DHAN DHAN SAHIB SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI DE PARKASH PURAB DI AAP SUB NU LAKH LAKH VADAI HOVE JI,
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Gurgaddi Diwas was on October 20, 1708.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji first compiled the Guru Granth Sahib Ji in 1604 Amritsar.
The second (and last) version was compiled by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, at Damdama Sahib in the year 1706, where they added the hymns of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is unique, compiled at a time when the caste system in India had paralysed the conscience of man. It is the only scripture of its kind which contains compositions from the Gurus personally, along side Hindu bhaktas, Muslim, Sufi Saints, high-born Brahmins and poor Shudras.
The revolutionary egalitarianism bespeaks the essential humility of the Sikh mind. Humility has been given pride of place in the table of virtues drawn up by the Gurus.
It is indeed a magnificent compendium of the religious, mystic and metaphysical poetry as well as a mirror of the sociological, economic and political conditions of those days.
The poetry of the Guru Granth sahib Ji is in itself a subject worthy of the highest consideration. The language is based upon some of the local dialects, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Persian and Arabic. Its appeal lays in its directness, energy & resilience.
Another outstanding feature of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the precision. While a great deal of it is written in traditional verse form (Saloks and Pauris), is best understood in the context of the well-known classical ragas. Its hymns and songs make use of popular folk meters such as alahani, ghoris, chands etc. This complete musicalisation of thought in a scientific and studied manner makes for the unusually rigorous, yet supple, discipline of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji’s metrics and notations.
The entire Guru Granth Sahib Ji has 1430 pages and is divided into 33 sections.
The first section comprises the soulful and inspiring Jap Ji Sahib composed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The final section is collection of assorted verses including the Salokas and the Swayyas of the Bhattas.
The remaining 31 sections are named after the well-known classical ragas such as sri, magh, gauri, gujri, devghandhari, dhanassari, bilawal, kedara, malhar, kalyan etc. The division, thus, is strictly based on Indian musicology. Furthermore, each psalm is preceded by a number (Mohalla) which denotes the name of the composer from Guru Nanak Dev Ji to Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
The compilations of Guru Gobind Singh Ji are bound and called the “Dasam Granth” and are not included in the Adi Granth.
The major hymns Japji Sahib (Guru Nanak Dev Ji), Anand Sahib (Guru Amar Das Ji), Sukhmani Sahib (Guru Arjan Dev Ji), Rehras Sahib (Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Ram Das Ji, Guru Arjan Dev Ji) are widely recited solo and in congregation by Sikhs as morning and evening prayers. Their soothing and ambrosial airs have brought solace and cheer to countless Sikhs all over the world.
The Sikh philosophy as embodied in the Guru Granth Sahib is chiefly a philosophy of action, deed and consequence.
The emphasis is on shared experience and on purposive involvement. The extinction of the ego or self is the corner-stone of Sikhism.
The ideal Sikh is supposed to cultivate the qualities of contemplation, stillness and inwardness in the midst of labour business and engagement. ‘Nirvana’ may be achieved through the acceptance of the reality of this falsehood. The solidity of the world is to be endorsed as a measure of understanding.
The Guru Granth Sahib teaches us that God is omnipotent and omniscient. He is the Initiator and the End. He is Self-Creator and Self-Propeller. The soul too in its essence symbolises this trinity or the God within,
The Guru Granth Sahib Ji offers a perfect set of values and a practical code of conduct. It is, indeed, the complete teacher.
