1. Introduction: Why Compile a Scripture?
- Introduction: Why Compile a Scripture?
- The Existing Body of Gurbani
- The Problem of Apocrypha
- Bhai Gurdas Ji as Scribe
- The Pothi Mohan: Gathering Sources
- The Organizational Principle: Raag
- The Guru Contributors
- The Bhagat Contributors: A Radical Inclusion
- Kabir, Ravidas, and Baba Farid: Case Studies in Universalism
- The Mool Mantar and the Opening
- Theological Principles in the Adi Granth's Composition
- From Adi Granth to Guru Granth Sahib Ji
A Unique Act in World Religious History
The compilation of the Adi Granth by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in 1604 stands as one of the most extraordinary acts in the history of world religion. Here was a religious leader who took the extraordinary step of including in his community's scripture the compositions of saints and devotees from traditions other than his own — not as supplementary material or as examples of error, but as authentic expressions of the same divine truth that his own tradition proclaimed. The resulting scripture is simultaneously a Sikh document and a universalist one, a testament to the conviction that the divine name transcends all religious boundaries.
The Immediate Motivations
The immediate motivations for the compilation were partly practical. By the early seventeenth century, a substantial body of Gurbani existed from the five Gurus up to Guru Arjan Dev Ji himself, but it circulated in multiple manuscripts of varying authenticity. There were already reports of apocryphal compositions being attributed to the Gurus — particularly by Prithi Chand's faction, which reportedly circulated compositions under the name of Guru Ram Das Ji that had actually been composed by Prithi Chand himself (Pashaura Singh 2000, 88). The compilation of an authoritative canon was urgently needed.
The Deeper Vision
But beyond the practical motivation lay a deeper theological vision: the creation of a scripture that would express, in its very composition, the Sikh conviction that the divine truth is universal, that it speaks through sincere seekers of all traditions, and that the Guru's house is open to all who approach with devotion. In this sense, the Adi Granth was not merely a collection of existing materials but a theological statement — a document whose composition enacted the universalism it proclaimed.