INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

STRUCTURE OF PERFORMANCES
Like many other verbal performances in Sikhism, the reading of Ardas presents a
structure which contains other speech acts that should be executed within the framework
of a performance. In congregational services Guru Amardas’ hymn Anand Sahib
(GGS p. 917), the “respectful bliss”, is always sung prior to the actual reading of the
Ardas text, often by professional musicians who lead the congregation in a choir singing.
Out of forty stanzas of Anand Sahib, the first to the fifth, and the fortieth should
be rendered to the tunes of a melody that most people easily recognize. Some laypersons
held that the singing of Anand Sahib had a dual function of giving thanks to God
and generating divine blessings ‒ the former was accomplished by means of peoples’
verbalization of the text and the latter through their audile perception of it. People
may attribute the text Anand Sahib with similar positive qualities, saying more generally
that it is beneficial and provides happiness (kushi). When the text is set to music
in performance the melody is sung in major keys to create a pleasant atmosphere and
enhance the aesthetic impression. The granthis’ stated reason for including Anand
Sahib before a reading of Ardas is that the hymn provides bliss and “assists” the supplication
and the subsequent offering of the sacred pudding, which is always distributed
in Sikh congregations. Reciting Anand Sahib is certainly a meritorious act in itself,
but within the frame of Sikh liturgies it is often given this functional role of supporting
other acts within the structure of ceremonies.
Just before the officiator in the gurdwara starts the reading of Ardas it is customary
that he or she leads the whole assembly in singing the couplet Ashtapadi 4:8,
which is drawn from Guru Arjan’s beloved composition Sukhmani Sahib (GGS p. 268).
This couplet contains the word “ardas” and is one of the hymns in Sikh scripture that
are characteristically designed as a supplication to God. 559 One granthi in Varanasi
alleged that Ashtapadi 4:8 is actually the “original” supplication due to its status of
being included in the Guru Granth Sahib as Guru Arjan’s own petition before God.
The couplet reads as follows:
Thou art the Lord, I make this supplication unto Thee. My soul and
body are all Thine capital. Thou art Mother and Father and we are
Thine children. In Thine Grace lie many comforts. No one knows Thy
limits. Thou, O Wealthy Lord, art the Highest of the high. The entire
creation is strung on Thy thread. What has sprung from Thee, that is in
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Individual Sikhs may utilize the term Ardas for whichever gurbani hymn from Guru Granth
Sahib they choose and use as a supplication to God in their daily worship. A middle-aged Sikh
woman, for instance, had combined two different verses of Guru Arjan and Guru Ramdas (GGS:
383, 735), which she referred to as Choti Ardas. The women held these verses powerful because
they were supplications made by the Sikh Gurus. When reading she would keep wishes and
requests within herself and not append any additional speech to verses. “Your feelings and
desires can be different, but the hymns (shabads) remain the same”, she said.
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008