Bijla Singh

Gurumehar Singh and Gurusewak Singh This is a story of a 22 year old young person from an American Jew family who became a Sikh and named himself Gurumehar Singh. Gurumehar Singh was the only son of very rich parents who were greatly distressed because of their lone son turning a Sikh. First the parents tried to talk to him and convince him to come back to Judaism but when he did not agree they were very angry with him. As the parents did not succeed to convince him by love, persuasion or threats, they consulted their attorney. He advised them that the only way to do something solid was to threaten the young man that they would donate one fourth of the family inheritance for charity and as proof thereof send him the legal papers. The parents accordingly wrote to the son that they have donated one fourth of the wealth to the charities, amounting to so many million dollars. If he doesn’t come back to his original faith and start living with them, they will donate the remaining billions of dollars of property and wealth to the poor and to charities. Then he will have to live as a poor man for the rest of his life and all his addiction for his new religion will vanish away. It is well known that Jews love money and thereof Gurumehar Singh’s parents thought that when their son will see billions of dollars slipping away from his fortune, the love of money will bring him back. After receiving the letter Gurumehar Singh phoned his parents that he would come home to meet them. His father was very happy and thought that the attorney’s advice had worked well. As their son could not see millions of dollars going away, therefore he is coming back home. The son reached to them at the appointed time. The parents were delighted to see their dear son back home, but he told them that he had not come back to live there but to congratulate them on the miracle of donating one fourth of their family wealth, amassed by forefathers through so many wrong means. He further said that before this no body in the family had ever donated any money for charities, rather they tried to grab it from others whenever they could, and now look at the grace of his Guru that as soon as he became a Singh, they have donated more than the one-tenth amount. This is the grace of his Guru on his family. He continued saying that as a mark of respect and thankfulness he will be performing ‘Akhand Path’ ceremony (non-stop reading of the holy Guru Granth Sahib) at his place on such and such date and the ‘bhog’ i.e. concluding ceremony will be after 2 days. He had come to personally invite them to join in this celebration so that they could receive the blessings of the Guru. The son went back. After listening to their son, the parents were very much distressed and could see losing the whole game. On the day of ‘bhog’ the parents visited their son and attended congregation for prayers. The father then stood up and told the congregation that his son, after accepting Sikhism has acquired certain qualities and has shown indifference and detachment to the wealth, has elevated his spiritual condition after living in the refuge of his Guru. This has opened up their eyes and they have come here to bestow heartiest congratulations to their son on his unique achievement and request him to do them a favor of letting them join this excellent religion. Amidst ovations, Gurumehar Singh’s Jew father accepted Sikhism and started serving his new faith with his mind, body and soul and received the blessings of the Guru. He was named Gurusewak Singh.

What Changed Qazi Noor Mohammad’s Mind? Qazi Noor Mohammad’s name is well known in Sikh history due to his eye witness account of Sikhs fighting Abdali and giving him crushing defeat in 1765. He came with Abdali from Afghanistan to India. He was a fanatic Muslim engrossed in religious animosity and bigotry. He hated all non-Muslims and spewed his hatred towards those who opposed the tyrant Muslim rule. He wrote about the Sikhs using most hateful and insulting words he could find in a language. Even then he couldn’t keep away from mentioning Sikhs’ bravery. He writes: "When they take up a musket in hand at the time of battle, they come to the field fiercely springing and roaring like lions and immediately split many a breast and make they blood of many others spill in the dust. You may say that this musket was invented by these dogs (Sikhs). Though guns are possessed in large numbers by others, yet nobody knows them better. These bad-tempered people discharge hundreds of bullets on the enemy on the right and left and in front and on the back. If you disbelieve in what I say, enquire from the brave warriors who will tell you more than what I have said and would have nothing but praise for their art of war. The witness of my statement are those thirsty thousand heroes who fought with them." In the above quotes, he calls Sikhs “dogs” and doesn’t even consider them moral human beings. He calls them brave because only thirty Sikhs fought against thirty thousand Pathans yet he doesn’t show any likeness towards the Sikhs. Then something happens and he writes: "Do not call the Sikhs dogs, because they lions and are brave like lions in the battlefield. How can a hero of the battle who fights like a lion be a dog? If you cherish the desire to learn the art of war; come before them in the field. They will show you such wonderful feats of war. O, Swordsman! if you want to learn the modes of fighting, learn from them how to face the foe like a hero and how to come unscathed from the battle. You may be knew that their title is Singh and it is injustice to call them dogs. O, youth! If you are ignorant of the Hindi language (I can tell you that) the meaning of Singh is lion." One wonders how all of the sudden, the Qazi is praising Sikhs and takes his insulting remarks back. It wasn’t simply the bravery of the Sikhs which changed his perspective because he had already witnessed it when he first entered Punjab. What changed his mind was his personal experience with the Sikhs. It happened when the Afghan army was resting at a place and preparing to fight the Sikhs. Qazi Noor Mohammad was taking a walk and wandering just outside the circles of the pitched tents when he noticed that a small group of Sikhs appeared on the scene and were getting ready for a guerilla attack. Qazi Noor Mohammad quickly hid himself in the bushes and started observing the Sikhs. Shouting “Sat Sri Akal” Sikhs withdrew their swords and attacked the first tent. As soon as they entered, all of the Sikhs just froze with their swords still in the air. To their surprise they had entered the tent of Muslim women. All of the women (as described by Qazi) were most beautiful, wearing gold, diamonds and pearls. Qazi thought these “kafirs” (Sikhs) would not spare any woman and their dishonor was a sure thing. On the other hand, the Sikhs put the swords back in the sheaths and their jathedar said, “Khalsa Ji, this is the tent for women. Let’s go from here and attack the army. No woman is to be touched.” Saying this, the Sikhs exited the tent leaving women unharmed and attacked the next tent. In no time, they killed many of the Afghans and took away ammunitions and rations. By the time the rest of the army arrived the Sikhs had disappeared in thick jungle. Everyone was left dumbfounded. Qazi Noor Mohammad was so impressed by the character and valor of the Sikhs that he showered words of praise about them in his work. He called them true Singhs not “dogs” and considered them the true rulers of Punjab. He is astonished by the fact that there is not a single thief in their group nor is there anyone who commits adultery and takes intoxicants. They have no greed for gold, diamonds and money. They are not appeased by worldly pleasures and they consider no one their “own” enemy. They respect all women alike. Every Sikh used to call a woman “buddhi” (old aged woman) regardless of her age. This shows why Sikhs were praised even by their worst enemy. It was their character, bravery, honesty and most important of all faithfulness to Gurmat (path of the Guru) that earned them the respect. As long as Sikhs live by the principles of Sikhi, they will be praised by the entire world and one day will establish true ‘halemi raaj’ and guide the humanity to the path of ultimate peace. May Guru Sahib be forever on their side. Guru Rakha

A Gursikh at Darbar Sahib About 25 years ago, one fine morning after having a holy dip in the tank around 4am, I was listening to the Kirtan at Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. Everyone in the congregation was enjoying the pleasure of soothing Gurbani Kirtan of dawn time. All of a sudden I glanced at an elderly person sitting in front of me but just behind the ragi Singhs doing the Kirtan. I was able only to see his back. I noticed that the kurta (shirt) he was wearing was in bad shape and patched with many peculiar rags. He was steady, calmly sitting with head down and seemed to be fully absorbed in Kirtan. I thought in my mind that he must be a keen devotee of the Wonderful Lord but I was astonished to see that being so near and dear to Him, can’t God even provide him with a nice shirt so that he could respectfully cover his body and come to Darbar Sahib in reasonably good clothes. Thinking all this, I was a bit perturbed and decided in my mind that when this elderly person gets up, I would give some money and request him to get a new pair of clothes for himself. Being in these thoughts, my mind was scattered and was not able to concentrate on the Kirtan. I was just waiting for the time when that person would get up and I could be able to fulfill my desire. The time was passing by but he did not move and kept on sitting steadily. The routine Ardas prayer was performed and after that he was again sitting steadily as ever before. It was 5:30am by then and I was becoming restless because I had to go back to the house and get ready for the morning to interview the candidates for their appointments in Punjab State Electricity Board starting at 8am. But what could I do? My determination to help him was not letting me walk away and he was not showing any sign of getting up at all. At last I decided in my mind that if he does not get up by 6 o’ clock then I will have no option but to leave without meeting him. To my goodluck when the clock struck six he suddenly got up. I thanked God and also hurriedly followed him. He came out from the next door and started walking towards the place where people go to take Amrit or holy water. When I reached by his side, he put his hand on my shoulder and without looking at me said, ‘Come on you, my benevolent donor son, it has been two hours sitting there, neither you listened to Kirtan nor you let me listen to it. Come on now fulfill your wish and buy me a new set of clothes.’ Hearing all this from that great soul, I was obviously astonished. It was my first chance in life to see for myself that somebody, with his inner supernatural power, can read other person’s mind without any word being spoken. In this unimagined situation all I could do was to touch his knees with respect. He was very kind and embraced me, took me into his arms with love and bucked me up because my intention was not bad. For sometime he was saying nice words full of blessings and then judging himself to be a jolly and happy person, I requested him, ‘Please clear my doubt that since you are so near and dear to Him and are such a nice devotee, why has God provided you only with this kurta patched-up with rags? The elderly gentleman replied, ‘It is not so, one the other hand, this place has so much power that even the dirtiest souls are washed clean and become candid and devoid of passion. All you need is firm belief and undaunted faith.’ On my further request he explained the secret of the patched-up kurta with different rags and said, ‘I have been coming to this sacred place since my childhood. At the time I did not have long hair and turban so I had to cover my head with a scarf. Due to this my attention was all the time on my head to see if the scarf had not fallen and my head had not become uncovered. I was not able to meditate and out my attention into Kirtan. To solve this problem decided to grow long hair and have a turban on my head. Thus I was blessed with more spiritual strength and on my being able to meditate and concentrate on Gurbani, I patched up one rag on my kurta. Next, I was able to control my greed and patched up another rag. Next I was able to command my passion and patched up third rag. Doing so gradually, I have now patched up eleven rags on my kurta.’ He said further, ‘Whenever I come to Darbar Sahib I wear this kurta. It reminds me on my spiritual journey, of how much distance I have already covered and to go further how much more effort I have to put in.’ I kept on listening to him but very soon he held his ears and in a heavy voice said to me, ‘In this conversation you have robbed me of my secret. Telling you about my spiritual progress and achievements my ego has once again started to inflate. You may now go but promise that you will not tell this happening to anybody. Do meditate on Naam and come to Darbar Sahib, this grand door to heaven, with true devotion, humbleness and affection. Before coming to this holy place we should throw away all materialistic desires, and while entering this sacred place, we should have the feeling that we are in the grand place of the Wonderful Lord and have been fortunate enough to be in the heaven. God bless you.’ My respect for Darbar Sahib and Gurbani was intensified and now when I listen to the Gurbani Kirtan on radio sometimes those old memories come forward as fresh as ever. Taken from Excellence of Sikhism by Sarup Singh Alag

You are keep writing contradicting statements and yet have not proved your point from Gurbani which you allegedly have “studied and contemplated”. You gave no reference. Regardless, now you are shifting from Punjabi to Sanskrit. Gurmantar was revealed and had you studied some Gurbani you would’ve known this fact. Simply ridiculous claim. Gurbani has many languages but all are written in Gurmukhi. Gurbani was never written in any other script. I know there are countless worlds but you didn’t answer my question. If you really think “Waheguru” is not universal then what is the gurmantar of aliens? I don’t believe such. It is you who stated in your post that “Waheguru” is a Punjabi word hence restricted and not universal. Any person from any background can chant gurmantar. Exactly. When "Waheguru" was revealed it was written in Gurmukhi but it doesn’t become restricted to Gurmukhi. Hence, it is universal. No, chanting Gurmantra is a way of meditating upon God and gurmantar in Gurmat is “Waheguru” which you disagreed with in your very first post. Message is universal and one must know Gurmukhi and be able to read Gurbani in order to properly understand the message. Gurbani says “Ik Oankaar” which is written in Gurmukhi but its meaning and message is universal. A divine revelation must be written in a language but that doesn’t restrict the message. One must know the original message and must learn it. Gurbani was revealed in Gurmukhi and that's what makes it special. Words can be pronounced the same way in any language. Meanings will have to be translated but doesn’t mean the word itself must be translated. It can be written using any script. Waheguru doesn’t mean “Wonderful Lord” in English. That is misinterpretation. Again, I hardly doubt you studied Gurbani. You have not proved that gurmantar is “the act of remembering God” when all scholars agree that it is a mantar blessed by a Guru to his follower. Not a single quote from Gurbani has been provided. Had you studied Gurbani you wouldn’t have taken so long to prove your point. You are simply brining in aliens which has no relevance to the topic at all. From Gurbani answer these two points: 1) Prove that all names are equal and 2) “Waheguru” is not gurmantar in Gurmat. Just restrict your post to these points then you can start your ridiculous questions.

Please prove that word "Waheguru" is a Punjabi word. It is written in Gurmukhi but it doesn't become a Punjabi word. Entire Gurbani is revealed and hence universal. Burden of proof rests upon you since you suggested that Gurmantar means something else and all names are equal. Perhaps you could also explain what was the need to reveal this new mantar since other words of equal power existed for Guru Sahib to use? Pauri 49 of Vaar 1 is the testimony and veechar by Baba Hari Singh can also be listened to. Here is the link http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=40588&hl= Had you studied Gurbani then you would've provided quotes in your first post. Your other questions: Gurmantar is universal. Explain to me why Gurbani was written in Gurmukhi (not Punjabi)? The message is universal but it must be written in a language. It doesn’t mean the Shabad becomes limited to one planet. You tell me. Do they? Where do they exist? How many are there? Based on what I know, Guru Sahib visited one place where there was a sangat and Kirtan was being sung. Guru Sahib brought karah parsaad from the sangat. It is recorded in Vaars. Only the giver would know this. Whether they have been given or not does not prove anything. Perhaps you should let the astronomers and NASA know of your findings and they can go find out. So you are saying life forms exist on other planets but they don’t have a language? Word “Waheguru” can be written in any language. Shabad is everywhere and can be sung by anyone. Thousands of non-Punjabi becoming Sikhs, reciting Gurbani and doing naam simran is the proof. If these Sikhs can do it so can aliens unless you assume that they are too dumb to learn another language. You are indirectly suggesting that Gurbani is not universal. On one hand you imply that God’s names are equal and universal, on the other hand you are raising fingers on gurmantar. Tell me, how could other names such as Allah, Raam etc be understood by aliens? If these are limited to earth only then what do aliens meditate upon? What language do they use and how many? What is their code of conduct? How many different religions do they have? What are the names of the prophets? Your arguments are simply ridiculous. There are so many languages on earth and your suggestion that “Waheguru is a Punjabi word” questions Gurmat’s universality. Once again, Gurbani was written in Gurmukhi but its message is universal and principles are true all across the creation. Gurmantar is considered "Waheguru" not any other name. ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੁਰਖ ਦਇਆਲੁ ਹੋਇ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਸਚੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਸੁਣਾਇਆ । ਵੇਦ ਕਤੇਬ ਅਗੋਚਰਾ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦੁ ਸੁਣਾਇਆ । ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਹੈ ਜਪਿ ਹਉਮੈ ਖੋਈ । ਹਰਿ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਮੰਤਰ ਅਗੰਮ ਜਗ ਤਾਰਨਹਾਰਾ । ਕਲਿਜੁਗੁ ਬਾਬੇ ਤਾਰਿਆ ਸਤਿਨਾਮੁ ਪੜ੍ਹਿ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਸੁਣਾਇਆ । ਕਿਰਤਮ ਨਾਮ ਕਥੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਜਿਹਬਾ ॥ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਤੇਰਾ ਪਰਾ ਪੂਰਬਲਾ ॥ (Ang 1083) In last panktis, Satnaam refers to gurmantar or true naam and kirtam naams are interpreted as man-made names. Nowhere in Gurbani it is suggested that all names are equal.

ਪੂਰਨ ਪੁਰਖ ਅਚੁਤ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਜਸੁ ਵੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਣੀ ਗਾਇਆ ॥ ਅਪਨਾ ਬਿਰਦੁ ਰਖਿਆ ਪਰਮੇਸਰਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇਆ ॥1॥ Above first pankti is usually misinterpreted as “The Vedas and the Puraanas sing the Praises of the Perfect, Unchanging, Imperishable Primal Lord” The entire Shabad is about greatness of Naam and Gurmukh sants who meditate upon it. “Vedas and Puranas singing the Naam” is simply out of context of the Shabad. Also, the interpretation goes against Gurbani according to which Vedas and Puranas do not praise Naam and are full of futile blind rituals. Guru Sahib rejected these books because they do not preach the truth. Correct meanings by Bhai Randhir Singh Ji are as follows: ਉਸ ਪੂਰਨ ਨਾ ਨਾਸ ਹੋਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਪੁਰਖ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਜਪਣਾ ਜਾਂ ਜਸ ਗਾਉਣਾ ਹੀ ਵੇਦਾਂ ਪੁਰਾਣਾ ਦਾ ਗਾਉਣਾ ਹੈ ਭਾਵ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਜਪਣ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਹੋਰ ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਕੰਮ ਵੱਧ ਕੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ । ਇਹ ਅਕਾਲ ਪੁਰਖ ਦਾ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਜਿਸ ਉੱਤੇ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਨੇ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਉਹ ਹੀ ਨਾਮ ਜਪਦਾ ਹੈ । ਜੇ ਕਹੋ ਕਿ ਵੇਦਾਂ ਤੇ ਪੁਰਾਣਾ ਨੇ ਭੀ ਗਾਇਆ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਵੇਦ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਹਾਰੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਸੀ ਨਹੀ ਤਾਂ ਅਰਥ "ਵੇਦਾਂ ਨੇ" ਨਹੀ ਬਣਦਾ । Guru Rakha

Vick in Darbar Sahib One day I was passing through the Kingston area of London when an English young man requested me to stop. He said he wanted to talk because he felt like talking. I was not very busy so I agreed to spend some time at his house. His short name was Vick and as soon as I entered the first lounge of his house I saw a very large photograph of the Darbar Sahib fixed on the wall. During my one and a half year stay in London in 1974-75, I had never seen such a photograph at any Sikh or Punjabi’s house. Looking at that large picture of Darbar Sahib, I imagined that he wanted to ask me some questions or get some information on Sikh religion and that is why he has asked me to come with him. With great respect I bowed my head in reverence to the Harmandar Sahib photograph and tears started rolling down my eyes. Vick left me in the lounge and he went to the kitchen to prepare some tea. When after some time he came in the front room I was gazing at the Darbar Sahib photograph with deep faithful feelings. Questioning me Vick asked ‘What do you see in this picture?’ I casually replied, ‘I feel that after a long time I am sitting at the Darbar Sahib and listening to the Kirtan.’ Vick interrupted me and openly said it won’t do. He wanted an honest reply whether I was really able to listen to the Kirtan or was just casually replying for the sake of it. I noticed that he was talking seriously so I told him honestly that I was only able to see the picture and listening to Kirtan was an imaginary feeling. But then I asked Vick if he could see anything more than me? In reply he said in great feeling of love that ‘This photograph is a real manifestation of Darbar Sahib for me. After having my bath in the morning and lighting the perfumed incense, when I sit cross legged on the carpet in front of this photograph and try to have full concentration, then I can really listen to the live Kirtan at Darbar Sahib and I can listen to it single-mindedly for seven minutes. I don’t know Punjabi language very well but the live Kirtan I am listening to in my ears, I can write it for you in English and you can confirm it by telephone from Amritsar.’ Hearing this I was astonished and was just dumbfounded. I was thinking in mind that how could this white person living in London, ‘the house of whisky’ is so much in love with Sri Amritsar, and how could his full concentration connect him to Darbar Sahib. I requested him to tell me how did he receive this blessing and the great achievement? Vick told me that some time back he went on a world tour with some of his friends and was staying at a hotel in Lahore, Pakistan. When the next day he was about to go to Amritsar in India, one of the elderly Muslim waiters in the hotel took out some money from his pocket and said to him with great humility, ‘Sir, when you go to India tomorrow, in the very first city of Amritsar you will be taken to visit the Harmandar Sahib in the evening. Please offer my humble offering there on my behalf.’ Vick told me that he asked the elderly waiter that how was he connected to the place? The Muslim waiter told him that although it is a sacred place of Sikh but in reality it is a common pilgrimage place for all. That waiter further apprised, ‘I am a Muslim, yet while in Amritsar I used to go to Darbar Sahib everyday and whatever I prayed for there, I used to receive it all. The partition of the country has snatched away my that ‘Kabha’ from me but my faith is not bound to any frontier limits of the countries. Even living in Lahore, during my spare time I just imagine and in my thoughts I fly back to Darbar Sahib.’ Vick told me that when he took serious interest in the talks of the elderly waiter, he advised him that when he visits Darbar Sahib, instead of perceiving it as a tourist place, he should rise to a higher level and view it from the eyes of a devotee pilgrim. With that changed outlook he would find peace and bliss of the soul. He took it to his heart. Vick further told, ‘Next day in the afternoon, we reached Amritsar. I was very exuberant and eager to go to Darbar Sahib. When we reached outside of the Darbar Sahib, I purchased a saffron short turban and from the shopkeeper got it tied over my head. My other friends covered their heads with scarves. We entered the premises of Darbar Sahib from the clock tower side. I was already mentally and spiritually prepared for this happy visit but as soon as I came a few steps down the portico and looked towards the Darbar Sahib in front of me, I was filled with a divine light and went into a wonderment state of ecstasy. My other friends were busy taking pictures and talking to the guide but as for me, I was just attracted by some divine power from the first sight. When I entered the Darbar Sahib to bow my head to pay respect in front of the Guru Granth Sahib, I saw the whole creation singing the divine praises of the wonderful Lord. My other friends after paying their respects, wandered here and there but I kept on sitting in the Darbar Sahib listening to the divine Kirtan. It appeared to me that I can understand everything despite the language problem. I was feeling as I am one with God. At last for that day it was closing time for the congregation. Guru Granth Sahib was placed on the palanquin called ‘Palki Sahib’ and was being carried on the shoulders of the devotees to its resting place. The devotees were paying respect to their beloved Guru by offering their shoulders to the palanquin. I was out of the queue and when I was walking by the side of the palanquin, I had a respectful feeling in my heart that if I were a Sikh perhaps, I would have got the chance to express my personal respect by offering my shoulder to the palanquin. I was just thinking about it and in the meantime the person in charge of assigning the service came forward towards me and engaged me to put my shoulder under the ‘Palki Sahib’. What a joy! My heart desired wish was fulfilled. The happiness I had that moment cannot be described in words just like a dumb cannot describe the taste. At the end of the service, bodily I went back to the hotel but imaginatively I was still present in the sacred shrine of Darbar Sahib. Next day we were going to go forward to tour the rest of India for 20 days. I talked to my friends and to the tour organizers that I wanted to stay back in Amritsar for the rest of the tour. They agreed and thus I stayed there and spent all my daytime in that heavenly place. I felt like I had become part of the environment there, I was one with it. Thus my affection with Darbar Sahib reached the state of indiscrimination and oneness. Even after coming back to London, I was mentally connected to that sacred place and my concentration kept on improving and now I can listen to that Kirtan for up to seven minutes. In contemplation I am in or around Darbar Sahib all the time. This gives me immense satisfaction, solace and pleasure. In a way I am meant for Darbar Sahib.’ I frankly asked Vick, how he relished this wonderful blessing which came to his way all of a sudden through the grace of God. He gladly and promptly replied that love of Darbar Sahib provided him everything, best of treasures, efficient and more illumine mind, enchanting spiritual luster, wealth of physique, sweetness of speech and fairness of dealings. He continued saying that these sublime traits which are manifested in him instantly, totally changed his outlook and concept of life. Now with all these virtues he is a much better, sober and maturer being. I was simply amazed listening to all this. The above incident of Vick highlights the devotion of a non-Sikh for Darbar Sahib. It is extremely inspiration and jolts us that we should also put some efforts to purify our thoughts and concentrations. Waheguru’s grace and blessing can shower on us anytime if we are prepared to receive them. Taken from Excellence of Sikhism by Sarup Singh Alag

Vaars and Gurbani consider 'Waheguru' superior to all other names because it is the only revealed name by Waheguru Himself. He is nameless and all names are his but it doesn't mean 'Waheguru' is not significant. All Sikh scholars agree that word 'Waheguru' is the only gurmantar in Gurmat and Gurmantar is a mantar blessed by Guru to his followers. Unless you have any particular Gurbani shabad proving otherwise, I will stick with these beliefs of Gurmat. Gurbani says that all other names are kirtam and only Waheguru is the true name of Anaam.

Satguru has some distinct qualities such as He lives forever, isctimeless and beyond the cycle of death and birth. Therefore, Gurbani says that only Akaal Purakh is the true Satguru. Guru Nanak Sahib is Akaal Purakh Himself as clearly stated in Gurbani and Vaars. Akaal Purakh Himself came in form of Guru Nanak and it was the same Jot that appeared in 1469. That Jot was passed on and now resides in Guru Granth Sahib. All the Bhagats and saints etc who achieved salvation were influenced by maya at some point and had to take birth to get liberated. Hence, they are not Satguru. No one can ever become Satguru regardless of how high of avastha they reach. Prophets, avtaars, devtas etc are simply creation of Akaal Purakh and not the creator Himself. In fact, devtas long for human body so they can become mukat. Only Satguru has the right to give naam and if we look at any past religions or movements, we find that no one gave any revealed naam to his followers. Guru Gobind Singh Ji clearly states that no one preached "Satnaam" and every prophet become self-obsessed. Other names of God are kirtam naams and not revealed. They have their own fruit and will benefit to some extent but only gurmantar given by Guru Sahib is superior of all and has the power to give salvation. Bhatts call Guru Sahib Guru of all ages who liberated Bhagats from previous yugs. Here are some random lines from Bhai Gurdas Ji’s work. ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਪੂਰਣ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਉ । ਜਗਤੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਉ ॥੨॥ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਉ ਹੈ ਪਰਮੇਸਰੁ ਸੋਈ । ਸੋਰਠਾ: ਅਬਿਗਤਿ ਅਲਖ ਅਭੇਵ ਅਗਮ ਅਪਾਰ ਅਨੰਤ ਗੁਰ ॥ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਪੂਰਨ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ॥ ਦੋਹਰਾ: ਅਗਮ ਅਪਾਰ ਅਨੰਤ ਗੁਰ ਅਬਿਗਤ ਅਲਖ ਅਭੇਵ ॥ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਪੂਰਨ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕਦੇਵ ॥ ਛੰਦ: ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕਦੇਵ ਦੇਵ ਦੇਵੀ ਸਭ ਧਿਆਵਹਿ ॥ ਨਾਦ ਬਾਦ ਬਿਸਮਾਦ ਰਾਗ ਰਾਗਨਿ ਗੁਨ ਗਾਵਹਿ ॥ Here is another line which I couldn't find online but I have listened to the entire pauri many times. Maybe someone can tell me its source. ਆਦਿ ਨਿਰੰਜਨੁ ਹੈ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਧਾਰਿ ਕੇ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਹੈ ਜਗਿ ਆਇਓ । ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਾਹਿਬ ।

Your personal belief doesn't necessarily become Gurmat. Gurmantar is the mantar given by Guru to his followers. Meditating upon it is an act of remembering God. Waheguru is the true revealed Naam. Other names such as Raam, Gopal, Govind, Hari, Allah etc are kirtam naam and not revealed ones. Gurmantar is the highest Naam considered in Gurmat. You will not find any reference from Gurbani, Vaars and Dasam Bani which supports your speculation. Waheguru is the highest gurmantar which has existed throughout ages and was revealed by Guru Nanak Sahib who was “Aap Narayan Kaaldhaar”

According to Bhai Veer Singh Ji, Jug means two so Jug Jug means 4. Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha in Mahan Kosh also interprets Jug as two or couple. All schools of thought in Sikhi agree to these meanings in regard to the pauri of Bhai Gurdas Ji. Your interpretation cannot be correct because: 1) Sikhs are asking Guru Sahib as to how many more bodies or cholas will Guru Sahib take. In reply Guru Sahib says 4 more. If we go by your interpretation then the reply doesn’t answer the question. 2) Satguru is only one and has been since the beginning. There is only one Satguru accepted in Gurmat and that is Guru Sahib. Others who achieve salvation are called Bhagats, Saints etc but never Satguru. They are also called Gurmukhs but never given the title Satguru. A Sikh can become one with Guru and merge with Akaal Purakh but he/she never becomes Guru or Akaal Purakh. 3) If a Satguru comes in every jug then it means only three can be called Satguru prior to 1469. It leaves large number of prophets and avatar out. And why a Satguru can only be from the Hindu myths and not from other religions? If Vishnu is one Satguru then Raam and Krishna (being his incarnation) are not any different which means for first three yugs only Vishnu came but in Kalyug Guru Nanak Sahib came as Satguru. This would go against the next pauri which in literal terms declares Vaasdev, Krishna and Raam as three different Satgurus. Mohammad, Jesus, Moses, Buddha and many others are left out no matter what. 4) Last pauri of Vaar 1 has been discussed before and also listen to veechar by Baba Hari Singh and links are posted in the same topic. http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=40588&hl= Guru Rakha

Here is an authentic eye witness account - http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=38445&hl=

Punjabi Sooba Struggle Bijla Singh Background Punjab divided in 1947In 1947, India was partitioned which caused largest migration of population and the worst riots in the history. More than half of Punjab was given to Pakistan and rest remained in India. Sikhs had no choice but to leave Pakistan and migrate to India. More than 2 million Sikhs were killed, property worth millions was burnt and destroyed and about 175 Gurdwaras were left behind. All of this had a great impact on the Sikh nation majority of which had been left homeless in new India where the new government did little to nothing to help them settle down. Although Sikhs had made a great sacrifice and lost major portion of their religious places and history, they were full of hope and were looking forward to finally live free way of life and exercise the right to self-determination. Unfortunately, this hope did not last long and Sikhs had to get ready for yet another long struggle with the new regime. Unfulfilled Promises and Sikhs in New India Prior to independence, Indian leaders had made numerous promises to the Sikhs such as setting up a state in the north part of the country where Sikhs would enjoy freedom. Three major promises were made to the Sikh nation, which were systematically broken. 1) First promise was that Congress will not pass any resolution that did not please the Sikhs. "...in future, the Congress shall accept no constitution which does not meet with the satisfaction of the Sikhs" (The Lahore session of the Congress Party. December 31, 1929 cited in Sikh Politics, K.L. Tuteja, Pg. 168) "I ask you to accept my word and the Resolution of the Congress that it will not betray a single individual much less a community. If it ever thinks of doing so, it would only hasten to its own doom. I pray you to unbosom yourself of all doubts and apprehensions. Let God be the witness of the bond that binds me and the Congress with you (the Sikhs). I venture to suggest that the non-violence creed of the congress is the surest guarantee of good faith, and our Sikh friends have no reason to fear that it would betray them. For the moment it does so, the congress would not only thereby seal its own doom but that of the country too. (M. K. Gandhi, Communal Unity, pg. 165-167) The congress assures Sikhs that no solution in any future constitution will be acceptable to the congress that does not give them full satisfaction. (Indian constitution documents, Vol. 11, By A. C. Banerjee) After 1947, this promise was not kept. On October 10, 1947 Sikhs were branded as “lawless people”, called upon to forget about their distinct appearance and submit themselves under Hindu laws. “The Sikhs are a lawless people and a menace to the law abiding Hindus ... The [Government] should take strict measures against them." (Pandit Nehru, Indian Prime Minister) Furthermore, Article 25 was added in the constitution specifically stating that Sikhism was a sect of Hinduism. No Sikh approved the constitution but regardless it was adopted by the Indian government. 2) Second promise was made to setup a state in the north where Sikhs would have the right to self-determination. The main purpose of creating linguistic states is that the culture, language and script of minority of the linguistic area shall be protected. (Resolution passed by Congress in Calcultta, 1937) Redistribution of provincial boundaries is essential and inevitable. I stand for same autonomous unit as well. If Sikh desire to function as such a unit, I should like them to have a same autonomous in the province so that they may have a sense of freedom. (Jawaharlal Nehru, 1945) "...the brave Sikhs of Punjab are entitled to special considerations. I see nothing wrong in an area set up in the North of India wherein, the Sikhs can also experience the glow of freedom." (Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lahore Bulletin, January 9, 1930) Indian leaders not only backed out on this promise but regarded this demand as a threat to the unity of the country. The congress found itself in a dilemma, to concede to Akali demand would mean abandoning a position to which it was firmly committed and letting down its Hindu supporters in the Punjabi Suba. The merits were no consideration, as the policy of the Congress, as enunciated in 1949 by Jawahar Lal, Vallabh Bhai and Patta Bhai Sitaramayyia had been not to concede reorganization of North India whatever the merit of such a proposal might be. (My Truth, Indira Gandhi, 117) I can afford civil war in the country but not Punjabi State. (Jawaharlal Nehru) We are aware that Sikhs have suffered greatly before and after 1947 but we have come to the conclusion that granting them any special rights such as an autonomous area is not reasonable. (Sikh Politics of 20th Century, Ajmer Singh, Pg. 144) Creating a Punjabi linguistic state meant prospering of the Sikh nation which no Indian leader let alone a Hindu approved of. 3) The third promise was made to provide security and safeguarding minorities. Adequate safeguards would be provided for monitories ---- it was a declaration, a pledge and an understanding before the world, a contract with millions of Indians, and therefore, in the nature of an oath, which we must keep. (Framing of Indian Constitution, B. Shiva Rao, Pg 181) In the divided Indian Punjab, special constitutional measures are imperative to meet the aspirations and rights of the Sikhs. (Legislative Assembly, 1947) This promise was forgotten just like the above two. Instead, statements were released to make India a Hindu country where minorities will have to either live as second class citizens or merge themselves in the Hindu majority. According to Mahaveer Tyagi, “We do not believe in kicking the minority groups out of the country. Instead, our desire is to change their religion and convert them all to Hinduism.” (Sikhs in History, Sangat Singh, Pg. 249) I do not like the word “minority” (Aeengar) When Pakistan was created at the time of partition it became crystal clear that there remained only one community (Hindus) in India. (Vallabh Bhai Patel) When the British left, no promise was kept by the Indian leaders. The Sikhs felt that since they had made more sacrifices for independence than other communities and had suffered a great deal during partition, the Congress would consider their demands sincerely and grant them special rights as promised by the Indian leaders. But, the Congress acted the opposite, ignored all the promises and turned against the Sikhs……Sikhs were insulted by the media and opposed by the Hindu community. Hindus started discriminating against Sikhs and abandoned Punjabi. (Tale of Blue Turban, Giani Laal Singh, 100) The so-called democracy only existed in papers and was never put into practice. The Sikh nation felt agitated, uncomfortable and trapped in the chains of new slavery. This further solidified their doubts when they started to face discrimination at the hands of the government and Hindu public. From 72% to 96% high government jobs were occupied by the Hindu majority in Punjab. The army enlistment became dependent upon population instead of merit. This decreased Sikh enlistment from 40% to 1.2%. The situation of Sikhs in Punjab is very well described by Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer: Hindus had started to make insulting jokes on Sikhs, discriminate against them in every profession and attack innocent Sikhs on numerous occasions. Especially in the cities of Punjab, it had become extremely difficult for Sikhs to live a peaceful life. (Punjabi Suba Morcha, Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Pg. 6) Violence of Hindus had increased significantly in Punjab so much so that they attacked Sikh procession held in the memory of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Stones and home made acid bombs were thrown at the procession causing injury to several Sikhs. Seeing all of this, the police took no action and let the perpetrators run free. This further enraged the Sikh community. The Indian government had also reorganized the states on languages basis in the south. Kerala, Tamil and other states had been created on language basis but nothing was done in the north. Sikhs felt betrayed and raised their demand for setting up a Punjabi State in which Punjabi language would serve as the primary language of the state and Sikhs would have an autonomous area. This demand led to the struggle for Punjabi State. Struggle Begins In 1955, the government not only refused to setup a linguistic state for Sikhs but also declared it unlawful to raise any slogan in the name of Punjabi state. This was not only unconstitutional move but in direct violation of freedom of speech act. Sikhs resorted to oppose this act of the government in a manner of peaceful protests. On the first day, Master Tara Singh started his speech by saying “We Sikhs demand freedom but the government wants to keep us as slaves. Now, we have been restricted to not even utter a word on Punjabi Suba. This is all being done to destroy our dignity…We will raise slogans in the support of Punjabi Suba and then present ourselves to the police for arrest. This should be done in a peaceful manner.” Subsequently, it was decided to form small groups that would openly raise slogans in favor of Punjabi State and then present themselves for arrests. Thus began the long struggle for Punjabi State which lasted more than a decade. As soon as the struggle had begun, the Hindus started to speak against it by calling it a conspiracy of Pakistan. Violence and Opposition by Hindus Hindu leaders and media greatly opposed the Sikh struggle and started labeling them as “traitors”. Several Hindu organizations and leaders such as RSS, Arya Samaj, Lala Jagat Narayan, Khushal Chand, Lal Chand and many others openly spoke against Sikhs and started threatening the Sikhs to stop their agitation. Shaheed Inderjit SinghThe entire Hindu media started to spread false information about Sikhs and their motives behind the struggle. They were labeled as “terrorists”, “traitors” and “agents of Pakistan”. Their patriotism was questioned by the media. The government used its puppets in Congress and the police to increase its brutality against the Sikhs. On one hand, Congressman Partap Kairon and the likes were threatening to crush the movement and on the other hand the police were arresting many of the Sikh leaders and throwing them in jails without any charge or trial. This was all being done on the orders of the central government to destabilize the Sikh movement. The police had become so ruthless that peaceful protestors were beaten with sticks and fired upon by the police. Women and children were not spared. The police had greatly been influenced by the media. In Karnal, some Sikhs had gathered peacefully in support of the Sikh cause when they were fired upon by the police. Inderjit Singh, a ten year old Sikh boy, was beaten, thrown in irrigation well and killed. In other states, fate of the Sikhs was not any different. Gurdwara Sees Ganj Sahib in Delhi was surrounded by the police and about 2000 Sikhs were arrested. By 1960, 25 thousand Sikhs had been arrested and jailed. This was done to inform Sikhs that they were second class citizens in India. Hindu residents of Punjab were not any different. They held large processions in the opposition of Sikhs. Sikh properties were targeted, destroyed and burnt in Punjab. Sikhs resident places were attacked. Police was ordered not to intervene or stop the Hindu hoodlums. Seeing the inability of the police, the Hindus attacked many Sikh policemen causing injuries to several of them and death of one Sikh inspector. Toleration of the Hindu violence by the police and the government gave rise to attack on Sikh religious places. Many Gurdwaras were attacked and cigarettes were thrown in the sarowars (holy nectar). Guru Granth Sahib was ripped, burnt and disrespected in highly immoral manner. This was in direct contrast to the Hindu belief that Sikhism was a sect of Hinduism. Had there been any truth to it, Hindus would never have attacked one of their own and disrespected their own holy scriptures. In 1964, the police attacked Gurdwara Paonta Sahib in Himachal and killed many Sikhs. Out of all the India leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru, prime minister of India, despised Sikhs the most. Sikh leaders met him on many occasions but every time he refused to listen to Sikhs and consider their demands. During the three primary meetings between the Sikh leaders and Nehru it was alleged that the demand for Punjabi State was neither beneficial to the country nor to the Hindus of Punjab. According to Nehru, “Creating a Punjabi State is against the prosperity of the Hindus and would put Sikhs in other states in a grave danger.” (Sikh Politics of 20th Century, Ajmer Singh, Pg. 177). In the last meeting he stated, “Granting the demand for Punjabi State is out of the question.” (Punjabi Suba – The Story of Struggle, Ajit Singh Sarhaddi, Pg. 389). During the meeting in 1961 with Master Tara Singh Nehru lost his sense and threatened Sikhs by saying “Enough is enough. If you do not stop your protests, I will teach you a hard lesson that you will not forget for many generations to come.” (Sikhs in History, Sangat Singh, Pg. 306) After all the polemics of Nehru were answered he closed the case by saying, “How can I entrust power to the enemy?” (Sikhs in History, Sangat Singh, Pg. 308) This truly showed the real face of the Hindu leadership. The threat to the safety of Sikhs living in other Indian states was clearly given by the Indian leaders and Sikhs were called enemy of the country. Why is it that no violence or riots took place when states were reorganized in the south? Sikh demand was solely for a Punjabi speaking state not for the greater autonomy for the Sikhs. Then why only Sikhs were being threatened instead of Punjabis that included Hindus and Muslims? This was all because the government had ill intentions against the Sikhs and anything that remotely benefitted the Sikhs directly or indirectly was opposed by the government to the highest degree. On one hand, Hindus were asking for their safety in Punjab where they were never in danger in the first place but on the other hand the same Hindus were threatening Sikhs to kick them out of other states and providing no safeguards to them. Truth or Misconception Hindu media and opposition parties had spread many misconceptions about the Sikhs. Although their main motive was to destroy Sikhism and its roots but they were hesitant to openly admit it. Also, large Hindu population could not be won over for this reason. So they resorted to making excuses and blaming Sikhs for trying to further divide India. Hindus were given the impression that Sikhs were demanding a separate Sikh State in which Hindus will be oppressed. But this misconception was uneducated, without any concrete evidence and far from the truth. There has never been a single incident of Sikhs oppressing or being hostile to Hindus in 500 years of Sikh history. In fact, Hindus have always been on the opposing side of the Sikhs. The fact that 62% of the people in Punjab were Hindus was greatly ignored by the Hindu leaders. It was highly irrational to believe that a tiny population of less than 2% in the country could ever oppress Hindus who were majority in India as well as in Punjab. Further, they ruled the country, controlled the military, formed majority in rest of the states, government was theirs and Congress was the ruling party in Punjab. The only way Sikhs could gain political power in Punjab was if they won the majority vote which was not possible due to Hindu supporting Congress. Therefore, Sikhs could never have oppressed Hindus even if they wanted to. It is evident that such misconception was spread to cause hatred and division between Hindus and the Sikh nation. The initial demand of the Sikhs was to setup a State in which Punjabi would be the primary language irrespective of the population in it. During an interview, Fateh Singh made it clear that “We do not want a Sikh majority State. We do not care about percentage of the Sikh population. We just want a state where Punjabi would be spoken as the primary language. All areas speaking Punjabi should be included. Whether Sikhs are in majority or minority should not serve as a factor in this matter.” (Punjabi Suba – The Story of Struggle, Ajit Singh Sarhaddi, Pg. 346) During one of the speeches, Master Tara Singh openly said, “I do not demand a separate Sikh state nor have I ever been in its favor. I simply want equality and freedom of the Sikh nation in India.” (Ibid, Pg. 319) According to historian Ajmer Singh: “For Hindu leaders the main factor was not whether the demand of Punjabi State was just or unjust or whether it benefits the Sikhs or not but how to destroy and eradicate the distinct identity of the Sikhs.” (Sikh Politics in 20th Century, Ajmer Singh, Pg. 119) The demand for a Punjabi speaking state was constitutional and valid from every aspect. It was based on the same rules that created Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. But Hindus feared that they will not be a dominant force in the new state since Sikhs would make up 42% and will not be a minority anymore. Thus, making it more difficult for the Hindus to dominate and slowly eradicate the Sikh religion. (Tale of Blue Turban, Giani Laal Singh, 102) Sikhs leaders and some educated Hindus had very well realized that raising misconceptions against Punjabi State was only an excuse of the fascist Hindus and Hindu media when the real fact was that they did not favor any area which would benefit Sikhs, their language (Punjabi) and safeguard their distinct identity. Indian leaders and Nehru started questioning the loyalty of the Sikhs by stating that the sole purpose of creating a Punjabi State was to divide the country and that later Sikhs would join Pakistan and endanger the unity of India. Many educated people and some journalists tried to persuade Hindu leaders to accept the demand of the Sikhs. According to them not accepting the demand would be the real threat to the unity of the country. Especially in Punjab, Congress and its supporters have always looked upon Sikhs as their enemy. No Indian leader has ever tried to understand the Sikh problems. Sikhs have no choice but to demand a Punjabi State. They wish to safeguard their distinct identity, language and religion. Setting up a Punjabi State is the solution to the Sikh problem. (Times of India, 15 August 1951) It has become crystal clear that the demand for Punjabi State is being looked upon as unconstitutional and conspiracy of Pakistan by the large Hindu population. Many Indian leaders have openly admitted that establishing Punjabi State means empowering Sikhs which will endanger the unity of the country. Nehru further supported this ludicrously by saying that Sikhs may join Pakistan and pose threat to India. From these statements it means only one thing that the majority wants to keep minority as a slave. What do we learn from the Sikh history? That not a single Sikh joined the Mughals against Hindus but at many occasions Hindus joined the Mughals in exterminating the Sikhs. The fact is that we should resolve these matters with peace and harmony otherwise falsely accusing Sikhs would alienate the Sikh community which would lead to another division of the country. (Spokesman, 22 April 1951) In my personal opinion, instead of opposing the Sikh demand, Hindus should be encouraged to adopt the Punjabi language and support the demand for Punjabi State. This would not only be the largest State in the north but also strongest and richest in India. This would solidify India’s borders and protect it from its foreign enemies. Economically, this state would largely benefit the entire country. Hindus shouldn’t oppose the Sikhs but support them otherwise they will be directly responsible for dividing the country and making a way for a separate Sikh State which can be stopped right now very easily. (Professor Om Parkash Kohal, 17 October 1951) Despite all the efforts, Indian leaders and Hindus did not change their mentality and kept opposing the Sikhs. Seeing the opposition of the Hindus, Sikh leaders became aware that Sikh identity would not be safe unless an area consisting of Sikh majority was established. They started to raise their demand for an autonomous area for the Sikhs which was promised by the Indian leaders prior to independence. Gurcharan Singh Tohra stated, “We are separate from Hindus…We demand a State where we can safeguard our heritage and culture.” This was further supported by Master Tara Singh. He said, “Our main motive is to free Sikhs from the slavery of Hindus…We demand a state where Sikhs will have the right to self-determination.” (Sikh Politics in 20th Century, Ajmer Singh, Pg. 120). Therefore, the demand from establishing a linguistic state was changed to establishing a Sikh state within the Indian Union where Sikhs would be the majority population. Attack on Darbar Sahib Sikh protestors continued to grow in numbers. All the jails in Punjab had been filled and it had become increasingly difficult to contain the Sikh movement. Since the movement was started at Darbar Sahib, it was considered “headquarter” of all the operations and the government took strict measures to prevent Sikhs from going to Darbar Indian Police beating innocent SikhsSahib. The police surrounded Darbar Sahib. No one was allowed to enter the premises without permission and having been searched by the police. Many Sikhs were arrested just on the basis that they were going to Darbar Sahib. It was naturally assumed that they were going to join the protestors. Even tourists were insulted and arrested. This brutal action of the police was more than enough to awaken the Sikh nation. They marched towards Darbar Sahib in large numbers and forced police to retreat and leave the vicinity of Darbar Sahib. Finally, it was decided to crush the movement by all means necessary. Ashwani Kumar, DIG of Jalandhar police, asked for permission to practice unlimited privileges and promised to destroy the movement within 5 days. Upon getting the permission, he ordered the police to confiscate handguns, rifles and all other firearms kept by SGPC, Sikh leaders and members of Akali Dal. Censorship was put on Sikh newspapers disallowing them to highlight the truth and educating the public of the real situation. The police stopped printing of the newspapers and closed down the main buildings. Many Sikh journalists and news reporters were arrested. Printing press was stopped, confiscated and all of the printed material was burnt by the police. It was all part of the plan so that no one would know the extent of the police operation and the mass public will stay uninformed. Police and Army attacking SikhsAfter disarming the Sikh leadership, the police started its operation. First, Darbar Sahib was surrounded by thousands of policemen and the public was stopped from going in and out of the complex. Then all the rest houses were searched and everyone found was arrested. All of the political members and leaders within the vicinity of Darbar Sahib were arrested and taken to jail. Everything was searched in the SGPC office. Then the police moved to Manji Sahib. When the Sikhs protested they were met with heavy sticks and tear gas. By this time the police had fortified every building standing outside of the main complex and started to throw tear and Indian Army in Darbar Sahibpoisonous gas at the Sikhs. Then the police entered the main complex with shoes on and fired upon the Sikhs that had gathered there to protest peacefully. Many bullets were fired at the main building and Akal Takhat Sahib. All the religious activities such as Kirtan and Akhand Paath were stopped and every Sikh including women was insulted, beaten and then arrested. This was all done to immobilize the Sikh movement. The police kept full control of Darbar Sahib for four days. More than 3000 Sikhs were arrested including many of the leaders and employees of SGPC. Several hundred including women and children were injured. Sikh Spirit on the Rise Attack on Darbar Sahib touched the soul of every Sikh. Initially, only Sikhs from Punjab were participating but after the attack Sikhs from all over India started to come and present themselves for arrests. The number of Sikhs coming from Sikh women during the Struggleouter states was in several hundreds. Many came with their entire families. Several leaders of Sikh organizations came forward and joined the Sikh movement. Sikh women showed a great interest in the movement and formed their own groups to support their fellow Sikh brothers. Bibi Joginder Kaur, a radio singer, paid her visits to Darbar Sahib and inspired the Sikhs by singing songs of the bravery of Sikhs. She reminded Sikhs to remember the martyrdom of many shaheeds of the past who had given up their lives for the cause of freedom. The government became increasingly intolerant against her and released a warrant to arrest her. She along with many women presented herself for arrests. Consequently, several groups consisting of dozens of women also gave arrests and went to jails. Some women went to jails with their children. It was clear that attack on Darbar Sahib had a great impact on the Sikh mind and infused the spirit of sacrifice within the Sikh nation. War of 1965 While the Sikh movement was in high spirits, the country faced a great turmoil when Pakistan suddenly started to secure its borders and send troops across the border to India. It was decided by the Sikh leaders and masses that the enemy should be dealt with first and postpone the struggle for Punjabi State until the war was over. For Sikhs protecting the country became the ultimate cause and they supported the Indian military in everyway possible. Writer D. R. Manekar in his book “Twenty-two Fateful Days” narrates attitudes of ordinary Sikhs. According to him one Sikh said, “If our crops are destroyed then let that be the fate. We can get crops next year but if we lose our country we will not get freedom easily. Freedom at the price of crops cannot be jeopardized.” Another Sikh said, “We have left our homes once but now we will never leave and no one has the power to kick us out.” In the areas of Amritsar and Gurdaspur, Sikhs took up spears, swords and sticks and joined the army men in search and destroy mission. They destroyed their crops to make the way for the army. They served the military with food, water and other necessary supplies. Sikh support served as an inspiration to the Indian military and motivated them to continue the fight. Many ordinary Sikhs were assigned duties by the military. One Sikh named Sajjan Singh was well acquainted with the bordering area and worked as a spy. He identified many bunkers and hidden places of the Pakistani army. One religious Sikh man named Sohan Singh traveled ten miles everyday to provide food, and milk to the army. With the help of the Sikhs in the military and Sikh public, India won the war and Pakistan was defeated. It was admitted by many military officers that the support and participation of the Sikh masses was truly inspiring for them and the government should consider their demands with new perspective. Punjabi State Established After the war, death of Nehru, and arrests of thousands of Sikhs opposition against the Sikhs had decreased and the government found it extremely difficult to postpone establishment of the Punjabi State. Sikhs had showed a great amount of loyalty towards the country and protected it from the enemy. No one could raise a finger on Sikhs and brand them as “terrorist”. At last, in 1966 the government established a Commission to identify and establish the borders of Punjabi State and propose its recommendations in a report. After the report was submitted it was decided to divide Punjab into three parts: Punjab, Haryana and Himachal. The most preposterous action of the commission was that it chose 1961 census as its basis to identify Punjabi speaking areas. During 1961 census Hindus had abandoned Punjabi language and chose Hindi as their primary language. Although they spoke Punjabi on day to day basis but since they had registered Hindi as their primary language, their areas were identified as non-Punjabi speaking areas. All of these Punjabi speaking areas were given to Haryana. Chandigarh, the capitol, was taken away from Punjab. Punjab was forced to share many of its resources with Haryana. Resources of electricity such as Bhakhra and Byas dams were taken under the control by the government. Water and electricity were given to Haryana for free. Punjabi became the primary language of the State. In schools, parents were given the right to choose the first language of their kids. This was again an injustice to the Sikhs. In other states such option was not granted to anyone. Every kid was required to study in the language of the State but only in Punjab this requirement was not implied. This was done to appease the Hindus and separate them from the Sikhs on language basis. Hindus started enrolling their kids in Hindi and Sikhs chose Punjabi. The division between the two communities was further increased. Aftermath Establishment of Punjabi State was announced which caused uproar in the Hindu community. Curfew was imposed in Punjab and Haryana and Hindus were given five days to get their anger out on Sikhs. For entire five days, Sikhs became the target of Hindu violence. Large processions were organized that marched through the streets raising anti-Sikhi slogans. ਸੂਬੀ ਕਾ ਮਜਾ ਚਖਾਏਂਗੇ, ਵਾਹਗਾ ਪਾਰ ਪੁਚਾਏਂਗੇ । ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ ਜਲਾਏਂਗੇ । ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸੂਬਾ ਮੁਰਦਾਬਾਦ । “Sikhs will be taught a lesson. We will burn their Gurdwaras and kick them out of the country. Death to Punjabi State.” In other states, violence was not any less. Some Sikhs were burnt alive in Delhi. In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena released a statement threatening Sikhs to leave. “Maharastra is a state for Marathas only. Others are not allowed to live here. We are informing everyone especially Sikhs to leave the state and go back to Punjab within six months. After that we will not be held responsible for their fate.” (Indian Terrorism on the Land of Punjab, Baljit Singh, Pg. 26) In areas of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana the violence was uncontrollable. Property worth more than 2 million was burnt. It was bizarre that the police was not only siding with the Hindus but arresting every Sikh who was attacked by the violent mobs. More than 2500 Sikhs were arrested. Although violent took place in other parts of India especially in Delhi but its extent was much less than that of Punjab. Whereas Sikhs were being forcibly kicked out of other states, Hindus from outer states were being relocated to Punjab for the purpose of turning Sikhs into a minority. In Chandigarh alone, one hundred thousand Hindus were brought in and settled by the government. It must be noted that after the creation of Punjabi State, no Hindu was oppressed let alone kicked out of state by Sikhs but on the contrary it was Hindus who had done everything they falsely accused Sikhs of. Though Punjabi State had been established and recognized but it was not what Sikhs demanded and hoped for. For them they had been betrayed once again. Loss of Punjabi speaking areas, capitol and control over electricity and water left them disturbed. They had no choice but to start another struggle to gain what had been forcibly taken away from them. Bibliography 1. Dr. Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh: Punjabi Suba Morcha. SGPC, Amritsar. 1999 2. Singh, Ajmer: Sikh Politics in 20th Century. Singh Brothers, Amritsar. 2004 3. Khalsa, Baljit Singh: Indian Terrorism on the land of Punjab. Azad Khalsa, Amritsar. 2004 4. Zakhami, Karam Singh: History of Punjabi Suba Agitation. SGPC, Amritsar. 1999 5. Sarhaddi, Ajit Singh: Punjabi Suba – The Story of Struggle. B.D. Printer, Jalandhar. 1992 6. Singh, Sangat: Sikhs in History. Radiant Printer, New Delhi. 1999 7. Singh, Giani Laal: Tale of Blue Turban. Singh Brothers, Amritsar. 1994 Taken from - http://sikhfreedom.com/suba.html

Bhai Randhir Singh also says in one of his books (I think Gurmat Lekh) that Bhagats were called from Karam Khand by Guru Sahib, they recited Bani and then were sent to Sach Khand. I really do not believe in this story. There are other stories of Bhagats appearing before Guru Sahib and reciting Bani. I do not believe anything like this happened. I believe Bhagats met Guru Sahib, received Naam and became Sikhs. After they became Sikhs, they recited Bani which was included in Guru Granth Sahib. Bhagat Farid Ji's bani is of Farid Sani or Shiekh Ibrahim of Pakpattan. It is apperant from his bani which is written in Gurmukhi using the same grammar rules as the rest of Gurbani. He also used Rahao and same Mangal of "IkOankarSatgurParsaad". Had he been a Muslim, he would've praised Mohammad or included kalima and written in Arabic or Persian. Scholars like Khalil Nizami and descendents of Farid Ji admit that bani in Guru Granth Sahib Ji is of Farid Sani. There are many arguments for and against but you should study on your own and make up your mind. Here are some links for you: http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=29923&hl= http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=31317&hl= http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=198733

This topic has been discussed before and in much details. So it is better for you to read those posts and also study the sources yourself. Twareekh Guru Khalsa, Puratan Janamsakhis and other sources confirm Bhagats meeting Guru Sahib. Bhagat Bani Ithihaas by Giani Gurdit Singh discusses this matter and proposes that all Bhagats met Guru Sahib and became Sikhs which is clear from internal and external evidence. There is another book called Guru Granth Sahib wale Sheikh Farid Di Bhaal by Prof. Preetam Singh. He argues that Farid Ji whose bani is in Guru Granth Sahib is not Farid Sani but Farid Masood who was born couple hudred years before Guru Sahib pargat in the world. Regardless, no Bhagat was Hindu or Muslim.

It was an adopted son of Mata Ji, Ajit Singh, who was married and had a son. His son also died terribly after a failed attempt to start his own religion. Ajit Singh was disowned by Mata Ji. I don't know why Dilgeer would misinterpret the history.

Well, it cannot be certain since there isn't enough evidence. So far it is just a speculation. We need solid reliable evidence. First Sikh rule was established in Sri Lanka when king of Sangladeep became Sikh and took Naam from Guru Nanak Sahib. It was ruled by a Sikh king and majority were Sikhs until Greeks came in and destroyed much of the kingdom. Dr. Trilochan Singh gives some details. Baba Banda Singh set the example of an ideal Sikh rule in 18th century but Sikh rule existed during Guru Sahib in Amritsar, Khadur Sahib, Kiratpur and Anandpur Sahib.

So Guru Ji going to Africa is mentioned in Kohli's book? If not then please mention your source. Apologies for runing this thread but let's continue - Zakriya Khan, Mir Mannu, Lakhpat Rai and Ahmad Shah Abdali tried to destroy Sikhi in 18th century. Question - Where was the first Sikh rule established and when (don't have to give the exact year)?

I did not start a debate but asked a simple question. All you had to do was state the names of sources you got your information from and that would've been the end. If you do not want to give names then just say so.

This is not a smart way to answer a question with a question. When one makes a statement they must have some proof to back it up because burden of proof rests on them. Next you will say Guru Sahib flew a plan to California and when asked to provide proof you will reply in the same manner "what is the proof that he didn't"? You made a statement so you provide complete information. No Janamsakhi, historic book and any scholar mentions Guru Sahib going to Africa. If this is a new discovery then one who makes the claim should provide evidence to make a convincing case otherwise we have enough people making baseless comments. Evidence should be historical documents from the country or ancient building etc.

What is the evidence that Guru Sahib visited African countries?

Regarding what I have written about Baba Sri Chand, read Jeevan Chrittar Guru Nanak Dev Ji by Dr. Trilochan Singh. It is one of the best I have found. Guru Sahib gave his son to Baba Ji which itself shows that Baba Ji must have accepted Sikhi as the true path over his own matt. Udasis became part of the Panth since then not prior to that. You wrote in your previous post that (and I quote directly): 1) Guru Sahib considered consumption of beef a sin 2) They were vocal about enforcing the death penalty upon the killers of cows and 3) They even referred to themselves many times as being 'Gopal' or the protectors of cows None of your references prove any of the above points. It only talks about Guru Ji planning to go to West and describes what atrocities Muslims have committed. Cows were targeted to insult Hinduism. Guru Sahib didn’t go to Mecca to tell them to stop killing cows but to deliver the divine message. No mention of enforcing death penalty or calling himself “protector of cow”. He preached being merciful and not killing cows (animals) is part of it. Cow doesn’t become a holy animal by any reference. So if you believe Uggardanti is work of Guru Sahib then do you really think He would’ve asked Waheguru for this: ਯਹੀ ਦੇਹ ਆਗਿਆ ਤੁਰਕਨ ਗਹਿ ਖਪਾਊਂ ॥ ਗਊ ਘਾਤ ਕਾ ਦੋਖ ਜਗ ਸਿਉਂ ਮਿਟਾਊਂ ॥ ਇਹ ਹੁਕਮ ਦਿਓ ਕਿ ਤੁਰਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਰ ਮਿਟਾਂਵਾਂ । ਗਊ ਮਾਰਨ ਦਾ ਦੁਖ ਸਾਰੇ ਸੰਸਾਰ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਮਿਟਾ ਦੇਵਾਂ । Command me to kill and destroy the Turks (Muslims). Eliminate the killing of the cow from the entire universe. Later on it says: Destroy the Turks and enlighten the universe….. Salutation to Mother Durga, the exterminator of all suffering. He is disturbed by killings of cows but asking for boon to kill Turks (human beings). Also, hailing a goddess. These are not words of Guru Sahib. Once again, this doesn’t justify your hypotheses. This pauri is similar to pauri 18 of JapJi Sahib. Where is the line asking for death penalty or Guru Sahib shown as “protectors of cow”? Mughals knew cow was considered a holy animal by Hindus, the majority. For them, Sikhs were from the same land they plundered and looted which means “holy animal” of the land was killed as an insult. When Sikhs destroyed mosques, they killed pigs and spread it blood all over. This doesn’t mean cow was considered holy by Sikhs or Sikhs particularly went after killers of cows and not of other animals. Keep in mind, killing cows is wrong but Guru Sahib did not give any importance to cows over other animals. I did not want to repeat so I gave you the link. You, however, did not address any other point and still have to provide answers. Ask me for which part of my post you need references? Bhai Hakikat Singh’s history is given in the link and for references you can check the sources listed. For Hukamnamas, check the book by Ganda Singh and other scholars’ opinions on multiple meanings of the word Khalsa. Bhai Nand Lal and Bhai Kanhiyea Ji took Amrit and Bhatt Vahis state that. No history source states that sehajdharis were monay. What Sanatans did during British rule and in Gurdwaras is clear to all. Rest of your post is simply false accusations and assumptions which need not be addressed. Guru Rakha NOTE - Enough said. Topic Closed

I have edited the post and changed the words to group. It wasn't my intention to insult those groups or jathas.

He is correct and I do not disagree. Notice that he does not state that sehajdharis are monay. History shows that sehajdharis did not take Amrit (eventually they did) but kept hair and rehat. Those who take Amrit and then cut hair become patit. They are no longer part of the Panth. Sehajdharis are from non-Sikh families. A Hindu or Muslim slowly adopting Sikhi will be called sehajdhari whereas a person born in Sikh family becomes patit after cutting hair. Bhai Sahib also does not state that kakkars are optional or exceptions. I think we can leave sehajdhari topic aside as it doesn’t relate to Nirmalas. Above two are contradictory. If five Sikhs were sent before 1699 then they shouldn’t have “Singh” as last names. If they were sent in 1690 or early 1690s then they would’ve returned by 1699 and taken Amrit. If they were sent after 1699 (highly unlikely though possible) then Guru Sahib would not have asked them to take their kakkars off and then made them exception. In fact, no history source states that Sikhs took off their kakkars. I have read them changing their dress but no mention of taking kakkars off or cutting hair. Nirmalas and Sehajdharis are two different things. Guru Sahib’s attire is mentioned in many sources but not a single one states taking kakkars off. No history source mentions Guru Sahib abandoning kakkars (especially kirpan) after he stopped all the wars at Damdama Sahib. He did not fight when he still kept a kirpan which shows it wasn’t optional or required only during war times. Sant Attar Singh and Baba Nand Singh were Amritdhari gursikhs and that’s how they reached high spiritual avastha. Taking off kakkars later on does not negate their significance or shouldn’t lead one to believe that they become useless after turiya avastha. In fact, kakkars and rehat are foundation of spirituality because that’s when true jeevan begins. One simply doesn’t disregard the foundation after erecting a tower. I respect them highly and their jeevan has inspired me a lot but I do not agree with them taking their kakkars off permanently (they might have taken them off temporarily). Mayee Bhaag Kaur at one time forgot all about worldly things and paid no attention to her clothes and kakkars. Guru Sahib called upon her and instructed her to wear proper attire and himself blessed her with Dastaar. There is no mention of kakkars becoming optional after reaching certain stage in Gurbani, Vaars, Kabits, Rehatnamas, historical sources and Dasam Granth etc. They are mandatory and will always be. Thanks for the other info and I will study Nirmala history at one point. Perhaps you can copy the info from sikhawareness here because it requires me to login and I am not registered. Guru Rakha big5abi, I called Nirmalas a sect but I meant it in terms of group not in terms of a cult. Picture you posted is not credible evidence. Anyone can paint anything. What I find funny is that people supporting and associated with groups which allegedly started by Guru Sahib or Pyaras are the one insulting others and resort to name calling instead of keeping calm. They are the first ones to get angry and become intolerant.

Big5abi, your post has some errors. If Bhai Daya Singh was the first jathedar then why did the later jathedars start to not keep kesh and abandoned kakkars? Then you say this group had started from the 6th Guru’s time which goes against Bhai Daya Singh Ji being the first jathedar. Also, there is no historical proof of that. Guru Sahib wore two kirpans but it is funny how a group allegedly started from his bachan considers kirpan optional let alone wearing just one. Further, Baba Bir Singh Naurangabad’s successor was Bhai Maharaj Singh and both were strict Amritdharis. If there was another Baba Bir Singh Naurangabad then provide some info. Baba Sri Chand started wearing udasi clothes (like Guru Sahib) thinking that Guru Sahib would be pleased and guruship would go to him. When this didn’t happen, he went away from Sikhi. Upon meeting Guru Hargobind Ji, he admitted that he didn’t deserve to be the Guru. He acknowledged Sikhi and turned the udasi group over to Guru Sahib. Guru Sahib gave his son who became the next successor of udasis. This goes to show that udasis became part of the Panth and started following rehat when they acknowledged true Guruship. It is foolish to assume that Baba Gurditta Ji took off his turban and let his hair flow freely when he became leader of udasi group. In fact, it was the opposite of that. I suggest you leave Khalistan out of it as it has nothing to do with the topic. Puratan Sikh history is not all about santanism. Could you provide any reference where Guru Sahib specifically forbade killing of a cow? In Gurbani killing of any animal is wrong and cow has no special place. Word Gopal doesn’t mean protector of cow but one who sustains the creation or a great king. There was no death sentence during his reign. Prohibition of killing of a cow might be in respect to hindus but not because of its sacredness. According to Bhatt Vahis, both took charan amrit when they came to Guru Sahib. Bhai Nand Lal took charan amrit from Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Bhai Kanheyea Ji took it from Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Later both took Khanday Da Amrit. No historical source states that both were monay. You are confusing sehajdhari with mona. False. Sehajdharis kept hair and rehat but they were from non-Sikh families. Those who cut their hair were not considered sehajdharis. Udasis took over Gurdwaras. When Khalsa rose to power, Gurdwaras were repaired and rebuilt which proves that Gurdwaras were not taken care of. Sardar Baghel Singh did seva of Delhi Gurdwaras. His name was Bhai Hakikat Singh whose families were close to Guru Sahib and Baba Banda Singh was his relative http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=29324&hl= Sehajdhari doesn’t make him a mona unless you have some credible proof. He was a hindu who became sehajdhari. He couldn’t take Amrit but did seva of the panth. I suggest you read Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia by Dr. Ganda Singh. Again, sehajdhari doesn’t mean a mona like these days. Pandit Dina Nath was a hindu and so were others. A Sikh didn’t hold any high position because many considered the true successor of kingdom Khalsa instead of Price Kharak Singh. Regarding Hukamnamas I have already written a reply - http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=384710 Word Khalsa is used for Amritdhari rehatvaan gursikh by Guru Sahib. Although it has many meanings but it is not used for Hindus, Muslims and others. Only a gursikh is true roop of Guru Sahib and only he/she is a Khalsa.