Shabad means both a single hymn of the scripture and the Word itself, the self-expression of God that the Guru reveals. The Gurus taught that through the Shabad the mind is turned from ego to the Name. Guru Nānak, asked who his guru was, is said to have answered that the Word is the guru.
Shabad
The Word: a hymn of the Guru Granth Sahib, and the divine Word through which God is known.
Also: Shabad, Sabad