INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

To pay respect to sacred words, provision for selling manuscripts has been condemned
in the Sikh tradition and printed versions should likewise not be merchandized
to make a profit. According to a strong religious sentiment among the Sikhs the
Guru Granth Sahib cannot be sold nor purchased like ordinary consumer items, but
only the product costs are to be reciprocated
through voluntary donations to the
publisher or the gurdwara responsible for
the conveyance of texts. “We cannot buy
Baba ji, but instead we offer money for the
volume as much as we can afford”, a middleaged
women in Varanasi said. The
moral ethos which is valid for relations in
the human society – people cannot not be
sold nor bought unless being degraded of
their human values ‒ should likewise
apply to contexts in which the Sikh scripture
pursue custodians. Giving money to a
publishing Sikh institution in the form of a
devotional gift is, on the other hand, an act
of seva with potential to purify the currency
and bestow merits to the donor.
That Guru Granth Sahib is not an
ordinary book to purchase from the bookstore
is evident from distribution policies
maintained by publishers in Amritsar. A
bookseller will be reluctant and may even
A demonstration of the Sikh scripture at a
private publishing house
refuse to hand over a copy to a person suspect of not being able to satisfy the ritual
requirements that serves to warrant the scripture’s status. Unlike sanchis, the text
divided into several volumes, the scripture in a single volume requires formal installation
and daily ministration. Prospective procurers will likewise not consider acquiring
the scripture in one volume unless they have the capacity to observe these regulations.
As long as the text remains in guardianship of publishers it will be given due
respect, and the transition from the world of printers to new custodians in exclusively
religious settings will be marked by formalized practices.
The private publisher Bhai Chattar Singh Jivan Singh has appointed the interior
of the book store in the bazaar streets nearby Harimandir Sahib with great consideration
of devout customers and the sacred products in store. In an outer room secular
books on different subjects are packed together in bookshelves, while prayer books
(gutkas), the Sikh scripture in two or more volumes (sanchi), whisks, robes and other
ritual commodities are preserved in cupboards in an inner showroom behind glazed
windows and doors. Visiting customers are expected to remove shoes and cover the
head when they enter the bookstore and take a seat on the floor covered with white
mattresses. The shop also provides a small washbasin for the customary ablution
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008