INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

eads Ardas, takes the daily Hukam, and sings Kirtan. Both his talent and moral disposition
are evaluated.
CLINGING TO THE GURU’S FEET
Anyone who intends to work as granthi or pathi in the gurdwara must pass through a
ceremony called charni lagna. In a literal sense the compound means “to be attached
to the feet”, and entails the common body symbolism of receiving a blissful touch of
the Guru’s feet (charan). Whereas the feet are culturally defined as the most impure
part of the human body, clinging to the Guru’s feet is the most favorable act of submission
for the devotee. The practice of charni lagna is today shaped as a ritualized
“test” in reading the Gumukhi script and orally reproducing gurbani which is open
for both male and female laypersons and prospective reciters. When the novitiate
passes the test, he or she will be considered a true disciple granted permission to
handle the Guru Granth Sahib and perform recitations.
The core acts of charni lagna conducted in the gurdwara follows a rather standardized
pattern. Either the novitiate or someone in the community sets up an
“open” recitation of the whole scripture (Khulla path) which he or she will commence
in the presence of an experienced granthi. The choice of Khulla path for this occasion is
due to the broken character of this recitation. Only the reading and enunciation ability
of the novitiate is tested and he or she should be able to stop after a given number
of recited verses. The apprentice should carefully wash his or her hands and feet and
bring the Sikh sacred pudding (karah prashad) as an offering to the Guru. Before the
actual reading starts the granthi reads six stanzas of the composition Anand Sahib
(stanza 1 ‒ 5, and 40), followed by the Ardas, in which he asks permission to carry out
charni lagna and pleads for divine support to read without errors. The prayer authorizes
the trainee reciter to be seated on the scriptural throne behind Guru Granth Sahib.
Subsequently the granthi will ask the apprentice to unfold the cloths covering the
scripture and take a Hukam. The senior granthi will then read the five first verses of
the scripture and let the new-beginner repeat the same passage under observation.
He will listen carefully to the recitations and ensure that the pronunciation is correct.
In case the novice makes any mistakes he will reveal this and in a subsequent prayer
ask the Guru forgiveness. The recitation may continue, but only the reading of these
five verses will be supervised by the granthi. Afterwards karah prashad will be served
to friends and family members in company with the new reciter, who is now “attached
to the Guru’s feet” and permitted to carry out recitations of Guru Granth Sahib.
It should be noted that the ceremony of charni lagna may just as well be executed
in domestic settings for anyone who desires it and does not necessitate an Amritdhari
identity. A middle-aged woman, for instance, got charni lagna under supervision
of her father and said the ceremony is like swearing an oath to the Guru. Just as
her father kept Guru Granth Sahib in her native home, she and her husband had built
a gurdwara at their house and supervised their elder son when he was “presented to
the Guru’s feet”, she said. The ceremony ritually marks the beginning of regular reci-
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008