Understanding the Sikh Scriptures: The Adi Granth and Beyond

Most religious traditions have a central text – a book that shapes belief, guides conduct, and unifies communities across time and place. In Sikhism, that text is the Guru Granth Sahib, also known in its original form as the Adi Granth. But calling it merely a “holy book” misses something fundamental. For Sikhs, it is not a historical artifact or a reference volume – it is the living, eternal Guru, holding the same authority as the ten human Gurus who led the faith from the 15th to the 18th century. Understanding this scripture means understanding the heart of Sikhism itself.

What is the Adi Granth? 🔗

According to Britannica, the Adi Granth is a collection of nearly 6,000 hymns of the Sikh Gurus and various early and medieval saints from different religions and castes. The name itself means “the First Book” – Adi being Sanskrit for “first” or “primal,” and Granth meaning “book” or “scripture.” It is the foundational version of what later became the Guru Granth Sahib, the final and complete scripture of Sikhism.

As Wikipedia documents, the Adi Granth was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1564-1606), with its compilation completed on 29 August 1604. It was first installed inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on 1 September 1604, with Baba Buddha appointed as the first Granthi (reader). The entire project took five years of meticulous effort – Guru Arjan dictated the text while the scholar Bhai Gurdas served as his scribe, working in a peaceful forest clearing on the outskirts of Amritsar.

How and why was it compiled? 🔗

Before the Adi Granth was assembled, the teachings of the Sikh Gurus circulated in oral form or in scattered manuscripts, some of which were subject to unauthorized additions and alterations. SikhiWiki notes that what Guru Arjan created was a scripture of extraordinary organization and spiritual depth – nearly 7,000 hymns, written without spaces or breaks, spanning the compositions of the first five Sikh Gurus as well as fifteen Bhaktas (saint-poets) and Sufi mystics from across the Indian subcontinent.

Guru Arjan sent associates across the subcontinent to collect circulating hymns and approached the son of the third Guru to obtain earlier manuscripts. The goal was not simply preservation – it was authentication. By creating an officially sanctioned text, Guru Arjan established a clear, authoritative body of Sikh teaching at a time when rival versions were in circulation. New World Encyclopedia records that the original manuscript, known as the Kartarpur pothi, bears the signature of Guru Arjan himself and is still preserved at Kartarpur to this day.

From the Adi Granth to the Guru Granth Sahib 🔗

The Adi Granth did not reach its final form in 1604. It continued to evolve over the next century. Britannica explains that in 1704, the tenth and last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, added the hymns of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur (the ninth Guru), and then made a momentous declaration: after his own death, the scripture itself would become the Guru. This second and final edition became known as the Guru Granth Sahib.

On 6 October 1708, at Nanded in the Deccan region, Guru Gobind Singh formally conferred the title of Guru upon the scripture, ending the line of human Guruship for all time. As Wikipedia records, Sikhs do not regard this as their “holy book” in the conventional sense but as their perpetual and current Guru, guide, and master. From that point forward, anyone claiming the status of a living human Guru has been considered a heretic within mainstream Sikhism.

Structure and languages of the Guru Granth Sahib 🔗

The Guru Granth Sahib spans 1,430 pages and is divided into 39 chapters. All copies are exactly alike, and Sikhs are forbidden from making any changes to the text. The scripture opens with the Mul Mantra – a declaration of the nature of God – followed by the Japji, the most important Sikh composition written by Guru Nanak. After this introductory section, the bulk of the text is organized according to ragas – classical Indian musical modes – in which the hymns are to be sung. Britannica notes that the language is mostly Punjabi or Hindi, interspersed with Marathi, Persian, and Arabic words, reflecting the diverse regions from which contributors were drawn.

The text is written in the Gurmukhi script, developed by the Sikh Gurus specifically for recording their sacred literature. New World Encyclopedia further notes that it also contains Braj, Old Punjabi, Khariboli, Sanskrit, and Persian – making it a linguistically rich document that reflects the cultural landscape of medieval South Asia.

Who contributed to the scripture? 🔗

One of the most distinctive features of the Guru Granth Sahib is its inclusivity. It is not exclusively a Sikh text in the narrow sense. SikhiWiki records that Guru Arjan included the Shabads (hymns) of thirty-six Hindu and Muslim saints alongside those of the Sikh Gurus – among them Kabir, Ravi Das, Naam Dev, Trilochan, and Sheikh Farid. This was, notably, the first time in any religion that the works of sincere devotees from other faiths were incorporated into a scripture of its own, reflecting the Sikh belief in one God and the essential unity of humanity.

The contributions to the Guru Granth Sahib come from several sources. According to New World Encyclopedia, the original Adi Granth contained compositions of the first four Sikh Gurus plus those of Guru Arjan, 15 Bhagats (devotee-saints), 17 Bhatts (traditional bards), and others such as Bhai Mardana, the lifelong companion of Guru Nanak. The work of all these contributors is collectively referred to as Bhagat Bani – “the Word of Saints” – and is accorded the same reverence as the compositions of the Gurus themselves.

Core teachings: what does it say? 🔗

The Guru Granth Sahib covers the full spectrum of spiritual and ethical life. Wikipedia’s entry on Sikhism identifies the core beliefs articulated in the scripture as: faith and meditation on the one creator (Ik Onkar), the divine unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service to others (Seva), striving for justice for the prosperity of all (sarbat da bhala), and honest conduct and livelihood.

Ik Onkar: the oneness of God 🔗

The very first words of the Guru Granth Sahib are Ik Onkar – “There is only one God.” This opening declaration is not simply a theological statement; it is the ethical foundation of everything that follows. If there is one God present in all people, then no person is superior to another. SikhNet explains that this concept of divine oneness encourages harmony, inclusiveness, and a shared responsibility for the world – making it simultaneously a spiritual claim and a social one.

Seva: selfless service 🔗

A recurring theme throughout the scripture is the concept of Seva – selfless service performed without expectation of reward. The Guru Granth Sahib teaches that serving others is not separate from worshipping God but is, in fact, one of the highest expressions of it. Guru Nanak’s teachings, preserved in the scripture, frame Seva as a direct path to spiritual growth – one that removes ego and fosters compassion.

Naam Simran: remembrance of God’s name 🔗

The Guru Granth Sahib repeatedly emphasizes Naam Simran – meditation on the Divine Name – as the means by which a Sikh connects with God. As Wikipedia notes, Guru Nanak started the tradition of Shabad Kirtan – the devotional singing of Gurbani (the Guru’s words) – and taught that listening to kirtan was a powerful way to achieve tranquility and commune with the divine. This tradition remains central to Sikh worship today, practiced in gurdwaras (Sikh temples) worldwide.

Rejection of caste and ritualism 🔗

The Guru Granth Sahib is also a pointed social document. It explicitly rejects the caste system, idolatry, and empty rituals. Scholarly analysis of Sikh philosophy notes that the scripture’s emphasis on moral conduct, truthfulness, compassion, and selfless service aligns Sikhism with a universal ethical framework while sharply departing from hierarchical social structures common in medieval India.

The Guru Granth Sahib as “Living Guru” 🔗

The reverence with which the Guru Granth Sahib is treated goes well beyond the handling of an ordinary religious book. Britannica records that it is ritually opened in the morning and wrapped up and put away for the night. It is the central object of worship in all gurdwaras. On special occasions, continuous readings called Akhand Path are held, lasting anywhere from two to fifteen days. On birthdays of the Gurus or anniversaries commemorating Sikh martyrs, the Granth is sometimes taken out in ceremonial procession.

The scripture is also consulted at every major life event – births, marriages, deaths, and times of personal or community crisis. The Sikh Encyclopedia describes the Guru Granth Sahib as providing detailed guidance on how to conduct one’s life so that peace and salvation can be obtained. It reminds followers that the soul is on loan from God and that life must be dedicated to good causes. This makes the scripture not merely a text to be studied but a daily companion for ethical and spiritual living.

Beyond the Adi Granth: the Dasam Granth 🔗

While the Guru Granth Sahib is the supreme and unquestioned authority in Sikhism, there is a second scripture that holds significant importance in Sikh tradition: the Dasam Granth. Britannica describes it as a compilation of writings attributed to Guru Gobind Singh – the tenth and final human Guru – containing hymns, philosophical writing, Hindu mythological retellings, an autobiography, and a famous letter to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb called the Zafarnama.

SikhiWiki notes that three compositions from the Dasam Granth – Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye, and Benti Chaupai – form part of the daily prayers (Nitnem) recited by Sikhs every morning, and are also integral to the Sikh initiation ceremony. The Dasam Granth is differentiated from the Guru Granth Sahib by its focus on martial themes and heroic expression, reflecting the context of Guru Gobind Singh’s era – a period of intense conflict with the Mughal Empire.

Unlike the Guru Granth Sahib, which is unanimously revered and universally installed in all gurdwaras, the Dasam Granth occupies a more complex position. Britannica notes that scholars are not in full agreement as to the work’s total authenticity, and while some of its hymns are used in Sikh worship and ritual, the Dasam Granth is not accorded the same level of reverence as the Adi Granth. It is formally installed as the secondary scripture at two of the five Takhts (the highest seats of Sikh authority) – Takht Hazur Sahib in Nanded and Takht Patna Sahib in Patna.

The scripture’s role in shaping Sikh identity 🔗

For over 400 years, the Guru Granth Sahib has functioned as the moral and spiritual compass of a global community. Fiveable’s guide to the Guru Granth Sahib notes that it serves as the foundation for Sikh theology, ethics, and social principles, and provides continuity and unity for the Sikh community worldwide, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. Today, with over 25 million Sikhs globally, the scripture is also finding new audiences through digital platforms, translations, and online commentaries – challenges that bring up fresh debates about preserving the depth and nuance of texts originally composed in multiple languages several centuries ago.

What remains unchanged, however, is the scripture’s fundamental purpose: to guide human beings toward an ethical life rooted in devotion, equality, service, and honest living. When Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru Granth Sahib his eternal successor, he was making a profound philosophical statement – that wisdom, not personality; text, not title; the word, not the person, should be the ultimate guide. That idea, radical in the 18th century, continues to speak with remarkable clarity today.

What do you think? In an age when many religious communities struggle to keep ancient scriptures relevant to modern life, how does the Guru Granth Sahib’s structure – arranged by music and composed in multiple languages – shape the way Sikhs experience its teachings? And what does it mean for a community to treat a written text not as a reference, but as a living, present Guru?

References

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Adi-Granth-Sikh-sacred-scripture
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Granth_Sahib
3. https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Adi_Granth
4. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Guru_Granth_Sahib
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh_scriptures
6. https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Granth_Sahib
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism
8. https://www.sikhnet.com/news/universal-wisdom-guru-nanak
9. https://www.dalvoy.com/en/upsc/mains/previous-years/2025/history-paper-i/principles-sikhism-blend-beliefs
10. https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/adi-granth/
11. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dasam-Granth
12. https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Dasam_Granth
13. https://fiveable.me/religions-of-asia/unit-3/guru-granth-sahib/study-guide/uMe3fzOVHpCpf5Eo