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Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Oct 14, 2007
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The word "Guru" is said to be made up of two words: GU meaning DARK and RU meaning LIGHT. The word Guru means from darkness to light or from ignorance to enlightenment. The one who enlightens is called GURU. — Granth is Punjabi for "scripture"; Sahib is Hindi meaning "master", from Arabic, meaning "companion", "friend", "owner", or "master". Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the perpetual Guru of the Sikhs. It has 1430 'limbs' and contains the actual words spoken by the Gurus and various other Saints from other religions including Hinduism and Sufi Islam.
 
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History & Composition of the Guru Granth Sahib

From about 1479, when Guru Nanak was about 10 years old, he brought the word of God to manifestation upon the Earth. Through his hymns and prayers, he inspired and uplifted humankind to live a life of truth, righteousness and spirituality. These enlightening words were sung by his companions, Bala and Mardana, and by the sangats which grew up around Guru Nanak. In his later years, at Kartarpur, it became customary for the members of the Sikh community to sing certain hymns on a daily basis: Japji in the morning; "So Dar" and "So Purakh", the beginnings of Rehiras, in the evenings.
From about 1540, Guru Angad then from 1552 Guru Amar Das and then from 1574 Guru Ram Das all composed shabads, (hymns) and the Sikhs began to collect these in books called Pothis. Chanting these shabads, the Sikhs became vehicles for the vibrations of the Gurbani, the "Word of God", and they achieved a state of higher consciousness, a transcendent meditative union with God and Guru. Even early in Sikh history, however, there were malcontents, and pretenders to the Throne of Spirituality. Prithia, the elder brother of Guru Arjan, composed his own hymns and passed them off as writings of Guru Nanak. There were many different collections of shabads, and many differing versions of the same shabads. Guru Arjan realized that a standardized, authenticated collection of the Guru’s Bani was needed to preserve the integrity of the shabad.
 
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The most complete collection of shabads of Guru Nanak, Guru Angad and Guru Amar Das was in the possession of Mohan, a son of Guru Amar Das. Guru Arjan sent Bhai Gurdas to Mohan’s home in Goindwal, to request this collection of shabads. Mohan felt slighted at having been passed over for Guruship — his father, Guru Amar Das, had seen the Divine Light in Guru Ram Das, and had bestowed the Guruship upon him. Mohan refused to answer the door when Bhai Gurdas knocked, and Bhai Gurdas returned to Guru Arjan empty-handed.
Guru Arjan then sent Bhai Buddha to Mohan’s house. Bhai Buddha was by then a very old and respected man in the Sikh community, having been a disciple of all the Gurus, from Guru Nanak through Guru Arjan. When Mohan did not answer Bhai Buddha’s knock, he entered the house anyway. Inside, he found Mohan in a deep meditative trance. Mohan’s younger brother convinced Bhai Buddha not to disturb him, and Bhai Buddha also retured to Guru Arjan empty-handed.
So it was that in 1603, Guru Arjan found it necessary to proceed himself to Mohan’s house, to retrieve the shabads. When Guru Arjan approached his house, he called out in a sweet voice, but there was no response. The Guru sat upon his doorstep and began to sing,
Oh, Mohan, your mansion is so lofty, there is no other place like yours. Oh, Mohan, even the Saints adorn the door of your temple. Show compassion and kindness, Oh Kind Lord—be merciful to the poor. Says Nanak, I am thirsting for the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan Grant me this gift, and I shall be happy.
 
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Mohan is a name of God, calling upon Him as the Beloved. When Guru Arjan sang this Hymn, he was singing the Praises of God, in the form of a song to win Mohan’s heart. Mohan threw open the window and called out to Guru Arjan, "You stole the Guruship from my family, and now you come to steal what remains of my heritage!"
Guru Arjan responded with sweet words,
"Oh Mohan, your words are like no others, and your behavior is exemplary. Oh Mohan, you believe in the One God and treat all others as garbage. Says Nanak, please preserve my honor - all your servants seek Your Sanctuary."
Mohan grumbled and protested, muttering about his claim to the shabads. But finally, he came down and sat by Guru Arjan, as the Guru continued to sing,
"Oh Mohan, the Sadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, meditates upon You, and yearns to obtain the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. Oh Mohan, at the very last moment of life, death shall not approach You. All who worship You in thought, word and deed shall obtain Your Gifts. Even the impure, the stupid and the foolish obtain Divine Knowledge upon seeing You. Says Nanak, Oh God, You are present within all, You are above all."
Gazing upon Guru Arjan’s enlightened face, feeling the love and radiance emanating from him, hearing the sweet words of love and humility, Mohan’s heart was softened, and opened at last. He acknowledged Guru Arjan’s true place upon the throne of Guru Nanak, and gave all of the shabads in his possession to Guru Arjan.
Guru Arjan then set to compile the shabads into a single volume, the Adi Granth. He sifted through the shabads which had been passed down from the first four Gurus, and filtered out those which had been added by imposters. Bhai Gurdas was the scribe who recorded the words of Guru Arjan. When he asked Guru Arjan how he could distinguish between the true and the false shabads, Guru Arjan replied, "Even in a great herd of cows and calves, the mother cow will recognize the cry of her calf, above all others. Just so, the True Shabad resonates truly, and is easily distinguished from the false."
 
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Guru Arjan added a great many of his own shabads to those of Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das. He also added shabads of fifteen Hindu and Muslim Saints, among them Kabir, Ravi Das, Naam Dev, Trilochan and Sheikh Farid.
Guru Arjan left some blank pages in the Granth. When Bhai Gurdas asked the purpose of this, he answered that one of the Gurus to follow him would add the shabads in their proper place at the proper time. In time the shabads of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Manifestation of the Guru’s Light, were added by Guru Gobind Singh and thus the Sri Guru Granth Sahib was complete
 
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The Adi Granth was finally completed in 1604, and installed in the Golden Temple; Baba Buddha was appointed Granthi (Head servant and reader). Guru Arjan told the Sikhs that the Adi Granth was the embodiment of the Guru, and should be treated with all the respect accorded to himself. When Guru Arjan first completed the Adi Granth, he placed it upon his own bed and slept on the floor. The words in Sri Guru Granth Sahib are were written joined up without any spaces in between them. Until the mid 1960's, this was the only form that Sri Guru Sahib took. However, some unscrupulous printers decided to print the Sri Guru Granth Sahib with separate words thus making it easier to read for untrained people. Unfortunately, within a few years, virtually all of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji's in Gurdwaras around the world were in the split up form.
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last of the Sikh Gurus to take human form, dictated the entire Granth Sahib at Talwandi Sabo now called Damdama Sahib. Dhir Mal, the son of Baba Gurditta and grandson of Guru Hargobind, had taken possession of the Adi Granth; he refused to give it to Guru Gobind Singh when the Guru asked for it. Dhir Mal taunted the Guru, "If you are a Guru, then prepare your own." Guru Gobind Singh proceeded to dictate it to Bhai Mani Singh, who recorded it on paper. While some have questioned the authenticity of this story, it is well for us to remember that, of course, Guru Gobind Singh was no ordinary person at all. And, in the old days of bards and story-tellers, it was not unusual for them to recite from memory entire epic poems such as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Guru Gobind Singh included the Shabads of his father, Guru Teg Bahadur, but he did not include his own Shabads; His text was later compiled by some Sikh Scholars and was called Dasam Granth. The Dasam Granth is not revered as Guru, and its contents is widely disputed. The great task of re-writing the entire Guru was finally completed in 1705. The "Damdama Sahib Bir" as it is now called was then taken to Nanded where it was installed.
 
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Guru Gobind Singh installed this expanded version of Adi Granth as Guru on October 20, l708. This day is celebrated today as Guru Gadi Day. At the time of his death, he declared that the Word of God embodied in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib was to be Guru for all time. He said, "O Beloved Khalsa, let any who desire to behold me, behold the Guru Granth. Obey the Granth Sahib, for it is the visible body of the Guru. Let any who desire to meet me, diligently search its Bani." Thus the Word of God, which has manifested as Guru in Nanak, and had passed through the ten incarnations of Guru, was now returned to its form as the Word, the Bani, the Shabad.
 
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Structure of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji



The last page from the bir of Guru Granth Sahib handwritten by Pratap Singh Giani, located on the first floor of Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar.
Main article: Ragas in the Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is not an ordinary scripture, but the embodiment of the spirit of God. Within its 1430 limbs, the shabads (hymns) are arranged in 31 Ragas, the traditional Indian musical measures and scales. Within the Ragas, they are arranged by order of the Sikh Gurus, with the shabads of the various Saints following. The shabads are written in various meters and rhythms, and are organized accordingly. For instance, Ashtapadi - eight steps, or Panch-padi - five steps. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi script, but the shabads were written in many different languages including Braj, Old Punjabi, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian.
The Adi Granth starts with the a non-raga section with Japji as the first entry. This is followed by thirty-one ragas in the following serial order: Sri raga, Manjh, Gauri, Asa, Gujri, Devagandhari, Bihagara, Wadahans, Sorath, Dhanasri, Jaitsri, Todi, Bairari, Tilang, Suhi, Bilaval, Gond (Gaund), Ramkali, Nut-Narayan, Mali-Gaura, Maru, Tukhari, Kedara, Bhairav (Bhairo), Basant, Sarang, Malar, Kanra, Kalyan, Prabhati and Jaijawanti. Then come saloks and swayas. The final sections are Mundavani, a salok and Rag Mala.
 
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Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji and English Translation

In the West, it has become common to use the English translation of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Gurdwara programs and Akhand Paaths, because many of the western Sikhs are not fluent in Gurmukhi. This has served to bring many to the presence of the Guru who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to experience the "Shabad Guru" (literally "Word Guru"). It should be noted, however, that only Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji in Gurmukhi is considered to be the Guru. The English translation may also be installed on a separate Palki (special throne) on the side and serve to better illuminate the sangat in the meaning of the words of the Guru. The English translation may be used during an Akhand Paath in which the participants are not fluent in Gurmukhi. However, if a special Gurdwara program is being planned, the English Akhand Paath days can be accommodated so that the full Gurmukhi Bir of Sri Guru Granth Sahib presides.
A Sikh is encouraged to and should learn to read Gurmukhi so as to deepen his or her experience of Gurbani and so that the full body of the Guru may be installed in the Gurdwara.
Ideally, English and other translations of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji should be considered as just another "style" (language) of talking/deitating/praising the guru. While some Sikhs believe that it is necessary to learn Punjabi/Gurmuki to understand and appreciate the Sikh texts, many do not hold this view. However, the nuances of Guru ji's words can only really be understood in their original form.

 
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Comments on Sri Guru Granth Sahib by Non-Sikhs

This is what Max Arthur Macauliffe writes about the authenticity of the Guru's teaching
The Sikh religion differs as regards the authenticity of its dogmas from most other theological systems. Many of the great teachers the world has known, have not left a line of their own composition and we only know what they taught through tradition or second-hand information. If Pythagoras wrote of his tenets, his writings have not descended to us. We know the teachings of Socrates only through the writings of Plato and Xenophon. Buddha has left no written memorial of his teaching. Kungfu-tze, known to Europeans as Confucius, left no documents in which he detailed the principles of his moral and social system. The founder of Christianity did not reduce his doctrines to writing and for them we are obliged to trust to the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Arabian Prophet did not himself reduce to writing the chapters of the Quran. They were written or compiled by his adherents and followers. But the compositions of Sikh Gurus are preserved and we know at first hand what they taught.
Miss Pearl S. Buck, a Nobellaureate, gives the following comment on receiving the First English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib:
.... I have studied the scriptures of the great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes. They are compact in spite of their length, and are a revelation of the vast reach of the human heart, varying from the most noble concept of God, to the recognition and indeed the insistence upon the practical needs of the human body. There is something strangely modern about these scriptures and this puzzles me until I learned that they are in fact comparatively modern, compiled as late as the 16th century, when explorers were beginning to discover that the globe upon which we all live is a single entity divided only by arbitrary lines of our own making. Perhaps this sense of unity is the source of power I find in these volumes. They speak to a person of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind. ...
 
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Message of Guru Granth Sahib

Main article: Message of Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib provides unique and unequalled guidance and advice to the whole of the human race. It is the torch that will lead humanity out of Kaljug, (the dark era) to a life in peace, tranquillity and spiritual enlightenment for all the nations of the World. The main message can be summarized as:
  1. Meditate on the name of Infinite Creator (God) (Remember God)
  2. One Universal Creator of All
  3. All Peoples of the World are Equal
  4. Women as Equal
  5. Speak and Live Truthfully
  6. Control the Five Vices
  7. Live in God's Hukam (Universal Laws)
  8. Practise Humility, Kindness, Compassion, Love, etc
The links in the above posts are live.Click and see more info.************
 
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The Guru Granth Sahib (also known as the Adi Granth) is truely unique among the world's great scriptures. It is considered the Supreme Spiritual Authority and Head of the Sikh religion, rather than any living person. It is also the only scripture of it's kind which not only contains the works of it's own religious founders but also writings of people from other faiths. The living Guru of the Sikhs, the book is held in great reverence by Sikhs and treated with the utmost respect. Sikhism rejects idol worship, so the Guru Granth Sahib is not worshipped as an idol, but rather emphasis is placed on respect of the book for the writings which appear within. Guru Granth Sahib is a collection of devotional hymns and poetry which proclaims God, lays stress on meditation on the True Guru (God), and lays down moral and ethical rules for development of the soul, spiritual salvation and unity with God.

The Sikhism Home Page: Sri Guru Granth Sahib
 
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The Sikh Gurus never believed in the exclusivity of their teachings. The Gurus undertook travels to spread their message to peoples of different cultures in their own native languages. The Gurus did not believe in the ideas of any language being 'sacred' or 'special'. It is in this spirit that various Sikh scholars have undertaken efforts to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib into a number of languages in order to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to bring the Sikh religion to the people of the world as Guru Nanak wished.

"Enshrine the Lord’s Name within your heart. The Word of the Guru’s Bani prevails throughout the world; through this Bani, the Lord’s Name is obtained." (Guru Amar Das, Maru, pg. 1066) [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"All the sources of creation, and all languages meditate on Him, forever and ever." (Guru Arjan Dev, Asa, pg. 456) [/FONT]
 
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Khalsa Consensus Translation presented here is regarded by some Sikh scholars as being among the finest and most accurate english translation currently available. The author, Singh Sahib Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa has faithfully attempted to follow the original Gurmukhi text as closely as possible and maintain accuracy in page breaks and the numbering notations found in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. An analysis of the available english translation as well as a direct comparison are also presented here in this category.[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Because of it's musical nature and poetic style, no translation can ever hope to fully capture all of the moods and nuances of the original Gurmukhi version. At the same time the celebration of God and the Gurus teachings on how one should live their life found in Sri Guru Granth Sahib transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries and are universal in their appeal.[/FONT]
 
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bwxI pihlW qoN hI gurU sI[
gurU nwnk dyv jI ny aupdyS kIqw bwxI dvwrw[
auh joq gurU AMgd dyv jI ivc AweI[ aupdyS bwxI dvwrw huMdw irhw[
qIjI pwqSwhI sRI gurU Amrdws jI g`dI qy ibrwjy qy auvyN aupdyS huMdw irhw[ ...
iPr gurU gRMQ swihb g`dI qy ibrwjmwn hoey, aupdyS bwxI dvwrw ho irhw hY[
gurmuKW vwsqy auhI gurU jI bYTy bwxI dvwrw aupdyS kr rhy hn[
mUrK leI &rk hY, igAwnI leI prq`K gurU hY bwxI[
gurU gRMQ swihb jI g`dI pr hYN, aupdyS bwxI dvwrw hY[
gurmuKW leI koeI &rk nhIN hY[
&rk hmwrI idRStI myN hY, idRStI p`kI krnI hY[
bwbw nµd isMG jI mhwrwj

Quotes on Sri Guru Granth Sahib
 

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