Guru Granth Sahib Research Articles

Lost in translation? The emergence of the digital Guru Granth Sahib

ABSTRACTThis article explores the impact of the digital online environment on the religious lives of Sikhs with a particular focus on the emergence of the ‘Digital Guru’, i.e. digital versions of the Guru Granth Sahib. Using data gathered through interviews and an online survey, I examine how the ‘Digital Guru’ is impacting on the transmission of the Sikh tradition and on Sikh religious authority. I then explore some of the issues faced in engaging with the ‘Digital Guru’ and the consequences of the emergence of online translations. Given that ‘going online’ has become an everyday practice for many, this article contributes to understandings of the impact of the online environment on the religious adherents in general, and on Sikhs in particular.

Awareness and use of library resources and services by the research scholars and post graduate students of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University Fatehgarh Sahib

The purpose of this study is to investigate the awareness and use of library resources and services among the research scholars and post graduate students. The objectives are to know the awareness about library resources and services and to investigate the use of library resources, facilities and services. The study also highlights the various type of library resources and services used by the respondents. The study describes that the university library is providing both types of printed and electronic resources to the users. Moreover the study shows the various information searching techniques used by the respondents. The findings of the study show that majority of the respondents have adequate knowledge to use the library resources and services and large number of respondents accesses the electronic resources and services from the university library. Various types of problems and suggestions have been given by the users.

Records of Sighting of Halley's Comet in the 1531 Apparition and an Eclipse in Guru Nanak's References

Two celestial occurrences find place in the incidents related to the great poet - saint Guru Nanak (1469-1539 CE), founder of Sikhism, or in his teachings. The first one referred to as lamma tara (long star) figures in a hymn in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the other is a solar eclipse that occurred while Guru Nanak was visiting Kurukshetra. I conclude that the long star must be Halley's Comet in its apparition in 1531. This is significant considering that the record of sighting of a comet in an Indian scripture has so far not been identified. Further, among the many eclipses occurring during the relevant period of 1498-1521, that of 13 January 1507 is the most probable one. The eclipse is historical in the sense that it is the first observational record to be depicted in an Indian mural.

The Nature of God and Man in the writings of Guru Nanak

My study is about the Nature of God and Man reflected in the writings of Guru Nanak and the relation between the two. Though it’s difficult to understand the two individually but there exists a link which binds the two together. Guru Nanak’s way of approach to religion and its aspect urged a belief in him that altogether resulted in dealing life and the world differently in a mode which he created. He started a new way of religion with new philosophies and teachings which took the time to owe its place in the society. Though his ideologies stand out different from others but these teachings and sayings, somewhere, were something which talked about the unknown reality i.e. the power, the reality that exists within the same world without our knowledge. In the Holy Book, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Nanak himself and through his Successors have talked about ideal nature of God and the True nature of Man. Nanak says that we are men of evil deeds but we all, in the end, come to the feet of Lord in His Honour to make ourselves honorable. My study also talks about the link between God and Man in terms of their nature which relate each other in every aspect.

Diabetes Care: Inspiration from Sikhism.

Religion has been proposed as a means of enhancing patient and community acceptance of diabetes and cultural specific motivational strategies to improve diabetes care. Sikhism is a young and vibrant religion, spread across the world and the Holy Scripture Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) is regarded as the living Guru by all Sikhs. The three key pillars of Sikhism are Kirat Karni (honest living), Vand Chakna (sharing with others) and Naam Japna (focus on God). They can help encourage the diabetes care provider, patient and community to engage in lifestyle modification, shared responsibility, positive thinking and stress management. The verses (Sabads) from the SGGS, with their timeless relevance, span the entire spectrum of diabetes care, from primordial and primary, to secondary and tertiary prevention. They can provide us with guidance towards a holistic approach towards health and lifestyle related diseases as diabetes. The SGGS suggests that good actions are based on one's body and highlights the relevance of mind-body interactions and entraining the mind to cultivate healthy living habits. The ethics of sharing, community and inclusiveness all lay emphasis on the need for global and unified efforts to manage and reduce the burden of the diabetes pandemic.

Babarvani and the call for gender justice

Guru Nanak composed four hymns on Emperor Babur's conquest of India that have collectively come down in the Guru Granth Sahib as Babarvani (Babur hymns). There are very few historical allusions in the 1430 pages of the Sikh scared text, so this description of a tragic historical event is noteworthy. But the hymns are also poetically charged with a powerful social meaning. They appear in the musical measures of Asa and Tilang. This paper delves into their poignant aesthetics to retrieve the message of gender justice.

تعليم اللغة العربية بإندونيسيا في ضوء العلوم العصبية النفسية

<p>يتطلب من تعليم اللغة العربية توفير أحوال عقول الدارسين في قبول الدروس وتعبيرها بالقدرة اللغوية. في الواقع أن هناك مشكلات في تحقيقه حيث كانت كفاءتهم الشفهية كالكفاءة الأساسية للغة لا تجري جيدا خاصة في ضوء العلوم العصبية النفسية. هذه الأمور يؤدي إليها إعداد الأهداف والمواد التي لا تراعي احتياجات عقولهم. اختيار طرائق وأساليب تعليمها يفيد الجانب الأيسر من الدماغ كثيرا ولو تقع اللغة فيه، ولكن إذا كان الجانب الأيمن لا يستفاد جيدا فيكون التعليم من متطلبه الاختراعي فيه لا يجري جيدا.</p><p>The demand of learning Arabic fundamentally requires the optimization of the condition of brain’s learners in receiving and expressing language skills. In reality, problems can be found in the process of implementation in which the speaking competenceas a core language skill cannot be well realized, when particularly inspected through Neuropsychology perspective. This is because the designs of purpose and material do not consider the brain needs of the learners. In addition, selection of instruction methods and strategies tend to reflect the optimization of left brain even though language lies in the left brain. In contrary, if the brain is not well maximized and balanced, then the language learning requiring the creativity embodied in the right brain cannot be well activated too.</p>

EKSISTENSI AGAMA SIKH DI JABODETABEK

This study investigates the existence aspect of Sikh followers in Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi) regions. It aims to provide data and information regarding the government services to all religious communities including minorities, such as Sikh. The existence aspects under study include the short history, the basic teachings, rituals, institutions, and social interaction. This study utilizes qualitative research using postcolonial and subaltern perspective from Gayatri C Spivak’s view. Theologically, Sikh believes in monotheism that was mentioned by Waheguru and Guru Nanank (1469-1539). Sikh has a holy book named Guru Granth Sahib. Sikh temple is called Gurdwara or the “gateway to the Guru”. Sikh followers came to Indonesia from Amritsar, Punjab, India, (now Pakistan territory) through Aceh, North Sumatra and Jakarta. Sikh followers are managed under the Hindu Guidance Directorate. They do not have a national organization that accommodates Sikh community in Indonesia. It can be concluded that the existence of the Sikh in Jabodetabek area is somewhat subaltern.

Schwa Deletion: Investigating Improved Approach for Text-to-IPA System for Shiri Guru Granth Sahib

2 Abstract: Punjabi (Omniglot) is an interesting language for more than one reasons. This is the only living Indo- Europen language which is a fully tonal language. Punjabi language is an abugida writing system, with each consonant having an inherent vowel, SCHWA sound. This sound is modifiable using vowel symbols attached to consonant bearing the vowel. Shri Guru Granth Sahib is a voluminous text of 1430 pages with 511,874 words, 1,720,345 characters, and 28,534 lines and contains hymns of 36 composers written in twenty-two languages in Gurmukhi script (Lal). In addition to text being in form of hymns and coming from so many composers belonging to different languages, what makes the language of Shri Guru Granth Sahib even more different from contemporary Punjabi. The task of developing an accurate Letter-to-Sound system is made difficult due to two further reasons: 1. Punjabi being the only tonal language 2. Historical and Cultural circumstance/period of writings in terms of historical and religious nature of text and use of words from multiple languages and non-native phonemes. The handling of schwa deletion is of great concern for development of accurate/ near perfect system, the presented work intend to report the state-of-the-art in terms of schwa deletion for Indian languages, in general and for Gurmukhi Punjabi, in particular.

‘KEEPING THE FAITH ALIVE': TEACHING SIKH KIRTAN IN AMERICA

Since the large influx of Sikhs to the USA beginning with immigration reform in the 1960s, Sikhism has continued to come into view as an American religion. Throughout the USA today, Sikhs are devoting vast amounts of time and effort toward keeping continued generations of Sikh Americans connected with Sikh communities, traditions, history, and ways of being and knowing. One of the primary ways that many communities are teaching younger generations how to be Sikh in America is through teaching the performance of the Sikh sacred musical tradition, Gurbani kirtan (musical performance of the Word of the Gurus and Bhagats of Sikhism found within the Guru Granth Sahib). This article will explore observations from my field research and interviews among people who are teaching the Gurbani kirtan tradition in the USA, and their students. I will discuss how those teaching the tradition fall into several groups: organized kirtan academies, well-known kirtaniyas (Sikh sacred musicians) who hold periodic workshops, professional music teachers, and volunteer instructors within gurdwara communities. I will present insights from my interviews conducted with interviewees from each group about their pedagogical methods, reasons for teaching, and hopes and concerns for the future. Finally, I will conclude with some observations on the role of Gurbani kirtan in the emergence of Sikhism as an American religion.

PATTERNS IN THE LIVES OF TEXTS

What do Sikhs mean when they say that the Guru Granth Sahib lives? Taking a comparative approach, this article compares the lived religious practices and traditions that constitute the lives of three religious texts. Cross-cultural patterns emerge when comparing ritual uses and conceptions of the I-Ching, the Torah and the Guru Granth Sahib. These patterns reveal similar strategies for interpreting and relating to texts understood to be alive. At the same time, the cross-cultural patterns demonstrate the ways in which understanding a text to be alive depends on culturally and religiously specific metaphysics, practices and definitions of life. Going beyond a biological definition of life, these patterns demonstrate the complexities involved in defining what it means to live in a religious community.

TAKHAT SRI DAMDAMA SAHIB'S ESTABLISHMENT AND ROLE IN SIKH HISTORY

This article delves into Guru Gobind Singh's stay at Damdama Sahib and his activities during this period, including: the finalization of the Sikh scripture that came to be known as the Damdami Bir; establishment of the Guru ki Kanshi and the Damdama school of Sikh exegesis; framing of rules for the performance of Akand-paaths (non-stop recitations of the Guru Granth Sahib); the establishment of the Guru's court and arranging of literary and marshal meetings; other measures to disseminate Sikhism; and the physical development of the town of Damdama Sahib under Baba Deep Singh (whose own literary and marshal accomplishments will also be discussed). The article also examines the deterioration of the honour and prestige of the Takhat during its management under the chief of Shahzadpur, its role in the socio-religious and political affairs of the Sikhs, and the restoration of the status of Takhat Damdama Sahib by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

The Place of Scripture in the Trajectories of a Distinct Religious Identity among Ravidassias in Britain: Guru Granth Sahib or Amritbani Guru Ravidass

ABSTRACTThis article highlights narratives, collected as informant testimonies, relating to trajectories of a distinct religious identity among the Ravidassia community in Britain. Current tensions surround the replacement of the Guru Granth Sahib with the Amritbani Guru Ravidass in Ravidassia places of worship. This is primarily in response to cartographies of the Ravidassia identity as distinct from Sikh identity. The opinions of Ravidassia individuals, from a varied age range, expressed in interviews conducted at various periods during 2010–2012, are considered in relation to dominant discourses emphasising the importance of one hegemonic ‘Ravidassia’ scripture. The interview data highlight three main positions among the followers of Guru Ravidass: (1) Ravidassias seeking a distinct identity but preferring to retain the Guru Granth Sahib in Ravidassia places of worship, (2) Ravidassias demanding a distinct identity by installing the Amritbani Guru Ravidass, (3) Ravidassias wanting to maintain their link with the Panth as Sikhs or as Ravidassi Sikhs.

Sparrows and Lions

Given that the Sikhs’ scriptures – the utterances of their Gurus - are works of poetry, this article majors on the daily presence of insects, birds, fish and mammals in the recitation of the image-rich poesy that makes up the Guru Granth Sahib. Appreciation of this imagery requires understanding of the rural Punjabi context and also of earlier Indic compositions, whether sacred or secular. The introduction of certain birds and animals in Sikh parables and miracles will receive attention, and – inevitably in view of the equation of male Sikhs with Singhs (lions, or is it tigers?) – ‘big cats’ will be centre-stage. A (Quaker) poet’s bidding ‘Do not observe, become…’ will provide a stimulus to understand the more than symbolic animal presence in the Sikh universe. So too will ethical issues, centred on dietary discipline (vegetarian or non-vegetarian) and the legitimacy of hunting (the pursuit of two Gurus). Here consideration of Sikh’s relationship to the older, wider Indic matrix calls for discussion, and highlights the differentiation of groupings within the Panth with regard to meat-eating, cow-slaughter etc. Sikh tradition affords creative resources for reconnecting with the environment in the era of a dawning ecumenical attention to ecological distress, whilst at the same time Sikhs, especially in diaspora, are increasingly distanced, culturally and linguistically, from the Gurus’ imagery and from interaction with non-human animals.

Value communication: low-cost marketing initiatives for “Guru Ki Bani 58282”

Subject area Pricing, digital marketing, marketing management and strategic marketing. Study level/applicability The case can be used for pricing or digital marketing courses as well as marketing management courses to MBA students and/or for management development programmes. Case overview Goldfinch Mobile Solutions, a Hong-Kong based value added services (VAS) and gaming platform provider, had an exclusive tie up with Bharti Airtel in India for providing value added voice applications on an interactive voice response system (IVRS) platform. The Goldfinch flagship service is “Guru Ki Bani” which may be subscribed to by dialing the short code 58282. This “58282” service has a repository of all Sikh religion daily prayers, religious songs, teachings, stories from Guru's life and similar information that is derived from the Sikh Holy book Guru Granth Sahib Ji. As per mutual agreement between Goldfinch Mobile Solutions and Bharti Airtel, the telecom operator had the responsibility to promote Goldfinch's Guru Ki Bani service amongst its subscriber base through its below the line (BTL) promotional channels such as short messaging service (SMS), outbound calls, cell information, notification SMS after call and above the line (ATL) activities such as posters, leaflets, print, promoters, regional TV, outdoors, etc. The revenue sharing arrangement between Airtel and Golfinch was in the ratio of 75 percent and 25 percent. However, with recent changes in the policies of Telephone Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), promotional marketing used by telecom operators has been constrained. Declining customer share, decreasing profits (after Bharti Airtel halted promotions) and increasing organization cost per customer have made MD and CEO Mr Newton Bubber think of various options including low-cost marketing initiatives besides digital marketing to promote Guru Ki Bani services. Value communication to its huge potential customer base, i.e. 184.19 million Bharti Airtel subscribers was another challenge facing Mr Newton and his marketing team at Goldfinch. Expected learning outcomes The case enables students to learn the concepts and application of value creation, effective value communication, price waterfall analysis, importance of costing parameters in pricing decisions, low-cost marketing strategies and digital marketing. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Exploring wisdom in relationship with coping styles, social desirability, subjective well being, age and gender

In the past few years Wisdom has been upcoming area of research in the field of psychology. The west has shared some interesting work on wisdom and its correlates, development, variables contributing to wisdom, and many other wisdom related life skills. To the best of the author's knowledge, the concept of wisdom as a psychological construct hasn't been taken up extensively as a part of research in India. Despite the blessings of abundant spiritual and religious knowledge found in our Ancient Indian texts (Vedas, The Gita, Guru Granth Sahib ji, etc.), there hasn't been much work on characteristics of wise people and wisdom in everyday life. There is also a need to see if the work done in the west finds similar results in the Asian context and how significant are the cultural differences.In this study, a brief overview will be given of how wise people cope? Is there any gender difference in wisdom? Does wisdom necessarily increase with age? Do wise people have the need to impress others? Are wise people able to accept the negative side of their personality (self deception)? Are wise people happier? All of this has been answered using standardized self report measures and statistical analysis.Over the past two decades many definitions of wisdom have been proposed. Surprisingly, the construct of wisdom is such that it is difficult to arrive at one specific definition. Many people confuse wisdom with intelligence, creativity, moral reasoning and knowledge. Here a few of the many differences between the above mentioned constructs will be discussed based on Robert J Sternberg's work (Sternberg, 1990). According to Sternberg, wisdom, creativity and intelligence are the same. What makes them different is their use. Difference between Wisdom, Intelligence and Creativity: A wise person gets into in depth clarity seeking by focusing on the question of why. He/she doesn't rely on automatic assumptions. Whereas, intelligent person looks for automatic solutions and routines which help him solve a problem faster. A creative person has no interest in thewhy of what he does. He's interested in exploring new things which carry element of originality or uniqueness. Furthermore, intelligence is the discovery of new truths and wisdom is understanding the depth of the existing ones (Ardelt, 2008). Secondly, a wise person is capable of comfortably accepting the contradictions, uncertainties and ambiguities in life. They know that they don't know it all. An intelligent person would like to solve the ambiguity. He can tolerate the uncertainty of life only if he is both wise and intelligent. A creative person tolerates ambiguity with discomfort (Sternberg, 1990).Difference between Wisdom and Moral Reasoning: Whereas, moral reasoning is limited to matters of justice and fairness, wisdom involves judgments and insights about issues that are not only of moral concerns but other than moral concerns as well. Some problem situations require practical solutions instead of moral solutions. Moral reasoning involves looking at one aspect like justice, fairness and care. Wisdom on the other hand involves taking into account multiple aspects other than just the moral aspect. Therefore, wisdom is broader and all entailing.Difference between Wisdom and Knowledge: Knowledgeable people are not necessarily humble if they are under the illusion that they know. Humility and transcendence of self are qualities of the wise. Thus, knowledgeable can be prone to superiority and excessive ego which the wise are capable of controlling (Ardelt, 2008).Definitions of Wisdom: While some researchers focus on the as a feature of wisdom, a few focus on acceptance of limitations of knowledge as a quality of the wise and some focus on integration of cognitive, reflective and affective aspects of life as wise. Meacham (1990) defines wisdom as awareness of not knowing everything in life. Baltes and Smith (1993) define wisdom as an expertise in the domain of fundamental pragmatics of life, such as life planning and life review. …

Spirituality and Coping: A Grounded Theory

Though relatively new subject of research, large and growing body of work is lending credence to relationship between religion and spirituality, and trauma and stress. Research is establishing correlation between specific aspects of spiritualism and religion, and managing and coming through the aftermath and symptoms of variety of stressful and traumatic experiences. Incorporating the effect of religion/spirituality especially within the context of culture and its relevant factors, in holistic approach to patients can potentially enhance treatment and recovery.Religion is defined as a particular institutionalized or personal set of beliefs and practices relating to the divine (Encarta, 1999). The search for purpose, meaning, and sense to the complexities of reality are associated with spiritualism (Burton, 1998; Parlotz, 2012). Religion and spirituality both however comprise transcending orders which bind them. The essential requirement in humans to identify, preserve and cherish that which is gives rise to both. They are both used in similar or common purpose to comprehend, deal with and possibly grow above our daily lives or mundane existence (Hill & Peigament, 2003).Trauma is highly significant event that is considered negative, beyond regular or even difficult human experience. The effect of reactions to trauma on ones psychological well-being and health is psychological trauma (Smith, 2004).Trauma creates conditions that are challenge to an individual's stable psychological constructs and concepts. An individual's perceived human existence is then enveloped by uncertainty and instability (Grant, 1999). When confronted with genuinely traumatic experience, sufferer is faced with the necessity to reappraise their existential meaning and purpose (Decker, 1993). Spirituality can become medium through which trauma is understood (Smith 2004).Organized religion on the other hand, can offer several support structures and social comfort resources to the trauma effected. Examples include support from fellow worshippers, spiritual guidance of the clergy, and religious writings (Hill & Pergamant, 2003). Trauma is often unfathomable to the immediate victim and religion can often provide sense or place in larger sacred order (Beiger 1990). Religious behaviour or thoughts, that arise when faced with stressful or traumatic circumstance is termed religious coping (Peigament, Smith et al., 1998).Sikhism is religion founded six hundred years ago by Guru Nanak dev ji, which continued to grow with its successive gurus, into an institutionalized set of believes and practices. The central message of Sikhism is contained in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which compiles holy writings of Sikh gurus and other Indian saints. It is an attempt to explain complexity of life through simplicity of the omnipotent universal power. Sikhism though an organized religion, rests in laige measure on philosophies of many Indian saints. Through its spiritual teachings, Sikhism, can help people make sense of events in their lives and cope better with life stressors and trauma.Several studies demonstrate direct correlation between spirituality/religion and coping among diverse patients across range of very different traumas.McCoubrie and Davis (2006), found higher overall spiritual well being correlated with lower levels of anxiety and depression in cancer patients. A study among sexual trauma victims found negative correlation between post traumatic stress disorder symptoms and spiritual well being measures. The correlation stayed consistent among control group of patients, of trauma that was not sexually related (Krejcki et al., 2004). Research on college students who had experienced trauma also found higher levels of spiritual wellbeing was linked to lower trauma symptoms (Lee & Waters, 2003). Sprang and MacNeil (1998) in study of adult primary family members of drunk driving victims revealed an inverse relationship between religious belief scores and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom scores. …

Does Guru Granth Sahib describe depression?

Sikhism is a relatively young religion, with Guru Granth Sahib as its key religious text. This text describes emotions in everyday life, such as happiness, sadness, anger, hatred, and also more serious mental health issues such as depression and psychosis. There are references to the causation of these emotional disturbances and also ways to get out of them. We studied both the Gurumukhi version and the English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib to understand what it had to say about depression, its henomenology, and religious prescriptions for recovery. We discuss these descriptions in this paper and understand its meaning within the context of clinical depression. Such knowledge is important as explicit descriptions about depression and sadness can help encourage culturally appropriate assessment and treatment, as well as promote public health through education.

Sikhism, spirituality and psychiatry

Sikhism has millions of followers in India and among the Indian diaspora. As a religion it is relatively young but carries with it unique perspectives which are often not well known. The holy book of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib, is not only the last Guru, but also remained a key text for this religion. Using descriptions of the religion and its followers we attempt to understand the context of spirituality within this religion and attempt to apply it to clinical settings. We explored various texts to understand the notions of spirituality and ethics and directions for living one's life. We studied both the Gurumukhi version as well as the English translation of the Sikh holy text. In the context of history of the Sikhs, various descriptions related to mental well being were identified. In this paper we describe the history, development and the core values of the religion and we also review their role on psychiatric and mental health settings for managing Sikh patients. Guru Granth Sahib offers a very useful insight into what is understood by the term equivalent to depression and its phenomenology. The notions of dukh (loosely translated as pain, but can also mean sadness or suffering) and maya (illusion) and their role in daily living are also discussed. In this paper these descriptions are explored further and their importance explained.

EMOTION IN SIKH MUSICOLOGY

Recent studies in Sikh musicology have focused on its history and theory. However, there is an absence of theoretical research which focuses on the role of emotions in Sikh music. In this paper, we contribute to this research by investigating key issues relating to emotions in Sikh musicology. We explore theories which propose that a rāga will evoke a particular emotion/mood in the listener and that there are a number of factors which influence this process. In particular, we focus on two parallel theories which we term the ‘one rāga one emotion’ and the ‘one rāga multiple emotions’ theories. We consider these theories within the context of the shabads (We are adding an ‘s’ for Punjabi plural words such as shabads and rāgas although the plural in Punjabi in this case would be Shabad or rāga. By Anglicising the words in this way we hope that it makes the paper easier to read), in particular rāgas of the Guru Granth Sahib which convey a number of emotions/moods. In this paper, we explore the problem of how to approach the interpretation of rāgas within the context of the emotions/moods presented in the shabads of those rāgas whilst adhering to the musical structure of the rāga. We use rāga Sirī to exemplify and focus the discussion. We challenge the ‘one rāga one emotion’ theory and propose that a rāga can be performed to evoke a number of emotions/moods but that certain considerations have to be taken into account by the performer during the rendition of the rāga.