The Mool Mantar begins the Guru Granth Sahib Ji and defines the basic belief of the Sikhs.
This is the English translation.
| Ek Onkar | There is only One God |
| Sat Naam | Truth is his name |
| Karta Purkh | He is the creator |
| Nir Bhau | He is without fear |
| Nir Vair | He is without hate |
| Akaal Moorat | He is immortal, without form |
| Ajooni | He is beyond birth and death |
| Saibhang | He is self-illuminated |
| Gur Parsaad | He is realised by the kindness of the true Guru. |
The Sikh national anthem was written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji . Sikhism is the only religion with its own national anthem.
This is the English translation.
| Deh Shiva bar mohe ihai | Grant me this boon O God |
| Shubh karman the kabhu na taroo | May I never refrain from the righteous acts |
| Na daroo ar siyoo jab jah laroon | May I fight without fear all foes in life’s battles |
| Nischai kar apni jeet koroo | With confident courage claiming the victory |
| Ar Sikh hao apne hi mum ko | May thy glory be grained in my mind |
| Eh lalch hou guna tau uchroo | and my highest ambition be singing thy praises |
| Jab aav ki audh nidhann nanay | When this mortal life comes to end |
| Aut he rann me tab joojh maroo | May I die fighting with limitless courage |
The Sikh marriage ceremony is performed using the Lavan, the hymn composed by Guru Ram Das Ji, the 4th Sikh Guru. There are four stanzas in the hymn and for each stanza the groom and bride circle the Guru Granth Sahib Ji , reaffirming that the Guru is the centre of their lives.
This is the English translation.
By the first circling the Guru has shown the duties of the householder life. Sing the bani instead of the Vedas and hold fast to the faith which they reveal so that God may free you from all evil inclinations. Cling to the righteousness and contemplate God’s name which is the theme of all scriptures. Devote yourself to the True Guru and all evil will depart. Those minds are indeed blessed which are filled with the sweetness of the Name. To them bliss comes effortlessly.
In the second circling you are to recognise that God has caused you to meet the True Guru who washes away the self-centredness of those that sing God’s praises. I stand reverently face to face with the Guru. God is the soul of the universe, the only One, being within us and outside us. There is nothing which God does not pervade. Songs of rejoicing are header in the company of the godly. Slave Nanak says, in the second round divine music is heard.
In the third circling longing for God and detachment from the world wells up. By our good fortune, in godly company, we encounter God whose purity is found through singing divine praises. Good fortune has brought us into the fellowship of the saints in which the story of the ineffable One is told. God’s love fills our minds and absorbs us, as we have been blessed with a good destiny which is recorded on our foreheads. In the third circling, says Nanak, God’s love is awakened in the heart.
In the fourth round the mind attains divine knowledge and union with God becomes complete. This blissful state is reached through the Guru’s grace. The sweetness of the beloved pervades our souls and bodies. God is dear to me and I to God on whom my mind is fixed day and night. By exalting God I have achieved my heart’s desire. The beloved (God) has completed the union. The bride’s mind has blossomed with the beloved’s name. The beloved is united with the holy bride. Says slave Nanak, in the fourth round I have become one with the One.
Ardaas is the common prayer and through it, Sikhs remember and respect the sacrifices made by the Gurus and Sikhs to uphold religious freedom and the Sikh faith. It is recited whenever starting or ending any reading of Guru Granth Sahib Ji or any other important task.
This is the English translation.
God is one. All victory is of the wondrous Guru (God).
May the respected sword (God in the form of the Destroyer of evil doers) help us!
Ode of the respected sword recited by the Tenth Guru.
First remember the sword (God in the form of the Destroyer of evil doers); then remember and mediate upon Guru Nanak.
Then remember and mediate upon Guru Angad, Guru Amar das and Guru Ram Das: May they help us!
Then remember and mediate upon Guru Arjan, Guru Hargobind and Respected Guru Har Rai.
Remember and mediate upon respected Guru Har Krishan, by having the sight of whom all pains vanish.
Remember and mediate upon Guru Teg Bahadur; and then nine sources of wealth will come hastening to your home.
Oh Respected Gurus. Kindly help us everywhere.
May the kind, the respected Tenth Guru Gobind Singh Ji assist us everywhere.
Think and mediate upon the divine light of the Ten Kings contained in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji and turn your thoughts to the divine teachings of and get pleasure by the sight if the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Wahe Guru.
Think of the deeds of the Five Beloved Ones, of the four sons (of Guru Gobind Singh Ji); the forty Martyrs; of the brave Sikhs of indomitable determination; of the devotees steeped in the colour of the Name; of those who were absorbed in the Name; of those who remembered the Name and shared their food in companionship; of those who started free kitchens; of these who wielded their swords (for preserving truth); of those who overlooked others shortcomings; all the aforesaid were pure and truly devoted ones. Wahe Guru.
Think of and remember the unique service rendered by those brave Sikhs men as well as women, who scarified their heads but did not surrender their Sikh Religion. Who got themselves cut to pieces from each of the joints of the body; Who got their scalps removed; Who were tied and rotated on the wheels and broken into pieces; Who were thrown into the well; Who were burnt alive; Who were drowned in the river; Who were thrown in prison; Who were slaughtered; Who were bricked up; Who were tortured in diverse ways and who died for the protection of Sikhism and the Sikh faith. Wahe Guru.
Remember and think of the blessing of the Almighty God who is forever with the Sikh nation. Who is full of mercy and who protects the weak, the poor and the oppressed. Who is forever ready to rescue the distressed. Wahe Guru.
Remember the sacred and lofty name Wahe Guru and by meditating upon it all sins will be washed away. By following the path of the Gurus, the Sikh will become fearless and fearless and will walk steadily on the path of truth, honor and justice. Wahe Guru.
Wahe Guru! Wahe Guru! Wahe Guru!
(God is wonderful! God is wonderful! God is wonderful!)