INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

SEEKING DIVINE ASSISTANCE
What seems to the first strategy of action in case an illness is diagnosed is to bring
donations and food offerings to the gurdwara, perform matha tekna in front of Guru
Granth Sahib, and then let the granthi perform an Ardas. It is noteworthy that all of
my interlocutors mentioned Ardas as the first step they would take when being confronted
with serious threats to their physical and mental health. Considering that
these individuals had quite divergent, and sometimes conflicting, opinions about
many religious matters, the unanimity indicates the extent to which Ardas has gained
signification in the Sikh life. Because of its communicative functions the supplication
becomes an important means to convey human requests and seek support from a
divine recipient. People will say they pray to God before the Guru in order to “receive
divine blessings”, “reduce suffering” and hopefully “restore health”. When a
family member is facing a fatal destiny the individual family may even ask the granthi
to include the name of sick in the daily morning and evening prayers for one, two, or
more months in a row. In this context people will emphasize that the sincerity and
commitment of the party seeking divine favours are of crucial importance for the
wished-for results. Likewise they will say the performance of Ardas will assume more
power and stronger effects if it is conducted by the granthi in presence of the holy
Sikh congregation.
As the family arranges the Ardas for the afflicted member they may make a
promise before God to carry out various worship acts, such as arranging an Akhand
path, going on pilgrimage, performing seva, and so on. The general presumption underlying
these vows is the belief that God is more likely to lend a helping hand if the
sufferer or close relations take out time for righteous action on his or her behalf. Humans
have to give offerings in the form of devotional acts before they can expect
divine favours. Depending on the situation at hand, they may beforehand ensure the
offerings while remaining ignorant of the final outcome or retroactively pay back
when the request has been answered and the sufferer is getting well.
During the fieldwork in 2000 I came to experience myself how the enactment of
these vows can be shaped. My father in Sweden fell seriously ill after surgery. When I
explained the situation to some Sikh friends they suggested I arrange an Akhand path
in the gurdwara for my father’s health. If he would recover, they said, I should do
seva by giving food or money to any poor or needy person. I decided to follow their
advice, and in the beginning of December the forty-eight hour long recitation started.
This time the scriptural words, resounding from the loudspeakers, seemed to have a
different resonance as it was performed for my father in a personally experienced
moment of distress. The Hukam taken on this occasion was translated into Swedish
and sent to my family back home. A few months later my father recovered and on the
advice of my Sikh friends I contributed to the arrangement of a wedding for a poor
family. The staging of Akhand path was translated as my offering of righteous action
to seek a divine favor and the monetary donation to the wedding arrangements was a
return gift for the divine kindness bestowed upon my family.
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008