Kharrag Singh

Teji Kaur Kirpan is an ang (part of the body) for a Gursikh. Without the Kirpaan one feels incomplete. It is Guru's hukam as well as the Punj Piarais' that a Gursikh should always keep his kirpan on. It is also the rehit given by the Punj that should a kakaar become far from your body, one should refrain from eating, drinking and should as quickly as possible recover their kakaar, do Japji Sahib and Ardaas, or Ardaas by 5 Singhs as in the case if both your feet come out from your Kashera... Keeping this discipline, gives a real and constant reminder that a part of you is missing. This is sharda and a show of piaar to Guru Gobind Singh Ji's rehat marayada. Whether Mahraaj would be happy for for the Gursikh to eat isnt the point, however the avastha of the Gursikh who decides that if s/he is unable to keep their rehat, they will not go around pretending all is good... that avastha is looked favourably upon my Maharaaj.... 16 hours without food or drink is not impossible. Most Muslmaan do this for a month during Ramadaan for their own reasons.... Note though, this isnt a fast, its the acknowledgemnt that you are unable to keep rehat and you are acting in accordance with the Punj's hukam. Spreading your views give excuse to bring Dhill (slackness) into ones rehat. If taking off your Kirpaan is so easy, then it shouldnt b a problem to take it off at night, during shower etc?... Surely, Maharaaj doesnt want to see us get poked by the kirpan at nite whilst we sleep does He??? Gurfateh

Veera, I think you referring to the historical Gurughar in Pakistan, all punj takhat are in India...so in case you thinking you cant do their darshan relatively easily...You can

Veer Ji, Guru Nanak Dev Ji wrote out the Mool Mantar. Placing the Bani on a higher level and in clean rumallai Maharaaj did parkarma around the Mool Mantar. You are correct in that Guru Raam Das Ji then intorduced the recital of Lavaan for the purposes of the Anand Karaj.

It looks like Bundha's fighting his corner by himself, so I'm offering a little bit of support... As Bundha has said, I also believe chairs have no place in the Guru's Darbaar and in addition, in the Langar Hall either... The ability to sit on the floor in divaan or during langar is one and the same. We tend to forget that Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Amar Das Ji formally brought in the practice of pangat and they themselves were well over 80 years old! Stools, cusions and other aids would have been available to them at that time also, however these were not used. Surely the sangat then would also have included people who faced difficulty in sitting? We can take a lesson from the situation of our Langar Halls, where only recently the pangat tradition has come into the majority after hard work from Singhs. However it was only after we saw a dramatic rise in the use of tables and chairs for the 'elderly'. Due to our guard being down, it has now firmly been established that each Guru Ghar can have a good number of tables and chairs for the 'elderly' to sit on, where in fact anyone and everyone sits without being worried about being accused of breaking the pangat tradition our Guru's started. In the same way, everytime we move away from our true way of living, i.e the way our Guru's taught us, we are in danger of making it the norm...this is how truth and history is lost. Therefore, putting the respect issue aside, i would never support the introduction of chairs in divaan. However, I can appreciate the views of those considering the disabled, i.e those that physically cannot sit (I'm not talking about those that cant just endure a little pain in order to sit in sangat as per tradition but about those that are maybe in wheel chairs for example). I am of the view that I am nobody in stopping such a person doing darshan of the King of Kings. As mentioned above, I cannot imagine Dhan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji would not allow a person in a wheel chair to enter their darbaar...However, I would commend the avastha and sharda of such a person that from their own choice do not go into divaan knowing they would be unable to uphold the principles of sangat...such avastha in my view would be pleasing to Maharaaj as they would see their Sikh being so humble and I'm sure if it was in their karam Maharaaj would answer their prayers in one way or another and give them their darshan themselves... however as noted above, I could not stop someone myself... Therefore, as a solution, I would personally have 2/3 wheel chairs that stay in the Guru Ghar only and should someone want to do darshan, they could sit in them and go in... This would avoid the need for seats in the divaan, it would avoid abled body people taking the easy root as they do in Lanagar and sitting unnecessarily on seats and this would also avoid the fact that just like we take our shoes off before entering divaan, it will ensure no wheel chair enters the divaan which may have travelled through all the dirt on the streets..... I think its importrant that we keep and stick to our Sikhi traditions with stead fast, however we should not be inconsiderate of those people in positions we could not even imagine... Should we however begin diluting our practices, they would sooner or later be lost, or they would merge into being the norm...we have som many example of this happening already... As a note to the veer who keeps questioning the stage in darbaar.... Anyone reciting bani, or doing katha of Gurbani and imparting Gurmat sits on a higher platform. This is primarily out of respect of the Bani itself. Just as at home, if you are reciting Rehraas with your family, the person holding the Gutka or the person reciting Rehraas from heart may it be, should sit on a higher platform... at the very least they should be sitting oona clean sheet...out of respect for Gurbani... The sakhi of Sri Guru Har Gobind Ji comes to mind where they asked for a Gursikh to recite Jap Ji Sahib khant (off by heart). They sat that Gursikh on their throne and Maharaaj sat lower...out of respect for Gurbani... in the same way, the stage is for Keertani's, Katha Vaachiks, Dhadi Jatha who are reciting Gurbani and imparting Gurmat.

Vjkk vjkf Maharaaj is obviously showering blessings on you. May He do the same for this lowly dog also. With respect to your questions, you are obviously at a stage where your piaar for your Guru is growing. Therefore, this is the time for you to build your character. Excuses are for those that dont want to admit what they are doing, or may not want to hurt someones feelings... but by making excuses no will ever really understand the truth and you will be making the same excuses for a long time to come... Therefore, in my opinon the best way is to just tell your friends straight that 'Its not your scene, its not something that inetersts you and you dont want to go'. Theres no harm in becoming more 'religious' and 'thinking about all the things we do that will effect our spirtuality''... so saying it as it is, builds your character and also earns respect from others. A quick tip, this attitude will help when you start working... its a great way of not having to go to socials, team building lunches etc etc because they are usually at the pub or places where alochol, meat is consumed or gambling takes place... Just tell them straight, its something that you do not do. With respect to your comment re ' I dont like my friends very much', - thats fine and well, but be careful not to alienate them or make them feel, that they think, that you think, you are better than them...keep nimarta, Keep close enough that hopefully one day they join you in sat sangath... we do not know the next persons avasthaa...even if they are monai.... Engage with them as and when it is worth engaging, ie if they talking about Sikhi, playing sports, etc Your second question re laughter from friends and happiness from Paath...is a funny one...not in a bad way... i suspect everyone will have slightly different experiences, so all I can do is share mine, which might help you, or might not... Worldly laughter and Aatmic Sukh will be different. Maharaaj constantly tells us to stay on level playing field when it comes to Worldy hapiness and sadness as there is only so much that can be gained from it. Aatmic sukh will give you santokh, ie the eradication of ups and downs...just a constant high that remains in this world and the next.... So in the long term, no I dont think the two necessarily converge... However, within our own relationships with Maharaaj, there is no reason why we cant feel the same kind of emotions when we are laughing around with a good friend and when we are doing bachan with Akaal Purkh... In the most simpilist of forms, when one is standing in front of Maharaaj doing ardaas, sometimes nothing comes out of the mouth but you are having a full blown conversation with Akaal Purkh... Ive been in situations when Ive smiled and felt a more 'humanly' hapiness emotion...those emotions can repeat themselves during paath.... but ultimately, to slightly contradict myself, the essence of those emotions are different... Dont know if any of above makes sense...lol..but unless Maharaaj comes in partakh saroop and tells you a joke - which I cant imagine happening, I find it difficult to think of having the same kind of impulsive laughter you may get from joking around with mates.... if we desperately need laughter like we get from our friends, it should be viewed as a form of weakness within ourselves... Aaatmic sukh in the form of santokh is what we want....

Hopefully, in this post the original topic starter can find a good argument for not eating eggs, and also it is a reply to the person who said Sikhs are lacto-vegitarians. First principal of Sikhi is daya - being merciful. Therefore, straight from the outset, killing an animal for owns pleasure, or for an unneccessary reason is not daya. In conjunction with all the updesh from Dhan Sri Granth Sahib Ji, Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji's bani, Mahapurkh Bhai Gurdas Ji dian vaara, Rehit Maryade and Guru Sahibs ithiaas, it is beyond doubt that killing for one's tounge is wrong, taking a life is mahapaap.... However, lets bring it into context further... Everything we do effects our karam and avastha (spirtual progression). Even eating plants will carry repurcussions on one's jeevan, i.e. a person consuming plants etc would have to take on some karam of the plants....However, I am sure I dont have to explain, but the karam for killing a plant compared to killing an animal would be far less... In fact, one reason for our nitnem...daily baani and daily ardaas/benti, is to cover for all those karams we do in even the most simplist persons life... ie eating vegetables etc, walking and accidently killing insects etc etc... Therefore, logically, there is a scale. A gursikh on the path of meeting with Vaheguroo, does not make it harder for themselves and therefore sticks to the simplist of simple lives... Also, from a spirtual progression point of view, everything that happens during the process of preparing our food, has an effect on it. Just as by simply eating degh which has had Gurbani read over it, or eating from the hands of a Mahapurkh rather than someone on the other end of the scale is more beneficial... Therefore, Gurmukhs on the path, would avoid eating from outside, eating processed foods - whatever one can do to reduce the above effects. Therefore, based on the above, consuming eggs wouldnt even be a question in the mind of a Gursikh looking for spiritual progression. One does not know the karam attached to the causing of chickens to lay unfertilised eggs, one does not know the karam attached to the smoker alcohol drinking farmer who collects the egg, one does not know the condition through which that egg has gone through whilst being processed / packaged...etc... one does not know whether that chicken was supposed to give life to a chick... Hopefully, that clears the egg part... and for that matter any other such foods also.... Unlike a post above, Sikhs are not lacto-vegetarians or whatever it is... Sikhs are neither vegetarians or meat eaters... Just to make it clear, should one want to live a life of acheiving spiritual progression, meat is a no no. However, as it has been shown in our history, should a Sikh find it necessary, or should a Sikh want to live the life of a warrior where it is necessary to consume meat, than that is ok - but again it will effect your avastha. However, again, Guru Sahibaans have given us marayda of chatka. Why? Because it goes to the point made above about karams. If a sikh wants to eat meat, do as per marayda, chatka all your meat...dont go kfc, dont go buy processed foods with elements already mixed in, do as per marayada. Do the karam, do the paath, do chatka yourself. However, again it would be worth reminding that if a person does this karam for pleasing the tounge, it would be a bigger karam to take on... If we look at our mahaan Singhs of the past, eg Mahapurk Baba Deep Singh.. look at what their diet was... especially during the times when all they did was bhagti, they consumed sholay daane only.... cannot get much simpler than that... Baba Ji didnt require to even think about taking on karams by eating meat because they had all there strength through Gurbaani.... Just to make Sikhi fit into our lives we look for excuses or reasons and explain aspects of Sikhi differently...Heart of hearts, everyone knows the true answer... because Maharaaj resides in each... if we ask our aathma, is it ok eat this egg, we will know the answer... again, in a situation of war, depending on circumstances, if we ask our aathma, is it ok to eat meat.. we will gagain know the right answer... it all depends on whether we want to listen or not....

Gurfateh Don't want to start an argument but, all lagamantra's (ohnkurs, siharee's etc) should be pronounced to some extent. It is important to get santhia and to make sure a siharee doesnt sound like a laav etc... if the lagamantra's are so important for arth...which they are... then surely the arths should be understood by someone just listening... most people out of laziness or simply not knowing..or stoutly believing they should not be said...do not pronounce the lagamantra's... it is extremely difficult to pronounce all the lagamantra's clearly and correctly, but an effort should be made... only this way could somebody truly learn baani kanth (by heart)... Bhul chuk maaf Gurfateh

Gurfateh Yes it is incomplete, following link shows the complete svaiyai.. http://www.sridasam.org/dasam?Action=Page&p=86 Gurfateh