Friday 30 November 2007

What is Shaheedi Degh?


It is a Traditional Khalsa drink made up of almonds, black pepper, sugar, water, rose petals, cardamoms and cannabis. Some Sikhs drink it regularly and some say it’s a traditional medicine.

Views of regular Drinkers:

It is a good healthy drink, having it at breakfast helps set you up for the rest of the day.
It helps you concentrate in every task you do.
We use a moderated (safe) amount of cannabis; therefore we don’t see it as intoxication.

Views of others:

Yeah it is a healthy drink due to high protein content. But the fact it has high protein content is because it was used as a pain killer and wound healer to cure injuries of Sikh soldiers wounded in battle. Hence its other name Sukhnidhan (pain reliever)

Cannabis slows down the nervous system, and makes you dopey. That’s why every thing moves slower making you feel as if your concentration has improved.

Does it matter how much off an intoxicant you consume, that’s like saying I only had a few drops of wine today? But in principle I still consumed an intoxicant for no logical reason.
Yeah at times you may need to take an intoxicant as remedy, but that is seen as medication. But regular drinking is indulging in worldly pleasures.

A Sikh should be intoxicated by Gurbani. A really devoted Sikh can go threw any torture without feeling any pain. Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Got chopped limb by limb without showing any sign of pain, he was merged in Gurbani.

Conclusion:

Gurbani is against intoxication for pleasure or a buzz. I guess Shaheedi degh made a good medicine in olden days due to Sikhs being in constant war and living in jungles. You could say it is a purer pain killer then the drugs we get these days. But the Sikhs used to get their arms chopped off, shot and slashed, that’s when they took this medicine, in order to get stitches or take the arrow or bullet out. A Sikh should see worldly buzzes as being poison. Shaheedi Degh is a khalsa tradition and it should be passed down for knowledge because you never know when you will need this medicine, but these days people have put their own twist into Sikhi and misused this medicine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSn05JHYjYI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G8d3GZMabY&feature=related

Defender of the Faith!

Every one do an Ardass for this hero of the Panth!

Background stages which, led a Singh to commit an act of extreme bravery:

The man in the picture is known as Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala, he is a self styled Guru. However, he has committed offences and crimes against the Khalsa Panth:

He wore a kalgi and said he is a reincarnation of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
He was excommunicated by the Akal Thakt and ignored warnings to stop hurting Sikh sentiments.
He instigated the burning of Gurdwaras and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
He made a Granth to replace Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which is known as Bhavsagar Sundar Amar Bani.
His followers have had riots with Sikhs.

But he is given security by the Indian government; he has armed police around the clock. The government has pressed charges, but due to some reason he never gets prosecuted. However Braveheart Gopal Singh took it in his own hands to punish this criminal. He showed great courage and guts in a time were the Panth is full of coward sheep.


The above picture shows the criminal acting brave with his followers and armed guards.

The criminal writing his Granth

Below is a newspaper article showing the bravery of Gopla Singh:

Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala was allegedly stabbed twice while he was waiting outside a court in the city this morning.The incident took place while Baba Bhaniarawala was sitting inside a Sumo and Punjab police personnel were on guard duty. He was waiting for his case to come up in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate. At about 11 am, a youth posing as a `follower’ walked up to the vehicle in which Baba was seated. The youth sought his blessings and made an offering of Rs 20.Suddenly, the youth whipped out a knife with a long blade. Even before the Punjab police personnel could react, the youth stabbed Baba Bhaniarawala in his neck and back. Baba Bhaniarawala was taken aback by the attack.

Mr Udey Shankar, DSP, who rushed to the spot, said the youth had been nabbed. During preliminary questioning, the youth Gopal Singh revealed that he was a resident of Samana in Patiala, Punjab. “We are questioning him,” he said. The exact cause of the attack by Gopal Singh is not yet known. After Baba Bhaniarawala was attacked, he was rushed to the local Civil Hospital, where medical aid was given to him. Doctors at the hospital said Baba Bhaniarawala had received two wounds. While the wound on his back is about 4 cm deep, another wound on the neck is about 3 cm deep. Baba Bhaniarawala’s white kurta-pajama was soaked in blood. Baba told the police personnel that he did not know the person who had attacked him. Thereafter, Baba Bhaniarawala was transferred to the PGI, Chandigarh.

Baba’s lawyers alleged that a Haryana Akali Dal leader was behind the attack. They also said the Punjab police had failed to look after the security of Baba Bhaniarawala. A lawyer said they were going to file an application in the court seeking exemption for Baba Bhaniarawala following today’s incident. An eye-witness said that the incident took place suddenly. “We were having tea. A youth walked up to Baba Bhaniarawala and stabbed him. Baba Bhaniarawala cried out in pain,” she said. Earlier also during Baba’s appearance in the local court, Akali workers and Baba followers had clashed in which a person sustained injuries. Baba Bhaniarawala had become controversial as his `granth’ had hurt religious feelings. Tensions were further increased when their were a couple of burning incidents. Cases were registered in Punjab against Baba. Baba Bhaniarawala had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking that the cases are transferred to outside Punjab. DHAMANA (ROPAR): The police on Wednesday cordoned off the dera of Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala at Dhamana village about 25 km from Ropar. Baba Bhaniarawala returned to his dera here after undergoing treatment at the PGI, Chandigarh. The police was not allowing anyone to go inside his residence without verifying their credentials. Even his followers were being checked thoroughly before being allowed inside. While talking to the correspondent at his dera Baba Bhaniarawala said certain persons of Nurpurbedi were behind the conspiracy to eliminate him. He had already informed the Ropar SSP and the Punjab Government about the threat to his life. However, the police did not take any action against the culprits. He further alleged that a few persons also want to vitiate the atmosphere of the state by planning an attack on him and provoking his followers. He appealed his followers to maintain peace. The police was apprehending an influx of Baba Bhaniarawala’s followers at Dhamana village as the news of attack on him spread in the state. The influx could create communal tension in the area as the local Akali organisations have been opposing the return of Bhaniarawala’s followers in the dera. In the recent past Akali organisation had pressurised the administration for stopping his birthday celebrations. About two years ago the state witnessed communal tension as some followers of the Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala allegedly burned the copies of Guru Granth Sahib birs in various parts of the state. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Guru Gobind Singh and also wrote his own Bhav Sagar Samundar Granth that irked the Sikh community. After the tension the police raided the dera of the Baba Bhaniarawala located in forests of Nurpurbedi and registered various cases against him. The government also banned his controversial granth.

Frontline Punjabi Youth Comments:



He survived the attack, DAMN, but the singh certainly took the cheekiness and smile off his face. (laughter)

We salute Gopal Singh; we assume he is still serving imprisonment for his actions. But he left behind a wife and two young sons; we would be grateful if every Sikh mentioned their and his chardi kala in their next Ardass. He is a defender of the faith and a great warrior of the Panth. He went with a knife to armed guards who had machine guns, he knew he could have got shot, but he didn’t care. He was willing to sacrifice everything for the Panths Honour, that’s a real Singh. This happened in 2003, but i dont think this saga is over yet!

What is chatka meat?

Chatka meat is known as the meat of an animal which is killed with one blow of the sword.



Views of people that agree with chatka:

They Kill the animal and give it out as Mahaparshad (blessed food) in the form of langar.
They say it’s totally just because the animal is not made to suffer like it is in the Islamic way.
They say the animal is killed in a humane fashion.
They say an animal has to be sacrificed to appease the Bir-ras (warrior spirit), and they claim it is good practice for war. (I.e. if a person doesn't have the guts to kill a goat, how will the person fight and take the life of another human)
They say that, there are historic references of this practice in Sikh history.

Views of people that are against chatka:

The giving out of flesh as mahaprashad is a barbaric and inhumane act.
The killing of any innocent animal is murder, cruel, unjust, and cowardly.
If you want to appease the warrior spirit, fight for humanity and against injustices. What does killing a defenseless animal prove? There are many brave warriors in Sikh history, who never did chatka. It was Gurbani that gave them the warrior spirit.
There are some historical references in which, Sikhs at the time of war had hunted and killed animals due to malnutrition, but that does not make it right. Them Sikhs were desperate and it was about survival (but it’s still wrong).

Conclusion:

Gurbani teaches us to be kind and compassionate to all of the creation. (Murdering innocent animals is the opposite). In Gurbani Guru Ji refers to people that eat meat as goblins and says they will get punished. So Chatka is Anti-Sikh, and real Sikhs don’t perform such barbaric practices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzrmxKUg0xc

Check the above video of Chatka, if you still think that is a Sikh practice. Go and see a Dr, your crazy!