WaheguruWaheguru (ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ, pronunciation: ʋäːɦɪɡʊɾuː, literally meaning "wow guru", figuratively translated to mean "Wonderful God" or "Wonderful Lord") is a term used in Sikhism to refer to God as described in Guru Granth Sahib. It is the most common term to refer to God in modern Sikhism. The meaning of the word vāhigurū (usually spelled in English as Waheguru) is traditionally explained as vāh 'wondrous!' (Punjabi word analogous to "wow" in English), and guru, Sanskrit for 'teacher, spiritual guide, God', which taken together are said to carry the meaning, 'Wondrous Lord'.
RagaA raga (, ɾäːɡ; also raaga or ragam or raag; coloring) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. The rāga is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradition, and as a result has no direct translation to concepts in classical European music. Each rāga is an array of melodic structures with musical motifs, considered in the Indian tradition to have the ability to "colour the mind" and affect the emotions of the audience.
KaurKaur (ਕੌਰ (Gurmukhi), کور (Shahmukhi); crown prince; sometimes spelled as Kour), is a surname or a part of a personal name primarily used by the Sikh and some Hindu women of the Punjab region. "Kaur" is also sometimes translated as "lioness", not because this meaning is etymologically derived from the name, but as a parallel to the Sikh male name "Singh," which means "lion." "Kaur" is recognized as “Princess” or "Spiritual Princess".
RamanandaRamananda (IAST: Rāmānanda) or Swami Ramanand was a 14th-century Vaishnava devotional poet saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya, the largest monastic Hindu renunciant community in modern times. Born in a Gaur Brahmin family, Ramananda for the most part of his life lived in the holy city of Varanasi.
Singh Sabha MovementThe Singh Sabha Movement, also known as the Singh Sabha Lehar, was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians, Hindu reform movements (Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samaj) and Muslims (Aligarh movement and Ahmadiyah). The movement was founded in an era when the Sikh Empire had been dissolved and annexed by the British, the Khalsa had lost its prestige, and mainstream Sikhs were rapidly converting to other religions.
NamdevNamdev (Pronunciation: [naːmdeʋ]), also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, (traditionally, 26 October 1270-3 July 1350) was a Marathi Vaishnav saint from Narsi, Hingoli, Maharashtra, India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He lived as a devotee of Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur. He is widely regarded as the founder of Varkari tradition. Namdev was influenced by Vaishnavism and became widely known in India for his devotional songs set to music (bhajan-kirtans).
SurdasSurdas (IAST: Sūr, Devanagari: सूर) was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer, who was known for his works written in praise of Krishna, the supreme lord. He was a Vaishnava devotee of Lord Krishna, and he was also a revered poet and singer. His compositions glorified and captured his devotion towards lord Krishna. Most of his poems were written in the Braj language, while some were also written in other dialects of medieval Hindi, like Awadhi.
NitnemNitnem (ਨਿਤਨੇਮ) is a collection of Sikh hymns (Gurbani) to be read minimally 3 different times of the day. These are mandatory and to be read by every Amritdhari Sikh as expressed in the Sikh Rehat Maryada. Optionally additional prayers may be added to a Sikh's nitnem. There are five hymns (Five Banis) to be done during Amrit Vela (early morning), the Rehras Sahib hymn for the evening and Kirtan Sohila for the night. The morning and evening prayers should be followed by an Ardaas.
ShabdaShabda (शब्द, ), is the Sanskrit word for "speech sound". In Sanskrit grammar, the term refers to an utterance in the sense of linguistic performance. In classical Indian philosophy of language, the grammarian Katyayana stated that shabda ("speech") is eternal (nitya), as is artha "meaning", and that they share a mutual co-relation. According to Patanjali, the permanent aspect of shabda is ("meaning"), while dhvani ("sound, acoustics") is ephemeral to shabda.
Amrit SanskarAmrit Sanskar (ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸੰਸਕਾਰ, pronunciation: ãːmɾɦɪt̪ sә̃nskäːɚ, lit. ‘nectar ceremony’; also called Amrit Parchar, Amrit Sanchar, Khande di Pahul, or Khande Batte di Pahul (ਖੰਡੇ ਬਾਟੇ ਦੀ ਪਾਹੁਲ)) is one of the four Sikh Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699. A Sikh who has been initiated into the Khalsa ('pure'; the Sikh brotherhood) is considered to be Amritdhari (baptised) (amrit taker) or Khalsa ('pure').
