Jangal Da

You are correct - my fault for not observing that. I have removed that link.

This is a Sikhi forum. Sikhs do not believe this stuff.

No hukumnamas. Their history is easily available with a quick google search. Eg http://www.jathashaheedan.com/jotaksal.php The puratan lineage before the 20th century is not traceable, but is probably either through direct or indirect learning through the mahapurukhs and hence the tradition that is still claimed.

Facilitators are lacking. However resources for private study are available to all nowadays, but this is not as great as sitting with Sangat and learning from someone who has good Gyaan.

Colour of the patka or dastar is of no relevence - its just superstition. There was a rahit nama - fairly certain its Bhai Daya Singh's, that forbids wearing a suhi rang dastar. This is because red was the colour or jogis and qalandaris. However like most puratan rahits, I would not trust them as hukum, because people these days just quote the bits from them that fulfill their agenda - otherwise when you look closer they contain things that Sikhs these days do not agree with or follow. Taksalis and Nihangs talk about Khlasa colours of black, blue, white and orange. Hence they wear these colours. I do not know why. Dastar looks good matched to your tie or shirt. If wearing a pocket square, the minority colour in the square should match the dastar colour, otherwise it overdoes it. (Just my own fashion opinions btw).

I'm surprised the Akal Takht has not taken up this issue before whether a formal application has been submitted or not. 3HO has been exposed for a long time now, its nothing new.

I like it! Wah wah! Mukraar irshaad!

It sounds like they are mocking in some screwed up way. Reflect the question back to them; Tusi path karda hunda? Ji. Menu eh dasso, tusi path ka matlab ki jande? Tusin jande honde ki nitnem ka bani ki hunda Sikhan liye? Anything along those lines. Do not let them reel you in, but at the same time, keep them on the end of your line and do not let them off the hook!

Definitely no Bf or Gf in Sikhi. Relationships are solemnised through Anand Karaj and a committment to gristi jeevan is made thus.

This is a difficult one because you cannot generalise. But firstly its good the tiff only lasts a few days - when you make up, do you reflect back between yourselves about how it all started? Who yeilds first when you start talking again - does she initiate it or you? This is worth chatting about and analysing together when you are both back in the friendly mood with one another. I feel arguments are not unusual in marriage - especially in the early years (or that may just be my personal experience!). Have you involved any elders eg parents when things are bad or just happening too often? That would be better than getting advice from the forum. You are in a stressful job and she is away from everything that is familiar in a foreign land, which itself is a stress. Your marriage is a bridge to overcome these stresses - talk about it. Make sure you have got some time out to yourselves - many of us have busy lives or work and family life can easily be neglected. Do you go for walks together, go out for meals etc.

I quit - here's how. I was not the binging type (not since my student days many years ago) but enjoyed my evening peg regularly. I wanted to read Gurbani from my Gutka which had for a long time remained on a shelf in my study wrapped in a cloth. But on days when alcohol had been in my system (or was going to be later that day) I just felt too ashamed to even look at it, let alone want to handle and read the sacred bani. Day by day my longing grew and then I started to read. Soon I developed a regular nitnem and at that point I realised that the True Elixir that Guruji had placed before me replaced the false elixir of sharab. I had stopped and it had been a while - I never missed it. When I was with family, it felt good to say - "not one for me - I don't drink.' It was liberating. Some people really got touched when I explained why.

Why freak out??? As mentioned - you just do rehras sahib path and then kirtan sohila. If this is somehow beyond you, then I'm frankly shocked that you are amritdhari... Sometimes circumstances cause you to have missed part of your nitnem. If so you should be aware that you ask Waheguru's maafi in Ardas prior to your next nitnem bani.

Badal Sahib mehrbaan karo - pehlo ikh yaadgarhi imarat poori banake phir doosra project shoroo karo! Je Sikhan liye project saare katam hogey, pher bahamna ya mussale liye banaun di koi faida nahin - yeh sirf fazuli kharch he. Paise sambhalo Punjab di economy bachalo!

Check out the following museums: Victoria & Albert Science Museum Natural History Museum Imperial War Museum All easily done in one day. For Sikhi related stuff you will see things at the V&A museum (like Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne) and Imperial war museum (like cannons captured from the Anglo-Sikh Wars).

Ebay I also rate the traditional hungarian/ E European bows (again should be locatable on Ebay) as the best - very similar in design to the bows our puratan forefathers used.

Canada looks awsome - if I see another joon on this Earth, then Canada, here I come. Once saw a Ray Mears survival programme based in Canada, where he was shown how to make a native Indian canoe from all natural materials in 1 week whilst camping by the lakes. Compared to modern top quality canoes, the design and function of this canoe still surpasses them all. Whilst they shot the programme the background woodland looked stunning.

Its good you are getting counselling - like I said, depression is usually curable, especially at your age. It seems that you are feeling so low because you cannot do your sense of Sikhi any justice. While you are depressed it will be hard and displaced guilt like this is again symptomatic of the depression. Do your Sikhi justice by pulling through it and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Focus on the fact that it is highly likely given that this is your first presentation of the illness, your age and the reactive element of your depression (percieved lack of attainment educationally), that within 6 months you'll be in chardhi kalla again. Now make sure you've seen your doctor and have a chat with your parents. Fateh.

I would love to take up archery again. As a kid I was taught how to make my own kit, including recurve bows using steam bending (or rebending to be more precise). Back then I had bags of time and the space. I think I'd find joining a club too restrictive and not justify the committment in terms of time these days. Ideally buying a nearby woodland plot would be fantastic. The problem with the UK is the lack of open space, even in the countryside. I don't think that is not such an issue in places like Canada at all.

This is also from the same chapter 20 of PPP. My link posted above to the main story is preceded by this within that same chapter. The Guru accompnied by the two Pathan brothers had come from Chamkaur to the village of Machhiwara. Guruji was left on the outskirts whilst the brothers entered the village to call upon the Khatri Gulab Chand. Guruji then stayed at this person's house as a safehouse after Gulab Chand served him some food whilst he was still outside the village and entered only after nightfall. A couple of Singhs also came to stay at the Guru's behest. One day the Guru ordered some goats and told the Singhs to jhatka them. The Guru also ate the meat that was thus prepared and threw the bones into the neighbour's yard. The neighbour was a Muslim who abused his Khatri neighbour for throwing his left overs in his yard. At this Gulab Chand became fearful and begged the Guru that as he was a poor man of meagre means, the Muslim neighbour may arouse suspicion enough for the Mughal authorities to come and know that Gulab Chand was sheltering the Guru. Gulab Chand said he would undoubtedly be put to death along with his whole family. Guruji then threw coins into the Muslim neighbour's yard. The neighbour being thus placated, would keep his silence. The guru stayed at this house for ten days before the next part of the story which goes on to the Uch ka Pir episode.

I think your view point is extremley narrow minded. You have observed a section of society and then go on to paint every westernised indian girl/ woman with the same brush. Maybe its just your definition of westernised that needs a rethink? You say that you "find settling down with a westernised indian female is very hard...". This implies you are 'trying out' or have 'tried out?' Does this not make you just a bad. Why do you think "marrying a fresh from Punjab" may be better. What some girls and boys get up to in the West is no different than in the East.

I wrote about the sakhi of Macchiwara a few years ago on this site as per Bhangu's PPP. Here is the link:

I've recently thought about this too. I pronounce them if the word makes sense. However I understand that the Damdami Taksal always pronounce them. I've listened to some eminent Taksalis on youtube doing path and it is subtle, but they soften or emphasise as per flow and sense of the word. I've also wondered whether words such as in the Japji Sahib phrase (chose this example because all will recognise it): Vakt na paiyo kadhia Should be pronounced as: Waqt na paiyo qazia - as you would in normal Punjabi. Was it a restriction of the Gurmukhi Penti, or the accent of Punjabi at the time...I do not know. However for such words or lines, I have just stuck to the way its written in the Bani and not adopted the way I think it should be pronounced. What do others think?

Which country and city/ town do you live? You call your parents 'Punjabi' as if that's an alien concept for you. Are you not Punjabi, irrespective of where you were brought up? Were you adopted? Do you think its just Punjabis who think going a year behind is so of sort of failure - believe me, a parent from any race will probably have that gut reaction. However most parents are understanding (Punjabis especially!) you need to be more open with your parents. You say you have been diagnosed - are you on treatment ie counselling or medication? A hallmark of depression is demotivation and feeling tired, so I can understand why you cannot commit to your nitnem. This is not a bujjhar kurheit. Depression is a curable condition and once you are ready you can pesh - a pardhan or gyani should be told about this and then they will advocate your case in front of Panj. In such most cases where transgression was for a medical reason, Panj will simply say Ardas for you and you then just get on with it. I wonder if you are just looking for an escuse to cut your kes?

To be honest I'm undecided as to whether you are genuine or not. Recently there have been a few similar threads in this section where rather than seek professional help like approaching a doctor, individuals expect some Divine solution through Gurbani or Shabads as if they are mantras for certain solutions like this? Currently I have a prolonged illness which causes crippling daily pain, but which will eventually be sorted out by my surgeon. In the meantime reading more Gurbani is comforting for me and genuinely removes my pain in those moments when I do recitations. My Guru is my comfort blanket, just like a small child seeking comfort in the embrace of its mother. But you should not expect more beyond that - your solution lies elsewhere as has been pointed out by others - get over yourself and see your doctor. The fact is its not just a once in while night emission that some pubescent boys have. What you are saying is not normal and is not common. You say that you actually remove several knots in your sleep so that you then commit onanistic acts. Either you are quite pre-meditated and thus delusional that this just so happens in your sleep and are seeking some redemtion from this site, or you have have a rare sleep disorder. So please pluck up (or rather man-up) some courage and see your doctor. I just hope you have not come on here to make up some kur-kahani and then getting some wierd kick out of the responces.

I noticed back in Punjab that horse riding in some villages is regaining popularity and its now even started to become a craze to give a nukra horse as a gift to the son-in-law on the occassion of marriage (whether he knows what to do with it or not). However quality of horses remain poor. Looking at European artists who captured the Sikhs from the days of Ranjit Singh, the horses we used to keep were similar phenotypically to Arabs. Apparently in the earlier Misldari period, Sardars would raid Mughal, Persian and Afghan camps and take the best horses. The Mughals used to breed the famous Anmol breed in the Punjab and I think this is now extinct. Some good examples of native horses that I have seen at melas in Punjab are from the Marwari breed - but again pure breeds are rare. I once saw the Marwari stallion kept by Sukhbir Badal who apparently is a good rider and its a fine beast of the breed - one if the most beautiful examples I've ever seen. At these melas farmers that I've spoken to say its a hobby for them and some breed to sell on. But no one said they had the means to go for top breeds, saying it was due to the costs. When you mention our history and hertitage to them, they all go on about how for those times that was fair enough, but these days its a Land Cruiser that's what the man with that sort of money wants - not a fancy steed. Its a shame.