Ardas

Supplication and recollection, is the ritual prayer which Sikhs, individually or in a congregation, recite morning and evening and in-fact whenever they perform a religious service and at the beginning and conclusion of family, public or religious functions. The word ardas seems to have been derived from Persian 'arzdasht', meaning a petition, a memorial or an address to superior authority. The Sikh ardas is rendered to God Almighty in a supplicatory mood, standing in front of the Guru Granth Sahib or, where the Guru Granth Sahib is not present, standing in a similarly reverential posture. Ardas is not inscribed in the Guru Granth Sahib. It is an evolute of the community’s heart in prayer over the centuries. Whenever, in history, the community is in distress or in a mood of thanksgiving, they verbalized its supplications to God and wherever a congregation, in harmony with the entire community (as also with all mankind) has assembled prayerfully, apt expressions its spiritual mood became incorporated into the ardas.

Broadly, the ardas consists of three parts. As the audience rise for ardas, the officiant "leading the prayer usually begins by reciting pauri or stanza from the Sukhmani: tu thakuru tum pahi ardasi... Thou art the Lord-Master; to Thee our ardas (supplication) is addressed... Then will follow recitation verbatim of the prelude to Guru Gobind Singh's composition Var Sri Bhagauti Ji ki. This 41-stanza invokes the Timeless One and the first Nine Gurus. The first addition that the Panth made was to extend this invoca­tion to include the name of Guru Gobind Singh himself and the Guru Granth Sahib. The second part is a recital of Sikhs' deeds of dedication and sacrifice. The ardas thus encapsulates Sikh history, but transcending the time-and-space setting. The third part comprises words improvised to suit any given occasion. After the initial invocation, ardas goes on to recount and reflect upon memorable acts of the community's martyrs-and heroes---men of unswerving resolution and unrelenting fortitude, who upheld faith with their sacred hair unto their last breath. In this respect, history has been continually contributing to ardas with the result that, along with the martyrs of the Guru period and of the periods of persecution following, it recalls those of the Gurdwara reform movement of the 1920's and those who laid down their lives for the sake of their faith at the time of the partition of the country in 1947.

Ardas is, thus, the epitome of Sikh· history and enshrines in its text the community's aspirations at various periods of its history and enables the devotees to unite in a brotherhood of faith over the centuries, transcending time. These aspirations are couched in expressions coined by minds saturated in faith. After recounting the deeds of faith and sacrifice' over the expanse of time, the congregation recounts Sikh places of worship over the expanse of space. Thereafter, prayer is made for and on behalf of the whole community, seeking the Lord's protection and grace for the entire Khalsa, ending with a supplication for universal weal. Then it asks for the specific boons of holy discipleship, a life of restraint, discrimination and faith and a firm and confident attitude of mind inspired by the holy Name

The focus shifts from the community life to the life of the individual believes' and the quality of his life. Gifts like the virtues of humility and wisdom are besought, as well as purity of understanding to discern the Divine Will. Protection is sought against such evils as lust, wrath, greed, attachment and pride. Fellowship is craved with persons of faith and purity. Words of thanksgivings or words seeking God's blessing are finally added, depending upon what the occasion is. Ardas always concludes with a prayer for the welfare and prosperity for all mankind.

The whole assembly stands with folded hands to say ardas facing the Guru Granth Sahib when it is present. In the absence of the Guru Granth Sahib, it can be facing in any direction. Usually, a supplicatory sabda (hymn) is recited upon rising for ardas. Anyone from among the assembly can lead ardas.

At prescribed intervals during ardas, the entire sangat associates itself with the leader repeating at his instance, 'Waheguru'. As the ardas concludes, the whole congregation kneels down and then rises again and utters in unison, ' Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh' - The Khalsa belongs to the Lord to whom too belongs the Victory. This is followed by the slogan 'Bole so Nihal' - he who pronounces these words shall be fulfilled, to which the whole assembly responds by shouting, 'Sat Sri Akal - True is the Time­less Lord.

Although, in its structure ardas is essentially a congregational prayer, it is equally the prayer for the individual. It is non-isolationalistic in character, not being for the individual alone, nor even only for the congregation. It is for the entire panth. It gives the individual a sense of unity with the community as well as with mankind at large.

Ardas has evolved over a long period of time and in this process it has not only absorbed several facets of the history of the community, but has also acquired a literary excellence. It is an exceedingly fine piece of prose in which there is a continuous flow of words and ideas carefully chosen. This aids the participants to attune themselves to the spiritual atmosphere it generates.

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