True Maryada Of Nitnem

[machete]

What is Nitnem?

Nitnem means daily prayers; Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji put a collection of Banees together and ordered his Sikhs to recite them daily. The purpose of nitnem is to keep the soul and mind of the Sikh focused on truth and truthful living. Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji instructed his Sikhs clearly that nitnem is essential (it is a command from guru ji to recite nitnem). Even in the times of battle when the larger number of enemy forces where in hot pursuit of guru ji and his smaller band of Sikhs, guru ji used to stop to perform his nitnem. If you are uneducated in gurkmukhi you should try and learn but the least you can do is listen to nitnem on a cd. Nitnem is the minimal amount of gurbani that a Gursikh should be reciting daily. Really devote Sikhs recite their nitnem and on top may recite sukhmani sahib and asa ki // or even do a sehaj patt from Sri Guru Granth sahib ji. Shaheed Baba Deep Singh at times was known to recite 30 japji sahibs daily. Baba Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindrawale at times recited jaap sahib for 20+ hours daily. Some clowns say that nitnem isn’t important; they are just fools, so who are you going to listen to them or you’re Guru? It’s up to you?

A standard routine for Nitnem is to recite Jap ji sahib, jaap sahib, tav Prasad savaiye, chaupai sahib and anand sahib at amritvela (early morning before sunrise). These are also the same banees that are recited while preparing Khanda bata da amrit. In the evening Rehraas sahib is to be recited along with ardaas (standing up), and before going to sleep, the 4 shabads of protection are to be done these take 2 minutes, and kirtan sohila (also the end sloak in japji sahib is also to be recited again) is to be recited. However there is no restriction on when these banees can be listened to or read.

Some people state that there is no point in reading or listening to gurbani as we don’t understand it. Sri Guru Har Rai states: “as grease sticks to the pot even when it is emptied, so does the guru’s word stick to the heart. Whether you understand it or not, the word bears the seed of salvation” as your spirituality increases, you will automatically be able to understand gurbani better. But obviously if you learn to understand gurbani you can progress quicker on your spiritual path that is why the damdami taksal was created by Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, to teach Sikhs the meanings and proper way of reciting gurbani.

For a free Nitnem cd contact: sikhcds@yahoo.co.uk, a lot of gutka sahibs that contain the nitnem have the shortened version of the actual nitnem banees, (the British during their raaj in India altered these to weaken the roots of sikhi). Unfortunately most Sikhs are unaware of such tactics; to unsure you get full banees buy a taksali gutka (issued by damdami taksal) These Gutkas contain the same version of banees that are contained in the guktas of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji and Shaheed Baba Deep Singh ji. There are obviously other gutka, s that do have full banees, but the majority don’t.

Most Sikhs will have access to most of the nitnem, but I have seen a lot of gutka sahibs with the shortened versions of rehras sahib (where a lot of dasam bani is missing) and also the four Shabads of protection are missing. The Shabad before the ardass is also missing; the dohra to be recited after the ardass is missing. The best advice I can give is, seriously get hold of a taksali gutka asap. Most Sikhs don’t know that the sloak at the end of jap ji sahib is to be recited again at the end of kirtan sohila, this is an hukam by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (it was one of the hukams before he left for sach khand). Also the Four small Shabads of protection which are to be recited at night before kirtan Sohila was a hukam from Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Please forgive any mistakes. Please sangat ji take what is being said seriously and recite the full nitnem to obtain Guru Ji, s blessings.

Details of the Four Shabads of protection are given below:

All the Shabads are from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji:

Shabad 1- Start at Sorath mahalaa 5 Ang 626 line 7 to line 10 stopping at the expression, ¦¦2¦¦4¦¦68¦¦

Shabad 2- Start at Bilaaval, mahalaa 5, ang 819 line 15 to line 18 stopping at the expression, ¦¦2¦¦15¦¦79¦¦

Shabad 3- start at Shalok, ang 256 line 13 to end the of shalok stopping at the expression ¦¦1¦¦

Shabad 4- start at Shalok, ang 519 line 8 to the of shalok stopping at the expression ¦¦1¦¦

These Shabads don’t even take 2 minutes to recite, please sangat ji for the sake of two minutes lets not disobey the hukam of Guru Ji. At they end of the day the Shabads are for our protection. Please forgive my mistakes.

Waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh.

Contact: harpreets12@hotmail.co.uk if u wanna get involved in literature seva

[japmans]

Rakhiya Day Shabads are great..... fantastic...sometimes those are fun to just recite to yourself during the day..... and once you recite them enough, you can start making sense of them (if you have difficulties in initially understanding baani)

for clarification...the shabads are

Gur Ka Shabad Rakhvaarai, Chauki Chaugird Hamaarai

Raam Naam Mann Laaaga, Jamm Lajaaey kar Bhaaga

Prabh ji, Tu Mero Sukhdata, Bandan Kaat Karay Man Nirmal Pooran Purakh Bidaata (Rehaoo)

Nanak Prabh Abnaasi Jan Kee Sayv Na Birthee Jaasee

Anad Karay Teray Daassaa Jap Pooran Hoee Aaasa

Bilaaval Mehla 5

Taatee Vaao Na Lagee Parbrehm Sarnaeee

Chaugird Hamaarai Raam Kaar Dukh Laggai Na Payee

Satgur Poora Bhettiya Jinn Banat Banaayee

Raam Naam Aukhad Deeya Eka Liv Laayee (Rehao)

Raakh Leeyay Tin Rakhanhaar Sabh Biyaadh Mittaee

Kaho Nanak Kirpa Bheyee Prabh Bheyee Sahaaaee

Slok

Jeh Saddhu Gobind Bhajan Keertan Nanak Neet

Nnaa Hau Nnaa Tu Nneh Chhutai, Mukat Na Jaaihyo Doot

Mehla 5

Mann Mehi Chitvoh Chitvanni Oodam Karo Ooth Neet

Har Keertan Ka Aahro Har Deho Nanak Kay Meet

[Guest PRITAM SINGH KHALSA]

Sri Guru Har Rai states: “as grease sticks to the pot even when it is emptied, so does the guru’s word stick to the heart. Whether you understand it or not, the word bears the seed of salvation”

This Hukam from GuruJI is what made me take responsibility of being a Sikh and started that day in reciting Banis.

I thought since Im a gora Sikh that Id have to be a Sikh for years before I could even think of reciting the precious and Sacred Banis of the Guru. Before I was a Sikh I never heard Punjabi/Gurmukhi and I had no one to teach me. I thought all the Indians that speak Punjabi were already able to write read and recite the Banis, I didnt know Gurmukhi in the Banis is a different but similar language from the modern Punjabi spoken today. I thought the language barrier was going to hold me back and I just tore right through it and now am in the area of Anand because I was shown Sikhi from having nothing to having nothing to lose.

Ive been telling people about the shortened Banis etc for a while now, and most people hate when I say it because they want to be lazy and they dont want more Bani than they already have. Panj Banis are the minimum and they are shortened down to a minimun {a.e Anand Sahib is recited 1-5 pauris and then skipped to the last pauri?????}

The british really tricked the Sikhs by having a man figure out all about the Sikhs inside and out and changed things around, for instance the modern turban and rolled up beards. I actually want to debate about this subject because you never know it might wake up some people from the false ways and shortened banis

SatNam

[Revolutionary]

Thank You ever so much!

[rimmel]

.

[Guest PRITAM SINGH KHALSA]

What we need is Puran Banis in new Gutkas that are available in every Gurdwara free of charge bought be the donation money in the Golek.

Too many commitees misuse the money for stupid things or embezzle it. Its time for the Gurus Golek to provide for the quality of the Sikhs themselves, each and everyone.Once people have these Puran Gutkas then people will quit buying the shortened vesions.

Or they need to print Taksali Gutkas to have transliterations and translations.