Nitnem

Every morning, I wake up, drag myself out of bed, have a shower, comb my hair and tie my dastaar. Do some simran, take out my gutka, read Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Tva Prasaad Savaiye, Chaupai Sahib, and Anand Sahib. Do Ardaas, catch about half an hours sleep, and then get ready and leave for school.

This becomes a daily routine. Sometimes it becomes too repetitive. Sometimes I don't feel like getting up. Sometimes I read panj bania without even paying attention to what my Guru is telling me. Sometimes Nitnem loses it's meaning.

The word Nitnem translates as daily practice. Yes, our Nitnem should be a part of our routine, but it is also much more than just a practice. The reason why we do our Nitnem every day is because we are Sikhs every day. We need to keep our Sikhi strong every day. We need to remind ourselves of our Guru every day. Our Nitnem sets us up for the day. It gives us strength, faith and refreshes our love for our Guru. It helps to keep ourselves on track both spiritually and mentally.

Above everything else, we can learn so much from just one Bani. We should aim to live in the way our Nitnem bania tell us to. We should try to learn to understand bani, and let it guide us towards our Guru. Whichever bania we read, our Nitnem sets us up for the entire day, every day. Blessed is the person who even has one morning of pure, focused Nitnem.