Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

( Punjabi: ਰਾਮ ), known as Ram Avatar (ਰਾਮ ਅਵਤਾਰ)Rama is described as ''Ram Avatar'' in the ''

Dasam Granth The ( Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

'' by the 10th

Sikh guru The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...

. or Raja Ram (ਰਾਜਾ ਰਾਮ), is considered an important figure in

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

, due to his inclusion as one among the 24 incarnations of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in the ''

Dasam Granth The ( Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

'' traditionally and historically attributed to

. The discussion of Rama and

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

is the most extensive in this section of the secondary Sikh scripture. The composition is martial, stating that the avatar of Vishnu appears in the world to restore good and defeat evil, but asserts that these avatars are not God, but agents of the God. God is beyond birth and death.SS Kapoor, Dasam Granth, Hemkunt Press, pp. 68–74 The famous ''Savaiya'' and ''Dohra'' from the Rehras Sahib, read daily by devout Sikhs, comes from Ram Avatar Bani. However, it is not to be confused with Sikhs believing or worshipping Raja Ram or Krishan. It is clear from Guru Gobind Singh's verses in Chaupai Sahib, a part of Sikh Nitnem, or daily prayer. There have been claims that the ''Ram'' in

is not related to the Rama described in the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''. In

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib (, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth (), its first rendition, w ...

, there are differences between ''Ram Chander'' (ਰਾਮ ਚੰਦਰ), the king of

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

, and ''Ram'', the all-prevailing God. A common misconception associated by Hindus when looking at Sikhism is looking at ''Ram Chander'', while for Sikhs it is derived from ''Gurmat'' (Guru's understanding/philosophy).''Gurmat'' describes Rama as the omnipresent, all prevailing-lord.

Sources

Guru Granth Sahib

The word Rama () appears in the

more than .

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

rejected the concept of divine incarnation as present in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

but used words such as Ram, Mohan, Hari & Shiv as ways of referring to the divine together with Islamic words like Allah & Khuda.

Bhagat Kabir Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Gar ...

makes it clear that there is a difference between Ram Chander (King of Ayodhya) and Ram (the all prevailing God).

Dasam Granth

is mentioned as one among the 24 incarnations of

in the Chaubis Avtar, a composition in ''

Dasam Granth The ( Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

'' traditionally and historically attributed to

.Beesvan Ram Avtar Kathan or Ram Avtar is a composition in the second sacred Granth of Sikhs i.e. Dasam Granth, which was written by Guru Gobind Singh, at Anandpur Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh was not a worshiper of Sri Rama, as after describing the whole Avtar he cleared this fact that ਰਾਮ ਰਹੀਮ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਕੁਰਾਨ ਅਨੇਕ ਕਹੈਂ ਮਤ ਏਕ ਨ ਮਾਨਯੋ॥. Ram Avtar is based on Ramayana, but a Sikh studies the spiritual aspects of this whole composition.J Deol (2000), Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity (Editors: AS Mandair, C Shackle, G Singh), Routledge, , pp. 31–33 Although the compositions of the Dasam Granth are traditionally accepted to be written by

, there have been questions of the authenticity of the entirety of Dasam Granth from time of compilation.

Importance

Rama is often depicted in Sikh myths as a source of inner peace, inspiration and bravery.

Ram Mandir

As per Rajinder Singh, a Sikh expert who was consulted by the five-member bench Court in the Ram Mandir case and was described in the judgement as "a person having an interest in the study of religious, cultural and historical books of a Sikh cult", the founder of

, took a pilgrimage to the

Ram Janmabhoomi Ram Janmabhoomi () is the site that, according to Hindu religious beliefs, is the birthplace of Rama, the seventh avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. The Ramayana states that the location of Rama's birthplace is on the banks of the Sarayu rive ...

in . The judgement also states that Rajinder Singh attached various '' janam sakhis'' to support his statements. Others have discredited the statements of Rajinder Singh on the basis of the ''janam sakhis'' attached dating from 18th century and later, which is stated to be a time period when Brahminical revivalism became evident in such works. The SGPC passed a resolution condemning this verdict. Sikh scholars have the view that

went to religious sites like

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

and

to preach and spread his message rather than for pilgrimage.

Notes

Sources

Citations

References

* * * * * *

External links

Rama: Sikh encyclopedia

Raja Rama in Sikhism
{{Sikhism Rama Hinduism and other religions Dasam Granth

Sources

Guru Granth Sahib

Dasam Granth

Importance

Ram Mandir

See also

Notes

Sources

Citations

References

External links