Structure Of The Guru Granth Sahib

[anon]

How is the Guru Granth Sahib structured as a book?

I have read parts of it, but i've never thought to try and work out the overarching structure. What I mean by this is that most books have a structure in which it is organised, usually by chapters, sub chapters, there is an index page, a contents page, page numbers etc etc

How is the Guru Granth Sahib structured? Clearly there is a structure, because there are numbers all over it, but i'm a bit confused as to whether or not there is a uniform structure to it.

I also come across terms like, Raag, Var, Shabad, pauri, Slok, etc etc, and I always assumed these words translated to "poem" or "Stanza" or something like that but is there a difference in what these words mean?

I understand this could be very difficult to explain but a very basic explanation would be much appreciated.

 

[Admin]

@anon ji,

The following link would give you some idea about the structure...

Index of Guru Granth Sahib - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia.

The structure is built in such an immaculate way that it cannot be decoded easily and it is why it has masterfully survived the relentless efforts by the scrupulous, to corrupt it, for last over 500 years... This treasure is available with us in its original formation as construed & intended by our Gurus... It is also said by the learned that if we can fully comprehend and understand the viakaran (the grammer) used in SGGS, it is practically impossible to change even single word or even a single character anywhere in SGGS which in itself is a more mind-boggling achievement and monumental effort...

 

[swarn bains]

excuse my language. are you some scholar to critique sggs or it is just for fun because it is a very difficult subject to answer. once i know i will try to answer your question to the best of my ability though i am not a scholar

 

[anon]

excuse my language. are you some scholar to critique sggs or it is just for fun because it is a very difficult subject to answer. once i know i will try to answer your question to the best of my ability though i am not a scholar

Thanks for the reply. I am by no means a scholar, just someone who is interested in trying to understand SGGS better.

I always start at the japji, and then give up because things get in the way, then I start from the begining, I was thinking it might be good to start at a different place now.

 

[swarn bains]

structure of sggs does not guide anyone to follow sggs. i will give you the fundamentals in sggs. baba says make honest living. help the poor and recite God
next phase is that one has to have the following qualities to be able to understand follow upon the teachings
selfless love, dedication and humility
biggest curse from becoming divine is duality
next is slander
then try to eliminate the following ego, lust, anger, greed and false affection or love
follow the above, you will be able to understand the teachings in sggs but to act on it is the most important thing to do. if you want to understand the meanings of some words get help from mahan kosh or advise me i will send you the english translation of japu jee good luck and s s a