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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Janam BABA ZORAWAR SINGH JEE (Nov 28)....

BABA ZORAWAR SINGH JEE(1696-1705), the third son of Guru Gobind Singh jee was born to Mata Jito ji (also known as Mata Sundari ji) at Aanandpur 28 November 1696 and was barely nine years old at the time of the evacuation of Aanandpur on the night of 5-6 December 1705. Since the death, on 5 December 1700, of Mata Jito ji, Mata Gujari his grandmother had been especially attached to young Zorawar Singh and his infant brother, Fateh Singh. She took charge of both as the column moved out of Aanandpur.

On the morning of 7 December 1705, the day of the fateful battle of Chamkaur Baba Zorawar Singh ji, along with Baba Fateh Singh ji and their grandmother, was taken into custody by Jani Khan and Mani Khan Ranghar. They were despatched on the following day to Sirhind where they were consigned to the Cold Tower (Thanda Burj) of the Fort.

Wazir Khan tried to lure the Sahibzadas to embrace Islam with promises of riches and honours, but they spurned the suggestion. He then threatened them with death, but they remained undaunted. Death sentence was finally pronounced. Upon Sher Muhammad Khan's intercession for the innocent children to be spared their lives, they were given some more time to ponder over the suggestion to convert. Sahibzada Zorawar Singh ji and his brother spent another two days of severe winter in their old grandmother's lap in the Cold Tower.

Still adamant, they were, on 11 December 1705, ordered to be sealed alive in a wall. According to tradition, as the masonry around their tender bodies reached chest high, it crumbled. The Sahibzadas were sent to the Cold Tower again for the night. The next day, 12 December 1705, the alternative of conversion being again turned down, Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Baba Fateh Singh ji were martyrd by sealing alive in a wall. The aged Mata Gujari Kaur ji, who had all along been kept in the Cold Tower, only a little distance away, breathed her last as the news reached her ears.

Seth Todar Mal, a wealthy merchant of Sirhind, performed the cremation of the three dead bodies the following day. The site of the fateful happenings, since christened Fatehgarh Sahib, close to the old town of Sirhind, is now marked by four Sikh shrines. A religious fair is held here from 25 to 28 December every year to honour the memory of the martyrs.

source : sikhiwiki.com

Friday, November 24, 2006

Dhan Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib jee....

Shahidee of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib jee Maharaaj falls Nov 24. following is a brief write up about circumstances leading to his sacrifice....

Aurangzeb who ruled over India started destroying/converting Hindu temples to Masjids. Though he started forced conversions in the whole country i.e. all the Southern states, Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat etc., to achieve this, he started systematic and vigorous conversion of the high caste Brahmins of Kashmir, from Northern most side of the country. In about 1674 AD the Kashmiri Brahmins requested Guru Teg Bahadur, the 9th guru of the Sikhs to save them. To put an end to this cruel conversion, Guru Teg Bahadur after choosing his son the next successive Guru of the Sikhs, offered himself for the supreme sacrifice .

In 1675 AD Guru Teg Bagadur was arrested in Agra with few of his followers and brought back to Delhi. He was asked to: 1. Convert to Muslim Religion. 2. To prove to be a godly person, show some miracles. 3. Accept death.

His reply was:
1. It is an individual's right to choose religion of his own free will. 2. Showing miracles is going against the Will of God and against the laws of Nature. 3. There is no fear of death and he is prepared to die.

The Guru was imprisoned in an iron cage. To give fear of death, three of his followers were killed in his presence. One Sikh was cut longitudinally in two peaces with a saw by fixing him in wooden planks, another was boiled in water and the third was burnt in cotton. With their face towards the Guru, the three Sikhs sacrificed themselves without a pinch of remorse or sorrow. Name of God was residing in the heart of Guru and he remained untouched. After this he was beheaded. This occurred in the year 1675 AD. The place of this occurrence is called Gurudwara Sis Ganj at Delhi, very near to the historic Red Fort.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Thanking Whom??????

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Bhagat Sain Jee's job was Saved by God...

Bhagat Sain jee was a poor man who would serve the king in his palace. “Hearing about the glory of Bhagat Kabeer jee, Bhagat Sain jee also turned to be a disciple. In the night he would immerse in loving devotion to God and in the morning he would serve at the door of the king. One night some saints came to him and the whole night was spent in singing the praises of God. Bhagat Sain jee could not leave company of the saints and consequently did not perform the king’s service the following morning. God himself took the form of Bhagat Sain and served the king in such a way that the king was overjoyed. Bidding farewell to the saints, Bhagat Sain jee embarrassedly arrived at the palace of the king. From a distance the king called him nearby. He took off his own robe and offered it to Bhagat Sain jee. ‘You have overpowered me today’, said the king and his words were heard by all people standing there.

God himself manifests the dignity of His devotee.

source:realsikhism.com

Monday, November 13, 2006

WaheGuru....

Friday, November 10, 2006

Baba Deep Singh jee Shaheed... (Shaheed Divas Nov 13...)

Shahidee Diwas of Baba Deep Singh jee Shaheed falls on Nov 13th this year. Here's a small article on the occassion....

Baba Deep Singh jee was born on January 20, 1682, in the village of Pahuwind in the district of Amritsar. On the Vaisakhi of 1700, where after obtaining baptism into Sikhism, he started learning weaponry and riding. From Bhai Mani Singh, he began learning, reading and writing Gurmukhi and the interpretation of the Gurus' words. After spending two years at Anandpur, he returned to his village in 1702 and got married and settled down. He went to Guru Gobind Singh at Talwandi Sabo in 1705, where he helped Bhai Mani Singh in making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib. After Guru Gobind Singh Ji left for Delhi, he took up the service of looking after the Gurdwara Damdama Sahib.

In April 1757, Ahmed Shah Abdali raided Northern India for the fourth time. While he was on his way back to Kabul from Delhi with precious booty and young men and women as captives, the Sikhs made a plan to rob him of the valuables and set the prisoners free. The squad of Baba Deep Singh Ji was deployed near Kurukshetra. His squad freed a large number of prisoners and lightened the burden of valuables of Abdali considerably. On his arrival in Lahore, Abdali, who was in a black mood, ordered the demolition of the Harmandir Sahib. The shrine was blown up and the sacred pool filled with the entrails of slaughtered cows. Abdali assigned the Punjab to his son, Prince Timur Shah and left him a force of ten thousand men under General Jahan Khan.

Baba Deep Singh Ji, who was entrusted with the care of the temple, felt that it was up to him to atone for the sin of having let the Mughals desecrate the shrine. He emerged from scholastic retirement (he had been making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji), and declared to a congregation at Damdama Sahib that he intended to rebuild the temple. Five hundred men came forward to go with him. Baba Deep Singh Ji offered prayers before starting for Amritsar:"May my head fall at the Darbar Sahib." As he went from hamlet to hamlet, many villagers joined him. By the time Baba Deep Singh Ji reached Tarn Taran Sahib, ten miles from Amritsar, he had over five thousand peasants armed with hatchets, swords, and spears, in his train.

At the news of the approach of the Sikhs, Jahan Khan ordered a general mobilisation of all able-bodied men in Lahore. Leading a force of twenty thousand, he proceeded towards Amritsar. The Sikhs and the Mughals clashed at the village of Gohalwar on November 11, 1757. The Sikhs pushed the Mughals back and reached the village of Chabba where General Attal Khan came forward and inflicted a blow on Baba Deep Singh Ji whilst Baba Deep Singh inflicted a blow on him. Both of their heads got separated from their bodies. A singh reminded Baba Deep Singh Ji, "You had promised to put your head at the feet of the Guru in Harimandir Sahib." On hearing this, Baba Deep Singh Ji held his head on his left hand and his double-edged sword with his right hand. Baba Deep Singh Ji reached Harmandir Sahib, where he gave his head and breathed his last. In due course of time, the temple was rebuilt.

(It is said that Baba jee's double edge sword was 32 ser (1 ser nears to a kilo))

source:various websites

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Khalsa Diwan Society Essay Competetion....



I got an e-mail from one of the visitors to my blog on information about the essay competetion being held. All the details are on this poster. Please click on the Image to view in full size or visit http://www.sukhsagar.ca/essay/.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Parkash Utsav / Diwas Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Sahib jee Maharaaj...

Parkash Diwas of Dhan Dhan sri guru Nanak Dev Sahib jee Maharaaj is this Sunday Nov 5th. Peace and Happiness to all on this day and everyday. I'm posting a very well known Sakhi when Guru Nanak Dev jee visited a city in Pakistan, where now stands Gurdwara Panja Sahib....

After traveling through Arab and many other countries, the Guru Nanak Dev jee reached a place called Hassan Abdal. It is about fifty kilometers from Rawalpindi in Pakistan. He halted there at the foot of a hill. Soon, people began to gather around him. He talked to them of God. He told them the greatness of God and His creations. Many more people began to gather around him every day.

On the top of that hill, there lived a Muslim Priest. His name was Bawa Wali Qandhari. His house was near a spring of fresh water. From there the water flowed down to the town and was used by the people for all their needs. There was no other source of water at that place.

Wali Qandhari was an arrogant person. When he saw people gathering around Guru Nanak instead of his place, he became very angry. So, he stopped the spring water from flowing down to the town. The people became frustrated. How could they and their cattle live without water! A group of them went to Bawa Wali Qandhari. They begged him to let the water flow down as before. But Bawa Wali Qandhari said angrily, "Go to your Guru, the one you visit everyday now and ask for water from him." The poeple went to the Guru and told him the whole story. The Guru said, “Don't lose your heart. Trust in God. He will not let you die of thirst”. The Guru then said to Bhai Mardana, “Go and appeal to Bawa Wali Qandhari and request him to let the water flow down to the town.” When Bhai Mardana went to the top of the hill, Bawa Wali Qandhari shouted angrily, “Go back to your Guru and ask him to give water to the people.”

Bhai Mardana returned to the Guru and narrated what Bawa Wali Qandhari said to him. The Guru sent him once again. But again he came back with the same story. The frustration of the public grew each second. The Guru said, “Don't lose your heart. God is great and merciful. He can make springs flow from where He likes. Let us all pray to Him.” They all prayed. Then Guru Nanak Dev Ji lifted a stone. At once, a stream of cool, clean water began to flow from the place Guru lifted the stone.

At the same time, Bawa Wali Qanhari's spring dried up. He was red with anger and from the top of the hill he pushed a large rock towards the Guru. The rock came rolling down towards the Guru. Bawa Wali Qanhari thought that the rock would crush the Guru to death but the Guru quietly raised his hand and the rock stopped at the instant it struck Guru’s hand. The Guru’s hand was imprinted on the rock. Bawa Wali Qundhari's pride was broken. He came down and fell at the Guru's feet. The Guru said to him, “Rise my friend. Live as lovers of God should live. Be kind to all.” The rock still exists. There is a beautiful Gurdwara at that place called the Panja Sahib or the Holy Hand Print.

source:sikhiwiki.com

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Braveheart Gursikhs........

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Dutch woman dies next to her own grave

Newspaper says 65-year-old likely died of a heart attack, was carrying will.

AMSTERDAM - A Dutch woman, who had meticulously planned her own funeral after the death of her husband last year, died next to the grave in Amsterdam where she wanted to be buried, a newspaper reported.

Complete story......

A short Sahki about Guru Nanak Dev Sahib jee Maharaaj. Once Guru Nanak Sahib asked Mardana, “How far do you think the death is from you”? To this Mardana replied, “O Master, I don’t know if I will be able to see tomorrow or not”. To this Guru Nanak Sahib replied, “No Mardana, you are wrong. The air that you inhaled, you may not be even to exhale it out. Such close is death”.

The above incident is evidence of what Baba Nanak said…..