As new immigrants to Canada, the first generation passes through stages of “mourning” and “becoming”. In the process of “becoming” we try to sublimate our power and safety needs through becoming rich and sometimes arrogantly egotistic. We become MANMUKHS. As “need deficit people” we try to hide our alienation, and loneliness by becoming cynical and critical of people and institutions.

WE LOSE TOUCH WITH SATGURU.

It is a known fact that North American Society (dominant culture) that surrounds us and our children is somewhat materialistic, instrumental, pragmatic, organized, credentially oriented, permissive and willing to accommodate newcomers if they follow the rules. First generation immigrants spend most of their time learning and trying to follow the rules. Some of us reduce our ontological insecurities by just doing that.

In spite of stress, anxiety and “double living” SATGURU’s grace blesses us with children. We get busy showing them ethics of hard work, stress to them academic excellence and at times drown them with unconditional love. Also, we teach them our mother tongue PANJABI. We take our children to Gurdwaras in an attempt to make them spiritually inclined. In short, we make every attempt to shape the realities of our affectionate “Co-Co-Nuts” to match and become congruent to our realities. We do not want them to “grow up absurd” thinking we have abandoned them.

This volume is one such attempt to guide our children. It is felt that this will help us transmit our glorious Sikh heritage to our children and will help them internalize Guru’s Grace and will also make them learn about the Sikh concepts of “Big Wisdom”, BHANA, HUKAM, Nam Simran, Sahaj, Kudrat and Guru Parsad as developed by the Gurus. It is hoped that by doing so they will become GUNIGHIRAS and Apples of our SATGURU’s eye.

Respectfully submitted

Surinder Singh Sodhi, Ph.D.

Retired Professor/Registered Psychologist

Halifax, NS (902) 443-3269

For suggestions and obtaining more copies of this publication please telephone Dr. S.S. Sodhi at the number listed above.

Some articles are courtesy of The Sikh Courier International and The Abstract of Sikh Studies.

YOU ARE - I AM

You are - Universal, Supreme, Eternal and Infinite.

I am - A movement of egoistic ignorance

My mind is Maya, a SAT-ASAT

You are - Unknowable, Absolute, Self of all Beings,

All Beautiful and All-Blissful

I am - A self, craving and seeking the fruits of my work.

You are - A cosmic force - Prakriti, Supermind, and Gnosis.

I am - A tool, an instrument, a distortion of my childish groping.

You are - Jagad-guru, Sat Guru, Caitya Guru or Antar Yamin.

I am - Your Sadhaka struggling to escape from the mist of worldly Maya.

You are - The will of Ananda glorified possession of supreme beatitudes.

I am - Ordinary, linear, mentalized through material life illusions.

You are - The Shakti producing luminous miraculous light and power.

I am - Half-fixed, half-fluid mass of self-repeating desires and thoughts

You are - The Akal Purkha, Godhead Divine Ground

I am - Enslaved to appearances, bound to the dualities tossed between sins and virtues.

Table of Contents

Chapter1: Introduction to Sikh Belief, P.M. Wylam (Manjit Kaur)……………..……….1

Chapter 2: The First Master, Guru Nanak, Puran Singh………………………………..20

Chapter 3: Guru Nanak Dev Ji (For Children) Shamsher Singh & Narinder Singh

Virdi…………………………………………………………………………….……..…49

Chapter 4: Japji-A-Theo-CosmocentricMeditative Prayer on Truth, Dr. S.S. Sodhi, Dr.

J.S. Mann…………………………………………………………………..…………….68

Chapter 5: Jupji - The Morning Prayer of the Sikhs by Guru Nanak Dev Ji Translated

into English by Khushwant Singh………………………………………………………73

Chapter 6: Hymns of Guru Nanak, Siddah Gosha, Translated by Khushwant

Singh…………………………………………………………………………….……...100

Chapter 7: Guru Nanak, Duncan Greenless M.A. (Oxon)……………………….…….113

Chapter 8: The Idea of The Supreme Being (God) in Sikhism, Gurbachan Singh

Talib……………………………………………………………………………………129
Chapter 9: Guru Nanak’s Conception of Humai (Ego), Taran Singh………..………..136
Chapter 10: Guru Nanak Dev Ji, An Eclectic Arahat, Dr. S.S. Sodhi & Dr. J.S.

Mann……………………………………………………………………………………148

Chapter 11: Guru Nanak’s Concept of Sahaj, Dewan Singh…………………………..152

Chapter 12: Hukam - The Divine Ordinance, Gurbachan Singh Talib………..………160

Chapter 13: Guru Nanak’s Contribution to Panjabi Language And Literature, Principal

Sant Singh Sekhon………………………………………………………………….…..168

Chapter 14: Guru Nanak’s Universal Message, Harbhajan Singh Manocha…………..185

Chapter 15: Guru Nanak’s Concept of Guru, Surinder Singh Kohli………………..…189

Chapter 16: Guru Nanak’s Conception of the Nam and Surat-Sabd Yoga, Bhai Jodh Singh………………………………………………………………………...………….198

Chapter17: “Mool Mantara”: An Exegetical Analysis, Dr. Dharam Singh.…………..208

Chapter 18: Guru Har Rai – The Apostle of Mercy, Pritpal Singh Bindra………….…216

Chapter 19: Guru Amar Das (1479-1574)………………………………………..……221

Chapter 20: Baoli at Goindwal & Dr. W.H. McLeod’s Misconception, Pritpal Singh Bindra…………………………………………………………………….………….…227

Chapter 21: Martyrdom in Sikhism, Sardar Daljit Singh…………………….….…….231

Chapter 22: Cosmic Desire to Merger Through “FANAH”, Psychological Interpretation

of Sikh Martyrs’ Behaviour, Dr. S.S. Sodhi, Dr. J.S. Mann………………………..….246

Chapter 23: A Mystic-A Cosmocentric Social Laboratory, Dr. S.S. Sodhi………..…250

Chapter 24: Guru Arjan Dev Ji - A Brahm Gyani, Dr. S.S. Sodhi, Dr. J.S. Mann.…...253

Chapter 25: Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Pritpal Singh Bindra……………………………..….256

Chapter 26: Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Principal Gurbachan Singh Talib……………………264

Chapter 27: Guru Granth Sahib, The History, Arrangements and Text, Dr. S.S. Kapoor

……………………………………………………………………………….…………276

Chapter 28: The Status of Women in Sikhism Principal Amar Singh…………………295

Chapter 29: Women and other Relations in Guru Granth Sahib, Pritpal Singh Bindra

……………………………………………………………………………………….….298

Chapter 30: Humanizing and Uplifting: Guru Granth Sahib - Living Guru of the Sikhs,

Dr. S.S. Sodhi………………………………………………………………………..…304

Chapter 31: Bhagat Ravidas Ji, Pritpal Singh Bindra…………………………………311

Chapter 32: Baba Farid, Symbol of Composite Culture, K. K. Khullar…………..…..316

Chapter 33: A Day at the Darbar Sahib The Golden Temple - Amritsar, Patwant Singh……………………………………………………………………………………320

Chapter 34: Guru Hargobind Ji The Sixth Guru of the Sikhs, Prof. Puran Singh….…327

Chapter 35: Guru Tegh Bahadur The Ninth Guru of the Sikhs, Prof. Puran Singh…..339

Chapter 36: The Saintliness of Guru Gobind Singh, Dr. S.S. Sodhi………………….350

Chapter 37: Guru Gobind Singh Ji Apostle of Courage and Benevolence, Pritpal Singh

Bindra………………………………………………………………………………….352

Chapter 38: Guru Gobind Singh Ji The Tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Prof. Puran Singh……………………………………………………………………………..….…362

Chapter 39: Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji, Shamsher Singh Ashok…………………….….392

Chapter 40: Guru Gobind Singh, Selections and Free Translations from the Dasam

Grantham of Gobind Singh, Prof. Puran Singh……………………………………..….394

Chapter 41: Guru Gobind Singh Ji, The Shaper of the Psyche of the Cyclonic Sikhs, Dr.

S.S. Sodhi…………………………………………………………………………..….402

Chapter 42: The Story of the Sikh Gurus, Dr. Gopal Singh………………………...…407

Chapter 43: Banda Singh Bahadur (1670 - 1716)………………………………..……441

Chapter 44: Sikh Freedom fighters in the Age of Revolution, Siri Daya Singh and

Gurubanda Singh Khalsa…………………………………………………..…….……..447

Chapter 45: Dip Singh Shahid Baba(1682-1757), K.S. Thaper……………….…….....458

Chapter 46: Delhi Under Sikh Raj Sardar Baghel Singh Karor Singhia Pritpal Singh

Bindra………………………………………………………………………….……….461

Chapter 47: The Rise of the Sikh Empire, the Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799 –

1839), Dr. S.S. Kapoor……………………………………………………………..….466

Chapter 48: Healing and Uplifting Power of Sikh Ardas (Prayer), Dr. S.S. Sodhi……477

Chapter 49: Psychology of a Productive-Spiritually Inclined KHALSA, Dr. S.S. Sodhi…………………………………………………………………………………....481

Chapter 50: Punjabi is as old as Sanskrit and Prakrit (1), Om Parkash Kahol ……..…486

Chapter 51: Sikhs Today and Academic Challenges of the 21st Century (A Community

Perspective, Dr. J.S. Mann……………………………………………………………...496

Chapter 52: Sikh Faith Studies in the West: An Analysis, Gurbakhsh Singh, Taranjeet

Singh……………………………………………………………………………………506

Chapter 53: Eurocentrism and Khalsa-centrism, Dr. S.S. Sodhi, Dr. J.S. Mann………516

Chapter 54: Pathology of pseudo-Sikh researchers with linear, myopic, left brain, and

mystified Western realities, Dr. S.S. Sodhi, Dr. J.S. Mann…………………………….543

Chapter 55: Dr. Fenech’s Analysis (Ph.D. University of Toronto, 1994) of Baba Dip

Singh’s Martyrdom, Dr. S.S. Sodhi……………………………………………..……..551

Chapter 56: The First Sikh War – June 1628, Pritpal Singh Bindra…………………..560

Chapter 57: Implications of Not Teaching Panjabi to Sikh Children in Canada, Dr. S.S.

Sodhi.………………………………………………………………….……………..…566

Chapter 58: Shaping The Future of Panjabi, Principal Amar Singh………..………….573

Chapter 59: Mystic is the Image of the Person To Be, S.S. Sodhi………………….…576

Chapter 60: Biography of Koh-i-Noor, Rajender Singh………………………………578

Chapter 61: Khalsacentrism A Life Affirming System, Dr. J. S. Mann, Dr. S.S. Sodhi………………………………………………………………………...………….592

Chapter 62: A Note on Pashaura Singh’s M.A. Thesis Dr. S.S. Sodhi, Dr. J.S. Mann..599

Chapter 63: Adi Granth Our Living Guru is not for Research, Dr. S.S. Sodhi……..…604

Chapter 64: S. Hari Singh Nalwa & Subjugation of North-western Frontier, Dr. Kirpal Singh……………………………………………………………………………………609

Chapter 65: Naam Simran Made Easy, Dya Singh (Australia)… ……………...……..622

Chapter One

An Introduction to Sikh Belief

By P.M. Wylam (Manjit Kaur)

When Guru Nanak first began to preach his message, it was not with the intention of starting a new religion. He was such a gentle person, full of selflessness and humility that it was not in his nature to arrogate to himself the position of a leader. He never stopped to think or calculate about the impact on the world which his teaching would make. He was, as he often asserted himself, a humble servant of God and he was only concerned with doing God's will in the world; with suggesting practical ways of countering the evil, ignorance and superstition which had laid hold of the common people. Guru Nanak was, in fact, primarily concerned with the spiritual welfare of the common people. He understood well enough the complicated beliefs, religions and philosophies currently held by the Brahmins, various holy men and Muslim quazis, and he could converse and argue with these on equal terms. However, religion, he believed should be equally accessible to the ordinary man, the simple potter, the peasant, the shopkeeper or even the lowest outcasts. Therefore, Guru Nanak taught only one simple belief, and only one simple religious practice which, once imbibed into the heart of a sincere devotee, could save him from all evil and temptation. The belief was in the One-ness of God, the Creator, and the practice was in the constant remembrance of His Name, with the ultimate aim of achieving salvation.

The Oneness of God

Like the people of ancient times, the common people of Guru Nanak's day paid tribute to a number of minor gods and goddesses, which were then known to Hinduism. They were attached to these in superstitious bondage and fear evolved over the centuries, and which had no relation at all to religion as such. Instead of deriving comfort, therefore, such adherents suffered more from fear and worry. Superstitious ceremonies were encouraged by Brahmin priests and astrologers who made handsome profits out of the gullibility of the people. It was to exterminate these practices and to counteract these evil influences that Guru Nanak emphasized strict monotheism in his teachings. He, therefore, composed the Mool Mantra and taught it to all his followers:

"There is one God

His Name is Truth

The all-pervading Creator,

Without fear, without hatred

Immortal, unborn, self-existent,

By grace, the Enlightener.

True in the beginning, true throughout the ages,

True even now, Nanak, and forever shall be true. (Japji, Mool Mantra)

His devoted follower, Lehna, who was destined to become the second Guru, took this verse seriously to heart. Lehna, on becoming Guru Angad, propagated this thesis, and said that it was intended to be learned and understood and repeated by all Sikhs in order to remind them of God's One-ness and of His other most important attributes.

God is Everything to the Sikh: His attributes are endless and all goodness, mercy and love are contained in Him. He has created all things and remains enshrined within them as both mind and matter. He is immanent. He is also transcendent; for He can and does exist without creation, above and beyond everything. He is All-powerful; nothing exists or happens without His knowledge or without His permission; He sees into all things and directs even the smallest affairs of His creatures. God is the Divine Father who cares for His children, bestows upon them all the manifold blessings of this world and listens to their prayers. He knows the most secret desires of every heart and is the essence of love and forgiveness. God is directly accessible to everybody and man's soul itself is a part of the Immortal One.

God's Name

As belief in the All-pervading Unity is the basic belief of Sikhism, similarly, simran, or the remembrance of God's Name by constant repetitions, is the basic practice. This is more important and fundamental than any of the ceremonies forms and symbols which are, in fact, only supplementary to the religious practice. This remembrance consists of the constant and regular application of the mind to the many different aspects of God by which He is known to mankind. God's attributes are, in fact, so numerous and great that it is beyond the power of man's mind to encompass them all. The voluminous Sikh scriptures (The GURU GRANTH and the DASM GRANTH) are largely devoted to the enumeration and praise of God's attributes, so that learning and repeating of passages from the scriptures is one way of remembering Him. In Sukhmani, Guru Arjan says:

"The praise of His Name is the highest of all practices;

It has upraised many a human soul.

It slakes the desire of the restless mind,

And imparts an all-seeing vision.

To a man of praise Death loses all its terrors;

He feels all his hopes fulfilled;

His mind is cleaned of all impurities;

And is filled with the ambrosial Name.

God resides in the tongue of the good.

O that I were the slave of their slaves." (Sukhmani 1.4)

The Divine remembrance may also be effected by the repetition of one particular name, such as "Waheguru" meaning "Wonderful Lord," which is in common use among Sikhs. However, a mere mechanical repetition, i.e., without having "heart and soul" in it, should be avoided. The very object of remembrance is to bring the devotee into closer contact with God and it should, therefore, be performed with love for the Master and longing of the soul to be nearer to Him, and yet nearer. It is this contact between the human soul and the Eternal Soul which is essential; however small and tenuous it may be at first, it is, nevertheless, the first step on man's road to salvation and perfect peace. In this way, the Sikh will in time, become conscious of the working of God in all aspects of his life; the consciousness of His presence will eventually become natural to him, so that even in the midst of all pleasures or pain, or all the various activities of life, he will be aware of the goodness of God and the manifold blessings with which He endows the creatures of His creation.