Outline of Sikhism

The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi (its endonym).

The Khanda, the symbol of Sikhism

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion—emphasizing universal selflessness and brotherhood—founded in the 15th century upon the teachings of Guru Nanak and the ten succeeding Gurus. It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world,[1] and one of the fastest-growing.[2]

The sacred text and last Guru of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib, teaches humans how to unite with the all cosmic soul; with God, the creator: "Only those who selflessly love everyone, they alone shall find God."

Scripture and literature
Part of a series on
Sikh scriptures
Guru Granth Sahib
Dasam Granth
Sarbloh Granth
Varan Bhai Gurdas

Scripture

Sikh literature

Associated terms
  • Ardās
  • Bhagat Bani — any of the writings that appear in the Guru Granth Sahib which were not written by the Gurus.
  • Gurbani (abbreviated as bani) — general term for Gurus' writings
  • Gutka — a small sized breviary or prayer book containing chosen hymns (banis) from Sikh scriptures
  • Nitnem — daily recitations
  • Paath
  • Savaiya — a form of poetry written in praise of someone, in which every verse is 1/4 times the length of a common verse.
  • Shabda — the hymns contained in Sikh scriptures.
  • Sloka — 'stanza'; the Sanskrit epic metre formed of 32 syllables: verses of 2 lines (distich) of 16 syllables each or in 4 half-lines (hemistich) of 8 syllables each.

Philosophy and beliefs
Sikh beliefs
  • 1a. Simran (spiritual contemplation)
  • 1b. Sewa (selfless service)
  • 2. Three Pillars
    • 2a. Naam Japo (contemplating God's names) Meditating on God's name to control the five evils and living a satisfying life.
    • 2b. Kirat Karo (work diligently) Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud
    • 2c. Vand Chhako Sharing with others, helping those with less or those who are in need
  • 3. Five Thieves
    • 3a. Kaam (lust)
    • 3b. Krodh (anger)
    • 3c. Lobh (greed)
    • 3d. Moh (attachment, e.g. to material things or people)
    • 3e. Hankaar (ego, pride)
  • 4. Five Virtues
Main article: Sikh philosophy

Relation to other religions

Practices and culture
Part of a series on
Sikh practices and discipline
Main articles: Sikh discipline and Category:Sikh practices
  • Amrit — elixir of immortality; the sanctified nectar or sugar water substitute used in ceremonies. It is prepared by stirring it in an iron bowl with the double-edged sword and continuous recitation of five banis by the five selected members of the Khalsa.
  • Dasvand — a kind of Sikh tithe; the act of donating 10% of one's harvest, both financially and in the form of time and service (i.e., seva) to the Gurdwara and community.
  • Five Ks — five articles of faith worn by baptised, or khalsa, Sikhs:
  • Kirtan — musical recitation
  • Langar — communal kitchen where free food is distributed to all comers
  • Naam Japo — meditation on the name of God
    • Jaap — 'recitation'
  • Prohibitions (kurahit kurahat), including:
    • Cutting, trimming, shaving or removing hairs from one’s body — Sikhs practice kesh, allowing their hair to grow out naturally in respect to God's creation
    • Intoxication
    • Castism
    • Kutha meat — eating meat killed in a ritualistic manner (particularly halal or kosher meat), or any meat where langar is served (except jatkha meat).
  • Seva — selfless service
  • Sikh Rehat Maryada — code of conduct

Sikh ceremonies
  • Anand Karaj ('blissful union, joyful union') — the Sikh marriage ceremony, first introduced by Guru Amar Das.
  • Akhand Path — continuous reading of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, either in honour of a particular occasion or simply to increase one’s feeling of connection to God. Akhand Paths can be held, for example, in honour of a birth/birthday, wedding/anniversary, recovery from a medical operation, death, or a historic occasion; to celebrate the achievement of a goal such as a graduation or passing the driving test; or in chasing away evil spirits and curses, etc.
  • Amrit Sanchar — baptism into the Khalsa tradition
  • Antam Sanskar — funeral rites
  • Naam Karan — child's naming ceremony
  • Sadharan Paath

Sikh festivals

General sikh culture

Sikh geography
Map of Ranjit Singh's empire at its peak.
Map of Punjab Province (British India), 1909
Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) at night, in Amritsar, India

Sikhism by country
Main article: Sikh diaspora

Gurdwaras
Main articles: Gurdwara and Category:Gurdwaras
The Harmandir Sahib, Sikh Gurdwara and spiritual centre at Amritsar, India.
Nishan Sahib

In India

The Harmandir Sahib (or Golden Temple) is the holy shrine of Sikhs; the spiritual and cultural center of the Sikh religion, found in Amritsar. The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is the organization responsible for the management of gurdwaras in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, and the union territory of Chandigarh

Other gurdwaras in India include:

In the United States

Gurdwaras in Pakistan

Other gurdwaras

Other Sikh institutions

Sikh politics, military, and administration

Organizations
Ghadar Party flag

Military

Movements

History of Sikhism
Main articles: History of Sikhism, Category:History of Sikhism, and History of Punjab

Battles

People
Sikh man in turban

Sikhs are members of the Sikh religion. A sangat is a society or congregation of Sikhs.

Titles and labels
Main article: Sikh titles
  • Udasi — a religious sect of ascetic sadhus who were key interpreters of the Sikh philosophy and the custodians of important Sikh shrines until the Akali movement. Modern-day udasis consider themselves more to be Hindu rather than Sikhs.

Sikh Gurus
Main article: Sikh gurus
  • Guru Nanak Dev — According to the traditional historical Sikh sources Guru Nanak Dev appeared on earth in the month of Katak Oct/November 1469 which is celebrated every year in the month of October/November. The SGPC which was founded in 1925, states the avtar date as 15 April 1469. The Sikhs believe that all subsequent Gurus possessed Guru Nanak’s divinity and the one spirit of Akaal Purakh Waheguru.[13]
  • Guru Angad Dev (1504–52) — disciple of Guru Nanak Dev and second of the ten Sikh Gurus.
  • Guru Amar Das (1469–1574) — third of the ten Sikh Gurus.
  • Guru Ram Das ( 1534–81) — fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus.
  • Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1605) — fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus, He was arrested and executed by Jahangir in 1605.[14]
  • Guru Har Gobind (1596–1638) — son of Guru Arjan Dev and the sixth of the ten Sikh Gurus.
  • Guru Har Rai (1630–61) — grandson of Guru Har Gobind and seventh of the ten Sikh Gurus.
  • Guru Har Krishan (1656–64) — son of Guru Har Rai and eighth of the ten Sikh Gurus.
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–75) — grand uncle of Guru Har Krishan and ninth of the ten Sikh Gurus. He was executed on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi.[15]
  • Guru Gobind Singh(1666–1708) — son of Guru Tegh Bahadur and tenth of the ten Sikh Gurus, He named the holy scripture, as his successor
  • Guru Granth Sahib — the spiritual religious text of Sikhism, said to be the sole and final successor of the line of gurus. It is the eternal living Guru.[16] the final and eternal guru of the Sikhs.[17]

Notable people
See also: List of Sikhs, Sikh Bhagats, Category:Sikh warriors, and Category:Sikh martyrs

General concepts
See also: Glossary of Sikhism
  • Brahmavidya — knowledge of the Divine
  • Vand Chhako — charity (or daan); one of the 3 petitions, alongside naam and ishnan.
  • Dasvand — 10% of earnings donated to the less advantaged.
  • Gurbani (abbreviated as bani) — verses; applied to any of the collective writings of the Sikh Gurus that appear in the Guru Granth Sahib.
  • Gurdwara (or gurudwara; literally 'God's door, God's place') — Sikh place of worship
  • Ik Onkar (or Ek Onkar)
  • Ishnan — ablution, purification of body and mind; one of the 3 petitions, alongside naam and daan.
  • Jaap — recite.
  • Kirat Karo — earning a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud
  • Laavaan
  • Naam — remembrance of the Divine name
  • Takhat
  • Tankhah — social offense, such as giving dowry, using liquors and intoxicants, raising monuments over graves, and associating with apostates.

Pop culture

See also

References
  1. Adherents.com. "Religions by adherents" (PHP). Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  2. "The List: The World's -Growing Religions". Foreign Policy. Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2010.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. Singh, Pritama. 1992. Bhai Gurdas. pp. 33–36. ISBN 9788172012182.
  4. Colonist, Times (2008-03-11). "Sikh separatists in Canada concern Indian government". Canada.com. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  5. "25 years on, few takers for Khalistan in Canada". Thaindian.com. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  6. The foreign policy of Pakistan: ethnic impacts on diplomacy, 1971–1994. ISBN 1-86064-169-5. Mehtab Ali Shah: "Such is the political, psychological and religious attachment of the Sikhs to that city that a Khalistan without Lahore would be like a Germany without Berlin."
  7. Amritsar to Lahore: a journey across the India-Pakistan border. Stephen Alter. ISBN 0-8122-1743-8 "Ever since the separatist movement gathered force in the 1980s, Pakistan has sided with the Sikhs, even though the territorial ambitions of Khalistan include Lahore and sections of the Punjab on both sides of the border."
  8. Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 822. ISBN 9788126908585.
  9. Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 822. ISBN 9788126908585.
  10. Mehta, J. L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India 1707–1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 303. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  11. Jacques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
  12. Jacques, p. 93
  13. Guru Nanak may be referred to by many other names and titles such as "Satguru Nanak Dev", "Guru Nanak Dev" or "Baba Nanak" .
  14. N. Jayapalan (2001). History of India. Atlantic. p. 160. ISBN 978-81-7156-928-1.
  15. A Gateway to Sikhism | Sri Guru Tegh Bhadur Sahib J - A Gateway to Sikhism Archived 2008-08-30 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Deol, Harnik (2000). Religion and Nationalism in India. Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 0-415-20108-X.
  17. Keene, Michael (2003). Online Worksheets. Nelson Thornes. p. 38. ISBN 0-7487-7159-X.
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