Friday, May 26, 2006

Joke

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

Daas will share a real life situation that occured with you. So an uncle who we shall call Balwant Singh is visiting from Punjab and is staying with Tufan Singh. Tufan Singh takes Balwant Singh shopping. Balwant Singh needed to buy some perfume for his wife in Punjab. Balwant and Tufan Singh had no clue about perfume, so once at the store they asked an elderly women advice about perfume. This elderly women spent about 15 minutes with Balwant and Tufan Singh explaining to them the ins and outs of quality perfume. This elderly women really helped them out a lot. Balwant and Tufan Singh were very grateful to this women and Tufan Singh wanted to show this elderly women some respect for helping them out so much.

In Punjabi culture when we want to talk to an elderly women with respect we call her 'Mata Ji'.

So Tufan Singh said to the elderly white lady, "Thank you Mom" .....................

I guess in other cultures being called mom is not a sign of respect. But anyways, The elderly lady responded by saying....

...
...
...
...
...
...

"Your Welcome Dad"

Quite funny if you ask me

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Things are Not Always What They Seem

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

This article just shows that despite strict laws, and outward shows of pureness and strict rules which seperate genders, people are completely different in public than they are behind closed doors. Just something to think about.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh


Pakistanis top list of people seeking access to sex web sites


From our correspondents

18 May 2006

ISLAMABAD — Google, the world's most popular Internet search engine, has found in a survey that residents of mostly Muslim states seek access to sex-related web sites and Pakistanis top the list.

Google found that of the top 10 countries — whose residents search for sex-related sites — six were Muslims, with Pakistan on the top. The other Muslim countries are Egypt at number 2, Iran at 4, Morocco at 5, Saudi Arabia at 7 and Turkey at 8. Non-Muslim states are Vietnam at 3, India at 6, Philippines at 9 and Poland at 10.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Being a Minority is No Reason To Worry - Speech by Sant Jarnail Singh

One thought being rubbed into the minds of our young brothers is that we (Sikhs) are like salt in the dough (that we are so few). But if the (lump of) salt in the dough is a little too much, the dough is hard to eat. Don't let this worry you. Our Father (Siri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib) said: "I shall make each of them fight 125,000. Only then shall I deserve to be called Gobind Singh". He told us to fight 125,000. Now that is a far off thing. At this time we are (sort of) sitting low (the ratio of our enemies to us is far less than 125,000).

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Great News: Sri Akal Takht Sahib Issues Sandesh in reaction to UK Gurdwara violations

BREAKING: Sri Akal Takht Sahib Issues Sandesh in reaction to UK Gurdwara violations
Wednesday 17th May, 2006
EXCLUSIVE: Panthic Weekly News Bureau


Amritsar Sahib, Punjab (KP) – Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the Sikh Supreme Authority of the Sikh Nation, has issued a 'Sandesh' (memorandum) on the prohibition of ‘saraab-kabaab’ (liquor and meat) at religious functions and marriages following a meeting held with representatives of the Respect Guru Ji Campaign (UK).

View the Sandesh in Gurmukhi

Panthic Weekly has brought to light in recent years that many UK Gurdwaras are using money from the Sikh Sangat or Gurdwara funds to open ‘recreational centres’ or ‘community centres’ which are then used to hire out for parties and where the use of sharab (alcohol), smoking of tobacco, other intoxicants and the preparation and consumption of meat are permitted. UK Gurdwara management committees, which allow such perversions of Gurmat, justify their acts as ‘catering to the needs of the community’. Also, a small number of Gurdwara management committees have allowed Pavitar Saroops of Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji to be taken to hotels, banquet halls and other premises where there is alcohol, intoxicants, meat and where lurid singing and dancing take place after the Anand Karaj.

With the help of the Budha Dal and Tarna Dal, members of the UK Sikh Sangat were granted an audience with Giani Joginder Singh Vendanti, Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib Ji. The meeting was held at Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Amritsar on 1st March 2006. Evidence and proof of abuse towards Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and of violations of Sikh principles in recent years, collected by the Respect for Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Campaign in the UK, were presented to the Singh Sahib and the Panj Piyarey (Five Sikhs) at Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

On reviewing the evidence presented before them, Sri Akal Takht Sahib has recognised the deep problem that exists in the UK. As the Sikhs’ supreme authority, Sri Akal Takht Sahib has voiced its concerns by issuing a new 'Sandesh' strongly reinforcing Sikh Rehit Maryada (Sikh Code of Conduct) and Gurmat (Sikh principles) on the following issues:

• Any form of intoxicants (alcohol, drugs etc) and preparation or consumption of foods such as meat, fish and eggs are not permitted on Gurdwara property.

• Guru-ka-Langar should be prepared and observed in accordance to Gurus' maryada (tradition).

• No person under the influence of intoxicants is allowed inside Gurdwara property.

• Inside the property of the Guru Sahibs, only the recital of Gurbani, katha, kirtan and reccounting of the Gurus' history are permitted.

• Buildings bought or constructed using the Daswand (one tenth of earnings) of the Sikh Sangat or Gurdwara donations are solely to be used to be used for Gurmat purposes and the betterment of society.

• Anand Karajs (Sikh wedding ceremonies) etc must be performed in Gurdwaras in accordance to Gurmat and the Panthic accepted Sikh Rehit Maryada.

• There is no permission granted for dancing and singing or any acts which go against the principles of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Sri Akal Takht Sahib is clear on its position on the above abuses of Sikh principles and has unanimously condemned the abuses towards Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and the exploitation of Gurdwara Sahibs in the UK.

Gurdwaras are where Gurmat ( Guru Sahib’s principles) are implemented and maintained rather than manipulated or exploited. It is the duty of all Gurdwara management committees to adhere to the above and implement this Gur-Maryada (code of conduct sactioned by the Gurus) immediately for the betterment of the Sikh religion in UK.

The Respect Guru Ji Campaign (UK) told Panthic Weekly, “With increasing wakefulness of these issues, the UK Sikh Community will contribute in resolves that maintain the honor and prestige of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, our eternal Guru, and take a leading role within the global Sikh community.”

Monday, May 15, 2006

Common Day Gurdwara Situation and Saka Nankana Sahib

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

The committee system of our Gurdwara Sahib’s is in a very bad state right now. Pretty much the most popular person wins, not the best Gursikh. Gurdwaras are being used as political tools, and not for spreading gurmat and the message of our guru’s.

This reminded daas of Saka Nankana Sahib. Where the Sikhs had to give such a big kurbani to free the Gurdwara from the common day masands. Will we have to give similar kurbani’s to free our gurdwaras from the masand committee members also? Will we have to give similar kurbani to free Akal Takht from the grasps of SGPC? The way it is going, it looks like something will have to give, hopefully it won’t come down to that, but the way things are going, it sure might.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Quotes on Sikh Warriors

"…If you cherish a desire of learning the art of war, face them in battlefield. When they hold the Mighty Sword, they gallop from Hind to Sind. Nobody, however strong and wealthy, dare oppose them. If their Swords strike a coat of mail, the coat itself becomes the enemy's shroud. Each one of them looks like a rock. In grandeur each one of them excels fifty men."
Qazi Nur Mohammed, Jang Namah (Battle Chronicles), 1765 CE. A staunch enemy of the Sikhs, he goes into paeans of praise when describing their qualities as soldiers.


"...a party of Akhalees (fanatics) on foot stopped and fought us, in some instances very fiercely. One fine bold ‘Nihung’ beat off four Sowars one after another, and kept them all at bay. I then went at him myself, fearing that he would kill one of them. He instantly rushed to meet me like a tiger, closed with me, yelling ‘Wah Gooroo ji’, and accompanying each shout with a terrific blow of his tulwar. I guarded the three or four first , but he pressed so closely to my horse’s rein that I could not get a fair cut in return. At length I pressed in my turn upon him so sharply that he missed his blow, and I caught it from him, and cut him down with the right, having received no further injury than a severe cut across the fingers; I never beheld such desperation and fury in my life. It was not human scarcely..."
Twelve years of a soldiers life in India, William Hodson (1859)

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Akaal Takath Toon Aai Awaaz - Khalistan ! Khalistan ! by Dimple Kaur

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh

On Monday night, over 100 Sikhs gathered in front of the Sheraton Hotel in the middle of New York City to protest the visit of Sonia Gandhi, the president of India's Congress Party responsible for the genocide of Sikhs and other non-Hindu minorities. The majority of the protesters were men, who had brought their wives and young children along. Our brothers led the chanting of slogans such as “Akaal Takath toon aai awaaz – Khalistan! Khalistan!”, with the exception of one 16 year old sister from New Jersey, whose Sikh Spirit was an inspiration to everyone there.

As I was watching a few of these brave warriors, I saw that they were reaching down into the depths of their souls with each shout, echoing the courage and belief of their convictions. One in particular, each time I looked onto his face and heard his voice, it pained me tremendously. All I could see was overwhelming love for his brothers and sisters who had been, and continue to be, tortured and murdered. A love so strong that it can make a person go numb.

Our sisters in Punjab are also numb – living a life of not knowing where their husbands, brothers, and sons are. Always wondering, is he still alive or have they killed him? Imagining the worst scenarios of torture…what if they did this to him or that to him? Is he being hurt and in pain?

I wonder how our women are bearing life with the thought of the person they love the most being hurt in this way? It is one thing to lose someone who dies, hopefully a quick and painless death, like my grandfather who was fortunate to pass away lying on his bed, asleep, with his hands folded across his chest…forever in a prayer….forever in a never-ending sleep. It is another thing to lose a loved one quickly, even though painfully, like my father, who was shot three times at close range with a revolver while stopping his car at a red light. Death with a bullet -- but least it was quick. Bang! Bang! Bang! – I can imagine it, see him dying, know how he went, know where he is now, and put closure on it.

But what keeps me up at night, what makes me shudder during the day, what consumes me as I walk around in the city in the center of the world, is the fact that so many of my brothers, fathers, and sons are out there somewhere - alive or dead, but we don’t know where. While so many of my sisters, mothers, and daughters are laying in bed at night, unable to close their eyes because they keep seeing the faces of their men…and in their thoughts, their men are in incredible pain, and continuously being hurt. Their legs pulled apart and their bodies mutilated. And my sisters, my dear, dear sisters, who are being raped continuously by those monsters while all they want to do is die, but they are forced to keep living, and bearing it.

I often ask myself, how can I enjoy what I am doing, enjoy my life knowing that hundreds and thousands of my men are languishing in prisons, missing, “disappeared”, killed in “encounters”, dead with their bodies thrown in rivers, buried, or burned. Where are our brothers and sisters? Why won’t anyone give us answers? How long will our sisters lay in bed every night wondering where their husbands are, not being able to close their eyes and go to sleep for one day without waking up with an emptiness in their stomachs the next?

Now I realize why, when I saw that brave Singh shouting “Akaal Takath Toon Aai Awaaz, Khalistan, Khalistan!”, I felt so much discomfort in my soul. Why the look on his face was so disturbing for me and the look in his eyes was too painful to bear. Why with each shout, I felt he was reaching deep inside me and pulling out my voice. The voices of those who are missing loved ones and want to know where they are, even if they are dead, who just want to know. With each shout, he was connecting us all to him and was speaking for us all. He was saying, “I don’t want to grow old, not knowing what happened to my husband. I don’t want to grow old while in my memory, he stays a young man, at the prime of his life, as shadows hover over his body, freezing him in a never-ending nightmare of torture. Please, tell me what happened to him. Tell me he is dead. Not knowing forces me to keep him alive and see his face, numb with pain, so numb, he doesn’t even know where he is, or what his name is. At least if I know he is dead, I know he is in a better place. At least I can have him close his eyes in my memory, forever. But this way, not knowing, is a waking death for me. Please, let me rest. Tell me what happened to him.”

So on Monday evening, about 100 of us gathered, in the middle of Manhattan, to protest not just Sonia Gandhi, but what she symbolizes. A nightmare that is forced upon our people just so that the status quo can be maintained and the lust for power be quenched with the blood of Singhs and Kaurs. Let’s never forget Bhai Fauja Singh, Baba Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, General Subeg Singh, Amrik Singh, Satwant Singh, Beant Singh, and our other Singh and Kaur martyrs.

Let’s not get so caught up in our love for life, that these men and women just become part of our "history”, rather than people whose sacrifices we should try and repay with our efforts of sewa and love for the Panth, and through the Panth, greater mankind.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Warriorship

Here is a piece written by a professional mixed martial artist in the states. it's not about Sikhi but he is talking about being a Sant-Sipahi whether he knows it or not.

Jermaine Andre is a professional mixed martial artist, a great warrior and a righteous man. These are his words:

'To be a warrior in today's society is to be one of the unaccepted and misunderstood.

As a true warrior carries more concern and emotion than the average person, he must always suppress his feelings so that he will not die from sadness. This usually leads the judgmental into believing that the warrior is a man of no heart. A true warrior looks deeply into all things without limiting his mind inside of the borders of societies restrictions. He makes his judgments off of what he has learned through experience instead of what he is told to believe.

A code of honor is always established somewhere within a warrior's life. His honor is more important to him than life itself. He would rather be dead with honor than alive without it. Please understand that a warrior's honor is not to be confused with a fool's ego. A warrior of today must always keep himself disconnected from the gratifications that society allows. Material things and money are only that to him. He must always be prepared to die for what he believes in, so he must never fear leaving things behind.

Warriors believe in standing for what's right and falling for what's right. They do not sway with the winning side if it is in the wrong. This would be dishonorable. A warrior knows of things that the domesticated doesn't because of his courage to seek and find at his own will. This always keeps him separate from the sheep who follow the manipulating shepherd.

He does not look for his honor through fame or what other people think of him. Even if the world condemns what he is doing as wrong, he will keep doing it if he himself feels that it is right. He does not seek the approval of misled a nd misguided men. Only the approval of the Spirit that he has chosen as his leader.

To the warrior, his only fear of death, is to die a cowardly one. To die a good, warrior's death ... is only a blessing from his Superior Spirit. Death through life is what the warrior will seek ... and life through death, is what he shall find.'

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Previous Articles

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

Please take some time out to review some of daas's previous articles.

Problems in the Panth: There is a Better Way

The Sikh Leadership: What Went Wrong?

Why are Sikhs Being Spit On?

Bibian and Singhs

What is Sewa?

Balancing Sikhi With Family Obligations


Does Anand Mean Leave

Jatha's It's All Good


Respect For Guru Granth Sahib Ji

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The Supreme Court of Canada Overturns Ban on Kirpan in Schools

George Bush's Trip To India


Prince Charles... Are We Honoring The Wrong Person


Khushwant Singh to Be Honored

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Forever Fateh

Forever Fateh

- From In Praise of The Guru's


'All my wishes have been fulfilled, I lack nothing.

God's victory resounds through the world and all my woes have passed.'

(Suhi, M. 5 : Guru Granth Sahib jee)

Imagine how depressed you'd feel if you'd lost everything you loved:

  • if your father had been martyred while you were still a 9 year old child,
  • if your four beautiful sons all under the age of 20 had been sacrificed,
  • if your precious mother had left this world soon afterwards,
  • if your loyal devotees deserted you when you needed them most,
  • if you had no permanent home but were forced to live on the run from a fanatical enemy?

This was the nightmarish situation Guru Gobind Singh jee was in... but did he weep? Did he give up the fight? Did he give up his beliefs and convert to the enemy's way of life? Was he driven to drink, did he put down his sword and cut his hair so that he could have an easy life?

No, this was Guru Gobind Singh jee - the King of this world and the next. This was the master poet with the pen who wrote verses to inspire coming generations of Sikhs. This was the most powerful, muscular warrior, the master of all weapons. This was the beloved saint of Waheguru, sent into the world to protect the saints and the innocent, and to uproot the false holy men. No matter what the situation, His inner state could be described in the words of Guru Granth Sahib jee:

'All my wishes have been fulfilled, I lack nothing. God's victory resounds through the world and all my woes have passed.' (Suhi, M. 5 : Guru Granth Sahib jee)

So what did the King of Kings do when faced with such a crisis? He wrote ZafarNama - the letter of VICTORY! Guru jee seemed to have lost everything, yet wrote a letter of VICTORY! He sent it to the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb and told the Emperor of half the globe that although he was handsome, and a great soldier - he definitely wasn't a man of God as he liked to claim. He was a tyrant who murdered innocent children (referring to the cold-blooded martyrdom of the Master's younger sons).

When we went to Agra we visted the red fort - Aurangzeb's headquarters. It was amazing to see the luxury that he lived in. However, the best bit was when we saw his throne. It was in an open outdoor court overlooking the Taj Mahal in the distance. His throne would have sat upon a 15 foot square black stone slab slightly raised from the ground. I could imagine him sitting there cross-legged looking down at his people. However, there was a giant crack all the way through the great stone and I couldn't help thinking that it was Guru Gobind Singh's mighty golden arrow that had caused it! For it was Guru Gobind Singh jee who when told of the murder of his younger sons, dug up a weed from the ground with his gold-tipped arrow and said the Moghul Empire has been uprooted!

Guru Gobind Singh jee always had an attitude of victory. Not his own victory so he could show off how great he was but Waheguru jee's victory. Guru Gobind Singh jee said 'all battles have been won by the Grace of Waheguru'.

The Hindu's say 'Jai Mata Dee' (victory of the Mata (Mother) - Mata is a supreme goddess who manifests herself as many other goddesses). Guru Gobind Singh jee doesn't salute Mata - Guru Gobind Singh jee salutes the One Supreme Waheguru who created Mata and everything else by saying:

WAHEGURU JEE KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JEE KI FATEH!

We always say Raj Karega Khalsa - The Khalsa will rule. One meaning of this is when you become Khalsa then by doing simran you will conquer your mind and body: This is the true victory! So do simran, claim victory for Waheguru jee in the kingdom of your mind and body. When there are millions of individuals like this then the Khalsa will truly have ruled worldwide.

Forever Fateh! Always Victory!