INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

Granth Sahib has its own life-cycle with ceremonial events that will mark its entrance
and departure from the community of disciples and existence in the world. Since the
Guru Granth Sahib is for all times the personal Guru, who/which brings an eternal
teaching and words into the world, the scriptural corpus will continually come to life
through devotional practices enacted by Sikh disciples.
Figure 13.
RITUAL ELEMENTS OF HUMAN VERSUS SCRIPTURAL CREMATIONS
HUMAN
SCRIPTURE
1. The body is dressed in clean clothes 1. The book is dressed in robes
2. The body is placed on a bed at the house 2. The book is placed on a four-poster bed
3. Ardas is read before the body leaves the 3. Ardas is read before the book leaves
house
the bedroom
4. The body is carried to the cremation 4. The book is carried to the crematoria
ground
5. The body is placed on the pyre 5. The book is placed on the grill
6. The body is smeared with ghi 6. The book is smeared with ghi
7. The granthi performs Ardas beside 7. Narinder Singh or some other
the pyre
Amritdhari Sikh performs Ardas
outside the crematoria
8. The eldest son lights the pyre 8. Narinder Singh lights the pyre
9. The mourning family arranges 9. The congregation arranges Khulla
Akhand path for the deceased
path for thirteen days
10. The family arranges Vairagi kirtan 10. The congregation arranges Vairagi
in the gurdwara
kirtan outside the door of the crematoria
11. On the fourth day after cremation 11. Thirteen days after cremation the
the family collect the ashes for immersion ashes of the books are collected and
in water
consigned to water.
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008