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Summary of Question:	Which Language Was Japji Sahib Written Originally In?
Category:	Gurbani
Date Posted:	Monday, 3/04/2002 4:45 AM MST

Khalsa ji

As gurmukhi script was founded after Guru Nanak Devji. So in which language japji sahib was first written and who translated it into gurmukhi.

Gagan

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REPLY
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Sat Siri Akaal, Gagan:
Japji Sahib was written in the poetic Punjabi language of Guru Nanak's time. Gurmukhi is not a 'language' actually, it is an alphabet for reading Guru's bani in Siri Guru Granth Sahib. 5th Guru Arjun created it, because the bani that had been compiled by then --including Japji Sahib -- was actually written in a number of languages or dialects of the time/region of the author. For example, Sheik Fareed's bani was in a much older version of Punjabi (or perhaps it was Persian?), since it was written around 1278. There are Sanskrit sloks in Siri Guru that are in Sanskrit, but using the Gurmukhi alphabet, we can read them and pronounce them as they were written. SOme of Guru Gobind SIngh's bani uses a lot of Persian words; we can read them in Gurmukhi, rather than having to read them in Persian script.
Hope this helps. Guru ang sang,
--DKK