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Summary of Question:	Re: Ardas And Yoga And Sikhi
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Sunday, 1/20/2002 8:40 PM MST

fateh,

Why do we have to make things "technical?" who cares what holding our hands does to us physically? WE HOLD OUR HANDS TOGETHER BECAUSE WE ARE GURU'S SLAVES! WE ARE SHOWING ARE LOVE, RESPECT, HUMILITY IN FRONT OF HIM. Love for Guru is the cause of the physical gestures we have in Sikhi, not some yogic thing. We cover our head in front of Guru, we fold our hands in front of Guru, we do whatever can to show Him how much He means to us. With Sikhi talk only the language of LOVE, NOT THE LANGUAGE OF YOGA. Sikhi's way's and practices can only be understood through love and devotion to Guru ji. Sikhs during Guru's time did not care about the rishis and yoga masters who knew how to do certain physcial activities, they were beyond physical training. eveything was done with the HEART AND SOUL, PLEASE LEAVE YOGA OUT OF SIKHi FOR GOOD. IF YOU ENJOY DOING YOGA GREAT! BUT AS FAR AS SIKHI, GURU AND HIS BANI IS ALL WE NEED.

fateh

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REPLY
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Fateh Ji. Concerning folded hands in ardaas, Sikhs are not the only ones who fold hands to pray. It is practically universal to do this, I have seen it among Christians, Moslems, Sikhs, Chinese, Koreans, pagans, to name a few. Ardaas and prayer are about devotion in any faith, in any heart.

As for the Gurus and yoga, you are misguided. I understand that you don't want to hear a 'yogic' explanation for Sikh practices, but it is vital that you understand that Gurus understood about yoga, and that they had no quarrel with the postures and practices in and of themselves. Gurus' quarrel was with the practitioners-- the yogis-- who believed that liberation comes only to the ones who practice the postures and live ascetically. Nonsense, said the Gurus. Liberation comes to those who meditate on God and serve others selflessly. Those who meditate on God may ALSO be yogis or ascetics or Brahmins or of low class; none of these attributes are liberating or prevent liberation.

I might add that 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Gurus all 'gave' one of their sons to be raised and instructed by the Udaasis, who were/are a sect of yogis started by Guru Nanak's son, Baba Siri Chand. Guru HAR RAI was the grandson of Guru Hargobind; 7th Guru's father (Guru Hargobind's son) was raised by these Udaasis. So don't think for a moment that our Gurus and their Sikhs didn't have exposure to yogic philosophy. Having studied the yoga sutras, I can tell you that yoga practice was developed to assist one in acquiring that neutral space (sahaj) that is described in Siri Guru and acquired through Naam simran. My point is that there is something in common between yogic philosophy and Sikh philosophy.
Guru ang sang,
-DKK