ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ

Meaning

Amrit literally means the nectar of immortality. In Gurbani the word is used for the divine Name itself — Naam is the true amrit that frees the soul. But in Sikh life, amrit most often means the initiation ceremony, also called amrit sanskar or khande di pahul, the baptism of the double-edged sword.

In the ceremony, the Panj Piare — five initiated Sikhs — prepare amrit by dissolving sugar crystals (patase) in water in an iron bowl and stirring it with a khanda while reciting five banis: Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye, Chaupai Sahib and Anand Sahib. Each candidate drinks the amrit from cupped hands, has it sprinkled on their eyes and hair, and vows to keep the Khalsa discipline. From that moment, they are amritdhari — one who has taken amrit.

Origin and history

Before 1699, initiation into the Sikh faith was by charan pahul — water sanctified by the Guru's touch, sometimes described as water in which the Guru had dipped his foot. When Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa on Vaisakhi 1699, he replaced this with khande di pahul: the amrit stirred with the sword, administered not by the Guru alone but by the five beloved ones acting together.

The change was deliberate. The sword in the bowl said that this was no gentle blessing but an initiation into the saint-soldier's life — and having the Panj Piare administer it said that authority now lay with the Khalsa collectively, not with one man.

Cultural context

Amrit sanchar ceremonies are held regularly at major gurdwaras and on gurpurbs, often with dozens of candidates — men, women and sometimes children — taking amrit together. Families treat it as a milestone comparable to a graduation, and the newly initiated are congratulated with 'Khalsa' greetings.

The word also lives on in everyday speech: amrit vela is the ambrosial early-morning hour of prayer, and parents name children Amrit, Amrita or Amritpal in honour of the nectar.

ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਰਥ

ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦਾ ਅਰਥ ਹੈ ਅਮਰ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਜਲ। ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਾਮ ਨੂੰ ਹੀ ਸੱਚਾ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ। ਸਿੱਖ ਜੀਵਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦਾ ਅਰਥ ਹੈ ਖੰਡੇ ਦੀ ਪਾਹੁਲ — ਉਹ ਰਸਮ ਜਿਸ ਨਾਲ ਸਿੱਖ ਖ਼ਾਲਸੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਦਾਖ਼ਲ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ।

ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸੰਚਾਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੰਜ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਲੋਹੇ ਦੇ ਬਾਟੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਤਾਸੇ ਘੋਲ ਕੇ ਖੰਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਹਿਲਾਉਂਦੇ ਹੋਏ ਪੰਜ ਬਾਣੀਆਂ ਪੜ੍ਹਦੇ ਹਨ। ਅਭਿਲਾਖੀ ਹੱਥਾਂ ਦੀ ਓਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਪੀਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਅੱਖਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਕੇਸਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਛਿੜਕਾਅ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਉਹ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾਈ ਰਹਿਤ ਦੀ ਸੌਂਹ ਚੁੱਕਦਾ ਹੈ।

੧੬੯੯ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਚਰਨ ਪਾਹੁਲ ਦੀ ਮਰਯਾਦਾ ਸੀ, ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਨੇ ਖੰਡੇ ਦੀ ਪਾਹੁਲ ਨਾਲ ਬਦਲ ਦਿੱਤਾ।