INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

fits from drinking the nectar. To illustrate how the selection of texts and the ritual
preparation influence the properties of amrit I will here exemplify with two of the
most known and common consecrated waters in Sikh ceremonies ‒ one which is
prepared by the dagger and the other by the double-edged sword ‒ and then continue
with a general discussion on the factors which transform ordinary water to
sacred nectar.
NECTAR OF THE DAGGER AND THE SWORD
In Varanasi Sikhs usually distinguish between two key types of sacred waters used in
ceremonies: khandevala amrit and kirpanvala amrit. The first type ‒ khandevala amrit ‒
refers to consecrated water distributed during the Khande di pahul ceremony to Amritdhari
novices. As I described in the previous section, during this ceremony five men
symbolizing “the five beloved” (panj pyare) imitate the event of Khalsa in 1699. In a
sequential order they will recite, one by one, the five compositions JapJi Sahib, Jap
Sahib, Tav Savaiyye, Chaupai Sahib and Anand Sahib (verse 1 ‒ 5, and 40) over a clean
steel cauldron filled with water that has been sweetened with hallowed sugar cakes
(batasa). The five men sit in vir asan, the “brave posture”, while stirring the water with
a double-edged sword (khanda) in the right hand. The preparation and distribution of
amrit in the Khalsa ceremony always takes place within a confined space opened only
for Amritdhari attendants and neophytes and with the Guru Granth Sahib in attendance.
Kirpanvala amrit, on the other hand, signifies waters over which individual
hymns from the Sikh scriptures are recited while stirring the water with a Sikh dagger
(kirpan). The most popular text used for this nectar is Guru Nanak’s JapJi Sahib.
On some occasions the granthi will recite all the 40 verses of the composition, at other
times only the first five verses. The preparation of this nectar is quite simple, “a fiveminute
job”, as a local granthi expressed it. Seated nearby the Guru Granth Sahib, the
attendant will recite the text over an iron bowl filled with sweetened water and stir
the water with his dagger (kirpan). Similar to procedures in the Khalsa ceremony, the
kirpanvala amrit is sprinkled over the receiver’s forehead and eyes five times each, and
then presented for drinking five times. Like other ceremonies, he concludes the distribution
with a reading of Anand Sahib and the Sikh supplication. The water-nectar of
JapJi can be given to anyone who desires it, irrespective of religious and social status,
and is generally distributed in ceremonies surrounding childbirth. The nectar is believed
to purify the mother and protect the newborn child, who will be incorporated
into social life after drinking the nectar-water. On request the granthi may also prepare
kirpanvala amrit of shorter verses which semantically correspond with particular
needs of individuals. 493
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A distinctive category of nectar-waters is rakhsa amrit, literally “protection nectar”, which is
ingested as a preventive and protecting measure in life situations. When preparing this nectar
the local granthis utilized a set of stanzas by Guru Arjan which treat themes like eradication of
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008