All Sikhs are familiar with the story of Baba Deep Singh - the brave warrior who led a mission to retake the Golden Temple from Afghan forces in the 18th century. In the traditional story, Baba Deep Singh loses his head in battle but stands back up, retrieves his head, and carries it the rest of the way to the precincts of the temple where he falls having achieved his goal. The story is a potent one that is meant to instill limitless resolve in the face of oppression in those who hear it.

Jvala Singh (instagram.com/jvalaaa; twitter: @jvalaaa; Youtube) tells us about the symbology of the headless warrior in Sikh art and philosophy as well as how avoiding literal interpretations of poetry can reveal a depth of thought otherwise unapparent.

About Jvala Singh:

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Jvala always had an interest in Sikh scripture through his father. He had the rare and special experience of spending 6 months learning from Sant Giani Inderjit Singh, a student of the renowned traditional institutional leader Sant Gurbachan Singh - a Sikh scholar whose lineage traces back to the tenth Guru Guru Gobind Singh.



He studied with Giani Inderjit Singh in India for 6 months straight, going through Guru Granth Sahib along with other traditional texts. In addition to traditional learning, He studied political science for his BA, then went to law school, following that up with a Masters in the Study of Religion, where he is focusing on the Dasam Granth (the writing of the tenth Guru), specifically its Puranic/Epic retellings (In particular stories of Krishna and Rama).