"Sagal santan peh vast ek maago||
I beg of all the Saints: please, give me the merchandise". SGGS||99

Walking my dog is often an opportunity for introspection. One time I happened to think about prosperity and the laws of attraction.

I reflected on some earlier musings considering ways that Sikhs might manifest success in their lives perhaps by performing akhand or sidharan paath, complete readings of Guru Granth Sahib, by listening to or reciting the scripture of Sukhmani, performing seva, selfless service, or sharing of earnings.

Once when reading gurbani, the scripture of Guru Granth Sahib, I had come across a verse where Guru Arjan had written that he would give all his property to anyone who could unite him with God. Pondering the implications, I confess to having felt a bit shaken.

As I walked on I recited a bit of gurbani still searching outwardly for clues to show me the path to prosperity. I imagined holding out my hands and having them filled up, as though the heavens opened up and rained down all blessings. Coming back to reality I could see they held only a dogs leash.

Walking on, I thought about how two magnets close together may either attract or repel. Turn one around and a reversal occurs. Of a sudden it came to me that I had been thinking in reverse attempting to understand and compel affluence.

The tendency is to look outsides oneself when seeking to fulfill, when in reality fortune is self contained. The greatest treasure is within. Looking inward one discovers the source of all abundance, the true and inexhaustible wealth, an inner emanating golden light welling up, spilling over, flooding, seeping, and saturating one with opulence.

"Satgur milai oultee bhee nav nidh kharchio khaao||
Meeting the True Guru, I am totally transformed; I have obtained the nine treasures to use and consume.||

Ataareh sidhee pichhai lagee-aa firan nij ghar vasai nij thaae||
The eighteen supernatural spiritual powers-follow in my footsteps; I dwell in my own home, within my own self". SGGS||91

A little dog, by the name of Mini-me, yapping in the neighboring yard set me to thinking about the many me's, - the infinite manifestations of Ik Onkar, of whom we are all part and participle. One formless, creative, essence whose inventive and productive personality, with meditative focus, brought into being all of existence in an out pouring of prolific, unending, fruitful, fertility.

"Anik oop khin maa-eh kudrat dhardaa"||
"By His creative power, He assumes numerous forms in an instant." SGGS||519

It may be a bit backwards, but reflecting on a dog's name led to contemplating both God's name and bountiful disposition. The giver, the source of all resources, the plentiful replenisher, fulfiller, and refiller of all depletions, is the ultimate eliminator of all emptinesses.

"simrat simrat prabh aapnnaa sabh fal paa-ae aa-eh "||
"Contemplating and meditating on my God, I obtain all the fruits." SGGS||519

Wordless Wednesday : An Ocean of Humanity Attend the Yuba City Annual Sikh Parade

An Ocean of Humanity Attend the Yuba City Annual Sikh Parade
Photo © Khalsa Panth

What is the Yuba City Annual Sikh Parade?
What is the Annual Guru Gadee Inauguration?
What is a Gur Purab?

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Photo © [Khalsa Panth]

The plain and simple facts are that no one knows exactly when to celebrate Guru Nanak's Birthday so Sikhs have picked the most convenient full moon which shines in exactly the opposite half of the year as his recorded birth to celebrate. It seems too many celebrations took place around the time of his actual birth, so a couple of centuries ago, (give or take a few decades depending on which calendar one happens to use), Sikhs matter of factly set aside a time when not a lot else happened to be going on.

Guru Nanak wrote:
"mannai mag na chalai panth ||
The faithful do not follow empty religious rituals." SGGS||3

There is nothing empty about the ritual of observing Guru Nanak's birth. In fact in many places the ritual of celebration is packed completely full for at least three days. The truth is that Sikhs make up for any confusion of dates by whole heartedly observing the commemoration of Nanak's birth.

In Nankana Sahib (Pakistan) the place of Guru Nanak's birth, celebrations may go on for at least 3 days. First, an entire reading of Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture is read over a 48 hour period of time. Next, kirtan, the singing of hymns, begins before dawn and continues for 24 hours throughout the full-moon lit night as fireworks explode. Finally, Siri Guru Granth Sahib is paraded down the streets on a float through the town for several hours in a Nagar Kirtan, accompanied by devotees singing hymns and then returned to the gurdwara. All the while, langar, the Guru's divine dining, sacred meal service, is available for any and every hungry person.

Talk about it.

Harinder Kaur (Mai) is a Sikh woman whose family died October 31, 1984 in the Delhi riots following the assassination of Indira Ghandi. She is the author of the blog "The Road to Khalistan", a very personal memorial to the murder of her family which describes the events of their martyrdom.

I have to warn you "Beware". Her story has me in tears every time I read it. Harinder Kaur is very brave to share so intimately her feelings, I suspect it helps in some way to keep her family alive in her heart and mind. They certainly will come alive for you, if you read their story, but then you will also suffer their deaths.

In their final hours rather than running to hide and chancing that any of the family members might die without having been baptized, they held an Amrit initiation ceremony. They stood side by side as Khalsa to face the murderous horde which descended on them. Mai tragically lost her husband, son, and two unborn daughters.

When people around the USA are busy celebrating Halloween, it is an especially difficult time for Harkinder Kaur and many thousands of other Sikhs around the world who also lost loved ones that fateful October 31st.

Writing to offer my compassion, I asked Mai how her faith helps her to cope with the memories and overcome the feelings evoked every year dredges up the painful horror of the past. I share with you her gracious reply:

"Thank you so very much.

This time of year is hard, it seems every year as difficult as the last. But maybe not, I just reread my journal from 1984 and I have certainly recovered a lot compared to then.

One thing I would like to bring out is that along with the horror and pain is also a great deal of pride. True, because we were Sikhs the rioters in the backlash of hatred were out to commit murder and mayhem. But because we are Sikhs, our small group of 11 knew exactly what we had to do, and we did it.

I have no words to express the pride I feel in my fallen men. They could have cut (literally) and run, and hidden like the others and probably survived. However, without standing up for their values, they would not have been my men, just empty shells. We stood as Sikhs, as Khalsa and fought and mostly fell. Dead but not defeated, they earned their shaheedi (martyrdom) accepting it as a gift from Vaheguru and Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Maharaj. The pain of my loss is great, of course, no less now than it was 24 years ago. Over the years, my understanding has grown. Their martyrdom was and is the Hukam of Vaheguru (Will of God). My loss is also a gift from Vaheguru, perhaps giving me the opportunity to grow beyond my attachment to them. A friend recently suggested to me that my love for and attachment to them had grown greater than that I had for Vaheguru and their removal was necessary for my growth. Looking closely, carefully, fearlessly at that, I can see there is a lot of truth there. I admit I don't like that. No, not one tiny bit!

I have gotten a lot of comfort from the knowledge that everything which happens is the Hukam of Vaheguru, that, in the words of the Desiderata, "Whether it is clear to you or not, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

But lest you wrongly believe that I have gone all saintly, and since I am trying to be completely honest, my feelings come more from vengeance than justice.

So...how can I accept all this as the Hukam of Vaheguru and still seek revenge? I see the contradiction and have no resolution, only it is necessary that I accept that that is where I am and how I feel. I suppose the next step is to close my eyes, take a deep breath, step into the unknown, confident that I'll land in the arms of Guru ji.

Thank you, Mai.

In a discussion about death and afterlife, another Sikh woman, Anup Kaur, remarked, "Bad things happened to good people" and cited martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, as example. I thought about it. Like your husband and son, Mai, he might have escaped Martyrdom. His sacrifice like that of your beloved ones is a gift to the rest of us. It shows us how fine the conviction of honor and courage is. I need to accept that is a good thing. We a have to depart this world one day, I hope when our turns come to break from this life, that we go with our values intact.

Wordless Wednesday : One Lion Jack O Lantern, Two Smiles

One Lion Jack O Lantern, Two Smiles
Photo © Khalsa Panth

Carve a Lion Jack O Lantern
Sikhi Style Ik Onkar and Khanda Jack O Lantern
Curried Pumpkin Seeds

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The US Army has granted an exemption to keep hair and beard unshorn to one of two Sikhs recruited into a military Health Professions Scholarship program. The first such exemption in 23 years has been granted to Captain Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi. A decision regarding Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan is pending his dental certification. Despite assurances at the time of enlistment that their hair and beards would be no problem, after completing four years of studies, the US Army instructed both men to remove their turbans and cut to their hair and beards for active duty.

Aided by the Sikh Coalition, the Sikh men appealed the Army policy because of religious convictions.  In a united effort they were joined by the Sikh Council on Research and Education, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and United Sikhs. They were also supported by 43 members of the House of Representatives and six US senators.  Thousands of Sikhs and other sympathetic supporters signed petitions on their behalf.  Gracious thanks to all of you who together made this possible.

An important first step, Sikhs look forward to the day when faith based discrimination is no longer part of US Military policy.

Simirjit Kaur, an orphaned girl, went before Guru Granth Sahib to be married to her husband in the Sikh wedding Anand Karaj ceremony. The hymns of lavan sung during the four wedding rounds, imply union of the soul bride with the divine groom. The marriage fuses the souls of the mortal with the immortal and it is said the two bodies from that time on share one light.

Sometime later at the age of 24, Sirmarjit Kaur went back before Guru Granth Sahib and requested her marriage be undone. What is the significance of divorce done by ardaas (the Sikh formal prayer of petition) ?

Such an act would seem to imply a request for the undoing of the divine bond and signify separation of the soul bride  from her divine groom.

Divorce is mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib and the separated soul likened to an outcaste woman:

Naanak naam binaa dohaagan chhottee jhooth vichhuniaa ||1||

O Nanak, without the Name of  your Lord, you shall end up as a discarded, divorced bride; your own falsehood shall separate you from the Lord. ||1||SGGS ||689

Any thoughts?

Wordless Wednesday : Out Door Free Food Fry on Hot Iron Plate

Out Door Free Food Fry on Hot Iron Plate
Photo © Khalsa Panth

Yuba City Annual Sikh Parade
250,000 Free Meals Served in 48 hours

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Bandi Chor celebrates the release of Guru Har Govind from prison during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lamps. The Guru had been held as a political prisoner for nearly two years in the Gwalior Fort. Many princes of the land had also been incarcerated. Upon news of his release, the Guru negotiated the freedom of whoever could grasp hold of his hem of his skirt. Guru Har Govind managed to liberate 52 Rajas by arranging to have ties sewn to the hem of his skirt he wore when he walked out of the fort.

Perhaps his inspiration came from the hymns of his father Guru Arjan Dev who wrote:

"Har Sajan divan lageeaa kisai na dae-a-ee ||
One cannot be kept in bondage who holds fast to the skirt of God our Friend." SGGS ||134