Inderjeet Singh Bhatia” Prince ”
GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI, the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded as the final, sovereign and eternal GURU following the lineage of the 10 human Gurus of the Sikhs religion. The ADI GRANTH ,the 1st rendition was got compiled by the 5th Sikh Guru,GURU ARJAN DEV SAHIB JI , with the active assistance of Bhai Gurdass ji .Its first compilation was completed on 29th August 1604 .This holy Granth Sahib Ji was installed in the GOLDEN TEMPLE Amritsar for the first time on September 1st, 1604.Baba Budha ji was appointed the first Granthi ji of this holy Granth in the Golden Temple Amritsar.
No hymns were added to the holy Granth Sahib Ji by Guru Hargobind Sahib ji,Guru Har Rai Sahib ji,and Guru Harkrishan Sahib ji,the successive GURUS of Sikhism. However, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji is credited for adding ragas ,tunes,for nine out of 22 vars.The hymns of the 9th Sikh Guru, GURU TEGH BAHADUR SAHIB JI ,after his beheading in Delhi,were added to the original scripture by his son and successor, GURU GOBIND SINGH SAHIB Ji,the 10th master of Sikhism.
In 1704 ,at Damdama Sahib, during a one year respite from the heavy fighting with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ,Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ji and Bhai Mani Singh ji added religious compositions of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji to the Adi Granth to create the final edition called GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI. Prior to this, three versions of Adi GRANTH ( Pothi Sahib Ji ),were in circulation in Sikh shrines in Indian Sub continent .In addition to this, some unauthorized versions were in circulation issued by sects founded by one of the sons or relatives of earlier Sikh Gurus such as Prithichand, Guru Arjan Dev Sahib ji’s elder brother.
Prakash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib ji
Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji issued the definitive final edition that included the hymns of his father,the 9th Guru of Sikhism, GURU TEGH BAHADUR SAHIB JI ,and closed the Canon.This manuscript is called the Damdama Bir ,and a 1707 rare copy of this manuscript is now preserved at the Toshakhana of NADED SAHIB JI in Maharashtra. The compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji were not included in the holy GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI. Those hymns were compiled in to Dasven Padshah Ji Ka GRANTH, popularly called as DASAM GRANTH SAHIB JI .The compilation and release of DASAM GRANTH SAHIB JI was done by Bhai Mani Singh ji after the death of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji.
In 1708,Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji conferred the title of Guru of the Sikhs upon this holy GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI. Sikhs, since then, have accepted the GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI, the sacred scripture, as their eternal living GURU, as the embodiment of the 10 Sikh Gurus, the highest religious and spiritual guide for Sikhs. Guru Granth Sahib Ji plays a central role in guiding the Sikhs’s way of life. No one can change or alter any of the writings of the Sikh Gurus written in Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This includes sentences, words, structure, grammar and meanings
The holy Guru Granth Sahib Ji consists of 1430 angs ,(pages, )and 5894 shabads (compositions, ) which are poetically rendered and set to a rhythmic ancient north Indian classical form of music The bulk of the scripture is divided into 31 main ragas which are Sub divided according to length and author. Guru Granth Sahib Ji, predominantly, has compositions of of six Sikh Gurus, Guru Nanak Dev Sahib ji,Guru Angad Dev Sahib Ji, Guru Amar Das Sahib ji, Guru Ramdas Sahib ji,Guru Arjan Dev Sahib ji and Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji. Guru Granth Sahib Ji also contains the traditions and teachings of 14 Hindu Bhakti movement saints such as Ramananda,Kabir and Namdev among others and of one Muslim Sufi saint named Sheikh Farid .The vision of Guru Granth Sahib Ji is of a society based on divine freedom, mercy ,love and justice without oppression of any kind.
The holy Guru Granth Sahib Ji is always the focal point in any Gurdwara, seated on a raised platform known as Takht, Thorne,while the congregation of devotees sits on the floor and prostrate before Guru Granth Sahib Ji as a mark of respect Guru Granth Sahib Ji is given the greatest respect and honour by the devotees. The devotees remove their shoes, wash their hands and cover their heads before bowing before Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Guru Granth Sahib Ji is normally carried on the head as a mark of respect, is never touched with unwashed hands or put on the floor.GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI is always attended with all signs of royalty, with a canopy placed over it .A “CHAUR”(,fan ,whisk),is waved above Guru Granth Sahib Ji. A Granthi ji is given the duties to take care of this holy Guru Granth Sahib Ji .The Granthi ji is responsible for reciting from the sacred hymns and leading Sikh prayers.The Granthi ji acts as a caretaker for the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, keeping the scripture covered in clean clothes known as “Rumala” ,to protect the holy Granth from heat and dust.GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI rests on manji Sahib under a Rumala until brought out again. Several rituals are performed everyday in Gurdwaras treating Guru Granth Sahib Ji as a living person, a GURU, out of respect.The rituals includes:
The closing ritual is called SUKHASAN.
At night, after a series of devotional Kirtans and Ardas ,Guru Granth Sahib Ji is closed, carried on head, placed in to and then carried in a flower decorated pillow bed palki with chanting of hymns to its bedroom. Once it arrives there, the scripture is tucked into a bed
The opening ritual in the early morning hours is called PRAKASH, which means light .About dawn every day, the GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI is taken out of its bedroom, placed and carried in a flower decorated Palki with chanting of hymns, sometimes with bugles sounding its passage The holy Granth Sahib Ji is brought to the sanctum Then after ritual singing of a series of Var Asa, Kirtan and Ardas, a random page is opened .The first complete verse on the left page is MUKHWAAK, or VAAK of the day .It is read out loud and then is written out for the pilgrims to read over that day arriving later.
Message of Guru Granth Sahib Ji:
Guru Granth Sahib Ji provides guidance and advice to the whole of the human race about how to live in peace, tranquility and spiritual enlightenment. Its main theme is as follows:
* There is only one God
* All people of the world are equal
* Women are equal with men
* Speak and live truthfully
* Control 5 vices i.e anger, greed, lust, pride and attachment to material possessions.
* Live in God’s “Hukum”
* Mediate in the name of God
* Practice humility, kindness, compassion and love
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