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

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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Tuesday
,
26
November
2024

Explore Patti (Mahala 3)

The essence of this composition is revealed in the stanza of rahau (pause). In it, worldly accounting (entanglements) is described as useless.

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Podcasts

Tuesday
,
7
March
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 09: Divine Creator

In this tenth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s utterances on the Divine Creator.

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Tuesday
,
28
February
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 08: That One

In this ninth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s utterances on the vastness of IkOankar. They discuss the Guru’s description of how even the holiest of people lost themselves in intense concentration...

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Tuesday
,
21
February
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 07: Creator Death

In this eighth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s utterances on the Creator as Death, and the Guru’s guidance of considering IkOankar as the only Force of both coming and going, creation and death.

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Tuesday
,
14
February
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 06: Beloved Friend

In this seventh podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur discuss the popularly known composition uttered by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in the forests of Machhiwara in late December.

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Tuesday
,
7
February
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 05: Creator Ruler

In this sixth podcast, Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore Guru Gobind Singh Sahib’s utterances on the Creator Ruler, and his guidance of considering IkOankar as the only true Ruler.

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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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Articles

Friday
,
31
July
2026

A Postcard from Miracle Valley: Reflections on Sidak 2026

Sikhi 201 Facilitator Jasleen Kaur reflects on the first week of Sidak through the lens of Guru Nanak Sahib’s ‘So Daru.’

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Thursday
,
25
June
2026

On the Kirpan: Panthic Accountability & Inner Grace

The murder of Henry Nowak by an Amritdhari Sikh in the UK has triggered global backlash against Sikhs and calls to ban the Kirpan. This article looks beyond the immediate controversy to ask what the Kirpan truly represents, examining Sikh theology...

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Tuesday
,
31
March
2026

On Separation, Patience, and Shedding Pretense

In this blog, Jasleen Kaur reflects on her Sikhi journey through the saloks of Sheikh Farid Ji. She explores themes of genuineness and pretense, patience and vastness, and the profound value of experiencing separation.

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Monday
,
17
March
2025

On Performing Piety

Jasleen Kaur reflects on Guru Nanak Sahib’s sabad, exploring the question of what is genuine within us, and what elements of ego we must navigate.

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Monday
,
11
December
2023

Sikhs, Panjab, India & the Diaspora: Locating the Current Crisis

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the current crisis involving Sikhs, Panjab, India, and the diaspora, with a focus on the historical context primarily from 1984 to 2023.

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Wednesday
,
21
August
2024

Caste & Race

This report aims to understand and explore caste and race within a Sikh worldview, the complexities of their intertwined developments, and the varied responses to practices and structures of casteism and racism from dominant and marginalized groups.

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Presenting at Upcoming Events

Jasleen Kaur
 is not presenting at any upcoming events as of yet. Explore our upcoming events.