The Sikh Society

Wow this place is dying without Noor

alright time to do something to help it out.

We've all heard of the Story of Guru Nanak and how he started Langar. In your opinion is this authentic or not. it doesn't sound too far fetched but im curious to see how other sikhs see it.

I added a little edit to my post if you wanted to read that just for food for thought

I'm not going to be bold and say their interpretation is wrong but I will say exactly that - that it's an interpretation. One does not have to conform to the beliefs of the majority of Sikhs anyway - the wonderful thing about the teachings in the Granth is that the poems come from all different backgrounds, some written by Muslims, some by Hindus, some by irreligious people, and so they have a wide scope of interpretation, so one can come to their own conclusions and those conclusions can be as valid as anyone elses

Wow this place is dying without Noor

alright time to do something to help it out.

We've all heard of the Story of Guru Nanak and how he started Langar. In your opinion is this authentic or not. it doesn't sound too far fetched but im curious to see how other sikhs see it.

Wow this place is dying without Noor

alright time to do something to help it out.

We've all heard of the Story of Guru Nanak and how he started Langar. In your opinion is this authentic or not. it doesn't sound too far fetched but im curious to see how other sikhs see it.

Where do you get the irreligious bit from? From Sheikh Farid Ji to Bhagat Sadhana Ji they have all believers of Allah, Bhagwan, Khuda, God.

You're oblivious. Also these are nit mere poems but divinely inspired hyms/shabads.

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Fundemental meanings of peace, love, self-restraint and charity can be found in the poems. Indeed, they believed in God; the message behind what they write is the purpose of including them in the Granth, not necessarily because of God himself. Therefore, the message does not have to be religious at all - peace, love, self-restraint and charity are all independent of God.

If we were take the poems at face value, then what are we to believe - the Islamic themes of Fariduddin? Do you believe that there is a bridge over Hell (it's in his poem)? I can guess the answer is 'no', so what is the purpose of the poem? To do exactly as I just said: spread a fundemental message.

Are you a Hindu?

You refer to a Holy Scripture as a Granth when it is the Guru Granth Sahib.

I can't address your posts any further until this is rectified.

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No, I'm not. In all honesty, I vary between using 'Granth' and 'Guru Granth'; I don't care much for formalities or dogma. If you won't respond to a post because of my 'lack of respect' rather than the content, then so be it - I will not change it on the principle that if you do respond to it, you might actually be doing the Granth justice by putting pride and ego aside, as it teaches.

If the Author refers to it as Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, then all others should too. It is the actual name for it. Ego/pride do not come into it. It's called respect.

So rusna till till kate, jo naam na jape - let that tongue be cut into pieces, that does not praise the name of God.

It can be brutal as well...

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I personally do not really use terms to respect inanimate objects, since I see no merit in it, as you can see; if it makes you happy using the full name, by all means do it. There is nothing to be gained in not being respectful by not saying the full title of a book; equally, there is nothing to be gained in being respectful and saying the full title of a book.

The Granth is not God, so I needn't praise it; I will appreciate it for what it is. Besides, I very well imagine that the author of that line, or the poem that its from, did not mean to cut off the tongue of someone that does praise God but rather used it as imagery or something.

If anything brutal is to be found in there, then I'm sure it is not meant to be literal. If you care to find any more 'brutal' things in there that you would interpret literally (bar things like killing oppressers in the defence of the poor) then please share them

honestly I thought we should all know by know never to take the poetry. It's merely a metaphor

So rusna till till kate, jo naam na jape - let that tongue be cut into pieces, that does not praise the name of God.


To a sikh anything that is useless words i.e slander, gossip is bad. The verse could merely be stating anyone who forgets our true goals and starts doing other things with speech might as well have their tongue cut out. As it is useless to them. We're meant to discard anything that is useless, so in that context, that could be what is being said.

Cheers I wonder if/why people interpret things literally...

This could be our new question or topic of discussion: why do people get offended when one does not say Guru before mentioning them - is it correct to ignore people for such a trivial thing?

honestly I thought we should all know by know never to take the poetry. It's merely a metaphor

So rusna till till kate, jo naam na jape - let that tongue be cut into pieces, that does not praise the name of God.


To a sikh anything that is useless words i.e slander, gossip is bad. The verse could merely be stating anyone who forgets our true goals and starts doing other things with speech might as well have their tongue cut out. As it is useless to them. We're meant to discard anything that is useless, so in that context, that could be what is being said.

Cheers I wonder if/why people interpret things literally...

This could be our new question or topic of discussion: why do people get offended when one does not say Guru before mentioning them - is it correct to ignore people for such a trivial thing?

If that is what you take from it, fine. I take something else.

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Good for you But you also need to realize that your interpration is opening up flaws in the traditions of the Gurus, they were very much into freedom, they never looked down on the so called sinners. By saying they deserve to have their tongue ripped out is the same as saying they were intolerant to all. Guru Nanak or any of the other Guru's never actually told people "your trash" or "you deserve to have your tongue ripped out" So why would they put it into the Gurbani in a literal sense?

I don't think anybody believes that people should have their tongues cut out; that's not what we read on first impression. It is trying to make us understand, as Gurbani says again and again and again, that those who do not meditate on God's Name are wasting this human life.

Because it is the embodiment of the living Satguru. Only a Sikh who fathoms what the Ten Gurus were can see what it means to not adress the Shabad Guru as Dhan Guru Arjan Dev Ji Nirankar, the fifth Guru Nanak Dev Ji Nirankar did himself out of reverence.

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I would ignore it, usually I show the Guru Granth respect, i see it as a source of knowledge. The Same way you say "Harry Potter and the half blood Prince", you dont go Harry Potter. It's far too vague and not correct. I guess from that point of view, you could say it deserves respect. I strongly believe respect is earned, i dont even say "Sant Babe *insert name here* " as if I dont know them and iv not gotten to see why they deserve this title. The Guru Granth has earned respect in my eyes, so I give it a form of respect.

Though I hate literalists. My parents are one of them haha, so I grew up with their half correct version of Sikhism. Surprisingly i researched it and im slowly teaching them not to take everything literally :P , it's hard but you explain to them imsure they'll atleast attempt to see where your coming from.