put it on here itself. This Singh was breathtakingly chardi kala!! I couldn't stop my tears as I left his place. I couldn't talk. August 2004 arrived. It was exactly an year ago in these days. Gurujee helped me and I found transport. May Waheguru bless the Singh who took pains to arrange for my transport. I was with 2 Sikhs who drove me from Oklahoma to California. We stopped for a night at a gas station in Phoenix, Arizona. I felt very sad, as I wanted to reach El Sobrante by Thursday and spend some time with the sangat, but this was Wednesday night, and we were still in Arizona. But Gurujee's ways are amazing. I was going to give my head to Him, and He couldn't see me sad. At the gas station I saw an American Singh. He was Caucasian. He saw me and had a bright smile on his face. I went upto him, folded my hands and said Vaaheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa Vaaheguroo Jee Kee Fateh, and he responded with Vaaheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa Vaaheguroo Jee Kee Fateh. I told him I was going to take Amrit and that we had got delayed. He assured me that when one goes for a good purpose, God is always with you. These words came as words from Gurujee that He was with me!! I reached Bakersfield and spent a few hours at night at the home of a Singh. He was very kind and dropped me off at the bus station late at night. I took the bus from Bakersfield to Oakland, where 2 amazing Singhs in Bana had come to pick me up. Now I really felt on top of the world. I was hanging out with real Singhs!! We reached El Sobrante Gurdwara, and wow what a Gurdwara it is. Its on a mountain and visible from miles away, so enchantingly beautiful. I met many Sikhs who I befriended on the internet, and Vaheguru I don't know what to say! So much love I got, that I could have exploded. I met the same Singh who gave me the kirpans and was among my panj pyaare. I met some other really amazing Singhs as well. Finally the night came. The night of Saturday, August 21, 2004. Location: El Sobrante Gurdwara in California. Daas was blessed with Amrit. I felt that sense of belonging, that feeling of having a master. This was the day my search was over. My soul sang Anand bhaya meri maaye, SatGuru mai paayaa!! To all those who are born in Sikh families and have not taken Amrit yet, take it from me, it tastes better than any other taste ever created. I was born in a Hindu family, raised in an Islamic country, and studied in the Bible belt region of the U.S. It was Gurujee Himself who held my hand and never let me go astray. A lot happened after I took Amrit. Life is never a bed of roses. I am a kaljugi moorakh and can slip. But my master was always there to remind me that He is there for me even if I don't know about it. My sincere request to you is give yourself upto such a Guru. I don't know what is in store for me tomorrow. But I hope I die a Sikh. May Gurujee save me and all of us from all kurehits, and even more from bajjar kurehits. Sometimes people, out of love, call their beloveds "meri jaan", meaning "my life". It is the highest honor you can give someone you love. You address them as your own life. But just imagine the love Guru Gobind Singh Jee has for His Khalsa, when He says "Khalsa meri jaan ki jaan". He loves us much much more than His life!! I shed tears of happiness whenever I hear or recite these words. No one can love anyone as much as Gurujee loves His Sikhs. So why run after this fake world and its glory and riches when we have the lord of the universe as our true lover, true father, true mother, true friend!! Now hold it! Don't start praising me, because I know very well what I am. All that you have read was written some 4 years ago. Today I am a slacker and trying to get back and firm on the path of Sikhi. I am lazy and want to improve, so if at all you want to respond, don't respond on here, just do an Ardas for me, that I may grow/develop/progress in my Sikhi, and always stay firm and devoted to my Sikhi. That would be the best response, and the one that I am looking forward to.

guru's banni !! it's beautifull !!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh i got interested in sikhi when i started going to sangat ... and people there showed me how lucky i was to be born into sikhi ... unlike people who keep on lookin for someone to show them and help them reach god, we have our gurus. i am extremely grateful for findin sangat and realizin what sikhi rlly is. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Luckily, iwas born in a Punjabi (guess you ould call us Sikhs) family. No one was amritdhari. I stopped cutting my hair at 4 and left meat at 5. 6 i took Amrit. At 5, i went to my first gurmat camp, by Bhai Amarjit Singh and Joginder Singh from Surrey at Stockton, my nanake's pind. I was supposed to become amritdhari that camp, but my mom took me home sayng there was no camp on Saturday, the amrit sanchar day lol. Next year, same camp Bhai Amarjit Singh lectured my mom and I became an Amritdhari. I partly became a Singh because at that age, i didn't know too much about Sikhi. My cousins, whom i looked up to, were Amritdhari, and i wanted to be just like them. After me, my mother, then my little sister, dada and dadi, and finally, my dad also became children of the Guru

GurFateh to ya'all. i neva really knew anythin abt Skihi cuz my parents didnt teach me:|which still makes me mad cuz they tell others to teach their children:@meh... anywho; i knew that the Gurudwara was a very special place, and that your head was supposed to be covered, feet to be uncovered, hands to be washed etc. ....but i neva knew what we went there for, and who 9what) God was (is). So i would just do whateva my mom would do when we went there. then one day my mom told me that i could get anything i wanted if i did Ardaas, so i started to do Ardaas wheneva i went to the Gurudwara (since we didnt do Paath at home)...and i would do Ardaas, not paying attention to anyone or anything around me , wishing for a bro...and as *science* works, i had a new baby brother abt what?...10 months later *no duh*...lol..... so yeah...then i was like "hmm"...and i started to realize the things that our Guru Jis wanted us to do, and all the things they did for us. I just started to think...ya know: "if god listened to my prayers, gave me a home, gave me loving parents, a loving sis, a baby bro, *gave me a Sikh life*, then i should also listen to what God asks from me cuz i had full faith in God (and still do of course). But then another thing that happened was when my daddy was talking to a bhai sahib...and the bhai sahib told my dad to stop eating meat, and my dad said that he would...slowly he would. so one day he was eating some left-over meat from the night before, and a small part of a bone cut my dads gum, and he told the bhai sahib the next day and then asked him what he could do to help stop my daddy from eating. the bhai sahib then put his hand on my dads head and said a prayer...after that day, my dad kept his hair, didnt drink, didnt eat meat, and started going to the Gurudwara more often. Then my entire family took Amrit when i was in grade 5, and man!, is it eva great to be a true Gursikh!! :doh: its pretty cool. :doh: GurFateh to ya'all.

umm how did i get into sikhi? good question...cuz i dont know...there isn't one particlure thing that happend in life(many lives)that brought me to the door of Akal Purakh Vaheguro still tryin to figure that one out...

Wow~~! Such amazing inspiring posts! :TH: My path to sikhism was an interesting one~! I've been interested and compelled to spiritual things since I was really young, and I used to ask my father questions about God. "Who is God? If God created us, who created God? Why do we live? Why do bad things happen if God is all-powerful? What happens to us after we die? Where do souls come from? What is time in relation to God?" So many questions, hahaha that my dad told me some answers (He is a catholic) that he had, but eventually he saw I have my own path to go on. So-- I started reading books on all sorts of religions and beleifs and spiritual practices; christianity, islam, zen, wicca, pagan, new age, hinduism, christianity again, boudism, I-ching stuff, the list goes on. I thought i had it all covered, but none of them were speaking to my heart... my heart had this other feeling... the essence it was looking for... THEN - when i least expected it, I started having more contact with Naam_Jap. He goes to my university and we work in the same place. I didnt know he was a sikh, and i had never heard about sikhism before! But he knew (because of a meditation and yoga club) that I was into spiritual a lot. We started talking. My first time reading Jaap Sahib Ji - WOW! I stared at the first line in total amazement, i could not contain my joy! It must have taken me a good 10 minutes before i read past the mool mantra!!! FINALLY a text that came straight to the point, and said exactly what my heart and soul knew... it all became very clear. ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR! THE NAME IS TRUTH! WOWWOWOWOW! Imense joy filled me instantly! Since then, i have been learning and reading and talking with others, and going more and more into sikhism... The essence, my heart and soul already knew, but the body didnt have a physical path to follow~! Sikhi has the essence and it has the lifestyle to accompany and nurture the essence! Much more to this story, but i will leave that to my book Im writing. LMAO GURU JI's KIRPA!!! Flows on all!!!!

Wow veerji after reading your post... I have to say i was really deeply touched by it ... cuz honestly... your story sounded a bit like mine... How you use to look up to others... how you use to look at others and ask yourself why dont i look like them... how you liked to talked to grownups or listen to what elders had to say when people told you not to ... Bro ... this is how it was for me too ... my parents played the best support, but from everyone else... i had no sikhi in me what so ever... ... i started to learn from A to Z about sikhi when i was 18-19 ... which was 3-4 years ago ... guru kripa naal i took amrit 3 yrs ago (exactly 3 on vasaikhi !!) ... ... when i was in da 2nd grade ... my dad took me to da barber to cut my hair ... whY ? ... kids use to run after me wit scissors to cut my hair ... i use to cry everyday back to my house from school because my joora came loose from wrestling with these punks or i use to be in da principals office crying till my mom came... seeing this my dad took me to da barber so i could 'fit in' with the other youth ... also since i had no friends at that time... ... as i got older a lot of stuff happened... guru kripa naal i didnt wonder dat much off to da bad side ... but guru kripa naal towards the end of high school i took amrit ..and that is when i reli started to learn more and more about sikhi... ... im still learning ... ... veerji like ur family i also agree a lot of my family/relatives ask me the same thing why i took amrit ... some didnt want me to ... some were ok with it ... and some were jealous u can say ... its reli weird ... ... some would ask me the same thing why don tu take it after marriage... or why dont u 'enjoy' life now ... ... i told them it wasnt about 'taking amrit' ... it was about putting that one step forward ... towards guru sahib... not to what they were referring to as in 'enjoying yourselves'... ... i have to admit my parents played a very huge role in bringing me up reli well ... as i understood sikhi more from their eyes... ... they may not be amritdhari ... but they r life to me ... no one in my family is amritdhari that is why i look upto all these singhs in real life whos families are all amritdhari and they get to have their sangat day in day out... how kismat vale are they... ... but yes i got people telling me u have things that we dont so dont think they have it easy ... but still ... i just wish i had dat one thing of growing up wit gursikhs... so u can be brought up by learning kirtan... learning how to read bani ... learning how to do nitnem... learning how to do proper seva of guru ji ... etx... ... but ya .... great post veerji .... sorry i got a little carried away .... ... that is like 5% of my life... ill probably tell the other 95 one day ... :TH:

All my family cut their hair. My dad (though a mona) he would make sure to involve me in the Gurdwara. ... he taught a shabad to sing at the Gurdwara .... on Gurpurbs I used to get a pagh tied on my head by my dad or a relative ... i used to enjoy small sewa at Gurdwara like givin out tissues (for parshaad), cleanin shoes or givin out langar I would always love to listen to Giani Jis and elders. But people used to say "Go outside and play, you dont want to hear grown-ups talk." but I did!!! I would look around at all the Singhs and Singhian and kids with kesh and feel upset and sad that I didnt look like them nor be part of them. Hearing Saakhis of the Gurus I thought where am I and where is Sikhi. Since the age of 5 (or whenever i cud think for myself) i always wanted to have kesh. At age of 15 I got enough courage to keep kesh (despite people not wanting me to - i.e. family and relatives). I was unfortunate that there are no Amritdhari or Saadh Sangat in my local town. But travelling to SOuthall or Birmingham I would love just the sight of Singh or Singhnian. Reading books, Sangat through internet and learning stuff from my dad and the love & support of my mum... i got more and more into Sikhi. I couldn't resist but give my head to Guru Ji... again family and relatives sed, "take amrit after marriage, we want to drink sharaab at your wedding" "17 yrs old is too young to take Amrit" one relative sed, "live life first" My life was Sikhi and I was dead until I took Amrit and took birth in the House of Guru ji. bhul chuk maaf

got into sikhi through the sangat of sants and tapes of baba ishar singh jee of rara sahib

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa! Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!! i come from a family, who for now, have forgotten( very badly forgooten) guru sahib maharaj. But, ever since i was a little kid, guru maharaj had kirpa, did naam simran and sang praises of god since 5 years old, and i loved him very much. But sadly, i didnt know what was sin, how to live in maryada, as no one guided me. Well, i was wrong. Satguru guides us all. I read a book when i was 10( started getting into reading), and i leraned abour sikhi. So, that second, guru maharaj showed me the path to mukhti. I stopped all the sins, with guru jes kirpa, and started my practice for amrit. I practiced for round a year, then took khanda je pahul and with satguru maharaj i learned sikh history, how to read gurbani, gatka, etc. I started waking up at 2 am and reading 5 bani, doing 3 hours of naam simran, sometimes almost fainting, and then doing asa di vaar and sukhmani sahib paat. Then in evining, after school, i would do my work, play, and do sukhmani sahib, rehareass sahib, naam simran, and at night kirtan sahila. I felt so close to guru je. No all thats on my mind is guru maharaj and vaheguru. I find eternal peace at tgurughar, and am gonna build a seperate house for guru je, where i can have their darshan everyday. I just wish that the guru sahib granted sikhi always remains with me, and may my head go, but never my sikhi. May satguru have kirpa Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa! Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!! this is a story about a kid just shows that guru jes kirpa can do anything bhul chuk maf