Guru Granth Sahib

Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the central religious text of Sikhism, considered by Sikhs to be the final, sovereign guru among the lineage of 11 Sikh Gurus of the religion. It is a voluminous text of 1430 Angs (pages), compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus from 1469 to 1708 and is a collection of hymns (Shabad) or Baani describing the qualities of God and the necessity for meditation on God's nam (holy name) Everyone must cover their head and remove their shoes before reciting any bani from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji or while in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The Sikhs treat the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as a living Guru and the respect shown for the Shabad or ‘Message of the Gurus’ is unique in the faith.

Please note that Gurbani in general is gender neutral when referring to God - So when translating into English, this gender-neutral stand has been impossible to maintain as the English language tends to be more gender-specific in this respect. So the reader is asked to adjust for this in their mind when reading the translation! (God in Sikhism is gender neutral and is referred to in Gurbani as both male & female.)