This is the first ever Granth Sahib, written by Bhai Gurdas and dictated by Guru Arjun Dev. It was un stalled in the Golden Temple and now at present is in Kartarpur, Punjab. It contains 5751 hymns in 30 Ragas. Tt has 975 leaves (1950 Pages). In this, Mul Mantara is written by Guru Arjun Dev himself. On leaf 541 it bears the signature of Guru Har Gobind Ji, the sixth Guru. Some of the pages are empty. Granth Sahib of Bhai Bano Ji Bhai Bano Ji was a devoted Sikh of Guru Anun. He ‘was given the original volume for binding, which was supposed to be done at Lahore. Bhai Bano copied the whole Granth Sahib for himself, and added some extra hymns. The total hymns in this version are 5757. It is in a book form and has 467 leaves (934 pages). It also contains hymns of Mira Bai, which were not included in the original version. There are a few other discrepancies. It was in Mangat Village in Gujrat, West Punjab before partition, with the descendants of Bhai Bano. After the partition it was brought to India andis somewhere in India now.
Many handwritten volumes of this version came into existence, as in those days copies were made by writing again. The writers wrote their names and of the people who got the manuscripts written. It came to be known by different names, Granth Sahib of so and so written by so and so.
Granth of Dam Dama Sahib pr Granth written by Bhai Mani Singh
This is the Guru Granth Sahib in present form.
On December 20th 1704, Guru Ji left Anandpur with all the Sikhs, and his earthly belongings and family. As soon as he left the fort it was attacked by the Mughal army against the promise not to do so. A heavy battle was fought on the night of 2021 of Dec., on the bank of river’ Sirsa. Most of the Sikh scriptures, and volumes of Guru Arjun Granth Sahib and writings of the Guru Gobind Singh were lost in the river or destroyed by the invaders.
After the battle of Chamkor, where Guru Ji lost his two eldest sons and the battle of Muktsar, which was his last battle, Guru Gobind Singh Ji came to Talwandi Sabo and stayed there. He sent some Sikhs to the Dhirmalias, who possessed the original Granth Sahib, and requested for its return to the Guru, But they refused to part with it and asked the Guru to write his own Granth if he was a real Guru. Then Guru Gobind Singh dictated the whole Granth Sahib from his memory to Bhai Mani Singh, who wrote the first volume. He dictated the whole Granth Sahib word by word as it originally was. To this, he added hymns of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and his own hymns under Guru Tegh Bahadur’s name.(“Bal Huya Bandhan Chhute” Regarding this hymn there is a controversy.
Many historians believe that this is written by Guru Gobind Singh. The writer has seen an old handwritten manuscript in which it was writ ten Mahla10 before this hymn in an exhibition.)
The other thing people believe is that, Guru Gobind Singh changed one word of Kabirji’s hymn from ‘Khalse’ to ‘Khalsa’. But this is just one rumor. The current Guru Granth Sahib is the true copy of that volume.
It is written in 31 measures. The manuscript has 5894 hymns. Initially it had 1948 pages but eversince printing was started by the machine, it is fixed at 1430 Pages.
It contains the hymns of six Gurus. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji 976 hymns, Sri Guru Angad Dev Ji, 61, Sri Guru Amar Das Ji 907, Guru Ram Das Ji 679 and Guru Arjun Dev Ji, 2216.
It also contains the hymns of 15 Hindu and Muslim saints from different parts of India and belonging to different social status, For example Kabir Ji, Namdev Ji, Ravi Das ji, Tarlochan Ji, Dhanna Ji, Sain Ji, Jai Dey Ji, Pipa Ji, Sur Das Ji, Baba Fareed Ji, Parama Nand Ji, Sad ana Ji, Baini, Ji, and Rama Nand Ji.
Kabir was a weaver, Namdey a calico printer, Dhanna a cultivater, Sadna a butcher, Ravidas a shoe maker, Sain a barber, Pipa a king, Trilochan a Brah min, Freed a Muslim. Kabir, Ramanand, Ravidas, Surdas, Sain from U.P., Jai Dev, from Bengal. Nam dev, Tirlochan and Parmanand from Maharashtra, Pipa and Dhanna from Rajasthan, Baini from Northern India.
There are hymns of eleven bards namely Kalashar, Jalap, Kirat, Bhikha, Sal, Bhal, Nal Gayand, Mathur a,Bal and Haribans, and four Sikhs Baba SunderJi, Sata Doom, Rai Balwand, and Baba Mardanaji.
There are 937 hymns attributed to these persons other than Gurus, They have equal status as the hymns of the Gurus. The original manuscript written by Bhai Mani Singh was lost during the Great holo caust of Kup Rahira on 5 Feb. 1762. It is believed that it was taken to Afghanistan by Ahmad Shah Abdali. But many copies of that manuscript were in existence at that time and they survived. Old handwritten manuscripts can be seen in the historical Gurdwaras. One such was installed in the Golden Temple. On June 6th 1984, it was pierced with a bullet hole during the attack many more precious copies of the Granth Sahib and Hukamnamas were destroyed knowingly by the Indian Goyt., by setting the library on fire.
It was the lack of foresight on the part of SGPC. These documents could have been microfilmed and saved for future generations.
One of these copies of the Dama Dama Granth was with Guru Gobind Singh when he went South to Nanded. While he was there he was stabbed by an Afghan hired to assassinate him by the subedar of Sirhind .
As Guruji was on friendly terms with the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah, the latter sent his European surgeon, Dr Cole who stitched Grugji’s wound.
Guruji was making a good recovery but before the wound had healed, he tried to string a bow. The stitches gave way and the bleeding started again and he knew that his time was near. He asked Bhai Daya Singh to bring the Granth Sahib and enjoined do not grieve my departure. I shall be in the midst of my Khalsa whenever you need guidance, gather in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib and decide the matter by its guidance.
I am returning to the city where there is no sorrow. No ‘one should weep or make a shrine in my memory.
The Guru then performed a formal ceremony and placed five piece before the sacred book and said.
The Panth, the Khalsa, | formed and helped It grow
For the Eternal Father had ordained It so Hear yea all my Sikhs, the Father’s behest for the future!
From today the Granth the Divine Word Is The Master!
The Guru Granth Is the embodiment Invisible form of all the Gurus.
With a heart, pure and clean, with a faith unbounded and serene,
Let the Khalsa seek the Master In the Word;
For the Word, the Granth, Is the Guru, the Master from today.
This happened on Oct 6, 1708 a day before he departed this earth. From Oct 8 onwards Guru Granth Sahib is known as the living Guru and has passed from generation to generation as such without even one word being changed.
It has been printed on even one inch format and on indestructible material but the contents are the same.
The ceremony of Guruship was attended by a bard Narbad Singh who was the son of Bhai Kaishu Singh. He wrote as follows:
“Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Tenth Guru, son of Guru Tegh Bahadur; Place Nanded; Country South, Samant 1765, 4th of Kartak month; Shukal Pakh, On Wednes day ordered Bhai Daya Singh to bring the Granth Sahib.
Guru Gobind Singh bowed his head placed five pice and coconut in front of the Granth Sahib and ordered the congregation that this was the succession of Guruship. Any Sikh who will accept this Guru Granth as such will be blessed and the Guru will help him”.
The first Hukamnama (random reading from the Guru Granth) was from page 1000 and read as follows: Lo, my Destiny is Awake: the Master is Merciful to me, and I Sing the Lord’s Praise, And my effort has become effortless, and I find Peace, and all my outgoings have ceased.
Now I have attained unto Eternal Life,
And I mind only my Creator God sheltered in the Refuge of the Saints.
And I’ve overcome my Lust, Wrath, Greed and Attachment, and all Adversaries I’ve overpowered;
And my God has become for me an Eternal Presence, who keeps me ever in view, and is never far from me. My Faith is fulfilled and I am Cool, and in utter Peace, and the Saints are ever merciful to me,
And instantaneously have I, the fallen one, become sanctified: O, Wondrous is the Glory (of God)!
1am wholly fear free and the Lord’s Feet are my only Refuge,
And Attuned ever to God, I Sing the Praises of my Master.
Since then the Granth Sahib has been guarding the Sikhs through good times and bad. No Sikh ceremony can do without it births, deaths, marriages.
There is no Guru in human form again for Sikhs. There can be Saints but a Guru never. Those who claim a living Guru cannot be Sikhs. A Sikh must listen to and read the Word of the Guru Granth. The scred book is revered with the utmost respect.
Unfortunately due to lack of good preachers many Sikhs are following mere rituals and practicing idol worship. In many places the priests in Grudwaras are doing what Brahmins do in most temples.
No other Granth or sacred book should be called Guru. Some Sikhs in their ignorance call the Dasam Granth of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Dasam Granth.
Guru Gobind Singh gave temporal Guruship to the Khalsa at Chamkaur in 1704 when he obeyed the order of the ‘Panj Pyarae’. He put his turban and plume on the head of Sangat Singh (coincidentally sangat means Congregation).
Thus, whenever the sangat gathers around the Granth Sahib, the Gurviis there both temporally and spiritually.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 3, 1989
