Guru Sahiban and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

 

Guru Sahiban and Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

I

Introduction

Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism. It is also regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of ten human gurus. The Tenth Guru Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji deeming the probability of word to be less corruptible than a human being granted the Granth the status of the Final and Eternal Guru of the Panth. Its first edition- the Adi Granth- was compiled by The Fifth Guru- Guru Arjan Dev ji and its composition was completed on August 29,1604 A.D and first installed in Harmandir Sahib, Golden Temple at Amritsar in September 1604 A.D with Baba Buddha as its first Granthi. Shortly afterwards Guru Hargobind Singh ji, the Sixth Guru, added Ramkali Ki Vaar. Later Guru Gobind Singh ji added hymns of his father Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, the Ninth Guru and established this text as the next Guru of Sikhs after him.

This holy text consists of 1430 pages or Angas. Here it should be mentioned that taking Guru Granth Sahib ji as a live human body,its pages are deemed as angas or limbs by the Sikhs. It contains 5894 shabads ( line compositions), that are poetically rendered and set to rhythmic ancient North Indian Classical music tradition that is its unique feature and this distinguishes it from the sacred texts of other faiths. The bulk of the Scripture is divided into 31 Ragas with each Raga subdivided according to length and author. It has compositions of six Gurus- Guru Nanak Dev ji, Guru Angad Dev ji, Guru Amar Das ji, Guru Ram Das ji, Guru Arjan Dev ji and Guru Tegh Bahadur ji and Ramkali ki Var by Guru Hargobind Singh ji. It also contains fourteen Bhagats from Bhakti movement like Ramanand, kabir , Tirlochan, Dhanna, Pippa, Namdev, Ravidas, Jayadeva, Parmanand, Sain, Surdas, Balwant Rai, Sheikh Farid, Bhikhan, Beni and Sadhna. Bhatts have also contributed to it like Balh, Bahlh, Bhika, Gayand, Harbans, Jalap, Kirat, Kalshar, Mathura, Nalh and Sulh. Gursikhs who have contributed to it are Bhai Satta, Balvand , Bhai Mardana and Bhai Piara.

History

Guru Nanak Dev ji composed hymns, that were sung by followers in ragas set to music. His successor Guru Angad Dev ji opened centres and distributed these hymns. The community would sing hymns and his agents collected donations or Dasvand ( ten percent of income). This tradition was continued by Guru Amar Das ji, the third Guru and Guru Ram Das ji, the fourth Guru. Guru Arjan Dev ji, the fifth Guru found to his dismay that his elder brother Prithvi Chand who was also his rival to the Guruship as he placed his claim over it, had an earlier copy of the Granth known as Pothi Sahib( Palm leaf manuscript) with hymns and he was distributing it along with his own hymns to his followers. Guru Arjan Dev ji started compiling an officially approved version of the Sacred Text. As he was concerned about establishing an authentic anthology of approved hymns so he sent his followers to all the corners of the country to collect the hymns by various sages and saints of Bhakti movement. He also convinced Bhai Mohan, son of Guru Amar Das ji to donate the collection of the religious compositions of three Gurus. Even Guru Arjan Dev ji had to compose the praise him in order to get these priceless compositions from him in words.

O’Mohan, your temple is so lofty,

and your mansion is unsurpassed,

O’Mohan your gates are so beautiful,

fit to be worship houses of the saints ( SGGS ; 248)

When his followers returned with their collections, Guru Arjan Dev ji selected and edited hymns to be incorporated in the Holy Granth or Adi Granth that was scribed by Bhai Gurdas. This effort yielded several drafts and manuscripts some of which have survived even in the modern era. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru issued the definitive and final edition that included the hymns of his father- Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. This copy is called Damdama Bir, and a 1707 A.D copy of this manuscript is preserved in the Toshakhana of Hazur Sahib Nanded. Out of the total shlokas Guru Nanak Dev ji’s contribution is 16.53%, of Guru Angad Dev ji is 1.10 %, of Guru Amar Das ji is 15.38 %, of Guru Amar Das ji is 11.52 %, Guru Arjan Dev ji’s is 32.63 % and Guru Tegh Bahadur ji’s contribution is 5.92 % and rest 16.92 % are the contributions of Bhagats, Bhatts and Gursikhs.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

 

II

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

First and foremost contributor to Holy work is Guru Nanak Dev ji also known as Baba Nanak, who founded Sikhism as he was the first of the ten Gurus of Sikhism. He was born on April 15, 1469 A.D at Rai Bhoi ki Talwandi ( present day Nanakana Sahib in Pakistan) in Lahore province of Delhi Sultanate. He was born in a Khatri Punjabi Clan like all Gurus, specifically being a Khatri Bedi. His parents were Kalyan Das Bedi ( shortened to Kalu Mehta) and mother Tripta ji were Hindu Khatris. His father was a local patwari (revenue official) for the village Talwandi, founded by Rai Bhoi. Name of Nanak’s grandfather was Shiv Ram Bedi and great grandfather’s name was Ram Narayan Bedi. His life was marked with many events that suggested that he had been blessed with divine grace. Even at the tender age of 5 years he had voiced interests on divine subjects. At the school he astonished the teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first alphabet of the language resembling the mathematical expression of one as denoting unity or oneness of God. One incident was witnessed by Rai Bular (present landlord of Talwandi village) that Nanak was sleeping under a tree and his head was covered from the harsh sunlight by the stationary shadow of the tree and by a venomous Cobra snake in another story. Nanak’s elder sister was Nanki who was five years older to him. She was married to Jaya Ram who was an employee of at Modikhana a store house to collect revenues in the form of commodities in the service of Delhi Sultanate at Sulatanpur Lodhi for Lahore governor of Sultanate Daulat Khan. She took Nanak with her and Jaya Ram got a job for him at Modikhana. At the age of 18 years he was married to daughter of another patwari Mul chand named Sulakhani in the town of Batala in 1487 and had two sons Baba Sri Chand ji ( founder of Udyasin sect) and Baba Lakshmi Chand ji. He stayed in Sultanpur till 1500 A.D During the first part of 16 th century he undertook four long journeys, along with his two companions Baba Bala and Baba Mardana, known as Udyasins in which he visited places like Tibet, most of the South Asia including Sri Lanka, and Arabia and Jaganath Puri and Assam in the east. He also visited Mt. Sumer, Mecca, Baghdad, Achala Batala, Sylhet in Assam and Multan. At the age of 55 years he settled down at the town of Kartarpur and lived here till his death in 1539. He appointed Bhai Lehna as his successor as Guru Angad Dev ji. His contribution to the Holy Granth is in the form of some major prayers like Japji Sahib, Asa Di Var, and Siddh Gosht. He has composed verses intended to be sung in nearly 19 ragas namely - Raga Asa, Sri Raga, Majh, Gauri, Bihagra, Vadhans, Sorath, Dhanasari, Tilanga, Suhi, Bilawal, Ramkali, Maru, Tukhari, Bhairav, Basant, Sarang,Malha and Prabhati.

Rag Asa

What kind is Your Gate, what kind Thy Abode, O’ Lord,

where sit You, and Supports us all ?

There play to You myriads of players a myriad tunes,

And Sing to Thee myriads of heavenly Singers in a myriad measures.

Sri Raga

Hark, my dear friend, Unite with thy Lord:

Now, now is the time.

The body remains only till it is in bloom and one breathes.

Without Merit, it is all vain, dust returning to dust.

Raga Majh

All are Imbued with the Word, by His Will,

And called to the True Mansion, the Lord’s Court.

O You the True and Kindly Lord of the poor,

By Your Truth is our mind satiated.

Raga Gauri

The Fear of the Lord Reveals to us our self and it drives out all other fears;

Vain is that fear which makes us afraid all the more.

Without You, O’ Lord, I have no other refuge;

(For) all that happens is in Your Will.

Raga Bihagra

Nanak: the Kali age gives birth to the goblins:

The woman is their master, and their progeny is also their like.

The Hindus have strayed from the Path, they go the wrong way.

And as Narada instructed them, so worship they( the image of God).

They are Blind and Deaf: for they are enveloped by Darkness.

And worship they the stones, these stocks and stones,

knowing that the stones themselves sink: so how can they Ferry anybody Across ?

Raga Vadhans

For the addict nothing equals an intoxicant; for the fish, nothing equals the water.

But he who is imbued with the Lord,he loves all.

Sacrifice am I to Your Name,O’ my Lord

You, my Master,are the Fruitful Tree: Your Name is Nectar-sweet.

And whosoever tastes You, the taste is satiated, and I am a Sacrifice unto him.

Raga Sorath

Let your mind be the farmer, Good Deeds the farming, and your body the farm:

And let Effort(in the way of God) irrigate your farm.

Let the Lord’s Name be the seed, and Contentment the furrowing,and let the fence be of Humility.

And, if you do deeds of Love, your seed will sprout and Fortunate will then be your home.

Raga Dhanasari

The body is the paper, the Mind what is writ on it.

But the fool reads not the Writ inscribed in the Mind.

It is in the Lord’s Court that the Writ of three kinds is forged.

And lo, the False one is of no account to anyone.

Raga Tilanga

My body’s (cloth) is Mercerized by Maya, and is Dyed in the colour of Greed.

Then how can my Lord like this my Skirt, and accept me as His Bride on His Joyous Bed ?

I am a Sacrifice unto the Beneficent ones, who utter Your Name, O Lord:

Yea, they who utter Your Name, unto them I am a Sacrifice a myriad times.

Raga Suhi

One washes the vessel and disinfects it with incense before one gathers milk in it.

Yea, the milk is of the Deeds; our conscious Mind the ferment,and the milk is curdled

through Disinterestedness ( in the result).

Dwell you on the One Name of the Lord: for all other works are fruitless and vain.

Raga Bilawal

Through the Wisdom of the Guru, my Mind is Attuned to the Lord in a state of Equipoise.

And, Imbued with the Lord’s Love, my Mind is satiated.

The Egocentrics are strayed by Doubt, like mad.

How can one find Peace without God and not Realise Him through the Guru’s Word /

Raga Ramkali

The Guru’s Wisdom is my horn;and the Word enshrined in my Consciousness I Sing

and lo, the people hear! And making the begging bowl of my gown(body)

I in gather Lord’s Name. O friend. Gorakh! The Support of the Earth, is ever Awake.

Yea,He alone is Gorakh who sustains the world and takes no time in doing what He seeks to Do.

Raga Maru

The Bride is Purblind and Mute, being led by the Other; yea, the sense of Evil,

And wears she the trousseau of Lust and Wrath. The Lord is within her Home,

but she Knows not Him, nor His Poise, and so she sleeps not (with Him) in Peace.

Raga Tukhari

Deluded by Doubt, the Bride regretted in the end.

Yea she slept through, abandoning her Spouse and Knowing him not,

she was beguiled by Vice, for she passed her Night without her Lord.

And by Lust, Wrath and Ego she was destroyed and was in Pain.

Being intoxicated with selfhood when the Swan soul flew out, in the Lord’s Will,

her dust mingled with the dust. Nanak. Bereft of True Name the Bride was deluded and

regretted in the end.

Raga Bhairon

The eyes see not, the body has withered: yea, age has overpowered man and lo he awaits death.

But knows he not that neither beauty, nor love, nor taste lasts,

then how is one to be released from the Yama’s Noose.

O man, Contemplate your God, for, your life is passing

And one is not Released without the True Word, and one’s life goes waste.

Raga Basant

O my mates, listen to me with love; My Loved God is of Incomparable Beauty and

Abides ever with me. Unknowable is He; then how is He known ?

It is the Guru who Reveals His Presence within me. Come, let’s be together; O my mates

and cultivate the Virtues of our God; and then the Lord Sports with His Brides, yea searching

our Within, through the Guru’s Word, the Mind Believes.

Raga Sarang

My Loved Lord is near at hand, not far; Yea,ever since my Mind was Pleased with the Guru’s Word,

I Attained my God, the Mainstay of my vital breath.

This is how the Bride meets with her Spouse, and is beloved of Him,

Yea, Reflecting on Guru’s Word, I am rid of the sense of my colour, caste and tribe.

Raga Malhar

The Bride, who knows not the Love of the Spouse, wails incessantly; her body is never in Bloom :

She is devoid of hope, chained to her Karma, and without the Guru is starved by Doubt.

O Clouds rain incessantly, for my Love Ha come into my Home.

I am a Sacrifice unto the loved Guru who has brought my God in my heart.

Raga Prabhati

Through Your Name, O God, is one Ferried Across, and Honoured and Worshipped:

Thy Name Embellishes man with Glory; yea, it is the (only) object of an Awakened Mind.

Through Your Name, does one’s name gather Repute all over:

Yea, without Thy Name, one is of account to no one.

Guru Angad Dev Ji

 

III

Guru Angad Dev Ji

After meeting Guru Nanak Dev Ji and serving and working with him for many years, Guru Nanak Dev ji gave Lehna the name Angad and chose him as his successor, rather than his two sons, and made him the Second Guru of Sikhism. He is remembered in Sikhism for adopting and formalising Gurmukhi alphabet and script. Guru Angad Dev ji began the process of compiling the hymns of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and contributed his 63 shlokas also to it. He was born on 31^st March 1504 in village Matte di Sarai ( now Sarainaga) in Muketsar district of Punjab. Born in the family of a small yet successful trader Pheru Mal, he was given name of Lehna. His mother’s name was Ramo also known as Mata Sabhirat, Mata Mansa Devi and Daya Kaur. Guruji’s grandfather’s name was Baba Narayan Das Trehan. Like all Sikh Gurus, Lehna also came from the family of Khatri caste with Trehan Gotra ( Clan). His entire family, including his parents left their ancestral village in face of Babar’s invasion and settled on the banks of River Beas at the village known as Khadur Sahib, now in Tarantaran district of Punjab. Before becoming disciple of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Bhai Lehna was a religious teacher at Khadur and a priest at the temple of Goddess Durga. On one of his religious pilgrimage he passed through the town of Kartarpur that was set up by Guru Nanak Dev ji. After a dialogue with Guru Nanak Dev ji he was so much influenced and impressed that he stayed and served his spiritual master Guru Nanak Dev ji throughout his life. After becoming the Second Guru, he came to the village of Khadur known as Goindwal Sahib as very few Sikhs at Kartarpur accepted him as their Guru as sons of Guru Nanak Dev ji also declared their claim to be Guru Nanak Dev ji’s successor. The Second Mughal Emperor Humayun met Guruji after he lost battle to Sher Shah Suri at Kannauj. He blessed Mughal emperor and assured him that he would get back the throne. Besides Gurumukhi script he is also known for systematising the institution of Langar(community Kitchen) in all Sikh Gurudwaras premises where visitors from near and far would get a free simple meal in a communal seating. He stressed on treating Gurudwaras as a place of rest and refuge. So he emphasised on the recruitment of such sevadars who would be polite and hospitable to all visitors. He was also a great patron of wrestling and started a Mal (Akhara) system where physical exercises, martial arts and wrestling was taught as well as health topic such as staying away form tobacco and other toxic products that could ruin young men’s health. He stressed on keeping body healthy by regular exercises and established Akharas in every village. Guru Angad Dev Ji had composed verses that are intended to be sung in following ragas:-

Sri Raga, Raga Asa, Raga Maru, Raga Sarang and Raga Malhar

Sri Raga

If one loves one’s beloved, one dies before he dies.

For cursed is the life of the lover without his love.

Pauri

Of Yourself, O Lord, You created the two lamps of the sun and the moon.

Of Thyself Thou Created the fourteen stores wherewith men Trade.

They, who are turned God -wards, reap the Profit:

Them the Yama touches not, who Drink -in the Nectar of Lord’s Truth.

They are themselves Released and also their kins; nay, the whole world is saved for their sake.

Raga Asa

Where are the stables now, where the horses, where are the drums, where the flutes?

Where are the sword-belts, where the chariots, where the red dresses ( of soldiers) pray ?

Where are the looking glasses, where the beauteous faces, no, I see them not before me

This world belongs to Thee, O Lord : You are its Master.

Raga Maru

Infinite is God, the Creator-Lord, who Manifests Himself through His Power.

O, the created one is helpless before Him, He Creates all beings and Feeds all,

and His Writ is over the heads of all. The Lord Pervades all and He Drives all as is His Will.

So, how can one say who is near unto Him and who is far ?

Yes, find the Lord in every heart, both manifest and unmanifest;

for He Works in all with Discrimination.

Raga Saranga

They, whom the Lord Blesses with His Praise, they alone Treasure God.

Yea, they whom the Lord Blesses with the ‘key’ , they alone can open Lord’s Treasure.

They, out of whose Treasures comes Virtue, the alone are Approved.

Nanak: they alone are blessed by God, whose Pass-word is the Lord’s Name.

Raga Malhar

O physician, you are yourself Wise only if you first know the Malady( of my mind).

And then suggest a Medicament with which all my Maladies are eradicated:

Yea, the Medicament with which one is rid of all one’s Maladies, and Peace abides in one’s body,

and with which you are rid of your own Ailments first: only then can you be known the Physician.

Guru Amar Das Ji

 

IV

Guru Amar Das Ji

Guru Amar Das Ji was born to parents- Bakht Kaur( also known as Sulakhani, Lakhmi Devi or Rup Kaur) and Tej Bhan Bhalla on May 5, 1479 A.D at Basarke village of Amritsar district. His grandfather’s name was Hari Das and his family belonged to Bhalla Gotra of Khatri clan and Guru Amar Das ji was the eldest son of his family. At the age of 20 years he married Mansa Devi and had four children- daughters Dani and Bhani sons Mohan and Mohri. Bhani was his favourite child. To earn his livelihood Guru Amar Das ji took up the profession of agriculturist and trader. He followed Vaishanavism for much of his life. He undertook nearly twenty annual pilgrimages to Haridwara. On one such pilgrimage a Hindu monk met him and asked why he did not have a Guru till then. Acting on his advice Guru Amar Das ji decided to have somebody as his Guru. While returning from Haridwar he heard Bibi Amro- daughter of Guru Angad Dev ji who was related to him as well as she was his nephew’s wife- singing the hymns of Guru Nanak Dev ji. He learnt about Guru Angad Dev ji from her and made him as his Spiritual Guru though he was much younger to him. He served Guru Angad Dev ji relentlessly by waking up early in the morning, fetching water for bath of his Guru and cleaning and cooking for the volunteers with Guru. He succeeded Guru Angad Dev ji as the third Guru of Sikhism at the ripe age of 73 years after 11 years of devoted service of his Guru. He gave leadership to the Sikhs till the age of 95 years when before his death he appointed his son-in-law Bhai Jetha or Guru Ram Das ji as the fourth Guru of Sikhism. After becoming Guru, Guru Amar Das ji moved to Goindwal to avoid conflict with the sons of Guru Angad Dev ji who did not like their father’s decision to appoint Guru Amar Das ji as his successor. Even at Goindwal he was harassed by Guru Angad’s on Datu and kicked Guru Amar Das ji knocking him from his seat saying “ Only yesterday thou wert a water carrier in our house and thou sittest as a Guru”. To it Guru Amar Das ji replied humbly “ O’ Great King, pardon me thou must have hurt thy feet”. Guru Amar Das ji hid himself in a house at Basarke, his home village and Datu set himself as Guru in Goindwal. It was Baba Buddha who persuaded Guru Amar Das ji to return to Goindwal when Datu went back to Khadur when he found that he had no followers. He emphasised his followers to wake up early in the dawn, do their ablutions and then meditate in silent seclusion. He believed that a good devotee should be truthful, keep his mind in control, eat only when hungry, seek the company of pious men, worship the Lord, make an honest living, serve holy men, covet another’s wealth and never slander others. He was also a social reformer and banned Sati system in Sikhism and discouraged veiling of women’s faces, promoted inter-caste marriages, remarriage of widows and adopting monogamy as ideal gender relationship. He also started the tradition of appointing Manjis ( zones of religious administration with a chief known as Sangatiya who could be a man or even a woman. He also introduced Dasvandh- tradition of donating ten percent of income to noble causes- and augmented the tradition of langar. Another organization set up by him, analogous to Manji was Piri in which appointed officials spread faith specially among women. He also constructed a well of 84 steps known as Baoli Sahib at Mughal Emperor. Mughal emperor met Guru Amar Das ji but only after Akbar agreed to take langar like any common man with everybody. He persuaded Akbar to repeal tax on Hindus pilgrims visiting Haridwar. He composed a hymn Anand Lavana and made it a part of the ritual of Sikh marriage called Anand Karaj that means blissful event. He is believed to have selected the site of Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar whose construction was started by Guru Ram Das ji, completed and inaugurated by Guru Arjan Dev ji and gilded in gold by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He has composed verses intended to be sung in Sri Raga,Majh, Gauri, Asa, Gujri, Bihagra, Vadhans, Sorath, Dhanasari, Suhi, Bilawal, Ramkali, Maru, Bhairon, Basanth, Sarang, Malhar and Prabhati.

Sri Raga

Serve you the True Guru lovingly, and with single-minded Devotion:

And you know that the True Guru is the holiest of the holy who fulfils all the desires of your mind.

(From him) one gathers the Blessing, the Fruit, as the heart longs.

Seek then the Lord’s Name; Meditate on it, and, through the Name, you enter the Realm of Bliss.

Raga Majh

By the Lord’s Grace is the True Guru Met:

And then alone one applies one’s mind to the Lord’s service and (Reflects on) the Word.

And so one stills one’s Ego and gathers Eternal Peace,

and sheds one’s love of Maya.

Raga Gauri

That place alone is True where the mind becomes Pure;

And, becoming True, abides in Truth.

The True Word is known through the four ages;

The True One is of Himself True.

Raga Asa

The True Lord is Profound and Deep.

Serving Him, my body is bathed in Peace.

Through His Word is one, Ferried Across, the natural way.

And to His feet I take ever and forever more

Raga Gujri

Accursed is the life which yields not Love of the Lord.

Accursed is the work that yokes us to another and we forsake our God.

O my Mind, dwell you on the True Guru. Contemplating whom one loves God and forsakes all else.

And the conscious mind clings to the Lord, and one not age,and mounts to the State of Deliverance.

Raga Bihagra

Fear nor Doubt can hurt one, if one’s Lord, the True Guru, Protects One.

For, He the Saviour has been the Protector (of His Devotees) since time immemorial.

Meeting with the Loved Lord,one Attains Bliss, reflecting on the True Word,

If one serves the the Bliss- Giving God, He, of Himself, then tests one and approves.

Raga Vadhans

If the mind is Soiled, all is Soiled: by bathing the body, the mind is not cleansed.

This world is led astray by Doubt, and rare is the one who knows the Truth.

O my mind, Contemplate the One Name of God:

This is the Treasure with which the True Guru has blessed you.

Raga Sorath

When one becomes the Slave of Lord’s Slaves, he attains the Lord and sheds his Ego.

The Lord’s Devotees are Engaged to the Lord of the Bliss,

and so they ever sing the Praises of their Lord.

Imbued with the Word, they remain forever alike, and are Merged in their Lord.

Raga Dhanasari

Inexhaustible is the Treasure (of Lord’s Name) ; it increases as it is expended.

It is through the Perfect Guru that I have Seen this Treasure.

I am ever a Sacrifice unto the True Guru.

It is by Guru’s Grace that I have enshrined my God in the Mind.

Raga Suhi

The Lord is Subtle and Unfathomable; so , how is one to Attain Him?

It is through Guru’s Word that our Doubt is dispelled,

and the Self-dependent being enters our Minds.

Those turned God-wards Dwell ever upon the Lord’s Name.

I am a sacrifice unto those who Contemplate ever the Good of the Lord in the Mind.

Raga Bilawal

Himself the Primal Lord Creates the Creation,

And His creatures are then involved and infatuated with Maya.

And are lured by Illusion, being in love with the Other,

and come and go, and are wasted away, the unfortunate ones.

Meeting with the True Guru, one comes to Realise,

and the illusion breaks, and one Merges in the (Lord’s ) Truth.

Raga Ramkali

In the Satyuga, everyone spoke the Truth,

And, by the Guru’s Grace, in each heart was love of God.

Dharma had all the four legs to stand upon,

But only if one reflects on this, one comes to know.

Raga Maru

He, whom God Illumines with His Love, all-too instantly, through the True Word,

he alone knows the pain (of separation) and he alone knows its cure.

The Lord,of Himself, unites us with Himself: Yea, He of Himself informs us with His Love.

And he alone knows the essence of Love on whom is the Grace of God.

Raga Bhairon

The Egocentric is afflicted by the malady of Duality and burns in the intensity of Desire.

Yea, he comes and goes but finds not Peace, and wastes away his human birth in vain.

O’ my Love, Make us Wise by Your Grace,

for the world cannot get rid of afflictions of Ego save through the Word.

Raga Basanta

If you are sky-clad and roam about naked, or keep matted hair and practice Yoga,

and your breath is held within the Tenth Door: if your mind is not Stainless and Pure,

You wander from birth to birth and your comings and goings do not cease.

Raga Sarang

O mind, all Glory is through Lord’s Name:

So know not any but your God, and be Emancipated through the Name.

Through the Word, be thou attuned to your God, the Dispeller of all Fears

and the Destroyer of Death. And your Blissful Lord will be Revealed to you,

by the Guru’s Grace, you will merge with Him instantly.

Raga Malhar

Rare is the one who Realises God, through the Guru, by God’s Grace.

Yea, except Guru, there is no other Giver: and he alone Forgives and Blesses.

Meeting with the Guru, one is cool-comforted and one utters Lord’s Praise for ever.

O my Mind, Dwell on the Nectar-Name of God.

Yea, it is when one Meets with the True Guru, the Purusha, that one receives merges

eternally in the Lord’s Name.

Raga Prabhati

O Master, Bless us, the meritless ones with your Forgiveness,

and Unite us with Thyself, of Thyself. O’ God You are Infinite, pray, make Yourself manifest through the Guru’s Word,O Lord I am a sacrifice unto You:

Yea, I surrender my body and mind to You and seek to remain ever in Your Refuge.

Guru Ram Das Ji

 

V

Guru Ram Das Ji

Bhai Jetha ji or Guru Ram Das ji was believed to have been declared as successor by Guru Amar Das ji, as his daughter and Jetha’s wife Bhani was close to him, by personally putting the sandal paste on his forehead. Guru Ram Das ji was born in Chuna Mandi Lahore but he lost his parents at the age of 7 years and grew up under the care of his maternal uncle. He was born on 24 th September 1534 A.D in a Sodhi family. His grandfather Thakur Das was a well known shopkeeper of Chuma Mandi Area Lahore. His father Hari Das inherited the shopkeeper vocation from his father. As he was their eldest child, so his parents named him as Jetha. After the death of his parents his maternal grandmother took him to her village Basarke which was also ancestral village of Guru Amar Das ji. He sold boiled grams, black chickpeas (known as Ghuganian) and boiled wheat to earn his livelihood since the age of 9 years. He would sometimes meet holymen and often share his wares with them free of cost and then be scolded by his grandmother. When Guru Amar Das ji visited Basarke he was impressed by the traits of this young boy. Once he asked him to accompany him to Khadur where Guru Angad Dev ji lived. At Khadur after attending congregations he was impressed both by Guru Angad Dev ji as well as Guru Amar Das ji. He sold bakliyas ( boiled corn) at Khadur to earn his livelihood. When Guru Amar Das ji moved to Goindwal Sahib he also moved

along with him in 1552 A. D and spent most of the time in his durbar and one of the responsibility entrusted to him was that the utensils used for langar were clean and tidy and so as to ensure thorough cleaning he cleaned them himself. He was also given the role of serving drinking water in langar. He accompanied Guru Amar Das ji on his holy pilgrimages. Under his patronage he was educated in North Indian Classical Music Tradition. Before becoming Guru, he was sent by Guru Amar Das ji to represent his view point in Mughal Court as Brahmins had lodged a protest against Guru ji that he was neglecting the traditional caste divisions and social hierarchies in langar as everybody without any distinction sat on the ground to take Langar. He impressed Mughal Emperor Akbar by his reply that in the eyes of the Divine all of humankind are equal. In 1553 A. D he wedded Guru Amar Das ji’s daughter Bhani and had three sons- Prithvi Chand, Mahadev and Guru Arjan Dev ji. He is credited to have found the city of Ramdaspur, later Amritsar and beginning construction of Golden Temple and the Holy pond around it. He, along with Guru Amar Das ji, is credited with various parts of Anand and Lavan compositions in Suhi measure. He made his youngest son Arjan Dev ji as his successor and fifth Guru of Sikhism. Guru Ram Das ji has composed verses intended to be sung in Ragas like- Sri Rag, Majh Rag, Gauri, Asa, Gujri, Devgandhari, Bihagra, Vadhans, Sorath, Dhanasari, Jaitsri, Todi, Bairari, Tilanga, Bilawal, Gond, Ramkali, Nat Narayan, Mali Gaura, Maru, Tukhari, Kedara, Bhairon, Basant, Sarang, Kanara, Kalyan, Prabhati and Suhi.

Sri Raga

The day rises and then it dies into the night and then the night passes.

The age thus wears off, but the man knows not that the mouse (of time) is tearing at the rope.

He is attached like a fly to the sweet of Maya, and thus wastes his life away.

O brother, your Lord is your only friend; your attachment to your wife and sons is false;

for they keep not your company in the end.

Raga Majh

The Guru has made me Wise in the Lord; from the Lord I taste the Reality of the Real.

My mind is Imbued with the Lord’s Love, and Drinks it to its fill.

My mouth utters the Name of the Lord, and my mind is filled with utter joy.

Raga Gauri Guareri

The mother is happy when her son has had his fill.

The fish is happy when she bathes herself in water.

The True Guru is happy when his disciple is Fulfilled.

Unite us with those Your Slaves, O Dear Lord,

Meeting whom all our Sorrows depart.

Raga Asa

O Thou, the person on High, the Purest of the Pure, Infinite, Unfathomable,

O Thou, the True Creator, on whom all Meditate,

O Thou, the Beneficent Lord, all belong to You.

O Saints, Meditate on Him that all your woes may depart.

Raga Gujri

Sublime are the Lord’s Saints, Sublime is their speech.

For, when they speak for the good of all.

He, who hears them with Love and Devotion, him the Lord Saves by His Grace.

Raga Devgandhari

He who becomes the Servant of the Lord is Attuned to the Supreme Master.

He who utters the Lord’s Praise, through the Guru’s Word, his Destiny is Awakened.

His Bonds of Maya are loosed, and Attuned is he to the God’s Name.

My mind is captivated by the Guru-charmer; seeing him, I go into Ecstasy.

Raga Bihagra

O my life, Contemplate the Lord’s Name: for, Invaluable is the Name one gathers through the Guru.

My Mind is pierced through with the Name: it Loves the Name, with the Name it is washed clean.

O life, if we hold our Mind with the Instruction of the Guru, it wavers not again:

And it gathers the Fruit of your heart’s Desire; and it sings only the Lord’s Praise.

Raga Vadhans

Beauteous is my Lord: But I know not His Worth.

And have adorned Him and I am in love with other.

How shall I, the Ignorant one, then, Meet with my Lord? She who is Beloved of the Spouse

is the only True Bride, she, the Wise one, alone meets with her God .

Raga Sorath

The Lord Himself is the Balance, Himself He weighs Himself.

He Himself is the Merchant,Himself the Pedlar; Himself, He Engages men in His Trade.

He Himself Creates the Earth and weighs it with a Copper (if He so Wills).

My mind has Attained Bliss, Contemplating the Lord.

The Lord’s Name is the Treasure (of Good); it is through the Guru that it seems sweet.

Raga Dhanasari

Dwell on your Lord in your heart: Contemplate the Name of your God, the Enticer of hearts.

Your Lord is Unseen, Transcendent, Unreachable, but through the Perfect Guru, He gets Manifest.

Our God is the Philosopher’s Stone that transmutes our iron into Gold:

He is that Chandan tree that makes our Dry Wood Fragrant.

Raga Jaitshri

Praise your God with Love and utter Devotion,

That your mind is Imbued with the Lord’s Name, and you gather the Fruit;

And be ever devoted to your God: through the Guru’s Word Wells up (within you)

the Joy for the Lord’s Worship.

Raga Todi

Without the Lord, my mind does not stay:

But when, through the Guru, I meet with my God, I am cast upon the Sea of Existence again.

My Mind craves for the Lord, and lo, I see Him with mine Eyes.

The Beneficent True Guru has Embedded the Lord’s Name in my Mind;

for this is the path that led me on to Him.

Raga Bairari

The Lord’s servant ever Sings the Praise of the Lord’s Name.

And if one slanders him, he forsakes not his Merit.

Whatever happens, happens, through the Master for He, is the only Doer and the Cause.

(For) the Lord Himself Makes us Wise in Himself, and causes us to utter what we speak.

Raga Tilanga

Each day, man does vain works, and is puffed up he, the man of Evil mind.

And when he brings home the spoils of Deceit, he thinks he has won victory over the world.

Vain is the play of the world, if one Dwells not on the Lord:

For, all this vanity-show disappears in a moment: so Contemplate you, your God.

Raga Suhi

My Mind Dwells on the Lord’s Name through the Word of the Guru.

And all my Mind’s Desires are fulfilled, and the fear of the Yama is dispelled.

O my mind, Praise the Lord and the Lord’s Name, and your Guru, in his mercy,

will instruct you in the Lord’s Wisdom,and you will Drink the Essence of the Lord in Joy.

Raga Bilawal

My mind is lured away by Maya: it is full of Dirt of Vice.

And so it can Serve You not, O’ Lord: How shall I , the Ignorant one, be Saved ?

O my Mind, Dwell on your Lord, the Bewitching God of Man.

When He, the Lord, is in Mercy, one Meets with the Guru and is Ferried Across.

Raga Gond

The Lord, the Inner-knower of hearts, Pervades all, and as He Leads, so do men act.

So Serve you such a Lord, O my mind, who saves you from all your maladies.

O my mind, Contemplate your God, and utter only His Name.

Without your Lord no one can save or slay you: So why are you worrying ?

Raga Ramkali

Beneficent is the Guru, the Great Being, meeting with whom one Enshrines the Lord in his Mind.

The Perfect Guru Blesses us with the Life of the Soul, and one Cherishes the Nectar Name of God.
O Lord, Your Name I Enshrine in my heart, by the Guru’s Grace:

How fortunate am I that the Guru has recited to me the Gospel that pleases my Mind.

Raga Nat Narayana

O my mind, in this Kali age, Contemplation of the Lord’s Name alone is Approved:

Yea, when the Lord is Merciful, we repair to the True Guru and Contemplate our only God.

O God, You are the Highest of the High, Unfathomable, Umperceivable, and every one

Dwell on You, O my Beauteous Lord!, Yea, on whom is cast Your Eye of Grace,

he, by the Guru’s Grace, Dwells only on Thee.

Raga Mali Gaura

All adepts, all seekers and men of silence Contemplate God with Love.

But the Transcendent, Unfathomable Lord is Revealed unto us (only) through the Guru.

We are tied up with low deeds, O’ God, and Cherish You not.

But when You lead us on to the True Guru, we are instantaneously Released.

Raga Maru

Brimful are the Treasures of God’s Devotion.

But, it is through the Guru’s Grace that God Emancipates us,

Yea, on whomsoever is the Mercy of God, he sings the Lord’s Praise.

When we Cherish our God ever in the mind. So you Dwell on Lord’s Name,O my mind,

for, on is Emancipated only through the Lord’s Name.

Raga Tukhari

O lord, Thou art the Life of Life: the Creator-Master of all creation,

And, they alone Dwelt on You on whose forehead was so Writ by You.

Yea he, in whose Lot was Writ thus by You, Contemplated Your Name.

And all his Sins were eradicated in a moment, who Dwelt on You, through the Guru’s Word.

Raga Kedar

Utter the Praises of your God, o my mind:

Yea, Wash and Worship your Guru’s Feet, and so Attain you to your God.

Shed you, your Lust, Wrath, Greed, Ego and the vicious taste of Evil,

and repairing to the Saints, discourse on God, and be Blessed with the Cure-all of Lord’s Name.

Raga Bhairon

O God, all hearts are Your, for, You Abide in all:

Ye, there’s naught that contains You not.

O, my mind, Contemplate your Bliss-giving Lord.

And Praise Him for, He is your only Father, your Master, your God.

Raga Basanta

The day and the night are but the calls (of death).

So Contemplate God, O my mind, that you are saved in the end.

O my mind, cherish ever your Lord. That you are rid of your pain and Lassitude

and attain to God, Singing His Praises through the Guru’s Word.

Raga Sarang

O, I am the Dust tread over by the Saints ! Yea, Associating with the Saints I attained,

unto the Sublime State (of Bliss) and God Filled every pore of my being.

When one Meets with the Guru-Saint, one is Comforted, and one is rid of all Pain, all Sins.

And the Light of the Self burns dazzlingly, and one Sees the Presence of the Immaculate Person.

Raga Kanara

O my mind, Sing the Guru’s Word with relish,

with a myriad tongues a myriad times over.

The Sheshnaga uttered Lord’s Name with its thousand tongues, but found not His End.

O God Unfathomable and Infinite You are, and it is through Guru’s Wisdom my mind is stilled.

Raga Kalyan

The Lord Pervades all: Hearing the Lord’s Name, one’s Mind is in Bloom.

Yea, Nectar-sweet is the Name of God, which one in-drinks all too spontaneously

through the Guru’s Word. As the fire is locked in the wood, but it is struck only by one,

who knows the way. So through the Guru’s Wisdom, one find the Quintessence

of Lord’s Light which Pervades all.

Raga Prabhati

With the sun-break, the God-men utter the Lord’s Name; yea they Cherish His Gospel,

even through the night. Within me is the Craving for my God, and so , I seek Him ever.

Yea, my mind is like the Dust for the Saints to tread upon. The Guru has implanted in me,

the Lord’s Sweet Name; and in utter humility I Dust the Guru’s Feet with my Hair.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji

VI

Guru Arjan Dev Ji

He is known for compiling the first official edition of the Sikh Scripture called Adi Granth that was later expanded into Guru Granth Sahib ji by the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji. He was the youngest son of Guru Ram Das ji and Bhani. Born in Goindwal town on April 15, 1563 A.D. His other brothers were Prithvi Chand and Mahdev. He spent last 11 years of his life at Goindwal and next 7 years with his father in Ramdaspur, later Amritsar. He spent two years in Lahore during his young age when he was sent to attend wedding of his first cousin Suhari Mal’s as well as to establish Sikh Congregation. He became fifth Guru after Guru Ram Das ji. His choice of his youngest son as his successor led to the post succession conflicts and disputes leading to internal divisions among the Sikhs. Mahadev was an ascetic by nature so he did not oppose his father’s decision but Prithvi Chand opposed Guru Arjan Dev ji vehemently by creating another sect in Sikhism that was known as Minas by the followers of Guru Arjan Dev ji. Prithvi Chand even tried to assassinate his own nephew young Hargobind twice and even befriended and incited Mughal agents against Guru Arjan Dev ji. He completed the construction of Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, organised Masand system and the tradition of the collection of Dasvandh. Guru Arjan Dev ji was put behind the bars by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir accusing him of inciting rebellion against him by blessing Prince Khusrau. He was promised to be released if he decided to convert to Islam but he refused and facing unbearable torture at the hands of Mughals embraced martyrdom in Lahore. However, before his death he appointed Guru Hargobind Sahib as his successor and sixth Guru of Sikhism. He has composed verses intended to be sung in following Ragas:-

Sri Raga, Majh, Gauri,Asa, Gujri, Devgandhari, Bihagra, Vadhans, Sorath, Dhanasari, Jaitshree, Todi, Bairari, Suhi, Bilawal, Gond, Ramkali, Nat Narayan, Mali Gaura, Maru, Tikhari, Kedar, Bhairo, Basant, Saranga, Malhar, Kanara, Kalyan and Prabahti.

Sri Raga

The man was a guest for a brief moment to this earth to fulfil his Destined end:

But he was lost in Maya and lust and Realised not his Destiny.

Repentance came to him when he left the world,and he was delivered unto the Yama.

Raga Majh

Blessed is the season when I Cherish You.

Blessed the work that I accomplish for Thee.

Blessed the heart on which You Rain (Your Mercy) , O Thou, the Giver of all!

You are the Father of us all.

Raga Gauri

The Guru’s Word is eternal and abides for ever.

Through the Guru’s Word is loosed the Yama’s noose.

The Guru’s Word keeps company with the Soul.

Through the Guru’s Word is one Imbued with the Lord’s Love.

Raga Asa

He who loves (Maya), him she devours.

He who comforts her, him she fills with immense Fear.

Brothers, friends and family, lured by her, indulge in Strife,

But I have subjugated her, by the Guru’s Grace

Raga Gujri

Firstly, man is cast into the womb; and from there he is released, he comes to the earth.

But the splendid palaces, the Art galleries, and the alluring gardens do not go with him.

All Avarice is vain: For, the Guru given Name of the Lord alone is of avail to the Soul.

Raga Devgandhari

O mind, retrace, retrace your steps

from the company of the worshippers of Maya.

False is the love for the False,

and till one releases oneself from its grip, one finds not Deliverance.

Raga Bihagra

I’ve seen a miracle of the Lord, O my love, that whatever He does is righteous and just.

The Lord has made this world his play house, O my love, in which the players come and go.

It is He who created the world and Destined us to born and die.

Raga Vadhans

Within me is the desire to Meet my Perfect Guru; how shall I attain to Him ?

For, howsoever may the play distract the child’s mind, he cannot live without (mother’s) milk.

My inner Hunger is not sated, O loved Mate, even if all kinds of delicacies are laid before me.

I am Imbued, body and mind, with love of Lord: O how can I be comforted without His Vision ?

Raga Sorath

He, in whose heart Abidest Thou, O Creator Lord, him Thou Fulfil.

O’God,Forsake me not, Thy Slave; for I Cherish the Dust of Your Feet.

Your Gospel is unutterable, I can’t utter it.

O Thou Treasure of Virtue, Giver of Bliss, O my Master, Infinite is Thy Glory.

Raga Dhanasari

I, the poor one, lean only the Lord’s Name;

This is my Trade: this the Riches I gather.

Now I have only the Lord’s Name to treasure,

which avails me both here and hereafter.

Raga Jaishri

My God, my Life-breath, permeates my body and Mind.

O my All-wise Perfect Lord, be Merciful that I Meet with Your Saints.

They whom You Bless with the Potion of Love, the drank-in Your Great Essence.

I can utter not its Value: what power have I so to do ?

Raga Todi

Forsaking the Lord, one wastes one’s life away;

But how can he be deceived whose Mainstay are You, O Lord!

Without Contemplating the Lord, one’s life is ever on Fire, even though one lives long like a snake.

And even if he has dominion over the nine divisions of the earth, in the end he loses the Game.

Raga Bairari

Utter the Lord’s Praise, associating with the Saints;

thus you are cleansed of the Sins of the myriads of (past) births.

And you receive what is your heart’s Desire: and in His Grace the Lord Blesses You with His Name.

Great is the Glory of the Lord’s Name; it yields all-Peace;

And, by the Guru’s Grace, O’ Nanak,one is made Wise (in God).

Raga Suhi

The Juggler Performs His many Feats,

And Exhibits Himself in many Roles,

But when He lays aside the Mask, and ends His Play.

Then the One alone Remains, yea, the One alone.

Raga Bilaval

My Malady is over: the Lord Himself has Blesses me with Peace and Joy.

O, Glorious and Wondrous is my Lord: it is He who has Blessed me.

My Guru-God has been Merciful to me and has Saved my loved one.

I have sought the Refuge of One who is ever our Support.

Raga Gond

My Master has held my five Passions in check,

and scared them away from their association with me, His slave.

They found not the Mansion of the Lord’s Devotee ( to break into)

and, so the Lord’s Slaves sing the Songs of Joy, in Bliss.

Raga Ramkali

The four(Vedas) shout, but you trust them not,

Nor the six( Shastras), which utter but the same Truth.

The eighteen( Puranas) also point to the same One God.

But even then, O Yogi, you know not the Mystery( of the Lord).

Raga Nat Narayan

I grieve not in any wise,

for all that comes from God is sweet to me.

My Joy is in submitting to Your Will, O God and I live only if I hearken to Your Name.

This Mantram, I’ve received from the Guru that both here and hereafter who alone is.

Raga Mali Gaura

The Lord is not far: He Abides with each and all:

Yea, He is the Doer and the Cause: He is the Presence that is near and here.

Hearing His Name, one comes to Life, And one’s woes are dispelled and Peace lives within one.

The Lord is the only Treasure that one may seek,

For, all the seers and men of silence Serve Him alone.

Raga Maru

The Servant of God is rid of the evils of Ego, Attachment, and Greed,

and he minds not any save his God. And deals he in virtues of God and the Jewel of His Name.

And this is the Merchandise he carries along into the Yond. Lo, he loves his God to the end.

In his lifetime, he serves his Master, and while quitting the world he minds only Him and Him.

Raga Tukhari

I, the Meritless one, God has saved for the sake of His Saints;

Lo, the True Guru has covered up the shame of me-the Sinner.

Yea, my God has covered up my shame and He Blesses our vital breath and soul with Bliss.

Eternal and undying Master is He – the Creator and Perfect Being. O God I can’t say Your whole

praise nor where are You. Nanak, Your servant is a Sacrifice unto him,

through whom he is Blessed with Your Name even for a while.

Raga Kedara

O mother, in the society of the Saints, the Seeker Soul is Awakened,

and seeing the wonders of God, she dwells on the Name- the Treasure of Bliss.

She thirsts for the Master’s Vision, and Attunes her Eye to her God.Yea, she thirsts for nothing else.

Raga Bahiron

You have kept aside all other lunar days,

and believe that God was born on the eighth day of the moon.

O ignorant one, false, false is your belief,

For God is above birth and death.

Raga Basant

I serve my Guru and greet him with Faith:For, today is an occasion of Festivity for me.

Today I am utterly in Bliss. And my cares are past and I Meet with my God.

Today, in my Home is Spring, And I sing the Praises of my Infinite God.

Lo the month of Phagun has dawned upon my Soul, and I sport with my God in abundance of Joy.

I serve the Saint: this is playing Holi for me,and thus I am wholly imbued with my Lord-the God.

Raga Sarang

Within my mind Abides the Guru-God:

Yea, wherever men contemplate the God, there Bliss reign over all.

Wherever men forsake God, there is nothing but Pain and Sorrow.

But where they Praise the Lord of Bliss, there is Peace and Glory.

Raga Malhar

The child is fed upon milk, without it he lives not;

and the mother takes care of him and feeds him to his satisfaction.

O God,You are our Father, the Compassionate Lord of all,

and though we are Your erring children, we have no other refuge to take.

Raga Kanara

O Saints Bless me with the Bounty(of Lord’s Name) to which my Soul is a Sacrifice,

I was beguiled by the five demons and was lured by Ego, for I dwelt near them.

But now I have sought the Refuge of the Saints.

I am delivered of them.

Raga Kalyan

The Lord’s Saints congregate to utter and hear the Lord’s Praise.

Which to them is the Unstruck Melody, and the Bliss giving Wisdom of the Veda.

Yea they utter with utter Devotion, the Lord’s Name to be delivered of their Sins.

And this to them is God’s Wisdom- the Contemplation, the Kingly Glory, and Charitable Dispostition.

Raga Prabhati

There is no other Refuge, but for the Lord’s Name.

Through it, one is Blessed with Gladness and Miraculous powers,

And one is wholly Fulfilled. Let us Utter ever the Lord’s Name.

And we are Attuned to the One Alone and get rid of Wrath, Lust and Ego.

 

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

 

VII

Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

Guru Habgobind Sahib appointed his grand son Guru Har Rai as his successor and Guru Har Rai made his son Guru Harkishan Sahib as the next Guru. Guru Harkishan ji died early due to smallpox and at the time of his death he could utter only these words “Baba Bakala” implying that his successor is at Bakala. Taking advantage of the ambiguity of the words of dying Guru many installed themselves in claiming to be the new Guru. Sikhs were also puzzled to see so many claimants till a wealthy trader named Makhan Shah Labana who had vowed to give 500 gold coins to the Sikh Guru if he escaped a shipwreck. So on survival he came in search of new Guru but when he found so many people at Bakala claiming to be new Guru he met each of them two gold coins in the belief that the genuine Guru would be omniscient and know about his vow of 500 gold coins. After giving two gold coins to many people posing as new Guru he asked if anybody is left out, somebody replied that there is a person named Tegha who must be sitting in some remote nook of the town. So Makhan Shah approached him too and when he offered him two gold coins, Bhai Tegha or Guru Tegh Bahadur ji replied that his offering of two gold coins is much less than the 500 gold coins promised by him and he showed him the marks of ropes on his shoulder by which he had pulled his ship to the safety. So Makhan Shah Labana offered rest of the gold coins to him and ran to the roof and started shouting “ Guru Ladho Re” or I have discerned the True Guru. So in August 1664 A.D a Sikh Congregation led by Diwan Dargha Mal, a well known devotee of Guru Harkishan ji arrived in Bakala to proclaim Guru Tegh Bahadur as the Ninth Guru of the Sikhs. He travelled widely and extensively in different parts of Indian subcontinent including Dhaka, Assam and Patna where Guru Gobind Singh ji- The Tenth Guru was born. He undertook these journeys with a view of spreading the message of Guru Nanak Dev ji and started a number of community wells and langar. He visited the towns of Mathura, Agra, Allahabad, and Varanasi also. At Dhubri in Assam he helped in patching up the conflict between Raja Ram Singh of Jaipur, leading Mughal forces and King of Ahoms Raja Chakradhwaj. He also visited Rani Champa of Bilaspur kingdom who offered to give him a piece of land in her Kingdom. So he bought a piece of land for five hundred rupees and founded the city of Anandpur Sahib in the foothills of Himalayan range in 1672 A.D. He toured the Malwa region of Punjab to meet the masses as the persecution of non-muslims reached new heights. A congregation of Kashmiri pandits led by Kirpa Ram approached him and requested him to give them shelter as they were being converted forcefully to Islam in Kashmir. He left form his base at Makhowal to protest against the persecution of Kashmiri pandits by Mughal officials and was arrested at Ropar and put in a jail at Sirhind. Four months later he was brought to Delhi and asked to perform some miracle to prove his nearness to God or to embrace Islam. Guru declined both the offers as performing miracles was anti-natural unless for the well being of populace and to accept Islam was out of question. So both of his colleagues who were arrested along with him Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dayala were tortured to death. Bhai Sati Das was sawn into two while Bhai Dayala was boiled olive in a cauldron and Bhai Sati Das was cut to pieces. After that Guru ji was also beheaded publicly in Chandni Chowk on November 11, 1675 A.D. However, before his death he appointed Guru Gobind Rai his son or Guru Gobind Singh ji as his successor. He had composed 116 hymns in 15 ragas were included in Guru Granth Sahib ji by Guru Gobind Singh ji at pages 219-1427 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. Guru Tegh Bahadur ji composed verses to be sung in Ragas- Gauri, Devgandhari, Bihagra, Sorath, Dhanasari, Jaitshri, Todi, Tilang,Bilaval, Ramkali, Maru, Basant, Sarang, Jaijavanti

Raga Gauri

Man Enshrines not the Lord’s Praise in his mind,

And is engrossed in Maya, night and day: how can he Sing His Praise ?

He binds himself to his sons, friends and love of Maya. Like a deer’s delusion is the world false.

But he runs after the mirage all the same.

Raga Devgandhari

Your mother, father, brothers, sons, wife and kins,

are related to you only while you are alive.

Yea, when your breath leaves your body, they call you a ghost.

And they keep you not even for a moment and drive you out.

The illusion of the world is like the delusion of the deer, think you on this in your mind.

And contemplate the Lord’s Name that you are Saved.

Raga Bihagra

No one knows the State of the Lord:

And even the Yogis-the celibates and men of austerity and wisdom have found it not.

In a moment, the Lord Makes Kings of beggars, and beggars of Kings.

And Filling, He empties, and the empty he Fulfils; this verily is the way of God.

Raga Sorath

I’ve found not a friend in this world: For, the whole world is engrossed in its own little pleasures,and no one befriends you in your sorrow.

Thy wife, friends, sons and kinsmen are all attached to your riches.

And when they find you poor, they forsake your company.

Raga Dhanasari

That Yogi knows not the Lord’s Way, whose heart is infested with Greed, Attachment and Ego.

But he who is concerned neither with praise nor dispraise, and looks upon the iron and gold alike.

And rises above pain and pleasure, he alone is a True Yogi.

Raga Jaitshri

Man is enticed away, and is involved in Maya:

And whatever he deeds he does, goaded by Greed, they bind him down.

He knows not, lured by the taste of poison, and forsakes he the Lord’s Praise.

The Lord is with him, yet he goes out to the woods to seek Him out.

Raga Todi

How shall I describe my low nature? I was involved with the flavours of gold and women,

and recited not ever the Lord’s Praise. I considered the False world to be True and was lured away.

And He, the Lord, who is Beneficent to the meek, on Him I Dwelt not;

yea He who Keeps ever our company.

Raga Tilanga (Kafi)

Contemplate your Lord, O man day and night. For with every breath wears away your life,

like the broken pitcher that is emptied soon of its water.

Why, Sing not, O unwise fool, the Lord’s Praise.

And remember not death, lured away by false Craving.

Raga Bilaval

Without the Lord’s Name, one comes to Grief. Without His Worship, one’s Doubt is stilled not;

this Mystery was Revealed to me by the Guru.

Of what avail are one’s fasts and pilgrimages if one takes not the Lord’s Refuge ?

And fruitless are one’s Yogic feats and yagnas, if one forsakes the Lord’s Praise.

Raga Ramkali

O mind, seek you the Refuge of Lord’s Name: Contemplating whom one sheds the evil of the mind and attains the state of Supreme Bliss. Blessed, Blessed , is the creature

who Sings the Lord’s Praise.

And purging his mind of the Sins of a myriad births, lands in heaven.

Raga Maru

Bliss-giving ever is the Lord’s Name, Contemplating which Ajamala was Emancipated,

and Ganika Attained the Sublime State of Bliss. Drupadi, the princess of Panchala,

remembered God’s Name in the royal court of Duryodhana. And lo, the Compassionate Lord,

rid her of her woes, and made Manifest thus His Own Glory.

Raga Basanta

O mother, I have gathered the Riches of the Lord, and the out goings of my mind have ceased,

and it stays at Home. I am rid of all Desires and Attachments, and within me,

has welled up the Immaculate Wisdom(of God). Now Greed and Desire contaminate me not,

now that I have taken to the Loving Adoration of God.

Raga Sarang

O my mind, why are you involved in Vice, when nothing stays in this world,

and while one comes in another goes out. Whose are the riches, the body and the possessions?

Then why you love these ? Yea, whatever seems, passes away as does the shade of clouds.

Abandon your Ego, and repair to the Saint;s Refuge that you are Emancipated instantly.

Says Nanak; “ O my mind, without Contemplating God, you don’t attain Peace even in dream.

Raga Jaijavanti

Thy life is passing away in vain !

You hear the Puranas night and day,

But know not their intent, O Unwise one.

Now that the hand of death is upon you, where would you fly away from it ?

Inferences

 

VIII

Inferences

Though all the Gurus have composed verses for the benefit of entire humanity, but none of them composed it entirely to be included in a Holy Work so as to be preserved for the posterity as it was Guru Arjan Dev Ji , the fifth Guru who had started compiling Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji for the first time that came to be known as Adi Granth and perhaps it was Guru Granth Sahib who with help of others organized this Holy Granth on the basis of various ragas so as to enhance the effectiveness of their message to entire humanity through their compositions. The Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji is credited for re editing and finalising the Guru Granth Sahib and even included verses of his father the Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Not only that he enshrined Guru Granth Sahib ji as Sikhism’s primary holy religious scripture by giving it the exalted status of an Eternal Guru. Though it has been poetically rendered and set to a rhythmic ancient north Indian Classical form of music and the bulk of scripture is divided into 31 ragas but Gurus did not compose their verses keeping any raga or musical form in mind while composing them. Music element was added later on by Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who edited and composed Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as they felt that these ragas facilitated the conveyance of message to the listeners easily, quickly and effectively. So the music was merely considered as vehicle to convey their ideas and messages effectively to readers and listeners.

Before summing up it is essential to give a brief glimpse to the teaching of Gurus enshrined in the Holy Granth through their verses, hymns and other compositions. Their teachings mostly revolve around the core principles of One God, Equality for all and service to the community. Their teachings emphasis Monotheism or as One God, who is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Immortal, Ageless, Formless, Unknowable, Unattainable, Unfathomable Being who has created everything in the Universe and is present even in the smallest microscopic creatures like amoeba, hydra, ants, flies, and insects to the largest creatures present in the world like elephant, blue whales and the mythological creature Leviathan. Though God is Supreme but still He can be Attained by the few lucky fortunate beings who with His Blessings gets a True Guru, and helps him in realising the Almighty. There are forces of distracting evil that obstruct a man from the path of uniting with God like the five evils present inside him like Ego, Wrath, Avarice, Attachment and Lust. A man can only overcome these foes by uttering and praising the Lord ceaselessly. Teachings of Gurus in Sri Guru Granth Sahib also stress the equality of all human beings regardless of caste, gender of social status. Almighty Creator has power to make ‘King out of a Beggar, and a Beggar out of a King’. Gurus have given the three pronged formula of – ‘Kirat Karo, Vand Shako and Nam Japo’ as infallible formula of emancipation from the cycle of life and death in this world. ‘Kirat Karo’ implies earning an honest living through hard work and ‘Vand Shakna’ emphasises sharing one’s earnings with others, particularly donating your Dasvandh orTethe or one tenth of your income to the deeds of charity as service to others- particularly the poor and marginalised is also one of the way to connect with God and living a meaningful life in the spirit of ‘Nar Sewa, Narayan Sewa. And above all the “Nam Japo” means uttering the Praise of the Glory of Lord ceaselessly and meditate and contemplate on Him for ever.

Guru’s teachings encourage the pursuit of spiritual knowledge under the guidance of a true Guru, who can lead individuals towards enlightenment. They also promote the virtues of truthfulness, compassion, patience, humility and self-control through their verses and hymns.

References

I am deeply indebted to the following authors and works that helped me immensely in comprehending the text as well as translating it properly.

1. Singh, Manmohan (Tr.) Sri Gutu Granth Sahib- English and Punjabi Translation vols 1-8, Amritsar: Golden Offset Press, 1995

2. Singh, Dr. Sahib, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Darpan vol 1-8, Jalandhar: Raj Publishers, 1970

3. Singh, Dr. Gopal, Sri Guru Granth Sahib English Version, Vol 1-4,

New Delhi:Allied Publishers, 2002.

4. Sikhiwiki, www.sikhiwiki.org

5. Sikhnet, www.sikhnet.com