# Akhand Path

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{{Short description|Sikh tradition of scripture recitation}}

{{Sikhism sidebar}}{{Sikh practices}}

An '''Akhand Path''' ({{langx|pa|ਅਖੰਡ ਪਾਠ}}, {{IPA|pa|əkʰəɳɖᵊ paːʈʱ}}) is the continuous and uninterrupted recitation of the [Guru Granth Sahib](/source/Guru_Granth_Sahib), also known as ''Akhand Path Sahib''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=Saint-Georges|first1=Ingrid de|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=043EBAAAQBAJ&dq=Akhand+path+is+a+practise+of+continuous+recitation+(without+any+break)+of+sacred+religious+texts+in+Sikhism.&pg=PA72|title=Multilingualism and Multimodality: Current Challenges for Educational Studies|last2=Weber|first2=Jean-Jacques|date=2013-09-03|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-6209-266-2|pages=72|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Harbans|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XhXYAAAAMAAJ&q=Akhand+path+is+a+practise+of+continuous+recitation+(without+any+break)+of+sacred+religious+texts+in+Sikhism.|title=The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: S-Z|date=1992|publisher=Punjabi University|isbn=978-81-7380-530-1|pages=248|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=JSTOR: Search Results|url=https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Akhand+Path%22&acc=on&wc=on|access-date=2020-12-17|website=www.jstor.org}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Keene|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vh_L1Icf2RYC&pg=PA51|title=New Steps in Religious Education: Teacher's Support|date=1999|publisher=Nelson Thornes|isbn=978-0-7487-4022-2|pages=51|language=en}}</ref>

== Purpose ==
The recital - (Path) is undertaken for various reasons. It can be in honour of a particular occasion; to mark a happy or sad occasion within the family; or simply to increase one’s feeling of connection to [Waheguru](/source/Waheguru). Some of following may call for  an Akhand Path depending on the family's circumstances: a birth, a birthday, recovery from a medical operation, a wedding, a death, a graduation, on achieving a goal like a high school certificate, on passing the driving test, an anniversary, or a historic occasion.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Hayes |first=Jan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jCsDwAAQBAJ&dq=Some+Gurdwaras+hold+a+weekly+Akhand+Path&pg=PT277 |title=AQA GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies Specification A: Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and the Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Themes |date=2020-07-20 |publisher=Hodder Education |isbn=978-1-5104-7949-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite book |last=Keene |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vh_L1Icf2RYC&pg=PA51 |title=New Steps in Religious Education: Teacher's Support |date=1999 |publisher=Nelson Thornes |isbn=978-0-7487-4022-2 |location= |pages=51 |language=en}}</ref>

==Procedure==
The continuous nonstop recitation of all the verses in the [Guru Granth Sahib](/source/Guru_Granth_Sahib) from the beginning to the end, in 31 Ragas as specified, in all 1430 pages, lasts more than 48 hours by a team of readers.<ref name=":0" />

Nearby, over a container of water a coconut is kept wrapped in saffron or white cloth. A ghee lamp is also kept burning.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Damdami Taksaal - The official website of the Damdami Taksaal|url=https://www.damdamitaksal.com/|access-date=2021-01-14|website=www.damdamitaksal.com}}</ref> This ritual is considered very holy and is said to bring peace and solace to the participants and the passive listeners of the recital. During the reading it is tradition for langar (or communal food) to be available at all times, thus requiring the continual service and dedication of those in whose honour the Akhand Path is being held. By definition, a gurdwara is a space that has been appropriately dedicated to receive and house the Sikh scriptures. Gurdwaras play an important traditional role in Sikh society, as they provide food and rest to all visitors, and thus have ... To commemorate milestone events such as births, deaths, and weddings, Sikh Americans might arrange for ... the “Holy Book [which is] Guru,” a practice known as Akhand Path, which takes approximately two full days and nights in its entirety.<ref>American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An Encyclopedia. Christopher R. Fee, Jeffrey B. Webb · 2016 page [https://books.google.com/books?id=kXnEDAAAQBAJ&dq=Sikhs+started+the+tradition+of+dedicating+Akhand+Paths+to+various+activities.&pg=PA445 445]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Prayer - Ways of Sikh living - Edexcel - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - Edexcel|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zhp26yc/revision/2|access-date=2020-12-17|website=BBC Bitesize|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Hayes|first=Jan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jCsDwAAQBAJ&dq=Some+Gurdwaras+hold+a+weekly+Akhand+Path&pg=PT277|title=AQA GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies Specification A: Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and the Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Themes|date=2020-07-20|publisher=Hodder Education|isbn=978-1-5104-7949-4|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

Some [Gurdwara](/source/Gurdwara)s hold a weekly Akhand Path and this gives the congregation ([Sadh Sangat](/source/Sadh_Sangat)) a beautiful opportunity to establish a close relationship with the [Guru](/source/Guru) - the Granth and the communion that provides the chance to carry out volunteer work ([Seva](/source/Selfless_service)) thus obtaining the blessing of the Guru Granth Sahib for the whole of the communion.<ref name=":1"/>

It is said that when [Guru Gobind Singh](/source/Guru_Gobind_Singh) had completed the writing of the [Guru Granth Sahib](/source/Guru_Granth_Sahib), he had five members of the congregation (Sadh Sangat) who chanted the completed Granth to him nonstop, for more than two days and nights. He stood there and listened to the entire Guru Granth Sahib without having any sleep whatsoever. People brought him water for his bath and for his meals where he stood. This was the first Akhand Path. The second Akhand Path was in [Nanded](/source/Nanded) after Guru Gobind Singh sent [Banda Singh Bahadur](/source/Banda_Singh_Bahadur) to [Punjab](/source/Punjab_region). The Akhand Pathees (reciters of the Granth) were Bhai Gurbaksh Singh, Baba Deep Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh (of Panj Piaray), Bhai Santokh Singh, and Bhai Hari Singh (who used to write the daily diary of Guru Gobind Singh). Before giving the Guruship to the [Guru Granth Sahib](/source/Guru_Granth_Sahib) (then called the Adi Granth) the Guru held this Akhand Path and then proclaimed the Adi Granth as the perpetual Guru of the [Sikhs](/source/Sikhs).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Pashaura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aiwpDwAAQBAJ&q=It+is+said+that+when+Guru+Gobind+Singh+had+completed+the+writing+of+the+Guru+Granth+Sahib,+he+had+five+members+of+the+congregation+(Sadh+Sangat)+who+chanted+the+completed+Granth+to+him+nonstop,+for+more+than+two+days+and+nights.|title=The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority|date=2003-09-26|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-908773-0|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=AKHAND PAATH History|url=http://www.yoga-rahlstedt.de/sangat/AkhandPathHistory.htm|access-date=2020-12-17|website=www.yoga-rahlstedt.de}}</ref>

Following this example, the Sikhs started the tradition of dedicating Akhand Paths to various activities. Before battles, the Sikhs would listen to an Akhand Path and then prepare for battle.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=What is an Akhand Path?|url=https://www.sikhdharma.org/prayer/akhand-paths/what-is-an-akhand-path/|access-date=2020-12-17|website=Sikh Dharma International}}</ref> An Akhand Path was arranged before the [Sikhs set out to rescue](/source/Third_Battle_of_Panipat) 18,000 indigenous women captured by the Moghuls and had taken them as slaves.

In 1742, when Sikhs were in the jungles of [Punjab](/source/Punjab_region), one Sikh woman warrior named Bibi Sundari, requested just before she died (due to the wounds inflicted in battle) to have an Akhand Path arranged for her. She lay there next to the Guru Granth Sahib and listened to the full recitation of this [Path](/source/Paath).  After [kirtan](/source/kirtan), [Ardas](/source/Ardas) and [Hukam](/source/Hukam), she received the [Karah Prashad](/source/Karah_Prashad), uttered "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh" breathing her last. Thus began the tradition of rendering an Akhand Path within 48 hours.<ref name=":3" />{{Better source needed|date=December 2020}}

If the Akhand Path is to be recited in Gurmukhi, then it must be completed within 48 hours, without recitation in 31 Ragas as specified. If it is to be done in English, it will take more than 72 hours to complete.

During an Akhand Path, if a Hukam is taken at the end of a program, the Pathee (person reading the Path) reads the Gurbani that they have arrived at in the regular course of reading. They may slow down and read it clearly. In this case, the first and last two lines are not repeated. When the Pathee reaches the end of the Hukam, they continue in the reading of the Akhand Path.

Akhand Path is supposed to be read loudly, clearly, and correctly.

The reading concludes with a ''[Bhog](/source/Bhog)'' ceremony.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |title=The A to Z of Sikhism |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |others=W. H. McLeod |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6 |location=Lanham |pages=10 |oclc=435778610 |quote=AKHAND PATH. An "unbroken reading" of the Guru Granth Sahib. This is performed by a relay of readers who, reading in turn without intermission, complete the task in approximately 48 hours. It is held on all occasions of importance to Sikhs such as a marriage, the opening of a new business, or a funeral. Each reader should bathe and wear clean clothes before beginning his turn. Karah prasad should be brought into the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib before beginning an Akhand Path; the six appointed stanzas of Anand Sahib should be read, Ardas should be recited, and a hukam should be taken. The reading concludes with a bhog ceremony. Much the same procedure is followed with a Sadharan Path or a Saptahak Path The practice of holding Akhand Paths appears to have developed during the late 18th or early 19th centuries. A practice rarely undertaken is that of the Ati Akhand Path, which involves only one person. The task, which takes about 27 hours, can be performed only by a person of uncommon stamina and reading skill.}}</ref>

== History ==
thumb|Photographs of the first confirmed ''Darbar'' and ''Akhand Pāth'' of the Guru Granth Sahib in Australia on the property of Siva Singh at Reef Hills, near Benalla, Australia, photographed by William John Howship, 16 December 1920
The practice of ''Akhand Paths'' likely began in the late 18th century, with evidence of it occurring from the 1790's,<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Mann |first=Gurinder Singh |url=http://giss.org/jsps_vol_23/2_mann.pdf |title=Sri Gur Panth Prakash: Its Text, Context, and Significance |publisher=Global Institute for Sikh Studies |year=2016 |location=New York |pages=34}}</ref> a time that is recorded as a turbulent period in [Sikh history](/source/History_of_Sikhism) where it was used as a means of uplifting Sikhs.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Singha |first=H. S. |title=Sikhism : a complete introduction, book 7 |date=1994 |others=Satwant Kaur |isbn=81-7010-245-6 |location=New Delhi |pages=88 |oclc=967096375 |quote=The origin of akhand paath is not clear but it may be traced to the eighteenth century AD. In those turbulent times, it must have been a means of uniting and spiritually strengthening scattered and threatened groups of the Sikhs. Its popularity doubtlessly increased with the availability of the printed copies of the Guru Granth Sahib in the nineteenth century AD. Such readings have parallels in the Hindu religious tradition and these may have affected and influenced the Sikh custom.}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> It may have originated from within the Budha Dal division of the [Dal Khalsa](/source/Dal_Khalsa_(Sikh_Army)) of the [Sikh Confederacy](/source/Sikh_Misl) and popularized by the [Nirmala](/source/Nirmala_(sect)) and [Udasi](/source/Udasi) sects from there.<ref name="Niraṅkārī 2008 34–45">{{Cite book |last=Niraṅkārī |first=Māna Siṅgha |title=Sikhism, a perspective |date=2008 |publisher=Unistar Books |others=Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry |isbn=978-81-7142-621-8 |location=Chandigarh |pages=34–45 |oclc=289070938}}</ref> Its popularity increased during the 19th century, when mass-produced printed copies of the [Guru Granth Sahib](/source/Guru_Granth_Sahib) became available to the masses.<ref name=":5" />

== Variants ==
There are several variants of the Akhand Path, such as the Ati Akhand Path, which involves one person continuously reciting the scripture non-stop without breaking for any reason, usually completed in around 27 hours. This variant is rarely performed and requires a reader of high stamina and reading ability.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bakhshi |first=Surinder |title=Sikhs in the diaspora : a modern guide to practice of the Sikh faith : a knowledge compendium for the global age |date=2008 |isbn=9780956072801 |edition=Special |location=Birmingham, UK |pages=127–131 |oclc=1311132507}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Niraṅkārī |first=Māna Siṅgha |title=Sikhism, a perspective |date=2008 |publisher=Unistar Books |others=Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry |isbn=978-81-7142-621-8 |location=Chandigarh |pages=34 |oclc=289070938}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name="Niraṅkārī 2008 34–45"/>

== See also ==

* [Paath](/source/Paath)
* [Sadharan Path](/source/Sadharan_Paath)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Sikh practices

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Akhand Path](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhand_Path) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhand_Path?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.