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."

This 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.

We know that Adi Granth has only 9 Sodar hymns not 13. 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. Before we discuss it, let us understand the background of such observations.

Introduction

Problems with observing and describing facts are well known both to the writers and the readers. It is generally agreed that when describing history or discussing a faith preconceived notions are the worst enemies to be encountered with by a scholar. If a person has a bias, which more or less all of us have, it leads one away from truth. We must, therefore, be very cautious while interpreting the writings of historians, religious or political. Without understanding their bias and the purpose of their writings, we may not be able to know the truth. Here are a few examples well known all over the world.

In the Afghanistan war, the people fighting against the government were called "rebels" by the rulers. While they were mentioned as "freedom fighters" by the countries who supported them, or at least wished them success. Similarly, the "rebels" in Central America were mentioned as Contras in North American newspapers. This word was chosen for "rebels" to remove their bad image of being illegal and armed protestors who wanted to dislodge the legal rulers.

Because of their bias, people differ not only in their interpretation of certain actions but they may disagree widely even when making simple mathematical counts. Though it may seem to be improbable but it is a fact. We all saw the recent famous Million Man March of Muslims in Washington, DC, USA. The press reports mentioned the head counts to be much less than claimed by the organizers. This caused an unfortunate and serious controversy in the country. Such differences, even when not intended, enter the writings of all historians and scholars. We can imagine how misleading the observations can be if the author has a bias in favor of or against a faith, a community or a political setup. The misinformation spread that way is claimed and usually is also considered to be "truthful". Such writings, therefore, cause very serious damage to social understandings, particularly if they are claimed to have been conducted without bias and according to the modern scientific methodology.

While reading a book on religion one does find some observations which reveal the outlook of the author. He may be a practicing faithful and a scholar. The writer may be just an intellectual and a non-believer. He may not be interested in describing the faith, but only in discussing and questioning its principles to "prove" his scholarship. Because of the "color" of the words and the approach chosen by the writer his prejudice and also his objectives become apparent, even when efforts are made to conceal them. The reader can observe the subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, attempts by the author to paint a super glowing picture or to destroy the original shine of a nation, community or faith. Some historians look like writers hired by the rulers. They write what meets the objectives of their masters, and not the history which the people want to know.

Part I:
Sikh Faith Misrepresented

Before us is the case of some Western scholars of Sikhism whose books provide misleading and incorrect information about Sikhs and their faith. Their writings seem to be an attempt to denigrate the Sikh faith and damage the good image built by other Western scholars. Western people, particularly the naive youth, believe in such writings to be the whole truth assuming them to be the outcome of a scientific study. It is for this reason that a sample of their observations are intended to be analyzed in this article.

The position and status these scholars hold give their writings credibility and respectability. Further, being in authority (as heads of the Sikh Studies) they decide which thought is to be taken as correct and which books their students should read. A common Sikh has no way to reach the youth for telling the other side of the picture. Even if the truth is known to them, many students don’t dare to share it with the teacher. They know that to get good grades they must agree with the teacher even when he may be wrong. This is generally true everywhere and in all subjects, at least this is the way the students think.

McLeod is considered the leader of such "scientific" scholars committed to sieve "truth" from tradition, the "unscientific" writings. While the Sikhs find his writings nothing but anti-Sikh propaganda. Omissions in his writings were brought to his notice believing him to be an uninformed person. His motives, however, became clear when he continued to stick to his anti-Sikh statements as long as he could. Further, this tirade against the Sikh faith was intensified by him with the association of a few Sikh research scholars.

I. Observations by McLeod

(a) Jugglery of Scholarship

About half-a-dozen statements were taken from McLeod’s book, The Evolution of the Sikh Community published in 1975. They were annotated and given to Pashaura Singh (then his Ph.D. Student at Toronto) to know from McLeod the basis of those obviously incorrect statements. McLeod wrote that Guru Arjun died in prison, later he was made a martyr which he was not. When Pashaura Singh asked him the reasons for that incorrect statement in view of the fact that Jehangir himself ordered the killing of the Guru, McLeod answered: This is jugglery of scholarship. You can choose what suits your thesis.

I was surprised when Singh told me that answer. I could "see" Singh caught in a wrong net. His thesis guided by McLeod, proved my fears to be correct. Of course, Singh later told a few close friends, "You do not know how much pressure there was on me." Earlier he confided to a friend, "You must understand I have to get my Ph.D. and I have to agree with my boss."

" Jugglery of scholarship " regarding the death of Guru Arjun Dev is also visible in a recent thesis on martyrdom submitted by Louis Fench of the same department of Toronto University. Of course, it agrees that the Guru was arrested and murdered but it says his death does not meet the strict definition of a Shaheed (martyr) given by the founders of the term. This looks like another effort to discount the sacrifice of the Guru so as to save the scholarly honor of McLeod.

(b) Forged Guru Granth

(i) Long time back in his book, The Evolution of the Sikh Community, McLeod alleged that a portion of a hymn in the original Sikh scripture was later on deleted by the Sikhs, because it mentioned the hair-cutting ceremony of (Guru) Hargobind. He has also given "reasons" for that:

"This feature is in obvious contradiction to the later prohibition of hair-cutting … the reference in the hymn could only be regarded as intolerable." Page 77.

It was a very serious allegation to decree the credibility of whole Sikh leadership. It was made with great irresponsibility, without looking at the Pothi itself and without depending upon any other person’s observations. It was a mere assumption, and that too disregarding the facts known to him. It challenged the genuineness of the Guru Granth Sahib. He made it to look like a tempered with or a forged Granth out of which inconvenient passages had been obliterated by the Sikhs to suit their decision made later on.

Some Sikh scholars studied the Pothi and verified that the space after the hymn (part of which was alleged to be deleted) was blank and there was no writing. No deletion of any such hymn relating to the alleged hair-cutting of (Guru) Hargobind was made. McLeod, however, stuck to his "notion" till Pashaura Singh, his own student, himself found the allegation to be false. Instead of feeling sorry for his unfounded charges, and expressing regrets to the Sikhs, he simply made the following remarks in the India Abroad, December 1990; "What I said was that at first it had appeared to me that this had been done, but when I read Jodh Singh’s book ‘Kartarpuri Bir de Darshan’, I abandoned the notion."

In response to McLeod’s above letter in the India Abroad, S. S. Dhami of New York published a letter reproducing all the three statements made by McLeod in 1975, 1979 and 1989 suggesting that it was clear that his denial about having abandoned the notion was just another mis-statement. (Introduction, Planned Attack on Aad Sri Guru Granth Sahib by the Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh).

(ii) When Daljit Singh described the allegation of deletion to be baseless (relating to the hair-cutting of Guru Hargobind) it seems that McLeod did not appreciate this truth. Rather, he held Singh guilty of an unjustified "attack" on him for his "contributions." Probably, McLeod felt how dare a civil servant (the way Daljit Singh has been derogatorily addressed – Ph.D. thesis, Pashaura Singh – to challenge his credibility as a scholar and his competency to criticize the formally authorized scholars holding Ph.D. degrees in the subject) question the research findings of a Professor of Professors (his students are heading Sikh Chairs in universities). This is similar to claiming that only a meteorologist can tell the weather; a policeman has no right to say whether it is raining, snowing or sunny because it is not within his duty and further, he has no qualifications to talk about the weather.

To justify that there was nothing wrong with his observations, which were mere academic questions, he writes;

None of the three charges leveled against me can be sustained, for in my book I merely raised questions (questions, not answers) with the intention of promoting academic discussions. Studying the Sikhs, page 56. (Emphasis mine)

Let us first read what McLeod actually wrote:

A fourth point seemed to clinch the issue (deletion of the hymn) … Finally, there was ample evidence that others had already formed the same suspicions concerning the Kartarpuri manuscript … and that the Kartarpuri manuscript must be a shortened version of the same text. A few portions must have been deleted because they could not be reconciled with the beliefs subsequently accepted by the Panth. This much appears to be well established …(emphasis mine) The Evolution of the Sikh Community, page 77.

Now, the reader may decide whether these observations are questions soliciting more information or assertions that his assumptions (allegations) of deleting the hymn are "well established." But still, McLeod says he was "attacked" by Singh. His objection is:

Everything that I subsequently say about having read Jodh Singh’s book is overlooked, and although my admission of doubt is implicitly acknowledged, this is scarcely done in a way which will do it justice. Studying the Sikhs, page 58. (Emphasis mine)

Yes, McLeod is right; he did mention Jodh Singh’s work. He writes at the very next page:

Bhai Jodh Singh assures us … The solitary couplet is followed by a blank space which extends to more than two folios and no obliteration. The Evolution of the Sikh Community, page 78. (Emphasis mine)

That is what surprises the reader most. Having been assured of the fact ( no obliteration ) the "research scholar" insists not only to tell the reader of the "well established" obliteration but also cites reasons for doing that by the Sikhs. Further, he wants the readers to accept all these assertions, not as baseless allegations, but as "academic questions for discussions "

If deletion was just a notion, as he later claimed it to be, he would not have been emphatic on his stand and would not have ignored the statement of a team of responsible Sikh scholars that "the space was blank and there was no deletion."

(c) Researching Gurbani

The language and tone McLeod uses in his writings hurts every Sikh, the Sikhs feel he is doing that intentionally. He knows that the Guru Granth is respected as the "living spirit" of the Gurus and cannot be subjected to examination. It is to be respected and consulted (studied) for spiritual guidance but still he writes:

I suspect that with the questions I have raised I have already sailed quite close enough to the wind. I repeat, however, that an attempt must be made to meet the need. It requires extremely delicate treatment, but that treatment is nevertheless required. Studying the Sikhs, page 59-60. (Emphasis mine)

McLeod prompts scholars to "investigate" the hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib, even if the Sikhs protest. Ironically, these scholars cannot even count properly the mere number of the hymns in the Sodar, the evening prayer for daily recitation by Sikhs. (see the introductory paragraph)

Further, McLeod also says, if no "research" work is done the believers will become a dwindling band.

As the world changes, they will find their inherited faith further and yet further out of harmony with it, and that is assuredly a guarantee that many at least will be compelled to relinquish the substance of their faith. Some will remain and lend credence to the voices of those who insist upon no change. They will, however, be a dwindling band. Studying the Sikhs, page 53. (Emphasis mine)

Unless I interpret it wrongly, it looks like a threat to the Sikhs that only their "research" can "save" the Sikhs from being a "dwindling band." This kind of disrespectful terminology has been lavishly used by McLeod. He also writes if Sikhs object to his "scholarly" approach to the study of their scripture they will do it in North America. At the same time, he indirectly makes a false allegation that Sikhs will stop them from studying and publishing it in Punjab. No one has ever told him that. However, many Sikhs have reported the research done by these scholars to be irresponsible. If exposing his blunders and baseless allegations is considered an objection to their "research," then Sikhs confess being guilty of that. Further, they will do the same in North America as well.

First, let us remember the proverb: we need a pool to enjoy swimming in it. The pool does not benefit from those who swim in it. In the same way, faith does not benefit from the followers, it is the followers who practise faith for benefiting from it. If the number of followers dwindles, it is they who lose and not the faith.

McLeod is not a Sikh and, therefore, would not be concerned if the number of Sikhs dwindles. Of course, his research, which looks negatively on the life of the Gurus and their holy scriptures, may mislead some naïve readers to the wrong path away from the Sikh faith.

McLeod is forcing himself to give Sikhs a certificate about the genuineness of their scripture. Do the Sikhs need authentication from McLeod and his associates to accept their Guru Granth as a genuine scripture authored by the Guru? Even if they voluntarily offer it, the Sikhs will reject it because their integrity is doubtful with Sikhs. For these scholars, the issue of the genuineness of the Guru Granth Sahib is like a football with which they play for their pleasure and also for proving their scholarship. Sometimes it seems they enjoy teasing the Sikhs by spreading misinformation under the cloak of "research" results. The words and phrases used by them more than prove it.

Instead of accepting the contents of the scripture to be genuine, they (even after knowing it was authored by the Guru himself) went back to the Goindwal pothi s. They find the two have some differences and want to know why some hymns were left out and why changes were made in some hymns. (the answers are given in Part II)

Even if everything is proved to the satisfaction of all scholars, then for "academic discussions," new questions will be raised by them: "Are the contents of the Goindwal pothis genuine or not?" When the answers are found for them, they will ask, "Did the Gurus actually write it themselves or ask scribes to write it for them? How are we sure that the scribes did not make mistakes while writing it/copying it?" Such questions cannot be answered while the modern scholars have more faith in their own assumptions and conjectures than in the Guru who compiled the Adi Granth. We know that the Guru supervised the compilation and made necessary changes to correct the scribal omissions in the manuscript.

Nothing is left for a Sikh to question after this proof. Anyway, if we know the answers to the above questions, they have no relevance for understanding the Sikh faith. Doing research work first to invent such questions and then searching for their answers is, as said in Punjabi, "churning water," it is wasting labor because the end result is known to be of no value. Therefore, such questions force the readers to doubt the motives and also the integrity of the research scholars.

(d) Jat Phobia

Further evidence of the negative approach by McLeod towards the Sikh faith may be seen in another unfounded statement in the same book:

"This is widely regarded as a great pity, even within Sikh society where the numerically preponderant Jats commonly bewail the fact that there was never a single Jat Guru." The Evolution of the Sikh Community, page 87-88. (emphasis mine)

This is a cheap and mean comment. It seems McLeod intends to plant this malicious idea in the minds of a section of the Sikh Community. Permit me here to say something about myself. I am a Jat. My relations and in-laws are Jats; my children’s in-laws are also Jats. I have a large number of friends in Punjab and outside, both Jats and non-Jats. This idea was never heard anytime from any person, Jat or non-Jat, for 70 years of my age. Less than a decade ago, I read it for the first time in his book that "Jats commonly bewail … widely regarded as a great pity." Perhaps his writings have an ulterior objective.

These Western scholars suffer from the Jat-phobia. They allege that because of the entry of large numbers of Jats and their character, later Gurus took the militant path. All Sikhs, not just Jats, do bewail when they read such allegations cooked by McLeod and his associates. Mcleod wrote:

Whatever the reason, it is clear that many Jats of the central Panjab did become Sikhs and that the Sikh Panth was deeply affected by its Jat constituency … It also suggests that the arming of the Panth would not have been the result of any decision by Hargobind. We may be sure that the Jats did not enter the Panth empty-handed. They would have been bearing arms many years before Guru Arjan died in Lahore. The Evolution of the Sikh Community, page 12. (Emphasis mine)

McLeod says it were the Jats who were influencing the policy of the Guru and not the Guru guiding the Sikhs. The Jats having joined the Sikh faith did not get rid of their arms and warlike culture. The author forgets that the fight was started not by Guru Hargobind but by Guru Nanak himself. Actually Guru Nanak became the leader and was accepted as Guru because of his social campaigns for the human rights of the weak and down-trodden. He expressed his strong protests against the tyrannical rulers whom he labeled as "blood sucking beasts."

r[jy sIh mukdm kuqy|| Page 1288 (All page references to Guru Granth Sahib)

He was up not only against the corrupt administration, but he also exposed the hypocrite religious preachers.

k[dI kURu boil mlu K[ie~ b#[hmxu n[vY jIE[ G[ie~

jogI jugiq n j[xY EMDu~ qIny Aj[Ry k[ bMDu ~ Page 662

Guru Nanak knew the life he was preaching would create problems for his followers. He, therefore, has not just cautioned but warned that being a Sikh would mean sacrificing a lot, even offering ones head for it.

jau qau py#m Kylx k[ c[au~ isru Dir qlI glI myrI E[au~

ieiq m[rig pYru DrIjY~ isru dIjY k[ix n kIjY~Page 1412

Unfortunately, ignoring all this, these modern scholars hold Jats "guilty" of pressuring the later Gurus to take up arms.

While making all these wild imaginations, these "scholars" seem to conveniently forget the basic nature of society in Punjab. Their writings reveal they fully understand that it was an agrarian culture. Most people in a village were Jats, with some non-Jats, traders, carpenters, blacksmiths, weavers, calico printers, even Brahmins, etc. to make it a self-sufficient unit. Trading class, Kshatris, lived mostly in the cities. More than 80% of the population depended on agriculture. In such a society, what is unusual about the fact that a large number of Jats became Sikhs?

Actually, it would have been unusual only if the Jats, being a major section of society, did not enter the Sikh faith proportionately in large numbers? Dividing the Sikhs into castes and then analyzing the reasons or the results of that on the Sikh Panth is a misconceived and unfortunate approach to the study of the Sikh community.

With everything said above, this is not to deny or underrate the contributions of McLeod. He is a great scholar and a great author. No one has or can dare to put a question mark on his scholarship. He has done an excellent job in presenting the Sikh faith and the Sikh community to the world. However, he has made, as Sikhs see them, some blunders which hurt the feelings of their community and can misguide Western readers.

We are not sure whether this misinformation is due to his ignorance or motives. Readers differ on this. Some do not think them to be "blunders" but consider it his "fearless interpretation" as he himself says it. Others give him the benefit of doubt. They think that, being an outsider, his ignorance is the reason for that. While some others argue that a person of his experience and knowledge cannot be believed to be ignorant of the facts. His preconceived notions are considered to be the reasons for his misrepresentation of the Sikh faith. The extreme view is that McLeod is using academic freedom and Western methodology for research as a license to spread misinformation about the Sikh faith.

A Sikh in his own way, summarized his writings; "McLeod is distributing ladoos (sweets) but with ‘poison’ in them. Only those who can see the poison remove it to enjoy the ladoos. Many are poisoned (misled) by his writings." Strangely, some feel happy while others regret watching his readers being baited like that.

Why should McLeod and his associates produce literature which spreads misinformation about the Sikh faith? His background may reveal the reasons. McLeod was a Christian preacher, later he joined the Christian Mission in Batala, Punjab, which runs Baring Union Christian College. Surprisingly, it has a Christian Institute of Sikh Studies. It has produced scholars like Loehlin, McLeod and McMullen.

From this institute there is another publication Religious Beliefs and Practices of the Sikhs in Rural Punjab by C. O. McMullen. This survey of the Sikh community was conducted by him as stated in the book ‘to investigate the locations of religious beliefs and practices in that people’s social life, their bio-social correlates and their centrality in creating a world view and religious communities.’ The questionnaire has a long list of 72 questions in addition to those regarding personal data. Most of the questions are complex and difficult, some are even embarrassing. These questions were framed knowing well that the majority (57%) of the interviewees are illiterate or only with primary school education. For example: What are some attributes of God which come to your mind? Now that the ten Gurus are not alive, who is the Guru of the Sikhs? What is the purpose of life? Do you take Parshad and why? Is it alright for a Sikh to smoke?

Firstly, one wonders at the name Christian Institute of Sikh Studies. Why a Mission founded to preach Christianity should have a wing for Sikh studies. Further, why would they provide financial support for conducting a survey of the Sikh community? Secondly, what makes the Christian Institute, concerned to know these questions from the Sikhs? Such serious and philosophical inquiries about the faith, particularly when the scholars knew the population is virtually illiterate, raises questions about their motives. The author is obviously not interested in learning what is good for him or his people (Christians) in the lives of the illiterate Sikhs. Knowing the history of the Mission, one cannot help doubting the motives (even if they are not there) of such studies. Here is the Sikh view of this Mission:

Almost since its inception, it has, apart from doing normal missionary activities, simultaneously been producing literature subversive to the identity and growth of other religions, particularly the Sikhism. … working under the wings of the British administration. At one time the Mission declared that three Sikh boys of their school at Amritsar would be converted to Christianity and their heads publicly shaved. Planned Attack on Aad Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 2. ( published by International Center of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh) (Emphasis mine)

(a) Editing Gurbani

McLeod took advantage of the desire of Pashaura Singh for higher studies and made the Mission approach to look to be the thought of an ‘insider’, a practicing 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 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). It appears, the student of McLeod has shown even more than a "jugglery of scholarship." This cannot be anything but an intentional attempt to distort the meaning to support his allegations. This will misinform the Western readers, particularly the youth, regarding evolution of Gurbani hymns through editing. 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 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 thoughts 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 (inrvYru) 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.

Baba Sri Chand and Baba Lakhmi Chand did not accept the nomination of Bhai Lehna as the successor of their father Guru Nanak Dev. The former, who did not marry, founded the Udasi faith. Many historical places belonging to Guru Nanak are under the control of the Udasi Sadhus. The other son was married. The Guruship was claimed by his subsequent generations. Today the leadership is with Baba Sarbjot Singh Bedi.

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.

inrBau inrMk[ru inrvYru pUrn joiq sm[eI~ m: ¡ Page 596

In spite of these facts, how can a scholar dare to claim it to be a research finding that the word Nirvair was added by Guru Ram Das. However, a layman feels sorry for his intentionally ignoring the above well-established facts.

(ii) Singh makes another obviously baseless assumption. He says "Purkh" concept became more 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. He has used it about half-a-dozen times, just on two pages facing each other.

aUqm siq gur purK inr[ly~ Sbid rqy hir ris msv[ly.......

qU Ek[l purKu n[hI isir k[l[~ qU purKu ElyK Egm inr[l[~.... Page 1038

dsvY purKu EqIqu inr[l[ E[py ElKu lK[ieE[~

purK u ElyK scy dIv[n[~ hukim cl[ey scu nIs[n[~.... Page 1039

The very first Rag, Sri Rag, also has this word used by Guru Nanak Dev.

ijsu sqguru purK u n ByitA su Baujil pcY pc[ie~ Page 22

ibn ipr purK u n j[xeI s[cy gur kY hyiq ipE[ir~ Page 54

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

(a) Sodar containing 13 hymns

Let us now have a look at the Ph.D. thesis of G. S. Mann, professor at Columbia University, New York, a longtime associate of McLeod since their days at Batala, Punjab. His thesis is the latest link in the series to create doubts about the genuineness and authenticity of the Guru Granth Sahib. His goal also seems to be "to prove" through "research work" that Gurbani was "edited" from time to time.

The paragraph, given at the beginning of this article, triggered the writing of this paper for the information of the youth. Let the readers study that para again and decide themselves; is it scholarly jugglery or a tragedy of scholarship? Or is it the outcome of their obsession that Gurbani has "evolved" and was "edited" over time. It represents all the three together. It is an obsession expressed as a scholarship.

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 holy hymns. They imply that the first Gurus did not write "fully correct" hymns so that the fifth Guru had to edit and improve them.

Every Sikh knows that Sodar Paath in the Guru Granth Sahib has only 9 hymns; there is no manuscript containing 13 hymns anywhere. How did Mann count them to be 13? When contacted on 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.

(b) Why Bhagat Bani

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.

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 even though he accepts that the hymns composed by saints (Bhagats) were included only after scrutiny by Guru Amar Das and later by Guru Arjun Dev himself who later compiled the Guru Granth Sahib.

Mann thinks he’s 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.

ijnI n[mu iDE[ieE[ gey mskiq G[il~

n[nk qy muK aujly kyqI CutI n[il~ Page 8

Those Bhagats mentioned therein, loved God and realized God. Their hymns come from the same source as Gurbani. They, therefore, cannot be inferior or contradictory to Gurbani, and hence are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.

A cursory understanding of Gurbani may lead some to believe that some hymns of Gurbani appear to be contradictory to the hymns of the Bhagats. Such "contradictions" exist not only between Gurbani and Bhagat Bani but within Gurbani as well. Prof. Sahib Singh has convincingly proved that all Gurbani and Bhagat Bani give the same message throughout. It is our failure to understand the meaning of the hymns in the context in which they are written. No scholar has questioned Prof. Sahib Singh’s work.

Pashaura Singh also mistakenly believes that Gurbani and Bhagat Bani do not agree regarding their philosophy. It is like believing that a half-empty glass is different from a half-full glass. This standard mistake is often made by many incompetent translators.

It appears that these scholars did not give up their pre-conceived notions before taking up the research work, or the topics chosen by them appear to be beyond the field of their study. Scholars without a belief in Gurbani would end up being another Trumpp, who smoked while studying Guru Granth Sahib. In that case they too will lose their own credibility with the Sikhs.

Whenever an omission is pointed out to McLeod, he can always protect himself behind the shield of "an outsider" as an excuse for his incorrect and biased statements. He can also say that it was for mere academic discussion. However, G.S. Mann and Pashaura Singh are practising Sikhs, raised in Punjab, the land of the Gurus. Daily reading of Sodar (Rehras) is a requirement for every Sikh. One cannot believe that a Sikh does not know that Sodar (Rehras) has only 9 hymns and not 13.

How could such a mistake be made, even inadvertently by a Sikh? Mann was so cautious of adverse comments on his thesis that he had it locked for two years to keep it away from the searching eyes of Sikhs. Further, the research work was guided and checked by qualified Ph.D. advisers. How can such an obvious mistake regarding simple counts be made in the thesis by the scholars who claim to be the sole competent authority on the compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib? Without their "research" McLeod writes, "they necessarily condemn religious Sikhs to stagnation" and the believers in Gurbani will "dwindle." They ridicule the Sikhs as "traditionalists" who without being qualified dare to question and object to their "research."

Therefore, McLeod advises the scholars to publish their research outside India, in Canada and USA but he says they should do it "exceedingly softly." Very sound advice indeed!

Let me end Part I with a note that some scholarly criticism to the works of these Western authors have already been published: Fundamental Issues in Sikh Studies, Invasion of Religious Boundaries, Planned Attack on Aad Sri Guru Granth Sahib by the Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh.

This article was written just to discuss a sample of their writings with the limited purpose of informing the Western readers about the obsession these writers suffer from. They may keep in mind the objective of these writers and also their ignorance and lack of faith in Gurbani while studying their writings.

(a) Compilation of Gurbani

(i) Gurbani kept safe: Some Western scholars mistakenly assume that such a revelation (Gurbani) was not recorded and preserved carefully by the Gurus but handled casually. Pashaura Singh even observes in his thesis, again by misinterpreting a hymn, that keeping Gurbani in written form came to the mind of Guru Nanak much later. They find it impossible to believe that the Gurus recorded the hymns revealed to them by God ( Dhur Ki Bani ) and kept them safe. Further, when the Guru nominated his successor, he handed over the "Gurbani treasure" to him. This can be understood only by a believer and not by a mere scholar who is only looking for faults in it. For them it is just a "tradition." By it they mean, Sikhs believe in it but without verification of its truth.

However, these writers make impossible assumptions, and indulge in wild imaginations and present them as "history." They believe that without having the possession of the authenticated volumes of Gurbani, Guru Ram Das could function effectively and could be accepted as Guru by the masses. They ignore the fact that Baba Mohan, the elder son of Guru Amar Das, was jealous of Bhai Jetha Ji. Even during the lifetime of Guru Amar Das himself, he had protested and raised objections to Bhai Jetha Ji being nominated as Guru. Mohan being the son of the Guru was held in great esteem by all Sikhs. He, with the support of his close relatives would not have let Guru Ram Das function as Guru if the authenticated pothis were with Mohan. Knowing well these circumstances, to believe that Guru Amar Das permitted the authenticated volumes to be kept with Baba Mohan, is not only improbable but totally unimaginable.

Yes, there is all likelihood that many copies were made from the authenticated script with the Guru by the Sikhs to recite and sing Gurbani. Guru Amar Das had founded 22 major Gurmat preaching centers. Surely, they were not without some copies of Gurbani hymns, which were required to be sung every day in every Sangat. Many Sikhs made personal copies for their daily recitation.

There should be no hesitation to accept that not only Baba Mohan but many other Sikhs had the copies with them made from the original script. Baba Mohan was in possession of copies made for him. Afterwards, he even put a note on them that says: anybody who ignores the Guruship from the lineage of Guru Amar Das (which meant Baba Mohan) is a lost Sikh. This note not only reveals that Baba Mohan declared himself to be Guru, being the Guru’s son, but also had prepared his own copies of Gurbani (Goindwal pothi s) which were later used to prove and legitimize his fake Guruship.

(ii) Goindwal pothi s: They are not the first writings, they were obviously copied from original writings or their copies. These scholars have not cared to know the sources of the Goindwal pothi s. The study of the pothis reveals that even the Bani of Guru Amar Das was not directly written in the pothi s. Gurbani of the three Gurus was available to the scribes of the Goindwal pothi s. Otherwise they could not have been prepared. The sources of these pothis were the original manuscripts, always kept in the possession of the Guru to be handed over to his successor. Those authenticated writings were used by Guru Arjun Dev to compile the Adi Granth.

When Guru Arjun Dev was nominated as Guru, his elder brother, Pirthi Chand revolted against their father’s decision. He even started writing spurious Gurbani himself to claim his Guruship. His writings, particularly the translation of Gurbani hymns, are available even today.

Similarly, spurious hymns are there in the Goindwal pothi s. Today, they have given a lot of problems to the scholars to understand the absence of such hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib. Accepting the pothis to be genuine scripture compiled by Guru Amar Das is the cause of their confusion and they wonder why some hymns in the two pothis and the Adi Granth do not agree?

First of all, Goindwal pothis are copies and scribes could make mistakes. Further, the scribes of the Goindwal pothis were not good scholars as is evident from their writings. They were not careful enough about the letters and vowels when they recorded a hymn. Nirankar is written as Nirikar (a tippi changed to bihari making it a meaningless word). Further they wrote "Amber" for "Amar" and "Kameer" for "Kabir" etc. While copying, they even added the non-authenticated hymns popular with the devotees. Perhaps the scribes assumed those hymns to be "Gurbani" to be later included in the authenticated pothis. There are some hymns even of fourth and fifth Gurus in the Goindwal Pothi s. If they had been used as sources for Adi Granth, those hymns would not have been there.

Many such spurious couplets are in circulation even today. In the name of Guru Nanak and Kabir. For example:
If the two people agree on a point, one of them may remark as below.

eyk ny khI dUsry m[nI~ n[nk khY dono igE[nI~