1. Lesson 1: Course Map and the Author's Purpose
Welcome to the Course
This course is about the doctrinal writings of the Sikh author Sodhi Teja Singh. His works belong to a long tradition of ਗੁਰਮਤਿ (Gurmat) exposition: writing that sets out to explain the teaching of the Guru and to defend it against misunderstanding. We will read his thought through the themes of his texts, including the argumentative work Gur-Shabad-Sidhi, whose very title points to the ਸਿਧੀ (sidhi), the establishing or vindication, of the Guru's Word (Singh, Gur-Shabad-Sidhi).
What This Course Does and Does Not Claim
We study ideas and method, not biography. This course does not assert dates, places, or page numbers beyond what the works themselves carry, and it does not invent scriptural quotations or references. Where we name Sikh doctrine, we keep to mainstream, reverent Gurmat, supported by trusted reference works such as the Mahan Kosh (Nabha) and the scholarly Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Singh and Fenech 2014).
Table of Contents
| Lesson | Title | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Course Map and the Author's Purpose | Orientation and method |
| 2 | Akal Purakh and the One Reality | God in Gurmat |
| 3 | Gurbani and the Authority of the Shabad | Scripture and Word |
| 4 | The Guru and the Path of the Sikh | Guruship and practice |
| 5 | The Khalsa and the Defence of Gurmat | Community and apologetics |
| 6 | Method: Reasoned Argument in Sikh Writing | How the author argues |
How to Read These Lessons
Each lesson opens with a theme, explains it in plain English, links it to the author's purpose, and closes with a short reference note. Read slowly, and notice how a doctrinal writer moves from a claim, to scripture, to reasoned support.
References
- Singh, Sodhi Teja. Gur-Shabad-Sidhi. Amritsar: SikhLibrary collection.
- Singh, Pashaura, and Louis E. Fenech, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
- Nabha, Bhai Kahn Singh. Gurushabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh. Patiala: Languages Department, Punjab.