Santhiya orSanthya (Gurmukhi:ਸੰਥਿਆ,romanized: Sathi'ā; 'elocution') is the correct pronunciation (ucharan[1]) ofGurbani,[2][3] taught in the manner of the 10th Sikh Guru,Guru Gobind Singh.[4] It is comparable to the Islamictajwid. Santhiya is almost always taught via agiani (also known as anUstadh orGurdev), who then teaches avidyarthi (student). Educated vidyarthis can also teach other Sikhs santhiya. It involves the precise recitation and flow (rhythm) of theGurbani (Sikh scripture) that is being recited. Color codes to stop and pause, known asvishraams, are commonly used to dictate the flow and rhythm of the recitation. Gurbani which is recited by a person who has taken santhiya is known as "shudh ucharan" (Gurmukhi: ਸੁਧ ਉਚਾਰਨ)
According to asakhi,Guru Hargobind once chastised a Sikh for becoming distracted whilst recitinggurbani.[5]Guru Har Rai, the seventh Guru, emphasized the importance of not even changing a single word ofgurbani and taught the correct pronunciation of it.[6] In 1706, after theBattle of Muktsar, the army ofGuru Gobind Singh camped at Sabo Ki Talwandi, now known asTakht Sri Damdamā Sahib.[7] For nine months, Guru Gobind Singh,Baba Deep Singh, andBhai Mani Singh scribed an entire volume of theGuru Granth Sahib in a volume known as theDamdama Bir.[4] During this period, Guru Gobind Singh performedkatha of the entirety of the scripture, as well as teaching the proper recitation, or santhiya.[4] This exactbir (copy) was later given thegurgaddi as the 11th Guru of the Sikhs. That year, Guru Gobind Singh is said to have founded a distinguished school of exegesis,[8][9] later headed up byBaba Deep Singh.[10] Damdamā Sahib was considered to be the highest seat of learning for the Sikhs during the 18th century,[11] and theDamdami Taksal claims direct historical ties toGuru Gobind Singh,[12] who entrusted it with the responsibility of teaching the reading (santhyā), analysis (vichār) of theSikh scriptures.[13]
Santhiya is first taught viamuharni, or simply the correct pronunciation of theGurmuhki letters. The Gurmukhi script is used to write virtually all Sikh Scriptures and texts.
The Gurmukhi alphabhet has 35 original letters, as well as six supplementary consonants in official usage,[14][15][16] referred to as thenavīn ṭolī,navīn varag, orpair bindi meaning "new group,"[15][16] created by placing adot (bindī) at the foot (pair) of the consonant to createpair bindī consonants. These are not present in theGuru Granth Sahib, but are present in theDasam Granth and other Sikh Scriptures.[17]
There are also 10vowel matras, which are an integral part of the Gurmukhi Script.
In addition, there are three "subscript" letters, calleddutt akkhar ("joint letters") orpairī̃ akkhar ("letters at the foot") that are utilised in modern Gurmukhī: forms of ਹ (ha), ਰ (ra), and ਵ (va).[18]
Ex:ਤ੍ਵ ਸਰਬ ਨਾਮ ਕਥੈ ਕਵਨ ਕਰਮ ਨਾਮ ਬਰਣਤ ਸੁਮਤਿ
Correctly pronouncing all of these letters when doing the recitation ofGurbani is considered crucial, as failure to do so can be seen as "changing" the words, and sometimes even the meaning of Gurbani.[19]
TheMuharni is the traditional way of learning sounds by actually speaking them. It consists of the letters of Gurmukhi script in its natural order, with each letter followed by a word starting with that letter. It is recited as a rhyme.
Gurmukhi can be written in two ways: split (phad-ched) and the traditional way, known aslarivaar. Inlarivaar Gurmukhi, there are no spaces between the letters in a sentence.[20]
| The SikhMaha Mantar inlarivaar (joined) Gurmukhi[a] | ੴਸਤਿਨਾਮੁਕਰਤਾਪੁਰਖੁਨਿਰਭਉਨਿਰਵੈਰੁਅਕਾਲਮੂਰਤਿਅਜੂਨੀਸੈਭੰਗੁਰਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥ |
| The SikhMaha Mantar in phad-ched (split) Gurmukhi | ੴਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥ |
Before the printing of the Guru Granth Sahib was widespread, the copies orbirs of the scripture were handwritten almost always inlarivaar script.[20] This made reading Gurbani significantly harder, thus providing greater necessity for santhiya.[20] In order to mark pauses,vishraams are used. A vishraam literally means "pause", and they are frequently used in Gurbani to specific a specific metre (such as aSalok orDoh(i)ra, some of the most commonpoetic metres inSikh Scriptures) and regulate the reciter's elocution. The green vishraams mark a short pause, magenta and red a medium pause, while the orange vishraams mark a long pause.
Punctuation can also be used to mark the vishraams, or pauses. A period "." marks the smallest pause, a comma "," marks a medium pause, and a semicolon ";" marks a long pause.
Ex: ਜਲ ਤੇ ਉਪਜ ਤਰੰਗ ਜਿਉਂ; ਜਲ ਹੀ ਬਿਖੈ ਸਮਾਹਿ॥੬੦॥
Transliteration: jal thae oupaj tharang jio ---- jal hee bikhai samahi ||60||
It is primarily in the larger congregation of Stockholm that a few active volunteers have taken the responsibility to teach the younger children in the Punjabi alphabet and those with basic reading competence in the correct pronunciation of gurbani text (gurbani santhiya) on Sundays after the ordinary liturgy.
Episode (Sakhi) 1 : Both concentration of mind and correct pronunciation and recitation are extremely essential while reciting Gurbani. Once Sri Guru Hargobind declared in a congregation that a devout Sikh should recite Japuji with complete concentration. Following Guru ji's instructions, a Sikh recited Japuji with total concentration and correct pronunciation. However, while reciting the concluding lines of Japuji, he wished fondly how nice it would be if the Guru gave his horse to him as a reward for his excellent recitation. The Guru, being omniscient, saw through the Sikh's psychological state of mind. The Guru told the devout Sikh that the latter had got distracted merely for the acquisition of a horse while the Guru was even ready to handover his Guruship as a reward for his excellent recitation done with such deep concentration.
In 1706, when Gobind Singh...he is said to have founded a distinguished school of exegesis.
Correct pronunciation and intonation of Gurbani is mandatory so that the Sangat understands the words and the meaning of the Shabad. The singer is not allowed to introduce any words of his own or make interpolations.
...until the early 1970s all copies of the Guru Granth Sahib were presented in larivaar format, in which all the words were connected without breaks, after which point the SGPC released a single-volume edition in which the words were separated from one another in 'pad chhed' format (Mann 2001: 126). Whereas previously readers would have to recognize the words and make the appropriate breaks while reading, pad chhed allowed "reading for those who were not trained to read the continuous text." (Mann 2001: 126). The AKJ promotes a return to the larivaar format of the Guru Granth Sahib.
