READING OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB                       

1. Every Sikh should, as far as possible, maintain a separate and exclusive place for installation of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, in his home.
2. Every Sikh, man, woman, boy or girl, should learn Gurmukhi to be able to read the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
3. It is desirable that every Sikh should carry on a continuous reading of the Guru Granth  Sahib and complete a full reading in one or two months or over a longer period.
4. While undertaking a full reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, one should recite the Anand Sahib and perform the Ardas. One should thereafter, read the Japuji. Akhand Path(uninterrupted non stop completion of the reading of the Guru Granth Sahib).

                        SIKH REHET MARYADA               

BELIEFS, DUTIES AND CEREMONIES

1. A Sikh should pray to God before launching off any work task.
2. Learning Gurmukhi is an essential for Sikh. He should pursue other studies too.
3. The true Sikh of the Guru shall make an honest living by lawful work.
4. A Sikh shall not steal, form dubious associations or engage in Gambling.
5. A Sikh should not kill his daughter, nor should he maintain any relationship with the killer of Daughter.
6. Not believing in any caste or descent untouchability, magic spells. omens days or occasions, influence of stars or any horoscopic dispositions, Ancestor worship.
7. The Khalsa should maintain its distinctiveness among the professors of different religions of the world, but should not hurt the sentiments of another person professing another religion.
8. A Sikh should, in no way, harbour any antipathy to the hair of the head with which the child is born.
9. It is not proper for a Sikh women to wear veil or keep her face hidden by veil or cover.
10. A Sikh when he meets another Sikh, should greet him with, ''Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh''. This is ordained for both men and women.
 

                                           

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                  SOLAR  ECLIPSE                                       

Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana reached the holy place kurukshetra where the war of Mahabharat had been fought. That was the day of solar eclipse, so people had come in large numbers from far and near for a holy dip. On every side people were waiting for the eclipse to start. Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana chose an open place and sat there. No sooner had the eclipse than groups of beggars starting asking for alms. The rich started to give charity to make amends of their sins. People started bathing in the river. This fallacy is in vogue that if anybody bathes and gives alms at the time of eclipse, all his sins are washed away in the same way as dust is washed from the body with water. Those desirous of washing away their sins were heaping money on the hands of Brahmins even though they had not given a single paisa to the poor before.
Guru Nanak was sitting and watching this show with Jagat Rai, the prince of Hansi state, placed a deer before him and requested, '' Holy man, I have nothing for charity at this auspicious time except this deer which I hunted on my way. Please accept this.'' At Guru Nanak's bidding, Bhai Mardana lit a fire and placed the deer on it to cook.
When Brahmins saw the smoke, they came running to Guru Nanak and said, '' No one can light a fire on this auspicious time. It is a great sin to light a fire. Nothing can be cooked. Only charity can be given at this time.'' Nanu Brahmin said,'' What have you placed in this pan to cook?'' Bhai Mardana said,'' This is the meat of deer.'' Nanu got more angry on hearing it.
Guru Nanak told those who were raising a hue and cry. ''It is not a sin to cook something to satisfy hungry stomach. It is a sin to rob innocent people by telling lies. Tell me how the sins of a sinner can be washed away by giving charity to sinners like you who do not know what meat is. Listen, all bodies consist of flesh. Flesh eats flesh. Flesh marries flesh and brings her home. All the relatives are flesh. When you realise the word of the Lord, you gain the knowledge of what meat is. These foolish vegetarians do not understand that vegetables are also meat. Woman is also a flesh. Those who decry meat, make love to it at night. Children are also flesh which take shape out of the flesh of their parents. Grain, cotton etc are all flesh. If you give up eating and wearing all these then you have given up meat. Those from whom you accept charity, according to your reckoning, will go to hell for eating meal while you will go to hell for accepting charity from them.''
Hearing these words from Guru Nanak, all those who were raising a hue and cry became silent. Guru Nanak further told them, ''No god is under threat. Eclipse are caused by the movements of the planets. Nobody's sins are washed away by bathing in this water and giving charity to these Brahmins. Only remembering and keeping God in mind can wash away sins.''

                   MADNESS FOR GOLD                                

One day Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana reached a country which was ruled by a very cruel king named Karu. He had an urge to amass gold and silver. If he heard that one of his subjects had some gold or silver, he would ask for it and then take it away by force if his request failed. In this way, he had filled forty boxes with gold and silver.
One day he asked his minister,'' Does anyone in our country possess gold or silver about which we have not come to know?'' The minister said,'' I shall inquire about it and let you know tomorrow.''
On the next day, the minister sent a very beautiful slave girl to the market for sale. The sale price of that slave girl was fixed as one silver coin. A merchant's son went to his widowed mother and said,'' If we buy this slave girl for a silver coin, she will do all the house work and make life easy for you.'' The mother replied,'' We do not have any silver coin in our house but when your father died, he was burried with a silver coin in his mouth. You dig the grave and take out that coin to buy the slave girl.'' When the king came to know about the silver coins in the mouths of the dead, he had all the graves dug up and had the silver coins taken out.
Guru Nanak went to his palace and said to the King's gatekeeper,'' Convey our message to the King, two outsiders want to see him.'' When the King came to the door, he saw Guru Nanak counting pieces of broken earthen pots. The King asked in great wonder,'' O holy man, what use are these pieces to you?'' Guru Nanak replied, '' We are to take these to the next world.'' The King said, '' How can you take these pieces to the next world?'' Guru Nanak replied,'' In the same way as the wealth collected by you by cruelty.'' Hearing this, he realised his mistake. He said,'' I  have great love for gold and silver. Advise me so that my love for gold and silver goes away and I may embark on the path of God.''
Guru Nanak said,'' O Karu, whatever you see with the eyes will be destroyed one day. The wealth which is spent in the name of God, goes along with you to the next world. Horses, forces and kingdm will remain here when death overtakes you. You came to this world alone and empty handed and shall leave this world empty handed. You have seen with your eyes that the dead, who had been buried with one silver coin in their mouths could not take even that one coin with them. How will this wealth amassed with sins and cruelty, go with you? However the sins and cruelty committed will surely go along with you and for committing those sins you will be thrown into the fire of hell.''
Hearing about the fire of hell, he trembled more. He asked,'' How can I  escape that fire?'' Guru Nanak said,'' Only if you shun cruelty henceforth and use the wealth which you have collected by your sins, to provide free meals for the poor.''