A model of inter-linguistic dialogue in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Indian languages

Abstract

Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains samples of the language from the twelfth to the seventeenth century, which is derived from the linguistic mixture prevalent throughout India at that time in the form of Sadh Bhasha. Which includes the linguistic forms of the Indian medieval languages Sanskrit, Pali Prakrit and Apabhransha as well as the modern Indian languages Western Hindi, Khari Boli, Rajasthani, Kaurvi, Bhojpuri etc. Not only at the vocabulary level of the language, but also at the phonetic and semantic level, the language in it has the color of Indian languages. Its linguistic liberality in terms of rhetorical fluency corresponds to the principle of “jo brahmande soi pinde” Because of this, the diversity created by linguistic communication through polymorphous linguistic forms in this Sandhukadi language is transformed into a formula of unity by the linguistic consciousness involved in it. In this way, the model of language in Gurbani, where at the level of form it has the quality of diversity, at the level of consciousness it corresponds to the principle of uniformity which gives a unique existence to unity in the whole. This nature can be well understood by these lines composed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji:

"Ghat ghat Mian Sabna Jiyan Boli Avar Tumari.
Je tu meer mahipat sahib kudraat kavaan humari.
Char koont slaam karehenge ghar ghar sifaat tumari"
- Guru Granth Sahib