Cyber-Hukamnama

[vegangoth]

When doing a cyber hukamama how do you read it? Do you read the whole page? Or just the first few lines?

And a complety unrelated question what does "Ji" mean after my username? I'm asuming it's not bad lol:}{}{}:

Thanks everyone

Add. I should have been more specific I ment the cyber Hukamnmama found on this site

 

[spnadmin]

vegangoth ji

When reading the hukamnama, cyber or otherwise, a shabad is selected at random and the entire shabad is read. This may be only part of one page from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Maharaj, or it may run from one page to the next page. All to make certain that an entire shabad is read.

Here is the hukamnama for July 15 that appears on Ang 741. Ang 741 starts with this line-- however this line is not the start of the hukamnama

ਕਰਣਹਾਰ ਕੀ ਸੇਵ ਨ ਸਾਧੀ ॥੧॥
karanehaar kee saev n saadhhee ||1||
He has not performed any service to the Creator Lord. ||1||

The line above is actually 25 stanzas before the start of the hukamnama itself. A hukam starts with a line which gives us the raag and the house of Guru Nanak for the Shabad. For the hukamnama of July 15, the raag is Soohee and the House of Guru Nanak is the 5th Mehla or 5th house, meaning the author of the raag is Guru Arjan Dev, the 5th Guru.


sUhImhlw5]
soohee mehalaa 5 ||
sUhI mhlw 5 ]
Soohee, Fifth Mehla:

This is the hukamnama for July 15 in its entirety.
sUhImhlw5]
soohee mehalaa 5 ||
sUhI mhlw 5 ]
Soohee, Fifth Mehla:
jIvqmrYbuJYpRBusoie]
jeevath marai bujhai prabh soe ||
jIvq mrY buJY pRBu soie ]
One who remains dead while yet alive understands God.
iqsujnkrimprwpiqhoie]1]
this jan karam paraapath hoe ||1||
iqsu jn krim prwpiq hoie ]1]
He meets that humble being according to the karma of his past actions. ||1||
suixswjnieauduqruqrIAY]
sun saajan eio dhuthar thareeai ||
suix swjn ieau duqru qrIAY ]
Listen, O friend – this is how to cross over the terrifying world-ocean.
imilswDUhirnwmuaucrIAY]1]rhwau]
mil saadhhoo har naam ouchareeai ||1|| rehaao ||
imil swDU hir nwmu aucrIAY ]1] rhwau ]
Meet with the Holy, and chant the Lord’s Name||1||Pause||
eykibnwdUjwnhIjwnY]
eaek binaa dhoojaa nehee jaanai ||
eyk ibnw dUjw nhI jwnY ]
There is no other to know, except for the One Lord.
GtGtAMqirpwrbRhmupCwnY]2]
ghatt ghatt a(n)thar paarabreham pashhaanai ||2||
Gt Gt AMqir pwrbRhmu pCwnY ]2]
So realize that the Supreme Lord God is within each and every heart. ||2||
joikCukrYsoeIBlmwnY]
jo kishh karai soee bhal maanai ||
jo ikCu krY soeI Bl mwnY ]
Whatever He does, accept that as good.
AwidAMqkIkImiqjwnY]3]
aadh a(n)th kee keemath jaanai ||3||
Awid AMq kI kImiq jwnY ]3]
Know the value of the beginning and the end. ||3||
khunwnkiqsujnbilhwrI]
kahu naanak this jan balihaaree ||
khu nwnk iqsu jn bilhwrI ]
Says Nanak, I am a sacrifice to that humble being,
jwkYihrdYvsihmurwrI]4]15]21]
jaa kai hiradhai vasehi muraaree ||4||15||21||
jw kY ihrdY vsih murwrI ]4]15]21]
within whose heart the Lord dwells. ||4||15||21|| This is from http://hukam.sikhnet.com/2009/07/15/

The hukamnama ends as a rule with the stanza that says, Nanak says, prays, etc. as you see in the lines which I have repeated below.

khunwnkiqsujnbilhwrI]
kahu naanak this jan balihaaree ||
khu nwnk iqsu jn bilhwrI ]
Says Nanak, I am a sacrifice to that humble being,
jwkYihrdYvsihmurwrI]4]15]21]
jaa kai hiradhai vasehi muraaree ||4||15||21||
jw kY ihrdY vsih murwrI ]4]15]21]
within whose heart the Lord dwells. ||4||15||21||


You know that the hukam ends with the end of the shabad, and before the start of the next shabad. In this case the next shabad also is found later on Ang 741 and begins as follows.

ਸੂਹੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥
soohee mehalaa 5 ||
Soohee, Fifth Mehl:

ਗੁਰੁ ਪਰਮੇਸਰੁ ਕਰਣੈਹਾਰੁ ॥
gur paramaesar karanaihaar ||
The Guru is the Transcendent Lord, the Creator Lord.


And you can see that again the raag and the house of Guru Nanak are identified.

There can be some exceptions to what I have reported. For example, if the hukamnama is taken from the banee of a bhagat or sant, then there will be no house of Nanak identified, no mehla. Instead the hukam will give the name of the Sant. See today's hukamnama by Bhagat Ravidaas. http://hukam.sikhnet.com/2009/07/16/

Another exception would be when the shabad is not neatly divided by raag and mehla -- but it might consist of a very long series or collection of what are called selokas and/or paurees that go on for many pages. Then it can be hard to see exactly where and when to end the hukamnama. And you may not see a line that says, "Nanak says..." However - the hukam would never stop in the middle of a seloka or pauree, and 99 percent of the time the raag and house is clearly marked and there is no need to deviate.

 

[spnadmin]

vegangoth ji

Here is additional information. A hukamnama can also be a decree and there are historical instances of that. The article is something you may find interesting.

Hukamnama of Akal Takht Sahib​

(History and Concept)
​

Hukamnama, literally means "Royal Order." As Akal Takht Sahib is the Throne of the Almighty, the orders issued by Akal Takht Sahib are called Hukamnamas. The letters written by the Sikh Gurus too were also called Hukamnamas. In the middle ages, the orders from the worldly rulers were also known as Hukamnama but the people carried out the orders under compulsion. But, the Hukamnamas of the Sikh Gurus was a matter of pride and privilege. Not only the carrying out the Guru's Order but even the Darshan (a simple look) at Guru's Hukamnama was a matter of pride for a Sikh.


The first Hukamnama from Akal Takht Sahib was issued by Guru Hargobind Sahib himself. This Hukamnama asked the Sikhs to wear arms for self defence. Since then several Hukamnamas must have been issued. Some Hukamnamas issued by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, his wife, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, Sarbat Khalsa, Akal Takht Sahib etc. are still available in the original. (Two collections of Hukamnamas are available in print form, one edited by Dr. Ganda Singh and the other one by Bhai Shamsher Singh Ashok, both published in 1968 by Punjabi University and the S.G.P.C. respectively. These volumes have Hukamnamas by the following: 2 by Guru Hargobind Sahib, one by Guru Harkrishan Sahib, 22 by Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, 34 by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, 2 by Banda Singh Bahadur, 2 by Thrones etc.).


During the eighteenth century, the Sarbat Khalsa issued Hukamnama-s to the Sikhs for manifold purposes. Through one Hukamnama, Akal Takht Sahib asked the Sikhs to release the wife of a Brahmin (Hindu of priestly class) whom the Afghan Chief of Kasur had carried away. In 1759, Sarbat Khalsa issued a Hukamnama to the Sikhs to send funds for the reconstruction of the Sikh shrines.


After the British annexation of the Sikh Homeland, Akal Takht Sahib was misused by the occupying managers. A Hukamnama against Professor Gurmukh Singh was issued in 1879. A Hukamnama, it has been said, was issued against the Ghadar Party workers. There is no direct evidence of the issuance of such a Hukamnama. As these two and alike Hukamnamas were not in accordance with the Sikh ideology, hence the Sikh nation rejected them.


Hukamnamas excommunicating persons or cults guilty of harming Panth or for acts of blaspheme, too, have been issued from time to time: Gurdial Sinh Nabha (1923), Teja Singh Bhasaur and his associates (1928), Nirankari cult (1978) etc. During the period of attempt at the hijacking of Akal Takht Sahib too Hukamnamas were issued to excommunicate Zail Sinh, Buta Sinh, Santa Sinh, Rachhpal Sinh, Surjit Barnala, Pashaura Sinh etc.


Hukamnama of Akal Takht Sahib is different from a verdict given from Akal Takht Sahib in some disputes. Decisions in the cases of the Sikhs who surrender at Akal Takht Sahib for their anti-Sikh activities are not Hukamnamas. These decisions had been given in the case of Kartar Singh Bedi (1924), Bhai Narain Singh (1924), Buta Singh M.L.C. (1935), Master Tara Singh, Fateh Singh and eight members of the Executive of Akali Dal (1962), Piar Singh (1993) etc. In some cases partial decisions were taken by the caretakers of Akal Takht Sahib for forgiving or for giving minor punishment due to reasons best known to them. These cases were: Zail Sinh, Surjit Barnala, Buta Sinh, Amarjit Grewal, Pashaura Sinh etc. All these persons were given concessionary treatment. The Sikhs have not accepted these decisions by the respective caretakers of Akal Takht Sahib.


This has happened due to ignorance about the concept of Akal Takht Sahib and its Hukamnama. The Hukamnama of Akal Takht Sahib is the consensus of Sarbat Khalsa. During the eighteenth century, the issues of the Sikhs were decided by way of Gurmata. The leaders of all the groups, Misls, battalions of the Sikhs used to gather at Akal Takht Sahib to finalize a particular issue. The decision was reached by way of consensus in accordance with the Sikh ideology. This was called Gurmata (the counsel of Guru Sahib). This Gurmata was issued to the Sikh nation from Akal Takht Sahib as Hukamnama of Sarbat Khalsa or Akal Takht Sahib. This represented the "will of the Sikh nation." A Hukamnama can not be issued by caretaker of Akal Takht Sahib by way of personal whims. The political monopolization and the adoption of Western political system made the Sikh intelligentsia indifferent to the institution of Akal Takht Sahib and the institution of Akal Takht Sahib was "hijacked" by ignorant but clever politicians. All the Gurmatas are not Hukamnamas. When a resolve to execute some planning is made, it is called Gurmata and it applies to the persons who participate in it. But, if this Gurmata is of national importance then it is released to the Sikh nation. In that case it becomes Hukamnama. Sarbat Khalsa made several Gurmatas in the eighteenth century. Some of the well know Gurmatas are: the issue of acceptance of Jagir (1733), construction of Sikh fort (1747), formation of Dal Khalsa (1748), to recognize Rakhi (1753 and 1758), to attack Lahore (1760), to emphasize the supremacy of Sarbat Khalsa (1765), the petition of Jaswant Rao Holkar (1805), to form the S.G.P.C. (1920), to form Gurdwara Sewak Dal, later named Akali Dal (1920) etc.


There are certain issues which can not be covered by Gurmata or Hukamnama. These include the basic principles, postulates or doctrines of Sikhism. A Gurmata, which applies to the whole of the Sikh nation (national issues) must represent the will of the whole nation and must not be a decision of an ad hoc hand-picked assembly of special invitees by a party or faction or self-styled Jathedar/Pope.


Since 1979, Akal Takht has been used by the Akali leaders for their factional activities. As a result the institution of Akal Takht Sahib has suffered a lot. The caretaker (whom they wrongly call Jathedar) of the Takht has been acting as an agent of the ruling Akali faction. Specially under the reign of Kirpal Singh Badungar, Akal Takht caretaker has acted as an ordinary Akali worker, loyal to the president of the SGPC. This is mockery of the institution. Akal Takht Sahib which is the greatest seat of the Sikh Panth has been defiled by the Akali leadership. Akal Takht is not a court of mediation between factions, groups; nor it is an industrial tribunal to decide disputes. Akal Takht Sahib should not deal with each and every case like an ordinary tribal court. It should deal with only those issues which are of national importance and the Hukamnamas should be issued only after a Gurmata has been passed by the Sarbat Khalsa. What is Sarbat Khalsa is still a moot point. In the present circumstances, a meeting of all the Sikhs is not possible. In such a situation the representatives of all those parties and institutions, which are loyal to Akal Takht Sahib plus the Sikh intelligentsia, should form the Sarbat Khalsa. This is not the final formula. The Sikh intelligentsia can discuss the procedure to for Sarbat Khalsa. But, the president of the SGPC appointing a caretaker of Akal Takht as per his political need is against Sikh philosophy. AND the caretaker issuing Hukamnamas of his personal whim in association with 4 more priests, in line with the SGPC president is still further un-Sikh like. The Sikhs should stop playing games with the Sikh fundamentals.

Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer​

International Director​

Guru Nanak Institute of Sikh Studies, England​

Former Director​

Sikh History Research Board​

& the Sikh Reference Library​

Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer has written about 40 books on Sikh history, culture and philosophy. The SGPC Amritsar and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee too have published his books. To know more about him visit dilgeer.com

Source Akal Takhat and Jathedar

Note: This web site The Sikh-Faith Question Answer And Philosophy is a very good web site if you are looking for some reliable information about essential topics.