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Gurus Why We Celebrate Guru Nanak Birthday In Nov?

Harry Haller

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its a cunning trick, you see, really, we should not be celebrating the birthday anyway, as the first master would not have wished that, so by changing the date to 'not the birthday', we can let off fireworks and do countless akhand paths, maybe light a few candles, bake a cake, but its not a birthday celebration, just a celebration!

and who says we Sikhs lack nous!
 

Harry Haller

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really ?...... do some of us think that it is not gurmat to celebrate birthday ?

I cannot speak for anyone else, only for myself, given the reluctance that the Gurus had for self publicity, given the attitude of the Gurus towards ritual, acceptance of Hukam, I think he may have preferred something a bit different to the way in which his birthday is celebrated by the majority.
 

Rajwinder

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Interesting .. so i think any religion as it get older and older takes diff routes and probably manipulative individuals can make these followers do what ever they think is right. It's almost like after few hundred years even sikh religion may become something that contains more meaningless rituals / thinking , less common sense and then some body will again try to bring light to take people away from these things and we will again form another religion that will again follow the same route .. what a cycle .. i think to me moment we said a new religion is born named sikhism that was starting of downgrade .. probably we could have been better without a religion
 

Sherdil

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Guru Nanak's birthday falls on April 15th. Vaisakhi is usually celebrated on April 14th. Therefore, Guru Nanak's birthday celebration was probably pushed back to avoid overlap with Vaisakhi.

In a perfect world, we would mark his birth anniversary by feeding the poor, just as he did. But most people are just looking to celebrate, i.e. make a pilgrimage, light some fireworks or distribute sweets.

At least people take the time every year to remember a great man, even if they don't apply his teachings. I also love fireworks. If anyone is worthy of fireworks, it is Guru Nanak.
 

Harry Haller

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In a perfect world, we would mark his birth anniversary by feeding the poor, just as he did. But most people are just looking to celebrate, i.e. make a pilgrimage, light some fireworks or distribute sweets.

I do not think Guru Nanakji stood for redistribution of wealth, and I do not think that the legacy of what he did was just feeding the poor. He tried to show people that pointless ritual was uhmm pointless, that feeding a poor person was and should be as pleasurable as eating a grand meal, or even more pleasurable, that even pleasure itself is subjective, and that it may even be better to question pleasure and pain, and instead accept Hukam, and ultimately the path of truth.

This path of truth encompasses many of the things the first master did, but it is the the truth that inspires this, merely doing what the truth inspires you to do, merely doing only the actions just makes you a cheap copy.

In a perfect world, we would mark his birth anniversary by being true, just as he did.

At least people take the time every year to remember a great man, even if they don't apply his teachings. I also love fireworks. If anyone is worthy of fireworks, it is Guru Nanak.

I, on the other hand, absolutely hate fireworks, I live in a seaside town that feels it is absolutely vital to have a firework display over the sea every week towards Christmas, yesterday they started at 7pm and did not finish till midnight. The result, 3 very distressed dogs, a lot of shaking, confused barking, hiding under the bed and crying. Oh look its another display of bright lights with a huge noise, hooray, well if you call this celebrating, frankly you can keep it.

I am sure the Gurus are all looking down on us with pride, oh look, they love us, ok, they have completely forgotten the basic foundations of Sikhism, but what a display!!!
 

Harry Haller

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Interesting .. so i think any religion as it get older and older takes diff routes and probably manipulative individuals can make these followers do what ever they think is right

and next the pope is catholic and bears poo in the woods.....

It's almost like after few hundred years even sikh religion may become something that contains more meaningless rituals / thinking , less common sense and then some body will again try to bring light to take people away from these things and we will again form another religion that will again follow the same route .. what a cycle ..

no, this sort of thing happens once, we had our chance, we blew it, Sikhi lives on in the hearts of the true, a state I can only aspire to.

probably we could have been better without a religion

Sikhism a religion? I have always thought of it as a way of life and contentment, rather than a religion
 

Sherdil

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Jan 19, 2014
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I do not think Guru Nanakji stood for redistribution of wealth, and I do not think that the legacy of what he did was just feeding the poor. He tried to show people that pointless ritual was uhmm pointless, that feeding a poor person was and should be as pleasurable as eating a grand meal, or even more pleasurable, that even pleasure itself is subjective, and that it may even be better to question pleasure and pain, and instead accept Hukam, and ultimately the path of truth.

This path of truth encompasses many of the things the first master did, but it is the the truth that inspires this, merely doing what the truth inspires you to do, merely doing only the actions just makes you a cheap copy.

In a perfect world, we would mark his birth anniversary by being true, just as he did.

I was actually talking about langar. It was started by Guru Nanak. Not the langar that takes place every Sunday at gurdwara. Real langar, which involves feeding people that struggle to obtain enough to eat themselves. I can assure you, that hungry people don’t care whether you are feeding them out of love or out of compulsion. As long as they are fed, you will be doing Guru ji’s work.

You can't force people to be genuine. You can only inspire them to do better. Be the change you wish to see.

harry haller said:
I, on the other hand, absolutely hate fireworks, I live in a seaside town that feels it is absolutely vital to have a firework display over the sea every week towards Christmas, yesterday they started at 7pm and did not finish till midnight. The result, 3 very distressed dogs, a lot of shaking, confused barking, hiding under the bed and crying. Oh look its another display of bright lights with a huge noise, hooray, well if you call this celebrating, frankly you can keep it.

I am sure the Gurus are all looking down on us with pride, oh look, they love us, ok, they have completely forgotten the basic foundations of Sikhism, but what a display!!!

dywkp.jpg


While we're at it, let's take off all the gold from Harmandir Sahib. Surely, the Gurus would be displeased with such a display of opulence.

I don't think following truth means that we have to become puritanical.
 

Rajwinder

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May 2, 2006
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Actually that gold thing at Harminder Sahib doesnt make sense to me. I think this "Sharda" thing is kind of blank cheque people use to do what ever in the name of religion / god etc
 

chazSingh

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Feb 20, 2012
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one pretty normal day a few years back...i was sat at work, doing the same crap i did every day, living the same routine...and the thought came into my head...

what a lame sikh i am....that after a million bows to my Guru i had never once took a moment to delve into my Guru and see what all this show is about...

and then i did...that precise moment...the wonders of this path started to emerge. and that is the day i started to celebrate the birth of Sri Guru Nanak.

Every Day i make that effort to do what Guru Ji stated, is the only worthy celebration of the divinity that exists within us all...everything else is just another excuse to eat, drink n be merry!
 

Sherdil

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Jan 19, 2014
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Just wondering, would'nt doing murti puja to an image of Guru ji be considered to be
"hurting religious sentiments"

I see a sardar standing in the background. I wouldn't be surprised if some of our own helped to set this up. Luckily, the cameras were there to capture his moment of piety.
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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Jul 4, 2004
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Guru Nanak's birthday falls on April 15th. Vaisakhi is usually celebrated on April 14th. Therefore, Guru Nanak's birthday celebration was probably pushed back to avoid overlap with Vaisakhi.

In a perfect world, we would mark his birth anniversary by feeding the poor, just as he did. But most people are just looking to celebrate, i.e. make a pilgrimage, light some fireworks or distribute sweets.

At least people take the time every year to remember a great man, even if they don't apply his teachings. I also love fireworks. If anyone is worthy of fireworks, it is Guru Nanak.[/QUOTE

AND MAYBE ?? Guru Gobind Singh Ji deliberately CHOSE VASAKHI DAY in 1699 to Reveal the Khalsa which si the Culmination of the Divine Message of Gurmatt brought by GUru nanak ji...is it not the PERFECT CIRCLE.....Begins with Birth of Nanak..completes with the Birth of the KHALSA successor to the Gugadee of Nanak !!

Point on "overlapping"...this serious malady...terminal cancer actually infects the so called Sodhia hoya nanaksahi calendar of the RSS led Badal/sgpc/jathedars etc...in this VIGGARRIYAH Nanaksahi Calendar..This Year..the Martyrdom Day of Sirhind...on DEC 26/27/28 when we celebrate the shaheedee of teh Sahibzadeh and mata Gujree jis shaheedee on Dec 28...the viggraya clandar throws in Guru Gobind Singh jis PARKASH gurpurab on DEC 28 !!!,,,Now thats what I call INTENTIONAL OVERLAPPING...BHAMBHALBHOOSAH !!!

This si just one fot eh Bhambhalbhooses introduced by the Viggrraya Calendar whcih were solved by the GENUINE 2003 Nanankshai calendar approved by the same AkalTakhat in 2003 and already adopted all over the world...and This certainly was not good news to teh RSS types..hence the Bhambhalbhooses full viggrraya calndar...

Guru nanak ji Birthday is FIRST VAISAKH ...and yes in GURMATT we should NOT celebrate births deaths of our Gurus because they never "born and never died...they even discarded their Names and chose NUMBERS...Mahalla Pehlla dooja teeja chautha panjvahn nauvan !!!! and our Guru si Shabad Guru which is like ETERNITY...how do you find the birthday/deathday of that ???
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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Taking aleafy word out of harry jis post about pleasures of agrand emal...Imho...Sikhs mostly "pleasure themselves" in the langgar thingy..Langgar is For Sikhs, BY Sikhs, Of Sikhs..self pleasuring..( naughty naughty..)...
You would be hard pressed to see a genuine poor beggar at a Gurdwara...majority are the well fed pot bellied sikhs gorging and then packing for home fridges...
 

chazSingh

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Feb 20, 2012
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Taking aleafy word out of harry jis post about pleasures of agrand emal...Imho...Sikhs mostly "pleasure themselves" in the langgar thingy..Langgar is For Sikhs, BY Sikhs, Of Sikhs..self pleasuring..( naughty naughty..)...
You would be hard pressed to see a genuine poor beggar at a Gurdwara...majority are the well fed pot bellied sikhs gorging and then packing for home fridges...


you should see the news reports of the Langar going on in the U.K both within the Gurdwara walls and out on the streets...

the immense hard work by the youths and the cooking done by the sevadars in the Gurdwaras...
to give you an example...research the Midland Langar Seva Society...

it's been a breath of fresh air, and people of all faiths have been appreciating it, taking part in it...the homeless and the needy have benefited it, and continue to benefit from it DAILY...

the re-awakening of the concept of Langar has occured due to Sikh's delving back into the basics of sikhi and putting into practice and making the world aware of it...to serve humanity...

They've turned things around :) ... changed peoples views...through action instead of sitting around and complaining about it.
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
Mentor
Writer
SPNer
Jul 4, 2004
7,708
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KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA
you should see the news reports of the Langar going on in the U.K both within the Gurdwara walls and out on the streets...

the immense hard work by the youths and the cooking done by the sevadars in the Gurdwaras...
to give you an example...research the Midland Langar Seva Society...

it's been a breath of fresh air, and people of all faiths have been appreciating it, taking part in it...the homeless and the needy have benefited it, and continue to benefit from it DAILY...

the re-awakening of the concept of Langar has occured due to Sikh's delving back into the basics of sikhi and putting into practice and making the world aware of it...to serve humanity...

They've turned things around :) ... changed peoples views...through action instead of sitting around and complaining about it.


Apologies Ji...
I MISSED out on that aspect. YES, in the UK and Canada and many places in the WEST....the "Langgar" concept has been reverted to real SEWA and its one aspect that is bringing on good comments on Sikhi and Sikhs.

2. The SGPC has salvaged some of this by sending in Langgar for 100,000 DAILY to Kashmir devastated by recent floods and the people affected are mostly NON-Sikhs..so Sarbatt da Bhalla once again brought lots of Goodwill (Largely IGNORED by the Indian Media which is expected because anything GOOD for Sikhs, Sikhi, Punjab is Bad News for the Indian Media...they only like news like..so many youths cutting hair..so many drunk..so many turning terrorists etc etc )

3. Other Gurdwaras around the world must and should change...use the Langgar to feed the genuine poor and hungry..and revert to Guru Amardass jis example where langgar was taken only after lots of sewa..unlike many SIKHS today who ARRIVE in Gurdwara just before Langgar Time..eata nd go home...or even ask around for the Best menus at which Gurdwara...this is being encouraged by the DERA CULTURE...where langgars are MENU DRIVEN.

Thanks

Jarnail Singh
 

chazSingh

Writer
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Feb 20, 2012
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Apologies Ji...
I MISSED out on that aspect. YES, in the UK and Canada and many places in the WEST....the "Langgar" concept has been reverted to real SEWA and its one aspect that is bringing on good comments on Sikhi and Sikhs.

2. The SGPC has salvaged some of this by sending in Langgar for 100,000 DAILY to Kashmir devastated by recent floods and the people affected are mostly NON-Sikhs..so Sarbatt da Bhalla once again brought lots of Goodwill (Largely IGNORED by the Indian Media which is expected because anything GOOD for Sikhs, Sikhi, Punjab is Bad News for the Indian Media...they only like news like..so many youths cutting hair..so many drunk..so many turning terrorists etc etc )

3. Other Gurdwaras around the world must and should change...use the Langgar to feed the genuine poor and hungry..and revert to Guru Amardass jis example where langgar was taken only after lots of sewa..unlike many SIKHS today who ARRIVE in Gurdwara just before Langgar Time..eata nd go home...or even ask around for the Best menus at which Gurdwara...this is being encouraged by the DERA CULTURE...where langgars are MENU DRIVEN.

Thanks

Jarnail Singh


this is the duality of life...of creation...

there will be good plumbers and bad plumbers...
good electricians and bad electricians
good sikhs and bad sikhs...

when we generalize and put everyone in the same bracket we create an illusion in peoples minds that everything is BAD...and people are discouraged to make a change because they think there's no hope..

whereas if we find those positive stories and keep talking about them, keep highlighting the positive efforts, and even use the negative stories to prompt positive action then some movement occurs :)
 
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