| Part ofa series on |
| Sikh literature |
|---|
_kept_at_the_village_of_Bhai_Rupa.jpg) |
Hagiographical |
Lexis |
Praxis |
Historiographical |
Rebuttals |
Letters |
| Sikh scriptures •Punjabi literature |
AHukamnama (Punjabi: ਹੁਕਮਨਾਮਾ, translit.Hukamanāmā), in modern-times, refers to a hymn from theGuru Granth Sahib which is given as an injunction, order, or edict toSikhs. It also refers to edicts issued by the contemporaryTakhts. In the historical sense, it was used to refer to an issued commandment, instruction, injunction, order, or edict given by one of theGurus ofSikhism or their officiated followers and associates during their lives.[1][2]
Nowadays, after the period of human gurus, the Hukumnama refers to a hymn from a randomly selected left-hand side page from the Guru Granth Sahib on a daily basis in the morning. This is seen as the order of God for that particular day. The Hukamnama is distributed and then read aloud in Gurdwaras throughout the world. The verse taken from this ceremony is referred to asVak orHukam.[3]
Hukamnama, is a compound of two wordshukam, meaning command or order, andnamah, meaning statement.
_02.jpg)
The tradition of issuinghukamnamas began in the period of the early seventeenth century, during the time of Guru Hargobind.[4] The earliest surviving hukamana documents date to his guruship period.[5] However,Gurinder Singh Mann suggests that the genre of hukamnama literature predates the period of the sixth Sikh guru, perhaps to the period ofGuru Amar Das, based upon a manuscript kept atGuru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.[note 1][5] Hukamnamas issued by the Sikh gurus were addressed to specific families or congregations.[5] They covered various subjects, such as the standards of Sikh ethical conduct (rehat), the characteristics of Sikh socio-religious organization, and requesting for materials, some examples being gold or horses, that the Sikh congregations in distant regions were asked to bring or send to the main headquarters of the Guru for the greater community's needs.[5] The hukamnamas had a common format and structure.[5] They began with aninvocation to the divine, in the name ofAkal Purakh orWaheguru.[5] Next, the names of particular congregations, community leaders, family heads (with women being mentioned on some surviving examples), and the detailed instructions of the letter that is addressed to the aforementioned to fulfill.[5] The congregations and families that these letters were addressed to held these documents in reverence and preserved them as religious tokens.[5]
During the guruship period of Guru Gobind Singh, these hukamnamas were issued akin to royal decrees from Anandpur.[5] The Guru would dictate what is to be written and a scribe would physically write it down in the form of the letter.[5] Sometimes, the letters were decorated byillumination.[5] Each letter was assigned a specific serial number before they were sent-off to be delivered to the addressee.[5]
The Sikh gurus issued many edicts throughout their life, some of whom have been preserved and are documented in various writings by scholars.[6][7][page needed][8][9] A collection of hukamnamas, whose gathering is attributed toRandhir Singh, have been studied. Serious academic research into the hukamnamas only began in the early 20th century.[10] After the passing of Guru Gobind Singh, hukamnamas were also issued by his widow,Mata Sahib Kaur and by his disciple,Banda Singh Bahadur.
TheSikh Reference Library located at Amritsar held many authentic hukamnamas. These were lost after the events ofOperation Blue Star in 1984.[11][12][13] This collection was studied and published in two separate books byGanda Singh and Shamsher Singh Ashok in the late 1960's.[14]
Taken from Advanced Studies in Sikhism page 33[15] by Jasbir Singh and Harbans Singh, the following is an exampleHukamnama byGuru Gobind Singh:
Sarbat sangat Kabul Guru rakhe ga
Tusa ute asaadee bahut khusi hai
Tusi Khande da Amrit Panja to lena
Kes rakhne...ih asadee mohur hai;
Kachh, Kirpan da visah nahee karna
Sarb Loh da kara hath rakhna
Dono vakat kesa dee palna karna
Sarbat sangat abhakhia da kutha
Khave naheen, Tamakoo na vartana
Bhadni tatha kanya-maran-vale so mel na rakhe
Meene, Massandei, Ramraiye ki sangat na baiso
Gurbani parhni...Waheguru, Waheguru japna
Guru kee rahat rakhnee
Sarbat sangat oopar meri khushi hai.— Patshahi Dasvi
Jeth 26, Samat 1756
To the entire congregation at Kabul.
The Guru will protect the congregation,
I am pleased with you all.
You should take baptism by thedouble edged sword, from theFive Beloveds.
Keep your hair uncut for this is a seal of the Guru,
Accept the use ofshorts and asword.
Always wear IronKara on your wrist,
Keep your hair clean and comb it twice a day.
Do not eatHalal (Kosher) meat,
Do not use tobacco in any form,
Have no connection with those who kill their daughters and wives.
Or permit the cutting of their children's hair.
Do not associate withMeenas,Massands andRam-raiyas (anti-Sikh cults)
Recite the Guru's hymns
Meditate on "The Name of ourWondrous Enlightener (God)",
Follow the Sikh code of discipline
I give the entire congregation my blessing— Signature of 10th Guru, Jeth 26, 1756 Bikrami 23 May 1699 A.D
_of_Banda_Singh_Bahadur_containing_his_official_seal_at_top_of_page.jpg)
Hukam nama - This Persian word means a letter containing a royal command. It is used in Sikhism to refer to instructions issued by the Sikh Gurus, the wives of Guru Gobind Singh, Banda Bahadur, and, later and in the present day, the jathedars of the five takhts. Whoever is actually responsible for issuing them, they are regarded as the commands of the Guru and are binding upon the whole Panth. The need for hukam namas arose as the Sikh community grew in size and became widespread in its geographical distribution. Matters which Guru Nanak might have dealt with verbally in the course of giving darshan now had to be committed to paper. Also, with the development of the Panth, they became more complex. In the nineteenth century one was issued condemning Maharaja Ranjit Singh for a moral lapse and requiring him to submit to a public flogging to demonstrate his repentance. After the destruction of the Akal Takht during Operation Blue Star in 1984, Baba Santa Singh Nihang, chief of the Buddha Dal with other Sikhs, was declared religiously and socially ostracized for disregarding a hukam nama forbidding them from undertaking the work. Hukam namas may take the form of exhortations and commendations, or prohibitions. They may relate to individuals or to the Panth as a whole.
After 1708 CE, the authority to issue Hukamnama during the turbulent times was bestowed upon Mata Sahib Kaur Ji, Mata Sundar Kaur Ji, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and some five (5) prominent Sikhs who were sent along Baba Ji by Guru Ji at Nanded. Along with that, the Takht (throne) of the Sikh faith had the authority to issue edicts on various issues.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)Vak: The verse read out every day when the Guru Granth Sahib is opened at random. It is also called hukam.
