Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji: the Guru
At the centre of Sikh life stands Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It is not simply a holy book but, for Sikhs, the living Guru, since Guru Gobind Singh Ji vested Guruship in the Granth in 1708. It contains the bani of six Gurus together with compositions of bhagats and others, arranged mainly by raag, and it is the sole scripture installed as Guru in the gurdwara. The story of how it was compiled is told on our page on the compilation of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Every other Sikh text is read in the light of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This gives a helpful way to understand Sikh literature as a whole: some writings are revered as Gurbani, some are honoured as explanations of Gurbani, some preserve history and memory, and some set out discipline. Knowing which kind of text you are reading helps you weigh what it says with care and respect. It also guards against treating any other text as equal to the Guru.
The Dasam Granth
The Dasam Granth, the "Granth of the Tenth", is a collection of compositions associated with Guru Gobind Singh Ji, compiled after the Guru's time; tradition associates its compilation with Bhai Mani Singh Ji. It includes Jaap Sahib, Akal Ustat, Bachitar Natak, Chandi di Vaar, the Tav-Prasad Savaiye, Chaupai and the Zafarnama, alongside long narrative and mythological sections. Its languages include Braj, Punjabi and Persian. Its standard printed edition dates from the modern period.
Several of its compositions have a central place in Sikh devotion: the Sikh Rehat Maryada includes Jaap Sahib, the Tav-Prasad Savaiye and Chaupai in daily Nitnem, and they are recited during Amrit Sanchar. The authorship of the collection as a whole, however, is debated. Some Sikhs hold that it is entirely the Guru's work; others that it combines the Guru's compositions with those of poets at his court; and some question particular sections. These discussions are sincere, and Sikhs are encouraged to approach them with humility and respect.
Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Nand Lal
Two writers of the Gurus' time hold a unique place. Bhai Gurdas Ji, the scribe of the Adi Granth, wrote forty vaaran (ballads) in Punjabi as well as kabitt and savaiye in Braj. His Vaaran explain Sikh teachings, describe the Gurus and early Sikhs, and are often described in Sikh tradition as a key to understanding Gurbani. They are also an important historical source for the early Sikh community. His work is widely studied in gurdwaras and in schools of Sikh learning.
Bhai Nand Lal Ji, a Persian poet at the court of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, wrote devotional works such as the Diwan-i-Goya and the Zindagi Nama, full of love for the Guru. The Sikh Rehat Maryada states that in the sangat, kirtan may be performed only of Gurbani and of the compositions of Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Nand Lal, which explain it. Their writings are honoured, though they are not placed on the same level as Gurbani itself.
Janamsakhis, rehatnamas and gurbilas
Janamsakhis are collections of stories about the life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, circulating in several traditions such as the Puratan, Bhai Bala and Miharban janamsakhis. They were written well after the Guru's lifetime and combine memory, devotion and symbolism. Historians use them carefully, while for many families they remain the first way children meet the Guru's teachings through story. Sikhs are encouraged to read them as devotional literature rather than as scripture.
Rehatnamas, mostly dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, set out codes of Khalsa conduct; some are attributed to close Sikhs of the Guru, and their contents vary. Gurbilas literature, such as Sainapati's Sri Gur Sobha, celebrates the lives of the Gurus, especially the sixth and tenth. Later historical works, including Rattan Singh Bhangu's Prachin Panth Prakash and Bhai Santokh Singh's Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, shaped how the Panth remembered its past.
Sikh historiography and the Sikh Rehat Maryada
From the late nineteenth century, Sikh and non-Sikh scholars began studying these sources with modern historical methods. Their work has sometimes led to lively debate — about dates, the reliability of particular texts, and how to relate history to tradition. GurVichaar follows a simple principle on these questions: we try to say clearly what historical evidence shows, what tradition holds, and where Sikhs and scholars differ. Good scholarship and deep faith need not be opposed; both can serve the search for truth.
For matters of practice, the Panth's agreed guide is the Sikh Rehat Maryada, prepared under the SGPC after long consultation and approved in the mid-1940s (1945 is the year usually cited). It draws on Gurbani and on earlier tradition to set out personal and congregational discipline. Some Sikh institutions and groups follow their own maryada in certain details, but the Sikh Rehat Maryada remains the most widely recognised Panthic code.
Timeline
- 1604
Guru Arjan Dev Ji completes the Adi Granth, with Bhai Gurdas Ji as scribe. Historical record
- Early 17th century
Bhai Gurdas Ji composes his Vaaran and Kabitt Savaiye. Historical record
- c. 1706
Guru Gobind Singh Ji prepares the Damdama Sahib recension of the Granth. Traditional account
- 1708
Guru Gobind Singh Ji vests Guruship in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji at Nanded. Historical record
- 18th century
The Dasam Granth is compiled; tradition associates the work with Bhai Mani Singh Ji. Traditional account
- 1733
Date of the B40 janamsakhi manuscript, one of the dated janamsakhi texts. Historical record
- 1841
Rattan Singh Bhangu completes the Prachin Panth Prakash. Historical record
- 1843
Bhai Santokh Singh completes the Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth. Historical record
- 1945
The SGPC approves the Sikh Rehat Maryada. Historical record
Gurbani
ਬਾਣੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੁਰੂ ਹੈ ਬਾਣੀ ਵਿਚਿ ਬਾਣੀ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਸਾਰੇ ॥
Baanee guroo guroo hai baanee vich baanee amrit saare.
The Bani is the Guru, and the Guru is the Bani; within the Bani are all life-giving treasures.
ਬਾਣੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਬਾਣੀ ਹੈ; ਬਾਣੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਜੀਵਨ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨੇ ਹਨ।
Gurbani itself describes the Bani as the Guru — the standard against which every other Sikh text is read.
ਚੱਕ੍ਰ ਚਿਹਨ ਅਰੁ ਬਰਨ ਜਾਤਿ ਅਰੁ ਪਾਤਿ ਨਹਿਨ ਜਿਹ ॥
Chakr chihan ar baran jaat ar paat nahin jih.
The One who has no mark or sign, no colour, caste or lineage —
ਉਹ ਇੱਕ, ਜਿਸ ਦਾ ਕੋਈ ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਜਾਂ ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹ ਨਹੀਂ, ਕੋਈ ਰੰਗ, ਜਾਤ ਜਾਂ ਵੰਸ਼ ਨਹੀਂ —
An opening line of Jaap Sahib, a composition of the Dasam Granth that Sikhs recite in daily Nitnem.
Sources & further reading
- Sikh Rehat Maryada, SGPC
- Harbans Singh (ed.), The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala
- Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies, Oxford University Press
- J. S. Grewal, The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India), Cambridge University Press