Jump to content

Gursikhi Jeevan of Baba Thakur Singh ji & other Taksal Gursikhs


Buv_Singh
 Share

Recommended Posts

JATHEDAR

Giani Bhai Soorat Singh Ji

bhai_soorat_singh_ji.jpg

Bhai Soorat Singh ji was born in thee village of Chanyot, District Jhang (now in Pakistan). Giani ji's fathers name was Ram Chand, who was renamed Bhai Ram Singh ji when initiated into the Sikh nation upon taking Amrit. Bhai Ram Singh ji studied Gurbani from Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh ji and propagated the teachings of Sikhi throughout Jhang. The Rulers minister in the area disliked what Bhai Soorat Singh ji was doing, so along with his family he relocated to Amritsar.

Bhai Soorat Singh ji did spend some time in the sangat of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji and in fact accepted the boon of Amrit from Guru ji. Giani ji was taught about Gurmat by Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh ji and Shaheed Baba Gurbaksh Singh ji. They were highly regarded and respected for being a great scholars in Sikhi. Giani ji had great knowledge of the Farsi, Urdu and Hindi languages. Giani ji spent a lot of time at Amritsar teaching Gurbani Santhia (the correct pronunciations of Gurbani) and doing Katha (Gurbani discourse) daily for the sangat.

Giani ji wrote pothis of the katha they had heard from Bhai Mani Singh ji. They also wrote a sateek (translations into Punjabi) of the Vars of Bhai Gurdas ji. Giani ji were an ocean of knowledge, being a great scholar and a great Gursikh of our history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JATHEDAR

Bhai Gurdas Singh Ji

gurdas_singh_ji.jpg

Bhai Gurdas Singh ji was the eldest son of Giani Soorat Singh ji and were born in 1773. Like his father Bhai Sahib ji was a great scholar. Bhai Sahib ji became the Jathedar of Damdami Taksal after his father and continued the teaching of Gurbani Santhia and performing Katha at Sri Harmandir Sahib.

Bhai Sahib ji's son, Bhai Sher Singh became Shaheed fighting for the Khalsa Panth. Somebody asked them, "What is your emotional state after the Shaheedi of your son?" Bhai Sahib ji replied by quoting from Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji:

jb lgu moh mgn sMig mwie ]

As long as he is intoxicated with attachment to Maya,

qb lgu Drmrwie dyie sjwie ]

the Righteous Judge - Dharam Raja shall punish him.

(Ang 278)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JATHEDAR

Giani Bhai Sant Singh Ji

bhai_sant_singh_ji.jpg

After Bhai Sant Singh ji left the world for Sach Khand, their younger brother Giani Bhai Sant Singh ji was honored with the leadership of Damdami Taksal. Giani ji was the youngest son of Giani Soorat Singh ji.

Giani ji was taught Gurbmat Vidiya by his father and elder brother, previous Jathedars of Damdami Taksal. From 1790 AD Giani ji performed Katha of the daily Hukamnama at Sri Harmandir Sahib. Other Gursikhs would partake in Gurmat Vidiya while Giani ji would be doing katha, as there would be five Maharaj Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji's Saroops parkash (installed).

Giani ji had the honour of teaching the famous Sikh poets Kavi Bhai Santokh Singh ji and Kavi Bhai Megh Singh ji. Giani ji was a great scholar, a true worshiper of Akal Purkh, and an enlightened Gursikh. They had great knowledge of the Sanskrit and Brij languages. Giani ji would perform katha with great splendour and spirit.

One day Maharaja Ranjit Singh after hearing the daily Katha of Giani ji thought of testing him, the Maharaja knew that Giani performed Katha daily and never missed this Seva. He sent two of mesangers requesting the company of Giani ji to meet the Maharaja. Giani ji respectfully sat the two down and served them food. After a while Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent another two messengers, as Giani ji still hadn't arrived. Giani ji treated the second two just as they did the first two. It had come the time to perform Katha at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Giani ji took these four messengers with them to Sri Harimandir Sahib. With Giani ji still not arriving at Maharaja Ranjit Singh's palace, the Maharaja decided to go to Darbar Sahib himself. He was impressed with the discipline of Giani ji that they didn't miss performing the daily Katha just to see him.

Giani ji as well as being the Jathedar of Damdami Taksal was the Head Granthi (Priest) of Sri Harmandir Sahib. They would always make themselves available to talk with and discuss issues with any Gursikh who would come and see them. They would also take part in the seva of cleansing the Parkarma (outer path), picking up the droppings of birds with their own hands. They would also pick up any hair and burn them as per the Rehat Maryada (Code of Conduct) of a Gursikh. Giani ji would do Seva of Sri Guru Ram Das Sahib ji's Darbar (Court) with much passion. They had such great discipline that even when one of their grandsons passed away they still didn't miss any of their daily Seva.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh once fell in battle and was injured. It was Giani ji who picked him up on their back and brought him back to the fort. For the rest of his life, Maharaja Ranjit Singh didn't forget this great deed. Giani ji was the teacher of Shazade Kanwar Naunihal Singh. They also oversaw the Seva of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, when Sri Harmandir Sahib was covered in gold, they ensured that this was completed with the greatest respect for Guru Sahib ji.

Giani ji persuaded Bhai Desa Singh to complete the seva of covering the two Nishan Sahibs at Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai in gold. Giani ji had great discipline and were complete in Seva and Simran (meditation). In the words of Kavi Megh Singh, Giani ji was a great scholar and a strong athletic person. They left the world for Sach Khand in the year 1832 AD. They left three sons: Bhai Deva Singh, Bhai Gurmukh Singh and Bhai Jodh Singh. Bhai Gurmukh Singh became the head granthi at Darbar Sahib after them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share


  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Been so much nindya and attacking Shastarvidiya since the 2000s, however if we look at gatka now it's still mostly as poor and poorly taught as it was back then, still morris dancing moves and still behzti moves in BBC shows about sikhi and vaisakhi. If people were going to attack shastarvidiya, wouldn't have made sense to improve gatka instead and make it more effective? Additionally, the Nihang Singh presence has improved greatly now, and the cracks within the the SGPC and affiliated jatha jathebandis are showing more greatly as panth becomes more knowledgable with dasam bani and itihas day-by-day, so much gyaan which was lost within panjabi sikhs during colonial times. In the 2000s, the groups were able to talk down this bani and  gyaan by associating it with  RSS and hindus, brahminwaad etc. Not working so well now is it? However with gyaan it would be also good for us to try and preserve our martial arts and keertan vidiya as well! More and more crazy keertan videos are coming out from jatha members that are being made fun of and making sangat annoyed and upset, on tiktok and instagram reels.  
    • Author Posted April 24   On 4/21/2025 at 2:43 PM, ipledgeblue said: sirr should not be nanga because keski is usually worn.   Sikhs can sleep nanga-sirr if they choose to . Being from Punjab, almost every Sardaarji i know (amritdhari or not) sleeps/showers with their hair uncovered. I don't think Guru Sahib asked us to wear Dastar to sleep and I don't think it is in SRM.   The idea of "keski being worn to sleep" is cos in Bollywood films (Bachna Ae Haseeno) Sikh characters usually tie a gol parna when sleeping since the actor's usually Hindu. So they gotta cover his head somehow or he'd have cut hair. Same reason Diljit wore a pagg to bed in the El Sueno vid. Only time they didn't do that was in Gadar with Sunny Deol which just looked odd tbh   What in the world? What sikh or even a decent human would base their knowledge of their culture or religion on a movie industry, that too Bollywood?  Believe me, no sikh ever said, I must cover my head becasue an actor did so in a movie. I've been doing it all wrong, I must start covering mh head because the sikh in that movie did.  Just because every panjabi and sardaar you know, does something, also doesn't make it right..  Follow the guru. And if you have a medical condition, then exemptions can be made.  Just admit it, because of my medical condition, I am not able to follow this rehit. Why are you getting everyone else to drop to your level?
    • Wasn't Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom on amd always commemorated on 6th June? How come it was 30th May?  Just like 6th June 84, where the likes of Terrorists like Indira Gandhi chose to attack Darbar Sahib where many many innocent Sikhs would suffer, as they went to commemorate Martyrdom of Maharaj. 
    • best thing is to follow the Sikh Rehat Maryada and use common sense for gray areas. Anything outside of that's irrelevant tbh that code is what Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the 5 Pyaare agreed on when creating Amrit in 1699
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use