The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (55 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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m
nio granth’ (‘acknowledge the Granth as Gur
’). Any room in which the
di Granth is appropriately installed is a
gurdw
r
. The scriptures are treated with the same detailed devotion as would be shown to a human Gur
—e.g. a
chaur
is waved over it and the volume is ceremonially laid to rest at night.
The
di Granth consists of 1,430 pages, each copy having standard page length and numbering.
The contents are metrical and, excepting the opening
Japj
, are intended for singing.
Despite the diversity of authorship and language, the message of the
di Granth is unanimous: salvation depends not upon
caste
, ritual, or asceticism, but upon constant meditation on God's name (
n
m
) and immersement in his being:
din
tha

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