Glossary

Administrators used by the earlier Sikh Gurus. Many were corrupt, and Guru Gobind Singh disbanded them after the foundation of the Khalsa.

Bowing down and touching the floor with one’s forehead in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs do not bow before the scriptures as some type of idol worship. By bowing, Sikhs are submitting themselves to the scripture, and the knowledge and true words of God contained therein. Sikhs perform ‘matha taykna’ as they enter the main worship hall. Most worshippers opt to place a donation in front of the scripture before bowing, which is used for the management of the gurudwara.

Literally "delusion." Sikh theology explains that everything in this world should be regarded as  transitory, and that the only eternal reality is Waheguru. A person affected by maya is described, in the Sikh scripture, as suffering from the delusion of believing that those things which are fleeting and impermanent are worth pursuing. A person attached to maya cannot attain the goal of a true Sikh which is to escape the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. A Sikh strives to avoid rebirth through the loving worship of God and a life of honest work and service to others.

Temporal(worldly authority)

A Sikh confederacy in the eighteenth century

A short verse written by Guru Nanak which contains essential teachings about the nature of God and has been referred to as the creed of the Sikhs. It appears at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib.