By Gyani Gurdit Singh p.550 price Rs.300/-
This definitive study seeks to probe historical etymological and cultural background of the Bhagat Bani incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib representing a research effort of monumental proportions. The author Gyani Gurdit Singh well known divine and scholar of the scriptural lore not only traces the source and setting of key compositions of the saint-Bhagats — Kabir Raman and Ravidas Namdev Sain and others but also analyses their philosophical content to assess their basic thematic consistency and hence the justification of their inclusion in Guru Granth Sahib as the integrated Sikh scripture. But what enhances the value of this scholarly work is the fact that it nails the common fallacy that Guru Nanak was a disciple of Bhagat Kabir and that he and the succeeding Gurus had been influenced by and simply carried on the Bhagati movement characterized by the Sufi mysticism as well as the Nirguna accent of the Vaishnav cult.
The author argues systematically cogently and compellingly that Guru Nanak and his successor preached a distinctive monotheistic philosophy and promoted an egalitarian ethics that affirms life on this planet as a unique gift of God to man for performing righteous deeds for the development of a just society. Indeed Guru Nanak rejected the negative practice of renunciation by the Nath yogis and the puritanical rituals of the Vaishnavites which had made a paralyzing fetish of for the instance cooking and food habits With extraordinary patience and erudition the author dwells on the theme of Guru Nanak’s profound impact on contemporary thought theology literature and sociology. He quotes chapter and verse of medieval and modern texts to demonstrate how Sri Raman and acknowledged Guru Nanak as his teacher and mentor that Kabir was cotemporaneous with Guru Nanak for almost thirty years and had met and communed with him on spiritual matters both at Varanasi and in Punjab; which explains the distance Punjabi flavor in Kabir’s verses and his familiarity with the Gurmukhi script so obvious in his Bavan Akhri. Guru Nanak enunciated the twin principle of the moral man and righteous action finds its echo in Kabir’s bani. Gurbani’s recurring expressions like Gurprasad sat sangat amrit vela and Satnam are strewn extensively in the Bhagat bani.
One is saddened that any need should at all have arisen to explore the question of who influenced whom in the revelation of spiritual verities and moral doctrines. But the need for clearing the cobwebs of misconception apparently arose because of the fatuous claims by Kabir-panth is and scholars of yore like Trump and more recently by McLeod about Guru Nanak’s debt to Kabir and his lack of originality claims that have sometimes been tamely accepted by unsuspecting if devout Sikh scholars.
It is in this context that the present study acquires importance as a decisive step to clinch the moral discourse and to set the correct perspective for scholars of the Sikh scriptures as well as lay readers .
Saran Singh
Article extracted from this publication >> August 2, 1991
