Sikh Glossary

ADI GRANTH. One of the names for Sikh scripture, meaning "first book."

AKAL PURAKH. A Sikh name for God meaning "The Eternal One."

AMAR DAS (1479-1574). The third guru; author of parts of the Granth.

AMRITSAR. The location of the Golden Temple in the Punjab region of northwest India.

ANAND KARAJ. The Sikh marriage ceremony or the "ceremony of bliss."

ANGAD (1504-1552). Nanak's successor and thus the second guru.

ARJUN (1563-1606). the fifth guru, the compiler of the adi Granth, who died a martyr for the faith.

GOBIND SINGH (1666-1708). The tenth guru and the one who established the Khalsa.

GOLDEN TEMPLE. The temple in Amritsar which is especially sacred to Sikhs.

GRANTH SAHIB. "The revered book"; the original name for the Sikh scriptures.

GURDWARA. Any place where the scriptures have been installed, but in the wider sense also a community center of Sikh life.

GURU. Spiritual leader. There is only one Guru--God, the inner voice. but earthly gurus represent the divine presence and are thus human verhicles of the divine Guru.

GURU GRANTH. the "eleventh guru." Gobind singh, the tenth guru, declared that he would have no successor but the Adi Granth. thus, the scripture is understood to be the emobidment of the divine Guru.

HARGOBIND (1595-1644). The son of Arjun and the sixth guru. He began to strengthen the Sikhs militarily after his father's martyrdom.

HARI KRISHAN (1656-1664). The eight Guru.

HARI RAI (1630-1661). The seventh Guru.

HAUMAI. Pride, or innate self.

IK OANKAR. The Sikh name for God which means "One True Name."

JAI RAM. Nank's brother in law.

JANAM-SAKHIS. Accounts fo the life of Nanak.

JAPJI. Early hymns contained in the Granth and written by Nanak.

KABIR (1440-1518). An early representative of the Sant tradition.

KACHH. Short underdrawers; symbolize moral behavior and self-control; one of the five marks of the Khalsa.

KANGHA. Comb; symbolizes the controlling of mind and body; one of the five marks of the Khalsa.

KARA. Steel bracelet; symbolizes the oneness of God and the unity of man with God ad with man; one of the five marks of the Khalsa.

KESH. Uncut hair and beard; symbolizes sprituality and respect for natural laws; one of the five marks of the Khalsa.

KHALSA. The Sikh order; "The Purified Ones."

KIRPAN. Short dagger; symbolizes dignity, self-defense, and the just use of power; one of the five marks of the Khalsa.

MALA. Beads similar to the rosary of a Catholic and used by Sikhs in the saying of prayers.

MARDANA. The minstrel who was Nanak's companion during his preaching tours.

MAYA. In Sikhism, delusion as opposed to unreality as connoted in the monism of Hinduism. It is a delusion to believe that anything in the impermanent world has ultimate reality.

MUKTI. Release from the round of rebirths; same as Sanskrit moksha.

NANAK (1469-1539). The founder of Sikhism and first guru.

NATH. A Hindu tradition focusing on the interior search for God through the practice of hatha yoga and other disciplines so that the spirt may ascend to mystical bliss.

PUNJAB. The region in northwest India which is the home of the Sikhs.

RAM DAS (1534-1581). The fourth guru; author of parts of the Granth.

SANGAT. The company of illuminated and enlightened souls.

SANT. A Hindu tradition believing in a devotional relationship to deity but denying that God has form. this tradition deeply influenced Nanak.

SARAB-LOH. "All-steel"; the name for God used by Gobind Singh and identified with the sword.

SANTAM. A Sikh name for God meaning "The True Name."

SEVA. Service.

SIKH. A follower of Nanak and a word meaning "disciple."

SIMRAN. Meditation.

TEGH BAHADUR (1621-1675). The ninth guru.

WORKS CITED

Palmer, Spencer J., Rober R. Keller, Dong Sull Choi, and James A. Toronto. Religions of the World. BYU Press, 1997.

Posted by john at August 14, 2005 06:31 PM