Writers of Guru Granth Sahib

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Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗਰੰਥ 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), containing 5,894[2][3] hymns of 36 saint mystics which includes Sikh guru sahiban (6 gurus), Bhagats (15 bhagats), Bhatts (11 bhatts) and gursikhs (4 gursikhs). It is notable among foundational religious scriptures for including hymns from writers of other religions, namely Hindus and Muslims. It also contains teachings of Sikh gurus themselves.

Categorization of authors[]

Scholars categorize the authors of the Guru Granth Sahib into four groups:

  1. Sikh Gurus
  2. Bhagats
  3. Bhatts
  4. Gursikhs

Sikh gurus[]

Main article: Sikh gurus

Philosophically, Sikhs are bound to believe in Shabad Guru — the words written in the Guru Granth Sāhib ji — 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:

  • Guru Nanak Dev ji
  • Guru Angad Dev ji
  • Guru Amar Das ji
  • Guru Ram Das ji
  • Guru Arjan Dev ji
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

Bhagats[]

In the below list, the Bhagats (Punjabi: ਭਗਤ, from Sanskrit भक्त) were holy men of various sects whose teachings are included in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. Their bani[clarification needed] 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.

The 15 Bhagat authors were:[4]

Bhatts[]

Many Hindu Saraswat Brahmins who started to follow the word of Guru Nanak Dev were known as Bhatts[why?]. The 11 Bhatt authors were:

Gursikhs[]

Bhai Sundar Ji, Bhai Mardana Ji, Bhai Satta Ji, Bhai Balwand Ji

Individuals and their contributions[]

Background Details and No. of Hymns
Name Timeline No. of Hymns
Guru Nanak 15th Century 974[5]
Guru Angad 16th Century 62[5]
Guru Amar Das 16th Century 907[5]
Guru Ram Das 16th Century 679[5]
Guru Arjan 16th Century 2218[5]
Guru Tegh Bahadur 17th Century 116[5]
Bhagat Jaidev 13th Century[3] 2
Bhagat Farid 13th Century 134[2][note 1][note 2]
Bhagat Ramanand 14th Century 1
Bhagat Namdev 14th Century 62
Bhagat Trilochan 14th Century 5
Bhagat Parmanand 14th Century 1
Bhagat Dhanna 14th Century 4
Bhagat Bhikhan 14th Century 2
Bhagat Beni 14th Century 3
Bhagat Pipa 14th Century 1
Bhagat Sain 14th Century 1
Bhagat Surdas 14th Century 2
Bhagat Sadhana 14th Century 1
Bhagat Ravidas 15th Century 41
Bhagat Kabir 15th Century 541[5][note 3]
Baba Sundar 15th Century 6
and Balvand 15th Century 1 var[3]
Bhatt Kalshar 15th Century 54
Bhatt Balh 15th Century 5
Bhatt Bhalh 15th Century 1
Bhatt Bhika 15th Century 2
Bhatt Gayand 15th Century 13
Bhatt Harbans 15th Century 2
Bhatt Jalap 15th Century 5
Bhatt Kirat 15th Century 8
Bhatt Mathura 15th Century 14
Bhatt Nalh 15th Century 16
Bhatt Salh 15th Century 3

Controversial authors: Mardana and Tall[]

Two more writers of the present recension of Adi Granth are a matter of debate among scholars, namely Bhai Mardana and Bhatt Tall.

According to different scholars:

  • Two hymns under the title Mardana 1[8] are said to be compositions of Bhai Mardana; however, others refute this claim, because the pen name Nanak is used inside the hymn,[9] and because Mardana is a type of shalok.
  • Similarly, there is a Swaiya[clarification needed] under the name of Bhatt Tall,[10] which according to some scholars is a Gurmukhi copyist's error for Kal i.e. Bhatt Kalshar.[11]

Notes[]

  1. ^ including 130[2][3][6] saloks, or short verses
  2. ^ Some of these may be by his successors, or by the Bhagat Farid of the 15th century, rather than Farid's own compositions.[6]
  3. ^ 243[2] of Kabir's hymns are saloks, or short verses.[5] One hymn formerly believed to as that of Kabir was later attributed by Guru Arjan to Namdev.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ Keene, Michael (2003). Online Worksheets. Nelson Thornes. p. 38. ISBN 0-7487-7159-X.
  2. ^ a b c d Sukhbir Singh, Kapoor; Mohinder Kaur, Kapoor (2002). Guru Granth Sahib: an Advance Study. New Delhi: Hemkunt Press. pp. 24, 72, 219, 291, 344. ISBN 9788170103219. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Kerry Brown (2002). Sikh Art and Literature. Routledge. pp. 114–115, 120 (Appendix II). ISBN 978-1-134-63136-0.
  4. ^ Bahri, H.; Bansal, G.S.; Puran, B.; Singh, B.; Singh, B.; Buxi, L.S.; Chawla, H.S.; Chawla, S.S.; Das, D.; Dass, N.; et al. (2000). "4. Bhagats and Saints". Studies. 63 (2): 169–93. doi:10.1007/1-4020-3044-4_4. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Christopher Shackle; Arvind Mandair (2013). Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures. Routledge. pp. xviii–xix. ISBN 978-1-136-45108-9.
  6. ^ a b William Owen Cole; Piara Singh Sambhi (1995). The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-898723-13-4.
  7. ^ William Owen Cole; Piara Singh Sambhi (1995). The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-1-898723-13-4.
  8. ^ Page 553, Adi Granth, Translation of Sant Singh Khalsa
  9. ^ ਇਸ ਸਲੋਕ ਮੈਂ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਮਰਦਾਨੇ ਕੇ ਪੂਛਨੇ ਸੇ ਤਿਸ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਤਿ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਤਾ ਅਰੁ ਮਨਮੁਖਤਾ ਕੀ ਮਦਰਾ ਕਾ ਰੂਪੁ ਬਰਨਨ ਕਰਤੇ ਹੈਂ ਔਰੁ ਦੋ ਪਰਕਾਰ ਕੀ ਮਦਿਰਾ ਮਨਮੁਖੋਂ ਕੀ ਔਰੁ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੋਂ ਕੀ ਕਹੀ ਹੈ॥ ਪ੍ਰਥਮ ਮਨਮੁਖੋਂ ਕੀ ਮਦਿਰਾ ਕਹਤੇ ਹੈਂ॥: Fareedkoti Teeka, Adi Granth
  10. ^ ਟਲ' ਜੀ ਕਹਤੇ ਹੈਂ ਹੇ ਭਾਈ ਐਸੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੋਂ ਕੋ ਸਹਜ ਸੁਭਾਵਕ ਨਿਰੰਤਰ ਹੀ ਸੇਵੀਐ ਹੇ ਭਾਈ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੋਂ ਕੇ ਦਰਸਨ ਕਰਨੇ ਤੇ ਜਨਮ ਮਰਨ ਦੁਖ ਜਾਤਾ ਰਹਿਤਾ ਹੈ॥੧੦॥: Page 1392, Teeka Fareedkoti, Adi Granth
  11. ^ Page 1392: ਟਲ = ਹੇ ਟੱਲ! ਹੇ ਕਲ੍ਯ੍ਯ! ਹੇ ਕਲ੍ਯ੍ਯਸਹਾਰ!: Teeka by Professor Sahib Singh, Adi Granth
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