Amrit Sanskar

Amrit Sanskar (Punjabi: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸੰਸਕਾਰ, romanized: Amrita sasakāra, pronunciation: [ãːmɾʱɪt̪ sә̃nskäːɚ], lit. ‘nectar ceremony’) also called Amrit Parchar, Amrit Sanchar, Khande di Pahul[1], or Khande Batte di Pahul (Punjabi: ਖੰਡੇ ਬਾਟੇ ਦੀ ਪਾਹੁਲ, romanized: Khaḍē bāṭē dī pāhula) is one of the four Sikh Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699.[2][3]

Old Sikh fresco art from the Akal Takht, Amritsar of Guru Gobind Singh preparing Amrit

A Sikh who has been initiated into the Khalsa ('pure'; the Sikh brotherhood) is considered to be Amritdhari (baptised) (lit. 'amrit taker') or Khalsa ('pure'). Those who undergo initiation are expected to dedicate themselves to Waheguru (Almighty God) and work toward the establishment of the Khalsa Raj.[2][4][5]

History

Charan-Pahul

The original Sikh initiation ceremony, ever since the guruship period of Guru Nanak,[6] was known as Charan-Pahul (Punjabi: ਚਰਨ-ਪਾਹੁਲ, romanized: Carana-pāhula), Pagpahul, or Charan Amrit (Punjabi: ਚਰਨਾਮ੍ਰਿਤ, romanized: Caranāmrita, lit. 'elixir of the feet').[7] It involved pouring water over the toes of the Sikh guru and the initiates drinking that water.[7][8] If the guru was not present in a certain area, water would be poured over the toes of the masand or sangatia responsible for the area of that particular manji (early Sikh religious administrative unit) and the initiates would drink that water instead.[7] If neither the guru or a local religious head is present, such as in a distant or tiny community of Sikhs, then the initiate would dip their toe in water and the local congregation would drink it.[9] This initiation ceremony finds mention in the Vaaran authored by Bhai Gurdas.[7] The ceremony was a way of showing the humbleness of initiates to the faith.[6] This practice continued until 1699, when it was replaced by Guru Gobind Singh's innovation.[7][8][1]

Khande di Pahul

1698 hukamnama of Guru Gobind Singh with signature. The scribe is Bhai Saihna Singh. It orders all Sikhs to take Khande Ki Pahul and become Khalsa, avoid Minas, and recognize the Khalsa as the Guru's form. This hukamnama alludes to the idea of the ceremony and Khalsa predating its formalization as part of Sikh orthodoxy and orthopraxy in Anandpur in 1699

Amrit Sanchar was formally initiated in 1699 when Gobind Singh established the order of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib.[7] The day is now celebrated as Vaisakhi. This tradition had come to replace the prior Sikh initiation ceremony,[8] in which the initiate would drink water that the Guru or a masand (designated official representing the Guru) had dipped his foot in.[10][11]

Guru Gobind Singh addressed the congregation from the entryway of a tent pitched on a hill (now called Kesgarh Sahib). He drew his sword and asked for a volunteer who was willing to sacrifice his head. No one answered his first call, nor the second call, but on the third invitation, a man by the name of Daya Ram (later to be known as Daya Singh) came forward and offered his head to the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh took the volunteer inside the tent, and emerged shortly, with blood dripping from his sword. The Guru then demanded another head. One more volunteer came forward, and entered the tent with him. The Guru again emerged with blood on his sword. This happened three more times. Then the five volunteers came out of the tent unharmed. Everyone was very confused.

The Guru caused his five faithful Sikhs to stand up. He put pure water into an iron vessel and stirred it with a khanda or two edged sword. He then repeated over it the sacred verses which he appointed for the ceremony, namely, the Japji, the Jaap, Guru Amar Das's Anand, Chopai Sahib and Twe Parsad Swaiyas or quatrains of his own composition.
— Max Arthur Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion, volume 5 (1909), page 94[12]

The ceremony involves stirring water in an iron bowl with a double-edged sword whilst reciting religious hymns, along with an admixture of sugar.[1]

These five men came to be known as the Panj Pyare (the "beloved five"). The five men, who would be initiated into the Khalsa by receiving Amrit, included Daya Singh, Mukham Singh, Sahib Singh, Dharam Singh, and Himmat Singh. From then onward, Sikh men were given the name Singh ("lion"), and the women Kaur ("princess").

The next five (out of a total of ten) to undergo the Pahul were Ram Singh, Desa Singh, Tehal Singh, Ishar Singh, and Fateh Singh.[13] This group is termed as the Panj Mukte.[13]

According to the Guru Kian Sakhian, after the first ten baptisms (Panj Piare and Panj Mukte), around 20,000 men were ready to accept the baptism whilst a few rejected it.[13] The list of men in-sequence who then underwent the Pahul were: Mani Ram, Diwan Bachittar Das, Ude Rai, Anik Das, Ajaib Das, Ajaib Chand, Chaupat Rai, Diwan Dharam Chand, Alam Chand Nachna, and Sahib Ram Koer.[13] This group was then followed by Rai Chand Multani, Gurbakhsh Rai, Pandit Kirpa Ram Dutt of Mattan, Subeg Chand, Gurmukh Das, Sanmukh Das, Amrik Chand, Purohit Daya Ram, Ratna, Gani Das, Lal Chand Peshauria, Rup Chand, Sodhi Dip Chand, Nand Chand, Nanu Rai of Diwali, and Hazari, Bhandari and Darbari of Sirhind.[13] As many as 80,000 men are said to have been baptized in a few days after Vaisakhi 1699.[13]

Ceremony

Illustration titled 'Baptising Sikhs on Admission to the Khalsa Brotherhood of Singhs' from The Sikhs (1904) by John James Hood Gordon

Rules of the ceremony include

Being conducted in any quiet and convenient place. In addition to the Guru Granth Sahib, the presence of six Sikhs is necessary: one granthi ("narrator"), who reads from the holy text, and five others, representing the original five beloved disciples (pyare), to administer the ceremony.
Taking a bath and washing of the hair prior to the ceremony is mandatory by those who are receiving the initiation and those who are administering.
Any Sikh who is mentally and physically sound (male or female) may administer the rites of initiation if they have received the rites and continue to adhere to the Sikh rehni ("way of life") and wear the Sikh articles of faith (i.e. the Five Ks).
There is no minimum age requirement, though it is rare for younger children since the individual should be able to understand the implications of initiation.[14]
The person to become Amritdhari must wear the five holy symbols (the Five Ks):
1. Kesh (unshorn hair)
2. Kirpan ("sword", i.e. a small dagger worn on the person)
3. Kacchera (prescribed boxer shorts)
4. Kangha (comb tucked in the tied-up hair)
5. Karha (steel bracelet)
He/she must not have on his/her person any jewellery, distinctive marks, or tokens associated with any other faith. He/she must not have his/her head bare or be wearing a cap. The head must be covered with a cloth. He/she must not be wearing any ornaments piercing through any part of the body. The persons to be Amritdhari must stand respectfully with hands folded facing the Guru Granth Sahib.
Anyone seeking re-initiation after having resiled from their previous vows may be assigned a penance by the five administering initiation before being re-admitted.
During the ceremony, one of the five pyare stands and explains the rules and obligations of the Khalsa Panth.
Those receiving initiation have to give their assent as to whether they are willing to abide by the rules and obligations.
After their assent, one of the five pyare utters a prayer for the commencement of the preparation of the Amrit and a randomly selected passage (hukam, a "Command of God") is taken from Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

The person being initiated must chant "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh" (essentially meaning "Almighty Lord, the pure; Almighty Lord, the victorious"). The salutation is repeated and the holy water is sprinkled on their eyes and hair, five times. The remainder of the nectar is shared by all receiving the initiation, all drinking from the same bowl.[14] Sometimes portions of the Akal Ustat and 33 Savaiye compositions of Guru Gobind Singh found within the Dasam Granth is used during the ceremony.[15]

After this, all those taking part in the ceremony recite the Mool Mantra and they are inducted into the Khalsa.

Aftermath

After successfully undergoing the ceremony, a new Amritdhari is expected to have the following traits:[6]

dharam nash, the rejection of any previous religious affiliations
kirat nash, the rejection of any previous occupational affiliations
kul nash, the rejection of any previous familial and caste affiliations
karam nash, the rejection of any previous superstitious or ritual beliefs

References

Kalsi, Sewa Singh (2007). Sikhism - Simple Guides. Simple Guides (2nd ed.). Kuperard. ISBN 9781857336344. Amrit literally means water of immortality, which is used in the Sikh initiation ceremony; it is known as khande di pahul (literally, water of the double-edged sword). Let us go back to the fateful day of Baisakhi in 1699. After the selection of panj pyarey, the guru prepared amrit for the initiation ceremony. He discarded the centuries-old tradition of charan pahul. Before the founding of the Khalsa, the initiation used to be conducted with water touched by a guru's toe, thus the term charan pahul (charan means foot, pahul denotes water). The new-style initiation ceremony was fundamentally different from the traditional mode of initiation. Preparation of amrit is one of the defining factors of the new rite. The guru poured water into a steel bowl and stirred it with a double-edged sword while reciting hymns from the Adi Granth, including some of his own compositions. It is said that the guru's wife added some sugar into the bowl during the preparation of amrit.
BBC Religion (2009). "Amrit ceremony | Rites and Rituals | Sikhism". BBC. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
Regan, Michael (2019). Understanding Sikhism. p. 9. ISBN 9781532114298.
Woodhead, Linda (2016). Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations. New York: Routledge. p. 140. ISBN 9780415858809.
Dharam Parchar Committee (1994). Sikh Reht Maryada: The Code of Sikh Conduct & Conventions. Amritsar,IND: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. p. 34.
Dahiya, Amardeep S. (2014). Founder of the Khalsa: The Life and Times of Guru Gobind Singh. Hay House. ISBN 9789381398616. Ever since Guru Nanak's time it had been a custom among Sikhs to partake of 'charan pahul', whenever they visited the guru: By drinking the water which had washed the feet of the guru, the Sikhs showed their humility which was the ultimate virtue that would take them through the portals of heaven.
Singh, Harbans (1992). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 3: M-R. Punjabi University (Patiala). pp. 263–266. ISBN 9788173803499.
Singha, H. S. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism: Over 1000 Entries (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Hemkunt Publishers. p. 44. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1. CHARAN AMRIT: Literally charan amrit is water in which the Guru's feet have been bathed. It was used as a part of the Sikh initiation ceremony called charan pahul during the days of the first nine Gurus and till the time Guru Gobind Singh changed it to khande-di-pahul. For more details see Baptism.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
Rambo, Lewis Ray; Farhadian, Charles E.; Mann, Gurinder Singh (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion. Oxford handbooks series. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press. p. 494. ISBN 978-0-19-533852-2. During this time, the ceremony of pahul mentioned in the Janam Sakhi developed along three distinct lines. In the presence of the Guru, the pahul represented the water that was touched by his toe (charan pahul); in large congregations where the Guru was not present, the ceremony involved the touching of the toe of the local leaders (the holders of the manji, or seat of authority, who came to be called the masand); and in small and distant congregations, we have references to pahul created from the touching of a new entrant's toe and the congregation that he joined drinking it.
Moreman, Christopher M. (2017-05-18). The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying. Routledge. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-317-52887-6.
Hawley, John Stratton; Mann, Gurinder Singh. Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. State University of New York Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4384-0619-0.
Macauliffe, Max Arthur (1909). The Sikh Religion 5. p. 94.
Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. History of Sikh Gurus Retold. Vol. 2. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 790–791.
Gatrad, R.; Jhutti-Johal, J.; Gill, P. S.; Sheikh, A. (2005-06-01). "Sikh birth customs". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 90 (6): 560–563. doi:10.1136/adc.2004.064378. ISSN 0003-9888. PMC 1720438. PMID 15908616.
Rinehart, Robin (2011). Debating the Dasam Granth. Oxford University Press. pp. 26, 32. ISBN 978-0-19-984247-6.

External links

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[:1-1] Kalsi, Sewa Singh (2007). Sikhism - Simple Guides. Simple Guides (2nd ed.). Kuperard. ISBN 9781857336344. Amrit literally means water of immortality, which is used in the Sikh initiation ceremony; it is known as khande di pahul (literally, water of the double-edged sword). Let us go back to the fateful day of Baisakhi in 1699. After the selection of panj pyarey, the guru prepared amrit for the initiation ceremony. He discarded the centuries-old tradition of charan pahul. Before the founding of the Khalsa, the initiation used to be conducted with water touched by a guru's toe, thus the term charan pahul (charan means foot, pahul denotes water). The new-style initiation ceremony was fundamentally different from the traditional mode of initiation. Preparation of amrit is one of the defining factors of the new rite. The guru poured water into a steel bowl and stirred it with a double-edged sword while reciting hymns from the Adi Granth, including some of his own compositions. It is said that the guru's wife added some sugar into the bowl during the preparation of amrit.

[Singh-2] BBC Religion (2009). "Amrit ceremony | Rites and Rituals | Sikhism". BBC. Retrieved 9 October 2012.

[3] Regan, Michael (2019). Understanding Sikhism. p. 9. ISBN 9781532114298.

[4] Woodhead, Linda (2016). Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations. New York: Routledge. p. 140. ISBN 9780415858809.

[5] Dharam Parchar Committee (1994). Sikh Reht Maryada: The Code of Sikh Conduct & Conventions. Amritsar,IND: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. p. 34.

[:2-6] Dahiya, Amardeep S. (2014). Founder of the Khalsa: The Life and Times of Guru Gobind Singh. Hay House. ISBN 9789381398616. Ever since Guru Nanak's time it had been a custom among Sikhs to partake of 'charan pahul', whenever they visited the guru: By drinking the water which had washed the feet of the guru, the Sikhs showed their humility which was the ultimate virtue that would take them through the portals of heaven.

[:0-7] Singh, Harbans (1992). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 3: M-R. Punjabi University (Patiala). pp. 263–266. ISBN 9788173803499.

[:3-8] Singha, H. S. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism: Over 1000 Entries (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Hemkunt Publishers. p. 44. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1. CHARAN AMRIT: Literally charan amrit is water in which the Guru's feet have been bathed. It was used as a part of the Sikh initiation ceremony called charan pahul during the days of the first nine Gurus and till the time Guru Gobind Singh changed it to khande-di-pahul. For more details see Baptism.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[9] Rambo, Lewis Ray; Farhadian, Charles E.; Mann, Gurinder Singh (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion. Oxford handbooks series. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press. p. 494. ISBN 978-0-19-533852-2. During this time, the ceremony of pahul mentioned in the Janam Sakhi developed along three distinct lines. In the presence of the Guru, the pahul represented the water that was touched by his toe (charan pahul); in large congregations where the Guru was not present, the ceremony involved the touching of the toe of the local leaders (the holders of the manji, or seat of authority, who came to be called the masand); and in small and distant congregations, we have references to pahul created from the touching of a new entrant's toe and the congregation that he joined drinking it.

[10] Moreman, Christopher M. (2017-05-18). The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying. Routledge. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-317-52887-6.

[11] Hawley, John Stratton; Mann, Gurinder Singh. Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. State University of New York Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4384-0619-0.

[12] Macauliffe, Max Arthur (1909). The Sikh Religion 5. p. 94.

[:02-13] Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. History of Sikh Gurus Retold. Vol. 2. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 790–791.

[BMJ-14] Gatrad, R.; Jhutti-Johal, J.; Gill, P. S.; Sheikh, A. (2005-06-01). "Sikh birth customs". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 90 (6): 560–563. doi:10.1136/adc.2004.064378. ISSN 0003-9888. PMC 1720438. PMID 15908616.

[:12-15] Rinehart, Robin (2011). Debating the Dasam Granth. Oxford University Press. pp. 26, 32. ISBN 978-0-19-984247-6.