James Bean/a great Sikh thing

August 11, 2000

There are several things about Sikhism I like - one is the "kara" or steel

bracelet they wear on the right hand. Once I visited a Sikh temple in

Queens, NY, and was given one of these karas. I was very honored because a

priest took it off his own hand to give to me! I think they are a

magnificent reminder and symbol of God, and a beautiful piece of jewelry as

well.

The karas come in several different kinds, but the one I was given is solid

steel with a sharp outside edge, and a high, smooth, natural polish from

many years being worn by this holy man. It has no clasps or closures of

any kind, basically it is a ring that fits on the wrist. The solid steel,

one Sikh told me, has beneficial health benefits. It is small enough on

the wrist to require great skill and/or soap and water to put on. It

actually looks impossible to do.

Then the senior priest of the temple then gave me a short orientation about

the kara:

The unbroken roundness symoblizes the unbroken infinity of God as well as

the brotherhood of all mankind. Being on the right hand, which is most

people's favored hand, is a reminder that when we stretch out our hand to

do something -- do only good things and remember God always. When working,

I was to tape the kara up higher on the arm, because otherwise it can get

caught on things. With a long-sleeve shirt at the office, this was mostly

not necessary for me. I can see the point at a machine shop or moving

company, etc., because the kara is the strongest piece of jewelry made, and

is stronger than most things it comes into contact with.

This was a beautiful, great gift, and a great blessing. In fact, one of my

very good friends liked it so much that he wanted one too. But you know, I

could never find that exact same temple in Queens again! I went to other

Sikh temples, which used chains instead of solid steel, and used

chrome-plated karas engraved with the sayings of their teacher. But never

the same one! There is an Indian bookstore where we bought him an

un-polished kara. After 3 years, the sharp edges have started to wear off

and it has started to become polished.

It's great!

Love,

--Greg

At 12:00 AM 8/11/00 -0700, James Bean wrote:

>>>>

>From the Sikh Scriptures online at:

<http://www.sikhs.org>http://www.sikhs.org

Page 14

ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD.

BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:

August 11, 2000

Thanks for sharing that Greg. I was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India, the

birth place of Sikh religion. Amritsar is where the Golden Temple of the

Sikhs is. We used to go there all the time. It was a beautiful place and

still is I am sure. In the old days, some Hindus and Sikhs had this

tradition. The oldest son of a Hindu would become a Sikh and the oldest son

of a Sikh would become a Hindu. My grandmother on my father's side was from

a Sikh family. Her father was Hindu but rest of the brothers and sisters

were Sikh! So we had both Hindu and Sikh blood relatives.

When I was growing up in Amritsar, we did not make much distinction between

Gurudwaras (Sikh temples), and the Hindu temples. We used to visit both on a

regular basis. The Sikh temples had langars (free food) on certain days of

the week.

Guru Nanak was the first Guru of Sikhs. His father was a business man and

had a shop. He asked Nanak to sit in the shop one day when he was away.

Nanak was then around 13. When Nanak saw that some people could not afford

to pay for food and other goods, he started giving them away free. When his

father came back he was quite upset. He tried to turn Nanak into a worldly

man but could not do it. Nanak eventually married and had children. Nanak's

natural inclination was towards God.

One day, Guru Nanak was sleeping with his feet towards the temple. The

Temple priest came running out and told him to not be disrespectful and

remove his feet. "Your feet are pointing towards the Lord!", shouted the

priest! Nanakji's reply was simple and elegant. Guru Nanak said, "Please

point my feet in the direction where God is not!"

Love

Harsha

Greg Goode [goode]

Friday, August 11, 2000 10:36 AM

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