Ardas of The Sikhs (A Distinctive Prayer)

DETAILS: 

• Author: Jaswant Singh Neki
  
• Publisher: ‎ Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt
  
• Publication date: ‎ June 27, 2012
  
• Language: ‎ English
  
• Print length: ‎ 282 pages
  
• ISBN-10: ‎ 8173049610
  
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-8173049613
  
• Item Weight: ‎ 550 g
  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ardas of The Sikhs (A Distinctive Prayer), authored by the highly revered theologian and medical scientist Dr. Jaswant Singh Neki, is a monumental exegetical study of the central supplicatory prayer of the Sikh faith. Published by Manohar Publishers, this comprehensive volume is widely regarded as one of the most profound academic and spiritual commentaries ever produced on the Ardas. The core philosophy of this text centers on analyzing the Ardas not simply as a repetitive ritualistic chant, but as an evolving, living historical document that encapsulates the collective memory, struggles, sacrifices, and ultimate spiritual resilience of the Sikh community from the time of Guru Nanak through the era of the Khalsa.

The volume is structurally organized into deeply researched thematic chapters that seamlessly combine linguistic analysis with historical contextualization. It begins by exploring the etymology and cosmic significance of the word Ardas, tracing its roots from the Persian Arzdasht (a petition to a higher authority) and its spiritual evolution within the structure of congregational worship (Sangat). The middle sections provide a meticulous line-by-line translation and commentary of the prayer's standard text as authorized by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Dr. Neki carefully dissects how the prayer builds an unbroken bridge of consciousness: first invoking the primal divine power (Bhagauti), then remembering the ten Gurus and the eternal living Guru (the Guru Granth Sahib), and finally chronicling the heroic sacrifices of the Panj Piare (the Five Beloved Ones), the martyrs who were boiled alive or broken on wheels, and the unyielding protectors of historical shrines.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jaswant Singh Neki was an elite Indian intellectual whose extraordinary career uniquely bridged the worlds of clinical psychiatry and profound Sikh theology. A former Director of the prestigious Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, and a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), he was also an acclaimed, Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Punjabi poet and a deep meta-analyst of Sikh metaphysics and spiritual psychology.

Dr. Neki’s authorial and analytical style is characterized by remarkable semantic precision, psychological depth, and a warm, peer-to-peer scholarly tone. Writing with the clarity of a trained medical scientist alongside the deep humility of a devout Gursikh, he strips away superficial interpretations to lay bare the psychospiritual mechanics of prayer—demonstrating how communal supplication fosters collective mental resilience and emotional fortitude. By translating dense theological concepts and historical trauma into clear, inspiring English prose, his literature remains an irreplaceable reference standard for university libraries, comparative religion scholars, and readers seeking to understand the heartbeat of Sikh spiritual life.