Presentation

GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI

Presented by
Jasmine Kaur (23)
Manik Pulyani (29)
 Contents
1. Introduction
2. History and composition
3. Structure of the Granth
4. In the beginning
5. Message of SGGS
6. Teachings
7. Values and Practices
8. Conclusion
 There are two holy scriptures of Sikhism
1. Guru Granth Sahib or Adi Granth
2. Dasam Granth
"Guru" means the Spiritual teacher who dispels ignorance.
"Granth" implies a Scripture containing divine knowledge.
"Sahib" is added as a mark of respect which means The Master or
The Lord .
 A Brief History
The first version was compiled by Guru Arjan Dev in 1604 in the city of
Amritsar.
It contained hymns of first five Gurus and the other great saints from
Hindu and Muslim tradition.
Written in the Gurmukhi script, it is mainly written in simple punjabi,
including the use of some other languages such as Braj, old punjabi, Hindi
and persian.
After it was compiled, the Guru Granth Sahib was installed in the newly
built Golden Temple in 1604.
 A Brief History
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and the last Guru of sikhs affirmed the
sacred texts, the Adi Granth as his successor and terminating the line of
human Gurus.
Originally the Adi Granth was written by Bhai Gurdas Ji and later by Bhai
Mani Singh.
After the desmise of the tenth Sikh Guru, many handwritten copies were
prepared and distributed by Baba Deep Singh.
From that point onwards, the text has remained not only the holy scripture
of sikhs but also is regarded as the living embodiment of the ten gurus.
 What is Guru Granth Sahib?

Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the holy book of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous

text of 1430 Angs (pages), compiled and composed during the period of
Sikh gurus from 1469 to 1708 and is a collection of hymns (Shabad) or
Baani describing the qualities of God and the necessity for meditation on
God's nam (holy name). It was written in Gurmukhi which draws on the
riches of both Sanskrit and Persian languages and their derivations.
 What is Guru Granth Sahib?

The Granth was first compiled by the fifth Guru , Guru Arjan from 1603-
1604 . This contained hymns written by the first five Gurus and was
called Adi - Granth . It also contained hymns written by the other great
Hindu and muslim saints such as Saint Kabir , Nam Dev , Ravi Das and
Farid. Later the tenth Guru , Guru Gobind Singh re-edited the Adi -
Granth and added newer compositions and re-issued it in the definitive
form.
 What is Guru Granth Sahib?
It may be remarked here in passing that the Bhaktas, whose works were
included in the Guru-Granth, belonged, more often than not, to the lower
classes of society. Kabir, for instance, was a weaver; Namdeva, a calico-
printcr, Dhanna, a cultivator, Sadna, a butcher, Ravidas, a shoemaker,
Sain, a barber, though Pipa was a king and Trilochan, a Brahmin. But the
emphasis in the Granth is on the lowest becoming the highest and caste
being of no consequence in the realisation of the Supreme Truth.
 What is Guru Granth Sahib?
The hyms are written in couplets of differing metres and are set of various
tunes (ragas). They are intended to use in different occasions, seasons, months,
days, or times of the day. They are prayers of praise and adoration of the
Almighty God. The hymns are relevant to all, irrespective of their place in the
society and at any stage of their life . They are designed to be accompanied
musically by singers (Ragis). The regular ceremony is called the Akhand
Paath, where the entire Guru Granth Sahib is recited continously from
beginning to end. This takes minimum 48 hours to perform.
 What is Guru Granth Sahib?
The Granth that we find today is arranged according to the musical
measures (ragas) in which the hymn is meant to be sung. There are in total
31 ragas, namely Sri, Majh, Gauri, Asa, Gujri, Devgandhiiri, Bihagraha,
Vadhans, Sorath, Dhanasti, Jaitsiri, Todi, Bairari, Tilang, Suhi, Bilawal,
Gound, Ramkali, Natnarain, Mali Gaura, Maru, Tukhari, Kedara, Bhairo,
Basant, Malhar, Kanra, Kalyan, Parbhati and Jaijaivanti.
 Structure Of Guru Granth Sahib

The Guru Granth Sahib contains 5877 hymns or Shabads/Sloks.

974 hymns are written by the first Guru, Guru Nanak,
62 by the second Guru, Guru Angad
907 by the third, Guru Amar Das
679 by the fourth, Guru Ram Das
2218 by the fifth, Guru Arjan Dev
115 by the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur
541 hymns are by Bhagat Kabir.
381 hymns are by others Bhagats, Bhatts and Poets .
 Structure Of Guru Granth Sahib

The writings in the Granth generally appears in chapters which are

given names of Raags. Within each chapter or Raag, the writings
of the Gurus appears chronologically. Each of the Gurus signed
their hymns as Nanak. Their compositions are identified by the
numerals at the beginning of each hymn, ie. Mahalla 1 is Guru
Nanak, Mahalla 2 is Guru Angad and so on. These are then
followed by those of other saints (Bhagtas) and other contributors.

 In the beginning

The opening lines of the Granth, known as the Mool Mantra succinctly
summarise the definition of God. God is one (Ek Om). The supreme
being is the creator and the sustainer of the universe. God is spoken as
both of Nirguna ( formless and without attributes) and as saguna
(manifest with attributes)
 Concept of God

As Nirguna, the supreme being is described as Agam ( unapproachable ) ,

Agochar ( incomprehensible ), Apaar ( limitless ), Atul ( unweighable) ,
Alekh ( invisible), Akath ( indescribable ), Adrisht ( beyond perception )
and Amaap ( immeasureable ).
As Sarguna, God is immanent in the world, in every thing and person. He
is never born and he never dies. He has no wife, no mother, no father or
children. He has created himself. The creater is Nirvair ( without eminity )
and his manifestation is called Nam ( the name ).


There is only one God

True is his name
Every activity in the universe is done by him
Without fear, without eminity
Timeless, endless entity
Formless, self created
By God's grace he is obtained
He was the truth
He is the truth
Nanak says that he will remain the ultimate
truth.
 Message Of Guru Granth Sahib

The Guru Granth Sahib, a Sikh religious text, promotes a moral teaching
that Guru Sahib explains is about living a life of Truth, believe in one God
(creator of universe), respect for others, and high moral standards. Followers
of the Guru are considered to be members of the Sikh religion, and they are
known as Gurmukh – which stands for the “follower of Guru”.

 All people of the world are equal

Guru Granth Sahib promotes the message of equality of all beings and at the same
time state that Sikh believers "obtain the supreme status" (SGGS, Page 446).
Discrimination of all types is strictly forbidden based on the Sikh tenet Fatherhood of
God which states that no one should be reckoned low or high, stating that instead
believers should –“reckon the entire mankind as One”.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib promotes the concept of equality by highlighting the fact that
we are made of the same flesh, blood and bone and we have the same light of God with
us – Soul . Our building bricks are the same:
The God-conscious being is always unstained, like the sun, which gives its comfort and
warmth to all. The God-conscious being looks upon all alike, like the wind, which
blows equally upon the king and the poor beggar.
Status of women in
Guru Granth sahib
 Status of women in Guru Granth Sahib
In this Shabad, the Guru expresses the importance of women. It begins with the line "From a
woman, a man is born" to emphasise that all men and women come from a woman. This theme
then continues with the Guru highlighting, in a logical sequence, the various stages of life where
the importance of woman is noted – "within woman, man is conceived," and then, " he is
engaged and married" to a woman who becomes his friend, partner, and the source for future
generations. This Shabad shows that, throughout man's life, he is dependent on woman at every
critical stage. The Shabad continues, "When his woman dies, he seeks another woman" – so if his
wife dies, a man feels the compulsion to find another women still. In the final lines, the Guru
asks: "So why call her bad?" – when even kings are born from a female as are other women
themselves. The Guru then conclude that "without woman – there would be no one at all". This
leaves no doubt for the Guru that the female gender plays a critical part in every aspect of a man's
life, someone who is there in one shape or form throughout life and also is critical for the
survival of the human race and the very existence of humans to begin with.
 Concept of Death in Gurbani
According to Gurbani death is inevitable and its time is fixed by God. We should not
be afraid of death, rather we should lead an honest life, remember God and live a
humble life. Death unites holy persons with God. Soul does not die while our body is
subject to death. We should not mourn after the death of some body and submit to
God's Will. We did not bring anything with us and will go empty handed. A fatal
accident can cause death in no time, still we have forgotten death and are badly
involved in worldly affairs. It is the law of the nature that everyone who is born will
die, but still everyone wants to avoid it. It does not differentiate between rich and the
poor or between the young and the old. It is a mystery and none is certain about what
happens after death. Most of us long for heaven after death. Some say that body is
subject to death and soul is immortal, while others do not agree. Let us see what
Gurbani says about death.
Gurbani teaches us that death is inevitable. It is law of the nature. Whosoever is born
must die. Rich and poor, young and old all die. Guru Nanak Dev has written:

Whosoever has come shall depart; all shall have their turn. (SGGS:474)

With their death already preordained, mortals come into this world.
How can they remain here? They have to go to the world beyond.'
 Death knows no time
Nobody knows the time of death, but only God knows it. Some die in infancy
while others die in old age. Death does not consider time, age or place. Sometimes
it occurs due to unexpected causes. It is good that we do not know the time of our
death. Had we known it,our progress would have stopped.
Sheikh Farid has nicely expressed this idea in the following quote
Fareed, the crane perches on the
river bank, playing joyfully. While
it is playing, a hawk suddenly
pounces upon it. When the Hawk
of God attacks, playful sport is
forgotten. God does what is not
expected or even not foreseen'.
 Let us not Forget Death and Entangle ourselves too much in Worldly Affairs
When death is unavoidable and it can come at any time, we should not entangle
ourselves too much in worldly affairs as we cannot take any thing with us after death.
We should avoid being proud of our wealth which may not be ours for ever. We
should try to become a good human being, remember death and God:

Let us remember the Lord and Master in contemplation, and keep a watchful eye on
the Path. We shall have to go there .'
We are human being of a single breath; we do not know the appointed time (of our
departure). Prays Nanak, serve the One, to whom our soul and breath of life belong'

'Death hovers over his head, laughing, but the beast (foolish human being) does not
understand. Entangled in conflict, pleasure and egotism, human beings do not even
think of death.'
 Teachings
The body is the palace, the temple, the house of God in which he has
placed his infinite light - says Guru Nanak.
Dependence on Guru or teacher is essential to understand the reality of
God. " Such is the distinctive greatness of the true Guru that one can attain
salvation even while living a normal domestic life.
Guru Granth Sahib teaches to cultivate a real personal devotion to God by
fostering, being compassionate and by providing services to the people
who are poor or are suffering and promoting equality and harmony among
all human beings.
 Teachings
Everyone is answerable to God, no one is saved except for the one with
good deeds.
Greed ruins mankind as the moss spoils water.
Ego must be gotten rid of if God is to be realized." Man degrades in human
order because of his egotism.
Bhagat Surdas says " Oh Mind! Leave the company of those who have
turned you away from God"
Guru Ramdas says " Keep away from association with lust, wrath, greed,
attachment, pride and viscious taste of evil deeds."
 Teachings
The central theme of Guru Granth Sahib is concerned with the creation of
social order and commitment to social and gender equality and peaceful co
existence.
 Values and Practices

Sarbat Da Bhala - May everyone blessed and good come to

all.
Seva - Daily selfless services to humanity. Service to God
through selfless service to humanity and God's creation.
Vand Chakna - Sharing with the needy.
Kirat Karni - Honest Labour that means honest earnings by
hardwork and do not become burden to the society.
Daily prayers and meditation.
 CONCLUSION
Way of Life according to Sri Guru Granth Sahib
A daily routine of meditation & prayer, called Simran and selfless service, called
Seva should be the part of the daily living. A true follower of Guru should be in
positive and rising spirits (Chardikala) and accept God's will at all times. Sikh should
live a life of honesty and truthful living (Sachi) through hard work (Kirat) and
dedicated perseverance. Be humble (Nimrata), self-disciplined, self-restraint, focused
on the Almighty and remove doubt and duality from the mind. Avoid superstitious
non-logical behaviour. Sikhs think religion should be practised by living in the world
and coping with life's everyday problems. They don't approve of retreating from the
world to be a monk or a hermit.
Sikh way of life is that of a Saint-Solider.
Thankyou