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Sikhism: Texts, Authority and Key Figures

Debates on Sikh texts, Gurus and empire

  • 3 things to know
  • A2 Unit 3

Overview

Recall questions on the Mul Mantar weighed against the Japji, Guru Arjan's martyrdom and building work, the status given to the Gurus, and the empire as religious or secular.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Give the case that the Japji is the better statement of Sikh faith.

Key term

What is said for regarding Guru Arjan's building and organisation as his greatest contribution?

Key term

Give the case that the status given to the Gurus is not exaggerated.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Give the case that the Mul Mantar is the more important of the two texts in Sikh worship.

    Model answer

    It is learned first, recited daily, repeated at the head of the sections of scripture and taught at initiation, so it is present in Sikh worship more constantly than any other words.

  2. 2

    Give the case that the Japji is the more important of the two in Sikh worship.

    Model answer

    It is the first bani of the day, recited in full from memory, used over the amrit and heard before the scripture is opened, and it contains the Mul Mantar within itself.

  3. 3

    Give the case that the Mul Mantar is the better statement of Sikh faith.

    Model answer

    In one line it fixes every essential claim about God and can be held in the mind by anyone, including a child or an illiterate believer, which is what a statement of faith is for.

  4. 4

    Give the case that the Japji is the better statement of Sikh faith.

    Model answer

    A statement of faith must say what follows for the believer, and the Japji sets out the hukam, the futility of ritual, the cleansing of the mind by the Name and the stages of the soul's ascent, none of which the root verse explains.

  5. 5

    Which of Guru Arjan's contributions is most often judged the greatest, and why?

    Model answer

    The compilation of the Adi Granth is usually judged the greatest, because it fixed an authorised text that could not be corrupted and made possible the later vesting of guruship in the scripture itself.

  6. 6

    What is said for regarding Guru Arjan's martyrdom as his most significant contribution?

    Model answer

    His death changed the direction of the Panth, producing the arming of the community, the doctrine of miri and piri and the ideal of the saint-soldier, so its consequences reach further than any of his institutions.

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