Siri Asa kee Vaar in Raen Subaaee Kirtan

1. At Gurdwara Sahibs, Amritvela time in Sangati form is reserved for Kirtan of Siri Asa kee Vaar, as is the case at Siri Harmandir Sahib - Amritsar. Bearing this in mind, it is important to do Kirtan of Siri Asa kee Vaar at Amritvela, during Raen Subaaee Kirtan. No matter how sleepy or tired one may be feeling around 2 am, as soon as Kirtan of Siri Asa kee Vaar begins, all tiredness and sleep just disappears. At many big Raen Subaaee Kirtan Samagams now a days, Siri Asa kee Vaar Kirtan is not done and the Bhog at 5 am is done without the Kirtan of Siri Asa kee Vaar. This does not seem to be right. Raen Subaaee Kirtan should conclude with Bhog of Siri Asa kee Vaar Kirtan.

2. Another trend now a days is to do Kirtan from 9 pm to 1 am (and they also insist on calling it Raen Subaaee Kirtan). Raen Subaaee Kirtan literally means "all night Kirtan". Half night Kirtan cannot be called Raen Subaaee Kirtan. If one goes home and does Ishnaan, Paath and Abhyaas till 5 am or so, it would be fine but most go home and sleep, thereby missing Amritvela. Even late Kirtan programs that end at 10-11 pm are also suitable only if the participants don't miss their Amritvela. If Kirtan ends at 10 pm; then by the time the participants to go sleep, it is well over midnight. Many participants miss their Amritvela. The evening Kirtan should end earlier to ensure that Amritvela is not missed.

Guru Sahib knows better.

Kulbir Singh

VAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

Per "Gur Satgur Ka Jo Sikh Akhaiyae" Shabad, would not the singing of Gurbani be coordinated with the rising sun - "Fir Charae Divas Gurbani Gaavae".? It seems too early to do 2 AM no? Perhaps at the conclusion of Rehansabai?

Regarding Sri Asa Kee Vaar Kirtan during Kirtan Raen Sabaee, is there any example from puratan times? This vichaar is something which I've never heard of before. Although this seems like a good thing to do, what are the thoughts of elder gurmukhs about it (Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Ji or Master Jaswant Singh Ji)?

The second point is 100% spot on! Most of the times, Bhog of Evening Kirtan is done after 10 pm, and then Langar is served till 11 pm or sometimes even till 12 am! Then how can one be expected to wake up at amritvela?

One point this daas would like to share is that Bhog of Sri Asa Kee Vaar Kirtan must be done within the first pehar of the day. It is totally out of Maryada to do Bhog of Sri Asa Kee Vaar Kirtan at 1 pm, 2pm, 3 pm or 4 pm (this happens at big samagams). And it's really disheartening that nothing can be done about this. No one cares about the Maryada! May Guru Sahib bless us!

Daas attended a lot of rensabai samagams organised by Bhai Atma Singh Pajokhra Sahib in 80-90's. Siri Asa kee Vaar kirtan used to start around 4AM and samapti done at 7-8AM.

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The second point is 100% spot on! Most of the times, Bhog of Evening Kirtan is done after 10 pm, and then Langar is served till 11 pm or sometimes even till 12 am! Then how can one be expected to wake up at amritvela?

One point this daas would like to share is that Bhog of Sri Asa Kee Vaar Kirtan must be done within the first pehar of the day. It is totally out of Maryada to do Bhog of Sri Asa Kee Vaar Kirtan at 1 pm, 2pm, 3 pm or 4 pm (this happens at big samagams). And it's really disheartening that nothing can be done about this. No one cares about the Maryada! May Guru Sahib bless us

!

I agree that Night kirtans should be exteneded into Amrit Vela or finished early so Amrit Vela becomes less tiring, but there is no Maryada Bhog for Sri Asa Di Vaar. It can be stretched up to hours lasting until 10- 11 am. Many times shabads are sung for hours/

There is another twist to this - some Gursikhs ensure to do an extram nitnem night before the smagam - why hasn't that been taken in account here???

• Siri Asa dee Vaar Kirtan should be started at Amritvela and it should conclude in the first Pehar of the day. Then as per set program, Divas Suhela Kirtan should go on.
- AKJ Press Release June 2011

I hope we were not confusing 'Asa Kee Vaar Kirtan' and 'Divas Suhela Kirtan'.

Also, it makes more sense to do Bhog earlier. If a 'Kirat - Kamai Wala Gursikh' has Asa Kee Vaar in his nitnem and he is sitting in the sangat, it is be expected that he will not leave till the Bhog is done. Such a Gursikh won't be able to do his Kirat - Kamai if Bhog is done too late. I feel doing so is more like 'zabardasti khichee jaana.'

Nevertheless, Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji has expressed excellent thoughts. May Guru Sahib enable us to follow them!

Mokham Singh ,

The maryada of Asa Di Vaar kirtan is per Chaukhee Shabad maryada. Meaning Asa Di Vaar kirtan towads end of AMrit vela ( before sunrise) and extends into the day ending with the shabad Aarti. . AKJ maryada is unique as there is no time limit into ending Asa Di Vaar it can go on for hours. Most raagi Singhs finish Asa Di Vaar in an 1 but AKJ style Asa Di Vaar can lead up to hours. I cant speak for India but in the West most Gursikhs get together to sing Asa Di Vaar on Sundays a day when most people are off so there is no harm in doing bhog of asa di vaar at a later time.

Asa Di Vaar is not a shabad which must be finished in the early morning . This is too funny. I remember a SInghs once told me Anand Karaj must be finished by 12pm as this is the time slot of Suhi raag.He said Anand Karaj is not valid if it extend into 12:01 pm. This type of thinking is too funny. There are no such things as time slots with kirtan. If sangat get into the mood to sing Asa Di Vaar for hours then there is no harm. Who can control the mood of Sadh Sangat?

Shri Asa Ki Vaar keertan does not necessarily need to finish at any certain time. Some old Singhs who did sangat with Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh jee have told us that Shri Asa Ki Vaar and divas suhela keertan would sometimes extend until almost evening time and the last shakka "har jug jug bhagat oupaaya" would conclude and Sodar Rehras would start almost immediately. I have heard that this is why some Singhs are still used to reciting Har Jug Jug bhagat oupaaya shabad when they arrambh their sodar rehras nitnem. Guru sahib bhalee karran, the more keertan the better!

There was a resolution that Ranglay Sajjan that included Bhai Atma Singh, Dr. Surinder Singh, and Giani Dalip Singh jee Phalewal passed just few years after Bhai Sahib's Akal Chalana. This resolution stated that Divas Suhela can go on for as long as required but Bhog of Siri Asa kee Vaar must concluded by 9 am the latest. Bhai Jasjit Singh, I believe, had printed these resolutions a few years ago.

Kulbir Singh

Bhagatjot Singh Ji, dass has also heard the same from old Singhs. But it was done rarely and not intentionally, and the souls doing so were in real 'rang'. We mortals are nowhere near to them. The present day Singhs have made it a intentional habit. By making an excuse that Puratan Singhs have somewhere in their lives done so, we are surely not doing good.
Secondly, very respectfully with folded hands, I want to say that at some places, we should not follow 'The more, the better' approach. What would happen if in an Amrit Sanchar, one says that read the entire Akal Ustat instead of Sudha Savvaye, 'the more, the better', right? Some things should be left as they are, otherwise, 100 or 150 years later, it would become 'Puratan Maryada'.

Sukhdeep Singh Ji, we also join the Sangat for Sri Asa Ki Vaar Kirtan on Sundays. But justifying the late Bhog under the pretext of Sangat's Khushi is not good. Just because the Sangat is in the 'mood' to do more kirtan doesn't make it ok.
For example, a majority of the Sangat likes Simran in Kirtan. We all are pretty aware of this issue and also about the fact that Old Singhs are totally against it.

If one is doing paath or kirtan of Sri Asa Ki Vaar for oneself only, then, it's their 'mauj'.
But doing Sri Asa Ki Vaar Kirtan in Sangat, sitting in Guru Sahib Ji's Hazoori has a certain maryada. Just like there is a maryada of doing Panj Bania Nitnem or Sodar Rehiraas Sahib. One cannot do Panj Bania Nitnem for Sangat at 12 pm or Sodar Rehiraas Sahib at 9 pm. Similarly, there is a discipline for Sri Asa Ki Vaar Kirtan done in Sangati Roop, in Guru Sahib Ji's Paavan Pavittar Hazoori. When it's about Guru Sahib Ji's Hazoori/Sangat in Gurudwara Sahib, such things have to be done on time!

Guru Sahib Kirpa Karan Ji!

Bhai Kulbir Singh Ji, please post the mentioned resolution if possible.

Thanks Bhai Jasjit Singh jee for posting the resolution of 1968. It's true that Singhs in old times, sometimes used to stretch Siri Asa kee Vaar till the afternoon but we should not forget that those Singhs used to be in Anand-Vinodi high spiritual state. They used to lose consciousness of the world and went on doing such extreme acts that cannot be and should not be imitated by us.

We witnessed one such incident many years ago in India. A Gurmukh Pyare always used to oppose open Dhuni of Gurmantr in Kirtan but one day, when he was doing Kirtan, all of sudden he went into Vismaadi state and started doing Dhuni. We were all surprised to see him doing Dhuni. Later on, when Gursikhs asked him how come he had done Dhuni in Kirtan when he had been opposing it, he had an expression of surprise on his face. He said that he was not aware that he had done Dhuni at all. In actuality what had happened was that while doing Kirtan, he inadvertently started doing Dhuni and he was not even aware of it. He had not done it intentionally. During Bhai Sahib jee's times Dhuni used to be done in such states as described above but when ordinary people try to imitate Gurmukhs of high states, sometimes it gives ground to problems and discord.

In the light of above resolution, it's prudent to do Bhog of Siri Asa kee Vaar early on in the morning and continue doing Kirtan for as long as desirable.

Kulbir Singh

Satbachan jee, hope all Jatha smagams strive to follow this maryada. Daas' state is "REESAAN KARREH THINAAHRREAAN" type state, Guru sahib sumat bakshan

Going back 20-30 years smapati of Asa Di Vaar kirtan in Uk was always performed before the completion of raensbhais. I'd find it very odd if it continued past 0600, let alone upto even 1000 AM. As Bhai Mohkam Singh says , we wouldnt recite Nitnem ordinarily during the day so why this Bani?

As for number 8, what did they mean by ordinary Singhs? Is there a difference between a patit and person who commits kurehit?

Unjaan Wrote:
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> As for number 8, what did they mean by ordinary
> Singhs? Is there a difference between a patit and
> person who commits kurehit?


Back then most amritdhari Sikhs were meat eaters. But with awareness for the last 3 decades it has been established that Sikhs should not eat meat.

The Maryada posted mentionsBhog should be done at 10 am which goes into the second pehar. Yes traditionally , Asa Di Vaar didn't stretch past 10 am but if sangat gets lost into the kirtan the last thing they do is look at the time in such cases rigid rules don't apply. The rigid rules are there so people don't stray from the general maryada.