Brahma Kumaris of Sind and wearing white etc

A mix bag of cultural references and clue to the roots of Brahma Kumarism, from: Sindhishaan.Com. The site also offer a wealth of other information about the Sindi Diaspora from Partition onwards, e.g. The Indian government chartered a number of ships to transport people, but due to the bureaucratic hindrances across the border, only a mere 2000 people were allowed to leave at a time, as the port authorities claimed inability to handle an even larger number ... According to the 1951 Census, Rajasthan was home to 54,574 male and 49,310 female Sindis." From, here. I can certainly remember the laying out of white spreadsheets at Brahma Kumari centers.

One question, from elsewhere, is this the Sindi god referred to in the oft quoted Murli song?

Jhulelal, also known as Amarlal, Uderolal, Doolahlal, Jalapati, the very incarnation of God of the Waters, took birth in the land of Sindh ... He came to us in response to the pleadings of the people, in answer to our calling of love and cries of agony. He came to protect our religion, to breathe vigor, vitality and courage into the weak and the faltering. He responded to the sufferings and wailings ... leading us to victory and happiness.

Jhulelal is the symbol of light, the Deity of the waves ... Sindhis worship fire and water because both are dear to Him. He is pleased so easily, even with simple offerings as those of rice and flowers. There is nothing more pleasing to Him than the gift of a devoted heart.

"Jhulelal Lal, Bera Par" (Oh Jhulelal ferry our boats across the ocean).

Her Second Home, the TIKANA

In the earlier days the life style of the Sindhi woman restricted her to her hearth and home. The day was spent discharging her household responsibilities, totally engaged in the daily chores of cooking, washing, cleaning looking after the family in general. But who doesn't need a break and a visit to the nearby Tikana provided solace to the spirit and respite from the daily grind to the Sindhi woman allowing her to savour a bit of a freedom and light heartedness – a place of worship and rejuvenation.

Tikana, is derived from the Sindhi word “thikano”, which literally means the place where a person resides. Hence also a place where the Lord resides. As you enter a Sindhi tikana, you are struck by the colour white, the building usually itself is white, white spreadsheets, women in white or at least seemingly white colours, men in white kurta-pyjamas with a white handkerchief on their heads. Just like a church would have 90% Catholics dressed in black, or people in a Hindu or Buddhists temple in orange, Sindhis prefer the whitest white when it comes to the place of worship, as we feel it is a symbol of purity.

In the olden days, every Sindhi woman would visit the “tikana” at least once a day. The Sindhi tikana is well ventilated, clean, well lit and large enough for a big gathering to assemble and offer prayers to the Almighty. The ambience is serene and beautiful inside a Sindhi “tikana”, the fragrance enchanting and the silence uplifting. There are large pictures of various Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu and the Sikh dharamas and one can pray in silence or “maun”. Some tikanas also have a healing place. It is believed that merely by sitting at that place a person can get cured of diseases that science cannot cure.

A Sindhi tikana usually has the Holy book of the Sikhs - Guru Granth Sahib placed in the center. A pathee (reader) is seen reading the large book. This voluminous book is as holy to the Sindhis as the “Gita” is for all Hindus, the “Bible” is for the Catholics and the “Quran” to the Muslims. Prior to partition when the Sindhis lived in Sindh, they had no place of worship of their own. There was Sufism that they could follow, or visit a Gurudwara as a place of worship. Since Sufism inclined more towards the Muslim tradition, many Sindhis chose to visit the Gurudwara and read the Guru Granth Sahib (in Gurmukhi – the script of the Sikhs). That tradition endures even today and a lot of our elderly ladles can read Gurmukhi very fluently. There is a special place for Guru Granth Sahib in a lot of Sindhi homes, even today.

A special type of prasad called “kana prasad” is served in a dona (dry leaf bowl) to each and every person present, with the holy greeting “Satnam” which means the Lord and his name is the only truth. The kana prasad is prepared with a mixture of ghee, wheat flour, sugar and milk/water.

Sindhi woman has a strong belief in the Akhand Path Sahib. It is the continuous reading of the Guru granth Sahib for 2 and half days. The third day marks the Bhog Sahib ...

Sindhi tikana also has the idol of Lord Jhulelal, the God of Sindhis. He looks extremely vibrant with large eyes, a beautiful decorated head gear which has peacock feathers, seated on a fish called the “palo” and a book in his hand. Lord Jhulelal is in fact considered as one of the forms of Lord Krishna. He too like Lord Krishna, relieved the Sindhis from their sorrows in those days. Typically any Sindhi function ends with a song in the praise of Lord Jhulelal, called “Panjra” The “Bharano” is a type of prayer offered to Lord Jhulelal ...

Sindhis, in particular Sindhi women, perform the Chaliho Sahib, it means eating only once in a day for forty days. They wear extremely simple clothes in those days, eat simple food, avoid onions and garlic and have no milk. On the fortieth day, the Baharano Sahib is offered to Lal Saeen or Lord Jhulelal.

Traditionally as a place to meet her Guru/God, a ‘tikana' was a must in the Sindhi woman's daily routine. A daily darshan of her guru keeps a Sindhi woman content and happy. On certain days she kept an ‘ardaas', which is a request to the holy Guru for fulfilling her particular wish. It could be success in the exams of her children, or the health of her husband. An ‘ardaas' is believed to be attended to by the Guru/God. As the wish is granted it calls for a ‘kanaprasad' distribution to all the members of the ‘tikana'. It is also at the ‘tikana' where the Sindhi woman found solace and counseling for her day-to-day problems and advice from the head priest on horoscopes, family problems, etc.

‘Tikana' was a meeting place for give and take, get-togethers and gossip. This aspect is the most interesting one — when usually in the evenings, after completing her daily chores, she visits the place to meet old and new friends and catch up on news, views and gossip about the community, neighbourhood and relatives to get away from the monotony of her daily routine. This could range from exchanging new recipes to sharing jokes, from discussing ailments and cures to property disputes and murders. ‘Tikana' as a meeting place rejuvenated the Sindhi woman, reconnected her to the Sisters and Brothers of the community and their problems. In this sense, the ‘tikana' fulfills an important community function of reviving the faith of Sindhi woman in herself and her community.

The ‘tikana' as a place for celebration is also important for a Sindhi woman where she regularly celebrates ‘tithis' like ‘satyanarayan', ‘chand', ‘gyaaras' and birthdays of the gurus and so on. Besides, it is also a place for marriages, ‘satsangs' and many other events.

In a situation where the Sindhi community is scattered, it is the ‘tikana' which stands out as a cultural, social, religious pillar, offering services for all from matrimonial to counseling from sewing embroidery classes to charity for needy women, and host of other social services. However, in the present century, with the Sindhi woman taking a flight to modernity, it is observed by many that the ‘tikana' culture is slowly waning. Will this pillar survive the next generation is a big question.

Nice bit of research there ex-l. Just goes to show how geographically based the culture of the BKs is.

I am amazed we all extrapolated it to something universal for so long. I suppose the "snap" has to happen eventually if one is honest with oneself.

Thank you. The next question would be ... how many of the women at the core of the BKWSU are 'in the BKWSU' ... 'on the spiritual path' ... and how many of them are just down 'the local tikana'? I am sure that this equally true for other Hindus, e.g. Sikhs/Gurudwar, Gujeratis but in my experience, this was especially true of the role the Brahma Kumaris 'play' ... and 'get paid for' (one way or another) ... for the Sindi Diaspora all around the world.

As we know, the Brahma Kumaris have spored themselves very much according to where the next Sindis are to fund their activities, buy a center or whatever. The support of other Hindus coming next ... "numberwise". If someone is doing a PhD, this would be an interesting thread to research.

Such understanding also undercuts the "uniqueness" of Brahma Kumaris that we were sold which has suckered Westerns looking for the exotic India in their seeking ... like myself. It wasn't the "enlightenment", it was the curry and sweets that got me.

It wasn't the "enlightenment", it was the curry and sweets that got me.

It is the "experience" of God that got me.

But as I have been saying to BKs around me, some BKs keep saying they never had an "experience" whilst I know many non-BKs who do have similar experiences. So what does this tells you?

some BKs keep saying they never had an "experience" whilst I know many non BKs who do have similar experiences. So what does this tells you?

I presume that's a rhetorical question? If not, here's my answer.

It tells you that if you look, you can recognise the same "types" across all cultures and religions who use it to fulfill their needs. There are the spotlight seekers, the political players - both out front and behind the scenes, the charitable mothers, the scholars, the mystics, those who want to help others, those who want to help themselves.

Each one has more in common with the same type of another religion than with a different type of it's own religion, i.e. the Sufi mystic has more in common with the Zen master than with the Taliban. The Sevadari BK has more in common with a Salvation Army soup kitchen volunteer than with a zone-in-charge.

It's just that the consciousness of the individual latches onto a "belief system" whether inherited or sought. We are all just human beings.

I agree with your answer.

Mine was that the experience of God is not specific to BKs and that the BK knowledge and Raja Yoga meditation does not necessarily lead to that experience. It thus seems to be individual specific, not belief system specific.

Not to mention that it cannot be proven that it is actually God that is being experienced, nor do I think that it can be proven not to be.