Gurgadi Diwas: Spiritual Uplift With Gurbani  

By HARBANS LAL  

Gurgadi Diwas: Spiritual Uplift With Gurbani  

Gurgadi Diwas is observed on October 20, when on this day in 1708, Guru Gobind Singh canonised the sacred Aad Granth pothi that Sikhs worship as the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

He said: " As ordained by the Lord Eternal/ A new way of life is evolved./ All the Sikhs are asked/ To accept the Holy Granth as the Guru./ Guru Granth should be accepted/ As the living Guru./ Those who wish to meet God/ Will find Him in the Word."

The Guru Granth Sahib contains hymns of 36 composers written in 22 languages, employing a phonetically perfected Gurmukhi script. The fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjun, who compiled the first version, composed 2,216 of the 5,894 hymns.

Besides the hymns of other Gurus, he also included 937 hymns of 15 saints and 11 poet laureates of the Guru's court. Hindus, Muslims, Brahmins, 'untouchables', all come together in one congregation to create a truly universal scripture.

Sikhs revere the Holy Granth as their Eternal Guru. The collection of sacred hymns is held equally sacred by many non-Sikhs too. It is a unique treasure of inter-faith communion and is a noble heritage for all of humankind. In the year 2004, the world will celebrate the quad-centennial of the Guru Granth Sahib 's first compilation, and the year 2008 will mark the tricentennial of its canonisation.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib was composed in poetry perhaps to prevent alterations and/or adulterations, and to reach out to the human heart. Further, poetry can always be interpreted to suit changing cultures. The Holy Granth was leavened with expressions from Sanskrit, Prakrit, Rajasthani, Persian, Arabic, Bengali and Marathi. The phonetically complete Gurmukhi font meets the need of inscribing the multi-linguistic scripture that is also musical.

Music forms the basis of the rhythms and classification of the hymns using Indian ragas. This form is used not only to preserve the originality of the composition, but also to provide a divine experience through the medium of music and the sounds of God's creation. Also, any form of imitation is virtually impossible in this musical form of poetry. The gurus themselves created some of the 31 ragas used. Several hymns use popular folklore and meters.

The Holy Granth verses are often sung as kirtan to reveal true meaning directly through cosmic vibrations. The melodies bond one to the spiritual light of universal intelligence. The Guru Granth Sahib 's verses make the universe speak to our mind in metaphoric images. The sound currents keep the mind focused, heals the body and cleanses inner thoughts. Congregational chanting generates mass spiritual energy and ordinary words change into the logos to become auspicious.

The Holy Granth 's all-embracing character makes the scripture completely free from bias, animus and controversy. Considering that obscurantism, factionalism and religious fanaticism of the periods during whi-ch the hymns were composed, the altruistic and eclectic nature of their content is truly astonishing and worthy of praise. The evils of the time were offset by the Holy Granth 's inclusion of songs from the compositions of a wide diversity of holy men, saints, savants and bards, drawn from a wide spectrum of society.

The Guru Granth Sahib formed the first interfaith and universal scripture. It is a compendium of the religious, mystic and metaphysical poetry written or recited between the I2th and 17th centuries in Mid- Eastern and Far-Eastern continents.

It reflects the sociological, economic and political conditions of the day. In showing the path to spiritual salvation, the Guru Granth Sahib includes the secular and creative life. It lays bare the degradation of society and underscores the need for social reform and economic uplift.

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See also: Gurgadi Diwas, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)