Sikhs being targetted

Sikhs Being Attacked

Recently on the streets of the UK I have heard of numerous attacks upon random innocent Sikh youths by Islamic Extremist gangs. These Gangs see all non Muslims as prime enemies. They are armed and dangerous picking on naïve and venerable Sikh youths. Below is the type of crimes committed on the Sikh youth:

• Humiliation beatings
• Muggings
• Stabbings
• Gun point robberies
• GBH

Case Study

In Beckton (London) a young Sikh was walking home from work, he was spotted by a Gang called the Paki Panthers, he was beaten severely and the initials PP were scared on his face. The Police was unable to catch the culprits. The young Sikh is now going through rehabilitation. But unfortunately he refuses to go back to work and keeps himself withdrawn from society after his ordeal.

Case Study 2

A Gang called souljaz of Allah aka Afghan bad boys beat up a innocent Sikh and removed his turban. In retaliation a Guilty Gang member was stabbed in a massive fight against the family of this Sikh boy. However it is the Sikhs that are facing a long prison term now.

A police person can’t be with you 24/7, that’s why it is important to be vigilant and self reliant. There is nothing wrong in self defence regardless of what the law says. The law is in fantasy world and it is not working in reality. I would rather go jail for breaking the Law instead of being dead. It was better if the Sikh with PP on his face beat the hell out of the gang. But now he has to live with PP on his face for the rest of his life. Our youth are too soft and don’t react due to the fear of prosecution from the authorities. However in a fight it’s you or them, the after effects can be dealt with if you survive.

Mentality of these gangs is described in one of their RAP tunes

Jail 2 Jahid

http://www.channel4.com/video/brandless-catchup.jsp?vodBrand=dispatches-from-jail-to-jihad

Watch this programme

Disrespect of Sikh Ethics at Harley Grove Gurdwara

Disrespect of Sikh ethics committed at Harley Grove Gurdwara Bow.

Nature of incident

Shaheedi deg a milk drink containing a small amount of the intoxicant cannabis was given out to Sangat on the Shaheedi celebration of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji. An argument erupted between a small amount of Sangat that were protesting against this act and the committee. After some time a Singh managed to pour the intoxicating drink down the drain.

Historic traditions

The trend of Shaheedi deg is a Sikh tradition; it was used as a medicine on times of war. Gurbani does not allow regular consumption of this drink. It was a drink used in the healing process of a wounded soldier. On the Shaheedi day of Sri Guru Arjan dev Ji the Sikhs give out cold drinks to the surrounding community in remembrance of the first martyr of the Sikh community.

Gurmat views:

Gurbani tells us to stay away from intoxicants as they delude the mind and alter our health. Regular consumption for worldly pleasure is not permitted in the Sikh faith. However it is different if it is needed for medication, cannabis is a known natural pain killer. It made no sense handing out Shaheedi deg as no one was injured or needed it as medication.

The Fear of You, O Lord God, is my marijuana; my consciousness is the pouch which holds it. Ang- 721 SGGSJ

Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana (intoxicants for pleasure), fish (meat) and wine (alcohol), no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow they will go to hell. Ang- 1377 SGGSJ

Backlash on our community

Just imagine if the general public or authorities had caught this incident and reported in mainstream papers. How embarrassing would this be for Sikhs in general, that a Holy Sikh Gurdwara was supplying cannabis drinks to its worshipers? This would have tarnished the reputation and honour of the Sikh community. The possession and consumption of cannabis is a criminal offence in the UK.

A meeting will be held on the 22^nd June 2008 to discuss this incident and whether the committee will allow this practice in the future. The committee should be more responsible and not bring this type of criminal activity to a Gurdwara.

Contact Details:

Gurdwara Singh Sangat
Harley Grove, Bow, London E3 2AT
United Kingdom
Tel: 0208 980 8861

Paramjit Singh - India

Paramjit Singh, here seen with two of his beloved grandchildren, is a 54 year old retired British citizen from Wolverhampton who was arrested in the Punjab region of India in December 2006. He has been charged with possession of explosives, grenades and handguns, with the intention of carrying out terrorist activities to disrupt the recent local elections, a charge which he strenuously denies. Paramjit is currently in the middle of a long and drawn out trial.

In the last week of April 2007, Paramjit has been further charged with a mugging offence, which led to the death of a man.

So, how did this situation arise?

Paramjit travelled to India in October 2006 with his wife and his young niece. He had been travelling backwards and forwards between India and the UK for some time, as he was building a retirement home in his ancestral village of Gakhal. This latest trip had been to purchase building supplies for his new home.

Paramjit is a Sikh, and a vocal critic of the anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, and of the human rights abuses that continue in the Punjab to this day.

In October 2003, Paramjit was arrested, on arrival in India, on suspicion of travelling on a false passport. However, after the British government confirmed the authenticity of the passport, Paramjit was cleared of the charges and, since that time, had travelled to India several times without any problems. He therefore had no inkling that his trip in October 2006 would not be equally trouble free.

On 23rd December 2006, Paramjit and two others were arrested and charged with possession of explosives, grenades and handguns, which it was alleged had been found in Paramjit’s car.

24 hours later, the police changed their story and alleged that the cache of weapons had actually been found under a haystack in the village of Gakhal. However, when journalists travelled to Gakhal to gauge the reaction of the villagers to the discovery of a stash of weaponry in their village, they were unable to find a single villager who was aware of the alleged seizure. In fact, the villagers all reported that they had not seen any policemen in Gakhal for over a week.

Paramjit is fortunate to have a very supportive family and, in particular, his daughter, Ravinder, a British lawyer, has been lobbying the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Paramjit’s local MP and MEP, and the British media to keep his case in the spotlight.

Paramjit also has a very competent defence lawyer in India, Kharag Hundal, who has ensured that this case was fast tracked and came to trial within months, rather than years. Mr Hundal himself has been receiving threats from the police, simply for doing his job.

The trial had been proceeding well, albeit slowly, with a judge who appeared to be fair and asking the right questions.

However, on 25th April 2007, on the same day a hearing was scheduled in respect of the charges, where it was anticipated that the prosecution would conclude their case and the case for the defence could begin, Paramjit was taken from Nabhe jail, where he was in custody. Rather than being taken to the hearing, he was taken to the police station and charged with two further offences.

It is now alleged that 54 year old Paramjit was involved in a mugging, on 23rd November 2005, carried out by three “youths”, of approximately 25 years old, which led to a man’s death.

As a result of these further charges, the hearing into the original charges could not and did not take place, and therefore the trial has been derailed.

Fair Trials Abroad’s concerns

• The case against Paramjit in relation to the cache of weapons is so flawed as to be unsustainable. There is no evidence that we are aware of linking him to any of the weaponry that was allegedly seized and we understand that, as the trial has progressed, the police have been made to look increasingly foolish.
• Following Paramjit’s initial arrest, he was severely beaten and tortured by the police in order to try and force him to sign a confession. Paramjit’s lawyer made representations to the judge regarding this torture and daily medicals were ordered in order to ensure the torture did not continue.However, since his further arrest on 25th April 2007, we understand that Paramjit has been severely beaten again and forced to sign several blank “confessions”. The police have also threatened doctors at the hospital where Paramjit is examined daily, telling them that they would be killed if they mentioned any injuries in their reports to the courts.
• In relation to the mugging charge, Paramjit is a 54 year old man, who would have been 52 at the time of the alleged offence, therefore hardly a “youth of approximately 25”. More importantly, Paramjit was in fact, in Britain at the time the mugging took place, a fact that could be easily verified by his passport, of which the Indian police holds a copy

It appears that the mugging charge was just an excuse to put further pressure on Paramjit and that the police action is clearly driven by a political agenda. He has been told by the interrogating officers that the will receive immunity and allowed to leave, if he confesses to being paid by members of the opposition party to assassinate the Chief Minister of Punjab.

At a court hearing on 1 May 2007 the judge fortunately ordered judicial remand and Paramjit was returned to Nabhe jail, where the police cannot torture him any further.

Share your concerns with Paramjit’s MP, Ken Purchase (492a Stafford Road, Oxley, Wolverhampton, WV10 6AN or by email, at kenpurchasemp@parliament.uk)

Devadasi; Holy Ariyan Hindu Prostition System in Indian Temples

Devadasi system is not only exploitation of women, it is the institutionalized exploitation of women; it is the exploitation of Dalits, the lower class of untouchables; it is the religious sanction given to prostitution of helpless economically and socially deprived women; It is the glorification of humiliation of women. Inherent in this system is the fascistic belief that a certain section of human population, the lower caste, is meant to serve the ‘higher caste’s superior men’. Inherent in it is the feudal-lord-temple-priest-nexus, where the priest, already having a psychological hold over the minds of simple people to the point of dictating their way of life, uses his power to give ‘religious sanction’ to the practice by declaring it ‘sacred’, and thus cajole and lure simple minded villagers into this worst form of prostitution.

Devadasi literally means God’s (Dev) female servant (Dasi), where according to the ancient Indian practice, young pre-pubertal girls are ‘married off’, ‘given away’ in matrimony to God or Local religious deity of the temple. These girls are not allowed to marry, as they were supposedly married to the temple. She ‘serves’ the priests and inmates of the temple, and the Zamindars (local land lords) and other men of money and power, in the town and village. The ‘service’ (sexual satisfaction) given to these men is considered akin to service of God. The Devadasi is dedicated to the service of the temple Deity for life and there is no escape for her. If she wants to escape, the society will not accept her.

The Devadasi system is still flourishing in parts of India, especially in the South and specifically in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Ironically, these are the techno-savvy states now synonymous with Indian progress in the global market.

If you take the beautiful country road from Dharwad, Karnataka, you will reach the small temple village of Saundatti in South India. It is in this village that the Devadasi tradition, one of the most criticized forms of prostitution in India is still practiced. Despite the governmental ban, hundreds of girls are secretly dedicated to Goddess Yellammaevery year.

Renuka temple in Saundatt

There are more than 450,000 Devadasies trapped in this form of prostitution, deified and glorified by the heinous religious sanctions. According to the 1934 Devadasi Security Act, this practice is banned in India. This ban was reinforced again in 1980s but the law is broken every day. Poverty and ‘Untouchablity’ contribute to the persistence of this terrible practice.

Devadasi Yellamma poses for the camera

Priest Yedurayariah at the Renuka temple

Continuing Practice of Dedicating Dalits as Devadasies

A report commissioned by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in India reveals the shocking reality of how thousands of Dalit women continue to be forced into the Devadasi system in several states of India. Estimates suggest that girls dedicated to temples in the Maharashtra-Karnataka border area number over 250,000 and are all from the Dalit community of untouchables. More than half of the Devadasies become prostitutes.

The beginning of this system can perhaps be mapped out in the inscription found in temples. The word Emperumandiyar which was used in the sense of Vaishnavas before 966 A.D. got the meaning of dancing girls, attached to Vishnu temples, in inscriptions of about 1230-1240 A.D. in the time of Raja Raya III. [Raghavacharya: I, 118]. In many quarters the emergence of the Devadasies has been linked to the downfall of Buddhism in India that the Devadasies were Buddhist nuns can be deduced from many evidences: They are unknown to ancient India. Jaatakas, Kautillya or Vatsayana do not mention them, but later Puranas found them useful. The system started only after the fall of Buddhism and records about them start appearing around 1000 A.D. [Bharatiya Sanskruti Kosh, IV, 448]. It is viewed that the Devadasies are the Buddhist nuns who were degraded to the level of prostitutes after their temples were taken over by Brahmins during the times of their resurgence after the fall of Buddhism.

Devadasi Drummer- Miniature Painting

The Devadasi system was set up as a result of a conspiracy between the feudal class and the priests (Brahmins). The latter, with their ideological and religious hold over the peasants and craftsmen, devised a means that gave prostitution a religious sanction. Poor, low-caste girls, initially sold at private auctions, were later dedicated to the temples. They were then initiated into prostitution.

According to the famous Indian scholar Jogan Shankar, following reasons played a major role in supplanting the system with firm roots:

1. As a substitute for human sacrifice, being and offering to the gods and goddesses to appease and secure blessings for the community as a whole;

2. As a rite to ensure the fertility of the land and the increase of human being and animal population;

3. As a part of phallic worship which existed in India from early Dravidian times;

4. Probably sacred prostitution sprang from the custom of providing sexual hospitality for strangers;

5. Licentious worship offered by a people, subservient to a degraded and vested interests of the priestly class;

6. To create a custom in order to exploit lower caste people in India by the upper castes and classes.

Devadasi, the court singer- Miniature painting

Dalit Devadasies

It is interesting to note that the untouchables belong to the Dalit community and are lower caste Hindus, though, otherwise are not allowed to drink water from the same well as the rest of the higher caste people of the village. They cannot eat from the same plate or sit in the same place as upper caste people. They work mostly as night-soil cleaners.

When it comes to sex they are not only ‘touchable’ but are actually forced into sex by the higher caste Hindus and practices such as the Devadasi system are invented to facilitate and perpetuate their exploitation.

It is these powerful sections of the society, who control not only the economic and social activates but also the minds of the poor villagers that pose the biggest impediment to elimination of this evil. There is a crying need for a more comprehensive legislation to emancipate these vulnerable girls.

A word about Untouchables or Dalits

Many sociologists believe the caste system in India originated as a way of dividing labour and as a method of exercising social control for maintaining order. Its power – and almost absolute acceptance – stems from the fact that caste derives religious sanction for India’s majority from the 4,000-year-old Manu Sashtra or the Laws of Manu. According to this, society was divided into four broad social orders, or varnas, at the head were the Brahmins, a priestly class, who are the most pure. From the arms came the Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers. From the lower limbs were born the Vaishyas, the traders. And from the feet the Sudras, the lowest caste, destined to serve the other three.

‘Untouchables’ were considered so impure and polluting that they were not even included in the system by Manu. This translated into their complete exclusion from society. Their hamlets were outside the village, and they could not even talk to or walk on the same path as the other castes, much less touch them. When the British ruled in India, they left this caste distinctions alone to avoid unrest. In some ways they even reinforced it, finding Brahmins useful as clerks and administrators who served the British Empire faithfully. Today, in India, the Untouchables call themselves ‘Dalits’, which means ‘Broken People or the Down-trodden people’. There are almost 180 million dalits in India alone and at least another 60 million around the world who face caste discrimination of various kinds.

Perpetuation of Devadasi System

Traditional empires being despotic restricted trade to the palaces and temples, forbidding the common masses from trading or traveling. Only priests, the royalty and certain privileged merchants (who were closely regulated) traded and traveled. And one lucrative trade that the priests and princes often monopolized was the oldest and most despotic of all, prostitution. Doubtless the girls were seduced by a theology of mysticism, just as the widows who, as suttees, threw themselves on their dead husbands’ funeral pyres believed they were attaining spiritual purity, but the sexual economics of female exploitation provide a candid explanation of what was happening.

Legends to support Devadasi system

To keep the Bahujans and Dalits under control, stories were manufactured and incorporated in various Mahatmyas in the Puranas. There are three important legends, we should know about. It may be useful to know these traditional stories told by Brahmins and believed to be true by the sufferers themselves. Vasant Rajas, "Devadasi: Shodha ani Bodha", (Marathi), Sugava Prakashan, Pune, 1997, has given the account of various legends in Puranas concerning this practice.

Legend of Renuka or Yallamma

According to this legend, Renuka appeared from the fire pit of 'Putra Kameshti' Yadnya performed by a Kshatriya king Renukeswara. She was married to Rishi Jamdagni. The couple had five sons including Parasurama. One morning she was late in coming home from the river as she was sexually aroused by watching the love play in river, of a Gandarva raja with his queens. This enraged Jamdagni who ordered his sons to kill her. All other sons refused and were burned to ashes by the Rishi's curse, but Parsurama beheaded her. The Rishi gave him three boons. By first, Parshurama asked to bring back to life his four brothers. By second he wanted his mother to be made alive. But her head was not available. So Parshurama cut the head of a woman from 'Matang' caste, and Jamdagni revived his wife with Matangi's head. By third he wished to be free from the sin of matricide. But Renuka was cursed by Jamdagni to have leprosy and was banished from the hermitage. However, some ‘Eknatha’, 'Jognatha' Sadhus in the forest cured her. She returned back to Jamdagni who pardoned her and blessed her that she will attain great fame in Kaliyuga

Temple of Renuka was built in 13th century in Soundati hills. The Jains believe that Renuka is their 'Padmawati'. For centuries, the devotees of Renuka, who are mostly Dalits and Bahujans, assemble there twice a year on Magha and Chaitra full moon days for pilgrimage and offer their daughters to make them Devadasies.

Legend of Renukamba

There is a temple of Renukaamba, built in 14th century, at the top of Chandragutti hill in Shimoga district in Karnataka. The gullible masses from Dalit and Bahujan communities are made to believe that Renukaamba Devi is the incarnation of Renuka or Yallamma of Saundatti. The specialty of this temple is that Dalit women must go naked to worship this Devi. It is called 'Betale Seva' or 'Nagna Puja' i.e. naked worship. A legend in the Purana says that if the girls go naked and pray to the Devi they get good husbands and married women get all their wishes fulfilled, the childless women get children, and that those Shudra women and girls who do not follow these traditions meet with a lot of calamities. The chief Minister of Karnataka had to appoint a committee to investigate whether "Nagna-puja" has any religious sanction of Hindu Sastras. The report was submitted in 1988 and states that there is no such sanction in Hinduism. In 1992 a ban was imposed on "Nagna-puja". There was a hue and cry raised against it, but since then it has stopped.

Legend of Khandoba

The third deity of Devadasies is Khandoba of Jejuri, although there are eleven 'pithas'. It is the 'kul-daivat' of dalits, though many others worship him including some Muslim devotees, who presumably were dalits, and worshipped this deity before their conversion to Islam. Even robbers would attend the annual fair and finalize their plans there. They were, presumably, of ex-criminal tribes, which was a part of the Dalit community. Brahmins have homologized this deity and made out stories that Shankara took this form of Martanda, to protect the Brahmins from the Asuras.

People offer their sons and daughters to this deity. The terms used are Waghya for male and Murali for female. It is a form of Devadasi. Murali, whose token marriage is performed with Khandoba, remains unmarried throughout her life and leads a life same as the Devadasi of Yellama. After Ambedkarite awakening in the Matang society, who forms the majority of Murlis, this practice has declined albeit not completely stopped.

'Muralis' are girls dedicated to god Khandoba in their infancy or early childhood by their parents. "Poor deluded women promise to sacrifice their first born daughters if Khandoba will make them mothers of many children. Then after the vow the first-born girl is offered to Khandoba and set apart for him by tying a necklace of seven cowries around the little girl's neck. When she becomes of marriageable age, she is formally married to Khandoba or dagger of Khandoba and becomes his nominal wife. Henceforth she is forbidden to become the wedded wife of any man, and the result is that she usually leads an infamous life earning a livelihood by sin. Some of these girls become wandering muralis. Others become ordinary public women in any town or city, while a few are said to live for years with one man.

The parents of such girls do not feel ashamed to take her earnings, because they belong to Khandoba, and what they do is not considered a sin in the eyes of his devotees. Kunbis, Mahars, Mangs and other low castes make Muralis of their daughters in this fashion" . High caste people of the region also worship Khandoba but their mode of expressing reverence to the god differs. Thus "Not a few high caste people visit Jejuri to pay their vows; but they never give their own girls to Khandoba but buy children from low-caste parents for a small sum of money, which is not a difficult thing to do and offer them instead of their own children".

Recent Case Study:

An eight-year-old Murali is living in a remand home in Pune after she was rescued from Jejuri last year. Locals say that when she was just a few months old, she was found under a bamboo basket in one of the corners of the temple, with a garland around her neck, turmeric on her forehead, and her hands and legs tied with a rope. Members of a local labour organization took her into their custody, but because the child was 'offered' to Lord Khandoba already, they did not dare bring her up in any other way. A 60-year-old woman living near the temple voluntarily offered to look after her. However, since last year, she began harassing the little girl, by forcing her to beg and goading her to encourage male attention.

A local journalist got to know her story and sought the intervention of advocate Varsha Madgulkar, a local social activist. Both of them whisked the girl away from the clutches of her foster mother and registered a police complaint. The journalist, Vijaykumar Harishchandre, says,

"Even the police were hesitant to initiate any action because she was a 'Murali' and they feared the wrath of Lord Khandoba. However, with the intervention of the officers of the Women and Child Welfare Department, she was finally rehabilitated in a remand home in Pune."

The Plight of Joginis

Anjamma’s Story

Anjamma is a Jogini

‘My mother died when I was three. When I was seven, my brother got polio and was paralyzed. My father had to take out a loan and I went to work rolling bidis (cigarettes) to help pay it back. But it was not enough and the landlord to whom my father owed the money said that he should send me to be dedicated to the goddess to earn more money. I didn’t want to go. I felt very bad. My father said: ‘If you don’t obey me, I will die.’ So I went to the temple. All my relatives came. I had a new sari and many jasmine garlands. The priest called a man to tie the wedding tali [necklace] around my neck. The man was Rangasamy and he was 25 years old. I was eight.

Three times a year we Joginis used to go to the temple for important festivals. Everyone worshipped us and treated us well. We danced and went into a trance. Everyone fell at our feet and called us goddess. On those days we became very important. The rest of the time they made fun of us. When I was 12, I came of age (puberty). Rangasamy kept coming and telling me: ‘I tied tali on you, why don’t you sleep with me?’ I said no. But everyone in the village said: ‘Child, you are a Jogini. It is your duty. You have to sleep with him.’

He had a wife and two kids. He gave me money and rice. After one year I had a child, a baby boy. Soon after that, he abandoned me. I went to Bombay for construction work to support my child. When I returned to the village another fellow called Raghav was very nice to me. He said to my father: ‘I will protect her.’ He also had kids. I became pregnant again and had a girl. But he left me after six years.

I joined the ‘Joginis’ organization. I decided to fight the system. To prevent my sisters from suffering like me. I go to temples now and stop the Jogini dedication. People said: ‘After sleeping with so many men, what’s your problem?’ The upper caste men started saying we spread AIDS. I said: ‘You sons of bitches, motherfuckers, bastards, go tell that to your wives and mothers. I’ll get the government to do DNA tests on all Jogini kids and you can take them. I’ll take the Joginis away and look after them. I’ll expose each of you who sleep with us and then abuse us.’ Yes. They’ll shut their mouths and run when they see me now.’ Interview by Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Ashama

Ashama

‘Since the day of the initiation, I have not lived with dignity. I became available for all the men who inhabited Karni. They would ask me for sexual favors and I, as a Jogini, was expected to please them. My trauma began even when I had not attained puberty.’ (Testimony of a 35-year-old former Jogini named Ashama)

The Devadasies, spread all over India, lead intolerable lives. They have been quenching the thirst of millions of upper caster Indian males lusts. Since the inception of this deplorable system, the Joginis have been subjected to merciless subjugation and injustice.

Many of these women were tiny girls when they became Devadasies, "dedicated" to the sect by poverty-stricken parents unable to pay their future dowries and hopeful that a pleased goddess would make the next pregnancy a boy. Tradition has for centuries locked Devadasies into a proscribed and highly stigmatized social role. Forbidden to marry or work outside the temple, they have spent their lives tending the shrines and decorating altars, singing and dancing, telling devotional stories and collecting coins from worshippers to support themselves and their religious work.

They continue to face discrimination and indignities on the basis of caste, remain politically powerless and suffer from acute poverty, oppression and exploitation. They run high chances of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. Although in independent India, many steps have been taken to prevent the system and rehabilitate the Devadasies, they are not enough to improve the situation as the root cause of poverty continues to push young girl to the roads of ‘sacred prostitution’.

Must Attend Diwan

Cute Sikh Kids They R the Future!

History of taksal

The tenth King Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji was at Sri Anandpur Sahib delivering His Sikhs to Sachkhand. A Gursikh who would complete his daily prayer of the Panj Granthi (a collection of prayers from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji) with love and respect made a mistake. The Gursikh was made to realise that Gurbani is an ang (limb) of Guru Ji, and making a mistake while reciting Gurbani is like hurting Guru Ji. Following this Pyare Bhai Daya Singh, along with other respected Gursikhs requested the following to Guru Ji. "Oh keeper of the poor! Bless us with the understanding of Gurbani. Without an understanding we don't know whether what we do is correct or incorrect."

Satguru Ji would never return the request of a Gursikh. After all the battles where He sacrificed all His family. Upon leaving Muktsar Sahib and arriving at Sabo ki Talwandi. Guru Ji gave the following command to his Gursikhs. "Go to Dhir Mal (he was the elder brother of Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji and grandson to Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji) who is at Kartarpur Sahib.

The fifth King Sri Guru Arjan Dev Sahib Ji who has compiled the Aad Granth has left room for the inclusion of the ninth Kings Bani. I will do that and bless you with the understanding of Gurbani." Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji along with 24 other Singhs were turned away by Dhir Mal with the following message. "If your Guru is the same roop (form) as the first and fifth Kings, then why doesn't he fashion Gurbani from memory?"

Guru Ji answered this taunt of Dhir Mal in the following way. The true King Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave a great honour to Guru ki Kanshi, Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib, Sabo ki Talwandi. Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh was the scribe as Guru Sahib Ji compiled Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from his sacred tongue. There were such great blessings that Jap(u) Ji Sahib, Rehraas Sahib and Kirtan Sohila were written on the first morning. On that evening the Gursikh Sangat listened to the meanings of the completed Gurbani. The understanding of the Gurbani that was written at amrit vela (ambrosial hours of the morning) would be explained in the evening to the 48 Singhs and the rest of the Gursikh Sangat. Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji with firm faith would complete the seva of providing the paper, pens and ink. In this way within 9 months and 9 days, on the full moon of Katak, Samat 1762, till until 1763 Bikrami 23 Savan, the understanding of Gurbani was taught. With the inclusion of the ninth Kings Bani, from Ik Oa(n)kaar to At(h)arah Das Bees, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was completed. A great benevolence was done to the world.

After seeing and listening to this limitless, powerful knowledge, the Gursikh Sangat as well the atheists were astonished. By listening to Guru Sahib Ji, the Gursikh Sangat were given the opportunity to rectify their lives. The 48 Singhs gained Brahm Gianta (the knowledge of God) and were liberated while living. The Singhs reached such spiritual states that they lost all care of the world. Seeing this Satguru Ji ordered Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Ji not to lose care, but to continue in selfless service teaching others what he had learnt. Guru Ji said that he would not forget a thing even if he were to get cut piece by piece. Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji was also given this command and was told that he wouldn't forget a thing even if his head were separated from his body.

Both Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Ji and Baba Deep Singh Ji stayed with Guru Sahib Ji (when They went to Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazoor Sahib) teaching the understanding of Gurbani to other Gursikhs. Just before Guru Ji ascended to Sachkhand He sent Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh JI to Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar, and Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji to Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib to continue teaching the understanding of Gurbani. Damdami Taksal has been operating under the leadership of Brahm Gianis until now, and will forever more. The taksal is the university of the sikh religion.

Deg Teg Fateh!

Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Deg Tegh Fateh

In Krishna Avtar (Bani of the Guru Gobind Singh Ji), Guru Gobind Singh Ji says: “May the Kitchen and the Sword prevail in the world”. It is obvious that the Guru ordained the kitchen to feed the poor and the sword to teach the tyrant should go hand-in-hand. Deg and Teg are Persian words, meaning the kettle and the sword respectively. Deg literally means a cooking-pot. It symbolically stands for the free kitchen or Langar; whereas Teg or the sword represents dignity and power. Deg to feed the poor and the stranger, regardless of caste and religion. Teg, the sword, to destroy the oppressor of humanity and protect the oppressed. Hence Deg and Teg are symbols of service and power.

"They who dwelt on His Name; shared their earnings with others, wielded the sword in the holy war, and distributed food in companionship from the pot, remember their glorious deeds and utter: Glory be to God".

Part of daily Sikh prayers, the ardass

"I bow with love and devotion to the Holy sword.

Assist me that I may complete this work.

Thou art the Subduer of countries, the destroyer of the armies of the wicked, in the battle field, Thou greatly adormest the brave. -Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

"There is only one God. By the favour of the glorious God. Guru Gobind Singh received from Guru Nanak hospitality (Deg) and valour (Teg), victory and success undoubted. May the exalted Immortal Being stretch a helping hand."

"May victory attend the Pot and the Sword." Meaning: 'May our charity and our Arms be victorious.'

"Deg Teg Fateh”-Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

“O Lord, grant me this very boon,

That I may never evade doing righteous deeds;

That when I go to fight my enemy,

Let not fear enter my heart;

So that I may make my victory certain,

And I instruct my own mind on this,

That I may ever desire to sing your praise;

And when the span of life reaches its end,

I may die valiantly in the thick of the holy war."-Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

The Martial Heritage of Khalsa Women

Late one afternoon I dropped by the house of my old friend, Satwant Singh Khalsa, to return the handgun I had borrowed from him to teach a shooting course at a local martial-arts school. The shiny metal weapon had been cleaned and oiled, and was now carefully wrapped in a cloth and tucked under my arm as I knocked on his door, His smiling face appeared and he greeted me as I walked into his home. I handed him the gun with a profusion of thanks, and turned to leave when his young daughter of six, Amrit Kaur, came up and grabbed her father by the leg.

"Papa, can I see that?" she asked. "Of course", Satwant Singh replied, and he began to unwrap the gun with great reverence. Her eyes grew as big as blue moons reflecting the glint of the handgun as her father explained to her what it was. She looked at the gun then looked at me, a Khalsa woman in a turban, and her face clouded with confusion. Again she looked at the gun and then up at me and began to smile shyly.

"Papa", said little Amrit Kaur shyly, "Do girls shoot guns too?" Satwant Singh was surprised at his daughter's question and he looked to me for a reply.

"Of course", I said with a smile, "Girls shoot the best! When you get older I will teach you myself." On hearing this she put her hand to her mouth and giggled with great excitement and expectation.

Actually, Khalsa women have been shooting ever since guns were first introduced to India. Many of the old stories have been lost, and those that remain are scant in detail and description. But the fact is that the Tenth Master, Siri Guru Gobind singh Ji Maharaj, encouraged and promoted women in martial training in the army of the Khalsa. The Khalsa has no gender, neither male nor female, so those women who were inclined to study the martial tradition found their places in the ranks of the Khalsa Fauj (Army). Mai Bhago (Mata Bhaag Kaur) is an outstanding example of a woman warrior in the Sikh tradition.

In 1705 the Mughal forces under the direction of the emperor Aurangzeb laid a deadly siege on the fort of Anandpur Sahib in a desperate effort to destroy Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Khalsa. As food and water were exhausted, the conditions became unbearable and many Sikhs deserted the Guru. The Sikhs from the Majha area of Punjab, belonged to a tradition of gallant warriors, but they also chose to abandon the Guru and return to their villages. Before he left the fort, Guru Gobind Singh Ji asked them to put their denouncement on paper: they wrote that they were no longer Sikhs of the Guru. When the women of the village heard that their men were returning home, traitors to the Guru's cause, they were incensed. Bhago, a lady from Jhabal, spoke to the women and together they resolved to reverse the situation. As the men returned, hungry, tired and depressed from their experience at AnandPur Sahib, the women would not let them enter their homes. They said to their husbands and sons, "Either go back and make amends for your cowardly behaviour, or exchange your dress with ours, stay at home act as housewives in our place.

Dressed in your clothes we will go and fight for the Guru, lay down our lives for him, and wash away with our blood the shame which you have brought on us all, nay the whole of Majha itself." Shamed by the courageous response of their womenfolk, a band of forty Sikhs started back towards the Guru under the leadership of Bhai Mahan Singh and Mai Bhago. Dressed in soldier's battle-gear, Mai Bhago struck a fearsome pose and was respected by the Sikh soldiers for her spiritual clarity and her courageous nature. As they made their way toward the Guru, groups of Sikhs from various villages along the way joined them in support of the great Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

By that time, Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Khalsa army had left the fort of Anandpur Sahib with the promise of safe passage from Emperor Aurangzeb. But his promise proved to be a cruel deception and the Khalsa suffered devastating battles in which the two elder sons of the Guru were killed. Now they were being pursued by Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind with over 5000 Mughal soldiers. Having already captured and bricked alive the two young sons of the Guru, Wazir Khan was eager to kill the Guru himself and gain favour with the Emperor in Delhi.

The Sikhs from Majha met with the Guru-Master between Ramiana and Khidrana. With Bhai Mahan Singh as their spokesman, the forty Sikhs begged the Guru to forgive their desertion and to bless them with his grace. Together they rode with the Guru to Khidrana where there was a large water tank to slake the thirst of the guru's army. But at this time of May, the plains of Punjab were already scorched by the summer heat, and when they arrived they found the tank nearly dry. Guru Gobind Singh Ji signalled for his army to continue on in search of water. Bhai Mahan Singh proposed that his group stay behind and engage the enemy there, allowing the Guru time to reach a place of safety. Guru Gobind Singh Ji agreed to the strategy, and rode about two miles forward with the bulk of the Khalsa army. Big white sheets of Khaddar, the course woven cloth, were spread out on the shrubs so that the Mughal army would think that the full army of Sikhs were camped there in great numbers. Fearlessly, the small band of Sikhs waited in ambush for the huge army of Wazir Khan to approach the tank in search of water. The battle of Mukhtsar began on the 8th of May, 1705. Under the leadership of Mai Bhago and Bhai Mahan Singh, the Sikhs from Majha fell upon the advancing Mughal forces with a fury free of petty revenge. Mai bhago was seen fighting in the first rank, firing her long-barrel musket with the skill and precision of a true soldier. The Mughal army rushed forward several times in an attempt to dislodge the Sikhs and capture the tank, but had withdraw each time under the fierce volley of bullets and arrows. When at last the Khalsa's ammunition was all used up, they advanced forward in small groups to engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. When her time came, Mai Bhago charged into the enemy ranks with a long spear, creating havoc and killing many Mughal soldiers. They were not fighting for victory that day, as the Mughal army out-numbered the Khalsa by about 500 to one. They had no thought of saving their lives. They only wished to win time, to stall the Mughal forces long enough so that Guru gobind Singh Ji and the rest of the Khalsa might advance to a better field of battle. By day's end, all the Khalsa lay dead in the battlefield.

Nearly 300 of the Turks lay with them in the same bloody bed. The battle had taken its toll and now the Mughal Army cried desperately for water. When Wazir Khan advanced forward to take possession of the water tank, he was shocked to find that it was bone dry. Morale had shrivelled in the blistering heat of the Punjabi heat and discipline in the ranks was quickly dissolving. Abandoning the dead and wounded where they lay, Wazir Khan and his army beat a hasty retreat in search of water for his despairing men.

As evening fell, Guru Gobind Singh Ji rode back to the battlefield of Khidrana. He got down from his horse and surveyed the bloody carnage that stretched before him. With a deep affection that he felt for his Khalsa, he knelt by each fallen soldier and blessed him. Coming to Bhai Mahan Singh, the Guru saw that he was not yet dead. He lifted his head gently and wiped the blood from his face. Mahan Singh opened his eyes and saw the beautiful face of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The Guru asked him if he had any last wishes, and Mahan Sinigh begged him to tear up the document that he had signed renouncing the Guru. The Guru said, "You have done a great deed. You have saved the root of Sikhism in Majha. You are the Muktas, the liberated ones, delivered from the round of birth and death forever." Saying this, he reached in his belt and pulled out the paper they had signed in Anandpur and tore it up into little pieces that floated away on the wind. Continuing on, the Guru came to where Mai Bhago lay in the blood soaked grass. Dozens of Mughals lay dead around her where they had fallen in mortal combat. He was surprised to find a woman here on the battlefield. When he knelt to lift her head he saw that she too was barely alive, and he washed her face with cool water. She opened her eyes and saw the Guru's face in all his radiance. Such a beautiful sight, after such a brutal day, lifted her soul into spiritual ecstasy. Guru Gobind Singh Ji had her removed from the battlefield and her wounds were tended to by his physicians. When Mai Bhago recovered from her injuries, the Guru gave her amrit from his own hands and she became Mai Bhag Kaur. Having dedicated her life to the Khalsa, she stayed with Guru Gobind Singh Ji and served him as one of his personal guards. Dressed in male attire, she was one of only 10 Sikhs who were permitted to guard the Guru when he slept. She lived to be an old woman and died in Hazoor Sahib (Nanded, India) where she remained after the Guru's death.

The legacy of Mai Bhago Kaur lives in all of us. She showed the way for feminine strength to be courageous, powerful and dynamic. Her actions turned the course of history, and her courage under fire won her the love and respect of Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Mahahraj.

The wives and daughters of today's Khalsa should be given encouragement and support to pursue martial arts training. It is not always easy for women, as it goes against the social programming and expectations of our culture. It requires building physical strength that women often lack in childhood, and which is often difficult to acquire later on. Yet it is not only possible for women to become proficient in the martial arts, when given the chance we often excel. More importantly, it builds discipline, confidence and a strength of character that serves a women her entire life.

Heart broken

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Dear Sikh Helpline,

I befriended a Muslim guy a few years ago. We became very close and intimate in time. At the time it felt right but now i hate myself for it and don’t know where this leaves me with regards to Sikhism. i don’t have any friends and im a single mother as my husband whom i had an arranged marriage to not only physically abused me but cheated on me too. i don’t excuse what I’ve done but do you think God could ever forgive me. Im not a bad person I always try to help others but even though i have every faith in Sikhism i don’t do any kirtan or any prayer in the mornings or evenings. I think i need some guidance to help me move forward. Can u help me?

Dear bhainji

Thank you for contacting the Sikh Helpline

I totally understand your circumstances and would love to share my thoughts through the many similar cases we have received in the past.

Essentially every human longs for belonging, acceptance and love. We are all in the Pursuit of happiness. Much of this pursuit is vain because we chase “trigger happy” – short-term remedies, i.e. dating, money, cars, fashion etc- these are short lived and provide us only with short injections of happiness followed by the Inevitable withdrawals.

Now with regards to your marriage, I am sorry it ended in that way. Sometimes we ask ourselves and question our faith in times of turmoil.

“What have I done to deserve this?”

“Why do bad things happen to good people?”

Essentially Gurbani tells us Dukh (pain) and Sukh (happiness) in our present life are the result of deeds done in our previous lives. (poorab Karam)

Sacred Gurbani says: "Sukh dukh purab janam kay kiye, so jane jin datay diye. Kis tu dosh deh tu parani suh apna kiya karaa hai".

Bad experiences in our lives leave us emotionally drained, vulnerable, alone. During this state is it very easy to fall for short-term remedies and dating, commonly referred by people as the “rebound” affect.

These forms of relationships, dating and "flings" are very harmful to your self-confidence, emotions, spirituality and consciousness, which can end in a spiral of misery.

It is very important never to hold resentment towards anyone who may have done you wrong. Moreover, it should make you wiser and stronger.

What ever has happened and will happen is in his supreme order. Guru Nanak Devi ji declares in the Japji: "all forms, beings, greatness and lowliness, pain and pleasure, bounties and wanderings are subject to the indescribable Hukam (Divine Will) and there is nothing outside the realm of Hukam"

Our “karam”, our destinies are subject to change through the Naam simran and Seva that we do.

You mention you have limited friends.

Sacred Gurbani tells us A Person is known by the company (or sangat) that he/she keeps. We are the result of our environment. -Continued

In sacred Gurbani, Bhagat Kabir Ji says: jo jaisee sa(n)gath milai so thaiso fal khaae ||86|| According to the company one keeps, so are the fruits that one eats (SGGSJ ANG 1369).

So the company that one keeps is a great force and it plays a big role in shaping the person. Those who live in the company of bad people acquire bad ways of life and are bound to become unhappy and unsuccessful.

I would strongly recommend that you attend Kirtan and Simran programs, actively engage in the Sangat and try to pick people to engage with who express positive energies

The power of prayer is amazing. Ask God for courage and strength to help you overcome your anxieties. Try simple WAHEGURU simran (meditation) for 10-20 mins in the morning and evening, focussing your mind and energies on positives, and begin each day with a positive mindset

Every positive prayer and act of Sewa (selfless service) helps heal past wounds, so in a way, we're seeking solace in every Jaap.

There’s no magic remedy to any problem, but I can guarantee that a year from now, you'll be a stronger and more confident person through these four simple steps,.:

1. Engage in prayer every morning and evening, with all your heart & Soul and no rituals.
2. Engage with Sangat, be proactive
3. Engage in Sewa, REAL charity, help those less fortunate
4. Carefully think about what you eat and drink, refrain from all intoxicants and Meat.

The Man you might fall in love with then is probably going to be one who is a strong carer, someone who can help you recover from your previous marriage and someone who will help you pursue spiritual and lasting happiness. You will also be a positive role model for your children/child.

Sometimes these “bad” experiences in our life are actually a God-send, a Wake-up call,.

Gurbani tells us to accept life as it presents itself to us, as God's Prasaad. In other words, accept all situations and experiences, seemingly negative or otherwise, and learn from them. There is a Divine message hidden in each one of them. If we penetrate beneath the surface of a situation or an experience, it will be revealed to us. Inner peace and lasting happiness follows in the wake of pain and suffering.

I’ll leave you with a Shabad by Guru Tegh Bahaadur Ji:

kashh bigariou naahin ajahu jaag ||1|| rehaao ||
Nothing has been lost yet - there is still time to wake up! ||1||Pause||

Don’t analyse and be saddened by the past, look forward and be positive.

Have Faith in the Shabad Guru.

I hope I have been of some assistance. Please feel free to contact us anytime, we would love to hear from you again.

Sikh Helpline.

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