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AMRIT VELA
lit, ambrosial hour (vela=time or hour), the last quarter of night or predawn morning hours, is reckoned in Sikh spirituality as period of time most conducive to concentration and appropriate for meditation and practicing nam, i.e. repetition of God’s Name. Says Guru Nanak in the Japu: amrit vela sachu nau vadiai vicharu (early morning is the time for practicing nam, God’s Name synonymous with God Himself, and for contemplating His greatness. Guru Angad, says:chauthai pahari sabah kai surtia upajai chau/ tina dariava siu dosti mani mukhi sacha nau (during fourth quarter of night, joy sprouts forth in the hearts of awakened ones; they go, befriend the rivers and brooks (for ablution) and have the True Name in their minds and on their lips. Shaikh Farid the Muslim saint, whose compositions are also included in the Sikh Scripture, is more forthright. Says he, "If you lose the last part of night to sleep, O Farid! count yourself as dead even as you live. (Remember that) if you have forgotten God, He has not forgotten thee. Guru Ram Das, laying down the daily regimen for a Sikh accorded primacy to early-rising to contemplate God’s Name, "Let him who calls himself a Sikh of the Guru, rise early and meditate on God" And, Guru Arjan, says: "Rise early in the morning and repeat God’s Name". To quote Bhai Gurdas: "The Guru’s Sikh rises early in the morning, performs ablutions at amrit vela and recites the Guru’s word"
Amrit vela in Sikhism is the prime hour not for its own sake, but because of its suitability for practicing nam, i.e. for remembering God and contemplating His greatness. No special auspiciousness attaches to amrit vela. Every moment of one’s life is meant for the remembrance of God. As Guru Arjan says, "Blessed is the hour (vela) when one gets absorbed in contemplation of Him".
lit, ambrosial hour (vela=time or hour), the last quarter of night or predawn morning hours, is reckoned in Sikh spirituality as period of time most conducive to concentration and appropriate for meditation and practicing nam, i.e. repetition of God’s Name. Says Guru Nanak in the Japu: amrit vela sachu nau vadiai vicharu (early morning is the time for practicing nam, God’s Name synonymous with God Himself, and for contemplating His greatness. Guru Angad, says:chauthai pahari sabah kai surtia upajai chau/ tina dariava siu dosti mani mukhi sacha nau (during fourth quarter of night, joy sprouts forth in the hearts of awakened ones; they go, befriend the rivers and brooks (for ablution) and have the True Name in their minds and on their lips. Shaikh Farid the Muslim saint, whose compositions are also included in the Sikh Scripture, is more forthright. Says he, "If you lose the last part of night to sleep, O Farid! count yourself as dead even as you live. (Remember that) if you have forgotten God, He has not forgotten thee. Guru Ram Das, laying down the daily regimen for a Sikh accorded primacy to early-rising to contemplate God’s Name, "Let him who calls himself a Sikh of the Guru, rise early and meditate on God" And, Guru Arjan, says: "Rise early in the morning and repeat God’s Name". To quote Bhai Gurdas: "The Guru’s Sikh rises early in the morning, performs ablutions at amrit vela and recites the Guru’s word"
Amrit vela in Sikhism is the prime hour not for its own sake, but because of its suitability for practicing nam, i.e. for remembering God and contemplating His greatness. No special auspiciousness attaches to amrit vela. Every moment of one’s life is meant for the remembrance of God. As Guru Arjan says, "Blessed is the hour (vela) when one gets absorbed in contemplation of Him".
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