Ek Onkar Satnam is the essence of Japji Sahib the message of Nanak that emerged as Sikh Religion. Indeed Ek Onkar Satnam is the Heartbeat of Nanak. The entire religion is condensed in these three words - EK, OnKAR, and SATNAM. Afterwards whatever Nanak overflowed is for your understanding. Otherwise the message is complete. Beyond dualities, conditionings, and your beliefs lays the realm of Buddhas. Nanak is a Buddha - one who has not only attained to this Oneness with that which is, instead has harnessed this energy field for the transformation of human consciousness. Japji Sahib is the expression of Truth as envisaged by Nanak and occupies a foremost place in Sikh religion. Ek Omkar Satnam is the heartbeat of Nanak and Japji Sahib is the fragrance of the inner flowering. The effort is to harness and present truth that rendered Nanak, Buddha, Kabir, Osho, Krishnamurti, Jesus and Mahabir Enlightened in its sublime and nascent form through this work. Truth is sublime. Truth is beyond religions and even your gods and goddesses. Truth is solitary. Truth is auspicious. Truth is beyond duality. So is bliss or Anand. Truth has nothing to do with Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Jew. Truth is beyond these narrow boundaries. Your conditioning, your values, and your understanding have no correlation with Truth. A Hindu mind listens to that which resonates and strengthens his mind. So is the case with a Sikh, Christian, Mohammedan and other sects as well. You are listening simply to strengthen your mind. Nanak is unique. And he is unique in many ways. Nanak happened before TulsiDas. Social values were declining. Politically that was the beginning of a new era. The message of the masters was losing its inner fabric. Nanak's role was to resurrect all these. Nanak came like a fresh breeze. Look at the earlier scriptures. Valmiki used one meter throughout the entire narration of Ramayana. So too the same one meter 'Anustup' with each composition of four quadrants and two lines each is the meter used throughout the text - the Bhagvad Gita. All this describes one set pattern. Bhagwad Gita is the path of Yoga although different paths of Yoga are explained. And Ramayana is the story of Rama on the platter of Bhakti. Nanak has used different meter in each Pauri. The Japji Sahib does not follow any strict meter of poetry and even the rhyming seems, at places, uneven and incoherent. Besides, sometimes the basic line of thought appears to be intruded upon by verses in between, particularly if one relies solely upon translations and word meanings. This explains that through each Pauri Nanak goes into in-depth message of different systems of transformation used by the masters and paths. Anyone with linear consciousness or one track mind and understanding cannot understand Nanak. Only a master whose consciousness has reached its pinnacle Or has merged with the ultimate can explain various systems of transformation of human consciousness as interwoven through various Pauris of Japji Sahib. Allow this nectar to ooze into being....

This title offers exciting new introduction to contemporary Sikhism and the issues and debates facing it in modern society. This new introduction to Sikhism aims to introduce this increasingly studied religion through the lens of contemporary issues. Illustrated throughout with examples and case studies taken from lived religion, each chapter attempts to interpret the teachings of Sikhism in a modern context and apply them to modern day scenarios. After an initial chapter providing an overview of the Sikh religion, its history and basic theological tenets, Jagbir Jhutti-Johal moves through key contemporary themes, often overlooked in other introductions: Sikhism and women, diaspora, bioethics, and ethics and morality. She concludes with a final section looking at the future for Sikhism, its relevance in modern times, and what Sikhism can contribute to society in terms of inter-religious dialogue and harmony between different communities. These useful guides aim to introduce religions through the lens of contemporary issues, illustrated throughout with examples and case studies taken from lived religion. The perfect companion for the student of religion, each guide interprets the teachings of the religion in question in a modern context and applies them to modern day scenarios.

Almost from the moment, some five centuries ago, that their religion was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak, Sikhs have enjoyed a distinctive identity. This sense of difference, forged during Sikhism's fierce struggles with the Mughal Empire, is still symbolised by the "Five Ks" ("panj kakar," in Punjabi), those articles of faith to which all baptised Sikhs subscribe: uncut hair bound in a turban; comb; special undergarment; iron bracelet and dagger (or kirpan) -- the unique marks of the Sikh military fraternity (the word Sikh means "disciple" in Punjabi). Yet for all its ongoing attachment to the religious symbols that have helped set it apart from neighboring faiths in South Asia, Sikhism amounts to far more than just signs or externals. Now the world's fifth largest religion, with a significant diaspora especially in Britain and North America, this remarkable monotheistic tradition commands the allegiance of 25 million people, and is a global phenomenon. In her balanced appraisal, Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh reviews the history, theology and worship of a community poised between reconciling its hereditary creeds and certainties with the fast-paced pressures of modernity. She outlines and explains the core Sikh beliefs, and explores the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus in Sikhism's Holy Scriptures, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (more usually called just the "Granth"). Further chapters explore Sikh ethics, art and architecture, and matters of gender and the place of women in the tradition. The book attractively combines the warm empathy of a Sikh with the objective insights and acute perspectives of a prominent scholar of religion.

The Truth of Nanak and the Sikhs presents a detailed interpretation of the Sikh Scriptures known as the Guru Granth Sahib. This book contrasts the literal interpretation of the Granth with a new interpretation that explains the symbolism of certain words to produce a clearer meaning applicable to oneself in daily living. Symbolic meanings of certain words describe the eternal flowing action of spirit available to the reader for enlightenment, spiritual growth and inner peace. The simple message: Let the spirit of the True Guru (Almighty God) coming to you in the Granth come through you individually in each moment.

Bringing South Asian and British imperial history together with recent scholarship on transnationalism and postcolonialism, Tony Ballantyne offers a bold reevaluation of constructions of Sikh identity from the late eighteenth century through the early twenty-first. Ballantyne considers Sikh communities and experiences in Punjab, the rest of South Asia, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the world. He charts the shifting, complex, and frequently competing visions of Sikh identity that have been produced in response to the momentous social changes wrought by colonialism and diaspora. In the process, he argues that Sikh studies must expand its scope to take into account not only how Sikhism is figured in religious and political texts but also on the battlefields of Asia and Europe, in the streets of Singapore and Southall, and in the nightclubs of New Delhi and Newcastle.Constructing an expansive historical archive, Ballantyne draws on film, sculpture, fiction, and Web sites, as well as private papers, government records, journalism, and travel narratives. He proceeds from a critique of recent historiography on the development of Sikhism to an analysis of how Sikh identity changed over the course of the long nineteenth century. Ballantyne goes on to offer a reading of the contested interpretations of the life of Dalip Singh, the last Maharaja of Punjab. He concludes with an exploration of bhangra, a traditional form of Punjabi dance that diasporic artists have transformed into a globally popular music style. Much of bhangra's recent evolution stems from encounters of the Sikh and Afro-Caribbean communities, particularly in the United Kingdom. Ballantyne contends that such cross-cultural encounters are central in defining Sikh identity both in Punjab and the diaspora.

"Spirit Warriors" is about people who have learned from a 400 year old tradition to combine meditative focus and spirituality to become fearless in the defense of religious freedom, in performance at work, and in the pursuit of joy.

Learn from a lawyer, business men and women, therapists, and teachers who relate their life experiences and describe those practices that led them to success. Simultaneously learn about an Indian religion that does not seek converts but provides some essential lessons for life.

"Mr. Power's book provides the reader with ways to be successful in business and in life." - Alan Lavine, noted business author, author of "From Rags to Riches,"

The Truth of Nanak and the Sikhs presents a detailed interpretation of the Sikh Scriptures known as the Guru Granth Sahib. This book contrasts the literal interpretation of the Granth with a new interpretation that explains the symbolism of certain words to produce a clearer meaning applicable to oneself in daily living. Symbolic meanings of certain words describe the eternal flowing action of spirit available to the reader for enlightenment, spiritual growth and inner peace. The simple message: Let the spirit of the True Guru (Almighty God) coming to you in the Granth come through you individually in each moment.

The Sikh religion has a following of over 20 million people worldwide and is one of the largest religions in the world. However, events such as the verbal and physical attacks on Sikhs just after September 11 indicated that Sikhs were being mistaken for Muslims, and suggests that the raising of sufficient and appropriate awareness about Sikhism still needs to be addressed. This book will introduce newcomers to the meaning of Sikhism, and its practices, rituals, and festivals. The key threads in the fascinating history of the religion will be highlighted, from the Gurus and the development of the Sikh look, to martyrdom and militarization in the 17th and 18th Centuries and the diaspora. Eleanor Nesbitt brings the subject completely up to date with an examination of gender and caste, referring to contemporary film, such as Bend It Like Beckham, and media reports. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The Truth of Nanak and the Sikhs presents a detailed interpretation of the Sikh Scriptures known as the Guru Granth Sahib. This book contrasts the literal interpretation of the Granth with a new interpretation that explains the symbolism of certain words to produce a clearer meaning applicable to oneself in daily living. Symbolic meanings of certain words describe the eternal flowing action of spirit available to the reader for enlightenment, spiritual growth and inner peace. The simple message: Let the spirit of the True Guru (Almighty God) coming to you in the Granth come through you individually in each moment.

Canadian Sikhs have seen great changes in the lives of their communities, which are primarily concentrated in larger urban centres, especially Vancouver and the British Columbia lower mainland. In The Sikh Diaspora in Vancouver, Kamala Elizabeth Nayar illustrates the complex and multifaceted transition of Sikh social culture as it moves from small Punjab villages to a Canadian metropolis. The result of an exhaustive analysis of the beliefs and attitudes among three generations of the Sikh community - and having conducted over 100 interviews - Nayar highlights differences and tensions with regards to the role of familial relations, child rearing, and religion. In exploring these tensions, she focuses particularly on the younger generation, and underlines the role of Sikh youth as a catalyst for change within the community. Nayar also examines the Sikh community as it functions and interacts with mainstream Canadian society in the light of modernity and multiculturalism, exploring the change, or lack thereof, in attitudes about the functioning of the community, the role of multicultural organizations and the media, continuity in traditional customs, modifications in behaviour patterns, and changes in values within the larger Canadian social environment of diversity.

Five hundred years ago, Guru Nanak founded the Sikh faith in India. The Sikhs defied the caste system; rejected the authority of Hindu priests; forbade magic and idolatry; and promoted the equality of men and women -- beliefs that incurred the wrath of both Hindus and Muslims. In the centuries that followed, three of Nanak's nine successors met violent ends, and his people continued to battle hostile regimes. The conflict has raged into our own time: in 1984 the Golden Temple of Amritsar -- the holy shrine of the Sikhs--was destroyed by the Indian Army. In retaliation, Sikh bodyguards assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Now, Patwant Singh gives us the compelling story of the Sikhs -- their origins, traditions and beliefs, and more recent history. He shows how a movement based on tenets of compassion and humaneness transformed itself, of necessity, into a community that values bravery and military prowess as well as spirituality. We learn how Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru, welded the Sikhs into a brotherhood, with each man bearing the surname Singh, or "Lion," and abiding by a distinctive code of dress and conduct. He tells of Banda the Brave's daring conquests, which sowed the seeds of a Sikh state, and how the enlightened ruler Ranjit Singh fulfilled this promise by founding a Sikh empire.

The author examines how, through the centuries, the Sikh soldier became an exemplar of discipline and courage and explains how Sikhs -- now numbering nearly 20 million worldwide -- have come to be known for their commitment to education, their business acumen, and their enterprising spirit.

Finally, Singh concludes that it would be a grave error to alienate an energetic and vital community like the Sikhs if modern India is to realize its full potential. He urges India's leaders to learn from the past and to "honour the social contract with Indians of every background and persuasion."


From the Hardcover edition.

In "The Nation's Tortured Body" Brian Keith Axel explores the formation of the Sikh diaspora and, in so doing, offers a powerful inquiry into conditions of peoplehood, colonialism, and postcoloniality. Demonstrating a new direction for historical anthropology, he focuses on the position of violence between 1849 and 1998 in the emergence of a transnational fight for Khalistan (an independent Sikh state). Axel argues that, rather than the homeland creating the diaspora, it has been the diaspora, or histories of displacement, that have created particular kinds of places--homelands.
Based on ethnographic and archival research conducted by Axel at several sites in India, England, and the United States, the text delineates a theoretical trajectory for thinking about the proliferation of diaspora studies and area studies in America and England. After discussing this trajectory in relation to the colonial and postcolonial movement of Sikhs, Axel analyzes the production and circulation of images of Sikhs around the world, beginning with visual representations of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Sikh ruler of Punjab, who died in 1893. He argues that imagery of particular male Sikh bodies has situated--at different times and in different ways--points of mediation between various populations of Sikhs around the world. Most crucially, he describes the torture of Sikhs by Indian police between 1983 and the present and discusses the images of tortured Sikh bodies that have been circulating on the Internet since 1996. Finally, he returns to questions of the homeland, reflecting on what the issues discussed in "The Nation's Tortured Body" might mean for the ongoing fight for Khalistan.
Specialists in anthropology, history, cultural studies, diaspora studies, and Sikh studies will find much of interest in this important work.

How are we to read and understand stories of Jesus healing the lame, deaf, blind, and those with a variety of other maladies? Pilch takes us beyond the historical and literary questions to examine the social questions of how the earliest followers of Jesus and ancient Judeans understood healing, what roles healers played, and the different emphases on healing among the gospels. In his comparative analysis, the author draws on the anthropology of the Mediterranean as well as the models employed by medical anthropologists to understand peasant societies and their health-care systems.Utilizes social-science modelsFeatures a complementary web- site with additional resources

One of the world's youngest religions, Sikhism was founded about 500 years ago in northern India. The Sikhs believe in the Ultimate Reality as a formless force that is above all things and yet present in them at the same time. They reject all distinctions based on social class and race and emphasize the importance of service to both community and family. In the 21st century, Sikhism faces new challenges and a geographical reach spanning the globe. In India, where Manmohan Singh became the first minority prime minister in 2004, Sikhs are still working to gain greater political independence. In the West, the faith is attempting to adapt to a new culture while also sharing its universal teachings. ""Sikhism, Third Edition"" describes the basic tenets of Sikhism, tells the engaging story of its growth in India, examines the recent move toward greater political independence within the Indian nation, the effects of Hindu nationalism on the Sikh community, and issues of cultural adaptation, persecution, and subsequent education now taking place in the West. The coverage includes: the belief in the Supreme Ultimate Reality; Sikh ethics; the Five K's; Guru Nanak and the Origins of the Sikh faith; and the Guru Granth, Sikhism's sacred text.

This volume offers a comprehensive overview of Sikhism, which originated in India's Punjab region five hundred years ago. As the numbers of Sikhs settling outside of India continues to grow, it is necessary to examine this religion both in its Indian context and as an increasingly global tradition. While acknowledging the centrality of history and text in understanding the main tenets of Sikhism, Doris Jakobsh highlights the religion's origins and development as a living spiritual tradition in communities around the world. She pays careful attention to particular events, movements, and individuals that have contributed to important changes within the tradition and challenges stereotypical notions of Sikh homogeneity and stasis, addressing the plurality of identities within the Sikh tradition, both historically and within the contemporary milieu. Extensive attention is paid to the role of women as well as the dominant social and kinship structures undergirding Punjabi Sikh society, many of which have been widely transplanted through Sikh migration. The migration patterns are themselves examined, with particular focus on Sikh communities in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Finally, the volume concludes with a brief exploration of Sikhs and the Internet and the future of Sikhism.

This brief introduction to Jainism and Sikhism is designed to help readers understand these important religious traditions. With both nuance and balance, this text provides broad coverage of various forms of Jainism and Sikhism with an arresting layout with rich colors. It offers both historical overviews and modern perspectives on Jain and Sikh beliefs and practices. The user-friendly content is enhanced by charts of religious festivals, historic timelines, updated maps, and a useful glossary. It is ideal for courses on Jainism, Sikhism, and South Asian religions and will be a useful, concise reference for all readers eager to know more about these important religious tradition and their place in our contemporary world.

Though the history of Sikh-Muslim relations is fraught with conflict, this book examines how the policies of Sikh rulers attempted to avoid religious bigotry and prejudice at a time when Muslims were treated as third-class citizens. Focusing on the socio-economic, political and religious condition of Muslims under Sikh rule in the Punjab during the 19th century, this book demonstrates that Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his successors took a secular approach towards their subjects. Using various archival sources, including the Fakir Khana Family archives and the Punjab Archives, the author argues citizens had freedom to practice their religion, with equal access to employment, education and justice.

In the seventeenth century, the Sikh community entered into a process of militarisation which would culminate in rebellion against the Mughal Empire. Images of a despotic Mughal state, religious intolerance, vulnerable Sikhs and the idea of an inevitable Sikh 'militancy' would come to characterise the period's historiography. This book examines the development of Sikh militancy in this era, highlighting how the Sikh literati, and eventually the public, engaged with the subject of Sikh religious violence. In doing so, it fundamentally challenges the coherent grand narratives of early Sikh history. Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century addresses the issue of 'doxa' in early Sikh writing and illustrates how retrospective readings have distorted the experiences of the historical Sikh community. Drawing on a range of medieval Sikh sources, it focuses on the intellectual dialogues within the community. Additionally, it attempts to embed the community within the Mughal world; assessing how far it was influenced by wider cultural, intellectual and social processes. The development of Sikh militancy in the seventeenth century was neither natural nor inevitable.Instead, a careful analysis reveals a heterogeneous community who discussed the ideas of their leaders and communally interpreted the Mughal state. Identifying significant distinctions in the community, this work thereby questions irredentist visions of Sikh and Mughal history. Furthermore, it seeks to depict the significance of religious discourse in pre-colonial India and the capacity of historical agents to fathom 'religion'. More broadly, the study also examines the history of violence in medieval South Asia, contextualising the concepts of 'peace' and 'militancy' in medieval South Asian theology and political philosophy.

This is the first comprehensive study of the life and work of Master Tara Singh (1885-1967), Akali leader, freedom fighter, and arguably the foremost leader of the Sikhs. Master Tara Singh's vision of the 'Indian National State' was fundamentally different from that of Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian National Congress. The partition of British Punjab and the formation of Punjabi Suba are the lasting legacies of his determined efforts to protect Sikh interests. Employing new and a broad variety of sources in English and Punjabi, J.S. Grewal weaves a comprehensive biography of Master Tara Singh. Divided into two parts, the first deals with Master Tara Singh's anti-British activity in colonial India, while the second traces the political and religious trajectories of the movements led by him in pursuit of a unilingual Punjab state. Lending unity to the two parts is Master Tara Singh's politics based on Sikh identity as a source of confrontation with the colonial state and the Congress government. Revealing new facts, ideas, and perspectives on Master Tara Singh, this book throws fresh light on the freedom struggle, the Akali movement, the politics of partition, and the working of the Congress governments in the states and at the Centre during a tumultuous and transformative period of Indian history.