Paath
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Paath or Path (Punjabi: ਪਾਠ (Gurmukhi)), from the Sanskrit patha which means reading or recitation, is, in the religious context, reading or recitation of the holy texts. In Sikhism, comprehension of what is being read is considered more important than ritual recitation Guru Granth Sahib.
Background
Paath is the recitation of Gurbani. However it is considered lower than gurbani vichar/discussion.
It can also be called prayers of some instances. It may be done individually or in a group; it can be the recitation of one’s
Gurbani may be recited in the Sadh Sangat at any time, whether or not one is in the presence of Siri Guru Granth Sahib. A beautiful form of recitation in a group is to divide into groups of men and women with each reciting an alternate sutra. (A sutra is a complete line of poetry.) In the Gurmukhi each sutra is separated by two vertical lines (//). Gurbani should be recited rhythmically and meditatively.
Sikhs' daily religious regimen
Reading of certain banis is part of a
The paath is also performed individually and more particularly in sangat from the Guru Granth Sahib itself. The Holy Volume is ceremonially installed under coverlets on a decorated seat resting on a raised platform, with a canopy above, and is opened by the paathi or reader who sits reverentially behind. Usually, another person stands in attendance, waving the fly-whisk over the Holy Book. The paathi should have bathed and be dressed in clean clothes. Besides the reading of one single hymn to obtain vak or hukamnama (lesson or command for the day) or of some passages, three forms of complete paath of the Guru Granth Sahib are current: Akhand Paath (unbroken recitation completed in forty-eight hours), Saptahik (completed in a week or seven days, derived from the word saptāh meaning "week")[1] and Sadharan or Sahij (taken in slow parts with no time-limit for completion).[2] Ati Akhand Paath, hardly ever practised, is when a single participant reads within the prescribed 48 hours the entire text.[3][4][5]
See also
References
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- OCLC 1311132507.)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - OCLC 289070938.
- OCLC 435778610.
Further reading
- Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1978). The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 9780710088420.