ਬਹੁਤੁ ਜਨਮ ਭਰਮਤ ਤੈ ਹਾਰਿਓ ਅਸਥਿਰ ਮਤਿ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਈ ॥

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਜਨਮ ਭਰਮਤ ਤੈ ਹਾਰਿਓ ਅਸਥਿਰ ਮਤਿ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਈ ॥

bahut janam bharamat tai haario asathir mat nahee paiee ||

Simranpreet Anand

2021

Seventeen rumaley sahib, manji sahib, plastic flowers in crystal vases, white fabric

In daily practice, Sikhs wrap Guru Granth Sahib in rumaley sahib that clothe the Guru. These textiles become sacred when they are given as an offering in the Guru’s court. Similarly, rumaley sahib clothe spiritual materials such as kirpans, pothis, gutkas when they are not in use. The continuous wrapping of the rumala sahib is an echo of this gesture. 

In this passage from Gurbani, Guru Tegh Bahadur tells that those who become entrapped in the pursuit of wealth never escape the endless cycle of birth and rebirth (Ang 631). This piece extends that notion to the wrapping of sacred objects in rumaley sahib, which themselves have become entrapped in a cycle of reproduction and waste.

Plastic flowers and crystal vases are placed in front of the Guru Granth Sahib and around the darbar (court). Historically, these would have been fresh flowers offered and replaced daily by the congregation to the Guru but have been replaced with fake flowers due to the affordability and durability of plastics.