Gurmit ji raises an interesting point when he says ‘If we comprehend Gurbaani in the Guru Granth Sahib, we learn that Akaal Purkh, the Almighty God pervades everywhere, having no specific Seat of Authority. Guru Nanak Sahib’s visit at Mecca reminds us as well. Other Four Takhts were also not established by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.’ His plea is that in this light it may not be appropriate to call a place Akal Takhat.
I would submit that we think through a few more scenarios. Immanent presence of God has been apprehended in various manners – ghat, ghat main vaasaa; in sangat; in Bani; as naam, shabad, nadar that surrounds us unbeknown and several other symbols and metaphors like kharag et al.
If we were to extend the logic to its limit we would end up either bowing to none or to every thing. That can be chaotic for a believer because we do need some anchors to hold onto. If Akal Takhat as a name is misfit, then Gurdwara may be close second.
Respectfully,
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Thank you Jagpal ji for posting the transcript by Sikhnet. On quick glance I do find one error – kal for ghaal. So in deference to your and Jagjit ji’s suggestion I am posting below the text of the prayer and copy and paste of a couple of exchanges with the Reporter:
SIKH INTERFAITH PRAYER
PA SENATE JUNE 10, 2008
Pray, join me in the prayer
Ek onkar satnam
There is but One God, true is His name
We pray to the One God who created this universe with all its colorful diversity, ranng as we call it. We pray to the One God under whose divine ordinance, hukam, this universe abides. We pray to sabhnaa jiaan kaa ik daataa, the One God who provides for and sustains all this creation.
Pray give us the understanding that this world is a dharamsaal, an arena for righteous living. Much of what people can accomplish in life happens through their own ghaal, their endeavor. We pray for kirpa, Thy divine mercy to enable us all to be prayerful, enable us all to provide for our families, enable us all to share with those in need and enable us all not to shy away from doing what is right. That truly is the righteous way.
Help us nurture a society where we all live as a fraternity with none feeling excluded or treated as a stranger; where we say some and listen some; where we bring harmony, peace, caring and sharing to our corporate communal lives and help each and every one of us to grow, develop and contribute towards the common good.
We pray for this sangat, this Assembly. Heavy is your responsibility and difficult are the choices you have to make as leaders of the people. We pray for you individually and collectively to be blessed with the wisdom to conduct your business today and every day in service of and for the well being of the citizens of this Commonwealth.
We close this prayer as always seeking, terai bhaanai sarbat ka bhalla, that the well being of one and all in the world be Thy will.
Wahiguru ji ka khalsa wahiguru ji ki fateh
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Mary Warner,
These words “Ek onkar satnam” are in Punjabi – the way these have been used in the Sikh scriptures. The origin of the word ‘hukam’ is possibly Arabic while the others possibly originated in the ancient dialects prevalent in the
North Western parts of India where the Sikh Gurus lived. The language is also referred as sant bhasha, the language used by the saints of that period in that region [including Hindus, Muslims, Shudra saints and Sikh Gurus].
I hope that answers your question but if you need more info do let me know.
—————-
Re: Sikh Senate Prayer 6/10Monday, June 9, 2008 8:28 AM
From: “MWarner@patriot-news.com” <MWarner@patriot-news.com>View contact details To: “Nirmal Singh” <enveen@yahoo.com>
Hello. Thanks. Mary Warner
Hi Mary,
Thanks for your posers: ‘One more line of questions regarding the prayer in the Senate: What were you aiming for in this prayer? What principles guided your composition of it? How does it compare to a prayer you’d give in a Sikh service?’ Let me try and answer best as can.
This prayer is very different from the way a traditional invocation would be offered in a Sikh service. When offering in the Sikh setting, there are certain phrases and cites that are invariably included. For example we start with remembering God and then remember the names of the ten Gurus and finally acknowledge the living Guru, the Granth and after remembering some inspiring events/episodes from Sikh experience, we seek God’s blessings for the purpose/project, for guidance in day to day living, for the gift of prayerfulness and the well being of one and all in the world.
Sikh teachings are very universal and I have tried to structure this prayer around its universality like:
• One God, who is God of all, not sectarian or Sikh Diety
• The aspect about righteous living is again universal though the paradigm may vary – I picked a few points that I felt were germane
• Societal concerns likewise are shared concerns; again limited to my understanding and prioritization
• Praying for guidance for the assembly is important for their work day is getting started and their work affects us all
• The last line is seeking good of all, a shared universal supplication by Sikhs at the closing of all their prayers
Almost all the sentences that I used can be supported by cites from the Sikh scriptural literature but I limited myself to just sprinkle a few words here and there to give a flavor to the listeners. My concern obviously was to try and offer an invocation that is universal in spirit and intent but can be traced back to its Sikh linkage. I hope I have been able to do it.
The Sikh message is very universal though in a foreign tongue. The scripture also is a unique interfaith anthology containing not only the compositions of the Sikh Gurus but also of several Hindu, Muslim and Shudhra saints of the time and Sikhs revere their teachings equally.
I hope this answers your question and I also hope I am treading the fine line of offering an interfaith Sikh prayer in a reasonably acceptable manner.
With kind regards,
—————-
Surain ji said ‘Sometimes I wonder if we are going astray in finding scape goats for the operation Blue Star instead of looking inwards for understanding the causes of the calamity visited on the Sikhs in that tragic event!’
This certainly could be an interesting study but the observer will have to position his vision above the melee where it seems that all are guilty – all except the innocent, on all sides.
The world we are living in is not a sanctuary for peace. It is a place for righteous endeavor because good and evil abide together. Significantly this mix of good and evil pervades the created and is part of the hukam. The divine force itself attaches us to moh and maya as it inspires us to rise above ourselves.
The Babar Vani interpretation of the operation blue star will be evil forces trying to punish the immoral and depraved leaders. The leaders had no plan to protect their people. The punishing forces killed the innocent. All the people had been attached to their pet position [moh of maya] by God. Yet the cries of the suffering went unanswered.
Guru Nanak also seeing something like this asks – where should one go? And goes on to sing the praises of the divine for he alone what he is doing. The moral lesson that I sense is that Man cannot be worthy of – manas ko prabh daiyee vadiayee – and – aur joni teri panihari – till man learns to solve the societal problems on their own.
At another plane the Babar Vani position may be very clear – je sakta saktai ko marai —. If massive force is used where innocents are not separated, then their master has to answer. This not only applies to Indira Gandhi and her military advisors but also those who perpetrated or incited killings in various other similar settings.
The Gurus did give us a model for bringing harmony. We have to start within [halemi raj] and cleanse ourselves. Then help exemplars to act as catalysts to help transform others. Sangats were laboratories for this change. The process has to be continuous for such change is not self-sustaining.
My own limited understanding seems to be that Gurus only considered one victory worth celebrating – that was over the self. All temporal successes or victories – and Guru Gobind Singh has mentioned these in Bachitar Natak – were over immediate cause of dissonance or distress. They were not abiding or transformative of the society. That is a continuing challenge that all generations will have to face.
Respectfully,
———————————–
Autar ji said ‘IMHO, Akaal Takht is the Time-less Throne of the Panth Khalsa.’
An account by Dr Dilgeer says ‘Akal Takht Sahib was revealed by Guru Hargobind Sahib on June 15,1606. The foundation stone of the building of Akal Takht Sahib was laid down by Guru Hargobind Sahib himself. (Guru Hargobind Sahib did not built or create Akal Takht Sahib, he revealed it. Akal Takht Sahib belonged to Waheguru and it was the Almighty who could have created Akal Takht Sahib). The rest of the structure was completed by Baba Buddha (the veteran Sikh servant) and by Bhai Gurdas (Sikh scholar) only. — Guru Hargobind Sahib himself was the Custodian of the Takht of Waheguru. According to a source, when Guru Hargobind Sahib remained in Gwalior Fort prison, he had asked — Bhai Gurdas to take care of Akal Takht Sahib. Between 1635 and 1696 (until the death of Harji), Amritsar was under the control of the descendants of Pirthi Chand (elder brother of Guru Arjan Sahib). In April 1698, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib appointed Bhai Mani Singh as Granthi of
Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib —
After the martyrdom of Bhai Mani Singh (June 24,1734), there was no one to take care of the shrines at Amritsar during the dark period of the Sikh history. There were Sarbat Khalsa gatherings at Akal Takht Sahib, at least since 1726, but no reference is available as to who convened these gatherings.
— Akal Takht Sahib is the Throne of the Almighty — The caretaker of Akal Takht Sahib — can issue the Gurmattas of the Sarbat Khalsa as the Hudamnamas of Akal Takht Sahib.’
An account by Kapur Singh says ‘A building subsequently raised over the Takht was called Akal Bunga (house) so that the Takht is now officially known as Takht Sri Akal Bunga although its popular name Akal Takht is more in common use.’
I would think that Panth Khalsa, or more appropriately Guru Panth [only difference is semantic] is certainly the inheritor of the right to use Akal Takht but if the Takht was revealed as seat of Akal Purakh, it would not be right for Guru Panth to claim it as their seat. Guru Panth is a divine entity and may be timeless but it still does not exhaust and replace the Divine Akal Purakh.
Respectfully,
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Gurcharan ji wrote ‘I agree with Sr Dhanoa, that generally the poor Sikh leadership skills
resulted in some bad and poor planning [in 1947] and actions when it mattered , and hence the difference between Sikhs and Muslims widened, and things got out of hand.’
The Sikh-Muslim divide seems more a product of historical memory and transmitted prejudice on both sides rather than the result of follies of Sikh leaders prior to 1947 riots.
It is hard to envision Sikh-Muslim bonhomie to actually work in the absence of ability to break bread together or to meet as families or friends. There are barriers that did separate us for a long time – at least in the west of West Punjab. I will cite a few examples:
• halal and jhatka are not the only difficulty; food habits are different. Muslims hardly eat vegetables separately cooked and it is very difficult for them to put together a vegetarian meal. Even at the Ahmediya centenary convention in Harrisburg last week, with around 10000 attending, the vegetarian fare was rice and boondi raita compared to pretty good non-vegetarian choices.
• The purda divide did not make it possible for a freer exchange. It perseveres till today – in Pakistan we were entertained at the Islamabad Club twice – no woman present or in sight. At Lahore when we were invited by Dr Israr Ahmed my wife was taken in separately into the zanana. Things were even more rigid in 47 and before.
• The discourse in Gurdwaras was always on the zulum by Muslims – the same kind of prejudicial stories were being articulated in Muslim setting against Sikhs. This was a direct reflection of what had been written in books authored on both sides as well as thru the oral tradition
• Hindus and Sikhs jointly had built a wall that separated them from Muslims [and lower castes]. The villages had Dhokes or satellite villages where the latter lived and came to the main habitat to work during the day
• Muslims, especially the upper classes who had Afghan, Persian, Turkish or mixed lineage and Mullas had not forgotten that the only non Muslim Indians who defeated them and established their rule were Sikhs. This did leave a tinge of unspoken resentment
• Muslims may have hated Hindus for many reasons but they also had [and have] admiration for them. Gandhi is not viewed as poorly by them – in fact they have respect for him as an astute leader. They admire Hindu enterprise and resiliency to survive and grow. There is not much you read about Sikhs.
• Even during the 80s Indian Muslims maintained discrete silence. Nor have they ever raised their voice against Sikh stereotyping or other issues affecting them as minorities. In spite of shared interests in seeking civil protections Sikhs and Muslims still do not have a history of working collaboratively with one another
The problem is pretty complex and it is important for us to engage Muslims in a constructive dialog because come what may they are going to be our permanent neighbors on the West and in any case we should all be working for societal harmony across faiths.
Respectfully,
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Thank you Jagpal ji. My Chaplaincy like the rest of whatever I am involved with in Sikhi came per chance. If we had continued to be in India I would possibly have been exploring the spiritual in management of enterprises as an adjunct to my rather successful management change interventions – a couple that received recognition and in those days of few who talked about catalyzing change, resulted in a chance paper on the status of Management Consultancy in India being adopted by the Planning Commission as a catalyst for setting up a Working Group on Research and Development of Management Consultancy in India. I went back once or twice to attend their meetings but could not handle the demands of my two separate lives.
No. I am not amritdhari. It is an experience that has eluded me – but not perchance I must admit. I could not bring myself to make the choice – worried that I may not be able to keep the vows. Some have told me about the inspiring experience and the sense of inner joy that the process of initiation was for them and I have wondered about missing out on that in a once lived life!
Thank you for reading the book. I look forward to share your thoughts on what I might have been trying to say.
Have a good summer and with my best wishes,
Nirmal
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Dear Harbir ji,
Congratulations on providing leadership to the newly formed Punjabo newschannel.
There are always some news items emerging from here in our area of Harrisburg, PA.
Over the last couple of month we had two/three items involving Sikhs/Punjabis that made news.
In early May we had some press in a parallel event to the Commonwealth Prayer Breafast which continues to be strictly a Christian event so far and we were asking it to be made inclusive.
On Jun 10 I was invited to offer the opening prayer at the PA Senate – the first in history for a Sikh.
On Jun 19-21 again Ahmediyas had their centenary celebrations of the Khilafat with around 10000 attending a well-organized three-day event. I was invited to speak at their interfaith session and several from the sangat joined the session.
On Jul 19 we are arranging Funjabi 08, a cultural event with fun, food, music and dance Punjabi style at the Lebanon Valley College. We are getting a group Nachdi Jawani from Toronto to perform in addition to our local talent. This is the first event Sikh Society of Harrisburg is hosting in the area.
So if you like we can send you occasional clippings in case they may be of interest. Please let me know how you feel and what would it entail.
Best wishes,
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I agree with Jagjit ji that issuing a hukamnama by Akal Takht to Sikh MPs to vote in support of Government led by Dr Manmohan Singh may not be the right course in the long run. At the same time I do wish to commend to our people including the Parliamentarians that making of the history is only a reflection of collective choices made by their leaders and passively accepted by them. We are all aware of the lapses at critical times by Sikhs, mostly because of personal choices, to opt for courses that denied the chance of a historic achievement that could have set a new marker for the community.
The choice of helping the Government headed by a Sikh survive its full term in the face of opportunistic politics is one such choice. Even from the perspective of rights and wrongs it is difficult to envision how delaying addressing the rising energy needs of an already not very well served mass of humanity can be a shubh karam.
Sikhs should also look at the way the Blacks as a community have supported Barack Obama with over 90 % of their vote. Even people like Colin Powell have indicated that they might break the party loyalty and vote for Obama. Historical successes bring pride to all in the group – making of history must not be an individual burden. Even Guru Gobind Singh left us a clear advisory – inhi ki kripa se sajhai hum hain.
Respectfully,
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Charan ji has done a very thoughtful, involved, analysis of roh, ros, krodh etc to grasp the semantic significance of the terms as used in SGGS and by Guru Gobind Singh.
I would submit that the meaning of a word used in SGGS becomes clearer when we look at its several applications but the sense eventually is contextual to the phrase and the shabad.
In the case of use of ros in bachitar natak, I would submit a different approach to the mere semantic. This verse comes toward the end of the battle scene where the Guru has described the acts of bravery, the weapons being wielded, and death using description as if he was watching it from above. As so engaged in witnessing the divine play, he saw bravery among his soldiers and those against him – he saw all movements dispassionately as they happened. He was part of it physically but was transported in spirit above the fray.
The baan hitting was the break of that divine reverie – and then he took to the fight as a partisan but not before his horse was hit and another baan grazed his ear.
In zafarnama too there is similar wrestling interlude before he used force.
These two incidents are not really cases for semantic analysis but point to the anguish an elevated soul goes through before becoming part of a bloody struggle.
Dasam Granth makes us look at the seamier side of life in an open manner and we are expected to make our own understanding about the rights and wrongs in a violent, deceitful world. The divine force seems to be acting through weapons and death in a futile battle.
SGGS is about life – about being engaged with it actively. It does not incite about turning violent as it does about becoming involved and by so doing try and usher in peace. It is a tough call and those wanting to tread this path must be willing to make sacrifices. It also challenges us for personal transformation before we try to transform the society. Guru Nanak also saw the gory scenes as a divine play – Guru Arjan also left his own safety [sulhi case] to God.
The sant sipahi needs to understand the sublime and ugly both – from bhagti ras as well as bir ras. That is bhakti and shakti, degh and tegh, miri and piri at work as we live, individually and collectively.
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Amandeep ji has said ‘Many of Shaheed Bhagat Singh supporters — try to disown his turban and promote a hat — very colonialist and British in appearance. So in a way — they are promoting his image in imagery of an colonialist.’
Two approaches seem to have been used dominantly by the PR handlers and the media in such situations depending on how they wanted the message to be received by the reading public and influence public opinion.
In case of Bhagat Singh, with Sikh ambivalence, he was lionized as an Indian martyr, distinct from Gandhian and far removed from his Sikh identity. Sikhs have begun to reclaim his sacrifice only recently. In this situation the way he looked at one point of time in his life gave media the image that fitted in with their objective.
During the 80′s and 90′s a large number of images of the so-called terrorists were doctored to show them as Sikhs even if the persons had shed their hair and turbans. This helped the image of Sikhs as terrorists take deep root in public mind.
Likewise post Sep 11, the American media, more likely with a nod from the Govt PR chose to give the bin Laden face to perpetrators of Sep 11 attack and successfully directed lay American ire to towel heads.
We should also look at the obverse – that is the sartorial choices made by those who carried out these activities. In all cases they chose to look like an ordinary person in the street – ostensibly to avoid drawing attention to their real identity.
Mughals also ordered all non-Muslims to shave off their facial hair during the height of Sikh insurgency to separate the large number of Hindus [who sported beards to look more like Muslims] from the Khalsa.
We cannot put much store to bana as the litmus test for identity. It has been exploited too often in history and in any case the tendency to neel vastr pehar hoey parwan has continued to be the preferred sartorial choice determinant.
Respectfully,
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I participated in the Forum on Faith & Politics last night at Lebanon Valley College, Anneville, PA. The forum provided an interesting set up for structured sharing of views on the prompt question: “What sort of role should faith play when citizens make political decisions, and how does that play out in your life?”
They had set up two-student panelist each representing the Democrats and the Republicans. In addition they had an interfaith panel representing Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs. The response of the student panelists were obviously colored by their partisan positions. The independents did not have a place around the table – nor really much in the minds of the audience. The election is too close now and most seemed to have their minds made up.
In this setting the perspectives by faith representatives was relatively less partisan. The Jews position was from their belief perspective they are supportive of separation between church and state but the political themes are talked of from the pulpit. She however does not tell the congregation who to vote for. In other words the candidacies are evaluated from how they might impact Jews as a faith and as a group but the decision on who to vote is left to the individual.
The Buddhist Sensei said that he had grown up a Baptist and thus had sensitivity to being a minority and could share their concerns in the political arena as he grew. As a Buddhist now and as a Sensei leading a Buddhist prayer group, he felt less compelled by the theological positions of candidates than their political views. He was the only one among us who wore an Obama button on his jacket lapel.
The Muslim position was as expected rather defensive. The speaker cited from Quran to affirm their belief that God had created diversity [of beliefs] for people to follow their conscience and enjoy their spiritual life. She was critical of the negative tone in sending out the DVD Obsession that only reinforced prejudice. She also added that the US Constitution is the only document that comes closest to Sharia law – even more than the constitutions of Muslim countries.
I also shared the Sikh perspective starting with my own experience growing up in the years preceding Indian independence [till 1946] in Delhi. In the run up to the final negotiations for the post British set up the parties that the British recognized were Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. So even as the divide was clearly emerging along religious lines, I as a young activist who was finishing school and soon going to college – younger than the College students in the audience – joined protest marches without ever thinking of myself as a Sikh or a minority. The idealist fervor got a bit of beating during the partition when we had to thank God for safe return to Delhi, even though barely with our clothes on. As I grew up and understood my faith teachings I could sense what was guiding my motivations. Gurus taught us that inaction is not a choice and we must be socially engaged and take responsibility for ourselves, families and spare some for the needy. They also gave us the awareness that freedom is a God given right and the divine light within each of us brings a recognition of the confluence of sublime and mundane, political and spiritual, within us and therefore our thought and vision must be supportive of common good, not me first.
I also said that the word politics perhaps occurs only once in SGGS where the Guru says matta masoorat awar sianapp jan ko kichh neh aayeo [M V, p. 498] – your jan knows of no plans, politics or clever ways. The Guru only seeks the love of the lotus feet of the Lord but is willing to give his life in the cause of justice. So while a Sikh talks politics and Sikhs love doing it, our worship services are devoid of political commentary [at least here].
Most of the audience interest after the end of the forum was about us because many of them had heard about us for the first time. That was encouraging and every such encounter has helped because as I found 3/4 of the students who had attended my guest lecture on Sikhism recently brought some more to meet with me and ask some questions.
A new religion faculty who speaks some Hindi wanted to learn more on Sikhism so he could teach it himself and even wanted to learn reading Gurmukhi and Hindi. I promised all help because getting the faculty interested with some curiosity generated among the students could indeed make introductory teaching of Sikhism built into the syllabi and thus have some continuity – all at no cost at all to the Sikh community.
Respectfully,
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Justice Haidar, who has discovered 80 more slokes of Baba Farid has genuine interest in Sikhi and has been a source of help to Pakistani Sikhs and PSGPC. Over the last decade or so there has been revival of scholastic interest in Pakistan about Sikhs and Sikhism. Justice Haidar and Zafar Cheema have contributed to this – Zafar had around 8 or 10 research scholars pursuing their M Phil or Ph D when we met three years back. Justice Haidar at that time had also presented me his book on Baba Nanak.
There is also scattered interest in Farid’s work. Naeem Mushtaq had sent me about half a dozen Urdu books, all published in recent couple of years, including one on Farid. In the history genre, the books in English including recent publications, as also touristy table top literature Sikhs are depicted as persecutors and desecrators. In recent years some non-resident Pakistani scholars have been looking at the events of 1947 in a more balanced way.
Pakistani understanding of Sikh tenets as it emerges is likely to throw up interpretations seen from the Quranic perspective. It also might bring to light new resources, not known so far that might help better understanding of some historical events, oral tradition and Sikh-Muslim interface during the Guru period and the 18th century.
There have not been, are not and likely not to be social or theological influences for conversions or tampering with scriptures. Segments of Pakistanis have great respect for Baba Nanak and several go seeking divine blessing where they can – not unlike what happens this side of the border.
We should welcome more voices from societies that had experienced the Guru’s presence in the past – Tibetans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Afghans, Iraqis, Assamese, Orriyas and elsewhere. It will add to the richness of our corpus and possibly extend the frontiers of awareness about us.
Respectfully,
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Thank you Harbir ji for sharing this information. Could you elaborate further on the scope of this survey of Sikligar,Vanjara people and if it will cover all the Sikhs placed in a position similar to the vanjaras and sikligars say in the eastern states and the range of subjects as the Sachar committee did for Muslims.
I did gather during the Global Minorities Meet held in March this year at Parliament House Annexe, Delhi [where I had been invited to present a paper] the nature of activism pursued by Indian Muslims and their visible clout in the political circles. They obviously had done a lot of work to make presentations to the committee that convinced Justice Sachar to suggest such far-reaching recommendations. I hope it is being taken care of in an organized manner by our people.
Respectfully,
———————–
Thank you Harbir ji for taking the trouble to call Josh Sahib and seeking clarification. I am however not clear if the committee has credentials similar to Sachar committee for Muslims? Who are its members and who will it submit its report to? Can they by giving the red card change their status to become beneficiaries under the various affirmative action plans?
And finally an important point from Sikh perspective – are these sikligars and vanjaras enumerated as Sikhs for census purposes and the NMC or our voluntary groups are taking care that documentation regarding this is correctly done and entered into various Govt records?
Respectfully,
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I think what Gen Jamwal is saying could have some grain of truth. I know of other senior officers who were not happy at the mission – though none of them was involved in the chain of command viz Division, Corps, Army Commander [Sunderji], General Staffs at Army HQ and Vaidya , the COAS.
I am not sure if other than flooding the troops with propaganda literature against Amritdhari Sikhs [all dubbed terrorists] any attempt was made to gauge the feelings of the rank and file in being used to desecrate such venerated holy sites.
Sunderji and Vaidya were very different characters. The former could be harsh, brash and ruthless even though he was a very well read person. On the other hand Vaidya was milder and had almost given up on the chance of becoming COAS. Vaidya could have been deliberative but Sunderji could have loved the chance for strong, controversial, use of excessive, decisive force. This has been my assessment of the two men from my limited personal contacts with them.
Respectfully,
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Ishtiaq Ahmed Sahib has once again raised some thoughtful issues regarding Punjabi renaissance. I will try and offer some comments and venture a couple of suggestions.
My sense is that reconstructing a wholesome Punjabi identity that transcends its divisive past may best be pursued on twin tracks.
One track is the natural process of any cultural group coming together on the minimum commonly accepted [or not rejected] and socially or materially beneficial part of heritage. The dynamics of this process are driven by our inner urge to associate with what is shared [and may unite] unmindful, momentarily of what is seen as different and has been divisive.
This is what we are witnessing today – Punjabi music, poetry, bhangra, talk of people to people contact, potential of enhanced trade bringing benefits to the local population on either side et al.
This process is not overly influenced by percentages of communities and the written script may not be a major barrier. On the same token agreement to a shared written script even if laboriously arrived at may not add any momentum to this process.
This coming together is like nadiaan naam sanjogi melaa – a lot that is perchance, a lot that is short lived, a lot that is going with the tide sort of engagement that leaves may be good memories but creates no abiding or durable relationship.
Ishtiaq Sahib has made a comment that “The Punjabi renaissance must pick and choose from the variegated and contradictory legacies and heritages that have devolved upon us in the historical process. We need to discuss freely and frankly what is good in our heritage and what is bad, and expunge from our lives those aspects of our heritage that have justified oppression of one sort or another.”
This to me is the most important constraining factor inhibiting the emergence of a wholesome Punjabi identity. Our historical memory is encaged in our historically evolved divisive institutional structures. It does not allow a really free flght to our thoughts, our desires or our plans to come together. Getting past this series of separating walls will need a lot of open conversations among all the segments of Punjabi society – religious leadership, historians, social scientists, artists, art historians and hordes of others including political leaders on all sides.
We can discuss and debate the second track and may be catalyze some small beginnings. The first track is fortunately at least at this juncture in our history moving along rather well – definitely better than what could have been envisioned a couple of decades back. The momentum has come from the Diaspora as also two political factors in the sub continent – the talk of detente between India and Pakistan and the unfortunate Sikh experience of 80/90’s that has reduced even if marginally, the prejudice against them in the Indian setting.
Respectfully,
———————-
Hakam Singh ji and Inder Singh ji have provided some references that support the existence of practice of charan pahul during the Guru period. I also tend to believe that khade ka pahul was intended to be an initiatory rite for the neophyte or those who wanted to renew their connect with the Guru. Dr Trilochan Singh has researched this subject at some length and he supports the existence of this practice.
The doubts expressed are primarily rooted in the modern hygienic mores that really have come to influence our way of life only in the last century or so. We are now questioning the bathing practice at the sarovars too. Surely that is the way our lives have changed. When we lived in England in early 70’s, not all homes had bathrooms. I have seen people fill a bucket drum with warm water come weekend and then take turns get into it for their weekly dip bath. The towns had Public Baths. I was appalled because I had been used to taking a shower before and after getting into a swimming pool in our clubs in India. So applying hygienic concepts as we know of and practice today would not be the right approach.
Charan has deep significance in gurbani. It is the deepest expression of love, devotion, bhakti and humble craving for the beloved – in this case Guru and God. Charan is kamal; charan dhoor is sacred; the devotee wants to live as charan dhoor of the Guru, longs for Guru charan to come dwell in his/her heart and wants to drink deep the wash of charan. This is not metaphoric alone – it is an expression of intense love for the divine where everything coming off the divine is sacred. Such human response is almost universal.
The other thing that does baffle me is that some of those who raise the questions about scriptural authority of charan amrit practice do promote acceptance of several other practices without raising such questions.
I think we should move beyond these futile debates. If we see langar practices have been made more hygienic now. Likewise the sugar content in parsad has definitely been reduced from the traditional 1/3rd and so has the ghee part. Not much debate there.
If the practice of charan amrit did exist and it seems that it did; so? We have a theology and Guru history that would make followers of any faith proud and I would gladly sip the clean fresh water off charan kamal than the water full of chemicals and bacteria passed off as bottled water that I drink visiting the land of five rivers.
Respectfully,
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Autar ji has been asking about some discussion on the subject of training priests locally, more specifically in Malaysia. The subject is of imminent importance because of some Government directives on the subject. He has asked Jagpal ji and Jaspal ji to get the ball rolling. I therefore do most humbly submit that my intent is not to jump in ahead of them and I would most respectfully await what they and our other friends like to say.
I do want to say that I have no experience in being involved with the training of Sikh priests – and by priests I assume we mean Granthies, Bhais, Ardassias and the like; predominantly those functioning as kathakars and ragis excluded. What I am going to say is therefore really a lay view.
I apprehend that it will be a major task and a difficult project and I would suggest more of what we might consider as we launch into serious planning:
• The numbers required to be trained initially and continuing likely requirements
• The totality of the likely package the trained priests will receive and its likely effect in motivating them to volunteer
• Would the participation be limited to Malay nationals or volunteers from say India or Pakistan can join and use the opportunity. If this is possible what are the likely visa issues
• Who will pay for the training and if it is on sponsored basis what are the likely commitments the students will have to make
• Based on various factors what would be the minimum denominator of their basic education, language proficiency in Punjabi [English, Malay?], knowledge of Gurbani, SRM, Kirtan, Sikh ethos, history etc
The curriculum design should consider developing their skills in:
• Reading, reciting, understanding of the structure, grammar of Guru
Granth Sahib and scriptural literature
• Ability to interpret Gurbani passages as well as Sikh teachings thematically and facility to recall in such exposition
• Some skills in kirtan, katha
• Maryada including SRM, amrit sanchar, parshad, langar, marriages, festivals, seasonal
• Sikh history, issues, concerns
• Developing language proficiency, speaking skills
• Ability to teach, train the sangat especially the youth
• Understanding of Sikh religious life, seva and social engagement
• Sensitivity to contemporary societal issues and Sikh thought on the subject
• Gurdwara management including the committees, handling of cash and offerings, administrative responsibilities [job descriptions] of employees, rules, planning/managing diwan proceedings
• Life style expectations, role model expectations
• Relationship with sangat, counseling, chaplaincy, socializing
• Relating to other faith groups, participate in inter faith events
• Relating to mainstream
Depending on where the individual starts from the training could take a pretty long time – may be years, not months.
Respectfully,
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Mai ji has talked about animals being allowed or not within the Gurdwara. I wonder if within the ‘diwan’ area animals would have been allowed at any time – though birds flying in or some roosting in the building surely could be there. Likewise ingress of rodents, insects and the like cannot be discounted. Sarovars also have fish population and may be some other water loving life.
I have never heard anything said about hawks that may have been used as pets. Were they left outside? Some Gurdwaras still have cows, buffalos kept separately. The horses too in earlier days would have tied outside.
Carrying pets in during prayer would be wrong because the intention is you focus on love with the Guru and not be distracted by the love of a doting pet. But then how about little infants? I think finding a rational answer may be difficult and we better follow what has been traditionally done by us and also by other faiths – no pets.
Respectfully,
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Thank you Ravinder ji for a thoughtful and inspiring message ‘Becoming a Sikh, then, involves a deliberate choice and a fundamental shift in focus and orientation: from being a believer to a seeker of Truth; from claiming Sikhi as a birthright to becoming a student – as the term Sikh implies. It requires stepping outside the margins of acquired belief and embarking on a pilgrimage of self discovery, traveling on the path of metamorphosis bringing about an inner change in orientation from being a Manmukh to a Gurmukh.’
To put it another way becoming a Sikh is knowing what being a Sikh is and living by it. The Guru places such a Sikh at very high pedestal – guru sikh sikh guru hai eko gur updes chalaey [Asa M IV, p.444].
Respectfully,
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Thank you Jagpal ji for the IANS news report about Jathedar Vedanti addressing the New York parade. I wish it had contained some bits of what the Jathedar said. That is where it seems we may have failed if the reporter found nothing worth reporting in the speech of our most high profile guest.
The other thing is about this opening comment ‘The annual Sikh Day Parade here attracted over 30,000 people and passed off without any untoward incident but for some people raising Khalistani slogans.’
This has been the typical line since the British days when the District machinery’s function was maintenance of law and order and all public religious events were seen as potential risk to communal peace and harmony. For a US based news reporter to view the event from the same prism is rather unfortunate.
The other unfortunate part of this slant is that ‘raising khalistani slogans’ has been characterized as an untoward incident. Now I am no khalistani but surely I realize that most public functions do include some slogan raising by varied interest groups. Unless slogans are a threat to the peace and harmony of the host country or against its declared policy, such reporting betrays personal bias of the reporter or the news agency.
Respectfully,
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Thank you Madho Singh ji on your exposition on haumai. I can grasp the importance of present moment awareness in our conscious lives but I am rather intrigued by your remark that ‘One of the most important factor of our ego is our bonded ness with the concept of time, past, present and future with absolutely no significance given to the present. For an average person it is almost nonexistent, which in reality, is the domain of the Divine.’
Haumai is a continuing influence on our thoughts, positions and actions. Apart from ruminating over them or planning ahead, the actual manifestation of state of our haumai takes place in the present. This momentarily becomes past and the continuum leads into the future. This continuum plays into developing an understanding on haumai and how it influences our temporal pursuits and spiritual search. If we fail to connect with the divine within, could it be that our haumai is not yet transformed enough rather than it is inactive in the present or insensitive about the importance of present. May be you would like to elaborate it a bit further.
The Guru also says – theerathh naae n outharas mail karam dhharam sabh houmai fail lok pachaarai gath nehee hoe naam bihoonae chalasehi roe – Bathing at sacred shrines of pilgrimage, filth is not washed off. Religious rituals are all just egotistical displays. Pleasing and appeasing people saved no one. Without the Naam, they shall depart weeping – Ramkali M V, p. 890. Could this discipline of awareness, absent linkage with naam, help us to discover the divine within? Would it not likely suffer from the same limitations that restrain karam dharam?
Respectfully,
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I agree with Gurmit ji’s suggestion that the Indian constitution and laws must first define all faiths including Hindus. Sikhs must get out of the trap of legal definition of who is a Sikh in the laws.
Who is a Sikh is an internal Sikh matter best left to the SRM and any allied intra – religious instruments.
Respectfully,
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The plea made by Virinder S. Grewal is that we should agree to disagree and not try and characterize any views as blasphemous for the only judge for that is God, who keeps an account and delivers divine justice. The other concomitant plea is that we should concern ourselves with our own foibles rather than others and any suggestion of hell and brimstone must be avoided.
I agree that hell and brimstone must be avoided by us because we are all not above fault but I have difficulty accepting that Gurbani tells us to not bother about the erring and leave the person alone to face the consequences of his/her choices. The Gurus did say moorkhai naal neh lujhiae but that apart they engaged one and all so that the sangat becomes a vehicle for transformation and the individuals are helped through collective catalization.
The other thing that the Gurus have decried is vaad, vivaad. They encourage veechar – that is important but idle discussion and argument is a wasteful activity and can bring no spiritual merit. Veechar must lead one to recognize the Truth which in turn brings a sense of awe at the magnificence and munificence of God that opens one’s heart to divine love and praises.
My sense is that a lot of what is talked here encourages veechar though the mode seems to be of vaad vivaad. Nonetheless the key question raised is that those who have views bordering on atheistic or blasphemous -kufar- or those who propagate against Sikh ethos should be left alone to articulate their views and not subjected to critical scrutiny or judged. That is best left to divine discretion.
I think this is an issue on which the members may weigh in but it should best be responded to by the moderators.
Respectfully,
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Rabinder Bhamra ji said ‘Sikh spirit is not just the journey of the individual. ‘ This aspect of the Sikh thought and praxis is often left out by some who persevere with presenting their individual takes to promote a particular slant.
Sikh spiritual growth was commended by the Gurus to be a process accomplished primarily in sangat – individual effort was important and so was the element of grace or kirpa – but both were helped by being part of sangat as a jan – humble devotee.
This has been amply emphasized in our daily recitation of jini naam dheyaya gaye muskat ghaal nanak teh mukh ujhlai keti chhutti naal. Now it is not just the individual – the uddam of the individual is after all is always a part of some collective endeavor. This catalytic or associated effect of lifting those associated has been repeatedly reminded to us by Gurus by scores of verses saying aap tarai saglai kul tarai.
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