Guru Granth Sahib

Guru Granth Sahib

The Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal Guru and the supreme guiding authority for the Sikhs in every aspect of life. It is accorded utmost respect whenever Sikhs handle it or discuss its text. It is not only the scriptural canon of the Sikhs that offers wisdom, grace, and freedom to all, but it also personifies perfection, and the Divine instituted Sovereignty. The Guru Granth Sahib includes utterances of six Gurus, three Sikhs, fifteen saints of various religious traditions, and eleven bards from the Gurus’ courts. The Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi, a script institutionalized by Guru Angad Sahib. It was Guru Arjan Sahib, who compiled the utterances of the previous Gurus, Sikhs and saints, into the Adi Granth, and placed it in Sri Harimandar Sahib, in 1604. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib added the utterances of Guru Teghbahadar Sahib, in the Adi Granth, and raised the scripture to the status of perpetual Guru, ordaining it as the Guru Granth Sahib in 1708. The Guru Granth Sahib should not be viewed as a law book of “dos and don’ts.” It contains a timeless and unique value system for ethical and moral living based on the love of the one Divine.

Videos

Thursday
,
20
June
2024

Explore Vanjara

This composition is revealed by Guru Ramdas Sahib (1534-1581 CE) in Rag Sirirag and is recorded on pages 81-82 of the Guru Granth Sahib. It has six stanzas of five lines each. With every stanza, there is an additional stanza of rahau of two lines.

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Thursday
,
16
May
2024

Explore Antam Sanskar (Funeral Ceremony)

Funeral ceremonies are significant in human culture and differ significantly across regions and religions. In the Sikh culture, the funeral ceremony emphasizes the belief in life's impermanence, the significance of commemorating the departed...

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Thursday
,
25
April
2024

Explore Alahania (Mahala 3)

Just like the Alahania revealed by Guru Nanak Sahib, this composition revealed by Guru Amards Sahib also illustrates the impermanence of the material world and inspires the mind towards a perpetual connection with IkOankar (the Divine).

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Thursday
,
28
March
2024

Explore Alahania (Mahala 1)

Alahani is a mournful or sorrowful Panjabi folk song. When a person dies, friends and relatives usually visit the deceased’s family to share their sorrow and memories of their loved one’s life and deeds.

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Friday
,
16
February
2024

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 01: Renunciation Redefined

Harinder Singh and Jasleen Kaur explore the context of Indic paradigms, rituals, systems, and popular understandings that the Guru addresses in his reframing of renunciation and non-attachment. 

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Thursday
,
15
February
2024

Explore Sadd

Revealed to Baba Sundar, the great-grandson of Guru Amardas Sahib, Sadd holds great significance in the Sikh funeral ceremony and is recited during final rites.

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Monday
,
16
January
2017

Rang Ratta Mera Sahib in Rag Siri | Guru Granth Sahib 23

This composition by Guru Nanak Sahib is in Rag Siri, an ancient musical mode sung at dusk. Its mood is majestic, reflective, and meditative. The reflection: The Creator is in the creation. Everything is brimming with love, operating in love.

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Monday
,
16
January
2017

Bhai Avtar Singh in Tohi Mohi Mohi Tohi Antar Kaisa | Guru Granth Sahib 93

This composition by Bhagat Ravidas is in Rag Siri, an ancient musical mode sung at dusk. Its mood is majestic, reflective, and meditative.

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Monday
,
30
January
2017

Guru Arjan Sahib in Rag Majh | Guru Granth Sahib 102

This composition by Guru Arjan Sahib is in Rag Majh. This rag (musical mode) evolved from the folk music of the Majha area of the Panjab. There is no reference to this rag in Indian music. It is only sung in Panjab and is in the Guru Granth Sahib. 

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Tuesday
,
7
February
2017

Guru Nanak Sahib in Rag Gauri Bairagan | Guru Granth Sahib 157

This composition by Guru Nanak Sahib is in Rag Gauri Bairagan, a musical mode sung in the morning. It is a rag (musical measure) of sadness, separation, and longing as opposed to depression.

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Monday
,
20
February
2017

Guru Arjan Sahib in Rag Asa | Guru Granth Sahib 404

This composition by Guru Arjan Sahib is in Rag Asa, a musical mode used to evoke a mood of hope, expectation, inspiration, and courage.

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Saturday
,
25
February
2017

Bhagat Ravidas ji in Gujri Rag | Guru Granth Sahib 525 | Artist: Bhai Harjinder Singh

Metaphors come alive, painting a vivid picture of life's complexities. The imagery of a suckling calf affecting milk, bees disrupting a flower, and fish muddying water draws attention to the innate interplay of purity and impurity.

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Articles

Tuesday
,
29
October
2024

Guru Amardas Sahib: The Essence of Giving

This essay reflects on the sacred nature of giving, inspired by Guru Amardas Sahib's and Baba Mohri ji's narrative. It explores the importance of honoring the trust placed in us when we receive resources meant for the greater good.

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Tuesday
,
10
October
2023

Stanza Structure in a Sabad

While reading the Guru Granth Sahib, we encounter various stanza structures within a Sabad, often indicated through corresponding titles on the Sabad. This diversity in stanza structures arises due to variations in the number of lines in the stanzas.

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Friday
,
1
September
2023

Wisdom Enthroned

Embark on a transformative journey through Sikhi’s essence as we explore the Guru Granth Sahib. Beyond a conventional text, it intertwines nature, introspection, and wisdom.

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Tuesday
,
14
March
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 10: 1’s Identification  

In the tenth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib declares that identifying with the attributes and existence of the 1 eliminates fear.

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Tuesday
,
7
March
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 09: Divine Creator

In the ninth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib declares that the One Divine will remain fully capable of destroying and creating.

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Tuesday
,
28
February
2023

Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10 - Sabad 08: That One

In the eighth composition of the “Sabad Hajare Patisahi 10” (popularly Shabad Hazare Patshahi 10) series, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib questions how That One can be said to be in one human form.

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Sunday
,
8
March
2009

Woman: Gateway to Freedom

“The whole Guru Grantha is the voice of a wedded women or a maiden pining in love of the Beautiful. Her nobleness in Guru Grantha is infinite, her freedom is of the highest. Both man and woman as sexes are forgotten in her voice.

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Wednesday
,
20
January
2010

Buttons, Jump Ropes, and Chocolate Cake

Every year, when December rolls around, there is much buzz about the holiday season. From Hanukah to Kwanzaa and, of course, Christmas, it is a time of gatherings, decorations and gift exchange.

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Thursday
,
14
January
2016

Tresses & I

Embark on a poignant journey with the author as she reflects on her evolving relationship with her hair, exploring the nuanced layers of Sikh identity, love for Sabad, and the profound impact of choices made during the tumultuous times of 1984.

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Monday
,
16
January
2017

My Sovereign is Dyed in Color-Love

This composition by Guru Nanak Sahib is in Rag Siri, an ancient musical mode sung at dusk. Its mood is majestic, reflective, and meditative. The reflection: The Creator is in the creation. Everything is brimming with love, operating in love.

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Monday
,
16
January
2017

You & I, I & You; What’s the Difference?

This composition by Bhagat Ravidas is in Rag Siri, an ancient musical mode sung at dusk. Its mood is majestic, reflective, and meditative.

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Tuesday
,
17
January
2017

How May I Visualize Guru Gobind Singh Sahib?

In current times, the world is full of abundant images, pictures, portraits, artworks, and illustrations availing stocks and libraries as well as producing films and animations. What are the most appropriate images of the Guru Sahibs?

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Podcasts

Wednesday
,
11
December
2024

Explore Mahala 5 Gatha

Gatha refers to a song or verse, rooted in the word gai, to speak, sing, or recite. It can also refer to a profound discourse with the self beyond simple praise or devotion.

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Thursday
,
28
November
2024

Explore Patti (Mahala 3)

The essence of this composition is revealed in the stanza of rahau (Pause). In it, worldly accounting (entanglements) is described as useless.

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Wednesday
,
20
November
2024

Explore Thiti (Mahala 5) [Part 1]

Patti is a poetic form rooted in the Gurmukhi alphabet. Traditionally, students in Punjabi culture used a wooden tablet, called a patti, to practice writing letters.

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Thursday
,
24
October
2024

Explore Patti (Mahala 1)

Patti is a poetic form rooted in the Gurmukhi alphabet. Traditionally, students in Punjabi culture used a wooden tablet, called a patti, to practice writing letters.

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Wednesday
,
9
October
2024

Explore Maru Kaphi

In Maru Kaphi, Guru Nanak Sahib reflects on the grief caused by separation from IkOankar, showing that even with worldly comforts, one remains unhappy without this connection.

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Thursday
,
26
September
2024

Explore Bani Bhagat Sain Ji

In this Sabad, Bhagat Sain Ji sings the ‘Arti’ of the transcendent Supreme Being, IkOankar (the Divine). He emphasizes that the true 'Arti' of IkOankar is not a ritualistic act of adorning a platter with incense, lamps, and ghee.

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Monday
,
12
June
2017

I Cannot Live Without All-Pervasive For Even a Moment or an Instant

In the melodic embrace of Rag Asavar, Guru Ramdas Sahib's bestowed Sabad resonates, capturing the transitional hues from late afternoon to early evening.

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Monday
,
19
June
2017

Colorful Enticer is My Life’s Honor

The Sabad’s progress unveils the diversity of human affection. Worldly attachments and pride entrance some, while the devotees of the Divine embrace an affection for the Freedom-state inherent in the All-Pervasive.

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Tuesday
,
27
June
2017

Brimful Immortal Nectar is Within the Home

Sabad is Infinite; we are very finite. This is our understanding at the moment, which was different yesterday and may evolve tomorrow, as we deepen our relationship with the Sabad.

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Monday
,
3
July
2017

Surrender Mind and Body, Forsake Societal Norms

The Sabad cautions against the pitfalls of ego and self-centeredness, which hinder entry into the Divine realm and lead to regret and suffering.

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Monday
,
10
July
2017

O! Ignorant. Wake up! Why Are You Asleep?

The Sabad begins with a poignant reflection on the transient nature of life. Each day that dawns eventually fades away, and the impermanence of our stay in this world is underscored by the inevitability of departure.

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Thursday
,
27
July
2017

I Surrender to My Own Guru!

The Sabad begins with a profound surrender to the Guru, a heartfelt offering of praise spanning hours. This symbolizes the depth of devotion and the unyielding commitment to the Divine.

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