Glossary

The sweetened nectar of initiation into the Khālsā.

The formal congregational prayer of supplication and remembrance.

Loving devotion to the Divine, the path of the heart.

Ever-rising spirits — relentless optimism and faith even in adversity.

Righteous duty and the moral order that upholds life — living rightly, in tune with truth.

The Guru's word — the hymns of the Gurū Granth Sāhib.

One who faces the Guru (Gurmukh) versus one who follows their own ego (Manmukh).

A spiritual teacher who leads from darkness (gu) to light (ru); in Sikhism, ultimately the Gurū Granth Sāhib.

The Divine Order or Will; to live in harmony with Hukam is true peace.

The day's order — a shabad taken at random from the Gurū Granth Sāhib as guidance.

'There is One' — the opening words of Sikh scripture: one Creator, present in all.

Action, and the principle that every deed bears fruit — what we sow, we reap.

The 'pure' — the order of initiated saint-soldiers founded in 1699.

Devotional singing of Gurbāṇī in its prescribed raags.

The free common kitchen where all sit and eat as equals.

Sacred repetition of a divine name or words to still and focus the mind.

Illusion — the dazzle of the world that veils the one underlying truth.

The balance of temporal (mīrī) and spiritual (pīrī) authority.

Liberation — release from the cycle of birth and death into union with the Divine.

The foundational verse of Sikhism, opening the Gurū Granth Sāhib.

The Divine Name — its remembrance is the heart of Sikh practice.

The daily prayers a Sikh recites morning, evening and night.

The 'Five Beloved' — the first five initiated by Guru Gobind Siṅgh.

Blessed food shared with all after worship, a token of grace.

The holy company of seekers; keeping good company that lifts the mind.

'The welfare of all' — the prayer that ends every Ardās.

Selfless service offered without thought of reward — a core practice in both faiths.

Kesh (uncut hair), Kaṅghā (comb), Kaṛā (steel bracelet), Kacherā (cotton breeches), Kirpān (sword) — the articles of the Khālsā.

'Wondrous Teacher' — the most beloved name for God in Sikhism.