INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

in the everyday liturgies. 401 In line with body symbolism in South Asia and elsewhere,
a text which enshrines a religious teaching should be offered the most highest
and noble position of the human body to mark out its supernatural origin. In Sikhism
this means of veneration evokes strong associations to soteriological metaphors. Considering
that divine words emanated downwards, from a supreme being to the Gurus,
the placement of the scripture may be interpreted as symbolically representing a
continued divine revelation to humans. The cosmological schemes and symbolism in
the Gurus’ hymns often locates “the tenth gate” (dasam duar), or the door to liberation,
to the uppermost part of the human skull. This “gate” is a portal for the Guru’s words
and teaching which illuminates the path towards salvation. To place the Guru Granth
Sahib on top of the human crown is to symbolically represent a perpetual revelation
and downward canalization of gurbani to the human gate of liberation. 402
In harmony with the culturally defined divisions between lower and higher
parts of the human body and modes of paying respect by either revealing or concealing
body parts, the carrier should keep his head covered and, if practicable, walk
barefoot to pay respect to the sacred text. To put the majestic grandeur of Guru
Granth Sahib on public display one attendant will walk ahead making a royal way
for the scripture by showering water or flower petals on the ground, while another
person following behind will sway a whisk over the folio.
At all times when the scripture is traveling longer distances it is customary to
have a team of five people accompanying the text. The number five has several symbolic
connotations in the Sikh religion and society, and is firmly embedded in the
doctrine of Guru panth, the idea of the Guru’s mystical presence among five or more
Sikhs who gather for devotional activities. 403 Similar to the secular traditional system
of panchayat, a group of five senior men constituting a council of a village or town, the
assembly of five pious Sikhs has authority to take decisions for the Sikh congregation.
In the particular context of transporting the Guru Granth Sahib the number five
stands for the panj pyare, or the five pious men, who dress up in traditional uniforms
and arm themselves to symbolically represent the first Sikhs who were initiated into
the Khalsa in 1699. The panj pyare should always walk near the scripture, courageously
hold upright swords to display readiness to fight for justice and repeatedly
chant the standardized formulae for the divine name (Satnam Vahiguru) in chorus.
The recitation is viewed as an enactment of simran, mediation and remembrance of
God through verbal repetition of the divine name, which has power to charge ordinary
acts with spiritual properties.
401
Carrying a religious text on the head is neither a modern phenomena nor typical for Sikhism,
but occurs in practices of several other religious traditions. Gombrich (1971), for instance, has
described how Buddhist monks carry sacred books on their head in procession when they go to
chant Pali texts for protective purposes (Priti ceremony).
402
If the Gurus’ composition would have located the gate of human liberation to the heart, for
instance, one can presume that Sikhs would consider it more respectful to embrace the text in
their arms.
403
See Pashaura Singh’s (1999) analysis of the number five in Sikhism.
214
Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008