Guru Nanak Sahib (Parkash November 21)

The rule under the Sikh's started with Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, who used a Khalsa Seal, and minted Khalsa Rupees, fully adhering to the etho's laid down by Guru Nanak Dev ji, directly and through the incarnations of his philosophy starting with Him as the founder and passed down in human form till Guru Gobind Singh ji, and in word form, through Guru Granth Sahib ji.
Banda Singh's seal carries the legend :
Degh Tegh Fateh; Nusrat Bedarang
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-gurus/33274-guru-nanak-sahib-parkash-november-21-a.html
Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh
Economic Power, Strength of Arms & resultant victory with unrestrained help
recieved by grace of the Guru's through Nanak to Gobind Singh
his Coins carried the legend :
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274
Sikka zad bar Har do Alam; Tegh i Nanak wahib ast;
Fateh Gobind Shah-i-Shahan fazl Saccha Sahib ast
Coin struck in both the worlds, Sword of Nanak is the Guarantor;
Victory of Guru Gobind Singh, King of Kings has been achieved by the grace of Lord Almighty

The Sikh coins did not carry images of the Guru's. However, at one occassion Maharaja Ranjit Singh tried to mint a coin with the effigy of Guru Nanak, with the Maharaja kneeling before him and offering flowers. These coins were not brought into general circulation and withdrawn. Images of these coins are :

 
Do share your immediate thoughts or reactions on this issue? We value your views! Login Now! or Sign Up Today! to share your views with us.. Gurfateh!

ਗੁਰੁ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰ੍ਹ੍ਮੁ ਪਰਮੇਸਰੁ ਆਪਿ

http://gurmatgiangroup.wordpress.com...reme-lord-god/

Guru Nanak Dev ji Prakash Utsav
Guru Nanak Dev ji Prakash Utsav November21st, 2010


What Humanity Owes Guru Nanak

When Guru Nanak came to this world, paths to enlightenment were devoid of divinity; they were completely distorted towards unholy goals of the exploiters of people. A class of religious leaders routinely concocted religious practices to thrust on people to serve many unholy interests. These interests were mutually supportive and were successful in designing a variety of concealed tricks to fool people who were seeking salvations.

The religious institutions had devised beauty shows with religious practices that were intended to attract innocent minds. For example, they invented deities with accompanying stories, idols with descriptions of their powers, recitations to invoke imaginary deities, and rituals that buttressed each other. They asked people to erect stunning buildings to house god and promised accessibility to gods at precise times and places opened only through expense of wealth, time, and inner energy. Altruism was perverted so that it only benefited clerics and clergy.

Many other tricks were implemented to speed a religion's institutional agenda. For example, miracles were invented to convert people and influence human behaviors. The religious myths were invented to answer real questions and then safeguarded those miracles and myths by un-testable threats and promises.

Religious institutions built cults of external marks and body wrappings to encourage murders and wars against those who did not tow the line, or who were members of competing religions. People were asked to invest massive amount of money, time, and mind in ritualistic illusions and also in corrupted beliefs such as, either converting others or serving clergy with wealth or flesh would guarantee heavens no one had ever seen. Above all, they used horrific fears to ensure compliance of all their tricks.

Guru Nanak came out of his enlightening meditation at the Veeni River with fervent zeal to spread what he said was inspiration from the ONE Creator. He then taught that human life was a result of the millions of years of history and the experience from numerous life cycles of birth and death.

This history manifested in the human mind and body as the warehouse of primitive and corrupted instincts all inherited from plant and animal life. They become the basis of five inner evils (lust, resentment, insatiability, attachment, and ego). Upon birth into the human form the animalistic instincts are reinforced by illusions created by self-serving materialistic cultures on one hand and the ethnic religiosity promoted by selfish clerics on the other hand. As a result the human life is mislead.


The mislead life in the human form continues to endure pains and sufferings, but at the same time its divine inner self longs for a salvation and unity with Cosmos.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274

Guru Nanak taught that suffering comes from enslavement of five inner evils. Conquering them with the sword of knowledge, and seeking of enlightenment through contemplation of the Divine, brings freedom from suffering. It will lead to achievement of a timeless bliss.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274

Nanak's first pronouncement is enshrined in the first verse of the Sikh scripture. In Roman alphabet, it reads: "Ik Onkar satnam karta purakh nirbhau nirvair akal murat ajuni saibhang gurprasad." It may be explained in nutshell as follows.

There is one eternal reality that manifests in the creation, embodying the Infinite Wisdom in the universe to give it the format of One Spirit One World. One spirit and one unified world form the basis of unity among all humans; we may experience God by experiencing that unity in the blue-print of His creation.

In God alone can we transcend the divisions inherent in our separatist attitudes of "mine" and "yours," "us" and "them", "we" and "others."

The God permeating in its creation may be seen as the soul within all of us and it gives us an identity of eternal truth which liberates any human from the transient identities given for worldly chores.

Guru Nanak urged humanity to meditate on God's attributes of creativity, fearlessness, devoid of animosity or negativity towards others, freedom from time cycles, and a mind of grace.

The idea is that if we meditate towards emulating divine attributes in our mind and behaviors, we would become god-like, awakened, liberated and productive.

Guru Nanak claimed that there was no religion that God would patronize. Each disciple of spirituality may seek guidance from the enlightened messengers and work out his/her own patterns of religious practices to calm down the mind and insure suitable paths of salvation.

In Nanak's religion, the company of enlightened people will facilitate the journey to salvation. No deities, mythical stories, hidden powers, or other misleading tricks of organized religions would be desired for spiritual attainments.

Guru Nanak advocated the institution of spirituality in earthly practices, all seeking the divinity in daily practices (naam) and leading a life that shared one's possessions with others (daan). He felicitated experience of divinity at every moment and in every act of life in order to inculcate cleansing acts that purify the heart (isnaan).

(Bhai) Harbans Lal

http://www.allaboutsikhs.com

The Prophet of peace

Message of Guru Nanak is inseparable from the medium and the muse

Dr Kirat Singh Inqilabi

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was the Prophet of peace. On one full moon night in the month of Visak Samat 1526, Mata Tripta delivered a child. However Guru Nanak was a child with a difference. When he was five he did not play with other boys but always spoke words of wisdom.

Thus God spoke through this boy and the belief grew stronger. When Nanak was sent to the village Mosque to learn Arabic and other subjects he astonished his teacher. At the age of sixteen he was married to Sulakhni, daughter of Mul Chand Chona of Batala. They had two sons namely Shri Chand who visited Kashmir, Lakshmi Das and the one daughter who died in her infancy.

The whole thought of Guru Nanak springs from his understanding of the nature of God. His name is Truth. He is the creator. He is in the image of external. He is beyond birth and death. He is self existent. He can be attained by the grace of Guru. This is the key to Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of Sikhs. The ultimate essence is beyond all human categories of conception but he has also manifested himself in his creation. He is not an impersonal ultimate reality but a personal God of grace.

The dynamic process of creation, perseverance, destruction is the expression of God's will. The crux of his message is that god is the Father and mother of all human beings. Guru Nanak was a life long pilgrim.

Guru Nanak was a linguist and he opted for the language of the people accepting all dialects. Propagations of Mother-tongue celebrated differences in the various communities and provide them a common bond, a common language. Guru Nanak's metres and measures followed the folk songs and folk ballads familiar with the people.

Sir Maz Arthur Macauliffe in his famous book ‘The Sikh Religion’ describes the meeting of Barham Dass Pandit with Gum Nanak at Mattan as under:

After paying his respect, fully shaken, he sat before Guru Nanak who was sitting on a stone seat near the spring at Mattan. On seeing the Guru's dress he said, 'Is that the sort of faqir thou art? Why wearest thou leather, which is unclean? Why twist thou a rope around thy body? Why hast thou abandoned the observances of thy religion? And why eatest thou flesh and fish?"

Nanak said, "All these are irrelevant and unimportant questions. Your mind is filled with Maya and to attain the real knowledge you shall have to shun all this.’’
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274

He then unburdened him of the thoughts which filled his mind. "God Himself created and recognized His Creation. He separated the earth from the sky and spread a canopy over it. He fired the heavens without Pillars by the utterances of a word having created the sun and moon. He infused His light into them. He made the wonderful play of night and day.

Pilgrimage, religion, mediation and bathing on holy day. None of these is equal to Thee. O Go, how can I describe Thee? Though sides on a true throne: all else are subject to birth and death.

Guru Nanak played many roles in his life. He was family man who married and had children. He was dutiful husband and a loving father.

Sikhism believes in equality of religions. We should find no difficulty in recognising Sikhism as a distinct art of living facing new challenges to life and emerging as a true religion of mankind.

Guru Nanak condemned the discrimination against women; he believes all are equal. He expressed his thoughts about women like this ‘of a woman we are born, and are married, and it is woman who is friend and life partner, it is woman who keeps the race going. Without her there is no human birth, and without her there is no existence possible.’ So Guru Nanak believed in the equality of woman. Woman is Janani (creator). Guru Nanak did not write verse to vindicate his poetic prowess: the song was but a 'Vista' a vision, an epiphany that ascended like a rose to the bush to claim attention. He used discourse and argument to vindicate his message. To peep in Guru Nanak's poetry means to look into the innermost spiritual states. The message of Guru Nanak is "inseparable from the medium and the muse.”
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274

Author is a poet of national eminence and editor of Punjabi quarterly journal Jehlum. He be mailed at drkiratsing46@rediffmail.com

http://www.risingkashmir.com/news/th...eace-3738.aspx

Here is a video that reviews the janamsakhi's
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274
http://videos.gurudwara.net/View_Sik...os.aspx?ID=196

To those who do not understand Panjabi, I apologise. I was unable to find an English version but I do have an English written document which is too long to post here. If anyone is interested in it let me know.

The most important story from Guru Nanak Dev Ji's childhood is the janeu story as it has a whole pauri dedicated to it in Asa Ki Var

When Nanak had attained the age of nine years, his father determined to have him invested with the janeu, or sacrificial thread of the Hindus. Until a boy is so invested, he is deemed almost an outcast. When the members and relations of the family, and all the neighbours, secular and religious, had assembled, and all preliminary rites had been duly performed, Hardial, the family priest, proceeded to put the sacred thread on Nanak's neck. The boy caught the thread with his hand, and asked the priest what he was doing, and what advantage it was to put a thread of that description on him. The priest then explained that the janeu was the basis of the Hindu religion, that without it a man would only be a Sudar,[1] and that by putting it on greatness should be obtained in this world and happiness in the next. On hearing this the young Guru gave utterance to the following:--
Make mercy thy cotton, contentment thy thread, continence its knot, truth its twist.
That would make a janeu for the soul; if thou have it, O Brahman, then put it on me.
It will not break, or become soiled, or be burned, or lost.
Blest the man, O Nanak, who goeth with such a thread on his neck.
Thou purchasest a janeu for four damris,[2] and seated in a square puttest it on;
[1. There are four great varans or castes of Hindus--Brâhmans, the priestly class; Kshatris, the militant class; Vaisyas, the trading class; and Shûdars, the working class, the lowest of all. Of these castes there are now many subdivisions.
2 Four damris is one paisâ of Indian, or a farthing of English money.]
Thou whisperest instruction that the Brahman is the guru of the Hindus--
Man dieth, the janeu falleth, and the soul departeth without it.[1]
The priest explained that the custom of wearing a janeu had descended from the Vedic ritual, and that no Hindu could be deemed religious without wearing it. The Brahman then familiarly addressed the Guru, 'Thou art but a child of yesterday, and are we not as wise as thou? Unless thou wear this thread thou shalt be deemed a person without religion.' Guru Nanak replied:--
Though men commit countless[2] thefts, countless adulteries, utter countless falsehoods and countless words of abuse;
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274
Though they commit countless robberies and villanies night and day against their fellow creatures;
Yet the cotton thread is spun, and the Brahman cometh to twist it.
For the ceremony they kill a goat and cook and eat it, and everybody then saith 'Put on the janeu'.
When it becometh old, it is thrown away, and another is put on,
Nanak, the string breaketh not if it be strong.
The Brahman priest, on hearing this, became angry, and asked the Guru if everybody else was a fool, and he alone, who had abandoned the customs of his forefathers, was wise. He then called on the Guru to tell him what a proper janeu was. The Guru replied:--
By adoring and praising the Name honour and a true thread are obtained.
In this way a sacred thread shall be put on, which will not break, and which will be fit for entrance into God's court.
[1. Âsa ki Wâr. This composition will subsequently be given in extenso, and the meaning of the word wâr explained.
2. Lâkh. Here used for an indefinite number.]
{p. 18}
The Guru then wound up his instruction on the subject as follows:--
There is no string for the sexual organs, there is no string for women;
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33274
There is no string for the impure acts which cause your beards to be daily spat upon;
There is no string for the feet, there is no string f or the hands
There is no string for the tongue, there is no string for I the eyes.
Without such strings the Brahman wandereth astray,
Twisteth strings for the neck, and putteth them on others.
He taketh hire for marrying;
He pulleth out a paper, and showeth the fate of the wedded pair.
Hear and see, ye people, it is strange
That, while mentally blind, man is named wise.[1]

http://www.sacred-texts.com/skh/tsr1/tsr105.htm


To read the pauri in full on page 471 click here
http://searchgurbani.com/guru_granth...471/line/21305