Thoughtful Post On Waheguroo Forums/discoversikhi.com

[GuruManeyoGranth]

By Saffajang Singh:

vaaheguroo ji ka khalsaa

vaaheguroo ji ki fatehh

Situation of a Sikh

ਸਰਵਰ ਪੰਖੀ ਹੇਕੜੋ ਫਾਹੀਵਾਲ ਪਚਾਸ ॥

saravar pa(n)khee haekarro faaheevaal pachaas ||

There is only one bird in the lake, but there are fifty trappers.

ਇਹੁ ਤਨੁ ਲਹਰੀ ਗਡੁ ਥਿਆ ਸਚੇ ਤੇਰੀ ਆਸ ॥125॥

eihu than leharee gadd thhiaa sachae thaeree aas ||125||

This body is caught in the waves of desire. O my True Lord, You are my only hope! ||125||

Saadh Sangat Jio,

The situation that we stand in today is not secret from anyone, and knowing that it's so dangerous, we still continue to ignore it. The above panktee by Sheik Fareed Ji depicts the very situation I am talking about.

As Sikhs of Dasam Pita Ji, we face enemies in all four directions, who are waiting for the right time to attack us. If we were to begin naming those enemies, the list would be never-ending. There was a time when our forefathers went out and protected others, but sadly, today we are so weak that we cannot even protect our own homes. Why such a drastic change?

Yesterday, I was chatting with a Gurmukh Pyaraa who recently took amrit. Unexpectedly, he asked for my opinion on Raag Maala. I was not at all surprised to hear that question arise from a newcomer to Sikhi. In fact, from talking to youth and others who come into Sikhi, I have discovered that most of us go through the same cycle, a cycle that includes similar questions and doubts.

I told the Singh that I was conversing with, that I do not have any specific personal stance on the issue, or on any other controversial issues that exist today in the Panth for that matter. In clear words, I told him that "I don't care" about these controversies any more. However, it seemed that he was not completely satisfied with my reply and asked me how I could say that I don't care about Sikhi and Guru Ji. That is certainly not what I intended to mean but I asked him what his thoughts were. He told me that he has made his decision regarding Raag Maala and believes that it is not a composition of Guru Sahib. I told him "great" and explained my stance.

Before taking amrit, we all live individual lives, but after joining the Khalsa Panth, this individual life dies and a new light emerges in the Sikh who becomes a part of Guru Ji's Laadlee Fauj and his jeevan is no longer his own, it belongs to the Panth, every aspect of his life must be Panthik. The keyword in 'Panthik' is 'IK' meaning ONE. Guru Sahib created this bond of Khanday Baatay Di Saanjh, destroyed the individual self of a person, and brought us all together to form: 'Ik' Panth.

For this reason I believe it is wrong for us to take an individual stance on 'Panthik' issues and decide their righteousness by using personal judgment. Khalsa Ji, we are only Panthik if we follow the Panthik structure – the guidelines set by Guru Khalsa Panth. If we all start taking personal stances, we will all be divided, just like the Yogis, Naaths and Saadhus who at the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji had created their own clans and lived in the depths of jungles and mountains. These people had no Panthik jeevan; they did not follow one collective Maryada. All believed and preached different ideas. Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the succeeding nine Guru Sahibs brought these tribes under one authority of Sat Kartaar and gave them one Maryada, discipline.

Similarly, at one time when the ordinary people of India were saying: ਕਾਮ ਹਮਾਰਾ ਤੋਲਨ ਤਕਰੀ, ਨੰਗੀ ਕਰਦ ਕਬਹੁ ਨਹੀ ਪਕਰੀ, Guru Gobind Singh Ji converted the sheep into lions by giving them Amrit and Panthik discipline. There was a time when people wavered with fear upon hearing the name of Mughal emperors, but after taking Amrit, the very same people set out to challenge the authority of the Mughal emperors publicly. The same Madho Daas Bairaagi, who had once sought the help of local authorities when he was unsuccessful in defeating a handful of Singhs, after taking Amrit, shook all of Sirhand with the companionship of only a few Singhs.

There is a common saying in Punjabi, "Small pieces of wood break apart easily, but when you bring them together, even the strongest forces aren't able to break them." The same applies to us, if we all start solving these issues ourselves, we will split from those with differing views. However, if we stick together and forget our individual differences, we will be able to stand together and face any enemy that dare challenge us.

It is understandable why some people are concerned about issues such as Raag Maala, Keski and numerous other issues, but we should ask ourselves if are following bhaana of Satguru Ji when we fight over these pity issues. Gurbani tells us:

ਭਾਣੈ ਉਝੜ ਭਾਣੈ ਰਾਹਾ ॥

bhaanai oujharr bhaanai raahaa ||

By Your Will, we wander in the wilderness; by Your Will, we find the path.

ਭਾਣੈ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਗਾਵਾਹਾ ॥

bhaanai har gun guramukh gaavaahaa ||

By Your Will, we become Gurmukh and sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord.

ਭਾਣੈ ਭਰਮਿ ਭਵੈ ਬਹੁ ਜੂਨੀ ਸਭ ਕਿਛੁ ਤਿਸੈ ਰਜਾਈ ਜੀਉ ॥2॥

bhaanai bharam bhavai bahu joonee sabh kishh thisai rajaaee jeeo ||2||

By Your Will, we wander in doubt through countless lifetimes. Everything happens by Your Will. ||2||

Saadh Sangat Jio, if Gurmukh Pyaare, Sant Avasthaa Vaale Maha Purakh such as Baba Gurbhachan Singh Ji Bhindrawale and Bhai Randhir Singh Ji Narangvaal held different viewpoints on these issues, we are only lowlife manmukhs, who face difficulty in even keeping steady amrit vela. These issues are much more complicated than waking up every day at dawn to remember Akal Purakh Ji. Yet, we show more interest in the controversial topics and ignore simple Gurmat rules every moment of our lives. We make up contemptible theories and explanations to force our views on others and forget that we have no authority to make any decisions, as Sikhs, our leaders are Guru Granth Sahib and Guru Panth, we are merely followers.

I personally believe tackling the exterior forces is more important than disputing amongst ourselves. However, some would argue saying that it is important to solve internal issues first and we should worry about external forces after all internal disputes have been resolved. There is a saakhi which goes something like this: After leaving Anandpur Sahib, Sikhs asked Guru Gobind Singh Ji since he is the owner of shristee, why does he not bless his Sikhs with the Raaj Bhaag of Punjab. Guru Sahib said that if they wanted, they could easily get raaj of Punjab today, but if Sikhs were to wait a little longer, they would get raaj of not only Punjab, but also the entire shristee. At that time it was more important to deal with the Mughal forces. However, it is our misfortune that we did not follow the advice of Guru Sahib and because of this breach of Hukam, we all know what happened to the Sikh Kingdom. While we want to resolve these complex issues right now, everyone else is out there looking to annihilate the remains of the Sikh Nation. Saadh Sangat Jio, we need to wake up! Let us forget our differences so we can stand together in the battlefield.

The ਸਰਵਰ ਪੰਖੀ – the Sikh faith is new, it is young and we are a small minority, and the ਫਾਹੀਵਾਲ – our enemies are after us. They are large in number, experienced and will attack us at every given opportunity. Our only support is Gurbani and Rehit Maryada. Can we save our Panth?

vaaheguroo ji ka khalsaa

vaaheguroo ji ki fatehh

[Guest Papi]

wonders of gurbani. i never thought of this tuk in this way.

i was limiting it to saying that this soul is alone n there are all these chors killing it hitting it all the time.

[S.S.F]

:TH:

[Nimarta_Sahet_Benti_Vichar]

lol cool post

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

speechless.