Viakhiya (Explanation) of SIKH REHAT MARYADA (1)

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SIKH REHAT MARYADA VIAKHIYAA (DISCOURSE)

by Manvir Singh Khalsa

SECTION 1

CHAPTER 1 – SIKH DEFINED

ARTICLE I: DEFINITION OF A SIKH

Any human being who faithfully believes in:

i. One Immortal Being,

ii. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib,

iii. The Guru Granth Sahib,

iv. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and v. the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh

The definition of a Sikh highlights the fundamental beliefs an individual must have to identify himself or herself as a Sikh – which is a member of the Sikh faith.

(i) An atheist cannot be a Sikh because a Sikh a seeker of Truth. If you don’t faithfully believe in One Immortal Being, in Waheguru then you are not on the path of love to become one with Waheguru.

(ii) Without faithfully believing in your spiritual enlightener or Guru, you cannot learn anything. At school if you don’t respect the teacher, you don’t acknowledge the teacher or accept the teacher as your source of knowledge then you will not make progress on the road to education. To faithfully believe in Guru Nanak Sahib entails faithfully believing in Guru Gobind Singh Sahib as they shared the One Light are where all the embodiment of the Truth.

(iii) The Divine Word, the Shabad Guru, Guru Granth Sahib is the speaking soul of the Ten Gurus, through whose teaching is the gateway to eternal bliss.

(iv) Through the message of the Gurus, which is the utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus we are

able to realise God and live a life which blissful. Merely accepting the physical form of the Guru is not going to elevate your spirituality.

(v) Through the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, ‘Khande Pahul da Amrit’ a Sikh becomes initiated and makes a commitment of his mind, body and soul, his life and allegiance is only to Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Guru Granth Sahib Ji and no-one else. Taking Amrit and living the discipline is an act of love and dedication which all Sikhs should strive for if they consider the Ten Gurus as their Guru.

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SECTION 2

CHAPTER 2 - Sikh Living

Articles II

A Sikh's life has two aspects :

individual or personal and corporate or Panthic.

A Sikh a not a hermit who lives detached from society, The Gurus lives are an example for us of how we can become one with God while living and interacting in society for the better good.

CHAPTER III – A Sikh's Personal Life

Article III

A Sikh's personal life should comprehend:-

i. Meditation on Nam (Divine Substance, also translated as the God's Attributed Self) and the scriptures,

ii. Leading life according to the Gurus' teachings and

iii. Altruistic voluntary service.

Sikhism is founded on three principles, which work in harmony with one another and ensure a balance to keep the mind, body and soul in harmony.

1) Naam Japna (Simran) – through Simran we accumulate the wealth and treasure of NAAM (God’s Name), we increase our energy, become closer to Waheguru and elevate our spirituality. Naam is the ocean of peace.

2) Dharam Di Kirat Kamayee – living and earning a honest and truthful living.

kyqy bMDn jIA ky gurmuiK moK duAwr ] schu ErY sBu ko aupir scu Awcwru ]5] “There are so many entanglements for the soul. Only as Gurmukh do we find the Gate of Liberation. Truth is higher than everything; but higher still is truthful living”

(Ang 62, SGGS).

3)

Sewa – Some people through doing lots of meditation and Simran they get an ego because they think that they are great, no-one else has done as much penance as them or that they are very close to Waheguru unlike others. This is happened to the yogis and hermits which Guru Nanak Sahib met on his travels living in the Himalayan Mountains. Therefore though they accumulate the wealth of Naam they cannot become one with Waheguru because the ego acts as a veil of illusion between the soul and the Supreme Soul.

siqgur kI syvw sPlu hY jy ko kry icqu lwie ] min icMidAw Plu pwvxw haumY ivchu jwie ] “Service to the True Guru is fruitful and rewarding, if one performs it with his mind focused on it. The fruits of the mind's desires are obtained, and egotism departs from within.” (Ang 644, SGGS)

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Meditating on Nam (Divine Substance) and Scriptures

Article IV 1. A Sikh should wake up in the ambrosial hours (three hours before the dawn), take bath and, concentrating his/her thoughts on One Immortal Being, repeat the name Waheguru (Wondrous Destroyer of darkness).

Nothing more beautiful to wake up having a shower to cleanse the body and then have to bathe one’s mind in Naam and repeat ‘Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru’. Your body feels fresh after having a shower and full of energy after Simran. The mind becomes focused, content, and peaceful after Simran. Ultimately the soul gets food on its food – NAAM and your spiritual hunger is fulfilled.

Waking up in the ambrosial hours or early morning, you wake up with the nature. The peace, quietness and fresh feeling of waking up during Amrit-vela, early morning is the right environment and condition dedicating solely to Waheguru and Simran.

Pyir ik AgY rKIAY ijqu idsY drbwru ] muhO ik bolxu bolIAY ijqu suix Dry ipAwru ] AMimRq vylw scu nwau vifAweI vIcwru ]

So what offering can we place before Him, by which we might see the Darbaar of His Court? What words can we speak to evoke His Love? In the Amrit Vela, the ambrosial hours before dawn, chant the True Name, and contemplate His Glorious Greatness. (Ang 2, SGGS)

2. He/she should recite the following scriptural compositions every day :

a. The Japu, the Jaapu and the Ten Sawayyas (Quartets) - beginning "Sarwag sudh"-- in the morning.

Some people make it an issue that in the morning one should also read ‘Benti Chaupai’ and ‘Anand Sahib’ and that the Sikh R

ehat Maryada is saying one should only recite Jap Ji Sahib, Jaap Sahib and Sawayyas. But, no where is it written in the Sikh Rehat Maryada that one should only recite three Banis in the morning. Jap Ji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Swayyas, Rehras and Sohila make up the compulsory Nitnem (daily prayers). The more Banis you can read is the better and no one is being chastised for reading Anand Sahib or Benti Chaupai, rather it is good but it is not compulsory.

b. Sodar Rehras comprising the following compositions:-

i) nine hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib, occuring in the holy book after the Japuji Sahib, (The Phrase in Italic has been interpolated by the translator to help locate the hymns more conveniently.) the first of which begins with "Sodar" and the list of which ends with "saran pare ki rakho sarma",

ii) The Benti Chaupai of the Tenth Guru (beginning "hamri karo hath dai rachha" and ending with "dusht dokh te leho bachai",

iii) the Sawayya beginning with the words "pae gahe jab te tumre",

iv) the Dohira beginning with the words "sagal duar kau chhad kai".

v) the first five and the last pauris (stanzas) of Anand Sahib ( The object of reciting the Anand as part of Sodar Rehras or at the conclusion of the congregational gathering is just to express joy and gratitude for the communion with the Guru ) and.

vi) the Mundawani and the slok Mahla 5 beginning "tera kita jato nahi"- in the evening after sunset.

Explanation of why there are different versions of Rehraas Sahibs, provided by Dr. Gurbaksh Singh:

In every Gurdwara people get together for evening Diwan called So-Dar Diwan. Before starting the So-Dar Bani recitation, it was common (it is practiced at Akal Takhat and many other Gurdwaras even now) to sing some Shabads. When the Kirtan starts, Sangat knows that it is time for So-Dar recitation. They gather there and listen to the Kirtan of the Shabads before the start of the Rehras Paath. This

helps tuning their minds to Gurbani. At the fixed time the Kirtan is stopped and a Sikh recites the Paath.Wherever Kirtan could not be sung in a Gurdwara, because of the non-availability of the Ragis there, the Sangat would jointly recite Shabads in rhythm. This would give Sikhs time to sit,settle and concentrate their minds before the start of reciting Rehras.Later, when printing of Gutkas started, the Shabads commonly read by the Sangat were also printed along with the Rehras. This was to facilitate the correct singing of Shabads before starting the Rehras. However, having sung these Shabads over a long period of time, Sikhs mistakenly assumed the Shabads to be a part of Rehras. As different Sangats recited different Shabads to their liking, the contents and hence the length of the Rehras became different accordingly. To remove this misunderstanding, the Sikh Rehat Maryada expressly states that Rehras Paath starts from the Shabad So-Dar and ends at Salok Mahala 5: Tera Keeta ... Anything printed before So-Dar or after Mahala 5 is not a part of Rehras.Some Sikhs, however, made many more additions on their own after the Chaupai. The Khalsa Panth have decided not to include any of them as a part of Rehras. They are not allowed to be read as a part of Rehras. Even a little attention paid to the meaning of additional couplets chosen from Avtar Kathas easily proves that their reading as a part of Rehras is wrong. For example, one couplet tells that Vishnu devotees face no problems while the other couplet contradicts it saying that one should not pray to Vishnu, Krishan or other gods. Basically, the message of many of the added couplets is against the directions of Gurbani. They were picked up from the stories of Hindu Avtars included in a compilation now called Dasam Granth.

The Gutkas published by the Gurdwara Committee, Amritsar and other such organizations have the correct Rehras Paath. Only the Gutkas published by the private printers include extra Shabads after Chaupai. This is against the ruling of the

Rehat Maryada.Instead of agreeing with the scholars and the orders of the Guru Khalsa Panth, some Sikhs argue that reading extra Bani is more beneficial. Hence, they think that they are “better”Sikhs than those who read the standard Rehras. One is welcome to read as many hymns as he wishes to but no individual has a right to make any additions to the approved Rehras Paath. It should be read as directed. Other Banis can be read whenever one wants, but not as a part of the Rehras.

(Source: http://www.sikhpoint.com/religion/resource...es/default.ppa)

c. The Sohila - to be recited at night before going to bed. The morning and evening recitations should be concluded with the Ardas (formal supplication litany).

3 [Covers what the ardaas is and the procedure in the Gurdwara - to read, please visit www.sgpc]