Writers of Guru Granth Sahib
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 (pages), 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 the only religious script in the world that contains views and ideology of people of other religions, castes and creeds. It also contains teachings of Sikh gurus themselves and was written by Bhai Gurdas Ji (first version) and by Bhai Mani Singh Ji (second version).
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Categorization of authors
Generally, Scholars categorize authors of Guru Granth Sahib into four groups:
- Sikh Gurus
- Bhagats
- Bhatts
- Gursikhs
Sikh gurus
Philosophically, Sikhs are bound to believe in Shabad Guru but general belief is that The Sikh Gurus established Sikhism over the centuries, beginning in the year 1469. There are 6 Sikh Gurus whose hymns are present in 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 above 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 come under 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 Bhagat Kabir ji selected the writings of The Great Hindu Bhaktis and Sufi saints.
Among above, below is the list of Bhagats:[4]
Bhatts
Many Hindu Saraswat Brahmins who started to follow the word of Guru Nanak Dev were known as Bhatts. There are 11 Bhatts whose banis are included in Guru Granth Sahib:
Individuals and their contributions
| 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 |
| Satta 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
There are two more writers of present recension of Adi Granth which is matter of debate among various scholars: Bhai Mardana and Bhatt Tall.
As per various scholars:
- There are two hymns under title Mardana 1[8] is composition of Bhai Mardana but other refute the claim, as there is pen name Nanak is used inside the hymn[9] and Mardana is type of Shalok.
- Similarly, there is a Swaiya in name of Bhatt Tall,[10] which according to some scholars is Gurmukhi Typo as it is Kal i.e Bhatt Kalshar.[11]
Notes
- including 130[2][3][6] saloks, or short verses
- Some of these may be by his successors, or by the Bhagat Farid of the 15th century, rather than Farid's own compositions.[6]
- 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
- Keene, Michael (2003). Online Worksheets. Nelson Thornes. p. 38. ISBN 0-7487-7159-X.
- 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.
- Kerry Brown (2002). Sikh Art and Literature. Routledge. pp. 114–115, 120 (Appendix II). ISBN 978-1-134-63136-0.
- 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. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Page 553, Adi Granth, Translation of Sant Singh Khalsa
- 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
- 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
- Page 1392: ਟਲ = ਹੇ ਟੱਲ! ਹੇ ਕਲ੍ਯ੍ਯ! ਹੇ ਕਲ੍ਯ੍ਯਸਹਾਰ!: Teeka by Professor Sahib Singh, Adi Granth