Seva Or Sword?

[Akaali]

Sikhi – Service or Sword?

Once I went to the Gurdwara with a German, Brazilian and Mexican friend. At the very entrance, different types of swords were placed in a fashion of a Khanda with inscription underneath saying “Symbol of Sikh Religion”. Further, they got scared because all that they saw on the walls were different types and sizes of swords, Sikhs fighting wars, Sikhs being boiled or tortured, Sikh Martyrs. On entering the main hall and Matha-teking ceremony, they were stunned to see so many swords kept in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. They then asked me three question –

1. Why the compassionate philosophy of Sikh religion is not depicted here at all?

2. Why only weapons occupy so much prominence in a place of worship?

3. In the collective show of so many weapons, wars and bloodshed, how do you find spiritual bliss and mental peace?

That got me thinking. I began to wonder as to what Sikh religion stands for and do our Gurdwaras depict that, especially in western countries? My mind was swirling with the following five questions –

1. Can we introduce Sikh religion to a stranger and ensure that it flourishes by projecting only a collection of different types of Swords as a Symbol of Sikhism?

2. Are we over playing the role of sword in our philosophy/history and is this emerging from some feelings of insecurity within us?

3. Have other religions in their infancy not passed through a turbulent time when they had to resort to a sword and why don’t they overplay that aspect?

4. Is our religion not preaching love, affection, concern for environment, patience, sacrifice, hospitality, sympathy, pity, compassion, service to humanity?

5. Should we not share with the modern world our all-rounded and balanced philosophy – with service to mankind and saintly behavior as primary objectives and self-defence as secondary?

We all know the following facts -

A) Of the ten Sikh Gurus and out of 240 years of the Gurus time period (1469 to 1708), only two Gurus had to sparingly resort to the Sword for self-defence covering a span of about 20 years.

B) Of the five Sikh Kakars, only one is Kirpan, a small sword for self-defence.

C) Key Sikh formula is Nam Japna (meditation), Vand Chakna (sharing) and Kirt Karni (honesty in earning livelihood).

D) Sikh Gurus emphasized and extensively performed Sewa during their life times –uplifting the weak – caste or economic status; empowering women; educating the masses; spreading literacy amongst the masses; digging wells and organizing langars in famine-hit areas; requesting the rulers to exempt taxes and introduce measures to increase welfare of the people; best quality medical services for the masses; introducing first-aid and red-cross type of service even in battle fields; stressing qualities of hard work, honesty, sharing with others, etc.

E) Ghatka (sword fighting) is a martial art of the Sikhs. But during the times of the Sikh Gurus, other sports were also encouraged as was physical fitness.

Then, if we are aware of all the above things, should our Gurdwaras not be as follows –

a) Focal point of social service, not only to community but also to neighbourhood.

b) In forefront to organize free langar, medical camps, shelter, clothes, etc for homeless.

c) Contributing to the local blood banks and providing subsidized medicines to the poor.

d) Encouraging our youth to be physically fit and providing some active sport facilities in the area.

Finally, should our Gurdwaras not give more prominence to other facets of Sikh Life and provide all-rounded picture of Sikh religion to their own people (sangat) and visitors – Sewa, Simran and honesty in daily life? Should the Gurdwaras not have more pictures of Sewa being done for universalisation of religion (First Guru), educating the masses (Second Guru), Food for the masses (Third Guru), rise of the poorest and homeless to the highest spiritual position, and equality to all mankind in entry to temple or in worship (Fourth Guru), serving the famine hit with food, medicine and irrigation (Fifth Guru), role of bandi-shor, regal life stlye and Medical camps (Sixth Guru), forgiving the mistakes of the rulers, not seeking revenge but continuing to serve the masses despite opposition (seventh Guru), utmost service in face of sickness (Eighth Guru), upholding human dignity (Ninth Guru) and serene and composed in all adverse conditions, non-attached to regal life style and maintaining a team of poets, etc (Tenth Guru).

In few word, Should the things/ posters/paintings/teachings/preachings at our Gurdwara depict - Even Sewa or only Sword?

http://veerji.blogspot.com/

[charanpreet singh]

wjkk wjkf

you r right . we should show other people all the faces of our religion and not only martial one. but as you say that kirpan is a small sword then u r wrong b'coz kirpan is a sword which can be of any size.. kirpaan is for our protection and not for terrifying others. we have preach sikhi so that other should not be afraid on seeing shastradhaari sikh but respect him and feel secure in his presence.

:e:

[Long live the khalsa]

WJKKWJKF

guru gobind singh ji maharaj said we should live our lives ready to defend our panth and guru we are a race of warriors and sanints we are saint soldiers!!!!!! :doh:

WJKKWJKF

bhul chuk maaf

[Long live the khalsa]

sorry i meant and we are warriors and saints we are saint soldiers!!!!!!!!!!!! :doh:

[kawalk]

GURFATEH JI

TUSSI THEEK KEHA HAI

ASSIN SWORDS NU AGE RAKHDE HAN

We are not preaching love, affection, concern for environment, patience, sacrifice, hospitality, sympathy, pity, compassion, service to humanity etc but we are making everybody scared of us.

We have forgotten , first we are SAINTS and then SOLDIERS.

We should share with the modern world our all-rounded and balanced philosophy – with service to mankind and saintly behavior as primary objectives and self-defence as secondary.

IT IS TO RAISE SWORD WHEN ALL OTHER MEANS FAIL.

paji you have raised a very good question ji

[JSingh]

very nice article, as always, first thing should be first...

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

I disagree:

1: pictures of bhai mani singh being tortured as well as bhai taru singh being scalped is sewa for dharm. This does not show any sword culture. It shows how sikhs have full faith in the bhana(will) of waaheguru and their faith in Sikhi. More than anything we should be ready to explain these things to our non-sikhs visitors rather than falling at their every word just cause they sound right.

2: I don't know how any sikhs can separate the 10 Guru sahibaans into different people. Every sikh should know that there were 10 living Gurus but one Jot(light). Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji are not different Gurus, they are one and the same cause our Guru is shabad Guru. You can't say out of so an dso years this guru had a sword and thsi one didn't. They were one jot spreading baani of the one, Dhur ki baani.

3: The 10th nanak, Sri Guru Gobind singh ji maharaj, is baja waala sant sipahi. Our Guru Sahib was shashter-dhari and our current Guru which is the living jot of the house of Nanak is also shashtar-dhari. Why does every nation have a police force and an army, is that sword culture? The sikh nation is just that, a nation, in our daily lives we are priests, we are doctors, we are volunteers, we are soldiers. In western societ people are divided up into a priestly class, a soldier class, a law enforcement class, etc. How beautiful is sikhi that we are all this at one time!

This issue was brought up in our local Gurughar that the pictures of shaheeds should be brought down as visitors wouldn't understand the essence of sikhi, well the issue is not that, the issue is that we lack people who can explain sikhi to the visitors. Instead of better explanations we want to accomodate and sacrifice our rich beautiful faith.

peace.

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

Also speaking of sewa or sword, take the visitors to the diwan of SGGS Ji and you can show them 1,429(or 30) angs of our SatGuru who promotes the sewa of Akaal and humanity. I know the gurughar doesn't have more than maybe a couple dozen shashters way less than the 1,429(or 30) angs of sewa to humanity and akaal purakh. Also if your friends want to see sewa, wait for langar to be served....