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Nanaki: the definition of sister and sisterhood in the Bala Janam Sakhi recension

University of British Columbia

The objective of this thesis is to unfold the role of Nanaki, the older sister of Nanak, the founder of Sikhism in the Bala recension. In the Bala recension, Nanaki is presented as a powerful and assertive woman. Her status is shown to be much different than the women of contemporary Punjabi Sikh society. Revealing Nanaki's status will give us an understanding of the presentation of women in the early Sikh traditions. The Bala Janam Sakhi recension is very popular among the Punjabi Sikh community of the twentieth century. Therefore, I am using the Bala recension to investigate the role of Nanaki. Other versions of Janam Sakhis recensions also exit, such as Puratan Janam Sakhi recension, Miharban Janam Sakhi recension and Mani Singh Janam Sakhi recension, but they are not followed by Punjabi Sikhs as much as Bala recension. My analysis will focus on the kin relationships of Nanaki, Nanak and their close kin and how they are reflected in the status of women in the Bala recension. Nanaki was Nanak's caretaker, protector and guardian. Nanaki's powerful and authoritarian personality played a vital part in the establishment of Sikhism by Nanak. Nanaki is presented as a powerful and authoritarian daughter, sister, wife and sister-in-law. All these roles of Nanaki will be explored in this thesis.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-05-25

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/8151

Asian Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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