Guru Granth Sahib - Eternal Guru

Dadi: "Guddu, if a great teacher was dying, who would replace them?"

Guddu: "Another person? A student maybe?"

Dadi: "That's usually how it works. But the Sikhs did something different. Their tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, chose a book to be the next Guru."

Guddu: "A book? How can a book be a Guru?"

Dadi: "That's a wonderful question. Let me tell you how it happened."

Guddu: "Okay!"

Dadi: "In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh was badly wounded. Enemies had sent assassins to attack him. He knew his body was failing."

Guddu: "That's sad."

Dadi: "But he wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about his people. For generations, there had always been a human Guru to guide the Sikhs. Who would guide them when he was gone?"

Guddu: "Didn't he have children or students?"

Dadi: "His children had all been killed in battles. And he saw something clearly - human gurus can be attacked, can be silenced, can be killed. But words of wisdom... those are immortal."

Guddu: "So he chose the holy book?"

Dadi: "The Guru Granth Sahib. It's a collection of sacred hymns written by the Sikh Gurus and also by Hindu saints and even a Muslim Sufi poet. Guru Gobind Singh himself had dictated the entire scripture from memory!"

Guddu: "From memory? The whole thing?"

Dadi: "Every single verse. And on November 19, 1708, he performed a special ceremony. He placed a sword, some coins, and a coconut before the Granth Sahib - these were symbols of authority. He walked around it five times and bowed his head before it."

Guddu: "Like people do to a Guru!"

Dadi: "Exactly. Then he declared his final command: "Sab Sikhan ko hokam hai Guru Manyo Granth" - All Sikhs are commanded to take the Granth as their Guru. There would be no more human Gurus. The words themselves would guide the Sikhs forever."

Guddu: "Forever? That's a long time!"

Dadi: "It's been over three hundred years, beta. And Sikhs still treat the Guru Granth Sahib as a living Guru. In every gurdwara, the book is placed on a throne. People bow before it. They cover their heads and remove their shoes in its presence."

Guddu: "Like they would for a real person?"

Dadi: "Yes! Each page is called an "ang" - which means a limb. Because the book is seen as a living body. Every morning, it's ceremonially opened. Every night, it's put to rest. There are people who wave fans over it!"

Guddu: "That's beautiful, Dadi. But how can a book give guidance like a person?"

Dadi: "When you have a question, when you need comfort, when you're confused - you open the Guru Granth Sahib and read. The words speak to you. Sikhs believe that the wisdom inside comes alive and guides you personally."

Guddu: "Like the book talks to you?"

Dadi: "In a way. Guru Gobind Singh knew that human teachers can only be in one place at a time. But a book can be everywhere. Copies of the Guru Granth Sahib are in gurdwaras all over the world - in India, in America, in England, everywhere. The same exact words guide millions of people."

Guddu: "So Sikhs have eleven Gurus now?"

Dadi: "They say ten human Gurus and one eternal Guru - the Shabad Guru, the Guru of the Word. The human Gurus have passed on, but their teachings live forever in those sacred pages."

Guddu: "Dadi, I think that's really smart. People can be killed, but words last forever."

Dadi: "That's exactly what Guru Gobind Singh understood. And today, whether you're in Punjab or in Canada, whether it's 1708 or today, the same words of wisdom wait to guide you. The Guru never dies."

Guddu: "I want to see the Guru Granth Sahib someday."

Dadi: "We'll visit a gurdwara together. You'll sit in silence, listen to the hymns being sung, and feel what millions of Sikhs have felt for centuries - the presence of an eternal teacher."

Guddu: "Thank you for this story, Dadi. It makes me think about books differently."

Dadi: "Words are powerful, beta. They can outlive us all. That's why we must be careful what we say - and why we should treasure the wisdom written down by those who came before us. Now, sweet dreams."