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"Guru" In The Open Market – Supply And Demand

Jan 6, 2005
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Metro-Vancouver, B.C., Canada
"Guru” in the open market – Supply and Demand

By Gaganpreet Singh

GURU : Teacher , leading us to “Gyan”(this word again comes from Punjabi/Hindi word: “gur” i.e. technique , secret or special methodology. SO a GURU is someone who knows the “gur”. Therefore, the “Complete Guru” is one who can give “complete Gyan” , hence Guru Granth Sahib.

The darkness of doubt is removed by the healing ointment of the Guru's spiritual wisdom. Guru Arjan, p. 456


Everyone in this world is in need of a someone who has a “gyan” or “gur” (technique) to live in a correct way. Some people are in the search of small “gurs” (techniques ,answers) like “how do I leave my alcoholism etc.” They are accosted by these “So called Gurus” and told to not drink any longer and repeat a magic mantra which they give. They also give some generally socially accepted sermons etc (all of which they rip-off from Guru Granth Sahib).

Now the question is why don’t people come to Guru Granth Sahib for such problems?

The answer is manifold:

1)We (with years of propaganda) have started believing in Guru Granth Sahib as a “Var-Data morrti” (Boon giving Idol) …Whereas Guru Granth Sahib is actually “Gyan data Guru” (Gyan giving Teacher.} All a lay gursikh knows is that we have to go to the gurdwara bow our head and all wishes are fulfilled, if not, then we can try another gurdwara or better still some sant/fake-baba’s dera. We all have lost the understanding that Guru Granth Sahib is there for guiding us. Unless this point is clear to us and unless we make an effort to make it clear to everyone, these fraud shops will carry on. In fact these shops have been there since Guru Nanak’s time! For example Siri Chand opened his own Udasi dera, Prithi Chand opened his own dera with government support in Lahore, and Ram Rai opened his own dera , again with government support in Dehradoon (in fact dehra doon gets it name from “dera at doon”) .

Without wisdom, the ignorant worship. It is like groping in the darkness, in the love of duality. ||22|| Guru Nanak, p. 1412

All the Sikhs and servants come to worship; they sing the sublime Bani of the Lord, Har, Har. Their singing and listening is approved if and only if; they accept the Order of the True Guru as True, totally True. ||1|| Guru Ram Das, p. 669

2)These people have government funds and support, so they have lots of publicity. They can get things done through the government so even educated people go to them to get their dirty work done. It seems that we can do nothing about it, yet if we organize ourselves … If the numbers of “gyanwan” sangat increase, these false shops won't take two days to vanish.

First Mehl:
Deer, falcons and government officials are known to be trained and clever. When the trap is set, they trap their own kind; hereafter they will find no place of rest. He alone is learned and wise, and he alone is a scholar, who practices the Name. First, the tree puts down its roots, and then it spreads out its shade above. The kings are tigers, and their officials are dogs; they go out and awaken the sleeping people to harass them. The public servants inflict wounds with their nails. The dogs lick up the blood that is spilled. where all beings will be judged. will be disgraced Roam with cut noses - Those who have violated the people's trust; ||2|| p. 1288

3) Our own structure of authority has become defunct. Firstly, we all have forgotten that our true leader is Guru Granth Sahib. We have started believing that Our leader is the “Jathedar “ even “that's also ok”, but the issue is Jathedars have become figureheads. Politicians hand pick “pujaris” as Jathedars and moreover the Jathedars have no written rules about tenure and powers. They are all at the mercy of who owns the SGPC. Even this problem is solvable if all in the sangat wake up and get good people to represent us at smaller levels, like our own Gurdwaras.

That brings me to another point, Guru Nanak is not just for the gurdwara, he is for the whole world. Let us widen our focus from the gurdwara to every aspect of life. Let us propagate Guru Nanak Guru’s message to everyone everywhere, then people will have no doubt about who is the true leader and Guru.

O Guru Nanak, perfect is the Guru, the Guru. Meeting the True Guru, I meditate on the Naam. ||4||5|| Guru Ram Das, p. 882

In a nut shell, all we can see these days is bigger Keertan programs , bigger Nagar keertans , bigger fund collections , bigger gurdwaras, bigger kar sevas etc .. But lesser & lesser knowledge from the Guru. So the only solution is Jumping into the Ocean of Guru Granth Sahib and then Beating the drum to tell everyone about the True Guru ..like Makhan Shah Lubahna did once: “The Guru is found, the Guru is found”.

Basically, the Supply and Demand! for "Guru" is there, it is our mistake that we have kept Guru Nanak hidden behind "Rumalas." That is why these duplicate "gurus" are looting the public.

source: http://transition-into-infinity.blo...max=2008-10-21T12:18:00-05:00&max-results=100
 
Aug 28, 2010
1,514
1,116
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Re: "Guru” in the open market – Supply and Demand

Soul-Jyot ji,
The contents of the message are informative.I feel that tha correct reference
word for teacher should be GuRoo rather than Guru.So we should address Granth Sahib ji as GuRoo Granth Sahib ji.
I may bring to your kind notice that here the word GuRoo is with a matra of Dulaikad{two lines under the letter R} Any one can see this in Gurmukhi script of SGGS ji.
I just fail to understand why do we avoid consideration of proper matras for getting correct pronunciation of Gurbani words.
I hope you share views for this clarification.

Prakash.S.Bagga
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
Mentor
Writer
SPNer
Jul 4, 2004
7,706
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KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA
The English alphabet is inadequate..thats the real problem..

1. When the very FIRST Transliteration began..the very first and biggest mistake was created...the word ADI..whcih ahs absolutley NO MEANING was created in English.
The actual word is AA(i)D...the Siharee being a Grammar Marker to indicate real AAD "beginning/First (with Capital F )...but the earliest writers added a BIHAREE to D and made it into ADI...and thus we have the ADI GRANTH when its the AA(i)D Granth !! indicating the FIRST and ORIGINAL GRANTH of SIKHISM !!...as in AA(i)D GURU..GURU NANAK JI SAHIB.

2. In English the U can sound DULANKARR or Single Aunkarr.long oooo or short o....the CONTEXT is learnt via Good teacher...when to sy Gur(o) or Gurooo !! This difference is NOT visible in English.
 
Aug 28, 2010
1,514
1,116
72
GIYANI JARNAIL SINGH Ji,
Your views on the word AA(i)D are very clear But you have not been so clear with regard to the depiction of matra Aukad or Dulaikad related to the word GuR.
If some mistakes have creeped in the translitration that is creating a great confusion in the understanding of correct interpretation of Gurbani Cant we think of its rectification so that anomaly is removed and every thing becomes clear.
I have seen one correct transliteration of Sukhmani Sahib by a Sikh Scholar S H.S Doabia in India.There seems to be no such confusion in Gumukhi as well as English words.It should be interesting for you to see this work of S.H.S Doabia.
It can still be done and should be done.There is nothing impossible only there should be a strong will to do this.
Prakash.S.Bagga
 

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