Item 1 in Three Pillars of Sikh Practice
Naam Japna — Remember the Divine
Cultivate continuing remembrance and awareness of the divine name.
- Position
- 1
- Form
- Practice or observance
- Obligation
- Recommended
- Wording status
- Editorial paraphrase
- Intended audience
- Sikhs and students of Sikh ethics
- Last reviewed
- 28 June 2026
Names and terminology
Canonical name: Naam Japna — Remember the Divine
Original term: Naam Japna
Source wording
Editorial paraphrase: Cultivate continuing remembrance and awareness of the divine name.
Literal meaning
Cultivate continuing remembrance and awareness of the divine name.
Broader interpretation
Interpretation depends on the framework's historical purpose, intended audience and relationship to its other principles.
Ethical purpose
To shape conduct or character in a way consistent with the wider ethical framework.
Modern application
Modern application requires attention to consent, rights, evidence, foreseeable harm and changing social conditions.
Criticism and difficult cases
Application can become difficult when this principle conflicts with another duty, when harm is indirect, or when ancient social assumptions do not fit modern conditions.
Truth By Reason analysis
Truth By Reason assesses this principle according to evidence, rights, intentions, foreseeable consequences and consistency with the treatment of all affected beings.
Ethical themes
Sources
- The Three Pillars of Sikhism: A Note on Origins Academic / peer reviewed