January 2002: Volume 1, Issue 1 SikhWomen Newsletter

· Guru Gobind Singhji was the tenth Guru of Sikhs.
· He considered himself as a servant of the Almighty.
· He created "Khalsa" which means pure and noble.
· To protect Truth, he was forced to fight many battles-but only as a last resort.
· He encouraged Sikhs to offer water and first-aid even to enemy soldiers who were injured.
· Before leaving this world, he installed the 'Holy Granth' as the true & payment Guru of the Sikhs. This contains prayers recited by Sikh Gurus and 30 Indian Saints of different castes.

Guru Gobind Singhji's message
· All persons belong to a universal brotherhood
· Never hesitate from doing good-deeds
· Even a split second of single minded devotion to God can liberate a person.

Dealing with Bullying: What would Guru Gobind Singhji do?

No one ever said life as a Sikh is going to be easy. Changing times present new challenges, yet the basic principles of Sikhism can help us through the tough times and we always have Guru Gobind Singh ji as an example. Read on as Harjinder Singh tells us how to deal with bullying and everyday problems.

Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth and last human Sikh Prophet. All four of his children were martyred. The two youngest were bricked alive by the generals of the emperor Aurangzeb, whilst the two eldest were martyred in battles against the Mughals. When the Guru was asked if he had felt hurt that two innocent children were bricked alive without a sense of remorse by the Mughals and that the two elders had been martyred in battle, the Guru remarked that Char mue tho kiya hooa, jivath kayi hazaar - "What if four of my children have been killed such, for I have many thousands still alive".

The Guru fought four battles against oppression, none of these were in the interests of power or land, all four battles were in defense. His father - the great Guru Teg Bahadar was beheaded by the Mughal authorities because he dared to stand up for the Hindus who had been delivered an ultimatum - convert to Islam or face mass slaughter. The tenth Guru was assassinated by two Mughals, after being attacked, the Guru called for a Sikh by the name Bhai Banda Singh - he was handed the authority of leadership and was asked to travel to the Punjab and propagate the Sikh faith. On that occasion, Banda Singh - who was also a great warrior - asked permission to reap revenge on the murderers of his children. The Guru denied such permission for he did not feel bitterness for the killers and forgave them.

Today events are different and we do not hesitate in gathering together the 'lads' when somebody makes a remark which slightly defiles our character. We even feel remorse and anger when one of our Sikh brothers buys a bigger house, gets a better job and drives a nicer car than us ! Create no enemies, but if you have, then show that you are stronger than them by not raising your fist. Hit them mentally by not avenging their remarks or actions. Do Unto others as you would have done unto thyself. Forgive your enemies and Waheguru shall forgive you. In attempting to display our strength, we display our greatest mental weakness.

The Healing Power of Faith. Resources of the Month

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Quarterly Newsletter . Volume 1 . Number 1 (January 2002)

In this Issue

"Jin Prem Kiyo Tin Hi Prabh Paayo" (Pure Love Leads to God)

Dealing with Bullying: What would Guru Gobind Singhji do?

The Healing Power of Faith. Resources of the Month