How can we thrive as a Panth if we can’t even prevent Beadbi?
For decades we have allowed countless saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji to get burned down and torn into pieces. In such a state of self-inflicted crisis, how can we deserve to thrive? We must take responsibility and make beadbi prevention a priority.
Panthic existence depends on respecting Guru Granth Sahib Ji
Our Guru Sahib Ji defines and shapes our individual and community identity. One of the most shared experience that connects us with Guru Granth Sahib Ji is Matha-Teek every time we go to the Gurdwara. It’s almost impossible to find a Sikh who has never done it. This is experience unites us regardless of where we are on our spiritual journey and makes Guru Granth Sahib Ji the center of our Sikh existence.
Since everything of significance to Sikh community traces back to the Guru, our wellbeing and success as “Sikhs” also depends on our relationship with Guru Granth Sahib Ji. That’s why when our personal relationship is dysfunctional at the foundational level, all aspects of the Panth are going to get affected as well.
One issue that strikes at the core of our relationship with Guru Sahib Ji is that of beadbi prevention. We have allowed numerous saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji to be torn into pieces and set on fire. While we may point fingers at others, when it comes to the honor of our Guru Sahib Ji only we are to blame.
Beadbi happened because our neglect created opportunities for such acts of violence against our Guru Sahib Ji. This is at the core of our panthic crisis. Unless we fix it, our community will continue to fail on multiple fronts and face cyclic traumatic challenges. This is the reason behind every major panthic issue. When we allow our relationship with Guru Sahib Ji to get damaged, how can we even expect to succeed in anything else?
Each act of beadbi happens 10 times because all 10 Gurus are still alive in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
One of the core foundational realities of Sikhi is that all of our 10 Gurus, from Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, are still here with us. They are all alive and present as Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This recognition is the most significant starting point of an individual Sikh’s spiritual journey and is supposed to be the strength of the entire Panth.
We can accomplish anything we want. We are not alone, all 10 Gurus are still alive in Guru Granth Sahib Ji. How can we not be confident about succeeding?
Our Fifth Guru Sahib Ji slept on the floor while keeping Guru Granth Sahib Ji on his throne.
Tenth Guru Sahib Ji passed his Guruship by ordering all Sikhs to accept Guru Granth Sahib Ji as our next final and Eternal Guru. He said to recognize Guru Granth Ji to be the clear and complete manifestation of all 10 Guru Sahibs.
We said yes and allowed our Eternal Guru to be burned down.
Guru Sahib Ji trusted us to take care of his next body as Shabad-Guru and sacrificed his entire family for us. What did we do instead? We let him down.
He clarified that Guru Granth Sahib Ji is not only his next body but also that of all other Gurus. This is a core pillar of Sikhi, the most logical reality in the Panth.
We didn't just let our 10th Guru Sahib Ji down. We have disappointed all other 9 Guru Sahib Ji well. Even 4 Sahibzaade are watching us. They wonder: what is going on?
Baba Deep Singh Ji is also waiting for us. When he asked Sikhs if they believed in defending respect the honor of their Guru, he drew a line with his Khanda. All Sikhs present at that moment crossed over and choose their Guru Sahib and sacrificed their life.
Unfortunately, there is a misunderstanding in the Panth that Baba Deep Singh Ji’s line is only in our history. That line he drew with his Khanda is still present in our existence and his question is eternal: will you stand up for your Guru’s honor?
All those Sikhs he asked sacrificed their lives defending their beloved. What have we done so far? We haven’t even gone through a bare minimum of discomfort to make preventing beadbi the absolute top priority of the Panth, let alone taking steps to actually implement defensive protocols.
The choice is obvious: Guru Sahib Ji, or whatever else that’s out there to distract us.
We are so fortunate to have our 10 Gurus by our side as Guru Granth Sahib Ji. If we seek genuine guidance, they are ready to help us in all aspects of our life.
This is a unique blessing. What have we done? We have completely messed it up. We've taken it for granted for too long.
It's time to end this. It must stop right now. But are you ready to take a step towards your Guru?
Our neglect towards beadbi is a sign of spiritual crisis — we can fix it, but will we choose to?
That we are even having this conversation is a serious problem. No one should remind us that practicing deep respect for our Living Guru is a core part of being a Sikh.
We are a faith-based community dependent upon our relationship with Guru Sahib Ji. If we weaken the bond from our side, all aspects of our Panth will be affected.
While we may not realize the severeness of our negligence in preventing beadbi, its drawback has been that we are facing challenges on all fronts. Everywhere where Panthic should have been thriving, we are in a catastrophe. How could we thrive if we continuously refuse to defend our Guru Sahib Ji?
Practicing utmost respect for Guru Granth Sahib is unquestionably an integral part of being a Sikh. However, we repeatedly choose to neglect it. Now, it’s no surprise that all spheres of our Panthic reality are in crisis. All of them are our creation. While we may find others to blame, spiritually we are completely responsible for the current state of the Panth.
We don’t even lack the needed resources or skills to make it happen. Most acts of beadbi happen in our own Gurdwaras. That means, we can’t say we have no control or authority to prevent beadbi.
While we may have a long journey ahead to build the needed capacity to implement preventative measures in our community, the crisis of beadbi at its core is nothing more than a crisis of choice: we choose our Guru, or we do not. Everything else just flows from that decision.
When it’s about what matters, the effort does not feel like discomfort but becomes an act of love for your Guru. What we feel right now can help us understand how much work we have to do to deepen our relationship with Guru Sahib Ji. However, the next step must be to accept the discomfort that comes our way. Then we can ask Guru Sahib Ji to bless us by transforming it into a genuine unconditional devotion.
Fixing at Panthic level begins with Ardaas that seeks forgiveness to repair our personal relationship with Guru Granth Sahib Ji
In contrast to our choice at a larger Panthic scale, what we have to choose at the individual level for everything else to repair is straightforward: hands united, eyes closed, and an Ardaas of forgiveness followed by a sincere falling down onto feet of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
And just like that, you ignite history.
The next step after Ardaas is to choose to redirect our personal resources and skills to prevent beadbi
Although there may be some complexity involved, the problem of beadbi is not impossible to solve. We can help with something. We just need to ask our Guru Sahib Ji in the next Ardaas to guide us on how we could serve with our skills. Doing Ardaas does not take much time. It goes a long way in our journey as Sikhs by opening up opportunities for countless blessings.
We can build beadbi prevention capacity in our global Sikh community. All it would take is bringing community talent together. Once we are all striving for the same goal, we can build beadbi prevention capacity in our global community.
Choose this opportunity to serve Guru Sahib Ji
While our current state is depressing and we are at fault for allowing most of what happened to our Living Guru Sahib Ji’s countless saroops, we need to remember that instead of neglect, we can also choose to not do so anymore.
Our choice is going to open up opportunities to serve our Guru Sahib Ji in ways we can’t even imagine. Guru Sahib Ji does Kirpa with abundance and if we were to do our best in our attempts to gain it, it’ll be nothing short of transformative blessing that can make us succeed at all fronts of our community.
The choice to leave the stagnant state is ours to make
Since we don’t have regular conversations about beadbi prevention, the idea of starting from scratch may be overwhelming. But we don’t need to worry. Our community can actually accomplish this goal with ease. We need to take step-by-step process.
We should divide acts of beadbi into multiple categories to create specific preventative procedures. Then, we can implement and scale those in various regions.
If we feel discouraged, we must remember: if a single Sikh can fight and defeat a war elephant with blessings from Guru Sahib Ji, we can overcome any obstacle that we may find on our path towards a future without beadbi.
However, this future where we accomplish this starts with your choice. It’s the one you’ll have to do yourself. You can make this important. When you do, beadbi prevention will instantly get pushed upwards as a Panthic priority.
Now it’s the time to step over that same line drawn by Baba Deep Singh Ji and stand up to defend your Guru. You can access the same strength as those warriors. Close your eyes and do Ardaas within 10 seconds. That’s it.
Take this opportunity to connect with your Guru Sahib Ji. Right now, it’s you and only your Guru — forget everything else and begin the Ardaas, formally or as a simple conversation between you and your Guru.
