The Spiritual and the Mundane

We often come across statements like “you cannot combine the spiritual with the mundane, science with religion, religion with politics” and so on. Each of these pairs deserves a full discussion. However it is possible to consider these together and show how each element of any of these pairs is complementary rather than antagonistic to […]

Thursday, 26 March 2009 15:16 Written by Rawel Singh 2 Comments

Bhagti – Bhakti

Bhagti or Bhakti is wholehearted devotion to God. It is love of God, a virtuous life and obedience to the laws of nature. This means submitting to Hukam, will of God or Divine commands and remaining in a state of equipoise under diverse circumstances. Bhagti is not pretense; it is practice: ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਹਰਿ ਕਾ […]

Sunday, 22 March 2009 01:12 Written by Rawel Singh 1 Comment

Hinduism and Christianity are Akin, Sikhi Stands Apart

There are five organized world religions namely Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism in descending order of number of adherents. As may be seen the Sikhs outnumber the Jews. However when religions are referred to in any context the Sikh religion is rarely mentioned by writers belonging to other faiths. This is because […]

Sunday, 15 March 2009 01:03 Written by Rawel Singh 6 Comments

Food for Body and Soul

All creatures need food to live. We all work to make a living to which food for self and family is fundamental. A few days ago a friend quoted from the Christian prayer “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread“ and asked if the Sikhs also pray for food or do we depend only on […]

Sunday, 08 March 2009 02:30 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Charhdi kalaa – In High Spirits

ਨਾਨਾਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਚੜਦੀ ਕਲਾ।ਤੇਰੇ ਭਾਣੇ ਸਰਬਤ ਦਾ ਭਲਾ। The power of God’s Naam keeps one in high spirits; God desire good of all. ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ।ਵਾਹਿਗਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫਤਹਿ। The Khalsa is of the Vaheguru (the Wondrous God) Victory is in the hands of God. (As long as Khalsa remains of God, he will […]

Saturday, 28 February 2009 22:07 Written by Rawel Singh 1 Comment

Gurbani and Human Resources Development

Structured management practices in various types of organizations are a comparatively recent development. However the concepts are not new. They are based on common sense and have always been practiced. Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Gurbani) the Sikh scripture teaches a practical spiritual life. It broadly covers management aspects in the modern context in such a […]

Sunday, 15 February 2009 02:57 Written by Rawel Singh 1 Comment

Benefits from Naam and Sadh Sangat

Naam literally means Name. In Gurbani it is used as a way of remembering Akal Purakh the eternal God. God is not a physical entity and as such cannot be described. He is present in every one and every thing that exists. However we cannot experience Him because of distractions around us. These in turn […]

Saturday, 07 February 2009 16:13 Written by Rawel Singh 2 Comments

Two Sacrifices

Two Sacrifices Sacrifice means surrendering or giving up something for the sake of another considered more important. We therefore have the mother forgoing her comforts for the sake of her baby or one friend giving up his interest for the other. Parents tighten their hands on expenditure to provide for their children’s education and so […]

Saturday, 31 January 2009 18:21 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Let us Count our blessings

Some Sikh families had gathered at the Shabad Kirtan (congregation) at the house of one of them at Gurgaon, India. There, a proposal was put forward to establish a Gurduara since none existed in the new colony. A young homeopathic lady doctor came forward to offer her services whenever the Gurduara was established. The new […]

Saturday, 24 January 2009 23:06 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

The Financial Crisis and Gurbani

The global financial system is currently in turmoil. Some one overwhelmed by the situation asked a question: “What are down-to-earth answers drawn from Gurbani to help people tackling this world financial crisis; in pragmatic terms is it possible to create a counseling service based on Gurbani, the Guru’s words”? Another person who heard this question […]

Sunday, 18 January 2009 21:52 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Of Ghosts, Evil Spirits and Exorcists

Stories about ghosts, evil spirits or haunted houses form part of some beliefs. According to these beliefs a ghost is the manifestation of a dead person or of being frightened by something unusual.An evil spirit may be wandering any where including entering the bodies of some people. Haunted houses create fright. Such beliefs exist in […]

Saturday, 10 January 2009 02:38 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Fundamentals of Sikh Faith

Guru Nanak has encapsulated the Sikh philosophy in many of his Shabads (compositions). One of them says that the three pillars ofSikh faith are Simran (remembrance of the Creator and Hukam or His commands), Sach (truthfulness), and Seva (service). This Shabad in Siri Raag is on pages 25-26 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and uses […]

Sunday, 04 January 2009 02:21 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Confessions of an Egoist

I frequently think of my achievements in life. I boast of being a self-made man and say I will achieve more. I however feel foolish when the realization comes that the control lies elsewhere. This truth dawns on me when faced with difficult situations in life. We had to leave our place of residence at […]

Sunday, 28 December 2008 23:28 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

THE ULTIMATE SANCTUARY

Guru Arjun the Fifth Sikh Guru was informed of an impending attack by a Muslim official named Sulahi Khan. A meeting was called to make out a plan for defense. Many suggestions were made but the Guru said it was best to depend on Divine protection. Sulahi Khan set out to attack but died on […]

Friday, 19 December 2008 22:08 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

How to Remember God – Simran Vidhi

Gurbani gives simple guidelines for Simran. What is Simran? The literal meaning is remembrance or repetition. What is to be repeated? Naam. What is Naam? Naam has two aspects. One since Akal Purakh has no shape or form we remember or think of His virtues – Gun. By doing this we fall in love with […]

Thursday, 11 December 2008 02:57 Written by Rawel Singh 2 Comments

Sodar Baani in Japji and Rehras Sahib

The 27th Pauri of Japji has been repeated at the beginning of Rehras Sahib starting at page 8. While the basic Baanis remain the same some changes have been made in individual words. The fundamental difference is that the latter is more in the second person addressed to Akal Purakh compared to the former. This […]

Sunday, 30 November 2008 03:36 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Faith and Discernment – Sidak and Bibayk

Faith and discernment or reasoning are two valuable virtues. However if they are treated in two exclusive compartments they can become pitfalls. For example faith alone may lead to the belief that one’s religion is the only one or the best. This is used by some as the basis to criticize or even slander other […]

Tuesday, 18 November 2008 23:04 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Sri Guru Granth Sahib – The Eternal Guru

Sri Guru Granth Sahib – The Eternal Guru Dedicated to the Gurta Gaddi tercentenary Preceptors in all religions have presented their respective concepts of the Creator, the soul, purpose of life and life in the hereafter as understood in their time. They also took into account the then prevailing social systems. However with the human […]

Thursday, 06 November 2008 01:35 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

Gurbani adaptation of Karma and Trans…

In the course of discussions on the subject of Karma and Transmigration/ reincarnation many participants do not agree to the concept. They ignore all the quotations from Gurbani and dub these as mere Hindu beliefs and give their own interpretations which do not nagate the concept. They just want to show that these are Hindu […]

Saturday, 25 October 2008 15:17 Written by Rawel Singh 0 Comments

How is Sri Guru Granth Sahib the Guru? (A tribute on the tercentenary of Gurta Gaddi)

ਸਭਸਿਖਨ ਕੋ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਗੁਰੁ ਮਾਨਿਓ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ । This is the edict for all the Sikhs; accept the Granth as the Guru (Guru Gobind Singh) This edict ofthe tenth Guru makes it easy for the Sikh to answer the question of Sri Guru Granth Sahib being the Guru. For him or her it is the […]

Thursday, 16 October 2008 16:44 Written by Rawel Singh 1 Comment

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