Gurū Granth Sāhib

GurŪ Granth SĀhib

GURŪ GRANTH SĀHIB. The Sikhs' full title for their scripture, the Ādi Granth, is Ādi Srī Gurū Granth Sāhibjī. More generally they refer to it as Gurū Granth Sāhib. Srī, Sāhib, and jī are all honorifics, conveying the Sikhs' reverence for this volume of scripture. This entry complements the encyclopedia's Ādi Granth entry by focusing upon the text as Gurū and the practical implications of this status, rather than upon its content, structure, and message. Sikhs regard the Ādi Granth as their living Gurū in succession, at his command, to Gurū Gobind Singh and his nine human predecessors, starting with Gurū Nānak. According to his follower, Bhāī Nand Lāl, Gurū Gobind Singh's last words before his death in 1708 were: "Whoever wishes to hear the Gurū's word should wholeheartedly read the Granth or listen to the Granth being read." Whereas the word gurū in Hindu usage refers to teachers generally, and in contemporary parlance more widely it is applied to any expert, Sikhs reserve the word for their ten Gurūs, for the Gurū Granth Sāhib, and for God—hence the need for a capital G in the Roman alphabet.

The Sikhs' place of worship, the gurdwārā (i.e., "doorway of the Gurū"), is such only by virtue of the presence of the Gurū in the form of the Gurū Granth Sāhib.

Read the rest of this Article with our Gurū Granth Sāhib Access Pass.