Akhand path: gurmat or empty ritual ?

[panthicunity]

Disclaimer in advance - Daas does not want to offend anyone with this post ,just humbly discussing what I have seen on many occassions.

People usually have Akhand Path on two occassions - before a wedding and upon someone's Akaal chalana.

On Both occassions (especially during weddings) while path is going on people are busy with their own affairs and hardly anyone is listening to the mechanical recitation of the pathis (who do it more as a job rather than with love / devotion) - pathis also doze off while reciting especially in the night hours

When we bring SGGS home it is like - 6 Gurus and all other bhagats and bhats have come to your home to tell you how to live your life and be one with akaal purakh, but alas we find it too boring - isnt that a bedbi ?

The other question is about the tradition itself - 72 hours of path is a very difficult undertaking - gurbani very strongly emphasizes "Sehaj" - meaning in order to attain parmatma we do not need to suffer - Änn na khaya swad gavaya , Vastra na pehre ahnis kehre

Also mere recitaiton of Gurbani to me is like rinsing your mouth with this elixiir , when it was meant to be taken in and absorbed.

Paaths held in grudwara are no better - things have gotten so bad in Brampton area that when you go to gurughar - the management people ask "tusi paath karauna hai ke keeta karay laina hai ". - What next Gurdwaras offering drive through Akhand path sevas ? I would like to order one akhand path and one ardaas for putar - that will be 800 $ ji .

If we truely want we should start a sehaj path that might take 5-6 months before the wedding or after someone's demise and try to understand as much arth as we can.

[Cisco_Singh]

I agree 100% unfortunately the majority of people see akhand paaths as some sort of formality...They do not take them seriosuly even the families arranging the paath do not do seva in the langar khanna or actually sit and listen to the paath.

Why undertake something as an akhand paath if you are not willing to take on the immense work load and seva involved.

[liveandletlive]

Guru Granth Sahib Ji is Jaagdi Jot of the 10 Gurus. It is all about the respect for them.

I know you put a disclaimer in but I am offended by some of your terminology.

For some an Akhand Paath is not a punishment and they dont "suffer" whilst listening to Gurbani.

[N30S1NGH]

Akhand patt is Gurmat itself, but rather question should be- if people who follow or engaging in akhand patt are following gurmat or empty ritual. It's one's perception surrounding the act decides if their action gurmat or karam kaand not the act itself..!!!

[N30S1NGH]

Sehaj patt and Akhand Patt are two different ways, serve two different purposes, for people who are at two different state of minds. One cannot use one to knock the other way...!!!

[panthicunity]

so how about someone like me - who lives by himself (so can't possibly do 72 hour paath non stop ) and dont have money to pay the paathis ?

How about Guru Nanak's emphasis on Sehaj ?

[N30S1NGH]

so how about someone like me - who lives by himself (so can't possibly do 72 hour paath non stop ) and dont have money to pay the paathis ?

How about Guru Nanak's emphasis on Sehaj ?

Thats understandable, its not mandatory rule that one must do akhand patt..i beleive we as beginners should focus more on sehaj patt than akhand patt sahib.

[Sikhistan]

First to take pictures of guru sahibs down and now put end to akhand paath. Brother, try to learn the system rather than revolting everything that does not suits you. Do not look for point to justify anything. Today, you say that akhand paat is ritual because ppl are not reading or listening to it. Tomorrow someone comes up and say that youth are drinking and do other bad stuff while paag on and start suggesting all to stop wearing one. It never ends !!

[Wicked Warrior]

I think it was Baba Harnam Singh who had darshan of Guru Ji and asked about Akhand Path and Guru Ji replied that it was Sikhs who had set the time limit themselves.

I think I remember reading that Akhand Paths were more "popular" during the Mughal wars when Sikhs had to move from place to place whilst covert.

I agree that full benefit is only if you understand and absorb it all which would be difficult to do in 24 hours. I also find that some gianis read far too fast/quiet for me to be able to understand it all.

[luckysingh99]

I agree that full benefit is only if you understand and absorb it all which would be difficult to do in 24 hours. I also find that some gianis read far too fast/quiet for me to be able to understand it all.

Very Good point, but i'm not sure about Baba Harnam Singh ji's darshan !!

Every sikh should be reading 'sehaj' ALL the time !

They should be taking their own time, whether that means 5-6 months or a year. Then after they have gone through once, they should then start again.

Nowadays, we have no excuse due to the vast sources of availability and access to gurbani via internet, interactive tv..etc...

This topic can be taken to two extremes !

The extreme in question is about doing it as a ritual, or just as another family function such that no one is paying attention to what is being said.

It's true that for our ladies it's another 'dress up' function to see who has the prettiest outfit whereas for the men it's about who has turned up or who has taken a day off work to come for my akhand path !!!????

FACT is a family member should ALWAYS be present when the path is being read, that means day and night. There should be a person that is listening all the time and family members should take it in turns.

Better still family members are supposed to participate in the reading !!

Because when akhand paaths were first started it was about ''i'm doing a reading with my family and you should come and listen""

It wasn't about' lets just pay a paathi to do it, becuse that's what a paathi does for a living '!!

Nowadays this isn't so convenient, but wherever possible and especially amritdhari full households, we should make more of an effort.

I don't actually see it as a wasteful ritual, but what I do see more ritualisticis when we pay someone to do an akhan path in India at a certain takht and then we are happily going on about our normal business and day to day life whilst someone is payed by us to do a reading on the other side of the world.

In this case, there is not even 5 minutes of devotion towards the guru by the family.

Whereas, when they are present then there may be much more moments of time that are actually devoted to the guru.

(Devoting even 30 minutes is bettere than not devoting anything!!)