Green elixir... the treasure of peace?

On the other side of the fence there are those who argue that the 4^th sin only states that smoking is banned. But this begs the question as to which drugs are permissible?

There is a tradition within the Sikhs called Nihang Singhs. This is a warrior sect amongst the Sikhs who maintain the dress and martial traditions of horse riding and martial arts initiated by Guru Gobind Singh.To find out more about the Nihang lifestyle please check out this video.

One of the traditions upheld by the Nihang Singhs is that of consuming ‘sukhnidhan’ meaning the treasure of peace or 'shaheedi degh' meaning the sacrament of the martyrs which are terms they use to refer to a milk based drink which is laced with almonds, spices and marijuana. In the following video a Nihang explains how 'sukhnidhan' is used to aid meditation and calls marijuana the 'Guru's herb'.

However there are differences of opinion amongst Nihang Sikhs with some Nihang Sikhs arguing that the tradition started by Guru Gobind Singh in times of war and adversity has been abused by those who take the drug merely for recreational purposes.



Another issue which arises from this video is that of other intoxicating substances such as alcohol and opium. Although most Nihang Sikhs are united in refraining from consuming alcohol many use opium from time to time which is called ‘nagni’ or the female cobra.  The code of conduct printed by the Nihang Sikhs doesn’t explicitly ban the use of intoxicants but point no.27.g warns Nihangs against addiction.

Ultimately whatever the stance on intoxicants all Sikhs are agreed that the ultimate drug is the name of God. In conclusion I leave you with a quote from Guru Granth Sahib...

“Servant Nanak is addicted to the intoxication of the Lord; meeting with the Lord, he finds sublime bliss.” (GGS p.975)

Maybe religion is the opium of the masses? But so what – morphine is used by doctors too!