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Summary of Question:	Sitting On The Floor And Respecting The Guru Grant Sahib.
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Sunday, 5/19/2002 11:56 PM MDT

I do not have long hair and I don't wear a turban. I used to when I was younger but I don't anymore (I'm 19 now). Nonetheless I remain interested in the cultural and religious beliefs of my family and relatives as an observer. This may seem like a trivial question but it's been bugging me for a while. In the Gurdwara, Sikhs sit on the floor while the Grant Sahib is read. Everytime I've asked someone why this is, they say that it is to show respect to the Granth Sahib (and its teachings) and so that is why it is customary to sit 'lower' than it while it is read on it's small platform. If this is so, why don't Sikhs just build a taller platform/stage for the Granth Sahib so that then everyone else can sit on chairs? I know I'm quite young but I'm not used to sitting on the floor and also some old people have a tough time too.

Also, could you give me with what you think is the meaning of 'Ajeet'? I've heard everything from undefeated to invincible.

Thank you.

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Sat Siri Akal, ji.

To understand why we sit on the floor in front of the Guru requires taking a peek back through history and seeing the cultural context in which some of these practices were developed. In many spiritual traditions, a disciple searched for Truth and union with God through the guidance of a Guru. Gurus were always higher than the student when teaching and some traditions describe that the Guru's heart should be equal with the sixth chakra or arcline of the disciple. In addition, the experience of God was considered a meditative one-not an intellectual one. Sitting cross-legged, with a straight spine, is common across many countries and traditions as being a good posture for developing a meditative state.

When Guru Gobind Singh gave us the Siri Guru Granth Sahib as a Guru, he meant it in the very real sense of a spiritual guide. That for Sikhs, the Shabd Guru is a living teacher-not a book or a dialectic, but an actual spiritual guide. So-it isn't just a question of respect, but of having a disciple relationship with the Word. We sit on the floor in a meditative posture to absorb the teachings and allow them to change us.

Unfortunately, the essence of that relationship has gotten clouded in the modern world. Many Sikhs have lost the connection with the SGGS as a living teacher, and, in forgetting that relationship, the SGGS has become more and more an object of worship instead of an acutal teacher. To have people sitting in chairs of some kind and place the Guru higher, to me, shows how we're placing the Guru further and further out of reach through rituals. The worst thing that could happen for the Sikhs is that the Guru becomes inacessible and only certain experts are allowed to read, translate and understand it. That's like locking the Guru in a jail and allowing only the wardens to carry the message from the Guru to His people.

The Gurdwara is the door to a wisdomn that can lead you to the experience of highest awakening and realization. The Siri Guru Granth Sahib is a living teacher to guide you on that journey. Next time you go to Gurdwara, try to see it through these eyes and just see for yourself if/how your experience is any different.

GPK