TejS

I'll admit that I haven't understood the Dasam Granth in its entirety, so perhaps I should first read through it, understand it from all perspectives, and I would then be in a better position on offering my opinion of it. But I agree with you that the Sri Charitopakhyan is not only critiquing women, but also men. It's just the wording, which in other parts, such as the tales, can get quite vulgar, and my initial response of certain parts being deemed inappropriate was based off of that. I will, however, definitely make time to go through the Dasam Granth in its entirety, and not only glaze over the controversial passages.

Listen I'm not a Dasam Granth opponent. In fact, I think certain parts should be read and applied and it should be seen in Gurudwaras, but the sexually explicit nature of some of the tales, albeit describing the downfall lead by kaam, are far too explicit for something a Guru would write, and with the Dasam Granth being lost after the Battle of Kup, it certainly raises valid suspicion that perhaps some of the writings aren't of Guru Gobind Singh's. And yes I was talking about Sri Charitropakhyan.

Well there are things like saying women aren't to be trusted, consumption of intoxicants and then performing fornication under their influence - things like these which are clearly not the words of our tenth Guru.

I agree with absolutely everything you have said (even regarding the Dasam Granth, albeit it does have some controversial mentionings, it also shows the inferiority of Hindu practices, and is also extremely uplifting, perhaps something our astray Sikh youth could use). I'd like to add these points to the list on page 1 if you will allow.

Apologies for the delay in responding, however as I was unaware of Nanak Naam, I've been spending the past few days reading about their mission and watching their content, and I feel that I know enough about them that I can now respond. I can see where you're coming from and I agree that the kind of "parchaar" that Khalsa Aid/Nanak Naam does is universal, and is unparalleled due to their practicing nature, rather than just preaching. These kind of initiatives are representative of true Sikhi in practice, and are great for the unaware to become acquainted with Sikhi. However, there are certain issues that our community is currently grappling with, such as Hindu influenced practices, and to rid those we need to apply a far more aggressive, calculated and dogmatic approach - which I personally see nothing wrong with. Remember, religion is dogmatic itself, otherwise you would not have Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims. I think intrinsically humans are attracted towards dogma for a reason, we need them to have an identity and feel defined. And so I think that in order to pull our pseudo-Sikh people away from Brahmanical practices, the Sikh dogma outlined in the GGS will need to be aggressively upheld, and demographics will need to be kept in mind. This is the only way that we can separate ourselves from Hindus practices - which have fragmented our community to the point of despair (casteism leads to hatred/dislike/prejudice among Sikhs, which then fuels sirsa deras and fake babas like gurmeet ram rahim, who in turn manipulate/exploit those prejudiced Sikhs).

And I'm not saying we should ignore what they're doing. All I am saying is we need to first know what is a Sikh, which most of our population does not know. You will find many so-called Sikhs agreeing with Rajiv Malhotra's claims, due to their lack of knowledge on Sikhi, so when our own stand divided, how can we combat these foreign forces as one united group. We can't stop these people from talking unless we combat it as a united force. When one Sikh will deny any relation to Hinduism, ten other Sikhs will stand up saying we are connected to them - so in the end, the struggle becomes useless and futile. We need internal reform, before we can combat these type of people. And regards to the like of Sakshi and her anti-Sikh sentiment, well it isn't a new thing at all. It's always been present (think of Gangu) however with the rise of the BJP and Hindu nationalism in India, more and more people like her are becoming vocal about it. The reason we have to endure this, is because of the mistakes our elders made in not securing a separate country during the Partition. But our generation of Sikhs aren't any better, for we too are making similar mistakes as our elders. I'm sure Sakshi will be slammed with hate speech charges, perhaps a Sikh lawyer in India can get on this and escalate this case, although I think they're dealing with it: http://news.statetimes.in/police-probing-conspiracy-to-break-hindu-sikh-unity-search-for-sakshi-bhardwaj-intensified/

Let him, or anyone for that matter say whatever they wish about Sikhs. What truly matters is what we, as Sikhs, believe in. Do we truly believe that we are a sect of Hinduism, who uphold the caste system, do pointless rituals such as pilgrimages/fasts/idolatry, or do we believe none of that and follow only what's written in the GGS, and go about living life according to it? Because there are many so-called Sikhs that adhere to the caste system and conduct those mentioned pointless rituals, you can't help but see that our own people are agreeing indirectly through their actions to what Rajiv Malhotra is saying. However, if you are the latter type, then you should not be hazed by comments coming from such insignificant people and should stay firm in your way of life. The Hindus name-call us a sect, because they see us doing exactly what they do. Until our Sikhs don't follow the guidance of the GGS, such people will always exist. It is not their fault, it is ours. Let's not give them a chance to call us out on practicing their pointless rituals/caste-ism. When most of the Sikh population itself believes that Sikhs are very much a part of Hinduism, then why does it matter if an outsider says so. We need to change ourselves first, in order to change others.

Likewise, your responses to my posts have encouraged great conversation, and have even challenged me in the sense that I've had to organize my wandering thoughts about Sikhi, and deliberately debate over my own beliefs in order to clearly respond to you. Now, in response to your claim that sending out parchariks to educate others would be a sign of hankar, I disagree with this. I think it would be egotistical of us to assume that we know better than others, but in this instance, we aren't assuming that, we are instead seeing the result of lack of Sikh knowledge, in the form of deras and Sikh youth being absorbed by drugs. To assume that I am very knowledgeable, and that you are not so much, would be egotistical of me. To see that you are struggling with something of which I can offer assistance, is not egotistical, but being helpful and productive. Having pride in one's knowledge gained is hankar, using that knowledge to help others, is teaching. A parcharik is simply one that educates and clears doubts, like a teacher. And so if teaching the illiterate or unlearned is considered hankar, then how would any learning be ever achieved. And if the ones that are confused regarding Sikhi, assume that they know what's right, then is that not hankar either. By teaching from the GGS, the parchariks will simply be expelling doubts that the general population has regarding Sikhi, and it doesn't even have to be on the assumption that others are confused, but simply a routinely recital of the GGS and its colloquial meaning to serve as a reminder to Waheguru. Coming to your second point, I can agree that Jugraj Singh was not a parcharik that would be able to cater to all demographics, but do we really need a parcharik that can? If a certain parcharik caters to all demographics, will he/she not be spreading themselves out too thin, and how will they cater to the nuances of each demographic. Because interest is extremely important to hook the general population to parchariks, and if the interests of a certain group of people are not being catered to, then no connect will form between them and the parcharik. And lastly, I think it would be egotistical of any parcharik or person to think that they can emulate the knowledge, and caliber of the Gurus, and thus I don't think we'll be seeing such a parcharik as the one you described, ever. All love to you as well my brother, and let me know what you think.

I agree, however by exploration what I meant was to seek knowledge about possible life systems in other worlds. Gurbani, I think and I may be wrong, is for self-exploration, understanding how to live life and gaining spiritual knowledge. But Gurbani also encourages the pursuit of all knowledge, for we are Sikhs/students, and therefore space exploration is a great method to gain worldly knowledge. Although, worldly knowledge is second to spiritual knowledge, it is still required that we learn both. Therefore, I think both the recital of Gurbani and search of worldly knowledge (including in the form of space exploration) is important to us humans.

Interesting, why is that? I am personally in favor of venturing out into the galaxies unknown. It's not only a testament to the progress of human technology, but also reflects the inquisitive nature of human. It is even mentioned in the GGS on multiple occasions that there are an endless number of worlds, so why not explore them and study all of creation. Of course, if you have the perspective that there are far more pressing issues to tackle on Earth, I can agree with that.

@singhbj singh and many others are correct that Sikhs are the ones to blame for the rise of deras. However, I think the right course of action to tackle deras and now is especially a great time to implement this, as there are tons of dera followers that will now be looking for a spiritual path, is to welcome all members back into Sikhi, by not discriminating them through their castes. We've made this mistake in the past, and still are continuing with it, however let's not drag it in to the future. These Sikhs have done a great job welcoming the ex-sirsa dera followers: Let's hope that other Gurudwaras not only in Punjab and India, but the world as well, follow suit.

No MarsONE is independent from Elon Musk, although they are planning to use his SpaceX space shuttles to get to Mars. I don't think they'll reach the 2020 goal tbh, so I'm assuming the 2030 Mars NASA mission might be the first human expedition to Mars, and having a Sikh female onboard makes me even more excited for the prospect of having a Sikh be one of the first individuals to land on Mars.

The Mars 2020 Mission is by MarsONE, and not by NASA. It's definitely a great achievement for not only her, but one for our community as well.

You're right, it does work like that, but unfortunately the case with us Sikhs is (even more so than other Indians) that once members of our quam become successful, they are the ones often damaging the Sikh panth the most and turn their backs onto it, and also most of the successful Sikhs never help or even wish success on the Sikhs that are struggling to make it for themselves (so a network of support is never allowed to be created). In contrast to us, no matter how rich a Jewish person gets, they will always strive to to work for the Jewish cause (even if they aren't religious themselves) and create a network for helping other Jewish people, especially the Jewish youth succeed (around my area, a Jewish magnate opened up a top-notch Jewish high school that hands out scholarships for uni and approx. 10% of the graduating class tends to go to the Ivy Leagues for education). If we can emulate this kind of loyalty to not only our faith, but our people (fellow Sikhs) as well, then I'm sure the above mentioned theory will yield results in reality as well.

No, the suicide mission is the Mars 2020 Mission. This is the two-way Mission, Mars 2030 Mission.

I'm surprised by her tirade against the same Sikh religion that saved her ancestors and her Hinduism when Guru Teg Bahadur laid his life down for them. I'm sick of these brainwashed people.

I'm sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Firstly, using the world evangelism for what I stated is clearly wrong. I'm not saying send people to war-torn Syria and capitalize on their situation by handing them the GGS and telling them to accept Sikhi, or go door-to-door telling people to convert because Guru Nanak was the son of God. What I'm saying is that most people that currently identify as Sikhs, or those as Sikh-Hindu, don't follow what's written in the GGS due to ignorance and lack of knowledge, that's why you have people doing Sikh prayer and then taking part in Brahmanical practices such as discrimination of certain castes. I'm saying that a capable parcharik who is well versed and who understands the basics of GGS be sent to villages/cities to clear misconceptions, not coax non-Sikhs into Sikhism. I'm thinking more in line with religious educator rather than evangelist. Secondly, I think Jugraj Singh was an exceptional parcharik who cleared out many doubts regarding Sikhi not only for myself but many others. He was far better than your average parcharik who teaches Sikhi laced with Hindu superstitions.

Mars 2030 Mission by NASA.

By mentality what I meant was that we shouldn't always be thinking like we're warriors, and be prepared to engage in all-out war. What I meant is that we need to think more, be more calculative in our actions and decisions, especially ones about communal interests. But your comment, as well ones posted by other users echoing the same thought as you, has got me thinking that the only reason that Sikhi has survived, and that you or I exist today is due to the warrior spirit of our ancestors, meaning they didn't back down even in the face of adversity and against unfavorable odds. So I've made a change to the list, mentioning that we must uphold a warrior spirit of bravery and courage, but also think about where to apply that spirit i.e. for example all those Sikh jawans laying their lives down for India or our people standing up for Hindu/Muslim issue is pointless imo.

But if that were to be the case, they wouldn't have prayed to Guru Nanak in the Gurudwara in the first place. As far as I can judge, its probably societal pressures that's stopping them from adopting Sikhi, and if that is the case, then what's the point of following the Muslim doctrine, if it clearly advises against this.

Why didn't they then adopt Sikhi if I may ask?

Jasleen Josan, the first Sikh women in the world to undertake a Mars mission I think this is a great achievement, and is ideally great exposure for our community on the global stage. We need more people like her (not necessarily all going to Mars ), but branching out into other professional fields. Thoughts?

Perhaps I am being idealistic, however what I'm trying to get at is that if we become educated, it'll allow for a far more percentage of successful, perhaps even powerful Sikhs. Those Sikhs, especially the ones in the West, can then lobby together and provide sufficient funds for "proper parcharik" - like Jugraj Singh, and can catalyze the true understanding of Sikhi within our community, removing Brahmanical/Hindu influence or as you called it 'brainwash', thus severing the superficial Sikh-Hindu relationship that many Sikhs immensely believe in. I could be wrong, and this could backfire, but its better than nothing, right? Imagine sending a Jugraj Singh to every village/city in Punjab, surely through strife, people will eventually get the message. I also think we don't need nuclear powers to gain a homeland, although protecting it is of course a different story. I think if we can amass a significant group of affluent, educated Sikhs working for the Panth, that can exert power, it will go a long way in ensuring that our needs are heard and that our demands are met. Anyways, like I said earlier, our focus should not be on securing a homeland right now. It should be on returning our people back on to the path of Sikhi, spreading Sikhism to those interested, increasing our numbers through all means justifiable, and producing capable Sikh youth that will contribute positively and significantly to the world - this will eventually (perhaps a 100 years from now) lead to a homeland, but it will also cement Sikhs as a force of power.

Points 2 and 3 did not occur to me at all, so thank you for these great additions.

Well, I think its impossible for us to secure a Khalistan in the current predicament that our community is in.We are too scattered, not only in terms of Sikhi, but also in terms of education, and thats why I think it would be wiser to focus our energy from Khalistan to education. Education is the one thing that can propel the Sikh community forward, and its the only thing we aren't focusing on. And by education I mean something that is going to make an uplift on our global identity as well as the basics such as every Sikh knowing Gurmukhi. I'm talking about striving to get to the upper echelons of professional degrees as well as having a learned person in every Sikh household. With education, Brahmanic influences can be removed from Sikhi, this is very evident in the Western world, where educated Sikh Americans do not confrom to pointless Punjabi superstitions, and instead ONLY follow what is written in the GGS. Take for example my extended family living in India. They are "Sikhs" but go and offer donations to some Hanuman temple, which is quite ironic. The reason they do this is because that's what the elders have passed down, who too were uneducated. Had any of my extended family members ever read the GGS cover to cover, they would know this practice is pointless, and would ultimately educate the remaining family members. Education is a NEED for our community, if we hope to survive. Punjab already has some great institutions like IIM Amritsar, Punjab University, Chandigarh, IIT Ropar and etc., however if you check the current students page, its usually a majority of Hindus, and not only Punjabi Hindus, but Hindus from all over India - this is very depressing to see. You can say there is bias and favoritism, however with good merit and marks, you're bound to get in somewhere worthwhile, however most Sikhs don't excel in studies. And why limit ourselves to Punjab, apply to universities in Delhi, Mumbai or heck even the Western world (nothing better than this), why not strive for the Ivy Leagues, Oxbridge, Canadian/AU/NZ unis. Don't limit ourselves to just Punjab Sikh-centered institutions, spread out and become Deans and members of Faculty at reputable unis like in America and help fellow Sikhs get in by creating networks (that's how the Jewish people do it, and clearly its working for them, so why not us). In terms of removing the warrior mentality, what I am trying to say is that we are too often thinking like warriors. If there is any issue, we're all immediately ready to raise our swords and get physical. When in fact we need to instead remain calm, and think strategically, before acting like warriors. I think we should preserve the warrior spirit within us instead, which is exactly what you described: being brave, independent and to add on, standing up for what's right. However, too many times we act like warriors without thinking clearly, and end up getting damaged more than we can sustain- post 1984 is a prime example of this. I'm not saying be cowards, all I'm saying is we need to be calm, collected and should make wise decisions that will be more effective than getting hyper at the drop of every issue. Just my personal thoughts, let me know what you think.