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Gurus What Was In Guru Nanak's Potli?

BaljeetSingh

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Jun 24, 2005
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We all know that Guru Nanak spent many years of his life traveling across the South East Asia. Ever wondered what all did he carry with him in all his travels? Please reply to this post by suggesting what items Guru Nanak would have carried in all his travels. Please respond with the item name and a line or two justifying your response.

Thanks

I am posting here some of the items already posted:

1. Strong pair of shoes/Khadaoo (wooden sandals as prevalent at that time)
2. A notebook to note down baanee of bhagats
 
Last edited:

karam

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Aug 11, 2010
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He used to carry a notebook to note down baanee, other than that I don't think he needed to carry anything material, for us he preserved baani, I don't think he carried anything material with him
 

BaljeetSingh

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How about a kirpan? Travel in those days was very dangerous, especially when you are traveling by road through dense forests where thieves and robbers could rob and kill you...Ever wondered if Guru Nanak was attacked by such thieves and robbers....Could Guru Nanak survive without carrying any weapon?
 

Admin

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How about a kirpan? Travel in those days was very dangerous, especially when you are traveling by road through dense forests where thieves and robbers could rob and kill you...Ever wondered if Guru Nanak was attacked by such thieves and robbers....Could Guru Nanak survive without carrying any weapon?
This is very intriguing question indeed! :thinkingmunda:
 

Tejwant Singh

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How about a kirpan? Travel in those days was very dangerous, especially when you are traveling by road through dense forests where thieves and robbers could rob and kill you...Ever wondered if Guru Nanak was attacked by such thieves and robbers....Could Guru Nanak survive without carrying any weapon?

Baljeet Singh ji,

Guru Fateh.

We know from the Janamsakhis that Guru Nanak was never attacked for his actions like throwing water towards the West rather than towards the Sun as the Hindus were doing. He was not attacked when he told the Hindus what the real Aarti is about. After all he was challenging their religion. Same is true for Sidh gohst in Gurbani.

We have no idea nor is there any reference in Janamsakhis that Guru Nanak carried any weapons. We can imagine and speculate anything our creative minds can create.

Tejwant Singh
 

BaljeetSingh

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Jun 24, 2005
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Well....I was not referring to attacks by other religious leaders on Guru Nanak. I was referring to "physical" attacks which were common those days (even today). There were no highways or patrols those days. It is a well known fact that all travelers (traders, etc) used to either carry some weapon or hired someone to protect themselves and their property.

When we undertake a small day trip to any city nearby, we pack everything that we might need for the trip, including clothes, food, drinks, cash and we protect our property by properly locking our cars, home, etc. Guru Nanak embarked on multi year journeys and wouldn't he had thought of logistics of undertaking those journeys?

The financial aspect for undertaking multi year journeys is also very significant. We all know Guru Nanak was born in a wealthy family and would have had no issues in arranging for funds for his journeys. But is it practical to carry wads of cash (or bags of coins) needed for multi-year trips? How did Guru Nanak arrange money to fund his travels? Wherever Guru Nanak visited, local people would have definitely offered him some gifts/funds which needed protection too. I am sure he must have distributed most of the funds to the needy, but he definitely saved some portion for his travels. Didn't that money need some physical protection?

It is very immature to assume that Guru Nanak undertook all those journeys without properly thinking about the "risks" involved in his travels. As a great visionary, I am sure he must have thought about those "risks" (of getting physically attacked by robbers and thieves) and surely would have taken steps to mitigate those risks (by carrying some sort of weapon - usually kirpan or a dagger).
 

Tejwant Singh

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It is very immature to assume that Guru Nanak undertook all those journeys without properly thinking about the "risks" involved in his travels. As a great visionary, I am sure he must have thought about those "risks" (of getting physically attacked by robbers and thieves) and surely would have taken steps to mitigate those risks (by carrying some sort of weapon - usually kirpan or a dagger).


Again, this is a mere speculation on your part. The answer to you above query is that , "We do not know" because Guru Nanak did not mention his modus operandi regarding his Udasis which were not just a few.


Tejwant Singh
 

BaljeetSingh

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I think it is just applying common sense....One can not just wake up one day and say...let me walk thousands of miles without knowing the risks involved and how to mitigate them....

If Guru Nanak never officially documented his travels details, then how do we know that whatever is in Janamsakhis is accurate (and is not speculation).
 

karam

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Aug 11, 2010
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Guru Nanak dealt with many thugs and thieves to bring them on the right path so that common people wouldn't suffer at their hands, sajjan thugg, bali kandhari are the main ones that come to mind and on his travels to Bihar he dealt with some robbers etc and there is no mention of him carrying any weapons, I guess his words were strong than any weapon
 
Oct 16, 2009
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baljeet veer nobody like's a Guru who was a normal human being like you and me all of them want a super hero Guru :veryhappymunda:

i guess he must have carried an iron bowl carried by most of the sadhu's even today
 

BaljeetSingh

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Jun 24, 2005
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Dear Sikh Royalist - I am not trying to portray Guru Nanak as a super hero. I am just trying to ask the members of this forum to start thinking what would Guru Nanak have carried with him during his travels and a weapon to protect himself from thieves and robbers comes to my mind.....

Regarding iron bowl carried by Sadhus today....Are you referring to the bowl today's sadhus carry begging for food door to door? I do not agree that Guru Nanak went door to door to beg for food.....He himself denounced it in many times in his bani.

Regards
 

spnadmin

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I think it is just applying common sense....One can not just wake up one day and say...let me walk thousands of miles without knowing the risks involved and how to mitigate them....

If Guru Nanak never officially documented his travels details, then how do we know that whatever is in Janamsakhis is accurate (and is not speculation).

This is a relevant question for the thread. Without documentation, how does one decide whether the janamsakhis are accurate and not speculation? The matter has been discussed by Sikh scholars, both in general and in relation to specific stories from the lives of all of the gurus.

http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/617-janam-sakhi-are-true-events.html

There are scholars that question the validity of the janamsakhis completely. There are others who try to match a sakhi to shabads that have historical significance. Example: the sakhis/shabads pertaining to the destruction of Lahore.

Do we need to carry this issue to a different thread BaljeetSingh ji?
 

BaljeetSingh

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Jun 24, 2005
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This is a relevant question for the thread. Without documentation, how does one decide whether the janamsakhis are accurate and not speculation? The matter has been discussed by Sikh scholars, both in general and in relation to specific stories from the lives of all of the gurus.

http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/617-janam-sakhi-are-true-events.html

There are scholars that question the validity of the janamsakhis completely. There are others who try to match a sakhi to shabads that have historical significance. Example: the sakhis/shabads pertaining to the destruction of Lahore.

Do we need to carry this issue to a different thread BaljeetSingh ji?

Dear spnadmin - Though it is a valid question, but is not directly related with the topic of this thread. At this point, I would like to keep this thread here only and continue to discuss what other things Guru Nanak carried while travelling.
 

BaljeetSingh

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Jun 24, 2005
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Guru nanak was a faquir,
He was "God" himself or the "God" in man,

If he wish "He" can call mounteverest in less than one second
I respectfully disagree that Guru Nanak was "God" or "God" in man. That theory applies to Christians where Jesus Christ claims to be son of God.

So through his journey he carried "Naam" or "Shabad" or "Word" in his "Internal potli" to distribute among the lovers of god only,
The "external poli" was just a showcase,
I agree with the concept of "internal potli". My question is about the contents of the "external potli".

Regards
 

spnadmin

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Jun 17, 2004
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Dear spnadmin - Though it is a valid question, but is not directly related with the topic of this thread. At this point, I would like to keep this thread here only and continue to discuss what other things Guru Nanak carried while travelling.

BaljeetSinghji

It was never my intention to move this thread. My concern was that if there were any lengthy digressions about janamsakhis, they need to be moved to exiting threads or to new threads. I think you are saying that these are related subjects and I agree.
 

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