Langar

[Dilrubarb]

Greetings and Salutations,

Does any one know if there is a correct way of serving langar ?

Is it when the sangat sits down and langar is served ?

Or where the sangat gets a plate and walks up to a set space and langar is served there?

Please stick to the topic, and do not use this to praise or criticise certain gurudwaras.

Regards

Dilrubarb

[Nehmat]

Does it really matter about "how it's served"?...

They are doing seva either way by serving you...right?

The main thing about Langar is to "sit together like a family" and eat...so there is equality amongst the sangat present... =)

[Akaali]

Does any one know if there is a correct way of serving langar ?

Is it when the sangat sits down and langar is served ?

Or where the sangat gets a plate and walks up to a set space and langar is served there?

Langar is to be distributed like degh is distributed in maharaj's hajooree. Same way, in gurduaara saheb, langar should be distributed with everyone sitting as equals and are being served by the sevadars.

In the times of our guru sahibaans langar was distributed with everyone sitting and the langar being brought to them its just a sign of respect, instead of asking the sangat to come up and "get the food" so to speak. When sangat lines up to get the langar there's only 3-4 sevadars that are needed to distribute langar and others can't do anything, whereas if sangat is sitting down then there can be like 3 baltiaa of daal, sabji, dahi, etc. where whoever wants to do seva can, but at the same time:

lgy idvwn mUl n jwvY rihq ibnw pRswd bRqwvY ]

lagae dhivaan mool n jaavai rehith binaa prasaadh brathaavai ||

Sinful are those who show disrespect while in the Divaan; sinful are those who distribute food or Parshaad in the Gurdwara without living a life according to the code of conduct.

Bhai Nand Laal Jee

Its just practical for sangat to sit in rows and be served langar, instead of making a huge line that may extend to the outside of the gurdwara if there's a large amount of sangat present, they would also become discomforted to stand such a long period of time before they are served, like in the following image if sangat was served in such a way in large gatherings then why change it?

Community kitchens came into existence with the Sangat or holy fellowships of disciples which sprang up at many places in his time. Sikhs sat in pangat (literally a row) without distinctions of caste or status, to share a common meal prepared in the langar. Besides the kitchen where the food was cooked, langar stood for the victuals as well as for the hall where these were eaten. The disciples brought the offerings and contributed the labour of their hands to prepare and serve the food. The institution of Langar had thus demolished the long established caste barriers and gender prejudices of the time.

Here's some more interesting information on langar:

Guru ka Langar (literally, langar or refectory of the Guru) is a community kitchen run in the name of the Guru. It is usually attached to a gurdwara. Langar, a Persian word, means 'an almshouse', 'an asylum for the poor and the destitute', 'a public kitchen kept by a great man for his followers and dependants, holy persons and the needy.' Some scholars trace the word langar to Sanskrit analgrh (cooking place). In Persian, the specific term langar has been in use in an identical sense. In addition to the word itself, the institution of langar is also traceable in the Persian tradition. Langars were a common feature of the Sufi centres in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Even today some dargahs, or shrines commemorating Sufi saints, run langars, like Khwaja Mu’in ud-Din Chishti’s at Ajmer.

[Dilrubarb]

Greetings

talikhaak ji, thank you for a great reply.

exactly what i was hoping for when i started this topic

regards

dilrubarb