Rehat Maryada
What is the Rehat
Maryada?
This
document is the Official Sikh Code of Conduct. There were a number of
unsucessful attempts in the eighteenth century following the death of
Guru Gobind Singh to produced an accurate portrayal of Sikh conduct and
customs. These attempts were contradictory and inconsistent with many
of the principles of the Gurus and were not accepted by the majority of
Sikhs. Starting early this century in 1931 an attempt was made by the
Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) to produce a modern
standard Rehit. These efforts involved the greatest Sikh scholars and
theologians of this century who worked to produce the current version.
The document produced has been accepted as the official version which
provides guidelines against which all Sikh individuals and communities
around the world can measure themselves. The Rehat Maryada is the only
version authorized by the Akal Takht, the seat of supreme temporal authority
for Sikhs. It's implementation has sucessfully achieved a high level of
uniformity in the religious and social practices of Sikhism.
Excerpt from Mission
Statement of Translator (Kulraj Singh):
Producing an English version of the Sikh Rehat Maryada with the object
of promoting uniformity in the Sikh conduct and observances in the interest
of deeper religious cohesion. the Sikh Rehat Maryad, as the ensuing preface
to the original Punjabi text will show is the product of collective Panthic
wisdom. What is more, some of the greatest Sikh scholars and savants of
all times contributed to it and deliberated on its content. So this work
should take precedence on any sectional beliefs and preferences. In a
wider context, the content of the Rehat Maryada should be taken as the
final word as to the matters they deal with. That will foster panthic
cohesion.