Sadu

Authored by Baba Sundar, the bani essentially details the happenings at the court of Guru Amardas Sahib at the time of his demise and records the Guru’s parting instructions. It also describes the ascension of Guru Ramdas Sahib to Guruship.

Sadu has special significance in Sikh tradition for multiple reasons. It represents a rare narrative of the demise of any Guru-Person recorded in first hand, in this case by Baba Sundar. This account is even more important, since the composition finds place in Guru Granth Sahib, providing the account with a real authenticity.

Another fascinating feature of the bani is its heavy usage of terms from Hindu rituals on death to relate to the masses, but still reminding Sikhs of their principle focus, which is the support of Guru’s Sabad.

Rag Ramkali beautifully details and balances the extreme moods of sorrow emanating from the news of Guru’s departure and the spiritedness displayed by the Guru in Divine connection. This variation is skillfully engaged to traverse through human tendencies and anxiety around death, and the Guru’s dignified and composed response displaying love and acceptance of the Divine will.

Furthermore, in this course, you will find details on some specific instructions communicated by the Guru to the sangat: how to deal with death, the attitude, priority, and focus of a Divine lover at such a testing time, things to be done and things to be avoided by a Sikh.

The Sadu online course is free for all. It has been made possible by the generous support of Balraj Mann Singh and Jasbir Kaur Mann of Langley, British Columbia.