The Bahadur Blog

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. Tomorrow marks the Gurpurab of Sri Guru Har Krishan Sahib Ji, our eighth Guru. He was the second son of Guru Har Rai Ji, who declared him as Guru before passing away in 1661. Guru Har Krishan Ji was just 5 years old when he became Guru. In history, there are only a few people that have been able to achieve such a supreme level of spirituality at such a young age. Despite his young age, Guru Sahib managed to join masses to the One, by asking them to leave behind their worldly pleasures and instead contemplate on the name of the creator. Guru Ji had the rare ability to teach people messages. One of the most notable cases was when Guru Sahib was travelling through Panjokhara. It was here that a pandit, Lal Chand, asked Guru Sahib if he had knowledge of the Vedas. A water carrier, Chhajju Ram, who was illiterate and not allowed to access the Vedas, happened to be passing by at this moment. Guru Sahib called him over and asked him to recite s

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. What is a Sikh? To be frank, there is no real answer that can be understood by reading or learning. The spiritual elevation of a Sikh 1 is so great that we can only comprehend by becoming a Sikh ourselves. A phrase I prefer is that we are merely “trying to become a Sikh”. However, I still aim to explore what it is to be a Sikh and what steps we can take to become Sikhs of the Guru. Sri Guru Nanak dev ji Maharaj was very busy and active with their parchar. They spent 24 years on their famous Udasis where they travelled by foot to all kinds of places with the aim making people realise their false practices and teaching them the truth of naam. In this period, it is believed they travelled over 28,000 kilometres. However, when they returned to Panjab to settle they developed a large following of devotees who Guru Sahib had decided to call his Sikhs. The need for a name for these would be to distinguish them from other faiths as at t

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. Yesterday marked one year since our brother, Bhai Jagraj Singh, passed away. Bhai Sahib was well known amongst the British Sikh community, most notably for his contribution to Parchaar. His initiative to start a YouTube channel, Basics of Sikhi, which explained Sikhi in English, was an idea that changed the lives of many Sikhs, young and old, around the world. I myself, being one of those Sikhs, who before coming across Basics of Sikhi, had no clue about Sikhi. Despite being born and raised into a Punjabi Sikh family, I often found that it was difficult to understand what the meanings behind Sikhi were. When I came across Bhai Sahib's YouTube channel, that all changed. I was able to learn the meaning behind Japji Sahib, learn about our Itihaas, and most importantly understand how compassionate Guru Sahib truly is. Bhai Jagraj Singh gave me a platform to connect to Sikhi. I was touched by Guru Nanak Dev Ji's message, and I found

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. This week marked the Parkaash of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, our sixth Guru and the founder of the concept of Miri Piri. Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji became the Guru on June 11th 1606, after the Shaheedi of his father, Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Baba Buddha Ji performed the ceremony for his Gurgaddi, and Guru Sahib asked Baba Buddha to adorn him with a sword, rather than the Seli of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj. Guru Ji then put on one sword on his left side, and one on his right side. He named one "Miri", representing temporal power, and he named the other "Piri", representing spiritual power. One was to crush the oppressor, the other was to defend the innocent. This began the martial training and arming of the Sikhs. Guru Sahib's army had grown large, with 300 horsemen, 60 gunners, and 500 men recruited to the infantry. Guru Hargobind ordered the construction of Lohgarh, the fortress of steel, it boasted its own flag and w