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Chapter Fifty-Two
Sikh Faith Studies in the West: An Analysis
By Gurbakhsh Singh, Washington
Taranjeet Singh, Vancouver
The reason for writing this article is the statement made by G.S. Mann in his Ph.D. thesis, The Making of Sikh Scripture. He writes at page 78: “The same is the case with the Sodar, the evening prayer, that contains five hymns in the GNDU pothi. This text expanded to contain 9 hymns in the Kartarpur pothi and further developed to include 13 in later manuscripts and the Adi Granth.”
A few statements of some western scholars are discussed in this article to explain their casual approach to the study of the Sikh faith.
(a) Sodar Hymns
The above statement has been made by a Sikh and is based on a “scientific research” conducted according to the “Western methodology”. Such research is repeatedly claimed to be “infallible”: and to sieve “truth” from “unscientific” old writings. Is it a scholarly jugglery or a tragedy of scholarship? Or is it the outcome of his obsession that Gurbani has “evolved” and was “edited” over time.
Every Sikh knows that Sodar Paath in the Guru Granth Sahib has only 9 hymns; there is no manuscript containing 13 hymns anywhere. Further, Kartarpur Pothi has only 5 and not 9 hymns. Obviously, it is not a printing mistake. This thesis must have been checked by at least four “competent” professors involved in guiding his research work. How did Mann count Sodar hymns to be 13?
When contacted on the phone, his explanation was, “I might have included Sohila”. When told that it would make the total to be 14, he replied, “I was under great pressure of time. I do not know now. I will send you my book.” To “prove” he was not wrong, he makes another blunder when he counts Sohila hymns in Sodar.
This is not the only research which reveals the disregard shown by the western scholars to the sacred Gurbani. These scholars suffer from preconceived notions, hence we find such wrong and disrespectful outcome of their research. However, the position and status of these scholars (as heads of the Sikh Studies) give their writings credibility and respectability. If one puts together the "research" writings of these scholars, one cannot miss their objective to “prove” that Gurbani is not a revelation. They aim to present it as an “edited” collection of hymns. They imply that the first Guru did not write "fully correct" hymns so that the fifth Guru had to edit and improve them.
(b) Why Bhagat Bani in Guru Granth Sahib?
I cannot help quoting one more piece of “research” from his thesis, to share the “scholarship” being used to “serve” the Sikh faith.
The hymns of the saints were, however, scrutinized and only those were taken that conformed to the Sikh religious and social outlook. 1
A clear sense of their lower position vis-à-vis the writings of the Gurus permeates the structure of the Goindval pothis and the Adi Granth. The later tradition lost the sense of hierarchy of the writings within the body of the Sikh scripture as conceived by Guru Amar Das and followed by Guru Arjun, but the strong need to justify the presence of these writings within the body of the Sikh scripture remains. Page 191. (Emphasis mine)
The author finds no justification for the inclusion of Bhagat Bani in the Guru Granth Sahib. Mann thinks he is more competent than the Guru to judge the need of the Bhagat Bani in the Guru Granth Sahib and he cannot find any justification for it being there in the scripture. (Probably because he thinks he is a Ph.D. research scholar while the Gurus did not hold any such research degrees - my assumption only.) He wants to know the reasons for their inclusion even when he accepts that the hymns chosen ‘conform to the social and religious outlook’ of the Gurus.
The answer is simple. Gurus repeatedly say that it is the message, not the person who gives it, which is important for a Sikh. Gurmat philosophy is unique in that it teaches: no prophet or faith can claim a franchise on God. Anyone who loves God, realizes God. (Salok, Jap p8)
1 (But a “research” statement contradicting the above was given by Pashaura Singh, another associate of McLeod. He wrote his M.A. thesis to “prove” that the philosophy of Gurbani is opposed to that of the hymns of the Bhagats.
This is just one more example which demonstrates that for these “researchers”, distortion of facts and contradiction of their own statements is acceptable “scholarship” as long as they meet their objectives. For them, it is freedom of thought.)
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