Guru Har Rai

Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji - Guru from 1644 to 1661

He was born in 1630, and spent most of his life in devotional meditation and preaching the teachings of Guru Nanak.

Although, Guru Har Rai Ji was a man of peace, he never disbanded the armed Sikh Warriors (Saint Soldiers), who earlier were maintained by his grandfather, Guru Hargobind. He always boosted the military spirit of the Sikhs, but he never himself indulged in any direct political and armed controversy with the Mughal Empire. His often repeated the following verses to his followers his followers of Bhal Gurdas, Varan(XX VII.)15:

A true Sikh rises before the night ends,

And turns his thoughts to God's Name,

To charity and to holy bathing.

He speaks humbly and humbly he walks,

He wishes everyone well and he is joyed to

Give away gifts from his hand.

He sleeps but little,

And little does he eat and talk.

Thus he receives the Guru's true instruction.

He lives by the labour of his hands and he does good deeds.

However eminent he might become,

He demonstrates not himself.

He sings God's praises in the company f holy men.

Such company he seeks night and day.

Upon Word is his mind fixed,

And he delights in the Guru's will.

Unenticed he lives in this world of enticement

One who represented the Temporal and Spiritual Power

Guru Har Gobind Sahib Ji -  from 1606 to 1644

Born in 1595, Guru Har Gobind was the son of Guru Arjan Dev. Sikhs has always been called as ‘Sant Sipahi’. HarGobind Saheb ji was known as a "soldier saint," as he organised a small army, explaining that extreme non-violence and pacifism would only encourage evil and so the principles of Miri-Piri were established.  Guru Hargobind carried the same light of Guru Nanak; but he added to it the lustre of the sword. 

He taught that it was necessary to take up the sword in order to protect the weak and the oppressed. Guru ji was first of the Gurus to take up arms to defend the faith. At that time it was only emperors who were allowed to sit on a raised platform, called a takhat or throne.

At the age of 13, Guru Hargobind erected Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, ten feet above the ground and adorned two swords, Miri and Piri, representing temporal power and spiritual power, one which would smite the oppressor and the other which would protect the innocent.

Guru Hargobind was a teacher and protector of his disciples. He realised the gravity of the situation and prepared his followers for the coming struggle. He created a war-like spirit among his followers. He told his followers: "In the guru's house spiritual and mundane powers shall be combined". "My rosary shall be the sword-belt and on my turban I shall wear a Kalgi" (an ornament for the turban, which was then worn by Mughal and Hindu rulers).

Be positive! Live life and Let live.

Spirituality is not only a personal relationship with divine but, also teaches us how to be positive and handle day to day situation very smoothly.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions, which we often ask to ourselves or our near and dear one's.

1. Shihya- I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic.

*Guru:- Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free.

2.Shishya-Why has life become complicated now?

*Guru:- Stop analyzing life... It makes it complicated. Just live it.

3.Shishya- Why are we then constantly unhappy?

*Guru:- Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.

4. Shishya- Why do good people always suffer?

Guru:- Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer.

With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter.

5.Shishya- You mean to say such experience is useful?

*Guru:- Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons later.

6.Shishya- Because of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading…

*Guru:- If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides the way.

7.Shishya- Does failure hurt more than moving in the right direction?

*Guru:- Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you.

8.Shishya- In tough times, how do you stay motivated?

*Guru:- Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.

9.Shishya- What surprises you about people?

*Guru:- When they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me?"

10. Shishya-How can I get the best out of life?

*Guru:- Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

11.Shishya- One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.

*Guru:- There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.

*Stay Happy Always!*

And then he took the legacy forward.

O Savior Lord, save us and take us across.
Falling at the feet of the Guru, our works are embellished with perfection!
May you get the strength to follow the ideals of Guru Arjan Dev ji
and be reminded of His sacrifice at all times!

   Guru Arjan Dev Ji - Guru from 1581 to 1606

His Teachings

Equality of man kind –  The soul of every human was considered respectable and no human being was considered inferior to another. As caste system was abolished amongst the followers of the Gurus, literacy for all was advocated.

Equality between a man and woman was practiced -Every woman was considered capable of meditation, following all religious practices. Women were prohibited from wearing a veil, a cloth that covers head and face .

Equality in work - Need to work was prescribed for all followers. The Guru himself devoted substantial time in charity and organize relief camps and natural calamities.

Equality of and respect for all religions was emphasized - Sikh religion has always emphasized on meditation and purity of action, but not on the rituals. Sikh religion says that no religion is big or small, instead one should obey every religion but should follow only one.

The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Ji's life:

• Compiled and collated the hymns of the previous Sikh Gurus as the foundation of the Guru Granth Sahib.

• Additionally Guru Ji contributed a total of 2218 hymns to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

•  Authored the Sukhmani Sahib Bani – Prayer for Peace 

• Installed for the first time the holy Sikh scriptures, which at that time was called the 'Adi Granth', a major achievement. 

• Developed Amritsar as a centre of excellence. 

• Enhanced the structure of Sikh society by further developing the masand system.

• Guru Arjan Sahib was the first Sikh Guru to be tortured (for 5 days) and martyred by muslims for his refusal to convert to islam.

Journey through the Life of 4th Guru.

His Teachings: 

"Birth and caste are of no avail before God. It is ones deeds which make or unmake a man. To exploit ignorant people with superstitions and to call it religion is a sacrilege against God and man. To worship the infinite, formless and absolute God in the form of a totem, an image or an insignificant time-bound object of nature; to lead people to beleive that they can wash away their sins, not through compassion and self-surrender, but through ablutions; to insist upon special diets-what to eat and what not to eat; to say that a certain language and dress allows accesss to God and to condemn masses of human beings, men, women and children, to the status of sub-humans, who are not even allowed to learn to read the scriptures that they are told rule their lives; never allowed to enter a house of worship; who are allowed to do only the lowest degrading work, is to tear man apart from man. This is not religion nor is it religion to deny the world by becoming an ascetic, for it is in the world alone that man can find his spiritual possibilities.

Guru Ram Das Sahib Ji -  from 1574 to 1581

Born in 1534, he founded the city of Amritsar and started the construction of the famous Golden Temple at Amritsar, the holy city of the Sikhs. He requested the, Muslim Sufi, Mian Mir to lay the cornerstone of the Harmandir Sahib.

The temple remains open on all sides and at all times to everyone. This indicates that the Sikhs believe in One God who has no partiality for any particular place, direction or time.The standard Sikh marriage ceremony known as the Anand Karaj is centredon the Lawan, a four stanza hymn also composed by Guru Ram Das.

            Highlights of Guru Ram Das Ji :

•  Author of Lavan, the hymns of the Marriage Rites. 
• Planned and created the township of Ramdaspur (later Amritsar).
• Organization Structure of Sikh Society.

Quench your Hunger

Souce:youtube

One thing that we all know about the Sikhism and the Gurudwaras is that no matter what day it is and no matter where you are in the world, if you visit a Gurudwara, you’ll be served food there, regardless of your religion, caste, colour, creed, gender or anything. This food, known as the Langar is one of the most prominent aspect of the Sikhism. 

Langar, or sacred food service from the Guru's free vegetarian kitchen, began when Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak fed hungry holy men. Second Guru Angad Dev's wife, Mata Khivi, became instrumental in the development of langar serving alongside the first five gurus in Gur ka Langar, the Guru's free kitchen. Third Guru Amar Das developed the concept of pangat sangat, meaning everyone regardless of rank sits and eats together as equals in the congregation. Langar provision, preparation, service and clean-up is voluntary and is today an integral part of every Gurudwara and Sikh worship service.

Every Sikh is morally bound to serve at the Gurudwaras in the preparation or clean up or monetarily help of kitchen, this service or seva is one of the basic principle to be followed by the disciple of Sikhism. The concept of preparing a grand kitchen for everyone where everyone, from the rich to poor sit together and enjoy the meal. Anyone can volunteer to help out in the kitchen and be a part of the service. The most famous Sikh shrine, Golden Temple, serves 40,000 to 80,000 people on weekdays and the number doubles on weekends. 

Langar indeed showcase the giving and selfless nature of Sikhism which accepts everyone without any bias.

Third Sikh Guru

Guru Amar Das Sahib Ji - Guru from 1552 to 1574

He was born in 1479. Guru Amardas took up the cudgels of spirituality to fight against caste restrictions, caste prejudices and the curse of untouchability.

He strengthened the tradition of the free kitchen, Guru Ka Langar (started by Guru Nanak), and made his disciples, whether rich or poor, whether high born or low born (according to the Hindu caste system), have their meals together sitting in one place.

The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Ji's life:

• All visitors to Gurdwaras were to first take Langar (Free Blessed Food) together before seeing the Guru. "First Pangat then Sangat" .
• Further abolished the Caste System.
•  Guru lifted the status of women and gave them equality with men. He strictly prohibited the practice of Sati (the dying of the wife on her husband's funeral pyre), "Parrda" (veil to cover the face), etc. 
• Established an Administration system for management of the increasing size of the Sikh congregations, called Manjis.
•  Gift of the prayer called Anand Sahib, which is one of the Five Banis recited daily by devout Sikhs. 
• Established the city of Goindval on the banks of river Bias in 1552 A.D. 
  ਗੁਰੂ ਅਮਰ ਦਾਸ ਤਾਰਣ ਤਰਣ ਜਨਮ ਜਨਮ ਪਾ ਸਰਣਿ ਤਅ ॥੨॥੧੬॥
  Guru Amar Das is our Saving Grace, who carries us across; in lifetime after lifetime, I seek the Sanctuary of Your Feet.
  
  

Second Guru

Guru Angad Dev Ji - Guru from 1539 to 1552

Born in 1504, Guru Angad invented and introduced the Gurmukhi (written form of Punjabi) script and made it known to all Sikhs.

The scripture of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is written in Gurmukhi. This scripture is also the basis of the Punjabi language. It became the script of the masses very soon.

Guru Nanak had touched him and renamed him Angad (part of the body) or the second Nanak on 7 September 1539. Before becoming the new Guru he had spent six or seven years in the service of Guru Nanak at Kartarpur.

After the death of Guru Nanak on 22 September 1539, Guru Angad left Kartarpur for the village of Khadoor Sahib (near Goindwal Sahib). He carried forward the principles of Guru Nanak both in letter and spirit. Yogis and Saints of different sects visited him and held detailed discussions about Sikhi with him. Guru Angad was a model of self-less service to his Sikhs and showed them the way to devotional prayers.

     Highlights of his Life:

• To do Nishkam  Sewa Selfless Service to humanity. 
• Stood for a casteless and classless society, in which no one was superior.
• Completely surrender to the Will of God.
• Disapproval of   exhibitionism and hypocrisy. 
• Formalised the present form of the Gurmukhi script.

First Guru

The concept of Guru is very strong with Sikhism. Sikhism was established by ten Gurus, who are believed to be divine spiritual messengers or masters, over the period from 1469 to 1708 - that is, over a period of 239 years. These teachers or Gurus were enlightened souls whose main purpose in life was the spiritual and moral well-being of the masses. Each of the ten masters added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting eventually to the creation of the religion that is now known as Sikhism. 

Guru Nanak Dev Ji - Guru from 1469 to 1539

The first of the all the Gurus and the founder of the Sikh religion was Guru Nanak. He was born at Talwandi (now known as Nankana Sahib in Pakistan) on October 20, 1469.

He had many spiritual journeys and wherever he went, Guru Nanak spoke out against empty religious rituals, pilgrimages, the caste system, the sacrifice of widows, of depending on books to learn the true religion, and of all the other tenets that were to define his teachings. Never did he ask his listeners to follow him. But ironically, his followers together forms the 5^th largest religion today.

5 K's of Sikhism

The 5Ks or kakkars or kakke is one of the most important aspect of Sikhism, are the five articles of faith worn by all baptised Sikhs or practising Sikhs. Even many non-baptised Sikhs also begin on the path of Sikhi by wearing some or all of these Sikh symbols. The baptised Sikhs both male and female are required to wear a uniform to unify and bind them to their commitment to the true, universal, social and temporal principles defined and amplified by the ten Sikh Gurus and laid down in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. This commitment was publicly announced, made prominent and confirmed by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 at the Vaisakhi gathering for all to witness.

Sikhism stands out as a unique and probably the only faith in the world where in there is no place what so ever for clergy or priestly class. It is self-made, self-contained, self-regulating and dedicated to nothing but flawlessness (read Godly) in all aspects of human living. Unlike most other faiths where only the clergy are in uniform, all Sikhs are required to always wear their uniform of faith at all times and to adhere to the ideals of the "Sant-Sapai" or Saint-Soldier; to practise their belief always (rather than on just a particular day or time i.e. just Sunday or Friday).

These 5Ks or kakkars are:

• Kesh: (Kesh is uncut hair) A Sikh is to maintain and adorn this natural God-given gift. To work with nature and not against it. The Kesh was covered with a turban.

• Kanga (wooden comb) for the maintenance and ongoing upkeep of Kesh. A reminder to regularly maintain the body and mind in a clean and healthy state.

• Kara (steel bracelet or slave bangle): Symbolises an unbreakable bond with God. It is a constant reminder that the Sikh is a slave of the Lord.

• Kachhera or Kachcha (cotton underwear) Standard, Naturally Comfortable, dignified attire reflective of modesty and control.

• Kirpan (a small sword) A sign that a Sikh is a soldier in "Akal Purakh's (God's Army)” to maintain and protect the weak and needy and for self-defence. Never to be used in anger.

These 5Ks together forms the symbols of Sikhism followed by every disciple.

MIRI PIRI

The religious symbol of Sikhs is the Khanda, a literal meaning of which is double edged sword. However, it symbolizes that god is one and emphasizes the disintegration of false pride and inequalities. The Chakkar or Ring in the middle means God is omnipresent. For the Sikhs it also means that they need to serve the whole creation of God. Two swords on either side of Chakkar represent the temporal and spiritual authority and that a Sikh is duty bound to fight for just cause and protect the oppressed.

KHANDA:  this double edged sword is metaphor of divine knowledge. Its sharp edges cleaving truth from falsehood.

KIRPAN OF MIRI-PIRI:  Sword symbolizes the concept of PIRI spiritual authority introduced by Guru Hargobind  Saheb, indicates the emphases that a Sikh must place on spiritual aspiration.

CHAKKAR: Being a circle without any beginning or an end symbolizes the perfection of God whos is iternal.

Origin Of Sikhism

The word ‘Sikh’ is just a corrupted form of Sanskrit word ‘Shishya’ which means disciple in Sanskrit. Originating in 15^th century in the Punjab region of India, Sikhism is religion of discipline, with a very strong Guru-Shishya or Teacher- Disciple system at its core. It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally 'of the gurus').

The principal beliefs of Sikhism are faith and justice in Waheguru—represented by the phrase ‘ik oankar’, meaning one God. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture entitled the Guru Granth Sahib, which, along with the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, includes selected works of many devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds. The text was decreed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Sikh religion.

Sikhism's traditions and teachings are associated with the history, society and culture of Punjab traditionally but also has a pan-India or pan-world idea and philosophy to it. There is no one specific founder to the religion or head of religion, with Guru Granth Sahib taking over that role, but the discipline system started with Guru Nanak Dev who’s commonly refereed as the founder of the religion. Over the centuries, the religion has grown from a simple Guru-Shishya Order to a Martial race to full-fledged religion today. And that’s how basically how Sikhism started.