A sahajdhari ( Punjabi: ਸਹਜਧਾਰੀ ; Meaning "spiritual state of equilibrium adopter"; alternatively spelt as sehajdhari) Sikh is a person who believes 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 ...

but is not an Amritdhari. A Sahajdhari adheres to the principles of Sikhism and the teachings of the

Sikh gurus 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 ...

but may not wear all of the Five Symbols of Sikhism. For example, Sahajdhari Sikhs often wear a kara, but many of them cut their hair ( kesh). Despite it being instructed by

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 ...

for Sikhs to become Amritdhari during the formation of the

Khalsa The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism< ...

, in modern times, particularly in the

western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...

some Sikhs have chosen to cut their hair or beard. According to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1971 and the

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee) is an organization in India responsible for the management of ''gurdwaras'', Sikh places of worship, in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and ...

, a Sahajdhari Sikh can be regarded as a Sikh. However, they cannot claim to be an Amritdhari Sikh and must raise their children within the Sikh faith.

Etymology

Sahajdhari is a compound word consisting of the two words ''sahaj'' and ''dhari''. In

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and other

Indo-Aryan languages The Indo-Aryan languages, or sometimes Indic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. As of 2024, there are more than 1.5 billion speakers, primarily concentrated east ...

, the words ''Sahaj'' means "spiritual state of equilibrium''"'' and ''dhari'' means "adopter".Sikh Review

Meaning

A ''sahajdhari'' believes in all the tenets of Sikhism and the teaching of the Sikh Gurus, but has not undergone Amrit Sanchar, and may not strictly adhere to all Sikh practices all the time, as Amritdhari Sikhs are expected to do. According to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, the Sahajdhari Sikhs are those who believe in the Gurus of Sikhism.SGPC: Sahajdhari is one who gradually adopts doctrines of Sikhism
/ref> According to W. H. McLeod, a sehajdhari Sikh refers to someone who reveres the Sikh gurus but does not seek

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

into the

Khalsa The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism< ...

. Another term, ''keshdhari'', is related and often used synonymously, albeit confusingly, and strictly-speaking refers to a Sikh who maintains uncut hair (''kesh'') but has not received ''

amrit Amrit (), the classical antiquity, classical Marathus (, ''Marathos''), was a Phoenicians, Phoenician port located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millenniumBC, Marat (, ) was the northernmost important city of ancient Ph ...

'', which would make them ''amritdharis'' if so. McLeod estimates that keshdhari Sikhs make up a substantial portion of the Sikh population.

History

According to sources,

Bhai Nand Lal Bhai Nand Lal (; ; 1633–1720), also known by his pen name Goya (; ), was a 17th-century Sikh poet in the Punjab region. Biography Bhai Nand Lal, a respected Persian scholar, was one of the 52 poets associated with Guru Gobind Singh. Born in G ...

asked Guru Gobind Singh ji how many types of Sikhs there are, and Guru Gobind Singh ji replied, saying, ਤਿਨ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਰ ਮਮ ਸਿੱਖ ਹੈ।। ਸਹਜੇ ਚਰਨੀ ਖੰਡ।।. In the early eighteenth century when

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 ...

s defied the persecutors and courted martyrdom as did the teenage Haqiqat Singh Rai, who was beheaded in public for his refusal to disown his Sikh belief and accept Islam. Haqiqat rai was Sahajdhari Sikh. A leading Sahajdhari Sikh of that time was Kaura Mall, a minister to the Mughal governor of Lahore, Mu'in ul-Mulk (1748–53), who helped the Sikhs in different ways in those days of severe trial. He had so endeared himself to them that they called him Mittha (sweet, in Punjabi) Mall instead of Kaura (which, in Punjabi, means "bitter") Mall. Sikh tradition also recalls another Sahajdhari Sikh of this period, Des Raj, who was entrusted by the

Khalsa The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism< ...

with the task of reconstructing the Harimandar, which was demolished by the Afghan invader

Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shāh Durrānī (; ; – 4 June 1772), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the first ruler and founder of the Durrani Empire. He is often regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan. Throughout his reign, Ahmad Shah fought ov ...

in 1762. Sikh tradition also recalls another Sahajdhari sikh, Dina Nath, who was the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

minister. Sikh tradition also recalls another Sahajdhari Sikh, Bhai Vasti Ram, a learned man well-versed in

Sikh scriptures The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth (First Scripture), more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The second most important scripture of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth. Both of these consist of text which was written or authorised by t ...

, who enjoyed considerable influence at the court. Sahajdhari Sikhs have continued participating in

life right up to modern times, and have associated themselves with Sikh institutions and organizations such as the

, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Shiromani Akali Dal, and the All-India Sikh Students Federation. The Singh Sabhas used to have seats on their executive committees reserved for the Sahajdharis. Among their own societies, confined mainly to north-western India prior to the migrations of 1947, were the Sahajdhari Committee of

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

, Guru Nanak Sahajdhari Diwan of Panja Sahib and Sri Guru Nanak Sahajdhari Jatha of Campbellpore. The Sahajdhari Diwan of Panja Sahib attained the status of their central forum. They had as well their annual conference, which met for its first session on 13 April 1929 under the chairmanship of Sir Jogendra Singh, who passed on the office to the famous Sikh scholar and savant, Bhai Kahn Singh. A Sahajdharis' conference formed part of the annual proceedings of the Sikh Educational Conference. The Sahajdharis share all of the religious, and social customs and ceremonies with the main body of the Sikhs, and join their congregations in the

gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

s. The population in the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

of Sahajdhari Sikhs (another name used is Sikh Nanakpanthis) according to the 1891 Census was 397,000 (20% of the total Sikh population); according to the 1901 Census, 297,000 (13% of the total Sikhs); according to the 1911 Census, 451,000 (14.9% of the total Sikhs); according to the 1921 Census, 229,000 (7% of the total Sikhs); according to the 1931 Census, 282,000 (6.5% of the total Sikhs). Outside of Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province and Sindh had considerable Sahajdhari populations. Consequent to the partition of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1947, Sahajdharis became widely dispersed in the country. Their India-wide forum was the Sarab Hind (All-India) Sahajdharis Conference, which rotated from town to town for its annual sessions. Three of its presidents, Gur Darshan Singh, Sant Ram Singh and Ram Lal Singh Rahi, the founding Executive Vice President of Sarab Hind (All-India) Sahajdharis Conference, were recognized with the "Nishan-e-Khalsa" award by the Anandpur Foundation at the Tercentennial Celebration of Khalsa in 1999.

Five Ks

The Five Ks, or ''panj kakaar/kakke'', are the five items of faith that all ''initiated Sikhs'' ''( Amritdhari)'' are required to wear at all times ''(but does not apply to Sahajdhari Sikhs)'', at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru,

, who so ordered at the Baisakhi

Amrit Sanskar Amrit Sanskar (, pronunciation: , lit. "nectar ceremony") is one of the four Sikh Samskara (rite of passage), Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699. A Sikh who h ...

in 1699. They are: * Kesh (uncut hair) * Kanga (wooden comb) *

Kacchera Kacchera or Kachera () or Kaccha () are an undergarment for the lower body that is specially tailored for shalwar with a tie-knot ''naala'' or ''naada'' drawstring worn by fully initiated Sikhs. They are similar to European boxer shorts in a ...

(specially-designed underwear) * Kara (iron bracelet) *

Kirpan The kirpan (; pronunciation: Help:IPA/Punjabi, ɪɾpaːn is a blade that Khalsa Sikhs are required to wear as part of their religious uniform, as prescribed by the Rehat, Sikh Code of Conduct. Traditionally, the kirpan was a full-sized '' ...

(strapped sword) They are for the identification and representation of the ideals of Sikhism, such as honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God, and never bowing to tyranny.

Nanakpanthi

Most

Nanakpanthi Nanakpanthi (Gurmukhi: ਨਾਨਕਪੰਥੀ; ''nānakapathī'', "follower of the way of life of Nanak"), also known as Nanakshahi, is a syncretist movement which follows Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the founder of Sikhism, but without necessari ...

(Sikh Sect) also are of Sehajdhari backgrounds.

Contemporary notable Sahajdharis

* Bhai Ram Lal Singh Rahi - Now an Amritdhari Sikh, was the founding Executive Vice President of Sarab Hind (All-India) Sahajdharis Conference, recognized with the "Nishan-e-Khalsa" award by the Anadpur Foundation at the Tercentennial Celebration of Khalsa in 1999. * Deep Sidhu - Sikh youth leader *

Udham Singh Udham Singh (born Sher Singh; 26 December 1899 – 31 July 1940) was an Indian revolutionary belonging to Ghadar Party and HSRA, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 March ...

- Indian Independence Freedom Fighter *

Hardeep Grewal Hardeep Singh Grewal is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He represents the riding of Brampton East as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. In ...

- Canadian MPP * Harry Bains - Canadian Politician * Sukh Dhaliwal - Canadian MP *

Nav (rapper) Navraj Singh "Nav" Goraya (born November 3, 1989) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a producer for other artists before embarking on his recording career, with his first major production credit ...

- Canadian Rapper

Etymology

Meaning

History

Five Ks

Nanakpanthi

Contemporary notable Sahajdharis

See also

References

Further reading