Renegotiating Orthopraxy in the Presence of the Bani Guru

Abstract

This article examines the intersection between Sikh scripture as text and as 'Living Guru' (Bani Guru) enlivened through the performative practice of Gurbani Kirtan (singing devotional 'Gurbani' hymns enshrined in Sikh scripture). It ethnographically explores how practitioners negotiate between the diverse lived practices and orthopraxic conventions surrounding the physical and intangible forms of the Guru as Bani (Gurbani). Today, Gurbani Kirtan is sung and played in diverse musical styles, locations, and contexts and can be accessed through mass media technologies. These innovative practices raise questions about how Sikhs are to maintain the respect and devotional intentionality usually accorded the Gurbani while allowing for the possibility of future practices. This article questions orthopraxic notions by recognizing that Gurbani Kirtan offers an experiential methodology with the goal of embodying the Bani as Guru (Gurbani) within the self, thus transforming Sikh subjectivity altogether.