friend, hear me, this is the way of life for a disicple of the Guru Rise in the early hours of the morning, take bath, recite Japji and Jap Sahib, and meditate on the Name of the God in the evening, join the sangat and hear the recitation of Rehras, http://www.punjabiturban.com/about.htm the prasises of God, and the edifying sermons. Those who follow such a routine, always endure. Nand Lal, listen carefully to what I say. In these categories I sublist : the category of the Attributes, the category of the Word of the Guru. That which the Guru teaches, men should hear and preach. Men should hear the word of the Guru with love in their hearts and faith in their minds. This, the Form of the Guru, the men should behold, day in and day out. Men should serve each other, without pride and selfishness. Those who serve humanity, their service do I acknowledge as the service to My person. Listen, O Nand Lal, thus humanity shall be freed and attain everlasting bliss."
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The code defines a Sikh as who belives in the word of the Gurus, baptism prescribed by the tenth Guru and the Adi Granth and does not believe in any other religious tradition. A Sikh should live according to the teachings of the Gurus and should have belief in one God.
He should not believe in the existence of gods and goddesses and should regard only ten Masters and their teachings as the path to salvation. He should have no faith in castes nor should he practice them. He should not believe in untouchability and miracles and should reject all superstitions and accept the unity of God as the Supreme Reality.
The Khalsa should seek the blessings of the Supreme Lord in all the deeds he performs. The supplications, which requires him to pray for the welfare of all, is meant to remind him that he should desist from deeds inconsistent with this prayer. The daily prayer of the Khalsa is meant to reinforce his will and put a healty moral effect on his activites and conduct. http://www.punjabiturban.com/about.htm
The code says that the Sikhs should not take intoxicants nor should they commit female infanticide and should refrain from social contact with those who commit such immoral acts. Monogamy is advocated. Widow remarriage is allowed. Adultery sould not be practiced. Extramarital relations are forbidden. Men are ordained to respect women and regard daughters of other men as their own and others' wives as their sisters and mothers.
A Sikh should earn his livelihood through right and honest means. He should help the poor and needy and regard such help and assistance as an act of service to the Guru. Stealing and gambling is prohibited.
The Code specifically prohibits removal of hair, eating of meat prepared by the process of a gradual and painful slaughter of the animal and use of tobacco. The code also lays down that in the case of a violation of these imperatives the defaulter may himself appear before sangat to seek their award and re-baptised.
The injunctions can be summarised thus: - At initiation a Sikh should take no other baptismal water but amrit, stirred with a double edged sword. He shall then be called a Singh. - Where there are five Sikhs the Khalsa faith shall be deemed to have been completely represented. A Sikh desirous of seeing the Guru will find him in sangat (an assembly if Sikhs). - All Sikhs will beleive in the immortal God and wear the five Kakkas.
- There shall be no caste distinction between one Sikh and the other. Every Sikh shall be krith-nash (disregarder of all prejudices and distinctions based on professions or trades) and kul-nash (disregarder of rituals or ceremonies), for man is to be judged by his actions alone.
- A Sikh shal honour and reverve Guru Nanak and His successors and follow their teachings as embodied in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He will occasionally visit Amritsar and have a dip in the sacred tank.
- A Sikh shall prize and cherish arms and delight in wear when all peaceful means to set things right fail. Whosoever kill his foe in the battle, or, even as himself subdued does not lose heart, shall be exalted both in this and the next world.
- Whatever wealth a Sikh brings home should be the result of his honest earning; out of this he should be regard the mouth of the poor as the receptacle of the Guru, believing that whatever is put there reaches the Guru.
- A Sikh is distinct from both Hindus and Muslims. He is not to believe in Hindu temples or their idols, their sacred places, their god and goddesses, their modes of worship, their mantras or their fasts. Nor should he have any faith in fasting or the graves of the Muslim saints. - A Sikh should regard the wife, sister or daughter of another person as his own daughter, sister and mother. He should not indulge in gambling or stealing and should avoid taking tobacco and intoxicants.
- The Sikhs can freely inter-marry but must not have any social or matrimonial relations with smokers, with persons who kill their daughters, with the descendants or followers of Prithi Chand, Dhir Mal and Ram Rai - masands who had gone astra from the principles of Guru Nanak. - The saluation among the Sikhs shall be waheguru ji ka khalsa, sri waheguru ji ki fateh (Lord's is the Khalsa, Lord's is the Victory). - Smoking and cutting of hair, eating fleash of animals killed in the semitc Muslim manner and sexual intercourse with any but one's wedded wife are the cardinal breaches of the Sikh faith. Anyone guilty of any of these must show repentence, pay a fine, promise not to offened any more and re-baptised; otherwise he or she stands excommunicated from the Khalsa.
Attributes of the Khalsa Through born of and brother to the Hindus, the Khalsa is a distinct community, entirely different from the former in outward form, conception of God and Gurus, language and script of the scriptures, religious rites, modes of worship, social customs and in its attitude towards caste and creed. - The Khalsa symbolises the oneness of God, all humanity and the abolition of caste barriers. - The Khalsa is a peaceful and progressive brotherhood dedicated to serve of humanity. - The Khalsa is a new order of society in which the lowest is equal to the highest, in race as in creed, in political rights as in religious hopes. - The Khalsa is an organisation of the Sikhs for the preservation and development of godly principles of conduct initialted, practiced and propagated by the Great Gurus. - The Khalsa is a comunity gifted with a rare combination of child-like magnanimity in daily life, lamb-like humanity in peace and lion like bravery in war. - The Khalsa's is a life of invincible optimism, of serene smiles at one's own sorrows and of action to alleviate the sufferings of others. - The Khalsa represents a victorious challenge to any mighty political power counting on "might is right". - The Khalsa is a kingdom from where lust, greed, idolatry, superstition, pride and pessimism are banished and what regns supreme are faith in one God, repetition of His Name, simplicity of habbits, humality of temper, truthness of disposition, earning through honest labour and sharing it with the needy, resignation to His Will, prayer for good of humanity at large and sympathy for the afflicted. - The Khalsa is a an institution with a cosmopolitan outlook based on love for all, malice towards none, and standing for peace, progress and prosperity of all without distinction. - The Khalsa is an unparalled and magnificent structure of society, the elements of which were cemented together by ten Master-Masons for over a period of two centuries with the spirit of love for all, service of society and sacrifice for the right cause. - The Khalsa is a programme of life concerned with conduct rather than creed and covering all aspects of human life - social, economic, political, moral, religious and spiritual. - The Khalsa is a nation of devotees, warriors and martyrs the examples of whose privations and sufferings for their faith stand unrivalled in human history. - The Khalsa is a fragrant flower of which the seed was sown by Guru Nanak and nourished by his successors by his successors with their very spirit and blood. - The Khalsa is the ideal of humanity, the marvellous creation, the greatest contribution and the crowning glory of Great Guru Gobind Singh. Thus, natural in form, modern in mind, progressive in views, optimistic in outlook, believer in the oneness of God and of all humanity, embodiment of service and sacrifice, imbued with religious humality and martial spirit and with traditions of unparalled glory, the Khalsa occupies a proud position in the community of nations. http://www.punjabiturban.com/about.htm
"He is Khalsa who speaks evil to none who gives in charity who subdues his passions who does not yield to superstitions who is awake day and night who delights in the sayings of the Gurus, and does not fear at all Does not offend anybody Otherwise the Lord will himself be offended. He is the Khalsa who protects the poor Who combats evil who remembers God, who achieves greateness."
Rites and Ceremonies Although rituals as such are not performed by the Sikhs, certain rites and simple ceremonies are usually performed by them on certain occasions.
Birth Ceremony When a child born in a Sikh family,it is an occasion for great rejoicing. Some relation or friend of the family recites the invocation to the Almighty which is given as Premble to japji Sahib. He then takes a drop of honey or water mixed with suger on tip of the kirpan and touches with it the tongue of the child. A prayer is also generally offered and karah prasad is distributed in the gurdwara.
When the mother is fit after confinement and is able to take bath, she goes to gurudwara along with her relatives. No particular time is fixed for taking bath. In the gurdwara hymns from Sri Guru Granth Sahib are sung and the Almighty is thanked for bestowing the child.
Naming Ceremony When the child grows a little, his naming ceremony takes place. It can be held either after performing Akand Path, Saptahik Path or even after simple Prakash of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. A passage is read out from the holy book and beinning with first letter of the first word of sangat is asked to suggest a name for the child. Several names are sugggested and the one ulitimately approved by the sangat is announced by the Bhai Sahib sitting in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. To a boy's name the word 'Singh' and to a girl's name the word 'Kaur' is added. After recitingsix stanzas from Anand Sahib, the prayer is offered. Then karah prasad is consecrated with a kirpan and distributedamong all those present.
Marriage Ceremony Sikh boys and girls are married on reaching maturity. Amrriage is performed according to Anand rites. This form of marriage has been observed since the earliest days of Sikhism. However, it was legalised by the passage of the Anand Marriage Act in 1909.
A formal betrothal ceremony is not essential. However, the betrothal, if it takes place, is very simple. The relations of the boay go to the house of the girl where they are welcomed and entertained. Then a kirpan and sweets are given to them for the boy. The prayer is offerd and God's and Guru's blessings are sought.
On the occasions of marriage, the bridegroom goes to the house of the bride with his friends and relatives. The parties sing hymns and welcome each other after prayers. This is called Milni. Early next morning, the two parties assemble in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and after Asa-di-Var, the bride and bridegroom are seated in front of the holy book. The bride sits on hte left side of the bridegroom. Then the Granthi (priest) or any other person asks the couple and their parents to stand up and invoke God's blessing. Then he tells them about the new phase of life they are going to enter and their respective duties and responsibilities. Marriage is a companionship for spiritual advancement and not for physical enjoyment. Thereafter, the scarf of the bridegroom is placed in the hands of the bride by her father and both are asked to stand. Then the four lavans are read out one by one from Sri Guru Granth Sahib. With each lavan both the bridegroom and bride take a round of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The bride follows the bridegroom. The first lavan emphasis discipline and the second the growth of love and enthusiasm. The third lays stress on restraint and the fourth and last mentions the harmony of perfect bliss derived from marriage.
"They are not wife and husband who only sit together, rather are they husband and wife who have one spirit in two bodies - Var Suhi 3
Before lavans are performed a hymn is sung:
"I attach myself to thee, leaving all my
relations who are false,
I come to cling to thee."
- Var Ramkali
And the end of each lavan, the couple bow down and take their seats. There after, the Anand is read and the prayer is offered. After distribution of karah prasad the ceremony is over. Then lunch, or whatever the case may be, is offered to the marriage party.
Death Ceremony When a person is on death bed, his relations and friends read Sukhmani, the Psalm of peace, to console him. Complete silence prevails. The dying person is not removed from the charpai, nor any other ceremony is performed. No earthen lamp is lit. Only the Name of God is repeated.
When a person dies, no lamentations are allowed. Instead, everybody is supposed to bow before the Will of God. Waheguru, Waheguru is repeated again and again.
All the dead bodies, even of infants, are cremated. Before cremation, the dead body is washed and clothed, complete with all Sikh symbols, before it is taken out on a bier to the nearest cremation ground. The funeral procession recites hymns from Sri Guru Granth Sahib. In big cities, now-a-days, dead bodies are carried in vans, especially made for the purpose. At the cremation ground the body is placed on the pyre and the eldestest son of the dead person lights the fire. If the eldest son is not there, the prre can be lit by a near relative. When the fire is fully ablaze, Sohila is read. People then leave the place and come to the house of the dead person where they are generally thanked by the bereaved family.
On the fourth day, the relations of the dead go to the ceremation ground and collect the charred bones of the dead. These are generally taken to Kiratpur and immersed in the river.
On the 7th, 11th or 13th day, as convenient to the members of the bereaved family, Bhog of Sri Akhand Path or Saptahik Path is performed when friends and relations of the bereaved family gather and pray to God to give the departed soul a place near His feet. After the usual prayers, karah prasad is distributed and the assembly disperses.
It is forbidden to errect monuments over the remains of the dead. However, some scholl or hospital or ashram can be constructed in the memory of the deceased.
After all the formal ceremonies,life goes on as usual. Everybody bows before the Will of God and usually Guru's hymn is repeated:
"Thy will is sweet, My Lord,
The Grace alone I beseech."
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