Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the holy scripture of the Sikhs. But it is not just a book — Sikhs treat it as a living Guru, the eleventh and eternal Guru.

It contains hymns (called Shabads or Gurbani) written by six of the Sikh Gurus, and also by Hindu and Muslim saints. This shows that wisdom about God can come from anyone.

The hymns are poems set to music. They are sung with instruments like the harmonium and tabla. This singing is called Kirtan.

It is written in the Gurmukhi script, in a mixture of languages including Punjabi, old Hindi, Persian and Sanskrit.

How Sikhs show respect

It is placed on a raised throne (takht) under a canopy, like a king or queen.
Someone waves a chaur sahib (a fan made of hair) over it, a sign of respect for royalty.
It is wrapped in beautiful cloths called rumalas.
At night it is carried to its own room to “rest” (Sukhasan), and in the morning it is opened again (Parkash).
People cover their heads and take off their shoes in its presence, and never turn their back towards it.

It has 1,430 pages, which are called Angs (limbs) — as if part of the Guru’s body.

Every printed copy has exactly the same words on exactly the same page.

The Gurus’ hymns are arranged in 31 Raags (musical moods).

Each day, a reading is taken at random, called the Hukamnama — the Guru’s message for the day.