True Meaning Of The Term Amritdhaaree And Non-amritdhaarees

[Akaali]

Generally, people do not grasp the true meaning of the terms Amritdhari and nonAmritdhari Sikhs. The phrase non-Amritdhari Sikhs is meaningless. One cannot make a comparison between them. There is only one class of Sikhs and that class is the SIKH (Khalsa). Thus, one is either a Sikh or not a Sikh. Who is a Sikh? The literal meaning of the word Sikh is a 'disciple.' A Sikh is one who is a disciple of the Satguru. To be a disciple of the Satguru, one must completely surrender one's will and wisdom to the Will and Wisdom of the Satguru. Only then, the Satguru admits one is in his fold as a 'Sikh' and blesses him with the holy Naam. This initiation ceremony was previously referred to as the deekhya or charan pahul and has been prevalent right from the time of Sahib Sri Guru Nanak Dcv Ji, as supported by Bhai Gurdas Ji:

Gur Deekhya Lai Sikh, Sikh Sadaayaa. (Var3,Pauri 11)

One is called a Sikh only after he has been blessed with 'deekhya.'

Charan Dhoe Rehraas Kar Charnamrit Gursikhaan Pilaaayaa (// 1, Pauri 23)

(Guru Nanak) followed the system of washing the Guru's Feet and blessing the Gursikhs with the Charanamrit (Charan-Pahul).

Sahib Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji prescribed specific rules and regulations which must be unconditionally accepted by the candidates before they can be admitted as disciples (Sikhs). The ceremony by which the Panj Pyaras are authorized by the Satguru to admit such persons in the fold of Sikhism is partaking Khande-ki-Pahul or Amrit. Therefore, according to the Commandment of the Satguru, one can become a Sikh of the Guru only by taking Amrit. Such a person is also called an Amritdhari because he has been blessed with the holy Amrit and has, thus, become a Sikh. It is further explicit from the following couplet from Rahitnamaa of Bhai Desa Singh Ji:

Pratham Rahit Yeh Jaan, Khande-ki-Pahul Chhakey.

Soee Sikh Sujaan, Avar Naa Pahul Jo Lai.

The primary Rahit for a Sikh is to take Khande-ki-Pahul. Only he is sagacious Sikh.

Now consider this point from another angle. If someone belonging to other faiths like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc., wishes conversion into Sikhism, what is he required to do? Does he become a Sikh by merely refraining from cutting his hair and wearing a turban as Sikhs do? Obviously not. (There are a number of such people with long hair, and even wearing turbans, belonging to faiths other than Sikhism). He has necessarily to partake the holy Amrit to become a Sikh. How can, then, one become a Sikh simply because of accident of birth, without being baptized? This point has also been explicitly made clear by the Satguru himself as:

So Sikh Sakhaa Bandhap Hai Bhai, Jay Gur Ke Bhaaney Vich Avey

Aapney Bhaaney Jo Chaley Bhai, Vichharr Chotaan Khaavey. (pg 601)

Only that person is a Sikh and he is my near and dear one, who comes under the total allegiance of the Guru. As against this, one who owes allegiance only to is personal will, always remains in separation and will suffer.

Even in the booklet entitled Sikh Rahit Maryada published by the S.G.P.C., a Sikh has been defined as under:

"...Dashmesh ji dey Amrit utay nischa rakhadu hai atey

kisey hor dharam nu nahin manadaa, oh Sikh hai."

"...and has full faith in the Amrit of the Tenth Guru and does not believe in any other faith, is a Sikh."

Clearly, therefore, being a non-Amritdhari means that one, has not yet declared his total allegiance and obedience to Sahib Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji I Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji I Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as his Guru. Nor has he been blessed with the Gurmantra or Naam which is given ONLY at the time of baptism by Guru Sahib himself through the Panj Pyaras. Sahib Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji himself put a seal on this point by bowing before the Panj Pyaras for his own baptism. Are these so-called non-Amritdhari "Sikhs" greater than even Sahib Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, that they call themselves full-fledged Sikhs without being baptized?

It is thus, abundantly clear that the non-Amritdharls, even though they may claim to be Sikhs, and are also considered Sikhs politically and socially, are not Sikhs in the true sense and in the eyes of the Satguru. In Gurbani, they are referred to as (a) Nigurey; (b) Gumantar heenus; © Sakat; (d) Manmukhs or Vemukh, and (e) Vedeen (Faithless), etc. howsoever prominent or outstanding they may be in the social and public life of the community.

Gurbani defines such terms as under:

a. Nigurey: one who has not become disciple of the Guru.

Nigurey Ko Gat Kaaee Naahee.

Avgann Muthhey, Chotaan Khahee. (pg 361)

For him who is without the Guru, there is no liberation.

Deluded by evil propensities, he suffers.

Satgur Bajhon Gur Nahi Koee Nigurey Kaa Hal Naao Bura. (ang 435)

Without the True Guru (i.e. Guru Nanak), there is not another Guru.

And one without the Guru has a cursed name.

b. Gurmantar-heenus: One who has not been blessed with the Gurmantra (Naani).

Gumantar-Heenus Jo Praani Dhrigant Janam Bharashtneh.

Kookreh Sookreh Gardbeh Kaakeh Sarpaneh Tul Khaleh (ang 1356-1357)

One who is without the Gurmantra, is the most accursed, and contaminated is his life. He is like a dog, a swine, an <admin-profanity filter activated>, a crow a snake, and a fool.

c. Saakat: Infidel

Saakat Suaan Kaheeyey Baho lobhee, Baho Durmat Mael Bhareejey. (ang1326)

The dog like infidel is said to be very avaricious and is full to the brim of evil thoughts.

Saakat Besuva Poot Ninaam (ang1239)

The infidel is nameless like a prostitute's son.

d. Manmukh: One who follows his own will; the egocentric.

Manmukh Oodha Kowl Hai, Na Tis Bhagat Na Naao. (ang 511)

The egocentric person (i.e. Manmukh) is like a reversed lotus and possesses neither devotion nor God's name.

Manmukh Seti Sang Karey, Muh Kalakh Daag Lagaaey (ang 1417)

Whosoever associates with a manmukh, blackens and stains his own face.

Manmukh Naam Na Jannani, Vinn Naavey Pat Jaaey...

Vishta Kay Keerray Pavey Wich Vishta

Se Vishta Mahe Samaaye. (ang 28)

The manmukhs know not the Naam, and without Naam lose their honor...

They are worms of excrement, fall in excrement, and get absorbed in excrement

e. Vedeen: The faithless; the irreligious.

Choraan, Jaaran, Randiaan, Kuttaneeya Di Baan.

Vedinaa Ki Dosti Vedinaa Ka Khaann

Sifti Saar Naa Jannani, Sada Vasey Shaitaan. (ang 790)

It is the habit of thieves, adulterers, prostitutes, and pimps that they contract friendship with the irreligious or faithless and eat their food; they know not the worth of God's praise and Satan ever abides within them.

This was an excerpt taken from a post, I thought was worthy of note.

Bhul chuk muaaf karnee.

[JustME]

nice post i think some members here realy need to read this before "giving it large"

thanks for sharing veer jee :TH:

[xkaurx]

great topic

[Heera Singh]

Vaheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Jee Kee Fateh!!

some good points.. but i don't agree with everything here... now don't get me wrong.. taking Amrit IS a must for all those who wish to follow the path of Gursikhi... buh in my personal opinion, taking Amrit does not automatically make u a GuruSikh... i think tha's one CRUCIAL and NECESSARY step in the process...

buh rehitnama's also say 'rainee rahay soee sikh mayra, oh sahib mai us ka chayra'... its not only talkin bout outside rehit (keeping kesh, not drinkin etc.. etc..) buh i's also talkin bout INSIDE rehit... if a person does not personify the actions of humbleness, compassion, mercy, dignity, riteousness, truthfulness etc.. etc... then even though they might have taken Amrit, they cannot be considered a Guru Wala Sikh... Bani speaks about Amrit ... in fact, every akhar n Gurbani is imbued with Amrit... Bani also states how a Guru Wala Sikh should live his/her daily life... certain 'criteria' must be met before someone can be labelled a Sikh..

we see today SO MANY so called "Amritdharee Sikhs" who do not personify any of the qualities of what a SIKH should possess..... anger, greed, lust, hatefullness, being judgemental, looking down on others, etc.. etc... are these to be considered sikhs too?

talikhaak veerjee has quoted from another post, of listed 'characteristics' of people who are not 'considred sikhs'... buh le's take a look at some of them again...

a. Nigurey: one who has not become disciple of the Guru.

b. Gurmantar-heenus: One who has not been blessed with the Gurmantra (Naani).

c. Saakat: Infidel

d. Manmukh: One who follows his own will; the egocentric.

e. Vedeen: The faithless; the irreligious.

the first 2, and the last 3 can be completely different and used in the wrong context....

nigurey are those that haven't yet come on the path of sikhi... whether it be because they haven't been exposed, don't have any knowledge of, or have not fully adopted sikhi yet.. it cud be someone who's just been exposed to it.. and is starting to learn about sikhi (i have met many people like this..)

Gurmantr-Heenus are those who are 'without the naam'... but they could be those who are new to sikhi, and are now 'preparing themselves' to 'give their head' and are learning and 'practicing sikhi' in their daily life... i too, was once like this... and all who have taken Amrit, were once in this position as well.. so i tend to classify these as 'practicing sikhs'.. because Amrit isn't something that u jus take for the sake of takin it... i's a committment... i's a blessing.. and i's somethin that you must follow 100% and with 100% faith..

Saakat -- Infidel... now this is in the opposite direction.. an infidel is someone who does NOT accept the particular faith or refutes certain things in a faith... so for example, someone who doesn't believe in Sree Guru Granth Sahib Jee as our eternal Father, or someone who doesn't believe in taking amrit... that would be a saakat... but a Gurmantr-heenus and a Nigurey don't NECESSARILY fall under that category (they could... but it depends on their beliefs and thoughts)... they can believe in all the practices and beliefs of sikhi, but have not yet taken that next STEP of takin Amrit, because of many reasons... i.e. have not yet built up the discipline they need, are still learning etc.. etc...

Manmukh is a person who follows their own 'man'... but then again, how many of us are not manmukhs? even the Amritdharee's? do we nah follow our own 'man' on a daily basis? the VAST majority of the worlds population (including amritdharees) are manmukhs... the only way to get outta this category is to become a GURMUKH (walk in the way of the Guru).. and there are VERY FEW people who are in that category... a TRUE gurmukh is one who has left all 'self-will' and only now walks in Guru's Bhana... that is a TRU sikh... so... does anybody here think that they are NOT a manmukh? because.. i most definitely kno i am...

Vedeen - the faithless/irreligious... these can be classified as those who have no interest in 'religion' or God or spirituality... i.e. Atheists... these are people who probably are against the notion of a "God" and have no 'faith' in any sort of 'spiritual path' or 'religion'...

so as u can see... these words are mis-used over and over... and do not necessarily reflect the same characteristics in a person...

the vast majority of us, even amritdharee's are still PRACTICING SIKHS... above the post has said a Sikh is a Khalsa... Guru Sahib tells us what a Khalsa is... without hate... without anger.. has conquered the vices... is humble.. is someone who's mind and body vibrates on the naam 24 hours a day... someone who is without duality... a person without any doubt.. is someone who has completely given themselves to the 'charan' of Satguru Jee... etc... etc...

... how many of us can say we have done that? i don't think any of us can, otherwise we wouldn't be sittin here on the internet readin this... we are all still PRACTICING in our daily life to become that KHALSA... the PURE... which is why we are still Praciticing Sikhs... in my eyes, one can only TRULY become a Khalsa when they have reached the state of a Gurmukh... and thats not attained by jus takin Amrit... it goes a LOT further then that...

so yes.. although Amrit is VERY VERY VERY important and NECESSARY on the path of Gursikhi, it does not automatically MAKE a person a Sikh.. that is one very CRUCIAL and necessary step...

Vaheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Jee Kee Fateh!

[JustME]

yeah i agree with that.............amrit is like the first step......i think we discussed this once on chat

whereby when we take amrit we making a promise to Waheguru to follow his path but a sikh is always seeking to learn and better him/herself and must have "mann nihma, mat uchee"

[Mehtab Singh]

There is only one class of Sikhs and that class is the SIKH (Khalsa). Thus, one is either a Sikh or not a Sikh. Who is a Sikh? The literal meaning of the word Sikh is a 'disciple.' A Sikh is one who is a disciple of the Satguru. To be a disciple of the Satguru, one must completely surrender one's will and wisdom to the Will and Wisdom of the Satguru. Only then, the Satguru admits one is in his fold as a 'Sikh' and blesses him with the holy Naam.

Excellant post! And I can already see who exactly is going to start whining.

we see today SO MANY so called "Amritdharee Sikhs" who do not personify any of the qualities of what a SIKH should possess..... anger, greed, lust, hatefullness, being judgemental, looking down on others, etc.. etc... are these to be considered sikhs too?

Manmukh is a person who follows their own 'man'... but then again, how many of us are not manmukhs? even the Amritdharee's? do we nah follow our own 'man' on a daily basis? the VAST majority of the worlds population (including amritdharees) are manmukhs... the only way to get outta this category is to become a GURMUKH (walk in the way of the Guru).. and there are VERY FEW people who are in that category... a TRUE gurmukh is one who has left all 'self-will' and only now walks in Guru's Bhana... that is a TRU sikh... so... does anybody here think that they are NOT a manmukh? because.. i most definitely kno i am...

... how many of us can say we have done that? i don't think any of us can, otherwise we wouldn't be sittin here on the internet readin this... we are all still PRACTICING in our daily life to become that KHALSA... the PURE... which is why we are still Praciticing Sikhs... in my eyes, one can only TRULY become a Khalsa when they have reached the state of a Gurmukh... and thats not attained by jus takin Amrit... it goes a LOT further then that...

Another informative post, and I can see who exactly is going to start jumping!

[Ninja]

Surely they are steps before taking Amrit? and taking Amrit isn't the first

[Akaali]

Thanks guys, just to add my two cents worth..

Until we get over our own manmat of trying to prove that a Sikh is someone who is not amritdhaaree, lives without rehat, and doesn't do naam abhyaas, or nitnem, then we're at fault, and until we understand what our gurus already defined through their actions and teachings of what a Sikh should be we will never be able to figure it out.

Lets look at it this way...if we have doubts about anything we can always ask the punj pyaare the definition of a Sikh. If you beleive in the authority of the punj pyaare and will stand by what they tell you then you won't have a problem, and this is what you will do. More than likely this is what they will tell you, its upto you to beleive it or not, and its our own manmat if we don't.

Bhul chuk muaf.

[4givme4mysins]

Ek Onkar Satnam

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Amrit is your initiation, it is your test to pass, amrit is deadly important, it is that important that even days old babies are given amrit in the form of janam sanskar. You can be a muslim sikh, hindu sikh i.e. learners of that faith, but in-order to become a gursikh you need to drink in the Amrit.

Gurfateh Ji

"I do not have the naam"

[Heera Singh]

none of the posts above have denied the importance of Amrit... in fact, everybody has stated the importance and necessity of Amrit...