SAMPAT PATH

SAMPAT PATH is a variation of akhand path in which the reading of every single complete hymn of the Guru Granth Sahib is followed by the reading of a predetermined sabda or sJoka ( from the Guru Granth. Sahib itself) which is thus repeated throughout the recitation. The path is performed in a curtained cabin so that the reading is audible outside the cabin but the path! (reader) and the Scripture are not in the view of the audience. In the Hindu tradition, a mantra, prefixed and suffixed by another mystic word or mantra, is called sampat mantra. Literally, a sampat is a casket in which devout Hindus keep their idols or stone images called thakurs. The sampat path obviously takes double the time of an akhand path, or even more. Since such a path is contrary to the Sikh tenets, it never became an accepted form and is no longer in common vogue.

References :

1. Sikh Rahit Maryada. Amritsar, 1975
2. Kahn Singh, Bhai, Gurushabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh [Reprint]. Patiala, 1983
3. Harbans Singh, Berkeley Lectures on Sikhism. Delhi, 1983
4. Cole, W. Owen, and Piara Singh Sambhi, The Sikhs : Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Delhi, 1978