Imbued in True Love (eisak)

This Shabad is by Bhagat Sheikh Fareed Ji in Raag Aasaa on Pannaa 488

Awsw syK PrId jIau kI bwxI

aasaa saekh fareedh jeeo kee baanee

Aasaa, The Word Of Shaykh Fareed Jee:

<> siqgur pRswid ]

ik oa(n)kaar sathigur prasaadh ||

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

idlhu muhbiq ijMn@ syeI sicAw ]

dhilahu muhabath ji(n)nh saeee sachiaa ||

They alone are true, whose love for God is deep and heart-felt.

ijn@ min horu muiK horu is kWFy kicAw ]1]

jinh man hor mukh hor s kaa(n)dtae kachiaa ||1||

Those who have one thing in their heart, and something else in their mouth, are judged to be false. ||1||

rqy iesk Kudwie rMig dIdwr ky ]

rathae eisak khudhaae ra(n)g dheedhaar kae ||

Those who are imbued with love for the Lord, are delighted by His Vision.

ivsirAw ijn@ nwmu qy Buie Bwru QIey ]1] rhwau ]

visariaa jinh naam thae bhue bhaar thheeeae ||1|| rehaao ||

Those who forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord, are a burden on the earth. ||1||Pause||

Awip lIey liV lwie dir drvys sy ]

aap leeeae larr laae dhar dharavaes sae ||

Those whom the Lord attaches to the hem of His robe, are the true dervishes at His Door.

iqn DMnu jxydI mwau Awey sPlu sy ]2]

thin dhha(n)n janaedhee maao aaeae safal sae ||2||

Blessed are the mothers who gave birth to them, and fruitful is their coming into the world. ||2||

prvdgwr Apwr Agm byAMq qU ]

paravadhagaar apaar agam baea(n)th thoo ||

O Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher, You are infinite, unfathomable and endless.

ijnw pCwqw scu cuMmw pYr mUM ]3]

jinaa pashhaathaa sach chu(n)maa pair moo(n) ||3||

Those who recognize the True Lord - I kiss their feet. ||3||

qyrI pnh Kudwie qU bKsMdgI ]

thaeree paneh khudhaae thoo bakhasa(n)dhagee ||

I seek Your Protection - You are the Forgiving Lord.

syK PrIdY KYru dIjY bMdgI ]4]1]

saekh fareedhai khair dheejai ba(n)dhagee ||4||1||

Please, bless Shaykh Fareed with the bounty of Your meditative worship. ||4||1|| Download the Shabad by Bhai Apardeep Singh Ji from Vaisakhi Smagam. (its the Second Shabad in the recording)

Mother of Khalsa

from Daughters of the Khalsa blog [www.dedicatedkaurs.blogspot.com]

Tough Questions..

A friend just sent me this email of Two Tough Questions:

Question 1:

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before looking at the answer for this one.

Question 2:

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates.

Candidate A -

Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists. He's had two Mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8
to 10 martinis a day.


Candidate B -

He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.



Candidate C -

He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on his wife.


Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.
Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Candidate B is Winston Churchill.

Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.

And, by the way, the answer to the abortion question:

If you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.


Pretty interesting isn't it? Makes a person think before judging someone. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember: Amateurs
built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic.

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse

* 7 have been arrested for fraud

* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks

* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

* 3 have done time for assault

* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting

* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits

* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

Give up yet?


It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

The same group of idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the American public in line.

Unconditional Love

A Very Touching article I found.

When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you. You thanked her by crying all night long.

When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk. You thanked her by running away when she called.

When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love. You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.

When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons. You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.

When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays. You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud.

When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school. You thanked her by screaming, "I ‘M NOT GOING!"

When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball. You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor’s window.

When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream. You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.

When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons. You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.

When you were 10 years old, she drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastics to one birthday party after another. You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.

When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies, You thanked her by asking her to sit in a different row.

When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shows. You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.

When you were 13 years old, she suggested a haircut that was becoming. You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.

When you were 14 years old, she paid for a month away at summer camp. You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.

When you were 15 years old, she came home from work, looking for hug. You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.

When you were 16 years old, she taught you how to drive her car. You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.

When you were 17 years old, she was expecting an important call. You thanked her by being on the phone all night.

When you were 18 years old, she cried at your high school graduation. You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.

When you were 19 years old, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus carried your bags. You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm. So you wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of your friends.

When you were 20 years old, she asked whether you are seeing anyone. You thanked her by saying, " It’s none of your business."

When you were 21 years old, she suggested certain careers for your future. You thanked her by saying, "I don’t want to be like you"

When you were 22 years old, she hugged you at your college graduation. You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.

When you were 23 years old, she gave you furniture for your first apartment. You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.

When you were 24 years old, she met your fiancé and asked about your plans for the future. You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhhther please!"

When you were 25 years old, she helped to pay for wedding, cried and told you how deeply she loved you. You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.

When you were 30 years old, she called with some advice. You thanked her by telling her, "Things are different now."

When you were 40 years old, she called to remind you of a relative’s birthday. You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now"

When you were 50 years old, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her. You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.

And then, one day, she quietly died.

And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder.

If your mother is still alive,

Never forget to lover her more then ever…

And if she’s not,

Remember her unconditional Love…

This is the kind of Sucha Pyaar that Waheguru has for all of us. No matter what we do, how many mistakes we make, how many hurtful disparaging comments we make towards Him, how often we get angry at Him and accuse him for all of lifes difficulties, and even when we forget him, He NEVER forgets us, nor does he every stop loving us. He continues to shower us with His pyaar in countless ways and is always willing to forgive us and accept us back into his fold with open arms; like a Father whose love for his children is eternal and unconditional. How Waheguru behaves with us is how we should behave with every other living being, always approaching them with pyaar and a willingness to forgive their mistakes. Because in the end we are all brothers and sisters, and would any True brother or sisters purposely inflict harm and pain upon their own sibling?? Recognize the Wonderful Waheuguru in each of us and behold how Beautiful this dhuniya will become!!

Intresting Video

Happy Vaisakhi to everyone. www.SweetSikhi.com has uploaded keertan of Bhai Manpreet Singh (Kanpur Vale) doing keertan at Dardar Sahib on 13^th and 14^th April. (Click here to download)

You may rember my post last month on the guy with cancer who was cured by the grace of Gurbani. (Click her for post). Well there is also a video of him telling his account of everything that happened to him. The video can be downloaded from Khalsa.tv. I definitely recommend you download and watch this, also forward the link on to friends and family. (Click Here or below for link).

Recipies

Here are recipes of my latest cooking adventures for you to try.

Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cups of water
3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon gluten (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon dry yeast

Directions:

This is for 3 cups flour equivalent.

Use Whole Wheat cycle.

Now my suggestion is cut down the salt not good for you especially if you’re of Panjabi decent! Also I decided to leave out the sugar. I made these changes on second go. Also to make it different add stuff like sunflower and pumpkin seeds makes a nice change, or even olives and sun dried tomatoes.

Basic Pizza Base

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour (all-purpose)
2 tsps fresh yeast, crumbled
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil or oil
1 tsp. salt

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a bowl and knead into soft dough using enough water until it is smooth and elastic. Add the olive oil and knead again.
2. Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and allow it to prove till it doubles in volume (approx. 15 to 20 minutes). Press the dough lightly to remove the air. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.
3. Roll each portion into a circle of 250 mm. (10") diameter and 6 mm. (1/4") thickness. Use as required.
   Makes 2 bases
   Preparation time: 20 minutes

My note: I just made them size of a normal plate and used self raising flour. Some one suggested using sparkling water instead of the baking soda I used, I think you might be able to use curd here but I’m not 100%. Toppings: well you can sort that. Cheese, tomatoes, red onions, etc.

Inspiration And Faith

Through your life time on this earth for how ever long it is vahiguroos will you will meet many souls, many people will walk through your life and you will have some sort of interaction with them.

April is a time of year for celebration of Khalsa Panth and reflection of the shaheeds of Amritsar.

In April, I remember some one who had a real impact on my life. Some one dear and now I think back some one I owe a lot to as though if it wasn’t for his faith I may not have the same ounce of belief in Sikh Dharma, and Vahiguroo and who knows where I would be. This person cared for me from a young age and left my life while I was fairly young. Who? My granddad. :)

On 13th April he celebrated his Birthday and 10 years ago a few days after 13th April left this world. With out going in to too much detail my granddad was some one I will always admire as he went through hardship I couldn’t even dream of. He brought up a large family of young children single handedly bringing them from one part of the world to another and getting them all married.

In life we go through many hardships and often lose faith saying there can’t be God because he took away some one I loved, but my granddad was some one who went though many, many hardships from loosing loved ones to loosing his home and being forced to move across the world to protect his family but he never gave up his Sikhi.

He insured his family was safe and always had everything they needed and to me what stands out is he always had faith in vahiguroo and always said don’t worry leave it to vahiguroo. In the face of adversity my grand father never gave up his Sikhi. Faced with worldly blood relations over Sikhi he had no choice but Sikhi was clearer than black and white. His faith in Guroo sahib was admirable his amrit vela and reading of gurbani was very important even though his eyes where becoming weak. He always said when he sat on tabia of Guroo sahib the akharas of Gurbani became crystal clear.

My personal connection with my granddad has to be because he looked after me from when I was born. Guroo Sahib put my family through many tests when I was sent to this world but he always remained strong and drilled the identity in to our form through our kesh and dastar but also internally through encouraging nitnem, sakhia, and generally stories about Gursikhi Jeevans. With Guroo Sahibs Kirpa he always kept his faith and insured that so did my family and he drilled it into us. So from his arms in London I grew and from my shoulder in Amritsar did his body leave to turn to ash after he left for what he described as a divan where keertan played all the time with amazing beauty.

I will try to write more another time. But for now… Vahiguroo

Choco Cake

Yesterday I decided to cooked after ages, so I decided on Chocolate Cake. Didn't look perfect but tastes wicked. :)

Chocolate Cake Recipe:
* 1Cup curd
* 1 Cup Sugar
* 1 and half cups white floor
* 1tea spoon baking powder
* Half cup light cooking oil
* 3tablespoons full Drinking chocolate
* 1teaspoon coffee
* whipping cream for decoration

Method: Blend curd with sugar, sieve all the dry ingds, mix all together make chocolate paste with one teaspoon milk and the 3 table spoons of chocolate a\and coffee bake at moderate heat Dhan Guru Nanak
recipe from DiscoverSikhi.com

I left out the coffee and put melted chocolate instead. Oh and I couldn't be asked with the cream decoration. its doesent look perfect but any way here is a pic... there's a really nice sarbloh cake posted on DiscoverSikhi.com by Nihang Singh (Click Here for Thread).

I might work on Pizza today yaaay. :D

Culture Is Maya

By Kamalla Rose Kaur

European and USA culture are mostly maya. Punjabi culture is also mostly maya. Punjabi culture has many wonderful customs with great food and art and much beauty. Western culture also has produced some good writers, musicians, and painters and some excellent food.

Still, human social constructs everywhere are maya.

It is by actually reading the Siri Guru Granth (as distinct from simply bowing and throwing money at the Sri Guru), it is by attempting to implement the Sikh Guru's instructions into my USA lifestyle and culture, that I am slowly able to rise above and live detached from the maya of my culture. Day by day the Sri Guru questions my basic motivations and cultural training and asks me to try a new and different approach.

Historically, the Sikh Gurus taught Hindus and Muslims how to transcend the maya (the false beliefs and fantasies and egotism) of their cultures. In these modern times the Sikh Guru is still at it. At the level that Punjabi culture is supportive of caste, racism and sexism, the Sri Guru is training people of Punjabi descent to be Sikhs. Nothing has changed. Maya remains maya, and it is only by the Grace of the teachings of the Sikh Guru (and other teachers of universal truth) that any of us can break free of worldly illusions and the myriad of culturally popular falsehoods and sins.

Ready or not, the Sikh Guru challenges each of us to be much better, far more inspiring, than we actually are right now.

It is only by Grace that people from India can suddenly just drop caste, or racism, or sexism. It is only by Grace that someone born and raised in the USA can drop class-ism, and racism and sexism and materialism as well - different cultures, same maya.

The Sikh religion challenges us all to love and celebrate the finer sides of our cultures and backgrounds, but we are to live as Sikhs.

It was a miracle that Guru Gobind Singh could inspire a bunch of frightened and oppressed people of Punjabi descent to rise up and fight the maya of their fear and superstitions, and to stand strong for the human rights of all beings. It will take the same sort of miracles for Guru Gobind Singh to inspire people of Punjabi descent, and people from other cultures, to do it again and again!

The Sri Guru teaches that we must daily study and comprehend and act on universal true teachings. We must surrender our egos to Creator/Creation, giving our lives to be used for the glory of the Ik Ong Kaar. We are instructed to sing praise and keep practicing being aware that God is witnessing our lives and we are witnessing the Creator/Creation as well.

Guru Nanak, SGGS page 9:

The Beloved One created the world with many colors, species of beings, and the endless variety of maya. Having created the creation, God watches over it. God does whatever God pleases. No one can issue any order to God. Creator/Creation is the Sovereign of Sovereigns, the Supreme One and Only, our only real Master.

Nanak remains subject to God's Will only.

Southall Nagar Kirtan

The Ride

This week has been hectic. I handed in 4 coursework’s and did a group presentation. Some one was chatting to me and through up a number of questions with regards to Sikhi of which a lot had a theme running through of a thing called "love." Anyway I was just surfing and I found this poem on www.sikhspot.com I wanted to share:

The Ride

I stepped into this ride that they say gets you to Him.
My companions had worked very hard,
They were still working hard,
For I had not worked very hard but still got the chance to get a ride.

I sat in it without knowing or caring what it really was.
For the love was deep, Blind love they call it.
When I sat there, It felt like I reached my destination.
There was still a long way to get to Him,
Yet the speed just seemed to get faster and uncontrollable,
It was an amazing ride though...

Whatever happened on the way,
I was not strong enough to face the increasing speed,
In a second I fell down from that ride that had taken me even higher than the skies.

From the fall I suffer wounds that deeply struck my heart,
But now I know,
Not to just get on the ride,
For you need the strength to cope with the increasing speed.

By remembering Him more, by yearning for Him,
That strength will increase,

One day I will get on the ride and never fall back...

Guru Pyaas' Blog

Magic Button

Well its not really magic but the response you get will have an efect on you life depending on how you look at it. Have a ago :) Click Below!

This Shabad is by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Raag Dhanaasree on Anng678

DnwsrI mhlw 5 Gru 6 <> siqgur pRswid ] sunhu sMq ipAwry ibnau hmwry jIau ] hir ibnu mukiq n kwhU jIau ] rhwau ] mn inrml krm kir qwrn qrn hir Avir jMjwl qyrY kwhU n kwm jIau ] jIvn dyvw pwrbRhm syvw iehu aupdysu mo kau guir dInw jIau ]1] iqsu isau n lweIAY hIqu jw ko ikCu nwhI bIqu AMq kI bwr Ehu sMig n cwlY ] min qin qU AwrwD hir ky pRIqm swD jw kY sMig qyry bMDn CUtY ]2] ghu pwrbRhm srn ihrdY kml crn Avr Aws kCu ptlu n kIjY ] soeI Bgqu igAwnI iDAwnI qpw soeI nwnk jw kau ikrpw kIjY ]3]1]29]

dhhanaasaree mehalaa 5 ghar 6 ik oa(n)kaar sathigur prasaadh || sunahu sa(n)th piaarae bino hamaarae jeeo || har bin mukath n kaahoo jeeo || rehaao || man niramal karam kar thaaran tharan har avar ja(n)jaal thaerai kaahoo n kaam jeeo || jeevan dhaevaa paarabreham saevaa eihu oupadhaes mo ko gur dheenaa jeeo ||1|| this sio n laaeeai heeth jaa ko kishh naahee beeth a(n)th kee baar ouhu sa(n)g n chaalai || man than thoo aaraadhh har kae preetham saadhh jaa kai sa(n)g thaerae ba(n)dhhan shhoottai ||2|| gahu paarabreham saran hiradhai kamal charan avar aas kashh pattal n keejai || soee bhagath giaanee dhhiaanee thapaa soee naanak jaa ko kirapaa keejai ||3||1||29||

Dhanaasaree, Fifth Mehl, Sixth House: One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: Listen, O Dear Beloved Saints, to my prayer. Without the Lord, no one is liberated. ||Pause|| O mind, do only deeds of purity; the Lord is the only boat to carry you across. Other entanglements shall be of no use to you. True living is serving the Divine, Supreme Lord God; the Guru has imparted this teaching to me. ||1|| Do not fall in love with trivial things; in the end, they shall not go along with you. Worship and adore the Lord with your mind and body, O Beloved Saint of the Lord; in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, you shall be released from bondage. ||2|| In your heart, hold fast to the Sanctuary of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord God; do not place your hopes in any other support. He alone is a devotee, spiritually wise, a meditator, and a penitent, O Nanak, who is blessed by the Lord's Mercy. ||3||1||29||

- Vahiguroo Ang Sang -

Historic Pictures of Darbar Sahib

Click here for more at DiscoverSikhi.com

Sign Petition Now!

Vahiguroo Jee Ka Khalsa, Vahiguroo Jee Kee Fateh

Guroo Pyario Humble Benti,

Please sign this Petition to Florida Governor Jeb Bush to Stop the Forcible Cutting of Sikh's Hair
http://www.sikhcoalition.org/petition_florida.asp

Guroo Anng Sang...

Sikhs protest against forced removal of prisoner's hair Mar 31, 2006, 19:02

In a massive campaign to safeguard the religious rights of a Sikh prisoner in the US, Sikh organisations worldwide have lodged their protest against the jail authorities' move to cut his hair against his will. The Sikh Coalition, a US-based organisation initiated the move, and a petition has been addressed to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, secretary department of corrections, James McDonough and deputy secretary of corrections, Laura Bedard, to stop federal authorities from forcibly cutting Satnam Singh's hair and removing his turban.

Satnam Singh (pictured) who is currently in a federal jail may have to face having his hair forcibly removed after he is transferred to the Florida State System Jail on April 9.

The Florida Administrative code notes, "Male inmates shall have their hair cut short to medium uniform length at all times." The section further states that "All inmates shall be clean-shaven, provided, however that an exemption from this requirement shall be granted on the basis of a medical diagnosis."

If an inmate refuses to adhere to these grooming standards, even for faith-based reasons, the officer in charge "shall direct staff to shave the inmate or cut the inmate's hair", the rules state.

As an adherent to the Sikh faith, Satnam Singh's most fundamental religious belief (rahat) is being violated by the Florida Administrative Code. Should he be forced to cut his hair and part with the most important aspect of his religious identity, this would be a large blow to Sikhs all over the world.

The petition and more details can be accessed at:

http://www.sikhcoalition.org/petition_florida.asp

Please ask your local Gurdwara and other organizations (both Sikh and non-Sikh) to co-sponsor this petition. To add an organization as a co-sponsor, we need the following information:

Name of the organization:
Address:
Contact Name:
Phone:
Email Address:
Fax:

Please return the information to:

The Sikh Coalition
P.O. Box 7132
New York, NY 10150-7132
Email: satnamsingh@sikhcoalition.org
Web: www.sikhcoalition.org

Time is of the essence on this matter. It is now critical that we act swiftly and launch this campaign without further delay as Satnam Singh is to be moved to the Florida prison on April 9, 2006.