Sikh Worship

by chicken98 (student)

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Amit Wangoo 29/04/2012

2.2

Sikh Worship

Sikh worship, like many other religions is very important and it is has very specific aspects to its worship. Sikhism is considered to be a modern religion as it was founded in 15th and 16th century, despite this they have similar ways to much older religions like Hinduism.

The place of worship for Sikhs is the Gurdwara. Gurdwara means ‘the doorway of the Guru’. The Sikh holy book ‘The Guru Granth Sahib’ is kept in the Gurdwara. The Gurdwara is like a community centre where other Sikhs meet each other and pray together. Outside every Gurdwara there is usually a flag that tells people this is a Sikh place of worship. The flag is called the Nishan sahib and the symbol on the flag is known as the khanda that consists of 2 curved Kirpans and a Kara (bangle).

When in a Gurdwara, shoes should not be worn in the main place of worship. There are also sinks so that people can wash their hands before worship and a box of head coverings for non-Sikhs, because people must cover their heads as a sign of respect. In a Gurdwara anyone and everyone are welcome.

In the main hall there is a large carpet and there are no chairs or seats so the congregation sit on the floor cross-legged. Men and women sit apart from each other in the Gurdwara; this is so they don’t distract each other. At one end of the hall there is a raised platform or manjii with a chanani (canopy). Cushions and a romalla (beautiful clothes) cover the Guru Granth Sahib Ji when it is not being read. The granthi is a like a priest who sits behind the Guru Granth Sahib Ji facing the worshippers. In front of the manjii there is a long box called a Golak for people to make money offerings. There is another platform called the ragis were musicians sit and play instruments during hymns. Music is important because it is an accompaniment to singing of the scriptures. Inside a Gurdwara there is a room that is like a bedroom for the holy scriptures. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is ‘put to bed’ each night by the granthi who says a special prayer and then each morning the book is ‘woken up’ and placed on the manjii for the day.

In Sikhism there is no fixed day for worship, although Sunday in countries like India is a popular day for worship. Prayers are said every morning and evening in the Gurdwara, but not everyone attends these. The congregational worship is called diwan but can be called kirtan, which means hymn singing because versus are sung from the Guru Granth Sahib in the service.

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After bathing, members of the congregation remove their shoes, cover their heads and wash their hands before entering the prayer hall. As they enter the prayer hall, Sikhs approach the manjii on which the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is placed. They kneel on their hands and knees, and lower their heads until foreheads touch the floor as a sign of respect. Sikhs make an offering of money and greet other people by saying ‘Waheguru’. Men and women sit on separate sides facing the manjii. The service may last for a few hours. There are readings from the Guru Granth Sahib and they are chosen at random. Throughout the day the ragis chant and sing versus from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji with the congregation. As the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is being read the Granthi waves a special fan, called a chauri over the pages of the book. It is made from the hair of a yak. It is a reminder of a pakha, which was used by Sikhs walking with Guru’s to keep them cool in places like Punjab. At the end of the service the granthi explains the reading from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. At the end of the service there is a series of prayers, which includes:

Anand Sahib
Japji Sahib
Final verse, Ardas

During the Ardas is being read someone prepares the karah prashad (a sweet food). After Ardas has been read the prashad is offered to everyone and eaten. It is shared all around and symbolises that everyone is equal before god. Guru Nanak Dev Ji taught that the most important form of worship is bhakti (devotion to God). Some people say that the whole of Sikhism is bhakti. When Sikhs meditate on the name of God, this is known as Nam Simran. Sikhs remember the presence of God through Nam Japna, the constant repetitions of the name ‘Waheguru’.

As I have mentioned above the Sikh holy book is called the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The book is written in Punjabi, using the Gurumukhi – ‘from the mouth of the Guru’. Every printed copy of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is exactly the same, with 1430 pages. The book is a group of teachings and hymns of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and five other Sikh Gurus. It is treated as a living Guru by Sikhs, as Guru Gobind Singh Ji said.

The second Guru, Guru Angad Dev Ji, wrote down the hymns of the first Guru. The third Guru composed more hymns, including the Anand Sahib (Hymn of Bliss). The fourth Guru composed the Lavan, which is sung at weddings. The fifth Guru brought all the hymns of the other Gurus into one single set of scriptures, known as the Adi Granth. Over times more hymns were added and then when Guru Gobind Singh Ji was dying he said the scriptures should become the next and last Guru. The Adi Granth then became a ‘Guru’ and was known as the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is of very great importance for Sikhs, who believe that its message is the word of God. Many Sikhs keep their own a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji at home and take care and show lots of respect for it.

Every Gurdwara has a langar – ‘Guru’s kitchen’ or eating area. The langar is part of the act of worship and is a very important aspect of Sikh’s life. There is no money needed to pay for Langar. Guru Nanak Dev Ji wanted to stress the idea that everyone is equal, so he wanted everyone to be able to eat the same food regardless of who you are. Everyone is very keen to cook, prepare and clean. It shows sewa – selfless service. Sewa is a very important aspect of Sikhism. The food is usually served by male members of the congregation and there is no special place to eat and everyone eats the same food. The food is vegetarian which means no will be excluded regardless of their religion and food is served on a steel tray with different compartments and some foods that are served are:

Lentils
Chapattis
Rice
Vegetables
Chick peas

Langar is important because it brings people from all around and emphasises the fact that everyone is equal no matter what.

Sikhs show a lot of respect to their God by singing, making offerings and sharing. It shows that Sikhs care a lot about their God. However, Sikh worship is very similar to many other religions. In Islam and Judaism they do not worship idols or statues of their Gods and it is interesting to see that all three believe there is only one God. Sikhism originates from the area of India (mainly Punjab), meaning like Hinduism they speak a similar language and that they also sing hymns or ‘mantras’ in their places of worship. Sikhs have a granthi which is like a Christian priest, Jewish Rabbi or Hindu pundit. By making these connections we can see that even though Sikhism is a relatively new religion it is not that different from other older religions.

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