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Extra Feature:

Guru Gobind Singh

On January 5 this year the world celebrates the birth in Patna, India of the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus in human form of Sikhism.

Gobind Rai was born on January 5, 1666 and became Guru on November 11, 1675 at the age of nine, following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur.

The Guru moulded the Sikh religion into its present form with the formation of the Khalsa in 1699.

The tenth Guru (teacher) of the Sikh faith, was born Gobind Rai. It may not be out of the way to say here that throughout the annals of human history, there was no other individual who could be of more inspiring personality than Guru Gobind Singh.

Guru ji infused the spirit of both sainthood and solider in the minds and hearts of his followers to fight oppression and support righteousness (Dharma) in order to restore justice, peace and to uplift the down-trodden people in this world. In the short 42 year of life and a Guruship of only 33 years, the Guru contributed immensely to Sikhism and to the world and his gift to all the peoples of the world still remains unmatched to this day. .....More

Mata Gujri and the younger Sahibzade

Mata Gujri (1624 -1705) (whose formal name was 'Mata Gujar Kaur') was the wife of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur; the mother of the tenth and last human Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh and the grandmother of the four Sahibzade.

She was born in 1624 and was the daughter of Bhai Lal Chand Subulikka and Bishan Kaur, a pious couple of Kartarpur, in present-day Kapurthala district of the Punjab. Her role in the development of the Sikh faith has been crucial.

She was the wife of a supreme martyr; mother of a brave saint-soldier; and the grand-mother of four amazing children who all attained martyrdom at the ages of 6, 9, 14 and 18 years. She had been close to the two younger sahibzade and took up their guardianship in the flight from Anandpur under a promise of safe passage to Punjab. Imprisoned in the Thanda Burj of Sirhind with her youngest grandsons Zorawar and Fateh Singh, she attained martyrdom, at the age of 81 years, when she was told of their execution. .....More

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Sikhi News: Panthic Sikhsangat

Celibacy & Gurmat In a recent case in Canada, sevadaars were arrested and charged with sexual misconduct. A news article quoted a member of the Nanaksar Gurdwara saying, "Priests at the temple are expected to be celibate....". This leads to the question, since when has celibacy been a Rehit or compulsion in Sikhi... Gurmat Overrules Malpractice in Leeds Gurdwara In a great triumph, with the grace of Satguru Ji, Gurdwara ‘Sikh Temple Chapeltown’, Leeds will no longer allow parties, alcohol, and meat on any of its premises, and as a result the anti-gurmat activity ... has now come to an end....

Picture Feature:

Sikh girl fixes a head scarf on another Girl- What is Religion?.
See www.millsaps.edu

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)

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Section for Young Sikhs:

Bhai Lehna decided to stay with Guru Nanak at Kartarpur. However, Bhai Lehna’s companions left without him and continued their journey for Jawalamukhi to worship the goddess Durga.

After staying for a few days at Kartarpur, Bhai sahib said to himself, ‘Let me go to my village and tell my family and friends about my plans to stay with Guru Nanak. Then I shall come back and stay with the Guru for a longer period and no one will worry about my whereabouts.’'

Bhai sahib then went back to his village called Khadur Sahib in district Amritsar. He stayed at his village for a few days only but soon, he was ready to return to Kartarpur as he wanted to be with the Guru. He had enjoyed being in the company of the Guru and the Sangat; he wanted to learn from the Guru and to serve him and the community; this was the custom in those days. He wanted to become a disciple of Guru Nanak and learn true wisdom about life from him.

Before starting his journey back, he said to himself, ‘I must take something with me for the Guru. He runs a free kitchen. Scores of people take their meals from there. They do not have to pay anything for the meals. I should take something for the Langar or "free kitchen for all". But what should I take? Yes, let it be as heavy a load of salt as I can carry on my head.’ ....Continued.

Important Links:

Learning Gurmukhi/Punjabi

• Listen & Learn Gurmukhi Letters (Pain'tee)
• Click, Listen and Speak each letter
• Link to the Learning Index
• Full Punjabi Learning Course
• Animated Stories in Punjabi
• Click & Listen: Numbers in Punjabi
• Guru Granth Sahib with English translation pdf file
• Blog: Project: Gurmukhi

Previous Special: January 3, 1588

Hazrat Mian Mir lays the foundation stone of the Golden Temple.

Hazrat Mian Mir was a famous Muslim Sufi saint who lived in Lahore. He was born at Sevastan (Sindh) in 1531 AD.

Due to the high esteem and great respect for the Sufi saint, the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev asked Mian Mir to lay down the foundation stone of Harmandir Sahib, the main Sikh shrine in the world.

The ceremony duly took place on 3rd January 1588 AD, when Sai ji laid down the foundation stone at Amritsar over 420 years ago. Thus began the history of the most famous Sikh shrine and the occasion crystallised the very important message of true interfaith respect and close dialogue among the different peoples of faith in the world.

Guru Arjan Dev was responsible for the construction of many tanks and buildings in Punjab. In 1588, he planned to build an impressive temple in the centre of the holy tank called Amritsar or the pool of nectar. As the temple was to be thrown open to people of all castes, creeds and climes, he invited Mian Mir who was a close friend of the Guru to lay the foundation stone of this shrine. .....More

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