Gurbaniਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ

Gurbani is the Guru's word: the sacred hymns of the Sikh Gurus and the other inspired writers whose compositions stand in Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Sikhs hear it sung as kirtan in every gurdwara, read it each morning and evening in the daily Nitnem, and turn to it for the hukamnama, the Guru's order for the day. To understand Sikh life, this is the place to start.

What does Gurbani mean?

Gurbani means the Guru's words. It is built from two words: gur and bani, utterance or speech. In Guru Granth Sahib Ji, gur carries more than one sense by context, and its common use is for wisdom, the inner conscious mind. The scholar Pashaura Singh notes that the compositions in Guru Granth Sahib Ji are called either bani, utterances, or gurbani, the utterance of the Guru, so the word can also be read as the speech of wisdom. In general use, the hymns of Guru Granth Sahib Ji are Gurbani, and among Amritdhari Sikhs a few compositions from the Dasam Granth read in the daily discipline, such as Tav-Prasad Savaiye and Chaupai Sahib, are counted as Gurbani too. Small books of extracts, carried and read daily, are called gutkas.

Why is Gurbani called Dhur Ki Bani?

Sikhs call Gurbani Dhur Ki Bani, the speech from the Supreme house, because they receive it not as writing composed by human cleverness but as the divine word revealed through the Guru. The Adi Granth itself describes Gurbani as a sound that comes directly from the Supreme, of which the written text is the worldly form. Guru Arjan Dev Ji states the origin in a line widely quoted in translation: the Bani originated from the Primordial One, and it removes all anxiety. Read this way, Gurbani explains the qualities of the Primal Lord and of the soul, and it is a source of truth by which, in the scripture's own image, the inner filth is washed away and the mind is illumined. That is why the short answer to what Gurbani is must hold both halves together: it is a book of hymns, and it is the living voice of the Guru.

What counts as Gurbani, and what is Kachi Bani?

The boundary is the canon itself. Compositions by the Sikh Gurus and by the other writers included in Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the bhagats, bhatts and gursikhs whose hymns Guru Arjan Dev Ji gathered, are Gurbani. Sikh historical writings are not, and neither are unauthentic or apocryphal verses written under the Gurus' names: those are called Kachi Bani, adulterated or unripe verses. SikhiWiki, following the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, explains the test plainly: writings attributed to the Gurus but not incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib Ji at its compilation in 1603 to 1604 must be reckoned spurious, because the scripture's contents were arranged and numbered so as to leave no scope for addition or interpolation. The best known apocrypha is the Pran Sangli, and verses composed by Baba Miharban and his successors under the headings Mahalla VI, VII and VIII are also counted apocryphal. The hukamnama read in a gurdwara today always comes from the authenticated text.

How was Gurbani written down and preserved?

Gurbani was preserved by the Gurus themselves. Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled the Adi Granth in 1603 to 1604, and its first copy was inscribed under his personal supervision, its contents meticulously authenticated. A generation later the text reached its final form at Damdama Sahib, where tradition remembers Bhai Mani Singh Ji scribing while Guru Gobind Singh Ji dictated: the historical painting of that scene, kept at Takht Damdama Sahib, is the picture on this page. The same care continues in small things. Extracts printed as gutkas are wrapped in cloth like a pothi, a prayer book, as a mark of respect, and copies of the scripture are handled under strict discipline in every gurdwara. Because the canon was closed and authenticated so early, Sikhs can be confident that the hymn sung today is the hymn the Gurus gave.

How do Sikhs read and sing Gurbani each day?

The daily frame is Nitnem, the rule of daily prayer, and reading it is called doing paath. The Sikh Rehat Maryada sets the morning banis, Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye, Chaupai Sahib and Anand Sahib, to be read before sunrise at Amritvela, the ambrosial hour. Rehras is read in the evening, around sunset or after the day's work, and Kirtan Sohila before sleep. Of these, Japji Sahib, Anand Sahib and Kirtan Sohila stand in Guru Granth Sahib Ji, while Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye and Chaupai Sahib are compositions of Guru Gobind Singh Ji preserved in the Dasam Granth, and Rehras draws on both. Gurbani is also sung: as kirtan, its hymns, each set in a raag, fill gurdwara worship, and a Sikh may add more Gurbani to the daily round until it becomes part of a personal Nitnem.

How is Gurbani treated with respect?

Because Gurbani is the Guru's own word, Sikhs handle it with the courtesies owed to the Guru. Before reading Gurbani or meditating, a Sikh covers the head with a turban, dupatta or other cloth, removes shoes, and performs at least the Panj Ishnan, the washing of the five main parts of the body, hands, feet and face among them in the usual description. In the gurdwara the scripture rests on a raised throne under a canopy, attended and put to rest at night, and printed gutkas are kept wrapped and off the floor. These are not fussy rules for their own sake: they teach, in bodily form, the Sikh conviction that the word heard and read each day is not an ordinary text. The name Sikhs repeat as they read is the subject of Jugti's page on Waheguru.