# How To Tell When Sri Guru Granth Sahib Is Present In Darbar Sahib



## Ishna (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi again

Please correct any words I've mis-understood below.

Is there any easy way to tell if Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji is present on the manji (sort of like altar) in Darbar Sahib (main hall), or if it's in sukhasan (put away safely in another room)?

I went to Gurdwara a while ago and arrived at 8.30am.  The gurdwara was open but there was no one in Darbar Sahib (a handful of people were in the kitchen) so I wasn't sure if I should approach and matha tek (bow -- I hope I got the spelling right) because I didn't know if Guruji was present yet.

The first thing I want to do in Gurdwara is matha tek and give my offering but I find myself doing seva first because I never know if I can go into Darbar Sahib by myself.

Also, sometimes I just want to go to Gurdwara in the middle of a weekday but I never do because I don't know how to tell if I'm going to end up bowing to an empty bunch of linen!

Thank you.

Ishna


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## Ishna (Oct 20, 2010)

Also, is it ok to arrive, matha tek, do seva, then when back in Darbar Sahib for the main service, go down "the runway" (what is that path called which you walk down to approach Guruji??) and matha tek again or should you only do it once and then matha tek from wherever you decide to sit?

I hope I'm making sense!

Ishna


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## spnadmin (Oct 21, 2010)

Ishna ji

Manji is a "cot" or small bed, and it is a facsimile of the cot on which our Gurus sat when giving darshan to their sangats, or getting things organized, etc.,  in the days of the Gurus. 

I admit I am scratching my head trying to think this through. Perhaps I am not doing it right. But I only mata tek to Guruji when right in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahibji. If I leave Darshan Sahib to use the ladies' room, or maybe for some other reason, then I return to my place and mata tek from where I am seated.  That is pretty much what the others do too. I have noticed also that some will seat themselves and mata tek, and they do not approach Guruji at all. Then of course some sangats may take a minimalist approach. It is hard to say.

Some gurdwaras have Guruji in Darshan Sahib 24/7 because the sangat is large and a lot of people work round the clock. I do not know if the "runway" has a special name. Sorry


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## Hardip Singh (Oct 21, 2010)

One more important thing to discuss is when Guru Sahib's parkash has been done and we do the matha tek or bow in front of the Parkash saroops of SGGS jee; than is it not wrong to again go and bow or matha tek at Sukhasan asthan or the rest room of Guru Sahib. One is parkash saroop in the Darbar Hall and sangat in attendence and the ones in rest room of Guru Sahib. Can the learned members at SPN put some light on this crucial spect whether we should bow at the restroom of Guru Sahib too.


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## Gyani Jarnail Singh (Oct 21, 2010)

1. The SGGS is all about ..THE CREATOR....and TC is EVERYWHERE..and NOT CONFINED to any seat/takhatposh/manji sahib/palki sahib/sukhasan room whatever...The PREAMBLE of Japji declares this very very CLEARLY.

2. The SGGS deserves utmost RESPECT simply because the SGGS is all about TC. So we MATHA TEK...( and HOPEFULLY open and READ...GURBANI...before we PRACTISE GURBANI to change our LIVES..because THAT is the ONE and ONLY GENUINE SATIKAAR/RESPECT of SGGS). Empty ritualistic bowing....and bowing..and holding hands clasped tightly...all have a very very small "meaning"..its just a BEGINNING of "respect" ( as said earlier..NEXT is READING and Practising Gurbani..) SADLY Most of us wish to remain in the BEGINNING STAGE (ritualised matha tekking ONLY ) and simply REFUSE to go FORWARD. Some of us have been doing that for 50 YEARS..others for 70 YEARS..yet others do it till the day they DIE....as "beginners"...

4. many THINK..that IF...just IF..they do this Ritualised Matha tekking habit..more..and more times..perhaps Guru ji will CONSIDER this and...(do what ?? i dont know )..so such people..MT (Matha Tek) at the Gate of the Gurdwara, MT at the Nishan Sahib..MT at the SHOES place of snagat..MT on each step up towards the darbar Sahib...MT here and MT there..all over the Place...again and again...Action akin to a School Going student BOWING to the School gate, school field, classrooms, desks, teachers, headmaster, etc etc BUT NEVER OPENING his BOOKS or attend classes...or doing any homework or even care to LISTEN to his teachers...yet hoping that his "SHARDHA" hsown by endless BOWING in School will make him PASS his exams with flying colours. ( IF anyone did pass this way please let me know ).

5. SHARDHA vis a vis GURBANI is Shardha of *GYAAN* !!! GYaan is KNOWLEDGE..the DIVINE LIGHT that is inside the SGGS/GURBANI. Shardha of drinking water in feet washing places at Gurdwara entrances, Gurdwara toilet floors, Gurdwara Langgar halls mopped water, mixing dust wiped off sangat shoes with water and drinking that..etc etc is NOT SHARDHA..its AGYAAN..AANDH WISHWAASH...BLIND FAITH...while the Divine LIGHT of SGGS REQUIRES...OPEN EYES to read..open ears to listen...and a strong helathy body to FOLLOW in PRACTISE !!  The POINT of Sangat DHURR..dust of the snagat is to Make the MANN HUMBLE...Humility of the Mann....and that humility comes as a result of PRACTISING GURBANI...Hum nahin changgeh..burrah nahi koi...eks ke barak..na ko beri nahin beganna...all are my kin...none is my enemy...THIS IS GYAAN that Gurbani brings in our LIVES...Divine LIGHT that makes us into human beings like Bhagat Pooran Singh of Pingalwara..

6. The SGGS is *GURU* when PARKASHMAAN in DARBAR SAHIB. When the Granthi reads from the GUrbani..when the ragis sing Gurbani..wehn Kathakaars talk on Gurbani..when the Sangat stands in front to perform Ardass..take Hukmnamahs,,vaaks,,do sehaj paath..akhand paath......LIGHT ISSUES FORTH from a Light Bulb when its SWITCHED ON...and Electricity is flowing through....the SGGS is the Light Bulb (apologies in advance !!! )..and the "electricity flowing through" is..the SANGAT LISTENING to.../READING/VICHARING.....  the GYAAN/LIGHT so that they can FOLLOW it Practise it...when the GYAAN enlightens us.."shows" us our weakness..our bad habits get exposed..our evil mann stands naked...our strengths get realised..our good thoughts get strength...Pitth par thhapprra..the Guru slapping our backs..Good My son !!..or I am disappointed my son..please repent and turn from your bad ways...THEN the LIGHT is helpful...a "switched off" light bulb is a valuable object..worthy of respect..etc..BUT its REAL VALUE is when its SWITCHED ON.....the SGGS is meant to be SWITCHED ON !!!...and USED to GUIDE us through this Ocean of Pitfalls Maya evils and what not...
:blueturban::redturban::happysingh:rangesingh::carefreemunda:    :thumbsuppp::blinkingkudi: ikonkaarkhandaacheeringmunda


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## spnadmin (Oct 21, 2010)

> 4. many THINK..that IF...just IF..they do this Ritualised Matha tekking habit..more..and more times..perhaps Guru ji will CONSIDER this and...(do what ?? i dont know )..so such people..MT (Matha Tek) at the Gate of the Gurdwara, MT at the Nishan Sahib..MT at the SHOES place of snagat..MT on each step up towards the darbar Sahib...MT here and MT there..all over the Place...again and again...Action akin to a School Going student BOWING to the School gate, school field, classrooms, desks, teachers, headmaster, etc etc BUT NEVER OPENING his BOOKS or attend classes...or doing any homework or even care to LISTEN to his teachers...yet hoping that his "SHARDHA" hsown by endless BOWING in School will make him PASS his exams with flying colours. ( IF anyone did pass this way please let me know ).



Thanks


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## Ishna (Oct 22, 2010)

Gyani ji

thank you for your response and pointing out the futility of math tekking to everything. I especially enjoyed you analogy to bowing to everything in the schoolyard!

I would like to say that I've not had any incling to bow to anything except Guru Granth Sahib and relating to it as a window through which I might see God. And it feels so good to bow to the universe. I've felt so in awe at times that I've bowed to nothing in particular physically but in my mind it's been an expression of adoration for the divine. I don't know if this personal and occasional practice is anti-gurmat but I don't know how else to release / express my awe and surrender.

If bowing is indeed such a futile effort, why do we do it at all?

And still, it would be nice for me to be able to tell if I'm bowing to guruji in darbar sahib or just an empty space!

Ishna


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## Gyani Jarnail Singh (Oct 22, 2010)

Ishan ji...
IF you read Gurbani in SGGS you would see the Gurus Sahaibaans and the Bhagats and the Bhatts.."BOWING" to the UNIVERSE..in so many beautiful and meaningful ways...in Fact the very wpord VAH..VAh..GUR..is AWESOME !! Thast what we should do..and i think i understand your "bowing"...within and without. Nothing anti gurmatt about THAT.

What I am trying to discourage is the EMPTY show off Ritualised Bowing..so common among Sikhs these days....Bhai Nand Lala Goya...a poet at the Court of Guru gobind Singh ji writes so beautifully....Once I had BOWED my head to Guru gobind Singh ji..I NEVER LIFTED it ever again....thats real BOWING...accepting the GURUs MATT _ GURMATT.... and Leaving/discarding OUR MATT.._ MANMATT. What we do is.."pretend to bow to SGGS in sangat simply becasue thats required/the IN thing..cool thing..ashamed of what people will say.....and NEVER ACTUALLY DISCARD MANMATT !! Heaven FORBID..whatever for ???? Manmatt is so EXCITING and LOVED by us...we LIVE for Manmatt...
Keep in Chardeekalla always..


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## hpannu (Oct 22, 2010)

Ishna said:


> Hi again
> 
> Please correct any words I've mis-understood below.
> 
> ...





> Is there any easy way to tell if Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji is present on  the manji (sort of like altar) in Darbar Sahib (main hall), or if it's  in sukhasan (put away safely in another room)?



Ishna Ji,

VAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA
VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH !!

I would suggest to you to ask the Giani Ji at Gurduara Sahib what time in the morning they do Parkash of GURU GRANTH SAHIB everyday? for example at our Gurduara Sahib it's done 5am and Rehras is done 7pm. This should be a standard time usually followed by Giani Ji. Once you know the times you will know if the GURU GRANTH SAHIB is in Darbar Hall or Sukhasan Asthan.

Secondly, if you get a chance - one time go at the time of Sukhasan Seva(when it's time for Rehras and Sohilaa Sahib). You will notice that when GURU GRANTH SAHIB is parkash, Looking closely at Manji Sahib you will see what it looks like when GURU GRANTH is parkash ? also look at Manji Sahib after Sukhasan Seva is done. You will see the difference.

Bhul Chuk Maaf,
Harjot Singh


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