# Which Language To Start With For Reading And Learning Sggs?



## FilledToTheBrim (Mar 21, 2018)

i want to learn to read the guru granth sahib. Which language do you think i should start with. Guru Nanak and Guru Arjun both wrote in Sanskrit and they were the biggest contributes so should i learn Sanskrit first?


----------



## Harry Haller (Mar 23, 2018)

yes, learn sanskrit, excellent idea, then persian, and then maybe french, just to add a bit of mystery!

I would not bother with Punjabi, it may hinder you.


----------



## Rajveer_97 (Mar 30, 2018)

Of course you would need to know Punjabi, so start by learning the Gurmukhi alphabet and Punjabi vocabulary. I'd recommend using the Mahan Kosh dictionary when trying to understand SGGS ji.
Now it's true words from Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian are drawn from fairly often. But this doesn't necessarily mean you need a mastery of all these languages. Learn the basics I suppose, just enough that you can find and reference the meaning of words from these languages when they show up.
Afterwards learning some Braj Bhasha is also a good idea, since you'll need that to start understanding the Sri Dasam Granth Sahib ji. But start with SGGS ji yes.

I am far, far from a knowledgeable person when it comes to the languages in Gurbani, so can others here please be more proactive here when it comes to giving responses? There are obviously many well educated users here. When someone asks for help, we should do our best to help them out no matter how basic the question.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh


----------



## Harry Haller (Mar 30, 2018)

Rajveer_97 said:


> Of course you would need to know Punjabi, so start by learning the Gurmukhi alphabet and Punjabi vocabulary. I'd recommend using the Mahan Kosh dictionary when trying to understand SGGS ji.
> Now it's true words from Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian are drawn from fairly often. But this doesn't necessarily mean you need a mastery of all these languages. Learn the basics I suppose, just enough that you can find and reference the meaning of words from these languages when they show up.
> Afterwards learning some Braj Bhasha is also a good idea, since you'll need that to start understanding the Sri Dasam Granth Sahib ji. But start with SGGS ji yes.
> 
> ...



He asked about the Sri Guru Granth Sahibji, why did you feel the need to impose the understanding of the other manuscripts you have mentioned? does one need to have knowledge of other manuscripts to understand the SGGS?


----------



## Rajveer_97 (Mar 30, 2018)

Harry Haller said:


> He asked about the Sri Guru Granth Sahibji, why did you feel the need to impose the understanding of the other manuscripts you have mentioned? does one need to have knowledge of other manuscripts to understand the SGGS?



I said "Afterwards" and "But start with SGGS ji yes" since understanding SGGS ji first is key. It was merely a suggestion for extra reading later on, because some Sikhs I've met have never even heard of other literature. Plus, Chaupai Sahib and Jaap Sahib are 2 of the key daily prayers, so no harm in there to look even a little bit into Braj Bhasha.


----------



## Original (Mar 30, 2018)

Rajveer_97 said:


> I am far, far from a knowledgeable person when it comes to the languages in Gurbani, so can others here please be more proactive here when it comes to giving responses? There are obviously many well educated users here. When someone asks for help, we should do our best to help them out no matter how basic the question.


Rajveer 
Please accept my apologies on two counts: First, the late response and second, I thought it negligible to merit serious consideration.


FilledToTheBrim said:


> i want to learn to read the guru granth sahib. Which language do you think i should start with.


..the language you want to learn is Gurmukhi. This will be the script form of the language Punjabi as it was uttered by the Sikh Gurus. The utterances of the Gurus together with the writings of other saints from different parts of India have attained a particular uniformity in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji [SGGSJ], that is, God. All of them were called to deliver the one "Bani" as enshrined in SGGSJ, more commonly referred to as, Gurbani. To some extent, not only is Gurbani literatrue the foundation of Sikh Religion but is also the heritage of today's Sikh generation. So yes, well-done for waking up to embrace your ancestral roots and enjoying Gurbani in its native form.


----------



## Rajveer_97 (Mar 31, 2018)

Original said:


> Rajveer
> Please accept my apologies on two counts: First, the late response and second, I thought it negligible to merit serious consideration.



I simply don't want for people to feel discouraged when it comes to asking questions, even if they're fairly basic ones.


----------



## Dalvinder Singh Grewal (Apr 5, 2018)

To start with, the best method to learn a new book is through its translation into language of the individual.  English translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib are avaialble in various languages which can be best used. With the passage of time start learning the language of the SGGS. It is in Panjabi written in Gurmukshi script.  It is primarily Panjabi though some words of other language like Sanskrit and Persian and some local languages like Marathi, Lehndi etc are also there which on can learn gradually from Panjabi dictionaries for which Mahan Kosh is the best. Most important is to learn the spirit of Gurbani; language and culture follow. English translation of SGGS is available on net itself.


----------

