This commentary of the Sr¿ Jap J¿ S¿hib is something that still astounds me to this day and I continue to listen to many commentaries whenever the opportunity arises. I always assumed the definitions were very basic as I had read within a gutk¿ by Harbans Singh Döbi¿. Imagine my surprise when I first heard and read the in depth sampard¿ic definitions. Realising that this great prayer had a great history behind the definitions and many stories to assist with its understanding. I then decided to set upon the monumental task of compiling the numerous sources and commentaries into one translation whilst attempting to not lose the original definitions. This is not completely impossible due to the metaphysical definitions being difficult to translate into English without the appropriate words within the vocabulary.

This task was started as a labour of love back in 2004 and has taken a total of eighteen years to complete. This is not just due to the difficulty in trying to convey the message of the Gur¿ but due to the constant learning I had to undertake and endure. I felt that through the grace of the Gur¿ I learned so much about the concepts of Sikh¿ which I had been ignorant towards.

I have written this book in an attempt to show the world the depth of philosophy within the Sikh faith. This commentary is to be used to bring this knowledge to the general public. Previously, all translations of this text and mantr¿ have been so basic that they have not done justice to the deep thinking and metaphysical nature of such a text. This prayer is the greatest jewel in the scriptural writings of the Gur¿s and there have been so many commentaries on this text that the terms and interpretations seem endless. Like most works, there may be some controversies on different parts of the texts and where mantr¿s commence and end. However, for me this text is to show how Gurb¿n¿ is endless and gives an insight into the definitions passed down for centuries.