Youth and Marijuana

We know marijuana by many names including pot, weed, cannabis, and in Punjabi, bhang.  This has been a hot topic in the media, but we will discuss specifically how it is influencing our youth. One of my cousins was telling me recently that many Sikh youth are consuming marijuana in high school these days, even those from Amritdhari families. There is a strong perception amongst youth that marijuana is not harmful. The Canadian Center on Substance Abuse states “Of particular concern is recent research suggesting that Canada’s youth do not have the knowledge they need about the risks associated with this drug to make informed decisions.” Because of this, it is important for us as individuals, parents, relatives, teachers, and healthcare providers to get knowledge and awareness about the effects to share this message with youth in our lives. 

I sorted through evidence from well reputed sources like the Canadian Pediatric Society, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Canadian Center on Substance Abuse as well as Center for Addiction and Mental Health. They studied and found out that youth use marijuana to cope with stress, out of boredom, because their friends or parents use it, to get more social, and for the excitement. The key findings about the effects revolve around the concept that since our brains are developing until the mid-20s, youth’s brains are especially susceptible to the damaging effects of marijuana. Marijuana use especially affects development of the part of the brain responsible for decision making and judgement, but also affects memory, motivation, attention and processing speed. This reveals itself as poor school performance, and increased risk of car accidents. Marijuana also has affects on the body such as causing lung disease when smoked. Young people also often think that because there aren’t reported overdoses there aren’t adverse effects, but hospitalizations from marijuana do occur including from injuries, extreme anxiety, psychosis or stomach related symptoms. They also think that this means it is not addictive. Studies show that actually marijuana can be addictive and that is called “Cannabis Use Disorder” just like other substance use disorders. Lastly, there is also a known link of cannabis with mental health disorders although it is not yet known exactly how this works. The use of marijuana is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia/psychotic disorders (not knowing what’s real, paranoia), anxiety, and depression. As we can see from these diverse examples of how marijuana effects youth, it is dangerous for youth to go on thinking that it is safe. 

It is often difficult for parents to know what to do when their youth is using substances, and a great resource is a doctor’s office as they can connect a youth to other resources. Risk factors for use of marijuana includes use of it among friends, low parental monitoring, availability, and belief it isn’t harmful. Prevention therefore includes counteracting these with proper supervision and communication, emphasizing the importance of a positive friend group, education, community engagement, role modelling, and teaching our youth skills to deal with their emotions and conflicts. As you can tell these are many things that are common teachings of Sikhi, like the importance of sangat, sewa for the community, and connecting the mind to God to reduce thoughts that link us to conflict. Generating skills for resisting peer pressure and standing up for your own values is also important. It is clearly outlined in the rehat maryada that intoxicants are prohibited. Sikhi teaches us that there is more Anand in Naam than any drug can give us and this is what we should be teaching our youth. There is a nice Sakhi about Babar trying to give Guru Nanak Dev Ji bhang in the links below, and Guru Ji provides the response to Babar in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in this shabad: “The Fear of You, O Lord God, is my marijuana; my consciousness is the pouch which holds it. I have become an intoxicated hermit. My hands are my begging bowl; I am so hungry for the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. I beg at Your Door, day after day. I long for the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. I am a beggar at Your Door - please bless me with Your charity. Pause. Saffron, flowers, musk oil and gold embellish the bodies of all. The Lord's devotees are like sandalwood, which imparts its fragrance to everyone. No one says that ghee or silk are polluted. Such is the Lord's devotee, no matter what his social status is. Those who bow in reverence to the Naam, the Name of the Lord, remain absorbed in Your Love. Nanak begs for charity at their door.” (Ang 721). 

I hope that this short post was a way for you to start those conversations with youth and address some of the common myths about marijuana. It is important for all of us to be thinking about how our Sikhi fits in and how we get our youth to understand our Sikhi is practical and a way of life rather than a set of rules. Then when we teach Naam Japna, Vand Shakhna and Kirat Karni, we are actually using methods of prevention to steer our youths minds on the path to God and achieving what we came here for in this lifetime. 

References

https://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/cannabis-children-and-youth

https://www.cpa-apc.org/wp-content/uploads/Cannabis-Academy-Position-Statement-ENG-FINAL-no-footers-web.pdf

https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/cannabis

https://www.cpha.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/resources/cannabis/evidence-brief-youth-13-17-e.pdf

http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Effects-of-Cannabis-Use-during-Adolescence-Summary-2015-en.pdf

http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Community-Discussions-Youth-Cannabis-Guide-2016-en.pdf

http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Canadian-Youth-Perceptions-on-Cannabis-Report-2017-en.pdf

https://obrieniph.ucalgary.ca/files/iph/hyshka.pdf

https://www.mcmasterforum.org/docs/default-source/product-documents/rapid-responses/identifying-the-impacts-of-cannabis-legalization-on-youth-and-the-responses-that-can-be-taken-by-public-institutions.pdf?sfvrsn=6

http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Effects-of-Cannabis-Use-during-Adolescence-Report-2015-en.pdf  

https://www.casw-acts.ca/sites/default/files/attachements/cannibis_webinar_1.compressed.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOHZLxqpaO4Basics of Sikhi

https://www.albertaschoolcouncils.ca/public/download/documents/49906

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN09EP-x8PYSakhi Guru Nanak 

The Gift of Time

In this episode of the Harpreet Show, Kal Dosanjh, a police officer, talks about Kidsplay Youth Foundation and preventing youth gang involvement. I think one of the major takeaway points for parents is that the investment of time is of enormous importance. He uses the example that if your child is playing sports, be there at the games. After all, time is the biggest gift that we can give into any relationship because it shows our love for the other person. For children in particular it is vital to their development and the direction that their lives take.

Blessings or Curses

I recently attended and did kirtan at the Rainsbhai Kirtan in Quesnel. Interestingly I learned a lot from that night which was unexpected. Just as we were leaving we noticed that most of the things from my family’s car were stolen, including a brand new Sarangi someone had carried for us all the way from India as well as sentimental and expensive items. As we stood outside, an Uncle Ji emerged and said that this was likely a blessing for us. He said that the time we have spent delayed here instead of on the road home was all for a reason. Others we had talked to said that perhaps the sewa of coming to the kirtan had offset some bigger harm, and that that loss of items, however sentimental, would be overcome compared to a bigger danger to ourselves. Indeed there happened to be both a highway accident that night, as well as a giant bear a few houses down from mine when I got home. I wondered what types of things God saves us from that we do not realize. For example, years ago my sister was headed to a restaurant but got a flat tire on the way, and while she was stopped on the side of the road, there was a shooting at that restaurant. It is easy for us to enter a stage of blame and anger that brings us away from our path. Perhaps we could have said that we shouldn’t go next year, or we shouldn't do this or that, or blame specific people or systems. Our sense of safety is ultimately constructed by rules we create that things will not happen a second time IF we do X, Y, Z.  I think it is hard for people to grasp this concept because we do create these mental rules about what keeps us safe and its hard to let that go and realize that things can happen regardless. God’s justice is true in a way that we don’t even see beyond the borders of what we can even really understand in this lifetime. The extra breaths spent towards our purpose by listening to more kirtan was a contribution towards my purpose that I wouldn’t trade for anything because we cannot buy more breaths in this life. The lesson I would like to pass on is the wise words of that uncle ji, that next time something happens perhaps think about the bigger picture that this is Hukam and there must be a reason for it all falling in place as it has. 

Forging A New Path

It is easy to live life in a sleep mode. Gurbani tells us that actually most of us will live out our whole lives asleep, and the rare one is a Gurmukh who is awakened to the path of God. I recently read a great article on this topic by IJ Singh called “Whence the Rot Set In.” He travels through our history to describe the current state of the Sikh com. He writes, “Our cultural habits have become largely secular in an attempt for the minority to merge with the mainstream. Think back: What are the early lessons - essential advice - drummed into the head of Indian children and adolescents irrespective of their religious identity? They begin and end with: study hard, get good grades, get a good stable job and marry well. Isn’t that a fair summary of what was drummed into our heads? Where is Sikhi in this truly secular message?…In fact, our relationship to the two languages critical to us changed dramatically. Competence in English defined our proficiency at work in the new world. Skill in Punjabi defined us within our community. We never saw the need to pick up a book on poetry, history or philosophy in English because it would likely not be work-related, and we didn’t pick up a book on philosophy, history or poetry in Punjabi because Punjabi had become increasingly limited to social banter and easy, crass humor. Ergo, the life of the mind became increasingly unexplored in English or Punjabi.” His point about how we have limited the purpose of our lives to studies/job/marriage really emphasizes how we can cruise through life without exploring the mind. I very much resonate with this because by the time I got to university I started to think about what more there was to life beyond studies, or beyond my understanding of “being a good person” which meant to help others. It was only the understanding of the mind’s journey through Sikhi that helped me reconcile that. The emptiness of the veil of doubt and sense of separation cannot otherwise be alleviated no matter how many good grades, how good of a job we have, or how great our marriage is.  

Our ability to think critically is one of the foundations of Sikhi as Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled teaching people to move out of ritualism, yet it seems that many of the problems in our community nowadays revolve around loss of this critical thinking lens. For example practicing jadhoo toona (black magic), doing a certain number of paaths or going to the Gurdwara on certain days (new moon), and donating certain food items on certain days, etc. IJ Singh writes, “Our focus needs to shift from more and expensive vestments (rumalas) for the Guru Granth, or gold and marble in gurduaras to our own community and its education and understanding, so that we become a more progressive people.” Instead of our actions we should be focused on transforming the mind. Unfortunately we often start to lecture other people, but I think so few times do we look within ourselves to say how am I asleep and how do I awaken myself. We need to take ownership of our own thinking and that will help drive the direction for the community as a whole by getting back to the basics. Satbir Kaur writes “We don’t have time to waste on empty debates and fights. ma(n)dhaa kisai n aakh jhagarra paavanaa || Do not speak ill of others, or get involved in arguments.” By getting caught in arguments, we are dividing ourselves and getting caught in maya. That is not the same as critical thinking and is creating confusion for those who want to advance their Sikhi and the younger generation. Many younger people think that Sikhi is about rules and strictness rather than seeing the way of life and the states of Sehaj and Anand. They also have media working against them selling them alcohol and drug culture in Punjabi music, and ideas of what it means to be a successful and happy young man or woman. Going back to the basics means practicing what Gurbani teaches us and following our real guide the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Before one should focus on any minute detail they should be focusing on truthfulness, compassion, forgiveness, integrity, love, humility, and contentment. Satbir Kaur writes, “don’t just read the Mul Mantar. Become the Mul Mantar.” 

References

http://www.sikhnet.com/news/whence-rot-set

http://www.sikhnet.com/news/wake-my-dear-khalsa

Experiences of Sikh Children at School

I read an article from Winty Singh on CNN called “This is what a Sikh child faces in America.” It was a great read and has some pictures of role models that are worth looking through and reading about. He writes, “Two decades ago, when I was in the second grade, a substitute teacher asked me to stand up in front of my class and talk about my religion: Sikhism. At 7 years old, I tried to explain it as best I could and avoid being ridiculed. I remember feeling totally unprepared and struggling afterward with the fear of being exposed like that again. At 7, I was already afraid of public speaking. Later that year, we were returning from recess when a classmate pinned me down and intentionally blew his nose on my turban. He was lightly admonished for his actions, but what I remember most was that nobody, including my teacher, understood how devastating it was to have my turban -- a sacred religious article of faith in Sikhism -- desecrated by a bully.”

I saw a report by the Sikh Coalition (a civil rights organization) called “Go Home Terrorist, A Report on Bullying Against Sikh American School Children.” It described the experiences of hundreds of Sikh children interviewed in the US. Some of the commonalities was that it was especially difficult for students in the post 9/11 world where the symbols of our religion have unfortunately gotten confused by many and are associated by bullies with terror. Especially in the case of the patka, keski, or pag (turbans), there is a lot of misinterpretation from children about what is under the turban. I was surprised to read that there was a lack of response on behalf of teachers, and also parents because the parents weren’t able to understand the effects of bullying or advocate for their child due to language barriers. The Sikh Coalition also cited that much information that was included in textbooks about Sikhs was “inaccurate and inflammatory.” Personally, I don’t ever remember growing up seeing Sikhs in any of my textbooks. I think that it should indeed be a core part of our curriculum to teach about Sikhism and to have programs for bullying prevention. Even having role models of different backgrounds come and speak to classes would be very inspirational for the children. There was a similar study done by the World Sikh Organization in the Peel School District in Ontario (which traditionally has a high number of Sikh students) and reported that the rates of bullying were decreasing from their study in 2011 to 2016 with educational interventions which helps to demonstrate that educational interventions make a difference for students. 

I wonder how much bullying we have affecting Sikh students in Canada. My general perception used to be that there is less than the states because we are a mosaic, not a melting pot, diversity is celebrated, people are generally open to learning and educated on different cultures because they themselves come from different backgrounds, and we have role models who are Sikhs in our government. Our schools have a lot of bullying programs due to the advocacy of parent groups who fought for their children who had lost their lives from bullying. Yet even with all these, bullying is obviously still a large problem here for Canadian Sikhs as is apparent from the WSO study and from students that you ask. This is especially true for those who wear their kakkars (symbols of our religion). I think even beyond bullying, there is an effect from the feeling of being different than everyone else.  I can clearly remember the experience of standing out and feeling different as a kid growing up in a largely Caucasian school. I relate to Winty Singh’s example of being put on the spot to answer questions about your religion in front of the class. In the WSO report they mentioned how students are often uncomfortable not knowing how to answer questions from peers and teachers. Growing up I don’t know if I could label or realize how some of my experiences affected me, but looking back I now realize it remembering times when people would pull my braid, make fun of my name, call the mendhi on my hands diseased, or the time I had a teacher threaten to cut my hair while I was asleep. Years later I learned that the key to improving things in our schools was community-wide education. We should arm our own children with knowledge of their Sikhi and arm our parents with knowledge on how and why to advocate for their children in schools. The presence of the Sikh community in the Nagar Kirtan, participating in community events like the cancer walks and fundraisers, working in the community, and sharing our religion and culture with our friends, families and neighbours makes a huge difference. I have started including it in a lot more of my conversations with people when they ask what I'm doing on the weekend or my hobbies. We should be engaging in the community at large whenever we can because those people are in positions then as principals, teachers, parents of children in schools and that's how change is made because they will teach their children too.

References/Readings:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/03/opinions/sikh-faith-bullied-winty-singh-opinion/index.html

http://www.sikhcoalition.org/documents/pdf/go-home-terrorist.pdf

https://www.sikhcoalition.org/resources/?fwp_resource_types=community-resources

http://www.worldsikh.org/wso_releases_report_on_bullying_of_sikh_students_in_peel_region

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/worldsikh/pages/594/attachments/original/1493222417/WSO_Bullying_Survey_and_Analysis_Report.pdf?1493222417 This looks like a weird link but its actually the WSO Report from 2016

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sehej-kaur/post_12383_b_10622160.html 

Learning from the Dilruba

I was so blessed that a friend brought this Dilruba for me all the way from India. Dilruba means heart stealer, and is a smaller version of the Taus since the Singhs around the time of Guru Gobind Singh Ji needed an instrument that was practical for carrying during times of battle. Over the last couple of days I’ve gotten used to holding it and now I’m learning how to tune it. Luckily the dilruba has quite a bit more online resources than the rabab and I found a teacher in the lower mainland. 

I have learned a lot from the dilruba in the short week I have spent with it and it has been a humbling experience. Our traditional instruments are indeed a lot more difficult to learn than the harmonium. Tuning the instrument itself takes a lot of time because you have to tune it by ear, and the baseline knowledge of raags needs to be there. Yet the dilruba has the ability to convey emotion in a way that is simply not possible with the harmonium. It teaches patience, discipline, and also connection to shabad. There is something different about playing a dilruba than a harmonium- when the instrument sits on the shoulder and the strings are vibrated, the vibration moves through the body. Maybe I am months or years from playing a shabad (depending on how much time I have to practice), but I have realized that I need to let go of my sense of urgency because things happen in the time they need to. My interest and love for Kirtan is certainly only growing over time, and even if I wait to start until I have more time to devote, that will be ok. Patience was something I needed to work on anyways. The dilruba has also taught me that there is a difference between simply music and love for Gurbani. As I advance in music, I want to make sure I don’t lose my focus on the shabad and using music to convey the feeling of a shabad and as a part of the connection to God rather than being the focus on the music itself. 

Lastly, I think the process of learning the dilruba has been along the theme of acceptance that I have been trying to cultivate in the last couple of days. Rather than fighting with the idea that we are tired, or emotional, or stressed we should accept where we are and work with it. When we are hungry, we eat rather than saying we should not be hungry so the same idea should apply. The resistance and pretending we aren’t tired, or stressed, etc. is a lot more harmful than acceptance and working with where we are. I think it creates a lot frustration and discouragement for example if I was to expect myself to suddenly become proficient in the dilruba. Similarly, we should work on accepting where we are in our journey, our healing, our path. Healing because we are all healing from pains that maybe we never realized existed but are pointed out in Gurbani, and our separation from the path that joins us to God. Recognizing our strengths, our goals, and where we are in the scheme of where we are going is more beneficial than becoming paralyzed in the idea that you can never make it because the first step seems too hard. We never win making a comparison that someone else is... the journey never started on this lifetime in the first place. The point is for us to make our progress now with where we are. One of the aunty Jis said a big challenge for young people (and even older people that lose flexibility) being able to go to the Gurdwara is being able to sit. It highlighted the idea that basic skills are a foundation to being able to succeed. Going back to the basics of our life serves us well, and as I learn and develop my foundation with the dilruba I will share what I learn. 

Rakhri

Raksha Bandhan just passed and I saw a lot of guys at the Gurdwara with Rakhris today so I think it is a great topic to discuss. Raksha Bandhan is a festival when a rakhri is tied. Rakhris are strings that are tied by a sister (or sister-like relationship) around her brother’s wrist. It is given lovingly by a sister for her brother and symbolizes that the brother will protect his sister and in return, the sister says a prayer and gives this string that is supposed to protect her brother from harm. The brother also gives the sister money/presents in return. This is traditionally celebrated by the Hindu religion but I have seen a lot of Sikhs also celebrating it so let us see what Sikhi teaches. 

https://www.floweraura.com/

Firstly, Sikhi teaches us that there is equality between genders. Women have been taught to stand up for ourselves and to be able to defend ourselves. I was very inspired by the stories of the Kaurs that I posted a while ago, for example Nirbhai Kaur, Shamsher Kaur, and Baghel Kaur. The kirpan was given to us, men and women, to defend ourselves and we have many warriors in our history who teach us to defend ourselves and each other. The Khalsa was made for the protection of those who are in a vulnerable circumstance so a sister should not need to give her brother anything to get his protection, because all of us are brothers and sisters and should be protecting each other without hesitation. This is who we are as Sikhs. As “Basics of Sikhi” points out, Guru Ji is our ultimate protector and this is mentioned over and over in Gurbani. 

In a Sikhnet article, Christine Kaur makes the point that all we hear in the news from India is about sexual assault/rape, so how are these strings doing anything. If the point of the strings is to protect women from this violence then why is it continuing. I think we can take this point one step further and ask why I as a woman need protection at all. Maybe we should be addressing the problem of sexual violence in the first place so it doesn't happen. 

The next issue becomes practicality. It isn’t possible for a brother to “protect” his sister if she is halfway around the world or living in a different city, and some women don’t have brothers. It isn’t possible for the string to protect the brother either. Eventually either it falls off or the brother takes it off. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was against the Janeo thread because of reasons that it was an empty ritual and not equal for both genders and these same principles apply here to this piece of thread. 

The last issue here becomes that this is a ritual performed out of love. Bhai Paramjit Singh Kesri describes this well- if a sister gives her brother a rakhi thinking of all the presents or money she gets in return, and additionally this needs to be done year after year, that is a weak love and really more of an attachment. A strong brother sister bond does not rely on a string and some money. I don’t have a brother by blood but I do have people in my life who are close like brothers. There are many other ways to show our love for our brothers and sisters, and I think the strongest way is through our path to Sikhi. It is important for us to ask ourselves how we show our love because it applies to all of our relationships whether they are partners, family members, friends, or acquaintances. The purpose of this family, having been joined by past associations was always that we were meant to reach God together in this life, so our energy should be expended in this purpose. In this way love can be shown through doing simran together, kirtan, Ardas, teaching each other what you learn, giving a gift of knowledge like a book about Sikhi, helping each other get over struggles by using Gurbani’s teachings, or sending each other daily Hukamnamas or quotes from Gurbani and stories of our Guru Jis. I’ve had a couple of Gyani Jis now who came over to our house and we did Ardas together before they left which really touched my heart. Think about how many times someone has come over to your house and what you have gained and what they have left with. Perhaps whenever someone comes over or we go to a Sikh’s house, then the great gift we can give each other is to do one of the activities I mentioned above. Then we are giving the gift of time, words of love (Gurbani) and the gift of sangat as we connect on a spiritual level. In the last few days I was away on vacation with my family and we went to Edmonton to go to a family friend’s house where we did simran, katha, and kirtan daily. There was a power in sitting on their living room carpet together that taught me that I need to do this more in my life for my family and the people who come over to our house. I think even for my family, our ways of showing love, how we spend our time together, what we do on vacation, how we celebrate life events, etc. has changed very significantly over the years as we have grown on our path. It is possible for us to change and shape how things are done in our families so maybe it seems out of this world that you would do something like that with your sibling or partner, I think it is something that is important to build because it builds towards our purpose. Although there are many ways to show our love- words, gifts, touch, actions, spending time, and listening/emotionally connecting; we should not forget the spiritual connection that grounds the entire fibre of our beings. 

Brothers, may your kara remind you of the oneness of God, the commitment of doing right as per Gurbani, and with every action you take with your hands of your promise to protect any human being who needs protection. I hope that I do not see a rakhi tied around that same wrist now having learned about what Sikhi teaches us. Sometimes we are the first ones to change things in our families and the way we do things but it is important because we should further our Sikhi. 

And of course this hilarious video from Jus Reign about the Rakhri Zone

References

http://www.sikhnet.com/news/why-are-we-tying-strings

https://www.sikhnet.com/news/sacred-thread-its-all-head

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Raksha_Bandhan

http://www.sikhanswers.com/worship-ceremonies-institutions/ritual-festival-of-rakhri/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=287&v=wo0JbiojJrg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=7BhJ-FVzTWM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oHbOjLPIpg

First Prakash Divas Guru Granth Sahib Ji 2018

This weekend we are celebrating the Anniversary of the first Parkash Divas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji when Guru Arjan Dev Ji installed the Aad Granth at Harmandir Sahib on September 1^st, 1604.

Let us go back to the history of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. From the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, our Guru Jis felt it was important to write down the Gurbani that came to them, and so the shabads were written in  pothis. In katha today, a Veer Ji was talking about how this bani is different than our regular speech. Our daily speech can be called kachi bani because it exists in maya, whereas the Gurbani in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is Dhur Ki Bani, directly from God. Guru Nanak Dev Ji used these words of God to teach people on his udaasi’s (journeys). By the time of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the need for a standard collection of Gurbani was apparent as there were many fakes trying to create their own shabads and incorporate them, including Prithi Chand, Guru Ji’s own brother. At that time Bhai Mohan, son of Guru Amardas Ji, was the one who had the  pothis with the most shabads complied from the Guru Jis, however he was not letting anyone have them as he was angry that Guru Ji had not given him the Guruship. Guru Arjan Dev Ji first sent Bhai Gurdas Ji to collect them, then Baba Buddha Ji however they were unsuccessful, so Guru Ji went himself. Guru Ji sang shabads which won over Bhai Mohan and he gave the pothis. Guru Ji filtered out the added fake shabads and compiled the writings into the Aad Granth, adding writings from Hindu and Muslim Saints of varying classes to break the casteism that was strong at the time. The shabads from the Hindu and Muslim saints showed that we all have One God. Bhai Gurdas Ji was the scribe for the composition of the Aad Granth. I was surprised to learn that the scriptures of other religions were not written directly by those who were “prophets” of those religions but rather followers, and additionally that ours are the only to include writings from different religions- these are very unique points to our religion. Guru Ji additionally left blank pages to be written later. The Aad Granth is written in Gurmukhi script though it incorporates many different languages. It is written in Larivaar, which means it was continuous without spaces between the words. The Aadh Granth was then taken to Harmandir Sahib Ji and installed September 1, 1604 with Baba Buddha Ji as the first Granthi. The first Hukamnama, Santa Ke Karaj Aap Khaloya is on Ang 783/784 of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji: “He Himself hath succoured His saints in their work, He himself hath come to see their task fulfilled. Blessed is the earth, blessed the tank. Blessed is the tank with amrit filled. Amrit overfloweth the tank: He hath had the task completed; Eternal is the Perfect Being, His praises Vedas and Puranas sing. The Creator hath bestowed on me the nine treasures, and all the charisms, No lack do I suffer now. Enjoying His largesse, bliss have I attained, Ever-expanding is the Lord's bounty.” Guru Arjan Ji then said that the Aad Granth is the embodiment of Guru Ji and while he would sleep on the floor, the Aad Granth would be placed on his own bed. 

During the times of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Dhir Mal, grandson of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, took possession of the Aad Granth and refused to give it to Guru Gobind Singh Ji. (Thus, the first volume/Bir of the Aad Granth is still currently in Karatpur). Guru Ji then dictated the entire Gurbani to Bhai Mani Singh Ji and Baba Deep Singh Ji. Guru Ji included the shabads of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji. Thus, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains the writings from the first five and the 9^thGuru Ji, 15 Bhagats, and 17 Bhatts. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji was then installed on October 20, 1708 which is called the Gurgaddi Divas of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains 1430 Angs (pages) written in raags, which are a musical framework to make melodies, with a specific emotional tone. 

Guru Granth Sahib Ji are more than just holy scriptures or book, this our living Guru Ji, who listens and answers our questions in the form of a Hukamnama. In the katha I attended today, Veer Ji kindly explained that if we simply bow down to Guru Ji but do not follow teachings we are not being respectful, just as if we didn’t follow what our parents said, we wouldn’t be being respectful to them. Real respect is not in show but in your actions. Guru Ji has the power to transform our lives, the key to fulfilling our purpose, answering our questions, helping us solve our problems and pains in this life. Let us not underestimate the treasure of the spiritual knowledge and take advantage by learning, listening, reading, understanding and incorporating the teachings into our lives. I was reading the other day in the Sikh Harvard course I started that the word Granthi should actually be translated as “caretaker” and not “priest” because in Sikhi we do not have a priestly class. Each individual should develop their own relationship with God and Guru Ji, but the Granthis are the caretakers for Guru Ji and are therefore knowledgeable individuals who know Gurbani. It really got me to thinking because I sometimes have translated it as “priest” too, knowing it wasn't the same but not really recognizing the vast difference in what that means because we don't have a "priestly class", but rather can all read from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji which is quite different from the Hindu system at the time which emphasized that only the priestly class could read scriptures and meet God. 

As Sikhs, people might ask us the question of why we bow to Guru Ji if we do not do idol worship. One of the greatly articulated answers on sikhiwiki explained that we are bowing not to the physical book, but to the word of God- our Guru Ji, just like people did not worship the bodies of the physical Gurus but the Divine wisdom that allows us to also meet God. They write “Therefore, bowing before the ‘Spoken revealed Word’ of God and submitting to God’s Order is in fact bowing to God.” I think this is a great way of us explaining that to others outside the Sikh community. 

Reflecting now on the Parkash Divas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, may we celebrate by each expanding and applying our knowledge. May we go to the Gurdwara Sahib and share what's going on with our Guru Ji in the form of Ardas and hear the answers in the form of Hukamnama, may we get Gurmat and continue to learn and find our path. I hope you all reflect on your relationship with Guru Ji as I am today. Happy Parkash Divas!

Quiz: 

When was the Aad Granth Ji first installed at Harmandir Sahib?

What was the importance in developing a compilation of the shabads in a standard version?

Who was the first Granthi?

What was the first Hukamnama? 

How many Angs are in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji? 

What is the difference between the Parkash Divas and Gurgaddi Divas?

The writings of which Guru Jis, how many Bhatts, and how many Bhagats are in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji?

References

https://brightoncollege.com/guru-granth-sahib/

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Adi_Granth 

http://www.manninghaminterfaithnetwork.org.au/event/sri-guru-granth-sahib-ji-proclamation-as-eternal-guru-s-2/

https://twitter.com/jagdeep_singh91/status/643278961196142593 

http://khalsaforce.in/september-1-1604-the-first-prakash-purab-of-shri-guru-granth-sahib-ji