Mcleod talking about Jap Sahib

Mcleod has written a number of books on Sikhism, he completed his doctorate many years ago, and has published a number of books since. In one of his recent publications he writes:

"The style of Jap is simple in the extreme, consisting solely of words testifying to the awesome greatness of Akal Purukh without any pretence of sentence construction. We can accept it as probably the work of Guru Gobind Singh." Mcleod 2007. Oxford University Press. YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi

"Most of the poem does not have even a rudimentry sentence construction" .p.61. Ibid.

I would argue that:

Jap Sahib is a poetical compostion, most poetry does not involve itself in sentence contruction. The Jap Sahib is written to give qualitative feelings (warrior spirit), over grammatical and other minute details. Jap means contemplation, repetition, meditation, therefore it is to be repeated, and memorised. Therefore to compare the Jap Sahib to prose, is unfair, uneducated, and is an attempt to find criticism by evaluating Jap Sahib unnecessarily outside of the framework of its style. This is methodologically flawed, and the condescending tone of Mcleod is poor. It would be interesting to find out what he actually means by pretense in the sentence.

Another one of Mcleods well calculated methods, is his belief of authenticity being credited via proof. He employed this method in his analysis of the Janam-Sakhis. (The life stories of the Gurus, mainly Guru Nanak.) Talking about this endevour he argues that little of the Janam Sakhi can be seen as historical truth.

" Concerned Sikhs were, however, uneasy with it as it specialized in miracles and wonder stories that educated Sikhs could accept only with difficulty"

" The Puratan version offered plenty of miracle stories, but these lacked the grotesque nature of the Bala version."

To look at a hagiographic scripture as historical literature seem quite fruitless in the first place. To evaluate fables, allegorical tales, in the light of history seems to be quite absurd in my opinion. This is like viewing many of the tales of miracles in most world religious scriptures as historical events. Whether they are from Hinduism, the bible, the Qur'an, all of them would fail under objective examination. When most religious literature is subjective, allegorical, didactic, instructive, religious, surely they should naturally be examined in that way?

In conclusion Mcleod is not a theologian, a linguist, or a philosopher. He is a historian with peculiar methods for dissecting the Sikh tradition with his scalpel. He endevours to perform his operations on areas of the Sikh canon that have no real need to be operated on, with procedures that are utterly useless for the operation. It is of no suprise that his conclusions are a Frankenstein mismatch due to his methods, that seldom have any conclusive outcome. In general his work leaves the reader with no new research, or understanding, than they began with. Unless the reader was completely devoid of any knowledge of the Sikh Dharma in the first place. The later would be impressed by his work, while the learned in Gurmukhi watch with great amusement.

The effectiveness of India combat arts, Shiva Akhara, and Hindu-Sikh Shastarvidiya.

The Shastarvidiya websites claim that the fighting art that they teach is Hindu-Sikh. That it is ancient and has come from the Shiva Akhara. That it is original, and pure. Please visit the website for confirmation.

There are a number of questions that arise:

1. If the combat arts of the Sadhus was so good, why was India invaded, and plundered for over 800 years?

2. Why was it that until the Guru sent Banda Singh Bahadur there never had been conclusive victories against the Moghuls?

Answer:

The Indian fighting art was out of date, the weapons were poor, and the Moghul tactics and technology was superior. The Guru therefore revealed new innovations like Mool Pentra, weapon construction, formations, tactics and strategies that had not be seen before. This was original and unique to the Sikh Panth. This is what real Shastarvidiya, or Jhatka Gatka is.

Therefore it seems that the use of the terms on the shastarvidiya.org website has other motivations.

The ethical codes written in Sankrit texts related to warfare, also do not correlate with the practices of the Khalsa Panth.

Cunningham writes in 1849:

"the Sikh owes his excellence as a soldier, to his own hardihood of character, to that spirit of adaptation which distinguishes every new people, and to that soldiers. feeling of a common interest and destiny implanted in him by his great teachers. The Rajpoots and Puthans are valiant and high-minded warriors : but their pride and their courage are personal only, and concern them and Pu- as men of ancient family and noble lineage ; they will than8, do nothing unworthy of their birth, but they are indifferent to the political advancement of their race. The efforts of the Mahrattas in emancipating themselves ofMah- from a foreign yoke, were neither guided nor strengthened by any distinct hope or desire. They became free, but knew not how to remain independent, and they allowed a crafty Brahmin to turn their aimless aspirations to his own profit, and to found a dynasty of " Peshwahs" on the achievements of unlettered Soodras. Ambitious soldiers took a further advantage of the spirit called up by Sevajee, but as it was not sustained by any pervading religious principle of action, a few generations saw the race yield to the expiring efforts of Mahometanism, and the Mahrattas owe their present position, as rulers, to the intervention of European strangers. The genuine Mahratta can scarcely be said to exist, and the two hundred thousand spearmen of the last century are once more shepherds and tillers of the ground. Similar remarks apply to the Goorkhas" p. 173.

Respecting tradition can keep you mentally safe............

The excessive use of cannabis is forbidden in the Nihang Maryada, where only a pinch was used, to aid digestion. However some people, become Bhangars, take it on another level. They scar themselves mentally for life, and encourage other people to take ever increasing amounts of Bhang. Most people who have a high tolerance to Cannabis Sattiva use opium regularly.

Those people who take too much cannabis get erectile dysfunction, mood swings, paranoia, narcissistic symptoms, under achieve, drop out from education, lie, cheat, decieve, look for free roti, steal from the sangat, manipulate people, free loaf, and become self obssessed.......

Some of them suddenly become reformed and turn into "Gurmukhs". Where they continue to get free roti, beds, money, attention, ............

Nihangs also do Jhakta, but they do not get sick gratification from killing animals. A person who treats jhatka and degh as a game, is already dead. It is better for a person with this type of mindset to leave the Panth and detoxify their minds and bodies, or better still not enlist in the first place.

Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, need for admiration, extreme self-involvement, and lack of empathy for others. Individuals with this disorder are usually arrogantly self-assured and confident. They expect to be noticed as superior.

http://www.winning-teams.com/recognizenarcissist.html

It is difficult to recognize a narcissist because he (or she) spends all of his time acting, protecting his ego by presenting to the world a false image of himself. Consequently he becomes a master of deceit. But it is extremely important to be able to recognize people whose behavior is detrimental to their organization's performance.
A narcissist is not capable of putting the organization's needs before his or her own needs.Ref
Researchers have found that a narcissist reacts much more emotionally than a non-narcissist, sometimes with "narcissistic rage" when his (or her) ego is threatened.

Because of a propensity to internalize failure, the narcissist's emotional response to failure is to feel shame, as opposed to guilt felt by people without the disorder. So in order to avoid shame, which the narcissist feels must be avoided at all costs, he externalizes blame for negative events. Ref As he feels someone must be guilty, he almost always attributes blame to others. Only when his self-esteem is particularly high, perhaps through some positive feedback he has engineered, does he accept blame, and only then if it can be seen as a magnanimous gesture.
A narcissist is someone who is overtly or subtly arrogant, exhibitionistic, vain, manipulative, and greedy for admiration. Narcissistic rage, character assassination and projection are some of the overt ways in which the narcissist expresses himself.

The denial of remorse and gratitude by the narcissist are two of the more subtle ways used to protect an internal sense of grandiosity. An example of a narcissist's ability to be subtle might be when he arrives late for a meeting. Rather than offer a sincere apology, he may blame someone else for keeping him talking, thus externalizing the fault ("It's not my fault") and maintaining his sense of grandiosity.
Despite tending to be exhibitionistic, it is very rare to hear a narcissist brag or boast. Instead, he tends to 'drop' information in the form of an ostensibly ordinary matter-of-fact report, which appears to be intended to elicit admiration without asking for it. For example, rather than say, "I was so please to meet our CEO, Peter Smith", he will casually allude to "...lunch with Peter", in a way that induces a sense of distance and inferiority in the recipient of the information; again maintaining his sense of grandiosity.

Here are a few pointers that may help you identify one:

Their lack of empathy colours everything they do. They may say, "How are you?" when you meet, but they are working from memory. They are not interested in how you are.
Virtually all of their ideas or ways of behaving in a given situation are taken from others, people they know and perhaps think of as an authority (mirroring).
Their sense of self-importance and lack of empathy means that they will often interrupt the conversations of others.
They expect others to do the day-to-day chores as they feel too important to waste their time on common things.
Listen for the constant use of "I", "me" and "my" when they talk.
They very rarely talk about their inner life, for example their memories and dreams.
They feel that the rules at work don't apply to them.
They will always cheat whenever they think they can get away with it.
If you share workload with them expect to do the lion's share yourself.
They love to delegate work or projects, then interfere by micro-managing it. If it goes well, they take the credit, if it goes badly they blame the person they delegated it to.
There tends to be higher levels of stress with people who work with or interact with a narcissist, which in turn increases absenteeism and staff turnover.
They get impatient and restless when the topic of discussion is about someone else, and not about them.

Real versus fake Sadhus.

Real Sadhu - Fake Sadhu

1. Not married, no female disciples - Most disciples are female or likes to hug up next to Singhs out of "pyar". Clearly homosexual.
2. Separate from maya - Regularly takes Sangats money
3. Does not touch money - Regularly checks the accounts
4. Not after a following - Into self promotion and making a following, gaining stages
5. Does not talk much - Can never keep quiet, and talks about their own life, with parrot like memorised Gurbani inbetween to keep the act up. Then does not talk for a week.
6. Does not eat much - obsessed by food after periods of not eating.
7. Does not sleep much - Regular naps
8. Vegetarian - Vegetarianism is the main philosophy of the cult.

9. Engrossed in Seva and Simran - Tells everyone else to do it, but sits on a Manja. Tries to use Gurbani to obtain occult powers, to trap people.

10. Loves existence - is cynical of all existence, has no trust, and looks suicidal, with manic episodes. Which he labells as Bairag and Chardikalah respectively.

Sukhamani Sahib talks about a true Sadhu, a Sadhu is one who is separate from materialism.

Sadh Ki Mehima Bedh Na Janai.

so saadhhoo bairaagee soee hiradhai naam vasaaeae That person is a Holy Saadhu, and a renouncer of the world, whose heart is filled with the Naam.
Guru Amar Daas Ji Siree Raag 29

Real Sadhus know that lust is a very powerful force, therefore they always kept a respectful distance from women, to protect their own dignity and others. Today in Punjab and else where, women are the major followers of these fake Sadhus. When the sex drive is repressed and then reappears, it can become twisted and perverted. Hence why so many women are molested and raped by these fake Sadhus. People need to be educated as to what a real Sadhu is. Please pass the message on.

Today some of the youth doing Parchar, are like Chameleons and Snakes. They say different things to please in different sects to keep politically correct, for their own fame and glory. They have no sense of truth and they remind me of this character in the Jungle Book:

There are a number of them. When they are with different Jathas they adjust their opinions accordingly. In the "Panth" there are number of these chameleon like characters, who have no back bone, or any sense of integrity and truth. They just want to be worshipped and respected, as they are addicted to this. Please watch out for people who twist, turn, and change colour in seconds............

"A Khalsa cannot become a robber.

But there are many robbers claiming to be Khalsa.", said by Akali Sant Baba Nihal Singh Ji

They think they are political leaders, and have the right to create their own cancerous forms of Sikhism. They feel that their own thinking is higher than tradition and the Sikh Rahit Maryada. Rather like Teja Singh Bhasauria, Handalias, Ram Rai, Darshan Das, and so on. Many are in the garb of Khalsa roop. Please be careful. The Masands were taken care of by Guru Gobind Singh. May that day come soon...............................

Ugaradanti - Sri Mukhvak Patishahi 10

http://khalsatunes.com/Gurbanee/Sri%20Dasam%20granth%20Sahib%20Ji/Dasam%20Banee%20Nitnem/017-UGARDANTI.mp3

For the chardikalah of the Panth please listen to Ugardanti as many times as possible. The total length is around 17 minutes. Please feel free to leave a comment.

A translation is available at:

http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/Scriptures/uggardanti/uggardanti.htm

In my humble opinion there are number of lines in the translation that are inaccurate.

Raping the Land - Mata Dharat Mahat

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/13/gmcrops.food

Intensive farming methods, chemicals, GM-food, pesticides, have all taken their toll on the land of the Punjab. The desertification of Punjab is occuring, with the top soil eroding away, due to lack of tree planting, and not allowing the land to rest.

The Punjab is now full of drugs, alcohol, and gambling. The men are on drugs, and they are making the land chemically dependant. What have the so-called preachers done to educate people? The answer is nothing, because ignorant people are easier to manipulate.

Punjabi brothers wake up....before you find yourself in a barren desert.

In the Jap Ji, Guru Nanak bows down to the creativity of the Divine Being, Guru Nanak also describes the land as a mother. Therefore shouldn't Sikhs have some sense of environmental responsibility?

A reader of this blog, Stephen, commented:

There is another active part to desertification in your land and elsewhere: the aquatic weed Typha. Your nation has Typha elephantina and Typha angustifolia in large quantities. Typha is a dessication machine. The infestations in Africa are a driving force in the expansion of the Sahara. I'm a rabble-rouser and cheerleader for the control of aquatic weeds, particularly Typha. Typha appears to be the most dessicating of the bunch, because it survives the dry conditions it creates for quite some time. It is also the most exploitable of the problem weeds. It is an excellent energy plant, suitable for ethanol, biogas or charcoal production. When grown in clean water, it is an excellent food plant. Attached is a sketchy little plan I'm circulating for control by exploitation of aquatic weeds, to do with as you ill. It is oriented to Africa, but the plant is basically the same worldwide.

The plan Stephen has kindly provided will online very soon. Many thanks Stephen!

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