A unique Gurubani Satsang in Bangalore......

So, it was the 19th of June, a friday evening and quite a pleasant one at that in bangalore city but i had other plans being from Punjab and a punju kudi at heart , i was craving for some kara parsad and gurubani as i couldnt make it to amritsar during these holidays. So , i headed to kanakpura road,H.H Sri Sri Ravishankarji's ashram for a Gurubani kirtan. It was beyond amazing..mesmerising. It all started with the traditionally served langar khana with maa ki kali dal, gobi, chawal , kara parsad. Then to the Vishalakshi Mandap the main meditation hall( which is in the pic) which was decorated with a floral Ek Onkar. It all started with a normal satsang sung by Richa Chopra and then a small talk on the Granth Sahib by teh Granthiji and Gyaniji of the Gurudwara in Bangalore aand they proceed to sing the ardas and shabads with explanations the posts which follow will complete the series.
JGD...

An amazing Kitan and Must Watch

this kirtan is really amazing really strikes a chord whether u believe in the philosophies of sikhism or not its a must watch. Also has an english translation . Ans=d also tells the story of Guru Gobind Singhji in the intro before the kirtan. Do watch it and leave your valuable comment

Message of The Granth Sahib

ok so this is my second post for the day .. Like all Scriptures be it the Gita, Torah, Bible or the teachings of any Great Saint, all have an underlying message not only for the followers of that particular religion but also to the whole of Humanity. The Granth Sahib is one such scripture which has messages for whole of humanity, believers and non believers alike. Here is what i find some of the deepest teachings an Messages of the Granth Sahib.
1.All peoples of the world are equal
The Guru Granth Sahib promotes the message of equality of all beings and at the same time state that Sikh believers "obtain the supreme status" (SSGS, Page 446). Discrimination of all types is strictly forbidden based on the Sikh tenet Fatherhood of God which states that no one should be reckoned low or high, stating that instead believers should –“reckon the entire mankind as One” (Akal Ustat, 15.85).
Sri Guru Granth Sahib promotes the concept of equality by highlighting the fact that we are made of the same flesh, blood and bone and we have the same light of God with us – Soul. Our building bricks are the same: The God-conscious being is always unstained, like the sun, which gives its comfort and warmth to all.
The God-conscious being looks upon all alike, like the wind, which blows equally upon the king and the poor beggar.
2.One God for all
Sikhism is strictly monotheistic in its belief. This means that God is believed to be the one and sole Reality in the cosmos, meaning that no other being have extra-human power. Sikh Gurus state that God alone is worthy of worship, and the highest end of existence, that is mukti or liberation can come through Devotion to God alone.
Besides its monotheism, Sikhism also emphasizes another philosophical idea, which is known as monism. Monism is the belief the world is only a "vision" or illusion (Maya) and that God is the sole "Continuing Reality" so that selfishness, egoism and hate are meaningless.
God is merciful and infinite. The One and Only is all-pervading.
He Himself is all-in-all. Who else can we speak of? God Himself grants His gifts, and He Himself receives them.Coming and going are all by the Hukam of Your Will; Your place is steady and unchanging.
3.Speak and live truthfully
Sikhs believe in the importance of truthful living, which can only be created by purity of mind and not through religious purification rites. They believe that impurity of mind leads to many other vices such as anger, lust, attachment, ego, and greed.
"So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be torn away?O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will."
4. Control the five vices
Devotees of Guru Sahib believe they must control the animal instincts of Pride/Ego, Anger/Temper, Greed/Urges, Attachment/Dependency and Lust/Addiction.
"All virtues are obtained, all fruits and rewards, and the desires of the mind; my hopes have been totally fulfilled. The Medicine, the Mantra, the Magic Charm, will cure all illnesses and totally take away all pain.Lust, anger, egotism, jealousy and desire are eliminated by chanting the Name of the Lord."
-Guru Granth Sahib Page 1388
5. Live in God's hukam
A Sikh believes they should live and accept the command of God easily and without too much emotional distress. They attempt to live in contentment and in Chardikala (positive attitude).
"Shalok: He wanders around in the four quarters and in the ten directions, according to the dictates of his karma.Pleasure and pain, liberation and reincarnation, O Nanak, come according to one's pre-ordained destiny. "
-Guru Granth Sahib
6. Virtues:The Sikh religion emphasizes several other virtues: Truth (Sat), contentment (santokh), Love (Pyar), Compassion/Mercy (daya), Service (seva), Charity (dana), forgiveness (ksama), humility (nimrata), patience (dheerjh), non-attachment (vairagya) and renunciation (taiga).
These believers attempt to avoid anger (krodh), egoism (ahankara), avarice (lobh), lust (kama), infatuation (moha), sinful acts (papa), pride (man), doubt (duvidha), ownership (mamata), hatred (vair), and hostility (virodh). In the Sikh religion, freedom from these vices , or Sahaj, is attained through tension-free, ethical living, grounded in spirituality avoiding self-mortification and other religious rites of cleansing.
First, is the Lord's Praise; second, contentment; third, humility, and fourth, giving to charities. Fifth is to hold one's desires in restraint. These are the five most sublime daily prayers.
SGGS Page 1384
Humility is the word, forgiveness is the virtue, and sweet speech is the magic mantra.
7. Womens' Status:Sikhism also preaches that equal respect should be given to women.
"In the earth and in the sky, I do not see any second. Among all the women and the men, His Light is shining. "
-Guru Granth Sahib Page 223 Shabad 706
I will do a few more posts on the Great Philosophy of Sikhism and scriptures like the bhagvad gita and Yog Vasistha .

The Guru Granth Sahib

The Granth Sahib is regarded as the most sacred scripture of the Sikh Religion but also regarded as a holy scripture by Punjabi Hindu's as weel as Nanak Panthis. Many people find solace in the techings of the Granth and the Gurus of Sikhism.
The Guru Granth Sahib ( ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, gurū granth sāhib), or Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is the holy scripture and the final Guru of the Sikhs.
Guru Gobind Singhji , the tenth of the Gurus, affirmed the sacred text Adi Granth
as his successor, terminating the line of human Gurus, and elevating the text to Guru Granth Sahib. From that point on, the text remained not only the holy scripture of the Sikhs, but is also regarded by them as the living embodiment of the Ten Gurus. The role of Guru Granth Sahib, as a source or guide of prayer, is pivotal in worship in Sikhism, from which all the Kirtans and Gurubanis draw from including the Ardas. The Granth Sahib also contains the Sukhmani Sahib as part of it.
The Adi Granth was first compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Devji, from hymns of the first five Sikh Gurus and other great saints of the Hindu and Muslim traditions, seeing that originally Sikhism was an amalgamation of the techings of Hinduism and Sikhism. The original scribe of the Adi Granth was Bhai Gurdasji and later Bhai Mani Singhji. After the demise of the tenth Sikh Guru many handwritten copies were prepared for distribution by Baba Deep Singhji. The 'Guru Granth Sahib' is a voluminous text of 1430 pages, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh Gurus, from 1469 to 1708. It is compiled in the form of hymns written in praise of God, which describe what God is like and the right way to live. Written in the Gurmukhi(punjabi script) script, it is written predominantly in archaic Punjabi but includes occasional use of other languages including Braj, Punjabi, Khariboli (Hindi), Sanskrit, regional dialects, and Persian. Written in the Gurmukhi script, the compositions in Sri Guru Granth Sahib are a melange of ar Punjabi and various other dialects. The various dialects used are often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha( the language of the Guru's preachings) The languages used include Lehndi dialect of Punjabi, regional Prakrits, Apabhramsa, Sanskrit, Hindi languages (Brajbhasha, Old Hindi, Awadhi etc.), Sindhi, and Persian.This is how the Granth Sahib came to be. I could post more but it would turn out to be a long Post and therefore will post on the techings, history ,of the holy scripture in following posts.

The Story of Guru Nanak

as i promised yesterday, i do a few posts on the unique traditions of Punjab. During the Islamic invasions, the land of Punjab( which included present day pakistan)was the most threatened actually it was the religious traditions of the land which were threatened. That was the time when the bhakthi movement started in the various parts of India but had not yet reached punjab so that is how the initial roots of what came to be the rich tradition of " Sikhism" were eventually sown .Now it was the great Guru Nanak who started the bhakti movement in punjab Now here is a short story of Guru Nanak .Birth and early life
Guru Nanak Dev was born on 13 November 1469 into a Hindu Khatri( a sub caste of Kshatriya) family of the Bedi caste, in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, in Lahore, Present day pakistan.Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janamastan.
His father, Mehta Kalyan Das popularly known as Mehta Kalu, was the patwari (accountant) of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi under the Muslim landlord of the village, Rai Bular, who was responsible for collecting taxes. Guru Nanak's mother was Triptha Devi and he had one elder sister, Nanaki.At the age of five years Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine and spiritual subjects. At age seven, his father, enrolled him at the village school as per the norm.[8] Notable lore recounts that as a child Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, as denoting the unity or oneness of God. Other childhood accounts refer to strange and miraculous events about Nanak such as a poisonous cobra being seen to shield the sleeping child's head from the harsh sunlight. Guru Nanak's teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth, a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi.
From these some common principles seem discernible. Firstly a supreme Godhead who although incomprehensible manifests in a variety of religious forms, the Singular 'Doer' and formless source of all forms. It is described as the indestructible or timeless form and in both impersonal and personal forms. Salvation or liberation depends on the grace ('nadir'- glance) of God alone and although outside the power of the individual, manifests through the individual whom is seen to be unceasing in their efforts. Religious awakening is compared to undergoing a living death.
Guru Nanak describes the dangers of the self (haumai- 'I am') and calls upon devotees to engage in worship through God's name and singing of God's qualities, discarding doubt in the process. However such worship must be selfless (seva). God's name cleanses the individual to make such worship possible. This is related to the revelation that God is the Doer and without God there is no other. Guru Nanak warned against hypocrisy and falsehood saying that these are pervasive in humanity and that religious actions can also be in vain. However the practice of satsang is considered exalted. It may also be said that ascetic practices are disfavoured by Guru Nanak who suggests remaining inwardly detached whilst living as a householder.Also, Guru Nanak said that" na koi hindu na hi koi musalmaan- hum sab ek hai , hamara rab bhi ek hi hai" loosely translated this means that there is no Hindu or Muslim, we are all one , even our GOD is one.(How similar it is to the teachings of the Vedic philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam).Through popular tradition, Guru Nanak's teaching is understood to be practiced in three ways:
Naam Jaapna: Chanting the Holy Name and thus remembering God at all times (ceasless devotion to God)
Kirat Karō: Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud
Vaṇḍ Chakkō: Sharing with others, helping those with less who are in need
Guru Nanak put the greatest emphasis on the worship of True Name (naam japna). One should follow the direction of Awakened individuals rather than the mind (state of manmukh- being led by the mind)- the latter being perilous and leading only to frustration.
In the context of his times, reforms that occurred in the wake of Nanak's teachings and the bhakti movement at large included bhakti devotion being open to all castes, women not to be marginalized from its institutions, and both Godhead and Devotion transcending any religious consideration or divide, as God is not separate from any individual.
Common errors today are to understand Guru Nanak as a mere reformer or intellectual thinker. People tend to think of him as someone who attempted to reconcile Hindu and Muslim differences, and consequently of Sikhism as a thoughtful and conscientious attempt to combine elements of Hinduism and Islam. However, a close study of even a few of his shloks quickly dispel this false notion. Guru Nanak Dev spoke from direct understanding as an Awoken personality and not as a scholar, utilizing the language of [Punjab] at the time as a person of Hindu background living in a highly Islamic state. He encouraged people to worship within their own traditions, but to keep the focus on God's names rather than egotistic considerations.For over twenty years beginning in about 1497, Guru Nanak traveled in all four directions on foot. He traveled as far east as Assam and Burma. To the South he went as far as Sri Lanka (Ceylon). To the north he ventured even to places outside India like Tibet, Chinaand RussiaHe also went towards the west into Arabia and Persia and further on. From the stories ive heard from nani and dadaji, Nanakdevji travelled as far as Mecca and Medina and also visited many islamic centres. ( not very shocking as one of his closest disciple Bhai Mastana was a follower of the Islamic Sufi Sect)As his end approached Guru Nanak would frequently test the devotion of his sons and nearest followers and in doing so demonstrate their state of mind to one another. There were numerous such occasions and one particular devotee, Baba Lehna, rose to eminence because he never faltered in his faith in Guru NanakGuru Nanak appointed Baba Lehna as the successor Guru, renaming him as Guru Angad Dev, meaning 'one's very own' or 'part of you'. This successorhood wasn't a mere gesture. Via a transformation, compared in Sikh tradition as the passing of a flame from one candle to another, the Guru-aspect of Guru Nanak descended upon Guru Angad. Guru Angad became Guru Nanak. In Guru Granth Sahib this is described as having even a physical manifestation whereby Angad in person suddenly appeared to look like Nanak.
(To Sikhs, although there were ten separate Gurus in physical form, there was actually only one single Guru whose metamorphosised light moved from one successor or vessel to the next, granting a kind of rebirth to those personalities on their initiation. Hence they all held the original name of 'Nanak'.)
Shortly after proclaiming Lehna as the next Guru, Nanak announced that the time of his death had arrived, and retreated to a tree whereby he sat in the lotus position,nd the praan (life-force) was guided upwards and outwards from his body . The date was said to be 22 September,539according to the western calendar.And, upon his death, his followers from Hinduism as well as Islam were having quarels about his cremation and his successoer decided to just cover his body with a chaddar and let them carry on with their fight. The next morning when a compromise was reached between Nanaks followers, Guru Arjan Dev lifted tjhe chaddar not to finf Nanaks Body but lotus flowers where his body was and there after the Hindus immeresed the flowers in the Ganges and the Muslims buried the flowers at one of their dargahs. Look forward to the post on the Golden Temple tomorrow and also my first experience there.

The Sacred Sukhmani

The Sukhmani sahib is considered a sacred scripture by bothe the Hindu's and Sikh's of Punjab. The Sukhmani coprises an integral part of the core of the most sacred scripture of Sikhism : The Guru Granth Sahib. Sukhmani Sahib is the name given to the set of hymns divided into 24 sections which appear in the Guru Granth Sahib. Each section, which is called an Astapadi(ashta means 8), consists of 8 hymns per Astapadi. The word Sukhmani literally means Peace in your mind. This set of Hymns orform of Guru Bani is very popular among the the Sikh's as well a sthe Hindu's, who frequently recite it in their places of worship called Gurdwaras and even in certain t and at home. The full recital takes about 90 minutes and is normally undertaken by everyone in the congregation.
According to Sikh doctorine, this Bani is believed to bring peace to one's mind and compoundly peace to the world. This set of 192 hymns were compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji.This scripture has some beautiful Sayings and some very interesting knowledge points. The Sukhmani Sahibis a must read along with Yog Vasisth and Celebrating Silence. It is a great gift to humanity from the Guru's of Sikhism. My next post will reflect more on the origins of Sikhism and the unique religion and Culture of the Punjab in the next few posts.