History of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the holy scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is 1,430 pages (Angs) of sacred teachings and songs. In addition to six of the Sikh Gurus, there are compositions from saints from different religions, places, and times.
The Adi Granth was the first version of the holy book. It was compiled by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan, to keep an official and accurate record of all the hymns composed by previous Gurus. The Guru Granth Sahib contains hymns of the following Sikh Gurus: Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan and Guru Teg Bahadur. Additionally, the scripture contains verses of thirteen Hindu poets and two Muslim saints.
When Guru Gobind Singh Ji passed in 1708, He passed the Guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib ji. This ended the time of the physical Gurus of the Sikhs, and it was declared that the word of Waheguru, embodied in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, was to be Guru for all time.Thus, the Word of God, manifested as Guru in Nanak, and passed through the ten incarnations of Guru, was now returned to its form as the Word – the Bani, the Shabad. This began the reign of the Shabad Guru, itself, as the Spiritual Light and Guide for the Sikh community.
History & Composition of Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Nanak brought the Word of God to manifest upon Earth. Through his Hymns and Prayers (Shabads), he inspired and uplifted humankind to live a life of truth, righteousness and spirituality. These enlightening words were sung by his companions, Bala and Mardana, and by the Sangats (congregations) tha grew up around Guru Nanak. In his later years at Kartarpur, it became customary for the members of the Sikh community to sing certain hymns on a daily basis: Japji in the morning; So Dar and So Purakh, the beginnings of Rehiras, in the evenings.
Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das all composed Shabads (hymns), and the Sikhs began to collect these in small books, called Pothis. Chanting these Shabads, the Sikhs became vehicles for the vibrations of the "Word of God", and they achieved a state of higher consciousness, a transcendent meditative union with God and Guru.
First installation of the holy Granth
The Adi Granth was completed in 1604, and installed in the Golden Temple; Baba Buddha was appointed Guru's Granthi. Guru Arjun told his Sikhs that the Adi Granth was the embodiment of the Guru, and should be treated in the same fashion as they respect him. When Guru Arjun first completed the Adi Granth, he placed it upon his own bed and slept on the floor. Its words were written without any spaces or breaks, which nowadays is hard for most people to follow.
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last of the Sikh Gurus to take human form, dictated the entire Granth Sahib at Talwandi Sabo now called Damdama Sahib. Dhir Mal, the son of Baba Gurditta and grandson of Guru Hargobind, had taken possession of the Adi Granth; he refused to give it to Guru Gobind Singh when the Guru asked for it. Dhir Mal taunted the Guru, "If you are a Guru, then prepare your own."
Guru Gobind Singh recreates holy Granth
Guru Gobind Singh proceeded to dictate it to Bhai Mani Singh, who recorded it on paper. While some have questioned the authenticity of this story, it is well for us to remember that, of course, Guru Gobind Singh was no ordinary person at all. And, in the old days of bards and story-tellers, it was not unusual for them to recite from memory entire epic poems. Hajis, for example can recite the entire Qur'an and many Hindus priests could recite the Mahabarata. In a time when many people could not read or write, oral traditions were very important. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib is like the Qur'an and the Gita and is set in the form of music and rhythm making them much easier to remember.
Guru Gobind Singh included the Shabads of his father, Guru Teg Bahadur, but he did not include his own Shabads; instead, he placed them in a separate Granth, the Dasam Granth. The Dasam Granth is not revered as Guru, however. The great task of re-writing the entire Guru was finally completed in 1705. The "Damdama Sahib Bir" as it is now called was then taken to Nanded where it was installed.
