|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Distinctive
pathfinder Guru Granth Sahib and
its Context
Guru Granth Sahib comprises the bani composed by the Sikh Gurus. It also has compositions of proponents of the Sufi and Bhakti movements. The bani in Guru Granth Sahib has a spiritual focus and dwells on the relationship of God with his creations. It emphasises the brotherhood of mankind, rational inquiry and concern for women. Scholars and others can keep revisiting, with immense benefit, Guru Granth Sahib an infinite number of times. Such an exercise was carried out in Delhi some time back in the shape of an international seminar, and this book is a product of the deliberations then of many renowned and respected scholars of our time who either presented their papers or chaired the various sessions. In a way the course that M. Darrol Bryant from the University of Waterloo advocates in the study of the religious traditions of the world, sets the path for any mature discourse to take place. He quotes a Cree elder: "The wind has many voices/it speaks in many languages/and one can only ponder on what it says in one’s own language/what it says in other languages one cannot know/but one need respect those who hear/and believe." He speaks of the Sikh way as one of ‘ecstasy and sewa,’ and calls remarkable that the holy Granth has the contributions of Hindu and Muslim devines like Namdev, Ramanand, Kabir, Shaikh Farid and Mardana. J. S. Neki makes a valid observation that the Granth Sahib has "never been criticised adversely," and that it does not prescribe proselytising "being a text of inter-faith dialogue." Imtiaz Ahmad notes that "its (Granth Sahib’s) principal concern is with ensuring human happiness through prodding the believers toward a spiritual quest for the Devine." Shrivatsa Goswami surprisingly has hardly anything to say about Guru Granth Sahib in her presentation and devotes her talk to the Bhagavata Purana only. Dharam Singh from Punjabi University speaks of Guru Nanak’s odysseys and his not "thrusting his view of truth on anyone," but sharing the revelation he had had. W. Owen Cole makes a valid point in stating that, "it is Guru Granth Sahib that makes a gurdwara, not the building that makes Guru Granth Sahib," making a reference to the early Sikh diaspora in England when space availability was always a problem. This book makes an important contribution to the understanding of Guru Granth Sahib and its immense reach and depth. It has been well said by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in his inaugural address that "these teachings argue for a life, which if well led, would address both the internal crisis of the human spirit as well as external crisis in our society and our natural environment, which are often the result of spiritual emptiness and irresponsibility."
|
THE
Adi Granth or the Guru Eternal for the Sikhs hallmarks the inter-faith
character of a distinctive religious scripture that can be a pathfinder
for the fractured and strife-torn world of today, irrespective of which
religious denomination mankind takes its name from.