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Bhai Manjh In the time of Guru Arjan Dev ji, there was a powerful and rich Jat by the name of Teeratha. Teeratha was a follower of the Muslim sect of Sakhee Sarvar. He was the local leader of this sect and had hundreds of followers who all respected him. Teeratha would regularly lead the members of this sect on a pilgrimage to the main Sakhee Sarvar shrine now in Pakistan
Meeting the Guru
Once when passing through Amritsar, Teeratha decided to visit Guru Arjan. He had heard that there was a great Guru who had a large following and this Guru was spiritually enlightened. He was curious to know who this Guru was and what he would say. He decided to stop off and see the Darbar of Guru Arjan. When he saw the Darbar, he saw that people of many different backgrounds, and castes were all sitting together and living in harmony. .....More
During the late 1800's and the early part of 1900's, Daulat Rai, an Arya Samajist living in India, was so disturbed by the publication of books by some Hindu activists whose writings maligned the Sikh Gurus that he was forced to pick up the pen himself to author the book: “Sahib-e-Kamal” - (Par Excellent Master Guru Gobind Singh). In his book he reminded Punjabi and Hindus of the humiliation and degradation to which their ancestors were subjected under Mughal rule before the Khalsa liberated them. Quoting various historical sources, he wrote:
- Not only did Mughal invaders kill Hindus by the thousands, looted their properties and carried away men and women as slaves in the thousands, but also under some Muslim rulers Hindus were not allowed even the comforts of life like -- good clothes, good food, ride horses, wear turbans or keep good homes or valuables or even beautiful children or wives. They were allowed to have minimum of possessions for their mere survival. Often they were given two alternatives: either conversion to Islam or pay Jizya (The jizya was a so called 'protection tax' (ed. often said to be 60%) inflicted upon non-believers). .....More
- .... that Bhagat Sain whose Bani is included in the Guru Granth Sahib was an Indian saint who was influenced by the Bhagti Movement; He was barber at the court of King Raja Ram of Rewa and one of 12 main disciples of Bhagat Ramanand. He promoted Ram Naam (The name of God) and the abolishment of the caste system.
After Guru Ramdas had taken the gurgaddi he still continued doing lot of physical sewa. Once Baba Sri chand , son of Guru Nanak decided to meet Guru Ramdas. As soon as the word travelled to Ramdas ji, Guru Ramdas sent his followers to meet Sri Chand ji at the edge of the city and himself left his sewa to meet him.
When Baba Sri Chand saw Guru Ramdas he was shocked because with his yogic eyes he saw his father Guru Nanak in Guru Ramdas ji. He proclaimed you are the image of my father; you have the light of my father, but your beard is much longer than my father! why is your beard so long?
Guru Ramdas ji answered - my beard is so long so that I can wipe the feet of the saints like you and he actually bent over to rub over Sri Chand's feet with his beard. ....More
When Farid ji was just a few years old, his mother taught him his prayers. The boy asked what was gained by his prayers. His mother replied 'sugar'. Accordingly, she used to hide some sugar under his prayer-carpet, and when he had finished his prayers, she would draw the mat forth, and give the sugar to Farid as a reward for his devotion.
On one occasion, when his mother was absent, he prayed a great deal, and, it is said, a great supply of sugar - a miraculous gift from God - was found under his carpet. Some he ate himself and the rest he gave to his playfellows. He related the circumstance to his mother on her return. It was then his mother gave him the surname Shakar Ganj, meaning a "treasury of sugar".
There are 134 hymns of Sheikh Farid incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib. .....More
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Book Review: A Lion's Mane
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| Rarely do I come across a book that strikes a balance of being both educational and inspiring...this is what I found in A Lion’s Mane by Navjot Kaur. A Lion’s Mane is about the journey of a young Sikh boy who while discovering..... → read more
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My Papa, the perfect Sikh of the Guru
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| Once I had gone to a village in Maharashtra for some work, when I was pleasantly and tearfully astonished to witness the love for a Sikh. I had spent an hour or so with my contacts, when a young Marathi lady of the village .....read more
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Summary Judgment at the Akal Takht
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| The recent decision of the Akal Takht to ex-communicate Prof. Darshan Singh, a legendary exponent of Gurbani through kirtan and Katha. Is this judgment sound? Can the trial be deemed procedurally correct?..... → read more
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A Sikh in Greece
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| This we believe, is an inspiring story. Every time we read it, we get new emotions. I have read it once, twice, thrice, perhaps, even more times. This true story motivates the reader to be a true Sikh...... → read more
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