THE OTHER SIKH SCRIPTURES

Sri Dasam Granth Sahib

"The Charitropakhyan compilation of Dasam Granth was completed on Sunday, the 8th day of the month of Bhadon, in 1753 Bikrami Sammat (August 24, A.D.1696), on the bank of the river Satluj."

Hand written script of Sri Dasam Granth Sahib Ji, at Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.

The Dasam Granth consists of 1428 pages. According to all available evidence, it was compiled by Bhai Mani Singh, the devout and learned Sikh custodian of the Golden Temple (who later became a martyr) 26 years after the death of Guru Gobind Singh, at Damdama. But, some historians assert that it was not the adi Granth, but his own Book that the Guru dictated to Bhai Mani Singh. However, much of its secular portion is the subject of great controversy even amongst the Sikhs who ascribe its authorship not to the Guru but to some of his 52 poets who lived at his court.

The Contents of this Granth, which is mostly in Braj Bhasha, are (1) Jap, or meditations. (2) Akal Ustati, or the praises of God and the denunciation of ritual, superstition and cant, (3) Chandi Charitra, I and II, or the life of Chandi, the goddess of war, (in Braj) (4) Var, or ballad of Durga, the exploits of the goddess of war (in Punjabi), (5) Gyan Prabodh, or the sayings of Wisdom, which also include some tales from Mahabharta, (6) Chaubis Avtar, or the life-stories of the incarnations of Vishnu, according to the Hindus, and Brahrnavatar and Rudravtdr, (7) Shabd Hazare, or devotional hymns, (8) Thirty-three Swayyas, or the praises of the one immortal, unknowable God of wonder and grace, (9) Khalsa Mahima. or words in praise of the Khalsa, (10) Shastra Nam-Mala; verses in praise of many arms, (11) Charitro pkhyan or 404 tales of the wiles of women, (12) Zafar Namah (in Persian), or letter of victory, addressed to Aurangzeb, (13) Hikayats, or legends and tales, also in Persian, including some stories on the lines of Charitro pakhyan.

As soon as the Dasam Granth was compiled, it led to a great controversy among the Sikh divines, especially in relation to its secular portions and more notably in regard to the Charitro-pakhyan and Hikayats. It was decided to divide the book. Bhai Mehtab Singh of Mirankot (who was charged by the Panth to capture or assassinate Massa Ranghar who had then planted himself in the holy Golden Temple at Amritsar and was desecrating its sanctity) suggested to the leaders of his community that if he came back victorious in his mission, the book should be preserved in one volume, otherwise it may divided into two. Mehtab Singh was successful in putting Massa Ranghar to an ignoble death and hence the volume was preserved as it now is. This, however, as the Sikh savant, Bhai Kahan Singh points out, (See Gurmat Sudhakar, second edition, P.35) is a most arbitrary way of settling a point of such literary and theological significance. Moreover, a single man's point of view should not have prevailed, -especially of a military hero, or even a Jathedar in search of martyrdom, in preference to the viewpoint of the theologians and scholars who were still discussing the point. Several recensions of this volume are now current, some of which contain some extra hymns also. Though it is a pity that the text of the Dasam Granth has yet to be fixed by scholars and theologians, it is our considered opinion that the secular portion of what is now available in print is also the creation of the Guru himself, not only because of the internal evidence of style and diction, but also because the secular portion, including Charitro-pakhyan does not, by any chance, contradict the Guru's philosophy of a full-blooded, though detached life in all its manifestations. A supreme artist that the Guru was, he could not ignore to write about the seamy side of life, though he does not commend it anywhere.

To pick up on the Guru's extensive use of Hindu mythology, or the praises of Krishna's scintillating play on the flute, or the most sensitive portrayal of feminine beauty and charm, the inclusion of certain erotic scenes, or how, in the days of Ramayana, the Kashatryas worshipped the Brahmins, of the call of the heroes in some of the Hikiyats to bring them a cup of intoxicating wine, etc , and to disso-ciate the Guru from their authorship would be the height of artistic sacrilege. The Guru who, in his Akal Ustat (whose authorship anyhow is beyond doubt) can write this about God : "Now you are a beggar, now a King; now the reciter of the Gayatri, now the Muezzin giving "all to prayer; now the lover of own wife, now the lover of another woman; now you are the strong drink, now the drunkard," (6:16) could not but be a man of superbly catholic mind, seeing the variegated mani-festation of God in everything and everywhere. And was it not Guru Nanak who said '0 God, wondrous are those who tread Thy path and wondrous are those who are strayed away." (Var Assa). It is very difficult however, for puny, hide-bound minds to appreciate this grandeur of spiritual and aesthetic vision.

At present there is considerable controversy surrounding the authorship of parts of the collection of the writings of Guru Gobind Singh, the Dasam Granth. The history of this scripture is as follows:

The collected writings of Guru Gobind Singh are known as Dasam Granth ("Scripture of the Tenth Guru"). The writings of the poets in his court comprise a different scripture, known as Vidiya Sar ("Pool of Knowledge"). According to a famous history of the Sikhs written in 1843, Suraj Prakash ("Rising of the Sun"), 52 scholar-poets and 7 pandits always lived in the court of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The writings of the poets were written on paper in fine script, and according to Suraj Prakash, the weight of this Vidiya Sar was "9 maunds."

On the night of 5 December 1705 AD, Guru Gobind Singh left his court in Anandpur, after a long siege by Hindu and Muslim armies. During this departure, the Guru's possessions, including both the Dasam Granth and Vidiya Sar, were carried away by the strong current of the flooding Sarsa stream. However, in those days it was customary to make copies of Guru Gobind Singh's writings and the writings of the poets. In addition to the 52 poets and 7 pandits, 39 scribes had lived in Guru Gobind Singh's court. Because of the faith of his devotees, copies of Guru Gobind Singh's writings always exceeded those of the poets, and these copies were kept safely with many devotees.After Guru Gobind Singh left his mortal body in 1708, religious-minded people began trying to take care of his writings. First of all, Bhai Mani Singh Shahid (martyr), who was at that time Head Priest at Amritsar and also a great scholar, with great efforts collected the writings of Guru Gobind Singh and compiled one copy thereof.

Bhai Kesar Singh Chhibbar-whose family had been diwans (administrators) of the Gurus, including his great-grandfather who was diwan of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Gurus, whose grandfather and father were diwans of Guru Gobind Singh, and who himself attended Mata Sundri Ji (wife of Guru Gobind Singh)-has written in his 1769 book known as Bansavalinama Dasan Patshahian Ka ("Lineage of the Ten Kings"), "This book which contained the life stories of avtars was compiled by Bhai Mani Singh. He provided travel expenses for various people. One Sikh brought a large amount of cash. That cash was used by Bhai Mani Singh to make payments to the Sikhs for expenses in searching for the writings of Guru Gobind Singh." Only Mata Sundri, Bhai Mani Singh Shahid, and Bhai Shisha Singh (who stayed with Mata Sundri in Delhi and was compiling the Dasam Granth) can know about the authenticity of Dasam Granth. Later, Baba Deep Singh Shahid, Bhai Sukha Singh, and many other religious workers collected the writings of Guru Gobind Singh and edited the Dasam Granth. Among those birs (copies) of Dasam Granth, those written by Bhai Mani Singh Shahid, the one in the library of Sangrur, and the one in Moti Bagh Gurdwara, Patiala, are at present kept safely. The Dasam Granth preserved at Patna Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, is also famous. But in these Dasam Granth birs, the banis (sacred writings) are not written in the same order, nor is their number equal. The reason is that as and when the devotees found copies of the writings, they included them in their collections. Those who had greater means for making these collections were certainly more successful in collecting more banis. But from those birs, many banis are the same and appear to be written from the same one source. It was due to the unavailability of proper means of collection that there were differences in the size and shape of the birs. At first people called the collection Bachittar Natak. Later is was known as Dasmen Patshah da Granth. But now the Holy Book is called Dasam Granth.

Sarab Loh Granth

Sarbloh Guru Durbar is the third great scripture worshipped in Akali Nihang Dals (armies). Whereas extensive works have been written on Adi Guru Durbar and to some extent on Dasam Guru Durbar, one will find hardly anything on Sarbloh Guru Durbar.

In fact, the vast majority of Sikhs have not even heard of this text let alone laid eyes on Sarbloh Guru Durbar Ji. Even ancient Sikh and non-Sikh texts are silent on the subject of Sarbloh Guru Durbar. Whereas the Adi Guru Durbar and Dasam Guru Durbar could be publicly seen at Sikh Temples, Sarbloh Guru Durbar was always kept within the Akali Nihang Dals as a secret text.

Didar Singh Khjal in his teacher, Baba Thakur Singh, wrote a sanctioned book that speaks of Akali Nihang Baba Gurbakhsh Singh's handwritten copy of Sarbloh Guru Granth:

Akali Nihang tradition holds that whereas Adi Guru Durbar is the embodiment of 'Shaant Ras' (essence of peace), Dasam Guru Durbar and Sarbloh Guru Durbar are the embodiments of 'Bir Ras' (warrior essence). The difference in Dasam Guru Durbar and Sarbloh Guru Durbar is that although Bir Ras (warrior essence) is born of Dasam Guru Durbar, it is Sarbloh Guru Durbar which gives an individual's warrior essence an everlasting, final and complete lethal cutting edge.

With contemplation of Dasam Guru Durbar, 'Chandi chr jandi te uttar jandi heh', meaning 'spirit of war comes and goes'. With the contemplation of Sarbloh Guru Durbar, 'Chandi sda chri rhendi heh' meaning, one is always intoxicated in the spirit of war against ignorance.

Thus it was from the Sarbloh Guru Durbar that the Khalsa of the Misl Period drew its greater strength and prowess. That is why Sarbloh Guru Durbar was the most secret and guarded of Sikh religious texts. Englishmen like Malcolm easily managed to procure the Adi Guru Granth and take it to Calcutta to study it. Colebrooke even managed to get his scheming hands on the Dasam Guru Durbar as well. However, the Sarbloh Guru Granth Ji because of it being guarded deep in the sanctuary of the Akali Nihang Dals, nevermind getting a hand on it, no invader never even heard of its existance.

Akali Nihang Singhs, Nirmalas, Udhasis and Seva Panthis all traditionally acknowledge Sarbloh Guru Durbar as Gurbani (writings) of Dasam Patsha (Tenth King Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh ji).

The lowly puritanical Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhias apart from Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha in general never got around to commenting on the Sarbloh Guru Durbar. The present day offspring of Tat Khalsa Singh Sabha, the S.G.P.C. is also quiet about Sarbloh Guru Durbar. The language of Sarbloh Guru Durbar is so difficult to understand, and the text until recently was also not available to modern Sikh scholars.

One Udhasi Harnam Das of Kapurthala, formally known as Akali Nihang Nurang Singh has made an attempt in the last century to study the Sarbloh Prakash (Sarbloh Guru Durbar).

He prepared a transliteration of the Sarbloh Guru Durbar which the Budha Dal later published. Another learned man, Giani Partap Singh, himself a scholar of Sikh religious texts, claims Harnam Das' works are incomplete.

Originaly this translitteration was not available at any shop or library and could only be attained from Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa Budha Dal. In order to aquire a copy an individual had to present a written request stating the reason why he/she would need the copy of the Sarbloh Guru Durbar. The letter would then be taken to the head of the Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa, presently Akali Nihang Baba Santa Singh Ji. Once Baba Ji was satisfied at the request, he would officially give his authority and approval. The individual then proceeded to Patiala, Punjab, where the Budha Dal printing presswould make available a copy of Sarbloh Guru Granth.

The ideal Budha Dal tradition does not sell the priceless Guru Durbars, or any other sacred text. In the year 2000, due to over whelming public demand for Sarbloh Guru Granth and Budha Dal's inability to keep it in print, the Budha Dal published version of Sarbloh Guru Granth began to be sold at book shops in Punjab. The money from the sales went towards funding the printing of further copies of Sarbloh Guru Granth.

Varan Bhai Gurdas

Varan Bhai Gurdas is the name given to the 40 Varan (chapters) of writing by Bhai Gurdas. They have been referred to as the "Key to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib" by Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru. Bhai Gurdas was a first cousin of Mata Bhani, mother of Guru Arjan Dev. He was the first scribe of Guru Granth Sahib and a scholar of great repute. From his work its clear that he had mastery of various Indian languages and had studied many ancient Indian religious scriptures.

In Macauliffe's "The Sikh Religion," he makes the following remark to express the importance place by the Guru on Bhai Sahib's work: "The Guru, probably to make trial of his learned and able scribe Bhai Gur Das, whose compositions he admired, offered to insert them in the Granth; but Bhai Gur Das said that they were not worthy of such honour. The Guru complimented him on his modesty and ability, and said that whoever read the Bhai's writings should acquire spiritual profit and instruction and faith in the teachings of the holy Gurus." [1]

Each of the 40 chapters of "Varan Bhai Gurdas" consists of a differing number of Pauris (sections, paragraphs). The composition is a collection of detailed commentary and explanation of theology and the ethics of Sikh beliefs as outlined by the Gurus. It explains the Sikh terms like sangat, haumai, "Gun", Gurmukh and Manmukh, Sat, Naam, etc. Many of the principles of Sikhism are explained in simple terms by Bhai Sahib and at times in many different ways.

Varan bhai Gurdas is the title given to the collection of forty vars or "ballads" written in`PUNJABI by Bhai Gurdas (d. 1636) much honoured in SIKH piety and learning. These forty vars comprise 913 pauris or stanzas, with a total of 6,444 lines. There is no internal or external evidence available to determine the exact time of the composition of these vars, but it can be assumed that vars (Nos. 3,11,13,24,26,38,39) which have references to GURU Hargobind who came into spiritual inheritance in 1606 after the death of Guru ARJAN, his predecessor, might have been composed sometime after that year, and the others implicitly prior to that date. The Var36 on the Minas was probably written before the compilation of the Sikh Scripture in 160304. The var, in Punjabi folk tradition dealt with the themes of martial valour and chivalry, but this poetic form underwent a complete transformation in the hands of Guru NANAK (1469-1539), whose vars had a spiritual meaning, with the battleground shifting to the human psyche. They depicted the fight between the forces of good and evil symbolized in the persons of GURMUKH and MANMUKH, respectively. The vars of Bhai Gurdas are also spiritual rather than heroic in theme. They were written for separate audiences and that is why they lack a consistently pervasive thematic burden amongst or within them.

However, comprehensive study of them all can help us build a fairly authentic biography of Guru Nanak and the milieu he inherited and he and five of his successors lived in. They provide us with information about the prominent SIKHS of those days and, more important dian anything else, they enunciate almost every Sikh concept as it appears in the Guru GRANTH Sahib and constitute the core of Sikh moral code. On the whole, these vars form a critique and interpret moral principles in a simple idiom through familiar images and homely instance and give us an insight into the meaning and teaching of the Sikh faith in its earlier years. The first var, which is the longest with fortynine stanzas, is a work of historical importance. It begins with an invocatory canto, followed by a description of the creation of the world, six systems of Indian philosophy and the four yugas or timecycles. The following six stanzas (1722) refer to the serious crisis in the moral state of man, and die world is shown as debased owing to the accretion of pupa (evil, sin). For Bhai Gurdas the elements contributing to, and to some extent consequent upon, this papa are the intolerance practised by men of various faiths and their indifference to and disregard of the Divine (17).

Elsewhere also Bhai Gurdas refers to the conflict between the Hindu and the Muslim, each vying with the other for superiority, basing his claim on the profundity of their respective scriptures rather than on rightful practices. While making this criticism, Bhai Gurdas was envisioning the role of Sikhs as the needle that sews together the fabric of religious life torn asunder by Hindu and Muslim scissors (33.4). Pauris 2344 mention the main events in the life of Guru Nanak. The following four stanzas (4548) eulogize the successors of Guru Nanak till Guru Hargobind. In the last stanza (49) die term vahiguru has been explained in the Puranic context. This Var has also been paraphrased, in considerable detail, by Bhai Mani SINGH and is known as Gian Ralnavali. The tenth var (23 stanzas) comprises the lifesketches of 23 Hindu bhaktas, and the eleventh (31 stanzas) contains the list of prominent Sikhs of the first six Gurus. The 28th Var addresses in the main the question as to what constitutes the true Sikh way of life, and the 36th is about the Minas.

Bhai Gurdas has taken up for detailed analysis in these vars Sikh concepts of God, Guru, gurmukh, manmukh, SANGAT, seva, gurmantra, and others. God is omnipotent and allpervasive. He is not only the creator of this universe, but He also permeates through His creation. The ultimate aim of human life is to realize God which can be done only through the help of the Guru. Bhai Gurdas proclaims that all the Gurus were one in spirit though different in body. God dwells in man`s own heart and to realize Him man need not wander in forests or mountains. The life of the householder was to be preferred to that of the ascetic. Since Bhai Gurdas is more concerned with life in this world, there is little in his vans of the rapturous bliss of the beyond ; instead he recalls the disciple to the need of assiduously cultivating an abiding sense of moral obligation and duties. Such an understanding of the world was afforded Sikhs by Guru Nanak, who had, in epigrammatic manner, declaimed on the absolute reality of moral categories. Bhai Gurdas posits sidq or constancy in spiritual faith and sabr or contentment while still engaged in worldly activity as the supreme virtues required of true Sikh (22.16). The term used for a true Sikh is gurmukh, his opposite being manmukh; sidq and sabr are nourished in sadh sangat or company of the holy, not through ecstatic or mystic experience but through living together in a spirit of faith, humility and service.

Bhai Gurdas is of the view that human existence is fortunately acquired and is a chance to find liberation. He describes the path Of a Sikh as thin as a hair, as sharp as a dagger`s edge (9.2). It is a difficult, yet a straight path. The whole ofvar28 is devoted to this theme. Steadfastness and fidelity are the other virtues Bhai Gurdas recommends for a Sikh who is enjoined upon to have one wife and respect other females as sisters and daughters (6.8). He is not to covet another`s wealth. Illgotten wealth should be like pork to the Muslim and beef to the Hindu (29.11). He stands firm in his belief and is of undivided mind, with no dubiety which is considered a moral lapse for which responsibility lies solely on the individual. He holds that in satyuga a moral lapse invoked the accountability of every being, in tretayuga of every person in the village, in dvaparyuga of all kinsfolk, and in kaliyuga of the single person who is the agent of the immoral act (12.16). These vars, which are accepted as part of approved Sikh canon, reiterate or explain in simple idiom what was contained in the Sikh Scripture. In fact, the vars were designated by Guru Arjan as the key to the Guru Granth Sahib. However, the technique of Bhai Gurdas is not to take words from the sacred text and expound their meanings, but to pick up ideas and concepts and interpret them in simple and easily intelligible language. This technique of annotation was followed later on by Bhai Mani Singh and then flowered into what we today call the Giani school ofhermeneutics.

• Hans, S.S., "Bhai Gurdas" in Proceedings of Panjab History Conference (Twelfth Session). PATIALA, 1969
• Jodh Singh, tr., Varan Bhai Gurdas. Patiala, 1998
• Jaggi, Ratan Singh, Bhai Gurdas, Jivani te Rachna. Patiala, 1974
• Varan Bhai Gurdas, SHABAD Anukramanika ate Kosh. Patiala, 1966
• Jagat Singh, Varan Bhai Gurdas Ji. AMRITSAR, n.d