Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara Sikhi Class

1) What is a Gurmukh?

• Follows the teachings of the Guru

• Very few of these in the world

 

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2) What is a Manmukh?

• Follows their mind, not the Guru

• Many of these in the world

 

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3) What are the 3 Pillars of Sikhi?

 

These are the basic guidelines for Sikhs given to us by Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

 

1) Naam Japna

• Doing simran, kirtan and reading gurbani

• This is to make sure we never forget our creator, Vaheguru

 

2) Kirat karni

• Earning an honest living

• This means earning money by working hard

• This stops Sikhs from stealing, gambling and being lazy

• This allows Sikhs to live a household life as we need to earn money to provide for the family

 

3) Vand ke Shakna

• Share with others

• Things we can share with other people include money, food and clothes

• Bhai Gurdas Ji tells us that the best place to share your things is within the Sadh Sangat. This includes sharing money and food with the Sangat.

 

 

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4) What are the 4 life ceremonies?

 

1) Naam Karan (Naming the child)

 

• Ardas is done in front of Guru Granth Sahib Ji to ask for a name for the baby

• A Hukamnama is taken

• The first letter of the first word of the Hukam is used to give the name to the child

• E.g. If the first word is “Gurmukh” then the babies name will start with G

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2) Amrit Sanchaar

 

1. On the day of the Amrit Sanchaar, only Guru Granth Sahib Ji, a granthi, the Panj Pyaare and the Sikhs who want to take Amrit are present in the room.
    

2. The Panj Pyaare put Patase (sugar cubes) into a Sarbloh Bata (iron bowl).
    

3. Then, each Panj Pyaara recites one of the 5 morning prayers
    

4. Whilst reciting the prayer, one of the Panj Pyaare stir the water + sugar cubes with an iron Khanda
    

5. 4 of the Panj Pyaare hold the bata with both of their hands. The 5th Panj Pyaara holds the bata with one hand and uses the other hand to stir the Amrit with the Khanda.
    

6. All of the Panj Pyaare sit around the Bata with their left knee down and their right knee up (Bir-asan). This is known as the warrior stance.
    

7. Once all 5 prayers have been read, Ardas is done to ask for permission from Guru Granth Sahib Ji to start giving Amrit to the Sangat.
    

8. After the Ardas, the Panj Pyaare start to give Amrit. Five handfuls of Amrit are given for drinking, five handfuls are sprinkled over the top of the head and another five are sprinkled into the eyes of each Sikh who wants to take Amrit.
    

9. Each time the Panj Pyaara gives a Sikh the Amrit, they will say “Bol Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh”.  The Sikh will then reply “Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh”.
    

10. When receiving Amrit, each Sikh sits in Bir-asan (warrior stance)
     

11. Once every Sikh has been given Amrit, all the Sikhs will form a semi-circle around the Bata. One or two of the Panj Pyaare pick up the Bata and go around the semi-circle to let everyone drink from it. This represents that everyone in the Khalsa is one family.
     

12. After this, the Panj Pyaare give the Sikhs their Rehat (Code of Conduct). They will give the Sikhs Mool Mantar, Gurmantar and tell them to read the 7 daily prayers. They tell the Sikhs “You have no caste, you belong to the Khalsa now. Your father is Guru Gobind Singh Ji and your mother is Mata Sahib Kaur Ji”.

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Every Sikh must undergo this ceremony to be part of the Khalsa Panth, which was started by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. The power of Amrit does not come from the water + sugar cubes, it comes from the Khanda and the 5 Bania that are recited into it by the Panj Pyaare.

 

Note: Amrit can only be made and given by Panj Pyaare, so there cannot be fewer than 5 Singhs or more than 5 Singhs

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3) Anand Karaj (Marriage ceremony)

 

• Guru Sahib has instructed us to live a household life which means we have to get married at some point in our life.

 

• A Sikh should only marry a Sikh. No interfaith marriages are allowed at the Gurdwara.

 

• A child should not be allowed to get married

 

• An Anand Karaj can only take place after the man and the woman have both agreed to the marriage

 

• Some families carry out an engagement. For this the couple do not exchange rings, instead they exchange a kirpan or a kara and then do Ardas to Maharaj. A Hukamnama is taken beforehand to ensure that Guru Ji accepts the marriage.

 

• The cost of the wedding should be shared equally between the families and a dowry should not be taken by the male family.

 

 

What happens during an Anand Karaj?

 

1. The couple sit in front of Guru Granth Sahib Ji and they are joined by a piece of cloth.
    

2. Before the Anand Karaj begins, an Ardas is done to ask for permission from Guru Sahib to start the ceremony.
    

3. Then, a Hukamnama is taken which should be seen as a personal message for the couple.
    

4. After the Hukamnama, the Granthi begins reading the “Laavan”. This consists of 4 parts and is written by Guru Ram Das Ji. Whilst the Laavan are being read, the couple should stay standing up in front of Guru Sahib.
    

5. After a Laav has been read, it is sung in kirtan. As the Laav is sung, the couple walk around Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Once they have returned to the front, they do Matha Tek and listen to the next Laav whilst standing up.
    

6. The reason the couple walk around Guru Granth Sahib Ji is because it represents that Guru Sahib will be at the centre of their marriage.
    

7. After the 4 Laavan have been completed, Anand Sahib (6 pauri) is read and then Ardas is done.

 

Note: On the night of the wedding, many families book a party hall in which they have meat, alcohol and music. This is not allowed in Sikhi. What should be done on the night of the wedding is a kirtan darbar or another program where the Sangat gets together.

 

 

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4) Antam Sanskar (Funeral)

 

• A Sikh should always remember that they will die one day

 

• Guru Sahib tells us not to be sad when someone we know dies as everyone will leave this earth at some point. Instead, when someone dies, we should pray to Guru Sahib.

 

• Usually the dead body is cremated (burnt) but some Sikhs in the past have preferred to dispose their body in other ways e.g. thrown in the sea.

 

• Sikhs do not have graves or gravestones. This is because when someone dies, the soul leaves the body. The body is just a shell we use to live in this world so it means nothing without the soul.

 

 

What happens during the Antam Sanskar?

 

1. Relatives read Sukhmani Sahib at the Sikh’s death-bed. Sukhmani Sahib is written by Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
    

2. The body is washed and dressed in clean clothes. The 5 Kakkars are kept on the body of the dead Sikh. The body is kept in a coffin.
    

3. The body is brought to the Gurdwara, where shabads are sung and the family sees the body for the last time. An Ardas is done at the Gurdwara before taking the body to the cremation site.
    

4. At the cremation site Kirtan Sohila and Ardas is done. After this the body is burnt. The ashes are taken and thrown in a river.
    

5. After the cremation, a Sehaj Paat is usually done at the Gurdwara or at home.