Singhnia...erm @ Tht Tyme Of The Month

[Guest Guest]

^ If you choose to go swimming, you can get full body swimwear which covers the entire body and you can just wear your kachera under it, similar to doing ishnaan. (I think swimming has been discussed in another topic.)

[Akaali]

This may not be my place to say anything and I apologize in advance for intruding, just wanted to share my two pence on the topic.

In the article bhainjee talked about sootak/impurity and explained that we are all born from woman and if she was ever impure then we are also impure, and in reality we are, everything is, not because we are born of her but because the world is impure and most of us are impure because of our intellect, and one can only become pure with pure intellect, which you gain from shabad/naam.

Bhagat Kabeer jee explains in the following shabad:

ਜਲਿ ਹੈ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਥਲਿ ਹੈ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਸੂਤਕ ਓਪਤਿ ਹੋਈ ॥

Jal hai sūṯak thal hai sūṯak sūṯak opaṯ ho▫ī.

There is pollution in the water, and pollution on the land; whatever is born is polluted.

ਜਨਮੇ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਮੂਏ ਫੁਨਿ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਸੂਤਕ ਪਰਜ ਬਿਗੋਈ ॥੧॥

Janme sūṯak mū▫e fun sūṯak sūṯak paraj bigo▫ī. ||1||

There is pollution in birth, and more pollution in death; all beings are ruined by pollution. ||1||

ਕਹੁ ਰੇ ਪੰਡੀਆ ਕਉਨ ਪਵੀਤਾ ॥

Kaho re pandī▫ā ka▫un pavīṯā.

Tell me, O Pandit, O religious scholar: who is clean and pure?

ਐਸਾ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਜਪਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਮੀਤਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

Aisā gi▫ān japahu mere mīṯā. ||1|| rahā▫o.

Meditate on such spiritual wisdom, O my friend. ||1||Pause||

ਨੈਨਹੁ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਬੈਨਹੁ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਸ੍ਰਵਨੀ ਹੋਈ ॥

Nainhu sūṯak bainhu sūṯak sūṯak sarvanī ho▫ī.

There is pollution in the eyes, and pollution in speech; there is pollution in the ears as well.

ਊਠਤ ਬੈਠਤ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਲਾਗੈ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਪਰੈ ਰਸੋਈ ॥੨॥

Uṯẖaṯ baiṯẖaṯ sūṯak lāgai sūṯak parai raso▫ī. ||2||

Standing up and sitting down, one is polluted; one's kitchen is polluted as well. ||2||

ਫਾਸਨ ਕੀ ਬਿਧਿ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਊ ਜਾਨੈ ਛੂਟਨ ਕੀ ਇਕੁ ਕੋਈ ॥

Fāsan kī biḏẖ sabẖ ko▫ū jānai cẖẖūtan kī ik ko▫ī.

Everyone knows how to be caught, but hardly anyone knows how to escape.

ਕਹਿ ਕਬੀਰ ਰਾਮੁ ਰਿਦੈ ਬਿਚਾਰੈ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਤਿਨੈ ਨ ਹੋਈ ॥੩॥੪੧॥

Kahi Kabīr rām riḏai bicẖārai sūṯak ṯinai na ho▫ī. ||3||41||

Says Kabeer, those who meditate on the Lord within their hearts, are not polluted. ||3||41||

Bhagat jee concludes the shabad by saying those who remember akaal purkh, those who have giaan/wisdom of akaal purkh are not polluted.

Everyone and everything is polluted, you would be wrong to only call women polluted at that time. The shabad doesn't directly specify anything in relation to women and their period but we have to understand the concept of impurity according to gurbaanee, and Guru Nanak Saheb sacche patshah in the following shabad says, jy kir sUqku mMnIAY sB qY sUqku hoie ], if you accept/understand the concept of impurity you will realize that there is impurity everywhere you look and if you relate this to the topic, according to gurbaanee you would be wrong to call women impure at that time.

Guru Nanak says:

ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮਃ ੧ ॥

सलोकु मः १ ॥

Salok mėhlā 1.

Shalok, First Mehl:

ਜੇ ਕਰਿ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਮੰਨੀਐ ਸਭ ਤੈ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਹੋਇ ॥

Je kar sūṯak mannī▫ai sabẖ ṯai sūṯak ho▫e.

If one accepts the concept of impurity, then there is impurity everywhere.

ਗੋਹੇ ਅਤੈ ਲਕੜੀ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਕੀੜਾ ਹੋਇ ॥

Gohe aṯai lakṛī anḏar kīṛā ho▫e.

In cow-dung and wood there are worms.

ਜੇਤੇ ਦਾਣੇ ਅੰਨ ਕੇ ਜੀਆ ਬਾਝੁ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥

Jeṯe ḏāṇe ann ke jī▫ā bājẖ na ko▫e.

As many as are the grains of corn, none is without life.

ਪਹਿਲਾ ਪਾਣੀ ਜੀਉ ਹੈ ਜਿਤੁ ਹਰਿਆ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਇ ॥

Pahilā pāṇī jī▫o hai jiṯ hari▫ā sabẖ ko▫e.

First, there is life in the water, by which everything else is made green.

ਸੂਤਕੁ ਕਿਉ ਕਰਿ ਰਖੀਐ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਪਵੈ ਰਸੋਇ ॥

Sūṯak ki▫o kar rakẖī▫ai sūṯak pavai raso▫e.

How can it be protected from impurity? It touches our own kitchen.

ਨਾਨਕ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਏਵ ਨ ਉਤਰੈ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਉਤਾਰੇ ਧੋਇ ॥੧॥

Nānak sūṯak ev na uṯrai gi▫ān uṯāre ḏẖo▫e. ||1||

O Nanak, impurity cannot be removed in this way; it is washed away only by spiritual wisdom. ||1||

Singhneea shouldn't feel impure at that time but understand that impurity lies everywhere and most importantly that it lies within the mind and that they should purify their minds through naam/bani/seva and not feel that they are not worthy of doing seva.

Bhul chuk muaaf karnee jeeo

[Guest Guest]

To extend what talikaak has said. Further down in the same salok, Guru Sahib mentions what impurity really is. I have tried to make meanings more clear as STTM meanings are not in places.

mÚ 1 ]

ma 1 ||

First Mehla:

mn kw sUqku loBu hY ijhvw sUqku kUVu ]

man kaa soothak lobh hai jihavaa soothak koorr ||

The impurity of the mind is greed, and the impurity of the tongue is falsehood [ (to say) harsh words that hurt others]

AKI sUqku vyKxw pr iqRA pr Dn rUpu ]

akhee soothak vaekhanaa par thria par dhhan roop ||

The impurity of the eyes is to gaze upon the beauty of another man's wife [other women], and his [others] wealth.

kMnI sUqku kMin pY lwieqbwrI Kwih ]

ka(n)nee soothak ka(n)n pai laaeithabaaree khaahi ||

The impurity of the ears is to listen to the slander of others.

nwnk hMsw AwdmI bDy jm puir jwih ]2]

naanak ha(n)saa aadhamee badhhae jam pur jaahi ||2||

O Nanak, the mortal's soul goes, bound and gagged to the city of Death. ||2||

O Nanak, such mortals, even though they may look pure like swans (hans), but they still are bound and taken to "hell" ||2||

http://sikhitothemax.com/page.asp?ShabadID=1744

While talking about impurity it also makes sense to talk about purity. As per Gurmat:

sUcy eyih n AwKIAih bhin ij ipMfw Doie ]

soochae eaehi n aakheeahi behan j pi(n)ddaa dhhoe ||

They are not called pure, who sit down after merely washing their bodies.

sUcy syeI nwnkw ijn min visAw soie ]2]

soochae saeee naanakaa jin man vasiaa soe ||2||

Only they are pure, O Nanak, within whose minds the Lord abides. ||2||

So, both men and women are not pure. Only a brahm gyani is pure