1E siqguru pRswid THE LANGUAGE OF THE GURUS An introductory course in Gurmukhi Awvhu isK siqgurU ky ipAwirho gwvhu scI bwxI Avo Sikh Satguru Ke Piario Gavo Sachi Bani Come beloved Sikhs of the Guru and sing the True Word - Guru Amar Das ji – “Teaching of Guru Granth Sahib is a very unique teaching. At that time your energy becomes the Guru’s. Your lips do the same movement which Guru Nanak’s did, or Guru Ram Das’ lips did. You are exactly saying it the same way they said it. At that time you are they and they are you. There is no difference, there’s no gap.” - Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Singh Yogiji. 11/20/73 EK ONG KAR SAT NAM SIRI WAH GURU Guru Liv Singh, 1975 Edited in 2010 by Siri Sevak Kaur and Ravi Nam Kaur 1 FOREWORD In the beginning was the word and the word was God, and the word was with God. The Sikh Gurus spoke the Word of God, the infinite sound current. This vibration changes men’s destiny as it reaches into their hearts. This vibration, this spirit, this direct communication between man and God is our living Guru: SIRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB. Guru Angad Dev, the second Guru, created the Gurmukhi script to transmit this vibration and perpetuate it for mankind. For this reason he called it Gurmukhi, literally, “from the mouth of the Guru”. It is a bridge to reach the sound current of the Gurus. It is much simpler than the Sanskrit or the Arabic script; it is phonetic, logical and consistent. Guru Nanak and his successors lived primarily in the northern part of India, which is now the State of Punjab. Many of their compositions are written in various forms of the language of that region; others are in Hindi and many other Indian and Arabic influenced dialects. Although the Guru Granth Sahib comprises verses from many languages, its script is entirely Gurmukhi. NOTE: Gurbani means Word of the Guru. It normally refers to the word of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It also refers to the word of Guru Gobind Singh, which is not found in Guru Granth Sahib, but in a separate volume known as Dasam Granth and made up only of his poetry. This beginning Gurmukhi course will teach you to read, write and pronounce Gurmukhi which will give you tools for chanting, teaching and enjoying Kundalini Yoga mantra and for beginning to study Japji Sahib and other compostions from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. You will be provided with: a textbook which gradually presents the material, a series of recordings covering the exercises in the textbook so you can practice pronunciation on your own, materials for writing practice, and flashcards. Each week you will receive a mantra sheet with Kundalini mantras using the letters you have already learned. By the end of the class you will have all the Aquarian sadhana mantras. 2 Recommended approach: Frequent short study periods of 15-30 minutes a day are more effective than two hours once a week. Cover the material rapidly; get through it without expecting total recall or perfect understanding. As soon as you have learned the basic sounds and pronunciation principles, begin reading. Read slowly and consciously. If there is a word which you cannot pronounce, write it down and move forward. As you read the rules will gradually be easier to apply. Method for the beginning reader: 1. When you read a word, first break it down into its components to make sure you pronounce each sound correctly. 2. When you have identified each sound, find the proper place to put the stress and pronounce the entire word. Study notes: 1. If you cannot remember certain letters or if certain sounds seem very difficult for you to pronounce: simply be aware of them and KEEP GOING. 2. If a rule is unclear, understand it as best you can and come back to it later. 3. If you cannot hear or feel a difference between certain sounds, pronounce them exactly as you hear them and be mentally aware which letter you are pronouncing. With practice your ear will automatically sharpen itself. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: VOWELS………..........................…………..………………………………………………………………..……...6 MUKTA & KANA .........................................................................................................................................6 SIAREE & BIAREE...................................................................................................................................10 ONKAR & DULAINKAR .........................................................................................................................11 LANV & DULANV.....................................................................................................................................12 HORA & KANAURA.................................................................................................................................13 SECTION 2: VOWEL BEARERS, SASSA & HAHHA ......................................................................14 SECTION 3: CONSONANTS.....................................................................................................................18 ROW 1..........................................................................................................................................................18 ROW 2: VELAR LETTERS.....................................................................................................................19 ROW 3: PALATAL LETTERS...............................................................................................................21 ROW 4: RETROFLEX LETTERS .........................................................................................................23 ROW 5: DENTAL LETTERS .................................................................................................................25 ROW 6: LABIAL LETTERS ...................................................................................................................28 ROW 7: INDEPENDENT CONSONANTS.........................................................................................30 ROW 8: THE PERSIAN SOUNDS........................................................................................................33 SPECIAL SECTION: THE VOICED ASPIRATED STOPS.............................................................35 SECTION 4: NASALIZATION..................................................................................................................40 SECTION 5: ADDAK ...................................................................................................................................43 SECTION 6- ADVANCED: TONE ..........................................................................................................44 READING PRACTICE FROM GURBANI DEMONSTRATING TONE......................................46 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS.........................................................................................................................47 TONE WITH THE LETTER h HAHHA..............................................................................................47 ICON KEY Tips provide advice that is short and easy to remember Audio exercise- listen and repeat the exercise using the audio file Reading exercises have no audio file Note- this is advice that may require you to come back to it again and again. 4 GURMUKHI ALPHABET The consonants with the three vowel-bearers are arranged in eight rows with five letters in each row. The first row contains the three vowel-bearers followed by two consonants. Rows Two through Six are scientifically arranged by pronunciation from the throat over the roof of the mouth to the lips. The arrangement of the letters within these six rows is two pairs and a nasal consonant. The first pair is voiceless, the second voiced. The names of the consonants are their sounds pronounced twice with the mukta. (The first letter of the fourth row is the only exception to this.) The seventh row is made up of sounds which didn’t fit into Rows 2-6. The eighth row is made up of five Arabic or Persian sounds which came into the language with the Moslem influence in Punjab. The following chart is added as a reference. Vowel Signs Mukta Kana Lanv Dulanv Siaree Biaree Onkar Dulankar Hora Kanaura Unwritten w y Y i I u U o O Vowel Bearers Independents 1. a A e s h Voiceless Voiced Nasal 2. Velar (K) k K (G) g G | 3. Palatal (CH) c C (J) j J \ 4. Retroflex (T) t T (D) f F x 5. Dental (T) q Q (D) d D n 6. Labial (P) p P (B) b B m 7. Independents X r l v V 8. Persian Sounds S ^ Z z & The consonants should be associated with their sounds rather than with the English letters which approximately represent them. Thus, like the vowels, they should be learned primarily by hearing. 5 SECTION ONE: VOWELS Vowels are produced by the vibration of air passing through the mouth cavity without obstruction. The different vowel sounds are formed by changing the shape and size of the mouth. There are 10 pure vowel sounds in Gurmukhi. Each one is unique. Mukta & Kana sq nwm Truth (is His) Name. These are the 5 primal sounds: Sa- Totality; Ta- Birth, life; Na - Death; Ma - Resurrection s q n w m Notice that in Gurmukhi Sat Nam is spelled: ST NAM S T N A M s is pronounced as S in sit. q is a soft T pronounced with the tongue curled against the inside of the upper teeth. There is NO ASPIRATION (air) with it. n is an N sound pronounced in the same position as q. m is an M sound. The vowel between the s & q of sq is called MUKTA, the liberated One. It is not written. It is pronounced somewhat as U is bus. When you see two adjacent consonants (without a vowel between them), you may generally assume a Mukta