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Controversial The Hijackers Of Sikhi, Part 2: The Udasis

Dr Karminder Singh

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Sep 3, 2009
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Sikhi as it is practiced today, is no longer the Sikhi that was taught to us by our Gurus. It is a spirituality that stands distorted, corrupted and tainted. Its scripture – Gurbani – has been distorted through vedic and puranic slants in interpretations and translations; its history muddled in unbelievable tales of miracles called Sakhis, and its religious practices consist of those smuggled in from rejected and discarded rituals of pre-1469 faiths. It’s a faith that has been hijacked from its unique path and equally distinct goals. How, when and why did this happen?

WHO ARE THE UDASIS?


The Udasi sect was started by Baba Sri Chand – the eldest son of Guru Nanak ji.

Five basic facts regarding Sri Chand must be brought to the attention of the Sikh reader.

sri-chand.jpg

FIRST, the maneuvering of Sri Chand to break away from Guru Nanak’s Sikhi was, in essence, rooted in the Bippar Brahmin’s devious plot to undermine Guru Nanak. The roots of the plot go back to the day Guru Nanak REFUSED to adorn the Janeyu.

The Brahmin saw Guruji’s refusal to wear the Janeyu as the planting, by Guru Nanak, of the seed of a thought that threatened the Bhramin’s position as the sole spiritual leader of the people. One can imagine that the Bippar did not sleep well that particular night.

The Brahmin could not take on Guru Nanak directly, so he targeted Guruji’s two children. The result was the hijacking of the faith of his TWO children who were besieged mostly while Guruji was on his long travels.

The conversion of Sri Chand into the wandering yogi branch of Shiv panth was ultimate revenge and success on the part of the Brahmin. He managed to cultivate a destructive mole right in the heart of Sikhi, inside Guru Nanak’s household and right within the psyche of Gurmat. This mole would serve the Bippar objective for centuries to come.

SECOND, on the part of Sri Chand himself, the Udasi sect was started in OPPOSITION to the Sikhi of Guru Nanak. Its objective was to challenge Sikhi, REJECT Guru Nanak’s Gurmat and if possible, to REPLACE it.

THIRD, the sect was propagated with a vengeance; the revenge being rooted in Guru Nanak’s decision to NOT pass the Guru-ship to Sri Chand. Guruji acted such because he found Sri Chand unfit for the responsibility. Instead, Guru Nanak found Bhai Lehna ji spiritually qualified to be the successor Guru.

FOURTH, Guru Nanak DID NOT approve of the Udasi sect. Sikhs of Guru Nanak abided by such disapproval and did NOT associate themselves with Sri Chand in their spiritual endeavors.

FIFTH, Guru Nanak’s COMMAND to Sikhs was to accept Guru Angad as his successor Guru and reject Sri Chand (and Lakhmee Daas – the younger son who colluded with his elder brother).

Bhai Gurdas ji says the following about the issue of succession and Sri Chand in Vaar 1, Pauree 38.

ਉਲਟੀ ਗੰਗ ਵਹਾਈਓਨ ਗੁਰ ਅੰਗਦ ਸਿਰ ਉਪਰ ਧਾਰਾ॥
ਪੁਤੀਂ ਕੌਲ ਨ ਪਾਲਿਆ ਮਨ ਖੋਟੇ ਆਕੀ ਨਸਿਆਰਾ॥
Ultee Gang Vahayean, Gur Angad Serr Uppar Dhaara.
Putee(n) Kaul Na Paleyeo Munn Khotey Akee Nasiara.


Meaning: Guru Nanak performed an extraordinary practice in installing Angad as his successor Guru. His sons defied his spirituality on account of their malice, and rose to rebellion and desertion.

Bhais Satta and Balwand, in Ramkli Vaar, SGGS 967 say:

ਸਿਖਾਂ ਪੁਤ੍ਰਾਂ ਘੋਖਿ ਕੈ ਸਭ ਉਮਤਿ ਵੇਖਹੁ ਜਿ ਕਿਓਨੁ ॥
ਜਾਂ ਸੁਧੋਸੁ ਤਾਂ ਲਹਣਾ ਟਿਕਿਓਨੁ ॥ ੪ ॥
Sikhan Putran Ghokh Key Sabh Ummat Vekho Jay Kion.
Ja Sushosh Ta Lehna Tikion.


Meaning: Guru Nanak evaluated the entire congregation of Sikhs and his offspring. Upon due assessment, Lehna was deemed worthy of succeeding Him.

The Vaar goes on to explain the decision; particularly relating to why Guru Nanak did NOT pass the Gurgadee to his sons.

ਸਚੁ ਜਿ ਗੁਰਿ ਫੁਰਮਾਇਆ ਕਿਉ ਏਦੂ ਬੋਲਹੁ ਹਟੀਐ ॥
ਪੁਤ੍ਰੀ ਕਉਲੁ ਨ ਪਾਲਿਓ ਕਰਿ ਪੀਰਹੁ ਕੰਨ ਮੁਰਟੀਐ ॥
ਦਿਲਿ ਖੋਟੈ ਆਕੀ ਫਿਰਨਿ ਬੰਨ ਭਾਰੁ ਉਚਾਇਨਿ ਛਟੀਐ ॥
Sach Je Gur Furmayea Kio Edu Bolho Hateay.
Putreen Kaol Na Paleyo Kar Perho Kanh Murateay.
Dil Khotey Akee Firn Bunh Bhar Uchayean Chateay.


Meaning: Guru Angad accepted the Godly (Sach) spirituality as advocated by Guru Nanak. The sons rejected it, disobeyed and defied Guru Nanak. They were malicious and deviant; turned their backs on Guru Nanak, and lived under the burden of worldliness.

From the above verses of Gurbani in the SGGS ji and the writings of Bhai Gurdas ji we can deduce the following five observations:

FIRST, that Sri Chand REJECTED the Sikhi of Guru Nanak while acting under the influence of the Bippar conspiracy.

SECOND, he showed defiance to Guru Nanak.

THIRD, he was malicious and deviant.

FOURTH, that in doing so, he would live under the burden of spiritual worldliness. By which it was meant that he would be in fruitless search of spirituality but never obtain it.

FIFTH, Sri Chand did not accept Guru Angad as the succeeding Guru. He defied Guru Nanak’s decision and choice.

Taken as a whole, all the above verses from Gurbani and Bhai Gurdas ji make it crystal clear, therefore that Sikhs ought to have NOTHING to do with Sri Chand; especially if we wish to abide by the command of Guru Nanak.

THE SEED OF HIJACKING IS PLANTED.

We know that upon installation of Guru Angad as the second Guru, Guru Nanak sent him to Khadoor Sahib, which would become the next center of Sikhi after Kartarpur. We further know that Kartarpur was the established Ashram where Guru Nanak spent the final 12 years of his life preaching Sikhi. Kartarpur was recognized, famous and well attended by big crowds of Sikhs.

Yet Guru Angad was sent to Khadoor – a totally new place that had to be built from scratch. Guru Angad was instructed to relocate to Khadoor by Guru Nanak because of the intensity and ugliness of the conflict that was incited and caused by Sri Chand at Kartarpur. Sri Chand kicked up a storm over his failed bid to be appointed as successor to Guru. He staked his claim over the Ashram at Kartarpur – which he intended to use to LAY CLAIM to being Guru Nanak’s successor.

Kartarpur would thus become his home and the center for the establishment of his deviant Udasi sect.

Guru Nanak sent Guru Angad to Khadoor because he expected and wanted authentic Sikhs to BREAK AWAY from Sri Chand-occupied Kartarpur and go to Khadoor instead.

Guru Nanak himself stayed back at Kartarpur till his last. It was only natural that Sikhs would still come to Kartarpur to pay obeisance to Guru Nanak ji. Guru ji continued to direct all Sikhs who did so to go to Khadoor instead – telling them that “the REAL Guru was in Khadoor.” It was clear that Guru Nanak wanted Sikhs to continue their journey in Sikhi with Guru Angad ji at Khadoor and NOT associate with Sri Chand at Kartarpur.

Guru Nanak’s decision to send Guru Angad to Khadoor and hand over the Ashram and its assets to Sri Chand resolved the dispute over the succession issue.

But it also gave Sri Chand a ready built headquarters, ready crowds of Sikhs, and an opportunity to rival Guru Angad even if authentic Sikhs accepted Guru Angad and moved to Khadoor.

Sri Chand would continue living at Kartarpur. He asserted he was Guru Nanak’s “real” successor, and he announced that he had the ashes of Guru Nanak as the Guru’s rightful heir.

At Kartarpur he built a distinct following consisting of disciples who had a personal loyalty to him. New recruits from a variety of Vedic sects began to join him. He was actively supported by the Bippar Brahmin Clergy and their institutions. He especially attracted classes of people who were anti Guru Nanak; people who wanted Guru Nanak to discontinue his enlightening ways. In the minds of such people, Sri Chand’s Udasi sect provided the perfect opportunity to “erase” Guru Nanak’s from the psyche of Indian spirituality.

The defining character of Sri Chand was that his Udasi sect was based on principles that were in total contradiction to the Sikhi of Guru Nanak.

For example, the Udasis shunned the householder`s life and practiced austerities. Sri Chand adopted kundalni yoga, occult (ridhi sidhis) and the practice of supernatural powers – all of which were rejected by Guru Nanak.

The Udasi sect would thus remain out of the domain of Sikhi, authentic Sikhs and the remaining nine Gurus. None of our Gurus came into contact with any of the Udasis even if Sri Chand did flaunt his biological relationship with Guru Nanak openly.

The Udasis, however, never gave up their claim that Sri Chand was the true successor to Guru Nanak and that they were the true custodians of Sikhi. This belief became the genesis of their attempt to hijack Sikhi when the opportunity arose.

THE HIJACKING UNFOLDS

Eight years after the demise of Guru Gobind Singh, and months after the defeat of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in 1718, the Udasis would finally get their break. The opening was created by a vacuum that resulted from the brutal hunting and killing of authentic Sikhs by the regime of the day.

Throughout the Shaheede Era (60 years after 1718) while the authentic Sikhs were being massacred as individuals, groups or in holocaust methods; and while Sikhs were being hunted with a price of up to 80 rupees on their heads; the Udasis moved in to occupy one Sikh Gurdwara after another that was left vacant. Anandpur Sahib, Hazoor Sahib, Darbar Sahib were taken over followed by virtually all Gurdwaras of importance.

history.png

The regime did not arrest, persecute of harass them because they were considered as non-Sikhs. The Udasis visited Hardowar during Kumbh Mela, practiced kundalni yoga, stayed celibate and adorned their own (non Sikh / Khalsa symbols). There was thus no confusion that they were non-Sikhs.

But yet, they occupied Sikh Gurdwaras with impunity.

The authentic Sikhs, who in love of their Gurus and institutions, came out of their hideouts in small groups on occasion to pay homage to Darbar Sahib and other historical Gurdwaras were simply glad that someone took take care of their Gurdwaras and kept them operating. The spouses and children of the authentic Sikhs who took the risk to not live in hiding would share this sentiment too – even though they were aware that the Udasis were corrupting Sikh practices.

The Udasis would be in exclusive control of Sikh Gurdwaras for about 60 years, before they would have to share control with the other deviant groups (Nirmalas, Mahants and Dera Sants) for a total of 207 years till 1925.

ESTABLISHING CONTROL ON SIKH PSYCHE.

Although the Udasis faced no physical resistance in their control of Sikh Gurdwaras and in introducing Udasi practices, rituals and beliefs into the Gurdwaras, they still felt a need to establish themselves firmly and deceptively within the parameters of Sikhi. They needed to do so as they knew authentic Sikhs were well grounded in the Gurbani of the SGGS.

The objective was simple – they needed to anchor their legitimacy amongst authentic Sikhs and thus gain trust and acceptability. To do such, they built a version of Sikh spirituality that was parallel to the Sikhi of Guru Nanak and could be interwoven into authentic Sikh philosophy as and when necessary. – while retaining the “superiority” of their Udasi beliefs.

They could NOT alter, rewrite or add to the SGGS – the CORE of Sikhi from 1708 onwards. It was too mammoth and too risky a task. They were perhaps not up to the task as well.

They thus resorted to the creation of narrations of concocted tales relating to the LIVES of our Gurus. This was essentially a cunning attempt to RECREATE and rewrite Sikhi from the PERIPHERY (Sakhis) while leaving the Core (SGGS) intact. The belief being that the CORE would become irrelevant once the PERIPHERY had been sufficiently corrupted and distorted.

One concocted narration relates to a purported visit to Sri Chand by Guru Ramdas ji who “needed the blessings of Guru Nanak through his son Sri Chand.” Sri Chand is said to have asked Guruji “why is your beard so long?” and Guru ji is said to have replied “to dust your feet with.”

srichand2.jpg


Another fake tale relates to Guru Arjun ji. Guru ji is said to have had a writer’s block when composing Sukhmani Bani. Guru ji is said to have “got stuck” at the 16th Salok and “became anxious.” When asked by Sikhs such as Bhai Gurdas and Baba Budha ji, Guru ji told them “the truth of his anxiety.” The Sikhs then suggested that Guru Arjun seek the blessings of Guru Nanak’s son Sri Chand.

Upon visiting Sri Chand, Guru Arjun ji was “told to use” the first salok of Jup Banee – Aad Sach Jugaad Sach as the the 16th Salok and that “Banee would flow like water” after that. That is how the 16th Salok of Sukhmani “became similar” to the first Salok of Jup Banee.

Another concocted story relates to Emperor Jehangir asking Mian Mir, “Who is the greatest Saint alive today?” And Mian Mir replied, “At this time the elder son of Guru Nanak is the king of the Saints.”

Another has Jehangir sending his elephant to pick up Sri Chand. But the elephant could not even lift Sri Chand’s blanket. So he walked over to Jehangir’s court.

Yet another tall tale has it that after Sri Chand passed away in 1629, Guru Hargobind ji sent his son, Baba Gurditta to become the successor as head of the Udasis.

The Udasis exempted themselves from Khande Da Pahul and the wearing of the Sikhi roop. This was necessary to keep their position as non-Sikhs in the eyes of the government of the day.

But for the purpose of the authentic Sikh masses, they claimed that the tenth Guru gave them the exemption because it was their duty to preach Sikhi to the Hindu masses who would be more amenable and accepting of Udasis that “looked like Hindus-” than they would be of Sikhs with Khalsa roop.

The sinister objectives of these concocted tales are clear. Five can be outlined as follows:

FIRST, they attempt to establish the lie that Sikh Gurus not only kept in touch with the out-casted Sri Chand, but that our Gurus visited him regularly to “obtain spiritual guidance.”

This lie conveniently leaves out mention of the fact that Guru Nanak disowned Sri Chand, Guru Angad had to be SENT AWAY from Sri Chand, Guru Nanak himself stayed back at Kartarpur to direct Sikhs to Guru Angad at Khadoor and that Guru Arjun recorded the deviancy of Sri Chand in the Pothi Sahib. Why then would Sikh Gurus “go to him for spiritual guidance”?

SECOND, these tales attempt to put Sri Chand on par with the luminary Sikh Baba Budha Ji who lived through the physical existence of six Gurus. Sri Chand too is said to have “lived through 6 Gurus.”

We know that Sri Chand was born in 1494 and Baba Gurditta ji in 1613. If indeed the story of Guru Hargobind sending his son Baba Gurditta ji to take over from Sri Chand upon his death in 1629 is accepted; then it would mean that Sri Chand lived to 135 years of age. And that Baba Gurditta ji took over at age 16 even if he had no exposure to Udasi life.

Further, Baba Gurditta ji was married –putting to lie the claim of him being a leader of the Udasi sect. Udasi leaders had to be celibate, sanyiasis practicing ghar baar da tyaag (renunciation of family life) as opposed to Baba Gurditta ji’s Ghristi (married householder) life.

The 135-year life span tale is congruent to fake kundalini yoga claims that their practices had the “power to extend human life expectancy”.

THIRD, the concocted stories attempt to give a foothold to Sri Chand in the composition of Gurbani. The claim is that had Sri Chand not given the solution to Guru Arjun ji, Sukhmani would never have been completed. An incomplete Sukhmani would have meant an incomplete Pothi Sahib first and then an incomplete SGGS. So this story makes Sri Chand the credit and responsibility for SGGS ji. No Sri Chand would have meant no SGGS ji !

FOURTH, there is an attempt to suggest that Sri Chand’s spiritual prowess were known outside of the Sikh world too. Mian Mir and Jahangir too were aware of it.

FIFTH, these tales attempt to link the Udasis all the way to the ninth Guru. Baba Gurditta ji was the elder brother of Guru Teg Bahadur ji. Guru ji’s son would create the Khalsa and his brother would be head of the Udasi sect. What better way to establish their legitimacy amongst Sikhs – all the way to the tenth Guru?

SIXTH and most importantly, the Udasis KNEW that the SGGS contained not just mention about the deviance, defiance and rejection of Sri Chand – it also removed the Udasi sect squarely from the parameters of Sikhi.

The Udasis who took control of our Gurdwaras from 1716 onward were aware that Guru Arjun ji allowed the verses about Sri Chand’s deviancy to be included in the Pothi Sahib and that Guru Gobind Singh ji allowed them to remain in the SGGS. This meant that the messages of the verses were ETERNAL truths for Sikhs.

It was thus crucial for the Udasis to negate the value and believability of these verses if they wanted to take charge of Sikh Gurdwaras and Sikh psyche. So they created a plethora of concocted Sakhis about our Gurus going to Sri Chand and “patching up” the relationship.

A number of Sikh preachers are heard saying that “the actions of the fourth, fifth and sixth Gurus in going to Sri Chand” mean that “Sri Chand was accepted back into the fold of Sikhi.”

These preachers have no answer when asked “Why then did Guru Arjun ji NOT remove the verses on page 967 of the SGGS? Why didn’t Guru Gobind Singh ji do the same when he re-compiled the Pothi Sahib and installed it as Guru in 1708? Why would TWO Gurus leave intact the verses on page 967 of the SGGS if they were “no longer true” given that “Sri Chand had been readmitted into the Sikhi fold”?

The truth is that the verses on page 967 of the SGGS are eternal truths while the sakhis of our Gurus going to Sri Chand are all concocted.


THE DISTORTION OF SIKHI BY THE UDASIS.


The Udasi control over our Gurdwaras (and by extension Sikh psyche) corrupted and distorted Sikhi to the core and in more ways that can be imagined. Some of the distortions are as follows:
  1. They altered the maryada, practices and ceremonies at Gurdwaras. The standard philosophy of the Udasis came from the Upnishads and Simritis. The Udasi yoga practices were rooted in Shiv Puran which was an offshoot of the Vedas. The practices of the Udasi sect were thus derived from Vedic thought. A great variety of practices at the Darbar Sahib today – the ban on women from performing spiritual acts in the Darbar, the washing of the floors with milk and the non-stop burning of lamps and incense are examples of practices that have their origins in deviant Udasi beliefs.
  • They introduced Udasi rituals and practices into Sikhi. The ritual of reciting mantras repeatedly, the linking of vegetarianism to Sikh philosophy, the exalted position of celibacy for spiritual persons, bathing as acts of spirituality, the making of offerings to the Gods and performance of penance have their origins in Udasi beliefs. These rituals and practices will be consolidated, expanded and rooted deeper into Sikhi by the other groups who will control Sikh Gurdwaras subsequent to the Udasis – namely the Nirmalas, Mahants and Dera Sants.
  • They conspired with the Benares based Vedic clergy to alter Guru Nanak’s birth date from the month of Vesakh to Katakh. In reality, Katakh was the birth month of Sri Chand himself. The reason behind the switch was sinister – to replace the primacy of Guru Nanak by that of Sri Chand. Sikhs would celebrate Katakh Dee Pooranmashi thinking it was the birth date of their founder Guru; while the Udasis celebrated the same day as the birth of Sri Chand. Practiced over decades, the two persons would fuse into one entity, and Sri Chand would become the prime individual figure of Sikhi in the mind of the ordinary Sikh.
The Vedic Clergy had their own sinister reasons to push Guru Nanak’s birthday from Vesakh (which is considered an auspicious month for celebrations linked to Brahmins only) to Katakh which is considered an unclean month reserved for celebrations linked to the lower castes (Diwali for the Bania caste and Holi for the untouchable Shudars). A child born on the puranmashi of Katakh was considered most inauspicious amongst Vedic believers. It thus served the sinister Bippar Clergy to push this day as the birthdate of Guru Nanak ji.

The objective of the Udasis was equally sinister. They wanted Sri Chand to replace Guru Nanak as the prime spiritual guide for the Sikhs.

THE REVIVAL OF UDASI SECT TODAY

The Udasis gradually took a back seat when the other superior groups (Nirmalas and Dera Sants) stepped successively into the shoes of the Udasis to take control of Sikhi. But the 20 Century has seen attempts to revive the Udasi position in Sikhi.

Two groups of non-main stream Sikhs are linking up with and promoting Sri Chand today. The first is the Yogi Bhajan group which considers kundalni yoga to be at the core of its practices. Large portraits of Sri Chand are found in Yogi Bhajan Ashrams and Sri Chand’s birthday is celebrated regularly with the aim of reviving his anti-Sikhi messages. Sri Chand’s life stories and tales of his miraculous powers are often narrated in their Ashrams and literature.

The second group which are attempting to revive the Sri Chand legacy consist of the Dera based Sant groups.

chants.jpg

While the kundalini groups may be legitimately connecting to Sri Chand – after all he was a practitioner of their version of yoga; the aims of the Dera based Sant groups are more sinister. They are part of the continuing and long running Bhramanic / Bippar conspiracy to fragment the Sikhs.

The ultimate goal of such a conspiracy is to rob Sikhi of its distinctiveness; to assimilate Sikhi into the larger fold of an antiquated and rejected system; to cut the philosophical roots of Sikhi and to undo the 239 of work that had been painstakingly undertaken by our Gurus.

It appears that the Brahmin Bippar conspiracy that was conceived on the day that Guru Nanak refused to wear his Janeyu has come to fruition with help from Sri Chand.

babasrichand.jpg

The dera based sant groups have begun celebrating the birthday of Sri Chand on a large scale with Kirtan and Katha diwans.

The dera based sant groups have begun large scale propaganda to get Sri Chand cunningly accepted into mainstream Sikhi. Currently the biggest collusion with the Sri Chandees (and the Nirmalas too) is led by the Sant Samaj (a pressure group of “sant”). The current leadership of Sant Samaj is located in Dera Chownk Mehta (renamed Dumdumee Taksal in the 1970s) – a dera that has considerable influence in Sikh institutions such as the Akaal Takhat and SGPC. AT Jathedars and SGPC leaders have lent their support to events such as large scale celebrations of Sri Chand birthdays organized by the Sant Samaj.

A detailed analysis of this UdaseNirmalaDera complicity will be conducted in the Part Four of this series of essays. This connivance appears adequately supported by the right wing Hindu supremacy touting BJP led government of India today- through its instruments of mass media as well as funding.

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RD1

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Sep 25, 2016
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The more I'm reading, the more I am learning about different perspectives on sikhi. So much of the mainstream thought about sikhi seems wrong.....has it gotten to a point of no return?
 

RD1

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Sep 25, 2016
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Basically every Sikh I know belives very strongly that our Guru's performed miracles. It is very ingrained. Can we say for sure that this is false? Or is it all truly influence from other religions?

How much is distorted, how much is not?
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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Basically every Sikh I know belives very strongly that our Guru's performed miracles. It is very ingrained. Can we say for sure that this is false? Or is it all truly influence from other religions?

How much is distorted, how much is not?
Would you beleive it..that the Birthday celebrated in NOVEMBER as that of Guru nanak ji is actually the Birthday of Sri Chand !!! Thats how much distortion has crept in....Guru nanak jis actual Birth as endorsed by Bhai Gurdass ji is in APRIL..and thats why GURU GOBIND SINGH chose the same day to Complete His Mission by revealing the Khalsa on that Particular Day in Vaisakh.
 

Dr.Alta

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Apr 16, 2018
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It sounds like you're buying into the Sikhi is the one true religion garbage. It's clear that the the Gurbani doesn't refer solely to SGGS. Just a verified part of it.
 

sukhsingh

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Dr sahib ji I very much respect your views and posts. And I for one never had much time for udasi narratives . But I do find it interesting the terms with which it is discussed and I believe that the relationship between udasis and sikh panth is far more nuanced and complicated than you present here..

In addition I would like to point out a few things based on what you have said.. Please let me be clear from the outset that I have no personal investment or axe to grind .. My wife keeps a picture of baba Sri chand in our sons bedroom and leaves offerings of sugar and such things which I have a problem with but whilst I can and do challenge it I have to live with it. It does nothing to my beliefs..

I find the narrative of sikh being corrupted by 'the other ' as dangerous.. But here are some specific questions I have .

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sikhi as it is practiced today, is no longer the Sikhi that was taught to us by our Gurus. It is a spirituality that stands distorted, corrupted and tainted.

What exactly was the sikhi practiced by our gurus.. You seem to characterise the practice of sikhi as a cultural thing which was consistent and articulated in ways that were constant and unchanging.. On a existential level I would agree but each guru sahib manifested and brought new understandings to the meaning of what it was to be a sikh

One concocted narration relates to a purported visit to Sri Chand by Guru Ramdas ji who “needed the blessings of Guru Nanak through his son Sri Chand.” Sri Chand is said to have asked Guruji “why is your beard so long?” and Guru ji is said to have replied “to dust your feet with.”

You on one hand dismiss sakhis and hagiographic accounts of guru sahibs lives yet draw upon such a hagiographic account to evidence why we should be wary of udasis . Can't have it both ways .

In addition the version of this story that I am aware of does not reference baba Sri chand but a Bedi descendant of guru nanak ji who held pothis .. Furthermore, if you we believe Sri chand ji was a ascetic then why was he in a house. Not really the place for a renunciator ?

FIRST, they attempt to establish the lie that Sikh Gurus not only kept in touch with the out-casted Sri Chand, but that our Gurus visited him regularly to “obtain spiritual guidance.

I have never heard that Guru sahib went to visit Sri Chand ji for spiritual succour, furthermore every narrative of the udasis I have ever heard have only ever expressed the supremacy of SGGSJ and guru sahibs.. I have never heard udasis say Sri Chand ji as being a higher source of respect

Another concocted story relates to Emperor Jehangir asking Mian Mir, “Who is the greatest Saint alive today?” And Mian Mir replied, “At this time the elder son of Guru Nanak is the king of the Saints.”

Again the version of this story which I have heard suggests that mian mir said guru arjun dev ji was above all others .

Finally there is one elephant in the room.. Why was baba Sri chand invited to Sri harminder sahib during its construction and the place where he stayed the brahm boota akhara established and still there to this day despite the machinations of SGPC ?

Lastly lastly lastly, I have always found the the truly pluralistic nature of sikhi as being its defining characteristic.. Muslim rababis were sikh and were never asked or lesser Sikhs.. In fact they were held in high esteem because they challenged common notions of 'belonging' .. The idea that sikhi was infiltrated and undermined by udasis is in my opinion lazy.. Yes brahmanical forces and greedy mahants tried to lessen the message.. But surely we should be careful not to fall in the traps of oversimplification
 

Tejwant Singh

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It sounds like you're buying into the Sikhi is the one true religion garbage. It's clear that the the Gurbani doesn't refer solely to SGGS. Just a verified part of it.
Dr. Alta,
Please mind the language when you talk about any religion and by calling it garbage you demean yourself. We all have different opinions which we are all entitled to
Civility should be in the front seat especially from a person who calls him/herself a Doctor.

You may have many disagreements with the article. Please feel free to counter your argument with the context from the SGGS, Sikhs' only Guru or from any other source related to the subject with tangible examples and point by point based on the article.
Let's have a constructive and interactive conversation where both can learn. And I promise you that there will be no garbage anywhere near.
 

Dr.Alta

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Apr 16, 2018
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Dr. Alta,
Please mind the language when you talk about any religion
How exactly Am I suppose to let you know I think you're using crap reasoning. MY first instincts with to call it just that, but a checked myself, it;s not like the word garbage is rude term. IT unfair to inset that be best isn't god enough and I should just pretend I don't exist if I can't expresses my honest feelings in a polite way.

You may have many disagreements with the article. Please feel free to counter your argument with the context from the SGGS,
It's not a specific portion of SGGS. it's taking the the work as a whole.
 

Dr.Alta

SPNer
Apr 16, 2018
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My wife keeps a picture of baba Sri chand in our sons bedroom and leaves offerings of sugar and such things which I have a problem with but whilst I can and do challenge it I have to live with it. It does nothing to my beliefs..
It;s inkeeping with Sikhi to show respect to you're enemies. AS long as she isn't doing it to show respet and not as a Supplication, i see nothing wrong with it.

Can't have it both ways .
Here, Here. You are a true saint for putting it so politely.

Furthermore, if you we believe Sri chand ji was a ascetic then why was he in a house. Not really the place for a renunciator ?
There are no renounciaters, there are no House Holders. 'ascetic' is an adjective not a noun.
 

sukhsingh

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Aug 13, 2012
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It;s inkeeping with Sikhi to show respect to you're enemies. AS long as she isn't doing it to show respet and not as a Supplication, i see nothing wrong with it.

Here, Here. You are a true saint for putting it so politely.

There are no renounciaters, there are no House Holders. 'ascetic' is an adjective not a noun.
Interesting
 

Logical Sikh

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Sep 22, 2018
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The more I'm reading, the more I am learning about different perspectives on sikhi. So much of the mainstream thought about sikhi seems wrong.....has it gotten to a point of no return?

I think it is actually in a brighter spot than it was back 30-40 years ago, Because more and more people are questioning the Koor Parchaar and the Pakhands in sikhism.
I AM AN EXAMPLE OF IT... i used to accept everything that my parents said about sikhi as truth, now i know that what they taught me is 90% BRAHMANWAAD.
i Dont see it as an INTERFAITH FIGHT. I see this as Fight in ACTUAL sikhs and people who looks like sikhs.












THIS IS MY CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF SIKHI, BUT SIKHI IS ALWayS ABOUT KEEP LEARNING SO I WONT REJECT ANY STRONG ARGUMENT IF IT HAS SOME LOGIC BEHIND IT.
 

Ram_Muni

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Mar 9, 2021
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Ram Ram

@drdpsn I would first like to ask you to put down the 3HO koolaid and not equate this "Yogi Bhajan" to my Daada Guru BaBa Sri chand. Yes the places established by this man had many pictures of BaBa. There were also many pictures of Guru Nanak im sure and he gave many people the name Khalsa however that dose not make them so. Just as putting up pictures of BaBa dose not make him an Udasi. He never took Guru Diksha From an Udasi sant and he proclaimed himself a false 11th Guru. now let me teach you a few things about BaBa ji because It would seam that you are very very misinformed.


I would beg you not to to misunderstand my Daada Guru Sri Chand Ji. My Guru has given me a little name, and my little name is Ram Muni. I am a simple "cela" of BaBa ji, a child of only 2 years,13 generations removed from BaBa Sri Chand ji and the Dhuni of Baba Gurditta. I also implore you to listen to the loving words of BaBa ji. If you truly believe the Matra Sahib was composed by a Yogi, then I ask you to search all of the ashrams belonging to the Udasi Bara Akarda. You will find no images of him useing yoga mudra's. No you will only find him sitting, or surrounded by the faithful who have come to listen. He may have been called a Yogi by contemporaries but he never called himself a Yogi. The Followers of Guru Gorakhnath tried very hard to make him one, yet he did not accept. That did not keep Guru Gorakhnath's followers from labeling him a Yogi.

While he is revered as the manifestation of Shiv Ji within the Udasi sampradaya today, He did not teach Yoga "the philosophical tradition" or preach it. No different than How Buddha is called Hindu and revered as Vishnu these days, despite it as well as the Udasi being a heterodox tradition. BaBa only lived to spread the Guru's Naam as a missionary of the Sikhs. Regardless of what Deities lined the walls of an Udasi Durbar, it was the SGGS ji that took the Seat of honor. Useing the Idols of Hindu god's he attracted the local devotees. With his great knowledge of Sanskrit and Vedas the local Brahmans could not outwit him. Attracted by the familiar idols, he guided those with blind faith. Leading them to the Guru Granth Sahib and opend their eyes to the truth of one God.

Now let me inform you on the nature of BaBa Sri Chand, as you really have no understanding of his life. He renounced all worldly things such as marriage and Family, so it would not be posable for him to lead the Sikh's anyway. You Do BaBA wrong, comparing the Udasi to 3HO. Just as 3H0's founder was wrong to name himself the 11th Guru so to did he use BaBa Ji's name and idol to promote himself.

You first quote Bhai Gurdas, Who was born some 20 years after the First Guru left his earthly vessel. As such he could have had no experance of the relation between Guru Nanka dev Ji and BaBa ji. May I also mention that the quote you use, is not even found in the SGGS Ji. Were you to search all of the SGGS Ji, you will find no mention of ill will between Guru Nanak and his son, indead it is simply a lie......

I beg of you not to criticize BaBa Sri Chand. You use the words of Bhai Balvand Ji and Bhai Satta Ji. They have already begged forgiveness for slandering the Guru and were forgiven, yet now you slander the Gurus family in their name????? Read Rāmkalī mėhlā 1 siḏẖ gosat and listen to BaBA Ji's Matra sahib. Let his love for Guru Nanak ji Fill your heart with truth. Surely if the Guru can forgive the slander of Bhai Balvand Ji and Bhai Satta Ji, then he can forgive his son for not picking up a bowl that had fallen into a lake of filth.

Let us not forget, that service "sewa" is our connection, without sewa faith is rendered meaningless. It is the duty of a son to do his fathers bidding, simply doing ones duty can not be called sewa. It would have been improper for BaBa Sri Chand ji to deny Bhai Lehna the opertunity to do sewa for the Guru. BaBa Ji was fully aware that his father was preparing Bhai Lehna to become a suitable vessel. I Hope that you may visit the Kumbh Mela and see for your own eyes the udasi sampradaya. I can tell you, kundalini is the last thing you will find being practices there. Indeed the follows of that Yogi Bhajan would be beat with sticks should they even try to enter the camp belonging to the Bara Udasi Panchayati Akarda.

I would like to point out now that there are many in India and abrod who use the name Udasi without any connection to our founder Guru Sri Chand. Without guru diksha, they are no better than the false "Guru" Yogi Bhajan. It is in part due to Yogi Bhajan that many cheats claim to be Udasi and scam people for money. However they corrupt both the teaching of the SGGS Ji as well as BaBa ji in there attempt to paint themselves into a false narrative they themselves have created.

While BaBa Sri Chand ji did in fact take the path of a renunciate, It was never a requirement of Udasi saints. You can find many true Udasi Saints who are married. This is becuase when one recives guru diksha in the tradition of the Bara Udasi Akarda they are asked if they have intentions of being a house holder or a celibate. Many like myself who are celibate receive with there name the title of Muni, and it is reserved only for celibate Udasi. If ones receives guru diksha in the tradition of a householder, many times the title Das is affixed to their new name. Should one with the Title of Muni decide to enter the householder life style, as some do in the later stages in life, then they tend to drop Muni and use the Das suffix or put Bhai before the name given to them.

I don't know where you knowledge of the Udasi come from so I will assume it is all hearsay drdpsn bhai. As for your claims about Baba Gurditta, as I have already said there was no "Rule" that marriage was not allowed. The appointing of him also eased the way for masses of lay devotes, many whom were converts from Hinduism towards Sikhs faith. You claim many times that BaBa ji attempted a Coup upon his fathers death but it could not be less true. BaBa ji had no interest in the throne of Guru Nanka dev Ji, and His sending him to Khadoor was to spread the roots of the Sikh faith and perhaps for his safty. The storm you say was kicked up at Kartarpur, was the work of scheming brahmans with the help of wealthy "ruling" Hindu/Muslims who had for long courted BaBa Sri Chand ji Believing he would be the Successor to followers of Guru Nanak. However BaBa ji quickly left the city upon his fathers death, not wishing to get involved with such men. You must understand that the people still left in Kartarpur at that time were Hindus and Muslims. They were Nanak bhakt's, and still had much attachment to their Hindu or Muslim faiths. All those who truly loved Guru Nanak and his teachings had already shifted to Khadoor in order to offer sewa to the Gurus new vessel. Many of the Hindu élite there had expected BaBa Sri Chand to take over, however BaBA ji had no interest and quickly returned to his missionary work leaving Kartarpur after his fathers death.

BaBA ji was very well versed in Sanskrit, the Vedas, he also looked like a "typical" Sadhu so even the pundits gathered round. However none of the Pundits could outwit him, so they decided to join him but none were interested in discarding their caste. They saw how BaBa ji was able to gather many Hindu devotes and sought to find a nice place for themselves at BaBA Jis side. After BaBa Ji left Kartarpur to continue the work his father had asked of him these Pundits tricked many of the Lay devotees there into stay calling BaBA ji the successor to Guru Nanak Ji in order to continue exploiting the Hindus who had blindly followed BaBa ji there but had not taken Guru Nanak's words into their Heart. He retuned upon hearing of a flood in order to retrieved the urn that contained the late gurus ashs. The flood had washed away all those who had been scheming and Slandering Guru Nank and so BaBa ji decided to stay there and rebuilt a new place for the ash's of his father.

The ill will created by the Pundits in there attempt to elevate BaBa ji over the 2nd guru had sowed poison into the relation for some time. Thoes who left after Guru Nanaks death spoke of the pundits slander, as did all who visited Kartarpur before the floods washed them away. This caused ill will towards Sri Chand in Khadoor caused people to slander Sri Chand there, such is why he did not vist. It was Guru Ram Das ji who finally put an end the the slander being spoken against the family of Guru Nanak, thus prompting BaBa ji to vist.

By the time of the 10th Guru and the Khande Da Pahul , There was a clearly defined community of Shiks. Their ancestors had been following the teachings of the Guru's for Generations by that time. It's not that the Udasi exempted themselves, it simply that the Udasi community consisted of Hindus and not Shiks. I can't say much about the dark times, when the Shiks were driven out of their holy shrines. It is true that after the death's of the original Mahants assigned to take care of the shrines, corrupt individuals took over in some places. It's also true that Even the first generation of caretakers did not stop their Hindu influenced practice after settling in the Sikh shrines. However can you say with certainty, that had they stop such practices, that there would still be the Sri Harminder Sahib to even put ones head down at today. I can not, nor can I say that the Adi Granth contained there in would even have remained for me to matha tek and surrender to.

Just as no one in the Sikh faith asked Yogi Bhajan to take the SGGS and pervert its teachings or call himself the 11th guru. I can assure no one within the Udasi sampradaya asked him to use BaBa Ji's image or claim that the kundalni yoga was some teaching passed down to him. There is no teaching of Yoga, an orthodox philosophy that was popular with Guru Gorakhnath In the teaching passed down by BaBa ji to this Child of the Udasi.
 
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Ram_Muni

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Mar 9, 2021
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I would also like to point out, that had the Udasi saints not come to rest in those holy shrines left empty during the dark times. Its very likely the Nath sadhus being the other popular group in the area would have taken up residence. After the long period of absence, when the Sikh people returned there could have been much fighting between the Nath Sadhus who would have considered themselves the rightful owners having been there their whole life and having no connection to the Sikh peoples.
 

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