Sant Jarnail Singh Ji & Nelson Mandela

[PranaamShaheedaNu]

Waheguru Ji Ka khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh !!

So I just thought I would collate some thoughts on something that I watched over the weekend, and thought it would be a good discusson topic. So please sangat do reply!

As it was Father's Day over the weekend, I decided to buy my Dad 'Mandela' on DVD, as he has a great passion for Nelson Mandela. We have had many conversations about Nelso Mandela, and how many similarities there are between Sant Jarnail Singh Ji and himself. My Dad has already held the view that there are no similarities as (and I quote) 'Nelson Mandela fought a just war agaisnt tyranny and chose the path of peace, whereas Sant Jarnail Singh Ji chose violence as an answer to gain political power'.

Watching the film and doing some research on Mandela, I have found my Dads view to be a bit flawed. Nelson Mandela started off with an extremely violent agitation against the Minority rule in SA, and even whilst he was in Prison the violence was further insighted by his wife Winnie. Even after he was released there was even further communal violence.

Now with that in mind, if you look at the SItuation of 1984 and Sant Jarnail Singh Ji, i came to the conclusion that, SantJi had started the agitation in a n extremely peacful and loving manner in the form of Parchaar and awakenign of the SIkhs within Punjab and across India. From the time of Bhai Fauja Singh Ji's Shaheedi the Sikhs kept a very peaceful agitation alive, with protests etc.

Now i guess the question is what do you think Sangat Jee, are there similarities?

Looking forward to responses

WJKK WJKF

[Daaas12]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh, I agree with your post and I also feel that your dad's perception of Sant Ji is flawed, Nelson Mandela started out violent but was able to come out peaceful and save the minorities. While Sant Ji was able to preach one thing for sure in his speechs From what I have heard of his several... Keep rehit become true sikhs, get shashter as our Gurus have instructed us and always keep peace until you have no alternative... So if you are being abused don't just stand by and let it happen after peace fails... End the Person who commits these sins. Sant Ji was one of the greatest Sikhs of the 20th century... So as for similarities both were fighting oppression and took a "by Any means" strategy.

[Daaas12]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh, I agree with your post and I also feel that your dad's perception of Sant Ji is flawed, Nelson Mandela started out violent but was able to come out peaceful and save the minorities. While Sant Ji was able to preach one thing for sure in his speechs From what I have heard of his several... Keep rehit become true sikhs, get shashter as our Gurus have instructed us and always keep peace until you have no alternative... So if you are being abused don't just stand by and let it happen after peace fails... End the Person who commits these sins. Sant Ji was one of the greatest Sikhs of the 20th century... So as for similarities both were fighting oppression and took a "by Any means" strategy.

[Guest Ksingh5]

I would agree with your Dad on the matter. The comparison is flawed from your side. Mandela was an educated man, student of law and politics. Where the later, just based his decisions on opinion of own or others.

[PranaamShaheedaNu]

I would agree with your Dad on the matter. The comparison is flawed from your side. Mandela was an educated man, student of law and politics. Where the later, just based his decisions on opinion of own or others.

Why would you agree? Mandela was an educated man - so this means inciting violence is fine as he was educated? I do not think so. Sant Ji was an educated man, the vidiya that they undertook at Damdami Taksal is education whetehr you regard that or not.

Sant Jis opinions were not just based on his own thoughts - he was a warrior for the Sangat, he took into account Sikh Rights. People sometimes forget that he as not just fighting for the Sikh nation, he has made it explicitly clear in many of his sermons that he is not anti any religion, all he wants for his that any person proffessing which ever faith - to be true to THAT faith.

I beleve your justification for the flawed comparison has no standing.

Bhul Chuk Maaf

[rvsr]

The core of the two great ppls movements were the same. Equailty for all. Unfortunately or more broadly fortunately. In our religion we have the feeling that we would rather die than bend in the slightest in our righteous actions. If Sant Jarnail Singh had been arrested rather than set up and brutally set upon by the dogs of the Indian army. It is my undoubted truth that in years to come he would have been hailed just like Nelson.

[InderjitS]

I would agree with your Dad on the matter. The comparison is flawed from your side. Mandela was an educated man, student of law and politics. Where the later, just based his decisions on opinion of own or others.

Just because one is not educated through School it does not mean they are not intelligent and can't make political decisions. If you are a Sikh you should know there is no higher knowledge than Gurbani and reading it allows for pure clarity of thought and understanding of Khand/Brahmands!! Sant Ji was not a mere mortal, if you listen to Katha of Giani Thakur Singh, you will realise the amount of Bhagti Sant Ji performed from an early age. Who is to say they were less educated than Mandela?

Wordly education without Dharam can and often does mean the individual falls into the Ego trap and judgments become clouded.

ਪੜਿਆ ਮੂਰਖੁ ਆਖੀਐ ਜਿਸੁ ਲਬੁ ਲੋਭੁ ਅਹੰਕਾਰਾ ॥

That scholar who is full of greed, arrogant pride and egotism, is known to be a fool.

ਨਾਉ ਪੜੀਐ ਨਾਉ ਬੁਝੀਐ ਗੁਰਮਤੀ ਵੀਚਾਰਾ ॥

o read the Name, and realize the Name, and contemplate the Guru's Teachings.

[dashmesh1984]

The core of the two great ppls movements were the same. Equailty for all. Unfortunately or more broadly fortunately. In our religion we have the feeling that we would rather die than bend in the slightest in our righteous actions. If Sant Jarnail Singh had been arrested rather than set up and brutally set upon by the dogs of the Indian army. It is my undoubted truth that in years to come he would have been hailed just like Nelson.

i sometimes think about this

[kharkusingh1996]

Why would you agree? Mandela was an educated man - so this means inciting violence is fine as he was educated? I do not think so. Sant Ji was an educated man, the vidiya that they undertook at Damdami Taksal is education whetehr you regard that or not.

Sant Jis opinions were not just based on his own thoughts - he was a warrior for the Sangat, he took into account Sikh Rights. People sometimes forget that he as not just fighting for the Sikh nation, he has made it explicitly clear in many of his sermons that he is not anti any religion, all he wants for his that any person proffessing which ever faith - to be true to THAT faith.

I beleve your justification for the flawed comparison has no standing.

Bhul Chuk Maaf

Not trying to dishonor Sant Ji but he wasn't educated in studies as he dropped out of school at a young age. But he was a influential parcharik who looked after the Sikhs and wanted equal rights for all. Sant ji was not educated in politics or even a political figure.

Bhul Chuk Maaf

[Jonny101]

Not trying to dishonor Sant Ji but he wasn't educated in studies as he dropped out of school at a young age. But he was a influential parcharik who looked after the Sikhs and wanted equal rights for all. Sant ji was not educated in politics or even a political figure.

Bhul Chuk Maaf

Western education doesn't mean anything when it comes to leadership. Have you ever seen the education qualification of all the leaders of India? they are highly educated. Nerhu, Indira Gandhi, our own Sukhbir Badal are all educated from universities in the UK! yet their leadership is an economical and social disaster for India. Punjab has never been as bad as it is now under western educated Sukhbir with most of our youth becoming drug addicts and Patit.

On the other hand, Maharaja Ranjit Singh could not read nor write. He stamped his hand because he did not know how to sign his own name. Yet he built a nation from scratch and turned Punjab into the most prosperous place in India at the time. Truth is not all educated people are wise and not all wise people are educated.

As for Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, he studied at Taksal since childhood, that is educated! The term "educated" cannot be defined and restricted within the boundaries of western mode of education only. Part of Taksal's curriculum was to study texts such as Chanakya Rajneeti which even to this day is unmatched text on Rajneeti. Before Dharam Yudh Morcha, Sant Jee like the previous heads of Taksal taught all of these texts at the Taksal. Highly educated men like Dr Swami Subramaniam all acknowledged Sant Jee's insight in current political and social issues. He did much more for the panth and the youth of his time than any so called western educated Sikh ever did.