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Nitnem?

bscheema

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Jan 4, 2010
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sat shri akal
i am bit confuses about this word NItNEM , what is it , is it doing PATH daily , or is it >how we spend our whole day ?
 

BhagatSingh

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Apr 24, 2006
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Re: Nitnem ?

Nitnem is a daily discipline of reading paath during various times of the day. The following banis are read:
  • Japji Sahib (morning)
  • Jaap Sahib (morning)
  • Tav-Prasad Savaiye(morning)
  • Benti Chaupai (morning)
  • Anand Sahib (morning)
  • Rehras Sahib (evening)
  • Kirtan Sohila (night)
How you spend your whole day should come from an understanding of these banis and the rest of SGGS.
 

bscheema

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Jan 4, 2010
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Re: Nitnem ?

Thanx Bhagat ji ,
this where i am confused , as i am gursikh i do none of them as my daily discipline , may b im young so, i roam here and thr ,browsing internet ,song and stuff,
does this mean i am not good in Sikhi , am i a bad Singh , is ther any thing i can do to start good new Gursikh life .
 

BhagatSingh

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Apr 24, 2006
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Re: Nitnem ?

Veera/brother,
There are several things you can do.
Start actively listening to Gurbani and sakhis of the Gurus. Learn to do kirtan and sing the praises of God with love. Go to the Gurudwara and further cultivate feelings of love and humility by cleaning shoes and utensils, do chaur sahib. Participate in the worship that happens there: taking out Guru Granth Sahib, putting it back in the evening, daily readings, kirtan and ardas. It's important to be in a sangat whose goal is the same as yours, to cultivate love and humility.
Whenever you are waiting for something or doing chores around the house/gurudwara, start to remember God, recall shabads you have heard and sung. This will bring about the feelings of love that you were cultivating with previous activities. With this feeling, repeat "Waheguru waheguru..." as you focus your mind on God.
Develop a virtuous character, taking responsibility for your actions and practice truthfulness and honesty. Learn to appreciate others even with their flaws. Do good deeds, open doors, feed the homeless, etc. and be selfless in your service of others. The previous things will help with this. When the mind is focused on God, service become selfless, and it will focus on God only if you feed it with spiritual wisdom by reading, listening and singing.
 
Oct 21, 2009
451
895
India
Re: Nitnem ?

Veera/brother,
There are several things you can do.
Start actively listening to Gurbani and sakhis of the Gurus. Learn to do kirtan and sing the praises of God with love. Go to the Gurudwara and further cultivate feelings of love and humility by cleaning shoes and utensils, do chaur sahib. Participate in the worship that happens there: taking out Guru Granth Sahib, putting it back in the evening, daily readings, kirtan and ardas. It's important to be in a sangat whose goal is the same as yours, to cultivate love and humility.
Whenever you are waiting for something or doing chores around the house/gurudwara, start to remember God, recall shabads you have heard and sung. This will bring about the feelings of love that you were cultivating with previous activities. With this feeling, repeat "Waheguru waheguru..." as you focus your mind on God.
Develop a virtuous character, taking responsibility for your actions and practice truthfulness and honesty. Learn to appreciate others even with their flaws. Do good deeds, open doors, feed the homeless, etc. and be selfless in your service of others. The previous things will help with this. When the mind is focused on God, service become selfless, and it will focus on God only if you feed it with spiritual wisdom by reading, listening and singing.

A lovely post Dear Bhagat singh ji. I could not help my tears roll down..
 

bscheema

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Jan 4, 2010
122
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Re: Nitnem ?

ਨਾਮੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਪਤੀਐ ਬਿਨੁ ਨਾਮੈ ਧ੍ਰਿਗੁ ਜੀਵਾਸੁ ॥
नामु मिलै मनु त्रिपतीऐ बिनु नामै ध्रिगु जीवासु ॥
Nām milai man ṯaripaṯ▫ī▫ai bin nāmai ḏẖarig jīvās.
Receiving the Naam, the mind is satisfied; without the Naam, life is cursed.

ਕੋਈ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸਜਣੁ ਜੇ ਮਿਲੈ ਮੈ ਦਸੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਗੁਣਤਾਸੁ ॥
कोई गुरमुखि सजणु जे मिलै मै दसे प्रभु गुणतासु ॥
Ko▫ī gurmukẖ sajaṇ je milai mai ḏase parabẖ guṇṯās.
If I meet the Gurmukh, my Spiritual Friend, he will show me God, the Treasure of Excellence.
 

Tejwant Singh

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Jun 30, 2004
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Here is a link to a collection of Saakhis filtered on Nitnem:
http://tuhitu.blogspot.com/search?q=nitnem

Gurbani needs no Sakhis. It stands on its own. That is the beauty and originality of Gurbani.

Sakhis are normally concocted by Kathavaachaks and others to add me-ism into One-ism so they can fool the ignorant and get some more mula and hear their praises, which is a disgrace.
 

Luckysingh

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Dec 3, 2011
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Gurfateh

I have come across a number of people that claim that an amritdhari that is illiterate and cannot read can be exempt from doing nitnem ?
I had previously never given this much thought as I never thought about people that couldn't read.
Some have said that these people can get up at amritvela and do waheguru jap simran or similar.
I don't think the rehat is very clear on this issue for these people, or are these people not entitled for amrit ceremony because they won't be able to read the nitnem every day??
 

Ishna

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May 9, 2006
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It is important that they learn to read (like a non-Punjabi person). And they can listen to the bani in the meantime:

Section Six of the SGPC Sikh Rehat Marjada:
[SIZE=-1]You are supposed to know Gurmukhi (Punjabi alphabet). (If you do not, you must learn it). And recite, or listen in to the recitation of, the under mentioned scriptural compositions, the daily repetition of which is ordained, every day : 1) The Japuji Sahib, (2) The Jaap Sahib, (3) The Ten Sawayyas (Quartrains), beginning "sarawag sudh", (4) The Sodar Rahiras and the Sohila. Besides, you should read from or listen in to the recitation from the Guru Granth Sahib . [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1] [/SIZE]
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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NIT means DAILY..all the time..NEM means DISCIPLINE..rehat maryada..rules..laws..routines.. regulations..etc etc etc...

Its definitley NOT just the parrotting as fast as possible the Banis normally called Nitnem..

My Nitnem..is LIVING GURBANI...so First thing i do morning is THANK WAHEGURU for another Day..another DAILY LIFE's WOTRK...then have my bath..etc all in the SAME ORDER..disciplien..rehat..rules..regualtions as i said..TIME TABLES used in schools, offices, banks, airports etc are examples of NITNEM...the SUN RISES every morning..the MOON every evening..the Earth Spins on its axis..EVERYTHING IS NITNEM...you will never find the SUN missing a Day..or the Moon taking a day off..call in sick...???

Then I begin LIFE of GURBANI..EK OANGKAAR..dwell on HIM..SATNAM..be as TRUTHFUL in my dealings as much as possible..Be Nirbhau..Nirvaer..etc etc etc...

The trouble with sikhs today is they have fallen into a RUT so deep they ritualise everything...from Bath times to reading mechanically..mechanical viists to gurdwars, matha tek, take parshaad eat langgar go home...just rotating like fans in the wind... etc..NITNEM is NOT like that..its a PRACTICAL LESSON on HOW TO LIVE DAILY according to GURBANI...
 

Luckysingh

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Dec 3, 2011
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Very nice explanation.
But, my concern is the bani's that are to be read as part of rehat.
Wether some one reads them or not out of choice is a different issue. My concern is the people that are unable to read so they are unable to carry out this task.
Do they get exempt during the ceremony as some have claimed ?
-I find it difficult to believe that the panj piarey can simply say 'do waheguru simran if you can't read'

I mean me, personally I'm sure that I would make plenty of effort before the ceremony in correcting my vocab and reading skills!!
We can't just have the ceremony or amrit sanchar 'mould' around us to suit us, can we ?
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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Jul 4, 2004
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Very nice explanation.
But, my concern is the bani's that are to be read as part of rehat.
Wether some one reads them or not out of choice is a different issue. My concern is the people that are unable to read so they are unable to carry out this task.
Do they get exempt during the ceremony as some have claimed ?
-I find it difficult to believe that the panj piarey can simply say 'do waheguru simran if you can't read'

I mean me, personally I'm sure that I would make plenty of effort before the ceremony in correcting my vocab and reading skills!!
We can't just have the ceremony or amrit sanchar 'mould' around us to suit us, can we ?

The Bottom line is "TRY"...we must all TRY....and the lengths we are willing to go..on..trying..are limited by our own selves...no one else. IF we are uneducated..we can LISTEN and Memorize..(unless we are DEAF and MUTE too)..or BLIND...etc.. As I said..SIKHI is an EDUCATION SYSTEM and we are all students...and as in Normal school system..NOT everyone achieves a PHD..or Pinnacle of Nobel Prize !! Each has his own standard...and we cannot generalise...The ONLY really deaf, dumb, mute, blind are those that REFUSE...to hear, speak, see....There are U tube videos showing ARMLESS persons working harder than those with FOUR ARMS (durga devi)...there are persons without LEGS being Olympians..while eight legged ones are couch potatoes...({censored}roaches)
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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I relate a tale i heard from a sikh who came across one such "pyara"...
This man is in a wheelchair and paralysed waist down. He works at a car park as parking attendant. At age 30+ he met and fell in love with a Sikh Woman and BOTH decided to become Amrtidharee. They wnet to a prominent local Gurdwara Pardhaan cum head Panj Pyara etc etc for some premarital advice. The pardhaan called them in to the room where there were several others present and the first question he put was..OH so you both wnat to get married, chhak amrit and be amritdharee ?/ But tell me young man...could you even pull open the Naalla (string ) of your kachera unaided ?? The Couple of course were deeply mebarassed and rolled the wheelchair right out. So we DO have such Pyaras among the ones we may meet at our amrit snachaar who might very well take it as under their vested powers to EXEMPT or question..or use their discretion..whatever.. BTW the couple did chhak amrit and are practising amritdharees but dont have any children...
 

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