Book Review: The Granth of Guru Gobind Singh – Essays, Lectures and Translations
Authors: Kamalroop Singh and Gurinder Singh Mann
Review By: Gurmeet Singh Sandhu, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The authors have done extensive research by studying and interpreting scarcely available resources from across the Globe and India and have presented an erudite assessment on the authenticity of the Dasam Granth, justification for its original authorship to the 10th Master, Guru Gobind Singh, the primary objective of the Granth for the Sikh community, the original traditions followed by the panth and veneration offered at major religious institutions in India.
The authors have elucidated in detail the compositions included in the Dasam Granth, starting with Jaap Sahib, which lists the attributes of the almighty and reminds people that He is indescribable, unfathomable and is the timeless – Akal. The Granth contains the composition, Akal Ustat, praise to the timeless/formless and the authors reiterate the message from the composition that all people are same, regardless of where they live, their customs, culture; at the end everyone is equal. The authors have provided compelling reason using references to contemporary sources that the Charitropakhyan was composed by the Guru and essentially the paramount message on relationships and qualities of individuals has to be understood in a mature and agnostic manner. The composition outlines the traits and attributes of various types of people and one has to understand the good and bad to make better, informed decisions in life. It prepares us to understand and recognize the disparate beings and builds a high moral character, which transcends basic needs of ordinary humans. Personally, I would recommend everyone to read the text and comprehend the context/message behind the stories in an objective manner. This is good for both genders as it introduces the vile and virtues of this world. People living in isolated societies may be oblivious to the capricious attributes of some individuals, and this text will definitely prepare them to face the realities of the world. Also, the author has examined the autobiography, Bichatra Natak of the Guru Sahib and provided compelling reason that it was composed by the 10th Master. Other compositions on various avatars of Gods and Goddesses have been discussed and the purpose of having these compositions in the Granth. One has to realize that these ubiquitous compositions on deities were added so that the common people could understand and tangibly relate to the deeper message of the existence of the Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient being. Usually it is hard for us ordinary mortals to comprehend such an abstract concept without allegorical references and simple stories.
The authors have described in detail the relics of the Tenth Guru – the Charaina (the four plate armour) of Guru Gobind Singh, its authenticity, design and inscribed sacred invocations. I especially like the justification provided by the authors based on their extensive research on the authorship of the Dasam Granth and that various copies existed prior to Bhai Mani Singh’s version. The original pothis were written by Guru Gobind Singh during his lifetime and exist at various locations – Takhats throughout India and are in possession of prominent individuals/groups. The authors have also described in detail the ‘Aprocryphal’ compositions of the Granth that are extant in the current Dasam Grant manuscript: Sanshara Sukhamana, Ugradanti, Malkauns ki Var as the revivalists considered these to be in contrast to the overall teaching of the 10th master or they were not widely seen in contemporary Granths. However, the authors have provided a persuasive justification that these compositions were part of the tradition of Khalsa inauguration and were composed by the Guru and not injected by other sects.
The authors have provided a detailed account and pictorial references of how the Dasam Granth was installed alongside the Guru Granth Sahib at Akal Takhat prior to the Singh Sabha movement of 1920s. The Prakash of both scriptures takes place at Hazur Sahib, and Patha Sahib. The Guru Granth Sahib is placed on the Left, the Dasam Grant on the Right and the tradition of worshipping the Shastra (weapons). The scriptures offer both temporal and spiritual aspects to the masses. It has been said Sikhs will rise again and be sovereign if the Dasam Granth is placed in the Akal Thakat, Amritsar. The tradition of Shastra Puja and Khalsa initiation ceremonies have been traced and described in detail by the authors in the book.
The martial tradition of Sikhs, weapons used by them such as the chakra, the khanda, the history and significance of Shastra Vidhya is explained in the book and how the Sikhs used these weapons with dexterity is nicely described by quoting first-hand narratives from Europeans. The powerful notion of Degh-Tegh-Fateh inspired the Sikh warriors, based on the concept of Miri-Piri (Spiritual and Temporal) enabled the nascent community to become sovereign, defeat the all-powerful Mughals and establish a kingdom in a short time-span. Sikhs acquired indomitable spirit, martial prowess, the determination to overpower the impossible based on the teachings and traditions of the Holy Scriptures, including the Dasam Granth and martial tradition passed on by the Gurus.
This book is an excellent reference to get an understanding of the Dasam Granth, its authenticity, the purpose and how it influenced the lives of ordinary people and transformed them into a mighty community that overpowered its adversaries, survived holocausts, became rulers of the land. After defeat by the British, the Sikhs rose up like the Phoenix contributed to the Indian Army and won the admiration from all for their bravery, courage, devotion and sacrifice. This is an outstanding book and kudos to the authors for their comprehensive research, objective and rational presentation.
