Guru granth sahib, sikh holy book, is the eternal spiritual guide of the sikhs. Fighting is the aggressiveness, and we all have a divine nature and an animal. Sikhs are expected to embody the qualities of a santsipahia saint soldier, this means to love god, meditate on god, keep god in the heart, feel gods nearness and also be strong, courageous and ready to fight to protect weak people from cruel unjust attackers. His followers dug the pool that became the holy lake surrounding the golden temple. Composed the lavan marriage hymn, still used in sikh marriages.
There are also magnificent quotes throughout the book from the teachings of the 10 spiritual gurus of the sikhs and from the holy scriptures the guru granth sahib. These poet saints come from a variety of caste and religious backgrounds, and their inclusion provides a sense of honor for sikhs who consider their holy book. Its a religious sword that is worn to remind sikhs that they have a responsibility and a duty to stand up for justice. Introduction to sikhism guru tegh bahadur sikh temple. Encyclopedias encapsulate accurate information in a given area of knowledge and have indispensable in an age which the volume and rapidity of social change are making inaccessible much that outside ones immediate domain of concentration. Sikhs should only bow their head to the guru, not a barber. There are various reasons and symbolises have been put forward for the sikh practice of keeping hair uncut. Historically, unshorn hair was a sign of spirituality and sainthood. Sikhism is open to all, through the teachings of its ten gurus, enshrined in the sikh holy book, adi granth or guru granth sahib ggs. The guru granth sahib was compiled by the fifth sikh guru, arjan dev, in 1604 in the city of amritsar. With the outbreak of war in europe, india, the crown jewel of the british empire, joined the allies in battle on the 4th of august 1914.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Warfare and sanctity in the literature of early england is an outstanding study of the evolving relationship between religion and warfare in medieval latin and anglosaxon hagiography. The guru granth started as a volume of guru nanaks poetic compositions. Each of the ten masters added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, eventually resulting in the creation of the religion that is now called sikhism. The khalsa is a spiritual holy order which does not renounce the family. The guru granth sahib is the holy scripture of the sikhs, and regarded as the living guru. Vi he must contribulc onetenth daswand of his income for religious purposes. Sant sipahi stands for the sikh concept of warrior saint. The ten sikh gurus sikh center of oregon portland metro. The majority of sikh scriptures were originally written in the gurmukhi. Guru nanak teaches that one can only overcome ego by helping those in need without being selfish. Sikhism or sikhi is a monotheistic religion that originated in the punjab region of the indian. Before his death in 1708 guru gobind singh declared that the sikhs no longer needed a living leader and appointed as his spiritual successor the sikh holy book, now known as sri guru granth sahib, and as his physical successor the khalsa meaning the pure, order of soldiersaints.
The two words sant and sipahi can be translated as. Sikh warrior having the qualities of a saintly soldier, who maintains humility and. A sikh must be a saint soldier heshe must be prepared to stand up for. The main holy book in sikhism is the guru granth sahib. I will mention here 3 letters of sikh soldiers written to their relatives from the battlefield to the punjab. At the time when sikhism is attracting world wide notice, an online reference work embracing all essential facets of this vibrant faithis a singular. Prime minister singh was presented a robe of honour by the head priest of the golden temple. Saint and soldier the first and last gurus of sikhism.
Celebration of installation of sikhisms holy book at. Saint and soldier the first and last gurus of sikhism dolls of india. The holy book of the sikh religion is the guru granth sahib. Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of god at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind, social justice and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. Photo of a sikh man in attendance to the sri guru granth sahib, the sikh holy scripture. Political philosophy of the sikh gurus kanwarjit singh. He felt the divine call at the age of 38 and then decided to dedicate his whole. Prior to his death, he passed on his volume to guru angad guru 15391551. Also, keeping ones hair intact indicates resignation to the will of god. Mostly people dont understand when we say soldiersaint. Guru granth sahib, the holy book of the sikhs is also known as the final and immortal guru.
The khalsa was to be a saint, a soldier and a scholar, with high moral and. Collected the hymns of previous gurus and added 2616 of his own to form the guru granth sahib, the holy book of sikhism. Ranbir singh, the sikh way of life, the khalsa ideal of sikhism, p. But how do you feel about sikhism, i dont see any on here, also our holy book doesnt tell stories like the bible, its completely different. Sant is a word meaning a devotee, a good person, one who is humble, holy, or pious, a saint.
Biographies of sikh saints biographies of sikh women biographies of sikh. The word sikh in the punjabi language means disciple, sikhs are the disciples of god who follow the writings and teachings of the ten sikh gurus. The teachings of ten gurus can be found in the sikh holy book and living guru, sri guru granth sahib ji. The holy text spans 1430 pages and contain the actual words spoken by the founders of the sikh religion the ten gurus of sikhism and various other saints from other religions including hinduism and islam. Some 1,000 sikh soldiers in the indian army mutinied. Kangha a small wooden comb used to keep the hair tidy at all times. In sikhism, sant refers to a very pious person having saintly qualities. The 10th guru, gobind singh, declared that he would have no living successor, and this collection of teachings would become the ultimate guru for the sikh.
This was developed into the concept of the saint soldier by the 10th sikh. He who repeats night and day the name of him, who has full love and confidence in god. Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on. Sikhism is a young and vibrant religion, spread across the world and the holy. Guru sahib hence emerged as the saintsoldier of sikhism. Sant is used to refer to a wise, knowledgeable and dharmic person or a person with knowledge of god. This book contains the teachings of all gurus, and hass been identically printed since the first copy, containing the same amount of pages, same words, and same paper size to preserve it. In the year 1606, the fifth sikh guru, guru arjan dev, was captured by mughal emperor jahangir and imprisoned in lahore fort. Apr 4, 2016 a way of life and philosophy well ahead of its time when it was founded over 500 years ago, the sikh religion today has a following of over 20 million people worldwide.
While guru nanak founded sikhism, guru gobind singh added to it by founding the khalsa. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. Both the gurus passed on the legacy of sikhism to their successor, before breathing their last. The guru granth sahib is a collection of the sikh gurus writings that was compiled by the 5th sikh. Sikhism is open to all through the teachings of its 10 gurus enshrined in the sikh holy book and living guru, sri guru granth sahib. Sikh books of value contain numerous literary pieces on guru granth sahib and more valuable books of gurus and other topics of relevance.
Guru gobind singh introduced many of the customs that sikhs. A brief look at the life of guru gobind singh, the last of the ten sikh gurus. The final version of the guru granth sahib was compiled by guru gobind singh in 1678. But sikhism has a few important sites, of which, the hari mandir, also known as the golden temple in amritsar in punjab is the most important site and is considered the holiest shrine of sikhism. The concept of soldier saint sikh dharma international. The sikh holy scriptures are treated with the same respect as is given to one of the.
I see many posts about christianity, islam, atheism etc. After the nine sikh gurus, tenth guru ordered sikhs to regard sikh holy book. It also focuses on the khalsa, a military brotherhood of sikh saintsoldiers, created by gobind singh, the tenth and final guru. Sikh download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf ebooks. He declared the the sikh holy book as his successor instead of a.
Short books on sikhism gateway to sikhism foundation. The conjunction of faith and violence is a topic relevant to our times, and damons fair and comprehensive treatment of his. Unlike the new testament or the bhagavadgita, which are often carried around, dogeared and placed on a shelf with other books, there are strict rules and procedures for handling the adi granth. This article lists and documents all of the sikhs known to the world in military. His second and last version was the work of guru gobind singh, and was aimed at damdam sahib in the year 1705. The living guru of the sikhs, the book is held in great reverence by sikhs and treated with the utmost respect. Part of the reason was the fact that he had blessed jahangirs rebellious son khusrau, and part because of his growing influence in northern india and fast conversions to sikhism that threatened the orthodox muslim clergy as well as the hindu elite. It talks about how the sikh religion is a misinterpreted and beautiful religion. Guru arjan dev, the martyr whose death changed the course. Followed by over 20 million people worldwide, sikhism takes to the teachings of sikh gurus. Guru granth sahib, the holy book of sikhs introduction like the bible of christianity, the vedas of hinduism or the koran of islam, the guru granth sahib, also known as the adi granth, is the main scripture of sikhism. I recommend this book to all those who have an interest in sikhism, or who are hesitant about the faith. It follows the appearance of guru gobind singh, founder of the khalsa. The guru said, the khalsa is the living image of my spirit.
Originally, the religion relied on the teaching of living gurus. Guru granth sahib or sri guru granth sahib ji or sggs for short, is more than just a holy book of the sikhs. He added the hymns of his father, guru tegh bahadur, the ninth master, and a couplet of his book to hit a century before. It has over 3000 hymns and instructions to lead a good sikh life. Guru granth sahib guru granth sahib the most sacred object in sikhism is the guru granth sahib also called the adi granth, the sikh holy book. A sikh soldier, indar singh, fighting on the somme in september 1916. Saintsoldier was an ideological shift of the sikhs under the inspiration of the 6th sikh guru, guru hargobind, following the execution of. Sikhs are encouraged to live in families where they take on the role of soldier saints. I will eternally abide in the spirit of the khalsa. The guru granth sahib, the holy book of the sikhs, is filled with references to sewa being an essential aspect of a saintsoldier.
Role of sikhs in world war i a brief summary book launch. The first version of this book, known as the adi granth, was scripted by. It conveys the word of the master through his messengers on earth. Discover the sikhs, sikhi and sikhism discover sikhism. It is a collection of teachings and writings by guru nanak and other gurus as well as sikh, hindu and muslim saints. Guru nanak received a hukam commandment from god instructing him to spread a message of truth based on devotion to one god, honesty, and compassion. Sipahi means warrior or soldier this is a philosophy and a lifestyle which was first endorsed by guru hargobind, and later. In 1699 he chose the festival day of vaisakhi as the occasion to transform the sikhs into the khalsa, a family of soldier saints. Govind singh also took the crucial step of designating the adi granth, the holy book, as the next, last, and eternal guru, under the honorific title of guru granth sahib. Sikh gurus delivered messages of god to mankind and these messages are recorded in sikh holy book guru granth sahib ji.