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.
Var Sat, commonly known as ‘Satvar’ or ‘Satvara,’ is an old and popular poetic form based on the seven days of the week. In it, each stanza begins with a particular day of the week and describes an idea, sentiment, or belief associated with that day.
Jasleen Kaur serves as a Research Associate at SikhRI and one of the commentators and transcreators of The Guru Granth Sahib Project.
Thiti refers to a lunar calendar day—a count from the first to the fifteenth day based on the moon's phases. As a poetic form, Thiti is based on the fifteen lunar days of the Indic calendar months.
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.
The essence of this composition is revealed in the stanza of rahau (pause). In it, worldly accounting (entanglements) is described as useless.
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.
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.
Jasleen Kaur reflects on a Sabad by Bhagat Namdev to help her through some questions she has had during Mental Health Awareness Month: how can the Divine exist in places or situations that we feel are devoid of the One?
In SikhRI’s new monthly blog series, Sabads previously transcreated for the Sabad of the Week podcast will be revisited, with the offering of an individual understanding and perspective on the application of the Sabad’s message in daily life.
In SikhRI’s new monthly blog series, Sabads previously transcreated for the Sabad of the Week podcast will be revisited, with the offering of an individual understanding and perspective on the application of the Sabad’s message in daily life.