Milk Nishan Sahib

[hsingh8963]

Why is milk used for cleaning just curious.. Nishan sahib.. Harmandir sahib.

[Cisco_Singh]

Why is milk used for cleaning just curious.. Nishan sahib.. Harmandir sahib.

It's just a backwards mentality thing that nobody bothers to challenge or change. Milk is seen as pure and clean, and because it's white in colour it's assumed it must be good. Firstly the process by which milk is extracted from cow is increasingly cruel to the animals , secondly as mentioned milk does not have any cleaning properties or other useful properties that can possibly make it useful for cleaning anything..Milk will also start to give off a bad odour if cont completely washed off properly.

They would be better of using something suitable for cleaning and protecting metal surfaces and preventing corrosion if the the pole to the nishan sahib is made from metal, rather than wasting milk. They could save that milk and donate it to hungry or homeless people.

They also in some Gurdwaras use milk mixed with water to clean floors, again a waste of milk and a pretty useless idea. Theyre better using a proepr floor cleaning product with anti bacterial properties that wont smell if it's not cleaned properly.

[JagsawSingh]

It's just a backwards mentality thing that nobody bothers to challenge or change. Milk is seen as pure and clean, and because it's white in colour it's assumed it must be good. Firstly the process by which milk is extracted from cow is increasingly cruel to the animals , secondly as mentioned milk does not have any cleaning properties or other useful properties that can possibly make it useful for cleaning anything..Milk will also start to give off a bad odour if cont completely washed off properly.

They would be better of using something suitable for cleaning and protecting metal surfaces and preventing corrosion if the the pole to the nishan sahib is made from metal, rather than wasting milk. They could save that milk and donate it to hungry or homeless people.

They also in some Gurdwaras use milk mixed with water to clean floors, again a waste of milk and a pretty useless idea. Theyre better using a proepr floor cleaning product with anti bacterial properties that wont smell if it's not cleaned properly.

Agree with most of what you said there. I will say however, that you should not be confusing the extremely cruel industrialised dairy production / industry in western countries such as the UK, Canada and America, with the humane way milk is extracted in Punjab.

For me, the thing I feel most uncomfortable with is the way that so so much milk is wasted in this way when, in that part of the world, there are children dying for lack of nutrients / food / milk. It is obscene.

[hsingh8963]

There is no Puratan Rehit...?

Or sakhi?

[kamc]

It's an interesting question, next time your at the Gurdwara grab a Giani and ask them, i remember when i was young and inquisitive and I asked, the look I got could have burnt a hole in a car door, on a serious note, I do think it's tradition over religion though, someone in the past probably did it and it's just been that way ever since and no one's ever asked why, worth doing some research especially seeing as it's used at Harmandir Sahib as well.

[JagsawSingh]

I assume its for the same reasons sevadars wash darbar sahib floor with milk-satkar and milk is known for its pavitarita/purity. I found similiar thread on ss regarding milk being used for darbar sahib floor-

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?/topic/70465-washing-darbar-sahib-floor-with-milk-is-equal-to-shivjis-singh-sabha-canada/

Not sure but another reason i would think they do it because milk is satogun padarath and satogun padarath are always known for its purity to wash things. I recall stories many singhs in past would use yugurt again-sato to wash their kesh in the past.

Thats absolutely nothing to do with '"Singhs". It always has been, and still is, common for Punjabis to shampoo with yogurt. Its an old Indian tradition, particularly in regards to head-lice.

People taking silly ancient Indian traditions and desperately trying to find a way of not only justifying them but also attributing them to Sikhi is at best folly (washing hair with milk/yogurt) but at worst a damn disgrace because only an inhuman savage could justify under Sikhi the daily RITUAL of wasting thousands of gallons of milk when right outside there are human children who will die because of lack of milk and food. It is obscene.

[JagsawSingh]

Off course there has to balance between feeding hungry and using little bit of milk to wash nishan sahib. By the way, washing of nishan sahib with milk does not happen every day, may be twice a year on change of nishan sahib which is quite minimal to bring humanity crisis. Even usage of milk at darbar sahib is usually mixed with water and they keep proper balance as 150,000 people get fed every day in langar with kheer at golden temple. For me this is non issue. I am more concerned about people are making these rituals as dogma than rituals itself so lot more education, satkar context is needed in parchar to explain all of this.

That is why I shouted out the word RITIUALS in capital letters in my last message.

See thats the weird thing about the time we're living in when we compare to yesteryear.

Yesteryear, my forefathers and your forefathers left Hinduism partly because they realised it was awash with meaningless rituals.

Today, in the modern age, we've reached a stage where Sikhs have more rituals than the Hindus and a Sikh could easily leave Sikhism and become a Hindu and cite as his reason the fact that there it is awash with meaningless rituals.

And I blame you for most of them N30Singh. For you always attempt to justify them in the false name of 'intellectual discussion'. I'm on to you fella.

[Jonny101]

The old "children going hungry" argument again. Just thought I should mention Langar if they haven't got a clue.

[S4NGH]

Milk is actually a perfect natural marble cleaner. Alkaline. Makes sense

[JagsawSingh]

How can children go hungry if the Sri Gurdwara Sahib also gives langar?? LOL

Oh yeah sorry. I forgot. My bad.

I forgot the fact there's no hunger in the world and every single man, woman and child within a travelling distance of Amritsar is so well fed he or she is practically obese and could in no way be in need of calcium. No way. My bad. I forgot how stupendously rich every person in India is.