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 fifth month of Barah Maha is Savan. From mid-July to mid-August, there is a great relief for the agrarian societies that have spent the last few months working in the scorching heat. With the rainy season, beauty arises, and vegetation goes green.
Asar is the fourth month of Barah Maha. It is sweltering heat. The earth endures pain and suffering as the sun sucks all of the life from the defenseless vegetation. The heat is a symbol of a human-bride, the seeker who is disconnected from IkOankar. Follow the human-bride as she finds realization in her anxieties and the external pains in her life.
Next is Jeth, a month where the beautiful spring season is transitioning to summer. The heat is arising and the deserts are becoming hot, almost too hot to the point of discomfort. For the human-bride to truly remain connected to IkOankar, it makes sense that they are detached from the world. After all, an individual cannot be at two places at the same time and two loves cannot flourish in the heart simultaneously. When attachment to the world is eliminated, for that is when the human-bride can truly lie in the abode of IkOankar. Watch the video to delve into the complexity of connection between the world, IkOankar, and the human-bride.
We now move on to Vaisakh, a month in which vegetation and agriculture are thriving. Growth is truly at its finest right now, yet the human-bride is experiencing bouts of separation. Join the human-bride as she begins to see where her shortcomings lie due to her pain from her separation from IkOankar.
Surender Pal Singh, Researcher at Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) shares his reflection on Vaisakhi.
Guru Teghbahadar Sahib: The Benevolent Warrior. Surender Pal Singh talks about how while serving as the Guru, Guru Teghbahadar Sahib visited far-off places and interacted with many individuals and communities.
‘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.