‘A Benchmark Write-up’ “No Book can be installed at par with Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji'

Charnjit Singh Bal

This write-up, a work of an anonymous writer, evidently a coward, signifies the relentless pursuit of the lobby, including fanatical Hindu elements; cultist and occultist Sikh elements, that professes, propagates and preaches an anonymous author/s’ work/s, the so-called dasam granth in its entirety.

The zealous Sikh elements, radical fundamentalists,  marijuana junky Nihangs, cultist sectarian Sant Samaj, mercenary scholars and Sikh charlatans who tout the so-called dasam granth, that contains Hindu mythology, Idolatry, Avatarism, polytheism, Occultism, eroticism as Sikh scripture is ominous, for it lends support to the radical Hindu Sangh Parivar’s  claim that the Sikhism as a sect of Hinduism.

The sinister canard sent by the pesky sikhgroups@gmail.com to the undisclosed recipients and forwarded by the info@patshai10.org to its own E-mail address features links to websites www.patshahi10.com, www.santsipahi.org and the so-called PANTHIC MAGAZINE SANT SIPAHI. The editor of the Sant Sipahi magazine, Gurcharanjit Singh Lamba is an adamant advocate of dasam granth.

The dubious Benchmark Write-up’s anonymous author starts with Sikh Rehit Maryada’s clause “No Book can be installed at par with Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji’ and states, “The text and its intent are awfully simple and there is no scope of any confusion about it. But lately it is seen that this clause is being distorted and misinterpreted. Hence this sincere effort to clear the doubts.”

“Lately, some anti-Sikh forces have misused and misinterpreted this clause of Sikh Rehit Maryada and have used it as a tool to attack the banees of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib contained in Sri Dasam Granth.”

This is epitome (prime example) of duplicitous rhetoric of the propagandists of apocryphal scripture, dasam granth, incompatible with Sikhism’s quintessential theology and pragmatic religiosity and accusing their critics of anti-Sikhism. What is more anti-Sikhism than lending support to fanatical Hindu elements’ nefarious cause to obliterate Sikhism’s unique independent identity and incorporate it into Hinduism?

According to the devious author, “First of all this provision in the Sikh Rehit Maryada is about the Maryada that is to be followed in the Gurdwaras. There is an obvious difference between a Gurdwara and a Takhat and their Maryada. A takhat is not a Gurdwara and vice versa”.

Till early 1920s the present Akal Takhat was called Akal Bunga and it was staffed with Pujaris working under either Harmadir complex’s head Granthi, Mahant and later Sarbrah (manager) appointed by the British Government. And Talwandi Sabo, now the Damdama Takhat was in the territorial jurisdiction of Maharaja of Patiala, Maharaja Rajinder Singh  gave it as his sister’s dowry to Jiwan Singh of Shahzadpur. It remained in his family’s possession as its personal property till 1965. [See Punjab History Conference, 17-19 March 1989]

“The Granth of the Sikhs that embodies the warrior spirit of the Khalsa is Sri Dasam Granth Sahib. Hence, it is not an exaggeration to propose that Sri Dasam Granth has the same status with relation to Sri Guru Granth Sahib what Sri Akal Takhat Sahib has to Sri Harmandir Sahib.”

There is no historical account or Sikh tradition alluding that the present-day Dasam granth during Guru Gobind Singh’s time or that he ever preached from its contents. The Sikh Panth was beset with this so-called dasam granth, controversy, long after the Guru-period. Could its touts tell us, what was the source of valiant spirit of the Sikhs of Guru Hargobind who fought and won four battles against the Moghul imperial forces?

“Parkash simply means to open a granth for the purpose of reciting (pwT), studying (AiDAYn), teaching (aupdyS), and discourse (iviKAwn). Without opening or parkash of the granth, none of the above can be done. So the usage of word parkash should not be narrowed down literally otherwise if we say that in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib nothing else can be parkashed then will it bring the dahrah parkash (flowing beard) under its mischief too?”

What an idiotic logic? What is the commonality between a flowing beard and opening a scripture to recite, study, teach and discourse? The recitation, study, teaching and discourse of the universally acnowledged Sikh scriptural anthology, Guru Granth Sahib, authored by Sikh Gurus and venerated Hindu and Muslim holy sages, exalts Sikh/seeker’s spiritual consciousness and facilitates report (harmony) with the ultimate reality, the God. Can a flowing beard match it?

“According to Kesar Singh Chibber, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib had himself defined and explained the relationship between Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Sri Dasam Granth Sahib. And this Guru-vaak should be our guiding force.”

‘Cotw gRMQ jI dsvyN pwqSwh ky Dwm[ …bcn kIqw “gRMQ swihb hY auh, ieh AswfI Kyf hY”[

…sy dono gRMQ swihb BweI gur kir jwno[ vfw hY itkw guru gutky poQIAW puqR poqRy kir pCwno[’

Kesar Singh belonged to the Pundits’ sub-caste Chhibber. He was a Brahmin at heart and a pseudo-Sikh at best. His literary works designed to portray Sikhism as an offshoot of Hinduism, exemplify his Brahminical inclinations. According to Sohan Singh Seetal,

kysr isMG iC`br dI ilKq pUrI qrHW ihMdU m`q Asr Q`ly hY[ Kws krky mnUM isimRqI dw auhdy mn au`qy bhuq Asr hY[ gurU goibMd isMG jI dy hukm ‘mwns kI jwq sBY eykY pihcwnbo’ dy ault auh bRwhmx jwqI nUM dUsirAW nwloN au`qm mMndw hY[ eyQoN qk ik bRwhmx bMs ivc hox kwrn auh Awpxy Awp nUM au`qm kihMdw hY[

auqm jwmw bRhmn hY[ bMswvlI nwmw, crx 14, 630

jo bRwhmn is`K hovY iqs dw Awdr snmwn bVw krnw[ crx 10, 348

nOvyN gurU jI dw izkr kridAW lyKk kihMdw hY, ApnI KuSI koeI lwhy jMjU, ApnI KuSI koeI pwvy[ AMimRqsr srovr dI byAdbI hoeI qy lyKk pMfqW qoN hom krwky aus nUM pivqr krdw hY[ iPr gurU Arjn dyv jI nUM ‘kuMqI pu`qr Arjn’ dw Avqwr mMndw hY[ ieh sB kuC igx imQ ky iksy socI smJI cwl Anuswr kIqw igAw jwpdw hY[ lyKk pusqk dw AwrMB hI dyvI dyviqAW dI ArwDnw qoN krdw hY["

siqgur purK mnwiekY pUjo sgl dyv[ irK qpsI ky crn lg sPl hmwrI syv[1[

mwqw gaurI mnwiekY sursqI pUjo mwq[ bwk bwnI ky crn lg kIjY bcn hmwrw swq[2]

gaurI pUq gnys jI ibnqI sunAY ieih[

Bul cUk mm iKmw kr buD aujl kr dyih[3[ crx 1, (vyKo is`^ ieiqhws dy somyN, pMnw 182-183)