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Summary of Question:	Gurbani And The Paper Used
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Thursday, 8/02/2001 1:22 AM MDT

Wahe Guru JI Ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Je Ke Fathae!

In sikhism which is the oldest Granth Sahib, or text that has been written by a Guru or a Bhagat, and what is the best way to take care of that paper on which Gurbani has been written? How long will the paper last on which the Gurbani is written? What is the weight of the paper used in most case? Do the companies that make Sundar Gutkas seem to use cheap paper? What is the best to way to take care of Sundar Gutka if the pages or paper becomes so frail over the period of time? (just concerned- Mosses got his comandments written in stone and now where are those tablets, after all this is only paper and if every Siri Guru Granth Sahib is alive and living Guru, then what is the life expectancy of the written text on the paper?)

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REPLY
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Greetings in the Name of the Guru, the light of every Sikh! I am no expert on paper except for the fact that acid-free paper lasts longest. Perhaps someone with library experience will chime in here.

But I wanted to comment that the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is our living Guru bacause the Gurbani is alive... the Shabd is alive... not the physical paper and binding. It is the Shabd Guru we honor. It is the Shabd Guru to which we bow. We care for the Bir because it is the container of the Shabd Guru, just as all the Gurus from Nanak forward were the transmitters of the Shabd Guru. The life expectancy of paper has nothing to do with our living Guru.

.....G