Late S. Radhakrishnan, Past President of India

The Adi (original) Granth, which is regarded as the greatest work of Punjabi literature, is largely the work of Guru Arjan, the fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus. He brought together the writings of the first four Gurus and those of the Hindu and Muslim saints from different parts of India. Guru Arjan’s successors made few additions and the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, said that there would be no more (incarnate) Gurus and the Granth should be regarded as the living voice of all prophets: Guru Väni (Guru Bäni). William Penn says,

There is something nearer to us than scriptures, to wit, the Word in the heart from which all scriptures come, Japji says, Gurmukh nadan Gurmukh Vedan i.e. Word of Guru is music, which the seers hear in their moments of ecstasy; the word of Guru is the highest scripture. By communion with the Word we attain the vision unattainable. Guru Arjan says (pothi parmesar kä thän) that the book (scriptures) is the abode of God. We find in Adi Granth a wide range of mystical emotions, intimate expressions of the personal realization of God and rapturous hymns of divine love.

A remarkable feature of the Adi Granth is that it contains the writings of the religious teachers of Hinduism, Islam, etc. The Sikh Gurus who compiled the Adi Granth had this noble quality of appreciation of whatever was valuable in other religious traditions. The barrier of seas and mountains will give way before the call of eternal truth which is set forth with a freshness of feeling and fervor of devotion in the Guru Granth.

The Hindu leaders neglected to teach the spiritual realities to the people who were sunk in superstition and materialism. Religion became confused with caste distinctions and taboos about eating and drinking. The Muslims were also victims of superstition and some of their leaders were afflicted with the disease of intolerance. At a time when men were conscious of failure, Nänak appeared to renovate the spirit of religion and humanity. Nänak tried to build a nation of self-respecting men and women, devoted to God and their leaders, filled with a sense of equality and brotherhood for all.

The Gurus are the light bearers to mankind. They are the messengers of the timeless. They do not claim to teach new doctrines, but only to renew the eternal wisdom. Nänak was critical of the formalism (ritualism) of both Hindus and Muslims. Nänak says, ‘To worship an image, to make pilgrimages to a shrine, to remain in a desert and yet have the mind impure is all in vain; to be saved worship only the truth (God).’ Nänak tells us, ‘keep no feeling of enmity for anyone. God is contained in every bosom. Forgiveness is love at its highest power.’ Nänak says, ‘where there is forgiveness there is God himself.’ Nänak strove to bring Hindus and Muslims together. His life and teaching were a symbol of harmony between the two communities.

Guru Gobind Singh raised Khalsa to defy religious intolerance, religious persecution and political inequality. Those who groveled in the dust rose proud, defiant and invincible in the form of Khalsa. They bore all sufferings and un-nameable tortures cheerfully and unflinchingly. India is at long last free. This freedom is crown to the Guru’s Khalsa’s terrific sacrifices and their heroic exploits. Living Religions.

It is however, unfortunate that barriers the Sikh Gurus labored to cast down are being re-created. Many pernicious practices against which they (Gurus) revolted are creeping into Sikh society. Worldly considerations are corrupting the great ideals. Religion which lives in the outer threshold of consciousness without conviction in the mind; or love in the heart is utterly inadequate. It (religion) must enter into the structure of our life; become a part of our being. ‘Sacred Writings of the Sikhs’, UNESCO Publication