Talk:Helpline
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i would like to know about sant harbhajan singh yogi.i am in a real state of confusion.in some articles he is depicted as a person who took sikhism to the usa nd other foreign countries and promoted it.on d oder hand i find articles of him about how he commercialized sikhism,about d idols of sri chnd in3ho gurudwaras,his teachings of yoga(which isnt bad according 2 me) but also teachings of seual energ(which is really infuriating me).please help me to more abut him.was he a real sikh promoter or just a false dhongi baba? p.s-please support ur views with evidences
Reply
Yogi ji was responsible for bring Sikhi to the West in a big way; he did something that no other Sikh has been able to do since the Gurus promoted Sikhi in the 1400s-1700s. Please don't take this as an attempt to elevate yogi ji! Now, as humans no one is perfect. So never look for total perfection in any human; only God is perfect.
Learn from the good things that yogi ji did and discard things that you don't like. I believe that he was a good Sikh and that he promoted Sikhi well but he is not my Guru - My Guru is Guru Granth Sahib. So if you want to learn about life and spirituality then read and understand the holy Granth. However, you can also learn from yogi ji and other such leaders as they have a lot to give to the world. Hope this helps; but if you have any further questions, please feel free to write again. Guru dee fateh, Hari Singhtalk 14:49, 22 November 2010 (EST)
BABA BANDA SINGH JI BAHADUR
Sir Sat Sri Akal, I wish to bring to your notice that some of the paintings on Baba Banda Singh Ji Bahadur in your site has a helmet/ headgear along with other items such as chest or arm sheild . This is totally wrong and against Sikh ideology. Recentlly there had been a such debated issue relating to a new structure coming up named as "Fateh Minar" at ChapparChiri to make a memorial of the Sirhind victory.
Whoever artist had made such painting might have been ignorant of Sikh culture/ Sikhi attires etc OR there could have been some discrepancy in facts.
Pl. do the needful to scrutinize the paintings with head gear and remove from the site so that it doesn't give any further false indication to anyone visting the site.
Bhupinder Singh [email protected]
Reply
Veer ji, Sat Sri Akal
Many thanks for alerting us. I will look for these images and see how to best deal with them. Raab Rakha, Hari Singhtalk 14:49, 22 November 2010 (EST)
Sikhism and being a police officer in the US
I have come to learn about Sikhi, and have begun to study quite a bit. The more I read about it, the more I see that it is very much what I have always truly believed, and I plan on continuing my study of the faith.
Now comes the more difficult part: I am a Law Enforcement Officer in the US; I work for one of the 50 states. My work requires a certain appearance. Of course, I know that there are laws regarding the freedoms of religious expression, but even then, I perform various types of investigations, to include under cover operations, where blending in is essential for task completion, and more importantly, operator safety.
I have obviously been made aware of the Five K's. I know that there are limitations on what I can do for now, but I also know that my work is lawfull, necessary, and as I believe, in keeping with the Sikh faith. I know I can't possibly be the only person with this question. I want to continue on the path, eventually calling myself Sikh, but of course, I also have a duty to serve and protect those around me in the manner prescribed by the profession, and as influenced by the nature of the task I'm assigned to.
What is the Sikh view on this?
Reply
Thanks for asking this very interesting question. Change in ones life is always very difficult and certain things like appearance, dress, etc are probably the most challenging. This has been recognised in Sikhi by allocating the term "Sahajdhari" - this refers to a person who is slowing changing to become a "full" Sikh.
It is common for a Sahajdhari Sikh to begin the "internal" changes before tackling the outward appearance. In my opinion, the "internal" changes are more crucial, important and most difficult. When you say "it is very much what I have always truly believed" it reflects something that most Sikhs say when they learn new things in Sikhi - A clear pointer of "many fundamental truths" that exists in the world! One has a "gut" feeling about these things and reading Bani or articles on Sikhi confirms these hunches.
The internal evolution is important: To accept one God; have Him in your mind at all times; have the discipline to read his bani daily in the morning - "to connect to Him" - to believe that He exists! These are huge hurdles. To accept the whole world as His creation and live in His Hukam (command, order); to accept His Will even when faced with untold difficulty; to treat all as equals; etc, etc.
To jump over a 10 foot wall in one go is impossible but if you lift yourself 6 foot by making these internal changes, God will do the rest. Sikhi accepts the importance of Kirat (honest work) so do not let the hurdle of appearance and the 5Ks worry you now. The 5 Ks were introduced at the tenth stage of Sikhi by the tenth Guru; so just work on the other aspects of Sikhi for now; wear as many of the 5Ks that you can; the Guru will open the other doors for you. As you evolve spiritually, you will find increasing love for these 5 gifts given by Guru Gobind Singh and the difficulties that you see now will be overcome easily.
As you read Gurbani, study the history of the Gurus and understand the deeper aspects of Sikhi, you will gain much mental and spiritual energy and the hurdles that you see now will be no more. So carry on studying Sikhi, living a Sikhi life even if the appearance is not there and eventually there will come a time when you will be able to wear the 5Ks and be an Amritdhari Sikh.
What is the point of having an outward appearance of a Sikh but internally you do not understand elementary values of Sikhi? There has to be a balance; the external appearance will and should follow the internal status of a person. As one progresses in their internal "evolution" and "cleansing" then the outer appearance will naturally follow.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to write again if you have any further queries.
Taking Hukam from Guru Granth Sahib Sanchi
Plz can u tell me about Hukamnama rehat mareyada? I have seen at some places mostly at home satsangs people use to take Hukamnama from sanchi sahib..it doesn't seem good to see that! whether allowed or we should not allowed this to happen! !
Reply
Historically Hukam was only taken from the full Guru Granth Sahib. However, if the full SGGS is not available, in practical terms Sikhs have always used whichever Pothi or Gutka was available to take a Hukam at random from the pothi / gutka as a guidance from the Guru for the task at hand. Accordingly, the custom of the Sikhs is to use whatever text is available for assistance in deciding the matter that is at hand.
So, the sanchi (a half or smaller part of the SGGS) can be used and has been used to obtain a Hukam but it is not an option that can be used when a full version of the Guru Granth is available. It should only be used as a last resort when the full Granth is not available.
Meaning of a Shabad
This Shabad was given to me years ago by a Sikh lady at the Ram Das Ashram. I've been using it daily for years, but I want to introduce it on one of my websites, and I need to get clear on a linguistic meaning. The chant is "Kar mean mere shukar shukar shukarana. Rehemal hoi me lea shukarana." She translated it as, "My mind gives thanks, thanks, extreme thanks. For the blessings that have been bestowed, extreme thanks."
My linguistic question is about the phrase "Kar mean mere shukar." Does it exactly (literally) mean "My mind gives thanks"? Is there any way that it can mean "I make my mind give thanks."? I have sort of drifted into this latter meaning, but I don't want to mention it on the site if it cannot be correct.
Reply
I do not believe the Shabad is from the SGGS. However the phrase "Kar maan mere shukar" is simple Punjabi and means "Oh my mind 'perform' thanks" or "Oh my mind be thankful".
"ਕਰ ਮਨ ਮੇਰੇ" or "Kar maan mere" means "Oh my mind perform....".
ਸੁਕਰ or Shukar means 'thankful' and ਸੁਕਰਾਨਾ or shukarana is 'to give thanks'.
So "Kar mean mere shukar" means - "Oh my mind be thankful".
I hope this answers your question. Hari Singhtalk 20:38, 7 April 2014 (CDT)
What qualities are imbued with the 10 Gurus?
With the Ten Gurus what are their qualities? As in If you have trouble with ...? what Guru would you look too and further study?
Waheguru, thank you Hari Singh. Most helpful, I am beginning to read 20 pages each morning of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. I appreciate your answer.
Reply
All the Ten Gurus referred to themselves as "Nanak" in text that they wrote and so considered themselves as the embodiment of Guru Nanak. Accordingly, all the Gurus have the same qualities but these were represented in the different historical times by the different human entities. However, the qualities were exactly the same. So it does not matter which Guru you prefer, as they all have the same qualities. If you wish to study, then study the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, this has the complete message of the Gurus to solve any trouble that you may have and it is referred to as the "eternal living Guru". Hope this helps. Hari Singhtalk 22:18, 22 July 2020 (MDT)
