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Palki
Sahib: The significance
Amritsar:
The Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs,
was bestowed the title of the eternal Guru by Guru
Gobind Singh himself. Thus it was accorded the same
aura and celestial light that shone on the original
Sikh masters. In keeping with tradition, the Guru
Granth Sahib is carried with respect in a special
palanquin, a palki, befitting a Sikh Guru. The `palki
sahib' is at the centre of every gurudwara, the resting
place of the eternal Guru. `Waheguru', `wonderful
lord', engraved on the canopy of the Palki from which
he presides, says it all. Seated atop a raised platform,
the Manji Sahib, the Guru Granth Sahib, is fanned
by the Chauri, made especially of animal hair, an
ancient tradition reserved for royalty. That aura
and respect accorded to the Palki goes back to the
birth of this holy text. "The Fifth Guru Guru Arjan
Dev had gone to the Gobind Darbar to compile together
the various works that formed the Guru Granth Sahib."
"There Guruji prepared a palki, a palanquin, for the
Guru Granth Sahib to be carried in. History has it
that Guru Arjan Dev carried this `Palki' himself bare
feet. People urged him to sit on a separate Palki
himself, as he was a Guru too. But Guru Arjan Dev
refused, saying he would carry the Guru Granth Sahib
himself as its religious reign would be eternal,"
a priest at the Harmandir Sahib tells us.
It
is the wee hours of the morning, and the Harmandir
Sahib in Amritsar is alive with chants and hymns in
preparation for the grand daily Prakash ceremony,
the reinstallation of the Guru Granth Sahib. To the
singing of Sat Nam Wahe Guru or a gurbani, the Palki
Sahib of gold and silver carries the Guru Granth Sahib
from its residential chambers to the shrine, to preside
over the Sadh Sangat. A series of deep, resonant drum
beats of the nagara heralds its arrival to the assembled
worshippers who, even at this hour, fill the large
plaza to capacity. This passage to the Harmandir Sahib,
though short, sometimes takes upto half an hour while
as many worshippers as possible share the honour of
carrying it. "At Nanded, Guru Gobind Singh gave up
his physical existence, passing away into eternity.
In the presence of five of his followers, he performed
five rounds (parikrama) of the Guru Granth Sahib and
bestowed eternal guruship on the Guru Granth to be
followed by Sikhs forever. In its construction at
specialised workshops in Amritsar, the Palki, as used
at the homes of Sikhs around the world, is made generally
of wood - teakwood and shisham - of varying degrees
of quality and expense. Significantly, each piece
made is given a unique design of canopy. The cost
starts from 40 dollars, and an entire industry thrives
on it. These palanquins are exported to the U.S.and
to other parts of the world in large numbers. Devender
Singh, a palki manufacturer in the city, says, "Amritsar
is famous for the manufacturing of the `palki'. Here
we make them in a collapsible form, which can be carried
more conveniently to anywhere in the world." "Devotees
from all over the world who come to the Golden Temple,
buy the Palki here," he adds. The final finish turns
out to be the most important part of the entire process,
and completion of the wooden structure, the platform
and stilts, takes two to three days. The canopy made
of gold or silver or any other metal depending on
the costing, is added on later following necessary
engravings.
- December 10, 2003
'Religious people happier than
non-religious'
London:
The religious people are happier than those who
give less or no importance to spirituality, according
to psychology researcher Dr Stephen Joseph from the
University of Warwick. The paper, "Religiosity and
its association with happiness, purpose in life, self-actualisation",
was published in "Mental Health, Religion and Culture"
and reveals a positive relation between religiosity
and happiness. The study also suggests that the reason
for this is that religious people have more meaning
and a sense of purpose in their lives than non-religious
people. Dr Joseph said, "Religious people seem to
have a greater purpose in life, which is why they
are happier. Looking at the research evidence, it
seems that those who celebrate the Christian meaning
of Christmas are on the whole likely to be happier.
Research shows that too much materialism in our lives
can be terrible for happiness." One hundred and one
people completed questionnaires to measure attitudes
towards Christianity, happiness, purpose in life,
and the link between Christianity and happiness. Results
showed that religious people are happier, and that
the relation between religiosity and happiness is
related to a sense of purpose in life.
- December 10, 2003
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