| Terms |
Meanings |
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Kachha
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Drawers or briefs. One of the five physical symbols that a Khalsa Sikh must wear. It is a symbol of self control. |
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Kalyug
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An age in which righteousness and godliness is forgetten. |
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Kam
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Lust, one of the weaknesses. |
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Kanga
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Comb, one of the five physical symbols that a Khalsa Sikh must wear. It is a symbol of hygiene and discipline. |
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Kara
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Steel bracelet, one of the five physical symbols that a Khalsa Sikh must wear. It is a symbol of restraint and rememberance of God. |
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Karah Parshad
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A standard dish served at religious ceremonies in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib and sanctified by prayers. It is a symbol of equality of all members of the congregation. |
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Karma
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The reward or punishment of any action of man is given by Gods order according to merit, God may give it or withhold it. |
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Kaur
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Middle or last name of a Sikh female. Mandatory last name for a Khalsa Sikh female. |
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Kar Seva
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Term used to describe any voluntary work carried out for religious purposes, especially the building of gurdwaras. Also used to refer to the removal of silt from the tank surrounding Harmandir Sahib every 50 years. |
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Karta Purukh
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A name of God, the Creator of all. |
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Katha
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A religious lecture on Sikhism. |
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Kesh
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Uncut hair, one of the five physical symbols that a Khalsa Sikh must have. It is a symbol of spirituality. |
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Kesdhari
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A Sikh who does not cut their hair, they may or may not be amritdhari. |
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Keski
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Head covering worn between the turban and hair by some Sikhs. Also worn by some boys before they begin wearing turbans. |
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Kirpan
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A small sword, one of the five physical symbols that a Khalsa Sikh must wear. It is a symbol of the Sikh fight against injustice and religious oppression. |
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Kirtan
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Musical rendering of Sikh gurbani. |
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Kirtan Sohila
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Collection of 3 hymns by Guru Nanak, 1 by Guru Ram Das and 1 by Guru Arjun. It is recited as part of Nitnem at bed time and also forms part of the funeral rites. |
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Krodh
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Anger, one of the weaknesses. |
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Kurahts
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The vows of abstinece that one takes on becomming a Khalsa. Not to cut your hair, not to eat muslim halal meat, adultury, intoxicants. |
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Kirt Karna
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Meditation on Gods name, honest work and giving to charity. Three fundamental requirements for Sikhs.(also known as Naam Japna or Vand Chakna) |
| L |
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Langar
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Free community kitchen found in all Sikh Gurdwaras. A cornersone of the Sikh religion and a symbol of equality, it was instituted by Guru Nanak. |
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Lawan
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Circumventing the Guru Granth Sahib during the Sikh marriage ceremony. Also the name of the four stanza composition by Guru Ram Das found on page 773 of the Guru Granth Sahib. |
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Lobh
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Greed, one of the weaknesses. |
| M |
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Maghi
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Sikh festival held annualy on January 14 to celebrate the memory of the marytordom of the Forty Immortals in battle at Muktsar. |
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Mahala
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Used in the Guru Granth Sahib to indicate the author of a composition by the Gurus. Each Guru used the name Nanak, for example Mahala 5 is Guru Arjun, Mahala 3 is Guru Amardas. |
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Mahant
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Corrupt officials who had control of the gurdwaras prior to the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee gaining control in 1925. |
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Manji
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The stool or string bed upon which the Guru Granth Sahib is placed on as a symbol of its sovregnity. |
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Mala
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A wool cord with knots used as an aid to prayer or meditation. |
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Manmukh
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A person who is self-centered and has forgotten God, the opposite of a Gurmukh. |
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Matta Tekna
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Bowing down and touching the floor with your forehead in front of the Guru Granth Sahib as a sign of respect to the Living Guru. |
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Maya
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The dillusion of being wrapped up in the material world and attached to it. |
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Mela
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Any Sikh religious festival other than the birth or death of a Guru. |
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Miri & Piri
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The concept of spiritual and worldly matters. Sikhs are expected to maintain the balance between the two, this idea was introduced by Guru Hargobind and represented by two swords. |
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A f ighting unit of the Sikh armies of the eighteenth century. |
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Mukti
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Spiritual liberation from the cycles of birth and death. |
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Mul Mantra
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It is the opening lines of the Japji by Guru Nanak and the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib. It is considered the cornerstone of Sikhism. "God is one. His name is True. He is the Creator. His is without fear. He is inimical to none. His existance is unlimited by time. He is beyond the cycles of birth and death, self existent and can be realized through the grace of the Guru." |
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Mundavani
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The word means seal and refers to the concluding poem by Guru Arjun in the Guru Granth Sahib which describes the spiritual qualites of reading and following the Guru Granth Sahib. |
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Nagara
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A kettledrum found in some gurdwaras and introduced by Guru Hargobind to be beaten when langer was ready. It is also a symbol of royal authority. |
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Naam
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Name, name of God. Sikhism places emphasis on the rememberance of God through meditation on Gods name. |
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Naam Japna
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Meditation on Gods name, honest work and giving to charity. Three fundamental requirements for Sikhs.(also known as Kirt Karna, Vand Chakna) |
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Naam Simran
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The rememberance of God through meditation. |
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Nanak Panthi
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A follower of Guru Nanak. |
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Nihang
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An order of Sikhs who follow the soldier lifestyle of the time of Guru Gobind Singh. They wear blue robes and reject household comforts. |
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Nirankar
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A name of God meaning the one who has no physical form. |
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Nirgunar
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Applied to God meaning one without form or material attributes. God is considered beyond human knowledge and comprehension. |
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Nitnem
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The daily prayers that Sikhs are expected to read. Nitnem consists of reading Japji of Guru Nanak, Jap and Ten Swayyas of Guru Gobind Singh in the morning; Rahiras, a collection of nine hymns by Guru Nanak, Guru Amar Das and Guru Arjun at sunset and Kirtan Sohila, five hymns by the same three Gurus at bedtime. |
| O |
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Onkar
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God as the Primal Being. Also refers to a compositon of Guru Nanak which appears of page 929 of the Guru Granth Sahib. |
