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Religion Research: Sikhism

Best Databases & Websites

Finding Books and Articles in the Catalog

Search the catalog with subjects:
Sikhism

Sikhism -- <topic>

  • Sikhism—Customs and practices
  • Sikhism—Sacred books

Sikhism in art

Sikhism in literature

Sikh <topic>

  • Sikh art
  • Sikh ethics
  • Sikh gurus
  • Sikh sects

Sikhs -- <topic>

  • Sikhs -- Dietary laws
  • Sikhs -- <place-name>

This is a small sampling of subject headings in our catalog. As always, the OCC librarians are ready to help you find the best resources for your specific needs.

Finding Books on the Shelf

Most books on Sikhs and Sikhism can be found on the shelf in these sections:

BL 2017 -2018.7

History: BL2017.6

General works: BL 2018

Theology: BL 2018.2-.22

Sikhism

symbol of SikhismIn the Punjab region of India in the 15th century, most people were either Hindu or Muslim. While some religious scholars at the time tried to reconciles these two religions, Nanak instead found a third path after he received a divine revelation. Some essentials aspects of Sikhism (or Sikhi) include Seva (voluntary service,) Langar (community meals including all casts,) and Sangat (an egalitarian prayer space.)

Today there are 25-30 million Sikh in the world. The majority live in India with communities in Great Britain, the United States, Canada as well.

 

Image: Undying Sikh, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Gurus

image of guru Nanak sitting on a rug. A man fans him from behind and another plays a musical instrumentFor Guru Nanak, the role of a guru is "... someone who reveals the divine. The role of the guru is to apply the eyeliner of knowledge to enhance vision so that one can see the transcendent One" (Guru Granth 610) Before his death Guru Nanak appointed his successor and this process continued successfully through the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh. At this time Guru Gobind Singh said that instead of a human successor, that their sacred document, Guru Granth would be the last living guru.

Image courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust.

Scripture

Through his life, Guru Nanak wrote hymns which were transmitted orally through the generations. Later gurus continued this tradition until the fifth guru, Guru Arjan compiled them into a work called the Adi Granth. Later gurus continued to add sacred hymns until the final compilation known as Guru Granth Sahib.

Image from: https://www.sikhmuseum.com/words/granth/granth1.html

 

Sample Books in our Collection