Lava

According to a narrative recorded in a traditional commentary of the Guru Granth Sahib, a poor, devoted Sikh had arranged his daughter’s wedding. But the Brahmin (priest) refused to perform the wedding ritual as the Sikh was unable to afford the expenses of the wedding. The Sikh became worried and expressed his concern to Guru Ramdas Sahib. The Guru asked both families to be present at the Guru’s court along with the bride and the groom on the day fixed for the marriage. When all of them reached the Guru’s court, the Guru was giving instructions to a Sikh regarding union with IkOankar. The Guru revealed the Lav Sabads and performed their wedding.

Lav and marriage
Guru-period
In Janamsakhi literature, the wedding of Guru Nanak Sahib (1469-1539) has been depicted according to the prevalent wedding customs practiced by Hindus of that time. However, in contrast to this, Sant Giani Kartar Singh’s opinion is that during his marriage, the Guru wrote the Mul Mantra on a piece of paper and placed it over a small and short wooden platform (chaunki) and performed circumambulation (prakarma) around it. According to him, later, by revealing the composition ‘anandu,’ Guru Amardas Sahib (1479-1574) strengthened the tradition of the Sikh wedding ceremony (Anand Karaj). It is also said that the Guru performed the marriage of one of his Sikhs, Bhai Sachan Sach, as per this custom. According to Principal Satbir Singh too, when Hindal’s brother wanted to marry his daughter off, the Brahmin priest said, "You are a Sikh of Guru Amardas; therefore, the wedding cannot take place according to Hindu customs." So, Guru Amardas Sahib instructed Hindal to carry out this wedding according to the new Sikh wedding custom of Anand.

References regarding the carrying out of the Sikh wedding ceremony (Anand Karaj) before the period of Guru Ramdas Sahib have also been found, but since the four chants of Lav were revealed by Guru Ramdas Sahib, the tradition of reciting them during the Sikh wedding ceremony must have started only later. Similarly, the tradition of taking a circumambulation around the Guru Granth Sahib during the Sikh wedding ceremony would have begun only after the compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib (1604). It is important to analyze references found in the historical sources to understand the beginning of the tradition of circumambulation and its historical development.

According to ‘Gur Bilas Patshahi 6,’ during the wedding of Guru Hargobind Sahib’s (1595-1644) daughter Bibi Viro (birth 1615), the gathered congregation read out Sabads loudly. The Guru sent for Bibi Viro, and after performing the Sikh supplication (ardas), he handed her scarf-end to the groom. Then, according to the practice formalized by Guru Ramdas Sahib, circumambulation of the Guru Granth Sahib was done while the couple consciously focused their attention on the message in the Lav:
srī gur rīti ais tab kīnī. gur rāmdās ju āgyā dīnī.92.
lāvāṁ līn tabai manu lāī. gurū granth caupher suhāī. -Gur Bilas Patshahi 6, Chapter 11

But according to ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth,’ written after ‘Gur Bilas Patshahi 6,’ during Bibi Viro’s wedding, as per the instructions of the Brahmin who came to carry out the wedding rituals, the bride was brought out and made to sit in front of a havan mandap (a canopied enclosure for weddings and religious ceremonies). Then, worldly rituals were carried out in accordance with the Vedas, and the Lav ceremony was performed. Thus, the description in ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth’ entirely contradicts that of ‘Gur Bilas Patshahi 6.’ In this context, the editor of ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth,’ Dr. Kirpal Singh states that, “Carrying out rituals according to the Vedas and making the bride sit inside the canopy of the havan, which is called vedi (an altar for solemnizing Hindu marriage), is the poet’s fictitious description. By that time, the traditional practice of the Lav according to Gurmat (Guru’s thought) had already begun and Vedic rituals had already been renounced by the Guru. The Guru’s utterance was: dutīā tiāg logā rīti. -Guru Granth Sahib 370.”

Bhai Vir Singh is also of the opinion that the second Guru (Guru Angad Sahib) had clearly renounced worldly Vedic rituals too. The third Guru (Guru Amardas Sahib) popularized the ‘Anand,’ the fourth Guru (Guru Ramdas Sahib) started the practice of reciting the Lav. During the fifth Guru’s (Guru Arjan Sahib’s) time, the implementation of the Guru’s wedding custom became more prevalent. Many complained to the Mughal emperors, and the masses also started saying that the Gurus and Sikhs did not perform Vedic rituals anymore. The above facts have been written by Bhai Santokh Singh himself. Then how can it be believed that the Guru himself performed these worldly Vedic rituals?

In the context of ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth,’ the opinions of Dr. Kirpal Singh and Bhai Vir Singh appear even more relevant as Bhai Santokh Singh had married off his daughters Bibi Khem Kaur and Bibi Maiman Kaur by performing the traditional Sikh supplication (ardas) in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. In the introduction to ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth,’ Bhai Vir Singh also states that four sanatani Brahmins were assigned the responsibility of supervising the writing of this text by its patron Raja Uday Singh (death 1843), the king of Kaithal. Raja Uday Singh was inclined towards Hinduism. Besides this, Sikh scholars of that period were interested in the idea that Hindus might accept the Sikh Gurus as their avatars. Bhai Santokh Singh’s son, Ajay Singh, was also a devotee of Devi (goddess Durga). He too, by the power of a sword forced Bhai Santokh Singh to write Brahminical episodes in the book. In this way, the atmosphere in which this text was written was deeply Brahminic in nature. Therefore, some narratives contradicting Gurmat are also visible in this text.

In the context of Bibi Viro’s wedding, some modern scholars like Giani Kartar Singh, Principal Satbir Singh, Col. A.S. Brar, Arshwinder Kaur etc., have also mentioned the recitation of the four chants of Lav during this wedding. The crux of this discussion is that during Bibi Viro’s wedding, the chants of Lav were recited. The references to Vedic rituals relating to this wedding as found in ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth’ might have been added intentionally or unintentionally by some writers posthumously after Bhai Santokh Singh’s death.

Like ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth,’ some descriptions opposed to Gurmat perspective are also found in Rahitnama Sahajdharian Ka, Prem Sumarg and Sikhan Di Bhagat Mala etc. The following description in Sikhan Di Bhagat Mala can be considered as an example of spurious literature: “jo same vivāh de asīṁ bed pāṭhīāṁ brahmṇāṁ nūṁ bulāi ke vīāh dīāṁ kāṁḍīāṁ paṛāi ke vīvāh karde sāṁ te huṇ sikh kahinde hain tusīṁ anand paṛke vivāh karo. brāhmṇā nū nā bulāvahu. sace pātsāh ab jivai amar hove. dastakhat khās hoe. pahile anand paṛnā ardās karnī, piche brāhmṇā thī hamesā jis tarah paṛāṁvade āi ho tivai paṛāvaṇā. sansā nahī karnā.”

While referring to the above statement from Sikhan Di Bhagat Mala in relation to the practices and customs of the Sahajdharis, S. Mahinder Singh has written that, “It becomes evident that Guru Gobind Singh Sahib too had given Sahajdharis the relaxation of performing old rituals after the recitation of the ‘Anand’ and the Ardas. In principle, the ritual of Anand Karaj culminates with Ardas.” But it is possible that the scribes of these texts added this content opposed to Gurmat intentionally or unintentionally under Brahminic influence as has been discussed above in the context of ‘Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth.’ Dr. Ratan Singh Jaggi too, while explaining the dubious authenticity of the compositions of the Prem Sumarg and Rahitnama Sahajdharian Ka etc., believes that they are works willfully and erroneously popularized under the name of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.

In a nutshell, it can be said that during the Guru period, the tradition of the Sikh wedding ceremony had already begun amongst the Sikhs even though it may not have been completely developed or adopted. But the anti-Gurmat references found in the historical sources relating to the Gurus and the Sikhs seem to have been added later under the Brahmanical influence.

Post Guru-period
Since the Sikhs were occupied in battles and wars during this period, clear evidence regarding wedding rituals is not available. But we do get the indication that while reciting Lav, the tradition of performing circumambulation of the Guru Granth Sahib had not been established yet. According to Dr. Ratan Singh Jaggi, during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Vedic rituals remained prevalent during weddings. The wedding of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s grandson Kanvar Naunihal Singh (1821-1840) took place with the daughter of Sardar Sham Singh Attari (approximately 1788-1846) at night with circumambulation around the fire (havan) in accordance with Vedic rituals. Baba Sahib Singh Bedi (1756-1834) married his elder sons according to Vedic rituals too. But during the wedding of his younger son Baba Bikram Singh (death 1863), the Lav was also recited along with Vedic mantras. It is also plausible that both Sikh and Hindu ceremonies must have been performed concurrently before and during the times of Sikh royalty. Dr. Man Singh Nirankari writes in an article, ‘Anand Viah Di Ik Itihasak Kranti,’ that the nascent form of the Sikh wedding ceremony is seen during the wedding of Baba Dyal (1783-1855), leader of the Nirankari movement. This wedding took place at the hermitage of Sant Budhu Shah Sevapanthi in 1808 at Bhera town. Baba Dyal opposed Brahminic beliefs by carrying out his wedding with the recital of Gurbani-kirtan and the Sikh supplication (ardas) in the month of Chetar (mid-March to mid-April, which is considered to be an inauspicious month for such events. Baba Dyal married off his son Darbara Singh (1814-1870) on the Sangrand day of Chetar in 1855 amidst a congregation in the Nirankari hall of Rawalpindi in accordance with Sikh sanctioned (Gurmat) beliefs. At this time, along with the recitation of the four chats of Lav, four circumambulations of the Guru Granth Sahib were taken. After 1855, in Pothohar and its surrounding areas, Nirankari Sikhs carried out several ‘Anand weddings.’ In 1861, the Nirankaris planned to carry out the wedding of a Sikh, Buta Singh, and Bibi Miran Dei in front of the Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar according to Anand customs, but due to opposition by priests, this wedding took place in the hermitage of Thakur Dyal Singh. The Brahmins too opposed these types of weddings.

Parallel to Nirankari sect, Baba Ram Singh (1816-1885), the leader of the Namdhari movement also started the wedding custom where the Lav was recited, but instead of taking the circumambulation (prakarma) of the Guru Granth Sahib, circumambulation of vedi was done. The first wedding that followed this ritual took place in village Khota of district Firozpur on 3 June 1863. In the context of Namdhari wedding rituals, Sant Visakha Singh writes that, “The Sikhs of the Namdhari sect are fond of performing havan during the Anand Karaj, instead of doing the circumambulation of the Guru Granth Sahib, they recite Lav by setting up a vedi and offering sacrifice to the fire.

In this way, in the post-Guru period, while the practice of the Lav ceremony and the circumambulation of the Guru Granth Sahib became more popular, the influence of Brahmanical influences did not, however, vanish. During present times, the practice of reciting the Lav along with the circumambulation of the Guru Granth Sahib is prevalent amongst mainstream Sikhs, other than the Namdhari sect.

Anand-Marriage Act
During the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, Anand weddings took the form of a movement, as seen above. To give the Lav ceremony a legislative form, the prince of the Nabha state, Ripudaman Singh Nabha took initiative. He presented the ‘Anand Marriage Bill’ to Viceroy Minto, the president of the Imperial Legislative Council on 30 October 1908.

On 27 August 1909, a meeting was called again, and instead of Ripudaman Singh, S. Sunder Singh Majithia was inducted as a member. In his speech, S. Sunder Singh Majithia provided concrete reasons in favor of the bill. This bill was then sent to a Select Committee and was presented again at the same Council on 8 October 1909. This time again, S. Sunder Singh Majithia, while providing strong justification regarding the significance of this bill, said that “…During the period of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the custom of Anand Marriage was not prevalent to much extent, and it was suppressed by the Brahminical influence. But fortunately, the remarriage of Sikh widows remained prevalent amongst Sikhs, which was forbidden in the Hindu tradition. There are four sects among Sikhs who have observed the tradition of Anand marriage from the beginning, such as the Bahingam (Nihang Singh), Bandai (followers of Baba Banda Bahadar), the Nirankari (they have named their sect after the name of Guru Nanak Nirankari), and finally the Namdhari (those who follow Baba Ram Singh) … This practice is reviving again, and several marriages have been conducted through this custom in the last 30 years, many of which have been announced through newspapers. Several kings, chiefs, descendants of the Gurus, saints, priests, military officials, agriculturalists, and many Sikh reformers are a part of this list. Sir! There is the possibility of the prevalence of this ceremony among Sikhs since it is quite simple and inexpensive.” After discussions, the bill was passed and became a law in the form of ‘The Anand Marriage Act.’

Regarding the debate that took place over the amendment of this law in independent India, Dr. Gurcharanjit Singh Lamba has written: “In 2012, when talks began about having a complete Anand Marriage Act, Dr. Daljit Singh, Principal Khalsa College, Sri Amritsar, with the assistance of Chief Khalsa prepared such a draft. Along with this, Dr. Dharamvir Gandhi, MP too presented a private bill. The government made an amendment to the act of 1909, but it remained limited to providing validity and registration to the marriage that took place through the custom of Anand Karaj. The rules and regulations of the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 are still applicable. In this too, there is no definite restriction on registering Anand wedding under only the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, rather, this too has been left to the State governments that they can create rules [of their own] regarding this.”

Anand Sanskar/Anand Karaj
The Sikh wedding ceremony is an important ceremony in the life of a Sikh. It is one of the three major Sikh ceremonies (birth and naming, initiation, wedding, funeral) described in the Sikh Rahit Maryada. This ceremony has its own convention, which has been described in the Sikh Rahit Maryada as follows:

a) “A Sikh man and woman should enter into wedlock without giving thought to the prospective spouse’s caste and descent.
b) A Sikh’s daughter must be married to a Sikh.
c) A Sikh’s marriage should be solemnized through Anand wedding rites.
d) Child marriage is taboo for Sikhs.
e) When a girl becomes marriageable physically, emotionally and by virtue of maturity of character, a suitable Sikh match should be found, and she be married to a spouse according to the Anand marriage rites.
f) Marriage may not be preceded by an engagement ceremony. But if an engagement ceremony is sought to be held, a congregational gathering should be held and after offering the Sikh Supplication (Ardas) before the Guru Granth Sahib, a kirpan, a steel bangle and some sweets may be given to the boy.
g) Consulting horoscopes to determine which day or date is auspicious or otherwise for fixing the day of a marriage is a sacrilege. Any day that the parties find suitable by mutual consultation should be fixed.
h) Putting on floral or gilded face ornamentation, decorative headgear or red thread bands around the wrist, worshipping of ancestors, dipping feet in mild, mixed yogurt with water, cutting a (plum tree) or some (Prosopis spicigera) bushes, filling a pitcher, conducting a ceremony of retirement in feigned displeasure, reciting couplets, performing [sacrificial fire] rites (havans), installing vedi (a wooden canopy or pavilion under which Hindu marriages are performed), prostitute dances, drinking liquor etc. are all sacrileges.
i) The marriage party should be comprised of as small a number of people as people from the girl’s side desire. The two sides should greet each other by singing sacred hymns and finally uttering the Sikh greeting of Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh.
j) For a marriage, there should be a congregational gathering in the holy presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. There should be hymn-singing by Sikh devotional singers (ragis) or by the whole congregation. Then, the girl and boy should be made to sit facing the Guru Granth Sahib. The girl should sit on the left side of the boy. After soliciting the congregation’s permission, the officiating person (who may be a man or woman) should bid the boy and girl and their parents or guardians to stand and offer the Sikh Supplication (Ardas) for the commencement of the ‘Anand’ marriage ceremony.
The officiant should then appraise the boy and girl of the duties and obligations of a conjugal life according to the Guru’s tenets.
He should initially give the two an exposition about their common mutual obligations.
He should tell them how to imbibe the model of a husband-wife relationship patterned on the love between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul in the light of the contents of the (Lav) hymns in Suhi musical mode (rag) section of the Guru Granth Sahib.
He should explain to them the notion of the state of “a single soul in two bodies,” a state which can be achieved through love and make them see how they may attain union with the Immortal Being while discharging the duties and obligations of a householder’s life. Both should be told that they must make their conjugal union a means to fulfilling the journey of the human existence as a couple happily. Both must lead clean and Guru-oriented lives through marital union. The officiating individual should then individually explain to the boy and girl their respective conjugal duties as husband and wife.
The bridegroom should be told that since the girl’s side has chosen him as the fittest match, he should regard his wife as his better half, accord her unflinching love and share with her all that he has. In all situations, he should protect her dignity and honor, he should be completely loyal to her, and he should show as much respect and consideration for her parents and relations as he would to his own.
The girl should be told that she has been joined in matrimony to her man in the hallowed presence of the Guru Granth Sahib and the congregation. She should ever harbor for him deferential solicitude, regard him the lord and master of her love and trust; she should remain firm in her loyalty to him and serve him in joy and sorrow in every clime (native or foreign) and should show the same regard and consideration to his parents and relatives as she would to her own parents and relatives.
The boy and girl should bow before the Guru Granth Sahib to indicate their acceptance of these instructions. Thereafter, the girl’s father or the principal relative should make the girl grasp one end of the scarf (palla) or the sash which the boy is wearing over his shoulders and the person in attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib should recite four chants of Lav. After the conclusion of the recitation of each of the chants, the boy, followed by the girl holding the end of the scarf, should take circumambulation of the Guru Granth Sahib while the Sikh devotional singers or the congregation sing out the chant recited earlier.
The boy and girl, after every circumambulation, should bow before the Guru Granth Sahib in genuflexion, lowering their forehead to touch the ground and then stand up to listen to the recitation of the next chant. There being four matrimonial chants to be sung, the proceeding will comprise of four circumambulations with the coincidental singing of the four chants. After the fourth circumambulation, the boy and girl should, after bowing before the Guru Granth Sahib, sit down at the same place and the officiant or the person who has conducted the ceremony should recite the first five and the last stanza of the Anand Sahib. Thereafter, the Sikh supplication (ardas) should be offered to mark the conclusion of the Anand marriage ceremony and karah prasad be distributed.
k) Persons professing faiths other than the Sikh faith cannot be joined in wedlock through the Sikh Wedding Ceremony (Anand Karaj) ceremony.
l) No Sikh should accept a match for his/her son or daughter for monetary consideration.
m) If the girl’s parents at any time or on any occasion visit their daughter’s home and a meal is ready there, they should not hesitate to eat there. Abstaining from eating at the girl’s home is a superstition. The Khalsa has been blessed with the boon of victuals by the Guru and the Immortal Being. People from the girl’s and the boy’s side should keep accepting each other’s hospitality because the Guru has connected them in a relationship of equality.
n) If a woman’s husband has died, she may, if she so wishes, find a match suitable for herself, and remarry. For a Sikh man whose wife has died, a similar ordinance prevails.
o) The remarriage may be solemnized in the same manner as the Anand marriage.
p) Generally, no Sikh should marry a second wife if the first wife is alive.
q) A baptized Sikh ought to get his wife baptized.”

In a nutshell, it can be said that the Lav based Sikh wedding ceremony (Anand Karaj) has a long tradition of conflict and struggle. The Sikh community has conventions for it but no comprehensive law for weddings through Anand Karaj. Till now, the Indian Constitution has only acknowledged weddings that are conducted through this custom. But no statute has been developed to substitute the Hindu Marriage Act. On the other hand, Pakistan’s Punjab Provincial Assembly passed the Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act in March 2018. However, the tenure of the provincial (PML-N) government finished in May 2018, because of which the Act was not implemented.