Khaaik

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/jaipur/injured-alwar-jawan-recovering-family-heaves-sigh-of-relief/amp_articleshow/76453709.cms

In case you can't read Hindi, the article says that soldier Surender Singh, used his Kirpan to defend himself and other Indian soldiers who were without weapons by attacking the Chinese. Apparently he was badly wounded and regained consciousness after more than 12 hours in hospital. Those seeking ban on kirpans after the Nihung incident a couple months back should read this.

It does make sense. Was the Sikh community as a whole, prosperous at the time?

Calling me stupid and obstinate wasn't respectful either. I'm a new member I haven't been following many threads previously, just read some things here and there. Please suggest some threads if possible. What about laadliyan faujan attacking convoys of Abdali and rescuing the slaves-to-be Marathi women? Sikhs had nothing to do with it as far as I know. Attacking a retreating convoy's bounty would have been annoying at best for Abdali, there can't be anything strategic about it that would've helped Sikhs in the long run?

You were being utterly rude to me and I wanted to end the conversation without avoiding your name calling, in a dignified manner. If that's victim card to you then so be it. Yet there are examples when the Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh and earlier Sikhs helped non-sikhs/non-Khalsa. So now 2 options are there: either Guru can be a hypocrite, or it can be that Gurbani is being inappropriately interpretated by you. Of course Guru Maharaj isn't a hypocrite. I'd be happy to see someone start Aid To The Khalsa as well.

Yes I'm stupid no doubt but the thing is I'm looking at it from an idealistic perspective trying to look at Sikhi as well rather than only look at it as politics and data. It's not necessary for me to agree with the things in the other threads. I apologize if diversity in opinions is not welcome in this thread.

Why is it wrong to be inspired by Sikhi in order to help people? Sikhi coming first does not mean helping Sikhs first. Do you think Bhai Ghanaiya first made sure every Sikh in the battlefield was served water or he served whoever was in need? By this mentality, we would never help anybody apart from Sikhs, because it is highly unlikely that the entire kaum be well off and not even a single poor Sikh stays in the world. We don't live in Khalsa raaj yet, neither we can get Khalsa raaj if we're seen as a community that only helps their own people. If Muslims do not help us that's their choice, why does it always have to be give and take? It is about Sewa, it is not a deal. If it's a deal, how's it sewa? Sewa literally means selfLESS service.

Why is it wrong to be inspired by Sikhi in order to help people? Sikhi coming first does not mean helping Sikhs first. Do you think Bhai Ghanaiya first made sure every Sikh in the battlefield was served water or he served whoever was in need? By this mentality, we would never help anybody apart from Sikhs, because it is highly unlikely that the entire kaum be well off and not even a single poor Sikh stays in the world. We don't live in Khalsa raaj yet, neither we can get Khalsa raaj if we're seen as a community that only helps their own people. If Muslims do not help us that's their choice, why does it always have to be give and take? It is about Sewa, it is not a deal. If it's a deal, how's it sewa? Sewa literally means selfLESS service.

I think people who don't like Khalsa Aid's brand or style of sewa should make their own organisation and set the right example for Khalsa Aid to follow. Gurpreet California Singh seems very arrogant to me personally going by his speech, and the fact that he's addressing Ravi Singh as if he's talking about a school boy. I'd be happy if he can set the right example and eat into Khalsa Aid's share of donation even, because he's focussing on Punjabi/Kharkoo families. If one wants to do sewa for somebody, they should do it themselves. Why would you expect someone else to change their sewa/working as per your wish, while you sit on your bum doing nukhtachini? It's simple really.

Recently, Amazon Prime Video released a series (in India, don't know about the rest) called "Paataal Lok". It has a very grim scene wherein a Jatt, wearing a parna, is shown raping a Dalit Sikh woman while her husband and another family member look on helpless, crying. The jatt basically says that all the 10 men with him (most of whom are wearing paggān) will be raping her, in revenge for her son, standing up to his son's bullying and casteist slurs. It was very disheartening to watch Sikhs being shown in such a light, even though the intention was to show the caste prejudice in the rural society, which eventually makes the Dalit boy become a criminal. I don't know if in real life such incidents are common or rare in Punjab within "different castes in the Sikh community". Maybe someone from Punjab can comment on that.

There are some Sikhs (even Amritdhari) that observe Vishwakarma Jayanti and do not use/give rest to the tools of their trade for the day. They won't open their workshops/gyms etc. I have always been confused by that and still don't know why they do so.

A couple months back I was at a grocery store in Delhi. The guy at the counter seemed to be a bhaiiya but was trying to speak Punjabi with me since I'm visibly a Sikh. He wasn't too bad at it but you could clearly guess that Punjabi was not his mother tongue. I was responding to him in Punjabi as well. Meanwhile, some auntie in her 40s who was clearly not Sikh (could be Hindu) was overhearing and interrupted him and said why are you speaking Punjabi when you can't. The guy was in his own zone and didn't care for the lady lol. I could feel the hidden contempt in her voice towards the Punjabi language. I'm pretty sure the guy had just watched some Punjabi movie or had been listening to Punjabi songs.

I don't think anybody apart from Guru Maharaj has the right to do nindya of someone else's sewa. We're not antarjami, how do we know what is the internal avastha of someone else, right?

Wasn't Guru Nanak Dev ji an SJW social justice warrior too? Why would it be bad to follow Bhai Kanhaiya ji's example? I'm sure there are many who don't publicise their sewa as well.

Yes I agree, for them to be a good person of faith acc. to Guruji is to live as per Gurmat. I also believe that for true bhagti, we need to let go of hatred for others. How can I expect to be good in eyes of Waheguru when I say a part of their Creation/Him is bad? That implies they're not perfect, doesn't it? Do I know better than Waheguru? I personally think we need to be wary of the Muslims and be proactive surely, while accepting them for who they are, ie, aggressive proselytisers. We need to maintain our distance, but the way many Sikhs view Muslims with disgust confuses me. If you touch a scorpion and it stings you, can you blame the scorpion? It's its nature to sting. In the same way it's a part of Waheguru's Hukam to have made a quam that is aggressive proselytisers. Can we ever comprehend Waheguru's doings? I might be wrong in your view because I dont know the reality of life in the West being an Indian Sikh. Here in India, I think Sikhs siding with Muslims is not an act of scking up, rather it's a grouping response to increasingly aggressive majority Hindus. They see Muslims (other minorities) as allies against an increasingly radical majority. Basically what I'm saying is how can hatred and bhagti go hand in hand? Apologies for pulling this back and bringing a spiritual angle to this political discussion, but I would appreciate a word from sikhsangat... Thanks

Yes I agree, for them to be a good person of faith acc. to Guruji is to live as per Gurmat. I also believe that for true bhagti, we need to let go of hatred for others. How can I expect to be good in eyes of Waheguru when I say a part of their Creation/Him is bad? That implies they're not perfect, doesn't it? Do I know better than Waheguru? I personally think we need to be wary of the Muslims and be proactive surely, while accepting them for who they are, ie, aggressive proselytisers. We need to maintain our distance, but the way many Sikhs view Muslims with disgust confuses me. If you touch a scorpion and it stings you, can you blame the scorpion? It's its nature to sting. In the same way it's a part of Waheguru's Hukam to have made a quam that is aggressive proselytisers. Can we ever comprehend Waheguru's doings? I might be wrong in your view because I dont know the reality of life in the West being an Indian Sikh. Here in India, I think Sikhs siding with Muslims is not an act of scking up, rather it's a grouping response to increasingly aggressive majority Hindus. They see Muslims (other minorities) as allies against an increasingly radical majority. Basically what I'm saying is how can hatred and bhagti go hand in hand?

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh Where do we draw the line? In all of this dirty politics, what do we recognise as Maharaj's Hukam and how do we ensure that we're not acting in Manmatt? Maharaj gave us the secular vision to see all as equal: "maanas ki jaat sabhai ekai pehchanbo"; and they say that everything is Waheguru's creation so who can we call bad, since there is none other: "Jee jant sabh tis de sabhna ka soee. Mandaa kis no aakheeyae je duja hoee". Maharaj blessed us with arms to ensure the raakhee(protection) of Dharam (righteousness). Some members are cursing Sikhs for treating Muslims with respect, like saving the izzat of their daughters and serving them Langar. Jal tan Bhai Ghanaiya ji ne Mughal sainika nu vi shakaya si. Ohna nu taan Maharaj di shabashi hi mili si. Sikhan ne taan Marathea di dheea di vi izzat rakhi si, after Panipat battle when they attacked the convoys of Abdali at night, and proceeded to get the women back to their families. Although granted, going about cleaning mosques does come across as unnecessary behind-licking, but I don't think small acts of kindness like letting them pray at a Gurdwara or sharing food with them can be a threat to dharam (righteousness). I agree in the bigger picture, Islam is definitely a threat to non-Muslims. However, if Sikhs view them ALL with eyes of contempt, is it not against the teachings of Maharaj? Since the political situations vary country to country, is it not the right approach that the Sikh community can have conflicting standpoints depending upon which country the sangat is from? As the panth grows geographically, it is only natural to have diverse political views, isn't it? The only thing rigid should be Sikhi principles. That's why I ask, where do we draw the line? Is it a question of keeping them at bay or about keeping our own panth in charhdikala? After all, they can't do <banned word filter activated> if every person in our own panth is well fed, feels included and parchaar is happening in the way it should. I'm genuinely curious because I can't justify a behaviour if it is not based on Gurbani or panth history. Please be kind as I'm new and only trying to learn through dialogue. Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh

Rabbi Shergill's songs also got me interested in learning Punjabi language on a deeper level. Fortunately so, because before that I wasn't educated in it.

Why do Nihang Singhs light a fire while doing Brahm Kavach paath? I called it a fire because I don't wanna label it as Havan out of ignorance. I'm confused about it. Is it a Havan? Why do the Nihangs follow such a maryada? Is it anti-Gurmat or in line with Gurmat? I have another question. At the end of Brahm Kavach, we read the last line of dohra goes "paatth sava laakh havan kar jeet jung tab hog". At a basic level, it seems like it means "when you do 1,25,000 paatths of Brahm Kavach along with the Havan, you shall be victorious in the battlefield". There are videos of Nihangs doing just this. But as per SGGS ji, we know Havan is not in line with Gurmat. Are Nihang Singhs in the wrong? Someone please reply and dispell my shanka ji. Thankyou. Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru ji ki Fateh

I remember seeing one of these pics (and feeling confused) earlier this year when I visited Harmandir Sahib, it was right up front, on the left side of the front door. Couldn't take a pic then due to the rush, thanks for the pic. Why are there such images of yogis on the walls of Harmandir Sahib? Isn't it anti-Gurmat? Was it done by the Mahants or is it SGPC's kartoot?