PRAKASH UTSAV SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI (Bhadrapada Shukla Pratipada)

PRAKASH UTSAV SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI (Bhadrapada Shukla Pratipada)

Prakash Utsav of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji takes place on the 15th day (New Moon) of Bhadon, the sixth month of the Punjabi calendar, which occurs in August or September in the Western calendar.
Guru Granth Sahib Ji is unique among the great texts of the world. It is considered to be the supreme spiritual authority and head of Sikhism rather than any living person. It is also the only book of its kind that not only contains the works of its religious founders but also the writings of people of their faith. The living Guru of the Sikhs, the book is kept with great reverence by the Sikhs and is treated with the utmost respect. The Guru Granth Sahib ji is a compilation of many hymns, poems, Shabad and other writings from several different scholars including the Sikh Gurus and other saints. Guru Granth Sahib ji has 1,430 pages, and each copy is identical. It contains words spoken by the Gurus. It is known as Gurbani, which means ‘from the mouth of the Guru’. It is considered the word of God. It is written in Gurmukhi. This is the script in which the Punjabi language is written.

Guru Arjan Dev ji, the fifth Sikh Guru compiled the original version of Guru Granth Sahib ji. Guru Arjan Dev ji felt that the Sikhs needed authentic compilation of the hymns of their gurus. Thus Guru Arjan Dev ji started the collection of original verses of all the Gurus. He sent reliable Sikhs like Bhai Piara ji, Bhai Gurdas ji and Baba Buddha ji across the country in search of original manuscripts. Guru Arjan Dev ji traveled to Goindwal, Khadur and Kartarpur to visit the families of the previous Gurus. Guru Arjan Dev ji collected original manuscripts of the Gurus from Mohan ji(son of Guru Amar Das ji), Datu ji (son of Guru Angad ji) as well as Sri Chand ji (son of Guru Nanak ji).