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Offline tana

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Baisakhi~~~
« on: April 05, 2008, 03:01:34 AM »
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  • Om Sai Ram~~~

    Baisakhi~~~

    On the auspicious day of Baisakhi, Guru Gobind Singh Ji blessed the sikhs with the immortal boons of Amrit and Five Kakaars. He created Khalsa.
    Five Kakaars are articles of faith and veneration for a devoted sikh. They remind us of the sacred commandments of the Divine Guru on the auspicious occasion of creation of the Khalsa. These facilitate awakening Guru consciousness in our minds.

    These articles of faith and attendant commandments have become part and parcel of our daily life, of our body, mind and soul. It is only in perpetual faithful obedience of Guru's commandments that a true sikh can consecrate his body, mind and soul in a befitting and worthy manner.

      
    Tan Man Dhan Sab Saunp Gur Ko
    Hukam Maniey Paaiey  


    A true sikh so devoted to the Guru always basks in the sunlight of His eternal living presence “Gur Mere Sang Sada Hai Naley”, and his character is par excellence.

    Guru consciousness thus awakened, reins of his thoughts, speech and actions are held, controlled and guided by the beloved Satguru.

    Through these boons He infused truthful living in the very veins of Khalsa, raising his character to the point of excellence.

    A sikh is aware of his Guru's eternal presence with him with this holy gift of personal identity.

    A true sikh mentally and physically attired in Guru's identity feels totally possessed by the Divine Guru. He remains in His holy grip. With this holy possession and holy grip, his mind, his thoughts, his speech, his actions become holy. Totally devoid of egoism, he lives in perfect tune with the sweet will of the beloved Satguru.

    Adorning this uniform, a sikh lives in the light and grace of the Great Guru. With Guru consciousness awakened, this uniform becomes a powerful source of strength. This uniform prompts consecration of all activities unto the Satguru. The Great Guru glorified His total identity with the Khalsa in His most wonderful outpouring “Khalsa Mero Roop Hai Khas”. And it is for us now to sanctify and uphold the sanctity of this outpouring. We have to prove equal to the faith reposed in us and sanctify this holy identification.

    In this attire, uniform of pride, let us cognise the perpetual presence of our beloved Satguru with us in all ups and downs of our life.

    The life of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, our Saviour and Protector, was highly disciplined and so were the lives of His five Beloved ones and all others who had adorned this uniform, uniform of sacred five Kakaars. Their precious lives and identity in this uniform of great pride passes on to us a code of unique discipline. And as children of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, inheritors of this proud uniform, we must abide by this code of discipline as upholders of Truth.

    The flashing sword of Guru Gobind Singh leads true sikhs, the upholders of Truth, the protectors of Dharma and the oppressed everywhere. Sword worn by a sikh is a Sword of Honour given personally by Sri Guru Gobind Singh, in inheritance.

    Observance of this code of discipline is holy in its origin and effect. It not only facilitates awakening Guru consciousnessness but also sustains and deepens it. It attracts Satguru's pleasure and grace. Spiritually it is most rewarding. It strengthens the bond of Guru-Sikh relationship. It leads to total spiritual satisfaction.

      
    Khalsa Mero Roop Hai Khas
    Khalsa Meh Hon Karon Niwas  
     Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib

      

    Identity should not be limited to the gross body only. Subtle and casual bodies should also be moulded in this sacred identity and filled to the brim with the love, adoration and worship of most lovable, most adorable, most worshipable Guru Gobind Singh. Cognisance of this physical body is limited to a short span of physical existence, whereas true love of the Guru is a taste of the Eternity, of the Bliss Eternal, of an honourable place at His Lotus Feet in Sachkhand.

    Let us attire our heart with this holiest of the holy cosmic identity of Guru Gobind Singh Ji with all sublime ideals set forth, practiced and lived by Him. And let us fill our hearts to the brim with the Nectar of Prema on which our Beloved Guru Gobind Singh thunders as the Greatest Spiritual Lion.

    Saach Kahou Sun Laih Sabhai
    Jin Prem Kio Tin Hi Prabh Paio
     

    Guru Gobind Singh carved a golden path to blessedness for us; a sublime culture which is a sure path to blessedness. He planted the banner of Truth, the banner of Divine Peace and Universal Love, the banner of Righteousness and True Dharma and the banner of the Eternal Glory of Lord's Nam.

    When mind and body are offered at the lotus feet of the beloved Satguru they are purified. With body attired in His identity, in His proud uniform and with mind rolling at His holy feet both mind and body are controlled by the Divine. The mind remains dyed with the Nectar of the Divine Name and the body performs only pure and heroic deeds.

      
    Sarb Dharam Mein Shreisht Dharam
    Har Ko Nam Jap Nirmal Karam  

      
     “Best of all religions is the thirst for the Divine and pure deeds, says Sri Guru Arjan Sahib.”  

    Khalsa remains always enveloped in the halo of the Divine. Mighty rays of the Divine Love of the Amrit Nam and purity of deeds radiate from his whole being.

    This is the way a true sikh, a khalsa can lose and merge his little individuality in the Divine and cosmic identity of the Great Guru called GURU GOBIND SINGH.

    This most auspicious day for the Khalsa reminds us of the flashing and bleeding sword in the hand of our Lord Guru Gobind Singh asking for another head. This in itself is indicative of a total surrender, a total sacrifice as the first and the foremost essential pre-requisite for earning and attaining His Grace Eternal. We have to offer our head at His Holy feet, at the altar of the flashing Bhagauti in His Holy Hand. Thereafter, with headless (egoless) existence, having died while living, be blessed with Nectar of Immortality from the holy hands of our beloved Guru Gobind Singh.

    Baisakhi is a holy festival of total sacrifice, total surrender at the lotus feet of our Holy Guru Gobind Singh to attain Vision Eternal. It is a festival which awakens in us ‘Love of Death’. Love of life had been abandoned by the Five Beloved Ones before seeking holy death. True lovers of the beloved Lord seek death and not life.

    From its very inception Sikh religion is universal, non-sectarian; it embraces all religions alike in its divine folds.

    It is a religion of the Glory of God, Glory of His Immortal Nam, Glory of Love, Glory of Spirit, Glory of true lovers and saints of all religious faiths.

    Jai Sai Ram~~~
    "लोका समस्ता सुखिनो भवन्तुः
    ॐ शन्तिः शन्तिः शन्तिः"

    " Loka Samasta Sukino Bhavantu
    Aum ShantiH ShantiH ShantiH"~~~

    May all the worlds be happy. May all the beings be happy.
    May none suffer from grief or sorrow. May peace be to all~~~

    Offline tana

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    Re: Baisakhi~~~
    « Reply #1 on: April 05, 2008, 03:06:09 AM »
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    More About Baisakhi~~~


    Baisakhi is a derivative of Vaishakha. After harvesting the winter crop, the farmers of the northern states of Punjab and Haryana celebrate the beginning of another year. The day coincides with the solar equinox on the 13th of April. There is boisterous dancing and loud joyous singing as the traditional folk dances of Punjab, called the Gidda and Bhangra, are performed. It is also the anniversary of the creation of the Khalsa Pantha. People collect in the evening around abonfire to celebrate the harvest. History has recorded the execution of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth guru of the Sikhs, by the Mughals, on November 11, 1675. In revolt against this in justice, his son Guru Govind Singh, who was also the tenth guru, was compelled to take up arms.

    He selected the auspicious day of Baisakhi to initiate this important task, by forming the order of the Khalsa. On the 13th of April in 1699, at a meeting in atown named Anandpur in Punjab, the guru called upon his people to come forward to sacrifice themselves for the good of the clan. Pin-drop silence methis appeal. He repeated the call, with the same response. The third time, athirty-year-old man named Daya Ram Khatri stood up and volunteered. The guru took Daya Ram to a tent near by and returned alone after some time, his sword dripping blood. He repeated his call for volunteers four more times. The others who offered themselves were Dharm Das, a Jat from Delhi,Mokhan Chand, a washerman from Dwarka, Sahib Chand a barber from Bidar, and Himmat Rai, a water carrier from Jagannatha. Each of them went with him to the tent and every time here turned alone with his bloodied sword.

    The guru went to the tent yet again,this time for a long time. Here appeared followed by the five men, clad in saffron-coloured garments. The crowd was astonished for it had Baisakhi assumed them to be dead. They sat on the dais made for the occasion, while the guru prepared water to bless them. In an iron vessel, he stirred the batasha that his wife, Mata Ji to ji had put into water, with a sword called Khanda Sahib, while verses from their scriptures were recited by the congregation.

    The water was now considered the sacred nectar of immortality called amrita. It was first given to the five volunteers, then drunk by the guru and later distributed to the crowd. All those present, irrespective of caste or creed, became members of the Khalsa Pantha. This was also a great step in national integration because society at that time was divided on the basis of religion, caste and social status. The concept of forming a group where the origin of the individual became irrelevant was considered a very radical step.

    Those who had offered their lives were christened the Panch Pyare. They were directed by the guru to wear five K's: Kesh or long hair, Kangha or comb, Kripan or dagger, Kachha or shorts and a Kara or bracelet. He discontinued the tradition of Gurus and asked all Sikhs to accept the Grantha Sahib as their eternal guide. He urged them to come to him with their hair and beard sunshorn to get baptized by the sword. The suffix Singh derived from the Sanskrit word singha meaning 'lion',was added to the name of all male Sikhs, while the women were to call themselves Kaur, assistants to the Singh. To pay tribute to this event, prayer meetings are organised in gurdwaras across the country.

    The main celebration however, takes place in the gurdwara at Anandpur Sahib, where the order was formed. At about4 o'clock in the morning, the Guru Grantha Sahib is ceremonially taken out from its resting chambers. After a symbolic bath with milk and water, it is placed on its throne. Priests called the Panch Pyare then chant the verses that were recited by the original Panch Pyare when the order was created. Called the Panch Bani, these prayers include the Jabji Sahib, Jap Sahib,Sudha Savahiye, Chow Payee Sahib and Anantpur Sahib. While the Panch Bani is being chanted, amrita is prepared in an iron vessel, as was done by Guru Govind Singh.

    Devotees sip the amrita five times and vow to work for the Khalsa Panth. At noon, after Baisakhi the ardas, the Karah Prasad is offered to the guru for his blessings. It is then distributed to the congregation.They eat the prasad, before proceeding to participate in the guru ka langar. Believers perform kar seva. Shabads and kirtans are sung all day long to honour Guru Govind Singh and the beloved five, the founders of the Khalsa Panth.
     
    Jai Sai Ram~~~
    "लोका समस्ता सुखिनो भवन्तुः
    ॐ शन्तिः शन्तिः शन्तिः"

    " Loka Samasta Sukino Bhavantu
    Aum ShantiH ShantiH ShantiH"~~~

    May all the worlds be happy. May all the beings be happy.
    May none suffer from grief or sorrow. May peace be to all~~~

    Offline tana

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    Re: Baisakhi~~~
    « Reply #2 on: April 10, 2008, 01:03:18 AM »
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    Customs of Baisakhi~~~

    In the hill state of Himachal, Baisakhi comes on a flood tide of peach blossom, with dazzling white dog roses rushing in torrents down the hillsides and somber rhododendrons suddenly turning a flamboyant red. People flock to the temple dedicated to Goddess Jwalamukhi and take a holy dip in the neighbouring hot springs.

    In the plains of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Baisakhi is time to harvest the winter crop of wheat. Time also to celebrate. Homes are spruced up and doorways hung with chains of marigold and mango leaves. The day begins with a ceremonial bath and followed by prayers. A little later, the first ripe ears of wheat are gathered and brought home to be offered to the family deities to invoke their blessings. Evening sees a mela (fair) complete with stalls and fun and games where people enjoy the end of a year of good harvest.

    Baisakhi day is observed as the Naba Barsha (New Year) in Bengal. On April 14, the people take a ritual bath in the Ganga and bedeck their houses with rangoli (floral patterns) drawn on the entrance of their homes with a paste made of rice powder.

    Bihar celebrates a festival in Vaishakha (April) and Kartika (November) in honour of the Sun God, Surya, at a place called Surajpur-Baragaon. This is essentially a village where, according to an ancient practice, people bathe in the temple tank and pay obeisance to the Sun God while offering flowers and water from the sacred river Ganga.

    In Kashmir, Baisakhi is marked by a ceremonial bath and general festivity. In Assam, it coincides with the Goru Bihu or cattle festival when cattle are bathed, anointed with turmeric paste and decorated with flowers, before being treated to a repast of jaggery and brinjal. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it?s New Year time too. The Kerala New Year is conspicuous for an exchange of gifts and for alms-giving, while in Tamil Nadu, ceremonial processions are taken out, with richly caparisoned elephants swinging along to the beat of drums.

    Jai Sai Ram~~~
    "लोका समस्ता सुखिनो भवन्तुः
    ॐ शन्तिः शन्तिः शन्तिः"

    " Loka Samasta Sukino Bhavantu
    Aum ShantiH ShantiH ShantiH"~~~

    May all the worlds be happy. May all the beings be happy.
    May none suffer from grief or sorrow. May peace be to all~~~

    Offline tana

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    Re: Baisakhi~~~
    « Reply #3 on: April 12, 2008, 12:15:51 AM »
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    The Baisakhi Day of March 30, 1699~~~

    At the call of the Guru, thousands of people gathered at the Anandpur Sahib, the famous Golden Temple of Amritsar, India on the Vaisakhi Day, March 30, 1699. To instill courage in the fellow men, Guru Gobind made a powerful oration and revealed to them his divine mission of restoring amongst Sikhs and preserving the Sikh religion. At the end of his speech, the Guru flashed his unsheathed sword and said that every great deed was preceded by equally great sacrifice and demanded one head for oblation. To the Guru’s call, Daya Ram, a Khatri of Lahore offered himself. The Guru took him inside a tent. A little later he reappeared with his sword dripping with blood, and asked for another head. One by one four more earnest devotees - Daram Das - a Jat of Delhi, Mohkam Chand - a washerman of Dwarka (Gujarat), Himmat - a cook of Jagannath (Orissa) and Sahib Chand - a barber of Bidar (Karnataka) offered their heads. Every time the Guru took a person inside the tent, he came out with a bloodied sword in his hand.

    Astonished with their Guru’s behavior and believing him to have gone berserk, people started to disperse. Shortly after, Guru Gobind emerged with all five men dressed piously in white. He baptized the five in a new and unique ceremony called 'Khande di Pahul' (the double-edged Sword Amrit), what Sikhs today call Amrit. After this, the Guru asked the five baptized Sikhs to baptize him as well. They were then knighted as Singhs, as the Five beloved ones, the first members of the new community of equals, to be called the Khalsa, meaning "pure". Guru Gobind proclaimed that the Panj Pyare or the Five Beloved Ones would be the embodiment of the Guru himself, “Where there are Panj Pyare, there am I. When the Five meet, they are the holiest of the holy."

    These "saint soldiers" were to dedicate their lives to the service of others and the pursuit of justice for people of all faiths. The Guru also said whenever and wherever the five baptized or Amritdhari Sikhs comes together, the Guru would be present. All those who receive Amrit from five baptized Sikhs will be infused with the spirit of courage and strength to sacrifice. Thus with these principles, Guru Gobind established Panth Khalsa, the Order of the Pure Ones.

    The Guru also gave his new Khalsa a unique, indisputable, and distinct identity. The Guru gave the gift of bana, the distinctive Sikh clothing and headwear. He also offered five emblems of purity and courage. These symbols, worn by all baptized Sikhs of both sexes, are popularly known today as Five Ks:

    Kesh, unshorn hair
    Kangha, the wooden comb
    Karra, the iron (or steel) bracelet
    Kirpan, the sword
    Kachera, the underwear

    This act of total surrender of one's life to the service of the AKAL (God), the Timeless One, and at the feet of Guru Gobind Singh created the Sikh religion. For many centuries after that, the first male child of all families of Hindus in Punjab was ordained as a Sikh.

    Social Significance of Baisakhi Day~~~

    Apart from fighting the political tyranny, Guru Gobind also sought to eliminate social discriminations in the name of caste with the establishment of Khalsa Panth. The Panj Piyaras set by the Guru amalgamated people of low and high caste into one as it consisted of people of different strata of the society.

    To further do away with the system of caste discrimination and to give to all Sikhs an opportunity to live lives of courage, sacrifice, and equality, the Guru gave the surname of Singh (Lion) to every Sikh and also took the name for himself. From Guru Gobind Rai, he became Guru Gobind Singh. He also pronounced that all Sikh women embody royalty, and gave them the surname Kaur (Princess).

    Jai Sai Ram~~~
    "लोका समस्ता सुखिनो भवन्तुः
    ॐ शन्तिः शन्तिः शन्तिः"

    " Loka Samasta Sukino Bhavantu
    Aum ShantiH ShantiH ShantiH"~~~

    May all the worlds be happy. May all the beings be happy.
    May none suffer from grief or sorrow. May peace be to all~~~

     


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