Sahej Paath (Punjabi: ਸਹਜ ਪਾਠ) or Sadharan Paath (Punjabi: ਸਧਾਰਨ ਪਾਠ) or even Khula Paath,
literally means easy or simple recitation. It is a
paath
Paath or Path ( Punjabi: ਪਾਠ ), from the Sanskrit patha which means reading or recitation, is, in the religious context, reading or recitation of the holy texts. In Sikhism, comprehension of what is being read is considered more important ...
(recitation) which may be started and ended at any time; with as many or as few people participating as desired. The recitation of the
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 ...
is started at the beginning of the Granth Sahib and the whole of the 1430 pages of the Guru Granth is read in a slow fashion over from seven days to, in some cases, over several months. It is a slow, intermittent, non-regular, and non-urgent reading of the whole of the Guru Granth Sahib. Any paath which exceeds a week's length is referred to as a Sahej Paath.
Description
The Sahaj Paath, alternatively spelt as Sehaj Path and also known as Sadharan Path, is the reading from beginning to end, with no time-limit for completion. of the
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 ...
, the
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
Scriptures, which can be done at the reader's schedule. A ''Paath'' may be fulfilled by one or more readers, and the pace depends entirely on those reading.
Fulfilling the ''Paath'' can be done in honor of a particular occasion or simply to increase one’s feeling of connection to the
Guru
Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
. When done monthly, it gives the
Sadh Sangat Congregation a beautiful opportunity to establish a close relationship with the Guru and provides the blessing of His Word to the community.
Now there are also a lot of sehaj paath apps which give convenience to proceed with sehaj paath any time and any where.
It is a good time to practice pronunciation and study meanings. Someone can even listen and correct the reader during the recitation. Anyone can perform their own Sahej Paath. This is the way a beginner would usually do the first few Paaths of the Guru Granth Sahib.
The reading concludes with a ''
bhog
Bhoga () is a Sanskrit term meaning "enjoyment; pleasure; experience". Etymologically, bhoga is derived from the root ''bhuj-'', meaning to "enjoy", "consume", or "relish". Bhoga in general usage refers to the consecrated food offering to a deity, ...
'' ceremony.
Usage
Khula Paths are performed during the
Antam Sankar ceremony, which are Sikh last rites.
See also
*
Akhand Paath
References
{{Reflist
Sikh practices