ms514

Sat Sri Akal: I am with Gabroo Khalistan Dah. Upon making the committment to Sikhi Path by taking amrit, only then does one have the right to call themself a Sikh of the Khalsa Panth.

Sat Sri Akal: Singh Sahib, balance in the Sikh community was lost even before Ranjit Singh's rule. It was noted that before Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Misls had divided the Punjab into distinct territories. There was fighting BETWEEN the Misl leaders (aka. against other Sikhs!). Nokia Sahib(an?) could you clarify the question? Do you mean to ask whether there is a conflict between Sikh way of life and the worldly life or a conflict between Sikhi and Sikh soceity?

Sat Sri Akal: Salvation is in the hands of the Almighty.

Sat Sri Akal: Sant Jarnail Singh...a Congress puppet? Perhaps one should read the speeches of Sant Sahib in which he states that he is neither Akali or Congress. Where is the proof? Everyone makes this assertion, but none have yet to prove this as a fact. It remains rumor, and a baseless one at that. A thorough analysis of Sant Jarnail Singh was done in Cynthia Keppley Mehmood's "Fighting for Faith and Nation" which concluded that Sant Sahib's objective was to revive the Sikh faith and take the youth away from drugs and alcohol so that they may take amrit and become Sikhs. She also observes that Sant Sahib was very aware of the labels of being a Congress or Akali member, but made his position as independent from both quite clear. Most articles just work on heresay spread out in the Indian media and facts from the Government. To stake those sources as reliable is to spit at the very essence of historical analysis, which is to present the truth. The article makes it seem as if the 1984 incident is one of bad circumstance, one which was driven by incidental tragedy. Was it? Indira Gandhi did not mount a response to terrorists occupying the Harimandir Sahib. She sent commandos and army branches to train MONTHS in advance for the attack on Harimandir Sahib. Here intent was also made clear by the uncovering of Operation Shanti by Bhai Sangat Singh, in which Indira planned to use the armed forces to clash with the Sikhs near the Pakistan border and plaster the Sikhs defending themselves against the armed forces on the news, twisting the portrayal as the Sikhs allying with Pakistan. This would push an already disillusioned Hindu community against the Sikhs to a massacare of Sikhs at a genocidal proportion. It is the leaking out of this covert operation to Beant Singh that led him to assassinate Indira, not revenge against the Harimandir Sahib attack. The author makes an observation that the Sikhs were frustrated about not having many jobs available and mentions that the army recruitment numbers had been decreased, which is true. The Army's enrollment was to be cut down to 2% to reflect their respective population in the Army (although, one wonders if this was done to curb any major Sikh presence in the Indian Army). The other factor that was a huge cause of frustration was the influx of Biharis in to the Punjab. Their migration in huge numbers displaced the Sikhs from jobs that otherwise would have been occupied by Sikhs. Combine this with the water diversion issue of the Punjab's rivers and the recently Government supported-Nirankari Incident, the Sikhs were not the happiest community to say the least. The "outlet" for the Sikhs is stated to be the AISSF. And why not? Who else was going to address the Sikh concerns but Sikhs? The Sikhs had tried to make these concerns on the belahf of ALL Punjabis even with the Punjabi Suba movement. However, their Hindu brethern betrayed that movement by stating that they all spoke Hindi and this led to the partitioning of the Punjab. Who were the Sikhs to trust? Fellow Punjabis who had just betrayed them a few years ago? The government had failed miserably at addressing any of the concerns. They can even be seem as partly (or mostly) to bame (see above list for greviences that the government did not address). The author then takes a cheap blow by equating Sant Sahib's preaching with Iranian and Arabic movements (giving the cryptic leaning towards saying that Sant Sahib was a terrorist). If one reads the speeches that Sant Sahib gave, he clearly outlines that his concern was to revive the Sikh faith. Nowhere in his speeches do you hear preaching of hatred. He shows clear disdai n for Indiar Gandhi, as her policies were aimed squarely against Sikhs and he cites various examples. He advises that Sikhs should be armed to DEFEND themselves against the inevitable onslaught that the Sikh community was going to face and told the Sikhs that Sikhs are a distinct community and to do maintain that distinctness. At the same time, he preached that his one request was that every Hindu should become a Hindu, every Muslim should become a Muslim and every Sikh should become a Sikh. So, where is the hatred? Where is the terroristic threats? I especially like tha quote that says "From April 13th 1978 onward, Punjab became the scene of warfare among heavily armed terrorist groups bent on exterminating each other for the glory and purity of the Sikh faith.” Really? Which Sikhs killed whom? Again, a quote with no basis. Empty words blowing in the wind. If anything, Sikhs might have been more united after 1978 then since Guru Sahiban's times! Pure rubbish! Another point of clarification. Hundreds of Sikhs were not killed in the Darbar Sahib attack. THOUSANDS were. These numbers were probably based on Government estimates and I am sure those are not the most accurate numbers. I especially like the section about Rajiv Gandhi being paintedas an innocent figure in this whole picture. Excuses like "hectic schedules" and his Cabinet are not valid, given certain bits of history. For one, when asked about Sikh killings after his mothers death by a reporter, Rajiv shrugged off the question by answering to the effect that when abig treefalls, it causes shockwaves, equating Sikh killings as mere collateral damage. Is this how one expresses concern for their country's citizens being massacared? And one must realize that the police brutality that existed in the Punjab was predominantly occuring when Rajiv was in power. What measures did Rajiv take to stop the police butchering? If anything, the police officials were rewarded with promotions and increased sa laries for their torture, rape and murder of innocent Sikhs. Did Rajiv take any steps to stop these? Nope. Rajiv was far from innocent. All in all, the author makes the typical attampt to analyze the Punjab issue with Government facts. Such practice is short-sighted, given the dubious Government involvement in the Punjab crisis. Nice try, but a failure nevertheless.

Sat Sri Akal: Careful SikhforLife Sahib, not all people who tie a round dastaar of that type are Naamdharis!!! :T:

Sat Sri Akal: Well, you have two options for the Dasam Guru Da Granth as an electronic format: 1) Go to http://www.dasamgranth.org/dasamgranth/translations/ and download the 5 volume set available. Caution: The website is run by some very suspicious people. Take the file, but do not take anything that the website says at face value. This translation is given in Punjabi and does NOT include Enlish translation. 2)Wait five days and see if http://www.sikhitothemax.com/ is done with their translation of Dasam Guru Da Granth. Projected completion date is given as 6/28/03. I believe that this will be translated to English.

Sat Sri Akal: Three words: SUE, SUE, SUE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sat Sri Akal: Nanakshahi Calendar is the way to go. It will give the Panth a furthering of its individuality and identity.

Sat Sri Akal: Nope, the Radhasoamis and the Nirankaris are NOT Sikhs! Nirankaris were officially kicked out of the Panth in 1978, after their "Guru" insulted Guru Gobind Singh, Guru Granth Sahib and the Panj Pyare and then proceeded to murder 13 Sikhs who were peacefully demonstrating against the insults. The Radhasoamis were never part of Sikhism to begin with.

Sat Sri Akal: I gotta say, something aint right. There is a very old movie about Shaheed Uddham Singh. It shuns all the romance and B.S. and shows the Singh's life. In it, there was NEVER a scene with him having his keshas cut or anything of the sort. Quite in contrast to the new one with Raj Babbar. Someone got the real 411 on Shaheed Sahib and his keshas? P.S. Shaheed Bhagat Singh did not follow Sikhism at all until he met with Bhai Sahib Randheer Singh. Until then, he was an athiest. After his meeting with Bhai Sahib Randheer Singh, he expressed a desire to take amrit and become a Sikh. The British refused his request and he was hung without having taken amrit.

Sat Sri Akal: Forgot to respond to topic!!! :D @ :D @ :D @ Hey, I agree. The site makers are humans. Drop them an e-mail. I just did. P.S. Be Kind (I can see nothing less that kindness from Sadh Sangat of Sikhsangat.com...but just a reminder).

Sat Sri Akal: Sure, its only logical that ALL Caucasian Sikhs are 3HO, right??? :D :D :D Please stop grouping all of the Caucasian people who converted to Sikhism together as Yogi-followers. Most of them were introduced to Sikhism through their yoga teacher, Yogi Harbajan Singh. BUT don't mistake that to mean that they are all about the Yoga. Many of those that did convert to Sikhism post on Sikhnet. Their views are FAR better on Sikhism than the "average" Punjabi Sikh and their dedication to the Sikhi Path is undeniable (remember, many of us "Punjabi" Sikhs were blessed with Sikhism from birth. These people took it upon themselves to research Sikhism, leave their past associations behind and become Sikhs) . Many of them have great insight into the Sikh scriptures, as is evidenced from time to time on Sikhnet. And keep in mind...these are your BROTHERS AND SISTERS that you are bashing. They took amrit from the Panj Pyare too!!!

Sat Sri Akal: First rule: Any person who wishes to hold ANY Sikh position should be REQUIRED to keep only the last name of Singh or Kaur. The answer to your question is a definite yes!!! For Sikhs, religion and politics DO go hand in hand, as politics is an extension of the Miri concept. HOWEVER, a Sikh politician should be a Sikh first and embrace Rehat and Gurbani, not be an enemy to it!!! Torha (and Badal) are no where near Sikhs!!! People talk big, but their actions betray them. An excellent post on Sikhnet addressed how the Sikh politicans were holding this huge anti-drug campaign while they distribute liquor to people to get their vote. How can we trust these people to reflect the interests of the Sikh Panth when they themselves work to destroy it? May the Almighty rid us of such traitors! :v :g :v :g :v :g

Sat Sri Akal: Had a listen...very good katha by Nihung Sahib. Thanks for the link!

Sat Sri Akal: So true... Keep the posts coming Singh Sahib! We need input from the younger generation! Us aging 20 some year old senior citizens need inspiration ; :D

Sat Sri Akal: Keep posting more poems if you have them Singh Sahib! Your age betrays your devotion!!!

Sat Sri Akal: Good Poem!!! I am also in support of a "Kavi Darbar" section in this website!

Sat Sri Akal: Truth...well, that would be a change now... Here's some truth for ya: India's "Lovely" Words for the Sikhs

Sat Sri Akal: I got your simran right here you Son of a Singh! http://www.gursikhi.org/simran.htm

Sat Sri Akal: Ok...where is the Sikh???

Sat Sri Akal: Before proceeding, one thing needs to be clarified. Khanda means a double edged sword. It is the center sword that runs through the Sikh symbol. What the symbol is officially called, I do not know (however, most people refer to the Sikh symbol as Khanda). Some Sikhs (western converts) do call it the Adi-Shakti, or the Primal Force, but I am not sure that that is the official name. P.S. Another explanation of the Sikh symbol can be found at: http://www.hathisoft.com/sikhism/khanda/khandadesc.htm I have also heard about the Sikh Symbol being introduced to the Sikhs by Guru Hargobind Sahib, who stated that this symbol existed in the Satyug. There is even another symbol worn by the Nihungs which seems remarkably close to the current Sikh symbol, the difference being that the circular part surrounds the Miri Piri swords and the circular part is not a complete circle. A lot of explanations, a lot of rumors...welcome to our history!!!!

Sat Sri Akal: Where the Guru Granth Sahib resides, where the Nishan Sahib flies high and where sadh sangat is immersed in Gurbani is the holiest of places. Why is Amritsar considered so important? It was the fist Gurudwara built. Next to it is the Akal Thakat. There was an article about the historical importance of were Darbar Sahib is built (I think by Sardar Kapur Singh, but not too sure). It is rumored to be at a place that a lot of spiritual events in history took place there.

Sat Sri Akal: An elder symbol of Sikhism is the one the Nihungs wear in their dumallas which I believe is called a chhand...it has half a circle with a sword going through it, representing degh, (the half circle represents a kettle, which in turn symbolizes service to mankind) and the double edged sword going through it symbolizing the tegh, which stands for self-defense and defense of the poor/weak. A picture of a Nihang Baba with the chhand in his dumalla is below: There is an article I found on the internet that I will post below. It is VERY long, BUT has a lot of information about Sikhism's symbols, their origionations and their meanings. __________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sat Sri Akal: Here's an article that gives some info on the question: I found this article at: http://www.snsm.org.my/library/articles/kh...sa_insignia.htm _________________________________________________________ Khalsa Insignia & Nishan Sahib by Pashaura Singh, Ph.D. Asian Languages and Cultures Assistant Professor of Sikh Studies 3070 Frieze Building Office: (734) 763-7889 University of Michigan Fax: (734) 647-0157 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 About two decades ago, I wrote one article on the origins of our Sikh Flag (*Nishan Sahib*) in Punjabi, *Dharam Dhuja Fahirant Sada* ("The Fl ag of Faith is eternally flying") which appeared in *PANCHBATI SANDESH*, Vol. 2, No. 2 (!979), a quarterly journal of Dr. Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra, Dehra Dun. (This jouranl is now published under the auspices of Punjabi University, Patiala). I could not find that article from my own "well orgainzed shelves" (?) now. Perhaps that is lying in some boxes of old magzines and books. When I wrote that article I was bubbling with enthusiasm and used to spend a great deal of time on research. What I am going to write here is just the main points from my memory. The first Sikh Flag was unfurled by Guru Amar Das at the completion of Bauli Sahib at Goindval Sahib on the bank of River Beas. Its color was white. The evidence for this comes from Bhat Kirat's Savayyie ("Panegyrics in Praise of the Guru") from the Guru Granth Sahib: *dhavalu dhuja seti baikunth bina* "[Whose] white pennent is flapping on the bank of heavenly abode" (AG, p. 1393) This flag was meant to invite people to visit the Guru's place, share the common meal in the community kitchen (*Langar*) and have audience with the Guru. Even Emperor Akabr was attracted to visit the Guru and share the meal with commoners. The tradition of raising the flag continued at Ramdaspur (Amritsar) through the periods of Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan. Bhat Mathura bears witness in the following verse: *phuni dharam dhuja fahirant sada agh punj tarang nivaran kau// mathura jan jani kahi jia sachu su aur kichhu na bicharan kau//* "[Master's] flag of righteousness ever waves to destroy the waves of swarms of sins. Mathura has stated this truth after knowing the facts, there is nothing else for deliberation." (AG, p. 404) We must remember that by the time of Guru Arjan the town of Ramdaspur was thickly populated. There is lot of evidence in this regard in the Sikh scripture. By this time the socio-religious community of Guru Nanak' s followers had become a "state within a state." In his compositions Guru Arjan claims to have established the rule of justice and humility (*halemi raj*): "There is no other place like the beautiful and thickly populated Ramdaspur. The ideal rule of Rama (*ramraj*) prevails in Ramdaspur due to the grace of the Guru. No *jizya* (tax on non-Muslims) is levied, nor any fine, there is no collector of taxes." (AG, pp. 430 and 817) Evidently the administration of the town was in the hands of Guru Arjan. In a certain sense, Ramdaspur was an autonomous town in the context and framework of the Mughal rule of Emperor Akbar. The Sikh flag was still white, perhaps with the symbol of "Ikk Onkar" on it. It was also the envy of Mughal authorities. To a large extent, the liberal policy of Emperor Akbar's reign provided the overall context for the peaceful evolution of the Sikh Panth, but within eight months of Akbar's death in October 1605, Guru Arjan was executed by the orders of the new emperor, Jahangir, on May 30, 1606. For the Sikh communtiy, Guru Arjan's death was the first martyrdom. Guru Hargobind bore two swords of "temporal and spritual authority"(*Miri and Piri*) and fought four battles against the Mughal authorites. During the warfare the fighting troops need their flag, but the color of the Sikh flag had now become "saffron", the symbol of sacrifice. Perhaps the two swords were also displayed on these flags, along with the symbol of "Ikk Oankar". The Sikh doctrine had certainly evolved by this time. Guru Hargobind hoisted a flag at the completion of the Akal Takhat. The flag was called *Akal Dhuja* ("the Timeless Flag") or *Satguru Ka Nishan* ("Standard of the Guru"). It became part of the Miri-Piri doctrine of the Guru. After four skirmishes with the Mughal authorities, Guru Hargobind established a new Sikh center at Kiratpur Sahib. The Sikh army was maintained by him and his succ essors. During the period of Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh armies on the march had the Sikh standard carried in front by standard-bearers (*Nishanchis*). The weapons, the double-edged-sword, the standards, the *Nagaras* ("Victory Drums") and martial literature were all part and parcel of Sikh life at Anandpur Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh used to sign at the head of the letters of his command (*Hukam-names*) by inscribing either one sword or two swords, along with the symbol of "Ikk Oankar" and his blessing (See *HUKAMNAME*, published by Dr Ganda Singh. The Khalsa insignia had not yet come into being. All the Sikhs were required to wear "five weapons" (*panj hathiar*) as part of the Khalsa dress. Guru Gobind Singh had declared *Deg Tegh Fateh* ("Victory of the Cooking Vessel and the Sword", signifying the ideals of "magnanimity and justice") as the ideal of the Khalsa (*degh tegh jagg mahi dou chalai*). This ideal became part of Banda Singh Bahadur's seal and coin (*dego tegho fateh nusrat bedrang//jafat az Nanak fateh Guru Gobind Singh*). During the eighteenth-century *Deg Tegh Fateh* was the popular slogan of the marching bands of the Khalsa. The symbols of a "Sword or Sabre", "a cooking vessel" and a "*katar*-dagger were inscribed on the Khalsa Flags (*Nishan Sahibs*). The *Chaupa Singh Rahit-nama* (1740-65) specifically mentions: *JAS DEGH DA RAJ TEGH DA* ("Munificence earns praise in the world, the right to rule is won by the Sword"). *Deg Tegh Fateh* became part of Sikh congregational prayer (*Ardas*). The Flag on the top of Harmandir Sahib was first installed by Sardar Jhanda Singh of Bhangi Missal in 1771. Let me now come to three most important colours of the Khalsa dress and the Nishan Sahibs. Here we can rely on the observations of early Europeans who came in contact with the Khalsa bands. The observations made by the early Europeans on the contemporary Sikh institutions, manners, dress and customs offer valuable information on the nature of Sikh society late in the eighteenth century. For the most part they seem to have recorded what they actually saw in their personal encounters with the troops of the Khalsa army. Thus from the historical point of view their accounts constitute an independent witness to the Khalsa tradition in the last quarter of the eighteenth century. However, one must use them cautiously because their authors "brought to bear on the subject of their writing the prejudices of a diverse culture." For instance, when Major James Browne writes about the dark blue dress of the Sikh soldiers that "gives them when collected in large bodies together, a very dismal appearance", he is imposing his own cultural values on entirely a different people having different cultural meaning of the colour of their dress. Ganda Singh's apologetic comment on Browne's observation runs as follows: Guru Gobind Singh never ordered his Sikhs to put on the dress of any particular colour. The zealous Nihangs however patronized the dark blue colour used by the Guru during his escape from Machhiwara. (*Early European Accounts*, p. 17) Here Ganda Singh is trying to explain away the significance of the dark blue colour by associating it with the zealous Nihangs who may be following the tradition of Guru Gobind Singh. His primary concern is to make the point that blue colour is not really the part of Sikh orthodoxy. For the Khalsa Sikhs, however, the significance of deep blue colour lies in the "highest ideals of character" (*nili siahi kada karani*, AG, p. 16) and the "deepest urges in the life of spirituality," as the blue sky reflects the highest horizon and the blue ocean stands for the depth. George Forster encountered two bands of Sikh troops on his journey, and he makes the following observation: In this matter I speak from a personal knowledge, having in the course of my journey seen two of their parties, each of which amounted to about two hundred horsemen. They were clothed in white vests, and their arms were preserved in good order: the accoutrement, consisting of primary horns and ammunition pouches, were chiefly covered with European scarlet cloth, and ornamented with gold lace. (*A Journey From Bengal To England*, Vol. I, 1798, p. 288) In the footnote, Forster elaborates on the meaning of "white vests" as "a long calico gown, having close body and sleeves, with a white skirt." Here one encounters Khalsa soldiers wearing white dress with their usual weaponry. In Sikh understanding, the colour white stands for "purity" in life. White dress has always been a part of the Sikh tradition. There is still another observer John Griffiths, who wrote about "Dominions of the Seeks" in his letter of 17th February, 1794 to Mr. Alexander Adamson. He comments on the dress of the Sikhs as follows: They sometimes wear yellow, but the prevailing Colour of their Cloaths is deep blue; They make their Turbans capaciously large, over which they frequently wear a piece of pliable Iron Chain or Net work. (*Early European Accounts*, p. 92) Here the author mentions yellow, along with the prominent deep blue, as the popular colours of the Khalsa dress. It is the colour of sacrifice in Sikh mores. To tie a large conspicuous turban with a piece of iron chain or network is still a popular tradition among the Nihang Singhs of Punjab. It may have served the purpose of saving the head from the blow of a weapon during the warfare. It is not surprising to see Nihang Singhs carrying the small insignias of five weapons underneath their turbans even today. The point to be noted here is that each European observer is speaking about a particular group of Khalsa soldiers whom he encountered. It is quite possible that his observation may reflect a partial view, based on an imperfect perception. One must be careful not to accept the observation of one author as a gener al statement on the Khalsa tradition late in the eighteenth century. The colour of the military uniform is a matter of necessity for the sake of identification during warfare. Different bands of the Khalsa soldiers may have adopted different colours for better organization. However, it may be noted that the three colours - deep blue, white and yellow - mentioned by the Europeans have always been traditionally associated with the Khalsa dress. Thus we have a first-hand independent witness to the "weapons and garments" (*shastar bastar*) traditonally worn by the Khalsa Sikhs in the eighteenth century. Today, we regard Nihang Singhs as a marginal group within the larger Sikh Panth. In the eighteenth-century, they were the most dominant group and represented the Khalsa orthodoxy. One must not underestimate their nature and contribution to the Sikh Panth. They have preserved the original Khalsa tradition up till now. The Nishan Sahibs of Nihang Gurdwaras are of blue colour even today. During the Sikh Kingdom, Sardar Desa Singh Majithia whom Maharja Ranjit Singh had entrusted with the management of Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, replaced the two wooden flagposts with steel ones in 1820 in front of Akal Takhat, covered with gilded copper sheets. These two flagstaffs were damaged in a storm in 1841 and replaced with new ones. Now let us look at the evidence from European paintings of Sikh Darbar. The Nihang dress may be seen in William Carpenter's painting made in 1854 (Victoria and Albert Museum). This is reproduced in Sardar Patwant Singh's book *THE GOLDEN TEMPLE* (1988) on page 32. The Khalsa insignia still has not come onto being. The Khanda and swords, along with other weaponary are part of the Nihang turban. These styles of turbans may be seen even today among the Nihang Singhs. The most significant woodcut of the Harimandir Sahib (1870) is available in Lockwood Kipling Collection at Victoria and Albert Museum. This is also reporoduced by Sardar Patwant Singh in the same book on page 79. One must look carefully the insignia of Nishan Sahibs at the Golden Temple and the Akal Takhat. The insignia in both cases carries the following symbols: a cooking vessel, a *kattar*-dagger and a sabre. This was the tradition since the eighteenth century. The uniformity and coherence in the Sikh tradition came as a result of the Singh Sabha movement. They presented the Sikh tradition as a well-defined system. The modern insignia of the Khalsa which comprises a vertical double-edged-sword over a quoit (*chakkar*) with two crossed sabres (*kirpans*) below the quoit, came into being in the beginning of the twentieth century. One can look at the gates of Patiala House in New Delhi, near India Gate, where the modern Khalsa insignia is engraved at each door in the most balanced proportions. If one looks at them carefully, the lenth of the double-edged-sword, the *Chakkar* and the two *Kirpans* is equal. I have a photograph of this Khalsa insignia with me which I took when I was teaching at Guru Harkrishan Public School, New Delhi in the seventies. The Patiala House was built in the early twentieth-century when most of the New Delhi buildings were being built. The Khalsa insignia had already come into being. It was the first decades of the twentieth-century when even the standard pagination of the Guru Granth Sahib (1430 pages) came into being as a result of printing uniformity. It was this time when the modern Khalsa insignia was created. Before conclusion, let me make a brief comment on the "two Nishan Sahibs" in front of the Akal Takhat. They represent a unique phenomena in the history of world religions. If one carefully looks at them, the Nishan Sahib on the side of the Golden Temple is slightly higher than the Nishan Sahib of the Akal Takhat side. Why is it so? Because the Nishan Sahib of "spiritual sovereignity" (*Piri*) is higher than the Nishan Sahib of "temporal sovereignity" (*Miri*). If one carefully looks at the two swords of Guru Hargob ind, preserved at the Akal Takhat, the sword of Piri is 40 inches long, while the sword of Miri is 38 inches long. Why? Because Gur Hargobind had intended that "spiritual aspect" must always be stronger than the "secular or politcial" aspect. If that is maintained then a person would never become arrogant or corrupt with the achievement of any political power. Tradition records that Guru Hargobind never used his "Sword of Piri" in the battlefield when his "Sword of Miri" was broken during the fight. Why? He proclaimed: "The Sword of Piri should never be used as a weapon in the political fights." What happens when religion is used as a weapon in the political field? The answer to this question comes from contemporary history. When religion becomes a weapn in the hands of fundamentalists, then innocent lives are destroyed, be it Giani Partap Singh, the Jathedar of the Akal Takhat; be it the most articulate Sikh woman, Bibi Rajinder Kaur, the daughter of "the Jewel of the Panth", Master Tara Singh; or be it a Sikh musician (*Ragi*) Bhai Bakhshish Singh. If religion becomes the weapon in the hands of an Indian state then political will is lost and "Operation Blue Star" and other 1984-events become a reality. When religion becomes a weapon in the hands of RSS, the survival of minorities is at stake. When religion becomes the agenda of the most powerful governement in the world, then right-wing politics enters into American life. Then, what is the meaning of the doctrine of Miri and Piri? Isn't religion and politics combined in Sikh thought? To find answers to these questions, look carefully at the two Nishan Sahibs in front of the Akal Takhat. They stand together in parallel lines, reaching out to the highest ideals of Sikh thought in the sky. They are distinct, but not combined together. But they are inter-connected with the "Khalsa Insignia" (*chakkarakar*), with the symbols of "Ikk Oankar", the "two-ed ged sword", "the quoit" and the "two swords" that provide balance to the Sikh philosophy. The spiritual and secular aspects of life must go hand in hand (like parallel Nishan Sahib) and sustain each other. No one aspect (either Miri or Piri) should try to dominate the other to create imbalance in life. The spiritual aspect should always be higher than the worldly achievement. If the Sikhs truly understand this doctrine, no worldly power on this earth can defeat them. They will always stand tall (like Nishan Sahibs) in the face of adversities. After the two hours of early morning, let me stop here. The Memorial Day Weekend inspires us to be prepared for sacrifice. I have to go now. I would humbly request the forum members to add to this missive their own thoughts. Please forgive me for any mistakes or misunderstanding of Sikh doctrine. I will welcome constructive feedback.

Sat Sri Akal: The current Sikh symbol is the one below. The two swords on the side represent Miri (temporal/worldly power) and Piri (spiritual power). The Khanda (double edged sword) in the center represents the union of the Miri-Piri into one body (essentially what a Sikh is, a Sant Siphai, the saint-soldier). However, the Khanda is also described as the weapon with which the Almighty itself shaped the Universe with. The Chakar (circle) is to represent the infinity of the Almighty, as a circle has no beginning or end. Whether the Khanda extends above the edge of teh chakar or is enclosed in the chakar is not considered to mean anything (I guess it is an artistic taste). This symbol came into being with the Singh Sabha Movement in the late 1800's.

Sat Sri Akal: GOOD POEM!!!! Compose more if you can and post them. They shall serve as an inspiration for the sangat!