Sermons – GGSF – Guru Gobind Singh Foundation

About Baisakhi

admin — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 14:46:29 +0000

Baisakhi also known as vaisakhi, Vaishakhi, or Vasakhi marks the Sikh New Year and is celebrated on April 13 every year. It is a spring harvest festival for the Sikhs. Baisakhi commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Vaisakhi also marks the birth of Sikh order that started after the persecution and execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur for refusing to convert to Islam under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

The story of Baisakhi

The story of the festival of Baisakhi began with the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru who was publicly beheaded by Aurungzeb. The Mughal Emperor wanted to spread Islam in India and Guru Tegh Bahadur stood up for the rights of Hindus and Sikhs. For this, he was seen as a threat. After the death of Guru Teg Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh became the next Guru of the Sikhs.
In 1699, the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh chose Vaisakhi as the occasion to transform the Sikhs into a family of soldier saints, known as the Khalsa Panth. He founded the Khalsa in front of thousands at Anandpur Sahib.

During the Baisakhi festival, Guru Gobind Singh came out of a tent carrying a sword. He challenged any Sikh who was prepared to give his life to come into the tent. The Guru returned alone with his sword covered in blood. He then requested another volunteer and repeated the same action four times until five men disappeared into the tent. The crowd was extremely concerned until they saw five men return wearing turbans with the Guru.

These five men became known as the Panj Piare, or ‘Beloved Five’. The men were then baptised into the Khalsa by the Guru.

Sikh literature

admin — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 14:45:52 +0000

The Adi Granth and the Dasam Granth

There are two granths, or volumes, that stand out above all others in the Sikh religion: the Adi Granth (“First Book”)—unquestionably the greater of the two—and the Dasam Granth (“Tenth Book”). The Adi Granth, as discussed above, is believed by Sikhs to be the abode of the eternal Guru, and for that reason it is known to all Sikhs as the Guru Granth Sahib—in full, the Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahibji (“The Most Revered Granth Which Is the Guru”). The Dasam Granth is controversial in the Panth because of questions concerning its authorship and composition. No such questions concern the Adi Granth. Carefully compiled by Guru Arjan in 1603–04, it numbers 1,430 pages in its contemporary printed edition. The focus of the Adi Granth is remembrance of the divine name, and there is little commentary on historical events, apart from some references to the life of Guru Arjan.

The Adi Granth is divided into three parts and organized in accordance with specific ragas, a series of five or more notes upon which a melody is based. The brief first section (pages 1–13) contains liturgical works. The lengthy second part of the Adi Granth is devoted to 31 ragas (pages 14–1353), and the third and final part is a short epilogue containing miscellaneous works (pages 1353–1430).

Consulting the Adi GranthA Sikh consulting the Adi Granth in the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, Punjab, northwestern India.Rupinder Khullar— Dinodia Photo/AGE fotostock

The Adi Granth opens with the Mul Mantra, the basic statement of belief: “There is one Supreme Being, the Eternal Reality. [This Supreme Being] is the Creator, without fear and devoid of enmity, immortal, never incarnated, self-existent, known by grace through the Guru.” The Mul Mantra is followed by the only work in the Adi Granth that is recited rather than sung—the supremely beautiful Japji of Guru Nanak, which devout Sikhs may recite following an early-morning bathe. The culmination of its 38 stanzas describes the ascent of the spirit through five stages, finally reaching the realm of truth. The nine hymns of the Sodar (“Gate”) collection are sung by devout Sikhs at sundown each day. Finally, there is the Kirtan Sohila, a group of five hymns sung immediately before retiring for the night. Hymns that are recorded in this liturgical section also appear elsewhere in the Adi Granth.

The middle section of the Adi Granth is subdivided according to raga, and each raga is further subdivided into smaller sections. First there are the chaupad, short hymns by the Gurus beginning with those by Guru Nanak. Second there are longer hymns called ashtapadi and then a variety of longer hymns termed chhant. Next come longer works by various Gurus (such as Arjan’s Sukhmani), followed by the distinctive Adi Granth form of the var. Finally, there is the Bhagat Bani, comprising works by Kabir and other Sants whose compositions Amar Das (who was responsible for the Goindval Pothis) and Arjan regarded as sound. The inclusion of Kabir testifies to the link joining the Gurus to the tradition of the sants, most of whom were Hindus—though two were Sufi Muslims (notably Farid), both of whom composed works that were regarded by Sikhs as entirely acceptable.

This intricate but generally consistent ordering of material was characteristic of other collections of scripture by religious groups in medieval and early modern India. Guru Arjan’s collection included works by the first five Gurus, but there was relatively little by Guru Angad. Works by Guru Tegh Bahadur were added later, and the Adi Granth was then complete.

The other major work of Sikh literature, the Dasam Granth, was, prior to the emergence of the Tat Khalsa, believed to be a work of Guru Gobind Singh, and accordingly Sikhs treated it as a part of the Guru Granth Sahib. Most modern Sikh scholars, however, agree that by far the largest part of it consists of the compositions of Gobind Singh’s followers and that many of these works would never have met with the Guru’s approval. This means that the great majority of works in the Dasam Granth cannot be regarded as a part of the Guru Granth Sahib.

According to tradition, the original version of the Dasam Granth was collected by the Guru’s faithful follower Mani Singh. Another version is believed to have been assembled by Dip Singh, and a third was compiled in Patna at the end of the 18th century. The three versions are substantially the same, and none of them contains the Zafar-Nama (“Epistle of Victory”), Guru Gobind Singh’s defiant message to Emperor Aurangzeb. In 1902 Sanatan Sikhs of the Amritsar Singh Sabha published an authorized version that included the Zafar-Nama and gave it the title Dasam Granth. The contemporary printed work amounts to 1,428 pages.

Compositions that are accepted as the work of Guru Gobind Singh include the Jap (“Repeat,” which should be distinguished from Guru Nanak’s Japji, “Chant”), Bachitar Natak (“Wondrous Drama”), Akal Ustati (“Praise to the Eternal One”), and Zafar-Nama. Together these works form only a small part of the Dasam Granth. The great bulk of the volume consists of a retelling of the Rama and Krishna legends and a lengthy series of diverting anecdotes, mainly tales about the scheming ways of women. Contents of this sort were altogether unacceptable to the Tat Khalsa, which consequently rejected the Dasam Granth. Periodically, however, questions concerning its authenticity are raised, mainly by Sikhs who believe that the original tradition must be correct.

Devotional and other works

Apart from the Adi Granth and the Dasam Granth, the main works of Sikh literature can be divided into devotional works, janam-sakhis (writings on the life of Guru Nanak), rahit-namas (manuals containing the Rahit), gur-bilas (hagiographic works concerning the 6th and 10th Gurus that stress their roles as warriors), historical works, scriptural commentaries, the contribution of Vir Singh (1872–1957), and a brief anthology consisting largely of quotations from the Sikh scriptures.

The devotional works of Bhai Gurdas (1551–1637) and Nand Lal (1633–1715) are the only texts aside from the Granths that can be recited in the gurdwaras. Their compositions are more than just devotional, including social and historical commentary. This was particularly true of the works of Bhai Gurdas, whose 40 lengthy poems, composed in Punjabi, remain popular. Their popularity is vastly greater than that of his 556 brief poems in Braj, a language little read in the Panth today. The compositions of Nand Lal, who wrote in Persian, are also not well known to members of the Panth, because of the language barrier. Nand Lal joined the retinue of Guru Gobind Singh, adopting the pen name Goya (“Eloquent”). His works were greatly admired, and such was the respect accorded to him that three rahit-namas were mistakenly attributed to him.

The principal janam-sakhis are the Bala, the Puratan, the Miharban, and the influential works of Santokh Singh (1787–1853), which were published in the first half of the 19th century. Santokh Singh’s first contribution, completed in 1823, was Gur Nanak Prakash (“The Splendour of Guru Nanak”; also known as the Nanak Prakash), which treated the life of Guru Nanak and relied principally on the Bala tradition. In 1844 he published Gur Pratap Suray (“The Glorious Light of the Gurus”; widely known as the Suraj Prakash), which covered the lives of the remaining Gurus.

The earliest of the extant rahit-namas is the Nasihat-Nama (1718–19; “Manual of Instruction”), which was erroneously attributed to Nand Lal and wrongly titled the Tanakhah-Nama (“Manual of Penances”). A much longer work dating from the middle of the 18th century and bearing witness to its Brahmanic origins is the Chaupa Singh Rahit-Nama (“The Rahit Manual of Chaupa Singh”). Another lengthy rahit-nama from later in the same century is the Prem Sumarag (“The Path of Love”). The series of rahit-namas finally ended with the publication in 1950 by the Tat Khalsa of Sikh Rahit Marayada (“Sikh Custom Concerning the Rahit”), which was, unfortunately, little more than a pamphlet and poorly produced, though it remains an influential work in contemporary Sikhism.

The gur-bilas literature produced a style of hagiography that focused on the mighty deeds of the Gurus, particularly Hargobind and Gobind Singh. Unlike the janam-sakhis, the gur-bilas emphasized the destiny of the Gurus to fight against the forces of evil and their supreme courage in this struggle. The enemy against which they fought was, of course, the Mughal Empire. Some gur-bilas also attach great importance to the story of the goddess Devi as a preparation for the founding of the Khalsa. The tradition began with the writing of Bachitar Natak, which appears in the Dasam Granth. Later works include Sukkha Singh’s Gur-Bilas Dasvin Patshahi, Koer Singh’s Gur-Bilas Patshahi 10, and Sohan’s Gur-Bilas Chhevin Patshahi. All gur-bilas predate the rise of the Tat Khalsa and, apart from Bachitar Natak, have received little attention. Their general message is, however, firmly fixed in the modern traditions of the Sikhs.

Among the many works that record the history of the Panth, four are particularly important. The first is Sainapati’s Gur Sobha (1711; “Radiance of the Guru”), which provides a general account of Guru Gobind Singh’s life as well as a description of the founding of the Khalsa. A second work, Ratan Singh Bhangu’s Panth Prakash (later termed Prachin Panth Prakash to distinguish it from Gian Singh’s work of the same name), was composed in 1809 and completed in 1841; it is notable for its description and high praise of the Khalsa. The two remaining works are Gian Singh’s Panth Prakash and his lengthy Tavarikh Guru Khalsa, a labour finally concluded in 1919. These texts, however, cannot be described as works of history in the modern sense, and the works of Ratan Singh Bhangu and Gian Singh are similar to gur-bilas in their treatment of the heroic deeds of the warrior Gurus.

Several commentaries on the Adi Granth have appeared since the rise of the Tat Khalsa. The first, Faridkot Tika, was commissioned by Raja Bikram Singh of Faridkot in response to Ernest Trumpp’s translation into English of part of the Adi Granth, which Sikhs regarded as grievously insulting. Three volumes were issued during 1905–06, and a fourth volume followed some years later. This work failed to assume an important place among Sikh exegetical works. This, however, was not the fate of the four-volume Shabadarath Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, published between 1936 and 1941. Although published anonymously, it was mainly the work of Teja Singh. Vir Singh published seven volumes of commentary between 1958 and 1962 but left Santhya Sri Guru Granth Sahib unfinished. Another commentator, Sahib Singh, issued the 10-volume Sri Guru Granth Sahib Darapan between 1962 and 1964.

Among the most important and influential Sikh writers and theologians was Vir Singh, a leading member of the Tat Khalsa, who produced an extraordinary range of literary works in Punjabi prose and poetry. He first won wide popularity as a writer of novels such as Sundari (1943) and Vijay Singh (1899), which dealt with subjects such as the heroism and chivalry of the Sikhs in response to the oppression of Muslim rulers and the subservience of the Hindu masses. His novels also highlighted the excellence of the Sikh religion in comparison with all that surrounded it. Although his novels had lost their appeal by the early 21st century, they were eagerly read in their own time by a large number of Sikhs and set a useful example to other writers. Later in his career Vir Singh gave up writing novels and turned to scriptural commentary. He published a series of pamphlets through his Khalsa Tract Society and in his weekly newspaper (the Khalsa Samachar) and began work on his multivolume commentary on the Adi Granth. Meanwhile, he began to write poetry in Punjabi, including many short poems and also the longer Rana Surat Singh (1905) in blank verse. As always, the background was provided by the Sikh religion. He then turned to Sri Kalgidhar Chamatkar (1935), a life of Guru Gobind Singh, followed by Sri Guru Nanak Chamatkar (1936), and later he produced Sri Asht Gur Chamatkar (1951; “The Marvel of the Eight [Other] Gurus”), complete only as far as Guru Arjan.

A final work is the polemical treatise Ham Hindu Nahin (“We Are Not Hindus”) by Kahn Singh Nabha. First issued in 1898, it was the author’s answer to a publication by a Sanatan Sikh, Thakur Das, entitled Sikh Hindu Hain (“Sikhs Are Hindus”). Ham Hindu Nahin consists of a discussion between a Sikh and a Hindu and includes sacred Sikh texts on subjects such as the Vedas, gods and goddesses, and caste, among others. The title of the work became the slogan of the Tat Khalsa, and it remained in print throughout the 20th century.

About Guru Nanak

admin — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 14:44:44 +0000

Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539)
Birthday: 14 April

Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism and the first of the Sikh Gurus. He was born in Punjab India (modern day Pakistan) and gave spiritual teachings based on the universal divinity of creation. He taught his followers to concentrate on spiritual practices which would enable them to transform their egotism into selflessness.

Nanak was born in Nankana Sahib near Lahore in Modern day Pakistan. His father was the local tax collector for the village. There are many accounts which tell of Nanak’s early spiritual awakening. He was said to be a precocious child with particular insights into religious teachings and philosophy. He would spend time alone in meditation and was fascinated by religious rituals. His family were Hindu, but he studied both Hinduism and Islam extensively. Although he had a deep interest in religion, he also had a rebellious streak, not always accepting religious dogma. For example, at the age of eleven, boys of his age are supposed to wear a sacred thread of caste. But, Nanak refused to wear the thread, arguing that caste should not be used as a means of judging a person. Nanak would often debate with religious pundits about the nature of God and true religious practice.

Most of the biographical accounts of Nanak’s life come from the Janamshakhi’s and the vars, written by Bhai Gurdas

The Janamshakhi’s were written by Bhai Mani Singh.

In 1487, aged 18 he married Mata Sulakkhani in the town of Batala; they had two sons Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. Initially, he followed his father’s footsteps and became an accountant. But, his heart was not in a worldly life, and he was more interested in spending time in meditation and selfless service to the divine within each human being. His inner spiritual experiences encouraged him to focus more on his spiritual life and spiritual ideals.

Nanak was close to his sister Bibi Nanaki, and when she married, the young Nanak moved to Sultanpur.

Nanak was also encouraged by a local landlord Rai Bular Bhatti who was impressed with the unique qualities and gifts of the young aspirant.

Although there are many stories telling of the divine potentialities of the young Nanak, his main teachings and realisation are said to have begun when he reached the age of 30, around 1499. For three days, Nanak disappeared, leaving his clothes by the bank of a stream called Kali Bein. When he returned, he remained silent for a while before pronouncing he had received a vision of God’s court and had returned to lead people to this divine amrita (nectar).

Nanak taught that God was beyond religious dogma and external definition. He said he would follow neither the Muslim or Hindu religion, but just God’s path. He taught ‘there is no Muslim, no Hindu’. This was of social significance because of the political and social conflict between Islam and Hinduism at the time. During his lifetime, Guru Nanak attracted followers from the Hindu, Muslim, and other religious traditions. Guru Nanak received many distinguished visitors but always refused material gifts, believing that spirituality should be given freely and not dependent on financial payment.

“Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God.”

― Guru Nanak, Sri Guru Granth Sahib

The basis of his religious teachings was the belief in a universal God, who was beyond form, but who was manifest to varying degrees in all of creation.

“There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.”

― Guru Nanak

He taught his followers three basic religious principles.

Selflessness – sharing with others, and giving to those who are less fortunate. But, also a selflessness of attitude – avoiding the pitfalls of egoism, pride and jealousy.
Earning an honest living – living without deceit, exploitation or fraud.
Naam Japna – Meditating on God’s name and repeating a mantra. Through the repetition of God’s name, Nanak taught that a follower could free himself from selfish tendencies and cultivate happiness. However, Nanak taught it was not just enough to repeat a mantra mechanically, but with selflessness and real zeal.

To avoid the pitfalls of Ego, Nanak encouraged the following of a Guru – someone who could lead the seeker to avoid ego choice. By following the teachings of someone else, it helps to cultivate a spiritual attitude of devotion and discipline.

His teachings also had profound social implications. He denounced the caste system prevalent in Hinduism and taught external aides like rituals and priests were not of importance. Guru Nanak always stressed the inner spiritual awakening.

After this awakening/realisation. Nanak made many prolonged journeys around the Indian sub-continent. This included visits to Sri Lanka, Tibet, all of India, and also to Baghdad and Mecca.

He travelled with his Muslim companion Bhai Mardana – travelling in all four directions from his home village; it is estimated he travelled 28,000 km in five major world tours (Udasi’s) during his main mission of 1500 to 1524.

Fourth Udasi

During his fourth odyssey (1518-1521) Guru Nanak wished to visit Muslim shrines. He caught a boat West to Jeddah and then by foot towards Mecca. He travelled, as usual with Bhai Mardana (a Muslim) and Guru Nanak dressed in the navy-blue dress like the Hajjis. One significant story is that in Mecca, Nanak fell asleep with his feet pointing towards the holy shrine of Kaaba. This was insulting to Mohammedans, and one began berating and kicking Nanak, saying he was dishonouring the house of God.

Guru Nanak replied calmly:

“Brother, don’t be angry. I am very tired and need rest. I respect the house of God as much as any one. Please turn my feet in a direction in which God or the House of God is not.”

The Qazi took hold of Nanak’s feet and rotated him around. But, when he lifted his eyes, he saw the Kaaba standing in the direction of the Guru’s feet. Whichever way he turned Nanak’s feet, he saw the Kaaba standing by Nanak’s feet. The Qazi was amazed at Nanak’s holiness. Nanak got up and said:

“Don’t you see that God’s House is in every direction? I tell you He dwells in every place, in every heart. He is in your hearts. He is also in mine.”

When he set off on his first journey from his village of Talwandi, his parents initially didn’t want him to go; they felt their son should provide from them in old age. However, Nanak felt he had a compelling mission to offer God’s real message to suffering humanity, and he felt this mission outweighed his personal family obligations.

His fifth and last tour took place around the Punjab between 1523-1524. After this final Udasi, he travelled less, living on the banks of the Ravi River. It was in the Punjab where Sikhism would take the strongest root.

In 1539, he appointed Bhai Lehna as his successor, renaming him Guru Angad – meaning ‘part of you’. This began the tradition of Guru lineage.

A day after appointing his successor, Nanak died on 22 September 1539 in Kartarpur, aged 70. One Indian tradition states that after Nanak’s passing, there was controversy with Hindu and Muslim followers wishing to bury Guru Nanak in different forms. But, when the cloth was removed from Nanak’s body, hundreds of flowers were discovered; in this way, both groups were able to take flowers and remember Nanak in their own way.

About Five K’s

admin — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 09:05:57 +0000

Sikh men in America and throughout the world are easily recognized because of their turbans, flowing beards and stainless steel wristbands. The turban is worn in fulfillment of one of the basic vows of Sikhs—not to cut the hair, but to let it grow naturally as a sign of complete dedication, body and soul, to God. Both men and women keep this vow, women wearing a long head scarf called a chunni and men wearing the turban.

This marker of Sikh identity is but one of what are called the “Five K’s” kept by Sikhs, each one of which begins with the letter “k” in Punjabi:

1. Kes: The word means simply “hair” and as a Sikh vow refers to uncut hair.

2. Kirpan: A short sword or knife.

3. Karha: A steel wristband.

4. Kangha: A wooden comb worn in the hair knot.

5. Kacchera: Shorts, worn as an undergarment.

In 1699, the Sikhs, besieged with troubles and at war with the Mughal government of northern India, rallied around Guru Gobind Singh. At this time, Guru Gobind Singh performed the Sikh initiation ceremony, creating an intensely dedicated group of Sikhs willing to give their all for the Sikh community. It was called the Khalsa. The unwavering observance of the Five K’s became the mark of the Khalsa, and, by aspiration, that of the whole Sikh community. Many Sikhs have not taken initiation into the Khalsa, but still keep these distinctive emblems of Sikh identity.

Each of the five K’s has a practical function. For instance, the kangha is used to comb the long, uncut hair and the kirpan is a weapon with which the Sikh is obliged to protect the oppressed. However the Five K’s gradually attained a deep symbolic significance as well. A 1991 newsletter of the Colorado Singh Sabha in Denver describes this dimension: Keeping uncut hair “is an integral part of the natural state of human beings.” It signifies “surrender of one’s ego to the Guru” and represents the “declaration that one leads one’s life according to the way of the Guru.” The kirpan is “the sword of knowledge, which has cut the roots of ego.” The bracelet is a reminder “to shed falsehood and practice universal love.” Its perfect circular shape is also understood as a symbol of the eternal nature of God. The comb not only keeps the hair clear, but keeps the mind inwardly clean; and the shorts refer to sexual fidelity and the ethical value of overcoming lust.

Sikh identity means aligning one’s life with the truth of Ek Onkar, the One God. The five K’s continually remind Sikhs of the ethical and spiritual implications of this truth.

Importance of Langar

admin — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 12:17:46 +0000

At the center of Sikh teaching about equality is the langar (kitchen).That’s why it is so important.

Every gurdwara has a langar where all people are welcome to a free meal regardless of their sex, color or religion. There are no rituals observed in the langar and everyone eats together. All the food is vegetarian so that no religious group is offended.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji established the langar because he rejected the Hindu caste system where people of different castes do not eat together. Guru Nanak Dev Ji wanted to stress the idea that everyone is equal. Everyone shares the tasks of preparation, cooking, serving and cleaning. This shows sewa – selfless service to the others in the sadhsangat (community), the gurdwara, and the world outside.

The teaching of the langar was continued by Guru Amar Das Ji (the third Guru) who made a rule that no one, however important, could see him until they had first eaten in the langar.

The Langar or free kitchen was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji in about 1481. It is designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people of the world regardless of religion, caste, color, creed, age, gender or social status; to eliminate extreme poverty in the world and to bring about the birth of “caring communities”. In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of Langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness and oneness of all humankind. “..the Light of God is in all hearts.” (sggs 282)

For the first time in history, Guruji designed an institution in which all people would sit on the floor together, as equals, to eat the same simple food. It is here that all people high or low, rich or poor, male or female, all sit in the same pangat (literally “row” or “line”) to share and enjoy the food together.

The institution of Guru ka Langar has served the community in many ways. It has ensured the participation of women and children in a task of service for mankind. Women play an important role in the preparation of meals, and the children help in serving food to the pangat. Langar also teaches the etiquette of sitting and eating in a community situation, which has played a great part in upholding the virtue of sameness of all human beings; providing a welcome, secure and protected sanctuary.

Everyone is welcome to share the Langar; no one is turned away. The food is normally served twice a day, every day of the year. Each week a family or several families volunteer to provide and prepare the Langar. This is very generous, as there may be several hundred people to feed, and caterers are not allowed. All the preparation, the cooking and the washing-up is done by volunteers and or by voluntary helpers (Sewadars).

Besides the Langars attached to gurdwaras, there are improvised open-air Langars at the time of festivals and gurpurbs. Specially arranged Langars on such occasions are probably the most largely attended community meals anywhere in the world. There might be a hundred thousand people partaking of food at a single meal in one such langar. Wherever Sikhs are, they have established their Langars. In their prayers, the Sikhs seek from the Almighty the favour:

“Loh langar tapde rahin.”

“May the iron pots of Langar be ever warm (in service)”

Five Bani’s

admin — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 12:19:48 +0000

To support one’s spiritual development, Guru Gobind Singh taught that certain Banis are best chanted every day. Each resonates with the energy of a specific time of day and so reading them at that time is recommended. Below are the daily Banis given by Guru Gobind Singh.

JAPJI SAHIB

Written by the first Sikh Master, Guru Nanak. This Bani control’s one’s “Ji,” one’s soul. When your Ji, your being, is endangered, when the radiance of your soul is weak, recite Japji. Guru Nanak said that reciting Japji Sahib would liberate the humanity from the cycles of birth and death. Japji Sahib can be recited at any time of day.

SHABAD HAZAARAY

Written by the fifth Sikh Master, Guru Arjan. This is the highest disciple’s love letter, written by Arjan to his father Guru Ram Das. Its boon is that it gives the benefits of a thousand Shabads, and the soul shall directly merge with God. It makes the separated ones come home with grace. One who recites this Shabad shall never be separated from their beloved. Best recited in the morning.

JAAP SAHIB

Written by the 10th Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh. The Naad (Sound) of Jaap Sahib rouses the soul and the self of the Being. Sahib means grace. Recite it when your position is endangered, or when your authoritative personality is weak. This Bani brings grace and greatness. It will also give you the ability that whatever people say, you will automatically be able to compute what they are actually saying. And, once you are able to recite it correctly, it will give you the power, the Siddhi, that whatever you say, must happen. Man can direct God and God can direct man. Guru Gobind Singh gave us Jaap Sahib so we wouldn’t become beggars at the doors of others. Best recited in the morning.

TAV PRASAD SWAYE

Written by the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh. When you are not getting any satisfaction out of life, this is the Bani to recite.

ANAND SAHIB

Written by the third Sikh Master, Guru Amar Das. The 40 Paurees of the Anand Sahib guide the development of the mind and the soul for life. In this Bani, mind and body are explained in relation to cosmic Divinity. Guru Amar Das gave us this Song of Bliss to qualify the mind and to understand the depth.

REHIRAS SAHIB

Different passages composed by various Sikh Masters. This Bani is recited at sunset. Traditionally, this is the time of day when work is done and one feels tired. This Bani adds energy (raa-hu) to one’s being, to one’s total concept. Also, recite it when your worldly wealth is endangered. In Naad (Sound Language), reh means live, and raas means commodity. Rehiras Sahib helps you when you are physically weak, or weak in money, property and earthly goods.

KIRTAN SOHILAA

Different passages composed by different Sikh Masters. This Bani is recited before you go to sleep at night. It is the most harmonious Naad (Sound) ever uttered. It multiplies the aura to the sensitivity of protection that it eliminates any negativity for miles and miles. When you are in danger, from a direct or indirect source, and when you want to protect yourself with the surrounding of the entire magnetic field of the earth, recite Kirtan Sohila.

For those interested in the yogic aspect of these Banis, here is a list of them along with their relationship with the five tattvas (elements). Each element in our being has certain patters and holds certain karmas. The impact of the Banis on the elements is to balance the energy and clear the karmas that are being held.

Ether: Japji Sahib, Shabad Hazaaray
Air: Jaap Sahib, Tev Prasaad Swaiyaas
Fire: Anand Sahib
Water: Rehiras Sahib, with Baynti Chaopai
Earth: Kirtan Sohilaa