Sevak's Blog

Sikh and tired of bullshit

2010-02-02T19:48:00.001-06:00

Every time I turn on the bloody television and put on a Punjabi channel. Every time I hear Punjabi news. Every time I get on damned Facebook and get a glimpse at the News Feed. All I hear and see is nonsense; complete utter bullshit about Darshan Singh and Dasam Granth.

I am sick and tired of it.

Its one old man, and a Granth that isn't a Guru to the majority of the Sikh population. And everybody's up in arms about it. Its like civil war erupting around me. All I want to know is what the heck is everyone fighting about?

I've heard all the stupid stuff enough times by now. I just want the real thing, what the heck is the real deal here that everyone's so ready to split each others heads apart for? Is there something I am missing?

Here, let me tell you what I see. Then please fill me in on what is so important about one old man, and a Granth that isn't the Guru (to the majority of us average Sikhs).

I witness a period in Sikh history where the golden phrase of "Sikh intellectuals" goes something like this: "the times have changed since the Guru period or Khalsa Raj, and due to the change in time we must understand how to combat the new battles we face." These intellectuals mean to tell me that no longer is armed combat an appropriate response for us, for no longer do we face such dangers.

Everything is about becoming a clever, sophisticated, intellectual with plenty of book knowledge in order to combat the evils that face us on pen and paper, in the academia where the images of civilizations are etched in stone.

I have been bullshitted to for long enough.

I look around me and I see a troubled world much the same as in Guru Nanak's times. The imperialistic rule of the Mughals destroyed the lives of many innocent human beings because various tyrants thought they were doing the right Islamic thing in the world due to the words of their advisers. The imperialistic rule of America and the West is continuing to destroy the lives of many innocent human beings because the various tyrants (yes, the Presidency is a tyrannical position when Congress does nothing to check it) are being led by their advisers to believe that they are doing the right thing for Democracy in the world.

Whereas we the Khalsa should have been in the front lines of negotiating diplomacy and peace, and upholding justice in the world; I witness our leaders kissing the asses and licking the boots of puppet politicians so that we may be recognized as “Americans” or be accepted in the Western world.

Sure you can say that oh, well we do not live in an Utopian world. That there is so much from the past which we can no longer change. That the past has so devastatingly affected our present condition. All that I call bullshit. Bullshit that we create to cover our own distracted and inadequate asses.

You see my argument here is not on a tangent from where I originally started; it is rather digging deeper and deeper into the root cause of the disease that continues to plague us in the Panth. A disease that if we do not become aware of as Panthic individuals, we are bound by fate to be the cause of our own destruction.

The cause is not simply cleverness, excessive reliance on book knowledge, being sophisticated, or even intellectuality. The cause is our distraction from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The cause is our inadequacy in upholding Sikhi principles. The cause is our inability to practically bring Guru’s wisdom in our lives.

Just think about this for a second. During the major period of struggle in Sikh History where we were butchered and tortured in masses, where we lost 50% of our Sikh population in one day, how do you think Sikhi continued to exist, and not just exist but flourish? How the hell is it that we exist today if so many of our people were being destroyed?

Did the Kesh Fairy tell our Shaheeds “hey if you get them to not cut your hair but your scalp and leave the hair to me once you’re dead, I’ll make sure that in the future there’ll be Sikhs to carry on Sikhi?” Did the Kesh fairy do that?

Or how about the Genie? Hmm? Did the Genie give our ancestors one wish and they oh so romantically wished for Sikhi to continue on through their death? I wish. Then we could find this Genie today to solve our problems.

No, we did not have fairies and genies fulfill our wishes. No, we did not have a reproduction farm to fast produce thousands of Sikhs to combat the injustice in the world. There weren’t a million Sikh women popping out thousands of teenage/older aged Sikhs to continue fighting for the struggle.

What we had in that time were people that truly believed. What we had was a Panth full of Inspirational individuals. If the Panth is a glass, then the glass was overflowing with Inspiration. What we had was a Panth that took the Wisdom of the Guru seriously, not just intellectually or ritualistically, but practically. It wasn’t like the movies where the death of one inspires many. It was the lives of the few Sikhs that inspired the lives of the many human beings around them. So that when one Sikh was mutilated, it only strengthened the validity of the truth which Sikhs stood upon.

Truth.

If we accept Truth as one of the highest, if not the highest, value in our lives to strive for, then we must accept the reality and direness of our present Panthic condition.

We have a drunken and drugged up Panjab to deal with. Over at least 60 – 70% of our current population lives there, in the land that contains at least 90% of our history. We have Sikhs who matha-tek to random self-declared babas, sants, khalse, pictures, idols, whatever is told to them to be holy, etc. We have Sikhs who get drunk and cause domestic problems. We have Sikh boys who are getting caught up in drugs and alcohol, and Sikh girls who are selling themselves. We have Sikhs committing mass suicides because they can no longer handle the oppression from the State. We have Sikhs killing their daughters because having a daughter becomes a financial liability for them.

Forget other Granths, most of our population barely understands Sri Guru Granth Sahib themselves. Spoon feeding of Sikhi knowledge from katha vachiks has become a norm and has created a Sikh population that is easily and willingly brainwashed by self-proclaimed Saints and Baabe of the Panth. Panjab is one of the poorest states of India in education, and consequently our fellow Sikhs are severely uneducated.

If we begin to list the number of problems facing us in the Panth, this blog could go on forever.

I want to ask you the question again, what are we fighting about with these Darshan Singh and Dasam Granth arguments? Are these things seriously as important as everything else facing us today? Is an argument about the validity of parts of a Granth which is not the Guru more important than the living state of human beings? Would you see Guru Nanak sitting here arguing about a Granth while a wildfire is rapidly destroying a population of people?

We are distracted from the Katha of Truth, and so we make clever arguments about how we need to tackle the issues of today. Truth stares us in the face every Sunday when we ritualistically matha-tek. The real question now becomes, how much longer will we go as a Panth till we accept the Wisdom of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji? Or will be become the sad story in the dust of history of a people that rose from the depths of darkness and death to a Kingdom of Enlightenment, only to die off in the traps of Maya?

Lor Siraan Di Pai Gi

2010-01-20T14:33:00.001-06:00

mere khalse aakh de ne
lorr siraan di pai gi
par je jigar phika hai
fir kaun deve kurbani

dekh mere guru aj de kherr
te vekh aj de haase
jithe tu samjaunda si
aj bolan shinda, aj bolan jazzy

tere baabe, tere khalse
beh gae ttheke laa ke
pyar dian galan ohi karde
jere nashiyan'ch dube ne

baabar nu sacheyai sikhaan li
Guru tu boleya dharam de khaatar
khaalsean di sacheyai vekho
pyar naal choomde baabar de chittar

mere khalse aakh de ne
lorr siraan di pai gi
par je jigar phika hai
fir kaun deve kurbani

larrde sikh hak de khaatar
kerri seva te keda hak
kerri gadi (seat) te keda hak
seva gadi nu suto bhaabarr
guru bhule nahi hona khaalas

jeri qaum apne guru nu bhul jaae
oh rurrdi firdi mar jaandi hai
ithehaas te magroor ho ke
khalse, guru nu na bhul jaeen

ithehaas nahi tere baabean da gavaah
ithehaas nahi teri jarran di taakat
ban ja ik machli, samaj guru nu paani
khalsean de karam nu hi ithehaas jaanea jaanda

aj yaad kari'eh guru dian kamaiyan
khalseo aj kari'eh guru de bachan
fir asli khalsa jaage ga
te dunia'ch pain guru de chaanan

Tere Dar te

2010-01-10T23:49:00.001-06:00

schad dite saare aas sansaar de,

meh peya hun tere charnaan te

bhave menu kabool kar leh

bhave maar de,

hun meh ni jaande kite

par tere dar te

Many Questions

2009-07-18T22:38:00.002-05:00

Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? What is God? Where is God? How do I find God? How do I live a God-inspired life? What is a Sikh? What does a Sikh do?
What is Guru Granth Sahib? What is Guru Panth? What is Khalsa?What is Naam? What is Nitnem? What is Hukam? What is Rehit? What is Maryada? What is Anand?

The questions are endless. The mind is restless. Yet the only thing that tires are my fingers typing all of them. These are not all my questions at the moment, but they are the questions of every Seeker beginning the journey of Sikhi.

I wonder.

At every step, at every stage of our life we ask questions. The most interesting to note, though, are the beginning and the end. We begin as little innocent children with the question “Why?” We die as old wise men with the question “Why?” We fill the gaps in between with our own colorful stories. Our life as the color book. We pick the crayons we like. We draw on the empty pages the figures we want. We color, draw, color, draw, till we reach the last page. Yet, we’re left with the same question. Why?

So.

Many philosophers and religious people alike always like to mention that the beginning and the end are not important. The destination of a journey is of no significance. The beauty of it is what matters. I wonder though what was the point of the journey if it still ended with the same question as it began? Are we simply loud spectators of life?

I hope not.

I don’t know the answer.

But, Guru Sahib says:

Humanity

2009-06-29T23:17:00.001-05:00

I must surrender my mind
To this difficult night
Please grant me serenity
O dear mother
It does get cold in here at times

I feel the pain of their graves
Lying here awake
Pour into my heart love
O dear mother
I hear the nightingale at their wake

I saw a dove eat the eagle
Seemingly surreal
Pour into my heart courage
O dear mother
Sometimes unconventional is the only way

Forgive us for what we do
Forsaking humanity
Pour into our hearts responsibility
O dear mother
Force us to hear the screams of the innocent

Living is the unhallowed grounds
Speaking in death
Pour into my heart determination
O dear mother
To never understand its speech
This world I live in is that place
Of deathly speech
Pour into my heart fearlessness
O dear mother
I may weather the storm of apathy

Be My Saturday

2009-06-19T11:41:00.002-05:00

if you could be mine
i would want you to be my saturday
if this day was real
i would want you to last forever
come on be my saturday
be my love, be my heaven
when im at hell's bay
be the joy, be the laughter
be my saturday
come on be my saturday
when im at hell's bay

when its cloudy in my mind
and its stormy outside
come be my saturday
be my sunny side, be the clear skies
comeon be my saturday
when im at hell's bay

when the devil screams in my ears
begs for blood, begs for tears
be my saturday
be my turban, be my sword
come on be my saturday
when im at hell's bay

be my strength, be my courage
be my saturday
comeon be my saturday
when im at hell's bay

if you could be mine,
i would want you to be my saturday...

Mengiaan Mangiaan

2009-06-19T11:39:00.001-05:00

meh haan ik keerra is srishti vich
tu hain eh srishti, tu hain sabh kich
meh haan ik boond paani da, dariya vich
tu hai eh dariya
tu hai eh aasmaann
tu hai eh dharti
tu hai, tu hai

par, ki mengiaan si mangiaan darshanaan
jo toon darshan ni denda ve

je pyar di hi gal si
fir dil kyon manzoor ni

je ik phul di zaroorat si
fir sir kyon manzoor ni

sirf ik pal di gal si
par darshan vi menge bhe gay

ki tenu enaan masooman naal pyar
ke tu masooman dian jaanaan lehnaan

ki tenu bacheyaan naal ena pyar
ke har ik dhruv nu chuk lehnaan

ki tenu enaan shauk daata hondaa
ke diti hoi zindgi scheen lehnaan

ki mengiaan si mangiaan darshanaan
jo toon darshan ni denda ve

jaandaan haan tera saneha,
jaandaan haan lakeer...

jad ik kiri pahaarr nu chuk ni saki
mera varga eanna tenu kive apnaa lave

jad koi insaan kisi masoom di zindgi lehnda
pucheyaa jaanda, ke Rab nu ki savaal devengaa

par, jad tu masoomaan dian jaanaan lehnaan
tenu ki puchiye? tenu kaun puche? tu kinu javaab den da?

din raat din raat loki tenu poojde
kade darshan vi deh de
maavaan, thiyaan, bhenaa, bharaavaan diaan jaanaan
tu hi chuk lehnaan, vapis ni kardaa.
fir vi tenu loki poojde
ik vaari darshan deh de

ki mengiaan si mangiaan darshanaan
jo tu darshan ni denda ve

“Trust, Love, Qurbani”

2009-04-28T00:23:00.001-05:00

“Sach kahon sun leh sabhai, jin prem kio tin hi prabh paaeo”

Guru Sahib says that in order to attain Akal Purakh, one must love. This means that we must bring love in general into our hearts, and one way to do that would be to love Akal Purakh and everything he does/has created. When we love someone, we want that which makes the person we love happy. If the person we love wants to go some place or do something, we want to do that too. When we apply this love to Vaheguru, then we love and want that which is in Vaheguru's hukam. Whatever is Vaheguru's hukam, is what we want.

In order for us to attain this love for Akal Purakh, we must have absolute trust or unwavering faith in Akal Purakh, because trust is a fundamental factor in every relationship of love. A fish in the sea, the reason it continues to live in water and float around its random ways is not because it believes that food is there for it or that it believes that the water will always be there. It trusts that there will be food provided; trusts that the water will be there. Think about it, if it was only belief, and not trust, then the fish would be paranoid; it would live in constant fear of the water suddenly evaporating or there not being food. Its own paranoia would kill it. In the same way with our minds, we have to trust Vaheguru, and not just believe in something of a Vaheguru being there, or believe in Vaheguru doing something. We have to trust that Vaheguru sustains us, that whatever happens is in the will of Vaheguru. It’s not about Vaheguru testing us or not testing us with whatever happens in life, it’s about it just being what Vaheguru wants. From our trust comes our love.

When applying this concept to the Shaheeds in our history, physical Qurbani was not a big deal because for them everything was in Vaheguru's hukam, they were in love with Vaheguru; so, whatever was in Vaheguru's hukam they accepted gladly. Their Qurbani had already occurred in their spiritual and mental life, when they made the realization of “mera mujh meh kich nahi, jo kich hai so tera” and attained the love that made them utter “tera kia meettha laage, har naam padarath nanak maange.” For them, the end process of their life was not some act of doing something for a higher cause than themselves, or sacrificing something of their own for future generations, it was simply flowing along with the Hukam of Akal Purakh, the Hukam that demanded them to stand up for Righteousness. The Shaheeds were already merged into Akal Purakh when their bodies were torn apart, so how can there be a sacrifice of some particular thing, when they in essence are existing in everything? There is no sacrifice, it is simply a life lived in Hukam.

So then, where in all of this does Guru Granth Sahib Ji come in? Where is our Guru in all of this? It is something like the following analogy. If someone were to present to you a glass of water that did not look clean, was all brownish looking and displeasing in sight, would you drink it? No, most likely you would make sure to filter the water and then when it looks good and when you are thirsty, you would drink the water. Imagine that our existence is analogous to glasses of water. Our soul is the glass, and the content of the soul is the water. In our existence in this world, amongst Maya, our glass of water becomes dirty as we allow it to become polluted by outside things. The reason we need Guru Granth Sahib Ji is because Guru Sahib is the eternal source of filtering and clean water that when poured into our glasses, continually purifies our being and makes us appealing to Akal Purakh. Then, whenever Akal Purakh chooses he can enjoy that glass.

That is how the Shaheeds were, these every ready “tyar bar tyar” sources of purity in spirit, which Akal Purakh decided to enjoy. In our lives, we have the choice of either becoming these glasses of purity in spirit, or remaining glasses of filth, and when we chose to listen to our Guru we begin to become purer in our minds and in our spirits. If we take a glass of dirty water, and continually pour clean water into it, what you see eventually is an overflowing glass of clean water. Gurbani is the same way for us, we continually need Gurbani because it is the eternal source of that water, of that purity, that keeps on pouring into our glasses. If we live attached to Gurbani we live as Shaheeds, if we become detached from Gurbani we become diseased and deceased.

An Apology too Many

2009-02-10T01:50:00.002-06:00

I know I said I was sorry
I know I said I was here to stay
But you know I walked out
And I cheated on you
What can I do
I am addicted to abuse
Your feelings
I have never been true
I have said my apologies
I have tried to be sincere
But I have lost my way
Again and again
Only finding myself
Ashamed
Am continually begging
On your footsteps
If I could be perfect
You know I would be
For you I want to say
I will give my life
And never hesitate
But you know I cheated
And know that I walked out
I know I can never expect
For you to forgive me
Or give me a second chance
I don’t deserve anything
Because I am the devil
Reincarnate
A second chance has become cliché
In my life where apologies
Continue to escalate
As I lead my life astray
I committed to you then
I am committed to you now
But I am far from what I wanted to be
What I wanted for you and me
I had once dreamed of living
In a mansion made of love
Of trees and leaves and sunsets
And a beautiful breeze
While we walk in the park
Of a life in a paradise
Just you and me
I look around now and see
Really it was all a dream
How could someone like me
End up with someone like you
Only in a dream
Could it ever come to be
Am a foolish man
With foolish dreams
God help me
Because I am begging on my knees
Any good I did in my life
Was a tribute to thee
But my actions make me
The accumulation of all the
Forsaken particles in a sea
Of all that is to be loathed
Please, I beg on my knees
I am not anything I was supposed to be
Just breathe, into me breathe
All that you wanted from me
Because I am nothing in this body
Without you breathing life into me

- Sevak -

Time

2008-11-20T03:11:00.001-06:00

What is destiny without time?
What is time without destiny?
if time were to stop,
would we all be free
to do as we please?
or would we be frozen
for all eternity?

time, its a funny beast
it keeps running and running
never looks back, running endlessly
what could it possibly fear?
it has no predator, we are all its prey
Is it scared of its own sphere?

time, its a funny beast
it controls both you and me
never looks back, running endlessly
is unforgiving, of our mistakes
it preys upon and digs for us
our very own graves

time, its a funny beast
never lets us be free
never looks back, running endlessly
confined to its chambers, we live our lives
set into life's motions, with one thing in mind
awaiting death like hopeful midwives

imagine, if we could control time
imagine, if we could be free
what if time were the key
that allows us to open our sphere
the sphere that runs this world irrevocably

ah, but the question is how to control time?
maybe the answer is this moment
when we realize time controls our lives
you see, time is like us
we are both running endlessly, we both meet an end
time also awaits death, it is no different
and if we are no different, then we are one and the same
if we're one and the same, then we've won this game

Life

2008-11-17T03:46:00.000-06:00

life is too short
so go take the stock
quit trying to appraise
let your mind let loose
loosen all the chains
free fall into mystery
and when you're done
don't forget to raise

the mystics, the mistricks
the chicks, the flicks
misfits for life
its all about the game
thats in the frame
it frames you into strife
always looking without
gets harder to look within
and so on the boat of time
and in an ocean of opportunity
gone, wasted is your life

when the chips start falling
then remember joyous yesterdays
the days that you couldn't praise
then, put on a different lens
look from another horizon
and take a second to pray
its not for other people,
not to a god,
and definitely for you
pray for a miracle,
for a second chance
this life, my friend
only once is it true
and when you begin to see the leaves falling
and the beards turning shades of gray
and the branches beginning to tumble
take a grip onto the nearest roots
let them humbly help you find you

What is fiction?

2008-09-08T03:52:00.000-05:00

The first essay...keep in mind I wrote this at 2am, and was due the same day, so if it doesn't make sense blame the time...

Fiction is a natural right. Fiction is a dream. Fiction is the natural right of every individual to dream. The culmination of our hopes, desires, and perception is fiction; it is in this world of fiction these three key components play together to create a mental world separate from our own. Every time we have hopes, we are hoping for something that does not exist now but we wish for it in the near future. Every time we desire something it is fiction, because that which we desire does not exist at the moment, but we wish for it in the near future. Fiction just is that which does not exist now but we wish for it to exist, and it comes into being through the culmination of our hopes, desires, and perception of life.

Fiction does not necessarily entail something being a video game, movie, or TV show, rather “fiction” through those media could just be reflections upon our own lives and the way we fictitiously live them; the way we behave in everyday life due to the hopes and desires pushing us forth. This is the realization that can be seen through many video games such as The Sims, or even Grand Theft Auto, or other video games where the player may use the character to do whatever he or she wishes or desires. In support of this view of fiction, Will Wright, the creator of The Sims, while speaking to Chuck Klosterman, the author of the book Sex, Drugs, and cocoa puffs, tells him that “’…it does seem like some people come to these interesting conclusions about themselves when they play. And if a game changes your perception of the world around you, it’s successful.”

Viewing fiction from a slightly different scope is the literary observation of two words that are often used in opposition, Fact and Fiction; though, that has never been clear to me why it is that way. Something factual does not mean it contains truth, and something fictitious does not mean it does not contain truth. For example, it is factual information that Columbus discovered the Americas and the Native Americans, and that some historians have written Columbus developed a good relationship with them. That does not make it true information. In fact, Columbus was one of the first people to make slaves of the Native Americans, sending them to Europe in exchange for money; all the while, the Natives endured immense cruelty and hardship.

If viewed thusly, fact then becomes the objective view of truth, eliminating the several factors involved in deciphering it, while fiction becomes the subjective view of the truth, which allows for many interpretations and perceptions upon the objective truth. While facts would be the accumulation of specific data, fiction would be the interpretation of those data recorded. Fiction, then, allows for people, societies to cultivate their thinking through realizations, which come from the process of reflection presented by different media, of how it is that they truly perceive life, and what it is exactly they are continually hoping and desiring for.

While the literary sense of fiction provides us with reflections into our own inner lives, fiction in general also serves to provide us with goals, even if they maybe a bit dreamy, that are fostered in our minds through our hopes, desires, and perceptions. That which the King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., sought in his world was something fictitious. It was something that did not exist at the moment, but his hopes, desires, and perceptions pushed him to seek the day his dream would come true; this is the basis for fiction being a dream. If this dream was not allowed to exist, then the King would not have been who he was, and is why fiction is a natural right. If the dream was not allowed to exist, then the realizations society made through the King’s speeches and actions would not have been possible. For the purpose of serving this need of realizations in society, fiction is the natural right of every individual to dream.

Posting Essays

2008-09-08T03:47:00.000-05:00

So I decided, because I am not always writing poetry, and am going to be writing a bunch of essays this semester for my English II and Philosophy classes, I am just going to post them up here on my blog. Enjoy.

Oppression

2008-07-29T01:31:00.000-05:00

dont say we didn't tell you so
here is the message, here it goes

this is not a manifest destiny
this is your date with fate
where for every evil action
there is a heavy slate
you tried to take us to our deaths
we still here fightin with every breath
an apology is far too late
you can't change what is to be your fate
you came and attacked us at our heart
be ready for yours to be ripped apart

you're nothing new to us
just a fancy new fool
with a fancy new sword
better count up your fortunes
for every death there is a toll
you took us to our death
we'll take you to yours
make you pay for the toll
offering change is of help no more

the spirit of a warrior
you can never kill
we are born to the highest king
and to the gods we die
our spirit you can never kill
its colored with the divine dye
we are the masters of our own destiny
no oppresor before you got away clean
don't think you'll be different or unique
your life will end the same as theirs
destroyed and lost into the winds of history

July 23rd at 2am

2008-07-23T17:07:00.000-05:00

sometimes, its these moments in my eyes
gazing up towards the empty sky
wondering if you're there or if you're shy?
i know you're there, come out and say hi

your love is like a butterfly
it stings like a bee
seeing you walk away
hurts more than I can bleed

i look and see there you are
staring back at me
through a window, through a tree
through a mirror, through a breeze
wherever you are
i can feel you breathe
breathing, sitting, living next to me

a part of me wishes to flee
a part wants you miserably
take your pick, for you its free
next to you, im supposed to be

- Sevak -

A Warning for Sikhs: The Dera Chief issue continues to Escalate

2008-06-22T10:03:00.001-05:00

http://www.panthic.org/news/126/ARTICLE/4184/2008-06-20.html

The Indian Government has failed so far to act upon arresting Dera Chief Ram Rahim for his actions against Sikhs and humanity. Putting aside what he has done against the Sikh community, the Dera Chief is known to be involved in many rape and murder cases, but the Government has yet to arrest him. Instead, when you read the Indian Nationalist publications such as the one below, you will find them using terms to demonize the Sikhs while not stating one piece of falsity by the Dera Chief or the inactions of the Government. Whereas the Dera Chief should be arrested, the Times of India suggests the riots in Mumbai could have been prevented if the Dera Chief had been given more police protection. If this does not illustrate the joint bias against the Sikhs by both the Government of India and its media, I have no clue what will. If the Dera Chief is not arrested and justice delivered, such incidents are bound to occur again and again. The Government itself is planting the seeds for a massive conflict in the coming future.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Sikh_mobs_run_riot_in_Mumbai_/articleshow/3152760.cms

Another Random Quote

2008-05-28T02:49:00.000-05:00

this one was really random because one, it came out of nowhere, two it was in third person ( i almost always write in first person), and third it was in hindi...? i havent spoken that in years....here it is:

agar humse bhool hoi, to hume bhool jaana
agar kisi hor se bhool hoi, to une bhi bhool jaana
agar apne aap se bhool hoi, apne aap ko mat bhoolna
aise karna, maanlo khuda se judaa ho jaana

- Sevak -

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

2008-03-21T17:35:00.000-05:00

The Good, The Bad

The purpose, I believe, in the religion of Guru Nanak Sahib is not of morality, but of the cosmic appreciation of the one Being. Doing good in one’s life, knowing the difference between good and bad, or bringing the qualities of Vaheguru into a person's life is not the purpose of the Sikh, it is but a mere consequence of a life lived in the cosmic appreciation of the one Being. Those personalities who teach and preach to others to be “good people” are I believe the ones who have misunderstood and continually belittle the meaning of Sikhi.

I have for the longest time held the belief that morality is not the purpose of Sikhi, for I believe morality has been taught much before Guru Nanak Sahib came into this world, and can be learned by any individual attending any University by partaking the courses of Sociology and Ethics. If we were to say the purpose of Sikhi or religiousness is to be good people, then I believe the purpose of religiosity and Sikhi for those who think that may have come to an end, for you may gain this knowledge anywhere on the internet or a university.

No, I believe what Guru Nanak Sahib expounded on over and over again was the feeling of cosmic appreciation. The humility in the being which has come to appreciate the harmony in which the Universe works, and the longing of that being to expand the personal self and experience life connected as the Universal self. This feeling is appreciated by and evidenced through one such writing of an inspired-soul, Professor Puran Singh, who in his book The Creation and Purpose of the Khalsa states, “The religion of Guru Nanak is one thing needful to the soul of the individual, as well as the souls of groups of individuals. Nature is God. It is personal and alive with feeling. It is a reservoir of inexhaustible life, inspiration and love. Acceptance, amazement, and the spirituality of things are Guru Nanaks exact words. Religion is function of life, as it is driven to function.” If one reads The Spirit Born People, more of this cosmic appreciation is expounded on by this great inspired soul.

It is furthermore evidenced by writings by Guru Sahib himself when he states “ham nahi change bura nahi koe” Shabad Panna 2784, “jo tho prem khelan ka chao, sir dhar tali gali meri aao, eith maarag pair dhareejai, sir deejay kaan na keejai” Shabad Panna 1412, and “sach kahon sun leh sabhai, jin prem kio tin hi prabh paayeo” by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in Savaiye 9^th pauri. In all of these Shabads Guru Sahib continually speaks of one message, which is the appreciation of the one Being. This appreciation is through living a life of Love, and this Love is discovered in a life of Truthful living; the second word in Guru-Granth Sahib Ji, “Sat-Naam.”. This Love then is expressed in innumerous ways such as service, moral living, sharing, etc. This is why morality is not the purpose. There is no purpose. There is just the feeling of cosmic appreciation, Love. True Love has no purpose other than to Love.

And The Ugly

The Ugly is the state of the actions of our personal and communal lives, and I will not say Panthic because the Guru is Panth and the Panth is forever blossoming. To cut this short, and without ranting on for another ten pages, I will briefly say that because we have forgotten the message of cosmic appreciation, living a life of true love, it is why our community and our personal lives are in the state they are in. It is why we have become a group of judgmental imbeciles who cast eyes of opinions, rather than love, upon each other in the community and other human beings. And, as long as we continue this tradition of separation based on our foolish idea of our genius wisdom, proclaimed by our tradition of sourcing evidence on meaningless names and figures of history, and whilst forgetting the cosmically inspirational Shabad of our Guru, not living a life of Love, as a community and as individuals we shall perish into the dust of time and history having accomplished nothing but egoism and self-indulgence.

May Vaheguru have compassion on us for we possess the incredible ability to cremate beauty in our daily lives.

Lastly, stay in chardi-kala! =)

Symphony

2008-03-08T00:04:00.000-06:00

I want you, just you
Why can't it just be
Me and you in symphony
Orchestrating a life
Thats in beat
My love is the bee
Your love is the flower
I feed from you
You live through me
Me and you in symphony
Why can't it just be
Your love being the sun
My love being the tree
You feed me your beauty
I make the earth green
Why can't it just be
Me and you in symphony
Your love is the conductor
My love is the melody
This symphony could never be complete
Without me and you in harmony

A Community of Tigers we were, A Community of Dogs we've become

2008-01-13T16:14:00.001-06:00

I was reading a weblog entry by MrSikhNet, because a friend introduced me to that site today. He wrote some very interesting thoughts that spurred some of my own. http://www.mrsikhnet.com/index.php/2008/01/06/judgement-criticism-the-mind-being-a-sikh/#more-3028
These thoughts of mine are not written in a poem, but a rare essay-format. Enjoy or Hate, as you wish. =)

I think we tend to forget that Guru Sahib told us to do Naam Japna, Vand Chakna, and Kirat Karni, but no hard-fast rule on how to do it, so there is no one correct way of doing those things.
I guess when Guru Sahib liberated our souls from the tyranny of existing religious thoughts, we would rather have remained slaves to a set of rules of how to live our lives than have become free and independent to make our own choices leading to our salvation.

We bow our heads down to the Guru every Sunday like good little Sikhs we are, but I sometimes wonder for what and why we're bowing. The difference between the Brahman and the Guru lay in the fact that the Brahman wanted to enslave you in his spiritually bankrupt and corrupt kingdom, while the Guru wished to liberate you so you may see the beautiful spiritual kingdom of heaven that He sees. When we bow down to the Brahman's Mat, we bow in slavery due to the fear the Brahman instilled in us. When we bow down to our Guru's Mat, we bow down in love due to the freedom of our souls the Guru gave us. It would be applicable to have Prof. Puran Singh's quote here from The Creation and Purpose of Khalsa, where he speaks of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and what he did for the people. "He poured into our veins that life which could not love without song and freedom. We rose as individuals and as masses shouting for our liberty and victory. He gave us freedom of the soul, and we cried for the freedom of our life. We died for it, never mind, if we never got it. Touched by his inspiration, we could no more remain slaves."

Now, if i maybe excused of being ex-communicated from the Panth for making this statement, we wish to make our Guru our Brahman; for we no longer seek a liberator, we seek a tyrant. We do not want the freedom of our soul, for we no longer know what freedom is. We are so used to our minds being enslaved by the influences of society, people, politicians, goverments, so called religious saints, all telling us exactly how to live our lives, that we no longer know what it means to be conscious of our own mind. We wish to be trained and fed like dogs on this spiritual experience we wish to have, and so we go to whomsoever claims to know this beautiful spiritual kingdom of heaven the Guru sees, and we bow down to their Mat. We have bowed down oh so often that we forget for what we really bowed down for.

So now, when we see our Guru, when we bow to our Guru, we wish for him to give us set in stone rules like the 10 commandments of how to live our life, and then we become confused when the Guru refuses to give us these rules, for the Guru only tells us Naam Japna, Vand Chakna, and Kirat Karni. The Guru only tells us that with love in our hearts enter the journey to the beautiful spiritual kingdom of heaven. That is not good enough for us, we wish to be treated and fed like dogs, and so like dogs with our tongues wagging we run to the several different Jathe-bandis in our Panth to give us a set of rules of exactly how to do what the Guru told us to do. So the masters of those Jathe-bandis, like the Brahmans, are ever so ready to enslave us under their own Mat. Then we like foolish dogs loyal to our own "masters" bicker amongst ourselves for the other dog doesn't follow the same set of rules, and we continue to rip at each other's throat, while the Guru sits there amused how those he liberated enslaved themselves.

Honestly, we are like the foolish old dog whom the master cut the leash from. The dog no longer knows what it once meant to be free, he only knows to do what he is told to do and not know that he has the freedom to make his own choices. The Guru's love for us is so beautiful, He wishes to set us free so we may experience the journey to the spiritual kingdom of heaven. The Guru did not ever wish to enslave us in bondage, he wished to free us so we may experience for ourselves what He experienced. The bondage the Guru speaks to us of is not slavery, it is a bond of love. The bondage is that of a lover to her beloved. It is like the love of Heer towards Ranjha, where Heer no longer felt seperated from Ranjha through the distance, for she felt her and him were One. Guru Sahib told us "Jo tho prem khelan ka chao, sir dhar tali gali meri aao, eith maarag pair dhareejai, sir deejai kaan n keejai." He did not say "bondange khelan ka chao," he said "prem khelan ka chao," and the bondage often referred to, in Gurbani, is metaphorically speaking of love, except we're so used to being enslaved that we think it is us being attached in chains, rather than us in love.

Alas, the Guru seeks to liberate us and make us Singhs, tigers, but we love being sheeps and dogs too much to become Singhs.

Lastly, stay in chardi-kala! =)

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,
Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

After-Life

2007-10-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

Swimming in the ocean
diving into the sea
heaven'll be my country
hell beneath my feet

am a pious man on a mission
look down on those don't pray
convertin people to my religion
condemnin others to Hell's Bay
give food to poor & hungry
job is done for the day
Am a being full of compassion
to those listenin to my say
somebdoy going through misery
not converting, its what they pay
salvation's only in my religion
Am passing God's judgement today

Swimming in the ocean
diving into the sea
heaven'll be my country
hell beneath my feet

I am on the road to heaven
before goin to sleep I pray
lose control of my emotions
its okay, confess my sins everyday
condemn people to hell, I create hate
I'll be goin to heaven on judgement day
forget dying for another's pain
won't listen to another's say
God is only in my possession
either convert or you'll have to pay
am a pious man on a mission
passing God's judgement today

Swimming in the ocean
diving into the sea
hell is what surrounds me
heaven is what I dream

Pious man, listen to this take
cuz, hatred is what you cause
you've wasted your life
you forgot to pause
went through the motions
led a life thats false
you gave to charity
but forgot the cause
you never made your life
a paradise for all
heaven was on earth
it was all your call
divinity inside you
since day you were born
recognize your origin
bliss was down the hall

Swimming in the ocean
diving into the sea
heaven as my country
hell beneath my feet

listen up, this is your one chance
life is too short to spend in hate
People are like God's flowers
each one with their own trait
regardless the look, regardless the color
each in its own way is great
for who they are, love them all
then blissful will be your fate
instead of creating lines and divisions
spend your time making a gate
inside your heart, inside your soul
thats where it'll take shape
be universal in its essence
allow for all to congregate
under one one umbrella, one identity
humanity, for that gate it waits

Leaf

2007-04-23T00:53:00.000-05:00

a leaf flies in the silent wind
the earth shakes in a sudden grind

the sun shines in its beautiful presence
the stars bend in their humble essence

flowers fragrant the air with beauty
birds sing eloquent praises in their duty

Such is the word of the Saint in Melody
It causes the Creation to sing along in Harmony

- Sevak -

My Main Blog

2007-01-18T22:46:00.000-06:00