Guru Granth Sahib

Guru Granth Sahib
Name	Guru Granth Sahib
Language	Punjabi, Sant Bhasha, Persianate forms, Braj Bhasha, Hindi
Author	Guru Arjan, compiled with contributions from Sikh Gurus and Bhakti poets
Genre	Sikh scripture, liturgical canon
Published	1604 (Adi Granth)
Pages	1430 (standard)

Guru Granth Sahib

The Guru Granth Sahib is the central liturgical scripture and living spiritual authority of Sikhism, compiled as a sacred anthology that functions as scripture, liturgical guide, and hymnal. It occupies a role in Sikh institutions, ceremonies, and jurisprudence alongside the historical lineages of the Guru Nanak tradition, the Khalsa identity, the Mughal Empire context, and the later colonial and modern institutions of Punjab and the British Raj.

Overview and Significance

The text is venerated as the eternal Guru in the Sikh community, replacing the line of human Gurus instituted by Guru Nanak and formalized by Guru Gobind Singh. Its status influenced Sikh polity debates involving figures such as Banda Singh Bahadur, Ranjit Singh, and the Akal Takht. The scripture shapes practices at the Harmandir Sahib complex, informs rulings by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, and features in disputes adjudicated by colonial-era institutions like the Privy Council and modern courts such as the Supreme Court of India.

Composition and Structure

The anthology was compiled into the Adi Granth under the supervision of Guru Arjan and includes hymns (shabads) by six Sikh Gurus—Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan, Guru Tegh Bahadur—and numerous bhakti and mystic poets including Kabir, Bhai Gurdas, Fariduddin Ganjshakar (Baba Farid), Namdev, Surdas, Jaidev, Sultan Bahu, Tulsidas, Arif and others. The text is organized by raga and metric sections similar to collections like the Ramcharitmanas and links to the devotional corpora of the Bhakti movement and the Sufi tradition associated with figures such as Shah Hussain and Bulleh Shah.

Languages, Scripts, and Musical Framework

Composed primarily in Punjabi and an idiom known as Sant Bhasha, the scripture incorporates verses in Sanskrit-derived dialects like Braj Bhasha, vernaculars like Marwari and Rajasthani strains, and Persianate vocabulary circulating under the Mughal Empire. It is conventionally written in the Gurmukhi script standardized by Guru Angad, though historical manuscripts include variants in Lahnda and regional hands. The hymns are arranged by raga—a connection to the classical systems that intersect with traditions represented by composers linked to courts such as Akbar's and musical lineages akin to those of Tansen.

Canonization and Historical Development

The process of compilation culminated in the 1604 Adi Granth at Amritsar and the later installation and recognition by succeeding Sikh authorities, with the final proclamation of the text as Guru by Guru Gobind Singh in 1708. Its history intersects with events like the Sack of Amritsar, the militarization under Mughal–Sikh Wars, and the patronage politics of the Sikh Empire under Ranjit Singh. Colonial encounters during the British Raj produced scholarship, cataloguing, and disputes mediated by organizations such as the Punjab Textbook Board and scholars like Max Arthur Macauliffe and Ernest Trumpp.

Religious Role, Practices, and Rituals

The scripture functions liturgically in daily rites such as the Nitnem prayers, the Akhand Path continuous reading, and rites of passage including Anand Karaj marriage ceremonies and funeral commemoration. Recitation traditions link to institutions like the Gurdwara and the central shrine at Harmandir Sahib, and ritual protocols are maintained by bodies such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and localized sangat under granthis and ragis. Its use is governed by customary regulations developed in conjunction with historical actors including the Masand system, reform movements like the Tat Khalsa, and modern legal frameworks in India and Pakistan.

Preservation, Codices, and Manuscripts

Key manuscripts and historical copies include the original Adi Granth compiled at Amritsar, early transcriptions preserved by families of principal scribes, and illuminated kukkas associated with princely collections of the Sikh Empire. Preservation efforts engaged archival institutions such as the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Board, university collections at Punjab University, and catalogues produced by scholars in London and Lahore. Conservation concerns parallel those encountered with manuscripts of the Guru Gobind Singh period, with philologists comparing variant readings and orthographic features in codices held at repositories like the British Library and the Sikh Reference Library.

Influence, Interpretation, and Scholarly Study

The scripture has generated interpretive traditions across commentarial, philological, and comparative-historical studies by figures such as Bhai Gurdas (expository tradition), colonial commentators like Ernest Trumpp, reformers like Kahn Singh Nabha, and contemporary scholars at institutions such as Punjab University, Oxford University, and Harvard University. Its influence extends into literature and performance in Punjab and diasporic cultures in Canada, United Kingdom, and United States, informing debates in theology, hermeneutics, and law involving actors like the Akal Takht Jathedar and cultural bodies such as the Sikh Coalition. Comparative work situates the scripture vis-à-vis texts like the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran, and the Bible in interreligious dialogues involving figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and scholars from the Indian Council of Historical Research.

Category:Sikh scriptures