Skip to content
← CatalogueTheology300 levelCreated by AI

Theology

The Pran Sangli: Text, Breath, Attribution, and Sikh Thought

Professor: Sikhi University Source: SikhLibrary

The Pran Sangli (Chain of Life) is a text attributed to Guru Gobind Singh Ji dealing with breath, creation, and spiritual liberation. This course examines the text carefully, explores its unique account of creation through divine breath, addresses the crucial Gurmat distinction between breath as a natural companion to Naam Simran and yogic pranayama as ego-driven breath control, and considers the scholarly questions surrounding its attribution and place in Sikh thought.

Begin course12 lessons · 10-question test · 80% to pass
Created by AI. Drafted with AI and reviewed for accuracy. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Prerequisite recommended. This is a 300-level course. We recommend completing 200-level courses before diving in — they build the foundation this course assumes.

What you'll learn

  • Identify the major themes and compositional structure of the Pran Sangli text
  • Explain the Gurmat understanding of breath as a natural companion to Naam Simran, distinct from yogic pranayama
  • Analyze the Pran Sangli's cosmological account of creation through the divine Word and breath
  • Evaluate the attribution question for the Pran Sangli using evidence from the text itself and historical context
  • Compare the Pran Sangli's approach to breath with the approach of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji to the breath as divine gift
  • Articulate why the Gurmat approach to breath cannot be reduced to or conflated with yogic pranayama techniques

Key terms — ਸ਼ਬਦਾਵਲੀ

ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਸੰਗਲੀ

Pran Sangli; Chain of Life/Breath; the title of the text combining pran (breath/life-force) with sangli (chain or necklace), suggesting the interdependence of all life through breath

ਪ੍ਰਾਣ

Pran; breath or life-force; in Indic thought the vital energy that animates the body — in Gurmat understood as the divine gift of life rather than a technique to be controlled

ਸਾਹ

Sah; breath; in Gurbani each breath is understood as a gift of Waheguru, an opportunity for Naam Simran, not a technique of yogic practice

ਸਿਮਰਨ

Simran; loving remembrance; the Gurmat spiritual practice of continuously remembering Waheguru — the breath is the natural rhythm that accompanies simran, not a controlled technique

ਯੋਗ

Yog; yoga; Indic tradition of physical, mental, and spiritual discipline — in Gurmat, the Gurus acknowledged yoga while critiquing the ego-driven control of breath and body as a path to liberation

ਪ੍ਰਾਣਾਯਾਮ

Pranayam; yogic breath control; the systematic regulation of breath as a spiritual technique — distinguished in Gurmat from the natural, loving breath of Naam Simran

ਸ਼ਬਦ-ਸੁਰਤਿ

Shabad-Surti; awareness of the divine Word; the Gurmat practice of attentiveness to the divine Shabad, which the breath naturally accompanies in devotional practice

ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਨ

Naam Simran; remembrance of the divine Name; the central Sikh spiritual practice in which the breath serves as a natural rhythm for the repetition of Waheguru's Name

ਰੱਬ ਦੀ ਰਜ਼ਾ

Rabb di Raza; divine will; the Gurmat framework in which the breath is understood as governed by divine will (hukam) rather than human technique

ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਵੇਲਾ

Amrit Vela; the ambrosial hours before dawn; the prescribed time for Nitnem and Naam Simran in Sikh practice, when breath and awareness are naturally aligned in the stillness before day

Lessons

1. Introduction to the Pran Sangli

Full course contents
  1. Introduction to the Pran Sangli
  2. The Opening Verses: Creation from the One Creator
  3. The Title: What Does Pran Sangli Mean?
  4. The Four Types of Life and the Creator's Breath
  5. Brahma, Vishnu, and the Spectacle of Creation
  6. The Gurmat Understanding of Breath as Divine Gift
  7. Breath, Name, and Simran: The Gurmat Relationship
  8. Why Pranayama Is Not Gurmat Spirituality
  9. The Pran Sangli and Yogic Tradition: Similarities and Distinctions
  10. The Attribution Question: Evidence and Uncertainty
  11. The Pran Sangli in Contemporary Sikh Practice
  12. Conclusion: Breath, Liberation, and the Natural Way

A Less Familiar Text

The ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਸੰਗਲੀ is considerably less well known than either the Sarbloh Granth or the Dasam Granth among the broader Sikh community. It is a shorter text, attributed to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, that opens with themes of creation and the divine Word familiar from other compositions in the attributed corpus, but which develops its own distinctive engagement with the theme of breath as the chain of life that connects all beings to the Creator. The text is preserved in the Additional Granths section of the SikhLibrary digital collection, reflecting its placement outside the core canonical texts.

The Opening of the Text

The published translation of the Pran Sangli opens with the heading "The Chain of Life" and the verse: "From the pure One Creator, the divine Word came forth. From it, all creation originated. Within creation, there is vast expansion. The Creator alone knows it. How many forms does the Creator assume? Within each form, the Unseen One resides" (Pran Sangli, page 1). Students who have studied the Sarbloh Japji Sahib will recognize this opening immediately: it is identical or nearly identical to the first verse of the Sarbloh Japji. This textual overlap is itself significant and will be addressed later in the course.

Why This Text Matters

The Pran Sangli matters for Sikh studies for several reasons. It raises important questions about the boundaries of the attributed compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It engages directly with the relationship between breath and divine reality in a way that intersects with yogic traditions, requiring careful theological discrimination. And it provides a case study for the broader question of how to engage with texts whose canonical status and attribution are uncertain but whose content has genuine theological interest. This course uses the Pran Sangli as an opportunity for this kind of careful, honest engagement.

2. The Opening Verses: Creation from the One Creator

The Shared Opening

The Pran Sangli's opening verse — "From the pure One Creator, the divine Word came forth. From it, all creation originated. Within creation, there is vast expansion. The Creator alone knows it. How many forms does the Creator assume? Within each form, the Unseen One resides" — closely parallels or is identical to the opening verse of the Sarbloh Japji Sahib. The Rahao verse that follows also parallels the Sarbloh Japji: "Meditate on the One Name, O mind, with your prayer beads. Nanak, remember the Guru, the Sustainer of the Universe" (Pran Sangli, page 1). This textual overlap has different implications depending on one's theory of the texts' origins.

Possible Explanations for the Shared Text

If both texts are authentic compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the shared opening might indicate that the Guru used the same fundamental theological statement as the basis for multiple compositions — as Guru Nanak Dev Ji used different versions of similar theological themes across the compositions of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Alternatively, if one text postdates the other, the later author may have adopted the earlier text's opening as a way of establishing theological continuity and attributed authority. Without a critical edition and manuscript dating, it is not possible to determine which text came first or whether they share a common source (Fenech and McLeod 2014, 289).

The Cosmological Framework

The shared cosmological framework of creation from the divine Word, the enumeration of cosmic agents (Brahma, Vishnu), and the affirmation that the Unseen One resides within every form establishes the theological foundation for what the Pran Sangli will develop specifically: the role of breath in this created order. The Word that creates all things creates breathing beings — beings whose very existence is expressed in and through the breath. The Pran Sangli's distinctive contribution is to make this connection between the creative Word and the breathing creature theologically explicit.

3. The Title: What Does Pran Sangli Mean?

Pran: Life-Force and Breath

The Sanskrit word ਪ੍ਰਾਣ (prana) has a range of meanings in Indic philosophical literature. In its most basic sense it means breath — the physical act of inhalation and exhalation that sustains biological life. In yogic philosophy, prana is the subtler life-force that flows through the body's energy channels and that can be cultivated, directed, and controlled through pranayama practices. In the broader Indic philosophical tradition, prana is associated with the cosmic principle of life — the energy that animates all living things. The title Pran Sangli thus invokes all these levels of meaning simultaneously: the physical breath, the life-force, and the cosmic principle of vitality.

Sangli: Chain or Necklace

The word ਸੰਗਲੀ (sangli) means chain or necklace — a string of linked elements, each connected to the others. The title Pran Sangli thus means the Chain of Breath/Life: the breath as the connecting link between all living beings and the Creator, the chain that holds creation together through the continuous flow of divine life-force. This is a beautiful and evocative title: every breathing being is a link in the chain of life that extends from the first moment of creation to the present, all sustained by the same divine prana that flows from the Creator into creation.

Theological Implications

The title's theological implications are significant. If the breath is the chain that connects all beings to the Creator, then the breath is not merely a biological function — it is a spiritual reality, a continuous connection between the created and the Creator. Every inhalation is the Creator breathing life into the creature; every exhalation is the creature returning that breath in gratitude. This understanding of breath as divine connection is the theological basis for the Gurmat teaching that the Name of Waheguru should accompany every breath — not as a yogic technique but as the natural acknowledgment of the divine connection that the breath itself embodies.

4. The Four Types of Life and the Creator's Breath

The Four Types Revisited

Like the Sarbloh Japji, the Pran Sangli's cosmological account includes the four types of living beings: those born from eggs, from wombs, from sweat, and those that spontaneously manifest. The Pran Sangli's account reads: "He created bodies and infused them with breath. He created time. Within each sight, the Unseen One resides" (Pran Sangli, page 1). The creation of bodies is immediately followed by the infusion of breath — the two are inseparable in this account. A body without breath is not a living being; the breath is what makes the body alive. And the Creator is the source of that breath.

Breath as the Divine Gift of Life

The theological implication of this account is that every breath a living being takes is a gift from the Creator. This is not a metaphor; it is a literal theological claim about the source of the breath. The Creator who "created bodies and infused them with breath" is the ongoing source of the breath that continues to sustain those bodies moment by moment. From this perspective, every breath is an act of divine grace, and the appropriate response to every breath is gratitude and awareness of the divine presence.

The Gurmat Teaching on Breath

This understanding of breath as divine gift is consistent with the Guru Granth Sahib Ji's teaching on breath. The Gurus consistently speak of the breath as Waheguru's gift — a gift that is finite and precious, to be used wisely in Naam Simran rather than wasted in distraction and ego. The teaching is not to control or manipulate the breath through technique but to receive it gratefully and use each breath as an occasion for the loving remembrance of the One who gave it. The Pran Sangli's opening account of the Creator infusing bodies with breath provides the cosmological grounding for this devotional teaching.

5. Brahma, Vishnu, and the Spectacle of Creation

Consistent Theological Method

The Pran Sangli's treatment of Brahma and Vishnu follows exactly the same theological method as the Sarbloh Japji: "From the One Creator, Brahma came into being. Brahma contemplated the four Vedas. Vishnu manifested ten incarnations. He Himself, detached, creates the spectacle. As His command unfolds, so does the manifestation" (Pran Sangli, page 1). This is the Gurmat approach to Puranic cosmology: acknowledge the cosmic agents as real expressions of the divine will while insisting on the single Creator as the only ultimate reality. Brahma and Vishnu are neither dismissed as false nor worshipped as independent deities; they are honored as instruments of the One.

The Spectacle and the Detached Creator

The phrase "He Himself, detached, creates the spectacle" appears in both the Sarbloh Japji and the Pran Sangli — another textual parallel that raises questions about the relationship between the two texts. Whether this represents a common author using a favored phrase, or a later text borrowing from an earlier one, the theological content is consistent: the divine creates the entire cosmic spectacle — all the agents, all the incarnations, all the forms — while remaining perfectly detached from it. This divine detachment is both a metaphysical claim (the divine is not defined by or limited to the creation) and an ethical model (the ideal human being acts in the world without ego-attachment, following the divine's own example).

The Breath of the Detached Creator

The Pran Sangli adds a specific dimension to this picture: the detached Creator is also the breathing Creator — the one who infuses creation with breath. The detachment does not mean absence or distance; it means freedom. The Creator who breathes life into creation is fully present to that creation at every moment, yet perfectly free — not bound by the creation or dependent on it. This is the model for the spiritually liberated person in Gurmat: fully present to life, fully engaged with the world, yet perfectly free — attached to nothing, dependent only on Waheguru.

6. The Gurmat Understanding of Breath as Divine Gift

Breath in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji

The Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains numerous references to the breath as a divine gift. The teaching is consistent across multiple compositions: the breath is given by Waheguru, it is finite (each person receives a fixed number of breaths), and its proper use is in the remembrance of Waheguru. A verse attributed to Kabir expresses this with great urgency: the breath wasted in ego and distraction is the breath of a person asleep to the divine presence within them. The spiritually awake person — the ਗੁਰਮੁਖ — uses each breath consciously, as an occasion for Naam Simran.

The Breath as Natural Rhythm of Simran

In Gurmat spirituality, the relationship between breath and Naam Simran is natural, not technical. The breath provides the rhythm — the inhale and exhale — within which the Name naturally flows. "Waheguru" on the inhale, "Waheguru" on the exhale — or any number of variations on this basic practice. This is not a yogic technique of breath control; it is a natural alignment of the body's most basic biological rhythm with the soul's most natural spiritual impulse — the remembrance of the divine. The Pran Sangli's account of the Creator infusing bodies with breath provides the cosmological basis for why this natural alignment is spiritually meaningful (Cole and Sambhi 1995, 89).

No Technique, Only Love

The crucial distinction in Gurmat spirituality is that the breath is not a tool to be wielded by the practitioner for spiritual achievement; it is a gift to be received with gratitude and used in loving service to Waheguru. This distinction matters enormously for how one reads the Pran Sangli. The text is not a manual of breath techniques; it is a theological meditation on the breath as the chain that connects every living being to the Creator. The spiritual practice it points toward is Naam Simran — loving remembrance — not pranayama as technical accomplishment.

7. Breath, Name, and Simran: The Gurmat Relationship

The Integration of Breath and Name

In Gurmat devotional practice, ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਨ (Naam Simran) is the central spiritual discipline. The Name of Waheguru is not merely a word; it is the living divine presence itself, encountered through loving, attentive remembrance. The breath provides the natural physical rhythm within which this remembrance occurs. The practitioner does not manipulate the breath to achieve a spiritual state; rather, they simply become aware of the breath they are already taking and align that breath with the Name they are already receiving as a divine gift. This alignment is itself an act of grace, not technique (Shackle and Mandair 2005, 78).

The Pran Sangli's Contribution

The Pran Sangli's theological contribution to this understanding is its grounding of the breath-Name relationship in the cosmological framework of creation. The Creator who breathed life into all beings is the same Creator whose Name the Guru invites us to remember with each breath. The Pran Sangli (Chain of Life) is thus the chain of remembrance: each breath links the created being to the Creator, and Naam Simran is the conscious recognition of that link. The Pran Sangli transforms the breath from a physiological function into a spiritual reality — not by adding technique to it but by seeing it more clearly for what it already is.

The Amrit Vela Practice

The tradition of rising at ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਵੇਲਾ (Amrit Vela — the ambrosial hours before dawn) for Nitnem and Naam Simran is grounded in this understanding of breath. At that still hour, before the day's activity begins, the practitioner's breath is naturally slow and deep. The alignment of this breath with the Name flows naturally in the stillness. The Pran Sangli's theology of breath as divine chain offers a way of understanding why this practice is spiritually transformative: at Amrit Vela, the practitioner consciously participates in the very act of creation — receiving the breath that the Creator has been giving since the beginning, and returning it in loving remembrance.

8. Why Pranayama Is Not Gurmat Spirituality

What Is Pranayama?

Pranayama in the classical yoga tradition (as codified in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and subsequent yogic literature) refers to the systematic regulation of breath — specific techniques for controlling the rate, depth, and flow of the breath to achieve particular physiological and spiritual effects. Pranayama includes techniques like alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana), retention of breath (kumbhaka), and forced exhalation (kapalabhati). These techniques are taught as part of the eightfold path of classical yoga (Whicher 1998, 45). In the contemporary wellness context, pranayama has been widely adopted as a practice with documented effects on the nervous system.

The Fundamental Difference

The fundamental difference between pranayama and Gurmat breath practice is the locus of agency. In pranayama, the practitioner is the agent: they control the breath to achieve a desired state. In Gurmat Naam Simran, Waheguru is the agent: the practitioner receives the breath as a divine gift and aligns with it rather than controlling it. This difference in the locus of agency reflects a deeper theological difference: pranayama operates within a framework where the practitioner can, through technique, advance their own spiritual development. Gurmat spirituality insists that liberation comes through divine grace, not human technique. The breath cannot be manipulated into liberation; it can only be received gratefully as a vehicle for the remembrance that grace enables.

The Gurus' Critique of Yoga

The Gurus did not dismiss yoga entirely, but they consistently critiqued the ego-driven aspects of yogic practice — including the idea that breath control and physical austerities could, by themselves, produce spiritual liberation. Multiple compositions in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji address the yogi tradition with acknowledgment of its sincerity but firm redirection: the way to liberation is not control of the breath but the Name of Waheguru, received through Guru's grace. This critique is directly relevant to reading the Pran Sangli: if the text is attributed to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, it must be read in light of the Gurmat critique of pranayama, not as a Sikh endorsement of yogic breath control.

9. The Pran Sangli and Yogic Tradition: Similarities and Distinctions

Shared Vocabulary

The Pran Sangli's use of the word ਪ੍ਰਾਣ (prana/breath) as a central theological term naturally creates overlap with yogic vocabulary. In yogic literature, prana is the central term for the life-force that pranayama aims to cultivate and direct. Students approaching the Pran Sangli with some knowledge of yogic philosophy will find the vocabulary familiar. This familiarity can be helpful (it aids understanding of the text's language) or misleading (if it leads to reading the text as if it were a yogic manual rather than a Gurmat theological meditation).

The Theological Frame Makes the Difference

The crucial distinction between the Pran Sangli's approach to breath and the yogic approach lies in the theological frame. In the Pran Sangli, the breath is consistently understood within the framework of the single Creator who breathes life into creation: "He created bodies and infused them with breath" (Pran Sangli, page 1). The breath is always the Creator's gift, always under the Creator's authority. In yogic tradition, while the breath is recognized as sacred, the practitioner's role is to master and direct it. These are fundamentally different orientations toward the same physical reality.

A Sikh Reading of the Pran Sangli

A proper Sikh reading of the Pran Sangli requires holding the text's Gurmat theological frame consistently. When the text discusses breath and life, it is discussing the divine gift of life — the chain of prana that connects all beings to the Creator. It is not providing pranayama instructions. If the text contains any passages that might be read as advocating specific breath-control techniques (the course does not have access to the full text's later pages), such passages must be read in light of the Gurmat theological framework that the text itself establishes in its opening verses: the Creator is the agent, the breath is the gift, and the proper response is remembrance, not control.

10. The Attribution Question: Evidence and Uncertainty

The Attribution Claim

The Pran Sangli is preserved in the SikhLibrary digital collection under the category "Additional Granths attributed to Guru Sahib" — a title that already signals its non-canonical status relative to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji and the mainstream Dasam Granth. The text itself, in its opening, uses the signature convention consistent with Guru Gobind Singh Ji's other compositions (the Nanak signature in the Rahao verse). These internal features are consistent with attribution to the Tenth Guru but are not definitive, since later composers could employ the same convention.

The Textual Overlap Question

The near-identical opening verses of the Pran Sangli and the Sarbloh Japji Sahib raise specific attribution questions. If both texts are authentic compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the overlap is understandable but notable. If one text postdates the other, the later text's author was clearly familiar with and drawing on the earlier text. Without manuscript dating for both texts, it is not possible to determine the direction of influence. This specific question — what is the relationship between the Pran Sangli and the Sarbloh Japji? — is one of the most interesting and unresolved questions for future scholarship on these texts (Fenech and McLeod 2014, 289).

Honest Uncertainty as a Scholarly Virtue

As with the Sarbloh Granth attribution question, the responsible scholarly position on the Pran Sangli is honest uncertainty. The text has features consistent with the attributed authorship; it also lacks the kind of independent early documentation that would confirm that attribution beyond reasonable doubt. The text is preserved within a tradition that regards it as attributed to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and this tradition's testimony is evidence that must be taken seriously. Beyond this, the course cannot go without access to manuscript evidence and the critical scholarly apparatus that a proper attribution study would require. Students who want to engage this question more deeply are encouraged to seek out primary manuscript sources directly.

11. The Pran Sangli in Contemporary Sikh Practice

Outside the Mainstream Nitnem

Like the Sarbloh Granth, the Pran Sangli is not part of the mainstream Sikh Nitnem as defined by the Sikh Rehat Maryada. It does not appear in the standard recitations practiced in most gurdwaras or taught in most Sikh educational contexts. This means that most Sikhs — even those with a strong commitment to Sikh practice — will not have encountered the Pran Sangli as a text. Its presence in this course may be the first time some students have heard of it.

Traditional Communities

Whether the Pran Sangli is used in specific traditional Sikh communities beyond the Nihang tradition is a question that would require empirical investigation of current practice — something beyond the scope of this course. What can be said is that the text exists within a category of compositions that occupy a specific place in the living tradition: revered by those who know them, largely unknown to the broader Panth, and preserved through specific lineages or communities whose practice extends beyond the mainstream Nitnem.

The Value of Knowing the Text

Even for Sikhs who do not practice from the Pran Sangli, knowing the text has value. It expands one's understanding of the range of compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It invites reflection on the theological significance of breath within Gurmat spirituality. And it provides the occasion for the crucial discrimination between yogic pranayama and the Gurmat understanding of breath as divine gift — a discrimination that is practically important for any Sikh who encounters the contemporary wellness culture's enthusiasm for breath practices. The Pran Sangli, properly read, clarifies the Gurmat position: breath is sacred because it is the Creator's gift, not because it is a technique for spiritual advancement.

12. Conclusion: Breath, Liberation, and the Natural Way

The Natural Way

One of the most consistent themes in Gurmat spirituality is the concept of the natural way — ਸਹਿਜ (sahaj) — the effortless, natural state of being in which the soul rests in awareness of the divine presence. Sahaj is not achieved through technique; it is the natural state that emerges when the ego's effortful striving falls away and the soul simply rests in what is. The Pran Sangli's theology of breath as the divine chain of life points toward this natural way: the breath does not need to be controlled or improved; it needs to be received gratefully and accompanied with the loving remembrance of the One who gives it.

Breath as Sahaj Practice

In the Gurmat framework, the alignment of breath with Naam Simran is itself a form of sahaj practice — it does not add anything artificial to the breath but simply makes conscious what the breath already is: the divine's ongoing act of sustaining life. The practitioner who breathes with awareness of the divine gift of each breath, who lets the Name arise naturally with each breath, is practicing in the most natural and unforced way possible. This is the polar opposite of pranayama's technical control: it is a releasing of control, a trusting of the divine's own creative and sustaining act.

A Living Gift

The Pran Sangli, whatever its attribution and whatever its canonical status, offers a beautiful theological meditation on the breath as the living gift that connects every created being to the Creator. The chain of life — the ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਸੰਗਲੀ — is the breath that passes from the divine Creator into every body at the moment of creation and continues to flow, breath by breath, moment by moment, as the evidence of divine sustaining grace. To be alive is to be receiving this gift. To be spiritually awake is to know it, be grateful for it, and return each breath in loving remembrance of the One whose breath it is. This is the Gurmat teaching on breath — and it is one of the most beautiful and practically accessible teachings in all of Sikh spiritual wisdom.

References & further reading

  1. Sri-Pran-Sangli (attributed to Guru Gobind Singh Ji). Preserved in the SikhLibrary Digital Collection. Accessed via HuggingFace, jsdosanj/SikhLibrary, 2026.
  2. Singh, Sahib. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Darpan. 10 vols. Jalandhar: Raj Publishers, 1972.
  3. Fenech, Louis E., and W. H. McLeod. Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. 3rd ed. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
  4. Singh, Harbans. The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. 4 vols. Patiala: Punjabi University, 1992–1998.
  5. Whicher, Ian. The Integrity of the Yoga Darsana: A Reconsideration of Classical Yoga. Albany: SUNY Press, 1998.
  6. Cole, W. Owen, and Piara Singh Sambhi. The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. 2nd ed. Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 1995.
  7. Shackle, Christopher, and Arvind Mandair, eds. Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures. London: Routledge, 2005.

Flashcards — ਕਾਰਡ ਅਭਿਆਸ

Click a card to flip it and reveal the definition.

Click to reveal

Course test

Pass with 80% or higher to complete the course and unlock the next one.

1. What does the title 'Pran Sangli' mean?
2. The opening verses of the Pran Sangli closely parallel which other text?
3. According to the Pran Sangli's creation account, what did the Creator do when creating bodies?
4. What is the fundamental difference between pranayama and Gurmat breath practice?
5. Why did the Gurus critique yoga in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji?
6. What is sahaj in Gurmat spirituality?
7. How is the Pran Sangli classified in the SikhLibrary digital collection?
8. What does the course identify as a significant evidential puzzle about the Pran Sangli?
9. In Gurmat practice, how does the breath relate to Naam Simran?
10. What does the course say is the most practically important reason to understand the Pran Sangli's theology of breath?

Read the source texts

Read the primary sources for yourself — the Gurbani in our read-along reader, and the original works in the source library.

Rate this course

Discussion & Q&A

Sign in to post.