The History of the Nitnem

The History of the Nitnem Bāṇiā Akali Dr Kamalroop Singh Nihang The short essay was written for a lecture at the Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara (Shepards Bush) on the Nitnem ā ṇī , which are also known as the Panj ā ṇī . These are the five liturgical Sikh prayers said in the ambrosial hours by pious Sikhs, and are also recited in the Khalsa initiation called khaṅḍe-ki-p hul. I will conclude by offering an explanation to why the PĀnj ā ṇi are „mentioned‟ very little in history. Jap jī Sāhib The Guru Granth Sahib is not a collection of random hymns (shabads), as it has a structure. Some scholars argue that this is like chapters in a book, with an introduction (the JĀp jī S hiā), various chapters based on the r ga, and a conclusion. This is one way of looking at it. In my own research and from the traditional teachings of saintly people (m h purukhs); the Guru Granth Sahib is actually structured in accordance with nature or kudrati, so one interpretation is that it is ordered like a tree. As we shall see we can also conclude this from some of the terminology employed. As previously stated the Jap jī is the first composition of Guru Granth Sahib, it begins with the Mῡl mantra. This is translated as the „Root mantra‟, and is the basis for Sikh theology or Gurmat, as every tree must have roots. Where do the roots come from? They must come from a seed. This „BījĀ mĀntrĀ‟ or seed mantra, according to Bhai Mani Singh Shahīd in his Uthank , or exegesis of Guru Granth Sahib, is Ik Oaṅk r SĀtin mu. Ik Oaṅk r is the monosyllable of shabad Brahman, the primordial shabad Guru or Uni-versal Creator. The etymology of this word, as denoted by the dash, can be found in English, Latin, and Greek; meaning One Verse, One Shabad, One Word (Universe). Many people interpret and translate Ik Oaṅk r to mean that „There is One God‟, but „there is One God‟ and „God is One‟ are two different concepts. I would argue that it is the second non-dual concept, as argued by Mandair (2006). This is also due to the theological notions of God being Omnipresent and Omnipotent, where it could be that the word Omni could be related to the Sanskrit Oṃ. The tradition also views Oaṅ to mean the generating, organising, and destroying power of GOD. As Ik Oaṅk r is a monosyllable this leaves us with the four syllables of Sa ti n m, thĀt God‟s nĀme or existence is true, which makes panch shabad, from which where the five elements of existence arise from. From this it develops into the M h Mantra which is up to Gurpras di. From there we have the name of the ā ṇī and the first instruction to a Sikh, to Japu – to meditate, concentrate, to repeat the name of God, Ānd āecome fixed on the existentiĀl truth of God‟s divine nĀme. In the tradition the Mῡl mantra concludes with the salok of Guru Nanak Dev, which is said in the tradition to be the response by Guru Nanak to hearing the M h MĀntrĀ directly from Akal Purakh, when the Guru disappeared at the river Kali Bein: di sachu jug di sachu hai bhī sachu N nak hosī bhī sachu. The Mῡl mantra is the root of Sikh theology, in which our understanding of existence is given. Therefore all shabads must be interpreted in relation to the Mῡl mantra. We have similar expressions of Divinity in other traditions, in the holy Bible in John Chapter 1: „In the āeginning there wĀs the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.‟ In the Qur‟Ān: ‘Bismill hi r-raḥm ni r-raḥīm - In the name of Allah Most Gracious the Most Merciful.‟ There is also the traditional saying of „La Il-aha ill-al-lah.‟ There is no Deity but Allah, literally meaning there is no deity but The Deity. On the other hand the first opening of the Vedas is to Agnī (fire) which could possibly be a symbolic representation for God, but Om is chanted before it: „Agní īle puróhitĀṃ - I adore the Fire, the sacrificial priest‟ It is clear there are similarities between the Mῡl mantra with other traditions, but is it also unique. We should also recap here, so the seed grows and gives rise to the root, and it is obvious that the stem or the sutra, related to the English word – „suture‟ as in sew or connect the Guru Granth Sahib is the JĀp jī S hiā. The first command in the Jap ji is to japu the name of the Creator which also serves as the name of ā ṇī. Then Guru Nanak states the importance of the hukam or Divine order that all rituals are empty and only by being in hukam can lead to inner purity. Then the next numbered sections follow from the theme of hukam, to singing g vai, to listening suṇiai, and then to having faith or one pointedness of mind, maṅai. So the Jap jī S hib is teaching us how to meditate on the Divine truth, as well as the Guru praising Vahiguru. Guru Nanak Dev teaches us that rituals are futile: suṇi maṅni mani kīt bh u uṅtargati tīrathi mali n u. By listening and having faith and love in the mind. Then the internal filth is washed away.21. The salok of the Jap jī S hib is recited in many Sikh ceremonies, and is the closing of the composition, and cannot be completed without it. To conclude, the first part of the Jap jī S hib was the conversation of Guru Nanak with the Siddhs as is noted by the yogic terminology at the beginning of the composition, while the rest was said by the Guru to the Sangat at Kartarpur Sahib. Model of Guru Granth Sahib From this sutra of Jap jī S hiā or the trunk of the Guru Granth Sahib, are the branches of the 31 Ragas starting with Srī R ga, as each chapter is in a different R gĀ. Then the blossom of flowers on this Eternal tree is the R gĀm l . It is the guldast (Bouquet) of all those individual flowers or R gĀs, which sets the mood and aesthetic form of the ā ṇī. In the R gĀm l , Guru Arjan Dev states „R gĀ Ik Saṅgi Paṅch Baraṅgan.‟ There is One R gĀ with five wives, i.e. Ik Oaṅk r Satin mu – that there is One Vahiguru with Panch shabad, the five primal notes of the Panch shabad. Such was the master artist the Guru was that he gave spiritual knowledge even via Indian classical music. The fundamental teaching of Jap jī S hib is to connect to the n m, from this jap – we get j p, i.e. from jap we get ajap j p (unbroken recitation of n m). This is of course expressed by the J p S hib. Jāp Sāhib Guru Nanak bows to Vahiguru, desu tisai desu, and this same devotion is continued on by the Tenth Nanak - Guru Gobind Singh. Like the JĀp jī S hiā the J p S hiā is written in metres or chhaṅds. Guru Nanak does not label the metres while Guru Gobind Singh does, but he gives them new names to show their style of movement. Like the Mῡl mantra, the first verse Chhappai Chhaṅd Tva PrĀs di states that Vahiguru has no features, caste, lineage etc. The Guru states that his purpose of this composition is to „praise You by your active names (karam n m)‟, God‟s shaktī or power! In the next Bhujaṅg Pray t Chhaṅd, the Metre of the Fast Moving Cobra (Chhaṅd seems to be from the same root as the English word chant). The Guru bows to the Creator by repeating the word Namastvaṅ – Namask r Tvaṅ/taṅ Tvaṅῡ – I bow to You. The J p S hiā was written at Bhagpura in the vicinity of Anandpur Sahib, it was here that the Guru recited this āīr ras ā ṇī, while his warriors did Gatka/Shastravidia and horse riding. In this ā ṇī, there are many allusions to the khaṅḍe-ki-p hul or Amrit sa ch r just like the JĀp jī S hiā – where the Guru talks about how to process the amrit before the salok. In this J p S hiā we also have the stanza of the Bhagwatī or Bhagautī the Khaṅḍ (Douāle-Edged Sword), of sweetness - Madhubh r and so on. There are also direct references to fighting Charpaṭ and Bhujaṅg Pray t Chhaṅd. The Guru made the community into Saint Warriors, and ends this exciting, powerful, rhythmic ā ṇī, with Sad Aṅg Saṅge, which means that Vahiguru is in us, and all around us. Like JĀp jī S hiā is the first ā ṇī of Adi Guru Granth Sahib ji Maharaj, the J p S hiā is the first ā ṇī of the Dasam Granth Sahib. According to the contemporary source a RĀhitn m āy BhĀi ChĀupĀ Singh ShĀhīd, the Guru composed this ā ṇī when he was about sixteen years old, and this was during 1677-1682 AD. From Jap we get ajap J p, and then we proceed to vair g: Tva Prasādi Svaiye or Shudh Svaiye Like the J p S hiā this ā ṇī is also rhythmic and is written in Braj Bhasha. When read in the right piṅgal matra (rhythm) we get the impression of marching armies, battle, pomp and valour. This ā ṇī is a part of the longer Ak l Ustati S hib, the second ā ṇī of Dasam Granth Sahib. In this ā ṇī Guru Gobind Singh talks about the temporary existence of rule, and the falsity of rituals. The Guru teaches us how to live or rule by being detached, R j Yoga, as this ā ṇī was said to one of the hill Rajas, as is recorded in the tradition and Sau Sakhī, which are the hundred stories narrated by the Guru to Bhai Gurbax Singh at Hazur Sahib. The emphasis of this composition is on complete love – prem. The Guru sĀys „Listen all I proclaim the truth, those thĀt love will find the Lord‟. Model of Dasam Granth Sahib Like the Guru Granth Sahib the Dasam Granth Sahib has a structure, which after Guru Gobind Singh was organised into the correct order by his trusted official, Bhai Mani Singh. Bhai Mani Singh writes in is Bhagat Ratn w lī that the ā ṇī is amrit mai ā ṇī (ambrosial verses)– like J p S hib, Judh mai b ṇī like Bachitra N ṭak S hib (war verses), Gi n mai b ṇī, Saṅsar mai b ṇī like Charitropakyan S hib (knowledge and worldly verses). In BhĀi MĀni Singh‟s hĀnd written recension of Dasam Granth Sahib, which has eight folios in Guru Goāind Singh‟s own hand (daskhat), he arranged the ā ṇī accordingly to the char padarath (or four boons): Moksha – Liberation - J p S hiā and Ak l UstĀti S hiā Dharam – Righteous War - Dharam Yudh – Bachitra N ṭak S hib - the narratives of war and weapons which is major feature of all of compositions in Dasam Granth Sahib. rth – Worldly Assets - Ard s (Chaṇḍī dī V r) K m – Desires - Charitropakhyan S hib. When we read traditional accounts we can conclude the following about the history of the Dasam Granth Sahib. One day a large group of Sikhs was looted while going to see the Guru. The Guru said „why has no Sikh ever said we have looted the Moghuls?‟ Around the same time a messenger came to the Guru saying that the Sodhis refused to hand over the „Kirtarpurī bīrh‟ of the Adi Granth, as the tradition narrates that the Guru wished to finalise the compilation with his father‟s ā ṇī. The Guru then said „I will compose such a scripture to complement the meekness that a Sikh receives on reading Adi ā ṇī, so that the Sikhs are able to sustain their fighting spirit after me.‟ After that point the Guru asked people to bring scriptures, arms, and horses to him, hence the mention of war and its apparatus, like in his Svaiye S hib, is found throughout the Sri Dasam Granth Sahib. Chaupaī Sāhib To reiterate the compositions go from jap to ajap -j p to vair g, then we have prayer or ard s by Guru Gobind Singh in the Kabiyo B ch Ben tī Chaupaī S hib, or „the humāle supplicĀtion of the poet in lines of four verse.‟ This final composition in the nitnem is from the Dasam Granth, which makes three out of five ā ṇī from the Scripture of Guru Gobind Singh. It comes from what can seen to be the end of the Dasam Granth Sahib, as the Zafarn m was added some years later in 1705, while this ā ṇī was completed and closed the project that the Guru had started, in 1696. The completion of the Granth is testified by the Guru‟s own words at the end of the ChĀupĀī S hiā: Krip kĀrī hum pĀr jĀgm t . Granth kar pῡran shubh r t . The Mother of the world has been kind towards me and I have completed the scripture on this auspicious night; The closing verses have unfortunately been excised by reformist Sikhs. We also need to bear in mind that after the J p S hib and Ak l Ustati, which act as opening compositions to the Dasam Granth Sahib, there is the opening to the Sword (which features in the aforementioned compositions also): Namask r srī khaṛag ko karoṅ su hitu chitu l i. pῡran karoṅ garaṅth ihu tum mohi karaho sah i. I take the holy Sword in my heart. Please assist me in completing this Granth. This shows that like the Adi Guru Granth Sahib, the Dasam Granth Sahib was a homogenous project, and is not an admixture. According to tradition the Chaupaī S hib was written at Bhabhaur Sahib, where a Gurdwara stands today to commemorate this, by the Guru in 13 days, 13 hours, and 13 minutes, probably to coincide with the first prak sh diwas of Adi Granth Sahib at Harmandir Sahib. According the Rahitn m of Bhai Daya Singh, the Guru wrote this ā ṇī to calm the nerves of Sikhs for battle. Gurdwara Bhabaur Sahib where the final verses of the ChĀupĀī S hiā, from the Charitropakyan Sahib were completed. The Chaupaī S hib like the J p S hib, and other dasam granth ā ṇī contains the praises of the Srī Asidhuj or Divine Sword, and the Guru seeks the protection of Akal PurĀkh, „Hamarī karo h th de rachh ‟. This ā ṇī is a part of the longer Charitropakhyan which has 405 stories, the last story has 405 verses, and the last portion of this is the ChĀupĀī S hiā. Many of you may have noticed the last portion of this composition has been removed by the SGPC. How can we read Jap jī S hib without its salok? In the traditional view some misguided people say a Kavi, not the Guru, prays to the goddess to due to the reference of „Krip kĀrī hum pĀr jĀgm t .‟ However in the Ard s (from SukhmĀnī S hiā) the Fifth Guru says „Tum m t pit ‟, in J p S hib we have „Namo lokh m t .‟ Therefore this position is untrue and has been concocted by enemies of the Khalsa Panth. Originally the full ā ṇī was repeated at Sri Darbar Sahib, and it was the head Granthi, Kartar Singh „Kalaswalia‟ a student of Teja Singh „BhĀsĀuriĀ‟ who managed to change it with his persistence. Recently we have had an incident where the ChĀupĀī S hiā was not read at all! Sikhs need to be vigilant to keep the traditions together. For those of you who are astute you can clearly see why the final verses have been removed, to try and erase the history of the Scripture of Guru Gobind Singh. The SvĀiy and Dohir from the ChaupĀī S hiā are actually from the R m vĀt r in the Dasam Granth Sahib. This was completed by the Guru in 1698 and then rebound into the middle of the DĀsĀm GrĀnth SĀhiā. It contĀins the Guru‟s nĀme Goāind, Ānd tells us his views on the importance of the Pur ṇas and other scriptures he translated. After we go through jap, ajap -j p, vair g and ard s we reach Aṅand (bliss). Aṅand Sāhib In the Sikh tradition this is the ā ṇī to conclude all ceremonies, and likewise the nitnem. There is a story in Max Arthur MacĀuliffe‟s „The Sikh Religion‟ about the origins of Guru AmĀr DĀs‟s Aṅand S hib. An ancient yogi felt frustrated with his lack of spiritual progress, the yogi humbly decided to visit Guru Amar Das for instruction. When he met the Guru, the yogi asked a very simple question. “Oh Guru, pleĀse tell me, whĀt is the proper wĀy to live life?” Guru AmĀr DĀs Ānswered him āy sĀying, “Go – leave your body and be reborn in my family. When you are reborn, then I will Ānswer your question Ānd teĀch you how to live life.” Soon after, while sitting in meditation, the yogi breathed his last. Sometime Āfter this event, Guru AmĀr DĀs‟s son, Mohri, and his wife had a son. When the baby was born, Guru Amar Das recognised the soul of the yogi in his new grandson. Upon seeing the baby, the Guru went into an ecstasy and sang the Aṅand S hib. Afterwards, he named the child Aṅand. Therefore the Aṅand S hib is the Guru‟s Ānswer to the question: „what is the proper way to live life‟. Gobind Singh Mansukhani describes this very well: The obstacles on any spiritual path are many and difficult. They include human cleverness, intellectual hair-splitting, family attachments, the taboos and rituals of traditional religion, conformity to custom and convention, the unending chain of desire, hypocrisy and 'ad hoc means' for the purpose of compromises with ideals and principles for personal gain, and the many other compulsions of expediency. The disciple overcomes such obstacles by obeying the instructions of the Guru. The blessing of the Guru will support and enable him to progress, on his spiritual path. Any association with godly people or of doing of acts for the public good and social welfare, also help on the spiritual journey. The Guru exclaims that „My Mother I hĀve reached the Satiguru, I am in bliss – I hear the five sounds of celestial bliss! The composition is written in very simple language but it is full of some much knowledge, yogic terms, and tells us about spiritual disciplines. It concludes with „Whoever says this ā ṇī who ever hears this ā ṇī is sanctified!‟ An oāvious theme of the Jap jī S hib is suṇi , to listen and hear, which is reiterated by the Third Nanak, Guru Amar Das. The final spiritual state of being in bliss is also stated by Guru Nanak, to be nih l, and is perhaps why it is followed with the Ard s that remembers the Bhagauti (Sword), and the lineage of Divine beings, and martyrs who were able to give up their body due to the Divine bliss they experienced, as well as the Sikh jaik r . Is there Panj bāṇīa? Sometimes when we research and look through information from the past, it does not necessarily match with current Sikh practices. My aim is not to offend anyone, or challenge any group but just present this information. The main issue is Sikh texts are written in poetry, they were written to give the gist of events, rather than pages of details, like modern history. Therefore we need to tackle the texts as poetry and not as prose, but interestingly some works that are in prose provide lists and details. For example BhĀi DĀyĀ Singh‟s Rahitn m , from the early eighteenth century lists all five compositions for the Amrit ceremony, as well as Gurῡ ki ṅ Sakhi ṅ (1797) by Bhai Sarup Singh Kaushish, rewritten by Maharaja Ranjit Singh from the language of the Bhatts. Interestingly a work attributed to Bhai Jaitha Singh, (Rangrett Gurῡ k bhett ), titled Gurῡ kī K th also narrates the five compositions. Baba Santa Singh in his exegesis of Srī Gurῡ Panth Prak sh by Shahid Rattan Singh Bhangu, explains that Japu J pu means the five compositions, and it is important to note that this term found throughout the early Rahitn me. We need to change our methodology in how we examine our history, as a literal view is not sufficient to make sense of the Sikh tradition. The work of Richard King (1999) in his ground breaking Orientalism and Religion gives valuable insights into how Indian text should be viewed to prevent such misconceptions occurring. About the Author My name is Dr. Kamalroop Singh, I am a Sikh and a member of the Khalsa, and belong to the Nihang Singh order. I began my journey back in 1995, when I met some inspirational Sikhs. I have been reading about and practising as a Sikh from a young age, I took initiation into the Khalsa in 1999. I have travelled around India and stayed with the Nihang Singhs and Sants, and I also took basic santhia from the Dam Dami Taksal in Amritsar. After finishing my degree in Chemistry I completed an MPhil and PhD in Sikh Studies. My chosen subject was the Dasam Granth Sahib, my thesis wĀs titled „DĀsĀm GrĀnth Re-exĀmined‟. A āook titled „DĀsĀm GrĀnth Questions Ānd Answers‟ hĀs āeen puālished which wĀs written with Ā colleĀgue, please see it at www.archimedespress.co.uk. I am a linguist and have worked for the Crown Prosecution Services and taught languages at the School of African and Oriental Studies. I have been a consultant to a number of museums and galleries around the world, and I regularly travel and teach about related subjects. Bibliography Akali Baba Santa Singh Nihang, Mukh Shabad, in Harbans Singh, Dasam Granth Darpaṇ, Gurmatnarain Prakashan, 1990. Arvind Mandair, The Politics of Nonduality: Reassessing the Work of Transcendence in Modern Sikh Theology, 2006. Bhai Mani Singh, Uthank Guru Granth Sahib, 18th century, Private collection. Max Arthur Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion, 1909. Nitnem Saṭīk, Dam Dami Taksal, Amritsar Piara Singh „Padam‟. Rahitn me, Amritsar, Singh Bros, 2005, Rattan Singh Bhangu, Srī Gurῡ Panth Prak sh, exegesis, Akali Baba Santa Singh Nihang, (2Vols). Richard King, Orientalism and Religion, 1999. www.archimedespress.co.uk www.chaupaisahib.com www.dasam.info www.gurbanifiles.org www.kamalroopsingh.com www.searchgurbani.com www.sikhitothemax.com www.sridasam.org