⟵ Back to podcasts

What does “Sikh” mean?

Ask SikhRI

Wednesday
,
27
December
2023

When we look at the two meanings as they existed at the time (in Sanskrit and in Pali) and incorporate them into what we now call Sikhi, it actually means learners who are of the Guru. Guru is a mentor, Guru in Sikhi is Perfection.

When we look at the two meanings as they existed at the time (in Sanskrit and in Pali) and incorporate them into what we now call Sikhi, it actually means learners who are of the Guru. Guru is a mentor, Guru in Sikhi is Perfection. A Sikh then becomes someone who is modelling their life as the Gurus lived it on earth.

Ask SikhRI is completely anonymous; it doesn’t require your name or contact information.

In This Podcast

Harinder Singh

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy
Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib. 

View profile ⟶

Related Content

The Sikh Research Institute recognizes its ethical responsibility to promptly correct any factual small or large errors. Please get in touch with us via email to request a correction if you have identified a mistake.

Suggest a correction →

Latest Podcasts

Thursday
,
4
September
2025

Explore Salok Sheikh Farid Ji (Saloks 1-15)

The first fifteen saloks by Sheikh Farid Ji convey that the span of every being’s life is predetermined and finite. The being has come into this world to engage in devotion of IkOankar (the Divine) and to live a life of humility and non-attachment.

LISTEN NOW⟶
Friday
,
29
August
2025

The Rivers Speak

In this evocative audio essay, Inni Kaur takes us on a contemplative journey along the sacred rivers that have borne witness to the lives and legacies of the Sikh Gurus.

LISTEN NOW⟶
Wednesday
,
13
August
2025

Explore Bani Bhagat Sadhna

Bhagat Sadhna is one of the fifteen Bhagat contributors to the Guru Granth Sahib and one of the saint-poets of the Medieval period in South Asia. He was a butcher by profession whose life and behavior changed when he became a devotee after realizing...

LISTEN NOW⟶

Share on Social Media

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay informed with our weekly updates, important events and more at SikhRI.

Thank you! Your submission has been received.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.