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Ardās
The Ardās (, pronunciation: ) is a set prayer in Sikhism. It is a part of worship service in a Gurdwara (Sikh temple), daily rituals such as the opening the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' for ''prakash'' (morning light) or closing it for ''sukhasan'' (night bedroom) in larger Gurdwaras, closing of congregational worship in smaller Gurdwaras, rites-of-passages such as with the naming of child or the cremation of a loved one, daily prayer by devout Sikhs and any significant Sikh ceremonies. An Ardas consists of 3 parts. The first part recites the virtues of the ten Gurus of Sikhism from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, starting with lines from '' Chandi di Var'' from the '' Dasam Granth''. The second part recites the trials and triumphs of the Khalsa and petition. The third salutes the divine name. The first and the third part are set and cannot be changed, while the second part may vary, be shortened and include a supplication such as seeking divine help or blessing in dealing with dai ...
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Sikhism
Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religions and among the largest in the world with about 25–30million adherents, known as Sikhs. Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the faith's first guru, and the nine Sikh gurus who succeeded him. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), named the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the central religious scripture in Sikhism, was their successor. This brought the line of human gurus to a close. Sikhs regard the Guru Granth Sahib as the 11th and eternally living guru. The core beliefs and practices of Sikhism, articulated in the Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh scriptures, include faith and meditation in the name of the one creator (''Ik Onkar''), the divine unity and equality of all humankind, engaging ...
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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 ...
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Dasam Granth
The ( Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.Dasam Granth
Encyclopædia Britannica
, pages 2, 67 The text previously enjoyed an equal status with the Adi Granth, or Guru Granth Sahib, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and were installed side by side on the same platform. The ''Dasam Granth'' lost favor during the colonial period when reformist Singh Sabha Movement scholars couldn't contextualize the reworkings of Puranic stories or the vast collection of 'Tale ...
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Balmiki
Chuhra, also known as Bhanghi and Balmiki, is a Dalit caste in India and Pakistan. Populated regions include the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, as well as Uttar Pradesh in India, among other parts of the Indian subcontinent such as South India, southern India. Their traditional occupation is Manual scavenging, sweeping, a "polluting" occupation that caused them to be considered Untouchability, untouchables in the caste system. Originally following the Balmiki sect of Hinduism, many Chuhras converted to Sikhism, Islam and Christianity during the colonial India, colonial era in India. Today, Chuhras in Indian Punjab are largely followers of Sikhism. A minority continue to follow Hinduism, which incorporates elements of Sikhism in its practices, as well as Christianity. In Pakistani Punjab 90–95% of its Christian population are Dalit Christians of the Chuhra caste; other Chuhras practice Islam or continue to follow Hinduism. Etymology and history The word "Chuhra" is d ...
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Ashtapadi
''Ashtapadis'' or ''Ashtapadi'' refers to the Sanskrit hymns of the ''Gita Govinda'', composed by Jayadeva in the 12th century. The ''ashtapadis'', which describe the beauty of Lord Krishna and the love between Krishna and the ''gopis'', are considered a masterpiece in esoteric spirituality and the theme of 'Divine romance'. The literal meaning of ''ashtapathi'', 'eight-steps', refers to the fact that each hymn is made of eight couplets (eight sets of two lines). It is also the source of the word ''ashtāpada'', an Indian board game, the forerunner of chess. Although the original tunes of the ''ashtapadis'' were lost in history, they remain popular and are widely sung in a variety of tunes, and used in classical dance performances, across India. Ashtapadis are regularly performed at Kerala temples in the accompaniment of an ''idakka;'' a genre of music called ''Sopana Sangeetham, sopana sangeetham.'' The lyrical poetry of the ''Gita Govinda'' is divided into twelve chapters, eac ...
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Sikh Practices
Sikh practices () are guidelines laid out by the Gurus for the practice of the "Sikh way of life". The Gurus emphasise that a Sikh should lead a disciplined life engaged in Naam Simran, meditation on God's name, Kirat Karo, living an honest life of a house-holder, and Vand Chaako, sharing what one has with the community. This translates into hard work, honest living, love of fellow humans and through them service of the God, the primal power. This way of life is said to have been stripped of complications, myths, jargon, rituals and exploitation of man by man in the name of religion. No benefits are gained by where and to which family the person is born to – All have to undertake the rigours of Simran (meditation) and Sevā (selfless service) to progress spiritually. The Guru Granth Sahib asks the Sikh to "Practice truth, contentment and kindness. Disciplined life The Sikh is required to undertake the following observances: # Wake up very early in the morning. # Bathing and ...
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Sikh Scriptures
The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth (First Scripture), more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The second most important scripture of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth. Both of these consist of text which was written or authorised by the Sikh gurus, Sikh Gurus. Within Sikhism the Sri Guru Granth Sahib or Adi Granth is more than just a scripture. Sikhs consider this Granth (''holy book'') to be a living Guru. The holy text spans 1430 pages and contains the actual words spoken by the Gurus of the Sikh religion and the words of various other Saints from other religions including Hinduism and Islam. Terminology Bir The word 'bir' (; alternatively spelt as 'birh') in Sikhism refers to a complete volume of a Sikh scripture as an individual corpus. The term "Bir" is derived from the Sanskrit verb ''vīḍ'' which means "to make strong or firm, strengthen, fasten, or to be strong, firm or hard." The word ''puratan biran'' refers to an ancient manuscript of a Sikh scriptu ...
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Waheguru
''Waheguru'' (, pronunciation: , literally meaning "Wow Guru", figuratively translated to mean "Wonderful God" or "Wonderful Lord") is a term used in Sikhism to refer to God as described in ''Guru Granth Sahib''. It is the most common term to refer to God in modern Sikhism. Meaning The meaning of the word (usually spelled in English as ''Waheguru'') is traditionally explained as 'wondrous!' ( Punjabi word analogous to "wow" in English), and ''guru'', Sanskrit for 'teacher, spiritual guide, God', which taken together are said to carry the meaning, 'Wondrous Lord'. It is built upon an expression of awe and amazement of the divine. Another explanation for the term's meaning is that it refers to a great instructor who takes away the darkness from their pupil and enlightens them. Waheguru is described and envisioned as a formless and omnipresent deity by Sikhs with whom a devotee is able to establish a personal relationship with by following the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. Wahe ...
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Sukhmani
Sukhmani Sahib (), known under the title of Gauri Sukhmani in the scripture (named after the Gauri raga musical measure it belongs to), is usually translated to mean ''Prayer of Peace'' is a set of 192 '' padas'' (stanzas of 10 hymns) present in the holy ''Guru Granth Sahib'', the main scripture and living Guru of Sikhism from ''Ang'' 262 to ''Ang'' 296 (about 35 count). This Gurbani text (writing of the Gurus) was written by the 5th Guru, Guru Arjan (1563–1606) at Amritsar in around 1602. Guru Arjan first recited the bani at Gurdwara Barth Sahib in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India. Content The composition deals with such topics such as '' Simran'' (general meditation that leads to merging with God) and '' Nam Japna'' (meditation of '' Naam''), the greatness of Saints and '' Sadh Sangat'' (holy congregation), true devotion, doing good deeds, the nature of the mind, the badness of slandering, concepts relating to '' Brahmvidya'', '' Advaita'', '' Sargun and Nirgun'', m ...
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Khalsa
The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism
Encyclopaedia Britannica
as well as a special group of initiated Sikhs. The ''Khalsa'' tradition was initiated in 1699 by the Tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh. Its formation was a key event in the history of Sikhism. The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi., Quote: "Vaisakhi is the most important mela. It marks the Sikh New Year. At Vaisakhi, Sikhs remember how their community, the Khalsa, first began."#Cole, Cole, p. 63: "The Sikh new year, Vaisakhi, occurs at Sangrand in April, usually on the thirteenth day.", Quote: "(...) for the Sikhs, it [Baisakhi] celebrates the foun ...
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Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs after his father Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Emperor Aurangzeb. His father was the ninth Sikh Guru. His four biological sons died during his lifetime – two in battle and two executed by the Mughal Empire, Mughal governor Wazir Khan (Sirhind), Wazir Khan.; Among his notable contributions to Sikhism are founding the ''Sikh'' warrior community called ''Khalsa'' in 1699 and introducing ''the Five Ks'', the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times. Guru Gobind Singh is credited with the ''Dasam Granth'' whose hymns are a sacred part of Sikh prayers and Khalsa rituals. He is also credited as the one who finalized and enshrined the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' as Sikhism's primary holy religious scripture and the eternal ...
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