Guru Ji's Paintings In The House: Admire As Art, Show Respect, Or Should Not Keep!

[Ambarsaria]

Following are examples of some paintings of our Guru ji's (per vision of the painter),


I consider these to be very fine paintings. We have one of such in our family room. I have come across people who have differing opinions.

I will share my family's experience.

• I like them as a nice painting that kind of provides or emanates peacefulness.
• I have seen my mom do two joined hands bow when she leaves the room to go to her bedroom saying things like,

"Baba Guru Nanak sabh dah bhallah kareen/Baba Guru Nanak let goodwill prevail for all."​

• Others are indifferent

What do you think,

1. It is OK to have these paintings in the house.
2. How to treat these.
3. Shouldn't have these in the house.

Thanks you.

Sat Sri Akal.

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

I have all 3..and more besides...all in very good shape...
I used to have them displayed on my walls...
Now they are in the store room...and walls have been graced with Gurbani Tuks transformed into heavenly wallpapers with meanings in English and Punjabi....
Visitors to my home now have lots more questions..discussions..about the GURU..
I am much happier now......

 

[aristotle]

It is very much okay if you have these paintings in your house, although it may not be all fine if you worship them. I've seen people waving incense sticks and prostrating in front of these paintings as if they were real people. If you ask for a one line answer, it would be,
"It is OK to have these paintings in the house."

 

[Ambarsaria]

It is very much okay if you have these paintings in your house, although it may not be all fine if you worship them. I've seen people waving incense sticks and prostrating in front of these paintings as if they were real people. If you ask for a one line answer, it would be,
"It is OK to have these paintings in the house."

Aristotle ji this raises a pretty fundamental and tricky question. We are all different and different things give happiness and peace and all things good in different ways. For example it is my 94 year old mom who does so in front of the following painting,

I have seen my mom do two joined hands bow when she leaves the room to go to her bedroom saying things like,

"Baba Guru Nanak sabh dah bhallah kareen/Baba Guru Nanak let goodwill prevail for all."​

I understand that one should not preach, teach or encourage worship of such paintings but if some innocent soul does get happiness, solace or benefits out of doing such, what gives us the right to judge or question?

It also kind of relates to a comment of one close to me in terms of a simple dialog about Babeys and Sants which I detest most of for their exploitation of the sheepish followers. The observation from my friend was that, "Some people really want to have a touchy, feely and live person to look up to". I had no rebuttal at the simplest and straight forward level.

I recognize that for Sikhs Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is a living Guru ji.

Sat Sri Akal.

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

I think we should have paintings depicting the very first SYMBOL of SGGS as this SYMBOL is real GUR MOORATi.

PRAKASH.S.BAGGA

 

[Tejwant Singh]

I think we should have paintings depicting the very first SYMBOL of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as this SYMBOL is real GUR MOORATi.

PRAKASH.S.BAGGA

Prakash Singh ji,

Guru Fateh.

Exactly my thought as well. I would also want the Khanda that we normally use as a Sikh symbol to be substituted by ੴ because the fact of the matter is that no one knows the history of Khanda and its true meaning which is all made up. Many claim that Khanda was the invention of the Brits.

In the Interfaith Forum in which I participate, the symbol of Khanda will be substituted with ੴ and the depiction around it would be- One Source of All there IS.

Regards

Tejwant Singh

 

[Ambarsaria]

Tejwant Singh ji and Prakash.S.Bagga ji I agree. Perhaps we can encourage the young to do innovative paintings around such great ideas.

Sat Sri Akal.

 

[Tejwant Singh]

Ambarsaria ji,

Guru Fateh.

We can request our in home wonderful artist Bhagat Singh to do that for us.

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

TEJWANT SINGH Ji,
Thanks for your appreciation .I have one suggestion in reference to the depiction of SYMBOL from SGGS. We can see that generally we depict this SYMBOL in two parts with Numerical Number as separate from the word Onkaar.It would be more meaningful to have Numerical Number along with word as COMPOSITE so that we have a SINGLE COMPOSITE FIG comprising of Numerical Number,Word and KAAR together.

Regarding depiction of KHANDA I feel that this should be depicted as an Separate Image.This is so as from Gurbani we can learn that any image can not be refered as MOORATi.What image can be refered as MOORATi this is defined in Gurbani.So this I think Should be an important consideartion in depiction of any iMage.

I am strongly for that KHANDA should also be depicted as Respectable Image for being KHALSAA.But this image and GuR MOORATi should be separate not mixed together.

These are my personal views for your consideration only.
Wih regards
Prakash.S.Bagga

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

TEJWANT SINGH Ji,
I am still looking for some meaning ful depiction of GUR MOORATi andif Bhagat Singh ji makes any Such I would be certainly one for that.

Prakash.S.Bagga

 

[Ambarsaria]

Prakash.s.Bagga ji there are lot of brilliant Sikhs out there. I searched Google to find some with the following in Firefox browser,

http://www.google.ca/search?q=ik+onkar&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=YPb&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=9AewTsj8EMHu0gHZ0vW9AQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CA8Q_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=860&sei=%20-AewTs61POG_0AG_tJTEAQ


I hope they pick up further on ideas in this thread.

TEJWANT SINGH Ji,
Thanks for your appreciation .I have one suggestion in reference to the depiction of SYMBOL from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. We can see that generally we depict this SYMBOL in two parts with Numerical Number as separate from the word Onkaar.It would be more meaningful to have Numerical Number along with word as COMPOSITE so that we have a SINGLE COMPOSITE FIG comprising of Numerical Number,Word and KAAR together.

Regarding depiction of KHANDA I feel that this should be depicted as an Separate Image.This is so as from Gurbani we can learn that any image can not be refered as MOORATi.What image can be refered as MOORATi this is defined in Gurbani.So this I think Should be an important consideartion in depiction of any iMage.

I am strongly for that KHANDA should also be depicted as Respectable Image for being KHALSAA.But this image and GuR MOORATi should be separate not mixed together.

These are my personal views for your consideration only.
Wih regards
Prakash.S.Bagga

Another example that you may like,

Sat Sri Akal.

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

AMBARSARIA Ji

Just WONDERFUL depiction.I was really looking for such an exquisite depiction.
Many Many..........Thamks and appreciation.

Prakash.S.Bagga

 

[Tejwant Singh]

TEJWANT SINGH Ji,
Thanks for your appreciation .I have one suggestion in reference to the depiction of SYMBOL from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. We can see that generally we depict this SYMBOL in two parts with Numerical Number as separate from the word Onkaar.It would be more meaningful to have Numerical Number along with word as COMPOSITE so that we have a SINGLE COMPOSITE FIG comprising of Numerical Number,Word and KAAR together.

Regarding depiction of KHANDA I feel that this should be depicted as an Separate Image.This is so as from Gurbani we can learn that any image can not be refered as MOORATi.What image can be refered as MOORATi this is defined in Gurbani.So this I think Should be an important consideartion in depiction of any iMage.

I am strongly for that KHANDA should also be depicted as Respectable Image for being KHALSAA.But this image and GuR MOORATi should be separate not mixed together.

These are my personal views for your consideration only.
Wih regards
Prakash.S.Bagga

Prakash Singh ji,

Guru Fateh.

Would you please shed some light on the origin and significance of Khanda? Please share some historical references so that we can learn from it.

Thanks & regards

Tejwant Singh

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

TEJWANT SINGH Ji,
Frankly and truely speaking I have no idea about the significance of Khanda.I have
very limited interest in any History.and I have been devoting more and more time in understanding SGGS which I still continue to do so..
I feel in respect of History I can learn more from your side.It would be my pleasure .
With regards

Prakash.S.Bagga

 

[Ambarsaria]

All, is not Khanda just the following which has been kind of hijacked into the more popular crossed swords with Chakar and Khanda in the middle,

Sat Sri Akal.

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

Khanda TEJWANT SINGH Ji.....I got like this

The Khanda is the symbol of the Sikhs, as the Cross is to Christians or the Star of David is to Jews. It reflects some of the fundamental concepts of Sikhism. The symbol derives its name from the double-edged sword (also called a Khanda) which appears at the center of the logo. This double-edged sword is a metaphor of Divine Knowledge, its sharp edges cleaving Truth from Falsehood. The circle around the Khanda is the Chakar. The Chakar being a circle without a beginning or and end symbolizes the perfection of God who is eternal. The Chakar is surrounded by two curved swords called Kirpans. These two swords symbolize the twin concepts of Meeri and Peeri - Temporal and Spiritual authority introduced by Guru Hargobind. They emphasize the equal emphasis that a Sikh must place on spiritual aspirations as well as obligations to society.

Prakash.S.Bagga

 

[Janpreet]

Here is something (One and Only, Oh, The Infinite) I create about 5 years ago :

 

[Janpreet]

The day we understand that our Guru is Shabad, from that day we won't need imaginary pics of our Gurus.:sippingcoffeemunda:

 

[prakash.s.bagga]

JANPREET Ji,
I think you are considering the meaning of the word Eko as one word.Although the word Eko is Single word but this word Eko actually is the reference for a pair of two Single words as Eku.Eku. This would be most interesting part of understanding about the word Eko.
Prakash.S.Bagga

 

[Ambarsaria]

Khanda TEJWANT SINGH Ji.....I got like this

The Khanda is the symbol of the Sikhs, as the Cross is to Christians or the Star of David is to Jews. It reflects some of the fundamental concepts of Sikhism. The symbol derives its name from the double-edged sword (also called a Khanda) which appears at the center of the logo. This double-edged sword is a metaphor of Divine Knowledge, its sharp edges cleaving Truth from Falsehood. The circle around the Khanda is the Chakar. The Chakar being a circle without a beginning or and end symbolizes the perfection of God who is eternal. The Chakar is surrounded by two curved swords called Kirpans. These two swords symbolize the twin concepts of Meeri and Peeri - Temporal and Spiritual authority introduced by Guru Hargobind. They emphasize the equal emphasis that a Sikh must place on spiritual aspirations as well as obligations to society.

Prakash.S.Bagga

Prakash.s.bagga ji I beg to differ on Khanda.

1. The reference to Khanda is avaialable in Sikh Reht Maryada and it is as follows,

At a high-level site in every Gurdwara should be installed the nishan sahib (Sikh flag). The cloth of the flag should be either of xanthic or of greyish blue colour and on top of the flag post, there should either be a spearhead or a Khanda (a straight dagger with convex side edges leading to slanting top edges ending in a vertex).

http://www.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_three_chap_four.htm
(Article V, subsection (r))

2. There is no reference to Chakra in Sikh Reht Maryada or Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji from what I know.

3. There is no reference to miri-piri in Sikh Reht Maryada or Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji as far as I know.

So your explanation is without foundation so far unless you provide a reference. I agree it has become a symbol but the origin may be as an ornament, a decoration, a merchandising concept, or something else that I am not knowledgeable about.

So I believe Tejwant Singh ji's question stays unanswered.

Sat Sri Akal.