Ardas is a standing prayer done to remember all the Gurus, the sacrifices of Sikhs in the past and to request the future prosperity and service of the Sikhs.

The word Ardas is derived from the Persian word ‘Arazdashat’, meaning a request, a supplication, a prayer, a petition or an address to a superior authority. A person who performs an Ardas is called the Ardasia. It is done in one of the following situations:

• Before performing or after undertaking any significant task
• After reciting the daily Sikh prayers (Nitnem) or
• After the completion of a service such as hymn-singing (Kirtan).