Singhs taking opium in Gur sobha granth

[dallysingh101]

This is from 1896 - 

 

Falcon, R.W. (Captain, 4th Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force), Handbook on Sikhs: for the use of Regimental Officers Printed at the Pioneer Press, Allahabad, India, 1896

[dallysingh101]

 

[dallysingh101]

 

[dharamyudh]

On 4/6/2021 at 9:54 AM, dallysingh101 said:

Anyway, I've always wondered about the use of bhang in war. Cannabis is usually associated with feelings of peace and relaxation - hardly what you'd want if on the frontline of violent battle. 

I recently come across this extract from the memoir of someone (Joseph Thackwell) who fought in the second Sikh-anglo jungh. It's one of the first references I've come across which explicitly records an example of the use of cannabis in war by a Sikh:

 

 

I have actually had the opportunity to drink Degh with Nihangs. I felt relaxed, calm, and kinda focused. It kills that anxiety knot-like feeling you get in your stomach. Because of this, I always thought of it as a way to calm your  nerves before battle. Imagine preparing yourself to launch an attack against some Mughal, Afghan, or some other adversary. The anticipation, unless you're at a high level of bhakti, will get to anyone. Your heart would probably be beating out of your chest, some may even shake and feel jumpy. Drinking Degh essentially eliminates that feeling completely and allows you to focus in on the task at hand. 

[dallysingh101]

2 hours ago, dharamyudh said:

I have actually had the opportunity to drink Degh with Nihangs. I felt relaxed, calm, and kinda focused. It kills that anxiety knot-like feeling you get in your stomach. Because of this, I always thought of it as a way to calm your  nerves before battle. Imagine preparing yourself to launch an attack against some Mughal, Afghan, or some other adversary. The anticipation, unless you're at a high level of bhakti, will get to anyone. Your heart would probably be beating out of your chest, some may even shake and feel jumpy. Drinking Degh essentially eliminates that feeling completely and allows you to focus in on the task at hand. 

Lucky you!

That makes good sense. I thought that it might hamper physical coordination in battle, but in small doses it probably wouldn't.  

[dharamyudh]

3 hours ago, dallysingh101 said:

Lucky you!

That makes good sense. I thought that it might hamper physical coordination in battle, but in small doses it probably wouldn't.  

Yeah you would think you'd get all lazy but not at all. I honestly didn't feel anything other than internal calmness and focus. I believe the original maryada is to put 5 leaves but some people go a little overboard. It tastes like a desi milkshake only with a cannabis aftertaste. Pretty easy to make, you should try it out.  

[dallysingh101]

22 hours ago, dharamyudh said:

Yeah you would think you'd get all lazy but not at all. I honestly didn't feel anything other than internal calmness and focus. I believe the original maryada is to put 5 leaves but some people go a little overboard. It tastes like a desi milkshake only with a cannabis aftertaste. Pretty easy to make, you should try it out.  

In the past I've made a tea from the ingredients of sukha nidhaan i.e. boiling a few small green lachis, saunf, cinnamon stick, javentry, black pepper, cloves and a few sukha leaves for 20 minutes. You are right in that it doesn't buzz you all over the shop. 

 

I found it really good as an anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, relaxant. Also, seems really good for nerve pain.

 

Do you know how long the nihangs raggarh it? And what prayers they might recite when they do it? 

 

PS- I also found pasted poppy seeds (in a mortar and pestle) boiled with milk and with some black pepper and keeo to be a very subtle but potent relaxant. 

 

PS - some of those ingredients actually inhibit some of the intoxicating effects of sukha (i.e. cloves and black pepper), so it's more thought out than some might imagine. 

[dharamyudh]

6 hours ago, dallysingh101 said:

In the past I've made a tea from the ingredients of sukha nidhaan i.e. boiling a few small green lachis, saunf, cinnamon stick, javentry, black pepper, cloves and a few sukha leaves and for 20 minutes. You are right in that it doesn't buzz you all over the shop. 

 

I found it really good as an anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, relaxant. Also, seems really good for nerve pain.

 

Do you know how long the nihangs raggarh it? And what prayers they might recite when they do it? 

 

PS- I also found pasted poppy seeds (in a mortar and pestle) boiled with milk and with some black pepper and keeo to be a very subtle but potent relaxant. 

 

PS - some of those ingredients actually inhibit some of the intoxicating effects of sukha (i.e. cloves and black pepper), so it's more thought out than some might imagine. 

I believe it may be anywhere in the ball park between 20-30 minutes. Basically you wanna slowly continue adding water until it kinda gets a sweet spot between pasty and dry. So you raggarh, add a little water, raggarh and so on. I can double check, but I think they read any type of  bir ras bani.

 

 

Some people opt to put all the ingredients in at one time and others (like the video above) add it as they go along.