INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

modern interpretations of the Sikh religion. This textual part hails the Khalsa community
and supplicates for the preservation and divine protection of its ideals, virtues
and institutions and at the end seeks the welfare and prosperity of the whole
world. It is most probable that this text evolved sometime during the eighteenth century
and in the course of time has undergone amendments. 555 The second half of
Ardas text has been adapted to the modern history of Sikhs: it recalls the Gurdwara
Reform Movement in the 1920s and the refugees who laid down their lives during the
partition in 1947. The text in current use has been sanctioned by SGPC and is recorded
in the normative Sikh Rahit Maryada from 1950. 556
From a purely textual viewpoint, Ardas is thus a compilation of two separate
texts, even if most Sikhs perceive the prayer as a complete whole. Due to the believed
sacrosanct authorship of the prelude of the text some may even assign the whole
Ardas a sacred status similar to that of gurbani texts. The supplication is learnt orally
and in writing by means of religious handbooks (gutkas), which contain the daily
liturgies (nitnem) including Ardas and other useful gurbani hymns in Gurmukhi or
Devanagri script. These handbooks usually render the text in verbatim, without
commentaries or explanations, since Ardas, like gurbani, should be memorized and
orally performed. It is more or less expected from Amritdhari Sikhs to be well acquainted
with the texts and know it “by heart”, that is, be fluent in the reading and
conduct the prayer at public functions. Within the gurdwaras it is generally the granthi
who leads the congregation throughout a performance, while facing Guru Granth
Sahib in a standing posture.
Local Sikhs also distinguish between the “whole” (pura) or “big” (bara [Hindi]
or vada [Punjabi]) Ardas and the “small” (choti) Ardas. Whereas the former term refers
to readings of the Ardas text in full, the latter signifies an abbreviated version which
comprises the prefatory recounting of all the Sikh Gurus’ names and the last final part
which apologizes for errors and seeks the welfare of the world. In the daily Sukhasan
ceremony the shorter version is read by the granthi after the Guru Granth Sahib has
been arrayed in clothes to the tunes of Kirtan Sohila and before the scripture is carried
to the bedroom for rest. Individual Sikhs will similarly present Choti Ardas after they
have completed the recitation of Kirtan Sohila at night. In the gurdwara the abbreviated
supplication always requires a standing position, while the rules will be more
relaxed in private settings.
555
See Bhupinder Singh 1999: 100. As McLeod argues, the opening part of the Ardas text, containing
Var Sri Bhagauti Ji Ki and the additional lines with the names of Gobind Singh and Guru
Granth Sahib, can be traced to the eighteenth for two reasons: the authors of the eighteenth
century rahit-nama literature seem to be well acquainted with the meaning of Ardas and used the
term in their writings. Secondly, since the Sikh supplication invokes Bhagauti ‒ a goddess ‒ it is
more likely to be a product of the time before Singh Sabha influences in the nineteenth century
(McLeod 2003: 195 ‒ 196).
556
Sikh Rahit Maryada, 1994: 9 ‒ 11.
323
Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008