• In Sikh religion, going regularly to Gurudwara is
  very important.
• In the Gurudwara, we do many activities.
• But what is the hidden philosophic meaning behind
  these activities?
• By understanding the deeper meaning, we can perform
  these activities with greater commitment.

Bowing the head:

• To stop using our incorrect mind; and to use the
  wisdom of our Gurus.
• Also, to surrender ourselves to the will of Guru.
• 'Gur ki mat tu le iyanne'. (Sukmani sahib)
• 'Aisi mat deeje mere thaakur, sadaa, sadaa tudh
  dhiyaai'. (673).
• 'Tu samrath vadaa, meri mat thodi raam'. (547).

Kirtan:

• To sincerely praise God and His creation.
• This can come from a sense of amazement or 'Wah'.
• 'Keerat prabh ki gaavo meri rasnaa'. (1298).
• 'Ustat man mein kar nirankaar'. (Sukhmani sahib).
• 'Aisaa kirtan kar man mere, eha uha jo kaam tere'.
  (236).

Akhand paath:

• · To remember God in an unbroken 'akhand' manner.
• 'Saas saas simro gobind, man antar ki utre chind'.
  (Sukhmani sahib).
• 'Din raati araadho piyaaro, nimakh naa kije dheela'.
  (498).

Ardaas:

• To request God to protect us from sins and evil.
• To praise the qualities of our Gurus.
• To thank God for the things He has given us.
• To make a humble request to God, for the things we
  want.
• To ask for God's pardon for our mistakes.
• 'Hamri karo haath de rashaa, puran hoe chit ki
  iccha'. (Choupaye Patsahi 10).
• 'Jo maange thaakur apne te, soi soi deve'. (681).
• 'Pitaa mero badho dhani agmah.' (507).
• 'Maango daan, thaakur naam'. (713).
• 'Jetaa samund sagar neer bhariyaa, tete avgun
  hamare'. (156).
• 'Ham avgun bhare, ek gun nahi'. (1405).
• 'Mein murakh ki ketak baat hai, kot apraadhi tariyaa
  re'. (612).

Hukam Naama:

• This is God's message to us.
• We should try to remember it and act on it, through
  out the day.
• 'Tis kaa hukam bujh sukh hoi'. (Sukhmani sahib).
• 'Tera kiya meetha laage'. (394).

Parshaad:

• This shows that God has given us his gift or kirpa.
• It indicates that everything that we have got is a
  gift from God.
• 'Nanak prabh sarnagati, kar parshad gur dev'.
  (Sukhmani sahib).
• 'Je parsaad chhatti amrit khaaye'. (Sukhmani sahib).

Langar:

• This has many hidden meanings such as:It gives food to our body, just as 'kirtan/paath' gives food to our mind.
• It gives food to poor people, who cannot afford it
  at home.
• Because the rich and poor sit in the same line, it
  indicates equality.
• It gives us an opportunity to offer our 'daan' or
  charity.
• It gives us an opportunity to do 'sevaa' or selfless
  service of others.

These philosophic meanings of our activities are important. Performing these activities with this philosophic understanding can give us ever-lasting happiness.

Satnam Kaur
E-mail:gurbani_class@yahoo.com