Guru Granth Sahib Ji

When Guru Arjan had meticulously organised the teachings into a single volume of scripture in 1604, with the assistance of the esteemed disciple and scribe, Bhai Gurdas, he named it Sri Ād Granth Sahib (in the popular spelling, Adi Granth, the ‘i’ is only faintly pronounced in Punjabi). ‘Ād’, which appears in the Mool Mantar, means original or prime; it also suggests the timeless nature of the teachings for humanity. Once its compilation was completed, the sacred text was lovingly transported on a palanquin to be installed inside the Harmandir Sahib. Ensuring he always sat at a lower level to the scripture, Guru Arjan’s humble reverence clearly elevated the teachings beyond the finite period of any human Guruship. Following this, the sixth, seventh and eighth Gurus gave emphasis to honouring, practising, and sharing these teachings, rather than composing further verses. In 1704, Guru Gobind Singh is known to have dictated the contents of the entire scripture to Bhai Mani Singh, in the absence of an original compilation and with some inauthentic versions in circulation. In those days tremendous feats of memorisation were not unheard of and, for Sikhs, this event underlines the oneness of all the Gurus. To this edition were incorporated the compositions of the ninth Guru before the scripture was canonised and exalted in 1708 as Guru for all time.

Since then, many historical paintings have captured the identity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as a Living Sovereign holding court, through details of a throne-like platform, an overhead parasol or canopy, with beautiful fabrics and often a garland of flowers for regal adornment. The word sovereign can mean a king or queen and it also suggests governance and independence. For Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib communicates a lyrical ‘charter’ for our human existence in the world, which emanates from the unseen Sovereign – the universal flow of intelligence we call God. Conveyed poetically and musically, this charter outlines that our residency on the planet comes with a responsibility – to live in a spiritually enlightened way and to build a benevolent, life-enriching economy where wisdom and virtue form the shared currency. As the world’s political and social powers keep changing, Sri Guru Granth Sahib’s stately presence is treasured, then, for its steadiness and constancy.