Bhai Gurdas’s Var is the earliest account of Guru Nanak’s travels. He says: “Winning the fort (religious centre) of Baghdad he won over Mecca and Medina. He exposed the false philosophies of the Sidhas. He won over nine regions of the earth and spread his message of True Name of God.” The reason of travels of Guru Nanak has been described by Bhai Gurdas in his first ‘var’ (verse) to redeem the ‘the four lands and nine regions’ and to convey the True message of the Lord.[1]

Janamsakhi Bhai Bala (JS BB) edited by Dr Surinder Singh Kohli mentions that Guru Nanak visited Kings Sudhar Sain, Madhur Bain and Kawal Nain. “Guru Nanak bestowed the kingdom of 100 islands in 3 continents to Sudhar Sain on the recommendation of Inder Sain. These islands were ruled by 18 kings. (p.176) This Empire was earlier ruled by Kawal Nain son of Sur Sidh Misr/Brahman by caste. (p.198) [2]. Guru Nanak travelled for seven months and thirteen days to Swanrnpur, the capital of the kingdom of Kawal Nain which could be seen from 4 cosa from sea. The empire of Kawal Nainwas spread in 7700 jojan.

It had 18 vessel states in 3 continents ruled by 17 kings under him. These were:
(a). Madhurbain (b). Sudharsain (c).Naga Paras Ram (d) Sukh Sagar (e). Raja Atika Ghatika (f). Sukhchain (g). Budh Bibek Balka (h). Asrapnah (j). Sudh Sobhalka (k). Sagar Sain (l). Raja Nain Jot (m). Bir Bain (n).Raja BalSanghar (o) Lal Chain (p). Raja Turtrang (q). Rai Ain (r) Raja Magan Rai (s) Kawal Nain(JS BB p.166, 178, pp.192-198)

The ruler of 100 islands is not found mentioned in any of the resource materials. However Nagarakertagama (Desawarñana) claimed for Majapahit an empire of 98 tributaries, stretching from Sumatra to New Guinea. Majapahit fleets periodically visited many parts of the archipelago to obtain formal submission, or that the splendour of the Majapahit court led many regional rulers to send it tribute, in much the same way as they sent tribute to China, without any intention of submitting to orders from eastern Java. The trading power of Majapahit gave it a powerful sanction against defiant rulers. The eastern Java kingdom established especially close trading links with pepper suppliers in Sumatra and with other spice-producing regions in eastern Indonesia. It is probably best, therefore, to assess Majapahit’s claims of empire as representing real authority, with the proviso that such authority never gave Majapahit significant administrative power outside Java, Bali and Madura.

Majaapahit was an Indianized kingdom based in eastern Java from 1293 to around 1527. Its greatest ruler was Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 marked the empire’s peak, when it dominated other kingdoms in the southern Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Bali, Kalimantan and eastern Indonesia, and the Philippines

Majapahit empire was the last of the major Hindu empires of the Malay archipelago andis considered one of the greatest states in Indonesian history. Majapahit society developed a high degree of sophistication in both commercial and artistic activities. its capital was inhabited by a cosmopolitan population among whom literature and art flourished. It had a thriving cash economy based on rice cultivation and trade which supported a wide variety of industries and professions. Around 1527 it succumbed to the Sultanate of Demak.

As per Janam Sakhi Bhai Bala: The king did not want his people to bow before him. The 17 kings bowed in front of him and accepted his sovereignty. But he did not go to any one himself. Whatever he said was done. Guru Nanak said, “It is time of everyone. All are God’s Creation. They are as God’s creation as I am. We are not going to sleep in his protection but we must see him. The king who has won over pride; I have placed Sudhar Sain over him. Let us see what God does.” (JS BB, p.196).

There have been records to show that Guru Nanak visited China and the place ‘Nanking’ is named after Guru Nanak’s name’.[8] In various Janamsakhis also, the accounts are available describing Guru Nanak’s journey to ‘Brahampur’, ‘Silmila Dweep’ and numerous other Dvipas (Islands). His journey by sea is well explained by Dr. Kohli, which leaves no doubt that Guru Nanak visited the islands of 3 continents.

Majapahit kingdom thus fits into the explanation of Bhai Bala Janamsakhi hence discussed in detail further.

The Majapahit Empire was based in eastern Java and ruled much of the Southern Malay, Borneo, Sumatra, and Bali from about 1293 to around 1527. The Majapahit was the last of the great Hindu empires of the Malay Archipelago. The powerful Hindu kingdom, Majapahit, emerged in the 13th century and united much of what is now modern Indonesia. This Hindu-Buddhist state emerged as a trading Empire by the end of the 13th century and gained control over much of the archipelago, including Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku, Sumbawa, Lombok, and Timor. Its territorial expansion was credited to its significant naval power and, to some extent, to Gadjah Mada, who was the military commander of the kingdom from 1336. Majapahit Kingdom was the last great Hindu-Buddhist Kingdom of Indonesia, whose influence started to decline in the late 14th century and early 15th centuries. The Kingdom finally collapsed at the beginning of the 16th century. It is sometimes seen as establishing a precedent for the present political boundaries of the Republic of Indonesia (Ricklefs 1993: 19).

In the 13th century the Hindu Javanese kingdom known as Majapahit spread across South East Asia eclipsing the previous Srivijaya empire. By 1377 the Majapahit soldiers had taken control of the last stronghold in Sumatra, the Minangkabau capital Palembang. They fought off the rebellion and could now control the gold trade route which gave so much power to the Minangkabau kingdom.

Although the Majapahit rulers extended their power over other islands and destroyed neighboring kingdoms, their focus seems to have been on controlling and gaining a larger share of the commercial trade that passed through the archipelago.

During the reign of Hayam Wuruk (1350-1389) there were 12 provinces of Majapahit, administered by king’s close relatives. When Majapahit entered the imperial phase during the administration of Gajah Mada, several overseas vassal states were included within the Majapahit sphere of influence, as the result the new larger territorial concept was defined.

The model of political formations and power diffusion from its core in Majapahit capital city that radiates through its overseas possessions was later identified by historians as “mandala” model. The term mandala derived from Sanskrit “circle” to explain the typical ancient Southeast Asian polity that was defined by its centre rather than its boundaries, and it could be composed of numerous other tributary polities without undergoing administrative integration. The territories within Majapahit Mandala sphere of influence were those categorized as Mancanegara and Nusantara. These areas usually had their own indigenous rulers, enjoyed substantial autonomy and had their own political institution intact without further integration into Majapahit administration. The same mandala model also applied to previous empires; Srivijaya and Angkor and also Majapahit’s neighboring mandalas; Ayutthaya (Ayudhya) and Champa.

Majapahit power began to decline with a war over succession that started in 1401 and went on for four years. Majapahit found itself unable to control the rising power of the Sultanate of Malacca. Dates for the end of the Majapahit Empire range from 1478 to 1527. A large number of courtiers, artisans, priests, and members of the royalty moved east to the island of Bali at the end of Majapahit’s existence, where they remained isolated.

The king was the paramount ruler, as the chakarvartin he was considered as the universal ruler and believed to be the living god on earth. The king held the highest political authority and legitimacy. This fits into the description of Kawal Nain’s kingdom and his administration system as explained in Janamsakhi Bhai Bala.
ome of the important states under Majapahit were Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku, Sumbawa, Lombok, and Timor. Other states associated with the kingdom included Sunda, Malay, and Burma.

Majapahit dominance declined with the spread of Islam to Malacca in 1402. Although the Majapahit royal family stabilized itself in 1486, warfare broke out with the Muslim state of Demak and the dynasty, then ruling only a portion of eastern Java, ended in the 1520s or 1530s. Bhatara Prabhu Girindrawardhana Dyah Ranawijaya, was the last known king of Majapahit, possibly ruling until around 1520, when the capital was .0finally overrun by the forces of Demak. Little of the Majapahit Empire’s former glory still stands in East Java, however, with the exception of temple ruins and some archeological discoveries.

Some modern ethnic groups of interior Sumatra claim affinity with medieval Javanese empires. The highland Rejangs of Bengkulu Province claim their culture derived directly from Majapahit. The Rejangs’ oral history relates that a major change in their customary laws occurred when four `princes’ (pangeran) of Majapahit, after losing a dispute at court, fled to the hinterland in search of territory to rule. The four princes offered the Rejang people what they knew best: government.

According to Janam Sakhi Bhai Bala details of Guru Nanak’s visit to various areas ruled by Kawal Nain which he passed on to Sudhar Sain are as under:

1. Bisiar Des on sea shore travelling for 15 days 15 nights and meeting Jhanda Badhi, Sudhar Sain and Inder Sain. (JS Bhai Bala pp. 164, 168-176, pp. 156-158, p.165-166, pp. 168-177)

2. Asrapnah, Bisiar Des to Silmila Dvipa visiting the kingdom of Madhurbain at Brahmpur travelling by boat/ship for 6 months. JS BB pp. 177-180

3. Visiting Jambu Dvipa travelling by boat/ship for 27 days and 27 nights and won over Devloot and Devdoot. He stayed with them at Deoridhar for nine months. JD BB pp.180-183

4. Going to Parasnama travelling for three months from Jambu Dvipa and meeting King Teekhtain and visiting ape like men. (JS BB pp. 183-184)

5. Visiting Mecca, Medina, Baghdad (JS BB pp.184-185)

6. Travelled for seven months and thirteen days to Swanrnpur, the kingdom of Kawal Nain son of Sursi Misr/Brahman by caste saw a city visible from 4 kos. Kigdom in 7700 jojan.Following 17 kings are under him:

(a). Madhurbain (b). Sudharsain (c).Naga Paras Ram (d) Sukh Sagar (e). Raja Atika Ghatika (f). Sukhchain (g). Budh Bibek Balka (h). Asrapnah (j). Sudh Sobhalka (k). Sagar Sain (l). Raja Nain Jot (m). Bir Bain (n).Raja BalSanghar (o) Lal Chain (p). Raja Turtrang (q). Rai Ain (r) Raja Magan Rai (JS BB p.166, pp.192-198)

Puratan Janamsakhi edited by Shamsher Singh Ashok [15] mentions Guru Nanak;s visit to Bisiar Des meeting Jhanda Badhi (Puratan JS Shamsher Singh Ashok, p. 66) Blessing to Badhi (p.87)

The names quoted in Janamsakhis have been discussed by various researchers as under;

(a) Both Dr. Trilochan Singh and Dr. Surinder Singh Kohli agree that Burma is recorded as Brahampur, and Swaranpur was actually Sondeep and part of Burma. However the old chronicles record Swarnpur as Sumatra.

(b) Atak-Ghatk is a modified name of Chittagaon/Chittaging which was originally known as Chitta-Chatoka[16]. A Gurdwara called Gurdwara Sikh Temple was constructed in the Chak bazar of the town. Bhai Mohan Singh, a poor Khatri of Patna Sahib who rose to be a diwan (Revenue Minister) of Nawab ‘Ali Vardi Khan’ of Bengal from 1740 to 1756 donated some property to the Gurdwara, which remained under the control of mahants. Later a Management Committee was formed under the orders of District Judge. In 1972, when Capt Bhag Singh alongwith a deputation visited the Gurdwara, Sri Satish Chander Roy was the President and Shri S.K. Barman was the secretary of the Managing Committee.[17]

(c) Silmila dweep has been identified as Malaya Peninsula and includes, Siam. Annam, Cambodia, Jawa, Sumatra, Bali and Borneo'[18].

(d) Sudharsain is stated to be a powerful king of Chittagaon and Sondweep'[19].

(e) Dr. Kohli mentions, “It is said that there was a “Charan Padka” (the impression of the holy feet of the Guru) in Vat Sarkate (Temple) in Bangkok (Siam-Thailand). He is understood to have washed his hair at this place. He washeld in profound veneration like Lord Buddha, therefore, the annual function at the temple is held on Kartik Purnima. Another temple in Bangkok is known as Trei Mitter (temple of three friends) is supposed to have been built in memory of the Guru and his two companions Bala and Mardana. It is also probable that the Guru visited Ayodhya, also in Thailand, though the Ayodhya Chronicles did not mention Guru Nanak’s visit to Thailand. [20].

(f) He further mentions. “If even the Guru touched China and Japan by this sea journey, we can assume that the Guru went to Peking and Nanking at this time. He was received respectfully by King of China and the King and the people of China were so much impressed by the Guru that the city of Nanking was named in his honour'[21].

(g) Gyani Lal Singh Sangrur also records in his account that Guru Nanak visited Assam, Kamakhia in Kamrup, Cachar, Khasi Hills, Manipur, Lushai areas of Burma, Syllhet, Ajmer Ganj, Karim Ganj and Ghargaon in Bangladesh, Rangoon and Mandley in Burma, Salmala Dvipa, Palpasare, Brahmpur, Chandpur, Swarnpur, ratanKhali, Faridpur, Kasabpur and Nanking and Peking in China. He also records, ‘At many places in China, Guru Nanak’s idol is worshipped even now and he is remembered by the name of “Baba Bhusa” (Fusang). Due to lack of missionaries, places connected with the Guru could not be preserved. Guru Nanak having discussions with Lama-Gurus in China blessed them with True Name. Many Jains and Buddhists became followers of Sikh religion.'[22].

(h) There are places named Nanking (Zhuangsu province), Nantong (Jiangsu Province) Nanjang (Henang Province), Nayang (Jianxi Province) and Nanping (Fujian Province) in China,[23] which similarly would have been named on Guru’s Name.

(j) Guru Nanak’s travels to Singapore are also recorded in the form of a standing monument at Singapore'[24].

(k) Giani Gyan Singh in Twareekh Guru Khalsa, Guru 1 Part1, pp. mentions of Parsnama the city of Teekh Tain in Assam, Jhanda Badhi and Sudhar Sain as king of Cachar Manipur with capital at Aseemphal. From Cachar Manipur he went to Salmala Dvipa and stayed in Brahmpur with the king Maduhr Bain and then visited Kanwal Nain’s place Swaranpur [25]

Since Majapahit and its 98 islands turn out to be the main points of Guru Nanak’s journey, the general route of his travel in these islands could be as follows:

Starting from Bengal he met Sudharsain in Chittagon or Sondeep, visiting Devloot in Burma area enroute to Malay Peninsula Dvipa, meeting Madhurbain in Malay Peninsula, meeting Kawal Nain in Swarnpur in Indonesia (Java-Sumtra), meeting Teekhtain in remote island around Australia or American continent, Guru Nanak returned to Bengal for onward journey.

Describing the area above, Janamsakhi Bhai Bala mentions ‘When Mardana, the companion of the Guru expressed his desire to see all the seven dvipas the Guru said, “The great Jambu Dvipa is spread over one lakh yojan and lies in the middle of the other dvipas. The great mountain Sumeru lies within it. You have already seen the nine regions of this dvipa and one of these regions is Bharata Varsha. I cannot refuse to show you the other dvipas, therefore, let us go”. Then the Guru started on this great journey.

An ocean, one lakh yojan in length was crossed within a short period. The Guru reached Plaksha dweep with his companions. This dvipa was named after white Plaksha (or Pakhar) tree which was found is abundance in the region. The word Plaksha in Sanskrit means white. The people in this region were white and lustrous and lived a comfortable life like gods. They lived up to one thousand years. This dvipa was divided into seven parts and had seven rivers.

Several people of the dvipa gathered around the Guru considering him a holy man from another dvipa and presented fruits of the area. The Guru asked them about the general condition of life in their dvipa. They said, “We have all comforts of life, but we have certain vices which create troubles. Jealousy is created on seeing the superiors; ego is created on seeing inferiors and enmity on seeing the equals. If these vices are shed away, there will be bliss forever. Kindly suggest some remedy for these ills”.

The Guru said, “There is light of God within everybody and there is none without Him. If you think in this way, the inequality will cease. There will be no trouble. Remember the name of the Lord. Join the holy congregation as brothers and pray”. The people of the Dvipa became his followers.

After staying there for several days, the Guru proceeded to the next Dvipa after crossing the Plaksha Dvipa spread over two lakh yojans. There was an ocean of sugarcane juice, one lakh yojans in length which was crossed by the Guru and his companions. They remained thirsty throughout this journey. They then entered the next Dvipas i.e., Salmalaadvipa. This dvipa derived its name from Salmali (Simmal) or silk-cotton tree. The Guru visited the town in this Dvipa. The people and the king received him with great respect. The Guru initiated the king into the worship of true Lord’s name and the subject into His discipline’5. Details as given in Janamsakhi Bhai Bala are as follows:

‘There is a foreign country named Asrapan under a king. Guru Nanak started his journey to the place. There is seat of Jhanda Badhi over there. They moved to Bisihar Desh which is on an island in the ocean……They moved ahead…..It was a journey for fifteen days and nights. All of them survived on air. Thereafter they reached Bisihar Desh, where Sudhar Sain was the king’6. Guru Nanak blessed Jhanda Badhi and Inder Sain in Bisihar Desh. Jhanda Badhi a carpenter by trade, was appointed as preacher in the area. Inder Sain the nephew of the king established a great rapport with the Guru. The king Sudhar Sain was enlightened by Guru’s teaching and became his life-long disciple. Janam Sakhi further records.

Then King Sudhar Sain got the news of Guru Nanak’s arrival. He said to his courtiers, “A saint has come to my city who has been accepted as Guru by Jhanda Badhi. Please bring him to me”. Inder Sain proceeded to Guru Nanak and bowing before him gave whatever he had brought. He prayed to the Guru “Sire, the king is eagerly waiting for you. You must bless him”. Guru Nanak then blessed him and sang a hymn in Raag Bilawal, ‘Mite aandh agg gaya bikara, Aisa sahib (meet the great Lord, whom we love.) Guru Nanak blessed Sudhar Sain and bestowed upon him the kingdom of 100 islands.

King Sudhar Sain then ruled hundred islands for hundred years. There were eighteen other kings over which he ruled. He ruled three continents on the name of Guru Nanak and became a great person ….Guru Nanak stayed with king Sudhar Sain and Jhanda Badhi for one month on the request of Inder Sain.

While travelling through sea for thirty seven days & nights, they saw a city, named Deogandhar. Its ruler was Deoloot, who ruled 17 lakh gods. He was a cannibal. As he came to know of the three sitting outside his city, he ordered his soldiers to bring them for his food. When the soldiers came to arrest them, they were unable to see the Guru and his companions. On the failure of soldiers, Devloot himself tried but he too was unable to see Guru. One of his minister, Devdoot, told Devloot, “The saint seems to be a person of great divine power. Let me go with no ill feeling and see what happens. If I too get blinded, you can do to me whatever you wish.” The king Devloot agreed. As Devdoot went with pure heart he could see Guru Nanak and his companions. He asked Guru Nanak his name and the place he came from. Guru Nanak told him Amar Nagar as his residence and Nanak Nirankari as his name. The minister requested him to go to the city with him which Guru Nanak refused stating that he being a saint was happy wherever he was…..The minister told the complete details to the king Devloot, but the king remained adamant to hunt upon the Guru and said, “Let us all go. In case I am able to catch him, you will be punished”. As they all went, all except the minister became blind again. Raja Devloot was repentant at his act. He prayed to Guru Nanak to excuse him. At this Guru Nanak asked him to open his eyes. Astonishingly the king, on opening his eyes, found Guru Nanak in front of him. Guru Nanak then asked him to change his food habits, to stop cannibalism and to consider all men equal. He also asked him to follows king Sudharsain. He stayed there for nine months.

This area of Devloot was probably Rakhine (Arakan). The term Rakhine is believed to have been derived from the Pali word Rakkhapura (Sanskrit Raksapura), meaning “Land of Ogres” Rakshas), possibly a pejorative referring to the original Negreto inhabitants. The Pali word “Rakkhapura” (“Rakkhita”) means “land of the people of Rakhasa” (also Rakkha, Rakhaing). The reign Mrauk U as per Araknese chronicle Rakhine Razavin Thit (Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1931) was from 1429 to 1785 AD.The Marak U first kingdom started from 1429 AD and continued till 1531 AD. During the times of visit of Guru Nanak Salingathu ruled the kingdom from July 1494 to February 1502 followed by his sons Raza upto Novemeber 1513 and Gazapati upto January 1515, Saw O, brother of Salingathu from January 1515 to July 1515 and Thazta son of Dawlya from July 1515 to Aril 1521. Name Arakan for it was used in British colonial times and is believed to be a Purtuguese corruption of the word Rakhine that is still popularly used in English. Mrauk U was declared capital of the Arakanese kingdom in 1431. At its peak, Mrauk U controlled half of Bangladesh, modern day Rakhine State (Arakan) and the western part of Lower Burma. As the city grew, many pagodas and temples were built. Several of them remain, and these are the main attraction of Mrauk-U. From the 15th to 18th centuries, Mrauk U was the capital of a mighty Arakan kingdom, frequently visited by foreign traders (including Portuguese and Dutch), and this is reflected in the grandeur and scope of the structures dotted around its vicinity.[26][27][28] Mrauk-U went on to be a powerful kingdom in its own right between 15th and 17th centuries, including East Bengal between 1459 and 1666. Arakan was the only post-Pagan kingdom not to be annexed by the Toungoo dynasty of Burma.

There from they proceeded to Malay Penisula (Silmilla Dvipa). They moved on vast stretch of waters of the sea as if they were moving on earth. It took six months for them to reach. When they reached Silmilla Dvipa, Guru Nanak’s name was already well known. Everyone narrated how he bestowed upon Sudhar Sain the kingdom of three dvipas and how he made Jhanda Badhi a great saint.

All three stayed in the garden of a city. Mardana desired to go to the city. In fact he was hungry and wanted to have some food from the city. Guru Nanak said, “The name of this city is Brahampur and is ruled by Madhur Bain.” As they were discussing, Raja Madhur Bain turned up there hunting. He questioned them. When he found that they were accompanied by the saint who has been to Bisihar to bless Sudharsain with a kingdom, he was very much pleased. He gave out details of his kingdom and surrounding areas. He stated, “I am Madhur Bain, I am the king of this area and a Brahman by caste. Name of this city is Brahampur….There are eighteen kings in these three dvipas. They are Kaul Nain, Madhur Bain, Sudhar Sain, Sukhchain, Asrapan, Sagar Sain, Bir Nain, Lal Nain, Rai Sain, Sukh Sagar, Naga Paras Ram, Raja Atak-Ghatak, Sudhi Balka, Budh-Bibek-Balka, Raja Nam Jyoti, Raja Bali Sanghar, Raja Jur Jarang and Raja Madan Raja”. Bala told him, ‘Guru Nanak has blessed Sudhar Sain to rule over all of you. Raja Madhurbain invited Guru Nanak to city. Guru Nanak sang hymn in Raag Bilaval ‘Ek bhandar ke jin sahib kichh dia, bhukh nang sabh cheenkar apna kar liya’ (God his given me every thing by giving me the store of True Name. He has snatched hunger and nakedness and made me his own). Raja Madhurbain then became his disciple. Guru Nanak asked him to serve Sudharsain. All three stayed with Madhurbain for one month before departing.

His next journey was to the capital of Majapahit for seven months and thirteen days. After reaching Suwaranpur (Sumatra), Guru Nanak and Bala sat outside the premises of the city while Mardana entered the city. Mardana found it to be the land of gold. On enquiry he found the name of the city to be Suwaranpur ruled by king Kaul Nain, son of Surat Singh. Every one could eat whatever he wanted, there was no check. Order of the king was that every visitor will be given free food of his choice. Every item including the balance and weights in use, were of gold. The person known as Dharam Singh gave Mardana whatever he desired and asked him to take some sweet for his companions. Mardana however took nothing. On return, he told all the details, about the city to Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak was happy that Mardana brought nothing. He told Mardana, “This is the city of Dharma. Hence, no one does any evil. Everyone is contented. They do not have Turks in this state. They do not know Turks or even the idol worshippers”. Guru Nanak told him the limits of the kingdom to be equal to nine thousand seven hundred yojan. No other king had such a vast terriory in the world.

Mardana visited the city for 7 consequent days. Eighth day, Dharam Singh asked him about his companions, as to why they did not come. Mardana said, “They are contented. They live on air”. Dharam Singh gave Mardana 2.5 seer of sweets for him and 5 seers for Guru Nanak and Bala and reached alongwith Mardana to the location where they had stayed.

Announcing his arrival with God’s name, Dharam Singh presented the food. Guru Nanak refused to take it, stating, “Your king has done some wrong and he should be knowing what it was about.” Dharam Singh was perplexed. He wanted to know what wrong his King had done but Guru Nanak refused to tell. Dharam Singh went to the king and stated what all happened. The king pondered over his entire past. Finding nothing wrong, he proceeded to Guru Nanak to clarify. Guru Nanak welcomed him and told him the details of his previous birth and the present life pointing out that he should not allow himself to be worshipped as he was not a God. The king fell at Guru’s feet and begged for forgiveness. Guru Nanak asked him to serve Sudharsain and rule over the area as a Dharam-Raja as he has been doing so far.

From Malaysia Guru Nanak’s next journey to the capital of Kawal Nain which was in Sumatra also known as Suwarnpur. Sumatra was known in ancient times by the Sanskrit names of Swarnadw īpa (“Island of Gold”) and Swarnabhūmi (“Land of Gold”), because of the gold deposits of the island’s highland.[29] The first word mentioning the name of Sumatra was the name of Srivijiyan (king) Sumatrabhumi (“King of the land of Sumatra”), [30] who sent an envoy to China in 1017. One of the earliest known kingdoms was Kantoli, which flourished in the 5th century CE in southern Sumatra. Kantoli was replaced by the Empire of Srivijaya and then later by the King of Samudra. Srivijaya was a Buddhist monarchy centered in what is now Palembang.

Late in the 14th century the name Sumatra became popular in was replaced reference to the kingdom of Samudra Pasai, which was a rising power until it by Sultanate of Aceh. Sultan Alauddin Shah of Aceh, on letters written in 1602 addressed to Queen Elizabeth I of England, referred to himself as “king of Aceh and Samudra”. The word itself is from Sanskrit “Samudra”

The longest axis of the island runs approximately 1,790 km (1,110 mi) northwest-southeast, crossing the equator near the centre. At its widest point, the island spans 435 km (270 mi). The interior of the island is dominated by two geographical regions: the Barisan Mountains in the west and swampy plains in the east. To the southeast is Java, separated by the Sunda Trait. To the north is the Malay Peninsula, separated by the Strait of Malacca. To the east is Borneo, across the Karimata Strait. West of the island is the Indian Ocean. The backbone of the island is the Barisan Mountain chain, with the active volcano Mount Kerinci as the highest point at 3,805 m (12,467 ft), located at about the midpoint of the range. The volcanic activity of this region endowed the region with fertile land and beautiful sceneries, for instance around lake Toba. It also contains deposits of coal and gold. The volcanic activity stems from Sumatra’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire- which is also the reason why Sumatra has had some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded.

Sumatra is not particularly densely populated, with just over 100 people per km2 – more than 50 million people in total. Because of its great extent, it is nonetheless the fourth [33] most populous island in the world. The most populous regions include most of North Sumatra and central highlands in West Sumatra, while the major urban centers are Medan and Palembang.

His next visit was to Parasarama city. It was a three months journey. This area was ruled by king Teekhantain the king of apes. These apes used to live on wild-animal-hunt and jungle food. Seeing Guru Nanak and his companions, all except one ran. The one who stopped presented a tasty fruit which they enjoyed. Most probably it was beyond South East Asia, may be either in Microasia or Marshal Islands. Dr Kohli and Lala Singh Sangrur even mentioned that Guru Nanak visited Japan and Australia. This needs further research.

~ by Col Dr Dalvinder Singh Grewal
~ dalvinder45@rediffmail.com
~ Source: Sikhnet.com

“Pakistan can never defeat India”, the Italian remarked.

That morning in May 1999, on an official trip to Italy, as I had switched on the BBC World News, I had heard the announcement that Indian Air Force had started an offensive on the Kargil peaks and there were fears of a full-fledged war with Pakistan. What had till now been known as a minor incursion by infiltrators was now threatening to engulf the two nations into a suicidal war. My friend Mukul and I had begun our usual tour of the Carrara stone fair; visiting booths of major companies, seeking trade and technology for Indian stone industry.

I vividly remember that stall. A company called FMeccanica, and the company owner sitting stylishly having a chat with his clients. These Italians sure are one stylish lot. Brown shoes and a red golf cap. I still have’nt got over my bias for brown shoes acquired during those yearly trips to Italy.

As we got on with our promotional lecture the conversation veered off to the Kargil news.
“Pakistan can never defeat India”, he suddenly remarked.

“Oh yes”, we said, “Of Course, we have a bigger army”, we said proudly.
“Oh No!, you got it wrong”, said the Italian
“Is that so? How?”
“You know about Sikhs?”, he asked.
“Of course”, I said, “I am a Sikh”
“Oh, are you?”, he remarked with a surprise, as he suddenly got up from his seat, took off his red cap, “Salute’”, he said in his strong Italian accent; even as he asked me as to why I was not wearing the Sikh turban. I grinned sheepishly in response.

“Hats off, my Sikh friend; you don’t know why Pakistan can never defeat India? It cannot defeat India as long as the Sikhs fight for India.”

We were surprised by his reaction. And we asked him as to how he knew about Sikhs and tried to find out the story behind his view.

And then he started speaking animatedly. “My Grandpapa was in Mussolini’s army in World War-II. And he used to tell me a story. He told me that they were winning the war as they moved into Eastern Africa. They won many battles against the British. And then the British brought a regiment of fierce looking warriors. Men that looked like ferocious animals when in battle, the Sikhs. Their war-cry was so frightening that the Italian army used to shiver when it sounded. They attacked with their artillery; when they finished their artillery fire they attacked with their guns; when they finished their bullets they fought with bayonets; and when their bayonets were snatched they fought with knives; and then even as they were bleeding they fought with bare hands.”

I could see the Italian getting more and more excited as he recited the story. He was moving his hands around in the air and acting the part. “My Grandpa used to say that it was the Sikhs that turned the war around. They routed their enemy wherever they went.
“Finally, my Grandpa was captured by the Sikh regiment”, he said. “He was a Prisoner of War, with limited canteen. Even water was scarce. The Sikhs, the ferocious Sikhs that behaved like hungry lions on the field were like benevolent guardians in the camps. They slept hungry themselves but gave their food to the prisoners. They gave them so much respect and love that my Grandpapa used to say that he had never seen men like the Sikhs. So gallant in war and so gracious in victory.”

“As I grew up, my grandpapa inspired me with stories of Sikhs and asked me to meet some Sikhs if I wanted to be a man. So I went to meet Sikhs in India. I roamed in the Punjab, went to the temples and met many.”

“But, I wanted to see the Sikh Army in Action. So I went to your parade, that big parade in New Delhi, where all regiments of the Indian army march in glory. The parade was magnificent, the Indian army marching proudly, regiment after regiment.” he remarked as he took a book in his hand and moved it smoothly across the table in one straight line he said “this is how smoothly each regiment moved, like one unit” Sikh regiment contingent at Republic Day parade.

“And then in the distance, I saw the Sikhs”, he said, as he started moving the book across the table. “Boom” he shouted as I saw the book go up an inch, “Boom”, as it went down, even as it moved across in one straight line and he did the entire stretch of the table. “This is how the Sikhs marched, boom, boom, moving like a storm across the road, so disciplined moving like one unit, yet looking so gallant and brave. I have seen the Germans marching, I have seen the march-past of the Russians, but I have never seen an army marching the way the Sikhs do.” He continued for a few more minutes with anecdotes of his grandpa’s and his interaction with Sikhs, as he hammered in the fact that Sikhs were the best fighting force in the world.

“So, my friend, you see. Pakistan can never defeat India, as long as the Sikhs fight for India.”

Postscript:
This incident has stayed with me for over fifteen years now, and I recount it today not in bravado as a fellow Sikh, but as something that needed to be told as an indicator of the impact Sikhs have on people, both in their bravery and in their graciousness; and as a reminder to us Indians that we have frittered away the Sikh regiment after 1984 by diluting its Sikh character in the name of reducing racism.

Sikhs make up 10% of all ranks in the Indian Army, though Sikhs form only 2% of the Indian population.
However, the Sikh regiment of Indian Army is no longer limited to Sikhs since 1984. The exclusivity has been discarded in the name of national integration, with a company each of Dogras, Garhwalis and South Indians in the Sikh Regiment. I read an article today from the ‘Telegraph’ of UK that the Britishers were planning to create a ‘Sikh Regiment’ in the British Army.

Perhaps the Britishers know something we Indians don’t.

~ Source: kulveersamra.wordpress.com

Move over Batman and superman. Meet the world’s newest crime-fighter, a Sikh superhero who sports a beard and turban and battles against evils like the Taliban. You can meet Secret Agent Deep Singh in the first issue of ‘Super Sikh’, due out in March in the US. Singh may not look like your typical comic book hero, but he fights for all the same things: justice, equality, and good in the battle against evil.Super Sikh is the brainchild of Oakland-based writer Eileen Alden and Silicon Valley executive, Supreet Singh Manchada.

Deep Singh travels to Graceland where he fights off agents of the Taliban who are tailing him and doing what bad guys always do – trying to kill him, cbslocal.com reported. He is a huge Elvis fan.

Mr Alden and Mr Manchada launched a Kickstarter campaign early this year to help bring the first turban Sikh ‘super hero’ to life. In just 27 hours they had enough to produce the first issue. By February, they exceeded their original goal of $5,000, raising more than $22,000.

They have brought in award-winning illustrator Amit Tayal, whose work has been published internationally. The Kickstarter money ensures at least three issues of the series. There are around 28 million Sikhs worldwide and about a half million living in the USA.

According to comicbookreligion.com, there are already 20 turban-wearing Sikh heroes and villains in comic books. So what sets Super Sikh apart? Singh, or ‘Super Sikh’, is the first and only comic book hero who is fighting racial and religious stereotypes.

The Kickstarter campaign says Deep Singh is a “skillful, smart and very well-trained British Special Air Service agent.”

That sounds a bit like James Bond. But Deep Singh’s creators promise a new kind of hero – “a modern hero in a turban who loves Elvis and hates bad guys,” and “will uphold his Sikh values even while he is living in a modern world with all of its complexity”.

Hopefully the comic will shed light on this 15th-century religion, perhaps one of the most misunderstood groups on the planet.

Post-9/11, turbans, beards and head scarves have made Sikh men and women targets of hundreds of hate crimes and bullying. People, ignorant to the fact that Sikhism has no relation to Islam, mistake them for terrorists. In 2011, two Sikhs were shot in Elk Grove, the newspaper said.

Mr Machanda said he was bullied when he was a child, and that was one of the reasons he co-created this comic. He told Oakland.net, “I’ve always wanted to create a character that was a Sikh, but I never found someone who could write it and conceptualize it. What I needed was Eileen.”

Super Sikh will be published in English. A digital version in Punjabi, Spanish and Mandarin will come later.

~ Source: http://www.ndtv.com/

Flying Sikh Milkha Singh is one of the most celebrated and successful athletes India has ever produced. Singh never surrendered and faced every challenge with zeal to overcome it. He made India proud at the time when India was a nobody in the world of sports and there was hardly any Indian performing well at the world arena.

Milkha came, saw and conquered all odds and made India proud on many occasions. He is an inspiration to all Indians, especially to those who want to become sports icon like he is.

Today every athlete, professional or unprofessional wants to emulate Milkha, but till now, none has succeeded as far as the sprint is concerned.

In an exclusive tete-a-tete with iamin, Milkha Singh spoke his heart out and told us what made him Milkha Singh from a skinny teen thrown out of his home in Pakistan during partition.

“If one wants to be a sports icon, one has to have a deep love for his country and national flag. Love for country adds fuel to the fire. India despite having large talent hasn’t produced many medals at Olympics. And associations and all others who are managing sports in India need to work on it,” said Milkha Singh.

Singh has contributed heavily to Indian sports and even now, he is doing his bit. “I have started a talent search in association with GAIL. Under this scheme, I would search for 100 Milkha Singhs from every nook and corner of the country. We will train them with a vision to make India a sports super power,” added the legend.

Milkha believes that running is not only for sport persons, but every Indian should run in order to stay fit and healthy. “If one runs daily, he won’t have to run to doctor often. Running is the key of healthy life, irrespective of any discipline,” said Singh.

Milkha Singh wasn’t an unknown face, but the Bollywood biopic ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ made him a household name and he became an inspiration to many.

“I really loved the movie and I am happy that it inspired many to take up sports as career. But I want to say one thing ‘hard work is only key to success’. For those who want to become Milkha Singh will have to work hard beyond limits because that’s what made me what I am today,” said the legend.

~ Source: www.iamin.in

I am just a 9-year-old girl in NYC. I’m ordinary. But, I feel special. There is always glee in my heart, and that’s because I’m a Kaur. A princess. Being a Kaur makes me feel proud. I feel like I can do anything once I put my mind to it.

Some people find me intriguing. They question me all day, “Why does your Dad wear a turban?” (He’s the only parent in my school with turban) “Why is your hair so long?” (It is very very long!) I don’t mind the questions. I’m happy to answer them. I give explanations with every detail. I could talk about my Kaur life for ages. I’m glad I’m different. It makes me unique, and I like that. I can be myself.

What is most interesting to me is the history of Sikhi. A Sikh is what I am. A LEARNER.

~ Source: www.kaurlife.org

In TAGORE AND SIKHISM, Professor Amiya Dev, a distinguished scholar of comparative literature, delineates the discursive features of Indian theological and literary tradition with special reference to the reaction and response of one of the most eminent poet-scholar of the Indian subcontinent. In this essay, we encounter the extremely lucid commentary on the inter-religious and inter-philosophical undercurrents which have been the hallmark of our humanity and our quest for the universal Truth that goes beyond the usual boundaries of never ending theological disputes. In Tagore, there is sublime incision and perception of Truth and Transcendence of the Sikh Gurus which brought about a philosophical revolution in the centuries old tradition of our country.

Jaspal Singh
Vice-Chancellor,
Punjabi University, Patiala.

TAGORE AND SIKHISM
Amiya Dev

When I was at school a poem I would often recite at a gathering was Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Bandī Bīr’ (Prisoner Hero) celebrating Sikh heroism and martyrdom. Some of its lines I still remember, especially the ones at the beginning: ‘pañcanadīr tīre / benī pākāiyā śire / dekhite dekhite gurur mantre / jāgiyā utheche Sikh– / nirmam nirbhīk’ (By banks of five rivers / with hair tied in braids / in no time did Sikhs wake up / in Guru’s name– / unrelenting and fearless). Their wake-up slogans were ‘Alakh Niranjan’ and ‘Victory to the Guru’. And

A day came
when millions knew no fear
nor had debts to any.
Life and death were mere footmen,
and heart free of worries.
By the ten banks of five rivers
such a day did come.

With this awakening in the background, the poem goes on into the Mughal offensive out of envy and fear, and the heroic battle put up by the Sikhs until their fort at Gurudaspur falls with the leader Banda [Bahadur] taken prisoner. Carnage follows. In seven days seven hundred Sikhs are beheaded their spirit of martyrdom contesting for places of priority in the beheading. Then the worst comes. One of Banda’s infant sons is thrown into his lap with the express order of killing him. This involves both father and son in martyrdom. The poem narrates how Banda quells his son’s fear by whispering the magic spell of martyrdom to his ears, ‘Victory to the Guru’. Yes, it is with ‘Victory to the Guru’ on his lips that the young martyr readies himself for his martyr father’s dagger. The act of most dastardly infanticide is most lovingly done throwing waves of silence and shock through the executioners’ court. Banda follows suit with hot pincers tearing his body apart. Across these sixty-five years I still remember the emotion in my voice in spelling out the last words of the poem: ‘darśakjan mudilo nayan, / sabhā holo nistabdha’ (The spectators shut their eyes, and the court / went dead silent).

The date these fourteen lyric stanzas comprising the narrative poem ‘Bandī Bīr’ were composed, was November 1899. The poem was part of a book of poems called Kathā (Tales: 1899) containing narrative poems on ancient and medieval Indian material. Its prefatory note was: ‘The Buddhist tales narrated in this book are taken from Rajendralal Mitra’s collection in English of Buddhist literature of Nepal. The Rajput stories have been found in Todd’s Rajasthan and the Sikh narratives in one or two English Sikh histories. I have got the Vaishnava tales from Bhaktamāl. Some difference from the original sources will be noted in these poems—I hope in accordance with common literary practice I shall not be held punishable for such change.’ In other words, in a mild way Tagore is saying that his narratives are not versified history but depiction of experience derived from history. And the purpose is not edification but appreciation.

There are two other ‘Sikh’ poems in Kathā, one on Bhai Taru Singh’s martyrdom, ‘Prārthanātīta Dān’ (Gift beyond Prayer), and the other ‘Śesh Śikshā’ (Last Lesson) on Guru Gobind Singh’s self-sought retribution cum death. This second I shall take up with the two other Guru Gobind Singh poems he had written earlier in 1888. ‘Prārthanātīta Dān’ is short enough to be quoted whole:

Gift beyond Prayer (Prārthanātīta Dān)
For a Sikh cutting his braided hair is as bad as giving up religion.
When the Pathans brought
the Sikh prisoners in chains
Suhridganj’s soil
went blood-red.
Nawab said, ‘Listen, Toru Singh,
I wish to pardon you.’
Toru Singh said, ‘why
this dishonour to me?’
Nawab replied, ‘You are a great warrior,
I am not angry with you,
all I ask for is that you
cut your braid for me.’
Toru Singh said, ‘Your kindness
is imprinted on my heart
I shall give you more than you have asked,
my head with the braid.’

This came in close heels of ‘Bandī Bīr’ (only a Rajput poem intervening) in November 1899. Its history is scanty, may even be inexact, yet it bears the essence of Sikh martyrdom. It concerns the first of the five K’s of Khalsa Panth, keś which being a gift of God is inseparable from the head. To cut it is to disown the head. Indeed Toru Singh’s repartee hits the bull’s eye. And surely the Nawab knew it. In apparent innocence he is asking a Sikh to give up his faith. Is he testing him, to see if he sells his faith in order to save his head? But isn’t there a contradiction in terms here in the Khalsa perspective—how can you save your head by sacrificing what grows on it? (It may be an idle comparison with Hebrew Samson, yet it strikes one. Sikh religious historians may tell us better.) So martyrs are those that offer to die to defend the purity of their faith, to save it from any doubts or innuendos. The Nawab’s ‘request’ conceals a call to heresy, or contrarily, without his knowing it, to martyrdom. Fallen among vengeful enemies a Sikh leader is by definition a martyr. The Nawab is only a factor.

There are in all three Guru Gobind Singh poems, two written earlier and the third within a few days of the Taru Singh poem. The earlier poems occur in Tagore’s first major book of poems containing a whole variety of themes, Mānasī (Lady of the Mind: 1890). Written on consecutive days, in 1888, they are built around Guru Gobind Singh’s sādhanā. The first one, named ‘Guru Gobinda’, is a long dialogue Guru Gobind Singh has with his disciples—he speaking and they listening. They have come to take him back to the land of the five rivers from his seclusion (‘ “Friends, go back, / it is not time yet”—/ night ending, on Jamuna’s banks / of low hills, and a dense forest; / Guru Gobinda said aloud / to his six disciples.’) Laid out in twenty-five lyric stanzas, it is a narrative poem of the kind Tagore would later develop in Kathā. Guru Gobind Singh is fully aware of the pull—the many tasks awaiting his leadership—in fact he has a full vision of them. The poet is doing justice to history but in his own way, through a set of dreams as it were. But Guru Gobind Singh wakes up, for his sādhanā is not yet over.

I must still be in the world of imagination,
and have my seat in the forest
still I need only quiet contemplation,
lonely meditation without action,
night and day to listen sedentarily
to my soul’s voice. …

Twelve years have thus passed,
how longer do I have to go
by acquiring eternal life
drop by drop from all sides
when in myself shall I see
my Self in all fullness?

When I shall open my heart and say
‘I have attained my end.
You all follow me,
The Guru is calling you …’

The second Guru Gobind Singh poem, ‘Nishphal Upahār’ (Fruitless Gift), is complementary to the first, depicting the Guru’s composure in the midst of his sādhanā not swayed by any nostalgic dreams of the future. His portrait is perfect: no eddies in his heart as in the river below where the scene is laid for the poem. It is Jamuna as in the first, and its banks are as hilly and full of shingles. A classical motif for such sādhanā to be tested out is temptation, which often comes in the form of some greed-evoking possession, whether a nymph or riches. Tagore seemed so touched by its theme that he wrote the poem twice on the same day, with slight variations in the metre, the rhyme scheme remaining the same, aabb. Here are some lines from its twelve stanzas (I am quoting from the second version):

When Raghunah arrived
the Sikh Guru was reading a life of the Lord.
Touching his feet Raghu said,
‘master, the servant has brought you a small gift.’ …

Two golden bangles inlaid with gems
Raghu placed at the Guru’s feet with folded hands.

Picking them up from the ground
the master looked them over with moving fingers. …

Smiling a little the Guru put them aside,
and went back to the book he was reading.
Suddenly one bangle from the rock it was on
rolled down into Jamuna’s stream.

Raghunath with shouts of ‘alas oh alas’
jumped into the water with outstretched hands, …

Not once did the Guru raise his face,
so intense was his joy of reading. …

Daylight faded out with the day,
nothing was found scuttling up Jamuna.
In wet clothes, empty hands, tired with bent head
Raghunath came back to the Guru.

‘I can still retrieve it,’ he begged with folded hands,
‘if you show me where it is lying.’
By flinging the second bangle into water
the Guru said, ‘there it is on the riverbed.’

The third Guru Gobind Singh poem, ‘Śesh Śikshā’ (Last Lesson), is a narrative of a different order. The Guru is at the end of his career and is not fully sure that his dreams have come true. The Bhārat he had looked forward to is now ‘narrow, split-up, doubt-ridden’. ‘Has he been wrong then, / his life a failure?’ The poem begins with a pensive Guru in the throes of despair. The turn of events that follows—the Pathan from whom he had bought a horse claiming payment, he deferring, the Pathan calling him names, he in a fit of rage beheading the Pathan—despairs him further: ‘I can see / my time is up. My sinful sword / has belied its ideals / by shedding blood for nothing. In my arm / I have no more any faith. / I must wash up this sin and shame–/ from today let that be my life’s last task.’ Expiation begins. He raises the Pathan’s son as his own, showers on him love and care, instructs him in both scriptures and arms—all to the amazement and apprehension of his followers. ‘What is this, master, what are you doing? / We fear the consequence.’ But his expiation has given him back his self-confidence: he has become the ‘Bīr (Heroic) Guru’ again. He knows what he is doing, raising a worthy avenger of his father. As to the Pathan boy, he becomes a son to him, ‘loves him / like life—is ever by his side, / as if he is his right hand.’ All his own sons having died in battle, this boy fills up the vacuum in his heart. Tagore uses an image here. The Guru is like a thunder-struck banyan that has had a seed brought by wind from outside into its hollow, growing into a tree itself that covers the old banyan with its own branches.

Once the Pathan boy’s instruction is over, he begs leave of his foster father to go out into the world to prove his worth. The Guru tells him that there is one more lesson left. It is the lesson that he has been all these years waiting to give his foster son, the retribution that he owes for his utterly mindless and bloody act committed years ago. The son must avenge his father. One evening he takes the boy with him leaving behind his followers, to the spot where he had killed the father. It is by a river. ‘The fading day’s burnt-out crimson light / casting a long shadow like a bat’s wings / is flying to the western wilderness / in the silent sky.’ The Guru tells the boy to dig in the sand. A reddened stone is found the red of which is identified as the boy’s father’s blood. ‘The day is come … by killing your father’s killer / in hot blood quench / his thirsty soul.’ The boy has an instantaneous reaction, but the next moment he throws himself at the Guru’s feet saying, ‘do not play / this devilish game. God knows / I have forgotten my father’s murder; you / I have known as father, guru and friend / all this time. Let that love fill up the mind, / and let rage wither under it.’ Since then the Pathan boy avoids the Guru’s intimate company, until at a chess game he is confronted with him. The boy keeps losing and the game lingers into the night. They are alone now and with his head bent the boy thinks up moves. Suddenly the Guru flings a chessman at him and roaring with laughter says, ‘How can such a coward win / who plays with his father’s killer?’ Provoked into murderous rage the boy instantly unsheathes his dagger and plunges it into the Guru’s breast, and the Guru says smilingly, ‘At last you have learnt / to avenge injustice. / This was your last lesson—the last time today / I bless you, my son.’

The three Guru Gobind Singh poems are of three different tempers. The first shows him eager to finish his gestation and become the Guru he is to be. That future seems to be pulling him though he does not mean any compromise with his remaining sādhanā. But it surely lacks the unruffledness of the second poem. There the sādhanā is as it were in its essence while in the first it is put in perspective. The third is expiatory. And as in all expiations it is preceded by a fall and ends on a rise. But it is an expiation that his followers cannot quite comprehend. At the end of his life Guru Gobind Singh also proves to be an ideal individual. Perhaps in advance this answers some of the doubt Tagore is going to raise in an essay on him in 1910 in contradistinction with Shivaji and, especially, in the background of the Nanak Panth.

Tagore has a sixth ‘Sikh’ poem, but written much later, in 1935. A variation on ‘Bandī Bīr’ it reiterates his admiration for Sikh heroism and martyrdom. And by being an utterance in the last decade of his life it has an abiding significance. But before getting to it let us recall his series of three historical essays written as early as 1885 for Bālak (Boy), a magazine meant for the younger members of the Jorasanko household. They were ‘Kājer Lok Ke’ (Who is a Worthy Person?), ‘Bīr Guru’ (Heroic Guru) and ‘Sikh-Svādhinatā’ (Sikh Independence). They deal respectively with Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, and Banda Bahadur and later. His main source was J.D. Cunningham’s A History of the Sikhs (1849). He might have also looked at W.L. M’Gregor’s The History of the Sikhs (1846)—might have, for there is no evidence as such though he did hint at more than one English Sikh history in his preface to Kathā from which we quoted three poems. The first essay is about the two worlds of Nanak’s father and Nanak. Nanak’s father was materially minded and wanted his son to have equal materiality. But Nanak had immaterial longings. Tagore quoted the khara sauda episode that proved their difference of values. The Sultanpur episode didn’t mean a tilt, for though he worked at the granaries his mind was elsewhere. And then he had that epiphany in the Muslim fakir admonishing him upon which he left home. His udasi is taken up in some detail: ‘… Nanak travelled to many places and countries, doing as much good as he could to people and preaching the religious truth to all. He loved both Hindus and Muslims. But he pointed out whatever was wrong with Hinduism. He also pointed out whatever was wrong with Islam. Yet both Hindus and Muslims were devoted to him.’ Back home he gave spiritual advice to everyone. ‘He told them to worship one God, be religious, forgive others’ sins, and love all.’ Tagore ends his essay with a lesson for his juvenile readers: ‘Now judge if it was Kalu [Bedi] or Kalu’s son Nanak who was worthier. The Sikhs you see today whose handsome built, noble countenance, great strength and unlimited courage astonish you, this people are Nanak’s śishya. There were no Sikhs before Nanak. Such a noble race has been born out of Nanak’s noble thought and religiosity. … The money made by Kalu had filled up his own stomach, and the religious riches earned by Nanak have been feeding men for four hundred years. Who then was worthier?’

The very title of the second essay, ‘Heroic Guru’, implies its subject, Guru Gobind Singh. ‘The nobleness with which Nanak was born did not extinguish with his death. The religious hymns he sang, the songs of joy and hope, went on reverberating. Newer and newer Gurus came up to lead the Sikhs to greatness.’ Tagore raises the curtain on Mughal hostility to the Sikhs and tells his juvenile readers of the Ninth Guru Tegbahadur’s sacrifice at Aurangzeb’s court to keep the secrecy of the Sikh doctrine. His son Gobind, the Tenth Guru, pledged Sikh consolidation, but he went through a twenty-year intense sādhanā for that (the subject of the first Mānasī poem we quoted). He abolished caste among Sikhs and conferred a common surname, Singh, on the males. To illustrate his utter disregard for riches, Tagore tells the story of Guru Gobind’s refusal to accept a pair of expensive bangles from a rich disciple (the subject of the second Mānasī poem). His continuous struggles to establish Sikh supremacy and battles against Muslims are given in some detail. A correspondence with Aurangzeb is quoted in which he accused the Mughals of atrocities against the Sikhs and added: ‘My sons have been killed; all my ties to the world are snapped; I am waiting for death; I don’t fear anyone, I only fear the sole emperor of the world, the king of all kings. The prayer of the poor to God does not go unanswered; one day you shall have to account for all your oppression and cruelties.’ Anyway his worth was finally recognized in the Mughal court. But Guru Gobind Singh died under strange circumstances, at the hands of a Pathan whose father he had impetuously killed, and whom he had raised as his son giving all training so that he could one day avenge his father’s death on him. It is this that Tagore later develops into the poem ‘Last Lesson’. Tagore’s conclusion on the ‘Heroic Guru’ for his juvenile readers is: ‘Though Guru Gobind did not succeed in fulfilling the resolution to which he had dedicated his life, yet it was chiefly he who turned the Sikhs into a martial people. After his death the Sikhs one day attained their independence; but it was he who had opened the door to that independence.’

Tagore’s third essay picks up the thread from the second and deals with the eventual fulfilment of Guru Gobind Singh’s pledge of ‘freeing his people from the foreign oppressors’. The crucial role was played here by Guru Gobind’s immediate successor, Banda [Bahadur]. Some of his exploits are quoted taking the region by storm. Finally the decisive battle of Gurudaspur is narrated around which gravitate those resonant stanzas of ‘Bandī Bīr’. The Sikhs lost and the Mughals won. But the history was like a seesaw, defeats were followed by victories. Again some defeats were as ghastly as that of Gurudaspur demanding martyrdom. The tale of Torusingh comes in here, lying at Suhidganj, Lahore who had refused to cut his long hair (forbidden in Sikhism) and instead offered his head with it—subject of the short poem we quoted. Seesawing further, history rolls on. And Tagore ends the essay with—‘After all that long the Sikhs were fully independent. Guru Gobind’s purpose was partly attained. Then rose Ranjit Singh. Afterward roared the British lion. And after that gradually all India went red. Ranjit Singh’s famous prophecy came true.’

These three instructive essays and five narrative poems presuppose an admiration for Sikhism which goes back to Tagore’s visit to Amritsar at eleven in 1873. He had just had his sacred thread ceremony and was on his way to the Himalayas with his father, Maharshi Debendranath, at the latter’s instance. They stopped at Amritsar for a month. His father had been to Amritsar before and stayed there for a couple of months, in fact before the poet’s birth, and was immersed in the Nanak Panth like his contemporaries in the Bengal Brahmo circles. In Jībansmriti (1912: My Reminiscences) Tagore recalls the boy Rabindranath’s sense of wonder at the Golden Temple:

I remember the Gurudarbar at Amritsar like a dream. Many days with father I walked to that Sikh temple in the middle of a lake. Prayers were being said there all the time. My father would sit among those Sikh worshippers and would suddenly join in the prayer singing; on hearing these songs of devotion from an outsider they would be impressed and honour him. … Once he had a singer from the Gurudarbar come to our house and sing bhajans for him.

But Debendranath had gone through all this before, especially the joining in the Sikh prayer singing at the Gurudarbar, when he had been at Amritsar some years ago. In fact it was then that he had collected the famous sabad of Nanak’s

gagan mai thālu ravi-candu dīpak bane
tārikāmandal janak motī
dhūpu malaānlo pavanu cavaro kare
sagal banarāi phūlanta jotī
kaisī āratī hai
bhavakhandanā terī āratī
anahatā sabad bājanta bherī

He had it printed in the periodical Dharmatattva in 1872. Its Bengali translation, presumably by Debendranath himself, was repeatedly printed in Tattvabodhinī Patrikā in 1873 and 1875. Whoever had set that translation to music, whether Debendranath himself or his son Jyotirindranath, one of Rabindranath’s elder brothers, it was Jyotirindranath who set itotirindranathdranath to score. Rabindranath must have sung it in Brahmo festivals—it did appear in his book of songs. Anyway, the Bengali text isy him:

gaganer thāle ravi chandra dīpak jvale,
tārakāmandal camake motī re.
dhūp malayānil, pavan cāmar kare,
sakal banarāji phulanta jyoti re.
keman ārati, he bhavakhandana, tava ārati
anāhata śabda bājanta bherī re.

The ‘ārati’ motif in this bhajan may remind us of a song Tagore was going to write in 1884, ‘tānhāre ārati kare candra tapan’:

Him the moon and sun do ārati, to His feet bow gods and men,
seated is that refuge of universe in His worldly shrine.
Time without beginning and skies without end are filled with that boundless splendour
where waves rise from the depths what joy oh joy
while bearing the six seasons in hand the earth pours flowers at His feet,
of many colours, of much fragrance of many tunes and rhythms.
The sky fills up with birds’ singing—sing clouds sings ocean—
big winds go rushing in mirth, tune up in mountain caves.
How many hundreds of devotees are gazing joyously, and singing songs—
in holy light blooms love, and all illusions shatter.

(Vivekananda was said to have been fond of this song.) Some of Tagore’s songs of the time, the so-called brahma-samgit, might not have been out of tune with Guru Nanak’s songs. Let me quote two samples from the two successive years, 1885 and 1886:

How go on with this sojourn here!
Live through such doubt and heartache and mourning!
Who will save us in sorrow-fear-and-anxiety
there is none so dear, alas, in this wilderness.
(1885)885he boy Rabindranath sining)

Give light to the blind, give life to the dead
you are kindness-nectar’s ocean, give a drop of your kindness.
Dry is my heart like a hard stone,
water my dried-up eyes in love’s shower.
Him who doesn’t call out to you, you keep calling in.
Him who goes away from you, you keep pulling in.
The thirsty that goes about your ambrosia-ocean’s shores
you soothe in sprays of affection, and feed ambrosia.
I had once found you, but then lost you in neglect,
I fell asleep, and see darkness around my eyes.
Whom do I tell my viraha, who will console me,
year passes after year, your loving face I don’t see
show me your self, oh show me, my dying heart is crying out.
(1886)

The second song might have had a special power of sustenance to the poet, for some thirty-six years later he was once heard humming it all through a late night. The witness was young Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, a close associate (later famed as the founder director of Indian Statistical Institute) who had arrived late on a festive eve at Santiniketan and was given for lack of accommodation a cot in Tagore’s room only a few feet from Tagore’s own cot.

We recall that it was in 1885 that he wrote those three instructive ‘Sikh’ essays. 1888 and 1899 were again dates for his five ‘Sikh’ poems. The next dates were 1909, 1910 and 1914—the first for the translation of a Sikh bhajan, the second for a critique of Guru Gobind Singh, and the third for the translation of a second Sikh bhajan. The first Sikh bhajan is:

bādoi bādoi ramyabīnā bādoi.
amal kamal bic
ujal rajanī bic
kājar ghana bic
niśa ādhiyārā bic
bīna ranan sunāye.
bādoi bādoi ramyabīnā bādoi.

Tagore’s Bengali is:

bāje bāje ramyabīnā bāje
amalkamalmājhe, jyotsnārajanīmājhe,
kājalghana-mājhe, niśi-āndhār-mājhe,
kusumsurabhi-mājhe bināranan śuni je
preme preme bāje.

He has departed a little by adding ‘kusumsurabhi-mājhe’ (in the fragrance of flowers) and changing the last line’s ‘ramyabīnā’ into ‘preme preme’ (in love). However, in his Bengali song developed from this he has two more stanzas, one beginning ‘nāce nāce ramyatāle nāce’ (dances in a lovely beat) and the other, ‘sāje sāje ramyabeśe sāje’ (dresses in a lovely attire). In his final classification of songs this one comes under ‘Pūjā: Ānanda’ (Devotion: Joy). The second Sikh bhajan which he translated and published in 1914 comes under general devotion and prayer. The original text is:

e Hari sundar e Hari sundar
tero caranpar sir nāveñ.
sevak janke seva seva par
premī janāñke prem prem par
duhkī janāñke bedan bedan
sukhī janāñke ānanda e.
banā-banāmeñ sāñval sāñval
giri-girimeñ unnita unnita
salitā-salitā cañcal cañcal
sāgar-sāgar gambhīr e.
candra sūraj baroi niramal dīpā
tero jagamandir ujār e.

The Bengali is very close, beginning exactly as the original (‘e Hari sundar, e Hari sundar’), only the ‘mastak nami taba caran-’pare’ (‘tero caranpar sir nāveñ’) is added three additional times as the refrain. As to how these two Sikh bhajans reached Tagore, the first must have come from the famous Santiniketan medievalist Kshitimohan Sen’s collection (whose Kabir he would soon use for his translations) even if his niece, Indira Devi might have acted as some kind of a catalyst. The path of the second one has not yet been traced. Did his other niece, elder sister’s daughter, Sarala Devi who was in the Punjab by marriage, get it for him? For lack of evidence we can only conjecture. All we know is that its translation by Tagore was published in the periodical Prabāsi in 1914 with the note that this ‘ārati’ had come from Amritsar’s Gurudarbar.

If we take a look at the songs he was composing at the time of ‘bāje bāje ramyabīnā bāje’, we are struck by their closeness to it. Not that they are all of the same temper: there is variation on the joy or wonder, or that again is taken over by doubt or even anxiety. The song that immediately precedes it is:

Look, how beautifully this joyous evening is spread!
In a gentle breeze in the upper air
floats a melancholy and expectant sweetness.
In silenced skies the planets and stars
quietly pour the nectar of light-rays’ music.
My heart and mind fill slowly up with relish,
and body thrilled with unbound pleasure, look.

And the song that comes one song after is:

From where rings this love’s sensation!
Is it my beloved friend stepping
to my heart’s darkened yard?
Throw out all your pettiness, you,
and wake up happy, Oh life.
Light all your lamps, light all
and in an eager voice call, ‘come my dearest’.

In other words, what I am saying is that the Sikh bhajan, as rewritten by Tagore, fits in with the songs he was writing at the time. And though the second bhajan, ‘e Hari sundar e Hari sundar’, has the temper of a brahma-samgit, it does not seem utterly out of place among the songs that precede and follow it. The one immediately preceding is non-ceremonial but not un-Nanak-like:

It is for you and me to crown our love that light fills up the sky.
It is for you and me to crown our love that the green earth bursts into blooms.
It is for you and me to crown our love
that night wakes with the world in lap,
and dawn comes to open the eastern door full of voices.
The love-hope-boat has been floating on eternal streams.
Endless time’s flowers overflow their baskets.
It is for you and me to crown our love
that age after age in this universe
my heart goes in bride’s dress self-seeking its consort.

But the one before two songs may keep our bhajan better company:

I shall sing your tune give me that vīnā,
I shall hear your words give me that undying spell.
I shall serve you give me that great strength,
I shall gaze at your face give me that firm devotion.
I shall bear your blows give me that immense patience,
I shall carry your flag give me that unflinching steadiness.
I shall claim all earth give me that roaring life,
I shall make myself pauper give me that love’s gift.
I shall go with you give me that right hand,
I shall fight in your battle give me that weapon of yours,
I shall wake up in your truth give me that call.
I shall give up happiness’ slavery give Oh give me goodness.

1909 to 1914, in fact somewhat earlier than 1909 to somewhat later than 1914, was a period in Tagore’s career as a composer when the spirit of Nanak, and Kabir, and of a number of other Sants from medieval India seemed to have fit into his creative psyche. We recall that in 1914 he brought out, with assistance from Evelyn Underhill, One Hundred Poems of Kabir. Notwithstanding the scholarly doubt about the full authenticity of his Kabir sources, his regard for Kabir cannot be denied. But some of his western admirers’ putting Kabir and him on the same scale and preferring Kabir to him was misjudgement, for Kabir was primarily a Sant whose poetry, oral, was only an effective medium. Tagore on the other hand was primarily a poet and composer (Sant Tagore would indeed be a travesty) fully conscious of his craft, though experiencing a degree of devotion in the period we are talking of. Obviously the same distinction applies to Guru Nanak and Tagore, Sant and poet. (Perhaps we would understand this distinction better if we place Tagore by someone nearer home, Ramakrishna whose words were as full of faith as wisdom and who by all means was a saint.) To Tagore Kabir and Nanak were true propagators of what he meant by dharma; and what he meant by it would perhaps be clear from the following excerpts from his essay, ‘The Simple Ideals of Dharma’ in 1903:

If I have to light a lamp at home, I have to make much effort—I have to depend on so many people. I have to keep track of where mustard is sown, where oil is pressed from it, the whereabouts of the oil market, and then there is all the going about dressing up a lamp—after such elaborations what meagre light do I get? My immediate purpose may be served, but it only doubles the dense darkness outside.

To get the world-revealing morning light I don’t have to depend on anyone—don’t have to manufacture it; all I have to do is wake up. As I open my eyes and unbar my door that light floods in which no one can stop. …

As this great light is, so is dharma. It too is immense, it too is simple. It is God gifting Himself—it is timeless, it is boundless; by surrounding us, by overlapping our inner and outer selves, it holds itself up. To have it, we only need to ask for it, to open our hearts. As getting a sky-full of daylight by making an extra effort is not getting it, so finding our eternal life’s refuge, dharma by making special arrangements would never materialize.

What we get to manufacture ourselves becomes complicated. Our society is complicated, our corporate life is complicated, and our everyday living is complicated. This complication, by its show of many-sided variety and by pretending to be big and mighty, often overpowers our confused self. Our unknowing mind ascribes great scholarship to the philosophical treatise that is most roundabout, and is struck with wonder. The civilization whose processes are difficult and confusing, whose factories and arrangements cum materials are far-flung, overwhelms our unsophisticated mind. But the philosopher who can present philosophy in simple clarity is truly worthy and intelligent; the civilization that can put its system in simple order and is in every way amenable is truly advanced. Whatever the outward look, complication as such is hollowness, proof of failure; fullness is simplicity. Dharma is the most perfect instance of that fullness, hence of simplicity.

Let me give an example. Home is necessary to us, our habitation. The open sky is not habitable to us like that. But to keep this open sky open is absolutely necessary to us. By maintaining an untrammelled link between the open sky and the spaces inside our home is how we can save our home from being our prison or our grave. But if we say, ‘we shall make the sky our own like our home’, if we keep raising walls into the sky, then our home alone has its extension, the open sky moves further and further away.

It is in the above perspective that we may now look up his essay ‘Shivaji o Guru Gobindasingha’ written in 1910 as the preface to Sarat Kumar Roy’s (a teacher at his school at Santiniketan) book Sikh Guru o Sikh Jāti. Unlike his three earlier essays it was not addressed to juvenile readers; he was not instructing, he was trying to make a serious reflection on the Sikh Panth as moulded away from Guru Nanak’s message of universal love. He opens by distinguishing Maratha history under Shivaji which was political, committed to setting up a Hindu kingdom throughout India. On the other hand, Sikh history at the outset was religious. ‘The freedom that Baba Nanak had felt was not political freedom; his sense of dharma was not constricted by the worship of deities that was limited to a certain country’s or people’s imagination and habit, and did not accommodate the universal human heart, on the contrary restrained it; his heart was free from the bonds of these narrow mythological religions and he dedicated his life to preaching that freedom to all.’ ‘But come to be oppressed by the Mughals the disciples of Nanak turned into a community of their own, and for that reason their prime effort became defending themselves from harassment and surviving, rather than preaching religion all around. Thus from outside pressure the Sikhs became a closely knit race. Their last Guru was especially devoted to this task. … It really was not a religious preacher’s task; it was mainly an army general and politician’s task. Guru Gobind had that quality. He was a warrior that could muster his followers with a singular determination and overpower the enemy. … Guru Gobind wavered in keeping to the sense of freedom that Guru Nanak had taken to be greater than everything else.’ This is the thrust of Tagore’s argument. He sums it up in the following words. ‘Nanak gave a call to his disciples to be free from selfishness, religious bigotry and spiritual inertia—he wanted their humanness to have a great success. Guru Gobind bound the Sikhs to a particular necessity, and so that they are never forgetful of it he imprinted it in their hearts by name, attire, ritual and several other means.’ Tagore does take up Maharaja Ranjit Singh but as the very opposite of Guru Nanak, as a flaming comet that burned only for a while. He bemoans the outcome of Sikh history. Like a river it had issued from a snowy mountain top. But instead of making its way towards the ocean it is meandering in the sand.

Tagore does make a difference between Guru Gobind and Shivaji’s aims, but cannot ignore the eventual failure of Maratha history as well, the reasons not simply being Shivaji’s incompetent successors but also Shivaji’s own disregard of the leaks in Hindu society without mending which no salvage was possible. In conclusion he says: ‘Anyway, by comparing the rise and fall of Marathas and Sikhs it can be said, that the Sikhs were once united by the call of a great thought—they had heard the message of a truth that was not confined to the perpetual practice at a certain place and did not rise from the excitement of a certain time—that belonged to all time and all men, that broadened the scope of both the small and the big, released the mind, and accepting which was for everyone to realize the fullest glory of humanness. Answering this call of Nanak’s generous religion, the Sikhs through centuries grew up while bearing many hardships. By the glory of this religiosity and hardships the Sikhs had an invisible unity founded among them.’ Guru Gobind reoriented this unity from thought to action and achieved a temporary goal, but at the cost of permanence. Nanak was confined to a book.

We know that this reading of Sikh history did not go down well with intellectuals and historians, Sikh or non-Sikh, except for Jadunath Sarkar whose appreciation even made him publish an English translation of the piece in The Modern Review in 1911. But what is of more immediate interest is what caused Tagore’s shift from his earlier admiration of Guru Gobind Singh. How did he wake up to the bloody character of his karma, and to its limiting outcome? Or was he apprehensive of karma as such carried out at a national scale feeding on hatred? Yet as late as 1904 he had celebrated Shivaji in an encomium for the impending Shivaji Festival. His disillusion with karma bereft of dharma must have come from the excesses and the communally exclusive nature of the Swadeshi and Boycott movements keeping the Bengal Muslims at bay and causing Hindu-Muslim riots. He had initially been part of these novements but soon withdrew. The ground was getting ready for his first political novel Ghare-Bāire (1916: The Home and the World) which would draw no less fleck perhaps than the essay on Sikh history. It was a coincidence, yet perhaps no coincidence, that he would write his Nationalism lectures the same year in Japan that were not without any bearing on nationalism or nationalisms in India.

Jallianwala Bagh might have been anywhere in India and Tagore would have protested, but its being in Amritsar might have had a special association for him. Similarly, a friend reminds me, the second line of janaganamana to begin with Panjab (‘Panjab Sindhu Gujarat Maratha Dravid Utkal Banga’) may be suggestive of special affection. Yet the estrangement caused by the essay we just discussed went on for over two decades. Eventually during his visit to Lahore in early 1935 things cleared up: Tagore addressed the Fifth Punjabi Students’ Conference, read his poetry at the Y.M.C.A, and had a warm reception from the local Sikh leaders. On return he wrote a poem, his sixth ‘Sikh’ poem. It was included as Poem 33 in Śesh Saptak (Last Septet), a book of prose poems printed in 1935. The same year a slightly different version of the poem came out in the periodical Prabāsi under the title ‘Sikh’. Here is Śesh Saptak 33:

Emperor’s order—
with forces came Afrasayeb Khan, Muzaffar Khan,
Muhammad Amin Khan,
and with them came King Gopal Singh Bhadauria,
Uidat Singh Bundela.

The Mughal army laid a siege to Gurudaspur.
The Sikhs were inside the fort,
Banda Singh their leader.
Supplies have been cut off,
All outside exits shut.
Cannon balls come pelting from time to time
bounding over the walls,
to the horizon on four sides
the night sky is red with flaming torches.

No wheat is left in the stores, no rye,
no maize either;
the firewood too has exhausted.
In unbearable hunger they are eating raw meat,
some even eat slices cut from their own thighs.
Grounding barks and branches from trees,
they dough their bread.

Eight months passed in this hellish suffering,
then to Mughals fell
the Gurudaspur fort.
Death’s court fills up to neck with blood,
the prisoners cry out
‘Wahi Guru, Wahi Guru’,
and Sikhs’ heads keep rolling
day after day.

Boy Nehal Singh;
in his clear young and gentle face
blooms an inner light.
In his eyes seems held
the morning pilgrims’ song.
A lissome bright body,
the divine sculptor has fashioned out
with lightning’s chisel.
Age eighteen or nineteen.
a sal tree’s sapling,
risen straight up,
can still sway in the southern breeze.
Life’s abundance is
in body and mind
full to the brim.

He was brought in chains.
All court’s eyes
gazed at his face in wonder and pity.
For an instant
the executioner’s sword seemed reluctant.
At that moment a messenger came from the capital,
with the release-order in hand
signed by Syed Abdulla Khan.

When his hand-clasps were untied,
the boy asked, ‘Why this special judgement to me?’
Was told, his widowed mother had informed
her son was not Sikh by religion,
that, the Sikhs had by force
kept him captive.

In anger and shame went red
the boy’s face.
He shouted out, ‘I don’t want life by a lie,
in truth is my final liberation,
I am Sikh.’

Is Nehal Singh grown up from Banda’s infant son, a martyr in the making? And have I come full circle to ‘Bandī Bīr’?

~ Source: http://sikhsiyasat.net/

It’s not like, years ago, I made a plan to arrive where I now find myself. But, like most of us, I kept making choices that I thought would keep me moving in the right direction – my True North. Without any intention to do so, I recognized a growing feeling of divine guidance steering me ever forward. This guiding light seemed determined to lead me toward an increased connection to the infinite experience of the Divine. At first, I had no word for this force in my life. Now, I know this to be the Darshan of the Guru, the blessing of the Guru’s presence in my life guiding me ever Northward.

What is Guru?

The Guru is many things and can be experienced in many forms; or even without form. The Siri Singh Sahib often translated Guru to mean, that which takes you from the darkness to the light. “Guru” is often thought to refer to a teacher, such as with a teacher of classical Indian music. But even when referring to such a teacher, it is understood that the Guru’s role is to train the student in all facets of being. In the full definition, Guru is an infinite resource of teaching, healing and guidance.

The spiritual path can be difficult to navigate alone. The role of the Guru here is to be the “boat” that crosses the treacherous waters, that connects our limited self to our infinite self; to be the “doorway” that opens our understanding to the expanded vision of the path forward; to be the “beacon of light” leading our ship to safe harbor. By the Grace of the Guru, the door opens – our ears open, we hear the call and we respond to it.

Formless Guru

Often, you may first experience the Guru in the form of sudden or fleeting insight or guidance. This can be categorized as the Nirgun (formless) Guru. Or this can be said to be the “hand of the Guru”. You feel as though there is a divine intervention. It can be as mundane as a revealing comment spoken by another person in a casual conversation that changes your understanding of an important aspect of your life. Or it can be in a sudden change in the direction of events where you are spared some seemingly-unavoidable unpleasant outcome.

Embodied Guru

There is also the Sargun (fully-manifest) Guru where this source of divine connection is continuously present in someone or something. Many people may not recognize, with full understanding, the depth and authenticity of such a Guru. In this form the Guru delivers God’s Truth with clarity and depth, and is the source of continued and inspired regeneration of hope – hope in ourselves and hope in the world. In this form the Guru inspires and guides all to their highest destiny. The relationship between Guru and Chela (student) has been highly developed in India over the last couple of thousand years. To find a Guru in that system there was a lot of importance put on vetting the pedigree of a Guru, to be sure that his Guru, and his Guru’s Guru were of recognized value and importance. There were plenty of opportunities to choose poorly; to unwittingly choose a Guru stuck in their own struggle with materialism, hence limiting the student’s progress to Infinity.

Shabad Guru

When Guru Nanak was asked who his Guru was, he said it was the Word, the Shabad Guru. A simple translation of “Shabad Guru” is, that Word which takes us from the darkness to the light. The words and sounds of the Shabad Guru are consciousness-changing elements that unlock the bounds that your ego holds over your higher self, that keep you locked in your Earth – thereby freeing your true self to soar in your heavens. When you vibrate the Shabad Guru you overwhelm the inner dialog of your mind to create Shunia – deep inner stillness. Shabad Guru uses the power of “Naad” (an entrancing rhythmic pattern of universal sounds) and the movement of your tongue over the pressure-points in your upper palate which causes actual change in your blood chemistry. The Siri Singh Sahib said, “As you vibrate, the Universe vibrates with you.” It is the actual reciting of Gurbani (the words of the Guru) which brings the formless into form; which gives the Shabad Guru a form.

Guru Nanak through Guru Gobind Singh

Many of us, through deep reverence, have created strong relationships with one or another of our Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak through Guru Gobind Singh; either through heroic stories of their lives or through their writings, preserved within the Siri Guru Granth Sahib or Dasam Granth. Although they are all said to be manifestations of Guru Nanak, they each can be seen to bring forth or represent different aspects of the collective teachings of the Guru. To many of us, they have become points of personal connection to Guru; specific archetypes to help guide us to elevated choices in our lives. We call on Guru Ram Das when we need compassion and a miracle. We call on Guru Gobind Singh when we need the courage to overcome all adversity.

Shri Guru Granth Sahib

The Shri Guru Granth Sahib is a perfect balance between being Nirgun and Sargun – a balance between being formless and in form. This manifestation of Guru is the embodiment of all the teachings of our Sikh Gurus and is the living Guru for all Sikhs.

To listen to the Guru’s hukam is to listen to the language of the soul; like dipping in a deep pool of wisdom, acceptance and unconditional love.

Making the connection to Guru

But how do you make the connection you need? Each of us must find our own way to the experience of “Guru.” For some it will be clearly marked and wide open. For others it may be challenging, illusive, filled with uncertainty and even confusion. Sometimes there is a yearning in the heart that drives you surging forward. And sometimes, hesitantly, you may stumble over your own awakening, causing your eyes to open, to see a glimmer of recognition – recognition that the next step chosen holds the promise of alignment and connection. Truly, as you search for “Guru,” you also find your ‘Self.”

If you want to drink water at this tap, you will have to bend yourself forward. So, if you want to drink the spiritual nectar of the Guru, you will have to be an embodiment of humility – you will need to bow. Connecting to the timeless light within the embodiment of the Guru brings you to that state of inner peace, intuitive awakening and primal wisdom revealed. It becomes effortless – that’s the joy of connecting to the Guru.

The Singh Sahib often told us, “Guru is your altar for which you have no alternative.” Which means that not only do you have no other altar that holds the same depth of spirit, but also, if you are really committed to our own spiritual awakening, you have no choice but to walk the path as guided by your Guru. As you take one step toward the Guru, the Guru takes ten steps toward you. You feel your Heart open and seek out a relationship to the Guru out of a desire to experience Universal Love. It is through your awakening to this divine touchstone of infinite guidance and blessings that you find your way back home.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji says it best, “Jau tau prem khelan ka chau, Sir dhar tali gali meri aau. It marag pair dharijay, Sir deejai kaan na keejay. (If you want to play the Game of Love, put your head in the palms of your hands. If you set foot on this path, do not hesitate to give your head.)

~ Source: www.sikhsandseekers.org

FBI Jacksonville has selected Dr. Harvinder S. Chadda for the 2014 Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for his notable leadership and service regarding civil rights issues and advancing cooperation between law enforcement and the Sikh community. This special award, presented on behalf of the Director of the FBI, was formally created in 1990 as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in America.

Dr. Harvinder S. Chadda, BDS, PA graduated fourth in his class from the University of Indore, College of Dentistry in 1979. Upon completing dental school, he did one year of dental residency. Following residency, Dr. Chadda was an instructor in the Department of Oral Surgery for one year at the College of Dentistry, Indore, India. In 1983, Dr. Chadda completed a General Practice Residency from Youngstown Hospital Association, which is affiliated with the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEUCOM).

Dr. Harvinder S. Chadda, BDS, PA started his own private practice here in Port Orange in 1984. He has maintained the highest levels of accreditation and has pursued ongoing education to stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies in dentistry. In 1991, Dr. Harvinder S. Chadda, BDS, PA was certified to restore dental implants by Corevent Dental Implant Systems. In 2005, he completed a residency in implant dentistry, and in 2007 he trained in CT guided advanced digital treatment planning and implant placement. In 2009 Dr. Harvinder S. Chadda, BDS, PA completed certification in Advanced Bone Grafting from Implants Seminars, North Miami Beach, FL.

Dr. Harvinder S. Chadda, BDS, PA is member of American Dental Association, Florida Dental Association, Volusia Flagler Dental Association, & Central Florida District Dental Association. He was also awarded fellowship with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists in February 2012.

~ Source: www.drchadda.com

“We come here because we get food… A hot meal. It’s a luxury for me.” John Davidson is 55 and homeless. He is one of 250 people who have just received a hand-out of hot soup, drinks, chocolate bars and other supplies from the Sikh Welfare and Awareness Team van parked up on the Strand in central London on a cold Sunday evening. The Swat team, as they’re known, park at the same spot every week so a group of volunteers from the Sikh community can hand out vital supplies. Homeless people, who overwhelmingly are not Sikh, patiently wait in line to be served.

For the volunteers handing out food here, this is more than just good charitable work. For them, this is a religious duty enshrined by the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, over 500 years ago. At a time of deep division by caste and religious infighting between Hindus and Muslims in India, Guru Nanak called for equality for all and set forward the concept of Langar – a kitchen where donated produce, prepared into wholesome vegetarian curry by volunteers, is freely served to the community on a daily basis.

Today, thousands of free Langar meals are served every day in Sikh temples throughout the UK. The Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Southall, thought to be the biggest Sikh temple outside of India, says it alone serves 5,000 meals on weekdays and 10,000 meals on weekends. Every Sikh has the duty to carry out Seva, or selfless service, says Surinder Singh Purewal, a senior member of the temple management team. “It means we’re never short of donations or volunteers to help prepare the Langar.”

In recent times the Langar meal has acted as a barometer for the state of the economy. After the 2008 recession many Sikh temples reported a surge in the numbers of non-Sikhs coming in for the free Langar meals. It’s now common to see non-Sikhs inside the temple, Purewal says: “We don’t mind it. As long as people show respect, are not intoxicated and cover their heads in line with our traditions, then everyone is welcome.”

The Swat team say they decided to take the concept of Langar outside its traditional setting in temples and out onto the streets when they saw a growing homelessness problem in London. Randeep Singh who founded SWAT says: “When you go to the temple, what’s the message? The message is to help others, help your neighbours. That’s what we are doing.”

Dhan Sikhi Dhan Khalsa!

~ Source: www.bbc.com

Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, a military officer and a Doctor is now well known in the world Sikh community for his service in the United States military. However, Major Kalsi faced many challenges before he was allowed to serve with his turban.

Before 2009, Major Kalsi had served with his turban at 2 of the most well known US military bases but 2009 the Pentagon required him to shave and stop wearing the turban as there were plans to send him to Afghanistan on active duty. Major Kalsi, true to his Sikh faith challenged the decision of the Pentagon and with the help of the Sikh Coalition was allowed to serve with his turban. However, he and another Sikh were only exceptions to the rule and since then Major Kalsi has been tirelessly working to officially amend the rule.

Major Kalsi became the first Sikh since WW1 to serve with his articles of faith accommodated by the U.S. military. While serving in Afghanistan Major Kalsi saved many lives but a particular photo went viral soon after it appeared in the public domain.

The picture showed the ER Doctor Kalsi providing urgent care medical needs to a soldier. When asked about the experience Major Kalsi couldn’t comment on any particular incident due to military rules, but he did say that “we took care of over 2000 patients while we were in Afghanistan over a 7 month period.”

Many of the victims Doctor Kalsi treated suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and “IED blast injuries.” When asked about the type of injuries treated Dr. Kalsi said, “we took care of plenty of broken bones, lacerations, popped lungs, shrapnel and burn injuries. We also took care of many who sadly did not survive.”

An inspiration, Major Kalsi is leading the charge on having the US Military allowing religious dress to be worn on active duty.

~ Source: dailysikhupdates.com/