Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Amritdhari

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Sikhism

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

  • 131 Accesses

Synonyms

Khalsa

Definition

A Sikh initiated into the Khalsa.

Main Text

Amritdhari consists of two words: amrit and dhari. Amrit refers to being without death, or a nectar substance that imbues deathlessness. The term amrit is found throughout the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. For example, the following excerpt is composed by Guru Ram Das and is found on Ang 982 set under the musical notation of Raag Nat:

The word: Guru. Guru is the word. Within the word is all Amrit.

Within Gurbani, amrit is not confined to a physical, existent nectar inasmuch as the more open-ended drive for and in devotion. Dhari signifies bestowment, such that amritdhari literally means he/she for whom being beyond dying has been bestowed. The two terms are found in conjunction on Ang 404 in a composition by Guru Arjan Sahib in Raag Aasa:

My beloved bestowed amrit. The Guru hadn’t withheld it for even a moment.

Here, amrit is highlighted as the ecstatic manifestation arising from a relationship with the Guru.

The term amritdhari...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 449.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. McLeod WH (1995) Historical dictionary of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cole O, Sambhi PS (1990) A popular dictionary of Sikhism. Curzon Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  3. Nesbitt E (2005) Sikhism a very short introduction. Oxford University Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Randeep Hothi

Authors
  1. Randeep Hothi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Randeep Hothi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Hothi, R. (2017). Amritdhari. In: Mandair, AP.S. (eds) Sikhism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0846-1_445

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation