☀️ 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
Discussions
New to Sikhism
Bani And Significance
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="Sikh80" data-source="post: 70212" data-attributes="member: 5290"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Bani and Significance</span></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">What is commonly understood by Bani</span></span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong>Gurbani</strong> is the term used by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #0000ff">Sikhs</span></u></a> to refer to any compositions of the Gurus. <strong>Gurbani</strong> is composed of two words: 'Gur' meaning 'the Guru's' and 'bani' meaning 'word'.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong>Bani</strong> (<a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Punjabi" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #0000ff">Punjabi</span></u></a> </span><span style="font-family: 'AnmolUniBani'">ਬਾਣੀ</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">), short for <strong><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurbani" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #0000ff">Gurbani</span></u></a></strong> (Punjabi </span><span style="font-family: 'AnmolUniBani'">ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">), is the term used by </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="color: #0000ff">Sikhs</span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> to refer to various sections of the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Holy_Text" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="color: #0000ff">Holy Text</span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> that appears in their several </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Holy_Book" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="color: #0000ff">Holy Books</span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">. These Banis are also found in small </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gutka" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="color: #0000ff">Gutkas</span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> or Small Books containing sections of </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurbani" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="color: #0000ff">Gurbani</span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">. These Gutkas can vary from just a few pages to hundreds of pages and are used by the Sikhs to read these Banis on a daily basic. The handy size of the Gutkas makes it easy to carry them in a coat pocket or purse. Although the Gutkas have to be treated with respect and care, the Sikhs do not accord the Gutkas the same treatment as the </span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sri_Guru_Granth_Sahib" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="color: #0000ff">Sri Guru Granth Sahib</span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> their perpetual Guru, which is treated like a living Guru. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Symbol'"><span style="font-size: 12px">·</span> </span><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Sikhs carry the Gutka covered in a clean cloth and wash their hands before handling the Gutka. </span></span></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">One must not put any Gurbani script on the floor; nor handle with unwashed hands; read without covering your head; turn the pages with licked finger; or cause any disrespect to the honourable word of our Gurus. </span></span></li> </ul><p><span style="font-family: 'Symbol'"><span style="font-size: 12px">·</span> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The Sikh normally would sit comfortably on the floor or if this proves difficult on a bed or sofa, cross-legged with the spine in a straight position in a quiet place in their home or wherever you are and then read quietly the Banis from the Gutka or from memory</span></span><a href="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftn1" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #800080">[1]</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">. </span></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Nitnem Gutka</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">are usually recited daily by some devoted Sikhs in the early morning. </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Rehras_Sahib" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Rehras Sahib</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> is read in the evening and </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Kirtan_Sohila" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Kirtan Sohila</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> before going to sleep at night. No exact time is stipulated by the Guru for the reciting of the Banis and it is left to the individual. However, the morning Banis are normally read early in the morning when the world is still asleep and it is peaceful and silent. One should endeavour to do this as early as possible in the "ambrosial" hours of the morning. Some devout Sikhs read their Banis as early as 4 am but most practising Sikh usually recite their Banis at about 6 am and it takes about 1 hour to complete their meditation. </span></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Recommendation oF SGPC</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/SGPC" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">SGPC</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> have recommended that the following 5 Banis should be recited by a </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Sikh</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> on a daily basic: </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Japji_Sahib" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Japji Sahib</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">, </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Jaap_Sahib" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Jaap Sahib</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> and </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Amrit_Savaiye" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Amrit Savaiye</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> in the morning, </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Rehras_Sahib" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Rehras Sahib</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> is to be read in the evening (about 6pm) and </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Kirtan_Sohila" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Kirtan Sohila</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> before going to sleep at night. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Whether one recite just one Bani or all the above Banis everyday, the </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">Sikh</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> must bear the following advice given by </span></span><a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/SGGS" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">SGGS</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">: </span></span></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong>Gurbani is jewel:</strong> </span></span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><em>Gurbani is the jewel, the treasure of devotion. Singing, hearing and acting upon it, one is enraptured. ||2||</em> (page 376) </span></span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong>Hold your mind steady while reciting Bani:</strong> </span></span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><em>Under Guru’s Instructions, hold your mind steady; O my soul, do not let it wander anywhere. One who utters the Bani of the Praises of the Lord God, O Nanak, obtains the fruits of his heart’s desires. ||1||</em> (p538) </span></span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong>Focus one’s mind on the True Lord:</strong> </span></span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><em>When the Lord shows His Mercy, He enjoins the mortal to work for the Guru. His pains are taken away, and the Lord’s Name comes to dwell within. True deliverance comes by focusing one’s consciousness on the True Lord. Listen to the Shabad, and the Word of the Guru’s Bani. ||1||</em> (p1277) </span></span></li> </ul><p><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Respecting Gurbani</span></strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">A Gutka is kept covered in a clean cloth. A person must wash their hands, feet and face, and cover his/her head before handling the Gutka. Gurbani should never be put on the floor or in a place which is lower than any furniture upon which a person may sit or lie.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">A Gutka should never be taken to any place where any of the four major sins ("bajjar kurehats) are/do take place: sexual relationships outside of marriage, consumption of tobacco products (or any other intoxicants including alcohol), cutting or removal of hair from the body or consumption of meat or eggs.</span></span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Bani as per Sikh Encylopedia</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,341/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">BANI</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">, Sanskrit van! (meaning sound, voice, music; speech, language, diction; praise, laudation), refers in the specifically </span></span><a href="http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">SIKH</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> context to the sacred compositions of the Gurus and of the holy saints and sufis as incorporated in the Scripture, the </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,1173/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">GURU</span></span></span></u></a><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2782/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">GRANTH</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> Sahib. Compositions of Guru Gobind </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2742/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">SINGH</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> comprising the </span></span><a href="http://www.searchgurbani.com/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">DASAM GRANTH</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> are also referred to as Bani. For </span></span><a href="http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">SIKHS</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">, Bani or the compound Gurbani (Guru`s ban!) is the revealed word. Revelation is defined as the way God discloses and communicates Himself to humanity. There are different views on how he does this. The Hindu belief is that God occasionally becomes incarnate as an avatar and thus communicates Himself through his word and action while living on this earth. For the Muslims the revelation consists in actual words in the form of direct messages conveyed from God through an angel. Gabriel, to the Prophet. Another belief is that God communicates not the form but the content of the words, i.e. knowledge, to man. A related view is that, as a result of the mystic unity they achieve with the Universal Self, certain individuals under Divine inspiration arrive at truths which they impart to the world. </span></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Origin Of Bani</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The Gurus did not subscribe to the incarnation theory "<u><span style="color: blue">The tongue be burnt that says that the Lord ever takes birth</span></u>" (GG, 1136), nor did they acknowledge the existence of angels or intermediaries between God and man. They were nevertheless conscious of their divine mission and described the knowledge and wisdom contained in their hymns as Godgiven. "<u><span style="color: blue">As the Lord`s word comes to me, 0 Lalo, so do I deliver it</span></u>," says Guru </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2089/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">NANAK</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> (GG, 722). Guru </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,177/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">ARJAN</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">: "<u><span style="color: blue">I myself know not what to speak; all I speak is what the Lord commandeth</span></u>" (GG, 763).</span></span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Bani : Revealation for the sikhs</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> It is in this sense that Bani is revelation for the Sikhs. It is for them God`s Word mediated through the Gurus or Word on which the Gurus had put their seal. The Bani echoes the Divine Truth; it is the voice of God "<u><span style="color: blue">the Lord`s own word</span></u>," as said Guru Nanak; or the Formless Lord Himself, as said Guru Amar Das: <u><span style="color: blue">vahu vahu bani nirankar hai tisujevadu avaru na koi</span></u> (GG, 515) Hail. hail, the word of the Guru, Which is the Formless Lord Himself; There is none other, nothing else To be reckoned equal to it. Being Word Divine, Bani is sacred and the object of utmost veneration. That the Bani was reverenced by the Gurus themselves even before it was compiled into the Holy Book is attested by an anecdote in Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi. While returning from Goindval after the obsequies of his father, Guru Arjan took with him some pothis or books containing the Bani of the first four Gurus. The Sikhs carried the pothis, wrapped in a piece of cloth, in a palanquin on their shoulders. The Guru and other Sikhs walked along barefoot while the Guru`s horse trailed behind bareback. When the Sikhs suggested that the Guru ride as usual, he replied, "These [pothis] represent the four Gurus, their light. It would be disrespectful [on my part to ride in their presence]. It is but meet that I walk barefoot." "<u><span style="color: blue">The Bani is Guru and the Guru is Bani</span></u>...." sang Guru Ram Das (GG, 982).</span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Guru Nanak, the founder, had himself declared, "<u><span style="color: blue">sabda, i.e. word or bani, is Guru, the unfathomable spiritual guide; crazed would be the world without the sabda</span></u>" (GG, 635). "<u><span style="color: blue">SabdaGuru enables one to swim across the ocean of existence and to perceive the One as present everywher</span></u>e" (GG, 944). Thus it is that the Bani of the Guru commands a Sikh`s reverence.</span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Content Of Bani</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><u><span style="color: blue">The content of the Bani is God`s name, God`s praise and the clue to Godrealization</span></u>. God is described both as immanent and transcendent. He is the creator of all things, yet He does not remain apart from His creation. He responds to the love of His creatures. </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,1290/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">HUKAM</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> or the Divine Law is the fundamental principle of God`s activity. Man`s duty is to seek an understanding of His A ukam and to live his life wholly in accord with it. God is the source of grace (nadar) and it behoves man to make himself worthy of His grace. The Bani, which is Guru in essence, brings this enlightenment to men. It shows the way. Listening to, reciting and becoming absorbed in Bani engenders merit and helps one to overcome haumai, i.e. finite ego or selflove which hinders understanding and realization. In proclaiming the supreme holiness and majesty of God, the Bani has few parallels in literature. It contains one of the most intimate and magnificent expressions of faith in the Transcendent. It is an earnestly given testament about God`s existence and a sterling statement of a deeply experienced vision of Him. </span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Bani : A spritual key for sikhs</span></span></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">The Bani is all in the spiritual key. It is poetry of pure devotion, love and compassion. It is lyrical rather than philosophical, moral rather than cerebral. It prescribes no social code, yet it is the basis of Sikh practice as well as of the Sikh belief. It is the source of authority, the ultimate guide to the spiritual and moral path pointed by the Gurus. The form of the Bani is as sublime as is its content. It is a superb body of verse in a variety of metre and rhythm, arranged under thirtyone different musical measures. Besides its ardent lyricism and abounding imagination, it displays a subtle aesthetic sensitivity. The aptness of its image and simile is especially noteworthy. Its musicality is engaging. The language is mainly </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2352/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">PUNJABI</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> in its simple spoken idiom. The downtoearth, sinewy presence of its vocabulary and the eloquence of its symbolism drawn from everyday life give it a virile tone. The Bani constitutes the springhead of Punjabi literary tradition and the creative energy the latter acquired from it informed its subsequent growth and continues to be a vital influence to this day</span></span><a href="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftn2" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #800080">[2]</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">. </span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">1. Shackle, C., A Guru Nanak G/ossary. London, 1981</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">2. Kirpal Singh,</span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,1342/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">JANAM SAKHI</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> Prampara. </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2271/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">PATIALA</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">, 1969</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">3. Kahn Singh, Bhai, Gunnat Martand. </span></span><a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,31/" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #0000ff">AMRITSAR</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px">, 1983</span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftnref1" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: #800080">[1]</span></span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> The <a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/5_Banis" target="_blank">5 Banis</a> <a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Japji_Sahib" target="_blank">Japji Sahib</a>, <a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Jaap_Sahib" target="_blank">Jaap Sahib</a>, <a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Anand_Sahib" target="_blank">Anand Sahib</a>, <a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Benti_Chaupai" target="_blank">Benti Chaupai</a> and <a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Amrit_Savaiye" target="_blank">Amrit Savaiye</a> </span></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftnref2" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="color: #800080">[2]</span></span></u></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <a href="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,341/" target="_blank">The Sikh Encyclopedia</a></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sikh80, post: 70212, member: 5290"] [B][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Bani and Significance[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [B][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]What is commonly understood by Bani[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][B]Gurbani[/B] is the term used by [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh"][U][COLOR=#0000ff]Sikhs[/COLOR][/U][/URL] to refer to any compositions of the Gurus. [B]Gurbani[/B] is composed of two words: 'Gur' meaning 'the Guru's' and 'bani' meaning 'word'.[/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][B]Bani[/B] ([URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Punjabi"][U][COLOR=#0000ff]Punjabi[/COLOR][/U][/URL] [/FONT][FONT=AnmolUniBani]ਬਾਣੀ[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman]), short for [B][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurbani"][U][COLOR=#0000ff]Gurbani[/COLOR][/U][/URL][/B] (Punjabi [/FONT][FONT=AnmolUniBani]ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman]), is the term used by [/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#0000ff]Sikhs[/COLOR][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman] to refer to various sections of the [/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Holy_Text"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#0000ff]Holy Text[/COLOR][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman] that appears in their several [/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Holy_Book"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#0000ff]Holy Books[/COLOR][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman]. These Banis are also found in small [/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gutka"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#0000ff]Gutkas[/COLOR][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman] or Small Books containing sections of [/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurbani"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#0000ff]Gurbani[/COLOR][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman]. These Gutkas can vary from just a few pages to hundreds of pages and are used by the Sikhs to read these Banis on a daily basic. The handy size of the Gutkas makes it easy to carry them in a coat pocket or purse. Although the Gutkas have to be treated with respect and care, the Sikhs do not accord the Gutkas the same treatment as the [/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sri_Guru_Granth_Sahib"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#0000ff]Sri Guru Granth Sahib[/COLOR][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman] their perpetual Guru, which is treated like a living Guru. [/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=Symbol][SIZE=3]·[/SIZE] [/FONT][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Sikhs carry the Gutka covered in a clean cloth and wash their hands before handling the Gutka. [/FONT][/SIZE] [LIST] [*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]One must not put any Gurbani script on the floor; nor handle with unwashed hands; read without covering your head; turn the pages with licked finger; or cause any disrespect to the honourable word of our Gurus. [/FONT][/SIZE][/LIST][FONT=Symbol][SIZE=3]·[/SIZE] [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The Sikh normally would sit comfortably on the floor or if this proves difficult on a bed or sofa, cross-legged with the spine in a straight position in a quiet place in their home or wherever you are and then read quietly the Banis from the Gutka or from memory[/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftn1"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#800080][1][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]. [/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Nitnem Gutka[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]are usually recited daily by some devoted Sikhs in the early morning. [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Rehras_Sahib"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Rehras Sahib[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] is read in the evening and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Kirtan_Sohila"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Kirtan Sohila[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] before going to sleep at night. No exact time is stipulated by the Guru for the reciting of the Banis and it is left to the individual. However, the morning Banis are normally read early in the morning when the world is still asleep and it is peaceful and silent. One should endeavour to do this as early as possible in the "ambrosial" hours of the morning. Some devout Sikhs read their Banis as early as 4 am but most practising Sikh usually recite their Banis at about 6 am and it takes about 1 hour to complete their meditation. [/FONT][/SIZE] [B][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/B] [B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Recommendation oF SGPC[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/SGPC"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]SGPC[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] have recommended that the following 5 Banis should be recited by a [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Sikh[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] on a daily basic: [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Japji_Sahib"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Japji Sahib[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Jaap_Sahib"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Jaap Sahib[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Amrit_Savaiye"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Amrit Savaiye[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] in the morning, [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Rehras_Sahib"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Rehras Sahib[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] is to be read in the evening (about 6pm) and [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Kirtan_Sohila"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Kirtan Sohila[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] before going to sleep at night. [/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Whether one recite just one Bani or all the above Banis everyday, the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikh"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]Sikh[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] must bear the following advice given by [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/SGGS"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]SGGS[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]: [/FONT][/SIZE] [LIST] [*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][B]Gurbani is jewel:[/B] [/FONT][/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][I]Gurbani is the jewel, the treasure of devotion. Singing, hearing and acting upon it, one is enraptured. ||2||[/I] (page 376) [/FONT][/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][B]Hold your mind steady while reciting Bani:[/B] [/FONT][/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][I]Under Guru’s Instructions, hold your mind steady; O my soul, do not let it wander anywhere. One who utters the Bani of the Praises of the Lord God, O Nanak, obtains the fruits of his heart’s desires. ||1||[/I] (p538) [/FONT][/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][B]Focus one’s mind on the True Lord:[/B] [/FONT][/SIZE] [*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][I]When the Lord shows His Mercy, He enjoins the mortal to work for the Guru. His pains are taken away, and the Lord’s Name comes to dwell within. True deliverance comes by focusing one’s consciousness on the True Lord. Listen to the Shabad, and the Word of the Guru’s Bani. ||1||[/I] (p1277) [/FONT][/SIZE][/LIST][B][FONT=Times New Roman]Respecting Gurbani[/FONT][/B] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]A Gutka is kept covered in a clean cloth. A person must wash their hands, feet and face, and cover his/her head before handling the Gutka. Gurbani should never be put on the floor or in a place which is lower than any furniture upon which a person may sit or lie.[/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]A Gutka should never be taken to any place where any of the four major sins ("bajjar kurehats) are/do take place: sexual relationships outside of marriage, consumption of tobacco products (or any other intoxicants including alcohol), cutting or removal of hair from the body or consumption of meat or eggs.[/FONT][/SIZE] [B][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Bani as per Sikh Encylopedia[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,341/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]BANI[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], Sanskrit van! (meaning sound, voice, music; speech, language, diction; praise, laudation), refers in the specifically [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]SIKH[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] context to the sacred compositions of the Gurus and of the holy saints and sufis as incorporated in the Scripture, the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,1173/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]GURU[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2782/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]GRANTH[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] Sahib. Compositions of Guru Gobind [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2742/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]SINGH[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] comprising the [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.searchgurbani.com/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]DASAM GRANTH[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] are also referred to as Bani. For [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/"][U][COLOR=#0000ff][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]SIKHS[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], Bani or the compound Gurbani (Guru`s ban!) is the revealed word. Revelation is defined as the way God discloses and communicates Himself to humanity. There are different views on how he does this. The Hindu belief is that God occasionally becomes incarnate as an avatar and thus communicates Himself through his word and action while living on this earth. For the Muslims the revelation consists in actual words in the form of direct messages conveyed from God through an angel. Gabriel, to the Prophet. Another belief is that God communicates not the form but the content of the words, i.e. knowledge, to man. A related view is that, as a result of the mystic unity they achieve with the Universal Self, certain individuals under Divine inspiration arrive at truths which they impart to the world. [/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [B][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Origin Of Bani[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The Gurus did not subscribe to the incarnation theory "[U][COLOR=blue]The tongue be burnt that says that the Lord ever takes birth[/COLOR][/U]" (GG, 1136), nor did they acknowledge the existence of angels or intermediaries between God and man. They were nevertheless conscious of their divine mission and described the knowledge and wisdom contained in their hymns as Godgiven. "[U][COLOR=blue]As the Lord`s word comes to me, 0 Lalo, so do I deliver it[/COLOR][/U]," says Guru [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2089/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]NANAK[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] (GG, 722). Guru [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,177/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]ARJAN[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]: "[U][COLOR=blue]I myself know not what to speak; all I speak is what the Lord commandeth[/COLOR][/U]" (GG, 763).[/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [B][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Bani : Revealation for the sikhs[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] It is in this sense that Bani is revelation for the Sikhs. It is for them God`s Word mediated through the Gurus or Word on which the Gurus had put their seal. The Bani echoes the Divine Truth; it is the voice of God "[U][COLOR=blue]the Lord`s own word[/COLOR][/U]," as said Guru Nanak; or the Formless Lord Himself, as said Guru Amar Das: [U][COLOR=blue]vahu vahu bani nirankar hai tisujevadu avaru na koi[/COLOR][/U] (GG, 515) Hail. hail, the word of the Guru, Which is the Formless Lord Himself; There is none other, nothing else To be reckoned equal to it. Being Word Divine, Bani is sacred and the object of utmost veneration. That the Bani was reverenced by the Gurus themselves even before it was compiled into the Holy Book is attested by an anecdote in Gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi. While returning from Goindval after the obsequies of his father, Guru Arjan took with him some pothis or books containing the Bani of the first four Gurus. The Sikhs carried the pothis, wrapped in a piece of cloth, in a palanquin on their shoulders. The Guru and other Sikhs walked along barefoot while the Guru`s horse trailed behind bareback. When the Sikhs suggested that the Guru ride as usual, he replied, "These [pothis] represent the four Gurus, their light. It would be disrespectful [on my part to ride in their presence]. It is but meet that I walk barefoot." "[U][COLOR=blue]The Bani is Guru and the Guru is Bani[/COLOR][/U]...." sang Guru Ram Das (GG, 982).[/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Guru Nanak, the founder, had himself declared, "[U][COLOR=blue]sabda, i.e. word or bani, is Guru, the unfathomable spiritual guide; crazed would be the world without the sabda[/COLOR][/U]" (GG, 635). "[U][COLOR=blue]SabdaGuru enables one to swim across the ocean of existence and to perceive the One as present everywher[/COLOR][/U]e" (GG, 944). Thus it is that the Bani of the Guru commands a Sikh`s reverence.[/SIZE][/FONT] [B][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/B] [B][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Content Of Bani[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][U][COLOR=blue]The content of the Bani is God`s name, God`s praise and the clue to Godrealization[/COLOR][/U]. God is described both as immanent and transcendent. He is the creator of all things, yet He does not remain apart from His creation. He responds to the love of His creatures. [/FONT][/SIZE][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,1290/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]HUKAM[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] or the Divine Law is the fundamental principle of God`s activity. Man`s duty is to seek an understanding of His A ukam and to live his life wholly in accord with it. God is the source of grace (nadar) and it behoves man to make himself worthy of His grace. The Bani, which is Guru in essence, brings this enlightenment to men. It shows the way. Listening to, reciting and becoming absorbed in Bani engenders merit and helps one to overcome haumai, i.e. finite ego or selflove which hinders understanding and realization. In proclaiming the supreme holiness and majesty of God, the Bani has few parallels in literature. It contains one of the most intimate and magnificent expressions of faith in the Transcendent. It is an earnestly given testament about God`s existence and a sterling statement of a deeply experienced vision of Him. [/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [B][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Bani : A spritual key for sikhs[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The Bani is all in the spiritual key. It is poetry of pure devotion, love and compassion. It is lyrical rather than philosophical, moral rather than cerebral. It prescribes no social code, yet it is the basis of Sikh practice as well as of the Sikh belief. It is the source of authority, the ultimate guide to the spiritual and moral path pointed by the Gurus. The form of the Bani is as sublime as is its content. It is a superb body of verse in a variety of metre and rhythm, arranged under thirtyone different musical measures. Besides its ardent lyricism and abounding imagination, it displays a subtle aesthetic sensitivity. The aptness of its image and simile is especially noteworthy. Its musicality is engaging. The language is mainly [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2352/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]PUNJABI[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] in its simple spoken idiom. The downtoearth, sinewy presence of its vocabulary and the eloquence of its symbolism drawn from everyday life give it a virile tone. The Bani constitutes the springhead of Punjabi literary tradition and the creative energy the latter acquired from it informed its subsequent growth and continues to be a vital influence to this day[/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftn2"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#800080][2][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]. [/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]1. Shackle, C., A Guru Nanak G/ossary. London, 1981 2. Kirpal Singh,[/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,1342/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]JANAM SAKHI[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] Prampara. [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,2271/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]PATIALA[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], 1969 3. Kahn Singh, Bhai, Gunnat Martand. [/SIZE][/FONT][URL="http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,31/"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#0000ff]AMRITSAR[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3], 1983[/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=3][/SIZE] [FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][URL="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftnref1"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#800080][1][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman] The [URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/5_Banis"][COLOR=windowtext]5 Banis[/COLOR][/URL] [URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Japji_Sahib"][COLOR=windowtext]Japji Sahib[/COLOR][/URL], [URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Jaap_Sahib"][COLOR=windowtext]Jaap Sahib[/COLOR][/URL], [URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Anand_Sahib"][COLOR=windowtext]Anand Sahib[/COLOR][/URL], [URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Benti_Chaupai"][COLOR=windowtext]Benti Chaupai[/COLOR][/URL] and [URL="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Amrit_Savaiye"][COLOR=windowtext]Amrit Savaiye[/COLOR][/URL] [/FONT] [URL="http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=83#_ftnref2"][U][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=#800080][2][/COLOR][/FONT][/U][/URL][FONT=Times New Roman] [url=http://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/component/option,com_alphacontent/task,view/id,341/]The Sikh Encyclopedia[/url][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Discussions
New to Sikhism
Bani And Significance
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