INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

end the family will treat the water as Bhog amrit, or the total accumulation of words in
the scripture substantialized in water. A middle-aged Sikh woman said: “When Akhand
path is going we believe that water turns into amrit, the Guru’s words come in it.
When the reading is over everyone drinks it.” The women paid careful attention to
spatial considerations. The room for the unbroken recitation should be properly
cleaned owing to the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib, simultaneuosly as the complete
recitation of the scripture would purify the secluded space and atmosphere. The
water placed in the midst of the engendered space is believed to absorb the substances
of gurbani and transform into beneficial nectar to be drunk and sprinkled at
the house.
ELEMENTS OF DIFFERENT NECTARS
NECTAR CONTENT INSTRUMENT SPACE HUMAN AGENT
Khandevala Panj banian Double-edged Defined Panj pyare
sword
Kirpanvala JapJi Sahib Dagger Not defined Granthi
Raksha amrit Selected verses Dagger Not defined Granthi
Bhog amrit Guru Granth Not specified Defined The reciter
Shabad amrit Selected verses Not specified Defined The reciter
Ganga amrit Power of Not specified Defined Sikh congregation
human Guru
Figure 17.
Another illustrative example of the significance of space is the distribution of
Ganga amrit, the water from the holy well inside Nichibagh Gurdwara (See Chapter
1). The well stands as a testimony of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s stay in Varanasi. According
to the local lore, the Guru made the river Ganga spring forth on this spot and the
well water is held to be Ganga water transformed to amrit from the Guru’s power. On
a daily basis Sikhs bring up water from the well and strain off dirt in a modern water
purifier, placed in the courtyard of the gurdwara. Gurdwara visitors usually take a
sip of Ganga amrit after the customary matha tekna before Guru Granth Sahib and
collect the nectar in bottles, which they store at the private house or in the shop for
purification. A few drops of Ganga amrit will purify the family’s ordinary drinking
to symbolize the deity of worship. The custom is prohibited in the normative Sikh code of conduct.
More ardent advocates of normative standards may openly reject the practice by appealing
to rational materialistic explanations. One pracharak from Punjab, visiting Varanasi in 2000 ‒
2001 said: “In the old times it was necessary to keep water in a pot, because there were no hand
pumps or taps in the houses. If a person felt thirsty while paying respect they could get water
from that pot. The lamp was there because these kerosene lamps create much pollution and
there was no electric light. But nowadays we have electric light everywhere. There is no need for
these practices in the present situation.”
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008