| (1) Question:- |
What is the meaning of word "Sikh"? Who are the followers of Sikh Religion? |
| Answer:- |
The, word 'Sikh' is derived from Sanskrit word ‘Shishya' which literally means a pupil. The followers of Sikh Religion are those who have full faith in the spiritual teachings of all the ten Sikh Gurus and totally and unquestionably accept 'Guru Granth Sahib' as their Guru, According to the code of Sikh Conduct and Conventions as issued by Shiromani Gurudwara prabandhak committee, the definition of a Sikh is as under:
"Any human being who faithfully believes in
i) One Immortal Being,
ii) Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Gobind Singh,
iii) The Guru Granth Sahib,
iv) The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and The baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh." |
| (2) Question:- |
Name The Gurus of Sikhs and mention the period of their lives and Gurudoms? |
| Answer:- |
Name of Guru Life Span Period of Gurudom
Ist Guru- Guru Nanak Dev Ji 1469-1539 AD 1469-1539 AD
IInd Guru - Guru Angad Dev Ji 1504-1552 AD 1539-1552 AD
Third Guru - Guru Amar Das Ji 1479-1574 AD 1552-1574 AD
Fourth Guru - Guru Ram Dass Ji 1534-1581 AD 1574-1581 AD
Fifth Guru - Guru Arjan Dev Ji 1563-1606 AD 1581-1606 AD
Sixth Guru - Guru Hargobind Sahib 1595-1644 AD 1606-1644 AD
Seventh Guru - Guru Har Rai Ji 1630-1661 AD 1644-1661 AD
Eighth Guru -Guru Har Krishan Ji 1656-1664 AD 1661-1664 AD
Ninth Guru - Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji 1621-1675 AD 1664-1675 AD
Tenth Guru - Guru Gobind Singh Ji 1666-1708 AD 1675-1708 AD
Present Guru - Guru Granth Sahib Ji 08-10-1708 to ----------- |
| (3) Question:- |
What are the main sources of information about lives of Sikh Gurus? |
| Answer:- |
The main sources of information about the lives of Sikh Gurus are their own recited Gurbaani and writings of contemporary writers. The writings of Bhai Gurdas are of great importance in this context. The life stories about Guru Nanak (Janam Sakhis) are another important source. Zafarnama and Bachitra Nanak of Guru Gobind Singh are also very significant sources of information. 'Guru Shoba' by Sainapati and `Gian Ratnawali' by Bhai Mani Singh are other treasure houses of information on the lives of Sikh Gurus. Books written after the period of ten Gurus, like 'Mahima Prakash' by Baba Kirpal Singh, `Mahima Prakash' (in verse form) by Saroop Dass Bhalla, `Bansawali Nama' by Kesar Singh Chhibber, 'Guru Bilas Patshahi Sixth' and Guru Bilas Patshahi Ten by Bhai Sukha Singh are some other important works about Sikh Gurus, Among other contemporary works, there are some books in Persian language which provide valuable information about Sikh Gurus like Babar's Tuzuk-i-Babar's Jahangir's Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, Abdul Faizal's Aaine Akbari, Mohsin Fani's Dastane Mazahib and a book by Khaafi Khan entitled Muntakhab-Ue-Labab. Some other important and highly informative books about Sikh Gurus were written in the 18th and 19th centuries. These include Sri Guru Panth Parkash by Rattan Singh Bhangu. Panth Parkash and Twarikh Guru Khalsa by Giani Gian Singh and Suraj Parkash Granth by Bhai Santokh Singh. There are a number of books in English also which are useful for the study of the lives and works of the Great Gurus. Mention may be made of History of Sikhs by J.D. Cunningham and six volumes of Sikh Religion by Macauliffe. |
| (4) Question:- |
(a) Name the prominent life-stories (Janam Saakhis) giving information about the life and times of Guru Nanak Dev.
(b) Who was Bhai Gurdas. Give a brief introduction about his life and compositions. What is the importance of his compositions, particularly his first Vaar. |
| Answer:- |
(a) Life-stories are a very vital source of information about first Guru's life and times. Till date the following prominent life stories (Janam Saakhies) are available:
1. Puratan Janam Saakhi (compiled by Bhai Vir Singh from research works in England & Punjab).
2. Shambu Nath Wali Janam Patri (Edited by Dr. Piar Singh).
3. Janam Saakhi Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. (Compiled and edited by Dr. Piar Singh).
4. Bhai Meharban Wali Janam Saakhi (Compiled and edited by Dr Kirpal Singh),
5. Bhai Bala Wali Janam Saakhi.
6. Bhai Mani Singh Wali Janam Saakhi.
Though these Life-stories (Janam-Sakhis) have an admixture of history and myth, still they are a very significant source or material for research on life of Guru Nanak. The scholars while making research may also examine certain manuscripts in this connection. (Available at several places).
(b) The name Gurdas in Punjabi means, The slave of the Guru. There have been more than one person of this name in the Sikh annals. Bhai Gurdas, with whom we are concerned, was the great scholar and the calligrapher of the Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, when it was dictated for the first time by the 5th Master during the period 1601 to 1604 AD. Although, very little is known about his early life, and also there is a difference of opinion among the scholars about his place of birth, the date of birth and the name of his parents, it is generally accepted that he was related to Guru Amar Dass as the son of one of his brothers, and in that way was a cousin brother of Bibi Bhani, the daughter of Guru Amar Dass and the wife of the 4th Guru. Consequently, he was also related to Guru Arjun Dev the 5th Guru, as his Maternal Uncle.
Some of the scholars hold the view that he was born in 1551 AD, whereas S. Sardul Singh and others are of the view that the year of his birth was 1558 AD. Bhai Vir Singh, S. Harinder Singh Roop and S. Kartar Singh also subscribe to this view as, according to them, Bhai Gurdas was born sometime between 1600 to 1610 BK. Khushwant Singh in his 'A History of the Sikhs vol 1 page 310, has also mentioned that Bhai Sahib was born sometime between 1540 to 1560 AD.
Regarding the place of his birth also, whether it was village Basarke, the birthplace of the 3rd Guru or Goindwal, where the 3rd Guru and the other family members related to him had shifted, was the birthplace of the erudite scholar, there is a difference of opinion. According to the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, edited by S. Harbans Singh, he was born in 1608 BK at Goindwal. Most of the scholars mention the name of his father as Sh. Ishar Dass. The mother's name, although figuring in a few works, is Jiwani. The encyclopaedia thus accepts the names of Bhai Sahib's parents as Sh. Ishar Dass and Kiwanis. It was Guru Ram Dass, who initiated Bhai Gurdas into Sikhism in 1579 AD. He was assigned the duty of propagating the Sikh Religion by travelling to various places. The fact to this effect is revealed by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha. As per his Mahan Kosh, which further apprises us of the missionary activities of Bhai Gurdas, he was sent to far off places like Agra, Kanshi, Lahore etc. and he proved to be a zealot missionary. According to Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion, he travelled extensively visiting Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi, Burhanpur, Rajasthan, Jammu and Chamba Hills and propagated at all these places the teachings of the Masters.
The literary compositions of Bhai Gurdas have been classified under three categories, viz, Sanskrit-Slokas, Kabbit-Swaiyyas and Vaars. Although, the Sanskrit-Slokas, are not available at present, we come to know about these from Bhai Santokh Singh's Guru Patap Suraj Granth. Earlier, only 556 Kabbits and Swaiyyas were known. However, after Bhai Vir Singh discovered 119 more Kabbits, their number now stands at 675. The language used in these poetic forms is Braj Bhasa. It appears that these Kabbits were written by Bhai Gurdas when he was stationed at Agra, Banaras and other Hindi speaking areas. Although most of Braj Bhasa compositions are Kabbits, there are a few Swaiyyas, out of which there are 8 Dohas, 8 Sorthas and 8 Chhants. The remaining three are actual Swaiyyas.
The most popular compositions of Bhai Gurdas are his forty Vaars. Some scholars generally append one more Vaar known as the forty-one Vaar. But that does not appear to be the Vaar of Bhai Gurdas as the main theme in that Vaar is the laudation of Guru Gobind Singh. As Bhai Gurdas had predeceased the period of the 10th Guru, the Vaar praising the 10th Master could not be penned by him. It was in fact another Bhai Gurdas ,who was a poet at the court of the tenth Guru. Whereas the Sanskrit Slokas show that Bhai Gurdas had sufficient knowledge of Sanskrit language, his Kabbits show his command over Braj Bhasa. His compositions also reflect the vast knowledge possessed by Bhai Gurdas about the ancient scriptures of Hindus. The very fact that Bhai Gurdas was the first to expound the Sikh Philosophy establishes his scholarship. It was his understanding of the Sikh tenets, which he could interpret with such brilliance and clarity that he could earn appreciation from the Masters. The 5th Guru had described his compositions as the key to Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
The first Vaar of Bhai Gurdas is his longest and the most important Vaar. It has 49 Paurees. It is mainly philosophical and biographical in nature. Bhai Gurdas describes the Pre Nanak Period starting right from the creation of the world. In his First Pauree, after invocation of the first Guru, he states that the world was only an illusion, and there was suffering and fear of death, which could be mitigated only after liberation through the true word of the Guru. The use of the word Gurupurab, in the last but one line of this Pauree shows that the days associated with the Guru were celebrated even at that time. The second Pauree starts with the theory of the creation, being in conformity with Gurbaani makes it clear that there was nothing and sheer darkness before the process of creation started. He tells us as now the human body was created by combining five elements i.e. Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Sky. That the human life was the best of all the 84 Lakhs lives is the idea contained in the creation of cosmos through his will are further points as elaborated by the great genius in the next Pauree.
Bhai Gurdas then talks of four Yugas, namely, Satyug, Treta, Dwapar, and Kaliyug.. During the pre Nanak period, how the exploitation of religion was going on, how both Hindus and Muslims had forgotten the true religion and how they were fighting among themselves over trifles are some of the prominent points that emerge in Paurees No. 21 and 22. It was during a period of religious degradation that humanity cried for the birth of a prophet and in response thereto, the benefactor Lord sent Guru Nanak into the world. It was Guru Nanak, who brought equality and unity among various people by showing them the path of righteousness and true religion. He gave to this dark age the Mantra of Satnaam for effecting its redemption.
Pauree No. 23 to 44 give a biographical account of the various events of the life of the First Master. These incidents include Guru's visit to Sumer Parbat, Mecca and his visits to Batala and Multan. Bhai Gurdas deals with the extensive travels of Guru Nanak for the fulfilment of his purpose of redeeming the people by putting them on the right path of religion. He also refers to his discourses with Quazis, Sidhs and Peers, who were the prominent men of religion belonging to both the leading religions of the day i.e. Hinduism and Islam. In the subsequent Paurees, Bhai gurdas deals with the successors of Guru Nanak i.e. Guru Angad, Guru Amar Dass, Guru Ram Dass, Guru Arjun Dev and Guru Hargobind. All these Paurees dealing with the biographical details of these Gurus shed considerable light on certain aspects of the matter.
This Vaar is important as it is not only a very significant historical document, but is also an important treatise of Sikh Philosophy. The very fact that Bhai Mani Singh, later on, based his Janam Sakhi (Biography of Guru Nanak) on this Vaar highlights the importance of this Vaar. Although Bhai Gurdas, an erudite scholar as he was, wrote a number of compositions, and his tremendous literary work is available with us, there would be nothing wrong in the statement that this Vaar alone was sufficient to immortalise him. |
| (5) Question:- |
How far secondary sources of information regarding the lives and works of Gurus, reliable? |
| Answer:- |
Whereas Gurbani, the compositions of the Tenth Master and that of Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Nand Lal are the primary sources of information regarding the lives of the Sikh Gurus, all other works produced by contemporaries as well as written afterwards (as mentioned above), constitute the secondary sources in this regard. The secondary sources of information, no doubt, are useful for the study of the lives and teachings of the Masters, but the same cannot be considered as fully authentic. These works not only show the exaggerations or the variations because of subjective approach of the writers but also show at many places the Brahmanical influence which remained a dominating factor at the places and during the periods when these works were written. Thus, the readers may find certain things in these works which may not correspond with the teachings of the Masters as contained in their own compositions. Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha, in his book Gurmat Martand, Part-1, has pointed out a number of such observations these works. For example, in Gurbilas Patshahi - 6, there is a mention of Seetla Poojan and
also consumption of Bhang by the Guru. Similarly, in Guru Bilas Patshahi - 10, there are mentions of worship of Durga and excesses committed by the Khalsa. Bhai Santokh Singh, Giani Gian Singh, and the learned authors of other prominent works have also mentioned certain things which are not in accordance with the principles laid down by the Gurus in their own compositions. Thus. it has been rightly suggested by Kahan Singh Nabha that while going through the secondary sources of
information, all the incidents narrated and the observations made should be tested as per the tenets as enshrined in Gurbaani and be accepted only whatever is in accordance with the noble tenets enshrined therein. Whatever is contrary to such tenets should not be accepted in arriving at the right conclusions. |
| (6) Question:- |
What is the utility of Bhatt Vahees as a source of information and historical material regarding the lives of the Gurus? |
| Answer:- |
Bhatts were bards who sang the praises of a ruler or a warrior or a prominent person. They also kept records regarding births, deaths and marriages in the families of their patrons. The scrolls kept by them are called in Punjabi 'Bhatt Vahees'. These vahees, available with the descendants of the Bhatts are very useful for the study of the lives of the Gurus. Its importance was realised as a source of information by
Giani Gurdit Singh, who first of all, published an article in a Punjabi
Journal 'Alochna'. In 1961, another research scholar, Giani Girja Singh
had obtained Gurmukhi transcripts of the Bhatt entries which were made
in the Bhatt language known as Lande or Mahajani in the late 50s. He had
gathered this useful information through Bhatt Man Singh of Karsindhu
village, in Jind district (presently in the state of Haryana). Some of these
entries were published by Sahitya Academy, Ludhiana in 1961 as
footnotes to Shahid Bilas by Mani Singh, edited by Giani Girja Singh.
Since then, some of the scholars have written articles and tried to collect
and publish information available in that Vahees. A good number of
manuscripts are still lying scattered at certain places as well as in the
Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala.
The most important information which can be gathered from these Vahees relates to the ascertainment of the chronology of events and the reliable dates of such events. they also throw considerable light lives of the Gunis particularly Guru Hargohind Sahib and Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib.
A work published in 1986 in the book form entitled as 'Guru Kian Saakhiaan', is based upon the Bhatt Vahee entries. The original manuscript of this work was in Bhatt language only, but it was, later on, trans-iterated into Gurmukhi script by Bhatt Chajju Singh Kaushish in 1869 A.D. There are 112 Saakhies pertaining to the lives of five Gurus i.e. from Guru Hargobind Sahib to Guru Gohind Singh. Although, the details regarding ancestry. Gotra, Clan, and the dates and times of particular happenings have been taken from the Bhatt Vahees, the accounts of the Gurus have been presented in a style different from that of the Vahees. This source of information is one of the recent sources which have been found useful for the purpose of research on the lives of the Gurus. |
| (7) Question:- |
Who were the rulers of Delhi during the life-time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji? |
| Answer:- |
At the time of advent of Guru Nanak Dev, Delhi was being ruled by Lodhi Dynasty, Bahlol Khan Lodhi, Sikander Shah Lodhi and then Ibrahim Lodhi were the Rulers. When Ibrahim Lodhi was defeated by Babar in 1526 AD in the first battle of Panipat, the latter took over as the ruler of Delhi. Babar came from Kabul. Due to his continuous attacks on Punjab, the situation remained fluid in Punjab. Punjabi people had to suffer many hardships due to the atrocities, committed by the invaders, which find a mention in Guru Nanak Dev's hymns (Baani). After the death of Babar, his son Himayun ascended the throne in 1530 AD. |
| (8) Question:- |
When and where was Guru Nanak Dev Ji born and what were the names of his mother and father? |
| Answer:- |
Guru Nanak Dev was born on Baisakh Sudi 3, 1526 BK/ 15th April 1469 AD at Rai Bhoi Di Talwandi which is now-a-days called Nankana Sahib and is in Pakistan. The name of his father was Kalyan Chand (More commonly known as Mehta Kalu). He was a Patwari i.e. village accountant. in the service of Rai Bular, the local Muslim Chief. The name of Guru's mother was Mata Tripta. |
| (9) Question:- |
There is a difference of opinion regarding the month of birth of Guru Nanak as whether it was Kattak or Baisakh. Some scholars hold the view that the Guru was born in Baisakh i.e. April, but his Birthday is celebrated now-a-days in Kattak i.e. October/November. Why is it so? |
| Answer:- |
One of the most important sources of information regarding the life of Guru Nanak are the Janam Saakhies. Bhai Bale Wall Janam Saakhi is the most well-known of all these biographical accounts. It is said that this Janam Sakhi was got prepared by Guru Angad Dev from Bhai Paira Mokha as it was narrated by Bhai Bala. In this Janam Saakhi, the birth of the Guru has been shown as the day of full moon in Kattak, 1526 BK. However, Bhai Mani Singh in his Janam Saakhi mentioned the month of the birth of the Guru as Baisakh 1526 BK and this finding was accepted by Master Karam Singh, Historian in his book "Kattak Ki Baisakh". In view of these two conflicting opinions, the issue was elaborately discussed by the Premier Organisations like SGPC and Chief Khalsa Dewan, and it was finally decided that Guru Nanak's Birth Day should be celebrated every year on the full moon day of Kattak. Since then, this Gur-Purab has been celebrated accordingly. When the SGPC released a Nanak Shahi Calendar in the beginning of this year even then this tradition of celebrating the birth of Guru Nanak in the month of Kattak i.e. October/November was not disturbed. |
| (10) Question:- |
Describe the social, religious, economic and political condition of Punjab at the time of Guru Nanak's birth. |
| Answer:- |
During that period, there were two main religions, Hinduism and Islam. Muslims Were somewhat better both socially and economically as compared to Hindus. This was because of the fact that Muslims were a ruling class and a good number of persons being connected with royalty, were considered as superior Muslims. Fur example, Sardars, Khans, Malik, and Amir’s led a very prosperous and luxurious life. However, the Muslims of the middle-class and lower-class were just like Hindus except that they were not to pay any religious tax like zazia which the Hindus were subjected to. The Hindus had to hear many other atrocities and were looked down upon. The caste system prevalent among the Hindus further worsened the lives of the people of the caste ridden society. The women in both the religions had no respect and were just treated as an object for enjoyment. Fasts, pilgrimages, and other rituals, like idol worship dominated the Hindu religion. In Islam also there were certain rituals and religious formalities which had, in fact, no real connection with the religion. The political condition had also deteriorated because of the invasion of Babar, whose forces had created terror among the natives. |
