INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

ecitation and its divine nature always implies a respectful behavior and usage. But
the mode of performing these acts and the way in which they are pieced together in a
performance sequence is hardly left to random choice. While the actual reading of the
Guru Granth Sahib dominantly runs through this structure, the parallel acts are structured
according to their internal interplay and dependence, and considered necessary
in order to accomplish a successful performance. Particularly the reading of Anand
Sahib and Ardas as well as the offering and distribution of karah prashad are distinctly
relational in that the acts should be performed in sequence and assist one another.
When the sacred pudding is to be distributed it becomes compulsory to read the Sikh
supplication, as the food is considered “accepted” after being offered to the Guru
through the reading of Ardas. And, if the petition is to be read, it is also obligatory to
render the six stanzas of Anand Sahib as they “assist” the petition and the pudding.
The brief outline of the performance structure may illustrate that stipulation and
formalization are salient features of an Akhand path: the different acts compose a performance
which is not significantly affected by the intentions of the reciters or the
sponsors but is carried out in a similarly prescribed way irrespective of the setting or
underlying causes. What distinguishes one performance from another is the variance
of Hukam and the motive or reason inserted in the textual “opening” of the Sikh supplication.
Unlike other acts during Akhand path performances, these two sequences
are open to more variable content.
SAMPAT PATH ‒ THE WRAPPED READING
The most demanding recitation of all is Sampat path because of its advanced formal
requirements. In this path the reader interpolates a freely chosen line or stanza drawn
from the Guru Granth Sahib after he or she has completed a hymn or an apportioned
section of the scripture, and then continues to repeat the verse after every completed
hymn throughout the recitation. The Sanskrit word sampat is used for the Hindu
practice to suffix a mantra with another mantra, by which the former is consequently
called sampat mantra. 470 As Lutgendorf (1991) writes, sampat is a “wrapper” that
“serves as an enclosure or frame for each unit of recitation”. 471 In a Sikh context, the
word sampat has come to name one method of reading of Guru Granth Sahib, in
which either a single gurbani line or a verse is inserted after each hymn as an invocation
to serve a specific end. Different groups of reciters within the Sikh community
have developed varying techniques to choose the inserted verses and schedule the
reading. Sampat path can either be continuous or broken and adjusted to a freely chosen
time period, such as a week or month. The unbroken reading is called Sampat
Akhand path, while the open reading is termed Sampath Path Sadharan. In general the
broken Sampat path requires at least two reciters: one who does the actual reading
from Guru Granth Sahib and another who inserts the selected verse. When Sampat
path is unbroken and scheduled for a shorter duration, it usually requires a group of
470
Singh, T. 1998: 38.
471
Lutgendorf 1991: 69.
272
Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008