Jasleen Kaur is a Research Associate at the Sikh Research Institute. She has received a Religious Studies B.A./M.A. from the University of Virginia, focusing on South Asian Religions through the lens of literature and poetry.
She is one of the commentators and transcreators of The Guru Granth Sahib Project. She is passionate about projects that create comfortable spaces for community members of all ages and backgrounds to engage in dialogue and learn from one another. She also loves singing in her free time, whether on stage with her friends or alone in her kitchen.
She hopes to go back to school to pursue a Ph.D. in either religious ethnography or history and fulfill her dream of teaching and learning from others.
Jasleen Kaur resides with her family in the United States.
The poetic form ‘Var Sat’ (a composition based on the seven days of the week) is commonly called ‘Satvar’ or ‘Satvara.’ It is a unique literary style that connects each day of the week with a specific idea, emotion, teaching, or reflection.
Patti is a poetic form based on the Gurmukhi alphabet. Historically, students used a wooden tablet, known as patti in Panjabi, to practice writing the alphabet. The Guru Granth Sahib includes many compositions based on the alphabet.
Chaubole is typically described as a poetic form governed primarily by meter and lines, usually four, as a song with four segments, or as a verse containing four languages.The theme of the Chaubole composition by Guru Arjan Sahib is love.
Explore some of the major themes of Guru Teghbahadar Sahib’s bani as contained in Guru Granth Sahib.
This composition is revealed by Guru Ramdas Sahib (1534-1581 CE) in Rag Sirirag and is recorded on pages 81-82 of the Guru Granth Sahib. It has six stanzas of five lines each. With every stanza, there is an additional stanza of rahau of two lines.
Just like the Alahania revealed by Guru Nanak Sahib, this composition revealed by Guru Amards Sahib also illustrates the impermanence of the material world and inspires the mind towards a perpetual connection with IkOankar (the Divine).
The Guru Granth Sahib contains many Sabads related to the wedding ceremony, in which themes of happiness, blessings, and teachings are conveyed through vocabulary related to the wedding.
Amrit Ceremony is a fundamental and an essential rite for a seeker to join the Khalsa Panth. Through this the seeker is given ‘amrit’ and the core principles and values of Sikhi are explained to them.
In Vanjara, the seeker has been affectionately addressed as a merchant friend (vaṇjāriā mitrā). They have been made aware that they have come to this world to trade in the Nam. They are, therefore, instructed to engage in this true trade so that their fac
Alahani, a sorrowful Punjabi folk song, emphasizes the belief in IkOankar, the all-powerful force behind existence.
Revealed to Baba Sundar, the great-grandson of Guru Amardas Sahib, Sadd holds great significance in the Sikh funeral ceremony and is recited during final rites.
Revealed to Baba Sundar, the great-grandson of Guru Amardas Sahib, Sadd holds great significance in the Sikh funeral ceremony and is recited during final rites.
Miri comes from Perso-Arabic “Amir” or “Emir” and signals political power. Piri comes from the Perso-Arabic “Pir” and signals spiritual power. Miri-Piri encapsulates the Political-Spiritual doctrine in Sikhi, rooted in both the worldly and the timeless...
A reflection on the play of past, present, and future, the play of creation, and the importance of Remembrance.
Healing and accountability in the wake of allegations old and new
Sexuality is a confusing and often avoided topic. It is generally relegated to being a "private" matter, and therefore not openly discussed or engaged with, even within close circles and small communities.
Abortion as defined by the the Oxford dictionary is a “deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.” Abortions have long been performed and long been the subject of considerable debate.