Explore Nam Japana, Kirat Karni, Vand Chhakana—foundations of Sikh ethics. Learn how spiritual practice and community service lead to holistic well-being.
Discover 'SARBATT DA BHALA'—a core Sikh belief promoting unity and prosperity for all humanity. Embrace the spirit of goodwill and active compassion.
DAN (Skt. dana from the root da `to give`) means the act of giving or that which is given either as charity or alms or as offering, fee or reward for spiritual instruction received or for religious rite or ritual performed. The latter, however, is more appropriately called daksina. Dan (charity or almsgiving), according to the Brahmanical code as well as the code of Manu, is a means of earning spiritual merit, and is thus a religious obligation and may not necessarily be the result of a feeling of compassion or pity, though the humanitarian motive cannot be completely excluded from the concept of dan. The mode of dan and the selection of person worthy of receiving it may, however, differ.
Discover the significance of the Sikh naming ceremony, NAMKARAN, where a child's name embodies community, tradition, and spiritual ideals.
Discover how seva, the profound act of service in Sikhism, merges devotion and duty. Learn its significance in spiritual life and community service.
DASVANDH or Dasaundh, lit. a tenth part, refers to the practice among Sikhs of contributing in the name of the Guru one-tenth of their earnings towards the common resources of the community. This is their religious obligation a form of seva or humble service so highly valued in the Sikh system. The concept of dasvandh was implicit in Guru Nanak`s own line: "ghali khai kichhu hathhu dei, Nanak rahu pachhanahi sei He alone, 0 Nanak, knoweth the way who eats out of what he earneth by his honest labour and yet shareth part of it with others" (GG, 1245).
NITNEM (nit: daily; nem; practice, rule or regimen) is the name given to the set prayers which every Sikh is commanded to say daily, alone or in company. These prayers or texts are five in number for early morning Guru Nanak`sJa/w and Guru Gobind Singh`s Jdpu and Savaiyye, for the evening at sunset Sodaru Rahrdsi and for night before retiring Kirtan Sohild. The ideal Guru Nanak, founder of the faith, put forth before his followers was to "rise early in the morning, remember the True Name and meditate upon His greatness" (GG, 2). According to Guru Ram Das, Nanak IV, "He who wishes to be called a Sikh of the True Guru must rise early in the morning and repeat God`s Name.
Explore the Sikh Calendar, rooted in Vikrami Samvat. Learn its lunisolar nature, month names, and historical origin. Discover how Sikhs mark time.
AKHAND PATH (akhand = uninterrupted, without break; path = reading) is nonstop, continuous recital of the Guru Granth Sahib from beginning to end. Such a recital must be completed within 48 hours. The entire Holy Volume, 1430 large pages, is read through in a continuous ceremony. This reading must go on day and night, without a moment\'s intermission.
FIVE EVILS or pancadokh or panj vikar as they are referred to in Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, are, according to Sikhism, the five major weaknesses of the human personality at variance with its spiritual essence. The common evils far exceed in number, but a group of five of them came to be identified because of the obstruction they are believed to cause in man\'s pursuit of the moral and spiritual path. The group of five evils comprises kama, krodha, lobha, moha, and ahankara (kama, karodh, lobh, moha and ahankar, in Punjabi); translated into English these words mean lust, wrath, greed, attachment and egoity, respectively. The word \'evil\' here may be understood to represent the connotation of Punjabi pap (sin), dokh (defect), or kilbikh (defilement).
