Amrit Sanskar

Photograph of the Sikh religious initiation ceremony ("Khande-di-Pahul") for new recruits to the Sikh Regiment, 1947

Amrit Sanskar (, pronunciation: pa, lit. "nectar ceremony") is one of the four Sikh Sanskars.<ref name=":1">Kalsi, Sewa Singh (2007). Sikhism: Simple Guides. Simple Guides (2nd ed.). Kuperard. ISBN 9781857336344. Amrit literally means water of immortality, which is used in the Sikh initiation ceremony; it is known as khande di pahul (literally, water of the double-edged sword). Let us go back to the fateful day of Baisakhi in 1699. After the selection of panj pyarey, the guru prepared amrit for the initiation ceremony. He discarded the centuries-old tradition of charan pahul. Before the founding of the Khalsa, the initiation used to be conducted with water touched by a guru's toe, thus the term charan pahul (charan means foot, pahul denotes water). The new-style initiation ceremony was fundamentally different from the traditional mode of initiation. Preparation of amrit is one of the defining factors of the new rite. The guru poured water into a steel bowl and stirred it with a double-edged sword while reciting hymns from the Adi Granth, including some of his own compositions. It is said that the guru's wife added some sugar into the bowl during the preparation of amrit.</ref> The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699.<ref name=Singh>"Amrit ceremony &#124; Rites and Rituals &#124; Sikhism". BBC Religion. 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2012.</ref><ref>Regan, Michael (2019). Understanding Sikhism. p. 9. ISBN 9781532114298.</ref>

A Sikh who has been initiated into the Khalsa ('pure'; the Sikh brotherhood) is considered to be Amritdhari (baptised, lit. 'amrit taker') or Khalsa ('pure'). Those who undergo initiation are expected to dedicate themselves to Waheguru (Almighty God) and work toward the establishment of the Khalsa Raj.<ref name="Singh" /><ref>Woodhead, Linda (2016). Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations. New York: Routledge. p. 140. ISBN 9780415858809.</ref><ref>Dharam Parchar Committee (1994). Sikh Reht Maryada: The Code of Sikh Conduct & Conventions. Amritsar, IND: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. p. 34.</ref>

Names

The Amrit Sanskar ceremony has many alternative names, such as Amrit Parchar, Amrit Sanchar, Khande di Pahul, Khande Batte di Pahul (), or khande-baate da amrit.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" />

History

Khande-di-Pahul

1698 hukamnama of Guru Gobind Singh with signature. The scribe is Bhai Saihna Singh. It orders all Sikhs to take Khande Ki Pahul and become Khalsa, avoid Minas, and recognize the Khalsa as the Guru's form. This hukamnama alludes to the idea of the ceremony and Khalsa predating its formalization as part of Sikh orthodoxy and orthopraxy in Anandpur in 1699.

Amrit Sanchar was formally initiated in 1699 when Gobind Singh established the order of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib.<ref name=":0">Singh, Harbans (1992). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 3: M-R. Punjabi University (Patiala). pp. 263–266. ISBN 9788173803499.</ref> The day is now celebrated as Vaisakhi. This tradition had come to replace the prior Sikh initiation ceremony,<ref name=":3">Singha, H. S. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism: Over 1000 Entries (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Hemkunt Publishers. p. 44. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1. CHARAN AMRIT: Literally charan amrit is water in which the Guru's feet have been bathed. It was used as a part of the Sikh initiation ceremony called charan pahul during the days of the first nine Gurus and till the time Guru Gobind Singh changed it to khande-di-pahul. For more details see Baptism.</ref> in which the initiate would drink water that the Guru or a masand (designated official representing the Guru) had dipped his foot in.<ref>Moreman, Christopher M. (2017-05-18). The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying. Routledge. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-317-52887-6.</ref><ref>Hawley, John Stratton; Mann, Gurinder Singh. Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. State University of New York Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4384-0619-0.</ref>

Sikh fresco from the original Akal Takht, Amritsar, of Guru Gobind Singh preparing Amrit, circa 19th century

Guru Gobind Singh addressed the congregation from the entryway of a tent pitched on a hill (now called Kesgarh Sahib). He drew his sword and asked for a volunteer who was willing to sacrifice his head. No one answered his first call, nor the second call, but on the third invitation, a man by the name of Daya Ram (later to be known as Daya Singh) came forward and offered his head to the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh took the volunteer inside the tent, and emerged shortly, with blood dripping from his sword. The Guru then demanded another head. One more volunteer came forward, and entered the tent with him. The Guru again emerged with blood on his sword. This happened three more times. Then the five volunteers came out of the tent unharmed. Everyone was very confused.

The Guru caused his five faithful Sikhs to stand up. He put pure water into an iron vessel and stirred it with a khanda or two edged sword. He then repeated over it the sacred verses which he appointed for the ceremony, namely, the Japji, the Jaap, Guru Amar Das's Anand, Chopai Sahib and Twe Parsad Swaiyas or quatrains of his own composition.

— Max Arthur Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion, volume 5 (1909), page 94<ref>Macauliffe, Max Arthur (1909). The Sikh Religion 5. p. 94.</ref>

The ceremony involves stirring water in an iron bowl with a double-edged sword whilst reciting religious hymns, along with an admixture of sugar.<ref name=":1" />

These five men came to be known as the Panj Pyare (the "beloved five"). The five men, who would be initiated into the Khalsa by receiving Amrit, included Daya Singh, Mukham Singh, Sahib Singh, Dharam Singh, and Himmat Singh. From then onward, Sikh men were given the name Singh ("lion"), and the women Kaur ("princess").

The next five (out of a total of ten) to undergo the Pahul were Ram Singh, Desa Singh, Tehal Singh, Ishar Singh, and Fateh Singh.<ref name=":02">Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. History of Sikh Gurus Retold. Vol. 2. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 790–791.</ref> This group is termed as the Panj Mukte.<ref name=":02" />

According to the Guru Kian Sakhian, after the first ten baptisms (Panj Piare and Panj Mukte), around 20,000 men were ready to accept the baptism whilst a few rejected it.<ref name=":02" /> The list of men in-sequence who then underwent the Pahul were: Mani Ram, Diwan Bachittar Das, Ude Rai, Anik Das, Ajaib Das, Ajaib Chand, Chaupat Rai, Diwan Dharam Chand, Alam Chand Nachna, and Sahib Ram Koer.<ref name=":02" /> This group was then followed by Rai Chand Multani, Gurbakhsh Rai, Pandit Kirpa Ram Dutt of Mattan, Subeg Chand, Gurmukh Das, Sanmukh Das, Amrik Chand, Purohit Daya Ram, Ratna, Gani Das, Lal Chand Peshauria, Rup Chand, Sodhi Dip Chand, Nand Chand, Nanu Rai of Diwali, and Hazari, Bhandari and Darbari of Sirhind.<ref name=":02" /> As many as 80,000 men are said to have been baptized in a few days after Vaisakhi 1699.<ref name=":02" />

In 1903, it was reported that a commonly-understood, general practice was that initiates undergoing the ceremony must have reached the "age of reason", usually meaning they had reached the age of at least 10 years old.<ref name=":6">Ramgarhia, Sundar Singh (1903). Guide to the Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple of Amritsar. Lahore: Mufid-i-'am Press. pp. 34–35.</ref> Around 1,200 persons were being baptized into the Khalsa at the Akal Bunga on an annual basis at that time in the very early 20th century.<ref name=":6" />

Kirpan-di-Pahul

Kirpan-di-Pahul is a ceremony distinguishable from the Khande-di-Pahul in many ways. These include: the use of a kirpan sword to stir the amrit rather than a khanda sword, the recitation of less prayers during the ceremony and the practice of only one initiated Sikh administering the Amrit as opposed to the traditional Panj Pyaare.<ref name=":4">Singh, Nripinder (1990). The Sikh Moral Tradition: Ethical Perceptions of the Sikhs in the Late Nineteenth/early Twentieth Century. Manohar. p. 162. ISBN 9788185425009.</ref><ref name=":5">Singh, Birinder Pal (Jan 12, 2018). "Socio-cultural featurs of Dakhani Sikhs". Sikhs in the Deccan and North-East India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351201056.</ref> This form of the baptism ceremony was held for women.<ref name=":4" /> The practice is common in Dakhni Sikhs, with those being administered amrit through the kirpan being held to more lax standards when compared to those administered amrit through the khanda, which is known as khande-baate da amrit.<ref name=":5" /> Those who receive baptism through the kirpan often do not observe the Khalsa rules as stringently, with some not wearing a kirpan at all times.<ref name=":5" /> According to Birinder Pal Singh, the Kirpan-di-Pahul ceremony likely evolved to co-opt women from Hindu backgrounds of various caste and communal origins into the Sikh fold in the Deccan region.<ref name=":5" /> In 1903, a guide to the Golden Temple stated that women undergoing the ceremony at the Akal Bunga did not have the elixir for their baptism stirred with a double-edged, iron sword (khanda) like the male initiates, but rather with a single-edged, miniature, iron sword called a kard.<ref name=":6" />

However, there is a significant difference between the practices of "Kirpan-di-Pahul" and merely using a Kirpan during the full Amrit Sanskar. Although very rare, some Panj Pyare will conduct the full Khande-di-Pahul ceremony by using a Kirpan to stir the Amrit if they cannot access a Khanda. This is usually done in impromptu Amrit Ceremonies. Despite the use of a Kirpan, this is considered a full Khande-di-Pahul Amrit Sanskar (not Kirpan-di-Pahul) as all other elements of the ceremony remain the same - as such, candidates are told and expected to follow the full Rehat Maryada as they are new Amritdhari Sikhs. However, using a Kirpan to stir Khande-di-Pahul is exceptionally rare and usually only done in Amrit Sanchars which were planned at extremely short notice.

Choola

Choola is the practice of giving the children of Amritdhari Sikhs a handful of amrit, in-order to prepare them for undergoing the actual Amrit Sanchar initiation once they are older.<ref name=":03">Singh, Harjinder; Singh, Sukha; Singh, Jaskeerth (25 December 2020). Sikh Code of Conduct: A guide to the Sikh way of life and ceremonies (6th ed.). Akaal Publishers. p. 19. ISBN 9781999605247.</ref> It is also given during punishment of an Amritdhari Sikh who has committed a minor transgression against the rehat.<ref name=":03" />

Ceremony

Illustration titled 'Baptising Sikhs on Admission to the Khalsa Brotherhood of Singhs' from The Sikhs (1904) by John James Hood Gordon

Rules of the ceremony include

• Being conducted in any quiet and convenient place. In addition to the Guru Granth Sahib, the presence of six Sikhs is necessary: one granthi ("narrator"), who reads from the holy text, and five others, representing the original five beloved disciples (pyare), to administer the ceremony.
• Taking a bath and washing of the hair prior to the ceremony is mandatory by those who are receiving the initiation and those who are administering.
• Any Sikh who is mentally and physically sound (male or female) may administer the rites of initiation if they have received the rites and continue to adhere to the Sikh rehni ("way of life") and wear the Sikh articles of faith (i.e. the Five Ks).
• There is no minimum age requirement, though it is rare for younger children since the individual should be able to understand the implications of initiation.<ref name=BMJ>Gatrad, R.; Jhutti-Johal, J.; Gill, P. S.; Sheikh, A. (2005-06-01). "Sikh birth customs". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 90 (6): 560–563. doi:10.1136/adc.2004.064378. ISSN 0003-9888. PMC 1720438. PMID 15908616.</ref>
• The person to become Amritdhari must wear the five holy symbols (the Five Ks):
  1. Kesh (unshorn hair)
  2. Kirpan ("sword", i.e. a small dagger worn on the person)
  3. Kacchera (prescribed boxer shorts)
  4. Kangha (comb tucked in the tied-up hair)
  5. Karha (steel bracelet)
• He/she must not have on any jewellery, distinctive marks, or tokens associated with any other faith. He/she must not have his/her head bare or be wearing a cap. The head must be covered with a cloth. He/she must not be wearing any ornaments piercing through any part of the body. The persons to be Amritdhari must stand respectfully with hands folded facing the Guru Granth Sahib.
• Anyone seeking re-initiation after having resiled from their previous vows may be assigned a penance by the five administering initiation before being re-admitted.
• During the ceremony, one of the five pyare stands and explains the rules and obligations of the Khalsa Panth.
• Those receiving initiation have to give their assent as to whether they are willing to abide by the rules and obligations.
• After their assent, one of the five pyare utters a prayer for the commencement of the preparation of the Amrit and a randomly selected passage (hukam, a "Command of God") is taken from Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

The person being initiated must chant "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh" (essentially meaning "Almighty Lord, the pure; Almighty Lord, the victorious"). The salutation is repeated and the holy water is sprinkled on their eyes and hair, five times. The remainder of the nectar is shared by all receiving the initiation, all drinking from the same bowl.<ref name=BMJ/> Sometimes portions of the Akal Ustat and 33 Savaiye compositions of Guru Gobind Singh found within the Dasam Granth is used during the ceremony.<ref name=":12">Rinehart, Robin (2011). Debating the Dasam Granth. Oxford University Press. pp. 26, 32. ISBN 978-0-19-984247-6.</ref>

After this, all those taking part in the ceremony recite the Mool Mantra and they are inducted into the Khalsa.

Aftermath

After successfully undergoing the ceremony, a new Amritdhari is expected to have the following traits:<ref name=":2">Dahiya, Amardeep S. (2014). Founder of the Khalsa: The Life and Times of Guru Gobind Singh. Hay House. ISBN 9789381398616. Ever since Guru Nanak's time it had been a custom among Sikhs to partake of 'charan pahul', whenever they visited the guru: By drinking the water which had washed the feet of the guru, the Sikhs showed their humility which was the ultimate virtue that would take them through the portals of heaven.</ref>

• dharam nash, the rejection of any previous religious affiliations
• kirat nash, the rejection of any previous occupational affiliations
• kul nash, the rejection of any previous familial and caste affiliations
• karam nash, the rejection of any previous superstitious or ritual beliefs

See also

• Amrita

External links

• Amrit Ceremony
• All About Sikhs
• Glossary
• Eliminating Doubt's before/after Take Amrit (Katha in Punjabi)