Today while attending a smagam at the gurdwara sahib a very interesting conversation was had with an elder gursikh. I was dressed as I normally am in chola and dumalla and with khanda and dumalla kara on my dastar. I was also holding my saffajung in my hand and after the keertan I was standing in the shoe area waiting for my ride.

A Bazurg Singh came to me and said that it is better to be unnoticed and not draw attention to oneself. He said that a simple jeevan is best and we should not come to sangat to show off that we are better than everyone else. Now when hearing this it is very easy to agree because we are to always stay in nimrata when coming to sangat and Guroo Sahib's sharan, but the underlying message that was being conveyed was that we should not wear dumalla shastars and we should not be dressed in chola and shastars, since I was only one that day with said attire. My response was that I totally agreed and that is why I am wearing Guroo Sahib's bana and not other clothes that would show hankaar. The Bazurg Singh laughed and then asked me what the saffajung was for (implying that I am trying to scare sangat), and Guroo Sahib saved my honor by making me respond with "Guroo Sahib di khushi lain leyee." That was the end of our conversation.

It is very interesting that nowadays people have started to think that by wearing hazooria or chola and dumalla shastars we are going to get hankaar. It has come to the sad point where elder jatha gursikhs will tell people not to wear hazooria when coming to gurdwara sahib so that no one notices them and they don't get hankaar. We have started to lose our Khalsa identity in the name of being nimane. We have started to think that by wearing shastars and bana we are showing hankaar, when actual hankaar is in coming shastarless to Guroo Sahib's sharan.

Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Jee never used to come into Guroo Sahib's darbar without a khanda on his dastar and hazooria around his neck. Bhai Jeevan Singh Jee continues this tradition up till this very date, but our elders are now discouraging us from showing pride in our Guroo Sahib's bana because it makes them feel uncomfortable.

This is a very slippery slope and we need to ignore the discouragement's from those around us and wear the shingaar that Guroo Sahib has given us. Along with Naam Abhiyaas and Gurbani Abhiyaas, bana and shastars should be an integral part of our pehraavaa.

Khalsa jee, remain forever vigilant and forever niyara.

Preetam Singh

The following posts were saved and now re-posted for the benefit of Sangat:

sk [ PM ]
Re: Shingaar
January 28, 2012 03:55PM
Subhaan subhaan!!
People don't realise that even their efforts to appear nimaaney are often the subtle guise of hankaar, because it is done with the consideration of what other people are seeing when they walk into darbaar. Why would you dress up for anyone other than Guru Sahib when entering his sharan? And why WOULDN'T you decorate yourself for him? Are we not his maidens?

May the Khalsa never be afraid to show its identity to the world!!


Damandeep Singh [ PM ]
Re: Shingaar
January 28, 2012 05:56PM
Just want To "highlight" this line from bhai preetam singh ji's post :
"Along with Naam Abhiyaas and Gurbani Abhiyaas, bana and shastars should be an integral part of our pehraavaa"


Kulbir Singh [ PM ]
Re: Shingaar
January 30, 2012 07:24AM
Preetam Singh has highlighted a very important point. Now a days, you often hear people saying that we should not wear Baana because it brings Haume. If we go with this line of argument, then we should also not keep open beard because this too may bring Haume. How about not wearing a Dastaar? Our duty is to obey the Hukam of Guru Sahib and Baana, along with Dastaar and Kakaars is Guru Sahib's Hukam; so we ought to obey it.

Even if it does bring a little Haume, we should still wear it because on one side we may get (allegedly) some Haume but not wearing Baana amounts to disobeying Guru Sahib's Hukam - a much bigger offense.

Another absurd argument that you hear against Sarbloh Bibek and Baana is that we should only keep Sarbloh Bibek and wear Baana when we reach a high spiritual state but how can we reach a high spiritual state by not obeying Guru Sahib's Hukams? It is like saying that we should chant Naam with Nirmal Mann (clean heart) but how can you have a clean heart without chanting Naam?

On one hand, they say that Sarbloh Bibek and Baana Rehit should be kept when one reaches high spiritual states but when talking about their Mahapurakhs who don't keep Rehit, they turn around and say that at a high spiritual state, one does not need to keep Rehit. What an absurd and self-contradicting thinking they have. They oppose keeping Rehit at early stages as it may bring Haume and they support not keeping Rehit at advance stages because according to their parochial thinking, Rehit is not required at that level.

Basically, these kind of people are confused people who themselves don't keep any Rehit and they don't stop at this. They also don't want anyone else to keep Rehit because they feel uneasy when others keep Rehit. It reminds them of their weakness. They want to have the comfort of not keeping difficult Rehits but they also want to have the certificate of being perfect Gurmukhs. Sorry, but you can't have it both ways. In the eyes the majority, they surely can be moderate, humble (so called humble because a real humble Gursikh can never ignore Rehit of Guru Sahib) and popular but in the eyes of Siri Guru Dasmesh jee they are not even Sikhs because it is Guru Sahib's statement that Rehit bina na Sikh Kahaavae (you can't be called a Sikh without Rehit).

If one has a problem and can't keep a certain Rehit, it is possible that Guru Sahib will be Merciful towards such individual provided, this individual is humble and does not go around slandering the Rehit itself. Such individual should admit his weakness and actively try to do away with it. We all have weaknesses and we are supposed to be humble and accept our weaknesses. We should not start preaching around against the Rehit we can't keep.

The truth of the matter is that we should strive to keep all Rehit of Guru Sahib, at all cost, and in all spiritual states. Rehit is applicable on all Gursikhs irrespective of whether they are at advanced stage or beginning stage. We have no right to take the liberty of picking and choosing from Guru Sahib's Hukams. All are applicable to us.

Kulbir Singh



The Martyred Ghost [ PM ]
Re: Shingaar
January 30, 2012 10:14AM
Found this written by Bh. Upkar Singh, but SOOO TRUE, I noticed the exact same thing Virginia.

____________________

Also have to point out one argument that the anti bana and anti bibekee singhs use. Vaheguroo jee, you all assume that what good is wearing bana and keeping bibek when baanee and naam isn't there? Don't be so ignorant and automatically use gurbaanee panktees that say such and such is not mandatory if you dont do naam abhyaas. It is such ignorant ideologies that can also lead to people going, but in bani it says keep long hair or shorn hair. It is wrong to target somebody because of what they wear and eat. There is no justification. But it is equally if not more wrong to think and presume that bibekee singhs and gursikhs that keep rehit and bana dont engage in enough naam and baanee. Why are these gursikhs ALWAYS targetted first? That is the question. I don't wear bana and the singhs i do sangat with are the most hardcore singhs i know. Not once have i been taken aside to be told i need to start wearing bana or start eating in sarbloh. It is THAT quality that draws me to them and pulls me to them, their open armed acceptance policy. But if i was to start wearing bana, i have no doubt that i would be cornered just like preetam singh. Why dont we corner those who show up to even gurdwara sahibs in pant kameez? I'm a middle man in this convo but i cant help but notice how the table always gets turned on rehitvaan singhs.

Vaheguroo jee, forgive anything wrong I said.