The Source Book On Sikhism

Observations by Pashaura Singh

(a) Editing Gurbani

McLeod took advantage of the desire of Pashaura Singh for higher studies and made the Christian Mission’s approach to look to be the thought of an “insider”, a practising Sikh (Singh has a training in Sikh faith and was a preacher at a Calgary Gurdwara when he started his post-graduate research in Canada). In his Ph.D. thesis, the Textual Analysis of Guru Granth Sahib, Pashaura Singh made serious allegations against Guru Arjun Dev of editing Gurbani to change it theologically and linguistically, something unthinkable, a thought that never arose in the mind of any Sikh or scholar in the history of the Sikh faith.

Singh not only distorted the meanings of Gurbani hymns but misquoted facts to suit his thesis. He translated the note “Dohragat likhia hai...” in the Kartarpur pothi as “a better version” to “prove” his thesis regarding the editing of Gurbani by Guru Arjun Dev. While the note actually means “written twice” (hence not needed and deleted). This cannot be anything but an intentional attempt to distort the meaning to support his allegations. Otherwise, no one can believe that a person born and raised in Punjab can be confused by the word “dohragat” and translate it as “better”.

Actually, his whole approach - editing to change theologically and linguistically - falls flat just in the first pages of the Guru Granth Sahib. There are two Sodar hymns one, on in Jap and the other in Sodar (Rehras) with slight differences. According to him, one should be an “old” version and the other “an edited, and hence a better version”. They are very close to each other at pages 6 and 8 respectively. Guru Arjun Dev should have retained only the “better” version. Alternatively, he might say that the Guru forgot to edit them. Such allegations presented as “research” are unthinkable and unbearable by Sikhs.

The readers, who know Gurbani and Sikh history cannot help doubting that the real aim of McLeod with the help of his associates is to distort the good image of the Sikh Gurus and shake the faith of the Sikhs in the Guru Granth Sahib as a revealed scripture. They write to prove it to be an “edited” poetry.

Singh was called to Amritsar to explain his misleading and wrong observations. Before the scholars, he confessed his mistakes and promised not to repeat them. However, he still seems to be under “pressure” to continue to claim that his “findings” are a scholarly work.

(b) Theological Changes

(i) to “prove” editing of Gurbani, Pashaura Singh assumes that the word Nirvair was added to the Mool Mantra by Guru Ram Das. To support his assumption, he refers to the jealousy of Baba Mohan, the son of Guru Amar Das towards Guru Ram Das.

He conveniently forgets that jealousy did not start with Guru Ram Das. The sons of the Gurus were jealous towards the disciples designated as Guru. It started with Guru Nanak’s sons and continued throughout the Guru period.

Further, Guru Nanak Dev not only used the word Nirvair, but the joint words Nirbhao and Nirvair of the Mool Mantra have also been used elsewhere by him in Gurbani.

Nirbhao nirankar nirvair pooran jote sma-ee Page 596

(ii) Singh makes another obviously baseless assumption. He says “Purkh” concept became prominent by the time of Guru Arjun Dev, hence he added this word to the Mool Mantra. He has been a long-time preacher. Sikhs wonder at his ignorance of Gurbani. The word Purkh was adopted by Guru Nanak himself. The very first Rag, Sri Rag, has this word used by Guru Nanak Dev.

Jis stagur purkh na bhetio......Page 22

Bin pir purkh na jan-ee......Page 54

Also, he has used it about half-a-dozen times, just on two pages facing each other.

Ootam satgur purkh niralay......

Tu akal purkh nahi sir kala......Page 1038

Dasvai purkh atit nirala......

Purkh alekh schay diwana......Page 1039

The “scholar” is so obsessed with the thought, “Gurbani was corrected and revised” that he ignores the implications of his assumptions. He, thus, accuses Guru Nanak for not writing hymns correctly and that his hymns needed improvement, both theologically and linguistically. This means till the preparation of the Adi Granth, Sikhs and the Gurus, continued to memorize and recite those “incorrect” hymns (unedited)! Only McLeod and his associates can make such assumptions to spread disinformation about the Sikh faith.