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Taking Amrit

Nov 23, 2010
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Morning All ,

We are planning or trip to India this April and when we there we had wanted to take Amrit in the Bangal Sahib . My question is this ; Do they explain the rehat maryada as it is published in regard to vegetarianism or do they invent what they feel is right. I have no intention of giving up eggs, personally or professionally( I own a bakery and can't really bake without them). If I'm told that to give them up do I just nod my head and ignore them knowing that it's not correct or should I look for a Gurdwara that doesn't impose this restriction. :icecreammunda:
Opinions or advise please.

p.s. those that want to tell me you can make cake without eggs. Don't even go there.
 

spnadmin

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Jun 17, 2004
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linzer ji

Is it possible to call and find out? Of course language might be a problem; however, that is a very important Gurdwara and someone there must be able to explain what would happen.

+91 11 2334 0174
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

Added later. Another idea is to find out from the DSGMC - Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. Go to this web site http://www.dsgmc.in/ and at the very bottom, right-hand corner is a link to live chat where you can ask questions. Keep in mind that Delhi is 9 1/2 hours ahead of Mexico. So it is early in the morning. You might be able to leave a message. I did not try it out.

Eggs are not off the menu btw for vegetarians; they are verboten to vegans. Having said that, I know of a jathabandhi that broke into the Punjab home of Professor Darshan Singh, found him not only eating an omelet but also serving it to guests, and promptly made a big issue of this in the media. So it would not hurt to check. Who knows what unique maryadas are followed there?

Personally, I am one of those who can't make a promise if I an unsure I will keep it. I squirm inside. However, there is merit to using common sense.
 

Ishna

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May 9, 2006
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Good luck asking. When I asked someone in Australia about which rehat maryada I'd be committing to if I was blessed to receive amrit at their institution they never got back to me.

It's such an important question Linzer ji, I hope you get a proper response. Good luck. :)
 
Last edited:
Nov 23, 2010
263
599
Thank's ,I'll check the live chat, I already checked to confirm days and hours. I've heard from two diferent sources that they were told not to eggs . One received Amrit at the Sis Ganj. I'm not sure where the other fellow recieved Amrit.
btw I don't think I can make a living off coconut custard pies alone.:winkingkaur:
I too am uncomfortable making a promise that I know I won't keep.
 
Jul 18, 2007
147
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London
I think its great your are aware of this issue before you take Amrit and want to ensure wherever you take it, they are doing it per SRM and not their own version of it. The problem is even if the Gurdwara you take Amrit at is a historically reputable place, it doesn't mean they are doing things per SRM as they should be. It takes knowledgeable management to ensure things are done to keep the panth as a collective, yet this wagon is very easy to fall off.
 
Nov 23, 2010
263
599
Eggs are not off the menu btw for vegetarians;
Spnadmin ji, I think this is a Vedic thing. We have a friend here that is Vaishnavi and he doesn't eat eggs but dairy products are okay. Also The sect of Yogi Bhajan forbids eggs in their rehat. I'm not sure what their reasoning is , if any.
While I don't agree with them at least Vegans are more consistant. I don't know why it's okay to enslave a cow but not a chicken.lol
By the way the DSGMC hasn't gotten back to me. If they do I'll let you know.
I may end up doing the nod and ignore tactic.
Thanks to everyone for their input.
 

ActsOfGod

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Aug 13, 2012
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I commend you for taking this step to take Amrit.

As you go on your journey, I just wanted to offer something to think about or ponder. Please understand that this is in no way meant as a criticism or judgement, it's merely a thought, something to consider:

If the Five were to ask you to sacrifice your life for Guru Sahib, would you seriously, realistically do it? Would you be ready to? Or would you seek another Gurdwara which didn't have that requirement as part of their Rehit?

---

The Five are representative of the Guru. If they (being human) make any mistake, Guru Sahib will settle the account. If we fall into the habit of questioning or arguing with the Five, we are essentially arguing with Guru Sahib. Once we start doubting the word of our Guru, all is lost. We are trusting our own intelligence, "mat", (manmat), over Guru Sahib's intelligence (gurmat). The whole process of ego surrender is to put our full faith and trust in Guru Sahib's intelligence, that he knows better and will guide us correctly on the path.

Please forgive me if I have said anything out of line.

Gurfateh!
AoG
 
Nov 23, 2010
263
599
Realistically, If the five asked you to cut off your hair, drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes would you do it? By your reasoning you would.
:swordfights:The rehat was set up as a uniform guide based on Gurmat. I just ask to follow that not the whims of current fashion.

To answer your question, If the need arose, yes I would sacrifice my life that is.
By the way ,the large type is obnoxious.
 

ActsOfGod

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Aug 13, 2012
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Realistically, If the five asked you to cut off your hair, drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes would you do it? By your reasoning you would.

Yes I would. For me it's about following the Hukam of Guru Sahib, no matter what it is. Guru knows better. Like I said before, if the 5 were corrupted or mistaken due to human error, then I have faith that Guru Sahib will settle that account with them. Personally I don't have any doubts or fears about that in my mind.

When Guru Nanak Sahib asked Bhai Lehna Ji to eat the corpse, Bhai Lehna Ji didn't refuse or object or argue or even question why Guru Sahib was asking him to do such a horrible, unthinkable thing (after all, who in their right mind would eat a corpse!?!?) Here you are on the spiritual path, and you're being asked to commit such a heinous act. But it was Guru Sahib's Hukam, so he followed.

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sakhi:_The_Sikh_and_the_word_of_the_Guru

A local Singh told me another Sakhi, once Guru Gobind Singh Sahib told the sangat "parshad lut lo" ("lut lo" being roughly translated as rob or steal or take advantage of). Several Singhs jumped up and rushed to grab as much parshad as they could, whilst others in the sangat sat aghast watching such behavior, because it went against their notion of sitting calmly and receiving the parshad. But it was the Hukam of Guru Sahib, so the Singhs who followed obeyed Gurmat, not their own mat or intelligence, which would say that it was the wrong way to receive parshad.

Gurfateh!
AoG
 

ActsOfGod

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Aug 13, 2012
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Maybe it's just me but if these stories were so important wouldn't they have been included in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib?

That stance represents limited understanding of Sikhi and a myopic view of how the faith developed.

No one can purport to know the mind of Guru Sahib, so it's not a question anyone can answer. However, even with a cursory look, anyone can see that SGGS is not an autobiography or a history book. It contains content that is designed to unite the soul with it's Maker. That doesn't mean that the Vaar's of Bhai Gurdas Ji, for example (since they are not included in SGGS), are not legitimate and are not venerated by all Sikhs. One needs to know the history to understand this. Guru Arjan Dev Ji himself referred to them as the "key to Sri Guru Granth Sahib". So just making a blanket statement that if it's not in SGGS then you reject it is a very simplistic view.

Gurfateh!
AoG
 

spnadmin

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The sakhi of Bhai Lehna ji eating a corpse on the orders of Guru Nanak is not credible We find no mention of it in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji nor in the Varaan of Bhai Gurdas. This story is part and parcel of an ongoing mina/mahant agenda that arises from the need to make Guru Nanak more of a Hindu by aligning him with corpse-eating yogis that haunt cremation grounds along the Ganges. To make him seem more of a Hindu than he said he was (which he said he was not).

This particular sakhi is "Based on Vaar by Kavi Santokh Singh Ji, narrated at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara, Model Town Extension, Ludhiana on Oct 1st, 2011." Santokh Singh was a 19th Century poet, and one to spin many an incredible tale. (reference is the one cited by ActsOfGod ji).

Next point. linzer ji makes an excellent argument. The panj themselves recreate rehats - how many are there? Countless? At least as many as there are takhts and we know there are more going by the number of various sects within Sikhism. Rehats cannot be hukam, and hukam is not a rehat. Hukam is aad sach; hukam is jugaad sach; hukam existed before Guru Nanak. By hukam there are eggs; by hukam there are species who eat eggs. By hukam none of our Gurus ever told anyone, "Don't eat an egg."

The panj are elected by sangats. They do not achieve their roles by apostolic succession as do bishops in Christian churches. They should be accountable to sangat and accountable for their decisions. If they do not walk in the shoes of Guru Sahib, it is because they too substitute their thinking for the wisdom of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
 

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