Glossary of Religious Terms M to R
-
MMM
- Maghi
- Sikh festival
held annualy on January 14 to celebrate the memory of the marytordom
of the Forty Immortals in battle at Muktsar.
- Mahala
- Used in the
Guru Granth Sahib to indicate the author of a composition by the Gurus.
Each Guru used the name Nanak, for example Mahala 5 is Guru Arjun,
Mahala 3 is Guru Amardas.
- Mahant
- Corrupt officials
who had control of the gurdwaras prior to the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee gaining control in 1925.
- Manji
- The stool or
string bed upon which the Guru Granth Sahib is placed on as a symbol
of its sovregnity.
- Mala
- A wool cord
with knots used as an aid to prayer or meditation.
- Manmukh
- A person who
is self-centered and has forgotten God, the opposite of a Gurmukh.
- Matta tekna
- Bowing down
and touching the floor with your forehead in front of the Guru Granth
Sahib as a sign of respect to the Living Guru.
- Maya
- The dillusion
of being wrapped up in the material world and attached to it.
- Mela
- Any Sikh religious
festival other than the birth or death of a Guru.
- Miri & Piri
- The concept
of spiritual and worldly matters. Sikhs are expected to maintain the
balance between the two, this idea was introduced by Guru Hargobind
and represented by two swords.
- Misl
- A f ighting
unit of the Sikh armies of the eighteenth century.
- Mukti
- Spiritual liberation
from the cycles of birth and death.
- Mul Mantra
- It is the opening
lines of the Japji by Guru Nanak and the beginning of the Guru Granth
Sahib. It is considered the cornerstone of Sikhism. "God is one. His
name is True. He is the Creator. His is without fear. He is inimical
to none. His existance is unlimited by time. He is beyond the cycles
of birth and death, self existent and can be realized through the
grace of the Guru."
- Mundavani
- The word means
seal and refers to the concluding poem by Guru Arjun in the Guru Granth
Sahib which describes the spiritual qualites of reading and following
the Guru Granth Sahib.
-
NNN
- Nagara
- A kettledrum
found in some gurdwaras and introduced by Guru Hargobind to be beaten
when langer was ready. It is also a symbol of royal authority.
- Nam
- Name, name of
God. Sikhism places emphasis on the rememberance of God through meditation
on Gods name.
- Nam Japna, Kirt Karna, Vand Chakna
- Meditation on
Gods name, honest work and giving to charity. Three fundamental requirements
for Sikhs.
- Nam Simran
- The rememberance
of God through meditation.
- Nanak Panthi
- A follower of
Guru Nanak.
- Nihang
- An order of
Sikhs who follow the soldier lifestyle of the time of Guru Gobind
Singh. They wear blue robes and reject household comforts.
- Nirankar
- A name of God
meaning the one who has no physical form.
- Nirguna
- Applied to God
meaning one without form or material attributes. God is considered
beyond human knowledge and comprehension.
- Nitnem
- The daily prayers
that Sikhs are expected to read. Nitnem consists of reading Japji
of Guru Nanak, Jap and Ten Swayyas of Guru Gobind Singh in the morning;
Rahiras, a collection of nine hymns by Guru Nanak, Guru Amar Das and
Guru Arjun at sunset and Kirtan Sohila, five hymns by the same three
Gurus at bedtime.
-
OOO
- Onkar
- God as the Primal
Being. Also refers to a compositon of Guru Nanak which appears of
page 929 of the Guru Granth Sahib.
-
PPP
- Pada
- Division of
a hymn in the Guru Granth Sahib, it varies in length from one to four
verses.
- Palki
- The wooden,
golden or marble palaquin in which the Guru Granth Sahib is ceremonially
installed.
- Panj Kakke
- The five physical
symbols which must be worn at all times by Khalsa Sikhs; kachha (briefs),
kangha (comb), kara (steel bracelet), kes (unshorn hair) and kirpan
(ceremonial sword).
- Panj Piaras
- The five beloved
ones, referring to the first five Sikhs initiated into the Khalsa
order by Guru Gobind Singh. Five Khalsa Sikhs are required for initiation
of a new member.
- Panth
- The entire Sikh
community.
- Parkarma
- The walkway
around the sarovar (pool) found at many gurdwaras.
- Patit
- A Khalsa Sikh
who has failed to live upto the vows of the Khalsa order.
- Prakash Karna
- The early morning
ceremony when the Guru Granth Sahib is formally opened and the days
worship begins.
- Path
- A reading of
the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Paudi
- A stanza of
the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Pauri
- Verses in the
Guru Granth Sahib, their length and metre are both variable.
- Phera
- Circling of
the Guru Granth Sahib during the wedding ceremony.
- Pothi
- A book or volume
of religious hymns.
-
RRR
- Rag
- A tune or the
series of five or more notes upon which it is based.
- Rag Mala
- The last composition
in the Guru Granth Sahib. It is a listing of 84 rags used in Indian
music in the early seventeenth century.
- Ragi
- A musician who
sings the hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib in gurdwaras.
- Rahiras
- A collection
of 9 hymns, 4 by Guru Nanak, 3 by Guru Ram Das and 2 by Guru Arjun
which are read at sunset as part of Nitnem.
- Rahit Maryada
- The Sikh Code
of Conduct concieved by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
- Rahit Nama
- A manual of
conduct for Khalsa Sikhs. There are a number of them by various Sikhs
dating back to the eighteenth century.
- Raj Karega Khalsa
- The battle cry
of the Sikhs during the rule of Banda Singh Bahadur meaning "The Khalsa
shall rule". It is the concluding line of the daily prayer Ardas.
- Rumala
- The cloth which is used ceremonially to cover the Guru Granth Sahib.