INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

ply the audience with an expositive rendering of Barah Maha in modern Hindi and
Punjabi. Like other worship-acts in the Sikh religious life, the oral performance of the
composition is attributed various meanings. Some informants would allege that reciting
Barah Maha in combination with the Ardas makes a monthly plea to God for protection
and welfare, while others simply say it “brings luck” or they “feel lucky” to
have listened to the verses for a new month. Irrespective of these individual meanings,
the recitation of Barah Maha is carried out in a similar fashion and will mark the
beginning of a new month in the Guru’s house.
THE EVENING LITURGY
The evening liturgy called Sukhasan, or “the comfortable posture”, is performed after
sunset and consists of several constituent parts that build up the ceremony. Similar
to the morning liturgy the congregation will read the Sikh prayer Ardas and listen to
the Hukam that was taken before daybreak and has been valid for a whole day. The
central feature of the evening liturgy, however, is the solemn closure of the Guru
Granth Sahib. After a day installed on the royal throne the book cover is graciously
folded up and enclosed in layers of tightly tied white robes. The wrapping ceremony
signifies the instant when the text assumes a passive position and departs from the
congregation for rest in the private bedroom. The scripture is always dressed in robes
to the tune of the hymn Kirtan Sohila (GGS: 12 ‒ 13), or “The Song of Praise”, chanted
aloud or silently by the attendant in service. In different religious settings the recitation
of Kirtan Sohila indicates a closure. Before going to sleep at night individual Sikhs
will recite the composition as a stipulated bedtime prayer. At the popular level people
will say the hymn provides the reader with peaceful sleep and protection from
nightmares and evil forces during the dark hours. Instead of the customary rite of
Arti ‒ circulating a fire or lamp ‒ outside the shop at night Sikh businessmen will
recite Kirtan Sohila and present a small supplication in front of the barred doors, believing
their business will be protected from nocturnal burglars. An elderly Sikh man
in Varanasi said, “Kirtan Sohila is like a padlock that closes the day. After Kirtan Sohila
we do not recite any other bani”. Since death, elimination of fear, and liberation are
central themes of the composition, it also marks the closing stage of a human life.
After the funeral pyre has been lit at the cremation ground the mourners or an attendant
from the gurdwara will recite Kirtan Sohila as the very last prayer for the departing
soul. 347 The recitation of this particular hymn thus seals each day in the human
life and the court of the Guru as well as it marks the closing moment of life itself.
When the wrapping procedures are completed, the granthi will read a shorter
version of the Sikh supplication and then in a small procession solemnly carry the
scripture on his head to the bedroom for rest. Normally this occasion marks an impressive
moment of the ceremony: all people assembled, young and old, are creating
a pathway for the scripture by kneeling and touching the floor with their foreheads,
347
The Sikh scribe Bhai Gurdas explains that gurmukhs do not weep on the occasion of death,
but recite Sohila in the company of holy persons (Jodh Singh 1998: 154).
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008