Absolutely brilliantly written article: especially because it accurately reflects the lived experience of the Sikhs and the Khalsa regarding how they feel, based on what they have carried throughout generations, about the idea of sovereignty, spirituality and politics. Great stuff! Guru Mehar Kare!
As Sardar Amarjeet points out in the first podcast episode he's linked, it's not about understanding Guru Nanak from the now or today's perspective. This is the mistake most of these online Sikh groups and reddit/Sikhsangat type forums make. It's about understanding Guru Nanak as the Sikhs in the 18th century, immediately after the Guru period, saw him. This is the closest we can get to ironing out the discrepancies between philosophy and praxis that we see today.
This is the type of Sikh scholarship we require in academia rather than all the disjointed garbage narratives pushed by the likes of Harjot Oberoi and co. This article also systematically deconstructs and exposes the blatant misappropriation and revisionism of Sikh philosophy and praxis pushed on reddit Sikh forums and by the Global Sikh Council and co. Guru Nanak, indeed, was the father of Sikh statehood. You reference the words of both Ratan Singh Bhangu and Giani Gian Singh on this point that the Sikhs of Guru Nanak annihilated the mightiest empires. This is the lived experience of our ancestors. It is only this secularist purview of history, pushed on the Sikhs by the British and then the modern Indian state, that has so systematically rewritten Guru Nanak as a pacifist when he was a true sovereign indeed. Empires always have to begin from somewhere. The Khalsa empire began from Guru Nanak.
I have been thinking for a long time now since I read Veerpal Singh's take down of Dilgeer's false accusation that Karam Singh historian was some Hindu agent distorting Sikh history that our image of the Gurus has been changed by external forces. They were of divine origin, came to this world and lived like the 99% of us to show how life can and should be lived. We have forgotten that salient fact and instead mythologized them into something they were not. And then using this mythology we try understanding their writings leading us right into the superstitious fold.
Dr. Balwant Singh Dhillon is an absolute legend. Those Hukamnamahs of the 9th Guru he's discovered and authenticated provide crucial new insights into Sikh statecraft and statehood. Is it possible for you to do another episode with him but on the textual history of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji? That would be superb. Also, are we getting a sequel to the Jassa Singh Ramgarhia episode anytime soon? Your episodes are crucial in showing our past mistakes and how we can learn from them.
There's this AKJ-led website Sikh Theology that seems hellbent on pushing some of Bhai Randhir Singh's unresearched assertions on the textual history of the SGGS implying we have inaccurate versions. When you read Dr. Dhillon's researches though he refutes such perspectives. This is my reason for requesting such an episode.
One thing I want to add here regarding this verse of Guru Nanak:
ਮਾਣਸ ਖਾਣੇ ਕਰਹਿ ਨਿਵਾਜ ॥
ਛੁਰੀ ਵਗਾਇਨਿ ਤਿਨ ਗਲਿ ਤਾਗ ॥
is the Gurmukhi term ਛੁਰੀ meaning knife. It's used two times. This is something even Sahib Singh failed to understand but ਛੁਰੀ represents treachery. It is a small, concealable weapon that was often used for sly cloak and dagger offensives to kill someone stronger than you who believed in the ancient Indian battle code of honor between warriors.
By using this term Guru Nanak is underlining the devious nature of Hindus and Muslims. For all their religiosity, they will treacherously destroy you by backstabbing you. This whole verse has strategic and spiritual symbolisms that can have multiple books written on them.
You and Amarjeet believe the Sodhis at Kartarpur have the original bir. Your belief indirectly makes Guru Arjan and Bhai Gurdas stupid for all the errors it contains. Not to mention Raagmala is present in it.
Non AKJ scholars like Nihang Gian Singh and Giani Gurdit Singh believed the original Kartarpur bir perished. Jagtar Singh Jachak believes likewise
1) Creating pretentiously worded substack articles and uploading podcasts on topics he already discussed, but acting like each article and podcast is ground breaking....his fanboys help the most with this
2) Criticizing boomers, liberals, woke, feminists, secularists, humanists, etc....while getting most of his intellectual stimulation from Fox News and Sky News Austrailia
3) Citing random history+mythology and trying to tie it to Sikhi to seem more educated than he actually is......he predominantly cites ancient Greek and Roman history+mythology....mostly without context and in some cases incorrectly
4) Criticizing other Sikhs for being too soft and not providing any tangible benefits for the panth, as if he is a stoic macho man who has been providing tangible results for the panth
Amarjeet's most daring action in life was sneaking out of class to buy a copy of the Odyssey
Absolutely brilliantly written article: especially because it accurately reflects the lived experience of the Sikhs and the Khalsa regarding how they feel, based on what they have carried throughout generations, about the idea of sovereignty, spirituality and politics. Great stuff! Guru Mehar Kare!
As Sardar Amarjeet points out in the first podcast episode he's linked, it's not about understanding Guru Nanak from the now or today's perspective. This is the mistake most of these online Sikh groups and reddit/Sikhsangat type forums make. It's about understanding Guru Nanak as the Sikhs in the 18th century, immediately after the Guru period, saw him. This is the closest we can get to ironing out the discrepancies between philosophy and praxis that we see today.
Very good point.
You can't understand the past without trying to glean the perspectives of the past.
This is the type of Sikh scholarship we require in academia rather than all the disjointed garbage narratives pushed by the likes of Harjot Oberoi and co. This article also systematically deconstructs and exposes the blatant misappropriation and revisionism of Sikh philosophy and praxis pushed on reddit Sikh forums and by the Global Sikh Council and co. Guru Nanak, indeed, was the father of Sikh statehood. You reference the words of both Ratan Singh Bhangu and Giani Gian Singh on this point that the Sikhs of Guru Nanak annihilated the mightiest empires. This is the lived experience of our ancestors. It is only this secularist purview of history, pushed on the Sikhs by the British and then the modern Indian state, that has so systematically rewritten Guru Nanak as a pacifist when he was a true sovereign indeed. Empires always have to begin from somewhere. The Khalsa empire began from Guru Nanak.
A point as well: each Guru founded a new town or city in an effort to establish Khalsa raj, even if it was only in one town. This was always the goal.
I have been thinking for a long time now since I read Veerpal Singh's take down of Dilgeer's false accusation that Karam Singh historian was some Hindu agent distorting Sikh history that our image of the Gurus has been changed by external forces. They were of divine origin, came to this world and lived like the 99% of us to show how life can and should be lived. We have forgotten that salient fact and instead mythologized them into something they were not. And then using this mythology we try understanding their writings leading us right into the superstitious fold.
Brilliant work 👍
Khalsa virtu is must needed perspective today
Dr. Balwant Singh Dhillon is an absolute legend. Those Hukamnamahs of the 9th Guru he's discovered and authenticated provide crucial new insights into Sikh statecraft and statehood. Is it possible for you to do another episode with him but on the textual history of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji? That would be superb. Also, are we getting a sequel to the Jassa Singh Ramgarhia episode anytime soon? Your episodes are crucial in showing our past mistakes and how we can learn from them.
There's this AKJ-led website Sikh Theology that seems hellbent on pushing some of Bhai Randhir Singh's unresearched assertions on the textual history of the SGGS implying we have inaccurate versions. When you read Dr. Dhillon's researches though he refutes such perspectives. This is my reason for requesting such an episode.
One thing I want to add here regarding this verse of Guru Nanak:
ਮਾਣਸ ਖਾਣੇ ਕਰਹਿ ਨਿਵਾਜ ॥
ਛੁਰੀ ਵਗਾਇਨਿ ਤਿਨ ਗਲਿ ਤਾਗ ॥
is the Gurmukhi term ਛੁਰੀ meaning knife. It's used two times. This is something even Sahib Singh failed to understand but ਛੁਰੀ represents treachery. It is a small, concealable weapon that was often used for sly cloak and dagger offensives to kill someone stronger than you who believed in the ancient Indian battle code of honor between warriors.
By using this term Guru Nanak is underlining the devious nature of Hindus and Muslims. For all their religiosity, they will treacherously destroy you by backstabbing you. This whole verse has strategic and spiritual symbolisms that can have multiple books written on them.
You and Amarjeet believe the Sodhis at Kartarpur have the original bir. Your belief indirectly makes Guru Arjan and Bhai Gurdas stupid for all the errors it contains. Not to mention Raagmala is present in it.
Non AKJ scholars like Nihang Gian Singh and Giani Gurdit Singh believed the original Kartarpur bir perished. Jagtar Singh Jachak believes likewise
Great article! You're right, the so-called Mahants /Pujariwaad distorted & hidden a lot of history.
Amarjeet's modus operandi:
1) Creating pretentiously worded substack articles and uploading podcasts on topics he already discussed, but acting like each article and podcast is ground breaking....his fanboys help the most with this
2) Criticizing boomers, liberals, woke, feminists, secularists, humanists, etc....while getting most of his intellectual stimulation from Fox News and Sky News Austrailia
3) Citing random history+mythology and trying to tie it to Sikhi to seem more educated than he actually is......he predominantly cites ancient Greek and Roman history+mythology....mostly without context and in some cases incorrectly
4) Criticizing other Sikhs for being too soft and not providing any tangible benefits for the panth, as if he is a stoic macho man who has been providing tangible results for the panth
Amarjeet's most daring action in life was sneaking out of class to buy a copy of the Odyssey
Your modus operandi is too post against amarjeet on all his articles and videos. Are you Sikh or another lindu or hallelujah pretending to be a Sikh?
These are very helpful essays, and people need to understand that there was no variance in the teachings of Guru Nanak 1-10.