Should We Serve Alcohol As Guru Ka Langar?

[Harry Haller]

thats it! :grinningkaur:

 

[Ishna]

Whoops, thought I was on the wrong forum there for a minute. This 'Kshatri dharam' stuff has popped up on another forum with much gusto. I can see how it appeals to the young, passionate men. In fact it has had me depressed for most of the day. There is so little unity amongst humankind (let alone Sikhs!), so much dogma, it is evident that one's spirituality and religion is between the individual and Guruji only. I worry how the panth is supposed to survive when humans will do what they want, when they want anyway.

It's a no-win situation though, Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave authority to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji AND the Khalsa panth... perhaps he knew that giving it to a priestly heirarchy only would bring corruption, and giving it to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji only would inevitably end up with people reading it and reaching their own conclusions with no other support, so he tried to find the middle ground? Still didn't work though. Humans are too corrupt.

 

[Joginder Singh Foley]

WJKKWJKT
One of the cornerstones of Sikhi is TOLERENCEProceed with extreme caution here Are we to impose our views on others no matter how passionate we feel about the cause Do you want to stand in the middle of a hall full people drinking alcoholic drinks quoting Gurbani etc doing such things puts us on a slippery slope here, do we want to be viewed as an intolerant religion & end up with a Sikh version of the taliban It is best to leave/not go to such events and remember that we are all going to have to give account for our actions in this life and that no one else is responsable for your actions and you are not responsable foer any one else's actions


:interestedkudi:

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

WJKKWJKT
One of the cornerstones of Sikhi is TOLERENCEProceed with extreme caution here Are we to impose our views on others no matter how passionate we feel about the cause Do you want to stand in the middle of a hall full people drinking alcoholic drinks quoting Gurbani etc doing such things puts us on a slippery slope here, do we want to be viewed as an intolerant religion & end up with a Sikh version of the taliban It is best to leave/not go to such events and remember that we are all going to have to give account for our actions in this life and that no one else is responsable for your actions and you are not responsable foer any one else's actions


:interestedkudi:

This is exactly WHAT prof Sarabjit Singh ji Dhunda is aksing in his latest so called "controversial Katha" that seemingly UPSET many inlcuding the Takhats !!! TRUTH REALLY HURTS !!
Prof sahib asks...IF Massa ranghharr was assasinated becasue he caused dancing girls and alcohol drinking in a place where the SGGS used to be parkash..what about SIKHS TODAY ?? Dont Sikhs dance and drink in front of SGGS ?? ( U tube of Gurdwara Dhesian available on Internet). Dont SIKHS dance on the streets with their daughters and show off their females on the streets during wedding bhangras dancings etc..? IF the answer is YES they do..then we are ALL Massa ranggharrs !! and Sukha Singh Mehtab singh should be removing our unworthy heads ???

Would a Mu0slim ever dare to ask..whether PORK could be served in a Mosque ?? or a HINDU ask whether BEEF can be served in a Hindu mandir as Parshaad ??? Yet we have SIKHS asking this type of sheer nonsensical questions simply becasue its the NORM among SIKHS to do ANTI-GURMATT actions as normal...what a sad day for us when the Takhats also support Manmattee sikhs to attack Gurmatt promoting Sikhs..

BOYCOTT such places..events..DONT ATTEND if you ahve a conscience....best and easiest way Forward....and IF you are SCARED and do attend or go..then keep your PEACE and be forever SILENT.:blueturban:

 

[bscheema]

guru ka langar its not any one public property or kitchen ...it is served to every one ,not to sikh only or soo clled sikh (new term sehajdhari) those who like meat and alcohol it is served to muslim, brahims , christian , jain, Buddhist, so there should be no poll about this .coz ll u serve meat to all of them or alcohol , thts not question , did guru gave us permission to do so , can v serve any one against his her will to sit and eat meat on same pangat

 

[lionprinceuk]

Re: To celebrate or not?

Lion_Princre_Jatinder ji,

ME, might as well be a brahmin? :angryyoungkaur: I think not. Please explain yourself.

ਸਵੈਯਾ ॥
सवैया ॥
SWAYYA

ਛਤ੍ਰੀ ਕੋ ਪੂਤ ਹੌ ਬਾਮਨ ਕੋ ਨਹਿ ਕੈ ਤਪੁ ਆਵਤ ਹੈ ਜੁ ਕਰੋ ॥ ਅਰੁ ਅਉਰ ਜੰਜਾਰ ਜਿਤੋ ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਕੋ ਤੁਹਿ ਤਿਆਗ ਕਹਾ ਚਿਤ ਤਾ ਮੈ ਧਰੋ ॥
छत्री को पूत हौ बामन को नहि कै तपु आवत है जु करो ॥ अरु अउर जंजार जितो ग्रहि को तुहि तिआग कहा चित ता मै धरो ॥
I am the son of a Kshatriya and not of a Brahmin who may instruct for performing severe austerities; how can I absorb myself in the embarrassments of the world by leaving you;

ਅਬ ਰੀਝ ਕੈ ਦੇਹੁ ਵਹੈ ਹਮ ਕਉ ਜੋਊ ਹਉ ਬਿਨਤੀ ਕਰ ਜੋਰ ਕਰੋ ॥ ਜਬ ਆਉ ਕੀ ਅਉਧ ਨਿਦਾਨ ਬਨੈ ਅਤਿਹੀ ਰਨ ਮੈ ਤਬ ਜੂਝ ਮਰੋ ॥੨੪੮੯॥
अब रीझ कै देहु वहै हम कउ जोऊ हउ बिनती कर जोर करो ॥ जब आउ की अउध निदान बनै अतिही रन मै तब जूझ मरो ॥२४८९॥
Whatever request I am making with my folded hands, O Lord ! kindly be graceful and bestow this boon on me that when ever my end comes, then I may die fighting in the battlefield.2489.

 

[lionprinceuk]

guru ka langar its not any one public property or kitchen ...it is served to every one ,not to sikh only or soo clled sikh (new term sehajdhari) those who like meat and alcohol it is served to muslim, brahims , christian , jain, Buddhist, so there should be no poll about this .coz ll u serve meat to all of them or alcohol , thts not question , did guru gave us permission to do so , can v serve any one against his her will to sit and eat meat on same pangat

But Guru ji has given permission to serve meat langar, mahaprashad, doing jhatka and hunting, and that is why Guru ji's nihang Singhs do this in the dals (barracks of the khalsa army) as well as takhts Patna Sahib and Hazoor Sahib. Practise also occured in Akal Takht before Lahore Singh Sabha forcibly took control.

 

[bscheema]

Thats not Langar which is done at Anandpur sahib its practicing war tradition ,it use to be for those who been in war from many days without any other source of food.think about Langar where u dnt kno people sitting from different sects ,religion . what will you likely to serve them , the food which can consumed by every human or meat ?
Langar - where every human no matters of caste and religion can have food sitting in Pangat without any discrimination .

 

[lionprinceuk]

ok, but I heard in bhatra gurdwaras and in the dals they actually do meat langar.

And also mahaprashad is prashad as well!!

icecreammunda

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

Ishna Ji..Maha means SUPER..hence Parshaad is Vegetarain (ghee/water/atta/sugar) so Maha or Super parshaad is MEAT !!
Just like you and me are just "purash"..human..but then there are Maha-purash..lol....
Its Nihung Bollas or lingo....

 

[Mai Harinder Kaur]

Re: To celebrate or not?

I will try and guide you.

You may not like jhatka and sukha, but is a part of kshatri dharam of the Khalsa.

For those who practise kshatri dharam, these practises are required! And a Khalsa without kshatria dharam might as well be Brahmins lol !

Lion Prince Jatinder ji,

I have been stewing over things you have written for a while now and I really feel the need to break the rules I have set for myself and demand, er, ask politely, for your honest response.

You talk about this Kshatriya dharam stuff a lot. My understanding is that caste and varna have no place in Sikhi. Those of us who are Amritdhari explicitly renounce those and they have vanished forever from our lives. My dharam is that of a Khalsa sant-sipahi. I fulfill that very imperfectly, of course, but I do try. "Kshatria dharam" has no place in my life.

Before you say that I might as well be a brahmin, permit me to present my credentials:

I am an Amritdhari Sikh, an aspiring Khalsa. In addition to that which is required of all Khalsa, I have sacrificed a husband, a son, two daughters and two brothers to Guru Khalsa Panth in one blow. I also nearly achieved shaheedi myself, but my destiny is different and I am still here, living in this body. I also dispatched at least one and possibly more of the enemies of the Sikh Kaum to hell. I have authored a blog, The Road To Khalistan, which has the details of the above events, writing about them at a time when I could find no personal accounts written in English. I continued writing the blog as a place to attempt to build up the Panth by writing of current Sikh issues in ways that I hoped would help unite and strengthen the Sikh Kaum. Specifically, I have advocated for an independent Sikh homeland and the cessation of the murder of our daughters. I have recently retired after my second husband's death, to give me the opportunity to regroup and regain some physical health. I will not speak of sewa I have performed. That is private and better left unsaid.

I neither hunt nor eat meat, although I do not condemn those who do. If no other nourishment were available, I would see nothing wrong in sustaining my physical life by meat. My shastars have no tilak of blood, and they have served me and the Panth well.

I am not boasting or trying to raise myself up. These are just the simple facts of my life.

This is what I have given to the Panth.

I now ask you to please present your credentials. What have you given to the Panth that gives you the authority to tell other Sikhs, including myself, that we "might as well be brahmins."

 

[lionprinceuk]

Re: To celebrate or not?

Lion Prince Jatinder ji,

I have been stewing over things you have written for a while now and I really feel the need to break the rules I have set for myself and demand, er, ask politely, for your honest response.

You talk about this Kshatriya dharam stuff a lot. My understanding is that caste and varna have no place in Sikhi. Those of us who are Amritdhari explicitly renounce those and they have vanished forever from our lives. My dharam is that of a Khalsa sant-sipahi. I fulfill that very imperfectly, of course, but I do try. "Kshatria dharam" has no place in my life.

Before you say that I might as well be a brahmin, permit me to present my credentials:

I am an Amritdhari Sikh, an aspiring Khalsa. In addition to that which is required of all Khalsa, I have sacrificed a husband, a son, two daughters and two brothers to Guru Khalsa Panth in one blow. I also nearly achieved shaheedi myself, but my destiny is different and I am still here, living in this body. I also dispatched at least one and possibly more of the enemies of the Sikh Kaum to hell. I have authored a blog, The Road To Khalistan, which has the details of the above events, writing about them at a time when I could find no personal accounts written in English. I continued writing the blog as a place to attempt to build up the Panth by writing of current Sikh issues in ways that I hoped would help unite and strengthen the Sikh Kaum. Specifically, I have advocated for an independent Sikh homeland and the cessation of the murder of our daughters. I have recently retired after my second husband's death, to give me the opportunity to regroup and regain some physical health. I will not speak of sewa I have performed. That is private and better left unsaid.

I neither hunt nor eat meat, although I do not condemn those who do. If no other nourishment were available, I would see nothing wrong in sustaining my physical life by meat. My shastars have no tilak of blood, and they have served me and the Panth well.

I am not boasting or trying to raise myself up. These are just the simple facts of my life.

This is what I have given to the Panth.

I now ask you to please present your credentials. What have you given to the Panth that gives you the authority to tell other Sikhs, including myself, that we "might as well be brahmins."

Well, my reply may have to be long as well. By the way, are you the person in the avatar? 0

Let me start off by saying I consider myself a traditional jatt sikh, who follows traditions and culture.

The next part to say is this: I did originally get into the Lahore Singh Sabha style SGPC mainstream ?Orthodox? sikhi or Sikh"ism" as they call it, but then, because of my inquisitive nature and research, I ended up swaying towards traditional sikhi of the puraatan sampradaiye, where the Khalsa fauj and amrit-dharis are non other than the notorious Nihang Singhs lol . Slowly, I changed from being a Sikh or Sikh"ism" religion, to being a sikh of sikh traditions and thinking.

It has been a benefit for me overall, as traditional sikhi very much merges with my punjabi and indian culture as opposed to contradictions between religion and culture that followers of the mainstream Singh Sabha / SGPC encounter!

I have also forsaken religion, which was an ideology gained by our ancestors during the British Raaj, and instead I concentrate towards dharam and spirituality.

That is my background, I will add the reasons for kshatriya dharam soon!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Well firstly, just read the bani quote from Guru Gobind Singh.

Next see the traditions that have been preserved in the barracks/dals of the Khalsa army, practised by the akali Nihangs.

Vegertianism in sikhi is no problem, sampradaiye like the Udasis, and Nirmalas and Sewapanthis can practises vegetarianism.

However the Khalsa Nihangs, they follow kshatriya dharm. Kshatriya being a warrior. Dasam Granth and Sarbloh Granth both teach us kshatri dharam.
The traditions of the khalsa and even our last names being Singh, all come from kshartiya dharam, even ancien kshatriya dharam.

Guru Gobind Singh comes from Sodhi khatris, who are descended from ancient kshatriyas going all the way to Raam Chander as part of the Surajbanshi/ Suryavanshi/ sun dynasty. As shown in Bacchitar Natak.

Lastly, I also go to Shastar vidiya akharas, run by the last master of the art, Nihang Niddar Singh. The art is very much in line with kshattri dharam.

Why are there distortions away from kshatriya dharam?
Firstly, khanday dee pahul tradition slipped out of Nihang Khalsa which was under control of Buddha Dal at that time and still is. Naamdharis used this tradition to use khanda dee pahul tomake their own amritdharis who were vegeterians, and many sources claim naamdharis to be the first to give khanday dee pahul to women! And I say, khanday dee pahul, and not other forms of amrit like kripan da amrit given to women in Hazoor Sahib.

Then I see that Nirmalay started giving Khanday dee Pahul as well. Soon, in the British Raaj, alot of jathebandis popped up giving khanday dee pahul with their own maryadas, but lacking lineage to Guru Gobind Singh and the dals of the Khalsa army. Some had mixed vegeterianism into the mix.

You can see that various samrpadaiye kept their sattvik lifestyles yet took on the form of Khalsa, but not exactly. For example, the kamarkasa became a gatra worn around the shoulder. The warrior karas, or binee keh shastar, became little fashionable karas to wear while doing tabla.

Other ancient traditions like chatka, and prashad like mahaprashad, are objectionable to those who do not follow kshattri dharam. Not all sikhs have to be Khalsa Singhs.

But seriously, khanday dee pahul is given very loosely now outside the dals to any stranger. The nihangs even consider Singh Sabha amrit dharis being Malesh (ie dirty foreigners strangers) as the Lahori Singh Sabha conduct is considered strange and definetly anti-kshatriya, and seems almost certain to be influenced by the Protestant Christian thinking of the Education the leading Singh Sabha authors had.

The Varna thing is the last thing I need to describe, give me some time :-

---------------------------------

The 4 varnas just described the 4 main different roles in society.

Brahmins being the ones who learn and study and teach.

Kshatriyas being the ones who run government and defend dharam and are the warriors.

Vaishyas are more worker type people, farming, shop merchants etc.

Theres also Shudra, which is more labourer work.

Anyway, in ancient times you could move between the varnas according to the type of work you did or your lifestykle, etc.

Then people have hijacked the system to make people higher and lower.

In bani, Guru ji talks about all the varnas as being one. This is true, as really we are all human beings, and can unite!

Anyways, by becoming a Khalsa you become a kshatriya, a warrior. Doesn't really matter which background you came from, or what culture you follow, but thats what one is. Its khanday dee pahul. So obviously a kshatriya tradition using the sword weapon.

Our equivalent to Brahmin in the sense of being a teacher and knowledgeable is the sant sadhu sampradaiye, such as the Nirmalas and Udasis.

The point is, the function of Khalsa is to be kshartiyas who protect dharam. But to bring things like vegetrianism and making kripans and karas into fashion items is a bit of Brahmin thinking, perhaps in the satvikk lifestyle thinking, or just plain vaishnoo thinking, perhaps associated with the B rahmins, especially in bani where Guru Nanak discusses with the meat eater hating Brahmin at Kurukshetra.

To behave only like saint and not warrior doesn't require khanday dee pahul to be taken. It has been turned into almost a christian baptism where its required to be taken to call oneself sikh, perhaps SGPC maryada is a good example for this. And this maryada is not very respecting of the Guru's puraatan rehat.

Finally, there were even amrit-dharis in the British Indian forces who took Khanday dee Pahul pledging allegiance to the emperor/empress of the empire (ie the king/queen of england). So Khanday dee pahul tradition has been distorted in many ways outside the dals of the Khalsa.

Oh I also saw your sant-sipahi comment: sant - sipahi seems to be a concept taken and probably influenced by the onward christian soldiers thinking. Again, Guru Gobind Singh uses kshatriya dharam, in bani was well. He uses the term chhatri.

Kshatriya dharam is what strengthend the Khalsa, and how the Akalis, nihangs gave so much shaheedi in our history, and of course they would have has knowledge of shastarvidiya.

If you read up the history, you will see a lot of sikhi was influenced by Christian thinking during the Bitish Raaj. You can see in translations terms such as lord and God allude to this.

When we forget our traditions, we become coconuts/ABCDs to be honest!

Another thing to add - ok i forgot, when I remember I shall post it in here lolz

 

[bscheema]

Lion Prince Jatinder ji

i would like to kno more what does Shri Guru Granth sahib teaches us

 

[Kanwaljit.Singh]

Guru Gobind Singh comes from Sodhi khatris, who are descended from ancient kshatriyas going all the way to Raam Chander as part of the Surajbanshi/ Suryavanshi/ sun dynasty. As shown in Bacchitar Natak.

From the Fourth Guru to the Ninth Guru, all were from the same family lineage. What is important for Sikh? The Lineage of Nanak or the lineage of Ramchandra? It's not who you are, but what you do that defines you. And Guru Gobind Singh left everything behind to take up the name of Singh and united KHalsa in one family.

Many sources claim naamdharis to be the first to give khanday dee pahul to women!

If Amrit was a men's only club, what was Mata Sahib Kaur allowed to be there, why was she not stopped by Guru when she put the patashay in Baatae?

Brahmins being the ones who learn and study and teach.

Kshatriyas being the ones who run government and defend dharam and are the warriors.

Vaishyas are more worker type people, farming, shop merchants etc.

Theres also Shudra, which is more labourer work.

Anyways, by becoming a Khalsa you become a kshatriya, a warrior. Doesn't really matter which background you came from, or what culture you follow, but thats what one is. Its khanday dee pahul. So obviously a kshatriya tradition using the sword weapon.

Our equivalent to Brahmin in the sense of being a teacher and knowledgeable is the sant sadhu sampradaiye, such as the Nirmalas and Udasis.

So you mean to say that as Khalsa, we don't need to care about Gyan because we are Kshatriyas and not learners?

Remember Guru Gobind Singh recited Baani along with KHande di Pahul. He Himself prepared the Amrit and He Himself took it.

To behave only like saint and not warrior doesn't require khanday dee pahul to be taken.

None of the Panj Pyare was actively serving as a soldier. And they didn't give up their honest, hard working profession either.

Kshatriya dharam is what strengthend the Khalsa, and how the Akalis, nihangs gave so much shaheedi in our history, and of course they would have has knowledge of shastarvidiya.

Agreed that lot of Sikhs are not well versed in Shastra Vidya, but you are clearly missing the point of Amrit.

 

[Mai Harinder Kaur]

Re: To celebrate or not?

The avatar picture is a cartoon drawing of me wearing a Bersih T-shirt in solidarity with the people of Malaysia.

Let me start off by saying I consider myself a traditional jatt sikh, who follows traditions and culture.

Consider yourself whatever you like, but Sikhi is a rejection of traditional jatt culture.

I have known many Nihung Singhs and have always been treated with the greatest respect.

Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji maharaj is our Guru, not Dasam Granth. The concept of sant-sipahi goes back to Guru Hargobind ji and has nothing to do with Christianity or any other religion. However you try to squirm out of it, "kshatriya" is a Hindu varna term and has no place in Sikhi.


You use many words, but have not answered my question:

What have you given to the Panth that gives you the authority to tell other Sikhs, including myself, that we "might as well be brahmins."

If you ask, I will post a photograph of me, although I'm not sure of the purpose.

 

[lionprinceuk]

Re: To celebrate or not?

The avatar picture is a cartoon drawing of me wearing a Bersih T-shirt in solidarity with the people of Malaysia.

Consider yourself whatever you like, but Sikhi is a rejection of traditional jatt culture.

I would like to find out how sikhi is a rejection of any culture! I am sure a sikh can be from any tradition or culture. Please show me where sikhi has opposed the culture or a sampradaiye such as jatts.

Rejecting traditions just takes sikhs away from following traditional sikhi the way sikhs such as Nihangs and other sampradaiye do. Eventually everything becomes corrupted.

I have known many Nihung Singhs and have always been treated with the greatest respect.

Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji maharaj is our Guru, not Dasam Granth. The concept of sant-sipahi goes back to Guru Hargobind ji and has nothing to do with Christianity or any other religion. However you try to squirm out of it, "kshatriya" is a Hindu varna term and has no place in Sikhi.

The Nihangs have no qualm with individuals not trying to destroy their traditions. Just the same I have no qualms with anyone who doesn't attack my jatt traditions.

In the Khalsa ie the nihangs, Adi Guru Granth Sahib, Dasam Guru Granth Sahib and Sarbloh Guru Granth Sahib are all collectively followed as Guru as well. Of course Adi Guru Granth Sahib is Guru and Isht Dev, cannot deny that.

are you perhaps talking about miri-piri for the sant-sipahi history?

If kshatriya dharam has no place in sikhi, then who is going to tell Guru ji this? Guru ji uses the term shattri many times.

You use many words, but have not answered my question:


If you ask, I will post a photograph of me, although I'm not sure of the purpose.

I am not asking for a photo, I just liked the drawing!

I consider Khalsa to be based on shattri dharam. I will try and find more information. There is actually decent information in a book that describes Hazoor Sahib that goes in depth about aspects of the Khalsa.

I am going to use bani to support some of my statements:

ਸਵੈਯਾ ॥
सवैया ॥
SWAYYA

ਛਤ੍ਰੀ ਕੋ ਪੂਤ ਹੌ ਬਾਮਨ ਕੋ ਨਹਿ ਕੈ ਤਪੁ ਆਵਤ ਹੈ ਜੁ ਕਰੋ ॥ ਅਰੁ ਅਉਰ ਜੰਜਾਰ ਜਿਤੋ ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਕੋ ਤੁਹਿ ਤਿਆਗ ਕਹਾ ਚਿਤ ਤਾ ਮੈ ਧਰੋ ॥
छत्री को पूत हौ बामन को नहि कै तपु आवत है जु करो ॥ अरु अउर जंजार जितो ग्रहि को तुहि तिआग कहा चित ता मै धरो ॥
I am the son of a Kshatriya and not of a Brahmin who may instruct for performing severe austerities; how can I absorb myself in the embarrassments of the world by leaving you;

ਅਬ ਰੀਝ ਕੈ ਦੇਹੁ ਵਹੈ ਹਮ ਕਉ ਜੋਊ ਹਉ ਬਿਨਤੀ ਕਰ ਜੋਰ ਕਰੋ ॥ ਜਬ ਆਉ ਕੀ ਅਉਧ ਨਿਦਾਨ ਬਨੈ ਅਤਿਹੀ ਰਨ ਮੈ ਤਬ ਜੂਝ ਮਰੋ ॥੨੪੮੯॥
अब रीझ कै देहु वहै हम कउ जोऊ हउ बिनती कर जोर करो ॥ जब आउ की अउध निदान बनै अतिही रन मै तब जूझ मरो ॥२४८९॥
Whatever request I am making with my folded hands, O Lord ! kindly be graceful and bestow this boon on me that when ever my end comes, then I may die fighting in the battlefield.2489.

 

[lionprinceuk]

From the Fourth Guru to the Ninth Guru, all were from the same family lineage. What is important for Sikh? The Lineage of Nanak or the lineage of Ramchandra? It's not who you are, but what you do that defines you. And Guru Gobind Singh left everything behind to take up the name of Singh and united KHalsa in one family.

Of course, but even the term Singh was used by many kshatriya beforehand, and still is. And united Khalsa is what happened, united the Akalis from Guru Hagobind with new soldiers forming the Khalsa army.

If Amrit was a men's only club, what was Mata Sahib Kaur allowed to be there, why was she not stopped by Guru when she put the patashay in Baatae?

I think someone who is close to the dals here can explain how often khanday dee pahul is given to women in the dals, I think it is rare, and was never done in the past. I have only seen the name Sahib Devan seen even in letters and hukumnamas written by her.

It is coming out from some sources the term Kaur for sikh women became popular during the times of the British, to bring gender equality. Alot of sikh women had the last name Devi actually.

And I am not talking about all amrit, or inner amrit, just khanday dee pahul. Also khanda happens to be a masculine symbol whereas kirpaan is a feminine symbol. Perhaps this is why kirpaan da amrit is given to women at Hazoor Sahib?

So you mean to say that as Khalsa, we don't need to care about Gyan because we are Kshatriyas and not learners?

I am not meaning to say that at all! There are even brahmgyanis in the dal panth! shastar vidiya also requires and creates gyaan, and also the the reading of bani as well as knowing lots of history and skills like ayurveda are also gyaan. Also in for nihangs, the gyaan is not restricted to what a jathebandi tells one to follow!

Remember Guru Gobind Singh recited Baani along with KHande di Pahul. He Himself prepared the Amrit and He Himself took it.



None of the Panj Pyare was actively serving as a soldier. And they didn't give up their honest, hard working profession either.



Agreed that lot of Sikhs are not well versed in Shastra Vidya, but you are clearly missing the point of Amrit.

I am pretty sure the panj pyaray became soldiers after taking khanday dee pahul!? Not all Singhs gave up their grihast dharam when they took khanday dee pahul, some return home after war, others live and are even raised in the dals. It was once tradition to give ones oldest son to the Khalsa and live in the dal.

Khanday dee Pahul is stirred by the sword! Why would Guru ji give khanday dee pahul to those who will not protect dharam? Why wear the uniform of a kshatriya for show, like people do now with the kirpaans and karas?

No point in having the guise of a warrior if one does not follow the dharam and conduct of a warrior!
Same applies to acting like a sant-sadhu without following the dharam and lifestyle of one!

 

[Kanwaljit.Singh]

I think someone who is close to the dals here can explain how often khanday dee pahul is given to women in the dals, I think it is rare, and was never done in the past. I have only seen the name Sahib Devan seen even in letters and hukumnamas written by her.

It is coming out from some sources the term Kaur for sikh women became popular during the times of the British, to bring gender equality. Alot of sikh women had the last name Devi actually.

Many people have names which they are more famous with. E.g. Jaspreet Singh becomes just Jassi. And the last queen of Sikh Empire (at time of Ranjeet Singh and before the establishment of the British) was Rani Jind Kaur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jind_Kaur)

And I am not talking about all amrit, or inner amrit, just khanday dee pahul. Also khanda happens to be a masculine symbol whereas kirpaan is a feminine symbol. Perhaps this is why kirpaan da amrit is given to women at Hazoor Sahib?

I think other Gurudwaras following the Hazoori Rehat do a lot of other things. In one of those, they said that for bibis to reach mukti, they would have to be reborn as Singhs and take up the Khande di Pahul.

I am pretty sure the panj pyaray became soldiers after taking khanday dee pahul!? Not all Singhs gave up their grihast dharam when they took khanday dee pahul, some return home after war, others live and are even raised in the dals. It was once tradition to give ones oldest son to the Khalsa and live in the dal.

Khanday dee Pahul is stirred by the sword! Why would Guru ji give khanday dee pahul to those who will not protect dharam? Why wear the uniform of a kshatriya for show, like people do now with the kirpaans and karas?

That's the point. Hindus had very well defined society roles, whereas KHalsa has to fit in all of them and more. The lines have been blurred. Khalsa = Pure Human. And a man has to serve his parents, earn his living, protect his family and remember God. Simple as that.

I think the other need of the hour is having grasp of politics. We Sikhs lack that big way. We should have a leader in each one of us who is a great leader and statesman.

 

[lionprinceuk]

http://ramblingsofasikh.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-far-and-in-what-ways-did-british.html

Ramblings of a Sikh
The greatest wonder is that each individual knows that Death is the ultimate truth and yet believes that he is immortal

TUESDAY, 24 JANUARY 2012

How far and in what ways did British rule in India influence Sikh identity?


The three hundred years of colourful Sikh history had not generated an all-encompassing definition of a Sikh. However, the hundred years succeeding 1849 saw the intentional and incidental impact of British rule on Sikh identity. During that century there was a systematic undermining of Sikh traditions and practices. At the same time a reformatory movement grew in response to colonial influences and internal disorder. The Singh Sabha supplied the definition of a Sikh within three decades.[1]

Prior to the British Raj the Sikh Panth was united in its devotion to the Gurus and Sikhs occupied diverse cultural locations and articulated a multiplicity of identities.[2] One of the main impacts on Sikh identity during this period has its origins in the history and etymology of religion. In the 3rd century, Lactantius, an early Christian author, defined religion according to the Latin term reliagre, as meaning to bind, in this case being bound to God.[3] This was by far the most significant of all the ancient definitions, as it is this Hellenistic Christian transformation of the term religio that remains highly significant in our attempt to understand the way in which the concept of religion was used to help mould Sikh identity.[4]

Nonetheless, even if Lactantius’ definition of religion is not appealed to directly, religion becomes a matter of adherence to particular doctrines or beliefs rather than the preservation of ancestral traditions.[5] In essence, as a result of the Singh Sabha reformation movement the focus of Sikh thought was shifted from orthopraxy to orthodoxy.[6] In short, the Singh Sabha movement transformed a spiritual path into a religion. Nonetheless, orthopraxy, the concept of preserving ancestral traditions is best described by Cicero’s definition of the term relegare.[7] Cicero’s definition is the closest Western notion of what pre-colonial Sikhi really was rather than the definition of religio as provided to us by Lactantius.[8]

The meaning and denotation of the term religion tends to follow Lactantius’ etymology, thereby constructing a Christianised model of religion that strongly emphasises theist belief and creates a dualism, a fundamental difference, between the human world and the transcendent world of the divine, something that was not present within Sikh thought prior-1849. For instance, it was the incorrect translation of ik onkar as ‘there is one God,’ by Ernest Trumpp in 1877 that injected the notion of God, in an Abrahamic sense, into Sikh thought which consequently created a paradigm of theist belief and a division between the human world and the transcendent world.[9]

Furthermore, we must understand that Descartes heavily influences Trumpp’s understanding of ik onkar. Descartes deduced, via analogy, that there was no doubt of God’s existence because the very thought of ‘Godness’ is something that could not be conceived out of a human mind as the concept of God is too perfect. Therefore, the grounding for Cartesian certainty is located within the human mind. Descartes argues from his own identity and then projects this same kind of methodological scepticism towards postulating the existence of a God. Trumpp takes this understanding and uses this to understand the Adi Guru Granth Sahib Ji. As a result Trumpp creates a distance between ‘God’ and the individual.[10] N.G Barrier indicated that Trumpp’s unapologetic dismissal of Guru Nanak Dev Ji had an influential effect on Sikh mentalities. The publication of Trumpp’s text provided a call to the emerging intelligentsia to protect and respond to the attacks from foreign powers.[11] It was this emerging intelligentsia that would provide the driving for for the Singh Sabha movement. This in itself is not the problem; the problem was that the Singh Sabhaists responded to the external pressures to define who they were within the definitions , lexis and terminology that the British had defined rather than deconstructing these notions and re-constructing them upon their own grounds.

On the other hand, a traditional translation of ik onkar would deduce that the term onkar is the experiential unfolding of existence, experienced subjectively and observed objectively in a number of ways. Before the beginning, the Ik, which is representative of absolute reality, was one and non-dual. It desired to manifest itself, through "I am only one - may I become many."[12] This was the primal cause of creation through an unstruck vibration which eventually became sound (struck vibration), and this sound is Om or Ong (pronounced AUM). Through this primal sound vibration existence began to manifest as a continuum, a wave of creation, sustainment and destruction. [13] The suffix "kar"(form), represents this infinite continuum.

Furthermore, ik onkar represents the four states of all manifested creation. These are creation, preservation, destruction and re-birth. This applies to both those which manifests in time, such as thoughts and subjective experience, just as much all that manifests in time and space, including the Universe itself. Onkar also represents the four states of the Consciousness. The three sounds in Om (A-U-M) represent jagrat, swapna and sushupti. The last state, turiya, is the pure awareness within which all three states are contained.[14]

The miss-translation of the term ik onkar is just one of the fundamental differences between Sikhi and Sikhism. However, another important difference was that Sikhi viewed the Adi Granth, the Dasam Granth and the Sarbloh Granth at par. However, Singh Sabha leadership, in response to the miss-translation of the Adi Granth by Trumpp, was to radically alter this equilibrium.[15] The Dasam Granth, which enshrined the pracitces of Sikhi, such as dheg, chatka and respect toward Chandi Ma, were gradually eased out of everyday Sikh traditions, partly in order to heighten the importance of the Adi Granth. Furthermore by the early 20th century it no longer enjoyed the textual hegemony it once enjoyed. In withdrawing the Dasam Granth from religious circulation and the standardization of the Adi Granth, as a result of the printing press (and Teja Singh Bhasauria), the message being driven home was simple and straightforward: the metaphysical and cultural assumptions of Sikhi as sanctioned by the Dasam Ganth, such as the strong belief in the role of avatars, conceptions of the divine in feminine terms and the consumption of cannabis in order to connect to existence were no longer permissible.[16] Furthermore, it ensured the purge of the heterogeneous nature of Sikhi, and ensured the central role of just the Adi Granth thus paving the road for the Singh Sabha to create life-cycle rituals that were to help define a Sikh within the Singh Sabha mind frame.

This consequently helped to create the Sikh religion known as Sikhism, this is one of the most obvious illustrations of the change of Sikh identity. The creation of Sikhism was part of the trend that took place during the 19th century in the West when western scholars added the suffix, ‘-ism,’ to the names of numerous spiritual orders.[17] As a result of P.J Marshall’s and Romila Thapar’s examination of the production of the category of Hinduism, Oberoi notes that Europeans tended to construct images of Indian religions in the mould of Christianity, stressing that the ‘-isms,’ – Hinduism and Sikhism – were largely the product of the European intellectual frameworks of the late Enlightenment.[18]

In addition, within most Indian languages such as Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi there is no noun for religion as signifying a single uniform and homogenized community of believers.[19] The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis dictates that the structure of language affects the ways in which its speakers conceptualize the world. Therefore we can deduce that the construction and introduction of a religion, in this case Sikhism, into a society that did not posses such a noun created something far from the truth.[20]

At first this simple change of lexis, Sikhi to Sikhism, may be seen as two different names for the same tradition. However, this is not the case for it was Sikh reformers in the 19th and 20th centuries who, for the first time ever, labelled many practices and certain forms of Sikh identity, that were accepted under Sikhi, as unacceptable.[21]

However, to be able to understand what it exactly was that the Singh Sabha edited and reformed we have to look at some of the very first European accounts of the Sikhs and early Sikh art. This is because it is here that we are met with deviations from what is today accepted as the doctrines of the Sikhs, as established by the Singh Sabha. However, we must bear in mind that many European observers of the Sikhs were far more occupied with following the conventions established by Orientalism scholarship in India rather than documenting the behaviour of the practitioners.[22] The accounts provided by European observers were used by the Singh Sabha to endorse their opinion that Sikhi was deviating from what they deemed to be the ideal state of Sikhism.

For example, appendix A is a 19th century cover to a Guru Granth Sahib Ji manuscript, commissioned by the Sraddha family, the direct decedents of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, created by Miha Singh of Kashmir and depicts a twelve-petalled lotus.[23] At the centre of this lotus is Sodhi Bhan Singh worshipping Maha-Kal and Maha-Kali. The Gurus with their wives and children are shown in the ten petals surrounding and the two remain petals house ancestral figures in the Sodhi’s guru-lineage.[24] However, what is interesting to note is not just the depiction of Maha-Kal and Maha-Kali, which are today seen as belonging to Hinduism, but also the tilak that is adorned on the heads of each Guru. This image is completely alien from appendix B, C and D, modern day depictions of the Sikh Gurus, in which the individuals are all shown to be saint like in appearance, eyes closed and certainly not bearing the tilak. The difference in art is just but one way of tracing the impact that the Singh Sabha had on Sikh identity. For art mirrored the practices and accepted norms of the Sikh tradition and as these traditions changed so to did Sikh art.

Furthermore, Lieutenant Colonel James Browne writes in 1788 in his treatise to John Motteux, the chairman of the East India company, about numerous different types of Sikhs, describing degh-drinking, martially orientated Akali-Nihang Sikhs and the more aesthetic Nanakpanthi Sikhs.[25] This is but one of the many accounts that illustrates the heterogeneous nature of the Sikhs. Yet, it was the British fascination of census’s that, to an extent, helped to fuel the Singh Sabha’s fetish with creating a homogenous identity for the Sikhs. For example, during the 1891 census of Punjab some 1,344,862 Sikhs declared themselves to be Hindu.[26]


Furthermore, in the census report provided by Russel Robert Vane, Sikhi was seen as nothing more than a Hindu sect.[27] It was the pressure exerted by the British and the assimilative forces of Hindu groups such as the Arya Samaj, who extensively campaigned with various means to illustrate that Sikhs were a sub-category of the Hindu faith, that caused the creation of a reformatory movement that helped push toward a homogenous Sikh identity.[28] This battle against assimilative Hindu forces has been immortalised in the words of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, a Singh Sabha Sikh scholar, who proclaimed through a vernacular tract that, Ham Hindu Nahin.[29] It was these four words that added to what was essentially the basis of the Singh Sabha movement.

However, there was another reason for why the Singh Sabha was determined to create a homogenous Sikh identity. This was due to the Hindu connotations within pre-British Raj Sikhi, especially within the Nihang order. Many of the earliest accounts only refer to Akali-Nihangs as Sikhs, as these individuals were the most visible due to, ‘their blue dresses, their high-peaked turbans, the rings of steel, which they wear as the peculiar emblems of their devotion.’[30] The Nihangs were the oldest and most respected order within the Sikh community. [31] The creation of the Nihangs came hand-in-hand with the construction of the Akal Takht – a durbar that was far larger than any of those that belonged to the Mughal Emperors at the time.[32] The Nihangs also have mythical origins that date back some millienia in the army of Chandikha.[33] Nonetheless, the Nihangs did not receive their distinctive dress until the amrit-sanchar of 1699, when the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, created the Khalsa.[34] Unfortunately, it was the very vanguard of the Khalsa who were most affected by the Singh Sabha. For instance the Champlain of the East India Company, James Coley, notes that, ‘these demonicas posses an awful influence over the people, being regarded as demi-gods, and when any public emergency arises, a conviction of Akalees is held at Umritsar, and whatever they decree is considered to be the voice of heaven and acted upon with universal enthusiasm.’[35]

However, because the Nihangs were the biggest threat to the British Raj, their influence was reduced. For example, it was the Akali-Nihangs who placed the largest threat to the British during the Anglo-Sikh wars. During the First Anglo-Sikh War (1846), at the battle of Sobraon the Nihangs suffered a tremendous defeat. However, they had succeeded in psychologically scaring the British. James Coley comments that, “the Seekhs, they say, fought furiously; and there were numbers of naked Akalees among them, whose presence maddened them the more and who are represented to have looked like fiends.”[36] The surviving Akali-Nihangs were betrayed by the Sikh state of Patiala, in which 32,000 Nihangs were killed. As a result the remaining Nihangs travelled south to find haven in the Deccan and would remain in self-imposed exile for 12 years.[37] It is here, even to this day, that practices of the Sikh tradition still exist.

It was in response to the Anglo-Sikh wars that certain laws were past in order to lessen the authority of the Nihangs and to weaken their sphere of influence as much as possible. Viceroy Lord Lytton passed laws such as the Indian Arms Act (XI) of 1878 that ensured that no person could carry arms, except under special exemption or by virtue of a license. As a result the Nihangs could not carry arms and of course the British did not allow any Indian possess a weapon unless they had been deemed ‘civilised’.[38]

In addition, as a result of early observers of the Sikhs only ever referring to the Akali-Nihangs as Sikhs, there was a common misunderstanding that the Sikhs were dying out. This view is endorsed by the likes of Jagjit Singh, Avtar Singh and Rajiv A. Kapur who all suggest that after the annexation of Punjab in 1849 Sikhs were in decline and in a state of decadence, confusion and uncertain about their identity.[39] Ernest Trumpp endorsed this opinion and in 1877 wrote that, ‘Sikhism is a waning religion, that will soon belong to history.’[40] Furthermore, Robert Needham Cust, a British colonial administrator, was of the opinion that the remaining Sikh institutions should be pushed towards their ultimate death.[41] In actual fact the census reports from 1855 and 1868 both illustrate that the number of Sikhs was not in decline.[42] However, in both cases and up until the census of 1933, the definition of the category Sikh remained unclear.[43] Moreover, the belief that there was no decline in Sikh numbers was simply a myth created by the loose definition of the Sikhs, as created by the British.[44]

However, by the time of the 1911 census, the Singh Sabha had successfully established a definition of a Sikh as being anyone who maintained the panj kakar and abstained from tobacco.[45] The downfall of this definition was that it automatically regarded vast swathes of the Sikh community as non-Sikhs including – Nanakpanthis, Sewapanthis, Udhasis, and Nirmalas.

One of the British Raj’s most profound and direct influences upon Sikh identity was undoubtedly as a result of the British Army. As a result of prowess shown by the Sikhs during the Anglo-Sikh wars, the British were convinced that Sikhs were militaristic race.[46] As early as 1846, two Sikh regiments were raised from the annexed trans-Sutlej territories. This was the start of a constant stream of Sikh recruits following the annexation of Punjab. However, it was upon being enlisted that a Sikh recruit was asked to undergo the initiation rite, and it was mandatory for him to maintain the external symbols of the faith. Regiments employed granthis to conduct Sikh ritual observances, even though the Nihangs were traditionally the only individuals allowed to conduct Sikh ceremonies such as amrit, as a result the authority of the Nihangs was lessened further.


Furthermore, there was a deep conviction within the army hierarchy that the martial prowess of the Sikhs flowed mystically out of their religious observances and beliefs. It was feared that if Sikh traditions were not upheld, the ability of Sikh soldiers to act as a ‘fighting machine’ might rapidly deteriorate. Philistine army commanders enforced an extremely narrow, functional and mechanistic definition of Sikh tradition and concluded that only those who carried the five symbols were deemed genuine Sikhs.[47]However, this illustrates an unmindful approach of the complex nature of the Sikh tradition.

Further British influence upon Sikh identity was made possible through the rapid introduction of railways, roads, the electric telegraph, postage facilities and the printing press. This transformation in communication ensured that the Singh Sabha could through their propaganda, endorse certain practices and oppose others. For instance, an editor of the Singh Sabha’s newspaper, the Khalsa Akbar, asked its readers ‘Will the beloved of the Khalsa Quam [community], the firm followers of the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh Ji, ever accept anyone else as a Guru except the ten Gurus and the Adi Granth? The answer was: Never.’[48] This was but part of the propaganda campaign that has led to the controversial debate around the authenticity of the Dasam Granth.[49] This debate originates from the Dasam Granth’s removal from the Akal Takht in the 1940s by the SGPC, the successors of the Singh Sabha movement.[50] However, historical evidence talks louder than Singh Sabha propaganda, and the Anadpuri Dasam Granth can be shown to have certainly been compiled in the Guru’s court for it contains a colophon of 1695/1696 AD as well as numerous handwritten pages by Guru Gobind Singh Ji.[51]

In addition, the Dasam Granth had since the time of Guru Gobind Singh Ji played a pivotal role within Sikhi. Firstly, certain compositions that are recited during the amrit sanchar are taken directly from the Dasam Granth.[52] In addition, Charles Wilkins, a leading orientalist writer, wrote in 1781 that, ‘there stood also near the altar, on a low desk, a great book of a folio size [Dasam Granth], from which some portions are daily read in their divine service. It was covered with a blue mantle, on which were printed, in silver letters, some select passages of their law.’[53]

In addition, to re-balancing equilibrium that existed between the three main Granths, the Singh Sabha formulated life-cycle rituals, created distinctive symbols, established a religious hierarchy and purged a plurality of traditions and beliefs in order to remove the pluralist paradigm of Sikhi and replaced this with a highly uniform Sikh identity with its own distinctive rituals.[54]

An example of one of the life-cycle rituals that the Singh Sabha formulated is the Anand Karaj Act of 1909. The act legally codified a Sikh ritual, thereby providing Sikh separatism with government recognition. Furthermore, thanks to the new innovations brought to India by the British, such as the telegraph and the printing press, any opposition to this act was simply drowned out by an unending stream of tracts and newspapers that were packed with articles in defence of the Act.[55] Furthermore, it put an end to the old marriage rites that were deemed Hindu by the Singh Sabha, due to the central role of a Brahmin Pandit and a haavan.[56]

Furthermore, Dr G. W. Leitner, a Hungarian Orientalist, remarked how the numerous ascetic orders were key in local education.[57] The Udhasis would teach you meditation, the Nirmalas would teach you aryu-vedic science and the Nihangs would teach you shastar-vidiya. However, this changed for in Punjab the British Raj and the church advanced side by side in order to further Christianity and western education. As a result numerous British run schools, mission stations and church-sponsored schools were created, imparting western education that understood Sikhi to be highly mechanical and utilitarian in manner.[58] As a result, students who came out of these new schools posed a serious threat to the heterogeneous nature of Sikh identity and were some of the first practitioners of Sikhism.

In addition, the Singh Sabha created religious symbols that would differentiate Sikhs from other religions. For instance, the khanda, a modern symbol of the Sikhs, is often nowadays seen on the nishan sahib, a tall flag that is situated alongside any gurdwara, as depicted in appendix F. However, with the removal of the Dasam Granth and the Nihangs, the symbology of Sikhi was also removed and replaced with the khanda - a symbol that did not exist before the 20th century. This is because the trisul, a symbol of Sikhi, similar to the khanda, endorsed by the Nihangs had connotations with Shiv.[59]

However, it was due to the connotations of Hindu thought that were entwined within Sikh orthopraxy by practices such as chatka, dheg and shastar-puja that the Singh Sabha, in a bid to create a homogenous Sikh identity, wished to remove. Therefore, the Singh Sabha replaced the array of weapons, clearly visible in appendix H and I, which were typically depicted on nishan sahibs with the khanda. This is because shastar-puja was deemed Hindu due to the connotations of shastars with Chandi Ma.

It seemed that the Singh Sabha would not rest until any connotations with the Hindu tradition were removed. Moreover, in order to maintain control of Sikh practice the SGPC was created in 1925 under the Sikh Gurdwara Act.[60] This was in order to maintain and control the practices and traditions that took place within the confines of all of the gurdwaras. It simultaneously dispelled the old orders who until the passing of this act found haven in the numerous gurdwaras, either as teachers, priests or builders. The late jathedar of the Buddha Dal, Baba Santa Singh Ji comments that, ‘the S.G.P.C. are enemies of the vanguard of the Sikhs, the Akali-Nihangs. This is because only after making pledges did they get the Act passed. The Act was only passed on the promise that the Sikhs would not rise up against the British.’[61]

In nearing conclusion it must be noted that religion, as a systematized sociological unit claiming unbridled loyalty from its adherents and opposing an amorphous religious imagination, is a relatively recent development in the history of India and for the Sikhs. The transition process of how Sikhi was replaced with Sikhism was achieved so by a new cultural elite that aggressively usurped the right to represent others within this newly homogenous tradition. Furthermore, it is clear the central role that the British played in constituting the homogenous Sikh identity was in order to create a loyal Sikh solider that would become the bulwark to British authority and loyal citizens of the Raj.[62]

However, to be able to suggest that the British had a pre-planned strategy would be unjustifiable for whilst the colonial government of India insisted that the administration relinquish its control over Sikh shrines; the provincial administration in Punjab was pressing to retain control over major Sikh shrines and in fact constructed a church tower within the precincts of the Golden Temple, as seen in appendix J, in order to further missionary work.[63]

Overall, it was the new technology, such as the printing press, aggressive policies against any threat posed by certain Sikh orders, such as the anti-Nihang laws, and the conscription of vast swathes of Sikhs into the British Indian Army that set the platform for the Singh Sabha to create a homogenous Sikh identity. A sad result of this was that the rich culture that existed within Sikhi, which was equally at home with ascetics, home owners and warriors was purged into a religion that excluded any order that had connotations with anything that the Singh Sabha determined was not Sikh. In short, the Singh Sabha process created the world religion we see today as Sikhism.




Appendix A


A 19th centuy cover to a Guru Granth Sahib Ji manuscript containing illustrations of Maha-Kal and Maha-Kali alongside the ten gurus. Nidar Singh Nihang and Parmjit Singh, In the Master’s Presence The Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib Volume 1: History (London: Kashi House, 2008):26

Appendix B


Sobha Singh, http://www.sobhasinghartist.com/pictures/available/large/aa9.jpg. An illustration of Siri Guru Nank Dev Ji



Appendix C


Sobha Singh, http://www.sobhasinghartist.com/pictures/available/large/aa12.jpg. An illustration of Siri Guru Tegh Bhadur Sahib Ji

Appendix D


Raja Ravi Varma, http://www.indianartcollectors.com/iabig_images/XXL_RajaRaviVerma-L-940440172.jpg. An illustration of Siri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.


Appendix E


This lithograph is taken from plate 5 of Emily Eden's 'Portraits of the Princes and People of India'. 1844. http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019xzz000000043u00005000.html


Appendix F


Photo of the two nishan sahibs, with the modern day khanda on the flag, situated in front of the Akal Takht at Siri Harminder Sahib. taken by John Bradley, 6/17/2004. http://www.johnhbradley.com/photos/061704armitsar/img_5339.jpg.


Appendix G


A trisula. http://www.britishmuseum.org/resear...h_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=12


Appendix H


Gurmukhi and Urdu script, A picture of Darbar Sahib in Amritsar. Faiz Press of Bhai Gujjar Singh, collected by J. Lockwood Kipling, ca. 1874, woodblock print, Victoria and Albert Museum.





Appendix H

An illustration of Guru Gobind Singh Ji travelling through Rajasthan en route to the Deccan. The Akali Nihang Singh carries his battle standard that contains a punch dagar, shield and sword rather than the modern day khanda. Nidar Singh Nihang and Parmjit Singh, In the Master’s Presence The Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib Volume 1: History (London: Kashi House, 2008):7


Appendix I




View of the Golden Temple and a partially constructed gothic-style clock tower, c. 1868-70. Albumen print, James Craddock. © Toor Collection


Glossary

Adi Granth – This is short for Adi Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the foremost Sikh scripture revered as the Eternal Guru.

Akal Takht – Throne of the immortal; the highest seat of temporal power situated in Amritsar directly opposite the Golden Temple. It was once the base of the Akali-Nihangs.

Nihang – The entire Sikh community were militarised to form an army of Nihangs in the late 17th century by Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Amrit sanchar – The ceremony within which an individual is initiated into the Khalsa.

Anadpuri Dasam Granth – This refers to the Dasam Granth that was located in Anadpur Sahib and is an original copy from the court of Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Anand Karaj – The wedding ceremony that was originally created by the Nirankaris in the 1880s. It was eventually legitimized by the British authorities in 1909.

Arya Samaj – A Hindu reform movement that was founded in 1875.

Aryu-vedic science – A system of traditional medicine native to India.

Avatars – This refers to the numerous demi-gods and demi-goddesses that are nowadays thought to belong exclusively to the Hindu tradition. However, all Sikh scripture, including

the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, refer to numerous avatars.

Baba Santa Singh Ji – The 13th leader of the Nihangs who sadly passed away in 2008 after being poisoned by the Indian government.

Brahmin Pandit – A religious priest of the highest cast of the Hindu tradition

Buddha Dal – This literally translates to veteran army; the informal name given to Guru HarGobind Ji’s Nihang army in honour of Baba Buddha Sahib Ji, a revered Sikh who first trained its warriors.

Chandikha - The Hindu goddess of war and guardian of righteousness. An incarnation of Shiv Ji’s consort, Parabati.

Chatka – To kill with a single blow; refers to the practice of using a sword to decapitate an animal a offering to the guardian of righteousness, Chandi or Chandika. This tradition is still maintained by the Nihangs.

Dasam Ganth – The compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Ji compiled by Bhai Mani Singh Ji. Although revered by Sikh traditionalists as scripture equal to the Adi Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Sikh revisionists such as the Singh Sabha disdain it. It is placed on par with the Adi Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in any Nihang encampment.

Degh – The name given to the Nihang’s traditional consecrated drink. It is made by grinding almonds, black pepper, cardammon seeds, cannabis leaves and other ingredients in a mortar and pestle. The juices are extracted and mixed with water or milk to produce shaheedi degh, the martyrs drink. If sugar is added, it is dedicated to Hindu-Sikh martyrs. It unsweetened, it is dedicated to the loyal Muslims who died fighting for the Guru. It is still practiced widely amongst Nihangs.

Durbar – Royal court, in the context of the Guru’s court, it refers to the innermost area of a shrine which worshippers can enter and pay their respects.

Granthis – The raeder of a granth; title given to the individual who recites from the scriptures

Granths - Book

Gurdwara – Guru’s gate; a place of worship, which, at a minimum, houses the Adi Siri Guru
Granth Sahib Ji.

Guru – Darkness into light; a respectful title for a teacher or spiritual guide.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji – The tenth Guru of the Sikhs

Guru Nanak Dev Ji – The first Guru of the Sikhs

Haavan – Ritual fire offering; in early Sikh tradition, such offerings were made of decapitated goats and oxen in dedication to Chandi.

Ham Hindu Nahin – We are not Hindu.

Hinduism – The modern Hindu religion
Ik onkar – – The first symbol of the Adi Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Jathedar - leader

Khalsa – Pure; this term was used to signifiy the Sikhs loyal to the Guru.

Khalsa Akbar – One of the many newspapers that were created by the Singh Sabha

Khanda – This often refers to the modern symbol of the Sikhs. However, it can also refer to a double edged sword

Maha-Kal – Great Death; the fiercest form of Shiva and the chief inspiration of marital technique and adoration of Nihangs

Maha-Kali – The consort of Maha-Kal

Nanakpanthi – Followers of Guru Nanak Dev Ji within the old Sikh tradition

Nirmalas – They were specialist scholars and educationalists among the Sikh community and were, therefore, typically well versed in several languages, religious texts and philosophies.

Nishan sahib – A battle standard that marks the presence of the Sikhs

Panj kakar – The 5 symbols that are always on the person of a Khalsa Sikh. They are Kesh (unshorn hair), Kara (steel bracelet), Kirpan (sword), Kachera (breeches) and Kanga (comb).

Panth – Designates a group following particular teachers or doctrines

Relegare – The concept of preserving ancestral traditions as defined by Cicero.

Reliagre – Meaning to bind, typically to bind to God.

Religio – The Latin term for what today is known as religion

Sarbloh Granth – The work of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It was removed by the Singh Sabha movement but still to this day the Nihang’s place it beside the Adi Granth and Dasam Granth

Sewapanthis – They are known for their close ties with Muslim communities and indiscriminate supply of free medicine and medical care. They were established by Bhai
Kanheya Lal in 1704

SGPC – The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, it was established by the British through the passing of the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925.

Shastar-puja – The worship of weapons

Shastar-vidiya – The science of weapons

Shiv – The destructive aspect of the Formless Supreme Being; the primordial Indian deity and archetypal shaman who later became revered by the Nihangs as the primordial grandmaster of martial arts. In the Sarbloh Granth, Guru Gobind Singh Ji refers to the form of his Khalsa as being in the form of Shiv.

Sikh – Literally translates to ‘learner.’ However, it also designates the followers of the Gurus.

Sikh Panth – A group of Sikhs following a particular path

Sikhi – This is in reference to the older Sikh tradition that existed in its entirety prior to the Singh Sabha and the British Raj.

Sikhism – This is the modern religion that advocates the belief in One God and poses a homogenous Sikh identity.

Singh Sabha – The reformist movement of the 19th century.

Sodhi Bhan Singh – A descendent of Siri Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Tilak – A mark worn on the forehead that signifies the third eye. This is often seen as a sign of enlightenment.

Trisul – The three pronged trident of Shiv Ji.

Udhasis – Followers of the Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s son, Baba Siri Chand. These were the detached ascetics.



Bibliography

Primary Sources in English

Coley, James. The Sutlej Campaign of 1845-6. London: Smith Elder and Co., 1856.

Goswami, Amit. Qunatum Physics & Consciousness 1 of 3, November 21, 2011, Amit Goswami, Quantum Physics & Consciousness 1 of 3 - YouTube

M’Gregor, W.L. The History of the Sikhs. 1846. Reprint, Dehli: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd., 2007.

Singh, Parmjit and Amandeep Singh Madra. Sicques, Tigers of Thieves, Eyewitness accounts of the Sikhs, 1606-1809 New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004.

Singh, Vir. Satwant Kaur. Patiala, Punjab University: 1900.

Siri Dasam Granth Sahib Ji. http://www.sridasam.org

Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. http://www.searchgurbani.com

The Golden Temple Exhibition, Brunei Gallery SOAS, 14 July 2011 – 25 September 2011. http://www.goldentemple1588.com

The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925. http://www.punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/33.html

Trump, Ernest. The Adi Granth or The Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs. 1877. Reprint, Dehli:
Munishiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2010.

Vane, Russell Robert. The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India. London: Macmillan, 1916.

Primary Sources in Punjabi

Bhasaur, Teja Singh. Panch Khalsa Rahit Nama. Bhasaur: Pnach Khalsa Divan, 1907.

Khalsa Akbar, 9 April 1887 and 18 September 1886.

Nabha, Khan Singh. Ham Hindu Nahin. Amritsar: Shri Guru Singh Sabha Shatabdi Committee, 1898.

Singh Ji, Baba Santa. Pracheen Panth Prakash Steek. (Amritsar: Singh Bros, 2004)


Secondary Suorces

Alexander, Michael and Sushila Anand. Queen Victoria’s Maharajah, Duleep Singh 1838-93. London: George Weidenfeld and Nicolson Limited, 1980.

Ballantyne, Tony. Between Colonialism and Diaspora, Sikh Cultural Formations in An Imperial World. London: Duke University Press, 2006.

Cunningham, J.D. History of the Sikhs. 1849. Reprint, Dehli: D.K. Publishers, 1996.

Grewal, J.S. From Guru Nanak to Maharaj Ranjit Singh, Essays in Sikh History. Amritsar: Guru Nanak University Press, 1972.

Grewal, J.S. Historical Perspectives on Sikh Identity. Patiala: Punjabi University Press, 1997.

James, Lawrence. Raj, The Making of British India. London: Time Warner Books UK, 2003.

Kapur, Rajiv A. Sikh Separatism: The Politics of Faith. London: Harper Collins Publishers, 1986.

Kerr, J. British Relationships with the Golden Temple, The Indian Economic and Social History Review, 21, (1984): 139-51

King, Richard. Orientalism and Religion, Postcolonial Theory, India and the Mystic East. London: Routledge, 2008.

McLeod, W.H. Essays in Sikh History, Tradition and Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

McLeod, W.H. Prem Sumarag. The Testimony of a Sanatan Sikh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Oberoi, Harjot. The Construction of Religious Boundaries. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Penner, Peter. Robert Needham Cust, A Personal Biography. New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987.

Rand, Gavin. Martial Races and Imperial Subjects: Violence and Governance in Colonial India 1857-1914. London: Routledge, 2006.

Richard Fox, Lions of the Punjab. California, University of California Press, 1985.

Shackle, Christopher. Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity. Edited by Gurharpal Singh and Arvind-Pal Mandair. Surrey: Curzon Press, 2001.

Singh, Avatar. The Singh Sabha Movement in The Origin and Development of Religion, ed. G.S. Talib. Patialia: Punjab University Press, 1975.

Singh, Ganda. The Singh Sabha and Other Socio-Religious Movement in the Punjab. Patiala: Yesman Printers, 1997.

Singh, Jagjit. Singh Sabh Lahir (Ludhiana: Lahore Book Shop,1974)

Singh, K and G.S. Mann. Siri Dasam Granth Sahib, Questions and Answers. London: Archimedes Press, 2011.

Singh, Kushwant. A History of the Sikhs, Volume II: 1839-2004. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Smith, Wilfred Cantwell. The Meaning and End of Religion. New York: Macmillan Press, 1963.

Spair, Edward. The Status of Linguistics as a Science. Linguistic Society of American, 5 (1929): 207-214

Tosh, John. The Pursuit of History. 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2010.

[1] There were 115 Singh Sabhas by 1900. These local institutions helped pressure standardization of practice as now each Singh Sabha could keep in contact via means of telegraph or printing press. However, when referring to the Singh Sabha it is in reference to the Amritsar Singh Sabha that was established in 1873. Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994):45
[2] Tony Ballantyne, Between Colonialism and Diaspora, Sikh Cultural Formations in an Imperial World (London: Duke University Press, 2006):33
[3] Henry S. Nash, The Nature and Definition of Religion, The Harvard Theological Review, 6 (1913): 7
[4] Richard King, Orientalism and Religion: Post-Colonial Theory, India and the Mystic East (New York: Routledge, 1999): 37
[5] Richard King, Orientalism and Religion: Post-Colonial Theory, India and the Mystic East (New York: Routledge, 199): 36
[6] Ibid., 36
[7] Ancient History Encyclopaedia, 2nd September 2009, http://www.ancient.eu.com/religion/
[8] The term Sikhi refers to pre-colonial Sikh tradition where as Sikhism refers to
[9] Ernest Trumpp, The Adi Granth or Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs (1877; reprint, Dehli: Munishiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2010): 1
[10] ‘He who walks in Gods order,’ this clearly illustrates there is a distinction between God and the individual. Ernest Trumpp, The Adi Granth or Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs (1877; reprint, Dehli: Munishiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2010): 1
[11] Tony Ballantyne, Between Colonialism and Diaspora, Sikh Cultural Formations in an Imperial World (London: Duke University Press, 2006):54
[12] Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 470, http://www.searchgurbani.com/guru_granth_sahib/ang/470/line/21284
[13] Dr. Amit-Goswami , Ph.D. (2007) Amit Goswami, Qunatum Physics & Consciousness 1 of 3 [Video] Viewed, November 21, 2011, Amit Goswami, Quantum Physics & Consciousness 1 of 3 - YouTube
[14] Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 30, Line 13, http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=30&english=t&id=1259#l1259
[15] Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994):319
[16] ibid.,
[17] Wilfred Cantwell Smith, The Meaning and End of Religion (New York: Macmillan, 1963): 60
[18] Tony Ballantyne, Between Colonialism and Diaspora, Sikh Cultural Formations in an Imperial World (London: Duke University Press, 2006):37
[19] Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994): 12
[20] Edward Sapir, The Status of Linguistics as a Science, Linguistic Society of America, 5 (1929): 207
[21] Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994): 32
[22] ibid., 31
[23] Miha Singh, Twelve Petalled Cosmic Lotus, 27, folio originally attached to a manuscript of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
[24] Siri Dasam Granth, Page 113-144. Guru Gobind Singh Ji starts from the origins of the Sodhi clan up until the time of the Gurus. Out of the 10 gurus, 7 were from the Sodhi clan and the other three were from the bedi clan.
[25] James Browne, Browne’s Treatise on the Sikhs, 1788, in Sicques, Tigers or Thieves, Eyewitness accounts of the Sikhs, 1606-1809, ed. Amandeep Singh Madra and Parmjit Singh (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004): 91
[26] Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994): 11
[27] Russell Robert Vane, The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (London: MacMillan, 1916): 193
[28] Historical the term Hindu was first used by the Persians to label anyone who had been conquered by the Persians but were not Muslim. Wilfred Cantwell Smith, The Meaning and End of Religion (New York: Macmillan, 1963): 64. ‘On the 11th Anniversary of the Arya Samaj held on 25th November, 1888, the late Pandit Guru Dutt, made certain uncalled remarks on Guru Nanak and Guru Govind Singh…’ Jawahir Singh, Arya Samaj-Singh Sabha, in The Singh Sabha and Other Socio-Religious Movements in the Punjab, ed. Ganda Singh (Patiala: Yesman Printers, 1997):92
[29] Kahn Singh Nabha, Ham Hindu Nahin (Amritsar: Shri Guru Singh Sabha Shatabdi Committee, 1973)
[30] Emiliy Eden, Akalees, JPG, http://ogimages.bl.uk/images/019/019XZZ000000043U00005000[SVC1].jpg. See appendix E
[31] When referring to the Sikh community it is not in relation to a homogenous Sikh community but rather the collective name for the numerous Sikh orders which included the Udhasis (identifiable mostly by their dreadlocks and loin cloths), the Nirmala (identifiable by their pink robes), the Seva Panthis (identifiable by their white cloths) and the Nihangs (identifiable by their blue robes, tall turbans and numerous weapons that will be on their person).
[32] Vir Singh, Satwant Kaur (Patiala: Punjab University, 1900):222
[33] Siri Dasam Granth, Page 321.
[34] Emiliy Eden, Akalees, JPG, http://ogimages.bl.uk/images/019/019XZZ000000043U00005000[SVC1].jpg. See appendix E
[35] James Coley, The Sutlej Campaign of 1845-6 (London: Smith Elder and Co., 1856): 105
[36] James Coley, The Sutlej Campaign of 1845-6 (London: Smith Elder and Co., 1856): 68
[37] Exile of the Immortals, Golden Temple Exhibition, 2011, http://goldentemple1588.com/resource/exile-of-the-immortals/ (14 November 2011)
[38] Defanging the Snake, Golden Temple Exhibition, 2011, http://goldentemple1588.com/resource/exile-of-the-immortals/ (21 November 2011)
[39] Jagjit Singh, Singh Sabh Lahir (Ludhiana: Lahore Book Shop,1974): 1-10; Avatar Singh, The Singh Sabha Movement in The Origin and Development of Religion, ed. G.S. Talib (Patialia: Punjab University Press, 1975):85-91; Rajiv A. Kapur, Sikh Separatism: The Politics of Faith (London: Harper Collins Publishers, 1986):27
[40] Ernest Trumpp, preface to The Adi Granth or Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs (1877; reprint, Dehli: Munishiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2010): VIII
[41] Peter Penner, Robert Needham Cust, A Personal Biography (New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987): 235
[42] Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994): 207
[43] Census of India 1931, Volume XVII Punjab Part I: Report, by Khan Ahmad Hasan Khan, Lahore, 1933, 290, quoted in Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994): 211
[44] J.S. Grewal, Historical Perspectives on Sikh Identity (Patiala: Punjabi University, 1997):36
[45] ibid., 148
[46] Gavin Rand, Martial Races and Imperial Subjects: Violence and Governance in Colonial India 1857-1914 (London: Routledge, 2006): 13
[47] Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994):361
[48] Khalsa Akbar, 9 April 1887, pg. 5
[49] R. Singh, Darshan Singh’s anti-Dasam Granth Phobia, May 23, 2008, http://panthic.org/articles/4115
[50] G.S. Mann and K. Singh, Siri Dasam Granth Sahib, Questions and Answers (London: Archimedes Press, 2011):10
[51] G.S. Mann and K. Singh, Siri Dasam Granth Sahib, Questions and Answers (London: Archimedes Press, 2011):26
[52] The following compositions are still to this day used within the amrit sanchar and are part of the Dasam Granth – Jaap Sahib, Chaupai Sahib and Tva Prasad Svaiye.
[53] Charles Wilkins, Visit to the Takht at Patna, 1781, 294, in Sicques, Tigers and Thieves
[54] ibid., 25
[55] Khalsa Akbar, 18 September 1886, 3-5
[56] Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994):342
[57] ibid.,130
[58] ibid., 211
[59]http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=178943&partid=1&searchText=shiva&fromADBC=ad&toADBC=ad&numpages=10&images=on&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=12. See appendix G
[60] The Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925, 6th December, 2011. http://www.punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/33.html
[61] Nihang Nidar Singh and Parmjit Singh, The Multifarious Faces of Sikhism throughout Sikh History, Sanatan Sikhi, 2009, http://www.sarbloh.info/htmls/article_samparda_sgpc6.html, (14 November 2011)
[62] Richard Fox, Lions of the Punjab (California, University of California Press, 1985):140
[63] J. Kerr, British Relationships with the Golden Temple, The Indian Economic and Social History Review, 21, (1984): 139-51
Posted by A Rambling Sikh at 16:00

 

[Kamala]

The answer is no, you cannot do meditation or pray while you are drunk. So if you want to drink, take it somewhere else PLEASE.


Alcohol is the drinks of rakshas' and amritdhari (true) sikhs are not rakshas'