The Boundless and Eternal Sri Guru Granth Sahib

The Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal guru of the Sikhs. Its sacred verses are called Gurbani, the Guru's word or the song message enshrined in it.

The Granth was composed in poetry perhaps to both prevent alterations or adulterations, and to reach out to human hearts.

The fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev, first compiled the Guru Granth at Amritsar and the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, prepared the second edition at Damdama. Since then, his authorised version has been transcribed and printed numerous times; it always conforms to the Damdama edition in every respect.

Guru Arjan's compilation contained the hymns of the first five gurus along with most of the saints and holy men of medieval India and the Far East. He installed this scripture in the Golden Temple's Hari Mandar. Guru Gobind Singh in his final sermon conferred permanent gurudom on the Damdama version of the Granth. Since then the Granth has come to be known as Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Of the 5,894 hymns, Guru Arjan contributed the largest number. The Guru Granth includes hymns of many others whose compositions tallied with the gospel of the Sikh faith. Here, the Hindu and Muslim and others meet in the same congregation of holy souls to create a truly universal scripture.

The hymns are set to ragas, useful not only in preserving the originality of the composition, but more so to provide divine experience through the medium of music and the sounds of God's creation. Whilst a great deal of it is cast in traditional verse forms like shlokas and paudis, and could best be understood in the context of the well-known classical ragas, several hymns and songs make use of popular folklore and meters. The inner and integral relationship between music and verse has been maintained with scholarly rectitude and concern. The complete musicalisation of thought was accomplished in a scientific and scholarly manner so that it makes for the unusually vigorous yet supple discipline of the Granth's own metrics and notations.

The Guru Granth verses are often sung in kirtan. In this process true meaning is revealed directly to the Surat consciousness and awareness through cosmic vibrations. The body's energetic vibrations from our voices bond us to the spiritual light of universal intelligence. As we chant the verses the universe speaks to us in metaphoric images. To see a Sikh congregation chant the sacred hymns in unison is to see massed spiritual energy bubble before your eyes. This is how the ordinary words change into the logos and become auspicious.

Reading of the scripture, Gurbani paath, is a sacred rite that permits a connection to the Guru for spiritual guidance. It is more than a simple ritual or a complex scholarly endeavour; intellectual deliberation is engaged to seek wisdom while faith is cultivated in the process to receive the inner light. Reading the rhythmic poetry of Guru Granth is considered by some as healing in itself. Its chant is frequently prescribed to patients for relief of their symptoms and to reduce illness. It seems to facilitate understanding of pain and pleasure by "mindfulness" or "being in the moment".

For the most part the Guru Granth employs the idiom of the common people, and draws its imagery and metaphors from the home, the street and the workplace. The hymns use current figures of speech apart from their metrical richness and sweetness.

The Guru Granth is completely free from bias, animus and controversy. It formed the first interfaith and still universal scripture.

Lets celebrate the Tricentennial of the Canonisation of the Granth as the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (300 saal Guru de naal)