Course Description

Anjuli is a short composition revealed by Guru Arjan Sahib in Maru, a rag that is quiet and introspective in nature. Amongst other things, it highlights the daily struggles of an individual torn apart by conflicting priorities, and a distorted moral compass. In such a state, dilemmas and distractions take over the driver’s seat, running a person’s life like a puppet. The short sighted individual loses the ability to discriminate between important and unimportant.


This is nearly every individual’s story that we all can relate to. The bani addresses these questions, bringing clarity to what should be the point of reference in a person’s life to navigate in this world. Besides others, it address questions related to origin and purpose of life. With the typical life cycle of an ordinary individual as reference, it apprises us of life distractions. It also informs us how to win this game of life besides giving a perspective on relationships and how to steer through them.

Instructor

Surender Pal Singh

Surender Pal Singh is a researcher in Sikh studies. He serves as Content Manager at the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI), where he develops curriculum, presentations, and research papers on Sikh history and culture. He teaches a course on Gurbani at Sidak, an annual leadership program by SikhRI. He is the co-author of Gurbani linguistics book Guru Granth Sahib – Its Language and Grammar and Workbook Gurbani Language and Grammar. He has over seven years of experience in teaching Gurbani linguistics and fifteen years of experience in teaching Sikh theology and culture. He received Master of Arts in English and Religious Studies. He lives in Panjab.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Readings

    • Handout 1: Bani (Gurmukhi) and Translation (English)

    • Handout 2: Prof. Sahib Singh Interpretation (Panjabi)

    • Handout 3: Giani Haribans Singh Interpretation (Panjabi)

    • Handout 4: Dr. Gopal Singh Interpretation (English)

    • Handout 5: Gurbachan Singh Makin Interpretation (English)

    • Handout 6: Gurbachan Singh Talib & Bhai Jodh Singh Interpretation (English)

    • Handout 7: Kartar Singh Duggal Interpretation (English)

    • Handout 8: Manmohan Singh Interpretation (Panjabi & English)

    • Handout 9: Swarn Singh Bains Interpretation (English)
  • 2

    Anjuli

    • Introduction

    • Etymology

    • Sabad One

    • Sabad Two

    • Summary