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Bhai Avtar Singh Ragi playing the Taus

Bhai Avtar Singh (1925-2006) It is with great sorrow that the Sikh community acknowledges the loss of their most dedicated Gurbani Kirtania who passed away peacefully at about 10.50 PM (IST) on Friday, November 24th, 2006. Bhai Sahib was aged 81 years and was at his residence in India with his whole family present when this sad event took place. Bhai Sahib has always been an ardent exponent of Gurmat Sangeet and has practised the traditional style of Kirtan in keeping with the historic melodies of Guru's Ragas. He had travelled widely and his Sewa for the Panth will be dearly missed. Lately, he had stopped his journeys abroad as he was suffering with Leukaemia.

Many Gurdwaras around the world held services in his honor and prayers were said for the support of his departed soul and for the support of his family. May Waheguru shower His blessings on this faithful supporter of the Dharma and may the Almighty give strength to his family so they may be able to endure His Hukam. ... Continued.

Featured Article:

Guru Tegh Bahadar with the Kashmiri Pandits

On November 24, the Sikhs remember the Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, their ninth Guru.

An extremely important event in Sikh history that had a profound impact on the future direction of Sikhism, the religion of the Sikhs. Guru Tegh Bahadur undertook the supreme sacrifice for the protection of the most fundamental of human rights - the right of a person to freely practice his or her religion without interference or hindrance.

In the modern day we tend to take this freedom for granted – but in 1675, millions of people were denied this basic right.

However, what is even more astonishing is the fact that the Guru was not protecting the right of the Sikhs to practise their religion but instead the rights of non-Sikh peace-loving people from Kashmir. These people from Kashmir were very respected Hindus who were being converted to Islam under the threat of death by the "Mughal" Emperor Aurangzeb. In 1669, the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb departed from the policy of tolerance practised by his predecessors and unleashed instead a policy of religious persecution against non-Muslims. .....More

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Section for Young Sikhs:

Anand Karaj ceremony in progress'

Every important Sikh ceremony is performed in the presence of the holy Guru Granth Sahib. The ceremonies which are most important to a Sikh are:

Baptism or Amrit Ceremony

Marriage or Anand Karaj

The Death Ceremony Antim Sanskar

Naming Ceremony – Naam Karan:- Sikhs name their children only after they are born, as it is customary to bring the child into the presence of the Holy Granth as soon as it is convenient and when the mother is well enough to go to the Gurdwara. The Holy Granth is opened at random and a verse (Shabad) from the pages opened is read. The first letter of the first word of the 'Shabad' (hymn) on the page is chosen as the initial letter of the child's name. Now this could be any letter of the alphabet. For example if the first letter is 'S' then any name such as Surinder, Surjit, Sukhdev, Satnam, Sarabjit, Satwant, Sukhwinder, etc could be chosen by the parents to their liking. See Sikh Names to see over a thousand Sikh names. .....More

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Picture Feature:

• Select all the Article of the Week: ALL AOW old

• Select all the Pictures of the Week: ALL POW

• This is a list of all Article of the Weeks: GM 1 to 10

1

The Guru's Message...

Guru Nanak Dev

Speak and Live Truthfully:- The Sri Guru Granth Sahib tells us that, those ".. devotees are happy and peaceful forever" who "... see the Truth; speak the Truth; and their bodies and minds are True. True are their teachings, and True are their instructions; True are the reputations of these true ones. Those who have forgotten the True One are miserable - they depart weeping and wailing." (page 69)

Do Not See Bad in Others:- Maharaj's hukam is: The "..one who eliminates his self-centeredness, eradicates his ego and night & day sings the songs of the Lord's Love....his body is golden, and his light merges into the Light of the Fearless Lord. ... With a single, impartial eye, look upon all alike, and see God pervading in everyone - The Light of the Lord's ... permeates all; the Gurmukh knows this unknowable." (page 833)

2

The Guru's Message...

Guru Angad Dev

Believe in One God:- The Guru tells us: "There is only the One Supreme Lord God; there is no other at all. ... Meditate twenty-four hours a day on the One who created all beings and creatures. .. He is the Supreme Lord, the Creator of all the universe. .. He has given us body and soul. .. Attuned to the Love of the One, there is no sorrow or suffering. .. " Only " in His Sanctuary is there eternal peace." (page 45)

Do not be jealous of others:- The hukam of the Guru is: "One whose heart is filled with jealousy of others, good never comes to him. No one pays any attention to what he says; he is just a fool, crying out endlessly in the wilderness. .. The body is the field of action; in this Dark Age of Kalyug; whatever you plant, so you shall harvest. (page 308) and also "Jealousy and envy bring terrible pain, and one is cursed throughout the three worlds. .. They do not focus their consciousness on the Lord; they love to engage in arguments. They speak to cause arguments, and earn their living by telling lies." And finally, "In this world, only the Lord's Name is immaculate and pure. .. Without the Lord's Name, the world is poor and no one is satisfied or fulfilled." (page 1091)

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3

The Guru's Message...

Guru Amar Das

Treat women as equal:- Our Guru lays down the rules very clearly on this point - woman is no less than a man and must be treated as an equal in all aspect of life thus "From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all." (page 473)

Repeat God's name with every breath:- The Guru advices us to: "Chanting His Glories, your filth shall be washed off. The all-consuming poison of ego will be gone. You shall become carefree, and you shall dwell in peace. With every breath and every morsel of food, cherish the Lord's Name. .. So gather the Lord's Name as your capital, and trade in it. In this world you shall be at peace, and in the Court of the Lord, you shall be acclaimed. See the One permeating all;" (page 289)

4

The Guru's Message...

Guru Ram Das

Practice the virtues of Sat, Santokh, Daya, Nimrata and Pyare:- Maharaj guides the Sikh thus: "Truth, contentment, compassion, Dharmic faith and purity - I have received these from the Teachings of the Saints. Says Nanak, one who realizes this in his mind, achieves total understanding." (page 822) "Purity, contentment, compassion, faith and truthfulness - I have ushered these into the home of my self. (1) All the loads of birth and death have been removed. Joining the Saints' Society, my mind has become pure; the Perfect Guru has saved me in an instant." (page 379)

Eliminate the five evils within:- The Guru guides us to control and eliminate these five evils: Kam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh and Ahankar thus "Renounce sexual desire, anger, falsehood and slander; forsake Maya and eliminate egotistical pride. Renounce sexual desire and promiscuity, and give up emotional attachment. Only then shall you obtain the Immaculate Lord amidst the darkness of the world." page(141) "Sexual desire, anger, greed and emotional attachment - may these be gone, and egotism as well. Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of God; please bless me with Your Grace, O Divine Guru. (1)" page(269)

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5

The Guru's Message...

Guru Arjan Dev

Through Love you will find God:- The Guru guides us thus: "In the Fear of God, is the Love of God. Only those few who understand His Love obtain the sublime essence of the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny. As many hearts as there are - in all of them, is His Ambrosial Nectar; as He pleases, He causes them to drink it in.(2) There are nine gates to the one city of the body; restrain your mind from escaping through them. When the knot of the three qualities is untied, then the Tenth Gate opens up, and the mind is intoxicated, O Siblings of Destiny.(3)" (page 1123)

6

The Guru's Message...

Guru Hargobind

Avoid evil company:- The Guru guides us thus: "When the soul leaves, you shall become dust, O vacant body; why do you not realize your Husband Lord? You are in love with evil people; by what virtues will you enjoy the Lord's Love? ||1||"(page 1097) and also "Kabeer, for the sake of the rice, the husks are beaten and threshed. When one sits in the company of evil people, then he will be called to account by the Righteous Judge of Dharma." (page 965)

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7

The Guru's Message...

Guru Har Rai

Abandon Cruelty, Material & emotional attachment, Greed and Anger:- The Guru guides us thus: "Cruelty, material attachment, greed and anger are the four rivers of fire. Falling into them, one is burned, O Nanak! One is saved only by holding tight to good deeds. ||2||" (page 147) and also "Abandon sexual desire, anger, greed and emotional attachment. Thus you shall be rid of both birth and death. ||6|| Pain and darkness shall depart from your home, when the Guru implants spiritual wisdom within you, and lights that lamp. ||7|| " (page 241)

8

The Guru's Message...

Guru Har Krishan

See God in All; Everyone comes from God:- The Guru guides us thus: "Through the Guru's Word, all affairs are resolved, and the mind is not tossed about here and there. Whoever sees the One God to be pervading in all the many beings, does not burn in the fire of corruption. ||1|| " (page 1121) and also "Do not be proud of your social class and status, you ignorant fool! So much sin and corruption comes from this pride. ||1||Pause|| Everyone says that there are four castes, four social classes. They all emanate from the drop of God's Seed. ||2|| The entire universe is made of the same clay. The Potter has shaped it into all sorts of vessels. ||3|| " (page 1128)

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9

The Guru's Message...

Guru Tegh Bahadur

At present this Article is Incomplete! The article on this page is in the process of being completed or is being changed and so the article at present is incomplete. Please revisit at a later date when we hope to have this page finished. If you wish to make a comment, please do so here on the talk page.

Work for your living and gives some of what you have:- Maharaj guides us thus: "One who works for what he eats, and gives some of what he has - O Nanak, he knows the Path. ||1|| " (page 1245) and also "With my hands I do His work; with my tongue I sing His Glorious Praises. With my feet, I walk on the Path of my Lord and Master. ||1|| It is a good time, when I remember Him in meditation. Meditating on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, I cross over the terrifying world-ocean. ||1||Pause|| With your eyes, behold the Blessed Vision of the Saints. Record the Immortal Lord God within your mind. ||2|| Listen to the Kirtan of His Praises, at the Feet of the Holy. Your fears of birth and death shall depart. ||3|| Enshrine the Lotus Feet of your Lord and Master within your heart. Thus this human life, so difficult to obtain, shall be redeemed. ||4||51||120||" Page 189

See God in All; Everyone comes from God:- The Guru guides us thus: "Through the Guru's Word, all affairs are resolved, and the mind is not tossed about here and there. Whoever sees the One God to be pervading in all the many beings, does not burn in the fire of corruption. ||1|| " (page 1121) and also "Do not be proud of your social class and status, you ignorant fool! So much sin and corruption comes from this pride. ||1||Pause|| Everyone says that there are four castes, four social classes. They all emanate from the drop of God's Seed. ||2|| The entire universe is made of the same clay. The Potter has shaped it into all sorts of vessels. ||3|| " (page 1128)

10

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See also

• Message of Guru Granth Sahib

 Message of Guru Granth Sahib  

Praise for the Guru Guru Granth Sahib SGGS protocol Sikh Scripture Guidance for All Category:Sikh belief

SGGS against lust SGGS on meat SGGS on charity The environment One God Equality of Women

SGGS on arguing pilgrimage and fasting SGGS on jealousy SGGS against cruelty Fasting SGGS on makeup

SGGS the boat SGGS on God SGGS on anger Kindness SGGS ji SGGS on hair

SGGS on family life SGGS on ablution SGGS on humility SGGS on alcohol Ek pita ekas ka.. Interfaith

Bhai Lehna with Sangat going on holy pilgrimage

Sri Lehna was a pious man who lived in the village of Khadur near the town of Tarn Taran, in present-day district of Amritsar.

He was a good and honest man, whose skills and hard work as a shopkeeper had made him a very wealthy man. A Hindu he was a worshipper of the goddess Durga as were many other people of his village.

Every year he led a large group of his villagers on a pilgrimage to a famous temple of Durga in the foothills of the Himalayas called Jawalamukhi. He wore traditional bands of bells on his ankles and wrists dancing along the way singing bajans (songs) about the stories of the fabled tales of the battles of the goddess with mystical demons. Arriving at the temple he and many other bands of pilgrims would dance before the goddess with their bells tinkling when they danced about.

He had done this his whole life until one day as an old man he chanced to meet with another man in his village who was a Sikh, a follower of Guru Nanak. This man's name was Bhai Jodha. He was not a worshipper of Durga, as no Sikh worships any of the Hindu gods or goddesses. All Sikhs are worshippers of one God, commonly called "Waheguru". Bhai Jodha did not visit Durga’s temple. .....More

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