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Akhand Path
An Akhand Path (, ) is the continuous and uninterrupted recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib, also known as ''Akhand Path Sahib''. Purpose The recital - (Path) is undertaken for various reasons. It can be in honour of a particular occasion; to mark a happy or sad occasion within the family; or simply to increase one’s feeling of connection to Waheguru. Some of following may call for an Akhand Path depending on the family's circumstances: a birth, a birthday, recovery from a medical operation, a wedding, a death, a graduation, on achieving a goal like a high school certificate, on passing the driving test, an anniversary, or a historic occasion. Procedure The continuous nonstop recitation of all the verses in the Guru Granth Sahib from the beginning to the end, in 31 Ragas as specified, in all 1430 pages, lasts more than 48 hours by a team of readers. Nearby, over a container of water a coconut is kept wrapped in saffron or white cloth. A ghee lamp is also kept burning. Thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib (, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth (), its first rendition, was compiled by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan (1564–1606). Its compilation was completed on 29 August 1604 and first installed inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on 1 September 1604. Baba Buddha was appointed the first Granthi of the Golden Temple. Shortly afterwards Guru Hargobind added Ramkali Ki Vaar. Later, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, added hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur to the Adi Granth and affirmed the text as his successor. This second rendition became known as the Guru Granth Sahib and is also sometimes referred to as the Adi Granth.Adi Granth Encyclopaedia Brit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirtan
Sikh ''kirta''n with Indian harmoniums and '' Kenya.html" ;"title="tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya">tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s) ''Kirtana'' (; ), also rendered as ''Kiirtan'', ''Kirtan'' or ''Keertan'', is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, Bhajan, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration, shared recitation, or devotional singing, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas, native to the Indian subcontinent. A person performing kirtan is known as a ''kirtankara'' (or ''kirtankar,'' कीर्तनकार). With roots in the Vedic ''anukirtana'' tradition, a kirtan is a call-and-response or antiphonal style song or chant, set to music, wherein multiple singers recite the names of a deity, describe a legend, express loving devotion to a deity, or discuss spiritual idea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Udasi
Udasis ( Gurmukhi: ਉਦਾਸੀ ਸੰਪਰਦਾ; ''udāsī saparadā'') (Devanagari: उदासी संप्रदाय), also spelt as Udasins, also known as Nanak Putras (meaning "sons of Nanak"), are a religious sect of ascetic '' sadhus'' centred in northern India who follow a tradition known as Udasipanth. Becoming custodians of Sikh shrines in the 18th century, they were notable interpreters and spreaders of the Sikh philosophy during that time. However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and Hinduism, and they did not conform to the Khalsa standards as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh. When the Lahore Singh Sabha reformers, dominated by Tat Khalsa Sikhs, would hold them responsible for indulging in ritual practices antithetical to Sikhism, as well as personal vices and corruption, the Udasi mahants were expelled from the Sikh shrines. Etymology Udasi and Udasin is derived from the Sanskrit word ''Udāsīn'', which means one who is in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nirmala (sect)
Nirmala (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਨਿਰਮਲੇ, ''lit.'' "those without blemish") also known as ''Nirmala Saṁpardā or Nirmal Paṅth'', is a Sikh sect of Asceticism, ascetics.Nirmala: Sikhism Encyclopaedia Britannica According to the traditional beliefs, the Sanatan Nirmala Sikh tradition was founded by Guru Gobind Singh in late 17th century when he sent five Sikhs to Varanasi to learn Sanskrit and Vedanta texts. Origin The origin of the Nirmalas is uncertain. According to Khushwant Singh and other historians, the sect is first mentioned in the Sikh literature during the Guru Gobind Singh era, in the last decade of the 17th century. According to ''Nirmal Panth Pardipka'', the Nirmala tradition has roots in the early history of Sikhism. In the ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sikh Misl
The Sikh Confederacy was a confederation of twelve sovereign Sikh states (each known as a Misl, derived from the Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal'; sometimes spelt as Misal) which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. History In order to withstand the persecution of Shah Jahan and other Mughal emperors, several of the later Sikh Gurus established military forces and fought the Mughal Empire and Simla Hills' Kings in the early and middle Mughal-Sikh Wars and the Hill States–Sikh wars. Banda Singh Bahadur continued Sikh resistance to the Mughal Empire until his defeat at the Battle of Gurdas Nangal. For several years Sikhs found refuge in the forests and the Himalayan foothills until they organized themselves into guerilla bands known as ''jathas''. The basis of the Dal Khalsa army was established in 1733–1735 during the period of Sikh nawabship under the Mughals, based upon the numerous pre-ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dal Khalsa (Sikh Army)
Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined military forces of 11 Sikh Sikh Confederacy, misls that operated in the 18th century (1748–1799) in the Punjab region. It was established by Nawab Kapur Singh in late 1740s. History Mughal rule of Punjab The religion of Sikhism began at the time of the Babur#Conquest of Northern India, conquest of Northern India by Babur. His grandson, Akbar, supported religious freedom and after visiting the Langar (Sikhism), langar of Guru Amar Das had a favorable impression of Sikhism. As a result of his visit he donated land to the langar and had a positive relationship with the Sikh gurus until his death in 1605. His successor, Jahangir, saw the Sikhs as a political threat. He arrested Guru Arjan Dev because of Sikh support for Khusrau Mirza and ordered him to be put to death by torture. Guru Arjan Dev's Martyrdom in Sikhism, martyrdom led the sixth Guru, Guru Har Gobind, to declare Sikh sovereignty in the creation of the Akal Takht and to establis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nihang
The Nihang (also spelt as Nihung lit. "Crocodiles") or Akali (lit. "Immortals"), also known as '' Dal Khalsa'', is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the " Akal Sena" (lit. Army of the Immortal) started by Guru Hargobind. Early Sikh military history was dominated by the Nihang, known for their victories where they were heavily outnumbered. Traditionally known for their bravery and ruthlessness in the battlefield, the Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the Sikh Empire, the Sikh Khalsa Army. Etymology The word ''Nihang'' may come from the Persian word for a mythical sea creature (). The term owes its origin to Mughal historians, who compared the ferocity of the Akāli with that of crocodiles. The meaning of Akali in Sikhism however, is the immortal army of Akāl (God). According to Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, trac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of Sikhism
Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion in the Punjab region of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the 15th century and opposed many traditional practices like fasting, Upanayana, idolatry, caste system, ascetism, azan, economic materialism, and gender discrimination. Guru Gobind Singh, tenth of the ten Sikh Gurus, founded the Khalsa panth in the Punjab region of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the end of seventeenth century. He baptised five Sikh people from different parts of India, with different social backgrounds, to form the Khalsa. Those five Beloved Ones, the Pañj Piārē, then baptised him into the Khalsa fold. This gives the order of Khalsa a history of around 500 years. Historical theory and analysis suggests that Sikhism came into existence during the early medieval period of the Bhakti movement and also after repeated invasions by Muslim rulers upon the Hindu community during Mughal rule, which lasted between (1526–1857 AD) especiall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhog
Bhoga () is a Sanskrit term meaning "enjoyment; pleasure; experience". Etymologically, bhoga is derived from the root ''bhuj-'', meaning to "enjoy", "consume", or "relish". Bhoga in general usage refers to the consecrated food offering to a deity, or enjoyment of worldly pleasures. Denotatively, the meaning of the term bhoga is associated with the concepts such as "delight, enjoyment, consumption, indulgence, experience, and sensual pleasure", whereas, a connotative meaning implies to experience "pleasure without attachment." In Hindu philosophy, bhoga and yoga are viewed as the two paths leading to nirvana. The power of maya is believed to provide bhoga to an individual-subject experiencer (bhogin), so that their self attains maturity and realizes its oneness with the higher self. In the Dvaita Vedanta tradition, bhoga is "Enjoyment or unending bliss in the state of liberation." It is asserted that the self can have bhoga only while it has a body, and ceases to have it so af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karah Prashad
In Sikhism, Karah Parshad (Punjabi: ਕੜਾਹ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦ ), alternatively known as Deg or Degh (literally meaning "cooking pot"), is a type of whole wheat flour halva made with equal portions of whole-wheat flour, clarified butter, and sugar and double quantity of water. It is offered to all visitors to the Darbar Sahib in a Gurdwara. Overview It is regarded as a treat for attendees of gurmat seminars. As a sign of humanity and respect, visitors accept the Prashad sitting, with hands raised and cupped. The offering and receiving of this food is a vital part of hospitality protocols. It has the same amount of whole-wheat flour, clarified butter and sugar, to emphasize the equality of men and women. The Sewadar serves it out of the same bowl to everyone in equal portions. The Karah prasad is a sacred food; if it is not accepted, it may be interpreted by some Sikhs as an insult. Prashad is also taken at the initiation ceremony of Amrit Sanchar at the very end where it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hukam
Hukam () is a Punjabi word derived from the Arabic ''ḥukm'', meaning 'command' or 'divine order'. In Sikhism, Hukam represents the goal of becoming in harmony with the will of God and thus attaining inner peace. It also designates the practice of opening up at random to a page in the Sikh scripture (Guru Granth Sahib) to receive God's guidance on how to handle a certain situation, as answer to a question, or as more general guidance for that day. This ceremony is also known as Vak. See also * Hukamnama References Sikh practices {{Sikhism-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
