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By: Kulbir Kaur
"He wasn’t a hero, known by the world. But a hero he was, to his little girl.”
These lines by Rebecca D. Cook, from her poem Memories of My Dad, remind me of a little girl in my neighbourhood who was dancing continuously for an hour, repeating the same steps. Her father, though encouraging her, was obviously distracted and bored. Noticing this, the daughter complained, “Papa, you are not watching. What happened to all the clapping?”
“Dear, how long can I watch you doing the same thing?”
The daughter kissed her father and said, “But you are my papa. If you will not, who will?”
This speaks volumes about the kind of image children carry of their parents, especially fathers. No wonder a father is considered the ideal man, the ultimate purakh, equivalent to god - pitru devo bhava.
In the same manner, we look up to the Almighty, especially in times of crisis, expecting Him to forgive our faults and bestow us with His grace. Like a helpless child we pray, “Who else, O Lord, will protect me?” He is the Ultimate Father - param pita.
In Sikhism, as in all other religions, all human beings are children of God and karta purakh, the Creator, is our father. He loves all His children without any discrimination. The relationship between Satguru and the Sikh is similar to that of a divine parent and a beloved child. Satguru loves us because He created the world, including us, from His own self. We are His part and He loves us like a true father. Satguru is our real support.
In Sikh history and religion, Guru Gobind Singh emerges as the “ultimate son” when he tells his father, Guru Tegh Bahadar, to sacrifice himself and uphold the right of all to practice the religion of their choice.
In the words of Guru Gobind Singh, “Guru Tegh Bahadar died to preserve the right [of Kashmiri Pandits] to wear their caste marks and sacred thread; he suffered martyrdom for the sake of their faith.”
Guru Gobind Singh then proved to be the “ultimate father” when he sacrificed his own four sons to uphold dharma. He had said: “What if four have died? I have millions more in the Khalsa!”
[The author teaches sociology at Shyama Prasad Mukherji College, Delhi University.]
Source: sikhchic.com | The Art and Culture of the Diaspora | The Ultimate Father
"He wasn’t a hero, known by the world. But a hero he was, to his little girl.”
These lines by Rebecca D. Cook, from her poem Memories of My Dad, remind me of a little girl in my neighbourhood who was dancing continuously for an hour, repeating the same steps. Her father, though encouraging her, was obviously distracted and bored. Noticing this, the daughter complained, “Papa, you are not watching. What happened to all the clapping?”
“Dear, how long can I watch you doing the same thing?”
The daughter kissed her father and said, “But you are my papa. If you will not, who will?”
This speaks volumes about the kind of image children carry of their parents, especially fathers. No wonder a father is considered the ideal man, the ultimate purakh, equivalent to god - pitru devo bhava.
In the same manner, we look up to the Almighty, especially in times of crisis, expecting Him to forgive our faults and bestow us with His grace. Like a helpless child we pray, “Who else, O Lord, will protect me?” He is the Ultimate Father - param pita.
In Sikhism, as in all other religions, all human beings are children of God and karta purakh, the Creator, is our father. He loves all His children without any discrimination. The relationship between Satguru and the Sikh is similar to that of a divine parent and a beloved child. Satguru loves us because He created the world, including us, from His own self. We are His part and He loves us like a true father. Satguru is our real support.
In Sikh history and religion, Guru Gobind Singh emerges as the “ultimate son” when he tells his father, Guru Tegh Bahadar, to sacrifice himself and uphold the right of all to practice the religion of their choice.
In the words of Guru Gobind Singh, “Guru Tegh Bahadar died to preserve the right [of Kashmiri Pandits] to wear their caste marks and sacred thread; he suffered martyrdom for the sake of their faith.”
Guru Gobind Singh then proved to be the “ultimate father” when he sacrificed his own four sons to uphold dharma. He had said: “What if four have died? I have millions more in the Khalsa!”
[The author teaches sociology at Shyama Prasad Mukherji College, Delhi University.]
Source: sikhchic.com | The Art and Culture of the Diaspora | The Ultimate Father
