SriGranth.org has existed since June, 2000. The site was completely updated on Guru Nanak's Parkash Ustav day, in November 2005. The current site has updated database with two English translations of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, one Punjabi translation and two Teekas (Punjabi translations with explanations) and is based on Unicode fonts (the industry accepted international standard). SriGranth.org web site is designed to help users explore the hymns of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in ways never possible before (see the brief list at the end, about what can be explored on the updated site). Read on to learn how to do this.

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

1. Do not forget to set view preferences. To do this, click on "my preferences" on the home page of Srigranth.org. A selection page is then presented. Put check marks in the appropriate boxes to select the scripts that you wish to view and then click on the "Update My Preferences" button.

(2) This site uses dynamic Gurmukhi fonts that will work with all the current browsers.

VIEWING SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB TEXT:

To do this, click on "Read Page-by-Page" icon on the home page of SriGranth.org. This action will take you to the first page of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. To go to a particular page, type the page number in the "Page #" box and then press the enter key on your computer keyboard. To turn pages, press on forward or backward arrow buttons. Make selections of the Translations and Teekas as you wish. To know the English meaning any Sri Guru Granth Sahib word in Gurmukhi, just move the arrow over the word. Clicking on the word will give you additional meanings in Gurmukhi and English (when applicable).

TYPING TEXT FOR SEARCHES: For typing English characters (for English OR Transliteration), use the computer keyboard as is usual for other tasks.

For typing Gurmukhi you have following choices: (1) Type by clicking onto characters shown on image of the Gurmukhi character map (the image will show up when Gurmukhi script is selected for searches). (2) By typing on the keyboard either by activating the Unicode input method for Gurmukhi. The input from the Gurmukhi character image map is always in Unicode. To type Unicode Gurmukhi text from the keyboard do the following: (1) make sure that you have installed the appropriate language keyboard in your system. (2) then activate the Gurmukhi typing input. (3) Type Gurmukhi characters as you would do for any other Unicode based Gurmukhi input method (for more on this topic visit sites listed above regarding such issues, under "First Things First"). NOTE: In Unicode "Sihaaree" is typed after the corresponding letter, like any other Laga-Matra .

For typing Devanagari text (1) make sure that you have activated Indic scripts of your computer system (2) then activate the Hindi typing input. (3) Type Hindi characters as you would do for any other Unicode based Hindi input method (for more on this topic visit sites listed above regarding such issues, under "First Things First").

SEARCHING HYMNS THAT CONTAIN PARTICULAR WORDS:

It can be done in the "Home" page or in the "Advanced Search" page of SriGranth.org.

(1) IN THE HOME PAGE: When searching in the home page, select the script of your choice from the pull down menu and type any word. The Gurmukhi or Hindi (Devanagari) text entry can also be done with the mouse clicks over the images of letters. After the text entry into the search field has been done, hit on the enter key of your computer keyboard or click on the "Search/Khoj" button.

(2) IN THE ADVANCED SEARCH PAGE: In the advanced search page the user can further refine his/her query to get the desired results. Besides the selection of search script (language), the user can confine searches to certain pages, an author, raag or poetry type. There are a number of text fields to type text into. If you are typing Gurmukhi or Hindi (Devanagari) with the mouse clicks over the images of letters, then after typing the search text, select the text with the cursor, then copy it by pressing "Ctrl" & "C" keys simultaneously. Then insert the cursor in the appropriate search field and press "Ctrl" & "V" keys simultaneously to paste the text. After this click on the "Search" button or on the enter key of your keyboard.

The search results will appear in an ascending order of pages. By default, up to 500 results (result numbers are changeable in the Advanced Search page) will be shown on the first page and the user will have to click forward/backward buttons or numbered buttons to view more results. When viewing the results, the user may click on a hymn of choice to view the related page of Sri Guru Granth Sahib or just the related Shabad.

WHAT YOU MUST KNOW regarding search fields in the "Advanced Search":

(1) "IMPORTANT: " Do not forget to select the language before typing a search query. Otherwise your search query will not work. For example if your selected language is English and you type in Gurmukhi, you will get no matching result. You also can limit your searches by making selections of Author, Raag, Poetry-type and page range. However, if you intend to search the whole of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, keep the default values.

NOTE: The examples given below assume that whole of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is to be searched.

(2) "Find results that begin with": use this filed for searches when beginning letters of a sentence are known. Type only as much as you know is sure to be accurate. Partial words are OK. Example: typing "ਗੋਬਿੰਦ " in this field will find 4 sentences beginning with this word, with the 1st one "ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਮਿਲਣ ਕੀ ਇਹ ਤੇਰੀ ਬਰੀਆ ॥"

(3) "Find results with all of the words (partial or whole)": Use this filed for searches with combination of any number of words, partial or whole. Type only part of words that you know are sure to be accurate. Combining partial words makes it very easy to find what one is looking for. Example: To find "ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥" typing " ਵਿਦਿ ਵ ਤ ਪ" in this filed will do. There is no need to repeat a word in this field, as that is redundant for this field.

(4) "Find results with first letters of the words (anywhere)": Use this filed for searches with a combination of any number of words of a given sentence to be searched. In this field type only the 1st letters of words starting from anywhere in a sentence, but in sequence. You need not separate letters with spaces. Example: To find "ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥" typing " ਵ ਵ ਤ ਪ" in this filed will do.

(5) "Find results with any of the words (partial or whole)": Use this filed for searches when you intend to find those sentences that contain any one of the typed words, partial or whole. Example: Typing "ਜਿਨਿ ਤਿਨਿ" will find all those sentences that contain either of these words or both of these words (839 results). On the other hand if you typed the same words in the field "Find results with all the words (partial or whole)", you will only find those sentences that contain both of these words (39 results).

(6) "Find results with exact phrase": Use this filed for searches when you intend to find those sentences that contain an exact combination of words/letters/space characters, any where in the sentences to be found. Example: Typing "ਹਰਿ ਸੇਵਿਆ" will find 8 results that contain this combination of words/letters. On the other hand if you typed the same words in the field "Find results with all the words (partial or whole)", you will find 21 results and in 13 of those results the words ਹਰਿ and ਸੇਵਿਆ are not togather.

NOTE: The search in the home page is of "Find results with exact phrase" type.

(6) For the Gurmukhi script another option is also available for all the fileds for the Advanced Search: "Search without Laga-Matra". Check this option when you are not sure about exact Laga-Matra part of spellings or when you wish to do searches with different combination of Laga-Matras. When using this option, use full letters instead of paireen characters (such as ਸਰ instead of pareen ਸ੍ਰ ) and use ੳ instead of ਓ.

USING GURMUKHI WORD LISTS FOR SEARCH HELP:

Because the spellings for Gurmukhi words as those exist in Sri Guru Granth Sahib are often difficult to type exactly, it is helpful to chose words from the provided "Gurmukhi Words List". To do this click on the "SGGS Words" button in the home page, and then on the appropriate Gurmukhi letter. Now select the word of your choice with the cursor, from the presented list and copy it by pressing "Ctrl" & "C" keys simultaneously. Then insert the cursor in the appropriate search field and press "Ctrl" & "V" keys simultaneously to paste the text. Then press the enter key on the keyboard or on the "Search" button.

FEW SEARCHING TIPS:

Searching in transliteration language (phonetic transliteration in common English characters) can be helpful when one is not sure about exact spellings in Gurmukhi or Devanagari but has an idea of how the search words are pronounced and of phonetic transliteration rules as developed by Dr. Kulbir S. Thind, MD (the use of other rules will not be helpful).

Searching in English language can be helpful when one is not sure about what phrases may have the desired information. For example if the user is interested to know what is written in Sri Guru Granth Sahib regarding "meat" then one is better of searching "meat" in English.

Gurmukhi Spelling Issues:

Because the spellings for Gurmukhi words as those exist in Sri Guru Granth Sahib are often difficult to type exactly, it is helpful to chose words from the provided "SGGS Words". It can also be helpful to use partial words where is spelling accuracy is not jeopardized.

Please note that in Sri Guru Granth Sahib text, no punctuation marks like comma, semicolon or colon have been used. A 'colon' shaped character that has been used is not a colon (it is Visarag). Also, no 'Adhak' and no 'Paireen Bindi' character (dot at the bottom of character) have been used.

A BRIEF LIST OF WHAT MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED AT SriGranth.org:

A. SEARCH SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB in Gurmukhi, Hindi, English OR in Transliteration (phonetic, in common English characters).

(a) In the home page the search query can be a word, a partial word or a combination of words (in exact sequential order).

(b) In the "Advanced Gurbani Search" page you have many more options as follows:

(1) Limit searches to any Author, Raag, Poetry-type or Page range. This is done in the "Advanced Gurbani Search" page.

(2) Do searches in Gurmukhi without Laga-Matra and with full characters instead of paireen characters. This is very helpful when one is not fully sure of the spellings of query words.

(3) Limit searches to the beginning letters/words of any sentence.

(4) Search for those sentences that contain certain words (the words do not have to be sequentially placed in the sentence of search). Partial words are good enough for searches.

(5) Search for sentences that contain all of the specified words or any of listed words.

B. READ / PRINT / DISPLAY / COPY TEXT OF SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB, in Gurmukhi or Hindi and with or without different translations, Teekas (commentaries in Punjabi) or phonetic transliteration. The user has following options:

(1) Read the related pages after doing searches.

(2) Go directly to a particular page of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and then navigate back and forth between pages as desired.

(3) Chose Gurmukhi text of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in regular format OR with inserted punctuation marks. The later is good for easy reading and is often used in Teekas.

(4) Read Sri Guru Granth Sahib text in Devnagri (Hindi). This is useful to those who do not know Gurmukhi but know Hindi.

(5) Read Sri Guru Granth Sahib, as would be read in Gurmukhi but by reading in phonetic transliteration. This is useful to those who do not know Gurmukhi or Hindi but know English.

(6) Sri Guru Granth Sahib text can be simultaneously displayed in Gurmukhi, Hindi and in Phonetic transliteration, as per choice and can be combined with a choice of English translation and a choice of Teekas, and with Punjabi translation by Bhai Manmohan Singh.

(7) Following English translations are available for selection: (a) by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa, MD (b) by Bhai Manmohan Singh.

(8) Following Teekas (Punjabi translations with commentaries) are available for selection: (a) by Prof. Sahib Singh. (b) Frid Kot Wala Teeka.

C. SEARCH AND VIEW / PRINT / DISPLAY / COPY SHABADS with Gurmukhi text, Hindi Text, phonetic transliteration and English translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa, MD.

(1) Select any Amrit Kirtan Shabad from any of the lists in Gurmukhi, Hindi, English or Phonetic transliteration.

(2) Search for a Shabad by doing a search for Sri Guru Granth Sahib text (as described above under Search Sri Guru Granth Sahib) and from the search results click on appropriate "view Shabad/Pauri/Shalok" button.

(3) While viewing any Shabad you can go to the corresponding page of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and thus read any Shabad with all the options for Translations and Teekas etc that are available for reading Sri Guru Granth Sahib text.

D. COPY / PASTE / PRINT / DISPLAY THE VIEWED TEXT with any of the above described choices.

E. READ MEANINGS OF ANY GURMUKHI WORD OF SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB AND SEARCH ANY MAHAN-KOSH TOPIC. The transliteration and (when available) the English meaning of any Gurmukhi word of Sri Guru Granth Sahib can be viewed by simply moving the cursor arrow over the word. Detailed meanings can be viewed by clicking on the word. To search for any Mahan-Kosh topic, click on the "Dictionaries" button on the home page. Type the topic in question and then press the enter key on the keyboard. The same way you can also get meaning for any word in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

F. USE THE PROVIDED LISTS OF SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB WORDS for searches and for meanings. To do this click on "SGGS Words" button on the home page and then select appropriate list by clicking on the Gurmukhi letter corresponding to the desired words that start with that letter. Examine the list of words that is present and select the desired word and copy it by pressing the "Ctrl" and "C" keys simultaneously. The copied word then can be pasted into any desired search field by pressing "Ctrl" and "V" keys simultaneously (however, before pressing the keys, make sure that the cursor is in the right filed, where the text is to be pasted).