The Sikh national prayer is known as ‘ARDAAS’. Ardaas might be a combination of words from any one of the two roots i.e. Sanskrit and Persian. In Sanskrit it could be a combination of Ardang and Aas. In Persian etymology, Ardaas could be a combination of Arz and Daashat. But the meaning of the both is prayer before the Almighty.
In the English language an alike, though not exact, term is prayer. The English term prayer, has, in its background, begging something from the Almighty or requesting him to fulfil some wish.
It seems that the Sikh Ardaas has its roots in Persian. During the early years of Sikhism, the Punjab did not have any impact of Sanskrit language. The Punjabi Hindus did not adopt Sanskrit culture like the Hindus of Hindustan (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh etc). Secondly, the Punjab had been under the Muslim rule and under the impact of Islamic culture, at least for the past five centuries. Hence, though Hindus did perform their own rituals, the general atmosphere of the Punjab was under the influence of the Islamic culture and the elite used generally the technical terminology of Islamic culture. So, there is more likelihood of finding roots of the Sikh Ardaas in Persian language. Thirdly, the Hindus don’t use the term Ardang Aas (or Ardaas) for the ‘prayer’. they use the words Prarthanaand Aarti.
Judaism is perhaps the oldest living religion. Making prayers and invocation has a prerogative place in Judaism. Jews call it ‘communication with God’ (and not ‘making requests’). In the beginning, the Jews used to make prayers simply for seeking God’s blessing for fulfilment of their desires. The Jewish national community prayer began about 200 years ago when they built their first synagogue. As it was a “centre” of the community, the gathering had to make a common prayer and this common prayer, later, became their “national” prayer. In the first century C.E. it had become an integral part of every Jewish congregation. Nowadays, the Jews make at least three prayers every day.
Islam, too is not much different from Judaism as far as prayers is concerned. Though there is a lot of criticism of the Jews in Quran but Islam has its roots in Semitic culture. Namaz (the Muslim prayer) has similarities with Jewish prayer system. A practising Muslim has an obligation to make five prayers every day: 1. Before sunrise (solatul farz) 2. At the moment of beginning of sunset (salatul zuhr) 3. Third pahir of the day (salatul asr) 4. After sunset but before darkness (salatul maghrib) 5. at the time of going to bed (salatul isha). Besides these some Muslim perform three more prayers, which are known as optional.
The Hindus have an aarti prayer which is performed usually in the evening. Some Hindus make such prayers during other hours of the day as well. In fact, the Hindus have great of faith in prayers. They depend so much on occult power, incantation, mantras, black magic, deities, gods and goddesses that they want every thing to be accomplished through some “miracle”.
One thing, however, is common among Jews, Muslims and Hindus i.e. prayer means seeking God’s blessing for fulfilment of some wishes, usually personal. These wishes include prosperity, happiness, health, success etc.
The Sikh Ardaas is much different from the others. The present Sikh prayer has a history of five hundred years. The Sikh Ardaas at the time of Guru Nanak Sahib was much short but with the passage of time several additions were made to it. At the time of Guru Nanak Sahib, the Sikh prayers was:
My soul and body I surrender before you
My life is at Your disposal, O Almighty. (p. 1345).
Since You, O Creator, are the Doer
why and what for I then, owe subservience to the world. (p. 349).
and
Without Your Order nothing can happen
Creating the creatures you see and understand them
What should I say? I can say not even a word
Whatever is all that is in accordance with Your Will
Whatever is to be done lies in Your Command
Before who should I make Ardaas.
(p. 1125)
and
Wherever pleases You is good
This alone is the Ardaas of Nanak. (p. 795).
After Guru Nanak Sahib Guru Angad Sahib, besides remembering the Almighty, added the name of Guru Nanak Sahib, in order to recognise his contribution to the Sikh mission. Similar additions were made by Guru Amar Das Sahib and Guru Ram Das Sahib. Guru Arjan Sahib added the name of his predecessor as well as another stanza, which has now become the prologue of the present day Sikh national Ardaas:
You are my Lord, I make this Ardaas to You
My soul and body are all Your
You are Mother and Father and we are Your children
In Your Grace lie many comforts
No one knows Your limits
You, O great Lord, are the highest of the high
The entire creation is strung on your thread
Whatever has happened is as per Your Command
Your stature/dignity and extent is known to You alone
Nanak, a slave of Yours, is ever a sacrifice unto Thee. (p. 268).
After Guru Arjan Sahib, his successors added the names of their predecessor Guru Sahib. Finally, after the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Sahib, the Sikhs completed the Sikh national Ardaas by adding the name of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib and Guru Granth Sahib, who Guru Sahib had installed as Guru-Eternal on October 6, 1708.
After 1708, the Sarbat Khalsa congregations (the Sikh national conventions) added new lines to the Sikh national Ardaas. These included the Sikh historic events, contribution of the martyrs, warriors and other national heroes. More lines can be added as and when some phenomenon occurs. (It is likely that the sacrifices of the Sikh martyrs of the 1980s may become a part of the Sikh national Ardaas in near future).
The Sikh national Ardaas begins with bowing before the Almighty. Next to Him, the Sikhs remember the contribution of the Ten Nananks (Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Angad Sahib, Guru Amar Das Sahib, Guru Ram Das Sahib, Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Hargobind Sahib, Guru Har Rai Sahib, Guru Harkrishan Sahib, Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, and Guru Gobind Singh Sahib).
In the wording of the Ardaas, the literal meanings of the rhyming words:”Dhiaae” (to concentrate), “Hoi Sahai” (shall be helpful), “Simro” (meditate upon the name of), “jis ditthe sabh dukh jae” (whose sight brings an end to all suffering), “Ghar nau nidh avey dhae” (nine treasures are gained by us) etc., are not to be acted upon literally. In Sikhism, all the Ten Nanaks were the same light, hence, all of them are to be respected and treated in the same manner. It is not so that a Sikh has to concentrate upon (Dhiaae) Guru Nanak Sahib; has to seek the help (Hoi Sahai) of Guru Angad Sahib, Guru Amar Das sahib and Guru Ram Das Sahib only; has to meditate upon the name (Simro) of Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Hargobind Sahib and Guru Har Rai Sahib; or all the suffering comes to an end (Jis ditte sabh dukh jae) only at the look of Guru Harkrishan Sahib; or nine treasures can be gained (Ghar nau nidh away dhae) only by remembering Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib. The Punjabi words Dhiaae, Sahai, Dhae etc. and the sentences had been composed for rhyming reasons. The Ardaas by no means distinguished between one or the other Nanak. It is a blasphemy to differentiate between the Ten Nanaks for any reason whatsoever it may be, because all the Ten Nanaks were one and the same. The same light was present in all of them; they were ten physical bodies but one and the same spirit.
After remembering the Almighty (and Ten Nanaks as His representatives), the Sikhs bow before Guru Granth Sahib i.e. Dhur Di Baani, the Revealed Word.
In the second paragraph of the Sikh national Ardaas, the Sikhs pay tribute to Punj Piaray (the five chosen ones): Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh, Bhai Sahib Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh and Bhai Himmat Singh). These five had offered their heads on the day Guru Sahib Revealed Khalsa. When Guru Sahib left Anandpur Sahib, they were among those forty Sikhs who vowed to remain with Guru Sahib and sacrifice for their lives for Guru Sahib, if a situation arose. Bhai Mohkam Singh, Sahib Singh and Himmat Singh laid their lives in the battle of Chamkaur on December 7, 1705 and Bhai Daya Singh and Dharam Singh both died at Nander (Hazur Sahib).
After this the Sikhs pay tribute to Char Sahibzade (the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib): Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh. (Two elder Sahibzadas embraced martyrdom in the battle of Chamkaur on December 7, 1705 and the younger two were walled alive and later killed, at Sirhind, on December 12, 1705). This is followed by tribute to Chalih Muktey (the forty liberated ones). Though the forty Sikh martyrs of Chamkaur and Khidrane Di Dhab (Muktsar) both have been referred to as Chalih Muktey in the Sikh history but the reference in the Sikh national Ardaas seems to be for the Chalih Muktey of Anandpur Sahib and Chamkaur. Guru Sahib in his Zafarnamah have referred to the Chalih Muktey of Chamkaur (the Zafarnamah was written before the battle of Khidrane Di Dhab. The Chalih Muktey of Khidrane Di Dhab, however, have been paid tribute in the next sentence). After paying tribute to the Punj Piaray, Char Sahibzade and Chalih Muktey, the Sikh national prayer remembers the sacrifices and the contribution of all the Sikh martyrs (Shaheedan), devotees (Mureedan), stedfasts (Hatthian), penitents (tapian), those who meditated upon His Name, who shared their earnings and prosperity, fed the mankind, fought battles for Righteousness, who overlooked the shortcomings of their innocent companions, who bowed before His Will.
This part of the Sikh national Ardaas is followed by tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their religion, who were cut limb by limb (like Bhai Mani Singh), who were skinned alive (like Bhai Bhupat Singh), whose scalp was chopped off (like Bhai Taru Singh), who were boiled alive in cauldron (like Bhai Dial Das), who were flayed alive, who were tortured to death on toothed wheel (like Bhai Subeg Singh and Shahbaz Singh), who sacrificed their lives but refused to renounce their faith; who sacrificed their lives for preserving the honour and freedom of the Sikh shrines (during Gurdwara reform movement 1920-26). In near future a new line, remembering the sacrifices and struggle of those who fought for the sovereignty of the Sikh nation, are likely to be added.
In the fourth paragraph of their national Ardaas, the Sikhs seek the blessing of the Almighty, for capability and power to take care of and defend their Takht and shrines.
In the second half of their national prayer, it is stated that the Sikh national Ardaas is on behalf of the whole of the nation and not by the one who makes an Ardaas, nor it is by the congregation only (Sarbat Khalsa ji di Ardaas hai). The Sikhs seek Almighty’s blessing that they (the Sikhs) should always have His Name in their minds (Waheguru chit avey) those who always keep the thought of the Almighty in their heart, get comfort and joy (Chit aawan da sadka sarb sukh hovey). Wherever Khalsa finds abode the protection and the benediction of the Almighty reigns supreme (Rachhiya riayat). The Sikhs thus achieve economic and political sovereignty (Degh tegh fateh). May Almighty grant His protection to the Khalsa and this (Grant of His Benediction) is the Nature of the Almighty (Birad) and He should keep the honour of continuing this protection (Paij rakhna). May Almighty always grant victory to the Sikh nation (Panth di jit). May Almighty’s sword (Sri sahib) be the defender of the Sikh nation. May Almighty grant all decision making powers to the Sikh nation i.e. sovereignty and supremacy (Khalsaji de boal baley).
In the second paragraph of the second half of their national Ardaas, the Sikhs do “beg” something from the Almighty. This “begging” is unique to the Sikhs only. The Sikhs seek from the Almighty strength to live like an ideal Sikh (Sikhi daan), the gift of unshorn hair (Kes), strength to live according to the Sikh code of conduct (Rahit daan), gift of Divine knowledge and life of piety (Bibek daan), strength to trust each other (Visah daan), complete faith in the Almighty (Bharosa daan), and above all, the greatest of all the gifts, the love for meditation (Daanan sir daan, Naam daan) as well as study and love for the Word (Amritsar de ishnan) [here Amritsar does not mean the city of Amritsar, it means the Word], prevalence of concerts (Chaukian), Khalsa flags (Jhandey) and centres for Sikh pilgrims and scholars (Bungey) and victory for Righteousness (Dharam da jaikaar).
In the last stanza of the Sikh national Ardaas, the Sikhs express a wish that they should always remain humble (Man nivaan), behave wisely (Mat uchchi), the Almighty be the giver and the defender of this wisdom (Mat da raakha aap Waheguru).
In the Sikh national Ardaas the Sikh, however, make one ‘temporary’ request to the Almighty that they (the Sikhs) be granted the right to free access and management of Nanakana Sahib and other Gurdwaras (for which the Sikhs don’t have free access at present).
The Sikh national prayer ends with reference to the hymn read or the function held before the Ardaas and seeks Almighty’s forgiveness for errors and omissions done during the recitation of hymns or while performing services in the Gurdwara and power for not repeating the same in future. Besides this, the Sikhs pray that the Almighty may grant the Sikhs the companionship of those whose company inspires one to remember the Almighty. The last sentence of the Sikh national Ardaas is in fact, a slogan for the U.N.O. i.e.. “O Almighty, may always there be Charhdi Kala (high spirits) by meditating upon Your Name and Your Blessing may bring good to the whole of the humanity.”
The prologue to the Sikh nation Ardaas is confirmation of the command of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib which he gave to the Sikh nation on October 6, 1708:
As per the command of the Almighty, the Panth was launched
All the Sikhs must have faith in Granth Sahib which is their Guru-Eternal
Guru Granth Sahib is the manifestation of the Ten Nanaks
Whosoever wishes to have a dialogue with the Almighty, shall find Him the Word
The Khalsa shall rule sovereign and none shall be able to oppose them
Those who astray from the path shall rejoin the mainstream.
Those who have faith in Him shall be protected by Him.