☀️ JOIN SPN MOBILE
Forums
New posts
Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New resources
Latest activity
Videos
New media
New comments
Library
Latest reviews
Donate
Log in
Register
What's new
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Welcome to all New Sikh Philosophy Network Forums!
Explore Sikh Sikhi Sikhism...
Sign up
Log in
Gurmat Vichaar
Gurmat Vichar - Discussions
Erasing The Sins Of The Past
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Archived_Member16" data-source="post: 54972" data-attributes="member: 884"><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong><span style="color: navy">source:</span></strong> </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Sangat" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: #810081"><u>http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Sangat</u></span></span></strong></a></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><span style="color: #000080"><strong>Sangat or Sadh Sangat</strong>: Company of the Holy</span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #000080">The </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru's</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> taught that living in the company of the Holy is a way to be closer to God. Sangat is an idea of community and spiritual support. <strong>Sadh Sangat</strong> is the company of Holy people who completely dedicated to God. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080"><strong>SANGAT</strong> </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Punjabi" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Punjabi</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> form of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sanskrit" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sanskrit</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> term sangti, means <strong>company</strong>, <strong>fellowship</strong>, <strong>association</strong>. In </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> vocabulary, the word has a special connotation. It stands for the <strong>body of men and women who meet religiously</strong>, especially in the presence of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Granth_Sahib" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Granth Sahib</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. Two other expressions carrying the same connotation and in equally common use are sadh sangat (fellowship of the seekers of truth). The word sangat has been in use since the time of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> (1469-1539). In his days and those of his nine successors, <strong>sangat</strong> referred to the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> brotherhood established in or belonging to a particular locality. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">The term is used in this sense in the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Janam_Sakhi" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Janam Sakhis</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, i.e. traditional life-stories of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, and in the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Hukamnama" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>hukamnamas</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, i.e. edicts issued by the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurus" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Gurus</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> to their followers in different parts of the country. In the hukamnamas there are references, for instance, to Sarbatt Sangat Banaras Ki, i.e. the entire Sikh community of Banaras (Varanasi), Patna ki Sangat, i.e. the Sikhs of Patna, Dhaul ki Sangat, the Sikhs of Dhaul. In common current usage, the word signifies an assembly of the devotees. Such a gathering may be in a gurdwara, in a private residence or in any other place, but in the presence of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Granth_Sahib" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Granth Sahib</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. The purpose is religious prayer, instruction or ceremony. The sangat may collectively chant the sacred hymns, or, as it more often happens, there may be a group of musicians to perform kirtan. At sangat there may be recitals of the holy writ with or without exposition, lectures on religious or theological topics, or narration of events from Sikh history. Social and political matters of interest for the community may as well be discussed. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">In </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> faith highest merit is assigned to meeting of the followers in <strong>sangat</strong>. This is considered essential for the spiritual edification and progress of an individual. It is a means of religious and ethical training. Worship and prayer in sangat count for more than isolated religious practice. The holy fellowship is morally elevating. Here the seeker learns to make himself useful to others by engaging in acts of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Seva" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>seva</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, or self-giving service, so highly prized in </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikhism" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikhism</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. The </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Seva" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>seva</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> can take the form of looking after the assembly’s shoes for all must enter the presence of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Granth_Sahib" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Granth Sahib</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> barefoot; preparing and serving food in </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_ka_Langar" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru ka Langar</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">; and relieving the rigour of a hot summer day by swinging over the heads of the devotees large hand-fans. It is in the company of pious men that true religious discipline ripens. Those intent on spiritual advantage must seek it. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">Though <strong>sangat</strong> has freedom to discuss secular matters affecting the community, it is its spiritual core which imparts to it the status and authority it commands in the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> system. As </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> says, “satsangat is where the Divine Name alone is cherished” (GG, 72). This is where virtues are learnt. “Satsangat is the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">’s own school where one practises godlike qualities” (GG, 1316). Attendance at sangat wins one nearness to God and release from the circuit of birth and death. “Sitting among sangat one should recite God’s praise and thereby swim across the impassable ocean of existence” (GG, 95). As satsangat is obtained through the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">’s grace, the Name blossoms forth in the heart (GG, 67-68). “Amid sangat abides the Lord God” (GG, 94). “God resides in the sangat. He who comprehends the Guru’s word realizes this truth (GG, 1314). “Deprived of sangat, one’s self remains begrimed” (GG, 96). “Without sangat ego will not be dispelled” (GG, 1098). Says </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Arjan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u><strong>Guru Arjan</strong></u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"><strong> in </strong></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sukhmani" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u><strong>Sukhmani</strong></u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"><strong>,</strong> “Highest among all works is joining the sangat and thereby conquering the evil propensities of the mind” (GG, 266). Again, “As one lost in a thick jungle rediscovers one’s path, so will one be enlightened in the company of the holy” (GG, 282). </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080"><strong>Sangat</strong>, fellowship of the holy, is thus applauded as a means of moral and spiritual uplift; it is as well a social unit which inculcates values of brotherhood, equality and </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Seva" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>seva</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. Sangats sprang up in the wake of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">’s extensive travels. Group of disciples formed in different places and met together in sangat to recite his hymns. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">As an institution, sangat had, with its concomitants dharamsal, where the devotees gathered in the name of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Akal" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Akal</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, the Timeless Lord, to pray and sing </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">’s hymns, and </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_ka_Langar" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru ka Langar</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, community refectory, where all sat together to partake of a common repast without distinction of caste or status—symbolized the new way of life emerging from </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">’s teachings. At the end of his udasis or travels, </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> settled at </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Kartarpur" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Kartarpur</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, a habitation he had himself founded on the right bank of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/River_Ravi" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>River Ravi</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. There a community of disciples grew around him. It was not a monastic order, but a fellowship of ordinary men engaged in ordinary occupation of life. A key element in this process of restructuring of religious and social life was the spirit of seva. Corporal works of charity and mutual help were undertaken voluntarily and zealously and considered a peculiarly pious duty. To quote </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Bhai Gurdas</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">: “dharamsal kartarpur sadhsangati sach khandu vasaia”, Varan, XXIV. 11, i.e. in establishing dharamsal at Kartapur, with its sangat or society of the holy, </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> brought the heaven on earth. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">These <strong>sangats</strong> played an important role in the evolution of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> community. The social implications of the institutions were far-reaching. It united the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikhs</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> in a particular locality or region into a brotherhood or fraternity. A member of the sangat, i.e. every </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> was known as bhai, lit. brother, signifying one of holy living. The sangat brought together men not only in spiritual pursuit but also in worldly affairs, forging community of purpose as well as of action based on mutual equality and brotherhood. Though sangats were spread over widely separated localities, they formed a single entity owning loyalty to the word of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. <strong>Sangats</strong> were thus the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> community in formation. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">In these sangats the disciples mixed together without considerations of birth, profession or worldly position. </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Bhai Gurdas</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, his Var XI, mentions the names of the leading Sikhs of the time of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> and his five spiritual successors. In the first 12 stanzas are described the characteristics of a </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gursikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>gursikh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, or follower of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. In the succeeding stanzas occur the names of some of the prominent </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Sikhs</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, in many cases with caste, class or profession of the individual. In some instances, even places they came from are mentioned. In these stanzas, </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Bhai Gurdas</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> thus provides interesting clues to the composition, socially, of early Sikhism and its spread, geographically. Out of the 19 disciples of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Nanak</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> mentioned by </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Bhai Gurdas</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, two were Muslims—Mardana, a mirasi, or bard, from his own village, and Daulat Khan Lodi, an Afghan noble. Bura, celebrated as </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Buddha" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Bhai Buddha</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">, who was contemporary with the first six Gurus, was a Jatt of Randhava subcaste. So was Ajitta, of Pakkhoke Randhava, in present-day Gurdaspur district. Phirna was a Khaihra Jatt; Malo and Manga were musicians; and Bhagirath, formerly a worshipper of the goddess Kali, was the chaudhari, i.e. revenue official of Malsihan, in Lahore district Of the several Khatri disciples, Mula was of Kir subcaste, Pritha and Kheda were Soinis, Prithi Mall was a Sahigal, Bhagta was Ohri, Japu a Vansi, and Sihan and Gajjan cousins were Uppals. The Sikh sangat was thus the melting-pot for the high and the low, the twice-born and the outcaste. It was a new fraternity emerging as the participants’ response of discipleship to the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080">. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">Sangats were knit into an organized system by </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Amar_Das" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Amar Das</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> who established manjis or preaching districts, each comprising a number of sangats. </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Arjan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Arjan</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> appointed masands, community leaders, to look after sangats in different regions. <strong>Sangat</strong> was the precursor to the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Khalsa" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Khalsa</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> manifested by </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Gobind_Singh" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080"><u>Guru Gobind Singh</u></span></a><span style="color: #000080"> in 1699. That was the highest point in the evolution of the casteless Sikh commonwealth originating in the institution of sangat. </span></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #000080"><span style="font-size: 10px">BIBLIOGRAPHY</span> </span></strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000080">1. Kohli, Surindar Singh, Outlines of Sikh Thought. Delhi, 1966 </span></p><p><span style="color: #000080">2. McLeod, W. H., The Evolution of the Sikh Community. Delhi, 1975 </span></p><p><span style="color: #000080">3. Ray, Niharranjan, The Sikh Gurus and the Sikh Society. Patiala, 1970 </span></p><p><span style="color: #000080">4. Cunningham, Joseph Davey, A History of the Sikhs. London, 1849 </span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Archived_Member16, post: 54972, member: 884"] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B][COLOR=navy]source:[/COLOR][/B] [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Sangat"][B][SIZE=2][COLOR=#810081][U]http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Sangat[/U][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/URL] [SIZE=5][COLOR=#000080][B]Sangat or Sadh Sangat[/B]: Company of the Holy[/COLOR][/SIZE] [COLOR=#000080]The [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru's[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] taught that living in the company of the Holy is a way to be closer to God. Sangat is an idea of community and spiritual support. [B]Sadh Sangat[/B] is the company of Holy people who completely dedicated to God. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080][B]SANGAT[/B] [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Punjabi"][COLOR=#000080][U]Punjabi[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] form of the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sanskrit"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sanskrit[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] term sangti, means [B]company[/B], [B]fellowship[/B], [B]association[/B]. In [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] vocabulary, the word has a special connotation. It stands for the [B]body of men and women who meet religiously[/B], especially in the presence of the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Granth_Sahib"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Granth Sahib[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. Two other expressions carrying the same connotation and in equally common use are sadh sangat (fellowship of the seekers of truth). The word sangat has been in use since the time of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] (1469-1539). In his days and those of his nine successors, [B]sangat[/B] referred to the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] brotherhood established in or belonging to a particular locality. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]The term is used in this sense in the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Janam_Sakhi"][COLOR=#000080][U]Janam Sakhis[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], i.e. traditional life-stories of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], and in the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Hukamnama"][COLOR=#000080][U]hukamnamas[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], i.e. edicts issued by the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurus"][COLOR=#000080][U]Gurus[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] to their followers in different parts of the country. In the hukamnamas there are references, for instance, to Sarbatt Sangat Banaras Ki, i.e. the entire Sikh community of Banaras (Varanasi), Patna ki Sangat, i.e. the Sikhs of Patna, Dhaul ki Sangat, the Sikhs of Dhaul. In common current usage, the word signifies an assembly of the devotees. Such a gathering may be in a gurdwara, in a private residence or in any other place, but in the presence of the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Granth_Sahib"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Granth Sahib[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. The purpose is religious prayer, instruction or ceremony. The sangat may collectively chant the sacred hymns, or, as it more often happens, there may be a group of musicians to perform kirtan. At sangat there may be recitals of the holy writ with or without exposition, lectures on religious or theological topics, or narration of events from Sikh history. Social and political matters of interest for the community may as well be discussed. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]In [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] faith highest merit is assigned to meeting of the followers in [B]sangat[/B]. This is considered essential for the spiritual edification and progress of an individual. It is a means of religious and ethical training. Worship and prayer in sangat count for more than isolated religious practice. The holy fellowship is morally elevating. Here the seeker learns to make himself useful to others by engaging in acts of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Seva"][COLOR=#000080][U]seva[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], or self-giving service, so highly prized in [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikhism"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikhism[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. The [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Seva"][COLOR=#000080][U]seva[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] can take the form of looking after the assembly’s shoes for all must enter the presence of the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Granth_Sahib"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Granth Sahib[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] barefoot; preparing and serving food in [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_ka_Langar"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru ka Langar[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]; and relieving the rigour of a hot summer day by swinging over the heads of the devotees large hand-fans. It is in the company of pious men that true religious discipline ripens. Those intent on spiritual advantage must seek it. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]Though [B]sangat[/B] has freedom to discuss secular matters affecting the community, it is its spiritual core which imparts to it the status and authority it commands in the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] system. As [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] says, “satsangat is where the Divine Name alone is cherished” (GG, 72). This is where virtues are learnt. “Satsangat is the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]’s own school where one practises godlike qualities” (GG, 1316). Attendance at sangat wins one nearness to God and release from the circuit of birth and death. “Sitting among sangat one should recite God’s praise and thereby swim across the impassable ocean of existence” (GG, 95). As satsangat is obtained through the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]’s grace, the Name blossoms forth in the heart (GG, 67-68). “Amid sangat abides the Lord God” (GG, 94). “God resides in the sangat. He who comprehends the Guru’s word realizes this truth (GG, 1314). “Deprived of sangat, one’s self remains begrimed” (GG, 96). “Without sangat ego will not be dispelled” (GG, 1098). Says [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Arjan"][COLOR=#000080][U][B]Guru Arjan[/B][/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080][B] in [/B][/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sukhmani"][COLOR=#000080][U][B]Sukhmani[/B][/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080][B],[/B] “Highest among all works is joining the sangat and thereby conquering the evil propensities of the mind” (GG, 266). Again, “As one lost in a thick jungle rediscovers one’s path, so will one be enlightened in the company of the holy” (GG, 282). [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080][B]Sangat[/B], fellowship of the holy, is thus applauded as a means of moral and spiritual uplift; it is as well a social unit which inculcates values of brotherhood, equality and [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Seva"][COLOR=#000080][U]seva[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. Sangats sprang up in the wake of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]’s extensive travels. Group of disciples formed in different places and met together in sangat to recite his hymns. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]As an institution, sangat had, with its concomitants dharamsal, where the devotees gathered in the name of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Akal"][COLOR=#000080][U]Akal[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], the Timeless Lord, to pray and sing [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]’s hymns, and [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_ka_Langar"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru ka Langar[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], community refectory, where all sat together to partake of a common repast without distinction of caste or status—symbolized the new way of life emerging from [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]’s teachings. At the end of his udasis or travels, [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] settled at [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Kartarpur"][COLOR=#000080][U]Kartarpur[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], a habitation he had himself founded on the right bank of the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/River_Ravi"][COLOR=#000080][U]River Ravi[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. There a community of disciples grew around him. It was not a monastic order, but a fellowship of ordinary men engaged in ordinary occupation of life. A key element in this process of restructuring of religious and social life was the spirit of seva. Corporal works of charity and mutual help were undertaken voluntarily and zealously and considered a peculiarly pious duty. To quote [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas"][COLOR=#000080][U]Bhai Gurdas[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]: “dharamsal kartarpur sadhsangati sach khandu vasaia”, Varan, XXIV. 11, i.e. in establishing dharamsal at Kartapur, with its sangat or society of the holy, [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] brought the heaven on earth. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]These [B]sangats[/B] played an important role in the evolution of the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] community. The social implications of the institutions were far-reaching. It united the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikhs[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] in a particular locality or region into a brotherhood or fraternity. A member of the sangat, i.e. every [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] was known as bhai, lit. brother, signifying one of holy living. The sangat brought together men not only in spiritual pursuit but also in worldly affairs, forging community of purpose as well as of action based on mutual equality and brotherhood. Though sangats were spread over widely separated localities, they formed a single entity owning loyalty to the word of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. [B]Sangats[/B] were thus the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] community in formation. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]In these sangats the disciples mixed together without considerations of birth, profession or worldly position. [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas"][COLOR=#000080][U]Bhai Gurdas[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], his Var XI, mentions the names of the leading Sikhs of the time of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] and his five spiritual successors. In the first 12 stanzas are described the characteristics of a [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gursikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]gursikh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], or follower of the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. In the succeeding stanzas occur the names of some of the prominent [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Sikhs[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], in many cases with caste, class or profession of the individual. In some instances, even places they came from are mentioned. In these stanzas, [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas"][COLOR=#000080][U]Bhai Gurdas[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] thus provides interesting clues to the composition, socially, of early Sikhism and its spread, geographically. Out of the 19 disciples of [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Nanak[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] mentioned by [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Gurdas"][COLOR=#000080][U]Bhai Gurdas[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], two were Muslims—Mardana, a mirasi, or bard, from his own village, and Daulat Khan Lodi, an Afghan noble. Bura, celebrated as [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhai_Buddha"][COLOR=#000080][U]Bhai Buddha[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080], who was contemporary with the first six Gurus, was a Jatt of Randhava subcaste. So was Ajitta, of Pakkhoke Randhava, in present-day Gurdaspur district. Phirna was a Khaihra Jatt; Malo and Manga were musicians; and Bhagirath, formerly a worshipper of the goddess Kali, was the chaudhari, i.e. revenue official of Malsihan, in Lahore district Of the several Khatri disciples, Mula was of Kir subcaste, Pritha and Kheda were Soinis, Prithi Mall was a Sahigal, Bhagta was Ohri, Japu a Vansi, and Sihan and Gajjan cousins were Uppals. The Sikh sangat was thus the melting-pot for the high and the low, the twice-born and the outcaste. It was a new fraternity emerging as the participants’ response of discipleship to the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080]. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]Sangats were knit into an organized system by [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Amar_Das"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Amar Das[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] who established manjis or preaching districts, each comprising a number of sangats. [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Arjan"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Arjan[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] appointed masands, community leaders, to look after sangats in different regions. [B]Sangat[/B] was the precursor to the [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Khalsa"][COLOR=#000080][U]Khalsa[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] manifested by [/COLOR][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Gobind_Singh"][COLOR=#000080][U]Guru Gobind Singh[/U][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000080] in 1699. That was the highest point in the evolution of the casteless Sikh commonwealth originating in the institution of sangat. [/COLOR] [B][COLOR=#000080][SIZE=2]BIBLIOGRAPHY[/SIZE] [/COLOR][/B] [COLOR=#000080]1. Kohli, Surindar Singh, Outlines of Sikh Thought. Delhi, 1966 [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]2. McLeod, W. H., The Evolution of the Sikh Community. Delhi, 1975 [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]3. Ray, Niharranjan, The Sikh Gurus and the Sikh Society. Patiala, 1970 [/COLOR] [COLOR=#000080]4. Cunningham, Joseph Davey, A History of the Sikhs. London, 1849 [/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Gurmat Vichaar
Gurmat Vichar - Discussions
Erasing The Sins Of The Past
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top