INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

enactment. The breaking of these rules is considered as a form of offence or disrespect,
especially to the Guru Granth Sahib, even if it does not disqualify the performance.
429
Bathing is considered a minimal precondition for any type of reading from Guru
Granth Sahib and of gurbani hymns. The noun used for bath is ishnan (or ishnan karna
“to do a bath”), which applies to a range of different ritualized baths performed in
sacred ponds, pools, and rivers at pilgrimage centres or abulations in ordinary tap
water. In Varanasi, a clear distinction is made between two particular baths or ways
of bathing: panj ishnana, or ‘the five ablutions”, which refers to the washing of feet,
hands and face/mouth in cold water that should precede all types of recitations. Kesh
ishnan, on the other hand, signifies a complete bath or full shower of the body in cold
water, including the washing of one’s head and hair (kesh), and dressing up in clean
clothes afterwards. 430 In life situations which necessitate a more careful purification to
overcome impure states, such as after a menstrual period, childbirth, or the death of a
family member, the water used in a kesh ishnan should be warmed before being used.
The daily routine for many Sikhs in Varanasi, and Amritdharis in particular,
begins with a bath before sunrise, either at one’s house or in the gurdwara, followed
by the reading of JapJi Sahib or the daily prayers on an empty stomach. Many carry
out the morning bath in cold water with a short simran, or meditation and recitation
of the divine name. A middle-aged Amritdhari woman described her awakening and
the early shower as the two first “battles” of the day that could only be conquered by
invoking the name of God:
When getting up early in the morning…to get away from the blankets is
like a battle. That is the first battle of the day. The second is when you take
a shower. When you put water on you the name of God comes out. Then
the hands of God will be on you. After the shower, the only thing that
comes into your mind is to do path and take the name of God.
Even for Sikhs who do not perform readings by themselves, but listen to the singing
and recital of others, a morning bath is considered obligatory. An elder Sikh man who
had established a custom of watching the morning liturgy at Harimandir Sahib in
Amritsar, broadcasted on the TV channel Alfa Punjabi, emphasized that he always
took a full bath before seating himself on the sofa in front of the television. The morning
bath is considered to purify an individual for the whole day up to twelve at mid-
429
See Humprey & Laidlaw’s discussion on “regulative rules” with regard to Jain puja performances
(Humphrey & Laidlaw 1994: 119). In the Sikh case, the way to correct a violation is to ask
for forgiveness in a prayer.
430
Since Amritdhari Sikhs should not remove any of five symbols from their body when sleeping
or bathing, they will tie the ribbon holding the dagger (kirpan) around their head or waist while
taking a kesh ishnan. The prescribed underwear (kaccha) will be exchanged by first pulling off one
leg from the old shorts and putting on the new ones and then do the same with the other leg.
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008