ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>RAHIT MARY&#256D&#256</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="RAHIT,MARYD"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279RAHIT MARY&#256D&#256, traditions and rules which govern the distinctive Sikh way of life and determine Sikh belief and practice. <i>Rahit</i>, from the Punjabi verb <i>rahi&#7751&#257</i> (to live, to remain), means mode of living while <i>mary&#257d&#257</i> is a Sanskrit word composed of <i>marya</i> (limit, boundary, mark) and <i>&#257d&#257</i> (to give to oneself, to accept, to undertake), meaning bounds or limits of morality and propriety, rule or custom. Gur&#363 N&#257nak, who founded the Sikh faith, and his nine successors who nurtured the community during the first two centuries of its existence, not only set for their followers a strict moral standard, but also a distinctive pattern of personal appearance and social behaviour. The tenets of Sikh faith and rules of conduct are not set in any formal treatise, but are scattered in their Scripture and other religious texts and in their historical records. Attempting systematic statements of rules several <i>rahitn&#257m&#257s</i> or codes of conduct appeared during the eighteenth century after the promulgation by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh of <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 <i>rahit</i> or discipline. Another similar and more detailed work of the same period is the anonymous <i>Prem Sum&#257rag</i>. Some general rules regarding Sikh <i>rahit</i> are also contained in various <i>hukamn&#257m&#257s</i> (decrees or rules in the form of letters) of the Gur&#363s. Important features of Sikh <i>rahit m&#257ry&#257d&#257</i> may be summed up under the titles: physical appearance; religious beliefs and observances; moral conduct; and social behaviour.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The first mark of religious investiture of a Sikh personality is <i>kes</i>, i.e, unshorn hair of the head covered with a turban, and an untrimmed beard. <i>Kes</i> is one of the five symbols which every regular, initiated Sikh must adopt, the other four being <i>ka&#7749gh&#257</i> (comb in the hair), <i>ka&#7771&#257</i> (steel bangle), <i>kachchh</i> (shorts) and <i>kirp&#257n</i> (sword), collectively known as the five K's, each beginning with the letter "K". These were the physical features of the <i>rahit</i> prescribed for Sikhs by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh when he administered the rites of initiation to the first Five admitted to the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 brotherhood on the Bais&#257kh&#299 day (March 30) of AD 1699. They were signs of the bond that linked the Sikh community together and gave it its distinctive identity. They were a declaration of privilege as also of the intent to be prepared steadfastly to uphold the ideals the Gur&#363 had demarcated.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Belief in One Infinite Timeless and Formless Creator God is fundamental to a Sikh's religious creed. His worship is addressed to Him to the exclusion of any incarnations of the divine, the gods and goddesses, idols and images. His devotional practice consists in rising early and reciting his morning prayers after bathing, joining the <i>sa&#7749gat</i> or holy fellowship in <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i>, listening to the Gur&#363's word, and meditating upon God's Name. Gur&#363 for the Sikh is Gur&#363 N&#257nak and his nine spiritual successors and, then, the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, the Holy Book ordained Gur&#363 by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, N&#257nak X. A Sikh believes in the oneness of the Ten Gur&#363s &#8212 all of one light, all one in spirit though different in body. He bows in all circumstances to God's Will (<i>hukam</i>) and has faith in His compassion (<i>day&#257</i>) and grace (<i>nadar</i>). He treats his birth as a <i>hukam</i>, being a gift from God and a rare opportunity for his moral and spiritual evolution. Active participation in life as a householder is, therefore, preferred to asceticism. Yet one must live in the world like the lotus which emerges from the mud pure and spotless. <i>Rahitn&#257m&#257s</i> as well as the religious texts adjure one specifically to be truthful, honest and humble and not to steal, gamble, cheat or slander. Special emphasis is laid on virtuous sexual behaviour. A Sikh male is to treat all women other than his spouse as mothers, sisters and daughters. A Sikh female is similarly required to be chaste and morally blameless. Sikhs do not smoke and are not to consume drugs and intoxicants.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A Sikh regards all human beings as equal. The Gur&#363s enjoined him to recognize all mankind as one. They rejected the caste system. "False," said Gur&#363 N&#257nak, "is caste, and false the titled fame. One Supreme Lord sustaineth all" (GG,83). The Sikh institutions of <i>sa&#7749gat</i> (fellowship) and <i>pa&#7749gat</i> (commensality) invalidate distinctions based on birth or social position. Women among the Sikhs enjoy equal status with men. The Gur&#363s disapproved of the practice of <i>sat&#299</i> (burning of the widow on the funeral pyre of her husband's body prevalent among the Hindus). The <i>rahit&#7749&#299am&#257s</i> expressly lay down injunctions against those who practise female infanticide. A practical and positive step towards the realization of universal brotherhood is the Sikh emphasis on <i>sev&#257</i> (disinterested service) which extends from labour of the hands in Gur&#363 k&#257 La&#7749gar or community kichen to hospitality and charity and to readiness to making any sacrifice to help the oppressed and relieve their distress. The essentials of Sikh message can be summed up from three perspectives: loving involvement with God's revelation through <i>n&#257m</i>,i.e, remembrance or repetition of His Name, straining for the achievement of basic needs, and holding as common possession the fruits of one's labour &#8212 partaking of them only upon having dealt with the needs especially of the indigent. In Sikh system, these norms are represented by the three principles: <i>n&#257m jap&#7751&#257 kiat karn&#299</i> and <i>va&#7751&#7693 chhak&#7751&#257. </i></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sikh <i>rahit</i> as based on the teachings of the Gur&#363s and <i>rahitn&#257m&#257s</i> became lax during the comparative ease and prosperity of Sikh rule in the Punjab. Leaders of the reformatory movements such as Nira&#7749k&#257r&#299, N&#257mdh&#257r&#299 and Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 during the latter half of the nineteenth century sought to restore the purity of belief and living a pattern in consonance with Sikh tenets. New codes and manuals appeared, especially under the auspices of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257. Fundamentalist in approach was <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Rahit Prak&#257sh</i> adopted at an open meeting by Pañch <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n at Damd&#257m&#257 S&#257hib on 13 April 1905, and later released by B&#257b&#363 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh. At the other extreme, making many a concession to Brahmanical practice, was Avt&#257r Si&#7749gh Vah&#299r&#299a's <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Dharam Sh&#257stra: Sa&#7749sk&#257r Bh&#257g</i> issued in 1894, but later enlarged into <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Religious National Law</i>, and published in 1914. In between lay the Chief <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n's <i>Gurmat Prak&#257sh: Bh&#257g Sa&#7749sk&#257r</i>, first issued in 1915. More widely accepted and authoritative codes were prepared under the aegis of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee, originally established on 15 November 1920 to take over management of Sikh shrines and recognized as a statutory body representing the entire Sikh community under the Sikh Gurdw&#257r&#257a Act, 1925. On 15 March 1927, it appointed a 28-member Rahu-r&#299t(i.e. <i>rahit m&#257ry&#257d&#257</i>) sub-committee "to preprare a draft rahu-r&#299t in the light of <i>rahitn&#257m&#257s</i> and other Sikh texts and in consultation with leading Sikh scholars." Later, the task was entrusted to Professor Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh, of <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College, Amritsar, who prepared a draft which was published in the April 1931 issue of the <i>Gurdw&#257r&#257 Gazette</i>, the official organ of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee, for eliciting public opinion. The Rahur&#299t sub-committee considered the draft as well as the comments received from various quarters at its meetings held at Sr&#299 Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t on 4-5 October 1931, 3 January 1932 and 31 January 1932. The final version, after being referred to Sarb Hind (i.e. All-India) Sikh Mission Board and further amended by Dh&#257rmik Sal&#257hk&#257r (i.e. Religious Advisory) Committee received final approval by the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257' Parbandhak Committee on 3 February 1945. It was then published under the title <i>Sikh Rahit M&#257ry&#257d&#257</i>. The manual defines a Sikh as "a person who has faith in the One Timeless Being, the Ten Gur&#363s (from Sr&#299 Gur&#363 N&#257nak Dev to Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh), Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, their <i>b&#257&#7751&#299</i> (i.e. sacred hymns) and teachings, and in the <i>amrit</i> of the Tenth Master, and who does not follow any other religion." The Sikh <i>rahit</i> is divided into <i>sha<u>kh</u>s&#299</i> (individual) and <i>panthic</i> (communal).The former is further dealt with under <i>n&#257m-b&#257n&#299 d&#257 abhy&#257s</i> (religious practice), <i>gurmat d&#299: r&#257hi&#7751&#299</i> (living according to the Gur&#363s' instructions) and <i>sev&#257</i> (service). Detailed instructions are given about the <i>nitnem</i> or daily prayers, the form of <i>ard&#257s</i> or supplicatory prayer, and how to act in the <i>sa&#7749gat</i> and in the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i>. Instructions regarding the time-bound and open-ended reading of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, <i>ka&#7771&#257h pras&#257d</i> (sacred food or sacrament) and <i>kath&#257</i>, i.e. discourse on the Scripture as well as rules of social and moral conduct and ceremonies such as those concerning birth, marriage and death are also given in this section. The section on <i>panthic rahi&#7751&#299</i> includes sub-sections on Gur&#363 Panth (the Sikh community or the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257); initiation ceremony of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257; procedure for <i>gurmat&#257</i> or formal resolution adopted in the presence of the Gur&#363; and, finally, authority of the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t to hear and decide on appeals against the decisions of local <i>sa&#7749gats</i>.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Vah&#299r&#299&#257, Avt&#257r Si&#7749gh, <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Dharam Sh&#257stra: Sa&#7749sk&#257r Bh&#257g</i>. Lahore, 1896<BR> <li class="C1"> Chief <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n, <i>Gurmat Prak&#257sh</i>: Bh&#257g Sa&#7749skk&#257r. 1914<BR> <li class="C1"><i>Sikh Rahit Mary&#257d&#257</i>. Amritsar, n.d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Ra&#7751dh&#299r Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, ed., <i>Prem Sum&#257rag Granth</i>. Jalandhar,1965<BR> <li class="C1"> Padam, Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Rahitn&#257me</i>. Patiala,1974<BR> <li class="C1"> Nripinder Singh, <i>The Sikh Moral Tradition</i>. Delhi, 1990<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Sard&#257rn&#299 Premk&#257 Kaur<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>