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Writers of the Guru Granth Sahib
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ; [ɡʊɾuː ɡɾəntʰᵊ saːhɪbᵊ]), is the central religious text of Sikhism, considered by Sikhs to be the final sovereign Guru of the religion.[1] It contains 1430 Angs (limbs, referring to pages of the scripture[2]), containing 5,894[3][4][5] hymns of 36 saint mystics which includes Sikh gurus (6 gurus, possibly as many as 7 or 8[6][7][8][9]), Bhagats (15 bhagats), Bhatts (11 bhatts) and Gursikhs (4 gursikhs).[10] It is notable among foundational religious scriptures for including hymns from writers of other religions, namely Hindus and Muslims. The scripture also contains compositions by authors of varying caste-backgrounds, including Shudras and untouchables.[11] It also contains teachings of the Sikh gurus themselves.
Categorization of authors
Scholars categorize the authors of the Guru Granth Sahib into four groups:[12][5]
Sikh gurus
Philosophically, Sikhs are bound to believe in Shabad Guru — the words written in the Guru Granth Sahib — but the general belief is that the Sikh gurus established Sikhism over the centuries, beginning in the year 1469. The hymns of six Sikh Gurus are in the Guru Granth Sahib:[5][10]
Whilst these six gurus are widely accepted as having their writings included in the Guru Granth Sahib, there are some who argue compositions of Guru Har Rai and Guru Gobind Singh are also included.[6][7][8][9] A Salok Mahalla Satvan (7) and Dohra Mahalla Dasvan (10) have been attributed by some to the seventh and tenth gurus, respectively.[6][7][8][9]
Bhagats
In the below list, the Bhagats (Punjabi: ਭਗਤ, from Sanskrit भक्त) were holy men of various sects whose teachings are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Their bani (compositions) come under the title Bani Bhagtaan Ki. The word "Bhagat" means devotee, and comes from the Sanskrit word Bhakti, which means devotion and love. Bhagats evolved a belief in one God that preceded Kabir's selecting the writings of the great Hindu Bhaktis and Sufi saints. According to Surinder Singh Jodhka, Farid and Bhikan were Muslim Sufis.[11]
Bhatts
Many Hindu Saraswat Brahmins who started to follow the word of Guru Nanak were known as Bhatts, meaning bards. The 11 Bhatt authors were:[12][5][10]
Gursikhs
Individuals and their contributions
Controversial authors
Mardana and Tall
Two more writers of the present recension of the Adi Granth are a matter of debate among scholars, namely Bhai Mardana and Bhatt Tall.[10]
According to different scholars:
- Two hymns under the title Mardana 1[18] are said to be compositions of Bhai Mardana; however, others refute this claim, because the pen name Nanak is used inside the hymn,[19] and because Mardana is a type of shalok.
- Similarly, there is a Swaiya (poetical metre) under the name of Bhatt Tall,[20] which according to some scholars is a Gurmukhi copyist's error for Kal i.e. Bhatt Kalshar.[21]
Sri Chand
According to a sakhi, when Guru Arjan had finished composing sixteen astpadis (cantos) of the Gauri Sukhmani composition, popularly known as Sukhmani Sahib, Sri Chand, the son of Guru Nanak, visited him. During this visit, it is said that Guru Arjan requested him to continue the composition he was compiling and complete the seventeenth canto of the Sukhmani Sahib. Sri Chand humbly recited the verse of his father following the Mul Mantar in the Japji Sahib. Thus, it became the seventeenth canto of the Sukhmani Sahib.[22][23]
Writers whom were rejected by the guru
Sikh tradition narrates that at-least four figures, namely Pilu, Kahna Bhagat, Chajju Bhagat, and Shah Husain, paid a visit to Guru Arjan in Amritsar when they learnt he was compiling the Ād Granth to suggest their compilations be included.[24][25] Guru Arjan contemplated but ultimately decided to reject the idea of including their works in the Sikh scripture as they were not in-line with Sikh tenets as per the guru's analysis and judgement.[24] Their works were rejected due to them having a pessimistic approach and promoting worldly renunciation/denunciation and escapism.[26] As per Kavi Santokh Singh's Suraj Prakash, the version narrated only mentions Kahna, Pilu, and Shah Hussain. Pilu's verses were rejected for being misogynistic and promoting celibacy over the life of a householder, while Kahna's verses were philosophically correct but would lead to egotism in kaliyuga. Shah Hussain, seeing the other two rejected, instead wrote a verse about the virtues of remaining silent.[27]