# Rituals In Sikhism



## TGill (Aug 22, 2007)

Is Sikh religion free of rituals ? We call hindus to be ritualistic but are we really out of them ? If not than what is so bad in hindu rituals?

- Why do we do Rumaala sahib daan, there are lakhs of people who do that, does Guru really need that many poshaks. What is the significance or is it just a ritual ?
- People take sip of water where people bathe at harminder sahib, amritsar. They think it is amrit, is it really? or just a ritual?
- Why do certain paaths done at certain time of the day e.g. japuji in the morning and rehraas sahib in the evening? Why not otherwise ?
- Why do we do krah prasad di deg by donating money and not directly donate the money? What is the significance? You anyway get the deg 
- Why do we do ardaas by standing up ? Why can't we do it while sitting down ? It is sometimes pretty painful to stand for that long, isn't it ? 
- Why do we get akhand paath done from bhaiji at house ? Is doing normal paath for full day and sleeping at night not good enough (if at all we feel like doing it) ? 

There are so many more things to add, but the question is are we then really non ritualistic ? And then are rituals really that bad ?


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## Astroboy (Aug 22, 2007)

One can eat all the deg one wants but still face life the same way everyday. Work pressure, household discontentment and responsibilities as parents get the most out of us with little to be satisfied about. It is almost like we drag ourselves around this ritual hoping that it will stop someday. LOL


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## Randip Singh (Aug 22, 2007)

TGill said:


> Is Sikh religion free of rituals ? We call hindus to be ritualistic but are we really out of them ? If not than what is so bad in hindu rituals?
> 
> - Why do we do Rumaala sahib daan, there are lakhs of people who do that, does Guru really need that many poshaks. What is the significance or is it just a ritual ?
> - People take sip of water where people bathe at harminder sahib, amritsar. They think it is amrit, is it really? or just a ritual?
> ...


 
Unfortunately over time all religion get plagued by rituals.

I will give an example of how rituals come about......the Chauri was waved of the SGGSji to keep flies off it because the flies would sit in mess and dirt and then sit on the SGGSji and make the pages dirty and unreadable.

In the UK we still do the Chauri.....yet there are no flies (or not as many as rural India)............it becomes a ritual.


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## TGill (Aug 22, 2007)

Begum ji, 
Totally lost ! probably cos I am not a parent.

The question that I have is, if they are really rituals then why don't we stop doing it? Or are they not mere rituals but have significance, which Hindu rituals don't have?


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## drkhalsa (Aug 22, 2007)

> s Sikh religion free of rituals ? We call hindus to be ritualistic but are we really out of them ? If not than what is so bad in hindu rituals?



No

Infact  no organised philosophy can claim to be free of Ritual 

Ritual is just part of life and has relatice existance and defination .A thing Ritual to somebody is not so for the other it just depend upon level of understanding of the person 

As one progress in life and spirtual path old rituals change to take new ones and by grace of Akal at the end one can be free of it alltogether .


As I understand Ritual is something irrational /unexplanable in  light of rationality or scientific mind 

So definately it varies based on the level of understanding of individual 

So in simple terms I personally dont opppose rituals whether Hindu or Skh unless they tend to be used as tool to exploit others ( as has been case with Hindu religion )

Ritual id quite equivalent to Ignorance and it cant be Opposed but can be dispelled with light of knowledge and this what Sikh should try to do 



Thanks 

JAtinder Singh


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## drkhalsa (Aug 22, 2007)

> which Hindu rituals don't have?



That is quite Bold statement 
One should ask Hindu before declaring so . I have experience asking them , well they have answer to some but not to all .But they agree that Rituals have been exploited by Priestly class of hindu to control people for their own benifit But mind you this can happen in Any religipn .

Jatinder Singh


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## drkhalsa (Aug 22, 2007)

> One can eat all the deg one wants but still face life the same way everyday. Work pressure, household discontentment and responsibilities as parents get the most out of us with little to be satisfied about. It is almost like we drag ourselves around this ritual hoping that it will stop someday. LOL


This is what I want to say   excellent !



> Begum ji,
> Totally lost ! probably cos I am not a parent.


May besomebody non Parentor somebody who does not believ in family life  all the stuff the parents are doing might appear to be ritual but still its not ritual for all and has meaning to it

Its the our attachment to things that we do make it ritual and only Grace of God can free us from ritual till then no matter how much we try we will have to live with one ritual or the other 


Jatinder Singh


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## TGill (Aug 22, 2007)

Quote: Its the our attachment to things that we do make it ritual and only Grace of God can free us from ritual till then no matter how much we try we will have to live with one ritual or the other.

Well said Khalsa ji !!


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## Astroboy (Aug 22, 2007)

Falling in love is a ritual, for example.......??!
(do I need to give examples?)

OK here is one,

I saw on _Animal Planet _many male birds decorated their nest with the most colorful design to win the attention of the choosy female bird. Isn't that a ritual ?


Second example,
kee-o singaar milan kay taa-ee

more later.


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## Archived_Member_19 (Aug 22, 2007)

thanks Begum ji

All our lives are spent in rituals..... brushing our teeth before food is a ritual....just an example...evaluate...there would be many actions we just do without understanding


what is important is "bhav"  or the underlying feeling or the feeling which is expressing itself through the ritual.


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## TGill (Aug 22, 2007)

Begum ji,

How is love a ritual ? A ritual is something that you do which doesn't make any spiritual sense. How does love fall in this category?

Poor male worked so hard to impress the beloved and you are saying it's a ritual. I could not understand !


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## Astroboy (Feb 5, 2008)

*Love Is The Ritual Lyrics
*Artist(Band):*Styx* Review The Song (0)
Print the Lyrics
Written by Glen Burtnik, Plinky
Lead Vocals by Glen Burtnik

Little Sister
She got a lot of time she got a lot of money
Don't you know that aint enough
pretty thing 
all dressed up for the main attraction
like a baby doll looking for love

And she doesn't need a reason 
She just hears a calling to the wild
(Chorus)God gave man the breath of life
to grow up strong to take a wife
to change the world and love is the ritual
you learn to walk & Talk & laugh & cry
work your fingers to the bone till the day you die
and above it all love is the ritual

Little man
beating his chest and flexing his muscles
gun for hire he shoots for a star
like a handsome prince 
wallking down the street in his shining armor
Romeo in search of his heart

There's a method to this madness
and a message calling to the wild

(2nd Chorus)God gave man the breath of live
to grow up strong to take a wife
to change the world and love is the Ritual
You learn to walk & talk & laugh & cry 
(He) gave you heart and soul till the day you die
and above it all love is the ritual

Come on dance little sister little sister wants to dance
all night looking for a true romance
when in a black leather jacket walks little brother
to rock her world to be her lover

so signal all the children
send a message calling to the wild

copyright 1990 War Bride/hampstead Heath/produced by Dennis Deyoung


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