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ISW

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  1. WJKK WJKF I recently got in a little discussion with my friends over this who believes that All Ten gurus were a part of AkalPurakh but i believe that they were Akalpurukh themselves. Please give your thoughts about this and reference from Guru Granth Sahib JI maharaj. Thank You
  2. Not sure about Rishi but there is a katha done by Giani Pooran Singh ji Damdami taksal Wale and the katha is called Kalki Avtar. I heard this a while ago but he sure does mention that rishi's name and much more about that Rishi and his writings.
  3. WJKK WJKF There is so specific amount. From what i heard from katha done by Giani Thakur Singh ji, he said a lot of mahapurukhs have done 101 japji sahib but again its a long shot. You should start with 5 japji sahib a day and work on you way up and if you start experiencing anand in doing paath and u can start living your life according to it, you will be on your way to God. Thats all i know so i shared it with you.
  4. Here is link in which Sant Hari Singh Randhawe wale clears all misconceptions abt Bhai Bala Ji I would recomend everyone to watch this entire debate but if someone wants to listen to Bhai Bala Ji explanation, skip to 15:40
  5. WJKK WJKF I need help in understanding if we are allowed to marry someone we love in Sikhism.
  6. WJKK WJKF Can anyone give me full discussion of Guru Nanak dev ji wid Sidhs? Any audio of Giani Thakur Singh ji will be nice if available? Thanks
  7. Thanks for ur views guys. I was wondering if there is anything in Guru Granth Sahib ji Maharaj regarding this? I just dont understand y someone has to change their religion in order to marry someone. I mean Guru ji always said all are paths to one God
  8. WJKK WJKF Can anyone please tell me if SIkh Muslim Is acceptable in Sikhism? I knw a friend who is sikh and gettting married to a muslim girl. I was wondering if someone can help me if this is acceptable or non acceptable in sikhism? Thanks
  9. WJKK WJKF Here is an amazing katha by Giani Thakur Singh ji on Sant Jarnail SIngh ji Khalsa, Sant Kartar Singh ji Khalsa, Sant Thakur Singh ji Everyone must listen Please listen to all the parts and u will find amazing things in this Katha. PLEASE SHARE YOUR VIEWS ABOUT THIS..
  10. Can anyone please provide the link to download this shabad. Thanks
  11. Please give me an alternate location to those links
  12. Yes. U can go to this site and fill out a free form to get this. Its called IN SEARCH OF TRUE GURU. www.gurukhoj.com
  13. WJKK WJKF Can anyone plz tell me how to sit down for meditation and where shud i concentrate and what to say during meditation? Thx
  14. Bhai Guriqbal SIngh ji is doing kirtan right now. Its amazing
  15. Please send this pothi to this paapi too. Iqbal05_singh@yahoo.com thanks
  16. WJKK WJKF Sadh sangat ji can any one tell me where i can get this book or if somebody has it can they somehow upload it for the entire sangat. I am sharing some things about this book in which Bhai Sahib gave us a lot of information. Read it for urself to believe it: Roop Gobind Ka Raj Khalsa Ka Sika Sonne Ka By: Bhai Rama Singh (translated by Bhai Gurmukh Singh) Gurmat Discussion (Some of my replies to questions asked by Gursikhs from time to time.) (A) "Bhai Sahib Ji, how can one quickly reach the spiritual stage, so that Waheguru resides in one's mind and salvation is achieved?" I explained, "It takes the effort of many life times to reach this stage. After taking many births there comes a time when, through the grace of Waheguru, this stage is achieved. There is a need for a lot of simran." Bhai Sukhdev Singh, "Bhai Sahib Ji, what should one do in this life?" I said, "To meet Waheguru, one has to give up three things:"These three things one must give up are: early morning sleep; another's wealth and another's body (i.e. extra-marital relations). "Rise at Amrit vela (early in the morning) and contemplate on the praise of Waheguru." (Jap Ji Sahib: SGGS p. 2)."If one follows these principles, attends Guru Ji regularly and does simran early in the morning, then Guru Ji helps such a person. If one is unable to get up then Guru Ji sends Shaheed Singhs to wake a Sikh up. When the Shaheed Singhs come to wake up a Sikh, from that day his mind gets totally immersed in simran. When a Gursikh reaches this stage, then Waheguru is very close to him and saves him from the three things mentioned above. These are the first three steps to reach Waheguru. The one who passes these three steps reaches the fourth. Then Waheguru Ji shows many kautaks (unusual experiences) to such an individual. In this stage the physical body remains here and the ethereal body escapes through the dasam duar (tenth gate - see Glossary) to see numerous phenomena of nature and then returns into the physical body again.When the soul returns to the body, then the chant of Waheguru starts in the body in such a way that it is difficult to stop it. If a person reaches this stage then it is important to beware of haumai (ego-centricity or arrogance). "When I started simran, Waheguru made me experience many unusual phenomena. Many Gursikhs reach this stage, but cannot remain unaffected and humble. They tell others and the word spreads. Waheguru Ji is not happy when this happens. It takes a great deal of effort to reach this stage again. "Indulgence in useless dramatic exhibition of magic, (From such practices) Godly people (refrain because they) are ashamed (to compete with God)." (Bachittar Natak Patshahi 10) If Waheguru has blessed someone then one should not tell others. The same happened with me at the beginning; I would see kautaks and tell others about them. This was a great loss to me. Then it would take me many months of simran to reach that stage again. If you tell people then you cannot make further progress. Once Giani Amolak Singh Ji advised me, that just as someone who has wealth, will not talk about his bank balance; not even to his own family, so Naam is real wealth, the more silent you remain about it, the better. After that I did not talk to others about my spiritual experiences. ------------------------------------ B) "Bhai Sahib Ji, what are the things which interfere with the path of bhagti (meditation on God's Name)?" I replied:-Firstly, Gursikhs must have complete faith in the Guru. When doing simran, a Gursikh should regard the Guru as ever present with him."My Guru is always with me, near at hand. Meditating, meditating in remembrance on Him, I cherish Him forever." (SGGS P. 394) A Gursikh's mental make-up should be so disciplined that he or she should remain even tempered (unaffected) by pain or happiness. Simran should be done with such conviction as if it is being recited to Guru Ji, Who is sitting right in front of the Gursikh. Some Gursikhs take Amrit but fail the first test set by Guru Ji. If they experience any sorrow they start complaining to Guru Ji. They do not have total faith in Guru Ji. Any good or bad life experience should be regarded as the Will (Hukam) of the Guru. The Will of Guru Ji should be accepted in total faith and gratefully[1]. Pray to Guru Ji:- "Satguru Ji, please spare us any trials (tests); we are not strong and may waver. Give us the strength to accept Bhana (Your Will)" Simran erases all bad deeds of past lives and this life. When they have been totally eradicated, one starts enjoying a state of bliss in simran (due to a clear conscience through repentance, humility and sewa). As Guru Ji says:-"But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin, it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name." (SGGS p. 4) It is only through simran that dirt of sins is washed away from the mind. "The mind of the faithless cynic is like a crazy elephant. It wanders around the forest, distracted by attachment to Maya (see Glossary)." (SGGS p. 415) Guru Ji says, that caught in the vicious cycle of maaya (worldly attachment and craving for more), the mind is charging around like a mad elephant. It is important to control this mind. It is also important to take Khanday Baatay da Amrit (Ambrosial Water (Amrit) of the double edged sword (khanda) and the iron bowl (bata) and accept the Guru's Hukam (Will and Order). One should follow the orders of the Panj Piaray given during the Amrit Sanchaar ceremony, to get up early in the morning and to recite the Five Banis. The Amrit vela starts at 1.00 o' clock[2] in the early morning. At first, sleep will trouble the devotee; the cure for that is to sprinkle the eyes with cold water, or do simran aloud. It takes some years to overcome the problem of sleep. It took me 15 to 20 years. Secondly, the mind will wander while doing simran[3]. When some thoughts begin to trouble the mind then start a loud chant of "Waheguru, Waheguru" to bring the mind back to simran. When Naam resides in the swas (each life breath), then thought concentration is achieved. The tongue also stops and nothing is heard by the ears. The soul is enjoying the bliss of Naam (The God's Being or Holy Presence). The body becomes light. Much simran is needed to reach this stage. It took me 15 to 20 years to reach this stage. That is my experience. Some Gursikhs expect this stage immediately on taking Amrit. Many unusual experiences are felt when doing simran, but it takes a long time to start enjoying the true bliss of Naam (feeling at one with the Divine Being). Thirdly, the five evil influences, lust (uncontrolled sexual desire), anger, greed, attachment and self-centred conceit (ego) trouble the mind. Lust troubles most. It poses a great challenge and it is very difficult to free oneself from this basic human instinct. I too have suffered from it for many years. At times my mind became very unsteady and troubled me. I would keep thinking, "I do simran, I get up early in the morning, but why do these thoughts and dreams trouble me so. Sometimes, I became depressed and would begin to doubt this path of bhagti (meditation on and devotion for Waheguru's Naam); in great distress, I would pray to Waheguru Ji to free me from the bad dreams. When I became very distressed then a, achint Shaheed Singh (appearance of a martyr Singh outside my thoughts) would console and encourage me and ask me to rise for Naam simran. Then I would take heart again and felt the presence of Satguru with me. I have noticed that these days almost everyone is caught up in maaya's net in the form of female attraction. Whatever true wealth (of Naam) they save, is looted by the Five bandits (the Five evils mentioned above). The spiritual credit of Naam simran - the true wealth - is lost. ------------------------------ © The meaning of subtle (or unseen) haumai(ego). I explained, that people do not recognise the unseen haomai. After doing research of Bani I understood that sewa, simran, humility and charity (doing good deeds for others) are the four pillars of Sikhi. If the four supports of a bed get infected by woodworm, they become weak from the inside. The effect of unseen haumai is likethat. The symptoms are: to be jealous of someone; to condemn others and to gossip about others; to feel happy listening to own praise; and, to think bad about others. In this way the unseen haumai affects a person from the inside. The victim does not realise this until that person misses the main objective of life. This haumai is most dangerous. "Whoever I see is diseased. Only my True Guru, the True Yogi, is free of disease."(SGGS p. 1140) Only the Satguru is without haumai. "Naam is the medicine for all types of disease." (Sukhmani: GGS p. 274) There is only one way to save yourself from this disease of unseen haumai and that is through continuous Naam simran; do this as long as you can and say and pray to Waheguru Ji. "I run around in all directions, searching for the love of God. The five evil enemies are tormenting me; how can I destroy them? (Guru's response:) Shoot them with the sharp arrows of meditation on the Name of God. O Lord! The way to slaughter these terrible sadistic enemies is obtained from the Perfect Guru." (SGGS p. 1363) In this Shabad, Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji is praying to Waheguru Ji, "My desire is to recite Your Name, but the Five (lust and anger etc.) are so powerful that they prevent me from doing this." Waheguru Ji replied, "To control these (evils) and to free yourself from these, shoot the sharp arrows of Naam." A person should not give up in disappointment. Staguru Ji come to the rescue at times to ensure that a person does not waver. At times one hears kirtan and sometimes feels as if one is in the presence of Guru Ji. The mind experiences these positive aspects of Gursikhi and becomes steady again. Sometimes, one becomes proud about doing simran. Thus, this subtle form of haumai pollutes the mind, for you cannot have two swords in the same sheath. So where there is haumai, Naam cannot reside there. To get rid of haumai, one should go to the Gurdwara and do sewa (service in humility) of cleaning Sangat's footwear. ------------------------------ (D) "Bhai Sahib Ji, what is the difference between doing simran at home and doing simran in Sangat at the Gurdwara!" I explain: One has to make a special effort to go to the Gurdwara. If a person walks to the Gurdwara, his feet are purified. Those who go in a car, also spend their time usefully. If one decides to go to the Gurdwara, but is unable to attend, in the Age of Kalyug, even that intention is rewarded because the intention was good. When a person goes to the Gurdwara then the dust of the feet of Sangat touches one's forehead. The spiritual fruit of cleaning Sangat's shoes early in the morning is great. Eyes are purified by Guru Ji's darshan (holy sight) early in the morning. The tongue is purified by simran. The resonance of Naam simran by the Saadh Sangat, increases the effect of simran many times. If one hundred Gursikhs are doing simran the impact on the soul, and, therefore, the benefit, will be multiplied one hundred times. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji has given the Sangat the highest status.If one does Naam simran in the presence of Guru Ji in the morning then the sins of many previous life cycles are washed away. "The bumble bee is greedy for the flower's fragrance; finding it, it traps himself in the flower. Just so, the humble Saints love the Lord; beholding the Blessed Vision of His Darshan, they are satisfied and satiated." (SGGS p. 708) An insect loves the fragrance of flowers but meets its death in the bosom of the flower. However, look at the praise of the Guru, that a Gursikh sitting in His lap (presence) becomes immortal (i.e. is freed from the cycles of birth and death). Many people prefer to sit at home to do simran with own family. In that way they can redeem their own family only but cannot help others. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji could have done the same, but His main aim was to connect every human being to the Guru's Charan (holy feet of the Guru, symbolic of concentration on Guru's Shabad in total humility). The people redeemed by Guru Ji included such sinners as Sajan Tthag, Kauda Rakhash, Vali Kandhari and many such evil doers. Guru Ji went to these people to redeem them. If we, the Sikhs of Guru Nanak sit aloof like yogis, then what is the difference between us and the monastic yogis. ------------------------------ (E) "Bhai Sahib Ji, is it important to live the life of a house-holder?" "Yes, if an individual is seeking salvation then the family life is important. If one attempts to do meditation without being married, then the mind will remain unstable.This is the Age of Kalyug and the unstable mind continuously runs towards worldly attractions and wasteful life style. It takes many years of simran to stabilise the wandering mind. Even then lust is a great evil force and will continue to trouble the mind. Most of the great avatars (saints and prophets) who came to this world, were married. Of the Ten Gurus nine were married (Sri Har Krishan Ji's Light merged with Waheguru Ji when He was only 8 years old). Sri Ram Chandar Ji, Bhagwan Krishan, Shiv Ji, Mahatma Budh, Brahma and Muhammed Sahib, they all had families. So, it is important to get married. Akal Purakh (Waheguru) established all creation in two parts, for example, man/woman; night/day; birth/death; youth/old age; sunlight/darkness; earth/sky and sorrow/happiness etc. Akal Purakh has established this meaningful system. The day is for working and the night is for resting. Married life is for procreation, so that life may continue. Those saadhus and sants who say that one should not get married are breaking the Divine Law. However, there are other great saints who did not get married because they were sent for preaching religion; they have been sent by Guru Ji Himself. Examples of such holy people are: Sant Baba Atar Singh Ji Mastuanay-waalay, Sant Baba Karam Singh Ji Hoti Mardan, Sant Baba Jwala Singh Ji Harkhowal, Sant Baba Gurmukh Singh Ji Patialay-waalay, Sant Baba Isher Singh Ji Rare-waalay, Sant Baba Bhan Singh Jagraon, Sant Baba Nand Singh Ji Kaleran-waalay and many others; no one can equal their saintliness. They would recite Bani all night and do simran. It is my own experience how troublesome lust (sexual urge) can be when one engages in Waheguru meditation I too spent life as a family man for five or six years. I used medicine too to control this distracting force. From the day I was blessed by Guru Ji's darshan, my mind did not waver. This was a gift of Naam. My life changed. For controlling this distracting influence, it is necessary to do simran for 10 to 12 hours a day. Then a stage is reached where lust cannot trouble a devotee. Some Gursikhs ask me, "Being family people, how can we do so many hours of simran?" The way this can be done is that if two members of a family sit together to do Paatths of Nit Nem and Sukhmani and simran, then it becomes a Sangat and the reward doubles. In the same way while doing daily chores one should keep reciting all the Bani one knows by heart. Proceeding in this way, with Guru Ji's blessing, one achieves spiritual success while living a normal family life." ---------------------------------------- (F) "Bhai Sahib Ji, tell us something about cult and yogic powers." Any Gursikh who does simran early in the morning (Amrit Vela), earns the credit of Guru's Shabad, he or she certainly acquires spiritual powers (which cannot be explained by worldly science). The first indications of these are through dreams when one sees unusual sights and get some advance knowledge of a future event. For example, one gets to know beforehand of some sad or happy event in the family. If one wants to go and see someone, one knows beforehand if that person is likely to be at home. This has happened with me on occasions. At the next stage many kautaks (unusual happenings) take place and one is not left in any doubt. If a Gursikh, who does regular Nit Nem does not get up in time, the Shaheed Singhs encourage the Gursikh to rise and do Nit Nem. Then Guru Ji makes one experience other kautaks. When a Gursikh is awake and alert, he suddenly starts doing the Paatth of Mool Mantar, Gurmantar ("Waheguru") or Sukhmani. One experiences a strange pleasant sensation at such a time. Sometimes one is witness, in a dream, to the Prakaash of Guru Ji; the Sangat is there and one can hear kirtan. Ordinary people acquire spiritual powers. However, Gursikhs, after taking Amrit should control such powers. One should not gain worldly benefit from such spiritual powers. One should pray to Guru Ji in order to aspire to the next stage by controlling, and not misusing or announcing such spiritual achievements. Boasting to others about such powers detracts from the spiritual attainment and a great deal more effort is required to reach the same stage. A Gursikh should remember the Guru's Order. You can impress people with spiritual powers, but suffer a great loss in the wealth of Naam, and you would be turning away from the Guru. It is the Guru's Order that Gursikhs must not use cult powers. They should rise high above these and attain salvation during this lifetime. Once I decided to go to India. I was staying at Bhai Amrik Singh's house at that time. Bhai Sahib said, "As you are going to India, do go and see Bhai Bhan Singh Ji. He is a true Braham-giani (one who knows all by being at one with The One ). I went to Bhai Amrik Singh's village and told his brother, "I would like to do darshan of Baba Bhan Singh Ji." We both started off for Baba Ji's darshan. As we were travelling in the bus, Bhai Amrik Singh's brother told me, "One day Baba Ji said to the Sangat that his time to go to Sach Khand was near." Braham-gianis know about such things beforehand. Baba Ji wanted to know the views of the Sangat. The Sangat asked, "Baba Ji, if you go to Sach Khand, who would you appoint in your place? If someone is appointed, the sewa and simran will continue." Hearing this, Baba Ji fell silent. There were two sewadars doing sewa at Baba Ji's dera (establishment) for many years. Baba Ji decided to make one of them the main sewadar. He decided to test both. The one who had started doing sewa first, had acquired certain powers from Baba Ji. He became too arrogant, got upset with Baba Ji and went and settled in another village. He started using his powers there and the villagers were impressed. They started looking after him. However, after a few days, whatever he tried to do with his powers, the opposite would happen. He lost face. No one bothered about him and stopped serving him food even. He returned to Baba Ji, who smiled and said, "You have come back empty", meaning, he had lost all that he had earned spiritually. The second sewadar was humble and never displayed his spiritual powers. Baba Ji decided to appoint him in his own place. I was very pleased to do darshan of Baba Ji and we discussed Gurmatt. One who goes beyond yogic displays of power will get closer to Waheguru Ji. This is the first sign that one is on the right path to meeting Waheguru Ji. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji's life is like a light-house regarding acceptance of Waheguru's Will (Bhana). He, gratefully, regarded the "loss" of his four sons as the safe return of what had been entrusted to him by Waheguru Ji. His Ardaas at the time, was an Ardaas of thankfulness! That is Guru Ji's guidance by example, for us regarding acceptance of sorrow or pain as Waheguru's Hukam. Editorial note: The central theme of Gurbani is to control the aimless wandering of the mind which harms both, worldly and spiritual objectives of this life. Whether some experiences described by Bhai Sahib Ji can be explained logically or (psychologically) is to miss the point. Regrettably, the modern (clever and arrogant) mind will insist on scientific/logical explanations; but then Gurbani says that everything is within His Will and everything can (ultimately) be explained once His Will (Hukam or Order of Scheme of Things) is understood. The Gursikhi stress in this life is on continual and continuous mind-focus on Naam. the Omnipresent, Omniscient and All Pervading Presence of The Ultimate Reality, "Waheguru", the One and Only Mystical Formula (Mantar) for a Gursikh. No power is "supernatural" and no power is greater than the All Powerful Positive One (Ik) Creator (Oangkaar). ---------------------------------- My Beautiful Dream - Khalsa Raj After five or six months of doing simran with the Sangat at the Gurdwara, in a dream one day, I reached Sri Harmandar Sahib. Sri Harmandar Sahib was decorated with white, red, blue, green and orange diamonds. I wanted to continue seeing it. I cannot describe the splendour of the scene before me. The building was studded with such shining stones, that their light was many times more than ordinary electric bulbs.Yet it was not glaring but soothing. They were not hot like bulbs. At that time there was a slight drizzle and I thought that my clothes were wet; but when I touched them they were dry. I bowed before Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, did matha tekan and sat down.The raagi Singhs were doing kirtan of this Shabad: "The Supreme Lord God, through the Divine Guru, has Himself protected and preserved His children. Celestial peace, tranquillity and bliss have come to pass; my service has been perfect. || 1 || Pause || God Himself has heard the prayers of His humble devotees. He dispelled my disease, and rejuvenated me; His glorious radiance is so great! || 1 || He has forgiven me for my sins, and interceded with His power. I have been blessed with the fruits of my mind's desires; Nanak is a sacrifice to Him. || 2 ||" (SGGS p. 819) I became so immersed in kirtan that my only desire was to keep listening. On completion of the Shabad, I realised that I had come to see Khalsa Raj. I got up and went to see Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. Akal Takhat is such an Immortal Throne of Spiritual and Worldly Sovereignty, that there Truth reigns and truth is the final outcome. "There, only the Truth is judged true; the sinners are picked out and separated." (SGGS p. 463) "True in the Primal beginning, True throughout the ages. True here and now. O Nanak, forever and ever True." (SGGS p. 1) The Panj Piaray were doing simran at Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. I announced Gur Fateh "Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh." When they replied, it seemed to me that the resonance of the Gur Fateh was coming from the whole of Des Panjab. After darshan of the Panj Piaray, I was in a state of bliss. I felt as if I was doing darshan of my Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji through the Panj Piaray. "Khalsa is in my image. In Khalsa do I reside." (Sarab Loh Granth) I can never forget this scene all my life. They said, "Have you come to see Khalsa Raj?" I confirmed asking them to help me. Then I had a conversation with them.They sent a Khalsa Singh with me. First of all he took me into an underground tunnellike cavity. As I stepped in, a melodious chant of "Waheguru" started and I was so emotionally struck that my eyes flooded with tears. I could not contain myself. These were tears of bliss and happiness. I did not have the courage to step further. From where I was standing, I bowed to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and sat down.The throne of Guru Ji was decorated many times more resplendently than the most majestic Thrones of the ancient Maharajas. The gold Palaki (structure on which Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is placed) was studded with many varieties of diamonds and rubies; the glitter of which had a charming effect on the mind. The overhead Chanani too was covered with star shapes and pearls. I was left completely amazed. The Gursikhs sitting in this massive underground place were doing simran of Waheguru to the accompaniment of a large variety of natural musical sounds. There was divine bliss in these sounds and I became completely absorbed in them. "The Sound-current of the Naad (octave) vibrates there, and countless musicians play on all sorts of instruments there. So many raags (musical "moods" of the Indian musical system), so many musicians singing there." (SGGS p. 6) I was not conscious of myself and my concentration was totally in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Darshan of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji made me feel that Waheguru Ji, Akal Purakh (the Timeless Being), was present right in front of me. From the Prakaash of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, rays of soothing light were radiating on the Gursikhs. "Light radiates from the place where sits the Holy Congregation (Saadh Sangat)" (Bhai Gurdas Ji) In the radiance, I saw the image of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Guru Ji spoke, "My blessing will be on any Gursikh who does Waheguru simran." Hearing this, I saw before my eyes a war scene in which Mata Sahib Kaur Ji asked, "I can see all Singhs but not the Sahibzaday (Princes of Guru Ji)." Guru Ji waved towards the Khalsa and said, "Why lament the death of the Four, thousands are alive. Due to the sacrifice of the Four Sahibzaday, thousands of Gursikhs who do simran have been born." Guru Ji prayed to Akal Purakh, "I promised that thousands of Singh's will do simran, but today, with Your Blessing, hundreds of thousands are doing simran." The Khalsa Ji who was with me said, "Singh Ji! Be alert!" After the completion of simran, most Singhs got up and left, but about 15 to 20 remained deep in simran. I asked Khalsa Ji, "All others have gone, why are these still in meditation?" Khalsa Ji replied, "They have gone to see the fantastic sights of Sach Khand. They have left their physical bodies and their ethereal bodies have flown through dasam duar (tenth gate) to Sach Khand. Some, for two days, some for four and others for a longer time. They go for darshan of Akal Purakh (the Timeless Being i.e. God) and return. To see Sach Khand it is necessary to do continuous simran." Khalsa Ji told me that at 2.30 in the morning, five Singhs do the Prakaash of Guru Ji in the underground chamber. The Prakaash is located at the same place at the beginning of the tunnel at Sri Amritsar Sahib. The early morning (Amrit vela) Mukh- Vaak - Main Order - is heard by all Sangat on speakers. All the Sangat heed and act according to this Vaak. Three o' clock swas-swas simran starts. From 4.00 to 5.00 a.m. Waheguru simran is done with musical instruments. After the completion of simran, the Sangat goes to the Gurdwara to do Nit Nem followed by langar and return to their homes. After this, Khalsa Ji took me to the Gurdwara. I was amazed to see such a beautiful Gurdwara. It was built of stone more beautiful than marble. I went inside and performed matha tekan. The Palaki (on which Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is placed) was decorated with many coloured glass. The overhead Chanani cloth was decorated with star shapes, rubies and pearls. Two Anand Karaj ceremonies were taking place in the Gurdwara. The only difference was that one Panjabi Singh was being married to a white Singhani, while a white Singh was being married to a Panjabi Singhani. There was a lot of Sangat here from the two villages of the brides and the grooms to bless the marriages. They all seemed to have great regard for each other. The Panj Piaray from both villages were also present. Gurbani Kirtan was going on and it was so sweet that one did not feel like leaving. The ceremony was simple and in complete accord with Gurmatt. There was no question of any dowry being given. I asked Khalsa Ji, "What is the meaning of these mixed marriages?" Khalsa Ji said, "In order to eradicate any colour distinctions, such marriages are taking place. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji is all knowing. Guru Ji is creating such a Khalsa who remain staunch in their belief. The people of Panjab do not have total faith in the Guru. White Singhs will remain faithful and will not turn their backs on the Guru. They will be fit to run the Khalsa Raj because in them there is no discrimination between high and low. They will practise the Words of Guru Ji. "It is noticed, that after taking Amrit, the White Singhs keep their rehat. In this way in one or two generations the complexion of the Khalsa would be the same. Differences and the caste system would be eradicated." After the Anand Karaj the Sangat went to langar shakan (eating food in the Langar). The langar had been made in iron utensils and was very tasty. I asked, "How is the langar (food in the Langar) prepared for so many Sangat?" Khalsa Ji told me, "Food items for the Langar are prepared in the food factory and sent to the Gurdwara. In this way peeling potatoes, cutting vegetables, grounding flour (atta), preparing yogurt etc., all this is done quite quickly. Recipes for everything are ready regarding ingredients like salt, pepper and masala etc. and all food is prepared by machines, and washing etc. is all done by machines. There are special machines for making prasaaday (rotis) as well. And so langar is prepared quickly for hundreds of thousands of Sangat." I was able to see some of the food preparations and was amazed at the efficiency and the automation used. After eating langar, people from the two villages were seen strolling in a park and the atmosphere and social niceties were like a happy fare. All seemed healthy and happy and very friendly towards each other. Khalsa Ji told me, "The tunnel extends from Sri Amritsar to Delhi and there are settlements (villages or townships) on both sides. About a hundred thousand people live in each settlement. The affairs of each settlement are run by Panj Piaray. Each settlement has a Gurdwara and a food factory. The langar of all is cooked in the Gurdwara. All eat at the Gurdwara and a deduction is made from each person's pay. Everyone must work for at least four hours. Ladies also work for four hours. There are parks on both sides of the tunnel. There are beautiful special parks for children, There are many grounds for playing sports." I noticed green grass lawns, as if green carpets had been laid out. There was nice smelling perfume coming from the flowers and it smelt like non other on this earth. There were many varieties of flowers. Then Khalsa Ji took me to see a hospital. It was beautifully designed and very clean. It was many storeys high. There were large beds in the rooms but they were empty. There were machines for doing all sorts of checking of illnesses. I was surprised and remarked, "But there are no patients here." Khalsa Ji said, "The medicine for all illnesses is Naam (Sukhmani Sahib)" "All the Khalsa here, get up in the morning and do Naam simran. For this reason they do not fall ill. Due to the power of simran they are not worried about anything. The average life of a Khalsa is 150 years and after that they achieve salvation." I was then taken to a shopping centre, There were many large shops but no one appeared to be running them. I asked about this. Khalsa Ji took me to the gate. He said, "All things in the shops are uniformly priced. You make the payment in advance for all the things you wish to buy and the payment is put into a machine. The gate opens. The weight of the person entering is automatically measured. There are other machines inside and you can buy further items etc. The control is through weight measurement of in-coming people, and outgoing people with their goods. The machines can detect dishonesty, the fines for which are heavy (ten times the value of the goods stolen)." --------------------------- Cow Centre "You save the beasts, demons and fools, and even stones are carried across. Slave Nanak seeks Your Sanctuary; he is forever and ever a sacrifice to You." (SGGS p. 802) Khalsa Ji took me to an animal farm and told me that arrangements had been made for the salvation of animals. He said, "The simran in the morning can be heard by them through speakers. There is no shortage of milk and butter. The cows are brought in from other countries. A special place has been made for the cows, and there are employees who look after them. There is a special tunnel through which the cows can come and go. There are automatic fountains for the cows. As the cows step in, these fountains switch on; a little further, a current of warm air dries them. Much attention is given to cleanliness. There is a special train for the cows to be taken out to the countryside for grazing. They are brought back by train in the evening. They wash as in the morning and are given their fodder. They remain happy and give a lot of milk." I reflected that in India today thousands are starving, but in Khalsa Raj, even the animals will be well looked after and will not go hungry. O' human being! If animals can get human life by listening to Naam, why do you not recite Naam and achieve salvation. Having shown all this, Khalsa Ji took me in a special vehicle to show me the motorway. It was very wide. Both sides were lined by colourful roses. For example, for one mile white flowers, then for the next mile red flowers and so on. They made the air fragrant. There were stones in the middle of the motorway painted in the same colour as the flowers. There was no need for any lighting as the stones radiated light. After every 25 to 30 miles there were beautiful stopping places for eating food which was free. Khalsa Ji said that there were free travel passes for the elderly people. Khalsa Ji said, "There will be one rule in Khalsa Raj. When a child is born it will get child allowance. But this allowance will not be retained by the parents but by the Khalsa. When children grow up, then the expenses of marriage, house and car will be given by the Khalsa. Any shortfall will be made up by the Khalsa. Before they commence work, they will be given six months holidays for travelling abroad. Their holiday travel expenses will be paid by the Khalsa (administration). On return they will take up the jobs allocated to them by the Khalsa. Free flying lessons will be given to Gursikh children." I asked, "How would the shortage of electricity and water be resolved?". Khalsa Ji, "When the Khalsa Raj spreads to the whole of India, then Khalsa will make arrangements for water and electricity. For example, floods come in Bangladesh and water cannot be controlled, and there is great loss of life and property. To overcome this, Khalsa will construct a dam and supply water to the whole of India. In this way, this area will be saved from floods and the shortage of water and electricity will be overcome." I asked, "How would 960 million people be initiated into the Order of the Khalsa?" Khalsa Ji, "When Guru Nanak Dev Ji's spiritual Light merged with the Universal Light, the Hindus claimed he was their Guru and wanted to cremate his body; and the Muslims claimed him to be their Pir (religious leader) and wanted to bury his body. When the sheet covering Guru Ji's body was lifted, only a heap of flowers were found underneath. The Hindus and the Muslims divided the sheet in two and took one half each. "I dye myself in the colour of the Lord, and sew what has to be sewn. Without the Lord's Name, I cannot live, even for a moment." (SGGS p. 485) "Science has proven that the Gurbani uttered by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji five hundred years ago, has spread in the global atmosphere. Wherever there are Gurdwaras, Bani is being read. Through the resonance of that, the world is continually being saved; otherwise by now, the nature of Kalyug (which is fire) would have burnt and destroyed everyone. As Guru Nanak Dev Ji says in Asa di Vaar: "In the Age of Sat Yug, contentment was the chariot and righteousness the charioteer. In the Age of Treta Yug, celibacy was the chariot and power the charioteer. In the Age of Duapar Yug, penance was the chariot and truth the charioteer. In the Age of Kalyug, fire is the chariot and falsehood the charioteer." (SGGS p. 470 ) "Meaning that the nature of the Age of Kalyug, being the vehicle of fire, is hot and the Name of Waheguru is cool and soothing for the soul. For this reason, contentment is achieved through Naam simran. "The chant of Naam which resounds through the "tunnel" (Amritsar to Delhi) will have its spiritual effect. Through the power of Naam Bani (utterance of Naam) all those who hear will start Naam simran. All will join the Khalsa Panth when they realise that the Sikh faith is the faith of truth. In this way the two halves of Guru Nanak's "covering sheet"will be sewn together again. "The Baba (Guru Nanak Dev Ji) is venerated in every home, the difference between the Hindu and the Muslim has been lost (forgotten)" (Bhai Gurdas: Vaar 1.34) "The map of India will change in Khalsa raj. This is the land of the Akal Purakh. Those who love God will take birth. The unbelievers, through their own sins will be destroyed. The new generation will understand truth. "In large cities of foreign countries, like New York, London, Khalsa centers will be built. All those in need will be helped there. They will be looked after and supplied with food and clothes, free of charge. "Khalsa would educate girls not to commit the sin of undergoing abortions. These are the girls who are not in a position to bring up children for economic or other reasons. Instead, Khalsa will look after unwanted children until they are mature. In this way, mothers and children would be attracted to Sikhi. They would develop deep links with the Sikh nation. Some of them would adopt Sikhi and marry into Sikh families in Panjab. "And so Sikhi will spread to a Khalsa population of 960 million." I asked, "When negotiating or holding talks with other countries, who would lead?" Khalsa Ji, "Panj Piaray from Akal Takhat will take the lead in any talks." I asked, "Would the same Panj Piaray continue to hold that position?"Khalsa Ji, "Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji was all-knowing. Guru Ji will so guide people's behaviour, that no one would have any self-centred ambition to hold high positions. Whoever wishes to be included will be considered. First, the Panj Piaray at village level would be selected. The names of those wishing to do the sewa will be put on pieces of paper and five names will be selected by drawing lots. The village Panj Piaray would select the Panj Piaray of Akal Takhat in the same way. All villages will be run by the selected Panj Piarays. Selection process would be repeated after five years. "After Punjab, Khalsa will also start preaching Sikhi in other parts of India. Khalsa will help the poor. Houses will be built for those without shelter. No beggars will be seen in India in the Khalsa Raj. They will be given priority. Their needs will be satisfied. Hospitals will be built for free treatment. In Khalsa Raj no pressure will be put on anyone to adopt Sikhi. No religion will be regarded as inferior. With Guru's blessing, some will themselves start reading and reciting Gurbani. The Khalsa method of preaching will be the proper method. Khalsa will preach in such a way that many would be attracted to Sikhi. There will be large camps with audio visual displays about the Sikh martyrdom tradition. The preaching will explain the power of simran which gave the ancient Singhs the will to undergo torture and to bear the pain in order to uphold truth and justice. At these camps, representatives of other religions will also be invited to give their views. They will give information about their own religions and exchange views. However, while discussing and exchanging views they would themselves realise that Sikhi is the path of truth. "First, Allah created the Light; then, by His Creative Power, He made all mortal beings. From the One Light, the entire universe welled up. So who is good, and who is bad?" (SGGS p. 1349) These people of other faiths will accept Sikhi and the Sikh faith will spread." Khalsa Ji said, "As one has to apply for a visa to visit another country, so people would have to apply for a visa to visit Punjab. Only a religious person would be allowed to enter Punjab (Sach Khand on earth). Only those who read Bani would be allowed to enter. No one who drinks alcohol or smokes will be allowed to enter Panjab. They would be able to go to other parts of India but not to Panjab. Anyone wishing to enter Panjab, would be asked by the Khalsa embassy, "Can you speak Panjabi and read Bani?" Only one who has faith in the Guru would be able to go to Panjab. Panjab will become a part of Sach Khand on earth." ----------------------------------- The Punisher of Evil-doers: Guru Gobind Singh Ji I asked, "Khalsa Ji, I would ask one more question. India was such a great power, how did Khalsa achieve victory?" Khalsa Ji, "Tyrannical arrogance is not acceptable to Har Ji (God) "Acting in egotism, peace is not obtained. The intellect of the mind is false; only the Lord is True. All who love duality are ruined. People act as they are pre-ordained. || 1 || I have seen the world to be such a gambler; all beg for peace, but they forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord. || 1 || (SGGS p. 222) "Everyone knows that there was a war between Ram Ji and Rawan. Rawan was arrogant that there was no warrior greater than him. That he had so many sons. "Ram passed away, as did Raawan, even though he had a very large family. Says Nanak, nothing lasts forever; the world is like a dream[4]." (SGGS p. 1429) "A fortress like that of Sri Lanka, with the ocean as a moat around it — there is no news about that house of Raavan. || 1 || What shall I ask for? Nothing is permanent. I see with my eyes that the world is passing away. || 1 || Pause || Thousands of sons and thousands of grandsons — but in that house of Raavan, the lamps and wicks have gone out. || 2 ||" (SGGS p. 481) "He was proud that his city of Lanka was made of gold. He was also proud that he had been blessed with immortality. He thought that Ram Chandar Ji did not have any army, and that it would be easy to kill him. There were only three of them: Ram Chandar, Lashman and Hanuman. To crush Rawan's pride, Ram Chandar used divine power." "Secondly, Daryodhan was very proud that he had on his side the great warriors and war equipment, and that the Pandav's had nothing. That he was bound to win. Daryodhan did not understand that Bhagwan Krishan did not like his arrogance. To humble him, Krishan supported the Pandavs. Daryodhan was killed with his army and the Pandavs were victorious." "Thirdly, India too was proud that they had much power with a large army and war equipment. They too, in their arrogance, did not hesitate from attacking Harmandar Sahib. As Ram Ji and Krishan used divine powers, in the same way Guru Ji granted divine power to the Panj Piaray to uproot evil." "As Guru Gobind Singh Ji granted divine power to Banda Singh Bahadur and instructed him to avenge the death of the younger Sahibzaday; and, that no one would withstand him. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji's words are:- "I shall give a single Khalsa the strength and courage to fight sawa lakh (i.e. one hundred and twenty five thousand: symbolic of unlimited courage). Only then shall I be called Gobind Singh." "Banda Singh Bahadur did avenge the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzaday. Guru Ji gave one Banda Singh Bahadur so much power that no one could stop him. The Muslims ruled the whole of India at the time. Guru Ji gave the Panj Piaray His own divine power. Guru Ji said:- "No-one offers anyone sovereignty (on a plate!) Anyone who gets it, grabs it through own prowess." "As Ram Ji and Krishan Bhagwan crushed the pride of Rawan and Daryodhan, so Akal Purakh destroyed the pride of these people and established Khalsa Raj." ---------------------------------------- "May my family live happily" (Chaopai Guru Gobind Singh Ji) Khalsa Ji said "The promise of Guru Ji has now been fulfilled. All sit and eat together in the morning and evening. After taking Amrit we are now the citizens of Anandpur. Our parents are Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur. We are all the family of Guru Ji. All our worries are over. Now, simran will destroy all our sins and after managing own Khalsa Raj in this life, we shall achieve salvation. Now, in the Khalsa Raj, the Panj Piaray manage all the affairs of the Panth. "The chosen ones are acceptable, the chosen ones are supreme. The chosen ones are honoured in the (Lord's) Court. The chosen ones look resplendent in the courts of kings. The chosen ones meditate on the Guru alone." (SGGS p. 3) "The authority of the Khalsa shall prevail in all India. There will be parks adjoining all Gurdwaras for little children to play in." All this I was told by Khalsa Ji. Having seen the fantastic sights of Khalsa Raj, my soul prayed, "O' True Guru! Wondrous Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, I offer you my gratitude that your words have come to pass. I have seen the sights of Khalsa Raj." "I shall make kings of these poor Sikhs Thus shall they remember my Guruship." (Sr Guru Panth Prakash) Wondrous Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, bless and support your Khalsa, that these sights of Khalsa Raj (second Sach Khand) are seen by the whole world. I regard it as important to mention that when I went for darshan of Khalsa Raj, of the Panj Piaray sitting at Akal Takhat, three of the Singhs were white. In the tunnel too, and in the Gurdwara, there were white Singhs and Singhanis. By adopting the rehat of Satguru Ji, they qualified for the highest sewa of the Panth. Why are we so lax? When are we going to understand? There is still time Sikhs, steady yourselves! Look after your Sikhi. ----------------------------------- Memories in the life of Bhai Rama Singh Ji Sunday 25th September, 2005 Daljit Singh – Panthic Weekly Guest Columnist Bhai Sahib, Bhai Rama Ji was born in the year 1930 in a village of Chhariavli which is one and half miles from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Northern India. His father, Vaid Chandar Pal and his mother Bibi Lashmi Devi came from a very staunch Hindu family. The family had 4 siblings and Bhai Sahib had one brother and two sisters. There was very little contact with the family and as he dipped further into Sikhi, he gave up all the attachment with the family; apparently the family shunned him from embracing the Sikh faith. Bhai Rama Singh Ji went to the Eighth class in Aligarh, a town south east of Delhi. The turning point in his life came when he heard a sermon from Baba Rattan Das when he was eight years of age, which made a great impact in his life. He said that according to the Hindu religion, there were chauraasi lakh joon (84 million species). If a person did not remember Waheguru, then that person went through the suffering of all those forms of existence. Once caught in the cycle of births and deaths, it took a soul millions of years to get out of it. The life span of some life forms, for example of a snake may well be 500 years or certain species of fishes live up to 5000 to 6000 years or more. There is only suffering and pain in that cycle of births and deaths and no comfort at all. Bhai Sahib asked himself "Why shouldn't I meditate on God's name in this life and achieve salvation?" Bhai Sahib also experienced while meditating, an inner voice saying "Without the Perfect (True) Guru there is no salvation in life." He left the parents, brother and sisters and proceeded to Delhi and then Bombay; he was tired and fell asleep during the travel. In his dream, someone said to him, "Your attachments are due to your past deeds and one day you have to part. The Lord's name is written in your destiny. The place where you are going will be good for you." He started reciting Raam Raam and doing simran in the Grace of God. It began to dawn upon him that any fear will be dispelled in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy Congregation. The divine perspective in life shaped his life and he decided to come to the UK. He came to England on the 18th January 1964 by ship at Tilbury. On arrival he got his first Nitnem gutka (daily prayer book) and started saying his Mool Mantar. He was blessed with ridhian sidhian (supernatural Powers) and his mission started in the UK. He came to Southall and started his first Rain-sabaaee Kirtan, continuous all night singing of the Gurbaani kirtan and ambrosial simran of Waheguru at the Southall Gurdwara; this spread further to other Gurdwaras. Bhai Sahib had tremendous energy and the charisma to motivate the youngsters to embrace Sikhi and be part of the Amrit paarchhar and he went with Saadh Sangat on yatra trips to Nankana Sahib, Anandpur Sahib and Hem Kunt Sahib. He also actively encouraged Amrit Chhaknaa and immersed in Amrit paarchaar sewa during his visits to the Far East (Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia), Makindu and Kericho, East Africa, Vancouver, Canada and USA. The sangat was mesmerized by his physical presence, his selfless sewa, simplicity, humility and his unique ability to keep the spirits of others in the Power of Naam. Bhai Sahib Ji epitomized humility and regarded himself as a Servant of Satguru Ji. He was a strong advocate of the principles and practices that we must live to serve and please only Satguru Ji and not others. I know of many people inspired by Bhai Sahib have put these principles in practice and this has become an integral part of their daily living. All those who met and came in contact with Bhai Sahib Rama Singh Ji would be touched by the unstinted love he had for everyone. Acting as a beacon of light, Bhai Sahib would guide and direct the Sangat to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as their Guru and encouraged daily simran. Bhai Sahib also gave great importance of cleaning the shoes of the Sangat as a very High Sewa. For over 30 years, Bhai Sahib was at the forefront of Sikhi parchaar in Europe and performed unceasing selfless sewa. He went on numerous Amrit parchaar tours worldwide to spread the message of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and participated as one of the Panj Pyaare in Amrit Sanskaar ceremonies. He was gifted, approachable and accessible, commanding intense love and respect from the Sangat or the congregation. He was actively involved in Kirtan Darbar participating wholeheartedly with the Sangat, the youth were especially dear to him. Bhai Sahib also was keen on gardening and he preferred to be with nature, nurturing and tending to plants. He constantly encouraged the Sikh youths to do amrit vela simran and stressed nimrata, humility, and urged them the need to build a jeevan (fruitful life). He also emphasized to do as many mool mantar as one can. Infact, he started targets for example 10,000 mool mantar by giving little counter to people which they click to increment the counter. What an incentive and it is a brilliant concept for Bhai Sahib to think on one-pointed mindedness on Naam? Guru Tegh Bahadur stated: suKu duKu ijh prsY nhI loBu mohu AiBmwnu ] khu nwnk sunu ry mnw so mUriq Bgvwn ]13] "One who is not touched by pleasure or pain, greed, emotional attachment and egotistical pride - says Nanak, listen, mind: he is the very image of God. ||13||" (Ang 1427, SGGS). Bhai Sahib was free from all this and he was to so many of us a living image of God, in the Form of True Khalsa, immersed in Naam. Always serene, full of love and affection. Bhai Sahib also advocated the power of Naam. He said without naam life is totally wasted and futile. He expresses in a poetic verse and gets the message across to the Sadh Sangat in his book: "They have not accumulated the treasure of Naam How can their Panth prosper? (You) do not meditate on the Naam in the morning You are wasting your life. Only recitation of the Naam will give you peace Forget not your (true) home By reciting the Naam you gain respect The cycle of birth and death will be terminated. Only the One Naam will go with you All wealth will be left behind Through good fortune did you get the human body Do not waste it. If you give up arrogance You will get respect hereafter You will be freed from birth (Chauraasi lakh joon or cycle) And always remain in a state of tranquillity." (Bhai Rama Singh Ji) Bhai Sahib also taught the sangat the way to recite Gurmantar. There are two methods for reciting Waheguru: the first is to recite the word Waheguru and the second to repeat Waheguru with every swaas (life breath). The method for repeating Waheguru with every swaas is taught by the Panj Pyaare. In this way, by doing swaas swaas simran in the early morning, a time comes when the swaas begin to ascend to the forehead (Trikuttee, a spot between the eye-brows) and one experience as follows: rI klvwir gvwir mUF miq aulto pvnu iPrwvau ] mnu mqvwr myr sr BwTI AMimRq Dwr cuAwvau ]1] "You brawling, ignorant person of low mentality, reverse your breadth and turn it inwards. Let your mind be intoxicated with the stream of Amrit, Ambrosial Nectar, which trickles down from the furnace of the tenth gate (Dasam duaar)" (Ang 1123, SGGS). Bhai Sahib left behind memories amongst the sangat and on his Barsi the whole world gets emotional and memories get rekindled. It is now just over 3 years Bhai Sahib passed away on the 1st. August 2002 at the age of 72 at amritvela. The Sikh community continues to love and remember him; in sharing his thoughts and experiences, Bhai Sahib completed an autobiography entitled: 'In Search of the True Guru' – 'Roop Gobind Ka, Raj Khalsa Ka, Sikh Sonay Ka'. The book covers his childhood, search for the True Guru, Selfless Service with Humility and Khalsa Raj. It is worth reading as it reveals the main reason for our existence and to achieve complete jeewan muktee as Bhai Sahib advocated is to Naam Japna and selfless sewa to the community without looking for recognition. 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  17. SikhLionz.com: Sikh Stories: Akali Singh And The Lion This is a great story of an Akali Singh of Raja Ranjit Singh's time. It tells us a lot about how fit the Singhs in olden days were and how fearless they were. It also tells us how much paath they used to do and how age did not reduce their strength. Their strength came from Naam and Gurbani. AKALI SINGH AND THE LION During the times of Raja Ranjit Singh, there used to be chardi kala waalay Akali Singh jee. His name has not been recorded in history and for this reason we are going to refer to him as Akali Singh hereafter in this story. Akali Singh jee was quite old and used to live in Lahore, the capital city of the Sikh kingdom. Raja Ranjit Singh held darbar at Lahore where all his government officials and public used to gather to run the day to day activities of the kingdom. The prime minister of the Sikh kingdom was a Hindu Dogra – Dhyaan Singh. Dhyaan Singh was from Jammu and had ulterior motives besides serving as the prime minister. It is very unfortunate that Raja Ranjit Singh placed non-Sikhs in important positions in his government. The only high ranking Sikh I can think of is Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa but after his shaheedi, basically there was no real Sikh in any high ranking position. The foreign minister and the internal affairs minister was Farid Azizudin, a Muslim. Other important ranks in Raja Ranjit Singh’s government were also held by Muslims and Hindus. The Sikhs and particularly the Akalis, whose jathedar was Akali Phoola Singh jee, understood that it was very wrong to have non-Sikhs in such high positions but the only person who did not understand was Raja Ranjit Singh. Raja Ranjit Singh was not bad at heart and was quite intelligent too but I guess in this case his intelligence betrayed him. The Akalis were very fearless and did not recognize anyone’s authority besides Guru Akal Purakh. They never recognized Raja Ranjit Singh as their king and always recognized only the government of Vaheguru. It is possible that deep inside Raja Ranjit Singh craved for the honour and respect that a king should get and since he could not get this from the Sikhs, who considered him to be his equal, he inclined towards the Dogra Hindus and Muslims who fulfilled his craving for the fake worldly honour. During the Darbar proceedings, our Akali jee used to attend the darbar when ever he could. Whenever Raja Ranjit Singh came to the court, all used to get up but the Akali jee used to stay seated and say fateh while being seated. The Dogra prime minister did not like this and one day he questioned Akali jee in the darbar as to why he did not get up from his seat to honour him and Raja Ranjit Singh. At this Akali jee declared, roaring like a lion that he only recognized Sachi Sarkar (True Government, true authority) i.e. that of Akal Purakh. He further said that Ranjit Singh was Jhooti Sarkaar (Fake worldly authority) and as such he did not feel the need to get up and say fateh to him. Raja Ranjit Singh had a big heart and he did not mind at all when Akali jee called him “Jhooti Sarkaar”. He humbly declared that indeed he was Jhooti (false) Sarkaar and that Akali jee was “Sachee Sarkaar”. The prime minister Dhyaan Singh got very upset when he heard Ranjit Singh bowing before Akali jee but he felt helpless and did not do anything further at that time. After that day, big-hearted Raja Ranjit Singh started calling Akali jee “Sachee Sarkaar”. On the othre hand, after this incident Dhyaan Singh started looking for an excuse to insult or hurt Akali jee. Akali jee in his natural way, continued his practice of critically analyzing the daily affairs of the government and did not hesitate to criticize Dhyaan Singh or anyone else for that matter. This made Dhyaan Singh more mad but he could not do anything about it. One day, Raja Ranjit Singh and Dhyaan Singh made plans to go out for hunting. Dhyaan Singh contrived an evil plan and asked Akali jee too to come along with them. Akali jee did sense some ulterior motive behind Dhyaan Singh’s offer but nevertheless agreed to come along. Akali jee had mountain faith in Akal Purakh Vaheguru. The whole party went to thick forest and they all were on horsebacks. As they came into thick forest in a very quite area, they heard the roar of a lion. Everyone stopped right there. Behind the bushes, they spotted a lion who stayed there and did not try to sneak away. Raja Ranjit Singh challenged his companions to move forward and fight the lion. The lion was a very fierce looking lion and no one answered his call. The Akali Singh stayed absorbed in baani and did not care what was going on around him. When no one answered to the challenge of Raja Ranjit Singh, he himself decided to move forward to engage in a fight with the lion. Just as he was about to move, Dhyaan Singh mockingly said to Raja Ranjit Singh that why should he the jhooti sarkaar (false authority) move forward in the presence of the Sachee Sarkaar (True Authority) i.e. Akai jee. Raja Ranjit Singh just smiled and did not say anything. Dhyaan Singh had said this to get even with Akali jee and avenge previous insults he had endured by the truth-speaking Akali jee. He wanted Akali jee to feel embarrassed as he thought that Akali jee was too old to fight the lion and would have to say no. Dhyaan Singh wanted Akali jee to say no to fighting the lion and then he wanted to make fun of him then for rest of his life. Akali jee was not an ordinary person. He was from the 1700s and had seen very tough times. He was a great fighter and on top of all this he used to do massive paath and Naam abhyaas. Akali jee accepted the challenge and said that Dhyaan Singh was right in pointing out that in the presence of Sachee Sarkaar (Akali jee), there was no need for jhooti sarkaar (Raja Ranjit Singh) to go forward. Saying this he jumped down the horse. When Raja Ranjit Singh saw him on the ground, he pleaded him to not go forward as he did not want him to get hurt. But Sachee Sarkaar did not yield and decided to move forward. At this Raja Ranjit Singh asked him to at least be on horseback as he would be more safe then but Akali jee said that it would not be fair to lion if he stayed on the horseback and the lion was on the ground. Raja Ranjit Singh felt helpless and also felt a bit angry at Dhyaan Singh. He asked his soldiers to keep close eye on the fight and to intervene if Akali jee’s life was in danger. Akali jee was on the ground now and started moving forward. Akali jee had a sword in his hand and he had done a double kamarkassa around his waist with his kambal (shawl). Akali jee thought of something and even dropped his sword saying that it was not fair for him to fight with a sword because the lion did not have any weapon. Raja Ranjit Singh was really worried but Akali jee did not care about anything. Now Akali jee was without a sword but he took out his shawl from his waist. The lion too came forward after seeing Akali jee moving forward. Their eyes were now locked and they looked fearlessly into each other’s eyes. The lion and Akali jee were looking deep in each other’s eyes waiting for their opponent to make the move. They stayed like this for few moments. To each of them the time seemed like a long time. It seemed as if they were testing each other’s mental strength and fearlessness through eyes. This lion was a human-eating lion and it was imperative to kill this lion. Since this lion was a human-eater (aadam-khor) he did not try to hide or get away. He had no fear of humans as other animals do. The lion could not wait any longer and jumped forward at Akali jee. Akali jee was just waiting for him to make the move. He was a huge person with very solid body. He was old but his strength had not left him. He possessed great fighting skills in hand to hand combat. As the lion jumped at him, he like a lightening moved aside and tied his shawl around the face of lion. The happened so fast that the lion too did not get any chance to think or do anything. Before the lion could realize what to do, Akali jee hit a massive blow on the lion’s back and hurt it bad. The lion just fell there and could not move. The lion just laid there helplessly and could not move any longer. Akali jee came back to his horse after finishing his work. Raja Ranjit Singh and everyone present there were surprised at the skill of Akali jee. Akali jee had subdued the lion in a very short time and they all started praising Akali jee. Raja Ranjit Singh gave a bag full of gold to Akali jee as reward. Seeing the reward, Akali jee thundered saying that how could Sachee Sarkaar accept something from a Jhooti Sarkaar. Akali jee said to Raja Ranjit Singh that it was his last fateh to him now. He said that he was going to spend the rest of his life in doing bhagti of Vaheguru. He warned Raja Ranjit Singh that he was surrounded with serpents like Dhyaan Singh who were going to rob the Sikhs of their kingdom one day. He asked Raja Ranjit Singh to see if he can ensure that the Sikh Raaj stayed for long. Saying this he left the bewildered Raja Ranjit Singh. The predictions of Akali jee came true and we all know that our raaj was destroyed by the evil Hindu Dograas. Akali jee was never seen by anyone again.
  18. Check out this site http://www.proudtobesikh.com/khalsa/
  19. WJKK WJKF Sadh Sangat ji, Please share your experience you had or have stories about Bhai Sahib Bhai Randheerr Singh ji. I will start one. Bhai Randheer Singh, whose original name before baptism and initiation into the Khalsa fold was Basant Singh, was born in the village of Narangwal in the Ludhiana District of Punjab on July 7, 1878, to a family of a very noble and devout heritage. His father, S. Natha Singh, was a learned scholar of Punjabi, Urdu, Persian and English, who initially worked as a District Inspector of Schools but later rose to the rank of a Judge in the High Court of the State of Nabha. As a Judge, he became well known for combining justice with mercy, compassion and humanity. His mother, Sardarni Punjab Kaur, was a direct seventh-generation descendant of a very devout, eminent, and saintly Gursikh, Bhai Bhagtu, a very distinguished disciple of Sahib Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib. Thus, Bhai Randheer Singh inherited scholarship and strength of mmd from his paternal side and qualities of piety and devotion from his maternal side. He had most of his early schooling in Nabha and his higher education at the prestigious Government and Foreman Christian Colleges at Lahore (in 1896-1900 A.D.), which was, at that time, the capital of the undivided Punjab State. He was not only an intelligent and diligent student with respect to his scholastic pursuits, but was also a good sportsman, having once served as a Captain for the College hockey team. He had a prodigious memory, a fact clearly revealed from the way he has reproduced details of the happenings during his prison life. In his autobiographical letters from prison, he has narrated his long conversations with the jail authorities minutely and distinctly narrated. In his various books on Sikh theology he quotes very appropriate verses from the Gurbani freely and with apparent ease. He had a deep insight and scholarly expertise in Punjabi, Brij Bhasha of Sri Dasam Granth, Persian, Urdu and English. He even distinguished himself as an Urdu and Punjabi poet during his college days. Even a cursory look at his life, as revealed from his autobiographical letters and related by his close prison and post-prison comrades, clearly shows that he was one of the very few Gursikhs of the century who had full and unfalterable conviction of his faith in the teachings of the Satguru, so much so that he staked his personal career, the safety and welfare of his wife and young children, his ancestral property and even his life in following the true path of Gurmat. He was one of the very few outstanding Sikhs of his time who, as one of the Panj Pyaras, blessed the so-called lowest caste people with the holy Amrit (Baptism of the Double Edged Sword). It may be recalled that those were the times when the Gurmat way of life had been almost completely overshadowed by Hindu orthodoxy or Brahminism. The Brahminic principle of untouchability regarding the low caste Hindus and Muslims had become ingrained in the minds of Sikhs to such an extent that the Sikhs would not even consider taking part in the Amrit ceremony in their company. Bhai Randheer Singh was one of the first few Sikhs of the 2Oth century who had the courage to be baptized along with a muslim, a well-known family of Maulvi Karim Bahhsh1, whose Amrit Ceremony was arranged on a large Panthic scale on June 14, 1903. As a result, he was treated almost as an outcast by the Sikhs of his own village and even by some of his relatives; the priest of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib did not even let him offer Karrah Prasad and do Kirtan there. However, he remained steadfast in practicing whatever was ordained at the Baptismal ceremony, as well as what he understood from the Holy Sikh Scriptures and authentic Sikh traditions. In fact, the practice and preaching of the Sikh Code of Conduct strictly in accordance with the true Gurmat became his passion in life. Though he belonged to an aristocratic family, his simple way of life, his devotion to Gurmat, and his determination to live strictly in accordance with the Commandments of the Satguru, have very few parallels in the contemporary Sikh society. Throughout his life, he stuck steadfastly to the Code of Conduct enunciated by the Tenth Guru, even at the risk of losing his health and life. He had the firm belief that initiation into the Khalsa fold was not merely a ritual but meant a new birth into the Spirit of the Guru, provided that the ceremony is conducted strictly in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down by Guru Sahib. At the time of his own baptismal ceremony, a disturbing intrusion by an outsider caused confusion in his mind regarding the true Gurmantra. He felt that there was a Mystic Word prescribed as Gurumantra for the Sikhs which also formed the central theme of the Gurbani - a particular NAAM - and it was possible to repeat it with every breath. He firmly believed that only through constant repetition of, and meditation on, this Mystic Word could complete self realization and oneness with God be attained. He, therefore, yearned ardently for getting the Gurmantra directly from Sri Guru Granth Sahib and was also confident that he would be blessed with it. He believed Sri Guru Granth Sahib to be the real embodiment of the Ten Gurus and, therefore, prayed only to Guru Sahib for the Bliss of the Holy Naam. With this objective in view, he made a prayerful vow to accept that holy word as the True Gurmantra that was indicated in the first hymn he read or heard in the Gurudwara on one particular morning. If there was any indication of the popularly known Divine Name of Waheguru through such words as Wah or Guru, he would accept Waheguru as the True Naam prescribed for the Sikhs as Gurmantra. How his prayer was accepted, in what a glorious way Guru Sahib blessed him with the Gurmantra, and the technique of its constant repetition, is very beautifully narrated in his autobiographical letters: As soon as I entered the Gurdwara and bowed before Guru Granth Sahib, these words were being recited: Ve-muhtaja Ve-parvah Nanak Daas Kaho Gurvah. (Asa M. 5:376) Carefree and unconcerned is the Lord, Sayeth Nanak Speak GUR VAH. The words Kaho Gurvah had such a magnetic effect on my mind that immediately my every nerve and pore in the body became imbued with the thrilled music of the Mystic Word Waheguru... To my great surprise I saw some unseen hand wave the chowri over Guru Granth Sahib and in between the canopy and the Guru Granth Sahib, there flashed forth a wave of light forming itself into the divine word Waheguru and moving in space throughout the inside of the temple without any visible support. After attaining the true Gurmat Naam from Sri Guru Granth Sahib, he became determined and anxious to attain the Named One, the Lord God Himself. His desire turned into a poignant thirst, and he took to repeating the Naam continuously without any feeling of fatigue or wavering of mind. After attaining the stage of self-realization during which he saw his own soul to be quite distinct from his body, his thirst for seeing the Light of God Himself increased manifold. On the auspicious day of Sahib Sri Guru Nanak Dcv ji's Prakash Utsav, in the year 1905, God revealed himself in all His Perfect Resplendence to him in the silence of the midnight meditation which he describes in one of his autobiographical letters as follows: God was now resplendently revealed within me... Ah! Blessed was my search today. I could see a sea of Divine Light flooding within me and outside me in shimmering resplendence... The more I was absorbed in it, the more wonderful and sublimely dazzling spiritual phenomena were seen by my inner eyes which cannot be expressed in the language of our physical and earthly world... I could see right through the roof and walls of the room in which I was sitting. Right through the sky I could see space beyond space, all crystal clear and bathed in purity. The whole of the universe was filled with incomprehensible light which was penetrating me and enfolding me. The music of His Divine Presence filled my heart with Blissful joy. I could see all this clearly and visibly in a wide awake condition... After these highly spiritual, mystical, and blissful experiences he resigned his Government job but did not become a hermit. He continued to tread the path of true Gumat which enjoins upon the Sikhs to continue to live in this world without being engrossed in it. He continued to perform his duties to his family and society. He took the initiative in clearing the malpractices in the various historical Gurdwaras. As a reformer, he was not deterred by the strength of the vested interests involved in their management. Once, at Gurdwara Fateh Garh Sahib on a holy occasion, he did not allow the recitation of Gurbani by an unholy and apostate Ragi Jatha, without caring for danger to his life. Again at Anandpur Sahib Gurdwara, on the occasion of Hola Mohalla Celebration, he did not tolerate the malpractices and immoral activities of the powerful management. Risking his own life, he successfully fought against the administration. It was for such deeds of Gurdwara reform that he has been referred to as the pioneer of the Gurdwara Reform Movement. A reference to his services in this respect was also made in the Hukam Namah bestowed upon him from Takht Sri Kesh Garh Sahib in 1905 (Appendix A). In 1914, when the British rulers razed the wall of the historical Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in New Delhi to beautify the surroundings of the then newly built Parliament House, it was Bhai Sahib Randheer Singh who not only was the first to protest publicly against this desecration of the Holy Shrine, but also to announce his specific plans to spearhead the agitation until the razed wall was restored. He was also instrumental in organizing two large Panthic Conferences in this connection, at Patti in District Amritsar, and at Lahore, to pass the Resolutions condemning the British action, and demanding the restoration of the razed wall. These conferences were the first of their kind after the British occupation of Punjab. It may be mentioned here that the Chief Khalsa Diwan, the only major Panthic Organization at that time, had expressed its willingness to side with the British Government. Although his mind was never in politics, as a true Gursikh who cannot accept slavery and repression, he, along with the Ghadarite emigrants from USA and Canada, became an active participant in the armed revolt against the British Government for the country's freedom. In fact, he was the only outstanding leader from Punjab who, along with his companions, was a participant in this revolt. It is worth noting here that the top Hindu leader of the Indian National Congress, M. K. Gandhi, opposed this revolt and declared his support to the British Government in their First World War efforts, saying, "Was it not the duty of the slave, seeking to be free, to make the master's need his opportunity?...it was our duty to win their help by standing them in their need."5 Earlier the so-called Punjab Kesri, Lala Iajpat Rai, called these Ghadarite emigrants fanatics and dangerous to the national cause. The revolt failed due to leakage of plans by traitors from within, and he and his companions were arrested on May 9, 1915 and tried in what is commonly known as the Second Lahore Conspiracy case. However, his love for the country's freedom arose solely from the ideals of the Sikh Dharma, and whatever he did for the country he did primarily as a true Gursikh and not merely as a political freedom fighter. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1916 and his property confiscated. He was only 38 years old with a wife and three young children. The eldest ten year old daughter could not bear this separation from her dear father and died within a month of his imprisonment. His son Balbir Singh was only six years old, and his daughter Daler Kaur was just two. During his prison term of over 15 years, he faced unprecedented sufferings. This was not for any political or personal reasons, but only for his determination to live strictly in accordance with the Khalsa Code of Conduct made known to him at the time of initiation into the Khalsa fold. In Multan jail, one of the hottest places in India (now in W. Pakistan) with temperatures going up to 122°F in May and June, he remained without food and water continuously for 40 days. This was because he was not allowed to prepare his food himself according to the Gurmat principles and he would not take food prepared by non-Amritdharis. He was chained to iron gates in the open for many days to face the scorching heat of the sun and bear the brunt of hot winds. At night he was put into a 6' x 4' cell without ventilation. This is only one instance of the many tortures inflicted upon him. He had to bear such terrible sufferings in prison that twice he was given up for dead even by members of his own family. Even after suffering such inhuman tortures, he remained steadfast in his beliefs and never once wavered from following strictly the Khalsa Code of Conduct. When the Khalsa Panth came to know of his tortuous sufferings, the whole Panth observed February 1, 1923 as a special day of prayer for him in particular and for other suffering Sikh prisoners in general. Prior to his release from prison in Lahore, the well-known Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who was waiting execution in the same prison, expressed a desire to have Bhai Sahib's darshan before his death. On being approached, Bhai Sahib refused to see him saying "...he has violated the basic tenets of Sikhism by shaving off his hair and hence I do not want to see him." Bhagat Singh was quick to express his repentance and also confessed that he, in fact, was an atheist at heart. He further told Bhai Sahib that even then, perhaps, he would have kept the Sikh appearance, but if he had done that he would have lost the friendship and sympathy of his Hindu comrades and would not have received so much publicity in the press. After a two hour meeting with Bhai Sahib, he became a true Sikh at heart and later went to the gallows as a true believer in Sikhism. Soon after his release in 1930, Bhai Sahib was honored by Sri Akal Taldit Sahib with a Hukumnamah and a robe of honor, recognizing his steadfastness in faith and selfless sacrifices (Appendix A). He is the second person to have been honored by Sri Akal Takht Sahib during this century, the other person being Baba Kharak Singh, the renowned Panthic leader of the late twenties. Afterwards, the other three Takhts also honored him in the same way, thus making him the only single person to have been honored from all the original four Takhts in the last hundred years of Sikh history. (Damdama Sahib was declared the fifth Takhat later). Robes of honor and a gold medallion were also sent to him by the Sikhs of U.S.A. and Canada. He was selected as one of the Panj Pyaras to inaugurate the Kar Seva of the sarover of Gurdwara Tarn Taran Sahib, and to lay the foundation stones of the new buildings of the Gurdwaras at Panja Sahib and Shahidganj Nankana Sahib, besides those of the Bungas at Patna Sahib and Kavi Darbar Asthan at Paonta Sahib. After his release from prison, he lived for over thirty years during which time he travelled throughout the country and propagated the true Gursikh way of life through Gurbani Kirtan and Paath. A large number of ardent seekers of the true path of Sikhism were drawn to him magnetically, and he directed them to and brought them in direct touch with the infinite wealth of Gurbani. In this way, the Akhand Kirtani Jatha came to be formed. According to him, the principles of life pointed out in Gurbani and prescribed in the Khalsa Code of Conduct are not merely ideals but downright practical. He himself conformed to and lived in accordance with these principles in letter and spirit, even in the midst of the most unfavorable and tortuous circumstances of jail life. It is now a fact of history that his bold stand and endurance of untold sufferings for retaining the Sikh symbols in jail resulted in the amendment of the Jail Manual, which permits all the Sikh prisoners to wear Turban, Kachhehra and Karra in jail. Prior to that time, they were forced to wear caps and Longoties and were deprived of the Karra. He wrote about two dozen books on Sikh theology, philosophy and the true Sikh way of life (Appendix B). Of these, the most well-known is his AUTOBIOGRAPHY, a collection of his letters written from prison during his sixteen years of imprisonment. This book reveals his personal spiritual experiences of the highest state of divine illumination. According to Bhai Sahib Vir Singh, these experiences "...will give convincing testimony of the fact that our faith, the contemplation and remembrance of the divine Name has now been tested by an experiment in the crucible of his own self by a scholar educated and trained in Western lore."8 It also reveals that his whole life has been a saga of suffering in which he never for a moment left his deep faith and devotion to God and His Word. With regard to his other books, it may safely be said that during the current century, he is perhaps the only writer on Sikh theology who has written comprehensively, and with the confidence arising out of first-hand personal experiences of the highest state of Divine illumination, on such subjects as Anhad Shabad (Unstruck Limitless Music), Gurmat Karam Philosophy (Law of Karma), Sach Khand Darshan (Vision of the Realm of the Truth), Jyot-Vigas (The Revelation of Light), Andithi Dunya (The Unseen World), etc. Dr. Tarlochan Singh rightly says that "...In his writings we find the glow of his mystic experiences, his intellectual certainty and the metaphysical clarity of his theology." The steadfastness of his character, conviction of his faith, and firmness in his allegiance to the high Sikh traditions are revealed from another remarkable incident in his life. Before his imprisonment, he was an intimate friend of Babu Teja Singh of Bhasaur and was also instrumental in establishing Panch Khalsa Diwan at Bhasaur in association with him. Babu Teja Singh was then quite a dynamic personality amongst the Sikhs and was a leading figure in the Singh Sabha resurgence. The Panthic Conference, where Bhai Sahib had taken Amrit along with Maulvi Karim Baksh and his family, was also organized by Babu Teja Singh. Hence both of them had become close friends. However, as Babu Teja Singh became a British Government loyalist, Bhai Sahib stopped working in association with him. During the period of Bhai Sahib's internment, Babu Teja Singh had been excommunicated from the Panth. After Bhai Sahib's release, Babu Teja Singh tried to meet his old friend after twenty years and came to his house to resurrect their old friendship. Bhai Sahib was not there at that moment. When he came to know later of Babu Ji's visit, Bhai Sahib wrote him a letter politely declining to meet him. The contents of the letter are very moving and reveal the true personality of Bhai Sahib and his unshakable and abiding faith in the Sikh tenets, values and traditions. It is therefore considered worthwhile to reproduce the English translation of the same below: "Babu Teja Singh ji, Waheguru ji ki Fateh. You, dear Sir, have come to see this humble servant of the Panth after one fifth of a century, i.e., 20 years. I was no less eager to have the chance of meeting with you and talking together. But I was deeply pained when I learnt that you have been excommunicated from the Panth by a congregation at Sri Akal Takht. What is even more distressing, you continue to disregard the authority of the Panth. It is now my request that you should be obedient to the Command of the Guru Panth and return to its shelter. Then we shall meet like brothers. It is my hope that you will accede to my request and thereby please the hearts of all of us. I am confident that you will not defy the Guru Panth and will abide by the tradition coming down through generations. Your sincere well wisher (s) Randheer Singh" Thus, no personal relationship would deflect Bhai Sahib from obeying in letter and spirit the edicts of the Guru Panth issued from Sri Akal Takht Sahib. This very brief sketch of his life given above brings out clearly that he lived the life of the highest concept of man evolved in about two and a half centuries by Sahib Sri Guru Nanak Dcv Ji in his ten manifestations. In spite of all these high spiritual achievements, he always remained humble and full of humility. He made stupendous sacrifices but never publicized them. He never felt hatred against even his adversaries who inflicted on him all types of tortures as he took all this as the Will of the Guru. He had a sizable group of associates attending and performing Kirtan at the Akhand Kirtan Samagams, but he did not organize them into a separate sect nor establish a separate Dera or Ashram as done by many other saints. He even refused to nominate anyone to head the Jatha as his successor and instructed that all the matters of importance and urgency be decided by the Panj Pyaras selected by the Sangat for that purpose. He never even requested the Government of the Independent India to release his land, which had been confiscated by the British Government at the time of his arrest, and held in possesion by the Indian Government until 1950. No pension or benefit as a freedom fighter was given to him or his family. This was because he would not personally seek any favour from anyone, not even the Government of free India, as a reward for his sacrifices in the freedom struggle. Right from 1900 A.D., Bhai Sahib Randheer Singh had been a very well-known personality among the luminaries of the Sikh Panth. During the days of Baba Kharak Singh's leadership, he was always at the center of all religious and political activities of the Sikhs. However, after 1947, Akali Dal leaders started sidetracking him as well as Baba Kharak Singh, treating both as un-persons. This was mainly because, in their company, the Akali and other leaders could not afford to fulfill their own selfish ends. Bhal Sahib, noting decadence in the Panthic leadership, had himself remarked a few years before his death: "...This is the beginning of the end of all these decadent parties and religious organizations. New blood and newly inspired political organizations alone will deliver goods in the future..." His life story thus explicitly brings out that, as Dr. Tarlochan Singh puts it: "...He was a God-intoxicated man, consumed with religious enthusiasm in the literal sense of the word and 'holding God within' as one would say; yet he was a practical leader capable of dedicated service to humanity and his country. His faith and virtues were near allied and mutually indispensable...With astounding faith and stoicism he suffered all his life for the ideals which form the cornerstone of Sikhism such as Freedom, Justice, Equality and Truth." Throughout his life, everything he did reveals his integrity of character and faith, absolute lack of ego, and extremely disciplined and spiritually enlightened life based on the Code of Conduct enunciated by the Satguru.
  20. This is a translation from a very famous book of Bhai Raghbir Singh jee. Please read this true incident that took place about 40 years ago in Calcutta, Bengal, India. It may change your life: *******TRANSLATION BEGINS******** A well educated Giani jee came to visit me at Calcutta and told me that he has read Bandagi Nama (a book by Bhai Raghbir Singh jee) and had a strong urge to meet me. I asked him the reason he was visiting Calcutta. He responded by saying that during the second world war, he served on the border of Hindustan in the capacity of his government service and upon the end of the world war, he had been asked by the government to see a senior engineer at Calcutta (with regard of his job). This meeting had occurred a day ago and even though the senior engineer had not submitted his report in writing, he had told Giani jee orally that Giani jee was not the kind of employee they needed to work on their machines because he did not have any experience working on these machines. For this reason he was not going to get this job. From the face of Giani jee one could easily see sadness and dejectedness. For this reason I asked Giani jee, “Do you want to get that job?” Giani jee responded by saying that even though whatever Vaheguru does is only good but he had a lot of expectations on getting this job and he was going back to Punjab with great regrets. I asked Giani jee to wait a couple of days more as the senior engineer had not yet submitted his written report about his decision not to hire Giani jee. Giani jee responded by saying that since the senior engineer had already given him his decision orally, it would be futile to wait for his written report. Later, before leaving he said to me that though he did not get job in Calcutta but he that he was very pleased to meet me. At that time I remembered a shabad of Siri Guru Arjun Dev jee and as per inspiration from that shabad, I humbly addressed Giani jee as follows: “Giani jeeo, did you give Vaheguru a chance to help you in this matter?” In response to this, Giani jee said, “Before coming to Calcutta I did ardaas. I did not do anything else. What do you mean by giving Vaheguru a chance to help me? Do you mean, Vaheguru is looking for a chance or an opportunity to help out and when he gets a chance he helps out? I have always been under the impression that everything happens in the hukam of Vaheguru. Under the hukam of Vaheguru, I would have received “yes” as an answer and under his hukam alone I received “no” as an answer from the engineer. In response to this, I asked Giani jee, “ if you are so willing to accept the hukam (will) of Vaheguru then you should have stayed stable after listening to the negative answer from the senior management but the fact is that you became so despondent that you did not bother to wait for the written response from the management and wanted to leave right away. Do you consider your spiritual and mental state to be at a level where you would be willing to accept the will of Vaheguru? I think you would have been happy if you had got this job and now as you did not get this job, you are trying to decrease your despondency by saying that it is will of Vaheguru”. After hearing my response, Giani jee started thinking and in a short while addressed me as follows: “After hearing you, I agree that you are right. The truth is that I wanted this job and this is why I came to Calcutta and would have been happy if I had got this job, but since I did not get this job and since I feel helpless in this situation, I called this bad happening a “bhaana” (will) of Vaheguru” I interrupted Giani jee at this point and said, “you should have given Vaheguru a chance to help you. According to the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib jee, one thing that Vaheguru does not know how to do is to not keep honour of one who comes to his protection”. JO SHARAN AAVAI, TIS KANTH LAAVAI; IH BIRAD SUAAMI SANDAA|| And KAURA BOL NAA JAANAI, POORAN BHAGVAANAI, AUGUN KO NAA CHITAARE|| After listening to me, Giani jee asked me what I meant by “giving Vaheguru a chance to help” and what I meant by coming to his protection (sharan). . I responded by saying that according to the teachings of Siri Guru Granth Sahib jee, one comes to the protection of Vaheguru when one’s state of mind is as stated in the following Gurbani pankiti: SAGAL DUAAR KO CHHAAD KE, GAHIYO TUHAARO DUYAAR|| BAAHEN GAHE KEE LAAJ AS, GOBIND DAAS TUHAAR|| When ones’ state of mind is as stated in the great saying of Guru Gobind Singh jee, then we can call such person as coming to the sharan of Vaheguru. This is how one can give Vaheguru a chance to help us. After listening to me, Giani jee was filled with love for Vaheguru and very humbly he said, “I have never come to the sharan of Vaheguru like this and nor I have ever given Vaheguru a chance to help me”. I said, “Vaheguru does not have any reservations that you have never sought his sharan. You can try going to his sharan right now, and you can give Vaheguru a chance to fix your problems right now”. Giani jee asked me, “Please explain how I can give Vaheguru a chance now to help me. What should I do now? In response I said that he should do that agreement (contract) with Vaheguru that Guru Arjun Dev jee wants all his Sikhs to do but only fortunate ones do it. Giani jee eagerly asked me, “What agreement or contract is that?” I responded, “the details of this agreement with Vaheguru have been listed in Raag Gauri, by Guru Arjun Dev jee. The first and the most difficult condition of this agreement is that a Sikh should come to the sharan of Vaheguru with true heart and full humility. The second condition that pertains to Vaheguru is that in return to the first condition that if a Sikh comes to the sharan of Vaheguru with true heart and humility then Vaheguru does all work for the Sikh and sorts out all problems for him. All his sorrows, worries, and pain get destroyed by Vaheguru and he fulfills all needs of his Sikh. That Sikh gets respect everywhere he goes and always is victorious in all situations. All the people of the world bow in front of his Sikh, out of respect and love”. “The third condition of this agreement with Vaheguru is that when Vaheguru begins to fix the problems of the Sikh, then the Sikh of Vaheguru should shed all fear and japp (recite) Naam of Vaheguru. As a result of this Naam japp, the Sikh will get great bliss. “The fourth condition of this agreement is that the Sikh of Vaheguru after receiving all these gifts from Vaheguru should share it with the world with open heart”. Hearing this, Giani jee asked me, “Why does Vaheguru do all this for his Sikh, just for coming in his sharan?” In response to this, I said, “Vaheguru who is the king of all kings does not expect any favour in return from a Sikh. He knows of the true situation of his Sikh’s mind and so long as a Sikh does not seek his sharan with true heart, he does not consider it appropriate to help his Sikh but as soon as Vaheguru realizes that his Sikh has complete faith in him and has shed other hopes, Vaheguru gets very pleased with his Sikh. At that point his grace is invoked and it fixes all problems of his Sikh. In the end of the shabad, Guru Arjun Dev jee states that he himself has done this agreement with Vaheguru and advise all his Sikhs to do the same”. Giani jee eagerly asked me, “What shabad is that where such great and profitable agreement is written?”. When I read out the below listed shabad, Giani jee got very surprised and said that he reads this shabad everyday but had never pondered upon this shabad so deeply” THIR GHAR BAISO HARJAN PYAARE|| SATGUR TUMRE KAAJ SAVAARE|| 1 || RAHAO || DUSHT DOOT PARMESHAR MAARE|| JAN KEE PAIJ RAKHEE KARTAARE||1|| BADSHAAH SHAAH SABH VAS KAR DEENE|| AMRIT NAAM MAHA RASS PEENE||2|| NIRBHAU HOYE BHAJO BHAGVAAN|| SAADH SANGAT MIL KEENO DAAN||3|| SHARAN PARE PRABH ANTARJAAMI|| NANAK, OT PAKREE PRABH SUAAMI||4|| Next day Giani jee phoned me and said, “My heart is filled with many kind of emotions at this time and this is why I could come in person to meet you. I got the job I wanted and that same senior engineer who rejected me two days ago, gave me this job. I cannot comprehend this great happening and the only explanation I can give is that Vaheguru himself has fulfilled my wish. Please give me asees (best wish) that I may follow that agreement that I agreed to follow yesterday, in front of you, all my life”. *********TRANSLATION OVER******** A lot can be learned from this article by Bhai Raghbir Singh jee. It is imperative to have Vaheguru on our side and the only way to do that is to seek his sharan and then do naam abhyaas.
  21. WJKK WJKF While coming back from Baghdad, Guru Nanak Dev jee told Bhai Mardana that he had only few more days to live. Bhai Mardana jee asked Guru Sahib to keep his honour in the next world. When the day for the demise of Bhai Mardana jee arrived, Bhai Mardana jee told Guru Nanak Sahib smilingly that he had onlyu few more moments left now. Guru Sahib asked him how he knew that. Bhai Mardana jee who was very relaxed, replied saying that with his (Guru Nanak Sahib’s) kirpa, he could see that “uss dee naabhi vich, swaasaan dee gandh khul gayee hai” (the knot of swaas in the navel, had opened up). He further said that he now had only 9 more swaas left. Exactly after 9 swaas, Bhai Mardana jee left for Sachkhand. When I read this, I found it very wonderful. There is too much that we have to learn yet. I had no idea that there is a knot of swaas in our naabhi (navel) that has to open up when we die. If we read the baani of Baba Farid jee, he writes: JIND NIMAANI KADHEEYE, HADDAAN KOO KADKAAYE|| (The rooh or soul of ordinary people comes out with so much difficulty that it shakes the whole bone structure) All our life is getting waste in trying to find the secrets of material world and accummulating the vain material things. No university, no college, no school is working on training us for the next world. Are we not totally unprepared for the next world? Are we prepared to die today and be held accountable for your deeds right away? Do we have the currency that will work there in the next world? Do we know the language of the next world? Do we have any connections there? If the answer to these questions is “NO”, then we are in big trouble.
  22. A man called Kalu once came before Satguru Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj and asked guru sahib for the definition of a holy man. Guru Sahib said: "Recognize him as holy in whom are to be found friend ship, sympathy, pleasure at the welfare of others, and dislike of evil company. In the first place, the intentions of holy men are pure. Secondly, they are pleased on hearing the praises of others. Thirdly, holy men serve the virtuous. Fourthly, they honour those who can impart to them learning and good counsel. Fifthly, as there is a periodical craving for food or intoxicants, so they feel a craving for the Guru's word and for divine knowledge. Sixthly, they love their wives, and renounce other women. Seventhly, they avoid subjects from which quarrels may arise. Eighthly, they serve those who are superior to themselves in devotion. Ninthly, even if strong, they are not arrogant, and trample not on others. Tenthly, they abandon the society of the evil, and only associate with the holy."
  23. No prob. i m glad that i can help sangat in any way.
  24. WJKK WJKF Can anyone tell me what is she saying and where is it from? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXAZ8mNkYsk&feature=related
  25. Setha, Gobinda and Bhaga wrre three rich merchants. They lived at Chaniot. Chaniot is a small town in Pakistan. All the three brothers were Hindus and the offered Sharadhs every year. They gave corn, clothes and coins to the Brahmans as Dakshana. Sometimes they wondered if all these things were really reached their forefathers in the next world. One day they came to Guru Arjan to find out his views about the Sharadhs and Dakshana. "O Guru," said Gobinda "We give Dakshana to the Brahmans in the name of our dear forefathers every year. Tell us whether all this reaches our forefathers or not?" "No man can tell whether your forefathers are in heaven or hell." said the Guru smilingly. "No one can tell which Brahman will go to heaven and which to hell. Moreover even if a Brahman reaches your forefathers, how can he recognize them out of the millions of dead people? Stop thinking about such things and stop offering Sharadhs. Work hard, tell the truth, help others and remember God." The three brothers agreed to act upon the Guru's advice and were satisfied, but there was another man, named Chuhar, who couldn't understand the Guru's advice. He said "Sir, how can a merchant like myself and people like Gobinda always speak the truth? Merchants have to tell many lies between sunrise and sunset every day." “Go back to your village, Chuhar,” said the Guru. “Do your trading and try to act upon my advice. Everyday count your lies and good deeds, write them down on a piece of paper and show me that paper at the end of every month.” Chuhar agreed to act upon the Guru’s advice and went away. From that day onwards. Chuhar counted and wrote down his lies and good deeds on a piece of paper. At the end of a month he came with it and showed it to the Guru The Guru asked him to read it out to the Sikhs and Chuhar did so. He had done no good deeds and had told a number of lies. He felt small and thought that he should have done better. The Guru however smiled and said, "Chuhar, leave your paper here and keep on trying." At the end of the second month, Chuhar had really done some good deeds and had told fewer lies. And so it went on. At the end of the eighth month, Chuhar's lies and good deeds were added up. This showed that although he had done only a few good deeds, he had told no lies. Everybody was surprised. Guru Arjan said, "All advice falls flat on those who never think of acting upon it. People have been listening to good advice for thousands of years. The important thing is to act upon it. Cart-loads of books and all the learning in the world are of no use if we do not care to follow them." All the Sikhs understood the Guru's advice and promised to act upon it. "As a child is satisfied by drinking milk; As a poor man is happy on finding wealth; As a thirsty man is refreshed by drinking water; So is my soul happy with God." (Guru Arjan) "To forget God is death; To meditate on His Name is life. Nanak, God is found in the company of the saints." (Guru Arjan)
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