Bole So Nihal
Encyclopedia
Bole So Nihal is part of the traditional greeting used by the followers of the Sikh
religion and a call to action or duty.
Bole So Nihal...Sat Sri Akal is the Sikh slogan or jaikara (literally shout of victory, triumph or exultation). It is divided in two parts or phrases. The first, "bole so nihal", is a statement meaning "whoever utters (the phrase following) shall be happy, shall be fulfilled," and the second part "sat sri akal" ("Eternal is the Holy/Great Timeless Lord"). This slogan, first popularized by Guru Gobind Singh
,]who said this when the mughals said this and responded and this became the "jaikara", besides being a popular mode of expressing ebullient religious fervour or a mood of joy and celebration, an integral part of Sikh liturgy
and is shouted at the end of ardas
or prayer and said in sangat
or holy congregation. One of the Sikhs in the sangat, particularly the one leading ardas, shouts the first phrase, "jo bole so nihal", in response to which the entire congregation, including in most cases the leading Sikh himself, utter in unison "sati sri akal" in a long-drawn full-throated shout. The jaikara expresses the Sikh belief that all victory (Jaya or jai) belongs to God, Waheguru
, a belief that is also expressed in the Sikh salutation "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh" ("Khalsa is of God and to God belongs the victory", or "Hail the Guru’s Khalsa! Hail the Guru’s victory!")
Sat Sri Akal has been so used through the 300-year history of the Sikh people, since the creation of the Khalsa
. In a normal situation, when two Sikhs meet they exchange greetings by saying "Sat Sri Akal". Although it is now the customary Sikh greeting, it does not have the sanction of history or orthodoxy. "Wahiguru ji ka Khalsa Wahiguru ji ki Fateh", the other salutation, is generally used only by people punctilious in the observance of proper form. Those addressing a Sikh religious congregation will, as a rule, greet the audience with the salutation, "Wahiguru ji ka Khalsa Wahiguru ji ki Fateh". "Sat Sri Akal" shouted in unison responding to the call "jo bole so nihal" is a call to action, or expression of ecstatic joy or an invocation for Divine aid or succour. While sat or sati (Sanskrit
satya) means ‘true’, ‘good’, ‘abiding’, ‘real’ and ‘eternal’, sri is an honorific
denoting beauty, glory, grace or majesty.
Sati has the sanction of Guru Nanak’s Mool Mantra in the Japu where it appears, after Ik Onkar, as a constituent of Satinamu (Reality Eternal). Akal
also occurs in Mul Mantra in the phrase Akal Murath (Form Eternal), descriptive of the Absolute.
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
religion and a call to action or duty.
Bole So Nihal...Sat Sri Akal is the Sikh slogan or jaikara (literally shout of victory, triumph or exultation). It is divided in two parts or phrases. The first, "bole so nihal", is a statement meaning "whoever utters (the phrase following) shall be happy, shall be fulfilled," and the second part "sat sri akal" ("Eternal is the Holy/Great Timeless Lord"). This slogan, first popularized by Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
,]who said this when the mughals said this and responded and this became the "jaikara", besides being a popular mode of expressing ebullient religious fervour or a mood of joy and celebration, an integral part of Sikh liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
and is shouted at the end of ardas
Ardas
The Ardās is a Sikh prayer that is done before performing or after undertaking any significant task; after reciting the daily Banis ; or completion of a service like the Paath , kirtan program or any other religious program. In Sikhism, these prayers are also said before and after eating...
or prayer and said in sangat
Sangat
Sangat is a Sikh term with its origin in the Sanskrit word 'sangh', which means company, fellowship and association. In Sikh vocabulary, the word has a special connotation. It stands for the body of men and women who meet religiously, especially in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib...
or holy congregation. One of the Sikhs in the sangat, particularly the one leading ardas, shouts the first phrase, "jo bole so nihal", in response to which the entire congregation, including in most cases the leading Sikh himself, utter in unison "sati sri akal" in a long-drawn full-throated shout. The jaikara expresses the Sikh belief that all victory (Jaya or jai) belongs to God, Waheguru
Waheguru
Waheguru is a term most often used in Sikhism to refer to God, the Supreme Being or the creator of all. It means "The Good/Best Teacher" in the Punjabi language. Wahi means "good" and "Guru" is a term denoting "teacher"....
, a belief that is also expressed in the Sikh salutation "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh" ("Khalsa is of God and to God belongs the victory", or "Hail the Guru’s Khalsa! Hail the Guru’s victory!")
Sat Sri Akal has been so used through the 300-year history of the Sikh people, since the creation of the Khalsa
Khalsa
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. In a normal situation, when two Sikhs meet they exchange greetings by saying "Sat Sri Akal". Although it is now the customary Sikh greeting, it does not have the sanction of history or orthodoxy. "Wahiguru ji ka Khalsa Wahiguru ji ki Fateh", the other salutation, is generally used only by people punctilious in the observance of proper form. Those addressing a Sikh religious congregation will, as a rule, greet the audience with the salutation, "Wahiguru ji ka Khalsa Wahiguru ji ki Fateh". "Sat Sri Akal" shouted in unison responding to the call "jo bole so nihal" is a call to action, or expression of ecstatic joy or an invocation for Divine aid or succour. While sat or sati (Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
satya) means ‘true’, ‘good’, ‘abiding’, ‘real’ and ‘eternal’, sri is an honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
denoting beauty, glory, grace or majesty.
Sati has the sanction of Guru Nanak’s Mool Mantra in the Japu where it appears, after Ik Onkar, as a constituent of Satinamu (Reality Eternal). Akal
Akal
Akal literally timeless, immortal, non-temporal, is a term integral to Sikh tradition and philosophy. It is extensively used in the Dasam Granth hymns by Guru Gobind Singh, who titled one of his poetic compositions Akal Ustat; i.e., In Praise of the Timeless One . However, the concept of Akal...
also occurs in Mul Mantra in the phrase Akal Murath (Form Eternal), descriptive of the Absolute.