Dedicated to the preservation & promotion of pure Sanatan Hindu Sikhi heritage which the great Gurus strived to uphold.Today it is systematically being Talibanised by Neo-Sikhs,who are painting an Abrahamic picture of pure Sikhi traditions and brainwashing the Sikh youth into accepting a Sikh history which the Shiromani Guru Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), Tat Khalsa Singh Sabha & Akhand Kirtani Jatha (AKJ) have edited & rewritten shamelessly.
"The Divine Thread started everything. The knower of the Thread is a yogi, his Knowledge is beyond the scope of the Vedas. Pearls stringed together form an ornament. The Divine Thread holds together the Universe. The Yogi wears this Thread when he becomes aware of his Divinity. Established in highest state of Yoga, the yogi discards the external thread. The wearer of the Thread of Knowledge is never unclean. The Thread exists within him.
Knowledge is the greatest purifier." --- Brahma Upanishad ---
It is a well known fact that Guru Nanak Devji studied the Upanishads, Vedas & Puranas with the help of sants, sadhus, mystics & yogis of the time. In the Shri Adi Granthji, is Nanak Dev ji saying exactly what the above sanskrit shloka is describing in the Upanishads, which was known thousands of centuries before His birth? He was born a Brahmin of the Vedi or Bedi clan who are students of any one particular Veda; there are Dvi-Vedis who study two Vedas, there are Tri-Vedis who study three Vedas & finally there are the Chatur-Vedis who study all the four Vedas - my point is that the neo-sikh talibanis, have suppressed & shamelessly distorted the famous shloka of Guru Nanak Devji regarding the Janeu of Spirituality - was Guruji actually saying the same as what was already mentioned in the Upanishads by the ancient Rishis? The bigotted Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhias were quick to include this shloka and make into a canard and into an incident within the Janamsakhis of Guru NanakDevji simply to bash Hindu traditions with. But this is what Guruji actually wrote down in Asa Di Vaar :
''Make compassion the cotton, contentment the thread, modesty the knot and truth the twist; This is the sacred thread of the Soul; if you have it then go ahead and put it on me; It does not break, it cannot be soiled by filth,it cannot be burnt or lost; Blessed are those mortal beings ( Yogis ) O Nanak who wear around their necks''.
Okay lets take a closer look at the above shloka written by Guru Nanakji & lets see how much similar it truly is to the original shloka of the Brahma Upanishad. Is there any rejection at all of the sacred thread or Janeu as far as Guruji is concerned? It certainly doesn't seem so.In fact Guruji seems to be eager to wear the spiritual thread as described in the Upanishad shloka.Nowhere is Guruji stating that he rejects wearing of any Janeu, but insists on the one that is simply described in the Upanishads by Rishis of long ago.
My argument : How does Guruji & Sikhi become non-Hindu when He was repeating exactly the same words mentioned in the Hindu Upanishads texts when describing the Janeu or sacred thread ? So why is it that the anti-Hindu bigots of the Tat Khalsa Singh Sabha seem to make such a big hue & cry about this particular shloka of Asa Di Vaar whenever they want to paint a separate identity of Sikhi ? By the way, this shloka was written by Guruji during his later years & not at the time of His receiving the Janeu from His Guru Pandit Dayal as is wrongly told to all of us by the Neo Sikhs.Remember, He was only 8 years old when his father arranged the Janeu ceremony for Him.
The Guru's Word is the Sound-current of the Naad; the Guru's Word is the Wisdom of the Vedas; the Guru's Word is all-pervading.
ਗੁਰੁ ਈਸਰੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਗੋਰਖੁ ਬਰਮਾ ਗੁਰੁ ਪਾਰਬਤੀ ਮਾਈ ॥ gur eesar gur gorakh baramaa gur paarabathee maaee ||
The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is Paarvati and Lakhshmi. ~Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji p. 2
Above: Raga Basant - Shabad rendition in the Shastriya style
Unknown to many Neo-Sikhs of today, the entire Shri Adi Guru Granthji including the Shri Dasam Granth of Shri Guru Gobind Singhji is written & compiled according to the prescribed Ragas taken from the traditional Hindu Vedic scripture known as Sama Veda - an ancient treatise which deals with the science of musical notes, Ragas, dance and theatre. The Shabads which are all arranged in chapters in the Shri Adi Granth bear the names of the Ragas. Each of these Ragas are unique & each Shabad must be sung in the specific Raga given by the Bhatt Brahmins,who were Raagis ( classical singers ). Further, to the Raga for each Shabad or hymn of the Shri Adi Granthji, they are also set to a specific numerical notation known as Tala or rhythm. This is an ancient tradition that goes back to the Vedic era & all the 31 Ragas mentioned in the Shri Adi Granthji are taken from the Hindu scriptures.
The first of the Ragas of the Shri Adi Granthji is the Shri Raga, followed by the Moolmantra & Japji Sahib. Towards the end of the Shri Adi Granth, there is special mention of hierarchy of Ragas known as Ragamala - the rosary of Ragas. It also contains ‘Barah-maha’ – the constant longing of the soul for the eternal God expressed over a period of twelve months. The Ragamala is usually meant to be read after the Mundavani chapter & then Bhog is served as sacred food or offering.
Nowadays, this ancient tradition is slowly disappearing from all the Gurudvaras, where most of the 'Granthis' are busy 'singing' or reading the Banis in a very loud & monotone style while seated in front of the loudspeakers. It is more about making money, fooling the masses & self importance that the 'Granthis' are busy with - it is about going to the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom. The pre-Singh Sabha tradition of singing the Banis in their relative Ragas has now more or less disappeared, when the Raga in the form of sacred Naad (sound) accompanied by the sacred Shabda ( Naam ) was sung in a divine style, enabling the devotees in the Gurudvara to reach a spiritual climax. The Raga of the Shabad is designed to set a particular mood of devotees in the Gurudvara which makes it easy for them to reach out spiritually to the Supreme Akaal Purush.
Shabd in Sanskrit is word along with sound - the first Primordial sound is known as AUMKAR. According to the Vedas, the Shabd existed by itself in a formless state. Nothing existed before this since before its manifestation, there was no form whatsoever, nor the sun, nor the moon, nor sky nor the Earth. All manifestation is the result of Shabd & without this nothing exists. The Rishis & Sadhus describe it as Mul or the Root of all manifestations. Shabd according to these ancient ascetics is the primal cause of birth, death & dissolution & again the re-creation of the Cosmos.
Guru AmarDasji : ''Both the creation and the dissolution are from Shabd,
And Shabd again is the cause of re-creation.''
Guru NanakDevji : ''With the True Word, one knows the Truth,
With the True Sound, one sings the glory of the Lord. It can be seen without eyes, It can be heard without ears.''
Bhagat Kabir : '' All sing of the Shabd without realizing that It is Videh or the Bodiless, No tongue can describe It, but soul may contact It within.''
Kabirji has described the sacred Shabd or Naam as one which is free from physical existence & can be only apprehended by the soul when it is free from bodily attachments.
The Upanishadic sages have described Shabd as "Pranav" or that which can be heard through the Pranic vibrations, without the help of tongue, lips and palate, for It is reverberating of Itself in and out of space.In Chhandogya Upanishad, it is mentioned that Naad (heavenly music) springs from the Universal Sun (of Brahmand ) and that this secret was given by Angiras Rishi to Lord Krishna, the son of Devki.
Guru Amar Das tells us, in Raga Bhairon, that Bhakt Prahlad was saved by Shabd :
It (Shabd) has been the saving lifeline in all the ages, Prahlad, the son of the demon-king, knew neither Gayatri nor any rituals, He became one with God through contact with the Shabd.
In the holy Shri Gita, Lord Krishna mentions:
Though under the sway of the senses, one feels drawn toward the Cosmic Being by force of the habit acquired in previous births; nay, even the seeker of enlightenment transcends the Shabd Brahm. The yogi, however, who diligently takes up this practice, attains perfection in this very life with the help of latencies of many births and being thoroughly purged of sin, forthwith reaches the supreme goal.
In the Rig Veda and the Atharv Veda there are hymns in praise of Shabd. In Hansa Upanishad of the latter it is given that one who does japa of the Hansa Mantra, millions of times, comes to the realization of Naad. It is also stated that Naad consists of ten different types of melodies, nine of which are to be passed over, and the tenth, which resembles the sound of the thunder of distant clouds, is to be meditated upon and practiced, for It takes one to Par-Brahma.
All our Gurus as well as Sadhus & Yogis have time & again laid emphasis on Shabd & Naad.
Guru NanakDev ji : With stone-deaf ears thou hast lost all thy wits,
For thou hast not got contact with the Shabd, And by slavery to the Mind thou hast forfeited thy human birth; Without the Master-soul, one remains blind to the Reality.
Dhun or the Sound Current is both true knowledge and true meditation and remains indescribable all the same. The mind when attuned with the Sound becomes detached
and gets engrossed, In the heart of the Light within is a delectable Sound, that makes one fully absorbed in Akaal Purukh.
These are the beautiful divine words of our Gurus & Rishis who encouraged us to utter the Naam or mantra or listen to the Naam Shabd being sung by musicians who are vocalists & trained in the Raga system.
What is nowadays the trend is that most 'Granthis' have begun singing out of tune, Shabad kirtans which are set to Bollywood tunes or just plain non -Raga tunes which display no skill, nor take the devotee to the heights & realms of Parabrahma - where is the spiritualism gone nowadays? The Puraatan Raagis who are skilled vocalists are nowhere to be seen nor heard, but instead they have been replaced by out of tune 'Besure' groups of vocalists all screeching at the top of their voices, beating away at the tablas & fanning away at the harmoniums. With the 'noise' these Granthis create, I wonder how easy it is for any devotee to sit there & experience the Divine realms of Supreme Brahman. It has become more of a Qawwali style singing with no rules in the singing styles. No particular Raga is sung for the Shabad Kirtan, but one that resembles a Bhangra / Qawwali song.
The tradition of Shabad Kirtans bear roots in Sanatan Dharmic traditions & the Gurus constantly surrounded themselves with experienced Raagis like the Bhatt Brahmins, who were experts at singing in the classical styles at Shri Harimandirji, Amritsar. This beautiful tradition is being destroyed by the 'Paattre' Granthis of Punjab today.
Here is an example of the deterioration that has crept into our heritage :
Please bring back our Raagis & the pure Shastriya Sangeet music for our Shabads & Kirtans which are so part of the Sikhi heritage.
GurFateh! I am in the mood for Neo-Sikh bashing today! And the reasons are plenty. For a start all that whitewashing on their part of the Nishaan Sahib being a purely 'Sikh' flag & how the sacred Khanda, itself has nothing to do with Hindu Dharma - this misinformation gives the ignorant Sikhs of today a wrong sense of self pride without any one of them ever learning the truth behind how the flag came about in the first place. Neo-Sikhs of the Singh Sabha managed to brush all the Hindu traditions under the carpet far away from the eyes of the future generations, though overlooking the main fact that Saffron is traditionally a Sanatan Dharmic colour. Our flags hoisted above sacred shrines such as Hindu mandirs & Gurudwaras symbolise the sanctity of our ancient heritage of Hinduism. Our Sadhus, Gurus, saints, vairagis etc all wear traditional colours of Saffron. They even wear seli topis & turbans & have long hair as well as beards. This is not just the mark of a Sikh, but traditionally, a Hindu mark. Rajput warriors & Kings were the first ones to keep unshorn hair & long beards during the 15th century onwards. Before them, the Hindu Rishis & Sadhus, Siddhas & Yogis all kept unshorn hair & wore traditional turbans. But the stooges of Tat Khalsa & the Sikhi Taliban brigade have painted a very false picture to all the people of Punjab.
Ignorant of the fact that the 'Sikh' flag, that was carried on many a battlefield by the Nihangs & Khalsa armies, including that of Maharaja Ranjit Singhji, usually had a motif of Hindu Gods of war such as Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga, Goddess Kaumari, Goddess Varahi, Hanuman etc, the Singh Sabhias with the Talibanised Sikhs have falsely continued with their propagation of Nishaan Sahib as the original 'Sikh' flag during the time of the Gurus. They even deny any connections with the Hindu weaponry of Khadga ( 2 edged sword) & the Chakra ( Lord Vishnu weapon) & simply play them down as being from a different tradition.
THIS IS A BLATANT FRAUD!
Recently many questions are being raised concerning the several controversies that surround the re-writing, re-editing of Sikh history as well as the Shri Adi Granth - whether the Kartarpur Bir itself is authentic or not. However, this is another topic I will go into later on.
Back to the flag with motifs of Hindu Devatas which every Sikh & Talibanised Neo-Sikh must know of & acknowledge the fact that YES, Sikhs were Hindus of the Sanatan tradition of India before the British missionary satans ruined Punjab & divided its people who all acknowledged themselves as Hindus prior to the white guy setting foot on Indian soil. Khalsa warriors used to carry these flags onto all the battlefields when fighting the Islamic tyrants & British imperialists & it is my pleasure to present an entire post on images of great history that the Tat Khalsa stooges have kept away from all of us. Let us take a closer look at the history behind the Khanda, its sacred symbols of the Nishaan Sahib which was later on made the emblem of the Sikh flag.
In the image above, if we look closer, we can see the Hindu Goddess Chandi or Durga seated on a lion & she bears in her hands all sacred weapons such as the Khanda, trishul, mace, Chakar etc which are also a part of the Nishaan Sahib.
'Sikh' flags of the 18th Century / 19th century commonly bore motifs of Hindu Devatas such as Lord Shiva & Goddess Shakti. In the photo : The red field of the banner is divided by three narrow gold horizontal bands crossing the banners. On one side is a central motif of a yellow sun and a red background which is covered with a block printed pattern of gold flowers. On the other side of the banner is a central motif of the Hindu Goddess of War Durga in black riding on a lion or tiger with two attendants and the red field of the banner is covered with a repeating block printed dark scroll pattern.
Goddess Durga on Lion/Tiger with all her sacred arms & weapons.
Surya Motif
Hari Singh on elephant circa 19th century. A military procession of Hari Singh Nalwa (1791–1837), one of the greatest generals of the Sikh Empire. He became the Commander-in-Chief of the army along the North Western Frontier of the Sikh Kingdom and also served as Governor of various provinces. The military procession depicted is lead by two horsemen carrying battle standards.
Khalsa Armies with Banner displaying motif of Goddess Varahi,the Hindu Goddess of War.
Above: The two Maharaja Sher Singh military banners in the Soltykoff sketch also have central motifs related to the theme of victory in battle. The banners contain two of the Matrikas, a group of Hindu war goddesses that are usually depicted together. One banner has a central motif of the war Goddess Kaumari. Within Hinduism Kaumari is considered the power of Kumara, the God of war. Kaumari is depicted on the banner riding a peacock, with multiple heads and holding weapons in her multiple arms. The other battle standard only partially visible in the Soltykoff sketch shows a depiction of the war Goddess Varahi described in Hinduism as the power of Varaha - the boar-headed form of Vishnu or Yama - the god of death, with a boar head on a human body. Varahi is depicted on the banner holding weapons in her multiple arms.
Goddess Kaumari - seated on the peacock & bearing the Khanda sword, trishul & all war weapons.
Goddess Varahi seated on the tiger- She is with the human body & a fierce boar face wielding the sacred Khanda & all weapons in her hands.
The fierce Goddess Durga with the Khanda & all scared weapons, given to her by all the Trinity of Gods : Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva before she went into war with Mahishasura the Buffalo demon.
Above: Ardhanarishwar form of Lord Shiva, with His consort Shakti - He is holding a battle - axe, while Devi Shakti whose hand once held a flower.Behind is the broad Khanda sword at the centre & Ardha Chand. The Sanskrit word 'Ardh' meaning half is Addh in Punjabi. The Chandra or moon is known as Chand in Punjabi - meaning Half-moon. The Nihang tradition of Sanatan Sikhi, includes the wearing of Addh Chand - the first common variation is of wearing th half moon symbol of lord Shiva with a Khanda sword in the middle while the second variation features three bladed weapons i.e. 2 swords with a Khanda at the centre that are all within the Addh Chand. This assortment is known as the Gajgah. Wearing the Addh Chand is regarded by the Nihangs as being an integral part of Shiv Swaroopi or the very form of Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva is one of the Trinity of Hindu Devatas known as the Trimurti. He is the destroyer as well as the MahaYogi. The crescent moon represents the immortality of Shiva as Akaal Purush or Akaal Purukh - the Timeless Supreme Being.
As explained by the Buddha Dal which is the oldest faction of the Nihang sect :
There are a wide range of complementary understandings all which allow one to analyze the interaction of Shiv-Shakti within the Nihang Singh at various levels. Shiv is believed to be represented by a half moon (Aad Chand), signifying calm and coolness. Shakti is represented by a sun and is believed to be a more powerful energy and the driving force of the universe, within the Sikh tradition Chandi (personification of shakti) or Durga is Shakti.The Aad Chand (crescent moon) representing Shiv has long been a trademark of Nihang Singhs as is the wearing of arms; representing the divine union of Shiv and Shakti.
Above: Ardhanarishwar - painting circa 1800 - Lord Shiva has the River Ganga flowing out of His matted locks, He holds the drum, while His consort Parvati holds the Khanda sword & Rosary beads.
Above: Mata Durga with the Khanda sword, Chakar, battle-axe etc
''Pritam Bhaguati Simer Ke Guru Nanak'' - the beginning verse of the Var Shri Bhaguati ji Ki is highly controversial nowadays with Talibanised Sikhs crying out that the word Bhaguati here means a 'Sword', in a deliberate fraudulent manner to denounce all connections with Hindu Devatas. Bhaguati in Braj, Awadhi & Sanskrit is another name of Goddess Durga & also has the meaning of Shakti which represents the Primal Mother Goddess, whereas the word Khadga & Khanda stands for the double edged sword. This concept has completely become played down by the thugs of the Sikh Taliban brigade the Singh Sabhias - they have managed to spread the ridiculous rumour that when the 10th Guruji was speaking about Bhaguati, he actually meant it was a sword. Whereas in fact, Bhaguati stands for the Divine Shakti of the Divine consort of Lord Shiva. That is why all the Siddhas, yogis, sadhus & including Guru Gobind Singhji himself invoked the immortal Mother Shakti ( a feminine form of Akaal Purukh) before setting out onto his mission. She is powerful, one that transcends all the material planes of Sattva, Rajas & Tamas, who is not subjected to Birth & Death. I would also like to add here that Guru Gobind Singhji had placed the feminine Shakti of Durga above or before even mentioning the rest of the Gurus - She is invoked bfore the Gurus even giving great emphasis on the feminine aspect of the Divine Akaal.
''First and foremost I invoke Bhagauti, and then set my mind on Guru Nanak. Then I seek the help of Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Raam Das, Arjan, Hargobind and (Guru) Har Rai be remembered. Sri Harkrishan be meditated upon whose mere glimpse removes all sorrows. (Guru) Tegh Bahadur be remembered as it causes the home to flourish. They all help me at all places. ||1||''
Nihang Chieftain
ca. 19th century, paint on paper, Gurmit Singh & Satnam Singh Collection
The shape of the straight edged khanda sword blade at the center of this Nihangs elders turban is quite similar to the shape of the blade found in the modern khanda emblem as are the shapes of the curved swords.
I know I have not posted for some time - I have been so overwhelmed with writing a book, doing research etc and of course family commitments as marriages have taken place since my last post. I was also busy travelling around Punjab - from Jalandhar to Patiala, from Amritsar to Anandpur Sahib in Himachal in great research of Sikh history.
Well, I am back now & hope to pick up from the last post.
Waheguru Ji is great and He is the only One who has given me great strength to continue with the next series of posts on our great Sikhi heritage.
Here is one of my favourite Shabads sung by my favourite Bhai Harjinder Singhji - this is more or less the way shabads ought to be sung in their traditional Vedic Ragas & not in the monotonous way most Granthis are busy singing in nowadays - this is yet another topic I will be addressing very soon.
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