Surender Pal Singh is a Senior Research Associate at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a Master’s degree in Religious Studies and English.
He is the English Content Reviewer for The Guru Granth Sahib Project. He also develops curriculums, presentations, and research papers and delivers topical courses on Sikh theology and culture online. He is the lead instructor of the Gurbani 101 track at Sidak, an annual leadership development program by SikhRI. He is the co-author of the Gurbani linguistics book Guru Granth Sahib – Its Language and Grammar and the author of the Workbook Gurbani Language and Grammar. He has over twelve years of experience teaching Gurbani linguistics and twenty years of experience teaching Sikh theology and culture.
He currently resides with his family in Canada.
The contrast of a Wisdom-oriented individual with a self-centered person is brought forth with the analogy of a swan and a crane.
In The Guru Granth Sahib, a dog symbolizes faithfulness when domesticated and its propensity to eat filth as a stray animal.
The Guru Granth Sahib is a treasure trove of figurative expressions like imagery, symbolism, metaphors, and more. Contributors to The Guru Granth Sahib have entwined a range of such terms with their poetic revelations.
In this video Surenderpal shares about the newly launched annotation of two Sabads (Infinite-Wisdom) of Pahare by Guru Nanak Sahib in Sirirag. Sirirag is a rag (musical mode) that is serious in nature and thought-provoking.
The twelfth and final month of the calendar is Phalgun, which corresponds of mid-February to mid-March. Beaming with joy and blissful love, the human-bride is experiencing an inner state of fulfillment. Her consciousness is truly exuding everlasting Divine presence. This is a result of detaching herself from material and other loves, and allocating that love to the inculcated virtues. In doing so, she makes herself worthy to IkOankar, pleading to be graced with the Presence in her heart. Listen along to the beautiful enlightenment that the human-bride feels throughout Phalgun. Resonate with her discovery of the barriers to her connection with IkOankar.
The eleventh month of Barah Maha is Magh, corresponding to the months of mid-January to mid-February. The extreme winter is concluding, and preparation for the upcoming month is commencing. When the coldness leaves, it provides the opportunity to bud. The potential was there, it was just frozen, and now as the weather warms up, the flourishing can happen. In paying more attention to the Guru’s advice, the human-bride, the seeker begins going within and realizes the pilgrimage of IkOankar to be within the heart. This is where, effortlessly or habitually, that state of sahaj develops, and the seeker embraces even more qualities of the One. Her inner being has been transformed into a pilgrimage site, home to her reflection of the Divine virtues. Join the human-bride in her quest for true bliss.
‘Pahare’ is considered to be a form of folk poetry in Panjabi. This poetic genre is based on the consciousness of time.Examples of this poetic genre are found only in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Follow Surender Pal Singh as he speaks about how, while serving as the Guru, Guru Teghbahadar Sahib visited far-off places and interacted with many individuals and communities. The Guru faced opposition not only on the external front but also on the home front. The Guru navigated through scheming and aggressions, many times violent, with grace and wisdom. This presentation explores the Guru’s interactions with people and communities and the underlying principles that governed the Guru’s politics of alliances.
Surender Pal Singh, Research & Content Facilitator at Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) shares his reflection on Vaisakhi.
During the tumultuous period of the 18th century, the Sikhs faced utter persecution and huge political challenges. Various rulers and invaders, including the Mughals and the Afghans, often targeted the Sikhs.
While reading the Guru Granth Sahib, we encounter various stanza structures within a Sabad, often indicated through corresponding titles on the Sabad. This diversity in stanza structures arises due to variations in the number of lines in the stanzas.
While reading the Guru Granth Sahib, we come across various Sabad structures and forms. Some small and others long. Some have two stanzas, others three, four, or more. What do these different stanzas tell us about a Sabad or its structure?
While serving as the Guru, Guru Teghbahadar Sahib visited far-off places and interacted with many individuals and communities. The Guru faced opposition not only on the external front but also on the home front.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839 left a big void in the rule of the Sikh kingdom, which led to the annexation of Panjab by the British.