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Gurbani (696-703)
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Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
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Gurbani (728-750)
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Vaar Soohee (785-792)
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Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
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Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
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Gurbani (889-1008)
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Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
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ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
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ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
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Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
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Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
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Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
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Gurbani (1294-96)
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Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
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What To Do With The Un-Natural Growth Of Hair On Female Faces?
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<blockquote data-quote="Siri Kamala" data-source="post: 138316" data-attributes="member: 13802"><p>Soul_jyot ji, I very much appreciate the time you have taken to elaborate on the subject of the importance of kesh for Sikhs in such detail.</p><p></p><p>With that said, and with great respect, I must disagree with your interpretation of certain cited segments of text there above, but more importantly, this emphasis on kesh seems to be in conflict with the fact that a Sikh is commanded by the Gurus to not follow blindly rituals and superstitions which bring no spiritual or material benefit to the person or community.</p><p></p><p>I fail to see how growing my hair long (or should I say longER because my hair is already down my back, though some in the front is cut a little shorter) is going to spiritually or materially benefit me or my community. It's just hair. If I developed alopecia tomorrow and my hair all fell out, God forbid, I'd be no less connected to God than I am now, and I doubt it would damage my community in any way.</p><p></p><p>I still say the position that dictates "it should be left to grow untouched because that is natural" is an illogical straw man argument.</p><p></p><p>An equally good argument could be made that donning the Khalsa "uniform" in Western culture, as it were, erects a wall that divides us from others in a way that alienates us from the larger community we are in and makes it LESS likely that we will be connected to others in a way that makes it possible for us to be positive contributors and admired leaders.</p><p></p><p>I once lived in Juneau, Alaska. Oddly, that was where I became acquainted with Sikhs for the first time. I worked in state government with a woman who was, along with her husband and two children, a 3HO Sikh. They were the only Sikhs in the entire city of 30,000 people. Because she as a devout 3HO Sikh, every day she wore her white uniform. I never saw her in any other color or any other garb.</p><p></p><p>I was curious about her because I did not know anything about Sikhs at the time and there were certainly no gurdwaras in Southeast Alaska! So I was not put off by her "differentness" or what she wore, but I can tell you for a fact that many of my coworkers snickered behind her back, thought the way she dressed was "weird," and they found it difficult to take her seriously because her uniform made it so clear that she was different and that her belief system was primary in her life.</p><p></p><p>As such, she was avoided and marginalized to some extent. It's human nature -- the confused or ignorant mind says, "No," by default to that which is strange or new.</p><p></p><p>If she had dressed in a somewhat more conventional fashion, and let people know about her faith in a more subtle way (maybe just a kara, or a decorative khanda worn in her hair), I'm guessing it would have demystified the faith for a lot of people, and they would have seen it (and her) as more approachable instead of this weird person who always wears this alien foreign costume every day.</p><p></p><p>All this to say I'm probably not the best person to come to citing chapter and verse of the Sikh rule book. Many conservative Christians tried to do that to me when I was a Christian to explain to me why I shouldn't dance, or kiss my boyfriend, or attend a certain church, or wear certain types of clothing. They were convinced that their interpretation of the Bible was the only "correct" interpretation. I was not so convinced. The exegetical analysis doesn't end there because there is also the matter of determining what rules only applied to *those particular people*, or to people *at that particular point in time* as opposed to what might apply to ALL people across the span of ALL time. Perhaps it was critically important for Sikhs to keep kesh 300-500 years ago when they were establishing their identity as a faith, but I'm struggling to see how it is really that important now.</p><p></p><p>But mostly, things have to make sense to me.</p><p></p><p>I have yet to hear a <strong><em>credible</em></strong> and rationally persuasive argument that there is a reason to not cut my hair. I have, in the past, heard reasonably credible arguments in favor of male circumcision -- those arguments have to do with the incidence of cancer in uncircumcised males being somewhat higher than it is for circumcised males, prevention of venereal disease, etc. -- but note that those are arguments that never *need to* resort to "Because God said so" because they can stand on their own merits.</p><p></p><p>So... again, thank you. I appreciate the good and righteous intent of what you have offered me. peacesignkaur</p><p></p><p>That said, it's just not something that resonates at all with my sense of who God is or what God wants from us.</p><p></p><p>And with that I will leave you with Akon & India.Arie singing "I Am Not My Hair"...(which is a fun and fabulously joyful and empowering song, regardless of what one believes about God or hair) -- lyrics are below:</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4</a></p><p></p><p><em><strong>Akon:</strong></em></p><p><em>I can kinda recall a little ways</em></p><p><em>small tryin to ball</em></p><p><em>I always been black</em></p><p><em>And my hair I tried it all</em></p><p><em>I even went flat</em></p><p><em>Had a gumby, a curly top, and all that crap</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>See, I was tryin to be appreciated</em></p><p><em>Nappy headed brothas never had no ladies</em></p><p><em>Then I hit the barber shop real quick</em></p><p><em>Had him give me little twists</em></p><p><em>And it drove them crazy</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>But then I couldnt get no job</em></p><p><em>Cuz corporate wouldn't hire no dread locks</em></p><p><em>Then I thought about my dawgs on the block</em></p><p><em>Startin to understand why they chose to steal and rob</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Was it the hair that got me this far?</em></p><p><em>All these girls, these cribs, these cars?</em></p><p><em>I hate to say it but it seems so flawed</em></p><p><em>cuz success didnt come till i cut it all off</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Verse 1:</strong></em></p><p><em>Little girl with the press and curls</em></p><p><em>Age 8 I got a Jheri-curl</em></p><p><em>13 and I got a relaxer</em></p><p><em>I was the source of so much laughter</em></p><p><em>15 when it all broke off</em></p><p><em>18 when I went all-natural</em></p><p><em>February 2002</em></p><p><em>I went on and did what I had to do</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Cuz it was time to change my life</em></p><p><em>To become the woman that I am inside</em></p><p><em>'97 dread locks all grown</em></p><p><em>I looked in the mirror for</em></p><p><em>the first time and saw</em></p><p><em>that (hey)</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Chorus:</strong></em></p><p><em>I am not my hair</em></p><p><em>I am not this skin</em></p><p><em>I am not your expectations (no)</em></p><p><em>I am not my hair</em></p><p><em>I am not this skin</em></p><p><em>I am the soul that lives within</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Verse 2:</strong></em></p><p><em>Good hair means curls and waves.</em></p><p><em>Bad hair means you look like a slave</em></p><p><em>At the turn of the century </em></p><p><em>It´s time for us to redefine who'll we be</em></p><p><em>You can shave it off like a South African beauty</em></p><p><em>Got it on “lock” like Bob Marley</em></p><p><em>You can rock it straight like Oprah Winfrey</em></p><p><em>It’s not what’s on your head,</em></p><p><em>it’s what’s underneath (and say hey...)</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Chorus:</strong></em></p><p><em>I am not my hair</em></p><p><em>I am not this skin</em></p><p><em>I am not your expectations (no)</em></p><p><em>I am not my hair</em></p><p><em>I am not this skin</em></p><p><em>I am the soul that lives within</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Bridge:</strong></em></p><p><em>Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?</em></p><p><em>(no, no, no, no, no...)</em></p><p><em>Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend?</em></p><p><em>(no, no, no, no, no...)</em></p><p><em>Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity?</em></p><p><em>(no, no, no, no, no...)</em></p><p><em>I'm just expressing my creativity!</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Verse 3:</strong></em></p><p><em>Breast cancer, chemotherapy</em></p><p><em>Took away her crowning glory</em></p><p><em>She promised God if she was to survive</em></p><p><em>She would enjoy every day of her life</em></p><p><em>On national television her</em></p><p><em>diamond eyes are sparkling</em></p><p><em>Bald-headed like a full moon shining</em></p><p><em>Singing out to the whole wide world like, "Heeeey..."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Chorus x2:</strong></em></p><p><em>I am not my hair</em></p><p><em>I am not this skin</em></p><p><em>I am not your expectations (no)</em></p><p><em>I am not my hair</em></p><p><em>I am not this skin</em></p><p><em>I am the soul that lives within</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>If I wanna shave it close</em></p><p><em>or I wanna rock locks</em></p><p><em>That don’t take a bit away from</em></p><p><em>this soul that I got</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>If I wanna wear it</em></p><p><em>braided all down my back</em></p><p><em>I don’t see nothing wrong with that</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Siri Kamala, post: 138316, member: 13802"] Soul_jyot ji, I very much appreciate the time you have taken to elaborate on the subject of the importance of kesh for Sikhs in such detail. With that said, and with great respect, I must disagree with your interpretation of certain cited segments of text there above, but more importantly, this emphasis on kesh seems to be in conflict with the fact that a Sikh is commanded by the Gurus to not follow blindly rituals and superstitions which bring no spiritual or material benefit to the person or community. I fail to see how growing my hair long (or should I say longER because my hair is already down my back, though some in the front is cut a little shorter) is going to spiritually or materially benefit me or my community. It's just hair. If I developed alopecia tomorrow and my hair all fell out, God forbid, I'd be no less connected to God than I am now, and I doubt it would damage my community in any way. I still say the position that dictates "it should be left to grow untouched because that is natural" is an illogical straw man argument. An equally good argument could be made that donning the Khalsa "uniform" in Western culture, as it were, erects a wall that divides us from others in a way that alienates us from the larger community we are in and makes it LESS likely that we will be connected to others in a way that makes it possible for us to be positive contributors and admired leaders. I once lived in Juneau, Alaska. Oddly, that was where I became acquainted with Sikhs for the first time. I worked in state government with a woman who was, along with her husband and two children, a 3HO Sikh. They were the only Sikhs in the entire city of 30,000 people. Because she as a devout 3HO Sikh, every day she wore her white uniform. I never saw her in any other color or any other garb. I was curious about her because I did not know anything about Sikhs at the time and there were certainly no gurdwaras in Southeast Alaska! So I was not put off by her "differentness" or what she wore, but I can tell you for a fact that many of my coworkers snickered behind her back, thought the way she dressed was "weird," and they found it difficult to take her seriously because her uniform made it so clear that she was different and that her belief system was primary in her life. As such, she was avoided and marginalized to some extent. It's human nature -- the confused or ignorant mind says, "No," by default to that which is strange or new. If she had dressed in a somewhat more conventional fashion, and let people know about her faith in a more subtle way (maybe just a kara, or a decorative khanda worn in her hair), I'm guessing it would have demystified the faith for a lot of people, and they would have seen it (and her) as more approachable instead of this weird person who always wears this alien foreign costume every day. All this to say I'm probably not the best person to come to citing chapter and verse of the Sikh rule book. Many conservative Christians tried to do that to me when I was a Christian to explain to me why I shouldn't dance, or kiss my boyfriend, or attend a certain church, or wear certain types of clothing. They were convinced that their interpretation of the Bible was the only "correct" interpretation. I was not so convinced. The exegetical analysis doesn't end there because there is also the matter of determining what rules only applied to *those particular people*, or to people *at that particular point in time* as opposed to what might apply to ALL people across the span of ALL time. Perhaps it was critically important for Sikhs to keep kesh 300-500 years ago when they were establishing their identity as a faith, but I'm struggling to see how it is really that important now. But mostly, things have to make sense to me. I have yet to hear a [B][I]credible[/I][/B] and rationally persuasive argument that there is a reason to not cut my hair. I have, in the past, heard reasonably credible arguments in favor of male circumcision -- those arguments have to do with the incidence of cancer in uncircumcised males being somewhat higher than it is for circumcised males, prevention of venereal disease, etc. -- but note that those are arguments that never *need to* resort to "Because God said so" because they can stand on their own merits. So... again, thank you. I appreciate the good and righteous intent of what you have offered me. peacesignkaur That said, it's just not something that resonates at all with my sense of who God is or what God wants from us. And with that I will leave you with Akon & India.Arie singing "I Am Not My Hair"...(which is a fun and fabulously joyful and empowering song, regardless of what one believes about God or hair) -- lyrics are below: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4[/url] [I][B]Akon:[/B] I can kinda recall a little ways small tryin to ball I always been black And my hair I tried it all I even went flat Had a gumby, a curly top, and all that crap See, I was tryin to be appreciated Nappy headed brothas never had no ladies Then I hit the barber shop real quick Had him give me little twists And it drove them crazy But then I couldnt get no job Cuz corporate wouldn't hire no dread locks Then I thought about my dawgs on the block Startin to understand why they chose to steal and rob Was it the hair that got me this far? All these girls, these cribs, these cars? I hate to say it but it seems so flawed cuz success didnt come till i cut it all off [B]Verse 1:[/B] Little girl with the press and curls Age 8 I got a Jheri-curl 13 and I got a relaxer I was the source of so much laughter 15 when it all broke off 18 when I went all-natural February 2002 I went on and did what I had to do Cuz it was time to change my life To become the woman that I am inside '97 dread locks all grown I looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that (hey) [B]Chorus:[/B] I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations (no) I am not my hair I am not this skin I am the soul that lives within [B]Verse 2:[/B] Good hair means curls and waves. Bad hair means you look like a slave At the turn of the century It´s time for us to redefine who'll we be You can shave it off like a South African beauty Got it on “lock” like Bob Marley You can rock it straight like Oprah Winfrey It’s not what’s on your head, it’s what’s underneath (and say hey...) [B]Chorus:[/B] I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations (no) I am not my hair I am not this skin I am the soul that lives within [B]Bridge:[/B] Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person? (no, no, no, no, no...) Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend? (no, no, no, no, no...) Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity? (no, no, no, no, no...) I'm just expressing my creativity! [B]Verse 3:[/B] Breast cancer, chemotherapy Took away her crowning glory She promised God if she was to survive She would enjoy every day of her life On national television her diamond eyes are sparkling Bald-headed like a full moon shining Singing out to the whole wide world like, "Heeeey..." [B]Chorus x2:[/B] I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations (no) I am not my hair I am not this skin I am the soul that lives within If I wanna shave it close or I wanna rock locks That don’t take a bit away from this soul that I got If I wanna wear it braided all down my back I don’t see nothing wrong with that[/I] [/QUOTE]
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