Guru Granth Sahib

The Guru Granth Sahib is the central holy scripture of Sikhism.

For Sikhs, this text is much more than a book of writings. It is regarded as the final, sovereign, and eternal Guru. This means the scripture holds the spiritual authority once held by a line of ten human Gurus. Because Sikhs view the text as a "Living Guru," they use a special term for its pages. Each page is called an ang, which translates to "limb." This reflects the belief that the scripture is a living presence.

The scripture is a complex collection of poetic compositions. It consists of 1,430 angs and 5,894 shabads, which are rhythmic line compositions. These hymns are not meant to be read silently like a standard book. Instead, they are set to a rhythmic, ancient north Indian classical musical form. The text is organized primarily by rāgas, which are specific musical modes. There are 31 main rāgas used in the scripture. Each rāga is further subdivided according to the length of the hymn and its author.

Language plays a vital role in the diversity of the Guru Granth Sahib. The text is written in the Gurmukhi script. However, it uses a wide variety of languages from across the Indian subcontinent. These include Punjabi, Lahnda, Sanskrit, Hindi, Persian, and Arabic. It also includes regional dialects like Braj Bhasha, Awadhi, and Marwari. Many of these different dialects are grouped under the generic title of Sant Bhasha. This term refers to a kind of lingua franca used by medieval saint-poets.

The history of the scripture began with the work of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan. He lived from 1564 to 1606. Guru Arjan wanted to create an authentic anthology of approved hymns. He noticed that others were distributing unauthorized or spurious versions of religious writings. To solve this, he sent associates across the Indian subcontinent to collect authentic hymns. He even convinced Mohan, the son of Guru Amar Das, to provide the collection of the first three Gurus. Guru Arjan worked with a scribe named Bhai Gurdas to select and edit the hymns.

This first official version was known as the Adi Granth. Its compilation was completed on 29 August 1604. Shortly after, on 1 September 1604, it was installed inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Baba Buddha was appointed as the first Granthi, or reader, of the Golden Temple. Over the following years, the text continued to evolve through the leadership of subsequent Gurus. For example, Guru Hargobind added the rāga tunes for nine out of 22 Vars. Later, the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, made a major change to the text.

In 1704, while at Damdama Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh added the hymns of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur. This addition created the second rendition, which is known as the Guru Granth Sahib. On 6 October 1708, Guru Gobind Singh affirmed the text as his successor. This act ended the tradition of human gurus and established the scripture as the eternal Guru. This specific version is sometimes called the Damdama bir. This transition was supported by leaders like Mata Sundari and Bhai Mani Singh.

The voices within the Guru Granth Sahib represent a wide range of backgrounds. The bulk of the compositions come from six Sikh Gurus. These are Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan, and Guru Tegh Bahadur. However, the text also includes the teachings of fourteen Hindu Bhakti movement sants. Notable names include Ramananda, Kabir, and Namdev. It even includes the traditions of one Muslim Sufi saint, Sheikh Farid. These contributors shared a vision of a society built on divine freedom, mercy, love, and justice.

The Guru Granth Sahib connects to broader themes of religious coexistence and social justice. While the text respects the scriptures of Hinduism and Islam, it does not claim to reconcile the two religions. Instead, it focuses on a specific vision of belief in one god and freedom from oppression. Today, the scripture is kept in a Sikh gurdwara, or temple. It remains the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikh community. When entering a temple, a Sikh will typically prostrate before the Granth to show reverence.