What happened in the above video is not that surprising; it is quite natural for a dog to get up when he sees his master and mistress.
If we look at the history of 10 Guru Sahibaan, siropao was only given by Guru Sahib Himself to a Sikh for extremely dedicated seva. Occasions of awarding a siropao were very few and far between, totally unlike the mockery of today. I personally think simply because bestowing a siropao was exclusively performed by Guru Sahib it would be ideal for only 5 Singhs to have the authority to decide and award a siropao in the hazoori of Siri Guru Granth Sahib Jee.
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Bhai Madan Singh has written about siropao (Robe of Honour) in his book Gurmat Gaddi Raah (Highways of Guru's Wisdom):
Robe of Honour—History, Tradition and Self-willed PracticesThe bestowing of robe of honour is regarded a religious tradition in the Sikh faith. Historically, this holy tradition began in the Guru period. Mention about ‘Robe of Honour’ (Siropao), in Guru Granth Sahib is made at many places. Scholars have interpreted its meaning according to their individual wisdom. Despite diversity in description the implied meaning is the same, i.e., the full blessing. Says Gurbani:
He dressed me in robes of honor, and blended His servant with Himself; Nanak is revealed in glory throughout the world.|2|29|93|
(Sorath, Fifth Mehl:, p. 631)1
Bestowing of dress is also considered to be a blessing. Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha has explicated thus in Mahan Kosh, “Siropao or Siropa (robe of honour), noun, a dress for wearing from head to feet or Khilat (bestowing of clothing by the king as a sign of special recognition).
Giani Udham Singh Ji interprets thus, “Siropao means the protection of the head,
i.e ., the blessing that protects the receiver from head to toe.” There is a Siropa in Gurdwara located in the Royal Palace of Nabha State. The Siropa in this Gurdwara was bestowed by Guru Gobind Singh Ji upon Bhai Tiloka and Ram Singh Ji. Besides, there is a turban, a comb alongwith the combed hair, three inches long Kirpan that were bestowed upon Pir Budhu Shah by Guru Kalgidhar Patshah. Along with these three itmes Guru Kalgidhar also blessed Pir Budhu Shah with a Hukamnama. The Gurdwara also possesses many more items related to Guru Sahib and his brave Singhs. According to Sikh history, Bhai Tiloka Ji and Bhai Rama Ji received baptism from Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Dam Dama Sahib, to become Singhs. They were the distinguished and brave Sikhs of the Guru. For the information of readers, a copy of the Hukamnama is given below. The original Hukamnama is kept at Burj Baba Ala Singh at Patiala:
Ik Onkar Satguru Ji.
Sri Guru Ji commands that Bhai Tiloka, Bhai Rama and all Sangat will be protected by the Guru. You come alongwith your men to my presence. I am very pleased with you. Your house is my very own. As soon as you receive the message, start immediately to my presence. Your home is my own home. It is imperative that you start immediately on receiving the Hukam and come alongwith riders. It is must. All my Grace on you. You must come. One dress (clothing, Siropa) is being sent. Keep it.
Bhadon 2 Sammat 53 (1753). [According to Giani Udham Singh Ji the major items in ‘Sirpao’ are Turban, Scarf, Kirpan and some other weapons, etc., certainly not Saris, Shirts and Suits, etc.]
‘Sirpao’ is that which is presented to someone by the Sangat in a Gurdwara. Any item presented by an individual cannot be regarded as ‘Sirpao’. A ‘Sirpao’ of the above mentioned items should only be bestowed on a well-deserving person and not on to any self-oriented person, who is faithless. The Siropa should be conferred on a person who has rendered sacrifice for humanity or has done an outstanding service.
The ‘Siropa’ should not be presented to a person who has no faith in Guru Granth
Sahib or is a disciple of some one else and is anti-Panthic. It is an insult to the holiness of ‘Siropao’ if presented to a political leader simply for political reasons even though he is not prepared to accept the sacred sacrament (Prashad) from Guru’s House. It is also an insult and self-wildedness to present Siropa to an apostate and a person bereft of Gurmat or who is opposed to Sikh faith or being delivered at somebody’s house. It is ethically inappropriate to say that someone blessed someone with a ‘Siropao’ because showering of blessing is the sole prerogative of the Guru. A ‘Siropa’ of Kirpan should only be presented to a Kirpan-wearing person because it is a respected weapon of the Sikh faith. This type of ‘Siropa’ should only be given by an Amritdhari Sikh and not by a clean shaven person or an uninitiated person who dyes his beard because he is an apostate. The general practice of presenting ‘Siropao’ to self-willed persons of high positions or politicians is its misuse. It would be acceptable to present a Gursikh ‘Gutka’ (Small booklet of Gurbani) along with ‘Siropao’, but it would be blunder to present complete Guru Granth Sahib. Only an abiding Gursikh can decide on the code of presenting ‘Siropa’ or on the qualitfications of receiver. This cannot be left on an ignorant and self-willed person. The criterion for ‘Siropa’ could not be for favour of wealthiness of a person. It is a blessing of the Guru and is given upon who has done some pious act. In my opinion the above mentioned views are in accordance with Gurmat that we should strictly follow.
Guru Angad Dev Ji established the tradition of ‘Siropao’ by bestowing it upon his
follower Baba Amar Das Ji. Baba Amar Das Ji later became the Third Light of Guru Nanak known as Guru Amar Das Ji. Some so-called writers bereft of Gurbani and devoid of grasp of Sikh philosophy and history wrote cock and bull stories about the ‘Siropa’ besowed upon Baba Amar Das Ji. One of them is Harnam Das Sehraee, a novelist. He wrote and published his book Amar Mehma in 1979 on the 500th Gurpurb of Guru Amar Das Ji. The book was written under the patronage of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Amritsar. A study of this book reveals the shallow Gurmat knowledge of the writer. He writes: Guru Angad Dev Ji was so much pleased with the untiring service of his follower Baba Amar Das Ji that he used to present a ‘Siropao’ of turban to him every year. Baba Ji, in his reverential attitude, would tie the new turban over the earlier ones. He never cared for the cleanliness of his hair that led to infestation with lice. Finally, when Guru Angad Dev Ji came to know about this, Baba Ji’s head was washed and treated for lice. This self-willed writer has made derogatory remark against the honour of Guru. The same way the so called preachers narrate such imaginary stories from stages.
The entire Gurbani of Guru Granth Sahib while repeatedly emphasing the recitation of Naam does not ignore physical cleanliness:
After taking your cleansing bath, remember your God in meditation, and your mind and body shall be free of disease.
(Sorat’h, Fifth Mehl:, p. 611)2
Kalgidhar Patshah blessed us with a Kangha (comb) for the cleanliness of hair. The instruction is to comb the hair daily. Blessing of Naam and bathing (ishnan) are the basic precepts of Sikh faith. Baba Ji could never have ignored these in his life. It was because of these virtues that Guru Angad Dev Ji selected him as his successor. Bhatt scholars have stated this Truth:
O Guru Amar Daas, Your Glorious Virtues are so sublime; Your Praises belong only to You. |1|22|
(Sawaye Mehl Third:, p. 1396)3
Unfortunatley, our Sikh leaders have strated using the piety custom for their political and worldly objectives. The couplet, “You wander from door to door like a dog, unconscious of the Lord’s meditation. |1|” (Raag Aasaa, Ninth Mehl:, p. 411)4 perfectly fits these self-willed and subjugated people. Panthic leaders and Jathedars do not leave any stone unturned in making the Panth follow the foot-steps of others. In the procrastinating times of the nation the Panth is under external pressure of depletion of religion, yet it does not bother the so-called leaders. The situation is as stated in Gurbani, “The forest fire has burnt down so much of the grass; how rare are the plants which have remained green (Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:, p. 384)”5. Our so-called religious impostors have fully adopted flattery as their profession. May the Guru bless them with Gurmat!
The origin of controversy
1. On the orders of Michael O’Dwyer (former Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab), hundreds of unarmed people were killed in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. The flatterers of the then government bestowed ‘Siropao’ on him from the Akal Takhat Sahib. It appears, this was the first disgrace inflicted on the Sikh Nation by leaders. Thereafter, no one wanted to remain behind in the rat race. It is worthy of reminding that Udham Singh shot dead this murderer in a big gathering in London. Although Udham Singh was hanged for this act, yet he once again showed how to restore the honour of the nation
.
2. Late Sant Fateh Singh, for his personal recognition, went all the way to Calcutta
to bestow a ‘Siropao’ on the editor of a newspaper.
3. Jathedar Santokh Singh of Delhi touched a new limit of sycophancy. With Janta party coming into power, Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. In 1978, Jathedar Santokh Singh and his colleagues went to the residence of Prime Minister to honour him with a ‘Siropao’ and they also carried ‘Prashad’ from Sisganj Gurdwara. However, Desai refused to accept the ‘Prasad’. The Jathedar tried to explain the importance of Gurdwara and ‘Siropao’ and pleaded with him to accept ‘Parshad’. This angered the Prime Minister who said, “I have told you once that I do not eat pudding (halwa). If it is so important then rub it on my head.” The rebuffed Jathedar, on returning along with his colleagues, narrated the above incidence in the Sangat. The Sangat and whole Sikh Nation felt humiliated.
4. Similarly, the head of the Delhi unit of Badal Akali Dal, Sri Hit, honoured the
Janta Party leaders during their visit to Gurdwara Sis Ganj, by bestowing of ‘Siropao’ outside the Gurdwara Sahib. The Sangat raised a hue and cry, but these stubborn politicians never pay any heed.
5. According to the writing of Giani Udham Singh, once some Sikhs, bereft of Gurmat, in their urge to honour a politician organized a religious gathering in a club and placed an attache case with full volume of Guru Granth Sahib on the stage floor where the gathering was seated in chairs. The stage secretary was so called Panthic Leader, S. Tejwant Singh, an important personage of Bhai Vir Singh Saddan, Delhi and the owner of Skipper Construction Company. He was given the contract of re- construction of the devastated Sri Akal Takhat Sahib by S. Buta Singh, under the supervision of Santa Singh, a Nihang Leader. Because of this he was excommunicated from the Panth. And now, this ousted Sikh, lifting the attache case and pronouncing it as the Granth Sahib, offered it to the politician. Sardar Kapur Singh and Udham Singh raised serious objections. However, they buried the incident in the din of confusion. Such blunders are committed by those whose deity is politics and gathering of wealth through fair or unfair means, rather than the religion.
6. Sikh Students Federation, Youth Akali Dal and some other organizations have had organized special gatherings (Samagams) to bestow ‘Siropaos’ upon non-Sikh and apostate persons at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. The young Sikhs are never tired of blaming the old Sikh leadership but they themslef do similar things
.
7. The flatterer leaders presented ‘Siropaos’ to Indira Gandhi and her son, Rajiv,
who were responsible for Blue Star Operation, at their residence. This presentation was telecast in Delhi.
8. Buta Singh, who was the Home Minister during Operation Blue Star, and played
a leading role in destroying Akal Takhat Sahib and many other Gurdwaras, was also loaded with ‘Siropaos’. It is pertinent to note that this Buta Singh has been excommunicated by the Akal Takhat Sahib.
9. At the time of initiating the digging of Sultanpur Lodhi Sarovar (Tank), the Five Beloved Ones are shown in a photograph receiving a ‘Siropa’ from Iqbal Singh Khera, Walsal, UK. This photograph was published in Des Pardes weekly published from Southall, dated. 9.6.90. Sri Iqbal Singh Khera is clean shaven and is yet bestowing sacred ‘Siropao’ on Amritdhari Singhs. In such cases, both bestower and receivers are guilty of insulting the ‘Siropao’. Says Gurbani: “But by putting on the silk clothes of the faithless cynic, one loses one’s honor. |3|” (Bilaaval, Fifth Mehl:, p. 811)6. This means that even receiving a silken Siropa from a cynic is disgraceful. It needs to be admitted that the malady is all prevalent. The foreign Gurdwaras try to follow the customs of Indian Gurdwaras. Here also the Management Committees, to receive their goodwill, invite political personages to Gurdwara to bestow with ‘Siropaos’. Thus the managers and preachers have degraded the sacred custom to a very low level. It is simply a devastating situation, beyond belief. It is difficult to perceive who started this ritualistic custom? However, it is clear that the whole nation is suffering because of the insulting attitude towards the Guru. The tradition of ‘Siropao’ has been limitlessly degraded in European and Western Countries. It is thought that India too is in the same boat because such customs are imported here from India. Some examples of mind-wardedness are as follows:
(a) During the Anand Marriage, the couple is bestowed with a Siropao (holy Rumala) on behalf of Gurdwara. This is irrespective of whether the couple is not Amritdhari or even Kesadhari. The drama is enacted to please friends of both families and to extract maximum donations.
(b) Even the Sants have started bestowing Siropaos on their own behalf at marriages.
In 1991, at a Birmingham Gurdwara Sahib, head of a marriage party from London, bestowed a Siropao on the couple on behalf of a so-called Sant from Southall. Seeing this personally, I was flabbergasted.
(c) If a person arranges Akhand Path or Langar in Gurdwara, he is also bestowed with
a Siropao. Some Gurdwaras give a coconut along with Romala.
(d) A ‘Siropao’ of Romala is bestowed at the birth of a child or naming ceremony by Gurdwaras. In some households, money, dress etc., are given under the name of Siropao after serving meals to Singhs. How ridiculous and unjust is to this pious custom?
The Dark Age of Kali Yuga is the knife, and the kings are butchers; righteousness has sprouted wings and flown away.
(Raag Majh Salok, First Mehl:, p. 145)7
What can we comment on it? The very Sikh organizations that are to carry the Sikh Nation along the Gurmat High-way are going astray themselves. The Shromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and Delhi Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, who are responsible to enforce Sikh Rehat Maryada, are themselves propagating self-willed customs that mislead the Sikh Nation and are thus knowingly and unknowingly conviving with anti-Panthic conspiracies. At the Darbar Sahib Amritsar, big donor is offered a handsome Siropao. A person, earning through hard labour, and is unable to make a big offering is denied the Siropao. If a Sikh is indifferent towards another Sikh in a historic Gurdwara, then where else can we expect the application of Gurmat precept of equality? It is like prevalence of injustice in the House of God. The rich Malik Bhagos are predominant every where while the hard earning, Lalos, get ignored. Says Gurbani:
It was not gathered without sin, and it does not go along with the dead.
(Aasaa, First Mehl:, p. 417)8
The major reason of fights in Gurdwaras is the offerings of black money that is not earned through honest labour.
I pray to preachers and managements of Gurdwaras with folded hands to keep
aside personal differences for useless positions but to follow the way of Guru Granth Sahib:
There is One Bani; there is One Guru; there is one Shabad to contemplate.
(Raag Sorath Third Mehl:, p. 646)9
And understand the implied meanings of Gurbani and kindly guide the Sangat accordingly.
(Sant Sipahi, September 1992)
੧. ਪਹਿਰਿ ਸਿਰਪਾਉ ਸੇਵਕ ਜਨ ਮੇਲੇ ਨਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਗਟ ਪਹਾਰੇ ॥੨॥੨੯॥੯੩॥ (ਸੋਰਠਿ ਮਹਲਾ ੫, ਅੰਗ ੬੩੧)
੨. ਕਰਿ ਇਸਨਾਨੁ ਸਿਮਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਅਪਨਾ ਮਨ ਤਨ ਭਏ ਅਰੋਗਾ ॥
(ਸੋਰਠਿ ਮਹਲਾ ੫, ਅੰਗ ੬੧੧)
੩. ਭਲੇ ਅਮਰਦਾਸ ਗੁਣ ਤੇਰੇ ਤੇਰੀ ਉਪਮਾ ਤੋਹਿ ਬਨਿ ਆਵੈ ॥੧॥੨੨॥ (ਸਵਈਏ ਮਹਲੇ ਤੀਜੇ ਕੇ ੩, ਅੰਗ ੧੩੯੬)
੪. ਦੁਆਰਹਿ ਦੁਆਰਿ ਸੁਆਨ ਜਿਉ ਡੋਲਤ ਨਹ ਸੁਧ ਰਾਮ ਭਜਨ ਕੀ ॥੧॥ (ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੯, ਅੰਗ ੪੧੧)
੫. ਦਾਵਾ ਅਗਨਿ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਣ ਜਾਲੇ ਕੋਈ ਹਰਿਆ ਬੂਟੁ ਰਹਿਓ ਰੀ ॥ (ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੫, ਅੰਗ ੩੮੪)
੬. ਸਾਕਤ ਸਿਰਪਾਉ ਰੇਸਮੀ ਪਹਿਰਤ ਪਤਿ ਖੋਈ ॥੩॥ (ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੫, ਅੰਗ ੮੧੧)
੭. ਕਲਿ ਕਾਤੀ ਰਾਜੇ ਕਾਸਾਈ ਧਰਮੁ ਪੰਖ ਕਰਿ ਉਡਰਿਆ ॥ (ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮ: ੧, ਅੰਗ ੧੪੫)
੮. ਪਾਪਾ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਮੁਇਆ ਸਾਥਿ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥
(ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ ੧, ਅੰਗ ੪੧੭)
੯. ਇਕਾ ਬਾਣੀ ਇਕੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਇਕੋ ਸਬਦੁ ਵੀਚਾਰਿ ॥ (ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ ਮ: ੩, ਅੰਗ ੬੪੬)
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥