You've left your shoes on a rack by the door. Someone has handed you a scarf for your head. You're sitting cross-legged on a carpet, a little closer to a stranger's knee than you'd choose, and at the front of the hall, under a canopy, two people are about to walk four slow circles around the Sikh scripture.
When they finish the fourth, they'll be married.
Nobody will ask whether they take each other. Nobody will pronounce them husband and wife. There is no priest, no exchange of vows and no ring. And the four songs that marry them are love songs in which the lovers are not the couple.
This is the Anand Karaj, the Sikh wedding, and even people who have been to dozens aren't always sure what the words mean. By the fourth round, you will be.
What is the Anand Karaj?
Anand Karaj (ਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜ, say uh-NUND KAA-ruj) is the Sikh wedding ceremony. Anand means bliss and karaj an undertaking, so the name means something like “the ceremony of bliss”. The couple sit before the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture, and walk around it four times while four verses called the laavan are read and sung. When the fourth round ends, they are married. There are no spoken vows, and rings are no part of it. It usually takes place in a gurdwara, in the morning, and the ceremony itself takes under an hour.
Going to a Sikh wedding? Ten things to know
Sikh weddings are open to everyone, and nobody expects a first-timer to know the rules. These ten will cover you.
- Cover your head. A scarf, a bandana or a rumal (a square of cloth knotted over the hair) all work, and most gurdwaras keep a basket of them by the door.
- Shoes off before the hall. You'll leave them among two hundred identical pairs, so remember where.
- No alcohol, tobacco or drugs. None on the premises, and don't arrive having had any.
- Sit on the floor. Cross-legged or kneeling is fine, and there are usually a few chairs at the back for anyone who needs one.
- Mind your feet. Try not to point them towards the Guru Granth Sahib, or to sit with your back to it.
- Bowing is welcome, never expected. Sikhs kneel and touch their forehead to the floor (matha tekna), often leaving an offering. Join in, or simply find a seat.
- Men and women may sit apart. Some gurdwaras do, some don't. Follow the room.
- Stand when the room stands. Only the couple and their parents stand for the first ardas; everyone stands for the last. If in doubt, copy your neighbour.
- Phones on silent. If you're following along on this page, keep the sound off and the screen dim. Ask before taking photos, and never take one with your back to the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Cup your hands for karah parshad, the warm sweet everyone is given near the end. If you'd like only a little, say so before it's served.
One phrase worth knowing: Sat Sri Akal is the everyday Sikh greeting, and anyone can use it here.
Tap any dotted word on this page for its meaning. These are the ones you'll hear today:
- gurdwara
- Guru Granth Sahib
- palki
- granthi
- raagi
- kirtan
- sangat
- ardas
- palla
- laav
- hukamnama
- karah parshad
- langar
- shagun
- Waheguru
- Sat Sri Akal
What am I looking at?
Every gurdwara is laid out a little differently, but most halls look something like this. Tap any part of the plan.
- The Guru Granth Sahib The Sikh scripture, which Sikhs treat as the living Guru. It rests on the palki, a raised throne under a canopy.
- The granthi Sits behind the Guru Granth Sahib, reads from it and waves the chaur over it. Any Sikh, man or woman, may do this.
- The raagis The musicians, usually three, with harmoniums and tabla. They sing every hymn you'll hear sung today. Their stage may be on either side.
- The golak The offering box. People leave money here when they bow. Optional, and never expected of guests.
- The couple They sit facing the Guru Granth Sahib, the bride on the groom's left.
- The four rounds Clockwise, so the Guru Granth Sahib is always on the couple's right. The groom walks ahead; the bride follows, holding the palla.
- The sangat Everyone else, on the floor. In many gurdwaras men sit on one side and women on the other; in others, families sit together.
- The door Shoes off and heads covered before you come in. Langar, the meal, is usually served in a separate hall.
What happens at an Anand Karaj, moment by moment
The morning runs in nine moments. A strip at the top of your screen follows you down the page: tap whichever moment is happening now. Each starts with the short version, then the story behind it.
Common practice This is how most gurdwaras do it. Yours may change the order or the details.
1 Milni: the families meet
- Now
- The groom's family arrives and the two families meet outside, relative by relative, fathers first, with hugs, garlands and gifts.
- You
- Watch, smile, then find the tea.
- Why
- Two families start becoming one.
The milni (“the meeting”) often opens with a short ardas and a hymn of welcome, Ham ghar saajan aaye: “my friends have come to my home”. Then the relatives are called forward in matching pairs, the bride's father with the groom's father, uncle with uncle, to embrace, swap garlands and hand over a gift, often a blanket with money tucked underneath. In some families the hug becomes a contest to lift the other man off his feet, and the canny ones sit down so they can't be lifted. Then there's tea, because nobody should get married on an empty stomach. (At village weddings, the bride's side traditionally greeted the new arrivals with sithnian, songs of cheerful insult.)
2 Kirtan: everyone settles
- Now
- Everyone moves into the darbar hall while the raagis sing. The groom sits at the front; the bride is brought in by her family and sits on his left.
- You
- Head covered, shoes off, a spot on the floor.
- Why
- Every courtesy in this room is for the Guru Granth Sahib.
Look to the front. The Guru Granth Sahib rests on the palki, a raised throne under a canopy, and someone sitting behind slowly waves a whisk above it. That whisk is a chaur, and in the old courts of India it was waved over kings. The comparison is deliberate. Since 1708, Sikhs have treated the Guru Granth Sahib not as a book about the Guru but as the Guru, and this hall is the Guru's court: darbar means a royal court. That one idea explains most of what you'll see. The bare feet and covered heads are courtesies to the Guru. The couple don't face an officiant: they face the Guru, and they'll be married in the Guru's presence rather than by anyone's authority.
Near the start, the raagis often sing Keeta loriye kamm. Its message is simple. Whatever you want to do, ask God first. Sikhs sing it at the start of any new venture, and here the venture is a marriage.
Read along: Keeta loriye kamm
3 Ardas: the families stand
- Now
- The couple and both sets of parents stand while the granthi says the ardas, a prayer asking the Guru's blessing to begin.
- You
- Stay seated. Only the couple and their parents stand for this one.
- Why
- The families don't just watch this wedding. They stand up and ask for it.
Ardas is the Sikh formal prayer, and every gathering has one. The word probably comes from the Persian arz-dasht, a petition to someone greater than yourself. Punjabi took in many Persian words like it in the centuries when Persian was the language of its courts. Watch the parents. For many families this is when the morning suddenly feels real: four parents and two nervous people on their feet in a quiet room, all asking for the same thing.
4 The talk: a bow that means yes
- Now
- The granthi, or another member of the sangat, talks to the couple about marriage. Then the couple bow to the Guru Granth Sahib.
- You
- Listen. The talk is often in Punjabi, and more and more in English too.
- Why
- That bow is their yes. At a Sikh wedding, “I do” is a bow.
This is where newcomers lean over and whisper: so who's marrying them? Nobody, exactly. Sikhism has no priests. Any Sikh, man or woman, may lead an Anand Karaj, and it's usually the granthi, who reads and looks after the Guru Granth Sahib: a job, not a holy office. The granthi reads, explains and prays, and doesn't marry anyone.
The talk can last three minutes or forty, and many come back to the same lines by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru: they are not husband and wife who simply sit together; husband and wife are those who have one light in two bodies. Ek jot doi murti. It's as close as Sikhism comes to a definition of marriage.
Then the couple bow, foreheads to the floor, to show they accept what they've been told. They say nothing. The bow, in front of the Guru and everyone they love, is their answer.
5 Palla: the scarf
- Now
- A long scarf, the palla, is laid over the groom's shoulders, and the bride's father, or another parental figure, places one end in her hand while the raagis sing.
- You
- Watch the bride's family. This is often when the tears start.
- Why
- She'll hold that scarf through all four rounds.
The palla is usually saffron or pink, and often the groom's sister lays it over his shoulders. In Punjabi, to take hold of someone's palla is to put yourself in their keeping.
The verse sung at this moment, by Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, uses that very idiom, but says it to God: I've seen that every other bond is false, so I've taken hold of your hem. So as a father hands his daughter one end of a scarf, the room is singing about a soul taking hold of God. It's tender, and it's also very old: a daughter passing from one family's keeping into another's, which is what marriage meant here for most of history.
One more thing to tell the person next to you. The verse, Palle taide laagi, isn't in the Punjabi most of the room speaks. Words like habh (“all”) and taide (“your”) belong to the dialects around Multan. At Sikh weddings from Brampton to Birmingham, the most emotional moment of the day is sung in the speech of the south-west, now in Pakistan.
6 The four laavan, and what they mean
- Now
- Four times over: the granthi reads a verse aloud, then the raagis sing it while the couple walk once around the Guru Granth Sahib, clockwise, the groom ahead and the bride behind, holding the palla. After each round they bow.
- You
- Stay seated. If you're handed petals, they're for the end of the fourth round, though some gurdwaras ask guests not to throw anything.
- Why
- When the fourth round ends, they're married.
This is the wedding. Each laav (“round”) is heard twice: the verse is read aloud from the Guru Granth Sahib, then sung while the couple walk, always clockwise, so the Guru Granth Sahib stays on their right. Keeping in step is often called their first test as a married couple. The brothers and cousins around the palki are there to guide the bride, and quite often to help with a very heavy lehenga, the long embroidered skirt many brides wear. (Some brides now choose to walk without their brothers.)
The four laavan were written by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru, and they are love poems. Listen for the fourth. In the translation printed below, it begins: “In the fourth round of the marriage ceremony, my mind has become peaceful; I have found the Lord.” The bride in these verses is the soul, and the groom she finds is God. Read all four and they trace a soul coming closer to God in four stages, from duty to awe to longing to peace. As one of Britain's largest gurdwaras puts it, the laavan are “neither an exchange of vows nor a symbolic act of commitment to one another”. The couple act out, in public, the love story that runs all through Sikh scripture, and their marriage is meant to be a small copy of it.
- 1 · Duty An honest, working family life, lived by right action, with the Guru's word as your guide.
- 2 · Awe The soul meets the Guru. Awe of God leaves no room for any other fear, and the ego washes away.
- 3 · Longing A love that pulls away from everything else to reach the One, in the company of good people.
- 4 · Peace The mind settles into sahaj, an effortless calm, and finds the One it was looking for.
Tap a round to read it line by line: the Gurmukhi, how to say it, and what it means.
52 lines are printed here. A further 23 are sung at the ceremony and kept, checked, in the page's data file, among them Anand Sahib's verses two to five and the verse sung at the palla. This page explains the ceremony rather than replacing a service book; the projection tool below carries the fuller text.
7 Anand Sahib: the song of bliss
- Now
- The raagis sing six verses of Anand Sahib, the “Song of Bliss”, and usually another joyful hymn or two. Gurdwaras differ on the order.
- You
- Sit back. They're married.
- Why
- The ceremony and this song share a word: anand, bliss.
Anand bhaya meri maye, it begins: “Mother, I am in bliss: I have found my True Guru.” Anand Sahib, by Guru Amar Das, has forty verses, and the first five and the last close almost every Sikh service, joyful or sad. So anand here isn't a mood that comes with a good day. It's the settled happiness that's left when the wanting stops. (Tradition says the Guru had just finished it when news came of a grandson's birth, and the boy was named Anand.)
The songs around it are often the most moving of the morning. In Viah hoa mere babula, a bride sings to her father: “My wedding has happened, father.” It's the same voice as the suhag the women of the family have sung at home all week, down to the word for father. The folk songs call him babal; the hymn, babula. But the groom she has found is the Timeless One, the groom who never dies. And Poori aasa ji mansa ends by turning the whole wedding inward: “I have found my groom in my own home.”
Read along: Anand Sahib · Viah hoa · Poori aasa
8 The close: ardas, hukamnama, karah parshad
- Now
- Everyone stands for the final ardas. Then a verse is read from wherever the Guru Granth Sahib falls open, and karah parshad is handed round.
- You
- Stand for the ardas. When someone calls “Bole so nihal!”, the room answers “Sat Sri Akal!” Join in if you like. Then sit, and cup your hands.
- Why
- Every Sikh service ends this way.
That verse is the hukamnama, the Guru's word for this gathering. Then comes karah parshad, warm and glossy, wheat flour, ghee and sugar in equal parts, handed to everyone from the same bowl. Whoever you are, you get the same.
And the shout? “Bole so nihal!” means “whoever says it is blessed”; “Sat Sri Akal!” means “the Timeless One is truth”. It's a cry of joy, and also the old battle cry of the Khalsa, the body of initiated Sikhs founded by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. It makes first-timers jump every time.
9 Langar: everyone eats
- Now
- Hugs, photographs, and family giving the couple shagun, gifts that are usually cash. Then langar, the free communal meal.
- You
- Eat. Langar is vegetarian (no meat, fish or eggs), free and for everyone. Take only what you'll finish; seconds will come round.
- Why
- Langar comes after the ceremony, and no Sikh wedding goes without it.
Langar is the community kitchen that Sikh tradition traces to Guru Nanak: anyone, of any faith or none, sits and eats the same food side by side, traditionally on the floor in rows. At a wedding the families often sponsor it, but it's still langar, cooked and served by volunteers, and often the best food of the whole wedding. (Don't tell the caterers.)
The rest of the day is family custom: the reception, the dancing, and the doli, when the bride leaves her family's home. The whole week, from the turmeric to the doli, has its own page.
On the way out you'll hunt for your shoes among two hundred identical pairs. Behind you, two people have walked four times around the Guru Granth Sahib, to a love song more than four hundred years old, and come out married.
Where does the Anand Karaj come from?
The words are old. The age of the ceremony itself is more argued over than most people think.
Anand Sahib and the laavan were composed by the third and fourth Gurus in the sixteenth century, and have been in the Sikh scripture since it was first compiled in 1604. Sikh tradition traces the ceremony itself back to the Gurus' time, and holds that it later fell partly out of use. Religious tradition
Many historians read the evidence differently. Before the nineteenth century, they argue, Sikhs often married the way their neighbours did, around a sacred fire with a Brahmin priest. Scholarly interpretation
Three dates are not in dispute. In 1855 the Nirankaris, a reform movement in Rawalpindi (followers of Baba Dayal, not the later Sant Nirankari Mission), married a couple around the Guru Granth Sahib with no Brahmin present, as their own records tell it. In 1873 the Singh Sabha was founded, and its reformers took up the cause. And in 1909 the Anand Marriage Act put the ceremony's legal standing beyond doubt across British India. Established
The story runs through both Punjabs. The 1855 wedding was in Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan; India amended the 1909 Act in 2012 so that Sikh marriages can be registered as Anand Karaj; and Pakistan's Punjab replaced it in 2018 with a law of its own, which defines the Anand Karaj as a marriage at which the four laavan are recited.
Go deeper: a timeline
- c. 1550s to 1570s. Guru Amar Das composes Anand Sahib: forty verses, in Raag Ramkali.
- 1574 to 1581. Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru, composes the four laavan, in Raag Suhi.
- 1604. The Adi Granth is compiled, with both inside it. The Adi Granth →
- 1708. Guru Gobind Singh passes the Guruship to the scripture, from then on the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Before the 1800s. Many Sikh weddings follow the older rite, around a fire with a Brahmin priest. (many historians' account; Sikh tradition differs)
- 1855. At the Nirankari Darbar in Rawalpindi, by the Nirankaris' own record, a couple is married around the Guru Granth Sahib with no Brahmin present. Their writers also point to Baba Dayal's own wedding in 1808.
- 1873. The Singh Sabha is founded in Amritsar, and the Anand ceremony becomes one of its causes.
- 22 October 1909. The Anand Marriage Act becomes law across British India.
- 1947. Partition divides the Punjab. Rawalpindi, scene of the 1855 wedding, is in Pakistan. Partition →
- 2012. India amends the Act so that marriages can be registered as Anand Karaj (in force from 1 November 2013).
- 2018. Pakistan's Punjab passes the Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act, repealing the 1909 Act in the province.
- 2025. India's Supreme Court orders every state still without registration rules to make them.
Go deeper: the law in two Punjabs, and everywhere else
1909, British India. The Anand Marriage Act, passed by the Imperial Legislative Council on 22 October 1909, exists, in its own words, “to remove doubts as to the validity of the marriage ceremony common among the Sikhs called Anand”. Doubts had been raised about whether a wedding with no fire and no Brahmin was valid in law. Tikka Ripudaman Singh of Nabha introduced the bill in 1908, and Sundar Singh Majithia is credited with steering it through the council the next year. The Act confirmed in law a ceremony the reformers had championed. It had no way to register a marriage, so for decades Sikh couples in India registered under the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, whose definition of “Hindu” includes Sikhs.
2012, India. The Anand Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2012, in force from 1 November 2013, lets a couple register their marriage as an Anand Karaj, and a couple who do so need not register under any other law. Registration is optional, and a marriage is valid without it: the amendment gave Sikh marriages a register, not their legality, which they already had. Many states never made the rules to run that register. On 4 September 2025 the Supreme Court of India ordered every state and union territory still without them to make them within four months, and to register Anand Karaj marriages under existing laws in the meantime. States have been catching up since: Tamil Nadu made its rules in January 2026, and the Act came into force in Sikkim on 1 June 2026.
2018, Pakistan's Punjab. The Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act 2018, moved by Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora and passed by the Provincial Assembly in March 2018, repealed the 1909 Act in the province and replaced it. It defines the Anand Karaj as a marriage at which the four laavan are recited, sets eighteen as the minimum age, and makes registration compulsory. The provincial cabinet approved rules to put it into effect in 2024; whether registrars have since been licensed and marriages registered could not be confirmed when this page was last checked. In September 2026, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a bill of its own under review.
Everywhere else. In Britain, Canada and the US, the Anand Karaj can be the legal wedding where the civil conditions are met: in England and Wales, a registered building with an authorised person present; in British Columbia, a registered religious representative and a licence; in New York, a licence and an authorised officiant. Where they aren't, couples also marry or register civilly, often on the same day.
Last checked 14 October 2026. Established The current state of the Indian rules and of Pakistan's registrars is a moving administrative matter; the page says what was true on that date.
Questions people ask
Can non-Sikhs go to an Anand Karaj?
Yes. Gurdwaras are open to everyone, and so is the ceremony. Nobody will expect you to pray or bow, though you're welcome to. Cover your head, take off your shoes, and follow the room.
What should I wear to a Sikh wedding?
Something modest that you can sit cross-legged in, covering your shoulders and knees. Bright colours are welcome. Bring a scarf for your head, or borrow one at the door.
How long is a Sikh wedding?
The ceremony usually takes under an hour, and the four laavan about twenty minutes of that. With the milni, breakfast and langar, plan on three or four hours. One large London gurdwara suggests these times for invitations: the groom's party at 9am, milni at 9.30, breakfast at 10, laavan at 11.
Why are Sikh weddings in the morning?
Custom. Many families like the ceremony to follow the gurdwara's morning prayers, and most are over by about midday. No Sikh rule sets a time, and picking a “lucky” day by the stars is rejected by Sikh teaching, though practice varies.
Do Sikh couples exchange vows or rings?
No spoken vows, and rings are no part of the ceremony. The couple's consent is a bow to the Guru Granth Sahib, and the marriage is the four rounds, which some Sikhs describe as the couple's vows. Some couples exchange rings at the engagement, or afterwards.
Do you give gifts at a Sikh wedding?
Usually cash, called shagun, in a card. Amounts often end in a one, such as 101 or 251, a custom shared across South Asia (the extra one is said to stand for a new beginning). Family often give theirs to the couple straight after the ceremony; guests usually give theirs at the meal or the reception.
Is there alcohol at a Sikh wedding?
Never at the gurdwara: alcohol isn't allowed anywhere on the premises. What happens at the reception is up to the family.
Is the Anand Karaj a legal marriage?
In India, yes: the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 says so, and couples can register the marriage as an Anand Karaj. Pakistan's Punjab has its own law, from 2018. Elsewhere it depends on local law. In Britain, Canada and the US the Anand Karaj can also be the legal wedding when the civil conditions are met, such as a registered building or officiant and a licence; otherwise couples register separately, often on the same day.
How is the Anand Karaj different from Hindu pheras?
Both walk in circles, and many Punjabis call a round a phera either way. The difference is the centre. A Hindu wedding circles a sacred fire; the Anand Karaj circles the Guru Granth Sahib, to verses from Sikh scripture. The Anand Karaj always has four.
Can a Sikh marry someone who isn't Sikh in an Anand Karaj?
This is a live and sometimes heated question among Sikhs, and practice differs. The Sikh Rehat Maryada, the code of conduct published by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), says that people who profess other faiths cannot be married by the Anand Karaj. In 2007 the Akal Takht, the highest seat of Sikh authority, restated the rule, adding that a partner who isn't Sikh should adopt the faith first, with the Sikh names Singh (for a man) or Kaur (for a woman) on their identity documents. Many gurdwaras, especially in Britain, now apply it strictly; others are more flexible. Those who uphold the rule say the laavan are a commitment made to the Guru, which only someone who accepts the Guru can sincerely make, and that a civil wedding is open to any couple. Those who question it point to Sikh teaching's openness to everyone, and say the rule falls hardest on couples raised in the diaspora. Couples usually ask their gurdwara early, and Punjabia takes no side. Whatever a gurdwara decides, guests of every faith are welcome to witness the ceremony. Contested
Keep going
Punjabi wedding traditions
The whole week in order, from the turmeric to the doli: what happens at each event, and why.
The bride's songs
What the women of the family sing all week, in the same voice as the Viah hoa verse.
The groom's songs
Sung by his sisters as the mare is readied: the other side of the same wedding.
The Adi Granth
How the scripture at the centre of the room came to be.
How Sikhism began
Guru Nanak, and where the faith that has no priests came from.
The word archive
Many of the words on this page, and hundreds more.
The Nikah forthcomingThe Hindu vivah forthcoming
Project this ceremony
For families and gurdwaras, once the script review is done: the verses above, set for a screen at the back of a darbar hall. Gurmukhi, how to say it and the English translation, one verse at a time, moved on by whoever is at the laptop. It never moves on by itself, and it works with the wifi off.
This tool is for practice and testing only. The scripture on these slides was extracted from a versioned digital corpus and checksummed line by line, but it has not yet been read and confirmed by anyone who reads Gurmukhi. Until it has, do not project it at a ceremony.
21 slides in simple mode · press Esc to leave at any time
This tool is for practice and testing only. The scripture on these slides was extracted from a versioned digital corpus and checksummed line by line, but it has not yet been read and confirmed by anyone who reads Gurmukhi. Until it has, do not project it at a ceremony.
What happens next
Everyone moves into the darbar hall while the raagis sing.
The groom sits at the front; the bride is brought in by her family and sits on his left.
The couple don't face an officiant: they face the Guru, and they'll be married in the Guru's presence rather than by anyone's authority.
Opening
The opening kirtan
ਕੀਤਾ ਲੋੜੀਐ ਕੰਮੁ; ਸੁ ਹਰਿ ਪਹਿ ਆਖੀਐ ॥
kītā loṛīai kammu; su hari pahi ākhīai ॥
Whatever work you wish to accomplish-tell it to the Lord.
The opening kirtan
ਕਾਰਜੁ ਦੇਇ ਸਵਾਰਿ; ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸਚੁ ਸਾਖੀਐ ॥
kāraju dei savāri; satgur sachu sākhīai ॥
He will resolve your affairs; the True Guru gives His Guarantee of Truth.
The opening kirtan
ਸੰਤਾ ਸੰਗਿ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ; ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਚਾਖੀਐ ॥
santā saṅgi nidhānu; amritu chākhīai ॥
In the Society of the Saints, you shall taste the treasure of the Ambrosial Nectar.
The opening kirtan
ਭੈ ਭੰਜਨ ਮਿਹਰਵਾਨ; ਦਾਸ ਕੀ ਰਾਖੀਐ ॥
bhai bhanjan mihrvān; dās kī rākhīai ॥
The Lord is the Merciful Destroyer of fear; He preserves and protects His slaves.
The opening kirtan
ਨਾਨਕ. ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਇ; ਅਲਖੁ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਲਾਖੀਐ ॥੨੦॥
nānak. hari guṇ gāi; alakhu prabhu lākhīai ॥20॥
O Nanak, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and see the Unseen Lord God. ||20||
The opening kirtan
Whatever you want to do, ask God first.
ਕੀਤਾ ਲੋੜੀਐ ਕੰਮੁ; ਸੁ ਹਰਿ ਪਹਿ ਆਖੀਐ ॥
kītā loṛīai kammu; su hari pahi ākhīai ॥
Whatever work you wish to accomplish-tell it to the Lord.
ਕਾਰਜੁ ਦੇਇ ਸਵਾਰਿ; ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸਚੁ ਸਾਖੀਐ ॥
kāraju dei savāri; satgur sachu sākhīai ॥
He will resolve your affairs; the True Guru gives His Guarantee of Truth.
ਸੰਤਾ ਸੰਗਿ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ; ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਚਾਖੀਐ ॥
santā saṅgi nidhānu; amritu chākhīai ॥
In the Society of the Saints, you shall taste the treasure of the Ambrosial Nectar.
ਭੈ ਭੰਜਨ ਮਿਹਰਵਾਨ; ਦਾਸ ਕੀ ਰਾਖੀਐ ॥
bhai bhanjan mihrvān; dās kī rākhīai ॥
The Lord is the Merciful Destroyer of fear; He preserves and protects His slaves.
ਨਾਨਕ. ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਇ; ਅਲਖੁ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਲਾਖੀਐ ॥੨੦॥
nānak. hari guṇ gāi; alakhu prabhu lākhīai ॥20॥
O Nanak, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and see the Unseen Lord God. ||20||
Sri Raag · ang 91
What happens next
The couple and both sets of parents stand while the granthi says the ardas, a prayer asking the Guru's blessing to begin.
Then the couple bow, foreheads to the floor, to show they accept what they've been told.
A long scarf, the palla, is laid over the groom's shoulders, and the bride's father, or another parental figure, places one end in her hand while the raagis sing.
At the palla
ਉਸਤਤਿ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਜੀ, ਮੈ ਹਭ ਵਞਾਈ; ਛੋੜਿਆ. ਹਭੁ ਕਿਝੁ ਤਿਆਗੀ ॥
ustati nindā nānak jī, mai habh vañāī; chhoṛiā. habhu kijhu tiāgī ॥
I have totally discarded praise and slander, O Nanak; I have forsaken and abandoned everything.
At the palla
ਹਭੇ ਸਾਕ ਕੂੜਾਵੇ ਡਿਠੇ; ਤਉ ਪਲੈ ਤੈਡੈ ਲਾਗੀ ॥੧॥
habhe sāk kūṛāve ḍiṭhe; tau palai taiḍai lāgī ॥1॥
I have seen that all relationships are false, and so I have grasped hold of the hem of Your robe, Lord. ||1||
At the palla
So as a father hands his daughter one end of a scarf, the room is singing about a soul taking hold of God.
ਉਸਤਤਿ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਜੀ, ਮੈ ਹਭ ਵਞਾਈ; ਛੋੜਿਆ. ਹਭੁ ਕਿਝੁ ਤਿਆਗੀ ॥
ustati nindā nānak jī, mai habh vañāī; chhoṛiā. habhu kijhu tiāgī ॥
I have totally discarded praise and slander, O Nanak; I have forsaken and abandoned everything.
ਹਭੇ ਸਾਕ ਕੂੜਾਵੇ ਡਿਠੇ; ਤਉ ਪਲੈ ਤੈਡੈ ਲਾਗੀ ॥੧॥
habhe sāk kūṛāve ḍiṭhe; tau palai taiḍai lāgī ॥1॥
I have seen that all relationships are false, and so I have grasped hold of the hem of Your robe, Lord. ||1||
Ramkali · ang 963
What happens next
Four times over: the granthi reads a verse aloud, then the raagis sing it while the couple walk once around the Guru Granth Sahib, clockwise, the groom ahead and the bride behind, holding the palla.
After each round they bow.
The four laavan
The first laav
ਹਰਿ ਪਹਿਲੜੀ ਲਾਵ; ਪਰਵਿਰਤੀ ਕਰਮ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇਆ, ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari pahilaṛī lāv; parvirtī karam driṛāiā, bali rām jīu ॥
In the first round of the marriage ceremony, the Lord sets out His Instructions for performing the daily duties of married life.
The first laav
ਬਾਣੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਵੇਦੁ, ਧਰਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਹੁ; ਪਾਪ ਤਜਾਇਆ, ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
bāṇī brahmā vedu, dharmu driṛahu; pāp tajāiā, bali rām jīu ॥
Instead of the hymns of the Vedas to Brahma, embrace the righteous conduct of Dharma, and renounce sinful actions.
The first laav
ਧਰਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਹੁ. ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵਹੁ; ਸਿਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇਆ ॥
dharmu driṛahu. hari nāmu dhiāvahu; simriti nāmu driṛāiā ॥
Meditate on the Lord's Name; embrace and enshrine the contemplative remembrance of the Naam.
The first laav
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਆਰਾਧਹੁ; ਸਭਿ ਕਿਲਵਿਖ ਪਾਪ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
satguru guru pūrā ārādhahu; sabhi kilvikh pāp gavāiā ॥
Worship and adore the Guru, the Perfect True Guru, and all your sins shall be dispelled.
The first laav
ਸਹਜ ਅਨੰਦੁ ਹੋਆ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ; ਮਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਇਆ ॥
sahaj anandu hoā vaḍbhāgī; mani hari hari mīṭhā lāiā ॥
By great good fortune, celestial bliss is attained, and the Lord, Har, Har, seems sweet to the mind.
The first laav
ਜਨੁ ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਲਾਵ ਪਹਿਲੀ; ਆਰੰਭੁ ਕਾਜੁ ਰਚਾਇਆ ॥੧॥
janu kahai nānaku. lāv pahilī; ārambhu kāju rachāiā ॥1॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the first round of the marriage ceremony, the marriage ceremony has begun. ||1||
The first laav
An honest, working family life, lived by right action, with the Guru's word as your guide.
ਹਰਿ ਪਹਿਲੜੀ ਲਾਵ; ਪਰਵਿਰਤੀ ਕਰਮ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇਆ, ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari pahilaṛī lāv; parvirtī karam driṛāiā, bali rām jīu ॥
In the first round of the marriage ceremony, the Lord sets out His Instructions for performing the daily duties of married life.
ਬਾਣੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਵੇਦੁ, ਧਰਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਹੁ; ਪਾਪ ਤਜਾਇਆ, ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
bāṇī brahmā vedu, dharmu driṛahu; pāp tajāiā, bali rām jīu ॥
Instead of the hymns of the Vedas to Brahma, embrace the righteous conduct of Dharma, and renounce sinful actions.
ਧਰਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਹੁ. ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵਹੁ; ਸਿਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਇਆ ॥
dharmu driṛahu. hari nāmu dhiāvahu; simriti nāmu driṛāiā ॥
Meditate on the Lord's Name; embrace and enshrine the contemplative remembrance of the Naam.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਪੂਰਾ ਆਰਾਧਹੁ; ਸਭਿ ਕਿਲਵਿਖ ਪਾਪ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
satguru guru pūrā ārādhahu; sabhi kilvikh pāp gavāiā ॥
Worship and adore the Guru, the Perfect True Guru, and all your sins shall be dispelled.
ਸਹਜ ਅਨੰਦੁ ਹੋਆ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ; ਮਨਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਇਆ ॥
sahaj anandu hoā vaḍbhāgī; mani hari hari mīṭhā lāiā ॥
By great good fortune, celestial bliss is attained, and the Lord, Har, Har, seems sweet to the mind.
ਜਨੁ ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਲਾਵ ਪਹਿਲੀ; ਆਰੰਭੁ ਕਾਜੁ ਰਚਾਇਆ ॥੧॥
janu kahai nānaku. lāv pahilī; ārambhu kāju rachāiā ॥1॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the first round of the marriage ceremony, the marriage ceremony has begun. ||1||
Suhi · ang 773–774
The second laav
ਹਰਿ ਦੂਜੜੀ ਲਾਵ; ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari dūjaṛī lāv; satguru purkhu milāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
In the second round of the marriage ceremony, the Lord leads you to meet the True Guru, the Primal Being.
The second laav
ਨਿਰਭਉ. ਭੈ ਮਨੁ ਹੋਇ; ਹਉਮੈ ਮੈਲੁ ਗਵਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
nirabhau. bhai manu hoi; haumai mailu gavāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
With the Fear of God, the Fearless Lord in the mind, the filth of egotism is eradicated.
The second laav
ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਭਉ ਪਾਇਆ. ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਇਆ; ਹਰਿ ਵੇਖੈ ਰਾਮੁ ਹਦੂਰੇ ॥
nirmalu bhau pāiā. hari guṇ gāiā; hari vekhai rāmu hadūre ॥
In the Fear of God, the Immaculate Lord, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and behold the Lord's Presence before you.
The second laav
ਹਰਿ ਆਤਮ ਰਾਮੁ ਪਸਾਰਿਆ ਸੁਆਮੀ; ਸਰਬ ਰਹਿਆ ਭਰਪੂਰੇ ॥
hari ātam rāmu pasāriā suāmī; sarab rahiā bharpūre ॥
The Lord, the Supreme Soul, is the Lord and Master of the Universe; He is pervading and permeating everywhere, fully filling all spaces.
The second laav
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਏਕੋ; ਮਿਲਿ ਹਰਿ ਜਨ ਮੰਗਲ ਗਾਏ ॥
antari bāhari hari prabhu eko; mili hari jan maṅgal gāe ॥
Deep within, and outside as well, there is only the One Lord God. Meeting together, the humble servants of the Lord sing the songs of joy.
The second laav
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ. ਦੂਜੀ ਲਾਵ ਚਲਾਈ; ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦ ਵਜਾਏ ॥੨॥
jan nānak. dūjī lāv chalāī; anhad sabad vajāe ॥2॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the second round of the marriage ceremony, the unstruck sound current of the Shabad resounds. ||2||
The second laav
The soul meets the Guru. Awe of God leaves no room for any other fear, and the ego washes away.
ਹਰਿ ਦੂਜੜੀ ਲਾਵ; ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari dūjaṛī lāv; satguru purkhu milāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
In the second round of the marriage ceremony, the Lord leads you to meet the True Guru, the Primal Being.
ਨਿਰਭਉ. ਭੈ ਮਨੁ ਹੋਇ; ਹਉਮੈ ਮੈਲੁ ਗਵਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
nirabhau. bhai manu hoi; haumai mailu gavāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
With the Fear of God, the Fearless Lord in the mind, the filth of egotism is eradicated.
ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਭਉ ਪਾਇਆ. ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਇਆ; ਹਰਿ ਵੇਖੈ ਰਾਮੁ ਹਦੂਰੇ ॥
nirmalu bhau pāiā. hari guṇ gāiā; hari vekhai rāmu hadūre ॥
In the Fear of God, the Immaculate Lord, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and behold the Lord's Presence before you.
ਹਰਿ ਆਤਮ ਰਾਮੁ ਪਸਾਰਿਆ ਸੁਆਮੀ; ਸਰਬ ਰਹਿਆ ਭਰਪੂਰੇ ॥
hari ātam rāmu pasāriā suāmī; sarab rahiā bharpūre ॥
The Lord, the Supreme Soul, is the Lord and Master of the Universe; He is pervading and permeating everywhere, fully filling all spaces.
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਏਕੋ; ਮਿਲਿ ਹਰਿ ਜਨ ਮੰਗਲ ਗਾਏ ॥
antari bāhari hari prabhu eko; mili hari jan maṅgal gāe ॥
Deep within, and outside as well, there is only the One Lord God. Meeting together, the humble servants of the Lord sing the songs of joy.
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ. ਦੂਜੀ ਲਾਵ ਚਲਾਈ; ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦ ਵਜਾਏ ॥੨॥
jan nānak. dūjī lāv chalāī; anhad sabad vajāe ॥2॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the second round of the marriage ceremony, the unstruck sound current of the Shabad resounds. ||2||
Suhi · ang 773–774
The third laav
ਹਰਿ ਤੀਜੜੀ ਲਾਵ; ਮਨਿ ਚਾਉ ਭਇਆ ਬੈਰਾਗੀਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari tījaṛī lāv; mani chāu bhaiā bairāgīā. bali rām jīu ॥
In the third round of the marriage ceremony, the mind is filled with Divine Love.
The third laav
ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਹਰਿ ਮੇਲੁ; ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਵਡਭਾਗੀਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
sant janā hari melu; hari pāiā vaḍbhāgīā. bali rām jīu ॥
Meeting with the humble Saints of the Lord, I have found the Lord, by great good fortune.
The third laav
ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ. ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਇਆ; ਮੁਖਿ ਬੋਲੀ ਹਰਿ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
nirmalu hari pāiā. hari guṇ gāiā; mukhi bolī hari bāṇī ॥
I have found the Immaculate Lord, and I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. I speak the Word of the Lord's Bani.
The third laav
ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ ਪਾਇਆ; ਹਰਿ ਕਥੀਐ ਅਕਥ ਕਹਾਣੀ ॥
sant janā vaḍbhāgī pāiā; hari kathīai akath kahāṇī ॥
By great good fortune, I have found the humble Saints, and I speak the Unspoken Speech of the Lord.
The third laav
ਹਿਰਦੈ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਧੁਨਿ ਉਪਜੀ; ਹਰਿ ਜਪੀਐ ਮਸਤਕਿ ਭਾਗੁ ਜੀਉ ॥
hirdai hari hari hari dhuni upjī; hari japīai mastaki bhāgu jīu ॥
The Name of the Lord, Har, Har, Har, vibrates and resounds within my heart; meditating on the Lord, I have realized the destiny inscribed upon my forehead.
The third laav
ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਬੋਲੇ ਤੀਜੀ ਲਾਵੈ; ਹਰਿ ਉਪਜੈ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਰਾਗੁ ਜੀਉ ॥੩॥
janu nānaku bole tījī lāvai; hari upjai mani bairāgu jīu ॥3॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the third round of the marriage ceremony, the mind is filled with Divine Love for the Lord. ||3||
The third laav
A love that pulls away from everything else to reach the One, in the company of good people.
ਹਰਿ ਤੀਜੜੀ ਲਾਵ; ਮਨਿ ਚਾਉ ਭਇਆ ਬੈਰਾਗੀਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari tījaṛī lāv; mani chāu bhaiā bairāgīā. bali rām jīu ॥
In the third round of the marriage ceremony, the mind is filled with Divine Love.
ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਹਰਿ ਮੇਲੁ; ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਵਡਭਾਗੀਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
sant janā hari melu; hari pāiā vaḍbhāgīā. bali rām jīu ॥
Meeting with the humble Saints of the Lord, I have found the Lord, by great good fortune.
ਨਿਰਮਲੁ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ. ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਇਆ; ਮੁਖਿ ਬੋਲੀ ਹਰਿ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
nirmalu hari pāiā. hari guṇ gāiā; mukhi bolī hari bāṇī ॥
I have found the Immaculate Lord, and I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. I speak the Word of the Lord's Bani.
ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ ਪਾਇਆ; ਹਰਿ ਕਥੀਐ ਅਕਥ ਕਹਾਣੀ ॥
sant janā vaḍbhāgī pāiā; hari kathīai akath kahāṇī ॥
By great good fortune, I have found the humble Saints, and I speak the Unspoken Speech of the Lord.
ਹਿਰਦੈ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਧੁਨਿ ਉਪਜੀ; ਹਰਿ ਜਪੀਐ ਮਸਤਕਿ ਭਾਗੁ ਜੀਉ ॥
hirdai hari hari hari dhuni upjī; hari japīai mastaki bhāgu jīu ॥
The Name of the Lord, Har, Har, Har, vibrates and resounds within my heart; meditating on the Lord, I have realized the destiny inscribed upon my forehead.
ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਬੋਲੇ ਤੀਜੀ ਲਾਵੈ; ਹਰਿ ਉਪਜੈ ਮਨਿ ਬੈਰਾਗੁ ਜੀਉ ॥੩॥
janu nānaku bole tījī lāvai; hari upjai mani bairāgu jīu ॥3॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the third round of the marriage ceremony, the mind is filled with Divine Love for the Lord. ||3||
Suhi · ang 773–774
The fourth laav
ਹਰਿ ਚਉਥੜੀ ਲਾਵ. ਮਨਿ ਸਹਜੁ ਭਇਆ; ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari chauthaṛī lāv. mani sahaju bhaiā; hari pāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
In the fourth round of the marriage ceremony, my mind has become peaceful; I have found the Lord.
The fourth laav
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਸੁਭਾਇ; ਹਰਿ ਮਨਿ ਤਨਿ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
gurmukhi miliā subhāi; hari mani tani mīṭhā lāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
As Gurmukh, I have met Him, with intuitive ease; the Lord seems so sweet to my mind and body.
The fourth laav
ਹਰਿ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਇਆ. ਮੇਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਇਆ; ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਈ ॥
hari mīṭhā lāiā. mere prabh bhāiā; andinu hari liv lāī ॥
The Lord seems so sweet; I am pleasing to my God. Night and day, I lovingly focus my consciousness on the Lord.
The fourth laav
ਮਨ ਚਿੰਦਿਆ ਫਲੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਸੁਆਮੀ; ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਵਜੀ ਵਾਧਾਈ ॥
man chindiā phalu pāiā suāmī; hari nāmi vajī vādhāī ॥
I have obtained my Lord and Master, the fruit of my mind's desires. The Lord's Name resounds and resonates.
The fourth laav
ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭਿ ਠਾਕੁਰਿ ਕਾਜੁ ਰਚਾਇਆ; ਧਨ ਹਿਰਦੈ ਨਾਮਿ ਵਿਗਾਸੀ ॥
hari prabhi ṭhākuri kāju rachāiā; dhan hirdai nāmi vigāsī ॥
The Lord God, my Lord and Master, blends with His bride, and her heart blossoms forth in the Naam.
The fourth laav
ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਬੋਲੇ ਚਉਥੀ ਲਾਵੈ; ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਅਵਿਨਾਸੀ ॥੪॥੨॥
janu nānaku bole chauthī lāvai; hari pāiā prabhu avināsī ॥4॥2॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the fourth round of the marriage ceremony, we have found the Eternal Lord God. ||4||2||
The fourth laav
The mind settles into sahaj, an effortless calm, and finds the One it was looking for.
ਹਰਿ ਚਉਥੜੀ ਲਾਵ. ਮਨਿ ਸਹਜੁ ਭਇਆ; ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
hari chauthaṛī lāv. mani sahaju bhaiā; hari pāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
In the fourth round of the marriage ceremony, my mind has become peaceful; I have found the Lord.
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਸੁਭਾਇ; ਹਰਿ ਮਨਿ ਤਨਿ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਇਆ. ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥
gurmukhi miliā subhāi; hari mani tani mīṭhā lāiā. bali rām jīu ॥
As Gurmukh, I have met Him, with intuitive ease; the Lord seems so sweet to my mind and body.
ਹਰਿ ਮੀਠਾ ਲਾਇਆ. ਮੇਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਇਆ; ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਹਰਿ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਈ ॥
hari mīṭhā lāiā. mere prabh bhāiā; andinu hari liv lāī ॥
The Lord seems so sweet; I am pleasing to my God. Night and day, I lovingly focus my consciousness on the Lord.
ਮਨ ਚਿੰਦਿਆ ਫਲੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਸੁਆਮੀ; ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਵਜੀ ਵਾਧਾਈ ॥
man chindiā phalu pāiā suāmī; hari nāmi vajī vādhāī ॥
I have obtained my Lord and Master, the fruit of my mind's desires. The Lord's Name resounds and resonates.
ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭਿ ਠਾਕੁਰਿ ਕਾਜੁ ਰਚਾਇਆ; ਧਨ ਹਿਰਦੈ ਨਾਮਿ ਵਿਗਾਸੀ ॥
hari prabhi ṭhākuri kāju rachāiā; dhan hirdai nāmi vigāsī ॥
The Lord God, my Lord and Master, blends with His bride, and her heart blossoms forth in the Naam.
ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਬੋਲੇ ਚਉਥੀ ਲਾਵੈ; ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਅਵਿਨਾਸੀ ॥੪॥੨॥
janu nānaku bole chauthī lāvai; hari pāiā prabhu avināsī ॥4॥2॥
Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the fourth round of the marriage ceremony, we have found the Eternal Lord God. ||4||2||
Suhi · ang 773–774
What happens next
The raagis sing six verses of Anand Sahib, the “Song of Bliss”, and usually another joyful hymn or two.
Gurdwaras differ on the order.
Anand Sahib
Pauri 1 of forty
It's the settled happiness that's left when the wanting stops.
ਅਨੰਦੁ ਭਇਆ ਮੇਰੀ ਮਾਏ; ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ. ਮੈ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
anandu bhaiā merī māe; satgurū. mai pāiā ॥
I am in ecstasy, O my mother, for I have found my True Guru.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ. ਤ ਪਾਇਆ ਸਹਜ ਸੇਤੀ; ਮਨਿ ਵਜੀਆ ਵਾਧਾਈਆ ॥
satguru. ta pāiā sahaj setī; mani vajīā vādhāīā ॥
I have found the True Guru, with intuitive ease, and my mind vibrates with the music of bliss.
ਰਾਗ ਰਤਨ ਪਰਵਾਰ ਪਰੀਆ; ਸਬਦ ਗਾਵਣ ਆਈਆ ॥
rāg ratan parvār parīā; sabad gāvaṇ āīā ॥
The jewelled melodies and their related celestial harmonies have come to sing the Word of the Shabad.
ਸਬਦੋ ਤ ਗਾਵਹੁ ਹਰੀ ਕੇਰਾ; ਮਨਿ ਜਿਨੀ ਵਸਾਇਆ ॥
sabado ta gāvahu harī kerā; mani jinī vasāiā ॥
The Lord dwells within the minds of those who sing the Shabad.
ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਅਨੰਦੁ ਹੋਆ; ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਮੈ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੧॥
kahai nānaku. anandu hoā; satgurū mai pāiā ॥1॥
Says Nanak, I am in ecstasy, for I have found my True Guru. ||1||
Ramkali · ang 917–922
Pauri 2 of forty
ਏ ਮਨ ਮੇਰਿਆ; ਤੂ ਸਦਾ ਰਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਲੇ ॥
e man meriā; tū sadā rahu hari nāle ॥
O my mind, remain always with the Lord.
ਹਰਿ ਨਾਲਿ ਰਹੁ ਤੂ ਮੰਨ ਮੇਰੇ; ਦੂਖ ਸਭਿ ਵਿਸਾਰਣਾ ॥
hari nāli rahu tū mann mere; dūkh sabhi visārṇā ॥
Remain always with the Lord, O my mind, and all sufferings will be forgotten.
ਅੰਗੀਕਾਰੁ ਓਹੁ ਕਰੇ ਤੇਰਾ; ਕਾਰਜ ਸਭਿ ਸਵਾਰਣਾ ॥
angīkāru ohu kare terā; kāraj sabhi savārṇā ॥
He will accept You as His own, and all your affairs will be perfectly arranged.
ਸਭਨਾ ਗਲਾ ਸਮਰਥੁ ਸੁਆਮੀ; ਸੋ. ਕਿਉ ਮਨਹੁ ਵਿਸਾਰੇ ॥
sabhnā galā samrathu suāmī; so. kiu manahu visāre ॥
Our Lord and Master is all-powerful to do all things, so why forget Him from your mind?
ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਮੰਨ ਮੇਰੇ; ਸਦਾ ਰਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਲੇ ॥੨॥
kahai nānaku. mann mere; sadā rahu hari nāle ॥2॥
Says Nanak, O my mind, remain always with the Lord. ||2||
Ramkali · ang 917–922
Pauri 3 of forty
ਸਾਚੇ ਸਾਹਿਬਾ; ਕਿਆ ਨਾਹੀ. ਘਰਿ ਤੇਰੈ ॥
sāche sāhibā; kiā nāhī. ghari terai ॥
O my True Lord and Master, what is there which is not in Your celestial home?
ਘਰਿ ਤ ਤੇਰੈ. ਸਭੁ ਕਿਛੁ ਹੈ; ਜਿਸੁ ਦੇਹਿ ਸੁ ਪਾਵਏ ॥
ghari ta terai. sabhu kichhu hai; jisu dehi su pāvae ॥
Everything is in Your home; they receive, unto whom You give.
ਸਦਾ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਸਲਾਹ ਤੇਰੀ; ਨਾਮੁ ਮਨਿ ਵਸਾਵਏ ॥
sadā siphati salāh terī; nāmu mani vasāvae ॥
Constantly singing Your Praises and Glories, Your Name is enshrined in the mind.
ਨਾਮੁ ਜਿਨ ਕੈ ਮਨਿ ਵਸਿਆ; ਵਾਜੇ ਸਬਦ ਘਨੇਰੇ ॥
nāmu jin kai mani vasiā; vāje sabad ghanere ॥
The divine melody of the Shabad vibrates for those, within whose minds the Naam abides.
ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਸਚੇ ਸਾਹਿਬ; ਕਿਆ ਨਾਹੀ. ਘਰਿ ਤੇਰੈ ॥੩॥
kahai nānaku. sache sāhib; kiā nāhī. ghari terai ॥3॥
Says Nanak, O my True Lord and Master, what is there which is not in Your home? ||3||
Ramkali · ang 917–922
Pauri 4 of forty
ਸਾਚਾ ਨਾਮੁ; ਮੇਰਾ ਆਧਾਰੋ ॥
sāchā nāmu; merā ādhāro ॥
The True Name is my only support.
ਸਾਚੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਧਾਰੁ ਮੇਰਾ; ਜਿਨਿ ਭੁਖਾ ਸਭਿ ਗਵਾਈਆ ॥
sāchu nāmu adhāru merā; jini bhukhā sabhi gavāīā ॥
The True Name is my only support; it satisfies all hunger.
ਕਰਿ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਸੁਖ ਮਨਿ ਆਇ ਵਸਿਆ; ਜਿਨਿ ਇਛਾ ਸਭਿ ਪੁਜਾਈਆ ॥
kari sānti sukh mani āi vasiā; jini ichhā sabhi pujāīā ॥
It has brought peace and tranquility to my mind; it has fulfilled all my desires.
ਸਦਾ ਕੁਰਬਾਣੁ ਕੀਤਾ ਗੁਰੂ ਵਿਟਹੁ; ਜਿਸ ਦੀਆ ਏਹਿ ਵਡਿਆਈਆ ॥
sadā kurbāṇu kītā gurū viṭahu; jis dīā ehi vaḍiāīā ॥
I am forever a sacrifice to the Guru, who possesses such glorious greatness.
ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਸੁਣਹੁ ਸੰਤਹੁ; ਸਬਦਿ ਧਰਹੁ ਪਿਆਰੋ ॥
kahai nānaku. suṇahu santahu; sabadi dharahu piāro ॥
Says Nanak, listen, O Saints; enshrine love for the Shabad.
ਸਾਚਾ ਨਾਮੁ; ਮੇਰਾ ਆਧਾਰੋ ॥੪॥
sāchā nāmu; merā ādhāro ॥4॥
The True Name is my only support. ||4||
Ramkali · ang 917–922
Pauri 5 of forty
ਵਾਜੇ ਪੰਚ ਸਬਦ; ਤਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਸਭਾਗੈ ॥
vāje panch sabad; titu ghari sabhāgai ॥
The Panch Shabad, the five primal sounds, vibrate in that blessed house.
ਘਰਿ ਸਭਾਗੈ ਸਬਦ ਵਾਜੇ; ਕਲਾ ਜਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਧਾਰੀਆ ॥
ghari sabhāgai sabad vāje; kalā jitu ghari dhārīā ॥
In that blessed house, the Shabad vibrates; He infuses His almighty power into it.
ਪੰਚ ਦੂਤ ਤੁਧੁ ਵਸਿ ਕੀਤੇ; ਕਾਲੁ ਕੰਟਕੁ ਮਾਰਿਆ ॥
panch dūt tudhu vasi kīte; kālu kaṇṭku māriā ॥
Through You, we subdue the five demons of desire, and slay Death, the torturer.
ਧੁਰਿ ਕਰਮਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਤੁਧੁ. ਜਿਨ ਕਉ; ਸਿ. ਨਾਮਿ ਹਰਿ ਕੈ ਲਾਗੇ ॥
dhuri karmi pāiā tudhu. jin kau; si. nāmi hari kai lāge ॥
Those who have such pre-ordained destiny are attached to the Lord's Name.
ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਤਹ ਸੁਖੁ ਹੋਆ; ਤਿਤੁ ਘਰਿ ਅਨਹਦ ਵਾਜੇ ॥੫॥
kahai nānaku. tah sukhu hoā; titu ghari anhad vāje ॥5॥
Says Nanak, they are at peace, and the unstruck sound current vibrates within their homes. ||5||
Ramkali · ang 917–922
Pauri 40 of forty
ਅਨਦੁ ਸੁਣਹੁ ਵਡਭਾਗੀਹੋ; ਸਗਲ ਮਨੋਰਥ ਪੂਰੇ ॥
anad suṇahu vaḍbhāgīho; sagal manorath pūre ॥
Listen to the song of bliss, O most fortunate ones; all your longings shall be fulfilled.
ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਪਾਇਆ; ਉਤਰੇ ਸਗਲ ਵਿਸੂਰੇ ॥
pārbrahmu prabhu pāiā; utre sagal visūre ॥
I have obtained the Supreme Lord God, and all sorrows have been forgotten.
ਦੂਖ ਰੋਗ ਸੰਤਾਪ ਉਤਰੇ; ਸੁਣੀ ਸਚੀ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
dūkh rog santāp utre; suṇī sachī bāṇī ॥
Pain, illness and suffering have departed, listening to the True Bani.
ਸੰਤ ਸਾਜਨ ਭਏ ਸਰਸੇ; ਪੂਰੇ ਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਜਾਣੀ ॥
sant sājan bhae sarse; pūre gur te jāṇī ॥
The Saints and their friends are in ecstasy, knowing the Perfect Guru.
ਸੁਣਤੇ ਪੁਨੀਤ. ਕਹਤੇ ਪਵਿਤੁ; ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਰਹਿਆ ਭਰਪੂਰੇ ॥
suṇte punīt. kahte pavitu; satguru rahiā bharpūre ॥
Pure are the listeners, and pure are the speakers; the True Guru is all-pervading and permeating.
ਬਿਨਵੰਤਿ ਨਾਨਕੁ. ਗੁਰ ਚਰਣ ਲਾਗੇ; ਵਾਜੇ ਅਨਹਦ ਤੂਰੇ ॥੪੦॥੧॥
binvanti nānaku. gur charaṇ lāge; vāje anhad tūre ॥40॥1॥
Prays Nanak, touching the Guru's Feet, the unstruck sound current of the celestial bugles vibrates and resounds. ||40||1||
Ramkali · ang 917–922
What happens next
Everyone stands for the final ardas.
Then a verse is read from wherever the Guru Granth Sahib falls open, and karah parshad is handed round.
Closing shabads
At the close: Viah hoa mere babula
ਵੀਆਹੁ ਹੋਆ ਮੇਰੇ ਬਾਬੁਲਾ; ਗੁਰਮੁਖੇ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
vīāhu hoā mere bābulā; gurmukhe hari pāiā ॥
My marriage has been performed, O my father. As Gurmukh, I have found the Lord.
At the close: Viah hoa mere babula
ਅਗਿਆਨੁ ਅੰਧੇਰਾ ਕਟਿਆ; ਗੁਰ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਪ੍ਰਚੰਡੁ ਬਲਾਇਆ ॥
agiānu andherā kaṭiā; gur giānu prachaṇḍu balāiā ॥
The darkness of ignorance has been dispelled. The Guru has revealed the blazing light of spiritual wisdom.
At the close: Viah hoa mere babula
ਬਲਿਆ ਗੁਰ ਗਿਆਨੁ. ਅੰਧੇਰਾ ਬਿਨਸਿਆ; ਹਰਿ ਰਤਨੁ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਲਾਧਾ ॥
baliā gur giānu. andherā binasiā; hari ratanu padārthu lādhā ॥
This spiritual wisdom given by the Guru shines forth, and the darkness has been dispelled. I have found the Priceless Jewel of the Lord.
At the close: Viah hoa mere babula
ਹਉਮੈ ਰੋਗੁ ਗਇਆ. ਦੁਖੁ ਲਾਥਾ; ਆਪੁ ਆਪੈ. ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਖਾਧਾ ॥
haumai rogu gaiā. dukhu lāthā; āpu āpai. gurmati khādhā ॥
The sickness of my ego has been dispelled, and my pain is over and done. Through the Guru's Teachings, my identity has consumed my identical identity.
At the close: Viah hoa mere babula
ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ. ਵਰੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ; ਨਾ ਕਦੇ ਮਰੈ. ਨ ਜਾਇਆ ॥
akāl mūrati. varu pāiā abināsī; nā kade marai. na jāiā ॥
I have obtained my Husband Lord, the Akaal Moorat, the Undying Form. He is Imperishable; He shall never die, and He shall never ever leave.
At the close: Viah hoa mere babula
ਵੀਆਹੁ ਹੋਆ ਮੇਰੇ ਬਾਬੋਲਾ; ਗੁਰਮੁਖੇ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੨॥
vīāhu hoā mere bābolā; gurmukhe hari pāiā ॥2॥
My marriage has been performed, O my father. As Gurmukh, I have found the Lord. ||2||
At the close: Viah hoa mere babula
It's the same voice as the suhag the women of the family have sung at home all week, down to the word for father.
ਵੀਆਹੁ ਹੋਆ ਮੇਰੇ ਬਾਬੁਲਾ; ਗੁਰਮੁਖੇ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
vīāhu hoā mere bābulā; gurmukhe hari pāiā ॥
My marriage has been performed, O my father. As Gurmukh, I have found the Lord.
ਅਗਿਆਨੁ ਅੰਧੇਰਾ ਕਟਿਆ; ਗੁਰ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਪ੍ਰਚੰਡੁ ਬਲਾਇਆ ॥
agiānu andherā kaṭiā; gur giānu prachaṇḍu balāiā ॥
The darkness of ignorance has been dispelled. The Guru has revealed the blazing light of spiritual wisdom.
ਬਲਿਆ ਗੁਰ ਗਿਆਨੁ. ਅੰਧੇਰਾ ਬਿਨਸਿਆ; ਹਰਿ ਰਤਨੁ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਲਾਧਾ ॥
baliā gur giānu. andherā binasiā; hari ratanu padārthu lādhā ॥
This spiritual wisdom given by the Guru shines forth, and the darkness has been dispelled. I have found the Priceless Jewel of the Lord.
ਹਉਮੈ ਰੋਗੁ ਗਇਆ. ਦੁਖੁ ਲਾਥਾ; ਆਪੁ ਆਪੈ. ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਖਾਧਾ ॥
haumai rogu gaiā. dukhu lāthā; āpu āpai. gurmati khādhā ॥
The sickness of my ego has been dispelled, and my pain is over and done. Through the Guru's Teachings, my identity has consumed my identical identity.
ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ. ਵਰੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ; ਨਾ ਕਦੇ ਮਰੈ. ਨ ਜਾਇਆ ॥
akāl mūrati. varu pāiā abināsī; nā kade marai. na jāiā ॥
I have obtained my Husband Lord, the Akaal Moorat, the Undying Form. He is Imperishable; He shall never die, and He shall never ever leave.
ਵੀਆਹੁ ਹੋਆ ਮੇਰੇ ਬਾਬੋਲਾ; ਗੁਰਮੁਖੇ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੨॥
vīāhu hoā mere bābolā; gurmukhe hari pāiā ॥2॥
My marriage has been performed, O my father. As Gurmukh, I have found the Lord. ||2||
Sri Raag · ang 78
At the close: Poori aasa ji mansa
ਪੂਰੀ ਆਸਾ ਜੀ; ਮਨਸਾ ਮੇਰੇ ਰਾਮ ॥
pūrī āsā jī; manasā mere rām ॥
My hopes and desires have been fulfilled, O my Lord.
At the close: Poori aasa ji mansa
ਮੋਹਿ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਜੀਉ; ਸਭਿ ਗੁਣ ਤੇਰੇ ਰਾਮ ॥
mohi nirguṇ jīu; sabhi guṇ tere rām ॥
I am worthless, without virtue; all virtues are Yours, O Lord.
At the close: Poori aasa ji mansa
ਸਭਿ ਗੁਣ ਤੇਰੇ. ਠਾਕੁਰ ਮੇਰੇ; ਕਿਤੁ ਮੁਖਿ ਤੁਧੁ ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ॥
sabhi guṇ tere. ṭhākur mere; kitu mukhi tudhu sālāhī ॥
All virtues are Yours, O my Lord and Master; with what mouth should I praise You?
At the close: Poori aasa ji mansa
ਗੁਣੁ ਅਵਗੁਣੁ ਮੇਰਾ. ਕਿਛੁ ਨ ਬੀਚਾਰਿਆ; ਬਖਸਿ ਲੀਆ ਖਿਨ ਮਾਹੀ ॥
guṇu avguṇu merā. kichhu na bīchāriā; bakhasi līā khin māhī ॥
You did not consider my merits and demerits; you forgave me in an instant.
At the close: Poori aasa ji mansa
ਨਉ ਨਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ ਵਜੀ ਵਾਧਾਈ; ਵਾਜੇ ਅਨਹਦ ਤੂਰੇ ॥
nau nidhi pāī vajī vādhāī; vāje anhad tūre ॥
I have obtained the nine treasures, congratulations are pouring in, and the unstruck melody resounds.
At the close: Poori aasa ji mansa
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ. ਮੈ ਵਰੁ ਘਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ; ਮੇਰੇ ਲਾਥੇ ਜੀ ਸਗਲ ਵਿਸੂਰੇ ॥੪॥੧॥
kahu nānak. mai varu ghari pāiā; mere lāthe jī sagal visūre ॥4॥1॥
Says Nanak, I have found my Husband Lord within my own home, and all my anxiety is forgotten. ||4||1||
At the close: Poori aasa ji mansa
Hope and longing, both fulfilled
ਪੂਰੀ ਆਸਾ ਜੀ; ਮਨਸਾ ਮੇਰੇ ਰਾਮ ॥
pūrī āsā jī; manasā mere rām ॥
My hopes and desires have been fulfilled, O my Lord.
ਮੋਹਿ ਨਿਰਗੁਣ ਜੀਉ; ਸਭਿ ਗੁਣ ਤੇਰੇ ਰਾਮ ॥
mohi nirguṇ jīu; sabhi guṇ tere rām ॥
I am worthless, without virtue; all virtues are Yours, O Lord.
ਸਭਿ ਗੁਣ ਤੇਰੇ. ਠਾਕੁਰ ਮੇਰੇ; ਕਿਤੁ ਮੁਖਿ ਤੁਧੁ ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ॥
sabhi guṇ tere. ṭhākur mere; kitu mukhi tudhu sālāhī ॥
All virtues are Yours, O my Lord and Master; with what mouth should I praise You?
ਗੁਣੁ ਅਵਗੁਣੁ ਮੇਰਾ. ਕਿਛੁ ਨ ਬੀਚਾਰਿਆ; ਬਖਸਿ ਲੀਆ ਖਿਨ ਮਾਹੀ ॥
guṇu avguṇu merā. kichhu na bīchāriā; bakhasi līā khin māhī ॥
You did not consider my merits and demerits; you forgave me in an instant.
ਨਉ ਨਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ ਵਜੀ ਵਾਧਾਈ; ਵਾਜੇ ਅਨਹਦ ਤੂਰੇ ॥
nau nidhi pāī vajī vādhāī; vāje anhad tūre ॥
I have obtained the nine treasures, congratulations are pouring in, and the unstruck melody resounds.
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ. ਮੈ ਵਰੁ ਘਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ; ਮੇਰੇ ਲਾਥੇ ਜੀ ਸਗਲ ਵਿਸੂਰੇ ॥੪॥੧॥
kahu nānak. mai varu ghari pāiā; mere lāthe jī sagal visūre ॥4॥1॥
Says Nanak, I have found my Husband Lord within my own home, and all my anxiety is forgotten. ||4||1||
Vadhans · ang 577
What happens next
Langar comes after the ceremony, and no Sikh wedding goes without it.
English translation: Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa, Khalsa Consensus Translation.
Gurmukhi text of the Guru Granth Sahib: public domain, extracted from the Shabad OS corpus and checksummed line by line.
punjabia.com
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Where this comes from
How this page was written. It describes what is commonly done at an Anand Karaj, not what any body requires. It rests on published accounts and gurdwaras' own guidance, not on surveys, so no figure for how common anything is appears here. Gurdwaras vary: in the length of the talk, in whether men and women sit apart, in where the closing songs fall. Where translators disagree, the page says so. The Sikh code of conduct is named only in the answer on marrying someone who isn't Sikh, where the question is about what it says.
The verses, and how they were checked. The Gurmukhi was copied by program, never typed, from the Shabad OS database, an open corpus digitised from printed copies of the Guru Granth Sahib. Each line is selected by its address, carries a checksum, and the page refuses to build if one changes. A second check against searchgurbani.com is written but has not yet been run, and no reader of Gurmukhi has yet confirmed the text as it appears on screen, so every line carries an under-review mark. English translation: Dr Sant Singh Khalsa, one translator throughout. The story above quotes that translation once, for the opening of the fourth laav; its other short quotations from the hymns are Punjabia's own plain renderings. The word-for-word line and the “say it” line are Punjabia's own and await review; the ISO 15919 line is generated from the Gurmukhi.
| Hymn | Composer | Raag | Ang | What is sung |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keeta loriye kamm | Guru Ram Das | Sri Raag | 91 | the whole pauri (pauri 20 of Sri Raag ki Vaar) |
| Palle taide laagi | Guru Arjan | Ramkali | 963 | the whole slok (from Ramkali ki Vaar) |
| The four laavan | Guru Ram Das | Suhi | 773–774 | all four verses |
| Anand Sahib | Guru Amar Das | Ramkali | 917–922 | verses 1 to 5 and 40 |
| Viah hoa mere babula | Guru Ram Das | Sri Raag | 78 | one verse, the second |
| Poori aasa ji mansa | Guru Arjan | Vadhans | 577 | one verse, the fourth (the chhant begins on 576) |
Every line was extracted from its address in the source corpus and checksummed. The second, independent check described above has not yet been run.
Why only Gurmukhi? Punjabia normally writes Punjabi in both of its scripts. There is no authoritative Shahmukhi text of the Guru Granth Sahib to draw on, and turning scripture into Shahmukhi ourselves would be authorship, not conversion, so this page stays in Gurmukhi throughout and says why. The wedding pages and the folk-song forms use both scripts as usual.
How sure are we? High on the order of the ceremony, which hardly varies; moderate on the details around it, which do. High on who wrote each hymn, which the Guru Granth Sahib records. On the history, the traditional and the scholarly accounts are labelled where they part. On the law, high on the three Acts and the 2025 order; the state of the Indian rules and of Pakistan's registrars was last checked on 14 October 2026. One custom on this page (the lifting contest at the milni) rests on a single recorded account and is described as something some families do.
Sources
- Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Sikh Reht Maryada, English translation, ch. XI, art. XVIII, “Anand Sanskar”; art. V; art. XII. sgpc.net
- Shabad OS database (
@shabados/database), the corpus the Gurmukhi and the English were extracted from. github.com/shabados/database - The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, ed. Harbans Singh (Punjabi University): “Anand Karaj”; “Lavan” (Dharam Singh); “Anandu” (Taran Singh); “Karah Prasad”; “Bole So Nihal Sati Sri Akal” (Gurbachan Singh Talib); “Darbara Singh, Baba”; “Dayal, Baba”. eos.learnpunjabi.org
- W. H. McLeod, Who Is a Sikh? The Problem of Sikh Identity (Oxford, 1989), pp. 85–86.
- Harjot Oberoi, The Construction of Religious Boundaries (Chicago, 1994), pp. 354–55, 384, 397.
- John C. B. Webster, The Nirankari Sikhs (Delhi, 1979).
- Kristina Myrvold, “Wedding Ceremonies in Punjab”, Journal of Punjab Studies 11:2 (2004), 155–70. punjab.global.ucsb.edu
- Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, Anand Karaj (Wedding) Guidelines, v1.2 (January 2024). sgsss.org
- Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Gravesend, “Laavan”. gurunanakdarbar.org
- Daljit Singh, “The Anand Karaj and the Lavan”, SikhNet (2009). sikhnet.com
- Pritam Singh, Anand Karaj: The Sikh Marriage Ceremony (booklet). library.gurmat.info
- “Two Families, Both Alike in Dignity”, USC Digital Folklore Archives (2021), one informant's account of the milni. folklore.usc.edu
- The statutes: the Anand Marriage Act, 1909 (Act VII of 1909); the Anand Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2012 (Act 29 of 2012); the Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act 2018 (Act VI of 2018, Punjab, Pakistan). The 2018 Act, full text
- Amanjot Singh Chadha v. Union of India, Supreme Court of India, 4 September 2025, 2025 INSC 1127. Reported: scconline.com
- Tamil Nadu Anand Marriage Registration Rules, 2026 (G.O.Ms. No. 32, 23 January 2026); Sikkim: S.O. 2493(E), 14 May 2026. egazette.gov.in
- Sikh Council UK, Guidelines: Development of a consistent approach towards marriages in Gurdwaras where one partner is not of Sikh origin (11 October 2014). sikhmissionarysociety.org
- GOV.UK, “Marriages and civil partnerships: plan your ceremony”. gov.uk
- British Columbia, Marriage Act. bclaws.gov.bc.ca
- New York, Domestic Relations Law §§ 11, 13. nysenate.gov
- Associated Press of Pakistan, on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sikh Anand Kaaraj Bill (24 September 2026). app.com.pk
- Sheena Pall, “Issues of Sikh Identity: Sanatanist–Sikh Debate,” Journal of Punjab Studies 20:1–2 (2013), 193–216: for the Anand Marriage Bill's passage through the Imperial Legislative Council and Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha's doctrinal groundwork.
- J. S. Grewal and Indu Banga, A Political Biography of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha (Oxford University Press, 2018): the fullest account of the bill's sponsor. Consulted at the level of its catalogue record only; a direct read is owed before this page makes any finer claim about who did what in 1909.
- Eleanor Nesbitt, Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2016): the general-reader starting point for Sikh practice and rites of passage.
- Doris R. Jakobsh, Relocating Gender in Sikh History: Transformation, Meaning and Identity (Oxford University Press, 2003): for the gendered structure of the rite and its reform.
- Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, The Feminine Principle in the Sikh Vision of the Transcendent (Cambridge University Press, 1993), and “A Feminist Interpretation of Sikh Scripture,” ch. 50 in Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Oxford University Press, 2014), 606–24: on the soul-bride imagery the laavan turn on.
How this archive sources, labels and corrects its work: editorial standards.