Jasleen Kaur

Research Associate

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.

Videos

Thursday
,
22
May
2025

The Question That Went Viral

In April, Indian National Congress (INC) party member Rahul Gandhi stopped at Brown University for a speaking engagement. During the Q&A, Sidak Alumni Gurpartap Singh asked him what the INC is doing to reconcile with the Sikhs, and their interaction...

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Thursday
,
22
May
2025

Explore Var Sat (Mahala 3) 2/2

In this composition, Guru Amardas Sahib emphasizes that IkOankar (the Divine) is the Creator of the entire creation. It illustrates how beings attached to transient things and relationships remain trapped in the cycle of birth and death.

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Thursday
,
17
April
2025

Explore Var Sat (Mahala 3) 1/2

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.

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Thursday
,
10
April
2025

Countdown to Vaisakhi 2025: Jasleen Kaur

Jasleen Kaur serves as a Research Associate at SikhRI and one of the commentators and transcreators of The Guru Granth Sahib Project.

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Thursday
,
20
February
2025

Explore Thiti (Mahala 1)

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.

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Thursday
,
19
December
2024

Explore Var Sat (Kabir Ji)

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.

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Podcasts

Tuesday
,
31
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 04: Divine Protector

In this fifth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s many invocations of divine names and attributes and their contexts in larger Indic systems.

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Tuesday
,
24
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 03: Mentor Specified

In this fourth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur discuss what it means to attach to the feet of the Supreme Being, the poisons we are collecting, and the remembrance we are being asked to collect instead.

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Monday
,
16
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 02: Yoga Disrupted

In this third podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore what it means to earn union in comparison to transactional relationships with the divine. 

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Tuesday
,
10
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 01: Renunciation Redefined

In this second podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore the context of Indic paradigms, rituals, systems, and popular understandings that the Guru addresses in his reframing of renunciation and non-attachment.

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Wednesday
,
4
January
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Introduction

Introducing Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 (Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10), new translations, and commentaries of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's composition. This podcast is an introduction to the series.

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Friday
,
1
July
2022

The Sidak Impact: Jasleen Kaur & Jaspreet Singh

Jasleen Kaur, SikhRI researcher, joins Sidak alumni, Jaspreet Singh, to talk about the Sikhi 201 track and how Sidak impacted his life. Five years after attending Sidak, Jaspreet shares his experience and learnings from the annual Sikh leadership program.

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Articles

Friday
,
1
March
2019

Akal Takht Sahib: Timeless Sovereign Throne

Akal Takht Sahib (Timeless Throne Sovereign) commands the worldly moral authority of the Sikhs, functioning as the institutional manifestation of the Miri-Piri (Political-Spiritual) doctrine as envisioned by the Gurus.

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Tuesday
,
27
February
2018

Preparing to Bloom

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Friday
,
25
January
2019

When will Sikhs have their #MeToo movement?

In 2006, Tarana Burke founded the #MeToo movement to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly young women of color from low-income communities find the language to talk about their experiences, build systems of support, start conversations...

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Wednesday
,
20
February
2019

ਸਾਗਰ ਮਹਿ ਬੂੰਦ // Ocean in the Drop

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.

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Thursday
,
21
February
2019

Sikh Values Are Not American Values

The National Sikh Campaign's slogan is one of assimilation and nationalism in an aim to combat the negative impact a post-Trump America has had on the Sikh community, but at what cost?

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Monday
,
1
April
2019

The Realm Without Sorrow

In this 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.

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Presenting at Upcoming Events

Sat
,
Jul 12

Vanjara: From Worldly Trader to Spiritual Seeker

Khalsa School, Glen Rock Gurudwara

This presentation explores Guru Ramdas Sahib’s Vanjara, situating it within its cultural framework and lived experience. We will reflect on the composition's foundational themes and their relevance to our daily...

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