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ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
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What Is Soul As Per Gurmat?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lily Kaur" data-source="post: 217523" data-attributes="member: 22062"><p>I'm reminded of Professor Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, who is currently in the process of becoming the first Sikh woman to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji into English. She has some very strong opinions about the idea of the 'soul' in Sikhi. She believes that the very notion of the 'soul' is a foreign intrusion by English and Christian thought onto a text which rejects the Cartesian duality of mind and body. As such, she does not use the word 'soul' whatsoever in her translations. She writes about her ideology behind the translation process in her paper <em>Translating Sikh Scripture into English </em>(2007), which is a fascinating read even if you disagree with her interpretations. She writes (p. 42):</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>"[The] word Soul vigorously appropriated by translators is totally inappropriate in the Sikh context. Laden with Jewish-Christian connotations, the soul imposes the mind–body dualism, shifting our focus from here and now to an afterlife and heaven out there...In spite of the fact that Sikh scripture itself contains no soul, we find it lavishly present in English translations. Its usage dichotomizes the fullness of the Gurus’ experience and vision...For the Sikh Gurus there [is] no difference between here and there: ‘Whatever lies in paradise beyond can be found in the body here – </em>jo brahmande soi pinde<em>' (GG, 695). The body is our marvellous possession, for its material is the divine and there is no split between any matter and spirit: ‘Body is the home of the divine One and by the divine One is the body maintained – </em>kaia harimandiru hari api savare<em>’ (GG, 1059). Therefore life is extremely precious (</em>nirmol<em>)[.]"</em></p><p></p><p>She believes that we, Sikhs of the post-colonial era, have developed an aversion to seeing the 'body' as equal to and identical with the 'soul', and that this aversion is distinctly Christian in origin. We think of the immaterial 'soul' as something greater than and separate from the material 'body', and we reject this material 'body' as something which is dirty and lesser. In her interpretation of Sikh theology, however, there can be no separation between the two, and to introduce such a separation is a corruption of the One-ness of the Gurus' vision; as she puts it, it shifts our focus from the worldly "here and now" onto an esoteric "out there", and introduces an unnecessary distance between us and Waheguru. To her, the idea of the 'soul' makes us think of our immaterial spiritual lives as somehow separate from our material bodily lives, when really, the Gurus' vision is one which is intimately concerned with the worldly, the communal, the everyday, the "here and now". To illustrate what she means, she compares her translation of the line "<em>eh manak jio nirmol hai jo kaudi badlai jaey</em>" (GG, 22) with the srigranth.org version by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">srigranth.org version: <em>"[The] jewel of the soul is priceless, and yet it is being squandered like this, in exchange for a mere shell."</em></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Professor Singh's version: "<em>This pearl-like precious life goes for a pittance."</em></p><p></p><p>Notice how in her translation, Professor Singh has removed the notion of the 'soul', which in her view, is not present in the original text and is an intrusion of Christian thought. She writes (p. 42):</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>"In the original there is no body-soul split: life without the experience of the divine is worthless; life with the divine experience is precious. The original — </em>eh<em> (this) </em>manak<em> (pearl) </em>jio<em> (life) </em>nirmol<em> (precious) </em>hai<em> (is) orients us to our origins, to our birth, to our mothers, to our family, to our community, to our life here and now. Sikh verses constantly inspire us to snugly integrate our bodies, senses, mind, consciousness, so that we enjoy our passionate relationship with the divine and inspire all aspects of life.</em></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><em></em></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>It is shocking to find palpable and healthy scriptural sources metamorphosed into ethereal souls in translation! The term </em>jio <em>means life, but as we see above, it is forcefully converted into a lifeless 'soul', which is then contrasted with the 'shell'...Precisely because [the srigranth version] is so accessible and valued, I feel the need to critique its consistent usage of Jewish and Christian vocabulary. </em>Jio<em> is not soul; it is life. Neither </em>jian<em> 'souls'; rather it is beings / creation / people. Nor is </em>jind<em> soul; it is life. So when we read </em>hukmi hovan ji <em>(GG, 1), 'living beings [not souls] are born through the divine precept.' When we read </em>sabhna jia ka ikk data<em>, 'all living beings [</em>every body<em> – not souls</em>] <em>are the One creator.'"</em></p><p></p><p>Now, all of this is just the opinion of one Sikh scholar, and it's certainly not an opinion which I think is widespread among Sikhs. So you are of course welcome to disagree with her view of the soul in Sikhi; in the end, like so many things, we won't know the real truth in this life. Hers is just one interpretation which I find particularly fascinating and insightful, and one which has caused me to reevaluate my own theology and helped me come to a more monistic understanding the body and soul. But there of course many other interpretations, and I think we're foolish if we think any one interpretation is correct with absolute certainty. So, although it's an interpretation that has informed much of my own thinking about this topic, I don't think Professor Singh's interpretation is the one and only way to think about the soul in Sikhi, and reading the other responses on this thread has been delightful, even when they take an approach which is quite different! I hope that Professor Singh's view is at least something to think about, even if you are not persuaded by her interpretation.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lily Kaur, post: 217523, member: 22062"] I'm reminded of Professor Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, who is currently in the process of becoming the first Sikh woman to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji into English. She has some very strong opinions about the idea of the 'soul' in Sikhi. She believes that the very notion of the 'soul' is a foreign intrusion by English and Christian thought onto a text which rejects the Cartesian duality of mind and body. As such, she does not use the word 'soul' whatsoever in her translations. She writes about her ideology behind the translation process in her paper [I]Translating Sikh Scripture into English [/I](2007), which is a fascinating read even if you disagree with her interpretations. She writes (p. 42): [INDENT][I]"[The] word Soul vigorously appropriated by translators is totally inappropriate in the Sikh context. Laden with Jewish-Christian connotations, the soul imposes the mind–body dualism, shifting our focus from here and now to an afterlife and heaven out there...In spite of the fact that Sikh scripture itself contains no soul, we find it lavishly present in English translations. Its usage dichotomizes the fullness of the Gurus’ experience and vision...For the Sikh Gurus there [is] no difference between here and there: ‘Whatever lies in paradise beyond can be found in the body here – [/I]jo brahmande soi pinde[I]' (GG, 695). The body is our marvellous possession, for its material is the divine and there is no split between any matter and spirit: ‘Body is the home of the divine One and by the divine One is the body maintained – [/I]kaia harimandiru hari api savare[I]’ (GG, 1059). Therefore life is extremely precious ([/I]nirmol[I])[.]"[/I][/INDENT] She believes that we, Sikhs of the post-colonial era, have developed an aversion to seeing the 'body' as equal to and identical with the 'soul', and that this aversion is distinctly Christian in origin. We think of the immaterial 'soul' as something greater than and separate from the material 'body', and we reject this material 'body' as something which is dirty and lesser. In her interpretation of Sikh theology, however, there can be no separation between the two, and to introduce such a separation is a corruption of the One-ness of the Gurus' vision; as she puts it, it shifts our focus from the worldly "here and now" onto an esoteric "out there", and introduces an unnecessary distance between us and Waheguru. To her, the idea of the 'soul' makes us think of our immaterial spiritual lives as somehow separate from our material bodily lives, when really, the Gurus' vision is one which is intimately concerned with the worldly, the communal, the everyday, the "here and now". To illustrate what she means, she compares her translation of the line "[I]eh manak jio nirmol hai jo kaudi badlai jaey[/I]" (GG, 22) with the srigranth.org version by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa: [INDENT]srigranth.org version: [I]"[The] jewel of the soul is priceless, and yet it is being squandered like this, in exchange for a mere shell."[/I] Professor Singh's version: "[I]This pearl-like precious life goes for a pittance."[/I][/INDENT] Notice how in her translation, Professor Singh has removed the notion of the 'soul', which in her view, is not present in the original text and is an intrusion of Christian thought. She writes (p. 42): [INDENT][I]"In the original there is no body-soul split: life without the experience of the divine is worthless; life with the divine experience is precious. The original — [/I]eh[I] (this) [/I]manak[I] (pearl) [/I]jio[I] (life) [/I]nirmol[I] (precious) [/I]hai[I] (is) orients us to our origins, to our birth, to our mothers, to our family, to our community, to our life here and now. Sikh verses constantly inspire us to snugly integrate our bodies, senses, mind, consciousness, so that we enjoy our passionate relationship with the divine and inspire all aspects of life. It is shocking to find palpable and healthy scriptural sources metamorphosed into ethereal souls in translation! The term [/I]jio [I]means life, but as we see above, it is forcefully converted into a lifeless 'soul', which is then contrasted with the 'shell'...Precisely because [the srigranth version] is so accessible and valued, I feel the need to critique its consistent usage of Jewish and Christian vocabulary. [/I]Jio[I] is not soul; it is life. Neither [/I]jian[I] 'souls'; rather it is beings / creation / people. Nor is [/I]jind[I] soul; it is life. So when we read [/I]hukmi hovan ji [I](GG, 1), 'living beings [not souls] are born through the divine precept.' When we read [/I]sabhna jia ka ikk data[I], 'all living beings [[/I]every body[I] – not souls[/I]] [I]are the One creator.'"[/I][/INDENT] Now, all of this is just the opinion of one Sikh scholar, and it's certainly not an opinion which I think is widespread among Sikhs. So you are of course welcome to disagree with her view of the soul in Sikhi; in the end, like so many things, we won't know the real truth in this life. Hers is just one interpretation which I find particularly fascinating and insightful, and one which has caused me to reevaluate my own theology and helped me come to a more monistic understanding the body and soul. But there of course many other interpretations, and I think we're foolish if we think any one interpretation is correct with absolute certainty. So, although it's an interpretation that has informed much of my own thinking about this topic, I don't think Professor Singh's interpretation is the one and only way to think about the soul in Sikhi, and reading the other responses on this thread has been delightful, even when they take an approach which is quite different! I hope that Professor Singh's view is at least something to think about, even if you are not persuaded by her interpretation. [/QUOTE]
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