AMRIT VELA, is the time of about three and three quarters of an hour before sunrise, say from about 2.15 AM to 6AM. Guru Nanak urged his disciples to get up at this auspicious time and recite God\'s name. Literally it means the "period of divine nectar" In this

KARAH PRASAD. Kardh, soft sweetened food made of Hour or semolina and ghee, which placed before the Guru Granth Sahib as offering gets transub-stantiatcd for Sikhs into prasdd, i.e. a mark of AkalPurakh`s grace.Kardh Prasdd is thus the sacrament which is distributed among the sangat after ardds at all

PATIT, an adjective formed from patan meaning fall, decline or degradation, with its roots in Sanskrit pat which means, variously, "to fall, sink, descend; to fall in the moral sense; to lose caste, rank or position," usually denotes one who is morally fallen, wicked, degraded or out caste. It is

VAK, from Sanskrit vaka (sounding, speaking ; a text, recitation or formula) or vakya (speech, saying, statement, declaration, a sentence or period), has a special connotation in the Sikh system. In Sikh terminology, Vak means the command or lesson read from the Guru Granth Sahib. Vak laina or hukam laina

ANCESTORS,In ancient Hindu scriptures, the honouring of human ancestors is commanded. Pitri or mass\'s to one\'s ancestors arc regarded as sacred funeral rights and Sradh (offerings of food) are considered obligatory for placating the spirits of the departed ancestors up to thee seventh generation. It is believed that the

KAR BHET, from Persian kdr (lit. work, labour, occupation) and Hindi bhent (lit. meeting, offering), denotes voluntary offering made by a devotee to the Guru. It has been a common practice especially in India, for one going to make obeisance to a saint, teacher, the deity, or king to

PUNN, a concept in the Indian tradition carrying simultaneously ethical, spiritual and philosophical connotations. As an ethical concept it implies voluntary obedience to the moral rules of conduct which have the sanction of a system of reward and punishment. As spiritual attitude, it is the inclination of the self towards

ANAND KARAJ: Aanand Kaaraj is the Sikh marriage ceremony. The exact date of its origin is not known but references can be found that the marriage of the children of Guru Sahib had been performed by way of this ceremony. Guru Sahib had made it obligatory for a Sikh

KARSEVA, voluntary contribution of physical labour towards cleaning and construction operations at sacred tanks and temples, holds a special significance in the Sikh tradition. Sevd, altruistic service, was preached by the Gurus as a means to God realization. "One who renders selfless service attains to the Lord`s presence," says

RAHIT MARYADA, traditions and rules which govern the distinctive Sikh way of life and determine Sikh belief and practice. Rahit, from the Punjabi verb rahind (to live, to remain), means mode of living while maryada is a Sanskrit word composed of marya (limit, boundary, mark) and add (to give

AKHAND PATH: Aakhand Path is nonstop recitation of Guru Granth Sahib. It is completed in approximately 48 hours. Several readers perform this recitation in a relay system. The reading goes, in a relay manner, continuously, day and night. At given intervals (usually two hours per turn) the next reciter

KAUR, from Sanskrit human or kunvdr`i meaning a princess, young girl, or virgin, is a suffix which, by tradition and under stipulated code of conduct, is added to the names of all Sikh females, so that like their male counterpart, Singhs, they all have a common surname.