Lord Singh: The importance of the Guru Granth
Sahib to Sikhs
| Opinion | 15
Jan 2017 | Asia
Samachar |
Source:
http://asiasamachar.com/2017/01/15/lord-singh-importance-guru-granth-sahib-sikhs/
The metaphor ‘living Guru’ emphasises the importance of the
Guru Granth Sahib to Sikhs. Unfortunately, as we see in some
gurdwaras, some Sikhs take this too literally. I think it is
better to describe it as the embodiment of the Gurus’
teachings and the SOLE perpetual guidance for all Sikhs. We
emphasise the importance of the Guru Granth Sahib every time
we conclude the Ardas with: ‘Saab Sikhan ku hukum ha Guru
Manio Granth.’
With
this clear injunction in mind, why the deafening silence
from Sikh leaders and Sikh organisations about the antics of
those in Patna Sahib who have placed the cleverly named
Dasam Granth alongside the Guru Granth Sahib? Why the
silence over the action of the Jathedhar there asking us, on
the 350th anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh, to
ignore the Guru’s clear injunction on the primacy of the
Guru Granth Sahib and say, ’Guru manio Granth and Dasam
Granth’.
Those who have studied the Dasam Granth will know that for
the most part it consists of praises of Hindu avtars,
denigration of women and frankly pornographic tales. Could
there be a greater insult to our Gurus and the world Sikh
community than placing such writings, wholly contrary to the
Gurus’ teaching, alongside the Guru Granth Sahib?
Sikhs should wake up and ask, why
has the government of India spent hundreds of crores of
rupees printing and distributing the Dasam Granth, other
than to dilute and Hinduise Sikh teachings?
Something the Punjab government did a few years earlier for
similar motives.
The Network of Sikh Organisations UK (NSO), has consistently
emphasised that the Guru Granth Sahib is the sole religious
guidance for Sikhs and we should shun all sants, babas and
now politicians and self-seeking Jathedhars who would have
us believe otherwise. This is the position of the NSO.
What though is the position of the Sikh Council, The Sikh
Federation, the Sikh Network, Ramgarhia Council, City Sikhs,
British Sikh Federation, Nishkam Seva Jatha (whose leader
Mohinder Singh is in Patna) and similar organisations in the
USA, Canada and other parts of the world. The world Sikh
community is entitled to clear unequivocal answers and
action from those who claim to represent them. Silence
also speaks volumes.
While more than 75% of the Dasam
Granth is wholly contrary to the teachings of the Gurus,
there are some compositions which could well be those of
Guru Gobind Singh. In the 1930s and 1940s a
committee of prominent scholars looked at these and included
them in the Sikh Reyat Maryada in 1945. They are in
consonance with the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib and
form part of our daily Nit Nem. The authors of the Dasam
Granth have borrowed these teachings and placed them in
their Dasam Granth. This does not mean that the Dasam Granth
as a whole should be considered to be on a par with the Guru
Granth Sahib.
In the opening composition of the Guru Granth Sahib, Guru
Nanak emphasies that there is only one Creator who is above
all notions of human birth. In contrast, a large part of the
Dasam Granth is devoted to the exploits of 24 so-called
INCARNATIONS of the Hindu God Vishnu. The Guru Granth Sahib
stresses the dignity and complete equality of women, while
much of the Dasam Granth is devoted to the denigration of
women, often in the crudest of language, which brings us
back to my initial posting.
Should Sikhs and Sikh organisations stand idly by when
crude attempts are made to give equal credence to the
teachings of Dasam Granth and the Guru Granth Sahib, thus
distorting Sikh teachings and diluting them with Hindu
mythology? The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) has
already stated its opposition to this attack on our
teachings. Encouragingly Sikhs in Canada, Malaysia, the USA
and the Akhand Kirtani Jatha have also voiced their
concerns.
I again appeal to other UK Sikh
organisations so far silent, such as the Sikh
Council, the Sikh Federation (and its offshoot the Sikh
Network), City Sikhs, Ramgharia Council, Sikh Education and
Welfare Association (SEWA), the Sikh Missionary Society,
Nishkaam Sevak Jatha and others in the UK and abroad to
stand alongside us and use their clout to condemn this
attack on our religion.
Dr Indarjit Singh, who carries the title The Lord Singh of
Wimbledon CBE, is a Crossbench Life peer sitting in the
House of Lords since 12 October 2011. He is an active member
of the Sikh community, including campaigning vigorously
since 1984 for those responsible for this genocide against
Sikhs to be brought to justice. He writes this note as the
director of the Network of Sikh Organisations UK