Why women deserve to be respected

 The binding force for every family is almost always the female. Be they transmission of values, character, knowledge, the female members play a vital role.

if you develop a man you develop an individual, if you develop  a woman you develop a family.

The bedrock of a healthy, happy, prosperous civilisation is the family.

Societies that have valued and respected the feminine's contribution in all its aspects as much as they did the masculine, have been found to be deep, truthful, robust and resilient. All these traits that help realise the best in human potential.

High respect and regard for the female has been the bedrock of Indian civilisation for millennia and one of its secret of great cultural, social and economical success. Greed, arrogance and power from within and religious, cultural influences from without had minimised the value of women in Indian society. As a consequence India became easy prey for exploitation, loot and degradation.

Guru Nanak ji, the expounder of Universal Truths which is commonly known as 'Sikhism', awakened humanity to the need to value the all pervasive feminine aspects in Creation, The Guru says,

“From woman, man is born; 

Within woman, man is conceived; 

To woman he is engaged and married.  

Woman becomes his friend; 

Through woman, the future generations come.

When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; 

To the woman he is bound. 

So why call her bad? 

From her, kings are born. 

From woman, woman is born; 

Without woman, there would be no one at all”

Guru Nanak ji's teachings have had a profound and positive transformational effect and helped reinforce and revive the value and respect for women in general. This has been one of the key elements in the success of Sikhism as a way of life.

Respect for the other cannot be taught nor legislated, it can however be learnt. 

If one is guided to realise the transitionary nature of life, be it our body, beauty, strength, wealth, status, or position we will discover ourselves living simpler and healthier lives. 

By associating with good and noble people, by contemplation and listening to the Guru's advice we can awaken the consciousness. Then we need not be told by others as to what is right or wrong for we will know it.

When there's focus on awakening rather than teaching, we come to respect not only the woman but all of humanity and Creation. To respect is not to pamper, or worship but rather to cope with and accept that the nature of women is different from, but complimentary to men.

To respect the woman is to respect ourselves.

Never submit to tyranny and injustice

 All organisations are political in nature and organised religions are just the same. This politicisation of religion by rulers, governments, politicians and priests, distances the individual from his or her spiritual quest. No organised religion can be exempt from this curse of corruption. Older the religion greater the corruption, and it must be rejuvenated from time to time.

Over time a materially and spiritually rich India became spiritually parched by follies and weaknesses of humans. Just as the thirsty seek the water, the water also seeks the thirsty. To quench the spiritual thirst, by divine grace there emerged great saints, and Gurus, and one of the most notable and transformational were the  Sikh Gurus.

Sikhism through the 'Prema Bhakti', (the path of love and universal brotherhood) built an inclusive humanity which shunned dogma, casteism, intolerance and violence while facilitating a user friendly path for individual spiritual realisation.

Sikhism was gifted to mankind by Guru Nanak ji more than 550 years ago, and carried forward by 9 more Gurus. The 10th Guru was Guru Gobind Singh ji (1677 - 1708 C.E.)

'Sikh' means 'student or learner', one who seek to awaken and cut through the complicated practices and  malpractices to embrace the whole world as one family, while granting full freedom to the individual to live and work as they wished, while being in harmony with all of existence.

No wonder Sikhism mushroomed and the general population who were spiritually awakened by Guru Nanak ji's teachings grew happy, successful and as a consequence a vast peaceful community of hardworking Sikhs flourished. This development surprised both the political and religious authorities, and naturally they felt threatened. Muslim rulers, and many Hindu Kings, who collaborated with Muslim invaders to rule India along with the clergy sought to destroy the Sikhs.

 

Any authority devoid of nobility and justice, will not have moral legitimacy. It always feels insecure and fearful.  Mughal ruler Aurangzeb and his Hindu vassals protected themselves from the people by suppressing all freedoms, backed by use of extreme violence to induce fear. They used organised religion both as a crutch and weapon.The general population was prohibited from formation of any group no matter how benign, good or noble it may be.

The history of the peace loving Sikhs is peppered with atrocities inflicted by Mughal rulers, and the priests of the day. Sikh Gurus were often imprisoned, brutally and publicly tortured and then martyred. In spite of all this the noble Sikhs imbibing Guru Nanak's teachings grew in numbers and in their spirituality.

When the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bhadur ji, was publicly tortured and beheaded at Chandani Chowk in Delhi on the orders of Moghul Tyrant Aurangzeb, the 10th Sikh Guru, young Guru Gobind Rai ji, proclaimed 'that to be a tyrant is wrong and to timidly accept tyranny is also wrong.'

On the auspicious day of Vaisakhi in 1699, Guru Gobind Rai baptised 5 Sikhs as the Khalsa (the pure) and then subordinated himself to the Khalsa by asking them to baptise him in turn. Each Sikh who became a Khalsa had the title Singh (meaning lion) appended their names. So Guru Gobind Rai became Guru Gobind Singh ji.

The miracle of the baptism convinced the Khalsa that the blessing of Guru Gobind Singh ji had truly transformed ordinary Sikhs into fearless lions. With a focus on self defence militarisation and arms training, the Sikhs had become a powerful force that could not be persecuted any more. 

The armies of Mughal Aurangzeb and his Hindu vassal kings mounted waves of attacks between (1700 to 1704 C.E.) to destroy the Sikhs and Guru Gobind Singh ji. All attacks were futile and the attacking armies fled under the stiff defence and counter attack of the Khalsa.

Eventually the generals of Aurangzeb offered a truce, in the name of Aurangzeb and the Quran that if the Guru peacefully handed over the fort and town of  Anandpur, the Moghul guaranteed free and unharmed passage to the Guru and his followers.

Aurangzeb's generals dishonoured their oaths and attacked and killed many Sikhs. In the subsequent pursuit and battles the Guru and his family were separated and his mother and his four sons were martyred.

Alone without even horse and sandals, the Guru was rescued and carried to safety by two Afghan disciples (Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan) to Jatpur where he became the guest of the Muslim chieftain. Here Guru Gobind Singh ji was contacted by one of his Muslim disciples who also had excellent relations with Aurangzeb. The disciple had a message and proposal from Aurangzeb for a compromise with the Guru to end hostilities.

Aurangzeb would call off the war if the Guru conceded defeat and joined Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb was sure that the Guru would agree, after all the Guru's father had been martyred as also his four young sons, his forts demolished and his Sikhs decimated, in fact everything material had been destroyed as per Aurangzeb. 

The Guru agreed that he had lost much, but for the Guru to concede defeat would be tantamount to conceding the defeat of God and Dharma before an evil tyrant like Aurangzeb.

When the disciples pleaded to the Guru that, "You are a fakir, a man of God and you should accept the truth and proclaim it, that you are finished". The Guru in response drafted and despatched the Zafarnama to Aurangzeb, stating, "If a heavy stone boulder should be thrown on a golden cup, it is true the cup would break. Yet in the encounter the value of the boulder would not be enhanced nor the value of the cup be diminished."

Guru Gobind Singh ji refused to concede defeat, nor join Aurangzeb, and over the next four years rebuilt the Sikh movement and revived the Khalsa until he breathed his last in 1708 C.E. The atrocities of the Mughal rulers led to the rapid downfall of their rule.

The world owes Guru Gobind Singh ji a great debt for gifting humanity with the Khalsa Sikhs a hardworking loyal and fearless people endowed with the highest and noblest values of humanity. Sikhs, are friends not only of the strong and brave, but also of the needy, weak and oppressed, continuing to serve and even sacrificing themselves to protect India and her people. It is  the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh ji whose birthday we celebrate today. 

On this day like always, we Sikhs send to you our good wishes and salutations, as we renew our Guru's promise to all of humanity.

I, Me, Myself, my Guru and my God

  

30th November 2020 was the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak ji, whose disciples are known as the Sikhs.

A few acquaintances of ours wanted to accompany and join us in the celebrations of the Guru's birthday. So we set off for the 'Gurudwara', (Sikh congregation hall) where they could partake in the prayers and the singing of hymns and receive some prasad.

I remembered a similar visit of Gurpurab about a decade ago.

My chest expanded with pride, as I answered their questions about Sikhism and the Gurus. On and on, I went about religion, My God, My Guru. Suddenly I had an epiphany. I realised and felt very foolish as I realised that not only was I boasting, as a Sikh I was taking  ownership of God, Guru, and all of Creation.

It dawned upon me that my expression was just the jabbering of a petty, arrogant and unawakened mind. Foolishly rather mindlessly like countless myopic followers of various faiths  I too was blinded by my arrogance, I too was trying to usurp not only God and Guru, but everything I came into contact with.

'My Guru, my God, my Faith'. How could I for even a fraction of a moment presume that all these belonged only to me?  Me, an insignificant piece of creation was now claiming exclusive ownership over Guru, God, all Creation.

Guru Nanak ji, was not a Sikh Guru, he was a Jagat Guru. A Guru for the entire universe. I realised I had begun my journey as a Sikh (student), leaving the path of the follower to become a disciple. Luckily my companions did not comment. They either did not notice or were too gracious to overlook my ignorance.

Anyone who knows God cannot describe God. Anyone who can describe God does not know God.

A Saviour came this day

Wherever one goes in the world, you will find a special type of people.  They are inevitably respected for their integrity, passion and joyful nature. They work hard, live well and love passionately. They are the Sikhs.

Who are the Sikhs and where did they come from?

Whenever there is grief and unbearable anguish and humanity loses its way, there always arrives a saviour, to provide a loving balm, guide and inspire people to rise and discover through their true potential, salvation.

On this day in 1469 on the day of Kartik Poornima ( the full moon in the month of Kartik) such a saviour took birth in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi. Guru Nanak ji had arrived. The people who imbibe Guru Nanak ji's teachings call themselves Sikhs (meaning disciples).

When people are lost they seek guidance, but the priests inevitably land up distancing man from God. The older the faith the more distorted and abused is the religion by those who claim to serve it.

Sikhism is the most modern and relevant faith in the world. The teachings of Guru Nanak ji are easy to understand and hence follow, as it is in the spoken language, free of rituals and does not need middlemen. All it requires, is for us to be loving and to be true. 

Guru Nanak ji's preached three fundamental beliefs.

• 'Kirat Karo':  Fulfil your duties. Make an honest living. For if you do not earn how will you provide for those you are responsible for. This is why the Sikhs are extremely hard working and have a very good work ethic.
• 'Vand Chakko': Share what you earn with others, who are in need. This is why the Sikhs are so helpful and charitable.
• 'Nam Jappo': Remember God and joyfully sing his praise. This is why Sikhs are usually alway happy evening adversity.

Sikhism is relevant even more today for it teaches, 

• Tolerance and universal brotherhood. All are accepted and welcome without any preconditions or  compulsions.
• Breaks all forms of class barriers ignoring sex, colour, religion, caste, rank or wealth. 
• The "Langar" or the community kitchen where kings and the poorest break bread together
• Feed, protect and care for the poor, the hungry and the unfortunate.
• Promotes environmentalism. For to love and respect creation is to love The Creator.
• To honour and respect women as equals and give them same rights and privileges as men.

Guru Nanak ji had two constant companions Mardana a Muslim and Bala a Hindu. He travelled widely across a world torn by strife,  singing hymns and teaching love and tolerance by example.
They travelled mostly on foot from Punjab in all directions, up North till Tibet and South to Sri Lanka, up to Myanmar in the east and Saudi Arabia in the West.


If we do seek salvation then let us learn from a saviour. Paths may be many, but the destination is the same. "There is only One and He is Truth"

I congratulate all the people in all lands on this great day.

_______________________________

*Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi is now called Nankana and is in Pakistan

God belongs only to me.

Some colleagues and I were enjoying listening to 'Kirtan'  (holy hymns) as we drove to a meeting.

My colleague asked, "Who composed these beautiful hymns, and who were the minstrels?
I stated with a cocky pride that the hymns were those originally sung by my Guru, Nanak Dev ji, in praise of that one unifying energy and force we call God.
The first Sikh Guru, and humanity's youngest and probably most modern spiritual faith.

In fact the day was special because it marked Guru Nanak ji's 543rd birth anniversary.

The moment I uttered these words I felt rather foolish.
'My Guru, my God, my faith', how could I for even a fraction of a moment presume that all these belonged only to me ?  Me, an insignificant bit of living dust was now claiming ownership over God and Guru.

Was not God one? How dare I believe for a fraction of a moment that the Guru was not for the universe and only for a select few like me? How stupid and arrogant of me?  How weak and petty was my belief?

Luckily my companions did not comment, either because they were as ignorant as I or  graciously indulgent of my shortcomings. I am not alone, for I share this same myopic vision with countless other followers of various faiths.

Some time ago, the Supreme court in Malaysia passed a judgement that a non Muslim may not use the name 'Allah', as only Muslims are permitted to do so. The simple meaning of 'Allah' is God, now belongs only to Muslims as per the learned judges of the court.

The creator is one and we call Him by a million names, our perceptions may change but He remains unchanged. He belongs to no one rather we belong to him and maybe to each other.

_____________________

Religion is supposed to be a unifying force and make people and the world a better place. Somewhere along the way,  religions and faiths have mostly lost their unifying purpose,  unless to attack others. Religions have turned violent, ugly and mostly irrelevant for spiritual growth of humanity.

If one looks below the surface it is quite evident that the problem is not with religion, it is with leaders of religion.
Spiritual phenomenon are now political movements, and politics is nothing but a game of power. Politics is war by other means. Wars have no winners only losers, and the greatest loss is our reverting back from human to beast.


We visit places of worship, where we meet so called 'religious persons'. We are asked to surrender to God. What they really mean is hand over your existence to these men, these self appointed, self serving so called representatives of God.

We are told to behave in a particular manner and to indulge in a certain way as it makes the individual subservient to other men.
This is why man's greatest cruelties, inhuman acts, miseries have been inflicted on mankind in the name of religion.
God did not create the world, He is the world for He has never been separate. He is in the air, water, soil, trees, animals, the mountains and the valleys, in the rainbow.

God is everywhere and belongs to all beings and all things. A truly religious person is easy to identify,  they are compassionate, tolerant, follows no dogma,  Through the true religion of love, friendship, contentment, tolerance,  with one another and with our world we can 

Where is God & what does He do?

In the year of 1511 AD the people of Baghdad were blessed to receive a messiah in the form of Guru Nanak, who had journeyed from India to Iraq en-route to Saudi Arabia after traveling through Pakistan, Iran and Syria.

While in Baghdad he decided to stay at a graveyard outside the town of Baghdad. Accompanied by Mardana the minstrel, Guru Nanak held discussions with the local people. Singing hymns, Guru ji wanted man to discover and liberate himself by surrendering to and loving God.  Guru ji preached that  all names and paths would lead to the one true God if we loved Him.

Some Muslims hearing Guru Nanak sing God's praise felt his utterances were blasphemous and complained to Pir Dastagir Abdul Qadir Jilani (supposedly a relgious man).

Acting on the Pir's orders people rushed to stone Guru Nanak to death. The violent mob arrived just as Guru Nanak finished singing a hymn. Guru opened his eyes and greeted the people. The bloodthirsty mob were mesmerized by the sheer presence and energy radiating from Guru Nanak. They put down the stones and sat down to listen to Guru ji.

Present in the crowd was a Pir* called Bahlol who had come with his six year old son. He began to debate with Guru Nanak on matters of spirituality. He asked the Guru to prove what he preached about countless earths and universes. Guru Nanak smiled and placed his hand on the head of the six year old son of Bahlol. After a few minutes he asked the boy to speak. The lad confessed that he had seen many worlds and universes and what Guru ji said was true.

Bahlol and most people present there fell to their knees in submission and asked Guru ji to enlighten them, for they wanted to follow him and his preachings to find God.  Guru ji told them it was quite simple. He asked them to sincerely love the one true creator and all his creations and they would find God.

The turn of events infuriated the haughty  Pir Dastagir Jilani who reported the perceived blasphemy to the Caliph** of Baghdad. The Caliph recognizing that Guru ji was not an ordinary soul did not pass any judgement. Instead he ordered Pir Dastagir Jilani to question Guru Nanak in his presence. 

Pir Dastagir asked Guru ji three questions

1. If there is God then where can he be found?
2. If God is there then, what was there before he came?
3. If there is God then what work does he do?

Guru Nanak after meditating on God for a few minutes asked for some milk. Promptly a bowl of milk was provided. Guru ji looked at the bowl and said there was ghee in the milk and everyone knew it, but no one could see it. "Such is God he is omnipresent but cannot be seen, only known and experienced."

Secondly Guru Nanak then asked for some beads and this was arranged. He asked Pir Dastagir to count the beads and when he started from one, Guru ji asked him "can you tell me what was there before the number one?"

When Pir Dastagir had no answer Guru ji told him "God has always existed from the dawn of time,  everything began with God".

Then Guru ji requested the Caliph that to be able to respond the next question he would like the Caliph to come down to the witness box and permit Guru Nanak to stand near the throne. When the Caliph obliged, Guru ji said, "This is what God does, he makes a king into a beggar and a beggar into a king. All things are obtained by the grace of God and not by the efforts and grace of man".

The Caliph accepted the folly of his advisors in not recognizing Guru Nanak as a man of God and his lofty message, begged his forgiveness. He proclaimed to the citizens that Guru Nanak was a pir.

Guru Nanak shunned the Caliph's offer to stay at the palace and continued to reside in the humble hut outside the city for a further four months. The residents in the area thirsted for spiritual wisdom and fresh water.  Guru ji directed the residents nearby to dig a well in the south east area vicinity of where he was staying. Lo and behold! the well yielded plenty of sweet water, a rare occurrence in an area where most of the water found was brackish. 

Before his departure Guru Nanak was presented a robe as a token of respect on which verses in Arabic are inscribed. This robe can be seen in the Gurdwara at Dera Baba Nanak, in Pakistan.

A shrine was built at the place in Baghdad where Guru ji stayed, spiritually guiding the citizens of Baghdad and adjoining territories  As per the caretaker there exists a manuscript detailing in detail the account of Guru Nanak's visit to Baghdad. Unfortunately it was stolen in 1926.

The shrine known to locals as the tomb of Bahlol Dana bears two inscriptions carved on plaques made of sandstone.

Behold! How a wish has been fulfilled by Holy and High Providence. That the building of Baba Nanak has been newly built with the help of seven autat (great valis).

That the happy murad of God (Baba Nanak) has started a fountain of grace issuing new water in the land. 917 Hijri (1511AD)

*     Pir   - Saint
**   Caliph - Administrative and spiritual head of a territory.